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T-28 Soviet Medium Tank

                 The T-28 kit recently released by AER, Moldavia depicts albeit popular at the time by now almost completely forgotten Soviet medium tank. Whatever its war record was, the three turret monster adds variety to any collection of the WWII tanks.

   Out of 503 tanks produced in 1933-1940 only two T-28 are still around, one of them in the exposition of the  Central Museum of the Soviet Army in Moscow, the other one is in Finland. Together with heavy T-35 this tank was a visual representation of Soviet pre-war military might. The technical data of the tank were good for its time.

The first 12 tanks were finished to 1st May 1933 and displayed on the parades in Moscow and Leningrad. During mass production the design was numerously modified. Following versions may be clearly separated:

- early production type distinguishable by its short KT-28 75 mm gun (see drawing of the turret). The very first tanks had different fan cover on the rear

- the modification with long L-10 76 mm gun. The production started in 1938;

- Version "E" with enhanced armor protection. The version was introduced after the Finnish/Winter war;
- 1940 version with conical turret.

The tank also served at different time as testing platform for various KV components.

In the Winter/Finnish war T-28 failed in defense suppression role due to the light armor sustained heavy losses. Aside from the Finnish/Winter war, T-28's took part in the aggression against Poland in September of 1939. In 1941 411 were listed at service in RKKA. The most of them were destroyed during the first days of the Great Patriotic War, however, some tanks survived till the winter of 1943 at Leningrad front and some participated in the Battle under Moscow in the winter 1941-1942.

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