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USSR - T26 Variants |
Twin-turreted tanks
As the series production of the PS-2 gun was delayed, the Main Artillery Agency of the RKKA gave preference to a new gun. It was developed by the Artillery Design Office of the Bolshevik Factory, constructed from parts taken from the previously purchased German 37 mm anti-tank gun developed by Rheinmetall and the PS-2 gun. This system was successfully tested and the Artillery Factory No. 8 named after M. Kalinin started its series production under the designator B-3 (5K). The B-3 gun had less recoil and a smaller breech compared to the PS-2, so it could be easily mounted in the normal machine gun turret of the T-26. The first twin-turreted T-26 was armed with a B-3 gun in the right turret in late 1931. Unfortunately, series production of the B-3 gun proceeded slowly due to poor production standards (none of 225 guns produced in 1931 were accepted by army representatives; it took until 1933 to complete the original order for 300 guns placed in August 1931). Completed B-3 guns were mounted on BT-2 light tanks after mid-1932. This meant that twin-turreted T-26 tanks continued to be equipped with old 37 mm Hotchkiss (PS-1) guns. As production of the PS-1 gun had ended, some guns were taken from military supply depots and scrapped MS-1(T-18) tanks.
The initial plan was to arm every fifth T-26 with the 37 mm gun in the right turret, but the final proportion was somewhat higher. About 450 twin-turreted T-26 mod. 1931 tanks mounting the 37 mm gun in the right turret were produced in 1931–1933 (including only 20–30 tanks with the B-3 gun). There were 392 T-26 mod. 1931 tanks with gun plus machine gun armament in the Red Army on 1 April 1933.
Single-turreted tanks
During the Great Patriotic War, a mounting of 15–40 mm appliqué armour on about a hundred different T-26s was performed by local factories in Leningrad in 1941–1942, during the Siege of Odessa (1941), the Battle for Moscow and the Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942). A cutting of armoured plates was more rough than developed during the Winter War; the majority of these modified tanks did not have a moving armoured gun mask as seen in Factory No. 174's original design, and some tanks had front appliqué armour only.
Artillery tanks
T-26 mod. 1931 with the A-43 welded turret developed by N. Dyrenkov. The ball mount for the DT tank machine gun is visible. Leningrad, 1933.
In 1939, the Armoured Directorate of the Red Army (ABTU RKKA) ordered the development of a new conical turret for the T-26 similar to the BT-7's turret and to arm it with the 76.2 mm L-10 tank gun. Engineers of the Factory No. 174 felt it was impossible to implement this project because it would lead to a significant overload of T-26's chassis.
Armoured combat vehicles[edit]Main article: T-26 variantsA large variety of different armoured combat vehicles were developed on the T-26 chassis in the 1930s. Among them were KhT-26, KhT-130 and KhT-133 flame-throwing (chemical) tanks (552, 401 and 269 vehicles were produced, respectively); T-26T artillery tractors (197 were produced); TT-26 and TU-26 remotely controlled tanks (162 teletanks of all models were produced); ST-26 bridge-laying tanks (71 were produced); SU-5 self-propelled guns (33 were produced); experimental armoured cargo/personnel carriers, reconnaissance vehicles, and many others. The majority of these vehicles were developed at the Leningrad Factory of Experimental Mechanical Engineering (from 1935 known as the Factory No. 185 named after S.M. Kirov) by talented Soviet engineers P.N. Syachentov, S.A. Ginzburg, L.S. Troyanov, N.V. Tseits, B.A. Andryhevich, M.P. Zigel and others. Various vehicle-mounted equipment was developed for the T-26, including mine-clearing attachments, inflatable pontoons and a snorkel system for fording water obstacles, devices for overcoming obstacles and many others. T-26 light tanks were also modified into different armoured combat vehicles in the field during wartime.
- T-26 model 1931: Twin-turreted version armed with two DT tank machine guns. The first series-produced variant of the T-26 that was equipped with turrets differing from the initial Vickers design (Soviet turrets were higher and had an observation window). Tanks produced from 1931 to March 1932 had a riveted hull and turrets, a silencer affixed with two clamps, and lacked any cover over the air outlet window. About 1,177 T-26 mod. 1931 tanks armed with machine guns were accepted by the Red Army, which had 1,015 such twin-turreted tanks on 1 April 1933.
- T-26 model 1931 with gun plus machine gun armament: Twin-turreted version with a 37 mm gun in the right turret (some modern sources mention this tank as T-26 model 1932). There were two models of 37 mm guns in the USSR suitable for mounting in light tanks at that time—the Hotchkiss gun (or its Soviet improved variant PS-1), and the more powerful PS-2 gun developed by P. Syachentov. The latter was superior, but only experimental models existed. Therefore, the first 10 pre-production T-26s, which had a design identical to the Vickers 6-Ton, were equipped with a Hotchkiss gun in the right turret to increase firepower compared to the machine gun armed Vickers tank. The experimental PS-2 gun was mounted on only three T-26 tanks, the right turrets of which were replaced with small gun turrets from the T-35-1 (prototype of the T-35 heavy tank).
As the series production of the PS-2 gun was delayed, the Main Artillery Agency of the RKKA gave preference to a new gun. It was developed by the Artillery Design Office of the Bolshevik Factory, constructed from parts taken from the previously purchased German 37 mm anti-tank gun developed by Rheinmetall and the PS-2 gun. This system was successfully tested and the Artillery Factory No. 8 named after M. Kalinin started its series production under the designator B-3 (5K). The B-3 gun had less recoil and a smaller breech compared to the PS-2, so it could be easily mounted in the normal machine gun turret of the T-26. The first twin-turreted T-26 was armed with a B-3 gun in the right turret in late 1931. Unfortunately, series production of the B-3 gun proceeded slowly due to poor production standards (none of 225 guns produced in 1931 were accepted by army representatives; it took until 1933 to complete the original order for 300 guns placed in August 1931). Completed B-3 guns were mounted on BT-2 light tanks after mid-1932. This meant that twin-turreted T-26 tanks continued to be equipped with old 37 mm Hotchkiss (PS-1) guns. As production of the PS-1 gun had ended, some guns were taken from military supply depots and scrapped MS-1(T-18) tanks.
The initial plan was to arm every fifth T-26 with the 37 mm gun in the right turret, but the final proportion was somewhat higher. About 450 twin-turreted T-26 mod. 1931 tanks mounting the 37 mm gun in the right turret were produced in 1931–1933 (including only 20–30 tanks with the B-3 gun). There were 392 T-26 mod. 1931 tanks with gun plus machine gun armament in the Red Army on 1 April 1933.
- T-26 (BPK): (BPK stands for batal'onnaya pushka Kurchevskogo or "battalion gun by Kurchevsky"): twin-turreted version with a 76.2 mm recoilless gun (or "dynamic reaction gun", as it was called at the time) in the right turret. At the end of 1933 M. Tukhachevsky suggested equipping some T-26 mod. 1931 tanks with the 76.2 mm BPK recoilless gun designed by L.V. Kurchevsky in a right turret to increase firepower. One prototype tank was built in 1934. BPK had a muzzle velocity of 500 m/s (1,640 ft/s) and a range of 4 km (2.5 mi). The tank was able to carry 62 4-kg rounds. The test performed on 9 March 1934 demonstrated a significant increase in firepower, but the recoilless gun proved difficult to reload on the move, and the powerful blast projected behind the weapon when fired was dangerous to infantrymen behind the tank. Shortcomings were also observed in the design of the gun itself, and so the planned rearmament of twin-turreted T-26 tanks with recoilless guns did not take place.
- T-26TU: (TU stands for tank upravleniya or "command tank"): twin-turreted version with a simplex radio station No. 7N (communication range: 10 km) and a hand-rail frame antenna on the hull. The antenna lead was located in the front part of the underturret box roof between the turrets. The vehicle was intended for platoon (and higher) commanders. Three such tanks were successfully tested in September 1932 and seven more radio stations were delivered to the Factory No. 174, but it is unknown whether they were ever mounted on twin-turreted T-26 tanks. Series production of twin-turreted command radio tanks was scheduled to begin on 1 January 1933, but this did not occur because radio stations No. 7N were in short supply and because of the introduction of single-turreted T-26s with series-produced 71-TK-1 radio stations.
Single-turreted tanks
- T-26 model 1933: single turret version armed with 45 mm 20K tank gun and DT tank machine gun. This version had a new cylindrical turret with a large rear niche. Some tanks were equipped with a 71-TK-1 radio station with a hand-rail antenna around the turret (so-called radio tanks). They were upgraded in 1935 with a welded hull and turret, and again in 1936 with a rear DT tank machine gun in the turret. In 1937, some tanks were equipped with an anti-aircraft machine gun and a searchlight. The model 1933 was the most numerous variant.
- T-26 model 1938: new conical turret, small changes in hull parts, increased volume of fuel tanks. Tank gun mod. 1937 and mod. 1938 were equipped with an electric breechblock and a vertically stabilized TOP-1 telescopic sight (or a TOS telescopic sight on the 1938 model).
- T-26 model 1939 (T-26-1): underturret box with sloped armoured plates, rear machine gun removed on some tanks, 97 hp engine. Tanks built after 1940 were equipped with an underturret box made from 20 mm homogeneous armour, a unified observation device, and a new turret ring. Some tanks were equipped with armoured screens. About 1,975 T-26 tanks with a conical turret (T-26 mod. 1938, T-26 mod. 1939) were produced.
- T-26 screened: tank with additional armour plating (appliqué armour). Some modern sources mention this tank as T-26E (E stands for ekranirovanny or "screened"). The Factory No. 174 developed the design of 30–40 mm appliqué armour for all types of single-turreted T-26s during the Winter War. On 30 December 1939, factory tests proved that the T-26 with appliqué armour successfully resisted fire from a 45 mm anti-tank gun at a range from 400–500 m. Side and front armoured plates were mounted with the use of blunt bolts and electric welding. Toward the middle of February 1940, the RKKA received 27 screened T-26 mod. 1939 tanks and 27 KhT-133 flame-throwing tanks; an additional 15 T-26 mod. 1939 tanks were armoured by workshops of the 8th Army in Suoyarvi in the beginning of March 1940. All in all, 69 T-26s with appliqué armour were used during the Winter War and 20 more were delivered to tank units after the end of the war. Combat use proved that Finnish light anti-tank guns could not penetrate the armour of these tanks.
During the Great Patriotic War, a mounting of 15–40 mm appliqué armour on about a hundred different T-26s was performed by local factories in Leningrad in 1941–1942, during the Siege of Odessa (1941), the Battle for Moscow and the Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942). A cutting of armoured plates was more rough than developed during the Winter War; the majority of these modified tanks did not have a moving armoured gun mask as seen in Factory No. 174's original design, and some tanks had front appliqué armour only.
Artillery tanks
T-26 mod. 1931 with the A-43 welded turret developed by N. Dyrenkov. The ball mount for the DT tank machine gun is visible. Leningrad, 1933.
- T-26 with the A-43 turret:[55][56][57] artillery T-26 or "tank of fire support" with a turret developed by self-taught inventor N. Dyrenkov at the Experimental Design Office of the Department of Mechanization and Motorization of the RKKA (UMM RKKA). Two types of turrets, armed with the 76 mm regimental gun mod. 1927 and DT tank machine gun in a ball mount, were assembled by the Izhora Factory. They were partially pressed and welded. The first variety was installed on the T-26 mod. 1931 in February 1932 and the second type was used in November 1932 (in the last case, the rear armoured plate of underturret box was made sloping).
- T-26-4:[58] artillery tank with enlarged turret armed with the 76.2 mm KT tank gun mod. 1927/32 (some modern sources mention this tank as T-26A, A stands for artilleriysky or "artillery"). The turret was developed by the BolshevikFactory (since February 1932—by the Design Office of the established Factory No. 174) in 1931–1932; it was installed on the T-26 mod. 1931 in November 1932. Unlike the A-43 turret, the turret by Factory No. 174 was much more convenient for the crew. The turret of the T-26-4 was quite similar to main turret of the T-28 medium tank.
In 1939, the Armoured Directorate of the Red Army (ABTU RKKA) ordered the development of a new conical turret for the T-26 similar to the BT-7's turret and to arm it with the 76.2 mm L-10 tank gun. Engineers of the Factory No. 174 felt it was impossible to implement this project because it would lead to a significant overload of T-26's chassis.
Armoured combat vehicles[edit]Main article: T-26 variantsA large variety of different armoured combat vehicles were developed on the T-26 chassis in the 1930s. Among them were KhT-26, KhT-130 and KhT-133 flame-throwing (chemical) tanks (552, 401 and 269 vehicles were produced, respectively); T-26T artillery tractors (197 were produced); TT-26 and TU-26 remotely controlled tanks (162 teletanks of all models were produced); ST-26 bridge-laying tanks (71 were produced); SU-5 self-propelled guns (33 were produced); experimental armoured cargo/personnel carriers, reconnaissance vehicles, and many others. The majority of these vehicles were developed at the Leningrad Factory of Experimental Mechanical Engineering (from 1935 known as the Factory No. 185 named after S.M. Kirov) by talented Soviet engineers P.N. Syachentov, S.A. Ginzburg, L.S. Troyanov, N.V. Tseits, B.A. Andryhevich, M.P. Zigel and others. Various vehicle-mounted equipment was developed for the T-26, including mine-clearing attachments, inflatable pontoons and a snorkel system for fording water obstacles, devices for overcoming obstacles and many others. T-26 light tanks were also modified into different armoured combat vehicles in the field during wartime.
More than 50 different modifications and experimental vehicles based on the T-26 light infantry tank chassis were developed in the USSR in the 1930s, with 23 modifications going into series production. The majority were armoured combat vehicles: flame tanks, artillery tractors, radio-controlled tanks (teletanks), military engineering vehicles, self-propelled guns and armoured personnel carriers. They were developed at the Leningrad Factory of Experimental Mechanical Engineering (from 1935 known as the Factory No. 185 named after S.M. Kirov) by talented Soviet engineers P.N. Syachentov, S.A. Ginzburg, L.S. Troyanov, N.V. Tseits, B.A. Andryhevich, M.P. Zigel and others. Many Soviet tank engineers were declared "enemies of the nation" and repressed during Stalin's Great Purge from the middle of the 1930s. As a result, work on self-propelled guns and armoured carriers ceased in the USSR during that time. T-26 light tanks were also modified into armoured combat vehicles in the field during wartime.
Flame Thrower Tanks
Flame-throwing tanks formed around 12% of the series production of T-26 light tanks.[1] It should be mentioned that the abbreviation "OT" (Ognemetniy Tank which stands for Flame-throwing Tank) appeared only in post-war literature; these tanks were originally called "KhT" (Khimicheskiy Tank which stands for Chemical Tank), or BKhM (Boevaya Khimicheskaya Mashina; Fighting Chemical Vehicle) in the documents of the 1930s. All chemical (flame-throwing) tanks based on the T-26 chassis (KhT-26, KhT-130, KhT-133) were designated BKhM-3. The vehicles were intended for area chemical contamination, smoke screens and for flame-throwing.
The TKhP-3 chemical equipment for smoke screens and chemical contamination was developed in 1932. This equipment could be easily installed on any T-26 light tank and was produced by the "Compressor" Factory, (introduced for smoke screening as the TDP-3 from summer 1934; 1,503 such sets were produced to the end of 1936).
The TKhP-3 chemical equipment for smoke screens and chemical contamination was developed in 1932. This equipment could be easily installed on any T-26 light tank and was produced by the "Compressor" Factory, (introduced for smoke screening as the TDP-3 from summer 1934; 1,503 such sets were produced to the end of 1936).
- KhT-26 (OT-26) — Flamethrower variant developed in 1933. Based on the twin-turreted T-26 mod. 1931 tank but using a single turret armed with a flamethrower, the second turret was removed.
- KhT-130 (OT-130) — Flamethrower variant of model 1933, using a larger 45 mm gun turret (a gun was replaced with a flamethrower).
- KhT-133 (OT-133) — Flamethrower variant of model 1939 (a gun was replaced with a flamethrower).
- KhT-134 (OT-134) — Flamethrower variant of model 1939, with 45 mm gun.
Combat Engineer Vehicles
- ST-26[2][3][4] (ST stands for saperniy tank or "engineer tank") — engineer tank; a bridge-laying tank based on the twin-turreted T-26 mod. 1931 chassis. According to the "System of armoured engineering armament of the Red Army", the ST-26 was developed by designers from the Academy of Military Engineering (chief engineer of the project - Gutman) in the beginning of 1932. The ST-26 had only one shortened turret in the middle of the hull armed with a DT tank machine gun with 1,008 rounds; arc of fire was 211°. Special equipment consisted of a metal tracked bridge 7.35 m (24.1 ft) long and weighing 1,100 kg (2,400 lb), supports for the bridge (a front frame with two forks and two guiding rollers, lower forks with a hoisting mechanism and a roller, a rear frame with mounts and two rollers) and a cable winch (driven by the tank engine with the use of the reversing gear) inside the vehicle. The ST-26 was intended to provide for crossing of trenches and streams 6–6.5 m (20–21 ft) wide and barriers up to 2 m (6.6 ft) high by T-27, T-26 and BT light tanks: the bridge had a maximum load rating of 14 tonnes (15 short tons). The bridge could be laid with the help of the cable winch in 25–40 seconds without crew exit; the raising operation took 2-3 min and a commander needed to come out from the vehicle in order to control the process. The ST-26 with its cable system for bridge laying was tested in the summer of 1932.
Specifications: weight - 9.5–10 tonnes (10.5–11.0 short tons); crew - 2 men (commander and driver); speed - 28 km/h (17 mph); range - 120 km (75 mi).
The Armoured Engineering Section of the Red Army's Research Institute of Engineer Equipment (NIIIT RKKA) in co-operation with the Gipstalmost Factory developed an improved engineer tank at the end of 1936, with a lever hydraulic system of bridge laying (similar to the UST-26, see below) and a small turret of new design. The bridge could be laid in 45 sec and the raise operation took 1.5 min (both processes did not require crew exit). The vehicle was assembled by the Podolsk Machine Factory named after S. Ordzhonikidze in July 1937, and was successfully tested at the NIIIT Proving Ground (85 bridge layings were performed and 70 light tanks passed over the bridge). This ST-26 prototype was also tested at the Kubinka Tank Proving Ground, and participated in military exercises of the Leningrad Military District in 1938. A decision was made in 1939 to produce a batch of engineer tanks with the lever hydraulic system, but the Podolsk Machine Factory could assemble only one. The Stalingrad Tractor Factory probably also produced two such vehicles the same year.
An experimental multispan bridge was developed in 1934 which allowed for the coupling together of three or more ST-26 bridges, using special automatic grips in the end of each bridge section. The multispan bridge employed 250 kg metal columns 2.5 m (8.2 ft) high and was intended for crossings by T-26 and BT light tanks of water obstacles up to 20–50 m (66–164 ft) wide and 3 m (9.8 ft) deep. The launching of each bridge section took 20-30 min. The bridge had no development after testing.
Engineer Alexandrov from the Research and Technology Division of the Red Army's Engineer Directorate (NTO UNI RKKA) developed a wooden tracked bridge 6.5 m (21 ft) long. The bridge was mounted on standard T-26 light tanks as well as on ST-26 engineer tanks and could be laid in 30-60 sec without crew exit. Trials carried out in July–August 1934 were successful and 20 such bridges were issued to the armed forces.
Seventy-one ST-26 engineer tanks were produced in 1932–1939, including experimental vehicles: 65 ST-26 with a cable-laid bridge system, 1 ST-26 with a sliding bridge, 1 ST-26 with a tipping bridge, 2 UST-26 and 2 ST-26 with a levered bridge-laying system.
Ten ST-26 engineer tanks were used on the Karelian Isthmus during the Winter War (9 with a cable system and 1 with a lever system); they were included in engineer groups for obstacle clearing that were established in each tank brigade during the war. Three ST-26 tanks of the 35th Light Tank Brigade had the most success (in particular they launched two bridges over a trench and then an antitank ditch for a tank battalion during an assault on the fortified High Point 65.5 (Hottinen area) of the Mannerheim Line on February 18, 1940). The ST-26 with the lever system of bridge laying demonstrated good results and that vehicle was used quite actively during the Winter War, while tanks with the cable system were less reliable and had limited use. There were no losses of ST-26 engineer tanks during the Winter War.
Tank units of the Red Army had 57 ST-26 engineer tanks on June 1, 1941: 9 in the Far Eastern Front, 26 in the Moscow Military District, 2 in the Leningrad Military District, 2 in the Kiev Special Military District, 8 in the Western Special Military District, 1 in the Volga Military District, and 9 vehicles were in military supply depots. From those ST-26 engineer tanks only 12 were in good order, the others required repair.
- UST-26[5] (UST stands for usovershenstvovanniy saperniy tank or "improved engineer tank") - mod. 1936 was an improved version of the ST-26. Operation of the ST-26 engineer tanks had demonstrated their low reliability (frequent breaking of wire cables and bending of bridge supporting mounts), so the improved UST-26 was developed in 1936. The vehicle designers were the Red Army's Research Institute of Engineer Equipment (NIIIT RKKA) and the Gipstalmost Factory (engineers Vayson, Nemets and Markov). The UST-26 used a lever system of bridge laying with two levers and a hydraulic cylinder. The Factory No. 174 in co-operation with the Podolsk Machine Factory assembled two UST-26 in 1936. Trials performed in March 1936 showed the UST-26 was an improvement on the series-produced ST-26 (for example, the bridge raise operation did not require crew exit). Nevertheless, the UST-26 had its own disadvantages.
Remote Controlled Tanks
- TT-26 — Teletank
Self-propelled Guns
Self-propelled gun SU-5-1 armed with 76.2mm divisional gun mod. 1902/30
- SU-1 — Self-propelled gun armed with 76.2 mm regimental gun mod. 1927. The single fully armoured vehicle was built and tested in 1931.
- AT-1 — Artillery tank (tank of artillery support) armed with 76.2 mm PS-3 or L-7 tank gun. Two fully armoured vehicles were built and tested in 1935, 10 AT-1 artillery tanks were planned to be built in 1936 but were cancelled (Izhora Works produced 8 armoured hulls for the program).
- SU-5-1 — Self-propelled gun armed with the 76.2 mm divisional gun mod. 1902/30 (open-top type, the single vehicle was built in 1934).
- SU-5-2 — Self-propelled gun armed with 122 mm howitzer mod. 1910/30 (open-top type; a single vehicle was built in 1934 and a further 30 vehicles in 1936).
- SU-5-3 — Self-propelled gun armed with 152.4 mm divisional mortar mod. 1931 (open-top type, a single vehicle was built in 1934).
- SU-6 — Self-propelled gun armed with 76.2 mm 3K anti-aircraft gun (open-top type, a single vehicle was built in 1935 and 4 more vehicles armed with 37 mm anti-aircraft automatic gun were planned to be produced in 1936).
- SU-T-26 (SU-26, later SU-76P) — Self-propelled gun of an open-top design armed with a 37 mm gun or a 76.2 mm regimental gun mod. 1927. The Factory of Hoisting-and-Conveying Machinery named after S.M. Kirov (in Leningrad) built 14 vehicles in 1941: probably 2 with a 37 mm gun and 12 with a 76 mm gun.
Armoured Transport Vehicles
- TR-4 — Armoured personnel carrier
- TR-26 — Armoured personnel carrier
- TR4-1 — Ammunition transportation vehicle
- TB-26 — Ammunition transportation vehicle
- T-26Ts — Fuel transportation vehicle
- TTs-26 — Fuel transportation vehicle
Reconnaissance Vehicles
- TN[6] (TN stands for tank nablyudeniya or "observation tank")an experimental observation version based on the T-26T artillery tractor chassis and intended for reconnaissance of front lines and enemy firing-points; also for correction of artillery fire. Developed by the Design Office of the Military Supply Depot No. 37 in Moscow in September 1934. The single vehicle was built by the Factory No. 185 named after S.M. Kirov in Leningrad and tested with some success in 1935 (nevertheless, the further work was stopped). The TN had an armoured cabin instead of a tank turret, armed with a bow DT tank machine gun (4,980 rds.). Equipment consisted of a 71-TK-1 radio station with a hand-rail antenna around the cabin, a Zeiss optical rangefinder (with a 500 mm base length), a PTK tank commander panoramic sight, gyrocompass, course plotter, field dead-reckoning analyzer, predictor, map-board, SPVO signalling lamp and two UNAF telephones with a cable spool.
- BSNP
An experimental reconnaissance vehicle based on the T-26 mod. 1933 tank chassis, the T-26FT was intended for filming and photography of enemy defensive positions (both at a halt and while on the move). The T-26FT had the usual cylindrical tank turret with a hand-rail antenna, but the 45 mm gun was removed (replaced with a dummy wooden gun); armament consisted of the DT tank machine gun (441 rds.) only. On the left side of the turret two small holes (80 mm in diameter) with electrically driven armoured lids were fitted for camera lenses. There were two special compartments inside the vehicle: one for filming and photography (equipped with a Kinamo heavy semi-automatic photographic camera, a motion-picture camera, a periscope synchronized with both cameras and a radio station), and one for photographic development (equipped with an Anschütz gyrocompass navigation device, magnifier and developing apparatus). The crew consisted of 3 men (a driver and two camera operators). The single vehicle was built by the Military Supply Depot No. 37 in Moscow in 1937 and tested at the Kubinka Tank Proving Ground in January–February 1938. The vehicle had no further development.
Artillery Tractors
T-26T artillery tractors (with an armoured cabin) towed 76.2 mm divisional guns F-22 mod. 1936. Military parade on Red Square, Moscow. May 1, 1937.
One hundred and eighty three T-26T were produced in 1933. Fourteen more with a high-powered engine and improved towing device were produced in 1936 (including 10 with an armoured cabin). The manufacturer was the Factory No. 174 named after K.E. Voroshilov in Leningrad (a plan to produce 200 T-26T with a canvas cover and 150 T-26T with an armoured cabin annually was not carried out due to increases in tank production). Tests and army service showed that T-26T artillery tractors were underpowered for cross-country towing of trailers weighing more than 5 tonnes (5.5 short tons), so these vehicles had no further development. Also around 20 T-26 light tanks of early models were converted into artillery tractors by army units in 1937–1939. A transfer of overhauled old twin-turreted T-26 tanks (without turrets and armament) from some tank units of western military districts for use as artillery tractors for anti-tank and regimental guns in mechanized corps began in May 1941.
Tank and mechanized infantry units of the Red Army had 211 artillery tractors based on the T-26 chassis on June 1, 1941. Almost all T-26T artillery tractors of border and some inner military districts were lost during the first weeks of the Great Patriotic War. A few remained in front-line service until 1942 at least (for example, the 150th Tank Brigade of the Bryansk Front had a T-26T with an armoured cabin on May 15, 1942, which was used as a command vehicle).
No less than 50 old twin-turreted T-26 tanks of the Transbaikal Military District were converted into artillery tractors from 1941; these vehicles participated in combat with the Japanese Kwantung Army in August 1945.[10]
- T-26T[8][9] (T stands for tyagach or "prime mover", "tractor") — armoured artillery tractor based on the T-26 chassis. Two unarmed variants were developed in 1932 according to the "Program of tank, tractor and armoured car armament of the RKKA": one with a canvas cover designed by the Artillery Design Office of the Bolshevik Factory (some sources mention this vehicle as the T-26T2) and one with an armoured cabin designed by the Artillery Academy. The canvas cover had celluloid windows along the perimeter. The armoured cabin had a double-wing driver hatch in the front, two hatches on the roof and lookout hatches on the sides and rear (some vehicles did not have the rear hatches). T-26T artillery tractors had riveted or welded hulls (late models). The vehicle was equipped with a special towing device for towing 76.2 mm divisional guns, 122–152 mm howitzers and trailers up to 7 tonnes (7.7 short tons) weight.
One hundred and eighty three T-26T were produced in 1933. Fourteen more with a high-powered engine and improved towing device were produced in 1936 (including 10 with an armoured cabin). The manufacturer was the Factory No. 174 named after K.E. Voroshilov in Leningrad (a plan to produce 200 T-26T with a canvas cover and 150 T-26T with an armoured cabin annually was not carried out due to increases in tank production). Tests and army service showed that T-26T artillery tractors were underpowered for cross-country towing of trailers weighing more than 5 tonnes (5.5 short tons), so these vehicles had no further development. Also around 20 T-26 light tanks of early models were converted into artillery tractors by army units in 1937–1939. A transfer of overhauled old twin-turreted T-26 tanks (without turrets and armament) from some tank units of western military districts for use as artillery tractors for anti-tank and regimental guns in mechanized corps began in May 1941.
Tank and mechanized infantry units of the Red Army had 211 artillery tractors based on the T-26 chassis on June 1, 1941. Almost all T-26T artillery tractors of border and some inner military districts were lost during the first weeks of the Great Patriotic War. A few remained in front-line service until 1942 at least (for example, the 150th Tank Brigade of the Bryansk Front had a T-26T with an armoured cabin on May 15, 1942, which was used as a command vehicle).
No less than 50 old twin-turreted T-26 tanks of the Transbaikal Military District were converted into artillery tractors from 1941; these vehicles participated in combat with the Japanese Kwantung Army in August 1945.[10]
Armoured Carriers
- TR-1. In early 1933, a prototype of armoured personnel carrier for mechanized units based on the T-26 chassis was manufactured according to the "Program of tank, tractor and armoured car armament of the RKKA". The TR-1 armoured personnel carrier was developed by students of the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization named after I. Stalin, and produced at the Leningrad Factory of Experimental Mechanical Engineering. An engine (90 hp (67 kW) Hercules) and transmission were located at the front of the vehicle, and an armoured cabin for infantrymen, equipped with a rear door and six portholes in side walls, was located in the rear. The TR-1 was an unarmed vehicle. In August–October 1933 this armoured personnel carrier has passed extensive tests at Kubinka proving ground.
Vehicle Mounted Engineer Equipment
Many different attached implements for the T-26 light tank were developed in the USSR in the 1930s. Among these were mine sweeps, equipment for swimming, snorkels for deep fording, wooden and brushwood fascines for trench crossing, special extra-wide swamp tracks and mats, wire cutters, dozer blades and many others. All of them were tested but despite often excellent test results none (except some mine sweeps) passed into army service.
- Mine Sweepers Several mine sweeps of different designs for the T-26 and ST-26 (minus its bridge) tanks were developed in the USSR, but none of them were passed into army service. Three models of mine plows (suspended from a front frame, operated with a hand cable winch and with special blades) were tested in 1932–1934. Trials showed very poor performance of such types of mine-sweep on compacted soil or scrubby land. The much more successful KMT-26 mine roller (weight 1.55 t, mine-sweeping speed 6–8 km/h, able to absorb up to 3 anti-tank mine explosions) was developed and tested in July 1934; three such mine-exploding rollers were produced. An experimental mine flail was tested in August–September 1939 also. Mine sweeps could be mounted on T-26 or ST-26 tanks in 1.5 hours and jettisoned without crew exit if necessary.
- Fascines Three types of remotely released large fascines (brushwood, wooden and a canvas bag stuffed with straw) for trench crossing were developed for the T-26 and the ST-26 in 1937–1939. These fascines made possible the crossing of trenches and antitank ditches 3.5 m wide and 1.2 m deep. Only ten sets of wooden fascines were produced. The fascines somewhat restricted the field of fire of the main gun.
- Wire cutters Factory No. 174 developed special wire cutters for T-26 tanks in 1940. The automatically operated TN-3 tank wire cutters were intended for breaching enemy wire obstacles. They were located on the rear of the vehicle over the tank tracks, cutting off wire caught in the tracks. Trials performed in October 1940 in Kubinka proving ground demonstrated that the design needed improvement.
- Snowplow The ST-26 engineer tank with a mounted snowplow from the Ya-5 truck was tested in Kubinka proving ground in 1933. In 1935 a special tank snowplow for the ST-26 was developed for clearing roads of 3 m width, in snow up to 1.2 m deep. The snowplow could be mounted on the ST-26 in 15 min. It was officially passed into army service but follow-up trials indicated that it could not clear even 0.6-0.8 m deep snow.
- Other equipment Between 1934 and 1940 the following equipment for the T-26 tank was developed and tested: brushwood mats and wooden planks for swamp crossing, special water/bog tracks (of 520 mm width), automatic coupling equipment for two tanks intended for crossing trenches of 3.8-4.2 m width, an implement for destroying antitank teeth and road-blocks, a magnetic mine detector, different track grousers.
Foreign Variants
- 7.5 сm Pak 97/38(f) auf Pz.740(r): Ten Pak 97-38 anti-tank guns with shields were experimentally mounted on captured Soviet T-26 light tank chassis, resulting in vehicles designated 7.5 сm Pak 97/38(f) auf Pz.740(r). These self-propelled guns served with the 3rd Company of the 563rd Anti-Tank Battalion before being replaced by Marder III on 1 March 1944.
- T-26K K=Koulutus (Instruction): Finnish variant used for driver training. Similar to the T-26T artillery tractor, but with more boxy superstructure. 5 built from captured T-26s from 1947 to 1952.
- T-26V V=Vetäjä (Towing): Finnish variant proposed for towing anti-tank guns. Similar to the T-26T artillery tractor. 3 prototypes converted from captured T-26s in 1944.
Other Users
Spainish Republican Army
Chinese Nationalist Army
Chinese Nationalist Army