No tank affected the outcome of World War 2 as much as the production of the Soviet T-34 series.
A landmark in tank history
The T-34 was and remains a legend. It is not only the most produced tank of WWII, with 84,000 in built (compared to the 48,966 Shermans of all versions) but also one of the longest-serving tanks ever built. Many are still extent in depots in Asia and Africa, some served actively during the 90's (like during the 1991-99 Yugoslavian war). They were part of countless armored forces around the globe from the fifties to the eighties. The basic design was drawn for the first time in 1938 with the A-32, derived from the BT-7M, a late evolution of the US-borne Christie tank. The first version T-34/76 came as a nasty surprise for the overconfident German troops in the fall of 1941, when it was first committed en masse. The Germans had nothing comparable. Not only were they able to cope with the mud and snow with their large tracks, but they came with a perfect combination of thick and highly sloped armor, efficient gun, good speed and autonomy and, above all, extreme sturdiness, reliability, ease of manufacturing and maintenance. A perfect winner for an industrial war and a significant leap in tank design.
T-34 was described by the Germans in the following statements: "Very worrying", Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, Commander of Second Panzer Army, "We had nothing comparable", Major-General F.W. Mellenthin, Chief of Staff of XLVIII Panzer Corps and "The finest tank in the world", Field-Marshal Ewald von Kleist, First Panzer Army. The Germans were so impressed by this Russian tank that they used the captured Russian tanks (with modifications) themselves in many battles with the Allies.
From 1940 to 1944, some 35,119 T-34/76 tanks were produced. In order to respond to T-34/76 in 1942, Germans developed their own Panzerkampfwagen V Panther, which incorporated many features of the Soviet T-34/76 and eventually proved to be a superb tank.
