1950 ... Soviet armor!
Originally uploaded by x-ray delta one
Outstanding in number and effectiveness among the powerful ground armor used by North Korean forces in opening phases of the Korean war was the Russian standard medium tank, the T-34, whose identity was fully authenticated by a number of captured examples. In the foreground above and to the right are two illustrations of it, with one cut away to show the interior arrangement. The T-34 has been used by the Soviet army for nearly 10 years, with the most modern types radically improved by a different type turret, a heavier gun and carrying a crew of five instead of four. It weighs about 34 tons and has a V-type 500-horsepower diesel engine that gives it a speed of 30 miles an hour. A heavier tank, not yet officially confirmed as the Joseph Stalin III, also was reported in the early action. Shown in the background above, the Stalin is the standard Russian heavy tank and an example of it crowns the Soviet war memorial in Berlin. It is described as one of the most powerful tanks in existence, weighing 60 tons - about 10 more than either the General Patton or the British Centurion - and mounting a long-barreled 122-mm. gun
