ASHORT GUIDE TO 1/72 T-34-85 TURRETS

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TurretIdentification

A LittleHistory for the Modeler

With the introduction bythe Germans of the Panther & Tiger tanks in 1943, the Sovietssaw a dire need to upgrade their medium tanks to counter thethreat. In March of 1944, the first T-34-85’s with a newturret and 85-mm high velocity gun were released and fortunately,its introduction did not severely upset Soviet tank production,like the Panther did to German panzer production. With the newlarger turret, the turret armor was increased to 90-mm in front,75-mm on the sides, and 52-mm in the rear (Potapov). By theSpring of 1944, over 1200 per month were being produced in theUSSR. The T-34-85 proved significantly superior to the Pz IV, andcould manage the Panther, which was still superior in APcapability and front armor. T-34 Production continued after WW2and this tank served in front-line USSR service into themid-1950’s, until replaced by the T-54 & T-55. Its usecontinues in small nations around the world today.

According to Hughs &Mann, the designation year "34" was to commemorate the1934 Soviet state decree for a massive expansion of theUSSR’s tank force (and it was also the year that thedeveloper had this new-tank proposal accepted). AndreyCheremisken corrects this in stating that Soviet publicationsexplain the designation "T-34" is derived from the useof the letter "A" by the Kharkov Locomotive Factory#183 for experimental tanks, such as A-20 and A-32 and then A-34.Nothing to do with the year. With the mass production of the A-34the "A" designation was changed to "T"resulting in T-34. As other factories picked up production, eachplant accommodated the tank to its own capabilities andtechnology. Therefore a T-34 from Krasnoye Sormova plant #112 onthe Volga River differed in many details from a T-34 produced atplant #183 at Nizshniy Tagil in the Urals (formerly the plant inKharkov before being relocated in 1941).

According to Potapov,total production was 300 T-34-85’s armed with the D-5T gun,while M. Barjatinskiy estimated about 255 T-34’s with theD-5T gun made, including two early turrets with only one roofventilator. About 107 D-5T’s went to KV-85’s and 100 to130 to IS-85’s and experimental AFV’s. From 1944 &1945: 11,518 S-53 guns, and 14,265 Zis-S-53 guns were producedall of which went to the T-34-85, except for some going to theT-44. The Zis-S-53 is an improved S-53 gun produced by Plant #92in Gorky. (By the way, Zis stands for Zavod imeni Stalina.)

Production started atPlant #112 in January-February 1943, at Plant 183 in March 1944,and at Plant #174 in Omsk in June 1944. About 1200 T-34-85’sper month were being produced in the spring of 1944. Thisproduction was larger than the total war production of TigerII’s, so perhaps "Quantity does have a quality of itsown" (Stalin)! Its production continued after the war, inthe USSR, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. Yugoslavia produced a smallnumber of a very unique variant with a radically different turretand modified glacis plate.

A small number ofT-34-85’s were captured and put into use by Germany, Finlandand Rumania. Some of these captured tanks were repainted with newcamouflage and markings, while many were just expediently putback in service until they broke down or were destroyed. Severalcaptured T-34-85 tanks are still on display at Finland’sParola Museum.

An article by a Sovietwriter I read also corrects us in that the proper designation isT-34-85, not T-34/85(despite how it is labeled on AER’s box?!). The term T-34-76was not used until the 85-mm weapon was developed.

Turret Features

As I have said above, inmy opinion, T-34 variants appear to be set apart from each otherprimarily by their turrets. In the hull there are some changes tothe rear engine hatches, welded joints, front fenders, fuel tanksand smoke canisters, but it seems to be the turrets that setvariants apart from one model year to another. Keep in mind also,that damaged vehicles were often re-built and upgraded in theprocess, so it was possible to find, for example, a 1944 chassiswith a 1945 production turret. Below I will be using terms likeangle-jointed turrets, composite or laminated turrets, andfillets. Take note that these are not official terms used by theSoviets during production but are used by historians and modelersto help tell them apart. I believe the Soviets used factorynumbers: Zavod #174 style, or Zavod #112 style for example(Zaloga).

Thick positive lines onthe turret surfaces have been mistakenly referred to as"welds" before. In most cases these are casting seams notwelds . Different castings were the resultof different capabilities, production methods and refinements atthe various factories. Without going into extensive detail, Iunderstand that tank turret and hull castings are done using asand mold inside and out. During the casting process the sand mayshift and be uneven, causing the rough texture seen onT-34-85’s. The joints where the mold parts come togetherwhen assembled cause the casting lines (something like flash on aplastic model). Some manufacturers around the world grind thisexcess metal away to give a smoother appearance, but in WW2, theUSSR did not have time or money for this luxury. Casting can bequicker than cutting and welding rolled-armor plate, though whenimproperly done can lead to bubbles or voids in the armor oruneven thickness. An exception to this welding issue is with the"Composite" type turret construction. This turretconsisted of two separate cast parts with a vertical weld joiningthe two parts together. This composite type can be seen in 1944,1945 and 1946 variants (see Table 1 below). It is most obvious bythe sharp edge of the rear bottom. The Composite turret is alsoknown as the "Laminated" turret.

The Commander’scupola top rotates, so while it is usually seen with the hatchopening forward, this is why the hatch(es) can also be seenopening off to the sides.

A Little MoreAbout Turret Types

The turret types, ornames, which I use are borrowed from other publications in myresources listed at the end of Part 2. Besides casting types, Ibreak the turrets into years based on particular features. Turrets labeled"1943" all are common in having the D-5T gun and mantlet, radio antennastill in the hull, two-person turret, cupola and vents moretowards the center of the turret roof, view slits and pistolports on both sides of the turret, and inverted U-shaped liftrings. The 1943-year model appears only to have been producedwith a type of angle-jointed casting. 1944 Turrets are common in having the S-53 gun& mantlet, twin roof vents and spit-hatch cupola now movedfurther to the rear, triangular lift hooks, and only one viewslit on the turret's starboard side. 1945 Turrets are similar to the 1944-yearturrets but have the Zis-S-53 gun and mantlet, and a largercupola with a single hatch. Year 1946 turrets are similar to the 1945 turretsbut have two separate roof vents. One of the vents being movedforward of the cupola for better ventilation of gun fumes.

Table 1 below outlines the major turretvariations during and after the war and when you first might seethem. The table is meant to be representative and not allinclusive of all variations in casting marks and features. Thismay seem a bit anal-retentive to some modelers, but for builderswho are into tight historical accuracy, or for national contests,this can make or break a diorama. For example, my first T-34-85was a Model 1943 depicted in Korea 1950, which is highlyunlikely. A 1945 production modeled at Kursk is just ashistorically incorrect.

Not all of these castingmarks are readily visible in historical photographs due to thevariations in the casting, photo quality, lighting, or distance.They may be easily confused. Many Step-Jointed turrets appear tohave no vertical fillets. Some Step-Jointed turrets have twoparallel horizontal casting lines running the perimeter of theturret. I have not seen any Composite turrets with verticalfillets.

Table 2 below shows anumber of turret fittings or features and when you might haveseen them. One important thing to consider in all of this is thatfittings were likely phased in, and rebuilds and repairs can mateitems that where not true to the particular variant year. Anexample is the 1944 turret with S-53 gun but with the inverted-Ushaped lifting rings of the 1943 turret. This could be the resultof a phased-in series of changes, or perhaps a rebuild of abattle damaged turret?

The next part of thisarticle covers a review of actual kits and accessories. Thisarticle is intended to be dynamic and will be updated as newitems are released or discovered. As it is really a skim ofinformation on the T-34, I encourage those interested to alsocheck out the resources I have listed at the end of of thearticle.

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