T-44

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T-44
T-44 at the Brest Fortress (2007)

T-44 at the Brest Fortress (2007)
General properties
crew 4 (commander, driver, gunner, loader)
length 7.65 m (length with gun in 12 o'clock position)
width 3.10 m
height 2.40 m (tower top)
Dimensions 31.5 tons
Armor and armament
Armor Tower 20–90 mm, hull 15–120 mm
Main armament 1 × 85 mm SiS-S53 cannon with 58 rounds
Secondary armament 2 × 7.62 mm -MG- DTM
agility
drive 12-cylinder diesel W-44
500 PS (368 kW)
suspension Torsion bar
Top speed 45 km / h
Power / weight 15.8 hp / ton
Range 235 km

The T-44 (from Russian танк for tank) was a Soviet medium tank . A total of 1823 pieces were built, 265 by the end of World War II , but they were no longer used in combat.

development

The T-44 was a 1944 development of the T-34 from the Morosow design office ( plant No. 183 ). It had thicker armor and was easier to produce than the T-34, but the armament could not be increased beyond the 85 mm cannon of the T-34/85. The first version of the T-44 had transmission problems that were resolved with the modified T-44M.

The T-44 was the first tank in the world to have a transverse engine. This made it possible to install the tower further back, which, due to the more centralized center of gravity, improved the driving characteristics. In addition, two weak points were eliminated in this way: the cannon could no longer hit the ground when driving downhill, and the driver's hatch was moved from the front to the top of the hull, allowing a one-piece bow plate to be installed. On the T-34, the driver's hatch and the ball cover of the bow machine gun were weak points in the bow armor.

The development of the tank was stopped in 1945. The total production reached 1823 pieces, which were used exclusively for training.

The T-44 became the base for the T-54 medium tank , which entered service in 1947 with a 100mm cannon .

technology

The T-44 had a roller drive with five rubber-bandaged double rollers on each side, which already had the gap between the first and second pairs of rollers that was later characteristic of the T-54 and T-55 . For the first time, the torsion bar suspension was used on a roller drive , which made it possible to lower the height of the tub compared to the T-34 equipped with a modified Christie drive with its almost vertical coil springs. The engine was installed transversely behind the fighting compartment, which made it possible to relocate the tower to the center of the vehicle - a construction method that would point the way for the future. The gearbox was behind the engine in the rear of the vehicle. The drive wheels were on the rear of the vehicle, the guide rollers on the bow. By dispensing with the movable bow machine gun and thereby reducing the crew by the radio operator / machine gunner, it was possible to reduce the interior space and take up a somewhat larger stock of ammunition. The combat set grew to 58 85 mm shell cartridges.

Armament

Rigid bow MG, here on a cutaway model of a T-54; the installation corresponds to that in the T-44

The T-44 was armed with the 85mm SiS-S53 cannon. A TSch-16 armored rifle scope was used for aiming. A MG DTM (Degtjarjow, tank, modified) was installed coaxially to the cannon . Another MG of this type was installed rigidly in the middle of the bow. It shot through a slightly over-caliber hole in the nose plate. It was meant for suppressive fire; Aiming could only be done roughly with the whole tank, the driver pressed the trigger. This design was retained in the T-54 and only abandoned with the T-55; the hole in the nose plate is a distinguishing feature between T-54 and T-55. The combat rate for both machine guns was 2750 rounds.

variants

  • T-44-85

  • T-44-100

  • T-44-122 and T-44-85

  • T-44-122 next to Pz. V

  • T-44-85 : Prototype , with the 85mm D-5T cannon
  • T-44-100 : Prototype, with the 100 mm D-10T cannon ; 100 mm front plate, tower front wall 100 mm; Chain aprons
  • T-44-122 : Prototype, with the 122-mm cannon D-25-44T
  • T-44 : Production version, with the 85 mm SIS-S53 cannon
  • T-44M : Modernization 1961, drive components of the T-54, night vision and radio equipment; 61 shells, 2016 rounds of machine-gun ammunition
  • T-44MK : Leadership Tank (1963), with an additional R-112 radio and therefore a reduced supply of ammunition
  • T-44S : Modernization of the T-44M from 1966, cannon stabilized in two planes
  • BTS-4A : Armored recovery vehicle based on the T-44M
  • SU 122-44 : Prototype of a tank destroyer in casemate design, with a 122 mm D-25S cannon

See also

literature

  • AW Karpenko: Soviet-Russian tanks . 1905-2003. Elbe-Dnjepr, Klitzschen 2004, ISBN 3-933395-44-5 , p. 261–268 (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. 70 .
  • Matthew Hughes, Chris Mann: T-34 tanks . Karl Müller, Erlangen 1999, ISBN 978-3-86070-799-9 , p. 89 (English: The T-34 tank . Translated by Jürgen Brust).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ AW Karpenko: Soviet-Russian tanks . 1905-2003. Elbe-Dnjepr, Klitzschen 2004, ISBN 3-933395-44-5 , p. 261 (Russian: Обозрение отечественной бронетанковой техники (1905–1995 гг.) . Translated by R. Meier).

Web links

Commons : T-44  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
  • Stefan Kotsch: From T-54 to T-90. From the history of Soviet tank construction. Retrieved May 27, 2014 .