Introduction

This new publication from the Tankograd series is about the PT-76 Soviet & Warsaw Pact Amphibious Light Tank. It is written by Alexander Koshchavtsev, Jim Kinnear and Fred Koch under the copyright of Jochen Vollert. The publication comes under the Soviet Special series and counts 64 pages with 166 black/white photos, 5 colour photos and a 1/35 scale drawing. The text and notes are written in English and German.

About the Book

The Red Army experienced during the Second World War the need for an amphibious light reconnaissance tank to overcome the many water barriers during their advance to Germany. After the war priority was given to the development of such a vehicle and consequently, the PT-76 PT (Plavayushi Tank) - 76 (76.2 mm cannon) came in production on August 6, 1952.
A description in chronological order of the various modifications of the PT-76 follows after the introduction. The following list gives them a brief overview.

R-39 Amphibious Light Tank
K-90 Amphibious Light Tank
PT-76: Production modifications between 1951 en 1969
PT-76 Family:
- PT-76B with 9k11 Malyutka ATGM System
- PT-76M
- Obiekt-906 (PT-85)

The descriptions are very detailed, technical and provide a good overview of the various modifications. Although the story can be quite technical, it is not difficult to understand. The introduction concludes with references of the used sources.

Soviet PT-76 with D-56T (Model 1951-1952):
After the historical overview, the reader is treated to a large variety of black and white photographs of the first production models. The photographs are spread over ten pages and are provided with interesting comments. The reader is given a highly detailed look about the vehicle(s).

This chapter is followed by several PT-76 models. Namely;

PT-76 with D-56TM/D-56TS
PT-76 Model 1955-1962
PT-76 Model 1951-1952 modernized to Prod. variant 'B'
PT-76 Model 1962

In this section the different types of the PT-76 are shown by the photos and show the versatile use of this vehicle. The reader is reminded of the various modifications made though the added text under the photos. Finally, a brief overview of photographs of the PT-76 is presented in service of Warsaw Pact Countries.

Scale Drawings:
The scale drawings are a very welcome addition and provide a good reference to modelers. The drawings are in 1/35 scale.

PT-76b in Detail:
The authors continue with a walkaround of 6 pages of an East German PT-76B. It is worth noting that the walk around is in black/white photographs only. Maybe because to the higher price for colour photos? The photos of the exterior show a lot of detail, but the interior photos were better presented if they had been in colour.

The walk around is followed by a slightly shorter walk around of four pages but this time about a Soviet-PT 76B.

PT-76 Variants:
The variants discussed at the beginning of the publication are again covered in this chapter but this time visualized. The photos show a versatile use and indicate that the role of the PT-76 is still important these days.

Like the title; Tankograd PT-76 Soviet and Warsaw Pact Amphibious Light Tank, attention is given to the East German and Polish PT-76 variants. Both members of the Warsaw Pact had their own specific modifications. Beside a historical overview, the modifications are shown on various photographs.

If the reader wants to see a PT-76 in 'real life', at the end of the book an overview is given with the various locations of Museums with a PT-76 in their collection. A very useful addition!

Conclusion

The Tankograd PT-76 is a very welcome addition for anyone who is seriously interested in the history, and use of this versatile vehicle. The many photographs of the vehicle in action, and detail photos show provide a good overview. The scale drawings are very useful to the modeler, and the presented photographs will absolutely stimulate a potential diorama. The only thing that could have been better is the use of colour photos in the walk around sections.