With a three-man turret, the commander was free to command the tank, leaving the operation of the gun to his gunner and loader. This was done by creating a new turret that allowed an extra crew member to be added and replaced the 76mm gun with an 85mm gun, creating one of the most successful tanks of the war. Despite improvements in enemy equipment, its 76mm gun was still adequate to deal with German medium tanks like the Panzer IV, especially as the T-34 outnumbered them two or three to one.Īfter encountering the Tiger and Panther tanks at Kursk, it was decided that the T-34 needed to be upgraded. Entering battle in 1943, the improved 1942 model fought in every major engagement for the rest of the war. The fast-moving T-34 tank was the mainstay of the Red Army's tank force throughout the war. The T-34 caused the Germans to often avoid direct engagement with this well-armoured tank and powerful 76mm gun.
The new T-34 tanks were issued to a number of tank divisions in the mechanised corps, and the Germans began to run into them within the first few days of the invasion. They were armed with a mix of tanks with the best armed based around the new T-34 tank.
Soviet tank divisions formed the hard-hitting core of their mechanised corps. When the German Wehrmacht first encountered it in battle in 1941, German tank generals von Kleist and Guderian called it "the deadliest tank in the world." The T-34 was the most-produced tank of World War II.
0 kommentar(er)
