Komsomolets armored tractor
Encyclopedia
T-20 armored tractor Komsomolets ' onMouseout='HidePop("48477")' href="/topics/Artillery_tractor">tractor
T-20) was a prime mover vehicle used by the Soviet Union
during the Winter War
and World War II
.
.
The tractor was designed to tow light artillery pieces such as the 45mm anti-tank gun and the 120mm heavy mortar
. The tractor could tow the weapons themselves plus a small quantity of ammunition, usually towed in a limber, along with up to six crewmen. Occasionally, two limbers were towed to increase the ammunition supply.
The forward compartment provided space for the driver and vehicle commander. It was fully armored and had a ball-mounted DT machinegun. The rear compartment held the gun crews, seated back-to-back in outward-facing bench seats. A canvas top could be erected for protection in poor weather.
Approximately 4401 T-20 tractors were built between 1937 and 1941.
.
during the Winter War
and during World War II
. During Operation Barbarossa
, some T-20 tractors were used as armored fighting vehicles, though after 1941 they were used only as artillery tractors.
Both Finland
and Nazi Germany
used captured vehicles. In the spring and summer of 1943, Romania
refurbished 34 captured T-20 armored tractors, officially known as "Șenileta Ford rusesc de captură" (captured Soviet Ford small armoured vehicle) at Rogifer Factory (formerly known as Malaxa
). Because the T-20 used a Ford motor
built under license and Romania had a Ford truck plant in Bucharest
, the overhaul and maintenance were simple tasks. The tractors were used to tow the German 50 mm PaK 38
antitank gun. The 5th and 14th Infantry Divisions received twelve units each, the 2nd Armoured Regiment received six tractors and the 5th Cavalry Division received four units in August 1944. All vehicles were lost in combat or confiscated by the Red Army
after King Michael's Coup
.
, mounting the ZIS-2 57mm anti-tank gun.
The Germans also modified some captured examples by mounting a 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun on top.
Artillery tractor
Artillery tractor is a kind of tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, a vehicle used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights.-Traction:...
T-20) was a prime mover vehicle used by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Description
The T-20 was designed in 1936 at the Ordzhonikidze Moscow Plant no.37. They were manufactured during 1937-1941 at Factory no. 37, as well as at STZ and GAZGAZ
GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod , translated as Gorky Automobile Plant , started in 1932 as NAZ, a cooperation between Ford and the Soviet Union. It is one of the largest companies in the Russian automotive industry....
.
The tractor was designed to tow light artillery pieces such as the 45mm anti-tank gun and the 120mm heavy mortar
M1938 mortar
The Soviet M1938 120-millimeter mortar was the first modern 120 mm mortar developed by any country, entering production in 1939. The Red Army made significant use of its heavy caliber by treating it as an artillery piece in World War II. The Germans were impressed by the weapon and adopted it...
. The tractor could tow the weapons themselves plus a small quantity of ammunition, usually towed in a limber, along with up to six crewmen. Occasionally, two limbers were towed to increase the ammunition supply.
The forward compartment provided space for the driver and vehicle commander. It was fully armored and had a ball-mounted DT machinegun. The rear compartment held the gun crews, seated back-to-back in outward-facing bench seats. A canvas top could be erected for protection in poor weather.
Approximately 4401 T-20 tractors were built between 1937 and 1941.
Combat use
Although the Komsomolets T-20 armored tractor was designed as a prime mover, some vehicles were used in combat during 1941. The tractor was employed as a tanketteTankette
A tankette is a tracked combat vehicle resembling a small tank roughly the size of a car, mainly intended for light infantry support or reconnaissance. Colloquially it may also simply mean a "small tank"....
.
Operators
The T-20 tractor was used by the Red ArmyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
during the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, some T-20 tractors were used as armored fighting vehicles, though after 1941 they were used only as artillery tractors.
Both Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
used captured vehicles. In the spring and summer of 1943, Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
refurbished 34 captured T-20 armored tractors, officially known as "Șenileta Ford rusesc de captură" (captured Soviet Ford small armoured vehicle) at Rogifer Factory (formerly known as Malaxa
Malaxa
The Malaxa was a car built in 1945 in Reşiţa, Romania, by the factories of the Romanian tycoon Nicolae Malaxa.-History:Malaxa had an air-cooled 3-cylinder rear radial engine, rear wheel drive , and was capable of developing 30 bhp. The top speed was 120 km/h...
). Because the T-20 used a Ford motor
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
built under license and Romania had a Ford truck plant in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, the overhaul and maintenance were simple tasks. The tractors were used to tow the German 50 mm PaK 38
PaK 38
The 5 cm PaK 38 was a German anti-tank gun of 50 mm calibre. It was developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG as a successor to the 37 mm PaK 36, and was in turn followed by the 75 mm PaK 40.-Service:The PaK 38 was first used by the German forces during the Second World War...
antitank gun. The 5th and 14th Infantry Divisions received twelve units each, the 2nd Armoured Regiment received six tractors and the 5th Cavalry Division received four units in August 1944. All vehicles were lost in combat or confiscated by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
after King Michael's Coup
King Michael's Coup
King Michael's Coup refers to the coup d'etat led by King Michael of Romania in 1944 against the pro-Nazi Romanian faction of Ion Antonescu, after the Axis front in Northeastern Romania collapsed under the Soviet offensive.-The coup:...
.
Variants
An expedient variant was built in 1941, the ZiS-30ZiS-30
The ZiS-30 was a light self-propelled anti-tank gun built for the Soviet Red Army in 1941. It was based on the Komsomolets armored artillery tractor...
, mounting the ZIS-2 57mm anti-tank gun.
The Germans also modified some captured examples by mounting a 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun on top.