The T-26 was one of the best tanks of the 1930s. It was also the most-produced, the Soviet Union building moreT-26s than all the tanks built by Germany and France combined. In the Spanish Civil War, the type so impressed the Nationalists that they often preferred to use captured T-26s rather than their own tanks. The T-26 also saw action in Finland and in the Soviet-Japanese border clashes, and on the eve of the 1941 German invasion, it formed the backbone of the Red Army's tank force. This is the first detailed work in English on the T-26. Drawing on extensive research and featuring informative profile art, it charts the full history of this mainstay of the Red Army, from its origins as a license-built version of the Vickers 6-ton tank, through the numerous developments and refinements that saw it evolve into one of the 1930s' best tanks. But, as revealed in these pages, it would not remain so - the T-26 was finally outclassed when it faced the Wehrmacht's armoured onslaught, and suffered catastrophic losses. Book jacket.