Museum Ordnance Special 06 - T34-85 in the post World War II era

T-34/85 Statistical Data Crew

Secondary Annament

5 (4 with minimal performance degradation) (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver, Bow Gm/RTO)

AAMG 12.7mm DHSK/.50 BHMC't) C· As fitted to PRC & Syrian/ Yugoslavian vehicles) AAMC Ammo Stowage

500 rds (est.)

DIMENSIONS Weight Length gun fwd gun rear w/o gun Width Height

Firing Ht. Track Clearance Track Width Ground Contact

32 ton 8.1m 7.53 6.19 3.05 2.7

2.05 2.45 .4 .5 .385

ARMOR (fhickness [mml/ Angle) Glacis Upper Hull Side

Mantlet Upper Surfaces

45/60° 45/20°

75mm/Curved 18 to 20mm

300 55kph 560 Itr 1.9ltr/km .83 kg/cm 2 2.5m

Step Slope Tilt Wading Ford (w/ prep.)

Front Cover: Silting nose-down off the road, this T-34/ 5 has seen its last combat for the KP A. Serving as long as an yother WWII tank veteran, the robust T-34/85 is a tribute to a solid design.

Back Cover: TOP: A burnt-out FAPLA34/85M1 destroyed by SADF forces during 1981 's Operatian Protei! on display at Klapperkop. All of the copper was removed to make medals for the operation's participants. Note the open transmission access plate on the hull rear. J. Botha.

PERFORMA CE Cruising Range Speed Fuel Capacity Fuel Consumption Ground Pressure Trench

Bow 7.62 DT or DTM Coaxial 7.62 DT or DTM 7.62mm Stowage 1953 (2,394?)

.73m 35° (Fully Loaded 30°) 25° BOTTOM: Ex-Polish '7909', a late model 34' 1.3m with 'spiderweb' roadwheels, undi tching beam, 5.5m grill-protected dual headlights and OPVTsnorkel tube. Note the loose track hanging from the drive sprocket. T. Roberts.

POWERPLA T Engine Displacement Fuel Type Cooling

V-2-34 V-2-34M 500hp @ 1800 rpm 38.881trs V-12 Diesel Water

Fuel Type' Cooling

Armor Penetration

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T-34/85

In the Post World War II Era By Adam Geibel Published by Darlington Productions, Inc. P.O. Box 5884 Darlington, Maryland 21034

ARMAMENT (Early) D5-T85 (Late) ZIS-S53 (MI944) Basic Load Elevation Depression Axis of Bore Muzzle Velocity HE (Shell Wt.)

Diesel Water

56-60 25° _5° 2.05 792 m/s APHE HVAP HVAP APHE

(9.5kg) 792 m/s (9.2kg) 1030m/s (5kg) 130mm @ 1,000m 102mm @ 1,000m

Copyright 1995. All rights reserved. 0 portion of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. For more information on this and other Darlington Productions publications, write to the address above.

T-34/85 In The Post World War II Era The original T-34 design mounted a 76mm gun and was designed, tested, and built under excruiating conditions for both engineers and laborers - both before and during World War II. Despite the effective simplicty of the T-34, the designers -led by Koskin were not genius', but common men. The

labor force was barely trained and frequently made up of mere children. Everyone existed on the brink of starvation and exposure to the elements. By1943, the Germans had finally fielded tanks that the 76mm could not penetrate, which meant that the designers had to work

TOP and ABOVE: The Plltton Museum's T-34/85, painted IlS it would hllve Ilppellred Ilt the end of WWII; dIlrk green pllint, unit insignill's Ilnd slogllns, IlS wellils the crew's Iluthentic uniforms. Note thllt the TC's eupolll hIlS been rotllted so thllt the hIltch opens to the rellr. This pllrtieulllr eXllmple Illso hIlS the sepllrllte fore-Ilnd-Ilft turret ventillltor domes. Many T-34/85' s IlCquired by NATO were from Korellllnd through Isrllel, which captured twenty four Ilnd one commllnd version from Egypt in 1956). The Pillion Museum hils Il vehicle demonstrlltion every 4th of July, which is open to the public. Plltton Museum of Armor Ilnd CIlvalry.

around the clock to create a combat-<:apable design that didn't require retooling. The T34/85 first appeared in December 1943, an innovative marriage of the M1939/ 44 85mm anti-aircraft gun with an enlarged three man turret. The main gun - roughly equivalent to the Nazi's dreaded '88'- had a semi-automatic sliding wedge breech block, a hydropneumatic recuporator, and a hydraulic recoil buffer. The first few hundred were based on T34/76 M1943 hulls and fitted with the D-5T gun designed by General F.F. Petrov, simply because it was readily available. The turret mantlet front resembled the SU-8S's, with a distinctly flat front flange. Known among western sources as the T-34/85- I, initial production issue was to Guards armor units, with tanks built in Gorki's Plant 112, Nishni-Tagil's 183, and Omsk's 174. This mounted General Grabina's competing main gun design, the ZIS-S-53. Changes included the following; the M1943 double-hatched TC's cupola was changed to a single hatch design, the Mk-4 periscopes replaced the PTK-5' s, themantlet redesigned, the hull radio moved to the turret, and the right side socket deleted. As the factories began to churn out theT-34/85 M1944 three distinct turret styles appeared; 'flattened,' 'angle-jointed: and 'composite'. The first post-war variant was the T-34/85 Ml, whose recognition features include spiderweb full finned road wheels and the unditching log stowed on right fender. Some M1's where also fitted with BOSh smoke cannister brackets and manual oil pump boxes. In addition to the unditching log, the T34/85 M2 was fitted with starfish road wheels (which entered general prod uction for T-54/ 55's in 1952), a T-54/55 'style' headlight assembly on the left front hull and a manual oil pump box. An estimated 50,000 T-34 hulls were manufactured, withlO,OOO of the 76mm ver-

A whitewllshed T-34/85 burning somewhere on the rOlld to Berlin. The Soviets ended the Grellt Piltriotic Wllr with 65 T-34/85's in their Medium Tllnk (Type 1944) Regiments, with three bllttillions of 21 tllnks ellch. Armor Mllgllzine.

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A Bulgarian 34' on parade in Sofia, September 9th, 1961.

sion and 19,000 with the 85mm before the end of WWII. Various sources claim that later marks, with new engine and road wheels, were assembled until 1964 in the Soviet Union and 1979 in Poland. Production of new tanks probably ceased in the early 50's, with subsequent numbers merely being the periodic rebuilding of exisiting chassis. When the T-34/85 was surpassed by the T-54/55 series, it was retained by the Soviets for training purposes and to equip Category 1II divisions. In the event of WWlII, the less numerous high-tech weapons systems would quickly be consumed and the tactical situation would soon resemble the closing days of the Great Patriotic War - a handful of qualitatively superior (ie; NATO) tanks being overwhelmed by waves ofless sophisticated ones. Shipping these relics to the Third World not only cleaned out the tank storage sheds (building materials having always been

Mounting brackets for the snorkel. Rigging a tank for deep wading was time consuming, the tank was extremely vulnerable during the crossing and the equipment hindered it's fighting capability on the far side. T. Roberts.

A short snorkle stowed on a well-worn ex-Polish 34 '. T. Roberts

Like their older brothers who fought the Nazis, post-war Soviet 'tankriders' armed with AK-47's dive offtheir 34 '. The Soviet army was the world's most powerful at the beginning of the Cold War era. US Army.

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chronically short in the Soviet Union), but also created a dependency on Mother Russia for spare parts. When used as a foreign aid token, the T34/85 was also useful in that it gave the illusion of strengthening potentially friendly regimes without making them too strong and hence, capable of defending themselves from Mother Russia - should allegiances change. Later, less sophisticated versions of more modern tanks from the Soviet stable where developed for the same purpose. The T-34 was crude to be used by crews with only cursory training, but still required some care. Wartime experience showed that a good driver/mechanic, changing the oil, cleaning the filters frequently, and straining the gasoline with a silk handkerchief, could get an engine to last 350 hours between regular service periods. Soviet policy shipped complete engines packed in a grease that could be easily drained during run-in, thus substantially reducing replacement time. However, the 34/85 remained useful as a foreign policy tool of 'appropriate response'. For instance, the first Cuban units committted to Angola in 1975-76 where equipped with the T-34/85. The appearance of a Soviet-style Cuban unit, equipped with T-54/55's, early in the campaign would have thrown out the local power balance so badly that a western response would have been inevitable. By 1958, the Soviet Tank Regiment had 109 Medium Tanks, with three Battalions of 34 each. The companies had three platoons of five tanks each - up from the wartime level of three apiece - and a company commander's tank.

ABOVE: A pair of T-34's knocked out in the vicinity of Taegu- Waegwan, around 20 August 1950 by the

'Wolfhounds' ('Fox' Company, 27th Regimental Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division). The lead tank has a flowered muzzle, the second an unexploded shell lodged in the end of the barrel. BELOW: While salvage teams where trying to rerover the second tank ('329'), on the 24th, they inadvertently detonated a landmine, which injured several of them. Note the air rerognition panel draped over the turret. US Army.

AN ABBREVIATED CHRONICLE OF THE T-34185 IN THE KOREAN WAR, 1950 The North Korean People's Army [NKPAI 115th Tank Regiment was formed in Sadong in May 1947, at a time when the NKPA still counted ex-Japanese Type 94 and 97 medium tanks as part of it's front-line inventory. The 115th, knicknamed 'Tiger's Cave Sadong Unit,' was reorganized on 16 May 1949 as the 105th Armored Brigade, fielding three Regiments 007th, 109th and the 203rd) of forty T-34/85's apiece. 150 T-34/85's crossed the 38th Parallel border on 25 June 1950, sweeping the South Korea Army before them. Seoul fell in three days. The 105th was upgraded due to it's success in the invasion of South Korea; it was known as the 'Seoul Division'. This unit would be decimated in the UN counterattack during the summer of 1950. With South Korea about to fall to the communists, the US scrambled to field sort

form of response. However, the forces in the eastern Pacific where painfully underequipped for anything but glorified police duty. But someone had to go and, as MacArthur put it, put on an "Arrogant display of strength." Task Force Smith was born, a mere 540 men bound for an idiotic Thermopolye. The mauling Task Force Smith (B & C Co.'s, 21st Regiment, 24th 10) received at Osan on 5 July was the US Army's first combat encounter witi1 the T-34/85. An NKPA Infantrydivision supported by thirty-

four T-34's confronted the Americans. The 2.35" bazookas proved to be useless against the tank's front - a rude awakening. NKPA losses were four tanks, 42 KIA and 85 WIA. On 10 July, three 24th 10 M24's at Chounui attempted to delay the NKPAtanks. Two Chaffees were lost for one T-34/85. When the 24th ID tried to make a stand at Taejon 06 July), they lost a third of their men. On 20 July, two NKPA Divisions crossed the Kum River and encircled Taejon. As the 24th ID ran the Communist roadblocks, MG W. F. Dean took a wrong turn

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ABOVE, RIGHT and BELOW: Another knocked-
Peeled roadwheel rubber. US Army.

ABOVE:

and was captured. He learned of his CMH award (of 131 awarded during Koea) only after being repatriated three years later. The road back would start on 25 September, with the 1st Cavalry Division. They where to link up with the X Corps at Inchon, driving from the Naktong River bridgehead to Seoul. Task Force Lynch (3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry) led the advance, with M4A3 tanks attached from the 70th Tank Battalion. The drive from the Pusan perimeter to Inchon, or more properly the towns of Taegu to Osan, covered116 air miles or196 road miles. Throughtout the night of26 September, with their headlights on, they encountered their

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first NKPA tanks. Task Force Lynch, eight miles south of Osan, ran into ten wayward T34's in the early morning hours of the 27th. During a desperate fight, the Americans managed to destroy seven of them - one with a 3.5" bazooka. On 13 October, M-26's of B Company, 70th Armor, in support of the 5th Cavalry's operations on road to Kumchon, destroyed six T-34's. Four more counterattacked out of the foggy night, the first getting within 50 meters of SGT Drewery's Pershing before he fired a HE round. It splintered the gun tube but instead of panicking, the NKPA tank crew rammed the M26. The Americans

couldn't return fire, since their gun tube was blocked. While the T-34 tried to push the M26 over, the American driver reversed three feet, just enough room for the gun to traverse and put a HVAP round into the North Koreans. A platoon mate quickly dispatched two more 34's and the fourth fled. By 29 October, the Royal Australian battalion - supported by Shermans of Co. D 89th Medium Tank Battalion- were driving on Chongju. They were momentarily stalled by camouflaged tanks and self-propelled guns, dug in and straddling a pass along the route. In a series of bounds, the Shermans destroyed the blocking force. The remnants of the 'Tiger Sadong' unit had turned to the defensive and would essentially remain out of contact for the rest of the war.

Solid roadwheel damage caused by near-miss from USAAF 4.5" rocket. US Army.

LEFT: CCompany,lOth destroyed four T-34 ,s and the USAF two on 28 Sep 1950, around Pyongtaek and Osan. Near misses coated this one with dirt. US Army.

Artillery of the United Nations Forces also claimed their victims: shattered just above #3 roadwheel, revealing the Christie suspension and internal fuel tanks. US Army.

A riddled T-34/85 with 'capped nuts' on the drive sprockets. When roadwheels burn, the rubber falls as ash. Note the D7 bulldozer on the ridge above.

Fate ofmany NKPA tanks: in all conditions, they were sent back to Aberdeen Proving Ground for evaluation. Over a dozen 34's parked dockside amongst piles of scrap. us Army.

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The padded vision ports of the TCs cupola. B. Miley.

Mounts for the twin turret ventilators. B. Miley.

Loader's side, looking up. At the center is the breech-end mount for the DT coaxial machinegun. Small handle in lower right is a turret lock, crushed Coke can in DT drum holder is an unauthorized US Army addition. B. Ml1ey. The loader's side of the main gun. Note that the loader's roof periscope has been removed. This would be where the snorkle would be bolted for wading operations. Some models of snorkle tube could be fitted with a periscope of their own, for navigation purposes. B. Miley.

Turret right side vision port. Judicious use ofa submachinegun or folding stock AK from this apeture could sweep parasitic enemy infantry offof the tank. B. Miley.

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Gunner's elevation and traverse wheels, just under the TSh-16 telescope. Note inch scaleon elevation wheel. The traverse handle is in the position for electrical operation. US Army.

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S

5

8

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Gunner's side of the 85mm, scope removed. B. Miley.

Gunner's position, from above. B. Miley.

ABOVE and BELOW: Left side ofdriverfmechimic' s position. The hydraulic 'shock absorber' cannister is for the driver's hatch. Note the rectangular DPM-T magazine brackets and driver's gauges. B. Miley.

The painfully Spartan driver's seat in full recline, which would allow him easy egress to the turret. B. Miley.

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Bow gunner/RTO's seat, fully reclined. Note the DPM magazine stawage and bow gun mount. Since driving the 34' was physically taxing, the bow gunner and driver frequently switched off when fatigue became overwhelming. B. Miley.

Anotherlookat the driver's station. The 'T' handle between the foot brakes is amanual fuel pump. B. Miley.

Bow gunner's escape hatch. T-34's captured in Korea had a thick coating of grease around this hatch for

water-proofing. B. Miley.

Electrical and mechanical control equipment for the 85mm main gun.

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Although a poor quality photo, this illustrates the interior as issued of the T-34/85.

ABOVE and RIGHT: In the hull,facing thE engine compartment bulkhead aft. Both' upper and lower panels have been removed, showing a stripped compartment. B. Miley.

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A World War II style solid roadwheel.

A close-up photo of the classic "spiderweb" roadwheel.

Showing the final combination of the T-34/85 with the T-54/55 roadwheels is this vehicle on display at the South African National Defence Forces' War College in Pretoria. This "angle-jointed" T-34/85 also has the fuel pump box on the side. J. Botha.

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The T-34/85 utilized dry pin tracks that remained virtually unchanged over the years.

Built around the suspension concept designed by American Walter Christie, the T-34 used large coiled springs to cushion the ride. The leading roadwheel station used a concentric double close coiled spring, while the remaining stations used two single close col1ed springs each.

Looking at the inside of the front idler sprocket, Barely visible at the bottom end of the front fender bracket is the "tooth ring" on the idler that matches one on the hull. Also visible just inside of the bracket is the armored plug which protects and secures the adjusting nut used when adjusting track tension.

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The outside of the front idler.

BELOW: Outside photos of the final drive sprocket of

the T-34/85. The photo on the left shows the sprocket without the protective caps, while the photo on the right shows the caps in place. The nuts hold rollers in place that in turn catch and drive the lugs on the tracks.

As insurance against track pins coming loose and falling out, the T-34 used a wiper plate on the inside lower hull just slightly forward of the gap between the last roadwheel station and the final drive sprocket. Ifa pin worked its way out, when the track came around this plate would knock the pin back into place.

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'!-----_..:..-"-:--

The fuel access port on the edge of the rear deck. This port has had the cover removed. ABOVE: One of the T-34/85's at APG. Of note is the battle damage to the inspection door on the rear plate (see photo next page) and the fuel drum.

At the rear, the lower hull and chassis come together. The armor thickness is obvious here.

ABOVE: Across the back end of the T-34.

An overall view of the rear deck. The two rear drums are missing.

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The photo, taken Ilt APG in December 1950 shows the rellr plate has been removed Ilnd you Ilre looking Ilt the inside of the plilte. The hole in the circulllr inspection door in the center of the pillte is from Il U.S. 3.5 inch bllzooka hit.

ABOVE: Both fuel drums in plilce. Also note cover on

fuel fmer. BELOW: With the top deck removed the engine com-

pllrtment lilyout Clln be seen. Also note the fuel tllnks locllted on either side of the compllrtment.

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A slightly higher look down on the transmission compartment, clutch brakes, and the final drives.

Each taken from opposite sides of the transmission compartment, you can see the air cleaners, starter, as well as the transmission itself.

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General view of the turret and the rough finish. Also note the headlight and horn.

Loader's hatch with the double-domed turret ventilators in the back.

RIGHT: The commander 's cupola (with periscopeupJ, gunner's periscope, and radio antenna socket.

This bracket was welded on after the vehicle's capture and its purpose is unknown.

Looking forward from the rear ofthe turret. You can see the mantlet cover and the loader's periscope.

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The soft under belly of the T-34/85.

Polish turret-mounted ZIP stowage box. T. Roberts.

Wading covers fitted over the transmission grills. These were typically discarded or even deleted before deliver to armies operating in hot climates, like the Mideast or Africa. T. Roberts.

Dual headlight details, quite similiar to the arrangement found on the T-54/55 series. T. Roberts.

Transmission grills refurbished. T. Roberts.

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Rebuilt 7909' s right side stowage, clearly showing the unusually high, mid-ships ZIP box. Note the nicely done Polish Eagle. T. Roberts.

A Polish T-34/85 Ml at the restoration fru:ility of the Polish Armed Forces Museum. This view again shows the added stowage box on the right fender. Also apparent are fittings for the canvas deep wading covers around the circumference of the hull mru:hine gun mount, the base of thegun tube,and on the turret front around the mantlet. Frank De Sisto.

Rear view of the same vehicle at left. Frank De Sisto.

RIGHT: The BOSh smoke cannister mount, just underneath the unditching log brackets. T. Roberts.

LEFT: Separate ventilator domes and34/ 85 roof detail, photo also shows rough armor texture. T. Roberts.

The mantlet cover, of rubberized fabric. T. Roberts.

Driver's hatch locking latches and grab handle, as well as the lower mantlet cover mounting strip. T. Roberts.

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The Virginia Museum Of Military Vehicles' Czechoslovakian-made T-34j85, adorned with WWlI Russian slogans and unit markings. A. Cors.

Samalia received 200 T-34's when it was under the Scroiet sphere in the mid-70's. Vehicle attrition and cannibalization started after the Somalis kicked out the Scroiets. Equipment losses where substantial in the 1978 fight with Eithiopia, when Cubans ripped through the Somali formations. This stripped hulk, it's paint faded to a foul mottled mustard color, was found in a junkyard outside of Sword Base, near Mogadishu by US Army peacekeepers. W. Schneck.

Another view of the T-34j85 at the SANDF War College. Note the kill penetration on the upper side of the turret. J. Botha.

The WARSA W PACT version of OPFOR: East German T-34j85's modified with sheet metal 'nose cones' over the mantlet and along the fenders. They are painted Forest Green [with white stars and nicknames] to resemble American M-47's, 48's or 60's. To the left are unmodified 34's, painted Olive Drab. R. Pimley.

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'AR ERA USER'S OF THE T-34185, Past" And Present Angola, Bulgaria", USSR/CIS", Cyprus (Greek Cypriot National Guard), Czechoslovakia", East Germany", Ethiopia?, Egypt", ~.:.a:t)ral Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iraq", Laos, Lebanese Militias, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, North Korea, North Yemen, e's Republic of China, Poland", Romania", Somalia?, South Yemen, Sudan?, Syria, Uganda?, Vietnam, States of the Former v•. ,.,...,chvian Federation. '--<4....~~.,

- _ echanical and/or operational status of armies so annotated is suspect and likely to be inoperative ~

THE COLD WAR WENT HOT: T-34/85's In Combat rean Conflict 50'-53', Arab-Israeli War 56', Hungarian Revolt 56', Six Day Arab-Israeli War 67', Laotian Invasion 72', North Vietnam's 75' offensives, Yom Kippur War 73', Angolan Civil War 75'-89', Lebanese Civil War 75'-94', Sino-Vietnamese Border War 79', nistan Invasion & Occupation 79-89', and the Yugoslavian Civil War 91-94'.

• ~can Conflicts (Rhodesia-Mozambique 78'-79', Ethiopia-Somalia 77'-78', Uganda-Tanzania)

ELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

other War In Europe, Pts 1 & 2', J. Hooper, PARATUS Magazine, June & July 1993 'Breakout and Pursuit: The Drive from the Pusan Perimeter By the 1st Cavalry Division And Task Force Lynch', .' J A. W. Conner, Jr., ARMOR Magazine, July-August 93' Color-n-Camoflauge, Russian T-34/85 Tanks in Hungary, Jan.-Feb. 45',

1- S euard, AFV-G2, Vol. 6, #2 'Degtyarev Machine Guns', KM Jones, Military Modelling, Oct. 74' 'Jousting with Their Main Guns: A Bizarre Tank Battle of the Korean War',

• fAJ A.W. Conner, Jr., ARMOR Magazine, Jan-Feb 93' The Soviet T-34 Tank: The Human Dimension', Dr. G. Windholz, Armor Magazine, Nov.-Dec. 89' ARMOUR OF THE MIDEAST WARS 1948-78, S. Zaloga, Osprey-Vanguard #19, 1981 . fATERIAL In The Hands Of Or Possibly Available To The Enemy In Korea', GHQ Far East Command, MI Section, August 1951 T-34 IN ACTION, Armor No. 20 Zaloga and Grandson, Squadron/Signal, 1981 TANKS ILLUSTRATED #14: Tank War Korea, Simon Dunstan, Arms & Armour Press, 1985

Another lock at the T-34/85 from the collection at the Virginia Museum ofMilitary Vehicles. A. Cors.

THE BALKANS AT WAR: Yugoslavia Divided, E. Micheletti, Concord Publications, 1992 THE BALKANS ON FIRE: Nightmare in Yugoslavia, Debay & Hill, Concord Publications, 1993 DIf 30-430 'Handbook on USSR Military Forces', S Army, Nov. 45

.130 -50-1 'Handbook on USSR Military Forces', 'S Army, 1958 , AREUR Pam 30~0-1, E~IFICAnON GUIDE (Ordnance Equipment) '. arsaw Pact Countries Seventh Revised Edition, Pt l' • J Y 1968

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