PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank

PT-76B Amphibious Light Tank of the Baltic Fleet.

The PT-76 amphibious light tank was originally designed to support the infantry during amphibious landings and assault river crossings by eliminating enemy bunkers and machine gun nest, and defending the beachhead until the water obstacle could be bridged and medium tanks started to arrive. When used in this role, the PT-76 excelled, but the war it was designed for never materialized in Europe.

The PT-76 swam very well, at the cost of being only lightly armoured. At the Battle of Lang Vei, 6–7 February 1968, half of the attacking North Vietnamese PT-76 light tanks were knocked out or immobilized by 106 mm recoilless rifles and artillery strikes, but they survived attacks from M72 LAW which either misfired, bounced off the sloped armour, or had been ineffectively fired by Special Forces operators who failed to appreciate the 10 m minimum arming distance of the 66 mm anti-tank rocket.

The PT-76 amphibious light tank is said to have been reactivated for the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Apparently, the Russian naval infantry still had mothballed PT-76 light tanks in inventory that were to be used for landings along the Ukrainian Black Sea coast.

Available Models

  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank, 1:25 W.M.C. Models 025452
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank (1951), 1:25 YG-model 121a
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank (1951), 1:35 Trumpeter 00379
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank, 1:43 AVD Models 3015
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank, 1:43 SSM 3017
  • PT-76B Amphibious Light Tank, 1:72 ACE 72145
  • PT-76B Amphibious Light Tank, 1:72 PST 72053
  • PT-76B Amphibious Light Tank, 1:72 Revell 03314
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank (1952), 1:76 Red Star Models
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank (1952), 1:76 Skytrex FF735
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank (1952), 1:87 ESPEWE 1054
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank (1952), 1:87 ESPEWE 1101
  • PT-76B Amphibious Light Tank (1957), 1:100 Roskopf 154
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank (1952), 1:285 GHQ Models W2
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank (1952), 1:300 Heroics & Ros SM08
  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank Typ 63 (China), 1:76 Red Star Models RS 91

Painting Guide

Technical Specifications

  • PT-76 Amphibious Light Tank
  • Typ: light tank, amphibious
  • Engine: V-6-Diesel with 240 HP (180 kW)
  • Speed: 44 km/h on Roads, 10 km/h in Water
  • Fuel Capacity: 250 l
  • Range: 400 km, or 510 km with external Fuel Tanks
  • Length: 7630 mm
  • Width: 3500 mm
  • Height: 2325 mm
  • Weight: 15 t
  • Armament: 76,2 mm D-56T Tank Gun with 40 Rounds, 1 coaxial MG 7,62 mm SGMT or PKT.
  • Crew: Commander/Gunner, Driver, Loader
  • Production: 1951–1969

Historical Employment

  • Hungarian Revolution, 1956
  • Vietnam War, 1955–1975
  • Laotian Civil War, 1959–1975
  • Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, 1963–1966
  • Indo-Pakistani War, 1965
  • South African Border War, 1966–1990
  • Six-Day War, 1967
  • Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, 1968
  • Indo-Pakistani War, 1971
  • Yom Kippur War, 1973
  • Indonesian invasion of East Timor, 1975–1976
  • Angolan Civil War, 1975–2002
  • Iraq-Iran War, 1980–1988
  • Gulf War, 1990–1991
  • Ten-Day War, 1991
  • Croatian War of Independence, 1991–1995
  • Bosnian War, 1992–1995
  • Second Chechen War, 1999–2000
  • Maluku sectarian conflict, 1999–2002
  • Indonesian offensive in Aceh, 2003–2004
  • Iraq War, 2003–
  • Russian Invasion of Ukraine, 2022–

Bibliography

Cold War Miniatures