Design Overview & Tactical Role
To overcome the heavily armored German Panther and Tiger tanks encountered during 1943, the Red Army introduced the definitive T-34-85. Replacing the cramped two-man turret with an enlarged, roomy three-man cast turret and mounting the potent 85 mm ZiS-S-53 gun, it allowed the tank commander to dedicate his focus entirely to battlefield tactics. Simple, robust, and produced in tens of thousands, it formed the steel tidal wave that crashed over Berlin.
Combat History & Battle Records
Entering service in early 1944, T-34-85 tank corps spearheaded Operation Bagration, destroying Army Group Centre, and raced through Poland to the Reichstag in Berlin. Post-WWII, it spearheaded the North Korean invasion during the Korean War (1950) and saw service in the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans.
Related Armored Vehicles (World War II)
