They needed numbers because of the incompetence and lack of radio communication in the T34's. While German tank commanders had radios with throat microphones and all the "high tech" equipment, Russian tank commanders were expected to scream over the 500HP V12 engine.
I'll take a quote from German commander Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin: "We had nothing comparable"
They didn't. Well, they got the Panther. But was it easy to produce? Was it as reliable? Could it be produced by untrained peasants? No.
The T34 had wide tracks that allowed it to operate in the mud, combined with a reliable, torquey diesel engine. While German tanks struggled to even get started in the cold weather, the T34s, equipped with air starters, fired right up.
The Germans only developed armor sloping comparable to that of the T34s in 1943. Panzer IV's did not stand a chance, and lacked the mobility. Only the guile and superior training of their crews allowed them to compete.
The sloping on the turret of the T34 is remarkable.
The diesel fuel would not burst into flames like the gasoline engines used in German tanks. On top of it, the T34 was more fuel efficient; and the Russians had tons of fuel!
The Germans were creating behemoths equipped with Maybach V12's that were using gasoline that they didn't even have.
Superior training allowed the Germans to compete. That and superior technology in regards to crew and platoon level communication. The Soviets were still using flags.
Field Marshal Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist called it "The Finest tank in the
world"
