I've written a lot about what the reliability of the T-34 tank was, but not as much about where the army wanted it to be. I don't have as much data on the expected lifetime of engines in 1942 as I do for other years, but from documents it seems that it did not drop as some people state. The USSR did not opt to discard quality for quantity, far from it. The order issued by People's Commissar of Tank Production Malyshev on April 21st, 1942, demonstrates that the quality target was higher than ever:
"Given the exceptional importance of increasing the lifespan of diesel engines, the following awards are established for designers, technologists, and workers who increase the warranty period of the V-2-34 engine to:
- 350 hours:
- 1st place: 10,000 rubles
- 2nd place: 5,000 rubles
- 3rd place: 3,000 rubles
- 300 hours:
- 1st place: 8,000 rubles
- 2nd place: 3,000 rubles
- 3rd place: 2,000 rubles
- 250 hours:
- 1st place: 5,000 rubles
- 2nd place: 2,000 rubles
- 3rd place: 1,000 rubles
Deliver the results of work on increasing the warranty period to the People's Commissariat by August 1st 1942."