T-55

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The T-54 and T-55 tank series were main battle tanks designed by the Soviet Union. The first prototype T-54 appeared in 1946 shortly after the end of the Second World War. It was the successor to the T-44 and a direct descendant of the T-34, considered by many to have been the "finest all around tank of the war". The tank entered full production in 1947 and became a mainstay of Red Army armored units, the Warsaw Pact countries and many other armies as well. T-54's and T-55's were involved in many of the world's armed conflicts.

Following a series of major improvements the T-54 was designated the T-55 in 1955. The T-55 has been described as the "most popular tank in history" and is the most widely used of all time. In 1962 it was joined by the T-62; they were both eventually replaced by the T-64 and the T-72.

The design was so successful that tens of thousands of them were built in the USSR, Poland and Czechoslovakia and a downgraded version was licensed to the Chinese (Type 59). They were exported to as many as 50 other countries and were continuously upgraded and produced until 1979. The series eventually became the most produced tank in history. Estimated production numbers for the series range from 86,000 to 100,000, and the series is still in use worldwide, having received sophisticated retrofitting.

T-54 and T-55 tanks never directly faced their NATO Cold War adversaries in Europe, however, their first appearance in the west in 1960 spurred the United States to develop the M60.

Channel: People & Blogs
Uploaded: April 5, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Author: oplot123

Length: 00:04:31
Rating: 5.00
Views: 2556

Tags: russian war russia soldier soviet military army tank

Video Comments:
Japodian (September 6, 2008 at 1:26 pm)
Abrams is overestimated many times with no real relation in battle to T-80 and T-90. So it is quite useless to say it is better cause actually you do not know. Only tanks Abrams met in battle were T-55, T-62 and T-72 led by inexperienced crews in middle east.

My personal opinion is that Merkava would eat Abrams for breakfast, but that is an opinion, not a real checked relation.
bucurdragos (July 25, 2008 at 2:05 pm)
This one has an unusual turret!
patronpatron (July 4, 2008 at 12:05 am)
.hu?????????????????,
fseijoperez (June 3, 2008 at 11:52 am)
M1 much better..... Even a KING TIGER from Germany WW2 is better than T55
JohnyKage (April 18, 2008 at 3:51 pm)
T 55 is the most beautiful tank ever made.
POPWELLMAN (April 5, 2008 at 3:51 pm)
M1A2 is way better
oplot123 (April 5, 2008 at 4:20 pm)
You are an idiot. You cannot compare a tank that was made 1955 with a modern tank.
S1apSh0es (April 12, 2008 at 6:02 am)
Agreed. While T-55's can be modernized extensively you just can't compare the two. The T-90 on the other hand...
Wilmot1846 (July 22, 2008 at 8:52 pm)
Popwellman's comparison, while not fair, has some relevance because about 50% of Russia's tanks are T-55/54's. T-72 upgrades comprise about 30%. And Abrams is vastly superior to the supposed Russian cream of the crop. For what its worth, anything that is not a t-90 or above can just be completely discounted.