By 1938, many in Russia suspected that war with Germany was inevitable, despite political assurances to the contrary and the seemingly good relations with Germany which were soon to be demonstrated with preparations for the joint invasion of Poland by Soviet and German mechanized forces. Realizing the potential threat from Germany, an armored vehicle modernization program began in 1938, and the the BA-10 was one result of this program. The BA-10 was already in development at Izhorskiy at this time, work having begun in 1937, but the program was accelerated due to the changing political climate. The chassis was developed at GAZ by a team headed by V.A. Grachev, assisted by A.A. Lipgart, O.V. Dibov, and others, using a shortened version of the venerable GAZ-AAA chassis. The armored hulls were built at Izhorskiy (with the Vyksa plant also manufacturing a few hulls, according to some sources) with final assembly also being carried out at the Izhorskiy plant. The BA-10 entered series production in 1938 and entered service with the Red Army the same year.
The BA-10 was a minor modification of the existing BA-6M and used the same turret. It was to become the definitive model of the BA series, with the original BA-10 design being again modernized in 1939 as the BA-10M. It was also numerically the most significant of the BA heavy armored car series produced at the Izhorskiy Zavod; some 1,400 BA-10/BA-10Ms being manufactured over a three-year period. The BA-10 was used during the battles of the Khalkin-Gol against Japan in the summer of 1939, during the invasion of Poland and Finland and in the opening stages of the 1941-45 Great Patriotic War. In addition to service with the Red Army, a total of twenty-three BA-10/10M vehicles were taken into Finnish Army service under the designation Ps25, 26, and 27. The German Army made use of captured BA-10s after 1941, though the German designation system did not distinguish between the BA-6, 10, and 10M heavy armored cars, all receiving the German designation Panzerspähwagen BA-203 (r).
The BA-10 was initially armed with the 45mm M-1 934 tank gun. On later production vehicles this gun was replaced with the modified 45mm M-1938 which was simpler to manufacture (having less parts) and had improved optical sights. The BA-10 was built from 1938 on the GAZ-AAA chassis.To accommodate the BA-10 armored car body, the chassis was shortened 20cm in the center and the rear chassis legs were shortened an additional 40cm.
The hull and turret of the BA-10 were all of welded steel construction. The gun mounted in its new conical turret had a traverse of 360º, elevation of +20º and depression of -2º. Ammunition stowage was reduced to forty-three rounds due to the smaller turret and other internal changes. Secondary armament consisted of two 7.62mm DT machine guns, one mounted co-axially with the main armament, the other ball-mounted in the fighting compartment front. Some BA-10s were fitted with an external armored mantlet for the hull machine gun.
The BA-10 had similar overall road and all terrain performance to the BA-6M. Like all BA heavy armored cars it was fitted with "overall" tracks when required. These tracks were stowed at the rear of the vehicle when not in use. In addition to the standard drum brakes used on the BA-10, the vehicle was also fitted with a transmission brake. The fuel tank, which was mounted below the hull rear, was protected by an armor plate which projected below the hull. The vulnerable headlights were often fitted with distinctive armored covers in action. A small distinguishing feature of the BA-10 was the replacement of the front towing hooks used on earlier vehicles with small "D" shackles. A 71-TK-1 radio was fitted as standard on the BA-10 series.
A small series of BA-10 ZhD vehicles was produced in 1938 for rail scout purposes, utilizing the same principle as the earlier BA-6 ZhD.
The BA-10 series underwent a further modernization program in 1939, resulting in an improved model which was designated BA-10M. The BA-10M was, at 5,360kg, approximately 300kg heavier than the earlier BA-10, with most of the additional weight being given over to additional armor for vulnerable areas. Despite the weight increase, overall vehicle performance was not significantly affected. A 45mm M-1934/38 tank gun was also installed in the turret of the BA-10M. Other internal improvements on the BA-10 included the installation of a new 71-TK-3 transmitter/receiver.
The BA-10M was externally very similar to the earlier BA-10 model and the two models are frequently misidentified. The primary distinguishing feature of the BA-10M is the boxes mounted above the rear wheels. Contrary to popular belief, these boxes were not used for track stowage, being physically too small but were in fact reserve fuel tanks. The tracks were stowed at the rear on a special support bracket welded on the vehicle for the purpose. In action the tracks were sometimes strapped to the top of the rear fuel tanks.
The BA-10M saw action in the Far East against Japan in 1939, during the invasion of Poland, in Finland in 1940, and in the early stages of World War II. Production of the BA-10M continued well after the outbreak of war with Germany, with a total of 331 vehicles being built after June 1941.
A small number of ZhD rail scout vehicles were produced in the BA-10 series, the system being a modification of the standard BA-10M rather than a purpose built variant. When not in use, the BA-10M ZhD's steel flanged rail wheels were stowed two at the rear of the vehicle and one on each stub axle located on the engine compartment sides. The BA-10M ZhD had a combat weight of 5,800kg due to the weight of the steel wheels and additional ammunition load carried. |
