Heavy Tank T34 Heavy tank T34. Experienced heavy tank T34 USA Locations of internal modules

T34 is a tier 8 American heavy tank. In this guide, you will learn the history of the tank, traditionally compare it with other premium tier 8 tanks, look at the location of the modules in the tank, and also go through the tactics of playing on it.

History reference

At the beginning of 1945, in order to increase firepower, the Artillery Department decided to use the 120mm T53 anti-aircraft gun. During field tests, it was found that the characteristics of the gun were several times higher than those of the 105mm T5E1 and 155mm T7 guns. After passing various tests, the Artillery Department recommended installing this gun on two experimental T30 tanks.

After the installation of the gun, it was decided to change the index of the tank and ultimately the new tank was called T34. According to the drawings, the tank was to be equipped with a new, most powerful engine from the T30 tank called the Continental AV-1790. But it was decided to replace the engine from the T30 in the direction of reducing the development costs of the T34 and put a modified Allison V-171 aircraft engine. After installing a heavier gun, the balance of the tank was disturbed, so the tank was welded to the rear of the turret with an armor plate 10.16 cm thick, which restored the balance of the tank. The location of the internal modules remained almost the same as that of the predecessors T30 and T29.

Comparison of the T34 with other Tier 8 premium heavy tanks

Pros:

• Excellent UGN
• Excellent armor penetration
• High burst damage

Minuses:

• Low rate of fire
• Very long mix
• Weak hull armor
• Short viewing range.

Locations of indoor units

Tank penetration zones T34

Today we will pierce the T34 with the 122 mm D2-5T gun mounted on the KV-1S tank.

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During the test, it was revealed that it was practically impossible to blow up an ammunition rack or destroy an engine, they are very strong. Shooting at the "asterisk" you concuss the loader, and a little closer to the gun - the gunner. It is also worth noting that the tank is very "random". The gunner almost never crits in the side of the turret (1 time out of 10 attempts), but on the first time it hits the turret on the cheek when the tank meets the tank in the forehead, but do not forget that he sits to the left of the gun. The commander has the same trouble, in the side of the tower it is critical 7 times out of 10, and in the forehead 5 out of 10.

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When firing a tank in the forehead (VLD) (into a machine-gun nest), there is a chance to concuss the radio operator, and on the opposite side of the VLD (slightly to the left of the headlight) - the driver.

Do not forget about our rate of fire, because without any "bonuses" our tank will be shot down in any case. Therefore, you should not shoot in an open field. Playing on T34, you need to know well the terrain and various shelters on this map, because our shelters are everything. Our tank is a support tank and is located in the second line.

Also, do not remember the golden rule - "A killed friend, best friend", because there is nothing better than a personal shelter, which can also be moved at your discretion. Our tower is strong and unbreakable for many, so playing through the tower is a Must Have.

Since the viewing range of our tank is small, it is necessary to take a comrade in a medium tank (T-44) to the platoon, which will highlight your enemies, and you will calmly inflict damage.

Profitability of the T34 tank

Having calculated, I got the number 69,373 silver - this is the average tank earnings per battle. The repair of a completely destroyed tank is no more than 8,000 silver, and the cost of 1 shell is 1,060. On average, no more than 9,000 are spent on replenishing ammunition. We consider and obtain that the net profit is about 52,000 silver.

Modules and crew

1. The first thing for the entire crew is repairs.
2. Second skill: individual for each crew member
   Commander - Sixth Sense
   Gunner - Smooth turret rotation
   Mech-Water - King of the off-road
   Loader - non-contact ammo rack
3. The third skill is the Combat Brotherhood.
4. Fourth skill: individual for each crew member
   Commander - Jack of all Trades
   Gunner - Sniper
   Mech-Water - Virtuoso
   Loader - Desperate

Consumables and modules

Modules: rammer, fan, reinforced pickup drives.

Consumables: first aid kit, repair kit and fire extinguisher.

Heavy Tank T34

At the beginning of 1945, in order to increase the firepower of tanks, the Artillery Department studied the possibility of using the 120mm T53 anti-aircraft gun. It turned out that this gun was superior in terms of armor-piercing capabilities to the already used guns - 105mm T5E1 and 155mm T7. During test firing, a test 120mm T20E3 armor-piercing projectile was used, which, with a weight of 23kg, had an initial speed of 945m / s. In addition, an HVAP sub-caliber ammunition with an initial velocity of 1,249.68m / s was under development. As a result, according to OCM 27662 dated May 17, 1945, the Artillery Department recommended installing 120mm guns on two T30 pilot tanks and renaming them to the T34 heavy tank. On May 31, 1945, this recommendation was approved.

Heavy Tank T34

Initially, the T34 was supposed to inherit the Ford GAC engine from its predecessors, the T29 and T30. However, after the victory over Japan, the program for creating new tanks changed in the direction of testing new power plants. The T30 tank received the Continental AV-1790 engine. On November 7, 1946, a recommendation appeared that pilot T34s should use the T30 base and, accordingly, the Continental engine, as on the T30. Prior to this, the T34 intended to install a modified Allison V-1710 aircraft engine, but the new recommendation was based on the desire to reduce the cost of developing a new machine using the T30 hull.

Scheme of the heavy tank T34

Externally, the T34 heavy tank did not differ from the T29 and T30 tanks, except for a longer 120mm barrel (7.67588m). As on the T29 tank, there were two .50cal coaxial machine guns to the left of the gun. The increased weight of the gun forced, for balance, to weld a counterweight in the form of armor 10.16 cm thick to the rear wall of the turret basket.

The 120mm T53 tank gun inherited separate loading from the anti-aircraft gun. The placement of the ammunition in the T34 remained the same as in the T29 and T30 with the necessary changes for a larger caliber. The total weight of the test shot was 50 kg, the projectile was 23 kg. Ammunition consisted of 34 shots. Rate of fire with two loaders - 5 rounds per minute. The 120mm T53 gun on the T125 carriage had vertical pointing angles from +15 to -10 degrees. A full 360-degree rotation of the turret took 20 seconds. The new tank did not have a gun stabilizer, such as on the M26 Pershing. The gun was equipped with a T143E2 telescopic sight and a M10E10 periscope, and for firing from closed positions - with T19 azimuth, M9 quadrant and M1 gunner's quadrant.

The shutter is open on the left, closed on the right.

The end of hostilities instantly affected the project. Since there was no longer a question of purchasing a T34 heavy tank for the army, the creation of new ammunition was curtailed even before the T34 project was closed.

Scheme of the torsion bar suspension of the heavy tank T34

During the test firing at the Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Knox, big problems with the gas contamination of the tower were revealed. After several shots, smoke and carbon dioxide concentrations reached dangerous levels. A more serious problem was also revealed - a reverse flash when fired. At Fort Knox, at least two people were hospitalized, and in Aberdeen it was noted that the eyebrows and hair of the tankers were burned. The reason was that the unburned powder gases in the barrel were drawn back into the turret when the cartridge case was extracted. In the tower, these gases mixed with oxygen, which led to a flashback and injury to the crew. To eliminate these negative phenomena, the designers developed a system for purging the barrel with compressed air even before the shutter opens. However, the desired result did not happen. The compressor and compressed air tank occupied much-needed armor space, and all sorts of connections leaked. American designers found a very simple solution - a smoke-sucking device was installed on the barrel, which had previously been tested on 90mm T15E4 and M3E4 guns. Near the cut of the gun, a cylindrical chamber was installed around the barrel. Holes were made in the walls of the barrel, which led into the chamber at an angle towards the cut of the gun. As soon as the projectile left the barrel, the pressure in the bore quickly dropped, and the high pressure in the chamber created a strong draft of gas through the evacuation ports. This thrust, directed towards the muzzle, removed the remaining powder gases from the channel before the shutter opened. Tests at Aberdeen and Fort Knox showed the high efficiency of this very simple device. Subsequently, such a smoke extractor became standard on new American tanks.

Open bolt 120mm tank gun T53 heavy tank T34

The end of the Second World War quickly cooled the interest of the military in the development of heavy tanks T29, T30, T32 and T34. In addition, the military budget was severely cut, the previously approved purchase of new tanks was canceled, so pilot vehicles were used mainly to test new various power plants. Technical and design solutions obtained during post-war tests were subsequently used on later American tanks.

Official designation: T34 Heavy Tank
Alternative notation:
Start of design: 1944
Date of construction of the first prototype: 1946
Completion stage: one prototype built.

In the history of world tank building, there were three tanks with the T-34 index of various classes and periods of construction. They were two Soviet tanks (“mobilization” of the 1932 model and the medium model of 1940-1945) and one American heavy tank. The latter had the T34 index and more belonged to the “assault” class, having a very wide range of actions, from fighting enemy armored vehicles to suppressing long-term fortifications.
The history of this combat vehicle, which never got out of the experimental stage, began in March 1944, when the Ordnance Department issued a specification for a heavy tank that was superior to the then available M26 in armament and armor. A year later, one prototype of the T29 and T30 tanks was assembled, basically differing only in the type of gun, but neither one nor the other could fully satisfy the requirements of the military. Then a proposal was made to equip one of the prototypes of the T29 with a 120 mm T53 gun.

As experimental firing showed, this artillery system had the best armor penetration, relative to the 105-mm T5E1 and 155-mm T7. For example, an armor-piercing projectile T20E3 (gross weight 23 kg) at an initial speed of 945 m / s at a distance of 914 meters pierced a sheet of armor 198 mm thick, set at an angle of 30 °; With an increase in the distance to 1829 meters, this figure decreased to 173 mm, but even in this case, the projectile was guaranteed to penetrate the armor of any German tank. Designed for the 120 mm T53 gun, the HVAP sub-caliber shot had even more impressive characteristics. Having an initial speed of about 1249 m / s, under the above conditions, the projectile pierced armor with a thickness of 381 mm and 318 mm, respectively. True, with an increase in the slope of the armor to 60 °, armor penetration seriously deteriorated and was already 112 mm and 76 mm. Nevertheless, the performance looked impressive and in the middle of 1945, work began on installing the T53 gun on the T29 tank. The new car after the changes was designated as T-34. It was originally planned that the tank would be equipped with a Ford GAC engine, but these plans were soon changed.

Structurally, both models were almost identical, with the exception of details regarding the new artillery system. Externally, the T34 differed from the T29 only in the gun barrel. The body of the tank was made from sheets of homogeneous armor. Priority in security was given to the frontal part, where the armor thickness was 70-102 mm. The sides were made from 51-76 mm armor plates, feed - 19-51 mm. The thickness of the bow of the bottom was increased to 38 mm - the roof of the hull had a similar thickness. The body layout is classic.
Chassis, as applied to one side, consisted of the following elements:

- 8 rubberized road wheels, individual suspension, torsion bar, tire size 26x6 inches;

- 7 supporting wheels;

- front guide wheel, tire size 26x6 inches;

- rear drive wheel with 15 crowns with a diameter of 28.89 inches (734 mm);

- rubber-metal double-ridged caterpillar track with T80E3 type tracks 711 mm wide and 152 mm pitch, total number of tracks - 204 pcs.

A V-shaped 12-cylinder Continental AV-1790-3 gasoline engine was installed in the engine compartment, developing a maximum power of 810 hp at 2800 rpm. and nominal 704 hp. engine displacement was 1791.7 cubic inches. Fuel (gasoline with an octane rating of 80) was placed in a tank with a capacity of 320 gallons (1211 liters).

Transmission type CD-850-1 had two forward speeds, one reverse and disc brakes. Gear ratios were 12.761, 6.2:1 and 20.6:1 respectively. The main gear was spur, cylindrical, with a gear ratio of 6.31:1. The tank was controlled using a steering lever made like a joystick.

The electrical system used two 28.5-volt generators, giving a nominal voltage of 24 volts DC. The main generator was powered by the main engine, the auxiliary - from the spare. Also, the tank was equipped with two 12-volt batteries. Electricity was supplied to internal lighting devices, phases, marker lights and communications equipment. As standard, a SCR 508 or SCR 528 radio station and an intercom for 6 subscribers with an external output of the RC-298 type were installed on the tank. The fire extinguishing system used three 10-pound fixed and two 5-pound portable fire extinguishers filled with a mixture of carbon monoxide.

Viewing devices were very diverse. For direct firing, the gunner could use the T143E2 telescopic sight and the M10E10 periscope. For firing from closed positions, the following sighting equipment was used: the T19 azimuth indicator, the M9 vertical guidance quadrant and the M1 gunner's quadrant. The driver and assistant driver were equipped with M13 periscope devices. The commander's cupola had six prismatic viewing devices. In addition, the commander had at his disposal an M15 periscope installed in the turret hatch.

The main armament, which, as mentioned earlier, consisted of a 120-mm T53 gun with a separate-cartridge loading on a T125 carriage, was located in a cast turret with a shoulder strap of 2.032 meters. Elevation angles varied from -10° to +15°; Turret rotation could be carried out using an electro-hydraulic or manual system. At 360 ° it turned around in 20 seconds. The maximum rate of fire was 5 rounds per minute.

As usual, the turret armor was particularly strong and varied along vertical surfaces from 127 to 203 mm. The thickness of the gun mantlet armor was 203-279 mm. Two 12.7 mm Colt-Browning M2HB machine guns were mounted to the left of the gun, and another machine gun of the same type was mounted on the roof of the turret as an anti-aircraft machine gun. One 7.62 mm Colt-Browning М1919А4 machine gun was installed on the right in the frontal hull plate. Six 11.43-mm Thompson submachine guns were transported in the stowage. The total ammunition included:

- 34 shots for a 120 mm gun

- 2090 rounds for 12.7 mm machine guns

- 1080 rounds for 11.43 mm Thompson assault rifles

- 2050 rounds for a 7.62 mm machine gun.

The crew of the tank consisted of 6 people: the driver and driver's assistant were located in the control compartment in front of the hull, and the places of the commander, gunner and two loaders were in the tower.

It would seem that there should not have been any difficulties in converting the T29 to the T34, but the problems began immediately after trying to install the gun. As it turned out, to balance it was necessary to add a counterweight - this task was dealt with quickly, but while the work was being done, the war was over. Tests of the prototype T34 began only in 1946. The tank was transferred to the range at Fort Knox, where it was "run in" by military tankers.

In the process of fire tests, it turned out that after the shot, a big problem arises with the gas contamination of the fighting compartment. Two fans could no longer cope with the powder gases of a powerful weapon. Then such an unpleasant thing as a “reverse flash” was discovered - for this reason, two people were hospitalized only in Fort Knox, and during tests in Aberdeen, several tankers had their eyebrows and hair burned. As you might guess, the reason for this was all the same completely unburned powder gases that were drawn into the tower during the extraction of the sleeve and, mixing with oxygen, caused re-ignition. The first attempt to install a barrel blowing compressor in the fighting compartment was unsuccessful, and then a smoke exhaust device was installed on the gun barrel, as was done earlier for the 90-mm T15E4 and M3E4 guns. The solution turned out to be very successful and was subsequently used on other American tanks, but the fate of the experimental T34 was already a foregone conclusion. In the late 1940s The Ordnance Department has revised plans for tanks based on the T29, significantly cutting back on their construction program. In fact, the case was limited only to "pilot" and experimental models, after which almost all of the manufactured samples were scrapped. The only prototype of the T34 tank has not survived to this day and was cut into metal.

Sources:
"British and American tanks of the Second World War" P. Chamberlain and K. Alice. AST \ Astrel. Moscow. 2003
P. Chamberlen and C. Ellis "British and American Tanks of World War Two", Silverdale Books, 2004
R.P. Hunnicutt "A History Of The American Heavy Tank" Feist Publications, 1987
R.J. Icks "A History Of The American Heavy Tank", AFV Weapons Profile, #41
Para Bellum: T34 heavy tank
Bronesite: American Heavy Tanks

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HEAVY TANK
T34 model 1945

The T34 is equipped with a powerful gun with long aiming and wide spread. The turret armor is one of the best in the game, but it comes at the cost of weak hull armor. Due to its large dimensions, the tank becomes an attractive target for artillery.

Elite equipment

Advantages

• High damage per shot
• Good bb shell penetration
• strong tower
• Excellent UVN

disadvantages

• Long mixing and reloading
• Slow turret and hull rotation
• Low top speed
• Weak hull armor
• Large dimensions

Crew skills and abilities

Equipment

Increase reload speed

100% crew = 14.38 sec
100% Crew + Rammer = 12.94 sec
100% Crew + Rammer + Improved Ventilation = 12.66 sec
100% Crew + Rammer + Improved Ventilation + Case of Cola = 12.12 sec

Application

Well suited for offensive operations or shooting at someone else's light. In close combat without the support of allies, the tank becomes defenseless due to the long reload time.

The huge dispersion of the gun on the move, combined with the low aiming speed, makes it impossible to quickly open fire after stopping or leaving cover.

T34 can be used as a tank destroyer. To do this, we have a fairly accurate gun with high armor penetration and a thick turret through which we can successfully tank. The T34 is most effective in a group of allied tanks at a medium-long distance.

Separately, it is worth noting the clinch. Unlike the T32, the small size of the gun mantlet and the height of the T34 make this form of close combat ineffective. At close range, the enemy can easily hit a thin body.

The accuracy of the gun allows you to shoot at distant targets, and high damage will make it possible to destroy most targets in 2-3 shots.

History reference

In early 1945, in order to increase the firepower of tanks, the US military leadership studied the possibility of using a 120 mm anti-aircraft gun. In the course of test firing, it turned out that this gun was superior to guns already out of service in terms of armor-piercing capabilities. As a result, the 120 mm gun was installed on the T30 and renamed the T34 heavy tank.

Externally, the T34 heavy tank did not differ from the T29 and T30 tanks, except for a longer 120 mm barrel. As on the T29 tank, there were two twin machine guns to the left of the gun. The increased weight of the gun forced, for balance, to weld a counterweight in the form of armor to the rear wall of the turret basket.

The T34 tank received a Continental engine, like the T30. Prior to this, the T34 was intended to be equipped with a modified Allison V-1710 aircraft engine, but the new recommendation was based on the desire to reduce the cost of developing a new machine using the T34 hull.

The end of World War II had an immediate impact on the project. Since there was no longer a question of purchasing a T34 heavy tank for the army, it was simply closed.

The American T 34 is a heavy tank developed in the USA in 1945. It is a modernization of the T-30 tank. The history of this model began when the US military decided to equip one of the T-29 prototypes with a 120 mm gun used in the T 53 model. The resulting hybrid was given the designation T 34, but later, after the end of World War II, work on modernization slowed down extremely. As a result, the T 34 prototype was never released.

The history of the creation of the American T-34 tank

By decision of the US Artillery Department, in the same 1945, the T 30 modification tanks were supplemented with a 120 mm gun from the T 53, as expected at the beginning, only the T 29 would have been a prototype. This gun could provide an armor-piercing projectile speed of up to 1100 m / s , and a sub-caliber projectile 1300 m / s, which made it possible to surpass the 105mm T5E1 (T29) and 155mm T7 guns in terms of impenetrability. The gun also had a high rate of fire, namely 4 rounds per minute, had armor penetration of 198 mm with an armor-piercing projectile against homogeneous armor at an angle of 30 degrees. from the vertical at a distance of 914 meters (for comparison, the armor penetration rate for D-25T armor-piercing shells under similar conditions is 140 mm) and 381 mm for armor-piercing shells on homogeneous armor at an angle of 30 degrees. from the vertical. In addition, if an armor-piercing projectile hit point blank, then the armor penetration would be 258 mm, and if it were a sub-caliber projectile, then the armor penetration could reach 512 mm. Such results can be considered incredibly high for the times of the Second World War.

The appearance of the new American T 34 practically did not differ from the prototypes of the T 29 and T 30. The only difference that could be noticed was a longer 120 mm barrel about 7.7 meters long in the new model. However, the increased weight of the T 34 forced the developers to supplement the rear wall of the turret basket with a counterweight - 10.16 cm of armor.

Gun 120mm

Tank gun T 52 120 mm had separate loading. The ammunition rack in the T 34 was placed in the same way as in the T 29, T 30, but the larger caliber was slightly changed. The mass of the test shot was 50 kg, the weight of the projectile was 23 kg. The entire ammunition load was designed for 34 rounds. The rate of fire of the gun was 5 rounds per minute. In addition, the gun was equipped with a T143E2 telescopic sight and a M10E10 periscope. For firing from closed positions, the gun was equipped with T19 azimuth, M9 quadrant and M1 gunner's quadrant. The only drawback of the new tank was the lack of gun stabilization.

Why the American T-34 tank did not receive mass production

After the end of hostilities, the T 34 development project was practically stopped. At that time, there was no longer a question of acquiring a heavy tank, so the first thing they did was turn off the production of ammunition, and then the project itself.

Tests of the model at the Aberdeen Proving Ground showed some problems, in particular the problem of gas contamination of the tower. After several shots, the concentration of toxic substances in the cockpit reached a level dangerous to the life and health of crew members. However, even this was not the most serious problem. During the tests, a reverse flash was detected when fired, which caused the tankers who took part in the tests to be injured and hospitalized. The reason was the unburned powder gases in the barrel, which were drawn into the cabin and, mixing with oxygen, led to a flashback. In order to eliminate these phenomena, the designers developed a system for blowing the barrel with compressed air, but in the end the desired result could not be achieved. The compressor and compressed air tank took up too much space in the reserved space.

Then the American developers found another solution - installing a special device on the barrel that will pump out smoke. Previously, such a device was tested on models T15E4 and M3E4 with 90 mm guns. The design principle was as follows: a cylindrical chamber was installed near the base of the barrel, holes were made in the walls of the barrel leading to the chamber. When the projectile left the barrel, the pressure in its channel quickly dropped, while high pressure appeared in the chamber, which created a powerful draft of gas through the ports for evacuation. The thrust was directed towards the cut of the barrel and removed poisonous gases before the shutter opened. Tests of this system, which took place at Fort Knox and Aberdeen, showed a positive result - in the future, such a smoke removal system became the standard for all tanks developed in the United States.

The end of World War II was the end for the American T 34 as well. The military was no longer interested in developing heavy tanks, including the T 29, T30 and T 32. The budget for the development and purchase of new vehicles was significantly reduced. However, it is worth noting that the main design solutions of the T 34 were used to develop later American tanks.

Specifications of the American T-34

Heavy Tank T34 in video games

The T34 was not accepted into service and did not see combat, but it is heavily used on the battlefield in tank video games. It was present as a tier 9 heavy tank, later promoted to tier 8 as a premium tank.