Approve Deputy Peoples Commissaar of the Tank industry of the USSR Popov 15 November 1942
Brief Technical Report.
About the development of means for tank
protection against sub-caliber and rounds.
During the war, new ammunition types have entered the service of the German
army - sub-caliber and cumulative shells. The test firing of the hull of
T-34 tank from the German 75mm gun and 76mm domestic gun with cumulative
shells have shown the following:
I. The strength of the hull of T-34 tank against the cumulative
shells.
| Hull part | Tank bearing angle | Strength of part | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75mm German cumulative shells |
76mm domestic cumulative shells |
||
| Frontal hull plates | 0 | No penetration | No penetration |
| Hull sides | 90 | Penetrated | penetration |
| Hull sides | 60 | No Penetration | Penetrated |
| 90 | No penetration | Penetrated | |
| Hull rear | 180 | No penetration | No penetration |
| Turret | 90 | No penetration | Penetrated |
From the above table it is evident that domestic shells have better
penetration ability than the German ones as the former ones penetrate only
the sides of the hull of a T-34 tank and only from angles that are close to
normal.
The pecularity of these shells is that due to their HE capability they
do not loose their penetrative capabilities with distance. Because of that
the hull sides of a T-34 tank can be penetrated from a large distance.
Regarding the HE capability of these shells, it is quite significant
and is even slightly bigger than that of ordinary HE shells.
Moreover,
when impacting to the hull sides near the bottom, Подкрылки? Or transmission
parts, cumulative rounds destroy them and make the tank inoperable. On
impact to the lower part of the turret the roof is bent inwards or even
breaks. When hitting the rear side, the hatches are torn off, exhaust pipe
protection is torn off, bolt joints are destroyed.
РГАСПИ. Ф. 644. Оп. 2. Д. 115. Л. 80
