PMI0308A ARTILLERY TRACTOR YA-12

The YA-12 is a Soviet high-speed military tractor from the Second World War and the early post-war period. The first prototype examples of this vehicle were built in 1942-1943, and serial production was carried out in 1943-1945. About 1,650 vehicles of this type were built in its course. The vehicle was powered by a single 110 HP engine. The first work on a new, fast artillery tractor for the Red Army began in 1942 at the car plant in the city of Gorky. A tractor called YA-11 was created there, which was based on the chassis of the T-60 tank and took some elements (e.g. gearbox) from the T-70M tank. Due to engine problems, work on the YA-11 was abandoned. However, shortly after this fact, large numbers of GMC-4-71 engines, which were already adequate for the new artillery tractor, arrived in the USSR under the Lend-and-Lease program. Work resumed, but already at the YaAZ plant (YaAZ plants), where the YA-12 tractor was created after the modification of the YA-11. The new vehicle was used to tow medium and heavy artillery, such as 100 mm anti-tank guns and 122 mm M-30 howitzers. The tractor remained in line until the mid-1950s and was also exported to Poland and Czechoslovakia.