Introduction: Romania’s armament background
At the beginning of World War II, Romania’s military strength was very limited; especially after the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, Romania’s tanks could not compete with Soviet medium tanks. Contend, so they urgently need an efficient anti-tank weapon.
In the summer of 1941, Romania still had only one tank division, with two tank regiments, two infantry regiments, one mobile artillery regiment, one reconnaissance battalion, and one engineer battalion. The first tank regiment was equipped with Czechoslovak S-IIaR light tanks (in fact, Skoda LTvz35), of which 126 were purchased between 1938 and 1939. This batch of tanks was organized by the Romanian military as: R-2 tanks .
The R-2 tank (Skoda S-IIaR light tank) in the Gallest Museum, Romania.
The second tank regiment is equipped with the French Renault R35 light tank, with 41 The vehicles were introduced from France from August to September 1939; 34 vehicles were seized from Poland. On September 18, 1939, the 21st Polish Tank Battalion crossed the Romanian border and fought with the First Tank Regiment. A part of the Renault R35 fell into the hands of the Romanian military after being destroyed by the R-2 tank.
Romania’s Renault R35 light tank
After the Battle of Odessa, Romania’s tank troops suffered heavy losses. Therefore, in order to make up for the deficiencies in armaments, the Romanian military fascist dictator "Jan. Antonescu" ordered the development of a domestic version of the T-34 tank. But this idea is obviously unrealistic. Romania did not have strong military industry support, and manpower was very scarce during the war. If it is to develop a tank similar to the German Marder, it is more reliable. This type of tank is relatively easy to manufacture. It only needs to install the turret and weapons on the original tank chassis, which is very suitable for the current Romanian national conditions.
Romanian military fascist dictator "Jan Antonescu"
Germany German Marder tank equipped with F-22 type 1936 cannon
The 76.2mm F-22 1936 cannon became Romania’s new weapon
At the end of 1941, the Romanian military seized more than 150 Soviet 76.2mm F-22 1936 cannons. The gun is classified as a field gun and has a high armor-piercing effect. It fires 76.2×385 mm shells; when using the BR-350A armor-piercing shell, it can penetrate 61 mm armor at a distance of 500 meters. It can penetrate 55 mm of armor within a distance of, and the maximum range is 14 kilometers; but the gun eventually flowed into the hands of the Wehrmacht. The German army installed the 76.2 mm F-22 1936 cannon on the chassis of the No. 2 and Pz38(t) tanks and used it as a destroyer.
Soviet 76.2mm F-22 1936 cannon
while Romania uses Soviet T-60 tanks as the chassis of F-22 1936 cannon . The Soviet Union has a large number of T-60 tanks, and the tank has excellent off-road performance. It uses the GAZ-202 engine improved from the American Dodge FH2. This engine is also very common throughout Europe, so Romania does not use it at all. Worry about insufficient parts or raw materials. The
tank destroyer was designed by Lieutenant Colonel Konstantin Giulai. Prior to this, Konstantin had been involved in many improvement tasks for Renault R35 and Skoda S-IIaR light tanks. In May 1942, 23 Soviet T-60 tanks were sent to the Leonid factory in Bucharest for modification. In October 1942, 11 more were added. By January 1943, the first RomanianThe self-produced tank destroyer was officially unveiled and was named: TACAM T-60 Tank Destroyer (Tun Anti Car cu Afet Mobil T-60). In June of the same year, 17 vehicles were produced and another 17 were produced in the second half of the year, 1943 In total, only 34 vehicles were produced in the year.
Romania’s TACAM T-60 tank destroyer
Transformation from T-60 tank to TACAM T-60 tank destroyer
TACAM T-60 tank destroyer used early There are two different versions of the T-60 chassis, but the front armor thickness is between 15-20 mm, the side armor is 15 mm, the rear armor is 13 mm, and the bottom and top are both 10 mm thick. The driving position was moved to the left, and the front and top were protected by semi-enclosed armor; in order to improve the defensive capability, the cockpit door was directly welded. The turret of the T-60 tank was removed and replaced with a hull with an open rear and top. The 15mm armor on the gun shield was also captured from the Soviet BT-7 tank. In case of severe weather such as rain and snow, a rain-proof cloth can be covered on the top frame of TACAM T-60 to provide shelter for the crew.
TACAM T-60 tank destroyer is a semi-enclosed "convertible" device
TACAM T-60 tank destroyer is equipped with F-22 type 1936 cannon, divided into Operation by two crew members, gunner (commander) and loader. Romania moved the aiming mechanism of the F-22 1936 cannon to the side of the barrel, which is similar to the German Pak 36 (r) anti-tank gun, so only one gunner is required to operate it. The vertical firing angle of the gun is -5 degrees and +8 degrees, and the horizontal firing angle is 32 degrees; the auxiliary weapon is a 7.92 mm ZB37 heavy machine gun, which is also placed in the combat compartment.
The aiming mechanism of the F-22 1936 cannon is on the side of the barrel.
The TACAM T-60 tank destroyer carries 44 rounds of ammunition, except for the captured ammunition. , There is also the "Kostinescu" armor-piercing ammunition. The weight of this ammunition is: 6.6 kg, and the muzzle velocity can reach 751 meters per second. It can penetrate 72 mm armor within a distance of 1000 meters with a 30-degree firing angle. Wearing T-34 tanks is more than enough.
The ordinary 76.2×385 ammunition fired by the F-22 type 1936 cannon
uses the original 70-horsepower GAZ-202 engine, but the heat dissipation system of the engine compartment is reduced in order to Reserve more space for the ammunition bay. The weight of the tank has been increased from the original 6.5 tons to 9 tons. In addition, it has to withstand the recoil of the artillery. Therefore, the torsion bar suspension has also been reinforced. The new Romanian homemade wheels are used, but these wheels are based on the original Soviet Union. Than one designed.
Although the production volume of TACAM T-60 tank destroyer is not large, the wheels are manufactured by three companies, namely: Turda's Sirmei company (Sirmei), Brasov's IAR company And Prosti's Concordia (Concordia). The wheels produced by these companies are equipped with brakes, which can lock the wheels to remain stationary when the gun is fired.
TACAM T-60 tank destroyer in combat
On May 10, 1943, in a military parade in Bucharest (the capital of Romania), TACAM T-60 tank destroyer was first presented to the public Show. By June, most of these tanks were sent to Romania's mechanized training center to train crews for the first tank regiment. At the end of 1943, TACAM T-60 tank destroyers have been organized into the first and second tank regiments one after another, including 16 first tank regiments and 18 second tank regiments.
TACAM T-The 60 tank destroyer participated in the military parade in Bucharest.
TACAM T-60 tank destroyer first participated in the battle during the conflict in Kantemir. The first tank division that served in Romania was responsible for defending Deniz. Special River Front. In addition to 14 TACAM T-60 tank destroyers, the division also has 30 German No. 4 tanks, two No. 3 tanks, 10 German No. 3 assault guns, a Skoda S-IIaR and a Renault R- 35 light tanks.
The TACAM T-60 tank destroyer destroyed in the Cantermere battle
There are very few specific details about the TACAM T-60 tank destroyer in this battle, but it can Certainly this was a very tragic war, because on March 28, 1944, the tank unit originally in Cantermere was transferred to the north of Bessarabia, while the Romanian TACAM T-60 tanks Only 7 destroyers remained. In April 1944, the tank units withdrawn from Cantermere were reintegrated into the First Tank Division, forming a separate tank battalion. In addition to TACAM T-60 tank destroyers, the battalion also has 10 German No. 3 assault guns, a reconnaissance tank, a command vehicle and 14 supply vehicles.
Romania’s TACAM T-60 tank destroyer and the Hungarian "Turang" tank are advancing together
The follow-up information for the TACAM T-60 tank destroyer is also very limited. The Romanian Army Fang only recorded that the car participated in the defense of Bessarabia, and there was no news after that. However, the vehicle was most likely to be captured by the Soviet army, because several TACAM T-60 tank destroyers were also kept at the Kubinka test site in the Soviet Union.
The TACAM T-60 tank destroyer kept at the Soviet Kubinka Proving Ground
TACAM T-60 tank destroyer is similar to many German self-propelled artillery, and is designed to cope with war "Temporary product". Their shortcomings are also very obvious. They are large in size, weak in armor, and poor in maneuverability. They can't stop the flood of steel in the Soviet Union. Therefore, the TACAM T-60 tank destroyer has a very short service cycle, and it was even eliminated by the Romanian military before the war was over.
