T-34-2 | Chinese tanks World of Tanks Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

General information

Name	T-34-2
Type	Medium tank
Tier	VIII
Armament	100mm 59-100T: penetration 181mm; damage 250
Armor	Hull: 70mm/45mm/45mm, turret: 180mm/120mm/60mm
Durability	1300 health points
Mobility	Top speed: 50km/h, engine: 580HP
Role	Medium range combat, support tank

After the excellent T-34-1, there comes a disappointment. The T-34-2 is only a slight improvement of its predecessor: it has a bit better cannon and a more durable turret but, the hull's armor leaves much to wish for. This tank, just like the Soviet T-44, can use the cal. 122mm cannon but, this is not the best choice to make - this cannon has very low rate of fire and long focus times. This is why, each shell you fire is worth its weight in gold. Due to the thicker armor of the tier VIII vehicles, the driver of the T-34-2 will have to attack all enemies from the back or from behind. Only the few users of the 122mm cannon, who use premium shells, will be capable of penetrating the glacis plate of the heavy tanks that they encounter. The 122mm cannon has one major flaw: very low vertical operation angle. Due to that, this tank performs better while fighting in cities and on flat surfaces.

Development, equipment, crew

You should purchase the T-34-2 only after you have obtained all of the modules on the IS-2 heavy tank. The first step should be to mount the 12150LS engine. Then, you need to unlock new suspension and the turret. Only now, will you be able to mount a more effective 85mm 59-100T cannon, or the 122mm 37-122JT that you know from the IS-2 .

Preferred equipment: Shell rammer, vertical stabilizer, improved guidance system (cal. 122mm cannon), improved ventilation (cal. 85mm cannon)

Optional equipment: toolbox, camouflage net, binocular telescope

Skills and perks: sixth sense for the commander, repair for the rest of the crew. Then, brothers in arms for the entire crew.

Weak points

The armoring of the hull, of the T-34-2, is not much different from the one on the T-34-1. The glacis plate is thicker now but, in spite of that, it is still too little against enemy fire.

The turret received additional 10mm to its armor (now, it is 180mm thick) which, in combination with its shape, allows for repelling most of the shells fired by tanks of the seventh and the eighth tiers. This protection is, however, insufficient against tanks of higher tiers.

The ammo compartment is located at the back of the turret and directly under it; the engine, which is a standard, at the back of the hull. Just like in the T-34-1, T-34-2 it bursts in fire quite often.

How to play...

...As the driver of the T-34-2?

• Just like the other vehicles of the T-34 family, the T-34-2 is a tank of the second line, serves mainly as a fire support for the rest of the vehicles.
• This tank has two parallel armament systems. While using the 100mm 59-100JT cannon, you will have the opportunity to use, to the fullest, the skills that you learned on the T-34-1. The penetration value of this cannon is sufficient to damage tanks of the lower tiers. In the case of encountering the heavier enemies you can easily load premium shells.
• The second cannon, available for you, is the 122mm 37-122JT. While using it, you will have to change your playing style drastically. The cannon has a very long focus time and reloading time, which is why you will have to fire from shorter ranges, because each shell is worth its weight in gold. Each direct hit deals, an average of, 390 points of damage; an enemy of the eighth tier usually dies after the fourth one. The AT ammo of 122mm has low penetration value, which is why I recommend using premium shells.
• Due to the poor armoring of your hull, you should always try to hide it from the enemy fire. By using hills, ruins or rocks, and sticking your turret out afterwards, you will be able to fire effectively at the enemy, while remaining a quite difficult target go get.
• While fighting vehicles of tier VIII and higher, your turret ceases to be the means of succeeding. You will have to avoid the enemy fire and lay fire on him in such a way, as not to be exposed to counter-attacks. Attack from the flank, or firing at the moment at which the enemy is reloading, are the best methods of attack here.
• Due to the low accuracy of the armament at your disposal, you should fight at the distance of, up to, 200meters In the case of the cal. 122mm cannon, around 100 meters. Shots fired from longer a distance my even not reach the target, not mentioning the damaging of its weak point.
• While fighting heavy tanks, you can try circling around them and firing at their weak points This tactic works well against the lonely, sluggish giants, like the KW-4, but you need to watch out for heavy tanks with higher spin speed of the turret - they will be able to defeat you without major problems.
• To the extent it is possible, protect the hull from direct hits - the T-34-2 is quite easy to set on fire.

...against the T-34-2?

• While on a lower-tier tank, you should attack the hull of the T-34-2. It is very easy to penetrate; additionally, each direct hit has the chance to set the enemy on fire, or damage its ammo compartment. It is best to fire at the moment at which the enemy is busy reloading the cannon (if he is using the 122mm cannon, this operation takes him, as long as, 13 seconds).
• If armed with the cal. 122mm cannon, the T-34-2 has very long reload times, which translates into quite low damage per minute. You can easily conduct frontal exchange of fire with this tank.
• While driving a vehicle of a higher tier, you do not need to worry about anything. Your cannon should be able to penetrate both the hull and the turret of the T-34-2, without any problems. You only need to watch out for the enemies that use premium shells, because they are capable of penetrating the glacis plate of heavy tanks.
• You should watch out for the flanking T-34-2, because they are capable of damaging any vehicle in the game, if they use premium shells. What is especially dangerous, are the vehicles armed with cal. 122mm cannons, because each direct hit from them brings the pool of your health points down.
• Just like the remaining Chinese medium tanks, the T-34-2 can easily lose its tracks - it is worthwhile to shoot at the drive sprocket or the snub pulley, to immobilize the enemy and finish him off with the following salvo. Often, you will be able to damage both suspension and an additional module, at the same time, like the ammo compartment or the engine.
• With a cannon of a larger caliber (e.g. 122mm), you can aim at the ammo compartment, in hope of destroying the enemy in one shot.