Mike Devlin Pd 4

Bombs Away: The T-34 Medium Tank

The T-34 Medium Tank was the best of its kind. Innovated by the Soviets, designed
by Mikhail Koshkin and Alexander Alexandrovich Morozov, this tank was the war-winning
weapon for Russia. The T-34s armor was lightweight and durable, which caused it to be the
one of the fastest tanks used in World War II. This tank was easy to build and operate making
it the most produced tank in the war. Although it was first used during the Winter War in
1939 against Finland, it was primarily
used during World War II.
The T-34 was derived from prewar Russian light tanks. These tanks were
designed for high speeds but lacked good
armor and firepower, but the T-34 gave
light tanks a new meaning because it was
fast, durable, and provided the firepower it needed to win the war. This tanks height ranging
to 8ft made it smaller than most German and American tanks, which made it more
manageable through tougher terrain and harder to hit. In addition to being small and harder
to hit, the armor was sloped in the front and back which made it harder to penetrate. Of
course, with more sufficient armor it had to have adequate firearms. This tank had a 76mm
gun, the largest caliber, and later upgraded to an unheard of caliber of 85mm. To top it all off
the tank went roughly 53 km/h, approximately 33 mph.

Mike Devlin Pd 4

This tank made its debut fighting the Japanese. When the Japanese told the Germans
of their experiences against the tank Germany could not believe it until they truly saw what it
was capable of doing. After Germany invaded Russia, they adored the craftsmanship of the
T-34 and were inspired to make their own variation of it, the Panther. The Panther was the T34s worse enemy, it was bigger, faster, and stronger. This, of course, made the Russians
angry and they kept developing newer variations of the T-34.
The T-34 was 26 tons, ran on diesel, and had a range of 115 miles. To save time while
fueling up, Russians would put fuel into the T-38 while still driving it and some small
infantries even hitched a ride on the tanks. Each one had a crew of four men. Each one had a
specific job; there was the driver, the commander/loader, the gunner and bow machine
gunner.
The legacy of the T-34 still exists today. For the Soviets, it was the base for better
tanks used during the Cold War. Also the Famous T-54/ T-55 were direct descendants of the
T-34 which became the most produced tanks in history. The T-34 is the second most
produced tank in the world. During the Korean War, North Korea managed 120 T-43 tanks
during its invasion on South Korea.
To wrap up, the T-34 was one of the best tanks in history. Its design made hard to
penetrate, fast, and powerful. It was easy to operate and build which led to more production
making it the second most manufactured tank series. Without it, maybe the Germans would
have won because it was known to help the Soviets beet the Germans and helped the Allies
win the war.