"The Best Tank in the World" Since Ukraine was the center of heavy industry in the USSR in the 1930s it produced much of the armaments before the German invasion. One surprise Hitler's army encountered was the T-34 tank which was designed and built in Ukraine in the Kharkiv Tractor Factory. The German general von Runstedt called the T-34 the "best tank in the world" and von Kleist said it was the "finest in the world." The first Ukrainian T-34 tank, no. 1, was tested by successfully driving it 1,000 miles from Kharkiv, Ukraine, to Moscow, Russia and back. The T-34 medium tank was superior to the German Panzer tanks because it had a more powerful cannon, a higher top speed (32 MPH to 25 for the Panzers), the armour was so superior that German shells bounced off it, superior welded construction invented by Academician Paton, and it had a wider track so it did not get bogged down in mud like the German Panzer. The Germans decided that the Ukrainian T-34 tank was so superior to the Panzer that they would have copied it but "Unfortunately for Germany this was not possible. German engineering technology was not up to it, many of the special alloys used in its construction were not available," states Andrew Kershaw in Weapons & War Machines (New York 1976) p. 192. (Incidentally, in 1995 the Ukrainian T-84 Tank being built in Kharkiv is again considered the best in the world.) I 'borrowed' the above text , also, good pictures of this tank are hard to find.
I wouldn't argue with you Dave on this being the best Tank in the World. I have read somewhere that it is still used today by some minor powers, but don't recall whom.
I would say most probably it is the UK Reading that text again I remembered the website I copied it from. It was 30 odd pages about why The Ukraine should be considered the most important country in the history of the planet. The design and production of the T-34 "best tank in the world" was one example, another claim to fame was that Marshall Zhukov was part Ukranian. It also said that Zhukov was : "THE Hero of World War II". Now the T-34 certainly was an excellent tank...
The German's first real taste of the T34 was during the Winter Counter-Offensive by the Russians in late 1941/early 1942 in the defense of Moscow. No one even knew of it's existence until one started chewing through the lighter Panzer Mk 2 & 3's that made up the majority of German Armour at that stage of the war. Set Alarm Bells ringing in Berlin and a crash program was started to match the new Russian Tank. Unfortunately Germany could not produce enough Mk V "Tiger" or Mk VI "Panther" Heavy & Medium Tanks to take on the growing number of T34's that the Soviet Union was producing beyond the Ural Mountains after Stalin moved everything East to escape the German onslought. But the T34 was a versatile machine and was upgunned with an 85 mm gun as the war progressed thereby giving 2 major production models - the original T34/76 and the later T34/85.
T34/76 & T34/85 The T34/76 was the 1st and most numerous version built and was the mainstay of Russain Armoured Units throughout WW2 and was then widely exported afterwards. These 2 pictures show the differences between the T34/76 & the T34/85. The main noticeable difference with the /85 is the bigger 3 man Turret with a long barrelled 85mm Main Gun.
There are hundreds of surviving T-34s. Examples of this tank are in the collections of most significant military museums, and hundreds more serve as war memorials. Many are in private ownership, and demilitarised working tanks change hands. a T-34 Model 1943 was recovered that had spent 56 years at the bottom of a bog in Estonia. The tank had been captured and used by retreating German troops, who dumped it in the swamp when it ran out of fuel. There were no signs of oil leakage, rust, or other significant water damage to the mechanical components. The engine was restored to full working order. :ehm:
ironic. it is ironic that the designers of the t34 and the spitfire,both never lived to see their war winning wepons,regards,shamus.:sad:
Hi Shamus welcome to the forums, and a good point. Re the previous post, there is a video of the tank being dragged out of the bog, in amazing condition, and complete with driver ! [YOUTUBE]8kKLbKHNquE[/YOUTUBE]
WOW, that Bog has amazing conservational powers, the driver looks younger than the day he went in:lol:
Here is a T-34 crossing a chilly river in the dead of winter 1944 .. Note the tactical number painted in white at the front right side plate, this was very rare in 1944 as by this time the soviets had begun to paint red stars on this plate!
