T34 tankları

The T-34 tank was the most legendary tank of World War II. What made this tank legendary was not its firepower, armor, or speed, but its ease of production and simplicity.

In the 1930s, Soviet T-26 and BT series tanks suffered heavy losses in battles such as the Spanish Civil War, the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, and the Winter War. These tanks were fast, but their armor was extremely weak, and when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the engine, it would catch fire. In response, Mikhail Koshkin developed his own prototype tank. He personally drove his prototype to Moscow and managed to get it approved. However, due to driving his tank in cold weather, he contracted pneumonia and died before seeing his tank enter mass production.

The T-34 tank entered mass production in 1940. It introduced a new feature: "sloped armor." Thanks to the angled armor, most of the incoming shells would deflect, providing better protection without needing excessive armor. The front of the T-34 had 45mm sloped armor. Its main weapon was a 76mm L/11 gun, and it was powered by a V-12 diesel engine, allowing it to reach speeds of up to 53 km/h.

In 1941, the tank was upgraded with a 76mm F-42 gun, capable of penetrating 80mm thick armor. When the Germans began their invasion of Russia, Panzer III tanks proved ineffective against the T-34. The T-34 significantly outmatched the Panzer III in speed, armor, and firepower.

However, the T-34 had disadvantages. Early models were prone to mechanical failures. The T-34 had a four-man crew, with the tank commander also acting as the gunner, leading to poor coordination among the crew. Additionally, its optical system was primitive, and due to the heavy losses suffered by the Soviets in the early years, T-34 tanks were produced hastily and with little attention to detail—some were even sent into battle unpainted.

By 1942–1943, with the introduction of the Panzer IV G models, the T-34 lost its battlefield superiority. The arrival of Panther and Tiger I tanks led to significant Soviet losses. During the Battle of Kursk, a single Tiger I tank could destroy up to ten T-34 tanks on its own. However, thanks to its numerical advantage, the T-34 was still able to counter the Tiger tanks despite heavy losses.

In 1944, the T-34 was upgraded, featuring an 85mm D-5T gun. The rushed production process was abandoned, and the turret was enlarged. The crew was increased to five members, adding a dedicated gunner, which improved the tank's operational efficiency. Later, the D-5T gun was replaced with the 85mm ZiS-S-53 gun, allowing the T-34-85 to penetrate 110mm of armor from a distance of 500 meters. At this range, the upgraded T-34 could damage Tiger I tanks, although the Tigers could still destroy T-34s from distances of up to one kilometer.

Thanks to its ease of production and simplicity, the T-34 was the tank that helped the Soviets win the war. Even after World War II ended, the T-34 remained in service.