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PT-76B (DShK) 
TL;DR = Indonesian PT-76B fitted with a DShK Machine gun
Hello everyone! Today I would like to suggest the Indonesian PT-76B fitted with a 12.7mm DShK Machine Gun mounted high above the rear side of the turret. This vehicle was used by the Indonesian Marine Corps, with it being put into combat during Operation Lotus (Invasion of East Timor). This suggestion was primarily made in order to complement the already suggested Indonesian Sub-tree as well as the Expanded List of Indonesian Ground Vehicles.
In terms of the vehicle itself its the same PT-76B we all know and love (or hate for some people). But with a small armament upgrade in the form of a 12.7mm DShK HMG mounted high above the rear-part of the turret. This addition would be a helpful increase in firepower to fight against incoming airplanes or providing an alternative manner of killing light-skinned vehicles. In-game this vehicle would be at rank III-IV with a BR of ~5.3-5.7, with its two-axis stabilization & HEAT shells capable of penetrating a majority of the tanks it will face, with the downside of a lack of post-pen damage, it can be a solid light tank choice for Indonesia in the Japanese tree.
Indonesian PT-76 Model: Which variant is it?
Its a long read, but bear with me
It’s unclear exactly which variant of the PT-76 Indonesia obtained, with no exact specific information as well as the D-56TM looking identical to the D-56TS. Plus it doesnt really matter since the early model PT-76 was modified to the later PT-76B standard, but nevertheless we can try to identify which exact year/model it was.Indonesia received the PT-76 in 1964, so it should be the later model, but of course we don’t have a proper documentation on what exactly it is, so we have to do some guessing. We can do that by taking a look at the physical appearance of the tank.Images of the Indonesian PT-76
Image Description (left-to-right, top-to-bottom)
- Indonesian PT-76 lacks the driver’s periscope on the driver’s hatch (right behind the vision ports)
- It also has the 12 radial stamping roadwheels which was introduced with the PT-76 Obr. 1955 (This model would also be erroneously classified as the PT-76B by NATO)
- A protective guard on the rear turret vent was installed on the PT-76 Obr. 1956 model.
- The turret guardrail was moved near the top of the turret with the PT-76 Obr. 1957.
- It gained the external fuel tanks of the PT-76 Obr. 1958
- The Indonesian turret lamp is mounted on the right side rather than the roof, a signature of the PT-76B (1962)
- The top of the Engine vent is flushed with the hull (not recessed). Making it the early model PT-76B (pre-1961)
- The side area near the exhaust does not protrudes, another mark of the early model PT-76B
Based on all this physical evidence, The Indonesian PT-76 is most likely the early model PT-76B Obr. 1959 with presumably some minor modifications for sale to the Indonesians.Soviet PT-76B Obr.1959It doesnt have a drivers periscope. The front lamps are much closer to the trim vane than the Obr. 1962, its engine exhaust side is also flat, and the top of the engine vent is not recessed. The guardrail is near the top of the turret rather than towards the middle. It has the turret lamp mounted on the side rather than the roof.It’s worth noting that the reason the turret lamp was moved to the side was because the auxillary hydraulic drive tank for the gun’s stabilizer was located in the front right section of the turret, which occupies the previous lamp spot.
A. Background & History
Details
During the Second World War, the Red Army combat experience shows that water obstacles (rivers & lakes) were a massive obstacle, with them slowing down armored advances. Due to this abundance of water crossings, the Soviets became quite well-versed in the craft of bridging & ferrying operations, making great use of lend-lease amphibious vehicles in the process. But around the time, there was no domestic development of an amphibious vehicle designs. During the pre-war era the Soviets had used the T-37, T-38 & T-40, but these amphibious tanks are woefully outclassed come 1941, with a majority of them being destroyed during the first few months of the war.
In the immediate post-war era it was quickly understood that there was a need for the Soviet Union to rapidly develop a new generation of modern amphibious tanks, armored personnel carriers as well as other armored vehicles. With the first-generation of Soviet Tanks began to leave the production line, priority was given to the development of an amphibious light reconnaissance tank with enough firepower to establish and hold bridgeheads which had proven to be quite challenging during the wartime water crossings.
This resulted in the first post-war development of a new vehicle named the R-39 Amphibious light tank as well as its brother the R-40 APC by the Krasnoe Sormovo Plant. However, this vehicle was deemed unsatisfactory due to its poor amphibious performance, with the prototype sinking on one occasion in the Volga River. A larger hull volume was needed in order to provide the required amphibious characteristics.
Object 101 (R-39 Amphibious Tank)
Responsibilities of making the amphibious tank was transferred from the Krasnoe Sormovo plant to the VNII Transmash bureau which had been established on the basis of the Chelyabinks No. 100 experimental plant design bureau, working in-tandem with the enterprise “Post Code No.1125”. Development of the new tank took some inspiration from the failed R-39 prototype, mainly in the form of the propulsion system. The new tank would receive factory designation Object 740, and the APC variant was called the Object 750.
The new amphibious tank would have the technical requirements as follows: a 76.2mm Main gun, a combat weight of 13-14 tons, as well as being operated by a three-man crew. The tank was to be capable of fording through bodies of water accompanied by advanced infantry detachment with the purpose of capturing rivers and coastal bridgeheads. The armor was required to provide protection against shell shrapnel and 12.7mm DShK AP round. The tank was to be powered by a V-6 diesel engine at 220 hp.
Two pre-production prototypes of the PT-76 were developed in spring of 1950, they were put into State trials near polotsk. The tank had met and even surpassed the original design requirements, and it was deemed acceptable for service with a pre-production series being manufactured for service trials with the Soviet Army. The Soviet Army trials was conducted successfully in the Sevastopol in 1951 and was recommended for use in combined sea landing operations involving ships and marine infantry to establish a beachead. The Object 740 was taken into service with the Soviet Army as the PT-76. Full series production started in 1952 with the plant producing 200 tanks a year by 1954. The PT-76 was first seen in public during a parade on Red Square, Moscow in May 1952.
PT-76 Prototype
The PT-76B is different from the earlier models mainly with the installation of a 76.2mm D-56TS tank gun equipped with the two-plane stabilizer STP-2P “Zarya”, which is the same system used in the T-54B & T-55 tanks. Additionally the PT-76B includes every improvements of the previous model into one single new variant.
With the installation of the stabilizer, several changes was included in the PT-76B compared to the original models, these include moving the head light on the roof of the turret to the right side of the turret, a newly designed turret rotation mechanism, reinforced sealing of the turret ring to improve watertightness. Starting with the Obr.1959, the vehicle was fitted with a widened wave-deflector shield. But other than that, the overall layout and placement of equipment within the tank’s compartment remains unchanged. Some minor changes were also conducted in the fighting compartment to improve crew comfort and efficiency, such as an adjustable backrest and footrest for the commander and an added handrail for the loader to better support them to load the gun whilst standing up.
Soviet PT-76B leaving the water
In 1955, Indonesia approached the US in order to purchase many different military hardware for around 6 million US Dollars to use against separatists and rebel movement which was prevalent of the time. But the proposal was denied due to concerns that the equipment will be used to fight against the Dutch in the West Irian Dispute. The disapproval let to the Navy & Air Force seeking alternative providers from East Bloc Nations. The Army meanwhile still has some opponents to fully embracing soviet-oriented weaponry, and as such weren’t fully committed. This openness resulted in the Air Force and Navy obtaining many different Eastern-bloc equipment from Czechoslovakia, Poland & Yugoslavia.
With the intensifying conflict of the West Irian Dispute in the early 60s, then-President Sukarno ordered Defence Minister A.H. Nasution to obtain more military equipment from the Soviet Union, with almost all proposed purchases made by the Air Force and Navy fully approved by the Soviets. In mid-1961, Nasution then returned to Moscow to discuss more purchase plans. During this visit was when the PT-76 was first purchased by Indonesia alongside others such as 3 Marine brigades worth of personnel equipment, as well as other hardware like the Komar-class Missile boat & the Amphibious BTR-50 APC. Though they were purchased for Operation Trikora (Invasion of West Irian), ultimately they were not used as the dispute was settled between Indonesia & Netherlands with the New York Agreement.
Defence Minister, General A.H. Nasution (right) photographed in Moscow to purchase defence equipment for Operation Trikora (January, 1961)
The PT-76Bs was put into service with the Cavalry branch of the Army as well as the Marine Corps of the Navy. Its first combat use was during the Konfrontasi era (Indo-Malay Confrontation), but they were only put into limited use because Indonesia only acts in a supporting role for the North Kalimantan Communist Guerillas. but after the 30th September Movement and the rise of the Pro-Western New Oder Government, Indonesia switches side and supported the Malay Government against their former allies.
Because of the new government, relation between Indonesia and Soviet Union collapsed. This resulted in the primarily Soviet-equipped Armed Forces having difficulty in maintaining its readiness, this was the case for the PT-76B as well, which forces the Marine Corps to cannibalize its fleet of PT-76s just to keep them running.
Yet even with those difficulties, the PT-76B became the Marine Corps’ primary tank when Indonesia launched Operation Lotus (Invasion of East Timor) in 1975. The PT-76B acts as the spearhead for Marine Landings during the invasion, providing cover fire for the landed Marines.Presumably during this time was when the PT-76Bs were equipped with the roof mounted DShK machine gun, as they were primarily spotted in the East Timor battlefield. The machine gun mounts were last spotted in 1980 when some PT-76s were stationed in East Senayan Parking lot.
Fleet of PT-76B with DShK preparing to embark an LST towards East Timor for Operation Lotus
The PT-76Bs are still being operated by the Indonesian Marines 62 years later, albeit with the roof-mounted DShK being removed at some time since the 80s. Some units had also been retrofitted in the early 90s with a new engine and gun, which resulted in the PT-76M. This program was carried out by PT Also Putra Indonesia under guidance from Nimda Group. Just like “Operation Alpha” (the Procurement of A-4 Skyhawks from Israel), this program also has its own code name, with it being called “Operation Beta”. The vehicle is a staple of the Marine Corps, with it regularly participating in amphibious exercises, and as such it seems unlikely that it will ever be retired in the future.
Indonesian PT-76(M)
B. Specifications
Details
General Specifications
- Crew: 3
- Length: 6.91 m
- Width: 3.14 m
- Height: 2.25 m
- Combat Weight: 14.6 t
- Armor: 7-16mm RHA
- Transmission: Manual Transmission
- Gears: 4 Forwards, 1 Reverse
- Engine: Model V-6B 6-Cylinder Inline water-cooled engine
- Horsepower: 240hp @ 1,800rpm
- Max Road Speed (water): ~44 km/h (8-9km/h)
Armament
- 1x 76.2mm D-56TS Rifled gun
- 40x rounds
- 1x 7.62mm SGMT Coaxial MG
- 1x 12.7mm DShK roof-mounted Machine Gun
Systems
- -4/+30° elevation
- 6-5 second reload
- can carry external fuel tanks
C. More Images
Details
VIDEO
IMAGES
Camouflaged PT-76B with DShK in East Timor
Alternative image of the Camouflaged PT-76B
Indonesian PT-76B preparing to embark for East Timor
PT-76B with Indonesian Marines at Dili in East Timor (the DShK can barely be seen behind the opened roof hatch)
The vehicle appears in the 1976 movie One Way Ticket (Semoga Kau Kembali)
Alternative image of the vehicle in the movie
D. Sources
Details
- Foss, C. F. (1974). Profile AFV Weapons 65: The PT-76 Light Amphibious Tank & Variants. Profile Publications.
- Koshchavtsev, A., Kinnear , J., & Koch, F. (2009). PT-76: Soviet and Warsaw Pact Amphibious Light Tank. Tankograd Publishing.
- https://www.indomiliter.com/pt-76-kisah-tank-amfibi-tua-tni-al/
- https://www.indomiliter.com/pt-76-dan-btr-50-duet-maut-ranpur-amfibi-di-timor-timur/
- https://www.historia.id/article/cerita-tank-renta-6lg3m
- https://museumsoesilosoedarman.com/tank-amfibi-pt-76/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20250804203746/https://ctis.id/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MSI-Edisi-128-OK.pdf
- PT-76 variants - 1:1 Tank Talk - KitMaker Network
- https://armstransfers.sipri.org/ArmsTransfer/TransferData/transferDetail?entityId=1140800
- ПТ-76 — Википедия
- PT-76 light tank (1952)
- ДШК — Википедия
- PT-76B | War Thunder Wiki
Image Sources
Thank you for reading! Any suggestions or corrections would be highly appreciated!Additionally, you can check out more Indonesian suggestions below!