The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II. First produced at the KhPZ factory in Kharkov (Kharkiv, Ukraine), it was the mainstay of Soviet armoured forces throughout World War II, and widely exported afterwards. It was the most-produced tank of the war, and the second most-produced tank of all time, after its successor, the T-54/T-55 series. In 1996, T-34 variants were still in service in at least 27 countries.
The T-34 was developed from the BT series of fast tanks and was intended to replace both the BT-5 and BT-7 tanks and the T-26 infantry tank in service. At its introduction, it was the tank with the best balanced attributes of firepower, mobility, protection and ruggedness, although initially its battlefield effectiveness suffered from the unsatisfactory ergonomic layout of its crew compartment, scarcity of radios, and poor tactical employment. The two-man turret-crew arrangement required the commander to aim and fire the gun, an arrangement common to most Soviet tanks of the day; this proved to be inferior to three-man (commander, gunner, and loader) turret crews of German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks.
The design and construction of the tank were continuously refined during the war to enhance effectiveness and decrease costs, allowing steadily greater numbers of T-34s to be fielded. In early 1944, the improved T-34-85 was introduced, with a more powerful 85 mm gun and a three-man turret design. By the war's end in 1945, the versatile and cost-effective T-34 had replaced many light and heavy tanks in service, and accounted for the majority of Soviet tank production. Its evolutionary development led directly to the T-54/55 series of tanks, built until 1981 and still operational as of 2010 and which itself led to the T-62, T 72 and T-90 tanks which, along with several Chinese tanks based on the T-55, form the backbone of many of the world's armies even today.
The T-34 was among the most important weapons fielded by the Red Army in World War II. At the time it was first fielded in 1940, commentators considered it one of the finest tank designs in the world. By mid-war, the T-34 no longer technically outclassed its opponents, but it remained effective in combat.| T-34 | |
|---|---|
| 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 and many others |
| Production history | |
| Designer | T-34 Main Design Bureau - KMDB |
| Designed | 1937–1940 |
| Produced | 1940–1958 |
| Number built | 84,070 |
| 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 |
| | |
| Armor | hull front 47 mm /60° (upper part), hull front 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: 85mm gun) |
| Secondary armament | 2 × 7.62 mm (0.308 in) DT machine guns |
| Engine | 12-cyl. diesel model V-2 500 hp (370 kW) |
| Power/weight | 17.5 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | Christie |
| Operational range | 400 km (250 mi) |
| Speed | 53 km/h (33 mph) |
