T-26 obr 1939 Light Tank Company

The primary objective of military strategists was to penetrate the enemy's front line. The plan involved deploying large numbers of light tanks alongside infantry, aiming to destroy enemy machine-gun nests and immobilize enemy riflemen, thereby facilitating infantry capture of enemy trenches. This necessitated a relatively affordable and straightforward design that could be mass-produced. Fortunately, the Vickers-Armstrong company offered such a design with their 6-ton Type E tank. The Red Army acquired samples from Vickers and subsequently produced an unlicensed copy, the T-26. The initial 1932 production model (obr 1932) featured a twin-turret design with two side-by-side machine-gun turrets. While this initially seemed beneficial, it soon became apparent that coordinating two turrets and a driver reduced overall effectiveness. The 1933 model (obr 1933) was more conventional, with a single turret mounting a 45mm gun and a coaxial machine-gun. Characteristic of Soviet tank design, the 45mm gun was one of the most powerful tank guns at the time. The original Vickers design mounted a low-velocity 47mm gun, which was effective against machine-gun nests but lacked anti-tank capability compared to the Soviet gun. The final T-26 light tank design, the T-26 obr 1939, introduced an improved turret armed with the excellent 45mm obr 1938 gun. It supported infantry attacks by knocking out enemy guns, infantry, and tanks. The T-26 obr 1939 served with the Red Army until 1942. Models are supplied unpainted and unassembled.