KPz T-34-85M (East Germany)

Most likely not. T-34-85 production in the USSR ceased in 1946. While the Czechs and Polish were making those same 1946s into the 50s. So I doubt that any modernised T-34-85s had changes to their armour. The only thing that was not an “add on modification” on all T-34-85Ms was the roof, and even that type of ventilation is relatively rare, even on the 60s models.

Speaking of Model 1969. It has been approved: T-34-85 (1969). The Cold War T-34-85

Upon further research, I discovered that East Germany apparently operated a unique T-34-85 variant that featured fuel drums mounted in a configuration similar to the usual 60s Soviet layout. Interestingly, it also had what appear to be side-mounted smoke canister brackets, reminiscent of those seen on Model 1969 tanks. However, this same vehicle retains a 1944-style roof hatch, making it a particularly unusual T-34-85M.

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+1. Could be unique, especially if you gave it the boat add-on. Even without that new engine + HEAT, so semi-unique

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Why would anyone in their right mind want to see the boat add-on?

Mainly for meme reasons is what I think

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Better be a separate tank. Could make for a funny suggestion.

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maybe harder to aim + some protection against HEAT

If it was a GDR T-34-85 with a boat kit, I would have agreed heheh

It’s is, it was tested in 1959

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Why not, more GDR stuff. +1

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I’m not sure how to feel about this. I do not really like copypaste and it’s not something that germany really needs but it’s kinda important from historical standpoint and it would be better alternative to Panther plus it looks cool with this box.
It possibly would be good pick for squadron vehicles but I’m not fan of how squadron vehicle mechanic works.
Personaly I would like to see more german stuff first and then more GDR vehicles.
But yeah +1 from me.

I get where you’re coming from, but let’s be honest, Gaijin started this whole situation by adding East German vehicles to the German tech tree in the first place. If they’ve started it, they might as well finish it properly.

As for the “copy-paste” argument, if this tank copies anything, it’s closest in performance to the Chinese T-34-85 Gai, which is currently the best T-34-85 in the game. It features a 61 km/h top speed and electric turret traverse, both of which this East German variant has. On top of that, this specific KPz T-34-85M could potentially bring HEAT shells and smoke bombs, features the Chinese version lacks.

If you actually read through the full suggestion, you’d see that just because it has “T-34” in the name doesn’t make it a simple copy-paste. That said, I do agree that Gaijin has a bad habit of slapping different decals on base models and calling it a day. But this isn’t that.

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I agree, I just think GJ should prioritize german designs unless there is gap in TT that could be filled with something else.

I get it that its not just another T-34, problem is it looks almost exactly like tanks we already have in other TT’s and it would play very similarly despite differences. But most important is that soviets would also have this tank minus cosmetics (depending of how GJ would implement it). I believe that all of this combined would make this a copy paste, maybe not as blatantly as other examples but still.

I really hope that if added, it comes with the HEAT shells to really differentiate it from other T-34-85s.

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It won’t, even with turbo good HEAT it will be better to just use regular AP-nuke shell. You can pen vast majority of tanks from the front and even then you have fast tank, its easy to outflank more armored tanks.
Biggest difference will be that flanking will be bit easier and it will be bit harder to kill you from front.

That up-armoured T-34-85M is an entirely different tank, just with the same name. That one dates from 1944/45 and was simply a prototype (likely this did not continue because T-44 was superior).

The other T-34-85Ms from the Cold War period are essentially just modernisation packages, bringing the old regular T-34-85s up to more modern standards. They’re essentially what we have in game, but with newer parts and some extra features like powered traverse.

1944 T-34-85M was an armour upgrade, whereas 1960/1969 T-34-85M were reliability upgrades above all, possible firepower too with the possibility of HEAT shells.

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Provided it gets HEAT, I’m all for it. That could allow it to be 6.0 or 6.3 — look at the ST-A1 & A2 in the Japanese tree for an example of how this could play: unstabilised, thin armour, but good rounds. Rank IV is already a transitional point from late WWII to early Cold War, so it would fit well enough there. It’s objectively speaking no more of a copy-paste than the leKPz M41 is, and the two are even of a similar time period and likely similar or the same BR.

Without HEAT, it’s likely to be 5.7 like the Gai, and much less unique from other T-34-85s in playstyle — in general, much less Cold War. HEAT is a feature of all Germany’s lowest-BR Cold War vehicles already — M41, JPz 4-5, SPz 12-3, etc — so not just in BR but in gameplay, a HEAT-firing T-34-85 would feel right at home as a tech tree Rank IV medium tank.

Much as I love East German stuff, I would find it pretty pointless without the HEAT, because it would just fall in that same WWII bracket and be fairly redundant there. Cold War is where there’s more need for tanks, and ideally it could be the next tank after the Panthers, to be that stepping stone between pure WWII and full Cold War (Leopard 1).

This is a very enthusiastic yes for a HEAT-slinger. Without it, I wouldn’t necessarily complain or oppose the tank (it’s still visually cool as hell), but I think it would be a lot less exciting and harder to justify except as like a BP reward.

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nah. this will only make the situation of spammed lend lease vehicles in wt.

1960/69 should not be called M at all. They should be called: T-34-85 Model Year.

The M was an unofficial designation by many operators that used these modernised T-34-85s. I have clearly indicated that, in both of my suggestions, for Gaijin. So they should not be afraid to use it.

While, the prototype you mentioned is the actual T-34-85M.

That said, it is not wrong to call this specific tank T-34-85M.

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