T-70 obr 1942 (SU016) By early 1942 it was becoming apparent that the T-60 light tank was too lightly armoured and that its armament insufficient enough to cope with the newer tank models now in German service. The T-70 was developed in order to overcome these shortfalls.

While the T-70 succeeded in offering better firepower and armour protection than its predecessors, the issue of the small one-man turret was never resolved.  The commanders were kept busy acquiring targets, loading and firing the main gun and machine gun, and commanding their drivers. This made co-ordinating any form of attack very difficult.

While attempts were made to remedy the problem of the overworked commander by fitting an automatic loading mechanism to the gun proved unsuccessful, manufacturing of the T-70 begun in March 1942. By September 1942 it had completely replaced T-60 production.  The last T-70 to be produced rolled off the assembly line in October 1943, by this time 8,226 had been produced. Despite this, the T-70 remained in service till the end of the war.

T-70 Specifications Weight: 9.2 tonnes Length: 4.29m Width: 2.32m Height: 2.04m Crew: 2 (Commander, Drvier) Armour: 10–60 mm Armament: 1 x 45 mm gun Model 38; 1 x 7.62 mm DT Co-Ax MG Engine: 2 x GAZ-202 70 + 70 hp Power/weight: 15 hp/tonne Suspension: Torsion bar Fuel capacity: 440 litres Operational range: 360km Speed: 45km/h

In Flames Of War Despite being armed with only a 45mm gun, the T-70 can still penetrate the side armour of most tanks even in the Late War period.  Its low cost in relation to platoon size makes it a great tank to use for swarming an objective and assaulting dug-in enemy infantry. ROF 2; Anti-tank 7; Firepower 4+ Front 4; Side 2; Top 1 Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Wayne Turner