T-43 Medium Tank (SU065) includes one T-43 Medium Tank. The heavy armour of the latest Soviet tank designs ensured that they made a major impact on the battlefield, even in the hands of the hastily-trained conscripts that were all that was available after the disasters of 1941. Check out the T-43 Medium Tank in the online store here...

Mid-war Monsters In our research we have uncovered lots of really interesting experimental tanks. Some were just designs that were never completed. Others were completed as prototypes, and some even saw small-scale field testing! These tanks were weird and wonderful, ranging from a 100-ton monster and a First World War relic, to a tank with two side-by-side main guns, an armoured car weighing more than a tank, and a machine-gun armed light tank with the armour of a heavy tank! Learn more about Mid-war Monsters here... Download a PDF on fielding the T-43 Medium Tank in Flames Of War here... Download the Mid-war Monsters mission pack here...

When the Germans started fielding tanks armed with new long-barrelled 7.5cm  guns, there was an urgent need for a better armoured and easier to use tank than the T-34 medium tank. In June 1942, the GABTU (Main Directorate of Armoured Forces) ordered work to begin on two prototypes. The SKB 2 heavy tank design bureau in Chelyabinsk started the KV-13 program, which eventually became the IS-1 heavy tank.

The Morozov Design Bureau that had been responsible for the T-34, now working at the Uralvagonzavod complex, developed the T-43 based on the advanced T-34M project, which had been cancelled in 1941 when Germany invaded the USSR. The first prototype T-43 was finally completed in March 1943. Thicker armour means a heavier tank, so the designers made the tank as small as possible to minimise the amount of armour needed.

Wide Tracks Some excellent tank designs have successfully utilised wider tracks, allowing them to cross almost any terrain. If a vehicle with Wide Tracks becomes Bogged Down while attempting to cross Rough Terrain, roll again. On a roll of 4+ the vehicle immediately frees itself and continues moving.

The bulky Christie suspension was dropped for a more space efficient torsion bar suspension, the engine was mounted transversely, and the turret was pushed as far forward on the hull as possible to shorten the crew compartment. The turret had a three-man crew and a cupola giving the commander all-round vision for the first time on a Soviet medium tank. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by James Brown

The T-43 Medium Tank in Flames Of War

Armour     Name Mobility Front Side Top Equipment and Notes Weapon Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower   T-43 Standard Tank 8 7 1  Co-ax MG, Wide tracks. 76mm F-34 gun 32"/80cm 2 9 3+