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US Super-Heavy Tank T28

There are not many armored fighting vehicles (prototypes) as recognizable as the T28 super heavy tank in the US military, but in the famous game "World of Tanks", it is classified as a tank destroyer, that is, the TD line, and it performed quite well in the early level 8 rooms.

The T28 super-heavy tank was originally designed to break through the West Wall of Nazi Germany, also known as the Siegfried Line, and was later planned to be used in combat in Japan. After the end of World War II, the US military only built two prototypes in 1945. It was the heaviest armored fighting vehicle built for the US Army at the time.

On December 22, 1943, a closed-door meeting was held by Major General Gladeon Marcus Barnes, Brigadier General Lucius Dubignon Clay and six senior representatives of the Special Subcommittee on Automotive Equipment to discuss the design, production and naming of the new tank. This was not a standard procedure for the United States. At that time, most, if not all, of the US military's armored vehicles were handled by the Ordnance Technical Committee. At this meeting, the new tank was named the "T28 Heavy Tank". Since the project had already been discussed and modified many times, there was no room for expansion in the design. However, although technicians tried to use existing parts as much as possible in the design of the T28 Heavy Tank, it still had some unusual design features.

On April 26, 1944, the U.S. Army's ASF (Army Service Forces) Command authorized the production of five T28 heavy tank prototypes. By July of that year, the research and development of the T28 heavy tank was still continuing, and its heavy armor and 105mm gun made its weight reach 86.2 tons.

Subsequently, Major General Barnes and the Ordnance Bureau began to struggle to find a company that was willing and able to build five prototypes. Initially, Major General Barnes found the Baldwin Locomotive Works (sometimes translated as Baldwin), located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1925 and closed in 1972. But at that time, the Baldwin Locomotive Works had a lot of orders on hand and the schedule was too tight to meet the heavy and complex task of producing heavy tanks like the T28. Major General Barnes terminated the contract with General Electric, which also could not accept the contract. On July 18, 1944, Barnes and the Ordnance Bureau finally decided to have PACCAR in Seattle, Washington build the five prototypes.

Paccar is the largest truck manufacturer in the United States. It ranks second in the world (not at that time) after Daimler in global truck manufacturing. It is now a multinational technology company with a subsidiary or representative office in Qingdao, China. However, Paccar cannot process the huge front body castings of the T28, and these jobs were subsequently entrusted to General Steel Casting Company, which means that the production time of this type of tank has to be extended.

Although the T28 heavy tank is called T28, it has almost nothing in common with other heavy tanks at the time, and it doesn't even look like one. Although it also has thick armor and a powerful main gun, according to the US military's tank theory, the T28 does not have a rotating turret or a built-in machine gun, so it cannot be considered a heavy tank.

On February 7, 1945, Levin Campell of the Ordnance Bureau first proposed to rename the T28 heavy tank to a heavy tank destroyer. This decision was not a temporary one, because as early as October 1944, in official documents, the T28 was standardized as a 105mm motorized gun vehicle T28, which means that the T28 was hovering between heavy tanks and tank destroyers for a while, and this temporary name was used during this period.

On March 8, 1945, the vehicle formally submitted a request to the Ordnance Bureau for a renaming. On April 5, 1945, the Ordnance Bureau Committee approved the request in documents No. 26898 and No. 27219, respectively, but the T28 only changed its front name to 105mm Motorized Gun Vehicle T95. As usual, the technical characteristics of the T95 were also adjusted accordingly to reflect the change in model.

T95 wooden model made in May 1945

On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered, World War II officially ended, and the US military no longer needed any super-heavy breakthrough vehicles to break through fortifications. Therefore, the Ordnance Bureau adjusted the production of T95 prototypes from 5 to 2.

In December 1945, Paccar completed the first T95 prototype, and after some preliminary tests in-house, it was shipped to the famous Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland on December 21. The second T95 prototype was completed shortly afterwards and shipped on January 10, 1946. The two prototypes arrived on January 15 and February 17, respectively. At that time, it was planned to keep one at the proving ground for technical testing, and the other was sent to Fort Nosk, Kentucky for demonstration and technical testing. The prefix "40" at the beginning of the U.S. Army registration number applies to tracked and half-tracked vehicles (except tanks), so the registration numbers of the T95 No. 1 and No. 2 prototypes are 40226809 and 40226810 respectively.

A front view of the T95 prototype at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds on January 23, 1946. The main gun's recoil brake has not yet been installed.

Rear view, note the thickness of the side skirt armor, but it's not easy to wear in a level 9 room.

Three-quarter view of the T95 No. 1 vehicle at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. Note the number on the side skirt armor. Never mind. I'll enlarge it for you.

Top view of the T95. The driver's hatch is located on the left front of the vehicle, and the vehicle command tower is located on the right rear.