| T-34/85 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Army | Soviet Union |
| Role | Medium Tank |
| Unit Cost |
 400,  8,  90 |
| Prereq. | Heavy Tankovy upgrade |
| Produced By | Soviet Tank Hall |
| Primary armament | 85 mm ZiS-S-53 |
| Secondary armament | DT LMG |
| Health |
 636 |
| Armor | Medium |
| Max. Speed | 5.5 m/s |
The T-34/85 is Soviet heavy vehicle unit used by the Soviets in Company of Heroes: Eastern Front.
Overview[]
After encountering early German Tiger I prototypes at Leningrad in 1942, the Soviets realized the F-34 tank gun was becoming inadequate. The development of heavier cannons, abandoned at the outbreak of the war, was resumed; among them was a program to convert the 85 mm AA cannon into a high-velocity anti-tank gun - the ZiS-S-53. Although initially it was considered impossible to create a T-34 turret that could house an 85 mm gun - leading to the turretless SU-85 TD - eventually such a design was implemented, adding a separate gunner as well to considerably improve situational awareness, which was hampered as the commander was constantly occupied with manning the main gun.
This variant uses the ZiS-S-53 85 millimetre gun which is more powerful than the F-34 gun of the T-34/76. It is almost just as fast as its predecessor, meaning it can outflank the slower German tanks while keeping its side and rear armor protected. Access to the Breakthrough Strategy allows you to call T-34/85's with tank guards riding on them that allows them to capture points when garrisoned.
Weapons[]
85 mm ZiS-S-53[]
The ZiS-S-53 gun is just fairly accurate and penetrate most armor of heavy tanks but not all. Each hit drains 100 hit points and reloads 6.5 seconds.
DT Light Machinegun[]
This LMG bursts 15-25 bullets before intervals, each hit drains 4 hitpoints and reloads for 3 seconds. However this is not a good anti-infantry weapon because its not accurate and it has low damage.
Description[]
Credited to be the most influential tank design of WWII by some scholars, this tank is the mainstay of the Soviet armored forces from 1944 to 1945 and is still in service even today, one of the few tanks to serve for more than half a century which itself led directly to the T-54/55 which is ultimately the most produced tank of all time.
Tactics[]
Have it supported with infantry to have additional defence against AT guns and AT infantry. Use its speed to flank AT guns, turretless StuGs and Tank destroyers and the more powerful German tanks such as the Panther and Tiger tanks that have slow turret traverse. Since the 85 mm gun is more powerful than the 75 mm guns carried by the StuGs and Panzer IV's it has the upper hand in one on one duels while remaining effective against infantry. Since it is fast, it could also be used to as a reconnaissance vehicle. When supported by IS-2 or IS-3 tanks, this tank could be used in tank hunting, much like a tank destroyer. Have it escorted with Ingenery or Mechanics to repair any battle damage and save the T-34/85's so as to gain veterans.
Weaknesses[]
Its frontal armor is only 45 mm thick so it is not capable of withstanding the 75 kwk 42 of the Panther and the 88 mm guns of the Tigers. Since the 85 mm gun upgrade is quite expensive, Axis players will usually see 76 mm armed T-34's earlier since it's the first medium tank to be available and only requires the Heavy Tankovy upgrade, while the T-34/85 needs both the 85 mm gun upgrade and the Heavy Tankovy upgrade. The Light AT Half-track could also disable this tank, depriving it of its agility and makes it vulnerable to flanking tactics and longer ranged tanks and AT guns. Mines are also another way of disabling this tank, if you are using the Wehrmacht.