World War II Database

Contributor: Alan Chanter

ww2dbaseThe six-ton T-40 was a two-man light amphibious tank, intended to replace the earlier T-37 and T-38 tanks which had been in production since the 1930s and whose manifold deficiencies had become painfully apparent by 1938. This was a completely new design which incorporated independent torsion-bar suspension, welded and sloped armour and a sloped turret. However, traces of its predecessors, still remained, and to speed development, the design intentionally utilised as many standard automotive parts as possible.

ww2dbaseThe T-40 was powered by an 85bhp GAZ six-cylinder truck engine, located on the right-hand side of the hull behind the driver, which drove the front track sprockets. The turret, which was offset to the left-hand side of the hull carried a 12.7-mm heavy machine-gun as the main armament, with a 7.62-mm machine gun mounted coaxially (though the final deliveries were given a 20mm gun to improve their striking power instead of the heavy machine-gun). For propulsion in water, a single four-blade propeller and rudders was provided at the rear, the hull nose plate was inclined forwards and flotation tanks were built in the rear hull giving the whole vehicle a rather bulky appearance. A slightly modified model, the T-40A, differed from the standard T-40 chiefly in having a folding trim-vane (for use in water) fitted above the top of the nose plate.

ww2dbaseTaken into Red Army service in the reconnaissance units of the cavalry and armoured forces in 1941, the T-40 fared poorly and proved easy prey for German tanks and armoured cars due to its light armament and thin armour (kept down to a maximum of 14 mm only for amphibious use). With Soviet Union giving a low priority to the manufacture of light tanks, it was eventually decided to dispense with the amphibious characteristics, although this proved an impractical proposal, and subsequently the T-40 tank's employment of the battlefield was kept minimal. By the time that production was discontinued in 1942 only around 225 T-40 tanks had been built and the surviving machines were subsequently relocated along the Soviet Union's eastern border with China for frontier patrolling until about 1946.

SPECIFICATIONS

T-40

Machinery	One GAZ-202 6-cyl water-cooled petrol engine rated at 85bhp at 3,600rpm
Armament	1x12.7mm (later 20mm) machine gun, 1x7.62mm coaxial machine gun
Armor	10mm tower, 13mm main body, 4-6mm bottom, 6mm top
Crew	2
Length	4.43 m
Width	2.51 m
Height	2.12 m
Weight	5.6 t
Speed	20 km/h off-road; 45 km/h on-road
Range	350 km

Photographs

Visitor Submitted Comments

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1.  Bill says:
16 Feb 2015 04:41:21 PM

The T-40 was a light amphibious and reconnaissance
tank. Developed n 1938, and put into production
in 1939 to speed production the T-40 used many
automobile and truck components, and was intended to replace both the T-38 and T-37 amphibious vehicles.

Powered by 1 x GAZ-202 gasoline engine amphibious operation, the T-40 used one four blade propeller with twin rudders. Used for reconnaissance the
T-40 was armed w/1 x 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun w/500 rounds and 1 x 7.62mm DT light machine gun w/2,060 rounds of ammo. Like armored soldiers
the world over, I'm sure they carried as much ammo as possible.

The vehicle was crewed by driver and commander who were also armed w/pistols, grenades and machine guns. Improved variants were the T-30S that was armed w/1 x 20mm cannon w/750 rounds and the 7.62mm DT machine gun w/1500 rounds of ammo. The T-40 was also modified to a "Katyusha" rocket launcher, that carried 24 x 88mm BM series unguided rockets. After WWII the survivors were
sent to training schools. Total production is listed between 225 and 663 vehicles depending on sources.