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.
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43M Turán III | |
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Type | Medium tank |
Place of origin | ![]() |
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] |
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]
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]
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.
Hungarian armored fighting vehicles of World War II | |
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Assault guns |
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Notable foreign- made weapons used by Hungary |
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