T-44 Guide

Ding760 Thu Jun 13, 2013 1:26 am

T-44: Soviet tier 8 medium tank

Historical Overview:

The legendary T-34, backbone of the red army, caught the Germans by surprise when it was first fielded in 1941. With its highly sloped armour and powerful 76mm gun, it was vastly superior to anything the Germans had at the time. But by late 1942, the Wermacht began fielding long barreled 75mm guns, and the red army was beginning to suffer for the shortcomings of the T-34 and work began on a new design.

The concept of a universal tank was put forward, one that could replace both the KV-1 and T-34 which led to the design of the T-43, and KV-13. Due to logistical limitations, the upgrading of existing tanks was favored over the design of new ones and so both projects were scrapped. However the T-43 turret was adapted to fit on the T-34 hull, giving birth to the T-34-85, whilst the KV-13 project eventually led to the IS series.

By late 1943, attempts to further up-gun and up-armour the T-34 proved unsuccessful and so soviet designers were forced to concede that a new tank was needed. The focus was on increasing armour and firepower, without sacrificing mobility. The design they came up with was the T-44.

2 prototypes were produced: the T-44-85, and the T-44-122 mounting 85mm and 122mm guns respectively. It offered the same frontal protection as the T-43, 75mm on the hull and 90mm on the turret. The prototypes were trialed in 1944 against a captured panther tank. The T-44-122 was scrapped due to poor performance of the gun. The turret was too cramped to mount such a large gun, and store such ammunition, leading to an impractical rate of fire of just 2 rounds per minute. The T-44-85 was preferred although tests deemed its armour still inadequate, and mobility lacking.

A revised prototype was produced, the T-44A with improved armour. The upper glacis thickness was increased to 90mm and the turret front to 120mm. The splash board was added to the hull and the drivers vision flap, was replaced by a simpler slit in the armour and periscopes. Despite the extra armour, the T-44A was lighter than its predecessors at 31 tonnes. It also used a new 520hp engine which greatly improved handling. Trials of the T-44A proved successful and in November 1944, the T-44 entered service with the Red Army.

965 vehicles were produced by the end of the war, and a total of 1823 were produced by the time production was phased out in 1947. The T-44 was issued to 3 tank brigades at the end of 1944 to begin training; however they all were transferred back into T-34-85’s prior to the Berlin offensive. The tank never saw action in WW2.

Due to the cold war, the T-44 was kept a secret from the Allies. It did not take part in the victory parades in Berlin, and those stationed in East Germany were censored. There are almost no photographs of the tank from this time period. The tank did take part in the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956, although the Soviets did their best to hide this from NATO.

Further development of T-44 was halted in favour of the T-54 main battle tank. Unlike most soviet vehicles, the T-44 was not exported after being replaced.

Basic Overview:

The T-44 is the Soviet Tier 8 medium tank, it excels at flanking and dog fighting. It's agility is without equal, but it lacks significant firepower. It has respectable armour for a medium and a very small profile. It's one of the best (if not the best) tier 8 for wolfpacking but struggles when fighting solo. It has one of the worst stock grinds in the game, but rewards you for sticking with it, as its a highly capable machine once upgraded. It has a similar play style to the T-43 before it and the T-54 after it.

Cost: 2,390,000
From T-43: 93,653 XP
To T-54: 142,000 XP
Health: 1300 HP
Crew: 4 - Commander, Gunner, Driver, Loader (Radio Operator)

Roles: Flanker, Brawler

Mobility: