The T-34 tank can, without a doubt, be called one of the most famous tanks both on the territory of our country and around the world. This combat vehicle took part in almost all operations of the Second World War and stood in service until 1944, until they released a more advanced tank, a modification of the T-34-85. But this modification appeared for a reason.
She was “born” only after Soviet scientists came up with the T-34M, namely the “T-34 Modified”.
Failed modification
In 1941, the Council of People's Commissars issued a decree in order to clarify certain things in the production plan. They demanded that the factories fulfill the plan for T-34 tanks in a huge, without exaggeration, quantity - 2800 units, dividing them all between the two plants. It was just one order. It was also indicated that 500 of these machines needed to be improved, namely:
• Strengthen the armor sheets on the tower, as well as strengthen the armor on the hull, increasing the thickness to 60 mm. ” Needless to say, at that time there were no such engines in the T-34M that could drag this colossus at least a few meters?
• Install an improved suspension. It had to be exactly the same as it was put on the cars of that time, namely the torsion bar, which was controlled by the rotation of the springs, for greater maneuverability and greater mobility.
• Installation of a command tower, protected from all sides in case it will be necessary to inspect the battlefield. Since the driver’s field of vision was very limited inside the tanks, he could not see what was happening behind him, and sometimes on the sides, and here he was rescued by a commander protruding from the tower. It was necessary to protect the officer from a stray bullet or a fragment, and therefore decided to make an "extra" turret to inspect the battlefield.
• Strengthen the armor sheets on the sides of the tank and make them almost 50 mm in size, and the angle of inclination of this armor should be at least 45 degrees so that the projectile flying into the tank does not do so much damage and ricochet, taking only part of the damage.
Start of work on the T-34M
The most difficult was the instruction of the Council of People's Commissars to make a tank with a fixed weight of 27.5 tons, which with such a quantity of armor was an almost unattainable task, not taking into account weapons and ammunition. A few days later, another decree was received to finalize the A-43, but this time it touched the turret of the tank. Factories needed to make it from several welded parts, and not make it whole, as before.
After that, the work “buzzed” on the ground. People worked day and night, because the plan was crazy, and it was also necessary to test an improved version of the tank.
Having created five buildings and only three towers, and without waiting for the desired engine, which could drag this colossus along, both plants were evacuated. The Great Patriotic War began, and an improved version of the tank - T-34M - has not yet been created. All the workers were sent already to Nizhny Tagil and continued to work there. But the updated tank, as it was also called, the A-43, was never released. However, work on modernization did not stop. Ready-made developments were used in another combat vehicle, no less deadly - T-43.
New combat unit and creation of an ambitious project
The T-43 can hardly be called a successful solution in tank production. The design of the car was done in a hurry, because the courtyard was 1943, and the Great Patriotic War was in full swing, not letting the heads of both the country and the factories who needed to account for the plan fulfilled.
The Council of People's Commissars decided to leave everything as it is in the T-34M tank, but to strengthen the turret, namely to strengthen the armor and establish a stronger gun. Make it “rifled” for a better effect of the lesion and increase the length of the barrel.
Failed modernization of the T-34
Scientists who began to create this tank, first sighed calmly. Indeed, in fact, they only needed to work on the tower. And after a while, they saw all the shortcomings of the T-34M tank, which was far from ideal in terms of mobility and space for the combat crew, because of which it was necessary to reduce the number of soldiers inside the tank by one person, as well as reduce the number of machine guns from two to one.
Only three pieces were created, which successfully passed the tests and were even put into battle. But having seen that in fact, a regular “thirty-four” can be equipped with a stronger gun, increasing the caliber and length, we came to the conclusion that there is no need for modernization. Although the tower of this particular tank was used on the next T-34-85 model. Only with minor modifications.
It was decided to install an 85 mm cannon on a regular T-34 tank, and it proved to be much more efficient than the new 43rd project. Another good decision adopted from this tank was the torsion bar suspension. She migrated from the T-34M tank, because she showed herself perfectly both in cross-country ability and in the distance that the tank could cover. This feature was used later, already in the T-44 tank.
The last word of tank technology during the Great Patriotic War, or Tank T-34-85
Taking advantage of the achievements of their "younger brothers", this fighting vehicle has rightfully become one of the most deadly on the battlefields of World War II. Her armor was not so thick that it allowed to maneuver and escape from the fire, but the angle of inclination protected her much better than on other tanks. 60 degrees of inclination allowed the tank to simply take away part of the damage from its armor, causing the shell to “slip” and inflict not as much damage as before.
For all these services, the tank became the main weapon of the Soviet armed forces and their allies in World War II. His success on the battlefields, his mass character and reputation made him the most recognizable in those days. Even after the war, the Soviet Union did not stop the production of these combat vehicles for another thirteen years, sending orders to both Czechoslovak and Polish factories.
Post-war "life" of the T-34-85 tank
For the entire existence of orders for these tanks, almost 31 thousand were issued. And if you take into account the number of battle tanks under this name, then all 100 thousand will be typed. This tank with confidence can be called the most massive in the whole world and, probably, the most famous.
Officially, the T-34 series tank, as well as its modifications, were withdrawn from service in 1993, after the collapse of the USSR and the creation of the Russian Federation, and a new type of tank, the T-54, came into service.
After the Second World War, T-34-85 began to be delivered to Central Europe and the Far East, to Asia, where conflicts and civil wars did not abate, and as of the first decade of the XXI century, this tank was in service with a number of countries, namely: North Korea and China, Egypt, North Vietnam, and was also used during the unrest in Cuba.
I would also like to say
Although this colossus did not go into production so massively, but the modified model of the T-34 tank has a huge story! And there are also numerous confirmations that this tank really existed. This masterpiece, although it was an improved model of the buildings of its predecessors, but unfortunately, it will only remain in the memory of fans of Soviet military equipment, as well as the designers who created this tank.