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Posted on 10/18/2004 11:26:14 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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 The most common models of BT-tanks were the BT-2, BT-5 and BT-7. The BT-tanks design was based on the American Christie tank design. Russians received design plans for Christie tank, in the early part of thirties. The first BT-2 tanks were ready in 1931 and they participated to the revolution parade.  BT-7 light tanks on the Moscow military parade. November 7, 1938. In 1933 the Russians started to produce better model of the BT-2 tank. This was the BT-5 tank. The BT-7 tank production began in 1934 and lasted all the way to 1940. Over 7 800 of these BT-tanks were produced. Only factory in Soviet Union that produced this tank model, was the engine factory in Kharkov.  BT-tanks were very fast. They could move either with tracks and reach a speed of 52 kilometers per hour, or they could move only with wheels and reach a speed of 72 kilometers per hour! Although the wheel movement option wasn't really used anywhere else, than in military parades, because the tracks couldn't be changed back on, while under fire from the enemy. BT-tanks also had a very good suspension, which meant that the tank crew could drive with high speeds even outside of the roads.  The BT-7 light tank. Summer 1942 The Red Army used BT-tanks for the first time in the Spanish civil war. The armor of the tank proved to be too light. In Winter War there were also many BT-tanks, but they didn't perform too well. Finnish forces also captured many BT-7 and BT-7 M tanks during the Winter War and even few more, during the Continuation War. When the Germans attacked to Soviet Union, the BT-tank was second most common tank in the Red Army, after T-26. Most of the tanks were destroyed during the summer battles of 1941, but some of them survived and were in service as late as 1945, when Soviet Union attacked against Japanese troops in far-east.  BT-5 - BT stands for: Bystrohodnyi tank, meaning a fast-tank. BT-1  BT-1 The BT-1 was a conform copy of the orignal tank T-3, build by the American Christie and bought by the Russians. Few units of the BT-1 were built since it was quickly replaced by the BT-2. The BT-1 had spoked road-wheels and a turret with 2 MG. BT-2  The BT-2 armed with one machine-gun The BT-2 took over all the characteristics of its predecessor, the BT-1 but exchanged the MG's in the turret with a 37 mm gun.  BT-2 with the 45 mm gun and the machine-gun The BT-2 was the first version built in sizeable numbers. It was issued to cavalry units, of which the mission was to penetrate deep behind the enemy lines to destroy stores, gun positions, lines of communication, etc... During those missions, the speed and the range of the BT (fast tank) were essential. BT-3  BT-3 Very similar to the BT-1, the gun instead of the MG in the turret allows to distinguish between the two. The spoked road-wheels, used on the BT-2, will be abandonned on the BT-3 while the gun will be bigger. The BT-3 prepared the next series of the BT tank, with a 4.5 cm gun replacing the 3.7 mm of the BT-2. Only few units were built Similar to the BT-2 but without the spokes of the road-wheels and a bigger gun. BT-4 None units of this series of the BT were built. The two turrets layout of the T-26A was to be installed. The project was quickly dropped BT-42  BT-42 in Finnish service Self propelled gun Nationality: Finland Finnish adaptation of captured Russian tanks BT to make self-propelled guns out of them. BT-5  BT-5 That is the series of BT with the highest production numbers. It received the 4.5 cm gun which the BT-2 missed. The tank saw first action in Spain in 1938 on the Republican side and was engaged later against the Japanese in Manchouria. Its penetration abilities were highly valued in both cases. As all the BT tanks, the BT-5 could circulate either on tracks or on wheels. In fact, the tank could only be used on tracks in the combat areas, because it had no off road abilities on wheels and the change required too much time. The announced top speed was thus purely theoritical. Even the top speed on tracks submitted the crew to such discomfort, that it could scarcely be maintained.  BT-5 There are two sub-variants of this tank: one with the turret of the BT-2, without overhang. The standard version got a turret close to the one of the BT-7, with a overhang and straight sides. The full road-wheels make the distinction with the BT-2 easy while the bolted hull differs from the BT-7. BT-7  BT-7 The BT-7 is the last version of the BT tank. New tracks improved reliability while a more powerful engine and larger fuel tank increased the range. The armour was thickened. The price to pay, a slight decrease in the top speed, had very little practical impact. It was still able to run faster than 50 kph. Engaged successfully in Spain and in Mandchuria, it sustained a costly defeat facing the Finns, while it was used as an infantry tank, a role in total contradiction with its architecture. It went on fighting until the end of 1941 and took part in the battle for Moscow. Fron 1942 onwards, it disappeared from the frontline.  The turret of the first version of the BT-7 was similar to the one of the BT-5. The two tanks can only be distinguished thanks to their construction method: welding for the BT-7, riveting and visible bolts for the BT-5. A second version, the BT-7/2 got a reinforced turret with sloped sides and a another design for the mantlet.
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True enough, Sam. In ASL, we call BT tanks "Russian smokemakers" for all the wrong reasons.
Hope you are doing well.
They don't look very imposing do they?
Mornin' Darksheare.
:-)
Hugs!!!!
Hiya Lee.
We've been very, very busy. I know there is hard work ahead once we open this store of ours but after all the work it is taking just to get it open it may very well feel like a vacation once we do open the doors. :-)
No, they don't look very imposing at all.
They probably did have their place, but to our point of view and way of thinking, they are rather strange to look at.
Yep. Russians built them for German target practice?
Wow, whoda thought someone would name their son after a class of destroyers.
Hiya Sam
Hi miss Feather
Howdy ma'am
Thanks for giving us some background info on Martha Raye.
I remember her as a big supporter of our Troops. Saw her a lot on USO specials when I was a kid.
Could be, it makes sense.
Harvey Lembeck, Allen Melvin & Phil pretend they are British soldiers to entreat Kay Kendall
Doing fine except for being busy. :-)
The best thing you can say about the BT's were that the Soviets had a lot of them.
Most of the inter-war and early WWII tanks were't very impressive.
LOL!
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