This document provides information about tanks used in World War II by the major combatants. It describes the development of early tanks during World War I and how tank usage expanded in World War II. Key details are provided about tanks from the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, Germany, Japan, and Poland. Several of the most important tank models are highlighted, including the Panzer III, Tiger I, Sherman, Cruiser, T-34, and KV-1. Quotes about tanks are also included at the end.
2. TANK
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which
combines operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities. Firepower is
normally provided by a large-calibre main gun in a rotating turret and secondary machine
guns, while heavy armour and all-terrain mobility provide protection for the tank and its
crew, allowing it to perform all primary tasks of the armoured troops on the battlefield
3. FIRST TANK
The British Mark I was a tracked vehicle developed by the British Army during the First
World War, and the world's first combat tank. Born of the need to break the domination of
trenches and machine guns over the battlefields of the Western Front, it was the first vehicle
to be named "tank", a name chosen as an expedient to maintain secrecy and to disguise its
true purpose.
4. TANKS IN WORLD WAR II
Tanks were an important weapons system in World War II. Although tanks were the subject
of widespread research in the inter-war years, production was limited to relatively small
numbers in a few countries. However, during WWII most armies employed tanks, and
production levels reached thousands each month. Tank usage, doctrine and production
varied widely among the combatant nations. By war's end, some consensus was emerging
regarding tank doctrine and design.
5. TANKS OF THE MAJOR COMBATANTS
United Kingdom
United States
Soviet Union
Germany
Japan
Poland
6. UNITED KINGDOM
British had two types of tanks - "Infantry Tanks" were heavily armoured with good
all terrain performance but were slow. Lack of speed was not considered a flaw as
they were designed to support infantry assaults on enemy strong points or urban
warfare. The other type were "Cruiser Tanks" were intended for independent
maneuvering, rapid breakouts and flanking attacks. Early Cruiser tanks gained
performance at a cost in the armour they could carry. Reliability was an important
issue especially in the harsh conditions of North Africa and the mountainous
terrain of Southern Europe.
7. UNITED STATES
The Light Tank M2 series was the most important pre-war US tank. These light
tanks were mechanically very reliable, with good mobility. However, they had a
high silhouette and poor armor. Only a few saw combat, on Guadalcanal. Their
importance lies in the fact that they formed the basis for the much more successful
Light Tank M3 series beginning in 1941. The Stuart was an improvement of the M2,
with heavier armor and a 37 mm gun. From the M3A1 version, this gun was
gyrostabilized
8. SOVIET UNION
he Soviet Union began and ended the war with more tanks than the rest of the
world combined (18,000-22,000). At the start of World War II the most common
tank in Soviet service was the Vickers-based T-26, armed with a 45mm cannon
capable of penetrating most German tanks at normal combat ranges. Few had
radios. The design was mechanically sound although incapable of further
development. The BT tank series, based on the Christie suspension system, were
usually armed with the same 45 mm gun and were the most mobile tanks in the
world.
9. GERMANY
Pre-war plans called for two main tanks: the main tank was to be the Panzer III
medium tank, supported by smaller numbers of the howitzer-armed Panzer IV.
However, by the beginning of the invasion of Poland, only a few hundred of these
vehicles were available. As a result, the invasions of Poland and France were carried
out primarily with the less capable Panzer I and Panzer II light tanks, with some
cannon-armed light tanks from Czechoslovakia. Even in 1941, Panzer III
production amounted only to about 1,000 tanks, forcing the Germans to use Czech
tanks as substitutes for the Panzer III. As the war proceeded, production of heavier
tanks increased.
10. JAPAN
Like the US Army (which utilized French and British tanks in World War I), the
Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) did not have tanks of its own in World War I, so it
started out by purchasing foreign tanks for evaluation during World War I, and
then began developing its own designs. Like many other nations, the Japanese
initially didn't embrace the tank, as it didn't have the cavalry tradition. Cavalry was
used for reconnaissance in the mountainous countryside, and initially, as with most
other armies, the first designs were constrained by the tank's infantry support role.
Inspired by European designs.
11. POLAND
Poland was the first to suffer the German Blitzkrieg, but it had some very good
tanks in its amoured forces. The most important was the 7TP (siedmiotonowy
polski - "7-tonne Polish") light tank, which was better armed than its most common
opponents, the German Panzer I and Panzer II.
12. MAIN TANKS IN WW2
1. Panzer III G
2. Panzer VI A - Tiger I
3. M4A1 Sherman
4. Cruiser
5. T-34
6. KV-1 A
13. PANZER III G
Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the
1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German
designation was Panzerkampfwagen III Sd Kfz. 141 (abbreviated PzKpfw III)
translating as "armoured fighting vehicle". It was intended to fight other armoured
fighting vehicles and serve alongside the infantry-supporting Panzer IV.
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17. PANZER VI A - TIGER I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in
World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen VI
Tiger Ausf.E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly
formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of the Axis invasion of
the Soviet Union, particularly the T-34 and the KV-1. The Tiger I design gave the
Wehrmacht its first tank mounting the 88 mm gun, in its initial armored fighting
vehicle-dedicated version.
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21. M4A1 SHERMAN
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the
United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies,
including the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union, via lend-lease. In the
United Kingdom, the M4 was named after Union General William Tecumseh
Sherman, following the British practice of naming their American-built tanks after
famous American Civil War generals. Subsequently, the British name found its way
into common use in the U.S.
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25. CRUISER
The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VI or A15 Crusader was one of the primary British cruiser
tanks of the early part Second World War and perhaps the most important British
tank of the North African Campaign. The Crusader's mobility made it a favourite of
British tank crews and its Ordnance QF 6 pounder main gun made it more than a
match for the early Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks it faced in combat.
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29. T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. When it first
appeared on the battlefield in 1941, German tank generals von Kleist and Guderian
called it "the deadliest tank in the world." It has often been described as the most
effective, efficient and influential design of World War II, although its armour and
armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era.
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33. KV-1 A
The Kliment Voroshilov (KV) tanks were a series of Soviet Red Army heavy tanks,
named after the Soviet defense commissar and politician Kliment Voroshilov. The
KV series were known for their extremely heavy armour protection during the early
part of World War II, especially during the first year of the invasion of the Soviet
Union.
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37. QUOTES ABOUT TANKS
“ Tank, pretty mechanical toy but very limited military value.
Lord Kitchener ”
“ When people ask me what's the most beautiful sight I can
think of, it's the sight of Sherman tanks crashing through
barbed wire. Clark Smith ”
“ If they took all the drugs, nicotine, alcohol and caffeine off the
market for six days, they'd have to bring out the tanks to
control you. Dick Gregory ”
