T-28 (Soviet tank)
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| T-28 general characteristics | |
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| Length | 7.44 m |
| Width | 2.87 m |
| Height | 2.82 m |
| Weight | 28.5 t |
| Speed | 40 km/h (road) 22 km/h (off-road) |
| Primary armament | 76.2 mm |
| Secondary armament | 3 or 4 7.62 mm machineguns |
| Ammunition | 70 rounds of 76.2mm and 7,938 7.62mm |
| Power plant | One M-17L 12 cylinder 500hp at 1,450rpm |
| Crew | 6 |
- This article is about the Soviet tank. For other uses see T-28 (disambiguation).
The Soviet T-28 was the world's first medium tank. The prototype was completed in 1931 and production began in late 1932. It was an infantry-support tank intended to break through fortified defenses. The T-28 was designed to complement the heavier T-35, with which it shared many components.
Production history
The T-28 had one large turret with a 76.2 mm gun and two smaller turrets with 7.62 mm machine guns. A total of 503 were built over a period of 8 years from 1933-1940.
Variants
- T-28
- T-28A - With thicker armour.
- T-28B - Longer gun. (From 16.5 calibres to 26 calibres)
- T-28C - Improved armour.
- OT-28 - Flamethrower version.
Combat history
The T-28 was used during the Winter War against Finland and against the Japanese in 1939. During the initial stages of the Winter War with Finland, the tank was used in direct fire missions against Finnish pillboxes. In the course of these operations it was found that the armour was inadequate and programs were initiated to upgrade it. Frontal plates were upgraded from 50 mm to 80 mm and side and rear plates to 40 mm thickness. With this up-armoured version the Red Army broke the main Finnish defensive fortification: the vaunted Mannerheim Line. Shortly thereafter, production was halted to focus on the new T-34 medium tank. Most T-28s were lost during the first two months of the German invasion, where they fared poorly against the panzers.
See also: List of tanks, List of Soviet tanks.