T-34-57 (1943)

This page is about the Soviet medium tank T-34-57 (1943). For other uses, see T-34 (Family).

T-34-57 (1943)

T-34-57 (1943)

USSR

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.7	4.7	4.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:1 750

Description

The T-34-57 (1943) is a premium rank III Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. It features a modification of the 57 mm ZIS-4 cannon from the T-34-57 called the ZIS-4M, in the body of the T-34 1942 variant. It costs 1,600 Golden Eagles .

The 57 mm ZIS-4M gun can prove to be formidable at its battle rating, providing a noticeable improvement in penetration power, better aerodynamics and faster fire rate than the 76 mm calibre T-34s of the similar BR, with a sacrifice in post-penetration damage and a higher chance of ricochet on angled surfaces compared to guns of higher calibre. You will no longer have to worry about not penetrating enemies.

Operational and visual characteristics of the T-34-57 are as similar and as common to previous 76 mm-armed T-34 lineage of tanks as they come, with the exception of a gun of smaller calibre and higher penetration power. Players experienced in operating previous models of the T-34 in rank II should have little difficulty in adjusting to this vehicle. Due to the similarities, however, the tank inevitably inherits both its predecessors' strengths and weaknesses. It is to be noted that armour is ineffective against the occasional rank III guns; usage of speed and agility to move quickly, to avoid enemy fire and moving cover-to-cover will prove advantageous.

The T-34-57 works very well with other allied tanks (British and American) that it is often paired with in RB and SB. It retains high mobility and an effective main gun, allowing it to quickly reach capture points or tactical firing positions, usually following M18s and other T-34 tanks, which are often first at the scene.

Differences between the T-34-57 (1943) and the regular tech tree T-34-57

Armour differences

There are quite a few differences between the T-34-57 (1943) and the regular tech tree T-34-57. The T-34-57 (1943) has the body of the regular tech tree T-34 (1942) from the battle rating of 3.7. This means that the T-34-57 (1943) gets 20mm more armour on the drivers hatch, an extra 30mm on the hull machine gun port with a 28°-60° angle increase. The T-34-57 (1943) also gets an extra 8mm more armour and slightly less of an angle on the front (9° less angled) , sides (7°-13° less angled) and rear (11°-12° less angled) of the turret when compared to the regular T-34-57. The gun mantlet also gets a small buff with up to 20° more angle in some places.

Gun differences

The T-34-57 (1943) and the regular tech tree T-34-57 both have similar 57mm cannons. The tech tree T-34-57 has the regular 57mm ZIS-4 cannon whereas the T-34-57 (1943) uses the modified ZIS-4M cannon which allows it to fire an APCR round with up to 32mm better penetration at less than 500 meters away than the other APHE and APHEBC rounds that also come with the regular ZIS-4.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull45 / 45 / 40

Turret53 / 53 / 53

Crew4 people

Visibility83 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Gun mantlet, Roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Machine gun port, Driver's hatch)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	45 mm (61°) Front glacis 99 mm (5-35°) Welded joint 45 mm (52°) Lower glacis 65 mm (1-73°) Machine gun port 75 mm (60°) Driver port	40 mm (40°) Top 45 mm (0°) Lower	40 mm (47-49°) Top 40 mm (47°) Bottom	16 mm
Turret	53 mm (3-58°) Turret front 45 mm (2-78°) Gun mantlet	53 mm (21-22°)	53 mm (18-20°)	15 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB55 / 8 km/h

RB and SB49 / 7 km/h

Number of gears4 forward

1 back

Weight30.0 t

Engine power

AB954 hp

RB and SB500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB31.8 hp/t

RB and SB16.7 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	55	8	30	775	954	25.83	31.8
Realistic	49	7		442	500	14.73	16.67

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB1 056

RB1 264

SB1 569

Crew training10 000

Experts210 000

Aces550

Research Aces790 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 80 / 130 / 160 %

2 × 154 / 154 / 154 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Adjustment of Fire 57mm_AP_ammo_pack Elevation Mechanism Artillery Support 57mm_APCR_ammo_pack

Armaments

Main armament

57 mm ZIS-4M cannon

Ammunition100 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Vertical guidance-5° / 28°

57 mm ZIS-4M					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	100	-5°/+28°	±180°	N/A	23.8	32.9	40.0	44.2	47.1	6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00
Realistic					14.9	17.5	21.3	23.5	25.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
BR-271	APHEBC	145	143	132	119	108	98
BR-271K	APHE	145	143	132	119	108	98
O-271	HE	5	5	5	5	5	5
BR-271P	APCR	177	168	133	99	74	55

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
BR-271	APHEBC	990	3.14	1.2	9	21.56	48°	63°	71°
BR-271K	APHE	990	3.14	1.2	9	27.72	47°	60°	65°
O-271	HE	700	3.72	0	0.1	220	79°	80°	81°
BR-271P	APCR	1,270	1.79	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the T-34-57 (1943)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
100	95 (+5)	89 (+11)	83 (+17)	77 (+23)	1 (+99)	Yes

Turret empty: 77 (+23)

Machine guns

7.62 mm DT machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 890 rounds

Belt capacity63 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

7.62 mm DT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,890 (63)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

This tank is a brawler, suitable to fight in close range combat, especially the urban map. But thanks to the high velocity of 57 mm gun (990 m/s), it is possible to snipe enemy tank easily on long-range maps.

• As a brawler: shoot-and-scoot is its main tactic. Camp in the city, watch for the enemy tank, shoot it then reverse to hiding place. Remember to watch both sides before crossing the street (watch out for snipers in maps like Poland and Eastern Europe), ANGLE THE ARMOUR. If the armour is angled correctly without showing the sides, it could cause a lot of trouble for enemies trying to penetrate the armour.
• As a sniper: use binocular and range finder (check the Option => tank control => binocular, range finder). If the enemy shows their side or rear, shoot it. Compensate the shell drop for better accuracy.

The T-34-57 (1943) really shines In open maps, use your good mobility to flank and catch unsuspecting enemies. Moving from cover to cover is essential, as your armour, although well sloped, will not be able to withstand most shells at this battle rating. Don't let the enemy catch you unangled, or you will be killed immediately. In urban maps, look around the streets (press and hold the button "c" to look around) before crossing. Your quick reload speed and high penetrating gun will allow you to react to surprise attacks around the corner. Although the 57 mm gun has little post-penetration damage, it makes up for this in high penetration and a quick reload speed. The 57 mm cannon has very good ballistics and penetration, and is good for medium to long range sniping.

Pretty much any tank can be penetrated by the 57 mm gun at this tier, but there are a few enemies worth noting.

M4A3E2 Jumbo - This tank is the bane of everybody's life at this BR. Its turret in almost impossible to penetrate without APCR (which the T-34-57 does not have), its hull is VERY bouncy, and its gun can easily penetrate your armour. Avoid approaching from the front and flank if possible. If you find yourself backed into a corner, you can try and aim for the machine gun port in the hull. The explosive power of the 57 mm isn't great, but penetrating this point means that you can at least cripple the Jumbo and make your escape.

Panzer IV variants with KwK 40 L/43/48 75 mm guns - These tanks are common at this tier and they can easily take you out with their powerful 75 mm guns. However, they are easy to take out if you get the jump on them. Your high penetration 57 mm gun can slice through their armour at any range.

8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl. - The flak truck can destroy you at seriously long range, whilst its thin armour and large size makes it very hard to effectively damage. Your rounds may simply pass straight through and not cause any damage. The best way to take one out is by aiming for the large ammo box at the back of the vehicle, which will explode when hit. The crew members are also very exposed on the Flak.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 1942 hull and turret, taking away drivers hatch weak spot in first T-34-57
• Relatively high penetration for the calibre and rank
• High gun muzzle velocity (990 m/s), suitable for sniping
• Unlike its non-premium counterpart, it has APCR ammo with 185mm of penetration
• Good mobility and speed, just like all of the previous T-34 series
• Decent price of 1600GE, and will make a good addition to your Russian lineup

Cons:

• Has the same hull armour as previous revisions
• Small gun calibre may have trouble one-shotting enemies
• Turret armour isn't sufficient at Rank III, due to other countries' tank high penetration
• Poor gun depression of only -5 degrees makes it ineffective in hilly and mountainous terrain

History

Development

As far back as the summer of 1940, an attempt to improve the anti-tank gun inventory in Soviet service was undertaken. This was due to only having massive stocks of underpowered 45 mm anti-tank cannons available, which were becoming obsolete with the newer armour being used by the Soviet Union's adversaries. When the request for an improved anti-tank cannon was sent out, a design bureau headed by V. G. Grabin was already underway under the name 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun. The 57 mm was a very powerful anti-tank weapon due to its high penetration value with the high-velocity shells. The APCBC round available under the name BR-271 was able to penetrate 93 mm of armour when fired 100 meters away at a meet angle of 60 degrees. The first of the prototypes were created in the September of 1940, and it as later approved for production on June 1, 1941. However, this was stopped on December 1 due to beliefs that the high-velocity 57 mm shells would simply penetrate straight through tanks without causing damage or that it was a high-cost weapon. The production lines were then switched to produce the 76.2 mm ZiS-3 guns.

It was during its production life before being cancelled that the 57 mm gun was attached to a T-34 as a main armament in April 1941. However, the trials on this armament showed a lack of accuracy and short barrel life. Then in July, an improved variant of the 57 mm called the ZiS-4 was installed onto the T-34 and tested again. This variant turned out to be successful and the gun was recommended for installation on certain T-34 units, despite the high cost of the ZiS-4. The T-34 with the 57 mm was redesignated the T-34-57 and had the purpose of being "tank-hunters" due to the higher penetration value of the 57 mm compared to the default T-34 76.2 mm armament. The 57 mm ZiS-4 gun was produced at the Artillery Factory #92 and were mounted on various T-34s. However, the stop of all 57 mm production on December 1941 also stopped the 57 mm ZiS-4 production, thus halting the T-34-57 production with only 133 ZiS-4 guns made in the production life.

Revitalization

The 57 mm guns were revived in 1943 due to urgent needs for much better guns against the newer German tanks. The current 76.2 mm F-34 gun on the normal T-34s were unable to defeat the newer German Tiger I and Panther tanks. In a desperate attempt to upgrade the T-34 to compete against these tanks, the 57 mm was reinstated for production and began being issued in May 1943, these models being the T-34-57 mod. 1943 due to the upgraded armament. The ZiS-4 was upgraded to the ZiS-4M with simplified parts and standardization in parts from current existing artillery pieces such as the F-34 and the ZiS-2. These T-34-57s saw further action against the Axis until they were retired. In total, about less than 324 T-34-57s were made during its production life in 1941 and 1943.

Combat usage

The T-34-57 made in 1941 saw action during the Battle of Moscow in small quantities. The 21st Tank Brigade has 10 of such tanks in their units and were deployed on October 14. Though the brigade was able to cause massive damage to the German lines around Kalinin but ended with all of the T-34-57 destroyed by November 25. Other units using the T-34-57 were the 8th Tank Brigade on October 19. Afterwards came the deactivation of the 57 mm from the production line at the end of 1941, but the T-34-57s were revitalized again in 1943 to counter the newer German tanks. These tanks were used as "tank-hunters" and formed "Special Tank Company 100" with three T-34-57 in its first platoon to deal with German tanks. Despite their role, the company would only meet German tanks once in its life, and the first platoon was never used. Thus, the T-34-57 was never really able to prove their efficiency against active German tanks, though the unit would praise the gun's performance in practices against pillboxes, bunkers, and knocked out German tanks. All the T-34-57s were disbanded with the retirement of the 57 mm as a tank gun. This was due to its small HE shell available that made it an inadequate tank armament against softer targets, and also the introduction of the much bigger and better 85 mm tank gun on the newer T-34-85.

In-game description

In 1943, the new PzKpfw VI Tiger German heavy tank began to see more and more use on the Eastern front. This caused the ZiS-4 cannon with its powerful penetration properties to come under consideration again. It was extremely difficult to destroy a Tiger using a standard 76 mm F-34 tank gun, and the heavy tank's frontal armour was completely impenetrable to it. So before long, the order was given to restart mass production of the T-34-57 tank destroyers.

In May 1943, the tank was put into service again. This time, the modified ZiS-4M cannon was used, which differed from the ZiS-4 in its unified breech mechanism, simpler semi-automatic mode and modified attachment of the coupling in the weapon's cradle. A more powerful shell was also developed which could penetrate 96 mm thick armour at a range of 1000 m. However, this shell severely affected the weapon's durability, and several cases were recorded of gun barrels swelling. Soon after a small number of them were produced, they were taken out of service and withdrawn from operational use. The low quality of the 57 mm ZiS-4M tank cannon's fragmentation shells proved to be a serious drawback.

The modernised T-34-57 tanks were not put into mass production, and after a few vehicles were produced, the decision was taken to stop manufacturing them.

Three T-34-57s built using mass-produced T-34 Mod. 1942 tanks made by the Chelyabinsk factory were sent to the front to serve in the 100th Special Tank Division. The tanks were tested on the front from the 15th of August to the 5th of September, but did not excel in battle, so they were kept in reserve.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
• other literature.