T-19
Encyclopedia
The T-19 was a Soviet
light tank
design of the interwar years
. Conceived as the mainstay of the new Soviet tank armies, it was a development of the T-18
, ultimately based on the First World War-era French Renault FT-17
. When ready for production in 1931, it was already obsolete; the project was terminated in favour of the Vickers
based T-26
.
According to the technical specifications, the tank's mass should not be more than 7.3 tons, with its maximum speed reaching 30 km/h on good soil with a 100 hp engine, an armament of at least a 40 mm main gun and two machine guns. Armor was to be 18-20 mm thick. Production of the T-19 was assigned to Semyon Alexandrovich Ginzburg
.
The suspension of the T-19 became that of the French Renault NC
. The T-19 was longer than the T-18, which improved its performance without “a tail”, it also decreased any longitudinal vibrations in the hull.
. That is not the case. The fact is that the designers could not exceed the permissible mass of the T-19, therefore they used a maximum thickness of 16 mm of armor. The shape of the hull would be critical in terms of protection. Successful construction of the T-19 depended on sloped armor, such as that proposed to M. I. Tarshinovym (who was already occupied in KB KHPZ with the production of the T-12/T-24
), by Ginzburg, which made it more likely for bullets and projectiles to ricochet
rather than penetrate.
The turret was the same as the T-18
. The cannon could not be mass-produced for a time, and by the time it could, it was used on the BT series of tanks. The planned domestic six-cylinder air-cooled engine with a power of 100 hp was not produced; and the installation of the larger high-speed motor “Franklin” (95 hp) required reprocessing the construction of the gearbox, onboard transfers and even housing (engine it was more on the overall sizes). The T-19 required ball bearings, which at that time were not produced domestically, and had to be bought abroad. Price varied with the installation of chemical warfare
equipment, floatation devices and other accessories.
The T-19 did not have a “tail” and overcame entrenchments and narrow ditches to 2 meters due to the proper length. However, by the width 2,5 - 3 m two T -19 had to couple in the case of encounter with the antitank ditch, being lengthened doubly, for which in the front and rear extremities of machine it was provided for the installation of the special framework constructions (on the housing of tank there was on three openings in the nose and rear portions for the installation of the farms of cohesion).
For battlefield surveillance, the tank no longer used simple slots, known as “broneglaz”. Initially it was planned to use "stroboscopic" instruments of the type used on the tank made by E.Grote (TG), but bulletproof glass of the “Simplex- triplex” type, with easily removable cartridge clips, was used instead.
All this was aggravated by the fact that stocked up in firm “Vickers” the 6-ton tank was quicker, and cheaper. So that in 1931 the works on T-19 were convoluted and all forces by urgent means were switched to the mastery of the series production of the tank “Vickers”, which was called in the USSR name T-26. They by that time completely gathered two tanks T-19 and additionally they had time to prepare housing from the welded and castings, and also number of accessories.
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....
light tank
Light tank
A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movement, and now primarily employed in low-intensity conflict. Early light tanks were generally armed and armored similar to an armored car, but used tracks in order to provide better cross-country mobility.The light tank was a major...
design of the interwar years
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
. Conceived as the mainstay of the new Soviet tank armies, it was a development of the T-18
T-18 tank
The T-18 light tank was the first Soviet-designed tank. Produced from 1928–31, it was based on the Renault FT-17, with the addition of a vertically sprung suspension....
, ultimately based on the First World War-era French Renault FT-17
Renault FT-17
The Renault FT, frequently referred to in post-WWI literature as the "FT-17" or "FT17" , was a French light tank; it is among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history...
. When ready for production in 1931, it was already obsolete; the project was terminated in favour of the Vickers
Vickers 6-Ton
The Vickers 6-Ton Tank or Vickers Mark E was a British light tank designed as a private project at Vickers. It was not purchased by the British Army, but was picked up by a large number of foreign armed forces and was copied almost exactly by the Soviets as the T-26. It was also the direct...
based T-26
T-26
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s as well as during World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and is widely considered one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s....
.
Technical requirements
The T-19 was to become the mainstay of the mobile subdivisions of the USSR. The main requirements for the T-19 were:- The ability to overcome the majority of field fortifications and wire entanglements without the aid of a “tail” and at maximum speed
- firepower should ensure superiority on the battlefield over all known combat vehicles of similar mass
- armor should protect its crew from rifle and machine-gun bullets at all distances, and from the fire of 37 mm guns beyond 1000 meters
According to the technical specifications, the tank's mass should not be more than 7.3 tons, with its maximum speed reaching 30 km/h on good soil with a 100 hp engine, an armament of at least a 40 mm main gun and two machine guns. Armor was to be 18-20 mm thick. Production of the T-19 was assigned to Semyon Alexandrovich Ginzburg
Semyon Alexandrovich Ginzburg
Semyon Alexandrovich Ginzburg , attended the Dzerzhinsky Military Technical Academy in Leningrad. He worked in the GKB and in the KB-3 in Moscow...
.
The suspension of the T-19 became that of the French Renault NC
Char D1
The Char D1 was a pre-World War II French tank.The French plan of 1926, calling for the creation of a Light Infantry Support Tank, led to the development of the existing Renault NC1 prototype into the Char D1. One hundred and sixty vehicles of this type were produced between 1931 and 1935. There...
. The T-19 was longer than the T-18, which improved its performance without “a tail”, it also decreased any longitudinal vibrations in the hull.
Armor
Experts often state that sloped armored plate (for increasing the protection of the tank), was first used on the T-34T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
. That is not the case. The fact is that the designers could not exceed the permissible mass of the T-19, therefore they used a maximum thickness of 16 mm of armor. The shape of the hull would be critical in terms of protection. Successful construction of the T-19 depended on sloped armor, such as that proposed to M. I. Tarshinovym (who was already occupied in KB KHPZ with the production of the T-12/T-24
T-24
The T-24 was a Soviet medium tank built in 1931. Only twenty-four tanks were built, and saw no combat. This was the first tank produced at the KhPZ factory in Ukraine, which was later responsible for the very successful T-34 and T-54 Soviet tanks...
), by Ginzburg, which made it more likely for bullets and projectiles to ricochet
Ricochet
A ricochet is a rebound, bounce or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. The possibility of ricochet is one of the reasons for the common firearms safety rule "Never shoot at a flat, hard surface."-Variables:...
rather than penetrate.
Armament
The main armament of the T-19 was the 1930 37 mm semi-automatic gun, along with two Degtyaryov machine guns (DT), one located in the frontal portion of the hull near the radio operator; the other was in the turret. The mounting of the armament in the turret was provided in two versions - an independent installation of gun and machine gun, and a coupled installation as a unit.The turret was the same as the T-18
T-18 tank
The T-18 light tank was the first Soviet-designed tank. Produced from 1928–31, it was based on the Renault FT-17, with the addition of a vertically sprung suspension....
. The cannon could not be mass-produced for a time, and by the time it could, it was used on the BT series of tanks. The planned domestic six-cylinder air-cooled engine with a power of 100 hp was not produced; and the installation of the larger high-speed motor “Franklin” (95 hp) required reprocessing the construction of the gearbox, onboard transfers and even housing (engine it was more on the overall sizes). The T-19 required ball bearings, which at that time were not produced domestically, and had to be bought abroad. Price varied with the installation of chemical warfare
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
equipment, floatation devices and other accessories.
Self containment
T -19 became the first tank, specially designed for the actions under the conditions of chemical warfare, for which it was equipped with plenum ventilation, productivity 180 m3/chas with filters, capable of neutralizing phosgene, hydrocyanic acid, chloropicrin, carbon monoxide and toxic smokes during 3-X of hours, after which crew could carry out combat mission in the gas masks, or, after replacing filter, to act without them already 3 hours.Maneuverability
The T-19 was provided with floatation equipment powered using pneumatic or "skeleton" floats, whose discharge could be produced without the output of crew from the machine. For the production were accepted the floating crafts of naval engineer B.S. Smirnov's system. There was initially the desire to equip tank with two detachable screws for propulsion through the water, but the T -19 was instead equipped with a special “water tractor”, which was created in 1931.The T-19 did not have a “tail” and overcame entrenchments and narrow ditches to 2 meters due to the proper length. However, by the width 2,5 - 3 m two T -19 had to couple in the case of encounter with the antitank ditch, being lengthened doubly, for which in the front and rear extremities of machine it was provided for the installation of the special framework constructions (on the housing of tank there was on three openings in the nose and rear portions for the installation of the farms of cohesion).
For battlefield surveillance, the tank no longer used simple slots, known as “broneglaz”. Initially it was planned to use "stroboscopic" instruments of the type used on the tank made by E.Grote (TG), but bulletproof glass of the “Simplex- triplex” type, with easily removable cartridge clips, was used instead.
Political decision
The decision of the session of Revolutionary Military Council, which past from July 17 to 18, 1929, placed before the defense industry the complex problem: to create in a short time new combat vehicle - “basic tank of tracking T-19”. Task for its design was given out by GKB OAT in autumn. The end of development was assumed by January 15, 1930, but this period proved to be completely optimistic. Especially impeded design works numerous denunciations and complaints of the designers, and also the wishes from the leaders of RKKA (Workers' and Peasants' Red Army) different ranks and the following after them dismantlings. Thus, in one of those documents an unknown “patriot” complained about the designer's desire to use "... helical gears in the transmission of the T-19 instead of spur-gear, which is the direct proof of their sabotage… “. But one of the commanders required that the basic tank would be equipped "... by elbow-shaped paws with the shafts through the walls and motion under the conditions of the mountains, covered with snow… “. Nevertheless, the inspection of project took place on March 1, 1930.Production
Production of first T-19 began in June 1931, and toward the end of August tanks were being delivered. However, the characteristics of the tank proved to be those below those planned, the weight was above the specifications (7,6-8 t), and the production was extremely complex.All this was aggravated by the fact that stocked up in firm “Vickers” the 6-ton tank was quicker, and cheaper. So that in 1931 the works on T-19 were convoluted and all forces by urgent means were switched to the mastery of the series production of the tank “Vickers”, which was called in the USSR name T-26. They by that time completely gathered two tanks T-19 and additionally they had time to prepare housing from the welded and castings, and also number of accessories.