Hi Folks, I pan various sites to get info on the history of the T34/76 used by the Finnish forces. Below is some of the information concerning the T34/76 used by the Finnish Forces:
Finnish T-34's...
Ps.231-1 - m1940 The Armour Museum in Parola
Ps.231-2 R-105 m1940 Savon prikaati, Mikkeli
Ps.231-3 R-111 m1940? Joensuu (?)
Ps.231-4 R-155 m1942 Destroyed. Parts left.
Ps.231-5 - m1943 Destroyed?
Ps.231-6 - m1942 Destroyed?
Ps.231-7 - m1943 The Armour Museum in Parola
Ps.231-1 to Ps.231-4 were captured by the Finns.
Ps.231-5 - Ps.231-7 were bought from Germany in 1944.
Ps.231-1:
Type:Mod.1941 of KhPZ(no.183).
Feature:welded turret, early anchor type front & rear tow-shackles, muzzule brake of Finnish-made.
Ps.231-2(ex R-105):
Type:Mod.1941 of STZ.
Feature:welded turret, early tow-shackles. standerd early dish type roadwheels, early 550mm tracks (in war time).
After repair in (perhaps) early 1942, it recieved finnish-made fenders and head lights, etc.
..Dec/1941; hasty winter-wash on overall dark green. (perhaps) dark blue Hakaristi on hull front and turret sides.
..Spring 1943: winter-wash. Hakaristi on turret side and hatch. Registration no."105" below hull MG and on hull rear(?). Nicknam "Heli" on gun shield.
..June/1943; 3-color camo. Hakaristi on hull front(?), turret sides and rear. Yellow "321" on turret sides.
Ps.231-3(ex-R-111)
Type:Mod.1941 of KhPZ(no.183).
Feature:welded turret, early tow-shackles. Standerd early dish type roadwheels, early 550mm tracks (in war time).
..Spring 1942; overall dark green, Hakaristi on hull front and turret sides (and rear?). Registration no."111" on hull front (and rear?).
Ps.231-4(ex-R-155)
Type:inicial production mod.1943 of UVZ(no.183)
Feature:so-called "laminate" turret, 4 periscopes around turret roof of finnish modeification, early anchor type front & rear tow-shackles. Early 550mm tracks, early dish type roadwheels (narrow wheels on left no.2 & 4. right side unkown), finnish-made fenders and head lights, etc.
..Oct/1942; overall dark green, Hakaristi on turret sides and rear. Registration no."155" on hull front and rear.
..Jun/1943; 3-color camo, Hakaristi on turret sides (and rear?), yellow "322" on turret sides.
Ps.231-5
Type:late mod.1943(with cupola) of Krasnoye Sormovo Zavod(No.112)
Feature:"soft-edge" turret, repaired turret periscope, german-made fenders, dish type wheels, late 500mm tracks(some links were 2-piece type), "patche" on frontal armor, etc.
..Jun/1943; 3-color camo. Hakaristi on hull front, turret sides and rear(?), and loader's hatch(?). yellow "321" on turret sides. Registration no."Ps231-5" below hull MG and on hull rear.
Ps.231-6
Type:mod.1942 of Krasnoye Sormovo Zavod(No.112)
Feature:cast turret, dish type wheels, late 550mm tracks, etc.
..Nov/1944; 3-color camo(or winter camo). Hakaristi on hull front(?), turret sides and rear(?). yellow "322" on turret sides.
Ps.231-7
Type:late mod.1943 of (perhaps)UVZ(no.184).
Feature:"hard-edge" turret of mod.1943 with cupola, early engine deck grilles of mod.1940-41, rear panel of mod.1943, german-made fenders, repaired loader's periscope, late 500mm tracks, etc.
..Jul/1944; 3-color camo, Hakaristi on hull front, turret sides and rear(?), and loader's hatch. Turret number unknown.
GENERAL NOTES:1) Fender tips, headlights and fender stowage were partially standardized already during the first war-time repair and for the second time after the war. These details can vary to a certain extent between different tanks and one single tank depending on the time of the photographs.
The three tanks bought from Germany in summer 1944 were used with their German style fender tips until the end of the war.2) Especially tracks and road wheels as well as idler wheels and drive sprockets are consumables! These were changed when needed. Worth pointing is that due to lack of T-34 spares we used BT road wheels which were modified to be mounted on T-34 hubs. The wheel diameter is the same (roughly) but BT wheels are narrower, which can be seen also in photos. To ease the stress on these narrower wheels, they were mounted at first on the 2nd and 4th stations. Later on, they emerged in other stations as well due to the lack of original T-34 road wheels. BT road wheels were available in large guantities because a great number of these vehicles was captured but not taken into Finnish use (except 18+1 pcs modified to BT-42 and BT-43).3) The towing hook locks (a spring loaded device to prohibit the towing cable to exit from the hook) were also modified during the Finnish service.4)
Finnish T-34s had always two rotating periscopes on turret roof. If needed after the capture they were added and then usually the Finnish model of the periscope top armour cover was used.5) Ps 231-1, -2, -3 and –6 were Model 1940s or Model 1941s with a low turret.6) Ps 231-4 was a preproduction tank of Model 1942 from Zavod No 183 in Nizhni Tagil [NOTICE: Most of the western authors refer this model with hexagonal high turret as Model 1943, but that is not true. Besides that this one tanks was captured already in April 1942, it has been clearly stated as a Model 1942 in the most official and accurate book on Soviet tanks, the secret ”for duty use only” Baraksin – Bakh –Vygodskiy book.]7) Ps 231-5 and –7 were Model 1943s with hexagonal turret and commander’s cupola.
Each of the three hexagonal Model 1942 and 1943 turrets different in regard to the manufacturing style and details.9) Ps 231-5…-7 were bought from Germany and they arrived in Finland on 2nd July 1944.
I have listed some detail differences between the Finnish tanks here. The notes refer to the vehicles during their active days, not the present condition in museum or other collections:Nose fillet: Round in all tanks except Ps 231-5, which was a very late production Model 1943 tank having a sharp nose (like a T-34-85).Rivets in lower edge of the glacis plate: Only in Ps 231-2 and –3.Towing lugs or hooks: Only Ps 231-3 had the early style towing lugs (two plates with a gap between them for towing cable), the rest had anchor style hooks.Fixing of towing lug and hooks to glacis plate: Rivets + welding in Ps 231-1…-4 and only welding in Ps 231-5…-6.Driver’s hatch: Ps 231-1, -2 and –3 had the early style hatch and the rest had the newer one with two flap-covered periscopes.Cooling air intake grilles on sides: Vertical strips on Ps 231-1…-4, the rest had horizontal strips (newer model).Gearbox access hatch: Rectangular in Ps 231-1…-3, the rest had a round one.Hull rear fillet between upper and lower rear plate: Round fillet on Ps 231-1…-3, the rest had a normal straigth plate joint.Low turret: Ps 231-1, -2 and –3 had a welded low turret but Ps 231-6 had a cast low turret.Turret hatches in low turrets: Ps 231-1 and –2 have a normal flat hatch. Ps 231-3 had a round plate to cover the hole for hatch-mounted periscope, which was mounted in early production, however not in this tank. Ps 231-6 had a hatch with a slightly raised mid part.Turret rear wall in welded low turrets: Ps 231-2 had the STZ style flat rear wall. Ps 231-1 had a rear wall plate with six bolts and Ps 231-3 with four bolts. Rotating periscope top armour covers in turret:
During the Finnish service Ps 231-1, -3, and -5 had two periscopes with Finnish style top covers. Ps 231-2 had after the capture in autumn 1941 two openable periscope covers but after summer 1942 two Finnish model covers. Ps 231-4 and –6 had two conical periscope top covers. Finally, Ps 231-7 had a conical cover on the left side and a Finnish model cover on the right side.SPECIAL NOTES:Ps 231-1 was propably made at Zavod No183 in Nizhni Tagil and not at HPZ as stated in my book. It had the pepper pot muzzle brake added in Finland in the repair after the capture. Nowadays on exhibition at Parola tank museum.Ps 231-2 was the first captured T-34 of the Finnish army. Nowadays at Karkialampi garrison area in Mikkeli.Ps 231-3 is in manufacturing schedule the oldest T-34 in Finland having many early features. Nowadays at Kontioranta garrison area near Joensuu.Ps 231-4 had four extra periscopes in a style of KV-1 Model 1942 added onto the turret edges in the first repair after the capture. Also, the air outlet grille was divided in only four parts by steel strips in this tank (Finnish modification). New stronger hinges on upper hull rear plate were made after the war. Ventilator dome with 6 openings, final drive housings with sharp edges etc were distinctive features for this preproduction tank. Nowadays waiting for restoration at Parola tank museum storage area.Ps 231-5 had bullet splash strips on hull around the turret turret and hand holds in a normal style of Zavod No 112 tanks. It also had a roughly 30 cm x 30 cm plate welded on the glacis plate in Germany to close the hit hole. Destroyed as a target after the war.Ps 231-6 had bullet splash strips on hull around the turret and hand holds in a normal style of Zavod No 112 tanks. Destroyed as a target after the war.Ps 231-7 Nowadays on exhibition at Parola tank museum.Ps 231-8 and Ps 231–9 which were captured in August 1944 were never taken into use and were used as spares. They both were Model 1942s.
You may wish to personalise a T34 or two so the above info would be cool to use.
Helen
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April 28, 2024, 09:45:31 AM
November 12, 2007, 11:59:14 AM
