40M Turán

40M/41M Turán
40M Turán in 1943
Type	Medium tank
Place of origin	Kingdom of Hungary
Service history
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Škoda Works
Designed	1938
Produced	1940–1944
Number built	424
Variants	40M Turán 41M Turán
Specifications
Weight	18.2 tonnes
Length	5.55 m
Width	2.44 m
Height	2.39 m
Crew	5
Armor	max. 50 mm
Main armament	40 mm 41M L/51 (40M Turán) 75 mm 41M L/25 (41M Turán)
Secondary armament	2× 8 mm Gebauer 34/40.M machine guns
Engine	gasoline Weiss Manfréd Z-V8H-4 260 hp (195 kW)
Power/weight	14 hp/tonne
Suspension	leaf-spring bogie
Operational range	165 km
Speed	47 km/h

The Turán was a Hungarian medium tank of World War II. Based on the design of the Czechoslovak Škoda T-21 medium tank prototype, it was produced in two main variants: the 40M Turán (or Turán I) with a 40 mm gun and the 41M Turán (or Turán II) with a 75 mm gun. A total of 424 were made.

A prototype variant, the 43M Turán (or Turán III) was also turned out but did not go into production.

History

In December 1937 the Škoda workshops prepared a prototype of a medium tank based on the earlier successful LT vz. 35 project. Two prototypes were started and designated S-IIc, but their construction was never finished. The tank weighed 16.5 tonnes (16.2 long tons; 18.2 short tons), was armed with a 47 mm Škoda A9 vz. 38 gun, two 7.92 mm machine guns and its maximum armour was extended to 30 mm. Finally, the S-II-c was to have a better 13.8 liters engine giving 250 hp; this increased the maximum speed to roughly 50 km/h.

After Germany annexed Czechoslovakia, the prototypes were finished under the new designation of T-21, which in turn was a predecessor of a new prototype; the T-22. Two of the latter type were given to Hungary in 1941. The Hungarian engineers further extended the front armour to 50 mm and replaced the 47 mm gun with a 40 mm Škoda A17. The Czech machine guns were changed to Hungarian 8 mm Gebauer 34/40.M guns. The overall weight was also increased to over 18 tonnes.

Variants

The only surviving Turán II (41M Turán) in Kubinka

The Turán was produced in multiple versions. The Turán I was the original medium tank type, which mounted the 40 mm gun.^[1] The gun, the standard Hungarian light anti-tank gun, could fire the same ammunition as the Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun. The gun was mounted in a riveted turret.^[1] A total of 285 tanks were produced between 1941 and 1943.

After the disastrous Stalingrad offensive, the army realized that they needed a more powerful weapon to counter the more effective Soviet tanks, especially the T-34. A variant was ordered which utilized a short 75 mm gun in an enlarged turret. Known as the Turán II, this vehicle otherwise remained virtually unchanged from the original vehicle. Despite the improvement, the relatively low velocity of the projectile was unable to pierce the frontal armor of a T-34, except at point blank range. The T-34's main gun could penetrate the Turán's 50 mm of armor at a much greater distance. Hungarian manufacturers built a total of 139 vehicles in 1943 and 1944 before the Soviet occupation of Hungary.

Aside from tank production, the chassis was the basis for the Zrínyi II assault gun. This mounted a 105 mm short gun in the hull, and lacked the traversable turret of a tank. 60 examples of this vehicle were produced. The only other vehicles known based on this chassis were the Turán III and the Zrínyi I, both of which used the German 75 mm KwK 40 L/43 tank gun (which armed some variants of the German Panzer IV medium tank). Both vehicles were produced as prototypes only, as the Hungarian Army were supplied with German armored vehicles.

In combat

The Turáns were employed by the 1st and 2nd Hungarian Armored Divisions, as well as the 1st Cavalry Division, in 1943 and 1944.

Survivors

There is only one known surviving Turán tank. It is Turán II on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum.

Tanks of comparable role, performance, and era

• Australia Sentinel
• British Cromwell
• Canadian Ram II
• German Panzer IV
• Italian Carro Armato P 40
• Japanese Type 3 Chi-Nu
• Soviet T-34
• Swedish Stridsvagn m/42
• United States M4 Sherman

Notes

1. Forty, George (1995). World War Two Tanks. Osprey. pp. 202–203. ISBN 1-85532-532-2.

References