After the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943, panic began to spread in the ranks of Soviet tank units. They had met the German Panther for the first time on the field of battle, and the mighty Tiger I was being encountered in increasing numbers. The Soviets desperately needed a tank with a longer arm so-to-speak, and the solution offered up by a crash development program was a T-34 with a larger turret and a larger gun. This new tank was known as the T-34/85, which featured an 85mm anti-tank gun (derived from an anti-aircraft gun of the same caliber) mounted in a larger three-man turret. This more powerful tank entered service from March 1944 onwards and it was an immediate hit since it could now stand toe-to-toe with the more powerful tanks being fielded by the Wehrmacht.

By choosing either the D-5T or the ZIS-85, guns with a very long barrel and without a muzzle brake, the recoil dictated a very large turret, or at least a very long one. This roomier design also had the advantage of being large enough for three crewmen, the commander being freed from having to load the gun. This, in turn, helped him concentrate on possible targets and generally to have better awareness of the battlefield. The advantage of a three-man turret was already known by the British since the twenties, and the Germans found it very convenient for their main tanks, the Panzer III and IV. The advantages of such a configuration became obvious during the campaign in France. Having the commander free to focus on his tasks and excellent tank-to-tank communication gave them a clear-cut tactical superiority over the French, whose tanks mostly had one man turrets.

This new turret, ordered by The People's Commissariat for the Armor Industry, was partly based on the T-43's turret and was hurriedly adapted by Krasnoye Sormovo Factory chief engineer V. Kerichev. It was a compromise design with a slightly reduced base ring, two periscopes and the commander cupola relocated to the rear, for full peripheral vision. The radio was also relocated, allowing easier access, better signal and range.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a Chinese Volunteer Army T-34/85 medium tank that was deployed to Korea during 1950. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Length: 3-1/2-inches
Width: 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: September 2023

Historical Account "Chinese Intervention" - On the same day on which Pyongyang was conquered, the Chinese People's Volunteers Army (PVA), commanded by General Peng Dehuai and 270,000 men strong, crossed the border between China and Korea, fording the Yalu River in great secrecy. On October 25th, the PVA clashed for the first time with UN troops, defeating the troops of the 10th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Infantry Division assigned to the ROK II Corps. Later, in the Battles of Unsan and Ch'ongch'on, it managed to defeat U.S. units and other UN forces.

In the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, supported by the 17th Tank Division, defeated several UN units, forcing them to retreat. Some of them included the US 1st Cavalry Division, 24th Infantry Division (including the 21st Regimental Combat Team), 27th Commonwealth Brigade, the Turkish Brigade, and the 6th, 7th and 8th ROKA Infantry Divisions of the South Korean II Corps.

From this date onwards, while the armored forces of the Korean People's Army took part in subsequent battles, the amount of vehicles used, their actual use, and losses in the field are not known exactly. Many sources report the numbers of tanks destroyed without mentioning whether they were Chinese or Korean.

On October 28th, during the Battle of Chongju, the 3rd RAR destroyed three T-34-85s with Bazookas. A fourth one was destroyed by Private John Stafford, who fired his Bren gun at the external tanks of the tank, setting them on fire.