Armagedon Books

T-34 Mythical Weapon

by  Robert Michulec & Miroslaw Zientarzewski

Reviewed By  Mark Aldrich, IPMS# 39295

MSRP: $100.00 ISBN: 0978109104 One source is www.aberdeenbookstore.com. The T-34 is to Russia what the M4 Sherman is to America. In suite, Sherman A history of the American Medium Tank, by R.P. Hunnicutt is the bible of the Sherman; T-34 Mythical Weapon, by Robert Michulec and Miroslaw Zientarzewski will become the bible of the T-34. This is an INCREDIBLE tome. It is just incredible and well past due. I have not fully read it all but the pages I have read are very well written. There are captions included for every photograph and there are literally hundreds. This is a T-34 enthusiasts dream. The model builder will benefit as well because so many of the photographs are very up close and well defined. The book measures 8-3/4 x 12 x 1-3/4 and has 520 pages. It is beautifully hardbound with a T-34 on the cover. The book consists of 30 chapters broken down in chronological order from the beginnings of the T-34 to the T-34/85 and specialized vehicles. Also included are 57 pages of 1/35 scale drawings and 20 pages of color photographs. The drawings cover the beginning to the end of the series with almost all the different factory production models drawn out. The color photographs are mostly post WWII and include some really nice interior shots of the whole vehicle. The main reason I purchased this book was to aid me in the Bedspring armor review. Unfortunately, there are only two pictures of this type armor and I have seen both. However, these photos are incredibly larger and in better focus. I do believe that the turret armor may have been actually bed frames and that the hull armor was field fabricated. The book covers the T-34/76 and T-34/85. It covers a few of the variants based on the T-34 chassis but does not cover any of the assault guns. It has photographs of the OT-34 and the T-34T. It talks about the bridge laying version, mine roller equipped version and the field modified load speaker version. The T-34T was basically nothing more than removing the turret and using it as a towing vehicle. Later versions started leaving the factory with specialized recovery equipment. This book is a great one-stop reference bonanza for the T-34 enthusiasts. I would like to thank my wonderful wife Jerry for allowing me to purchase this book and Aberdeen Book Store for having it in stock.

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