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Soviet remote controlled tanks in Winter War

Discussion in 'The Tanks of World War 2' started by Kai-Petri, Aug 11, 2020.

  1. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    By the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet Union had two teletanks battalions, the 152nd and 217th Independent Tank Battalions. These finally saw combat in Stalin’s opportunistic invasion of Finland, known as the Winter War of 1939–1940.

    The flamethrowing teletanks of the 217th battalion and the 7th Independent Tank Company were attached to the Soviet 20th Heavy Tank Brigade (equipped with T-28s) and charged with rolling strait up the fortifications of the Mannerheim line and hosing them with fire.Combat reports are patchy, but according to Steven Zaloga in his book T-26 Light Tank: Backbone of the Red Army, the teletank units lost forty-two vehicles, six of which were irrecoverable. They proved vulnerable to mines, anti-tank obstacles and heavy snow. The radio control system also frequently failed in the harsh winter weather.

    The Red Army also deployed the new turretless TT-26-Sh Podryvnik (“Blaster”) model to the Winter War, which had a reinforced suspension system, bolt-on applique armor and an improved control system. In place of a turret, the T-26’s glacis mounted a 30mm armored bin which carried an explosive charge weighing between 660 to 1,500 pounds. A remote signal deployed the bomb with a fuse set for up to fifteen minutes.

    Russia Tried to Conquer Finland with Flamethrower Robot Tanks
     
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  2. bronk7

    bronk7 Well-Known Member

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    ..in war, there is never enough time to do proper testing......
    ..lost 42, out of what total?
     
  3. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    Actually this was new for me, too. I try to get the book By Zaloga to get more info. Kph
     
  4. Ricky

    Ricky Well-Known Member

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    That's very interesting, basically similar to the German Goliath or Springer. I never know other nations had used someting similar in combat
     

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