TACAM T-60
TACAM T-60 tank-destroyer
TACAM T-60 at the parade. Bucharest, 10 May 1943.
Following the campaign of 1941 Romanians realised that they lack anti-tank weapons effective against Soviet medium and heavy tanks. As neither Germany was in a better situation and could not provide Romania new tanks and anti-tank guns, Marshal Antonescu suggested the local production of a tank similar to the Soviet T-34. Unfortunately the Romanian industry and resources could not meet such a daring project. By the end of 1942 there was available a large amount of captured material, including 175 tanks and 154 artillery pieces. Having these resources at his disposal, Lieutenant-Colonel Constantin Ghiulai was charged to design a self-propelled anti-tank gun. For the chassis he chose the T-60 Soviet light tank as being accessible to the Romanian industry. The engine of vehicle was GAZ 202, licensed Dodge-Derretto-Fargo FH2, for which there were enough spare parts in Romania and Germany. The main armament was the Soviet 76.2mm F-22 field gun model 1939, with 38 pieces available in a warehouse in Targoviste. The crew-protecting shield was made of 15mm armour plates salvaged from BT-7 tanks. The new vehicle was designated Tun Anticar pe Afet Mobil T-60 (Self-propelled Gun on Mobile Carriage T-60) or TACAM T-60. The project was accepted and twenty-three serviceable T-60 tanks were sent to Leonida Works in Bucharest. On 12 January 1943 the prototype was completed and other eleven T-60s were sent for conversion. In late June, the first seventeen TACAMs were distributed to the Mechanised Training Centre and to the 1st Tank Regiment for evaluation and training. The other seventeen TACAMs were assembled by the end of 1943. Sixteen TACAM T-60 were distributed to the 1st Tank Regiment and formed the 61st Tank-destroyer Company and eighteen TACAM T-60 were distributed to the 2nd Tank Regiment where they formed the 62nd Tank-destroyer Company. They saw action on the Bessarabian and Moldavian front from February to August 1944. The Soviets confiscated the surviving TACAM T-60s in October 1944.

Specifications
Crew3
Weight9t (fully loaded)
Dimensions
Overall length5.51m
Chassis length4.24m
Width2.35m
Height1.75m
Clearance0.33m
Engine
TypeGAZ 202, water cooled
Cylinders6
Power80hp/3500rpm
Fuel/Capacitypetrol, 2 x 140 litres
Performance
Max road speed40km/h
Max cross-country speed20km/h
Vertical obstacle0.5m
Trench crossing1.3m
Fording depth0.6m
Gradient32°
Road range200km
Cross-country range150km
Armament
Main1 x 76.2mm F-22 L/51 gun
Elevation-5° to +8°
Traverse32°
Ammunition44 rounds
Secondary1 x 7.92mm ZB-53 mg
Armour
Armour15-25mm

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