© Lemuel Lyes collection
This snapshot from my personal collection shows a knocked out tank somewhere on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. Unfortunately the context of this image has been lost and I don’t know exactly where it was taken, who took it or when. What I do know though is that is shows one of the most influential tanks of the twentieth century. A tank that was made in Russia – the T-34.
As a Westerner having grown up in the hangover of the Cold War means it’s sometimes difficult to not be biased against Russian technology. When I was a teenager in the 1990’s I had a good friend who’s family car was on the receiving end of a lot of ridicule. It performed well for them, didn’t seem to have any more problems than other vehicles of similar vintage and economically it was a brilliant choice. What was wrong with it then? It was a Lada.
The Lada Classic was a highly successful vehicle. Internationally only two other automobile platforms have sold in greater numbers – the Model T Ford and the VW Beetle. The Lada was affordable, easily produced in large numbers, cheap to fix and had a long life. Just last week I read the announcement that production of the Lada is finally coming to an end.
The Russians seem to have a knack for designing simple cheap machines that get the job done. This is even truer on the battlefield. The Russian designed AK-47 is arguably the most prolific weapon of the last fifty years – there are even rumors of some American forces favouring them over their own weapons in Vietnam. Even in the 21st century the AK-47 is often the weapon of choice for soldiers, criminals and terrorists. Its use is so widespread that it has jokingly been referred to as the Windows Operating System of guns – only much more reliable!
So to get back on track, why was the tank in the snapshot above so influential? I’m not very mechanically minded so would struggle to discuss the technical strengths and weaknesses of the T-34 compared to its adversaries. What I do know though is that the T-34 played a pivotal role during the Second World War. Continue reading →
