Best tanks of WII

T-34, no contest.

And forget about the Panther. The German answer to the T-34, it was so underpowered it couldn't even turn when driving backwards.

If we are talking about the early Kursk models, then yes; after mid 1944 the problems had been mostly been resolved. Although they were complex, the Panthers were probably the best all round tank in 1944 and early 1945. Many people overlook the fact some prototypes had been equipped with 88mm guns (Panther II) and infrared systems. The only fault of the Panther was that its good versions were not produced in large enough quantities to make any sort of difference to the war.
 
If we are talking about the early Kursk models, then yes; after mid 1944 the problems had been mostly been resolved. Although they were complex, the Panthers were probably the best all round tank in 1944 and early 1945. Many people overlook the fact some prototypes had been equipped with 88mm guns (Panther II) and infrared systems. The only fault of the Panther was that its good versions were not produced in large enough quantities to make any sort of difference to the war.
Uhm...no. The main problem with the Panther was that it's chassis was meant for a tank that was about ten tons lighter. Short of a complete rebuilding, there was simply no solving this.
Sure, the Ausf. A didn't spontaneously combust as much as the Ausf. D, but as I said, it was still not able to turn when driving in reverse, and neither could it go up steep hills.

The best all-round tank of 44 and 45, and 41, 42 and 43 as well is without any doubt the T-34. Even the German generals acknowledged it was a superb tank. Not only was it revolutionary in armament and armor, but it also had very long legs, with T-34's often driving hundreds of miles on end, something Panther crews couldn't even dream of.
 
You can keep your Panthers and Tigers and Shermans - swiss watches, the lot of them. I'm going to go with the good old concrete sundial, the T-34.

Some guys in (IIRC) Hungary recently dug a T-34 up from the bottom of a pond (where it had been since the end of the war), drained it, cleaned it out, did some basic maintenance, topped up the gas tank... and it ran just fine.

You just can't fuck with that.
 
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