The 85 mm gun and enlarged turret for the T-34 were developed as separate projects. I already wrote about what happens when you put the 85 mm gun in the standard hex turret, but there was also the option for the opposite: an enlarged turret with the same 76 mm F-34.
T-34 with the F-34 gun (left) and D-5 gun (right)
Production T-34
|
T-34 with 1600 mm turret ring and D-5 gun
|
T-34 with 1600 mm turret ring and F-34 gun
|
|
Combat weight
|
31,400 kg
|
32,700 kg
|
32,800 kg
|
Armament
|
|||
Cannon
|
1 76 mm F-34
|
1 85 mm D-5
|
1 76 mm F-34
|
Machineguns
|
2 DT
|
2 DT
|
2 DT
|
Armour
|
|||
Front
|
45 mm
|
45 mm
|
45 mm
|
Sides
|
45 mm
|
45 mm
|
45 mm
|
Rear
|
45 mm
|
45 mm
|
45 mm
|
Top
|
20 mm
|
20 mm
|
20 mm
|
Floor
|
20 mm
|
20 mm
|
20 mm
|
Turret
|
54 mm (cast)
|
54 mm (cast)
|
54 mm (cast)
|
Ammunition
|
|||
Cannon rounds
|
97
|
55
|
106
|
Machinegun rounds
|
3599
|
2745
|
4148
|
Grenades
|
20
|
20
|
20
|
Crew
|
4
|
5
|
5
|
Gun elevation
|
30 degrees
|
23 degrees
|
20 degrees
|
Gun depression
|
-5 degrees
|
-5 degrees
|
-5 degrees
|
Fuel capacity
|
870 L
|
860 L
|
860 L
|
covered by armour
|
600 L
|
590 L
|
590 L
|
not covered by armour
|
270 L
|
270 L
|
270 L
|
Observation devices
|
10
|
10
|
10
|
slits in turret
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
slits in commander’s cupola
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
driver’s mirror prisms
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
MK-IV devices in the cupola
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
MK-IV devices in the turret
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
I have two questions about T-34:
ReplyDeleteFirst, gun depression. I know data that T-34 with F-34 have only -3 degree of gun depression. In this document we can see -5 degree of gun depression for T-34 with F-34. Maybe this info about -3 degree of gun depression is related T-34 with F-34 gun in early turret (pre-hexagonal turret), and maybe T-34 with hexagonal turret have bigger gun depression? In my opinion that's can be truth, because hexagonal turret have higher profile than pre-hex turret.
Weight. My data show that early T-34 have 26 tons of weight. And that late T-34 (T-34 Model 43) have 30 tons of weight. But that's strange for me, because T-34 Model 43 have similar armour of hull to early T-34s. Why T-34 Model 43 was heavier than early tanks? New hexagonal turret was far more heavier?
BTW, in this document, in part about T-34 with D-5T and 1600mm ring, we can se info about 5 crewmember. Maybe that's proof that some T-34-85 with D-5T have 3 man turret? (I know generalisation T-34-85 with D-5T = 2 man turret).
The gun depression of the A-34 with the L-11 was -2.5 degrees. The gun depression in production tanks tested in November-December of 1940 was already -5 degrees. The gun depression backwards in both cases was -1.5 degrees, limited by the engine deck.
DeleteTurret weight increased by a lot, a welded low turret weighed about 1900 kg, a hex turret was 2700 kg. Other things came from reinforcing elements of the tank and adding things like stowage, heaters, etc.
I note the turret armor is listed as just 54 mm. I had thought the T-43 project, one of the projects that led to the T-34/85, had an uparmored 90 mm front/75 mm side side turret armor scheme that was carried over to T-34/85 production.
ReplyDeleteInitially the armour thickness remained the same. It was not increased until 1944 when it was noticed that there was a reserve in available weight: http://tankarchives.blogspot.com/2016/08/improved-t-34-85-armour.html
DeleteThey were developed as seperate prjects. Was the turret began before the gun prject ? (for the T 43 ?) I guess just having the 3 man turret with the 76 mm gun would already have improved the combat capabilites of the T 34 consideratly (apart from 3 men, also good TC cupola, more room for extra equipment etc...
ReplyDeleteI have two questions about this document:
ReplyDelete1 - What does the text at the very end say, next to the signature?
2 - Does this document have an official name?
"Senior Designer of factory #183
DeleteChief of "520"" [signature]
520 is the code of the design bureau that worked on the T-34 tank.
The title is "brief characteristics of the T-34 tank with a 1600 mm turret ring". It's probably an attachment to some kind of report on the testing of the tanks, but unfortunately this is the only page I have.
was the T-34/76 with hex turret ever seen in combat or it was just a prototype ?
ReplyDeleteTens of thousands of these tanks were built and saw battle, the hex turret T-34-76 was in production at several factories.
Delete