The BA-10 ZhD model is here

The BA-6M :

In 1927, a five years plan for Soviet armaments was drawn up, which included the manufacture of heavy armored cars. The first model was the BA-27, it was soon followed by the BA-I, BA-3 and BA-6.

As soon as mass production of the BA-6 was launched, the design bureau for special production of the Izhora Plant began work on its modified version, which received the designation BA-6M. The base from the GAZ-AAA truck was preserved, but with significant improvements. The main measures were aimed at reducing the weight of the machine so the chassis frame was shortened by 600 mm. The front part of the car was reinforced by installing elements from the GAZ M-1 car. Instead of a 40 hp engine, a more powerful GAZ M-1 50 hp was installed. In order to reduce the frontal projection, the radiator was cut off by 33 mm in height, giving the hood a more pointed shape. Like the BA-6, the new car inherited a rather controversial improvement – in addition to the main 42-liter gas tank located behind the engine, an additional 52-liter tank was placed on the left in the upper part of the hull. With weak armor, such an installation of fuel tanks was extremely dangerous for the crew, but one would seriously think about it only after the war in Spain and Mongolia. The BA-6M hull, as before, was assembled from rolled armor plates with a thickness of 4 to 10 mm by welding, after which it was attached to the chassis frame at 8 points. For access to the engine, a hinged top sheet was provided, in which there was a hole with an armored cover for pouring water into the radiator, and two hatches in the sides. For the BA-6M, a new conical turret was developed (considering the lessons from the war in Spain), with a wall inclination angle of 10°, two viewing slots with Triplex glass on the sides and two revolving holes. A hatch was made in the rear of the tower for installing and dismantling a gun with a revolving hole in the center. In the hatch on the roof of the tower there were holes for the PT-1 periscope sight, flag signaling and ventilation of the combat compartment. The armament of the armored car did not change and still consisted of one 45-mm cannon 20K model 1934 and one 7.62-mm DT machine gun in a lightweight twin mount, as well as one DT machine gun on the right in the frontal hull plate. Ammunition for the gun included 50 shells, 30 of which were placed in a “fan” installation in the turret, and the rest in the hull. For machine guns, there was a total ammunition of 3150 rounds in 50 discs, 20 were in the fighting compartment, 15 in the control compartment to the right of the machine gunner and 5 in the turret. Spare parts boxes (for a cannon, a machine gun and a sight), a jack, a fire extinguisher and a trench tool were located inside the hull. Overroll chains were placed on the rear fenders, which were fastened with wing screws to the brackets on the body. The chains consisted of 25 mild steel elements (80 × 35 cm) and weighed 75 kg each. 10 minutes were required to put them on. In addition, freely rotating spare wheels installed on the side helped to overcome bumps.The BA-6M crew consisted of four people. Landing in the armored car was carried out through the doors in the sides and the hatch in the tower.

The prototype BA-6M was assembled in the fall of 1936 and presented to the customer after factory testing. By order of the head of ABTU, a commission was created to conduct military tests. In the period from January 11 to March 17, 1937, the BA-6M prototype traveled 1,875 km along a tarmac road, 1,794 km along a gravel road, and 538 km along a dirt road. The results of the tests were disappointing for the BA-6M – with a slight improvement in combat qualities, the power of the M-1 engine was still insufficient, which affected the dynamic characteristics. In addition, the wear resistance of the GK tires turned out to be lower than required, since during the tests there were 4 cases of their subsidence after a run of 1700-2000 km. To eliminate the most significant shortcomings, it was necessary to increase the power of the engine to 90-100 hp. or reduce the weight of the armored car. It was also proposed to develop the outer styling of the tool, modify the seats for the crew and mount the rear fenders. At the same time, a variant of an armored car was created, armed with one 12.7-mm DK machine gun installed in the turret instead of a twin cannon-machine gun mount. This machine received the designation BA-9 and was tested in the spring of 1937, after which permission was received for serial production. However, due to the lack of heavy machine guns, the production of BA-9 was not deployed. Meanwhile, in April 1937, the Main Military Council of the Red Army decided to start production of the BA-6M at the Izhora plant under the designation BA-10 .

The BA-10 :

Serial machines, while retaining most of the design features of the prototype, had a number of differences: – a special bar strengthened the front cross member of the chassis frame; – the electrical wiring was removed inside the body in special armored hoses; – induction coil, distributive and glow plugs were placed in a shielded brass box; – the body was assembled from 3-10 mm armor plates and attached to the frame on 6 main and 2 auxiliary brackets; – hatches and doors had internal sector hinges and flanging to protect against lead splashes entering the hull; – for better cooling in the upper folding sheet above the engine, a hatch was made on two internal hinges; – the placement of fuel tanks has been changed – now two 59-liter tanks were located under the roof of the hull behind the driver and machine gunner; – the ammunition load was reduced to 49 rounds and 2079 rounds (33 discs); – the trench tool was attached to the sides of the hull; – in the command vehicle, there is a radio station 71-TK-1 « Jackal » with a whip antenna.

According to the plan for 1937, the Izhora plant was to produce 60 vehicles, but by October 1, only 8 hulls and 3 turrets were ready. The delay in release was due to the pre-series preparation of the enterprise and the introduction of numerous changes into the design of the BA-10.

The BA-10A :

The first sample of the armored car, renamed BA-10A by this time , was assembled in January 1938, with another 11 units handed over by the end of the month, then 14 in February and 22 in March. In the spring, one of the serial BA-10A was sent to the NIBT training ground, where the car was subjected to numerous tests. As in the case of the experimental BA-10, after a run of 5000 km, the results were disappointing. If the armament of the BA-10A still met the requirements of the Red Army, then in relation to other parameters, the armored car left much to be desired. While the factory design bureau was working on the conclusions of the commission, the production of armored vehicles continued. For the whole of 1938, the Izhora plant manufactured 489 machines with an annual plan of 900. The reasons for not fulfilling the plan, as usual, were the lack of qualified workers and equipment, the untimely supply of components, etc.

It was not possible to eliminate production problems before the war, however, it was possible to carry out a series of improvements that significantly increased the combat value of the armored car.

The BA-10M :

New modification, called BA-10M, was distinguished by gas tanks of a new design with a capacity of 54.5 liters each, located in armored casings along the sides along the wings of the rear wheels, and the gas lines were laid under the bottom of the car in special armored strips. Of course, driving performance did not improve from this, but on the other hand, it was possible to increase the survivability of the armored vehicle in combat conditions, since when the fuel tanks were pierced, the fuel poured out of the hull. Along the way, the BA-10M received armor protection for the machine gun mount in the hull, a new turret swivel mechanism. The mass of the armored car at the same time increased to 5500 kg, although the dynamic qualities remained at the same level. Need to mark, In an experimental order at the beginning of 1940, the BA-10Ts armored car with a case made of cemented armor was manufactured by the forces of the Izhora plant. This modification had certain prospects, but due to difficulties encountered with the manufacture of the hull, mass production of the BA-10Ts was abandoned. Since December 1939, the BA-10M went into production, and the production of the BA-10A was discontinued accordingly. Over the next year, the Izhora plant assembled 410 “radio” and 577 “linear” machines of a new modification, exceeding the plan of 975 units. At the same time, the plant was modernizing the already assembled BA-10A, equipping them with new gas tanks.

In the first half of 1941, the production of BA-10M went according to the approved plan, but in July the production of armored vehicles increased. As the front approached, the assembly of vehicles was gradually transferred to plant No. 189 in Leningrad, and the last BA-10M Izhora plant passed on September 10. Since the blockade ring around the city had closed by this time, all armored vehicles produced by plant No. 189 were supplied only for the needs of the Leningrad Front. In September, 51 « linear » BA-10Ms were assembled in Leningrad, and in October – 20 « linear » and 7 « radio », after which the stock of the GAZ-AAA chassis ended. Instead, it was decided to install the hulls on the chassis of two-axle trucks GAZ-AA and ZiS-5. The first three of these vehicles were sent to the troops on October 23, and only one of them was on the ZiS chassis. In November, the plant produced three more two-axle BA-10M, after which the serial production of medium armored vehicles had to be stopped. True, in the summer and autumn of 1942, another 6-9 vehicles were assembled from parts of the broken BA-10s at factory No. 189, the missing components and parts for which were made anew. In addition, around the same period, at the Voitovich plant in Moscow, several armored vehicles (about 10 units) were put on the railway track and used until the very end of the war as armored draisines. General production of BA-10 of all modifications for 1938-1941. amounted to 3392 copies.

Combat use :

Armored vehicles BA-10A began to enter service with the armored units of the Red Army in the winter of 1938. First of all, new vehicles were sent to equip motorized armored brigades (MBR), where they were supposed to replace the BA-3 and BA-6. It so happened that the most threatening situation developed on the eastern borders of the USSR, in connection with which most of the vehicles went to Mongolia, where the 7th, 8th and 9th MBR were part of the 57th Special Corps. It was here that the BA-10A was first used in combat operations.

The armed conflict with Manchuria began on May 20, 1939. During the conflict, irretrievable losses amounted to 41 BA-10A. Among the remaining machines, 68 required current repairs, 35 – medium and 75 – capital.

During the war with Poland, 10 more vehicles were lost by the end of the campaign.

In less than two months, a new war broke out in the north. On November 30, 1939, Soviet troops crossed the Finnish border, marking the beginning of the Winter War, which lasted three and a half months. By this time, the BA-10A armored vehicles had surpassed their older “brothers” quantitatively, although not only the BA-3 / BA-6, but also the older BA-27M and BAI-M, which had recently been upgraded, were retained in the reconnaissance battalions of rifle units. 48 BA-10 were lost during this campaign, most of them abandonned.

By the beginning of the war with Germany, the BA-10 was the main type of armored car of the Red Army, significantly surpassing other types of vehicles in total. So, according to the data of December 1, 1940, the balance of the army included 1456 “linear” and 684 “radio” BA-10s, and on June 1, 1941, the number of all cannon armored vehicles was estimated at 3345 units. The story about the actions of mechanized corps at the initial stage of the war is quite long, especially since there are almost no detailed descriptions about the actions of armored vehicles. The BA-10s were most actively used in battles on the territory of Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic States, where in July-August 1941 up to 80% of their original composition was lost. It is worth noting that the vast majority of BA-10s were concentrated just in the border districts. Officially, the BA-10 remained in service with the Red Army until 1943, but one could find some rare models still in 1945 on the leningrad front

.

The Finnish army captured 15 armored vehicles during the defeat of the 8th and 9th armies in Karelia. 10 of them were restored, and in the summer of 1941, a couple more dozen BA-10A and BA-10M were added to them. On July 1, 1943, the Finns operated 24 armored vehicles of this type, mainly on rear communications. Thanks to this, there were almost no combat losses, and eight BA-10s continued their service until 1957. During operation, worn-out GAZ-A engines were replaced with American Ford V-8s with a power of 95 hp, new fenders, spare parts boxes, wheels, etc. were also installed. During the war years, one of the BA-10s was converted into a self-propelled winch – part of the hull was cut off from it and the appropriate equipment was installed. Under the designation BA-10N, this machine was operated until 1980.

In 1942, representatives of Sweden, knowing about the rich trophies received by the Finnish army at the initial stage of the Continental War, began negotiations on the purchase of several Soviet armored vehicles. Initially, the Swedes planned to receive full-fledged BA-10s, but due to the difficult situation at the front, they were provided only with armored hulls and turrets taken from wrecked Soviet vehicles. 5000 crowns were paid for each hull, after which they were installed on the chassis of a three-axle Ford and assigned the designation Pansarbil m / 31 F and tactical numbers from 952 to 954. Design changes were made accordingly. Instead of the Soviet 45-mm 20K cannon and the DT machine gun (for which there was simply no ammunition), a Swedish 20-mm Bofors was installed, as well as a periscope from the Strv m / 41 light tank. Since Sweden was not a belligerent, all Pansarbil m / 31 F armored vehicles went to equip the infantry school in Rosersberg, near Stockholm, and were used only for crew training. As in Finland, the Swedish modification of the BA-10 was scrapped from the beginning of the 1950s. – the reason for this was the usual lack of spare parts and the high wear of the structure. The last Pansarbil m/31 F was decommissioned in 1955, so not a single machine of this type has survived to this day.

As expected, the largest number of BA-10s fell into the hands of the German army. According to the most rough estimates, in good technical condition, but without fuel, ammunition or weapons, the Wehrmacht got at least 100 armored vehicles. Without waiting for official adoption, some of them immediately went into battle against their former owners. However, since the autumn of 1941, the bulk of the BA-10, which, like all Soviet medium armored vehicles, received the designation Panzerspahwagen BA 203 (r) , was used in the rear to maintain order in the occupied territories. At the same time, no significant improvements were made to the design of the machine. True, one of the BA-10s received a turret from a wrecked Pz.II light tank with the help of a field repair team. Part of the armored vehicles was also transferred to SS units, in particular to the famous Prinz Eugen division. According to various sources, the Wehrmacht officially operated about 70 armored vehicles of this type, and in the police units there were only 9 units (apparently these data are underestimated). The BA-10 armored vehicles also served in the Liberation Armies created on the Eastern Front under German control. There is evidence that by the end of 1942, RONA under the command of B.V. Kaminsky had at its disposal one KV-1, two T-34s, three BT-7s, two BT-5s, two tankettes (it could be T-27 or T-20 tractors), two BA-20 armored vehicles and a medium BA-10. Unfortunately, details about the combat use of this armored vehicle have not yet been found, but the only medium armored vehicle was lost in 1944 on the territory of Belarus (according to other sources, in Eastern Poland). At least one BA-10 was at the disposal of the ROA of General Vlasov – this machine ended its combat career in Prague in May 1945.

A small number of captured BA-10s were also in the armies of Hungary and Romania (about 60 units), but there is also no accurate information about their combat use.

Versions :

BA-10A – basic modification of the BA-6M prototype. Serial production was carried out from January 1938 to December 1939. About 1350 cars were produced.

BA-10M – modernized version of the BA-10A .About 1950 pieces were produced from December 1939 to September 1941. In addition, in the spring of 1940, after the modernization of the BAI and BA-3 was completed, it was decided to begin production of « 100 sets of spare parts for rearranging BA-10 gas tanks according to the BA-10M type. » But since the Izhora plant was overloaded with other orders, the implementation of this program began only in 1941. How many BA-10As underwent modernization is not known, but we can say with confidence that there were very few of them.

In September – November 1941, 81 vehicles were assembled from the existing backlog at No.189 plant in Leningrad, 6 of them received a two-axle GAZ-AA and ZIS-5 chassis.

Also, reconnaissance draisines BA-10 were created on the basis of an armored car; 37 vehicles were produced, of which 7 were received by the NKVD and 30 by the Red Army

Production of BA-10 (according to Military Acceptance):

Brand	Manufacturer	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941	Total
BA-10	Izhora plant (Leningrad)		459	434	577	919	3268
BA-10 radio				469	410
BA-10 ZhD			30				30
BA-10M ZhD	DRO (Vyksa)				1 **	6 **	7**
BA-10M	No. 189 (Leningrad)					81	81
Total		1*	489	903	988	1006	3386

* BA-6M.

** For the NKVD.

Of the 919 vehicles of the Izhora plant, produced in 1941, during the first five months, 73 BA-10 were transferred to the NKVD troops, of which 30 were the railway version. Such armored tires were used as part of the BEPO regiments of the NKVD for the protection of railway structures. Regularly, each armored train was supposed to have 2 armored draisines BA-10.

According to the pre-war states, in 1941, a tank division was supposed to have 56 BA-10s, a motorized division 18 BA-10s. A rifle division was supposed to have 10 BA-10s, and a mountain rifle division 13 BA-10s. The cavalry division was also supposed to have 11 BA-10s, and the mountain cavalry division 7 BA-10s. A motorized rifle division was supposed to have 19 BA-10s.

The tank division inJuly 1941 was supposed to have 22 medium BA, and the tank brigade in September 1941, 8 medium BA.

Specifications :

Combat weight: 5140 kg

Crew: 3

Dimensions: Length: 4,65 m / Width: 2,07 m / Height: 2,21 m

Weapons : 1 X 45 mm 20K cannon (49 shells ) and 1 X 7.62 mm DT machine gun in the turret, 1 X DT machine gun in the hull (2079 rounds for the two)

Armor: hull front: 10-15 mm / hull side: 10 mm / hull rear: 10 mm / Tower: 10 mm / roof: 6 mm / bottom: 4 mm

Engine : GAZ-M-1, 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 50 hp

Chassis : wheel formula 6×4: single front wheels, double rear wheels, pneumatic bulletproof tires,

Speed : 53 km/h

Range: 300 km

Radio: radio station 71TK-3 with a whip antenna (only on command vehicles)

Sources: wikipédia, aviarmor