The 44.M Tas Prototype Heavy Tank

In 1943 Hungary already realized that it's tank productions were all obsolote and had little chance of survival aginst Russian medium tanks. To solve the problem Hungary started to develop the Turán III and Zrínyi assault guns. However it still tried to buy the licence of foreign vehicles, the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H and the Pz.Kpfw. V "Panther" to be exact, but Germany rigidly refused to sell the blueprints. Hungary had no other option but to design it's own modern heavy tank. In April 1943 the Ministry of Defence (HM) charged the Manfred Weiss factory to design the vehicle.

In the same year a group of military experts of the Institute of Military Technology of the Hungarian Army (HTI) traveled to Kummersdorf, Germany where they saw the famous Tiger and Panther tanks but those were not showed to them from the inside. However because they were the only Hungarians who saw the modern German vehicles from up close in the given year 3 HTI specialist officers took part in the designing procedures from the beginning.

The blueprints with all necessary datas and budget plans were finished on December 3, 1943. Photos of the 1:10 scale metal model of the new vehicle was given to the HTI on December 6, 1943. The vehcile looked very similar to the German Panther but the designers used the steep slope angle of the Russian T-34's frontal armor. The new heavy tank was named Tas, the HM accepted the plans, developing and production started in May, 1944.

Building of the prototype vehicle progressed slowly because it was the very first tank project of Hungary which was entirely it's own so it was still in it's infancy. The engineers constantly discovered newer and newer problems which needed solutions. Furthermore the tank had welded armor which was a new method for the engineers. The Toldi light tanks had welded armor too but that tank had very thin armor plates. The Tas had 75 and 120mm thick armor plates which proved to be a challange for the engineers. Constant material shortages and Allied bombing raids did not helped either.

The chassis of the Tas' iron-made sample vehicle was ready in June, 1944 with fully operational suspensions and built-in engines, and the turret's construction readiness came to a raw binding state. Sadly on July 27, 1944 an Allied bombing raid seriously damaged the Manfred Weiss factory. The production hall where the Tas was made collapsed and the sample vehicle completely burned out. Hungary tried to re-start the project at Ganz factory but it didn't have enough time to actually start the re-building of the prototype.

According to the original plans and the 1:10 scale model the Tas would have a 80mm gun. In 1943 when the blueprints were made Hungary had only one such gun, the 80mm 29/38.M Bofors AA cannon. We don't know if the conversion of the gun from an AA cannon to a tank gun actually started but we do know that there was a converted AT gun prototype of the same gun which was made in 1942. Perhaps the engineers planned to use that or waited for an actual converted tank gun.

However, during the building state of the Tas, it became clear that the conversion of the 80mm gun would progress slowly and the Tas project would be held back because the engineers would have had to wait for the guns. That's why the designers decided to use the same 75mm gun for the prototype which was used in the Turán III and the Zrínyi I. That 75mm gun already had 2 finished models so the production of the gun would go more smoothly than waiting for the gun factories to change their equipment to convert and produce the 80mm tank gun. With a 75mm cannon, the finished sample vehicle made of iron could be tested on the field and later could be easily modified to build in the 80mm gun which was predicted to be ready by the time a serial vehicle made of armor plates would be finished.

However - due to material shortage - the third 75mm gun was never finished by the time when the Tas prototype was destroyed and the DIMÁVAG factory which produced the gun was later captured by the USSR.

Armament

75mm 43 M. L/46

Gun depression, elevation: -9°, +20°

Since the Hungarian 75 mm 43.M L/43 tank gun had the same armor penetration as the German 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/43 and 7.5 cm PaK 40 L/43 - according to archive Hungarian documents - the Tas' 75 mm 43.M L/46 tank gun would also have the same armor penetration as the German 7.5 cm PaK 40 L/46.

80mm 29/38.M Bofors L/48 (converted from the 80mm 29/38.M Bofors AA gun)

29/38.M Bofors gun L/48 (probably would be named as 44.M gun)

caliber: 80mm

length: 3,840m

depression/elevation: -9° / +20°

max ammo: 50-80 rounds

rate of fire: the 29/38.M Bofors AA gun's rate of fire is 20/min just like the German 8.8cm FlaK 36's,

type of rounds: APHEBC-T, HE-T, probably HEAT-T and APBC-T (probably all would be named as 44.M)

We know the exact penetration datas of the 29/38.M Bofors gun with the 29/35.M páncélgránát (APHEBC-T). Those were the same as the Pzgr.Patr. of the FlaK 36, but Germany made a better ammo, the Pzgr.Patr.39 - which became the Pz.Gr.39 for the KwK 36 -, which had better armor penetration.

Hungarian 8 cm 29/38.M Bofors L/48 AA gun, 29/35.M páncélgránát APHEBC-T

velocity: 750 m/s
100 m – 83 mm – 60°
500 m – 77 mm – 60°
1000 m – 70 mm – 60°

German 7.5 cm KwK 40

shell weight: 6,8 kg (Pz.Gr. 39)
shell velocity: 750 m/s
100 m - 85 mm - 60° 100 m - 113 mm - 90°
500 m - 76 mm - 60° 500 m - 101 mm - 90°
1000 m - 66 mm - 60° 1000 m - 88 mm - 90°

German 8,8 cm FlaK 36 L/56, Pzgr.Patr.

velocity: ?
100 m – 98 mm – 90°
1500 m – 78 mm – 90°

German 8,8 cm FlaK 36 L/56, Pzgr.Patr.39

velocity: 773 m/s
100 m – 128 mm – 90°
1500 m – 97 mm – 90°

80mm 29/44.M Bofors L/58 conversion

Hungarian 8cm 29/44.M Bofors L/58 AA Gun

Velocity of the AA shell: 910m/s

Velocity of the amor piercing shell: 872m/s

muzzle energy:322,8mt

Converted from the 8cm 29/44M Bofors L/58 AA gun. This gun was developed when the Tas was in the construction phase.

Its armor penetrating capabilities are not known, but its muzzle energy is 322,8 mt and the velocity of the shell is APHEBC-T 872m/s.

These values are better than the values of the 88mm KwK38 gun's of the Tiger tank,so we can safely assume that the Hungarian 80mm L/58 gun had better values than the german 88mm Tiger gun

Unfortunately, the armor-piercing values did not survive the war.

But we can see that the new gun did much better than the 28/38M Bofors AA.With this we can assume that the armor piercing capabilities of the 29/44M gun where inbetween the values of the 29/38M Bofors AA and the 8cm L/70 crenel shooting gun, So : 120mm/100m/around a 60° of impact angle

*The production of the 29/44.M Bofors L/58 gun was immediately ordered so that from the pending 66 pieces of ordinance the last 16 pieces from the 1944 of October should be made with this cannon barrel.

Bofors crenel-shooting gun L/70 (probably would be named as 44.M gun),( was made in 1942)

caliber: 80mm

length: 5,600m

depression/elevation: -9° / +20°

max ammo: 50-80 rounds

rate of fire: the Hungarian 80mm tank gun would have probably 6/min fire rate

type of rounds: 29/35.M páncélgránát (APHEBC-T), HE

weight: 8 kg

type of filling and weight: Pentolite 50/50 (mix of 50% TNT and 50% PETN)

muzzle velocity: 950 m/s

Armor penetration datas are not known, we know that it was capable to penetrate 80 cm of concrete.

Judging by the fact, that the 29/38.M Bofors L/48 AA gun had the same penetration as the German 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/43, the crenel-shooting gun should had the same penetration as the German 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70.

Both the crenel-shooting gun and the KwK 42 had L/70 caliber length and the German gun had a muzzle velocity of 925 m/s while the Hungarian gun had 950 m/s.

Based on this, the Hungarian 80 mm crenel-shooting gun L/70 had an armor penetration of around 140-150 mm/100 m/30° from vertical.

Now the question is which 80mm gun would have been chosen by the engineers.

Specifications

GENERAL

number built: 1 complete superstructure

type: medium tank (in Hungarian terms it’s a heavy tank)

year: 1944

length: 7,978 m with 29/38.M Bofors gun L/48

8,500 m with 29/44.M Bofors gun L/58

9,738 m with Bofors crenel-shooting gun L/70

width: 3,150m

height: 2,7m - 0,510m from the ground

track width: 0,6m

track length: ~0,148m or ~0,160m

track links: 91

max climb: ?

step: ?

trench: ?

ford: ?

turning radius: ?

max weight: 36,6t

pressure on the ground: 0,7 kg/cm2

radio: R-5 radio (stick radio antenna)

crew: 5

max speed: 47 km/h on road

ENGINE

power: 260 hp a 2200 rpm (total: 520 hp)

power-to-weight ratio: 14,2 hp/t

engine displacement: 2x 14.866cc

gears: 5 + 5

max speed 1st gear: 7,65 km/h on road, 5,05 km/h off-road

max speed 2nd gear: 14,8 km/h on road, 9,75 km/h off-road

max speed 3rd gear: 26 km/h on road, 29,3 km/h off-road

max speed 4th gear: 44,5 km/h

max speed 5th gear: 47 km/h

max speed reverse gear: ?

fuel: petrol

fuel capacity: 700L

autonomy: 220km

HULL ARMOR

armour thickness and slope:

upper front: 75mm at 30°

lower front: 120mm at 75° and 75mm at 30°

upper sides: 50mm at 60°

lower sides: 50mm at 90°

rear: 100mm at 75° and 50mm at 50°

roof: 20mm at 0° and 5° (5° above the ventilation and transmission)

TURRET ARMOR

armour thickness and slope: gun mantlet: 100mm

front: 100mm

sides: 100mm at 70°

rear: 100mm at 70°

roof: 20mm at 0° and 10° (10° above gun mantlet)

rotation: ? degrees per second (electic drive)

80mm Armaments (short)

GUN No.1 (ORIGINAL PLANS)

type: 29/38.M Bofors gun L/48 (probably would be named as 44.M gun)

caliber: 80mm

length: 3,840m

weight: ?

depression/elevation: -9° / +20°

max ammo: 50-80 rounds

rate of fire: the 29/38.M Bofors AA gun's rate of fire is 20/min just like the German 8.8cm FlaK 36's, the in-game reload time of the Tiger's KwK 36 is 9.6 seconds which is a ~6/min fire rate, it's logical to assume that the Hungarian 80mm tank gun would have the same 6/min fire rate too

type of rounds: APHEBC-T, HE

MUNITIONS

weight: 8 kg

type of filling and weight: Pentolite 50/50 (mix of 50% TNT and 50% PETN)

muzzle velocity: 750 m/s

penetration (100m,500m,1000m): 83 mm, 77 mm, 70 mm at 30° from vertical

GUN No.2 (POTENTIAL)

type: 29/44.M Bofors gun L/58 (probably would be named as 44.M gun)

caliber: 80mm

length: 4,640m

weight: ?

depression/elevation: -9° / +20°

max ammo: 50-80 rounds

rate of fire: the Hungarian 80mm tank gun would probably have 6/min fire rate

type of rounds: APHEBC-T, HE

MUNITIONS

weight: 8 kg

type of filling and weight: Pentolite 50/50 (mix of 50% TNT and 50% PETN)

muzzle velocity: 872 m/s

penetration (100m,500m,1000m): armor penetration datas are lost, we know that the gun's muzzle energy was 322,8 mt, probably around 120 mm/100 m/30° from vertical

GUN No.3 (POTENTIAL but questionable)

type: Bofors crenel-shooting gun L/70 (probably would be named as 44.M gun)

caliber: 80mm

length: 5,600m

weight: ?

depression/elevation: -9° / +20°

max ammo: 50-80 rounds

rate of fire: the Hungarian 80mm tank gun would have probably 6/min fire rate

type of rounds: APHEBC-T, HE

MUNITIONS

weight: 8 kg

type of filling and weight: Pentolite 50/50 (mix of 50% TNT and 50% PETN)

muzzle velocity: 950 m/s

penetration (100m,500m,1000m): armor penetration datas are not known. We know that it was capable to penetrate 80 cm of concrete. Judging by the fact, that the 29/38.M Bofors L/48 AA gun had the same penetration as the German 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/43, the crenel-shooting gun should had the same penetration as the German 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70. Both the crenel-shooting gun and the KwK 42 had L/70 caliber length and the German gun had a muzzle velocity of 925 m/s while the Hungarian gun had 950 m/s. Based on this the Hungarian 80 mm crenel-shooting gun L/70 had an armor penetration of around 140-150 mm/100 m/30° from vertical.

SECONDARY ARMAMENT

type: 2x 34/40.M Gebauer MG

dimensions: ?

caliber: 8x56mmR

weight: ?

max ammo: 3000 rounds in 100-round belts