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T-34 tank

T-34
A T-34-85 tank on display at Musée des Blindés in April 2007.
A T-34-85 tank on display at Musée des Blindés in April 2007.
Type Medium tank
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service 1940–late 1960s (USSR)
1950s–present (other countries)
Used by Soviet Union and 39 others
Wars World War II, and many others
Production history
Designer KMDB
Designed 1937–40
Produced 1940–58
No. built 84,070
35,120 T-34
48,950 T-34-85
Specifications (T-34 Model 1941)
Weight 26.5 tonnes (29.2 short tons; 26.1 long tons)
Length 6.68 m (21 ft 11 in)
Width 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height 2.45 m (8 ft 0 in)
Crew 4 (T-34)
5 (T-34-85)

Armor 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 (2.4"),
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
(T-34-85: 85 mm ZiS-S-53 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
Suspension Christie
Ground clearance 0.4 m (16 in)
Operational
range
  • 400 km (T-34) (250 mi)
  • 240 km (T-34-85) (150 mi)
Speed 53 km/h (33 mph)

The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank that had a profound and lasting effect on the field of tank design. Although its armour and armament were surpassed later in the war, it has often been credited as the most effective, efficient and influential tank design of the Second World War. At its introduction, the T-34 possessed an unprecedented combination of firepower, mobility, protection and ruggedness. Its 76.2 mm (3 in) high-velocity tank gun provided a substantial increase in firepower over any of its contemporaries; its heavy sloped armour was difficult to penetrate by most contemporary anti-tank weapons. When first encountered in 1941, the German tank general von Kleist called it "the finest tank in the world" and Heinz Guderian confirmed the T-34's "vast superiority" over existing German armour of the period.

The T-34 was the mainstay of Soviet armoured forces throughout the Second World War. Its design allowed it to be continuously refined to meet the constantly evolving needs of the Eastern Front: as the war went on it became more capable, but also quicker and cheaper to produce. Soviet industry would eventually produce over 80,000 T-34s of all variants, allowing steadily greater numbers to be fielded as the war progressed despite the loss 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-54/55 series). Its development led directly to the T-54 and T-55 series of tanks, which in turn evolved into the later T-62, T-72, and T-90 that form the armoured mainstay of many modern armies. T-34 variants were widely exported after World War II and as late as 1996 were still in service in at least 27 countries.


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