T-42

The **T-42** is currently the best answer against capitalist tanks. It appeared for the first time in Demo 3 as the final boss in the German Campaign. The tank is both well armored and well armed and can take on multiple tanks at the same time. It's biggest disadvantage is it's speed.

## History

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-42\_super-heavy\_tank

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the military and political situation of the Soviet Union required the technical rearmament and modernization of the army. This also included an armored vehicle program that was adopted by the Council of People's Commissars in 1929. The tanks available to the Red Army at that time consisted mainly of light T-18 self-produced infantry tanks and some medium and heavy British tanks from the First World War. Work on creating own medium and heavy tanks that started in the USSR quickly collided with the lack of technical and scientific personnel and the lack of experience in tank construction. After a series of unsuccessful attempts to develop a fully indigenous tank project (such as the T-30), it was decided to recruit staff from abroad, especially from the German Reich.

In March 1930 a group of specialists led by engineer Eduard Grote came from Germany. This was commissioned to develop potential tanks for the Red Army. Grote's first work was the concept of the medium tank TG ("Tank Grote"), which had many promising solutions and generally exceeded the level of global tank construction at that time. The tank made a very positive impression on the leadership of the Red Army, but it was too complex for series production. Then Grote began designing a heavy tank. The red army had also started work on the T-35 heavy tank in parallel.

The construction of the T-42 was basically similar to that of the T-35 and its prototype T-35-1. The driver's seat was in the front part of the tank. The main turret was placed along the long axis of the tank and was strongly stored forward. The large number of weapons was used in five turrets, which were arranged on two levels (according to the previous TG-IV project). The first stage consisted of four towers, which were arranged around the main tower. In front of him, two cannon towers were armed with the 45 mm M1932 / 38 20K cannon, and with them two 7.62 mm MG DTs were coupled to the rear, which were also able to shoot at aerial targets. The second stage was the main tower, armed with the 107 mm M1910 / 30 cannon, which was to be adapted for installation in the tank. A DT machine gun was also planned for the commander on the roof of the main tower.

The engine-gearbox unit was in the rear of the tank. The tank's drive unit presented the developers with a major challenge because the power of the engines available at the time was not enough to move the 100 tons. In order to move the tank at an acceptable speed, the T-42 had to be equipped with an output of approx. 2000 HP. Since such a powerful engine did not exist in 1932, two locomotive diesel engines with 1000 HP each were planned as twin systems.

The tank should have a roller carriage drive with 6 roller carriages each with 2 rollers, a single roller at the bow and stern as well as a roller carriage with 3 rollers in the center of the vehicle, a total of 17 rollers on each side. The idler was at the bow, the drive at the rear of the tank. To facilitate the control of the tank, as in the case of the TG-IV, electrical transmission and servo control were provided. Although this led to a significant improvement in controllability, it made the tank very complicated and expensive.

It is assumed that the tank had differently tiered armor with a maximum thickness of 70 mm on the front and the turrets.

Like most oversized tanks developed worldwide in the 1920s and 1930s, the T-42 had almost no practical use. The sheer size and weight of such a tank made it a perfect target despite anti-aircraft measures. There were also concerns about how to bring a tank of this size and weight to the front line and into combat. For example, it was unclear how to move such a heavy tank over bridges or onto a rail vehicle. For these reasons and because of the prohibitive costs, the development of the T-42 was not pursued despite its powerful armament. The tank was therefore inferior to the T-35, which was ultimately selected by the USSR for further development.

## In-Game

### Pro

* Can take a lot of damage
* Can do a lot of damage
* Can attack multiple targets at the same time
* His AA gun is very effective against slow and large planes

### Contra

* A big target
* Airplanes are his biggest enemy
* Slow
* The rear turret cannot shoot at targets in front of the tank because the larger turret is in the way.