STEP 28
– especially in a moving, shaking tank – was virtually
impossible. For this reason, the driver often opened
his hatch slightly, which enabled him to ind his bearings
by the terrain. In addition, the driver’s sight devices quickly
became clogged with dirt and dust. Armoured covers,
or “eyelids”, slowed the process: while the tank was moving,
one “eyelid” was closed and the driver was able to observe
through the other ; when that became clogged with dirt,
the irst one was opened.
T
wo mirrored sight devices were located on the T-34’s
front hull plate, while a central mirrored periscope was
itted in the upper section of the hatch cover. Since
the beginning of 1942 the T-34 was itted with a driver’s
hatch of a simpler shape with two prismatic vision devices.
For protection against bullets and shrapnel, the prisms
were closed on the outside with folding armoured covers.
The quality of the prisms, made of yellow-green organic
glass, was dreadful. Trying to see anything through them
ASSEMBLY GUIDE
1
THE T-34-85 IN DETAIL
Until mid-1943, the quantity and quality of sight devices on the T-34 was poor,
which created serious difficulties for all crew members.
Insufficient sight devices,
their poor location and low
quality lead to the loss
of visual contact among
the tanks and premature
detection by the enemy.
