Hi,
I'm pretty weak about the changes in Soviet armor during WWII.

For instance: Was the t-34/43 involved in Operation Uranus/Stalingrad? Hard edge, soft edge?


Thanks for your thoughts!

Gaz

OK, I gotta ask. What is a T-34/43? I know of a T-34/76 and the T-34/85. I have not heard of a T-34/43.

Wikipedia says:
"T-34

Model 1940 (German designation: T-34/76A) - This was a production model built in 1940, armed with a L-11 76.2 mm tank gun; it had a welded or cast two-man turret. Due to a shortage of new V-2 diesel engines, the initial production run from the Gorky factory was equipped with the BT tank's MT-17 gasoline-powered engine and an inferior transmission and clutch (Zheltov 2001:40–42).
Model 1941 (T-34/76B) - This production model was built in 1941, with a heavier armor, a cast or welded two-man turret, and the superior F-34 tank gun.
Model 1942 (T-34/76C) - This was a production model built in 1942, with increased armor protection[citation needed] and many simplified components. It had new 'waffle' tracks, new wheel patterns, a new driver's hatch and a round transmission access cover. Some had the headlight moved to the left side of the hull. Most were equipped with cast two-man turrets although a few welded ones remained.
Model 1943 (T-34/76D, E, and F) - This production model was built from May 1942 to 1944, with a cast or pressed hexagonal turret. It was nicknamed "Mickey Mouse" by the Germans because of its appearance with the twin round turret roof hatches open. Official Soviet military designation was Model 1942. Turrets manufactured in different factories had minor variations, sometimes called "hard-edge", "soft-edge", and "laminate" turrets, but in military service these details did not warrant different designations.
Earlier production is sometimes called Model 1942/43, and was designated T-34/76D by German intelligence.
Later production variants had a new commander's cupola. This variant was referred to as T-34/76E by the Germans.
Turrets produced at Uralmash in Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg) had a distinctive rounded appearance because they were made in a special forge. Tanks produced with these turrets there and at Chelyabinsk were called T-34/76F by the Germans.[2]"

/ Google is your friend

Model 1943. Wiki claims they were in production from 42 until superseded by the 85. I thought the successive questions about hard edge and soft edged turrets would ensure you weren't confused by the Germanic classifications.

Gaz

I am familiar with the Soviet naming convention of T-34 Model 1943. I was thrown by the German-style T-34/43.

I was certain that I had seen it written like T-34/43 before
and that I got it from this boxart:

but I was 100% wrong about that. Memory and age .....

These jokers use the form T-34/43 though .....
https://panzercorps.gamepedia.com/T-34/43
/ Robin

Cool the Mickey Mouse ears one.

Use to have a box full,until I got tangled with another women, all seem to have beat feet somewhere.

I have the book on the T-34, Mythical weapon.I could look it up if enough interest.

According to Steven Zaloga's 1980 Osprey book on the T34, there were very few T34s in Stalingrad itself, but when the counter offensive to encircle the city was launched he makes reference to nearly 900 T34s being massed, a few of which were the brand new model 1943

Thank you, Norman.

Gaz

I got busy and just got back to your question.

The larger twin mouse ear hatch turrets were made from early 1942, and were common by the time of the Uranus offensive. Both hard edge and soft edge were in combat starting in summer 1942, so either type could have been used.

Many of the tanks used to encircle 6th Army were destroyed during Manstiens Karkov counter attack. Pictures show many were large mouse ear versions.

T-34 On the Battlefield 2 is a good reference book.

Thank you, Randall!