T29 heavy tank

The Heavy Tank T29 was an American heavy tank project started in March 1944 to counter the appearance of the German Tiger II heavy tank. The T29 was not ready in time for the war in Europe, but it did provide post-war engineers with opportunities for applying engineering concepts to artillery and automotive components.

Development
The T29 was based upon a lengthened version of the T26E3 chassis and featured heavier armor; an upgraded 12-cylinder Ford GAC engine producing 750 hp at 2,800rpm, which gave it a power-to-weight ratio of 11.68 hp/t; more comfortable controls for the driver; and a massive new turret incorporating the high-velocity 105mm gun T5E1. The T29E1 trialed the use of a Allison V1710 V12 engine.; while the T29E3 variant featured a coincidence rangefinder projecting from both sides of the turret, distinctively resembling "ears".

The tank weighed approximately 132,000 lb unloaded and 141,000 lb combat loaded. The hull armor consisted of a 102 mm thick plate, which was sloped at 54 degrees. The turret had a maximum armor thickness of 279 mm compared to 185 mm on that of the German Tiger II, increasing to 305 mm on the mantlet; and had a traverse speed of 18 degrees per second, taking 20 seconds for a full rotation. The gun was able to elevate 20°+/-10° from horizontal.

The 105 mm gun was 7.06 m long (66 calibers, 105 L67) compared to the 6.29 m of the Tiger II's 8.8 cm KwK 43 (71 calibers long, 88/L71); and had a muzzle velocity of 914 m/s. A total of 63 rounds were to be carried, with 46 in ammo racks; weighing 2.2 tons total. The T30E1 HE shell could pierce 1.3 m of concrete at 1500 m, while the T29E3 High-velocity Armor Piercing could penetrate 360 mm at 457.2 m, and 292 mm at 1,828.8 m. The secondary armament consisted of two coaxial .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns mounted in the mantlet and an additional ball-mounted .30 caliber M1919 Browning in the right side of the hull, with provision for an additional .50 caliber anti-aircraft gun to be mounted on a pintle stem atop the roof.

The tank had a modest cruising range of 160.9 km. It could cross a trench 2.4 m wide, wade in water 1.2 m deep, climb a 1 m step, and could handle a 30-degree slope. The tank was also capable of pivoting on the spot. Suspension consisted of 8 double road wheels with rubber tires, 7 return roller on each side, and had the drive sprockets in the rear. The tank had a crew of six, with two acting as a loader for the gun.

The procurement of 1,200 T29s was proposed on 1 March 1945, and revised to 1,152 on 12 April 1945, but by shortly after the end of World War II, only one T29 had been produced, with a second partially completed. In August 1945, the order was cancelled entirely, and it was intended to procure ten T29s for postwar testing. This number was later reduced to eight in July 1947.

The T30 Heavy Tank was developed in conjunction with the T29. As originally intended, the only major difference between the two was the use of the 155 mm gun T7 gun in the T30. However, the decision was later made to equip the T30s with the Continental AV1790 engine, leading to the engine deck being redesigned. In addition, the heavier 155mm ammunition led to the T30 being given an additional loader. Two vehicles were produced, with a further two being diverted to the T34 Heavy Tank program.

The T34 Heavy Tank was the final variation of the T29 concept, using the same hull as the T30 but with the armament exchanged for a 120mm gun based on the M1 anti-aircraft gun to further increase the armor penetration capability.

Variants

 * T29. Standard version equipped with a T5E2 gun and Ford GAC engine.
 * T29E1. T29 Number 1 modified to use the Allison V1710 engine.
 * T29E2. T29 Number 2 equipped with a computing sight and combination aim controls; armed with the T5E2 gun.
 * T29E3. T29 Number 8 Equipped with panoramic telescopes and a large coincidence rangefinder.

Surviving tanks


There are two surviving T29s at the U.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection at Fort Moore, Georgia. One of these is a T29E3 with the distinctive rangefinder, while the other is a standard T29 model.

Tanks of comparable role, performance and era

 * M6A2E1 heavy tank - Prototype used for testing T29's armament system
 * T32 Heavy Tank - Prototype with a similar design; uses a 90mm cannon
 * T30 Heavy Tank - Codevelopment of T29 using a 155mm cannon and Continental AV1790 engine
 * T34 Heavy Tank - A modernized T30 using a 120mm cannon
 * IS-3 heavy tank - Contemporary Soviet assault tank
 * IS-4 heavy tank - Contemporary Soviet heavy tank
 * Caernarvon Mark II - British heavy tank
 * AMX-50 heavy tank - Prototype French heavy tank series