Т-34

The T-34 was a Soviet tank introduced in 1940, famously deployed to the Red Army during World War II against Operation Barbarossa.

T-34
T-34-85 medium tank as a war memorial in Kursk, Russia.
Type	Medium tank
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
In service	1940–1980s (Soviet Union) 1950s–present (by other states)
Used by	Soviet Union and 39 others
Wars	World War II, and many others
Production history
Designer	KhMDB
Designed	1937–1940
Produced	1940–45 (USSR), 1951–55 (Poland), 1951–58 (Czechoslovakia)
No. built	84,070 35,120 T-34 48,950 T-34-85
Specifications (T-34 Model 1941)
Mass	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)
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 (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 or D-5T 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) 15.6 hp (11.6 KW) / tonne (T-34/85)
Suspension	Christie
Ground clearance	0.4 m (16 in)
Operational range	250–330 km (T-34) (250 mi) 250–300 km (T-34/85) (150 mi)
Maximum speed	53 km/h (33 mph)

Design

Overview

The T-34 has good armor, a fairly powerful engine and wide tracks. The initial version of the T-34 had a powerful 76.2mm L-11 gun, and was often called the T-34-76. In 1944, a second version began production, the T-34-85, with a larger and more powerful 85mm ZIS-S-53 cannon to deal with newer German tanks.

Sources

Bibliography

• Zaloga, Steven J., James Grandsen (1983). T-34 in Action, Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal. ISBN 0-89747-112-1.