The first generation T-34 medium tank made its debut in combat during the summer of 1941, when the Wehrmacht launched its invasion of the Soviet Union. The T-34 easily outclassed the German PzKpfw III and IV models, thanks to its hard-hitting 76.2mm main gun, thick frontal armor, wide tracks, and overall superior mobility. The first T-34s were assembled at Kharkov, Leningrad, and Stalingrad, then moved behind the Ural mountains when the German advance encircled Leningrad, overran Kharkov, and invested the "City of Stalin". Legend has it that some T-34s rolled off the Stalingrad assembly line unpainted and even unfinished to prevent the Nazi invaders from capturing the city.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a T-34/76 mod 1941 medium tank that was attached to the Soviet 116th Tank Brigade, which saw action in southern Russia during the spring of 1942. Vehicle sits atop a real grass diorama and bears the insignia of the elite 116th Tank Brigade. Comes packed in an attractive display tin complete with numbered certificate of authenticity. Now in stock!

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

Release Date: May 2005

Historical Account: "Hellion's Scorn" - On the Eastern Front of World War II, the so-called Second Battle of Kharkov was a forlorn attempt by the Soviet Union to recapture the Ukrainian city of Kharkov from the Germans in May 1942. Despite Stalin's insistence to go over to the strategic offensive, the attack failed miserably and by the end of the month the Germans had regained all lost ground, capturing a further 200,000 Soviet prisoners in the process. Kharkov also represented the first battlefield victory by General der Panzertruppen Friedrich Paulus, commander of the undefeated German Sixth Army, who took over the reigns of power that January. Paulus would eventually be promoted to Feldmarschal (Field Marshal) and come to be known for another more apocalyptic battle in the months to come.