The original Christie tanks were designated fast tanks by the Soviets, abbreviated BT (later referred to as BT-1). At least two of Christie M1931 tanks (without turrets) were later purchased in the United States and sent to the Soviet Union under false documentation in which they were described as "agricultural tractors." Both tanks were successfully delivered to the Kharkov Komintern Locomotive Plant. military and civilian officials to provide plans and specifications of the Christie tank to the Soviet Union. In 1930, Soviet agents at Amtorg, ostensibly a Soviet trade organization, used their New York political contacts to persuade U.S. Army Ordnance Bureau to adopt his Christie tank design. The feature was dropped from later Soviet designs.Ĭhristie had tried unsuccessfully to convince the U.S. However, Soviet tank forces soon found the convertible option of little practical use in a country with few paved roads, and it consumed space and added needless complexity and weight. In wheeled mode the tank was steered by pivoting the front road wheels. In about thirty minutes the crew could remove the tracks and engage a chain drive to the rearmost road wheel on each side, allowing the tank to travel at very high speeds on roads. Walter Christie to reduce wear of the unreliable tank tracks of the 1930s (Christie Tank).
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