Land Systems / Battlefield

TACAM T-60

Tank Destroyer (TD) [ 1943 ]

The Romanian TACAM T-60 Tank Destroyer of World War 2 combined the Soviet 76mm M1936 gun with captured T-60 light tank hulls.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/04/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

When World War 2 broke out in September of 1939, the nation of Romania maintained a neutral stance. In time, internal issues moved it in the direction of the Axis to which the country joined resources with on November 23rd, 1940. In June of 1941, the Axis powers began their invasion of the Soviet Union through "Operation Barbarossa" and the Romanian government committed considerable manpower and war goods to the venture.

While initial results were excellent, the Axis initiative ultimately bogged down outside of Moscow and this allowed the Soviets much needed time to regroup and recommit its forces to the East Front from elsewhere. Additionally, there was a tremendous manufacturing undertaking in which all manner of tanks, artillery, small arms and aircraft were built at speed and shipped to where needed. The result was vast Soviet operations involving thousands of tanks and tens of thousands of troops to regain lost ground. Heavy tank systems like the IS-2 (Josef Stalin) and the classic T-34 Medium Tank both played major roles in the ensuring actions.

This left the ill-equipped Romanian Army at a crossroads for it lacked the local industry to forge all-new combat tanks all their own. The Germans, while consistently fielding more capable tank systems to match Soviet armor pound-for-pound, could not be relied upon to provide the Romanians with anything of value in the near future. As the Romanians maintained a stock of captured Soviet T-60 light tanks from previous fighting, it was decided to replace their turrets with a three-sided, open-air fighting compartment mounting the capable Soviet 76.2mm M1936 (F-22) Anti-Tank (AT) gun to produce a locally-designed tank destroyer.

Design work spanned from 1942 to 1943 and the vehicles were assembled in Bucharest, Romania by Atelierele Leonida with production beginning in 1943. Logistically the initiative was sound considering the Romanian situation - the tanks and guns were readily available and the Army held experience in their maintenance, repair and function. The GAZ 202 engine in use was nothing more than a copy of the FH.2 from Dodge-Derotto-Fargo and already in circulation around the country. All that was required was a reinforcement of the existing vehicle's torsion bar suspension system (including all-new road wheels) to take on the added weight. All other facets of its construction and assembly were acceptable under the stresses of wartime.

The 9-tonne vehicle was crewed by three and ammunition stores aboard the small design amounted to 44 projectiles. The Soviet 76.2mm was a proven tank-killer while the T-60 Light Tank held merits all its own. Road speeds reached 25 miles per hour with operational ranges out to 120 miles. The GAZ 202 6-cylinder engine provided 80 horsepower. Local self-defense was handled through a 7.92mm ZB-53 series machine gun.

The Army was able to secure 34 of the vehicles which came to be designated as the TACAM T-60 and these were available before the end of 1943. The series fought on until about the fall of 1944 for Romania ultimately bounced to the side of the Allies in August. An Armistice was signed with the conquering Soviets on September 12th, 1944 - with terms favoring the victors at which point the history of the TACAM T-60 appears to abruptly end - no doubt scrapped by Soviet overseers.

Specifications

Service Year

1943

Origin

Romania

Crew

3
CREWMEN

Production

34
UNITS

Atelierele Leonida - Romania

(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)

Romania

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Tank-vs-Tank
Engage armored vehicles of similar form and function.

Length

13.9 ft
4.24 m

Width

7.7 ft
2.35 m

Height

5.7 ft
1.75 m

Weight

19,842 lb
9,000 kg

Tonnage

9.9 tons
LIGHT

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base TACAM T-60 production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)

Powerplant: 1 x GAZ 202 6-cylinder, water-cooled gasoline engine developing 80 horsepower.

Speed

24.9 mph
(40.0 kph)

Range

124.3 mi
(200.0 km)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base TACAM T-60 production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)

1 x 76.2mm M1936 F-22 main gun
1 x 7.92mm ZB-53 machine gun

Supported Types

Graphical image of a tank cannon armament

Graphical image of a tank medium machine gun

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

44 x 76.2mm projectiles

T-60 - Base Series Designation

Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Advertisements

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2022 US Military Pay Army Ranks Navy Ranks Marine Ranks Air Force Ranks USCG Ranks Compare Ranks (NEW!) DoD Dictionary Military Ribbons Identification Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols American War Deaths French Military Victories Vietnam War Casualties

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), and SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane.

www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-