BT-7

The BT-7 was the last of the BT series of Soviet cavalrytanks that were produced in large numbers between 1935 and 1940. They were lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for their time, and had much better mobility than other contemporary tank designs. The BT tanks were known by the nickname Betka from the acronym, or its diminutive Betushka.

The successor of the BT-7 Tank would be the famous T-34 medium tank, introduced in 1940, which would replace all of the Soviet fast tanks, infantry tanks, and medium tanks then in service.

BT-7 in The War That Came Early
When the Soviet Union lunched it's offensive in Poland during the early years of World War II, the majority of their tanks were made up of T-26 and BT-7 light tanks. However, their crews were no match for the more experienced German panzer tactics and many of them were destroyed during the combined German, Polish offensive of 1939.