WW2 Tanks
World War 2 was the golden age of tank warfare. Armored vehicles evolved rapidly as nations competed for battlefield dominance.
German Tanks
Panzer III/IV: Germany's workhorses. Reliable, well-designed, upgraded throughout the war.
- 88mm gun could destroy any Allied tank
- Heavy armor (100mm front)
- Terrifying reputation
- But: slow, mechanically unreliable, expensive
- Response to the T-34
- Excellent gun and armor balance
- Many consider it WW2's best tank design
- Reliability problems early on
- Even heavier armor and gun
- Practically invulnerable frontally
- Too heavy, too slow, too few
Soviet Tanks
- Revolutionary sloped armor
- Reliable, easy to produce
- Good gun, good mobility
- Arguably WW2's most influential tank
Germans were shocked by T-34 in 1941. It outclassed everything they had.
KV-1/KV-2: Heavy tanks, nearly invulnerable to German guns in 1941.
IS-2: Late-war heavy tank. 122mm gun could destroy anything.
American Tanks
- Not the best in any category
- But: reliable, easy to maintain, produced in vast numbers (49,000+)
- Crews could be trained quickly
- Upgraded continuously (76mm gun, improved armor)
"Quantity has a quality all its own." Shermans overwhelmed opposition through numbers and logistics.
British Tanks
Matilda: Infantry tank, slow but well-armored.
Churchill: Heavy infantry tank, climbed impossible terrain.
Cromwell/Comet: Fast cruiser tanks for exploitation.
Tank Tactics
- Infantry cleared obstacles and anti-tank guns
- Artillery suppressed defenders
- Air power provided reconnaissance and strikes
- Tanks exploited breakthroughs
German Blitzkrieg and Soviet Deep Battle were tank-centric doctrines.
Legacy
WW2 proved tanks were decisive. Post-war tank design built directly on wartime lessons.
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