"Order of the People's Commissariat of Medium Machinebuilding #192s
May 10th, 1941
Moscow
"On the production of the T-34 tank in 1941
...
6. Factory #183 director Maksarev must:
- Produce two experimental T-44 tanks by October 15th, 1941, according to tactical-technical requirements in attachment #1.
- Sign a contract with the Mariupol factory by July 1st, 1941, to receive two sets of armour parts for the T-44, for which the Mariupol factory must be provided with armour blueprints of the T-44 by July 1st.
- During the month of November, perform trials jointly with the GABTU, and present me with the results of the trials for presentation to the Committee of Defense.
Tactical-technical requirements
- Mass: 29-29.5 tons
- Armour:
- Front: 75 mm thick at an angle of 60 +/-10 degrees
- Side (vertical plates): 60 mm thick at an angle of 0 degrees
- Side (sloped plates): 55 mm thick at an angle of 35-45 degrees
- Floor: 20-25 mm
- Roof: 30 mm
- Final drive armour must be equivalent to the armour of the rest of the tank
- Turret: 75 mm at an angle of at least 25 degrees and at least a 15 degree sloped rear
- Turret roof: 30 mm
- Gun mantlet: 60 mm
- Armament:
- One 76 mm ZIS-5 or 57 mm ZIS-4 gun with two coaxial machineguns in the turret of the tank.
- Maximum gun elevation: 30 degrees
- Minimum gun depression: -5 degrees
- Horizontal arc: 360 degrees
- 2 DT machineguns in the front with a horizontal arc of 30 degrees
- Vertical range at least from +15 to -7 degrees
- The ability to install a 10 L ATO type flamethrower with capacity for 10-15 shots in place of the machineguns must be provided
- Ammunition:
- 76 mm or 57 mm shells: 100 in a tank with a radio, 90 in a tank with a flamethrower
- DT rounds in a tank with a radio: 6000
- DT rounds in a tank with a flamethrower: 4500
- PPSh rounds: 450
- Grenades: 25
- Crew: 4-5 men
- Mobility:
- Climbing and descending a slope of at least 42 degrees
- Climbing over a vertical wall 0.8-1 meters tall
- Clearance: no less than 450 mm
- Ground pressure without sinking: no greater than 0.7 cm/kg²
- Top speed on a highway: 55-60 kph
- Minimum speed: 5-7 kph
- Engine:
- 600 hp diesel with an inertial starter
- Combined total of fuel tanks must be at least 600 L, and total of oil must be 80 L.
- Suspension:
- Individual, torsion bar
- Road wheels with internal dampening
- Drive sprocket with a pin gear
- Hull:
- The hull must be solid and rigid, without any vibration and skew when driving on cross-country terrain.
- The floor must have an escape hatch for the crew.
- Turret and armament mounting:
- The turret must fit the crew comfortably and have an observation cupola. The turret ring diameter must be no less than 1600 mm.
- The observation cupola must give the commander all-round vision.
- Pistol ports on the side of the turret must allow for precise fire with a PPSh.
- Sights consist of a periscopic PT and a telescopic TOD
- Communication:
- Install a KRSTB radio station in the front of the hull for external communication. Tanks with flamethrowers will have receivers only.For internal communication install a TPU-3 device (commander-driver-radio operator) and a light indicator (commander-driver).
- The antenna will be a whip antenna that can be collapsed along the side of the hull either by hand or automatically when the turret traverses."