Did the T34 or the Tiger influence future tank designs more?

[RandomPoster]

Which of those tanks, the T34 or the Tiger, had a bigger influence on the future of tank warfare?

 

[Daryl Hunt]

Which of those tanks, the T34 or the Tiger, had a bigger influence on the future of tank warfare?

You can say that both did and neither did. The Tiger was a Main Battle Tank but it was well before it's time. It was just too complicated but it was equal to many times the other tanks in it's time. But it was proven to be able to be defeated at a cost.

Meanwhile, the T-34 was a Medium Tank. It was made in huge numbers and overwhelmed the other tanks with it's numbers. It was just good enough.

I would think that the Pershing or the Panzer IV Long Barrel would be the ones that get the nod for having the most affect on future tanks. For instance, the Pershing linage went into the M46 and the M-60. But let's not sell the T-34 short since it went on to become the T-85. The Panzer IV Long Barrel and the T-85 were very comparable and oftentimes killed each other in battle one for one.

Out of all of these, the only Heavy Tank that went on to be developed was the Pershing. It was more than a match to the Tiger and went on to become the M-60 which is still in service in various Armies throughout the world today.

 

[Daryl Hunt]

To go one step up on this. Let's compare the T-34/85 to the M-26. For that, you have to go to Korea where they faced each other. In Korea, the T-34 was more than a match for the M-4/M-48/M-24. But the T-34 had a real problem with the M-26. It had problems penetrating the M-26s armor while the M-26 would blow all the way through the T-34. The M-26 was slightly less agile as the T-34 but made up for that by a fast turrent and rate of fire.

 

[Tijn Von Ingersleben]

Why not the Japanese? This is J-100 'Gojira'. This one could go 400 miles on a tank of flexfuel, had side curtain airbags and 100K mi track to track warranty. Upon viewing the final product at the 1942 Tokyo Tank Show, Emperor Yamamoto exclaimed "Does it come with leather?"

Honorable mention IMHO goes to the Poles. Would you just look at that! The P-69 'Curly' (Poles were huge Stooge fans). It was charged with the defense of Gdansk. The unfortunate design flaw was, it only ran only bacon drippings. Unfortunately the Poles had sold all of the pigs the year prior to fund their new tank project.

 

[Litwin]

Which of those tanks, the T34 or the Tiger, had a bigger influence on the future of tank warfare?

Tiger for sure, T-34 is a Stalinist myth (propaganda)

 

[Sunni Man]

The T-34 is famous for the introduction of sloped armor on the turret and sponsons on a main battle tank. .....

 

[IsaacNewton]

The T-34 for sloped armor, the Tiger for the 88mm gun. Modern tanks use reactive armor but still employ angles to dissipate the energy of an incoming round and generally a 120mm + gun. The Tiger instead relied on armor thickness rather than slope.

 

[Moonglow]

The Tiger was the Germans response to the T-34....

 

[del]

the germans' failed response

 

[IsaacNewton]

Still vulnerable on all tanks are the tracks. Knock one of the tracks off and the thing is a stationary cannon. Of course a stationary 120mm cannon isn't something you want to walk up to and knock on the door.

 

[percysunshine]

So anyway. I am not an expert on tanks, but it seems like, to a simple minded person like myself, which ever tank had the advantage in range of shot and accuracy would win.

 

[Moonglow]

the germans' failed response

Yes because the Soviets came out with bigger tanks with bigger canons....and the Germans made stuff like the Elephant tank destroyers.....But the Soviets tank destroyers was almost invincible...JSU-125

 

[Manonthestreet]

Panther had it all...Speed, armor, and stopping power.....

 

[Moonglow]

So anyway. I am not an expert on tanks, but it seems like, to a simple minded person like myself, which ever tank had the advantage in range of shot and accuracy would win.

Numbers counted also...The Shermans were a piece of shit but in massive numbers could absorb the loses where as the Germans had limited production which was substantially less than allied manufacturing abilities...

 

[Moonglow]

Panther had it all...Speed, armor, and stopping power.....

The Abrahams is a copy...

 

[percysunshine]

So anyway. I am not an expert on tanks, but it seems like, to a simple minded person like myself, which ever tank had the advantage in range of shot and accuracy would win.

Numbers counted also...The Shermans were a piece of shit but in massive numbers could absorb the loses where as the Germans had limited production which was substantially less than allied manufacturing abilities...

Ok, so in close quarters combat, speed and maeuverability could work.

 

[Moonglow]

So anyway. I am not an expert on tanks, but it seems like, to a simple minded person like myself, which ever tank had the advantage in range of shot and accuracy would win.

Numbers counted also...The Shermans were a piece of shit but in massive numbers could absorb the loses where as the Germans had limited production which was substantially less than allied manufacturing abilities...

Ok, so in close quarters combat, speed and maeuverability could work.

Yes since the firepower of a Sherman until the '44 advanced models came out was weak compared to a Panther , Tiger, Elephant...

 

[RandomPoster]

Another issue is that the Russians produced about 40,000 T34 and T85 tanks in the last three years of he war. The Americans produced about an equal number of Shermans in that time period. The Germans produced about 15,000 Panzer IVs and Vs as well as about 2,000 Tigers. If we regard the Panzer IV and Panzer V to be roughly in the same category as the T34 and Sherman, this leaves about 2,000 Tigers to battle an extra 65,000 T34s and Shermans. What if Germany had instead of developing and producing a mere 2,000 Tigers in the last three years of the war, simply produced as many Panzer IV and V tanks as they could? If the Germans had produced 80,000 Panzer IV and V tanks in the last three years of the war, things may have gone differently. Of course, they would have also had to massively increase their ammunition production and completely overhaul their supply logistics as well as pull about 400,000 infantrymen out of the Wehrmacht to crew the massive number of tanks.

 

[martybegan]

the germans' failed response

The failure stemmed from rushing it into service and the overall decline in the German's ability to keep up with maintenance.

I wonder why the OP picked the Tiger and not the Panther though.

 

[martybegan]

Still vulnerable on all tanks are the tracks. Knock one of the tracks off and the thing is a stationary cannon. Of course a stationary 120mm cannon isn't something you want to walk up to and knock on the door.

If the Tank had infantry support it became a pretty tough strong point, if it didn't have it, it just took infantry time to get to the rear and then pop it with explosives, or start an engine fire and wait to gun down the crew as it bailed.