Unimodels 303 D-38 Soviet WW2 Artillery Tank

The D-38 is a Soviet prototype artillery tank (self-propelled gun) from the interwar period. The car was developed between 1931 and 1932, but never entered mass production. The drive was provided by a single engine with a power of 400 HP, which allowed the car to accelerate to 53 km / h on the road in tracked traction. The armament consisted of a 76.2 mm gun and a single 7.62 mm DT machine gun.

The D-38 vehicle was developed on the basis of the BT-2 high-speed tank. Compared to its prototype, however, it had a completely different turret (designation: A-43), which housed completely different main armament. The D-38, however, had the same engine and suspension as the BT-2, which allowed it to be driven both on wheels and on tracks. It was assumed that the new vehicle would provide direct artillery support to its own armored and motorized units. However, the construction turned out to be highly unsuccessful and during the field trials it generated many problems that could not be solved. For this reason, the D-38 did not enter mass production. However, it became the basis for the development of the much more successful BT-7A artillery tank.