PL-43 armored car with Soviet Union T-34/76 turret 1/72 UMmT 622

PL-43 armored car with Soviet Union T-34/76 turret

1/72scale plastic model kit

UMmT 622

Manufacturer: UMmt (Ukraine)

Scale: 1/72

Material: Plastic

Condition: New in Box

The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank which had a profound and permanent effect on the fields of tank tactics and design. First deployed in 1940, it has often been described as the most effective, efficient, and influential design ofWorld War II. At its introduction, the T-34 possessed the best balance of firepower, mobility, protection, and ruggedness of any tank (though its initial battlefield effectiveness suffered due to a variety of factors). Its 76.2 mm (3 in) high-velocity gun was the best tank gun in the world at that time; its heavysloped armour was impenetrable by standard anti-tank weapons; and it was very agile. Though its armour and armament were surpassed later in the war, when they first encountered it in battle in 1941 German tank generals von Kleist and Guderian called it "the deadliest tank in the world."

The T-34 was the mainstay of Soviet armoured forces throughout World War II. The design and construction of the tank were continuously refined during the war to enhance effectiveness and decrease costs, allowing steadily greater numbers of T-34s to be fielded despite heavy losses. It was the most-produced tank of the war, and the second most-produced tank of all time, after its successor, the T-54/55 series. By the end of the war in 1945 the T-34 had replaced many light and heavy tanks in Red Army service. It accounted for the majority of Soviet tank production, and following the war it was widely exported. Its evolutionary development led directly to the T-54/55 series of tanks, built until 1981 and still operational as of 2013 and which itself led to the T-62, T-72, and T-90 tanks which, along with several Chinese tanks based on the T-55, form the backbone of many armies even today. In 1996, T-34 variants were still in service in at least 27 countries.The T-34 posed new challenges for Soviet industry. It had heavier armour than any medium tank produced to date, and there were problems with defective armour plates. Only company commanders' tanks could be fitted with radios (originally the 10-RT 26E radio set), due to their expense and short supply – the rest of the tank crews in each company signalled with flags.[26] The L-11 gun did not live up to expectations, so the Grabin design bureau at Gorky Factory N.92 designed a superior F-34 76.2 mm gun (see Designations of Soviet artillery). No bureaucrat would approve production of the new gun, but Gorky and KhPZ started producing it anyway; official permission only came from the State Defense Committee after troops praised the weapon's performance in combat against the Germans.

Production of this first T-34 series – the Model 1940 – totalled only about 400, before production was switched to the Model 1941, with F-34 gun, 9-RS radio set (also installed on the SU-100), and thicker armour.The T-34 was one of the most heavily armoured tanks in the world in 1941. Good armour thickness was enhanced by the sloped armour shape, which provided protection in excess of what armour thickness alone would indicate. Some tanks also had appliqué armour of varying thickness welded on to the hull and turret. Tanks thus modified were called s ekranami (Russian: с экранами, "with screens").

The USSR donated two combat-used Model 1941 T-34s to the United States for testing purposes in late 1942. The examinations, performed at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, revealed problems with overall armour build quality, especially of plate joins and welds, as well as the use of soft steel combined with shallow surface tempering. Leak issues were noted as well: "In a heavy rain lots of water flows through chinks/cracks, which leads to the disabling of the electrical equipment and even the ammunition". Earlier models of the T-34, until the Model 1942, had cast turrets whose armour was softer than that of the other parts of the tank, and offered poor resistance even to 37 mm anti-aircraft shells.

T-34

Type

Medium tank

Place of origin

Soviet Union

Service history

In service

1940-Late 1960s (USSR)

1950s - present (other countries)

Used by

Soviet Union and 39 others

Wars

World War II, and many others

Production history

Designer

KMDB

Designed

1937–1940

Produced

1940–1958

Number built

84,070

35,120 T-34/76

48,950 T-34-85

Specifications (T-34 Model 1941)

Weight

26.5 tonnes (29.2 short tons; 26.1 long tons)

Length

6.68 m (21 ft 11 in)

Width

3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)

Height

2.45 m (8 ft 0 in)

Crew

4 (T-34/76)

5 (T-34/85)

Armor

Hull front 47 mm /60° (upper part)

45 mm (1.8")/60° (lower part),

Hull side 40 mm[3]/41°(upper part),

Hull rear 45 mm,

Hull top 20 mm,

Hull bottom 15 mm;

Turret front 60 mm (2.4"),

Turret side 52 mm/30°,

Turret rear 30 mm,

Turret top 16 mm

Main

armament

76.2 mm (3.00 in) F-34 tank gun

(T-34-85: 85 mm ZiS-S-53 gun)

Secondary

armament

2 × 7.62 mm (0.308 in) DT machine guns

Engine

Model V-2-34 38.8 L V12 Diesel engine

500 hp (370 kW)

Power/weight

17.5 hp/tonne

Suspension

Christie

Ground clearance

0.4 m (16 in)

Operational

range

400 km (250 mi)

Speed

53 km/h (33 mph)