Т-34
The T-34 was a Soviet tank introduced in 1940, famously deployed to the Red Army during World War II against Operation Barbarossa.
T-34 | |
---|---|
Type | Medium tank |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
In service | 1940–1980s (Soviet Union) 1950s–present (by other states) |
Used by | Soviet Union and 39 others |
Wars | World War II, and many others |
Production history | |
Designer | KhMDB |
Designed | 1937–1940 |
Produced | 1940–45 (USSR), 1951–55 (Poland), 1951–58 (Czechoslovakia) |
No. built | 84,070[1] 35,120 T-34[1] 48,950 T-34-85[1] |
Specifications (T-34 Model 1941[4]) | |
Mass | 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 (T-34) 5 (T-34/85) |
Armour | Hull front 47 mm /60° (upper part)[2] 45 mm (1.8")/60° (lower part), Hull side 40 mm[3]/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[verification needed] |
Main armament | 76.2 mm (3.00 in) F-34 tank gun (T-34/85: 85 mm ZiS-S-53 or D-5T gun) |
Secondary armament | 2 × 7.62 mm (0.3 in) DT machine guns |
Engine | Model V-2-34 38.8 L V12 Diesel engine 500 hp (370 kW) |
Power/weight | 18.9 hp (14 kW) / tonne (T-34) 15.6 hp (11.6 KW) / tonne (T-34/85) |
Suspension | Christie |
Ground clearance | 0.4 m (16 in) |
Operational range |
|
Maximum speed | 53 km/h (33 mph) |
Design
Overview
The T-34 has good armor, a fairly powerful engine and wide tracks. The initial version of the T-34 had a powerful 76.2mm L-11 gun, and was often called the T-34-76. In 1944, a second version began production, the T-34-85, with a larger and more powerful 85mm ZIS-S-53 cannon to deal with newer German tanks.[5]
Т-34 Media
BT-7, A-20, T-34 (model 1940), and T-34 (model 1941)
Polish T-34 Model 1942 in Poznań, Poland. The model 1942's hexagonal turret distinguishes it from earlier models.
The T-34's 12-cylinder Model V-2-34 diesel engine at the Finnish Tank Museum in Parola
Sources
Those mentioned
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Zaloga & Kinnear 1996:18
- ↑ Specifications for T-34 model 41 WWIIVehicles.com. Retrieved on 18 May 2013.
- ↑ Zaloga 1994:5
- ↑ Zaloga & Grandsen 1984:184
- ↑ Zaloga & Grandsen 1983:14
Bibliography
- Zaloga, Steven J., James Grandsen (1983). T-34 in Action, Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal. ISBN 0-89747-112-1.