Is the T-34 really the tank that has has the most impact on the world, ever?

Question

Why or why not?

*s...=...d

Answer 1

Well it managed to put a stop to the fascist expansion in East Europe, and did the job, cheap, rugged, reliable, and well able to function in the most adverse condition, when they were finished with Germany, many of the tanks were transfered for use in the far wast, particularly the drive into China to defeat the Japanese there.

Paddy, with all respects the Russians utilized parts of the "Christie" suspension design of the Sherman, but 90% of the design, wide tracks, all steel road wheels, sloped armor, gun, etc..etc.. were all Soviet designs.

The Soviets were also quick to utilize old steel bed frames complete with springs to act as a stand-off armor to detonate panzerfausts, particularly in the close-quarter street fighting scenario.

Nearly every country designs a tank to suit its needs but I believe no tank has been made today that can fight anywhere in the world, example while the Abraham's is good desert conditions inflict massive wear and tear on the engines.

Another example is the Israeli Merkava, particularly the Mk.4, its great for the Israeli way of fighting particularly around urban centers, and offers great protection to the crew and the troops carried in the rear.

Whereas todays current generation of Soviet tanks are not so flush with all Mod' Cons' and tank crew all have to be little guys to fit comfortably inside.

Answer 2

Only because of the numbers produced, mechanically sound and ease of maintenance. They overwelmed the German Panzer divisions. While the German Panzers were frozen in the Russian mud before the gates of Moscow, the T-34s were plowin through the snow.... The most impact in the world had to be the outcome of Operation Barbarossa...

Modern main battle tanks are far more superior, but they have not made an impact on the world compared to the monumental battles on the Eastern Front in WWII. The M1Abrams, however, decimated the Iraqi army and that impact was great, but not as monumental as in '41-'45.

Answer 3

First, this is NOT a question of weather it will stand up to a modern tank in combat.. that's a silly question to ask. This is a question of impact and significance it has on its own time. Of course the t-36 would get destroyed in almost any situation against an Abrams.
Answering that question, the t-34 was arguably the most successful tank in history. It was the mainstay of the soviet armor and fought pretty well against the feared German tanks throughout the war. They were cheap, effective, and easy to produce, and you can't really ask for more in the grand scheme of things.
I have never heard of the t-34 being based off of the Sherman, but the Sherman's redeeming feature was that it was easy to mass produce. One German tank was worth 4-5 Shermans on the battlefield.
Also, while the Abrams HAS proven itself in combat over and over, a lot of people outside the U.S. contends that the Leopard II is the best modern tank. They are very comparable, but when considering combat history the Abrams gets it.

Answer 4

The T34/76 enabled the Soviets to stop any german armor formation based on PzKpW III and IV medium tanks. The PzKpW V Panther was inspired by the T34/76 design and could counter the T34/76 if they had not been rushed into service. The T34/76 was simple in design and the Panther was over engineered causing a great deal of teething problems.

The Panther held par against the T34/76 while the Tiger I could eat T34/76 all day long providing lesser vehicles protected the flanks. The Tiger II took the best features of the Panther and the Tiger I. To counter the effects of both the Tiger I and II, the Soviet mated the turrett of the IS2 with the T34 hull producing the T34/85 and giving it parity with Tiger I/II.

Answer 5

Possibly correct assumption of the war channel about the Russians thwarting the attack against Moscow in 1941,but a lot of other weapons played their part in1942 at Stalingrad,like the Russian mobile artillery,part and parcel of the tank divisions of general Rotmistrov (First Guards Tank Army) and T-34s played little or no part in the entry and fight
of the very heavy division of general Rodimtsev which really
stopped the German advance in the city of Stalingrad;the
Jagpanther was the best overall fighting machine in WW2
and better than any NATO fighting tank in the first 18 years of its inception(probably until the advent of M-60) or so Erick Mauraise believes in his book "Armoured Warfare"(published by the Swiss Army Department of Historical Studies).This Tank would have decided summarily
the battle of the Kursk salient if the real enemy of the German
army Adolf Hitler had not deciced in his military ignorance to postpone the attack for the beginning of July1943 waiting for the last complement of Tigers(despite their restrictions due to their weight which stopped them from entering army formations) instead of listening to Field Marshal Erich von Manstein's urgent advice to attack in May immediately after the period of the mud.That would be the total destruction of the central Russian front with 9th army (Model) turning northwards and 2nd (Hoth) Panzer army turning south in a double envelopment and in cooperation with army group's von Kleist'attack in the South,destroy the south Russian front
and leaving the road to Moscow wide 0pen,and all that from the Jagpanther(far superior to T-34 and to KWV's) moved into the battle fields in ever increasing numbers...but not alone...
(yes the T-34 became the supertank for 1941 due to its Curtis
suspension system that increased tenfold the agility of T-34 in all round field performance).

Answer 6

No the British Mark 4 was. It was the first tank ever designed, without it the idea of tank warfare may have never come about. Further think of it like this, tanks broke the stalemate of WW1, which allowed the allies to finally win. If they never invent the tank they can never force Germany to sign the Versailles Treaty which gave rise to Hitler and by default the T-34's legend in WW2.

Answer 7

I think so, because if you consider the time period armored cavalry was very important. More recent conflicts have seen insurgent / guerrilla style tactics that armored cavalry are not very effective against. The T-34 shined during its era as a capable tank. While the Abrams is a powerful killing machine, and undoubtedly the best tank made, it has little competition and use in wars today.

Answer 8

I would say the Sherman had just as much impact as the T-34, and correct me if I am wrong, but was it not based on a US designers design ? the t-34 I mean

Answer 9

When it was the toughest in the world, yes, but not now with the American M1A2 Abrams, the British Challenger II, the Russian T-90, and the Japanese Type 90, which are all basically the same, except for national differences.

Answer 10

the t34 was one of the first tanks to modern features like sloped armor, wide tread, ease of overhauling and a large flat turret. It would not last 10 second even if they had the first shot today.