The
T-34 was a
Soviet medium tank that had a profound and lasting effect on the field of tank design. Although its armour and armament were surpassed later in the war, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient, and influential
tank design of
World War II. At its introduction, the T-34 possessed an unprecedented combination of firepower, mobility, protection, and ruggedness. Its 76.2 mm (3 in) high-velocity
tank gun provided a substantial increase in firepower over any of its contemporaries; its heavy
sloped armour was difficult to penetrate by most contemporary
anti-tank weapons. First encountered in 1941, German tank general
von Kleist at the time called it "the finest tank in the world" and
Heinz Guderian confirmed the T-34's "vast superiority" over existing German armour of the period.