T-34 I

Introduced in 1940, the T-34 came as an unpleasant surprise to the Wehrmacht in 1941: steeply sloped armor, wide tracks for good cross-country mobility, and a diesel engine less prone to catching fire than the gasoline engines of Western rivals. Its 76 mm gun was more than adequate for 1941, and its simple, rugged design allowed a mass production that never stalled even after heavy losses. German frontline reports openly called it superior to their own vehicles of the period. In the game the T-34/76 is fast, agile, and affordable in numbers — ideal for pushes and flanking attacks, though more fragile against heavy anti-tank fire than the Tiger line.