Comparing: T-34-85M vs. T-34-85 vs. Type 58

A modification of the T-34-85 tank, produced at Factory No. 183. Unlike the original vehicle, it featured enhanced front armor and reduced rear armor. Fuel tanks were transferred from the fighting compartment to the rear. When the suspension proved faulty, production was halted after just one prototype was built.

Final modification of the T-34 tank of 1943. A new three-man gun turret allowed a more powerful 85-mm gun to be mounted. This greatly increased the combat effectiveness of the tank compared to its predecessor, the T-34-76. A total of more than 35,000, in several variants, were produced. Today the tank is still in service in several countries.

The U.S.S.R. exported a total of 1,800 T-34-76 and T-34-85 tanks to China. In 1954 the Chinese government made the decision to begin domestic production of the T-34-85 in 1958, with the new vehicle designated the Type 58. However, production was never initiated, and the Chinese army settled for modifications to the Soviet-made T-34s.