T-50 tanks

In the 1930s, the T-26 was the only infantry escort tank on the armament of the Red Army. Main, cannon version of this tank, accepted for service and produced from 1933 year, At the end of the decade, it no longer corresponded to the fully achieved level of development of tank construction. The increased power of anti -tank artillery did not cause, that the T-26 with a 15-mm armor had no chance of survival on the battlefield. The experience of battles in Spain clearly showed it. Twenty -six, which easily coped with poorly armed rebel tanks, have become an equally easy prey for their anti -tank guns. However, at that time all Soviet (and not only Soviet) tanks, which did not have counterfeit armor, They found themselves in a similar situation. In the eternal fight of armor and bullet, the latter won a temporary victory.

This is why 7 August 1938 r. The USSR Defense Committee adopted a decree "on tank armament system", which contained the requirement to develop new tank models, which in less than a year – until July 1939 r. – would meet the conditions of the future war in terms of armament, armor and maneuvering. In accordance with these requirements, the development of new reservoirs began.

In Leningrad Experimental Machine Construction Department No. 185 named them. S.M. Kirova a team of designers under the leadership of SA Ginzburg designed a light infantry escort tank "SP". In the summer 1940 year this tank – Object 126 (lub T-126SP, As it is often called in special literature) – It was made of metal. In terms of armor, it was the equivalent of the T-34 medium tank – His hull was welded from armored plates of a thickness 45 mm, except for DNA and roof 20 mm. Front, The upper and stern hull plates had the angles of inclination 40-57 °.

There was a driver's hatch in the upper front sheet. An observation device was installed in its cover. On the left side of the hatch in the ball handle there was a DS-39 Kal machine gun. 7,62 mm, from which the radio operator shot. There was also a monitoring device opposite his workplace. Two subsequent devices were mounted in the front cheekbones.

The welded faceted tower housed a 45-mm model of the model 1934 and DT machine gun connected with it 7,62 mm. In the roof of the tower there was a rectangular hatch for the crew landing, and in the stern wall, the round hatch for dismantling works. In the cover of this hatch and in the walls of the tower, holes for shooting from a personal weapon were cut out, closed with pear -shaped plugs. Four observation devices were placed along the roof of the tower roof, and the command panorama was installed in the hatch cover. So in terms of visibility the object 126 He left far behind the T-34.

The tank was equipped with a V-3 engine – 6-cylinder version ("Half", as they say sometimes) Diesla V-2. Power 250 Km allowed a 17-ton combat vehicle to reach speed to 35 km / h. Fuel tanks capacity 340 liters provided a range on the highway to 270 km.

The tank chassis consisted of six unhappy double -diameter double diameter, Three unjusted bearing rollers, rear drive and unhappy lead wheel. The road wheels were internally cushioned. Caterpillar – small links, suprasing suprasing with a celebrated hinge. A feature of the chassis of the car was the suspension of the torso.

In the hull of the tank, Next to the place of shooter-radio-operator, there was a 71-tk-3 radio station with a whipping antenna. The charge of armat and machine guns ammunition consisted of 150 cartridges and 4250 pieces of ammunition (The same rifle cartridges were used in DT and DS machine guns).

W 1940 year, the tank worked well in factory and military rehearsals. However, the National Commission proposed to reduce the weight of the vehicle to 13 tons by reducing the thickness of the armor with 45 do 37 mm. There was also a lack of crew members jobs. They tried to eliminate the last disadvantage of the second tank sample – DS-39 machine gun has been withdrawn, and his shooting range was closed with an armored screwed cover. In addition, steps have been taken to reduce the consumption of caterpillars, by replacing no rubber rollers of the caterpillar for rubber. The machine modified in this way is sometimes called in the literature T-127.

In autumn 1940 year object 126 He was transferred to the Leningrad Machine Construction Department No. 174 im. K.e. Voroshician, where on its basis in a short time – one and a half months – A group of designers under the general supervision of I.S. Busznewa and L.S.Troyanova has developed a new version. light tank – object 135 (not to be confused with T-34-85). S.A. Ginzburg i G.V. Gudkov took an active part in the project. According to other sources, this machine was developed in parallel with Object 126 and was preferred due to better tactical and technical properties. In January 1941 year the tank was made of metal. After successful factory and state tests under the T-50 index in February 1941 r. He was accepted by the Red Army.