T-34-85: inside the Soviet "thirty-four"
Upper and lower frontal parts tank reach a thickness of 45 mm and are installed at an angle of 60 degrees. On the right and left are armored covers that cover the track tensioning mechanism. Also in the front of the vehicle are 2 tow hooks, a spare track and a machine gun. The horn and headlight are on the left in the direction of travel.
The armor in the forehead of the turret reaches 90 mm, and on the sides and in the rear - 75 mm. And although the tower of the T-34-85 is cast, its roof is a welded sheet of metal. Meanwhile, the modernization gave the tank a fixed commander's cupola with a rotating hatch.
Additional fuel tanks with a volume of 90 liters each are installed on both sides of the hull. You can see the oil tank caps next to them. Also on the roof of the hull there are small hatches for access to the suspension mechanisms, clamped by bolts. The fuel filler cap is secured in the same way, so you need a wrench to refuel the tank.
The chassis of the T-34-85 cannot be called high-tech. Often, various mechanisms are installed on the tracks of tanks so that they do not fall apart. In a Soviet car, nothing prevents the track finger from falling out of it. However, when the lifetime of some "thirty-fours" was calculated by a couple of battles, it was not so important.
Each T-34-85 track is 72 Hadfield steel links. Half of them have a center rail, while others have holes for installing winter spurs. The drive wheel is not toothed. It has special rollers that interact with the central guide and set the tracks in motion. Also on each side there are 5 road wheels with Christie suspension.
Reservation of the stern is the same as in the frontal part. You will need a wrench again to open the engine compartment access door. Under the hatch there is a starter, transmission and steering clutches. Also at the rear of the tank are 2 exhaust pipes, 2 fuel tanks, tow hooks and a small brake light.
By turning the turret, you can open the hatch at the rear of the hull. It covers a 12 hp 500-cylinder diesel engine. In turn, the cooling system grilles are visible under the hatch of the transmission compartment. Below is a large flywheel that transfers power to the transmission, and at the very bottom are the clutch and brake control mechanisms. There are also 2 multi-cyclone air filters that had to be changed after 25 hours of machine operation.
The T-34-85 can hardly be called a comfortable tank for the crew. Tens of thousands of these machines were stamped to repel enemy attacks and subsequent offensive operations. There was simply no time to create comfortable conditions inside. Despite this, the car showed itself brilliantly during the Second World War and became part of the Great Victory over Nazi Germany.
For more details about the "thirty-four", the secrets of the designers, the internal structure, as well as a visual instruction on how to control the famous tank, see the video from Wargaming.
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