The Soviet T-34 medium tank entered service with the Soviet Red Army in 1940 after years of development. In 1937, Mikhail Koshkin, confectioner, turned engineer, began to design the T-34 based on deficient performance of Soviet tanks in the Spanish Civil War, and tank battles against Japanese armored forces in Manchuria. The prototype T-34 was designed in secrecy and driven over 1,200 miles to Moscow for Joseph Stalin’s approval. It possessed a 76.2mm gun, the most powerful gun of the period and was designed with 60-degree sloped armor that provided increased protection against anti-tank weapons.
One of the most developed features of the T-34 was the high-powered diesel engine created at the Kharkov Locomotive Works. It was the result of five years of research and development all focused on the creation of one engine. It was reliable and resistant to fire and increasing the T-34’s survivability after being hit. The T-34 production method was continuously refined and rationalized to meet the needs of the Eastern Front. This permitted the T-34 to be produced inexpensively, quickly, and in larger numbers that overwhelmed German armored forces.
The T-34 medium tank was the most produced tank of the Second World War with over 84,000 built. It was the mainstay of the Soviet armored forces throughout WW II and the earlier years of the Cold War. It remained nearly unchanged until 1944, when it received a firepower upgrade, the 85mm gun designated T-34-85. The T-34 medium tank has been the longest-serving tank ever built. Many are still stored in depots in Asia and Africa, and some served actively during the 90’s (such as during the 1991-99 Yugoslavian war). They formed the backbone of countless armored forces around the globe from the fifties to the eighties.
