"Popularity of the BT-5 series" Topic

Seen the BT-5 pictured numerous times in the last couple of days. Did the Russians make much use of these light tanks after the T-76s became so abundant?

I think they stopped making them in 1941 and they lost more than 2000 in Barbarossa alone out of a total production that was probably in the range of 5000 – while by report there were BT-7s used until 1945 (especially in the East facing the Japanese) there could not have been that many of them

T-76? Did you mean T-26?

The T-26 and the BT-5/7 had different roles. The BT "fast tank" was used in cavalry and armored divisions. The T-26 was an infantry support tank and was much slower.
link: military.wikia.org/wiki/BT_tank
link: military.wikia.org/wiki/T-26

About 8000 BT tanks were produced and 10000 T-26 tanks were produced in various versions.

@Bashytubits
T-76? Did you mean T-26?
Sorry, meant the T-34 with 76mm gun. I guess I've spending too much time in the 18th century.

Used heavily in Winter War

At the time of the German attack on the USSR, the Red Army had almost 2,000 BT-5 tanks. Most of them were lost in the battles of 1941, but entered the front with reserve units from the rear areas of the country during 1942. These tanks were used for the longest time on the Leningrad Front (for obvious reasons). In 1943, there were 29 more BT-5 tanks at the Leningrad front in various units.
Also, some of these tanks remained throughout the war in the Far Eastern District. 156 BT-5s took part in the defeat of the Kwantung Army in 1945.

The tank was not that bad for its time. Being crewed by poorly trained crews, terrible tactical/operational leadership, supported by poor to non-existent logistics, etc., made it a death trap or abandoned vehicle.

The Germans (and French for example) all used light tanks at the time, with German Pz II and under gunned Pz III having to fight KV-1, KV-2 and T-34 tanks. Key to the German success in strictly tank vs tank combats were that the crew were highly trained, had excellent tactical/operational leadership, vehicle radios and (at least most of the time in 1941-42) had enough logistics (fuel, ammo and parts).

Note that Soviet tank training for example did not include anything like the German skills taught during the war to their tank crews, including actual live fire training or cross training of individuals to be able to do more than one position in their vehicles.

The French had heavy tanks. B-1.

The cause of Soviet problems was the tenfold increase in the number of the army on the eve of the war and the reorganization of tank units. As a result, most of the people who had just recently changed from horse to tank turned out to be behind the levers of tanks and in the headquarters of tank units. A relatively small number of professional tankers simply "dissolved" in the poorly trained majority.
The reasons you listed are true, but there is one important, but not named – the weak mechanization of the Red Army. With a large number of tanks, there was an extremely insufficient number of trucks for transporting infantry. Also, most of the Soviet artillery support was moved by extremely slow agricultural tractors.
As a result, tank units entered the battle often without the support of infantry and artillery. In such a situation, they had little chance.