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Table of Contets
Picture of a T-34/76 1940 in a museum
T-34/76 1940
The T-34/76 was one of the most inconic Soviet tanks of WWII. The 1940 variant was equipped with a powerful 76.2mm L-11 gun. The tank also featured a 40mm frontal armor sloped at 60 degress. The sloped armor made the T-34's armor thicker and better at deflecting shots.
The T-34's armor layout(1940 variant):
*Image Source Wikipedia
Essential Info.
Only 117 T-34 model 1940's were produced between 1939 and 1940. This particular model did not house a radio, which meant they couldn't cooperate with other tanks during battle. Because of these issues, this model was soon upgraded to the T-34/76 1941 variant. Moreover, the '-2-34 12-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel engine' of the T-34 let it move at a very fast-53km/h.
A T-34/76 1941 in a museum
T-34/76 1941
The T-34/76 was one of the most inconic Soviet tanks of WWII. The T-34/76 1941 was supposed to be used as a command vehicle, but after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Army decided to mass produce the 1941 variant. This particular variant was a direct upgrade from it's predecessor. This variant was equipped with a 76.2mm F-34 cannon which was more than capable of destroying the German Panzer III at the time. Furthermore, This variant of the T-34 had the exact same armor layout as the T-34/76 1940.
Essential Info.
The Soviet Army had originally planned to produce 2800 of these tanks at 1941, but they exceeded the number and actually produced 3014 of them. Around 1560 of them were produced in Kharkiv, 25 from nizhny tagil, 173 from Factory 112, and 1256 from Stalingrad. Every factory had produced these tanks a little bit differently. For example, the Red Sormov factory added air compression tanks for the T-34's engine using the 76.2mm shell casing. Moreover, the '-2-34 12-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel engine' of the T-34 let it move at a very fast-53km/h.
A T-34/76 1942 in a museum
The 'Mickey Mouse' In a museum
T-34/76 1942
The T-34/76 was one of the most inconic Soviet tanks of WWII. The T-34/76 1942 was a direct update from the T-34/76 1941. The main issue with the 1941 designs were that the crew could not evacuate the vehicle quickly during emergencies, as they only had one-very heavy hatch to escape from. So the 1942 design featured a new twin hatch that was very easy to open and bullet-proof at the same time.
Essential Info.
The 1942 variant's hatches looked very much like the Mickey mouse's ears when opened. this led to many Soviet tankers calling the T-34/76 1942 the 'Mickey Mouse' Soon in 1943, 'Mickey Mouse' Became the unofficial nickname for this variant. However, the STZ tractor plant which was located very near the battlefield at the time continued to produce the 1941 variants to produce as much T-34´s as possible. The Stalingrad Tractor Plant had to produce this particular variant´s tracks using metal, due to the lack of rubber. This model was equipped with the same engine as every other t-34/76 models and had a maximum speed of 53km/h.
A T-34/76 1943 in a museum
T-34/76 1943
The T-34/76 was one of the most inconic Soviet tanks of WWII. The T-34/76 1943 was an upgraded variant of the T-34/76 1942, and the last variant of the T-34/76
Essential Info.
The 1943 variant of the T-34/76 was the exact same as the 1942 variant, but had a cupola to give a better vision for the commander. This variant was the last variant fo the T-34/76 due to the introduction of the far better-T-34/85 in 1944. This was also the most produced T-34/76 variant.
A M4 Sherman in a mueseum.
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman was the most produced American Tank during World War two. It used a Continental R-975-C1 engine and had a max speed of 38-48km/h. This tank used a 75mm M3 Gun which was a big upgrade compared to previous American tanks.
Essential Info.
The M4 Sherman was created in 1941 and was the first, 'Fine' Medium tank design that the United States had created. Most tanks that the Americans produced used 37mm guns or short howitzers. However, this tank used a 75mm gun which was way better compared to any of the other guns that were previously used. Moreover, this was the first American tank with a 75mm gun that could turn 360 degress.(The previous M3 Lee had a 75mm gun but the turret could only turn 15 degress). The Sherman was a formidable tank for its time, and was mass produced. However, it lacked significantly in Europe against Germany, as a significant amount of them were destroyed by Panthers and Tigers. This was because its 75mm gun didn't have enough penetration to defeat the German superiors from a long range. This lead to the British creating the Sherman Firefly, which was equipped with a better-17 pounder gun.
A M4 Sherman diagram
A picture of a M3 Stuart in the museum
M3 Stuart
The M3 Stuart was an american light tank developed and first produced in 1941. Made to replace the aging M2 during the events of WW2. The M3 was used extensively in WW2, although it wasn’t exactly the best tank at the time. It was mainly used by the US and British army during WW2, and also fought in many places, including North Africa, Europe and Asia. The M3 used the 37mm m5 and m6 gun, which was sufficient at first, but against tanks of the later war, this gun could not penetrate their armour, rendering the M3 obsolete.
Essential Info.
22744 M3s and M5s were manufactured from 1941 to 1944, with earlier variants using either a gasoline radial 7 cylinder engine or a radial 9 cylinder diesel engine. Later M5s used two cadillac v8 from cars. It had 220 horsepower combined, giving the M3 a max speed of 58 km/h. While very fast, the M3 only had an operational range of 160 kilometers.
Article kindly contributed by Steven Wang
A M3 Lee in the museum
M3 Lee
The M3 Lee was an American medium tank that weighed 27 tons and had a maximum crew of seven. When World War II started in Europe, the American Army realised that the M2 Medium Tank was outdated and had to be replaced. This was because the M2 only had a single 37mm gun and was surrounded by machine guns with a limited angle. The M3 Lee had a maximum speed of 39km/h.
Essential Info.
The M3 Lee was equipped with a 360-degree rotating turret with a 37mm gun, and a 75mm gun on the hull, which only rotated 15 degrees. This flaw rendered it almost impossible to destroy Panzer 3s during WW II, as the 37mm gun wasn't sufficient to penetrate it from a long range, and the Panzer 3s could easily outmaneuver the M3 to get out of its 75mm gun's angle. 6258 M3 Lees were produced, and they entered service in 1941. Because it had so many issues, it had to be upgraded to the M4 Sherman later on.
A Panzer 3
Panzer 3
The Panzer Three was a German medium tank created and used during WW2. It weighed around 22.5 tons and had a maximum crew of five. It had a maximum speed of 40 km/h and had a frontal armor thickness of 50mm. Moreover, it was equipped with a KwK 39 50mm gun and two MG 34 machine guns.
Essential Info.
The Panzer Three's Main body was created by Daimler-Benz and the Turret was created by Krupp. It was mainly used during the invasion of France and the war between the Soviet Union. However, it did not perform well during the invasion of the Soviet Union, as it lacked armor, and did not have a good enough gun to penetrate the soviet T-34s. Because of the major issues that it faced, the later variants(Panzer 3 Ausf. H, J, L, M, and N) were equipped with better guns. Notably, the Panzer 3 Ausf. M was equipped with a more powerful 50mm KwK 39 L/60 gun but still failed to penetrate Soviet armor and had to be decommissioned in 1944.
Picture of a Panzer 3 Ausf. M
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