Soviet T-150 tank: an overview

The T-150 tank (known as KV-150) was created between 1940 and 1941. It is a modification of the KV-1 model. The name of the latter stands for "Clim Voroshilov." They differ among themselves in the presence of a later version of the tower for the commander, in which there were observation devices. After the launch of the tank into production, the question arose about re-equipping and creating improved protection for the crew. In the summer of 1940, a resolution was adopted on changes in the characteristics of the machine. On November 5, there was one copy of the T-150. The tank owned nine-centimeter armor and a tank gun F-32. The crew could consist of five people; The mass of equipment was 51 tons.

History of the Soviet tank

Unfortunately, it turned out that this model was not delivered to mass production. This is due to a number of reasons, in particular, it was no better than its prototype. The history of development begins with the winter war. Because of the offensive of the German infantry, the government of the USSR decides to close the production of all tanks, except for KV. At that time, the modernization of this line seemed to be one of the best solutions.

A year before the official announcement of the German army's attack on the Soviet Union, an order was issued on June 17 to create an upgraded structure. As a result, the T-150 tank appeared at the Kirov plant. The chief engineer was Pereverzev. Initially it was assumed that the hull would be manufactured in Kolpino at the Izhora plant. After the delivery of the project, the technicians were given short tests - a test drive of almost 200 km.

After in 1941 the intelligence of the Union found out about the creation by Germany of powerful tanks with sufficiently strong armor, the government decided to create a response in no way worse. Improvement touched the model T-150. The third generation tank, like the second version, did not go into the series. This is due to the fact that it was easier to use less equipped cars on the front. Also among the causes of failure, we can note the rapid overheating of the unit. The idea of creating a new motor was not realized, since civil war has already unfolded.

Unfortunately, the following modification was also a failure. She had the same booking as the T-150. The project was implemented on paper, but this is all over.

In 1941, one of the Russian plants suggested creating a new variation of the tank. It was supposed to have an engine of type B-2, the power of which was 700 liters. from. It was planned to use a flamethrower (as an additional weapon) and guns on the tower. The commander had a complete optical system. It allowed to view everything that happens around.

Problems with the engine

The tank is not only more armored, but also a modified unit. The armor plate was enlarged from the outside, so the interior dimensions were not changed. During the tests, it was observed that the engine was unstable. At a low temperature, around -9 ° C , The oil in the compartment is too hot. Because of this, the T-150 tank was no longer tested, but, on the contrary, was sent back to the plant with the task to improve the unit. Long time spent work, and yet the developers were able to completely get rid of the pressing problem. The machine was again put into production.

Operation of the tank at the front

At the front once visited the machine T-150. Comments on the tank could be heard from the soldiers. Honestly, they did not impress. The engine could easily decay, some systems did not work. However, he was detached from the brigade only two years after the departure to the battlefield. But in that period a few months later was again adopted by the same regiment.

Armament

Tank T-150 was equipped with a gun type F-34. Its thickness was 76 mm. The kit included about 111 shells. However, at the time of shooting about 10. There were three different types of sight. And also three machine-guns: one was at the stern, the second with the gun, the third - course.

Predecessor T-150 - KV-1

As already described, the T-150 tank (the photo is in the article) was created on the basis of KV-1. This model is better known simply as HF. The index was fixed when a modification appeared. She technically showed many advantages, so it was decided to use the tank during the fight against the German invaders and in the so-called winter war. On the conveyor belt was from 1939 to 1942. The crew included five people. The mass of equipment was almost 48 tons. Initially, the tank was produced in several copies, only a year after the completion of the development, he went into mass production. According to the plan, by 1941, more than 1200 pieces of the machine were to be created, but it did not work out. Because of military operations, this number actually decreased by three or even four times.

The transmission, which was installed on the tank, is of a mechanical type. Unfortunately, this model also had problems with the technical part of tuning. Soldiers often complained that the transmission is unstable and intermittent. Suspension machine ordinary, no different from previous and similar models. The technique is not very cross-country, so it did not have large-scale advantages over foreign tanks. However, all the same, KV-1 distinguished itself on the battlefield - it was practically impossible to destroy the design.