40 M Turan I

Infobox Weapon
name=40 M Turan I


caption=
origin=flagicon|Hungary|1940 Kingdom of Hungary
type=Tank
is_vehicle=yes
length=5.55 m
width=2.44 m
height=2.39 m
weight=18.2 tonnes
suspension=leaf-spring bogie
speed=47 km/h
vehicle_range=165 km
primary_armament=40mm Škoda A17
secondary_armament=2×7.92mm
armour=50 mm
engine=gasoline Manfred Weiss-Z
engine_power=260 hp (195 kW)
pw_ratio=14 hp/tonne
crew=5

40 M Turan I was a Hungarian tank of World War II - a total of 424 were made in two variants: Turan I with a 40 mm gun and Turan II with a 75 mm gun. It was based on the design of the Czechoslovak Škoda T-21 medium tank prototype.

History

In December of 1937 the Škoda workshops prepared a prototype of a medium tank based on the earlier successful LT vz. 35 project. Two prototypes were started and designated S-IIc, but their construction was never finished. The tank weighted 16.5 tonne, was armed with a 47 mm Škoda A9 vz. 38 gun, two 7.92 mm machine guns and its maximum armour was extended to 30 mm. Finally, the S-IIc was to have a better 250 hp engine of 13.8 liters. Such a power plant allowed for the maximal speed to be increased to roughly 50 km/h.

After Germany annexed Czechoslovakia, the prototypes were finished under the new designation of T-21, which in turn was a predecessor of a new prototype named T-22. Two of the latter type were given in 1941 to Hungary. The Hungarian engineers further extended the front armour to 50 mm and replaced the 47 mm gun with a 40 mm Škoda A17. The overall weight was also increased to over 18 tonnes.

Turan variants

The Turan was produced in several versions. The Turan I was the original main battle tank type, which mounted the 40 mm gun.cite book |title=World War Two Tanks |last=Forty |first=George |year=1995 |publisher=Osprey |isbn=1855325322 |pages=pp.202-203] The gun, the standard Hungarian light anti-tank gun, could fire the same ammunition as the Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun. The gun was mounted in a riveted turret. A total of 285 tanks were produced between 1941 and 1944.

After the disastrous Stalingrad offensive, the army realized that they needed a more powerful weapon to counter the more effective Soviet tanks, especially the T-34. A variant was ordered which utilized a short 75 mm gun in an enlarged turret. Known as the 41M Turan II, this vehicle otherwise remained virtually unchanged from the original vehicle. Despite the improvement, the relatively low velocity of the projectile was unable to pierce the frontal armor of a T-34, except at point blank range. The T-34s main gun could penetrate the Turan's 50 mm of armor at a much greater distance. Hungarian manufacturers built a total of 139 vehicles in 1943 and 1944 before the German occupation of Hungary. Aside from tank production, the chassis was the basis for an assault gun. Called the Zrinyi II, this weapon mounted a 105 mm short gun which poked through the front plate of the hull, and lacked the all around traverse turret of the battle tanks. Only 60 examples of this useful weapon were produced. The only other vehicles known based on this chassis were the Turan III and the Zrinyi I, both of which used the German 75mm L43 tank gun (which armed some variants of the German Panzer IV medium tank). Both vehicles were produced as prototypes only, as the Hungarian Army were supplied with German armored vehicles.

The Turans in combat

The Turans were inducted into the 1st and 2nd Hungarian Armored Divisions, as well as the 1st Cavalry Division in 1943 and 1944. Both types would have perhaps performed well in 1940, but by this stage of the war were hopelessly outclassed by most allied armor. The vehicle's combat debut wasn't until April 1944 in Galicia with the 2nd Armored, during which that division lost a quarter of their tanks and failed to achieve their objectives, mostly due to the inadequacies of the Turans.

References