![]() ![]() The second version of the T-34-85 was armed with the S-53 L/54.6 gun. This version of the tank was produced in very small numbers – 250 standard tanks and 5 command tanks – before the D-5 gun was replaced. The first version of the T-34-85 was armed with the D-5 L/51.6 gun, and was produced by No.112 Factory. At first it was overwhelming successful, defeating everything thrown at it until the Americans rushed some M26 Pershing tanks to Pusan. The T-34-85 had a long post-war career, serving in the armies of at least 39 countries, 27 of which still had some in service as late as 1996! The T-34-85 was an important part of the North Korean army at the start of the Korean War in 1950. Only in 1945, as the German army finally collapsed, did this situation finally improve. Given the right circumstances the T-34-85 could defeat even the Tiger II, but despite this the Red Army still lost four times as many tanks as the Germans during 1944. The 85mm gun was capable of damaging the German tanks, but the 45mm armour of the T-34 was now painfully vulnerable. The T-34-85 was at best a partial solution to the problems faced by the Red Army after the appearance of more powerful German tanks such as the Panther or Tiger I. Production continued until at least 1950 in the Soviet Union, and the T-34-85 was also built under licence in several eastern bloc countries. The new turret was only slightly larger from the front than the hexagonal turret of the T-34, but was much longer, with more space at both ends.Īlthough a small number of T-34-85s were built in 1943 at Factory No.122, large numbers of the new tank did not appear until 1944, when three factories produced nearly 12,000 of the S-53 armed version. This finally solved one of the biggest problems with the T-34-76 – the inefficient two-man turret – and allowed for more effective tank tactics. The larger turret also allowed three crewmen to be carried, with the gunner and tank commander on the left and the loader on the right. The hull, armour and suspension were the same as on the T-34-76, meaning that the T-34-85 was just as vulnerable to German 88mm guns as the earlier version. The new turret and main gun were the only important changes introduced with the T-34-85. ![]()
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