Saturday 7 December 2013

DT-29


This photograph shows a tank DT-29 machinegun, mounted on a motorcycle. Photographs of motorcycles with infantry DP-27 machineguns are very common, as that machinegun was eventually adopted for this purpose. However, that was not due to the superiority of said gun, but due to a requirement for parts commonality with infantry.

The DT-29 was, in fact, superior to the DP-27 for this task. 63 rounds in a compact disk magazine (compare with 47 rounds in the DP's massive flat disk), and a much better mount. While the DP just had its bipod resting on the sidecar front, the DT-29 had an adjustable mount, resulting in better ergonomics for gunners of all heights. Another benefit of the mount was that it could be easily extended for the purpose of anti-aircraft fire. On a motorcycle equipped with the DP-27, the gunner had to dismount and fire from a crouched position next to the motorcycle if he wanted to achieve very large gun elevation angles.

3 comments:

  1. So why have two different versions of a Gun in production when one is obvisously better? Is it "pricing" (production cost/effort) again? I mean just the improved magazine would make it sensible to use the DT for infantry needs...

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    Replies
    1. The DT was about one kilogram heavier, which, while unnoticeable in a tank, is undesirable for an infantryman.

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    2. OK, so that's a "hefty" reason. Guess it's important when you need to take the gun of your motorcycle...

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