[Panzer Tracts XX] Russian Armored Cars 1930-2000 - James Kinnear (2000), Panzer Tracts(1)(1)
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Russian Armored Cars
1930-2000
James Kinnear
Darlington Productions, Inc.
FRONT COVER
Center: B A-1 Os in Vyborg, 1944. All of these vehicles are traveling with the
engine covers open, as was common in hot weather.
Bottom: A BP M-97 armored car at the Bronnitsy Proving Ground, Moscow,
Summer 1999. Photo by Aleksandr Koshavtsev
BACK COVER
Top: FAI-M on display in Moscow, 1999. This FAI-M is the restored FAI-M
which was, for a short time, displayed at the Central Armed Forces
Museum in Moscow. The vehicle was restored by the "Ekipazh" military
history group which has recovered other wartime Russian tanks in
addition to the FAI-M.
Middle: Three color camouflage scheme on a BA-6, Karelian Isthmus, 1941.
Middle: A turretless BRDM-2 (ex 9P148 ATOM vehicle) guarding a road check
point near Moscow during the first Chechen war.
Bottom: A GAZ-3937-10 negotiating a slope during field trials.
Published and distributed by
Darlington Productions, Inc
P.O. Box 5884
Darlington, Maryland 21034
410-457-5400
410-457-5480 fax
www. darlingtonproductions .com
ISBN 1-892848-05-8
Copyright © 2000
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, reprinted, stored, or
transmitted in any form or fashion without expressed prior written permission of the publisher.
The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Contact Darlington Productions for more information on other military titles or magazines.
Table of Contents
Preface
4
Chapter One:
Russian Armored Cars — A Historical Perspective
6
Chapter Two:
Light Armored Cars 1930-45
12
D-8
13
D-12
17
FAI
19
FAI-M
25
GAZ-TK
31
BA-20M
32
LB-23
47
BA-21
49
LB-62
52
LB-NATI
55
BA-64B
71
Chapter Three: Medium and Heavy Armored Cars 1930-1945
100
BA-27
101
BA-27M
108
D-13
113
BA-I
115
BA-3
118
BA-5
120
BA-6
123
BA-6M
137
BA-9
138
BA-10
138
BA-10M
145
BA-11
156
BA-11D
157
Chapter Four:
Specialized Armored Vehicles 1930-1945
162
BAD
163
BAD-2
163
PB-4
166
PB-7
174
B-3 half-track
176
BA-30 half-track
178
BA-22 armored ambulance
181
Chapter Five:
Post-War Armored Cars 1945-2000
188
BTR-40
189
BRDM
210
BRDM-2
241
GAZ-3934
280
GAZ-39344
282
GAZ-3937
286
GAZ BP M-97
309
Lavina/Lavina-M
317
Appendices:
Specification Table Notes
321
Light Armored Cars Data Table
322
Medium and Heavy Armored Cars Data Table
323
Specialized Armored Vehicles Data Table
324
Post-War Armored Cars Data Table
325
Armored Cars in Museums
By Location
326
By Type
328
Post-War Russian Armored Cars in Foreign Service Data Table
330
Glossary
331
Bibliography
332
Index
336
BA-20
37
BA-64
56
KSP-76 wheeled SPG
179
PREFACE
My interest in Russian armored cars originated with a small book by John Milsom, published in the "Armour in
Profile" series in the early 1970s, which briefly described the history of Russian armored cars of the Second World
War period. That book inspired my interest, and later research, into Russian armored vehicles, which has continued
to the present day.
Until the downfall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the amount of archival material available to researchers in the
West was relatively limited. For the wartime period, vehicle identification relied heavily on German intelligence
reports with attendant German designations for vehicles as identified and destroyed or captured in battle. This book
is written primarily from original Russian sources recently made available, and attempts to describe both the ve-
hicles and their developments from the original Russian perspective. Russian designations are used throughout the
book, with western military designations where appropriate, particularly when these reporting designations are bet-
ter known to readers in the West.
This book concentrates on those vehicles which were designed in Russia and have served with the Soviet and
Russian armed forces over the years. It does not attempt to describe in detail variants developed outside the Former
Soviet Union in the former Warsaw Pact countries, or to cover in depth the foreign service of exported vehicles, as
that would in itself require a complete volume.
I am indebted to a small group of Russian enthusiasts for their help with providing archival material and photo-
graphic references. Additionally, they also assisted in correcting some of my Western perspectives on Russian AFV
design practice and history. In particular, I wish to thank Andrey Aksenov and Alexsandr Koshavtsev, who spent
many hours helping with the preparation of this book and corrected numerous mistakes and misconceptions. Several
of the drawings in this book were provided by Nikolai Polikarpov, and these are credited where appropriate. Steve
Zaloga has, as always, been extremely generous with providing additional information and filling gaps in photo-
graphic references from his extensive database on Russian military equipment. Thanks also go to David Fletcher
and his staff at the Tank Museum in Bovington, England, for allowing me to research their fascinating photographic
collection. Appreciation is also extended to Mikhail Baryatinsky, Jochen Vollert, Trevor Larkum, Maxim Kolomiets,
and Mikhail Svirin, who provided additional information and several rare reference photographs which complete the
book. Where known, the original Russian press photographers have been credited with their work throughout the
book. Some photographs are not as clear and sharp as I would prefer, but have been used where they illustrate rare
vehicles of which better photographs are not available.
This book is the result of several years of research and interest. Few books written on Russian military equip-
ment now remain accurate long after publication, due to constant new information being unearthed from long hidden
and secret Soviet-era archival material. However, the use of Russian original sources throughout this text should
provide the reader with an up-to-date and accurate account of an extensive but hitherto little researched subject.
This book was written in Russia and Ukraine over the years 1997-2000.
Jim Kinnear
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