T-34 (1942)

T-34 (1942)

T-34 (1941)

T-34E STZ

T-34 (1942)

T-34 (1941)

T-34E STZ

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.0	4.0	4.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:11 000

Purchase:22 000

Description

The T-34 1942 is a Rank II Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 3.7. It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41.

In 1942, a new hexagonal turret was developed and introduced for the T-34 medium tank in order to streamline production. Crew ergonomics were slightly improved, although the turret remained a two-man turret. Various other improvements were introduced, although most of these were geared towards increasing reliability and ease of production.

Ingame, the 1942 model is very similar in capability and characteristics to the earlier T-34 (1941). The primary improvements are in the slightly faster reload speed (reflecting the improved crew ergonomics) and the thickened driver's hatch cover. It also has access to late-war APCR ammunition.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Driver's port, Machine gun port)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	45 mm (61°) Front glacis 99 mm (5-35°) Welded joint 45 mm (52°) Lower glacis 60 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:

• Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Parts of the front armour have increased armour such as the machine gun port (60 mm) and driver's hatch (75 mm)

The T-34 1942 is not too different from the predecessors, however the most prominent weakness of the T-34, the turret "cheeks", are somewhat less of an exposed target. Thus, the best way to destroy these tanks now is to penetrate through the frontal hull, which is hard as is due to the heavy sloping nature of the armour. You can expect some of the more aggressive opponents to be more reckless and take advantage of situation more often due to their increased armour, but the turret still has weaknesses, albeit much smaller ones. The frontal turret has small flat areas on the lower corners of that can be taken advantage of by even the 5 cm cannons on the Panzer III's.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
30.0	N/A	54 (AB)
		49 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	775	954
Realistic/Simulator	442	500
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	25.83	31.80
Realistic/Simulator	14.73	16.67

Armaments

Main armament

The 76 mm F-34 remains the main armament of the 1942 model. It has a wide selection of ammunition, a relatively fast rate-of-fire, and is reasonably accurate.

The hexagonal turret has a very fast rotation speed, complimenting the T-34's advantages in brawling, close-range combat and allowing it to respond quickly to threats from multiple directions. The 5° of gun depression is standard for most Soviet tanks, although bad compared to most Allied tanks.

The BR-350B APHEBC shell is by far the best shell for the F-34 under most circumstances. It has the best penetration of the AP rounds with explosive fillers and is extremely lethal.

The 1942 model has access to the late-war BR-350P APCR shell. It has the best penetration of all the shells, but its lethality is very disappointing; it is often better to simply flank around enemy tanks and use the APHEBC round instead.

The other shells are very situational:

• OF-350M: HE; useful for breaking the hulls of lightly armoured/unarmoured vehicles.
• Sh-354T: Shrapnel; useful against vehicles that are resistant to the HE shell but too thinly armoured to trigger the fuzes of APHE shells.
• BP-350A: HEAT; best penetration beyond 1,000 m, but the T-34 generally does not fare well in long-range duels.
• BR-350SP: APBC; solid shot that is somewhat more lethal than APCR, but with less penetration.

76 mm F-34
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
100			-5°/+28°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	14.90	20.60	_.__	_.__	_.__
Realistic	14.90	17.50	_.__	_.__	_.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
8.40	_.__	_.__	_.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
BR-350A	APHEBC	80	78	71	63	56	50
OF-350M	HE	9	9	9	9	9	9
Sh-354T	Shrapnel	37	35	29	25	20	17
BR-350SP	APBC	105	104	85	69	57	46
BR-350B	APHEBC	98	95	87	77	68	60
BR-350P	APCR	135	130	92	60	39	26
BP-350A	HEAT	80	80	80	80	80	80

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
BR-350A	APHEBC	665	6.3	0.15	10.0	150	+4°	48°	63°	71°
OF-350M	HE	680	6.2	0.05	0.1	621	+0°	79°	80°	81°
Sh-354T	Shrapnel	680	6.2	0.5	8.0	85	+0°	62°	69°	73°
BR-350SP	APBC	680	6.8	N/A	N/A	N/A	+4°	48°	63°	71°
BR-350B	APHEBC	680	6.3	0.9	15.0	108.8	+4°	48°	63°	71°
BR-350P	APCR	950	3.0	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°
BP-350A	HEAT	355	5.3	0.1	0.1	1,060	+0°	62°	69°	73°

Smoke characteristic
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Screen radius in m	Screen time in s	Screen hold time in s:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):
D-350A	680	6.5	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of T-34 1942.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
100	97 (+3)	93 (+7)	89 (+11)	1 (+99)	no

Turret empty: 89 (+11)

Machine guns

7.62 mm DT
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,890 (63)				600	N/A	N/A

Usage in the battles

The T-34 should be played in an offensive role, charging into the battlefield and maximize combat effectiveness by closing the distance for better ammo penetration. The great speed of the T-34 should be taken advantage by flanking the targets across the cross-country terrain, especially on maps like Mozdok, thus you can target the weaker areas of enemy armour and maximize the beyond-armour damage of your APHEBC rounds.

The 76 mm APHEBC shell has very good HE filler which can OHK most opponents from the side. For some frontal engagements and emergencies, the APCR shell can be used. However, given the nature of APCR, the APCR shell tends to bounce and do little damage against opponents with any sort of sloped armour.

With a battle rating of 3.7, this means that (assuming the T-34 1942 is the highest rating in your line-up) the worst enemies will be maxed at the 4.7 range. This means that, at worst, the T-34 will face M4A3E2 Jumbos, Churchill VIIs, and at best, it will face early Pz.IIIs.

M4 Shermans and long-barreled Axis tanks are your most common, and dangerous, opponents. The T-34 cannot penetrate Shermans reliably from the front. Flanking is primarily recommended- however, if your T-34 is stuck between a rock and hard place, aim to the right or left of the Sherman's gun mantlet where the slope is somewhat flat- penetration is almost guaranteed with the APCR shell- and, with a little luck, the APHE shell will penetrate fairly effectively. Another weak spot of the Shermans exists just below the side armour - the flat armour between the tracks/bogies. Depending on the variant, the 76mm APHE shell from the T-34 will easily OHK any Sherman or critically disable it due to the floor-located ammunition.

Unfortunately, Shermans can penetrate the T-34's turret cheeks and disable them with its 75mm AP shells. Avoid prolonged frontal confrontations with Shermans at all costs.

If you come across an M4A3E2 Jumbo, the best thing to do is retreat and use your superior maneuverability to try and engage it from the side. If it has you cornered, you can try and hit the hull mounted machine gun port. A penetration will usually result in a penetration, and a destroyed Jumbo if you are using APHEBC. This, however, is unreliable and a difficult shot to make, especially at range. You can also try and disable the tracks and/or gun to make your escape easier. Generally, it is best to completely avoid frontal engagements.

The same goes for Churchill tanks. The Mk I is an easy target. It has a gun which will struggle to penetrate you, meaning you can get close and exploit its weak points. The Mk III is slightly more dangerous, as its 57 mm gun can easily penetrate your turret and is quite damaging for a British solid shot gun. However, it is easy to outmaneuver and can be an easy win from the side. Most dangerous is the Churchill VII. It has 152 mm of frontal armour, making it almost impenetrable from the front. The side armour is also thick at 95 mm, making APHEBC shells only effective below 100 m. Even then, even slight angling will prevent your rounds from penetrating, and side shots will often get eaten up by the Churchills huge tracks. All this, plus the fact that the 75 mm gun on the Churchill can penetrate your turret mean that you should avoid this tank unless you are sure that you can get a penetration.

When facing Pz. IVs/Chi-Nus, the T-34 excels as the 76mm APHE shell can easily penetrate and generally OHK the flat armour of these Axis types.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Like it's predecessors it has a good reload time and great maneuverability, making it suitable for short range engagements.
• BR-350P APCR shells possess decent penetrative values which allow somewhat decent short-medium range engagement.
• The driver's hatch is uparmoured and results in 150 mm of line of sight steel.
• Armour angling gives the tank very good armour ratings in nearly all sides.
• The 76mm F34 gun has a range of different shells for use against different targets. The explosive power of the BR-350B alongside 98mm penetration is a great all rounder and can deal with most light and medium tanks at its rank. APCR should be saved for heavier tanks.
• Excellent maneuverability and good speed means that you can escape from a bad situation.

Cons:

• The armour isn't reliable when directly facing an enemy. Angle your tank or take cover to maximize survivability.
• Cannot effectively penetrate Shermans from the front.
• The upgraded turret has a thicker but less angled armour and also increases the tank silhouette, allowing German long range tanks to penetrate that area.
• It has significant difficulties when fighting against enemy mediums on long ranges due to the poor initial ammo selection. Fights at short distances are preferred.
• 4 man crew, meaning only 1 extra crew member if one goes down.
• Very constraint interior for crew members, a hit to one crew member is likely to knock out one or two other.
• Large fuel tanks running along the entire upper hull sides.

History

Development

By 1939, the most numerous tank models in the Red Army were the T-26 and the BT-series light tanks. Though adequate on the days they were introduced, they are now outdated by this time due to the changing technology in anti-tank warfare. Back in 1937, a new tank project was already taking place under engineer Mikhail Koshkin, who was assigned to lead a design team at the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ) for a replacement for the BT light tanks as a new "cavalry tank" to engage in maneuver warfare. The first prototype was designated the A-20 with 20 mm of armour, a 45 mm gun, and a diesel engine in a V-12 configuration. The Christie suspension is taken from the BT, even the conversion to drive track-less on roads. But gradually, the new track designs available made this conversion redundant and was excluded in further models. The A-20 also showed the effective research done into sloping armour on previous prototype designs, utilizing an all-round sloping armour on the design.

It was during this design process that the Russo-Japanese border wars took place and showed the deficiency of the T-26 and BT models. Koshkin then appealed for the initiation of a much better tank concept, the "universal tank" to completely replace the T-26 and BT tanks. The second prototype was the A-32 and has an increased 32 mm of frontal armour with a 76.2 mm L-10 gun. The heavier prototype was still just as mobile as the A-20, and further development into the design increased the frontal armour thickness to 45 mm thick and a newer 76.2 mm L-11 gun attached instead. This model was approved for production and designated the T-34 after the year 1934, when Koshkin believed was when he formulated the idea for the T-34. Koshkin, however, never saw his tanks in action as he succumbed to pneumonia in September 1940 after trials with the T-34 in the cold winter. Thus, the drivetrain developer Alexander Morozov was appointed as the next Chief Designer. The T-34 tank would go on to become the most produced World War II tank, with 84,070 tanks produced in the production span between 1940 to 1958.

Design

The T-34 took all of the Soviet's experiences with tanks and incorporated into the design. The tank had great sloping armour, a powerful engine, wide tracks, and a large gun. At its introduction, the armour of the T-34 was one of the best in the world, by sloping the 45 mm thick armour plate by 60 degrees, the effective thickness was now 90 mm thick. The armour was welded into place instead of riveted as rivets tend to "spall" and cause damage inside the tank even if the armour was not penetrated. The 76.2 mm gun was a major advantage compared to those on its adversaries, as it could be used as a multi-purpose weapon against infantry and tanks, unlike the Germans who had tanks split for two different roles such as the Panzer III for anti-tank and the Panzer IV for infantry support. The engine, a Model V-2-34 V12 diesel engine, was adequately powerful for the Christie suspension tank design and allowed the T-34 to reach a maximum of 53 km/h (33 mph). The powerful engine, added with the wide tracks that gave it lower ground pressure, allowed the T-34 to travel across cross-country terrain with relative freedom without risk of bogging down.

However, the T-34 is not without its fault and its quality is very questionable in some cases. Two T-34 (1941) models were sent to United States in late 1942 for evaluations. The evaluations found the armour quality to be rather insufficient, with improper welding in places that can allow leaks and improper alloys that made armour weaker in some places than others, the T-34 cast turret was even found to use softer armour than the hull that render it vulnerable to even 37 mm shells. The gun sights for the 76.2 mm cannon was also quite poor in comparison to the Axis and other Allies. The tank reliability was also troubled by various mechanical issues, especially in the earlier models. Low quality air filters and insufficient air flow could impede the engine capabilities and the turret drive had poor reliability that could easily jam up. The vision devices was also poor, the crew are unable to see outside the tank with enough situational awareness, even the tank commander couldn't see well out of the tank. Also, the lack of radios on the first few years of T-34s forced the tank commanders to communicate via flags, with only company commanders tanks fitted with the radios. Ergonomics inside the tanks was unsatisfactory and was very cramped inside, with no turret basket the loader has to struggle when the turret rotates and accessing ammunition on the floor boxes makes it a hard and dangerous job for the loader. The commander's hatch on the turret was also one-piece, making even a "heads-up" view for the commander impossible on these large one-piece hatches. Finally, the two-person turret suffered from not only a very cramped compartment, but an overworked commander who has to act as a gunner as well.

T-34 Mod. 1942

The T-34 Mod. 1942 was an improved variant of the T-34 that also presented some fixes to general issues with the T-34. The Model 1942 was still mounted with a 76.2 mm cannon, making it a T-34/76 still, and the design featured additional armour and many simplified parts and components. The tank's road wheels, track pattern, driver's hatch, and transmission access cover on the rear were redesigned. Some of the designs also had a headlight moved to the left of the hull. However, at the same time, the Model 1943 (released in 1942) was also introduced into the circulation, which feature the more radical changes in the T-34 tank compared to the Mod. 1942. The T-34 Mod. 1943 was most prominent with the hexagonal turret, more armour, increased fuel capacity, and more ammo stowage. The hatches on this new turret came in two, one for loader and the commander and opens in a way that the Germans nicknamed it the "Mickey Mouse" tank due to the round hatches forming a shape similar to the circular ears when both are opened. Later Mod. 1943 production tanks were given a commander's cupola that provided a decent view for the commander, much better compared to a lone periscope, which was the only vision device for the commander when "button-upped" beforehand. To increase confusion, the Mod. 1943 were called the Model 1942 by the Soviets; regardless this vehicle is the most prominent by the hexagonal turret, which is seen in-game. Though it is unsure about the specific number of the model was produced, it made up part of the 35,120 T-34/76 created in its production life.

Combat usage

The newer T-34 models saw action in most operations in 1942, most notably during the Battle of Stalingrad, where T-34s made the main striking force of Operation Uranus to encircle the German Sixth Army and trap them inside Stalingrad. During the battle, T-34s were still being made in the Stalingrad Tractor Factory, churning out tanks that were immediately sent to the front-lines once finished that sometimes went without paint finish and crewed by the workers that were involved building the tank in the factory. After Stalingrad, the Soviet Army continued to push the Germans back in various of offensives, with the T-34 as the main tank in the armoured force. The T-34 mod. 1943 were also given to Polish and Czech units that escaped to Soviet Union to continue fighting against the Germans. Like the Soviets, these units received little training with the T-34 and so casualties remain high in T-34 crew members.

The T-34 also became the most numerous tank in Soviet usage by the time Germany launched the 1943 Summer offensive Operation Citadel, or the "Battle of Kursk". This battle was the debut of the Panthers and saw a very large concentration in Tiger Is and Ferdinand tank destroyers. Other units supplementing these heavier tanks were the Panzer IVs, StuG IIIs, and the Panzer IIIs. The introduction of these newer and more powerful tanks and tank destroyers and improved German tanks in the largest tank battle in history caused high casualties in the T-34 ranks, and the entire Soviet armoured forces in a whole. The Tiger's 88 mm cannon is able to destroy the T-34 from a range of 1,500 meters while the 76.2 mm cannon on the T-34 must get very close in order to penetrate. In order to engage these tanks, the T-34 forces try to maximize their massive quantity of units to overwhelm German tank units and getting to "point-blank" ranges to the point of ramming in order to negate either of the tank's range advantages and blast away at each other.

The T-34's growing deficiency in performance in the war was due to the Soviet high command decision's to keep with one design in production to minimize costs and keep manufacturing rate high. This meant that upgrades to the tank were not the highest priority for the tank. While this ideal was very sufficient in the first two years since Operation Barbarossa, it now made the T-34 lacking compared to the improved German tanks. Attempts to fix this decision was to mount stronger guns onto the T-34, the first attempt was the mounting of the 57 mm ZiS-4 cannon to make the T-34 a "tank hunter", but the 57 mm gun lacked a decent HE shell, thus was not an efficient tank gun and was pulled. Then, it was decided to mount a 85 mm anti-aircraft gun onto the tank, though requiring a much larger turret to take in the bigger gun. This tank with the 85 mm gun was called the T-34-85.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read also

[Vehicle Profile] T-34 Model 1942 - A Tough Nut to Crack

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.