T34
| This page is about the American heavy tank T34. For other versions, see T-34 (Disambiguation). |
Contents
Description
The Heavy Tank T34 is a rank IV American heavy tank with a battle rating of 7.0 (AB) and 6.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.67 "Assault". A formidable heavy tank with thick armour and heavy gun, the T34 presents a radical new tank design, more so than any of its predecessors.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Cast homogeneous armour
- Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides, Hull rear)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 102 mm (52-56°) Front Glacis 70.25 mm (26-59°) Bottom Glacis 102 mm (6-81°) Machine gun port |
76.2 mm Front 51 mm Rear |
51 mm (4°) Upper 51 mm (60°) Lower |
38.1 mm |
| Turret | 158.7 mm (18-31°) Turret front 203 mm (0-9°) Gun mantlet 305 mm (1-57°) Gun mantlet border |
158.7 mm (3-42°) | 101 + 102 mm (1-20°) Rear 102 mm (63-84°) Bottom of turret overhang |
38.1 mm |
| Cupola | 152.4 mm | 152.4 mm | 152.4 mm | 38.1 mm |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
- Front belly armour is 25.4 mm thick while the rear is 13 mm.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 38 | 15 | 65.8 | 1,046 | 1,545 | 15.9 | 23.48 |
| Realistic | 36 | 14 | 716 | 810 | 10.88 | 12.31 | |
Mobility is surprisingly decent for its size and weight, it's even on par with some medium tanks, and it will often reach its top speed, even off-road, although at lower speeds it can be quite sluggish to manoeuvre.
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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Armaments
Main armament
| 120 mm T53 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 34 | -10°/+15° | ±180° | N/A | 14.6 | 20.2 | 24.5 | 27.1 | 28.8 | 19.37 | 17.14 | 15.79 | 14.90 |
| Realistic | 10.7 | 12.6 | 15.3 | 16.9 | 18.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
The APCBC shell still retains a lot of the penetration over very long ranges, still keeping over 150 mm penetration.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| T14E3 | APCBC | 283 | 279 | 263 | 243 | 225 | 209 |
| T17E1 | APCR | 306 | 301 | 281 | 258 | 237 | 218 |
| M73 | HE | 31 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| T14E3 | APCBC | 960 | 22.6 | - | - | - | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| T17E1 | APCR | 1,082 | 16.3 | - | - | - | 66° | 70° | 72° | |||
| M73 | HE | 944 | 22.5 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.38 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
Ammo part |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Projectiles Propellants |
33 (+1) 31 (+3) |
28 (+6) 29 (+5) |
23 (+11) 23 (+11) |
| 4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
7th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
| 21 (+13) 15 (+19) |
13 (+21) 9 (+25) |
7 (+27) 1 (+33) |
1 (+33) N/A |
No |
Note:
- Turret empty: 23 (+11) shells.
Machine guns
| 12.7 mm M2HB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 1,000 (200) | 577 | -10°/+50° | ±120° |
| Coaxial | 1,200 (200) | 577 | N/A | N/A |
| Coaxial | 1,200 (200) | 577 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
The T34 is a very strong tank and few tanks have the guns to take it out effectively from the battlefield. If you're fighting tanks of your own BR or lower, the German long 88 mm guns (whether it be PaK or KwK guns) will be able to contest your armour at close range if used well. This includes the Waffentrager, Tiger II (P) and (H) models, the Nashorn, the Ferdinand, and the Jagdpanthers. There is also the threat of the occasional Ru 251, which packs a 320 mm penetration HEATFS shell. The Soviets also have a few cannons that can be effective against the T34, be on the lookout for tanks which utilize the 100 mm, such as the T-44-100, SU-100P, or SU-100. These 100 mm shells will not struggle too much against your hull or turret, at least at close range. The same can be applied to the ISU variants. (The ASU-85) does get a HEATFS shell which defeats your armour most of the time, more on that below.) The tanks mentioned above can be dealt with against with relative ease at medium range with the 120 mm cannon. Another country which catches most people off guard is France. The AMX-50 and Lorraine 40t with their magazine systems will shred your armour given if they have the time to aim properly. Their shot rounds will break your gun breech quickly, but if you play well the T34's armour will hold up.
At long range, tanks with the long 88 mm guns will only be able to penetrate with the APCR at you, which in effect makes your upper hull armour very good, since APCR does not fare well against slopes. The flat turret face can put you at a disadvantage most of the time. Specific enemies worth noting when fighting the Germans at your BR are Waffenträger, Tiger II (P) and (H) models, Nashorn, the Jagdpanthers, and even the Sturer Emil with its 230 mm of penetration with its monstrous 128 mm armament. Most of these tanks (except for the Sturer Emil) can fire APCR at you and penetrate if they are good shots and hit your gun shield. When engaging the Soviets at long range, the ASU-85 will be your most dangerous enemy at your own BR. The HEATFS shell it packs penetrates 300 mm of armour, making your armour more often than not obsolete against it. One more tank you must be aware of that most people forget about is the Type-62. It gets the same gun as the T-44, but with better shells, utilizing a strong HEATFS round on a turreted, fast light tank.
When you're fighting in an uptier (which can happen quite frequently), your enemies as previously mentioned stay the same except for more prevalent Rank V vehicles like the Leopard I. The Leopard I is everything you are not: fast, stealthy, good rate of fire and a punchy good gun at any range. With its DM13 APDS round that can penetrate 303 mm of armour straight up, life is not easy against it. The round can still penetrate 257 mm of armour at 1,500 m, which is still very easy against your turret shield. The Leopards also packs a DM12 HEATFS round which can tear through 400 mm of armour with ease with 1,173 m/s shell velocity. If at all possible, do not engage Leopards at long range without doing it smartly. Remember: they can penetrate you regardless of angling or range.
Another enemy at an uptier to worry about is the Object 120. It possesses a shell that presents 405 mm of penetration APFSDS with 1,710 m/s shell. The drawback of the Object is its lack of gun depression and armour that even .50 cal machine guns can destroy it. Almost all of the Taran users will choose that shell instead of the HEATFS it packs simply because of the shell velocity. The HEATFS shell in question can penetrate 480 mm of armour. A good rule of thumb when fighting these tanks: if you can avoid being hit, do so quickly; your armour will not save you.
Other enemies worth noting is the IS-3. It is almost impossible to injure it from the front, much less destroy it in one shot. The only shot you can make is the turret ring (which is tough sometimes) or the extremely small flat pieces of armour on the sides of the gun barrel on the turret: other than that, try to flank it. The Maus is also a significant threat to the T34 for much the same reason as the IS-3, but with greater firepower due to its 128 mm armament. Trying to penetrate a Maus without the use of the APCR the T34 gets is a fool's folly: it can't be done against an angling Maus tank. The Tiger II (H) 10.5cm heavy tank is also able to contest you better than the Tiger II (P) and (H) simply because of the gun and power behind it, but not to a dangerously high degree like the Leopards. The Jagdtiger packs much the same gun with albeit slightly less armour and no turret, but it makes this tank no less dangerous. The Jagdpanzer 4-5, on the other hand, is quite stealthy with the same gun and ammo as the RU 251, with albeit no turret but a better reload makes this tank good at contesting your armour at any range. One more enemy you will undoubtedly face are the Italian armoured cars who with their recoil-less rifles and very good mobility can prove to be very dangerous to you despite their size and low amount of armour. Another thing to watch while playing this tank is the possibility to be killed very fast by facing someone who can hit your cupola on you turret beware of German and Soviet 88, 105, and 122 mm APHE shells which might be able to knock you out through your cupola. While its a hard target at distance closer up it will be a very easy target so keep it hidden.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great upper glacis armour
- Good gun mantlet armour
- Powerful 120 mm gun; essentially a precursor to the M103
- Has three .50 calibre machine guns for shredding lightly-armoured vehicles or for warding off enemy aircraft
- Decently fast on level ground
- Good post-penetration damage for stock ammunition, when it hits in the right spot
- Crew is quite far apart from each other, quite difficult to get knock out in one hit without ammo racking
- Has very good gun depression, 10°, like most american tanks, allowing for easy hull down situations
Cons:
- Gun mantlet can still be penetrated by 88 mm or 122 mm shells
- Side armour can be penetrated - even when angled sharply
- Weak lower glacis
- Propellant charges are located on the side of the turret, which for solid shot rounds is an easy ammorack
- Turning capabilities are quite bad for an american tank
- Sluggish when moving at lower speeds, especially when turning
- Doesn't like to climb hills
- Reload time is long, but shorter than some contemporary tanks
- Shells penetrating the turret will most often result in ammo racking
- Turret rotation isn't the best
- Gun is easily taken out because of its large size
- Not close combat friendly due to the weak UFP and gun mantlet
History
Development
Projects for a dedicated heavy tank for the U.S. Armed Forces began in March 1944 as a response to the German heavy tanks that have been popping up in Europe. While the T26E3 tank, later known as the M26 Pershing was slated to be the next-generation American tank, it was still considered unsuitable against the even heavier Tiger II. A project to increase the armour and firepower commenced to counter this problem, the project titled Heavy Tank T29. Using design elements from the T26E3 with thicker armour and lengthened hull, the T29 also was equipped with the 105 mm Gun T5, a gun in development alongside the heavy assault tank T95. Other features included a 770 hp Ford GAC engine, armour thickness up to 279 mm effective, and a coincidence range-finder. The heavy armour and armament made the tank weigh about 64 tons, making it a close match to the Tiger II.
Though the T29 was monstrous itself, side projects involving the T29 crafted the Heavy Tank T30. Itself similar to the T29 in terms of armour, but featured a monstrous 155 mm Gun T7 with a more powerful engine and an extra crew member to facilitate loading the gun.
Effect in World War II
Throughout World War II, the T29 and the T30 stayed in development under the priority "limited procurement". Eventually, the war in Europe ended in May 1945, but the small ordered stayed in hope it may be useful in the Japan invasion in Operation Downfall. That hope was smashed as well when Japan surrendered in September 1945, ending World War II. Even if an operation commenced that used these vehicles, the Army Ground Forces objected to the use of such heavy equipment due to the lack of adequate transporters. Further production was cancelled in the post-war demilitarization.
Post World War Effect
The heavy tank concept didn't die with the end of hostility and a final attempt was made to remake the T29 into a more modern, lethal weapon system. This produced the T34, which mounted a 120 mm gun based on the M1 anti-aircraft gun. The calibre made an adequate balance of firepower and loading ease between the 105 mm and the 155 mm used in the T29 and T30. In fact, the two T34 pilot models made were a converted T29 and T30. However, the demilitarization took down the T34 program as well, but the experience in this project help engineers in the development of the M103 heavy tank.
Today, there are a few T29s still in display across the United States, most of them residing in storage at Fort Benning, Georgia where they will be used as a display in the future National Armor and Cavalry Museum.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Similar Vehicles
External links
| USA heavy tanks | |
|---|---|
| M4 Jumbo | M4A3E2 · Cobra King · M4A3E2 (76) W |
| M6 | M6A1 · T1E1 · T1E1 (90) · M6A2E1 |
| T26 | T26E1-1 · T26E5 |
| T29/30/34 | T29 · T30 · T34 |
| T32 | T32 · T32E1 |
| M103 | M103 |
| Others | T14 |
