While I was looking for T-34/85 reference pics I've found this photo which shows an odd T-34 field modification



As you can see, around the turret there's an unusual extra armour.
I can't recognize the mark unit. It looks quite close to the 10th Tank Guard Corp insigna

http://wio.ru/tank/oz/oz.htm

What do you think about the mark?

Pic has been posted by "Bj85", here you can find his interesting photo blog

http://photo.qip.ru/users/bj85/

I thank him a lot.

Do you have perhaps some other pictures of it?

Cheers

(PS pic has been posted for discussion only)

I think the full marking is worn away and its a T-34/85 from the 63rd Guards Tank Brigade.

But thats just a guess from consulting a few reference books

...or maybe 62rd



Anyway yes Matt, I think that is a good supposition. The mark must have been worn away

Yep, those are the kinda pictures I was looking at in my books, and 62nd or 63rd looks a very good bet, if I had to pick one I would say 62nd.

The plate looks like its taken a hit just below the first number 2, that might explain why the marking is worn away.

But its hard to tell from that picture tbh, where was the picture taken ?, whats the location ?, anymore info ?

I have seen quite a few pictures of T-34/85's with bedspring armor, but not seen any with solid plate (though it does look very thin), and all the bedspring 85's seem to be in or around Berlin.



Edit

Well from looking at more pictures it gets more confusing,

Not all the 63rd markings were done with the a thicker first and last vertical line, in other words some 63rd markings look exactly like the 62nd markings from your pictures, except they just have one more vertical line, making 3 lines instead of 2, with the same outline.

Hello,

nice find, thanks for sharing the picture. Allthough I cannot help to identify the unit, I came across another "modified" T-34/85 with some sort of armor on the turret. Check this link and the first pic.

http://englishrussia.com/2012/06/19/the-legendary-t-34/

Andreas

I've found some other pictures:



(Prague 1945)

Two drawings (Actually I can't say if they are reliable)





Some pics of T-34 76 and 85 with extra armours







A T-34/76 prototype (STZ?) with extra armours included





In my opinion, as well as the bed springs, armour plates were added to made the tank resistant to panzerfaust grenades

Yes, this is unique photo. And who knows, how many tanks has NEVER GOT to objective's lenses of photo-cameras of official and private military photographers ?!!

As to place, where this photo was taken - note the inscription's fragment on a wall in background of tank (see on far right edge of image):



For me it looks like "...nx Benzi..." or "...nk Benzi...". The knowledge of languages can help in place's definition.

So, it is not English language - they have the word "Benzine", but uses this word very seldom (they like to say "Gas, gasoline, petrol").
French and Dutch languages also have the word "Benzine", but they like to say "Essence"; and from where the T-34 tank in France or Holland ?
Polish language have the word "Benzyna".
Romanian language have the word "Benzină".
And German, Hungarian, Slovakian, Croatian, Czech languages have one word - "Benzin".
Croatia, most probably, will be out of our list of places.

So, it is probably Romania, or Germany, or Hungary, or Slovakia, or Czech.
Considering the big intensity of fights in these countries, extra armouring could to appear on tanks, which were used in any of these countries.
Further choice of exact country remains opened...

Eduard, I've noticed the inscription on the back, but I couldn't read any words

Thanks a million for sharing your educated guess !

In my humble opinion the pic has been taken on Germany or In Czechoslovakia.

Andreas, thanks for sharing that pic. I think is the same exemplar which i've posted after your comment

Hi Mauro

I've got these pics in a Russian book. According to the caption, this one was built by Factory N°112 in August/September 1942.

Talking about add-on armor, some T-34s were fitted with "bedspring" armor indeed, but it looks like some others were fitted with the rest of the furniture





Frenchy

Hey, guys!
Frenchy is actually right.Those are of factory #112. The extra armor was designed by NII-48. 46 tanks were completed by May 1943 and they were included into the 46th Independent Tank Brigade (at that time it was a part of the 5th Tank Corps). They went to the front on July 1st, 1943 for trials.
Unfortunately, in August they encounter new German 88mm PaK 43, which totally destroyed them, and the idea was abandoned.

Frenchy & Alex

Thanks for explanations.
It would be interesting reproduce this version


Frenchy

M3 halftracks used upholstered chairs as extra armours