Hungarian medium tank Turan I and II.
History, development, service, specifications, statistics, pictures and 3D-model of 41M Turan II.
41M Turan II
Type: Hungarian medium tank
History:
Named Turan I, it was a 16-ton medium tank with a five-man crew and mounted a 40 mm Skoda gun in a large refitted turret (with square cupola). Turan was built by the Weiss&Cspel Steelworks of Budapest and was powered by 260hp Hungarian made engine. Production of this tank was beginning in October 1941.
After the disastrous Stalingrad battles, the Hungarian army realized that it needed a more powerful weapon to counter the Russian T-34 tanks. In 1943 the Turan II appeared with a modified turret with long bevel on the cupola and the gun changed to a short-barreled 75 mm. The vehicle’s combat debut was not before April 1944 in Galicia, because the Hungarians were held back from the front line for refitting during 1943.
The type was still outclassed by most Russian armor and so the long barreled German 75 mm gun L/43 was installed. It was called Turan III, but it was only in the prototype stage when the Germans occupied Hungary and exchanged the current government.
There after the Fascist Hungarian Army was supplied with German armored vehicles and plans were made for the license production of the famous Panther tank (but the Russian encirclement and fall of Budapest ended this project).
Users: Hungary (for all variants).
Animated 3d model of 40M Turan I tank
Data for 41M Turan II
Specifications:
| 41M Turan II | Specification |
|---|---|
| Type | medium tank |
| Engine | 260hp gasoline Manfred-Weiss Z |
| Gearbox | ? |
| Crew total | 5 |
| Turret crew | ? |
| Length | 5.68 m |
| Width | 2.54 m |
| Height | 2.33 m |
| Weight | 18.2 tons |
| Maximum speed | 47 km/h |
| Cross-country speed | ? |
| Petrol consumption per 100 km | ? |
| Petrol | ? |
| Road radius | 165 km |
| Cross-country radius | ? |
| Vertical obstacle | approx. 0.79 m |
| Trench crossing | approx. 1.98 m |
| Fording depth | ? |
| Turning circle | ? |
| Gradient | approx. 60 ° |
Armour:
| 41M Turan II | mm |
|---|---|
| Maximum | 50 mm |
| Minimum | 14 mm |
| Angles | unknown |
Armament:
| 41M Turan II | specification |
|---|---|
| Main armament | 75mm short barreled (should be nearly equal to German 7.5cm Kwk37 L/24. Following are the data for this gun) |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Elevation | ? |
| Muzzle velocity | Pzgr: 385 m/s; HE (high-explosive): 450 m/s |
| Shell weight Pzgr | 6.8 kg |
| Shell weight HE A | 4.40 kg |
| Shell weight HE B | 4.57 kg |
| Shell weight HE C | 4.80 kg |
| Secondary armament | two 8 mm MG's |
Penetration mm at 30° armor of the German 7.5cm Kwk37 L/24:
| range | Pzgr | Gr38A | Gr38B | Gr38C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meters | 41 | 70 | 75 | 100 |
| 500 meters | 39 | 70 | 75 | 100 |
| 1,000 meters 35 | 70 | 75 | 100 | |
| 1,500 meters 33 | 70 | 75 | 100 | |
| 2,000 meters 30 | - | - | - |
Production:
| 41M Turan | figures |
|---|---|
| Turan I | October 1941 |
| Turan II | 1943 |
| Turan III | prototype April 1944 |
| Combat delivery | 1943 |
| Price per tank | ? |
| Total production figure | 300 Turan I, 322 Turan II, 1 Turan III |
Service statistics of all Turan variants:
| Year | Available | Production | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| before 1939 | - | - | - |
| 1939 | - | - | - |
| 1940 | - | - | - |
| 1941 | - | c. 300 (1941-42) ? | |
| 1942 | ? | ? | ? |
| 1943 | ? | c. 323 (1943-44) | ? |
| 1944 | ? | ? | ? |
| 1945 | ? | - | ? |
| TOTAL | - | 623 | ? |
Animated 3d model of 41M Turan II tank
References and literature
World War Two Tanks (George Forty)
Panzer und andere Kampffahrzeuge von 1916 bis heute (Christopher F. Foss, John F. Milsom, Colonel John Stafford Weeks, Captain Georffrey Tillotson, Richard M. Ogorkiewicz)
Kraftfahrzeuge und Panzer der Reichswehr, Wehrmacht und Bundeswehr (Werner Oswald)
Germany’s Eastern Front Allies 1941-45 (Peter Abbott, Nigel Thomas)
Krieg der Panzer (Piekalkiewicz)
