The Hybrid Tank that Led to the T-34-85

There are many cases in history where a tank that remained a prototype helped out another one that went into mass production. In part, this happened with turrets which lost their chassis but found a new home on another tank. Sometimes whole new tanks grew out of the turret, like the Pz.Kpfw.IV. These "centaurs" often grew into true workhorses that were built in huge numbers and remained in service for decades.

A T-34 tank with the T-43 turret, fall 1943.

Two such turrets came into being in 1943. One was the result of work on the Medium Tank T23, a prospective vehicle that was supposed to replace the Medium Tank M4. The replacement didn't pan out for a number of reasons but the turret came in handy when developing the Medium Tank M4(76). A similar thing happened in Soviet tank building. Trials of the turret taken from the second T-43 variant and transplanted on top of a T-34 tank led to the creation of the T-34-85.

Track Bashing

 Changing tracks on T-34 and T-34-85 tanks at the Museum of National Military History

As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a light tank. Many operations that seem quite simple are actually very difficult to perform on a machine weighing several dozen tons. Many vehicles from the Great Patriotic War era were anything but light, and servicing them requires a lot of effort.

Changing tracks is a routine but difficult procedure.

The vehicles at the Museum of National Military History are not empty boxes, but rather fully functional military vehicles. This includes the museum's T-34 tanks. Both of them are used in various events. This involves swapping out the tracks from the stock ones to special parade tracks and back. This article will cover the details of this process.

Video: How the T-34 got an 85 mm gun

The T-34 tank was upgraded with an 85 mm gun in a new enlarged turret in 1944. The true story of how the new gun and turret ended up on a 4 year old chassis is an interesting and complicated one. Find out how it happened in my latest video.

Video: Almost an Hour of the T-34-85 at Capel

Didn't get enough of the T-34-85 tank shown at Capel? Enjoy almost an hour of glorious 4K footage from the event:

Shermans in "August Storm"

In Soviet historiography, the Soviet-Japanese War of 1945 is overshadowed by grandiose operations against Berlin and Vienna earlier that year. However, Western historians pay close attention to this campaign and debates on whether it was the A-bombs or the Soviet invasion that forced the Japanese to surrender rage on to this day. Famous historian David Glantz even invented a grandiose name for this operation: August Storm. The Red Army's advance was indeed lightning fast, in part thanks to foreign vehicles. This included the M4A2(76)W HVSS, the most advanced Sherman variant sent to the USSR.

Clouds gather

Stalin promised to enter the war against Japan within three months of Germany's defeat at the Yalta conference in February of 1945. Colonel-General Alfred Yodl signed an order for unconditional capitulation of all German forces on May 7th, 1945, coming into effect at 23:01 on May 8th. This kicked off the countdown for a Soviet offensive against Japan. The Red Army had three months to move an enormous force to the other side of an equally enormous country.

Concentration of the 6th Guards Tank Army in the vicinity of Tamsagbulag. The army included the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps that used Sherman tanks.

The 6th Guards Tank Army was one of the units that was destined to transfer to the far east. On June 26th, 1945, the unit was reallocated to the Transbaikal Front. It would have to cover a distance of 9000 km to cross from Czechoslovakia to Choibalsan. 88 trains of 60 cars each were allocated for this journey. The full transfer took 30 days, but the first elements began to form up by July 17th. New tanks awaited them there: 100 M4A2(76)W including the latest tanks with HVSS suspensions. These tanks were described in documents as "M4A2 with wide tracks". The 46th Guards Tank Brigade was fully equipped with these vehicles. One company from each of the tank regiments of the 18th, 30th, and 31st Guards Mechanized Brigades that made up the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps also received new tanks.

From Choibalsan, the tanks would make a 300 km march to Tamsagbulag, where the army would prepare for the upcoming offensive. This march took place in extreme conditions. The temperature reached 45 C during the day, as a result of which marches took place only at night to avoid overheating the engines and running gear. This also helped hide the tanks from air reconnaissance, as there was nowhere to conceal them in the desert. The army's documents describe the M4A2 as less sensitive to hot weather than the T-34-85. The American tanks could cover more ground every day, but at the cost of increased fuel consumption. The Shermans normally burned 40 kg of fuel per hour, but this went up to 60 kg in Mongolia. Each tank could only run 90-100 km before refuelling instead of 150 km. The T-34-85 burned only 26 kg of fuel per hour.

M4A2(76)W HVSS, the newest tanks of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps.

Crewing the T-34-85 at Capel 2023

A month ago I joined the Capel Military Show as a T-34-85 tank crewman. With a full crew, hatches shut, and cannons firing outside, it was a great chance to experience what I've only read about. Watch my latest video for my impressions. 

Aquino Tank Weekend: T-34-85

Last weekend I had the pleasure of assuming the role of a T-34-85 tank commander during Aquino tank Weekend at the Ontario Regiment Museum. In this video, I cover what we know about the history of this particular tank and briefly show it in action. 

Tank Review

"To the Chief of Staff of the 31st Vistula Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Order of Kutuzov Tank Corps

I present to you the report on application of tank armament in the Patriotic War. The materials were collected in conversation with the 242nd Order of the Red Banner Order of Suvorov Tank Brigade.

Attachment: the aforementioned on three pages.

Chief of Staff of the 242nd Tank Brigade, Captain Hohlenkov

June 22nd, 1945"

"Report on the use of tank weapons in the Patriotic War

1. Notes on the design drawbacks of guns, machine guns, and ammunition

A Tank from a Former Ally

The T-34 was a mystery for the USSR’s allies for most of WWII. A sample of the legendary tank was only sent abroad in 1943, but information about an improved variant with a 3-man turret and an 85 mm gun became available soon after. Very little was known about this tank up until the spring of 1945, and with the end of the war the remote possibility of getting a sample vanished altogether. However, the odds of seeing this tank again increased with time. The Korean War broke out on June 25th, 1950. The Korean People’s Army (KPA) received aid from the USSR, which included T-34-85 tanks.

Old tanks in a new war

According to American sources, the North Koreans crossed the border on June 25th, 1950, with one armoured division consisting of three regiments numbering 160 T-34-85 tanks in total. The 16th and 17th Armoured Brigades joined them by September, and in November the 17th Mechanized Division with 41 tanks and 41st, 45th, and 46th Tank Regiments with 10 tanks each and the 43rd Mechanized Regiment with 13 tanks also crossed the border. According to the Americans, the North Koreans initially built up a force of 320 tanks in total, which was later reinforced by another 250 tanks.

A T-34-85 tank and a column of motorcyclists belonging to the Korean People’s Army.

Engagement Ranges

 "Conclusions

As a result of examination of materials covering tanks and SPGs knocked out in battle in 1942, 1943, and 1944, one can consider the following assertions to hold firmly:

1. German tanks and anti-tank artillery currently consists almost exclusively of 75 and 88 mm guns. The enemy uses 88 mm guns predominately against our heavy tanks and SPGs and 75 mm guns against medium tanks and SPGs.
2. The main type of shell used by German artillery against our tanks and SPGs is an armour piercing sharp tipped shell with a powerful cap and small HE effect. More than 90% of all hits in July of 1944 were delivered by these types of shells.
   The use of subcaliber shot and Faust or Ofenrohr type shells against our tanks and SPGs is negligible.
3. German 75 mm guns typically fire at ranges from 100 to 700 meters and rarely exceed 1000-1100 meters.
4. German 88 mm guns typically fire at ranges from 600 to 1300 meters and rarely exceed 1600-1700 meters.
5. 75 mm guns mostly fire at T-34 tanks at ranges from 100 to 600 meters and 88 mm guns fire from 400 to 1100 meters.
6. 88 mm guns mostly fire on IS tanks from 600 to 1300 meters.
7. When firing at SPGs, ranges increase by about 200-300 meters compared to tanks of the same type.

[...]

Chief Engineer of the NII-48 MF A.F. Stogov

Deputy Chief of the 4th Department and Project Lead, V.V. Larchenko"

RGAE F.8752 Op.7 D.045 L.33-34

Big Guns for the T-34

There is a large category of fans of alternative history who like to install large guns into small tanks. These people don't exist only on the internet, but also among popular authors of quasi-historical publications. They sometimes even provide some kind of schematics and make grandiose projections. While modern plans have little to do with reality, tank designers many years ago worked towards very similar goals. Every army wanted to put a larger gun into its tanks. This typically happened as a result of increased requirements for tank guns. This process started very early in the USSR. The MS-1, the first Soviet mass produced tank, was built with a 37 mm Hotchkiss gun. This was far from the only weapon proposed for it. The same gun mount could have been a home for a "high power 37 mm gun" or "37 mm Rheinmetall gun". There were many cases where the proposed gun would simply not have fit into the fighting compartment. For instance, this was the case with the AT-1. The 76 mm PS-3 gun failed to enter production and took down the SPG with it. Other 76 mm guns (for instance the L-10) wouldn't fit.

The 85 mm AA gun was seen as a potential anti-tank weapon and tank gun back in the summer of 1940.

T-34-85 at Aquino Tank Weekend

The T-34-85 is one of the Ontario Regiment Museum's most interesting vehicles. Its past is not yet fully known, but it definitely had a long and rich career before ending up at the museum. It was built at factory #112 in June of 1945 and captured in Bosnia during the Yugoslavian Civil War. The museum is returning the tank to its initial state, but it bears the signs of many modernizations and repairs applied along the way. 

Object 701 Trials

 "February 8th, 1945

1. The Object 701 tank was designed on the initiative of the Kirov factory with participation of the Bauman Institute transmission design group and TsAKB arms designers, and produced according to GOKO decree #5583 issued on April 8th, 1944.
2. According to order #368/01 of the Commander of Armoured and Mechanized Forces and the People's Commissariat of Tank Production, the commission led by Lieutenant General of the Tank Forces comrade Vershinin conducted proving grounds trials of the Object 701 heavy tank in June-July of 1944.
   The NIBT proving grounds held penetration trials of two variants of the hull and turret in July-August of 1944.

100 mm Guns

 "May 17th, 1945

I report to you on the work performed by the People's Commissariat and factories #92 and #9 on improving the firepower of T-34, T-44, and T-54 medium tanks.

Two types of 100 mm guns were produced for these tanks with turret rings widened to 1700 mm.

• 100 mm LB-1 gun produced at factory #92 (Gorkiy).
• 100 mm D-10T gun incorporating design elements of the D-10S SPG gun produced at factory #9 (Sverdlovsk)

Both guns were installed in turn into a T-34 tank with an expanded turret ring and tested at the Gorohovets proving grounds from April 6th to April 27th. Trials included firing 100 shots and 500 km of driving.

Far East Reliability

 "September 29th, 1945

The following technical defects were discovered in tanks and SPGs of the Transbaikal Front after crossing the Manchurian and Mongolian steppe, mountains of the Greater Khingan, and the heavily swamped region until Changchung and Mukden.

1. Widespread cases of melting battery seals on T-34 tanks and SU-100 SPGs.
   Due to the low quality of seals (low melting temperature) and lack of asbestos packing cords, the seals melted, seeped into battery cells, and covered the upper parts of the plates. Refurbishment of batteries was successfully carried out by brigade and regiment level repair units.
2. Widespread cases of destruction of M4A2 road wheel tires.
   Destruction happened chiefly due to poor vulcanization of the rubber and especially difficult road conditions (high ambient temperature and sand-stone terrain).

Mix and Match

 "#837681
April 6th, 1945

The NIBT Proving Grounds tested Tiger Ausf.B road wheels on a T-34-85 tank. Trials showed that these wheels are more reliable than those used on the T-34-85 tank.

No defects aside from the loss of the disk attachment cone at 1058 km and four cases of burst welding seams on the rims were observed during 1500 km of travel (of those 567 were on a highway with an average speed of 42.3 kph).

Turn up the Heat

 "April 13th, 1945

Experience gathered as a result of experiments performed at the NIBT Proving Grounds and the front lines of the Patriotic War show that instructions to heat up V-2 family engines at low RPM (600-800) until coolant temperature of 50 degrees and oil temperature of 40 degrees is reached are ineffective, do not result in normal burning of fuel, and result in increased wear on components.

Heating V-2 engines at high RPM (up to 1600 RPM) by combining idling and working under load results in a higher effect and reduces the time required to heat up the engine to working conditions.

Upgrade

 "#006
March 19th, 1945

In order to refresh the materiel of the Transbaikal Front tank forces, I order to:

1. Rearm the first regiment of each tank division of the Transbaikal Front with T-34 tanks (69 T-34 tanks).
2. Rearm the first battalion of each tank brigade with T-34 tanks according to TO&E 010/346 (25 T-34 tanks) and #010/318 (23 T-34 tanks).
3. Keep old tanks left over from rearming tank regiments and tank battalions in the reserve of the commanders of the tank divisions and brigades.
4. The Commander of Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army must send 234 T-34 tanks to the Commander of the Transbaikal Front to rearm tank regiments and tank battalions.
   Send the tanks and crews from May 1st to May 31st, 1945.
5. The Chief of the General Staff will give any necessary directions on transferring tanks to the Transbaikal Front.

People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR

Marshal of the Soviet Union, I. Stalin"

RGVA F.4 Op.11 D.160-161

Printed in Glavnoye Bronetankovoye Upravleniye Lyudi, Sobytiya, Fakty v dokumentakh, 1944-1945 p.440

Bigger Guns

"February 5th, 1945

Evaluation of tank armament

In 1944 the Germans accepted the Tiger B tank into service, which is now the main type of enemy heavy tank.

The Tiger B tank has powerful front armour and the 88 mm KWK-43 gun. The AP round of this gun has a muzzle velocity of 1000 m/s with an aimed rate of fire of about 6 RPM.

The second type of main German tank is the Panther medium tank. This tank has a 75 mm gun with a muzzle velocity of 1000 m/s and rate of fire of 7-8 RPM.

The AP shells of these tanks can penetrate our tanks from 1500-2000 meters.

85 mm Gun Instructions

"Instructions from the 4th Department of the Combat Training Directorate of the Armoured and Mechanized Forces of the Red Army on the specifics of using the 85 mm tank gun

February 23rd, 1944

1. The T-34 tank uses two types of 85 mm gun: D5-T-85 and S-53.
   In combat the guns are serviced by two crewmen: the gunner and the loader.
2. The differences in characteristics of the weapons are negligible. Both are meant to combat enemy armoured vehicles, suppress artillery batteries and anti-tank guns, as well as enemy personnel, at ranges of 1500-2000 meters.