T34 Heavy Tank
The T34 Heavy Tank was an American design for a heavy tank. It evolved from the T29 Heavy Tank and T30 Heavy Tank in 1945, using the same chassis, but sporting a 120 mm (4.72 in) modified 120 mm Gun M1 anti-aircraft gun.[3] Extra armor plating was applied to the rear of the turret bustle as a counterweight for the heavier 120mm T53[4][5] main gun. No production orders were placed for the T34, which was felt to be too heavy.[6]
| T34 Heavy Tank | |
|---|---|
 A T34 at the Aberdeen Proving Ground | |
| Type | Heavy tank |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | Trials only |
| Used by | United States Army |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1945-1948 |
| No. built | 2 prototypes [1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 65.1 t |
| Length | 43 ft 3 in (13.18 m) gun forward 32 ft 10 in (10.01 m) gun aft |
| Width | 12 ft 5 in (3.78 m) over sand shields |
| Height | 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) over cupola |
| Crew | 6 (driver, gunner, loader, assistant loader, commander, assistant driver) |
| Armor | hull front 102–203 mm (4.0–8.0 in) maximum gun shield 279 mm (11.0 in) maximum turret front 303 mm (11.9 in) [2] |
Main armament | 120 mm T53 L/60 rifled gun (34 rounds) |
Secondary armament | 2 x .50 in (12.7mm) M2HB AA (1,500 rounds), coaxial & pintle-mounted 1 x .30 in (7.6 mm) Browning M1919A4, bow & coaxial (2,500 rounds) |
| Engine | 1,649 cu in (27.02 L) Continental AV-1790-3A1 air-cooled 810 hp (600 kW) net at 2800 rpm |
| Transmission | General Motors CD-850-1 crossdrive, three speeds (two forward, one reverse) |
| Suspension | torsion-bar |
| Fuel capacity | 350 US gal (290 imp gal; 1,300 L) |
| Maximum speed | 22 mph (35 km/h) (on road) |
Development
In 1945, encounters with German heavy tanks and tank destroyers such as the Tiger II and Jagdtiger led to a new project to create a vehicle that could counter these new threats. The result were the T29, armed with a 105mm gun, and the T30 armed with a 155mm gun. Both were built around a lengthened version of the T26E3 chassis,[4] and apart from the different use of guns and engines, they were originally almost identical.
Early in 1945 the Ordnance Department began work on turning the 120mm anti-aircraft gun into a tank gun. It soon became clear that this gun would have better armour piercing abilities than the high velocity 105mm gun of the T29 or the lower velocity 155mm gun of the T30, and in May 1945 the Ordnance Department recommended that two of the T30 pilots be armed with the 120mm gun instead, as the Heavy Tank T34.
The two pilot models of the T34 weren't delivered until 1947, and they went for tests at Fort Knox and the Aberdeen Proving Ground. However, the 120mm gun was found to be problematic due to the powder gases which leaked into the turret. This problem was addressed by the installation of an aspirator type bore evacuator. [7]
Despite solving the problems with the gun, the tank was deemed too heavy for the US Army and the Marine Corps requirements, so no production orders were placed. However, in 1948 a work began on lightened version of the design, the Heavy Tank T43, which later entered production as the M103 Heavy Tank.
Survivors
There is at least one surviving example on display in the National Armor and Cavalry Museum, Fort Moore, Georgia.[8][9]
References
- Hunnicutt, R.P. (1988). Firepower: A History of the American Heavy Tank. Presidio Pr. pp. 94. ISBN 978-0891413042.
- Hunnicutt, Firepower, p.197.
- Thearmoredpatrol.com: The 120 mm T53 (Retrieved 2021-12-22)
- Sirchby (2018-01-20). "The 120 mm T53". The Armored Patrol. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
- Hunnicutt, R.P. (March 1, 1988). Firepower: A History of the American Heavy Tank. Presidio Pr. p. 94. ISBN 978-0891413042.
- "Heavy Tank T34". www.historyofwar.org. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
- "Heavy Tank T34". www.historyofwar.org. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
- Holloway, Mark (2018-08-23), T34 Heavy Tank, retrieved 2019-11-22
- "The museum where the Army's tanks never die, they just get repainted (Photos)". Guns.com. 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2019-12-02.