The Tank Museum, Kubinka. The middle tank T-34-85, photo 2017.
Victory Tank or “the best middle tank of the Second World War
It was developed in 1943. It was produced serially from 1944 to 1945. Was in service with the Soviet Army. Used in the battles of the Great Patriotic War.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the medium tank T-34-85
Weight – 32 tons
Number of crew – 5 people
Overall dimensions (length x width x height) – 8100 x 3000 x 2700 mm.
Armament: gun – 1 piece, caliber – 85 mm., Ammunition – 56 shots
machine gun – 2 pieces, caliber – 7.62 mm., ammunition – 1953 cartridges
Armor protection, mm: forehead hull .. 52, forehead of the tower. 90
Engine power – 500 horsepower
The maximum speed is 55 km / h
Cruising range on the highway – 350 km.
Depth of water barriers to be waded – 1,3 meters
Design Features
Base – tank T-34.
The overall layout is classical.
Armament: a cannon with a twin machine gun, a course machine gun, a hinged telescopic sight; the mechanism of turning the tower is an electric drive with control from the commander and the gunner.
Protection – body welded, from rolled armor plates with rational angles of inclination; The tower is cast with an increased size of the shoulder (base).
Chassis – engine 12-cylinder, V-shaped, water-cooled diesel engine with air-heater; transmission mechanical, main friction multi-disk dry; gearbox five-speed; airborne friction clutches; belt brakes; suspension individual, spring (springs are placed in special mines); double roller rollers are cut; The caterpillar belt consists of ridges and smooth tracks. The tank T-34-85 was the best tank in the world during the Second World War.
History of creation
What is usual, the story does not say. After the “big losses” in the Kursk Bulge in accordance with the “traditions” of the time, some of the military leaders were to be shot. The first candidate was the commander of the army of the Rotmistors. To avoid shooting, he technically correctly “transferred the arrows” to the tank building minister, Comrade Malyshev. The technical characteristics of the Soviet T-34 with its armor and a 76 mm cannon and a German T-VI “Tiger” with its anti-aircraft gun 88 mm were the arguments. After the “debriefing” it was decided to make a new one based on the T-34 tank, with an additional crew member (gunner) and a more powerful 85 mm cannon. . The T-34-85 tank was developed at the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard in the autumn of 1943. Produced at three plants: Nizhny Tagil, Krasnoye Sormovo and Omsk. In total, until the end of the war, 21048 T-34-85 were produced. Flamethrower tanks, self-propelled artillery units were produced on its base, and equipment of a roller mine trawl was installed on a part of the machines. The serial release was completed in 1946. It was withdrawn from production, but has not yet been disarmed.
During the Second World War, T-34 of all modifications produced about 60,000 units. After the war, under a Soviet license, Poland and Czechoslovakia produced another 30,000 tanks.
After the Second World War and the defeat of militaristic Japan, the T-34-85 tank successfully fought in Korea and even in Vietnam. The machine at different times was in service with 42 countries. And today about 400 tanks T-34-85 are in service with the army of Cuba. This model of the tank is in Europe on all monuments to “liberator soldiers” in the Baltic states, Serbia and even in Angola
Location of the exhibit
In 2017, the tank is located in pavilion No. 2 of the Tank Museum (CMBTV) in Kubinka (since September 2017 – “technical ground”)
Please note, next to the T-34-85 tank is demonstrated its motor – engine B-2