The T-34-85 is described as a strong tank built around a solid underlying idea. The quality of the design is then separated from the health of the institution responsible for using it. Soviet purges killed many of the people who had conceived or understood the concepts behind the vehicle. By the time the tank entered wartime service, some of those best able to refine and employ it were no longer available. Political repression can destroy expertise even while factories continue to produce the resulting technology.
Notable Point · 2:18:56-2:19:30
The T-34 and the institutional cost of Soviet purges
A sound T-34 design idea could not compensate for purges that removed many of the people best placed to develop and employ it.