In 1936 Spain

[EMacionga]

The first major tank action of the Spanish Civil War. October 29th, 1936. During the seige of Madrid twelve Russian made T-26 light tanks advanced 35 kilometers in a ten hour raid inflicting casualties on Nationalist Infantry and Cavalry and destroying or damaging almost thirty cargo trucks and four Italian made CV-33 machine gun tanks. Unsupported by their Infantry, who "got tired and sat down" three T-26s were destroyed by gasoline bombs thrown by desperate Moroccan Infantrymen. The Moroccan "Regulares", part of the Spanish Army of Africa made and used what was to be called "Molotov Cocktails" in another war.

This action saw the first known ramming in tank warfare when the T-26 of Lt. Semyon Osadachy rammed and pushed a CV-33 into a small ravine. The Republican commander Pavlev Arman who lost a quarter of his vehicles was soon made a "Hero of the Soviet Union."

The dominant tank of the Spanish Civil War the thin skinned T-26 would soon be controlled by Nationalist air superiority in the form of German and Italian fighters and bombers and the introduction of more effecient anti-tank guns. There was a standing reward of 500 pesetas on the Nationalist side for captured, operational T-26s and by 1939 the third company of two Armored Battalions would be equipped with captured T-26s.

Ed

[Enigma]

A lot of info I didn't know.

Thanks for enlighting me.

[EMacionga]

Thanks Enigma. I have been doing a recreational multi-volume, multi-media study of the conflict and of course, seeing as I am on this forum, the armor caught my eye and led me down a sidetrack.

Ed

Edited November 9, 2009 by EMacionga
name

[EMacionga]

In my research I found an interesting on-line site with photos of surviving T-26s mostly at museums. Check out the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_T26 for a closer look. Most of them are in Spain and are the 1935 model. I suppose they were not heavily used after the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War unlike those in Russia which were used, abused captured by Finns or Germans and reused and abused and recaptured by the Russians and re-reused and abused.