The T-40 amphibious scout tank was an amphibiouslight tank used by the Soviet Union during World War II. It was armed with one 12.7 mm (0.5 in) DShK machine gun. It was one of the few tanks that could cross an unfordable river without a bridge.
T-40 amphibious scout tank
A normal T-40 rearmed with TNSh autocannon (foreground) and "T-40" T-60 (background) in the Kubinka Tank Museum.
It was primarily intended to equip reconnaissance units. A land-based version of the T-40, the T-30/"T-40" T-60, was produced, although was later replaced by the "true" T-60. The T-60 was cheaper, simpler, better-armed, and could fulfill most of the same roles, so T-40 production was halted.
The vehicle served mainly in Operation Barbarossa and the defense of Moscow, and it was rarely seen after that point, although it was used in Soviet training schools until 1946. A total 12 examples of the type were later fitted with Katyusha rocket launchers, firing 82 mm unguided rockets from a 24-rail launcher.
Amphibious capability was important to the Red Army, as evidenced by the production of over 1,500 amphibious tanks in the 1930s. The T-40 was intended to replace the aging T-37 and T-38 amphibious light tanks. It was a superior design, but due to the pressures of war the Soviets favored the production of simpler tank designs, so only a small number of T-40s were built.[4][5][6]
Developmentedit
The T-40 was an improvement over the T-37 and T-38 in several respects. The coil-spring suspension of the T-38 was replaced by a modern torsion-bar suspension with four pairs of road wheels. The boat-shaped hull was entirely welded, in contrast to the riveted hulls of the T-37 and T-38.[7][8] The welded, conical turret shape improved protection, although the armor was still very thin. The vehicle's armament consisted of a single 12.7 mm DShK heavy machine gun, which was a much more potent weapon than the 7.62 mm DT machine gun mounted on the T-37 and the T-38.[5][9][10]
Water propulsion was achieved via a small propeller mounted at the rear of the hull. The propeller was set into an indent in the hull rear, and was thus better protected than the exposed propeller of the T-38. Buoyancy was provided by the large boat-shaped hull.[11][12]
Productionedit
The T-40 entered production just prior to the outbreak of war, and was intended to equip reconnaissance units. As the need for large numbers of tanks became critical, a secondary non-amphibious variant was designed on the T-40 chassis. Due to delays with design of newer model, T-40 was modified to have thicker armor, 20 mm TNSh autocannon, simpler spoken wheels and absent water propulsion system. This design was called T-60, like a different later tank, which led to many confusions, so this tank is often referred as "T-40" T-60 or T-30 (as its blueprint index was 030). The "T-40" T-60 replaced T-40 in September 1941 and was manufactured until summer 1942 along with the "true" T-60. This design was later improved to become the "true" T-60. The T-60 was simpler, cheaper, better armed, and could fulfill most of the same roles. Under the stress of war, production of the T-40 was halted in favor of the T-60. Thus only 356 T-40s were issued, compared to 594 "T-40" T-60s and over 6,000 "true" T-60s.[13][14][15][16]
A small batch of "T-40" T-60 were produced with BM-8-24 Katyusha rocket racks mounted instead of a turret. This version provided a mobile mount for a 24-rail multiple-launch rocket system, firing 82 mm unguided rockets.[13][17] A total of 12 T-40 were converted into this model in autumn 1941.[18][19]
The T-40 was widely photographed at the time of Operation Barbarossa and also during the defence of Moscow. Many were knocked out during the fighting. The type was very rarely seen after the end of 1941, although some T-40s remained in service as late 1946 in some school units.[19][20][21]
Romanian forces captured one T-40 as of 1 November 1942.[22]
^Mark Axworthy, Cornel I. Scafeș, Cristian Crăciunoiu, Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-1945, p. 220
Bibliographyedit
Hoffschmidt, E J; Tantum, W H (1969). Tank Data. Proving Grounds. Vol. 2. Old Greenwich, CN: W. E. Incorporated. OCLC 20957079.
Bishop, Chris (1998). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of WWII. London, UK: Orbis Publishing and Aerospace Publishing. ISBN0-7607-1022-8.
Carruthers, Bob, ed. (2014). Tiger I: The Official Wartime Crew Manual. London, UK: Pen and Sword. ISBN978-1-4738-4444-5.
Crow, Duncan (1979). Tanks of World War II. New York, NY: Exeter Books. ISBN978-0-89673-027-4.
Ford, Roger (1997). The World's Great Tanks: From 1916 to the Present Day. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble. ISBN978-0-7607-0593-3.
Green, Michael (2013). Russian Armour in the Second World War: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives. London, UK: Pen and Sword. ISBN978-1-4738-2980-0.
Gudgin, Peter (1997). Armoured Firepower: The Development of Tank Armament, 1939–45. Stroud, UL: Sutton. ISBN978-0-7509-1387-4.
Hogg, Ian V.; Weeks, John S. (1980). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. ISBN0-13-450817-3.
Jackson, Robert (2010). 101 Great Tanks. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN978-1-4358-3595-5.
Milsom, John (1971). Russian Tanks, 1900–1970: The Complete Illustrated History of Soviet Armoured Theory and Design. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN0-8117-1493-4.
Ness, Leland S. (2002). Jane's World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles. London, UK: HarperCollins. ISBN0-00-711228-9.
Porter, David (2009). Soviet Tank Units 1939–45. London, UK: Amber Books Ltd. ISBN978-1-906626-21-1.
Suvorov, Viktor (2013). The Chief Culprit: Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War II. Washington, D.C.: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-1-61251-268-6.
Zabecki, David T., ed. (2015). World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia. London, UK: Routledge. ISBN978-1-135-81249-2.
Zaloga, Steven J.; Grandsen, James (1984). Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two. London, UK: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN0-85368-606-8.
Zaloga, Steven J. (2015). Armored Champion: The Top Tanks of World War II. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN978-0-8117-1437-2.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to T-40.
T-40 Development History and Combat Employment 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine on Battlefield.ru
November 11, 2023
tank, redirects, here, other, uses, disambiguation, amphibious, scout, tank, amphibious, light, tank, used, soviet, union, during, world, armed, with, dshk, machine, tanks, that, could, cross, unfordable, river, without, bridge, amphibious, scout, tanka, norma. T 40 redirects here For other uses see T 40 disambiguation The T 40 amphibious scout tank was an amphibious light tank used by the Soviet Union during World War II It was armed with one 12 7 mm 0 5 in DShK machine gun It was one of the few tanks that could cross an unfordable river without a bridge T 40 amphibious scout tankA normal T 40 rearmed with TNSh autocannon foreground and T 40 T 60 background in the Kubinka Tank Museum TypeAmphibious light tankPlace of origin Soviet UnionService historyIn service1941 46Used by Soviet UnionWarsWorld War IIProduction historyProduced1940 41No built962 356 normal 594 T 40 T 60 and 12 T 40 T 60 based rocket launchers VariantsBM 8 24 Katyusha T 30 T 40 T 60 light tankSpecifications 1 2 3 Mass5 9 t 6 5 short tons Length4 10 m 13 5 ft Width2 33 m 7 6 ft Height1 90 m 6 2 ft Crew2Armour4 13 mm 0 16 0 51 in Mainarmament12 7 mm 0 50 in DShK machine gunSecondaryarmament7 62 mm 0 300 in DT machine gunEngineGAZ 20285 hp 63 kW Power weight12 hp tonneSuspensiontorsion barOperationalrange450 km 280 mi Maximum speed45 km h 28 mph It was primarily intended to equip reconnaissance units A land based version of the T 40 the T 30 T 40 T 60 was produced although was later replaced by the true T 60 The T 60 was cheaper simpler better armed and could fulfill most of the same roles so T 40 production was halted The vehicle served mainly in Operation Barbarossa and the defense of Moscow and it was rarely seen after that point although it was used in Soviet training schools until 1946 A total 12 examples of the type were later fitted with Katyusha rocket launchers firing 82 mm unguided rockets from a 24 rail launcher Contents 1 Importance 2 Development 3 Production 4 References 4 1 Bibliography 5 External linksImportance editAmphibious capability was important to the Red Army as evidenced by the production of over 1 500 amphibious tanks in the 1930s The T 40 was intended to replace the aging T 37 and T 38 amphibious light tanks It was a superior design but due to the pressures of war the Soviets favored the production of simpler tank designs so only a small number of T 40s were built 4 5 6 Development editThe T 40 was an improvement over the T 37 and T 38 in several respects The coil spring suspension of the T 38 was replaced by a modern torsion bar suspension with four pairs of road wheels The boat shaped hull was entirely welded in contrast to the riveted hulls of the T 37 and T 38 7 8 The welded conical turret shape improved protection although the armor was still very thin The vehicle s armament consisted of a single 12 7 mm DShK heavy machine gun which was a much more potent weapon than the 7 62 mm DT machine gun mounted on the T 37 and the T 38 5 9 10 Water propulsion was achieved via a small propeller mounted at the rear of the hull The propeller was set into an indent in the hull rear and was thus better protected than the exposed propeller of the T 38 Buoyancy was provided by the large boat shaped hull 11 12 Production editThe T 40 entered production just prior to the outbreak of war and was intended to equip reconnaissance units As the need for large numbers of tanks became critical a secondary non amphibious variant was designed on the T 40 chassis Due to delays with design of newer model T 40 was modified to have thicker armor 20 mm TNSh autocannon simpler spoken wheels and absent water propulsion system This design was called T 60 like a different later tank which led to many confusions so this tank is often referred as T 40 T 60 or T 30 as its blueprint index was 030 The T 40 T 60 replaced T 40 in September 1941 and was manufactured until summer 1942 along with the true T 60 This design was later improved to become the true T 60 The T 60 was simpler cheaper better armed and could fulfill most of the same roles Under the stress of war production of the T 40 was halted in favor of the T 60 Thus only 356 T 40s were issued compared to 594 T 40 T 60s and over 6 000 true T 60s 13 14 15 16 A small batch of T 40 T 60 were produced with BM 8 24 Katyusha rocket racks mounted instead of a turret This version provided a mobile mount for a 24 rail multiple launch rocket system firing 82 mm unguided rockets 13 17 A total of 12 T 40 were converted into this model in autumn 1941 18 19 The T 40 was widely photographed at the time of Operation Barbarossa and also during the defence of Moscow Many were knocked out during the fighting The type was very rarely seen after the end of 1941 although some T 40s remained in service as late 1946 in some school units 19 20 21 Romanian forces captured one T 40 as of 1 November 1942 22 References edit Ness p 161 Tank Data p 124 Ford p 33 Zaloga amp Grandsen p 29 a b Gudgin p 108 Crow p 52 Suruov 2013 Carruthers p 102 Milsom p 92 Zabecki p 1116 Green 2013 Hogg p 94 a b Bishop p 36 Ness p 155 Hogg p 95 Zaloga 2015 p 99 Milsom p 113 Porter p 51 a b Zaloga amp Grandsen p 30 Jackson p 43 Milsom p 114 Mark Axworthy Cornel I Scafeș Cristian Crăciunoiu Third Axis Fourth Ally Romanian Armed Forces in the European War 1941 1945 p 220 Bibliography edit Hoffschmidt E J Tantum W H 1969 Tank Data Proving Grounds Vol 2 Old Greenwich CN W E Incorporated OCLC 20957079 Bishop Chris 1998 The Encyclopedia of Weapons of WWII London UK Orbis Publishing and Aerospace Publishing ISBN 0 7607 1022 8 Carruthers Bob ed 2014 Tiger I The Official Wartime Crew Manual London UK Pen and Sword ISBN 978 1 4738 4444 5 Crow Duncan 1979 Tanks of World War II New York NY Exeter Books ISBN 978 0 89673 027 4 Ford Roger 1997 The World s Great Tanks From 1916 to the Present Day New York NY Barnes amp Noble ISBN 978 0 7607 0593 3 Green Michael 2013 Russian Armour in the Second World War Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives London UK Pen and Sword ISBN 978 1 4738 2980 0 Gudgin Peter 1997 Armoured Firepower The Development of Tank Armament 1939 45 Stroud UL Sutton ISBN 978 0 7509 1387 4 Hogg Ian V Weeks John S 1980 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall ISBN 0 13 450817 3 Jackson Robert 2010 101 Great Tanks New York The Rosen Publishing Group ISBN 978 1 4358 3595 5 Milsom John 1971 Russian Tanks 1900 1970 The Complete Illustrated History of Soviet Armoured Theory and Design Mechanicsburg PA Stackpole Books ISBN 0 8117 1493 4 Ness Leland S 2002 Jane s World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles London UK HarperCollins ISBN 0 00 711228 9 Porter David 2009 Soviet Tank Units 1939 45 London UK Amber Books Ltd ISBN 978 1 906626 21 1 Suvorov Viktor 2013 The Chief Culprit Stalin s Grand Design to Start World War II Washington D C Naval Institute Press ISBN 978 1 61251 268 6 Zabecki David T ed 2015 World War II in Europe An Encyclopedia London UK Routledge ISBN 978 1 135 81249 2 Zaloga Steven J Grandsen James 1984 Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two London UK Arms and Armour Press ISBN 0 85368 606 8 Zaloga Steven J 2015 Armored Champion The Top Tanks of World War II Mechanicsburg PA Stackpole Books ISBN 978 0 8117 1437 2 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to T 40 T 40 Development History and Combat Employment Archived 25 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine on Battlefield ru Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title T 40 tank amp oldid 1156469796, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
