T 27 tank USSR. Light wheeled-tracked tank BT

Drawings of the T-27 wedge:

T-27

T-27

At the end of the 20s, the USSR was in difficult situation. It was rightly believed that the country was in a “hostile environment.” To understand the gravity of the situation, you need to know that even Poland was assessed as a dangerous rival. What can we say about other countries? Indeed, even Poland had a hundred tanks, and the USSR simply had nothing to cover this number. And if things were getting better with the production of tanks, and at least suitable MS-1 situations were being produced, then with wedges things were completely bad. The development of our own wedge heel produced results, but it was insufficient. And then a purchasing commission is formed in the USSR. She goes to Britain to search needed by the country samples of armored vehicles that could be bought, creatively processed and produced in the USSR. It is worth noting that the purchases of this commission did a lot for Soviet tank building. And one of the most successful purchases was the Vickers Carden-Loyd wedge.

The T-27 is a redesigned English wedge. It was almost no different from the original, but all parts of the wedge were replaced with Soviet analogues. The wedge heel was produced until 1934.

The early 30s are the only time when the use of such a technique could be completely successful. T-27s go into battle with the Basmachi (paramilitary groups of criminals in Central Asia). The reviews are positive, the wedge heel brings tangible benefits. But even then there were complaints about the standard “tankette” disadvantages - the lack of a turret and cramped conditions.

Since 1936, they have been trying to remove wedges from advanced units. Their time has already passed. T-27 is subjected to the most various modifications, seeking to benefit from nearly three thousand already obsolete machines. Here, by the way, you should pay attention to important detail. In 1938, the Red Army had almost three thousand combat-ready T-27s on its books. Over five or six years of operation, and the T-27 was used mercilessly, only a few hundred vehicles failed. For technology of the interwar period, this is very good reliability. But the experiments do not greatly improve the T-27 and it would have quietly retired if the situation in the world had not been heating up every day. More than 100 tankettes take part in the Winter War with Finland. Most of the remaining T-27s were stored in warehouses by 1941, but until December 41st they were used in battles. Last case combat use falls all the way back to the summer of 1945. True, they go into battle with T-27s Far East as a combat transport or weapon transporter. In general, the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army will come up more than once as an example of the use of clearly outdated technology. The thing is that in the Far East, units of the Red Army stood almost idle from the 41st to the middle of the 45th. The fire of war in Europe was devouring all old equipment and generated a huge number of new cars, but here everything left by 38-39 was quietly kept clean and orderly until 1945.

In general, you shouldn’t think that using outdated technology is something scary; rather, on the contrary, it’s rational. The T-27 could guard airfields, headquarters, patrol roads and carry guns where it was dangerous for trucks to do so. He could even quite successfully attack from ambush or easily camouflage himself for defense. And in these roles, the T-27 found quite a use for itself even at 41; it was hopelessly outdated as a means of supporting infantry.

Modifications and various vehicles based on the T-27:

1931

Flamethrower T-27 (experienced) The machine gun is left. A backpack flamethrower has been added that sends fire mixture up to 25 meters. 12 vehicles were converted.

1932

TT-27 Remote controlled wedge. It carried an explosive charge and was remotely detonated in the enemy camp. It could also spray toxic substances or, conversely, decontaminate the area. 5 copies were built.

KT-27 (SU-76) Improvised self-propelled guns with a 76-mm regimental gun, for escorting mounted and motorized formations. The gun was mounted on one wedge, and the ammunition and crew were mounted on the other. This separation created the threat of the crew and ammunition being separated from their gun in battle. 3 prototypes were produced. The car was overloaded and could not move off the roads. The project was stopped.

T-27 (supply tankette) Two side pockets were installed on the sides of the tankette, designed to transport 40 cartridge boxes (880 kg) and 24 equipped machine-gun discs. 2 copies.

1934

MZ-27. Minelayer. The machine gun was not removed; it was loaded with 170 mines placed in a drum weighing 480 kg. At least 5 MZ-27 were produced.

T-27ПХ underwater wedge, equipped with an air intake, a sealed body and a modified exhaust pipe design. The wedge heel overcame water obstacles up to 3 meters deep along the bottom and could remain under water for up to 30 minutes. 1 prototype was manufactured.

1938

AS-T-27 is an airfield tractor based on the T-27, equipped with a KAS-2 automobile starter for starting aircraft engines. We converted from 3 to 10 vehicles.

In 1927-1930, the main design bureau of the Arms and Arsenal Trust designed the T-17 and T-23 wedges on the basis of the T-16 tank (predecessor of the MS-1 tank), the latter being provided in two versions - turretless and with a circular rotation turret. The T-25 wedge that was then designed was an option further development T-17 wedges.

These were good machines for their time, but preparing them for launch into mass production required a long time, which, alas, did not exist. For this reason, it was necessary to purchase a license abroad for the production of the mass-produced Carden-Loyd MkVI wedge.

Soviet tank builders did not limit themselves to simply copying an English vehicle. When developing their tankette, designated T-27, the design team, headed by N. N. Kozyrev, took into account the wishes of the military regarding its combat use, the geographical and climatic conditions of the Soviet Union. The T-27 wedge was adopted by the Red Army by order of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR dated February 13, 1931. Its production was organized at the G.K. Ordzhonikidze plant near Moscow.

The T-27 was distinguished by its small overall dimensions. This was achieved by abandoning the rotating turret and the longitudinal arrangement of the engine-transmission compartment, with the combat compartment on the right side and the control compartment on the left. The wedge body consisted of bulletproof rolled armor plates (10 mm - bow, sides and stern, 6 mm - roof and 4 mm - bottom), connected by rivets and partially by electric welding. For landing the crew on the roof there were two rectangular hatches, closed from the inside with lids. Observation of the battlefield was carried out through viewing slits located in the upper frontal and side hull plates. The tankette was armed with a 7.62-mm DT tank machine gun, model 1929. Its ammunition consisted of 40 magazines (2520 rounds), stacked in racks of cartridge boxes, which were attached to the side plates of the hull from the outside. Subsequently, the ammunition load was reduced to 28 magazines (1764 rounds) and their feeding mechanism was improved. For external communication, signal flags were used, which was typical for the early 30s.

A 4-cylinder carburetor in-line liquid-cooled GAZ-AA automobile engine, developing a power of 40 hp, was installed on the wedge with the flywheel forward. With. at 2200 rpm, which made it possible to move at speeds of up to 42 km/h. The mechanical transmission consisted of a single-disc dry friction main clutch (steel over friction linings), a 4-speed gearbox, cardan and final drives, a simple bevel differential with band brakes (steering mechanism), axle shafts and single-stage final drives. The turning mechanism ensured that the car received a calculated minimum turning radius in 1st and 2nd gears, equal to the width of its track (turning in place). The transmission was controlled mechanically, using pedal levers and rods.

The caterpillar propulsion unit (on each side) consisted of a fine-link lantern gear chain with an open hinge, six single small-diameter (252 mm) support rollers with external shock absorption by rubber bands, a guide wheel with a crank mechanism for tensioning the track, and a front drive wheel with a non-removable ring gear. Instead of support rollers, guide bars were used to keep the upper branches of the track chains from swinging when the wedge moved. The suspension was balanced. Leaf semi-elliptical springs were used as elastic elements.

The electrical equipment was a single-wire network with a voltage of 6V. Ignition system - battery. The engine was started by an electric starter from the control compartment or from the outside, using the starting handle.

The cruising range on the highway was 110 km, and on rough terrain - 60 km. The combat weight was 2.7 tons. The crew consisted of two people: a commander-gunner and a driver.

The wedge heel entered service with reconnaissance units mechanized troops Red Army. Thanks to its good mobility, it was successfully used in the early 30s in Central Asia in the fight against the Basmachi. Its production was discontinued in 1933. A total of 3,300 pieces were produced.

In 1935, military maneuvers demonstrated the air transportation of T-27 tankettes suspended from TB-3 heavy bombers. The device with which the suspension was carried out was developed by the inventor A.F. Kravtsev. With the help of this device, T-27 wedges were not only suspended under the aircraft, but also dropped from a low altitude to the ground.

Operation of the wedge in the army showed that it was a fairly simple and unpretentious machine. However, the experience of its use in exercises showed that vehicles of this class require a rotating turret with weapons installed in it, the ability to overcome water obstacles by swimming, and a less dense layout.

Developed on the basis of the English Carden-Loyd Mk VI wedge, the production license for which was acquired Soviet Union. Adopted by the Red Army by decree of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR on February 13, 1931. From 1931 to 1934, factories No. 37 (Moscow), Bolshevik (Leningrad) and the Gorky Automobile Plant produced 3,328 units.

DESIGN AND MODIFICATIONS

The body is riveted, box-shaped. The side boxes of the body housed cartridge magazines, which were fed for loading by a cable mechanism. Upper part The hull consisted of three parts: two side ones in the form of folding caps over the commander and driver, and a middle one that covered the fuel tank. On the right, above the hinged hood, there was a machine gun embrasure cut through. An engine was installed in the middle part of the body along its longitudinal axis.

The T-27 tankette entered service with the reconnaissance units of the mechanized units of the Red Army. As the troops become saturated light tanks T-27s were transferred to tank battalions of rifle divisions.

In 1932, the Grokhovsky Design Bureau developed a parachute landing wedge suspension under the TB-1 aircraft, and in the same year it was adopted by the Red Army Air Force.

T-27 wedge, converted into an artillery tractor.

In the late 1930s, T-27 wedges were used as tractors for 45 mm anti-tank guns.

On January 1, 1941, there were 2,558 tankettes in the Red Army, some of which took part in the hostilities of the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic War, including the Battle of Moscow. In particular, on December 1, 1941, several T-27 tankettes supported the attack of one of the battalions of the 71st Separate Marine Rifle Brigade in the area of ​​Yakhroma.

T-27 wedges tow 45 mm anti-tank guns

COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 2.7.

CREW, people: 2.

OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 2600, width -1825, height - 1443, ground clearance - 240.

WEAPONS: 1 DT machine gun, 7.62 mm caliber.

AMMUNITION: 2520 rounds.

RESERVATION, mm: front, side, stern -10, roof - 6. bottom - 4.

ENGINE: "Ford-AA" or GAZ-AA, 4-cylinder, in-line, carburetor, liquid cooling; power 40 hp (29.44 kW) at 2200 rpm, displacement 3060 cm #179; .

TRANSMISSION: single-disc dry friction main clutch, 4-speed gearbox, cardan and final drives, simple bevel differential, single-speed final drives

CHASSIS: six double rubber-coated road wheels on board, interlocked in pairs into three bogies mounted on a longitudinal beam, a support beam, a front drive wheel with a fixed ring gear (lantern engagement), spring suspension; each caterpillar has 129 tracks 150 mm wide, track pitch 44 mm.

MAX. SPEED, km/h: 42.

COURSE RESERVE, km; 110.

OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME: ascent angle, degrees. – 30, wall height, m ​​– 0.5, ditch width, m -1.2. ford depth, m – 0.5.

COMMUNICATIONS: none.

The birth of the T-27 wedge. Finalization of the wedge heel at the beginning of 1931. OKMO was already engaged in the active participation of N. Kozyrev’s design group, transformed into a design bureau. The N. Dyrenkov Design Bureau was also preparing its project for the D-7 wedge, which was wheeled and tracked and, in the opinion of the inventor, perfectly met the requirements of the “System...”. However, after reviewing the documentation for D-7, it was noted that the project was completed illiterately and without any calculations. That the layout of the wedge's engine compartment was extremely poorly executed, and the crew members' workplaces do not allow them to drive the vehicle normally and fire a machine gun while on them. The project was rejected.

T-27 wedge heel training center, 1932

Meanwhile, in January 1931, the prototype T-27 OKMO was almost ready. It differed from the prototypes in its new engine-power unit, based on the GAZ-AA engine, increased fuel tank capacity, slightly larger dimensions and thicker armor.
The wedge heel was adopted by the Red Army by decree of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR on February 13, 1931, despite the fact that state tests of the vehicle had not been completed by that time.
Contrary to expectations, mass production of the wedge did not cause such problems as the production of the T-26 and BT. Apparently, the widespread use of components and assemblies of the Ford-AA truck, produced in the USSR at the GAZ plant (at that time still called NAZ), had an effect.

Construction of the T-27 wedge

The general layout of the wedge included the placement of the power unit, weapons and crew in one body. Moreover, the engine with power and cooling systems was located in its middle part, the transmission was in front, and the crew was in the rear.
The T-27 hull was assembled from rolled armor plates 6-10 mm thick on an angle frame with bolts and rivets. True, electric welding was already used on cars of the last year of production. The seams of the hull in the lower part to a height of up to 400 mm had a canvas lining on red lead, which ensured the waterproofness of the hull when overcoming water barriers. In the upper frontal plate of the hull there was a hatch for access to the brake rollers, which was closed by an armored cover with nuts on studs.
In addition, an armor casing was bolted to the upper and lower frontal sheets, covering the protruding part of the differential housing. On most wedges, this casing was fastened with rivets and was removed only together with the front sheets. On the upper, inclined sheet of the transmission compartment there was a hatch with an armored cover on hinges, which provided access to the gearbox and control drives. In addition, on the right side there was a special hole for attaching a machine gun mount.
An inspection slot was made in the front shield on the driver's side for driving the vehicle with the hatch closed, and on the commander's (gunner's) side there was a hole covered by the armor plates of the machine gun mount.
On the side sheets of the hull, cartridge boxes with doors in the aft part were attached to the outside. The box doors were hinged and closed with two bolts. In the upper part of the side sheets, inspection slots with armored valves were made, and in the lower part there was a round hole for the passage of the rear tubular axle.
In the upper part of the hull there were three hinged caps that covered the hatches of the driver, the machine gunner and the access hatch to the power plant. On the latest vehicles, special hatches were made in the crew hatch covers, closed with armored flaps. The driver's hatch cover had a hatch in the aft part, the commander had a hatch in the roof and in the aft part. A hatch was made in the power plant hatch cover for access to the fuel tank filler neck, which was closed with an armored cap. In front of the armored hood of the power plant, there was an opening for access of cooling air to the radiator of the cooling system, which was covered by an armored visor. Special doors were made in the stern plate of the hull in front of the radiator, controlled from the driver’s seat. On wedge heels of the latest releases, instead of doors, a special armored casing with a hole pointing down was installed.
The bottom of the body was assembled from several sheets and had a trough-shaped depression in the middle. To drain oil from the engine crankcase and gearboxes, two holes were made in the bottom, closed with screw plugs.
For towing, a special loop was riveted on the wedge body on the upper, inclined sheet of the transmission compartment, and in the rear part on cars of the last year of production there was a towing frame with a loop. The frame was attached to the sides of the wedge body using two gussets. Mud shields were attached to the sides of the hull in front of the cartridge boxes, protecting the crew from being splashed with mud in summer and snow in winter. On wedges of the last year of production, stern mud flaps were also introduced.

Layout of the T-27 wedge.

The T-27 was armed with a 7.62 mm DT machine gun. On wedges of the first year of production, it was installed on a special carriage, which ensured vertical guidance of the machine gun and was connected to the lift pedal by a special sector. On wedges of subsequent releases, the DT was installed in a special flange, which provided more convenient aiming of the machine gun both vertically and horizontally, as well as better protection for the shooter from bullets and shrapnel.
The T-27 engine is a four-stroke four-cylinder Ford-AA (GAZ-AA) liquid-cooled engine with a power of 40 hp. with carburetors of the Ford Zenith type. The engine was started using a 0.9 hp starter. (0.7 kW) and manually - with a crank. The fuel tank capacity was 42 liters. provided the vehicle with a highway range of up to 110 km.
The T-27 transmission was borrowed from the Ford-AA (GAZ-AA) truck and included a dry single-disc clutch with Ferodo linings, a four-speed gearbox, a simple differential with shoe brakes and two final drives.
The T-27 suspension is a locked semi-rigid type. It consisted of six bogies with double road wheels. The elastic element of the suspension was leaf springs.
The tracked propulsion system used support rollers with external shock absorption, lantern drive wheels and a fine-link caterpillar chain. The track width was 150 mm.
The electrical equipment of the machine with an on-board voltage of 6 V was made according to a single-wire circuit. A 3CT-V battery with a capacity of 80 Ah and a dynamo with a power of 200 W were used as sources of electricity.

Production of the T-27 wedge

The first 45 serial wedges were produced in 1931 by the Bolshevik plant, after which plant No. 37 (the former 2nd VATO automobile plant) and GAZ were in charge of its production. Serial production of the T-27 continued during 1931-34, when it was completely replaced in the weapons system by amphibious tanks during the 2nd Five-Year Plan.
In total, the army received 3,295 T-27 tankettes, which quickly turned into training vehicles, since their real combat capabilities turned out to be extremely low.

Performance characteristics /Tank brand || T-21 pr. 1929 | T-22 pr. 1929 | T-23 1930 | T-25 (K-G)* pr. 1930 | T-27 1931 ||
Empty weight, kg || 1780 | 2840 | 2780 | 3050 | 2700 ||
Combat weight, kg || 2100 | 3260 | 3180 | ? | ? ||
Crew, people || 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 ||
Dimensions. mm
Overall length || 3600 | 3480 | 3300 | 4200 | 2600 ||
Width || 1250 | 1620 | 1620 | 1900 | 1825 ||
Height || ? | 2030 | 1850 | 1750 | 1443 ||
Ground clearance || 275 | 300 | 300 | 200/240** | 240 ||
Track width, mm || 200 | 220 | 220 | 220 | 150 ||
Armament
DT machine guns, pcs. || 1x7.62mm | 1x7.62mm | 1x7.62mm | 1x7.62mm | 1x7.62mm ||
Cartridges, pcs. || 2142 | 2142 | 2079 | 2142 | 2520 ||
Armor thickness, mm
Vert. body || 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 ||
Horizon body || 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 ||
Tower || – | – | – | 10 | – ||
Engine
Type || 4t/2ts/k/v | 4t/4ts/k/v | 4t/4ts/k/v | 4t/6ts/k/v | 4t/4ts/k/f ||
Brand || T-17 | MS-1F | MS-2 | D-25-70 | Ford-AA ||
Power max., hp || 20 | 40 | 60 | 70 | 40 ||
At rpm || 3000 | 3000 | 3000 | 2800 | 2000 ||
Gearbox || 3/1 | 3/1 | 3/1 | 4/1 | 4/1 ||
Speed ​​max., km/h || 17.5 | 40 | 35 | 52/75** | 42 ||
Average technical, km/h || ? | ? | ? | ? | 16 ||
Fuel type || Gasoline 2 s | Gasoline 2 s | Gasoline 2 s | Gasoline 2 s | Gasoline 2 with ||
Capacity tank, l. || 70 | 160 | 160 | ? | ? ||
Power reserve, km || 120 | 180 | 190 | 180/250 | 110 ||
Obstacles to be overcome
Rise, deg. || 28 | 45 | 40 | 45/30 | 30 ||
Ditch, mm || 1400 | 1500 | 1300 | 1800 | 1200 ||
Wall, mm || 400 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 ||
Broad, mm || 800 | 870 | 950 | 850 | 500 ||
* Ginzburg-Simsky project. All data are estimates
** Numerator – tracks, denominator – wheels.

Information taken from the book by Mikhail Svirin.