ITALERI
T-34/76 Model 1943 Early Version, Premium Edition - Italeri 6570
NOT AVAILABLE
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank of World War II and post-war times. The first prototypes were built in 1937-1940, and serial production in the USSR was carried out in 1940-1957. About 84,000 such vehicles were built in its course, making the T-34 one of the most produced tanks in history! Drivetrain was provided by a single V-2-34 engine with an output of 500hp. The length of the car - in the T34/76 version - was 6.68 m, with a width of 3 meters. Armament consisted of one 76.2 mm F-34 cannon and two 7.62 mm DT machine guns. The main armament in the T-34/85 version was the 85 mm ZIS-S-53 cannon. The T-34 is undoubtedly one of the most famous tanks in WWII and military history in general, representing a specific symbol of the Soviet victory in the war with the Third Reich. The vehicle was developed for the needs of the Red Army as a successor to the so-called pursuit tanks of the BT series (BT-5 and BT-7), but also the T-26 tank. Work on the car began in 1937 in a special design bureau at the Steam Engine Factory in Kharkiv. Initially, the works were directed by Eng. Adolf Dik (he also made the first sketches of the new car), and after his arrest by the Soviet security authorities, Mikhail Koszkin managed the work. Initially, the vehicle was designated the A-20. However, a second prototype (A-32) was quickly built, with main armament in the form of a 76.2mm gun and much thicker frontal armour. It was the latter prototype that was finally adopted for production. It can be assumed that when it was introduced into service, the TT-34 was a very successful tank in many respects. It was characterized - as in 1940 - by a very powerful weapon, had well-profiled armor based on inclined armor plates, as well as very high mobility and off-road driving properties. The disadvantages include poor ergonomics of the car and not the best optics used in the first production batches. Despite these shortcomings, when the T-34 appeared on the Eastern Front, the German troops were very surprised. The high overall rating of the T-34 and its combat values determined its serial production and made it the base tank of the Red Army during the fighting of 1942-1945. They also led to further design improvements, for example, in 1942 a new hexagonal tower appeared, improving the quality of work of crew members with the commander's cupola. The engine and gearbox have also been improved. In 1944, the T-34/85 model was introduced into service, with an all-new three-man turret and the main armament in the form of an 85 mm gun. The T-34 tank fought in virtually all major battles fought between the Red Army and the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front in 1941-1945: starting with the Battle of Moscow, through the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, Operation Bagration and the capture of Berlin. After 1945, the T-34 tank was still in service, it was also widely exported outside the USSR to countries such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany, Hungary and Syria.
