F-34

F-34
F-34 in T-34, model 1943
General Information
Military designation:	76-mm chariot gun model 1940 ( Russian 76-мм танковая пушка обр. 1940 г. )
Manufacturer designation:	F-34
Manufacturer country:	Soviet Union
Developer / Manufacturer:	WG Grabin / Sawod No 92 imeni Stalina (SiS), Gorki
Development year:	1938/39
Production time:	1940 to 1944
Model variants:	SiS-5
Weapon Category:	Chariot cannon
Team:	2
Technical specifications
Pipe length:	3163 mm
Caliber :	76.2 mm
Caliber length :	41.6
Number of trains :	32
Twist :	right
Weight ready for use:	1155 kg
Cadence :	6-15 rounds / min
Elevation range:	−5 (-3) - +30 degrees
Side straightening area:	360 °
Turning speed:	26 ° / s
Furnishing
Sighting device :	ZF TMFT
Closure Type :	vertical wedge lock
Charging principle:	semi-automatic
Ammunition supply:	manually

The F-34 is a Soviet combat vehicle cannon in 76.2 mm caliber. It is the main weapon of the medium tank T-34 of the model years 1941 to 1944 (T-34/76).

development

The F-34 was developed in 1940 in Gorkier Sawod No 92 imeni Stalina (Plant No. 92 "Stalin") by the designer WG Grabin as armament for future tanks from the F-32 of the KW-1 .

At the beginning of the development of the T-34, various cannons were up for debate as the main armament, of which the 76.2 mm L-11 cannon with a length of 30.5 calibres was selected as the standard armament, the main task of which was seen as infantry support. On the other hand, there were the T-34s, which had the anti-tank role intended: These were equipped with the 57 mm SiS-4 cannon, which had a very high muzzle velocity and therefore seemed more suitable for anti-tank combat. The German tank designers followed a similar philosophy, using the Panzer III with the 5 cm KwK 38 L / 42 or 5 cm KwK 39 L / 60 for fighting tanks and the Panzer IV with the short 7.5 cm KwK 37 L / 24 provided for infantry support. The later course of the war and the technical development of the tanks showed that these assessments were wrong.

The heavy Soviet tank KW-1 was initially also armed with the L-11, but at the time when the F-34 was being developed, Grabin's colleague P. Murawjew was already armed with the 76.2 mm F cannon derived from the SiS-3 division cannon -32, which had roughly the same length and ballistic properties as the L-11. By extending the F-32 to 42 caliber, the F-34 was created.

Grabin and Muravyev pushed through the installation of the F-34 in the T-34 against considerable resistance from high officials, especially Marshal Kulik . Kulik was of the opinion that the tanks of the Wehrmacht were so heavily armored that tank cannons with a caliber of less than 100 mm would be ineffective. Therefore, he favored a completely new development of a 107 mm cannon, which of course could only have been built into heavy tanks. At Kulik's suggestion, production of the 45 and 76.2 mm tank cannons should be discontinued. Kulik had the confidence of Stalin, so that on the part of Grabin it took a certain courage to secretly complete development of the F-34 and to prepare it for the start of production. From February 1941 it was installed in parallel to the L-11 in some T-34s that were used as command tanks. Stalin allegedly only found out through enthusiastic letters from the tank soldiers about the cannon, which had been produced despite orders and which proved to be excellent in combat with the German tanks. That was ultimately the decisive factor in equipping all T-34s with this weapon from then on.

Loading machine

As early as 1942, GW Barabasch developed an automatic loading machine for the F-34 cannon in KW-1 and received a patent for it. The design was based on a magazine located under the breech of the cannon, in which the grenade cartridges were arranged in six stacks next to one another and were transported upwards into a loading cradle by a feeder. Another magazine was installed in the rear of the tower. The capacity was enormous with 168 shell cartridges. It was possible to load from both magazines, which made it possible for the crew to fire tank or HE shells as required. In 1944 Barabasch submitted a revised version of his invention for the T-34, which held 122 shell cartridges. Neither one nor the other variant went into series production.

description

Dismantled turret of a T-34/76 model 1941, view from below of the base and the breech of the cannon

The F-34 is a semi-automatic cannon in 76.2 mm caliber. It consists of the tube, the base piece with closure, the tube cradle, as well as the return and firing device. The drawn tube has a length of 41.6, according to other sources, 41.5 calibers. Occasionally the length is given as a rounded figure of 42 calibers (“7.6 cm KwK L / 42”). It has 32 trains, is stored in a cradle and is equipped with a vertical wedge that opens downwards.

Semi-automatic means with a gun that the case is automatically ejected after the shot and the bolt cocked. The next shell is fed by hand and the breech is closed; the cannon is now ready to fire again. If the case is not ejected automatically, the breech can be opened with the locking lever on the right side.

The shot is triggered by the operation of a pedal by the tank commander, who also acted as a gunner in the T-34/76. A mechanical emergency release exists in the event of a defect.

variants

designation	Caliber length	year	use
F-32	32	1939	KW-1
F-34	41.5	1941	T-34
SiS-5	41	1941	KW-1, KW-1S

In August 1941, the F-34 was also to be scaffolded in the KW-1, as the F-32 from the Leningrad Kirov factory failed to be supplied. To do this, the cradle had to be reinforced and the trunnion relocated in order to maintain the cannon balance. The firing mechanism was switched to a button operation and the telescopic sight T-900 with four times magnification was used, which reduced the opening in the gun mantlet compared to the previous 2.5 times magnifying scope. A grenade cartridge with a reinforced charge was also recommended, which would have given the tank shell a v ₀ of 780 m / s. This enabled 75 mm of armor steel to be penetrated at a distance of 1000 m; this grenade cartridge was not included in series production. The cannon modified in this way went into series production under the designation SiS-5 . The Red Army designation was the 1941 76 mm chariot gun .

ammunition

cartridge			bullet					Propellant charge		comment
	index	Weight (kg)	index	Weight (kg)	Length (caliber)	Load weight (kg)	Detonator	index	Weight (kg)
HE shells	UOF-354M	8.82	OF-350	6.2	4th	0.71 (0.64)	KTM-1, KTM-1-u, 3-KTM	54-G-354	1.08	Splinter blast, 800 splinters ≥1 mm
	UOF-354B	8.82	OF-350B	6.2	4th	0.64	KTM-1, KTM-3 MG-N KTM-31U	G-354	0.86	Splinterblast
	UO-354AM	8.83	O-350A	6.21	4th	0.54	KTM-1	54-G-354	1.08
	UF-354	8.52	F-350	6.41	4th	0.785	KT3, KTM-3, 3GT	G-354A	0.9
	UF-354M	8.52	F-350M	6.1	4th	0.815	KTM-3	G-354A	0.9
	UF-354F	8.85	F-350F	6.41	4th	0.785	AD, AD-2, ADM	G-354A	0.9
Anti-tank shells
	UBR-354a	9.12	BR-350A	6.3	4.2	0.15 (TNT)	MD-5, (MD-7)	54-G-354	1.08	Tracer
	UBR-354B	9.1	BR-350B	6.3	4.2	0.155 (TNT)	MD-8	54-G-354	1.08
	UBR-354SP	9.2	BR-350SP	6.6	2.3	-	-	54-G-354	1.08
Sub-caliber bullets
	UBR-354P	6.3	BR-350P	3.02	2.4	-	-	54-G-354P	1.08
	UBR-354N	6th	BR-350N	3.02	2.4	-	-	54-G-354N	1.4	developed after the war
Grapes and shrapnel
	Ushch-354	8.94	Shch-354	6.5	3	0.085	22s, D	54-G-354A	0.9
	Ushch-354T	9.1	Shch-354T	6.66	3	0.085	T-6	54-G-354A	0.9
	Ushch-354G	9.02	Schch-354G (resin)	6.58	3.9	0.085	22PG	54-G-354A	0.9
fire
	US-354	8.86	S-350	6.24	3.3	0.24	T-6	54-G-354	1.08	increased range
	US-354S	8.86	S-350S	4.65	3	0.24	22s	54-G-354A	1.08
smoke
	UD-350	9.12	D-350	6.45	4th	-	KTM-2	54-G-354	1.08	increased range
	UD-354A	9.12	D-350A	6.45	4th	-	KTM-1	54-G-354	1.08

• 

  UBR-354P

• 

  From left to right: UBR-354A, UBR-354B, UBR-354P, UOF-354M, USchtsch-354T

• 

  BR-350A, BR-350BSP, BR-350P

Guaranteed penetration performance

cannon	bullet	v 0 in m / s	Armor angle in °	Penetration performance in mm RHA at a distance in m
				100	300	500	1000	1500	2000
L-11	BR-350A	612	90	73	n / A	62 (50)	56	n / A	44
F-34
		655/662	60	69	63	59	50	43	n / A
			90	80	76	70	63 (61)	58	n / A
	BR-350B		60	74	69	62	55	48	n / A
			90	86	81	75	68	62	n / A
	BR-350P		60	92	87	77	-	-	n / A
			90	102	98	92	-	-	n / A

SU-76I

Due to the lack of assault guns, captured PzIII and StuG III in 1943 were fitted with casemate superstructures and equipped with the F-34 cannon. A total of 611 loot vehicles were converted and used in this way. The suffix "I" means "foreign" ( Russian Иностранная ).

literature

• Matthew Hughes, Chris Mann: T-34 tanks . Karl Müller, Erlangen 1999, ISBN 3-86070-799-X , p. 42–45 (English: The T-34 tank . Translated by Jürgen Brust).
• Alexander Borissowitsch Shirokorad : Encyclopedia of the Russian Artillery (=  Library of Military History ). Harvest, Minsk 2000, ISBN 985-433-703-0 (Russian: Энциклопедия отечественной артиллерии .).
• AW Karpenko: Soviet-Russian tanks . 1905-2003. Elbe-Dnjepr, Klitzschen 2004, ISBN 3-933395-44-5 , p. 236–411 (Russian: Обозрение отечественной бронетанковой техники (1905–1995 гг.) . Translated by R. Meier).
• Jörg Siegert , Helmut Hanske: Main battle tanks of the NVA . Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-03294-1 , p. 10-52 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Peter Samsonov: Vasiliy Gavrilovich Grabin. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.de, accessed on June 30, 2015 (English). 
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Valery Potapov (Валерий Потапов): 76-мм танковая пушка Ф-34. The 76 mm F-34 tank cannon . In: battlefield.ru. September 27, 2011, p. 2 , accessed June 29, 2015 (Russian). 
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Jörg Siegert, Helmut Hanske: Main battle tanks of the NVA . Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-03294-1 , p. 13-15 .
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Matthew Hughes, Chris Mann: T-34 tanks . Karl Müller, Erlangen 1999, ISBN 3-86070-799-X , p. 44–45 (English: The T-34 tank . Translated by Jürgen Brust).
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} Matthew Hughes, Chris Mann: T-34 tanks . Karl Müller, Erlangen 1999, ISBN 3-86070-799-X , p. 42–43 (English: The T-34 tank . Translated by Jürgen Brust).
6. ↑ Peter Samsonov: GABTU's Tank Wish List for 1940. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.de, September 26, 2013, accessed June 30, 2015 (English). 
7. ^ Peter Samsonov: Barabash's Automatic Loading Mechanisms. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.de, November 2, 2013, accessed June 30, 2015 (English). 
8. ^ Soviet heavy tank Kliment Voroshilov (KV-1). In: tanks-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved June 30, 2015 . 
9. ↑ Michael J. Canavan: KV-1. In: Opening Salvo. wizards.com, archived from the original on October 27, 2007 ; accessed on June 30, 2015 (English). 
10. ↑ ZiS-5. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.ca, accessed June 30, 2015 . 
11. ↑ ^{a b c d} Jörg Siegert, Helmut Hanske: Main battle tanks of the NVA . Motorbuch, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-613-03294-1 , p. 16 .
12. ↑ ^{a b c} Peter Samsonov: Penetration, Part 2. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.ca, accessed June 30, 2015 . 
13. ^ Peter Samsonov: SU-76I. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.de, December 10, 2013, accessed June 30, 2015 (English). 

Web links

Commons : F-34  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Peter Samsonov: F-34 vs. German Tanks. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.ca, May 27, 2013, accessed June 30, 2015 . 
• Peter Samsonov: Penetration. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.ca, accessed June 30, 2015 . 
• Peter Samsonov: Accuracy Revisited. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.de, accessed on June 30, 2015 (English). 
• Peter Samsonov: KV-1S Comfort. In: Archive Awareness. tankarchives.blogspot.de, January 26, 2014, accessed June 30, 2015 (English).