Description
Czechoslovak 82mm Nb-T21 HEAT Cartridge Cutaway — T21 Tarasnice
Item Overview
This inert Czechoslovak 82mm Nb-T21 HEAT cartridge has been sectioned lengthwise as a cutaway display. The open section reveals internal features normally hidden inside the warhead and rear cartridge case, making it a useful study piece for collectors of Cold War antitank ammunition.
Identification and Features
The Nb-T21 designation identifies the service cartridge for the T21 Tarasnice system. This example has the following identifying features:
- T21 marking on the tapered body
- Broad, ribbed warhead body with a long, narrow nose
- Fixed stabilizing fins and a drilled tail tube
- Long, perforated propellant cartridge case at the rear
Function
The service cartridge used a high-explosive antitank, or HEAT, warhead against armored targets. Fixed fins stabilized the projectile in flight from the T21's smoothbore barrel. This cutaway exposes the shaped-charge cone inside the warhead and the propellant assembly inside the rear case, allowing the projectile and its propulsion components to be studied together.
Documented End-Item Application
The Nb-T21 was ammunition for the 82mm T21 Tarasnice recoilless gun, a single-shot weapon with electrical ignition and a light, two-wheel carriage. Vehicle-mounted T21 guns also armed versions of the OT-62 armored personnel carrier. The cartridge's perforated case and fin-stabilized projectile are specifically documented in the U.S. military's 1965 T21 recognition entry.
Product History
The Nb-T21 was the T21 system's service armor-piercing cartridge. Slovakia's Military Historical Institute records ammunition production at ZVS Dubnica nad Váhom, with cartridge loading performed by Považské strojárne Klementa Gottwalda in Považská Bystrica. These factories supported the ammunition supply for this Czechoslovak antitank weapon.
Parent-Equipment History
The T21 developed from the tarasnice vz. 49, introduced into Czechoslovak service in 1950. Further improvements followed testing in the Soviet Union. Serial T21 production began at Vsetín in May 1951 and continued through 1954, producing approximately 5,150 guns. Mechanical sights and a removable optical sight with 1.8-power magnification were available.
Weapon-System Background
The cartridge belongs to a domestic antitank development program that began in 1946 at Zbrojovka Brno and the Military Technical Institute at Podmokly. Designers studied wartime German weapons and information from Western allies. The program produced the lighter P-27 and the heavier T21, with the latter intended for engagements at greater distances.
History of Use
T21 guns served in the Czechoslovak Army and were exported abroad; approximately 2,500 had been exported by 1969. The Czechoslovak Army Film Studio's 1958 film Co dokáže tarasnice explained the weapon, its shaped-charge ammunition, and crew operation. The U.S. Naval School, Explosive Ordnance Disposal also included the T21 in its guide dated July 1, 1965, Viet Cong's Explosive Ordnance Used in South Vietnam, documenting its place in Vietnam War-era ordnance recognition.
Condition
The nose fuze is missing, leaving its threaded opening visible. Please check the pictures for the general condition of the item.
Ideal For
The sectioned warhead and rear case make this cartridge especially useful for exhibits that explain the internal layout of recoilless-gun ammunition.
- Czechoslovak military ammunition collections
- Cold War antitank weapon displays
- Museums and technical education exhibits
- Collectors of sectioned ordnance and cutaway ammunition
Approx length 32", Approx width 3.5", Approx height 3.5", Approx weight 3.1lbs.
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