The 43M Turán III or 44M Turán III[4] was a Hungarian medium tank of World War II. It was based on the 41M Turán II medium tank, equipped with a significantly larger turret compared to its predecessors, and a long-barrelled 75 mm anti-tank gun.

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2021)

43M Turán III
Type	Medium tank
Place of origin	Kingdom of Hungary
Service history
Used by	Kingdom of Hungary
Production history
Designer	MÁVAG
Designed	1943-44
Produced	1944
No. built	2
Specifications
Mass	21-23.3 tonnes
Length	6.60 m
Width	2.60 m
Height	2.70 m
Crew	5
Armor	13-95 mm[1]
Main armament	43M 75 mm L/43 or L/46 or L/55[2]
Secondary armament	2× 8 mm Gebauer 34/40.M machine guns
Engine	Weiss Manfréd Z-V8H-4 260 hp (195 kW)
Power/weight	12.5 hp/tonne
Suspension	leaf-spring bogie
Operational range	165 km
Maximum speed	40-47 km/h[3]

Development

As the war progressed, the 41M Turán heavy medium tank also became obsolete quickly. To increase the firepower of the Turán tanks further more, the Zrínyi assault guns armed with a long 75 or short 105 mm cannon, a widely regarded successful design was developed on the chassis. The other attempt was redesigning the turret as a whole, and mounting the 43M 7.5 cm tank gun (the same used on the 44M Zrínyi I).[5]

Two 43M 75 mm tank guns were manufactured, these were built into what later became called the Turán III and into the Zrínyi I.[6] The Hungarian 7.5 cm 43M was developed from the blueprints of the German 7.5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone, though not a direct copy, and then converted into a tank gun.[7]

The armor of the vehicle was also reinforced to around 75-95 mm on the front of the turret and the hull, which further increased the weight and slowed the vehicle down even more.[4][6][8]

Production

The vehicle was produced as a prototype and one fully functioning vehicle for the trials. The Turán III with the actual turret was finished in February 1944. Ground and shooting test were done after it. However, no more 43M Turáns (Turán III or Turán 75 long) were constructed because of the lack of materials and the fact that after the Occupation of Hungary in March 1944, Germany did not allow further tank and gun productions, and restricted the Hungarian industry to only spare part manufacturing level. However, this was circumvented most likely in the case of the Tas 44M Tas's development.[7]

Service

After the successful trials, the variant was accepted for service designated as 43M Turán. There are no records indicating if it did or did not serve in combat and the fate of the Turán III is unknown.

See also

Tanks of comparable role, performance, and era

• Panzer IV – German medium tank
• T-34-85 – Soviet medium tank
• Carro Armato P.43 - Italian heavy tank
• M4 Sherman - American medium tank

Notes

References

• Axworthy, Mark (1995). Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 9781854092670.
• Bernad, Dénes & Kliment, Charles K. (2015). Magyar Warriors: The History of the Royal Hungarian Armed Forces, 1919–1945. Vol. 1. Solihull, UK: Helion. ISBN 978-1-906033-88-0.
• Csaba, Becze (2007). Magyar Steel: Hungarian Armour in WWII. Sandomierz, Poland: STRATUS for Mushroom Model Publications. ISBN 978-83-89450-29-6.
• Kliment, Charles K. & Francev, Vladimír (1997). Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles 1918-1948. Atlgen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-0141-1.
• Mujzer, Péter (2018). Operational History of the Hungarian Armoured Troops in World War II. Lublin, Poland: Kagero Publications. ISBN 978-83-66148-07-9.