"May 30th, 1941
To the Central Committee of the VKP(b)
Comrade Zhdanov
According to USSR SNK and Central Committee Decree #1216-502 issued on May 5th, 1941, two experimental T-44 tanks built by factory #183 are supporsed to be armed with the 76 mm ZIS-5 or 57 mm ZIS-4 gun. The main characteristics of these guns is shown in the following table:
To the Central Committee of the VKP(b)
Comrade Zhdanov
According to USSR SNK and Central Committee Decree #1216-502 issued on May 5th, 1941, two experimental T-44 tanks built by factory #183 are supporsed to be armed with the 76 mm ZIS-5 or 57 mm ZIS-4 gun. The main characteristics of these guns is shown in the following table:
Gun model | Caliber in mm | Muzzle velocity, m/s | Shell mass, kg | Penetrates armour | |||
At 0 degrees | At 30 degrees | ||||||
Thickness in mm | Distance in m | Thickness in mm | Distance in m | ||||
F-34 | 76.2 | 662 | 6.3 | 60 | Up to 1000 | 50 | Up to 1000 |
ZIS-5 | 76.2 | 813 | 6.5 | 90 | Up to 1000 | 70 | Up to 1000 |
ZIS-4 | 57 | 992 | 3.14 | 90 | Up to 1000 | 70 | Up to 1000 |
The penetration of the ZIS-5 and ZIS-4 is equivalent. Since the ZIS-5 HE shell weighs more than the ZIS-4 shell, its explosive action is significantly better. The F-34 gun's HE shell is equivalent to the ZIS-5, but the F-34 has lower penetration.
Despite this, arming the T-44 with the ZIS-5 76 mm gun is unreasonable because:
- The ZIS-5 is not in production. Factory #95 built one prototype to install in the KV tank.
- The 76 mm ZIS-5 gun was designed to use the shells of the 76 mm 3-K gun. The 76 mm 3-K gun has been out of production since July of 1940 and is still only used at the corps level.
As such, supplying T-44 tanks with ammunition would be very difficult, as supplies would have to go from the corps. - Various types of guns (F-34, ZIS-4, ZIS-5) will make it difficult to train crewmen, and supply the guns with parts, tools, and ammunition.
Keeping this in mind, I report that the decree of the USSR SNK and Central Committee regarding the armament of the T-44 must be altered in the following manner:
"Arm one experimental prototype of the T-44 with the 57 mm ZIS-4 tank gun, and one prototype with the 76 mm F-34 tank gun".
The machineguns and ammunition must be left as they were.
Marshall of the Soviet Union, Kulik
GABTU Chief, Lieutenant-General of the Tank Forces, Fedorenko"