Hungarian Tas tank

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daveh
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Hungarian Tas tank

#1

Post by daveh » 14 Apr 2003, 10:37

In his article "Hungarian armour during WW2" in the Airfix Magazine of Sept. 1976 J C M Probst mentions the development by the hungarians of a new modern heavy tank and associated tank destroyer.

It was designed by the Manfred Weisz company and a mild steel prototype was built but destroyed on 27/7/44 in a bombing raid.

It had 6 road wheels on semi elliptical springs suspended in pairs. Front drive wheel and had 2 x 260hp Turan engines each with a dry coupling. It was to have the same gun as the Panther, mount and gun to be bought from Germany.

DATA
Weight :38 tons
Length :6.9m
Width :3.9m
Height :2.3m

Speed :45km/h

welded armour up to 129mm thick

Any details would be most welcome especially plans and phots

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Second try
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#2

Post by Second try » 14 Apr 2003, 11:14

Hi Daveh :)

Try http://www.freeweb.hu/gamma21/ A web site dedicated to hungarian tank and crews by Márton Gaál.

Search "english site"!

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Last edited by Second try on 14 Apr 2003, 11:16, edited 1 time in total.


nox
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#3

Post by nox » 14 Apr 2003, 11:16

from Milan Szekelyhidi article Mer Juil 03, 2002 12:52 am 8)
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Gravity
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#4

Post by Gravity » 14 Apr 2003, 12:07

It's pretty good tank.I wonder why they used twin engine.
Also i like to have more info and pics about this tank.

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Second try
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#5

Post by Second try » 14 Apr 2003, 14:50

Gravity wrote:It's pretty good tank.I wonder why they used twin engine.
Also i like to have more info and pics about this tank.
The Weiss Manfred works and the Mávag both wasn't prepared for production of the Maybach Hl230 engine,and the germans hadn't given over the license... :? The Turan engines were under production though... :wink:

daveh
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#6

Post by daveh » 14 Apr 2003, 16:03

Many thanks for all the info,

The use of twin engines was to get a suitable power rating with the then currently available engines. This solution to power requirements was used eslewhere eg the M4A2 sherman used 2 G.M. truck motors, the Matilda II 2 Leyland engines, and the T70 2 GAZ202

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PanzerKing
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#7

Post by PanzerKing » 14 Apr 2003, 22:39

Damn! That looks like a pretty tough tank! Welded armour up to 129mm thick, 75mm long barrel Panther gun, 45km/h...not bad at all. I wish thing would have seen the battlefield.

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#8

Post by Second try » 14 Apr 2003, 22:51

PanzerKing wrote:Damn! That looks like a pretty tough tank! Welded armour up to 129mm thick, 75mm long barrel Panther gun, 45km/h...not bad at all. I wish thing would have seen the battlefield.
I've read in a hungarian AFV book that the (planned) assault gun version would had had 120mm frontal armor and 50 degree from vertical slope... 8O and armed with the 88mm Kwk43 L/71.... :lol:

But be honest,even the production of "long" 75mm gun for Zrínyi I assault gun (based on Turan chassic) was not realized due to lack of proper materilas until the US bombing raid... :oops: BTW originally the organisation and purpose of the assault gun battalions were the same as the german and the proportion of the 75mm and 105mm gunned versions had been planned planned as 2/1 but only 66 off the 105mm howitzer armed Zrínyi II were finished and two battalions (the 1st and the 10th)were armed with them,these units saw desperate battles with the advancing Red army in North-West Transsylvania and later in the encircled capital,Budapest.

The historical name was owned by Captain (fort commander of Szigetvár) Miklós Zrínyi Senior. In 1566, after weeks of hard and bloody fighting with superior numbers of the osman-turks had completely encircled the inner-fort of Szigetvár. Food and ammunition was out of stock. Casualities and injuries were high . In this hopeless situation, the captain ordered to charge the enemy through the main gate under the turks started a final assault against the burning inner fort. Under the siege,the greatest emperor of the Osman Empire, II. Soliman had died of apoplexy and the empire began to fall.

Tas was one of the Chieftains of conquering hungarians.

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#9

Post by nox » 14 Apr 2003, 23:21

TAS an hungarian panther
DATA TAS Panther G
Weight :38 tons 45.5tons
Length :6.9m 8.86m
Width :3.9m 3.4m
Height :2.3m 2.98
Speed :45km/h 46km/h

As armament for the Tas the 75mm KwK 42 L/70 of the German Panther.
As says Csaba Becze "Hungarian tank crews performance was very good. One Hungarian Tiger I stopped a Soviet attack near a high street. They demolished the front of the attacker Soviet column. Hungarian T-38 knocked out a Soviet T-34/76 from very close distance."
And these Hungarian tank crews with Tas.....

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#10

Post by nox » 14 Apr 2003, 23:40

picture from Milan Szekelyhidi
Image
For the Tas tank destroyer, which was similar in layout to the German Jagdpanther, the German 88mm KwK 36 L/56 gun of the Tiger was planned.

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Second try
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#11

Post by Second try » 15 Apr 2003, 00:08

Then the Kwk43 should be a mistaken from the authors :P :lol: Whatever ...:wink:

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#12

Post by daveh » 15 Apr 2003, 15:56

PanzerKing could you tell me which book? I ve been looking for one on Hungarian AFV's, my info comes mainly via a couple of magazine articles and books on Czech AFV

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#13

Post by PanzerKing » 15 Apr 2003, 23:26

Book? Hmmm you must be confused, I have no book on Hungarian armor.

Sorry! :(

Most of my info comes from WW2 armor websites.

Milan Szekelyhidi
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Info from a Hungarian book

#14

Post by Milan Szekelyhidi » 17 Apr 2003, 09:39

Tas assault gun
Battle-mass: 36000 kg
Number of mechanic: 4-5 person
Total long: 9500 mm
Total broad: 3800 mm
Height: 2300 mm
Stomach height: 500 mm
Caterpillar broad: 600 mm
Specific soil pressure: 0.76 kp/cm3
Motor: 2x Weiss Manfréd V-8H 4 rhythm, 8 cylinder, benzin
Cylinder captivity: 14866 cm3
Performance: 2x260=520 h.p.
Specific performance: 14 h.p./t
Max. speed on road: 45 km/h
Climb to slope ability: 35 degrees
Climb to stair ability: 0.85 m
Ford ability: 1.70 m
Bridging of trench ability: 2.3 m
Range on road: ap. 220 km
Armour: 20-120 mm
Armament: 1 piece KwK43 88 mm calibre tank cannon (71 calibre barrel long, 88mm calibre cannon of Tiger B (King Tiger))

44M Tas heavy tank
Battle-mass: 38000 kg
Number of mechanic: 5 person
Total long: 9200 mm
Total broad: 3500 mm
Height: 3000 mm
Stomach height: 500 mm
Caterpillar broad: 600 mm
Specific soil pressure: 0.78 kp/cm3
Motor: 2x Weiss Manfréd V-8H 4 rhythm, 8 cylinder, benzin
Cylinder captivity: 14866 cm3
Performance: 2x260=520 h.p.
Specific performance: 13.8 h.p./t
Max. speed on road: 45 km/h
Climb to slope ability: 35 degrees
Climb to stair ability: 0.85 m
Ford ability: 1.70 m
Bridging of trench ability: 2.3 m
Range on road: ap. 200 km
Armour: 20-120 mm
Armament:
Prototype: 1 piece 43M 75 mm calibre tank cannon (75mm calibre tank cannon of 43M Turán with long barrel)
Series production: 1 piece KwK 75 mm calibre tank cannon (75mm calibre, 70 calibre barrel long cannon of Panther tank), 2 pieces 34/40A M 8 mm calibre machine-gun
Radio: R-5/a

Source:
Weapons of the Royal Hungarian Army

Milan

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#15

Post by daveh » 17 Apr 2003, 13:41

ooops sorry PanzerKing it was Second Try who had read the book. I 'm still interested in any books on Hungarian armour.

Milan Szekelyhidi do you know if the book "Weapons of the Royal Hungarian Army" is available in english ? ifso would you be kind enough to supply further details.

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