[Boomerang]

I'm not sure that the question as to whether a T34/85 could be destroyed by strafing by normal fighter MG/cannon armament, as opposed to tank-busting cannon/bombs/rockets has been answered.

On 5 July 1943, when Rudel claimed 12 tanks, he was flying a tank-busting Ju 87G, armed with 37mm cannon firing tungsten cored rounds (Peter Smith, Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, page 184).

I suggest that claims by pilots represent weak evidence as to whether tanks could be destroyed by strafing alone. It's one thing to mention the million to one 'lucky shot', but tanks would have been constantly exposed to machine gun fire on the battlefield and there seem to be few accounts of ground troops stopping T34s or Shermans with MG34s or MG 42s. Are there credible accounts of tanks being knocked out by 20mm flak weapons?

I can see the possibility of external fuel tanks being ignited by strafing, but IIRC, the external tanks on, for example, the T34 were jettisonable so that they could be dumped in 'hot' situations - although this recollection is hazy and no doubt can be updated by experts on Soviet AFVs.

In summary, I suggest the basic question as to whether a T34/85 could be destroyed by strafing alone has not been resolved.

Cheers

Boomerang