Difference between revisions of "T-34-85 (S-53) (China)"

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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
<!-- [[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
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[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}} -->
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{{break}}
 
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].
 
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]].
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
+
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 +
 
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
 
 +
*Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
 +
*Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Cupola, Driver's hatch, Machine gun port)
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 45 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 45 mm (60°) ''Lower glacis'' <br> 75 mm (60°) ''Driver's hatch'' <br> 65 mm (30°) ''Machine gun port'' || 45 mm (39-40°) ''Top'' <br> 45 mm ''Bottom'' || 45 mm (47-49°) ''Top'' <br> 45 mm (46°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Turret || 90 mm (1-69°) ''Turret front'' <br> 90 + 40 mm (8-61°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm (19-22°) ''Front 2/3rd'' <br> 52 mm (13-19°) ''Rear 1/3rd'' || 52 mm (9°) || 20 mm
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Cupola || 90 mm || 20 mm
 +
|}
 +
'''Notes:'''
 +
 
 +
* The gun mantlet has 90 mm in front with additional small and thin 40 mm plates on the sides of the gun. [http://i.imgur.com/HhKRdli.jpg See here.]
 +
* Suspensions wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 18 mm thick
 +
 
 +
The armor layout of the T-34-85 (S-53) is virtually identical to the [[T-34-85]]. The hull armor, while well angled, is very thin for its rank and can be penetrated by nearly any tank cannon. Creative use of angling can still lead to the occasional bounce. The 90 mm thick turret is also thin for its rank, but the good sloping on the sides can also lead to bounces with some luck.
 +
 
 +
The T-34-85 has very poor survivability due to the fact that all 5 crew members are packed close to each other. A hull penetration will likely knock out all of them. However, inexperienced players that face this tank will often shoot the lower hull part of the driver hatch, which is infamous for being surprisingly resilient.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forward and backwards.''
+
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 +
 
 +
{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 775|rbMinHp= 442|AoAweight= 0.2}}
 +
 
 +
The T-34-85 (S-53) has excellent mobility for a medium tank, as expected of a T-34. It can reach high speeds both on and off road thanks to its wide tracks. The reverse speed is not exactly great, but it is significantly better than those of comparable Shermans, Panthers, and early T-34s (76 mm, 57 mm variants).
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Advise about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
The T-34/85(S-53) is equipped with the fantastic ZiS-S-53 cannon, with penetrates about 145mm on close range with the stock BR465K round. This might not be enough to fight Tiger IIs frontaly, but it works perfectly with other tanks, which are less armored or you  can engage them from the side.
  
=== Additional armament ===
+
The gun depression is like on many other soviet(based) vehicles quite poor, with only 5° there are no hulldown manouvers possible.
''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
+
 
 +
To the ammunition:
 +
 
 +
The stock round is the BR365K which has 148mm of penetration on close range. The APHE round has a very good oneshot-potential with 48g of A-IX-2(73,92g of TNT equivalent).
 +
 
 +
The second round, the BR365A ,,only" has about 135mm penetration on point blank. But instead of having 48g it has 164g TNT of explosives inside the shell. This increases the post-penetration effect dramaticly.
 +
 
 +
APCR is also aviable, but keep in mind that it hates sloped armor and it has very poor post-penetretion damage.
 +
 
 +
This BR365-P penetrates about 195mm of RHA on close range.
 +
 
 +
The HE-shell is called O-365K. With 660g of TNT inside it performs pretty good against trucks&halftrucks.
 +
==== Ammunition ====
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
 +
|-
 +
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
 +
|-
 +
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 135 || 133 || 125 || 115 || 106 || 97
 +
|-
 +
| BR-365K || APHE || 147 || 143 || 126 || 107 || 90 || 77
 +
|-
 +
| BR-365P || APCR || 193 || 187 || 154 || 120 || 94 || 74
 +
|-
 +
| O-365K || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="11" | Shell details
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 +
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
 +
! rowspan="2" | Normalisation at 30°<br>from horizontal
 +
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 +
|-
 +
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 +
|-
 +
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 14.0 || 164 || +4.0° || 48° || 63° || 71°
 +
|-
 +
| BR-365K || APHE || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 14.0 || 73.9 || -1.0° || 47° || 60° || 65°
 +
|-
 +
| BR-365P || APCR || 1,050 || 4.99 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
 +
|-
 +
| O-365K || HE || 793 || 9.54 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 660 || +0.0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 +
[[File:Ammoracks T-34-85.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-34-85.]]
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full<br /> ammo
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th<br />  rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual<br /> discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
|| '''60''' || 51&nbsp;''(+9)'' || 41&nbsp;''(+19)'' || 31&nbsp;''(+29)'' || 21&nbsp;''(+39)'' || 11&nbsp;''(+49)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+59)'' || style="text-align:left" | no  
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
''Turret empty:'' 24&nbsp;''(+12)''
 +
<!--==== [[Optics]] ====
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} Optics
 +
|-
 +
!
 +
! Default magnification
 +
! Maximum magnification
 +
|-
 +
! Main Gun optics
 +
| X3.8 || X4.0
 +
|-
 +
! Comparable optics
 +
| colspan="2" | ???
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
-->
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
+
<!--''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''-->
 +
{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 +
 
 +
While the T-34-85 is a fairly well-rounded tank, its poor armour and high speed mean that one should play it more like a light tank than a medium. The gun is very lethal but the penetration is not particularly good, so it is better to flank and go for side shots, which can instantly knock out all but the largest and most spacious opponents. During frontal engagements, [[Tiger E|Tiger I]]s should be shot in the flat portions of the hull (avoiding the driver's port), [[Panzer V Panther (Family)|Panthers]] should be shot in the turret (in the less curved portion of the mantlet) or possibly in the lower glacis, and [[M4 Sherman (Family)|non-Jumbo Shermans]] can generally be shot anywhere. The [[Tiger II (P)]] is only vulnerable in a small portion of the turret cheeks and the [[Tiger II (H)]] is essentially frontally immune, so for these kinds of targets, circle around to get a good shot at the hull sides and let the slope modifiers take care of the rest. Watch out for American tanks like the [[M4A3 (76) W]] and [[T25]], as they have vertical stabilizers and can often shoot first if they are aware of you.
 +
 
 +
In AB, you should play this tank like any other T-34. Push because you have a pretty well-rounded tank and will generally be able to adapt to whatever situation that develops. The AB meta generally favours more heavily armed and armoured tanks due to the presence of markers, making flanking and ambushes more difficult, so play carefully and take advantage of your high mobility.
 +
 
 +
In RB, play this tank offensively yet carefully. Use your speed and keep up with your teammates, or alternatively play it like a light tank and go on long flanks. In RB, one will often encounter enemy flankers like the infamous [[M18 GMC|M18 Hellcat]] or [[R3 T20 FA-HS]]; while the main gun is adequate for dispatching these soft targets, the heavy machine gun can also rip through them in a pinch, particularly from the sides. The machine gun can be especially helpful if one's tank is otherwise disabled due to a jammed turret ring, destroyed gun breech, etc. Diving aircraft expecting to strafe an innocuous T-34 can also be given a nasty surprise, though the DShK's small belt capacity makes this more difficult.
 +
 
 +
In SB, play this tank very cautiously because the optics aren't that good and most of the time you will face tanks from pretty far distances. Panthers generally have better optics than you so try to avoid encounters with Panthers or Tigers.
 +
 
 +
'''Enemies worth noting:'''
 +
 
 +
[[Panther A]]/[[Panther D|D]], [[Tiger II (P)|Tiger II P]]:
 +
 
 +
The Panthers are one of the most common tanks around BR 5.7, and they pose a great threat with their deadly long 75 mm cannon, thick frontal armour and adequate speed. You want to avoid engaging them at long range as the T-34 has only x3.5 scope magnification, making long range shooting super hard. Engage the Panthers within 500 m and avoid shooting their frontal hull. Their biggest weak spot is the gun mantlet, which is only 100 mm thick and has a flat part in the middle. That is where you want to aim at, the T-34's APHE has sufficient damage to instantly destroy the Panther even from its turret. The second weak spot is of course the sides, guaranteeing an instant kill. Generally APHE is enough to deal with the Panthers, and no APCR is needed.
 +
 
 +
For the Tiger II P, aim at the vertical area of the frontal turret which is also 100 mm. The best tactic is still to flank it however.
 +
 
 +
[[Tiger H1]]/[[Tiger E|E]]:
 +
 
 +
The Tiger's weak spots are the opposite with the Panthers. Their hull are unsloped and rather thin, while the gun mantlet is weirdly shaped and can absorb quite some shells. The best engaging range remains the same, within 500 m. If the Tiger is angling, aim at the turret ring to disable the gunner and destroy the turret traverse, or aim at the hull side below the side skirt, which is only 60 mm. If it is not angling, aim between the driver's vision port and the MG for an instant kill. Avoid shooting at these two parts as they tend to bounce/absorb shells. For the Tiger E, don't shoot at the lower glacis as there will be add-on tracks installed there, making it harder to penetrate.
 +
 
 +
[[Ho-Ri Production|Ho-Ri]]:
 +
 
 +
In a frontal engagement, APCR is required as the APHE shells don't have enough penetration. With APCR loaded, aim at the further sides of the fighting compartment, away from the gun, because the further from the gun, the thinner the armour gets, with the thinnest part being around 160 mm unsloped. Penetrating there will knock out its loader, gunner or commander, or detonate the ammo. Of course, the best way is still side-shooting with APHE.
 +
 
 +
[[Panzer IV/70(V)|Panzer IV/70]], [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)]]:
 +
 
 +
These small tank destroyers with their well angled frontal armour can be quite a problem from a distance. With APHE, you can disable their transmission by shooting at their lower glacis. Now if you can, flank them. The 85 mm APHE does a great job at penetrating sloped, thin armour, so you don't have to get to their absolute sides. For the Pz IV/70, you can also aim at the downward part of the gun mantlet since the shell might ricochet downwards into the hull, knocking out every crew member. The Jagdpanzer 38(t) doesn't have this problem, so side-shooting is required to destroy it effectively.
 +
 
 +
[[M4A3E2]] Jumbo:
 +
 
 +
This is another common enemy. It is recommended to use the BR-365A, the one with less pen but more explosive filler. The reason is that it is better at penetrating sloped armour, which the Jumbo has. With that shell you can easily destroy a M4A3E2 who's not angling. If it is, aim at the hull side just above the tracks, or load APCR and shoot straight at its gun mantlet. Against a 75 mm M4A3E2 you can relax a bit as it will struggle to penetrate your armour, but your cupola is a rather large weak spot and a shot through there can knock out the T-34. Be more careful with the M4A3E2 76 W, as they can easily pierce through your armour.
 +
 
 +
=== Modules ===
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Tier
 +
! colspan="2" | Mobility
 +
! Protection
 +
! colspan="2" | Firepower
 +
|-
 +
| I
 +
| Tracks
 +
|
 +
| Parts
 +
| Horizontal Drive
 +
| BR-365A
 +
|-
 +
| II
 +
| Suspension
 +
| Brake System
 +
| FPE
 +
| Adjustment of Fire
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| III
 +
| Filters
 +
|
 +
| Crew Replenishment
 +
| Elevation Mechanism
 +
| BR-365P
 +
|-
 +
| IV
 +
| Transmission
 +
| Engine
 +
| Add-on Armor
 +
| Artillery Support
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 +
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 +
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
 
* Excellent gun with adequate penetration, destructive damage and good reload rate
 
* Excellent gun with adequate penetration, destructive damage and good reload rate
 
* 56 km/h top speed and great manoeuvrability allows it to reposition easily
 
* 56 km/h top speed and great manoeuvrability allows it to reposition easily
* 5-man crew increases survivalility
+
* 5-man crew increases survivability
* Access to BR-365P APCR to effectively penetrate tough tanks up cloes (M4A3E2s, Tigers & Panthers)
+
* Access to BR-365P APCR to effectively penetrate tough tanks up close (M4A3E2s, Tigers & Panthers)
* Has two types of AP for players to choose: BR-365K with higher pen but less (still enough) TNT, and BR-365A with less pen but plenty of TNT
+
* Has two types of AP for players to choose: BR-365K with higher pen but less TNT, and BR-365A with less pen but plenty of TNT
* Similar playstyle with the previous T-34s which is beginner-friendly
+
* Similar playstyle with the previous T-34s which is rather beginner-friendly
 
* Fast turret traverse to easily deal with targets from multiple directions
 
* Fast turret traverse to easily deal with targets from multiple directions
* Sloped hull and round frontal turret might bounce small caliber shells
+
* Sloped hull and round frontal turret might bounce small calibre shells
 
 
*
 
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
* Armor is extremely thin, providing very limited protection against common guns (American 76mm, British 17pdr, German 75mm & 88mm, etc)
+
* Armour is extremely thin, providing very limited protection against common guns (American 76 mm, British 17 pdr, German 75 mm & 88 mm, etc)
* Crews are closely packed, a well-aimed shot tend to kill them all
+
* Crew members are closely packed, a well-aimed shot tends to kill them all
 
* 5 degrees gun depression is below average
 
* 5 degrees gun depression is below average
* Large turret profile makes it easier to get spotted & shot
+
* Large turret profile makes it easier to get spotted and shot
 
 
*
 
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
Line 54: Line 256:
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
 
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
+
[[T-34-85]]
  
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
+
[[T-34-85 (D-5T)]]
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
 
  
== External links ==
 
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
  

Revision as of 12:14, 8 June 2020

VTOL | Rank 5 USA
AV-8A Harrier Pack
␗Т-34-85 (S-53)
cn_t_34_85_d_5t.png
␗Т-34-85 (S-53)
AB RB SB
5.7 5.7 5.7
Class:
Research:54 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:185 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage T-34-85 (S-53) (China).jpg


The ␗Т-34-85 (S-53) is a rank IV Chinese medium tank with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Cupola, Driver's hatch, Machine gun port)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 45 mm (60°) Front glacis
45 mm (60°) Lower glacis
75 mm (60°) Driver's hatch
65 mm (30°) Machine gun port
45 mm (39-40°) Top
45 mm Bottom
45 mm (47-49°) Top
45 mm (46°) Bottom
20 mm
Turret 90 mm (1-69°) Turret front
90 + 40 mm (8-61°) Gun mantlet
75 mm (19-22°) Front 2/3rd
52 mm (13-19°) Rear 1/3rd
52 mm (9°) 20 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 90 mm 20 mm

Notes:

  • The gun mantlet has 90 mm in front with additional small and thin 40 mm plates on the sides of the gun. See here.
  • Suspensions wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 18 mm thick

The armor layout of the T-34-85 (S-53) is virtually identical to the T-34-85. The hull armor, while well angled, is very thin for its rank and can be penetrated by nearly any tank cannon. Creative use of angling can still lead to the occasional bounce. The 90 mm thick turret is also thin for its rank, but the good sloping on the sides can also lead to bounces with some luck.

The T-34-85 has very poor survivability due to the fact that all 5 crew members are packed close to each other. A hull penetration will likely knock out all of them. However, inexperienced players that face this tank will often shoot the lower hull part of the driver hatch, which is infamous for being surprisingly resilient.

Mobility

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock AoA Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 62 10 32 0.2 775 954 24.22 29.63
Realistic 55 9 442 500 13.81 15.53

The T-34-85 (S-53) has excellent mobility for a medium tank, as expected of a T-34. It can reach high speeds both on and off road thanks to its wide tracks. The reverse speed is not exactly great, but it is significantly better than those of comparable Shermans, Panthers, and early T-34s (76 mm, 57 mm variants).

Armaments

Main armament

The T-34/85(S-53) is equipped with the fantastic ZiS-S-53 cannon, with penetrates about 145mm on close range with the stock BR465K round. This might not be enough to fight Tiger IIs frontaly, but it works perfectly with other tanks, which are less armored or you can engage them from the side.

The gun depression is like on many other soviet(based) vehicles quite poor, with only 5° there are no hulldown manouvers possible.

To the ammunition:

The stock round is the BR365K which has 148mm of penetration on close range. The APHE round has a very good oneshot-potential with 48g of A-IX-2(73,92g of TNT equivalent).

The second round, the BR365A ,,only" has about 135mm penetration on point blank. But instead of having 48g it has 164g TNT of explosives inside the shell. This increases the post-penetration effect dramaticly.

APCR is also aviable, but keep in mind that it hates sloped armor and it has very poor post-penetretion damage.

This BR365-P penetrates about 195mm of RHA on close range.

The HE-shell is called O-365K. With 660g of TNT inside it performs pretty good against trucks&halftrucks.

Ammunition

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
BR-365A APHEBC 135 133 125 115 106 97
BR-365K APHE 147 143 126 107 90 77
BR-365P APCR 193 187 154 120 94 74
O-365K HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Normalisation at 30°
from horizontal
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
BR-365A APHEBC 792 9.2 1.2 14.0 164 +4.0° 48° 63° 71°
BR-365K APHE 792 9.2 1.2 14.0 73.9 -1.0° 47° 60° 65°
BR-365P APCR 1,050 4.99 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 66° 70° 72°
O-365K HE 793 9.54 0.1 0.3 660 +0.0° 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the T-34-85.
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
60 51 (+9) 41 (+19) 31 (+29) 21 (+39) 11 (+49) (+59) no

Turret empty: 24 (+12)

Machine guns

Main article: DT (7.62 mm)
7.62 mm DT
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
1,890 (63) 600 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

While the T-34-85 is a fairly well-rounded tank, its poor armour and high speed mean that one should play it more like a light tank than a medium. The gun is very lethal but the penetration is not particularly good, so it is better to flank and go for side shots, which can instantly knock out all but the largest and most spacious opponents. During frontal engagements, Tiger Is should be shot in the flat portions of the hull (avoiding the driver's port), Panthers should be shot in the turret (in the less curved portion of the mantlet) or possibly in the lower glacis, and non-Jumbo Shermans can generally be shot anywhere. The Tiger II (P) is only vulnerable in a small portion of the turret cheeks and the Tiger II (H) is essentially frontally immune, so for these kinds of targets, circle around to get a good shot at the hull sides and let the slope modifiers take care of the rest. Watch out for American tanks like the M4A3 (76) W and T25, as they have vertical stabilizers and can often shoot first if they are aware of you.

In AB, you should play this tank like any other T-34. Push because you have a pretty well-rounded tank and will generally be able to adapt to whatever situation that develops. The AB meta generally favours more heavily armed and armoured tanks due to the presence of markers, making flanking and ambushes more difficult, so play carefully and take advantage of your high mobility.

In RB, play this tank offensively yet carefully. Use your speed and keep up with your teammates, or alternatively play it like a light tank and go on long flanks. In RB, one will often encounter enemy flankers like the infamous M18 Hellcat or R3 T20 FA-HS; while the main gun is adequate for dispatching these soft targets, the heavy machine gun can also rip through them in a pinch, particularly from the sides. The machine gun can be especially helpful if one's tank is otherwise disabled due to a jammed turret ring, destroyed gun breech, etc. Diving aircraft expecting to strafe an innocuous T-34 can also be given a nasty surprise, though the DShK's small belt capacity makes this more difficult.

In SB, play this tank very cautiously because the optics aren't that good and most of the time you will face tanks from pretty far distances. Panthers generally have better optics than you so try to avoid encounters with Panthers or Tigers.

Enemies worth noting:

Panther A/D, Tiger II P:

The Panthers are one of the most common tanks around BR 5.7, and they pose a great threat with their deadly long 75 mm cannon, thick frontal armour and adequate speed. You want to avoid engaging them at long range as the T-34 has only x3.5 scope magnification, making long range shooting super hard. Engage the Panthers within 500 m and avoid shooting their frontal hull. Their biggest weak spot is the gun mantlet, which is only 100 mm thick and has a flat part in the middle. That is where you want to aim at, the T-34's APHE has sufficient damage to instantly destroy the Panther even from its turret. The second weak spot is of course the sides, guaranteeing an instant kill. Generally APHE is enough to deal with the Panthers, and no APCR is needed.

For the Tiger II P, aim at the vertical area of the frontal turret which is also 100 mm. The best tactic is still to flank it however.

Tiger H1/E:

The Tiger's weak spots are the opposite with the Panthers. Their hull are unsloped and rather thin, while the gun mantlet is weirdly shaped and can absorb quite some shells. The best engaging range remains the same, within 500 m. If the Tiger is angling, aim at the turret ring to disable the gunner and destroy the turret traverse, or aim at the hull side below the side skirt, which is only 60 mm. If it is not angling, aim between the driver's vision port and the MG for an instant kill. Avoid shooting at these two parts as they tend to bounce/absorb shells. For the Tiger E, don't shoot at the lower glacis as there will be add-on tracks installed there, making it harder to penetrate.

Ho-Ri:

In a frontal engagement, APCR is required as the APHE shells don't have enough penetration. With APCR loaded, aim at the further sides of the fighting compartment, away from the gun, because the further from the gun, the thinner the armour gets, with the thinnest part being around 160 mm unsloped. Penetrating there will knock out its loader, gunner or commander, or detonate the ammo. Of course, the best way is still side-shooting with APHE.

Panzer IV/70, Jagdpanzer 38(t):

These small tank destroyers with their well angled frontal armour can be quite a problem from a distance. With APHE, you can disable their transmission by shooting at their lower glacis. Now if you can, flank them. The 85 mm APHE does a great job at penetrating sloped, thin armour, so you don't have to get to their absolute sides. For the Pz IV/70, you can also aim at the downward part of the gun mantlet since the shell might ricochet downwards into the hull, knocking out every crew member. The Jagdpanzer 38(t) doesn't have this problem, so side-shooting is required to destroy it effectively.

M4A3E2 Jumbo:

This is another common enemy. It is recommended to use the BR-365A, the one with less pen but more explosive filler. The reason is that it is better at penetrating sloped armour, which the Jumbo has. With that shell you can easily destroy a M4A3E2 who's not angling. If it is, aim at the hull side just above the tracks, or load APCR and shoot straight at its gun mantlet. Against a 75 mm M4A3E2 you can relax a bit as it will struggle to penetrate your armour, but your cupola is a rather large weak spot and a shot through there can knock out the T-34. Be more careful with the M4A3E2 76 W, as they can easily pierce through your armour.

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive BR-365A
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism BR-365P
IV Transmission Engine Add-on Armor Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Excellent gun with adequate penetration, destructive damage and good reload rate
  • 56 km/h top speed and great manoeuvrability allows it to reposition easily
  • 5-man crew increases survivability
  • Access to BR-365P APCR to effectively penetrate tough tanks up close (M4A3E2s, Tigers & Panthers)
  • Has two types of AP for players to choose: BR-365K with higher pen but less TNT, and BR-365A with less pen but plenty of TNT
  • Similar playstyle with the previous T-34s which is rather beginner-friendly
  • Fast turret traverse to easily deal with targets from multiple directions
  • Sloped hull and round frontal turret might bounce small calibre shells

Cons:

  • Armour is extremely thin, providing very limited protection against common guns (American 76 mm, British 17 pdr, German 75 mm & 88 mm, etc)
  • Crew members are closely packed, a well-aimed shot tends to kill them all
  • 5 degrees gun depression is below average
  • Large turret profile makes it easier to get spotted and shot

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

See also

T-34-85

T-34-85 (D-5T)

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • encyclopedia page on the tank;
  • other literature.


China medium tanks
ZTZ59  Type 59 · ZTZ59A · ZTZ59D1
ZTZ69  Type 69 · Type 69-IIa · T-69 II G
ZTZ88/96  ZTZ88A · ZTZ88B
  ZTZ96 · ZTZ96A · ZTZ96A (P)
ZTZ99  ZTZ99-II · ZTZ99-III
ZTZ99A  ZTZ99A · WZ1001(E) LCT
Export series  MBT2000 · VT-4A1
ROC  CM11
Other  Т-34-85 Gai · Object 122MT "MC"
Japan  ␗Chi-Ha · ␗Chi-Ha Kai
USA  ␗M4A4 · ␗M4A4 (1st PTG) · ␗M4A1 (75) W · ␗M48A1 · ␗M60A3 TTS
USSR  ␗T-34 (1943) · ␗Т-34-85 (S-53) · T-34-85 No.215 · Т-62 №545