| BT-5 light tank | |
|---|---|
 A surviving BT-5 at the Breakthrough of the Siege of Lenningrad Museum | |
| Type | Light tank. |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1933-1945 |
| Used by |  Soviet Union Spanish Republic Republic of China Finland (captured) Francoist Spain (captured) |
| Wars | Spanish Civil War Second Sino–Japanese War Soviet–Japanese border conflicts Invasion of Poland Winter War World War II Continuation War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | J. Walter Christie,Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB) |
| Designed | 1930-1931 |
| Manufacturer | Malyshev Factory |
| Produced | 1933-1935 |
| No. built | 1804-2108 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 11.5 t |
| Length | 5.58 m |
| Width | 2.23 m |
| Height | 2.25 m |
| Crew | 3 commander/gunner loader and driver |
| Armor | 6-13 mm |
Main armament | 45 mm 20-K cannon |
Secondary armament | Coaxial 7.62mmDT machine gun |
| Engine | M-5 400 hp |
| Power/weight | 35hp/t |
| Suspension | Christie |
| Fuel capacity | 360 L gasoline |
| Maximum speed | 72 km/h (45 mph) |
TheBT-5 ("Bystrohodnyi tank" or "Fast Tank type 5") was the secondtank in theSovietBT series of tanks. The BT-5 improved on the previous BT-2, such as a new turret fitted with a45 mm anti-tank gun that was also used on theT-26 and the BT-5's younger brother, theBT-7.[1][2] The BT-5 would enter service in 1933, with theRed Army first seeing action with theSecond Spanish Republic in theSpanish Civil War in 1937 until the end ofWorld War II, with between 1884 and 2108 units being produced with production of the tank beginning in March 1933 with production ending in 1935.[3][4]
The BT-5 had noarmor improvements over the BT-2, with its thickest armor being 13 mm at its thickest and the thinnest being 6 mm thick.[2][4] The suspension was aChristie suspension, which could have thetracks taken off to have road-wheels to use on the road. To turn the tank without the tracks, the driver had a steering wheel that turned the first wheel on each side. It took about a half hour to take off the tracks. The origins of the Christie suspension came fromAmericanracecar designerJ. Walter Christie. When he failed to get theUnited States Army interested, he sold the design to theUSSR. Due to American sanctions on the USSR, Christie sold the design astractors. The armaments of the BT-5 were the45 mm anti-tank gun M1932 (19-K) cannon and onecoaxial 7.65 mmDP machine gun with 115 rounds ofammunition for the main cannon.[4][2][1][5] The BT-5 had a crew of three: a commander/gunner, a loader, and a driver. Both the commander/gunner and loader sat in the turret, and the driver sat in the front of the hull. The turret was a cylinder shape and some tanks had radio antennas around the turret.[4] The ammunition was stored in the turret and under the commander/gunner, and loader. The BT-5 had a newly developed M-5 engine as its source of power.[1] The fuel tank could hold 360 liters of fuel, and the BT-5 had an operational range of 200 kilometers. The BT-5 had a maximum speed of 72 kilometers per hour, or 45 miles per hour on flat roads. The BT-5 had a 400-horsepower M-5 engine and a power-weight ratio of 35 horsepower per tonne.[1] The BT-5 was 5.58 meters long 2.23 meters wide 2.25 meters tall and weighed 11.5 tonnes[2] and the hull was riveted together with the front part shaped like a truncated pyramid.[4]
The first conflict the BT-5 saw was theSpanish Civil War, where 100 BT-5s saw action with theSecond Spanish Republic.Francoist Spain would also use some that were captured during the war. The next conflict the BT-5 saw was the Soviet-Japanese Border Conflict against theEmpire of Japan. The BT-5 played a major role in theBattle of Khalkin Gol, as they were so fast that Japaneseanti-tank gunners could not hit them. But the BT-5 was vulnerable at close range to Japanese soldiers withMolotov cocktail's.[1][6] The tank was praised post-battle reports after the conflict at Khalkin Gol.[6]
The next time the BT-5 saw combat was theSoviet invasion of Poland. In the joint Soviet-GermanInvasion of Poland, where they did not see very much action. The first real challenge for the BT-5 was theWinter War againstFinland, where the BT-5 was unable to get past the Finnish defensive line, theMannerheim Line, where their thin armor was easily penetrated by Finnishanti-tank guns. The Soviets lost many BT-5s during this conflict. Finnish soldiers used Molotov cocktails and threw them at a weak point near the engine, which, when hit, would cause the engine to catch fire and explode.[1] Soviet divisions would be surrounded by Finish units and as fuel and spare parts began to run out the Soviets would use the tanks as makeshiftbunkers by burying them up to their turrets. TheFinnish Army would often capture many BT-5's in this condition but even if the tanks were still operable the Finns were unable to tow them due to a lack of vehicles able to tow the tanks so they would salvage the tanks for anything useful such as the DP machine guns. By the end of the Winter War Finland did not have a single complete BT-5.[7]
After theWinter War, there were still hundreds of BT-5s in service, but many were replaced with theBT-7 and other tanks. On June 22, 1941,Nazi Germany launchedOperation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which caught the Soviets off guard. Soviet losses, including tanks, were appalling at the beginning of the invasion. The BT-5 would be used throughout the rest of the war, but not as much as its younger brother, theBT-7, or the newT-34, due to a lack of spare parts for the tank. The BT-5 was used the most at the beginning of the invasion of theSoviet Union and near the end of the war when spare parts were available.[1]
About 100 BT-5s were used by theSecond Spanish Republic in theSpanish Civil War. The crew of these BT-5s were members of theInternational Brigades that were trained in theSoviet Union by Soviet tankers. The tanks first saw action in theZaragoza Offensive on October 13, 1937. 13 tanks were lost and 12 more were later lost between December 1937 and February 1938 at theBattle of Teruel. A few BT-5s were captured byFrancoist Spain and used against the Second Spanish Republic.
TheChinese Nationalist Army used 4 BT-5's against theImperial Japanese Army in theSecond Sino-Japanese War.
Finland used many BT-5's along with other tanks they captured during theWinter War and theContinuation War. TheFinnish Army mainly used them in a defensive role as they were mainly on the defense during the Winter War.[7]
Information from the Tank Encyclopediainfo
Information from the mainBT tank page on Wikipedia.
Information from Engines of the Red ArmyEngines of the Red Army in WW2