Bt Fast Tank: The Red Army's Cavalry Tank 1931 45

Zaloga, Steven J./ Morshead, Henry (Illustrator)

ISBN 10: 1472810651 / ISBN 13: 9781472810656

Published by Osprey Pub Co, 2016

About this Item

48 pages. 9.76x7.24x0.20 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # __1472810651

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Bt Fast Tank: The Red Army's Cavalry Tank 1931 45
• Publisher: Osprey Pub Co
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1472810651
• ISBN 13: 9781472810656
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Morshead, Henry
• Condition: Brand New
• Weight: 0.37 kilograms

About this title

Synopsis

When the Red Army needed to mechanize its cavalry branch in the 1930s, the BT fast tank was its solution. Channeling the American Christie high-speed tank, the Red Army began a program to adapt the design to its own needs. Early versions were mechanically unreliable and poorly armed, but by the mid-1930s, the BT-5 emerged, armed with an excellent dual-purpose 45mm gun. It saw its combat debut in the Spanish Civil War in 1937 and was later used in the border battles with the Japanese Kwantung Army in the late 1930s. The final production series, the BT-7, was the most refined version of the family.

One of the most common types in Red Army service at the beginning of the Second World War, BT tanks saw extensive combat in Poland, Finland, the opening phases of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, and the 1945 campaign against the Japanese in Manchuria. This is the story of their design and development history.

About the Authors

Steven J. Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Group Corp., an aerospace consulting firm, where he covers missile and drone technology as well as international arms transfers for clients in the aerospace industry and the government. He served for more than two decades as an adjunct staff member with the Strategy, Forces, and Resources division of the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank, retiring in 2021. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and history, including NVG 294 Allied Tanks in Normandy 1944 and NVG 283 American Guided Missiles of World War II. He currently lives in Maryland, USA.

Henry Morshead is the Chief Designer for the Hill HX50 helicopter. He also works in the automotive and bespoke sectors, with clients including BAC Mono and Arrival, and is a STEM Ambassador with the Bloodhound supersonic car project. A former officer in the Royal Engineers and illustrator for Jane's, he maintains a keen interest in the design and use of military land and air vehicles.