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Soviet Union's T-34/85 Ob 1943 medium tank
| T-34/85 1/72 Armor | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Armor | Easy Models | Forces of Valor |
| 60248: 60249: |
36271: 36274: |
85018: |
Design
The modernization of the T-34 was decided upon at a meeting of the State Defense Committee on August 25, 1943, after the severe losses at the battle of Kursk.2 V. G. Grabin, chief designer at Artillery Factory No. 92, suggesting in the spring of 1943 to us a long barrelled 85 mm tank gun to up arm the T-34.2 He used an 85 mm gun that was going to be installed in the KV-3 heavy tank.2 It had to be modified to fit the T-34 and it was designated the 85 mm Tank Gun ZIS-53.2
During the 1st half of 1943 another group under General F. F. Petrov work on 2 variants of the 85 mm that was later used in the KV-85, IS-1, and SU-85.2
At Factory No. 92 in Gorki, A. Savin made a 3rd variant of the 85 mm gun.2 It was mounted in a modified T-34 turret for testing.2 During testing it was realized that the turret would have to be enlarged to accommodate 3 crew members to allow for the maximum possible rate of fire.2 The People's Commissariat for the Armor Industry assigned the task to a development bureau in the Krasnoye Sormovo factory.2 A cylindrical cupola for the commander was installed.2 However, when the 85 mm gun from V.G. Grabin was installed it was discovered that it had a limited elevation.2 New guns were developed and were tested at the end of 1943.2 The State Defense Committee approved it for introduction to the army on December 15, 1943.2
| Gun | Ammo Type | Weight | Muzzle Velocity | Penetration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 mm Model 1944, L/538 | AP8 | 20.3 lb8 | 2,600'/sec8 | 4.7"@0° at 100 yards11 |
| 85 mm1 | 21.5 lb1 9.8 kg1 |
2,600'/sec1 780 m/sec1 |
Other faults in the 85 mm gun from V.G. Grabin were discovered and it was decided to use the gun from General Petrov.2 This gun had bad ballistic performance and work continued on the ZIS-53.2 It was tested in January 1944 and were shortly thereafter put into production.2 By the end of 1944 11,778 85 mm Tank Gun ZIS S-53 were produced.2
A Tsch 16 scope was installed and it had a 16 degree field of view and 4x magnification.2
Prototype
Production
Production started in late 1943 and entered service in Guard units in March 1944.
- T-34/85: 29,4302
- 1943: 2831, 1002
- 1944: 11,7781, 11,0002,3
- 1945: 7,2301, 18,3302
Variants
- T-34/85:
- T-34/85 Model 1944:
- T-34/85-I1: Had turret that was designed for the KV-85.1 The turret ring had a diameter of 5.2' / 1.56 m.1 Issued to Guard Tank units.1 The main gun was reported to be able to penetrate the front armor of a Tiger or a Panther.1
- OT-34/852: Had an AT-42 flame-thrower mounted in place of the hull MG.2 Could shoot a flame 60-100 meters.2
- PT-3: Had a PT-3 mine removal roller attached.2 Engineer regiments had 22 T-34s and 18 PT-3 min removal devices.
- There was a bridgelayer and mine-roller version too.
Usage
| T-34/85 | T-34/85 19442 | |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | Commander, driver, hull gunner, turret gunner, loader 51,3,4,5,9, 4-58 |
52 |
| Physical Characteristics | ||
| Weight | 70,000 lb, 70,548 lb, 30 tons4, 31.5 tons1,3,5,9, 32 tons1 32,000 kg1,3 |
32 tons2 |
| Length w/gun | 24.6'5,9, 26' 5.75", 26' 8", 26' 7"3 7.53 m4, 8.15 m3 |
8.15 m2 |
| Length w/o gun | 19' 5.25", 20', 6.29 m1 | 6.1 m2 |
| Height | 7.8'5,9, 8' 5", 8' 6", 9' 10"1, 9' 7"3, 9'3 2.5 m4, 2.74 m1,3 |
2.72 m2 |
| Width | 9.8'5,9, 10' 6.25", 9' 10", 9' 7"1 2.99 m1, 3 m4 |
3 m2 |
| Width over tracks | ||
| Ground clearance | 1' 4" 0.4 m4 |
0.4 m2 |
| Ground contact length | 12.2'9 | |
| Ground pressure | 10.8 psi8, 12.37 psi 0.87 kg/cm2 4 |
0.81-0.85 kg/cm2 2 |
| Turret ring diameter | 5' 2", 1.6 m | |
| Armament (mm) | ||
| Main | 85 mm 215-553 L/51.59 85 mm ZiS-S-533 85 mm1,5 85 mm L/534 85 mm M1944 S53 (D-5T)7 85 mm Model 1944, L/538 |
85 mm ZIS S-53 1944 L/51.52 |
| Secondary | ||
| MG | 2: 7.62 mm DT MG3 2: 7.62 mm MG1 2: MGs4,9 1: MG5 |
|
| MG - coaxial | 7.62 mm DT MG7,8 | 7.62 mm DT MG2 |
| MG - hull | 7.62 mm DT MG7,8 | 7.62 mm DT MG2 |
| Side arms | ||
| Quantity | ||
| Main | 559, 564,8, 60, 767 | 56-602 |
| Secondary | ||
| MG | 1,8908, 1,9554, 2,3949 | 1,8902 |
| Side arms | ||
| Armor Thickness (mm) | 903 18 - 755 Front: 1.8"@60°8 Side: 1.8"@40°8 |
|
| Hull Front, Upper | 47 - 609, 454, 90, 471 | 602 |
| Hull Front, Lower | 45 | |
| Hull Sides, Upper | 454, 45 - 479, 601 | 452 |
| Hull Sides, Lower | 45 | |
| Hull Rear | 30, 40-454, 471 | 452 |
| Hull Top | 18 - 229, 201, 304 | 20-232 |
| Hull Bottom | 18 - 229, 18, 201,4 | 222 |
| Turret Front | 3.7"8 20 - 759, 45-554, 901 Mantlet: 2.3"8 |
45-75 |
| Turret Sides | 3.5"8, 50-554, 751 | 752 |
| Turret Rear | 504, 601 | 752 |
| Turret Top | 201,4 | 202 |
| Engine (Make / Model) | V-2-349, W-2-343, W-24 | W-2/342 |
| Bore / stroke | 4 cycle8 | 4 stroke2 |
| Cooling | Water4,8 | |
| Cylinders | 129, V-128 | V-122 |
| Capacity | ||
| Net HP | 5005,9, 500@1,800 rpm8 | 500@1,800 rpm2 |
| Power to weight ratio | 15.6 hp/ton2 | |
| Compression ratio | 15:18 | |
| Transmission (Type) | Constant mesh spur gear8 4 forward, 1 reverse4,8 |
|
| Steering | Clutch brake8 | |
| Steering ratio | ||
| Starter | Air and electric8 | |
| Electrical system | 24-volts and 12-volt8 | |
| Ignition | ||
| Fuel (Type) | Diesel5,8,9 | |
| Octane | ||
| Quantity | 147 gallons (8 internal tanks)8, each external tank 25 gallons8 480 liters4 Internal: 127 gallons, 214 gallons, 144 gallons External: 71 gallons |
840 liters2 |
| Road consumption | 1.7 mpg8 | |
| Cross country consumption | ||
| Performance | ||
| Traverse | 360° Hand and electric8 |
360° |
| Max speed | 31 mph1,5,9, 33 mph8, 34 mph3 47 kph4, 55 kph3, 50 kph1 |
50 kph2 |
| Cross country speed | 5-10 mph8, 18.6 mph, 21.8 mph | |
| Road radius | 186.4 miles, 186 - 220 miles9, 190 miles1,3, 224 miles1, 250 miles8 360 km1, 300 km1,3,4 |
300 km2 |
| Cross country radius | 130 - 210 miles9, 155 miles8, 193 miles1 160 km4, 310 km1 |
|
| Turning radius | 25' 4" 7.7 m4 |
|
| Elevation limits | -5° to +25° | |
| Fording depth | 47"8, 4' 4", 4' 3" 0.9 m4 |
1.3 m2 |
| Trench crossing | 8.2'8, 8' 3" | 2.5 m2 |
| Vertical obstacle | 30"8 | 0.73 m2 |
| Climbing ability | 35° (70%) slope8 | 35°2 |
| Suspension (Type) | Christie4,8 Each wheel suspended on movable arm working against a coil spring located in the hull8 |
|
| Wheels each side | 54,8 | |
| Return rollers each side | ||
| Tracks (Type) | Dry pin8 | |
| Length | ||
| Width | 1' 9.1"9, 1' 10" 560 mm4 |
|
| Diameter | ||
| Number of links | 728 | |
| Pitch | 7"8 | |
| Tire tread | Steel4 | |
| Track centers/tread |
Sources:
- Russian Tanks of World War II Stalin's Armored Might, by Tim Bean & Will Fowler, 2002
- Russian Tanks and Armored Vehicles 1917-1945, by Wolfgang Fleischer, 1999
- The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles - The Comprehensive Guide to Over 900 Armored Fighting Vehicles From 1915 to the Present Day, General Editor: Christopher F. Foss, 2002
- Panzer Truppen The Complete Guide to the Creation and Combat Employment of Germany's Tank Force 1943-1945, Thomas L. Jentz, 1996
- Tanks of the World, 1915-1945, Peter Chamberlain, Chris Ellis, 1972
- -
- Battle Winning Tanks, Aircraft & Warships of World War II, David Miller, 2000
- Tank Data, Aberdeen Proving Grounds Series, 1968?
- Airfix Magazine Guide 22 Russian Tanks of World War 2, John Milsom and Steve Zaloga, 1977
