 The decision to improve on an existing design rather than commit to a major retooling of the factories was characteristic of Soviet philosophy which held enormous production level as paramount.While Germany — having at the time almost double the industrial resources of the Soviet Union — suffered a string of production and logistical difficulties while introducing new, technically superior tank models, the Soviets — maximizing productivity — accepted a compromise by significantly improving their main tank.The result was that the Soviets were producing T-34-85 tanks at a rate of 1,200 per month, while Germany struggling to put 180 Panther tanks per month out of the assembly lines.