The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank that had a profound and lasting effect on the field of tank design as it spawned the concept of what is nowadays known as modern Main Battle Tanks or MBTs.
Although its armour and armament were surpassed later in the war, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient, and influential tank design of World War II due to its multiple innovations. More than 80,000 T-34s and its variants were produced by the Soviet Union during WWII, making it the most produced tank of the whole war. Because of this some experts have even declared that the T-34 is "the tank that saved the Soviet Union".
At its introduction, the T-34 possessed an unprecedented combination of firepower, mobility, speed, protection, and ruggedness. Its 76.2 mm (3 in) high-velocity tank gun provided a substantial increase in firepower over any of its contemporaries; its heavy sloped armor was difficult to penetrate by most contemporary anti-tank weapons. Its engine was small and efficient, also providing very high speed and a long autonomy and range. However, this come at the cost of atrocious crew ergonomics as the crew of four (later five in the late T-34-85 variant) were tightly packed in frontal compartment.
