T-34-85
티-34-85
The T-34-85 was the final and most-produced variant of the Soviet T-34 medium tank, accepted into Red Army service in January 1944. Armed with an 85 mm gun in a larger three-man turret, it became the main Soviet tank of the late Second World War and was widely exported after 1945. During the Korean War, Soviet-supplied T-34-85s gave the Korean People's Army decisive armored superiority in the opening months of the invasion of the South.
In depth
Development
During the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, it became clear that the T-34's 76 mm gun could not penetrate the frontal armor of the German Tiger and Panther tanks. In response, the D-5T tank gun was developed using ballistics derived from the 85 mm 52-K anti-aircraft gun, and a new three-man turret, adapted from the experimental T-43 tank, was designed to accommodate it. The T-34-85 was formally accepted into service by GKO Decree No. 5021 on 23 January 1944 and began production at Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112. Later models used the improved S-53 and ZIS-S-53 guns.
Technical Characteristics
The 85 mm ZIS-S-53 gun could penetrate roughly 100 mm of armor at 1,000 meters, enabling it to defeat the upper hull armor of the Tiger I at combat ranges. Enlarging the turret ring from 1,425 mm to 1,600 mm allowed a three-man turret crew (commander, gunner, loader), freeing the commander from gunnery duties to concentrate on tactical direction. The V-2-34 500 hp V12 diesel engine provided a top speed of 55 km/h and a range of 300 km.
Production and Export
Produced in the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1950, with licensed production continuing in Czechoslovakia (1952–1958, 3,185 units) and Poland (1953–1955, 1,980 units). Total production reached approximately 30,500 units. After the war, the T-34-85 was exported extensively to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Cuba, serving in dozens of national armies.
Korean War
The Soviet Union supplied the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with roughly 250 T-34-85s by spring 1950; at the outbreak of war the Korean People's Army fielded approximately 242. Spearheaded by the 105th Armored Brigade, these tanks gave the KPA overwhelming superiority in the opening months: the Republic of Korea Army and US forces found their 2.36-inch bazookas and the 75 mm guns of the M24 Chaffee light tank useless against the T-34-85's frontal armor. The introduction of the M26 Pershing and M46 Patton tanks, the 3.5-inch Super Bazooka, and UN air supremacy subsequently destroyed most of the KPA's T-34-85 force.
Related historical events
Sources
- Wikipedia (RU) Russian Wikipedia: adoption date (23 Jan 1944, GKO Decree 5021), development history, production figures (~30,500 across USSR/CSSR/Poland), postwar use including Korean War
- Wikipedia (EN) English Wikipedia: T-34-85 development, technical specs (85 mm gun, three-man turret, V-2-34 engine), Korean War deployment (~120 T-34-85s spearheaded invasion, 239 lost by withdrawal), export history
- tanks-encyclopedia.com Tank Encyclopedia: KPA had 255 T-34-85s out of 258 delivered at outbreak of war, CIA analysis of captured T-34-85 (armor quality, Brinell hardness), Soviet supply timeline