T-34/85 obr 1943 Platoon (SBX06) The increasing number of heavy German tanks such as the Tiger and Panther in 1943 gave the Soviets pause for thought, especially after the tank clashes at Kursk. Front-line tank commanders now felt the T-34’s 76.2mm gun was inadequate when pitted against the German’s new big cats.

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Development of a T-34 replacement, the T-43, was cancelled and work was set about to fit the existing 85mm anti-aircraft gun to a T-34. To fit the larger gun a larger turret and turret ring (from 1425mm to 1600mm) had to be accommodated on the T-34 hull. This required retooling of the factories. The T-43’s turret design was hurriedly adapted to fit the T-34.    The resulting new T-34/85 tank had a much superior gun and finally, a three-man turret. The new stopgap model still retained the radio in the hull, but this was remedied later with the obr 1944.

With a three-man turret the commander could just command the tank, leaving the operation of the gun to his gunner and loader. The new tank was the T-34/85 obr 1943, it was only put in production for a short period (February–March 1944) and was armed with the D-5T 85mm gun rather than the ZiS-S-53 85mm gun of the 1944 model.

The T-34/85 obr 1943 turret displayed a unique style of bolted collar. This interim model also featured a rounded front-hull joint, rounded front fenders and no turret fillet. Approximately 800 T-34/85 Model 1943 were produced at Gorky in early 1944. Due to the bad positioning of the cupola (over the gunners position) many T-34/85 obr 1943 went into service still with only two turret crew.

However, some units managed to pressgang extra crewmen from anti-tank rifle units to bring the turret crew up to three. The T-34/85 was still not a one on one match for a Panther, but the Soviets always have numbers on their side. Its improved firepower helped to level the playing field. The decision to improve the current T-34 model rather than launch into the production of a whole new production series (though the T-43 did still retain 70% parts compatibility) retained the Soviets’ overwhelming numerical advantage.

In May 1944, the Wehrmacht had only 304 Panthers operating on the Eastern Front, while the Soviets increased T-34-85 production to 1200 tanks per month. The improved T-34/85 remained the standard Soviet medium tank with an uninterrupted production run until the end of the war.

Included in the box: • 5x Individually sculpted T-34/85 obr 1943 tanks • 5x Tank commanders • 10x Rare Earth magnets • Soviet decal sheet The T-34/85 obr 1943 in Flames Of War You can replace up to five T-34 obr 1942 with T-34/85 obr 1943 in any Medium Tankovy Company (see Fortress Europe page 130). You can also field a Gvardeyskiy Tankovy Company from Hammer and Sickle with 10 T-34/85 obr 1943 tanks! See page 22.

A T-34/85 obr 1943 has Limited Vision, but that can be eliminated by adding a cupola which represents the adding of the third turret crew member. They are Fully-tracked, Armour Front 7, Side 5 and Top 1 and are armed with a 85mm D-5T gun, Co-ax MG, and a Hull MG. The 85mm D-5T gun has Range 32”/80cm, ROF 2, AT 12 and FP 3+. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Jeremy Painter and James Brown

The Variants Hull Variant 1

Hull Variant 2

Hull Variant 3

Hull Variant 4

Hull Variant 5