The T-34’s were effective during WWII and the Vietnam War but were mostly out performed by American and German heavy tanks. What the T-34’s excelled in was reliability and numbers. The water cooled diesel engine made this tank incredibly maneuverable and fast, this along with the sloped armor made and an incredible combo. The more powerful engine and slightly less thick armor allowed for wider tracks which improved performance in the snow and mud. The T-34’s were very good as medium tanks but both America and Germany were swapping to heavy tanks with improved armor and guns with a slower traverse speed. Originally equipped with a 76.2 mm cannon on the 76 version and later an 85 mm cannon on the 85 version. While the T-34’s were good for their time they were also known for being incredibly uncomfortable and crude. During the Vietnam war it was effectively used by North Korea until the UN forces pushed them back. Once the Russians switched to heavy tanks they made some amazing additions to the T series. Next week I will do something about one of the many heavy tanks inside the Russian T series.

This is a picture of the T-34/76. These variants were used during The Battle of Kursk, WWII, when a single Tiger 1 was able to fend off 50 of these tanks, disabling at least 20 all by itself. The Tiger ultimately ran out of ammo and had to retreat and that is when the Russians decided to retreat as well not knowing the tiger was out of ammo.