BA-64 - Soviet light armored car during World War II BA-64 - Vehculo blindado ligero

BA-64 is a Soviet light armored car of the Second World War period. It was created in July - December 1941 on the chassis of the GAZ-64 all-wheel drive passenger car using pre-war Soviet developments on all-wheel drive armored vehicles of a new generation, as well as the experience gained from studying captured German armored vehicles. BA-64 became the first Soviet serial all-wheel drive armored car, remained the only vehicle of this class, adopted in the USSR during the war, and also became the last Soviet armored car of the classic type. In total, during the serial production of the BA-64, from April 1942 to the beginning of 1946, 9,069 armored vehicles of this type were produced. BA-64s were actively used by Soviet troops from the summer of 1942 until the end of the war, mainly as reconnaissance vehicles, but also for direct support of the infantry. At first, the production of BA-64 was hampered by delays in the supply of components, primarily engines, bridges and tires, but from July 1942 the plant managed to achieve the plan. With the accumulation of operating experience and combat use of the armored car, changes began to be made in its design. Already in June, the folding anti-grenade nets above the tower were eliminated, as not justifying themselves. In July, a ventilation hole was introduced in the roof of the control compartment, since the summer operation of the BA-64 showed that the temperature in the inhabited compartments of the armored car could reach 55-60 ° C, and in September - an adjustable ventilation hatch in the roof of the engine compartment, since its ventilation was also insufficient. Operation also revealed the insufficient reliability of the BA-64: with a guaranteed mileage of 10,000 km, according to reports from the troops, many armored vehicles were out of order already at 1,000-4,000 km [12]. The main reason for the failure of armored vehicles was the breakdown of the overloaded rear axle, which occurred in most cases as a result of improper operation, when movement in low gears was carried out without turning on the front axle and the increased torque was completely transmitted to the rear axle. To eliminate this, from November 3, 1942, a non-disconnectable front axle was introduced as a temporary measure; on already produced armored vehicles, the alteration was carried out by the forces of military workshops. In the future, to solve this problem in November 1942 - February 1943, a number of changes were made to the BA-64 design aimed at strengthening the axle shafts and bridges. The suspension of the front wheels was also overloaded, to eliminate breakdowns of which an additional pair of hydraulic shock absorbers was introduced in February 1943 and the springs were strengthened. Also, for a better view of the terrain by the driver, from March 1943, inspection hatches were introduced, which were closed by armored flaps. On June 5-14, GAZ underwent a series of massive attacks by German aviation, as a result of which a number of workshops were completely destroyed or seriously damaged, including the new body complex that manufactured armored hulls and engine building No. 1 that supplied GAZ-MM engines. As a result, the production of armored vehicles from June 7, it was completely discontinued and was not resumed until the transition to the BA-64B modification. In total, 3903 BA-64 armored vehicles were produced from April 1942 to June 1943. One of the main problems of the BA-64 was also insufficient lateral stability, due to the narrow track of the base GAZ-64 for a vehicle of this class, combined with a relatively high center of gravity of the armored car. On August 31, 1942, at the initiative of the design bureau, work was nevertheless begun to create a modification of the BA-64 with an extended track, and on September 26, the GABTU received a plan for the radical modernization of the armored car and its test program for approval. The first prototype of the modernized BA-64, which received the factory designation 64-125-B, was manufactured in October 1942 and entered testing at the end of the same month. The start of mass production of the improved BA-64B model was planned for September 1943, however, despite the serious damage from the June bombing of the plant, the first 100 vehicles were produced in August. The light army GAZ-67B all-terrain vehicle with a wider track was used as a base for it. This improved lateral stability compared to the original BA-64. The turret mount of the DT machine gun was replaced with a turret. Serial production of BA-64B lasted until 1946 inclusive (then the last 62 machines were built). A total of 5160 vehicles were assembled. BA-64B were used by Czechoslovak and Polish formations formed on the territory of the USSR. After the end of World War II, part of the BA-64B was transferred to the GDR, where they successfully performed the functions of police armored vehicles. BA-64B were also supplied to North Korea, China and Yugo