Just because I know this is an important question newbies ask, my answer to this question is also as above, 100% the M44, US SPG.
Why?
1. At some point, any new player needs to understand how arty works. Even if you don't have any plans to play arty.
2. Some of the missions absolutely require you to have to have an arty.
3. The arty grind is much more painful than in most other branches. Going right into a Tier 6 arty saves soooo much time and effort.
4. The tank you chose, the T34-85, is a great choice. Widely acknowledged as a superior tank. That said, it's not miles above some others, and the skills you need to play effectively at tier 6 in a medium, you need to build those skills over time. In the Tier 4 T-28, and the Tier 5 T-34, both of which are also pretty nice tanks. In contrast, the M44 is again in my opinion a vastly better and more enjoyable machine to play than its tier 4 and 5 counterparts, and you can really hop right in and start pointing and clicking because arty.
5. As a new player, definitely do not discount this last reason: the M44 makes a TON of credits. Much more profitable than almost any other non-premium machine in the entire game.
I had this same debate with a couple of my recruits over the last little while. Our experience has been the M44 is far and away the best choice.
(Expect to cue the arty haters. Hate arty if you like, I won't argue that point. But everyone needs to understand how they play, and that means you need to own at least one arty and the best one pound for pound which you don't have to buy is the M44 imo)
Edited by Rigour67, Mar 01 2019 - 18:00.