BA-64

BA-64 was one of the best armored car designs of World War II, created by the Soviet Union.

Background
One of the best Soviet vehicle designs, the BA-64 (Bronirovaniy Avtomobil, armored car) was introduced in 1941, to replace the aging BA-20 armored car. Inspired by the German Sd.Kfz. 221, it is an adaptation of the GAZ-64 (GAZ-67 in B models) jeep chassis. The existing vehicle has been modified to accept a sharply angled armored hull that provided good protection from small arms, with a rotating turret designed to permit firing the machine gun at extreme angles.

The resulting vehicle was a reliable armored car with excellent maneuverability thanks to the placement of wheels and good pwoer to weight ratio. Although too lightly armored and armed to participate in direct combat, it was widely used for patrols, liaison duties, light transport, and even railway security. Over 9 000 vehicles were manufactured until production halted in 1946, shifting to dedicated armored personnel carriers.

Models

 * BA-64B (Ger, Pol): The basic variant, used for transportation.
 * BA-64B KAO (180mm): An artillery observer variant.
 * BASh-64 (Pol): Sh denotes a command variant. After early trials, it was rejected as too small - there was not enough space for the necessary radio equipment.