History, Development, and Use
of the T-28 Medium Tank 

This section will cover the history, development, and use of the T-28 medium tank. In this section you will find where the massive vehicle has been used, when it was designed, its limitations and abilities, and how the it functions.

 

Brief Operational History

The T-28 tank was another Soviet vehicle that resulted from their study of British tank design in the 1920's.  It was to be an infantry support tank that would break through the enemy line and suppress machine gun positions.  It was felt that such a vehicle would have to be heavily armed with multiple weapons in many turrets.  This idea was borrowed from the Vickers 'Independent' heavy tank that was experimented with in Britain at the time.

The Soviets issued the first specifications for a multi-turreted tank in 1931 to the Kirov factory.  The project  was to be headed by S. A. Ginsburg.  The tank was to have three turrets and weigh 16 tons.  It would be operated by a crew of five to six men.  A powerful 500 horsepower engine based on a BMW design was to give the tank a speed of at least 37mph. Its armament would consist of a single 45mm gun and three machine guns (two in their own individual turrets).  The first prototype was delivered in 1932 and subjected to trials.  By the time the trials ended the armor of the tank was to be increased, and its main gun was to be replaced by a 76.2mm main gun.

When series production began in February 1933 the tank incorporated a number of advanced features.  They all were equipped with a two-way radio with the characteristic frame antenna around the main turret.  Smoke dischargers were also fitted, but the most interesting development was the gun stabilization system (designed by A.A. Prokofiev) that improved shooting while on the move.  They were seen by the world during the May Day parade in Moscow that year.

During the 1930's the tank also served as the basis for a number of experimental vehicles.  The first of these was a wheeled/track variant known as the T-29.  It was made in 1934 at the Kirov Factory by a designer named Koshkin who would later create the T-34.  It was an attempt to give the tank mobility like the BT-5.  

Another model was fitted with the 85mm F-39 anti-tank gun.  By 1937 special deep fording variants were tested.  The following year saw the testing of a bridgelaying version called the IT-28.  In June 1939 a mine clearing tank with a two ton mine roller was tested.  It could clear a ten kilometer path in an hour.  There were even two self propelled gun versions planned with 152mm (for fire support) and 76mm guns (for anti-aircraft use).

T-28 Production History
Year Number
1933 41
1934 50
1935 32
1936 101
1937 39
1938 96
1939 131
1940 13
Production Total: 503

None of these experimental vehicles would see series production.  The only development that would affect production model tanks occurred in 1938 when the main gun was replaced by the new 76.2mm L-10 cannon.  These tanks were known as the T-28B and were manufactured until 1940.

The T-28 was first used in combat against the Japanese during the Khalkin Gol campaign.  In those battles the tank performed well, if only because the Japanese had few effective weapons to use against it.  The tanks would again see action during the Winter War against Finland.  It was during this campaign that the tank's many faults became apparent.  The tank's armor was revealed to be vulnerable to the anti-tank guns used by the Finns.  The tank's low speed also made it an easy target for those same gunners.  They were also very vulnerable to land mines.   Some attempts at developing mine-rollers were undertaken during the war, but they were unsuccessful.  

In an attempt to improve the tank's armor, the T-28's were given 30mm of additional armor to the turret and front hull plates.  Armor on the sides and rear of the tank were increased to 40mm.  These models were known as T-28M or T-28E tanks (the E meaning ekanirovki or 'screened').  The weight of the tank rose to 31.1 tons, but its already low speed was not impaired.  The up-armored tanks proved their worth in 1940 when they broke through the Mannerheim Line in Finland.  Production of the T-28 ended in 1940.  From that point the number of tanks in Red Army service began a slow decline.  Numbers went from 443 in September 1940 to 411 at the time of the German invasion.

The T-28 fared badly during the opening days of the Great Patriotic War.  Most of the tanks were destroyed by late 1941.  Many of these were lost due to German anti-tank crews and dive bombers, but some were lost due to mechanical breakdowns.  They became favorite objects of German soldiers who photographed many of them on their way eastward.  By 1942 the surviving tanks were used as armored artillery tractors.

   

Tactical Use and Limitations

Originally the T-28 medium tank was designed as an infantry support tank.  It was envisioned that the tank would advance with the infantry and use its machine guns to provide cover for them.  Its main gun would be used against bunkers and machine gun emplacements that the infantry encountered along the way.

The T-28 tank was one of two multi-turreted tanks to enter series production.  The multi-turret design enabled the tank to to bring a tremendous amount of firepower to bear on its targets as it moved across the battlefield.  Another advantage the tank possessed was a radio.  This gave the tanks greater tactical flexibility in combat.

The tank suffered from a number of significant limitations.  Perhaps the most serious was its thin armor.  The armor gave protection from enemy machine guns and shell fragments, but provided little defense against enemy anti-tank guns.  It was against these weapons that its size and slow speed proved to be fatal disadvantages.  Anti-tank gunners had little difficulty hitting the lumbering machines.  It was also discovered that the T-28 tank commander also had difficulty coordinating the actions of the multiple turrets.

 

Deployment Chronology

The T-28 was another of the multi-turreted tanks used by the Soviet army, as such it has a unique place in tank history.  Here you can see what vehicles the T-28 medium tank  replaced and what armored vehicle eventually replaced it.  You will be able to find more about each vehicle if we have them on our site by clicking on the links below.

The T-28 replaced... T-28 Medium Tank The T-28 was replaced by...
Nothing.  It was the first of the heavy fire support tanks. KV-2 Heavy Tank

 

Sources Cited

There seems to be no end of books detailing the history and development of Soviet armor.  Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you.  We hope you can find them as useful as we have.