(e) If the Soviet-made T-34 was the “best” tank of the war, why wasn’t it adapted by the Allies, too—and remember, apparently the T-34 was American-designed in the first place.
The T-34 was not an American design. Its torsion-bar suspension, however, was based on the designs of an American, Walter Christie. An earlier Soviet light tank was a licensed copy of a Christie tank.
Why wasn’t the T-34 adopted by US forces?
1. US Armor Branch was run by horse cavalry & artillery officers who couldn’t agree on tank designs. The cavalry officers (like Patton) favored light, maneuverable designs. The Infantry & Arty officers wanted heavy armor & a bigger gun. The feeling was that the T34’s speed was a waste if marching infantry couldn’t keep up.
2. US doctrine for fighting enemy tanks called for a different armored vehicle... the Tank Destroyer. These heavy, open turret vehicles were designed to lay in ambush to nail an enemy tank freeing US tanks to maneuver (or so the theory went). You’ll notice that nobody really fields Tank Destroyers or Assault Guns anymore. But they were highly popular on all sides in WW2 due to their cheaper construction.
3. It’s doubtful that the Soviets could have shipped meaningful numbers of T34’s to the US. In any case, “Not Invented Here”.