A 40M in standard Hungarian three-tone vehicle camouflage.
Turán was one of the few tank designs created by Hungary.
Background[ | ]
The Turán was a Hungarian tank born out of Czechoslovak experimental designs developed from 1937 onwards, as S-II-c. After the annexation and partitioning of Czechoslovakia, Škoda was put under German control and work continued on the prototypes, redesignated T-21 (original) and T-22 (new type). Two examples of the latter were transferred to Hungary.
Hungarian engineers overhauled the design, replacing the Škoda A9 47mm gun with a Škoda A17 40mm gun with much greater muzzle velocity, 66% thicker armor plating for a total of 50mm of thickness on the front, and a total weight of eighteen tons. Although respectable on paper, the Turán proved to be a poor match for the Eastern Front and only 424 were manufactured in total, by the time production petered out in 1944.
Variants[ | ]
40M Turán I[ | ]
A plain olive green commander's tank.
With a total of 285 produced, the 40M was the most numerous version of the Turán tanks, armed with a high velocity 40mm tank gun and a max speed of just 47 km/h, weighed down by the additional armor. Unfortunately for Hungarian tankers, the armor relied on flat, thick plates, rather than angling, reducing effective protection. When they went up against Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks, the Turán I proved to be completely ineffective, highlighting the need for an upgrade.
- 40M Turán I: Standard tank.
- 40M Turán I PK.: Commander's variant.
41M Turán II[ | ]
A 41M fitted with the Hungarian equivalent of Schurzen or side skirts.
The younger variant of the Turán tank, the 41M was largely the same tank as its older brother, except fitted with an enlarged turret and rearmed with an M41 75mm tank gun, the short-barreled tank provided enhanced firepower, but at the expense of crew comfort and overall performance. Just 139 units were produced by the time Soviet armies entered Hungary in 1944.
- 41M Turán II: Standard tank.
- 41M Turán II PK.: Commander's variant.