T-34

"It's the deadliest tank in the world"- Heinz Guderian
The T-34 was the most produced tank during WWII. It has a good combination of speed, firepower, and mobility. Designed for intense combat in nearly every battlefront. It surpassed all German tanks at the time when it was first encountered and had the best tank gun in the world at the time. The T-34 was surpassed in armor and armament later in the war, as the Germans upgraded their Panzer IV and introduced the Panther and Tiger I tanks in response to the T-34. To deal with these newer German tanks, the Russians started production of the T-34-85 in early 1944 with a new 85 MM gun. It was a match for the Panther, but nevertheless it was still inferior to the German Tiger heavy tanks. It is still in use mostly in reserve, used in light tank role, or treated as infantry backup. It was succeeded by the T-55AM2 Main Battle Tank. It appears in Endless War: Defence, Endless War 6 and 7.
==Performance in Combat (1941-43)==
The T-34's F-34 76mm gun was superior during the German invasion in 1941. It made the Italian Fiat L6/40 and Panzer III obsolete by the time they first encountered this robust and reliable tank.
By 1943 the Germans have adapted to the T-34 and started creating the Panther and  Tiger I tanks. Which include thick sloping frontal armor and 75mm gun for the Panther, and the first ever 88mm gun is put into the 55 ton Tiger tank, which has 100mm armor in all sides, making the short barrelled 76mm inadiquate to punch through the new German armor. Like the American Sherman, they were easier and cheaper to build. But unlike the German panzers, It had average armor, better speed and good traction on ground, and has a low velocity gun compared to the 75mm KwK long barrelled guns.
==The Big Upgrade (1943-45)==
In mid 1943 after operation Zittadelle (Kursk), The Russian Stavka ordered a new gun capable of busting the heavy German armor. The Soviet designers proposed to use the barrel of the 85mm 52k Anti Aircraft gun as the sucessor to the F-34 76mm gun. It features better range, better damage, and good stopping power at the cost of slower gun reload. Then the Army designed a new hexagonal turret to house the larger 85mm gun and more shell compartments. This variant became known as the T-34/85. This design was also the brainchild for the SU-85 and SU-100 tank destroyers.
The design was a success. The new T-34 easily destroyed the battered german tanks in the dying months of WWII. Such as the Siege of Budapest. When it easily overpowered the 72 ton King Tiger Tank with its high velocity cannon. And these were also used in the Battle for Berlin. Where it gave cover for advancing troops.
==After the War (1946- Present)==
The T-34 was used by the soviet military until the 1960's when it was replaced by the new main battle tanks known as the T-55. It was little, fast, houses a 105mm gun, and operated only by 4 men. T-55 would become the most produced tank in the world to date.
In 1967, the T-34 would play a vital role in the Six Day War as the backbone of the Soviet-backed Egyptian army. However, It's already inadiquate and unsuited for desert warfare. It fell prey to the Israeli M48 Patton and Centurion MBT's.
Until now, some countries still use the T-34/85 model as training units, even as APC's. Like Myanmar and Thailand. Even though it is outdated, it will always be a force to be reckoned with in the battlefield.
Category:Tank