T-34/85 btu

[Pibwl]

It's a difficult question... it seems rather niche equipment, and quite mysterious machine. Searching in the net, I couldn't even find info on Soviet machines, nor photos. There is only mention on one page, that some tanks were fitted with bulldozer equipment BTU or snow ploughs STU (https://www.aviarmor.net/tww2/tanks/ussr/t-34-85_3.htm). As for Polish ones, J. Magnuski only mentions, that in the USSR there was developed a standard tank dozer variant "ST-34", and they were used in Poland (the question is, if he doesn't confuse a designation of snow plough...). Also, no photos...

On this page http://fb2.booksgid.com/content/D4/-...008-10/29.html (article from TiV magazine on T-54 variants) there is an information, that a snow-plough STU was used also on T-34. The BTU dozer is described in T-54 context, but unfortunately without information, on which tanks it was used. It was replaced with lighter BTU-55 on T-54 and 55.

There are known Yugo T-34 with BTU-55 dozers - apparently local adaptation: http://bmforum.com.ua/index.php?topic=1214.0

More info with photos on T-54/55 BTU
http://www.russianarms.ru/forum/index.php?topic=3005.0
http://saper.isnet.ru/texnica/bty.html

One model manufacturer claims that he makes BTU for T-34, T-54, T-55
http://armor35.ru/index.php?productID=9524

Possibly there was no separate dozer for T-34, but BTU developed for T-54 could have been adapted to these tanks by users operating these older tanks?