The T-35 was a heavy tank used by the Soviet Union during WWII. The original production model of the T-35 series was designated the Model 1935. It had a gasoline powered, 12-cylinder Mikulin M-17 Engine that was capable of propelling the T-35 at speeds of up to 28.9 km/h. The T-35 had a crew of eleven and its most notable feature was its five different turrets. The complete armament was a 76.2mm main gun, two 45mm guns, and six MGs.

The T-35 also had a coil spring suspension system and a five speed forward, 1 speed reverse transmission. Armor thickness varied between 30-10mm in the whole tank and the weight was about 45,000 kg.^[1] The length of the T-35 was 9.7 meters and the width was 3.2 meters. The T-35 could also store up to 10,000 rounds of MG ammunition, 226 rounds of 45mm ammunition, and 96 rounds of 76mm ammunition.^[2]

Because of how large the tank was, all of the crew members were forced to communicate via phones and this became quite a problem for the tank commander. Also, reliability of the tank was low and in combat situations, the tank would often be put out of action due to mechanical failure.^[3] Ergonomics were very bad as the tank was extremely cramped. The tank itself was very dangerous for the crew to opeate as most of the exits were out in the open, blocked most of the time, or are hard to get through.^[4]

VariantsEdit

There was only one variant of the T-35 that reached production and saw some combat. It was the Model 1938 and the only difference between it and the original Model 1935 was that the Model 1938 had sloping armor equipped for its turrets. However, only about six were ever produced. The other variants like the SU-7 never got past the prototype stage. The SU-7 itself was largely impractical; it was designed to have a 25.4cm cannon, a 30.5cm howitzer, and 40cm mortar fitted.

HistoryEdit

The T-35 was first developed in 1930 and by 1933 production began. Although, production was slow and prototypes were often displayed at parades to show off military strength. The first two prototypes were designated the T-35-1 and the T-35-2.

The T-35 was first used in combat in 1939 against Finland where it saw little success. Again in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, the T-35 was sent into combat, but many broke down befor they even reached the front lines. The Battle of Moscow was the last time T-35s were used by the Red Army. In total, about 60 T-35s were ever made.

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ http://www.wwiivehicles.com/ussr/tanks-heavy/t-35.asp
2. ↑ http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=346
3. ↑ Lüdeke, Alexander. Weapons of World War II. Parragon Books Ltd. (2007), Page 116
4. ↑ http://english.battlefield.ru/t-35.html

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