they are a type of skid plate if a track pin was to come loose it could work its way towards the hull and snag so these plates would push them back in if you check the tigers they have them also
regards
colin
2003 first batch tiger 1 mid still fiddling with it
i think the t34 had no track pin retaining pins/clips, so the strike plate was the only thing holding the track pins in the tracks, john if you look at the pictures you posted i think some of the very last ones showing the tracks you can see some of the pins coming out a bit, and as the tank moved the strike plate would knock them back in,
T34 tracks come in many shapes and forms. The research material I was working from showed over 40 different types. Some have retaining pins some rely on the deflector plate to push them back in. We have modelled one of the more common and interesting type, that had retaining cross pins.
I'm sorry i forgot you request, until today. I am sorting through my 2000+ photos, taken at Bovi, to see which ones i can delete. I came across these that you had requested.
They are not very usefull, i could not get close enough and the hatch is too small to get the right angle on the breach.
Thank you very much for taking the time to try to get the pics for me, the last one is actually very good and shows part of the bits I am interested in and is now the best picture I have of this.
So as I said thank you so much, pint at next years open day for you I think.