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#1: curious T-34 76mm Author: the_shadock, Location: Normandy, France

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 6:10 pm
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This T-34/76 is quite curious, what are all these plates welded on the turret and front hull?

#2: Re: curious T-34 76mm Author: Costas_TT,

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 6:18 pm
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Not curious at all, in fact this was a standard uparmoring kit developed by the Zavod No. 27 and used on 1941/42 STZ production tanks, according to the Squadron/Signal T-34 In Action book and also the Osprey New Vanguard book on the T-34-76.

#3: Re: curious T-34 76mm Author: Massimo_Foti, Location: Lugano, Switzerland

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:45 pm
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Costas was faster than me Smile

Now it would be interesting to understand if this is a genuine, uparmoured STZ tank or the plates were applied during "restoration".

Massimo

#4: Re: curious T-34 76mm Author: Costas_TT,

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:21 pm
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One hint would be the hull assembly. The STZ plant used interlocking plates for the glacis plate/upper hull side joint, which seems to be the case for the tank pictured here and serves as an aid to tell it apart from Krasnoye Sormovo Zavod No. 112 manufactured tanks that were similarly uparmored in Leningrad by Zavod No. 27. What we need to seal the deal is a photo of the tank's rear end. The old rectangular transmission access hatch and a rounded off hull edge below the exhausts and above the final drive housings are additional features of STZ made tanks. The all steel roadwheels are also historically correct for the period (and for the 1942 production STZ hybrid model 1941/42).
Another historically correct feature is the lack of the armored mantlet over the hull DT machine gun mount.
Based on the above, I feel comfortable concluding that it really is an STZ manufactured tank.

#5: Re: curious T-34 76mm Author: the_shadock, Location: Normandy, France

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:33 am
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thanks guys, that's fascinating !!

I think that it is the only existing example of a T-34/76 with add-on armor.

P-O

#6: Re: curious T-34 76mm Author: Massimo_Foti, Location: Lugano, Switzerland

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:38 am
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That model is pretty popular among scale modellers, since it has been a relatively simple, yet interesting conversion. Quite a few people reproduced it along the years.

Massimo

#7: Re: curious T-34 76mm Author: Costas_TT,

Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:13 am
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- the_shadock

thanks guys, that's fascinating !!

I think that it is the only existing example of a T-34/76 with add-on armor.

P-O

You are most welcome. And you are right, I do not recall seeing another uparmored T-34 in a museum or private collection - until now that your comment prompted me to do a quick search. Maybe there are more we don't know about somewhere in Russia or other former Soviet states.
Link to a recovered Zavod No. 27 uparmored turret, most likely built in Krasnoye Sormovo Zavod No. 112: scalemodels.ru/modules...t_380.html
And here you can see an OT-34 flamethrower tank based on a Krasnoye Sormovo Zavod No. 112 built vehicle, with an uparmored turret (Don't know if it's a restoration lash-up though): ctocopok.livejournal.com/57554.html

By the way, do you have a link to the site the photos you posted came from?

#8: Re: curious T-34 76mm Author: JiriTintera, Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2013 11:23 am
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Dear Sirs,
in the Russian-language magazine Tankomaster 2003 No. 4, pp. 4-27 published studies Sergej Kirasov: Ekranirovka (translation: additional armor). In my opinion, most web authors drew on studies, or copying the work of this.

You can download magazine in JPG format - www.armourbook.com/200...00307.html

In case of failure during download let me know.

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