What are the people in the tank called? History of tank troops. Power plant with transmission

Weapon of victory. T-34 is a tank loved by everyone.

Thirty-four "immediately fell in love with the front-line soldiers. Appointment to this combat vehicle has always been a joyful event for tankers. They loved the tank, they trusted it, knowing that the “dear” “thirty-four” would help out in difficult times. There are many examples of a truly patriotic attitude of tankers and ordinary people to the war machine.
The driver of the T-34 tank, the only survivor of the crew, in an enemy environment, without fuel and ammunition, drowned the tank in a lake near the village of Azarenka in the Smolensk region, without giving the car into the hands of the Nazis.
"When in the vicinity blazed guerrilla war, the inhabitants told the people's avengers about the formidable car kept in the water. For fourteen days, women, old people and children from nearby villages and villages, guarded by a small group of partisans, scooped up the lake ... The combat vehicle revived by partisan mechanics caused panic in the rear of the Nazis on the important highway Yartsevo-Dukhovshchina-Most Pure. The name of the hero tanker who retained the "thirty-four" remained unknown.

During the years of the Great Patriotic War as part of the 126th TP of the 17th MBR, the crew of the T-34/85 "Motherland" tank fought, consisting of the tank commander - junior lieutenant M. P. Kashnikov, the gun commander - sergeant Anferov, the driver - sergeant Ostapenko, machine gunner - Sergeant Levchenko, loader - Sergeant Korobeinikov *. The tank was built at the expense of 65-year-old Muscovite Maria Iosifovna Orlova, the mother of the commander of the 6th Mk of the 4th TA, which included the 17th MBR, Colonel V. F. Orlov, who later became a Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously). When only a few months and weeks remained before the end of the war, on March 15, 1945, Colonel V.F. Orlov died in the battles for Upper Silesia (Poland). In 1941, another of her sons, Vladimir, died near Leningrad. Having escorted her husband, three sons and a daughter to the front, Maria Iosifovna, using the family's savings and the proceeds from the sale of jewelry and household items, wrote a letter to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief I.V. Stalin, placed an order for the construction of the T-34 tank. When the tank was ready, the patriot asked to be sent to the 6th MK. She wrote to the corps command “Accept from me, an old Russian woman, a T-34 combat vehicle as a gift. Pass it on to the best crew, and let them mercilessly smash the enemy.” In a letter addressed to Maria Iosifovna, the tankers of the Motherland tank crew swore an oath to justify the trust placed in them and kept it. The crew of the tank "Motherland" participated in the Upper Silesian (March 1945) and Berlin (April 16 - May 2, 1945) operations, destroying 17 tanks and self-propelled guns, 2 armored personnel carriers and 18 vehicles, destroyed more than two live companies enemy forces. The name itself, which was given to him by the comrades of V. F. Orlov, the tank received, of course, in honor of Maria Iosifovna.

And this case was in the autumn of 1942 on the Leningrad front. The tank battalion, after a successful reconnaissance in force, returned to the location of its troops. One of the "thirty-fours" got stuck on a natural obstacle in the neutral zone. Attempts to overcome the obstacle were not successful. The crew in the tank was one on one with the enemy at a distance of aimed machine-gun fire. With the onset of dusk, the Nazis periodically illuminated the area with rockets. In this situation, the tank commander decided not to leave the car, which was of great value.
As it later became known from the interrogation of prisoners, the Nazis, thinking that the T-34 crew left the car at night, tried to tow the tank to themselves. At dawn, a German tank approached the car, and the "thirty-four" was hooked with cables.
The gaze of the observers presented a duel of two tanks without a single shot:
“They dragged our tank about 10-15 meters, when suddenly it came to life, and the enemy tank, as if stumbling, stopped. Both tanks, linked by cables, froze in place, only the roar of engines was heard.
Here he dragged an enemy tank, and a “thirty-four” crawled around. Then he pulled the T-34 towards himself and dragged the enemy a little. This was repeated several times. The motors roared with all their "horse" powers... The T-34, seizing the moment, rushed forward and... dragged the enemy to our positions, without stopping, faster and faster... The Germans opened furious fire on the tanks. The German tanker who jumped out of the tower was immediately struck down by his own mines, and the other two preferred capture to death.
Our mortar batteries returned mortar fire. The T-34 dragged an enemy tank to the location of the battalion ”(Glushko I.M. Tanks came to life again. M., 1977, p. 91.).
In this confrontation between the Soviet tank and the German tank, a triple victory was won, so to speak. won soviet car, a Soviet tank builder and Soviet driver who took a big risk in order to save the "thirty-four".

T-34 "thirty-four" - Soviet medium tank During the Great Patriotic War, it was mass-produced since 1940, it was the main tank of the Red Army until the first half of 1944, when it was replaced by the T-34-85 modification tank. The most massive medium tank of World War II.
Developed in the Kharkov design bureau under the leadership of M. I. Koshkin. From 1942 to 1945, the main large-scale production of the T-34 was deployed at powerful machine-building plants in the Urals and Siberia, and continued in post-war years. The leading plant for modifying the T-34 was the Ural Tank Plant No. 183. The latest modification (T-34-85) is in service with some countries to this day.
The tanks produced in 1940 were armed with a 76-mm L-11 cannon, model 1939, with a barrel length of 30.5 calibers. The recoil devices of the gun were protected by the original and only armor characteristic of this model of the tank. Note that the gun did not protrude beyond the front of the hull. Tank turret welded from rolled armor plates, side and rear walls had an angle of inclination to the vertical of 30". Tanks of the first releases had a streamlined bow of the hull, only these machines had a characteristic shape.
The T-34 tank had a huge impact on the outcome of the war and on further development world tank building. Due to the combination of its combat qualities, the T-34 was recognized by many specialists and military experts as one of the best tanks of World War II. When it was created, Soviet designers managed to find the optimal balance between the main combat, tactical, ballistic, operational, running and technological characteristics.

Crew commander t-34 from the book by A. V. DRABKIN “I FIGHTED ON T-34”
Shishkin Grigory Stepanovich about t-34

"- How do you assess the reliability of the T-34?
- The tanks were very reliable, I would even say that they were extremely reliable. Well, of course, we cheated, twisted the engine speed limiter, which was strictly forbidden to do. Of course, the engine deteriorated quickly, but the life of the tank was short. And so it happened, during the exercises you took off uphill with a bullet, and those who had just arrived with new tanks barely climbed. We told them: “Learn how to take care of a tank!”
When you arrive at the place, the tank is warm - a large colossus. Throw a tarpaulin over the engine compartment - there is grace even in frosts. Later, in winter, while the tank was moving, you purposely closed the blinds so that it would heat up to the limit. You arrive, a tarpaulin for the engine compartment, you pretend the edges with snow or earth. And there is a buzz! You can undress to the tunic!
Often the caterpillars jumped off. And so, perhaps, I won’t say anything more ... The motor worked fine. The reliability of the clutches depended on the driver. If used correctly, it worked reliably.
- How do you like the radio?
- The radio, as a rule, was not used - it often failed. Yes, they were forbidden to use it. Because the Germans were listening in on the negotiations. Worked for reception only. In general, there is a wonderful technique: “Do as I do!” The tank intercom was also not used. The mechanic was controlled by feet. To the right, to the left - on the shoulders, in the back - faster, on the head - stand. The loader is nearby - through the breech of the gun. He can use both voice and hands.
- Which factories did you receive tanks from?
- At first there were Sormovo, then mixed with Sormovo and Tagil. The Tagil towers were bigger and more comfortable. And it's almost the same. One time came "Valentines". When they found out that American tanks were coming to us, everyone started running to the deputy technical department complaining about the tank - one thing
junk, then something else - they began to look for all sorts of reasons to transfer to an American tank. They came to us... Oh, how they looked at what kind of tank it was... Our tanks were roughly finished inside, there was scale, and welds could be preserved from welding. And then you get into it - soft skin, it is written everywhere in golden letters - "entrance", "exit", "fire". But gasoline engines - burn like a candle. The caterpillars of the "Valentines" were rubber-metal. For the parade, they were good, but in combat conditions, a little roll, and she flies. Volodya Somov, about whom I have already spoken, somehow took a sledgehammer, climbed onto the tank, as he hit the armor, and the sledgehammer entered twenty millimeters! It turns out, as we were later explained, they have viscous armor. The shell pierces it, but there are no fragments. The gun is weak. They were absolutely not adapted to this war. Then they burned these tanks, in my opinion, deliberately. Under me, such a tank burned down ... No, it's bad to fight on it. You sit in it and you are already afraid. No comparison with the T-34.
In general, I changed five tanks in a year. Once a shell pierced my side of the cannon, another time the metal in the exhaust pipe burned out and the engine caught fire. Well, they beat...
- Did they close the hatches in battle?
- According to the charter, hatches in battle were required to be closed. But, as a rule, I did not close. Because it's very easy to lose your bearings in a tank. From time to time it is necessary to look, to outline landmarks. The driver, as a rule, left the hatch ajar in the palm of his hand.
- What is the attack speed?
- Depending on the area, but small. Kilometers 20-30 per hour. But there are times when you need to move fast. If you see that they shot at you, then you try to maneuver. Here the speed is slower. If there is a suspicion that it is mined, then you try to quickly slip through so that the mine behind the tank explodes.
A tank tarpaulin measuring 10 by 10 meters was attached to the tank turret. The crew covered the tank with them on the way to the front. A simple meal was laid out on it. The same tarpaulin served the tankers as a roof over their heads when it was not possible to stay overnight in the houses.
In winter conditions, the tank froze through and became a real "refrigerator".
Then the crew dug out a trench, drove a tank onto it from above. A “tank stove” was hung under the bottom of the tank, which was heated with firewood. It was not very comfortable in such a dugout, but it was much warmer than in the tank itself or on the street.

The habitability and comfort of the "thirty-fours" themselves were at the minimum required level. The seats of the tankers were made rigid and, unlike the American tanks, they did not have armrests. Nevertheless, tankers sometimes had to sleep right in the tank - half-sitting. Senior Sergeant Pyotr Kirichenko, gunner-radio operator of the T-34, recalls:
“Although I was long and thin, I still got used to sleeping on my seat. I even liked it: you recline your back, lower your boots so that your feet don’t freeze on the armor, and you sleep. And after the march, it’s good to sleep on a warm transmission, covered with a tarpaulin.”

“All the years of the war,” the well-known Soviet tank designer Zh. Ya. Kotin later recalled, “there was a competition between the design minds of the warring parties. Germany changed the design of its tanks three times. However, the Nazis never managed to achieve the combat power of Soviet tanks, created and modernized by scientists and designers. The creative thought of our designers all the time overtook the fascist one.

The vaunted “tiger” was clumsy, looked like a box, the projectile easily “bited” its vertical armor, and even if it survived, all the terrible force of the impact stunned the crew and wounded with pieces of scale. From this, enemy tankers often "smeared" even at close range.

Only Soviet tank building was able to create a type of tank that meets the requirements of modern warfare. In terms of its combat performance, the T-34 was much better than foreign tanks of that time. It did not morally become obsolete throughout the war, but remained a first-class combat vehicle throughout its entire duration. Both the enemy and our allies in the anti-Hitler coalition were forced to admit this.

This tank is the most recognizable symbol of the Great Patriotic War. The best tank of the Second World War in its class. One of the most massive tanks in the world. The machine that forms the basis of the armored armies of the USSR that passed all over Europe.

What kind of people led the "thirty-four" into battle? How and where did you study? What did the battle look like "from the inside" and what were the front-line everyday life of Soviet tankers?

Training of tankers to...

Before the war, a regular tank commander trained for two years. He studied all types of tanks that were in the Red Army. He was taught to drive a tank, shoot from his cannon and machine guns, and was given knowledge of tank battle tactics. A specialist of a wide profile came out of the school. He was not only the commander of a combat vehicle, but also knew how to perform the duties of any crew member.

In the thirties, the military enjoyed great popularity in the USSR. Firstly, the Red Army, its soldiers and officers, symbolized the power of the relatively young Soviet state, which in just a few years has turned from a war-torn, impoverished, agrarian country into an industrial power capable of fending for itself. Secondly, the officers were one of the most well-to-do strata of the population.

For example, an instructor aviation school, Besides full content(uniforms, meals in the canteen, transport, a hostel or money for rent) received a very high salary - about 700 rubles (a bottle of vodka cost about two rubles). In addition, service in the army gave people from a peasant environment a chance to improve their education, to master a new, prestigious specialty.

Alexander Burtsev, tank commander, says: “I remember that after three years of service, they returned from the army as different people. The village burdock left, and a literate, cultured person returned, perfectly dressed, in a tunic, trousers, boots, physically stronger. He could work with technology, lead. When a soldier came from the army, as they were called, the whole village gathered. The family was proud that he served in the army, that he became such a person.”

Coming new war- the war of motors - created new propaganda images. If in the twenties every boy dreamed of checkers and cavalry attacks, then by the end of the thirties this romantic image was forever supplanted by fighter pilots and tank crews. Piloting a fighter plane or shooting the enemy from a tank gun - that's what thousands of Soviet guys now dreamed of. "Guys, let's go to the tankers! It's an honor! You go, the whole country is under you! And you are on an iron horse!” - phrases describing the mood of those years, recalls the platoon commander, Lieutenant Nikolai Yakovlevich Zheleznov.

...and during the war

However, during the heavy defeats of 1941, the Red Army lost almost all the tanks it had in the western districts. Most of the regular tankers also died. The shortage is acute tank crews became obvious already in the summer of 1942, when the industry evacuated to the Urals began to produce tanks in the same volumes.

The country's leadership, realizing that it was the tankers who would play a decisive role in the 1943 campaign, ordered the fronts to send at least 5,000 of the best privates and sergeants to tank schools every month with the education of at least seven classes. In the training tank regiments, where the rank and file were trained - gunners-radio operators, driver-mechanics and loaders, 8,000 of the best soldiers with an education of at least three classes were recalled from the front every month. In addition to front-line soldiers, yesterday's graduates of secondary schools, tractor drivers and combine operators sat on the school bench.

The course of study was reduced to six months, and the program was cut to a minimum. But I still had to work out 12 hours a day. We mainly studied the material part of the T-34 tank - the chassis, transmission, cannon and machine guns, radio station.

All this, as well as the ability to repair a tank, was studied both in classes and at practical exercises. But time was sorely lacking. Platoon commander Vasily Bryukhov recalls: “After graduating from college, I fired three shells and a machine-gun disk. Is this preparation? They taught us a little driving on the BT-5. They gave the basics - to get under way, to drive in a straight line. There were lessons in tactics, but mostly "on foot in a tank." And only at the end was a demonstration lesson " tank platoon on the offensive." All! Our training was very poor. When we were released, the head of the school said: “Well, sons, we understand that you quickly skipped the program. You don’t have solid knowledge, but you will learn in battle.”

From school to the front

Freshly minted lieutenants were sent to tank factories in Gorky, Nizhny Tagil, Chelyabinsk and Omsk. A battalion of T-34 tanks rolled off the assembly lines of each of these factories every day. The young commander filled out the tank acceptance form. After that, he received a penknife, a silk scarf for filtering fuel, a revolver and tank watch the size of a fist, which were installed on the dashboard. However, tankers often carried them with them. At that time, not everyone had a wrist or pocket watch.
Ordinary crew members were trained in three-month courses in reserve tank regiments located at the factories. The commander quickly got acquainted with the crew and made a fifty-kilometer march, which ended with live fire.

After that, the tanks were loaded onto the platforms, and the train raced them to the west - towards fate.

Inside T-34

The legendary medium tank, which entered service in 1940, was in many ways a revolutionary design. But, like any transitional model, it combined novelties and forced decisions. The first tanks had an outdated gearbox. The roar in the tank was incredible, and the tank intercom worked disgustingly. Therefore, the tank commander simply put his feet on the driver's shoulders and controlled him using predetermined signals.

The T-34 tower was only for two. Therefore, the tank commander performed the duties of both commander and gunner. By the way, the commander and loader somehow, but could talk, but most often their communication also took place with gestures. The commander put his fist under the nose of the loader, and he already knows that it is necessary to load with armor-piercing, and his outstretched palm with fragmentation.

Gunner-radio operator Petr Kirichenko recalls: “Shifting gears required a lot of effort. The driver will bring the lever to the desired position and begin to pull it, and I pick it up and pull with it. The transmission will wait for some time and only then turn on. The entire tank march consisted of such exercises. During the long march, the driver lost two or three kilograms in weight: he was all exhausted. In addition, since his hands were busy, I took paper, poured samosad or shag into it, sealed it, lit it and inserted it into his mouth. It was also my responsibility."

Battle on the T-34 (reconstruction)

There are only a few minutes left before the attack begins. The commander’s hands begin to shake, his teeth chatter: “How will the battle turn out? What's behind the hillock? What are the German forces? Will I make it to the evening?" The gunner-radio operator nervously nibbles on a piece of sugar - he is always drawn to food before attacking. The loader smokes, inhaling deeply. The cigarette in his hand trembles. But in the headphones of the commander's tank helmet, the signal to attack sounds. The commander switches to internal communication, but the crackle is such that nothing is heard. Therefore, he simply lightly beats with his boot on the head of the driver, who sits directly below him - this is the conditional signal “Forward!”. The car, roaring the engine, clanging the tracks, pulls away. The commander looks through the periscope - the entire battalion moved on the attack.

The fear is gone. All that was left was a cold calculation.

The mechanic drives the car at a speed of 25-30 kilometers - in a zigzag, changing direction every 50 meters. The life of the crew depends on his experience. It is the mechanic who must correctly assess the terrain, find cover, and not expose the side to the enemy’s guns. The radio operator tuned the radio to receive. He has a machine gun, but he can aim only through a hole with a diameter of the index finger, in which the earth and sky flash alternately - you will only scare the Fritz with such shooting, there is little real sense from it. The loader in the panorama is watching the right sector. Its task is not only to throw shells into the breech, but also to indicate to the commander the targets on the right along the course of the tank.

The commander looks forward and to the left, looking for targets. The right shoulder rested against the breech of the gun, the left - against the armor of the tower. Closely. Hands are folded crosswise: the left one is on the mechanism for lifting the gun, the right one is on the handle for turning the turret. Here he caught an enemy tank in the panorama. He pushed the driver in the back with his foot - “Stop!” and, just in case, shouted into the intercom: “Short!”. Loader: "Armor-piercing!"
The driver selects a flat area, stops the car, shouts: "Track!" The loader sends the projectile. Trying to shout over the roar of the engine and the clang of the shutter, he reports: “Armor-piercing is ready!”
The tank, having abruptly stopped, sways for some time. Now it all depends on the commander, on his skills and just luck. A stationary tank is a tasty target for the enemy! His back was wet from the tension. Right hand rotates the turning mechanism of the turret, aligning the aiming mark with the target in the direction. Left hand turns the mechanism for lifting the gun, combining the mark in range.

"Shot!" - the commander shouts and presses the gun descent pedal. His voice is drowned in the roar of the shot and the clang of the shutter. The fighting compartment is filled with powder gases that corrode the eyes. The fan installed in the tower does not have time to blow them out of the tank. The loader grabs a hot smoking cartridge case and throws it out through the hatch. Without waiting for the command, the mechanic rips the car off.

The enemy manages to fire back. But the projectile only ricochets, leaving a furrow on the armor, like a hot spoon in oil. From the impact on the tank ringing in the ears. Scale, flying off the armor, bites into the face, creaks on the teeth. But the fight continues!

T-34 against the "Tigers"

The T-34 was superior to the German medium tanks in all respects. It was a nimble and fast medium tank equipped with a long-barreled 76mm gun and a diesel engine. A special pride of the tankers was the distinctive feature of the "thirty-four" - sloping armor. The effectiveness of sloped armor was also confirmed by the practice of battles. Most of the German anti-tank and tank guns of 1941-42 did not penetrate the frontal armor of the T-34 tank. By 1943, the T-34 had become the main fighting vehicle of the Soviet tank armies, replacing the obsolete T-26 and BT.

However, by 1943 the Germans created and modernized the old medium T-IV tanks and began production of heavy tanks T-V "Panther" and T-VI "Tiger". The long-barreled guns of 75 and 88 mm caliber installed on new vehicles could hit the T-34 at a distance of 1.5-2 thousand meters, while the 76 mm gun of our medium tank could hit the Tiger only from 500 m, and the Panther from 800 meters. Using the advantage of the T-34 in maneuverability and tactical tricks, our tankers often emerged victorious from battles with a technically superior enemy. But it also happened the other way around...

If the tank is hit...

Well, if the projectile hit the engine compartment - the tank simply stalled and the crew had time to jump out. If the projectile pierced the armor of the tower or the sides of the fighting compartment, then the fragments of the armor most often wounded one of the crew members. Spilled fuel flared up - and all the hope of the tankers remained only on themselves, on their reaction, strength, dexterity, because each had only two or three seconds left to escape.

It was even worse for those whose tank was simply immobilized, but did not burn. Ion Degen, a tanker, says: “In battle, the commander’s order to leave the burning tank was not required, especially since the commander could have already been killed. They jumped out of the tank intuitively. But, for example, it was impossible to leave the tank if you only had a broken caterpillar. The crew was obliged to fire from a place until they knocked down.

And it also happened that some trifle, sometimes even uncomfortable clothes, did not allow the tanker to leave the burning car. Tanker Konstantin Shits recalls: “Our commander of one of the companies was Senior Lieutenant Sirik, such a prominent man. Somehow rich trophies were captured at the station, and he began to wear a good, long Romanian coat, but when they were knocked out, the crew managed to jump out, and he hesitated and burned out because of this coat ... "

But when they were lucky, the tankers jumped out of the burning tank, crawled into the craters and immediately tried to retreat to the rear.
Having survived in battle, "horseless" tankers entered the battalion reserve. But it didn't take long to rest. Repairmen quickly restored unburned tanks. In addition, factories constantly replenished parts new technology. So, literally two or three days later, the tanker was included in the new, unfamiliar crew, and on the new tank they again went into battle.

Commanders are always harder

It was even harder for the commanders of companies and battalions. They fought until the last tank of their unit. And this means that the commanders were transferred from one wrecked vehicle to a new one several times during one operation, or even one day.

Tank brigades "worn to zero" in two or three weeks of offensive battles. After that, they were assigned to the reformation. There, the tankers first of all put the remaining equipment in order, and only then themselves. The crew, regardless of rank, refueled the car, loaded ammunition, cleaned the gun and adjusted the sight, checked the equipment and mechanisms of the tank.

The loader cleaned the shells of grease - washed them in diesel fuel, and then wiped them dry with a rag. The driver-mechanic adjusted the mechanisms of the tank, poured buckets of fuel, oil and water. The gunner-radio operator and the commander helped them - no one shunned dirty work. The fate of the tank depended on the crew, but the life of the crew was also directly related to the condition and combat capability of the tank.

We prepared the car for the upcoming battle or march - now you can wash, shave, eat and, most importantly, sleep. After all, the tank was not only a combat vehicle for the crew, but often a home.

Life of tankers

A tank tarpaulin measuring 10 by 10 meters was attached to the tank turret. The crew covered the tank with them on the way to the front. A simple meal was laid out on it. The same tarpaulin served the tankers as a roof over their heads when it was not possible to stay overnight in the houses.

In winter conditions, the tank froze through and became a real "refrigerator". Then the crew dug out a trench, drove a tank onto it from above. A “tank stove” was hung under the bottom of the tank, which was heated with firewood. It was not very comfortable in such a dugout, but it was much warmer than in the tank itself or on the street.

The habitability and comfort of the "thirty-fours" themselves were at the minimum required level. The seats of the tankers were made rigid and, unlike the American tanks, they did not have armrests. Nevertheless, tankers sometimes had to sleep right in the tank - half-sitting. Senior Sergeant Pyotr Kirichenko, gunner-radio operator of the T-34, recalls:
“Although I was long and thin, I still got used to sleeping on my seat. I even liked it: you recline your back, lower your boots so that your feet don’t freeze on the armor, and you sleep. And after the march, it’s good to sleep on a warm transmission, covered with a tarpaulin.”

The tankers lived in a Spartan forced way. On the offensive, they did not even have the opportunity to wash or change clothes. Tanker Grigory Shishkin says:
“Sometimes you don’t wash for a whole month. And sometimes it’s normal, once every 10 days you wash yourself. The bath was done like this. They built a hut in the forest, covered it with spruce branches. On the floor, too, spruce branches. There were several crews. One drowns, the other cuts wood, the third carries water.

During the period of intense fighting, even food was often delivered to tankers only at the end of the day - breakfast, lunch, and dinner at once. But at the same time, tankers were supplied with dry rations. In addition, the crew never neglected the opportunity to carry a supply of food in a tank. In the offensive, this reserve became practically the only source of food, which was replenished at the expense of trophies or thanks to the help of the civilian population. “The supply of the tankers has always been good. And, of course, food trophies were an additional ration for us ... And tank NZs were always eaten even before the battles - what if we burn out, so why should the good disappear? - says the tanker Mikhail Shister.

In the evening after the battle, one could also drink "the people's commissar's one hundred grams." But before the battle, a good commander always forbade alcohol to his crew. Crew commander Grigory Shishkin about this feature of the tankers: “The main thing is that everyone around is drinking. The sappers begin: “Hey, you black-bellies, why don’t they give you ?!” At first, the guys were offended, and then they realized that I was trying for them. After the fight, drink as much as you want, but before the fight, in no case! Because every minute, every second is precious. He blundered - he died!

They rested, threw off the fatigue of past battles - and now, the tankers are ready for new battles with the enemy! And how many more of these fights were ahead on the way to Berlin ...

The T-34-85 tank was developed and put into service in December 1943 in connection with the advent of the enemy T-V "Panther" and T-VI "Tiger" with strong anti-ballistic armor and powerful weapons. The T-34-85 was created on the basis of the T-34 tank with the installation of a new cast turret with an 85-mm gun.

On the first production vehicles, an 85-mm D-5T cannon was installed, which was subsequently replaced by a ZIS-S-53 cannon of the same caliber. Its armor-piercing projectile weighing 9.2 kg from a distance of 500 and 1000 meters pierced 111-mm and 102-mm armor, respectively, and a sub-caliber projectile from a distance of 500 meters pierced armor 138 mm thick. (The thickness of the Panther's armor was 80 - 110 mm, and the "Tiger" - 100 mm.) A fixed commander's turret with viewing devices was installed on the roof of the tower. All vehicles were equipped with a 9RS radio station, a TSh-16 sight, and means for setting smoke screens. Although due to the installation of a more powerful gun and increased armor protection, the weight of the tank increased slightly, thanks to the powerful diesel engine, the tank's mobility did not decrease. The tank was widely used in all the battles of the final stage of the war.

Description of the design of the T-34-85 tank

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION.
On the T-34-85 tank, a 12-cylinder four-stroke uncompressed diesel V-2-34 was installed. The rated power of the engine was 450 hp. at 1750 rpm, operational - 400 hp at 1700 rpm, maximum - 500 hp at 1800 rpm. The mass of a dry engine with an electric generator without exhaust manifolds is 750 kg.
Fuel - diesel, brand DT. Fuel tank capacity 545 l. Outside, on the sides of the hull, two fuel tanks of 90 liters each were installed. External fuel tanks were not connected to the engine power system. The fuel supply is forced, using the fuel pump NK-1.

The cooling system is liquid, closed, with forced circulation. Radiators - two, tubular, installed on both sides of the engine with an inclination towards it. Radiator capacity 95 l. To clean the air entering the engine cylinders, two Multicyclone air cleaners were installed. The engine was started by an electric starter or compressed air(two cylinders were installed in the control room).

The transmission consisted of a multi-disk main clutch of dry friction (steel on steel), a gearbox, side clutches, brakes and final drives. Gearbox - five-speed.

CHASSIS.
As applied to one side, it consisted of five double rubber-coated road wheels with a diameter of 830 mm. Suspension - individual, spring. The rear drive wheels had six rollers for engagement with the ridges of the caterpillar tracks. The guide wheels are cast, with a crank mechanism for tensioning the tracks. Caterpillars - steel, small-link, with ridge engagement, 72 tracks in each (36 with a ridge and 36 without a ridge). Track width 500 mm, track pitch 172 mm. The mass of one caterpillar is 1150 kg.

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.
Made in single wire. Voltage 24 and 12 V. Consumers: electric starter ST-700, electric motor of the rotary mechanism of the tower, electric motors of fans, control devices, equipment for external and internal lighting, electric signal, radio station umformer and TPU lamps.

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.
The T-34-85 was equipped with a short-wave transceiver simplex telephone radio station 9-RS and an internal tank intercom TPU-3-bisF.

From the history of the creation (modernization) of the medium tank T-34-85

The production of the T-34 tank armed with an 85-mm cannon began in the fall of 1943 at the plant number 112 "Krasnoe Sormovo". An 85-mm D-5T gun designed by F.F. Petrov and a DT machine gun coaxial with it were installed in a cast three-man turret of a new form. The turret ring diameter was increased from 1420 mm to 1600 mm. On the roof of the tower there was a commander's cupola, the double-leaf cover of which rotated on a ball bearing. A viewing periscope device MK-4 was fixed in the lid, which made it possible to conduct a circular one. For firing from a cannon and a coaxial machine gun, a telescopic articulated sight and a PTK-5 panorama were installed. Ammunition consisted of 56 rounds and 1953 rounds. The radio station was located in the hull, and the output of its antenna was on the starboard side - just like the T-34-76. The power plant, transmission and chassis have not changed much.

All changes in the design of the T-34 tank could only be made with the consent of two instances - the Office of the Commander of the Armored and Mechanized Troops of the Red Army and the Main Design Bureau (GKB-34) at plant No. 183 in Nizhny Tagil.

The layout of the medium tank T-34-85.

1 - gun ZIS-S-53; 2 - armored mask; 3 - telescopic sight TSh-16; 4 - gun lifting mechanism; 5 - observation device MK-4 loader; 6 - fixed gun guard; 7 - observation device MK-4 commander; 8 - glass block; 9 - folding fence (gilzoulavtvatep); 10 - fan armored cap; 11 - rack ammunition in the niche of the tower; 12 - covering tarpaulin; 13 - clamp stowage for two artillery rounds; 14 - engine; 15 - main clutch; 16 - air cleaner "Multicyclone"; 17- starter; 18 - smoke bomb BDSH; 19 - gearbox; 20 - final drive; 21 - batteries; 22 - stacking shots on the floor of the fighting compartment; 23 - gunner's seat; 24 - VKU; 25 - suspension shaft; 26 - driver's seat; 27 - laying machine-gun magazines in the department of management; 28 - clutch lever; 29 - main clutch pedal; 30 - cylinders with compressed air; 31 - driver's hatch cover; 32 - DT machine gun; 33 - collar stacking shots in the control compartment.

TsAKB (Central Artillery Design Bureau), headed by V. G. Grabin, and the Design Bureau of Plant No. 92 in Gorky offered their versions of the 85-mm tank gun. The first developed the S-53 cannon. V. G. Grabin made an attempt to install the S-53 cannon in the T-34 turret of the 1942 model without widening the turret ring, for which the frontal part of the turret was completely redone: the cannon trunnions had to be pushed forward by 200 mm. Shooting tests at the Gorokhovetsky training ground showed the complete failure of this installation. In addition, the tests revealed design flaws both in the S-53 cannon and in the LB-85. As a result, a synthesized version, the ZIS-C-53 gun, was adopted for service and mass production. Her ballistic performance were identical to the D-5T gun. But the latter was already mass-produced and, in addition to the T-34, was installed in the KV-85, IS-1 and in the D-5S variant in the SU-85.

GKO Decree of January 23, 1944 tank The T-34-85 with the ZIS-S-53 cannon was adopted by the Red Army. In March, the first cars began to roll off the assembly line of the 183rd plant. On them, the commander's cupola was moved closer to the rear of the tower, which saved the gunner from having to sit literally in the commander's lap. The electric drive of the turret traverse mechanism with two speeds was replaced by an electric drive with commander's control, which ensures the rotation of the turret both from the gunner and from the crew commander. The radio station was moved from the building to the tower. Viewing devices began to install only a new type - MK-4. The commander's panorama PTK-5 was seized. The rest of the units and systems remained largely unchanged.

Tank turret manufactured by the Krasnoye Sormovo plant.

1 - hatch cover loader; 2 - caps over fans; 3 - hole for installing a tank commander's observation device; 4 - hatch cover of the commander's cupola; 5 - commander's cupola; 6 - viewing slot; 7 - glass antenna input; 8 - handrail; 9 - hole for installing a gunner's observation device; 10 - hole for firing from personal weapons; 11 - eye; 12 - sight embrasure; 13 - visor; 14 - trunnion tide; 15 - machine gun embrasure; 16 - hole for installing the loader's observation device.

The undercarriage of the tank consisted of five rubber-coated road wheels on board, a rear drive wheel with ridge gearing and a guide wheel with a tensioner. The track rollers were suspended individually on cylindrical coil springs. The transmission included: a multi-plate main dry friction clutch, a five-speed gearbox, side clutches and final drives.

In 1945, the double hatch cover of the commander's cupola was replaced with a single-leaf one of two fans. installed in the rear of the tower, moved to its central part, which contributed to better ventilation of the fighting compartment.

The production of the T-34-85 tank was carried out at three plants: No. 183 in Nizhny Tagil No. 112 "Krasnoe Sormovo" and No. 174 in Omsk. In just three quarters of 1945 (that is, until the end of World War II), 21,048 tanks of this type were built, including the T-034-85 flamethrower version. Part of the combat vehicles was equipped with a PT-3 roller mine trawl.

General production of T-34-85 tanks

Germany, 1945 In the American occupation zone, the interrogation of Wehrmacht prisoners of war was going on sluggishly. Unexpectedly, the attention of the interrogators was attracted by a long, full of horror story about a crazy Russian tank that killed everything in its path. The events of that fateful day from the summer of 1941 were so strongly imprinted in the memory of a German officer that they could not be erased over the next four years of a terrible war. He remembered that Russian tank forever.

June 28, 1941, Belarus. Break into Minsk German troops. The Soviet units are retreating along the Mogilev highway, one of the columns is closed by the only remaining T-28 tank, led by senior sergeant Dmitry Malko. The tank has a problem with the engine, but a full supply of fuel and lubricants and ammunition.
During an air raid in the area of ​​n. Berezino village, from close explosions of bombs, the T-28 hopelessly stalls. Malko receives an order to blow up the tank and continue to move to the city of Mogilev in the back of one of the trucks with other fighters of a mixed composition. Malko asks for permission under his responsibility to postpone the execution of the order - he will try to repair the T-28, the tank is completely new and has not received significant damage in the fighting. Permission received, the column leaves. During the day, Malko really manages to bring the engine into working condition.

Shielding of the T-28 tank, 1940

Further, the plot includes an element of chance. A major and four cadets suddenly come out to the parking lot of the tank. Major - tanker, artillery cadets. This is how the full crew of the T-28 tank is unexpectedly formed. All night they are considering a plan to get out of the encirclement. The Mogilev highway was probably cut by the Germans, and another way must be found.
... The original proposal to change the route is expressed aloud by cadet Nikolai Pedan. The daring plan is unanimously supported by the newly formed crew. Instead of following a location collection point retreating units, the tank will rush in the opposite direction - to the West. They will break through in battle through the captured Minsk and leave the encirclement along the Moscow highway to the location of their troops. The unique combat capabilities of the T-28 will help them carry out such a plan.
Fuel tanks are filled almost to the top, ammunition - although not full, but senior sergeant Malko knows the location of the abandoned ammunition depot. The radio does not work in the tank, the commander, gunners and the driver mechanic stipulate in advance a set of conditional signals: the commander's leg on the driver's right shoulder - right turn, on the left - left; one push in the back - first gear, two - second; foot on head - stop. The three-tower bulk of the T-28 is advanced along a new route in order to severely punish the Nazis.

The layout of the ammunition in the T-28 tank

In an abandoned warehouse, they replenish ammunition beyond the norm. When all the cassettes are full, the fighters pile shells directly on the floor of the fighting compartment. Here, our amateurs make a small mistake - about twenty shells did not fit the 76 mm L-10 short-barreled tank gun: despite the coincidence of calibers, these ammunition were intended for divisional artillery. 7,000 rounds of machine gun rounds were loaded into the chase in the side machine gun turrets. Having had a hearty breakfast, the invincible army moved towards the capital of the Byelorussian SSR, where the Fritz had been in charge for several days.

2 hours before immortality

On a free highway, the T-28 rushes to Minsk at full speed. Ahead, in a gray haze, the outlines of the city appeared, the pipes of the thermal power plant, factory buildings towered, a little further one could see the silhouette of the Government House, the dome of the cathedral. Closer, closer and more irreversible... The fighters looked forward, anxiously awaiting the main battle of their lives.
Unstopped, the "Trojan horse" passed the first German cordons and entered the city limits - as expected, the Nazis mistook the T-28 for captured armored vehicles and did not pay any attention to the lone tank.
Although we agreed to keep secrecy to the last opportunity, we still could not resist. The first unwitting victim of the raid was a German cyclist, pedaling merrily right in front of the tank. His flickering figure in the viewing slot got the driver. The tank roared its engine and rolled the unlucky cyclist into the asphalt.
The tankers passed the railway crossing, the tracks of the tram ring and ended up on Voroshilov Street. Here, at the distillery, a group of Germans met on the way of the tank: Wehrmacht soldiers carefully loaded crates with bottles of alcohol into the truck. When fifty meters remained before the anonymous alcoholics, the right turret of the tank started working. The Nazis, like skittles, fell at the car. After a couple of seconds, the tank pushed the truck, turning it upside down. From the broken body, the savory smell of celebration began to spread around the district.
Encountering no resistance and alarms from the panic-scattered enemy, the Soviet in "stealth" mode deepened into the boundaries of the city. In the area of ​​the city market, the tank turned onto the street. Lenin, where he met a column of motorcyclists.
The first car with a sidecar independently drove under the armor of the tank, where it was crushed along with the crew. The death rush has begun. Only for a moment, the faces of the Germans, twisted with horror, appeared in the driver’s viewing slot, then disappearing under the tracks of the steel monster. The motorcycles at the tail of the column tried to turn around and run away from the approaching death, alas, they came under fire from the turret machine guns.

Having wound the unlucky bikers on the tracks, the tank moved on, driving along the street. Soviet, tankers planted fragmentation projectile in a group standing at the theater German soldiers. And then there was a slight hitch - when turning onto Proletarskaya Street, the tankers suddenly discovered that the main street of the city was chock-full of manpower and enemy equipment. Opening fire from all barrels, practically without aiming, the three-turreted monster rushed forward, sweeping all obstacles into a bloody vinaigrette.
Panic began among the Germans, which arose in connection with the emergency situation created by the tank on the road, as well as the general effect of surprise and illogicality of the appearance of heavy armored vehicles of the Red Army in the rear of the German troops, where nothing foreshadowed such an attack ...
The front of the T-28 tank is equipped with three 7.62 caliber DT machine guns (two turret, one course) and a short-barreled 76.2mm gun. The rate of fire of the latter is up to four rounds per minute. The rate of fire of machine guns is 600 rpm.
Leaving traces of a military catastrophe behind it, the car completely drove all the way to the park, where it was met by a shot from a 37-mm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun.

It seems that this place in the city was the first time a Soviet tank encountered more or less serious resistance. The projectile struck sparks from the frontal armor. The second time the Fritz did not have time to shoot - the tankers, in time, noticed openly standing cannon and immediately responded to the threat - a flurry of fire fell on the Pak 35/36, turning the gun and crew into a shapeless pile of scrap metal.
As a result of an unprecedented raid, the Nazis suffered heavy damage in manpower and equipment, but the main striking effect was to raise the resistance spirit of the inhabitants of Minsk, which helped maintain the authority of the Red Army at the proper level. This factor is especially important in the initial period war, during serious defeats. There is unequivocal evidence that at that time a significant number of local residents who witnessed this incredible event, which led to the immediate word-of-mouth dissemination of the story of the feat of Soviet soldiers among the surrounding population.
And our T-28 tank was leaving along Moskovsky Prospekt from the den of the Fritz. However, the disciplined Germans got out of the state of shock, overcame their fear and tried to provide organized resistance to the Soviet tank that had broken through to their rear. In the area of ​​the old cemetery, the T-28 came under flanking fire from an artillery battery. The first salvo pierced 20 mm side armor in the area of ​​the engine compartment. Someone cried out in pain, someone swore angrily. The burning tank continued to move until the last opportunity, all the time receiving new portions of German shells. The major ordered to leave the dying combat vehicle.

Senior Sergeant Malko climbed out through the driver's hatch in the front of the tank and saw how a wounded major got out of the commander's hatch, firing from a service pistol. The sergeant managed to crawl back to the fence when the remaining ammunition in the tank detonated. The turret of the tank was thrown into the air and it fell to its original place. In the ensuing turmoil and taking advantage of the significant smoke, senior sergeant Dmitry Malko managed to hide in the gardens.

Malko in the autumn of the same year managed to return to the personnel system of the combat units of the Red Army in the former military specialty. He managed to survive and go through the whole war. Surprisingly, in 1944, he drove into the liberated Minsk on a T-34 along the same Moskovsky Prospekt, along which he tried to escape from it in the 41st. Surprisingly, he saw that his first tank, which he refused to abandon and destroy near the Berezin, and which the Wehrmacht soldiers were then able to destroy with such difficulty. The tank stood in the same place where it was hit, the Germans, neat and appreciating order, for some reason did not begin to remove it from the track. They were good soldiers and knew how to appreciate military prowess.

T-34 at war

T-34 ("thirty-four") - Soviet medium tank of the Great Patriotic War period, mass-produced since 1940, and since 1944 became the main medium tank of the Red Army of the USSR. Developed in Kharkov. The most massive medium tank of World War II. From 1942 to 1945 the main, large-scale production of the T-34 was deployed at powerful machine-building plants in the Urals and Siberia, and continued in the post-war years. The leading plant for modifying the T-34 was the Ural Tank Plant No. 183. The latest modification (T-34-85) is in service with some countries to this day.

Due to its combat qualities, the T-34 was recognized by a number of experts as the best medium tank of the Second World War and had a huge impact on the further development of world tank building. During its creation, Soviet designers managed to find the optimal ratio between the main combat, operational and technological characteristics.

The T-34 tank is the most famous Soviet tank of the Second World War, as well as one of its most recognizable symbols. To date, a large number of these tanks of various modifications have been preserved in the form of monuments and museum exhibits.

History of creation

A-20 Creation Program. Since 1931, a series of light wheeled-tracked tanks "BT" has been developed in the USSR, the prototype of which was the machine of the American designer Walter Christie. During serial production machines of this type were constantly upgraded in the direction of increasing firepower, manufacturability, reliability and other parameters. By 1937, the BT-7M tank with a conical turret was created and began to be mass-produced in the USSR; further development of the BT line was envisaged in several directions:

• Increasing the power reserve by using a diesel engine (this direction led to the creation of the BT-7M tank).
• Improving the wheel travel (the work of the group of N. F. Tsyganov on experienced tanks BT-IS).
• Strengthening the security of the tank by installing armor at significant angles of inclination with a slight increase in its thickness. The group of N. F. Tsyganov worked in this direction ( experimental tank BT-SV) and the design bureau of the Kharkov plant.

From 1931 to 1936, the design bureau of the Tank Department of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant (KhPZ) was headed by a talented designer Afansy Osipovich Firsov. Under his leadership, all BT tanks were created, and he made a significant contribution to the development of the V-2 diesel engine. At the end of 1935, elaborate sketches of a fundamentally new tank appeared: anti-ballistic armor with large angles of inclination, a long-barreled 76.2 mm gun, a V-2 diesel engine, weight up to 30 tons ... But in the summer of 1936, at the height of the repressions, A. O. Firsov removed from the leadership of the KB. But he continues to be active. A new gearbox for the BT tank, developed by A. A. Morozov under the guidance of A. O. Firsov, is launched into production, he designs the installation of a flamethrower and smoke devices on the tank, personally meets and brings up to date the new head of the design bureau, M. I. Koshkin. In the middle of 1937, A. O. Firsov was again arrested and sent to prison, where he died. The first project, created under his leadership, who replaced Firsov as chief designer Mikhail Ilyich Koshkin, the BT-9 tank, was rejected in the fall of 1937 due to gross design errors and inconsistency with the requirements of the assignment.

Strange as it may seem, but Koshkin was not imprisoned or shot for "sabotage" and disruption of the state order in that same "terrible 37th". Also, Koshkin at the same time "threw" the work on the development of a modification of the BT-BT-IS tank, which was carried out at the same plant by a group of adjunct VAMM them. Stalin military engineer 3rd rank A.Ya. Dick, seconded to the Koshkin Design Bureau at KhPZ. Apparently, Koshkin found competent "patrons" in the People's Commissariat of Medium Machine Building? Or did he initially act on orders from above? It seems that there was an undercover struggle between supporters of the eternal "modernization" of light BT (and in fact, marking time and wasting "people's" public funds) and supporters of a fundamentally new (breakthrough) tank of the middle class, which differed from monsters with three towers, such as the T-28.

On October 13, 1937, the Armored Directorate of the Red Army (ABTU) issued plant No. 183 (KhPZ) tactical and technical requirements for a new tank under the symbol BT-20 (A-20).

Due to the weakness of the design bureau of plant No. 183, a separate design bureau was created at the enterprise for work on the new tank, independent of Koshkin's design bureau. The design bureau included a number of engineers from the design bureau of plant No. 183 (including A. A. Morozov), as well as about forty graduates of the Military Academy of Mechanization and Motorization of the Red Army (VAMM). The leadership of the design bureau was entrusted to WAMM Adjunct Adolf Dick. Development is under difficult conditions: arrests continue at the plant.

Koshkin in this chaos continues to develop his direction - the drawings, on which the backbone of the Firsov design bureau (KB-24) is working, should form the basis of the future tank.

In September 1938, after reviewing the BT-20 model, it was decided to manufacture three tanks (one wheeled-tracked and two tracked) and one armored hull for shelling tests. By the beginning of 1939, KB-24 completed the working drawings for the A-20 and began designing the A-20G [sn 2]. "G" - tracked, subsequently designated A-32.

At the end of September 1939, after showing the A-20 and A-32 (test driver N. F. Nosik) at the Kubinka training ground, the decision was made to increase the thickness of the A-32 armor to 45 mm, after which they began sea ​​trials of the A-32 tank, loaded with ballast (at the same time, a turret from the A-20 with a 45-mm gun was installed on the tank). On December 19, at a meeting of the Defense Committee, based on the results of the A-32 tests, resolution No. 443 was adopted, which prescribed: The T-32 tank is tracked, with a V-2 diesel engine, manufactured by the plant No. 183 of the Narkomsrednemashprom, with the following changes:

Pre-war tanks produced by plant No. 183. From left to right: BT-7, A-20, T-34-76 with L-11 gun, T-34-76 with F-34 gun.

• a) increase the thickness of the main armor plates to 45 mm;
• b) improve visibility from the tank;
• c) install the following weapons on the T-32 tank:
• 1) F-32 cannon, 76 mm caliber, coaxial with a 7.62 mm machine gun;
• 2) a separate machine gun for the radio operator - caliber 7.62 mm;
• 3) a separate machine gun of 7.62 mm caliber;
• 4) anti-aircraft machine gun caliber 7.62 mm.
• Assign the name T-34 to the specified tank.

Pre-production tanks A-34 No. 1 and A-34 No. 2 On the night of March 5-6, 1940, tank No. 1 (test driver N. F. Nosik) and tank No. 2 (test driver I. G. Bitensky or V. Dyukanov) unarmed, camouflaged beyond recognition, as well as two heavy Voroshilovets tracked artillery tractors, in the strictest secrecy, headed for Moscow on their own. In connection with the breakdown of tank number 2 near Belgorod (breakage of the main clutch), the column was divided. Tank No. 1 arrived on March 12 at the Machine-Building Plant No. 37 near Moscow, the city of Serpukhov, where it and Tank No. 2, which arrived later, were repaired. On the night of March 17, both tanks arrived at the Kremlin's Ivanovskaya Square for a demonstration to the leaders of the party and government.

On March 31, 1940, a protocol was signed by the State Defense Committee on the serial production of the A-34 (T-34) tank at factory No. 183. The general production plan for 1940 was set at 200 vehicles, from 1942 STZ and KhPZ had to completely switch to the production of T -34 with a plan of 2000 tanks per year.

GABTU D.G. Pavlova submitted a report on comparative tests to the Deputy People's Commissar for Armaments, Marshal G.I. Kulik. That report approved and suspended the production and acceptance of the T-34, until “all shortcomings” were eliminated (what honest and principled generals we had then!). K.E. intervened. Voroshilov: “Machines continue to be made, handed over to the army. Limit the factory mileage to 1000 km ... "(the same" stupid horseman "). At the same time, everyone knew that the war would not be today or tomorrow. Months were cut out. Pavlov was a member of the country's military council, but he was a very "principled officer." Maybe for this "courage and adherence to principles" Stalin agreed with the appointment of the hero of the Soviet Union D.G. Pavlov to the "main" district - ZapOVO? But how Pavlov boldly and principled command in this district, surrendering Minsk on the fifth day, has already become a fact of history. At the same time, Pavlov himself was a professional tanker, fought in tanks in Spain, received a Hero of the Soviet Union for this war. His proposal to create a caterpillar tank with anti-ballistic armor with a 76 mm gun (the caliber of heavy tank guns of those years!) Was even recorded in the minutes of the meeting of the CO at the SNK of the USSR in March 1938, two years before. That is, Pavlov should have understood better than others what kind of tank was in front of him. And it was this man who did everything in his power to disrupt the acceptance of this tank for service.

The order to put the T-34 into mass production was signed by the Defense Committee on March 31, 1940, the adopted protocol ordered that it be immediately put into production at factories No. 183 and STZ. Plant No. 183 was ordered to produce the first experimental batch of 10 tanks by the first of July. After testing two prototypes, a production plan was adopted that provided for the production of 150 cars in 1940, which by June 7 was increased to 600 cars, 500 of which were supposed to be supplied by plant number 183, while the remaining 100 - STZ. Due to delays in the supply of components, in June only four vehicles were assembled at plant No. 183, and the production of tanks at the STZ was even more delayed. Although production rates were raised by autumn, they were still far behind the plan and were delayed by a shortage of components, so in October, due to the lack of L-11 guns, only one tank was accepted by the military commission. Production of the T-34 at STZ was further delayed. Throughout 1940, work was underway to adapt the initially complex and low-tech tank for mass production, but despite this, during 1940, according to various sources, only from 97 to 117 vehicles were manufactured. During the autumn of 1940, a number of larger changes were made to the design of the T-34, such as the installation of a more powerful F-34 gun, and cast and stamped turrets were also developed at the Mariupol plant.

But in fact, M.I. Koshkin is not the father of the T-34. Rather, he is his "stepfather", or "cousin" father. Koshkin began his activity as a tank designer at the Kirov Plant, in the design bureau of medium and heavy tanks. In this design bureau, he worked on the "medium" tanks T-28, T-29 with bulletproof armor. The T-29 already differed from the T-28 in the type of chassis, rollers and an experimental torsion bar suspension instead of a spring one. Then this type of suspension (torsion bars) was used on heavy tanks "KV", "IS". Then Koshkin was transferred to Kharkov, to the design bureau of light tanks, and apparently with the prospect of starting work on the design of precisely "medium", but on the basis of a light "BT". He had to, fulfilling the order of the army, making a light wheeled-tracked tank BT-20 (A-20), to ensure that at least on its base to make a tracked version of this machine-A-20G, and bring it to the same T-34 . Born from blueprints for a light tank, the T-34 had problems with tightness in the tank and other shortcomings. Also, from the light BT, Koshkin also got the chassis (some T-34s were even equipped with rollers from the BT tank, although they were already the required design) and a spring suspension. Almost in parallel with the “creation and modernization” of the T-34, Koshkin also designed another medium tank, the T-34M, which had other chassis rollers, similar to those from the heavy KV, with a torsion bar suspension, and not a spring one (an example of the “universalization” of tank production , which the Germans later used with might and main in the production of their tanks during the War), a more spacious hexagonal turret with a commander's turret (it was later installed on the T-34 in the 42nd year). This tank was even approved by the Defense Committee in January 1941. In May of the 41st, fifty of these towers were already manufactured at the Mariupol Metallurgical Plant, the first armored hulls, rollers, and a torsion bar suspension were made (the “suspension from BT” remained on the T-34). But the engine was never made for him. And the outbreak of war put an end to this model. Although the Koshkinsky Design Bureau was engaged in the intensive development of a new, "native" T-34M tank, more "better", but the outbreak of the War required an increase in the machines already put on the conveyor, those that are. And then throughout the war there was a constant alteration and improvement of the T-34. Its modernization was carried out at every plant where the T-34 was assembled, constantly seeking to reduce the cost of the tank. But all the same, the emphasis was placed, first of all, on increasing the number of produced tanks and throwing them into battle, especially in the autumn and winter of 1941. "Comfort" took up later.

What happened

The start of serial production of the T-34 was the final stage of the three-year work of Soviet tank builders to create a fundamentally new combat vehicle. In 1941, the T-34 was superior to any tank in service with the German army. The Germans, in response to the appearance of the T-34, developed the Panther, but also used captured T-34s wherever they could. Among several modifications of the T-34 was a flamethrower tank with a flamethrower installed in the hull instead of a frontal machine gun. In 1940-1945, the volume of production of "thirty-fours" was constantly increased, while labor costs and cost were reduced. So, during the war, the labor intensity of manufacturing one tank was reduced by 2.4 times (including the armored hull - by 5 times, diesel - by 2.5 times), and the cost - by almost half (from 270,000 rubles in 1941 to 142,000 rubles in 1945). T-34s were produced in thousands - the number of T-34s of all modifications built in 1940-1945 exceeds 40,000.

Thirty-four" certainly surpassed all enemy tanks at the beginning of the war in terms of armament, security and maneuverability. But it also had drawbacks. "Children's diseases" affected the rapid failure of the onboard clutches. Visibility from the tank and comfort in the work of the crew left much to be desired "Only a part of the machines was equipped with a radio station. Fenders and rectangular holes in the stern of the tower (on the machines of the first releases) turned out to be vulnerable. The presence of a frontal machine gun and a driver's hatch weakened the resistance of the frontal armor plate. And although the shape of the T-34 hull was an object of imitation for designers for many years, already in the heir to the "thirty-four" - the T-44 tank, the mentioned shortcomings were eliminated.

Combat use

The first T-34s began to enter the troops in the late autumn of 1940. By June 22, 1941, 1066 T-34 tanks were produced, in the border military districts as part of mechanized corps (mk) there were 967 T-34s (including in the Baltic Military District - 50 units, in the Western Special Military District - 266 units. and in the Kiev Special Military District - 494 units). The proportion of new types of tanks (T-34, KV and T-40 (tank)) in the troops was small, the basis of the tank fleet of the Red Army before the war was lightly armored T-26 and BT. From the very first days of the war, T-34s took an active part in hostilities. In a number of cases, the T-34s were successful, but in general, their use, like other types of tanks, during the border battle turned out to be unsuccessful - most of the tanks were quickly lost, while the German offensive could not be stopped. Quite characteristic is the fate of 15mk vehicles, which had 72 T-34s and 64 KVs on June 22, 1941. For a month of fighting, almost all the tanks of the mechanized corps were lost. The reasons for the low efficiency and high losses of the T-34 during this period are the poor mastery of new tanks by personnel, the tactically illiterate use of tanks, the shortage of armor-piercing shells, the design flaws of poorly developed vehicles in mass production, the lack of repair and evacuation equipment and the rapid movement of the front line. , which forced them to abandon failed, but maintainable tanks.

In the battles of the summer of 1941, the lack of effectiveness against the T-34 of the most massive 37-mm Pak 35/36 anti-tank guns in the German army at that time, as well as German tank guns of all calibers, quickly became clear. However, the Wehrmacht had the means to successfully fight the T-34. In particular, 50-mm Pak 38 anti-tank guns, 47-mm Pak 181 (f) and Pak 36 (t) anti-tank guns, 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, 100-mm hull guns and 105- mm howitzers.

There are two reasons why the T-34 did not become the decisive weapon in the summer of 1941. The first is the Russians' misguided tank tactics, the practice of spraying T-34s, using them in conjunction with lighter vehicles or as infantry support, instead of in order, like the Germans, to strike with powerful armored fists, break through the front of the enemy and sow chaos in his rear. The Russians have not mastered the fundamental rule of tank warfare, formulated by Guderian in one phrase: "Do not disperse - collect all forces together." The second mistake was in the combat technique of the Soviet tankmen. The T-34 had one very vulnerable spot. The crew of four - driver, gunner, loader and radio operator - lacked a fifth member, the commander. In the T-34, the commander served as a gunner. The combination of two tasks - maintenance of the gun and control over what is happening on the battlefield - did not contribute to the conduct of fast and effective fire. While the T-34 fired one shell, German T-IV spent three. Thus, in battle, this served the Germans as compensation for the range of the T-34 cannons, and, despite the strong sloped 45-mm armor, the Panzerwaffe tankers hit the Russian vehicles in the tracks and other "weak points". In addition, each Soviet tank unit had only one radio transmitter - in the company commander's tank.

As a result, Russian tank units turned out to be less mobile than German ones. Nevertheless, the T-34 remained a formidable and respected weapon throughout the war. It is hard to even imagine what consequences the massive use of the T-34 in the first weeks of the war could entail. What impression was made by the tactics of the Germans using their tank units on the Soviet infantry. Unfortunately, the Soviet army at that time did not have sufficient experience in fighting with large tank formations and a sufficient number of T-34s.

The situation changed dramatically already at the end of 1941 and beginning of 1942. The number of T-34s increased, and the design was constantly improved. The tactics of using tanks have changed. Artillery and aviation began to be used together with tank formations.

After the abolition of the defeated mechanized corps, by the end of the summer of 1941, the brigade became the largest tank organizational unit. Until the fall of 1941, the T-34s sent to the front from the factories made up a relatively small percentage of Soviet tanks and did not cause particularly serious problems for the Germans. However, since the number of old-type tanks was rapidly declining, the proportion of T-34s in the Soviet tank forces gradually grew - for example, by October 16, 1941, out of the 582 tanks available in the Moscow direction, almost 42% (244 tanks) were T-34s. The sudden appearance of new vehicles at the front had a great effect on German tankers:

"...until in early October 1941, the eastern Orel in front of the German 4th Panzer Division, Russian T-34 tanks appeared and showed our tankers accustomed to victories their superiority in armament, armor and maneuverability. The T-34 tank made a sensation. This 26 -ton Russian tank was armed with a 76.2-mm cannon (caliber 41.5), the shells of which pierced the armor of German tanks from 1.5 - 2 thousand meters, while German tanks could hit Russians from a distance of no more than 500 m, and even then only if the shells hit the side and rear parts of the T-34 tank.

Since the autumn of 1941, T-34s began to be made up for German troops. serious problem, especially indicative in this regard are the actions of the 4th tank brigade of M.E. Katukov against units of the 4th tank division Wehrmacht near Mtsensk in October 1941. If back in early October 1941, G. Guderian, in a letter to the leadership of the tank troops, stated:

"... the Soviet T-34 tank is a typical example of backward Bolshevik technology. This tank cannot be compared with the best examples of our tanks, made by the faithful sons of the Reich and repeatedly proving their superiority ..."

then by the end of the same month, under the impression of the actions of the Katukov brigade, his opinion about the capabilities of the T-34 changed significantly:

“I drew up a report on this situation, which is new for us, and sent it to the army group. I described in understandable terms the clear advantage of the T-34 over our Pz.IV and gave the appropriate conclusions that should have influenced our future tank building ... "

After the battle for Moscow, the T-34 became the main tank of the Red Army; since 1942, more of them have been produced than all other tanks combined. In 1942, T-34s take an active part in the battles along the entire front line, with the exception of the Leningrad Front and the Kola Peninsula. Particularly significant was the role of these tanks in the Battle of Stalingrad, which is due to the proximity to the combat area of ​​the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, from the shops of which the tanks went straight to the front. It should be noted that from the end of 1941, the German troops began to receive new, more effective means of anti-tank warfare, in connection with which, during 1942, the T-34 gradually lost its position of relative invulnerability from the regular Wehrmacht anti-tank weapons. From the end of 1941, German troops began to receive significant quantities of sub-caliber and cumulative shells; from the beginning of 1942, the production of the 37 mm Pak 35/36 gun was discontinued, and the 50 mm Pak 38 gun was significantly intensified. From the spring of 1942, German troops began to receive powerful 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank guns; however, their production unfolded rather slowly. The troops began to receive anti-tank guns created by reworking captured guns - Pak 36 (r) and Pak 97/38, as well as, in relatively small quantities, powerful anti-tank guns with a conical bore - 28/20-mm sPzB 41, 42- mm Pak 41 and 75 mm Pak 41. The armament of German tanks and self-propelled guns was strengthened - they received long-barreled 50 mm and 75 mm guns with high armor penetration. At the same time, there was a gradual strengthening of the frontal armor of German tanks and assault guns.

1943 was the year of the most mass production and use of T-34 tanks with a 76-mm gun. Biggest battle This period was the Battle of Kursk, during which the Soviet tank units, which were based on the T-34, together with other branches of the military, managed to stop the German offensive, while suffering heavy losses. Modernized German tanks and assault guns, which had frontal armor reinforced to 70-80 mm, became less vulnerable to the T-34 gun, while their artillery armament allowed to confidently hit Soviet tanks. The appearance of heavily armed and well-armored heavy tanks "Tiger" and "Panther" complemented this rather bleak picture. The question arose of strengthening the armament and armor of the tank, which led to the creation of a modification of the T-34-85.

In 1944, the T-34 with a 76-mm gun continued to be the main Soviet tank, but from the middle of the year the tank began to be gradually replaced by the T-34-85. As part of the Soviet tank units, the T-34 took part in major offensive operations that ended in defeat a large number German units and the liberation of large territories. Despite lagging behind German tanks in terms of armament and armor, the T-34s acted quite successfully - the Soviet military leadership, having created a significant numerical superiority and seized the strategic initiative, could choose the direction of strikes and, having broken the enemy’s defenses, introduce tank units into the breakthrough, conducting large-scale encirclement operations. German tank units, at best, managed to fend off the emerging crisis, at worst, they were forced to quickly retreat from the planned "boilers", abandoning faulty or simply left without fuel equipment. The Soviet military leadership tried to avoid tank battles whenever possible, leaving the fight against German tanks to anti-tank artillery and aviation.

The technical reliability of the T-34, which had grown significantly by the beginning of 1945, allowed the command to conduct a series of fast and deep operations with their participation. At the beginning of 1945, the headquarters of the 1st Guards Tank Army noted that the T-34 overlapped the warranty period of operation by 1.5-2 times and had a practical resource of up to 350-400 hours.

By the beginning of 1945, there were already relatively few T-34s with a 76-mm cannon in the troops, the niche of the main Soviet tank was firmly occupied by the T-34-85. Nevertheless, the remaining vehicles, in particular, in the form of sapper minesweeper tanks, took an active part in the battles of the final year of the war, including Berlin operation. A number of these tanks took part in the defeat of the Japanese Kwantung Army.

In fact, a tank is needed to fight, primarily with enemy manpower and fortifications, and here a more powerful HE shell is needed. The ammunition load (b.k.) of the T-34 consisted of 100 shots, and 75 of them were with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile. Of course, the tankers themselves, along the way, took into the tank what was more useful to them. But in any case, not only armor-piercing shells. When the "Tiger" or "Panther" gets the T-34 for 1.5-2 km, but with good optics, but with comfort and smooth running, it's great. That's just the war is not waged on open ranges. The cases of defeat of our tanks at such a distance were so isolated that they did not even affect the "battles of local importance." More often than not, the tankers still burned each other point-blank, but from ambush. And here other qualities of the tank are more important, for example, maneuverability, which depends on the mass of the tank. Until now, our tanks, the great-grandchildren of the T-34, with all the same characteristics as the "Americans" and "Germans", have less weight.

Even the 122 mm cannon of the separate-sleeve loading of the IS-2, yielding in the rate of fire to the “tigrin”, solved the problems not only of fighting the German armored vehicles. The IS-2 was called the breakthrough tank. And the same “Tiger” was just tasked with destroying our armored vehicles, better from afar, better from ambushes and always under the cover of their medium tanks. If the army wins, then it needs breakthrough tanks with a predominance in the b.k. HE shells. If it retreats, then destroyer tanks are needed. At the same time, the Germans focused on "supertanks" of piece production, "Tigers" and "Panthers" stamped only about 7000 pieces during the entire War. Stalin, on the other hand, focused on the mass production of the T-34 and ZIS-3.

Design Description

Serial modifications:

• Medium tank T-34/76 mod. 1940 - T-34/76 tanks produced in 1940 had combat weight 26.8 tons and were armed with a 76-mm L-11 gun of the 1939 model;
• Medium tank T-34/76 mod. 1941/42 - with gun F-32/F-34;
• Medium tank T-34-76 mod. 1942 - with a cast tower;
• Medium tank T-34-76 mod. 1942/43 - a five-speed gearbox was introduced on tanks instead of a four-speed one, a more powerful radio station 9-R was installed instead of 71-TK-3, a commander's cupola appeared, and the tower itself became hexagonal.

A short summary of the number of T-34s produced:

• For 1940 - 110 pieces;
• For 1941 - 2996 pieces;
• For 1942 - 1252 pieces;
• For 1943 - 15821 pieces;
• For 1944 - 14648 pieces;
• For 1945 - 12551 pieces;
• For 1946 - 2707 pieces.

T-34 has a classic layout. The crew of the tank consists of four people - a driver and a gunner-radio operator, located in the control compartment and loading with a commander, who also performs the functions of a gunner, who were in a double tower.

There were no clearly defined modifications of the linear T-34-76. However, in the design of serial machines there were significant differences caused by various conditions production at each of the factories that produced them in certain periods of time, as well as the general improvement of the tank. AT historical literature these differences are usually grouped by manufacturer and period of production, sometimes with an indication of a characteristic feature if the plant produced two or more types of machines in parallel. However, in the army, the picture could become even more complicated, because due to the high maintainability of the T-34, wrecked tanks were most often restored again, and the components of damaged vehicles of different versions were often assembled into a whole tank in various combinations.

Armored corps and turret

The T-34 armored hull was welded, assembled from rolled plates and sheets of homogeneous steel grade MZ-2 (I8-S), 13, 16, 40 and 45 mm thick, after assembly subjected to surface hardening. The armor protection of the tank is projectile-proof, of equal strength, made with rational angles of inclination. The frontal part consisted of 45 mm thick armor plates converging in a wedge: the upper one, located at an angle of 60 ° to the vertical, and the lower one, located at an angle of 53 °. Between themselves, the upper and lower frontal armor plates were connected using a beam. The sides of the hull in its lower part were located vertically and had a thickness of 45 mm. The upper part of the sides, in the area of ​​the fenders, consisted of 40-mm armor plates located at an angle of 40 °. The stern part was assembled from two 40-mm armor plates converging with a wedge: the upper one, located at an angle of 47 ° and the lower one, located at an angle of 45 °. The roof of the tank in the area of ​​​​the engine compartment was assembled from 16-mm armor plates, and in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe turret box it had a thickness of 20 mm. The bottom of the tank had a thickness of 13 mm under the engine compartment and 16 mm in the frontal part, and a small section of the aft end of the bottom consisted of a 40-mm armor plate. Tower T-34 - double, close to hexagonal in terms of shape, with a stern niche. Depending on the manufacturer and year of manufacture, turrets could be installed on the tank various designs. On the T-34 of the first issues, a welded tower made of rolled plates and sheets was installed. The walls of the tower were made of 45-mm armor plates, located at an angle of 30 °, the forehead of the tower was a 45-mm, curved in the shape of a half cylinder, a plate with cutouts for installing a gun, machine gun and sight. The roof of the tower consisted of a 15-mm armor plate, curved at an angle from 0° to 6° to the horizontal, the bottom of the aft niche - a horizontal 13-mm armor plate. Although other types of towers were also assembled by welding, it is the towers of the original type that are known in the literature under the name "welded".

Firepower

The 76.2 mm L-11 and F-34 guns installed on the T-34 provided it in 1940-1941 with a significant superiority in gun power over all serial models of foreign armored vehicles due to a balanced combination of relatively high action both against armored and against armored vehicles. unarmored targets. The armor penetration of the F-34 was significantly inferior to the KwK 40, and pretty decently to the American 75-mm M-3 gun, but in 1941-1942 its capabilities were more than enough to destroy German tanks and assault guns, the thickness of which armor at that time did not exceed 50- 70 mm. So, according to the secret report of NII-48 from 1942, the frontal armor of German tanks was confidently penetrated by 76.2-mm projectiles at almost any distance, including within the heading angles of ±45 °. Only an average frontal armor plate 50 mm thick, located at an inclination of 52 ° to the vertical, made its way only from a distance of up to 800 m. During the war, the design of the tank was constantly modernized, in place of it other newer and more effective guns were installed on the tank.

security

The level of armor protection of the T-34 provided him with reliable protection against all regular Wehrmacht anti-tank weapons in the summer of 1941. 37 mm Pak 35/36 anti-tank guns, which made up the vast majority anti-tank guns Wehrmacht, had any chance of penetrating the frontal armor only when they hit weak spots. The sides of the T-34 were hit by 37-mm caliber shells only in the vertical lower part and at short distances, and without giving a guaranteed armor action. Sub-caliber shells turned out to be more effective, capable of penetrating the lower part of the side and side of the turret relatively effectively, but their real firing range did not exceed 300 m, and their armor effect was low - often the tungsten carbide core crumbled into sand after breaking through the armor without harming the crew . The 50-mm KwK 38 gun with a 42-caliber barrel, mounted on PzKpfw tanks III Ausf.F - Ausf.J. Short-barreled 75-mm KwK 37 guns, mounted on early PzKpfw modifications IV and StuG III were even less effective, and with an armor-piercing projectile, with the exception of hits in weakened zones, they could only hit the lower part of the sides at distances of less than 100 meters. However, the situation was greatly smoothed out by the presence of a cumulative projectile in its ammunition load - although the latter worked only at relatively small angles of impact with armor and against the frontal protection of the T-34 was also ineffective, but most of the tank was easily hit by it. Indeed the first effective tool the fight against the T-34 became a 75-mm anti-tank cannon pak 40, which appeared in the troops in any noticeable quantities by the spring of 1942, and the 75-mm KwK 40 tank gun with a barrel length of 43 caliber, mounted on PzKpfw IV tanks and StuG.III assault guns since the summer of that year. The KwK 40 caliber armor-piercing projectile at a heading angle of 0 ° hit the frontal armor of the T-34 hull from a distance of 1000 m or less, while the forehead of the tower in the area of ​​​​the gun mantlet was already hit from 1 km or more. At the same time, the high-hardness armor used on the T-34 was prone to chipping from the inside even with a projectile ricochet. So, long-barreled 75-mm guns formed dangerous fragments when hit at distances up to 2 km, and 88-mm - already up to 3 km. However, relatively few long-barreled 75-mm guns were produced during 1942, and the bulk of anti-tank weapons available to the Wehrmacht were still 37-mm and 50-mm guns. 50-mm guns at normal combat distances in the summer of 1942 required an average of 5 hits with acutely scarce sub-caliber shells to disable the T-34.