SMK tank

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"SMK" redirects here. For other uses, see SMK (disambiguation).

SMK
The Soviet SMK heavy tank
Type	Heavy tank
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1939 (prototype)
Used by	Soviet Union
Wars	Winter War
Production history
Manufacturer	Kirov Plant
Produced	1939
Number built	1
Specifications
Weight	55 t (54 long tons)
Length	8.75 m (28 ft 8 in)
Width	3.36 m (11 ft 0 in)
Height	3.35 m (11 ft 0 in)
Crew	7

Armor	20-60 mm
Main armament	45 mm gun M1932 (forward turret), 76.2 mm gun L-11 (main, or rear-most turret)
Secondary armament	3×7.62 mm DT MG
Engine	GAM-34BT 850 hp
Power/weight	15.5 hp/t
Suspension	torsion bar
Ground clearance	0.5 m (1 ft 8 in)
Fuel capacity	1,320 l
Operational range	220 km (140 mi)
Speed	35 km/h (22 mph)

SMK (named after Sergei Mironovich Kirov - the recently assassinated party official) was an armored vehicle prototype developed by the Soviet Union prior to the Second World War. The SMK was mistakenly known to German intelligence as the T-35C.^[1]

Only one was built and after a poor showing against other designs and brief use in the war with Finland, the project was dropped.

Design and development

The SMK was among the designs competing to replace the unreliable and expensive T-35 multi-turreted heavy tank. A design team under Kotin at the Kirovski Works (formerly the Putilov Works) at Leningrad designed the tank. Competition came from the former OKMO designer N. Barykov at the Bolshevik Plant.

In spite of the lessons that could have been learned during the Spanish Civil War, the specification drawn up for the "Anti-Tank Gun Destroyer" in 1937 required the ability to withstand 45 mm anti-tank guns at point-blank range and 75 mm artillery fire at 1,200 m (1,300 yd).^[2]

Meetings in 1938 reduced the number of turrets in the specification and a move to torsion bar from spring suspension. Kotin and his assistant independently designed a single-turret version of the SMK which received Stalin's approval and the name KV. Production of two prototypes was ordered.

The SMK's armament was a short 76.2 mm gun in the upper centrally placed turret and a 45 mm weapon in the forward turret.

Service history

The SMK, the two KV-1 prototypes and the two T-100 prototypes were put through proving trials before being tested operationally in combat during the Winter War against Finland. The vehicles formed a company of the 91st Tank Battalion of the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade. The unit was under the command of the son of the Defence Commissar. After being immobilized by a mine, the SMK had to be abandoned and was not recovered for 2 months.

The KV design proved superior in both trials in Finland and was accepted.

Armor

Location	Front	Side	Rear	Top/bottom
Hull	60 mm at a 45° angle(nose) 40 mm at a 15° angle(glacis) 60 mm at a 55° angle(driver)	60 mm at a 75-90° angle	60 mm round(lower) 60 mm at a 60° angle 20 mm at a 15° angle(engine)	20–30 mm flat(bottom) 20 mm flat(top)
Upper Turret	60 mm at a 75° angle and round	60 mm at a 75° angle	60 mm at an 80° angle	20 mm at a 0-15° angle
Lower Turret	60 mm at a 75° angle and round	60 mm at a 75° angle	60 mm at an 80° angle	20 mm flat to a 15° angle

References

Notes

↑ SMK Heavy Tank onwar.com
↑ Zaloga p6

Bibliography

Zaloga & Gransden Soviet Havy Tanks Osprey Publishing
on battlefield.ru.
WWII Vehicles - Soviet Union's SMK

External links

SMK at Battlefield.ru

v t e Interwar tanks

List Category

Tankettes	L3/33 L3/35 Carden Loyd Morris-Martel T-27 TKS Type 92 tankette Type 94 tankette Type 97 Te-Ke Tančík vz. 33 AH-IV

Light	H35 R35 Fiat 3000 Leichttraktor Light Tanks Mk I–V Light Tank Mk VI M1 Combat Car M2 Light Tank T7 Combat Car Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Amphibious Tank Panzer I Panzer II LT vz. 34 LT vz. 35 LT vz. 38 T1 T-18 T-19 T-26 T-37 T-38 7TP Type 95 Ha-Go Vickers 6-Ton

Medium	Char D1 Char D2 Medium Mk I Medium Mk II Medium Mk III Panzer III T-24 T-28 Type 97 Chi-Ha Type 97 Chi-Ni Type 98 Chi-Ho

Cavalry, Cruiser or Fast	AMC 34 AMC 35 AMR 33 AMR 35 BT tank Cruiser Mk I Cruiser Mk II Cruiser Mk III SOMUA S35

Infantry	FCM 36 Infantry Mk I, Matilda Renault R35 T-26 Type 89 I-Go

Heavy	Char B1 Neubaufahrzeug SMK T-35 T-100 Type 95 Heavy Tank Vickers A1E1 Independent

Super-heavy	FCM F1 Char 2C

Armoured Carriers	UE Chenillette Bren Gun Carrier

History WWI Interwar WWII Cold War Tank

Soviet armoured fighting vehicles of World War II

v t e Tanks

Tankettes	T-27

Amphibious tanks	T-37 T-38 T-40

Fast tanks	BT-5 BT-7 BT-8

Medium tanks	T-28 T-34 T-44

Heavy tanks	T-35 KV-1/KV-2 IS-2/IS-3

Light tanks	T-18 T-26 T-50 T-60 T-70/T-80

v t e Self-propelled artillery

Guns and anti-tank guns	ZiS-30 SU-5 SU-76 SU-85 SU-100 SU-122 SU-152 ISU-122 ISU-152

Anti-aircraft guns	ZSU-37 T-60Z T-70Z T-90

v t e Armored cars

Light	D-8 D-12 D-13 FAI BA-20 BA-64 PB-4 PB-7 BA-30

Heavy	BA-27 BA-I BA-3 BA-6 BA-10

v t e Aerosani

Aerosani	ANT-IV NKL-16 NKL-26 RF-8 ASD-400

v t e Artillery tractors

Armored Artillery tractors	AT-42 artillery tractor T-26-T Komsomolets Komintern Voroshilovets

Artillery tractors	S-2 Stalinets S-60 Stalinets S-65 Stalinets Kommunar STZ-3 STZ-5 YA-12

v t e Experimental and improvised vehicles

Experimental	SU-14 A-40 flying tank T-43 tank SU-100Y SPG PPG tankette

Improvised	KhTZ-16 IZ NI tank

List of armoured fighting vehicles of World War II
Soviet armored fighting vehicle production during World War II

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