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 field conditions – it actually took several crew members to do. Two men had to lower the third into the engine deck to actually install the new part. Another example of winter problems is that there were reports of crew members suffering from frostbite. This was because there was no heating system fitted on the tank. As well as this, the driver was meant to be protected from the elements with a removable tarpaulin with a fitted glass window, but it was impractical to put up and operate with.
Also, there were some issues with gearboxes and transmission in early models. Sometimes, the when the driver was changing gear, two gears could engage at the same time, which therefore broke a gear pinion – effectively disabling the gearbox. This problem was later fixed during modernization in 1961 by mounting a T-54 gearbox instead. This tank was designated the T-44M. During this modernization, which lasted until 1966, there were other aforementioned modifications.
|Dimensions (L-w-h)||6.07 x 3.25 x 2.45 m (19.9 x 10.7 x 8 ft)|
|Total weight, battle ready||31 tonnes|
|Propulsion||V-44, 12 cyl, 38l diesel, 520 hp|
|Speed (road)||53 km/h (33 mph)|
|Range||350 km (217 miles)|
|Armament||85 mm (3.35 in) ZiS-S-53|
2 x DTM 7.62 mm (0.3 in) machine-guns
|Armor||Up to 120 mm (4.7 in)|
“Russian Tanks of World War II”, by Tim Bean and Will Fowler. Photographs and illustrations: Wikipedia.
A “what if” operational T-44 in September 1944. In fact, this relatively secret tank never saw action in WW2.
T-44 of an unidentified unit in training, 1945. Notice the full spider roadwheels.
T-44 with dished roadwheels in winter exercises after the war.
The T-44/100 prototype (February 1945). It was manufactured to carry the new gun because the T-34 transmission could not endure the recoil.
The T-54-1 model 1948, first of the T-54 series and still significantly influenced by the T-44.