T-20 armored tractor Komsomolets , an armored

continuous track Continuous track or tracked treads are a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the w ...

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

, the T-20 was a

prime mover Prime mover may refer to: Philosophy *Unmoved mover, a concept in Aristotle's writings Engineering * Prime mover (engine or motor), a machine that converts various other forms of energy (chemical, electrical, fluid pressure/flow, etc.) into ener ...

vehicle used by the Soviet Union during the

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Description

The T-20 was designed in 1936 at the Ordzhonikidze Moscow Plant no.37. They were manufactured during 1937–1941 at Factory no. 37, as well as at STZ and

GAZ Gaz may refer to: Geography *Gaz, Kyrgyzstan Iran * Gaz, Darmian, village in South Khorasan province * Gaz, Golestan, a village in Bandar-e Gaz County * Gaz, Hormozgan, a village in Minab County * Gaz, Kerman, a village * Gaz, North Khorasan, a ...

. The tractor was designed to tow light artillery pieces such as the 45mm anti-tank gun and the 120mm heavy mortar. The tractor could tow the weapons themselves plus a small quantity of ammunition, usually towed in a limber, along with up to six crewmen. Occasionally, two limbers were towed to increase the ammunition supply. The forward compartment provided space for the driver and vehicle commander. It was fully armored and had a ball-mounted

DT machine gun The Degtyaryov machine gun ( literally: "Degtyaryov's infantry machine gun") or DP-27/DP-28 is a light machine gun firing the 7.62×54mmR cartridge that was primarily used by the Soviet Union, with service trials starting in 1927, followed by ge ...

. The rear compartment held the gun crews, seated back-to-back in outward-facing bench seats. A canvas top could be erected for protection in poor weather. Approximately 4401 T-20 tractors were built between 1937 and 1941.Zaloga, p.103

Combat use

Although the Komsomolets T-20 armored tractor was designed as a prime mover, some vehicles were used in combat during 1941. The tractor was employed as a

tankette A tankette is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle that resembles a small tank, roughly the size of a car. It is mainly intended for light infantry support and scouting.

.Zaloga, p.103

Operators

The T-20 tractor was used by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

during the

Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military conflict by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Second Polish Republic, Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Polan ...

, the

and during

. During

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

, some T-20 tractors were used as

armored fighting vehicles An armoured fighting vehicle (British English) or armored fighting vehicle (American English) (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by armour, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities. AFVs can b ...

, though after 1941 they were used only as artillery tractors. Both Finland and

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

used captured vehicles. Romania had captured 36 T-20 tractors by 1 November 1941. During the spring and summer of 1943, all but two of these were refurbished by the Romanians. Because these vehicles were based on an agricultural tractor of which very large numbers had been captured in Transnistria, and because their Ford-type engines were familiar to the Romanians and spares were available, the tractors' overhaul and maintenance were simple tasks. In early 1944 they were fitted with hooks which enabled them to tow the 50 mm

Pak 38 The 5 cm Pak 38 (L/60) (''5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 38 (L/60)'') was a German anti-tank gun of 50 mm caliber, calibre. It was developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG as a successor to the 3.7 cm Pak 36, and was in turn followed by ...

anti-tank gun. The 34 tractors (known officially as the ''Senileta Ford Rusesc de Captura'') were subsequently issued to the 5th and 14th Infantry Divisions (twelve each), the 2nd Armoured Regiment (six) and the 5th Cavalry Division (four). All were apparently lost during the subsequent battles or confiscated by the Soviets after the 23 August coup.Mark Axworthy, London: Arms and Armour, 1995, ''Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945'', pp. 219-221

Variants

An expedient variant was built in 1941, the

ZiS-30 The ZiS-30 was a light self-propelled anti-tank gun built for the Soviet Red Army in 1941. It was based on the Komsomolets armoured artillery tractor. They were successful vehicles, but production was limited by the number of Komsomolets tract ...

, mounting the ZIS-2 57mm anti-tank gun. The Germans also modified some captured examples by mounting a 3.7 cm Pak 36 anti-tank gun on top.

References

* Бронеколлекция" no. 3, (2002) * Mark Axworthy, Cornel Scafeș, Cristian Crãciunoiu,''Third Axis. Fourth Ally. Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941-1945,'' Arms and Armour, London, 1995. * * Zaloga, Steven J., James Grandsen (1984). ''Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two'', London: Arms and Armour Press.

External links