T28 Super Heavy Tank

For other uses, see T28 or T95 (disambiguation)

T28/T95 GMC Type Super-heavy tank Place of origin United States Production history Manufacturer Pacific Car and Foundry Number built 2 Specifications Weight 95 short tons (86.2 metric tons) Length 36 ft 6 in (11.1 m) Width 14 ft 11 in (4.39 m) Height 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) Crew 3/4[1][2] Caliber 105 mm Elevation 19.5° to -5° Traverse 10° right, 11° left Maximum range 12 mi (19 km) Armor 12 in (300 mm) Primary armament 105 mm T5E1 gun, with 62 rounds Secondary armament .50-cal machine gun, with 660 rounds Engine Ford GAF V-8 gasoline 500 hp (372 kW)[1] Power/weight 5.8 hp/tonne Suspension double track Operational range 100 mi (160 km) Speed 12 mph (19.3 km/h)[2] Cold War tanks List · Category MBTs AMX-30 · AMX 40 · AMX 50 · Centurion · Challenger 1 · Chieftain · Ch'ŏnma-ho · EE-T1 Osório · K1 88 · Leopard 1 · Leopard 2 · M1 Abrams · M60 Patton · M-84 · Magach · MBT-70 · Merkava · OF-40 · Stridsvagn 103 · T-54/55 · T-62 · T-64 · T-72 · T-80 · TAM · TR-85 · Type 59 · Type 61 · Type 69/79 · Type 74 · Type 88 · Vijayanta Light AMX-13 · M41 Walker Bulldog · M551 Sheridan · PT-76 · Scorpion · SK-105 Kürassier · Stingray · T92 Light Tank · Type 62 Medium M46 Patton · M47 Patton · M48 Patton · M60 Patton · T-44 Heavy Conqueror · IS-3 · M103 · T-10 History · WWI · Interwar · WWII · Cold War · Tank

The T28 super heavy tank (also called 105 mm Gun Motor Carriage T95) was a prototype heavily armored self-propelled gun designed for the US Army during World War II. It was originally designed to be used to break through German defenses at the Siegfried Line, and was later considered as a possible participant in an invasion of the Japanese mainland. Although sometimes referred to as a super-heavy tank the T28 was re-designated as the 105 mm Gun Motor Carriage T95 in 1945 and then renamed a super heavy tank in 1946.^[3]

History

The T28 was designed as a counter to the German heavy tanks,^[2] such as the Maus^[4] It was also set to be used for attacking the German Siegfried Line.^[3]

It was first conceived in the spring of 1945, too late to be used in World War II. The original name for the project was to be T28. The Pacific Car and Foundry Company designed it for the final push in Europe, but by the time the first tank was completed and ready for combat, the war was over.^[1] The original plans called for five prototype vehicles to be built, and eventually for a total of twenty-five tanks to be constructed.^[3]

Renaming and cancellation

Because this vehicle did not have a turret, the T28 more closely resembled a self-propelled gun and was redesignated as the T95 Gun Motor Carriage in 1945, but in June 1946, the vehicle was, again, redesignated Super Heavy Tank T28.^[3] It has been argued that it was neither a super-heavy tank nor a self-propelled gun, but that it was in fact a very heavy tank destroyer intended for German heavy tanks.^[2]

Two prototypes of the T28 were built. They underwent evaluation at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds and the Fort Knox facilities until 1947. In 1947 one of the T28s was heavily damaged by an engine fire during trials at Yuma Proving Grounds and scrapped, and the other T28 was reported broken up and also sold for scrap. The T28 never went into service. This was because during the later stages of T28 development and evaluation were overtaken by that of the T29 and T30.^[3] The T29 mounted the same gun in a conventional rotating turret. The T30 was developed with a larger-caliber gun and more powerful engine. Because of this the T28 program was terminated in October 1947.^[3]

Surviving vehicle

In 1974 the last prototype was discovered abandoned in a back field at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It is unknown where it spent the intervening 27 years. It is the sole remaining example of these tanks and was exhibited at the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor in Kentucky.^[1][5] It is currently being prepared for shipment to its new home at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Design

Front three-quarter view of the T28 at the Patton Museum

The T28 was designed and manufactured by Pacific Car and Foundry.^[3] The mechanical superstructure was taken from a T23.^[2] The original plan was to build five prototype vehicles, with a production total of 25. Its total weight when fully equipped would have reached 95 short tons (86 tonnes).^[1] To carry this weight, it used four tracks instead of two, each 12.9 inches (328 mm) wide.^[3] The outer tracks could be detached for easier transport.^[1] After removal they could be fixed together to make a unit that could be towed behind the tank. Due to its extreme weight and low engine power, the T28 had extremely limited obstacle-crossing ability and could not cross any of the portable bridges available at the time, and so was considered impractical in the field and not suitable for production.

Turret and armament

Side view

The T28 had no conventional turret, with a casemate style hull instead, giving it a comparatively low profile. Its main armament was a 105 mm T5E1 gun, in a ball-shaped gun mantlet set into the hull front.^[1] Although it was technically a part of a gun mantlet it was really attached to the hull.^[2] Due to this it was not a true tank at all, but a "Gun Motor Carriage".^[2] The traverse was limited to 10° right and 11° left, and elevation from 19.5° to -5°. When traveling, the gun was locked at the maximum elevation.^[3] It also had an M2 Browning .50-caliber machine gun mounted above the commander's hatch.^[1] The main gun had a muzzle velocity of 3,700 feet per second (1,130 m/s), with a range of up to 12 miles (19 km).^[1]

Armor and engine

The armor was very thick compared to other tanks of the time, up to 12 inches (300 mm) thick on the front. This was considered heavy enough to provide protection from the 8.8cm/L71 cannon used by German heavy tanks.^[3] The lower hull front had 5.25 in (130 mm) of armor, and the sides 2.5 in (64 mm). The suspension system and lower hull were covered with 4-in (100 mm) thick steel skirts.^[3] The engine was a gasoline-powered Ford GAF V-8, delivering 500 hp,^[1] which gave the underpowered vehicle a top speed of about 8 mph (13 km/h) and greatly limited its obstacle-climbing capability.^[3]

Comparisons

Already mentioned are comparable German tank projects of World War II, the Maus and E-100.

The British A39 Tortoise was another super-heavy assault gun which had a similar history—six of the 78-tonne giants were built at the end of World War II (following in the wake of the aborted 80-tonne TOG1 and TOG2).

Earlier large projects which were never put into service include the unbuilt British Flying Elephant of 1916, projected to weight about 100 tonnes, the 120-tonne German K-Wagen of 1917–18, and the 69-tonne French Char 2C of 1921.

Comparison to the alternatives

Comparison with other countries' designs

See also

• List of U.S. military vehicles by model number
• Tank classification

Notes

References

External links

• http://www.peachmountain.com/5star/Tanks_Patton_Tanks_T28_tank.aspx
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAKeIbSMzSw film clip
• http://armorfortheages.com/Museum/T28/T28MainPage.htm