XBradTC

A Craig tank posting again.  Here’s another video from the American Wartime Museum open house:

Many will jump to compare the PT-76 to the M551 Sheridan.    But the Russian tank had been around some 15 years before the American tank even did test laps. While the American tank used a highly advanced (perhaps too advanced) hybrid gun-missile armament, the PT-76 used a tried-and-true 76mm main gun.  The gun fires both high velocity armor piercing (HVAP) and high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds.  A 7.62 caliber coaxial machine gun complements the main gun.

The Russians kept the PT-76 in production through the late 1960s.  All told over 5000 rolled out of the factories.  Production variants introduced better NBC and night vision systems.  A few PT-85s were produced with an 85mm main gun.  And experimental versions featured 90mm or anti-tank missile armament.

The PT-76’s design put emphasis on amphibious capabilities.  In fact, the PT-76 came with water jets to allow speeds of 6 mph when swimming.

In addition to great amphibious capabilities, the PT-76 had a roomy interior and good cross country mobility.  But the tank’s armor was only good against rifle-caliber fire.  And the main gun lacked any stabilization.  You wouldn’t want to go toe-to-toe with enemy tanks.  However, the PT-76 was designed to operate and exploit the fringes of a defense line where enemy tanks were not supposed to be.

In Soviet service the PT-76s armed reconnaissance companies in line divisions and tank companies in the marine divisions.  Russia retains a significant number of the PT-76s.  Here’s an old documentary forwarded by the political officer (can anyone translate what he’s saying?):

With over 2000 exported, many nations around the world continue to operate the amphibious tanks.  Examples manned by the North Vietnamese participated in some of the few tank-vs-tank battles in the Vietnam War.  In fact, PT-76s were the first to fall victim to TOW missiles.

While technically the tank COULD be airdropped or air-transported, the Russians opted to use the ASU-57 and ASU-85 self-propelled guns in airborne formations (and later BMD series recon/carriers).

Speaking of the ASU-85, that weapon used the chassis of the PT-76, with of course an 85 mm gun fixed in a superstructure.  Other systems using the PT-76 chassis include the BTR-50 amphibious carrier, the ZSU-23-4 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, missile carriers, and various support vehicles.  The Chinese improved the basic design into their own Type 63 tank.

Certainly there are some features of the PT-76 that make me wish the US Army or Marine Corps had procured something similar.  On the other hand, the American habit of misusing light armor would make any “Yankee” version a death trap.