Despite the engineering successes of the T-34, internal divisions within the Soviet leadership almost caused the tank to be scrapped. The sloped armor deflected projectiles that struck in a perpendicular plane (as most rounds from other tanks and anti-tank rockets would). This seemingly minor design detail drastically reshaped the way future tanks were built, and gave the T-34 a distinct advantage on the battlefield. Created in response to the lessons of the Spanish Civil War, where WWI model Soviet tanks were easily bested by their more modern German counterparts, the T-34 had superior firepower, armor, and mobility to German tanks of the time. The first T-34 rolled of the assembly line in 1940. From its service to Russian during her era of dire need and its eventual dissemination to the Soviet bloc and other Soviet allies, the T-34 is an everlasting part of the Russian national memory and a symbol of Russia in the world. The tank was the primary tank of the North Korean army in the Korean War and was the primary armor unit for many east European nations for the subsequent decades. Additionally, the tank had a much longer life among Soviet allies around the globe. The T-34’s heyday in the Red Army was relatively short (from 1941-44, at which point it began to be phased out), yet it played an outsize role in the Russians’ victory in WWII. While other tanks eventual bridged the engineering gap, the T-34’s relative simplicity and economy of production allowed it to be the most produced tank of the war. At its inception, the T-34 was the fastest and most powerful tank in its class. The T-34 both fundamentally reshaped the model of the medium tank, and reshaped the war, turning the tide against the Nazi’s in the east. There is a broad consensus among historians that the most influential tank in WWII, is not a member of the famed German panzer division nor one of the American tanks that liberated Western Europe, but, instead, it is a Russian tank: the T-34. “If I had known about the T-34, I would have delayed invading Russia” –Adolf Hitler
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |