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TG-1

1931 X-TANK

History

Due to a lack of expertise in designing and developing modern main battle tanks, the Soviet Union brought in German engineer Eduard Grote to address their modernization needs in the 1930s. This partnership resulted in several experimental designs, of which the TG-1 medium tank was just one of the results. The tank had several interesting features at the time, but was ultimately deemed too expensive for mass production when other cheaper alternatives were available to the Soviet Army.

Therefore, TG-1 existed only as an experimental entry in Soviet armament science.

With the opening of the Bolshevik factory in Leningrad in 1930, the 25-ton fuel tank had a welded plate construction instead of a riveted construction, with a frontal thickness of 50 mm for maximum protection. A hydropneumatic system was installed to assist steering, and power came from an as yet undeveloped 300 hp petrol engine.

Dimensions include a length of 6.5 meters, a width of 2.8 meters and a height of 3 meters. The crew will be in third place.

The TG-1 did not have a conventional turret mounted above the hull, but instead had a fixed turret with a small, independently operated turret on top. The turret is mounted as part of the hull at the center of the design, where the main armament is located, consisting of a 76.2mm PS 3 cannon.

It is spanned by a 7.62mm DT machine gun (on each side) and a 7.62mm DT machine gun mount on each turret side and rear (five DT machine guns in total). The small turret on the turret houses a 37mm PS 2 gun and the commander's cupola above the turret extends the height of the vehicle.

All of this gives the tank considerable firepower and, to some extent, situational awareness compared to its contemporaries.

Pilot form was completed in June 1931, but the expected 300 hp engine was not yet available, so an M-6 8-cylinder gasoline model was used instead. In testing, the overall design proved solid despite issues with the powertrain, fighting compartment (the three crew members had to do a lot between them) and the suspension system. The vehicle has been tested at speeds of up to 35 km/h on roads within a range of 500 km.

Like the BT series tanks, the TG-1 can drive on its wheels without leaving any marks, which increases the range to 700 kilometers on prepared roads. The tank can ford water up to a depth of 1.2 meters.

The Soviet authorities had enough confidence in tanks to plan a fleet of 2,000 men. This situation was quickly reversed when about 25 BT-2 fast tanks were sold for the price of a single TG-1 - ending the TG-1 project.