The T-34/76 tank is rightfully considered one of the best tanks of the Second World War, incorporating all the best qualities of these combat vehicles. It was recognized as the best for its time not only by the Soviet military, but even by their opponents, who directly faced this tank in combat conditions.
Creation history and description
In 1937, the Soviet leadership formulated general principles for building a new tank for the troops. The leading role for the deep modernization of the existing armored forces was the rapid development of anti-tank systems in the world.
Lightly armored vehicles of the USSR - T-26 and BT-5 in the civil war in Spain, shortly before the bloody battles of the Second World War, showed extremely weak qualities on the battlefield. They had frankly thin armor that could not even withstand hits from 37mm guns. Another hazard was the use of gasoline engines, which gave off vapors that could be easily ignited by the slightest spark.
Of course, the leadership of the USSR tried to take into account the mistakes of past projects, and immediately made a detailed technical assignment for the new machine.
In 1939, these tests started. It turned out that the A-32 with more armor than the A-20, as well as a 76mm cannon, had better performance. In addition, it had sufficient potential for further modernization.
By March 1940, two pre-production tanks were ordered, which were named the T-34 of the 1940 model. But there is another designation - T-34-76 - according to the caliber of the main gun.
The project was laid on the shoulders of the Kharkov Steam Locomotive Plant. The famous Russian specialist Mikhail Ilyich Koshkin and Adolf Dick became the chief designers. The latter was later arrested due to a delay in the preparation of technical documentation, so Koshkin continued the work.
There was no difference in caliber, but the F-32 gun turned out to have a large (in length) barrel. We noticed this after assembly (I must say that the edge of the barrel protruding beyond the nose armor led to the fact that the machine could rest against the ground when overcoming trenches and ditches). They did not change anything, so the first two samples had different barrels in length.
In February-March 1940, production samples were tested at a test site in the Kharkov region. And on March 6, the T-34-76 in 6 days on their own and off-road overcame almost 750 km from Kharkov to Moscow. Thus, the management demonstrated the reliability of the new car (and gained the necessary mileage required for testing).
The higher ranks noted such a beautiful move, and on March 31, 1940, it was decided to produce the tank in series for the needs of the army. By the way, the cars got back to Kharkov in the same way.
Specifications
Appearance
The layout of the tank is classic;
The crew of the tank - 4 people (driver-mechanic, commander, loader, radio operator-gunner);
Combat weight of the tank - initial 25, 6 tons - final 32 tons;
Dimensions (edit)
- Ground clearance - 400 mm;
- Case width - 3000 mm;
- The length of the tank (forward with a gun) -5964 mm;
- Tank hull length - 5920 mm;
Reservation of the T-34-76 tank:
Housing:
- Forehead (bottom) - 45 mm, tilt angle 53 degrees;
- Forehead (top) - 45 mm, tilt angle 60 degrees;
- Board (top) - 40 mm, angle of inclination 40 degrees;
- Board (bottom) - 45 mm, tilt angle 0 degrees;
- Hull roof - 16-20 mm;
- Feed (bottom) - 40 mm, angle of inclination 45 degrees;
- Feed (top) - 40 mm, tilt angle 47 degrees;
- Bottom - 13-16 mm;
Tank tower:
- Cannon mask - 40 mm;
- Forehead - 45 mm;
- Board - 45 mm, tilt angle 30 degrees;
- Feed - 45 mm, tilt angle 30 degrees;
- Roof - 15 mm, tilt angle 84 degrees.
The armament of the T-34-76 tank:
Gun brand and caliber:
- 76-mm gun L-11, model 1938-1939;
- 76 mm cannon F-34 mod. 1940 of the year;
Vertical guidance angles - from -5 to +25 degrees;
Gun barrel length:
- L-11 - 30, 5 calibers;
- F-34 - 41, 5 calibers;
Ammunition - 77 shells; Machine guns - two 7, 62 mm DT machine guns;
Cannon sights:
- TOD-6 (telescopic) model 1940;
- PT-6 (periscopic) model 1940;
Range: - Rough terrain - 230 km; - Highway - 300 km; Travel speed: - Rough terrain - 25 km / h; - Highway - 54 km / h;
Engine: diesel, V-shaped, liquid-cooled, 12-cylinder, 500 hp;
- Ground pressure (specific) - 0, 62 kg / sq. Cm;
- Overcome ford - 1, 3 m;
- Overcome moat - 3.4 m;
- Overcoming wall - 0.75 m;
- The overcome rise - 36 degrees;
Test in winter
For the first time, the great T-34/76 declared itself as a universal tank in the fall of 1941. In those days, the Germans were eager to reach Moscow with all their might. The Wehrmacht hoped for a blitzkrieg and threw more and more reserves into battle. Soviet troops retreated to the capital. The fighting was already 80 kilometers from Moscow. In the meantime, very early (in October) snow fell and a snow cover appeared. Under these conditions, light tanks T-60 and T-40S lost their ability to maneuver.
Heavy models suffered from shortcomings in their gearbox and transmission. As a result, at the most decisive stage of the war, it was decided to make the main tank T-34/76. By weight, this car was considered average. For its time, the T-34/76 assembly tank of the 1941 model was an effective and high-quality technique. The designers were especially proud of the V-2 diesel engine. Projectile armor (the most important protective element of the tank) fulfilled all the tasks assigned to it and protected the crew of 4 people as much as possible. The F-34 artillery system was distinguished by high-speed fire, which made it possible to quickly deal with the enemy. It was these three characteristics that the specialists were concerned about in the first place. The rest of the tank's features were the last to change.
Firepower
Early production T-34 tanks were equipped with a 76 mm gun mod. 1938/39 L-11 with a barrel length of 30.5 caliber and an initial velocity of an armor-piercing projectile - 612 m / s. Vertical guidance - from –5 ° to + 25 °. The practical rate of fire in a tank is 1-2 rounds / min. The gun had a vertical wedge semiautomatic bolt with a device for disabling semiautomatic devices, since in the pre-war years the GABTU leadership believed that semiautomatic devices should not be in tank guns (due to the gas contamination of the fighting compartment).
A feature of the L-11 cannon was the original recoil devices, in which the fluid in the recoil brake through a small hole directly contacted the atmospheric air. The main drawback of this weapon was also associated with this circumstance: if it was necessary to alternately conduct rapid fire at different elevation angles of the barrel (which was not uncommon in a tank), the hole was blocked, and the liquid boiled up when fired, breaking the brake cylinder.
In order to eliminate this drawback, a reserve hole with a valve was made in the L-11 rollback brake for communication with air when firing with a declination angle. The L-11 cannon, in addition, was very complex and expensive to manufacture. It required a wide range of alloy steels and non-ferrous metals, the manufacture of most of the parts required milling work of high precision and cleanliness.
A relatively small number of T-34 tanks were fired with the L-11 cannon - according to various sources, from 452 to 458. In addition, they were armed with several vehicles during repairs in blockaded Leningrad and 11 tanks in Nizhny Tagil in January 1942. For the latter, guns were used from among those taken out from Kharkov during the evacuation.
Soviet tank T-34/76: interesting facts
- Soviet designer Mikhail Koshkin was born on December 3, 1898. He left an indelible mark on history, creating the legendary T-34 tank.
- The tank owes its fame largely to its excellent running characteristics. They were provided with a V-2 diesel engine with a capacity of 500 horsepower. Thanks to him, a medium tank with cannon-proof armor practically did not yield to lighter vehicles in speed: 54 km / h on the highway and 25 km / h on rough terrain. The good ratio of engine power and combat weight of the tank in combination with wide tracks made it unusually maneuverable and able to pass through the most viscous mud and huge snowdrifts without any problems.
- Another secret of the T-34's success lay in its armor. Its thickness was not a record: on 1940 samples, it was 40-45 millimeters. Mikhail Koshkin's decision to place the armor plates at angles, and not strictly vertically, turned out to be extremely successful. Thus, the main part of the shells hit the car along a tangential trajectory and could not penetrate it.
- Like many other examples of Russian weapons, the T-34 has become the standard for ease of maintenance and reliability. It was actually a virtually indestructible machine. Yes, it could be knocked out and disabled, but with the proper skills it could be repaired right on the battlefield with minimal spare parts availability.
