T-28

T-28

T-28 (1938)

T-28

T-28 (1938)

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.7	1.7	1.7

Class:

Medium tank

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

Show in game

Description

The T-28 is a rank I Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. An unorthodox medium tank with three turrets, it is quite mobile and armed with a 76 mm gun to defend itself against its contemporaries. It may look big, but the T-28 is surprisingly agile and the roomy inside will turn many small calibre APHE shells into hot-air.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Case homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	30 mm (22°) Driver's port 15 mm (65°) Front glacis 30 mm (23-25°) Lower glacis	20 mm Top 20 + 10 mm Bottom	15 mm (68°) Top 20 mm (6-37°) Bottom	15 mm
Main Turret	20 mm Turret front 20 mm (0-49°) Gun mantlet	20 mm (0-23°)	30 mm	15 mm
Secondary Turrets	22 mm	20 mm	20 mm	10 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	43	8	25.4	775	954	30.51	37.56
Realistic	39	8		442	500	17.4	19.69

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm L-10
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
69			-5°/+25°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	8.9	12.4	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	8.9	10.5	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
BR-350A	APHEBC	67	66	59	52	46	41
OF-350M	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
SH-354T	Shrapnel	34	33	30	24	20	10

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
BR-350A	APHEBC	555	6.3	0.15	10	150	+4°	48°	63°	71°
OF-350M	HE	560	6.2	0.05	0.1	621	+0°	79°	80°	81°
SH-354T	Shrapnel	560	6.2	0.5	8.0	85	+0°	62°	69°	73°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the T-28.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	11th rack empty	12th rack empty	13th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
69	64 (+5)	58 (+11)	52 (+17)	46 (+23)	41 (+28)	35 (+34)	31 (+38)	26 (+43)	21 (+48)	16 (+53)	13 (+56)	6 (+63)	1 (+68)	No

Turret empty: 46 (+23)

Machine guns

7.62 mm DT
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
2,646 (63)				600	N/A	N/A
Left turret mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
2,646 (63)				600	-5°/+28°	-155°/+5°
Right turret mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
2,646 (63)				600	-5°/+28°	-33°/+145°

Usage in the battles

The powerful, yet accurate gun, paired with thin armour and a large profile makes the T-28 look ideal for long-range encounters, yet its low penetration, slow shell velocity and no real gun depression to exploit terrain discourages this kind of gameplay. However, due to the crew/equipment spacing that helps soak damage and keep it fighting, its highly versatile and powerful main gun make this tank quite capable in close range encounters. Hit & run tactics work pretty well (if the "run" aspect of it is ever needed).

If against a larger or more powerful tank, the T-28 will often be forced to stay and fight, as the large profile of the tank makes it easy to hit while retreating. Use the gun's accuracy to an advantage. Aim for weak points like the driver's hatch or gunner's port. If unable to shoot against such a small target, attempt to cripple the tank's offensive armament to take some pressure off.

Avoid T-34s, especially the later modifications. Their APHE ammo is devastatingly explosive, especially against such a large easy-to-hit tank with no real armour like the T-28. One shot almost anywhere into the tank and that's the end. At the same time, the T-34's own armour is basically invulnerable to the T-28 shells, except when on their sides, where the 76 mm can penetrate the turret, and possibly the side hull armour (Only with AP ammo). Keep in mind that T-34s can turn both their hull and turret very fast, so if the first shot misses, there won't be another chance.

Light tanks that can flank around the side or back of the T-28 can prove catastrophic as well.

Modules

1. Parts - Mandatory first upgrade, then whatever else.
2. BR-350A Ammo! - Without it, the T-28 won't be able to defeat the armour of half the tanks it'll meet
3. Adjustment of Fire AND Fire Extinquisher - to improve accuracy, or have the ability to put out fires
4. Anything else, but upgrades that improve mobility are advised

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Fast and versatile for such a big medium tank
• The cannon is accurate and is able to do large amounts of damage on penetration
• Crew of six
• Machine gun turrets and complicated multi-layer side armour often absorb projectiles
• It has Shrapnel as standard ammunition, which is effective against light tanks and AA vehicles
• Total of 3 machine guns can make short work of any unarmoured AA vehicles

Cons:

• Large silhouette
• Generally thin armour
• Slow reload time
• Poor gun depression
• Bad penetration with all types of ammo

History

Development

Prerequisites set up in 1929 called for infantry support and breakthrough tank that are able to exploit breakthroughs and handle infantry fortifications. The development of this tank under Chief engineer S.Ginsburg may have been inspired by the British Vickers A1E1 Independent tank as the final design took some elements of it. The end result was a multi-turreted medium tank with a 76.2 mm L-10 main gun and two 7.62 mm machine gun turrets in front. The design was satisfactory that Stalin himself ordered a heavier variant of the tank that can suit the breakthrough role, which would be the T-35. The first multi-turreted was designated the T-28 and was considered revolutionary for the time as it was the first medium tank of its kind and would establish the concept of such tanks. The first prototype of the T-28 was created sometime in 1931, its design was considered revolutionary for the time as it was one of the first medium tanks in the world. Production of this tank began in the Kirov Factory in Leningrad sometime in 1932, and it was accepted into service on August 11, 1933. Though in service for eight years from 1933 to 1941, only 503 units were produced.

Design

The T-28 was relatively slow for its weight at 28 tons, but as an infantry tank, this disadvantage was mitigated by its role and its heavier armour. The front two turrets with machine guns are installed in front of the main turret, which was considerably higher. The main turret was a shared feature from the T-35 in order to standardize parts in production. The tank was initially to be armed with a 45 mm gun like the BT and T-26 light tanks, but the larger 76.2 mm howitzer was chosen instead for added explosive power. The turret had a turret basket and a rear-facing machine gun. A later upgrade had a commander's cupola added onto the turret plus the capability to mount another machine gun on top for anti-aircraft purposes. The tank had a crew of six (driver, two machine gunners, loader, gunner, commander) and ran on a V12 M17 air-cooled engine that can deliver 500 horsepower. Though providing enough power to propel the T-28 at a speed of about 37 km/h (22 mph), the gasoline fuel it used was flammable and rare in Soviet usage. The armour on the tank was 30 mm maximum on the front and side glacis, which was sufficient enough to stop most anti-tank armament at the time. The suspension on the tank was a bogie system with plunger springs and usually has a 20 mm thick side skirt protecting the sides. Transmission and engine compartment is at the very rear under a canopy for easy access. At its introduction in 1933, the T-28 was one of the most effective tanks in the world and had a few innovations. Other countries only had WWI-era Renaults and the Germans had no tanks of their own at its development. The T-28 was also the first to have radios and anti-aircraft gun mounts.

Combat usage

The standard organization of the T-28 tanks in 1939 was 136 T-28s and 47 BT-7 in one heavy armoured brigade. The T-28s were first deployed on the eastern borders during the border clashes with Japan in 1939. The first large scale action was in September 1939 when the Soviet Union invades Poland with its front line fleet of T-28s. Though the Polish tanks and anti-tank guns were able to take out a few T-28s, it is not known how many were lost. The next conflict the T-28 served in was the Winter War against Finland. These tanks were used against Finnish fortifications, but the conflict also showed the inadequate armour on the T-28, where Finnish anti-tank guns were able to reliably penetrate the tanks. Though over 200 T-28s were knocked out in the conflict, only 20 were totally lost due to the system of armour recovery and repairs the Soviet had and the conflict's close proximity to the Kirov Factory, some tanks were repaired more than five times and sent back to the front. The Finnish were able to capture seven of these (two in the Winter War, 5 in Continuation War)and used them against their users. The Finnish came about to nicknaming them Postivaunu ("mail coach") after an incident where a T-28 commander was captured carrying the salary and mail for the 91st Tank Battalion and Kivitalo ("stone building") for its large size. The heavy weight of the tank caused the Finnish to be unable to tow some of the knocked out T-28s for capture, so those unable to be recovered were stripped of their equipment.

After Finland, the T-28's inadequate armour was showcased to the Soviets and an attempt at up-armouring the design was made in 1940 with the welding of additional armour plating to increase the 30 mm armour to 80 mm of armour in thickness. This increase in armour made the tank now weigh 32 tons. This up armouring of the tank was designated the T-28E.

During the German invasion in Operation Barbarossa in mid-1941, the Soviets had about 411 T-28s in their inventory. Many were lost not due to battle, but actually from mechanical breakdowns due to lack of spare parts and low maintenance, causing them to be abandoned by the crew. The Germans were able to capture at least two of these tanks and may have used these against the Soviets as the T-28 746(r). The T-28s that were not lost during the first few months of Operation Barbarossa took part in winter defence of Leningrad and Moscow. Though still in inventory, by 1942 they were rare in Soviet service and declared obsolete as better tanks like the T-34 was taking over its role and is more heavily gunned, more armoured, and faster. The tanks still in one piece were dismantled for spare parts or sent to training facilities.

In-game description

The T-28 was put into service in the Red Army in August 1933 and produced by the Leningrad Kirovsk factory right up until 1940. Over 550 of them were built in total.

A main feature of the tank was its three armed rotating turrets. The main turret in the middle of the tank was equipped with a 76.2 mm KT-28 cannon and two DT machine guns. The turret could turn 360° and was equipped with electric drive. Two smaller turrets armed with machine guns were located in front of the main turret. Each of these turrets could fire across a 220° arc. Starting from 1938, the tank began to be equipped with a 76 mm L-10 cannon.

Combat experience with the tank in the war with Finland led to its armour being strengthened by laying additional armour plates on its base armour and to manufacturing the vehicle with conical turrets, providing better protection against the enemy's weapons. Some late production vehicles were equipped with a DT anti-aircraft machine gun.

In spite of its relatively large mass at 27.8 tonnes, the tank had good mobility due to its reduced ground pressure. Its small-diameter road wheels were covered by add-on armour plates.

With all its primary combat characteristics put together, the T-28 was the strongest medium tank in the world in the 1930s. At the beginning of its production, it had practically no equal among mass-produced tanks. At the same time, the tank was a very complex vehicle with an outdated armament layout. It had serious flaws in its engine and transmission system. The undercarriage wore out rapidly: the springs snapped, parts of the suspension failed, and the hub drive cogs broke.

Vehicles of this type were used in combat operations at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The tanks were used in separate battle units on the Leningrad front until 1943. A Finnish tank brigade captured and operated 7 of these tanks right up until 1945.

Media

The Shooting Range #145 - Pages of History section at 05:00 recounts the exploits of a lone T-28 in Minsk.

Read also

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Sources

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