10TP

Last updated

10TP
10TP.jpg
Type Light tank
Place of origin Poland
Service history
In service1938-1939 (prototype)
Used by Polish Army
Specifications
Mass12.8 tons
Length5.4 m (17 ft 9 in)
Width2.55 m (8 ft 4 in)
Height2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
Crew4
Armor 8-20 mm (hull)
16 mm (turret)
Main
armament
1× 37 mm Bofors wz. 36 (anti-tank gun)
Secondary
armament
2× 7.92 mm Ckm wz.30 (heavy machine gun)
Engine12-cylinder American LaFrance engine
210 hp (160 kW)
Transmission5-speed gearbox
Suspension Christie
Ground clearance40 cm (16 in)
Fuel capacity130 l
Operational
range
210 km (130 mi) on roads
130 km (81 mi) off-road
Maximum speed 50–75 km/h (31–47 mph)
References [1] [2]

The 10TP was a Polish light cruiser tank that never progressed beyond the prototype stage. Though intended to contribute to the Polish armour development programme, the prototype was ultimately deemed unsuccessful. However, insights gained during testing informed the design of the subsequent 14TP model, which was never completed due to the outbreak of World War II.

Contents

The 10TP prototype featured an original design that incorporated some of the general concepts pioneered by J. Walter Christie, alongside numerous innovative technical solutions developed by Polish engineers.

History

In the late 1920s, the Polish Armed Forces identified a need for a new tank design. The Wojskowy Instytut Badań Inżynierii (WIBI), or "Military Engineering Research Institute", dispatched Captain Ruciński to the United States to legally acquire a Christie M1928 tank, along with its blueprints and a licence for production. This tank was intended to serve as the basis for a new Polish light tank. However, the Poles never received the machine. Fearing legal complications, Christie refunded the purchase.

Due to the failure to acquire the master model and its associated licence, the WIBI Tank Design Bureau began preliminary design work on its own wheeled/tracked tank in late 1930. This design was inspired by the American Christie M1928 and M1931 tanks, and was given the working name "A la Christie".

The design work was based on available data, including advertising brochures, notes, and sketches that Captain Ruciński had obtained from Christie. By 1932, design drawings and a parts list were completed. However, work soon slowed down as the designers were tasked with evaluating a newly purchased British Vickers Mark E tank. This evaluation ultimately led to the development of the Polish 7TP light tank.

In late 1934, the liquidation of the WIBI and the establishment of the Armoured Forces Design and Testing Centre under the direct command of the Armoured Forces Command led to the destruction of most documentation for the "A la Christie" project by a special commission. Only a handful of handwritten notes and calculations survived.

On 10 March 1935, design work began on a new tank model designated 10TP. Major Rudolf Gundlach led the design team, which included engineers Jan Łapuszewski, Stefan Ołdakowski, Mieczysław Staszewski, Kazimierz Hejnowicz, and process engineer Jerzy Napiórkowski.

In 1936, the 10TP tank design was still under development, but it was nonetheless included in the Polish Army's modernisation programme for 1936-1942. This programme, encompassing armoured forces, was approved by the Armament and Equipment Committee (Komitet do spraw Uzbrojenia i Sprzętu, KSUS) in January 1936. The 10TP was listed as the intended equipment for four tank battalions within new motorised units.

Assembly of the first 10TP prototype began in 1937 at the Experimental Workshop (WD) of the State Engineering Plants (PZInż.) Factory in Ursus, near Warsaw. This factory served as the central production site for Polish tanks during 1931-1939. Captain Kazimierz Grüner oversaw the construction. Coinciding with the prototype's development, two motorised cavalry brigades were formed, intended to be equipped with the 10TP once operational. [3]

Construction of the 10TP tank was completed in July 1938. The extended development time stemmed from the need to acquire essential components not manufactured in Poland, such as a sufficiently powerful engine, from foreign sources. On 16 August, the 10TP undertook its first extended test drive. Sergeant Polinarek, an experienced military specialist, piloted the tank under the direct supervision of Captain Leon Czekalski, Chief of the Trial and Experiment Department within the Bureau of Technical Studies on Armoured Weapons (Biuro Badań Technicznych Broni Pancernych, BBT Br.Panc.). The trials were conducted in secrecy due to the escalating activities of German Abwehr intelligence and suspected infiltration by the "Fifth Column" in Poland. [4]

Further trials were halted due to minor faults until 30 September. The tank was then sent to the WD for design modifications.

On 16 January 1939, the tank underwent supervised testing with a short trip to Łowicz. In spring, it completed a longer journey beyond Grodno, covering a total distance of 610 kilometres (380 mi) between 22 and 25 April. After logging nearly 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) during these trials, the vehicle returned to the WD for a thorough inspection. This involved a near-complete disassembly to assess wear on components, identify causes of malfunctions, and effect repairs.

In May, the refurbished tank was presented to generals and other high-ranking military officials.

The designers, after analysing their experiences, concluded that a tank of this type should be a purely tracked vehicle. Any equipment needed for a wheeled driving mode was deemed redundant weight. Eliminating this weight allowed them to significantly increase the armour thickness while maintaining the vehicle within the original weight limit. The next stage of development for the 10TP was the 14TP tank. Development commenced in late 1938 but was not completed due to the outbreak of World War II. [5] [6]

Before series production could begin, the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 brought an end to the independent existence of the Second Polish Republic.

Design

The 10TP's wide hull accommodated a two-man turret and allowed for two crew members to sit side-by-side in the front compartment. The designers adopted the American Christie suspension system concept, enabling the vehicle to travel on both wheels and tracks. However, they developed their own wider tracks, drive sprockets, and track-linking mechanisms. The 10TP also featured an advanced hydraulic servomechanism steering system, a domestic innovation that significantly impacted the tank's overall performance.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BT tank</span> Light cavalry tank

The BT tank was one of a series of Soviet light tanks produced in large numbers between 1932 and 1941. They were lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for their time, and had the best mobility of all contemporary tanks. The BT tanks were known by the nickname Betka from the acronym, or by its diminutive Betushka. The successor of the BT tanks was the famous T-34 medium tank, introduced in 1940, which would replace all of the Soviet fast tanks, infantry tanks, and light tanks in service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the tank</span> Chronicle of armoured combat vehicles

The history of the tank includes all vehicles intended to advance under enemy fire while remaining protected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7TP</span> WW2 Polish light tank

The 7TP was a Polish light tank of the Second World War. It was developed from the British Vickers 6-ton. A standard tank of the Polish Army during the 1939 Invasion of Poland, its production did not exceed 150 vehicles. Its chassis was used as the base for the C7P artillery tractor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TKS</span> Polish tankette

The TK (TK-3) and TKS were Polish tankettes developed during the 1930s and used in the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christie suspension</span> Suspension system for tanks

The Christie suspension is a suspension system developed by American engineer J. Walter Christie for his tank designs. It allowed considerably longer movement than conventional leaf spring systems then in common use, which allowed his tanks to have considerably greater cross-country speed. The system was first introduced on his M1928 design, and used on all of his designs until his death in 1944.

Rudolf Gundlach (1892–1957) was a Polish military engineer, inventor and tank designer. He headed the design division of the Armored Weapons Technical Research Bureau. He held the military rank of major in the Corps of Engineers of the Polish Army.

Janusz Magnuski (1933–1999) was a Polish author and military historian. His principal works document the development and deployment of Polish and Soviet armor utilized during World War II and he has been called "the world's most noted historian of Soviet tank history". He was one of the authoritative sources for documentation of the hardware on display in the Museum of the Polish Army located in Warsaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanks of the interwar period</span>

Tanks were initially deployed in World War I, engineered to overcome the deadlock of trench warfare. Between the two world wars, tanks were further developed. Although they had demonstrated their battlefield effectiveness, only a few nations had the industrial resources to design and build them. During and after World War I, Britain and France pioneered tank technology, with their models generally serving as a blueprint for other countries. However, this initial advantage would slowly diminish during the 1930s, shifting in favor of the Soviet Union and, to a lesser degree, Nazi Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Walter Christie</span> American racing driver, engineer and inventor (1865–1944)

John Walter Christie was an American engineer and inventor. He is known best for developing the Christie suspension system used for several World War II-era tank designs, most notably the Soviet BT and T-34 tanks series, and the United Kingdom Covenanter and Crusader Cruiser tanks, as well as the Comet heavy cruiser tank.

OKMO was the tank design team in the Soviet Union during the early 1930s. Located in Leningrad, it produced the design of the T-26 infantry tank, of which about 12,000 would be produced. Most other designs from the bureau never saw the light of day, but it was here that Mikhail Koshkin, designer of the famous T-34 medium tank gained his early experience. The bureau was gutted in the Great Purge and broken up by the beginning of the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford FT-B</span> Polish armoured car

The Ford FT B was the first production armoured car designed and built in Poland. Built on the chassis of the Ford T and armoured with re-used armoured plates, the car was a successful design for its time. The main designer was the engineer Tadeusz Tański. The armoured vehicle originated on account of the high demand during the Polish-Soviet war in 1920.

Joseph Vollmer (1871–1955) was a German automobile designer and engineer and a pioneering tank designer. As chief designer for the German War Department's motor vehicle section, he designed the World War I German tanks A7V, K-Wagen, LK I and LK II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9TP</span> WW2 Polish light tank

9TP was a Polish light tank of early World War II era. A development of the earlier 7TP tank, it was to replace its predecessor in Polish service in 1940. Due to the outbreak of the war, only a limited number of early prototypes and development versions took part in battles of the Invasion of Poland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T7 combat car</span> Light tank

T7 combat car was a prototype United States light tank design of the interwar period. It could run on rubber-tired wheels on roads or mount tracks for cross-country use. Although adequate in some areas, it lacked armament compared to contemporary vehicles and the project was cancelled after only one was built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanks of the Polish Armoured Forces</span>

This article deals with the history and development of tanks of the Polish army from their first use after World War I, into the interwar period, during World War II, the Cold War and modern era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C2P</span> Polish light artillery tractor

C2P was a Polish light artillery tractor. Designed in the 1930s, it was the basic tractor of Polish anti-aircraft artillery during the 1939 Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland. There are only two surviving vehicles, both in private hands in Poland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4TP</span> 1930s Polish light tank prototype.

4TP, otherwise known as PZInż 140, was a Polish light tank prototype. It was designed by 16 December 1936 by Edward Habich of the Państwowe Zakłady Inżynieryjne works. A light reconnaissance tank, it was to become a heavier replacement for TK-3 and TKS tankettes in Polish service. In addition to light, manoeuvrable chassis, the tank was to feature a turret with one 20 mm nkm wz. 38 FK autocannon and one Ckm wz. 30 machine gun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Roman Orlik</span> Polish army officer

Edmund Roman Orlik was a Polish architect, and World War II tank commander. During the Invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in September 1939 he claimed to have destroyed ten German tanks, including one Panzer IV Ausf. B, the largest tank then fielded by Germany, with a 2.6 tonne TKS tankette armed with a 20mm autocannon.

References

  1. ↑ "Polish Armor 1939 – Polish Armor Projects and Prototypes". achtungpanzer.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Pakula, Tadeusz (8 May 2016). "10TP". The Online Tank Museum. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023.
  3. ↑ Ford, Roger (1997). The World's Great Tanks from 1916 to the present day. Brown Packaging Books Ltd. pp.  99–100. ISBN   1-897884-29-X.
  4. ↑ Magnuski, Janusz, Armor in Profile 1/Pancerne profile 1, Warsaw: Pelta (1997) trans. by Witold Kałużyński
  5. ↑ Janusz Magnuski: "Czołg 10TP"; "Nowa Technika Wojskowa" nr. 6/96
  6. ↑ (in Polish) Lekki czołg 10 TP
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.