Russian Mine clearing tanks

[DRG]

Here's a little research project for those of you with the resources to ferret out info like this ( you know who you are....... )

This website--------- http://www.wio.ru/tank/tank-tral.htm

has some lovely photos of various Russian tanks with the PT-3 mine rollers attached


This website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_roller ( yes....wiki ) says.......

"Prototypes were tested based on the T-28 medium tank in 1940. Development was interrupted by the start of World War II, but resumed in 1942. T-60 and KV tank chassis underwent trials, but only the T-34 was deemed to have a sufficiently robust transmission and clutch

That explains the T-28 photo. Its a test prototype that never saw action we can ignore but the KV-1 photo is reportedly taken in Karelia which is a long way to ship a prototype if you don't want to actually test it under battle conditions

So the first question is........... how many KV-1's were field tested with PT-3 mine rollers attached and did any actually see battle.

The second question is how far did the IJ-2 experiments go.

Don

[Pibwl]

I'm reporting

I've found a page http://ser-sarajkin.narod2.ru/ALL_OU...SuPzTrl001.htm , apparently OCR-ed from some magazine (Tekhnika i Vooruzhenie?), in Russian, but with many photos (right arrow leads to further parts).

It says, that there were many experimental designs starting from 1932, but there's no mention, that any of them were combat-tested (these early developments were for T-26 and T-28, not KV).
Only in 1942 there was developed first successful PT-3 (ПТ-3) roller. According to http://russianarms.mybb.ru/viewtopic.php?id=1158 it was accepted in 4/43, but the previous page says, that they were first used in 11/43 near Kiev. Mass usage was from summer 1944.

It could have been also mounted on KV-1 or IS-2, but photos are rare and presumably they were less numerous. By the way, this KV on the photo is late model, probably 1942. We could add such units, from 1944, but they should be used in heavy tank formations only.

There's no mention in article about IJ-2 designation.

So, it seems, that unit 87 PT-34 should start later (along with its formations), and a better name is T-34 PT-3. On the other hand, there's no reason to wait with T-34/85 PT-3 (unit 201) until 6/45 - I believe they were fitted with rollers since late 1944.

Michal

[DRG]

Great photos and information. The second link does suggest that as of 1944-45 T-34-85, T-44, IS-2 and IS-3 were modified to carry the rollers and the first link suggest that post war the T-44 was used

As tempting as it might be there isn't a lot of room in the modern Russian OOB to add extras unless they are significant but for WW2 we have a bit more leeway and an IS-2 mine roller would be interesting albeit apparently rare addition. It was really nice to see top view line drawings of the roller unit and a new and much better photo of the PT-54 I have added to MBT

Thanks

Don

[Pibwl]

To confuse matters, I've just found in a Russian monograph of T-26 tank (Frontline Illustration, vol.2), that there actually WERE used mine rollers during the Winter War. Unfortunately, sources are rich of photos and details of tested prototypes, but when it comes to combat-used models, information is scarce, with no photos. Seems, that it was a makeshift design, produced by two factories in Leningrad (93+49 units), developed since 12/39, probably with no connection with earlier works. They were 70-90 cm diameter discs on a common axle. Reportedly they were mounted on T-26 and T-28, given to the Army in Feb-March/40, and used with a success by the 35th Tank Bde and tank battalions of the 8th Army on Karelian Isthmus.

By the way: there didn't exist T-26 dozer tanks (unit 655). There was only tested a snowplough for T-26, but not adopted (it appeared too weak for thick snow).

[DRG]

Wiki says much the same thing in regards to the mine sweeps

Design work started again when the Winter War began: Leningrad factories Kirov Factory, Factory No. 185 and Factory No. 174 developed new models of mine sweeps for the T-26 and T-28 tanks in December 1939. Kirov Factory produced 93 new mine sweeps and Factory No. 174 produced an additional 49. These disc mine sweeps (metal discs 700–900 mm in diameter with a thickness of 10–25 mm on a common axis; the weight of the whole construction was 1,800-3,000 kg) were issued to army field forces in February and March 1940. Despite low explosion resistance (the discs would bend after the first mine explosion), these mine sweeps were used successfully by the 35th tank brigade and tank battalions of the 8th Army during the Winter War.

they also mention dozer blades were tried