The T-26 was the most common tank in the Soviet Union’s arsenal at the outbreak of World War II. Based on a 1920’s vintage design, it had first seen combat with the Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War, where it’s powerful gun and thick armor proved superior to the German armor being used by Franco’s fascists forces. Crews of Soviet T-26s fought bravely during the Second World War, but it was quickly outclassed by advances in Axis armor and tactics. The Light tank concept eventually fell out of favor by the Soviet leadership, who preferred to put their resources into the mass manufacture of heavier designs such as the KV-1 and T-34.
