T-34 american designed?

[rasmus]

I am currently reading Stephen E Ambrose´s CITIZEN SOLDIER.
On page 64 he compares the tanks of the different combatants and writes:
"The Red Army had its own tanks, the T-34s (American-designed and perhaps the best tank of the war).

That the T-34 was a good tank was not news, but that it was american designed was BIG news. Can anybody confirm this? No reference is listed in the book.

[Blackcloud6]

I think it is a major stretch to say that the T-34 was "American designed." But the suspension system was a "Christie" design that was rejected by the US Army prior to WWII. Christie didn't design the suspension for the T-34 but he did for the BT series of t Russian tanks and they continued using it for the T-34 series of tanks. Christie was an American.

Stating that the T-34 was an American design shows Ambrose's lack of historical depth in his research.

[Gregg]

Just becaues the suspension system was designed by an American does not mean the tank was an American design.
The T34 was a great tank for its time; in that it was easy to build, was very simple to keep running, had decent armor, a good gun and good mobility. But it was not an American tank.
Gregg

[rasmus]

Thanks for the quick replies.

[thomas.tmcc]

AFAIK the T-34 was nased on a type of christie suspension ,i think the proof reader for ambroses book must have mucked up there or as said her ambrose himself ,but also ambroses pegasus book has quite a few errors in it as well .

[Patton 7079]

I do not believe that the T-34 was of american design because none of our other tanks of the era and none of the features are anything of what we used. Maybe he got that idea because the T-34 had independt suspension and we were offered it before them but turned it down

[Mountain Man]

If, in fact, the Americans designed the T-34, an explanation would be owed to the souls of the thousands of young men killed fighting in the Sherman deathtraps that we actually fielded. The rejected Christie suspension is but one of a litany of arrogant errors on the part of America's military leaders in the seminal days leading up to WWII.

Although Ambrose is said to be a fine writer, this error is inexcusable.

[Mountain Man]

Had the T-34 truly been designed by Americans, I wonder how we would apologize to the souls of the thousands of brave young Americans who died horribly in the Sherman deathtrap that we actually fielded. The Christie suspension is but one of a litany of rejected ideas by America's military leadership in the seminal days leading to WWII.

As for Ambrose, although heralded as a fine writer, his error is inexcusable.

note: Once again I apologize for a double post, brought about as usual by errors in the forum software. When I first post, it appears and then disappears when I return to the title page. Re-posting seems to result each time in a duplicate; neither entry can be deleted or otherwise removed by me.

Frankly, I would rather just do it once.

MM

[MonsterZero]

As part of the Russo-American Lend-lease cooperation in WW2 Stalin dispatched some Soviet armored vehicles to USA for evaluation; among them a T-34 and a KV-1.

I understand the American engineers who examined the KV-1 claimed the suspension was a ripoff of their own design that had been rejected years earlier as unreliable. Soviet military technology espionage was effective so this is probable.

[Lance Williams]

Originally Posted by MountainMan

Had the T-34 truly been designed by Americans, I wonder how we would apologize to the souls of the thousands of brave young Americans who died horribly in the Sherman deathtrap that we actually fielded. The Christie suspension is but one of a litany of rejected ideas by America's military leadership in the seminal days leading to WWII.

As for Ambrose, although heralded as a fine writer, his error is inexcusable.

note: Once again I apologize for a double post, brought about as usual by errors in the forum software. When I first post, it appears and then disappears when I return to the title page. Re-posting seems to result each time in a duplicate; neither entry can be deleted or otherwise removed by me.

Frankly, I would rather just do it once.

MM

MM, I've had the double post happen to me, but you can just edit/delete the second post............

[Lance Williams]

Originally Posted by MonsterZero

As part of the Russo-American Lend-lease cooperation in WW2 Stalin dispatched some Soviet armored vehicles to USA for evaluation; among them a T-34 and a KV-1.

I understand the American engineers who examined the KV-1 claimed the suspension was a ripoff of their own design that had been rejected years earlier as unreliable. Soviet military technology espionage was effective so this is probable.

There was no espionage involved with the Soviets using the "Christie" type suspension. After the U.S. rejected Walter Christie's design he sold it to various countries. The British also employed it in some of their tank designs. The U.S. could have built such tanks from the early '30's onward, but failed to see the breakthrough this technology offered.

[Blackcloud6]

Although Ambrose is said to be a fine writer,...

yeah, at least when he wasn't copying someone else's work.

[Patton 7079]

yeah no

[aktarian]

I think Christie's suspension couldnt be used on T-34. T-34 was too heavy. While Christie's suspension could be used on light tank it was too weak for medium tanks, which had to use different types.

[Patton 7079]

Im Not so sure i was watching the history channel they said it was used on the T-34