Design Overview & Tactical Role
When German forces launched Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the appearance of the Soviet T-34-76 induced genuine 'Tank Terror' (Panzerschreck). Designed by Mikhail Koshkin, it flawlessly balanced three cardinal virtues: well-sloped 45 mm armor that bounced German 3.7 cm and 5 cm rounds, a high-velocity 76.2 mm F-34 gun, and the all-aluminum V-2-34 diesel engine driving wide tracks that traversed autumn mud and winter snow with ease.
Combat History & Battle Records
Field Marshal Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist hailed it as 'the finest tank in the world'. The T-34 defended Moscow, outlasted the Wehrmacht at Stalingrad, and crushed German armor in the titanic clash at Prochorovka during the Battle of Kursk.
Related Armored Vehicles (World War II)
Cold War
1948
Cold War
1961
Cold War
1964
Cold War
1973