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Side view of the SMK prototype heavy tank, Dec 1939

Caption     Side view of the SMK prototype heavy tank, Dec 1939 ww2dbase
Photographer    Unknown
Source    ww2dbaseWikimedia Commons
Link to Source    Link
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Sergei Mironovich Kirov   Main article  Photos  
Added By C. Peter Chen
Licensing  This work is believed to be in the public domain.

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
3 Jan 2013 06:45:56 PM

LENINGRAD MONSTER: T-100

Photograph could be a real vehicle, or a scale model of the Russian T-100 Prototype.
The Russian T-100 was built in 1938/39 two vehicles were built at the Leningrad Locomotive Works.
Vehicle was tested during the Winter War with Finland. It wasn't approved by the Red Army and never went into production.

I SERVED THE SOVIET UNION:

The T-100 Prototype was used in the defence of Moscow in 1941. Armament: 1x76.2mm main gun w/393 rounds, 1x45mm gun w/120 rounds and 4x76.2mm machine guns. Crew was six to eight men.
2. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
4 Jan 2013 06:52:19 AM

THE FIRST OF THE LAST:

Two T-100 Prototypes were built and tested in the field against Finland during the winter war of 1940. One was damaged in the attack against Finnish positions with other supporting tanks.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES:

After being disabled, the crew tried to make necessary repairs to its damaged track, but had to be abandoned.
Russian forces attempted to retrieve the
T-100 and lost about 50 troops killled and wounded in the attempt.

RED LADY IN WAITING:

Months later the Russians captured much of the ground lost, and recaptured the vehicle, the T-100 was transported by rail back to the factory for repairs however, for one reason or another the repairs were never completed and the vehicle remaind in outdoor storage until the 1950s, and later scrapped.

TO KILL A DINOSAUR:

Another T-100 project was mounting a 152mm Howitzer and another mounting a 130mm naval gun but both projects were cancelled.
The Russians were the only ones to invest time and money into a dead end project the huge multi-turret armored vehicle, its time had passed...
I've added some little known facts about the T-100 into the database, of a lesser known armored vehicle.

3. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
4 Jan 2013 04:24:56 PM

OTHER MULTI-TURRET DEVELOPMENTS & DEAD ENDS:

GERMANY:

Neubaufahrzeug, (New Construction Vehicle) don't you love those compound german words used in operations in Norway in 1940 the vehicle was never put into full production.

Daimler-Benz, Grosstraktor, was another development.
Other vehicles were under development by Krupp, Grusonwerk AG and other German arms manufacturers, but never put into production.

BRITAIN:

Vickers Independent this tank, influenced the Russian interest in multi-turret tank design.
A3E1 and Vickers Medium Mk.III with three turrets

FRANCE:

CHAR 2C 1939 one was captured by the Germans in 1940 vehicle was armed w/two turrets.
FCM F1 designed to replace the CHAR 2C but never went beyond the "Day Dreaming Stage" for a multi-turret vehicle that never went into production.

JAPAN:

Type 95 it never got past the prototype stage, it would have been armed w/three turrets.
Type O-1 Another "Day Dreaming Vehicle" but just a paper concept stage for a 100 ton
four turret monster.

I'M LOST IN A DAY DREAM:

Back in the USSR, Ivan was thinking big, I mean really big...enter the "Bolshevik Tank"
it would have been the mother of all tanks with a weight of 1000 tons!! thats right one thousand tons, say people I'm not making this stuff up.
Armed with six turrets and a crew of (60) men...it was never built.

THE FUHRER'S DAY DREAM:

The Landkrwuzer P1000 "Ratte" (Rat) 1000 ton monster super tank. This machine would have made the Maus(Another Super Tank, look small)Krupp started design work, but it was later cancelled, it was just another Wunderwaffen that never was...

USA:

Even the Americans looked into the Super Heavy Tank. Post-War development went into the T-28/T-95 Tank for the US Army, but was never developed, weight was 95 tons and two were built...
4. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
11 Feb 2014 06:53:00 PM

Continued From Comment #3

FRENCH LESSONS: FRENCH CHAR C2 SUPER HEAVY TANK

Developed during the last year of World War I, the
Char C2 saw limited post-war service during the
1920s through 1940. During the Battle of France in
1940, the French knew the tanks were obsolete and kept them away from any German armored advance.

NOT SO INVINCIBLE:

All Char C2's were activated and formed into one tank unit, the 51st Bataillon de Chars de Combat
held in reserve and didn't take part in the attack
on the German Siegfried Line in September 1939.

Later the French made a decision to transport them by rail however, due to a burning fuel train that blocked any further advance the French later destroyed the tanks preventing them from being captured by the Germans.
One tank was salvaged by the Germans and shipped back to Berlin as a war trophy, some sources report it was later captured by the Russians in 1945 and shipped back to the USSR.

MECHANICAL MONSTER:

The Char C2 was a large armored vehicle, its weight was 69 tons and was protected by heavy armor in the front and sides. Powered by 2 x 250hp
engines, main armament 1 x 45mm gun and secondary
armament was four (4) 8mm machine guns with a crew
of twelve (12) Driver, Commander, Gunner, Loader,
Four Machine Gunners, Mechanic, Electrician, Assistant Electrician/Mechanic and Radio Operator.
5. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
11 Feb 2014 08:14:18 PM

THE CHAR C2 WAS BIG, I MEAN REALLY BIG:

Height: 13ft. 5in, Width: 9ft. 10in Length was
33ft. 8in. It had a range of 93miles, and carried seven (7) fuel tanks that held 1,260 liters.
The next operational tank to weigh about the same was the Tiger II heavy tank of World War II.

OOPS! I made a mistake the main armament on the Char C2 was 1 x 75mm gun. I don't have any data as
to the amount of ammunition carried, so I'm guessing here it must have been over 70 rounds for the 75mm gun, and over 9,000 rounds for the 8mm machine guns, gotta remember that automatic weapons eat a lot of lead and fast! not counting the crew's personal weapons, and hand grenades carried If anyone has such info, I'd like to. know....

GOTTA MAKE IT LAST:

Having experience as a armored soldier during the Vietnam War, 1967/68 and 1969/70,I can tell you a GI never carries enough ammo.
6. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
6 Apr 2014 10:43:25 AM

MEGA TANKS:

BIG GUNS:

The United States had its heavy tank experiment.
This vehicle was called the T-28 super heavy tank
it was a 95 ton monster designed to push through the German Siegfried Line. This armored vehicle was designed without a turret it had a fixed 105mm main gun, secondary armament was 1 x .50 caliber machine gun, the front armor was (300mm) or 12 inches thick enough to stop an 88mm round.

RUNNING ON ALL FOURS:

The T-28 was so heavy that it needed (64) road wheels that's (16) road wheels on each outer and inner track, to distribute its weight. Powered by 1 x 500hp engine the T-28 was still very much underpowered.
Two prototypes were built but were not put into production. Top speed 8mph/12km/p, range 100 miles/160km, 105mm w/62 rounds, 1 x .50 caliber w/660 rounds

SOLE SURVIVOR:

One T-28 is now as Fort Benning, Georgia USA and waiting to be displayed.

**************************************************

GERMAN PANZER VIII (THE MAUS)

The Maus was the mother of all battle tanks it was big, really big. It was a 188 ton monster its front armor was (480mm) that's (18) inches thick!
The Maus mounted 1 x 128mm main gun that carried between 55/68 rounds, Secondary was 1 x 75mm gun w/200 rounds and a 7.92mm machine gun number of ammo carried unknown.

ROAD TRIP: NOT SO FAST!

Supporting this weight the Maus needed (24) road wheels combined in (12) twelve bogies (6) sets on each side. Top speed was 12mph/20km/h, powered by 1 x Mercedes-Benz V-12 Gasoline engine two Maus prototypes were built, but where never put into production.
One was blown up to prevent capture the other was captured by the Russians and transported back to the USSR. The Russians continued to study the Maus into the 1950's However, they never built a super heavy tank, but I'm sure they walked away with a few new ideas.

ENGINEERING AT ITS BEST:

Monthly production was set at (10) vehicles per month, but this was never met. Gotta hand it to the Germans the Maus was another fantastic feat of engineering, and industrial capability during wartime, when you consider that the Fatherland was short in resources during the closing stages of WWII. The Maus was another fine example of German over-engineering...

THE MAUS THAT DIDN'T ROAR:

Surviving vehicle is now on display at the Kubinka
Tank Museum Moscow, Russia.
7. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
2 Oct 2014 10:39:03 AM

OTHER HEAVY TANK DEAD ENDS:

POST WAR DEVELOPMENT

The British developed the Conqueror work started in 1944 the vehicle was renamed the FV200 by 1949
further work was halted and the vehicle never went into series production.

BRITISH A39 TORTOISE:

Developed during WWII but never entered service before wars end, vehicle was put into production with only a few produced.

THE RUSSIAN MONSTER:

This Super Heavy Tank known as object 279 was developed after WWII. Where most tanks used two sets of tracks, and two sets of running gear this monster used four sets of tracks and four sets of running gear!
As with the American and British Super Heavy Tanks that were seen as dead ends, the Russian program was also halted in 1959.
8. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
3 Oct 2016 03:23:06 PM

JAPANESE SUPER TANK:

Even Japan tried to develop its own version of a super armored vehicle. The army ordered its engineering dept. to develop such a vehicle for the Imperial Army.
Say didn't the Germans, French, Russians, British and Americans get their hands dirty trying to developing their own multi-turret heavy tanks?

HEAVYWEIGHT:

The O-I pronounced oh-ee, the "O" meaning Big and the "I" meaning One of the Frist. Weighing in at over 100 tons, and armed with 1 x 105mm main gun w/100 Rds. of ammo, in main turret.
Secondary armament was 1 x 47mm gun w/60 to 100 Rds. of ammo, in another turret, and 3 x 7.7mm machine guns w/over 4,000 rounds.
Two machine guns mounted in a rear facing turret and 1 x 7.7mm machine gun in a forward turret. The crew for this monster, was (11) men.

FIELD TRIALS: DEAD-END

During field tests, the vehicle sank in soft ground, and the tracks kept slipping off the road wheels. Tests continued, until the vehicle was abandoned, all blueprints and other related documents were lost or destroyed in 1945. Powered by 2 x gas engines mounted in the rear of the vehicle, it was just another dead-end.

Such heavy tanks needed the support of other lighter tanks and support vehicles protecting their flanks plus infantry, not to mention air cover.
Without such ground and air support, any advance will be lost to superior enemy forces...
9. Anonymous says:
28 Feb 2017 08:41:57 AM

this is a photo of the SMK tank not the t35
10. Commenter identity confirmed C. Peter Chen says:
1 Mar 2017 11:23:30 AM

Thank you, anonymous of 28 Feb 2017, the caption has been corrected.

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