"Tulta!"
-Mika

The BT-42 was a Finnish assault gun, constructed during the Continuation War. It was constructed from captured Soviet BT-7
light tanks and British 4.5-inch howitzers (114 mm-calibre light howitzer, model 1908) from 1918, which had been donated
during the Winter War. Only eighteen vehicles were constructed. As the Second World War progressed, the Soviets were fielding better
and better tanks. The Finnish Army, on the other hand, had to make do with a large number of captured tanks, which were for the most
part lightly armored and armed. The Finns decided to redesign the BT-7 Model 1937 tank. They constructed a new turret and armed it
with British-made 114.3 mm howitzers that had been supplied by the British during the Winter War (Q.F. 4,5 inch howitzer Mark II,
also known as 114 Psv.H/18 in Finland). Eighteen BT-42 were built and these were pressed into service in 1943. These converted
vehicles quickly became very unpopular with their crews. The weaknesses could mainly be attributed to the new turret, which apart
from giving the tank a high-profile also added significant weight to the vehicle, stressing the suspension and the engine.
The BT-42 was used for the first time in 1943, at the Svir River, where it was used against enemy pillboxes. The design worked
reasonably well against soft targets but was completely unsuitable for anti-tank warfare. To counter this, the Finns copied a
German-designed HEAT round for the gun and it was initially thought that it would be effective against the sloped armour of the T-34.
However, problems arose with the copied HEAT shells fuses, which apparently did not arm themselves correctly after firing, due to the
different muzzle velocity and round spin rate of the 4.5-inch howitzer compared to the original German guns.

Pictures

Controls

WASD - Tank movement
VTOL - Gun elevation
YAW - turret rotation
AG1 - Lights