The T-34 first made waves during Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, known as Operation Barbarossa. The initiative, which launched in mid-1941, saw the Red Army confront their enemy with T-34s and KV heavy tanks, much to the surprise of Germany’s forces, as they anticipated combatting T-26s and other older vehicles. In time, Germany figured out ways to overcome the T-34, implementing anti-tank weaponry such as the 7.5 cm Pak 40 and even salvaging them to use for their own purposes. The Soviets also used them effectively against the Japanese army, specifically in Manchuria during the Soviet-Japanese War.
In the 1950s, T-34s were used by the North Korean People’s Army during its invasion of South Korea. These tanks were provided by the Soviet Union, seeing as it had supported and egged on the North Korean government’s desire to forcefully unify with South Korea. T-34 tanks were also provided by the Soviets to Cuban forces during the Angolan Civil War in the 1970s and ’80s. Speaking of Cuba, the Soviets previously brought several T-34-85s to the country for the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. They arrived in time for the Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961 — one of many military operations that failed miserably.
