T-34/76 Medium Tank 1941-45 (New Vanguard) [Paperback]

Steven Zaloga (Author), Peter Sarson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 1994 | Series: New Vanguard (Book 9)

The T-34 was the most influential tank design of World War 2. When first introduced into combat in the summer of 1941, it represented a revolutionary leap forward in tank design. Its firepower, armour protection and mobility were superior to that of any other medium tank of the period. This superiority did not last long. While the T-34 underwent a series of incremental improvements during 1943, it was being surpassed by new German tank designs, most notably the Panther. This title traces the life of the original T-34 through all its difficulties to eventual success.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Steven Zaloga was born in 1952, received his BA in history from Union College, and his MA from Columbia University. He has published numerous books and articles dealing with modern military technology, especially armoured vehicle development. His main area of interest is military affairs in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the World War II, and he has also written extensively on American armoured forces.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (July 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855323826
• ISBN-13: 978-1855323827
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid 4 Star..., May 10, 2011

By 

Yoda (Hadera, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: T-34/76 Medium Tank 1941-45 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

Book does an excellent job at covering the history of this vehicle from its early genesis during the Spanish Civil War through the early 1950s. Not only is the historical development of the vehicle and its variants covered but so are strengths and weaknesses, tactics used, crew training and the variation, even in the same model types and times, between different factory lines. Also included are about 8 pages of color camouflage schemas that would be of use to those seeking to model the vehicle as well as many photographs of the vehicle. All of this is well done in 45 some pages.

There are three weaknesses of the book why this reviewer gives it 4 instead of 5 stars however. One is the cutaway of the vehicle included leaves quite a bit to be desired. The second is that much of the text regarding the different models and numbers can (and should) be succinctly summarized in table forms. For example a table showing, side by side the stats on the different variations of the vehicle would have been very useful for comparison purposes. In addition, tables showing production numbers, vehicles in service and losses (as well as causes of losses) would have been nice. These two tables would have summarized much of the text in a very easy to view form. In addition, there are no diagrams showing armour protection of vehicle. This would have summarized a great deal of text in a very meaningful manner (i.e., instead of discussing side armor, etc. this could have been summarized in a illustration much more succintly).