T-34

Soviet medium tank; the premier Soviet tank of World War II and probably the best tank of the war, it was produced long after and used by communist armies all over the world.

Powered by a 3.8 litre v-12 diesel engine producing 500 hp, it weighed 26 tons, had a speed of 50 kph/31 mph, 45 mm/2 in thick armour, and a powerful 76 mm gun in the turret. The suspension was on large wheels, based on the US Christie design, giving it a very good cross-country performance at speed, and the wide tracks gave it excellent flotation in mud and snow conditions.

When it first appeared June 1940, its performance astonished the Germans whose first reaction was simply to copy a captured specimen, but this was found to be impossible and instead hasty upgrading programmes and the development of the Panther tank were put under way. The T-34 was itself upgraded 1944 by substituting an 85 mm gun for the original weapon.