Vehicles · Soviet Union · 1940-1946
T-40
amphibious light reconnaissance tank
A small Soviet amphibious light tank developed in 1940 to give reconnaissance units a vehicle that could swim rivers on its own using a rear-mounted propeller, avoiding the need for bridging. Armed only with a 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun and 7.62mm DT coaxial gun, and armoured against small arms fire at best, it saw its main action defending Moscow in the winter of 1941 during Operation Barbarossa. Wartime pressure for more firepower and heavier armour led directly to the T-60, a cheaper, better-armed, non-amphibious development that replaced it on the production lines after only a few hundred T-40s had been built.
| crew | 2 |
|---|---|
| armament | 12.7 mm DShK MG, 7.62 mm DT MG |
| armor | 4-13 mm |
| weight | 5.9 tonnes |
| produced | ~356 (standard T-40) |
