T-28 Medium Tank

Last updated on February 17th, 2019 at 09:48 pm

The T-28 medium tank was the first Soviet medium tank to see combat.  

It was designed to break though fortified defense zones.

The T-28 medium tank was a three-turreted tank.  The main turret – the largest of the three – housed a 0.3 inch (7.62mm) gun and a 0.3 inch (7.62 mm) DT machine gun.  Each of the two smaller turrets each of had a 0.3 inch (7.62 mm) DT machine gun.

In 1931, the first prototype of the T-28 was built.  It weighed slightly less than 28 tons. Its armor had a maximum thickness of 1.18 inches (30mm).  

The T-28 medium tank was operated by a 6 man crew.

All models of the T-28 medium tank had a radio. 

Some models had anti-aircraft gun mounts.

Variants of the T-28 included a bridgelayer and a flamethrower.

The T-28 was used during the Winter War against Finland, during the Soviet Invasion of Poland, and during Operation Barbarossa, the attempted German invasion of the USSR.

When the T-28 medium tank was first designed in 1941, it was advanced for its time. However, by 1939, when the T-28 first saw combat, it was being outclassed by more modern tanks. These newer tanks had better, more reliable suspensions than the T-28.  The armor on the T-28 could not withstand fire from more modern anti-tank weapons.

 In 1940, the armor thickness of the T-28 was increased so that the tank’s armor had a maximum thickness of 3.15 inches (80mm). Nevertheless, the T-28 was still no match for the more modern German panzers.

The T-29 medium tank was a variant of the T-28 medium tank with a Christie suspension.  The T-29 never went into production. It was replaced by the T-34 medium tank.

	T-28 Medium
Active:	1933
Crew:	6
Weight:	27.6 tons (28,000kg)
Length:	24ft 5in (7.4m)
Height:	9ft 3in (2.8m)
Width:	9ft 5in (2.9m)
Weapons:	Main – 0.3in (7.62mm) gun, Secondary – 3 x 0.762in (7.62mm) DT machineguns
Armor	Maximum – 1.18in (30mm)
Engine:	Mikulin M-17 12-cylinder gasoline, 500hp
Speed:	23 mph (27 kph)
Range:	137 miles (220 km)