T-34/76 Medium Tank, 1941-1945; Osprey Military, New Vanguard, 9

London, England: Osprey, 1995. Second printing [stated]. Trade paperback. Very good. Peter Sarson (Color plates). 48 pages. Illustrations (some in full color). Footnotes. Some technical specifications. Steven J. Zaloga (born February 1, 1952) is an American author and defense consultant. He received a bachelor's degree cum laude at Union College and a masters degree at Columbia University, both in history. He has published many books dealing with modern military technology, and especially Soviet and CIS tanks and armored warfare. He is a senior analyst at the Teal Group. He is also a noted scale armor modeler and is a host/moderator of the World War II Allied Discussion group at Missing-Lynx, a modeling website. He is a frequent contributor to the UK-based modeling magazine Military Modeling. He is a member of the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society. Peter Sarson has produced graphic cutaways for many armored vehicle publications, and is regarded as one of the world's great illustrators of military vehicles. The T-34 was the most influential tank design of World War 2. When first introduced into combat in the summer of 1941, it represented a revolutionary leap forward in tank design. Its firepower, armor protection and mobility were superior to that of any other medium tank of the period. This superiority did not last long. While the T-34 underwent a series of incremental improvements during 1943, it was being surpassed by new German tank designs, most notably the Panther. This title traces the life of the original T-34 through all its difficulties to eventual success. The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940, famously deployed during World War II against Operation Barbarossa. Its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was more powerful than its contemporaries while its 60 degree sloped armor provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The Christie suspension was inherited from the design of American J. Walter Christie's M1928 tank, versions of which were sold turret-less to the Red Army and documented as "farm tractors", after being rejected by the U.S. Army. The T-34 had a profound effect on the conflict on the Eastern Front in the Second World War, and had a lasting impact on tank design. After the Germans encountered the tank in 1941, German general Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist called it "the finest tank in the world and Heinz Guderian affirmed the T-34's "vast superiority" over German tanks. "As early as July 1941, OKW chief Alfred Jodl noted in his war diary the surprise at this new and thus unknown wunder-armament being unleashed against the German assault divisions." Although its armor and armament were surpassed later in the war, it has been described as the most influential tank design of the war. The T-34 was the mainstay of Soviet armored forces throughout the war. Its general specifications remained nearly unchanged until early 1944, when it received a firepower upgrade with the introduction of the greatly improved T-34/85 variant. Its production method was continuously refined and rationalized to meet the needs of the Eastern Front, making the T-34 quicker and cheaper to produce. The Soviets ultimately built over 80,000 T-34s of all variants, allowing steadily greater numbers to be fielded despite the loss of tens of thousands in combat against the German Wehrmacht. Replacing many light and medium tanks in Red Army service, it was the most-produced tank of the war, as well as the second most-produced tank of all time (after its successor, the T-54/T-55 series). With 44,900 lost during the war, it also suffered the most tank losses ever. The T-34 was and remains a legend. It is not only the most produced tank of the WWII-era, with 84,000 built (compared to the 48,966 Shermans of all versions) but also one of the longest-serving tanks ever built. Many are still stored in depots in Asia and Africa, and some served actively during the 90's. The basic design was drawn for the first time in 1938 with the A-32, in turn partially derived from the BT-7M, a late evolution of the US-born Christie tank. The first version of the 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. 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, 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. While the T-34 did have a number of deficiencies, the T-34's influence on the future designs and the concept of the main battle tank is unquestionable. Its development led directly to the T-44, then the T-54 and T-55 series of tanks, which in turn evolved into the later T-62, T-72, and T-90 that form the armored core of many modern armies. T-34 variants were widely exported after World War II, and as recently as 2018 more than 130 were still in service.