WW2Steel.com
page last modified 01Sep'07
Want to SELL some
military equipment? Email Me!
I will consider purchase or brokerage.
I will consider purchase or brokerage.
T-34!
(Please note that this one is sold, but more will be available.)
(Please note that this one is sold, but more will be available.)
As part of
my website's mission is to locate and find homes for WWII
(and other) military equipment. These T-34s are in Europe and
undergoing restoration. They are late war T-34/85s (85mm gun) of
various manufacture, and with some necessary post war
modifications. I believe this to be a T-34/85M43, it is a hand
drive only turret, as the electric drive motor bulge on the left side
of the turret is not added. (Late M44s had this mod from the
factory.)
Sandblasting, nice and clean!
Nice, fresh paint.
A rear view.
The tracks and drive sprockets on this one are from a T-55, for instance. A necessary modification given the age of the vehicle! I doubt anyone even in a reenactment would ever notice the different tracks, and if they do- good for them.
The seller is asking 69,500 Euro... for us Americans that's about $94000 + about $8000 (assuming it hasn't changed) for freight to the 'States. I know that's expensive, but supplies of these WW2 vehicles are drying up. These vehicles had been modified to Tiger tanks. These guys retrofitted them back to original, making a lot of nice, new parts for them. They are in running condition (of course). Again, this one is sold, but more will be available.
As for historical performance:
In 1943 the T-34 got their first cupolas and individual radios. The first 85mm variant carried a crew of 5 (added a dedicated loader inside a larger 3 man turret). This made these vehicles MUCH more reactive to their environment and much more deadly. Unlike Soviet heavy tanks, the T-34/85 carried a fair amount of ammo- between 56 and 60 rounds for the main gun; and a fair amount of MG ammo.
T-34s were FAST. Their late model 520hp diesels could push them to a mediocre 34mph on the road, but more importantly they could hold very high percentage of this OFF road... which is what really matters for a tank. The diesel burned much less easily than the German's gasoline powered engines. While early models were automotively unreliable, these late models had much fewer breakdowns; 58,000+ chassis built- they really knew how to do it right!
The armor was not heavier than that of the German tanks, in many cases it was lighter, but the highly sloped frontal hull plates were very difficult to penetrate. German gunners were forced to try and hit the small and irregularly shaped gun mantlets and turret face. Anything smaller than a medium barreled 75mm (such as a PaK40 or mid/late PzIV gun) would have difficulty penetrating the hull. Specialized Pzgr40 (APCR/tungsten) type ammo is nearly useless against highly sloped ammo as well.
The /85s had heavier turret armor. The L/52 and L/55 guns had similar performance, and using standard AP ammo could pound through the frontal armor of a Tiger to a little over 600m. Specialized ammo (APCR- Composite, Rigid) could penetrate to over 800m because of the Tiger's relatively unsloped armor. The Panther was even more vulnerable, especially to the APBC (Armor Piercing, Ballistic Cap) ammo that could better penetrate sloped armor. 85mm L/55 with 1944 APBC vs Panther, max expected penetration range: Turret- 750m, Upper Hull- 1000m, Lower Hull- 2km+ (extrapolated to about 2200m). All this, of course, is based upon the crews' ability to actually HIT the German tank. Do not in any way interpret this to mean the T-34/85 is better. Far from it. The German tanks have better optics, advanced suspension, and guns that could penetrate any armored surface on this tank in excess of 2km. Even the HE round of the Tiger could penetrate at close range. Remarkable about this tank is that it CAN penetrate the front of these modern German designs, from normal combat ranges, and with the devastating post-penetrative effect of an 85mm projectile!
Sandblasting, nice and clean!
Nice, fresh paint.
A rear view.
The tracks and drive sprockets on this one are from a T-55, for instance. A necessary modification given the age of the vehicle! I doubt anyone even in a reenactment would ever notice the different tracks, and if they do- good for them.
The seller is asking 69,500 Euro... for us Americans that's about $94000 + about $8000 (assuming it hasn't changed) for freight to the 'States. I know that's expensive, but supplies of these WW2 vehicles are drying up. These vehicles had been modified to Tiger tanks. These guys retrofitted them back to original, making a lot of nice, new parts for them. They are in running condition (of course). Again, this one is sold, but more will be available.
As for historical performance:
In 1943 the T-34 got their first cupolas and individual radios. The first 85mm variant carried a crew of 5 (added a dedicated loader inside a larger 3 man turret). This made these vehicles MUCH more reactive to their environment and much more deadly. Unlike Soviet heavy tanks, the T-34/85 carried a fair amount of ammo- between 56 and 60 rounds for the main gun; and a fair amount of MG ammo.
T-34s were FAST. Their late model 520hp diesels could push them to a mediocre 34mph on the road, but more importantly they could hold very high percentage of this OFF road... which is what really matters for a tank. The diesel burned much less easily than the German's gasoline powered engines. While early models were automotively unreliable, these late models had much fewer breakdowns; 58,000+ chassis built- they really knew how to do it right!
The armor was not heavier than that of the German tanks, in many cases it was lighter, but the highly sloped frontal hull plates were very difficult to penetrate. German gunners were forced to try and hit the small and irregularly shaped gun mantlets and turret face. Anything smaller than a medium barreled 75mm (such as a PaK40 or mid/late PzIV gun) would have difficulty penetrating the hull. Specialized Pzgr40 (APCR/tungsten) type ammo is nearly useless against highly sloped ammo as well.
The /85s had heavier turret armor. The L/52 and L/55 guns had similar performance, and using standard AP ammo could pound through the frontal armor of a Tiger to a little over 600m. Specialized ammo (APCR- Composite, Rigid) could penetrate to over 800m because of the Tiger's relatively unsloped armor. The Panther was even more vulnerable, especially to the APBC (Armor Piercing, Ballistic Cap) ammo that could better penetrate sloped armor. 85mm L/55 with 1944 APBC vs Panther, max expected penetration range: Turret- 750m, Upper Hull- 1000m, Lower Hull- 2km+ (extrapolated to about 2200m). All this, of course, is based upon the crews' ability to actually HIT the German tank. Do not in any way interpret this to mean the T-34/85 is better. Far from it. The German tanks have better optics, advanced suspension, and guns that could penetrate any armored surface on this tank in excess of 2km. Even the HE round of the Tiger could penetrate at close range. Remarkable about this tank is that it CAN penetrate the front of these modern German designs, from normal combat ranges, and with the devastating post-penetrative effect of an 85mm projectile!