PPG tankette
The PPG tankette (Russian: Подвижное пулемётное гнездо, romanized: Podvizhnoye pulemyotnoye gnezdo; literally "mobile machine-gun nest"), also known by the prototype name Obiekt 217, was a Soviet tankette produced for fighting in Finland.
| PPG tankette | |
|---|---|
| Type | Tankette |
| Place of origin | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| Production history | |
| No. built | 1 prototype |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1.73 tonnes |
| Length | 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) |
| Width | 1.63 metres (5 ft 4 in) |
| Height | 0.86 metres (2 ft 10 in) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Armor | 5-8mm (0.197-0.315 in) |
Main armament | 2 x DT machine guns |
| Engine | 16 horsepower (12 kW) |
| Power/weight | 10 hp/tonne |
Operational range | 100km (62 mi) |
| Maximum speed | Maximum, road: 18 km/h (11.1 mph) Cross country: 7km/h (4.35 mph) |
Soviet infantry took huge losses attacking Finnish fortifications in the Winter War. To compensate, they sometimes assaulted them in armoured sledges towed by tanks. The PPG tankette was an attempt to create an infantry carrier to fulfil this role. About a hundred were produced at the Kirov Factory in Leningrad in 1940 and rushed to the front, but didn't make it to Finland in time to be used in combat. It is largely unknown about the fate of the remaining PPG's, but there are rumours they were used in auxiliary roles in the USSR.
The PPG tankette had partial armoured cover of 5 to 8 mm (0.20 to 0.31 in) thickness protecting the front and sides, for two infantrymen riding in a prone position. It was armed with two 7.62mm DT machine guns with 1,575 rounds. The tankette was powered by an PMZ two-stroke, 2-cylinder, liquid cooled petrol engine of 16 hp (12 kW) allowing it to reach a speed of about 18 km/h (11 mph) on roads and 7 km/h (4.3 mph) offroad while weighed 1.73 tonnes.