T-70 tank

The T-70 tank was a Soviet light tank of the Second World War, developed in 1941–1942 as a replacement for the T-60, with a 45-millimetre gun, a two-man crew, and a top speed of 45 kilometres per hour. About 8,226 were built between 1942 and 1943, making it one of the most numerous Soviet tanks of the war, and they served in reconnaissance units, in tank brigades, and in the battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, and the advance to Berlin. The T-70 was a small, fast, and reliable tank, but it was thinly armoured and weakly armed by the standards of 1943, and it was gradually replaced by the T-34 as the standard Soviet tank. Its story is the story of the Soviet light tank, a type that was essential in 1942 but obsolete by 1944.

1. Key Facts

Field	Value
Type	Light tank
Country	Soviet Union
Designer	GAZ Design Bureau, Gorky (Nikolai Astrov)
Production	1942–1943
Number built	About 8,226
Crew	2 (commander/gunner, driver)
Weight	About 9.2 tonnes
Length	4.29 metres (14 ft 1 in)
Width	2.32 metres (7 ft 7 in)
Height	2.04 metres (6 ft 8 in)
Engine	2 × GAZ-202 6-cylinder petrol, 140 hp total
Speed	About 45 km/h (28 mph) on road
Range	About 360 km (224 miles) on road
Main armament	45 mm 20K gun (90 rounds)
Secondary armament	1 × 7.62 mm DT machine gun
Armour	Hull front 35–45 mm; turret front 35 mm; side 15 mm
Main theatres	Eastern Front 1942–1945
Main roles	Reconnaissance, infantry support, tank brigade light tank

2. Origins and Development

The Need for a New Light Tank

The T-70 was developed in the winter of 1941–1942, when the Soviet Union needed a light tank that could be built quickly and cheaply, and that could replace the T-60, a small scout tank armed with a 20-millimetre cannon that was too weak to fight German tanks. The GAZ Design Bureau at Gorky, under Nikolai Astrov, was asked to design a new light tank, armed with a 45-millimetre gun, that could be built using automobile parts and that could be produced in large numbers by factories that had never built a tank before. The result was the T-70, a small, fast tank with a two-man crew, a 45-millimetre gun, and a pair of automobile engines, which was accepted for service in March 1942 and which entered production at GAZ and at other factories in the spring of 1942.

Nikolai Astrov and the GAZ Bureau

Nikolai Astrov was one of the most talented Soviet tank designers, and he had designed the T-60 and the T-70, as well as the SU-76 self-propelled gun, which used the T-70 chassis. Astrov’s designs were characterised by their simplicity, their use of automobile components, and their suitability for mass production, and the T-70 was a typical Astrov design. It used two GAZ-202 automobile engines, mounted side by side, driving a single transmission, which was a simple and reliable arrangement, though it was underpowered for a tank. The T-70 was designed to be built by automobile factories, and it was, with GAZ at Gorky and other plants producing more than 8,000 in less than two years. Astrov’s work on the T-70 showed how the Soviet Union could mobilise its automobile industry to build tanks.

Production

Production of the T-70 ran from 1942 to 1943, at GAZ in Gorky, at Plant No. 37 in Sverdlovsk, and at other factories, and about 8,226 were built, making the T-70 the second most numerous Soviet tank of the war after the T-34. The T-70 was built quickly, because it was simple and because it used standard automobile parts, and it was issued to tank brigades, reconnaissance units, and training schools. The T-70 was also used as the basis for the SU-76 self-propelled gun, which became one of the most numerous Soviet armoured vehicles of the war, with more than 14,000 built. The production of the T-70 was a triumph of Soviet mass production, and it showed how the Soviet Union could build tanks in large numbers even while its factories were being evacuated to the east.

The T-70M and Improvements

The T-70M, introduced in late 1942, was an improved version with a stronger chassis, a better transmission, and a more reliable engine, and it became the standard version. The T-70M was also fitted with a new turret, with a thicker armour and a better gun sight, and it was used in the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk. The T-70 was gradually improved during production, but its basic design remained the same: a small, fast, lightly armoured tank with a two-man crew and a 45-millimetre gun. The T-70M was the last version, and production ended in October 1943, when the Soviet Union decided to concentrate on the T-34 and the SU-76, and to stop building light tanks.

3. Technical Design

Hull, Armour, and Layout

The T-70 was a small tank, 4.29 metres long, 2.32 metres wide, and 2.04 metres high, weighing about 9.2 tonnes. Its hull was made of welded steel, with a frontal armour of 35 to 45 millimetres, sloped, and a side armour of 15 millimetres, which gave it protection against small-arms fire and shell fragments, but not against the German 37-millimetre and 50-millimetre anti-tank guns. Its turret, mounted on the left side of the hull, had a frontal armour of 35 millimetres and a side armour of 35 millimetres, and it was cramped, with room for only the commander, who also served as the gunner and the loader. The T-70 was a small, low tank, hard to hit and easy to conceal, but its armour was thin and its interior was cramped.

Engines and Mobility

The T-70 was powered by two GAZ-202 six-cylinder petrol engines, each producing 70 horsepower, for a total of 140 horsepower, mounted side by side in the rear of the hull, driving a single transmission. Its top speed was about 45 kilometres per hour on the road, and its range was about 360 kilometres, which was good for a light tank. Its suspension was a torsion-bar system, with five road wheels on each side, which gave it a smooth ride and good mobility over rough ground. The T-70 was fast and agile, and its crews liked it for its speed and its handling, though they complained that its two engines were difficult to synchronise and that its petrol fuel was flammable. The T-70 was a mobile tank, well suited to reconnaissance and to rapid advances.

The 45 mm Gun and the Two-Man Crew

The main armament of the T-70 was the 45-millimetre 20K gun, a Soviet tank gun that could fire armour-piercing, high-explosive, and smoke rounds, with a muzzle velocity of about 760 metres per second for the armour-piercing round. The gun could penetrate about 50 millimetres of armour at 500 metres, which was enough to defeat the German Panzer III and the early Panzer IV, but not the Panther or the Tiger, and not the later Panzer IV with its long 75-millimetre gun. The T-70 carried 90 rounds of 45-millimetre ammunition, and its secondary armament was a 7.62-millimetre DT machine gun, mounted coaxially with the main gun. The two-man crew was the greatest weakness of the T-70, because the commander had to command the tank, aim and fire the gun, and load it, all at the same time, which was an impossible task in combat.

4. Combat Service at Stalingrad and Kursk

Stalingrad

The T-70 first saw combat at Stalingrad in the winter of 1942–1943, where it was used by Soviet tank brigades and reconnaissance units to support the infantry and to scout German positions. The T-70 was used in the encirclement of the German Sixth Army, Operation Uranus, in November 1942, where its speed and its mobility allowed it to exploit the breakthrough and to cut off the German retreat. The T-70 performed well at Stalingrad, because it was fast, reliable, and easy to maintain, and because its 45-millimetre gun was effective against the German tanks and infantry it encountered. The Stalingrad campaign was the first test of the T-70, and it showed that the light tank, properly used, could still be effective in a modern war.

Kursk

At Kursk in July 1943, the T-70 was used in large numbers by Soviet tank brigades and reconnaissance units, and it fought in the greatest tank battle in history. The T-70 was used for reconnaissance, for screening the flanks, and for supporting the infantry, and it suffered heavy losses, because its thin armour could not resist the German 75-millimetre and 88-millimetre guns, and its 45-millimetre gun could not penetrate the frontal armour of the Panther and the Tiger. The T-70 was outclassed at Kursk, and the battle showed that the light tank was obsolete, and that the Soviet Union needed to concentrate on the T-34 and on heavier tanks. The Kursk campaign was the last major battle in which the T-70 was used in large numbers as a front-line tank.

The Light Tank in Decline

After Kursk, the T-70 was gradually withdrawn from front-line tank brigades and reassigned to reconnaissance units, where its speed and its low profile were still useful, and to training schools, where it was used to train new tank crews. The Soviet Union stopped building the T-70 in October 1943, and it concentrated on the T-34 and the SU-76, which used the T-70 chassis and which was a more effective vehicle. The decline of the T-70 was the decline of the light tank itself, a type that had been essential in 1941–1942 but that was obsolete by 1944, when the battlefield was dominated by medium and heavy tanks.

5. Combat Service in the Advance to Berlin

Reconnaissance and the Final Campaigns

In 1944–1945, the T-70 was used by Soviet reconnaissance units in the advance through Ukraine, Poland, and Germany to Berlin, where its speed and its mobility allowed it to scout ahead of the main force, to find German positions, and to report on the enemy. The T-70 was used in the Vistula-Oder operation in January 1945, and in the Battle of Berlin in April 1945, where it served in reconnaissance battalions and in the headquarters of tank armies. The T-70 was no longer a front-line tank, but it was still a useful reconnaissance vehicle, and it served until the end of the war. Its service in the final campaigns showed that a light tank, even an obsolete one, could still be useful if it was used for the right job.

The T-70 and the Partisans

The T-70 was also used by Soviet partisans, who received T-70 tanks from the Red Army and used them for raids behind German lines, and by the Polish and Czechoslovak armies, which used T-70 tanks in the liberation of their countries. The T-70 was a tank that served in many roles, from front-line combat to reconnaissance to training, and it was used by many armies. Its service in the final campaigns was a testament to its reliability and its versatility, and to the Soviet Union’s ability to keep an old tank in service long after it had become obsolete.

6. Strengths

Speed, Reliability, and Numbers

The greatest strengths of the T-70 were its speed, its reliability, and its numbers, because it was a fast tank, with a top speed of 45 kilometres per hour, it was reliable and easy to maintain, because it used standard automobile parts, and it was built in large numbers, more than 8,000, which meant that it was available when the Soviet Union needed it most. The T-70 was a tank that could be built quickly and cheaply, and that could be used for reconnaissance, for infantry support, and for training, and it did all of these jobs well. Its speed and its reliability were the reasons why it was kept in service after it had become obsolete as a front-line tank, and why it was used for reconnaissance until the end of the war.

Low Profile and Ease of Production

The T-70 was low, only 2.04 metres high, which made it a small target and easy to conceal, and it was easy to produce, because it was based on automobile components and could be built by factories that had never built a tank before. Its low profile was a strength in reconnaissance, where it could observe the enemy without being seen, and its ease of production was a strength for the Soviet Union, which needed tanks in large numbers and needed them quickly. The T-70 was a tank that was designed for mass production, and it was a success in that role, because it was built in large numbers and it served in every theatre of the Eastern Front.

7. Weaknesses

Thin Armour and Weak Gun

The main weaknesses of the T-70 were its thin armour and its weak gun, because its frontal armour of 35 to 45 millimetres could not resist the German 50-millimetre and 75-millimetre guns, and its 45-millimetre gun could not penetrate the frontal armour of the Panther, the Tiger, or the later Panzer IV. The T-70 was a light tank, and its armour and its gun were those of a light tank, but by 1943 the battlefield was dominated by medium and heavy tanks, and the T-70 was outclassed. The T-70 was also vulnerable to German infantry with Panzerfausts and to German anti-tank guns, and it suffered heavy losses at Kursk and in the later battles. Its thin armour and its weak gun were the reasons why it was withdrawn from front-line service.

The Two-Man Crew

The two-man crew was the greatest weakness of the T-70, because the commander had to command the tank, aim and fire the gun, and load it, all at the same time, which was an impossible task in combat. The commander was overloaded, and the tank’s rate of fire was slow, and its situational awareness was poor, because the commander could not look around while he was loading the gun. The two-man crew was a consequence of the T-70’s small size, but it was a fatal flaw, and it was one of the reasons why the Soviet Union stopped building light tanks and concentrated on the T-34, which had a crew of four or five. The T-70 was a tank that was designed for a crew of two, but that needed a crew of three or four to fight effectively.

8. Variants and the SU-76

The SU-76 Self-Propelled Gun

The most important variant of the T-70 was the SU-76 self-propelled gun, which used the lengthened T-70 chassis, with a 76-millimetre gun mounted in an open-topped superstructure, and which became one of the most numerous Soviet armoured vehicles of the war, with more than 14,000 built. The SU-76 was used for infantry support, for anti-tank defence, and for reconnaissance, and it served in every theatre of the Eastern Front, and in the Korean War. The SU-76 was a more effective vehicle than the T-70, because its 76-millimetre gun was more powerful and because its open top gave the crew a good view, and it showed that the T-70 chassis could be used for a more useful vehicle. The SU-76 was the legacy of the T-70, and it was a tank that served long after the T-70 had been retired.

Other Variants

Other variants of the T-70 included the T-70M, an improved version with a stronger chassis and a better transmission, and the T-80, a light tank with a larger turret and a three-man crew, which was built in small numbers in 1943 and which was intended to replace the T-70, but which was not put into mass production. The T-80 was a better tank than the T-70, because its three-man crew allowed the commander to concentrate on commanding, but it arrived too late, and the Soviet Union had already decided to stop building light tanks. The T-70 and its variants showed the evolution of the Soviet light tank, from the T-60 to the T-70 to the T-80, and the end of the light tank as a front-line vehicle.

9. Legacy

The End of the Light Tank

The legacy of the T-70 is the end of the Soviet light tank, because after the T-70 the Soviet Union stopped building light tanks and concentrated on medium tanks, notably the T-34 and the T-54, and on self-propelled guns, notably the SU-76 and the SU-100. The T-70 showed that a light tank, however fast and however numerous, could not survive on a battlefield dominated by medium and heavy tanks, and that the light tank’s role was better filled by a reconnaissance vehicle or by a self-propelled gun. The T-70 was the last Soviet light tank to be built in large numbers, and its retirement marked the end of an era in Soviet tank design.

A Museum Piece and a Symbol

The T-70 is remembered as one of the most numerous Soviet tanks of the Second World War, and as a symbol of the Soviet Union’s ability to mobilise its industry to build tanks in large numbers. It is displayed in museums around the world, from the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia to the Tank Museum at Bovington, and it is respected by historians and by tank enthusiasts. The T-70 was a small, fast, and reliable tank that served its country in its hour of need, and it is a reminder that the history of the tank is not only about the biggest and the most powerful, but about the tanks that were available when they were needed most.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the T-70 tank?
The T-70 is a Soviet light tank of the Second World War, with a 45-millimetre gun, a two-man crew, and a top speed of 45 kilometres per hour. About 8,226 were built between 1942 and 1943.

Why did the T-70 have a two-man crew?
The T-70 was a small tank, and its turret had room for only the commander, who also served as the gunner and the loader. This was its greatest weakness, because the commander was overloaded in combat.

Where did the T-70 serve?
It served on the Eastern Front, at Stalingrad, Kursk, and in the advance to Berlin, in reconnaissance units and in tank brigades, and it was used by Soviet partisans and by the Polish and Czechoslovak armies.

What was the SU-76?
The SU-76 was a self-propelled gun based on the lengthened T-70 chassis, armed with a 76-millimetre gun. More than 14,000 were built, making it one of the most numerous Soviet armoured vehicles of the war.

Why was the T-70 withdrawn?
Its armour was too thin and its gun too weak for the battlefield of 1943–1944, which was dominated by medium and heavy tanks, and its two-man crew was a fatal flaw. Production ended in October 1943.

Where can I see a T-70 today?
T-70 tanks survive in museums, including the Kubinka Tank Museum near Moscow and the Tank Museum at Bovington in England.

Sources

• The Kubinka Tank Museum, T-70 collection
• Steven J. Zaloga and James Grandsen, Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two
• Mikhail Baryatinsky, The T-70 Light Tank
• The Central Museum of the Armed Forces, Moscow, tank collection
• The Tank Museum, Bovington, Soviet tank exhibits
• David Glantz, Soviet Tank Design and Development