Was the Russian T34 tank superior to the German product in any aspects other than extremely cold conditions?

Answer 1

Yes. It had sloped armor, something German tanks had not employed up to that point. In addition, it had wide tracks, which gave it better traction in the conditions prevalent in Russia. Next, it was more reliable than the German tanks. The problems in comparison to German tanks were that the Soviet crews were not as well trained as their German adversaries. In addition, the Germans employed a crew of 5, whereas the Soviets usually had only 4. This made a big difference in that the Germans had an extra set of eyes looking for an enemy. And last but probably the most important, the T-34 was mass producable. The huge numbers churned out by the Soviet factories made up for any difference. Tank vs. tank, the Panther (after it's teething problems were resolved) was better. But as a class of tanks, the T-34 was arguably the best tank in WWII. There were actually two models of the T34, and the above answer refers to the tank known in the West as the T34/76 because of its 76mm gun mounted in a 2-man turret. The commander doubled as loader for the main weapon, and he had no cupola to give him all-around vision. The T34/85 introduced in 1943 corrected these faults simply by mounting an 85mm gun in a larger 3-man turret with a cupola. The third man merely loaded the main weapon, leaving the commander nothing to do except to command with the benefit of all-around vision. The only penalties were slightly higher sihlouette and extra weight, but these were small prices to pay for the best tank of World War II. As well-stated by the above answer, the German Panther was still superior on a one-to-one basis, but it was offset by the fact that the Panther was expensive and could be produced in fewer numbers, while the T34 could be produced more cheaply and easily. Both models of the T34 were uncomfortable and hard on their crews, but the Soviet Army wanted a tank that could fight, nothing more. A tank is a combination of three things: firepower, protection, and mobility. The sloped armor, wide tracks, and powerful gun of the T34/85 were the best combination of these three elements in WWII; even better than the original T34/76 which came as a demoralizing shock to the invading Germans. It was not the best in any one area, but it was the best compromise of all three areas. On a tank vs. tank basis, it might be noted that the T34 was superior to to the American Sherman in all three areas, but American wealth allowed the Sherman to be produced in even greater numbers, and the Sherman was much more comfortable for its 5-man crews.