![]() During the attack, seven improvised tanks were destroyed. On October 2, near the village of Libental in the suburbs of Odessa, NI-1 tanks took part in a sudden attack against units of the 4th Romanian Army, in which the enemy was completely defeated and 24 artillery pieces, as well as machine-guns and mortars captured. Less than two weeks later, the Soviet improvised tanks carried out their most successful operation. In total, according to various estimates, anywhere from 55 to 69 ‘Odessa tanks’ were produced.Īfter the 20 improvised tanks terrified the Romanian infantry during a night attack on September 20, they were given a new name: the ‘NI-1’, which stood for the Russian “Na ispug”, meaning “for a fright”. Nevertheless, the Soviet command was quite pleased with the new armored vehicles and ordered to continue their production. The T-34 had a profound effect on the conflict on the Eastern Front, and had a long-lasting impact on tank design. ![]() When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than its contemporaries, 8 and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. Led by a real tank, they supported a counterattack by the 25th Infantry Division, which drove the enemy out of their positions.Īn inspection of the armored tractors returning from battle showed that their 10-20 mm armor was quite effective against bullets and shrapnel, but not from 45 mm projectiles, which pierced right through it. T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. The Yanvartsy got their baptism of fire on August 20, 1941. The improvised light tanks could cover a distance of 140 km, although in practice they never had to, since the enemy was fast approaching Odessa. The resulting armored tractors – which became known as ‘Odessa tanks’ or ‘Yanvartsy’ (from the Russian word for “January”, in reference to the name of the factory that made them) – could develop a speed of up to 20 km/h, but, according to eyewitness accounts, made a terrifyingly loud noises and clangs when moving. In the end, it was decided to use two 7.62 mm machine-guns instead, and to install dummy guns to make the improvised tanks more formidable and intimidating. At first, the plan was to use 37 mm guns from T-26 tanks which were beyond repair, but that turned out to be technically impossible. STZ-5 tractors had their upper parts cut off, their bodies sheathed with armor plates and rotating turrets with weapons installed on them. ![]() The first three improvised tanks were made by hand in a matter of just a couple of weeks.
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