On December 19, 1939, Red Army's legendary T-34 tank was accepted for production. Photo: Workers assemble a T-34 tank at Ural Heavy Machine Building Plant, 1942
© TASS T-34 is often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential tank design of the World War II. Photo: Soviet infantrymen supported by T-34 tanks attack German invaders in the Battle of Moscow, 1941
© TASS Its design allowed it to be continuously refined to meet the evolving needs of the Eastern Front: as the war went on it became more capable, but also quicker and cheaper to produce
© D. Chernov/TASS At the start of the World War II, T-34s comprised about 4% of the Soviet tank arsenal, but by the end it made up at least 55% of tank production
© TASS A Soviet T-34 tank on a street after Sevastopol was liberated by the Red Army, 1944
© TASS The initial T-34 version had a powerful 76.2 mm gun, and is often called the T-34/76
© TASS The T-34 had well-sloped armour, a relatively powerful engine and wide tracks
© TASS In 1944, a second major version began production, the T-34-85, with a larger 85 mm gun intended to deal with newer German tanks. Photo: A T-34-85 Soviet tank crossing a river, 1944
© TASS Soviet tanks on the streets of the recently liberated Minsk during World War II. 1944
© TASS T-34 variants were widely exported after World War II, and in 2010 the tank remained in limited frontline service with several developing countries
© Maxim Blokhin/TASS