T-34 Commander Cupolas

State Committee of Defense Decree #3531ss
June 7th, 1943
Moscow, Kremlin

On installing commander's cupolas on T-34 tanks.

The State Committee of Defense decrees that:

1. A commander's cupola is approved for the T-34 with the following technical parameters:

1. The cupola is installed on existing two-hatch turrets above the commander's seat, instead of the hatch.
2. The cupola has five vision slits with "triplex" glass and a rotating MK-4 observation device (based on the English type) on the roof, providing convenient 360 degree vision from the tank.
3. The cupola roof is composed of two hatch halves, which allow the crew to enter and exit the tank.
   GBTU (comrade Vershinin) and NKTP (comrade Zaltsmann) must approve production blueprints for the cupola designed by factory #183 by June 10th of this year.

2. NKTP (comrade Zaltsmann) and directors of tank factories (#183, comrade Maksarev, #112, comrade Rubinchik, #174, comrade Zadorozhniy, Kirov, comrade Dlugach, and Uralmash, comrade Muzrukov) must begin production of T-34 tanks with commander's cupolas matching the requirements in part 1 in the following amounts:

Factory	June	July	August	September
#183	60	350	All tanks
Kirov	30	60	All tanks
Uralmash	10	20	All tanks
#112	-	70	150	All tanks
#174	-	30	60	All tanks

Until MK-4 devices are delivered, it is acceptable to produce T-34 tanks with commander's cupolas without MK-4 devices, provided that these devices can be installed in the field.

3. The People's Commissariat of Armament (comrade Ustinov) and 2nd Chief Directorate (comrade Dobrovolskiy) must organize production of MK-4 devices for T-34 tanks at factory #393 and provide them to the NKTP in the following amounts:

• July 1943: 150
• August: 700
• September: 1500
• October: 2000

and, starting in November, 4000 units monthly."

RGASPI 644-2-178