TACAM T-60

TACAM T-60
A TACAM T-60 during the National Day parade, 10 May 1943
Type	Tank Destroyer
Place of origin	Romania
Service history
In service	1943—45
Used by	Romania
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Leonida
Designed	1942—43
Manufacturer	Atelierele Leonida
Produced	1943
No. built	34
Specifications
Weight	9 tonnes (8.9 long tons; 9.9 short tons)
Length	4.24 metres (13.9 ft)
Width	2.35 metres (7.7 ft)
Height	1.75 metres (5.7 ft)
Crew	3
Armor	15–35 millimetres (0.59–1.38 in)
Main armament	1 x 76.2 mm M-1936 F-22
Secondary armament	1 x 7.92 mm ZB-53 machine gun
Engine	6-cylinder, water-cooled GAZ 202 80 horsepower (60 kW)
Suspension	torsion bar
Ground clearance	33 centimetres (13 in)
Fuel capacity	280 litres (74 US gal)
Operational range	200 kilometres (120 mi)
Speed	On road: 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph) Off road: 20 km/h

On road: 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph)

The TACAM T-60 (Tun Anticar pe Afet Mobil - Self-propelled Anti-tank Gun) was a Romanian tank destroyer used during World War II. It was built by removing the turret of captured T-60 light tanks and building a pedestal to mount an ex-Soviet 76.2 mm (3.00 in) M-1936 F-22 field gun in its place. A three-sided fighting compartment was built to protect the gun and its crew. Thirty-four were built in 1943, and they served in the Jassy-Kishniev Offensive, and the Budapest Offensive.

By December 1942 it was blatantly obvious that Romania had nothing capable of defeating the modern Soviet medium and heavy tanks and wasn't likely to get anything capable of doing so from the Germans anytime soon. Romania had a number of captured modern Soviet tanks and field guns and it was decided to convert them to tank destroyers on the model of the German Marder II. The T-60 light tank was chosen because Romanian industry could maintain it, not least because its engine was a license-built Dodge-Derotto-Fargo F.H.2 for which spares were available in both Romania and Germany. A captured Soviet 76.2 millimetres (3.00 in) M-1936 F-22 field gun was removed from its carriage and a new mount was fabricated to fit the gun to a turretless T-60. A fighting compartment was built using armor salvaged from captured Soviet tanks and the suspension was reinforced to handle its greater weight. Leonida finished the prototype on 19 January 1943.

The TACAM T-60 had a M-1936 F-22 field gun mounted on a T-60 light tank chassis. The gun was removed from its carriage and mounted on a new pedestal that mated to the chassis. The gun-laying mechanism was modified to suit Romanian practices and a recoil guard was added to protect the gunner. The gun was protected by a three-sided, fixed gun shield with sides 15 millimetres (0.59 in) thick. The armor plate for the gun shield was salvaged from captured Soviet BT-7 cavalry tanks. The gun could traverse 32°, elevate 8° and depress 5°. A total of forty-four rounds were carried for the main gun. The chassis was modified for its new role; a new engine cover was made to improve engine cooling and the interior was modified to add more ammunition storage. The extra weight of the gun required that the suspension be modified with stronger torsion bars and new road wheels. A brake to lock the wheels while firing was also added. The armor of the hull ranged from 15 to 35 millimetres (0.59 to 1.38 in) thick. It could cross a ditch 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) wide, climb an obstacle .5 metres (1.6 ft) high and ford a stream .6 metres (2.0 ft) deep.