TheRealStoryoftheT34tank.TheT34hasgonedonedowninhistoryasoneofthemosteffectiveweaponseverproducedforarmoredwarfare.From1940,whenthefirstT34sbeganrollingofftheassemblyline,theyremainedinproductionuntil1958.Thisstandsasoneofthelongest,ifnotthelongestproductionruninhistoryforaweaponofthistype.TheconceptoftheT34beganwithanarmoredvehicleknownastheT3,thebrainchildofAmericaninventorJ.WalterChristiewho,in1931,introducedatankwhich,withtracksremoved,wascapableoftravelingover60milesanhour.Althoughhisinventionrevolutionizedarmoredwarfare,itspotentialwasnotfullyrecognizedatthetimebytheAmericans.TheRussians,however,purchasedseveraloftheserelativelylight,10tonmachinesandimmediatelybegantoincorporatethemintotheirowndesigns.TheresultwastheBTMediumTank,producedbetween193638.AlthoughtheBTvehicleswereremarkablefortheirspeedandperformance,theirlimitationswerequicklyrealizedandSovietengineers,mostnotablyMikhailKoshkinandAlexanderMorozov,beganthinkingaheadtoamoreformidablefightingmachine.In1938,TheBTwasreplacedbytheA20,whoseslopingarmorandsmallturretbecametheblueprintforlaterdesigns.Thefollowingyear,withtheshadowofwarloomingoverEurope,theRussiansintroducedtheT32,whichkeptthebasicdesignoftheA20butthickeneditsarmorplatingandupgradedits45mmguntoamorelethal76.2mmcannon.OneofthemostsignificantdifferencesbetweentheTseriestanksandtheGermantanks,againstwhomtheywouldsoonbeengagedonthebattlefield,wastheirengine.Germantanks,aswellasthoseofmostofothercountries,reliedongasolineengines.TheRussians,however,adaptingadesigncreatedbytheItalianCompanyFiat,createdapowerfulandfuelefficient12cylinder,38gallondieselenginecapableof32mph,whichtheychristenedtheV2.In1940,withtheSecondWorldWarnowunderway,theTseriesreceivedafurtherupgrade,particularlytotheconfigurationofitsarmor,thankstoengineersN.A.KucherenkoandM.I.Tarshinov.Theresultwasthe26tonT34,prototypes

forwhichsuccessfullycompletedanextraordinarytrialrunfromKharkov,oneofseveralproductionfacilitiesfortheT34,allthewaytoMoscowinthespringof1940,adistanceofalmost1800miles.Thetankwouldcontinuetoundergomodificationsinthecomingyears,appearingastheT34/76A,BandCand,inlate1943,achieveditsultimateincarnationunderthedirectionofV.V.KrylovastheT34/85,whichsportedadevastating85mmcannon.However,by1940,thebasicdesignwasinplaceandtheT34wentintofullproductioninJuneofthatyear.AftertheGermaninvasionofRussia,whichbeganinJuneof1941,SoviettankmanufacturingplantsinbothKharkovandLeningradwereevacuatedeastoftheUralmountainstothesiteoftheChelyabinskTractorWorks.Havingconverteditsfacilitytotheproductionofarmoredvehicles,thishugefactorybecameknownasTankograd.OtherfactorieswereconvertedtotankproductioninOmsk,SverdlovskandNizhnyTagil.Meanwhile,atStalingrad,theZerzhinskiTractorFactorycontinuedbuildingT34s,evenafterthecityhadbeeninvaded,andlargelyreducedtorubble,bytheGerman6thArmy.AtStalingrad,unpaintedtanksweredrivenstraightoutoftheZerzhinskifactorygatesanddirectlyintobattlesgoingonaroundthefactory.Between194043,productionnumbersfortheT34remainedsteadyatapproximately10,000machinesperyear.FormidableastheT34provedtobe,themachinewasnotwithoutitsflaws.Thetransmissionwasconsideredunreliable,itssteeringmechanismprimitiveandtheinteriorofthetanknotoriouslycrampedanduncomfortable.Inaddition,wirelessradiowasonlycarriedincommandvehicle,forcingothertankstocommunicatewithhandsignals.Theshapeoftheturretalsopreventedthecannonfrombeingloweredenoughtoengagetheenemyatverycloserangewhich,giventhephotographicevidence,wasnotanunusualevent.Some,butbynomeansalloftheseshortcomingswereaddressed.Some,butbynomeansalloftheseshortcomingswereaddressed.Principalinnovationsconsistedofthehardeningofbattlearmorplate,theupgradingofweaponsandtheremovalofrubberfromthewheels,duetotheshortageofthatresource.Inaddition,theturretwaseventuallyenlargedtopermitaccessbythreemeninsteadoftwo.

TheT34wasknowntothemenwhoservedinitasTheRedCoffinorTheCoffinforFourBrothers(fourbeingthenumberofthecrew).TheGermansgaveitthenicknameMickeysince,whenthetankhadbeenabandoned,itsopenedcircularturrethatchesgavethetankaprofilesomethinglikethatofMickeyMouse.TheFinnsmadegooduseofcapturedT34s,whichtheyreferredtoasSotkaorDuck.Initslaterdesignform,theT34achievedgreatermaneuverabilityandarmordefensesthanitsmainopponents,theGermanSturmgeschutzIIIandMarkIV.AlthoughitwasunlikelytocomeoutofashowdownwithsuchmonstersasthePantherorTiger,theT34snumericalsuperiorityinmostcasesguaranteeditwouldremainadangerousopponent.AnotherfailingthatisoftenmentionedisthepoorqualityofcrewtrainingformenoperatingtheT34.Combinedwithpooruseofterrainandpredictabilityofbattletactics,thisseriouslydiminishedtheoverallpotentialoftheweapon.Inspiteofthesedisadvantages,theT34struckfearintoeventhemosthardenedopponents.ItwouldbehardtoimagineagreatercomplimentthanthatpaidtoitbyGermanGeneralHeinzGuderian,oneofthepioneersofBlitzkrieginwhichthetankfeaturedsoprominently.Bythefallof1941,theT34hassooutperformedtheitsGermancounterpart,thePanzerMarkIV,thatGuderiansuggestedthequickestwaytoresolvetheimbalancewouldsimplybetocopytheT34,ratherthanattempttoimproveuponitsdesign.AnotherGermanFieldMarshallvonKleist,havingwitnessedtheT34sawesomedestructivepower,declaredittobethefinesttankintheworld.UnlikemosttanksusedbyotherAlliednationsduringWWII,suchastheChurchillandtheSherman,theT34continuedtoseeactionlongafterthewar,onbattlefieldsasfarawayasEgypt,Korea,HungaryandVietnam.Inthe1990s,thelastoperationalT34ssawactionintheBosnianConflict.OneofthemostamazingstoriesIhaveencounteredconcerningaT34isthatofafullyarmedT34/76AdiscoveredatthebottomofashallowlakeinaforestnearJohvi,Estonia.ThetanksawactionontheNarvafrontin1944,wascapturedbytheGermansandusedbrieflyincombatbeforebeingdeliberatelyriddenintothelake.Thetankwashauledoutonthe14th September, 2000 and, according to some accounts, has been now restored to working condition after half a

century underwater. There are several U-tube clips of the tank emerging from the lake, one of which is listed here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7boxp1Sk2w ThisshortessaydoesnotattempttoportrayanythingmorethanabasicoutlineoftheT34.Forthoseinclinedtofurtherstudy,awealthofpublicationsofferamorecomprehensivelookatthisremarkablemachine.Many,suchasvolume9oftheexcellentArmourinProfileSeries,writtenbyJ.MBreretonandpublishedbyProfilePublications,arecurrentlyoutofprintanddifficulttofind.Amongthosestillavailable,IstronglyrecommendthefollowingT34inActionbyArtemDrabkinandOlegSheremetT34/76MediumTank194145byStevenZalogaandPeterSarsonTheT34MediumTank(RussianArmorVolume4)byM.BariatinskiTheT34RussianBattleTankbyMatthewHughesandChrisMannT34MythicWeaponbyRobertMichulecandMiroslavZientarzewski