T-37A tank

T-37А amphibious scout tank
T-37А, displayed in Kubinka Tank Museum
TypeAmphibious light tank
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In serviceFrom 1933
Used by Soviet Union
 Finland (captured)
 Romania (captured)
 Nazi Germany (captured)
 Hungary (captured)
Production history
DesignerN. Kozyrev, Factory No. 37, Moscow
Designed1931–33
Produced1933–36
No. built~1,200
VariantsT-37A (main production), T-37TU command tank, M1936
Specifications (T-37[1])
Mass3.2 tonnes
Length3.75 m (12 ft 4 in)
Width2.10 m (6 ft 11 in)
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Crew2

Armour3–9 mm
Main
armament
7.62mm DT machine gun (585 rounds)
EngineGAZ-AA
40 hp (30 kW)
Power/weight13 hp/tonne
Suspensionsprung bogie
Fuel capacity100 litres
Operational
range
185 km
Maximum speed 35 km/h (22 mph)

The T-37A was a Soviet amphibious light tank. The tank is often referred to as the T-37, although that designation was used by a different tank which never left the prototype stage. The T-37A was the first series of mass-produced fully amphibious tanks in the world.[2]

The tank was first created in 1932, based on the British Vickers tankette and other operational amphibious tanks. The tank was mass-produced starting in 1933 up until 1936, when it was replaced with the more modern T-38, based on the T-37A. Overall, after four years of production, 2552 T-37As were produced, including the original prototypes.[3]

In the Red Army, they were used to perform tasks in communication, reconnaissance, and as defense units on the march, as well as active infantry support on the battlefield. The T-37A was used in large numbers during the Soviet invasion of Poland and in the Winter War against Finland. T-37As were also used by the Soviets in the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, but most of them were quickly lost. Surviving tanks fought on the front lines until 1944, and were used in training and auxiliary defense until the end of World War II.[4]

  1. ^ Zaloga 1984, p 116.
  2. ^ Kholyavsky 1998
  3. ^ Svirin 2005, p. 161
  4. ^ Baryatinsky 2003