T-40

History

After the First World War, there was a global military movement focused on low-cost light main battle tanks. Formed in 1922 after a long and bloody civil war, the USSR proved another sought-after quality of their light tanks - amphibious capability - which spawned the T-37 and T-38 series in the early and mid-term Light Tanks - 1930s. In 1938, Moscow's No.

37 Factory began designing a 6.5-ton light reconnaissance tank that would eventually replace the limited-capacity T-37/38 series and serve the same role. Work continued on three pilot vehicles, one with torsion bar suspension and two with spring suspension, which were ready for testing in 1939.

During the evaluation period, the tank was constantly replaced to improve its design. The torsion bar model became the most popular design, resulting in significant modifications to the hull shape, suspension and powerplant.

From there, the car was presented to the authorities of the Red Army, and it was immediately put into service as "T-40" on December 19, 1939. Factory No. 37 was put into production, which started in 1940 and ran until 1941. 151 were produced until the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, with 41 added that month alone.

However, only about 18 vehicles are actually considered available for frontline combat missions. Models after June, stripped of their amphibious capabilities to reduce construction time, carry the "T-40S" designation to denote their distinction - 136 of these "land-only" tanks were produced from July to September.

The T-40 was piloted by two people, a driver and a vehicle commander (who also served as the gunner). The main armament is a 12.7mm DShK Mod. 1938 heavy machine gun, supplemented by a coaxially arranged 7.62mm DT machine gun.

The machine guns were mounted side by side in the front turret fairing, with the heavy gun on the right and the middle gun on the left. The DShK carries 500 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition and the DT carries 2,060 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. The car is 4.1 meters long, 2.3 meters wide and 1.9 meters high. As expected, the interior conditions are crowded, but still suitable for the crew, who can easily change positions if necessary. The fighting compartment is located in the center of the hull, slightly off the centerline to the left.

The power pack occupies the right side of the fuselage. Water capacity is achieved through the natural buoyancy of the hull, as the upper half of the boat is deliberately designed to be larger than the lower half.

An integrated propeller drive can move forward in the water, and twin rudders are used for steering. The turret has a circular access hatch on top, while the driver has a rectangular hatch above his position.

Turret allows full 360 degree traversal and limited engagement height from -8 to +25 degrees.

From the outside, the T-40 has a rather sturdy appearance. It continued the Soviet understanding of sloping, rolling armor plates to provide basic ballistic protection.

The final construction of these panels involves welding and riveting, and some surface panels are removable for servicing/repair of critical components such as the engine bay. Armor protection ranges from 4mm to 13mm, with the thickest values ??on more vulnerable surfaces, usually combat-facing surfaces.

The T-40 is powered by an 85 hp GAZ-202 liquid-cooled engine, giving the vehicle a maximum road speed of 28 miles per hour (45 km/h) and an operating range of 186 miles (300 km). ).Engine Paired with a four-speed gearbox. The body of the T-40 lacks any means of shock absorption, resulting in a relatively uncomfortable ride. The landing gear consists of four rubber tire wheels on one side of the track, and three track return rollers control the upper portion of the track. The drive sprocket is at the front of the hull and the chain idler is at the rear.

All surfaces of the track are unprotected (ie no side skirt armor or fenders are displayed).

After the German invasion, the Red Army was driven back to Moscow, losing a great deal of armor and materiel as well as aircraft and manpower. Stalin's prewar officer purges did not improve the situation, and many experienced senior officers were eliminated at critical moments.

Some T-40S units were shipped to the Moscow factory, where the turrets were removed and missile projectors were installed on the fuselage. The upgraded vehicle is equipped with BM-8-24 Katyusha rocket launchers, each of which mounts a 24x82 mm high-explosive rocket. Other T-40 tanks had armor thickness of 15 mm and were designated T-30S. Early T-30S tanks retained their original machine gun armament, while later versions officially adopted a more powerful 20mm TNSh automatic cannon and 7.62mm coaxial machine gun (750 main gun, 1,500 machine gun).

Between August 1941 and October 1941, 335 T-30s were built. A command vehicle (CV) variant of the T-40, known as the "C2V", was also developed. The C2V model includes the 71-TK-3 series radio, which is easily identified by the mast.

During the battle, the T-40s did not respond well to the German emergency strategy and many were lost in the first few weeks of the battle. By July 1941, fewer than a handful of T-40s were left, and few survived the war and saw them in their final days as school buses in 1946.

Finally, the T-40 was definitely a step up in quality over the previous T-37 and T-38 models, but came at a time when the Soviet government was looking for a less sophisticated armor system. The German invasion undoubtedly marked the end of this compact tank product, which was eventually overshadowed by the famous T-34 medium tank as the armored vanguard of the Red Army's invasion of Berlin.

The related T-60 is a dedicated non-amphibious light tank (detailed elsewhere on this site) that exceeds T-40 production, compared to 663 T-40s (including variants) built, Nearly 6,300 were produced.

Perhaps the only thing the T-40 is known for is its independent torsion bar suspension - it was the first Red Army tank to feature it.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

(T-40/T-40S): 500 x 12.7mm ammunition and 2,060 x 7.62mm ammunition; (T-30S) 750 x 20mm projectile and 1,500 x 7.62mm ammunition.

Changes