January 24, 2014. January 23, 2014 is a special day for Uralvagonzavod – this is the 70th anniversary of phasing-in the legendary Great Victory tank, the T-34-85, Uralvagonzavod's press service reports.

'The Germans relied heavily on their new Tiger and Panther tanks at Kursk salient in 1943, which forced the Soviet designers to intensify their work on equipping their armored vehicles, including tanks, with some more powerful weaponry. A few months of hard work resulted in a new modification of Tank 34 – the T-34-85 tank that was phased in in January 1944 and two months later, the first tanks were made at the plant's assembly line,' the message states.

On January 23, 1944, the State Defense Committee decided to use the T-34-85 tank in the Red Army. On March 15, the industrial-scale production of tanks began at Ural Tank Plant 18 (that is, Uralvagonzavod).

The efforts of designers and civil and military technicians made the 1944-1945 modification of the T34 tank a very durable vehicle. The 85-mm gun was highly efficient for destroying the enemy, and its piercing performance ensured hitting the German tanks and self-propelled guns at real battle field distances.