What arms would Soviet WW2 tank crews carry?

by blacktieandgloves

Besides the main cannon and any machine guns that might be fixed to the tank, are there any records of what Soviet tankers would have used in the event of their tank becoming compromised in the field? I'm really looking for anything they would have used from the Winter War to Japan's surrender.

TankArchives

Each tanker received a pistol in a model 1932 shoulder holster or a model 1932 or 1935 belt holster. Initially, this was the Nagant mod. 1895 revolver. Tankers resisted the adoption of automatic pistols, since the portholes on tanks designed for personal defense were not big enough to stick the muzzle of a Tokarev through, but they were adopted anyway by 1940. Between 1941 and 1945, you could find tank crewmen wielding either type of sidearm.

However, the holster had a chance of catching on the edge of the hatch when bailing out of the tank, some tankers elected not to carry their sidearm on them. Naturally, this was a problem if confronted with the enemy, but some felt that the tradeoff was worth it.

In addition to personal weapons, there was also one submachinegun inside the tank. At the start of the war, this would be a PPSh. Later, after the introduction of the smaller and lighter PPS, that submachinegun would be used.

In addition to a submachinegun, the tank's DT machineguns could be dismounted and taken with the crew. The DT was equipped with a bipod, allowing it to be used in the role of a light machinegun. There were also backpacks for other crewmen to carry magazines.

To supplement small arms, the tank also contained a number of F-1 grenades, on the order of 20-25, depending on the model of the tank.

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