Slitherine

Sebwill wrote: ↑Tue Nov 29, 2022 6:21 pm Im making a Campaign on Operation Unthinkable.

After a number of minor design improvements were made on November 23, 1944, the T-44A was put into service.

The first five production vehicles left the KhTZ workshops in November 1944. In total, during the production period from 1944 to 1947, 1823 T-44 tanks were produced.

True, they did not go to the front and did not participate in the hostilities of the Second World War.

Moreover, almost immediately after the start of production at the end of 1944, it became clear that the armament of the T-44 could not be considered as the main combat vehicle. The 85-mm cannon had practically exhausted its capabilities and was not suitable for fighting modern tanks.

It was decided to start work on the next modification of the tank - the T-44B, equipped with a 100-mm D-10 gun. Work began in October 1944, design was completed in December 1944, and a prototype was made by February 1945.

The tank was successfully tested and was recommended for adoption. It differed from the “basic” T-44 model in many ways: a new gun, a different turret configuration, an engine, and a different armor scheme.

In fact, it was already a completely different tank, so instead of the letter “B”, the car received an independent name, under which it was soon put into production - T-54.
https://en.topwar.ru/143768-rasskazy-ob ... nutri.html

The machine gun was successfully tested, and after approval by the People's Commissariat of Defense, the plant received an order for the production of machine guns (KPV-44) and an anti-aircraft gun. For military tests, 50 machine guns and one memory were required. Testing began after the end of the war, in May 1945.