43M Turán III
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| 43M Turán III | |
|---|---|
| File:43M Turán III Hajmáskér Firing Trials.png 43M Turán III during firing trials in Hajmáskér | |
| Type | Medium tank |
| Place of origin |  Kingdom of Hungary |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Kingdom of Hungary |
| Production history | |
| Designer | MÁVAG |
| Designed | 1943-44 |
| Produced | 1944 |
| No. built | Turán I: 289 Turán II: 185 Turán III: 2 |
| Variants | 40M Turán I 41M Turán II 43M Turán III |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 21-23.3 tonnes |
| Length | 6.60 m |
| Width | 2.60 m |
| Height | 2.70 m |
| Crew | 5 |
| Armor | 13-95 mm[1] |
Main armament | 43M 75 mm L/43 or L/46 or L/55[2] |
Secondary armament | 2× 8 mm Gebauer 34/40.M machine guns |
| Engine | Weiss Manfréd Z-V8H-4 260 hp (195 kW) |
| Power/weight | 12.5 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | leaf-spring bogie |
Operational range | 165 km |
| Maximum speed | 40-47 km/h[3] |
The 43M Turán III or 44M Turán III[4] was a Hungarian medium tank of World War II. It was based on the 41M Turán II medium tank, equipped with a significantly larger turret compared to its predecessors, and a long-barrelled 75 mm anti-tank gun.
Development
As the war progressed, the 41M Turán heavy medium tank also became obsolete quickly. To increase the firepower of the Turán tanks further more, the Zrínyi assault guns armed with a long 75 or short 105 mm cannon, a widely regarded successfull design was developed on the chassis. The other attempt was redesigning the turret as a whole, and mounting the 43M 7.5 cm tank gun (the same used on the 44M Zrínyi I).[5]
Two 43M 75 mm tank guns were manufactured, these were built into what later became called the Turán III and into the Zrínyi I.[6] This gun shouldn't be confused with the German PaK 40s tank gun version, the 7.5 cm KwK. The Hungarian 43M wasn't a license-built version of the German KwK 40, but it was developed from the blueprints of the 7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone, and then converted into a tank gun.[7]
The armor of the vehicle was also reinforced to around 75-95 mm on the front of the turret and the hull, which further increased the weight and slowed the vehicle down even more.[4][6][8]
Production
The vehicle was produced as a prototype and one fully functioning vehicle for the trials. The Turán III with the actual turret was finished in February 1944. Ground and shooting test were done after it. However, no more 43M Turáns (Turán III or Turán 75 long) were constructed because of the lack of materials and the fact that after the Occupation of Hungary in March 1944, Germany did not allow further tank and gun productions, and restricted the Hungarian industry to only spare part manufacturing level. However, this was circumvented most likely in the case of the Tas 44M Tas's development.[7]
Variants
Turán
- 40M Turán I (Turán 40): First variant, developed from the T-21, equipped with a 40 mm gun
- 41M Turán II (Turán 75 Short): Second variant, based on the Turán 40, equipped with a 75 mm howitzer and even larger turret
- 43M Turán III (Turán 75 Long): Last variant, based on a reinforced Turán II chassis, equipped with a long barrelled 75 mm gun similar to the PaK 40
Zrínyi
- 43M Zrínyi II (Zrínyi 105): Assault howitzer variant, based on a widened and enlarged Turán II chassis with thickened frontal armor, armed with a 105 mm howitzer
- 44M Zrínyi I (Zrínyi 75): First Zrínyi, assault gun variant, developed in parallel with the Zrínyi II, also based on a widened Turán chassis with even thicker (100 mm) frontal armor, armed with the same long barrelled 75 mm gun as the Turán III
Service
After the successful trials, the variant was accepted for service designated as 43M Turán. It is not known if the Turán III fought in any battles because no data were found to prove or disprove it. The fate of the Turán III is unknown, as it wasn't seen after the battles.
See also
- Tanks of comparable role, performance, and era
- Panzer IV – German medium tank
- T-34-85 – Soviet medium tank
- P43 - Italian heavy tank
- M4 - American medium tank
Notes
- ^ Bonhardt-Sárhidai-Winkler (1993). A Magyar Királyi Honvédség fegyverzete. Budapest: Zrínyi Kiadó. p. 92. ISBN 9633271827.
- ^ "Tas Rohamlöveg in Detail | For the Record". Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ Bonhardt-Sárhidai-Winkler (1993). A Magyar Királyi Honvédség fegyverzete. Budapest: Zrínyi Kiadó. p. 92. ISBN 9633271827.
- ^ a b Poór, István (1980). Harckocsik és páncélozott járművek típuskönyve. Budapest: Zrínyi Kiadó. p. 160. ISBN 9633262836.
- ^ "40M/41M Turán". www.tanks-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ a b "Hungarian armor part 7 – Turán III | For the Record". Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ a b "Magyar Harckocsik a II. Világháborúban". War Thunder - Official Forum. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ Bonhardt-Sárhidai-Winkler (1993). A Magyar Királyi Honvédség fegyverzete. Budapest: Zrínyi Kiadó. p. 92. ISBN 9633271827.
References
- Axworthy, Mark (1995). Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 9781854092670.
- Bernad, Dénes & Kliment, Charles K. (2015). Magyar Warriors: The History of the Royal Hungarian Armed Forces, 1919–1945. Vol. 1. Solihull, UK: Helion. ISBN 978-1-906033-88-0.
- Csaba, Becze (2007). Magyar Steel: Hungarian Armour in WWII. Sandomierz, Poland: STRATUS for Mushroom Model Publications. ISBN 978-83-89450-29-6.
- Kliment, Charles K. & Francev, Vladimír (1997). Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles 1918-1948. Atlgen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-0141-1.
- Mujzer, Péter (2018). Operational History of the Hungarian Armoured Troops in World War II. Lublin, Poland: Kagero Publications. ISBN 978-83-66148-07-9.
Category:Tanks of Czechoslovakia
Category:Tanks of Hungary
Category:World War II medium tanks
Category:Military vehicles introduced in 1940–1944
References
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