Description
The increasing number of heavy German tanks such as the Tiger and Panther in 1943 gave the Soviets pause for thought, especially after the tank clashes at Kursk. Front-line tank commanders now felt the T-34's 76.2mm gun was inadequate when pitted against the German's new big cats. Development of a T-34 replacement, the T-43, was cancelled and work was set about to fit the existing 85mm anti-aircraft gun to a T-34. To fit the larger gun a larger turret and turret ring (from 1425mm to 1600mm) had to be accommodated on the T-34 hull. This required retooling of the factories. The T-43's turret design was hurriedly adapted to fit the T-34. The resulting new T-34/85 tank had a much superior gun and finally, a three-man turret. The new stopgap model still retained the radio in the hull, but this was remedied later with the obr 1944.
The T-34/85 was still not a one on one match for a Panther, but the Soviets always had numbers on their side. Its improved firepower helped to level the playing field. The decision to improve the current T-34 model rather than launch into the production of a whole new production series (though the T-43 did still retain 70% parts compatibility) retained the Soviets' overwhelming numerical advantage.
CONTENTS
- 5x Individually sculpted T-34/85 obr 1943 tanks
- 5x Tank commanders
- 10x Rare Earth magnets
- Soviet decal sheet
In Flames of War, you can replace up to five T-34 obr 1942 with T-34/85 obr 1943 in any Medium Tankovy Company. You can also field a Gvardeyskiy Tankovy Company from Hammer and Sickle with 10 T-34/85 obr 1943 tanks! A T-34/85 obr 1943 has Limited Vision, but that can be eliminated by adding a cupola which represents the adding of the third turret crew member. They are Fully-tracked, Armour Front 7, Side 5 and Top 1 and are armed with a 85mm D-5T gun, Co-ax MG, and a Hull MG. The 85mm D-5T gun has Range 32"/80cm, ROF 2, AT 12 and FP 3+.
PLEASE NOTE
This is a metal, OOP miniatures set. This product has been replaced with the plastic Guards Heavy Assault Gun Company (SBX37).
