T-34-85 Medium Tank 1944–94
The T-34-85 tank is one of those rare weapons that have remained in service for more than half a century.
First introduced in 1944, it has seen combat in nearly every corner of the globe. Alongside detailed illustrations, Steven Zaloga and Jim Kinnear look at this long-serving Soviet tank at length, including its operational history, design and development, and later modifications.
Although long obsolete in Europe, it has proven a reliable and potent weapon in many conflicts in lower-income countries, and is still in service with more than a dozen armies around the world.
Steven J. Zaloga has published numerous books and articles dealing with modern military technology, especially armoured vehicle development. His main area of interest is military affairs in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the Second World War. Jim Kinnear was born in Glasgow in 1959 and graduated from Aberdeen University in 1982. He has published numerous articles in the defence press on Soviet and Russian AFVs, weapon systems and military transport. Jim has lived and worked in Russia since 1992.
Peter Sarson has produced graphic cutaways for many armoured vehicle publications, and is regarded as one of the world’s great illustrators of military vehicles.