T-26

Based on the British Vickers 6-tonne tank design of the late 1920s, this Soviet light infantry tank saw service in many theaters of operation from the early 1930s through World War II. The Soviets produced more than 11,000 of the type in many combat and utility variants, making it the most-produced tank from any nation during the interwar period. Spain, China, and Turkey used export versions, and from 1939 the Finnish, German, Romanian, and Hungarian armies used captured examples. The T-26 first saw action on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, where they participated in almost all operations against Nationalist forces from 1936 to 1939. The type demonstrated its superiority over German Panzer I light tanks and Italian CV-33 tankettes, both of which were armed only with machine guns. Reliable and simple to maintain, the T-26 was the most numerous Soviet tank facing the German invasion in June 1941--though by this time nearly obsolete. In its most ubiquitous variant, the T-26s fully-traversable turret carried a 45 mm M1932/34 (20-K) (L/46) main gun next to a single 7.62 mm Degtyaryov machine gun. The 45 mm gun was capable of firing both ant-tank and anti-personnel rounds. A crew of three operated this 9.6-tonne vehicle, which had a top speed of 19 mph.