The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank.
General Characteristics (T-34/76) | |
Length: | 8.0 m |
Width: | 3.0 m |
Height: | 2.7 m |
Weight: | 26 t |
Speed: | 55 km/h (road) - (off-road) |
Range: | 186 km |
Primary armament: | 76.2 mm gun |
Secondary armament: | two 7.62 mm machine guns |
Power plant: | 373 kW (500 hp) Diesel |
Crew: | 4 |
General Characteristics (T-34/85) | |
Length: | 8.0 m |
Width: | 3.0 m |
Height: | 2.7 m |
Weight: | 32 t |
Speed: | 55 km/h (road) - (off-road) |
Range: | 360 km |
Primary armament: | 85mm gun |
Secondary armament: | two 7.62 mm machine guns |
Power plant: | 373 kW (500 hp) Diesel |
Crew: | 5 |
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Between 1940 and 1944 over 35000 T-34/76 tanks were produced. The T-34 was produced in two major variants, the T-34/76 with a 76 mm gun and a T-34/85 with an 85 mm gun. After the war the T-34 was followed by the T-44 and the T-54.
Some T-34 were fitted as self-propelled guns by Syria.
However, direct tank to tank combat was a rather rare occurence, the vast majority of losses suffered were from logistical and mechanical troubles (50% of Soviet tanks at the start of the German invasion), artillery and air strikes and (self-propelled) anti-tank guns. At the outset of the war, only about 10% of all Soviet tanks were T-34 variants, this number increased to 50-60% percent till mid-1943. By the time the T-34 had replaced older models and became available in greater numbers, new german tanks (including the improved German copy of a T-34, the Panzer-IV 'Panther'; captured T-34, which could be repaired, were reused by the German army) outperformed him.
Still, the T-34 was an adequate and effective tank and played a big part in the defeat of the German invaders.
See also: List of tanks, List of Soviet tanks.
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