Russian Medium Tanks

Armament: 76.2mm L16 gun (70 rounds) and 3 x 7.62mm MG.

Armour: 80mm.

Weight: 31.5 tons.

Speed: 22mph (37kmh) on road and 12mph (20kmh) cross country.

Range: 135 miles (220km) on road and 85 miles (136km) cross country.
Crew: 6, commander/radio operator, gunner, driver and 3 x Mg gunners.

The T-28 was developed in 1932 and went into production in August the following year. Originally designed as an infantry support tank, the vehicles unusual layout incorporated three forward firing Mg's, one fitted coaxially in the turret and two others in their own individual mini turrets on the hull. The prototype featured a 45mm Model 27/32 gun, however it was decided to replace this with the 76.2mm L-16 gun. The vehicle had multi-wheel suspension and was rear wheel driven. The turret was driven electrically, which was an unusual feature for Russian vehicles. The vehicle commander had difficulty coordinating all the vehicles weapons, leading to reduced combat efficiency. The suspension, engine and gearbox all suffered from poor reliability and so in 1936 the T-28A was introduced. This variant featured an improved suspension system, a new transmission and the addition of solid metal roadwheels. Despite these improvements, the technical failings still remained. In 1938 further improvements were made and the T-28B was introduced. It featured an additional 7.62mm Mg fitted in the rear of the main turret and an improved main gun, the 76.2mm L-10. The final variant was the T-28C, which was introduced in 1940, following combat experience gained during the Russo-Finnish war. The vehicles frontal armour was increased to 80mm and a larger, conical shaped turret was introduced.

Armament: 76.2mm F-11 gun (111 rounds) 3 x 7.62mm coaxial, hull and rear mg.

Armour: 75mm.

Weight: 42 tons.

Speed: 22mph (35kmph) on road, 12mph (19kmph) cross country.

Range: 209 miles (335km) on road, 180km (112km) cross country.

Crew: 5, commander/loader, gunner, auxiliary driver, driver/mechanic and radio operator.

Development of a new medium tank, eventually designated the T-34, began in June 1938. The vehicle was to be able to resist armour penetration from the standard AT guns of the time, the 37mm and 76.2mm. This was achieved by introducing sloping armour in order for AT rounds to glance of the tank. It was also required to have a diesel engine.
Production finally began in September 1940. The new vehicle was initially complicated and expensive to produce and soon fell behind production targets. It was originally armed with the 76mm L11 gun, but in February 1941 this was superseded by the 76mm F34 gun. Again the limit of a two-man crew in the turret led to poor combat effectiveness. The commander also had a poor field of vision. In cold weather the engines were assisted in starting by a pair of compressed air bottles. Initially, radios were only fitted in the company commander's tank, which had a 71-TK-3 transmitter/receiver. However, by mid 1943 about 75% of all vehicles were equipped with radios. Internally the TPU-3 inter-phone system was used for communication between the commander and driver. The vehicle was also fitted with wider tracks than normal and this gave it good mobility over snowy or muddy terrain. The Red Army troops called it 'Prinadlezhit-Chetverki', which means 34.
In combat the T-34 initially suffered from some technical difficulties. The transmission was prone to failure, the vehicle's treads were weak, the main and side clutches broke down, when crossing ditches the low set of the vehicle caused its nose to dig in and more worryingly, the hull armour could be penetrated at 300 to 400m by a 37mm antitank round. In addition there was a severe shortage of experienced crews for the new vehicle.
In December 1941 a new variant, the model 42, was introduced. It had a new gun cradle and a new cast turret, which was up-armoured to 52mm. It was also fitted with a new 5-speed gearbox and external fuel tanks to increase its operational range to 270 miles (430km). The overall number of parts on the vehicle was also decreased to simplify production. Again the tracks were further widened to improve mobility in harsh terrain.
In January 1943, the model 43 was fitted with a new hexagonally shaped cast turret, which was slightly larger and simpler to manufacture. It was also up-armoured to 90mm.
In August 1943 it was decided to improve the main armament to cope with the improved German tanks being introduced on the Eastern Front. This saw the introduction of the new T-34/85. It was fitted with the 85mm ZIS-53 gun. The new vehicle was introduced in March 1944. The size of the vehicle chassis was increased slightly to take an enlarged cast turret and the new gun. Its main advantage was that it could now hold a crew of three, improving operational efficiency. Armour thickness was again increased to 120mm. This increased the vehicles weight to 32 tons, leading to a decrease in range to 190 miles. Another variant of this tank was the OT-34/85. It was fitted with an AT-42 flame-thrower mounted in place of the hull mg, which could shoot a flame jet 60-100m. A further variation was the PT-3, which had a mine removal roller attached.

Armament: 76.2mm L-11gun (77 rounds) + 1 x 7.62 mg coaxial + 1 x 7.62mm mg hull.

Armour: 45mm sloped at 30°.

Weight: 26.3 tons.

Speed: 34mph (54kph) on road, 20mph (34kmh) cross country.

Range: 249 miles (400km) on road, 162 miles (260km) cross country.

Crew: 3, commander/loader, gunner/radio operator and driver.

Following the poor performance of early attempts at heavy tank construction, a requirement for a new heavy tank design was sought. Development of the new vehicle, designated the KV series began in December 1938. The new vehicle was required to be able to stand up to current A/T guns, the 37 and 76.2mm and be powered by a diesel engine.
Production of the new vehicle began in February 1939. It was fitted with compressed air tanks and reserve batteries for cold weather start up. It was also fitted with wider tracks to improve its cross-country performance. The KV's main armament was the 76.2mm L-11 gun, installed in a large welded turret.
The KV was introduced into service in December 1939, when it saw action during the Russo-Finish war. It performed well, proving reasonably reliable, however it suffered initial problems with its transmission, gearbox and chassis. This meant that the vehicle had to be stopped to change gear. It was also difficult to steer and the driver and commander also had poor fields of view. Despite the large crew, the commander still had to double up as the gun loader.
In November 1940, the vehicle was refitted with the new, more powerful F-32 gun. It was also fitted with a new, improved 600hp power plant. The new vehicle was re-designated the KV-1. In July 1941 the F-32 gun was again replaced by the new 76.2mm Zis-5 gun, which was fitted in a new improved cast turret. In addition, 35mm bolt on plates were added to improve armour protection. This increased the vehicles weight to 47 tons. Production of the KV-1 continued until December 1943.
In February 1942, a flame throwing version, the KV-8 was also introduced. It was fitted with a smaller 45mm 20K gun to allow room for the additional fitting of the ATO-41 flame-thrower, which was installed coaxially. It carried 670 litres of oil and gave around 100 bursts of flame, with a range of about 46m.
In 1942 development began on a lighter version of the KV, the KV-1s. The vehicle was 5 tons lighter than the KV and KV-1 versions. Frontal armour was reduced to 60mm and the hull was completely redesigned. The transmission and gearbox were also replaced and the turret design was improved. Production of the KV-1s began in August 1942. The KV-1s chassis and redesigned turret were fitted with the newly developed 85mm S-31 gun. The crew was also reduced to four, due to lack of room inside the vehicle resulting from the fitting of the larger gun. The KV-1s was introduced into service in August 1942, but production was discontinued in September 1943.