| Vanatorul de care R-35 |
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After the disastrous results of the battle of Stalingrad, suggestions were made to modernise the existing R-35 tanks, either by replacing the original turret with the one of the Soviet T-26 light tank or replacing the main gun with a Soviet 45mm or Schneider 47mm anti-tank gun. In December 1942 it has been decided that the research should focus on replacing the original 37mm gun with the Soviet 45mm gun salvaged from captured BT-7 and T-26 tanks, and the project was entrusted to Colonel Constantin Ghiulai and Captain Dumitru Hogea. The gun was attached in a forward extension of the turret that would contain the recoil gear, but even so the inner space was too narrow to mount a coaxial ZB machine-gun. Moreover, the 45mm rounds were three times larger than the 37mm rounds. The prototype was ready at the end of February 1943 and after it was tested in the summer of 1943, the Mechanised Troops Command ordered the conversion of thirty R-35 tanks. The 45mm guns were reconditioned at the army arsenal in Targoviste while the gun mounts were cast at Concordia factory in Ploiesti. The conversion of the thirty tanks took place at Leonida Works and lasted until June 1944. The vehicles, designated Vanatorul de care R-35 (transformat) (R-35 tank destroyer), were returned to the 2nd Tank Regiment. In July 1944, the Mechanised Troops Command ordered that the rest of R-35 tanks to be converted, but the events around 23 August prevented any further conversion. The R-35 tank destroyers were used together with the R-35 tanks in the campaign in Czechoslovakia and Austria, all being lost by the end of the war.
| Specifications |
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| Crew | 2 |
| Weight | 11.7t |
| Dimensions |
| Length | 4.02m |
| Width | 1.85m |
| Height | 2.05m |
| Clearance | 0.35m |
| Engine |
| Type | Renault, water cooled |
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Power | 82hp/2200rpm |
| Fuel | petrol |
| Performance |
| Max road speed | 20km/h |
| Max cross-country speed | 15km/h |
| Vertical obstacle | 0.5m |
| Trench crossing | 1.6m |
| Fording depth | 0.6m |
| Gradient | 10° |
| Road range | 120km |
| Cross-country range | 100km |
| Armament |
| Main | 1 x 45mm 20K L/46 gun |
| Elevation | -8° to +25° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Ammunition | 35 rounds |
| Secondary | - |
| Armour |
| Armour | 14-40mm |
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