Ranks on the tank t 34. History of tank troops

2 November 1943. At 20.00, commanders of tanks, platoons and companies were summoned to the dugout of the battalion commander, Captain Chumachenko Dmitry Alexandrovich. In the dugout, the commanders were greeted cordially, greeted each by the hand. The head of the political department of the brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Vasilievich Molokanov, said that the whole world is now looking at us. Then he congratulated us on the upcoming assault and wished us success. Then, just as briefly, the commander of the battalion Chumachenko set the task. At the end of his speech, he announced the time of the start of the assault and asked to check the clocks - the time turned out to be the same for everyone (we had tank watches - commander's, and they went with high accuracy). With the beginning of artillery preparation, we had to start the engines and warm them up, and then withdraw the tanks from the trenches and line up in battle line. At the signal of three green rockets, we were to slowly, advancing, approach the front edge of our rifle troops located in the first trench, and then - at the signal of three red rockets - together with the arrows, attack the front edge of the enemy defenses. Destroying the Nazis in the forest, by the end of the day, go to the southern edge, that is, to the Bolshevik state farm, and proceed to the direct assault on Kyiv. The head of the political department told us that the Communists and Komsomol members, the soldiers of our entire 5th Guards Stalingrad tank corps at their short meetings and in letters they take an oath: "November 7, the Red Banner - the symbol of October will fly over Kyiv!"

Excited dispersed, discussing the details of interaction in battle and ways to destroy the "tigers" by group fire of platoons and self-propelled guns, if they get in our way.

Arriving in my dugout, I brought to the attention of the crew the task assigned to us.

I must say that the crew of the tank, which I received a few days before the offensive, greeted me coldly - unshaven, with cigarettes in their hands. And this was understandable: an unknown youth, an eighteen-year-old lieutenant, and also an employee of the brigade headquarters, was sent to them.

— Lieutenant Fadin! Putting my hand on the cap, I introduced myself. - I heard a lot of good things about your dead commander, but the crew is something unlike him.

My resolute look and confidence had an effect: I look, the smirk disappeared from their faces.

I ask:
- Is the car okay?
— Yes! - answered the driver Vasily Semiletov. - That's just the electric motor for turning the tower junk.
- We will fight on this one, since you, an experienced driver, brought a faulty tank out of repair. Our failures will be on your conscience. You probably have a family, and we have relatives,” I added.
- I don't have anyone! If there is anyone left, then in Odessa, - the radio operator Fyodor Voznyuk raised his voice.
- By cars! - I give the command.

She was fulfilled. Climbing into the tank, he said that we were going to our place, to the battle formation, to the company of Senior Lieutenant Avetisyan.

Having taken out the map and guided by it, I clearly began to give commands, directing the tank to the village of Valki. And then I discovered that my experience of working for two months at the headquarters of our 22nd Guards Tank Brigade gave me a lot. I confidently navigated the map both in the forest and in open areas.

When we reached the northern outskirts of Novye Petrivtsi, the enemy, having heard the noise of the engine of our tank, began to conduct artillery fire, sending two or three shells in front, then in pursuit. I ordered the mechanic to put the tank behind the stone wall of a building dilapidated from the bombing and wait for some distracting bombing or darkness.

When the tank stood behind the wall and the engine was turned off, I explained to the crew where we should arrive and the purpose of my maneuver. And here the loader Golubenko remarked:
— Yes, you are very good at navigating the map, lieutenant!
“Yves, apparently, understands tactics,” said Fyodor Voznyuk.

Only Vasily Semiletov remained silent. But I realized that the cold reception was left behind. They believed in me.

As soon as it began to get dark, we moved again and soon, pursued by enemy artillery and mortar fire, arrived at the place.

The tank had to be placed in the garden of one of the outermost houses, in the hope that the trees would be some kind of protection against a direct hit by an artillery shell. Here I was received by my friends: platoon commanders lieutenants Vanyusha Abashin and Kostya Grozdev. A little later, the company commander Senior Lieutenant Avetisyan himself approached.

He showed me the location of my tank in order of battle companies. I will never forget this place. It was chosen under a large apple tree a hundred meters southwest of the last house in the village of Valki. To my left, two hundred meters away, the highway leading from the village to Vyshgorod turned sharply. And what is surprising, during our preparation for the assault on Kyiv, which lasted two weeks, this house, despite the enemy artillery attacks, was almost not damaged, except for the fact that one of the shells beat off a corner from the side wall. The owner - a man of 65-70 years old - did not leave his house and after each raid he crawled out from somewhere, examined the house with a masterly look, shook his head reproachfully, looking in the direction of the enemy.

This place - it was closest to the enemy - was the point of the corner of the company's battle order. We needed to equip a trench for the tank, and such that it would allow the vehicle to fully accommodate, at the same time, it would make it possible to fire at the enemy from a cannon and a machine gun.

Throughout the October night, in pairs, replacing each other, we dug such a trench with two shovels. However, it was not so easy to put a tank in it. Apparently, the Nazis very closely followed the preparation of our troops for decisive action and kept their fire weapons on duty at the ready. As soon as the driver Semiletov started the engine and began to withdraw the tank to our trench, heavy artillery fire fell upon us. And only the darkness that had not yet dissipated did not allow them to conduct aimed fire ...

The preparation of our troops for the assault on Kyiv these days was in full swing. Much was said about the imminent approach. And the fact that for two days people were taken to the rear of the brigade, where they washed in equipped baths, received new winter uniforms. And the issuance of fresh food emergency stocks in tanks. And reinforcing us with a battery of 152-millimeter self-propelled artillery mounts. We knew that a projectile fired from such a self-propelled gun would tear off the turret of even a T-6 "typhoid" tank. Therefore, their appearance in our battle formation made us very happy.

The time for big events was approaching. Apparently, the Nazis also felt this, because they periodically carried out powerful fire raids on our positions.

On the night of November 3, everyone, with the exception of the observers on duty, slept soundly. At 6:30 we were called to receive breakfast. And here, as happens sometimes, our crew made a mistake. Having received breakfast, we decided to eat it not in the dugout, but on fresh air. We settled down not far from our battalion kitchen, over which thick steam rose in the cold air. This, apparently, could not fail to notice the enemy.

As soon as we brought the spoons to our mouths, the enemy opened artillery fire on our disposition. I only had time to shout: "Lie down!" I think that this was the only case during the war when one of the shells fell seven to ten meters behind us and did not hit any of us with its fragments. Another shell hit about ten meters from us on the right and, without exploding, tumbling like a wheel, swept away a gaping soldier on its way, then, hitting the kitchen wheel, tore it off, overturning the kitchen on its back along with the cook who was distributing food.

Throwing off our stupor, we rushed into the dugout. After firing a few more shells, the enemy calmed down. Then we had no time for breakfast. Having collected our belongings, we moved into the tank in anticipation of the assault.

And soon the powerful artillery, and then the air cannonade merged into a continuous rumble. I gave the command. "Start". For some reason the tank didn't start right away. Didn't start the second time either. I got nervous and shouted an insulting word to the mechanic Semiletov, fortunately, he did not hear him, because my intercom was not turned on. Apparently, the shock received at breakfast also affected. When we left the trench, I saw that other tanks had long since left their hiding places. Three green rockets took off into the air. I give the command:
— Forward!
- Where to go? the driver Vasily Semiletov shouts back.

I realized that due to poor visibility I would be forced to control the tank, observing from the open hatch, otherwise we would lose our infantry, and it was possible to crash into a neighboring tank. The condition is uncertain, there is solid smoke and flashes from artillery shells in a kilometer ahead. Explosions are also visible from the return fire of the Nazis.

Tanks from our battle line have already begun to fire. I understood: my nerves could not stand it, because this is a fire to nowhere. Then I saw the trench and the faces of the shooters waiting for our approach. The tank twitched violently, and I felt that I was coming to my senses, it was we who had passed the first trench. Unexpectedly, I found our fighters firing on the move to the right and left of me. He looked up, no red rockets are visible. Apparently I've looked at them. Tanks moving to the right and left are firing on the move. I go down to the sight, I do not see any enemy, except for piled trees. I give the command to the loader:
- Load up with shrapnel!
“There are shrapnel,” Golubenko answered clearly.

I make the first shot at the piled logs, guessing that this is the first trench of the enemy. I watch my gap, I calm down completely: like at the training ground, when you shoot at targets. And here are the running mouse figures, I shoot from the cannon at the Nazis. I'm fond of fire, I give the command:
- Increase your speed!

Here is the forest. Semiletov slowed down sharply.
- Don't stop! I shout.
— Where to go? Semiletov asks.

I answer:
- Forward, and only forward!

We crush one tree, the second ... The old engine wheezes, but the tank goes on. I looked around - to the right of me was the tank of Vanyusha Abashin, my platoon commander, he was also breaking a tree, moving forward. I looked out of the hatch: in front of me was a small clearing going deep into the forest. I direct the tank towards it. Ahead to the left, heavy fire from tank guns and the return yapping fire of Nazi anti-tank guns are heard.

To the right, only the noise of tank engines is heard, but the tanks themselves are not visible. I think, do not yawn, and alternately give fire from a cannon and a machine gun along the clearing. It becomes lighter in the forest, and suddenly - a clearing, and on it the Nazis rushing about. I give you a shot. And then I see that on the edge of the meadow there is a strong machine-gun and automatic fire. A group of people flashed between the mounds - and a flash. Understood: this is an anti-tank gun. He gave a long burst from a machine gun and shouted to the loader:
- Load up with shrapnel!

And then he felt a blow, and the tank, as if it had run into a serious obstacle, stopped for a moment and went forward again, sharply turning to the left. And here again, as at a training ground, I found a group of Nazis scurrying about the gun, now they were all clearly visible, and fired a shot at them. I heard the loud voice of Fedya Voznyuk, the radio operator-shooter:
- There is a direct hit, and the gun and its servants shattered to pieces.
“Commander, our left caterpillar has been broken,” mechanic Semiletov reports.
- Get out of the tank with Vozniuk through the hatch in the bottom! I ordered. “Golubenko and I will cover you with cannon and machine gun fire.

At that moment, I saw several tanks of our battalion, they were walking along other clearings. Our arrows jumped out to the edge and went forward in a chain.

It took about an hour to repair the caterpillar. But, as they say, trouble does not come alone: ​​when the tank rotated on one caterpillar, it was sucked into marshy soil, and ten meters ahead was a minefield set by the Nazis in a large dry area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe clearing. Therefore, the tank had to get out only back. And it took a lot of time. In the future, I had to catch up with my own on the trail of our tanks, and at the same time destroy the retreating Nazis.

They managed to get to their battalion only after dark. The Nazis, using forest blockages and minefields, stopped our units in front of the second defensive line. During the night from November 3 to 4, we refueled the vehicles with fuel and lubricants, ammunition and had a little rest. At dawn on November 4, the battalion commander, having gathered us, commanders of tanks, platoons, companies and self-propelled officers, led us to the first line of our shooters. And showed:
“You see, in front of us, three hundred meters away, there are solid forest blockages made of logs?” The enemy is sitting behind these blockages, and he does not allow our shooters to rise.

It still surprises me why the Nazis did not fire on us then, because we were standing to our full height, dressed in tank uniforms ...

I looked back at my comrades and only then noticed that we were left with 9 commanders out of 13, of those who had gathered on November 2 in the dugout of the battalion commander before the offensive. So, there are 9 tanks left. But there were still three self-propelled guns.

Chumachenko continued:
“Now advance to this clearing, turn around in a line and attack the enemy.

Such a setting of tasks was often practiced during the war years, and it often justified itself, we clearly saw the enemy and mastered the task well.

We went to the edge of the forest, the Nazis let us turn around calmly, and then opened furious fire from behind the logs. We, on the other hand, with fire from a place, with short stops, began to shoot at the blockage with armor-piercing and fragmentation shells. Of course, we, the tank commanders, in this situation of a forest battle had to mainly navigate by leaning out of the commander's hatch. At one of these moments, in front of my eyes, from the burst of an enemy shell, my comrade from the 2nd Gorky Tank School, Lieutenant Vasily Smirnov, was seriously wounded in the head.

In the cadet company, and not only in the company, but in the whole school, I was the youngest in age. Vasily Smirnov, already before the war, worked for two years as a director high school. Therefore, I always carefully listened to his advice. In the heat of battle, I did not see how he was taken out of the tank and how they were taken away, but we considered him dead.

To my great joy, in January 1952, at the Yaroslavl railway station, in the military hall, I saw an elderly officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who was very familiar to me. He stopped, peered, recognized him and called out to him: "Vasya!" He turned to me and we kissed...

And on that day, we still managed to scatter logs in the defense of the Nazis and, chasing them along the clearings and forest thickets, still before dark, reach the edge of the forest to the Vinogradar state farm. And then things got worse. The enemy unleashed heavy artillery fire on our battle formation and, under its cover, deploying up to 30-35 tanks in battle formation, threw them into a counterattack. The forces were unequal. After a tense forest battle and being the first to escape to the edge of the forest, from where we could see the northern outskirts of Kyiv - Priorka, we, firing back, using the favorable terrain and the forest, retreated into the depths of the forest and organized all-round defense.

The enemy, approaching the forest, pushed forward security units, consisting of three medium tanks, and the main forces, lining up in two marching columns, moved into the forest.

I was ordered by my tank to block the central clearing. Vanyusha Abashin's tank stood up to the right and a little behind, and on the left I was already covered by an ISU-152 self-propelled gun. It starts to get dark quickly. The main forces of the Nazis approached. From the noise of the engines it was clear that a heavy Tiger tank was ahead.

I hear the voice of the company commander, senior lieutenant Avetisyan: “Fire on enemy tanks!” I order Semiletov:
- Vasya, at low speeds, give a little forward, otherwise the tree interferes with me.
- There is a little ahead on small ones! Semiletov answered.

During the day of the battle, the crew and I finally worked together, and he understood me perfectly. Having improved my position, I immediately saw the enemy column advancing on me. This time, the Nazis changed their principle and moved without light, making lights from the rear cars.

Without waiting for the driver to finally install the tank, I fired the first shot at the lead tank, which was already about fifty meters away from me. Instantaneous flash on the frontal part of the fascist tank: it caught fire, illuminating the entire column.
- Sub-caliber is ready! - Reports loading Golubenko without my command to do so.

With the second point-blank shot, we shot the second one emerging from behind the first burning tank. He also flared up. The forest became as bright as day. And at this time I hear the shots of Vanyusha Abashin's tank. On the left - a deaf and long shot of our self-propelled gun. And we already have several sheaves of burning tanks in sight. I shout to the mechanic Semiletov to come closer. The Nazis began to retreat, backing away. Coming almost close to the first burning tank, I see the next living target behind its starboard side (as it turned out later, it was the enemy's large-caliber self-propelled gun "Ferdinand"). I take aim and give a shot - and immediately a burning torch. We pursue the enemy and take possession of the Vinogradar state farm. It began to light up quickly. The enemy stepped up fire from positions equipped north of the Priorka area.

We also needed to put ourselves in order and prepare directly for the assault on the city. We have already seen its outskirts and the domes of churches in the center. Captain Ivan Gerasimovich Eliseev, acting political officer of the battalion, who drove up behind us, informed us that in the night battle we had destroyed seven fascist tanks and three self-propelled guns. And he added that the Nazis, seized with panic, left many dead and also wounded on the forest roads ...

Here, at the state farm, we refueled, preparing for the decisive assault. I could see in the sight how our riflemen-infantrymen were slowly but persistently advancing towards the northern outskirts of the city. Here, for the first time, I saw volunteer soldiers of the Czechoslovak brigade come out from the right with their commander, at that time Lieutenant Colonel Svoboda. They went on three T-34 tanks and two light T-70s.

At 11:00 on November 5, 1943, the commander of the brigade, Colonel Nikolai Vasilyevich Koshelev, and the head of the political department, Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Vasilyevich Molokanov, arrived at our location. We were quickly picked up. I missed two more tank commanders. All self-propelled gunners were still with us.

And thirty minutes later, having lined up in a battle line, our tankers rushed to the attack. We very quickly took possession of the southern outskirts of Pushcha-Voditsa, on the move we crossed the railway going from Kyiv to Korosten, and then the Kyiv-Zhitomir highway. Here, on the highway, I saw a sign on which it was written in large letters in German - Kyiv. My heart skipped a beat. It was clear that our rifle units were already fighting on the outskirts of the city from the west. The enemy responded from the suburbs with heavy artillery fire.

Brief stop. The battalion commander lines us up in a marching column. He puts a group of scouts on the lead tank, among whom I remember sergeants George Ivanovsky, Mugalim Tarubaev and the recently appointed (instead of the deceased junior lieutenant Sebyanin) commander of the reconnaissance platoon, foreman Nikifor Nikitovich Sholudenko. Behind the scouts was the tank of Lieutenant Ivan Abashin, then the crew of the company commander, Senior Lieutenant Avetisyan, and we continued in the sequence of platoons. I remember that in the column behind us were the tanks of lieutenants Grozdev, Pankin, Golubev ... We understood that we were bypassing the city from the west. Crossed a big ditch. But my tank got stuck in it. To increase the tractive effort, I ordered the mechanic Semiletov to cross the ditch in reverse. And so it happened. The battalion commander Captain Chumachenko Dmitry Alexandrovich ran up to me and asked: “What’s the matter?” And having understood, he said: “Well done, right! Don't fall behind." Soon, having overtaken our infantry riflemen, we broke into Borshchagovskaya Street. The city was on fire, and especially its center. The Nazis fired indiscriminately from behind the houses, from the yards. Leaning out of the commander's hatch, I fired, periodically lowering myself to the drive pedal of a tank gun or machine gun. And here is the T-junction. I see how the lead tank, walking with scouts ahead of us at two hundred meters, reached this intersection and suddenly, enveloped in a burst of flame, turned right and crashed into one of the corner houses. The scouts on it were dropped from the tank. Lieutenant Abashin and I opened fire on the rapidly fleeing self-propelled unit enemy.

Darkness deepened. The battalion commander, who ran up to us, appointed Lieutenant Abashin as the lead tank, the rest of the column remained in the same order. He gave Abashin, Avetisyan and me, as the first, one person each, a guide, who knows the city, and ordered with headlights on, turning on sirens, with maximum fire, to quickly go to the city center and take possession of the square (now the M.I. Kalinin Square).

On a signal, we resolutely moved, turned onto Krasnoarmeyskaya Street and, at a rapid pace, firing at the Nazis retreating in disorder, we reached Khreshchatyk. This street made me feel bitter. Not a single surviving building. Complete ruins and rubble. Moreover, these ruins did not even burn. Nearby streets were on fire. It was they who illuminated the dead ruins of Khreshchatyk. Soon a small square with a dilapidated old building in the center opened before us. From it diverged, like radii, seven even streets. The tank of the company commander Avetisyan stopped in the square, and each of us with our tank went to occupy these streets.

Our crew got Kalinina Street. Stopping at the beginning of the alignment of the street, we looked around. The enemy is not visible. I open my hatch. I see, timidly peering at us, two women come out of the entrances, go to our tank. Others followed, and soon we were surrounded by many people. A car approached, from which the deputy commander of the battalion for political affairs, Captain Ivan Gerasimovich Eliseev, got out (by the way, he still lives in Kyiv). He congratulated us and all the gathered people of Kiev on the victory. And then Eliseev told us that the foreman Nikifor Sholudenko, who was with a group of scouts on the lead tank, died heroically when turning to Krasnoarmeiskaya Street. Later we learned that he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union.

The tanks of our Guards Corps, the rifle units of the 38th Army gradually approached ...

In the morning we received an order to leave the city and advance towards a large enemy tank grouping.

Alexander Fadin, participant in the liberation of Kyiv, colonel, candidate of military sciences

At the last Army 2015 exhibition, anyone could feel like a member of the crew of the T-90s tank. To do this, there were 4 cars in the static parking lot, which anyone could get into. Let's see what it's like to be a tanker:

2. Place of the driver. The levers of the rotation mechanism; main clutch pedal (similar to a car clutch); mountain brake pedal hidden behind a fan (similar to a car's parking brake); fuel pedal; gear selector comb.

3. Everyone is always wondering what "review like in a tank" means. Prism observation device TNPO-168 with a wide field of view.
For driving at night, an active-passive type TVN-5 night vision device can be installed instead

4. On the left hand is the instrument panel.

5. He's bigger. All devices and toggle switches are protected against damage or accidental switching.

6. On the right hand is the gear selector lever, a place for a thermos, a hatch closing handle, an intercom, junction boxes.

7. And behind the back of the driver there is only a modest clearance into the fighting compartment from the operator-gunner.

8. Workplace of the operator-gunner. On the left is the PN-5 night sight, on the right is the 1G46 gunner's day sight.

9. Night sight, weapon control units.

10. At the bottom right, mechanical handles for turning the turret and pointing the gun, pointing angle indicators.

11. Place of the tank commander

12. The sighting and observation system of the commander PNK-4S consists of a combined day-night sight of the commander TKN-4S and a gun position sensor.

13. The commander is surrounded by instruments on all sides.

Today we will talk about the legendary tank of the Great Patriotic War, which was developed in Kharkov, under the leadership of Koshkin M.I. - T-34. It was produced since 1940, and already in 1944 it became the main medium tank of the USSR. It is also the most massive ST of the Second World War.

T-34

Crew
The crew of the tank consists of 4 people (driver, gunner-radio operator, loader and commander), in a word, the classic layout.

Frame
The hull itself ST - T34, welded and assembled from rolled plates and sheets of homogeneous steel. The thickness reached from 13 to 45 mm. The armor protection of the tank is projectile-proof, equally strong, made with rational angles of inclination, but the frontal part was made of armor plates converging in a wedge 45 mm thick: the upper one, located at an angle of 60 ° to the vertical and the lower one, located at an angle of 53 °.

Tower
The tank turret was double. 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 mounting guns, a machine gun and a sight. However, starting from 1942, the towers began to be produced in an improved form, which was distinguished by a greater width, a smaller inclination of the sides and stern. (“Hexagonal” or “nut towers”)

Armament
On the T-34, a 76-mm cannon was mainly installed - 30.5 calibers / 2324 mm, the initial speed of an armor-piercing projectile was 612 m / s.

However, in 1941 it was replaced by a 76 mm cannon - 41.5 calibers / 3162 mm, and the muzzle velocity of an armor-piercing projectile - 662 m/s.

Both guns used the same ammunition. The ammunition load of the gun on the T-34 of the 1940-1942 release consisted of 77 shots, placed in suitcases on the floor of the fighting compartment and in stacks on its walls. On the T-34 produced in 1942-1944 with an "improved turret", the ammunition load was increased to 100 rounds. The ammunition could include shots with caliber, sub-caliber armor-piercing, high-explosive fragmentation, shrapnel and grapeshot shells.

Auxiliary armament of the tank consisted of two 7.62 mm DT machine guns.

walkie-talkie
Initially, a short-wave telephone radio station 71-TK-3 was installed on the T-34, but a little later it was replaced with a newer 9-P, which could provide a communication range of as much as 15-25 km while standing still, and when moving, the range decreased to 9 -18 km by phone. It is worth noting that since 1943, 9-R was replaced by 9-RM, which worked in an extended frequency range.
71-TK-3

9-R

Engine
The engine was the same - V-shaped 12-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine liquid cooling model B-2-34. The maximum engine power is 500 hp. with. at 1800 rpm, nominal - 450 l. with. at 1750 rpm, operational - 400 l. with. at 1700 rpm. However, due to the lack of V-2 engines, 1201 of the T-34s produced in 1941-1942 were equipped with M-17T or M-17F carburetor aircraft engines of the same power.

Chassis
For the chassis, they took the Christie suspension, which was taken from the BT series of tanks. It consisted of 5 double road wheels, the diameter of which was 830mm. The caterpillars of this ST were steel, which consisted of alternating ridge and "flat" tracks.

The legendary T-34 tank was recognized as the best tank of World War II, which had a huge impact on the outcome of the war. What is most interesting, the T-34 was released even with a different gun - a flamethrower, which could burn everything up to 100m in its path.

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This tank is the most recognizable symbol of the Great Patriotic War. The best in its class tank of World War II. 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-ravaged, 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 aviation school instructor, in addition to full maintenance (uniforms, meals in the canteen, transport, 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 that it had in western districts. Most of the regular tankers also died. The acute shortage of tank crews became apparent 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 in practical exercises. But time was sorely lacking. Platoon commander Vasily Bryukhov recalls: “After graduating from college, I fired three shells and a machine-gun disc. 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 there was an ostentatious lesson "a 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 handkerchief for filtering fuel, a revolver and a fist-sized tank watch, 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, abruptly stopping, 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. The right hand rotates the rotary mechanism of the tower, combining 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 distinguishing feature"thirty-four" - inclined 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 had modernized the old T-IV medium tanks and began production of the 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 changed 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 American tanks They didn't 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 ...

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. In the course of 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 wheel travel (the work of N. F. Tsyganov's group on experimental BT-IS tanks).
• 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 the light BT (and in fact, marking time and a waste of "people's" state funds) and supporters of a fundamentally new (breakthrough) medium-class tank, which differed from monsters with three towers, such as T -28.

On October 13, 1937, the Armored Directorate of the Red Army (ABTU) issued plant No. 183 (KhPZ) tactical and technical requirements for new tank under the index 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 caliber 76 mm, paired with a machine gun caliber 7.62 mm;
• 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 the installation of a 76 mm gun on this tank (the caliber of heavy tank guns of those years!) Was even recorded in the minutes of the meeting of the CO at the Council of People's Commissars 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 manufactured (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, the most massive at that time in german army 37 mm Pak 35/36 anti-tank guns, as well as German tank guns of all calibers. 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 war, 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 weak spot. The crew of four - the 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 round, the German T-IV fired 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 Russian vehicles in caterpillar tracks and others " weak spots". In addition, in each Soviet tank unit there was only one radio transmitter - in the tank of the company commander.

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 in late 1941 and early 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 autumn 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 machines at the front produced big 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 of the Wehrmacht near Mtsensk in October 1941. If back in early October 1941 G. Guderian in a letter to the leadership tank troops claimed:

"... 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. The largest battle of 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 weapons made it possible 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 of strengthening the armament and armor of the tank urgently arose, 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, ending in the defeat of a large number of German units and the liberation of significant territories. Despite lagging behind German tanks in armament and armor, the T-34s acted quite successfully - the Soviet military leadership, creating a significant numerical superiority and capturing strategic initiative, could choose the direction of strikes and, having broken into 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 sought to avoid tank battles whenever possible, providing the fight against German tanks. 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, the T-34 with a 76-mm cannon was already relatively small in the troops, the niche of the main Soviet tank firmly occupied the T-34-85. However, 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 the 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 equal characteristics with the "Americans" and "Germans", have less weight.

Even the 122 mm cannon of the separate-sleeve loading of the IS-2, inferior in the rate of fire to the "tiger", 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 7,000 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 a combat weight of 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, there were significant differences in the design of serial vehicles, caused by different production conditions at each of the factories that produced them in certain periods of time, as well as the general improvement of the tank. In the historical literature, these differences, as a rule, are grouped according to the manufacturing plant and the period of production, sometimes with an indication of salient feature, if two or more types of machines were produced in parallel at the plant. 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, subjected to surface hardening after assembly. The armor protection of the tank is projectile-proof, of equal strength, made with rational angles of inclination. The frontal part consisted of wedge-shaped armor plates 45 mm thick: 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 the year of manufacture, turrets of various designs could be installed on the tank. 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 mounting guns, a machine gun and a 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 quite 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 the 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. The 37-mm Pak 35/36 anti-tank guns, which made up the vast majority of Wehrmacht anti-tank guns, had any chance of penetrating 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 cannon with a barrel length of 42 caliber, mounted on the PzKpfw III Ausf.F - Ausf.J tanks, also turned out to be ineffective against the frontal armor of the T-34. The short-barreled 75 mm KwK 37 cannons, which were installed on the early versions of the PzKpfw IV and StuG III, were even less effective, and an armor-piercing projectile, with the exception of hits in weakened zones, 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. The first really effective means of combating the T-34 was the 75-mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun, 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 tanks IV and StuG.III assault guns from the summer of the same 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 ones - 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.