World Tanks From 1939 to 1970 Years

Germany:

In September 1939, when the German army invaded Poland, it still did not accept the idea of General Heinz Guderian, which consisted in the mass use of tanks in the war. The armored vehicles of the Wehrmacht consisted then of tank cars, such as vehicles that were more suitable for training crews. But before the invasion of France in May 1940, the Germans made great advances in the training and reorganization of tank production, including also the numerical superiority of new tanks weighing up to 23 tons, at speeds up to 24 mph, and with increased calibers of guns with 37 mm on the Panzer III and up to 75 mm on the Panzer IV. To combat the Soviet Union, namely against their effective T-34 tank, the Germans developed counteraction in the form of a perfect machine. This is the "Panther", - the middle tank is probably the best German tank, which weighed about 50 tons in later versions, and at speeds up to 28 mph. Armed with a "Panther" 75-mm cannon.

By 1942 the Germans rolled out a new world tank - "Tiger", which challenged the established ideas about the tank war. Despite the problems in maneuverability, performance and speed, this heavy tank provided extraordinary armor protection and firepower with an 88-mm cannon. The Tiger's speed lay at 23 miles per hour on the roads and 12 miles per hour on rough terrain, and the mass was 63 tons.

USA:

In the United States, at the beginning of World War II, the M4 Sherman tank replaced the inconvenient medium Grant / Lee tank to become the main American combat vehicle. More than 45,000 of these reliable, durable and versatile medium-sized Sherman tanks were manufactured for the US Army, as well as for Britain and the Soviet Union. The early model of Sherman weighed 33 tons, had a speed of 23 mph and was armed with a 75-mm cannon. Subsequent changes in the A-3 project increased the weight to 35 tons and the speed to 29 mph, and the caliber of the gun to 76.2 mm. Tanks Sherman did not correspond to the identity of not only the German tank, but all the tanks of the world, because they used gasoline instead of diesel, which made them very explosive machines. All other world tanks were in this respect more fireproof. However, despite this, Sherman tanks proved to be very successful and reliable machines, in view of their mass production. In various modifications, the Shermans were used in the US in the Korean War and the Israel Defense Forces in the 1967 Six-Day War. Then on the "Super Sherman" was installed 105-mm gun.

The United States approached the design of new tanks in a different way. The main US tanks M-48 (1952) and M-60 (1960) donated light weight and silhouette in favor of an excellent 105-mm weapon system and reliability. The M60A is the 3rd version, which weighed 57 tons and reached 30 mph.

United Kingdom:

In 1945, the British produced a remarkable tank based on their own war experience. It was Centurion, which unequivocally became the basis of the British armored forces for almost a quarter of a century. This tank was known for its reliability and proved itself in combat in the Korean War. At the Centurion, a 17-pounder gun was installed, and in all, thirteen modifications of this tank were made; The latter was made in Israel. It was recognized as the world's best general-purpose tank in the West in the 1950s and 1960s. The final Israeli version of this armored vehicle weighed 54 tons, stood out with a 105-mm cannon and developed 21 miles per hour.

THE USSR:

The design of the heavy Soviet IS-3 tank produced "revolution" in 1945. This project, eventually turned into a heavy T-10 tact, in 1950. Its design allowed a weight of 51 tons at 23 miles per hour and armament with a 122-mm cannon. During the Cold War, the stylish and low-profile design of the IS-3 tank was immortalized by the West German Leopard, the French AMX 30 and the British tank Chieftain. Many world tanks took as a basis the external design of the IS-3 tank. The same design of the tower is typical for medium tank councils, developing from 1950 to the 1970s, for example, T-54/55, T-62, T-64 and T-80. Then the weight increased from 42 to 46 tons, speed from 31 to 46 mph, and the caliber of weapons from 100-mm to 114-mm. And already on Т-64 and Т-80 the 125-mm gun was put.