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The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank first produced in 1940. It was the mainstay of Soviet armored forces throughout WWII, and widely exported afterwards. A few T-34s remained in use until the 1990s. When first built, it was the tank with the best balance of firepower, mobility, and protection, and its design influenced the development of Main Battle Tanks in the late 20th century.
View from flank.
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| General Characteristics (T-34/76)
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| Length:
| 8.0 m
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| Width:
| 3.0 m
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| Height:
| 2.7 m
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| Weight:
| 26-30,9 t
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| Speed:
| 55 km/h (road)
~26 km/h (off-road)
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| Range:
| 186 km
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| Primary armament:
| 76.2 mm gun
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| Secondary armament:
| two 7.62 mm machine guns
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| Power plant:
| 373 kW (500 hp) Diesel
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| Crew:
| 4
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| General Characteristics (T-34/85)
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| Length:
| 8.0 m
|
| Width:
| 3.0 m
|
| Height:
| 2.7 m
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| Weight:
| 32 t
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| Speed:
| 55 km/h (road)
~24 km/h (off-road)
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| Range:
| 360 km
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| Primary armament:
| 85 mm gun
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| Secondary armament:
| two 7.62 mm machine guns
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| Power plant:
| 373 kW (500 hp) Diesel
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| Crew:
| 5
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Production history
The ancestry of the T-34 derives from prototype fast tanks built by American tank designer J. Walter Christie, which were sold to the Soviet Union after the American military declined to buy them. In particular the T-34 incorporates the Christie suspension.
Development proper commenced in 1936, and a prototype was completed in 1939. Full scale production started in 1940.
Between 1940 and 1944 over 35000 T-34/76 tanks were produced. The T-34 was produced in two major variants, the T-34/76 with a 76 mm gun and a T-34/85 with an 85 mm gun. After the war the T-34 was out of large scale production
in the USSR by 1946, and was followed by the T-44 and the T-54. Production was later restarted in Poland and Czechoslovakia where many T-34/85 were made in the 1950's. Some of these ended up in various Cold War era conflicts all over the globe.
Variants
- T-34/76A - Production model of 1940
- T-34/76B - Production model of 1941 with heavier armor and a cast turret.
- T-34/76C - Production model of 1942 with heavier armor and a redesigned turret.
- T-34/76D - Production model of 1943 with welded turret.
- T-34/76E - Production model of 1943 with a commanders cupola.
- T-34/76F - Production model of 1943 with a cast version of the T-34/76D turret.
- T-34/85 - Production model of 1943 with a 85 mm gun and improved turret.
- Panzerkampfwagen T-34(r) - T-34s captured by Germany.
The T-34 chassis was used as the basis for a series of self-propelled guns such as the SG-122 and SU-85.
Some T-34 were fitted as self-propelled guns by Syria.
Combat history
The T-34 is often used as a symbol for the effectiveness of the Soviet counterattack against the Germans. The appearance of the T-34 definitely was an unpleasant surprise for the German commanders, as it could combat all 1941 German tanks effectively. It was faster, had better armament (50 mm was the predominant calibre of German tanks guns) and better armour protection, due to the technical innovation of sloped armour.
However, at the beginning of the war direct tank to tank combat was a relatively rare occurrence; the vast majority of losses suffered were from logistical and mechanical troubles (50% of Soviet tanks at the start of the German invasion), artillery and air strikes, anti-tank guns and later in the war self-propelled guns and tank destroyers. Combat effectiveness of early war T-34s was also hampered by a poor turret layout, which had the tank commander loading the main gun, and the poor state of tank crew training, a hangover from Stalin's purges of the Soviet officer corps in the late 1930s.
At the outset of the war, only about 10% of all Soviet tanks were T-34 variants, this number increased to 50-60% percent till mid-1943. By the time the T-34 had replaced older models and became available in greater numbers, newer German tanks (including the improved German design based on the T-34, the Panzer-V 'Panther') outperformed it. Heavier Russian tanks designs (e.g. the IS-1 and IS-2) were also better-armed and better-armoured than the T-34.
The T-34 is often called the best tank of World War 2 in the all around sense. It is true that the German Panther may have been the most powerful all around tank of the war and the Tigers had better guns and armour, but the T-34 was far simpler to manufacture and maintain in the field. It was also very reliable. This allowed mass production and large numbers to be deployed and operated simultaneously. These virtues in combination with its very good balance of firepower, armour protection, and mobility, allow it to be classified, all things considered, as the best tank of the war. The American M4 Sherman had many of these virtues but was deficient in armour design and (in most variants) firepower. German industry was never really effectively organised to mass produce tanks in the quantities required and produced too many divergent designs.
The upgunned T-34/85 nevertheless remained the standard Russian medium tank until the end of the War and played an important role in the Allied victory. The huge numbers produced were a deciding factor.
See also
External links
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T-34 tank
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