Tank T 34M - medium tank during the Second World War. The purpose of this project was the modernization of the T34 and the elimination of all its shortcomings. Externally, the car was a hybrid of the Soviet T34 and German PzKrfw III, and received an A-43 index.
The history of the creation of the tank T-34M (A-43)
Despite the many advantages of the T 34, this car had several minor, but still necessary to eliminate the shortcomings. The main concern was the vertical spring suspension, which was not as reliable as we would like. She with great difficulty maintained the complexion of the tank in 30 tons. It was decided to replace it with torsinas, but it was impossible to implement this idea without capital reworking of the entire chassis. However, in 1940, designers received a task to develop this project, which was originally called the T-34T.
A sketch of the new project was reviewed by a special commission in January 1941. The project was liked by the military and was immediately approved by the leaders of NKTP and KO. It was recommended to improve to increase the thickness of the frontal sheets of armor up to 60mm, and also to install a planetary gearbox, but at the same time to keep the engine in its original form. A number of improvements were proposed after the final approval of the project in February 1941. Thus, it was necessary to use a welded tower of stamped parts, or cast with a wall thickness of 50-52 mm and a hatch in the commander's turret.
Production of prototypes in the amount of 2 pieces began in March 1941. In the course of preliminary preparation, tests of the torsion bar suspension were carried out on one of the T34. Thus, three support rollers were removed from the tank and steel sheets with cutouts for torsins were welded to the bottom of the 20mm boards. More in the chassis did not change anything. In parallel, the dismantling of the wings and weapons. Although the resulting machine had nothing to do with the original project, it is referred to in the reports as the T-34T, and not M.
During the tests, the tank showed the same speed characteristics with the T34. However, the new model was more smooth running. By April 1941, all the improvements were implemented and 6 sets of spare parts for the A-43 were delivered.
Project Requirements
According to the layout, the design of transmission units, chassis and TTX, the developers were presented with the following requirements:
- A turret with a diameter of 1,700 mm in the light allowed the coaxial installation of a 76-mm cannon with a DT machine gun, devices for aiming and aiming the tank commander, shooting and loading, to be freely and conveniently placed.
- The presence and placement of the commander's observation tower allows the tank commander and formations to constantly monitor the battlefield, direct the crew and unit both on signals and on the radio.
- The number and location of the ammunition (103 rounds, of which 55
to the sides) provides for conducting intensive aimed fire at least 6 rounds per minute. - The driver’s (right) and radio operator’s (left) workplaces provide convenient control of a tank, a radio station, and targeting fire from a bow machine gun.
- For visibility, the tank has 15 prismatic viewing instruments and a set of sighting devices that provide good visibility from the tank.
- Transmission placed compactly allows free access to the units. The positioning of the semi-flexible joint between the gearbox, main and onboard clutches ensures the interchangeability of units, facilitates installation and disassembly in field conditions.
- Chassis - individual torsion type with rollers with internal depreciation allowed freeing up the internal dimensions of the tank, lightening the weight of its chassis, abolishing the use of
scarce natural rubber for rubber rollers up to 550 kg. In addition, the change of torsions is much easier to perform in the field than the change of spring or spring suspension.
What's new in the T-34M (A-43)
Work on the tank began in January 1941. According to the project it was necessary to make the tank a little larger in length and height, but quite a bit to reduce the width of the hull. The ground clearance of the car has been increased by 50mm. For the tank, a special version of the B-5 diesel engine was developed, since the number of horsepower of the car was raised to 600. The fuel tank capacity was also increased by 140 liters. As for the transmission, it remained the same, but to improve road performance it was supposed to use a demultiplicator. In consequence of this, the T 34M received 8 forward speeds and 2 rear speeds.
Most changes in the new model received chassis. Now, instead of 5 road wheels, 6 smaller and double rollers with an individual torsion suspension were used. They also reduced the width of the tracks to 450 mm, which slightly increased the load on the ground.
The end of the history of the tank T-34M (A-43)
Despite its advantages, on June 22, 1941, no T-34M model was completed. The work on the A-43 could not be continued, since, due to the start of World War II, massive production of the T34 was required, since its production had already been established.
