The T28 tank, also known as the T95 105mm self-propelled artillery carrier, is a prototype of a heavy armored assault gun designed by the United States during World War II. The design and manufacturing process of the car was fraught with difficulties and challenges, and in the end only two prototypes were completed, which was not put into mass production or combat use, but it also demonstrated a major American technological attempt during World War II.
The design of the T28 tank stemmed from the concerns of the United States about the German super-heavy tank. In 1943, U.S. intelligence received information that Germany was developing a super-heavy tank weighing 180 tons, armed with a 128-mm main gun and a 75-mm secondary gun, known as the "Mouse" tank. The US side believed that such a tank would pose a great threat to the tanks and fortifications of the Allied forces, so it was decided to develop a tank capable of countering the "Rat" tank. In September 1943, the U.S. Army General Command issued a request for the design of a super-heavy assault gun weighing 100 tons, armed with a 105 mm main gun, and frontal armor with a thickness of at least 200 mm. This requirement was named T28 and was designed and manufactured by Pacific Motors and Foundry.
The design of the T28 tank used a turret-less structure to reduce weight and increase armor thickness. The main gun was mounted in a fixed gun shield in the front of the hull, which could only rotate 12 degrees from side to side, with pitch angles from -5 to +195 degrees. The main gun was a T5E1 105mm tank gun, a modified M4 105mm howitzer capable of firing armor-piercing and high-explosive shells. The ammunition reserve of the main gun was 62 rounds, of which 40 rounds were stored in ammunition racks at the rear of the hull and 22 in ammunition boxes on the sides of the hull. A 12 was also installed on the left side of the front of the hull7 mm M2 heavy machine gun for close self-defense and directed fire.
The T28 tank's armor was its most striking feature, with its frontal armor up to 300 mm thick, the highest level of any tank of its time, even surpassing the German "Rat" tank. The car had a thickness of 100 mm of armor on the sides and back, and 25 mm on the top and bottom. The armor of the car was welded and riveted in a combination to increase strength and stability. The armor of the car was able to withstand the frontal attack of any anti-tank ** of that time, and even the flank attack of a 150-mm howitzer. However, the armor of the car also posed a number of problems, such as excessive weight, which led to poor mobility and cross-country performance, as well as vulnerability to air and artillery strikes.
The powertrain of the T28 tank uses a Ford GAF liquid-cooled gasoline engine with a maximum power of 410 hp, connected to a Mackson-type automatic transmission, providing four forward and one reverse gears. The maximum speed of the car is 13 km h, the maximum travel is 160 km, poor passing performance, the maximum width of the ditch is 213 meters, the maximum width of the passing trench is 152 meters with a maximum climbing angle of 30 degrees. Since the weight of the car exceeded the carrying capacity of any bridge of that time, the car was also equipped with two sets of detachable auxiliary tracks for increasing the ground contact area and reducing ground pressure.
The process of testing and evaluation of the T28 tank also did not yield satisfactory results. At the Aberdeen test site, both prototypes of the T28 tank showed poor maneuverability and cross-country performance, as well as a high failure rate and repair costs. The main gun of the car, although capable of penetrating the armor of any tank of that time, led to inflexible and inaccurate firing due to the turretless structure. The armor of the vehicle, while able to withstand any anti-tank ** of the time, also made the vehicle too bulky and slow, making it an easy target for air and artillery. In May 1945, due to the change in the situation on the European battlefield, the United States canceled the need for the T28 tank, changed it to the T95 105 mm self-propelled artillery carrier, and studied it as an experimental **. In August 1945, due to Japan's surrender, the United States also canceled the need for the T95 105mm self-propelled artillery carrier and mothballed it as an obsolete.
The design and manufacturing process of the T28 tank, a heavily armored anti-pillbox that has not been put into production**, has been fraught with difficulties and challenges, and its testing and evaluation process has not yielded satisfactory results, nor has its actual combat value and significance been verified. However, the T28 tank also demonstrated a major technical attempt by the United States during World War II, providing some experience and inspiration for the later development of heavy tanks and self-propelled guns.