Armored warfare was a distinguishing feature of World War II. In World War II tanks, tanks and other armored vehicles were used by both allied and German armies. In addition to main battle tanks, there are infantry support tanks, reconnaissance and armored vehicles, personnel carriers and tank destroyers, which are usually based on tank chassis and even have plans to install tanks on landing craft.
U.S. army tanks
M3 and M5 Stewart
Although the United States produced a large number of armored vehicles (forty-seven thousand tanks in 1943-44 alone), the U.S. Army used only two main types.
When the M3, an evolutionary design based on the M2A4, was introduced in March 1941, it was uncompetitive as a main battle tank. Of course, it was not as good as the German Mark IV or the British Crusaders, let alone the Soviet T-34. However, the M3 was large enough to be exported and used by the British, who referred to it as "Stewart" after the Allied cavalry heroes of the American Civil War. It was equipped with only one 37 mm gun and did not exceed 2 inches of armor protection, but remained fast and agile in the case of a four-man crew. Powered by petrol or diesel engines, Stuarts can reach speeds of up to 37 miles per hour on the road. In Normandy, the M3 had no chance to fight against German armor, but was useful as an infantry support and reconnaissance vehicle.
From 1941 to 1943, Stuarts made three main variants and several smaller models. The total production of the M3 was about 13,600 tanks, of which 5,400 were supplied to the British and 1,600 to Russia. British tankers loved the type so much that they nicknamed it "Dear", which is not without reason – it was fast, reliable, rarely pedaled, and proved fairly easy to maintain.
The M5 is an upgraded version of the M3 and weighs 16.5 tons. Due to the need for more tanks of existing models, the first of approximately 6,800 M5s was not delivered until November 1942. The M5 differs primarily from the M3 in that it has sloping glacis armor and a larger engine compartment to accommodate two Cadillac V-8s.
M4 Sherman
The Sherman had many drawbacks as a main battle tank. Its gasoline engine (ranging from 425 to 500 horsepower) is very good
Easily "boiled" and burned to death its five crew members. Therefore, diesel engines are used in M4A2 and A6. It was tall and top-heavy, making it a better target than armored vehicles or T-34s, and was defeated by enemy tanks. However, it also has significant advantages, especially usability. From 1941 to 1946, more than forty thousand Shermans were built to meet the needs of not only the U.S. Army, but also partly Britain and the Soviet Union.
Weighing 33 to 35 tons and 1.5 to 2.5 inches thick in armor, the Sherman was easily defeated by many German weapons. In fact, Wehrmacht gunners described Sherman as "Ronsons" because they burned so easily. Although the M4's 75 mm gun was sufficient for the purpose originally envisaged, the requirement of 10,000 barrel life dictated the low initial velocity, resulting in poor penetration, and it is doubtful that many Sherman guns fired more than 500 rounds. With more experience, the British recognized the problem with their weaponry and upgraded it to 17 lbs (76 mm) in the Firefly version.
Sherman also had other uses, including the chassis and hulls used to treat M10 tank destroyers and various engineering vehicles. The traditional Sherman was equipped with a dual-drive kit and an inflatable "skirt" for amphibious combat, but proved largely unusable after June 6. The Normandy Landing Day Campaign added "fun" devices, especially bulldozer blades and field-designed plows, capable of penetrating particularly thick foliage in Normandy meadows. The latter was developed by the Sergeant. Curtis Kulin of the Second Panzer Division, using scrap steel from destroyed German obstacles.
M18 Hellcat
The M18 tank destroyer lasted three years in development, starting with the terminal T49 gun engine carrier (or GMC) equipped with 37, 57 and 75 mm weapons. Unchanged was the Continental R975 400 hp radial engine, which remained in the T67 vehicle and was approved by the Army in 1943. At that time the Tank Destroyer Command decided to use a high-speed 76 mm gun.
Six prototypes were built as the T70 GMC, which was modified to a new hull and an open fully transverse turret. The new tank destroyer designated M18 is fairly light, at just 20 tons, with a speed of 45 mph on the road and 20 mph off-road. Production of the Buick began in February 1944 and 2,500 units were delivered by October of that year. The five occupants were protected by half-inch hull armor and a one-inch turret, which proved insufficient once the Germans understood the vehicle's shortcomings. However, hellcat's speed and agility allow it to "get out of trouble faster than it gets stuck." In July 1944, the 630th Tank Fighter Battalion claimed to have destroyed 53 German tanks and 15 self-propelled guns in exchange for 17 Hellcats.
British tanks
centaur
In 1940, the British army lost most of its tanks at Dunkirk and had to rebuild its armoured forces. Throughout the war, britain produced about 24,000 armored vehicles on its own, but received 3,600 made in Canada and 25,600 from the United States. If anything, britain has acquired too many different models of tanks and armored vehicles, and it may have focused on some proven designs.
Developed by Cromwell, centaurs were distinctive in having a free engine, but most were subsequently converted to Cromwell by re-equipping the Meteor engine. Because centaurs were made with six-pounder guns, they were considered unfit for combat and were mainly used as training vehicles. Some were used for other purposes, such as anti-aircraft platforms with twin 20 mm cannons or armored reconnaissance vehicles. However, 80 were upgraded to 95 mm howitzers on D-Day for use in the Royal Marine Corps Panzer Support Group (see Royal Marine Corps).
Churchill
The 40-ton Churchill tank was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of World War II. Like most British tanks, it had a crew of five. Its 350-horsepower engine is a Bedford twin-six engine that travels at just 12 miles per hour due to the unusually heavy protection of its six-inch frontal armor. Armed with a 75 mm main gun, Churchill was able to engage German armor better than any other British tank.
Churchill's Crocodile variant is a flamethrower tank that tows a trailer with four hundred gallons (1,810 liters) of fuel, enough for eighty seconds to last. A flame jet can shoot up to 120 yards, but 75 yards is considered the maximum effective distance.
Cromwell
Cromwell replaced the ineffective Crusaders and deployed them in early 1943. Powered by a 600-horsepower Rolls-Royce Meteor engine, the 27-ton Cromwell has been reported by various to have a top speed of 38 to 50 mph on flat terrain. It was fitted with a 75 mm cannon and was protected by armor 1/3 inch to 3 inch thick.
suzerain
The need for armored support for airborne troops led to the emergence of the Lord, which became the basis for the design of the large Hamillka glider. Weighing just 8 tons and a 165-horsepower engine, tetrarch travels at 40 miles per hour on flat terrain. The trio fired a 76 mm close-in support howitzer protected by armor up to a maximum thickness of 0.5 inches.
German tanks
Panzer IV
Germany and the Soviet Union built the best tanks of World War II. Among the WW2 tanks, the Panzerkampfwagen (Armored Fighting Vehicle) series, which spearheaded Hitler's Blitzkrieg in Europe and Russia, attracted worldwide attention and convinced other Western countries of the need to match German standards. Unlike the British, which produced various mediocre designs, the German armored forces relied mainly on three types, each of which was well suited to its purpose. Many German tanks used diesel fuel, which gave their crews an excellent chance of surviving the battle, while American Sherman tanks used gasoline engines.
The Mark IV was the most common German WWII tank and therefore in Normandy. More than 8,000 were built. The early model was designed in 1937 with a short-barreled 75 mm gun best suited for infantry support. However, combat experience – especially in Russia – has shown the need for higher speeds and greater penetration of enemy armor. As a result, long-barreled guns were added; the resulting Mark IVG became the third major variant, which appeared in 1943. It weighs 25.5 tons and is powered by a Maybach 300 hp engine with a top speed of 25 mph. The five-man crew was protected by thirty to eighty millimeters (1.2 to 3.2 in) of armor, with a standard ammunition load of eighty-seven main guns.
Panzer Mark V Black Panther
As one of the most attractive tanks ever built, the Panther incorporated wartime experience into its design. Its tilted armor (up to 55 degrees) is designed to deflect enemy bullets attacked at any angle other than nearly 90 degrees. With 40 to 80 mm (1.6 to 3.2 in)' armor and a high-speed Kw.K.42 75 mm gun, the Panther was a formidable adversary on any front. Despite being unusually heavy that day, about 50 tons (about twice as fast as the Mark IV), the Mark V was fairly fast — its gasoline Maybach 690-horsepower engine traveled at 25 miles per hour — but it could cruise up to 125 miles of roads. In the summer of 1943, the Panthers were deployed in time for the Battle of Kursk in Russia, but encountered mechanical problems there. Subsequent improvements were made to the suspension and transmission,
Panzer Mark VI Tiger
The final German tank, the Tiger, appeared in 1942. It was a 62-ton Land Cruiser with an awesome 88 mm Kw.K.36 L/56 (i.e. barrel length equal to 56 hole diameter) cannons that were already feared and respected by the Allies. This gun is very accurate. It can reportedly fire five bullets at a distance of 1200 yards, within an 18-inch range of each other. The Tiger armored vehicle is protected by armor 62 to 102 mm (2.4 to 4 in) thick, making it virtually unaffected by conventional anti-tank weapons. It had the same basic engine as the Panther— a 12-cylinder, 690-horsepower Maybach that produced a considerable 24-mile-per-hour road speed, about half the off-road speed.
Despite their advantages, the Tigers were so costly to produce —only 1,340 were produced—so much so that they were distributed only to company-level units and occasionally to battalion-level units. The 70-ton Tiger King wasn't as successful as the original model and was better suited to defense than offense. In fact, there are bridges that cannot support the "Royal" Mark VI.
Tank destroyers
In 1942, the Marder (named after the mink, a weasel that climbs trees) was a "quick solution" for German armored forces to suddenly encounter Soviet tanks like the T-34. The German PaK.40 75 mm gun mated to a Czech 38(t) chassis and was equipped with a 150 hp Praga six-cylinder petrol engine. The convertible 12-ton vehicle carried four occupants. Nearly 1,000 Sd. Kfz。 138 units were purchased, as well as 344 Sd. Kfz。 139s using a Soviet 76 mm gun chamber for German ammunition. Most of the latter were sent to the Eastern Front, but about 65 were shipped to North Africa.
As a production stopgap measure, the self-propelled assault gun is based on the Panzer Mark III chassis and has 20 to 81 mm (0.8 to 3.25 in) armor. The full length (including the gun) is twenty-two feet six inches; the height is seven feet. It is available in two main versions – the 142/1 with the 75 mm gun and the 142/2 with the 110 mm howitzer. Both were used as infantry support vehicles, but the first version also proved effective in anti-tank roles. However, the 142/2 was one of the most numerous German armored vehicles, producing around 7,700. The Stu.G. III weighs approximately 26 tons and is equipped with the same Maybach V-12 petrol engine with 300 hp.
Built on a Panther chassis, the Cheetah did not have a Panzer Mark V turret, but was fitted with a long barrel of 88 mm PaK.43 L/71 (length equal to 71 diameters), capable of destroying any Allied tank in France. Weighing 51 tons, the Jagdpanzer is made up of five crews and powered by a 700-horsepower Maybach V-12 gas engine that travels on the road at 28 mph.
Cheetah destroyer
Like marder, the Hetzer (Baiter) was built on a four-man Czech 38(t) chassis with a Praga 150 hp engine. However, it is a fully enclosed vehicle that weighs 17.6 tons, is 16 feet long and 7 feet high. It was fitted with a 75 mm PaK.39 L/48 gun that could penetrate most of the armor at typical engagement distances. With its 7-foot-tall silhouette and 20 to 60 mm (0.8 to 2.4 in)' sloping armor, the 18-ton Hetzer was an effective tank killer, but its limited lateral movement was a drawback. It can travel at 24 miles per hour on the road and 10 miles per hour on off-road. More than 2,500 vehicles were produced.
epilogue:
At this point, the relevant tanks and tanks have been introduced, and I don't know which one the most domineering one the small partner decides? Feel free to leave your comments!