ide armor being upped to 75 mm (2.95 in). Despite this, it only weighed 31.8 tonnes. It passed the trials at the NIBT training grounds near Kubinka in June and July of 1944. Also, it did not feature a hull radio operator / machine gunner position, because the Red Army deemed it practically worthless – it was a weak point and firing the machine gun was ineffective due to obscured vision of targets. The radio operator duty was given to the commander, as having another crew member was simply inefficient.
The second T-44 prototype.
This was now designated the T-44A, after the Morozov Design Bureau had moved back to their original location of Kharkiv. It had a new V-44 12-cylinder 4-stroke diesel engine, producing 520 hp and gave the tank a top speed of 60 km/h (37 mph). Also, the driver’s hatch was moved onto the roof of the hull and the vision flap was replaced by a vision slot in the glacis plate. After some more trials in August and September 1944, it received a few minor upgrades which made it weight 32 tonnes. It was officially taken into service on the 23rd of November, 1944, but was never fielded during WWII.
There were attempts to mount a 100 mm (3.94 in) gun on the T-44. In 1944, the Red Army had several potential guns of this caliber to mount, the D-10 (as used on the SU-100) and two prototype guns – the LB-1 and ZiS-100. Two prototypes of this vehicles were made, and were designated T-44B. Like the two T-44-85 prototypes, one had a splashboard and the other did not. Testing was conducted from October 1944 to February 1945, with further trials in March and April. The T-44/100 would later be accepted into service as the T-54.
Most T-44 variants came about as a result of a modernization that took place in the early 1960s.
The T-44M was given parts from the new T-54 tank, such as a new gearbox, improved radio, space for three extra shells, night vision and infra-red sights, increased fuel capacity by 150 liters, and additional minor changes, in 1961.
The T-44MK was a command version of the T-44M. It was given a much more powerful radio set and, as a result, ammo stowage was decreased by 15 shells.
Some T-44As and T-44Ms were given the cyclone gun stabilizer and were designated the T-44S and T-44MS respectively in 1966.
A few T-44Ms were converted into BTS-4A armored recovery vehicles in 1965. These tanks had no turrets and were instead given a stowage basket, crane, and hoist.
The T-44 did not serve in WWII, despite being issued to three tank brigades for training in September 1944. The army could not take the new tank into combat because of the lack of spare parts, the time taken to retrain crews, and the lack of specialist engineers who could keep the tanks running. However, some tanks were stationed in the Far East during the final few days of fighting, leading to 600 T-44s being stationed on that particular front.
Throughout the Cold War, the T-44 was a very secret tank and was, therefore, never shown on military parades. Subsequently, there are supposedly no photos of East German T-44s, even though they were known to exist. It is known that T-44s were used in the Hungarian Uprising, 1956, and some photographs exist, although there is skepticism of their authenticity. These T-44s were used like other tanks that were sent into Hungary, such as the IS-3, ISU-152, and PT-76, as checkpoints and patrols.
Some T-44s were also in service with the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (the Soviet occupying force).
Many T-44s and variants were converted into fixed emplacements along the border with the People’s Republic of China as a result of the vehicle being replaced by the T-54/55, and T-62, as well as the general stagnation of Sino-Soviet relations in the 1960s, meaning there was potential for war to break out.
The T-44 was not always best suited to Russian winters. There would sometimes be an incomplete draining of the cooling system as a result of the water pump system not being adapted to the reduced engine height. A shaft would break after the impeller pump froze and the repair of this was considered laborious in fiel