In the Soviet Union, the T-35 was a heavy tank designed to be a 'land battleship,' with five turrets and a crew of 11. It was an imposing vehicle, designed to break through enemy lines, but it was slow, mechanically unreliable, and poorly armored. The T-35 was used in propaganda parades, but it saw limited combat in World War II, where it was easily destroyed by German forces. It was a spectacular failure, representing the dead end of the multi-turreted tank design.

The T-35 is a symbol of the excesses of military engineering and the gap between theory and reality. It has been featured in poetry and literature as an example of the folly of hubris, a theme that has been explored by poets who are critical of militarism. The tank's use in propaganda also makes it a symbol of the power of image over substance, a theme that has been taken up by contemporary poets. The T-35's failure serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of over-engineering.