TACAM T - 60 The TACAM T - 60 ( Tun Anticar pe Afet Mobil - Self - propelled Anti - tank Gun ) was a Romanian tank destroyer used during World War II . It was built by removing the turret of captured T - 60 light tanks and building a pedestal to mount an ex - Soviet M - 1936 F - 22 field gun in its place . A three - sided fighting compartment was built to protect the gun and its crew . Thirty - four were built in 1943 , and they served in the Jassy - Kishniev Offensive , and the Budapest Offensive . Development . By December 1942 it was blatantly obvious that Romania had nothing capable of defeating the modern Soviet medium and heavy tanks and wasn ' t likely to get anything capable of doing so from the Germans anytime soon . Romania had a number of captured modern Soviet tanks and field guns and it was decided to convert them to tank destroyers on the model of the German Marder II . The T - 60 light tank was chosen because Romanian industry could maintain it , not least because its engine was a license - built Dodge - Derotto - Fargo F . H . 2 for which spares were available in both Romania and Germany . A captured Soviet " M - 1936 F - 22 " field gun was removed from its carriage and a new mount was fabricated to fit the gun to a turretless " T - 60 " . A fighting compartment was built using armor salvaged from captured Soviet tanks and the suspension was reinforced to handle its greater weight . Leonida finished the prototype on 19 January 1943 by . Description . The " TACAM T - 60 " had a " M - 1936 F - 22 " field gun mounted on a " T - 60 " light tank chassis . The gun was removed from its carriage and mounted on a new pedestal that mated to the chassis . The gun - laying mechanism was modified to suit Romanian practices and a recoil guard was added to protect the gunner . The gun was protected by a three - sided , fixed gun shield with sides thick . The armor plate for the gun shield was salvaged from captured Soviet " BT - 7 " cavalry tank s . The gun could traverse 32° , elevate 8° and depress 5° . A total of forty - four rounds were carried for the main gun . The chassis was modified for its new role ; a new engine cover was made to improve engine cooling and the interior was modified to add more ammunition storage . The extra weight of the gun required that the suspension be modified with stronger torsion bars and new road wheels . A brake to lock the wheels while firing was also added . The armor of the hull ranged from thick . It could cross a ditch wide , climb an obstacle high and ford a stream deep . Operational history . A total of thirty - four were converted by Leonida in Bucharest by the end of 1943 . Sixteen were assigned to the " 61st Tacam Company " which was assigned to the 1st Armored Regiment and eighteen were organized into the " 62nd Tacam Company " and assigned to the 2nd Armored Regiment . Despite these nominal assignments the " TACAM T - 60 " s were assigned as needed . The " ad hoc " " Cantemir Armored Group " was formed on 24 February 1944 to reinforce the defenses of Northern Transnistria from elements of the " 1st Armored Division " and included fourteen " TACAM T - 60 " s in two batteries . This was later returned to its parent 1st Armored Division and the tank destroyers fought with the division during the Soviet Jassy - Kishniev Offensive . Nothing is known about any action immediately after Romania ' s defection to the Allies in late August 1944 or in the defense of Romania during the following month , but it seems likely that all surviving vehicles were repossessed by the Soviets during October 1944 .