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BT-2

The BT-2k was officially copied from the American M1931 tank, developed by John Walter Christie. This became reality due to the readiness of the inventor to sell his tanks and all needed official documentation to the Soviets. He even expressed a wish to come and work in the USSR. With an impressive speed (up to 70km/h on wheels and 45 km/h on tracks) and armament (37mm gun and 7.62mm machine gun), the BT-2 was considered one of the world’s best tanks in the 1930s.

The BT-2 tank was developed building on the results of studying the design and testing of the purchased American M1931 prototype tanks, with taking into account the requirements of the Red Army and production capabilities of the Kharkiv Locomotive Plant. The BT-2 entered series production and was accepted for service with the Red Army. The BT-2s were used in action in military conflicts of the 1930s and during the initial period of the Second World War. Total production of the BT-2 amounted to 400 vehicles.

The first of the family of wheeled / tracked tanks in the USSR was the BT-2. In 1930, in the Soviet Union, a procurement commission was formed under the leadership of I. A. Khalepsky - its goal was to acquire abroad the latest models of armored vehicles, tractors and vehicles, along with technical documentation for their subsequent mass production at Soviet factories. In the USA, the commission's attention was attracted by the excellent speed and maneuverability characteristics of the Christie tank. With the help of the Amtorg sales office, it was possible to easily purchase two copies of this vehicle (M1931) without a tower and armament and take it by sea to the Soviet Union. The tanks arrived in the USSR at the beginning of 1931, and after thoroughly studying them, it was decided to launch the car into a series under the designation BT-2.

BT-2 differed from the American prototype in numerous design features. First of all, the tank had a rotating turret (developed by engineer A. A. Maloshtanov), equipped with lighter (with numerous lightening holes) supporting rollers. The combat compartment was repacked - the shelves of the packs were moved, new instruments were installed, etc. A special turret equipped with a 37-mm cannon was developed for him (a 37-mm tank gun with a 60-caliber barrel was a variant of a 37-mm anti-tank cannon from 1930, which in turn was a copy of the German anti-tank gun Rheinmetall Pak 35/36 and was completed only in the summer of 1933) and, starting with the 61st instance, a 7.62 mm DT machine gun in a ball mount. The tower was turned manually by means of a planetary mechanism, and the shoulder rest served to pick up a cannon and a machine gun in a vertical plane. Due to the lack of guns, poorly mastered by the production, 350 BT-2 were released only in the machine-gun version with a pair of DA-2 machine guns.

The serial BT developed a speed of up to 52 km / h on tracks, and 72 km / h on wheels. The tank overcame a rise of 42 °, a ditch up to 3.5 m wide and a wall up to 0.55 m high. On the wheel, the engine rotated the rear support wheels through a special transfer case (guitar). Control of the tank was carried out using the front pair of road wheels, which turned "in-car". On a wheel drive tank BT could move only on the road with hard surface. The transition from one type of mover to another took about 30 minutes.

For installation on the BT-2, the M-5 aircraft engines (a copy of the American Liberty engine) were provided for, but the release of the latter was discontinued, and the status of those left was poor. Therefore, we had to purchase 2,000 Liberty engines in the USA, which also served their time in aviation, but were in much better condition.

Already on November 7, 1931, three serial BT-2s were shown at a military parade in Kharkov. However, the operation of machines was complicated by their technical shortcomings and the poor quality of the manufacture of tanks. Aircraft engines were capricious and often failed or even caught fire due to overheating. Loose joints caused oil to leak from the mechanisms. The body of the machine did not have the necessary rigidity, which led to the breakdown of the motor shaft. Accidents also occurred through the fault of poorly trained personnel.

Making the first BT-2 tank proved difficult. 350 BT-2 tanks of 610 manufactured in 1932-1933 did not have guns and were armed only with machine guns. In this installation of machine-gun installations was carried out by military units. In one of the military representative’s reports on the fulfillment of the order for 1933, it is said that “despite the fulfillment of the program (instead of 1000 cars, 1005 were commissioned according to the plan), the quality of the machines cannot be considered good ... for the second - 9-41%, which indicates a decline in attention to quality, especially in the assembly. "

Making the first BT-2 tank proved difficult. 350 BT-2 tanks of 610 manufactured in 1932-1933 did not have guns and were armed only with machine guns. In this installation of machine-gun installations was carried out by military units. In one of the military representative’s reports on the fulfillment of the order for 1933, it is said that “despite the fulfillment of the program (instead of 1000 cars, 1005 were commissioned according to the plan), the quality of the machines cannot be considered good ... for the second - 9-41%, which indicates a decline in attention to quality, especially in the assembly."

Nevertheless, the BT-2 provided the Red Army with invaluable assistance in the training of tank crews. It was released more than 600 such machines entered service with mechanized compounds. Despite all the shortcomings of the tank (weak weaponry, lack of communications, close combat compartment), tankers noted its good dynamic qualities - speed, maneuverability, and the ability of the machine to overcome various obstacles in a jump. Since the beginning of the 1930s, however, without much success, attempts have been made to install a 76-mm cannon and even a dynamo-active cannon on the BT-2. In 1937, four BT-2s were converted into bridge tanks equipped with a bridge with a carrying capacity of up to 15 tons. The weight of the bridge and its equipment was 2670 kg, and the time of its guidance - 30-45 seconds.

It should be noted that the BT-2 tanks were quite actively used in armed conflicts in which the USSR took part. There is, for example, such a mention of the fighting on the Khalkhin-Gol River: "July 3, the Japanese forces of the infantry regiment crossed the Khalkhin Gol and occupied the area near the mountain Bain-Tsagan. The second regiment moved along the river bank in order to cut off from the crossing and destroy our units on the east bank. To save the situation, the 11th tank brigade was thrown into the attack (132 BT-2 and BT-5 tanks ). Tanks went without the support of infantry and artillery, which caused great losses, but the task was completed: on the third day, the Japanese were knocked out of their positions on the west bank. After that, a relative lull was established at the front. In addition, BT-2 took part in the Liberation Campaign in Western Ukraine in 1939, in the Soviet-Finnish war and in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War.

In total from 1932 to 1933. 208 BT-2 tanks in cannon-machine-gun execution and 412 in machine -gun versions were produced .