PMI0011C BA-10 ZVEZDA

The BA-10 was a medium, six-wheeled armored car of Soviet construction. The first prototypes were built in 1938, and serial production lasted from 1938 to 1941 and ended with the production of over 3,300 vehicles. The car was powered by a 52 HP GAZ-M1 carburetor engine. The main armament was a 20K wz. 1934 or 1938 caliber 45 mm placed in a rotating turret, and the auxiliary armament was provided by 2 DT 7.62 mm machine guns. The BA-10 was created as a successor, but also a far-reaching development of the BA-6. The new car also uses the GAZ-AAA truck chassis, but uses a new engine and numerous new drivetrain components. The BA-10 armor (up to 10 mm thick) was fully welded. In 1939-1940, work continued and the modernized BA-10M version was put into production. The weight of the vehicle was increased through increased armor and a new model of the 20K cannon was used. BA-10 vehicles in the period until 1941 were the basic vehicles of the Soviet reconnaissance units. They were also widely used in the war with Japan (1938-1939) and in the Battle of Chałchyn-Gol (1939). They also took part in the aggression against Poland in September 1939 and in the Winter War with Finland (1939-1930). During the first months of the war with Germany in 1941, the Red Army lost a large number of these vehicles, which were later used by the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS units to fight partisans in the occupied territories.