How the Germans made use of the Soviet Union’s best tank Bundesarchiv The famous T-34 served the Third Reich not only as a tank. The Germans converted captured T-34s into vehicle retrievers and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and used them as a source of weaponry for armored trains. The T-34 was the best Soviet tank of World War II. Well armed and protected, fast and maneuverable, it was unequaled on the battlefield until 1942. “The T-34 tank was reliable on any terrain,” recalled Colonel General Johannes Friesner, commander of Army Group South Ukraine: “The Russian tanks could operate where we thought it impossible. The T-34’s firepower was also impressive. For the Soviet infantry, it served as an excellent path-layer and support vehicle.”