- Yes
- No
Brief Summary:
Following on from the TACAM T-60’s the TACAM R-2 was a later Romanian World War 2 tank destroyer using the more potent Zis-3 Soviet anti-tank guns paired up with the chassis of the R-2 (An export of the Panzer 35t) with a two dozen converted to be more potent at disabling Soviet armour but would never be used against it’s intended target and instead used against Romania’s former ally the German armour instead.
History:
Like the development and production of the earlier TACAM T-60 tank destroyer in 1943 the Romanians continued to develop tank destroyer ideas. One of these ideas sparked in late 1942 was on the Panzer 35t chassis designated the R-2 in Romanian service it was to be converted into tank destroyers due to how ineffective the light tanks had become against the onslaught of Soviet armour. By the Summer of 1943 a prototype of the concept was build and being tested, this prototype was fitted with the M1936 F-22 already present on the TACAM T-60 alongside it’s three sided fighting compartment also being made from scrapped Soviet tanks such as the T-26’s and disabled T-60’s.
By the time the prototype was being tested in the summer of 1943 it had become apparent that the vehicle needed a more powerful gun which luckily for the Romanians they existed in the form of the captured Soviet 76.2mm Zis-3 a gun already present on the Soviet tank destroyer Su-76 which had more penetration than the older 76.2mm model of the M1936. Production of the vehicle would begin in February 1944 with 20 conversions being completed by June 1944 when the production was cancelled mainly due to even heavier vehicles such as the IS-2’s appearing on the Eastern front which the Zis-3 cannon couldn’t deal with effectively.
The hull armour of the TACAM R-2 remained the same as the standard R-2/Panzer 35t hull being 25mm frontally and 16mm on the sides and rear. The three sided casemate and particular roof of the casemate was 10-17mm thick whilst the gun it housed had a traverse of 30°, the elevation for the gun was -5/15°. The rest of the vehicle pretty much remained the same as the R-2 hull it was built upon due to Romania’s lack of an industry to really develop anything else at all onto the vehicle nor having the experiences to do so. The tank could store 30 rounds of ammunition with 21 being HE rounds and the other 9 being AP rounds of various captured Soviet shells. Most sources claim that the engine is 125hp however this is untrue as the engine remains the same 120hp Skoda T11/0 engine as that on the Panzer 35t’s in other nations services.
The 21 vehicles produced one being the prototype, 10 of the production models joined the 1st Armoured Training Division as part of the 63rd TACAM company in July 1944 whilst the other 10 production models joined a Cavalry company until August at which Romania switched sides after a successful coup led by King Michael I and members of various Romanian politicians on August 23rd 1944, this led to 12 of the vehicles joining the Niculescu detachment in the efforts of liberating Northern Transylvania fighting the various axis forces still occupying the region. On the 29th of September 1944 the push was successful in liberating the region and eventually all of Romania was liberated by the 25th of October 1944. In February 1945 12 of the vehicles would fight alongside the Soviets on the Czechoslovakian front were most would either be destroyed or eventually seized by the Soviets. After the war only one known survivor from the tanks remained with the rest either being destroyed fighting the Axis or seized and scrapped after being tested by the Soviets.
Because of the ever increasing threats of the even heavier IS-2’s appearing there were plans to fit the German Flak 88 or the Romanian 75mm Resita onto the chassis however these never came to be as Romania switched sides before that point and the project was scrapped.
Specification:
Dimensions (L-W-H): 5m x 2.06m x 2.32m (16’4’’ x 6’7’’ x 7’6’’ ft)
Total Weight: 12 tons
Crew: 3
Propulsion: Skoda T11/0 4 cylinder gasoline engine, 120hp 1800rpm engine.
Transmission: 6 forward 6 reverse
clearance: 0.35
Power to Weight Ratio: 10hp/ton
Suspension: Leaf Spring
Top Speed: 30km/h (18.6 mph) (15km/h off road (9.3mph))
Main Armament: 76.2mm M1942 Zis-3 (30 rounds) 76.2mm M1936 F-22 (30 rounds)
Vertical Guidance: -5°/15°
Maximum Gun Traverse: 30°
Secondary Armament: 1x 7.92mm ZB-53 (hull mounted)
Stabiliser: No
Armour: 25mm frontal, 16mm sides and 16mm rear (Hull)
10-17mm (Casemate)
8mm roof and floor
Production: 20 + 1 Prototype
Additional Images:
Sources:
TACAM R-2 : Rumunsko (ROM)
Romanian tanks (in detail): TACAM R-2 - The Armored Patrol
TACAM R-2 - Wikipedia
TACAM R-2 Tank Destroyer (TD)
WorldWar2.ro - TACAM R-2
https://www.dishmodels.ru/wshow.htm?p=1275&lng=E
Tank Archives: Romanian Czech with a Russian Accent
