T-26 with Conical Turret

(Photos)

UpdatedMay 9, 2007
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The T-26 tank (year 1938 production series) in testing. NIIBT polygon summer 1938

Shows the T-26 tank (year 1938 production series) during testing. NIIBT polygon summer 1938. (the photo from M.Svirin's collection) [1]
T-26 tmod. 1938 at Tavriz (Tabriz) streets. Iran. September, 17 1941.

T-26 mod. 1938 in the streets of Tavriz (Tabriz), Iran. September, 17 1941. [3]
Abandoned T-26 mod. 1938 from the 14th Mechcorps. Kobrin area, June 1941[10]
T-26 Mod. 1939 in winter camouflage. Supposingly from the 40th Light Tank Brigade. Karelian isthmus, February 1940. Only the upper part of the hull and turret is painted white, and on the side there is a tactical mark - red «00». The top of the turret hadn't ever been painted white for the sake of air support [8]
Seems the same vehicle as above [11]
Hit by aviation T-26 tanks convoy organic to the 150th Rifle Division

T-26 tanks convoy assigned to the 150th Rifle Division following an air attack. That unit in the foreground is a 1939 version of the T-26. September 1941 Southern Front [3]
T-26 mod. 1939 tanks and BA-10 armoured cars in Iran. September 1941 T-26 mod. 1939 tanks and BA-10 armoured cars in Iran. September 1941.[3]
T-26 mod. 1939 T-26 mod. 1939 [4]
T-26s mod 1938 (foreground) and mod. 1933 (background) organic to the 6th Tank Brigade whose command personnel is preparing to the upcoming combat. South-eastern Front, August 1942.[2]
Tanks T-26 of model 1939 from the 18th Tank Division/7th Mechanised Corps. The combat vehicles have a three-colour zebra-like camouflage consisting of light green and brown stripes on medium green background. Belarus, early July 1941. [5]
Destroyed tanks T-26 of various modifications (of models 1933 and 1939) from the 6th Mechanised Corps. The pictures were taken in 1944, already after liberation of Byelorussia by the Soviet troops. On the background are westbound moving tanks T-34/85 [5]

Light tank T-26 of the 1939 model evidently belonging to the 39th Tank Division/16th Mechanised Corps. Vicinity of Uman, early August 1941.[6]

Rem. AMVAS. According to [7] this vehicle belonged to the 18th Mechcorps

T-26 Mod. 1939. Ukraine 1941. [9]

Rem. AMVAS: There are different versions about triangle on its turret whether it was tactical, or painted by German traffic control services. My guess is this symbol was for recognition of Soviet aviation. Different figures (triangles, rhombs etc) could be temporarily assigned to different units in June-July 1941.

The T-26-1 tank on the road to battle. Western Front, December 1941.[1]

The T-26-1 tank on the road to battle. Western Front, December 1941.[1]

 
T-26 on patrol. Kildyn island, 1942 T-26 on patrol. Kildyn island, 1942 [4]
Finnish version of T-26 tank - a conic turret of linear tank is mounted on the hull of HT-130 with spherical mount for DT machine-gun. Autumn, 1942.

Finnish version of T-26 tank - a conical turret of line tank is mounted on the hull of OT-130 with spherical mount for DT machine-gun. Autumn, 1942. [1]

Literature
  1. M. Kolomiets, M. Svirin,"T-26 Legkiy Tank" Frontovaya Illystratsiya, No. 1, 2003
  2. I. Moshchanskiy, S. Smolinov, "Oborona Stalingrada. Stalingradskaya strategicheskaya oboronitelnaya operatsiya 17 Iyulia-18 Noyabria 1942 goda", Voyennaya Letopis/Military Chronicle, No. 1/2001
  3. I. Moshchansky, A. Savin, "Bor'ba za Krym. Sentyabr' 1941 - Iyul 1942.", Voyennaya Letopis', No.1, 2002
  4. Legkiy tank T-26, Bronekollektsia, spetsialnyi vypusk No. 2
  5. I. Moshchanskiy, I. Khokhlov, "Katastropha Zapadnogo fronta, Belorusskaya strategicheskaya oboronitelnaya operatsiya 22 Ijyunia -9 Ijulia 1941 goda.", Voyennaya Letopis/Military Chronicle No. 1, 2003
  6. T. Abashidze, I. Moschansky, "Kievskaya Strategicheskaya Oboronitelnaya operatsia. Part 1. Tragedia pod Umanju" , 2003
  7. "Tankovye Vojska RKKA vo Vtoroy Mirovoy Vojne. Serijnye Mashiny 1930-45 gg. Chast I. Lyogkiye tanki", Tankomaster, special issue 3-4/2006, Moscow
  8. M. Kolomiets. "Tanki v Zimnei Voine 1939-40",Moscow, Frontovaya Illyustratsia, 3/2001
  9. A. Isaev, "1941: Boi na Ukraine",Moscow, Frontovaya Illyustratsia/Frontline Illustration, 4/2004
  10. A. Smirnov, A.Surkov. "1941: Boi v Belorussii", Frontovaya Illyustratsia/Frontline Illustration, 2/2003
  11. BTV No. 2, "Krasnaya Armiya 1920-1941, kamufliazhnye skhemy, opoznavatel'nyje znaki BTT", Moscow, 2004
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