In the late thirties, Soviet tanks had all the attributes of modern armored vehicles of the late twentieth and early this century.These include the following: long-barreled gun, a diesel engine, a powerful protivosnaryadnym bookings made without rivets and rear transmission.Throughout the Second World War, no country has created not a single sample of military equipment, meet all four criteria, but in the second half of the fifties foreign designers realized that the Soviet tank designers were clear in the mid-thirties.
basis of the tank fleet of the Soviet Union as of 1941 were light BT-7 (high-speed).This situation is quite consistent with the offensive nature of the military doctrine: the enemy were preparing to hit its territory.These machines have high-speed (up to 80 km / h) and the maneuvering characteristics were wheeled-tracked.Fighting on the roads, they almost could not, but, like all Soviet tanks had a powerful engine that runs on diesel fuel, rear drive rollers, 45-mm cannon, capable of striking any foreign analogue of his time, and a machine gun.Rear-wheel drive provides a lower profile, which reduced vulnerability, as it is not required to maintain the propeller shaft to the front roller.
Despite the primacy of offensive strategic idea, Soviet tanks were not only easy, but also medium and heavy.T-34, the best in the class of medium-sized, had in the first modification of the 75-mm gun, in addition, head-book was thick, it was located under the reflecting angle.As tanks BT, its undercarriage track rollers included in the pan-spring springs.Such a scheme invented by an American engineer Christie, she was the best in the world tank manufacturing practice and remains so to this day.In 1943 there was a modification of the T-34-85, with 85-mm cannon and cast turret.
After the German attack on the Soviet Union, it is medium and heavy tank building was the main direction of development of design development.
heavy tanks of World War II the Soviet Union had no equal.SW and appeared on the front in 1944, Isa became the ideal tool for hacking layered defenses.Turret gun caliber 122 mm did not give any chances to the German tanks to win the artillery duel, and armor protection thickness up to 120 mm, made 46-ton giant almost invulnerable.
In comparison with the German, Soviet tanks had a much better maneuverability, were easier to use, but because of the correct layout - and even better, while keeping the best fighting qualities.They were much easier to transport, crossing the bridges both conventional and pontoon.It should be noted, and the fact that the German designer and failed to end the war to create the tank diesel engine, which could be compared with our 600-horsepower V-2-34.
In the postwar decades, Soviet factories continued to build tanks.USSR produced more of them all the other countries combined.T-54, T-62, T-72 and other examples of Soviet-era armored steel masterpieces of engineering thought and the object of borrowing technical ideas for tank builders around the world.
