The T-1 tractor (also known as DT-1, ''Direcția Tehnică 1'') was a project developed by the
Romanian Army
The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. A total of 1,000 were ordered. It was designed to tow a Romanian 75 mm gun. After five prototypes were produced, the project was canceled due to the lack of priority.
Specifications
The T-1 weighed 7 tons (7.7 short tons) and could carry up to 4 tons and tow as much as 6 tons. It had a 4-cylinder 56 kilowatt (75 hp) engine and transmission consisting of five gears. It could go up to 32 km/h (20 mph) and had a power to weight ratio of 10.7 hp/tonne.
[Romanian Government, p. 217.]
Development
The Romanian General Staff ordered the construction of 1,000 tractors between 1944 and 1945 at the
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
plant in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
. The vehicles were officially designated as T-1 (Tractor 1).
It was also named the "DT-1".
[Tudor, p. 126] It was going to be used as a
prime mover
Prime mover may refer to:
Philosophy
*Unmoved mover, a concept in Aristotle's writings
Engineering
* Prime mover (engine), motor, a machine that converts various other forms of energy (chemical, electrical, fluid pressure/flow, etc) into energy o ...
towing the Romanian-built 75 mm antitank gun
Reşiţa Model 1943.
Production
The vehicle was based on the
STZ agricultural tractor. Only five prototypes were built, because the "
Mareşal"
tank destroyer
A tank destroyer, tank hunter, tank killer, or self-propelled anti-tank gun is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a direct fire artillery gun or missile launcher, designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often wi ...
project had more priority.
[Axworthy, p. 149]
Notes
References
* Axworthy, Mark; Scafeș, Cornel; Crăciunoiu, Cristian (1995). ''Third Axis. Fourth Ally. Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945,'' Arms and Armour, London.
* Romanian Parliament (1990). ''Monitorul oficial al României. Partea a III-a, Publicații și anunțuri''. Bucharest: Romanian Government.
* Tudor, Gheorghe (1982). ''Forța de șoc. Schiță istorică a trupelor de tancuri din armata română'', Editura Militară, București.
{{WWIIRomanianAFVs
Artillery tractors
World War II armoured fighting vehicles of Romania
Military history of Romania during World War II