Soviet WWII Tank Radios

Soviet WWII Tank Radios

Picture 1: Like most modern armies in the 1930's, the Red Army experimented with tactical use of radio communication in their armored formations and adapted them to their command structure. After all, the Russians had been quick to recognize the benefit of military radios on the battle field way back in 1914, when they were the first army to use them in a military operation at the Battle of Tannenburg. Most platoon and company commanders of T-26, T-28 and T-35 tank units were equipped with radio sets by the early 1930's, the radios being mostly copies of western equipment. At the outbreak of war with Finland, Soviet radio drill and equipment lagged only a little behind that of the French, English, and Americans. But this situation quickly deteriorated after the German invasion, and by 1942 radio communication within the Red Army was appalling and abysmal, and would improve only slightly throughout the war. Two of the reasons for this fall from grace were, first, the lack of any Soviet telecommunications industry, and second, Stalin's orders that restricted all "unnecessary" information to Soviet ground troops. Doctrine discouraged independent thought and initiative- and Stalin's ordered "purge" (execution) of hundreds of commanders in 1937/38 ensured thetroops conformed. Of the seven T-28 tanks in this 1939 prewar photo in Red Square, the first three have radio frame antennas.

Picture 2: When Soviet armor commanders received their directives over the radio before the war, they would pass the orders down to their men at briefings, or by using signal flags from their vehicles. A complete flag set was carried in each T-26, T-28 and T-35, and the Soviets were creative in their use, although during battle it was asking a lot of the commander to wave flags about to direct his tanks. Most Soviet AFVs of this time had a special "signal port" in a turret hatch that allowed the use of colored flags without exposing the crew to enemy fire. This line of T-37A light amphibious tanks is led by a T-37U (or T-37TU) with a handrail type frame antenna surrounding the hull. The third and fourth vehicles are also command vehicles, and in each the commander holds signal flags. Our closest commander has two flags at the ready, one lighter colored, perhaps yellow, and a darker one, maybe green or red (I don't know what colors these flags were, but yellow, green and red were the most common colors for western flag sets at this time). The tanks are on manouvers in Russia sometime in 1938. The few radios that were carried in command vehicles in these pre-war years were mostly the heavy and fragile, 71-TK types, and in the small T-37U it was located down in the hull behind the commander. This was not a particularly convenient location, but the turret was too small and the frame antenna had to go on the hull as it was so large. Since antennas were attached where ever the radio was mounted (turret slip rings for radio connections had not been perfected yet), both had to go in the hull. This is a similar situation to a number of other light tanks of the late '30s, including the US M3 Stuart.

range, the first 71-TK radio appearing around 1933.

although by1938 a 13ft rod antenna was introduced and

These first Soviet AFV radios were more of a distraction

use. Most radios were thought of more as a back-up

barely understandable and frustrating to deal with, and

vehicle is a T-70 with antenna attached to the rear plate

Picture 3: The early 71-TK series of radios operated at pre-set frequencies with the use of plug-in condensers, but the operating tubes were very fragile and prone to breakage at the slightest provocation. Tubes were precious commodities- when one blew out the set had to be opened, the dead tube carefully extracted, and the correct replacement installed. This was a difficult task for a commander or his radio operator to perform during the Russian winter with little or no heat in the tanks. Brits and Americans were taught to just replace all the half dozen or so tubes, but the Russians did not have the tubes to do that. The 71-TK receiver and transmitter's combined weight was over 90lbs and they were used in most command vehicles, including small numbers of T-26 command and flamthrowing tanks. These same radios were also mounted in a few BT-5 and 7 fast tanks, which were then designated BT5(V) or BT7(V). The sets were placed in the large turret bustle at the rear, to counter-balance the weight of the main gun (the crews commenting that the radios were good for something, after all!). In the larger T-28 mediam and T-35 heavy tanks, 71-TK radios were generally carried on the commander's right, or in the rear bustle of the main turret if a MG was not back in this position. These radios boradcast in the 1360 to 1960 MHz All of these pre-war radio equipped command frame antennas that surround the main turret or hull, and occasionally used.

to the crews than any assistance in unit coordination, as they were constantly breaking down with hard

form of communication to the old, and reliable, flag signaling. Even close voice transmissions were

even late in WWII flags were still in use. In this Sovfoto of a SU-76M support artillery unit, the lead

of the turret.

make a whip of various lengths , although 13m was prescribed.

Picture 4: The lack of tank radios was one of the main reasons for the Soviet's early poor tactical showing against the radio-equipped Wehrmacht tanks. The first Soviet command vehicles to defend their homeland in the Great Patriotic War used the same dated 71-TK-3 radios. Gradually, these were replaced during 1942 with the first smaller and improved radio for Soviet tanks, the 9-R set. You will often find the designation '9-RT' for these radios, which was basically the same radio but made expressly for tanks (T for Tank). There is no difference in appearance or capabilities between the two units.

Unfortunately for the Soviets, supply would never keep up with demand for this newer set. This is the transmitter of the 9-R, seen in a US Army Intel photograph. Measuring only 7 x 7 x 9 inches, the compact radio produced 5 watts of power to the antenna, allowing a broadcast range of 10 or 15 miles on good days when using the Morse key (C/W), and between 5 and 10 miles using voice. These AM radios required a 13ft (4 meter) rod antenna and they could be found in a number of command T-70 and early T-34 vehicles. Interestingly, AFVs examined by the German intelligence officers after battles were found to have antennas anywhere from 3 to 20 feet in length, all connected to this same radio. All aerials were top loaded and the base was typically mounted on the side of the hull or turret, allowing the antenna to be tilted 90 degrees back in order to aviod over-head branches and power lines. Soviet antennas from this period were black or green painted spring steel and made in sections- any number could fit together to

weapon. Other vehicles that are known to have used the 9-R included the

inside, or with only the TPU-3 interphone. The 9-R was improved by 1943

vehicles, as well as others.

Picture 5: The Germans were well aware that Soviet platoon or company commander's vehicles were the only ones equipped with radios, just as the Red Army knew German tanks with two aerials were probably command tracks. Obviously, these command AFVs were the first to be targeted/knocked out by anti-tank gunners. When the Soviet commander's AFV was killed, the entire unit was now without radio communication to higher command, and they would become disoriented, confused and lost. As most conscript tankers were taught to simply follow their commander's vehicles into battle and do whatever he did, the tactical situation could get a little dicey without a leader. This is the small receiver for the 9-R radio- the unit measures only 7 x 7 x 10 inches. There was a cover that could be attached to the front, and usually the case was left in metallic steel or painted green. The frequency range of the receiver was the same as the transmitter, 4-5.625mc/s, and power supply came from the vehicle's 12V system, altered by separate dynamotors for each transmitter and receiver. Total combined weight of the 9-R transmitter and receiver with associated equipment was 80 pounds, which was not much of a weight reduction from the old tank radios. But the smaller size made them easier to tuck away in just about any available space. I have found no photos of radio equipped early T-34/76 tanks (sometimes called T-34/76 A or 1940), and in the later T-34 command vehicles, the 9-R is normally seen mounted on a shelf to the right of the assistant driver/bow machine gunner. He operated the set for the commander, who was usually up in the turret firing the main

T-50, SU-76, and SU-122. Communication within the vehicle was by a TPU-3 interphone.

and renamed the 9-RM and 9-RS; these sets were used in OT-34, T34/85 and ZSU-37

Picture 6:

This is a 10-R radio set which was also used by T-34/76 unit commanders and was found in many early KV command vehicles. The 10-R series of mobile radios is said to have been used in SU-152, IS-1, IS-2, ISU-122 and ISU-152 tanks and tank destroyers. I have digitally cleaned this US Army Intel photo of a 10-R to show more clearly the labels for the various components on the face of the boxes, although I believe a couple are incorrect. Like most radios of the time (1942), the set consists of a separate transmitter and receiver (the transmitter at the top right, the receiver at the bottom) and includes two cylindrical power dynamotors (rotary transformers) at the upper left with their control panel below. One of the dynamotors operates the transmitter plate and the other charges the receiver. One difference between this set and the 9-R is two channels are preset with their own crystals in this unit and do not require tuning (plug-ins at lower right of receiver). This particular radio is mounted on a rubber bushed shock plate and there are small aluminum storage boxes to either side of the receiver for spare equipment, crystals and tubes. The typical antenna is also the standard 13ft. (4m) whip, but a top loaded umbrella type is also seen on occasion. Frequency range of the 10-R is slightly extended from the range of the 9-R, from 3.75-6 MHz, and it may be tuned to channel by either using the two pre-selected frequency switches as mentioned, or manually by the dial indicator. Again, the transmitter and receiver cases are usually painted gloss gray, but bare steel is also seen. The other metal components are usually bare aluminum. This AM set has only a slightly improved range over the 9-R, with an antenna power output of around 10watts.

position as the KV-1, as the antenna base (pot) is seen in photos

Picture 7: Like its T-34 little brother, the KV tank's radio was also mounted in the forward hull. This is the same 10-R radio set seen in the previous picture, but this time bolted on a rack at the left of the driver, just under the bow machine gun mount (out of view here). This image is one of a series of superbly made photographs taken by US Army personnel of a select number of Soviet WWII vehicles given to the US during the war in exchange for their Lend-Lease equipment. These images are now preserved at the US National Archives and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds library in Maryland and are invaluable when studying the interior of Soviet WWII AFVs. The radio layout in this KV-1 is almost identical to the previous illustration (indeed, the previous illustration from a US Army Tech. Intel. publication was probably made from the radio in this vehicle), with the only additions here being the attached antenna and power cables. Notice the dynamotor power cables leading to both the transmitter and receiver from the control panel under the dynamotors themselves. The small wire connecting the transmitter and receiver is the common antenna lead between the units, and the actual wire leaves the transmitter at the top (under the black connector) to loop up and attach to the antenna base at the upper left of the photo. The longer, thick cable, rising from below, is the power cable from the vehicle batteries that attaches first to the receiver power connector. By the end of 1942, most KV-1 tanks had at least the radio receiver, but only platoon and company commanders had the transmitter you see here. I suspect the same was true for the KV-2, but interior information on that tank is rare and radio details have not turned up to date. If the KV-2 carried a radio, it was probably mounted also in the same hull

mounted on the front hull, next to the bow MG.

Picture 8: The 10-R mounted in KV-1 tanks included a TPU-4 telephone system for the crew, and this illustration shows the throat microphone used for both the intercom and the 10-R/9-R sets. The throat mike was very uncomfortable, and you will often see Soviet tankers with the mikes hanging off their necks or the commander holding them in his hand while speaking. The binding strap was not elasticized, and it was not only very uncomfortable against the throat, but it had to be repeatedly adjusted in the field as the strap slipped. The straps were black, like the helmet, and the mike was aluminum colored. The 10-R also had provisions for a buzzer system connected to a button mounted on the outside rear of the vehicle. Supporting infantry could get the attention of tank crew inside by using this button, and basic signalling codes could be worked out to direct the tank's action in small ways. By 1944 an improved model was available for SU-152, IS-1, ISU-122 and ISU-152 vehicles, the 10-RK. This unit looked similar and the main improvement was a slightly extended range and more rugged components.

Picture 9: This is the typical headphone set-up used in the Soviet tanker's helmet of WWII. In this case, the mike has been removed from its black throat strap, but the metallic intercom switch is still hanging on his right collar, with its distinctive aluminum receiver/transmitter switch. The black headphones fit into pockets on the side of the helmet, and there are flaps that can be buttoned closed to cover the holes when the headphones are not installed. During the first few years of the war, helmets were constructed of a similar pattern of brown leather and were subsequently hot, uncomfortable, and disliked. By 1942, most of the leather helmets had been replaced with these cooler black cotton types for use in the summer months, and insulated cloth/wool types that were worn in the winter, all with padded ribs in a similar manner. As a general rule, antennas were mounted close to the radio set inside the AFV. If the radio was located in the hull, the antenna would be attached nearby, and if it was up in the turret, the antenna would be mounted up there. This is because a slip ring for radio transmissions was not available or was too cumbersome for use in most WWII vehicles. Also, the shorter the antenna lead could be kept, the better the reception and the less interference there was with the transmitted signal.

Picture 10: Here is the later style black cloth helmet again, in this case the headphones are not worn and the ear covers have been buttoned over. The commander still wears his throat mike, and both tankers wear the later khaki coveralls often seen in photos (like this Sovfoto). The vehicle appears to be a T-60, with its Swedish designed turret and 20mm aircraft cannon. It was a light tank that only rarely was outfitted with radios and an antenna, usually the radio was in the turret and the antenna on the turret roof to the right of the hatch. Over 6,000 were produced and issued mainly to reconnaissance units, but I have only seen two in photos with antennas. It is possible that one or both of these tankers are from other vehicles and the T-60 is only a support for their maps. The antenna location on T-70 tanks was the same (on the turret) and aerials are seen more commonly on these later light tank versions.

Picture 11: Another reason many Soviet AFVs did not have radios was the incredible number of tanks that were lost (and then produced to make up those losses) during the first year of battle. In 1942 alone, the USSR managed to manufacture over 24,000 new tanks of all types, and that pace of production was maintained or increased in '43 and '44. Because there were not nearly sufficient numbers of radios available locally for these vehicles, equipment was requested from the Soviet's new allies, and thousands of Lend-Lease American SCR and British No.19 sets (the No.19 sets mostly made in Canada or the US, but that's another story) were sent to the USSR. This T-34 Model 41/42 is another example of a tank with the antenna pot correctly attached at the factory (in this case the Stalingrad Tractor Plant) but with no radio available for installation inside. Soviet doctrine required crews that abandoned their vehicles due to battle damage to destroy or bury all vehicle guns and radio equipment. In this case, the crew must not have had time to remove/destroy the weapons and there was no radio to bother with.

providing the USSR with those kinds of gifts. In addition to the radio

same period The amount of radio equipment sent in these Lend-Lease

radios, usually mounted in Lend-Lease AFVs like US M4 Sherman

Picture 12: By 1945, over 40,000 radio sets had been packed off to the Soviet Union by the US alone (including SCR 245 and 508 AFV sets), and perhaps 1/3 of the radios in Soviet tanks in early '45 were US/British made. This is a No.19 set made in the US expressly for the Soviets. Writing on the sets typically identified them as "SIGNAL CORPS" "WIRELESS SETS NO. 19 MK. II" and the power supplies as "SIGNAL CORPS" "WIRELESS SETS NO. 19 MK. II" "SUPPLY UNIT NO.1". Controls were marked in English and Russian and the units were identical in all other respects to the No.19 sets then in use by the Brits. Dimensions are 17" long, 12" deep and 8" heigh, while the power supply is 6" long, 11 1/2" deep and 8" high. Combined, they weighed around 80 pounds. The units have green painted cases and gray face panels. Many of these sets were still being manufactured at the end of the war and instead of being sent to the USSR were given to the Canadians. You wills see them on occasion advertised as "Russian" sets, but they did not get that far. The US did not send its best tactical vehicle radios to the Soviets, as even at that time there was some concern about

sets, the US also sent over 5 million standard radio tubes to the Soviet Union during this agreements ment that entire Soviet armor companies were equipped with foreign manufactured and British Valentine tanks.

or would like to recommend changes, I would be happy to hear from you.

TM30-430, "Handbook on U.S.S.R. Military Forces", and a series of web

all kinds of interesting information on Soviet military radios, both ground

Picture 13: As radios became more abundant in 1944, many medium tank company crews moved their sets into their turrets for improved accessibility, especially in the larger three man turrets where the commander could assume more of a tactical role in the direction of his vehicle. The KV tanks were now gone from service and the new IS tanks all had their radios up in the left side of the turret within easy reach of the commander. The new T-35/85 tanks also had their radios in the turret and the antennas were then mounted directly on the turret roof. In the case of these late war OT-34 flamethrower tanks, the radio is also in the turret (probably a 9-RM) and the aerial has also been moved to a mount on the back, perhaps in order to provide more room in the front hull for the flame equipment. This Sovfoto also shows the three-man crew in winter padded khaki overalls and insulated black helmet, none of them with their headphones on. If the Soviets had the widespread use of AFV radios at the begining of the war, could they have slowed or stopped the German Blitz penetrations into Russia? As with most other matters of military importance, it did not take the Soviets long to discover that dependable radio communication on the battle field was extremely important in a fluid modern war of movement and inter-unit cooperation. As later Soviet radio development would indicate, they learned their lesson the hard way in 1941 and would not fall that far behind again.

Specific information about WWII Soviet AFV radios is limited and rare. This page represents my current files on the subject, minus specifications on the 9-R and 10-R that I thought would be of little use to all but the radio elite. If you have something to add Two sources I have used in the past include the US War Department's November, 1945, pages produced by William L. Howard. His Technical Intelligence Museum page links to

and AFV.

This Page Reproduced With Permission of Mike Kendall