t-18。The first Soviet-produced tank.
Speaking of the first Soviet tanks, even the terminology is used"Serial", you can talk about"Tank M", about the T-16, about the T-17.
All of the above tanks are produced in quantities of more than 1 units, which, in principle, can be mass-produced. But if we are talking about factory mass production, and not about screwdriver assembly, then here there is no doubt that the firstborn of Soviet tank creation was the T-18.
The machine manufactured in 959 was conceived precisely as a series.
The design of the T-18 or MS-1 (small escort, model 1) apparently repeats the same old Renault FT-17It becomes a reference for the production of all the above models.
But there is nowhere to go, the USSR did not have tanks at all, so there are only roads for licensed production. For this, an official license for the production of FT-17 was purchased in France.
In 1924, the Tank Building Committee developed requirements for infantry escort tanks.
According to them, it is planned to create a tank weighing 3 tons, armed with a 37-mm cannon or machine gun, 16-mm armor and a maximum speed of 12 km h.
At the same time, since 1924, captured foreign tanks have been actively studied. And most importantly, Soviet military experts liked the Italian Fiat 3000, which was a creation based on the Renault 17.
In the spring of 1925, after the review of the project by the headquarters of the Soviet Red Army, the requirements were adjusted: the permissible weight of the tank was increased to 5 tons to accommodate a more powerful engine and install both a gun and a machine gun.
By March 1927, the first prototype was completed, designated T-16. The prototype tank was very similar to the Renault 17, but with a shorter hull, lighter weight and better maneuverability. But the main thing is that the tank was much cheaper than the Soviet tank produced the firstborn of the tank M.
However, the tests revealed a large number of flaws, and the prototype was not approved.
The construction of the second prototype, taking into account all the comments, was completed in May 1927 and was tested under the index T-18. The tests were successful, and in June 1927, the tank was put into service under the name "Small Escort Tank Type 1927". (MS-1) or T-18.
T-18 (MS-1) model 1927
Combat weight, t: 53
Supplement: 2 Sizes:
Case length, mm: 3500, 4380 (including tail.)
Width: 1760
Height: 2120 mm
Ground clearance, mm: 315
Armor: rolled steel, 8-16
*Armament: 37mm Hotchkiss cannon (or ps round ammunition, 2 Fedorov 6..)5 mm or DT-29 machine guns and 1040 rounds of ammunition.
Engine type: Air-cooled inline 4-cylinder carburetor
Engine power: 35
Highway speed, km h: 16
Cross-country speed, km h: 65
Highway range, km: 100
Specific pressure to the ground, kg cm: 037
Gradeability, degrees: 36
To overcome the wall, m:05
To overcome the ditch, m: 185
Overcoming embroidery, m: 08
In general, he is still an "ugly duckling". However, despite the fact that the silhouette of the T-34 and even the outline of the T-90 is not visible in the silhouette of the T-18, it was the first mass-produced tank of the USSR.
The eldest son was built at the Leningrad plant "Bolsheviks" and the Motovilikhinsky Machine-Building Plant in Perm.
Strangely, the life of the eldest son turned out to be very long and eventful. Despite the ugliness, the characteristics are, frankly, not outstanding.
The years of operation of the MS-1 T-18 are listed in all reference books, from 1928 to 1942. But even before the Great Patriotic War, tanks managed to fight.
Combat tests showed that the power of the high-explosive fragmentation shells of the 37-mm gun was insufficient, but, in general, the tank worked successfully.
By the beginning of 1938, the T-18 in service had reached an extreme level of deterioration. However, instead of being disposed of and sent for scrap, these tanks were destined for a different fate.
By order of the People's Commissariat of Vanikov of March 2, 1939, all remaining T-18s were decommissioned, of which 700 were transferred to the fortified areas of the military districts.
In fact, back in 1934, the fortifications of the Leningrad Military District began to be equipped with 160 decommissioned T-18 tanks as armored firing points.
The tanks transferred to the fortifications will be re-equipped with twin DT and DA-2 machine guns or 45-mm machine guns of the Type 1932.
The engine and transmission were removed from the defective tank, the armored hull was buried deep underground, or simply installed as a bot on bridges, road crossings and other convenient defensive sites.
Those tanks, which were still mobile and in satisfactory technical condition, were attached to the garrisons of fortifications and used as mobile firing points.
The T-18, which turned into pillboxes, was mainly concentrated on the western borders of the USSR, but a considerable number (about 140) were also installed in the system of fortifications in the area of Lake Hassan, which fought with Japan in 1938.
Information about the combat use of the T-18 in the Great Patriotic War is mostly fragmentary. Most of the tanks concentrated on the western borders of the USSR were destroyed or captured in the first days or weeks of the war, although some were used longer.
T-18 tanks and bots based on them fought the enemy in fortifications. It is known that they were involved in the battles of Osovitsky, Volodymyr-Volynsky and the Minsk fortified areas.
The last known combat use of the T-18 dates back to the Battle of Moscow, where 9 T-18 of the 150th Tank Brigade were used in the winter of 1941-1942.
The T-18s were located in the area of Lake Hassan in the form of fortifications and remained in service until the early 1950s, when they were excluded from the fortification system and abandoned.
But in this day and age, the Far Eastern T-18 is a working object for seekers and restorers. And, as strange as it may seem, the number of T-18s is not in the single digits.
In the Russian Far East alone, at least eight T-18s are known, one of which took part in a military parade in the city of Ussuriysk on May 9, 2018.
As a ** model, the T-18 tank is located in the military history of Russia in the village of Padikovo, Istria district, Moscow region
The restoration has been going on for more than two years and is actually nearing completion. At the moment, the car is 90% original, and now that the issue of restoration of the museum has been raised, it will soon be possible to see it in action.