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BT-42


"Don't underestimate the BT-42's Christie suspension!"
―Mikko

The BT-42 was a Finnish assault gun, constructed during the Continuation War. It was constructed from captured Soviet BT-7 light tanks and was armed with a British 4.5-inch howitzer (114 mm-caliber light howitzer, model 1908) from 1918, which had been donated during the Winter War. Only eighteen vehicles were constructed.

History[]

Development[]

As the Second World War progressed, the Soviets were fielding better and better tanks. The Finnish Army, on the other hand, had to make do with a large number of captured tanks, which were mostly lightly armored and armed.

The Finns decided to redesign the BT-7 Model 1937 tank, so they constructed a new turret and armed it with British-made 114.3 mm howitzers that had been supplied by the British during the Winter War (Q.F. 4,5 inch howitzer Mark II, also known as 114 Psv.H/18 in Finland). Eighteen BT-42 were built and these were pressed into service in 1943.

The Finnish military also converted one BT tank into an armored personnel carrier called the BT-43, but it was unsuccessful and was never pressed into production.

Operational History[]

The BT-42 was used for the first time in 1943 at the Svir River, where it was used against enemy pillboxes. The design worked reasonably well against soft targets but was completely unsuitable for anti-tank warfare. To counter this, the Finns copied a German-designed HEAT round for the gun. It was initially thought that this would be effective against the sloped armor of the T-34; however, this was not the case.

These converted vehicles quickly became very unpopular with their crews. The weaknesses could mainly be attributed to the new turret, which, apart from giving the tank a high-profile, also added significant weight to the vehicle, stressing the suspension and the engine.

The BT-42s were used again during the major Soviet offensive in 1944. They were deployed in the defense of Vyborg. In one encounter, a Finnish BT-42 hit a Soviet T-34 eighteen times without being able to immobilize the enemy vehicle, as its fuses failed to work correctly. Eight of the eighteen BT-42s that saw action made no significant contribution to the fighting. At the time, Finnish armored units were still composed mostly of older designs such as the Vickers 6-Ton, T-26, and T-28 tanks, and all of these suffered losses.

Emergency supplies of Panzer IV tanks and StuG III self-propelled assault guns from Germany, as well as captured T-34s, made it possible for the Finns to replace its losses with more effective vehicles. The BT-42 was retired soon after the Vyborg battles, replaced in their intended role by German-made StuG IIIs.

In Girls Und Panzer[]

Der Film[]

As they were unable to locate their school ship, Jatkosota High School students Mika, Aki, and Mikko could only field their BT-42 to help Ooarai in the upcoming match against the All-Stars University Team.

Its moment of glory, however, comes when Acorn Platoon makes a move to take out the Karl-Gerät artillery. The BT-42 acted as bait to distract the Pershings guarding the artillery gun. Then, using a strip of ground in order to build up speed, the BT-42 is able to leap across the gap to the enemy vehicles, landing in the middle of the Karl's escort and shooting down one of the Pershings. The BT-42 makes quick getaway, luring the remaining two Pershings away from the Karl-Gerät in the process, leaving it vulnerable to attack by the remainder of Acorn Platoon.

During the chase, the BT-42 is constantly able to keep ahead of its two pursuers, its small size aiding it in safely traversing the debris field that the Karl-Gerät's shots had created. Navigating around a crumbling bridge, Mikko is able to guide her tank through whilst retaining her speed. This fate is not shared by one of the pursuing Pershings, which gets stuck and then struck by a piece of falling debris, taking off its main gun and rendering the vehicle inoperable. However, the BT-42 was unable to avoid a collision with the last surviving Pershing, flipping over and losing its tracks before slamming hard into a dip.

However, thanks to Christie suspensions, the BT-42 has the ability to run without its tracks on its wheels. Much to the Pershing's crew surprise, the tank was able to resume the fight. During the chase, the Pershing brakes without warning, causing the BT-42 to overshoot and get hit, almost tipping it over. But Mikko keeps the tank balanced on its edge for several moments and turns around to drive back at the Pershing. Aki shoots into the side of the Pershing just before the BT-42 crashes into the dirt, resulting in both tanks being immobilized.

The BT-42 is last seen being evacuated on Mika's boat during the match.

Phase Erika[]

The BT-42 is fielded during the practice match against Kuromorimine Girls Academy under the designation Kalevala 3. Its role is to lead the BT squad, composed of the BT-42, a BT-5, and a BT-7, using their speed and dodging abilities to disrupt Kuromorimine's defense net and pushing on their nerves. Later on the match, still with the squad, the tank lures Erika, Miho, and Koume away from the main group and sends them into the grasp of the T-28 and its BT-5 escort. The BT-42 then returns to the main group, which has ambushed and isolated the enemy flag tank. It then goes near the river for Mika to find a jumping spot. Once found, the BT-42 charge at this spot, losing its BT-7 escort, and jump across the river to knock down a Tiger II by shooting its upper armor. It lands among the main group of enemy forces to once again bring chaos into their ranks. The BT-42, after rejoining its team, made a final charge to take down Kuromorimine's flag tank the same way as the previous Tiger II; however, before the jump, Mika senses something was wrong. She is correct: before it could make its shot, the BT-42 is intercepted in mid-air by Miho's Tiger I, sending it crashing on the ground. With their ace down, the rest of Jatkosota's tanks are shot down one by one until defeat.

Warning: The following information may not be inside Girls und Panzer's main core. It has some level of canonicity within the continuity, but reader discretion is advised.

Ribbon Warrior[]

A BT-42, probably belonging to Jatkosota High School, can be seen on the Northern Fuji Training Grounds where Shizuka and Rin wanted to train with their Type 97 Te-Ke.

Non-GuP core informations ends here.


Gekkan Senshado Magazine[]

Jatkosota High School fielded one BT-42, probably as flag tank, during the tournament first round match against Blue Division High School. Its role during the battle is unknown.

Jatkosota again fielded their BT-42 during the quarter-finals match against Kuromorimine Girls Academy. During the battle, it formed a pincer movement with Mika's BT Squad during which it destroyed a Panther. After all other Jatkosota tanks get destroyed; the BT-42 was the last tank standing. The BT-42 kept fighting but was ultimately destroyed by Kuromorimine's superior firepower.

Das Finale[]

Jatkosota High School fielded their BT-42 during the Winter Continuous Track Cup first round match against Yogurt Academy. At the end of the match, the BT-42 was charged by four LT vz.38. It rammed one tank, which allowed it to flip on the side and destroy the enemy flag tank.

Jatkosota High School fielded their BT-42 as a flag tank during the Winter Continuous Track Cup quarter-finals match against Saunders University High School. During the match it was seen exchanging fire with Saunders tanks alongside T-26s. After Jatkosota has suffered heavy losses, the BT-42 retreats into a hangar where its tracks are removed, then proceeds to harass Alisa's tank, destroying one Sherman in the process. It then acts as a bait for the rest of the match, destroying another Sherman until only the BT-42 remains in the open and lures the whole Saunders force into a trap where Jouko snipes their flag tank.

Trivia[]

  • The BT-42 is referred to as Continuation-chan by the other members of Acorn Platoon in reference to the war in which the tank historically saw combat.
  • As seen in the movie, due to the BT-42's short gun length (despite having a larger caliber than the other tanks) it has to go dangerously close to the enemy tank to score a hit at the tank's weak-spot. This was similarly necessary for Turtle Team during the match against Pravda Girls High School.
  • To this day, only one real-life BT-42 survived the war. It can be found at the Parola Tank Museum in Finland along with many other Finnish tanks.
    • After watching the movie, many fans traveled see the tank, much to Parola Tank Museum's surprise. Visitors would even even surround the tank while playing the Säkkijärven Polkka on a kantele (the instrument carried by Mika).
    • Japanese visitors to Parola Tank Museum donated over €10,000 to a fund which would put a roof over the BT-42, helping greatly to preserve the tank.
  • While depicted as one of the most powerful light tanks, able to knock out Pershings, in reality the BT-42 gun's HEAT shells suffered from fuse problems – the tank didn't arm correctly after firing – which rendered it ineffective.
  • The BT-42 is one of the few tanks with the Tiger I, Tiger II, B1 bis, and the BT tank lines to possess a steering wheel.

Gallery[]

Main article: BT-42/Gallery
Tanks ☰ 
Light Tanks and Tankettes Poland7TPFranceAMR-35FinlandBT-42UKCrusaderItalyCV.33FranceFT-17UKHarry HopkinsUnited StatesM22 LocustUnited StatesM24 ChaffeeUKMark VIGermanyPanzer IICzechoslovakiaPanzer 38(t)FranceR35SovietT-60SovietT-70UKTetrarchPolandTK TanketteJapan2Type 2 Ka-MiJapan2Type 94 TanketteJapan2Type 95 Ha-GoJapan2Type 97 Te-Ke
Medium Tanks UKCenturionUnited StatesM3 LeeUnited StatesM4 ShermanItalyM13/40UKMatilda IIItalyP26/40GermanyPanzer IIIGermanyPanzer IVGermanyPanzer V "Panther"AustraliaSentinelFranceSOMUA S35SovietT-34SovietT-44Japan2Type 89BJapan2Type 3 Chi-NuJapan2Type 97 Chi-Ha
Heavy Tanks FranceARL 44FranceB1 BisUKBlack PrinceUKChurchillSovietIS-2SovietKV-1SovietKV-2United StatesM26 PershingUKMark IVGermanyNeubaufahrzeugGermanyPanzer VI "Tiger"GermanyPanzer VI Ausf. B "Tiger II"GermanyPanzer VIII "Maus"GermanyVK45.01 Porsche Tiger
Tank Destroyers GermanyElefantGermanyHetzerSovietISU-152GermanyJagdpanzer IVGermanyJagdpantherGermanyJagdtigerRomaniaMareșalItalySemovente da 75/18GermanyStuG IIIUnited StatesT28 Super-Heavy Tank
Self-Propelled Artillery GermanyKarl-Gerät 040
Main Battle Tank Japan2Type 10
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