1941 Soviet T-28 Medium Tank

July 1941. The Soviet T-28 was among the world's first medium tanks. The prototype was completed in 1931 and production began in late 1932. It was an infantry-support tank intended to break through fortified defences. The T-28 was designed to complement the heavier T-35, with which it shared many components.
The T-28 was in many ways similar to the British Vickers A1E1 Independent tank. This tank greatly influenced tank design in the period between the wars, although only one prototype was manufactured in 1926. The Kirov Factory in Leningrad began manufacturing a tank, which was based on the British Independent in 1932. The T-28 tank was officially approved on August 11, 1933. The T-28 had one large turret with a 76.2mm gun and two smaller turrets with 7.62mm machine guns. A total of 503 T-28 tanks were manufactured over a period of 8 years from 1933 to 1941.
The T-28 was deployed during the Invasion of Poland and the Winter War against Finland. During the initial stages of the Winter War, the tank was used in direct fire missions against Finnish pillboxes. In the course of these operations it was found that the armour was inadequate and programs were initiated to upgrade it. Frontal plates were upgraded from 50 mm to 80 mm and side and rear plates to 40 mm thickness. With this up-armoured version the Red Army broke through the main Finnish defensive fortification, the vaunted Mannerheim Line.
The Finns knew the T-28 as the Postivaunu ("mail wagon" or stagecoach), a name which alluded to Finnish troops' discovery of Red Army field mail sacks inside the first destroyed T-28. Another explanation is that the high profile of the tank resembled the old west stagecoaches of the United States. Finns captured two T-28s during the Winter War and five in Continuation War, totalling 7 vehicles.
The T-28 had significant flaws. The plunger-spring type suspension was poor, but many of the better suspension designs used in World War II tanks had not yet been developed. The engine and transmission were troublesome. Worst of all, the design was not flexible. Although the T-28 and early PzKpfw IV were comparable in armour and firepower, the good basic design of the PzKpfw-IV allowed it to be significantly upgraded, while the T-28 was a poor basis for improvement.
This film shows one of the seven Finnish-operated T-28s.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• T-28
• Soviet
• Medium
• Tank
• Finnish
• Army
• Continuation
• War
• Karelia
• USSR
• Armour

[IconOfSin88]

I start to watch a clip about a Soviet tank, and the first thing I see is said tank rolling with Finnish swastikas. I lol'd, we were quite the thieves, weren't we?

[skoblinI]

@IconOfSin88 If I remember correctly, you guys still have not returned this tank to the Russians ;)

[olivenstein]

Excellent! Are the Finns also wearing captured Russian tank leather helmet/headgear?

[skoblinI]

@olivenstein - not sure, but would not be surprised about that, laurent. I am hunting through to see if I have any film of captured T-26 tanks in Finnish service as well.

[BigFatBoy911]

@weshy38 I know, I know....

[weshy38]

@BigFatBoy911 it is a tank captured

[BigFatBoy911]

Soviet tank with Nazi logo ?

[Engeltown]

You all better ask how russ 'lost' their tank in Finland that time.

[me109g2mersu]

第一次ソ連-フィンランド戦争（冬戦争）で、フィンランド軍が捕­獲したＴ２８戦車ですね。

フィンランド軍はＴ２８を愛用しています。

[darnjack0roll]

@ralfis1234 its not stealing if its in the midllee of the war,its just simply killing the tanks owner and taking the tank as your property

[IconOfSin88]

@skoblinI "Uuuhh.. WHAT TANK WE DON'T HAVE NO TANK!"

We have four of those preserved, Moscow has one. Hey, as long as they're getting the love and care they deserve and someone preserves these magnificent devices, it's all good.

[ralfis1234]

Those finns... Always stealing soviet tanks...