Taylor, Barbarossa to Berlin, Volume One, Spellmount Ltd, Staplehurst, UK, 2003, p. Fowler, Russian Tanks of WWII-Stalin’s Armoured Might, Ian Allan Publishing, London, 2002, p. T-34 and KV Tanks were Distributed Amongst the Army in Small Packets in 1941?Ĭonclusions Regarding the T-34’s Overall Performance as a ‘War Winner’ (1) Eg, T. T-34 and KV Tanks Were Only Available in Small Numbers in 1941? An objective look at the T-34’s record, without preconceptions, reveals questions which are hard to answer given the T-34’s apparent superiority. Some go as far as to claim the T-34 as “the finest tank of the twentieth century” and the T-34 “rendered the entire fleet of German tanks as effectively obsolete”.(1) However, if battle performance was (and indeed still is) the ultimate determinant of the effectiveness of any weapon system, then unlike some legends in WWII, the tactical combat record of the T-34 does not match up to its legendary status. Its apparent superiority has become so entrenched in the psyche of post WWII authors that it is now assumed without question. The technical superiority of the T-34 in 1941 (and during WWII in general) has become the stuff of legend.

Battle of tanks t-34