BT Fast Tank

The Red Army’s Cavalry Tank 1931–45

BT Fast Tank cover

BT Fast Tank

The Red Army’s Cavalry Tank 1931–45

Quantity
In stock
$22.49 RRP $24.99 Website price saving $2.50 (10%)

This product is usually dispatched within 2-4 weeks

Description

When the Red Army needed to mechanize its cavalry branch in the 1930s, the BT fast tank was its solution.

Based on the American Christie high-speed tank, the Red Army began a program to adapt the design to its own needs. Early versions were mechanically unreliable and poorly armed but by the mid-1930s, the BT-5 emerged, armed with an excellent dual-purpose 45mm gun. It saw its combat debut in the Spanish Civil War in 1937 and was later used in the border battles with the Japanese Kwangtung Army in the late 1930s. The final production series, the BT-7, was the most refined version of the family.

This compact guide details the design and development history of one of the most common types in Red Army service in the first years of the Second World War. BT tanks saw extensive combat in Poland, Finland, and the opening phases of Operation Barbarossa in 1941 and latterly during the 1945 campaign against the Japanese in Manchuria.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Design and Development
Operational Use
Analysis and Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published 01 Sep 2016
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 48
ISBN 9781472810656
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 40 b/w; 7 col
Dimensions 248 x 184 mm
Series New Vanguard
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Steven J. Zaloga

Steven J. Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Grou…

Illustrator

Henry Morshead

Henry Morshead is the Chief Designer for the Hill…

Related Titles

Get 30% off in the May sale - for one week only

Environment: Staging