Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Compare the T34-85, part three

IWM Duxford has a Land Warfare hall. It is cramped and dark so photography is difficult. It is also worth noting that all is not as it would appear for the exhibits, more later.

There were three T34-85 tanks on show (admittedly one was at the far side of a field).

One thing I did note was that there was not much information on the exhibits, so here are pictures of the main T34-85 tank.

This is the first example with track on the glacis.
 Note the protective cage around the two front lights.
 Smooth transition between the front curve of the underside of the turret into the flat line of the rear of the turret. Some of the road wheels lack the secondary holes.
 The tank has a Polish Eagle on the turret, and according to the Internet was built in Poland.

 This tank still has its "Splash board" in place (the one at the IWM has the brackets - pictures on their site show their one with the board before it was repainted).
 Mantlet detail.
Pistol port and vision slit.
Prominent but neat weld seam.
 Fuel drums have centre filler caps. Also there is a lot more stowage boxes.
 More boxes and a tube - purpose unknown. There is also an unhitching beam, but without the prominent end caps of the IWM example.
There appears to be a fuel tank and smoke canister brackets on the rear deck. The hole for the crank handle is noticeable.
Stowage box on the rear of the turret.


The hitchhiker is obscuring the box on the rear of the turret, there is a notice saying not to climb on the tank.
Did I mention the poor lighting?

The second T34-85 was outside, it apparently is in working order.

The third one is a Furry T34-85, dressing up as a Tiger.
 This according to the Internet was used on Saving Private Ryan.

The wheels are a bit of a give away.