THE HUNGARIAN TURAN TANK AND ITS VARIATIONS by J. C. M. Probst From the January 1977 issue of AFV NEWS
Despite the little interest hitherto
bestowed upon the Hungarian Turan tank by AFV historians, this tank served as
the main battle tank of the Hungarian armored divisions in the latter part of
WW2, and was used in quite considerable numbers. The Turan tanks and their
assault howitzer derivation, the Zrinyi vehicles, bore the brunt of the
fighting of Hungarian armored formations in the fatal years of 1944. SKODA
LICENCE In 1939 Hungary looked for a medium tank suitable for licencing. In the
Czech Army's 1938 trials for a medium tank there had been two contenders, the
CKD (Praga) V-8-H and the Sloda S-III. Since the V-8-H was selected by the
Czech Army as their ST-39 medium tank, the Skoda designers began working on
other construction, the S-IIc, which they developed from their LT-35 light tank
(Skoda S-IIa) for export applications. The S-IIc was offered to Hungary by
Skoda, and the V-8-H was offered by CKD. In 1940 the designation S-IIc was
changed to Skoda T-21, and an improved up-armored version, the T-22 was made.
The T-22 was shown to a Hungarian commission in Pilsen in May of 1940, and it
was demostrated in Hungary during June and July 1940. The V-8-H was evaluated
also, but a licencing agreement was signed for the Skoda T-22 medium tank in
August 1940.
Before production the Czech tank was
modified on a number of points; a 3-man turret was substituted for the original
2-man turret, and a 260 HP V-8 engine designed by the Hungarian company Manfred
Weisz was installed. Armament was of Hungarian design as well. This new tank
was dubbed Turan.
THE 40mm 41M L/51 TANK GUN
A special tank-mounted version of the
standard Hungarian 40mm 40M towed anti-tank gun (derived from the German
Rheinmetall-Borsig 3,7cm Pak 35/36, which was used by Hungarian troops as the
37mm 36M anti-tank gun) was developed by MAVAG. In addition, in November 1940 a
licence was obtained for the Skoda 40mm type A17 tank gun developed from the A7
gun used in the LT-38 tanks. It appears that the tank mount of this gun was
mated to the Hungarian 40mm 40M gun and the result was the 40mm 41M tank gun of
the Turan tank. This gun fired the same ammunition as the 40mm 37M Bofors
anti-aircraft gun, which was also made by MAVAG. The Turan carried 101 rounds
of ammunition. Machineguns were the 8mm 34/40M air-cooled belt-fed tank MG
derived from the Czech Brno Z830 and made under licence by Danuvia. The first
prototype of the Turan tank was finished by August 1941, and production began
in October. The Hungarian service designation of the tank was 40M Turan I
medium tank (kozepes harckocsi), which in 1944 was changed to 40M Turan 40
medium tank. The name Turan comes from Hungarian prehistoric legend, according
to which the Turans were an ancient Asian people, from which the Hungarian
people originated.
TURAN I PRODUCTION
An initial order of 190, later raised to
230 tanks, was placed by the Hungarian government in October 1941, and 70 tanks
were built at the Manfred Weisz plant at Csepel, 50 at Ganz of Budapest, 70 at
MVG of Gyor, and 40 at MAVAG of Budapest. Guns were produced at MAVAG Dios-Gyor
and likewise most other components for these vehicles were produced by
Hungarian industry. Engine production was distributed among Manfred Weisz, MVG
and MAVAG.
The initial order in 1942 for 70 more
tanks, of which 24 were eventually built by Ganz, 12 by MVG and 19 by MAVAG
Budapest. With deliveries to the troops starting in the beginning of 1942, a
grand total of 285 Turan tanks had been produced when war events brought
production to a halt in 1944. Production of the Turan U in 1942 was a major
effort for Hungarian industry and the tanks were used to equip the 1. and 2.
Armored divisions, and 1. Cavalry division in 1942-43. However, the disaster of
the 2. Hungarian Army on the Don in January 1943 (where no Turan tanks
participated) suddenly made it clear to everbody that the Turan I was obsolete,
compared to Soviet tanks, and that a gun calibre of 75mm was the minimum
acceptable for a modern tank.
THE 75mm 41M L/25 TANK GUN
Development of a version of the Turan with
a short 75mm gun had started in 1941. It was seen as a heavy support vehicle to
supplement the medium Turan I main battle tank in armored divisions. The gun
was developed by MAVAG from the Austro-Hungarian Bohler 76.5mm 18M field gun,
and as the 75mm 41M tank gun it was produced by MAVAG Dios-Gyor. The gun had
some armor-percing capability, but could not stop a T-34 at any reasonable
distance. It carried 52 rounds of ammunition. The Hungarian service designation
of the Turan version with this gun was 41M Turan II heavy tank (nehez
harckocsi), which in 1944 was changed to 41M Turan 75 rovid (short) heavy tank.
Even with its short gun the Turan II was suddenly the only usable tank
available to Hungarian troops in 1943, and it still had to be produced in quantity.
An order for Turan II tanks had been placed in 1942 and the first 3 Turan IIs
were delivered to the troops on May 13-15, 1943.
TURAN II PRODUCTION
A total of 139 Turan II tanks were
produced, mainly in 1943 and the beginning of 1944, against a total of 322,
which should have been completed by 1945. Of these, 54 were produced by Manfred
Weisz of Csepel, 36 by Canz of Budapest, and 39 by MVG of Gyor. In mid-August
1943 a total of 49 Turan II tanks had been delivered and in October another 66.
They were allocated to the 2. Armored Division and the 1. Cavalry Division, and
24 went to the new Assault Artillery Battalions, which needed them as a
stoppage until delivery of the Zrinyi vehicles. Later the 1. Armored Division
received its share of Turan II tanks as well. Since no better vehicles were
available the Turan II became the main battle tank of Hungarian troops in 1943
and it bore the brunt of the fighting in 1944.
THE 75mm 43M L/43 TANK GUN
In April 1943 it was decided that a modern
tank needed a 75mm long anti-tank gun. MAVAG developed a special Hungarian
version of the German 7.5cm KwK 40 tank gun which fired both standard German
and special Hungarian ammunition. This gun, which alledgedly differed
considerably from the German model, became the 75mm 43M tank gun. Plans were
drawn up so all Turan tanks could be modernized on the following points from
mid-1944 onwards: retrofit with a 75mm 43M gun; additonal armor to be fitted;
skirt plates to be fitted; and work on a prrrototype vehicle was to be initiated.
In the winter of 1943/44 the prototype was completed as the 43M Turan II heavy
tank, and was called the 43M Turan 75 hasszu (long) heavy tank from early 1944.
It mounted the 75mm 43M gun in a modified turret and had thicker armor, but was
otherwise similar to Turan I and II. It carried 32 rounds of ammunition.
Production of the Turan II or modification of existing Turan tanks was not
initiated for political and military reasons, and Hungarian AFV production came
to almost a complete halt following German occupation on March 19, 1944. The
modification plan however, explains the continued Turan I production into 1944.
The only Turan III modification actually undertaken was the fitting of skirt
plates over the suspension and around the turrets of some Turan I and II in the
second half of 1944. This gave the Turans an appearance very similar to the
late German Pz. III tanks with skirt plates.
THE TURANS IN BATTLE
Hungarian tank regiments in 1944 had an
equal number of Turan I and II tanks, even if the Turan I was obsolete. Some of
the Turan I were equipped as command tanks. These had an R/4T radio set instead
of the left side ammo boxes. They were called 40M Turan 40 pk. medium tanks.
The command tanks were used by battalion and regimental commanders. All Turan
tanks, including command models, had an R/5a radio set installed for
communication. The Turan was first committed to battle on April 17, 1944, in
Galizia, when the 2. Armored Division launched a counterattack from Solotwina
toward Kolomea. This was in a wooded and mountainous region with many rivers,
which were a great problem because of the spring melt-off at the time. With all
this against them, the force was stopped by small Soviet T-34 forces without
ever reaching Kolomea. The attack was called off on April 26, 1944. Thirty
Turan I and II were lost. That was 26% of the initial tank strength of the
division. From June to September 1944 the 1. Cavalry Division, with a battalion
of Turan I and II tanks, fought in Eastern Poland and around Warsaw, and from
Sept. 1944 onward both this division and the 1. and 2. Armored Divisions were
engaged in heavy fighting in Hungary proper. Only a few German tanks were given
to Hungarian units in 1944, and since the inferiority of the Turans compared
with the Russian tanks was realized by Hungarian commanders, the Hungarian
armored formations were committed to battle somewhat reluctantly in the latter
part of 1944.
ASSAULT ARTILLERY
Following the disaster of the 2. Hungarian
Army on the Don in January 1943 and under influence of the German success with
assault guns on the Eastern Front, the Hungarians decided in April 1943 to
build assault artillery vehicles and gave that task very high priority. Two
versions were planned to equip the assault artillery battalions of the new
assault artillery troops: Zrinyi I with a long 76mm anti-tank gun, and Zrinyi
II with a l05mm howitzer. A total of 8 assault artillery battalions were
planned, each with 30 vehicles, to be used as independent army or corps troops
for the support of infantry divisions.
THE 105 mm 40/43M L/20.5 HOWITZER
In December 1942 the Manfred Weisz company
had already finished a prototype Zrinyi II with a 105mm 40/43M howitzer made by
MAVAG Dios-Gyor. This howitzer was a modified version of the MAVAG developed 105mm
40M towed field howitzer, 236 of which were built during the war. The maximum
range of this weapon was 10.4km. The Zrinyi II used the chassis of the Turan
tank, which had been widened by .45m to make room for the weapon. The engine
was identical to the Turan. The Zrinyi II prototype was taken to the artillery
training range at Hajmasker in Western Hungary and tested between Dec. 12/42
and Jan. 28/43. As a result, this vehicle was accepted for production and
designated 43M Zrinyi II assault howitzer (rohamtarack), later to be changed to
43M Zrinyi 105 assault howitzer. The Zrinyi I used the same chassis and engine,
but mounted the MAVAG Diosgyor developed 75mm 43M L/43 anti-tank gun of the
Turan III tank. Development was initiated in May 1943, but a prototype was not
completed until the winter of 1943/44 and production was planned for June 1944
at Manfred Weisz and Ganz. Service designation of the vehicle was 44M Zrinyi I
assault gun (rohamagyu). The name Zrinyi comes from Nikolaus Graf Zrinyi, a
Hungarian hero who fought the Turks, and was killed in the battle of Szigetvar
in 1566.
ZRINYI II PRODUCTION
As a consequence of the decision of April
1943 a contract was immediately placed at Manfred Weisz for 40 Zrinyi vehicles.
The number was later raised to 104 vehicles to be built by Manfed Weisz and
Ganz (54 each in 1943, and 50 in 1944). To save time, training of the first
assault artillery troops began in July 1943 at Hajmasker using 10 Turan II and
10 Toldi IIA light tanks, but in August 1943 the first 5 Zrinyi IIs arrived.
(1. Assault Artillery Bn.). A total of 60 Zrinyi II vehicles were completed by
Manfred Weisz when production stopped in July 1944, and it is possible, but not
confirmed, that Ganz completed a further 6 in August and Sept/1944. These vehicles
were used to equip the 1. and 10. Assault Artillery Bn., whereas other
Hungarian assault artillery bns were equipped with the German StuG. III and
Hetzers. Production of the Zrinyi I was never initiated, and the single
protoype was used for trials only. Thus in Nov. 1944 it underwent trials with
six 152mm rocket launchers mounted, at Hajmasker. THE ZRINYI II IN BATTLE The
Zrinyi II went to war with the 1. Assault Artillery Bn. in April 1944 in
Galizia, and its first recorded use was July 14, 1944 at Ottynia, eastern
Galizia. The vehicles fared well during the subsequent fighting, but they
lacked a real anti-tank capacity. In Sept./44 the Zrinyi IIs of the 10. Assault
Artillery Bn. took part in the battle of Torda on Hungary's southern border,
and later, Zrinyi vehicles saw action at various places in Hungary proper.
Zrinyi II can be considered the most successful Hungarian AFV of WW2. Zrinyi II
vehicles were fitted with radios (probably R/5a type) and in the latter part of
1944 most vehicles were fitted with German type skirt plates. It carried 52
rounds of ammunition. The war production plan for 1944/45 was for 240 Zrinyi
vehicles.
THE "TAS" TANK AND TANK DESTROYER
As successor to the Turan and Zrinyi series
it was decided in the spring of 1943 to develop a modern heavy tank and tank
destroyer on the same chassis. These vehicles were named the Tas tank and tank
destroyer after a Hungarian chieftain of the 9th century. Development of the
vehicles should have been completed in 1945. The development of both vehicles
was entrusted to the Manfred Weisz company, which built a mild steel prototype
of the tank and started to build the tank destroyer prototype, when the war
prevented further work. The tank prototype was completely destroyed by an
American bombing raid on July 27, 1944. The Tas chassis had 6 roadwheels on
semi-eliptical springs, a drive wheel at front and idler at rear. It used twin
260 HP Turan engines each with a dry coupling. The road wheels were suspended
in pairs. As armament for the Tas the 75mm KwK 42 L/70 of the German Panther
was foreseen, and negotiations were initiated with Germany for the purchase of
this gun, complete with mount. 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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