Description of the T-72M in East German Army (NVA) service by Stefan Kotsch, former commander of the 7. Kompanie, 9. Panzer Division
I have served in the 21. Panzer Regiment in the 9. Panzer Division. I completed three years as a tank officer leading a platoon with T-55As, and later served three years as a company commander with T-72Ms. Thereafter, I was the S3 staff officer of the panzer regiment.
The T-72 is well liked by the tankers. They are fast and well fitted with springs to provide a comfortable ride. But, while driving them, the tank is very loud, and the tracks cause rather violent noises and vibrations. The suspension reduces oscillations in the transverse axis, but nevertheless it is arduous to ride in the commander's hatch for long marches.
Shooting is uncomplicated, and the PKT machine gun is an excellent weapon, having the accuracy akin to a sniper rifle. However, certain speed levels would cause this weapon to drift left, and the driver has to either speed up or slow down in order to reduce this. The accuracy of the stabilization for the sight is very good, and the other optics are of excellent quality. Nevertheless, serious vibrations could occur in the sights when the tank was moving at certain speeds, thus requiring the driver to slow down or speed up to stop this.
The engine and transmission are durable, requiring a low level of maintenance. However, the engine can easily overheat if one drives consistently at too high a speed. The cylinder heads can be quickly damaged in this manner. This was a result of trying to upgrade the old T-55 V-55 engine for the T-72.
Our tanks were war ready, with full storage and load of ammunition. Once a soldier, while toying with the autoloader, cycled a 3OF-19 HE-frag "Hesh" round into the chamber. Once rounds are loaded, they cannot be unloaded (due to the paper casing), and this caused some initial panic. The tank had to be loaded on a transporter and taken to a range, where the round was promptly discharged. Regarding ammunition, this 3OF-19 Hesh round can no longer be used in the autoloader, as the fuze is not considered reliable enough.
Kotsch's T-72M prepared for a fording exercise. The lower photo shows a T-72 emerging from the water.
Note the folded down snorkel on the top photo, due to the gunner's hatch being opened.
