CZK - OT-810

The armored personnel carrier OT-810 is a half-track combat vehicle designed for combat and team transport (max. 12 people) with equipment and armament or the transport of cargo weighing up to 1400 kg. In addition, it can tow trailers up to a total maximum weight of 3 tons.
Armor protects the crew from small arms fire and grenade fragments, provides partial protection against radioactive and chemical warfare agents, and reduces the effects of nuclear weapons.
OT can move on all roads and in the field and is able to overcome various obstacles. The vehicle is not equipped with its own weapon, but allows circular shooting of ground and air targets from a light machine gun transported by the team (from a rotating ring with a carriage) and machine gun fire by shooting in the side walls in the rear of the vehicle.
OT has a half-track chassis, whose frame carries an armored body, engine with accessories, transmission, chassis system, front axle, steering, brakes and electrical equipment.

Korba
The OT body is welded from rolled armor plates. The individual parts of the body are connected with screws or welded. The body is bolted to the frame.

The body is divided into space:
- motor,
- driving,
- combat (folding seats for 8 people in four to each other).

Body armor:
- frontal armor: 15 mm
- side armor: 8 mm
- rear armor: 8 mm
- ceiling: 6 mm
- bottom: 6 mm

Main technical data:

OT type:
light, half-belt
Number of seats (including driver): 12 people

Engine:
Tatra T-928-3 8 V - OHV - four-stroke - diesel with direct injection - air cooled

Cylinder capacity: 11,752 cm³
Max. power: 120 hp at 2000 rpm.
Engine weight: 595 kg

Fuel tank capacity:
- main: 153 l
- auxiliary: 85 l

Coupling:
dry - disc - single lamella
Control: liquid

Chassis
Drive wheels - circumference 1960 mm
Tension wheels: steel two-wheel with rubber rim with an outer diameter of 575 mm
Castors: steel, double with rubber rims, arranged in a checkerboard pattern with an outer diameter of 575 mm (the width of the rubber rim was 50 mm) - 3 inner + 3 outer

Track belts:
Type: articulated, unlubricated
Number of articles:
Left belt: 76/length 7680 mm
Right belt: 77/length 7780 mm
Length of the contact surface of the belt with the soil: 1870 mm
Belt width: 296 mm

Front axle
Type: rigid, swinging
Number of wheels: 2
Size and type of tires (disc): 32-6 ", moss (Barum Strong 6" -32)
Suspension: transverse semi-Egyptian leaf spring

Brakes:
Foot brake: compressed air, acting on 2 drums (diameter 440 mm)
Parking brake: mechanical, operated by hand lever

Heating equipment
Diesel heater 8 BON 2

Fastener:
Radio station R-113

OT dimensions:
Length: 5710 mm
Width: 2190 mm
Height: 1880 mm
Clear height: 320 mm
Front track: 1640 mm
Track gauge: 1600 mm

Weight:
Total: 9000 kg
Standby: 7600 kg
Max. trailer weight: 3000 kg

Maximum speed:
- road: 60 km/h

Range:
- road: 600 km
- Terrain: 400 km

Max. climb: 40 °
Max. inclination: 25 °

Overcoming obstacles:
Trench width: 1.5 m
Vertical obstacle: 0.3 m
Ford depth: 0.7 m

Tank-26-2, Armored personnel carrier OT-810 Description and operation - ČSĽA regulation, Prague, 1962

The first pair of prototypes were almost identical to the Sd.Kfz.251. They bore the registration numbers 660 201 and 660 202. The prototype 660 201 was armed with a 7.62 mm machine gun vz.52, the prototype 660 202 carried a 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun vz.38/46, also with a IS-3 tank shell. The prototype 660 202 was rebuilt into the later production vehicles after comments.
In 1957, after further specification changes, a further pair of prototypes were built, numbers 660 203 and 660 204. These prototypes already had diesel 8-cylinder Tatra T-928-3 engines.
During serial production, the most visually striking change was the shape of the side armouring of the hull. The first 320 vehicles had straight sides, the remaining production had them slashed.


OT-810 - discussion






Jiří Frýba - OT-810 armoured personnel carrier, Grada Publishing, year of publication 2017, ISBN: 978-80-271-0231-0

Between 1959 and 1962, approximately 1140 machines were produced, which remained in the CSLA armament for a very long time and were still in service with the second-echelon motor-artillery regiments for transporting infantry at the end of the 1960s.

K. Štěpánek - P. Minařík - Czechoslovak People's Army on the Rhine - Naše vojsko Praha 2007

I can confirm from my own experience that the machines (specialized versions like OT-810/R2, OT-810D) have held up much longer, even in first-line units. In 1973-1975 they were still in the arsenal of the 20th Motorized Artillery Division, I myself used one OT-810/R2 on exercises with the Russians, another (4 pieces) were with a PT platoon with BZK (OT-810D), one as an ambulance and maybe some others.

Own experience from VZS days

In the warehouses of the NZ (untouchables) vehicles OT-810 specialized versions were maintained in the Czechoslovak departments. the army was still in 1990-1991 and only then was it sold into civilian clothes and destroyed under the supervision of international observers within the framework of international agreements to reduce the number of conventional armaments in Europe.

Own service at departments and facilities of ČSLA, Čs. Army and ACR

OT vz. 59 vs. OT-810, alias československý Hakl
The designation OT-810 is in a way wrong! Everything was created, thanks to the repeated entry of Czechoslovakia. military administration to create this vehicle. In the 1950s, the military's political leadership decided to resume development and testing of the armored personnel carrier. The army returned to the suspended project of the Tatra type 810 armored personnel carrier.
Tests of the Tatra 810 turned out to be acceptable and the vehicle was allegedly designated a service name: Armored personnel carrier model 1959 (OT-59, or OT vz. 59), which did not take off among the officers of the popular army and so this nonsense with the designation OT-810 arose.

P. S.
Dear Sirs,
I must warn you that the term OT vz. 59 is only my work consideration, because I have not yet come across an official proposal or decision on what the name of this machine should be. As far as I know, this vehicle was developed for the army under the abbreviation HAKO ( Ha nomag Ko[/btrumpet) and was marked in "Tatrovka as" type 810 ".

Title Statement OT vz. 59 was inserted only for interest and is unusable when searching in the archives.[/B]

Although it may seem strange, it is very difficult to find (current) images of the OT-810 today - most of them, with a few "bright exceptions" (for example in museums), were sold abroad and not only "rebuilt for various" paskvily "in style Sd.Kfz.251.
So at least two period photographs from the training of the then ČSLA.
In the first picture, the OT-810 of the motorized rifle team is captured at the moment of the descent of the soldiers "over the sides" and the location of the carriage UK vz.59 above the position of the vehicle commander.
The second image shows a pair of OT-810s in a convoy of other vehicles during a winter exercise sometime before 1965. Notice the "current number" 103 in the circle - the identification of the convoy of vehicles or more precisely the "marching current" of the unit within the parent beam.
In some pictures of the Czechoslovak OT-810 it is possible to register a white highlight of the corners of the fenders "in the German style", but in this case it is obviously snow.

If you are interested in the OT-810 type (but not only about it), I recommend the website of Mr. Ivan and Mr. Tomáš Bouchalová, see the link: https://www.militaryvehicles.cz/index2.php

Pictures of the "eighty" of our army can be found on the page, see the link:
www.militaryvehicles.cz

Unfortunately, as of March 24, 2006, the site is paid.

WARNING!

Please do not upload photos of OT-810, which military enthusiasts rebuilt on SdKfz.251.

In Hrabyn.

Own archive

According to the licence plate number, the vehicle belongs to the units of the Ministry of the Interior.

OT-810

ATOM 1976 No.1

Slovak machines

On exercise Vltava 66.

Period training slides with OT810 and crew.
Photo by Květoslav Konvalina via Dolin

From the collections of VHM Piešťany (own photo)

On production: by Zupko Štefan, Zupko Juraj: Armoured technology 1944-2001 and its production in the Slovak Republic; Magnet Press Slovakia 2002; ISBN 80-968073-8-2 the production of the 20-piece verification series started in PPS Detva n.p. in 1958 and was completed in the summer of 1959.

OT-810 in exposition VHM Piešťany.

VHM VHÚ promotional material

OT-810 ve Vojenském historickém muzeu v Piešťanoch 2010.

Vlastní foto

Ženijné náradie na OT-810.

www.mortarinvestments.eu/vehicle.php?id=108

OT-810 in the museum in Vyškov.

Under the plan of BPP for the year 1967 and organizačných smerníc veliteľa 14.td, no. 030891-/1967, will be carried out in dňoch 10.-14.7.1967 tactical-dielenské cvičenie department.
On cvičenie vyviesť this technique and vodičov :

OT-810 reg. no 17029 wire. Miroslav Dry



Source : the Secret order of the Chief 14.tech. opravovien no 06/67 zo of the day 28.6.1967, mjr.ing. Joseph Dunčka.

Today I managed to get photos (unfortunately I can not publish here freely) from the archives of the Tatra company where there are many different photos of this type. What intrigued me was testing a machine gun DŠK. The machine gun is installed on the version with the original hull (unmodified sides - as Sd.Kfz.251 Ausf.D).
Do you know any info about that?

Petře,
náš na mysli něco takového jako je na spodním obrázku přílohy?

Vývojový úkol č. 3049, polopásový transportér HAKO, VHA, fond: MNO, SPVT, karton: 544, rok 1952.
Zpráva o státních zkouškách obrněného polopásového transportéru T 810 (HAKO), VHA, fond: MNO, VTMV, karton: 138 a 139, rok 1954.

https://www.valka.cz/topic/postview/235612/

Edit Braňo:
Na hornom obrázku je prvý prototyp ev.č. 660 201, na spodnej fotografii je druhý prototyp ev.č. 660 202.

OT 810 as a good deal

OT 810, after their radiation from the armament of the Czechoslovak Army (ACR) became a relatively lucrative business item. The reason is not so much that there are so many enthusiasts, but the fact that a number of II-themed films are still being made all over the world, including Hollywood. world war. Given the external similarity of the OT 810 to its original German model, there is still a great demand for these machines. For renting or leasing the OT 810 for such purposes, film companies are willing to pay any sums. The average film viewer usually does not solve any differences at all (with few exceptions) and does not even know them. I remember that in the 90's there were full bazaars and various parking areas, however, all of this disappeared shortly afterwards and unfortunately mostly for "grandma", abroad for the purposes I mentioned. I am convinced that buying an OT 810 from us today would be quite a problem for millionaires.
What I am writing here is evidenced by the two previous contributions in English (edit "brano": ads deleted).