The flame thrower seems to me a terrible idea. Flame throwers belong in dedicated tanks for very specific uses. On a gun tank they're just an extra fuel tank to worry about. The 57mm tanks would be probably meant as "hunter killers" for AT use. If they were worried against close in defence against infantry, a few grenade dischargers would have done the trick.
T34M in production before Barbarrossa
- Thread starter AdA
- Start date
The flame thrower seems to me a terrible idea. Flame throwers belong in dedicated tanks for very specific uses. On a gun tank they're just an extra fuel tank to worry about. The 57mm tanks would be probably meant as "hunter killers" for AT use. If they were worried against close in defence against infantry, a few grenade dischargers would have done the trick.
Vjacheslav Malyshev
Banned
The T-34M, has a torsion bar suspension, 57mm gun, which is about on par with the D-5T for AT capabilities, and increased armor.
The Flame throwers imply they wanted to replace the T-34M-76 with the T-34M-57
There were T34 with the 57mm also. The idea was to have a limited number of tanks with specially trained crews for dedicated AT units. In 1941 the soviets expected the Germans to introduce better heavier tanks and went to great lengths to prepare for that. They built prototypes of modified KV series tanks with an 85mm and even with a 107mm gun. The 57mm variants of the T34M would probably be deployed in the same manner. Once they found out the Germans were just using the PzIII and IV they canceled the dedicated ST tanks and the bigger guns. Of course the Germans did built the heavier tanks, but a lot later and the soviets had to start again.
Vjacheslav Malyshev
Banned
According to this production order 380 out of the 500 T-34Ms were meant to be armed with the 57mm, so I think they wanted to go with full replacement.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=243534
I think the two variants would be produced. There would be a larger % of 57mm in the first batches because the T34 was already operational and could fulfil the Medium Tank role (with 76mm). Once the T34M was operational and replacing the T34 "sans suffix"
the % of dedicated AT versions would be reduced. This is purely my opinion, based on the way the T34-57 was used and the fact that the ZIZ-4 is too specialised a AT tool for general use.
I think the two variants would be produced. There would be a larger % of 57mm in the first batches because the T34 was already operational and could fulfil the Medium Tank role (with 76mm). Once the T34M was operational and replacing the T34 "sans suffix"
the % of dedicated AT versions would be reduced. This is purely my opinion, based on the way the T34-57 was used and the fact that the ZIZ-4 is too specialised a AT tool for general use.Really? Had to miss that. But what with comaprison with German? Zeiss was name in optics for years. Was US optic so bad? I remeber reading years ago US Marines and soldiers love to get their hand on Japanese binoculars because their were better quality
Vjacheslav Malyshev
Banned
It was 1943 so I think the US by that point have gotten their hands on optics.
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I've read that the best Japanese optical gear wasn't exported till after ww2. It was reserved for the military.