The best tanks of World War II according to Discovery. Interesting on the web! The best tank in the second world

Although the First World War was marked by the appearance of tanks, the Second World War showed the real rampage of these mechanical monsters. During the hostilities, they played an important role, both among the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and among the powers of the "axis". Both opposing sides created a significant number of tanks. Listed below are ten outstanding tanks of the Second World War - the most powerful vehicles of this period ever built.

M4 Sherman (USA)

The second largest tank of the Second World War. Released in the USA and some others Western countries anti-Hitler coalition mainly due to American program Lend-Lease, which provided military support to the foreign Allied Powers. The Sherman medium tank had a standard 75 mm gun with 90 rounds of ammunition and was equipped with relatively thin frontal (51 mm) armor compared to other vehicles of that period.
Designed in 1941, the tank was named after the famous General civil war in the USA - William T. Sherman. The machine participated in numerous battles and campaigns from 1942 to 1945. The relative lack of firepower was compensated by their huge numbers: about 50,000 Shermans were produced during the Second World War.

Sherman Firefly (UK)

The Sherman Firefly was a British variant of the M4 Sherman tank, which was equipped with a devastating 17-pounder anti-tank gun, more powerful than the original 75 mm Sherman gun. The 17-pounder was destructive enough to damage any famous tanks that time. The Sherman Firefly was one of those tanks that terrified the Axis and was characterized as one of the deadliest fighting vehicles of the Second World War. In total, more than 2,000 units were produced.

T-IV (Germany)

PzKpfw IV - one of the most widely used and massive (8,696 units) German tanks During the Second World War. It was armed with a 75 mm cannon, which could destroy the Soviet T-34 at a distance of 1200 meters.
Initially, these vehicles were used to support infantry, but eventually took on the role of a tank (T-III), and began to be used in battle as the main combat units.

This legendary tank was the most massive during the War and the second most produced of all time (about 84 thousand cars). It is also one of the longest lasting tanks ever made. Until now, many surviving units are found in Asia and Africa.
The popularity of the T-34 is partly due to the sloped 45 mm frontal armor, which was not penetrated by German shells. It was a fast, agile and durable vehicle, causing serious concern to the command of the invading German tank units.

T-V "Panther" (Germany)

The PzKpfw V "Panther" is a German medium tank that appeared on the battlefield in 1943 and remained until the end of the war. A total of 6,334 units were created. The tank reached speeds of up to 55 km/h, had strong 80 mm armor and was armed with a 75 mm gun with an ammunition capacity of 79 to 82 high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing shells. The T-V was powerful enough to damage any enemy vehicle at the time. It was technically superior to the tanks of the Tiger and T-IV types.
And although later, the T-V "Panther" was surpassed by numerous Soviet T-34s, she remained her serious opponent until the end of the war.

"Comet" IA 34 (UK)

One of the most powerful combat vehicles in Great Britain and probably the best that was used by this country in the Second World War. The tank was armed with a powerful 77 mm cannon, which was a shortened version of the 17-pounder. Thick armor reached 101 millimeters. However, the Comet did not have a significant impact on the course of the War due to its late introduction to the battlefields - around 1944, when the Germans were retreating.
But be that as it may, during its short service life, this military machine has shown its effectiveness and reliability.

"Tiger I" (Germany)

The Tiger I is a German heavy tank developed in 1942. It had a powerful 88 mm gun with 92-120 rounds of ammunition. It was successfully used against both air and ground targets. The full German name of this beast sounds like Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.E, while the Allies simply called this car "Tiger".
It accelerated to 38 km / h and had armor without a slope with a thickness of 25 to 125 mm. When it was created in 1942, it suffered from some technical problems, but was soon freed from them, turning into a ruthless mechanical hunter by 1943.
The Tiger was a formidable vehicle, which forced the Allies to develop better tanks. It symbolized the strength and power of the Nazi war machine, and until the middle of the war, not a single Allied tank had sufficient strength and power to withstand the Tiger in a direct collision. However, during the final stages of World War II, the Tiger's dominance was often challenged by better-armed Sherman Fireflies and Soviet IS-2 tanks.

The IS-2 tank belonged to a whole family of heavy tanks of the Joseph Stalin type. It had characteristic sloped armor 120 mm thick and a large 122 mm gun. The frontal armor was impenetrable to German 88 mm anti-tank guns at a distance of more than 1 kilometer. Its production began in 1944, a total of 2,252 tanks of the IS family were built, of which about half were modifications of the IS-2.
During the Battle of Berlin, IS-2 tanks destroyed entire German buildings using high-explosive fragmentation shells. It was a real ram of the Red Army when moving towards the heart of Berlin.

M26 "Pershing" (USA)

The United States created a heavy tank, which belatedly took part in World War II. It was developed in 1944, the total number of produced tanks was 2,212 units. The Pershing was more complex than the Sherman, with a lower profile and larger tracks, which gave the car better stability.
The main gun had a caliber of 90 millimeters (70 shells were attached to it), powerful enough to penetrate the armor of the Tiger. "Pershing" had the strength and power for a frontal attack of those machines that could be used by the Germans or the Japanese. But only 20 tanks took part in the fighting in Europe and very few were sent to Okinawa. After the end of World War II, the Pershings took part in the Korean War and continued to be used by the American troops. The M26 Pershing could have been a game changer had it been thrown onto the battlefield earlier.

"Jagdpanther" (Germany)

The Jagdpanther is one of the most powerful tank destroyers in World War II. It was based on the Panther chassis, entered service in 1943, and served until 1945. It was armed with an 88 mm cannon with 57 rounds and had 100 mm frontal armor. The gun retained accuracy at a distance of up to three kilometers and had a muzzle velocity of over 1000 m/s.
Only 415 tanks were built during the war. The Jagdpanthers went through their baptism of fire on July 30, 1944 near Saint Martin Des Bois, France, where they destroyed eleven Churchill tanks in two minutes. Technical superiority and advanced firepower did not special influence on the course of the war due to the late introduction of these monsters.

When tanks appeared during the First World War, it became clear that it would no longer be possible to fight the battles as before. Old-fashioned tactical schemes and tricks completely refused to work against mechanical "animals" equipped with machine guns and cannons. But " finest hour»steel monsters fell on the next war - the Second World War. That the Germans, that the allies were well aware that the key to success is hidden precisely in powerful tracked vehicles. Therefore, crazy money was allocated for the constant modernization of tanks. Thanks to this, metal "predators" have evolved at a rapid pace.

Tank KV-1

Before colliding with the Germans, a heavy tank passed baptism of fire in the war with the Finns. The monster weighing 45 tons was an invincible enemy until the very end of 1941. Tank protection was 75 millimeters of steel. Frontal armor plates were located so well that the shell resistance terrified the Germans. Still would! After all, their 37 mm anti-tank guns could not penetrate the KV-1 even from a minimum distance. As for 50 mm guns, then the limit is 500 meters. And a Soviet tank, equipped with a long-barreled 76 mm F-34 gun, could knock out the enemy from a distance of about one and a half kilometers.

But, unfortunately, the tank also had shortcomings. The main problem was the "raw" design, which was hastily put into production. The real "Achilles heel" of the KV-1 was the transmission. Due to the heavy loads associated with the weight of the combat vehicle, it broke too often. Therefore, during retreats, tanks had to be abandoned or destroyed. Since it was unrealistic to repair them in combat conditions. Nevertheless, the Germans managed to snatch several KV-1s. But they didn't let them in. Constant breakdowns and the lack of necessary spare parts quickly put an end to captured cars.

This Soviet tank gained legendary status as soon as it appeared on the battlefield. The metal beast was equipped with a diesel engine for 500 "horses", "advanced" armor, a 76 mm F-34 gun and wide tracks. This configuration allowed the T-34 to become the best tank of its time.

Another advantage of the combat vehicle was the simplicity and manufacturability of its design. Thanks to this, it was possible to establish mass production of the tank in the shortest possible time. Already by the summer of 1942, about 15 thousand T-34s were produced. In total, during the production of the USSR, more than 84 thousand "thirty-fourths" in various modifications were created.

The main problem of the tank was its transmission. The fact is that she, along with the power unit, were in a special compartment located in the stern. Thanks to this technical solution, the cardan shaft turned out to be unnecessary. The leading role was assigned to control rods, the length of which was about 5 meters. Accordingly, it was difficult for the driver to manage them. And if a person coped with difficulties, then the metal sometimes gave slack - the traction was simply torn. Therefore, T-34s often went into battle in one gear, switched on in advance.

Tank Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. H1 "Tiger"

"Tiger" was created with one goal - to crush any enemy and turn him into a stampede. Hitler himself personally ordered that the new tank be covered with a frontal armor plate 100 millimeters thick. And the stern and sides of the "Tiger" were covered with armor of 80 millimeters. The main "trump card" of the combat vehicle was the weapon - this is the 88 mm KwK 36 cannon, created on the basis of the "anti-aircraft gun". The gun was distinguished by a sequence of hits and also a record rate of fire. Even in combat conditions, the KwK 36 could “spit” shells as many as 8 times in a minute.

In addition, the "Tiger" was another of the fastest tanks of the time. It was set in motion by the Maybakhovsky power unit with 700 hp. He was accompanied by an 8-speed hydromechanical gearbox. And along the chassis, the tank could accelerate to 45 km / h. It is curious that in the technical memo that lay in each "Tiger", there was an inscription: "The tank costs 800,000 Reichsmarks. Take care of him!". Goebbels believed that the tankers would be proud to be entrusted with such an expensive toy. But the reality was often different. The soldiers were terrified that something might happen to the tank.

Tank Panzerkampfwagen V "Panther"

The German "Panther" weighing 44 tons was superior to the T-34 in mobility. On the highway, this "predator" could accelerate to almost 60 km / h. He was armed with a 75 mm KwK 42 cannon, in which the barrel length was 70 calibers. The "Panther" could "spit" with an armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile flying a kilometer in the first second. Thanks to this, the German car could knock out almost any enemy tank at a distance exceeding a couple of kilometers.

If the forehead of the "Panther" was protected by an armor plate with a thickness of 60 to 80 mm, then the armor on the sides was thinner. Therefore, Soviet tanks tried to hit the "beast" in that weak spot. In total, Germany managed to create about 6 thousand Panthers. One more thing is curious: in March 1945, hundreds of these tanks, equipped with night vision devices, launched an attack on Soviet troops near Balaton. But even this technical trick did not help.

Tank IS-2

Tank evolution developed rapidly. Opponents constantly brought to the "ring" more and more advanced fighters. IS-2 was a worthy answer to the USSR. The heavy breakthrough tank was equipped with a 122 mm howitzer. If a shell from this gun hit a building, then, in fact, only ruins remained from it.

In addition to the howitzer, the arsenal of the IS-2 included a 12.7 mm DShK machine gun located on the turret. The bullets fired from this weapon pierced even the thickest brickwork. Therefore, the enemies had practically no chance to hide from the formidable metal monster. Another important advantage of the tank is its armor. It reached 120 mm. There were, of course, and without minuses. The main thing is the fuel tanks in the control room. If the enemy managed to break through the armor, then the crew of the Soviet tank had practically no chance of escaping. The driver was the worst. After all, he did not have his own hatch.

The specialists of the American Military History Museum have chosen the 10 best tanks of the Second World War. It is noteworthy that in the foreign rating there is not only a tank that did not fight, but also self-propelled gun.

Heavy tank "Joseph Stalin"

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The heavy tank "Joseph Stalin", better known as the IS-2, was named after the leader of the USSR and at the time of its appearance was the strongest in the world. His armor successfully withstood German fire. anti-tank artillery, and after modernization, when the “stepped” upper frontal part was replaced with its straightened configuration, it could hold shells of the most powerful 88-mm Pak 43 anti-tank gun at close range. The tank itself was armed with a 122-mm gun, the shells of which pierced tanks such as Tank PzKpfw IV Ausf H, PzKpfw.VI Tiger and PzKpfw V Panther right through.

JagdPanther

According to the German classification, the JagdPanther is a tank destroyer. This machine is considered one of the best self-propelled guns of the Second World War. Having fought on the Western and Eastern fronts, the JagdPanther proved to be a dangerous enemy, its Pak.43 L/71 (88 mm, 71 caliber) cannon pierced the armor of almost any Allied tank from 1000 meters.

M4 Sherman

The most massive tank american army during the Second World War, a total of about 50 thousand of these machines were produced.
The simple and reliable M4 Sherman was loved by tank crews. Its 75-mm gun, equipped with a Westinghouse gyroscopic stabilizer, made it possible to fire quite accurately even on the move. However, with the advent of the PzKpfw.VI "Tiger" and PzKpfw V "Panther", its armor penetration was not enough, and subsequently the tank was equipped with a more powerful gun. The main drawbacks of the tank were the high silhouette and weak armor, and the tank often caught fire when a projectile hit it. The Germans even nicknamed the M4 Sherman as the "Burning Cauldron" or "Soldier's Cauldron".

PzKpfw V "Panther"

This tank was created as a response to the Soviet T-34 and was subsequently supposed to replace the Panzer III and IV. Due to the technological complexity of production, this was not possible, as well as to bring the design of the tank to mind - the PzKpfw V "Panther" suffered from childhood illnesses throughout the war. Nevertheless, armed with a long-barreled 75-mm KWK-42 cannon with a length of 70 calibers, this tank was a formidable opponent. So, in one battle, “Panther” of SS Hauptscharführer Franz Faumer in Normandy destroyed 9 M4 Sherman and 4 more were captured absolutely serviceable. No wonder the Panther is considered by some experts to be the best tank of the Second World War.

PzKpfw IV

The main workhorse of the German armored forces throughout the war. The tank had a large reserve for modernization, thanks to which it was constantly improved and could withstand all its opponents on the battlefield. By the end of the war, when Germany's resources were depleted, the design of the PzKpfw IV was greatly simplified. For example, on the Ausf.J version, the turret electric drive and the auxiliary carburetor engine were removed, and in 1944 the road wheels had to be reduced and the zimmerite coating was abandoned. But the tank soldier, as the “four” is also called, continued to fight.

Sherman Firefly

The British Sherman variant, armed with a magnificent 17-pounder, could withstand the German PzKpfw.VI Tiger and PzKpfw V "Panther". Moreover, the English gun had not only excellent armor penetration, but also fit into a standard tank turret.
The long and thin barrel of the gun required careful attitude: in the stowed position, the Sherman Firefly turret turned 180 degrees and the gun barrel was fixed on a special bracket mounted on the roof of the engine compartment.
In total, 699 tanks were converted: the crew of the vehicle was reduced to 4 people, in addition, the course machine gun was removed to accommodate part of the ammunition.

Adopted on December 19, 1941, the tank became a real nightmare for German tankers on the battlefield. Fast, agile and invulnerable to most Wehrmacht tank and anti-tank guns, the T-34 dominated the battlefield for the first two years of the war.
Not surprisingly, further developments of German anti-tank weapons were aimed primarily at fighting the terrible Soviet tank.
The T-34 was repeatedly modernized throughout the war, the most significant improvement was the installation of a new turret with an 85-mm cannon, which made it possible to fight the German "cats": PzKpfw.VI "Tiger" and PzKpfw V "Panther". By the way, due to their simplicity and efficiency, these tanks are still used in some countries of the world.

Even more advanced than the T-34-85, medium tank The T-44 was put into service in 1944, but never took part in the war. Before the end of World War II, only 190 cars were built. The T-44 became the predecessor of the most massive tank in history, the T-54/55. By the way, on the battlefield, 44 still lit up, but, however, in the cinema and in the role of German tanks Pz VI "Tiger" in the film "Liberation".

PzKpfw.VI "Tiger"

The best means of fighting the T-34 and KV tanks were 88 mm anti-aircraft guns, and the Germans rightly decided that if such weapons were adapted for installation on a tank chassis, then the tank superiority of the USSR could be neutralized.
A total of 1358 PzKpfw.VI "Tiger" tanks were built. Armed with the 88mm Kwk L56 cannon, these vehicles wreaked havoc on the enemy ranks.
Tank ace Michael Wittmann, who fought on the PzKpfw.VI "Tiger", destroyed 138 enemy tanks and 132 anti-tank guns. For the Americans and their allies, aviation became the only means of combating the Tigers. Thick frontal armor reliably protected the Pz VI from enemy gun fire. So, there is a case when the tank received 227 hits, but, despite the fact that the tracks and rollers were damaged, it was able to go another 65 kilometers until it was safe.

"Tiger II"

"Tiger II", aka "King Tiger", appeared at the final stage of the war. This is the heaviest and most armored tank of the Wehrmacht. The 88 mm KwK.43 L/71 cannon was used as armament, which almost divided the turret in half. In fact, it was modified for installation on a tank and improved anti-aircraft gun Flak 37. Its projectile, at a meeting angle of 90 degrees, pierced armor 180 mm thick at a distance of one kilometer.
A downed tank was officially recorded at a distance of about 4 km. True, despite the thick armor, the tank was not invulnerable: by the end of the war, the Germans had lost deposits of alloying metals, and the armor of the "Tiger II" became fragile. And the constant bombing of factories did not allow the production of these machines in the required quantities.

10. M4 Sherman (USA)

The second largest tank of the Second World War. Produced in the United States and some other Western countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, mainly due to the American Lend-Lease program, which provided military support to foreign allied powers. The Sherman medium tank had a standard 75 mm gun with 90 rounds of ammunition and was equipped with relatively thin frontal (51 mm) armor compared to other vehicles of that period.

Designed in 1941, the tank was named after the famous American Civil War general, William T. Sherman. The machine participated in numerous battles and campaigns from 1942 to 1945. The relative lack of firepower was compensated by their huge numbers: about 50,000 Shermans were produced during the Second World War.

9. Sherman Firefly (UK)

The Sherman Firefly was a British variant of the M4 Sherman tank, which was equipped with a devastating 17-pounder anti-tank gun, more powerful than the original 75 mm Sherman gun. The 17-pounder was destructive enough to damage any known tank of the time. The Sherman Firefly was one of those tanks that terrified the Axis and was characterized as one of the deadliest fighting vehicles of the Second World War. In total, more than 2,000 units were produced.

8. T-IV (Germany)

The PzKpfw IV is one of the most widely used and massive (8,696 units) German tanks during World War II. It was armed with a 75 mm cannon, which could destroy the Soviet T-34 at a distance of 1200 meters.

Initially, these vehicles were used to support infantry, but eventually took on the role of a tank (T-III), and began to be used in battle as the main combat units.

7. T-34 (Soviet Union)

This legendary tank was the most massive during the War and the second most produced of all time (about 84 thousand vehicles). It is also one of the longest running tanks ever made. Until now, many surviving units are found in Asia and Africa.

The popularity of the T-34 is partly due to the sloped 45 mm frontal armor, which was not penetrated by German shells. It was a fast, agile and durable vehicle, causing serious concern to the command of the invading German tank units.

6. T-V "Panther" (Germany)

And although later, the T-V "Panther" was surpassed by numerous Soviet T-34s, she remained her serious opponent until the end of the war.

5. "Comet" IA 34 (UK)

But be that as it may, during its short service life, this military machine has shown its effectiveness and reliability.

4. "Tiger I" (Germany)

The Tiger I is a German heavy tank developed in 1942. It had a powerful 88-mm gun with 92-120 rounds of ammunition. It was successfully used against both air and ground targets. The full German name of this beast sounds like Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.E, while the Allies simply called this car "Tiger".

It accelerated to 38 km / h and had armor without a slope with a thickness of 25 to 125 mm. When it was created in 1942, it suffered from some technical problems, but was soon freed from them, turning into a ruthless mechanical hunter by 1943.

The Tiger was a formidable vehicle, which forced the Allies to develop better tanks. It symbolized the strength and power of the Nazi war machine, and until the middle of the war, not a single Allied tank had sufficient strength and power to withstand the Tiger in a direct collision. However, during the final stages of World War II, the Tiger's dominance was often challenged by better-armed Sherman Fireflies and Soviet IS-2 tanks.

3. IS-2 "Joseph Stalin" (Soviet Union)

During the Battle of Berlin, IS-2 tanks destroyed entire German buildings using high-explosive fragmentation shells. It was a real ram of the Red Army when moving towards the heart of Berlin.

2. M26 "Pershing" (USA)

The main gun had a caliber of 90 millimeters (70 shells were attached to it), powerful enough to penetrate the armor of the Tiger. "Pershing" had the strength and power for a frontal attack of those machines that could be used by the Germans or the Japanese. But only 20 tanks took part in the fighting in Europe and very few were sent to Okinawa. After the end of World War II, the Pershings took part in the Korean War and continued to be used by the American troops. The M26 Pershing could have been a game changer had it been thrown onto the battlefield earlier.

1. "Jagdpanther" (Germany)

Only 415 tanks were built during the war. The Jagdpanthers went through their baptism of fire on July 30, 1944 near Saint Martin Des Bois, France, where they destroyed eleven Churchill tanks in two minutes. Technical superiority and advanced firepower had little effect on the course of the war due to the late introduction of these monsters.

Tanks played in World War II decisive role in battles and operations, it is very difficult to single out the top ten from many tanks, for this reason, the order in the list is rather arbitrary and the tank’s place is tied to the time of its active participation in battles and significance for that period.

10. Tank Panzerkampfwagen III (PzKpfw III)

PzKpfw III, better known as T-III - light tank with a 37 mm gun. Booking from all angles - 30 mm. The main quality is Speed (40 km / h on the highway). Thanks to the perfect Carl Zeiss optics, ergonomic crew jobs and the presence of a radio station, the “troikas” could successfully fight with much heavier vehicles. But with the advent of new opponents, the shortcomings of the T-III manifested themselves more clearly. The Germans replaced the 37 mm guns with 50 mm guns and covered the tank with hinged screens - temporary measures gave their results, the T-III fought for several more years. By 1943, the release of the T-III was discontinued due to the complete exhaustion of its resource for modernization. In total, German industry produced 5,000 triples.

9. Tank Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV)

The PzKpfw IV, which became the most bulk tank Panzerwaffe - the Germans managed to build 8700 vehicles. Combining all the advantages of the lighter T-III, the "four" had a high firepower and security - the thickness of the frontal plate was gradually increased to 80 mm, and the shells of its 75 mm long-barreled gun pierced the armor enemy tanks, like foil (by the way, 1133 early modifications with a short-barreled gun were produced).

The weak points of the machine are too thin sides and feed (only 30 mm on the first modifications), the designers neglected the slope of the armor plates for the sake of manufacturability and the convenience of the crew.

Panzer IV - the only German tank that was in mass production throughout the Second World War and became the most massive tank of the Wehrmacht. Its popularity among German tankers was comparable to the popularity of the T-34 among ours and the Sherman among the Americans. Well-designed and extremely reliable in operation, this combat vehicle was in the full sense of the word the “workhorse” of the Panzerwaffe.

8. Tank KV-1 (Klim Voroshilov)

“... from three sides we fired at the iron monsters of the Russians, but everything was in vain. Russian giants came closer and closer. One of them approached our tank, hopelessly bogged down in a swampy pond, and without any hesitation drove over it, pressing its tracks into the mud ... "
- General Reinhard, commander of the 41st tank corps of the Wehrmacht.

In the summer of 1941, the KV tank smashed the elite units of the Wehrmacht with impunity as if it had rolled out onto the Borodino field in 1812. Invincible, invincible and extremely powerful. Until the end of 1941, in all the armies of the world, there was generally no weapon capable of stopping the Russian 45-ton monster. The KV was twice as heavy as the largest Wehrmacht tank.

Bronya KV is a wonderful song of steel and technology. 75 millimeters of steel firmament from all angles! The frontal armor plates had an optimal angle of inclination, which further increased the projectile resistance of the KV armor - German 37 mm anti-tank guns did not take it even at close range, and 50 mm guns - no further than 500 meters. At the same time, the long-barreled 76 mm F-34 (ZIS-5) gun made it possible to hit any German tank of that period from a distance of 1.5 kilometers from any direction.

The crews of the KV were staffed exclusively by officers, only driver-mechanics could be foremen. The level of their training was much higher than the level of the crews who fought on tanks of other types. They fought more skillfully, and therefore the Germans remembered ...

7. Tank T-34 (thirty-four)

“... There is nothing worse than tank battle against overwhelming enemy forces. Not in terms of numbers - it was not important for us, we were used to it. But against better vehicles, it's terrible... Russian tanks are so nimble, at close range they'll climb a slope or cross a swamp faster than you can turn a turret. And through the noise and roar, you hear the clang of shells on the armor all the time. When they hit our tank, you often hear a deafening explosion and the roar of burning fuel, too loud to hear the death cries of the crew ... "
- opinion German tanker from the 4th tank division, destroyed by T-34 tanks in the battle near Mtsensk on October 11, 1941.

Obviously, the Russian monster had no analogues in 1941: a 500-horsepower diesel engine, unique armor, a 76 mm F-34 gun (generally similar to the KV tank) and wide tracks - all these technical solutions provided the T-34 with an optimal ratio of mobility, fire power and protection. Even individually, these parameters for the T-34 were higher than for any Panzerwaffe tank.

When the Wehrmacht soldiers first met the T-34s on the battlefield, they were, to put it mildly, shocked. The cross-country ability of our vehicle was impressive - where the German tanks did not even think to meddle, the T-34s passed without much difficulty. The Germans even nicknamed their 37mm anti-tank gun“knock-knock mallet”, because when her shells hit the “thirty-four”, they just hit her and bounced off.

The main thing is that the Soviet designers managed to create the tank exactly the way the Red Army needed it. The T-34 was ideally suited to the conditions of the Eastern Front. The extreme simplicity and manufacturability of the design made it possible to establish mass production of these combat vehicles as soon as possible, as a result, the T-34s were easy to operate, numerous and ubiquitous.

6. Tank Panzerkampfwagen VI "Tiger I" Ausf E, "Tiger"

“... we went around through the beam and ran into the Tiger. Having lost several T-34s, our battalion returned back ... "
- a frequent description of meetings with PzKPfw VI from the memoirs of tankers.

According to a number of Western historians, the main task of the Tiger tank was to fight enemy tanks, and its design corresponded to the solution of this particular task:

If in initial period WWII german military doctrine had mainly an offensive orientation, then later, when the strategic situation changed to the opposite, tanks began to play the role of a means of eliminating German defense breakthroughs.

Thus, the Tiger tank was conceived primarily as a means of fighting enemy tanks, whether in defense or offensive. Accounting for this fact is necessary to understand the design features and tactics of using the "Tigers".

On July 21, 1943, the commander of the 3rd Panzer Corps, Herman Bright, issued the following instructions for the combat use of the Tiger-I tank:

... Taking into account the strength of the armor and the strength of the weapon, the "Tiger" should be used mainly against enemy tanks and anti-tank weapons, and only secondarily - as an exception - against infantry units.

As battle experience has shown, the Tiger's weapons allow it to fight enemy tanks at distances of 2000 meters or more, which especially affects enemy morale. Strong armor allows the "Tiger" to move closer to the enemy without the risk of serious damage from hits. However, you should try to start a battle with enemy tanks at distances of more than 1000 meters.

5. Tank "Panther" (PzKpfw V "Panther")

Realizing that the "Tiger" is a rare and exotic weapon for professionals, German tank builders created a simpler and cheaper tank, with the intention of turning it into a mass-produced Wehrmacht medium tank.
Panzerkampfwagen V "Panther" is still the subject of heated debate. The technical capabilities of the car do not cause any complaints - with a mass of 44 tons, the Panther was superior in mobility to the T-34, developing 55-60 km / h on a good highway. The tank was armed with a 75 mm KwK 42 cannon with a barrel length of 70 calibers! An armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile fired from its infernal vent flew 1 kilometer in the first second - with such performance characteristics, the Panther's cannon could pierce any Allied tank at a distance of over 2 kilometers. Reservation "Panther" by most sources is also recognized as worthy - the thickness of the forehead varied from 60 to 80 mm, while the angles of the armor reached 55 °. The board was weaker protected - at the level of the T-34, so it was easily hit by Soviet anti-tank weapons. The lower part of the side was additionally protected by two rows of rollers on each side.

4. Tank IS-2 (Joseph Stalin)

The IS-2 was the most powerful and most heavily armored of the Soviet mass-produced tanks of the war period, and one of the strongest tanks in the world at that time. Tanks of this type played a big role in the battles of 1944-1945, especially distinguishing themselves during the storming of cities.

The armor thickness of the IS-2 reached 120 mm. One of the main achievements of Soviet engineers is the cost-effectiveness and low metal consumption of the IS-2 design. With a mass comparable to the mass of the Panther, the Soviet tank was much more seriously protected. But too tight layout required the placement of fuel tanks in the control compartment - when the armor was broken, the crew of the Is-2 had little chance of surviving. The driver, who did not have his own hatch, was especially at risk.

Storms of cities:
Together with self-propelled guns based on it, the IS-2 was actively used for assault operations on fortified cities such as Budapest, Breslau, and Berlin. The tactics of operations in such conditions included the actions of the OGvTTP by assault groups of 1-2 tanks, accompanied by an infantry squad of several submachine gunners, a sniper or a well-aimed rifle shooter, and sometimes a knapsack flamethrower. In the event of weak resistance, tanks with assault groups planted on them at full speed broke through along the streets to squares, squares, parks, where it was possible to take up all-round defense.

3. Tank M4 Sherman (Sherman)

Sherman is the pinnacle of rationality and pragmatism. It is all the more surprising that the United States, which had 50 tanks by the beginning of the war, managed to create such a balanced combat vehicle and rivet 49,000 Shermans of various modifications by 1945. For example, in ground forces used "Sherman" with a gasoline engine, and in units Marine Corps received a modification of the M4A2, equipped with a diesel engine. American engineers rightly believed that this would greatly simplify the operation of tanks - diesel fuel could be easily found among sailors, unlike high-octane gasoline. By the way, it was this modification of the M4A2 that entered the Soviet Union.

Why did the Emcha (as our soldiers called the M4) so pleased the command of the Red Army that they were completely transferred elite units, for example, the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps and the 9th Guards tank corps? The answer is simple: "Sherman" had the optimal ratio of armor, firepower, mobility and ... reliability. In addition, the Sherman was the first tank with a hydraulic turret drive (this provided special aiming accuracy) and a gun stabilizer in a vertical plane - the tankers admitted that in a duel situation their shot was always the first.

Combat use:
After the landing in Normandy, the Allies had to come close to the German tank divisions that were thrown into the defense of Fortress Europe, and it turned out that the Allies underestimated the degree of saturation German troops heavy types of armored vehicles, especially Panther tanks. In direct clashes with the German heavy tanks The Shermans had very little chance. The British, to a certain extent, could count on their Sherman Firefly, whose excellent gun made a great impression on the Germans (so much so that the crews of German tanks tried to hit the Firefly first of all, and then deal with the rest). The Americans, who were counting on their new gun, quickly found out that the power of its armor-piercing shells was still not enough to confidently defeat the Panther in the forehead.

2. Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B "Tiger II", "Tiger II"

Combat debut Royal Tigers took place on July 18, 1944 in Normandy, where the 503rd heavy tank battalion managed to knock out 12 Sherman tanks in the first battle.
And already on August 12, the Tiger II appeared on Eastern Front: The 501st heavy tank battalion tried to prevent the Lvov-Sandomierz offensive operation. The bridgehead was an uneven semicircle, resting at the ends against the Vistula. Approximately in the middle of this semicircle, covering the direction to Staszow, the 53rd Guards Tank Brigade was defending.

At 07:00 on August 13, the enemy, under cover of fog, went on the offensive with the forces of the 16th Panzer Division, with the participation of 14 King Tigers of the 501st Heavy Tank Battalion. But as soon as the new Tigers crawled out to their original positions, three of them were shot from an ambush by the crew of the T-34-85 tank under the command of junior lieutenant Alexander Oskin, which, in addition to Oskin himself, included the driver Stetsenko, gun commander Merkhaidarov, radio operator Grushin and loader Khalychev . In total, the tankers of the brigade knocked out 11 tanks, and the remaining three, abandoned by the crews, were captured in good condition. One of these tanks, number 502, is still in Kubinka.

Currently, the Royal Tigers are on display at Saumur Musee des Blindes in France, RAC Tank Museum Bovington (the only surviving copy with a Porsche turret) and the Royal Military College of Science Shrivenham in the UK, Munster Lager Kampftruppen Schule in Germany (transferred by the Americans in 1961) , Ordnance Museum Aberdeen Proving Ground in the USA, Switzerlands Panzer Museum Thun in Switzerland and Military History Museum armored weapons and technology in Kubinka near Moscow.

1. Tank T-34-85

The medium tank T-34-85, in essence, is a major modernization of the T-34 tank, as a result of which a very important drawback of the latter was eliminated - the tightness of the fighting compartment and the impossibility of a complete division of labor of the crew members associated with it. This was achieved by increasing the diameter of the turret ring, as well as by installing a new triple turret much larger than that of the T-34. At the same time, the design of the hull and the layout of components and assemblies in it did not undergo any significant changes. Consequently, there were also disadvantages inherent in machines with aft engine and transmission.

As you know, the most widespread in tank building are two layout schemes with a bow and aft transmission. Moreover, the disadvantages of one scheme are the advantages of another.

The disadvantage of the layout with the aft location of the transmission is the increased length of the tank due to the placement in its hull of four compartments that are not aligned along the length or the reduction in the volume of the fighting compartment with a constant length of the vehicle. Due to the large length of the engine and transmission compartments, the combat with a heavy turret shifts to the nose, overloading the front rollers, leaving no room on the turret sheet for the central and even lateral placement of the driver's hatch. There is a danger of "sticking" the protruding gun into the ground when the tank moves through natural and artificial obstacles. The control drive is becoming more complicated, connecting the driver with the transmission located in the stern.

The layout of the tank T-34-85

There are two ways out of this situation: either to increase the length of the control compartment (or combat), which will inevitably lead to an increase in the total length of the tank and a deterioration in its maneuverability due to an increase in the ratio L / B - the length of the supporting surface to the track width (for the T-34 - 85, it is close to optimal - 1.5), or radically change the layout of the engine and transmission compartments. What this could lead to can be judged by the results of the work Soviet designers when designing new medium tanks T-44 and T-54, created during the war years and put into service in 1944 and 1945, respectively.

The layout of the T-54 tank

On these combat vehicles, a layout was used with a transverse (and not with a longitudinal, as in the T-34-85) placement of a 12-cylinder V-2 diesel engine (in the V-44 and V-54 variants) and a combined significantly shortened (by 650 mm ) engine compartment. This made it possible to lengthen the fighting compartment up to 30% of the hull length (24.3% for the T-34-85), increase the turret ring diameter by almost 250 mm, and install a powerful 100-mm cannon on the T-54 medium tank. At the same time, it was possible to shift the turret to the stern, allocating space on the turret plate for the driver's hatch. The exclusion of the fifth crew member (shooter from the course machine gun), the removal of the ammunition rack from the floor of the fighting compartment, the transfer of the fan from the engine crankshaft to the stern bracket and the reduction in the overall height of the engine ensured a decrease in the height of the T-54 tank hull (compared to the T-34- tank hull). 85) by about 200 mm, as well as a reduction in the booked volume by about 2 cubic meters. and increased armor protection by more than two times (with an increase in mass by only 12%).

Such a radical re-arrangement of the T-34 tank was not done during the war, and, probably, this was the right decision. At the same time, the diameter of the turret shoulder strap, while maintaining the same shape of the hull, was almost limiting for the T-34-85, which did not allow placing a larger-caliber artillery system in the turret. The possibilities of upgrading the tank in terms of armament were completely exhausted, unlike, for example, the American Sherman and the German Pz.lV.

By the way, the problem of increasing the caliber of the main armament of the tank was of paramount importance. Sometimes you can hear the question: why did you need to switch to an 85-mm cannon, could it be possible to improve the ballistic characteristics of the F-34 by increasing the barrel length? After all, the Germans did the same with their 75-mm gun on the Pz.lV.

The fact is that German guns have traditionally been distinguished by better internal ballistics (ours are just as traditionally external). The Germans achieved high armor penetration by increasing the initial speed and better working out of ammunition. We could adequately answer only by increasing the caliber. Although the S-53 cannon significantly improved the firing capabilities of the T-34-85, but, as Yu.E. Maksarev noted: “In the future, the T-34 could no longer directly, duel hit new German tanks.” All attempts to create 85-mm guns with an initial speed of over 1000 m / s, the so-called high-power guns, ended in failure due to rapid wear and destruction of the barrel even at the testing stage. For the "duel" defeat of German tanks, a transition to 100-mm caliber was required, which was carried out only in the T-54 tank with a turret ring diameter of 1815 mm. But in the battles of the Second World War, this combat vehicle did not take part.

As for the placement of the driver's hatch in the frontal hull sheet, one could try to follow the path of the Americans. Recall that on the Sherman, the driver's and machine gunner's hatches, originally also made in an inclined front hull plate, were subsequently transferred to the turret plate. This was achieved by reducing the angle of inclination of the front plate from 56° to 47° to the vertical. The T-34-85 had a 60° frontal hull plate. By reducing this angle also to 47 ° and compensating for this by some increase in the thickness of the frontal armor, it would be possible to increase the area of the turret sheet and place the driver's hatch on it. This would not require a radical redesign of the hull design and would not entail a significant increase in the mass of the tank.

The suspension has not changed for the T-34-85 either. And if the use of better quality steel for the manufacture of springs helped to avoid their rapid subsidence and, as a result, a decrease in clearance, then it was not possible to get rid of significant longitudinal vibrations of the tank hull in motion. It was an organic defect of the spring suspension. The location of the habitable compartments in front of the tank only exacerbated the negative impact of these fluctuations on the crew and weapons.

A consequence of the layout scheme of the T-34-85 was the absence of a rotating tower poly in the fighting compartment. In battle, the loader worked, standing on the covers of the cassette boxes with shells laid on the bottom of the tank. When turning the tower, he had to move after the breech, while he was prevented spent cartridges that fell right there on the floor. When conducting intense fire, the accumulated cartridge cases also made it difficult to access the shots placed in the ammunition rack on the bottom.

Summarizing all these points, we can conclude that, unlike the same "Sherman", the possibilities for upgrading the hull and suspension of the T-34-85 were not fully used.

Considering the advantages and disadvantages of the T-34-85, one more very important circumstance must be taken into account. The crew of any tank, as a rule, in everyday reality does not care at all at what angle of inclination the frontal or any other sheet of the hull or turret is located. It is much more important that the tank as a machine, that is, as a combination of mechanical and electrical mechanisms, works accurately, reliably and does not create problems during operation. Including problems associated with the repair or replacement of any parts, assemblies and assemblies. Here, the T-34-85 (like the T-34) was all right. The tank was exceptionally maintainable! It is paradoxical, but true - and the layout is “to blame” for this!

There is a rule: to arrange not to ensure convenient installation - dismantling of units, but based on the fact that the units do not need to be repaired until they completely fail. The required high reliability and non-failure operation are achieved when designing a tank based on ready-made, structurally proven units. Since, when creating the T-34, practically none of the tank units met this requirement, its layout was also carried out contrary to the rule. The roof of the engine compartment was easily removable; All this was of tremendous importance in the first half of the war, when more tanks went out of action due to technical malfunctions than from enemy influence (for example, on April 1, 1942, the active army had 1642 serviceable and 2409 serviceable tanks of all types, while while our combat losses in March amounted to 467 tanks). As the quality of the units improved, which reached the highest level for the T-34-85, the value of the maintainable layout decreased, but the language does not dare to call this a disadvantage. Moreover, good maintainability turned out to be very useful during the post-war operation of the tank abroad, primarily in Asia and Africa, sometimes in extreme climatic conditions and with personnel who had a very mediocre, if not more, level of training.

Despite all the shortcomings in the design of the "thirty-four", a certain balance of compromises was observed, which favorably distinguished this combat vehicle from other tanks of the Second World War. Simplicity, ease of use and maintenance, combined with good armor protection, maneuverability and powerful enough weapons, became the reason for the success and popularity of the T-34-85 among tankers.