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The BT-5 (БТ-5) i.e. Bystrokhodnyy tank 5 (Быстроходный танк 5) whats means "fast tank 5" was a Soviet Calvlary Tank with 3 member crew, built before World War II. The BT-5, along with the rest of the BT tank Family, originates from the Christie M1931, built by John Walter Christie.
History[]
Development[]
The BT family tanks were "convertible tanks". This was a feature designed by engineer John Walter Christie to reduce wear and tear on unreliable tank tracks of the 1930s. The armored forces of the Soviet Union, a country with few paved roads, found the convertible option to be of little practical use, as it consumed space and added unnecessary complexity and weight. The feature was removed from later Soviet designs.
Christie was unable to convince the U.S. Army Ordnance Bureau to adopt his Christie tank prototype. In 1930, Soviet agents used their political contacts in New York to persuade American officials to provide plans and specifications for the Christie tank to the Soviet Union. Two turretless Christie tanks were acquired by the United States and sent to the Soviet Union. The two tanks were delivered to the Kharkov Komintern Locomotive Factory (KhPZ). The Christie tanks shipped were designated fast tanks by the Soviets, shortened to BT (Russian acronym for "high-speed tank"), and later shortened to BT-1. Based on the BT-1, other variants were produced, changing its armor and cannon. In the case of the BT-5, it was equipped with 45 mm cannons.
Operational History[]
The BT-5 was first used in the Spanish Civil War, which was operated by the Republican side. The BT-5s were crewed by trained International Brigades members and tankers from the Soviet Union. The BT-5's first combat on Spanish soil was the disastrous Zaragoza Offensive, with 13 tanks lost. In the Battle of Teruel, 12 BT-5 tanks were lost. The Nationalists also used BT-5s captured from the Republicans.
Four BT-5s were used by the Chinese Nationalist Army against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
The BT-5s, together with the BT-7s, fought in the Battles of Khalkhin Gol. They were easily attacked by Japanese "short quarter" teams (tank killer squads) who were armed with Molotov cocktails. The BT-5 and BT-7, due to the extreme climate of the Mongolian plains, caught fire easily when a Molotov cocktail ignited their gasoline engines, which made Marshal Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov realize that BT tanks were prone to fire.
Real live photo of tank
The BT-5s, together with the BT-2s and BT-7s, fought in the Winter War against Finland, but some of them been captured and later used agains Soviet red army, not only in Winter War but also in Continuation war. They were less successful than against the Japanese at Khalkin Gol.
During World War II, the BT-5 and BT-7 were used in the Invasion of Poland in 1939. The Red Army wanted to replace the BT tanks with the T-34, and when they started production, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. In 1941, BT tanks were used while the T-34 was not completed, where thousands of BT tanks were abandoned and destroyed. In 1942, some remained in use, but after that time, they were rarely used.
In Girls Und Panzer[]
Phase Erika[]
Continuation High School fielded two BT-5s during a practice match against Kuromorimine Girls' Academy. When Touko destroyed a natural dam, the BT-5, together with the T-34 and the Panzer IV, managed to eliminate a Panther that was fleeing the torment of water. The BT squadron lured the Tiger, Tiger II and Panther to Vice Commander Lili, who left BT-5. The BT-5, along with Lili's T-28 were destroyed, but not without eliminating Erika Itsumi and Koume Akaboshi. The other BT-5 was destroyed by Maho some time later.
Saga of Pravda[]
Pravda High School fielded one BT-5s during the tournament final match against Kuromorimine Girls' Academy. The crew was made up of Katyusha's former bullies. They built a rudimentary log road through a debris field. As Pravda's team broke through, Maho attacked, quickly knocking out several tanks as they were unable to move easily. The BT-5 manages to escape the fight and, in an attempt to assert itself, takes some of the spare shells it was tasked with carrying for the other tanks and buries them, making improvised land mines. Katyusha passes with what's left of the Pravda team to regroup, leaving BT-5 to face Maho alone while she follows in pursuit. Exploiting a loophole in the rules, which do not explicitly forbid the use of landmines against a team’s own tanks, the BT-5 members attempt to use the improvised mines to launch their tank into the air in the hopes of penetrating the Tiger I thin upper armor with a shot from above. Unfortunately, a quick maneuver by Maho makes the shot miss, and the BT-5 is disabled by the blast without inflicting any damage.
Gekkan Senshado Magazine[]
Continuation High School fielded two BT-5s during the tournament first round match against Blue Division High School. The role of Continuation's BT-5 is unknown, but what is known is that upon identifying the Blue Division tanks moving along the path, Mika created a double pincer movement, positioning the BT-5s in the north. After that, the BT-5 attacked the rear of the Blue Division's tank line.
Continuation High School again fielded their BT-5s, during the tournament quarter-finals match against Kuromorimine Girls Academy. During the match, the BT-5 received covering fire provided by other Continuation tanks to allow the BT-5, along with the BT-7 to perform a pincer movement and run into the enemy formation, using their smaller and larger size. mobility to engage in close combat with larger tanks and thus disrupt Kuromorimine's attacks. They managed to shoot down a Panzer III and a Panther. However, they were unable to stop Maho's Tiger or Erika's Tiger II and so the BT-5, along with all other tanks, were decimated.
Blue Division High School fielded two BT-5s during the tournament first round match against Continuation High School. Its role in the match is unknown but it was likely destroyed either during the first encounter, during the destruction of their rear guard by BT tanks or during their last stand trapped in the corridor.
Trivia[]
- The BT-5 is one of three BT family tanks shown in the series. The other two are the BT-42 and the BT-7.
- The BT-5 is probably the weakest tank used by Pravda, because it is a very light, fragile and obsolete tank, unlike the powerful tanks used by Pravda.
