T-44
The T-44 was a medium tank first developed and produced near the end of World War II by the Soviet Union. It was the successor to the T-34, offering an improved ride and cross-country performance, along with much greater armor. Designed to be equipped with an 85 mm main gun, by the time it was fully tested the T-34 had also moved to this weapon. Both tanks offered similar performance, so introducing the T-44 was not considered as important as increasing T-34 production. Fewer than 2,000 T-44s were built, compared to about 58,000 T-34s. Although the T-44 was available by the end of the war, it was not used in any battle. It was 1 ton lighter than the T-34-85 and slightly faster. The T-44 was heavily influential on the design of the T-54/55 main battle tank, most notably the removal of side sloping, thick frontal armor, and a low profile. Also notable was the T-44-100, a 100mm D-10T-armed prototype, which would be the same 100mm gun mounted on the T-54/55, bar some minor changes.
| T-44 | |
|---|---|
A restored T-44 tank. | |
| Type | Medium tank |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1944 – 1960s |
| Used by | Soviet Union |
| Wars | Hungarian Revolution of 1956 |
| Production history | |
| Designer | A.A. Morozov |
| Designed | 1943–1944 |
| Manufacturer | Factory No. 75, Kharkiv |
| Produced | 1944–1947 |
| No. built | 1,823 |
| Variants | T-44-100, T-44-122 |
| Specifications (T-44A) | |
| Mass | 32 t (35 short tons; 31 long tons) |
| Length | 6.07 m (19 ft 11 in) 7.65 m (25.1 ft) over gun |
| Width | 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in) |
| Height | 2.455 m (8 ft 0.7 in) |
| Crew | 4 |
| Armour | 120 mm (4.7 in) |
Main armament | 85 mm ZiS-S-53 tank gun (58 rds.)
100-mm D-10T tank gun 100-mm LB-1 tank gun 122-mm D-25-44 tank gun |
Secondary armament | 2× 7.62 mm DTM machine gun or 1x 12.7mm DshK |
| Engine | Model V-44 12-cyl. 38.88 L diesel 520 hp (388 kW) |
| Power/weight | 16.3 hp/tonne |
| Transmission | planetary 5-speed manual |
| Suspension | Torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 510 mm (20 in) |
| Fuel capacity | 500 litres (110 imp gal; 130 US gal) 150 litres (33 imp gal; 40 US gal) external |
Operational range | Road: 240–300 km (150–190 mi) Cross-country: 150–210 km (93–130 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 55 km/h (34 mph) |
Attempts were made to improve the T-44's armament with a new 122mm gun, but the turret proved to be very cramped and the rate of fire was poor, on the order of three rounds per minute. Design work on a slightly enlarged version of the T-44 began during the war and a prototype was produced in 1945. This newer design entered production in 1947 as the T-54/55 series of medium tanks, the most-produced tank series of all time.