T-34
The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank from World War II. When introduced, its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than its contemporaries, and its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The T-34 had a profound effect on the conflict on the Eastern Front, and had a long-lasting impact on tank design. The tank was praised by multiple German generals when encountered during Operation Barbarossa, although its armour and armament were surpassed later in the war. Its main strength was its cost and production time, meaning that German panzer forces would often fight against Soviet tank forces several times their size. The T-34 is also a critical part of the mechanized divisions that form the backbone of the Deep Battle Strategy.
| T-34 | |
|---|---|
T-34-85 medium tank | |
| Type | Medium tank |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1940–present |
| Used by | Soviet Union and 39 others |
| Wars | World War II Korean War East German uprising of 1953 Hungarian Revolution of 1956 Bay of Pigs Invasion Vietnam War Suez Crisis Six-Day War Yom Kippur War 1974 Cypriot coup d'état Turkish invasion of Cyprus Ethiopian Civil War Angolan Civil War Ogaden War Vietnamese invasion of Kampuchea Sino-Vietnamese War Soviet–Afghan War Iran-Iraq War Yugoslav Wars Houthi takeover in Yemen Syrian Civil War War in Donbas |
| Production history | |
| Designer | KhMDB |
| Designed | 1937–1940 |
| Unit cost | 3,094–9,000 Man hours 130,000–429,000 Rbls |
| Produced | 1940–1946 (USSR), 1951–1955 (Poland), 1951–1958 (Czechoslovakia) |
| No. built | 84,070 35,120 T-34 48,950 T-34-85 |
| Variants | See T-34 variants |
| Specifications (T-34 Model 1941) | |
| Mass |
|
| Length | 6.68 m (21 ft 11 in) |
| Width | 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 2.46 m (8 ft 1 in) |
| Crew | 4 (T-34) |
| Armour | Hull front 47 mm /60° (upper part) 45 mm (1.8")/60° (lower part), Hull side 40 mm/41°(upper part), Hull rear 45 mm, Hull top 20 mm, Hull bottom 15 mm; Turret front 60 mm (round), Turret side 52 mm/30°, Turret rear 30 mm, Turret top 16 mm |
Main armament | 76.2 mm (3.00 in) F-34 tank gun |
Secondary armament | 2 × 7.62 mm (0.3 in) DT machine guns |
| Engine | Model V-2-34 38.8 L V12 Diesel engine 500 hp (370 kW) |
| Power/weight | 18.9 hp (14 kW) / tonne (T-34) |
| Suspension | Christie |
| Ground clearance | 0.4 m (16 in) |
Operational range | Road: 330 km (210 mi) Cross-country: 200 km (120 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 53 km/h (33 mph) |
The T-34 was the mainstay of the Soviet Red Army armoured forces throughout the war. Its general specifications remained nearly unchanged until early 1944, when it received a firepower upgrade with the introduction of the greatly improved T-34-85 variant. Its production method was continuously refined and rationalized to meet the needs of the Eastern Front, making the T-34 quicker and cheaper to produce. The Soviets ultimately built over 80,000 T-34s of all variants, allowing steadily greater numbers to be fielded despite the loss of tens of thousands in combat against the German Wehrmacht.
Replacing many light and medium tanks in Red Army service, it was the most-produced tank of the war, as well as the second most-produced tank of all time (after its successor, the T-54/T-55 series). With 44,900 lost during the war, it also suffered the most tank losses ever. Its development led directly to the T-44, then the T-54 and T-55 series of tanks, which in turn evolved into the later T-62, that form the armoured core of many modern armies. T-34 variants were widely exported after World War II, and as recently as 2010 more than 130 were still in service.