The BA-10 ( ru , Broneavtomobil 10, italic=yes) was an armored car developed in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

in 1938 and produced through 1941. It was the most produced Soviet pre-1941 heavy armored car – 3311 were built in three versions. These versions were the BA-10, the BA-10M (improved version with new radio), and the BA-10ZhD (equipped for dual railway/road use). The basic BA-10 design was developed from the

BA-3 The BA-3 (russian: Broneavtomobil 3) was a heavy armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1933, followed by a slightly changed model BA-6 in 1936. Both were based mostly on BA-I, the most important development being the new turret, same as in ...

and

BA-6 The BA-3 (russian: Broneavtomobil 3) was a heavy armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1933, followed by a slightly changed model BA-6 in 1936. Both were based mostly on BA-I, the most important development being the new turret, same as in ...

heavy armored cars. It had an improved

GAZ-AAA The GAZ-AAA was a truck produced by GAZ. From 1936 to 1943, 37,373 units were built. Like the GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM it was largely based on the Ford Model AA Ford Model AA is a truck from Ford. As the Model T and TT became obsolete and neede ...

chassis and improved armor (up to 15mm at front and turret). It was intended that the BA-10 would be replaced in 1941 by the

BA-11 The BA-11 or Broneavtomobil 11 () was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union. It was intended to replace the BA-10, but production was prevented by the Nazi German invasion of 1941. The BA-11 was a heavy armored car designed based on a ...

with diesel engine and more sophisticated armor design, but the outbreak of war prevented BA-11 production. The BA-10 was in Red Army service until 1945. Significant numbers of captured BA-10s were used by

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

(at least 24), Germany and other

Axis powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...

in Europe.

Development

During the late 1930s, Soviet armoured fighting vehicle designers incorporated

sloped armor Sloped armour is armour that is neither in a vertical nor a horizontal position. Such angled armour is typically mounted on tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs), as well as naval vessels such as battleships and cruisers. Sloping an ...

into all their new designs, and redesigned some existing vehicles to take advantage of it. The BA-10 used a slightly smaller, better-sloped armor layout than that of the BA-6, thus improving protection while saving weight. The greater engine power (, compared to on the BA-6) made the vehicle more reliable. Like its predecessors, the BA-10 could be converted to a

half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cro ...

by fitting auxiliary tracks to the rear pair of dual tandem wheels. On early BA-10s, these tracks were stowed strapped on top of the fenders. Later vehicles had an enclosed stowage box for the tracks in the same location. The tracks were often fitted when the vehicle needed to move across snow or soft ground.

In action

The BA-10 first saw action against the Japanese in Manchuria at the

Battle of Khalkhin Gol The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (russian: Бои на Халхин-Голе; mn, Халхын голын байлдаан) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolia, ...

in 1939. Some were captured and later used by the

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 after the Japanese ...

It was involved in all the Soviet Union's subsequent

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

operations and campaigns of 1939-1940. Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-013-0068-18A, Polen, Treffen deutscher und sowjetischer Soldaten

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the BA-10 was used against the Germans on the Eastern Front, but was rarely seen after the winter of 1941–42. Later in the war, the heavy

scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth Social movement, movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hik ...

role was taken over by light tanks such as the T-60 and T-70. A few BA-10s were seen as late as 1943 on the

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

front. Large numbers of captured BA-10s were used by

in Europe. In May 1945 a few BA-10s of ROA fought alongside the defenders of the

Prague uprising The Prague uprising ( cs, Pražské povstání) was a partially successful attempt by the Czech resistance movement to liberate the city of Prague from German occupation in May 1945, during the end of World War II. The preceding six years of o ...

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *М. Коломиец. Броня на колёсах. История советского бронеавтомобиля 1925—1945. — Москва: Яуза, Стратегия КМ, Эксмо, 2007. — 384 с. — (Советские танки). — 6000 экз. — *А. Г. Солянкин, М. В. Павлов, И. В. Павлов, И. Г. Желтов. Отечественные бронированные машины. XX век. 1905—1941. — Москва: Экспринт, 2002. — Т. 1. — 344 с. — 2000 экз. —

External links

BA-10
at WWIIvehicles.com {{WWIISovietAFVs Armoured cars of the interwar period World War II armoured fighting vehicles of the Soviet Union GAZ Group military vehicles Military vehicles introduced in the 1930s