T-34-76

The T-34 (size thirty-four) is a Soviet medium tank of the Second World War, the world's first modern (diesel) tank in mass production. The leading plant for modifying the T-34 was the Ural Tank Plant No. 183. The latest modification (T-34-85) is still in service in some countries to this day.

In 1943, due to the massive emergence of new models of armored vehicles with reinforced armor, the effectiveness of the 76.2 mm T-34 tank guns immediately became insufficient. This forced them to look for ways to improve the combat performance of the T-34. After several variants were developed, the T-34-85, armed with the new 85 mm S-53 gun, was put into mass production in 1944. The crew increased from 4 to 5 people, and the tank received a new turret with reinforced armor and more comfortable for the crew and commander. As a result, the weight increased by several tons (up to 32 tons), which led to a slight decrease in dynamic performance.

The T-34-85 was adopted by the Red Army by Decree of the State Commissariat of Defence No. 5020 SS, dated January 23, 1944.

It is the final modification of the T-34 tank of 1943. A new, spacious, three-man gun turret. It provided an increase in the volume of the combat compartment, the ability to accommodate a more powerful 85-mm gun, better distribution of functions between crew members and their protection. With slightly increased overall armor protection due to the turret (compared to the T-34-76 tank), but insufficient compared to enemy heavy tanks in 1944, the T-34-85 tank practically did not lose its former mobility and maneuverability - the main advantage of a medium tank in battles with Panther (medium tank) and Tiger (heavy tank) tanks. As a combat vehicle, the T-34-85 tank is a classic example of a combination of design and technological solutions that, in their entirety, provided the best possible compliance with the tactical and technical requirements for a “cruiser” tank during the “turning point” of World War II. The main, most objective criterion for determining the quality of the T-34-85 medium tank is the absolutely positive attitude of Soviet tank crews to it.

The T-34-85 was produced in the USSR from January 1944 until 1950, prior to the mass production of the T-54. Under license from the USSR, 3,185 tanks of this type were produced in Czechoslovakia between 1952 and 1958, and 1,980 tanks were produced in Poland between 1953 and 1955. In total, more than 35,000 T-34-85 tanks (including those produced in Czechoslovakia and Poland) were produced, and with the previously produced T-34-76 tanks, the total production amounted to about 70-80 thousand units. This makes the T-34 tank the most widely produced tank in the world.