What gun to put kv 85. New Soviet heavy tank - KV-85

The tank was created on the basis of the KV-1S due to the delay in the development of the IS-1. It is equipped with a turret designed for the IS-1 with an increased shoulder strap, reinforced armor and an 85-mm D-5 cannon. The gun was mounted on trunnions in the frontal part of the tower and covered with an armor mask. New car became the next step towards the creation of a heavy tank, which differs sharply from the average one not only in more powerful armor, but also in weapons.

The installation of a new gun required a change in the ammunition rack, the ammunition load was reduced to 70 shells. Instead of a frontal machine gun in a ball mount to the right of the driver, a fixed course machine gun was installed, from which the driver-mechanic fired unaimed fire. This made it possible to exclude the gunner-radio operator from the crew. A radio station was installed near the commander's seat. Due to the fact that the tank was a kind of "transitional model", its release did not last long. A total of 130 KV-85 units were produced.

By 1943, the 76-mm gun, which is the main weapon of Soviet combat vehicles, no longer fully met the requirements. In addition, the enemy had heavy vehicles equipped with powerful guns. large caliber. The issue of re-equipping the KV required an urgent solution. The GKO decree ordered that new tanks be submitted for testing by July 1943.

By this time, new tank artillery systems had also been created: the Central Artillery Design Bureau (TsAKB) under the leadership of V.G. Grabina designed the 85-mm S-31 gun, design bureau of Artillery Plant No. 9 in Sverdlovsk, headed by F.F. Petrov created the 85-mm D-5T gun. In July, two tanks armed with new artillery systems were made on the basis of the KV-8S.

On the first of them, the S-31 gun (sometimes called the KV-85G) was installed in the standard KV-1S turret. On the second, on an extended pursuit, a turret of an experimental "object 237" (a prototype of the IS tank) was installed. In August, both cars passed comparative tests. It should be noted that together with the KV, two "object 237" vehicles, also armed with these two systems, entered the tests. According to the results, it was adopted and went into the KV-85 series. The fighting compartment of the KV-85G turned out to be too cramped for such a gun, and the IS tanks (237th) took time to fine-tune and put into production.

Meanwhile, the need for new machines was enormous. On August 8, 1943, even before the end of the test cycle, it was decided to start serial production of the KV-85. In mid-August, the first production tanks came out of the factory gates. But their release did not last long. Already in October of the same year, the Chelyabinsk plant switched to IS tanks, which surpassed the KV in almost all respects. In total, 148 KV-85s were manufactured in a short time of release.

Tank represented the actually modernized KV-1S. A new turret with an armament complex was installed. The shoulder strap of the tower had to be significantly increased, which "ate" the place of the gunner-radio operator. The crew has decreased by one person. The course machine gun was mounted to the right of the driver in a fixed armor. The trigger button was on the control lever, the driver fired from a machine gun. The radio station was moved to the tower. In place of the gunner-radio operator, a part of the ammunition and an additional fuel tank were placed. The main armament of the tank was an 85-mm D-5T-85 with a rate of fire of up to 8 rounds / min. The gun was suitable for standard ammunition for 85-mm anti-aircraft gun sample 1939

Tanks KV-85 entered service with the guards tank regiments of the breakthrough.

Mainly due to the small number of vehicles produced, the tank did not become particularly famous in battles. Along with other vehicles, the KV-85 solved the tasks of breaking through enemy positions, fought against armored vehicles (if used correctly, even with the latest German heavy tanks, which by that time it was formally inferior in basic combat parameters). The first regiment, equipped with KV-85, got to the front already in the first days of September 1943 during the battles for the liberation of the left-bank Ukraine.

In total, according to the order of the NKTP No. 530 of September 7, 1943, the industry was to ship 63 KV-85s in September and 63 in October, after which it was planned to stop their production in favor of the IS tank. But according to the report of the People's Commissariat, 148 KV-85 tanks, produced in parallel with the KB-1C, were handed over to the customer. Only in December release latest machines The KB family has been discontinued.

The KV-85 was a kind of transitional link from pre-war heavy tanks to the powerful IS vehicles that replaced them.

Tactical and technical characteristics

In less than four years, while the KB tanks were in production, the designers of the design bureau Zh. Ya. Kotin developed more than 20 models of these vehicles. Of these, serially produced: KV-1, KV-2, KV-8, KV-1S, KV-85 and KB-14 (SU-152) More than 4000 KV tanks participated in the battles on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War.

The main modifications of the KV heavy tank and vehicles based on it

• KV - experienced heavy tank(1939). Armament: 76.2 mm L-11 tank gun and 2 DT machine guns, 1 vehicle was produced;
• KV-2 - experimental tank (1940). Armament: 152.4-mm howitzer M-10 model 1938 and 2 DT machine guns, 3 vehicles were produced;
• KV-1 - heavy tank (1940-1941). Armament: 76.2 mm L-11 tank gun and 4 DT machine guns (in 1941, modifications of the tank with the M-17T carburetor engine were produced);
• KV-2 - heavy tank (1940-1941). Armament: 152.4 mm howitzer M-10 model 1938-1940. and 4 DT machine guns, about 100 vehicles were produced;
• KV-3 (object 150) - a heavy tank with enhanced armor (1940). Armament: 76.2 mm F-32 cannon and 3 DT machine guns, a prototype was produced;
• KV-1 - heavy tank (1941-1942). Armament: 76.2 mm F-32 (or ZIS-5) tank gun and 4 DT machine guns (modifications of the tank with shielded armor of the hull and turret were produced);
• KV-3 (object 220) - heavy tank (1940-1941). Armament: 85 mm F-30 tank gun or 76.2 mm F-32 gun and 3 DT3 machine guns prototype;
• EKV - heavy tank with electromechanical transmission (1941-1944). Armament: 76.2 mm F-32 tank gun and 4 DT machine guns, a prototype was produced;
• KV-222 (object 222) - a heavy tank with enhanced armor (1941). Armament: 76.2 mm F-34 tank gun and 4 DT machine guns, a prototype was produced;
• KV-6 - heavy tank (1941). Armament: F-32 tank gun of 76.2 mm caliber, 3 DT machine guns and a flamethrower for 15 fire shots;
• KV-7 - heavy tank (1941-1942). Two versions of the tank were produced, differing in the installation of weapons.
  The first option - two 45-mm tank guns of the 1932-1938 model. and one 76.2-mm ZIS-5 tank gun, placed in a fixed armored wheelhouse in one mask, and 3 DT machine guns.
  The second option is two ZIS-5 tank guns of 76.2 mm caliber, placed in a fixed armored wheelhouse in one mask, and 3 DT machine guns;
• KV 1s - heavy tank (1942-1943). Armament: 76.2 mm ZIS-5 tank gun and 3 DT machine guns;
• KV-8 - heavy flamethrower tank (1941-1942). Armament: 45-mm tank gun model 1934-1938, ATO-41 flamethrower and 4 DT machine guns;
• KV-8s - heavy flamethrower tank (1942-1943). Armament: 45-mm tank gun model 1934-1938, ATO-42 flamethrower and 3 DT machine guns;
• KV-9 - heavy tank (1941-1942). Armament: 122-mm M-30 (U-11) howitzer and 4 DT machine guns, 10 vehicles were produced;
• KV-1k - heavy rocket tank (1942) Armament: 76.2 mm ZIS-5 tank gun, three DT machine guns and four 82 mm rockets in armored boxes on the fenders, prototypes were produced;
• KV-12 - heavy chemical tank (1942). Armament: 76.2 mm ZIS-5 tank gun, two DT machine guns and an installation with tanks for chemical warfare agents, a prototype was produced;
• KV-13 - universal medium tank with the parameters of a heavy tank (1942). Armament: 76.2 mm ZIS-5 tank gun and DT machine gun. 2 samples were produced, which differed in the design of the tower and chassis;
• KV-85G - heavy tank (1942). Armament 85-mm S-18 anti-aircraft gun and 3 DT machine guns, a prototype was produced;
• KV-14 (SU-152) - heavy self-propelled artillery mount (1943). Armament: 152.4 mm ML-20 gun-howitzer, 671 vehicles produced;
• KV-85 - heavy tank (1943). Armament: 85-mm D5 tank gun and 3 DT machine guns, 143 vehicles were produced.

KV-85 - Soviet heavy tank of the period of the Great Patriotic War. The abbreviation KV means "Klim Voroshilov" - the official name of the serial Soviet heavy tanks produced in 1940-1943. Index 85 means the caliber of the main armament of the vehicle.

This fighting machine was developed by the design bureau of Experimental Plant No. 100 in May-July 1943 in connection with the appearance of new heavy Tiger tanks in the enemy. The KV-85 was adopted by the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army on August 8, 1943 and was mass-produced at the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ) until October of that year inclusive. The reason for the withdrawal from production was the transition of ChKZ to the production of a more advanced heavy tank IS-1. In total, ChKZ built 148 KV-85 tanks, which were actively used in the hostilities of 1944. All vehicles sent to the front were irretrievably lost or written off in 1944-1945. To date, only one authentic KV-85 and one earlier experimental tank KV-1s "Object 238" have survived, in which the standard 76-mm cannon was replaced by an 85-mm gun.

History of creation

The appearance in late 1942 - early 1943 of the new German heavy tank "Tiger" in an instant made the Soviet heavy tank KV-1 and its "high-speed" modification KV-1s obsolete. Impenetrable by German tank and anti-tank guns in 1941 and early 1942, the armor of the KV tank was not particularly difficult for the Tiger gun, and the 76-mm ZiS-5 gun mounted on the KV could only penetrate the side and rear armor of the Tiger from distances not exceeding 200 m. Under these conditions, work was accelerated on the development of a new heavy tank IS for the Red Army and samples artillery weapons, capable of penetrating the armor of the "Tiger". According to the results of the shelling of the captured Tiger, it was found that at a distance of up to 1000 m, its frontal armor was pierced by shells of an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model of the year (52-K). Therefore, on May 5, 1943, at a meeting of the State Defense Committee (GKO), Resolution No. 3289 “On strengthening the artillery armament of tanks and self-propelled units". In it, tank and artillery designers were tasked with developing tank and self-propelled 85-mm guns with anti-aircraft ballistics. These guns were supposed to be installed in the standard turret of the KV-1s tank and on the new IS heavy tank.

The Central Artillery Design department(TsAKB) under the leadership of Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin and the Design Bureau of the Artillery Plant No. 9 under the leadership of Fedor Fedorovich Petrov. Each of these teams tried to put its design into service, and their heads more than once sent letters to higher authorities with accusations against "competitors" and answers to them on various technical or organizational issues. Nevertheless, by June 14, 1943, both teams submitted their guns for installation in experimental tanks. TsAKB developed the 85 mm S-31 cannon based on the serial 76 mm ZiS-5 tank gun by imposing an 85 mm receiver group on its cradle. The Design Bureau of Plant No. 9 used its own design for the self-propelled 85 mm D-5S gun, the bolt and lifting mechanism for which were taken from the serial 76 mm F-34 tank gun.

By July 20, 1943, Experimental Plant No. 100 assembled two experimental KV tanks armed with these guns. The first of these was the "Object 238", sometimes referred to as the KV-85G. This vehicle fully complied with the terms of reference - for the KV-1s tank with a standard 1535 mm turret, the 76-mm ZiS-5 cannon was replaced with an 85-mm S-31 gun designed by TsAKB. Second experienced tank was the "Object 239" or KV-85, built on an initiative basis by the designers of ChKZ and Plant No. 100 under the leadership of Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin. Since there was an extra tower from the new IS tank (the hull for it was not yet ready), it was installed on the KV-1s chassis, increasing the diameter of the lower shoulder strap on the roof of the fighting compartment from the standard 1535 mm to 1800 mm. This operation was very technically difficult, since the diameter of the shoulder strap generally exceeded the width of the roof of the fighting compartment. The solution was found in the expansion of the turret box by welding cylindrical armor inserts under the protruding parts of the shoulder strap. Since there was no second S-31 gun for arming the “Object 239”, it was equipped with an 85-mm D-5T gun designed by Design Bureau of Factory No. 9. Together with two prototypes of the IS KV-85 tank, he took part in factory tests, in which the KV- 85G did not participate - it was clear to everyone that the last one would not pass them due to the extreme tightness of the fighting compartment. In total, the KV-85 passed 284.5 km on tests, the average speed was 16.4 km / h. In view of the great need of the Red Army for new tanks, these tests were read out as state tests and, without waiting for their end, on August 8, the State Defense Committee adopted Decree No. 3891 on the adoption of the KV-85 and the start of mass production of these tanks at ChKZ. A few days later, the first production KV-85s had already left the ChKZ assembly lines.

The D-5T gun also showed its advantage over the S-31 during tests from 21 to 24 August at the Gorokhovets artillery range. All four experimental machines participated in these tests - two prototypes of the IS, KV-85 and KV-85G. The D-5T vibrated less after a shot, did not have bulky balancing weights, and had smaller dimensions, strength and ease of maintenance. However, the price for this was the use in its design of many small parts with high requirements for their tolerances and machining. As a result, the D-5T was produced in small batches, which did not allow it to subsequently be installed on all new T-34-85 medium tanks, for which it was necessary to develop a more technologically advanced 85-mm ZiS-S-53 gun with identical ballistics.

Production

The first production tank of the KV-85 type was built at Pilot Plant No. 100, the remaining 147 tanks were built by ChKZ. During the construction of the first vehicles, the backlog of armored hulls for the KV-1s was used, so the holes for the ball mount of the course machine gun had to be welded, and cutouts were made in the turret box for the extended turret shoulder strap. For machines of subsequent series, the necessary changes were made to the design of the armored hull. The KV-85 was in production at ChKZ for three months, from August to October 1943. In August, 22 tanks were built, in September - 63 tanks, in October - 63 tanks. The small volume of deliveries of the 85-mm D-5T gun and the great need for it to arm the new IS-1 and T-34-85 tanks led to the fact that in August the production of the KV-85 was carried out in parallel with the KV-1s, and in November 1943 the highest priority was given to the production of the IS tank, and the KV-85 was completely discontinued.

Design description

The KV-85 was essentially a transitional model between the KV-1s and IS-1 tanks. From the first, the KV-85 completely borrowed the undercarriage and a large number of parts of the armored hull, and from the second - the turret with the gun. The changes concerned only the armored parts of the turret box - in the KV-85 they were made anew to accommodate a new and larger turret with a shoulder strap of 1800 mm compared to the KV-1s. The tank had a classic layout, like all other serial Soviet heavy and medium tanks of that time. The armored hull from bow to stern was successively divided into the control compartment, the fighting compartment and the engine-transmission compartment. The driver was located in the control compartment, three other crew members had jobs in the fighting compartment, which combined the middle part of the armored hull and the turret. The gun, ammunition for it and part of the fuel tanks were also located there. The engine and transmission were installed in the stern of the car.

electrical equipment

The electrical wiring in the KV-85 tank was single-wire, the armored hull of the vehicle served as the second wire. The exception was the emergency lighting circuit, which was two-wire. The sources of electricity (operating voltage 24 V) were a GT-4563A generator with a RRA-24 relay-regulator with a power of 1 kW and four 6-STE-128 batteries connected in series with a total capacity of 256 Ah. Electricity consumers included:
turret slewing electric motor;
external and internal lighting of the machine, illumination devices for sights and scales of measuring instruments;
external sound signal and alarm circuit from the landing party to the crew of the vehicle;
instrumentation (ampere and voltmeter);
gun electric trigger;
means of communication - a radio station and a tank intercom;
motor group electrician - starter ST-700, starting relay RS-371 or RS-400, etc.

Means of observation and sights

Commander's hatch and workplace the loader was equipped with MK-4 periscope devices to monitor the environment from the inside of the vehicle (2 in total). The commander's turret had five viewing slots with protective glasses. The driver in battle conducted observation through a viewing device with a triplex, which was protected by an armored flap. This viewing device was installed in an armored plug hatch on the frontal armor plate along the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle. In a calm environment, this plug hatch could be pushed forward, providing the driver with a more convenient direct view from his workplace.

For firing, the KV-85 was equipped with two gun sights - a telescopic 10T-15 for direct fire and a periscope PT4-15 for firing from closed positions. The head of the periscope sight was protected by a special armor cap. To ensure the possibility of fire in the dark, the scales of the sights had illumination devices. The aft machine gun DT could be equipped with a PU sight from sniper rifle with fourfold magnification.

Means of communication

The means of communication included a radio station 9R (or 10R, 10RK-26) and an intercom TPU-4-Bis for 4 subscribers.
Radio stations 10R or 10RK were a set of transmitter, receiver and umformers (single-arm motor-generators) for their power supply, connected to the 24 V on-board electrical network.

10P was a simplex tube heterodyne shortwave radio station operating in the frequency range from 3.75 to 6 MHz (respectively, wavelengths from 50 to 80 m). In the parking lot, the communication range in the telephone (voice) mode reached 20-25 km, while in motion it slightly decreased. A longer communication range could be obtained in telegraph mode, when information was transmitted by telegraph key in Morse code or another discrete coding system. Frequency stabilization was carried out by a removable quartz resonator, there was no smooth frequency adjustment. 10P allowed communication on two fixed frequencies; to change them, another quartz resonator of 15 pairs was used in the radio set.

The 10RK radio station was a technological improvement of the previous 10R model, it became easier and cheaper to manufacture. This model has the ability to smoothly select the operating frequency, the number of quartz resonators has been reduced to 16. The characteristics of the communication range have not undergone significant changes.

The TPU-4-Bis tank intercom made it possible to negotiate between tank crew members even in a very noisy environment and connect a headset (headphones and throat phones) to a radio station for external communication.

Engine

The KV-85 was equipped with a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder V-2K diesel engine with an HP 600 power. With. (441 kW). The engine was started by a starter ST-700 with a capacity of 15 liters. With. (11 kW) or compressed air from two tanks with a capacity of 5 liters in the fighting compartment of the vehicle. The KV-85 had a dense layout, in which the main fuel tanks with a volume of 600-615 liters were located both in the combat and in the engine compartment. The tank was also equipped with four external additional fuel tanks with a total capacity of 360 l, not connected to the engine fuel system.

Transmission

The KV-85 tank was equipped with a mechanical transmission, which included:
multi-disc main friction clutch of dry friction "steel according to Ferodo";
four-speed gearbox with demultiplier (8 gears forward and 2 reverse);
two multi-plate side clutches with steel-on-steel friction;
two onboard planetary gears.

All transmission control drives are mechanical.

Chassis

The undercarriage of the KV-85 tank is completely identical to the similar unit of the KV-1s tank. Suspension of the machine - individual torsion bar for each of the 6 solid-cast gable road wheels of small diameter (600 mm) on each side. Opposite each track roller, suspension balancers were welded to the armored hull. Drive wheels with removable lantern gears were located at the rear, and sloths at the front. The upper branch of the caterpillar was supported by three small cast support rollers on each side. Caterpillar tension mechanism - screw; each caterpillar consisted of 86-90 single-ridge tracks 608 mm wide.

Armament

The main armament of the KV-85 was the D-5T 85 mm cannon. The gun was mounted on trunnions in the turret and was fully balanced. The turret itself with the D-5T gun was also balanced: its center of mass was located on the geometric axis of rotation. The D-5T gun had vertical angles pickup from -5 ° to + 25 °, with a fixed position of the tower, it could be induced in a small sector of horizontal pickup (the so-called "jewelry" pickup). The shot was fired by means of an electric or manual mechanical trigger.

The ammunition load of the gun was 70 rounds of unitary loading. The shots were stacked in the turret and along both sides of the fighting compartment. Compared to a wide range of ammunition for the 85-mm anti-aircraft gun 52-K - the ancestor of the D-5T gun, the KV-85 ammunition load was significantly less diverse. It included:
armor-piercing unitary shot weighing 16 kg with a blunt armor-piercing tracer with a ballistic tip BR-365 weighing 9.2 kg (weight explosive- TNT or ammotol - 164 g) and a G-365 charge weighing 2.48-2.6 kg; starting speed 792 m/s;

armor-piercing unitary shot weighing 16 kg with a sharp-headed armor-piercing tracer projectile BR-365K weighing 9.2 kg (explosive mass - TNT or ammotol - 48 g) and a G-365 charge weighing 2.48-2.6 kg; initial speed 792 m/s;

armor-piercing unitary shot weighing 11.42 kg with a BR-365P sabot projectile weighing 5.0 kg and a G-365 charge weighing 2.5-2.85 kg; initial speed 1050 m/s;
a fragmentation unitary shot weighing 14.95 kg with an O-365 projectile with a total mass of 9.54 kg (explosive mass - TNT or ammothol - 741 g) and a G-365 charge weighing 2.6 kg; initial speed 792 m/s.

Fragmentation shells O-365 had big number options and when equipped with some types of fuses, they could be successfully used as high-explosive ones.

According to Soviet data, the BR-365 armor-piercing projectile normally pierced an armor plate 111 mm thick at a distance of 500 m, at twice the distance under the same conditions - 102 mm. The BR-365P sub-caliber projectile at a distance of 500 m normally pierced an armor plate 140 mm thick. At a meeting angle relative to the normal of 30°, when fired at close range, the BR-365 projectile pierced 98 mm, and at 600-1000 m - 88-83 mm of armor.

Three 7.62-mm DT machine guns were installed on the KV-85 tank: a fixed course gun, coaxial with a gun, and a stern machine gun in a ball mount at high tide on the back of the turret. Ammunition for all diesel engines was 3276 rounds. These machine guns were mounted in such a way that, if necessary, they could be removed from the mounts and used outside the tank. Also, for self-defense, the crew had several hand grenades F-1 and was sometimes equipped with a pistol for firing flares.

Armored corps and turret

The armored hull of the tank was welded from rolled armor plates 75, 60, 40, 30 and 20 mm thick. Armor protection is differentiated, anti-ballistic. The armor plates of the frontal part of the machine were installed at rational angles of inclination. The streamlined turret was a complex armor casting. geometric shape, its sides with a thickness of 100 mm were located at an angle to the vertical to increase projectile resistance. The frontal part of the turret with an embrasure for the gun, formed by the intersection of four spheres, was cast separately and welded with the rest of the turret armor. The gun mask was a cylindrical segment of bent rolled armor plates and had three holes - for a cannon, a coaxial machine gun and a sight. The tower was mounted on a shoulder strap with a diameter of 1800 mm in the armored roof of the fighting compartment and was fixed with grips to avoid stalling in case of a strong roll or overturning of the tank. The “contact” surface of the lower shoulder strap of the turret and the upper shoulder strap of the armored hull was somewhat recessed into the roof of the fighting compartment, which prevented it from jamming during shelling. The shoulder strap of the tower was marked in thousandths for firing from closed positions.

The driver was located in the center in front of the armored hull of the tank. Since the installation of a tower that was larger than the KV-1s did not allow the gunner-radio operator to be placed in the control compartment, he was generally excluded from the crew. The hole in the frontal part for the ball mount of the course machine gun was welded, and the machine gun itself was installed to the right of the driver in a fixed mount. Unaimed fire from it was conducted by the driver by pressing the trigger of the electric trigger on one of the control levers. Such a constructive solution was transferred to subsequent Soviet IS heavy tanks, and subsequently, due to the low efficiency of non-aimed fire and the weakening of frontal armor, the machine gun was completely abandoned. Three crew members were located in the tower: to the left of the gun were the jobs of the gunner and tank commander, and to the right - the loader. The vehicle commander had a cast observation turret with vertical armor up to 82 mm thick. The landing and exit of the crew was carried out through the hatches in the tower: a round double hatch of the commander's cupola and a round single hatch of the loader. The hull also had a bottom hatch for emergency escape by the crew of the tank and a number of hatches, hatches and technological openings for loading ammunition, access to fuel tank fillers, other units and assemblies of the vehicle.

Vehicles based on the KV-85

Installing a turret from an IS tank on a KV chassis opened up the possibility of installing more powerful artillery systems on the latter. So at the end of 1943, experimental tanks KV-100 and KV-122 were successively built. The first was armed with a 100 mm S-34 cannon, and the second with a 122 mm D-25T cannon. Due to launch in mass production new heavy tank IS-2 with much more advanced armor protection, the question of adopting these vehicles into service with the Red Army did not even arise.

Combat use

The KV-85 tanks entered service with the OGvTTP starting in September 1943. Around the same time (with some delay necessary for the formation of new units and sending them to the front), they entered the battle, mainly in the southern directions. Since the KV-85 was somewhat inferior to the German heavy tanks in terms of its characteristics and their armor protection was no longer sufficient, the battles involving the KV-85 went on with varying success, and the result was to a certain extent determined by the training of the crews.

The main purpose of the KV-85 was to break through the enemy’s fortified defensive lines, where the main danger was not so much enemy tanks as its anti-tank towed and self-propelled guns, mine-explosive and engineering obstacles. Despite insufficient armor, the KV-85 basically completed its task, but at the cost of significant losses. The small production volume and intensive use of the KV-85 led to the fact that by the autumn of 1944, due to irretrievable combat losses and write-offs in the combat units of tanks of this type, there were no more tanks of this type left; after this period, there are no references to their combat use in the literature .

There are several references to KV-85 collisions with enemy tanks. For example, on November 20-23, the 34th OGvTTP of the 28th Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front, consisting of 20 KV-85s, with the support of the 40th OTSAP (9 SU-152), attacked German positions near the village of Ekaterinovka. The 34th OGvTTP lost 8 KV-85s during these battles (the nature of the losses is unknown), destroying 5 PzKpfw IVs, not counting enemy towed guns and infantry.

However, in the hands of experienced and tactically competent tankmen, the KV-85 was a formidable weapon capable of more than successfully resisting the new German armored vehicles. Extract from the "Report on the combat operations of armored and mechanized troops 38th Army from January 24 to January 31, 1944 ”for the 7th Separate Guards Heavy Tank Regiment (7th OGTTP) testifies:

"According to the combat order of the headquarters of the 17th Corps, the remaining 5 tanks and self-propelled guns (3 KV-85 tanks and 2 SU-122 tanks) by 07.00 28.01.44, took up all-round defense at the Telman state farm in readiness to repel enemy tank attacks in the direction Rososha, "Kommunar" state farm, "Bolshevik" state farm. Near the tanks, 50 infantrymen and 2 anti-tank guns took up defense. The enemy had an accumulation of tanks south of Rososha. At 11.30, the enemy, with a strength of up to 15 T-6 tanks and 13 medium and small in the direction Rososhe and infantry from the south, launched an attack on the state farm named after Telman.

Occupying advantageous positions, because of the shelters of buildings and haystacks, letting the enemy tanks into a direct shot, our tanks and self-propelled guns opened fire and upset battle formations the enemy, knocking out 6 tanks (of which 3 "Tigers") and destroying up to an infantry platoon. To eliminate the German infantry that had broken through, the KV-85 st. Lieutenant Kuleshov, who completed his task with fire and caterpillars. By 13 o'clock on the same day, German troops, not daring to attack the Soviet regiment in the forehead, bypassed the state farm. Telman and completed the encirclement of the Soviet group.

The battle of our tanks in the environment against superior enemy forces is characterized by the extraordinary skill and heroism of our tankers. The tank group (3 KV-85 and 2 SU-122) under the command of the commander of the guard company, senior lieutenant Podust, defending the state farm named after Telman, at the same time did not give German troops transfer troops to other battle areas. Tanks often changed firing positions and fired aimed at German tanks, and the SU-122, going into open positions, shot the infantry, planted on transporters and moving along the road to Ilintsy, which blocked the freedom of maneuver for German tanks and infantry, and, most importantly, contributed to the exit from the encirclement of units of the 17th rifle corps. Until 19.30, the tanks continued to fight in the encirclement, although the infantry was no longer in the state farm. The maneuver and intense fire, as well as the use of shelters for firing, made it possible to suffer almost no losses (except for 2 wounded), inflicting significant damage to the enemy in manpower and equipment. On January 28, 1944, 5 Tiger tanks, 5 T-4s, 2 T-3s, 7 armored personnel carriers, 6 anti-tank guns, 4 machine-gun emplacements were destroyed and destroyed. carts with horses - 28, infantry - up to 3 platoons.

At 20.00, the tank group made a breakthrough from the encirclement and by 22.00, after a firefight, went into position Soviet troops, having lost 1 SU-122 (burnt down)."

5 KV-85, according to Polish data, in 1945 were transferred to the People's Army of Poland, which used them in the first post-war years as training.

Characteristics

Developer: KB ChKZ
Started work: 1943
Year of production of the first prototype: 1943
It was mass-produced during 1943 and remained in service until it was completely replaced by IS tanks.

The heavy tank KV-85 was not a landmark vehicle in the history of Russian tank building. It was not released in thousands of batches,
but this tank also contributed to the victory over fascism. The first attempts to arm the tank with a powerful 85-95 mm gun were made even before the war,
in 1939. At the same time, these weapons were being developed. The experiments were carried out with serial T-28 and KV, but for a number of reasons they were not accepted for service.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, such work was temporarily curtailed.

However, already in December 1941, Uralmashzavod offered the U-12 85-mm gun, developed by designers Sidorenko and Usenko, to arm the KV tank. The project seemed promising, but the cost of the gun turned out to be excessive for that time, and it was considered inexpedient to put it into service.

In the spring of 1942, three design groups immediately applied to the NKV with projects for 85-mm tank guns, namely, TsAKB (V. Grabin),
Design Bureau No. 8 im. Kalinin and design bureau of plant number 92 under the leadership of V. Savin. All design bureaus proposed the use of a cradle and recoil devices for 76-mm ZIS-5 or F-34 tank guns, imposing on them an 85-mm barrel with anti-aircraft gun ballistics mod. 1939. At the same time, to compensate for the recoil, the TsAKB assumed an increase in the recoil mass, OKB No. 8 - the use of a standard muzzle brake of an anti-aircraft gun, and Savin Design Bureau - a redesign of the recoil brake.

All three projects were rejected, because at that time, according to the technical department of the NKV and the leadership of the NKTP, the transition to the 85-mm caliber was unjustified, since the cost of an 85-mm shot was much more than a 76-mm one. Nevertheless, in the summer of 1943, after the mass appearance on the battlefield of new German tanks "Tiger" and "Panther", as well as insufficient high-explosive action of the 76-mm grenade against new field fortifications, interest in 85-mm caliber guns appeared from new strength.

The projects proposed in 1941-42 were revised, but the most realistic of them, the project of plant No. 8 named after. Kalinin was rejected
since it required the use of a muzzle brake, which was then considered extremely undesirable in a tank gun.

In the winter of 1943, the TsAKB completed the project of a new S-18 self-propelled tank gun, approved by the technical department of the NKV, and in March 1943, plant No. 9 was instructed to produce two prototypes (at that time, the TsAKB did not yet have its own production base). But the manufacture of tools was delayed.
And when they nevertheless entered the test, it turned out that the guns were made with deviations from the drawings. Design Bureau of Plant No. 9 under the leadership
F. Petrova challenged the legitimacy of the changes. V. Grabin insisted on his own. The case ended in nothing. Tested guns refused normally
to work, and designers and manufacturers, instead of eliminating the shortcomings, began to pour mud on each other abundantly. As a result, for testing the first experimental tank "object 237", an idle model of the S-18 gun was installed in its turret. After the faulty S-18s were brought to mind, they were not installed on the tanks, but were transferred to arm the SU-85 prototypes (SU-85-1 and SU-85-4).

In parallel with the refinement of the S-18, the TsAKB issued another version of the 85-mm tank gun for the KV-1s and IS tanks, which received the S-31 index.
Moreover, this gun was developed in two versions at once - with the ballistics of an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun (initial speed 790-800 m / s) and with
increased ballistics (initial speed 880-900 m/s). Plant No. 92 was engaged in the manufacture and factory testing of the gun, and according to
Compared to the S-18, the new guns turned out to be much more technologically advanced (easier to manufacture). However, a gun with increased ballistics required
development of a new powder charge in an existing cartridge case. This difficult task was never completed on time (before October 1, 1943) and all further work on the 85-mm tank gun was limited to the ballistics of the anti-aircraft gun mod. 1939.

In the meantime, the Design Bureau of Plant No. 9 redesigned the U-12 gun and in May 1943 proposed its own version of the 85 mm tank gun. The new product received the D-5T index and differed from the U-12 in a copy-type semi-automatic mechanism borrowed from the ZIS-5 gun,
as well as some assemblies of the recoil brake and knurler. The dense layout of the gun and the short length of its recoil made it possible to install it
into the turret of any existing heavy tank without altering the turret. The gun favorably differed from the S-18 and S-31 in its short recoil length and
the mass of the breech, but had a large number of small parts that required precise processing.

Four tanks tested jointly (two IS tanks and two KV-1s), armed with 85-mm S-31 and D-5T guns, demonstrated large
operational advantages of the D-5T gun, which was put into service. For these tests, the S-31 gun was installed in a standard KV-1s turret with minimal modifications. The crew was reduced to 4 people. This tank (No. 30751-51, object 231) is now stored in the VIM BTVT (Kubinka).

Despite the success with the KV, work on the promising new IS-85 tank dragged on, while the front demanded new tanks with powerful weapons. It was necessary to somehow hold out for several months before the commissioning of the IS-85. And the way out was found. In the design office
Zh.Ya.Kotina decided to upgrade the KV-1s tank by installing the turret of the IS-85 tank with the D-5T gun on it.

When installing a new turret on the KV-1s, the following work was carried out: the turret box was expanded, in which
with difficulty they placed the shoulder strap of an improved tank turret increased in diameter. The ammunition load of 70 shots was placed in a modified ammunition rack. When placing the gun and the ammunition rack, the fifth member of the crew had to be sacrificed - the gunner-radio operator, for whom there was simply no room left. The course machine gun DT was fixed in one position by welding a movable ball mount. Power point, transmission and chassis remained completely from the KV-1s.

The first KV-85s were remade from the back of the KV-1s hulls, welding a socket for a machine gun ball mount. In Western literature
there is an incorrect opinion that there was supposedly a “second version” of the KV-85 with a movable frontal machine gun. Confusion, apparently
arose as a result of the study by Western experts of the only KV-85 tank that has survived to this day (a monument in Avtovo, St. Petersburg),
where a mistake was made during the restoration process. According to archival data, 148 KV-85 tanks were produced, which from September 1943 became
go to the front. At the same time, the production of KV-1s tanks continued until December 1943.

Plant No. 9 was given an order for the production of the D-5T, but it turned out to be quite difficult for the plant. Plant capacity is completely
there was not enough for the production of guns for the IS-85 and for the KV-85, and for the T-34-85 at the same time. Factories connected to gross output
No. 8 and No. 13 were generally able to organize the production of the D-5T. These problems with the production of guns did not allow the KV-85 to become a mass tank.
And by the spring of 1944, the IS-2 went into production with incomparably more powerful weapons and protection, and further fate KV-85 (and IS-85 too) was solved.

Most of the KV-85 as part of the Guards tank regiments of the breakthrough hit the Southern Front (2nd formation),
later the 4th Ukrainian Front, where she participated in the liberation of Ukraine and Crimea. Since our vehicle, on the whole, did not surpass the German heavy tanks, the battles went on with varying success. The results depended mainly on the training of the crews of the opposing sides and on the tactics they chose.

The 28th Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front included the 34th Guards. CCI (20 KV-85 tanks), which, together with the 40th TSAP
(heavy self-propelled artillery regiment) as part of 9 SU-152, on November 20-25, fought in the area of ​​​​the village of Yekaterinovka.
On November 20, both regiments attacked the positions of the enemy in a two-echelon order, which, in addition to artillery, had
buried tanks Pz.Krfw IV Ausf. H and self-propelled guns Marder II (up to 18 pieces). During the day, tankers and self-propelled gunners managed to capture
the first lines of German trenches, while losing 6 KV-85 tanks (left on enemy territory) and 6 SU-152.
On the second day of fighting, up to 10 tanks Рz.Крfw IV Аusf. They launched a counterattack on the positions of the Soviet troops.

The attack was repulsed by the forces of the infantry and both tank regiments, the enemy lost 5 tanks, there were no losses on our side.
On November 23, 1943, all serviceable vehicles of the regiment again attacked the German positions, broke through its defenses and advanced 5 km.
In this operation, 2 more KV-85 tanks were lost (one tank burned down). November 23, 1943 34th Guards. The Chamber of Commerce was assigned to the rear for repairs,
Until November 28, 1943, only the 40th TSAP continued fighting, losing one or two vehicles daily in battles.

In the liberation of Crimea, along with the 19th tank corps, a separate 1452nd self-propelled artillery regiment (SAP) participated,
which included 11 KV-85s, 5 KV-1s, only 6 SU-152s, and 3 SU-76s. Apparently, due to the fact that self-propelled guns were sorely lacking,
They decided to equip the SAP with KV tanks - they had the most impressive weapons among the tanks available in the Crimea. In the 19th TC
there were only T-34-76s and light tanks, and the enemy had two brigades of assault guns: the 191st and 279th under the command of a major
Muller and Captain Hoppe (in total, the 17th German Army had 215 tanks and self-propelled guns, mainly StuG III with 75-mm guns).
But for a number of reasons related to the leadership of the operation, the regiment fought with skillfully retreating German infantry, which widely used mines.

April 8, 1944, according to the order of the commander of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division, to whom the regiment was operationally subordinated
(11 KV-85, 5 KV-1s, 2 SU-152), tankers and infantrymen, concentrating 1.6 km south of the Turkish Wall, attacked enemy positions
with the task of capturing the city of Armyansk. A few minutes after the start of the attack, the regiment ran into a minefield not indicated on the map.

The sappers assigned to demining were in tanks and could not leave them, as the Germans opened heavy fire from all types of weapons. Paradoxically, three hours after the start of the attack, they still managed to make passes and the 1452nd SAP broke through the enemy’s defenses,
having lost 1 KV-85 burnt, 3 KV-85 and 5 KV-1s blown up on mines, as well as 4 KV-85 and 2 SU-152, lined with enemy artillery fire.
There were no losses in personnel, 6 people were injured (2 officers and 4 privates). At 14.00 on April 8, 1944, the 3 remaining KV-85s with troops
The 3rd Guards Rifle Division reached the city of Armyansk. The regiment completed its mission. As a result of this battle, 11 bunkers, 5 anti-tank guns were destroyed
and up to 200 enemy soldiers and officers. Even our wrecked tanks fired at the German firing points. Thus, the main
losses personnel and the material part were due to the lack of competence of the management, which could not
to organize the interaction of various branches of the armed forces during the breakthrough of the German defense.

Until April 10, 1944, the regiment was repairing its equipment and already on April 11, 1944, a tank group (3 KV-85, 2 SU-152, 2 SU-76)
On 1452, the SAP again attacked the German defenses in the Ishuni area. The tanks supported the infantry of the 3rd Guards Rifle Division. Due to the fact that intelligence
was carried out, the tanks fell into an 8-meter anti-tank ditch and special tank traps, similar to pits.
The attack failed, a pair of KV-85s and SU-76s were pulled out of the pits with the help of tractors. After such a sad experience with heavy tanks,
command of the 2nd Guards. The army decided to radically change the tactics of using this unit. Moreover, on April 10-11, the Germans began
organized withdrawal of its troops to Sevastopol. By order of the commander of the 2nd Guards Army (No. 005 / OP dated 10.04.44), material
part of the 1452nd SAP and the 512th OOTB (separate flamethrower tank battalion) was distributed among army mobile units.
They consisted of infantry on Studebakers, as well as tanks and self-propelled guns, and had the task of breaking through to Sevastopol as quickly as possible.
These detachments also included KV-85 tanks.

There were very few collisions with StuG.III self-propelled guns - the Germans retreated under the cover of artillery and minefields. A group led by a Hero Soviet Union The guards of Colonel Puzanov (1 T-34, 8 flamethrower TO-34, 4 KV-85) were liberated from the cities of Evpatoria, Saki, Bakhchisarai.

On May 6, 1944, the 1452 SAP, again reduced to unit 1452, with only one KV-85 and two SU-152, approached Sevastopol and led
fighting in the area of ​​​​the Mekenziev mountains, supporting the 37th Guards rifle division. On the ninth of May, the two surviving vehicles of the regiment -
KV-85 and SU-152 with the 264th Guards. rifle regiment broke into Sevastopol. During the liberation of Crimea, KV-85s rarely dueled with enemy tanks and self-propelled guns and were used mainly as self-propelled guns to support infantry.

The use of KV-85 against German heavy tanks Pz.Kpfw VI Аusf. H took place in the combat zone of the 38th Army of the 4th
Ukrainian Front January 28, 1944. At the same time, Soviet tankers acted competently and decisively, without building in vain
illusions about the training of German tankers and the quality of their tank equipment. This is evidenced by a certificate-report on hostilities
armored and mechanized troops of the 38th Army from January 24 to January 31, 1944 for the 7th Separate Guards Tank Regiment
(7th OGTTP), which covered the withdrawal of units of the 17th Rifle Corps, which fell into a semi-encirclement as a result of the German counteroffensive:

“According to the combat order of the headquarters of the 17th Corps, the remaining 5 tanks and self-propelled guns (3 KV-85 tanks and 2 SU-122 tanks) by 7.00 on 28.01.44
occupied all-round defense at the state farm. Telman in readiness to repel enemy tank attacks in the direction of Rososhe,
state farm "Kommunar", state farm "Bolshevik". 50 infantrymen and 2 anti-tank guns took up defense near the tanks. The enemy had a concentration of tanks south of Rososhe. At 11.30 the enemy, with a force of up to 15 T-6 tanks and 13 medium and small tanks in the direction of Rososhe and infantry from the south, launched an attack on the state farm. Telman.

Occupying advantageous positions, because of the shelters of buildings and haystacks, letting the enemy tanks into the distance of a direct shot, our tanks and self-propelled guns opened fire and upset the enemy’s battle formations, knocking out 6 tanks (including 3 “Tigers”) and destroying up to an infantry platoon .
To eliminate the German infantry that had broken through, the KV-85 st. lieutenant Kuleshov, who by fire
and caterpillars fulfilled their task. By 13 o'clock on the same day, German troops, not daring to attack the Soviet regiment in the forehead, bypassed the state farm
Telman and completed the encirclement of the Soviet group.

The battle of our tanks in the environment against superior enemy forces is characterized by the extraordinary skill and heroism of our tankers.
Tank group (3 KV-85 and 2 SU-122) under the command of the commander of the guard company, senior lieutenant Podust, defending the Telman state farm,
at the same time, it did not allow German troops to transfer troops to other battle areas. Tanks often changed firing positions and led
aimed fire at German tanks, and the SU-122, going into open positions, shot infantry mounted on transporters and
moving along the road to Ilintsy, which blocked the freedom of maneuver for German tanks and infantry, and, most importantly, contributed to the exit
from the environment of parts of the 17th Rifle Corps. Until 19.30, the tanks continued to fight in the encirclement, although the infantry was no longer in the state farm.
The maneuver and intense fire, as well as the use of shelters for firing, made it possible to almost not suffer any losses (except for 2 wounded),
inflicting significant damage to the enemy in manpower and equipment. On January 28, 1944, 5 Tigr tanks, 5 T-4s, 2 T-3s, were hit and destroyed.
armored personnel carriers - 7 pieces, anti-tank guns - 6 pieces, machine-gun points - 4, carts with horses - 28, infantry - up to 3 platoons.
At 20.00, the tank group made a breakthrough from the encirclement and by 22.00, after a firefight, went to the location of the Soviet troops,
having lost 1 SU-122 (burnt down)."

A few examples of the use of KV-85 tanks showed that the 85-mm gun is an effective weapon against German heavy equipment (Panther and Tiger tanks) and should be installed on the T-34 medium tank, which was subsequently done. Even during the operation
on the liberation of Crimea, the commanders of the mobile pursuit units complained that the KV-85 and SU-152 were not fast enough and
lagging behind trucks with infantry. This is understandable, because the KV-85 is a heavy tank. However, its lesser maneuverability and dynamism should
was to be compensated by powerful armor and weapons. And if the security of the KV was considered quite sufficient at that time,
that gun was required to be much more powerful in order to hit German vehicles from maximum distances.

Based on the results of the KV-85 combat operations, the designers and the military concluded that further modernization of the tanks of the KV-85 family
KV is impractical, and the 85-mm D-5S cannon is sufficient to counteract German tanks, although it is inferior to the latter’s artistes in terms of
armor penetration when fired from long ranges, that Soviet heavy tanks are weaker armored than their German counterparts,
and therefore the concept of medium and heavy tanks (T-34 and KV), armed with a cannon of the same caliber, is outdated, and it is necessary to have
a heavy tank with a powerful artillery system, superior to the German 88-mm guns in all main parameters. These conclusions were taken into account when creating the IS-2 tank with a 122-mm gun and when deploying the production of 85-mm guns for the T-34-85 tanks. As for the KV-85, due to their small number and very intensive use, by the middle of 1944, only a few tanks of this modification remained in the troops.

Currently, two KV tanks with an 85-mm cannon have been preserved. One of them - KV-85 is installed as a monument in the area
Avtovo in St. Petersburg. The other is a serial KV-1s, armed with an 85-mm S-31 cannon in a standard turret, located in the Museum
armored vehicles in Kubinka near Moscow.

Sources:
VN Shunkov "Red Army". AST\Harvest. 2003
M. Baryatinsky " Soviet tanks in battle". YAUZA \ EXMO. Moscow. 2007
M. Kolomiets “History of the KV tank. Part II". (Front illustration No. 3, 2002)
M. Kolomiets, I. Moshchansky "KV-85". (M-Hobby No. 1, 2000)

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HEAVY TANK
KV-85 model 1943

Soviet heavy tank during the Great Patriotic War. The abbreviation KV means "Klim Voroshilov" - the official name of the serial Soviet heavy tanks produced in 1940-1943. Index 85 means the caliber of the main armament of the vehicle.

This combat vehicle was created by the design bureau of Experimental Plant No. 100 in May-July 1943 in connection with the appearance of new heavy Tiger tanks in the enemy. The KV-85 was adopted by the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) on August 8, 1943 and was mass-produced at the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant (ChKZ) until October of that year inclusive. The reason for the withdrawal from production was the transition of ChKZ to the production of a more advanced heavy tank IS-1. In total, ChKZ built 148 KV-85 tanks, which were actively used in the hostilities of 1944. All vehicles sent to the front were irretrievably lost or written off in 1944-1945. To date, only one authentic KV-85 and one earlier experimental tank "Object 238" (KV-85G) have survived.

Story

The appearance in late 1942 - early 1943 of the new German heavy tank "Tiger" immediately made the Soviet heavy tank KV-1 and its "high-speed" modification KV-1s obsolete. The armor of the KV tank, which was impenetrable by German tank and anti-tank guns in 1941 and early 1942, was not particularly difficult for the Tiger gun, and the 76-mm ZIS-5 gun mounted on the KV could only penetrate the side and rear armor of the Tiger from a distance , not exceeding 200 m. Under these conditions, work was accelerated on the creation of a new heavy IS tank for the Red Army and artillery weapons that could hit the armor of the Tiger. Based on the results of the shelling of the captured Tiger, it was found that at a distance of up to 1000 m, its frontal armor was pierced by shells of an 85-mm anti-aircraft gun of the 1939 model of the year (52-K). Therefore, on May 5, 1943, at a meeting State Committee Defense (GKO), Decree No. 3289 "On strengthening the artillery armament of tanks and self-propelled guns" was adopted. In it, tank and artillery designers were tasked with creating tank and self-propelled 85-mm guns with anti-aircraft ballistics. These guns were supposed to be installed in the standard turret of the KV-1s tank and on the new IS heavy tank.

The Central Artillery Design Bureau (TsAKB) under the leadership of Vasily Gavrilovich Grabin and the Design Bureau of the Artillery Plant No. 9 under the leadership of Fedor Fedorovich Petrov were responsible for this assignment. Each of these teams tried to put its design into service, and their heads more than once sent letters to higher authorities with accusations against "competitors" and answers to them on various technical or organizational issues. Nevertheless, by June 14, 1943, both teams submitted their guns for installation in experimental tanks. TsAKB created the 85 mm S-31 cannon based on the serial 76 mm ZIS-5 tank gun by imposing an 85 mm receiver group on its cradle. The Design Bureau of Plant No. 9 applied its own design for the self-propelled 85 mm D-5S gun, the bolt and lifting mechanism for which were borrowed from the serial 76 mm F-34 tank gun.

By July 20, 1943, Experimental Plant No. 100 built two experimental KV tanks equipped with these guns. The first of these was the "Object 238", sometimes referred to as the KV-85G. This machine fully complied with the terms of reference - for the KV-1s tank with a standard turret on the pursuit of 1535 mm, the 76-mm ZIS-5 cannon was replaced with an 85-mm S-31 gun designed by TsAKB. The second experimental tank was the "Object 239" or KV-85, assembled on its own initiative by the designers of ChKZ and Plant No. 100 under the leadership of Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin. Since there was an extra turret from the new IS tank (the hull for it was not yet ready), it was put on the KV-1s chassis, increasing the diameter of the lower shoulder strap on the roof of the fighting compartment from the standard 1535 mm to 1800 mm. This operation was quite difficult technically, since the diameter of the shoulder strap generally exceeded the width of the roof of the fighting compartment. The solution was found in the expansion of the turret box by welding cylindrical armor inserts under the protruding parts of the shoulder strap. Since there was no second S-31 cannon to arm the "Object 239", it was armed with an 85-mm D-5T cannon designed by Design Bureau of Plant No. 9. Together with two prototypes of the IS tank, the KV-85 participated in factory tests, in which the KV- 85G did not take part - it was clear to everyone that the latter would not pass them due to the extreme tightness of the fighting compartment. In total, the KV-85 passed 284.5 km on tests, the average speed was 16.4 km / h. In view of the great need of the Red Army for new tanks, these tests were counted as state tests and, without waiting for their results, on August 8, the State Defense Committee adopted Decree No. 3891 on the adoption of the KV-85 and the start of serial production of these tanks at ChKZ. A few days later, the first production KV-85s had already left the ChKZ assembly lines.

The D-5T gun also demonstrated its superiority over the S-31 in tests from 21 to 24 August at the Gorokhovets artillery range. All four prototypes took part in these tests - two prototypes of the IS, KV-85 and KV-85G. The D-5T vibrated less after a shot, did not have bulky balancing weights, and had smaller dimensions, strength and ease of maintenance. However, the price for this was the use in its design of many small parts with high requirements for their tolerances and machining. As a result, the D-5T was produced in small batches. Initially, the D-5T gun was mounted on T-34-85 tanks built only by factory No. 112 Krasnoye Sormovo. However, in the turret of the T-34-85 tank, it took up a lot of space, making it rather difficult for the loader to work, did not allow an additional 3rd crew member to be placed in the turret, was more expensive than the S-53 gun, which did not allow it to be subsequently mounted on all new medium tanks T-34-85, for which it was necessary to create a more technologically advanced and compact 85-mm gun S-53, and later its modified version ZIS-S-53 with identical ballistics.

Production

The first production tank of the KV-85 type was assembled at Pilot Plant No. 100, the remaining 147 tanks were built by ChKZ. During the construction of the first vehicles, the backlog of armored hulls for the KV-1s was used, so the holes for the ball mount of the course machine gun had to be welded, and cutouts were made in the turret box for the extended turret shoulder strap. For machines of subsequent series, the necessary changes were made to the design of the armored hull. The KV-85 was in production at ChKZ for three months, from August to October 1943. In August, 22 tanks were made, in September - 63 tanks, in October - 63 tanks. The small volume of deliveries of the 85-mm D-5T gun and the great need for it to arm the new IS-1 and T-34-85 tanks led to the fact that in August the production of the KV-85 was carried out in parallel with the KV-1s, and in November 1943 The highest priority was given to the production of the IS tank, and the KV-85 was completely discontinued.

Design description

The KV-85 was essentially a transitional model between the KV-1s and IS-1 tanks. From the first, the KV-85 completely took the chassis and a large number of parts of the armored hull, and from the second - the turret with the gun. The changes concerned only the armored parts of the turret box - in the KV-85 they were made anew to accommodate a new and larger turret with a shoulder strap of 1800 mm compared to the KV-1s. The tank had a classic layout, like all other serial Soviet heavy and medium tanks of that time. The armored hull from bow to stern was successively divided into the control compartment, the fighting compartment and the engine-transmission compartment. The driver was located in the control compartment, three other crew members had jobs in the fighting compartment, which combined the middle part of the armored hull and the turret. The gun, ammunition for it and part of the fuel tanks were also located there. The engine and transmission were equipped in the stern of the machine.

Armored corps and turret

The armored hull of the tank was welded from rolled armor plates 75, 60, 40, 30 and 20 mm thick. Armor protection is differentiated, anti-ballistic. The armor plates of the frontal part of the machine were installed at rational angles of inclination. The streamlined tower was an armor casting of complex geometric shape, its sides 100 mm thick were placed at an angle to the vertical to increase projectile resistance. The frontal part of the turret with an embrasure for the gun, formed by the intersection of four spheres, was cast separately and welded with the rest of the turret armor. The gun mask was a cylindrical segment of bent rolled armor plates and had three holes - for a cannon, a coaxial machine gun and a sight. The tower was mounted on a shoulder strap with a diameter of 1800 mm in the armored roof of the fighting compartment and was fixed with grips to avoid stalling in case of a strong roll or capsizing of the tank. The contact surface of the lower shoulder strap of the turret and the upper shoulder strap of the armored hull was somewhat recessed into the roof of the fighting compartment, which prevented it from jamming during shelling. The shoulder strap of the tower was marked in thousandths for firing from closed positions.

The driver was located in the center in front of the armored hull of the tank. Since the installation of a larger tower compared to the KV-1s did not allow the gunner-radio operator to be placed in the control compartment, he was generally removed from the crew. The hole in the frontal part for the ball mount of the course machine gun was welded, and the machine gun itself was mounted to the right of the driver in a fixed installation. A non-aimed fire from it was conducted by the driver by pressing the trigger of the electric trigger located on one of the control levers. Such a constructive solution was transferred to subsequent Soviet heavy IS tanks, and subsequently, due to the low efficiency of non-aimed fire and the weakening of frontal armor, they were forced to completely abandon the course machine gun. Three crew members were housed in the turret: to the left of the gun were the jobs of the gunner and tank commander, and to the right of the loader. The vehicle commander had a cast observation turret with vertical armor up to 82 mm thick. The landing and exit of the crew took place through the hatches in the tower: a round double hatch of the commander's cupola and a round single hatch of the loader. The hull was also equipped with a bottom hatch for emergency escape by the crew of the tank and a number of hatches, hatches and technological openings for loading ammunition, access to fuel tank fillers, other units and assemblies of the vehicle.

Armament

The main armament of the KV-85 was the 85-mm tank gun model 1943 (D-5). The gun was mounted on trunnions in the turret and was fully balanced. The turret itself with the D-5T gun was also balanced: its center of mass was placed on the geometric axis of rotation. The D-5T gun had vertical aiming angles from -5 to +25 degrees, with a fixed position of the turret, it was capable of aiming in a small sector of horizontal aiming (the so-called "jewelry" aiming). The shot took place by means of an electric or manual mechanical descent.

The ammunition load of the gun was 70 rounds of unitary loading. The shots were stacked in the turret and along both sides of the fighting compartment.

Three 7.62-mm DT machine guns were installed on the KV-85: a fixed course gun, coaxial with a gun, and a stern machine gun in a ball mount at high tide on the back of the turret. Ammunition for all diesel engines was 3276 rounds. These machine guns were installed in such a way that, if necessary, they could be removed from the mounts and used outside the tank. Also, for self-defense, the crew had several F-1 hand grenades and sometimes armed with a pistol for firing flares.

Engine

The KV-85 was equipped with a four-stroke V-shaped 12-cylinder V-2K diesel engine with an HP 600 power. With. (441 kW). The engine was started by an ST-700 starter with a power of 11 kW (15 hp) or compressed air from two 5-liter tanks in the fighting compartment of the vehicle. The KV-85 had a dense layout, in which the main fuel tanks with a volume of 600-615 liters were located both in the combat and in the engine compartment. The tank was also equipped with four external additional fuel tanks with a total capacity of 360 liters, not connected to the engine fuel system.

Transmission

The KV-85 tank was equipped with a mechanical transmission, which included:

Multi-disc main friction clutch of dry friction "steel according to Ferodo";
-four-speed gearbox with demultiplier (8 gears forward and 2 reverse);
-two multi-plate friction clutches with "steel on steel" friction;
-two onboard planetary gears.
All transmission control drives are mechanical.

Chassis

The undercarriage of the KV-85 tank is completely identical to the similar unit of the KV-1s tank. Suspension of the machine - individual torsion bar for each of the 6 solid-cast gable road wheels of small diameter (600 mm) on each side. Opposite each track roller, suspension balancers were welded to the armored hull. Drive wheels with removable lantern gears were located at the rear, and sloths at the front. The upper branch of the caterpillar was supported by three small cast support rollers on each side. The caterpillar tension mechanism is screw, each caterpillar consisted of 86-90 single-ridge tracks 608 mm wide.

electrical equipment

The electrical wiring in the KV-85 tank was single-wire, the armored hull of the vehicle served as the second wire. The exception was the emergency lighting circuit, which was two-wire. The sources of electricity (operating voltage 24 V) were a GT-4563A generator with a RRA-24 relay-regulator with a power of 1 kW and four 6-STE-128 batteries connected in series with a total capacity of 256 Ah. Electricity consumers included:

Turret slewing electric motor;
- external and internal lighting of the machine, illumination devices for sights and scales of measuring instruments;
- an external sound signal and an alarm circuit from the landing party to the crew of the vehicle;
- instrumentation (ammeter and voltmeter);
- gun electric trigger;
- means of communication - a radio station and a tank intercom;
-electrics of the motor group - starter ST-700, starting relay RS-371 or RS-400, etc.

Means of observation and sights

For firing from a tank gun and a 7.62 mm machine gun coaxial with it, the gunner-operator of the KV-85 had two sights. The 10T-15 telescopic sight had a magnification of x2.5 and a field of view of 16 degrees. The PT4-15 periscope sight also had a magnification of x2.5. The 10T-15 telescopic sight could be replaced by a TSh-16 articulated telescopic sight with x4 magnification. For firing from closed positions, the tank had a side level. For aiming, the gunner used an electric turret traverse and a manual vertical guidance mechanism. To fire a shot, the gun had an electric trigger. The range of effective fire on targets of the "tank" type is 1-1.5 km. The range of aimed fire according to the characteristics of the sights is 5 km. The commander used the MK-4 rotary periscope observation device to search for a target and observe the terrain, giving a 360-degree field of view. The target recognition range of the "tank" type is 1-1.5 km. As a spare, the commander had 6 sighting slots around the perimeter of the commander's cupola. The stern DT machine gun from which the commander fired could be equipped with a PU sight from a sniper rifle with x4 magnification. The loader of the KV-85 tank had at its disposal a rotary periscope observation device MK-4, which gave an almost circular view. Due to its low placement, its field of view was covered by the commander's cupola and the head of the PT4-15 sight. In addition, there were sighting slots in the right and left sides of the tower - one per side. The driver mechanic conducted observation through one (on some tanks two) periscope observation device MK-4 and a sighting slot in the manhole plug located in the center of the upper frontal plate of the hull. When driving a tank in field conditions, the hatch-plug was pulled out and the mechanic observed directly through the hatch opening. To illuminate the area at night, a headlight is installed next to the hatch-plug on the right.

Means of communication

The means of communication included a radio station 9R (or 10R, 10RK-26) and an intercom TPU-4-Bis for 4 subscribers.

Radio stations 10R or 10RK were a set of transmitter, receiver and umformers (single-arm motor-generators) for their power supply, connected to the 24 V on-board electrical network.

10R was a simplex tube shortwave radio station operating in the frequency range from 3.75 to 6 MHz (respectively, wavelengths from 80 to 50 m). In the parking lot, the communication range in the telephone (voice) mode reached 20-25 km, while in motion it decreased. A longer communication range could be obtained in the telegraph mode, when information was transmitted by a telegraph key using Morse code or another discrete coding system. Frequency stabilization was carried out by a removable quartz resonator, there was no smooth frequency adjustment. 10P made it possible to communicate at two fixed frequencies; to change them, another quartz resonator of 15 pairs was used in the radio set.

The 10RK radio station was a technological improvement of the previous 10R model, it became easier and cheaper to manufacture. This model has the ability to smoothly select the operating frequency, the number of quartz resonators has been reduced to 16. The characteristics of the communication range have not undergone significant changes.

The TPU-4-Bis tank intercom allowed to negotiate between members of the tank crew even in a very noisy environment and connect a headset (head phones and throat phones) to a radio station for external communication.

performance characteristics

Dimensions

Case length, mm: 6900
-Length with gun forward, mm: 8490
- Hull width, mm: 3250
-Height, mm: 2830
-Clearance, mm: 450

Booking

Type of armor: homogeneous rolled medium hardness, cast turret
- Forehead of the hull (top), mm / city: 40/65 degrees. and 75/30 deg.
- Forehead of the hull (bottom), mm / city: 75 /? 30 degrees.
- Hull board, mm/deg.: 60
- Hull feed (top), mm/deg.: 40/35 grad.
- Body feed (bottom), mm/deg.: 75/cyl.
- Bottom, mm: 20-30
- Hull roof, mm: 30
- Gun mask, mm/deg.: 100
- The side of the tower, mm / city: 100/15 degrees.
- Tower roof, mm: 40

Armament

Gun caliber and brand: 85 mm D-5T
- Barrel length, calibers: 52
-gun ammunition: 70
- Angles VN, deg.: -3…+23 deg.
- GN angles, degrees: 360 degrees.
-Sights: ST-10, panorama Hertz
-Machine guns: 3 x 7.62 mm DT

Mobility

Engine type: V-shaped 4-stroke 12-cylinder diesel
- Engine power, l. p.: 600
-Speed ​​on the highway, km / h: 42
-Speed ​​over rough terrain, km / h: 10-15
-Storage on the highway, km: 330
- Cruising reserve over rough terrain, km: 180
- Specific power, l. s./t: 13.0
- Suspension type: individual torsion bar
- Specific ground pressure, kg/sq.cm: 0.79-0.80
- Climbability, deg.: 40 deg.
- overcome wall, m: 0.8
- Crossable ditch, m: 2.7
- Crossable ford, m: 1.6

One 7.62 mm machine gun. Armor thickness - forehead, hull side and turret - 13 mm. Engine - aviation M-5, 400 hp. With. Highway speed - 52 km / h on tracks, 72 km / h on wheels. Circulation - 1884 pcs.

Combat weight - 3.2 tons. Crew - 2 people. Armament - 1 machine gun. Armor thickness- 9 mm forehead and side of the hull. Engine - GAZ-AA, 40 liters. With. Speed ​​on the highway - 36, afloat 6 km / h.

Combat weight - 50 tons. Crew - 11 people. Hull length - 9720 mm, Width - 3200 mm, Height - 3430 mm, Ground clearance - 530 mm. Armament - one 76.2 mm KT-28, two , 6 machine guns. Reservation: forehead of the hull - 50 mm, side - 20 mm, tower - 20 mm. Engine - M17, 500 hp. With. Highway speed - 30 km / h. Circulation - 61 pcs.

Combat weight - 3.3 tons. Crew - 2 people. Armament - one 7.62 mm machine gun t. Booking: forehead, side of the hull and turret - 9 mm, bottom - 4 mm. Engine - carburetor GAZ-AA, 40 liters. With. The speed on the highway is 40 km / h, on the water - 6 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 200 km.

Combat weight - 28.5 tons. Crew - 5 people. Booking - 30-10 mm. Length - 6530 mm. Width - 3055 mm. Height - 2850 mm. Clearance - 450 mm. Armament: 1 × 76.2 mm KT-28, 4 × 7.62 mm machine gun. Engine power - 500 hpHighway speed - 56 km / h on tracks, 81 km / h on wheels. Circulation - 8 pcs.

Combat weight - 13.8 tons. Crew - 3 people, weapons - one, one or two 7.62 mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 20 mm, side - 13 mm, turret - 15 mm. Engine - gasoline M17T, 400 hp. With. Highway speed - 52-73 km / h. Power reserve on the highway - 350-500 km (with additional tanks).

Combat weight - 13.8 tons. Crew - 3 people, armament - one 76-mm gun KT-26, two 7.62 mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 20 mm, side - 13 mm, turret - 15 mm. Engine - gasoline M17T, 400 hp. With. Highway speed - 50-73 km / h. Power reserve on the highway - 350-500 km (with additional tanks). Circulation - 154 pcs.

Combat weight - 14.65 t. Crew - 3 people, weapons - one, one or two 7.62-mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 20 mm, side - 13 mm, turret - 15 mm. Engine - diesel B2, 500 hp. With. Highway speed - - 62 km / h on tracks, 86 km / h on wheels. Power reserve on the highway - 350-500 km (with additional tanks). Circulation - 706 pcs.

Combat weight - 5.5 tons. Crew - 2 people. Armament: one 12.7 mm DShK machine gun, one 7.62 mm machine gun. Reservation: forehead and side of the hull - 13 mm, tower - 10 mm. GAZ-11 engine, 85 hp With. Speed ​​on the highway - 44 km / h, (afloat 5 km / h.). Cruising on the highway - 220 km.

Combat weight - 43.1 t. Crew - 5 people. Armament - one 76.2 mm L-11 cannon, three 7.62 mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 75 mm, side - 60 mm, turret - 82 mm. Engine - V-2 diesel, 500 hp. With. Highway speed - 36 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 230 km.

Combat weight - 52 tons. Crew - 6 people. Armament is one 152 mm M-10 gun, three 7.62 mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead, hull side and turret - 75 mm. Engine - V-2K, 600 hp. With. Highway speed - 35 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 250 km. Circulation - 434 pcs.

Combat weight - 26.5 tons. Crew - 4 people. Armament - one 76.2 mm L-11 gun (since 1941- F-34), two 7.62-mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead and side of the hull - 45 mm, tower - 45 mm. Engine - V-2 diesel, 500 hp. With. The maximum speed is 55 km/h. Power reserve - 370 km.

19 41

Combat weight - 13.5 tons. Crew - 4 people. Armament is one, one 7.62 mm machine gun. Armor thickness: hull and turret - 37 mm. Engine - V-6 diesel, 300 hp. With. Highway speed - 60 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 340 km. Circulation - 75 pcs.

Combat weight - 26 tons. Crew - 4 people. Armament - one 57-mm gun ZiS-4 (since 1943- ZiS-4M), two 7.62-mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead and side of the hull - 45 mm, forehead of the tower - 52 mm. Engine - V-2 diesel, 500 hp. With. The maximum speed is 55 km/h. Power reserve - 300 km.

Combat weight ~ 7 tons. Crew - 2-3 people. Armament - light gun caliber 37-45 mm, 2 × 7.62 mm. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 20 mm, side - 10 mm, turret - 20 mm. Engine - multi-fuel four-cylinder carburetor 1MA, 52-56 hp. With. Highway speed - 20 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 140 km. Circulation- 62 pcs.

Combat weight - 5.8 tons. Crew - 2 people. Armament - one, one 7.62 mm machine gun. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 35 mm, side - 15 mm, turret - 15 mm. Engine - GAZ 202. 70 l. With. Highway speed - 42 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 450 km. Circulation– 5920 pcs.

Combat weight - 9.8 tons. Crew - 2 people. Armament - one, one 7.62 mm machine gun. Armor thickness: forehead 35-45 mm, turret - 35 mm, gun mask - 65 mm, side - 15 mm, stern - 25 mm, roof, bottom -10 mm. Engine - 2 × GAZ 202. 140 l. With. Highway speed - 45 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 350 km. Circulation - 8231 pcs.

Combat weight - 42.5 tons. Crew - 5 people. Armament - one 76.2 mm gun F-34, three 7.62 mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 75 mm, side - 40 mm, turret - 82 mm. Engine - V-2K diesel, 600 hp. With. Highway speed - 42 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 250 km. Circulation - 2769 pcs.

Combat weight - 11.6 tons. Crew - 3 people. Armament is one, one 7.62 mm machine gun. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 45 mm, side - 25 mm, turret - 35 mm. Engine - two GAZ 80 85 hp each. With. Highway speed - 45 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 360 km. Circulation - 85 pcs.

Combat weight - 46 tons. Crew - 4 people. Armament - one 85 mm D5 cannon, three 7.62 mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 75 mm, side - 60 mm, turret - 100 mm. Engine - V-2K diesel, 600 hp. With. Highway speed - 42 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 330 km. Circulation - 148 pcs.

Combat weight - 44 tons. Crew - 4 people. Armament: 85 mm D5 tank gun and 3 machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 100 mm, side - 90 mm, turret - 100 mm. Highway speed - 37 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 120 km. Circulation - 107 pcs.

Combat weight - 32 tons. Crew - 5 people. Armament - one 85 mm cannon, two 7.62 mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead and side of the hull - 45 mm, tower - 90 mm. Engine - V-2 diesel, 500 hp. With. The maximum speed is 55 km/h. Power reserve - 420 km.

Combat weight - 46 tons. Crew - 4 people. Armament - one 122 mm cannon, three 7.62 mm machine guns. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 120 mm, side - 90 mm, turret - 100 mm. Engine - V-2IS diesel, 520 hp. With. Highway speed - 37 km / h. Power reserve - 220 km. Circulation- 3385 pcs.

19 45

Combat weight - 31.5 tons. Crew - 4 people. Armament - one 85 mm cannon, two 7.62 mm machine guns. Armor thickness: hull forehead - 120 mm. Engine - V-44, 520 hp. With. Maximum speed - 51 km / h. Circulation - 1823 pcs.

Combat weight - 9.9 tons. Crew - 3 people. Armament - one 37 mm cannon, one 7.92 mm machine gun. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 17 mm, side - 13 mm, turret - 15 mm. Engine - diesel Saurer VBLD 110 l. With. Highway speed 32 km/h. Cruising on the highway - 160 km.

Belgian tanks

T-13

T-15

American tanks

Combat weight - 32.5 tons, crew - 5 people, armament - 76-mm tank gun, 2 machine guns, one large-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun, booking - 38-63 mm, speed on the highway - 48 km / h. Circulation - 48071 pieces.

English tanks

Crusader

Combat weight - 19.7 tons. Crew - 3 people. Armament - one 57 mm cannon, one 7.92 mm machine gun, one 7.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull and turret - 52 mm, side - 45 mm. Engine - "Liberty III", 345 hp. With. Highway speed - 48 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 160 km.

Combat weight - 7.62 tons. Crew - 3 people. Armament: one 40 mm cannon, one 7.92 mm coaxial machine gun. Armor thickness: forehead - hull - 16 mm, side - 14 mm, tower - 4-16 mm. Engine - Meadows MAT, 12-cylinder, horizontally opposed, carburetor; power 165 hp Highway speed - 64 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 224 km.

Matilda I

Combat weight - 11.2 tons. Crew - 2 people. Booking: forehead and side of the hull - 60 mm. Bottom and stern 20 mm, roof - 12 mm. Hull board - 60 mm. Armament: 1 × 7.7 mm or 12.7 mm Vickers machine gun. Engine - V-shaped 8-cylinder carburetor "Ford" 70 liters. With. Highway speed - 13 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 128 km. Circulation - 139 pcs.

Matilda II

Combat weight - 26.5 tons, crew - 4 people, armament - 40-mm cannon and 1 machine gun, armor - 40-78 mm, speed on the highway - 24 km / h. Circulation - 2987 pieces.

Combat weight - 16 tons. Crew - 3 people. Armament - one 40 mm cannon, one 7.92 mm coaxial machine gun and one 7.7 mm anti-aircraft machine gun. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 60 mm, side - 30-60 mm, turret - 65 mm. Engine - diesel AEC A190, 131 hp. With. Highway speed - 24 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 145 km.

Combat weight - 68 tons. Crew - 13 people. Armament - one 75-mm gun, four machine guns. Reservation: forehead of the hull - 30 mm, side - 22 mm, tower - 37 mm. Two Maybach engines, 250 hp each. With. Highway speed - 13 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 100 km.

Combat weight - 5 tons. Crew - 2 people. Armament: 1 x 7.5mm Reibel m1931. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 13 mm, side and stern - 5 mm. Engine - carburettor Reinstella 82 l. With. Highway speed - 60 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 200 km. Circulation - 123 pcs.

D-2. Combat weight - 20 tons. Crew - 3 people. Armament - one 47 mm cannon, two 7.5 mm machine guns. Armor thickness - 20-40 mm. Renault engine, 150 hp With. Highway speed - 23 km / h. Cruising on the highway - 155 km.

H-35 Combat weight - 11.4 tons. Crew - 2 people. Armament - one 37-m cannon, one 7.5-mm machine gun. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 34 mm, side - 34 mm, turret - 45 mm. Engine - "Hotchkiss", 75 liters. With. Highway speed - 28 km / h. Power reserve - 129 km

and R-35. Combat weight - 9.8 tons. Crew - 2 people. Armament - one 37-m cannon, one 7.5-mm machine gun. Armor thickness: forehead of the hull - 32 mm, side - 40 mm, turret - 45 mm. Engine - "Renault", 82 liters. With. Highway speed - 19 km / h, cruising range - 138 km.