Russian tank design, whether under the Soviet regime or Putin’s control, has had its peaks and valleys. While occasionally producing game-changing tanks like the T-34 or the T-72, on other occasions, the Russians produce machines so bizarre that you wonder just what was going through the designers’ heads. One such instance is the infamous T-35.
Often called a land battleship, the T-35 was large, cumbersome, and prone to mechanical failure, making it possibly the worst Russian tank of all time and a strong contender for the worst tank in the entire world.
T-35: Back When Tanks Were a New Concept
The T-35 was developed in the aftermath of the First World War. After the advent of the first tanks on the Western Front, many countries were still confused about what to do with these new armored giants. One idea many designers had was to try to make the biggest tank possible.
With the French building their behemoth Char 2C and the British with their A1E1, the Soviets wanted in on the action.
At 31 feet long and 11 feet tall, the T-35 featured five turrets: one main 76.2mm gun, two 45mm guns, and seven 7.62mm machine guns. The tank required a crew of 11 people to operate it. The Soviets intended to use it as a breakthrough tank that could smash enemy fortifications and crush anything in its way.
The initial prototypes, T-35-1 and T-35-2, were evaluated by the Red Army but were not accepted for service due to their complexity and mechanical issues. A new design, the T-35A, was developed, incorporating elements from the T-28 medium tank to standardize parts and simplify production.
The T-35A featured a main turret with a 76.2mm KT-28 gun and four smaller turrets, two with 45mm guns and two with machine guns.
Grand Ideas Meet Reality
The T-35 entered service in 1935 and was primarily used for propaganda purposes, appearing in military parades and on posters to showcase Soviet industrial prowess. Its combat debut came during the early stages of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.
However, the T-35’s performance in combat was disappointing, to put it lightly.
The tank’s mechanical unreliability was its most significant flaw. Many T-35s broke down before even reaching the battlefield and those that did often suffered from further mechanical issues under combat conditions.
The tank’s slow speed and large size made it an easy target for enemy artillery and anti-tank weapons. The cramped interior and poor ergonomics made it difficult for the crew to operate effectively. The tank’s light armor also did not help.
With armor only 10-30mm thick, the tank was easily penetrated by German anti-tank weapons.
Most T-35s were lost due to mechanical failures rather than enemy action. By the end of 1941, the majority of the T-35s had been destroyed or abandoned, and the tank was withdrawn from service.
Assessing the T-35
While it is easy to laugh at the absurdity of the T-35 today, when it was first created, most armies struggled to form new doctrines to incorporate armored vehicles.
Only the Wehrmacht was forming comprehensive doctrines that relied on tanks based on lessons from Spain and Finland.
Soviet industry was also just getting back on its feet after the October Revolution and multiple conflicts. The T-35 allowed the Soviets to play around with some wacky ideas and figure out what worked and what didn’t.
T-35A in the Kubinka Museum. Image: Creative Commons.
In the end, the T-35 was a failure and a spectacular one at that. It provided a valuable lesson to aspiring tank designers about the harsh realities of the battlefield.
It firmly killed the idea of a multi-turreted tank in favor of smaller, simpler machines with heavier armor and better mobility.
Just like how natural selection forces creatures to adapt to ever-changing requirements, war forced the Soviets to adapt their manufacturing to battlefield needs.
T-35. Image: Creative Commons.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a 19FortyFive Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
