T-34/85 Details Part 2

Part 2 of our T-34/85 coverage deals with several vehicles on display at the Patton Museum in Fort Knox and the US Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen, Maryland. All of these tanks were, I believe, captured by US forces during the Korean conflict. The T-34/85 shown above is on display inside the Patton Museum. It is a Model 1945 with the "composite" turret, restored in Soviet Second World War markings.

The standard headlight mount can be seen in this closeup, which also shows the horn mounted immediately outboard of the headlight. Some interesting textures are visible, including a prominent weld seam between the front and side hull plates, and the very rough cast texture of the turret.

I'm sure somebody can tell me otherwise, but I believe this piece of stowage is attached to the track links and used in track repairs.

A wide variety of textures are apparent on the front of this T-34/85. The smoothness of the angular sheet metal fenders contrast sharply with the rough casting of the bow machine gun mount and the very rough machining on the tow shackle. Between the tow shackle and the fender are shackles for tow cables.

The air intake grilles on the side of the hull are hinged; this interesting photograph shows what's inside. These details would probably be visible on most models. The construction of the grilles (rods run through flat metal pieces) can also be discerned.

Although a little the worse for wear, details of the T-34/85's running gear can be seen here. This tank has the spoked wheels, and they show evidence of battle damage. Note that a track guide tooth can be seen through one of the holes in the forward wheel.

Our final shots are of the rear of two different T-34/85s at Aberdeen Proving Ground; both were captured by US forces in Korea in 1950. This vehicle is a T-34/85 Model 1944, fitted with the "flattened" turret. Aside from external fuel tanks on the hull side, this tank also has MDSh smoke canisters on the hull rear.

This tank does not have the smoke canisters fitted, thus allowing us to see the mounting brackets and the electrical conduits leading to the smoke canisters. At the bottom, the remnants of a US towing bracket, used to recover this tank, can be seen attached to the right-hand towing shackle. Note the different fittings on the transmission access hatch in the centre of the hull rear plate.