Jane's

WORLD WAR II

TANKS

AND FIGHTING VEHICLES

THE COMPLETE GUIDE

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Jane's

WORLD WAR II
TANKS AND FIGHTING
VEHICLES
THE COMPLETE GUIDE

LELANDNESS

tin

HarperCollmsP//Z>/Zws

In the

UK for information please contact:

HaxpetCollinsPttblisfoers

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London W6 8JB
everything clicks at www.collins.co.uk

In the

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Jane's Information

Group

www.janes.com

First

published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsP///>//V/;m2002

13579108642

Leland Ness 2002

Leland Ness

asserts the

moral right to be identified

as the

author of this work

ISBN 000711228-9

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or

otherwise, without prior permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

Designed by Barnett Design Consultants

Printed and

bound

in

England by Bath Press

Contents
Preface

Introduction

16

Britain

Commonwealth and Empire

British

7
9

48

Czechoslovakia

62

France

70

Germany

84

Hungary

114

Italy

122

Japan

134

Poland-

146

Soviet

Union

172

Sweden
United

150

States

182

Other Countries

212

Index

229

Preface
is

probably possible to

fill

a small library

common,

dealt with the operational use of these

It
(and a large hard drive) with the material

World War Two. The works range from small

global surveys to massive
histories

and highly

detailed

undertook

this

Nowhere, however, was there

built what,
this

US, German,

work, which must necessarily

only scratch the surface of this apparently well-

who

when, and how many. Thus was

book.

Much ot

British

the data

and French

is

drawn from

archives,

and

reconstruction of destroyed Japanese archives in

1945-46. While

work errors, hopefully just minor,

inevitable. In a brief overview

comprehensive study of who got what,

born

of particular models and variants.

It was thus with some trepidation that

In any

vehicles.

published on the subject of armored vehicles of

Knox,TMB = Tank Museum, Bovington.

German production

has been

as this one, simplifications

necessary.

hope

are

of a subject, such

of complex issues are

have kept both errors and

over-simplifications to an absolute

minimum.

Many colleagues provided valuable input for

this

work. Steve Zaloga, Jeff McKaughan,

David

Fletcher,

AkiraTakizawa, Nowfel

Jean-Guy Rathe, Henry Klom, Joel

well

documented, and that of the US, Soviets

however, that the works so far published

and

Italians available to serious researchers

Montagu, and many others provided input and

concentrated on only two general areas of

willing to piece together fragments, production

corrected the etrors that they saw. Such errors as

documented

interest.

The

field.

first,

It

quickly became apparent,

and most numerous, were

in other countries,

such

as Britain

those detailing the technical characteristics of

has been largely ignored.

the vehicles. In the case of "popular" vehicles,

tables provided here will help

these were often

Photo

huge tomes containing

incredible levels of detail.

The second, and

less

credits are:

Stockholm,

KAS

It is

and Japan,

hoped
fill

that the

those gaps.

Leulliot,

survived, of course, are entirely

And, of course, thanks

my own.

also to Janet for her

patience and forbearance.

= Krigsarkivet,

PMK = Patton Museum, Fort

Leland Ness
Alexandria, Virginia

Introduction
Two weapons

that

debuted during the

World War revolutionized

First

the Second: the

They shared another

trait: in

equipment perfectly serviceable

the

war

both cases

at the start

of

1939 were absolute deathtraps by

in

obsolescence within two or three years. Another

remarkable feature of both was the dramatic, in

some cases exponential,

rate over the

Unlike

increases in production

course of four years of war.

however, the increased power

aircraft,

of tanks was due not to technological progress

(with a few exceptions) but to simple scale-up.

Where combat aircraft saw

the jet-engine
the vehicles,

That

is

the introduction of

and airborne

radar,

among others,

and their guns, simply got bigger.

not to say that there was no technology

but that

insertion,

and considerably

it

tended to be incremental

less

dramatic.

Debates over whether increased protection

levels

spurred the development of more

powerful guns, or vice versa,

The fact is,

pointless.

is

probably

however, that both

increased greatly.

The

much
gun

increase in firepower
to

size.

as to increase in

In contrast to today's tank guns, which

generally fire at about

World War Two saw

case of the

,500 metres per second,

little

improvement. In the

US the early 37mm M6 fired AP

ammunition
mid-war

was due not so

improved technologies

at

880 m/s, while the standard

75mm M3 used in the Sherman

76mm

reached only 615 m/s, and the late war

M1A2 managed to get back to 790

British

managed

m/s.

to maintain a constant

Rightlhe Austrian tank

(57mm) and 17pdr (76mm)

The
850 m/s

battalion in 1936; typically for the

time relying on machine gun carriers and armoured cars.

m/s,

guns.

The

first

37mm KwK, fired at 745

the short- and long-barrelled 50mm at 685

German tank gun,

combat airplane and the armored fighting

vehicle.

through the war, with their 2pdr (40mm), 6pdr

the

and 835 m/s,

respectively, while the

L/48, standard on the

at

790 m/s. The

the

real

later

75mm

PzKw IV tanks,

fired

breakthrough came with

75mm L/70 of the Panther (925 m/s) and

JANE'S

the

88mm L/71

(Tiger

II)

ammunition,

ammunition

outer body with them, they lost velocity

by simply using thicker armor plate. Frontal

these figures were

quickly, thus losing their advantage at longer

armor thicknesses of about

ranges.

and

alloy) core

the use of special

in particular
in

which

composite

Instead, the bulk of the

a heavy (usually tungsten

was encased

in a light metal shell

body. Being lighter than the normal armorpiercing round,

it

came out of the

higher velocity. In the case of the

guns, this usually added about

muzzle

velocity,

US 76mm gun.

and 240 m/s

barrel at a

German

80 m/s to the

to the velocity

of

field

of tank

worked imperfectly and,

because these early designs carried the light

improvements

to

III

and

and

5mm (Soviet T-26

III) to

30mm

British Cruisers

of larger guns. In the case of Germany

50mm (US Sherman and Soviet T-34)

10mm (German Panther). Of equal

this

meant moving from the

37mm gun

(with a 0.69

kg

of the war,

to a

projectile) at the start

in

kg) in 1941, to a

942 and

finally, for its

88mm gun (10.2 kg), a

weight.

same

but

still

did not

increased from

long

(6.8 kg)

5-fold increase in shell

range of 500 metres for the

for the Panther's

75mm gun

50mm

heavy tanks, to an

Armor penetration

rate,

rise at

the

29mm at a

37mm,

to

138mm

75mm gun, both using

II

and

way to

to

importance was the move to curved and sloped

armor. This not only increased the effective
(line-of-sight) thickness ot the armor, but also

reduced the volume to be protected, thus

reducing armor weight, enabling even thicker

armor

to be used.

The growth
possible

in tank

weight was, in turn, made

by the development of larger power

plants. In

some cases

these were

new units,

unit arrives for service; China,

937. Type 89s traversed their turrets for

Simultaneously, of course, armor protection

rail

although others were existing aircraft engines

transit.

was improving. In part

10

(German PzKw

IV) at the start of the war gradually gave

standard armor-piercing ammunition.

Above: fit Japanese tank

British Cruisers

armor penetration came through the adoption

gun (2.06

This was an example of

technology insertion into the

design, but the rounds

at 1,000 m/s.

Some improvements in
made possible by

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

this

was accomplished

such

as the Liberty

and Merlin,

derivatives

JANE'S

thereof,

such

as the

Ford

GAA,

or combinations

of engines, such as the Chrysler A57 multibank

unit.

The only major technology infusion came

with the introduction, near the end of the war, of

the
II

Maybach HL-234

for the last batches of Tiger

tanks, this engine featuring fuel injection, a

process pioneered earlier by aircraft engines.

Transmissions and steering were also

improved during the war, again using mainly

concepts devised

such

up

as

the

to the

earlier.

PzKw I,

A few early vehicles,

theT-26, British light tanks

Mk VI and cruisers up to the Mk IV

used clutch-and-brake steering, and the Soviets

continued to use

it

through the war for theT-

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

springs, however,

only limited

mainly

as a

pressure

were very

travel, so the

stiff and

provided

improvement was

suspension worked

pairs

of wheels on each beam.

This greatly limited cross-country speed and

was modified

clear. All
it

to individually spring the wheels

German

(although only receivers in some light tanks), as

were

British tanks except the small

all

the French, whose light infantry tanks (the bulk

in the early 1930s.

Variations on this type suspension were used by

a

wide variety of tanks, including

light tanks

up

through the

to the

all

American

M5 and medium tanks

M4 Sherman.

The major

Japanese and Soviets,

almost every tank.

independent sprung, by the

in the late

920s. Their

efficient

most

improved cross-country performance and they

FiVl radios,

was

One area that did see some improvement was

springs of the Christie suspension took

of

more small roadwheels

a centrally-pivoting balance

beam

up

them with

torsion bars,

a lot

and these were

beams were mounted

US vehicles such as the M24 light tank and

on the hull by

or themselves

combined on

stiff springs

larger balance beams.

The

to

used successfully in Soviet heavy tanks and in

("bogey"). These balance

boon

to

in

The US

when

in

the

introduction of

which could operate on the move,

to tactical cooperation.

The importance of radios

The

room, however, and some designers chose

replace

them only

At the same time more

tank was stationary.

were adopted with success by the Soviets and the

medium/cruiser tanks.

fitted

models were introduced, although

1930s and quickly spread in popularity.

British for their

who

command tanks. By mid-

cases they could operate only

Controlled differential steering was provided on

US wartime tanks.

had no radios and the

war two-way radios had become standard

improvement came with the development of

large roadwheels,

of their tank force)

platoon-and-higher

lower unit mass and greater travel dramatically

mounted on

company of Britain

Fandsverk, Czech and Japanese tanks of the

multiples of two or

Mk

infantry tanks. Slower to get the message were

American JW Christie

the suspension. Early tanks simply used

become

tanks were fitted with radios

on each bogey, pioneered by the Horstmann

34s and KVs. Geared steering showed up in

all

communications. By 1939

in

the importance of radios in tanks had

"walking beam" to equalize the

on the

Another significant area of incremental

is

often

underestimated and was particularly striking

during the opening phases of the war. The

British

each

and French armies both

rifle

platoon should have

specified that

its

own backpack

the
Above: Successful on paper, the Hotchkiss 35 was

8 tank destroyer, the latter the fastest tracked

combat

severely hampered by

its

two man crew and

lack of radio.

vehicle of the war.

11

WORLD WAR

JAN E'S TANKS OF

radio, but in fact this gear

both unreliable and

battle

became

fluid

was new and thus

in short supply.

and telephone

British

Once a

lines useless,

The tank unit commander

had a pretty good chance of knowing,

generally,

where

his forces

were and what they

the other hand, often

knowledge of where

his troops

had

little

means of effectively controlling them. The

two years of war must

be attributed as

first

much

to

other factor.

A non-technical innovation resulted from the

PzKw

of the first

modern tanks of the

IV enters a French village

in

late

to focus

target

had

all

his

930s, a

directions.

to tetrieve

for

The

hitting a particular

The

loader

ammunition from the bins and

main weapon

for rapid fire, as well as

machine gun. From

followed that three

the Soviets did not adopt

that

it

men were needed to operate

942, while

until the

introduction of theT-34/85

Model 44

in early

More remarkable than

all

the technological

innovations was the massive expansion of

production. In most of the major tank-

producing countries construction of tanks and

their derivatives (tank destroyers, assault guns,

SP

artillery, etc.)

cases

increased 10-fold, and in

much more than that, between

1930s and 1943/44.

a turret efficiently.

This was not immediately apparent to

it

US moved

M4 Sherman

1944.

magnifying telescopic sight

attention on

and the Japanese. The

that entered production in January

and keep looking

all

tank,

to the three-man turret with the

be accomplished

chosen by the commander.

some

the late

Significantly, this

was

happening at the same time that tanks

thus requiring massive

tank designers, however. French tanks, even the

increased greatly in

cavalry tanks intended for mobile warfare,

expansion of industrial

continued to use the spectacularly inefficient

the new, larger tanks, even without considering

one-man

turret.

The Soviets opted for a two-

1940.

man turret,

12

to

from

to use a

service the coaxial

superior tactical communications as to any

Above: One

gunner had

reload the

were or the

stunning successes of the Panzer arm in the

had

for targets

potential threats

at least

meet new circumstances. The poor infantry

commander, on

medium

mid-

930s that there were three jobs in the tank

turret that often

had to search

were doing, and was capable of changing orders

to

realization in the

simultaneously in combat. The commander

the tank forces had a tremendous advantage

over the infantry.

and German

as did the

US

initially

with

its

M2

size,

facilities just to

produce

the increased quantities. Thus, for example, the

tanks built in the

US in

1940 totaled 3,830

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Below: Hn infantry

Commander rides on an

early

ensure coordination on the then-new Eastern

StuG 40

front,

to

941

USSR

WORLD WAR

1937

1938

1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1,558

2,270

2,988

2,669

6,449

24,713

24,227

29,029

USA

150

99

18

365

4,021

26,608

37,198

20,357

Britain

144

408

752

1,382

4,851

8,190

7,329

4,057

tank output had increased to 961,600 tons, this

Japan

347

317

570

1,068

1,269

1,375

990

387

staggering 25 1-fold increase in three years being

Italy

n/a

n/a

100

300

1,050

900

500

n/a

due not only to the increased quantities, but

Germany

300

812

743

1,479

3,057

3,463

12,780

16,832

tons, or 10.5 tons apiece average.

also to the fact that the average

By 1943

the

weight had

Production of Tanks and Derivatives

increased to 25.8 tons.

This was accomplished by different means

in different countries.

begun
]

to develop

its

The

Soviet

Union had

tank industry in the early

930s and by 1 937 was building more tanks

than the

rest

of the world combined. This

existing base of production facilities

expertise gave

them

large variety

of models with

civilian

tremendous advantage

inefficient,

but then tanks were

efforts to

priority. Italy

relocate the tank plants out of the

German

exclusively

British

late

1941 would succeed. The

had no such luxury and

largely

develop capacity almost from scratch.

to

by farming out small

accomplished

this

contracts to a

number of civilian

"familiarize"

had

They

factories to

them with tank production. This

proved an unfortunate expedient, for the

various plants invariably went their

own way in

time, resulting in small production runs of a

who

portion of their factory space for the

production of tanks. Once again,

this

proved

never a high

continued to rely almost

the form of the facility in

Genoa

in

Germans

set

up tank

as well.

factories

down

them almost by hand. One

to other countries,

solution,

common

was to tap the expertise of

and locomotive producers, who were

intimately familiar with heavy industrial work.

facilitated

contracts placed in

by large-scale

British

1940 and 1941. The

but were not oriented by nature

direction of existing industries, but appear to

slow

building tanks in

locomotive firms proved efficient and useful,

The

under the

have eschewed "hard tooling" for fear

The only plant

1939 was Rock Island Arsenal, which produced

This was

for

production, which severely limited capacity

and probably innovation

production.

railroad

on the Fiat-Ansaldo monopoly

a large industrial

base but almost no knowledge of tank

on

heavy equipment manufacturers,

set aside a

and

The US was blessed with

central

direction. Similarly, the Japanese relied

and helped ensure that the heroic

advance during

little

it

would

the introduction of modifications.

to

mass

production. Instead, attention turned to the

automobile industry and in August

940

Chrysler was awarded a contract that gave them

This appears to have limited production to

almost carte blanche to design and build a large

some

factory solely for the production of medium

extent.

13

JANE'S

tanks using auto industry assembly-line

techniques.

The

project was successful

and by

initial

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

German

II

invasion, Soviet tank strength

fluctuated between 20,000 and 25,000

Above: A German SdKfz 263 radio version

of the early

8-wheeled armoured car

941

in

North Africa,

German tank strength

1943 the Detroit Tank Plant was building 550

through the war,

Shermans

between mid- 1941 and early 1945 varied only

specialized

between 4,900 and 6,300

the

Germans (and

in

940) provided their armored forces with

month.

The increasing lethality of other

anti-tank weapons, however,

many cases

this increased

meant

that in

production served

only to replace horrendous

a disastrous

tanks and

losses.

Aside from

plunge in numbers following the

production.

The tank strength of the US and

Britain increased
losses

in spite of increased

due

to

much

smaller tank

during 1942-44.

Of equal

importance was the development of

US and

accompanying armor. The

to a lesser extent the

infantry in armored vehicles, enabling

accompany the

French

them

to

tanks. Self-propelled artillery

provided the supporting

fire,

while

reconnaissance vehicles with excellent cross-

country performance

let

the tanks

know what

they were about to run into. Similarly, armored

recovery vehicles permitted the quick repair of

broken

made

down and damaged

possible the efficient

vehicles. All these

combined-arms

operations pioneered by the

the war

and

later

Nevertheless,

it

Germans

Allies.

has to be noted that they were

apparently not absolutely necessary

if one

was

willing to accept greater casualties.

The Soviets

had tew armored personnel

and no

mobile indirect-fire

0,**-;

early in

adopted by the Western

carriers

artillery,

but used their

tank and mechanized corps to great effect in

1944-45.
Left: Vast flat terrain

encouraged the most pure form of

tank combat during 1941-42. Preparations to recoveran

abandoned

14

British Matilda.

JANE'S

Above:lt\e
car;

M20

utility car,

a variant of the

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

M8 armoured

seen here as part of the 6 lh Cavalry Group

in

Germany,

1945.

What the machine gun was

to

One, the defining weapon of the

Wotld War
conflict

on the

ground, the tank was to World War Two. While

the infantry bore the brunt of the battle and
suffered

most of the

tank that

made

maneuver

casualties,

it

was usually the

the pivotal thrust, the decisive

that decided victory or defeat

operational

level.

on the

In those areas where terrain

prevented the tank from playing

instance in the Pacific,

this role, for

Burma and

Italy,

the

wat

tended to be slower and very bloody per yard

gained.

fl/0/rf.The

most

lethal

of Tiger lis in late

and feared tank

of the

war -a row

1944.

15

Britain
On

the

first

factories

day of the war

in

September 1939 the

British tank

were turning out tanks generally comparable to their

foreign counterparts.

On the last day, in August

1945, they were

producing excellent tanks, including the Centurion that would stand the
test

of time for the next 30 years. Unfortunately, what came between was

often uninspired
disaster

and sometimes downright wretched. The seeds of

had been planted before the war and

of the war to

cull

it

would

take the better part

out the weeds and concentrate on the good designs.

Interwar Tanks

The beginning was

auspicious enough, given the general

disarmament sweeping the West

Vickers designed a
as the

Mk

I,

new medium tank that went into production

it

in

1923

featuring a sprung suspension, air-cooled engine and a

rotating turret with a

machine,

after

mood of

the Great War. The War Office and

was

far

3pdr (47mm) gun. Although hardly an

ideal

combat

in advance of anything anyone else was proposing to

on

build and placed Britain

a fast track in tank development. Subsequent

Mk IA, Mk II and
A total of 68 of these

improvements, mostly to the powertrain, yielded the

Mk IIA, the last of these being ordered in

vehicles

were

928.

about 60/40 between Vickers-Armstrong and the

built, split

state-owned Royal Ordnance Factory at Woolwich.

War Office announced

In 1926 the

medium

requirement for an all-new

tank and two design teams set to work.

resulted in the A6 (better

Woolwich

known

yielded the A7.

The Vickers

When prototypes were delivered the A6 proved

too expensive for a parsimonious Treasury, while the

significant operational shortcomings.

ordered, using

effort

as the 16-tonner), while that at

Three

A7 contained

Medium Mk III were

some of the design concepts of the A6, but otherwise both

vehicles proved a dead end.

More successful was

the Vickers effort to develop a private venture export

came

tank. As the War Office tanks grew ever heavier, Vickers

to realize that

few foreign countries could afford them. Instead, they began developing a
separate series of lighter

with the British

was followed by the

The Medium
fully the equal

mediums, designated by letters

Army tanks,
B-D

primarily for overseas

until they finally got

E, universally

known

it

It

The Medium A

right with the

as the 6-tonner,

of its foreign contemporaries.

to avoid confusion

sales.

was

Medium

a reliable

E.

machine

was offered in two versions,

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

Left:

Mk Vi

light

tanks and carriers on maneuvers shortly

before the war.

numbers of tanks with

contracts for small

wide

variety of commercial heavy industries in order

to "familiarize"

tanks.

them with the production of

These contracts,

typically for

were no incentive to create

facility

40-50

tanks,

modern production

but simply persuaded the firms and their

component suppliers
facilities to

inefficient

to

adapt their existing

low-level production of tanks.

An

system was born, one that would not

only not improve during the

upcoming war, but

The A9/A10
were regarded

first

half of the

actually get worse.

cruisers

and Al

infantry tanks

as interim vehicles

even before

the production contracts were signed. In the

case of the cruisers the impetus for

one with two machine gun-armed

turrets

the other with a single larger turret with a

machine gun. Although

countries,

clearly designed

47mm gun and coaxial

Vickers short-barrel

none of the

was sold to quite

it

sales

were

large.

critetion.

few

This was,

the

with price

All, and was

as

improvement came from observation of Soviet

dominant

the

tanks using the American Christie suspension in

A small, slow machine with a two-

man crew and armed with only a single machine

gun,

it

at least

had

a reliable

engine and thick

however, sufficient to keep the Vickers works

armor in

ticking over during an otherwise dry period in

probably due more to cost considerations than

the early and mid- 1 930s.

anything

In the

meantime

that

would

effect their

battle tanks. Infantry tanks

for thick

armor

in order to

manner of the

Medium

static

would

types of

sacrifice

operate on the flanks.

the lead designer

speed

tanks

would be
role

to Vickers,

fast

and

where

would be Sir John Carden,

which

initial cruiser

was

compromises

in the

(very thin armor),

The

and 2pdr gun), some

name of cost and weight

and some

(twin subsidiary machine

three months, this

truly anachronistic

gun

turrets).

Within

had been supplemented by a

second specification, theAlO, for

A9 with

A9.

mix of some new componentry

(the suspension, engine

the

months

began

Al

from Vickers

to

later.

At

this point,

in April

a version of

thicker armor. This was

937,

Mk A9
I

however, things

short order Nuffield was given a contract to

this

new concept.

Mk III A13, which

featured the same inadequate armor as the Mk
The

result

was the Cruiser

faster,

particularly cross-country. In

1939

it

was

decided that additional armor was required and,

as

with the A 1 0, the answer was to bolt

this yielding the

Mk IV, also known as

In the field of infantry tanks the inefficient

for failing to recognize the threat

in

Cruiser

theA13Mk2.

time and failing to

Mk

was to be replaced by a

larger tank, faster

provide sufficient funding to build up defenses

(although this was purely relative) and atmed

once the threat was apparent. There

with

much

truth to this, but

it is

money did start flowing,

squandered

By 1937

much

is

certainly

also true that

the

once

War Office

Woolwich. The

2pdr gun

Foundry Ltd

of it.

latter

design for this

and

in a

2-man

turret.

ROF

was being phased out of

The

basic

new Mk II was undertaken

Woolwich, and then handed

there were two tank manufacturing

plants in operation: Vickers at Elswick

at

as part

off to

at

Vulcan

of the expertise-expansion

program. Vulcan had already gained some

experience in building

Mk VI light tanks, but

getting production running

on

this

much

tank production in order to concentrate on

heavier tank proved difficult. Although the

weapons, but that same year Nuffield

contract for 130 vehicles was placed in

Mechanisation and Aero was established, with a

modern production

line for tanks.

Money for

broke out and very few in the following

despite the addition of three

began to flow the following year. That money

small contracts in August 1938.

accomplished by removing the subsidiary turrets

production

and bolting extra armor plates over the

subcontractors, but instead

and integrate the efforts of

it

was used

to place

first

May

938, none had been completed by the time war

the acquisition of cruiser and infantry tanks

lines

both on the roads and

additional armor plates onto the hull and turret,

could have been used to expand the existing

front.

A Christie tank was smuggled out of the

A9, but was

go awry.

of a resurgent Germany

requirement was the A9,

resulted in the Cruiser iVIk

vehicle

Mk

governments

The specifications for both

handed over

else.

have often criticized the pre-war British

Vickers having acquired the Carden-Loyd firm.

The

Infantry

936.

US and examined with great interest and in

develop a cruiser tank using

Historians, particularly military historians,

warfare of the prior war.

(later called cruiser)

although the former was

favor,

and an even smaller quantity of Cruiser

four

in the

and would undertake the exploitation

types of tanks were

ways

support infantry

enemy defenses,

attacking prepared

in

tank concepts for the next

now to be two

ten years. There were

its

The War Office ordered a small batch of

British tank design

philosophy had changed significantly

18

The infantry tank was

and

In any event, a replacement for the

Infantry was already

year,

more firms with

Mk II

on the drawing boards. The

Valentine tank had been designed as a private

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

Army (which split production

British

1930

1931

1932

1933

1934

1935

1937

1936

between

1938 1939^

ROF), Vickers

Vickers and

also sold in small

Armored Cars

numbers
8

Crossley

Mk

Lanchester

IA

Mk

Lanchester

II

Guy Mk

users.

257

MG

Mk

VIB

MG
MG

Carrier No.1

Mk1

Carrier No.2

Mk1

final

10

Carrier

the

14
41

model

weak and

741

210

667
-

Universal Carrier

it

25

new

2,276

Mk

Light Tank

Mk HA

29

Light Tank

MkllB

21

Light Tank

Mk

III

Light Tank

Mk

IV

Light Tank

Mk V

22

Light Tank

Mk

VI

51

Light Tank

Mk

VIA

210

Light Tank

Mk

VIB

30

16

II

Mk

VIC

Light Tank

Mk

VII

416

Mk

II

Mk

III

Cruiser

Mk

IV (A1 3

Cruiser

MkV(A13Mk

Cruiser

Mk

Infantry

Mk

III

75

earlier

Due to

in the

Normandy

the efforts of Sir John

Mk

230

Mk II production contract was signed.

many components from

Vickers ranks, such as the suspension and

engine from the Cruiser

and

II,

no prototype

an order for 275 was placed

and

known

as the "tankette".

it

was

The Carden-

Loyd firm developed an armored machine gun

Armored Vehicle Orders

Office in February 1938, actually before

genesis in Britain

soon spread across the globe, where

VIB co ntracts

venture by Vickers and was submitted to the

its

441

300

R/ \?

Garden and

79

60

n the

1930s

The

light

tank saga

Based on the

earlier

is

considerably simpler.

Carden-Loyd

armed with

920s.

the late

similar,

but the

turret

a single

The Marks

to

machine gun

as

in

IV were all

Mark V introduced a two-man

and twin machine guns (one .303 and

one .5-inch)

armament. In addition

to the

it

1928 the

many prototypes in

the 1920s

was acquired by Vickers Armstrong

momentum gained through the

marketing and

facilities

of the industrial giant

paved the way for commercial success. The

carriers,

Vickers began developing a series of two-man

light tanks

through

and when
in

built. Instead,

A few were used

Vivian Loyd, the concept of the small two-man

carrier

1939.

it.

Other Prewar Vehicles

300

3)

100

Army &

used so

last in

to regular

invasion.

160

Mk2)

Valentine

Taken from

first

was adopted by the airborne

tracked vehicle gained

January-September

with the

airborne drop in support of the

100

(A1 2)

to 100,

65

(A11)

of the

who built the Hamilcar glider

generally

in July

it

specifically to carry

50

(A13)

II

line units, but

25

forces,

(A10)

loss

lost faith in light tanks,

March 1 942. The tank was not issued

Tanks

VI {A1 5)
I

20 from Metro-Cammell. Afrer the

being delivered in October 1940 and the

468

Cruiser

Mk

Mk VII Tetrarch. A total of 166

cancelling the Vickers order and reducing the

167

Cruiser

Mk

MkVI series. Armed with a 2pdr

to

BEF, however, the army

(A9)

Infantry

70

III

Infantry

Mk

Metro-Cammell order

Mk

entirely

light tank, breaking completely with the

July 1938 as the

33
34

Infantr y

hammered

were ordered from Vickers and an additional

9

Cruiser

Light Tank

armament, was recognized even

gun, the vehicle was ordered into production in

Light Tank

Medium Mk

light tanks,

home. In 1937 Vickers designed an

earlier

Medium, Cruiser &

was

MG

less reliable

before rhe events in France in 1940

Light Tanks

earlier

replaced

5mm Besa.

particularly the

1,301

Scout Carrier

it

unreliable .5-inch Vickers

The shortcomings of the

Bren Carrier

the

The

Mark VIC,

50

Carrier

Because

of this tank, the

95

Carrier

Cavalry Carrier

War

most

in the

in the desert.

with the more powerful but even

far the

BEF and

large-scale service with rhe

12

Carrier

By

hull.

opening phases of the war

MkVI MG

was the Mark VI,

turret to allow the radio to

common model was the Mark VIB, which saw

100

Carriers

MG

definitive version

be moved there from the

99

Alvis-Straussler

AOP

The

which enlarged the

CS9

Morris

number of overseas

to a significant

practical version

was the Machine

first

Gun Carrier

MkVI as transporters for the heavy Vickers

.303 water-cooled MG. The Army purchased
about 250 from Vickers and another 57 built

under

license

by ROF.

the fact that small

Of more significance was

numbers were exported

to a

19

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S
large

number of countries, some of whom

(Italy,

the

first

batch of 41 in order to concentrate on

Poland and the Soviet Union) built variants

tanks,

themselves, with or without benefit of license.

Aveling Barford, Thornycroft, Sentinel

As the war was

demonstrate the

to

MG

although inexpensive, had very

carrier,

practical utility.

rendered

it

The

Works and

lack of room for a radio

of the small weapon and the thin armor

made

a questionable

provision for only one

driver)
rarely

meant

many of the others,

came

The

and the

recognized this early and the

in

933.

and

in

1934 they showed

new prototype which, when

enlarged

caught the interest of the War

prototype

trials

the

room

slightly,

MG Carrier No.2 was

for a third

facilitating

Office. Following

ordered into production. These

had room

crew

for a radio. Variants

of

once the Vickers guns had been

British

armored

cars

4x2 CS9

and

but with only single-axle drive,

chassis,

Bren gun, these were clearly not

armored

for a

many

from Morris, based on rhe

cars

7mm of armor, and armed with a Boys AT rifle

as

structure,

fact,

command vehicles. A competition

4x4 armored

artillery tractor.

were major proponents of

was held in 1938 and won

car

order in 1939,
tank".

To

that

Guy "Quad-Ant"

The vehicle performed so well,

when

in fact, that

through the 1920s. The majority

a long-

of them were completed

by a vehicle based on the

RAF vehicles were relatively light,

of army and

armored

term answer. In

War Office placed the

the

was referred

it

end

"wheeled

to as the

shared the

it

armament of the

MkVIB light tank.

based on the 4x2 Rolls-Royce chassis. Export

new machines

member

Lanchester 6x4 truck chassis.

cases

was limited

to .303

Armament in all

Light Tanks

machine guns, usually

in the rear,

were developed, the

which was the Bren Carrier

The poor showing the Mk VI

light tanks

Army that such

vehicles were a

water-cooled Vickers guns. In the early 1930s,

convinced the

however, the Army lost interest in armored

waste of limited production resources.

cars,

work continued

preferring light tanks for the reconnaissance

dismounted use or the weapon, and

most numerous

were used

each infantry

light

vehicles were heavier, utilizing Crossley or

Vickers was not through with the concept of

the carrier, however,

carriers

to

MG carriers were converted to that role.

The

Army, unlike

in

99

Waggon

production switched to Bren carriers and

of the

weapon would

British

The MG

platoon

removed from the infantry battalion

(other than the

that in practice the

be dismounted.

last deliveries

man

asset,

Nuffield.

a carrier

battalion, but

nearly useless as a scout, the limited

combat

form

to

little

traverse
it

and production was instead fanned out

role.

Development

of

armored

improvements

cars essentially

ceased from about 1934.

The Alvis

designer Nicholas Straussler in

938

to

marker

car called the Alvis-Straussler

and

RAF ordered a dozen for use in the Middle

Some

Vickers on evolutionary

Mark VII Tetrarch, and

to the

this resulted in the

firm teamed up with the Hungarian

4x4 armored

at

Mark VIII Harry Hopkins.

Three prototypes were authorized

in April

1941. Production was handed over to Metro-

Cammell, which had previously built

the

which featured improved armor and

the

replacement of the Vickers gun by a Bren light

East,

MG and/or a Boys AT

Indeed, the foreign connection caused the War

demonstrating the low priority assigned. All

was intended for use with the divisional cavalry

Office sufficient worry about security that they

were placed

regiments and had two seats each side on the

did not place any contracts for armored vehicle

rear,

The Scout Carrier

facing outward. Finally, a variant was

produced
the

rifle.

for use

with Alvis through the

by artillery forward observers,

AOP carrier. Vickers was relieved of

production responsibility for these vehicles

but the Army refused to follow

In the meantime, the

reconsider
after

rest

fix

its

position

was attempted

in

suit.

vehicle

firsr

last in

in reserve,

The US M3-series

was delivered

in

March 1945,

and none saw

light

service.

tank was used

extensively in the Western Desert in 1941-42,

Army was starting

cars.

and the

June 1943 and rhe

of the war.

on armored

Tetrarch,

to

A quick

1937 with the purchase of

but more in the role of a cruiser than

traditional light tank,

popular due to their

to serve as

gun tanks

the war, but

where they proved

reliability.

in

They continued

Burma through much of

by 1 944 had been relegated

scout role in the rest of the Army.

to the

They were

assigned on the scale of one platoon

(1

tanks)

per rank and armored regiment, often suffering

the indignity of having their turrets

removed

to

better act as scout vehicles.

Cruiser Tanks

The Marks

III

and IV had proven the

suitability

of the Christie suspension for tanks and the

time had

now come to create a fully integrated

tank using these elements. As part of the plan to

diversify

AFV expertise, design responsibility

to the

Scottish Railway

(LMS), which had no prior

Left:

A Comet tank approaches the Weser Bridgehead,

April 1945.

20

London, Midland and

was handed over

JANE'S
experience at
disastrous.

all.

The

The

firms building

result was, predictably,

resulting tank, the

Mark V

made

ever built, but could hardly ever be

reliably. In particular,

it

no fewer than

(counting the Light VIB/C

run

to

suppliers for

modifications railed to cure. Production was

been given to the need

undertaken by LMSR directly, and by English

their service lives.

With
for

and Leyland under

the loss of the

BEF

LMS supervision.

the original contracts

351 tanks were increased

to

852 by

in early

,700.

The suspensions could

The slow climb back up was to start with

MkVI

Crusader.

to join the

had been offered rhe opportunity

cruiser.

spawned showed up again

wasAl5, and

machines was

January 1943.

finally delivered in

Except for a few

trials

vehicles, these tanks

of these

and bridge-laying

remained

safely in the

UK

development and

the diffusion of effort, both in design

it

for this

radiators,

The

result

Initial trials

although

it

showed

fast,

in

it

to be

more

how

gun was
the

cruiser

May 1941

reworked 2pdr

The first production

III

The need

VII

Mk

Mk

(A)

II

ofTank Design drew up

III

Mk

had

to

of

December

May

comparison

cruiser

1942.
too

it

to

its

had been

The Department

specifications that, in

purpose-built turret for the larger gun, drawing

There

initial

favorable reaction and permission to

proceed with

six

prototypes as the A24.

Birmingham Railway Carriage

proposed

Mk

until

6pdr-armed

for a

new tank

& Waggon

(although retaining the

Infantry Tanks

Cruiser Tanks

Mk

also

to the detriment

months or so,
in

for the

order for the

was not placed

six

turret,

make room

Thus, the commander

little

Nuffield proposed their Crusader but with a

down.

Crabtree

IV

Mk V

MkVI

Mkl

Mkll

Mkll
14

(A)

English Electric

(A)

Foden

&

33

75

Wolff

45

Fowler

34
(A)

Leyland

10

LM.S.
Metro Cammell

(A)

75

(A)

31

39

N.B. Locomotive

22

Mech & Aero

Ruston & Hornsby

14

190

(A)

30

39

(A)

Vauxhall Motors

43

Vickers Armstrong

31

Vulcan

55

(A)

50

87

72

10

85

38
(A)

West Gas Imps

(A)

it

January 1941, yielded two possible approaches.

they soon became unpopular for

their habit of breaking;

73

Nuffield

foreseen as early as mid- 1 940.

from sand ingestion and,

Birmingham Car Co.

J.

first

but

mount

to

1941, with deliveries beginning in

retained

was the Cruiser Mark VI

LightTanks

Harland

first

was made

it)

lost to

Thus, within about

was would not show up until

although

MkVIC

more than

larger gun.

Crusader

than the Covenanter, but exactly

standardization and coherence of effort. In

MkVIB

Crusader (the

the Covenanter, as well as the forward

placement of the

the)' suffered greatly

fact,

little

requirement

they were sent to the desert in mid- 1 94

was

both.

commonality with the

called for

unwillingness of those responsible to enforce

during the fust year of the war there were

in the

capable of handling

heavier, fast

to the fullest extent possible.

faint this praise

production, and the apparent inability or

gun

larger

that the

The decision

foes.

reliable

and

1940

until early

available for testing.

would be undergunned

Crusader.

production. Part of the problem was certainly

was not

Nuffield's wisely rejected the flat- 12 engine of

appearance.

The Covenanter undoubtedly represented

the nadir of British tank

The specification

Covenanter

own,

its

the Christie suspension and the overall

through the war.

initiated in April 1938,

assume the duties of gunner,

Covenanter production plan, but

multitude of producers they had intentionally

last

942, but help

The 57mm 6pdr gun

program had been

with one crewman

Supply's seeming inability to say no to the

in their failure to stop

rarely

in arriving.

apparent urgency and the version finally chosen

instead opted to develop

production of a useless tank and the

upgrade vehicles over

to

was slow

but work on the turret proceeded with

Nuffield's

The Ministry of

thought appears to have

with their 40mm 2pdr

rings usually prohibited the adoption of bigger

the

941 the number was

doubled again to almost

little

II

guns were undergunned by early

handle any additional weight and the turret

guns.

September 1940. That should have been the

end of it, but

that

sometimes overlapped with others, but often

suffered from severe

did not. Further,

Electric

These were

components and assemblies

overheating problems that multiple

The Crusaders and

models of tank

1 1

as one).

each had a network of

just the final assemblers;

Covenanter, was one of the best-looking tanks

tegfc

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

on order, but none yet completed

Tank Production by Firm, September 1939

to

September 1940

21

(ANE'S

Prior

1939a

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

1941

1942

1943

1944

Light Tanks

1001

MKVIC
MkVII

Mk

160
15

Trials in late

68

12

VIM (Harry Hopkins)

33

58

(A.9)

41

Mkll(A.IO)

Mk
Mk

49

159

43

(A.13)

III

IV (A.13

(A.13

Mk II)
Mk III)

VI (Crusader)

MkVII

less reliable

was

How

762

957

655

1342

6pdr

Cromwell

had taken

at the

seemed

likely

the old

now turned

to the

(if increasingly

160

73

Libert}' engine, rather than

64

50

their

own variant,

radical

come up with

design and

22

using the thoroughly familiar

underpowered and

unreliable)

BRW&C's more

adoption of the powerful Rolls Royce

39

III

75mm
95mm How

Meteor.

334

23

220

1604

46

308

33
56

984

Tanks

Predictably, the Ministry of Supply let

three suppliers have their way.

II

IV (Churchill)

6pdr

IV (Churchill)

75mm
95mm How

IV (Churchill)

(of the Churchills,

65

41

33

24

356

1038

1330

143

345

1621

1683

429

Cromwell

256

690

heavy model)

and the

A27L (for Liberty)

In

November 1942

35

1258

73

Centaur, and the A27M as the Cromwell.

809

61

180

171

[6]

[567]

[702]

A24 as

the Cavalier, the

A27L as the

531

The Cavalier, not surprisingly,

many of the
on which

it

reliability

was based and few were

used in combat.

214

OP
OP

Crusader

112

Cavalier

158

Centaur Hulls d

The Centaur still

built,

none

used the old

Liberty engine of the Crusader and

182

352

Valentine Hulls 6

its

23

suspension developed by

102

BRW&C as well as the

Merrit-Brown gearbox and was thus

Covenanter Bridgelayer
Crusader Oerlikon

69

AA

26

204

294

474

OP

126

95

Centaur Bulldozer

Churchill

2pdr to 6pdr

Churchill

6pdrto75mm
AVRE

armed with
250

Valentine Bridgelayer

42

174

153

505

Churchill Bridgelayer

Sherman OP
Sherman 17pdr

60

(Crab)

Sherman ARV

They served

for the

most

24

the

95mm howitzer were used by

the Royal Marines in the opening phases of

Normandy.
1339

446

593

52

44

22

The Centaur had

first

cruiser

the distinction of being the

model with

75mm gun, although

only beating the Cromwell by a few days.

43

1783

563

417

224

again, the tank designers

Once

had been caught behind

the curve, with turrets and turret rings developed

53
for the

Ram GPO
Ram ARV

of

part as training vehicles, although about 80

123

AA

a sort

interim step in the development of the new-

generation cruiser.

Crusader Tractor

reliability

suffered as a result, but featured the upgraded

Conversions

Flail

from

suffered

problems of the Crusader

898

AA

Crusader Bofors

Centaur Polsten

this

1102

the

I,

BRW&C vehicle as the

confusion was cleared up slightly by renaming

Specialized Variants

Crusader Hulls c

II,

A27M Cromwell III.

734

966

all

The A24 would

enter production as the Cruiser VII Cromwell

the Leyland vehicle as the

Mkl (A.11)
Mk (A.12)(Matilda)
Mk III (Valentine) 2pdr/3" How
Mk III (Valentine) 6pdr
Mk IV (Churchill) 2pdr/3" How

57mm 6pdr and incapable of accepting

350
34

Sept-Dec only

Jan-Sept only

anything larger. After several abortive attempts to

develop

gun, Vickers engineers realized they

could simply rebore and rechamber the existing

for later conversion to Oerlikon AA

d for later conversion to for Polsten AA
e for
later

look

1037

143

Sherman

145

Churchill

it

left in

771

Comet

Cavalier

room

907

Challenger

Infantry

was

BRW&C proposal. In the meantime Leyland

27

161

Cromwell 6pdr
Cromwell

little

Crusader lineage. Attention

256

75mm
95mm How

Cromwell

it

than the Crusader, Nuffield's

promised improvements, but

(Cavalier)

Centaur

Mk
Mk
Mk

even

11

Centaur 6pdr
Centaur

to be seriously flawed, in particular

22

(Covenanter)

VI (Crusader) 2pdr/3"

94 1 and early 942 showed the

A24

that there

MkV
Mk
Mk

35

reception.

Cruiser Tanks

Mk

Meteor engine. This received

somewhat cooler

173

(Tetrarch)

added

later

1945^
the Rolls Royce

MkVI, VIA & VIB

which they

Christie suspension), to

1940

6pdr and turn

conversion to bridgelayer

it

into a

75mm gun that fired the

same ammunition and with the same (mediocre)

British

Wartime Production

of

Tanks & Variants

results as

achieved by the American

gun. The

new weapon would,

75mm M3

obviously,

fit

into a

JANE'S
6pdr mounting and starting in October 1943

componenrs. The

Centaurs and Cromwells began coming

ultimate development of the British cruiser.

line

with

The

this

off the

With

weapon.

transition to the next-generation cruiser

the

result

At the start of the war the Marks

production and the

Comet, the tank designers had

come up with

finally

Infantry Tanks

was the Comet, the

a winner. After a tortuous

was completed (although nor perfected) by the

process and not a few two-steps-forward-one

Cromwell. The excellent Meteor engine gave

back, the British

the vehicle high speed

tank

the beefed-up

and

good

Christie suspension provided both

as

good

as

Army finally had a medium

any

in

world. Unfortunately,

September

line until

additional weight later on. Although

brought into the production

reliable as the Sherman,

was

it

still

not as

cruisers

They were

and

Rhine

proved a serviceable tank.

The one
effective

thing Cromwell did not have was an

main armament.

A perfectly good

weapon had been developed

76mm

17pdr and had entered production

towed anti-tank weapon

in

A10 seems

as its hull

cruiser category.

They widened

mounting

this

the center section of the hull (but

and added an

accommodate
turret

with

a high, slab-sided

welded

armor had

unit.

Even

to be reduced,

due

February

to

its

The

firmly into the

The Valentine

tried to

do both,

terribly well. Yet

A4l was

first

ofTmk

such program since the war

this responsibility earlier, for

the

were impressive. Six prototypes of the

new vehicle,
running

length. In

the requirement

The Department probably should have

been given
results

along with the hull side armor, and the vehicle

proved difficult to drive

fell

Ministry of Supply's Department

began.

the weight, and replaced the

christened the Centurion, were

trials

due

when

the

war ended

in

Europe.

and

were in

II

Valentine on
to bear

much

to the use

The

already totalled
the)'

line at Vickers fairly

of components from

parent firm delivered the

first

June 1940, by which time orders

1

,729 from four firms. Since

were more thinly armored than previous

infantry tanks, but slightly

upgunned
and then

lor

issued and responsibility was handed over to the

Design, their

extra roadwheel to

so, the turret frontal

and

the quest for a "universal tank" continued. In

November 1943

new gun.

not the distance between the tracks), lengthened

it

role

attempted to answer both

and wound up doing neither

was too narrow. Thus,

BRW&C was asked to develop a Cromwell

variant suitable for

to have

requirements, but finally

be

to

the tank of the future, could not carry this

weapon,

provision of separate tank types for the

design, development and production assets.

as a

came off the production

faster,

often used as cruisers during

crossing.

infantry support had been seen as wasteful of

mid- 1942.

Unfortunately, the Cromwell, which was

The

March 1945.

III

of the burden of the war for the next two years,

eight in

but output

issued to the troops only after the

normal armored exploitation

form oi the

in the

effort,

did not reach 100/month until

a great

improvement over the previous

Mark

The Valentine, which was

earlier tanks.

944. Four firms were

country mobility and the ability to absorb

order.

quickly,

they did not start coming off the production

cross-

tela

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

twice during their

to

sacrificing

75mm,

they were

94 1 They were
.

lives, first to

6pdr

but both required

one of the

turret crew, with the

attendant inefficiencies.

Both the Matilda and Valentine remained

production

in the

UK well into

Matilda being valued for

Valentine for

its

its

all-around

in

1943, the

thick armor and the

utility.

The

Valentine was also produced in Canada, but lor

shipment to the Soviet Union rather than

for

British use.

In the meantime, a true successor to the

thick-skinned Matilda was under consideration.

An initial effort, known as

the A20, ran in

prototype form in June 1940 bur proved a

failure.

With

their tank force

all

but wiped out,

and facing imminent invasion, Vauxhall was

asked to take the A20, scale

it

down

a little

and

943 200 Challengers were ordered

but in November the decision was

made

to halt

production once those had been completed.

17pdr could not

If the

fit

without ruining the tank's

into the

integrity,

Cromwell
then one

obvious alternative was to modify the gun.

Vickers had been working on a high- velocity

75mm L/50 gun since March

originally

been planned for the Cromwell, but

in

May 1943 it was discovered

fit

after

all.

October

1942. This had

it

Nevertheless,

was announced

be modified to

fire

that

it

would not

work continued and

that the

in

gun would

17pdr ammunition and

it

77mm gun to avoid

confusion with others. Now just remained to

was redesignated the

it

design a

new tank to

handed over

maximum

take this weapon. This was

to Leyland,

who made the

possible use of Cromwell

Right: Valentines fitted with Duplex Drive and flotation

screens (here lowered).

23

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

AVRE in

Left: A Churchill

France, September

944. The

demolition launcher that replaced the gun could throw an

bomb 70

18-kg

a later

meters.

model when

British

that

became

available.

The

M3 had slightly thicker armor and a new

cast turret,

the No.

bulged

in the rear to

accommodate

9 radio and with a simple two-piece

US

hatch replacing the cupola used by the

models.

The contract was mooted when Lend-Lease

became

available.

The

first

Lend-Lease

bill

authorized the transfer of tanks off the

production line under

Britain,
lights

and 1.271

US Army contracts

M3 mediums and

to

1,250

M3

were diverted. Subsequently, Lend-Lease

purchases were simply incorporated into the

War Department procurement plans.

became
ger in into production as quickly as possible.

The

result

Churchill.

was the A22,

Matildas and Al 5 Crusaders for Britain.

The American

later called the

An order for 500 was placed right off

the drawing board

and

deliveries

began

in

were shown the

June

1941.

up of the

Not surprisingly,

given the lack of

development models, the

initial

miserably unreliable. Modifications and

reliable.

tank "right" over the next year and by the time

was committed

to action in Tunisia

it

it

this,

A contract was placed almost

terrain.

wider tracks yielded

that enabled

caused the

them

Sherman,

their

lower ground pressure

to cross soft

ground that

M4 to bog down, while their

controlled differential steering allowed

pivot turn, something

US

them

tanks at the time

In fact, the Churchill was so successful that

plans to halt production in 1943 were

shelved and they were

still

being turned out in

September 1945.

United States Tanks

Little

thought appears to have been given

purchasing tanks in the

1940.

been

US

until the

to

summer of

A British Purchasing Commission had

set

up

earlier,

but

this

concerned

and

M3 Lee (American)
M3 Grant (British) tanks.

As anticipated, procurement switched

M3 mediums, with two

with the

major batch, 354 M4A2, being

first

requirements and

were the A2 and

production be switched to

1941
Light,

M2A4

Light,

M3

majority of these

but

all

models

Light,

1942

1943

1,039

59

1944

1945

36

736

M3A1

548

1,046

Light,

M3A3

1,520

525

23

Light,

M5A1

1,128

300

Light,

22

57

203

160

Light,

M24

164

125

229

1,522

Medium M3 Grant

Medium M3 Lee

900

252

Medium M4 (75mm)

190

2,154

90

Medium M4 (105mm)

438

21

Medium M4A1 (75mm)

264

121

563

Medium M4A1 (76mm)

1,259

71

Medium M4A2 (75mm)

385

4,153

489

14

Medium M4A2 (76mm)

Medium M4A3

Medium M4A4

129

5,392

1,632

Medium M4E8 (105mm)

53

81

Medium M4 Tank Dozer

124

40

Medium, M26E3

24

110

Recovery Vehicle

arrived to attempt to

persuade American factories to produce

24

The

A4 versions,

M32

production. In July 1940 a British Tank Mission

Dewar Mission)

to the

M4 Sherman as soon as that became available,

itself

mostly with coordinating Canadian

(the

of M3

would be

distinguished between the

delivered in August 1942.

(2)

it

necessary to accept the original American

provisos; (1) they be modified to British

to

could not do.

initial

as possible,

had

exceptionally useful in difficult

Although heavier than

soon

version as well as their own. Thus, the British

good combat vehicle, but both were

evolved into an effective and reliable machine.

They proved

but they

M2A4 light tank and a mock-

immediately for 3,000

fixes

were applied in a massive program to make the

on standardization

as

A12

US Tank

US

quickly

clear that in order to get delivery

mediums

M3 medium tank. Neither was a

particularly

batches were

insistence

with American designs thwarted

It

Exports to the

Commonwealth

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S
1942

1941

month only once,

1945

1944

1943

February 1943.

in

resultant vehicle, officially

known

The

as the

Mk

Light Tanks

140

UK
Middle East

Gun

1,611

306

armed, but lacked a machine gun, was slow and

239

637

169

46

unreliable,

and had a

522

407

nothing

complement

62

287

5,616

4.664

316

167

1,213

1,965

30

80

1,767

1,703

81

10

armor.

Medium Tank

UK
Middle East
Persia/Iraq

North Africa

Gibraltar
3

later

vertical face that did

tall

the

88mm

They never saw combat and most were

trials

vehicles for specialized

Although the Churchill

Gun

difficulties in fitting

US Tank Shipments

among them

an armored vehicle capable ot defeating

German

shortcoming of the Sherman, lack of firepower,

armor.

The only solution visible

welcomed.

not

the tanks were shipped

and was thus

Of course,

directly to Britain.

armed

the

them the Sherman

(M4),

(M4A2), IV (M4A3),

vehicle.

One major change made to

the retrofitting of the

had become obvious

large

numbers

field

was

the

Sherman was

7pdr gun. By

late

was developed, but

have
(c)

(a) a

it

it

turned out that not

to

M34A1

were not unique

to

any particular model of Sherman, indeed some

batches in

all

gasoline-powered models could

incorporate them, but not

all

did.

This led to

the vexing problem that, although they had

been notified

British forces (and those directly under

went

control)

to the

substantial portion
cruisers

Middle

went

where

how many of each model were

in the

0-series tank

Sherman tank with an

mounting a medium-

Over 1 ,600 were acquired

with the designation "Wolverine" and issued to

the RA's anti-tank regiments. As production of

for

the

its

17pdrgun ramped up

it

regun the Wolverines with

East. After that, a

to Italy,

turret

velocity 3-inch gun.

two years of

program the majority of tanks destined

proved possible

to

that weapon. When

rearmed the vehicles were known

British

as the Achilles

Mk IC (M10) or Mk IIC (M10A1). In fact, the

were not used.

Wolverines delivered in 1944 arrived without

The first

gasoline engine, (b) a wide mantlet,

hydraulic traversing gear, and (d)

features

first

Tank Destroyers and Assault Guns

all

to be

the conversion a Sherman had

gun mount. These

During the

A conversion kit

Sherman.

Shermans could be regunned. In order

to

943

of 17pdr-armed tanks into the

to use the

amenable

that the only way to get

all

destroyer, essentially a

open-topped

greatly

II

V (M4A4).
designate
a 76 m into
was
used
"A"
suffix
The
III

need

British tanks highlighted the continuing

short term was the American

(M4A1),

an effective gun to

Italy

Destinations of

the British styled

Carrier was

never intended for mass production the

for

were represented. To distinguish

thick frontal

equipment.

does not include other Empire shipments

note:

to

converted to

ongoing

North Africa served as a staging area for

Gun, Churchill, was well

685

582

Persia/Iraq

North Africa

Carrier, 3"

armament,
from an

British tank destroyer resulted

urgent request in September 1941 for vehicles

capable of engaging heavy

German

tanks.

AA guns, rendered

solution was to take 3"

in fixed superstructures

and

Churchill chassis.

February 1942 and an

initial

theaters with kits.

vehicles.

order for 24 was

in

removed

a further

for use as

majority of
,

27 by

262

in

gun-towing

in service for several years after

the war.

In the meantime, efforts had begun to

gun on the

the powerful

Production was a

An initial examination

exceeding seven in a

The

Those not converted had

increased to 100 then reduced to 50.

trickle,

cost.

The Achilles proved a popular weapon

and remained

on

A prototype was completed

reduced

and depots, and

their turrets

surplus by the introduction of the 3.7" gun,

mount them

factories

One

as this

the Wolverines were so converted,

chassis

of a

mount

British tank.

of the Crusader showed

it

being shipped, the Ministry of Supply did not

know until

1941

they had actually inspected the

arriving tanks,

how many could

be converted -

The
1943

ROF was issued a contract in December

for the conversion

17pdr configuration

of 2,100 Sherman Vs to

as the "Firefly",

other models were eventually used

but in

as well.

rear so that the radio

moved back to

avoid the recoilling gun, and elimination of the

hull

gunner position

in favor

23

1945 3

17pdr Archer

354

307

17pdrA.30 Avenger

25

95mm

45

986

403

520

20cwt

Churchill

Alecto

Conversions

M10

hole in the turret

could be

26

1944

fact

The

conversion involved not only the fitting of the

new gun, but also opening a

1943

Production
3"

certainly an impediment to planning.

1942

to

17pdr

Imports

3"M10/M10A1
3"
a

M10/M10A1

(less

gun)

1,123

January-September

of ammunition

stowage. Although not an entirely elegant

solution, the Firefly did rectify the

Deliveries of Tank Destroyers

&

Assault Guns

one major

25

JANE'S
to

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

II

be too small and underpowered for the role

and attention turned

to Valentine.

At

1941

first,

arrangement of the Bishop SP 25pdr, but

to Vickers to

develop a

Bishop 25pdr

this

1943

137

13

497

335

M7

new vehicle

105mm

Priest

Sexton 25pdr

146

using the chassis of the Valentine as the basis.

The

resultant vehicle

was given the official

ofSP 17pdr Valentine, although

referred to as the Archer.

The

it

title

944 against an order

for 800,

and few were completed before the war ended

and none saw combat.

although

The vehicles were

armored divisions from October 1944 onwards.

SP Birch guns

tank destroyer to enter production

was the A.30 Avenger.

It

was

modified A.30

no

the need for such

branch. Both the hull sides and turret were

Middle East

56cm

lower

The coaxial machine gun was

dispensed with, as was the roof armor, the

latter

advantage over that vehicle other than

reduced height and

production. As a

saw no combat

The sole

real

its

1946 and the

service.

British assault

gun was

the Alecto.

General Staff Requirement issued in April 1942

SP infantry gun

called for a light

close support to the infantry in

solution was to

mount

the

that could give

an attack. The

95mm howitzer (a

variant of the tried-and-true 3.7" howitzer) in

the hull of a turretless

light tank. In

May

Metro-Cammell

Mk VIII Harry Hopkins

1943 the contract with

for the near-useless

Hopkins

tank was modified to read only 100 tanks, with

the remaining

00

to be

completed

as Alectos.

Shortly thereafter, however, the infantry lost

interest

and the contract was reduced

to

300

Alectos, these to be used by the support troops

of the armored car regiments to replace the

75mm half-tracks and ungainly AEC Mk III

armored

Right: An

cars.

This was

low

RAF Crossley armoured

priority,

car

in

Aden,

however,

939.

in

June

home
1

94

vehicles,
filled.

25pdr weapon. Birmingham

although these were never completely

With

deliveries to Britain starring in

June

1942, these vehicles served well and the Bishops

were quickly

was not

urgently requested a

M7 SP howitzer became available,

Lend-Lease contracts were placed for over 2500

and

retired,

a standard

a substitute

but their

05mm howitzer

weapon of the

British

Army

was sought. The solution came

Ram

their
a

a prototype using the chassis of the Valentine as

conversion similar in configuration to the

M7,

but using the 25pdr gun-howitzer. About

for

and the vehicle, christened the Bishop,

firing trials in

00 vehicles was placed

began early

for a further

order for 230

until

weapons and

fighting

the

and Grizzly tank chassis and created

deliveries

its

priority was given to

result, the

was not completed

vehicles

vehicle

little

no

The mobile

when

from Canada, where they had taken

was ready for

possessed

943.

Railway Carriage was asked to quickly produce

self-propelled

above the turret

it

every other country, had

Command

a basis

vehicle than the Challenger,

1920s of a battery of

Western Desert quickly brought

replaced by a mild steel cover carried slightly

top. Altogether a better looking

like

self-propelled artillery.

in the

American

nowhere and when the war

led

broke out Britain,

requirements of the Royal Artillery anti-tank

than the tank.

26

in the late

Challenger tank altered to meet the

reduced in height, yielding a vehicle

nature of the Bishop

conversion was readily apparent and

The formation

final

of these was delivered in January

The extemporized

Self- Propelled Artillery

issued to the anti-tank battalions of the British

The

n/a

Deliveries of Se If-Propelled Artillery

the end of the war terminated production before

the contract was completed.

1,220

series

production vehicles came off the Vickers line in

April

1945

was usually

of the

flrsr

1944

Imports

quickly proved impractical. Instead, a contract

was given

1942

Production

consideration was given to adopting the

August.
in

A contract

November and

in 1942. In July a contract

50 vehicles was placed and the

last

of these vehicles,

known

as the

acquired by Britain, and they replaced the

in service (except in Italy)

Army's standard SP

and became the

artillery.

500

Sexton, were

M7s

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Armored Cars
1940

1939a
for four-wheel drive

The need

armored

cars

1943

1944

150

1,686

282

721

586

653

1941

1942

657

873

135

1945

had
Production

become clear by rhe

unril

1938 that rhe

lare

930s, bur

was nor

it

Armored Cars

firsr rrials

of such vehicles

were conducted. Morris submitted

artillery tractor with the engine

rear.

The Guy won

designation

Daimler

to the

convincingly and an order-

for 101 vehicles

was placed

Humber (37mm)

Quad Ant

moved

Guy Wheeled

May 1940 were all

British had.

were

five

moved

it

561

22

1,574

1,071

348

198

Humber"

too busy with other war

work

to

511

2,775

266

830

508

body and

558

Armored Cars
Canadian

GM

(.50cal)

276

841

157

2,687

continue

999

T17E2(AA)

Guy was

production, a fortuitous circumstance as

206

Imports

T17E1

were suddenly needed.

1,302

1,257

957
2,250

Beaverettes

Guy was the development at

about to provide quick, easy access for

cars

1,528

2223

Morris"

the start of the war, large quanrities of

armored

220

Light Reconnaissance Cars

the welder.

With

63

cars the

The main

the factory of a rotary jig that held the

200

Humber

modern armored

GHQ Liaison Regiment,

contribution of the

293

Daimler

by

available

lost in the evacuation.

(6pdr)

Scout Cars

A few were sent to mainland

Europe with the

where

the

38

(2pdr)

AEC

Coventry

They

tended to overheat in the desert, and were

unreliable elsewhere, but the

AEC

500

119

AEC (75mm)

under the unusual

Light Tank.

101

Humber (15mm)

Guy

based on the work of Srraussler, while rhe

proposal used rhe chassis of their

Guy

a design

T18E2

30

M8

494

1,355

413

902

1,407

761

185

23

6,584

621

Marmon-Herrington

348

IV

it

Scout Cars

turned out. Instead, attention turned to the

Canadian Ford

Rootes Group, whose Karrier subsidiary was

M3A1 Scout Car

building their
the Indian
as

KT4 all-wheel drive tractor for

Army. Moving the engine

Guy had done earlier with

allowed the
quite neatly.
use

to the rear,

Guy built a

on the new armored

reliable

cars,

now called
rugged
a

the

his

made production

compartment

was addressed with the

Mk

the hull. For the

The

December

month behind schedule. This

featured a

new

American

37mm

7.92mm

Finally, that

in

turret that

2pdr gun

mounted an

car.

For

they drew on the BSA/Daimler scout

adopted the unibody

time

a British

May

such as two-speed

The

hull,

this

car,

and

although not the

troublesome four-wheel steering.

A fluid

It

such

of the
trials

car

They took
as

their

was

Mk II

improvements,

rear to

and

built as a

AEC company.

Matador medium

Rootes had done, moved

tractor and,

the engine to the

accommodate an armored body. Bulky

heavy, the

than the

AEC Mk

earlier

armored

had thicker armor

cars

and

to

escort.

dynamo and modified gun

armored

Some were shipped

form of a

22 were

must have seemed

a large,

so design

result

hull

and

7.92mm

heavy vehicle

was the

The

The

logical one, replace the

was limited

to

convoy

to waste

2pdr gun,

6pdr version.

service in Italy

next step was a

6pdr gun with

heavy armored

200

for

with a 6pdr and

Mk II saw

starting in late 1943.

to yield a

North

Mk II, with a redesigned

a different turret

Besa.

shame

to carry a

work was begun on

The

gun

largest

where they were used mostly

1941 The original

a range of minor

came from

Africa,

Daimler armored car was followed by the

which featured

turrets

tanks being converted to

bridgelayers.

thousand vehicles were immediately ordered.

Deliveries began in

The

armored car

in the

in a turret similar to that

speculative venture by the

design for an armored

Valentine

mounted on

Tetrarch light tank. Following successful

tank gun and a coaxial

Besa.

own

ordered in June 1941.

mounting.

Meanwhile, Daimler had been working on

their

first

was given a cannon armament,

Humber Mk IV,

of which was delivered

1942, about a

Armored Cars & Scout Cars

of

gearbox, thence by four separate shafts to the

wheels, which were individually

easier

a bit roomier.

same inadequate armament.

first

Wartime Deliveries

much

Mk III version had a larger 3-man turret, but

issue

Office (army) only

flywheel linked the engine to a preselector

the hull was redesigned with a modified

rhe

War

further 140 hulls for

and the Humber turned out

driver's position that

and made

their chassis,

better vehicle than the earlier Guy. For the

II

September-December only

Guy Mk LA body to be dropped on

Humber Mk I. The new chassis proved

and

car.

75mm

Production

vehicles, however, because

the armored car regiments were ahead}'

equipped with the

US M3 75mm half-track

vehicle for the fire support role

happy with

and were quite

it.

The culmination of British armored

development was

car

to be the Coventry, developed

27

JANE'S
jointly by

Humber and

surprisingly,

combined

it

armored

the producers'

Not

Daimler.
features

cars. It

had

shape most

went

by two drive

axles driven

variants were planned, the

man

turret

two-man

Mk

and

turret

Mk

75mm gun.

began

944 and were planned

Daimler and
production

Two

Deliveries of

both the

to replace

They did,

lines.

at that plant,

three. In

proven

popular that there seemed no point

was completed

in

was the emergence of the

own vehicle.

but the

Significant quantities of armored cars were

from the US, particularly theT"Staghound"

armed with only

service. Large vehicles,

37mm gun,
their

in British

they were nonetheless prized lor

roominess

of operation.

as a

command vehicle and ease

A small number were fitted with

the turrets from Crusader

tanks refitted with

III

Ironsides

and

II

as

and the Morris

still

used the

and Morris

III

made them

other army, the scout car proved very popular in

British

when

and Commonwealth

service. It

unclear

is

the requirement for a 4-wheel drive,

lightly-armored,

2-man vehicle was

promulgated, but

trials

end of the war. About 600

designs were held in

promise, one by

938.

Two vehicles showed

BSA and the other by Alvis, and

these two were modified

and

retested in

The BSA design was selected and

939.

placed in

production by Daimler (who had acquired

BSA

With

the

fall

A crash program to

The effectiveness of the Luftwaffe,

Allied morale, was a shock to the

on

War Office. As

Beaverettes

Humber armored

but few of these appear to have been

were acquired from the

although they seem

to

quad

US

built.

AA armored

via Lend-Lease,

have been

little

used.

recognized that the production of four separate

types of carrier, the

MG,

Bren, Scout and

A standardized vehicle

MGs and fitted to the chassis

the AA
Light Tank Mk This was succeeded by the AA
Light Tmk Mk II, which had a roomier turret
with improved sights and utilized the Light Tmk

was needed and the

Mk VIB chassis. These were clearly far from

gun and

optimal and only about 50 were converted.

Universal carrier were also developed.

7.92mm

Besa

of the Light Tank

Mark VIA in 1 940 as

I.

substantial
tanks.

mounting more

weapons on the

The first to

chassis

of cruiser

mount, with

Each infantry battalion received

one with
an

Bren gun, one with

a 2" mortar.

carrier

was

two

arrangements.

a variant of the

of the

The

also issued to the infantry

vehicles for each 3" mortar,

The AOP

in

was developed

for artillery forward observers.

The armored carrier was

invention.

uniquely British

No country outside the

Commonwealth adopted such vehicles,

armored shield and so was cut into the

that the costs

production

burden of tracked armored vehicles of such

II

and the Humberette

on automobile

chassis.

The

army and 340

for the Ministry

of

in

February

line quickly, the first

1

943

as the

being delivered

Crusader AA

Development of the twin Oerlikon

into delays, however,
to

Mk

and the Crusader

hulls

be put into storage until turret deliveries

and (more importantly)

limited payload

I.

turret ran

had

and

stowage

carrier

the

either half- or full-around

Bren gun and

Two variants

differed from the standard

Two versions were

AT rifle (later a PIAT), and one with a Bren

battalions,

reach fruition were those

The former utilized

was the Universal

platoon of four sections each of three carriers

mortar

planned, one with a single

Oerlikon.

Carrier.

result

The most common were

batch of the Beaverette

for the

the

field

Mk was followed
by orders totalling 800 of the Mk II version, 460
initial

Besa turret on the

mount

to

of

Mks I and

vehicles, based

program

plate as the basis

gravel, rather than

their protection.

armor

7.92mm
car,

also a

Cavalry, was wasteful.

40mm Bofors gun

and the other with a turretted win 20mm

some cases, concrete or enclosed

There was

an expedient solution a turret was developed with

The vehicles were usually protected,

steel or, in

28

especially

based on the Crusader.

armored, for they almost invariably used mild

removed from the vast

Carriers

produce protected vehicles was embarked on.

rather than

,622 of these vehicles

Even before the outbreak of the war it was

Efforts then turned to

of Dunkirk very few armored

delivered

tor airfield defense.

Anti-Aircraft Vehicles

in the interim).

vehicles remained in Britain.

M 14,

the

purpose armored vehicles.

cars

Morris reconnaissance cars were also used by the

four

with four competing

The US

Instead, almost a thousand T17E2

75mm guns to create a fire-support armored car.

Although the type was not adopted by any

end the program was stopped

M3 half-track with the Maxson twin .50cal

turret.

II

reconnaissance regiments of the infantry

RAF

in the

majority of them and they were used as general

and these models were used by the

divisions to the

and

delivery the turrets were

Humber

introduced four-wheel drive, which

useful,

of the Oerlikon models. Once again

between April 1943 and March 1944. After

AFV bodies,

the

4x2 drive system. The Humber

more

the

"light reconnaissance

models, such

turret

20mm

but with Polsten

The most numerous AA vehicle was

more conventional

initial

in lieu

II

before completion.

These were somewhat better-designed

vehicles with

its

finding a use for

the delivery of turret lagged behind that of the

1942.

in late

Crusader AA

chassis

and

An outgrowth of this hurried development

Daimler was contracted

as the

Is

vehicles.

Centaur AA, used the same

result, the

as the

guns

for

RAF for

defense to replace the Beaverette

car".

17E1, known

0mm armor for its crew of

500

curtailed at about

Centaur chassis that were otherwise unwanted.

The

MGs and

August 1941 a contract was placed

accepting the inevitable break in production, so

also acquired

900 Oerlikon Crusader

The second effort involved

Mk III featured a

thousand of these vehicles by the

this

but the Daimlers had

on building

program was

RAF for airfield defense

Beaverette

June. Although

in

AA Mk II were envisioned, and the hulls built,

by mid- 1944 the need had diminished and the

supplies of armor plate

Bren gun or two Vickers

was protected by

airfield

in fact, replace the

to keep

when

The

1940.

turret with a

the

Humbers
so

also built

after

Mk II with a

Humber armored cars on

A somewhat smaller number of Humberettes

were transferred to the

slow rate in June

at a

began

raiders).

became available. Most of the army vehicles

with a three-

and a 2pdr gun, and the

the Coventry
1

shafts.

presumably against parachute

factories,

were

to a

more conventional suspension/drive system,

with

WAR

Aircraft Production for defense of aircraft

from both of

closely resembling the Daimler, but

TANKS OF WORLD

made them

feeling

logistical

inefficient.

Nevertheless, they were popular with the

British

Army, which retained them

into the 1950s.

in service

JANE'S
Not all
to this

roles required

end the Loyd

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

an armored vehicle and

carrier

was developed.

Slightly larger than the Universal Carrier,

it

Carrier,

Bren

Carrier,

Scout

charging equipment, lay wire for

Universal (Bren)

communications and

Universal (3" mortar)

fill

a variety of other tasks.

Commonwealth

requirements

the

Windsor

Carrier and in the

Loyd

245

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945 b

6,906

4,193

6,489

6,890

1,818

493

6,879

5,084

663

196

645

2,160

2,415

184

618

2,648

4,878

9,721

46

4,693

8,200

604

1940

Canada

as

US as the T 16.

vehicle dispensed with the warp-

331
1,874

611

4,955

US Production
Carrier, T1
a

The US

2,346

Universal (AOP)

contracts were also placed overseas. Larger

versions of the Universal were built in

1939a

British Production

was

used to tow anti-tank guns, carry battery

To

Prior

September-December only
January-September only

steering used in the Universal in favor of a

simple clutch-and-brake. Both vehicles proved

Warti me Production of Carri ers

useful for carrying the 4.2" mortar and towing

the

6pdr AT gun due

to their larger size.

rd
Below: A universal carrier enters Uelzen on 23

April

1945.

29

JANE'S

Light Tanks,

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Marks to V
I

These tanks were developed by Vickers from the

Carden-Loyd

armed with

carriers.

a single

The Mks

I-IV were

all

machine gun (usually .303,

Mk III
Mk II

but sometimes the .5-inch Vickers

in the

and IV) and had one-man

The

turrets.

established the configuration for the later

vehicles,

with the powertrain on right and turret

The Mk IV dispensed with

slightly to the left.

the frame, using the hull as the chassis. Similar

vehicles were widely sold by Vickers with

commercial designations. The

Mk V
"

introduced a 2-man turret and twin machine

guns (one of each type). Although

thin

fast,

their

armor made them very vulnerable,

their

armament was weak and

their short length

caused them to pitch violently over rough

ground, although

this

was

slightly less

Mk V.

noticeable on the longer

a
tm

Obsolete by

939, none of these earlier marks were sent with

the BEF, although a few served briefly in

North

Africa.

Mk V

light

The Mark VI was an evolution

ot the

featuring only detail improvements.

sat at the front

on

the

left,

(but

still

Front

3.40

Side

Width (m)

1.30

Engine

Height (m)

2.12

Road Speed (km/h)

Weight (tonnes)

4.68

Front

Length (m)

3.92

Side

Width (m)

2.01

Engine

Height (m)

2.20

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

12
9

88
60

Mark VI

Mk V,
The driver

with the commander

and gunner/radio operator

1

3.83

Length (m)

tanks on maneuvers, 1939 (TMB)

Light Tank,

old No.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

in the turret.

The

radio was replaced by an improved

flawed) No. 7 radio in the turret

The major change came

late in the

rear.

production

run with the decision to replace the Vickers

MGs with Besa models.

Thus

the

Mk VI-VIB

used a .303 and the underpowered and

unreliable 0.5-inch Vickers, while the last batch

of Mk VI B were completed

7.92mm and a

as Mk VIC with a
5mm Besa, the latter more

powerful than the Vickers but even

and inaccurate

in burst fire

the long, thin barrel.

The

less reliable

due to whipsaw of

Mk V1B was the most

numerous tank of the BEF and, although

only in the scouting

role,

useful

by default served

as a

battle tank, with attendant losses.

A basic Mk

30

VI light tank

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

HP

14
9

88
58

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Tank,
The Tetrarch marked

a radical departure

the preceding line of light tanks.

It

WORLD WAR

Mark VII

(Tetrarch)

from

had four

large road wheels, the rear serving also as the

drive sprocket,

and

warp

utilized

steering in

which the roadwheels could be turned at small

angles to shift the track for high-speed turns.

For harder turns conventional brake steering

was employed. The vehicle was armed with

2pdrgun

(with 50 rounds) and

7.92mm MG
were built

as

A small number

in the turret.

CS versions

which

in

a 3"

howitzer

By the time they came

replaced the 2pdr.

genera] service in late 1941

into

their usefulness

two-man

already limited by their

coaxial Besa

weak armament. Most were put

turret

was

and

in storage to

await availability of the Hamilcar glider,

designed specifically for this tank.

A few were

thus used by the 6th Airborne Division in the

Normandy invasion.

Mark

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

6.8

Front

Length (m)

4.05

Side

Width (m)

2.31

Road Speed (km/h)

Height

2.11

(in)

16
n/a

25

VI Tetrarch light tank

I

Tank,
This was
with

a further

and

hull tor better shot

deflection and thicker armor.

added

to

(Harry Hopkins)

development of the Tetrarch

a redesigned turret

steering system

Mark VIM

The unique

was retained but power

reduce driver fatigue.

remained the same,

assist

The armament

2pdr gun (with 50 rounds)

and a 7.9mm Besa, and tapered-bore Littlejohn

adaptors were sometimes fitted to the main gun
to

improve

AP

penetration, as with the Tetrarch.

Although an improvement over the Tetrarch the

increased weight

made

it

unsuitable tor glider

operations and by the time

it

came

into service

the light tank concept had fallen out of favor

with the British Army. As a

never saw combat.
the Alecto

SP

saw combat

It

result, the

Hopkins

did serve as the basis for

95mm howitzer, but that never

either,

being too

late.

'.* 7"* r iVJ^BM *

Mk

VIII

Hopkins

light

'!.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

7.7

Front

Length (m)

4.34

Side

Width (m)

2.74

Engine

Height (m)

2.11

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

38mm
n/a

148
50

tank

31

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

Commercial Light Tanks

In addition to developing

and building

light

tanks for the British Army, Vickers Armstrong

built similar vehicles for export
1

during the

930s. Details varied slightly and they were

often referred to by the year of manufacture,

Model 1935, but

been an

official

i.e.,

does not appear to have

this

V-A designation

system.

They

were typically two-man vehicles with a small

turret

mounting

machine

a single rifle-caliber

gun. Weight usually varied from 3.3 to 3.8 tons

and
1

maximum armor thickness from

1mm.

7mm to

Radios were optional, but appear to

have been fitted only infrequently. Amphibious

versions, with
still

wide

hulls to ensure flotation in

water, were also developed

thin armor,

2-man crew and

and

sold.

Their

lack of a radio

rendered them obsolete by 1939, although they

continued to soldier on

in a

few countries where

replacements were unavailable, such

as

China,

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

3.02

Front

Length (m)

3.54

Side

Width (m)

1.91

Engine

Height (m)

1.98

Road Speed (km/hr)

Thailand and Argentina.

Vickers Armstrong

light

tank model

1935

Vickers

Medium E Tank (6-ton)

A commercial venture designed in

the late

1920s, the

Medium E was

British Arm)', but

usually

never adopted by the

armed with

machine gun

which covered a 100

Medium

E,

a single

in each turret, each

field

of fire. The

usually featured a short-barrel 3pdr

of

latter

(47mm)

Vickers gun and a coaxial

MG.

optional in both models.

The crew was two

three

60

model and a single-turret model.

The former was

rifle-caliber

88

was widely sold for export.

There were two basic versions of the

a twin-turret

HP

Radios were
or

depending on the model. Power was from

a horizontal, air-cooled,

Siddeley engine.

4-cylinder Armstrong

The single-turret model was

well-balanced tank for

its

time, the early 1930s,

but had clearly slipped into obsolescence by

1939.

mn

single turret

trials,

32

1931

medium

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

7.02

Front

Length (m)

4.54

Side

Width (m)

2.17

Engine

Height (m)

2.40

Road Speed (km/hr)

E before being shipped to Greece for

HP

17
n/a

80
37

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Mark

Cruiser,
The

first

of the new

(A9)

of cruiser tanks

armament configuration of a

featured an archaic

main gun and

series

WORLD WAR

a coaxial Vickers .303 water-

cooled machine gun in the main turret, plus two

MGs in the two auxiliary turrets at the

more

The 2pdr main gun was

front.

powerful,

however, and the three-man turret was efficient

and

advance of its time.

in

tank proved

hand,

its

was

also the first

traverse for the

modifications to the prototype the

turret. After

continued

It

power

British tank to feature

reliable,

to

although the tracks

On

show weaknesses.

armor was

the other

pitiably thin for a battle

tank, providing protection only against small

arms

fire

and fragments. About

a quarter

of 125

tanks built were close-support (CS) versions

that substituted a 3.7" howitzer for the

2pdr

-v

gun.

Cruiser

Mk

with the 3.7" howitzer

CS

(TMB)

Cruiser,

Mark

II

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

10.8

Front

Length (m)

5.83

Side

Width (m)

2.52

Engine

Height (m)

2.52

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

14
n/a

150
42

(aio)

The AIO was essentially an uparmored version

of the A9. To achieve

this

they eliminated the

near-useless auxiliary turrets at the front

and

carried the vertical plate in front of the driver

straight across. Extra

the hull
its

and

armor was then bolted

thickness.

The added weight,

to have carried a

however,

The original

reduced the speed considerably.

model was

to

double

turret fronts to effectively

2pdr and a Vickers

MG in the turret and a Besa MG in the hull

although the hull mounting was usually

front,

empty to

simplify

supply.

The

weapon

for a

ammunition

Mark IIA changed

the Vickers

-*

,.-.-,*

Besa and added the Besa in the hull front.

About

a quarter

CS

of the II/IIA cruisers were

models with a 3.7" howitzer in place of the

2pdr.

As with the Cruiser

Mk

I,

some Mk lis

with the BEF, but most

were sent

to France

served in

North Africa

until retired in

194

<-

'^S&rt'-'^'ii^ei' "*i-

Weight (tonnes)

Cruiser

Mk

II

in

the desert

(TMB)

12.38

Front

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Length (m)

5.47

Side

Width (m)

2.51

Engine

Height (m)

2.54

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

30
n/a

150
27

33

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

Cruiser Marks
The Mk III

was armed with

cruiser

and coaxial Vickers

gun.

It

in the turret,

III

WAR

7
II

& IV (A13)

2pdr gun

bow

having no

was armored to the same standard

(maximum 4mm)

as the

Mk

cruiser

and was

quickly superseded on the production line by

Mk IV, in which armor plates were added to

the

the hull front

line

and

Mk

with the

turret to bring protection into

II.

In the case of the turret

these were angled out

from the top and bottom,

giving the originally box-shaped turret a

completely different look.

Mk IVA replaced the Vickers MG

The

with a Besa weapon.

Christie suspension

produced

Mk Ills were

with turret armor to approximate the

retrofitted

Mk IV.

Some

The combination or the

and

Libert)'

engine

a fast tank, a characteristic valued in

the desert, although the engine proved prone to

breakdown. There were no

CS versions

of

either model.

Weight (tonnes)

Cruiser

Mk

IV with the

Cruiser
This was an evolution of the

built in

horizontally-opposed engine.

version)

and

a Besa

gun

Width (m)

2.50

Engine

Height (m)

2.57

Road Speed (km/hr)

barely),

340
50

new

Armament

MG in the turret.
for

HP

30
n/a

horn the

(3" howitzer in the

armament was adequate

(mm)

Mark V (A13 Mk 3) Covenanter

highly-sloped configuration and a

consisted of a 2pdr

Armor (mm)

Mk IV, but with

armor thickness

the increased

Front

Side Armor

supplemental armour over gun

mount (TMB)

start in a

13.28
5.98

Length (m)

its

time

and the tank was sleek and

CS

The

(if just

fast,

with

well-sloped armor. Unfortunately, the concept

of placing the engine in the rear and radiator

rhe front proved disastrous,

attempted

through several marks of

fixes

Covenanter all

at

and repeated

tailed to cure overheating

problems, leaving the tank suitable only for

training use.

the

UK and

Cruiser

34

MK V

As
it

a result,

only a handful ever

left

never saw combat.

Covenanter (TMB)

Width (m)

2.59

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.22

Road Speed (km/hr)

Weight (tonnes)

16.2

Front

40

Length (m)

5.76

Side

n/a

300
52

Mark VI

Cruiser
Developed

but slightly

in parallel with,

favor of a

Crusader

later

and cooling system of that tank

more

improved

(A15)

abandoned

than, the Covenanter, the Crusader

the engine

AN E'S TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

in

conventional design that slightly

reliability. It

was

also slightly longer

with an additional roadwheel per

side,

which

improved ground loading. The Crusader

mounted a 2pdr and a coaxial Besa in the turret

and

second Besa in

small front hull turret

The Crusader

next to the driver.

dispensed

II

with the small machine gun turret and crewman

(which was also retrospectively removed from

some Mk Is) and

from

increased the

armor

slightly

maximum of 40mm to 49mm. The

Crusader

III

modified the turret

6pdr gun with Besa, but

to accept a

at the cost

of one

crewman. The Crusader was widely used

desert campaigns, where

it

proved

fast

They were removed from

unreliable.

in the

but

service

after the fall ofTunisia.

Crusader

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

17.1

Front

Length (m)

5.96

Side

Width (m)

2.61

Engine

Height (m)

2.22

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

49
n/a

340
45

(TMB)

Cruiser

Mark VII

(A24)

Cavalier

This vehicle took the Crusader mechanicals and

mated them with

and a new

new hull with

turret that

thicker

armor

accommodated both

the

6pdr gun (with coaxial Besa) and the 3-man

crew. This led to a

more

efficient fighting

configuration, but the vehicle was actually

somewhat

less reliable

the extra weight.

a

than the Crusader due to

Most vehicles were

second Besa in the forward

lacked this feature.

saw combat

as

gun

were converted

and used
artillery

hull,

fitted

with

but some

Few were built and none

tanks, although about half

to artillery observation vehicles

in that role in

N\V Europe with the

regiments of the armored divisions.

Others had their turrets removed and recovery

equipment

installed.

Weight (tonnes)

Cavalier cruiser tank

23.85

Length (m)

6.31

Width (m)

2.88

Height (m)

2.42

Front

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/hr)
Side

76
n/a

410
40

(TMB)

35

T
)AN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

Cruiser Centaur
The Centaur was almost identical

to the

Cavalier, but featured changes to the internal

arrangements, particularly in the engine

compartment. These were designed

to permit a

switch from the old Libert)' engine to the

new

Royce Meteor when that unit became

Rolls

available,

The

longer production run of the

Centaur meant that several versions were

notably the

Mks I and

built,

with 6pdr gun and

II

Mk III with 75mm

Mk IV, a close-support
version with 95mm howitzer and Besa. The Mk
coaxial

7.92mm

Besa, the

gun and Besa, and the

III

was the

gun.

British cruiser with a

first

The only vehicles used as gun

combat were 80 Mark IVs

Marines for use

75mm

tanks in

issued to the Royal

Normandy. Others were

in

converted to specialized roles such as turretless

dozer,

OP, recovery vehicle, AA, and so on.

Weight (tonnes)

24.75

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

6.31

Side

Width (m)

2.89

Engine

Height (m)

2.47

Road Speed (km/hr)

Royal Marines prepare their Centaur Ivs with

waterproofing

(TMB)

kits

HP

76
n/a

395
45

Cruiser Cromwell
The Cromwell

used the same hull and turret as

and Centaur, but replaced

the earlier Cavalier

the old Liberty engine with the

new Rolls Royce

new power plant raised

Meteor. This

the top

speed to an impressive 67 km/hr, although

was geared down to 53 km/hr horn the

on

to prevent

Mk

running

gear.

The

a coaxial

Besa and a second Besa in the hull

The Mk II

eliminated the hull

used wider tracks.

the

to the

was armed with the 6pdr,

7.92mm
front.

damage

it

Mk IV

6pdr with

MG and

The Mks IV and V replaced

75mm, while the Mk V]

used a

95mm howitzer. Mks VII and VTII added

25mm applique armor to the Mks IV- VI.
Although better than

Cromwell was
have been.

its

not

still

predecessors, the

as reliable as

it

should

The main shortcoming was

75mm gun, like

it's

that the

American cousin, was

underpowered by the time

it

entered combat.

Weight (tonnes)

Cromwell IV

36

24.75

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

6.31

Side

Width (m)

2.89

Engine

Height (m)

2.47

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

76
n/a

600
67

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

Cruiser Challenger
The Challenger was
attempt to

a largely unsuccessful

mount the powerful 1 7pdr gun on

modified Cromwell

widened

the hull top was

accommodate a tall,

to

turret with space for four

wide

wo loaders), the
,30cal

The center section of

hull.

men

(including

17pdr and a coaxial Browning

MG. The bow MG position was

The

eliminated as a result.

chassis

was

lengthened and an extra roadwheel added to

each side to carry the weight, but the turret

had

to

be reduced

on the Cromwell

to

63mm and the

front

armor thickness

from

75mm

still

65mm to 40mm, although

25mm applique was fitted to some vehicles in

side

armor from

compensation.

The lengthened

driving difficult

Cromwell.

and

it

When it proved

made

hull

was no more

reliable

possible to

than

mount

Sherman, production ol the

the 17pdr in a

Challenger was curtailed.

Weight (tonnes)

28.35

Front

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Length (m)

7.98

Side

Width (m)

2.87

Engine

Height (m)

2.64

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

102
n/a

600
53

Challenger (TMB)

Comet

Cruiser
The

final

development of the

Comet, was

cruiser, the

an excellent tank. Reliability

improved, and the tank was

fast

and

had

agile,

powerfully armed and adequately protected.

The main armament was

essentially a

the

that weapon's effectiveness.

mounted coaxially, and

the hull front.

It

lost little

The hull and

of

A 7.92mm Besa was

second one
turret

welded, a feature used on the

Cromwell.

77mm gun,

cut-down 17pdr that

fitted in

were

all

later versions

of

retained the Christie-type

suspension of the earlier cruisers, but added

track-return rollers for the

first

time.

Cromwell,

as

were

war

in

British

as the

many other components.

only saw combat in the

last

^oi

The

engine and transmission were the same

It

two months of the

Europe, but remained in service with the

Army for years afterward.

Weight (tonnes)

29.25

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

7.86

Side

Width (m)

3.03

Engine

Height (m)

2.60

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

101
n/a

600
48

Comet cruiser tank (TMB)

37

T
JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Infantry Tank,
The original

infantry tank, the Matilda

small vehicle powered by a civilian

V-8 engine.

It

was

Mk

WORLD WAR

(ah)

Matilda

model Ford

was extremely slow and had an

80 mile road range, rendering mobile

operations out of the question, and the two-

man crew meant that the

commander/gnnner/loader was severely

The normal armament was a single

overloaded.

MG, although the

.303 water-cooled Vickers

.5-inch version could be substituted. Obstacle-

crossing capability was rated as

made

small size

Nevertheless,
frontal

it

its

sole saving grace

armor was impervious

only a machine gun

it

their last

combat.

The

Mk

Infantry tank

was that the

any German

could not harm any

either. In light

shortcomings only 139 were

with the

to

Of course, armed with

German tank it came across

lost

its

rather inconspicuous.

tank or anti-tank gun.

were

good and

BEF

in

built,

of its

of which 97

940. That was to be

Weight (tonnes)

(TMB)

Infantry Tank,
Confusingly, once the

when

Matilda, and

Mk

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

4.51

Side

Width (m)

1.96

Engine

Height (m)

1.81

Road Speed (km/hr)

Mark

II

(A12)

HP

60
n/a

70
13

Matilda

infantry tank was

simply became

retired, this vehicle

9.9

Length (m)

known

as the

modifications were

introduced a numbering system was

promulgated, so that the designation Matilda

was reused

to

mean

Mark II. This was

tank than

weight

it

the original version of the

a larger

predecessor.

its

and more capable

At over twice the

not only featured thicker armor, but a

wider hull that allowed the use of a larger 3-man

turret.

and

The new turret

a coaxial

incorporated a 2pdr gun

MG (Vickers in Matilda

I,

Besa in

the later versions). Early models used twin

AEC

diesels, later

ones Leyland gasoline engines.

The

hull castings

made

for a sturdy vehicle, but

slowed production considerably.

reliable

The tank was

and proved popular, although the small

turret left

consigned

no room

for a larger

to obsolescence

it

gun and thus

by

late

1942.

Weight (tonnes)

Infantry tank

Mk

II

Matilda

(TMB)

23.85

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

5.60

Side

Width (m)

2.57

Engine

Height (m)

2.42

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

78
n/a

174

25

JANE'S

Infantry Tank,
The Valentine utilized

coaxial Besa

upgunned

Mark

III

Valentine

the chassis, suspension,

engine and transmission oi the

Valentines

sans

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

Al

Cruiser.

The

V were armed with a 2pdr and a

to

MG. The VIII and IX were

to a

6pdr but

lost the

iVIG to

make

X had the 6pdr with the

coaxial MG, while the XI carried a 75mm gun
room. The Valentine

with

MG.

Models VI and VII were Canadian-

built versions

of the Valentine IV Only the

Valentines

and V had three-man

III

compromise

represented a

turrets.

They

oi characteristics, too

slow to be a cruiser and too lightly armored for

true infantry tank, while the
inefficient, as

was the lack of any machine gun

armament

some models.

were

in

reliable

Nevertheless, they

machines and generally popular,

and were used

as the basis for several specialized

variants, including bridgelayers

Right: Valentine

Below:

2-man turret was

2pdr(TMB)

Valentine

Mk X

and mineclearers.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

14.4

Front

65

Length (m)

5.38

Side

n/a

Width (m)

2.60

Engine

Height (m)

2.24

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

131

25

with 6pdr gun

39

[ANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Infantry Tank,

Mark IV (A22) Churchill

Early production models were highly unreliable due to

rushed introduction, but these problems were quickly

(if

Mk VII used a
double-hull construction, with an inner layer 2mm thick
painfully) sorted out.

The

Churchill up to

of mild steel, to which were bolted the main armor

The configuration of running

plates.

rhe tracks along rhe upper

part of the hull, together with the small spring bogey

system,

left a lot

of room in the hull sides for ammunition

and other stowage, making the tank

interior

roomy.

The

low speed rendered irrelevant the disadvantages of the

suspension.

The Churchill I mounted

turret

2pdr and a coaxial Besa

a 3" howitzer in the hull.

and

The

Churchill

The Mks

replaced the howitzer with a second Besa.

in the

II

III

and

Mk IV also seeing
the shift from welded to cast turret. The Mk V used a
95mm howitzer as a close-support tank. The Mk VI was a
Mk IV with a 75mm gun in lieu of the 6pdr. The Mk VII
IV

replaced the

marked

2pdr with

6pdr gun, the

the introduction of the "heavy Churchill" with

maximum armor
1

thickness raised from

52mm.The Mk VII used

VIII had the

the

102mm

to

75mm gun, while the Mk

95mm howitzer.

The success and popularity of the Churchill ensured a

continuing tipgrade program. Churchill

and

II

models were

Mk III standards with new turret and gun.

British forces in Italy refitted 120 of their Mk IVs with 75mm
upgraded

to

guns and mounts from wrecked Shermans to create the

Churchill

IV (75NA), while

were converted

to

a large

number of 6pdr models

75mm models at home as the Churchill X,

some with and some without the new heavy turret.

The spacious hull

also

made

the Churchill popular for

conversion into specialized vehicles, particularly the

with

its

First

demolition petard mortar.

column Churchill

II,

Second column Churchill IV

Weight (tonnes)

34.65

35.10

Length (m)

7.42

7.42

Width (m)

3.23

3.23

Height (m)

2.47

2.73

102

102

Front

Armor (mm)

Side Armor

Engine

(mm)

HP

Road Speed (km/hr)

Top: Churchill

infantry tank

M'rMe:Churchilllll/IV infantry tank

fi0tfom;Churchill VI infantry tank

n/a

n/a

350

350

26

26

AVRE

JAN E'S TANKS OF

WORLD WAR

Tank Destroyer, Archer

This vehicle married the potent 17pdr anti-tank

gun with the

chassis of the

proven Valentine

The gun was mounted

tank.

facing rearward

over the engine deck in a low open-topped

fighting compartment.

No

under-armor

machine gun was provided, although

gun was

carried for

vehicles later received an

Browning

or a

carried

(1

and

.30cal

39 rounds

vehicle's

Bren

dismounred use and some

AA mount for the Bren

weapon. The vehicle

main gun. The

for the

slow speed, limited traverse of the gun

each side of center) orientated to the

the fact that the driver's position

vacant in order to

fire

the

had

gun constrained

armament and low silhouette made

with the British

Archer

SP

Army

it

its

it

remained

be

powerful

tactical usefulness. Nevertheless, the

dangerous adversary and

rear,

to

in service

into the 1950s.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

14.4

Front

60

Length (m)

6.64

Side

n/a

Width (m)

2.73

Engine

Height (m)

2.22

Road Speed (km/hr)

33

Front

60

Side

n/a

HP

192

7 pdr seen from the front

Self-Propelled Gun, Bishop

The Bishop was
self-propelled

a hurried

attempt to create

25pdr gun-howitzer with the

Valentine.
the

gun

weapon by marrying the proven

The

chassis of the

tank was a bit narrow to

in the hull, so an

open-topped box-

shaped superstructure was built above.

vehicle carried a Bren

mount

The

gun on an open AA

mount and 32 rounds of 25pdr ammunition.

The extemporized
itself in a

nature of the vehicle showed

number of shortcomings, including

the high silhouette, limited traverse of only 4

degrees each side,

of only

the gun.

and the maximum

5 degrees,

which

elevation

restricted the range

of

The choice of the Valentine made

sense in that

it

was one of the more

tanks available, but

it

reliable

also gave the vehicle a top

speed of only 25 km/hr.

They served

in

North

Africa from the AJamein battle, but were retired

to training duties shortly thereafter.

Width (m)

2.59

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.75

Road Speed (km/hr)

Weight (tonnes)
Length (m)

15.48
5.50

131

25

Bishop SP 25 pdr

41

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Armored Car, Rolls-Royce

The original 920
1

Pattern models were almost

on

identical to those built

chassis

during World War

the Silver

Ghost 4x2

The 924

I.

Pattern

and the 1 920 Pattern Mark IA had

a slightly

redesigned hull and turret and featured a cupola

commander.

for the

armed with

All were

MG in the turret.

single Vickers .303

outbreak of war the

1 1

th Hussars in

On

the

Egypt

replaced the turret with an open-topped version

with a Bren light iVlG and a Boys

RAF lifted

them on Fordson 4x2

placed

AT rifle. The

the hulls off the old chassis

chassis

and

and

modified the turret to accept a Boys AT

rifle

next to the Vickers gun and pintle-mounted a

Lewis

MG on top.

Once modified

for local

conditions, the Rolls Royces proved popular in

North Africa and the Middle

and rugged. They were

East, being reliable

clearly obsolete

by

1941, however, and were removed from frontline

combat

Weight (tonnes)

3.7

Front

Length (m)

4.92

Side

Width (m)

1.93

Engine

Height (m)

2.54

Road Speed (km/h)

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

shortly thereafter.

An RAF Fordson/Rolls Royce 1924 Pattern outside

Baghdad 1941(TMB)

Armored

HP

9
9

50

75

Car, Lanchester

Generally typical of the British armored cars of

the late 1920s and early

The

Lanchester.

930s was the big

layout was similar to that of the

Rolls-Royces, with the engine at the front, crew

and

turret space in the center

and

a flat

bed

at

the rear. There were four marks of the vehicle,

all

similar except that the

Marks

and IA had

twin rear wheels, while the IA and IIA had

which replaced the

radios,

Armament consisted of a
inch Vickers

hull

machine gun.

.5-inch and a .303-

MG coaxial in the turret and, in

vehicles without a radio, a second .303 Vickers

A total of 8 Mk 4 Mk IA,
Mk
II
and
6
Mk
IIA were built. Despite their
7
next to the driver.

1,

6x4 drive they were found too heavy and of

limited cross-country performance and were
retired

from regular service before the start of

They were handed over to

the war.

Malaya

in

forces in

1941 where they were destroyed by

Weight (tonnes)

6.26

Front

Length (m)

6.10

Side

Width (m)

2.01

Engine

Height (m)

2.82

Road Speed (km/h)

the invading Japanese.

Lanchester

Mk (TMB)
I

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

HP

9
9

88

75

JAN E'S TAN KS OF WORLD

WAR

Armored Car, Humber

The Humber Mk I was simply the body of the

Guy IA armored car dropped on

chassis, dramatically

improving

new engine also improved

KT4

4x4

The

the power-to-weight

Armament thus remained

ratio.

to the

reliability.

the same, one

5mm and one 7.92mm machine gun in the

A redesigned hull yielded the Mk II,

turret.

which
deck

introduced a remotely-raised engine

also

grille to clear

driving in reverse.

The Mk III changed

cramped space

turret providing

when

the driver's line of sight

to a

new

men.

for three

Mk IV was the major change, with the

unpopular 5mm Besa being replaced by an

The

American

37mm tank gun.

overshadowed

Although

war by the more

late in the

technologically advanced Daimler, the

Humber

remained popular and

end of

in service to the

the conflict.

Humber Mk

II

Armor (rnm)
Armor (mm)

15

Weight (tonnes)

6.39

Front

Length (m)

4.55

Side

Width (m)

2.15

Engine

Height (m)

2.20

Road Speed (km/hr)

75

Weight (tonnes)

6.75

Front

Length (m)

3.94

Side

n/a

Width (m)

2.43

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.22

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

n/a

90

armored car

Armored Car, Daimler

The Daimler differed dramatically from
British

armored

cars in

earlier

having no frame.

Instead, the automotive

components were

bolted directly to the lower body.

The

tour

wheels were independently sprung without

axles

and were driven by four shafts from the

preselector transmission.
to that used

on theTetrarch

featured a 2pdr
coaxial. In

The

gun with

turret

light

was similar

tank and

7.92mm

MG

Besa

common with most armored cars,

the turret only

major defect

in vehicles

line elements.

provided for

accommodated two men, not a

not designed to fight

as

A rear-facing steering wheel was

fast reversing.

The

Mk II differed

in only small details, mostly interior

components. Once the crews got used

the Daimlers proved the
British

Daimler

armored

cars,

Mk armored
I

to

them

most popular of the

tough, reliable and

agile.

16

95

83

car

43

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

II

Armored Car, AEC

Based on the chassis of the AEC Matador 4x4
artillery tractor, this derivative

of the British armored

cars.

was the heaviest

The

long,

narrow

was more heavily armored than other

hull

armored

British

Normal

cars.

drive

was

to the

front wheels, with the rear wheels being engaged

in

rough

from

terrain.

Mk

The

used turrets taken

early Valentine tanks being converted to

bridgelayers,

armed with

7.92mm

coaxial

Besa.

2pdr gun and

The Mk II

slightly redesigned hull

and

6pdr gun and Besa, while the

new

turret

with a

Mk III replaced

6pdr with a 75mm. The powerful engine

the

and thick armor made

car regiments

it

popular for specialized

heavy troops of armored

roles, especially in the

for

featured a

where they provided

Daimlers and Humbers.

the ground-loading a

little

It

was

fire

support

a bit tall

and

high for general

purpose usage, however.

Weight (tonnes)
Length (m)

AEC Mk

II

armoured car

11.43

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

5.40

Side

Width (m)

2.68

Engine

Height (m)

2.67

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

30
n/a

158
68

Armored Car, Coventry

This was the culmination of British armored car
design during rhe war, representing a
collaboration between

The

turret

and

Humber and

overall hull shape

Daimler.

approximated

those of the Daimler, but the designers retreared

from the independent suspension

and two drive

shafts.

As

to use axles

in the Daimler,

duplicate driving controls were provided at the

rear for facilitate rapid

enemy.
coaxial

Mk

disengagement from the

Armament consisted

7.92mm

version.

75mm gun

of a 2pdr and a

Besa in a 3-man turret in the

A Mk 2 version mounted a

(losing

one

turret

crewman

to

make

room) but was not produced during the war.

effective design, the

popular that

it

An

Daimler armored car was so

remained

in

production, only the

Humber factory turning out

the Coventry.

Weight (tonnes)

Coventry

Mk armoured
I

car

10.35

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.71

Side

Width (m)

2.64

Engine

Height (m)

2.35

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

14
n/a

175
68

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Reconnaissance Car, Morris

Light
The

WORLD WAR

Humber,

Morris, and related

light

reconnaissance cars were hurriedly developed in

940

to provide a quick solution to the shortage

of armored vehicles following the

equipment. The Morris had

loss

of BEF

3-man crew,

all

at

the front, consisting of a driver in the center

and, slightly behind him, a gunner with a small

open-topped

and

turret

with

Bren gun on

a radio operaror to his

The

left.

his right

radio

operator had a hatch that opened forward with a

slit

into

which

mounted. The

Boys AT

Mk

could be

version had only 4x2 drive,

Mk II was 4x4.

but the

rifle

The Humber

Mk and Mk
two
The
III.
Mk
II
with
turret
were unarmed, but the Mk III had a
reconnaissance car was 4x2 in the

and 4x4

versions

Bren gun

face for

Morris

at the rear,

an AT

light

in the

first

and

slit in

the forward

rifle.

There were two

anti-aircraft versions

Front

14

4.01

Side

n/a

Width (m)

2.02

Engine

Height (m)

1.87

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

72
83

Tanks

of the

light

Light AA Tank Mk
Mk VIA light tank fitted with a power-

The

of the

3.33

Length (m)

reconnaissance car

Antitank.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

used the chassis

operated open-top turret with four

7.92mm

MGs set side-by-side. The Light AA Tank

Mk II used the chassis of the Mk VIB light tank
Besa

and featured
including

number of improvements,

a better

sighting system that projected

above and forward of the

turret, a roomier,

more

accessible turret and ammunition stowage bins

at the rear.

They were better than nothing

(albeit just barely)

and regiment

and served

in

tank battalion

HQs in North Africa, but their

armament was weak and by 1 943

the light tanks

on which they were based were no longer

They were removed from

A Mk

II

light

AA

in use.

service in that year.

Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

4.7

Front

Length (m)

3.93

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.06

Engine

Height (m)

2.20

Road Speed (km/h)

(mm)

HP

14mm
n/a

88

58

tank

45

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Anti-Aircraft Tank,
The

original Crusader

Crusader AA

II

AA tank was a simple

conversion, replacing the turret of the Crusader

40mm on a field mounting

with a Bofors

III

The more advanced

with thin armor shielding.

AA II

model

with twin
a

utilized a specially-designed turret

20mm Oerlikon guns. The turret had

crew of two,

commander/gunner and

The

loader, while the driver sat in the hull front.

Crusader AA
II

III

was almost identical

model but the

radio was

to the

moved from

AA

the

turret to the hull front next to the driver to free

The design

turret space.

appears to have been

well thought-out, although the questionable

mechanical

reliability

of the Crusader might

have been a minor problem. By the time they

entered service, however, the air threat had

but disappeared and they saw

use, for the

little

all

operational

most part being retained

mgtefr

in storage

in Britain.

Weight (tonnes)
Length (m)

Crusader

AA

II

anti-aircraft tank

c19.8

Front

Armor (mm)

5.96

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.61

Engine

Height (m)

C2.25

51

(mm)

n/a

HP

340

Road Speed (km/h)

45

Carden-Loyd Machine Gun Carrier Mk VI

Although out of front-line service with the

British

Army by the outbreak of the war,

these

vehicles were the mainstay of the

armored force of

little

many smaller states. They were mainly significant,

however, for their questionable contribution to

tank development, with Czechoslovakia,

Poland and the Soviet Union

derivative vehicles.

all

The Mk VI was a

with a crew of two that

left

and gunner on the

a single rifle-caliber

tiny vehicle

sat side-by-side

engine behind and between them.

on the

Italy,

license-producing

The

with the
driver sat

right, the latter

machine gun, usually

with

a Vickers

water-cooled model. Hinged armored head covers

in the

form of truncated pyramids were

but not universal, option.

slightly higher

the

a popular,

A later version with

armor superstructure was known

as

Mk VP or Mk VIA. Their armor was proof

against rifle-caliber ball

ammunition but

In service they proved to have

little

little else.

ground

Weight (tonnes)

1.22

Front

Length (m)

2.46

Side Armor

Width (m)

1.75

Engine

Height (m)

1.22

Road Speed (km/hr)

clearance and a rather fragile track system that

contributed to breakdowns in rough terrain.

A Mk

46

VI with

armored head-covers

in

the lowered position

Armor (mm)
(mm)

HP

9mm
9mm
40
40

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

515

WORLD WAR

Pre-War

Carriers,

A range of similar vehicles were developed by

Vickers Armstrong during the mid- 1930s for

The

specialized roles.

first

was the

MG carrier
MG for

to carry the heavy Vickers water-cooled

The driver sat at the

the infantry.

right

removable Vickers was mounted with

shield to the

A seat for a third dismounted

left.

crew was provided

modified

Bren

and the

a small

A slightly

at the rear.

MG carrier was adapted to carry the

MG as the Bren Gun Carrier. The

light

Cavalry Carrier was

fitted

with unprotected

outward-facing seats on each side at the rear for

two or three men, while the Scout Carrier was

reconnaissance vehicle armed with a forwardfacing Boys

AT rifle and a pillar-mounted Bren.

Some of the Scout Carriers were

fitted

with

radios in the rear.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

3.6

Front

12

Length (m)

3.66

Side

n/a

Width (m)

2.11

Engine

Height (m)

1.37

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

65

50

(data for Bren Carrier No.1)

An

MG

Mk

carrier No.2

in

1938

Carrier, Universal
The successor to
carriers, the

open-topped
increased
front

and

the various types of pre-war

The driver sat at

gunner on the

Bren gun was

right.

but a

AT rifle could be carried

in lieu. In the latter case, the

mount at

the left

Normally a

fitted in that position,

Vickers gun or a Boys

a pintle

'

hull at the rear that greatly

its utility.

#?

Universal Carrier featured a low

the center.

Bren was moved to

The

rear

compartment could accommodate two more

men. Two more
developed.
artillery

specialized variants were

The AOP

weapon port

in the front

the right rear.

to carry the 3"

pairs,

was optimized

and carried

for

a radio at

The mortar carrier was

designed

mortar with the barrel strapped

across the rear, a small

a driver

carrier

forward observers and lacked the

amount

of

ammunition,

and four gun crew. These worked

in

with one vehicle carrying the mortar and

72 rounds, and

a second carrying the rest of the

crew and a further 72 rounds.

Universal carrier without

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

3.6

Front

Length (m)

3.76

Side

Width (m)

2.11

Engine

Height (m)

1.60

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

12
n/a

85

53

armament

47

British

Commonwealth

& Empire
The Commonwealth provided

critical quantities

vehicles during the war, in particular,

of light armored

South African armored

cars in

1941-42 and Universal Carriers from 1941 onwards from Canada,

Australia

and

New Zealand. Two nations built tanks, but with no

experience in tank construction, by the time they were ready the easy

supply of tanks from the United States rendered them superfluous.

Australia

A handful of Vickers medium tanks had been purchased in the 1920s, but
these had worn out by the start of the war. A single primitive armored car,
designated model LP-1 (local pattern) had been built on a Ford 4x2 truck
chassis in

1934 and two further similar vehicles known

order was placed for ten

new Mk VIA light tanks

stocks), these arriving in late

placed, this time for

24

937.

as

LP-2

in 1936.

in the Spring of

The situation briefly looked promising when,

(plus

one from

1936 an
British

On their arrival a second order was

Mk VIB light tanks, but this was cancelled shortly

thereafter.

Instead, efforts turned towards the production of two

of armored

cars, the

more small series

LP-3 and LP-4 models. The former was

built

on the

shortened chassis of a 4x2 Ford 3-ton truck chassis by the Ordnance

Factory Maribyrnong with a body

was

similar,

made of 6mm armor

plate.

The LP-4

but was built by the South Australian Railways Workshop and

The

incorporated a Marmon-Herrington 4x4 conversion.

with a Lewis .303 machine gun and was open

at the rear

turret

was

fitted

and the

top.

With

their

thin armor and marginal cross-country performance the LP-3 and

LP-4

vehicles

were used only for training until

removed from

942,

when

they were

service.

The most important

industrial contribution to the

Commonwealth

armored inventory was the substantial quantity of carriers built in

Australia. Overall they

that the

were similar

to their British counterparts except

power plants were imported from North America. Other

JANE'S

WAR

TANKS OF WORLD

233 diesel-engined Grant was the M3A5,

1939

1940

1941

1943

1942

1944

1945

although some

M3A3s were also delivered.

Both

Australia

long-barrel

LP 3 Armored Car

LP 4 Armored Car

Dingo Scout Car

220
;

Rover Light Armored Car

AC-1 Sentinel
Universal (Bren

& MG)

Carri er

160

1,577

Universal (Mortar) Carrier

-

Universal (2pdr AT) Carrier

fitted to

25

40

22

44

2,135

1,086

115

285

in the Pacific. In early

1

Ram Tank
Grizzly

Tank

27

1,100

821

Sexton 25pdr SP

Ram OP

GM

40 Matilda

By

April.

404

Tank

Windsor

strength in Australia.
useful, if somewhat

the Matildas were the

2,927

841

902

1,407

1,129

632

howitzer.

761

185

March

8,595

9,429

6,601

188

1,053

95

104

Armored Car

IP

Mk

III

New Zealand Matilda CS

33

disarmed Matildas were

1,460

1,842

202

74

207

fitted

The

in

tanks

18

with "Frog"

flamethrowers in June 1945 and used effectively

2,006

656

with the 3"

CS version

By 1944 they were worn out and

the

2,989

on Borneo.

Wirh
-

IP Carrier

in jungle

(18 without guns) were purchased.

India

Wheeled

The Matildas proved very

undergunned,

462

1,236

Carrier

304 were on

the end of the year

84

Universal (Mortar) Carrier

British released

424
-

Otter Reconnaissance Car

Universal (Bren) Carrier

942 the

tanks and these began arriving in

operations against the Japanese and only 27 of

276
-

II

188

Armored Car

Ford Scout Car

no

focused on the need for an infantry tank for use

104

199

943

to see

the 1950s in Australia. Instead, attention was

73

fleet.

combat, although they continued to serve into

198

portions of the

The Lee/Grants were destined

Canada
Valentine 2pdr Tank

75mm guns were

and short-barrel

a potential

deployment

one of the armored divisions

to

Europe

in

still

for

mind,

approval was granted by the government for the

New Zealand
Shermans, but no action was

purchase of 31
.

Beaverette

taken and in

March 1944

rhe funds had expired.

Universal (LP2)

(Bren/MG) Carrier

46

683

481

A second request was immediately submitted,

but this time specifying the Churchill

South Africa

Marmon-Herrington

Marmon-Herrington

II

Marmon-Herrington

III

Marmon-Herrington

IV

135

887

An order for these tanks was finally

the Pacific.

1,210

1,368

placed, but the

348

as the

preferred tank with an eye towards operations in

413

1,355

after the

first

war was

vehicles did not arrive until

over.

Also included

second request were about 70

Commonwealth AFV Production 1939-45

from the US, but

this

in the

M24 light tanks

was withdrawn

after

pointed out that light tanks actually had

differences

(known

between the Australian models

as Local Pattern)

and the

for limited training

about a

originals

included revised stowage and some different

components.

the

weapon on

carriers.

actually

Both mounted

a turntable that permitted 360

first

Australia's

substantial contribution to

tank force came with the

fall

of the

March 1942. Cargo

Indies in

carrying 50

M3 light tanks and

Herrington

CTLS light tanks were diverted

148

ships

Marmonto

and the vehicles taken over by the

Royal Australian Armoured Corps.

complemented ten
shipped from the
little

in July

when 270

94 1

to

The M3s

similar vehicles already

US

for familiarization,

Marmon-Herringtons were

albeit

but the

suitable only

was made

to develop

and produce

supply few, the General Staff drew up a

year,

M3 light tanks and 777 M3 medium

US

effort

an indigenous tank. With external sources of

without

change the next

as the

requirement in November 1940 for a 16-20 ton

vehicle with a

Alter

Australian allocation of British Lend-lease.

Dutch East

Australia

begun

tanks were shipped from the

traverse.

The

An

equipment. That was

some

2pdr gun and

50mm of armor.

false starts resulting

suitable automotive

from a lack of

components,

prototype

further 45 lights arrived the following year. This

AC-1

was

January 1942. The vehicle was remarkable

to permit the

armored

formation of two additional

that

(Australian Cruiser 1)

that a country with

divisions.

Minus 20

were shipping

losses,

was

value in the island fighting of the Pacific.

after

year.

Formation of an armored division had

Two local versions were the 3"

mortar and anti-tank

and were scrapped

it

little

the

was completed

in

in

no previous tank

manufacturing experience had turned out a

mediums were about equally divided among

vehicle with a well-shaped one-piece cast hull

M3 Grant (gasoline), M3 Grant (diesel) and

M3 Lee (gasoline). The basic M3 Grants

and an ingenious

(gasoline)

were the

March/April

942.

first

to arrive, starting in

The most common of the

clover-leaf coupling of

Cadillac automotive engines.

Sentinel, the

Nicknamed

AC-1 was a testament

the

to

Australian ingenuity. Unfortunately, by the time

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

of the Australian fleet of

Right Two-thirds
cars on parade,

it

starting

series in

coming

off the

production line

armed with

built, as

now climbed)

2pdr gun was hopelessly obsolete.

A prototype AC-3

in

August 1942 the concept of a 30-ton

tank (to which the weight had

was

LP3 armored

939 (PMK).

(with a 25pdr gun-howitzer)

was an AC-4

(set

up

to receive a

7pdr), but by then ample supplies of foteign

become available and

tanks had

it

was

felt

that

Australian heavy industry could be put to better

use.

As

a result,

production of the AC- 1 was

terminated in July 1943 and no production of

the later marks was undertaken.

For lighter armored vehicles indigenous

development and production was the order of

the day.

An armored division would

scout cars as

require

210

complement and the

its initial

Department of AFV Production and Ford

Motor Company collaborated on a

local design

based on the Dingo, a shortened version of the

Ford

5cwt truck chassis converted

wheel drive.

completed

A mild steel prototype was

in

November 1941 and

order was awarded in February

vehicles

to four-

were

built

by Ford

at

the vehicle was overloaded

and the

crew compartment was found

up alarmingly

942.

The

in operation. It

sluggish,

to heat

was declared

Australia, but this

and Lewis

order covered

from

placed in August

The Dingos and Rovers were replaced by

imported wheeled
delivered were

vehicles.

M3A1

The

first

to be

further orders were placed for 88

1

00

in

followed by 97 more by August. Also delivered

Pacific,

were 171 Canadian scout

armored

Following shortly on the heels of the Dingo

was the Rover

was begun

light

in late

with

car.

Design work

1941 and an experimental

model completed
test results

armored

in

was ordered and began

month

It

had

Wheeled

Carrier than to any armored

a long, thin

car.

semi-open-topped boat-

shaped body with the driver and commander at

the front, two gunners facing outwards

crew compartment, and

lacked a turret and

its

in the

a radio operator. It

armament of three Bren

or Vickers guns was fired through ports in the

front

and

side plates.

The vehicles were based on

the Canadian Military Pattern 4x4 3-ton truck

chassis,

with

98 using the short wheelbase and

the balance the long wheelbase model.

Although

maximum armor

939.

From

this plans

easily-available

thickness was only

only.

were drawn up for

a

more

Canadian Ford engine and

A total of 160 vehicles, known as the LP1

carrier,

94 1

in

1941 and

In July

Group

for

2,000 in

late

1 943 the War Cabinet decided

to

inevitable delays ensued

deliveries finally ceased in the

and

Autumn,

although units for export remained in low-rate

was

transmission, simplified by using brake steering

In

configuration the Rover was actually closer to

the IP

"local pattern" (or LP) version, using

production

later.

was the Universal

A Bren Carrier No. 2 Mk

Army. The

purchased from Britain and delivered in mid1

January 1942. Based on

this vehicle, series

Carrier.

vehicle families

terminate carrier production for the Australian

cars.

The most numerous of the Australian

where

such vehicles were not very valuable.

first

1942, along with an export order for

the Eastern Supply

had shifted to the jungles of the

LP 2/2A carriers

March 1944

batch of Staghound armored cars arrived,

never implemented as by that time emphasis

,852 vehicles and was

scout cars, of which 503

the

to,

rifle

and production quickly ramped up, so that

Once production was complete a modification

reduce weight was begun, but was

Boys AT

940, with deliveries starting

eventually arrived. In

to

in early 1941. Five firms built

hulls from the Victorian Railways Workshops.

program

as the

MG, were also sometimes fitted. The

initial

service.

was not strictly adhered

and other weapons, such

obsolescent in 1944 and gradually withdrawn

a production

Geelong using

and

16mm,

were built by Victorian Railways in the

production.
carrier,

was

A further improvement, the LP3

trialled in

prototype form in 1944

but no orders were placed.

Two specialized variants of the LP2 were

developed
the

as well.

To create an

anti-tank vehicle

LP2A chassis was lengthened by 22cm and

improved engine cooling

fitted to create a light

second half of 1 940. They were declared

tracked vehicle with an open rear bed. To

obsolete in late 1941.

was mounted the 2pdr AT gun complete with

Engine overheating and brake

shield.

failures,

An order for 200 was placed in

this

February

took place between

May

consistent problems with the LP1 were

1942 and

remedied with a new design, the LP2 and LP2A,

and October 1942. An additional order

for

was cancelled when

that the

based generally on the Universal Carrier.

new model

The

deliveries

it

2pdr was no longer an

also reintroduced track-

became apparent

effective anti-tank

the unprotected crew

displacement steering, not included in the LP1

weapon and

Armament was supposed

vulnerable in jungle fighting.

to be the

Bren light

MG for vehicles destined for overseas service

and the Vickers

for vehicles

remaining

in

For

106

would be

HE fire support the Metropolitan Gas

Company,

builder of the 2pdr carrier, took the

51

JANE'S

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

Left Australian AC1 Sentinel (PMK)

developments.

One of their missions was

training tanks,

and

250

to this

to find

end they purchased

Ml 917 tanks (US copies of the FT), which

were used for training until 1942. They also

M2 medium tank and saw

drawings of the M3 medium. They were
examined the

impressed by the automotive components and

the

75mm gun, but less taken with its location

in the hull.

Montreal Locomotive Works

wooden mock-up of a tank with

built a

the automotive

*.'.*_

chassis

of the 2pdr

the rear bed

mortar on
Carrier.

added low walls

carrier,

a turntable to create the 3"

An order for 400 was placed

the powerplant. After

to

a 3"

and replaced the 2pdr gun with

Mortar

The first was delivered

also

October

in

1942 and the order had almost been completed

in

March 1943, when

had no requirement

The

last

the

Army decided

of the 400 vehicles came off the

June 1943 and

all

they

for these vehicles after

were shipped to India

some

all.

frustrating delays

production Valentine was delivered

August 1 94 1 The
.

initial

Valentine VI (the Valentine

1942, to begin on completion of the 2pdr

carrier order.

first

early

mid-

in

the

adopted by the British

in

with

as the

CM diesel,

Valentine IV),

which were then replaced by the Valentine VII

with detail changes.

The main

difference

opposed

was completed

Canada

forces. Instead, except for

a further four to

armored car

battalions.

No

thought, however, appears to have been given to

actually equipping these formations, for the only

armored vehicles

available were

2 Carden-Loyd

Mk VI machine gun carriers purchased in 1934,

along with the anticipated delivery of 16 Mk
VI B

light tanks

On

purchased from Vickers

the outbreak of war

Canada

in

936.

offered

military units to Britain, including tank units,

but the British had no interest in tank units

without tanks.

On 27 May

1940, with the battle

Canada

for France in hill swing, Britain asked

they could produce the

next
to

new Valentine

month saw cabinet approval

for

tank.

488 ranks

equip a Canadian tank brigade, along with

training issue
Pacific

and replacements. The Canadian

Railway shop

in

Montreal was quickly

selected to build the Valentine III tank, but

substituting the locally available

Right: Canadian

52

if

The

Shermans

in

CM diesel as

the Netherlands,

1945

prototype

Ram

American M3. As with the Valentine,

production of a tank proved more

difficult

than

envisioned and, in particular, the production of

lar

in early

1943 but

CPR

was never

it

training, the entire

Britain

30 machines held

for

output was purchased by

and shipped

to the Soviet

Union

in

fulfilment of their Lend-lease agreements.

Even while the

CPR was tooling up,

Canadian observers went south

to

look at

first

outstripped that of their armament.

50 Rams were produced with the 2pdr

the 6pdr as the

used in combat by Canadian (or even British)

and

as the first

tanks

to the Besa in the

Production of the Valentine by

distribution to the Chinese.

infantry battalions to tank battalions

first

gun, but subsequent vehicles were armed with

in the latter, as

six Militia

mounting a 6pdr gun. An

was the use of the Browning .30cal machine gun

original.

Army converted

a turret

order was placed and the

The

line in

reorganization of the

armor and

a cast hull, curving

between the British and Canadian Valentines,

for

The 1936

M3, but with

tank was delivered in April 1941, the same time

batch were

III

gear of the

retained in
sea

and

Ram

Canada

Of the Rams, 277 were

for Training,

104 were

the remainder arrived in the

by Canadian

lost at

UK for use

forces.

At the end of 1 943, 446 Rams were turned

over to the British

who converted

about half

into recovery vehicles,

and about

APCs. Of those

Canadian hands about

still

300 were converted

US

II.

carriers,

and the

in

into

a third into

APCs and ammunition

British accepted a further

300

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Right: Canadian Otter reconnaissance cars, used by the

RAF Regiment in Greece, 1944.

Rams

both

for use in

NW Europe

and

Italy

as

APCs and recovery vehicles, Of the Canadian

APCs, 36 were equipped with Wasp flame

Rams were

throwers, while another 59

converted into towing vehicles for 17pdr AT

guns.

By

die time the

Ram

II

production, however, the

reached

full

US was producing the

M4 Sherman with its 75mm gun. The decision

was therefore made to switch
slightly

production of a

to

modified version of the

M4A1 known as

US was already producing

the Grizzly. As the

enough Shermans, Grizzly production was

halted at

88 between September and

December 1943. The

production for SP

hull,

artillery.

the Universal carrier. In this case they turned the

to

UK, converted

Shermans

for

its

to

Ford of Canada. Production ramped up quickly,

proceeded to develop their

and was only phased out

with

Rams briefly,

operations in

tank chosen for the Canadian

Sherman

units

arrival

its

and then

The

Sicily.

Army was

Armoured

Division, but other

were often equipped with Sherman

(M4A2) due

to

Indeed,

was

it

supply
as

conversions and derivative

by the Canadian

Army Engineering Design

combat. Designed

that of the

successful
artillery

in

Ram

in a

to

US M7. The result was highly

and

it

by the

was adopted

British

converted to

as the

in the

its

M7s

UK were also

GPO (gun position officer)

command vehicles

by removal of the gun.

The

and

predecessor.

CMP (Canadian Military Pattern)

thus

their efforts at
less

somewhat

wheeled armored vehicles were

A plan to build 250

chassis

and automotive

decision to build an armored car in

to have

come

in late 1940,

and

in

to

GM 4x4

truck chassis. Changes in requirements and lack

converted to armored personnel

proved so useful that

when

the Canadian

of proper

they

that,

carriers.

These

they began to wear

out a program for conversion of Ram tanks

the

to

APC role was undertaken. These were very

popular vehicles and served to the end of the

war

in a special unit, the 1st

Canadian Armored

Carrier Regiment.

The delays

that afflicted

the hull of the

much of Canadian

AFV production were not evident in the case of

Humber IV on

Humber drawings yielded a vehicle

when completed, was

considerably

overweight. Weight reduction efforts were only

partially successful,

overloaded through

and

the vehicle remained

its life,

regarded as "inadequate".

and by late 1943 was

It

was only

briefly

used by Canadian forces in Sicily before being

replaced

byT17El Staghounds

in the

used Lynx

two

later

on

AFV was the

Humber Ironside.

it

proved overweight. Use in

Sicily

highlighted the resultant suspension problems

kits to alleviate the
1

worst of

The

943.

fix

been relegated to service

with the

Humber III

units,

was

944 they had

not entirely successful, and by

becoming

light reconnaissance

the

standard in the Canadian Army.

New Zealand
The New Zealand Army had no armored
vehicles until the arrival in April

Bren Carriers from

Britain,

939 of six

which were

distributed in two-vehicle sections to three of

the nine

mounted

rifle

regiments in the process

ofmotorization.

The decision

to

form the 2nd

overseas service as a

full

Humber IVs

establishments was

made

reconnaissance regiments.

initially

its

British models.

armored car regiments, and Daimlers and

in the infantry division

faults of

Canadian wheeled

these were provided in late

abandoned.
left

and

and modification

September 1941 the decision was made

which eliminated

Production began in February 1942 and, once

again,

mount

The adoption of the Sexton

II

third

analogous to the British

Skink AA vehicles on the Grizzly chassis was

Army with 72 surplus M7s, which

The Canadians

both lineages.

Canada seems

II

of the

components, yielding products that betrayed

The

for artillery units

Canadian

all,

Otter, a light reconnaissance car expected to be

surprising that

than impressive. In part, this resulted from

structures to

by Lynx

The

family of softskin vehicles were reliable and

It is

Once

the Lynx,

as

scout cars, these being mostly replaced

were competent and

the attempt to adapt British-style vehicle

standard SP

Army, replacing

NW Europe. Sextons

vehicles as

manner similar

creative.

known

September 1 943 go-ahead was

to reliability. In

some, although not

local design

version, simpler

was overweight with predictable consequences

forces

Although most of the Canadian auto industry

popular.

Branch, the Sexton mounted a 25pdr gun on

for 4.2"

given to produce the Lynx

staffs

own

conventional frame and chassis.

again, the resultant vehicle,

the

Canadian

to

Europe.

development

Ram saw its

the chassis of the

in

mover

AT guns in

was of American parentage,

III

difficulties.

vehicles that the

to bring in the larger

carrier as the preferred

mortars and 6pdr

the

of mass production,

Windsor carrier. The Windsor replaced

Loyd

V (M4A4) and this was the standard

tank for the 2nd

Ford of Canada, and they

program over

The Canadian Tank

Brigade was issued with Churchills on

in the

was delivered

however, was kept in

to masters

Daimler scout car

In January 1941 a British

NZEF for

division to British

with the British agreeing

in
to

September 1939,
equip

it

on

arrival.

53

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

Left:

A local New Zealand

pattern Beaverette.

A simpler and cheaper armored vehicle was the

Beaverette, based

same name, but

on

the British vehicle of the

larger

by virtue of using

truck chassis in lieu of a car chassis.

Ford

Two

prototypes were built in 1941 and in early 1942

Workshops

the Hutt

version was chosen with an

order 187, later raised to 207.

The NZ Beaverette

used the chassis of the Ford 4x2 1-ton

commercial truck chassis and was to have been

protected by

13mm hardened steel. Armor plate,

however, proved impossible to acquire, so instead

they used mild steel acquired from wrecked ships

and

The NZ

oil pipes.

Beaverette had a crew of

Gun or a

two and was armed with either

Boys AT

Beaverettes were

rifle.

The carriers and

distributed to the Light

mounted

rifle),

and

Bren

AFV Regiments (former

carriers

were also issued to

the carrier platoons of the infantry battalions in

Thereafter the 2nd

manned and

NZ Division, although

led by Kiwis,

was a

arms and supplies

the Middle East.

directly

from

British stocks in

1940 and was

to the usual British standards

of 44

carriers

and 28

such as

Mk III). The regiment received some

light tanks

(mostly early marks,

Marmon-Herrington armored
1941, but lost

all

shortly thereafter.

their

cars in early

equipment

in

Greece

They then reequipped with

Mk VIB/C light tanks and in early July

they received

5 Stuart tanks. In July

regiment was re-equipped

as

942

1943 the

an armored car

Middle

vehicles for use in the

was needed

to get

them

East,

940

to purchase carriers

workshops

gun

for the local construction of 40

mild

carriers (in

production)

steel),

known

420

200 welded

in October,

its

was withdrawn

the 4th (Infantry) Brigade

for conversion to armor.

The

accommodate

carrier,

Australian

Italian

and served throughout the

campaign. Short of infantry, the cavalry

regiment was converted to foot soldiers in

1944.

late

wheeled

carriers in

1943

for use

by forward

White scout cars

in

US

much

M3A1

provided 95

1942, but these were

disposed of in 1943-44. Britain supplied 84

Daimler Mk

scout cars in

II

942-43, and these

were more successful, serving until the early

1960s.
In July

94 1 approval was given

formation of the

for the

NZ Army Tank Brigade at

home and in October the

British shipped

Valentine

454 were

nothing further could be spared. Shortly

the Vickers gun, later

August 1 94 1 the
in Simla, India,

as the

II

after

the Japanese declaration of war, orders were

placed in Britain for a further 306 Valentines

and 34 close-support Matildas

Brigade with
plus a

to

56 Valentines and

90% reserve. To re-equip

equip the
1

8 Matildas,

the light

AFV

regiments an order had been placed in the

EGSC never took delivery of the vehicles, of

for

were

rebuilt

LP2 models, and many

until after the war.

3" mortar

carrier,

6pdr gun

tractor,

and flame-

thrower. Imports of carriers from the

54 universal
Lloyd

carriers,

carriers, all in

1 1 1

mortar

1941-42.

UK totalled

carriers

and 21

170

During 1 942 the

Valentines:
1 1

US

M3 Stuart light tanks, and this was

increased to 731 in

The LP2As

built in four configurations: Vickers carrier,

30

tanks as a training scale, but

NZ LP2A, featuring room for a radio. The

went into storage

division in early 1943

first

LP2A, which became known

armored regiments, each with 52 Sherman

returned to the

of which

Group Supply Council,

which 200 were

The armored brigade

New Zealand

942

placed an order for 650 carriers based on the

three infantry battalions were converted to

tanks.

carriers

requirement to 520. These were based

Eastern

when

Bren

(local

with General Motors

raking over the lead. In April

raised

LP

NZ Railway, this being

(LP 2) was placed with

raised to

as

This was only the beginning, for

simultaneously, an order for

vehicles the Bren gun, In

until July 1942,

II

August an order was placed with Hutt

built to

armored element of the division

extensive use. Ford assembled 45 India Pattern

service. In addition, the

in

troop to be rearmed with a 3" howitzer in lieu of

sole

but do not appear to have seen

and

developed that permitted one Staghound in each

was the

Small numbers of other wheeled vehicles were

also acquired

observers, but these were too late to see

prototype had been acquired. The

37mm gun. The cavalry regiment

January

in

from Australia

on the Australian LP2

the normal

of far-

foundered when production there was delayed

troops of Staghounds and one of Dingo scout

short order a modification kit was

New Zealand and the Pacific.

some coaxing

for the defense

away New Zealand. Attempts starting

1

armored

British willingly supplied

regiment, with three squadrons, each of five

cars. In

54

its

The divisional cavalry regiment

arrived in Egypt in February

equipped

British division

and equipment, receiving

in organization

While the

70

March 1942.
British supplied

236

Mk II, 74 Mk III, 8 Mk III and

bridgelayers, along with

33 Matilda IV CS

support tanks. In December 1942 the tank

brigade was broken up, leaving only the

Tank

2nd

Battalion as an operational unit. This unit

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S
was equipped entirely with Valentines, and
the

end only "C" Squadron saw combat

Pacific.

To maintain

the

CS

Valentine

Ills,

in the

The

were removed from

Mk II with four-wheel drive was almost

Mk but quickly

identical externally to the

construction.

was

Matildas (including 18

without guns) were handed over to Australia

in

built in

their

The Marmon-Herrington

One batch

The

Stuarts present a

first

more complex story.

vehicles

batch of 292 Stuarts began arriving in

and

second

in

(MFF)

in the left hull side.

the fact that no publications had arrived with

gun and an anti-tank

them, but

it

subsequently turned out that these

were a very unusual combination of

M3A1

and

turrets,

but without the

rifle in

second Bren gun on an

as

the turret, and a

M3A1

III,

for

which rhe

AA mount.

chassis

to East Africa,

in

Chad, and 175

189

East,

942

armored

vehicles,

cars totaled

was shortened. The

Mk

The

and

II

new design.

armor

to be

to the

Middle

for the Free French in

by the end of October

theater's

inventory of

,473, of which

employed with no

III vehicles

reaching obsolescence by lare

performance and the shorter hull allowed

slightly thicker

and 48

Middle East

the

connections were different on the two models,

"Hybrid Stuarts", had no

9 to West Africa, 49 to the

the Middle East. Even with the deliveries of

replacement, the

as

(PMK).

to Malaya. In the first half of

to India,

reduced wheel base improved cross-country

known

942 they delivered a further 261

turret baskets. Because the hull/turret electrical

these tanks,

47mm gun

786 were

Marmon-Herringtons.

A further improvement came with the Mk

M3 hulls

02

more modern

known

carried a Bren

and

in

The

Middle East (ME)

vehicles

other batch (338 vehicles) were

difficult to

(549 vehicles) were

bring into service. Initially this was ascribed to

June 1942 and immediately proved

Italian

Netherlands East Indies, 10 to the Free French

and carried one Vickers machine gun

the turret

mounting captured

Herringtons to the Middle East, 66 to India,

Mk II

two configurations, differing

armament.

II

South Africa delivered 129 Marmon-

I,

designated as Mobile Field Force

1944.

The

Mnv:Mk

transitioned from riveted to welded hull

tanks and installed in

a conversion that proved

The 33

satisfactory.

May 1940 and completed

near the end of the year.

homogeneity of the

battalion, the 3" howitzers

18 of the Matilda

delivered starting in

in

still

It

were
1

clearly

94 1 Their
.

Mk IV, was to be a completely

featured a unibody hull (albeit

using Marmon-Herrington drive

mounring a 2pdr

increase in weight.

Once

again two variants

components) with

improvise solutions to the myriad problems

were produced, an

MFF

(1,780 vehicles) and

gun. To speed production, most of the vehicles

presented proved only partially successful, and

ME (798), featuring the armament distinctions

they were never considered satisfactory vehicles.

of the

power

electrical

In the spring of

M3Als, but

to the turret.

943 the

Attempts

to

US shipped 89

Mk II. The Mk

these never completely supplanted

Mk II and

Mk III vehicles saw extensive service, including

Middle

where they formed the bulk of

the earlier models in service. Neither type was

the

used in combat.

the British armored car strength from late

to

East,

mid 1942. During rhe second

half of

80) were actually built with Ford,

instead of M-H,

vehicles were used

operationally only in Ethiopia, but

(some

94

1941

a turret

components and these were

Mk IVE Production switched

from the Mk III to the Mk IV in July 1942,
although completion of the Mk III order took a
known

as the

few more months

to taper

out completely.

The

Mk IVFs were purchased by Britain, but appear

South Africa

The Union of South Africa's armored

at the start

inventory

of the war consisted of two very tired

Crossley armored cars and two Vickers

ranks purchased in

of South Africa

1925. The

made armored

cars

medium

of much

terrain

an attractive

proposition and local designers began an

early, if

poorly-supported, effort to develop an

indigenous vehicle in 1937.

Initial efforts

yielded the Reconnaissance Car

by a

turret carried

Mk 1,

body surmounted

consisting of a large armored

on an imported 3-ton Ford

4x2 truck chassis. By the time the war had

broken out, experiments had been conducted
with the Marmon-Herrington conversion
that turned the Ford
vehicle.

4x2 into

The superiority of this arrangement led

to orders being placed for almost

vehicles,

'All

890 of these

but the supply of conversion

would be

Mk

kit

a four-wheel drive

slow, so an initial order for

vehicles

was placed

as well.

The

kits

135 of rhe

Mk Is were

South African armored cars were universally referred

Herrington conversion

kit.

The South

to as

Marmon-Herringtons, that designation even being retrospectively applied

Africans referred to these vehicles officially as "reconnaissance cars", while the British called

to the

Mark

rhem "armoured

I,

which did not have the Marmon-

cars".

55

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S
no combat service, while the

to have seen

vehicles stayed in

Reports of a massive
car led

Mk IV

South Africa.

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

32

545

327

300

896

289

337

48

Light Tanks

German 8x8 armored

South Africa to develop

its

WAR

Medium Tanks

own versions,

the iVIarmon-Herrington Mk V in 1942 and the

Mk VI in 943. The Mk V was a failure and the
Mk VI only a little better, and neither entered

the

production.

new

US Export

of

Tanks

to India

After the

North Africa were brought home and

forces in

new formation,
formed.

It

was sent

equipment

the

the 6th

battalions,

to Egypt,

issue

division, including

Armoured

of"

a British

to

it

fought to

it

as

October 1939 the

cars. In

the end of the war.

The

latter

Chevrolet TG- 130 armored

companies

British

were withdrawn and handed the remaining

armored

cars

and the

frontier regiments.

for three

where

Italy,

picked up

armored

Sherman tanks

and moved

Division, was

where

1-ton 4x2 Chevrolet chassis.

became known

of Tunisia the South African

tall

RR and most of the Crossley bodies onto

light tanks to

The

two Indian

light tanks served

on the

companies
1

on into

NW Frontier. Although these were British

units, the Indian

pay for

their

government was required

equipment and

in

to

1921 they

942 with Indian

armored
for

cars,

followed the next year by an order

Crossley chassis.

was placed
vehicles.

in

1925, probably for about 70

A batch of 20 big Guy 6x4 armored

was ordered

unwieldy

for

British

armored

927. Proving too large and

narrow Indian roads, they were

withdrawn from
As the

in

Mk LA from Vickers and these

were delivered and mailed

were successful and

54

1931.

a series

in

930-3 1 They
.

production contract

time, an

in

June

in India

944. At the

armored car regiment was

converted to Shermans. Thus,

also

end of the

at the

and

hulls,

in

940 they built

Armoured Corps held

Shermans, were used

The

I,

Mk

II,

using a rear-engine

Persia/Iraq theaters,

and were

942

a roof was fitted to

and

a turret

Bren gun and an

the vehicle was
III.

and

initially received a

this carrying a

AT rifle. In this configuration

as the

Armored Car Mk

An order for 300 was placed,

early.

Armored Car

heterogeneous

Mk II
Mk III armored cars were issued to one

regiment in Persia and one in the Middle East.

up 30 old

regiment, shipped to Malaya, picked

M-H
1

Mark

lis

when

they arrived

94 1 Supplies of Daimlers and

.

By 1943

trickling in in 1941.

most of the regiments had been reequipped with

Humber III and IV armored cars.

Daimler and

One

some of the

mounted,

known

terminated slightly
into the

Italy,

reconnaissance

mixture of vehicles. Marmon-Herrington

Humbers began

used in smaller numbers of Indian forces in

armored divisions and

The armored car and

wheeled

Middle East and

regiment

in the iVIiddle East

from Humbers

to

Staghounds

in

reequipped

November

1943. In that theater, one Daimler/Humber

regiment included a heavy troop with eight

75mm-equipped Staghounds, while

but was

A further evolution

Burma.

Grant/ Lees.

there in late

proved useful machines in the

Grant/Lees and

in the fighting in

brigades used Valentines, Stuarts and

Ford 4x4 chassis imported from Canada. The

carriers

eight tank

tank regiments that formed

part of the Indian

The recon

was followed by the main

production version, the

Army

British

regiments

ten

Marmon-Herrington conversion

Mk

the Indian

used

Mk IV, mounting a 2pdr

the other

M3 half-track 75mm SP guns.

The

three

motor regiments were

initially

Mk IIB IP light tanks was placed in late

gun, was designed but the gun mounts, to be

formed with

The proved underpowered, and

imported from Britain, proved unavailable and

of the squadrons in each were reequipped in the

the next

contract, placed in early 1933, called for

IVA light
weight

29

Mk

the

ratio.

By 1936

it

had been decided

to

full

production was dropped.

entirely with

American

convert the armored car companies to tank

regiments converted in India

companies, resulting

by

in significant orders for the

The

tanks,

trucks, but in February

Middle East with 15 universal

Indian Army tank units were equipped

tanks, with a slightly higher power-to-

first

in late

The regiments were disbanded

1942 two

carriers apiece.
a

year

later.

The infantry divisional motor cavalry

two

941 and

May 1942 were fully equipped with one

regiments were also

Those arriving

initially

in the

equipped with

trucks.

Middle East each received

Mk VIB light tank. The first 60 were ordered in

squadron of M3A1 Stuarts and two squadrons

platoon of universal

mid- 1936, followed by 33 more

of M3A5 Grants and/or

Africa each got universal carriers for one platoon

then a further 5

armored

cars

a year after that.

companies acquired

year

later,

As the tank

their vehicles the old

were handed over to the Indian

Army who, starting in

56

probably due

difficulties, as well as

4x4 configuration. This vehicle, the Carrier,

vehicles

interest in

the Indian government. In 1929 they ordered

for

to

In

of light tanks, so too did

cars in favor

four Light Tanks

armored

service in 1934.

began losing

rejected,

carrier.

the large operational area occupied by the Indian

Wheeled, IP

A second order for Crossleys

same

Army. Tita Iron Works was capable of building

modified with

32 Vickers vehicles mounted on 4x2

cars

analogous to the British universal

prototypes for fitting to front-engine Ford chassis

ordered 19 Rolls-Royce IP (India Pattern)

were similarly re-equipped

Stuarts. All three types, Stuarts,

and manufacturing

to cost

930s, with their most active service being on

the

Shermans, while the two original units

regiments, five with Shermans and three with

cars served

The tracked solution was

during the 1920s and

in India

in the

Middle East had been re-equipped with

war

vehicle,

RTC armored car

as Stuart

all

1943 the two

frontier until 1943, while the Chevrolet

A pressing need was for a light, armored, utility

Britain maintained eight

light tank regiments. In late

armored

forces in Persia/Iraq.

India

regiments in India were converted,

939, transferred

some of

M3A1

two regiments were converted

East, starting in April 1942.

was

full}'

equipped with

Lees.

in the

The

next

Middle

By November one

M3A1

Stuarts

other with Grants. In early 1943 three

and

the

more

in

carriers,

while the two in East

each squadron, which they promptly used to

form

a carrier

squadron

in

each regiment.

Universal Carriers were also used to form a carrier

platoon in most infantry battalions.

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Left:

In these, at least, the

Ford armored cars of the SDF.

Bren gun has been replaced by a Vickers (PMK).

the Italians in
in

940. Following

reconstitution

its

mid- 1 94 1 an armored car squadron was

unknown

included, using an

armed with two

to convert the

but

light

MGs.

type of vehicle

had been planned

It

SCC to an armored car regiment,

coup

a bloodless

in

mid- 1944

led to

its

disbanding instead.

Sudan
Although not

944 the M-H armored cars were replaced by M8

British Colonies

Arab Legion

Greyhounds. Neither regiment

left its

home base.

regiment in
1

was granted

this force

December

in

940, which included an armored car squadron

of 12 vehicles. Ford truck chassis were acquired

and

with armored bodies

fitted

steel

apparently proved satisfactory in the low-threat

environment. Each car carried a turret

mounting

a Vickers

MG and an AT

Bren or Lewis gun was carried for

November 1941
three

rifle,

and

air defense. In

Ford armored cars

built.

new

with a

total

armored
12

and

to

cars based

in use in the late

forces,

cars arrived in

1930s

start of the

1939 and these were distributed

Singapore Volunteers, and the other of the

to volunteer forces

and infantry

and

M-H II armored cars. Both models were

M-H Mk IV armored cars in late

Shortly before the war

later

armored
topped

cars,

they extemporized 45 armored cars

using Ford 1-ton 4x4 chassis and

shells.

turret

homemade

Each of these carried

with

a low,

Bren gun and an AT

open-

rifle.

infantry

was authorized 28 Universal

Carriers.

Transjordan Frontier Force

The pre-war TJFF

included two mechanized

companies with pickup

armored

cars

the two were

combined

trucks. In
to

January 1941

form the Mechanized

Regiment. Each of the mechanized squadrons

now consisted 20

battalions.

III

platoon with

MGs.

Some

early 1941, 175

Mk III MFF

carry their Vickers

battalions

on garrison duty to form improvised

Marmon-Herrington

motor machine

that used Ford pick-up trucks to

From September 1944 each of the ten

two armored car companies: one of the

Federated Malay States Volunteer Force.

later five,

The force

they acquired two old Rolls-Royce armored

but most of these

have been used up by the

commanded by

included here.

is

included three,

armed with

replaced by

1943 and

appear

armored

were delivered. These were similarly distributed

and each

a reconnaissance

were

armored car platoons. In

South African armored

of 30 Marmon-Herrington

cars

chassis

battalions

now had two armored car squadrons

regiment

locally-built

were also handed over to a few of the infantry

organization taking advantage of additional

cars gradually replaced the Fords

on truck

to

the force was expanded to

mechanized regiments with

dozen

war. A shipment of 22 old Lanchester armored

separated by a sheet of plywood, but this

local

About

and

gun companies

Malaya

with various volunteer

locally.

Protection consisted of two layers of mild

British officers
initially

Approval for the granting of a mechanized

a colonial force in the strict sense,

the Sudan Defence Force was

light

local-pattern

armored

cars

MGs and AT rifles, but no

May 1943

the mechanized regiment

Somaliland

radios. In

The Somaliland Camel Corps

was converted to a motorized infantry formation,

held no armored

vehicles before the occupation of their area

by

losing

all its

armored

vehicles.

early 1944.

East Africa

The

King's African Rifles converted their

machine gun battalion

battalion in January

to a reconnaissance

942 and

later that year it

acquired used Marmon-Herrington armored

cars.

Shortly theteafter

it

was redesignated the

3rd East African Armoured Car Regiment and

joined by a

new 4th

EAAC Regiment. Thus, by

M-H Mark II &

October 1942 there were 225

III

armored

cars in East Africa, along with

11

Universal Carriers for the infantry battalions. In

fi/pM'A Ford armored car of the Arab Legion

in

early

942

(George Rodger/Timepix)

57

^
JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Marmon-Herrington Armored Cars

The

first

armored car

mated

be designed and

to

South Africa, the Mark

built in

Reconnaissance Car,

Ford chassis and powertrain, purchased

the US, with an indigenous armored body.

chassis

in

The

RHO

chosen was that of the 3-ton 4x2 truck, a

common building-block that guaranteed cheap

and easy supply. The armored body was rather
bulky and followed the truck pattern of placing the
engine in the front, with the driver behind
the crew

compartment

surmounted the body,

machine gun.
inexplicably,

at the rear.

fitted

on the left

with a .303 Vickers

side of the hull.

4x2 drive system were

apparent, and efforts were

made

would take some time, so an

vehicles

1940.

initial

was produced with

The
readily

to acquire

Marmon-Herrington 4x4 conversion

and

A second such weapon was fitted,

limitations of the

Mk

it,

A circular turret

kits,

but

this

small batch of

deliveries in

midAbove: hN\k

II

MFF armored car

Below: Mark

III

JAN E'S TANKS OF

Once

the conversion kits

changes were

detail

the

Mk

made

available

Only

compared

to the bod)'

There were two

I.

became

Mk II version.

production began on the

WORLD WAR

to

variants that differed in

armament: the

MFF was intended

Africa and was

armed with

for use in

South

a Vickers, while the

ME

(Middle East) version could take a variety of

weapons, such

AT rifle, Bren light MG,

the Boys

MGs,

twin Lewis

etc.

In the desert they were often

with captured weapons, including the

fitted

Breda and the

was

as

similar,

German 37mm

The

20mm

Mk III

but had a slightly shorter wheelbase,

improved armor, and

a turret

and

MG.

a coaxial

The

Pak.

Vickers

with a Boys

AT rifle

Mk IV was an entirely new design,

featuring a rear-mounted engine and an open-

topped turret with

The

2pdr gun and coaxial

MG.

Mk IVF was similar, but used Canadian Ford

components instead of Marmon-Herrington.

/tooi/e:MarklV(PMK)

Mark

mounted

85

83

83

5.30

1.98

2.29

Engine

Height (m)

2.44

2.49

Road Speed (km/h)

components and

turret of Canadian design.

as

Ram Is and

2pdr and a coaxial Browning .30cal

in the turret, together

and

n/a

85

5.21

III

Ram
with a second

small secondary turret

hull,

n/a

HP

Length (m)

50 vehicles were known

a

Mark
12

Width (m)

Weight (tonnes)

II

12

Front

US M3 medium, mated with a

new upper hull and

The

Mark

III

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

the automotive

lower hull of the

First

Mark
5.4

Tank,
The Ram used

II

5.4

on

the

left

MG in the

front of the

on an AA mount. The

a third

Ram II

replaced the 2pdr with a 6pdr gun. Later

MG turret and side

vehicles eliminated the

doors.

It

proved impossible to regun them with

75mm so they were obsolete by the time they

entered large-scale service.

combat

as tanks,

They never saw

but were widely and

successfully used as

APCs, with the

removed and carrying

1 1

configuration the secondary

useful.

for 17pdrs,

and

carriers for the Sextons.

Ram

II

this

MG turret proved

They were also converted

towing vehicles

turret

infantrymen. In

to

to

OP tanks,

ammunition

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

27.7

Front

Length (m)

5.76

Side

Width (m)

2.76

Engine

Height (m)

2.65

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

76
63

400
42

tank (early model with side door)

59

JANE'S

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

Self -Propelled Gun,

This vehicle took the lower

tank and fitted

to that

of the American

etc.,

of the

new upper hull

Sexton

including

hull,

suspension, engine, transmission,

Ram II

similar

M7SP 105mm. The

main weapon was the 25pdr gun-howitzer

a traverse of 25 left

which had

and

5 right ol

maximum elevation ol 40 and

center, an

Ammunition stowage was 87

depression of -9.

rounds of HE and 18 of AP,

allowance supplemented by

Ram Ammunition

accompanied the

Carriers that often

Two

generous

vehicles.

Bren guns were carried, bur not mounted,

On some vehicles a

for local defense.

.50cal

MG on a pintle mount was added to the

left

front coiner of the hull top. Highly successful,

became

the Sexton

the standard

SP

artillery

piece lor both the British and Canadian Armies

from 1944.

A Sexton

self-propelled

gun (PMK)

The Windsor carrier followed from

being

in

22.7

Front

50

Length (m)

6.11

Side

37

Width (m)

2.74

Engine

Height (m)

2.44

Road Speed (km/h)

Weight (tonnes)

4.86

Front

Length (m)

4.37

Side

Width (m)

2.11

Engine

Height (m)

1.45

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

400
42

Windsor

Carrier,
American T 16

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

the

lengthened version of

the Universal Carrier. Both models added an

on each

extra road wheel

distinctive

each

side.

side, resulting in a

arrangement of two 2-wheel bogeys

This made both vehicles suitable for

heavier duties, such as towing 6pdr AT guns.

The Windsor had

crew of two and could can)'

three others, although

more were often perched

precariously on the vehicle in the

Canadian Army
this role,

field.

The

adopted theT 1 6

it

became apparent

that the

had more usable cargo room. Being

cargo-carrier

unarmed,

as

April

was theT

16.

The

British ordered
start

September 1944 and was terminated

1

in

945, so they did not see service until near

the end of the war.

Windsor

and prime mover the Windsor was

5,000 Windsors, but production did not

until

for

but switched to the indigenous

Windsor when
latter

originally

Carrier

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

HP

12
n/a

95

55

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

Scout Car, Dingo

The Australian Dingo

to

fitted

of the Ford

the chassis

an armored hull to

5cwt truck, converted

4x4 configuration. The crew sat side-by-side

and consisted of two:

a driver

and

commander/gunner. The vehicle carried

light

Bren

MG which could be fired from a slot

between the two

high-angle

visors in the front plate,

mount at

No. 19 radio was carried

restricted

at the rear.

which reduced weight but

what could be

carried.

also

The Dingo

proved serviceable, but not outstanding.

somewhat overloaded and

It

was

the front axle was

A program to lighten the

prone to bending.
vehicle by

of the Dingo was the sloped

distinctive feature
rear plate,

from

the rear, or dismounted.

removing the roof and reducing

armor thickness

to

10mm all round was

launched, but never went past the prototype

phase.

30

Width (m)

2.08

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

1.85

Road Speed (km/h)

80

Weight (tonnes)

4.5

Length (m)

4.57

Front

Side

10

85

Dingo Scout Car (PMK)

Wheeled Carrier
with

This was a Ford 4x4 rear-engine chassis

fitted

an armored body by Tata Ironworks.

held a crew

It

India Pattern

of three and was normally armed with a Bren gun

and an

AT rifle. The basic version was the Mk II,

followed by the

Mk IIA with slightly larger tyres,

then the IIB with a small extension of the hinged

roof plate, and then the

Mk 1IC, which was slightly

wider and had a stronger suspension.

the

most widely produced and was

vatiants:
carriers,
latter

the

2,000 basic carriers, 21

and 345

artillery

with a small

turret.

The IIC was

built in three

3" mortar

observation vehicles, the

The follow-on

vehicle,

Mk III, was actually a light armored car, adding

a fixed

roof and a turret with a Bren gun and an

ATR. The carriers were

used in the same way the

British units used Universal Carriers, as

carriers,

reconnaissance vehicles,

weapons

etc.

Weight (tonnes)

A wheeled

carrier

Mk

IIC in the

5.2

Front

Armor (mm)
(mm)

Length (m)

4.72

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.29

Engine

Height (m)

1.98

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

n/a
n/a

95
83

desert

61

Czechoslovakia
The new Czechoslovak
Lancia armored

cars,

state

truck chassis, an unsuccessful

procurement.

existence with only a few old

to build

attempt

The vehicles were scrapped

Starting again

from

4x4

a purpose-built

scratch,

armored bodies

indigenous

for 12 Fiat

AFV

in the late 1920s.

Skoda developed the PA- 1 armored

chassis with four-wheel steering

armored

popularly

hulls

at

car with

and delivered two

923. Later that year the army ordered a dozen PA-II

prototypes in
cars,

first

its

inherited an impressive defense

it

1919 Skoda was directed

industry. In

rounded

began

although

were well

known
in

Their advanced chassis and

as "turtles".

advance of their time, but their lack of turrets

limited their military usefulness.

They were sold

to various police units in

the 1930s.

The successor was the PA-III, which

unitary

body to reduce costs and

used

flat plates

instead of a rounded

installed a turret with a Schwartzlose

machine gun. Nevertheless, the complex chassis ensured that the car
remained expensive, and the Army was only able to purchase
until the annexation

to

Romania and

5.

They served

of the Czech regions, when three went to Slovakia, three

the rest ro

Germany where they were scrapped.

The last attempt at armored car development was driven by the need

to

reduce the price of the expensive Skoda models. Tatra developed an

armored body
1

930

for their

OA

as the

6x4 Model 26/30 truck and

51

were ordered in

vz.30. This followed the standard practice of the day in

being essentially an armored truck with a turret on the rear compartment.

The turret mounted a 7.92mm ZB26

weapon was fitted

in a ball

mount in

light

machine gun, and

country performance was good for a vehicle of its type but the

armor was thin and the armament quite weak. They served

German

takeover, with 18 going to the Slovaks

These were

to

be the

last

armored

second such

the front next to the driver. Cross-

and 9

3-6mm

until the

to the

Romanians.

cars built in Czechoslovakia, attention

having turned to tanks.

Having no experience

Skoda. In
carriers

in building tanks

it

seemed

logical to start

with

CKD had emerged as a competitor to

930 they persuaded the Army to buy four Mk VI machine gun

modest vehicles. By the

and

a trailer

late

920s

from Vickers and acquired

building 4 straight copies,

production

license. After

CKD improved the vehicle and in April

Army placed an order for 70 vehicles,

being delivered in

to be

known as the vz.33

934. These were similar to the Polish

1933 the

tank, these

TK versions of the

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S
extended upwards

vehicle, with a superstructure

2-man

to provide full (if thin) protection for the

crew.

The main

difference

by a bowden

alongside the

They developed

unable

win any army

to

and

success,

of tankettes, also

a series

VCL concept, although they were

based on the

a very

smallest, representing a

tankette concept.

Trials in the

contracts. Their only

modest one, came with

tank gun into the front. Retaining the

it

was not

two-man

terribly

but eight were sold to Yugoslavia in

practical,

1937.

160 were ordered

1

as

CKD was working on the original

Vickers tankettes, they recognized the need lor a

by November

true tank. Thus,

had accepted

The

from the firm

tank was conventional

in appearance, if somewhat small,

a driver

and

sat a

one-man

commander/gunner. The

3.7cm tank gun and

turret for the

turret

a coaxial

it

44 production)

Attempts

machine gun.

was

Army ordered 50 vehicles

The

mounted a

15mm maximum armor,

was quickly obsolete, but

vz.34.

and featured

a radio operator in the hull front,

behind which

With only

Army

932, the

lor test a light tank

designated the P-II.

the

more

in

in

1933

the tank

beginning and

and

(6 pie-series

as the

LT

(light tank)

tanks were delivered in 1934-35.

them off were ended by the

to sell

German annexation and 27 found

way to

their

May

Skoda delivered

in

delivered

For the
its

all

LT vz.35. The

06 more

CKD proposed
won, based on

vehicle

and an

in

the

CKD

initial

CKD

first

to Iran, then to Peru,

Ministry of Defense

conttact was signed but

Munich

new light

clear
1

laid

out

between various

in April an order

however. In September 1938 the

two firms could

was placed

this

academic,

Munich

agreement forced Czechoslovakia to turn over

Germany and most defense

produce, thus pushing them towards exports.

the Sudetenlands to

For another, the complexity and shortcomings

contracts were cancelled. At the end of

ot the LT-35 light tank were

Army held

and

become apparent

replacement would soon be needed.

With

great prescience,

70 vz.33

CKD switched from

light tanks, along

March 1939

suspension of their earlier vehicles to

seceded and

a Christie-

type suspension, but using layers of leaf springs,

tor their

new generation. The

first

new system was

5 vz.27

tankettes,

the bogied small road wheels that formed the

service using this

vehicle to see

and

938

and the remainder went

to the

Type

Germans, who sctapped them.

vz.30 armored cars,

with various prototypes. In

the Slovak portion formally

Germany occupied

the Czech

region as the "Protectorate ol Bohemia-

Moravia". Czechoslovakia ceased to

exist.

also the

by

CKD and

prompted the Army staffofficial

its

appearance

to begin drafting

requirements documents that would

guide future procurement.

The

main

Tatra

Czechoslovakia

51

1934

1935

1936

1938

1939

1937

result

was

OA

vz.30

Tankettes
vz.33

CKD

Czechoslovakia

70

S-l-d (T-32)

Skoda

Yugoslavia

AH-IV

CKD

Iran

50

AH-IV R

CKD

Romania

35

AV-IV Sv

CKD

Sweden

48

30

15

113

rather confusing set of specifications for three

variants each of two

Customer

Armored Cars

The LT vz.34 had been developed purely as a

private venture

Mfgr

1933

types of tank, light

Light Tanks

and medium. During 1934-37 the Army's

budget contained funding for 279

medium

and 42

Skoda launched

in the

two-prong effort

On the one hand,

development of a

tank

field,

to gain

they began

light tank, the S-II-a to

compete with the equivalent

P-II-a

from

64

CKD

Czechoslovakia

Skoda

Czechoslovakia

CKD

Czechoslovakia

149

R-2

Skoda

Romania

15

61

50

TNH

CKD

Iran

40

10

LTP

CKD

Peru

LTH

CKD

Switzerland

20

CKD,

and on the other they concluded an agreement

with

LT vz.34

LT vz.35

tanks.

Stung by CKD's successes

entry.

light

CKD that no matter who won the light

the

and 5 1 vz.34 and 298 vz.35

Slovakia (where they were used as training

vehicles)

for

50 tanks.
Events were quickly to render

the tanks that the

CKD TNHPS was chosen as the

winner and

even the

all

937 the

CKD and Skoda

expanding Czechoslovak Army could not

clear

requirement for

tank. Altera competition in

early 1938

slowed, tank development efforts at the two

absorb

whose

Switzerland and Latvia. In October

models the

it

was

successor to the LT-35,

TNH series. The result was one of the best

export success,

slightly greater

was

efficient suspension, scaled up,

CKD's planned

end of the war. The vehicle met with immediate

These selections had not ended, or even

one thing,

meet Swedish

automotive system was highly regarded to the

of the S-II-a (LT-35),

then cancelled following the

to

all-round tanks of its time, and one

agreement.

firms. For

The same
used on

June.

937.

its V-8-H. The

its

and then redesigned

built

for

requirements.

first

tank role Skoda submitted

S-II-c, a larger version

while

export,

light

half of the vehicles between

of theirs in

medium

new

as the

complete rework of the

The AH-IV tankette was

and Romanian configurations

in Iranian

October 1935, followed by

936, and

its

led to the

December 1936 and April 1938.

maturity,

Even

acceptance of the Skoda S-II-a

development that squeezed the 3.7cm Skoda A3

crew of the tankette genre

summer of 935

tank with the designation

cable.

In the meantime, rival Skoda had not been

idle.

tank competition, they would share production

between them.

was the addition of a

ZB26 light machine gun

second

driver, fired

WAR

Pre-Annexation AFV Production

17

24

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S
The Protectorate
vehicle

IT vz.34

of which were scrapped

LT vz.35

322

45

570

108

150

633

323

201

14

192

10

154

SdKfz 140 FlakPz

101

40

SdKfz 140/1 AufklPz

38(t) Ausf

150

B-D

38(f) Ausf

& S

38(f) Ausf E, F

PzKw

SdKfz 138 Marder Ausf

SdKfz

198

SdKfz 138 Marder Ausf H

their

PzKw

inventory after some modifications as the

PzKw

and 244

which they took into

light tanks,

38(t) Ausf

PzKw

light tanks, all

fairly quickly,

1945

PzKw

OA vz.27 and 24 OZ vz.30 armored cars, 40

vz.33 tankettes and 23

1944

1943

1942

1941

Production

park was confiscated by the Germans, including

9

1940

1939

The bulk of the Czechoslovak armored

110
-

39 Marder Ausf G & H

344

35(t).

Of more significance was

that

SdKfz 138/1 sIG 33 Ausf H & K

BMM (the

SdKfz 138/1 sIG 33 Ausf

former CKD) was turning out LT-38 tanks on

SdKfz 138/1 munition

Germans

the initial order for 150. These the

eagerly took over, receiving 78 by the outbreak

of the war

in

September 1939. The Germans

renamed the tanks the PzKw

with the original

series

38(t)

becoming

[t

JgPz

= tschech],

38(t) Hetzer

Conversions

the Ausf

(model) A. Following their good performance

...

SdKfz 138 Marder Ausf A-G

SdKfz 139 Marder Ausf A-G

70

1,687

1,335

336

39

in the Polish campaign, orders were placed for

1

10 each of models B and

differing in detail.

C and

infantry howitzer, and the side

turret,

50mm. The 90 Model S

was increased to

extended further to the

tanks

had been ordered by Sweden and were similar

E/F, but

The

final version

was the model G,

designed to simplify production.

By early 1942

the

obsolete, especially

PzKw 38(t) was clearly

on the eastern

front.

1939-45

On the other hand,

command

producing the StuG

turret

for the factory

to the Alkett factory caused the

high

and

tall,

to

it

modify the

late

chassis

942 an
and

effort

was the Model

result

the

engine was moved

a flat

bed placed

result

at

imposed by factory machinery, the

The first

Hetzers

would be

improve performance.

in April 1944. Thereafter

PzKw II

with the

light

tank and a

common

solution was adopted. The simplest expedient

was

to eliminate the turret

and replace

it

from the PzKw

mount, surrounded on three

armored
vehicle,

shield.

armed with the captured

7.5cm Pak40.

by

vehicle in

Soviet

German

cartridges or

in April

942, and of the

November. The

PzKw 38(t) model G

last

94 of the

Marder production, and the following Model

was

given over entirely to

vehicle to the early

SP guns.

Marders was the

"Grille". In this case the

A similar
1

5cm sIG

main gun was the 15cm

but no new

steadily decreased

Grilles (including
as

103

as

ammunition

SdKfz 140 FlakPanzers, and 70

men

in the hull front,

in

as

SdKfz

came off the

and the

line in

last

nine vehicles

September 1944.

Production then concentrated exclusively on

the Hetzer.

last-

for they retained the

old configuration ol engine in the rear

only

carriers),

and two

and were thus Model

Ms

While the selection of the TNH

Germans
the

in

939

PzKw 38 (t)

for

series

kept the

not true for Skoda. They had tenT-1

(close relatives

Model Ms were subsequently

The

reign of the

short, however.

Model

Afghanistan

M chassis was to be

The assault gun

had proven much

configuration

superior to the

tall

topped vehicles based on the Model

as

CKD/BMM factory

automotive component changes of that version.

further 74

by the

continued production

busy with armored vehicle orders, the same was

the sense of incorporating the

ordered, these for Grille gun vehicles.

tanks were diverted to

BMM finished

existing
o orders for earlier vehicles

ones were placed. Production of the M-series

mentioned were unusual,

7.62cm

was

off the line

over to SdKfz 138 Marders, 221 to SdKfz 138/1

140/1 reconnaissance tanks. The

a thin

Deliveries of the Russian-

armed vehicle began

7.5cm

sides

was

result

came

placed in early 1943, of which 568 were given

141

This yielded the Marder

Pak36(r) rechambered for

the

38(t)

with a heavy anti-tank gun on

chassis

gun while not

exceeding the approximate 16-ton weight limit

outstanding.

An order for a thousand Model M

many

Given the

constraints of needing a powerful

the rear, along with a range ol detail changes to

The same problem was becoming apparent

ready, using

was the JagdPanzer

already been built up, so the clear preference

to find other uses for the chassis.

an

tank hunter. By January

wooden mock-up was

38(t), unofficially the "Hetzer".

to the center of the vehicle,

make room, and

PzKw 38(t). The

The

M chassis, in which the

the radio-operator's position in the hull front

deleted to

1944

as

of the components of various models of the

hull to

for the weapons-carrier role.

BMM. The Czech

were directed to come up with

a design for a light

ungainly vehicle. In

to investigate

III at

firm could not handle 24-ton vehicles, so

alternative, they

to

production capacity had

damage

German

the configuration was amenable to retrofit ot

optimize

automotive performance of the tank was

excellent. In addition,

raid

vehicles being returned lor overhaul, but yielded

was made

The

anachronism that could not be remedied due

the small size of the hull.

opening was a simple change

37mm gun and 2-man turret represented an

armor was

rear.

Simply bolting the piece over the

to

were confiscated by the Wehrmacht on

completion.

BMM

The models E and F were

but the frontal armor, hull and

similar,

Deliveries by

105 model D,

air

in

They also

tanks

production for

1940 and these were

finally sold

further developed their

original proposal for the Czechoslovak

tank competition, the

open-

M and

to Bulgaria.

in

of the LT-35)

prototype was sent

to

S-II-c, into the

medium

T-2 1 The

Hungary for trials

in

June

65

JANE'S
940 and

in

August

production

a license

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

II

Instead they ordered ten LT-38 tanks from

August 1943, 12

agreement was signed allowing Hungary to

BMM in April 1940, these being in production

July

produce the tank

for

as

theTuran

Thereafter,

I.

Skoda concentrated almost exclusively on guns

and

repair of tanks.

developed

to the

A few projects were

Germany as

the

PzKw 38(t).

In

August they

purchased 21 LT-40s, these being LT-38s slightly

modified for the original customer, Lithuania,

prototype stage, but no

and stuck

production ensued.

in the

CKD warehouses after the

Soviet takeover of that country.

LT-38s were ordered

September

additional 20
1

940.

Because

When it declared its independence in March

BMM works,

it

was June of 1942 before the

In early

An order for an additional

December 1943, and

for the sale

last

five in

purchase of these

were now obsolete.

1943 the Army approached Germany

of long-barrel

Germans agreed

with the short

delivered in

last

in

944. This was the

vehicles, as they

the

German orders took precedence at the

Slovakia

OA vz.27 and
OA vz.30 armored cars, 30 vz.33 tankettes,

in

An

PzKw IV tanks,

to sell

only 5

PzKw

75mm for training,

these being

March 1943. Shortly after

order was placed for 20

PzKw II

but

IIIN

that an

light tanks to

939 the Slovak state inherited 3

of these was delivered.

seven LT-38s was placed in early 1941, and these

early

were delivered

H anti-tank vehicles from BMM, but once

and 27 vz.34 and 52 vz.35

Of these,

light tanks.

only the LT-35s could be considered

operationally useful vehicles

and

In June

the Slovak

Army requested Skoda to build more for it, but

the tank

was out of production by that time.

in

October 1942.

1943 the Army purchased 58 more

LT-38s, this time from

German Army depots,

and of all models A through

H and S. Only 37

were actually delivered, in batches of 20

in

actually delivered, January 1944. Finally, in

1944 the Army ordered 26 Marder model

again delivery was never completed, only 18

being delivered, in mid- 1 944, This was the

last

of the armored vehicles to be delivered to the

Slovak Army.

Tankette AH-IV
There were two variants of this tank, Iranian
and Romanian, differing only
driver sat at the right front

had

7.92mm light MG

in a ball

time.

The

his right

with limited traverse

mount that he could

The small one-man

to the left

in detail.

and off to

fire if he

turret

found the

was mounted

and carried a 7.92mm ZB35

cooled heavy-barrel machine gun.

suspension, predecessor of that

air-

The excellent

made famous by

the LT-38, consisted of four large road wheels

with leaf-spring suspension. These gave the

AH-IV very good cross-country mobility. A

modified design was purchased by Sweden
(q.v.).

the

Despite their admirable

MG-armed

agility,

the day of

tankette had clearly passed, and

the lack of a radio

and 2-man crew limited

their

usefulness as scout vehicles.

An AH-IV

66

in

Romanian service (PMK)

be

used for reconnaissance, although only 16 were

Weight (tonnes)

3.50

Front

Length (m)

3.20

Side

Width (m)

1.79

Engine

Height (m)

1.69

Road Speed (km/h)

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

HP

12
n/a

55
45

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Tank LT-35
Of conventional layout,
crewed by

and

a driver

Skoda LT-35 was

the

and

in the front,

The

in the turret.

mounted a 3.7cm vz.34 gun

(for

turret

which 78

rounds were carried) and a coaxial

machine gun.

(German Pzkw 35(t))

a radio

operator/machine gunner

commander/gunner

luk

7.9mm vz.37

The turret was manually rotated,

with a free-rotation disconnect lever for rapid

The tank featured

traverse.

assisted steering
driver's job

burden.

and

easier,

pneumatically-

shifting that

made

the

but added to the maintenance

The tank had

a telegraphic radio

and

no intercom, but when the Germans took them

over they replaced the radio with a voice set and

added an intercom. The Germans

room

to

add

who acted

crew

a fourth

as a loader.

complex, tank for

its

found

also

member to

the turret,

The LT-35 was a good,

time, with a powerful

if

gun

and adequate armor.

Weight (tonnes)

10.5

Front

Length (m)

4.90

Side

Width (m)

2.06

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.37

Road Speed (km/h)

25
15

120
34

LT-35s with turret hatches open

Light Tank LT-38 (TNH series) (German

PzKw 38(t))
Although differing

in detail, the various

members of the family were generally similar.

The four-man crew consisted of a driver and

radio operator in the front, with a ball-mounted

MG between them, and the commander and

gunner

in the turret. Turret

armament

in the

LT-38 consisted of the 3.7cm A7 gun (with 90

rounds) with a second
parallel to the

MG in a ball-mount

main gun. The Germans replaced

the telegraphic radio with a voice unit

and

added an intercom. By the standards of

1939/40
design.

it

was a remarkably well-balanced tank

However, the

excellence

tank's

automotive

was somewhat offset by

its

lack of

growth potential due to the narrow hull.

It

could not be upgunned, nor could a third turret

crewman be added. Models E and onwards of

the
to

German

50mm.

PzKw

series

had frontal armor increased

Weight (tonnes)

9.5

Front

Armor (mm)
(mm)

Length (m)

4.61

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.14

Engine

Height (m)

2.40

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

25
15

126
42

38(t)

67

|AN E'S TANKS OF

PzJag 38(t)
This was

simple change to the

WORLD WAR

(SdKfz 138/139) (Marder)

PzKw 38(t),

involving mainly the elimination of the turret in

favor of a three-sided shield around a large anti-

tank gun. In the SdKfz 139 this was the 7.62cm

Pak36(r)

and

in the

SdKfz 138

was the

it

7.5cm Pak40/3. 194 of the SdKfz 139s were

built

on the Model

G chassis,

the rest of the

139s and 275 of the SdKfz 138s were built on

the

H chassis with a more powerful

Model

The SdKfz 138 Model

engine.

refined, with the engine

was moved

gun deck

center, leaving a

M was more

at

the

to the

This

rear.

lowered the silhouette and improved

ergonomics.

models, was deleted in the

earlier

gun

The hull machine gun, found

traverse

was 2 1 each side

139, and 30 in the 138H.

in

138M. Main

in the

38M and

Ammunition

firf+i

stowage ranged from 27 to 38 rounds.

First

column Model

SdKfz 139 Marder on Model G chassis

SdKfz 138/1
This was

essentially the

but with a

the anti-tank gun.

The

Weight (tonnes)

10.8

10.5

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

Length (m)

5.77

4.95

Engine

Width (m)

2.16

2.15

Road Speed (km/h)

Front

HP

2.51

2.48

50

15

15

15

150

150

47

47

(Grille)

Marder configuration

5cm heavy infantry gun

Height (m)

H,

Second column Model

first series,

replacing

on

the

model

H and K chassis, were analogous to the Model

H Marders but with the side shields extended
further to the rear to

ammunition and
although a light

the

accommodate

bow

the large

MG removed,

MG was carried loose.

Ammunition stowage was

rounds of main

gun ammunition. Later models, based on the

Model
and

M chassis, had the engine in the center

the

gun position

at the rear,

rounds were

carried.

5 each side.

The 1 5cm

where 18

In both cases traverse was

infantry

gun was

fearsome support weapon, and in that role the

Grille

was

successful.

The armor was

for an effective assault gun, however,

small size limited

too thin

and the

ammunition stowage

to an

extent that variants had to be built as

ammunition

SdKfz 138/1

vehicles to carry

Grille

40 rounds.

SP 15cm on Model

chassis

Weight (tonnes)

10.8

Front

Length (m)

4.84

Side

Width (m)

2.26

Engine

Height (m)

2.15

Road Speed (km/h)

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

HP

15
15

150

47

JAN E'S TANKS OF

FlakPanzer 38(t)
This vehicle took the Model

2cm

traverse at

carriage

four sides and

all

down

to facilitate full

ItfL^

low angles of elevation. Ammunition

No secondary

was 1,040 rounds.

armament was

fitted

or carried.

The crew
gun

consisted of the driver in the front and a

detachment of 3 or 4 in the

rear.

solely as a stop-gap measure, the

Intended

armament

proved so weak that the Flakpanzer 38(r)

became the

often

The

in the rear bed.

superstructure was built up on

the upper portion folded

(SdKfz 140)

M chassis, with the

engine in the middle, and placed a single

Flak38 automatic cannon

Ik

WORLD WAR

target

itself

of Allied fighter-

armor was too thin

bombers, while

its

prevent strafing

damage by heavy aircraft

to

machine guns.

Weight (tonnes)

9.7

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.61

Side

Width (m)

2.15

Engine

Height (m)

2.25

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

50
15

150

48

SdKfz 140 FlakPanzer 38(t) (PMK)

JagdPz 38(t) Hetzer

This vehicle shared the automotive components
of the

PzKw 38(t)

needed

in

family,

but had

wider

gun. Even so, traverse was limited to 5

10 right of center.

The main gun was

7.5cm Pak39 L/48,

for

carried.

hull,

order to allow traverse of the main

and

the

which 41 rounds were

A remote-control

mounted on

left

machine gun was

the roof, with a 50-round

magazine, and was aimed and fired by the loader

via periscope.

The driver sat at the left front,

the

gunner behind him (aiming via a periscope), the

loader behind him, and the
right

commander on

the

behind the gun. The Hetzer was a

remarkable design, combining small

size,

well

thought-out armor protection and a lethal gun.

It

was

also very

visibility

cramped

inside,

had poor

of the outside, and the limited traverse

of the main gun, especially to the

left,

could

create tactical problems.

Weight (tonnes)

15.75

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

6.38

Side

Width (m)

2.63

Engine

Height (m)

2.17

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

60
20

160
43

JagdPanzer 38(t) Hetzer

69

France
The French Army,

like

many others,

vehicles for the infantry

and those

distinguished between armored

for the cavalry.

Although the two

grew together so that there was substantial overlap between the two types

by the time the war broke out, the specifications were usually drafted
separately

and thus the distinction

is

a convenient one for analysis.

France was one of very few countries to have significant competition in

both the design and production of tanks during the inter-war years.

Although Renault dominated the

success with the wartime
early 1930s

were

all

field in the

FT tank,

1920s, due largely to

its

other firms began joining the fray in the

and by the middle of the decade

FCM, Somua and Hotchkiss

competing with each other and Renault for

their share

of the

rearmament market.

Infantry Vehicles

The end of World War One saw the French Army both

blessed

and

burdened by huge quantities of the best tank of the war, the Renault FT.

As
1

a result there

little

impetus for modernizing the tank park. The

926 armament program did

dividing
1

was

them up

establish broad categories for

into three groups.

The light tank was

to

new tanks,

weigh

less

than

3 tons, be of simple construction and easy to operate, and have a 2-3

crew.

The

battle tank was to weigh

heavier resistance

and was

to be

9 to 22 tons and was to take

armed with

a high-velocity

man

on

gun or a

75mm short-barrel gun. The heavy tank was to weigh up to 70 tons.

Renault continued developing
Renault

in the

NC in

insufficient for the

development of the
in

trials

with no

1929, with an order for a

Char 2C were

utility

1920s, resulting

real

FT were

A small number were sold for

orders following. Further

NC yielded the char D, which appeared in prototype

The heavy tank category was

giant

FT tank through the

French Army to buy any.

export, but mostly for

form

its

1927, but the improvements over the

built in

first

5 following that

to prove a

dead end. Although ten of the

92 1 they quickly proved

,

and further development was

December.

to have limited

halted.

In 1933 three classes of infantry tanks were defined: the light tank was
to be proof against light anti-tank

weapons, the

medium

tank against

heavy anti-tank weapons, and a heavy tank, with the last-mentioned being
essentially

dormant.

Several firms vied for the light tank award, the most famous being

(ANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

left; A

when

Char B-1 on maneuvers, 1938.

the

88mm

Flak was pressed into anti-

75mm howitzer threw a

tank duties, and the

very useful

gun was
in

HE round, while the 47mm SA35

lethal against

other than

however,
obvious.

its

enemy

rate of

whole tank had

engagement was slow

trying to accomplish anything

on the

original

mounted

and

a turret.

in fact the vehicles

Even within that weight,

tons.

1 1

put forward weighed

in the hull

930 and

trialled in

93 1

as the

severely constrained the size of the tanks,

and replaced the

two-man

designs suitable for

the role of supporting infantry in

battles

but

little else.

Renault and an
1

WW

-style

The winner was from

initial

A massive

it

the

most numerous post-WWl tank

in

the French inventory in 1940. Nevertheless, one

shortcoming of the R-35,

recognized.

The

its

short range, was

FCM entrant in the

competition had used

a diesel

engine that gave a

range of 225 km, as compared to

Renault version, and a year

worth of

later

30

km

for the

two battalions

FCM tanks were also ordered.

As rearmament began the infantry branch

began looking for additional quantities of tanks.
Renault was expanding, but for the time being

was

fully

booked. Hotchkiss, on the other hand,

had excess capacity and

fact that the

the

this,

combined with

the

Hotchkiss was a simpler tank than

R-35 (and thus presumably cheaper),

infantry to order the

H-35

led the

as well, starting in

mid- 1937.
For the

medium

tank role the infantry had

three battalions of D-l tanks under order by

Right The Renault R-35 was the most numerous

modem tanks.

of the

bis,

satisfactory, the equivalent

new

its

all

Its

armor was impervious

German AT weapons of the time except

model, known

range

German

speed was slow, limited the

as the B-

was

One of the painful

First

World War was

advancing troops

remedy

intended role of infantry

frontal

of the

ter,

An improved

which

built to prototype stage

as efforts

were

models.

934 before

support the B- 1 bis was an impressive piece of

equipment.

its

it.

concentrated on the need to build existing

47mm gun and coaxial MG. A

in

but

for the howitzer,

which became the main production

variant. For

production program was launched that would

make

number were ordered

The vehicle's

was

III,

aim and

to acquire the target,

and reload

but no production ensued,

further development yielded the definitive B-

order was placed in July

935 under the designation R-35.

model with
small

who had

the gun,

incorporated thicker armor and 10 of traverse

Char B 1

Further work increased the armor thickness

resulting in small,

in

in

however, the relatively heavy armor required

original turret with a

aim the gun,

archaic suspension cross-country.

and twin machine guns

Three prototypes were produced

to be turned to

engine and transmission on the road and by the

933.

weight limit of 6 tons quickly became apparent,

almost

72

A heavier vehicle had begun

development in 1927 with a 75mm gun
1

for

75mm because the

fire

PzKw

FCM. The futility of

used

47mm because there was only one man

in turret

Renault, Hotchkiss and

When

shortcomings became painfully

The

both main weapons, the

and the

tanks.

strictly-defined intended role,

its

this

which featured
tracked

dense trench warfare. To

Renault developed a small, lightly-

armored resupply
to

in

lessons learned during the

the difficulty of supplying

trailer.

tractor

a cargo

known

bed

as the

in the rear

UE,

and

A first series of 60 was built in

JAN E'S TANKS OF

WORLD WAR
were placed

Type

Date

Qty

D-1

70

January

D-1

30

June to August 1933

Oct-33

D-1

50

January to December

to

December 1935

Mar-34

B1

Dec-34

B1

20

March
April

936

1936

to

50

300

March

Jun-36

FCM

100

May 1938

Sep-36

R-35

200

December 1 936

Sep-36

R-35

95

Feb-37

R-35

205

May-37

B1bis

35

Jun-37

H-35

200

The 1931 armament program provided

May 1936
1

to

to

September

The Automitrailleuse de Decouverte (AMD)

936

937

was

March 1939

to

to

August

July 1937 to June 1938

1938

to be a high-speed vehicle

for distant reconnaissance, in

practice an

armored

two-man vehicle

Jul-37

H-35

100

Oct-37

B1

December 1937

to

March 1939

for

to

March 1938

939

to October

1937

90

January

500

Jun-38

D-2

50

February to June 1940

Jul-38

H-35

72

August 1939

Sep-38

R-35

110

Sep-38

R-35

50

February 1940 to June 1940*

Oct-38

R-35

100

January 1940 to June 1940*

939

February 1939 to January 1940

all

1940

in fact there

requirements.

The

20

February 1940 to June 1940*

R-35

20

February 1940 to June 1940*

Jan-39

H-35

130

February to April 1940

Middle

35

200

Sep-39

B1bis

104

Sep-39

B1bis

63

Mar-40

R-35

300

deliveries not

October

939

to

January

May 1940

940

March 1940

to

to

of

fairly well

protected

colonial possessions

North Africa and the

would do

less

sophisticated vehicle.

was

to start with

better with a

The solution adopted

modernization of existing

and then develop an

vehicles to "trickle

new vehicle,

all

the

down"

into the colonies.

France had 200 old White Model 1917

May 1940

armored

June 1940

to

sets

introduction of which would allow the older

January to May 1940*

January 1940

in

East, however,

vehicles

H-35

were two

metropolitan army needed a

The vast French

and protectorates

R-35

B1bis

envisioned a single model

of AMD, but

vehicle.

January 1940 to May 1940

Dec-38

Mar-39

(AiVIC) was to

practical purposes, a tank.

modern, well-armed and

to February

Dec-38

Apr-39

Combat

The requirements

R-35

May-38

The

provide combat power for the cavalry and was,

June to July 1937

B1bis

Feb-38

to be a light,

for local reconnaissance.

June 1939

to

April

B1bis

The Automitrailleuse

March 1939

to

35

Oct-37

car.

(AMR) was

Automitrailleuse de

March

with long

endurance

de Reconnaissance

March 1938 to September 1939

April

for

three types of armored vehicles for the cavalry.

937

February 1937

D-2

R-35

936

to

Cavalry Vehicles

935

January

Jul-35

orders totalling 174 in 1939.

November 1932

Dec-30
Jul-32

Dec-34

1938, followed by two more

in

Delivery

from the

cars left over

First

World War.

Hopelessly outdated in terms of automotive

June 1940*

performance, the hulls of 98 of these vehicles

completed

were

Pre-War Infantry Tank Orders

lifted

placed on

from

their chassis in

new Laffly LC2

932-34 and

50 hp

chassis with

engines, to yield the White-Laffly or Laffly 50

1

932 and by the end of 1 935 some 793 had

been ordered and almost

all

delivered. In

1936

the Issy-les-Moulineaux facility of Renault was

nationalized into AjVIX, and with

production

line.

so great that

Demand

two more

it

the

for these vehicles

factories

built

at Beziers. Eventually,

Lyon and

and by April

the

UE family by far the most common

numbers, the

the infantry regiments as

UEs were assigned

armored resupply

25mm anti-tank guns.

worthy
was
one,
but the UE had a
The idea
a
vehicles

and

to

tow the

to

hull

infantry tank formations,

accompany

to

car.

80 hp engine and some modifications

burdens on the

logistical

To resupply the

the infantry in their

and armament by the Vincennes

yield the Laffly-Vincennes or Laffly

car.

Panhard

also built

AMD

known as

The solution

carrier derivatives as the

to this

problem was the

development by the Lorraine firm of a

the

little

tractor

as a potential

UE, but

instead. Lorraine

chassis

CRJ

the

UE2

larger

had

initially

replacement for

a third

two-wheel bogey

Laffly built

to

cars

of an

TOE. The

6x6 S 1 5

TOE was a thoroughly modern vehicle

a turret

that

with

was

as the

a single

S15

capacity and normally towed a special tracked

vehicles,

7.5mm machine gun, all

really required. It also

had an open bed

back for cargo or four scouts.

Unfortunately,

278

179, while

new design known

in the

a larger cargo

orders, totalling

Model

entirely

pour Chars (TRC) which had

Three

cars

165/175 and 31 personnel

45 colonial armored

each side to yield theTracteur de Revitaillement

fuel trailer.

80 armored

with great mobility, long range and armed with

had been chosen

responded by lengthening the

and adding

the

to their
facility to

28 4x4 armored

advance, something larger would be needed.

been developed

and Fouga 260,

French armored vehicle of the 1940 campaign.

Built in large

maintenance and

resupply tractor. Their

all

940 AlVIX had

,080 of these, Berliet 3 1

making

into

similarly transformed in 1934-35, but with an

which were

Renault/AMX

UE2 version was introduced

three factories
built

was

2,200 UE, Berliet 100 and Fouga 300. The

improved

armored

tracked vehicle, imposed additional

infantry regiment.

were brought

into the production scheme, Berliet at

Fouga

UE

A second lot of 28 vehicles was

very limited cargo capacity and inevitably, as a

it

was

colonial operations

also far too

complex

for

and proved mechanically

unreliable. All these vehicles, except a single

73

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

Left: Two

vehicles.

H-35

in

June, 1940.

These vehicles were inherited by the

new AMC
no

really

tanks after the fighting

light

category in 1931, although they were

better

armed or protected than the

AMDs of the time. Once again, Renault

launched

major

effort to

tracked vehicle market.

dominate the cavalry

The

result

was the

AMC

34, or Renault YR. Twelve were ordered for

trials

and the firm continued

to develop the

vehicle, incorporating the suspension of the

35, a

The

more powerful engine and

resultant vehicle, the

ACGl
Final

R-

a longer track.

AMC 35 or Renault

was accepted tor service and 50 ordered.

development and production, however,

stretched out interminably and by September

1939 only 16 had been delivered, although an

squadron of Laffly 50s, were based in the

speed.

The VM was succeeded by a slightly

colonies at the outbreak of the war.

larger

and sturdier version, rhe

The

definitive

AMD for the metropole was

delivered in prototype

form by Panhard

The

1933

in

latter

its

time and

vehicles.

1935

as the

had been ordered and 2 1 9 delivered and

replaced almost

all

had

it

the older armored cars in

vehicle, efforts

for

first

AMD 35 was an excellent

the third contract, later in 1936, provided for 55

,

A separate

(later

increased to 56)

delivered by

as the

AM 39, while a very

advanced Panhard 8x8 vehicle with oscillating

similarly accepted

AM 40P Orders for

respectively,

proved

For the
the small

May 1940 as

no

vehicles,

were

vehicles

of France.

fall

AMR role the Army had been using

proposal in

but

this

mockup of their

March 1932.
1

car,

Renault responded

inefficient.

order was placed for

as

on

50 and 600

fruitless, as

quickly and produced a

as the

P-28 half-track armored

had proven

In February 1933 an

20 of rhe vehicles, known

AMR 33 or Renault VM.

an interim vehicle due to

its

It

was regarded

fragile

suspension and tendency to throw tracks at high

Right: A pair of P-1 6 half-track

the war.

ADF.

All

armored cars before

ever

became

September 1939. Most of the hulls

1

940, but no turrets

initial

Thus,

in

drawn up

June

AMC was the Citroen-Schneiderknown

when

1929

the order was placed in

as the

for

96

934

higher speed and a

This time

it

was on a

level

M29

with

III.

new specification was

that provided tor thicker armor,

it

more powerful armament.

was the Somua subsidiary of

Schneider that produced a winning design. The

prototype was subjected to

S-35.

trials in

August 1935

An initial order for 50 was followed

others, so that a total of 450

by the

start

as the

by

had been ordered

of the war, by which time a new

been designed.

Kegresse P-1 6 half track, also

although

thin,

ofthePzKw

version (S-40) with a

available, so the vehicles sat in

storage.

The

that

and immediately ordered into production

ZT-4 but none had been

were completed by June

delivered before the

936 order was placed on

AMR ZT-2 was accepted for service in

was

and ZT-3, while

ZT-1 5 each of ZT-2 and ZT-3, and

A Gendron 4x4 vehicle with the turret of the

the

in 1936, called

5 each of ZT-2

behalf of the colonial troops and covered 2

immediately to find an improved replacement.

turret

in 1934,

ADF command

The second contract,

20 ZT-1 and

the war.

were launched almost

September 1939

awarded

contract,

of these had been delivered by the outbreak of

metropolitan units.

Although the

cavalry wanted. In particular, the range was too

deemed roo

covered 92 basic ZT-1 and 8

in

AMC 35 was not what the

short for a cavalry vehicle and the armor

be one of the most advanced armored cars of

was standardized

the

fact,

divided into several variants depending on the

to

it

Belgium. In

armament. The

the Panhard 178.

vehicle quickly proved

AMR 35 or

group was actually

as

AMD Mle.35. By the outbreak of the war 517

74

Renault ZT. This

additional 25 had also been delivered to

more powerful motor had

On paper the S-35 was probably

the best tank in the world in

939, with thick

armor, good speed and a powerful gun. In

practice, however, the

one-man

turret

slowed

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

JANE'S
the

engagement

level,

and

it

rate

slower than hoped, but not because of problems

of the gun to a very low

with Panhard.

seems unlikely that the old-style

The supply of APX-3

turrets

suspension would have permitted high cross-

consistently ran slower than the vehicles

country speeds.

themselves.

The formation of the new mechanized

divisions,

which were

organization envisioned a mix

medium AM Cs, with

the

Somuas

turrets.

them

Wartime Production
the outbreak of war in September

became necessary

939

was

it

with

turretless

AMDs.

Rather

fit

them with

small

7.5mm machine guns just to get

AM 39
940, with the AM

into the field. Production of the

to

have started in July

40P two years

on the

to focus efforts

AMD

divided the

called for the production

instructions were given to

turrets

clearly

on 2

that

than simply storing the turretless vehicles,

to fulfill the

latter role.

With

The June plan

of 15 complete and 40

and

of light

officially

200

maximize

efficiency.

An order for

on the Renault and Hotchkiss

tanks. Similarly, production of the

had only recently been

reinstated,

The Germans permitted

homeland

light

to

Maximum effort was to

to

maintain eight infantry divisions,

with eight Panhard 178

be

The

AMD armored cars.

so fitted

when

but

later on,

the occupation came

November 1942.
numbers of armored

Sizeable

vehicles, albeit

mostly obsolete ones, were also held in the

colonies.

The forces

FT tanks

(scattered in platoons for airfield

coastal defense,

and

in

North Africa held 320

in support

107 D-1 tanks (most of them

posts),

and

of isolated

maintenance of internal order and

be directed

that the divisions

35 and B- Ibis.

with any

AMDs, production was

all

Laffly 50,

27 Laffly 80, 2

TOE, 22 Panhard

Laffly S- 15

VUDB, and

165, 22 Berliet

14 Schneider P- 16 half-tracks.

There were no armored

in 1940. Thereafter the

to interfere

Vichy regime

German occupation of the remainder

of France,

cars in the theater, consisting of

White TBC, 48

to ensure

would be unable

anti-tank weapons were forbidden.

West

vehicles in French

port,

and

in

Germans allowed

22 Somua tanks

to ship

November 1941

a cavalry

with 41 armored cars (including

all

the

to that

regiment

the

VUDBs) was moved from Norrh Africa to

1940

1939

Model

The bulk of the R-35s were based

Prior

Sep-Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

975

200

30

30

50

15

106

where they tangled

H-35/39

640

130

20

67

22

72

122

forces.

D-1

160

seized

D-2

50

17

13

FCM

100

B-1

35

315

42

25

27

45

32

42

White TBC

or performed limited

fire

roles for rhe Allies.

Lebanon and

Syria the tank force

Laffly

50

98

Laffly

80

28

these were

45

armored

32

included about a dozen each of the Citroen-

Laffly S1 5
Berliet

TOE

VUDB

30

Panhard 178

219

93

28

16

34

98

33

120

35 ZT-1

167

10

10

15

13

Panhard 165/175

35 ZT-2/3
35 ZT4

13

Renault 34

12

Renault 35

22

20

270

50

21

UE chenillettes and

M23

TOE, and

half-tracks,

19

These

Panhard 165/175

Laffly 50s. Also in that figure were

White armored cars on

armored

their last legs,

39

29

chassis,

and about two dozen non-

light trucks.

To modernize
workshop

this force the

in Beirut

20

22

automotive

purchased 200 Dodge 3-ton

truck chassis and 30

16

135 older

cars of many different types.

Hotchkiss

96

S-35/40

Kegresse

43

improvised vehicles based on Panhard and

35 ADF

AMC

US

comprised 95 R-35 and 45 old FTs, Supporting

AMCP-16M1929

AMC
AMC

Morocco

keep their obsolete vehicles out of the

line of everyone's

86

in

with invading

Of the remaining vehicles, some were

tried to

In

briefly

by the Germans, while the majority either

combat

AMD
AMD
AMD
AMD
AMD
AMD
AMD
AMR
AMR
AMR
AMR
AMR

that

city.

R-35/40

B-1bis

two

in the

battalions), and 10 H-35s, 16 H-39s and 26 R-

Africa until the ill-fated Allied attack on Dakar

divisions were intended solely for the

towards increasing the production rate of the S-

In the case of the

Army

the Vichy

in the

each of which included a motorized squadron

terminated after the current contract for 50 was

completed.

in

armored

Vichy

D-2, which

was

guns were hidden for possible use

none were

7.5mm

some 25mm

possible that

It is

cavalry regiments also included the 169

FCM tanks was cancelled to concentrate

resources

removed and replaced by a second

35s in the motorized cavalry regiments. Those

later.

production of a relatively small number of

vehicles to

25mm guns on the AMDs were

Thus, the

machine gun.

family into two: those with and those without

of cavalry vehicle, however. The

to another class

The situation was so bad

June 1940 the army

light

to use the S-35s, gave rise

Dodge 5-ton chassis. The

old and slow White armored cars were to be

remounted on the new chassis and salvaged

Del iveries of AFVs

armor and mild

steel

were

new armored cars. The

to

be used to create

initial

program

called for

75

WOULD WAR

JAN E'S TANKS OF

34 new or converted armored

further 74 planned for the

uncertain

cars,

estimates ranging from

20

to

It is

cars

was mounted

with

rebuilds.

had an open-topped

armored body placed on the

a hall-turret

rear

(open

top) that carried a short-barrel

bed on which
at the rear

and

37mm gun and

MG. A second MG was carried on a

high-angle

mount at

the

In Indochina about

into separate platoons.

cars

were

20 FTs were organized

A small number of

also present,

942,

when

switched

the French

sides.

campaign the Free

and some armed

Army of North Africa

Their stocks of elderly AFVs were

clearly unsuited to

modern warfare and as an

provided for seven

(later

with eight

first

and 40 Crusader

III

from the

Type

Quantity

Light Tank, M3-series

238

Light Tank, M5-series

413

expeditionary force to be equipped by the US,

and an undefined "sovereignty force"

in

North

Medium

755

Africa to be equipped by the British.

By December 943
1

the expeditionary forces

(273
1

M3A3 and
,293 M3A1

M2 and M9
M3 and M5 half-tracks, 35 M4
half-tracks, 78 SP 37mm M6 tank destroyers,
50 SP 76mm M
tank destroyers, 76 M8
75mm SP howitzers, and 19 SP 105mm M7
half-tracks,

801

Miseries (75mm)

Tank,

Half-Track,

M2

(APC)

31

Half-Track,

M3

(APC)

1,431

Half-Track,

M1 6 (quad. 50cal)

Half-Track,

M21 (81mm

Tank Destroyer,

SP

Howitzer,

Armored

Car,

mortar)

M10

105mm M7
M8

new Dodge armored

car

in

Syria

transfers

not counted

as lend-lease.

By June of

54

443
283
689

M20

205

Scout

M3A1

287

Car,

howitzers. These figures include in-theater

70

Utility Car,

Above:h

UK in

half of 1945.

seven) tank destroyer battalions in the

scout cars and armored cars, 9 1 5

in the invasion ol

Mk IV armored cars

(later six) infantry divisions

divisions, along

M4 Shermans,

940 and used

944 these

the

230 M5A1), 594

included 182 Crusader tanks and 30

Centaur

August 1 943 and

and

UK in

were made to the forces

remaining in North Africa. In

March and April 1943. The formal rearmament

light tanks

in the

tanks remained the same.

British deliveries

program was established

had received 503

A single tank company with H-39s was formed

number of light

from in-theater stocks, followed by 84

in

to

M4A2 and 268 M4A4), while the

Marmon-Herrington

UE tractors also showed up, probably a

Free French Forces

944 the number of Shermans had increased

Valentines from units converting to Shermans in

combination of confiscated Chinese vehicles

local improvisations.

636 (368

interim measure the British turned over 62

and four armored

rear.

White Model 1918 and Panhard Model 1 928

armored

1941. Aside from those and a lew old

in

vehicles captured during that

French had no armored vehicles until November

64 new Dodge

and 15-19 Dodge-White

cars

The Dodge armored

coaxial

how far this program actually

progressed before the invasion of 194

armored

Lebanon

with a

autumn of 1 94 1

Lend-Lease Deliveries
to Free French

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

fcV

Light Tank, FT
Completely obsolete by 1 939, the
present in large

numbers both

in the front

commander/gunner/loader

Armament consisted
light

gun

and

in the turret.

of either

machine gun or a

FT was

little

France and

The tank had

elsewhere around the world.

crew of two, a driver

in

7.5mm

a single

37mm SA1 8 short-barrel

with French tables calling for

in the turret,

each platoon to have two cannon-armed and

one

MG-armed vehicle.

also

converted to radio tanks, replacing the

turret

Small numbers were

with an armored box, or to carry

75mm gun in a fixed mount.

With

a short

the short

range and low speed, the vehicles were suitable

only for infantry support, but their weak

armament and,

made them

in particular, their thin

armor

deathtraps in that role as well.

Weight (tonnes)

A machine-gun armed

FT,

time this photo was taken

9.6

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.22

Side

Width (m)

1.95

Engine

Height (m)

2.15

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

35
35
84

almost completely useless by the

in

1939

35

Light Tank, Hotchkiss

Originally designed for the infantry, this tank

was

finally accepted

similar to the
faster.

six

R-35

by the

was

but slightly

The main visible difference was

roadwheels, rather than

at the right front

also

cavalry. It

(see below),

with the

gunner and loader)

five.

the use of

The driver sat

commander (who was

in the

APX-R

turret.

Armament was a 37mm SA1 8 gun and coaxial

7.5mm jVIG. The H-39 was an improved

model with

slightly thicker

armor and

more

powerful engine that caused the rear deck to

extend almost horizontally. This increased the
speed to 36 km/hr and, because additional fuel

was provided,

also increased the radius of action

by about 10%. Late-production H-39s received

a

new

barrel

turret, as in the

R-40, with the longer-

37mm SA38 gun, which gave them some

anti-armor capability. Overall, they suffered

from the same shortcomings

Hotchkiss H-39 with long gun

as the

R-35,

p. 78.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

12.1

Front

40

Length (m)

4.22

Side

40

Width (m)

1.95

Engine

Height (m)

2.15

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

120
36

77

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

Light Tank, Renault

The

hull

WAR

35/40

of the R-35 was built of three cast

sections that were bolted together.

The driver

sat at the front, slightly offset to the left

a large flap, also fitted

with

and had

a vision slot, that

opened upward. The one-man

APX-R turret

housed the commander/gunner/loader,

who

was provided with a fixed cupola with vision

slits.

A hatch in the rear face of the turret folded

down

to provide a seat as well as entry.

Armament consisted of the short-barrel

SA18 gun

(with

7.5mm MG.

00 rounds) and

Derail improvements resulted in

production R-40s used a

the R-40. Later

slightly different turret

37mm SA38 gun,

58 rounds.

37mm

a coaxial

with the more powerful

reducing ammunition load to

Armor protection was good, but

designed for the slow-motion warfare of

WW

trench battles, the design lacked a radio,

overloaded the

commander with

ineffectual gun,

Top: Renault

R-35

duties,

had an

and was slow and short-ranged.

light

tank (TMB)

Below: An R-35 crossing a stream on early 1940. The gunner/

commander

78

is sitting

on the fold-out hatch

in

the turret rear.

Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

10.6

Front

Length (m)

4.02

Side Armor

Width (m)

1.87

Engine

Height (m)

2.13

Road Speed (km/hr)

(mm)

HP

40
n/a

82

20

JANE'S

Light Tank,
This was another tank that competed
1

933 competition

H-35

either the

It

FCM 36

in the

and

for a light infantry tank

out to the R-35.

lost

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

was more spacious than

or R-35 and had a better radius

of action thanks to the use of a diesel engine,

and featured welded armor.

used a unique

It

FCM turret of welded plates that provided

better protection than the
turret

was

larger

and provided with

rotating cupola at the rear.

take a

the

so

SA38

available as the

weapons would go

first,

none were

It

non-

was designed

to

37mm gun, but when that

more powerful

became

AMX-R turret. The

to

it

was decreed that

new production

retrofitted.

tanks

The tank was also

designed to accommodate a radio, but none

were so

due

fitted

two man

to shortages.

Thus, with

crew, short gun and no

radio,

it

only marginally better than the R-35s and

35s with which

FCM

light

it

its

was

H-

shared the battlefield.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

12.3

Front

40

Length (m)

4.46

Side

n/a

Width (m)

2.14

Engine

Height (m)

2.20

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

94
24

tank

Medium Tank, D
The Renault D-l was an
the

NC-27 with

side

grouped

springs.

in fours

on long vertical

The one-man

medium-length

enlarged outgrowth of

twelve tiny roadwheels each

coil

turret carried rhe

47mm SA34 gun

112 rounds were provided) and a

(lor

which

7.5mm

A second MG was fixed in the

machine gun.
hull

and aimed by turning the tank. The D-2

was

similar,

in the

but used the AMX-1 turret

Char B) and

advantage ot

later

(as

used

batches of D-2s took

this to fit the

more powerful

47mm SA35 gun. An engine of twice the power

was

also fitted to the

D-2, which increased

speed slightly from 18 to 23 km/hr,

significant advantage over the other infantry

tanks of the French

radio

Army was the provision for a

and an operator

other hand,

its

D-l and 100

(in the hull).

radius of action, at

for the

On the
km for the

90

D-2, was lower than even

the short-legged R-35s.

Char D-2 with SA35 gun

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

19.8

Front

40

Length (m)

5.46

Side

n/a

Width (m)

2.22

Engine

Height (m)

2.66

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

150
23

79

[AN E'S TAN KS OF

Medium Tank,
The

hull

WORLD WAR

B-1bis

was constructed of cast segments

bolted together with cross-members and side

beams on which
driver sat at the

The

the suspension rested.

To

front.

left

was a

his right

75mm howitzer that he elevated with a

handwheel from -l 5

to +25. Traverse

was

accomplished by turning the whole tank.

were in

sights

gun

The commander was

elevation.

APX-4 one-man

a coaxial

MG,

the

in the

Below the commander

The

howitzer and a radio operator.

advanced hydrostatic steering

to

of the

47mm SA35 gun

the hull center were the loader for the

made

The

to the

turret (identical to that

manned

S-35), where he

and

hood and linked

driver's

in

75mm

tank had an

differential that

possible the infinitely fine steering needed

aim the

The

howitzer.

B- 1 bis was a powerful

tank with thick armor, but the division of crew

duties

was

short,

and time

inefficient,

into

main weapons was

A Char

the cross-country range

engagement with both

slow.

B-1 bis on parade

January 1939

in

Cavalry Tank,
The

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

31.5

Front

Length (m)

6.37

Side

Width (m)

2.50

Engine

Height (m)

2.79

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

60
60

300
28

Somua S-35

hull consisted of three cast pieces bolted

together that provided excellent protection

unless a

round

and lower

hit the joint

hull pieces

between the upper

on the

side.

at the front left with a large visor

vision slots.
front.

The

The

third

turret,

and three

radio operator sat at the right

crewman,

commander, gunner and

APX-4

The driver sar

who served as

loader,

was

in the

47mm SA35
MG. The MG had

which mounted a

gun and coaxial 7.5mm

limited traverse of its own. Rapid turret traverse

was

electric,

with manual handwheels for fine

adjustment. The regenerative steering system

permitted turns with

35 was well

little loss

protected, fast,

action and a lethal gun.

It

of speed. The S-

had

good

radius of

was rated by some

as

the best tank in the world at the time, although

that seems a bit generous given the limitations

of the one-man

Somua S-35

80

turret.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

19.5

Front

Length (m)

5.38

Side

Width (m)

2.12

Engine

Height (m)

2.62

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

56
40

190
40

JAN E'S TANKS OF

WORLD WAR

*Y

Scout Tank, AMR-33/35

The two Renault AMR models were small two-

man vehicles designed

the

AMR-33,

also

armament was a

for the scouting role. In

known

single

as the

VM,

the

7.5mm machine gun and

the engine in the front, with the driver at the

center and the turret at the

known

also

the

as

the ZT, was

rear.

The AMR-35,

larger,

same engine and armor

although with

thickness,

and could

mount several weapons. TheZTl had

ZT2

machine gun (7.5mm or 13.2mm), the

had a 25mm AT gun in the turret, the ZT3 had

the

same 25mm, but mounted

the

ZT4

machine gun, and the ADF

vehicle with a radio. In

was

in a casemate,

used the turret from the

at the rear

fairly

armor, lack or effective

command

the AMR-35

and the driver

Although small and

FT tank with

was

the engine

at the front.

nimble, the thin

armament and absence

or a radio reduced their value as scouts

Weight (tonnes)
considerably.

ZT1s with 7.5mm

MGs

a pre-war parade

in

5.5

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

3.50

Side

Width (m)

1.64

Engine

Height (m)

1.73

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

13
n/a

82
54

Armored Car, P-16 (M1929)

This small vehicle used the Citroen-Kegresse
half-track drive, without

wheels.

power

to the front

A large roller was fitted at the front to

aid in crossing obstacles. In addition to the

driver, the

crew consisted of a

commander/gunner and
trials

models had

a loader.

The

928

37mm gun and MG

mounted opposite each other

octagonal turret of the

in the turret.

The

Ml 929 mounted a

37mm SAl 8 gun and coaxial 7.5mm MG on

one

face,

opened

and had

large flaps that could be

for observation in all others. In

number of M 1 929s had

by a

the

940

37mm gun replaced

25mm Mle34 AT gun. The vehicle

provided excellent observation,

critical for a

reconnaissance unit, but no radio to get

information back to where

it

was needed.

lacked the cross-country mobility of a

It

also

full-

tracked vehicle and the speed and reliability of a

Weight (tonnes)
wheeled vehicle, so

fell

into disfavor.

P-16 half-track armored car (TMB)

6.8

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.83

Side

Width (m)

1.73

Engine

Height (m)

2.60

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

11

n/a

60
50

81

JANE'S

Armored Car,
The

50 was the old White armored

Laffly

1917 mounted on

new 4x4

The

with their 50 hp engine.

80hp engine and featured

armored

MG mounted
The

car of

by Laffly
80 used the

Laffly

but new,

a similar,

37mm SA1 8 and a 7.5mm

80 had

Laffly

a similar

arrangement,

In both vehicles, the

four: a driver, a rear driver for quick

reversing,

and the commander/gunner and

loader in the turret.

80 noted

Laffly

The only weakness

in trials

was a tendency

of the
for the

engine to overheat when driven continuously

reverse.

North

Laffly

160 from each other in the

FM24/29 light MG.

crew was

II

13.2mm Hotchkiss heavy MG and

but used a
an

WORLD WAR

from Vincennes. The Laffly 50

hull

was armed with a

turret.

chassis

TANKS OF

Most ol the vehicles were based

Africa,

where they served well

in

in

in the

security role.

Weight (tonnes)

Laffly

50

fitted

as a

command

7.5

Front

Armor (mm)

(mm)

Length (m)

5.70

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.10

Engine

Height (m)

2.50

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

20
n/a

80

vehicle with long-

range radio antenna

80

Armored Car, Panhard 178

This was one of the most advanced armored cars
in the

world when

it

was introduced. The crew

consisted of a driver at the front center, the

commander and gunner

in the turret,

second driver facing rear on the

left.

and

The

transmission provided four speeds in both

forward and reverse.

turret
(for

The octagonal APX-3

mounted a 25mm SA34

which

coaxial

anti-tank

gun

50 rounds were provided) and a

7.5mm machine gun. A small number

were built

as

command vehicles,

main gun was

range, radio.

in

which the

sacrificed for a second, long-

The

large wheels

and 4x4 drive

gave the vehicle good cross-country mobility,

although

it

was

a bit tall for a discrete scouting

/

vehicle.

'turns

m
Weight (tonnes)

Panhard 178

AMD

k<te$&32&&
8.5

Front

Armor (mm)

(mm)

Length (m)

4.79

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.00

Engine

Height (m)

2.31

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

^
20
15

105
72

JANE'S

Chenillette,

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

UE

Chenillette ("small tracked vehicle") was a

The

lightly

armored cargo

for infantry

carrier

and prime mover

weapons. The configuration was

similar to the

Carden-Loyd

carriers,

with the

small engine between the two crew members,

who were provided with

A tilting removable cargo box was

head covers.
set at the rear

and most vehicles were provided

with a tracked

UE2, had

pivoting hemispherical

An improved version,

trailer.

a four-speed

(in lieu

the

of 2-speed)

transmission and strengthened differential and

A variant with a small casemate

suspension.

with light machine gun for the vehicle

commander was developed and a few shipped

to

Indochina, but otherwise the vehicle was

unarmed

arm

in

its

original state. Later attempts to

the vehicle with

MGs and rocket launchers

did not prove very useful except as an expedient.

Weight (tonnes)

A UE

with trailer on

its

way

to the front

in

1940

Tractor, Lorraine
An

armored, fully-tracked tractor larger than

the

UE,

the

2.0

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

2.70

Side

Width (m)

1.70

Engine

Height (m)

1.03

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

7
7

35
30

37L

37L was a multipurpose vehicle

adaptable to

many roles. The

initial

version was

theTracteur de Ravitaillement de Chars

(TRC)

which carried tank ammunition and towed a

565-liter tracked fuel

trailer.

Twelve such

vehicles were to assigned to each light tank

battalion,

and 18

to each

B-tank battalion.

second variant was the armored personnel

carrier

(VBCP) which

commander in

and

raised rear section,

tracked

trailer,

carried the driver

and

the front, four infantrymen in a

an

six

more

in

an armored

inefficient arrangement.

Neither version was armed, although the

was

fitted

VBCP

with brackets on the outside of the

rear section for

an

AA mount for the infantry's

light MG. A command version was also

proposed, and an experimental version with a

47mm AT gun was also fabricated.

A VBCP towing

25mm

Weight (tonnes)

5.2

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.20

Side

Width (m)

1.57

Engine

Height (m)

1.21

Road Speed (km/hr)

HP

9
9

70
34

AT gun

83

fit

Germany
German development of tanks
the Nazi part)'

firms, Daimler-Benz, Krttpp

experimental tanks each.

1

929 and

in the interwar period

began long before

took power. In March 1927 contracts were granted to three

secretly

and Rheinmetall,

for the

production of two

The six Grofitraktor were completed

shipped to the

Kama proving grounds

in

mid-

in Russia for tests.

May 1928 contracts were let to Krupp and Rheinmetall for two
examples each of a leichttraktor which, on completion in May 1930, were
In

also sent to

Kama.

Faults uncovered during the

Design of a new
in

medium

trials

were

tank, called the

rectified in the next series.

Neubau Fahrzeug, was

October 1932 by Rheinmetall and Krupp. For the new

light

initiated

tank

contract for prototypes, hollowed by a second

Krupp got a March 1933

contract in July 1933 for 135 armored chassis with the code

name

Landwirtschaftlicher Schlepper (La.S., or agricultural tractor). To expand

the future tank production base .contracts for

awarded

vehicles each were

two La.S.

Daimler-Benz, Krupp, Henschel,

to five additional firms:

MAN

and Rheinmetall.

The

La.S. evolved into the Pz

light

tank and was built both as a tank

and, without turret or armament, as a training vehicle (some of which

were converted

maintenance vehicles). For heavier vehicles, the Neubau

to

Fahrzeug proved a

failure

and instead contracts were issued

development of two vehicles in January 1934.

which became the PzKw

the Zugftihrerwagen

II

with

for the

One was the La.S.

100,

20mm gun, and the other was known as

the PzKw III. A year later, in

(ZW), which became

February 1935 development of the heaviest of the tanks, the Begleitwagen

(BW) was begun,

that

would

lead to the

PzKw IV.

Before these tanks could be built, however, Hitler had decided to enter
the Spanish civil war.

A first contingent of 32 PzKw IA and one command

October 936. A total of about 75 PzKw IA and

vehicle arrived in Spain in

IB, along

with four

command

There they proved of limited

vehicles, appears to have

utility,

enemy armor except at very close

due mainly to

been delivered.

their inability to

engage

range with hard-core ammunition.

The PzKw I was never intended

to be a

combat machine, merely

to

familiarize industry with the building of tracked vehicles and the crews

with their operation.

factories,

The

industries they chose were the big ordnance

used to working with

large,

heavy armor and guns.

were awarded to firms that used "hard tooled" assembly

No contracts

lines, the

Army

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

believing that these were too inflexible to meet

The PzKw III was

changing requirements,

torsion-bar suspension and was intended to

cost

Germany dearly

The PzKw II

in

a preference that

production

shortcomings of the

capability

and

making

it

PzKw I.

was

more

fitted

through

were built by

in

was armed with

some

anti-tank

with a transceiver,

00

vehicles (models a

1936-37, followed by the definitive preseries

(model

production

series

(models

fewer than seven firms

Henschel,

Wegmann,

c),

(MAN,

used a conventional

barrel

MIAG and

(43 vehicles) of the

models.
significant for the future

of the

Panzerwaffe were the two heavier tanks.

II

(left)

into France,

in size

and a PzKw 38

1940.

Production of the

PzKw I had ended in

but attempts were

made

to

wring some

1937,
last

usefulness of out the vehicle by conversion to

for growth,

47mm and 150mm SPs. These proved only

enough

both

and

capacity,

to

in

terms of suspension weight

in the turret ring that

was

marginally successful, however. Starting in 1943

large

accommodate more powerful

weaponry. Perhaps most

significantly,

the majority of surviving

and often

overlooked, was that they introduced the

ammunition

to

carriers

PzKw I were converted

by

fitting a steel

box

in

place of the turret, following rhe example of 51

PzKw

(t)

PzKw

superstructure

hull

il

31

1934

337

54

54

1935

811

851

851

1936

574

565

557

114

255

31

1938

22

1939a

1867

1747

332
23

669

37

106

222

38

102

1493

1223

98

211

and weight.

(right)

during the

PzKw

I:

hull

superstructure

PzKw

The

III

1937

to

PzKw

turret

1933

note:

advance

Intentionally

or not, both were designed with plenty of room

Above: k PzKw

Wartime Tanks

leaf-

carry the short-

75mm KwK37 L/24 gun.

Total

two were generally similar

would

by no

D was built especially for the cavalry,

more

KwK L/46 gun. The PzKw IV

Daimler-Benz,

these being substantially different from the

Far

mount the 37mm

was

slightly larger,

with stations for the

turret,

tank commander, rhe gunner and the loader.

and then the main

A through C)

Alkett,

FAMO). A small batch

earlier

modern three-man

slightly smaller, featured

spring suspension and

the

MAN and Daimler-

production

Model

later on.

effective reconnaissance

A first series of

Benz

It

that provided
it

machine.

c)

to

solved, temporarily at least,

some of the problems created by

20mm cannon

was

training vehicles; superstructure

turrets =

command

September

German Pre-War Tank Production

tanks

IV

JANE'S
ammo carriers built pre-war. A bizarre

The VK90 1 however,

redevelopment of the tank was ordered in

of the

December 1 939, when

heavily-armored
featured

Below: h

30

800

80mm frontal armor and a completely

PzKw IF,

With

production.

to

effectiveness, the frontal

30mm

in the

PzKw II

keep the

To maintain

their

in

combat

F,

to

although

Cs
in

in April

1940 and the

last

first

March 1 94 1 This was

of the Model

of the Model Fs

partially filled

by the

An

943

Daimler-Benz for the superstructure and

result

was the

VK90

powerful engine and

turret.

with a more

large, interleaved

roadwheels on torsion bars. Only 12 were built

in

941

similar,

as the

PzKw IIG, along with 22 of a

but more heavily armored

been introduced before

first

in

batch of 1 00

PzKw IIJ.

December 94
1

beginning in March

the Eastern and

Western Fronts, but necessarily

armor was

in

Poland and

a bit thin

guaranteed tank-killer.

The latter problem had

5cm L/42

5cm L/60
III, a

in July

Hitler ordered that

fitted

this

all

its

actual production

the short

gun and

weapon

PzKw Ills

be

to speed production.

new PzKw III with

reiterated his order.

This

PzKw IIIJ with the 5cm L/60

that

increase in weight

would have proven

useful

to retrofit the

94 1 and by rhe end of

except a small

number

in

units.

was put forward

a proposal

made

to

resultant

this impractical,

and

attention then turned to installing the old

rearming of the Pzkw IV, 450 guns and

and

gun, a

had

it

50

were immediately available

these were incorporated into

in

In the meantime, a

PzKw IV turret. The

1940. Shortly thereafter

94 1 Hitler saw

yielded the

the

additional barrels

The first

with the more powerful L/60 model, but

In April

and secondary

production

was ignored in order

no more 37mm-armed PzKw

March 1 942

Model G, came off the

subsequent

Belgium

75mm L/24 gun in the existing turret. With the

tank gun as a

anti-tank gun.

In

mount

already been foreseen and in 1938 development

a

there were

training

and the gun

was clearly reaching the end of its service as a

had begun on

942

Ills in the inventory,

The PzKw III performed well

in

37mm PzKw Ills with the L/42 gun, this

had been completed. The Luchs saw service on

achieve greater mobility had

The

only the

after

production line

MAN responsible for the chassis and

Panzer Regiment

program had been launched

5cm-armed PzKw

938, with

st

of the

L/60 gun, was placed but was cancelled

developing a

been issued in June

III

for

ordination, the infantry was simultaneously

later).

order to completely redesign the

PzKw

May, 1940.

start in

automotive components of the vehicle to

An order

100 armed with the

replacement. Showing an apparent lack of co-

production of 86 flame-thrower versions

during that period (plus 26 more

in

20mm KwK and the remainder with the 50mm

France, but the

complications in the redesign resulted in a

production gap between the

(Luchs), a

in small batches.

armor was doubled

new Model

Model L

the

vehicles, the first

January

built.

the investment in tooling aleady made,

was decided

it

but no more were

PzKw II,

dedicated reconnaissance vehicle.

ordered. This

redesigned suspension for the weight of 21 tons

as the

led to the final evolution

the production of

PzKw I was

Bk

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

PzKw Ills as

the

new

Model

N starting

June 1942, and 100 more were subsequently

recovered for use in

new PzKw IIINs and

as

retrofits.

By mid- 1942 even the 5cm L/60 was

losing

effectiveness

its

on

the Eastern Front,

and

75mm provided greater HE

firepower and its HEAT round was better at
the short-barrel

armor penetration (although

long ranges). The

last

less

accurate at

PzKw III came off the

87

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

bed
1939a

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

via air intakes

conversions,

and exhaust. The

known

as

Tauchpanzer, retained

Production

the characteristics of the basic tanks and

PzKw

(2cm)

II

PzKw

II

PzKw

111

233

322

84

157

396

15

(flame)

(3.7cm)

eventually simply served as such alter being used

to cross the river

PzKw

III

(5cm L/42)

466

1.673

251

PzKw

III

(5cm L/60)

64

(7.5cm L/24)

450

III

thrower tank.

213

completed with a flamethrower

100

50mm gun at the very end ol the production

PzKw

III

(flame)

IV

(7.5cm L/24)

45

268

467

124

PzKw

IV

(7.5cm long)

870

3,013

3.126

385

1.768

3.777

439

78

649

623

377

100

PzKw VIE

Tiger

PzKw VIB

Tiger

II

A hundred PzKw HIM

1.906

PzKw

PzKw V Panther

the start of Operation

Barbarossa. Another variant was the flame-

PzKw

Bug at

were

in place

of the

run.

The PzKw IV was

PzKw III,

the

of

a slightly longer version

with the same engine and

transmission, but a completely different

suspension system.

It

proved

sound vehicle

in

Variants

the
III

Command

III

Command (5cm

PzKw
PzKw
PzKw

44

34

132

14

81

production plan, launched

L/42)

Command (5cm

III

PzKw V

(unarmed)

L/60)

recovery

largely

36

14

82

227

30

IVs.

II

(flame)

PzKw

III

3.7cm

to

5cm

PzKw

III

3.7cm

to

7.5cm L/24

PzKw

III

to artillery observer

PzKw

III

to

5cm

L/42

command

L/42

the

mid- 1940, was

PzKw IVs in

Vomag also set up

285

85

29

225

37

MLAG expanded its PzKw IV facility. With

104

150

25

PzKw

IV to artillery observer

10

31

36

last

the tank. Simultaneously

along with the existing Krupp-Gruson

line, the

standard

new factory lor

these,

IV maintenance

line building

quarter of 1 94 1 while

IV L/24 to long

maintenance

which came on

53

PzKw

Pzkw IV was set to become

German

the

battle tank for the rest

of the

war.

Although
-

in

expanding the number of PzKw

III

PzKw

at

A new factory, the Nibelungenwerk, was

Ptich,

PzKw

a Sept

aimed

begun under the auspices of Steyr-Daimler-

Conversions

PzKw

939/40 campaigns and the tank

sound design

PzKw

overall, the

Dec only

German Wartime Production

of

Tanks

IV had some weaknesses,

especially in terms of

firepower and protection.

The

firepower issue

had been discussed shortly before the

of

start

Operation Barbarossa and the envisioned

production line in March 1943. Production had

peaked

in

mid- 1 942

250/month, and

thereafter

StuG40

favor of the

under

at a little
it

had eroded

assault gun,

in

which was

place
far

30mm armor plates

increase protection

were added
at the

to the hull

same time

retrofitted to the

added

production

as the

the hull

itself was

the

Model

L/42 gun was

as they

the

these were

came off the

Model J,

starting in

and superstructure

50mm,

at

30mm

until the

entered production in mid- 1942

was increased,

trontal

eliminating

to

PzKw IIIL

when

it

too

PzKw

create

dummy main gun.

field that

III

chassis were also produced.

command

tanks, 30

(81

new and 104

an unarmed

make room

vehicle was the

vehicle,

which

for the radio.

SdKfz 1 43

L/60,

ammunition

for

were converted from older Model E

PzKw HID, 45

PzKw III

were modified

to

KwK40, was cut

August 1941

18

contract was

November 1941

result, vehicles

940,

permit them to

operate underwater, crawling on the sea/river

called the

in

March

completed with the

PzKw IVFl and

,

with the long gun became the F2. In June

November

all

version of the

introduced.
detail

vehicles,

the portion was set at

increased to

those

was

it

30mm bolt-on armor to a

new production

portion of the
to

to

into production partway

through the Model F production run

decided to add

Between February 1943 and April 1944 262

168

75mm for the tank.

short gun were called the

observer

main armament

For the projected invasion of Britain in

Krupp on

to

1942. As a

additional radios and plotting equipment.

vehicles

awarded

develop a long-barrel

A related

artillery

sacrificed the

A prototype was fired on

The new tank gun, an L/43 weapon

5cm guns (L/42 and

75mm

of the standard short-barrel

in lieu

rendered this obsolete. Instead

converted) and

respectively), albeit with a smaller

load to

5cm Pak38

but the appearance of the T-34 had already

M (50 new) that retained their

functional turret and

gun

L/24.

H tanks for use by armored artillery batteries.

57mm.

A number of specialized variants of the

To

solution consisted of mounting the

development of command versions of

50mm

increased to

armor remained

led to the

Model J

the add-on plates, although the turret frontal

versatile

Complaints from the

the

Model F and G, and

With

line.

March 1941
armor

and htted with

and superstructure front

new Model Hs

to

H were completed

command vehicle was particularly vulnerable

more lethal.
To

Model E and 145 Model

with additional radios, and the turret bolted in

new tanks.

In

50%,

August

KwK40, with an L/48

Armor

"skirts"

and

in

later

new

barrel,

was

were introduced and

improvements (many

to reduce

/?/g/j/:ATiger

I,

probably on maneuvers

in

WAR

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

&

II

1944.

production time) were cut into the production

run
in

in

albeir at a

reduced

rate.

was starting to show

the

PzKw IV remained

1944. With these, the

production until the

its

German
By

surrender,

that time the tank

age. In

comparison with

M4 Sherman, the armor was not nearly as

well sloped,

making

it

more

gun was considerably more

a potent

weapon

to the

vulnerable, but
powerh.il,

its

remaining

end of the war.

Planning for even heavier tanks than the

PzKw IV had begun several years before the war.

1937 both Henschel and Porsche were given

In

contracts to develop a

new heavier

two manufacturers developed

the

tank.

their

The

own designs,

VK300 1(H) from Henschel and the

VK3001(P) from

Porsche. In addition,

complemented by one command

Henschel developed a heavier version, the

destroyers,

VK3601(H). The Henschel

tank and three recovery vehicles converted from

that of the

PzKw IV but

designs followed

introduced the

prototype vehicles.

tanks.
It

German

began production

innovative.

little

later

The Porsche model was more

utilized a

hybrid elecrric drive,

in

gasoline engines drove generators,

powered

electric

On 26 May

motors

which

went

which

1941 Hitler directed both firms

The two

firms used

the experience gained with their earlier efforts to

create their

new designs,

the

VK450

(H)

for

Henschel and the VK4501(P) for Porsche.

20 April

On

942 one prototype of each was

Both

were subjected to comparative

tests.

vehicles used a turret designed

by Krupp

with the

88mm

fitted

L/56 gun but the portions

below that were completely different, Henschel

into action

initial

production run of 424 vehicles,

completed between August

1

943, were built to

These were

with engine of the

reliability

problems with the

VK450

(P)'s

VK4503 Tiger

provided an additional

new urgency when

of the Soviet T-34 began to

filter

VK300

tank VK4501 requirement,

reports

up

their

30-

new heavy

MAN and Daimler-

Benz did the same with some preliminary

designs they had been working
class.

The

result

was contracts

new medium

tank to be

on

the in 24-ton

to those

known

two firms

as the

for a

of the VK450 1

VK3002 on 25 November 1941. Development

(P)

continued and they were

MAN design as the PzKw V Ausf. D

later Hirler

concurred.

MAN and Daimler Benz were directed to

MAN Panther by the end

starting building the

of the

year,

and

MNH and Henschel were start

until

fact,

MAN did not deliver

its first

Panther

January 1943 and Daimler Benz the

after that.

On the other hand,

production up,

the other

move

to

MNH delivering their

their

first

that

February and Henschel in March, although the

latter's

production was cut short

at

130 vehicles

so they could concentrate on their Tiger

back home.

scaled

designs to meet the

did not

hybrid electric drive. Nevertheless, production

eventually completed as Ferdinand tank

1 1

month

medium

for a

torsion-

Tank Commission recommended adoption

two firms complied with orders

The demise of the VK3001 program

The

requirements.

MAN, compared to the leaf

May 1942
spring unit adopted by DB. On

In

00 hp.

end of a requirement

tactical

was the use of a double

in July 1943.

813

PzKw V Panther, which

ton

largely to continuing

became

modified design

built to a

order for 90 Porsche vehicles be placed even

due

it

would ramp up more slowly than hoped,

While Henschel and Porsche

however, showed the Henschel design to be the

May

additional orders were placed, totalling

vehicles.

met the

Panther and three days

When

apparent that production of the

revolutionary Porsche design to direct that an

clear winner,

942 and

this design.

for a high-

in July.

bar suspension by

of the

tank. This acquired

tests,

initial

the contract for

2-cylinder engine

with prototypes of both models showed

difference

proved unreliable and underpowered. The

suspension and Porsche the electric drive.

Those

main

the

signal the

before the tests were completed.

new

on 29 August 1 942. The

Trials

that both

now known as the PzKw VI E Tiger,

continuing to use the interleaved roadwheel

Hitler was sufficienrly taken with the

and

with

June 1941, and Rheinmetall

version, having been rushed into production,

II

presented for Hitler's inspection and in July they

trials

at their Kassel plant

delay. In fact, a first platoon of the

vehicles,

at the drive sprockets.

to develop heavier vehicles.

in

immediately on the conclusion of the

(borrowed from the half-track family) that

Maybach getting

development of a compact

performance gun

Henschel was given a production contract

suspension with overlapping roadwheels

would become standard on the

little earlier,

of components for the tank had actually begun a

production.

The

use of brand-new Panthers in

the battle at Kursk proved a disaster.

The engine

proved unreliable and the

weak,

final drive

although suspension worked well and the gun

surpassed
testing

all

expectations.

Improved acceptance

and modification of some components

improved the Panther's

reliability,

although

it

never exceeded "mediocre" in that category.

Some of the more major

modifications were

89

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

grouped together and incorporated into a new

January, but

version called the Panther A, which was cut into

output exceeded single

production with the 85

designated the

943. After 2,000

1st vehicle in

Model As had been

service in

improved

reliability in

March 1944.

projected as the Panther

it

F,

but

it

improving the
impetus for

A further
was

the war ended

work had continued on

simultaneously directing that

1

in
it

lines at

January 1943,

be

fitted

first

prototype ran in October

full-scale

943.

What

production started

built.

in

went

better spent

had been made

much more

have used

to

II

II

was

to

and over time the two models

automotive components as a means of

Above: A Sturmgeschutz 7.5cm Model E advances
Soviet Union, 1941.

it,

if not

requirement for an "escort artillery

was published and

in the

on PzKw

Spring of 1 938 two

III chassis

with

dummy

artillery training

A further five vehicles, with working

regiment.

The need

component production. The war

for

when work

such vehicles was validated in

campaign and shortly

the Polish

have grown closer together in terms of

consolidating

were the only ones to have acted on

but they

was stopped for unknown reasons.

many of the automotive components

of the Tiger

were

artillery vehicle before the war,

guns, were completed by mid- 1 938,

harmonize the

The Panther

the only nation to have

requirement for an armored close-

guns were mailed by the

available, the result

to

support

vehicles based

probably would have provided greater value.

effort

& Tank Destroyers

under armor for infantry and anti-tank defense"

had the production

became

developed

official

Henschel been given over to Panther

it

Guns

with uniform enthusiasm. In June 1936 the

bugs and other

Panther and Tiger tanks.

Henschel immediately began development and

the

reliability

production once

An

with

50mm frontal armor and 80mm side armor.

was to have been

efforts that

them might not have been

versatile tank. Similarly,

weapon

500 were

has to be questioned, however,

whether all the development

Assault

The Germans were not

tank,

B, finally entered

shortcomings out of the Panther, a

gun, derived from the

this

It

working the

Flak4 1 Hitler ordered that the Tiger follow-on

be equipped with

PzKw VI Ausf.

The

impressive beasts, highly lethal and well-

into

was the development of the

88mm KwK43 L/71

digits.

August 1944. Production never met

protected.

PzKw VIE Tiger. The main

this

May that monthly

The two models of Tiger were certainly

could enter production.

In the meantime,

was not until

plans and, in the end fewer than

improved side armor protection and

version, with a narrow-profile turret,

before

built,

G with

production switched to the Model

slightly

August

it

WAR

order was placed with Alkett for an

of 30 vehicles. Four of the

initial series

six batteries

with these vehicles participated

an

thereafter

in the

formed
French

campaign, where some technical problems were

disclosed but overall their performance was
rated highly; In June a contract

additional

250

was placed

for an

vehicles slightly modified as the

into the

ended before the Panther

production, however.

II

cotdd be put in

Model

B,

and

a further

50 were added

This was followed by 50 Model

later.

C and then

50

WORLD WAR

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Bi

against the tide ol

1939

1940

1942

1941

1944

1943

enemy armored

vehicles.

The

1945
vehicles were provided with a hollow-charge

Production

540

184

StuG 7.5cm (L/24) (SdKfz 142)

StuG 7.5cm {L/43 & L/48) (SdKfz 142/1)

round

90

702

trajecrory

1,006

105

close range

204

903

192

66

215

17

30

StuG IV (SdKfz 167)

9

StuH 42 (SdKfz 142/2)

StuPz

IV

(15cm) (SdKfz 166)

StuG 8.8cm Ferdinand (SdKfz

something of a gamble.

November 1943

disrupted by a

769

PzKw III

Pz IW70(V)

560

370

Pz IV/70(A)

207

71

226

198

61

16

chassis.

vital to the

The StuGs were considered so

war effort that

December Hitler

in

approved a suggestion to mount the StuG

superstructures,

Jagdtiger (SdKfz 186)

StulG33B(15cm)

air raid that

brought a temporary halt to the delivery of

Jagdpanther (SdKfz 173)

lofted

Production of the StuG40 was severely

90

84)

Jagdpanzer IV (SdKfz 162)

its

made hitting a target at anything but

863

3,850

3,011

enemy tanks, but

for use against

which were

the chassis of PzKw

IV

being

still

tanks.

The

on

built,

was the

result

12

Sturmgeschiitz IV, which remained in

Conversion

StuG 7.5cm (L/43 & L/48) (SdKfz 142/1)

StuG

IV

StuG 40 production

78

IV (SdKfz 167)

StuPz

production to the end of the war, even

173

The heaviest

(15cm) (SdKfz 166)

8.8cm (SdKfz

18

Stu Mrs Tiger (38cm)

restarted.

assault gun, the Sturmgeschtitz

84), also

Hitler's frustration at

Production of Assault Guns

& Tank Destroyer s

the long-barrel

final version

was the Model E,

designed to replace the light armored half-track

gun battery

previously used by the assault

commanders.

featured additional radio

It

equipment and

stowed stereoscopic

scissors

The

inadequacies of the

75mm L/24 gun

against

armor

Krupp

received a contract for the

of a

had been realized before the war.

75mm L/42 gun in January

prototype was
actually an

tested in

June

unknown

development

1939, and a

The gun was

940.

L/40 weapon and was shown

prototype assault gun in

halted in

in a

March 1941 For

.

reasons development ot this

November 1941

in favor

gun was

of an L/43

design by Rheinmetall. After a short production

run

this, in turn,

was replaced by an L/48

version, with both firing the

as the

standard

same ammunition

75mm Pak40 and both,

When fitted with

the assault

the

new

all

StuK40

as the

Model F (SdKfz

summer of 1942

demanding that

142/1). In

Hitler began

StuGs should have an

30mm of frontal armor, believing

that any loss in mobility

due

to the additional

weight was acceptable due to their infantrysupport

offensive.

PzKw

II J,

production model.

rhat used the lower

The Model F/8 was

role. Starting in

produced had

July 1942

all

With

StuGs

30mm armored plates welded to

not being able to

mount

demanded

built in time for the

The solution was

replaced

tank.

Kursk

to use the

90

chassis

mount a

heavy superstructure and gun. Only the 90 were

built as a one-off production

in

that a heavy

already built for rhe failed Tiger(P) and

then the current

by the definitive version, the Model

run to

satisfy this

demand.

As

the introduction of the long-barrel

the assault guns

moved towards

the anti-

75mm gun the assault gun's primary role

tank role development oi vehicles specifically

changed from infantry support

designed for the tank destroyer role came to the

destroyer.

to that of tank

Although necessary due

number of enemy
rolling into

to the large

(particularly Soviet) tanks

German

infantry formations,

the infantry without the close

it

left

HE support

originally envisioned by the assault

The

fore.

firsr

was

initially

known

as the

Sturmgeschtitz neuer Art 7.5cm auf PzKw IV,

but was
1

later

named

62) indicating

its

role

more

Production ran through November

gun

although

version began almost in parallel with that of the

General Guderian on the basis that

75mm,

in the

autumn of 1 94 1

prototype Sturmgeschtitz with a 10.5cm light

summer.

of

was

vehicles

built in the

Deliveries of full production vehicles,

now know as

the Sturmhaubitze 42, began in

March 1943,

In that

table

was published

month

new organization

for the assault

gun

units

that authorized batteries to have either 10

or 7 StuGs and 3 StuH.

effecrive vehicle

SruGs

The StuH42 proved an

and remained

in

production

almost to the end of the war, but was apparently

more popular with supported

with the vehicle crews,

who

infantry than

felt

defenseless

rate,

it

clearly.

944

at a

was opposed by

moderate

long-barrel

IV (SdKfz

the Jagdpanzer

primary

concept. Planning for an infantry supporr

initial test series

long-barrel

gun became known

Sturmgeschtitz 40

additional

Model F/8 was introduced

howitzer was shown in March 1942 and an

confusingly, designated the StuK40.

the early

assault

December 1942.

periscope.

gun be

the front portions of the bull. In September the

hull of the

as the

88mm Pak43 in the Tiger

In compensation he

Model D. The

known

Ferdinand and the Elefant, resulted from

12

StulG33B (15cm)

after

it

reduced

production of the more versatile

PzKw IV tank.

of such vehicles was

now to be that

If the role

of a dedicated tank
the best anti-tank

killer, it

weapon

made sense

available.

to give

The

it

result

was the development of two tank destroyer

versions of the Jagdpanzer

L/70

75mm

Pak42 gun

as

IV mounting

the

used by the Panther.

Two models of the Jagdpanzer IV/70 were

produced, one by
starting in

masse

Vomag and one by Alkett,

August 1944. They were

in the

Ardennes

first

used en

offensive, then switched

to the Eastern Front.

The
result

ultimate tank-killer was developed as the

of a 2 October 1942 order specifying

91

JANE'S

WORLD WAR

TANKS OF

vehicle

1940

1942

1941

1944

943

1945

was more heavily armored and the

of the superstructure was closed

but

in,

it

rear

was

Production
also slower,

7.5cm Pak 40 auf RSO

60

total

7.5cm Pak 40 auf PzKwII (SdKfz 131)

8.8cm Pak43/1 auf PzKw

372

lll/IV

204

345

133

16

of 200 were ordered (of which 26 were

unarmed command
accomplished

Conversion

PzKw

4.7cm Pak

(t)

auf

4.7cm Pak

(t)

auf 35-R

By late 1 94 1

174

7.5cm Pak 40 auf Lorraine (SdKfz 135)

the

170

FCM

7.5cm Pak 40 auf

7.5cm Pak 40 auf 39-H

24

7.5cm Pak 40 auf PzKw

not that

[half-track]

II

7.62cm Pak 36r auf PzKw

16

(SdKfz 131)
II

versions)

and the work was

May to September

94 1 All

it

was becoming apparent rhat

Pak was no longer the tank-killer

8

months

earlier.

a solution.

Rheinmetall turned out the

February

Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Gun Production

94 1

It

would

but two new

Development of a

75mm anti-tank gun had begun in

193

it

50mm Pak was

The

much of an improvement,

weapons promised

75

(SdKfz 132)

47mm

had been

10

7.5cm Pak 40 auf Somua

in

served in France or adjacent areas.

202

being based on an infantry tank.

first

939 and

of them

in

take a while for

production to ramp up, so as an expedient

several

Panther chassis mounting the 8.8cm Pak43

An excellent, well-balanced design,

(L/71) gun.

armored superstructure. Twenty-four were

converted to

in

production as a result of continued indecision

Eastern Front.

Krupp with

it. It

the intention

was designed by

would go

it

production in July 1943, but Speer switched the

effort to

Daimler-Benz with the intent that they

produce

it.

The

May 1943,

final

design was produced in

but production responsibility was

then switched to

increasing production to

Two other

50 per month, but

in

to develop

the definitive assault gun, using (again) the

1

5cm sIG but this

PzKw IV chassis.

time on the

The

(which had gone out of production

March 1943

An

1941.

effective

An

initial

Sturmpanzer IV continued

1942.

end of the

war.

An

the chassis of the Tiger

28mm anti-tank gun on

tank.

II

thejagdtiger (SdKfz 186).

The

The

result

was

initial effort to

use the Porsche suspension tailed, delaying the

project,

and the

until July 1944.

first

vehicle

was not delivered

Only 77 were delivered,

these

ordered, but this does not appear to have been

fully

from pre-war

completed. In the meantime, the

that of tank destroyer a void

mission of close
the

was

left for

German war machine turned

defensive, the required

smaller, but

the

HE support of the infantry. As

some need

to the

still

remained.

An

interim solution was found by mating the

sIG on the
earlier

chassis

of the

SP infantry guns,

PzKw III.
this

was

Unlike the

a full assault

it

50% of the PzKw IIF

was decided

production should

used by the SdKfz

availability of chassis

The first of these came from an

1939

for Alkett to convert

by now almost

132

order in late

PzKw IB

useless, to

light

SP anti-tank

removing the turret and placing a

captured Czech
shield. Alkett

47mm gun on top, with a

completed the

32. In July this was raised to

75% and a total of 576 SdKfz

and guns.

first

40

in

were built between July

when production was

Wespe SP

howitzer.

131 Marder

lis

942 and June 1 943,

halted in favor of the

A further 75 vehicles were

converted from existing

PzKw

IIF in late 1943.

Although the conversions were rather crude,

March

they did provide armored mobility for powerful

1940, then 50 in April and 42 in May,

guns and similar conversion

permitting the formation of five independent

undertaken for the troops in France, for whom

time for the campaign in the

West. Other firms were subsequently brought in

15cm

June 1942

of

AT guns in a configuration very similar to that

AT battalions in

numbers grew ever

in

utility

was called

family was a more opportunistic reaction to the

vehicles by

role migrated to

that

and

F,

development program, the SP anti-tank gun

heavy tank destroyer battalion.

gun

artillery that

requirements and

Model

the

be given over to the production of 75mm SP

tanks,

original assault

tactical

PzKw II,

a comprehensive (if not always efficient)

being used by one heavy tank battalion and one

As the

May

additional 60 conversions were

into question

mount a

August

order for 150 SdKfz 132

conversions was delivered in April and

resulted

to

PzKw IID

in

1939) was given to Alkett on 20 December

as the

Unlike the assault guns and SP

943

the chassis of the

close-support vehicle, production of the

to the

the

order to develop a mounting for the

production of 40-60 vehicles in October,

in

efforts

mount them on

7.62cm Pak36r on

an

to

After viewing a prototype, Hitler ordered

Proving rhat any good concept can be taken

early

1942. Even before

chassis of obsolescent tanks.

the current

extreme, orders were given in

fruit in April

were already under way

Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Guns

illogical

AT guns, a successful effort that

began yielding

achieved was 72 in January

1945.

to

942 Alkett was ordered

Sturmpanzer IV (SdKfz 166).

producers were brought in with the intention of

fact the highest

built

to the

production of these two pieces began,

Production began

MIAG and their production

did not begin until January 1944.

October 1942 and they were sent

In early

into full

Ml 936 field guns

captured on the Eastern Front were ordered

the Jagdpanther was late in getting into

on who should produce

hundred 76.2mm

gun, with a completely enclosed and heavily

to bring the total to

202 and they served

theaters until

A similar vehicle was built

943.

in

all

using the chassis of captured R-35 tanks. This

first-line

efforts

equipment would not be

Small numbers of captured

were given

were

available.

H-39 and

a similar treatment,

but

common were conversions based on

suitable Lorraine tractor with

its

FCM

much more
the

open

more

rear

compartment. Another

parallel effort

similar production effort using the

Two

Czechoslovakia section.

chassis, described in the

the

was

PzKw 38(c)

anomolous projects involved mounting

in

on the

shield

its

armored

RSO

bed of a very

rear

17 km/hr, this did not prove practical.

gun on the

rear

Somua MCG,
were

direct-fire

made them
was turning

75mm and

vulnerable and by late 1942 interest

further

in

in spite

in the

fir

from

version.

88mm

Pak43 gun. The only

where they served

PzKw IV, and

Hornisse used

in fact the

the features of the

many of

II

had turned

had turned
it

artillery piece. In

January

until early

the

Using

75mm Pak on this

served effectively on

placed. This

24 "Wespe" soldiered on

fact,

the

series

to the

end of the war.

heavier piece to the

was the 15cm sFH18/l howitzer on

tor

Wespe

hybrid

development

1942 and

was given

to Alkett in July

shown

October, along with the very similar

in

came off the

line in

The

first

prototype

production

January 1943

as the

SdKfz 165 "Hummel". For the most part they

served in mixed battalions, one per panzer
division, with

105mm

batteries of Wespe

two 6-gun

and

one of Hummel.

1940 that

In the

SP

200 was

was to be an interim design,

in July

PzKw IV SP vehicle

for the

Hornisse SP anti-tank gun.

05mm howitzer on the PzKw

The contract

vehicle

942 Krupp showed

in July a contract for

fronts.

942.

The companion

had been

IV chassis and

isstied to six

howitzer on

light tank.

was thereupon cancelled. In

to better

artillery

PzKw II

PzKw III/1V chassis. Approval

approval was given for development of a true

lew

105mm

the

production, and the Rheinmetall/AJkett SdKfz

to the earlier

tank with a

to a

mount

Heuschrecke 10 never entered

into a heavy assault

was not

to.

5cm infantry gun and

only 12 were built in

prototype of a

all

in the original

independent tank destroyer battalions that

gun.

made

The original concept of a SP

howitzer. Thus,

to a faulty travel lock for the

The Hornisse were

PzKw

envisioned as early as 1934, but by 1935

attention

1943, although they

were not declared ready for service until

used the

The development of SP

May

ideal.

gun thus evolved

upon

vehicle, they demonstrated the vehicle

gun, and those vehicles are covered separarely.

that of

Hummel 5cm SP howitzer.

Deliveries began in

due

infantry

had become

it

was both heavy and

experience previously acquired in mounting the

1

until early 1943. In the

interest

meantime, however,

the chassis of the

of its thin armor.

were dispatched to North Africa,

the front lines.

chassis

weapon was

called

as a

French campaign of 1 940

Although much superior

all

carrier

expensive and Rheinmetall and Alkett were

fire

This permitted the gun to be

meantime,

provide armored mobility for the extremely

later

side.

from the

"Heuschrecke 10"

in the

clear that the interim design

-protected vehicles that could serve right up in

Nashorn), which was designed in 1942 to

months

weapon

tor use separate

This resulted

turret. In the

infantry gun.

was more commonly used

it

were

1941 and

the Hornisse (later

capable of handling such a

5cm slG

be used in the indirect

PzKw I-based vehicle,

gun configuration,

SP AT gun would be placed

The exception was

huge superstructure

a
1

mounted much lower than

production.

potent

vehicles

each

lower profile and better protection.

its

set the

traverse

vehicle with a light howitzer in a dismountable

wider and longer, with an additional roadwheel

and open fighting compartments

to the assault

vehicle.

and the concept proved sound, but the actual

guns were a useful expedient, but their

Only one

and building up

which was

They were used

the

captured halt-track. Only a few

projects for the

dismounting

rather half-hearted

March 1 940 Alkett converted 38 PzKw

The replacement

great height

with

An

mounted

early entrants into the field

artillery, albeit in a

mode, but

built.

The various

76mm

of SP

The vehicle could

of an armored version of the

and capable of

into

protection for the crew and a top speed of only

apparently local project in France

really

weapon with 360

turret

lightly-

With almost no

tractor.

Automotive Design Office

The Germans were

IB chassis to the artillery role by removing the

October 1943, put the gun

implemented
with

wanted

Self- Propelled Artillery

way. In

75mm Pak40 on unusual chassis. One,

&

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

as the

meantime

the availability of captured

chassis in France led to the conversion of

numbers into SP

significant

of local

forces.

artillery for the use

Most of the chassis were too

small to handle anything larger than the

105mm howitzer and were actually marginal

for

that role. In particular, a reluctance to

1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

engine at the

Production

15cm

PzKw

slG auf

10.5cm leFH

15cm sFH

PzKw

PzKw

18/1 auf

(SdKfz 124)

lll/IV

Wespe

Munitionsfahrzeug

II

(SdKfz 165)

elevation of the piece,

514

162

one exception was the Lorraine

368

289

57

104

55

96

61

Hummel

it

tractor,

at the rear.

of the Lorraine with the

such that

maximum

5cm

The

which

usefulness

howitzer was

was the only one of the French

conversions to be shipped out of theater, with

PzKw

IB

38

one battalion going

10.5cm leFH 18 auf 39H

10.5cm leFH 16 auf FCM

10.5cm leFH 18 auf Lorraine

13/1 auf Lorraine

48

to the 21st Panzer Division

in

North Africa.

12
-

10.5cm leFH 18/3 auf B-2

15cm sFH

open bed

a large,

the

and hence the range. The

had

left

which limited the

12

Conversion
slG auf

rear,

II

8/2 auf

Munitionstraeger

15cm

undertake extensive modifications

16

12

Self Propelled Air Defense Vehicles

94

Unarmored

half-tracks

were used

to carry

20mm AA guns early in the war, but their frontProduction of Self-P ropel led A rtiller\

line utility

was limited. In 1943 a

38(t) variants with a

series

of PzKw

20mm gun were built by

93

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

WAR

armored body. There were two versions, the

1943

Production

205

35

rhe

Wirbelwind

100

Ostwind

15

28

3 with a single shielded machine gun on a

pintle-mount, and the Kfz. 14 which replaced

Conversion

gun wirh

a long-range radio

Anti-Aircraft Production

with frame

had become apparent and they

were not judged completely successful.

proposal to

mount

the

PzKw IV chassis was

in

May

20mm on the

944 the decision was

37mm gun in lieu of the quad

20mm and the first twenty vehicles were

produced

Known as the

March,

in a turret, the latter also

A total of 607 were

1936 and September 1943. A

radio and frame antenna.

replaced by a built-up superstructure for radio

campaign of 940, but

1

decision was

6x4 truck

made

chassis

coaxial

added

gear entered production in April 1938 for use

by Daimler-Benz, Bussing-

car with a

2cm gun and

a long-range radio

and frame antenna

and the SdKfz 263 which

Half-Tracks

The Army had developed a

if

somewhat complex,

and cargo-carrying duties

D7)

extension, a frame antenna

Among the first to act on

a telescoping

to the

vehicles, they selected the

time 123 Sdkfz.23 1/232 and 28 SdKfz.263

SdKfz

were built by the three firms, with Magirus the

armored bodies.

and the Inspectorate

in action

for Panzer Troops

demanded

a modification to

include an armored turret.

The result was

the "Wirbelwind", a

mounting the quad

20mm gun. The first

and

A modified version,

new production.

than

rebuilt chassis rather

using the

37mm Flak43

gun, was also developed and a contract for

vehicles was placed in
vehicle,

known

production in

as the

00

August 1944. This

"Ostwind", entered

November 1944.

successful designs, rhe

advanced concepts ran

production.

development of more
in parallel

with their

The most promising of these was

the Kugelblitz,

30mm Flak 103/38 guns and a

stereoscopic range-finder for the

An advanced design,

only

five

vehicles were builr before rhe

service in 1940.

The replacement for

the light armored car

commander.

pre-production

war ended.

chassis

with

934 based on the

its

4x4 drive and

rear-

engine configuration. Three members of the

family

initially

went into production. The

SdKfz 221 (339

a

(Hanomag H

D7 and the 3-ton

kl 6) for fitting

with

The larger vehicle offered greater

machine gun

built

in

an open

turret, the

armored personnel

carrier

SdKfz. 222

wirh room for

included pioneer, artillery observer/survey, and

heavy weapons models. This family of vehicles

infantry, providing

with a very useful range of vehicles. They

saw widespread use

in the

opening phases of the

2cm KwK30 or KwK38

production to the end of the war.

automatic cannon and

(550 built

935-44) was a radio version similar to the

SdKfz. 22 1 but

fitted

The smaller vehicle

family was used mainly

for reconnaissance units.

with a frame antenna and

utility

them

first

USSR and continued in use and

war against the

MG, and the SdKfz.223

(including the driver). Other versions developed

equipped rhe armored

1935-40) was armed with

first.

the SdKfz 25 1/1, was an

(989 built 1936-43) featured a turret with a

was limited by

Although

useful, their

their small size, such that

with the turret further to the rear to provide

the basic

APC (the SdKfe 250/1) could only

room

carry six

men,

for the larger radio.

The replacement for

which featured an enclosed

turret with twin

the emerging

family of light armored

The basic version,

a coaxial

Although the Wirbelwind and Ostwind were

withdrawn from

Horch 80 1

subsequent vehicles, used repaired

1 1

(Demag

opportunities and went into production

family was developed in

August 1944 and

vehicles were delivered in

Their 6x4 drive gave them

towing

930s. These

mediocre off-road performance and they were

an open-topped octagonal turret

chassis with

these, like

PzKw IV

largest contributor.

huge 18-ton SdKfz 9 (Famo F3).

production from 1932 to 1937, during which

crew vulnerable

in the

ranged from the small 1-ton SdKfz 10

deleted the turret in favor of a superstructure

and

range of successful,

half-tracks for

ungainly appearance, the drop sides

the

to

April 1943.

IV Mdbelwagen ("moving van") because of its

left

was

turret

motorized divisons, with 240 being built

to use three nearly-identical

armored

turret,

which the

with the signal battalions of the panzer and

thereafter.

MG in a turret, the SdKfz 232 which

above the

between

requirement for

FlakPanzer

2cm gun

including a long-range

mast antenna. These vehicles were in

in

production were

A few were still in

SdKfz 23

by Hitler

initially rejected

On 28 January

to use the

to enter

built

Kfz. 1 3

NAG and Magirus. This family consisted of the

1943, bur by the end of the year he had

relented.

made

quad

two

and 232 armed with

special signals version in

47

service for the French

BMM, but by then the weak firepower of the

and 40 Kfz. 1

For the heavy armored car family the

20mm

first

not good and only

were withdrawn shortly

single

The

"8-rad".

the SdKfz. 23

antenna. Their cross-country performance was

were built during 1932-1934.

SP

II

1945

1944

Kfz.

Mdbelwagen

the heavy

armored

car

family was a pair of large 8x8 vehicles,

the

confusingly given the same designations as the

and

earlier

6x4 units they replaced. To distinguish

the two, the earlier vehicles had "6-rad"

appended

to the designation,

and the

later

sufficient for scouting but too

small for regular infantry use. Because of this

SdKfz 250 family entered production

its

declined from 1942 onwards.

Despite relatively high production

ones

later

proportion of half-track production

losses

levels,

of these thinly-armored vehicles were also

Armored Cars
The

Reichsheer launched their

armored

cars

initial

foray into

with two families of conversions of

civilian chassis.

The light

1939

family was based on

Daimler-Benz with an open-topped

by

8mm thick

1940

SdKfz 250

SdKfz 251

the Adler 4x4 passenger car chassis fitted

94

232

337

1941

1942

1943

1944

389

1,374

2,895

1,701

269

813

2,574

7,153

9,486

1,285

Armored Half-Track Production

1945

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

&

armored

/.eff.The radio signals version of the light

half-track, the

SdKfz 250/3 here

France.

in

UE light

captured about 3,000 chenillette

armored vehicles. They found them

local use

useful for

but too delicate for extended

As

operations.

a result, they

only rarely

left

France, where they were used for towing duties

and, fitted with a small armored cab and a light

machine gun,

One

for security duties.

French type that saw widespread,

relatively short-lived, service

if

was the Panhard

178 AMD. About 250 were captured and

refurbished and two armored reconnaissance
battalions were equipped with 50 vehicles each
for

Operation Barbarossa. They appear to have

been a

bit fragile for the long,

heavy going of the

Eastern Front for within a few months most had

been

Thereafter they were assigned to

lost.

security units

and

The

railroad guard duties.

occupation of Vichy France brought a further

heavy. Thus, by
1

December 1 943 although

5,700 had been built only 6,589 were

service with the troops,

particular the

one-man

45 vehicles into the German

turret prevented the

kind of efficient operation they expected. As

in

comprised of 2,934

SdKfz 250 (including 305 SdKfz 250/9 and

result the four

11

regiments remained in France as

training units for the

most

part,

sending out

SdKfz 250/10) and 3,655 SdKfz 251 (including

only small detachments for security duties to

266 SdKfz 25 1/9 and 146 SdKfz 251/10).

the Balkans

and Norway. As the

units there were re-equipped

Captured Vehicles
first

batch of captured vehicles

German hands with

the conclusion of the Polish

campaign. Few of these vehicles appear

been recovered

TKS

tankettes

intact,

and

and only about

to

have

dozen

few armored cars appear

have been used, and those only for a brief time.

The

fall

of France was another matter. About

B- 1 and 300

FCM 36,

160 Renault

Somua S-35 appear to have been

recovered in fairly good condition, sent to

collection points,
as

needed.

and repaired and refurbished

The FTs were handed

units for local defense of airfields

The
the

The remainder

have been taken into

German service. A

Somuas and Hotchkisses. The

creation of

ttactors.

to

to flame-throwing tanks

SP howitzers. The remainder were

as training

clear if the

Germans

initially

these units operationally, but

became

It is

planned
it

not

to use

certainly

clear after experience that the

tanks were incompatible with panzer

French
tactics, in

towing

and 16 converted

December 1 940 and by mid- 1 94 1

two brigades each of two regiments.

to

briefly used

combat

use.

In addition to the tanks the Genitalis also

few

armored

them.

cars, the

until the lack

vehicles

it

number

was taken

The same

capturing unit

of spates rendered

could from the Italian

September 1943, but

the

Army

also kept the Fossati

new vehicles. Vehicles

acquired up to the end of October 1944

tanks;

7 L-3/35 and 15 L-6/40

light

28 M-14/42 and 97 P-40 tanks (ofwhich

40 P-40s lacked motors); 74 semoventi 47/32,

55 semoventi 75/18, 88 semoventi 75/34,

M-

4/42

command vehicles; 23 AB-4 1 and 48

AB-43 atmored

of regular and flame-thrower B-ls were

their only front-line

tractor

semoventi 75/46 and 84 semoventi 105/25; 32

One company

deployed to the Eastern Front in 1942, but

consisted of:

tanks and a few were issued to

troops on the Channel Islands.

was

a smaller

useless.

plant running, building

Of the B-ls about 60 were converted

tank units equipped with French tanks began in

there were

them

in

command vehicles

and most of the others converted

number

The Gentian Army not only took over all

been made of them. Instead, 200 were

converted to anti-tank and

favored models of tanks were apparently

would use

other use seems to have

and

945.

units as towing vehicles, but there

was true of the armored

of questionable value, and probably

little

does not appear to have been a comprehensive

about a hundred were used for security duties

but

into

942. Only a few dozen

The Komsomolyets

by individual

to self-

were handed out to other Axis nations

in France,

West

effort to refurbish or resupply

over to security
factories.

ofT-26s.

Relatively few of the R-35/40s appeat to

as aid

T-34s were used, along with

propelled mounts.

number

500 FT- 17, 800 Renault 35 and 40, 600

Hotchkiss 35 and 39, 50

Normandy

were largely scrapped or converted

to

in the

taken into service despite the huge

captured in 194 1 and

invasion, there were only a few dozen left in

service with first-line units.

some and they served

Surprisingly few Soviet armored vehicles were

with German

tanks until, by the time of the

into

fell

25mm gun with a second MG.

New turrets with a 50mm gun were fitted to
replacing the

threat of an

Allied invasion of France increased, the tank

The

but these had

fold,

been modified (under German direction) by

this

Production
Allied

cars;

after this

bombing and

and 78 Lince scout cats.

date was minimal due to
difficulties in

supplying

materials.

95

&

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

II

PzKw Tank (SdKfz 101)

I

Originally

known

as rhe La.S. (agricultural

tractor) to disguise

was the

its

PzKw

development, the

post-WW I German

of the

first

tanks.

Armament consisted of two 7.92mm machine

guns mounted coaxially
turret.

hand-operated

in a

The PzKw IA proved

underpowered and prone

to be

to engine overheating

and was replaced on the production

PzKw IB

after 8

line

by the

The Pzkw IB

8 had been built.

featured a lengthened chassis with an extra

roadwheel and replaced the previous 60-hp

cooled Krupp engine with a
cooled

Maybach

unit.

The Pzkw I had

receiver only, transmitting sets

special

command

superstructure.

thin

were carried

vehicles with a

With

air-

00-hp water-

tall

in

fixed

armor and iYIG

armament, the PzKw I was obsolete by the

start

of the war, but soldiered on for the next year for

lack of alternatives.

A few were converted to SP

Weight (tonnes)

carriers,

PzKw

but were

light

5.8

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

really too small for this role.

tank

Length (m)

4.42

Side

Width (m)

2.06

Engine

Height (m)

1.72

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

13
13

100
40

PzKw Tank (SdKfz 121)

II

The successor to

the

PzKw I

was

The

hundred (models

first

in the light

tank

much more capable machine.

role, this

and

b)

were

developmental models. The model c adopted

the

new suspension with

five

independently-

sprung roadwheels and the follow-on models A,

C introduced a new transmission.

Additional 20mm armor plates were attached to
the trout of models c to C between the Polish
B and

and French campaigns. The model

D added a

seventh gear to give a higher road speed (55

km/hr) and

The

later

new suspension

model F reverted

for the cavalry.

to the

model

configuration but had thicker frontal armor

(30mm).

All were

armed with

a single

2cm

KwK30 automatic cannon and a coaxial light

iYIG.

As with

transceivers,

later

German

tanks,

which made them

all

had

useful as

reconnaissance vehicles even after their utility as

Weight (tonnes)

8.9

tanks had ended in 1940.

PzKw

96

IIF light

tank

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.81

Side

Width (m)

2.22

Engine

Height (m)

1.99

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

15
15

140
40

PzKw
The

B.

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

Tank (SdKfzi4i)

III

four models were produced only in small quantities by

first

Daimler-Benz
vehicles),

and training machines: the Model

as trials

Model B

(l 5),

Model

(l 5)

and Model

D (30).

( 1

Most

of the development effort was devoted to the suspension, and

each had a different running gear system as the manufacturer

attempted to optimize the design. The definitive suspension was

introduced on the

full-production version, the

first

Model

which two additional manufacturers (Henschel and

brought into the program, although only 96 vehicles were

The PzKw HIE was armed with

forward hull mount.

of 37mm and 4,500

efficient

37mm KwK L/46.5 gun

Ammunition stowage was I3l rounds

MG rounds.

The vehicle

five-man crew, three of whom were in

introduced the

combined with

the torsion-bar suspension,

thin armor, only

was

( 1

plates

to

FAMO)

tank with

50mm

gun (PMK)

Above: PzKw

IIIJ

medium

Above: PzKw

IIIN

to help bring the

and some were

to the hull front,

The PzKw IIIG was

30mm armor

initially

refitted

with the

1941.

produced with the

37mm gun, but

the

50mm KwK L/42 was cut into production in June

the

last

37mm-armed tank was delivered

in

1940 and

August. These

still

30mm frontal armor and some were retrofitted with an

had the

additional plate as in the Es

and

Fs.

The 308 Model Hs were

but featured the additional armor from production and a

similar,

simpler transmission.

The Model J had 50mm

armor

last

5cm

gun (PMK)

medium tank

435 between September 1939 and July 1940.

50mm L/42 gun starting in March

99

37mm

IlIF

HIE, but with two more

brought in

Fs were subsequently retrofitted with

welded

with

Above: PzKw

the

30mm on the front, almost vertical. The PzKw

producers (Alkett and

The Es and

the tank fairly

speeds forward, 4 reverse) and the

essentially identical to the

number built

made

that,

The two weaknesses of the tank were

agile.

complex transmission

IlIF

The

turret.

Maybach engine gave a good power-to-weight ratio

quick and

built.

MG in a hand-cranked turret, and a second MG

with a coaxial
in a

E, for

MAN) were

and the

built in

thick frontal

1,067 of the 2,6 16 built used the longer

KwK L/60 gun, which reduced ammunition stowage from

<S4. From April
942 20mm armor was added to the turret

to

front to bring

it

up

to

50mm. The Models L and

armor.

M were identical

57mm thick turret front

The Model N was the PzKw IIIM with a 75mm L/24 gun

to the late-production

of the

in place

Model J, but with

50mm.

PzKw

PzKw

IlIF

IIIJ

IIIN

Weight (tonnes)

19.8

21.5

23.0

PzKw

5.65

Length (m)

5.38

5.52

Width (m)

2.91

2.95

2.95

Height (m)

2.44

2.50

2.50

30

50

57

30

30

30

300

300

300

40

40

40

Front

Side

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)

Engine

HP

Road Speed (km/h)

medium

tank with short

75mm

gun

97

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

WAR

PzKw IV Tank (SdKfz 161)

The PzKw IV may be

regarded

one of die most

as

successful tanks

of the war, seeing action as a credible threat on the battlefield

from the first day of Germany's war to the

continual improvements.

PzKw III, with

the

used the complex

a result of

last as

They were only slightly larger than

0-speed transmission and employed a

spring suspension that was easier to repair but slightly

effective at

smoothing out rough

was

difference

L/24 gun with

Designed

armament:

in the

a coaxial

for the close

rounds tor

its

the

same armor thickness and engine, but never

terrain.

leaf-

less

The main operational

a short-barrel

75mm KwK37

MG and a second MG in the hull front.

support

role, the

main gun, mostly

Pzkw IV earned 80

HE and smoke.

The 35 PzKw IVA were trials vehicles

that served in the Polish

and French campaigns before being removed from service. The

42 PzKw IVB and 134 PzKw IVC had

increased

IVD
hull
1

from

(229 built

frontal

armor thickness

5mm to 30mm and no hull MG.

October 1939

in

to

May

The PzKw

1941) reintroduced the

Above: PzKw IV with short

75mm

gun (PMK)

MG and incteased the thickness of the side armor from

5mm to 20mm.

The Model E (223

April I94l) had thicker

and an added

uniform

(50mm) armor on

1f^J^

to

the lower hull front,

30mm plate bolted to the superstructure front,

plate also being

PzKw IVF

September 1 940

built

the

found on some late-production Model D. The

(426 built April I94l to March 1942) provided

50mm thick frontal armor (hull, supersttucture and

turret) as a

production feature.

The major change in

the

Pzkw IV came with

which incorporated the long-barrel 7.5cm

Model F2

the

KwK40

L/43 gun.

This tank, which the British dubbed the "Mark IV Special",

introduced a

new level of lethality

quickly succeeded by the

which was subjected

to the Panzerwaffe.

PzKw IVG, armed with

This was

the L/48 gun,

to a series of incremental improvements,

including supplemental

30mm armor plates on the hull and

superstructure front and the addition of "skirts" around the turret

and along the sides

July

in

March 1943. The Model

944) was similar to the Model G, but incorporated

thick hull

and superstructure armor and an

on the commander's cupola. The

which

differed

from the Model

electric tutret traverse in favor

80mm

AA mount for an MG

final version

was the Pzkw IVJ,

H mainly in the deletion of the

of additional

fuel stowage.

PzKw
IVD

PzKw
IVG

PzKw

Weight (tonnes)

20.0

23.5

25.0
7.02

IV

Length (m)

5.92

6.62

Width (m)

2.84

2.88

2.88

Height (m)

2.68

2.68

2.68

Front

30

50

80

Side

20

30

30

300

300

300

40

40

49

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Engine

HP

Road Speed (km/h)

Above: PzKw IV with long

(3,774 built to

Above: PzKw IVH

98

75mm

gun

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

&

PzKw V Panther
The Panther was produced successively in
first

three variants the

of which, confusingly, was the Model D. As with

variants, the turret

the

all

armament consisted of the very powerful

75mm KwK42 L/70 gun and a coaxial MG34. Ammunition

stowage comprised 79 rounds of 75mm and 5,100 rounds of
7.92mm. An armored

flap covered a direct-vision

for the driver, while a second, smaller, flap covered

opening through which

the

opening
an

bow machine gun could be fired by

bow gunner/ radio operator. The suspension consisted of

eight pairs of large, interleaved roadwheels sprung

bars, a rear idler

and

Starting with vehicle 85

Model A, which

on

torsion

a front sprocket.
1

production shifted

to the

featured an improved commander's cupola

and sttengthened suspension components, along with

reliability

mount on

improvements. This model also introduced

the hull front for the

bow machine gun,

a ball

replacing

the earlier flap-and-port arrangement.

After 2,000 Panther As, the production lines again

switched, this time to the Panther G. This introduced a

number of detail improvements,

the most noticeable being

the elimination of the driver's vision opening in the hull

front. Instead, the driver

was supplied with a rotating

periscope and seat and control extensions that permitted

him

to drive with his

head out of the hatch. Other changes

included upper hull side plates that were

a variety

0mm thicker and

of reliability improvements. Late-production

models used

a redesigned

gun mantlet

that eliminated a

shot trap at the base.

Aside from

reliability

ironed out with the

problems,

Model G,

best all-around tank of World

many of which had been

the Panther was probably the

War

II.

The gun was

powerful and accurate, the armor well-sloped, and mobility

about average.
short engine

Weak points included

life,

the final drive unit,

slow turret traverse and the lack of a

periscope for the gunner that slowed engagement time.

First

column PzKw V

D,

Second column PzKw V

Third

A.

Column PzKw V G
45.5

Weight (tonnes)

43.0

44.8

Length (m)

8.86

8.86

8.86

Width (m)

3.40

3.42

3.40

Height (m)

2.95

2.98

2.98

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

100

110

110

45

45

50

HP

700

700

700

46

46

46

Front

Engine

Road Speed (km/h)

PzKw V Panther D
PzKw V Panther A (PMK)
Bottom: PzKw V Panther G
Top:

Middle:

99

&

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

PzKw VI Tiger
The

initial

model, the

PzKw VI Ausf. E

used a suspension

similar to that of the Panther, with eight pairs of larger,

interleaved road wheels with double torsion-bar suspension,

sprocket at the front and idler at the

out over the tracks

The

rear.

hull extended

order to permit the installation of a

in

wide ring that accommodated the horseshoe-shaped

The

turret

mounted

the

turret.

88mm KwK36 L/56 gun and a

MG34, with 92 rounds for the former being

coaxial

accommodated. Early vehicles proved underpowered and

in

May

1943, starting with vehicle 425, the 600-hp engine

was replaced with the 700-hp unit used

series

of other

in the Panther.

improvements were

detail

also

made during

the production run, including the addition of an escape

hatch in the right side of the

the

periscopes. Eighty-four Tiger

command vehicles,

and the replacement of

turret,

commander's cupola with

vision slots
Is

by one with

were completed

as

with main gun ammunition stowage

reduced to 66 rounds to make room for additional radio

sets.

The PzKw VI Ausf B

(also

known

as

Tiger

II

and

Konigstiger) represented an almost complete redesign of the

The hull adopted

vehicle.

the general shape of the Panther,

with sloped front and side plates and

the

much greater armor

made

thickness,

invulnerable to Allied tank weapons.

longer, necessitating

The

turret

powerful

this,

combined with

it

almost

The hull was made

an extra pair of road wheels each

side.

was made narrower and mounted the more

88mm KwK43 L/71

gun

(for

were carried) along with the coaxial

machine gun was ball-mounted

which 72 rounds

MG34. A second

in the hull front for use

the radio operator.

The Tiger I was

and the Tiger
unreliability,

Tiger

II

fearsome weapon on the battlefield,

almost invincible. Mechanical

however, reduced

its

effectiveness

and the

was underpowered, using the same engine

II

predecessor.

column PzKw

First

VI E,

Second column PzKw

57.0

Length (m)

8.45

10.3

Width (m)

3.70

3.76

Height (m)

2.93

3.08

100

180

Front

Side

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)

Engine

HP

Road Speed (km/h)

PzKw VIE Tiger

PzKw VIE Tiger
Bottom: PzKw VI B Tiger
fop:

Middle:

100

VI B

Weight (tonnes)

68.0

80

80

650

700

38

35

as its

by

WORLD WAR

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

SturmgeschCitz 7.5cm
This, the original

an armored superstructure to
barrel

PzKw III with

engine. In the

2
1

to +20.

and automotive

the chassis

components of the PzKw

a different

the short

and elevation of-lO

The Model A used

used

mount

75mm StuK37 L/24 gun with

traverse each side

(SdKfzi42)

member of the prolific assault

family, used the chassis of the

gun

&

WORLD WAR

IIIF.

The Model B

transmission and a modified

Model

C the gunner's telescope,

considered a weak point, was replaced by a

periscopic sight projecting through the roof

D added a pannier on the left side

The Model
for radio

equipment. The Model E was

intended

as a battery

commander's vehicle with

an additional pannier on the right for radios and

The Model E

provision for optical equipment.

also carried (but did

not mount) a light

The SdKfz 142 proved a very

1

MG.

useful vehicle in

940/4 1 but was hampered thereafter by

its

limited anti-tank potential.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

20.2

Front

Length (m)

5.40

Side

Width (m)

2.93

Engine

Height (m)

1.98

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

50
30

300
40

SdKfz 142 Sturmgeschiitz

Sturmgeschiitz 40
The

version of this vehicle, the

initial

simply took the prievious Model

the

Model

E and

(SdKfzi42/i)

F,

replaced

gun with the more powerful L/43 or L/48

gun.

The comprehensive

revision

came with

the

Model G, which switched to the lower hull of

the
to

PzKw

IIIJ.

Those produced from July 1942

June 1944 had

30mm supplemental armor

attached to the front, after that the base armor

was increased

to

80mm. The gun had a traverse

of 10 each side of center, elevation

of-6

to

+20, and was provided with 54 rounds of

ammunition. Starting

in early

943 an external

MG with shield was provided at the loader's

hatch and this was retrofitted to earlier vehicles.

This was

later replaced

mounting.
early

944.

by a remote -control

A coaxial MG was fitted starting in

Armored

skirts

were usually

fitted

ii69
in the field.

the
the

The Sturmhaubkze 42 was simply

G with a 105mm howitzer replacing

75mm gun.
Model

Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

23.9

Front

Length (m)

6.77

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.95

Engine

Height (m)

2.16

Road Speed (km/h)

(mm)

HP

80
30

300
40

StuGIIIF(PMK)

101

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Sturmgeschutz

WORLD WAR

IV (SdKfzi67)

This vehicle was essentially the superstructure

(including armament) of the

made

changes as were
applied to the
control

StuG

StuG 40 Model

PzKw IV. The same

placed on the hull of the

to the

StuG 40 were

also

remote-

IV, including

machine gun. The only change of note

to the superstructure

position was

was that the

moved forward

driver's

into a protruding

On some vehicles a 5cm thick concrete

cab.

slab provided additional protection to the cab

front.

This opened up some room

fighting

compartment

ammunition stowage

in the

that allowed

to be increased to

87

rounds. Although the

StuG IV had

main armament

tank and in a restricted

traverse

as the

mounting, the low

sufficiently valuable that in

profile

the

same

made

January 1944 the

Krupp works switched completely from

PzKw IV to

the

A destroyed StuG

StuG

it

the

IV.

IV being inspected

by a Gl

Armor (mm)
(mm)

Weight (tonnes)

23.0

Front

Length (m)

6.70

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.95

Engine

Height (m)

2.20

Road Speed (km/h)

38

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/h)

200

HP

80

30

300

Sturmgeschutz 8.8cm
(SdKfz 184) (Ferdinand/Elefant)
The SttiG 8.8cm took the

unsuccessful Porsche

entry from the Tiger development and fitted

it

with a heavily-armored superstructure, into the

front of which

(L/71) gun.
side

was mounted an 8.8cm Pak43/2

The gun had a

and could

elevate

traverse of l4 each

from -8

rounds were carried for the gun.

armament was

initially fitted,

to + 14. Fifty

No secondary

but when the

surviving 48 vehicles were pulled out of service in

late

943

for overhaul they

were given a

ball

mount

MG in the front, along with a commander's

cupola. Extremely well-armed and provided with
thick armor, the vehicle was nevertheless a
blessing as

it

mixed

used completely non-standard parts,

including the troublesome electric drive, of the

Tiget(P) and proved underpowered and unreliable.
It

also

had

large blind spots to the sides

and

rear

that permitted Soviet infantry to close with the

vehicle during the

SdKfz 184 Elefant

102

Kursk

Weight (tonnes)

65.0

Front

Length (m)

8.14

Side

Width (m)

3.38

Height (m)

2.97

battle.

80

600
30

JANE'S

Jagdpanzer

B,

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

IV (SdKfz 162)

This was an evolutionary development of the

StnG IV and used the same

PzKw IVF

tank.

superstructure,

chassis, that

gun remained the same,

The main

7.5cm Pak39 (L/48)

The gun

with 79 rounds of ammunition.

and elevated from -5

reduced to one from

1944. At the same time, the armor

thickness was increased, to

40mm at the sides.

and

to

ports were initially

in the hull front,

provided

May

total

Two machine gun

+ 15.

the

which was brought forward and

given a completely sloping front face.

traversed 20

of the

The main change was to

80mm at the front

Muzzle brakes were

originally fitted, but often

removed

in the field

because of the dust they kicked up, and were not

installed in later vehicles.

identical to the basic

A command version,

model but

fitted

with an

additional radio, was also built.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

60

Weight (tonnes)

24.5

Front

Length (m)

6.85

Side

Width (m)

3.17

Engine

Height (m)

1.85

Road Speed (km/h)

40

Weight (tonnes)

25.8

Front

8,50

Side

40

Width (m)

3.17

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

80

Length (m)

Height (m)

1.85

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

30

300

Jagdpanzer IV

Jagdpanzer IV/70
There were actually two versions of this vehicle
in

production simultaneously, the Jagdpanzer

IV/70 (A)

built

by Alkett, and the Jagdpanzer

IV/70 (V) by Vomag. The two were very similar,

the

main difference being the addition of a

vertical portion

hull

on

on the lower

the (A) model.

easier to

manufacture, but was 0.5 meters

higher and 2.5 tons heavier.

the

part of the tipper

The Alkett design was

The main gun was

75mm Pak42 L/70 as used in the Panther,

with a traverse of 1 2 each side of center and

elevation

of5

to + 15.

The

(V) model carried

60 rounds of ammunition and the

rounds.
result

The

(A)

model 90

Panzer IV/70 was nose-heavy

of the long gun

barrel,

and

the

first

road wheels on each side were fitted with

as a

two
steel

rims to prevent disintegration of the rubber

wheels.

Jagdpanzer IV/70(V)

300
35

103

Bi

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

II

Jagdpanther (SdKfz 173)

In this vehicle, the upper hull was extended

upward

to create a

sloped box superstructure

which the powerful gun could be mounted.

into

The main armament was

the

8.8cm Pak43 L/7

with a traverse of 13 each side and elevation of

-8

to +15,

and

for

which 57 rounds were

A light MG was carried in a hull mount

on the superstructure front, along with a 90mm
NbK 39 close defense weapon on the roof. A
carried.

few changes were

made during

run, reducing the

number of driver's vision

horn two

mount,

to one,

and horn

the production

a small

to a larger bolted one.

slots

welded sun

The Jagdpanther

was mobile, admirably protected by

thick, well-

sloped armor and possessed or a powerful,

Within the inherent limitations

accurate gun.

of the non-turreted design, the Jagdpanther was

the

most successful and best-balanced tank

killer or

the war.

Jagdpanther (PMK)

Jagdtiger
The heaviest AFV

to see

Weight (tonnes)

46.0

Front

80

Length (m)

9.90

Side

50

Width (m)

3.42

Engine

Height (m)

2.72

Road Speed (km/h)

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

HP

700
46

(SdKfz 186)

combat during the war,

the Jagdtiger used a lengthened version of the

Tiger

II

chassis fitted with a large, massively-

armored box superstructure. Armament

consisted of the

2.8cm Pak44 L/55 gun and

bow-mounted machine gun, The main gun had

a traverse

of 1 0 each side of center and an

elevation of -7.5 to +

5 and was provided

with 40 rounds or ammunition.

had

The vehicle

crew of six, two loaders being necessary to

handle the heavy ammunition. Certainly

fearsome weapon,

it is

not clear what advantages

were purchased with the diversion of resources

from thcTiger

88mm on

II

with any tank

it

ranges at which
1

program. The long-barrel

the Tiger

II

was capable of dealing

met on
it

the battlefield at

could expect to get a

2.8cm gun gave longer ranges

all

hit.

S=

The

-*^

but, lacking

range-finding equipment, getting a hit at

Weight (tonnes)

70

extended ranges was mostly a matter of luck.

Length (m)

SdKfz 186 Jagdtiger

104

10.65

Width (m)

3.63

Height (m)

2.95

Front

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/h)

Side

250
80

700
38

JAN E'S TANKS OF

Sturmpanzer
The 1 5cm heavy infantry gun
effective close

while to

IV (SdKfz166) (Brummbar)

(sIG) was a very

support weapon, but

come up with

Bi

WORLD WAR

it

took a

the proper armored

The final answer was the

assault carrier.

Brummbar, which mated

the sIG with the

PzKw IV chassis in a large,

superstructure.

built-up

The weapon had

a traverse

of

10 each side of center and an elevation range of

-7 to +20. Despite the boxy upper portion,

the vehicle was actually quite

cramped and

could only carry 38 rounds of the large

ammunition. Starting
were produced with
front face

and

in

June 1944 vehicles

ball-mounted

MG on the

commander's cupola with an

AA MG mount.

At the same time, the mount

was redesigned, a lightened version of the

installed,

and the height reduced

Early production

Brummbar

gun

slightly.

without

MG

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

28.2

Front

Length (m)

5.93

Side

Width (m)

2.88

Engine

Height (m)

2.52

Road Speed (km/h)

on

HP

100
50

300
40

front face

4.7cm
This was the

first,

conversions to an

Pak(t) auf

and simplest, of the

SP anti-tank vehicle. The

main weapon was the captured Czech

Pak,

PzKw IB

which was provided with

47mm

a traverse

of 1 7.5

each side of center and an elevation range of-8

A fixed shield was provided, but was

open at the back and top. No secondary
armament was provided. A total of 86 rounds
of 47mm were carried. The gun was powerful
to +12.

and

effective for

its

time and the Pz IB chassis

provided adequate mobility, but the crew of

three (only

somewhat
theaters

two of whom were on the gun) was

inefficient.

and remained

The

vehicle served in

in service in

all

diminishing

numbers (and with decreasing effectiveness)

until 1943.

Weight (tonnes)

4.7cm(t) auf

PzKw

6.4

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.42

Side

Width (m)

2.06

Engine

Height (m)

2.25

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

13
13

100
40

IB

105

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

7.5cm Pak40 auf PzKw

(SdKfz 131)(Marder
This vehicle took the chassis of the

and extended the superstructure

fighting

compartment

II

II)

PzKw IIF

to create a

in the center

and

rear.

Into that was placed the upper half of the field

carriage

mount for the

on supporting
range of 32

75mm Pak40,
The gun had

girders.

and 25

left

right

mounted

a traverse

of center and

could elevate from -8 to +10.

A light MG was

usually carried, but could be pintle-mounted for

AA defense, and 37 rounds of 75mm

ammunition was

The SdKfz 32 was

carried.

almost identical, but used the

PzKw IID

chassis

and mounted the 7.62cm Pak36rgun, and was

a conversion rather

were

tall

lateral

and

vehicles

and

rear

than a new-build. Both

fire,

good and they were

the crew exposed to

left

but their armament was

useful expedients until the

dedicated tank destroyers

came

into service,

although they were never completely replaced.

SdKfz 131 Warder

Armor (mm)
(mm)

Weight (tonnes)

10.8

Front

Length (m)

6.36

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.28

Engine

Height

2.20

Road Speed (km/h)

(tn)

HP

30
15

140

40

II

8.8cm Pak43 auf PzKw IM/IV

(Hornisse) (Nashorn)
This was the
anti-tank
its

final

open-topped self-propelled

gun and represented

the pinnacle or

development. The chassis was based on the

PzKw IV and borrowed

heavily from the

5cm

SP howitzer Hummel. The main weapon was

the much-feared

88mm Pak43 L/71

was provided with a traverse of 30

elevation of-5 to +20.

ammunition were

armament was

gun, which

total

and an

40 rounds of

carried.

Secondary

a single light

MG that could be

pintle-mounted for AA defense. In February

1944 the name was changed from Hornisse

to

Nashorn, coincident with some minor

production changes. The Hornisse made a large
target,

was only thinly armored and the limited

traverse of the

main gun

disadvantages, but

any enemy rank

it

remained

in

Nashorn 8.8cm

106

it

its

carried tactical

Pak43 could

met

slice

at all practical

through

ranges and

production to war's end.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

24.0

Front

Length (m)

8.44

Side

Width (m)

2.86

Engine

Height (m)

2.65

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

30
20

300
42

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

15cm SlG auf PzKw

To

and

built

three

up

a large,

and

plates that

top. Into this

traverse of

was open

was placed a

sIG33 heavy infantry gun on

2.5

left

and

right of center

elevation range of-4 to +75.

certainly an effective

at

5cm

field carriage (less

mounting the gun had

wheels). In this

tanks

boxy shield made up of

lOmm-thick armor

the rear

and

Pzkw IB

superstructure from 38 excess

fire

(Bison)

create a heavy fire support vehicle quickly,

Alkett simply removed the turret

for

&

and an

The sIG was

weapon, and the provision

high elevation permitted use in the indirect

mode

if required,

but the vehicle severely

overloaded the chassis, leading to poor mobility.

The vehicles were

and the

last

was

used in the 1940 campaign,

finally lost in

943.

Weight (tonnes)

sIG auf

PzKw

Bison

leFH 18/2 auf

This vehicle mounted the

100

2.80

Road Speed (km/h)

40

4.67

Width (m)
Height (m)

PzKw

II

Front

Side

13
13

(SdKfz124) (Wespe)

05mm light field

howitzer on a slightly lengthened

chassis.

2.06

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

8.5

Length (m)

PzKw II

The engine was moved forward

to the

center of the vehicle to create space at the back

for the fighting

compartment, the sides of

which were extended upward. The howitzer

could traverse 17 each side of center and elevate

from -5 to +42, and

this relatively

high

elevation lor an

SP mount gave

10,500 meters.

The vehicle carried 32 rounds

of ammunition.
carried,

a range of

A light machine gun was

but not mounted, on the vehicle for

close-in defense.

without guns

as

Some vehicles were completed

ammunition

carriers to carry

90

rounds. These could be converted to gun

vehicles in the field with

required.

little

trouble

if

The vehicles were effective and

popular in

all

theaters except Italy,

where they

proved underpowered for operations in

mountains.

SdKfz 124 Wespe

light

SP

howitzer

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

11.0

Front

Length (m)

4.81

Side

Width (m)

2.28

Engine

Height (m)

2.30

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

30
15

140
40

107

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

sFH 18/1 auf PzKw lll/IV

(SdKfz 165) (Hummel)
The standard SP heavy field
1

5cm sFH

8/

on

chassis, essentially a

hybrid

piece

mounted

the

PzKw III/IV

PzKw IV lengthened

slightly

with the engine moved forward to the

center.

The piece had

a traverse

of 1 5 each side

of center, while the open bed at the rear allowed

an elevation of +42 to yield close to the piece's

maximum

theoretical
carried,

The

range.

A light MG was

but not mounted, for local defense.

driver

and radio operator

and the gun crew of four

Hummel

sat at the front

The

at the rear.

carried only 18 rounds tor the

gun but

howitzer, and a version without the

with extra ammunition racks was also built

ammo carrier to

as

an

provide two such vehicles to

each six-gun battery. The lack of a muzzle brake

-<

MI

(eliminated alter the prototype) prevented the

weapon horn

firing with

uppermost (eighth)

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

24.0

Front

Length (m)

7.17

Side

Width (m)

2.97

Engine

Height (m)

2.81

Road Speed

30
20

charge.

SdKfz 165 Hummel heavy SP howitzer

HP
(km/fi)

300
42

sFH 13/1 auf Lorraine Schlepper

(SdKfz 135/1)
This was the most common, and successful, of the
conversions of French chassis into SP

artillery.

Because of the open rear compartment the

Lorraine was a good basis for conversions and 94

were used
1

for the

5cm howitzer,

0.5cm howitzer, and 170

for

12 lor the

7.5cm Pak,

a similar configuration. In fact, the

alterations
sides, the

only

all

using

real

were the addition of the superstructure

gun, and a

recoil

spade

at the rear (the

spade not being present on the anti-tank vehicle).

Because of the light weight of the tractor the old

1

5cm sFH

powerful

3 was chosen in lieu ol the more

sFH

18.

traverse each side

It

was mounted with 5 of

and

to

+40 elevation, but only

eight rounds of ammunition could be carried.

mounted

in the vehicle, the howitzer

had

As

maximum range of 8,600 meters.

SdKfz 135/1 15cm howitzer on Lorraine chassis

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

8.49

Front

Length (m)

5.31

Side

Width (m)

1.83

Engine

Height (m)

2.23

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

10
9

70
34

JANE'S

&

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

FlakPanzer IV
There were three variants of this

vehicle, the

and most numerous being the

earliest

"Mobelwagen", which placed

3.7cm Flak43

AA gun in a well in the hull of the PzKw IV.

Folding panels 20mm thick provided protection
when not in

against fragments for the crew

action,

and dropped down

surface

when

the crew

The

firing.

when

mounted

quad

housed

major drawback.

the "Wirbelwind", which

20mm in an open-topped

octagonal turret with

turret

6mm thick walls.

within

and the quad-20 was

its

The

four-man crew (commander,

gunner, two loaders). This was a

solution

work

lack of protection for

was

in action

The replacement was

to provide a

much better

a lethal

engagement envelope, but

weapon

a longer

range was desired, leading to the third variant,

the "Ostwind". This replaced the quad-20 with
a single

crew

37mm Flak43, while reducing the turret

ro three.

Mobelwagen with sides dropped

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

24.0

Front

Length (m)

5.92

Side

Width (m)

2.95

Engine

Height (m)

2.73

Road Speed (km/h)

30
30

300

HP

38

for action

Light Armored

Car Family

(SdKfz.221/222/223/260/261)
There were three basic family members that
entered production in

935-36,

all

based on the

4x4 chassis. The SdKfc.22l had

Horch 80 1

crew of two and was

turret with a single

fitted

with an open-topped

MG and a short-range radio.

The SdKfz.222 was

the 221 but with a larger

2cm autocannon,

MG

a coaxial

turret

with

and

three-man crew. The SdKfz.223 was

similar to the 221, but

to the rear to

and

a third

radio cars,
in favor

moved

the turret slightly

accommodate a long-range

crewman. The same

body were used

to create the

chassis

radio

and

SdKfz.260 and 261

which dispensed with

all

armament

of long-range radios and frame

antennas.

With

thin

non-AP small arms

the initial

armor (proof only against

fire)

out of production, the

June 1943 and the

SdKfz 222

and weak armament,

members of the family were phased

light

last

last

223

222 being in
in

built in

January 1944.

Weight (tonnes)

4.8

Front

Armor (mm)
(mm)

Length (m)

4.80

Side Armor

Width (m)

1.95

Engine

Height (m)

2.00

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

8
8

75

or

90
85

armored car

109

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

Heavy Armored Car SdKfz

231/232/ 263 (6-rad)
The

first

new German armored

of the

cars, these

were built on 6x4 truck chassis strengthened to

The armament of

take the additional weight.

the SdKfz 23

and 232

(6-rad)

was a 2cm

KwK30 cannon and a coaxial MG13

turret,

SdKfz 263 had

The

casemate with a single

a fixed

MG 13 instead of a turret.
large

in the

with elevation of- 12 to +20.

The SdKfz 232 had

frame antenna, while the SdKfz 263 had

the frame antenna

antenna.

and

mast

a telescoping

The first two were used by

reconnaissance troops and the SdKfz 263 by

signal troops.

The crew consisted

including front and rear drivers.

withdrawn from frontline

or four,

They were

service in

940

because of their poor off-road mobility and the

large size

combined with

it

ii

TM*nvi

n)iTHTiinin -iiifTHf iniMTinifii TwtlXiykJ*&.,^. *~Tr"TrrrrT'-i

iMJTW _

_<_

thin armor.

SdKfz 232 armored car

Weight (tonnes)

5.35

Front

Length (m)

5.57

Side

Width (m)

1.82

Engine

Height (m)

2.25

Road Speed (km/h)

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

HP

8
8

65
70

Heavy Armored Car Family

(SdKfz.231 (8-rad)/232 (8-rad)/233 (8-rad))
These

large vehicles

used a Biissing-NAG chassis

with power and steering to

and

rear driving positions

withdrawal.

with a

gun

all

eight wheels. Front

were provided

tor

20mm KwK and a coaxial light machine

in a turret

and carried 180 rounds

for the

gun, which could elevate from -l- to +26.

difference between the

was

fitted

two was that the SdKfz 232

and from early

turret. Early

5mm thick frontal armor,

940 an additional 8mm plate was

production models had

frontal

main

The

with an additional, long-range, radio

and frame antenna above the

added

quick

The SdKfz 23 and 232 were armed

to the front. Starting in

May 942 hull

1

armor thickness was increased

special radio version

without the

to

30mm. A

turret, the

SdKfz.263, entered production in 1938. Afire

support vehicle in which the turret was replaced by
a

7.5cm StuK37 L/24 gun with 12

side

was introduced

SdKfz 231 (8-rad)

110

in late

942.

ttaverse each

Weight (tonnes)

8.3

Front

Armor (mm)
(mm)

Length (m)

5.85

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.20

Engine

Height (m)

2.35

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

15
8

150
85

JANE'S

El

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Heavy Armored Car SdKfz 234

The SdKfz 234

chassis

was developed

in four

armament. The

variants, differing in their

turret with

SdKfz 234/ 1 used an open-topped

M G42. The SdKfz

2cm KwK38 and coaxial

234/2 "Puma" featured a rounded closed

with the

turret

5cm KwK39 L/60 gun and coaxial

MG42. The SdKfz 234/3

turret in favor

dispensed with the

of a low, open superstructure

with the 7.5cm L/24 gun with a traverse of 12

each

side.

The SdKfz 234/4 was

234/3, but was

fitted

similar to the

with the 7.5cm Pak 40

L/46 anti-tank gun. The

cars carried

480

rounds of 2cm, 55 rounds of 5cm, 50 rounds of

short

7.5cm or 12 rounds of long 7.5cm

ammunition. Although

large, the vehicles

had

excellent cross-country mobility and firepower.

By the time they came

need

for

such vehicles

into service, however, the

in the

German Army had

decreased dramatically.

SdKfz 234/3 armored car with short 7.5cm gun

Armor (mm)

30

Weight (tonnes)

11.5

Front

Length (m)

6.00

Side

Width (m)

2.40

Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.10

Road Speed (km/h)

Light Armored Half -Track SdKfz

220
80

250

The smaller of the two armored half-track families

was

wide variety of configurations for

built in a

The only

general and specialized applications.

major change

to the basic vehicle

dining

its

production run was the replacement of the multiangled open-topped body with one with fewer
(albeit larger) plates to simplify

chassis was that of the

The

production.

Demag D7

half-track,

shortened and with one wheel and torsion bar

removed per

side.

The variants

The front axle was unpowered.

included the basic half-section

infantry carrier {(SdKfz 250/1), with

room

for four

passengers), a wire-laying vehicle (250/2), radio

vehicle (250/3), observation vehicle for assault

units (250/4

and 250/5),

a carrier for

short or 60 rounds of long

assault

7.5cm ammunition

guns (250/6), 8 1mm mortar

rounds (250/7),

fitted

gun

70 rounds of

carrier

for

with 42

with 7.5cm L/24 gun firing

forward and 20 rounds of ammunition (250/8),

with 2cm/light

MG

turret fitted for reconnaissance

Weight (tonnes)

5.8

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.56

Side

Width (m)

1.95

Engine

Height (m)

1.66

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

14
8

100
60

SdKfz 250/1 basic half-group carrier

111

AN E'S TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

Light Armored Half-Track SdKfz

with 3.7cm Pak pintle-mounted

role (250/9),

forward with 216 rounds (250/10), with 2.8cm

sPzB gun pintle-mounted forward (250/1

artillery

1),

and

survey and range-finding vehicle

(250/12),

Two more specialized

versions with

fully-enclosed bodies were also developed early

to

on

support the assault guns: the SdKfz 252

ammunition

carrier

observation vehicle.

and the SdKfz 253

A number of improvised

variants were also fielded, including those

mounting captured French

5cm

25mm AT guns and

Pak.

Although
the larger

useful, they lacked the flexibility

SdKfz 251

tailed oft later in the

Right: SdKfz 250/7

chassis

wat

and

in favor

81mm

their

of the

latter.

mortar carrier

Below: SdKfz 250/9 half-track armored car

112

of

production

250

(continued)

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

&

Medium Armored Half-Track

SdKfz 251
The larger half-track series was
the Kfz.

3-ton

tractor.

The

on the

built

first

chassis of

three models (A,

& C) used a complex but well-shaped open-topped

hull that could carry the driver,

passengers in

its

D, introduced
reduce the

basic

commander and

APC configuration.

ten

The Model

in 1943, simplified the hull design to

number of armor sheets

required and cut

manufacturing rime.

Due

to the larger size

amenable

of the rear compartment

to modification to a

it

was

wide variety of roles.

The main ones were: APC (SdKfz 25 1/1), 8 1 mm

mortar carrier with 66 rounds (251/2), radio vehicle
(251/3), as a tractor for the

7.5cm leIG infantry gun

(251/4), a pioneer squad vehicle (251/5),

command

post vehicle (251/6), heavy pioneer equipment carrier

(251/7), armored ambulance (251/8),

mounting the

7.5cm L/24 gun firing forward with 52 rounds

(251 19), mounting the 3.7cm Pak on a pedestal as a

platoon commander's vehicle (251/10), wire-laying

vehicle (251/1
artillery

1), artillery

survey vehicle (251/12),

sound-locating vehicle (25 1/13 and 25 1/14),

artillery flash-spotting vehicle

vehicle (25 1/16), with

(2 5

1 / 1

7)

artillery

2cm

(251/15), flame-thrower

Flak on

observation (2 5

AA mount

1 / 1

8) ,

telephone

switchboard vehicle (251/19), infra-red searchlight

vehicle (251/20), with triple

MG151

mount 1.5cm

cannon (251/21), carrying

anti-tank

gun (25 1/22), with

or

2cm

7.5cm Pak40

2cm gun and coaxial

MG in an open turret (251/23).

The SdKfz 25 1

family proved exceptionally useful

throughout the war and remained

end.

It

was one

of only

In

production to the

two armored personnel

carriers

successfully fielded on a large scale during the war,

sharing that honor with the

US

half-track series.

Weight (tonnes)

7.81

Length (m)

5.80

Width (m)

2.10

Height (m)

1.75

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

15

HP

100

Front

Engine

Road Speed (km/h)

53

Top: Sdkfz 251/1 personnel carrier

Middle: SdKfz 251/9 with 7.5cm short gun

Bottom: Sdkfz 251/21 with Model D body

style

113

ISSk

Hungary
The Trianon peace

treaty

of 1 920 prohibited Hungary from possessing

any tanks and permitted only one company of armored

use.

cars for police

A clandestine effort to develop an armored force began in 928 and a

Mk IV
1

few examples of several vehicles, including the Carden-Loyd

machine gun

carrier, Fiat

3000B

tanks and Vickers-Crossley armored cars

were acquired in the early 1930s.

The first significant purchase came in 934 with

1

tankettes

from

Italy followed a year later

by a

purchase of 25

larger purchase

CV33

of CV35s,

permitting the formation of seven tankette companies. In Hungarian

service the

CV33 became known as the 35M and the CV35

as the

37M

Ansaldo light tanks. They were used in the opening phases of Operation
Barbarossa, but were quickly found to be so tactically limited that the fact
that they broke

down almost immediately in the heavy,

operations involved was not considered

In 1937 a comprehensive reorganization of the

as the

Huba I program, was drafted

the treaty. In

long-distance

much of a loss.

that

would

Army (Honved), known

result in a clear violation

938 Hungary formally renounced the

treaty.

of

A key feature

was the creation of two motorized brigades each of which, by 1941, would
include 13 armored cars and 36 light tanks.

Miklos Straussler had begun designing

light tanks

the early 1930s and in co-operation with the Weiss

produced a prototype V-3 tankette in 1933 and

An alternative

to the Straussler design

Hungary already,

in

and armored

V-4

light

tank in 1936.

was found in Sweden, where

1936, had purchased a single L-60 light tank from

Landsverk. In 1 937 a competitive

trial

was held between the L-60 and the

V-4. Landsverk was producing some of the most advanced tanks

world

in the early

930s and although

this lead

the middle of the decade, their products were

surprising that they

cars in

Manfred works had

won the competition.

were expressed about the L-60, including

suspension and inefficient transmission.

had

still

largely evaporated

respectable

Nevertheless,
its

in the

and

some

it is

by
not

reservations

thin armor, rough-riding

Some of these problems were

quickly solved, but others could not be rectified in the time available.

A production license was acquired from Landsverk and the tank was
designated the 38iYl Toldi A20. Several

armament options were considered,

37mm and 40mm guns, but those would have required a

turret, so the 20mm 36M anti-tank rifle was
chosen. Once that decision was made the firms of MAVAG and Ganz were
including

complete redesign of the

set to

work

to build the fitst

80

tanks, using

WAR

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

Once

completely redesign the turret.

this

was
Below: Hungarian L3s before the

some components imported from Sweden and

accomplished

Germany to speed

on the one hand Ganz was directed

the effort. Production got off

to a slow start, however,

and the

not delivered until February

first

two were

940. By

but, as production

covering 42 from

were placed
differed

as the

ramped up

additional orders

MAVAG and 68 from Ganz

38M Toldi

II

B20. These

from the original models only

and both proved unreliable when subjected

the stresses of the long distances involved

on the

Further problems became apparent by the

.

A review or operations up to

November 1941 when

,

the Hungarian Mobile

Corps was returned from the

that theToldi's

front, indicated

20mm gun was completely

inadequate and the armor too thin.

The major

obstacle to regunning the Toldi was the need to

known

to rebuild

la

as the

to build

38M Toldi

the designation

it

II

query
to

38M

The need

but the conversion program

medium

foreseen before the

war and

in

arrived in

939 contacts

/39, but the

3/40, but once again another

made available. The tank selected

June

prototype of which

940. Testing was completed in

Modifications were

known

development was delayed and before a

as the

made

to the design,

Raba
1

in April

94 1

for
,

70 each

WM and

for delivery starting in

August

Mowag for 40 and Ganz for 50, with

deliver)' starting eight

A repetition of the

now

40M Turan, and production

contracts were awarded to four firms:

made. The Honved asked Germany about

939 but received no answer.

Hungarians

40mm Al 7 gun was signed in August.

prototype was available a selection had been

some of their tanks

a refusal.

July and a license agreement for the tank and the

Landsverk for the license production of its Lago

1 1

was theT-21 from Skoda,

tank had been

MAVAG and Ganz began negotiations with

license-building

vehicle had been selected by the time a sample

vehicle was

were established with four organizations.

tank, but

December 1939 was met with

interest in the

to proceed.

tor a

in

Italy offered the

were not that desperate. They did show some

had been decided not to build any

light tanks,

was allowed

Operation

B40. The new-build contract was

cancelled as

start of

Barbarossa.

III

40 Toldi I and 40 Toldi

new standatd with

Toldi

to

Eastern Front starting in mid- 1941,

end of 1 94 1

the

more

in detail,

two-fold effort was launched;

of the new tanks,

C40, and

September of 1 940 only 45 had been delivered

months

later

due

to their

involvement in the Toldi program. Production

'

W>-^ "*'

*A
116

JANE'S
efforts

began on schedule

was not

the first vehicle

April

942 due

October 1940, but

in

to be used to start the

cars,

40mm.

guns

Toldi

&II to Toldi

lla

Ganzand

19 from

In

more powerful Turan

49 were

delivered,

II.

In

Raba

1941 the Honved published

May

specification for a further

:ion

development of the

Turan featuring a shorr-barrel

75mm gun with a

muzzle velocity of 500 m/s and

36

80

15

10

completed development and

was changed

in

PzKw

IB

PzKw

IIF

PzKw

38(t)

108

PzKw

IIIM

10

PzKw

IVF1

22

PzKw IVF2

10

never

8
-

PzKw VIE

8mm

12

10

StuG40

40

StuG40G

weapons

new

on

as

the Turan

A prototype of the

I.

tank, designated the 4 1

M Turan

was

II

production program.

WM

for

90

The

initial

over to

contract was

205,

tanks,

i62 tanks,

In July the

May

1942 to

time with other producers brought

The order was modified

322

in

and then again

war

in.

February 1943 to
in

Rada 68 and Ganz

.deteriorating

May as 222
92),

(WM

The

situation, in particular

power

blackouts and shortages of materials, delayed

deliveries

and Ganz delivered only about 50 of

their tanks, although the others

theirs.

There was no production

completed
after

mid-

One of the few areas in which

the

Honved

was in advance of its foreign contemporaries was

the provision of mobile anti-aircraft defense.

^andsverk had developed the L-62 SP AA

'chicle,

mating the famous Bofors

vith the chassis of the

,

examine the L-62

1939 and

in

1940 an

(designated the

MAVAG.

Hungarian

licenses

L-60

initial

40M

40mm gun

he gun and the vehicle

it

made sense

for

to

order for 46 vehicles

Nimrod) was placed with

This was followed by a second batch

both

had not gone unnoticed.

to the

WM's

1942 proposal

General Staff to create a similar vehicle on

widened version of the Turan

chassis

was thus

met with immediate enthusiasm. Work was

and

prototype ran

of 89 ordered in 1941. Originally designed by

carried out quickly

Landsverk for the

December 1 942. The vehicle was accepted as

air

defense

role, the

Hungarians mainly used them

duty, for which their thin

gun made them

referred to as an

armor and marginal

unsuitable.

unit was formed in

for anti-tank

The

first

Nimrod

May 942 and was variously

1

armored gun

the

battalion

and a tank-

40/43M Zrinyi

in late

Artillery Battalion

was

tests in

January 1943 and a

contract for 40 was awarded.

The

1st Assault

raised in mid-year

and

completed with 30 vehicles by year's end.

The

battalion, an

Zrinyi was popular, being hard-hitting

with good mobility and a low profile, but

it

hunter battalion, reflecting the disparity of roles

lacked anti-tank capability. An effort had begun

envisioned.

to

The

light

Nimrod had some

utility as a

the versatile

(if small)

Bofors gun, but was really

underarmed and too thinly armed

to

success of the German

75mm gun to Zrinyi, in

75mm version was often known as the

the long-barrel
the

Zrinyi

and the howitzer version the Zrinyi

The assault gun

consist of 21

be

effective in high-density warfare for long.

fit

fact,

general-purpose support vehicle, due largely to

light tank. Since

had been acquired

whole. Trials were held in

as a

armored autocannon

1944,

Hungarian AFV Deliveries

production

Ganz and MAVAG).

order was increased to 102 and in

this

50

50

allocations by year are estimates

vehicles in July 1941 (with

portion of the Turan

JWM's
handed

II

Hetzer

followed considerable uncertainty about the

given to

L-160

Marder

April-May 1 942. There

successfully tested in

30

12

PzKw V

September the

to use the

PzKw IVH

a coaxial

12.7mm machine gun. The heavy MG

specification

30

15

LT-35

producing only half its share.

.heir

Somua S-35

of escalating costs and the

to the

the event, only

gust

Hotchkiss H-35/39

as a result

move

18

1942, and then finally to

55 (12 from Raba, 24 from

desire to

60

71

Imports

Renault R-35

and

120

46

however, was reduced to 207 in August, then

MAVAG)

TK/TKS

10W

24

Conversions

an additional 215Turans in August 1941. This,

May

65

190

tank

medium tank

Zrinyi assault

resulted in the placing of an order for

again to 124 in

110

Nimrod SP

tanks, along

A revision in the Honved's order of battle

A the

32

80

II

tanks and 180 medium

III)

1945

1944

1943

50

Turan

(Huba

50

armored divisions each with 13 armored

with 24 SP

1942

Csaba armored car

medium

light

1941

Toldi light tank

Turan

24

,i>*^.

Production

expansion of the two motorized brigades into

1940

1939

in fact delivered until

to design changes.

These tanks were

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

The

assault guns, however,

versions.

gun

versions

and 9 howitzer

The gun program met with

delays, however,

II.

battalions were planned to

continual

and only four production

117

JANE'S

Sv
vehicles were ever built.

In early

944

With

WM was commissioned

Turan, in

75mm gun on the chassis of the

much

the

930s to license-

initially

imported.

tankettes

manner of the German

A small number ofTK

Hungary in March

the division returned to

1

943

it

brought back only three Toldis and three

Csabas.

and R-35 tanks were acquired from

In the

meantime, the

raising of a

second

retreating Polish forces in 1939, although this

armored division was taking place

Marder vehicles. This was completed and Ganz

was obviously unplanned. The major change

with Turan tanks, although only the Turan

was given

came with

could be considered a useful weapon. To

is

a contract to build six examples,

not clear

if they

were ever

Medium- range

but

it

built.

armored

car.

owed much of its

efforts

to see service, the

Csaba

configuration to pioneering

of local designer

Straussler.

An initial

order for 61 vehicles was placed with

939 and they were

WM

in

available for use in the

opening phase of Operation Barbarossa. A

second order for 32 (including 1 2
versions)

was placed

in 1940.

50 vehicles (including 27

was placed

in

1941 but

command

A third order for

command vehicles)

later cancelled.

on the Eastern Front

armored component had

so an

to be

purchased

from Germany. The Germans had stocks of

PzKw 38(c)
from

tanks that were being displaced

their inventory

in the

and they sold 108 of these

spring of 1 942, along with 2

command

tanks and 22

PzKw IVF

in

Hungary

Hungary in March 1944,

after

Hungarian AFV production

To speed up

which

essentially ceased.

the building of the Honved's

armored strength the Germans provided

Tiger

and 12 PzKw

PzKw I

StuG 40

(short-

by 40 more StuGs

assault

guns

IVH
in

May. That was followed

in the

summer

to build

form the tank regiment. In June they

the Hungarian assault

sold four

more PzKw I command

September-November 1944 50 Hetzers

in

September ten each of PzKw

(long-barrel)

III,

and StuG 40s. Almost

PzKw IVF2
all

vehicles were lost in the winter battles

flanks of Stalingrad

and

of these

on the

and when the remnants of

tanks, along with 10

barrel) to

vehicles,

II

complicate matters, the Germans occupied

in

1942. TheTurans would not be ready in time,

The only armored vehicle of purely

Hungarian origins

the decision to prepare an armored

division for service

reconnaissance for the

mobile forces was to be carried out by the Csaba

118

the decision in the late

build armored vehicles, no such vehicles were

to

build a protoype of a tank destroyer mounting a

long-barrel

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

gun

battalions,

and

up
in

(plus 50

more

in early

units.

This permitted the creation of two

1945) were supplied for the same

battalions with Zrinyi

four with Hetzers.

II,

two with StuGs, and

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

im

38M

Light Tank,
This was a modified license-built version of the

Landsverk L-60, the main changes being the

substitution of a Biissing-NAG engine for the
original Scania model,

choice of the

208 rounds
a coaxial

and the unfortunate

20mm 36M anti-tank rifle with

as the

main armament, paired with

8mm machine gun.

The

original

model was succeeded by the B20 Toldi

featuring only

minor

detail

A20

II,

improvements. The

short 1941 campaign on the Eastern Front

conclusively proved the Toldi to be unreliable
(particularly the engine),

undergunned and

An improved model was

poorly armored.

designed that increased the frontal armor

thickness to

35mm and modified the turret by

extending the rear to accommodate a larger gun.

Retrofitted vehicles were designated the Toldi
Ila

40mm 42M gun

and were armed with the

with 55 rounds and

a coaxial

8mm machine

gun. Unfortunately, by the time the Toldi

was ready
Toldi

38M

it

Ila

too was obsolete.

light

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

8.5

Front

Length (m)

4.75

Side

Width (m)

2.14

Engine

Height (m)

2.05

Road Speed (km/h):

13
13

HP

155
50

tank (PMK)

Medium Tank, 40M Turan

The Hungarians modified
by

the

Skoda T-21 tank

enlarging the turret ring, increasing the

armor thickness

slightly,

replacing the Czech

armament with Hungarian, and

Hungarian

The

radio.

turret

fitting a

was enlarged

to

accommodate three men, an important boost

efficiency.

The main weapon was

the

to

40mm

M gun for which 101 rounds were carried.

Two 8mm MG 34/40 Gebauer machine guns
41

were carried, one coaxial and one

in the

superstructure front for the radio operator.

41

M Turan

II

was

similar,

The

but replaced the

40mm gun with the 75mm 4

M short-barrel

gun, raising the center of the turret roof to

accommodate

it.

From mid- 1 944 vehicles

returned for repairs were fitted with additional

perforated armor skirting around the turret and
superstructure,

ATuran

III

with

long

75mm

gun, providing a much-needed improvement in

Turan

Turan

Weight (tonnes) 18.2

19.2

Turan

II

Turan

II

anti-tank capability, never got past the

Length (m)

5.50

5.50

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

40

40

prototype stage.

Width (m)

2.44

2.44

Engine

260

260

Height (m)

2.39

2.44

Road Speed (km/h) 43

43

Turan

40M medium

Front

HP

60

60

tank

119

m.

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

SP Gun, 40M Nimrod

The Nimrod was

a license-built version

Landsverk L-62 "and"

mounted
cannon

a single Bofors

three-man

turret.

120

40M

in

It

40mm L/60 automatic

Hungary)

The chassis was

Hungarian

self-propelled

of the

defense vehicle.

(also license-built in

60 tank (Toldi

Nimrod

air

that of the L-

service).

40mm

in a

Ammunition stowage was 160 rounds. No

Although designed

secondary machine gun armament was

shortage of gun-armed tanks caused these

fitted.

Two batches of Nimrods were built, which

differed only in the engine, the first

German Biissing-NAG

units

the Hungarian near-copy

46 having

and the second 89

Ganz VIII

engines.

as air

defense vehicles, the

vehicles to be used as tank destroyers with

ammunition

for their guns.

their very thin

AP

Although nimble,

armor and weak gun made them

inefficient in this role.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/h)

Weight (tonnes)

8.0

Front

Length (m)

4.75

Side

Width (m)

2.14

Height (m)

2.10

13
10

155
50

AN E'S TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

Assault Gun,
The

m.

40M Zrinyi

Zrinyi was an assault gun based on the

chassis of the

40M Turan medium tank. To

accommodate

the

gun

46cm

the chassis was

wider than the standard tank, but with the same

engine and suspension.

105mm 40/43M

The armament was a

howitzer fitted in a

ball

and provided with 52 rounds of HE and

mount

AP

ammunition. The ammunition was of the

separate loading type,
fire

somewhat.

which slowed the

inside the vehicle for local

ground defense

dismounted. The Zrinyi had a low

fact

it

it

profile, in

was 25cm lower than the StuG40, had

good armor protection and

and

of

rate

A machine gun was carried

a useful

weapon,

proved popular with the troops.

An anti-

tank variant, the Zrinyi 75, was also developed

to carry the

75mm 43M long gun, but only four

were built before production came to

a halt.

Weight (tonnes)

Zrinyi

40M 105mm

assault gun (PMK)

21.5

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

5.90

Side

Width (m)

2.89

Engine

Height (m)

1.90

Road Speed (km/h):

HP

75
n/a

260
40

Armored Car, 39M Csaba

Derived from the

earlier

ACTI,

the only entirely indigenous

The

the Csaba was

Hungarian AFV.

vehicle featured an advanced four-wheel

drive system

and two

the other rear.

drivers,

The two-man

one facing forward

turret

mounted

20mm 36M anti-tank rifle with 200 rounds and

a coaxial

8mm 34/37A machine gun with 3,000

rounds.

Of 93 Csabas built,

vehicles

armed only with

12 were

command

machine gun, but

with a long-range radio and frame antenna.

vehicle

The

was of modern design and had good

cross-country performance, but suffered from

thin

armor and the semi-automatic AT

provided

little

rifle

firepower. Designed for the close

confines of central and western Europe,

it

proved too lightly-built for the long distances of

the Russian steppes, where the rear-facing driver

would have been of little

Csaba 39M armored car

use.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

5.9

Front

Length (m)

4.52

Side

Width (m)

2.10

Engine

Height (m)

2.27

Road Speed (km/h):

HP

9
n/a

90
65

121

Italy
Pre-War Vehicles
Italy's
I.

came at

introduction to tank production

France was unable to provide the

The

directed to build a close copy.

designation of Fiat

3000 and

resultant vehicle

army

the

the very

designation

was given the company

Model 2 1 and closely

,

resembled the French original but was armed with twin

guns.
start

An

order was placed for

end of World War

FT tanks Italy required, so Fiat was

6.5mm machine

,400 vehicles but the war ended before the

of deliveries and the quantity was subsequently reduced

to 100, these

being delivered in 1921 and 1922.

Maneuvers

mountainous regions in 1929 showed the Mod 21 to be

A design effort was undertaken that yielded a tank that

in

underpowered.

was, strangely, not significantly

more mobile than

the original, but was

armed with a long-barrel 37mm gun. The new tank, known as the Fiat

3000B

or

Model 1930, was essentially identical

replaced the

to the

Model 21 but

wo light MGs in the turret with a new 37mm L/40 gun. A

contract for 48 vehicles was placed and these were delivered in

were armed with the

received the twin

37mm

gun, but a small

MG armament. Some of the older Mod 2

have been retrofitted with the

Italian

new gun

930. Most

number appear to have

1

appear to

as well.

tank development took a different, and unfortunate, turn

when

OTO purchased four Carden-Loyd Mk VI machine gun carriers from

Britain, along

with

designated the

kits for

CV.29

another 2 1 vehicles in

in kalian service,

929. These vehicles,

proved inexpensive and simple

produce, relying largely on commercial components.

an exclusive

Italian license for the

Ansaldo, in league with

Fiat,

factory at Fossati (Genoa)

had

was

set

Carden-Loyd
their

up

own

to

carriers

ideas.

to

OTO had acquired

through 1934, but

The Ansaldo munitions

produce tanks and the two firms

developed a modified version of the CV.29 that seems not to have violated
the license,
single

the

The

first

model,

known

as the

CV.33

(later

L3/33) carried

machine gun, but was quickly replaced on the production

line

by

somewhat improved CV.35 (L3/35).

That the simplicity of design speeded production

that

by June of 1 936 there were already

inventory, comprised of the

first

is

indicated by the fact

00 CV.33 and CV.35

in the

order for 100 and 931 of the second order

for 1,300. After this initial butst, however, production slowed

considerably, the remaining

369 tanks being delivered

three years. This very wealth of vehicles, however, had

in the following
its

downside. With

JAN E'S TANKS OF

A tank unit Commander

Below:

in the hull, the lighter

the Fossati works occupied (in part through

complement of vehicles there was

showed the

vulnerable to almost

all

in a turret,

and the heavier

gun

in a turret.

Also introduced was the concept

what extent Ansaldo

to

the design stage on similar vehicles.

iVI

tank in the

first

demonstrated the limitations of the semi-fixed

was 1938 before significant

work was undertaken on

the design of a new,

turreted, tank. This put Italy 4 to 5 years

the other major powers, a gap

it

behind

was not able

to

war drew nearer and then exploded into

close as

combat.

The

moderate amount of consternation

circles, yielding

until

The

by

would become

the

some debate but no

9 November

of 110 Lancia

1/39. Designed for the infantry support role,

established that there

(medium)

tanks.

would be L

The L

tanks

December 1938 War Minister

939.

it

Parian! directed

between May and November

A second series of 400 vehicles would be

in a turret, to

first set,

conform

but with a

armored

37mm

L/40

Ethiopia and

began formulating

37mm L/40 guns meant that at

announced

Two

battalions,

for each service,

None survived

car was

with two
the hull.

the other of eleven to thrteen tons

MGs in a turret and a 37mm gun in

The next month

refined, so that the

the requirements were

L tank mount a 13.2mm

MG

portion of them had to be taken from

while 24 were sent to East Africa.

combat very long,

vulnerable, the

their

armor proving

main armament unsuited

in

there to be destroyed

requirement for a

a requirement for a similar vehicle.

70 were kept

and

tank.

war

new vehicle with much improved cross-country

the

turret,

in the

performance. Then, in April 1938 the Army

roughly on time, although an inability to

form two

mod 30

on the

A much better armored car was on the

Police)

in Italy to

also seen

many stayed

Mod 30 tanks. Of the limited production run,

MGs in a

5mm of armor and a

in the fighting in 1941.

least a

weighing seven-ten tons with twin

8-

MG. The gun in this was

and Lancias were used

Fiats

about 5 tons and be armed with machine guns.

one

61

horizon. In late 1937 the PAI (African Colonial

l/39s appear to have been delivered

produce the

the

The

gun and

Two types of M

tanks were envisioned,

1917.

Fiat

These followed the

cars built in 1935.

turret with a

47mm

to the revised

specifications.

The

on the survivors

These were mostly replaced by 46

the procurement of 100 of these tanks with

gun

and

cars, Italy relied

1ZM vehicles built in

6x4 truck chassis with

modifications of the

(light),

CV series of vehicles.

37mm gun suitable for use against known, nonmoving targets, with twin MGs in the turret. In

clear policy

would weigh

20mm gun in the

conventional pattern of the time, being built on

in military

defined the types of tanks needed. This

also,

was a slow-moving vehicle with a hull-mounted

938 when an army circular

their success selling the

For armored

heavier

deliveries to run

of Italian tanks caused a

inefficiency

M tanks envisioned

turret for possible export sales, probably spurred

circular described almost

perfectly the vehicle that

it

The lighter of the

whether by coincidence or not, matched an

Ansaldo product. The)' had begun development

influenced this array, but they were already in

fire,

co-ordination almost impossible.

of a six-ton tank armed with

not clear

while the conflict in Ethiopia clearly

armament. Thus,

47mm gun in a

with a

turret.
It is

L3-series to be

kinds of enemy

(P) tank, also

little

money to develop new models.

Battles in Spain

M tanks a 20mm
M tank a 47mm

gun

of a heavy

Army nearing its

export orders) and the Italian

incentive or

of the

(and pet) relax on a L3/35

pre-war time.

full

WORLD WAR

as

AB 39, were built at

Fiat factory in Mirafiori (Turin),

found

over the Fiat 6

to

known

prototypes,

new

and shown

in

May

The

improvement

to be a significant
1 1

one

1939.

and was ordered by both

forces.

mobile warfare, and the lack of a radio making

As

a result an initial order

vehicles, to be

these were

a third

coaxially

weapon

was placed

for

24

AB 40. Most of
8mm Breda M38

as the

armed with two

machine guns
and

known

mounted

in the rear

in the turret

of the hull crew

compartment.
Thus, when Germany invaded Poland in

September 1939 the

Italian

built almost exclusively

armor force was

on the

little

still

L3

tankettes, these even equipping the three

armored divisions being formed.

deliveries

ineffective

on

Partial

had been made of a small batch of

medium

tanks.

Other

order, but they were to prove

vehicles

were

no match

for

what other countries were producing.

Wartime Tanks

On entry into the war in June

940

the Italian

Army's stocks of armored vehicles consisted of

'This also laid the foundation for the Italian designation system, which comprised an

an

124

-ton

medium

tank adopted in

939.

initial letter (L, iVt

or P), followed by the weight in tons, then the year of adoption. Thus, the

/39 was

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Right:

Two M1

WORLD WAR

1/39s pass a stopped truck convoy

1,320 L-3/35 tankettes, 127 old

Mod 30 tanks, 100 M-l 1/39

Lancia 1ZM and 48 Type 61

Mod 21

and 34

tanks,

armored

and

cars.

Certainly far from an impressive force.

Ansaldo's efforts to turn the

more modern

vehicle, with

armament and

1/39 into

turret-mounted

a radio, paid off fairly quickly.

many of the

This was accomplished by retaining

automotive components and lower hull of the

Ml 1/39, and the 47mm L/32

antitank/infantry

gun

recently adopted by the

infantry as the primary weapon.

The former

expedient reduced the horsepower-to-weight

ratio

from 9.53 hp/tonne

greater weight.

to 7.5

The adoption

due

of the

was not without opposition, but

more powerful

turned out

it

first

was not available

in late

it

in quantity until

was nearly obsolete.

order for the resulting tank, the

3/40, was for the

as Italy

940

prepared for

the war. Shipped to

they proved

400 planned and was placed

1939. In March

ordered

that

felt

47mm L/40 gun, but as events

mid- 1 942, by which time

The

was

Work was continued on

delay was unacceptable.

a

it

to the

47/32 gun

a further
its

241 were

entrance into

North Africa

in early

much superior to the M

94

1/39.

Nevertheless, they were underpowered and, by

the

end of the

The

first

year,

had proven undergunned.

shortcoming was tackled by the

introduction of a more powerful engine.

new vehicle was

from

its

the

M 14/4

improved

which

orders for 1,810

M-

3/40s were reduced to 7 1

completed

as

final

medium

to

be

evolutionary step of the Italian

5/42. This featured

two major improvements and

smaller modifications.

tank weapon.

The second change was

a variety

as a

the

replacement of the diesel engine with a gasoline

included electric turret traverse and thicker

turret armor.

The first production

however, did not

come off the

and saw no combat

M-l 4/4 Is.

family was the

by the new 47/40, designed

finally replaced

engine, increasing road speed. Other alterations

reliability. Initial

September 194 1 with the balance

The

differed

new engine and

air cleaners suited to desert

conditions, which improved

in

predecessor only in the

The

of

The old 47/32 2un was

What had

in

5s,

line until

been the lighter of the

medium

tank concepts also went forward, but as

tank, designated the L6/40.

the

L 6 was

old

L3

a significant

series,

1943

North Africa.

a light

Although flawed,

improvement on the

with armor protection and a

weapon comparable
contemporaries

in

to

most of its foreign

1940, and fitted for

a radio.

The vehicle's main shortcoming was its two-

man

crew.

With

the driver fully occupied by his

duties, the remaining

crewman could not

commander,

efficiently be a

a gunner, a loader,

and, as required, a unit commander.

two-man crew be expected

details,

such

as security,

to pull

and perform routine

maintenance every night, although

respect they

may have been

Italian pracrice

Nor can a

normal unit

in this

aided by the unique

of assigning trucks and

trailers

(with drivers) to each tank platoon, light and

medium

-*:

(except those in

North Africa),

to

transport the tanks in non-tactical situations.

The L 6s were

Left:

An

the only tanks assigned to the

M 11/39 probably in

Northern

Italy,

1939

125

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

whether Ansaldo was already working on

as to

M 13 when

an assault gun version of the

artillery
1

Colonel Berlese suggested

6 January

94 1 and a prototype was shown on

February.

The
1

in late

was granted on

Official sanction for the project

1

it

940, but work certainly proceeded rapidly.

94 1

order was placed on 18

initial

for

30

assault

command vehicles,
another order,

first

guns (semoventi) and

followed on

The semoventis proceeded

M-series tanks.

The

orders totalling 176 + 66.

May 94

1 5 semoventi were delivered in

on the

June by

time for 30 + 20, then in

this

December two

March

The

first

in parallel

with the

batch of 30 were based

13 tank, the second and third orders

being completed with the up-engined

chassis,

and the remainder with the

chassis.

By late 1942

M 14

the semoventis were

proving the only effective armored vehicle

available,

and

in

December of that year army

headquarters took the radical step of

introducing a

new organization

table for the

tanks' battalions that reorganized

Russian Front by

per month, with a surge of 50%

Italy.

A total of 583 L 6s were ordered with delivery

starting in 1940, but
to

SP

300 of them were diverted

chassis. Later orders partially

this diversion.

They were

combat vehicles not

but by

made up

for

the only tracked

built at the

Ansaldo works,

Fiat.

Design capacity was apparently

production capacity, for
during the war.

little

as limited as

new showed up

A heavy tank, the P 40, was

M-series of medium tanks.

was tested

in

earlier

The first prototype

1942, but changes in armament,

from the 75/18 to the 75/32 and

finally the

to

four

months

1941

to

this

was

initial

to rise to

36/month. In

fact,

5/month,

once

Italy

joined the

1941 production of

M tanks and derivatives

that year built cruiser

and infantry tanks

a useful infantry support

sought, and by 1942

it

had

lost

marginal tank-killing power

earlier.

Two

Semoventi

it

most of the

had had a year

paths were defined to improve the

fleet.

For the traditional assault

role the

105mm L/25

75/18 was

however, was to be the peak. Under the pressure

consisted of mounting the

of reduced raw materials, changing priorities

envisioned for the P 40, turning

later, air raids,

production dropped

There does not appear

and

destroyer.

therealter.

been any

to have

effort

One

wheels per side and similar to British cruisers,

anti-tank

Some were
rifles in

retrofitted

with

20mm

939/40, and 84 were

One

howitzer.

issued.

Both

75mm

path

L/34 gun

it

into a tank

battalion of 105/25s was issued

to the Ariete II division in

the fighting in

to be replaced

The second

by

tankettes.

that there

The 75/18 was

almost 400/month. Even the 1941 figure,

tank, utilizing a Christie suspension with four

Certainly a major bottleneck in the provision

artillery.

weapon but improvements were always

gun support

at

exception appears to be the old L-3 series of

Army was

for

war, capacity was greatly expanded, so that in

Army A prototype called the Fast Sahariano

to the

province of the

after

30/month and

to retrofit vehicles to a later standard.

of new tanks

126

be produced at an

were

M 13s

been produced were seized by the German

appeared bur went no further.

first

branch, they previously having been the

Pariani stated that the recently-ordered

significantly the following year

served with Italian forces. Such vehicles as had

one

the basis for future planning, for a few days later

produced by the

and none

as

introduction of these vehicles into the armored

and,

also

Semoventi 75/ 18s. This was the

be relieved of producing

them

tanks and two companies of

other munitions. This rate appears to have been

75/34, and engine meant that few had been

Italian surrender

company of M

if the

averaged 78/month. For comparison, Britain

designed starting in 1940, although this

continued to use the running gear of the

Fossati plant could

more

time to take part

Rome, but no 75/34s had been

types, however,

were used by the

Germans.

The above assault guns

family, representing

all

formed

improvements

a single

to the basic

Two other models,

converted to flame-thrower vehicles in

concept of the 75/18.

1942/43.

however, were completely different.

The Semoventi 90/53 was developed

was only

one medium tank factory and only one engine

Assault

producer. In October 1939 Ansaldo notified the

The

Secretary of War that their capacity was 25 tanks

concept early and eagerly. There

Guns

Italian artillery seized

on

the assault
is

gun

some dispute

in

Above: An

M 13/40 with side door open, in

Italy,

1941

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S
1940

1943 a

1942

1941

IvV
with a Breda 38 machine gun.

Total

It

appears not to

have progressed beyond the prototype

Production
Light Tank L6/40

n/a

n/a

Medium Tank M1 3/40

234

475

Medium Tank M1 4/41

376

319

Medium Tank M1 5/42

104

Heavy Tank P40

n/a

n/a

Semoventi 75/18 on

M40

710

Self- Propelled Artillery

695

No SP indirect-fire artillery went into

production. A design was worked out for
mounting the 149mm L/40 gun on a

220

115

n/a

Semoventi 47/32

402

n/a

n/a

282

strengthened P 40 chassis and plans were

60

60

to

162

162

Semoventi 75/18 on

M42

188

190

Semoventi 75/34 on

M42

60

61

Semoventi 75/34 on

M43

Semoventi 75/18 on M41

produce 20 vehicles during

only one vehicle was delivered before the

produced a number of SP

Italy also

mountings

30

30

75mm, 76mm and 90mm AA

for

were unarmored vehicles that

30

30

guns, but

Command

Vehicle

M1 3/40

30

30

usually involved simply bolting the

Command

Vehicle

M1 4/41

49

49

rear

Command

Vehicle

M15/42

45

45

stabilizing jacks.

Ammunition

Carrier

M43

L6

Armored Car AB41

30

30

250

302

72

624

52

32

82

all

bed of

a military truck

During 940

from Germany, including 300 armored

Imports
1

109

33

33

Medium Tank PzKw INN

12

12

Medium Tank PzKw IVH

12

12

infantry Tank

R-35

109

Assault
a

Gun StuG NIG

ro 800.

cars

and

number of tanks

,566 tanks. In December the

was reduced
Cavalry Tank S-35

and adding

Italy requested substantial aid

mm

gun on the

Foreign-Built Vehicles

Conversions
L3/35 to 20

made

943, bur in fact

armistice terminated the program.

Semoventi 90/53
Semoventi 105/25 on

stage.

The Germans

rejected this

request outright, offering insread ex-French

tanks, to consist of 50 B-tanks,

12

12

50 S-35s

(without radios) and 350 R-35s. Deliveries

began

thorugh July

in

February 1941, but ended in the

summer incomplete. These were

Wartime Armored Vehicle Deliveries

used

initially as

training vehicles for the Centauro division

before being handed over to form a regiment

specifically to

counter the Soviet T-34 tank,

which would have proven impervious

inefficient

6/40

to the

47mm guns and 75mm howitzers in service in

1

94 1 The gun would have been

.

the layout was inefficient

effective,

and the

but

was formed never

Sicily

where

At the

it

left Italy,

being deployed

was used

to

plagued the L

in all theaters

from

car,

the Italian

(Lynx),

which

army commissioned Lancia

differed

The result was

the Lince

38 machine gun

several separate battalions.

Italian attempts to

Pz

III

procure a production

and/or Pz IV proved

equally unavailing, due both to

German

relucrance to part with their rechnology and

obstrucrionist roadblocks put

up by the

Fiat/Ansaldo consortium fearful of losing their

from the original

primarily in the fitting of a ball-mounted Breda

end of the spectrum was the

and

license for the

Apparently impressed with the British Daimler

to develop a near-copy.

was destroyed.

lighter

light tank. It

turret that

1941 on by cavalry armored car barralions.

scout

chassis

overloaded, and the 30-vehicle regiment that

one-man

to the superstructure front.

An

monopoly on

ranks. Indeed,

no further

deliveries were to take place until 1943. Early

Semoventi 47/32, which took the standard

order for 300 was placed with Ansaldo, but none

that year Hitler agreed to provide 20-30 tanks

47mm L32 gun and put in on the chassis of the

were produced before the armistice.

for Italian units in Tunisia but these,

L 6/40

light tank. It

support for the

was designed to provide

fire

20mm-armed armored cars and

Another

built,

Armored Cars and

Wartime armored
40.

Carriers

cars

were derivarives of the AB

The main production model, and indeed

dominant model through

the

the war, was the AB

41. Fast, with adequate cross-country mobility

and armament,

it

was, nonetheless, very poorly

armored and featured the same type of

seems

to

have

struck the Italian fancy was rhe Universal

Carrier.

light tanks.

British product that

others, were held

finally

A prototype of the Cingoletta 2800 was

very similar to the British original but

fell.

The

up

in Sicily

Italian

to the Italian

Army there,

Goering Division. The

undertaken.

came

4x4 AS37

fitted a light

armored body

light desert truck.

to the

The vehicle could

carry ten troops, plus rhe driver,

and was armed

in the

first

summer and

the Blackshirts,

IIIN, Pz

fill

who

but

out the

anticipating theTl6), but no production was

AS37, which

Africa

have throught that these would be turned over

apparently used to

indigenous vehicle was the Carro Protetto

few

General Staff seems to

with an additional road wheel per side (thus

An

and

when North

in fact

they were

Hermann

actual deliveries

not to the Army, bur to

received twelve each of Pz

IVG and StuG

III.

These were used

to

form the M Blackshirt division, which was

taken from the

MVSN and redesignated the

127

JANE'S
second Centauro Armored Division in July
the

fall

There were plans

of Mussolini.

these vehicles with Panthers, but

these ever reach fruition.

promised 25 Pz

on

forces

III

came

III to

once again

after

to replace

unclear

The Germans

and 7 StuG

Sardinia, but

this actually

it is

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

if

also

the Italian

it is

not

known

if

to pass.

Post-Armistice

The Arm}' of the RSI

retained very few armored

which they formed into one armored

vehicles,

car

company and rwo tank battalions, equipped mostly

with M-series tanks and semoventi 75/ 18s. The vast
majority of Italian holdings ol armored vehicles were
taken over by the Germans,

who also kept

the

Ansaldo works busy with additional orders

for their

existing product lines.

Production after the armistice

documented, but the most

be 28

M-

4/42 and

not well

appear to

reliable figures

P-40 tanks (of which 40 P-

40 lacked engines and were used

semoventi 75/ 18 on

is

as pillboxes);

M- 14/42 chassis;

55

semoventi 75/34;

vehicles;

and

109

1 1

semoventi 75/46; 91

semoventi 105/25,41

M- 14/42 command

Above: A Semoventi 75/1 85

in

North Africa

102AB-41 and AB-43 armored cars;

29 Lince scout

taken over by the

cars.

Almost all of these were

German Army.

Tankette, L 3/35
Based on the Carden Loyd machine gun
the

L 3 series proved disappointing in

The crew of rwo was seated

the driver
left.

on the

right

In the earlier

single

6.5mm

Fiat

side-by-side with

and the gunner on the

L 3/33

the

Model 14

armament was a
aircraft

machine

gun, but in the more numerous L 3/35

upgraded
Breda 35
total

small
their

slightly to a

carrier,

combat.

it

was

twin mounting of 8mm

MGs. The mounting could

traverse a

of 40 and elevate from -20 to +20.

number of L 3/33s

in

MG replaced by a 20mm AT

ot each

model were

North Africa had

rifle.

Some

also converted to flame-

thrower vehicles, and others were built

as

command vehicles with RF-l-CA radios. The

thin armor, poor visibility, inadequate

and

poorly-mounted armament and lack of radio

the standard vehicle)

made

the

L3

(in

series a

deathtrap in combat.

Weight (tonnes)
Length

An L3/35 on postwar display

128

3.2

Front

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

3.17

Side

Width (m)

1.40

Engine

Height (m)

1.28

Road Speed (km/h)

(in)

HP

13
9

43
42

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Light Tank, L 6/40

A first glance the L 6 appears little different
from many of the other light tanks produced
1939/40. Yet

had some

it

that were not as apparent.

a driver

and

limited

its

scouting

in

significant limitations

had

It

a crew of two:

gunner/commander, which
both

effectiveness

roles.

in the

combat and

While the armor was on

par

with other light tanks of the time, itwas

somewhat underpowered and

limited cross-country speed.

consisted of a

the suspension

The armament

20mm Breda 35 gun autocannon

with 296 rounds, with a coaxial

machine gun. L 6s were

the

RF-l-CA radio, but

8mm Breda 38

fitted to
it is

accommodate

not clear

if all

were

A small proportion were fitted

flamethrowers in lieu of the 20mm guns,

so equipped.

with

but no other modifications appear to have been

made during its

career.

Weight (tonnes)

6.7

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

3.78

Side

Width (m)

1.92

Engine

Height (m)

2.03

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

30
14

70

42

L6/40 Light Tank

Medium Tank,
The

Ml

1 is

certainly a contender for the

dubious distinction of being the worst

medium
The

tank to see combat with a major power.

37mm L/40 gun

main armament was

designed in the

920s, set into a sponson

late

the right side of the hull with 30 of traverse.

small turret carried a twin

M38

meaning

that

load the main gun.

one person had

The

on

mount of 8mm Breda

machine guns. The vehicle had

three,

M 11/39

to

crew of

aim and

lack of a radio proved a

great tactical disadvantage in the initial tank

battles

of North Africa, where almost

quickly

lost.

all

were

This tank introduced the

suspension that was to be used on subsequent

Italian

mediums, four

pairs

on two main springs each

of small roadwheels

side,

making high-

speed cross-country mobility difficult even

.^

if a

suitable engine had been developed.

111/39

Medium Tank

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

10.9

Front

Length (m)

4.73

Side

Width (m)

2.18

Engine

Height (m)

2.30

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

30
14

105
33

129

[ANE'S

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

Medium Tank M13-series

The most common
battles

was the

on the

left

Italian

M 13/40. The crew consisted of the driver

and the bow gunner/radio operator on the

in the hull,

and the commander and gunner

The bow gunner manned a

Turret

tank in the North African tank

pair or

8mm Breda 38 MGs.

armament consisted of a 47/32 gun and

main gun was designed by Bohler of Austria

930s

towed weapon serving

as a

meant

penetration was

in

did neither very well, and

in

order to speed introduction

into service which, given the increased weight,

breakdown

It

armor

its

47mm

13 adopted the automotive components

and lower hull ol the

underpowered.

The

mid-

both an infantry

than one would expect for a

less

TheM

tank gun.

it

as

in the

The compromise

support and anti-tank gun.

characteristics

a coaxial

MG mounted for AA defense.

Breda 38, with a fourth

right

in the turret.

made

it

proved prone to mechanical

also

in the desert

and the armor plate was of poor

sometimes shattering completely when impacted.

quality,

The vehicle proved

fighting in

acceptable, if somewhat flawed, in the

94 1 but had been completely outclassed by

,

1942.

The

M 14/41 was identical to the M 13 but replaced the

engine with a more powerful version and added more

capable

The

air cleaners to

final version

handle the desert environment.

of this family was the

5/42,

representing a substantial, if considerably belated,

upgrading of the vehicle. The old 47/32 gun was replaced

by a

47mm higher velocity L40 gun designed specifically

for tank use. Turret

time, electrically

versions
1

armor was thickened and,

powered

traverse

had been powered by

for the first

was provided. Previous

diesel engines,

but the

new M

5 opted for a gasoline engine to get greater output,

yielding a slightly increased road speed of 40 km/hr.

Unfortunately, by the time the

1943 these improvements were

M 15 entered production in
far

too

little

and too

late.

A-;v4>
column M13/40

First

Second column M15/42

Weight (tonnes)

14.0

15.5

Length (m)

4.92

5.04

Width (m)

2.20

2.23

Height (m)

2.37

2.39

42

42

Front

Side

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)

Engine

HP

25

42

125

192

32

40

Road Speed (km/h)

Top:

Gl

examines an M13/40 through

Middle: An

M 13/40

on the move

Bottom: M15/42 Medium Tank

130

its

open side door

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

Heavy Tank, P 40
Actually a

medium

standards, the P

rank by international

40 was armed with a

moderately effective

75mm L/34 gun with 75

rounds and a coaxial

8mm Breda 38 machine

gun.

The hull

much

featured a

better shape

than the earlier M-series of tanks, but

still

used

The diesel

the old paired-bogey suspension.

engine used on the prototypes proved unreliable

and was replaced on producrion models by

gasoline version.

A shortcoming of the tank was

the continued Italian reliance

turret crew, a loader

and

The other two crewmen,

on

two-man

commander/gunner.

the driver

radio operator, sat in the hull front.

was generally analogous

and the

The P 40

in capabilities to the

US

M4 Sherman, with a slightly better gun but

almost certainly considerably

less reliable

and

with an inefficient crew arrangment. Delays in

producrion meant that none were in service

at

the Italian surrender.

P40 Heavy Tank

Armor (mm)

60

Weight (tonnes)

26.0

Front

Length (m)

5.75

Side

Width (m)

2.75

Engine

Height (m)

2.50

Road Speed (km/h)

40

30

36

Armor (mm)

HP

50

420

Semoventi 47/32
This was the smallest of the assault guns, being
based on the L 6/40 light tank.
three:

It

had

commander/gunner, loader and

The sole armament was

used on the

medium

the

47mm L/32 gun

tanks, for

which 70 rounds

of ammunition were carried, and

traverse of 27

crew of

driver.

it

had

a total

and an elevation range of-1 2

to

+20. Early production vehicles were open-

topped, but later vehicles had an overhead cover.

The small

size

of the vehicle certainly

difficult target to

ancillary
radio.

the

engage but

equipment, such

left little

as a

made
room

it

for

machine gun or

A command version was builr,

main gun was replaced by an

in

which

8mm Breda 38

machine gun, with the space thus created used

for a radio.

One such vehicle was assigned as

the

command vehicle of each Semoventi 47/32

company.

Length (m)

3.80

Width (m)

1.86

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

1.72

Road Speed (km/h)

Weight (tonnes)

A captured Semoventi 47/32

6.7

Front

Side

14

70

131

JANE'S

^Y

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Semoventi 75/18
The original version of the
this vehicle initially

Italian assault guns,

mated the

new casemate and

tank with

howitzer.

The main gun had

left

and 20

-12

right,

the

75mm

a traverse

L/

of

8
1

rounds were carried

mixture of HE and AP.

tor the howitzer in a

on an open

M 13 medium

and an elevation range of

to +22. Forty-four

machine gun was

and

chassis

automotive components of the

carried for

AA mount.

Here

was undermanned, with

dismounted use or
again, the vehicle

crew of 3:

commander/gunner, loader/radio operator, and

used the M 14 and Ml 5
A command version removed the gun

driver. Later vehicles

chassis.

and added observation equipment,

radio,

8mm (M

and twin

13.2mm (M

second

13) or a single

14/15) machine gun fitted to the

right front hull.

Semonventi 75/18 (PMK)

Armor (mm)
(mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/h)

Weight (tonnes)

14.4

Front

Length (m)

4.92

Side Armor

Width (m)

2.20

Height (m)

2.37

30
25

125
32

Semoventis 75/34 and 105/25

These two similar vehicles represented

improvements

to the original 75/

taken in different directions.

The

8 models, but

use of a

75mm L/34 gun turned the vehicle into a tank

destroyer, while the

increased

105mm

L/25 howitzer

effectiveness in the general support

its

role considerably.

The

use of larger guns, with

longer recoil, reduced traverse slightly, to 16

left

and 1 8

right.

The tank destroyer carried 42

rounds and the assault gun 48 rounds for their

guns.

A Breda 38 MG was carried for AA

defense. Both used the

armamenr

in

vehicles suffered
earlier

M 15 chassis.

The

both cases was good, but the

from the same problems

as the

semoventi; a three-man crew and

relatively thin armor.

about a dozen

No 75/34s and only

05/25s had been issued to units

by the time of the armistice, although they were

used by the RSI and the Germans.

First

column 75/34

Height (m)

Weight (tonnes)

15.0

15.8

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

Length (m)

5.04

5.10

Engine

Width (m)

2.23

2.40

Road Speed (km/h)

Second column 105/25

Semoventi 105/25

132

Front

HP

1.80

1.75

42

50

42

25

192

192

40

35

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

t\

WAR

Semoventi 90/53
M 14/41

This was the chassis of the

tank fitted

with a platform at the rear on which was

mounted

90mm L/53 anti-aircraft gun for

the

use as a self-propelled anti-tank

piece.

The weapon could

and

traverse

artillery

40 each side

of center and elevate from -5 to +24.

The

90/53 was a powerful weapon; unfortunately

the overall the improved design had

shortcomings.

The gun overloaded

The crew of five comprised

three gun crew and

only

six

the

many
the chassis.

commander,

The vehicle carried

a driver.

rounds of ammunition

(all

AP).

Further ammunition was to be carried by an

ammunition

vehicle based

{26 rounds) and

on the L 6

by the semoventi or

L 6, with

tank

light

in a trailer (40 rounds)

this load

towed

being

13

AP and 2/3 HE. Only frontal protection was

provided to the gun crew, in the form of a
shield.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

17.0

Front

Length (m)

5.20

Side

Width (m)

2.20

Engine

Height (m)

2.14

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

40
25

154
35

Semoventi 90/53

Armored Car, AB 41
The wartime armored cars used a conventional
frame structure on to which were bolted armor
plates.

Drive was to

all

four wheels and

vehicles carried radios. All

machine gun facing out the

compartment but

all

models had an
rear of the

8mm

crew

differed in their turret

armament: the AB 40 with twin MGs, the AB

4 1 (most

and

common)

a coaxial

MG,

with a

20mm autocannon

and the AB 43 with

tank gun and a coaxial

MG.

47/40

Cross-country

performance was good but the armor was

extremely thin, offering only nominal
protection,

and the crew arrangement was

inefficient:

two

rear), a hull

machine gunner/radioman, and,

drivers (one facing front,

one
in

the turret, the commander/gunner/loader.

Some other armored cars offered

driving

controls at the rear for a quick retreat, but few

wasted manpower to provide a dedicated

facing driver

who, due

could not contribute

rear-

to limited visibility,

much else.

15

Width (m)

2.33

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.40

Road Speed (km/h)

76

Weight (tonnes)

7.4

Length (m)

5.20

Front

Side

80

AB41 armored car

133

J!

Japan
The Japanese were
were about

all

as curious

about Western armored vehicles

as they

other forms of weaponry. During the 1920s they

purchased evaluation examples of a number of different armored vehicles,

including Austin, Vickers and Woolsely armored

cars;

and Whippet,

St.

diamond and FT tanks; and Carden-Loyd machine gun carriers. The

only vehicle to be purchased for service use was the Renault
of which were ordered and delivered in
designs

Chiyoda

built about a

NC tank, ten

929. Based on the armored car

00 early-type armored

cars based

on

their

6x4 truck chassis and armed with 6.5mm machine guns.

Unwilling to import war materials the IJA formed the 4th Military
Laboratory in the

and

related

Okubo district

to design

items. The 2nd Section of the

tanks and armored cars.

and develop motor vehicles

laboratory was responsible for

While most countries new

to tank-building

started out with small vehicles, Japan launched straight into

the time, a
service in

medium

1929 and

tank.

The Type 89 medium

deliveries

began

what was,

for

tank was accepted for

in 1931. Responsibility for

production of the tank was handed over to Sagami Arsenal, which built

some

tanks and farmed out production of components and, in

entire tanks to civilian firms, primarily Mitsubishi.

Type 89 were

89B with

built simultaneously, the

89A with

a diesel engine. In addition, since this

some cases,

Two versions of the

and the

a gasoline engine

was the

first

tank to be

designed in Japan, detail improvements were needed and introduced

at

varying stages during the production run of both models, leading to a

bewildering array of subvariants. In 1933 Kokura Arsenal began building

engines for the Type

89B and

in

1935 they completed

their first tank,

although they were not to be a major producer, turning out only

89A and

8 Type

89B

Type

before switching to other models.

The production of armored vehicles was confusing and

often chaotic.

Administration and oversight of production was exercised by two Arsenals,

Sagami and Kokura. Sagami had broad responsibility

for all models,

shared production authority with Kokura for Type 89A,

Mediums, Type 95

Light,

but

89B and 97

and Type 94Tankettes. About 10% of the

output of tracked vehicles (by value) was made by Kokura Arsenal until
1943,

when

all

manufacture was transferred

The arsenals only built about 10%

to Sagami.

of tracked vehicles in-house, the

being built under contract by civilian industry, before 1940 twelve

plants were provided with facilities for the manufacture of tracked

rest

civilian

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

machine gun

in the turret,

with those of the

UE armored resupply tractor.

French

tow a tracked

trailer as

vehicle or, by

dropping off its

could

It

an armored resupply
undertake

trailer,

The vehicles were organized

scouting missions.

into companies, each of four 4-vehicle platoons.

In the relatively unthreatening

environment of

China they performed

the campaigns in
satisfactorily.

The Type 95

tank was to undertake more

light

substantive reconnaissance missions in support of

the

medium

tanks.

The design owed some of its

features to the Type

94 tankette, but was

and accommodated

a third

where he could

gun but do

larger

in the hull,

man a ball-mounted machine

of use. The larger turret

little else

37mm gun facing one way and

accommodated a
a

crewman

machine gun facing the other but was still

enough only for one man, who had

large

to serve as

tank commander, gunner and loader.

competition to replace the Type 95 resulted in a

Mitsubishi prototype with four large road wheels
vehicles, but in

all

cases but

one the

manufacture of such vehicles was

responsibility

against the Soviet

secondary

and they continued the

production of their primary goods.

The only

as the

Tokyo Engineering Works).

It

from an A-

raring), although

35% of all combat vehicles

75% of all
medium tanks and 50% of the light tanks. The

gun threw a more

second-largest producer of ranks was Hitachi's

tank guns of the period.

Kameari works,

tank, the Type 9

armored (although

contemporaries), but

for the

manufacture of heavy-duty cranes and machine

tools.

end

Production of tanks continued here to the

of the war, but accounted for only about

30% of its output.

In 1942 the

Hino Heavy

D rating (a

returned to a

partially

really
its

was

thinly-

no worse than

low-velocity

effective

dropped

57mm

A companion heavy
and never

The slow Type 89 was clearly

concentrating on lighter armored vehicles. In

had an acceptable armament, but

sum, the picture

armor

number of

vehicles,

most

of

them

as a side-line to their

existing business. In addition, the

Nan man

left it

and the

lack of a radio limited

the reconnaissance

Type 97 mediums during the war, presumably

new

With

the decision to strike south rather than

Move: The

bridge-layer version of the Type SS.

its

its

all

car.

By

and

tankette, developed

to

its

passed

as the Type

its tests

98 the

inventory, especially in light of the absence

and production did not start

usefulness in

two

set the stage for

The

by Hino

a heavier

was the provision

for a

37mm Type 94 gun in

7.7mm machine

armor and one-man

make

the still-thin

fact,

made

by the

attraction of the tankette

undoubtedly
cost only

its

low

price.

50,000 and
to

98,000

it

late

930s

was

AType 94

tankette

Type 97 some 53,000,

for a

for a basic

The shortcomings

more

the tankette

turret really

unsuitable for this role. In

main

(albeit at

machine gun) was

to

combat vehicle, but

and 146,000

930s, a two-man crew with a single lieht

The main change

The more powerful armament

presumably intended

the

942.

and cleaner-looking vehicle

the larger turret, in lieu of the

compared

the features of the Vickers light tanks

until

tankette was succeeded by the

with slightly thicker armor.

Motors, was a multi-role infantry vehicle that

1938

it

Army was reluctant to add another model of tank

combined
of the

in

the expense of the sole

the IJA tank force through most of the war.

94

MG and

dispensing with the

machine-gunner. Although

useful as a

would

turret,

weapons

attention was turned to

in a slightly

permit a coaxial

gun.

role.

types of vehicles that

tiny Type

two-man

to

very thin

The combat car proved an evolutionary dead

end and instead

under the auspices of the Kwantung Army.

combat

vulnerable to almost

Arsenal in Harbin produced small quantities of

utilized a

Type 97,

unsuited to

support the cavalry and that requirement led to

the standards of 1 932 the vehicle was fast

large

same main gun

mount

The Type 94

improvements.

purpose of building armored vehicles,

one of a

retained the

modified

of complaints about the reliable HrtleType95,

entered series production in spite of continued

the development of the Type 92

is

It

and was standardized

HE round than most

a failure

The Hino model, which was slightly

smaller and faster than the Type 95, was chosen.

hull

its

Industry piant in Tokyo was built for the express

producers, each producing small quantities of

136

it

The Type 89 was ungainly and

turned out during rhe war, including

1938

years

fiscal

rating (the highest) to a

produced about

built in

each side and a Christie-type suspension and a

Hino prototype with six small toadwheels on

B-4inl945.

known

three bogies.

1943 and 1944

for the

Mitsubish Heavy Industries plant

(also

1941 the priority

and

low

Tokyo

in

accorded the production of tanks began to drop

plant to build solely armored vehicles was the

in

Union

Type 95

light

tank

Type 97 medium.

of the Type 89

medium

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

Right: A

column

(thin armor,

Type 89s

of

in

China 1937

low speed, poor anti-armor

armament) were

readily apparent

and

development of a replacement began around

1934. Competing designs were examined and in

1937 the selected model was standardized

as the

Type 97 Chi-Ha. Lower and wider than the

Type 89, the new tank had

a better suspension,

higher speed and thicker armor.

It

retained,

57mm gun of the Type 89, as

however, the short

well as the unusual feature of mounting the

turret

machine gun

in the rear

Looking

rather than coaxially.

Type 97 featured an enlarge

would permit

of the turret
to the future, the

turret ring that

upgunning. This

later

also

permitted the adoption of a two-man turret

crew so that the commander no longer had

act as

gunner

Production began

as well.

to

at

Mitsubishi, Sagami Arsenal and Kokura Arsenal

quickly became the standard

in 1938.

It

Japanese

medium

to the

undertaken by

companies and

this

in

nominal tank regiments

end of the war.

about 300 of the older models were retrofitted

China and guarding Manchuria

with the

and medium tanks

in

turret

and gun

on

to the

in

and an

new 4th

(light)

still

used the old Type 89s.

Combat

Car,

Type 92

artillery battalion.

result, the small

The tank

light

Equipment problems

a period

of

development work

pre-war chassis of the Type 95

(albeit

modified)

44

32

200

70

56

217

284

300

246

Nomonhan, but had

31

80

53

115

422

89A

31

30

15

15

Medium

Tank, Type

89B

11

61

80

28

36

29

19

20

110

202

315

40

30

10

22

34

Type 95

Tank, Type 97

Heavy Tank, Type 91

The

incident

made

it

Tank, Type

Medium

taken heavy losses and

Medium

Light Tank,

at

1940

1936

49

Tankette, Type 97

Regiment) had deployed to the fighting

1939

1935

42

Tankette, Type 94

tank regiments (including the 4th Light

1938

1934

1932

regiments were formed for the infantry support

role.

1937

1933

1931

production of tanks ramped up additional tank

little.

in. Little

and Type 97 medium

achieved

against

motorized infantry regiment

kept the mixed force horn being a success, but as

Two

in

appears to have been undertaken and, as a

medium units, of

which three

Java and

invasion and the conquest of

complacency set

two of which

tank units equipped with Type 95s,

while the remainder were

Kungchuling Mechanized Mixed Brigade was

Manchuria with

light

German

Western holdings proving easy,

war with the West the IJA

were

the

in

continuous duty

the Soviet threat almost eliminated by

With
the

end of the war.

the start of the

as well as seeing

perceived Soviet threats.

943-45, leaving

57mm versions to soldier

about 800 of the old

By

(actually battalions).

new

Type 89 mediums, and the following year

in

conquest of

role in the

China were

fielded fourteen tank regiments,

formed

major

about 1943. In addition to new production,

formed the backbone

Three tank regiments were formed in 1933 with

Tank Regiment,

forces played a

probably

(it

Burma,

mixture of infantry tankette

light tanks

proved simple

Malaya and supported the infantry

closely-derived successors,

The early operations

it

uncomfortable) to add a loader to the tank crew

tank and, along with

of IJA tank strength

for the turret crew,

its

clear that a

Wire Laying Vehicle,

more powerful anti-tank weapon was required

for the

medium

tanks than the short-barrelled

57mm and work was begun on a high-velocity

47mm gun. The 47mm Type gun entered

Type 97
Pole-Planting Vehicle,

Type 97

Armored Railway

Car,

production
installed

in

1941 and, with

all

new

turret,

was

on the body of the Type 97 medium

the Shinhoto {new

1942

turret)

as

Type 95

Armored Engineer
Type SS

Vehicle,
-

40

11

Chi-Ha, From early

Type 97 mediums produced were the

Shinhoto version. Since no

seats

Pre-War Production

of

AFVs by

Fiscal Year

were provided

137

JAN E'S TANKS OF

WORLD WAR
left* Sometimes small size

is

an advantage.

pulled out of an irrigation ditch

75mm Type 3
90

field

in

A tankette

tank gun, a derivative of the Type

gun. This L/38 weapon, although

hardly in the forefront of tank

armament

worldwide, was an adequate weapon and

the Type 3

medium an

praise perhaps, but the

the

is

China, 1938

made

equal of Sherman. Faint

Sherman was

Type 3 was most likely

to

meet

the tank

in

combat

in

any invasion of the Japanese homeland. The

first

Type 3 medium came off the Mitsubishi

production line in September 1944. The plan

called for

29 1 Type 3s

September 1945, but

to be built in Aprilin fact less

than half of

that were actually completed.

The quest for a

tank was to

had

to

form the

of almost all subsequent

basis

tanks.

to

Little

Type 2

was done

light

tank was identical to the Type 98

for easier

crew service and

powerful

37mm gun,

attempt was made

Type 95

made slightly larger

somewhat more

the Type

was

1,

it

fitted.

57mm gun

to place a

turret as a retrofit, but this

impractical as

not proceeded with. In

in the

proved

as

944

it

was known, was

a different tack

was

taking surplus turrets from converted

Type 97 mediums, with

retrofitting

their short

them on Type 95

light

Only small numbers of all

chassis.

57mm gun,
tank

these vehicles

were finished, with the plans calling for

between June and August 1945, Even

vehicles

had entered

could have

inefficient

produce

if these

large-scale production they

two-man

but only

weak armament and an

turret.

The situation with

better,

1 1

made little contribution, being of

obsolete design with a

was

An

regard to

slightly.

a larger chassis

medium

tanks

Retooling to

would have been both

expensive and time-consuming so the decision

was made to

try to

wring the

last bit

capability out of the old Type

chassis.

Although

it

simplified the switch to

newer types of tanks

it

also limited

weight to about 17 tons, the

%W:AType

138

of

97 Chi-Ha

them

maximum

Ho-Ni Self-propelled

75mm gun

in

that the

The

first

be developed was the Type

of the new types

medium, which

it

wheel on each

more powerful

engine. In fact, although approved in 1941

Type

until

the

did not

line in

the

come off the production

January 1944. The

Sagami

last

line

Type 97 came off

November 943 and from

1

the

88 L/56

anti-aircraft gun.

75mm thick
vehicle,

it

With

would have been

but production

at

them

into early

Even though the Type

committed
stand

little

to

combat,

month

945.

it

medium was not

was

chance against an

clear that

medium

47mm gun,

tank use in the West since

about mid- 1942. As an expedient

and

taller turret

would

M4 Sherman. The

primary shortcoming was the

obsolete for

it

was designed

new, larger

to accept the

later.

at

frontal

armor

a formidable

Mitsubishi

August 1945 and

build

with

tank gun, a variant of the Type

Nanman Arsenal

to

some

side. It featured a large turret

75mm Type 5

20/month) was not scheduled

Manchuria continued

used

was longer and wider wi th an additional road

Mitsubishi in February 1944, although the

in

it

components from the old Type 97 family chassis,

Shinhoto Chi-Ha and

installed a

medium

the 30-ton

Type 4 medium Chi-To. Although

doubled the frontal armor thickness of the

first

the turret almost

filled

completely and the Type 3,

and

The

of light tanks.

in the field

except that the turret was

tried,

chassis could handle.

truly new, world-class

come to fruition with

(at

to start until

Kobe-Seiko

(at

Six chassis were built

5/month)

and two of

those completed as tanks before the surrender,

This was to have been followed by the 37-ton

Type

5 Chi-Ri, with a

and

a turret

and

later

an

with

37mm gun
75mm Type 5 gun

hull-mounted

(initially) a

88mm gun. One prototype had

been completed, except for the main gun,

May

1945 when the decision was made

in

to defer

IAN E'S TAN KS OF WORLD

WAR
HE

production indefinitely and concentrate on

Where

production of the Type

firepower to support the small, high-velocity

4.

Although tank development proceeded

rather leisurely pace, the

at a

development of self-

propelled guns based on those tanks was actually

The Type

impressive.

Ho-Ni

designed to give armored

formations. This
either the

on

accomplished by mounting

97 medium

the chassis of the Type

The first 75mm Ho-Ni

from

a tank,

first

105mm Ho-Ni II

Ho-Ni I and

line in

June

in July

both by new production and by conversion of

existing tanks.

The Ho-Ni I would have been an

effective, if vulnerable,

tank destroyer for

time, but was actually an artillery

Type 3 medium. The design

was

identical to the Type

its

weapon

SP gun, Ho-Ni

entirely enclosed

by adding

plates,

for

The chassis also formed

So-Ki armored railway

a larger version

sides

designed a

series

first

Where most armored

a turret

from the Type SS

without armament. Instead,

wheels that could be lowered to

tracks

to see

and moved

different gauges.

vehicle.

engineer vehicles were

in

in or out to

fit

on railway

accommodate

The vehicles were mainly used

Manchuria, but some

and probably China

(and are) based on standard tank chassis, the

also served in

Burma,

as well.

Two variants of the Type 97 tankette were

Type SS was unique and was of modular design,

developed to

enabling the fitting of various mission packages.

indirect fire support.

of the Type 94 tankette, but used

crew of two. The So-Ki had retractable

to the

was the 13-ton Type SS engineer

The vehicle resembled

the vehicle carried four infantrymen in addition

only 57

of unique

specialized armored vehicles. The

service

and featured

completed even fewer).

The IJA also

car.

a different suspension derived

the regiments equipped with Type 97

vehicles (and

95

Even more numerous was the 8.7-ton Type 95

further back. Designed as an interim measure to

for

the basis for the Type

tracked recovery vehicle.

roof and two

and extending the

The

vehicle was used by engineering detachments.

except that the fighting compartment was

mediums, Hitachi received orders

vehicles were created

II

as

in the

packages were added for bridgelaying, mine

clearing, wire cutting, trench digging, etc.

75mm

with the same

killer

gun

used

Originally designed as a flame-thrower,

regiment, the Type 3 was

designed as a tank

stiffen

a conversion

came off the production

1941, and the

942. The

I,

guns of the restof the

hinged rear

howitzer behind an armored

tank.

family was

support to mobile

75mm Type 90 field gun or the

105mm Type 9
shield

it

fire

the Type 2 was designed to provide

facilitate laying signal

wire in

A similar vehicle for heavier fire support took

1941

longer to see sendee.

The

the conversion of 25

Type 97

initial

chassis in a

manner

1 5cm Type 38

May
first

1945.

Ho-Ni

vehicles,

vehicles were converted, but the

batch of nine were not completed until

April (and hurriedly shipped to Luzon)

last

and the

vehicle was finally finished in August.

follow-on order for 100 more vehicles was to

have begun in October, but never started.

even heavier vehicle was the Type 4

An

300mm SP

howitzer, four of which were built in-house by

The self-propelled artillery, although

35

705

655

239

Light Tank, Type 98

24

79

29

Light Tank, Type 2

Medium Tank, Type 97

507

28

limited

HE capabilities and they were rapidly becoming

turret

The

hasty solution was to take old Type 97

Chi-Ha vehicles and rearm them with

with

a short-barrel

These new tanks were

new

75mm Type 99 gun.

called the

Type 2

Gun

Tank and one company in each regiment was

supposed

to

be equipped with them, but in fact

427

Medium

Tank, Type

15

155

Medium

Tank, Type 3

55

89

15

16

Amphibious Tank, Type 2

112

70

Amphibious Tank, Type 3

12

Gun

Tank, Type 3

14

20

18

32

Armored Observation

Vehicle, Type

Armored Railway

Type 95

Tree-Clearing Vehicle

Wire-Laying Vehicle,

435

385

16

29

10

80

70

29

16

100

Type 97

20
-

126
-

28

Ho-K

40

15

21

55

60

50

45

Type 97 Medium to Shinhoto

10

14

40

Gun

30

Pole-Planting Vehicle, Type 97

Conversions

Tank, Type 2

SPHow, 105mm, Type

SP
1

Car,

Tracked Recovery Vehicle, Type 95

SPHow,
built in July

24

Carriers

26

Armored Enginer Vehicle, Type 96 SS

Mortar,

300mm

Type 4

15

150mm, Type 5

the production of the guns proceeded slowly

and only 30 were

503

SPHow, 105mm, Type

their close

Armored Personnel

obsolete for lack of armor penetration.

useful,

tank regiments equipped with Type 95 light and

The vehicles' armament had

Tank, Type 97 Shinhoto

did not solve the firepower problem faced by

initial

1945

Medium

Amphibious Vehicle, Type 4

successors.

15

Light Tank, Type 95

SP Gun, 75mm, Type

the Sagami Arsenal in August 1945.

Type 97 medium tanks and

1944

but with a

short-barrel howitzer, in April-

The

1943

Production
Tankette, Type 97

similar to the Type

1942

plan called for

12

944, after which

no data for other conversions

production ceased.

The similarly-named Gun Tank Type 3 was,

on the other hand, an

Wartime Production

of

AFVs by

Fiscal Year

entirely different creature.

139

IAN E'S TAN KS OF WORLD

rough

embed

One was a

terrain.

pole-planter that could

poles in the ground, the other

had

large

spools for paying out wire.

100

artillery

Type 97
All

observation vehicle based on the

and other specialized

tankette,

were produced

in small

Under development when

the

light

war ended were

tank to a small

gun

05mm tank destroyer Ho-RJ.

The IJN

used small numbers of armored cars

1930s, mostly

in the

for tank

until

of the tank in order

Once on

land the

latter

942. For

the

Type 4 Ka-Tsu amphibious

US LVT series and

carried four tons of cargo or

40 troops on

use of these

pontoons gave the vehicle the bouyancy

feature prevented

had

were completely sealed so that

it

carried

them from compromising

the

In the late stages of the

war some were modified

to carry torpedoes, although their effectiveness

was only thinly armored and was provided only

is

with the standard Japanese

it

37mm gun and rwo

was obsolete

as a tank,

but they were widely distributed through the

Pacific

with naval ground

The Ka-Mi was

would have been

The Army had

followed by the larger Type 3

tank. This 26-ton vehicle

was bulkier and was armed with

120mm Type 38

howitzers.

50mm of

in

Efforts

120mm
were

naval anti-submarine eun.

also

made

to

"Ho-Ha"

half-track vehicle

diminished.

"Ho-Ki".

It

Ka-Mi amphibious tank was

more capable

both (confusingly) carrying the identical

vehicle, but

One other amphibious vehicle of note was

produce armored

personnel carriers. There were two models built,

opportunities for amphibious warfare had

was

The Army did not

945 by rearming one or two dozen Chi-Has

with their

carrier.

It

tank gun and had

gun

tanks by rearming Type 97 Chi-Has with elderly

only 19 were built by 1943/44 and

slight.

built four experimental

proceed further but the Navy adopted the idea

units.

used a similar system of detachable front and

47mm Type

this role

Development had begun on

The Type

could be

on-land characteristics. Nevertheless, the Ka-Mi

frontal armor.

east.

it

submerged on the deck of a submarine.

amphibious tank would be needed.

and

designation of Type

the

armored personnel

Both models were

would seem

built

by Hino, the

and the

full-tracked

that only about 100 of

Ho-Ha model were built,

the rest being the

smaller. Ho-Ki,

Tankettes
These vehicles could be used
with a tracked

trailer, in

for

scouring

or,

the resupply role.

The

original gasoline-powered Type 94 tankette

weighed 3,550 kg with armor up

thick and was

armed with

12mm

to

a single

6.5mm, and

7.7mm, machine gun. A door was fitted

in

the rear to facilitate egress for resupply duties.

later

tendency

to

shed

its

tracks resulted in

its

replacement by the heavier diesel-powered Type

97,

some of which were armed with

Type 94 gun
engine was

in lieu

moved

the

37mm

of the machine gun.

to the rear,

which

The

made

access easier but reduced the vehicle's utility as a

resupply vehicle

equipped with

slightly.

the scouting role.

combat
which
it

It

its

usefulness in

was often pressed into

duties, especially later in the war, for

its

thin

armor and one-man

turret

largely ineffective. Several variants

97 tankette were

Type 94 Tankette

140

Neither vehicle was

a radio, limiting

made

of the Type

built for special tasks.

unique feature was that portions of the vehicle

the initial lightning thrusts to the south

to the

0mm of armor protection and

was armed with two 13.2mm machine guns.

The

It

offensive operations in the Pacific an

they would not be built in time to participate in

This

the vehicle, which was then a fairly conventional

rear floats, but

such a vehicle, but

tractor.

vehicle was analogous to the

beach.

Ka-Chi amphibious

tables ot

companies, but none of the

appears to have been formed

rear

pontoons were released by cables from within

in the Special

Naval Landing Forces organization

939

and

machine guns. By 1 943

and provision was made

in China,

to the front

needed, while at the same time the release

SV gun Ho-Ru, and

and Type 89 medium tanks

vehicles.

by mounting the 47mm Type

killer

in the hull as the Type 5

on

Japanese-style light tank.

numbers only.

conversion of the Type 95

tank

tree-clearing

on the Chi-Ha chassis, the Type

vehicle based

unique design that incorporated pontoons that

fit

to provide bouyancy.

Other unusual vehicles were a

WAR

First

column Type

94,

Second column Type 97

Weight (ton)

Height (m)

1.62

1.79

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

12

12

10

10

HP

35

65

40

40

Front

3.2

4.2

Length (m)

3.08

3.70

Engine

Width (m)

1.62

1.90

Road Speed (km/h)

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

Combat Car, Type 92

The Type 92 was

the second indigenously-

designed armored vehicle

and the

attempt

first

the cavalry.

It

to enter production

at a light, fast vehicle for

mounted a 7.7mm (13.2mm

machine gun

later vehicles)

7.7mm weapon in

and

in the hull

in

the turret. Although fairly

on the roads by the standards of the time,

fast

was not designed

the suspension

for high-speed

cross-country travel and was to prove rather

The

weak.

lack of a radio, the

one-man

turret

and entirely nominal armor protection that

protected against almost nothing, rendered the

As

vehicle virtually useless in combat.

the

combat

car

saw very

little

a result,

use in the war.

3.2

Weight (ton)

An

early

MG

model Type 92 with 7.7mm

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

3.94

Side

Width (m)

1.63

Engine

Height (m)

1.87

Road Speed (km/h)

45

HP

40

the hull

in

Light Tanks
The little Type 95

light

tank was the most

numerous Japanese AFV of the war. This was

presumably

clue to

complexity, which

small size and lack of

its

made

it

suitable for

production on small assembly

driver,
hull,

and

and

machine gunner/mechanic

commander/gunner/loader

in the

in the

Armament was a 37mm Type 94

small turret.

or Type 98

had

lines. It

gun

machine gun

in the turret front

in the turret rear,

another machine gun

and

7.7mm

along with

in the hull front.

The

replacement was the Type 98, which was a

major improvement
turret

with

a coaxial

in

using a

larger,

machine gun,

two-man,

in turn

followed by the Type 2, which differed only in

detail. Neither,

however, was produced

numbers and the Type 95, with

and poor crew

layout,

had

its

in large

thin

armor

on

to the

to soldier

First

end of the war.

column Type

light

tank with turret traversed to

both main gun and

MG

show

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)
Front

6.7

6.2

Length (m)

4.30

4.11

Engine

Width (m)

2.07

2.12

Road Speed (km/h)

Weight
Type 95

Height (m)

95,

Second columnType 98
(ton)

HP

2.28

1.82

12

16

12

16

120

130

40

50

141

JANE'S

TANKS OF

WORLD WAR

Medium Tank, Type 89

The

Japanese attempt at tank production,

Type 89 medium was

the
in

first

two main

built simultaneously

Type 89 A with

versions, the

89B with

gasoline engine and the Type

a diesel.

Constantly modified, the Type 89 appeared

many detail changes. None,

with

altered the basic attributes

armor and

a low-velocity

however,

of the vehicle: thin

57mm gun.

Thoroughly obsolete by 1941, the Type 89

served thereafter almost exlusively in China,

where the absence of enemy tanks and the

scarcity

of anti-tank guns meant

could

it

still

operate with some effectiveness.

A Type 89 medium

Shanghai 1937

in

Type 97 Medium
The Type 97 was configured with
crew

in the hull

and two more

and was

irregularly shaped,

with the

Engine

Height (m)

2.56

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

17

118
25

(Chi-Ha)

in the hull

The hull and

turret are built

and bolted armor

plate.

V-l 2 air-cooled

diesel

The

of riveted

Power was provided by

through a 4F 1

fighting

compartment was

lined with asbestos to reduce heat.

The Type 97

clearly optimized for the infantry

role.

2.18

17

57mm low-

rear.

was

Width (m)

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

gun facing front and the

1

transmission.

Side

The

machine gun about 70 off to the

Front

5.75

left

second machine gun was mounted

front.

11.8

Length (m)

two-man

in the turret.

manually-rotated turret was offset to the

velocity Type 90

Weight (ton)

The 57mm gun threw a

useful

support

HE round

but was almost useless against other tanks.

Allied soldier

142

in

captured Type 97 Chi-Ha

Weight (ton)

14.3

Length (m)

5.55

Width (m)

2.33

Height (m)

2.23

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/h)
Front

Side

25
25

170

38

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

JL

Type 97 Improved
(Shinhoto Chi-Ha)

&Type 1 Medium

(Chi-He)

a^p&ZE**-

The Shinhoto (new turret) Chi-Ha featured a turret

configuration changed from a nearly circular type to a

semi-rectangular shape and, significantly,

high-velocity

47mm Type

rear-facing turret

The

the crew.

ground

gun.

It

now mounted a

retained the inefficient

machine gun, but a loader was added

to

made slightly wider to lower

tracks were

pressure.

The Shinhoto Chi-Ha suffered from a

number of shortcomings, including thin armor, a marginal

shortage of power, and a

weak gun. The Type

looked

almost identical to the earlier tank but doubled the

thickness of the frontal

armor on the

unchanged. The engine was

turret

and

hull

and

Armor elsewhere was

featured greater use of welding.

also replaced

by

more

powerful model to improve mobility. Offensive power,

however, remained a small gun and an inefficiently-placed

7.7mm

machine gun. Although accepted

service use in
until 1943,

Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha

for

Type 97 Imp Type

94 1 production did not begin

Type 97 Imp

Type

by which time reduced resources

limited production. In any event, the Type

Length (m)

5.55

5.73

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

Width (m)

2.33

2.33

Engine

Height (m)

2.38

2.38

Road Speed (km/h)

Weight
was

obsolete by that time.

(ton)

14.8

15.2

50

25
25

25

HP

170

240

38

44

Front

Medium Tank, Type 3 (Chi-Nu)

The Type

medium once

chassis of the

Type 97,

again used the basic

modified with the

as

thicker

armor and more powerful engine of the

Type

medium.

room

for a full

A new turret was fitted, with

three-man crew. Most

significantly, the
finally replaced

underpowered

gun, a modified version of the

field

gun. To accomplish

sacrifice

that,

75mm Type 90
they had to

any turret machine gun. The Type 3

gun was adequate

outstanding.
the

47mm gun was

by the new 75mm Type 3 L/38

for

its

time, although not

The Type 3 could have handled

Sherman on even

terms, but

been outclassed by the

would have shown up

would have

M26 Pershings that

in

any invasion of Japan.

Length (m)

5.73

Width (m)

2.33

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.61

Road Speed (km/h)

Weight

(ton)

18

Front

Side

50
25

240

39

Type 3 Chi-Nu Medium Tank

143

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

Amphibious Tank, Type 2

(Ka-Mi)

This was the only Japanese armored vehicle to go

into series production during the

war that was

not based on a pre-war design, although

it

borrowed some components from the Type 95

The Type 2 had a hill-width

light.

superstructure, extending out over the tracks, to

improve bouyancy, and

at the front

and

rear for

large floats

were attached

swimming. Once on

land the floats could be detached from inside via

levers

and

water was by

cables. Propulsion in the

means of two

propellers, while steering

was

accomplished by twin rudders on the back of the

rear float, controlled

position.

from the tank commander's

The tank mounted a 37mm Type

gun

and a 7.7mm machine gun coaxially in the one-

man turret, and a second machine gun

in the hull

front. In addition to the three

crew members, the

vehicle also carried three other

men, who served

as

mechanics and helped

install

the floats.

Weight

(ton)

Length (m)
Type 2 Amphibious Tank with floats removed but
intake extension

still

mounted on

Front

Side

Width (m)

2.80

Engine

Height (m)

2.30

Road Speed (km/h)

floats.

Self-Propelled Gun, Type

The Ho-Ni
gun

(less

placed the

12

115

37

(Ho-nj)

75mm Type 90 field

muzzle brake) and

a shield

of the Type 97 Chi-Ha,

chassis

HP

12

Note

rear deck.

hatches to side of turret to allow additional

air

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

9.15/12.5

4.80/7.50

machine gun. The gun had

less

on the

the hull

a traverse

of 10
5

each side of center and an elevation range of

to +25.

early

It

was similar

in configuration to the

German tank destroyers, but was an

artillery

weapon

(with range

drums calibrated

to

12,000 meters) rather than an anti-tank vehicle.

The Ho-Ni

II

subsriruted the

05mm Type 91

howitzer for the gun. In both cases the lack of

any machine gun armament

as well as the

open

top and rear of the fighting compartment would

have rendered them very vulnerable

quarters fighting.

The Ho-Ni

in close-

carried

rounds of ammunition, the Ho-Ni

II

54

20

rounds.

Ml
Weight

Ho

144

Ni

SP 75mm gun

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

14.7

Front

50

Length (m)

5.55

Side

25

Width (m)

2.33

Engine

Height (m)

2.39

Road Speed (km/h)

(ton)

HP

170
38

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

4 (Ho-ro)

Self-Propelled Howitzer, Type

This vehicle was similar ro the Ho-Ni family
that

it

mounted an

artillery piece in a shield

the chassis of the Type

5cm Type 38

on

97 medium tank, again

The weapon was

without the machine gun.

old

in

howitzer, for

the

which 28

rounds were carried. The crew consisted of six

men, one of whom was the

commander, and four gun

driver,

crew.

one the

The gun had

limited traverse of 3 each side and elevation of

-10

to +20.

The maximum

range

is

uncertain, but the sights (both direct

and

indirect fire) were calibrated out to 3,000

meters only.

No secondary armament was

fitted.

Weight

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

15.5

Front

Length (m)

5.52

Side

Width (m)

2.33

Engine

Height (m)

2.36

Road Speed (km/h)

(ton)

HP

25

20

170
38

Type 4 Self-Propelled Howitzer

Armored Personnel Carrier (Ho-Ha)

The Type
seems

to

Ho-Ha was a

have borrowed

half-track vehicle that

little

from any other

designs, although the long track length

is

suggestive of the

German

Japan received

few examples. The vehicle

carried a crew of 2

half-tracks,

of which

and 13 troops and was armed

with three pintle-mounted

7,7mm machine

guns. Access was by a door each side at the

forward end of the troop compartment and a

pair of doors at the rear. Passengers

were seated

facing inwards on benches that ran

down

length of the rear

walls. In

the

compartment

common with

the

the

against the

German

half-tracks,

Ho-Ha had an unpowered front axle,

relying

on the long tracked section

for mobility.

ssgrr*
Weight

Type

Ho-Ha Armored Personnel

(ton)

7.0

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

6.10

Side

Width (m)

2.10

Engine

Height (m)

2.00

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

6
1
134

50

Carrier

145

Poland
The

Polish

Army started the 920s with 1 20 FT

By July 1939

survived up to the outbreak of the war.

FTs

in Polish service,

battalion.
in the

32 serving with armored

there were

still

102

and 70 forming one tank

trains

A significant number of armored cars of various types were also used

1921-22

fighting, but

all

had been pulled from

The obsolescence of the FT was

clear

and

delivered whole

service

after trials

Model E medium tanks and a production

Vickers

tanks, the bulk of which

Of the 50,

38 were

components

for local

license.

and the remaining 12 were delivered

by the mid- 1930s.

Poland purchased 50

as

assembly that never came about. All 38 were the twin-turret version with a

7.92mm wz.25

Hotchkiss

MG in each turret. In May 1932 a contract was

placed with Vickers for 22 turrets with 3pdr

tanks to the single-turret configuration.

accomplished in 1934.

The

(47mm) guns

The remaining 1 6 twin-turret tanks underwent several

use of

armament changes during the 1930s, including the

37mm L/21

guns, but finally reverted back to two

newer wz.30)

tank. In

plan to license-build the Vickers

made improvements

March 1935

deliveries

the

to the design

order, for

first

were completed a year

later

were for the single-turret version.

the

first

13.2mm MGs and

7.92mm MGs

(albeit the

in 1937.

The original
engineers

to convert twin-turret

rebuild of the tanks was

E was dropped when

and launched

it

as the

Polish

7TP light

24 twin-turret tanks, was placed and

by the PZInz

Due to delays in

factory. All

subsequent orders

turret manufacture, however,

16 turrets were built by Bofors and delivered between February 1936

and January 1937. By the time of the German invasion 135

delivered

and about

dozen more were taken

straight

7TP

had been

from the factory

floor into

combat during the campaign.

In light of die low production rate of the

tank force through foreign purchase.

to

be slow and poorly armed, but

an order was placed for

these,

with one

00

test vehicle,

Two R-35s were tested in 1938 and found

little else

vehicles.

formed

7TP efforts were made to bolster the

The

was available and

first

in February

batch of 49 arrived in

a tank battalion.

The German

1939

May and

invasion

prevented delivery of the balance of the order.

Another purchase from Vickers was a Vickers Carden Loyd machine gun
carrier in
carrier.

was

1929, but with an eye towards close scouting rather than

A few more were purchased for further trials

attractive, the

implementation was

criticized. After a

few

called

that differed

weapons

failed attempts at

an indigenous derivative, the Ursus automotive plant delivered

theTK-3

as a

but, although the concept

from the VCL original mainly

prototype

in the provision of a

JANE'S
raised

armored compartment

was accepted

for service as

and about 300

vehicles

for the crew. This

to the

life

last

built with a Polski-Fiat engine

carried over into the

had

also

that

this unit

retrofit

was

new TKS. The new vehicle

armor and other

their

A total of 269 were built before

cars

fighting in the early

major

were

4 truck for the

improved

half-

the light wz. 28/34 a

wz.29 medium armored car was

small, but unusual, turret.

cars.

Military

built

featured three ball

mounts

The octagonal

CWS. The result was necessarily small,

two-man crew with

The 4TP and an

car.

The

0TP, with Christie suspension, was to be the

medium tank, although it was found overly

complicated in

prototype of the
also built in

938
1

trials

and was redesigned.

4TP infantry support tanks was

939.

None of these reached

production status before die Polish defeat.

for

also

and

at

weapons, one of

37mm SA18 short gun and

third

mounted a wz.25, but was angled upwards

about 75 to allow

by

a turret for a

turret

one the 7.92mm wz.25 machine gun. The

featured a

invasion.

on the

which mounted the

for a half-track,

German

medium

Ursus 2-ton 4x2 truck chassis and featured

the actual conversions carried out

B-10 being quite short

the

amphibious version, the PZInz 1 30, were to

armored car was developed by the PZInz. The

(CWS) and

the

CWS in Warsaw.

08

Design Office and the Central Auto Workshop

by the

all

bur road-bound, only about 10 of these were

rear axle assembly.

To complement

by the end of the

The conversions were designed by the

rear

also
1

in the

replace the tankettes in the reconnaissance role.

armored

two standards. The wz.34T

mounted

improved version of that engine, along with an

role in the

conversion to armored

immediately rebuilt

replaced the engine, with a Polski-Fiat

had been purchased, and 90 of these

set aside for

be

were bulky and were

automobile engine. The wz. 34-11 used an

decade. Several hundred Citroen Kegresse B-10

half-tracks

and

were

by simply substituting the

vehicles

facilities to

920s but the stocks of such

vehicles were clearly tired

tests

Further conversions were undertaken by central

German invasion.

had played

track assembly to yield the wz.34

1939 the Army authorized the

fitted before the

March 933. The

axle of the Polski-Fiat 6

tank destroyer, but only about 24 had

Armored

1 1

hull rear. Because they

Various projects were under way at the time of

to convert the

cars to all-wheel configuration

trials

A similar weapon could also

ordered from the

tracks.

was decided

responsible for the

20mm gun developed by the Fabryka Karabinow

been so

928

sufficiently successful that the battalion

of 1 50 TK and TKS vehicles with a

as a small

it

prototype ran in

production ceased in 1936.

In January

a result

armored

it

TKs had been

and

slightly thicker frontal

detail changes.

of the rubber

As

The main complaint with theTK was

Designated

maneuvers that highlighted the short service

in

improved TKS.

was underpowered. The

37mm or a light machine gun.

the wz.28 armored cars, they served horn

were built by PZInz

1933 when production shifted

until

short

theTK scout tank

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

939

this

anti-aircraft fire,

had been discarded

although

as ineffective.

Tankette, TK/TKS
TheTK followed the concept of the Carden-Loyd carrier on which
based, a

it

was

two-man crew sitting side-by-side separated by the engine. The

driver sat at the left

and the gunner with

wz.25 Hotchkiss machine gun on the

his

right.

pintle-mounted

The

later

7.92mm

TKS model

featured detail improvements, including a ball-mount for the

machine

gun, a slightly more powerful engine (42-hp Fiat replacing the 40-hp
Ford),

armor plate

a little thicker (1

0mm vs 8mm at the front), and

improved vision devices, including periscopes.

rearmed with the

A small number were

20mm NKM cannon as mini-tank destroyers. The

most numerous of the Polish armored

vehicles, the

TK/TKS were

obsolete both in concept and execution by the time of the

invasion. Designed

and

and employed

as

German

scout vehicles, the lack of a radio

restricted vision severely limited their usefulness.

Weight (tonnes)

TKS

148

tankette (PMK)

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

10

2.56

Side

n/a

Width (m)

1.76

Engine

Height (m)

1.33

Road Speed (km/h)

Length (m)

2.6

HP

42
40

JANE'S

Light Tank

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

7TP

This was an improvement on the basic Yickers

more powerful

(6-ton) tank with a

ciiesel

engine and thicker armor. Two-turret models

7.92mm wz.30

were armed with two

water-

MGs in small side-by-side turrets, and

the single-turret model with a 37mm Bofors

cooled

tank gun and one wz.30 coaxial

MG.

There

were two variants of the single-turret model:

one using the

original Bofors turret

and one

with the Polish turret with rear overhang for

Although many of the

additional stowage.

design elements, such as the

two-man

bogeyed suspension, and the lack of

would soon be
1

939

it

identified with obsolescence, in

was an adequate tank and superior

PzKw I, PzKw II and PzKw 35(t)

the

turret, the

a radio

would meet

in

that

to

it

combat.

Weight (tonnes)

7TP

Light Tank

9.9

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.56

Side

Width (m)

2.43

Engine

Height (m)

2.30

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

17
n/a

110
37

Armored Car wz.34

A conversion
car,

from an

earlier half-track

armored

the wz.34 was short and exceptionally

narrow, fitting
in the front

him.

its

two-man crew with

the driver

and the commander/gunner behind

The small

turret

37mm SAI 8 gun,

for

accommodated

the shorr

which 96 rounds were

provided, in about a third of the

remainder were armed with a

fleet.

The

7.92mm wz.25

machine gun. There were three variants of the

wz.34 differing

slightly in

components. The

advantage, but otherwise

of the worst
in

the

2.

armored

it

was an

has to be rated one

cars to see regular service

The two-man crew was overworked,

armor was thin and armament weak, the 4x2

drive provided

the

engine and rear axle

vehicle's small size

wooden

little

cross-country performance,

floor provided

against even small mines,

no protection

and

it

carried

no

radio.

Weight (tonnes)

The

little

wz.34 armored car

2.2

Front

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Length (m)

3.62

Side

Width (m)

1.95

Engine

Height (m)

2.22

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

8
n/a

23
55

149

Union

Soviet

Other than the assembly of armored bodies onto imported truck

armored

chassis as

cars

and an abortive attempt

to build the

FT light

tank in 1921 Russian/Soviet industry had no experience in the design or

,

construction of armored vehicles into the mid- 1 920s.

version of the FT,
for service in

known

mid- 1 927,

alternatively as the T-

A modernized

8 and

slightly predating approval

MS-

of the

was accepted

928-32

defense plan. This plan initially concentrated on artillery and aviation,

calling only for the

modest

few years, however,

this

figure of 250 tanks to be produced.

Program" of 1931, production

tankettes,

470

Within

had changed dramatically. Under the "Great Tank

light tanks

in

1932 was

and 250 medium

to total

no

less

than 540

tanks.

Pre-War Tanks
Lacking an acceptable indigenous design, the Soviets turned

to imports. In

1930 they purchased from Britain eight Vickers Garden Loyd Model 1931
amphibious

two Christie

fast

The Mk VI
as

theT-27

T-27A.

Model E medium

light tanks, fifteen

medium tanks and 26 Mk VI

at

tanks from the

Initial

in

Mk II

US by subterfuge.

tankettes were modified slightly

Zavod 37

tanks, fifteen

tankettes. Shortly thereafter they acquired

Moscow, and

and placed

in

production

further modification yielded the

plans called for the production of 5,000 of these

vehicles, but their limited tactical utility

maneuvers and

efforts

were instead concentrated on

The Model 1931 amphibious

derived from the Renault

vehicles, only the

in

a turreted vehicle.

GAZ-AA engine and suspension

AMR to yield their own vehicle. The resultant

vehicle was accepted for service in

at

little

tanks provided the starting point, but the

Russian designers incorporated

production begun

soon became apparent

August

933

as the

T-37 and

Zavod 37. Despite being designed

as

command vehicles (known asT-37TU)

radios, some 643 out of 2,627.

reconnaissance

were

fitted

with

A small number (75) were fitted as

diminutive flame- throwet tanks.

Efforts to develop a revolutionary scout tank with convertible track
features failed,

The

result

and Zavod 37 was tasked again with improving the bteed.

was theT-38, lower and wider than the T-37 yielding better

behaviour in water, but

still

using the proven

GAZ-AA power rrain.

Production ceased in 1938, but started again in 1939 with the improved

T-38M, which used

the

power

train

and engine of the

GAZ-M1 An even
.

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

lower proportion ofT-38s were fitted with

radios than in the T-37,

some

number used
and

to develop

an effective scout tank

the

layer version.

command purposes. Also

93 1 (known

as the

OT-26) and a bridge-

with the development of the single- turret

reduced their armor protection so severely they

version, the

were highly vulnerable. Further, their

gun with

number produced with

The development of light

fast

tanks proved

turret

Model E from Vickers impressed

Army and

in

OKiVIO, was

1931 a design bureau,

set

up

in

the

known

Leningrad to make

Red

1934/35
1

changes to the design and oversee production

there at the Bolshevik fictory.

26, the

first

version, the

Known as

Model 1931,

the T-

also

May Day parade

of early Model

batches of the

Model 1933

also

The

for anti-aircraft use

and

added two
turret

a second in the rear of

the turret.

The Model 1938 used

improved

45mm gun. When a new, sleeker

turret

little

armor

suspension and taxing the already fully-stressed

power

train.

The better angling of the armor

models included the

OT26 (based on the

Ml 933)

flame- thrower vehicles, the ST-

bridgelayer tank and a small batch of radio

remote- controlled flame tanks.

throwers and a large

only

a slightly

was introduced the new version was

in the

The

final

machine gun mounts, one on top of the

but

The Soviets

were proponents of tank-mounted flame-

in

shock catised

gradual introduction of welding.

939. Reports from

German 37mm AT gun,

the

26

to

could be added without overloading the

on the

best tanks in the

that the riveted turrets

T-26 Model

M1931)andOT-130/131/132/133/134(based

mid- 1930s.

933 tanks were vulnerable

Above: One of the massive T-35s participates

in

machine gun, theT-26

theT-26 through the 1930s. Reports

the

Spain indicated that theT-26 was vulnerable to

added protection without adding weight. Other

45mm

OKMO bureau continued improving

as

detail

a coaxial

in the

The

infantry tanks and

more successful. The twin-

Model 1933. Mounting a

Model 1933 was one of the

world

radios.

built in

A more significant variation came

while the need lor amphibious capability

reconnaissance mission was compromised by

152

37mm gun in the right turret

small quantities were a flamethrower version of

weak armament

restricted their fighting ability,

a radio for

were largely wasted. The two-man crew and

the small

known as

featured a twin-turret design, but a small

165, or about

12%.

The efforts

WAR

fast

number were

OT-34 was

built,

but

45mm gun retained.

the

tank for accompanying the cavalry

was based on the designs of the American

Christie vehicles. In April

1930 the Soviet

government purchased the

1

930 tanks from

production license.

and

chassis

of two iVIodel

Christie's firm, along

The

with a

tanks arrived in 193

new turret was designed, along with some

JANE'S

the Soviets also began

Below: A radio-equipped T-26

to

complement

The
other components, and the tank was placed in

production

as the

BT-2

light tank.

The

production batch was armed with twin

DT

machine guns

in the

because the planned

for

one-man

By

the time the

conventional.

made

powerful

45mm 20K Model

rwo-man

turret

weapon, along with

a coaxial

to

mount

Nomonhan

in

in 1939. All the

more

rendered

The

to

be quite vulnerable to

Their

but they turned out

enemy defenses due

to

Influenced by the Vickers Independent tank

Kazan

(several

as part

of which

of a secret

German-Soviet tank development agreement)

\:

all,

vulnerable to

it

but

Even

the

in light

of

a continual

this size built in

proved unreliable in

it

program of

fixes failed to

resulring only in a fleet of

all

the others. In the end only 61 tanks dribbled

out of the factory, a considerable waste of

industrial resources.

its

Light Tanks

acceptance

thin

tank for

to the tank,

ongoing

was

also

some 600
reliability

in

difficult to

produce and expensive (costing the equivalent

of nineT-26s).
its

It

was

also seriously flawed

automotive components,

this

were

such

leadership because they could be produced by

light engineering firms

in late

938,

without impacting the

medium and heavy tanks. Thus,

a special

team

set

out

develop an

to

this

they were

successful, for the resultant vehicle (designated

T-40

A prototype was completed

The tank was complex,

battlefield,

improved version of theT-38. In

under development.

August 1932 and production was ordered

April 1933.

light tanks

vehicles remained attractive to the Soviet

production of

train.

buteau, originally formed with

engineers.

Although theT-37 andT-38

only barely survivable on a

armor had

enemy fire. Continual

theT-28 was being developed an even

AYO-5

regard to

and

a result

remedy the problems,

now

A fearsome

failed to eliminate

as

German

USSR. As

service

Responsibility tor the giantT-35 was given to

in

to

time, by the late 1930s

larger tank

their thin armor.

had been shipped

official

later.

problems, particularly in the power

BT series were

and the German Grosstrakror

was chosen

improvements were made

in

at

their wheels alone for long road marches.

effective,

February 1933, with

following six months

its

wheel-track designs, capable of operation on

armament proved

in

A new

DT. This vehicle

Spain in 1937 and

latter

first

the

theT-28, was turned over to the Army

as

this

entered production as the BT-5 in 1933.

BT-5s were used

The

tank even approaching

the

tanks each of which had slight differences from

preproduction batch often machines,

known

933.

to the

1932 gun.

was designed

tank

the immaturity of Soviet tank industries and a

37mm had become available,

however, the switch had been

medium

one advanced and the other

7.62mm

responsible for the effort and turned out two

designs,

37mm gun was not ready

production and did not arrive until

work on

the T-26 light infantry tanks.

OKMO bureau in Leningrad was

initial

turret

Wk

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

in July

1939) was better shaped, better

armed and had

better

amphibious

The tank was accepted

capabilities.

for service in

December

1939 and Moscow Factory #37 was directed

deliver the first batch

of

by

to

August 1940
by October. By

with

and

being

June 1941 216 had been delivered, bur with the

to begin full-scale deliveries

153

WORLD WAR

IAN E'S TAN KS OF

1932

1931

1934

1933

1935

1936

1937

1938

accomplished the stated goals, but

1939

the

& Scout Tanks

Tankettes

T-27

393

1,693

1,242

T-37 basic

125

rendered unit

almost impossible. Efforts to remedy

161

429

209

34

41

1,046

17

112

165

T-38 basic

T-38 with radio

problem began

turret

100

950

575

616

511

at Factory

essentially a beefed-up
turret.

T-26 single turret

command from within

By

this time,

become apparent.
-

477

553

No.38

T-70 with

96

457

735

826

550

716

336

T-26 flame

115

430

10

290

103

T-26 bridge

the use of some components.

T-26 remote control

55

80 showed up,

to

20

approach a

Soviets

Fast Tanks

396

BT-2

224

761

860

BT-5 with radio

20

243

BT-7 basic

260

345

406

720

865

BT-7 with radio

240

699

222

378

478

BT-7A

149

BT-7M

T-28

41

50

32

101

T-35

10

15

medium

in the

it

had

tank in complexity and

By the time theT-

autumn of 1 943,

had decided that the

producing other

76

light tank

battlefield,

the

industrial assets

used to build them could be better used

8T-5 basic

make a

In order to

and survivable on the

44

two-man

however, a quandary had

T-26 single w/ radio

1942 and

in

957
effective

the tank
this

yielded theT-80 light tank, which was

Light Tanks

T-26 twin

engagement slow and

677

T-37 flamethrower

target

which made

retained

it

turret of the earlier light tanks,

946

T-37 with radio

one-man

assault gun,

chassis.

SU-

vehicles, in particular the

which was based on theT-70

Only a small number of T-80s were

built before

production of light tanks was

stopped.
4

39

96

131

10

11

Heavy Tanks

Medium Tanks
In

October 1937

a design

team

at Factory

183

(Kharkov) was assigned responsibility for

Armored Cars
-

FAI

676

BA-20

BA-6

BA-10

development of the next generation of BT

n/a

n/a
n/a

301

335

n/a

489

904

n/a

wheel-track tanks, to be

same time the design team

the

on

known

a track-only variant

as the

also

known as

A-20. At

began work

the A-32. In

July and August 1939 the two prototypes were

AFV Production 1931-39

subjected to comparative field

Both tanks

trials.

were judged to be successful. In

fact,

performed sufficiently well that

it

the A-32

outbreak of war the amphibious features were

development took place

eliminated from later production to speed

immediately orders were issued for the

could take some extra weight in the form of

production of 10,000 T-60s

thicker armor.

production.
later

The non-amphibious vehicles were

designated T-40S, although that

designation was not applied at the time.

The Russian

quickly discovered what ever)'

in

August 1941 and

(as

they were

The

resultant vehicle

simultaneously designated) in four factories,

34 and the

with two more factories added

January and February

later.

first

was decided

was the A-

two prototypes were delivered

1

Nevertheless, production was sporadic due to

had been

intermittent shortages of engines and hulls and

Defense recommended accepting the vehicle

although sometimes useful, were not

the full quantity was never built.

to

be paid for with a wide

armor, and lightweight armament.

decision to forego the

T-60,

it

seemed

eliminate

swimming

"free".

hull, thin

With

features

logical to redesign the

the

on the

tank to

many of its shortcomings. Moscow

Factory #37 once again took the lead, after

realizing that

it

could not manufacture the more

excellent mobility over

The T-60 had

snow and soft ground,

it

armament and

lower profile. Preliminary

thicker armor, heavier

test.

On 30

the Ministry approved the vehicle,

now known as

thinly

armored and was poorly

armed.

The

Responsibility for designing a replacement

was given

to Factory

goal was to

No.38

come up with

in late

German

it

45mm
against

37mm AT guns and armed with a

panic

among

leadership.

production

which was approved

to build

for service in

March

942.

successful in the sense that

in fact,

completed

it

the Soviet political

On 5 June

Committee passed

45mm gun. This was achieved with theT-70,

The new tank was

was never,

German

panzer divisions in France precipitated a near-

a vehicle with

testing

theT-34, for production, but

because the slashing success of the

94 1 The

the

were able to give

passed a 2,000-km

again with a proviso that pass further testing.

still

suspension and power pack of theT-40, but

to float, they

it

March 1940

but was unable to keep up with T-34s cross-

of frontal armor protection to protect

was not required

however, the Ministry of

built,

country, was

complex T-50. They used the lower hull,

since the vehicle

provided

in

940. Even before these

other nation had, that amphibious capabilities,

They had

it

start

and

military

1940 the Central

a resolution

demanding

immediately, with Factory 183

600 tanks

that year,

and the Stalingrad

Tractor Factory (STZ) another

00.

JANE'S
was not plain

All

The organization

in early

940

Committee

sailing for the T-34,

however.

called for a

tables

promulgated

mix of KV heavy

T-34 medium tanks, and T-26 and

tanks,

BT light

replacement of the light tanks was at

important

as the

new T-34.

plane had been ordered in

requirement.

A prototype was delivered in

and subjected
performed

to testing as

well.

theT-50, where

940

plants

the

to continue at the

the new components proved

subcontracts

to fabricate, the

83

built only

none

at

1 1

T-34s

in

light of continual shortages of the

diesel,

it

was

to

provide

own gasoline engine

Nizhny Tagil. The

Kharkov on

19 September 1941 and the

V-2

tank came out in early October. In December

diesel

the

STZ

new facility built

its first

attack,

last

Kharkov-built

25 tanks. This was

an impressive achievement but even

was the only

and

faced with conflicting opinions the Central

In the

months

significant

so,

in late

it

to build

was evacuated

1941, where

to

built 14 more.

it

was

finally cancelled.

TheT-50 was

but the small

would have made upgunning

size

a capable tank,

from the current 45mm difficult,

Model V-4

the

was continuing to prove very

difficult to

produce, and deliveries of the similar Valentine

With theT-50 out of the way,

became the tank with which

first rail

left

it

In January 1942, however, production

Factory 183, from Kharkov to east of

the Urals in

mass production. In

managed

tank were beginning from Britain.

main production

shipment of factory equipment

two

Omsk in August

diesel

difficult for

940 and

German

V-2

73 of the planned 750 tanks before

that for several critical

after the

its

start

only about 50 tanks before

Krasnoye

but in

facility,

all.

Thtee days

July a third factory,

the need to evacuate the

being especially troublesome. As a result Factory

1

Production of T-34s was further hampered by

vehicle with severe mechanical problems.

Although production was

On

the KV, the T-34 and theT-

the end of the year.

rushed development of the T-34 had yielded a

94 1 and Factory 1 74 (Kirov

the event, the Kirov works

it

A second problem was that the

new types of tanks,

built only

that exact

for service in April

works) was directed to

for the vehicles they built. In the event, they

to develop a

new "close support" tank against

compromise resolution on

Sormovo, was brought into the T-34 program,

least as

In fact, the Kirov

939

issued a

25 June urging massive production of all three

50.

There were strong voices arguing that the

tanks.

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

meant

94 1

STZ

producer of T-34s.

meantime, theT-50 had been accepted

would win

now

the T-34

the Soviet

or lose the war. In June

Union

942

that

portion of the Kirov works that had relocated

to

Chelyabinsk was ordered to begin

production, and

it

delivered

surprisingly quickly,

its first

tank

on 22 August. In July

Uralmash, which had been building hulls and

turrets,

and

was ordered

to

produce entire tanks,

came off the

their first vehicle

line in

September. Inevitably there were minor

1940

1941

1942

1944

1943

1945^

complicating an already continual process of

Light Tanks
-

T-26

1,549

BT-7

706

T-40

41

638

T-50

48

15

1,385

4,660

T-60
-

T-70

differences between the various producers,

4,913

introducing detail improvements.

The T-34 had good

high

level

well-shaped

its

hull. Reliability

being largely

rectified.

weight, due to the

problems were

The one

area in

which

3,483

the tank was demonstrably

Medium Tanks

was
15,820

maneuverability and a

of protection for

4,100

10,615

21,108

its

main armament.

T34/76

117

3,020

12,527

T-34/85

13

ballistics to the

1,860

585

621

chose from, with the

In

weak by

May

1943

early

1943 the

Defense Council approved an order initiating

development of a tank gun with similar

Heavy Tanks
T-28

141

KV-1

1,258

KV-1S
102

100

KV-8

102

35

KV-85

148

67

40

35

2,210

1,150

1,908

7,155

3,552

760

1,899

IS-2

built,

85mm AA gun.

there were

reach fruition.

KV-2

IS-1

943

In fact, by mid-

no fewer than four designs

An

initial

batch of 543 guns were

of which about 300 were allocated

modernized T-34, now known

substituted in January 1944, followed by an

improved version the ZiS S-53. The

-

26

85mm gun

required a larger turret, of course, and this

SU-85

SU-100

25

611

The new turret had accommodation

SU-122
SU-152

704

men,

ISU-122/152

35

to the

as the T-34/85.

After this short production run the S-53 was

Self-Propelled Guns

SU-76

to

D-5T being the first to

is

where the second major improvement came

500

2,510

1,530

so that a

for three

gunner could be included,

removing that duty from the tank commander.

As with theT-34/76, continual

January-September

in.

1,835

detail

changes

were made during the production run, none of

Soviet Wartime Production of Tanks

& SP

Artillery

which

The

affected the performance significantly.

introduction of the T-34/85 gave the Soviet

155

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Union what it needed,

a tank with a lethal gun,

good armor protection and

Reliability,

excellent mobility.

of the war, and

if any

/jt

P2WI

\_

tank can be said to have

Heavy Tanks

when

the engines burned out or the

transmissions failed. In
in larger

feet,

theT-34 was

T-35 were apparent long before the German

1938 two design bureaus, OKiVIO

and the Kotin Bureau, were tasked with

developing competing heavy tank designs.

Above: A T-34/76

of the

st

Ukranian Front

in

July

944

OKiVIO

turret

45

on

a thick

column

mm gun. Simultaneously,

SMK,

tank called the

KV (Klimeni Voroshilov) on his

own initiative.

In the

autumn of 939

The

both twin-turret

the three

heavy tank prototypes were subjected to

and they were transferred

entry was theT-100, while the Kotin

Bureau proposed the

156

main

76mm gun, while a smaller forward

Kotin also began work on a single-turret heavy

inadequacies of the antiquated yet complex

invasion. In

numbers than any other tank

turret carried a

The

that tanks could be

designs with a

mounting

although improved near the end of

numbers produced meant

produced

,.

defeated the Wehrmacht, this was the one.

the war, remained a shortcoming, but the huge

replaced

Tank Brigade
Finland

The

to the

trials

20th Heavy

for the initial operations in

later that year for

combat

evaluation.

KV proved clearly superior and, faced

JANE'S

which

the KV-85,

with an immediate need for a modern heavy

utilized the turret

WAR

TANKS OF WORLD

of the IS-

85mm gun. Although proposals to

the KV went back to

Tiger tanks

tank, the order accepting the tank for service

tank with

was issued on 19 December 1939 with an

mount such a weapon on

when

1939, bickering and bureaucratic inertia

armor steel.

initial

order for 50 vehicles to be delivered in 1940. In

May 940
1

number was

that

even though

operational testing.

200

The

were

tests

delivery to the front in

finally

However,

in the transmission.

started

continued.

the standards of

940 and

KV

94 1 the

mediocre performer by

late

war standards, the

tank and anti-tank guns of the

all

stressed

number of bridges

it

train.

huge

in a

IS-

answer
in

to firepower plus mobility,

an IS-2 was

the normal basic load of

fact,

AP and

HE rounds.

after relatively short runs.

The new heavy came from

the

medium

13, a 3

-ton vehicle with the 76mm

and armor superior

howitzer

shape.

turret.

KV continued right up to

to the

KV-1 due

Development continued

February

in

When

KV-

its

better

and

starts

to

demand

in April

several interesting designs, but

the

German

a halt,

onslaught began there

for the factory to

model mounted

The selected

57mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun

the

on the Komsomolets

tractor to yield the

tank destroyer. The conversion was extremely

its

shield

on

the rear cargo platform

and adding

of the vehicle for

two

based on the KV-1 3. In early April, after

stability in firing. Unfortunately, the

more powerful F-32 (L/31.5) and

tests against a

more powerful F-34 (L/4

yet

by the

in July

KV did prove
gun used
AA
88mm
German
vulnerable to the
in the

range.

AT role, and to flanking fire from close

on

armor

plates

of 25-35mm thickness

the sides as early as July

extended to other
being

known

94 1 and

factories, the resultant tanks

KV split

two separate paths. Disillusionment was

beginning to

set in as regards the

concept of a

from

One was the KV-85 and the other

production.
IS-

which made

under the KV-1 3 program but

hull developed

added
In

new turret with

the

85mm D-5T gun.

August 1943 the Kotin bureau suggested

122mm A- 19

field

gun on

lengthened version of the IS tank.

The

the

first

There were two obvious solutions - one

reduce the weight of the
mobility, the other to

could justify

its

The first path

KV to improve its

add

a larger

gun

that

weight and restricted mobility.

resulted in the

five tons lighter

to

than the

KV-1S, which was

KV- 1

as a result

of

reducing the armor thickness, primarily on the

hull sides,

and

new

turret.

The second yielded

after

only about a

proved

result

a successful

the success of the IS-2,

00 had been

built.

1944

The

heavy tank, although

IS-2

its

fortunes varied somewhat. Vulnerability of the

hull front to

75mm high-velocity hits was only

partially solved

by redesigning the

glacis plate,

while the only solution available for the lower

hull front

was

to bolt spare track sections there.

The 122mm AP round

also

worn

tractors

had

to

be collected

field units for the conversions. In the

101 conversions were made.

The gun was

German

end,

tank of

the time, but the vehicle had notable drawbacks,

including the lack of a radio, poor protection for

the crew, short range and instability

on

firing.

Early efforts to develop a self-propelled

production model was delivered in

the IS-1 ceased production in January

was taken out of

capable of knocking out any

was the IS-2 with the modified D-25T gun, and

December 1943. With

not invulnerable) armor.

and

use of the chassis

the standard T-34/76, while sacrificing mobility

still

tractor

prototypes, two models were chosen Re-

heavy tank that was no more heavily armed than

for thicker (but

Komsomolets

production shortly thereafter in favor of tank

include the mounting of

production, so

mounting the

KV-le models.

as

During 1942 development of the

into

was

this

to

trail legs to the rear

85mm guns. After comparative testing of several

was the

The Kirov plant had begun adding

additional

captured Tiger, the requirement

was amended

.6).

Although heavily armored, the

live-fire

ZIS-30

simple and involved simply placing the gun and

build two prototypes of a "Joseph Stalin" tank

At the end of 1940 the L-l

prototype ready in two weeks, assigning

the task to Factory 92 in Gorky.

gun (caliber length 23.7) was replaced by the

the start of the war.

On

in Soviet service.

that an improvised tank destroyer be designed

and

were

943 when the appearance of

Tiger tanks spurred a

1941 and yielded

German

July 1941 the Ministry of Weapons directed

F-34 gun

fits

similar to the

were no tank destroyers

of creating a

tank. Their initial efforts

killers,

brought development to

established in

mandate

& Tank Destroyers

Design of tank

the Experimental

Tank Factory in Chelyabinsk,

Guns

the dislocation of the tank plants later that year

KV-85 were dropped from

production

Assault

StuG and Hetzer types, was begun

October representing the

the

until

Evolution of the

as the

mid-

concentrated on what they designated the

KV-2 was

152mm short-barrel

developed, with a

KV-85

line in

KV-lS and

of a

For

bunker-busting, a need that showed up during

the 1939-40 Winter War, the

the

"universal tank", a heavy tank with the weight

could use and

an already unreliable power

943

March 1942 with

On the other hand, at 46 tons the tank

was heavy (almost inexplicably so), which

limited the

KV-1S and

In any event, the heavy tanks were

tank combat. In

firepower plus armor solution. Thus, both the

76mm L-l gun was lethal in the first few years,

and the 75mm thick frontal armor was
impervious to

time, both the

Germans began using lower-quality

used mainly for infantry support, not tank-vs-

began

September 1943.

coming off the production

and the

was certainly an impressive tank. Although a

time.

By that

the

concentrated in heavy tank regiments that were

until the

finally

1944, but that

had been overtaken by events. The T-34/85 had

production order had been signed, so work

By

movement

The KV-85

Spring of 1 943.

May and showed serious defects,

undertaken in
mostly

increased to

prevented significant

had undergone no extensive

it

its

in trials in early

problem reportedly disappeared by mid-year

proved incapable of

penetrating the front armor of the Panther and

76mm weapon came to naught, but in October

942 the GAZ factory was ordered to try their
1

hand

at

it

and

this

was more successful. The

firm took theT-70 light tank chassis,

lengthened
built

the

it,

added another roadwheel and

up the superstructure to allow the

fitting

of

76mm ZIS-3 gun as the SU-76.

Improvements
yielded

to the

automotive components

the SU-76M shortly thereafter. Yet more

improvements by the

GAZ factory, including

reducing the weight by eliminating the top and

rear of the fighting

compartment, yielded

another version of the

factory designation

SU-76M given the

SU-15M. Over half

the

157

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

was

installed in the

to yield the

the

completed SU-1 00 vehicles

SU-85M.

Finally, the

ammunition were solved

December Uralmash began

in

Autumn and

installing the

D- 10.

larger

As the Red Army began

in late

began

problems with

in the

942 the need

for a

to reassert itself.

weapon based on

to take the offensive

heavy assault gun

Development of such

the chassis of the

KV-1S heavy

tank began immediately as the KV-14, and on

14 February
the

943

it

was accepted

SU-1 52. Production began

Chelyabinsk.
in service.

in

for service as

March at

The SU-1 52 proved very popular

It's 1

52mm HE round could

demolish almost any strongpoint, and

also fire

could

it

an AP round that could knock out any

German

rank, although

hit at greater than

chances of getting a

its

500-700 meters were

marginal.
In fact, the vehicle proved so useful that
the

when

KV series went out of production the

concept was grafted on to the hull of its

The result was

successor, the IS.

accepted for service in the

and they remained

in

of the war not only at

30

in Kirov

production until the end

GAZ,

and Factory 40

In addition, captured
chassis
turret

USSR wete SU-76s

guns made in the

assault

but also

for

in Mytishchi.

with an

German PzKw III

were used to form assault guns. The

and upper hull were removed and replaced

with a box-shaped fighting compartment

made

85mm high-velocity gun began in May

1943 and yielded the SU-85. Their

usage

popular due to their

ability to destroy

gun was

placed. This

moving towards tanks

Factor}'

Number 37 built

20 more

as

was known
8

SU-76L

as the

assault

guns plus

command vehicles with cupolas and

long-range radio.

from July 1943

They were used

until early

withdrawn and used

in

combat

1944 when they were

for training.

22. In April

942 Uralmash and Factory 592

were ordered to build prototype assault guns

using the

122mm M-30 howitzer. The

Uralmash proposal, based on theT-34

was accepted and production

the

German

was

clear that the

that

Germans were

were ever bigger and

better protected. Thus, as early as

1

any

tank of the time at respectable ranges.

it

943 Uralmash was ordered

to

December

develop a

time mounting the

instead a

chassis,

the

00mm D-

The prototype ran

trials in

March 1944 and

rearrange the internal

demand

piercing round was proving impossible to

particular, the

its

ammunition

BR-412B armor-

fabricate with the required specifications.

was too

production so

as

was thus

in the vehicle,

ammunition stowage, and

The ISU-

122 was thus a completely different type of

vehicle from the earlier

mounted a

an excellent tank

was

SU-122, which

ISU-122 made

howitzer. In fact, the

killer,

in the infantry

although

support

its

main use

role.

Armored Cars
Given the

large distances involved,

armored

both during the

civil

cars

late to restart

not

war and

its

aftermath. As

The

by the
first

availability

cars

was determined

of commercial

suitable chassis

chassis.

was the F-l 5,

Russian version of a Fiat 4x2 unit.

The

Izhorskiy

works developed an armored body using the

By

SU-85

an expedient the

it is

proved popular,

with other countries at the time, the pre-war

largely

it

It

designate the vehicle the ISU-122.

development of armored

that time

ML-20.

mount the A-19

begun. Unfortunately, while the SU-1 00 was

was not. In

August 1 944

other components as the

ordered terminated and that of the SU-1 00

service but the appearance of the Tiger led to a

Baltic Front in

gun, which used the same catriage, cradle and

surprising that

summer production of the SU-85 was

indeed ready for production,

for dedicated anti-tank vehicles, a role

was

developed based on the B-34 naval gun.

in the

started in

new weapon,

122mm A- 19 corps

such problems plagued the

00mm S-34 tank gun.

December 1942. The vehicle proved popular in

Above: An ISU-152 of the 2nd

new

tank destroyer based on theT-34 chassis, but

this

152mm ML-20S gun/howitzer in

On the other hand, no

the required quantities.

simple matter to

In fact, the S-34 proved to be a failure and

A contemporary of the SU-76 was the SU1

combat

Dnieper crossing, and they soon became

Nevertheless,

plate,

first

came in September 1943 during

35mm thick at the front and

25mm at the sides, into which a 76mm ZIS-3
of armor

Unfortunately, Soviet industry was unable to

produce the

Work on a variant of the SU- 1 22 rearmed

Factory

at

which neither the SU-76 nor the SU-122

was adequate.

the ISU-152,

summer of 1 943.

85mm D-5

turret of the

MS-1

became known

tank and the combination

as the

BA-27.

The major shift in armored car development

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

the acquisition of license production

came with

rights to the family

1

920s: the

Model

of Ford vehicles

Model A

AA

heavy car/pickup and the

4x2 truck, the

.5- ton

in the late

latter also

being enlarged slightly to yield the GxA

GAZ-

AAA 2-ton truck. The BA-27 body was dropped

on

GAZ-A {Ford A) chassis to yield

to the

BA-27 Model 1928, but

this

the

the turret was that of theT-26

tank, with

45mm gun.

at the Izhorskiy

The arrival of the sturdy Ford Model A

chassis

and

local

its

1930 provided

production as the

sound

The D-8 and

family of light armored cars.

similar

D-12 were

rwo man

small

the

turretless vehicles

machine guns. Both were

numbers

in the early

armed with

from the BA-3. In

to the

is

detail

almost indistinguishable

fact,

BA-6M

succeeded in production by the FA1, similar

to

the D-8, but featuring a small turret with a

DT machine gun, A total of 676 FAIs

7.62mm

in

built in 1936-39, again

The

hp, while

300

A total or

became

available in the

form of the

64 proved

common with

Landsverk L-180

vehicles were bulky

and provided with only thin

series) the

the opportunity was taken to

the FAI

body on the new

the BA-20,

and

The

light

significantly better

armored

car.

The BA-20 had

ratio

now room for a radio

but there was

of the vehicles,

On

was

performance than the FAI,

not only was the power/weight

role.

result

which became the standard pre-war

war

early

mount a variant of

unit.

critical for

the other hand,

improved

in a

portion

the reconnaissance

its

armament

for the

problem. As a result production,

which had begun

GAZ-M

maximum armor of

1941

after

BA-64Bs

followed by 5,206

agile, reliable

and popular.

and numerically the most

time, but mediocre cross-country performance

strengthened chassis with uprated engine

GAZ-

Although cramped and poorly armed, the BA-

chassis (such as the

built,

form of the

A total of 3,901 GAZ-64s

chassis.

by the Izhorskiy works.

other similar designs that relied on 6x4 truck

remained

were

in the

in cross-

from the

5-20 BA-6Ms) were

the provision for powerful

September 1943.

(including some post-war production in 1946).

armor. This disadvantage was partially offset by

when

in

improvement was

area of

adoption of 4x4 drive

64 "jeep"

76 improved FAI-M with updated engines.

overloaded by the FAI body and,

top-heavy, although

was remedied with the improved BA-64B,

country performance, resulting

engine was

two and the

powerful radio in the others.

The major

ultimate development of the Soviet

car,

this

less

to

about half the vehicles, and

which entered production

were produced from 1932 to 1936, followed by

The GAZ-A chassis was somewhat

crew size
in

1938 was more

important, was the BA-10. In

They were

absence of a radio

the evolution of the

kg was shaved from the vehicle weight to

heavy armored

built in small

930s.

to be paid for this, however,

The vehicle was also a bit

improvements and

386 BA-6s (including

such vehicles, being

first

The price

a reduction in

That vehicle featured only

improve automotive performance.

basis for the initial

armor.

was

the use of a

uprated to give an additional

GAZ-A in

built

plant in 1934-35 before the

significant, for in that case the

step.

Model 1933

Only 160 were

introduction of the next model, the BA-6.

BA-6

was an interim

its

WORLD WAR

1938, was terminated in

in

1,400 BA-10 and

BA-10M had been

Certainly the largest contribution

The only example

of what could be called a

second-generation armored
in July

car,

form of Lend-Lease
shipping close to

trucks, with the

400,000 such

including 54,000 1.5-ton and

all-wheel drive models.

which allowed somewhat

942.

earlier

The

BA-20,

thicker, better-sloped

10,000 2.5-ton

Armored vehicles were

with mixed reviews.

The

British contribution, delivered

the

under

October 1941 and

end of June 1944, was mainly infantry

and the

went into
hull

US

vehicles,

provided in smaller numbers and were received

tanks,

1941 and was

accepted for service in February

was more compact than the

the BA-64,

made by the

other Allies to the Soviet war machine was in the

three protocol plans between

built.

began development

Lend Lease

first

Matildas and Valentines

service in

December 1941 and

January 1942. Early deliveries hocused on the

Matilda.

With

its

slow speed, small gun and

poor performance

in

snow,

it

was not

popular

''1

6mm provided little protection, the armament

of a single DT machine gun was weak, and
its

cross-country performance was limited by the

4x2

drive.

The heavier GAZ-AAA chassis was used as

new

the basis for a

cars.

The

three

and

first

family of heavy armored

of these was the BA-I with a

man crew and

a coaxial

built in

a turret

with a

37mm gun

DT machine gun. Only 53 were

1932-34 before the vehicle was

replaced by the BA-3.

The BA-3 was of similar

configuration, with the engine at the front and

an armored compartment

surmounted by

at the rear,

a turret. In this case, however,

Rights wrecked BA-10

in

1941

159

JANE'S
Protocol Period

Oct 41

Jun 43

WAR

TANKS OF WORLD
Jul 43

proved more popidar, being

-Jun 44

to operate.

The

mainly for

its

Shipped

Lost At Sea

Arrived

Shipped

Lost At Sea

Arrived

20

20

III

113

113

Infantry Tank, Matilda IV

915

221

694

The
mostly

Light Tank, Tetrarch

Infantry Tank, Matilda

Infantry Tank, Matilda IV

Infantry Tank, Valentine
Infantry Tank, Valentine

CS

II

III

Infantry Tank, Valentine IV

Infantry Tank, Valentine

156

31

125

161

25

136

135

135

211

211

106

520

71

449

113

121

1213

170

1043

175

10

165

201

201

635

18

617

carriage with

roles,

lor

74

66

45

19

26

24

127

105

Light Tank,

M3A1

Light Tank,

M5

25

25

Light Tank,

M24

III

151

Infantry Tank, Churchill IV

105

Cruiser Tank, Cromwell IV

Bridgelayer, Valentine

to

USSR October 1941

Valentine, being slightly

fret, it

duties

The more numerous

in Soviet service.

faster,

was

preferred. In

served largely as a light tank for scouting

and was kept

in

solely to satisfy Soviet

producrion

after

1943

demand. Valentines with

In

June 1944

a ddition,

Britain

stated to have shipped

is

1,212 Universal Carriers to the Soviet Union,

and Canada 1,348 more, with

ttansit. Further, the

16

carriers.

inirial

in early 1943.

An

batch of 2pdr-armed Churchills was

US

provided starring in

May

1942, but the Red

Army showed no enthusiasm for the rype and

there were

no subsequent

Interestingly,

issued

deliveries.

although the British

Army rarely

HE ammunition for irs 2pdr tank guns,

the British did supply such

ammunition

to the

and

provided

narrow tracks caused them

% similar T-

Medium

Tank,

M4A2 (75mm)

2,007

Medium

Tank,

M4A2 (76mm)

2,095

M26

1,000

Tank Destroyer,

M10

Tank Destroyer,

M18

snow,

as

slightly later, although

,755

M3A1

light tanks,

M3A3 and 224 Sherman medium

52
5

342

Half-Track,

M3

Half-Track,

M5

421

Half-Track,

M9

413

Scout Car, M3A1

650

M2

permitting, as a scout.

and 1,355

100

MGCM17

Carrier, T-1

began

1,386

MGCM15A1

command vehicles and sometimes, climate

US shipments

M3A3

US

and

to sink in

they were used mainly

by the end of 1 942

the loss of 224 in

These compared poorly with the

as a result

1.676

Tank Destroyer T48

half-tracks in terms of general usefulness

their

AA vehicles available
M3A1 scout car was used

Tank,

Half-Track

6pdr guns started arriving

96
3,340

LVT
Recovery Vehicle,
Figures include -143

M32
M3A1

115
light tanks,

54 half-tracks and 228 scout cars

Red Army, with

deliveries

protocol period of 55,000

88,000 HVAP.

during the 3rd

ranks had been shipped.

HE, 50,000 AP and

and archaic layout the

disliked.

mount,

.50cal

Medium

Heavy Tank,

machine

quad

occasion.

Canadian production

Tank Shipments

its

while the

command and communications

Infantry Tank, Churchill

role,

but also towed anti-tank guns on

British

command

in the

any numbers. The

mainly

II

built at the time.

provided the only armored

Infantry Tank, Valentine IX

Infantry Tank, Churchill

was

personnel carrier half-tracks were used

motor gun

106

Infantry Tank, Valentine VI a

Infantry Tank, Valentine

and simple

height, in fact the tank

60 and T-70 that were being

234

reliable

M3 light tank was criticised,

probably a better all-around vehicle than theT-

in

With

417 medium

tanks,

lost at sea during delivery

their high profile

M3 mediums were

The diesel-engined M4A2 Sherman

US AFV Lend Lease Shipments

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

Light Tank, T-37/38

The T-37 was designed as an amphibious scout
tank with a two-man crew and a turret

mounting a

7.62mm DT machine gun.

single

This evolved into theT-38, which was wider

and lower than the T-37, with better swimming

capability.

Both models used the powertrain

and engine of the

GAZ-AA truck,

maintenance and

logistics.

TheT-38iY12

switched to components horn the

truck.

movement

in the water at

about 6

A small number of T-38s were modified

in the field to replace the

a

GAZ-M1

A propeller and rudder fitted at the rear

provided

km/h.

simplifying

DT machine gun with

20mm ShVAK autocannon.

Platoon and

company commander vehicles were

fitted

with

radios, but not the others. Their very thin

armor, mandated by bouyancy requirements,

and

their

weak armament made them

ineffectual in
still

combat, and such vehicles

as

were

T-38 amphibian tanks

in

3.2

Weight (tonnes)

serviceable in 1941 were quickly destroyed.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

3.75

Side

Width (m)

2.10

Engine

Height (m)

1.82

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

40
35

a parade

Light Tank, T-40/60

This was the successor to theT-38, with slightly

armor and

thicker

much better-shaped

Armament was also improved,

to a

hull.

12.7mm

DShK heavy MG and a coaxial 7.62mm DT

Greater attention was also paid to waterborne

and theT-40 performed better

chatacteristics

there than

its

predecessors. Starting in July

1941 the amphibious features were abandoned

to yield

power

theT-40S.

train

The chassis,

of theT-40 were used to create the

non-amphibious T-60
thicker

and

suspension and

it

light tank.

was aimed with

gun with 180 rounds and

Shortages of the normal

Armor was

20mm TNSh-

a coaxial

7.62mm DT.

GAZ-202 engine led

to

other engines being installed as available,

including Ford V-8s and
built in fairly large

GAZ-M. Although

numbers, theT-60 had

several significant shortcomings, including the

First

two-man crew and,

absence of a radio,

in

most

1.95

1.74

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

14

33

25

HP

85

76

44

44

Height (m)

column T-40,

vehicles, the

Front

Second column T-60

5.9

6.4

Length (m)

4.11

4.10

Engine

Width (m)

2.33

2.30

Road Speed (km/h)

Weight (tonnes)

T-60 Light Tank

161

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

Light Tank, T-70/80

The T-70 was
to

two-man tank developed

a small

remedy shortcomings

was

in the T-60. It

armed with the 45mm M32/38 gun with 70

rounds and

a coaxial

7.62mm DT.

powered by two GAZ-202

(later

It

was

more

the

powerful GAZ-203) truck engines in tandem

with a

common transmission mounted along

the right side of the hull.

turret
left.

As

consequence, the

and driver positions were mounted

to the

Both armor and armament were adequate

for a light tank

of the time and

it

was

built in

large

numbers, but the continued use of a one-

man

turret restricted

It

was succeeded

which featured

in

its

operational usefulness.

production by theT-80,

two-man

turret,

strengthened

suspension, wider track and electrical turret

traverse.
fallen

By this

time, however, light tanks had

out of favor and few were

built,

First

T-70 Light Tank

column T-70,

Height (m)

Second column T-80

Weight (tonnes)

10.0

11.6

Side Armor

Length (m)

4.42

4.42

Engine

Width (m)

2.47

2.50

Road Speed (km/h)

Front

Armor (mm)

(mm)

HP

2.03

2.18

60

60

45

35

140

170

45

47

Medium Tank, T-28

This tank was

fitted

with three turrets for a crew

of six. The main turret mounted a short-barrel

76mm KT-28 gun and a forward-facing ballmounted

DT MG, along with a second DT in

the rear of the turret.

The other two

turrets

small and

mounted each

side of the driver's

position.

Each carried

DT machine gun.

December 1 938
retrofit the

T-28

program was launched

fleet

with the longer

were

In

to

76mm L-

10 gun, about two- thirds of the vehicles

receiving this
in the

new weapon. When

experiences

opening phases of the Winter War

showed the thin armor

to be a decided

weakness, a crash program was instituted to

armor to 80mm and side armor

40mm by adding applique armor. In 940 a

increase frontal
to

new conic main

turret

was applied only

year.

was designed, but

to the

this

few vehicles built that

The T-28 contained some modern

features, including electric turret traverse,

162

proved unreliable in

service.

T-28 heavy tank

1939 May Day parade

in

the

Weight (tonnes)

27.8

Front

Length (m)

7.44

Side

Width (m)

2.81

Engine

Height (m)

2.82

Road Speed (km/h)

but

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

HP

30
20

500
45

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

Medium Tank T-34

models of the T-34 used a variation of the Christie

All

large springs
suspension, but with torsion bars in lieu of the
that featured so prominent!)'

on the original. There were two

main groupings of this tank, the initial model T-34

(subsequently redesignated theT-34/76) and the later T-

number of subvariants.

34/85, each with a

TheT-34/76 Model 1 940

featured a welded

mounted a 76mm L-l

turret that

length 23.7) with a coaxial

turret were situated the

The

the loader.

two-man

Model 38/39 gun

(caliber

7.62mm DT machine gun.

In the

commander (doubling as gunner) and

rear half of the turret roof was

hinged to fold

forward into an upright position, thus blocking the view of

the

commander when he rode with

other crewmen, the driver and the

tanks, the only ones with

command

also acted as the

head out. The two

being provided with a ball-mounted

front, the assistant

In

his

assistant driver, sat at the

radioman. Following the completion or

about 400 Model 1940s production switched

1941, which featured the

76mm gun.

DT

a radio, the assistant

to the

Model

more powerful F-34 (L/41.5)

Detail changes resulted in the

Models 1942 and

1943. In August 1942 an improved hexagonal turret was

introduced with two circular hatches in lieu of one large one,

and

summer of 1943

in the

commander's cupola was

introduced. Radios were fitted to an increasing percentage of

tanks until

were so equipped, starting

all

TheT-34/85
of the

earlier

utilized the hull

in

1943.

and automotive components

76mm versions, but fitted with a new turret.

The new turret incorporated two major improvements. The

first was that it accommodated three men, so the commander
no longer doubled

as the

gunner.

The second was the

85mm gun (the Model

replacement of the F-34 gun with an

D5-T on

the

first

300, the S-53 or ZiS S-53 on later vehicles).

The early models suffered from

unreliable engines and

These problems were

clutches that limited their usefulness.

mostly ironed out

in later versions

and the T-34 became one of

the best tanks of the war.

First

column T-34/76 M41

Second column T-34/85

Weight (tonnes)

26.5

32.0

Length (m)

6.68

8.15

Width (m)

3.00

3.00

Height (m)

2.45

2.60

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

52

90

52

HP

500

75
500

53

55

Front

Engine

Road Speed (km/h)

Top;AT-34/76 Model 1941 advancing

Middle: Another Model

941

Bottom: A T-34/85 resting

at

at

speed

in
in

1942
1

942

Aberdeen Proving Ground

in

1978

163

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Christie

US wheel/crack

the

Model 1930 tank with

turret, usually

turret with the

coaxial

to yield the

variant, the BT-7.

5/7

turret

series

and

was

fast

main production

Although hampered by a two-

relatively

armament. The

heavy armor, the BT-

and possessed

ability to

by wheel was shown during the

By the time

for

greatest test in

powerful

move long distances

against the Japanese.

its

with a two

fitted

45mm M32 gun and a

DT MG. A more substantive redesign

was undertaken

man

new one-man

with machine gun armament.

The BT-5 was similar, but was

man

BT

Fast Tank
The original BT-2 was

WORLD WAR

94 1

it

939
it

fighting

was called on

was dated and the

victim of poor Soviet maintenance practices.

First

BT-7 Light Tank

column BT-5,

Height (m)

Second column BT-7

Weight (tonnes)

11.9

13.8

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

Length (m)

5.80

5.66

Engine

Width (m)

2.23

2.23

Road Speed (km/h)

Front

HP

2.24

2.42

15

20

10

15

365

450

53

50

Infantry Tank T-26

This tank came in two main variants. The

Model 1931
with

featured side-by-side turrets, each

7.62mm

DT machine gun, although a

command version substituted a 37mm gun

the

left turret.

turret

in

The Model 1 933 had a single

armed with a 45mm Model 1 932 20K

tank gun and a coaxial DT.

The Model 1933

went through many changes, including the

adoption of welding and the placement of a

second

DT in the turret rear.

used the improved

The Model 1938

M 1938 main gun.

The

speed was too slow for any but the infantry

support role while the armor too thin for that

mission, and the
inefficient.

As a

two-man

turret

crew was

result the vehicle

was not

popular with

its

crews. Nevertheless,

good gun

its

time and, on paper, was the

for

equal of the
It

PzKw Ills sent into

was the most numerous tank

Army in June

T-26 Model 33

had

Russia in 1941.
in the Soviet

Weight (tonnes)

1941.

light infantry

it

tank

9.4

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

15

Length (m)

4.62

Side

15

Width (m)

2.44

Engine

Height (m)

2.24

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

90
35

JANE'S

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

Heavy Tank T-35

Visually very impressive, the massive T-35

sported no

less

central turret
as

than

was identical

were the two

The main

five turrets.

to that

MG turrets at the

of theT-28,
left

The other two turrets each

right rear.

front

and

carried a

45mm Model 20K gun and a coaxial MG. The

tank required a crew often, including three in
the

main

turret

and two

45mm turret.

in each

Although massive from the outside, inside the

tank was cramped and inefficient. Unlike the T28s,

would seem

it

that theT-35s were never

76mm gun.

rearmed with the longer L- 1

1

939

it

was

clear their

armor was too thin

By
for a

heavy tank, but the suspension was already

overloaded so no improvement could be
there either. In the

end

it

was

unreliability, however, that

they

first

saw combat

abandoned

after

in

their

made

mechanical

&&'

;*

doomed them when

1941 most being

breaking down.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

30

Weight (tonnes)

50.0

Front

Length (m)

9.72

Side

Width (m)

3.20

Engine

Height (m)

3.43

Road Speed (km/h)

30

Weight (tonnes)

46.1

Front

9.83

Armor (mm)
(mm)

160

Length (m)

Side Armor

Width (m)

3.07

Engine

Height (m)

2.74

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

30

500

The 5-turreted T-35 heavy tank

Heavy Tank IS
The

initial

D-5T gun,

model, the IS- 1 featured an

85mm

but was almost immediately

superceded in production by the IS-2. The IS

tanks used a cast turret and cast or welded hulls
that significantly reduced the profile of the tank

while increasing armor protection.

Nevertheless, the front hull armor

still

proved

vulnerable to large-caliber hits and in May-June

1

944 production was switched

a straight glacis plate rather

to a design with

than the stepped

one previously used. The lower

however, could not be altered.

122mm D-25Tgun, along with

consisted of the
a coaxial

DT machine gun and a second DT in

the turret

rear.

mounted on

May

hull front,

Armament

1944.

A DShK 12.7mm MG was AA

the

commander's cupola

starting in

The main drawbacks were caused by

the large, separately-loaded ammunition. These

slowed the

rate

of fire to about 2 rounds per

minute, and ammunition stowage to 28 rounds.

IS-il

HP

110

600
37

heavy tank

165

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

Heavy Tank KV
KV (later KV-

The

The

archaic T-35.

was the modern successor

1 )

initial

medium-velocity L-l
guns, one facing

three-man

as the

machine gunner), and

commander

do loader

to

crewman was a

loader (the third

unclear whether asking the

it is

was any better or worse than

duties

gunner, A
DT was placed in a ball mount in the hull front, where
as the

was operated by the co-driver/ radio operator. The Model

it

to the

939 featured the

turret. In this case the

theT-34/76 arrangement of tasking him

third

76mm gun and two DT machine

rear, in a

commander doubled
rear

model KV- 1

940 replaced

main gun with

the

more powerful V-2K diesel

the

1941 production changed

new cast

gun

in a

was

fitted to

to the

and used

940. In July
the F-34

Applique armor

about a quarter of the tanks starting in the

,

version of the
1

Model 1941, with

turret with thicker armor.

Spring of 1 94 1 yielding the

ATO-4

the longer F-32

starting in late

KV- 1 E. A flame-thrower

KV-1 was produced as

the KV-8, in

flame-thrower replaced the coaxial

MG,

which an
and

45mm M32 gun replaced the 76mm for space.

The KV-2 was a contemporary of the KV-1 and shared
the

same hull and automotive components, but was

fitted

with a huge turret that mounted a shorted version of the

152mm M- 10 Model

1938/40 howitzer. The only

ammunition

was the

available

propellant charge.

It

was a single-purpose weapon, designed

for the direct-fire destruction

fortifications

and was not

The KV-1S was

HE projectile with a reduced

of pillboxes and other

built in large

a redesigned

reducing the weight by 5 tons, and a

consequently greater mobility.

numbers.

KV-1 with thinner armor,

It

new transmission and

,

also received a

new

turret

with a commander's cupola and either the ZIS-5 or F-34

76mm gun.
The KV-85
the

KV- IS

used the hull and automotive components of

carrying the turret of the IS-85 with the

85mm

D-5T gun. The hull MG and the radioman who operated it

were removed to make room

First

for

ammunition.

column KV-1,

Second column KV-2,

Third column

KV-1S

Weight (tonnes)

47.5

52.0

Length (m)

6.90

6.95

6.90

Width (m)

3.32

3.32

3.35

Height (m)

2.71

3.25

2.64

75

110

75

75

75

75

600

600

600

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)
Front

Engine

HP

Road Speed (km/h)

166

42.5

Top: The KV-1 of the Aberdeen collection from the front

Middle:lhe KV-1 from the rear

35

35

43

Bottomilhe massive

turret

and huge gun of the KV-2 made

it

visually very distinctive

Gun SU-76

Assault
There were

AN E'S TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

several versions of the

SU-76,

all

based on the lengthened chassis of theT-70

chassis.

The first version,

factory designation

also

known by its

SU-12, had two GAZ-202

and an

engines,

one each

enclosed

fighting compartment made of 10mm

armor
gun.

at the rear

side of the driver

mounting

the

76mm ZIS-3Sh

The automotive components proved

unreliable

and

after

switched to the
clutches

350

vehicles production

SU-76M

was

with improved

and engine mounts

that reduced, but

did not eliminate, the troubles.

From

October 1943 a revised design was produced

that eliminated the top

compartment

to save

improved the power

factory designation

numerous

variant.

and

rear of the fighting

weight and further

train.

This carried the

SU-15M and was

the

most
Above: SU-76 assault gun

The SU-76 was cheap and

Below: Interior of an SU-76M, without overhead armor. Gunner

easy to produce

and with low ground pressure

had good mobility over soft

terrain. It

very useful in the infantry support

although
as

its

light

armor made

it

(left),

Loader (center),

Commander

(right)

it

proved

role,

very vulnerable

Weight (tonnes)

11.2

Front

Length (m)

5.00

Side

Width (m)

2.74

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.20

Road Speed (km/h)

35
16

140
44

an anti-tank weapon.

167

^
9L

IAN

E'S

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

Assault Gun SU-85/122

The SU-122 took the hull of theT-34 and
added

a raised superstructure into

fitted the

which was

I22mm M-30 howitzer. The weapon

could elevate from -3 to +26 and traverse 10

each side of center.
a driver

The crew of five consisted

and gunner (behind him) on the

commander at
at the rear to

It

and two loaders

handle the separately loaded

ammunition.
howitzer.

the right front,

of

left,

Fort)'

rounds were carried for the

was replaced

in

production by the

SU-85, which substituted the

85mm D-5S gun

(with 48 rounds) for the howitzer, turning

into an efficient tank-killer.

was dispensed with

at the

it

One of the loaders

same time. The SIT

85M was an expedient mounting the D-5S gun

on the hull of the SU-100. The

^^^ia''n'flBBii

larger hull

-ii'r'

allowed the carriage of 60 rounds of

ammunition. None of the vehicles mounted

machine gun.

Above:SU-85 tank destroyer

Below: An SU-122 assault gun

First

column SU-85,

Height (m)

Second column SU-122

Weight (tonnes)

Front

29.2

30.9

Side

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)

Length (m)

8.15

6.95

Engine

Width (m)

3.00

3.00

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

2.45

2.32

45

45

45

45

500

500

55

55

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

&

WORLD WAR

Tank Destroyer SU-100

The SU-100 was developed

to

mount

the

100mm D-IO gun on the chassis oftheT-M

tank.

It

was

but not identical,

similar,

SU-85 and SU-122 that preceded

was

slightly

gun and

roomier

accommodate

the larger

commander's position was

the tank

moved towards

to

to the

The hull

it.

the outside, with a pulpit-style

cupola projecting from the side of the vehicle.

The vehicle housed a crew of five and 34 rounds

of ammunition.

had no secondary machine

It

gun armament. The SU-l 00 was quite noseheavy due to the large gun and the limited

ammunition stowage could be

disadvantage. However,

rank

with

killer,

it

a tactical

was a very efficient

powerful gun and good armor

protection.

The SU-1 00 showing

its

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

45

Weight (tonnes)

31.6

Front

Length (m)

9.45

Side

Width (m)

3.00

Engine

Height (m)

2.25

Road Speed (km/h)

48

Weight (tonnes)

45.5

Front

8.95

Side

Width (m)

3.25

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

60

Length (m)

600

Height (m)

2.45

Road Speed (km/h)

43

HP

45

500

characteristic long barrel

Gun SU-1 52

Assault

This vehicle was based on the chassis of the KV-

A short superstructure was built

on the hull and used to house the 52mm ML]

S heavy tank.

20 gun/howitzer. The vehicle was equipped

with both a panoramic sight for indirect
a telescopic sight tor direct fire,
latter

was the more

common

fire

and

although the

usage.

The gun

could traverse 12 and could elevate from -5 to

+ 18.

Ammunition was separate-loading,

which limited the

practical rate of fire to

two per minute, and 20 rounds were

Both AP and

about

carried.

HE rounds were available. No

secondary armament was

initially fitted,

but

12.7mm DShK machine gun on an AA mount

was added during the production run. The SU1

52, with

its

massive

HE shell, was a fearsome

infantry support vehicle.

a

It

could also be used

as

tank destroyer, although the curved trajectory

of the projectiles

optimal tor that

made accuracy
role.

SU-1 52 heavy assault gun

less

than

60

169

^^

JAN

IIS

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

Assault Guns ISU-122/152

The original vehicle,
the concept of the

oftheIS-l tank.

the ISU-l 52, was simply

SU- 52 moved
1

The

than on the SU-152.

slightly taller

to the chassis

compartment was

fighting

The armor

was thicker but the ammunition load

Traverse was 10 each side and the
elevation gained an extra 2

trunnion mountings.

due

the same.

maximum

to higher

The ISU-l 22 was

122mm A- 19 gun
152mm weapon. TheA-19 was modified

identical but substituted the

for the

with a semi-automatic breech block and

redesignated the

.5 to

D-25S and when

of the A- 19 the

in lieu

rate

this

was

fitted

of fire increased from

3 rounds per minute and the vehicle was

designated the ISU-l 22S.

The ISU-l 52 carried

20 rounds and the ISU-l 22 30 rounds of

ammunition. Both had provision

DShK AA machine gun,

for a

2.7mm

Both were employed

First

very effectively as infantry support vehicles,

column ISU-122,

Height (m)

Second column ISU-152

although the powerful gun of the ISU-l 22 made
it

an excellent long-range tank

killer as well.

ISU-122

Weight (tonnes)

45.5

2.48

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

2.48

Front

90

90

46.0

Side

90

90

600

600

37

37

HP

Length (m)

9.85

9.18

Engine

Width (m)

3.07

3.07

Road Speed (km/h)

Armored Car, BA-20

The

standard light armored car of the pre-war

and early-war years, the BA-20 was based on the

GAZ-Ml
vehicle

car/pickup chassis.

had

The normal

crew of two: driver and

commander/gunner, with the

turret fitted

machine gun.

it.

a seat for a third

The BA-20 was

atmored body on a
thin armor, poor

limited
fast

its

on the

vehicles,

than an

and

its

drive

On the other hand,

and

to

it

was

available in large

BA-20M featured greater fuel

a radio

improving

reconnaissance

more

armament and 4x2

roads, reliable

stowage and

little

crewman

civilian car chassis,

usefulness.

numbers. The

7.62mm DT

Command vehicles were fitted

with a radio and

operate

latter in a small

with a ball-mount

(and third crewman)

its

in all

utility for the

role.

Weight (tonnes)

Radio-equipped BA-20s

170

in

the

1939 May Day parade

2.5

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.31

Side

Width (m)

1.75

Engine

Height (m)

2.13

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

6
6

50
85

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

Armored Car, BA-64

The BA-64 was
the earlier

in the

same weight category as

BA-20 but was

which

smaller,

permitted the use of thicker armor. In addition,

it

used multi-faceted armor plates that further

increased

its

protection. Equally important,

it

switched to a military 4x4 chassis that improved

cross-country performance.

Crew size,

however, had to be reduced to two.

armament,

mounted

The only

DT machine gun, was pintle-

to the floor

and the

gunner/commander provided with

a small

The

open-top turret that rotated with the gun.

BA-64B was

similar,

but featured a wider wheel

track that significantly

improved cross-country

performance of the top-heavy vehicle, and other

detail

improvements. As a

numbers of vehicles had

and

field

expedient small

removed

their turrets

PTRS anti-tank rifle installed. About half

of the BA-64 and

BA-64B

fleet

were

fitted

with

Weight (tonnes)

RP

radios, less powerful than the

71-TK models

used in the BA-20.

A BA-64

of the Polish

Army

in

2.4

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

3.67

Side

Width (m)

1.52

Engine

Height (m)

1.88

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

12
12

50
80

the East

Armored Car, BA-10

This vehicle was a minor modification of the
earlier

BA-6M and

used the same configuration:

the engine at the front, driver

in the center,

and

hull

gunner

and fighting compartment with

turret to the rear.

Main armament was

the

45mm Ml 938 gun, with an elevation of-2 to

+20 and

for

which 43 rounds were

carried.

DT machine gun
coaxial with the main gun and a second DT in
Secondary armament was

the hull front. Firepower was impressive for

its

time and a radio was standard equipment, but

the 6x4 drive limited cross-country mobility

and the armor was quite

thin. "Overall tracks"

could be fitted around the rear wheel

pairs,

turning the vehicle into a half-track, but this

reduced road speed until the vehicle could be

stopped and tracks removed.

The BA-IOM

featured detail changes, including slightly

greater fuel stowage.

Weight (tonnes)

A BA-10 advancing

in

5.1

Front

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Length (m)

4.66

Side

Width (m)

2.07

Engine

Height (m)

2.21

Road Speed (km/h)

1941 with "overall tracks"

HP

10
10

52
53

fitted

171

* r

^'

Sweden
The success of tanks
notice

and

in the

in the First

World War had not escaped Swedish

summer of 920
1

where they located ten LK-I

light tanks that

the war's end. These they purchased for

back to Sweden

a delegation visited

had been almost completed by

SEK

in pieces labelled "agricultural

8,000 each and shipped

machinery". Arriving in

August/September 1921, they were reassembled

first in

Swedish

service.

purchased in 1928

Germany

as the

fm/22

rank, the

A single example ol the Renault NC-27 was

fm/28, bur

as the

it

proved disappointing in

Instead, as an interim measure, five of the

with new engines and machine guns during 1930-34

while the other five were allowed to run

trials.

fm/22 tanks were modernized

as the

fm/21-29,

down and were cannibalized

for

spares.

Of greater significance was

and production

began clandestine

the development of an indigenous design

Denied tanks by the peace

capacity.

efforts to

Germany

maintain their design capability through

Of particular note,

foreign intermediaries.

treaty,

the firm of

Gutehoffnungshutte Oberhausen A.G., through

Dutch subsidiary,

purchased the Swedish engineering firm Landsverk. The extent of German

participation in the actual design

no previous experience

in

work is

armored

unclear, but by

vehicles

1930

a firm

with

was designing and producing

tanks as advanced as any in the world.

Landsverk presented two new tanks in

vehicle

had

known

as the

930, a wheel-track combination

L-30 and a tracked-only version

crew of three, were

mounted a

fast for their

as the L-l 0.

Both

time (40 km/hr for the L-l 0) and

37mm Bofors gun with two machine guns. The Army

purchased one L-30, which they designated the fm/3

1,

and three L-lOs,

which became the m/31. Although advanced, the L-30 suffered from the
complexity that plagued similar designs around the world and was not

proceeded with. The L-l 0, on the other hand, was further developed into
a series

By

of very successful light tanks.

the mid- 1 930s

of three m/3 1 and

concentrated in

it

five

was becoming

m/2 1 -29 was

clear that the first-line

hardly sufficient.

The

much-understrengrh tank "battalion",

tank strength

tanks were

initially

the Svea Livgarde infantry regiment and from 1928 under the
Livgardes.
into

The war plans called

two corps, and

support of each.

ir

was

felt

for the mobilization

under

Gota

of the Swedish Army

necessary to field a tank battalion for the

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

On

1 1

Sweden of the

of one battalion-set of tanks and the Army staff

AH-IV components were completed

asked Vickers and Landsverk for proposals.

November 1938 and both models of tank were

Landsverk responded with their L-60, an

delivered to the

improved model of the L-10. Negative reports

CKD vehicles were designated the m/37 and the

from Finland on the Vickers 6-ton tank

L-60s the m/38.

the elimination of that firm

led to

from consideration,

their attention to

CKD

The limited funds

did not allow the purchase

of a battalion's worth of cannon-armed tanks, so

compromise was reached. The AV-IV tankette

from

CKD was selected and modified to

Swedish standards
vehicle.

With

Army in

as the

full

In fact,

as

the
a

Avesta. In September a contract for

SEK2

command and

war broke out

September 1939 the

second tank battalion became acute.

and the

to disband

one

inexplicable decision was

battalion into two. Thus, from

the Sodermans

for only

Gota Livgardes and

split the

October 1939

regiment was responsible for the

bulk of the tank battalion

Gotland

reserve vehicles).

in

of course, there were tanks

made

engines and locally-made armor plating from

two units experience

and on

in tanks.

the war also loosened purse-

December 1 939 an order was

placed with Landsverk for twenty improved L60s, to be

known

contract, these

as the in/39.

According

to the

were to be delivered by October

1940, but delays in gun production by Bofors

battalion

with Volvo

command and

meant

an m/38

(HQand

two

companies), with the Skaraborgs regiment

responsible lor the 3rd

Company. The

it

objective, presumably,

platoon of three m/38s, with three m/37s and

Oskarshamm, where they were

fitted

to give

The

(each with three 3-tank platoons of m/37s, one

need for
in

expense of the

The outbreak oi
strings

Gota

at the

reserve tanks as well.

was

939. In service the

Livgardes regiment was finally able to field a

When

most numerous

A contract for 48 vehicles was placed

in

although

in

the deliveries of these tanks the

July 1937 for delivery in parts to Jungner in

Above: hn m/37

to

tank battalion consisting of four companies

ofCzechosIovakia.

L-60 tanks. Deliveries

company made

possible to increase platoon size to five tanks,

their

and the Swedes turned

174

elimination of the fourth tank

million was placed with Landsverk for 16 of

June 1936 die Swedish parliament

appropriated SEK4.5 million for the purchase

By

this

show

that actual deliveries stretched into

94 1

time the L-60 design was starting to

its

age.

The two-man

armor rendered

it

tank, so again the

Further, Swedish

turret

and thin

unsuitable as a main

Swedes turned

war

industries

to

combat

CKD.

were starting

to

show signs of reaching capacity.

By

this

time the Germans had taken over the

Czech region, including

CKD.

Nevertheless,

negotiations proceeded for the sale of 90

tanks and a contract was signed in late

TNH

939

delivery in 1940. After contract signing,

for

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S
however, the Germans had second thoughts and
initially

delayed delivery and then took over the

tanks themselves. Instead,

Germany permitted

CKD to sell a production license to Sweden and

a

prototype

mild

in

steel

was delivered

in

June

known

as the Lago,

the Hungarian market.

1

00 was placed

Temporarily
about-face, the

left in

the lurch by the

November 1940

Landsverk. In

placed with the firm for

modified again,
transmission,

German

Army turned once again

January

this

a contract was

00 more L-60s,

autumn of 1 94 1

a contract

Scania- Vabis for

16TNH

was placed with

however,

a 10-ton tank

it

was

atmed with

of

37mm gun were

numbered. In mid-1941 the Army's tank

committee recommended the adoption of a 20ton tank armed with a

recommended

75mm gun, but

against adopting a foreign

design. Fortunately, Landsverk

had been

working on an enlarged version of their L-30

by

An

to create

additional

armored

first

time)

medium

m/4l

were to

S-II,

as assault guns).

modified design known

942

for

and

m/42

m/42s). By

The
as the

with a more powerful engine and

an additional 80

m/42s from Landsverk was confirmed

basis for three

armored brigades on

mobilization, with each brigade containing two

tank battalions. Each of these battalions

slightly redesigned turret. Finally, a provisional

order placed in June

and the teactivation of the Gota

Livgardes as a tank regiment. Combined, they

consisted of three light companies (each

Mekaniska Verstad and 122 m/4ls

were actually completed

cavalry)

would

75mm guns. Thus, orders were placed for

1 s

Sddermanlands infantry and Skanska

tanks

from Scania- Vabis (although 18 of the m/4ls

m/4

These contracts permitted the conversion of

formed the

202 10-ton tanks

be called light tanks for the

Karlstads

winter white camouflage (KAS)

three regiments (Skaraborgs and

to tank units

1942

an additional 84 m/40s license-built by

all

clear that the days

license-built

be needed, along with over 250

with

tanks, with local

engines, for delivery the following year. For

60 were

now full)'

brigades in 1943 expanded the tank

(to

the m/40. Finally, in the

last

in

in

Volvo.

requirement.

time with an automatic

known as

Below: An m/38

November 1 94 and

942. Because Landsverk was

The decision

to

in

with an eye towards

A provisional order for

confirmed, with an additional 60 vehicles, in

booked up, the

1941.

this effort,

design,

&

in early

1943 and another 42 ordered from Volvo.

tanks)
this

and

a heavy

company

8 light

( 1

time the m/37s had been

relegated to a special

company on Gotland,

while the m/38s were held in depot reserve.

Landsverk was also active

in the export arena,

with mixed success. In 1936 the Hungarians

purchased an L-60, and

modifications,

production

as

it

after testing,

was adopted

theToldi, with

some components

and

few

for local

Sweden providing

for the first series

of 80.

In addition, Landsverk was an early believer

175

JANE'S

1937

1938

1939

m/37

48

m/38

16

m/39

m/40

m/41

1940

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

1941

1943

1942

1945

fle/oi'/:m/31 leading motorcyclists

on pre-war maneuvers

20

80

220

282

designated the ni/43 for service, protracted

100

m/42

1944

(KAS)

cancelled and replaced by an order for 17

vehicles, carrying

twin-mount Bofors

lengthened L-60

new

40mm on

chassis. Optimistically

development problems, never completely

Swedish Tank Prodi jction

solved, delayed their delivery until 1947.

The effectiveness of German assault guns

A slightly
in the need
smaller version of the L-60 with a 20mm AA
for anti-aircraft tanks.

gun,

known

as the

L-120, was built in prototype

production there

purchased

as the Nimrod. Finland

six of these

the "Ami", in 1942.

inspired the

L-62s, which they called

Through

all

for a prototype assault

lengthened version of the L-60 with a Bofors

and delayed, looking

an order for

40mm AA gun in an open-topped turret,

combinations of chassis and guns. In January

62, was

more

example

in

successful.

the L-

Hungary purchased an

937 which was delivered

After a few modifications

it

^V

in

was placed

in

939.

at a

succession of varying

5 *

gun on

the

m/4l (TNH)

was completed they received

8 production vehicles

known

m/4 Is on

1942 an order was placed for 50 L-120 vehicles

to convert

another

but required changes slowed development. In

line to the

same configuration. With

starting in

August

September

943 the order

><

j.

for L- 1 20s
1

'.-

was
t

j.*.'**

ffH^'

that

as

the Sav m/43, and subsequently were directed

176

When

chassis.

official interest.

also

to attempt their own. In

February 1943 Scania- Vabis received an order

of this the

Swedish authorities and committees dithered

form, but attracted no

Swedes

deliveries

1944, these vehicles served

.*

:
*

the production

*,

*
<v

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

The

the mid- 1 930s and sold moderately well.

Be/oiv.The Czech

TNH

tank

built

under licence

in

Model

1933

L-181

Lithuania

1934

L-181

Denmark

1935

L-181

12

L-180

L-180

Ireland

vehicles apparently impressed them, for the

1936

L-180

Estonia

following year they ordered a further 30

1937

L-180

14

1938

Lynx

Denmark

1939

L-180

Ireland

Lynx

Denmark

Lynx

Lynx

30

Lynx was a more advanced vehicle ordered by

as the Str m/41 Here a Scandia-built vehicle

Denmark and with

under the
three

artillery

6-gun

branch, in battalions each of

batteries.

develop a similar vehicle for the anti-tank

the Pvkv

not

m/43 on

come

the

m/42

to tuition until

The Swedish Army's

chassis,

role,

and 1940 contracrs

this

did

armored

cars

A batch of 30

vehicles,

rhe

German occupation

were embargoed and the Swedish

Army took over rhe

946.

interest in

lapsed during the 1930s.

but

deliveries

to

An attempt was made

5 vehicles from the

as the Pbil

1939

m/39. The

although Landsverk had

to

subcontract the work to Volvo lor lack ot space.

primitive armored cars based on armored 4x2

The Swedes

purchased
cavalry.

known

in the early

as the Pbil

m/3 1 were

1930s and issued to the

That branch assigned

a three vehicle

distinct

models of armored

the thtee motorized battalions.

family and the

Landsverk embarked on
series

of medium armored cars based on

variety of truck chassis to

meet various export

customer needs. The L- 180 and L-181 vehicles

were invariably based on a 6x4

mounted

Bofors

chassis

and

37mm gun in a turret. They

were rhus capable vehicles by the standards of

Denmark

Netherlands

Denmark

Sweden

were designated the Pbil m/43. All three

thewat, the old

the development of a

Netherlands

80s that had not been completed, and these

platoon to each divisional cavalry battalion and

Official lack of interest notwithstanding,

Qty

also confiscated the live Irish L-

1940
truck chassis and

Customer

Year

Sweden

m/3 Is,

cars served

through

m/39 Lynx,

Swedish tank development got off to an

excellent start with the
thereafter,

m/3

but stagnated

may have

been due

in part

withdtawal of German assistance to

Landsverk.

It

was almost certainly due

growth

in the size

became

heavier,

to the

of tanks worldwide. As ranks

more

dedicated

facilities

were needed for production

-facilities difficult to justify

economically with a

limited production run. Thus, the heaviest tank

showing only incremental

improvements. This
to the

Landsverk Armored Car Orders

the commercial L-180

extensive and heavier

Sweden could produce was only

1942 and 22.5 tons
"heavy"
light

thereafter.

1 1

tons until

By 1944

m/42 tank would have been on

end

ol the

medium spectrum

in

their

the

most

countries.
r j

>

"

:
i

i<
11

:l
'

II.

ii
1

,i
ii

177

JAN E'S TANKS OF

m/37

Strv

When the Swedes purchased

from

WORLD WAR

the

AV-IV

tankette

CKD they specified a number of

The most important was

significant changes.

that the nearly useless hull

moved up

to the turret.

firepower as

two

possessed,

it

machine guns,

machine gun be

This concentrated such

in the turret

more so,

if not

Equally important,

8mm m/36

with 360 traverse.

opened up

it

space in the hull for the installation of a radio.

Fast (60

km/hr) and

radio, the

agile,

equipped with

m/37 could have been an effective

reconnaissance vehicle during the late

Unfortunately,

930s.

was the main vehicle of

it

Sweden's sole tank battalion, and in that role

was nearly

Not only were both

useless.

the

armor and armament weak, but there was only

one crewman besides the

driver,

function as gunner, tank

commander and,

m/40s and m/4ls came into

little

to

if

company commander. As

needed, platoon or

replaced the

and he had

service they

m/37, and by mid-1 943

had been relegated

to an

the)'

independent company

Weight (tonnes)

on Gotland with

Strv

5-tank platoons.

six

m/37 (KAS)

m/38-39-40

Strv

Developed from the

earlier L-10, the

L-60 was purchased

in several batches,

differing slightly

from the

vehicles (m/38) were fast

had thin armor and

others.

Landsverk

The

each
initial

16

and well-armed, but

two-man

turret.

The

second batch of 20 vehicles (m/39) were

similar,

but mounted two coaxial machine guns rather

than the one on the

from the

left

m/38 and moved them

of the main gun to the

third batch of

designated the m/40, then the m/40L.

main

The

right.

00 vehicles was originally

differences

from the

The

earlier batches

the use of an automatic transmission

were

and

attachment points for additional armor on the

front that

would

raise the thickness to

By using a Swedish

50mm.

Atlas-Diesel Lysholm-Smith

transmission originally developed for buses, the

Strv

m/40L (KAS)

4.5

Front

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)

Length (m)

3.40

Side

Width (m)

1.85

Engine

Height (m)

1.95

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

15
10
85

60

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

JANE'S

m/40 became
world

to use

the

production tank in the

first

an automatic transmission.

fourth batch of 84 was

signify that

it

was

built

known

as the

fine

The

m/40K,

weapon

when

the

in the late

m/40 began

obsolescent and by

to

by Karlstad Mekaniska

delivered)

it

was

all

more

1930s but by 1942,

deliveries,

944 (when

but

useless.

it

was

the

m/40K was

The small

hull

Verkstad rather than Landsverk and

meant

incorporated the thicker armor as a production

could not be adopted, nor could a larger weapon

feature,

and

to

weight used a

compensate

The

efficient

three-man turret

fitted.

60

series

Weaknesses notwithstanding, the L-

formed the backbone of the Swedish

tank force

only cannon-armed tank until

as its

1944. Although redesignated as a light tank in

1943, in fact

tank until

it

late

continued
1

as the

most numerous

944.

for the additional

60 hp engine and more robust

suspension elements.

that a

be

Bofors

used as the main armament

Weight (tonnes)

37mm gun

in all the series

was

9.1

Armor (mm)

Front

Armor (mm)

Length (m)

4.90

Side

Width <m)

2.08

Engine

Height (m)

2.05

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

15

10

142

45

m/42

Strv

The manifest shortcomings of the

m/38-39-40 and m/4l
particularly their
led to the

families,

weak armament,

development of a heavier

tank based on the Landsverk "Lago"

tank originally developed for export.

The new tank shared many of the

suspension components with the
earlier

L-60

series,

but required a

more powerful engine

increased weight. In

match the

to

fact,

original configuration

the

of two

engines was changed to a single

larger engine

and an early electric

transmission was replaced by a

more

conventional automatic unit during

the production runs at the
factories. Suffixes

two

denoted whether

HP Volvo
160 HP Scania-

the tank had one 4 1

engine (E) or two

Vabis engines (T), and whether

it

had a hydraulic (H) or

electromagnetic

(M)

transmission.

Production totalled 100

m/42TM,

70 TH and 10

EH from Landsverk,
and 55 TH and 47 EH from Volvo. Armament
was a medium-velocity Bofors 75mm gun that
was a great improvement on the 37mm weapons

Strv

m/42

machine gun

used earlier, although by the time deliveries

The m/42

started in 1944 it was probably marginal on the

arrangement unique to Landsverk and placed

contemporary battlefield

in terms

of tank

killing.

third

retained the twin coaxial

weapon

in the hull front.

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

22.5

Front

55

Length (m)

6.22

Side

n/a

Width (m)

2.34

Engine

Height (m)

2.59

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

320

42

179

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

Sav m/43
The success ot German and Soviet assault guns
spurred the Swedes to develop their

own

version, using the only suitable chassis available

at the time, that

of the

TNH (m/4l).

Scania-

Vabis developed the vehicle, replacing the

mounting

superstructure with a fixed casemate

the

05mm L/27 m/44 howitzer with pepper-

pot muzzle brake.

chassis, so the

The TNH was a

rather cramped,

when combined with

105mm gun and 43

The armor was
gun and

assault

gun

rather small

four-man crew must have been

the

rounds of ammunition.

actually

somewhat thin

that, plus the lack

an

for

of a machine

for close-in defense, points towards their

use as self-propelled direct-fire support

weapons, rather than actual assault guns. Given

those limitations, however,
fairly effective

design and

it

it

was apparently

remained

in service

until 1970.

Sav m/43 (KAS)

L-180/181

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

12.4

Front

Length (m)

4.60

Side

Width (m)

2,14

Engine

Height (m)

2.29

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

30
15

140
43

Armored Cars

Landsverk was one of a handful ot firms that took advantage

of the proliferation of 6x4 heavy truck chassis designs
1

930s

model

to create relatively inexpensive

built,

theL-lSl, used

vehicles sold to Lithuania were

gun

armored

Daimler-Benz

armed with

cars.

in the

The

chassis.

first

The

20mm Oerlikon

in the turret (with a coaxial iYlG), while those lor the

Netherlands used a

37mm

180 used a Biissing-NAG

Bofors gun.

chassis.

used the Oerlikon gun, while

all

The slightly later

The single Estonian

L-

vehicle

the others used the Bofors

gun. All vehicles mounted a second

MG in the hull to the side

of the driver.The Swedish government confiscated

five

undelivered Irish L-l 80s, which were turned over to the

army

with the designation pbil m/39. In October I94l the decision

was made

to replace the original turrets

those used in the Pbil

1

m/40

Lynx.

By

mid

930s the L-l 80 family was an adequate design, with

moderate cross-country mobility and

1

with units identical to

the standards ot the

good armament. By

94 1 however, all-wheel-drive designs

,

conclusively

showed

An

L-1

80 with Oerlikon

20mm

Weight (tonnes)
commercial truck

chassis

and the thin armor

would have rendered them dangerous

inhabit

on

gun

the limitations of

the battlefield

vehicles to

Length

7.4

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

5.87

Side

Width (m)

2.24

Engine

Height (m)

2.48

Road Speed (km/h)

(in)

HP

9
9

180
65

JANE'S

*&

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Lynx Armored Car

Development of a modern 4x4 armored
began

in

by 1938. The vehicle, known

middle on the

"Lynx"

machine gunner.
turret, to give a

20mm

At both front and

left side.

back were positions for

as the

unibody construction with the engine

featured
in the

car

1937 and a demonstrator was running

a driver

and

a hull

A further two men fit into the

crew of six. The

iVladsen automatic

turret

mounted

cannon and

coaxial machine gun. Three were delivered

Denmark in April
1

to

1938, but a further order for

had not been delivered by the time of the

German

invasion and these were confiscared

Swedish use as

lot-

the Pbil m/40. Although the

ground clearance appears low

for their

wheelbase, they seem to have been highly

regarded, and a further 30 were ordered for the

Swedish Army.

Weight (tonnes)

Pbil

7.8

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

18
n/a

Length (m)

5.10

Side

Width (m)

2.30

Engine

Height (m)

2.20

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

140
73

m/40 "Lynx" (KAS)

SKP m/42
To provide

the infantry of the armored brigades

with some protection the firm of Broderna

Hedlund designed an armored

ton 4x4

truck chassis.

were delivered starting

carried

its

in

low-sided, open-topped

on

a 3-

1943. Each vehicle

in

6 passengers in a

compartment

at the

Unarmed until after the war and ungainly

they were at

As

fit

crew of a driver and a commander

an armored front cabin and

rear.

hull to

A total of 262 vehicles

least reliable

and easy

to maintain.

a result, these vehicles remained in service

until the 1980s.

Length (m)

6.80

Width (m)

2.30

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.28

Road Speed (km/h)

Weight (tonnes)

SKP m/42

6.7

Front

Side

15
15

105

50

personnel carrier (KAS)

181

United

States

Pre-War Tanks
There were two centers of tank design during the prewar period. The
Army's in-house

facility

was

at

Rock Island Arsenal, which not only

performed engineering development, but

of tanks. The

also

produced small quantities

other source of tank design was the commercial shop of

eccentric J. Walter Christie, a brilliant automotive engineer but

successful in converting his designs to useful

Rock Island Arsenal followed

the

less

combat vehicles. Of the two,

more conservative approach,

resulting in

a series of evolutionary designs that gradually incorporated turrets,

track

and suspension designs and more powerful engines.

new

Christie,

however, obsessively pursued the increase of speed, largely through the use

of his patented new suspension that used large road wheels with long

arms and

vertical travel via trailing

many of his designs was a

large springs.

Another characteristic of

"convertible" feature that allowed the tracks to

be removed and the tank to run directly on

its

road wheels, with power

delivered to the rearmost set of wheels.

Unfortunately, Christie possessed both an apparently limitless

facility

US War Department and a seeming inability to apply

to a practical combat vehicle. The US bought small

for antagonizing the

new suspension

his

numbers of his convertibles

theTl combat car

Rock
the

Island as

as

theT3 medium tanks

(for the cavalry),

theT4 medium

and

tank, but this

and

British

were able

effective tanks, albeit

to prove a

its

own development of small

was added by a provision of the 1 920

restricted tanks to the infantry branch, so the cavalry

term their equivalents combat

initiated in June

1933

not identical vehicles,

cavalry,

in

and the

without the convertible feature.

tanks. Unnecessary complexity

Defense Act that

dead end

covertly)

at

to incorporate his suspension into very

Meanwhile, the army continued with

to

was

and

(for the infantry)

few modified versions

US. Christie did export some prototypes (some

Soviets

was

built a

cars.

As a

called for the

a light

result the

had

new tank project that

development of two

similar,

but

tank for the infantry and a combat car for the

both to be developed by Rock Island Arsenal.

The cavalry version was first off the mark,

a 7-ton vehicle with four road

wheels on two bogeys each side and armed with a .50cal and

machine gun

side

by side

in a turret

The pilot model, blown as

and a second

a .30cal

.30cal in the hull front.

theT-5, was demonstrated along with

infantry branch counterpart, theT-2,

in

its

1934 and production began

as the

JANE'S

Ml

combat car

1935. Tests were undertaken

in

right.

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

The

next modification

came with the

with a modified vehicle in which the bogeys

M2A3 light tank, which adopted the spaced-

were spread further apart

apart bogeys of the

to increase

ground

contact and this version was approved for

production as the

MlAl combat car.

the rear idler was enlarged

on the ground and

1940

as the

The

this

and lowered

went

increased the

Finally,

to ride

into production in

M2 Combat Car.

16mm

to

10.5 tons.

The

final

in early

tank that was

a light

37mm gun and coaxial light MG

939 the final M2A3 was taken off

the production line

retained, however, the

incarnation of the

important one. In 1938 the

and extensively modified

with a single turret with the requested

armament, while

M2 light tank

increased to

maximum armor was

25mm. After tests

in

mid-year

infantry version was delayed slightly by

Combat

Ml Combat Car. The original M2A1

Combat

Tank was similar to

rwo

the

combat

car,

Light

but carried

MGs in the turret in a coaxial

and added

mount

cupola to the roof of the turret.

1932

1933

Car,

M1

Car,

M1A1

armament on

two

the

turrets,

left,

slightly smaller, with a .30cal

Above: An M2A2

August 1939

light

one with

and the

other,

lank on maneuvers at Plattsburg

NY

1936

1937

41

19

30

24

10

1938

1939
-

M2A1

Light Tank,

M2A2

125

104

Light Tank,

M2A3

73

T3

(convertible),

Medium Tank

(convertible),

T3E2

Medium Tank

(convertible),

T4

10

16

18

Medium

weapon, on the

1935

Light Tank,

Medium Tank

M2A2 light tank, with

1934

This was quickly superseded, however, by the

in

and

anachronistic twin-turret arrangement.

quickly settled on the same arrangement as the

.50cal

armed with

increasing vehicle weight to

The vehicle

to prove an

Chief of Infantry requested

M2 Combat Car and

indecision of what suspension to use but they

the

was

maximum armor thickness from

22mm,

Medium

Tank, T5
Tank,

M2

US Pre-War Tank Production by

Fiscal Year

Foundry

some changes were mandated, including

13cm

shortening the main gun length by

prevent damage

wooded

areas,

to the

weapon

and the

were

to

resulting vehicle

Troop

convertible tanks, producing small quantities of

930s.

The T4

retained the

The

at

Rock

Island Arsenal in

was similar

turret

Combat Car in

of the

to that

iVI 1

by a

The tank

much more

was

It

than the

M2-

Much more significant was the development

was

tank.

The convertible

finally discarded and,

launched

in

May

on

was placed

theT5 Phase

with

MG.

In

MG

a .30cal

This was surmounted by

37mm M3 gun and coaxial

theT5 Phase

was deleted and

II

75mm pack howitzer placed

sheets

that in turn

rolled

medium

production of 18 to begin

tank

M2, with

mid- 1939.

in

further 54 tanks were authorized for 1940, but

were cancelled

in light

development in the

of the rapid pace of tank

US

and

of the

M2

built, the

development

series of light tanks had

left

the

United States in the enviable position of having

a fast, reliable light tank that
basis for

all

would

serve as the

their light tanks into 1944.

contract was placed with American Car

&

no longer

The

resultant

M3 light tank in July

production

at

model of light

not

them, further compounding

trends created the next

first

was the shortage of

which were

demand

The

for the air force.

also in

use of dieseis was

an alternative, but the Army was reluctant

establish two supply lines for different

made it

M3 during its

tank. The

air-cooled radial engines,

March 1942

Indeed, in

all

to

fuels.

the Adjutant General

by directing that

official

possible

was

turret,

as far as

diesel-engined tanks were to be

US as training vehicles. The

later

some scepticism was expressed at the time

regarding the difficulty of keeping twin power

gasoline engine with the Guiberson T-

diesel

at the

same

and

the references to

when

M3 (gas) and M3 (diesel) used

Large numbers of M3s were transferred to the

British

(who christened them

and

"Stuarts") as

US.

A turret basket was

as the loader)

commander

would

rotate with

power

the turret and that, in turn, required

With power turret traverse

in place the

in practice,

gun could be dispensed with and

the

gun

azimuth. Gyro stabilization was also

deck

to

accommodate

systems.

a redesigned

The

front face of the tank was

forward, yielding

resultant

light

and cooling

movement towards

the

more room

moved

for the driver

and dual controls were

new tank was

tank and production began

April 1942, with other firms being brought in

shottly thereafter.

A new turret was also subsequently designed,

in the rear to

adding a bustle

M5A1

accommodate a
At the same time,

the improved efficiency of the

M5 hull had

become apparent and some M3-series tanks

were

built

with the forward hull of the

M5A1

M3A3 and was, essentially, an M5A1

and

M3A1

The

(diesel) light tanks.

Unfortunately, in the rush to get

new tanks

into the field as quickly as possible the

components were added

but with

the engine (and lower engine deck) of the

incorporation of these changes yielded the

(gas)

M5 and

This was designated the

the turret of the

sponson-mounted .30cal machine guns were

M3A1

M5

at Cadillac in

unnecessary and was dispensed with, while the

also eliminated as unproductive.

and

fitted.

designated the

radio, resulting in the

fitted.

This

homogenous steel armor upper

assistant driver

The

the engines

The second was

on the

top of the turret was found

providing

reliability.

did, however, require raising the rear engine

fixed

prior feature of permitting 10 of traverse

in

lend-

were

their experiences in the desert

required so that the gunner and

traverse.

field,

arrangement worked well

hull.

needed.

the

packs synchronized in the

both high power and acceptable

on a portion of the tanks. The

produced

Hydramatic automatic transmissions and an

automatic auxiliary transmission. Although

replaced by one of

Faced with an engine shortage the Army

The cupola on

overseas.

Light Tanks

Although few had been

it

and formed homogenous armor.

(who doubled

some modifications theT5 Phase I was

standardized as the

mechanism on

was replaced by a welded

relayed back to the

finder arms protruding to the sides.

US did

solution was to install two Cadillac engines with

was much smaller, accommodating

After

so

manual

British called these

the original turret, built of bolted face-hardened

lease

optical range-

The

The confluence of two

to reduce

large-scale

in the

there facing forward. In this vehicle the turret

a ,30cal

fixed gun.

the problem.

were not given an official designation except for

.30cal

and

officially recognize

the

factory in parallel with the original versions

that rendered the tanks

absolutely useless for combat, such as

retained in the

the right front sponson

machine gun facing forward and

recoil

some

result,

& Foundry on completion of

resultant vehicles were

each corner of the superstructure

at

in rotating sponsons.

turret

in

of interim versions with

varying combinations of features, including

traverse

M2A4 contract. Detail changes were

1020

three bogeys each side, with a high box-like

superstructure. In

ground

was designated the

W-670

roadwheels

aria)'

some combinations

US or

approved the replacement of the Continental

1936, two prototype tanks

six

to the

and the

made

bewildering

production run. After about 300 had been built

feature

under a program

were developed. Both featured

their

and

March 1940 they were declared obsolete.

medium

the

USMC did send a

M2A4. As a

main gun was shortened

armor

1939, at which time 19 remained in service. In

of the T5

in the

pressure,

continually

Ml medium tank in March

standardized as the

These contracts

they arrived at the factory, yielding

tanks "hybrid Stuarts" but the

1940 and ordered into

grudgingly,

finally,

36

revealed the need for

Ametican Car

tanks without any increase in

series light

firepower.

cost

it

the

vehicle

was not popular with War Department

planners, since

a further

94 1 None appears

protruded in front of the shield.

earlier versions, replaced

fixed superstructure in later versions.

combat by

in

was dropped

ground

936-37.

trials

improvements
idler

convertible feature with Christie suspension,

but was built

for the British.

been used

and

tanks,

the fighting there.

remained seduced by the promise of Christie's

added

329

for

few to Guadalcanal where they participated

In medium tanks the infantry branch

in the early

1939

British Armies, although the

1940, with production beginning in May.

T3s

later

to have

was

M2A4 light tank in early

standardized as the

in

were completed in March

in heavily

WAR

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

new

to the tanks as

soon as

M3A1

(gas).

The M3 and
themselves

fast

experiences in

showed them

M5 series light tanks had proven

and

reliable.

Even

early

Operation Torch, however,

to

be undergunned.

It

was made

185

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S
painfully clear in

North Africa

that earlier

in

a project

was begun to

fit

mm mortar in lieu of the main

but no suitable turret existed and so a two-prong

breech-loaded 8 1

were misplaced, and they were quickly relegated

gun. This was accorded a low priority, however,

Phase

and work proceded slowly

yield a tank suitable for interim use, while at the

to the reconnaissance role until a

model could be developed.

were begun

to

more

attempt mounting

effective

1942

In late

M5 chassis, an attempt that failed.

on the

new gun

theT24

to yield

M5) and

US

design practices.

Ir

used a torsion-bar

T13E1

The armor, although

The gun chosen was

25H

that

had been designed

bomber.

performance

thin,

was

had

75mm

the

for use in the B-

75mm M3 tank gun,

but

thinner barrel. This caused the barrel to

heat up

more quickly and reduced

but cut the weight

in half.

service

life,

A new concentric

short recoil system permitted

gun in

mounting of the

a tank turret.
in

M5Als previously

April 1944 (replacing

contracted for) and the vehicle was standardized

light

M24

The M24 proved

in July.

tank of the war;

the best

and well

fast, agile, reliable

armed.

One model of light tank

main stream of US
the

that

fell

outside the

tank development was

light

M22 airborne light tank. A general

statement of required characteristics was

promulgated

May

in

1941 and

Marmon-

Herrington and Pontiac both responded with

proposals.

The Marmon-Herrington

substantially cheaper

the

September 1944

M22 light tank.

now known as the

It

was not standardized

as "limited standard" as

In retrospect the

cannot be considered

was

1943 and continued

in April

through February 1944.

until

offer

and was accepted.

Production of the tank,

T9E1, began

M22

a very useful vehicle.

It's

37mm gun had long since seen its anti-tank

capability eclipsed, yet

round. There

is

it

did throw a useful

no record of attempts

to

HE

mount

75mm pack howitzer in the turret, in the

manner of the M8 motor howitzer carriage, but

/?/0/rt:AnM4A3E8
Division enters

never used

US, but some were supplied

76mm Sherman of the

Rosswalden

in

to

used them in the Rhine

10th Armored

Germany, 20

April

1945

On

would be quickly

the one

former was to lead

to the

M4 Sherman.

The quantity problem was solved with equal

It

was

clear that

Rock

Island Arsenal

lacked the expertise to

The crushing defeat of France by the

the huge production levels needed.

May 1940 had two profound

consequences for the

US armored

force,

one

beneficial, the other pernicious. In the short

the

hammered home

M2A1

armor and

tank with

37mm

its

the obsolescence of

high silhouette, thin

main gun.

was immediately recognized

A pressing need
for a

tank with a

75mm gun, in large numbers, quickly.

The

from theT5 Phase

a

III

medium

pack howitzer

tank,

which had

in the hull. It

940

the

was

manage and implement

had considerable experience

methods,

Army.

On 7 June

War Department asked Chrysler, which

On

if they
1

in

mass production

would produce tanks

August

contract for 1,000

the}'

awarded the firm

M2A1 mediums,

the construction of a

for the

to include

brand-new purpose-built

tank factory in Detroit with a capacity of 1 00

tanks per month.

technical side of the problem benefited

mounted

a turret to

M3 Lee/Grant and the

Medium Tanks

it

hand theT5

further developed to

mid-term tank solution. The

yield the desired

latter to the

obvious that a turreted weapon was desirable,

Production of theT24 began at Cadillac

as the

the

who

The M22 was

III

same time work wotdd commence on

vehicle, designated

crossings.

term,

TheT13 had the same ballistic

as the

combat by

the British

panzerwaffe in

well sloped to give acceptable protection for a

light tank.

cancelled.

end of the

approach was launched.

dispatch.

suspension that gave good cross-country

performance.

T9E2, was

until the

light tank.

The new tank was a complete break with

prior

war when the proposed

in

new light

tank (albeit with the power pack of the

a

efforts

75mm gun

Attention then turned to building a

November 943

thoughts of using light ranks as combat assets

Only 1 3 days

later the

M2A1

contract was cancelled and replaced by one that

specified the

new M3 medium

tank, so far not

even designed. In the meantime, Rock Island

Arsenal was given a contract for 126

M2Als

for

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

November 1941

in

1940

1942

1941

1945

1944

1943

Combat

Car,

M2

34

325

40

capabilities.

M2A4

Light,

M-H

Light,

M3

(gas)

Light,

M3

(dieset)

Light,

10

M3A1
M3A1

The chassis of the M2 and T5

240

7-ton

2,072

2,454

479

802

(gas)
(diesel)

machine guns

40

211

3,425

M3A3

M5

2,074

M5A1

Light,

784

Light,

M22

(gas)

1,963

4,063

2,801

M3

2,915

1,033

M3

12

Medium, M3A3

322

in the

Medium, M3A4

The slighter longer M3 gun

M2 to yield somewhat better

109

284

replaced the

307

475

6,082

191

1,785

4,496

Medium, M4A2 (75mm)

2,811

4,408

834

Medium, M4A3 (75mm)

514

1,176

2,420

Medium, M4A4 (75mm)

2,432

5,067

M4 (75mm)

Medium, M4A1 (75mm)

and the d river's fixed machine guns dispensed

651
casting instead of rivetting sections together,

and
1,255

2,171
-

Medium, M4A2 (76mm)

Medium, M4A3 (76mm)

M4 (105mm How)

Medium, M4A3 (105mm How)

few were

M3A3, which used a pair of General Motors 6-

1,241

400

1,045

1,994

Heavy,

M6A1

M6A2

Heavy,

Heavy, T26E1

A version that reverted

was designated the M3A5.

249

Another solution

to the engine shortage

40

combine five 6-cylinder automobile engines in a

was

to

This bulky power plant, dubbed

the A57 multibank engine,

would

fit

into the

12

M3

only if the engine

16

28cm

compartment were made

longer, necessitating a wider spacing of

10
the bogeys. This configuration was designated
2,162

40

M26
-

Heavy, T26E2
Heavy,

71 diesel truck engines.

to the riveted hull

but only a

production shifted to the

1,172

built before

star pattern.

M6

M3A2,

1,321

Heavy Tanks
Heavy,

M3A1 The use of an all-

in the

1,594

Medium, T25E1

Heavy,

this resulted in the

welded hull resulted

3,370

Medium, T23

Ordnance Committee

authorized the construction of upper hulls by

59

Medium, M4A1 (76mm)

Medium,

performance, the side doors were eliminated,

with. In June 1941 the

16

Medium, M4A6 (75mm)

was

M3, although none altered its archaic

Medium,

that in turn,

cupola with yet another machine

configuration.

British

37mm gun and

A series of continual improvements were seen

Medium, M3A2

Medium, M3A5

fixed

The whole assembly required six or seven

Medium, M3A5

Two

hull to be fired

crewmen.

300

Medium, M3A1

turret with a

machine gun, and

topped by
gun.

667

309

British

to the shorter barrel.

surmounted by a
coaxial

88

as the

gun, although at a slightly lower

field

due

75mm gun

same ammunition

by the driver. The superstructure was

1,930

Medium Tanks

Medium,

897

the

were discarded.
be a

to

machine guns were set into the

150

M24

Medium,

velocity

680

Medium, M2A1

in their rotors

The primary weapon was

M2, which fired

Light,

tanks were

retained for the new M3 medium but the corner

4,370
-

Light,

Light,

AGF

production of tanks with improved anti-tank

Light,

Light,

mid- 1944

(usually successfully) the

opposed

actively

Light Tanks

until

185

As was

27

T26E5

theM3A4.
become common with

to

note: figures include Lend-Lease vehicles, but not commercial sales

necessarily indicate

US

the

Sherman, the varying designations did not

any chronological order of

production, but rather varying solutions to

WartimeTank Production

manufacturing needs and component shortages.

for the exploitation role, while

use as training vehicles.

The more baleful effect was

reached by Army
for

doctrine and

Ground

the decision

enemy tanks was to be

left to

the

Destroyer force. Under

this

the answer to

were tanks not required

to fight

massed tank attacks was the creation of a

separate anti-tank force. Tanks were to be used

was building

new Tank

theory not only

Forces, responsible

tactics, that

Thus, in June 1942 the Detroit Tank Arsenal

combating

enemy

tanks,

but they were actively discouraged from doing

so.

From

the creation of the tank destroyer

arm

Locomotive

M3s and M3A4s, Baldwin

M3A3s and M3A5s, Pressed Steel

and Pullman Standard M3s, and American

Locomotive M3Als.

The armored

force submitted

its

187

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

M 3 replacement in August

requirements for an
1

940, even before the

M3 had entered

production. Two overriding demands drove the

design process.

from the

The

to

move

automotive essence

as possible in

manufacturing

A prototype,

lines.

theT6 medium

December 1941

tank. In

Sherman was standardized

in

two

when

M4A1) came off the

the

of the Wright radial engine led to the

availability

GM 6-71 arrangement as

adoption of the twin

on the M3A3,

being designated the

this

M4A2.

This model was the second to see production, at

Fisher

Tank

in April

942. Although sensitive to

the engines were generally reliable and

dirt,

good cross-country performance.

Nevertheless, the

theaters

meant

that

most

for

training or distributed as international aid to the

The next solution

to the

engine problem was to adapt the Ford

GAA

British

and

Soviets.

was quite compact. In

it

fact, it

lowered the driveshaft through the center of the

tank noticeably and thus

somewhat

easier to

made

crew and maintain. This

version was standardized as the

January 1942 and the

first

final

month

model

after the first

of

M4A3

in

production model

came off the Ford production

just a

the tank

line in

August,

basic-model

M4. The

Sherman, the M4A4, used the

Chrysler multibank engine

first

installed in the

M3A4. As with the earlier M3A4

be lengthened to

accommodate

the hull had to

the large,

of

Department

built

two

76mm guns with higher

75mm M3 and fitted

them

Shermans

to

for test in

August 1 942. They

considered the

tests successful

recommended

the manufacture of

and

of

by change

in

nomenclature.

One of the most

were many.

First,

76mm, and

fly.

The

the

reasons

commanders

not having faced the most modern

tanks in any numbers, never expressed

any concern about the

75mm gun of the

to that point. Indeed,

most had

pronounced themselves quite pleased with the

,000 such

tanks. After service tests in early 1943, however,

the

Armored Force

rejected the design as having

an inefficient and cramped turret

By this time

the

at

the

work on

T-20

series

as

it

was. Second, the

Sherman waned
that

it

interior.

Ordnance Department was

their successor to the

Sherman,

with hybrid electric drive and a

M4 and in July

943 an

the push for their all-new

tanks such as the T-20, T-23 and T-26. Third,

Ordnance Department

produced over-optimistic

as a result

of failing to properly factor in the

effect of sloped

armor, thus leading to a

sense of security. Finally, the

Army Ground
that
to

US

Forces under General

weapon

that

promised

American tankers were

well.

Sherman

of the mediums would be so armed. Most

third

Shermans, therefore, were

to

continue with the

75mm. The reasons had much

role

of tanks

as envisioned

to

do with the

by the center - they

were not to engage enemy tanks, that was to be

left to

the tank destroyers.

late

76mm-armed

such numbers that ultimately one-

in

The 76mm

did,

indeed, have better armor penetration

75mm M3, but set

HE round actually held only half

to give

ammunition meant
in the tank,

75mm HE,

the larger

that fewer could be carried

and the muzzle

blast frequently

obscured the gunner's view with smoke and

As

way around

tanks with

this,

both the Ordnance

90mm guns, but Army Ground

Forces rejected that

call,

arguing that they did

not need tank-killing capability in their tanks,

a useful

reason,
in

Appeals

to increase the high-explosive

firepower of the Sherman, on the other hand,

met no opposition whatsoever.

an

Initial tests

on

M4A4 with a 105mm howitzer were

conducted

in

December 1 942 and two more,

incorporating modifications as a result of the

first test,
first

were proof fired

of an

in

of 500

initial lot

August 1943. The

M4A3 with the

howitzer was produced at the Detroit Tank

Plant in

of the

led

1944 and early 1945.

second batch of 2,539 with

fill

Shermans

pay a heavy price

to

performance than the

the explosive

enemy tanks

Whatever the main

against that

its

McNair

an out-of-hand rejection of almost any

Aberdeen and performed

September 1943 the Armored Force

false

adamant stance of

tanks were not to fight

anti-tank capability.

armor

figures for

75mm M3 and the 76mm

penetration by the

M4E6 with theT-23 turret was tested at

On

Ordnance

1942, probably for fear

after

would weaken

the engineers at the

1

Department and the Armored Force requested

design changes that were generally not reflected

German

began to

clear

Department's support for a bigger gun on the

previous model simplified the transition.

a series

bitter recriminations

became

Sherman

dust.

models went through

even with the

a Tiger,

for the fiasco

it

for either a

was that of armament. The Ordnance

complex engine, although experiences with the

All the

Sherman was no match

American medium tank design during the war

requested production of the

8-

cylinder gasoline engine for tank use, an easy

task since

issue

but no such tank was to

Normandy invasion

After the

in the field,

the

most numerous

most contentious

similar to that of the

combat

M4A2s were used

i.e.,

76mm gun. The turret of theT-23 variant was

War Department policy

against deploying diesel-engine tanks to

the

E8

chassis,

be built.

Sherman up

Certainly, the

hard

delivered plenty of torque at low revolutions,

yielding

built with this

muzzle velocity than the

British-

The recurring concerns about

March 1944. Tanks

in

M4A3E8.

it

funded Lima Locomotive Works in February

1942.

cross-country mobility

was approved for all models of

M4A1E8, M4A2E8 and

joint US-British tank board. In fact, the first

Sherman

Panther or

it

(universally referred to as "easy-8"),

the

The HVSS improved

feature carried the additional suffix

Production of the Sherman was managed by a

(an

assistant

that the

as

used a cast upper hull.

Sherman

and

M36 tank destroyer

weapon could be mounted

that such a

horizontal-volute spring suspension (HVSS).

Shermans

variants, the

M4 with a welded hull, and the iY14Al

for the driver

M3

September 1941

in

on

hoods

Another change was the move from the

noticeably and

using the

suspension and power plant of the

medium, was delivered

for protruding

original vertical-volute spring suspension to a

order to speed

Experience with the

showed

The

from one tank to the other on the

transition

the front upper hull

driver.

much of the M3's

to use as

make

more nearly vertical, which eliminated the need

75mm

the

hull into a fully-rotating turret.

second was

chassis,

was

first

noticeable was to

May

944. Those were followed by a

HVSS. The

were produced without power

tanks

traverse, this

being considered unnecessary, but a few of the

late-production vehicles were so fitted, too late
to see service in Europe.

One further variant of the Sherman

production was the

to enter

M4A3E2 assault tank. This

involved welding an additonal

38mm of armor

over the hull front and on the sponson sides,

and the use of a new

turret

with walls

50mm

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S
thick.

since
role,

It
it

retained the standard

was intended

75mm M3 gun,

components

to

compensate

tons. Fisher built

254

for the

M4A3E2

1944 and they proved popular

in

Europe the

final drive

weight of 42

combat. Once

76mm in many tanks as a field conversion.

US

dozen British

Fireflies

and used them

in Italy received

from

in the final

their counterparts

campaign. For North-West Europe, however,

contract was placed with

the
1

60

when a

Woolwich Arsenal

in

UK for the installation of 17pdr guns into

(later

reduced ro 80)

936

1932 they were removed from

was

officially rescinded.

for training vehicles

In

US Shermans. The

tanks were delivered to the continent starting in

and

May

the Arm)' requirement for a heavy tank

T26 E3 platoon

enters

Germany on the

1 st

March 1 945

The bulk of the Mark

and then

Canada

in

940

testing

had not been completed, two

models were standardized

as the

M6 and M6A1

February 1942. In the meantime, opinion

the

Armored Force had been

the development of a heavy tank

A month later a contract was

shifting against the

cancelling the program. Forty

12M6Alsand20TlEl

models, the

M6s,

last

featuring a hybrid electric drive. All weighed

about 64 tons, had

maximum armor thickness

signed with Baldwin Locomotive for the design

of 100mm, and were armed with

and construction of a prototype heavy tank,

Subsequent

to

in

heavy tank and in December 1942 they

vehicles were finally built, consisting of 8

formal project for the Tl heavy tank was

in July.

Although

recommended

scrap.

approved

with hull construction and motive power.

in

May 940 the Ordnance Committee

recommended

weeks of the

nothing was done until March 1945,

00 Mark VIII heavy tanks, based on the

British design. In

VIIIs were eventually sold to

about

first

paths as the engineers struggled with problems

During 1919-1920 Rock Island Arsenal had

employed only a handful of Firefly (17pdr)

Shermans. Fifth Army

Below: The

road between thum an d Ginnick on

troop service and placed in storage, and in

75mm gun was replaced by the

Although the firepower was needed, the

to units before the

Heavy Tanks

built

in iMay-July

in

none were issued

war ended.

for the infantry support

but used heavier differential and

April, but

be followed by 50 production vehicles.

unreliable,

Development followed a variety of diverging

ever

left

tests

showed

theTlEl

all

a 3"

M7 gun.

the models to be

especially so,

and none

the US.

189

JAN E'S TAN KS OF WORLD

The new American heavy tank was
from

a failed series

Sherman.

replace the

to spring

of medium tanks designed

to

A range of parallel efforts

were involved, theT20 with hydramatic

transmission,

theT22 with manual

transmission,

theT23 with

transmission,

all

897 gun mounted on

Both were sent

track.

to

M3 half-

the

North Africa

modification of the vehicle but the cumulative

for

effect

Operation Torch, where the former proved

and the

useless

latter acceptable,

but only as an

electric

76mm guns in most of

theT25 with 90mm gun,

use the chassis and power plant of the

Sherman, but with

to

M4A2

Modifications in early 1944 yielded theT26El

mounting

medium

the

1944. In that same

the

month

ETO informed

the

War Department that it wanted no more

a 3"

they were developed, leading to

By February 1944 some ,200

carriage in

June

Once

The

942.

tank destroyer center bitterly fought

the

first

658

built

had

to

the problems were sorted out the

destroyer.

it

Tmk

Command got exactly what it had

Destroyer

asked for- a thinly armored, very

standardization of this vehicle, feeling that

be returned

to the factory for rebuild.

M7 gun. It was standardized as

motor gun

as

T70s had been produced, of which 1,097

Of those,

superstructure and a welded open-topped turret

numbers unsuitable

large

required modification to conform to standards.

more thinly-armored

and theT26, an up-armored T25.

tank, redesignated a heavy tank in June

production

logistics chaos.

Ordnance Department's solution was

Ik

made

of which

combat. Improvements were cut into

for

interim weapon.

with

their incarnations,

75mm M

WAR

At 80 km/hr

it

was the

fast

tank

fastest tracked

75mm or 76mm-armed tanks for delivery in

1945, that only 90mm gun and 105mm

was not significantly faster or

standard Sherman and therefore unsuited to

for possible use as a light tank, but

howitzer armed vehicles were needed.

their assigned mission. Nevertheless, a contract

because the armor was too thin, the turret was

Nevertheless,

Army Ground

was

Forces fotighr a

90mm tank

bitter delaying action to prevent a

from entering service.

successful. Production

(the result ol further

0s,

for the

of the

most

first

part,

20 T26E3s

improvements) did not

November 1944 and

which began

was awarded

Although

tank.

American rank

still

flawed,

it

in

light, fast,

March

M26 heavy

was the only

that could take

on

was

Panther or

clearly not the answer.

light tank chassis

had begun

in

new chassis

suspension and a

1941 but had

popular on that basis during

vehicle was modified to accept the

brief combat

and the suspension changed

career.

system

Tank Destroyers
Starting in

the

94 1 the

US Army assigned

mission of destroying

enemy tanks not

tank force, but to a specialized branch

the

until

as the

development inevitably led

faults,

it

was

March 1 944. The accelerated

tank destroyers using a mixture of towed and

theTD

from

to pressure

Ml 8 motor gun carriage

self-propelled anti-tank guns. Doctrine called

for

76mm gun

Tank Destroyer force theT70 was rushed

not standardized
as

AA weapon.

to large

German

ability to

76mm gun

knock out

Having sacrificed armor

tanks.

protection and secondary armament, a rank

certainly

had

a limited utility.

less charitable.

As

vehicles in

enemy

mobility, others were

its

a result,

Buick undertook the

Ml 8s to M39 armored utility

1944 and

a further

407

numbers of

in 1945.

turret

passengers.

It

prime mover

The need

served as a
for the

for a

command vehicle and a

towed 3"

AT gun.

more powerful gun had

already been anticipated. In September 1942

the

Ordnance Department began working on

be used in a tank turret, and such a weapon was

fired in trials

on

modified

M10 in December.

breakthrough occurred, implying a great deal

1941

in time. It

fight

was

also

assumed that they would

from defensive positions, reducing the

need for armor protection.

The SP

tank

destroyers were thus usually characterized

by

high mobility, strong firepower and thin armor.

At the time the tank destroyer force was

formed there were no SP tank

destroyers, so

truck,

M6, a 37mm gun on

and the

for.

The

Motor Gun Carriage,

M10 Motor Gun

37mm

Carriage, 3-inch

M10A1 Motor Gun

Carriage, 3-inch

M18 Motor Gun

Carriage,

M36 Motor Gun

Carriage,

Carriage,

90mm

M36B2 Motor Gun

Carriage,

90mm*

1942

1943

5,380

611

4,382

28

1,685

76mm
90mm*

M36B1 Motor Gun

improvisation was clearly called

were the

M6

1944

812

1,695

1,213

conversions

results

the back of the

M3 motor gun carriage, the

1945

200

187
-

90mm AA gun that could

battalions to be held in reserve until

of mobility in order to reach the threatened area

This

and

opening up the superstructure to carry seven

modification of the

none of which required major

tanks

Some commands

was accomplished by removing the

to a torsion-bar

theT70. In response

much of its

conversion of 233

the

into production in July 1943, although

to the

known

as

to

75mm gun as theT67. Tests in

lost

loved the Hellcat for

using a Christie

November 942 showed promise and

was rejected

certainly conferred tactical

destroyer that could not destroy

the

gone nowhere. Instead, development turned

an entirely

hard-hitting vehicle was needed, and

Tiger on relatively even terms, and proved

its

The high speed

to

the .50cal

had

Development of a tank destroyer based on

January 1945 and

armament other than

M4A3astheMl0Al.

following the Ardennes scare. Full production

standardized as the

was even evaluated

advantages, but by mid- 1 944 the

the

in

It

Ford to build vehicles using the chassis of the

hurriedly shipped to Europe in January 1944

theT26E3 was

US Army.

open-topped, and there was no machine gun

For tank destroyer doctrine to be successful

these were

was authorized

vehicle in the

production in September 1942, and, to speed

deliveries, a parallel contract

The AGF efforts were,

begin until

Fisher for

let to

lighter than a

Tank Destroyer Production (exel half-track) by Year

724

Turning it into a workable

took longer.

A whole new turret was required

the

The one producer of armored vehicles

September 1943. In

until

Sherman could have and should have been.

Marmon-Herrington Tanks

and the finished prototype, designated theT71

was not available

M36 was the tank that

by the end of the war the

vehicle, however,

WAR

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

operating

October Army Ground Forces requested the

outside the framework of War Department

production of 500 T7 1 s and

suppliers

production of the

0.

the termination of

number of

they decided to try their

tank destroyer units to be raised. Ar that time

Army had a requirement

the

destroyers, but with existing

for

initial effort

and

forecast

production of 1 1 ,547.

Dropping new

on

turrets

the

was the CTL-3,

turrerless vehicle

2,862 tank

M 10 chassis

chassis

on

standardized as the

M36 motor gun carriage in

The other 200

vehicles of the initial order

July.

taken from depot stocks.

Normandy pressed

home

413 MlQAls to M36s by

year. In addition, Fisher

using

the need for

M36B

end of the

began building vehicles

Starting in

five

vehicles that year,

this

May 945
1

exhausted the stock

and

was begun

this

in

to

M10

using the hulls of the diesel-powered

start

May as well, to yield

the

The M36 with

big

immediately popular. In
used

as a

gun proved
fact, it

was

so often

the open-topped

turret, a

particular vulnerability. In addition,

coaxial

armor

theETO
bow

machine guns, which would have

(although the few

M36Bls

machine inherited from

its

built

had

Sherman

bow

considered a success.

nothing that the

hull).

the

M36

highlight

had the

76mm Sherman could not and

8 was

fast

little

and

vehicles.

Two

the

in

To expand

their

man

as the

home

in

943.

export drive,

and one

one

MTLS before the contracts were cancelled.

to accept the

side,

US Army. The more powerful

be used in the

twin

fitted to the

rejected. In the end, the

of the

Dutch

was

that

received 3

The US made a half-hearted effort to

six to

Guatemala and four

was stopped

in the

scrapped.

driver's

CTMS to Cuba,

shipping eight

and

in

The company's other

success

was

to

China. In

CTLS

the driver to the right

Lease account. In early

-4TAYwith

the driver to the

and the

time the

tanks

An

first

production

to

12 to Ecuador,

Mexico, but

(temporary) export

May 1 94

the

US

light tanks for China's

Lend-

March 1 942, about the

tank was coming off the

line,

China declared them

unsuitable and refused to accept them.

CTLS was also

this

1944 and the remainder

-4TAC with

to avoid blind spots.

(in lieu

MTLS for Surinam and the West

19

ordered 240

were to operate in pairs

MTLS

37mm mount), but only after a new

Indies.

arc, the

The

American Ordnance

CTMS could not accept the larger standard

37mm M5 or M6 tank gun, so they could not

tank was available in two configuration: the

left.

of CTMS and 125 of

full lot

dispose of the inherited vehicles by lend-lease,

a two-

Because the

production of the

CTMS and

product range they

machine guns, one

in the hull.

but although their obsolescence was

mounting was designed, an option

itself in the

CTLS. This vehicle had

.30cal

The US took over the CTMS and MTLS

Sim could be

Europe broke out

crew, a small turret offset to

CTLS on the contract, which the

and

developed a turreted version of their light tank,

known

39

37mm L/44 gun, the small turrets on the

enviable position of being the only available

producer.

left

Army

CTLS that were already en route.

Designed

the Netherlands East

war

remainder, the Australian

Dutch shipped to Surinam and the West Indies.

the

Efforts in the late 1930s proved

but when

This

arrived.

tank

useless vehicles

position blocked the turret in a 120

The M10 provided

more specialized. The

KNIL,

was another matter and only about

to Java

two dozen appear to have

starting,

and the most notable recipient of their

Army.

them

(all

1942, getting

contracts just as production of the former was

last

The company also launched an

turret

The US tank destroyer effort cannot be

far

the units returned

armed with two

completed the transformation into a tank

was

when

had delivered 168 tanks

recognized, bureaucratic inertia allowed

to the Wallis Islands

Marmon-Herrington round

point of

requested development of a version with

as the

it

and

Although the firm

tanks.

CTLS) by the end of January

Of the

CTL-3s

in a turret.

Samoa, abandoning the

fruitless,

tank that Army Ground Forces

cover kit for

and

there

Indies

directed the development of an overhead

1941

modern

received 149

CTM models with

machine guns

attentions was the

M36B2.
its

retrofitted the

Also purchased were five

twin .50cal

of available vehicles. The only alternative was

the

and running gear of the

procurement of these near-useless

British

M36s, but

more powerful

CTL-3A, and

with a wider track. This was the

companies were sent

to

of these in December

and

0A1 s

937. The suspension components proved

Montreal Locomotive converted 200 more

1

apparently caused by the inexperience of both

CTL-6. The Marines purchased 20 of these

M4A3 Sherman hulls,

new production

yielding the

the

improved version, with

programs were attended by continual delays,

two-man

M2A4 light tank, was introduced in

a

CTLS, 74

within their 5-ton limit.

version, using the track

90mm

940, followed by a further 34

have been delivered by the end of 1 94 1 but the

troublesome, however, and a further improved

fighting in

and American Locomotive converted

vehicles,

further

The

CTMS in the autumn of

building

M lOAls

came from conversion of existing

200 CTLS and 120

could report that

Marines bought

production line and completing them asT71s,

KNIL ordered an initial

1936, largely because they were the only tank-

engine, was developed as the

their

available source, the

US Marines bought five of these vehicles in June

slightly

0A1

37mm gun

Lacking any other

parties involved in specifying, designing

thought, but in April 1944 Fisher began taking

1

in the tutret.

guns ball-mounted in the superstructure. The

like vehicles available

mounting

Their

at tanks.

^ ^'^i^^

four-man rank with a bizarre twin

with three .30cal machine

proved a bit more difficult than originally

300 incomplete

hand

II

CTMS and 200 MTLS in the Spring of 94

Some 165 CTLS and 140 CTMS were to

was the Marmon-Herrington

Company of Indianapolis. In the mid-1930s

This decision was

partly the result of a cut-back in the

The last

powerful, but both served mainly to

enlarged version of the

what could have been accomplished

proposed, a three-man tank with a turret-

tank of the batch was completed

mounted 37mm gun called the CTMS-1TBI,

US was left with 240 of these little machines.

The US Army designated them theT-l4 (right

effort that

been used

to

went into developing them

develop improved tanks. Indeed,

and an even lamer version, the MTLS-1GI4,

in July

and the

191

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

/.eft
1

An

M3

half-track personnel carrier

942. Note the exhaust extension used

operations

Morocco

in

in

landing

in

has not been removed

still

The half-tracks were generally successful

Such limitations

vehicles.

the inability to keep

terrain,

were due

as they had,

up with tanks

in

notably

rough

ro the general half-tracked

configuration. Thus, there were few changes to

M4 mortar

The

the design during the war.

carrier

was designed to accommodate the

mortar for transport, with

on board

firing

envisioned only as an emergency measure. As a

result,

no

proved popular
provision was

made on

revised vehicle

M4A1

vehicles

was

remedy

this a

M4A1

in

M4s were converted

to

limitation of the

issued

some

of

them

(left

hand

and

turret)

new vehicle was

briefly to units in Alaska.

They were withdrawn

in

1943 and scrapped,

Thereafter, the firm turned to the production of

US Army tank,

theT-9 (M22).

development, Marmon-Herrington had

provided
1

litrle

to aid the

936-45 they had

built over

US and allies, all of them

substandard, and of

carrier. All three

were identical

in

terms

The

M3 was 25cm longer.

M2 and M4 were immediately placed in

and the

production with White and Autocar,

M3 with those two and Diamond T

Further, massive
afrer the Pearl

Harbor

US

had experimented with

track trucks through the 1930s the

that configuration

come until
carrier,

the

on armored

White T7

derived from the

underwent

tests in

vehicles,

its

but

half-

use of

vehicle did not

half-track personnel

M3 scout car, which

September-October 1938.

The provision of power

improved

first

to the front axle

it

was found

to be

An improved version, theTM, underwent

in

trials

1939. Further modifications led to

standardization of three vehicles in October

192

mount for

was added

its

accepted for service

M2) and

the

M5

many of its own

trials

2,209

as

the

M9 (equivalent of the
M3).The

frame, suspension, transmission and external

M9/M5 were identical to

the engine, front axle

and the use of

homogenous welded armor plate. Because

this

of the

this standard,

M3s were converted

used

an "Al"

M2, M3,

1,261

to the

M2s and

Al model.

propelled mounts.

gun

wide variety of self-

as the basis for a

The earliest of these placed

897 gun

Carriage. Their

the I-H models were

(equivalent of the

With

M5 and M9. In addition to new production

forward over the cab

components. After

machine gun

the .50cal

to the designations

Army's disposal for half-track building, but only

the firm could use

built.

to the basic

A versatile vehicle, the half-track family was

their earlier equivalents, the differences being in

underpowered.

"pulpit" ring

75mm M

if

few were

over the right side of the cab.

entire truck manufacturing facilities at the

appearance of the

mobility compared to earlier

relatively

The only major modification

attack, but current

International Harvester Co. offered to place

Although the

machine gun. This became the

switching over to

procurement was authorized

capacity was already strained. In early 1942 the

Half-Tracks

of the vehicle

family of half-tracks was the addition of a

,600 tanks for the

which about 50 actually saw combat.

to the front. Also

a pedestal in the rear

mortar

of automotive components and were externally

large-scale

war effort. During

designed, this

M3 personnel carrier,

M21, although

940, the

identical except that the

Staying outside the mainstream of US tank

To

M2 half-track car, the M3 half-track

personnel carrier, and the M4 half-track 8 lmm
1

this

M4 and M4A1

that the)' fired to the rear.

which the mortar fired

for a .50cal

and T- 15

for

amount, and

was designated the

943. Most

added was

turret)

mount

the floor

time based on the larger

hand

firing

standard, a relatively simple operation.

The primary

in

Mounted

combat, however, so

in

traversing the mortar a greater

January

130 mils on

traverse, other than the

the mortar crank, was provided.

role

in

an armored shield

as the

M3 75mm Motor

armor was too thin

for the assault

and the gun too weak for effective anti-

tank work, but they proved useful for direct

support and,
all

the

in the early stages

converted to

M3A1

fire

of the war, were

US had. Of the 2,200 built,

45 when

the

firing

,360 were

personnel carriers in 1944-

their usefulness

had

finally

ended,

although they remained popular with British

they

armored car regiments

to the

end of the war.

57mm anti-

used a non-standard engine most were handed

Similar arrangements

out as international

tank gun as the T48 motor gun carriage and rhe

aid.

mounted

the

37

JANE'S

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

*T~rn*j\*Jr

reliability,

1940
Car, Half-Track,

M2

Car, Half-Track,

M2A1

Car, Half-Track,

M9

Car, Half-Track,

M9A1

...
-

M3

Carrier, Personnel,

M3A1

Carrier, Personnel,

M5

Carrier, Personnel,

M5A1

M4

Carrier, Mortar,

M4A1

Carrier, Mortar,

M21

Carriage,
Carriage,
Carriage,

Carriage, twin

4,735

1943

1944

3,115

1,407

5,681

152

M1

Carriage, twin .50cal,

M14

571

SP weapons

until the

M7 full-tracked vehicle.

perceived importance of armored cars in

the United States fluctuated considerably

920

during rhe pre-war period, with brief bouts of

intense activity followed by periods of

1,859

1,100

indifference.

600

were developed during

110

50

912

86

1,350

766

500

324

Twelve models of armored cars

1

two commercial models

928-34 (including
for the Persian

government), but no substantive production

was undertaken. Two of these, the Armored

CarTl and

Car Tl, were

the Cavalry Scout

simply Pontiac car chassis and bodies with

The

,638

did provide the armored

Armored Cars

4,473

110

1,103

1,600

mount. The T6, T7 and T8 armored

built

20mm, T10E1

Carriage, twin .50cal,

it

656

987

4,959

but

division artillery with

2,026

1945

arrival of the

2,037

57mm Gun, T48

75mm Gun, M3
75mm How, T30
105mm How, T1 9

Carriage,

3,565

1,859

Carrier, Personnel,

Carrier, Mortar,

1942

1941

armored radiator covers and and machine gun

on 4x2 commercial truck

cars

chassis

were

by

Carriage, multiple gun,

M1 5

600

Carriage, multiple gun,

M15A1

1,052

600

Holabird

Carriage, multiple gun,

M16

2,323

554

turret-mounted machine guns. Three models

Carriage, multiple gun,

M1

400

600

were built by commercial firms under

80

QM depot and were armed with

Ordnance Department guidance,

Production of Half-Track Vehicles by Year

the

T2 by

theTlO by Willys, and theT4 by

Cadillac,

Cunningham. The last-mentioned was

6x4

9mm of armor

popular and effective in the ground-support

design weighing 5 tons with

A project was also launched to fit a twin

were
20mm mount on the M3 chassis and

and

expedient pending production of the tank-based

ordered, but only one was completed with guns,

be fully standardized, being designated the

M8 SP. The bulk of theT48s were exported as

international aid, 30 to the UK and 650 to the

with 568 twin-gun

75mm pack howitzer as theT30. The former was

intended as a tank destroyer (a role
indifferently at best)

and the

it

latter as

performed
an

role.

USSR. The remainder were converted to M3A1

personnel carriers in

944.

basis for all the

The

.50cal

M3,

first

US

self-propelled anti-aircraft

of these involved placing a twin

MG Maxson mount on the rear of the

resulting in the

M 14. Two approaches were

involved switching to a quad .50cal

arrangement

to yield the

(when using the

the

M3 vehicle)

6 gun carriage

and the

new mount

that carried a

gun and two

anti-aircraft

mount, on the

.50cal

37mm

MGs.That

M3 chassis, yielded the Ml 5 gun

carriage and, with a slightly modified

the

M17 (on

M5). The second approach involved

designing

built in

05mm M2A1

gun of the

howitzer in place of the

75mm

and

M3 gun carriage to result in theTl9

105mm gun

carriage.

first

armored car

to

Ml

in 1933.

pre-war design was the Tl

first

1933 by the Four Wheel Drive Corp.

drive, a

turret-mounted .50cal

6mm of armor,

art at the

it

MG,

represented state-of-the-

time but suffered cooling problems

and mechanical weaknesses. TheTl 1 El was

This overloaded rhe

vehicle, resulting in a loss

final

With 4x4

system came with the installation of the

M5 as the vehicle,

taken to improve the firepower of these vehicles.

The first

The

was the

It

slightly modified version made by Marmon-

of mobility and

Ml 3 gun carnage. A

similar design, but using the

was designated the

armored car

(along

Ml 3s).

sole use of the half-track chassis as a true

artillery

On the other hand, half-tracks provided the

guns.

The

Ml 6s

with coaxial ,50cal and .30cal

machine guns.

1 1

the other 109 being converted to

a turret

5A1 Although
.

there was

mount,

1933

1932

Armored

Car,

M1 Cunningham
Armored

Car,

T11

Armored

Car,

T11E1

Armored

Car,

T11E2

Scout

Car,

T7

Scout

Car,

T9

Scout

Car,

M2

Scout

Car,

M3

Scout

Car, T1

Scout

Car,

28

1936

1937

1938

1939

----------

1934

1935

1940

76
20
2

74
38

825

M3A1

little air

Pre-War Product on of/ trmored Cars & Scout Cars by Fiscal Year
1

opposition by the time these vehicles entered

service the

5,

6 and

all

proved very

193

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Scout

Car,

M3A1

Scout

Car,

Canadian 3

1941

1942

1943

1944

1,908

7,046

10,174

941

320

749

1945

dispute over contract terms delayed

production until early 1943. In the meantime,

development had begun on

a utility version

of

the vehicle, for which purpose the turret was

Armored

Car,

Armored

Car,

M8

4,299

T17

32

218

removed and the

Armored

Car,

T17E1

Armored

Car,

T17E2

Armored

Car,

T18E2

28

Armored

Utility Car,

1,624

M20

157

841

3,383

side walls extended

38cm

higher to form a rectangular crew compartment

2,687

for five to seven

789

211

men. Production of the

resulting vehicle, the

was begun by Ford

830

1,337

M20 armored utility car,

in July

1943.

a Canadian production

Self- Propelled Artillery

War Time

Production

of

Armored Cars & Scout Cars

The March 1942 organization

tables for the

105mm

armored force included self-propelled

howitzers as armored division

but no

Herrington, followed by the same firm'sTl 1E2.

offered to the British,

Apparently none of the modifications solved the

desert tests,

cooling problem. In any event, shortly

over to the Military Police (minus their main

stop-gap measure

guns) for use in the US.

placed into half-tracks with production starting

thereafter

armored

cars

out of favor again

fell

and on 14 January 1937 the Army

cancelled

all

this

different

Starting with theT7, these

open-topped vehicles were

initially

and they were eventually handed

from that of the T 17. The Army

4x4

designed for

942, and

300

more

than

reliable in desert tests

T 17, none of the US combat arms declared

the reconnaissance role, but found their true

the

calling as jacks-of-all-trades in almost

an interest in the vehicle and termination was

all

Allied

recommended

armies during the war.

The German campaign

armored

cars

there were
a

in France

available. In

consequently took over

January 1941

firm called the Trackless Tank Corp. proposed

a large
trials

car.

8x6

vehicle, resulting in a contract for

vehicles to be designated

theT13 armored

Although theT13 performed well from an

automotive perspective,
large

and heavy

it

was found

subject to frequent mechanical failures,

development was terminated

in July

To complement the large Tl 3

contract.

Needing an

all

vehicles

and

and

942.

British

motor torpedo

(as

boats) as

a requirement

additional

as T17E2s

500T17E2 were ordered.

and

for

The

theT17E2

was not bleak, however,

model (designated theTl7El). The l4-tonT17

was armed with a

37mm gun in a stabilized

mount in a powered

turret

and

in

January 1942

development, theT21
longer adequate

the

program was terminated,

although Ford was authorized to build 250

vehicles to bridge production until the

M8

design was finalized. These 250 vehicles were

armored

tank destroyers they had commissioned in

was found suitable

December

US

Tank Destroyer

that a series of 37mm-armed wheeled,

another 1,500 vehicles in June. Subsequent

however, were disappointing and in

the

Board had reluctantly come to the conclusion

production of 2,260 was authorized, with

tests,

left

and

development. All

for the

and

after

andT22 series, were no

for that role.

as a

accepted for service

The 6x6 FordT22

reconnaissance vehicle

modification as
as the

theT22E2 was

M8 armored car in

The production

The armored

contract, covering 5,000

was placed with Ford

in

May

1942 but

start

force

had requested the

weapon on

the chassis of

February 1942. In April the vehicle was

standardized as the

M7 motor howitzer carriage.

Being based on a medium tank

for a

chassis the

was rather heavier than needed

resultant vehicle

105mm howitzer, but it proved sturdy and

The main drawback was

the limited

elevation of the piece, a result of an

unwillingness to accept a higher profile on the

vehicle.

While Amet ican Locomotive was

building the

M7s a parallel effort was

undertaken by Pressed

Steel, staffing in

1944,

that used the Ford engine of the

M4A3 medium

tank. Otherwise identical to the

M7,

designated the

M7B

this

was

The M7 and M7B

US SP

field artillery piece.

The prospect of mounting the 105mm

howitzer on the

M24 chassis promised lighter

weight and higher speed and, with more time

available for

development, a better integrated

weapon. Tests began

in early

944 and

January 1945 the vehicle was type

the

M37

motor howitzer

number were built but

carriage.

the

in

classified as

A small

war ended before any

were deployed overseas.

The companion piece

howitzer was the
Surprisingly,

June 1942.

vehicles,

from the

clear

setved through the war as the standard

termination of the heavy (T13)

requirement Ford proposed a 6x6 vehicle

T 17) and Chevrolet a 4x4

Production

in April 1944.

projects

(designated die

and an

of theT17El was completed in December 1943

cars in

for a smaller vehicle to

used on

theTl7E2. 500

Army with no armored

mid- 1 94 1

normal

was

As

howitzers were

M3 medium tank and tests began in

reliable.

37mm gun turret with a Frazier-Nash turret

with twin .50cal machine guns

be designated theTl7. In response to the

in

under

British directed the replacement of the

medium (T17/T17E1)

was drafted

British,

anti-aircraft vehicle, the

of the T17E Is were completed

far too

for a reconnaissance vehicle

December 1942. The

however, were willing to accept the vehicle and

brought

back into favor but, of course,

no designs

in

it

development of such
the

as prototypes.

was acceptable only as an interim

that this

requested by the British. Although the

artillery,

some 105mm

January 1942, but

solution.

,500 in April, the latter including

vehicle proved

such vehicles existed, except

in

authorized production of 2,000 in January

order were the very

useful family of new scout cars developed by

White Motors.

after

The saga of theT17El was only slightly

officially

requirements for such vehicles.

Exempted from

194

who declined them

no serious

develop an SP

January

to the

155mm Ml
effort

105mm

howitzer.

was made

mount for this weapon

to

until

944 when development of the T64E1

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

Right: An

M7 SP 1 05mm

France, in August

carriage

Howitzer near Soissons,

1944

was approved and

Cadillac in May.

1945 and

June

in

a contract issued to

The prototype, based on

M24 light tank, was

of the

chassis

at

the

tested in early

was standardized

it

M4l motor howitzer carriage.

begun

WAR

as the

Production was

Massey Harris, but none was shipped

overseas belore the

end of the war.

155mm

Although the

howitzer was neglected

as a candidate for self-propelled traction, the

1

55mm gun was not. The Ordnance

Department had begun

practicality

gun on the
1

94 1 The

on

the

of mounting the 5 5mm M 9

M3 medium tank chassis in June
1

tests in

model, designated the T6,

pilot

began

studies

February 1942. The vehicle

performed well and

contract was placed with

Pressed Steel for 50 vehicles (later increased to

100)

now known as

the

Ml 2. Simultaneously, a
number of

contract was placed for an identical

unarmed
carriers

vehicles to serve as

ammunition

under the designation

never very keen on

M30 Cargo

Army Ground Forces was

Carrier. Nevertheless,

and they sat

the vehicles

Normandy

storage until the build-up for the

invasion started. In early 1944

in

74

engine in the center and the gun at the rear in an

weapons on the

open position, was retained but was

chassis.

lengthened and widened

hull.

M 12 guns

The

1945.
to

by Baldwin Locomotive and shipped

howitzer as the T89, but

where

number of M30 Cargo

performed

the)'

as the

finally spurred

AGF

although belatedly. There were no

more of the
tests

to Europe,

well.

The success of the M12

to action,

Carriers

old

showed

M191 8 guns left in storage and

that the

M 12 chassis could not

more powerful

stand the recoil of the

similar caliber, so a

new start was

overall configuration

of the

Ml

2,

accommodate

was not standatdized

it

M43 until November

1945-

OneT83

The

with the

the

T65E 1

two

Motor Carriage M7B1

105mm How

Motor Carriage

155mm How

Motor Carriage M41

155mm Gun

Motor Carriage M12

155mm Gun

Motor Carriage M40

M37

How Motor

40mm
Cargo

(AA)

Carriage

Gun Motor

Carrier,

M30

M43
Carriage

M19

chosen was

and an open

turret

The vehicle was

standardized as the

June 1944 but production

begin until April

945.

at

300

vehicles,

all

Spring of 1 945 for combat

trials,

which proved

(which were

but

turrets

fitted to a revised design post-war).

war ended before others

Amphibians

Only one full-tracked SP anti-aircraft gun

fielded, the

not

The end of the war

terminated the program

one of which had been delivered without

was

with

9 in

at Cadillac did

ETO in the

successful, but the

to

40mm Bofors guns was sited at the rear.

Ml 9. This followed from a

of experiments with mounting various

1937 demonstration of a novel tracked

amphibious vehicle by Donald Roebling Jr.

excited the

Marine Corps, who suggested

of improvements and modifications, but

generated distrust and dislike on the part of the

1943

1944

1945

2,028

786

500

176

Navy Department, who fought against such

664

162

vehicle for the next six years. Finally, in

"

51

55

40

418

48

60

November 1940,

60

40

the Marines got permission to

purchase 200 vehicles, designed the LVT-1

(landing vehicle, tracked), and other similar
orders followed but

8"

finally

which the engine was moved

1942

1941

105mm How

in

M24 light tank

to the

series

M7

Motor Carriage

the center of the vehicle

series

105mm How

successful

The configuration

and oneT89 were shipped

could see action.

gun of

called for.

standardized as the

A slightly modified version

the 8" Ml

M40inMay
was designed

a similar

model Sherman

was designated the

resulting vehicle

T83 motor gun carriage,

were taken out of storage and remanufactured

and

late

built using

300
-

942

that the first

vehicles,

it

was not

until

September

major contract, for

,900

could be placed. The LVT-1 was

followed in production by the larger and more

War Time

Production of Full-Tracked Self-Propelled Artillery

reliable

The

LVT-2.
initial

LVTs were made of mild steel and

195

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR
Left: An

LVT(A)-4 with the 'Mariarnes

kit'

of extra

machine-guns on Okinawa

The solution adopted here was

M5

to replace the

M8 motor gun
75mm pack howitzer as the

tank turret with that of the

carriage with

LVT(A)-4.

its

The larger weapon proved much

more successful, but

without
a coaxial

its

costs.

installation

The

M8 turret did not include

machine gun and

turret the

in

two machine gun

order to

pits

had

fit

to

the

be plated

with no machine guns

over, leaving the vehicle

for self-defense other

was not

than the .50cal mounted

on an exposed pintle above the

turret.

Experience showed this to be a severe

shortcoming. Later production models

modified the rear of the turret by removing the

small partial roof
.50cal

mounted
were intended
assault

solely for logistical tasks. For the

on Tarawa the Marine

units in the field

had bolted extemporized armor plating on

insufficient if these vehicles

in the assault

amphibious
requested

wave.

assaults,

first

their use in

modifications were

by the Marines, and then by the

Army, The Marine solution was

vehicle of thin

to construct the

armor rather than mild

add a modified version of the

M5

light

steel,

and

tank

turret at the center of the roof. In addition

machine gun positions were cut into the

two

rear

deck, with scarf rings and shields for .30cal

MGs. Although

these vehicles proved useful,

the addition of the turret sacrificed their cargo-

carrying capability.

The Army solution was

simply to build the LVT-2 out of armor plate,

resulting in an
albeit

armored amphibious load

unarmed. The

carrier,

USMC vehicles were

designated LVT(A)-1 (landing vehicle, tracked,

196

machine guns with gun

In addition, a

The design impetus

placed in the superstructure front.

notwithstanding, both

both models of these vehicles.

The combination of LVTs and LVT(A)s

were to be included

To permit

.30cal

armored), and the Army versions as LVT(A)-2.

services used

portions of the vehicles, but this was clearly

and the ring mount with

MG and replacing them with two pintle-

provided

US

ball-mounted .30cal

shields.

MG was
No official

designation was given to this version, although

it

was popularly known

as

LVT(A)-4 Marianas

Model. Further improvements added a power

forces in the Pacific with

unparalleled capabilities in amphibious warfare.

traverse for the turret

and a gyro-stabilizer

The vehicles were not without shortcomings,

the gun, yielding the

LVT(A)-5.

for

however. In the LVT-1 and 2 the engine was

mounted

at rear, so the

only

way

to load

and

unload personnel and cargo was over the

sides, a

considerable problem in a vehicle 3 meters high.

This was solved

in the

LVT-4, where the engine

was moved forward and

rear for loading

ramp

installed in the

and unloading. The LVT(A)s

LVT-1

1941

1942

1943

72

851

302

1944

LVT-2

LVT-3

LVT-4

11

288

200

250

1,489

LVT(A)-1

LVT(A)-2

LVT(A)-4

LVT{A)-5

1,540 1,422
1

1945

733

2,230

4,980 3,360

219

were huge and thinly-armored, making them

easy targets, but there was

done about
bouyancy.

this

little

that could be

without compromising their

A problem that was solvable,

however, was the weak armament of the

LVT(A)-1 The
.

little

37mm gun was almost

completely ineffectual against Japanese bunkers.

Production of
Tracked Amphibians

401

269

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Combat Cars/Light Tank M1

The

Ml

combat

hull gunner,

The

car

had

crew of four:

commander and

turret featured a ,50cal

mounts and

separate

and

a .30cal

fitted in the hull front.

known

as the

Model 1938, introduced

mesh

The M2

transmission.

and used

new

fitted to either

turret design.

model.

retrofitted to the

the

idler down

dropped the

M2

Guiberson

No

level

radio was

The new turret was

combat

Obsolete by

tanks.

replaced

In July

combat cars were redesignated

tanks and the

also

ground

to

fleet as well.

or with a

The MlAl,

the Continental gas engine with a

diesel,

flat

A second .30cal MG

vertical portion as a shield.

constant

MG in

a 3-section hinged roof

that could be folded forward either

was

driver,

turret gunner.

cars as

940

light

M 1A1 light

940, they never saw

combat.

M1A1

Light

16

4.14

Side

n/a

Width (m)

2.39

Engine

Height (m)

2.36

Road Speed (km/h)

The original M2A1

1

Weight (tonnes)

10.5

Front

Length (m)

4.42

Side

Width (m)

2.46

Height (m)

2.49

8.9

HP

250
75

Tank

Light Tank
M

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

Weight (tonnes)

combat

car,

light

tank was similar to the

but the two turret weapons

were mounted coaxially in a

a circular turret.

M2

The

M2A2 was a retrograde

step with separate small turrets for the

MGs. The M2A3

"*

common mount in
two main

retained the twin-turret

configuration, but lengthened the suspension to

increase

ground contact and lower ground

The main production version,

pressure.

M2A4,

featured a single turret with a

the

37mm
MG.

gun (with 103 rounds) and coaxial ,30cal

The gun had

facilitate

10 of traverse on the

quick engagement.

commander doubled

man

turret.

mount at

mount

to

The tank

as the loader in the

two-

A third .30cal was fitted in a ball

the hull front,

and two more

sponsons facing forward.

It

also

in

had thicker

(25mm vs. 6mm) and a slightly uprated

armor

engine to compensate. Transceivers were fitted

to

command

M2A4

tanks and receivers to the others.

Light Tank

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/h)

25
n/a

250
50

197

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

JANE'S

M3

Light Tank,
The M3 series of light tanks evolved

through a complex process with

many variations, most of which were not identified with unique

model numbers. The original M3 was of riveted construction and
featured two two-wheel bogeys on each side and a large trailing ider.

M5 or M6 gun and coaxial .30cal MG

was armed with a 37mm

manually operated
front, a third

turret, a

second

MG in a ball-mount on the hull

on an AA mount on top of the

and two more

turret,

fixed forward firing in the sponsons, the latter fired

turret
1

was

manually traversed and the

target,

by the

driver.

The

37mm gun mount provided

0 internal free traverse each side for fine-laying.

would manually traverse

It

in the

the turret to the

The commander

approximate direction of the

then the gunner would complete the aiming with the free

mount traverse. The vehicle was powered by the Continental W-670

seven-cylinder radial engine. Almost simultaneously the tank was also

produced with the

run the riveted

gyrostabilizer was

020

diesel.

During the production

was replaced by a welded one, and in 1942 a

added

for the gun.

Another change was the switch

M5 gun to the slightly longer MG.

from the 37mm

For the

G u iberson T-

turret

M3A1

(and the on-mount traverse eliminated) and a turret basket

The

cupola was removed from the

periscopic sight.

turret

M3

Light Tank (Gas)

again, there were

made by

two main

Above:

M3

Light Tank (Diesel)

fitted.

roof and replaced by a

The sponson machine guns were removed

superfluous, a modification already

M3s. Once

Above:

the turret was provided with hydraulic traverse

as

the British to their

variants,

one with W-670

gasoline engine and the other with the Guiberson diesel. In the rush
to get tanks to the field

no

free traverse

some were produced with manual

on the mount (known

Stuarts), rendering

them

turrets

but

hybrid

useless.

There was no M3A2, and

M5 light tank, although

to the British as

it

the

iM3A3 used the

retained the

W-670

hull design

radial

of the

engine and

thus did not feature the raised rear engine deck characteristic of the
latter.

In addition, the sponsons of the

inward

as they

while additional
range.

M3A3 were sloped slightly

rose, affording slightly better ballistic protection,

fuel tanks

were added there to extend the tank's

A new turret was also developed for the M3A3, the main

difference being a bustle in the rear to

formerly housed in

accommodate

the hull. The gun mount was

the radio

also redesigned to

closer tolerances to reduce dispersion.

The

M3 series served the British well as a gun tank in

but proved undergunned

M3

M3A3

Weight (tonnes)

12.5

14.4

Length (m)

4.52

5.03

Width (m)

2.24

2.51

Height (m)

2.51

2.29

37

37

Front

Armor (mm)

Side Armor (mm)

Engine

HP

Road Speed (km/h)

1941-42,

after that.

25

25

250

250

60

60
Above: M3A1 Light Tank

198

JANE'S

Light Tank,
This was an evolution of the

TANKS OF WORLD WAR 11

M5

M3 series of light

tanks designed to circumvent a shortage of

engines by pairing twin Cadillac automobile

engines with hydromatic transmissions. This
resulted in a raised engine deck that

distinguished the
turret

was

M5 from the M3A3.

essentially the

a rotating turret basket

although

it

was

a little

same

as in

and power

The

M3A1

with

traverse,

roomier due to the

relocation of some items to the hull floor under

the basket. In a reversion to earlier practice a

fixed .30cal

machine gun was provided

hull front that

was

fired

by the

in the

Dual

driver.

driving controls were provided for the driver

and

assistant driver.

and

The M5A1 used a new

devices. The M3
M5 were fast and reliable, but by late 942

and improved vision

turret

undergunned. For that reason, irom then on

they served as reconnaissance vehicles rather

Weight (tonnes)
than

M5

fist tanks.

Light Tank

Light Tank,

15

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

4.34

Side

Width (m)

2.24

Engine

Height (m)

2.29

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

50
28

220
60

M22 (Locust)

This tank was designed by Marmon-Herrington

specifically for the airborne forces.

The crew of

three comprised the driver in the hull,

commander and gunner

essential features,

traverse

and gun

to save weight.

such

as

powered

stabilization,

turret

consisting of a

.30cal

MG,

represented the worst of two worlds.

service, yet did

The US

carrying the
in

the time the tank

not throw a useful

came

into

HE round

did not have a glider capable of

M22 in any event and never used it

combat. The British Hamilcar glider could

carry
1

The small,

M6 was too small to deal with

enemy tanks by

either.

non-

were eliminated

The armament,

37mm M6 gun with a coaxial

high-velocity

and

in the turret. All

it

and small numbers were used

in the

945 crossing of the Rhine.

Weight (tonnes)

M22

Light Tank

7.5

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

Length (m)

3.94

Side

Width (m)

2.16

Engine

Height (m)

1.85

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

25
25

162
67

199

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Light Tank,
The best

light tank

of the war, the

complete departure from the

The

WORLD WAR

M24

M24 was a

earlier

US lights.

twin Cadillac engines and Hydramatic

transmission provided high speed and the

torsion-bar suspension
mobility.

good cross-country

The armament consisted of a 75mm

M6 gun (for which 48 rounds were provided)

and

a coaxial ,30cal

mount.

MG in the turret, a second

on an

AA

A 2" smoke mortar was fitted on

the

mount, and

.30cal in a ball

a .50cal

turret roof.

The commander had

cupola with

six vision

a low-profile

blocks and a periscope.

M3/M5 series it could accommodate

Unlike the

the efficient three-man turret crew, and

it

proved reliable and successful in service. As

such,

iJ^S

served well into the post-war years in

it

many armies.

Although large for

reconnaissance vehicle, the

M24 was

an

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

18.4

Front

25

Length (m)

5.49

Side

25

Width (m)

2.95

Engine

Height (m)

2.46

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

220
58

exceptional! well-balanced design

Light Tank, Marmon-Herrington

CTLS

This commercial export tank had a crew of only

two: a driver and a commander/gunner.

The

unconventional design, placing the driver and

turret side

by side, meant that the

driver's

hood

blocked the traverse of the turret overhead.

Thus, two separate models had

to

be built, the

CTLS-4TAC with the driver on the left, and the

4TAY with

the driver

on

the right, so that the

tanks could operate in pairs to provide 360

coverage. Firepower, in any event, was weak,

consisting of a single light

turret (with
ball

mounts

machine gun

in the

240 of traverse) and two more on

in the hull front in case the driver

did not have enough to do to stay occupied.

The US Army reluctantly took over a number as

theTM
tanks.
late

(-4TAY) and theTl6 (-4TAC) light

By

the time production got under

1941 they were

way in

totally obsolete.

Weight (tonnes)

A CTLS

(right

hand

turret version) reluctantly taken

US Army on maneuvers

200

in

Alaska

over by the

7.2

Length (m)

3.50

Width (m)

2.08

Height (m)

2.11

Front

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/h)

Side

13
13

146
52

(AN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

u-c.v..v

Medium Tank M2
The archaic

design of the

#T #

M2 medium tank

featured a high superstructure with rotors

on

each corner mounting .30cal machine guns for

suppressing infantry

weapons were

all

(by turning the tank) and

Surmounting

gun and

Two more such

around.

fixed in the hull front

this

a coaxial

was

and aimed

fired by the driver.

a turret with a

37mm M6

machine gun. Ammunition

stowage was 200 rounds for the

37mm and no

fewer than 12,250 rounds of .30cal. The crew

comprised a

driver, tour

gunners and the

commander. The main production

M2A1
armor

version, the

featured a

more powerfid engine,

(32mm vs.

25mm) and wider tracks.

thicker

Obsolete by 1941 the vehicle was used only for

,

training.

The automotive components,

however, proved a valuable stepping-stone for

the

M3 and M4 medium tanks

First

Height (m)

column M2,

Weight (tonnes)

17.3

21.4

Length (m)

5.33

5.33

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Width (m)

2.59

2.59

Road Speed (km/h)

Second column M2A1

M2 Medium Tank

2.84

2.82

25

32

n/a

n/a

350

400

43

43

3.12

3.12

3.12

50

50

50

37

37

37

340

340
40

370

Front

M3 Medium Tank (Lee/Grant)

interim design, the M3 featured a 75mm
M2 (L/28) or M3 (L/38) gun mounted in the
hull with 15 traverse each side, a 37mm M5 or
M6 gun in the turret, and three .30cal MGs -

An

one fixed

in the hull Iront,

one coaxial with the

37mm, and one in a cupola above the turret

(tanks built for Britain lacked the cupola). The

M3A1

and

model used

M3A3 used a welded hull. The basic

a

Wright

radial aircraft engine, the

M3A3 and M3A5 used a pair of GM truck

engines, and the M3A4 the A57 multibank
engine which necessitated lengthening the tank

by 28cm. The hull-mounted gun was awkward,

but the tank served well in

became

Burma

available,

942

and continued

in the infantry

until

Shermans

to serve in

support role until the end

of the war.

First

Height (m)

Weight (tonnes)

26.1

26.8

27.3

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)

Length (m)

5.65

5.6

6.15

Engine

Width (m)

2.72

2.72

2.72

Road Speed (km/h)

Third

M3 Medium Tank

column M3, Second column M3A1,

column M3A4

Front

HP

40

40

201

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

Medium Tank M4 (Sherman)

To

facilitate

production the Sherman family was produced

simultaneously in a bewildering array of variants.

The

base

M4 had a welded hull and Continental R-975

model

The M4A1 was similar, but had a cast

gasoline engine.

The M4A2 was similar

Motors 6-71

to the

diesels in light

M4, but used

hull.

twin General

of shortages of the Continental

the M4 but fitted with a special

GAA engine. This was the favorite

The M4A3 was

units.

version of the Ford

model

US Army, which kept most of the M4A3s for

tor the

themselves.

The M4A4 had

WC multi-bank

the Chrysler

engine, which necessitated lengthening the rear hull to

accommodate

this

massive unit.

RD- 820

with the Caterpillar

The

The M4A6 was

basic version of each of these

75mm M3 gun

the

M4A4

radial diesel.

was armed with a

which 97 rounds were stowed) and

(for

MG in the turret, a second .30cal MG in a

ball mount on the hull front, and a .50cal MG on an AA
coaxial .30cal

mount on

pintle

the tutrer roof.

commander, gunner and loader

and bow machine gunner

The crew consisted

in the turret,

in the hull. In

production started on versions of the Al

76mm M

of the

and the driver

January 1944

A2 and A3 with

guns. These used a different turret that had been

developed for the abortive T23 tank and carried 71 rounds

of main gun ammunition in wet stowage.
For high-explosive

and M4A3 were

rounds) in lieu of the

was deleted
detail

fire

fitted

in these

support versions of the basic

with a

M4

105mm howitzer (with 66

75mm gun. The power turret traverse

models. Within each or some variants

improvements were cut

in

during the production run,

including applique side armor, wet ammunition stowage,

Horizonral-Volute Spring Suspension with wider tracks in

the

E8

variant of several models for better cross-country

performance,

etc.

The Sherman was easy to produce and very

but suffered from being undergunned and the

reliable,

narrow trades caused

it

to sink in

M4

M4A3

M4A4

Weight (tonnes)

28.5

28.4

29.7

Length (m)

5.89

5.89

6.04

Width (m)

2.62

2.62

2.62

Height (m)

2.74

2.74

2.74

50

75

75

37

37

37

350

450

40

43

370
40

Front

Side

Armor (mm)

Armor (mm)

Engine

HP

Road Speed (km/h)

M4A4 with 75mm gun

The M4A3E8
US Army's favorite

Top: Early production

Middle: The

76mm

with

HVSS and

gun

Bottom: A late-production

202

muddy ground.

M4 (105mm

howitzer)

medium

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

M26 Heavy Tank

The only member of the T20-series of projects

M26 used the torsion-bar

to see service use, the

suspension characteristic of most late-war

tanks.

The tank was armed with

gun and

MG in a bow mount, and a .50cal

second .30cal

weapon on an

powerful

German

anti-aircraft

the turret.

88mm L/71 mounted in some

vehicles, the

guaranteed

mount on

M3 gun was not nearly as

as the

to the earlier

improvement compared

75mm and 76mm weapons

it

would be popular. Opposition

from within the Army, however, delayed

introduction so that

numbers

US

90mm M3

MG in the turret, a

coaxial .30cal

Although the

it

was only used

in the closing

its

in small

months of the war

Europe and on Okinawa,

Its

in

main weakness

was the lack of a suitable engine that

left

the

vehicle underpowered, especially noticeable

on

hilly terrain.

500

2.78

Road Speed (km/h)

44

41.8

Front

Length (m)

8.79

Side

Width

(in)

Height (m)

M26 Heavy Tank

3.51

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Weight (tonnes)

M10 Motor Gun

102
76

(Tank Destroyer)

This vehicle used the chassis and power pack of

the

M4A2 (Ml 0) or M4A3 (MlOAl)

on which was mounted

Sherman,

a superstructure

with

thinner armor than the tank and a turret

carrying a 3"

M7 gun and a pintle-mounted

AA MG. Although the gun was better

than the US 75mm tank gun and adequate for
.50cal

its

time, the vehicle was not terribly popular.

The reduced armor thickness did not buy an

appreciable improvement in mobility, the lack

of power turret traverse slowed engagement

speed,

and

bow

the absence of a coaxial or

machine gun

left it

very vulnerable to

infantry. Nevertheless,

it

numerous tank destroyer and served

replaced by

8s

and M36s. The

gun

until

British

rearmed a portion of their lend-lease

the superior I7pdr

enemy

was the most

Ml 0s with

to yield the Achilles.

Weight (tonnes)

M10 Motor Gun

30

Front

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Length (m)

5.97

Side

Width (m)

3.05

Engine

Height (m)

2.46

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

50
25

375
50

Carriage

203

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR

M18 Motor Gun Carriage (Tank Destroyer)

With

engineers sacrificed almost

this vehicle the

everything for high speed, both on the road and,

with
Fast

its

it

torsion-bar suspension, cross-country.

armor could be

certainly was, but the side

penetrated by .30cal

AP ammunition at close

open-topped

range, the

to artillery air bursts

turret left

and

it

it

vulnerable

lacked any machine

guns other than the .50cal AA mount.

76mm Ml

gun had

lost

much

mid- 1 944, so the standard

Its

of its "sting" by

tactic

was

to use the

vehicle's mobility to try to get flank shots against

superior

German

These

tanks.

notwithstanding, the

Ml 8

faults

"Hellcat" proved

popular with the crews, probably due in no

MlO,

small measure to the comparison with the

which

compared

to

had power

traverse for the turret.

it

was not only

but

faster,

18.2

Front

Length (m)

5.28

Side

Width (m)

2.97

Engine

Height (m)

M1 8 Motor Gun

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

n/a

HP

Road Speed (km/h)

12
12

400
83

Carriage

M36 Motor Gun Carriage (Tank Destroyer)

To get

the

M36 the Army took uncompleted or

depot-stock

them with

new

0A1 tank
turret

destroyers

and

mounting the

fitted

90mm

gun. As with the other tank destroyers, the

only machine gun armament was a .50cal

weapon on an AA mount. The

traverse and, initially,

armor cover

retrofit kit

fielded vehicles

and

featured a folding

M36B1

M36B2

had power

A light

was developed

later

for

production vehicles

armor top on the

used the chassis of the

(complete with

turret

an open top.

The

turret.

M4A3 tank

bow machine gun),

while the

used the hull of the diesei-powered

MlO. The

use of a

new

turret that did

the counterweights required by the

actually

made

vehicle.

The

the

not need
1

M36 a ton lighter than

that

M36 was very popular with the

troops as the only vehicle capable of dealing

with the more modern

M36 Motor Gun

204

German

Carriage at speed

tanks in

944,

Weight (tonnes)

26.4

Front

Length (m)

5.97

Side

Width (m)

3.05

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.72

Road Speed (km/h)

55
25

375
50

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

II

M7

Howitzer Motor
The standard self-propelled

of the

artillery piece

M7 mated the 105mm M1A2 or

M2 howitzer with the chassis of the M3
US Army, the
medium

tank with

Continental R-975

its

engine.

The main gun could

and 30

right,

and could

traverse 15 left

elevate

from -5

to

+35, and 69 rounds were carried. Secondary

armament was

a .50cal

commander,

MG in a pulpit mount at

The vehicle was crewed by the

the right front.

and

driver

five

gun crew. The open

The

top and low sides limited crew protection.

M7B

switched to the chassis (and Ford engine)

of the

M4A3 Sherman, which had replaced the

M3 in production. Being based on a medium

tank chassis the M7 was heavy for the piece
it

carried,

M3/M4

but

it

of the

also inherited the reliability

family and proved popular in service.

Late-production

M7

19.9

Front

Length (m)

6.02

Side

Width (m)

2.87

Engine

Height (m)

2.54

Road Speed (km/h)

This was essentially the

by a

fire

M5

larger

armed with a 75mm

provide mobile

HP

12
12

350
40

Howitzer Motor Carriage

Howitzer Motor Carriage

turret replaced

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

open-topped unit

M2 or M3 howitzer to

support.

deflector tube that extended

elevate

and 46 rounds were

tank with the

light

The

howitzer was surrounded by a

The weapon could

M8

barrel of the

large flash

beyond the muzzle.

from -20

carried.

+40

to

The two-man

turret crew comprised the gunner on the

and the loader on the

right.

The

driver

left

and

assistant driver (with duplicate controls) sat at

the front.

Those two entered and

larger turret

them. The sole

.50cal

secondary armament was

The M8s served in tank battalions

1944 when they were replaced by

howitzer-armed Shermans.

_
Carriage
.

M8

for

MG on a ring mount at the right rear of

the turret.
until

exited via the

and no hatches were provided

Howitzer Motor

105mm

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^"
Weight (tonnes)

16.4

Front

Length (m)

4.34

Side

Width (m)

2.24

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

Height (m)

2.29

Road Speed (km/h)

30
25

220
60

205

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Gun Motor Carriage M12

This vehicle used the

chassis

of the

M3 medium

rank (albeit with M4-style bogies) with the

engine

moved from

vehicle.

This

the rear to the center of the

a platform at the rear

left

was mounted the old

iM 1 9 1 7A l or

55mm M

8M

on which

9 1 7,

gun (depending on

with a traverse of 1 4 each side and

availability)

an elevation of-5 to +30. The driver and

commander sat inside

the hull at the front,

sat to the left

of the gun, and two on

hinged spade

at the rear.

and charges could be

Only 10

carried

seats

two

on the

projectiles

on the

Ml 2, so a

similar vehicle, but without the gun, was built as

M30 to cany ammunition and gun crew.

served in pairs, one Ml 2 and
one M30 per gun section.
the

The vehicles thus

M1 2 Gun Motor Carriage

firing

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

26.4

Front

Length (m)

6.73

Side

Width (m)

2.67

Engine

Height (m)

2.69

Road Speed (km/h)

50
20

HP

350
40

Gun Motor Carriage mi3/mi4/mis/mi6

M3 half-track fitted with

The Ml 3 was an

hinges on the upper parts of the side and rear

down, and

plates to fold
turret

on the

but used the

The

Maxson twin

M5 half-track as the carrier vehicle.

6 was the

3 but with

Maxson mount, while

the

quad .50cal

M 17 was the quad-

mount version of the Ml 4.

In

all

cases traverse

(360) and elevation (-10 to +90)

Each gun

fired at

loaders.

with an

electrical.

driver,

gunner

The Ml 5 gun motor carriage

used the chassis of the

fitted

is

400-500 rounds/minute.

Crew consists of the commander,

and two

.50cal

The M 14 was similar,

rear bed.

M3 personnel carrier

M42 combination mount.

manual mount carried a

This

37mm M1A2 gun and

two .50cal machine guns. TheM15Al

incorporated improvements
All these vehicles

the

air

Ml 6, which was the

defense vehicle for the

US Army to

end of the war.

M1 6 gun motor carriage

206

gun mount.

were limited or substitute

standard except the

standard

to the

with quad .50

cal

machine guns

First

column M15,

Height (m)

Second column M16

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/h)
Front

Weight (tonnes)

9.45

9.0

Length (m)

6.17

6.50

Width (m)

2.24

2.16

2.39

2.34

12

12

128

128

67

67

12

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

Gun Motor Carriage M3

An expedient tank destroyer and

support

fire

M3 mounted the 75mm M1897A4

gun on the M3 mount, adapted from the M2A3
carriage, on the M3 half-track body. Elevation
vehicle, the

was-10
right.

+29 and traverse 19

to

left

59 rounds of HE and AP/APC

No

ammunition were carried.

armament was
carriage

was

machine gun

TheiVBAl gun motor

fitted.

identical,

but used the

which reduced minimum elevation

save 2

and 21

traverse

M5 mount,
to -6.5 but

The crew consisted

each side.

of the commander, driver, gunner and two gun

crew.

The gun was

marginal tor the tank

and was replaced by

destroyer from 1942,

being declared obsolete

tracked vehicles,

September 1944.

It

remained useful

in the

general support role and the British used

that purpose to the

M3 gun

full-

in

it

for

end of the war,

9.09

Front

Length (m)

6.22

Side

Width (m)

2.16

Engine

Height (m)

2.51

Road Speed (km/h)

HP

12
8

128
75

motor carriage

Half-Tracks M2, M3, M5,

The original

M9

half-track family consisted of three

vehicles sharing automotive

Half-Track Car
Carrier

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Weight (tonnes)

M2,

components, the

the Half-Track Personnel

the Half-Track Mortar Carrier

M3, and

M4. The vehicles were identical

in all

important respects except that the chassis of the

M3 was 25cm longer to allow the carriage of 13

men. The M4 was designed initially only for
emergency onboard
the

on

rear.

firing ot the

The M4A1 added

mortar toward

an arc-shaped plate

the floor to give additional traverse.

was armed with

a .50cal

The

M2

and rwo .30cal MGs,

First column M2,

Second column M3,

Third

column

M5
9.0

9.1

9.3

6.12

6.32

6.32

Width (m)

1.96

1.96

1.96

Height (m)

2.26

2.26

2.31

12

12

12

12

128

128

143

67

67

63

Weight (tonnes)
Length (m)

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)
Front

Engine

HP

Road Speed (km/h)

Above: An

M2

half-track car being used as a reviewing stand pre-war

207

)AN E'S TAN KS OF

the

WORLD WAR

M3 with a single JOcal, and the M4 with

one

.50cal

and one

MG plus an 81 mm

.30cal

mortar with 126 rounds. In

varied widely.
built

practice,

The M5 was a version

armament

of the

M3

by International Harvester using their

engine, but was otherwise essentially identical.

M9 was the I-H version of the M2. The

M21 mortar carrier was an M3 personnel carrier

The

adapted to

fit

the 8

mm mortar firing forward.

On all these models the machine guns were

pintle-mounted on

a rail that ran

around the

top of the rear compartment. In 1942 the

was replaced by a
driver's position

ring

mount over

and fixed

compartment. M2, M3,

pintles in the rear

M5 and M9 vehicles

so built or retrofitted were given the "Al

The M2 and

"

suffix.

M9 vehicles were used for

reconnaissance and as prime movers for

while the

rail

the co-

artillery,

M3 and M5 were used as personnel

carriers. In fact, there

proved to be

advantage to the smaller

little

M2/M9 family and

they were gradually replaced by the roomier

M3/M5 vehicles.

208

short track sections

compared

half-tracks, but the use of a

partially

compensated and

to the

German

powered front

Above: An M9A1 half-track personnel

carrier

axle

their great reliability

Below: Interior of an

M4A1 mortar

carrier,

arc-shaped bipod receiver on the floor

All the vehicles

had

relatively

led to their use in a

wide variety of roles.

note the

at the rear

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

^k

Scout Car M3A1

The M3A1 was built

using a commercial-type

4x4 truck chassis surmounted by an armored

body

on

set

a channel-section frame.

and the commander

sat in the front,

The driver
while the

personnel compartment in the rear could hold

A skate rail encircled the top of the

six troops.

body

interior,

on which were mounted

MG and a .30cal MG.

a .50cal

Armored shutters,

controlled from the driver's position, protected

and

the radiator,

drop-down armored cover

with direct-vision

slots

could protect the

No overhead

windshield.

protection was

provided except for a canvas cover. Designed

for

"high-speed scouting duty", the

quickly found to be

too large,

armed

protected and too weakly

However,

it

was

lor that role.

quickly became a jack-of-all-trades

and served a useful

vehicle,

M3A1

too poorly

command

life as

ambulance, repair

vehicle,

and any other

tasks

Weight (tonnes)

ingenious troops could think up.

5.6

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)

Front

12
8

Length (m)

5.61

Side

Width (m)

2.03

Engine

Height (m)

1.98

Road Speed (km/h)

84

HP

87

M3A1 Scout Car

Armored Car T-17E1

The 4x4 T-

7 armored car was built with a

monocoque hull, with no

frame, the springs,

steering gear, transfer case, etc., being attached

directly to the hull.

The main armament was a

37mm M6

a .30cal

gun

in a

gun and

M1919A4 machine

combination mount

in a

power-

A second .30cal MG was

mounted in the bow and a third on an AA

operated

turret.

mount on

the turret roof.

similar to the T- 1 7E l but

vehicle,

TheT-17E2 was
was intended

as

an AA

with a Fraser-Nash power turret

mounting two

.50cal

machine guns. The

machine guns could be elevated from -10

+75 and the turret traversed

Although

built in quantity

were never accepted

all

being handed out

who

called

at

theT-17El and E2

for service in the

as aid,

to

43 per second.

US Army,

mostly to the British

them the "Staghound".

Weight (tonnes)

13.9

Front

5.49

Side

19

Width (m)

2.69

Armor (mm)
Armor (mm)
Engine HP

21

Length (m)

Height (m)

2.31

Road Speed (km/h)

92

97

T-17E1 armored car

209

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

5=55CSk

WORLD WAR

Armored Car M8
This 6x6 vehicle had
the

crew of four: a driver

on the

left front, assistant driver

gunner

of the main gun and the

to the left

commander

in

right, the

(doubling as loader) to the

right.

Since the assistant driver had no substantive

moved

duties (or controls) the radio was often

The manually-operated

near his location.

mounted

steel turret

coaxial .30cal

cast

37mm M6 gun and a

MG, and was open at the top

except for a small portion over the gun and

sight. Early

models did not include a .50cal

machine gun, but many

mount

for such a

units

weapon

added

a ring

in the field

and

later

production vehicles included a pintle-mount on

the rear turret

The M8 was fast and

lip.

maneuverable and was adquately armed

for

its

A turretless
M20 utility car, could carry five to

time, although thinly atmored.

version, the

seven

crewmen

for

command and

other duties.

Weight (tonnes)

Late production model

M8

7.9

Length (m)

5.00

Width (m)

2.54

Height (m)

2.24

Armor (mm)
(mm)
Engine HP
Road Speed (km/h)
Front

Side Armor

Landing Vehicles Tracked

The LVT-1 was a large, open-topped unarmored
tracked amphibian designed mainly tor the supply

The LVT-2 was an improved version

role.

sought

to

shortcomings,

its

short mechanical

powertrain was taken from the

a

ride

on

in the

life.

M3A1

The new

light

new suspension gave longer life and

and

that

remedy one of the LVT-ls main

land.

That

still left

tank

a better

one great shortcoming

LVT configuration, that with the engine at

the rear and the cargo hold in the center, cranes

had

to be used to load

embarked troops had

disembark,

and unload cargo, and

to

jump over the

tall

sides to

On late production models the cab

was armored. The LVT-4 moved

the engine

forward, creating space at the rear for a powered

ramp. Not only troops, but

artillery

difficulty. Unfortunately,

available in

numbers

Extremely useful
even

when

fitted

and small

it

did not

become

until 1945.

for logistical duties, the

LVTs,

with extemporized armor,

suffered grievously

210

jeeps

could be loaded and unloaded without

when used in

the assault role.

Above: An LVT(A)-4 with the

75mm

Howitzer but without the Marianas Package

19
19

110
92

JANE'S
The LVT(A)-1 was similar to
6-

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

5=33vSk

made of

the LVT-2, but

2mm armor instead of mild steel, and fitted the

turret

of the

roof, along

M5A1

light

tank (minus the bustle) on the

with two scarf mounts

LVT(A)-2 was an armored

for ,30cal

carrier version

MGs. The

of the

LVT(A)-1 with a cargo compartment replacing the

armament stations. The LVT(A)-4 was

LVT(A)- 1 but

used the turret of the

motor carriage with

accommodate

its

75mm howitzer.

it

with no secondary armament

except the exposed .50cal

AA mount, which was to

prove a serious shortcoming.

LVT(A)-4 replaced

.30cal
at

In order to

the larger turret the scarf rings had to be

suppressed, leaving

the

similar to the

M8 howitzer

The "Marianas model" of

the .50cal with

two shielded

MGs and added a third weapon in a ball mount

the front.

First

column LVT(A)-1

Second column LVT(A) -2,

Third

column LVT(A)-4

Weight (tonnes)

14.8

14.4

18.0

Length (m)

7.95

7.95

7.95

Width (m)

3.25

3.25

3.25

Height (m)

3.07

2.46

3.07

13

13

13

250

250

250

40/10

40/10

40/10

Armor (mm)
Side Armor (mm)
Front

Engine

HP

Road/Water

Speed (km/h)

Above: An LVT(A)-1 with

its

37mm

gun

Below: An LVT(A)-2 Armored Personnel/Cargo Carrier

211

Other
Countries
Afghanistan

The weak central government of Afghanistan purchased few armored

vehicles.

A few Lancia IZ armored cars and four FT- 17 light tanks

comprised the armored strength until 193 1 They bought sixT-26 Model
.

93 1 tanks and

number of BA-3/6 armored cars from

a small

the Soviet

Union, delivered in 1933-35. In 1935 another purchase was made,

time from the Henry Disston
Caterpillar

35

tractors

this

Company of the US, which provided

eight

with armored bodies and a turret with a short

37mm gun and a .30cal machine gun. An only slightly better vehicle was
purchased in 1939, in the form of a dozen CV.35s from

modern AFVs to be ordered were tenT-1

1

939. These were completed in early

Italy.

models (vz.35) from Skoda

940 and accepted by

The only

the

in

Afghan

purchasing commission in March, but were never delivered due to the war
situation.

Argentina

A single Fiat 3000 Model 2

was delivered

in the early

920s, and

although this remained in service for training duties until 1943,

examples were purchased. In 1928

six

no further

machine gun-armed Vickers-

Crossley 6x4 armored cars were purchased and these were distributed in

two-car sections to the 2nd, 8th, and

acquisition

came with

Argentina's pro-Axis
to develop

tilt

Model 34

938 and were

Interest then turned to the

outbreak of the war rendered

were made

0th Cavalry Regiments. The

the purchase of 12

Vickers, which were delivered in

Modelo 1938.

light tanks

final

from

locally designated the

Czech LTH

series,

but the

that academic.

kept

it

out of the lend-lease program, so efforts

an indigenous tank. In 1942 the Direccion General

de Fabricaciones Militares under Colonel Alfredo Aquiles Baisi was

established

75mm

and

it

immediately began work on a

medium

tank with a

gun. By dint of a massive effort involving not only the

workshops, but also 80 private firms, the

presented on 4 June

944.

The overall

Sherman but was nonetheless

first

DGFM

Nahuel DL-43 tank was

layout was clearly inspired by the

unique design. Making use of available

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

Left-ADissfon tractor tank outside Kabul (PMK)

consideration was given to several other vehicles,

including the Italian

Ml 1/39, but no full orders

had been placed by the time of the Anschluss.

In addition to the Army vehicles, the Vienna
police purchased three used PA-II

from Czechoslovakia
remained in service

in

armored

until the

German

Later acquisitions comprised eight

the Gendarmerie

and

All these vehicles

the take-over.

The

take-over.

ADGZ for

six for the federal police.

fell

into

German hands

after

appear to

Italian vehicles

have been scrapped, while the

cars

cars

1933 and these

ADGZ armored

were handed over to the SS and security

units.

A further 25 such vehicles were ordered in

1942

to replace losses

and expand the armored

security forces.

Belgium
resources,
1

EB

it

was powered by a Lorraine-Dietrich

aircraft

1931-32 by

engine that had been built in

FMA,

armament was

the

Renault FTs acquired in the early

The only indigenous vehicle

been discarded by the mid- 1930s, but

vehicle was advanced automotively, but

arsenals

had

somewhat poorly armored

in large
It

had been

production was begun, however, the

large quantities

tanks were available

after

of surplus

on the world market

at

only 16 had been

low

built.

Austria

The first Austrian Army AFVs were delivered

March 1934,

known

Schwarlose

in

four Lancia IZ armored cars,

locally as the

M30, armed with two

MGs in the turret and one more in

the hull rear. These were followed by Italian

tankettes.

The first

1934 and delivered

differed

from the

armament:

12 CV.33 were ordered in

in

February 1935. They

Italian originals in their

a single Schwartzlose instead

Breda machine guns. Further batches

few years brought the quantity up

Right: A Nahuel in a

945 parade (PMK)

of twin

in the

to 60,

in the turret,

next

and two

rear in the hull.

be

medium

light

ball

mounts

machine guns front

The army considered

these

tank substitutes and ordered 12

lor delivery in 1937.

role

Production of the Nahuel thus ceased

the purchase of replacement tanks,

mm basis.

which rhey

termed "offensive weapons". In early 1934 a

commercial two-man

to

the time

parliament was extremely reluctant to sanction

contract was placed with Vickers for 38 of their

and

By

1 1

920s had

and Schwartzlose machine gun on

machine gun mount

in the bow.

at

Armament consisted of a 20mm M35 cannon

75mm L40
Bofors gun, but too few were available. A
unique feature of the tank was the triple Ml 927

prices.

ADGZ armored car by Steyr. This big 8x8

75mm L30 Krupp Ml 909,

planned to use the more powerful

war was over and

be purchased was

the

quantity as the standard field gun.

full-scale

to

uprated to 500 hp. The main

which the Argentine

214

followed by 12 CV.35 models in March 1937.

For the true medium tank

an L-60 was purchased from Landsverk, and

tall

conical turrets to

light tanks,

mount

13.2mm heavy machine gun,

second order for four more
delivered in 1935
light

modified with

the French

in

followed by a
1

935. All 42 were

and were known

tank in local service.

as

theT 15

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

JANE'S

Right: An

ADGZ armored

At the same time,

car

a contract

was placed with

the same firm for 200 tracked utility tractors

1936 another batch of 276 was ordered,

and

in

this

time in components for local assembly.

Further vehicles were apparently built under

license

by the "Familleheureux works". The

tractors

were

initially

FRC anti-tank gun,

used to tow the

47mm

but 30 were built

guns by mounting the gun

in a shield

SP

as

with

limited traverse oriented to the rear of the

vehicle.

These vehicles, theT 13

Mod

were

1,

followed by a second series of 21 similar vehicles

converted from tractors as the T

main

of 1 50 vehicles,

series

Mod 3,

featured a

(6-1

3mm)

shield made them

The only true

as

theT 13
all-

a revised suspension.

Although powerfully armed

armor

Mod 2. The

gun mounting with

around traverse and

thin

known

for the time, the

and open-backed gun

CV3/33
time

tankettes,

Italy

but only 14 had arrived by the

joined the war,

tanks were

ACG models

Lease program in

small mechanized detachment of 100 men,

they had

forming the only armored unit

September 1939, and

sat in storage until a

man them

four with cannon and one

as a result

only eight

made serviceable.

Each of the
allocated six

six cavalry

13

Mod 3,

Each of the 12 regular and

reserve infantry divisions included an

Mod 3.

company with 12T 13

to

be the Italian

The replacement was

CV-33. The organization

been purchased: 17 with twin

machine guns

tables

first-

7mm Madsen

(the standard light

the Brazilian Army), 3 with

heavy

although two of the regiments only had four

light tanks.

to school duties that year.

light

regiments was to be

15s and six

1939, they were retired

required 22 vehicles and 23 or 24 appear to have

in

M3A1

MG of

13.2mm Breda

MGs and three radio tanks.

By January 1941

the General Staff was

drawing plans for an armored

division, although

scout

more scout cars for a

naturally increased considerably as time

Worn out by

These vehicles had

19

motorized division. These requirements

MGs,

Lend-

M3 light tanks and 28 M3 medium

In 1921 twelve Renault FTs were purchased,

radio tank.

squadron was formed to

65

Brazil

seven with

could be

until after 1945.

cars,

US

March 1941. By September

filed requisitions for

tanks, along with 16

Twenty-five were ordered, but production

delayed delivery and only 12 actually

This changed with the advent of the

proved impossible. Those 14 were grouped into a

FRC 47mm gun and a Hotchkiss 13.2mm MG.

arrived.

further deliveries

suitable only for defense.

purchased from France and armed with the

difficulties

when

no source of vehicles was immediately apparent.

went

on.

An

initial

10 scout cars and 10

were purchased for cash

in

M3 light tanks

1941 and quickly

delivered.

Lend-Lease deliveries started in 1942.

of 74

M3A1

scout cars were received

1942, 35 in 1943 and 3

in

1945.

36

A total
in

A total of 4 17

M3-series light tank were delivered under LL.

No detailed breakdown

is

available,

but by

October 1943 receipts totalled 130 M3 and 160

M3A1 The main medium tank was the M3
.

AT

In addition, the

three bicycle Chasseur Ardennais regiments

each included three

15s and 16

13s.

Bolivia
In

1932 Bolivia purchased two

gun

carriers

and three Medium E (6-ton) tanks

from Vickers, the

turret

were

latter consisting

model and two

lost in

Mk VI machine

1933

of one twin-

single-turret models. All

in the

Chaco War, with

Paraguay capturing two of the Mediums.

rearmament between the 1935

1938 peace

treaty

ceasefire

The

and the

saw the purchase of 29

/?/ff/if:TwoT 15 light tanks

and a T 13

Mod 3 SP gun

before the war

215

WAR

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

/.eft- The

Bolivian twin-turret

Central American

None of these

medium

(PMK)

& Caribbean Republics

nations had armored vehicles

On the outbreak of

before the start of the war.

the war the

E tank

US

began planning for modest

programs

to strengthen the forces in this area.

Lacking

developed industrial infrastructure,

these nations could not absorb armored vehicles

numbers or of sophisticated

in large

program thus

The

resulted in the provision of

nominal quantities of obsolescent

These comprised 19

M3A1

design.

light tanks

M3A1

vehicles.

scout cars, 30

and 14 Marmon-Herrington

CTMS tanks, the latter being commercial

products the
fall

US had been stuck with after the

of the Netherlands East Indies.

The

largest force

was

in the

Cuban Army,

two tank companies each of 10 (nominally 17)

light tanks

80 (mostly M3A3s) were

series;

delivered in

1942, followed by 24 more in 1943.

battalion set of 53

One

Battalion,

M4 Shermans was shipped

between mid-1944 and early 1945. Armored

cars

comprised 20

M8s and

54 T- 17s,

French Renault 35 tanks to form the 2nd Tank

into an

car.

other

with their vehicles.

was made

oi the unit

had

by the

difficult

radios:

fact that

few

1942 1943 1944 1945

none of the CV33s or

M3A1 Scout Cars

delivered in 1944. Deliveries of halt-tracks were

Vickers tanks, only one Renault, and only the

Costa Rica

20 M5s delivered

platoon/company commander T-l

Cuba

Guatemala

Haiti

12

Guatemala

Haiti

and 3

in

mid- 1943 and 8 M2Als

M3s delivered in

The
to Italy

1944.

was

1943 Germany agreed

In early

Brazilian Expeditionary Force deployed

infantry, so the only armor they

M8 armored cars and

took with them were 13

tanks.

Dominican Republic

to the

"Barbara" program, under which they were to

supply 25
91

PzKw I

PzKw I,

armored

five half-tracks.

(for training),

10

PzKw

cars.

No PzKw

III,

Honduras

55 StuG 40 and 20 SdKfz 222/223

M3-series Light Tanks

I

tanks remained in the

Cuba
inventory, so the

Germans

substituted 19
El

Bulgaria

The

first

captured
acquisition of AFVs came with a 1934

contract to Ansaldo for 14

CV33

an equal number of heavy trucks

them. These were delivered

form the

1936

1st Tank

a second contract

and

1935 and used to

in

Company.

tankettes

to transport

In

September

was signed,

this

time

with Vickers for eight single-turret 6-ton tanks

with

47mm guns and mounts for locally-

provided
the

MGs.

Delivered in 1938, these formed

2nd Tank Company,

allowing the formation

H-39 tanks over Bulgarian

Deliveries tinder the Barbara

April 1943

later,

similar (but new-build) T-l

followed by ten
1

models

October 1940. These were used

Trnk Company and

In

fill

to

in

August-

form 3rd

out the tank

battalion.

May 94 Germany delivered 40 ex1

97

PzKw IVJ,

Nicaragua

55

Marmon-Herrington

Cuba
Guatemala

cars.

This permitted the reorganization

CTMS
4

Tanks
4

of the tank force into two mixed (PzKw IV/T1

1)

battalions

and the R-35 battalion

in

US Shipments

1943,

to

Central America/Caribbean

with the older tanks being relegated to security

duties.

By 1944 the

force

had expanded

action was against the

months

started in

StuG40G, and 1 3 SdKfz 222 and 7 SdKfz 223

Germany sold 26 used LT-35

with

program

Salvador

armored

armored brigade.

light tanks

objections.

and ran through February 1944, and

actually totalled 10 LT-38,

of the IstTank Battalion. In February 1940

delivery a few

216

The

armored regiment. Tactical employment

ol the vehicles

all

wo battalions were grouped

and the

and one scout

nations formed small armored detachments

Kosovo

in the

Ironically,

to

Chile

an

only combat

Germans,

in Serbia

and

autumn of 1944.

The Hotchkiss

handed over

to the

The Soviets delivered no armored

vehicles after Bulgaria switched sides.

The only armored vehicles

acquired before the

war were

Mk VTb machine

gun

tanks, along with an

additional six S-35s, were

police.

its

five

carriers

Carden-Loyd

used for demonstration purposes.

M3A1

The US

delivered an initial 25

in 1942.

The major shipments came

1943, comprising 30

more scout

cars

M3A1

and 10

M5

scout cars

in late

light tanks, 18

half-tracks.

The

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

batch of 7 scout cars was delivered in January

final
1

have been confiscated by the Indochina colonial

government but the ZBs seem

944. These permitted the creation of two

mechanized battalions.

released for delivery via

China

vehicles).

1940 (two

armored

were used by various warlords, and

cars

government purchased

the central

models from France

and December

93 1

August 1929 (20 tanks)

in

tanks).

(1

The first

machine gun

1930,

in

carriers

with

from Vickers. This was the

first

government

central
early

(single turret,

no

6-tonners. Finally, in

andT-26 Model 1933

of several

1933 the

later

single-turret

of these tanks was

with radios.

delivered in

China next turned

to

50 tanks arrived
at

tanks brought by sea. The

and

a contract

1941

for the

two-man

at

Canton

in

March 938

complement, remained

with Marmon-Herring in Ma}'

Finally, in

Burma in

standard

1942.

purchased 101 L3/35 tankettes from

armed with Czech machine guns and

Italy,

half

the other

half with Belgian, delivered in January- February

1938, Based

initially at

Changsha, these vehicles

a .50cal

machine gun and capable of

this

was not conveyed to the

line in

little

first

March 1942

.30cal turret.

to accept the tanks,

one came
it

off the

had the

The Chinese refused

and the US agreed

to

substitute 1,200 Universal Carriers. In fact, the

total

number of carriers supplied was 1 ,500

(1,100

apparent desperation, they

CTLS

The Chinese specified a turret

manufacturer, for when the

later.

end of

of

20mm guns that the Chinese had on-

production

in service until the

for the transfer

production of 240 of their

tanks.

Yunnan about a month

the war, performing well in

purchased four more single-turret 6-ton tanks and

all

earlier.

The division, with a steadily declining tank

933 the

example. In

lew months

first

and another 32

September 1935 they

four light tanks, this time

invited to re-establish

US and British

however, and the only

was approval

hand. Apparently,

more amphibians and four more

four

937 the Red Army was

result

priority,

scout cars (delivered in October 1941)

accepting

and 12 6-ton tanks

and

for further acquisition of

A likely source was the Soviet Union and

36 M3Af

BA-6 armored cars driven overland via Mongolia

ordered a single

radio),

immediate

1937

Lend-Lease.

for

requirements had

Mechanized Division with about a 1 00 FAI and

while in late

light tanks

unclear.

is

use.

US, and in January 1941 China

MkVI

934 the central government ordered 12

more amphibian

the

were ordered

Cantonese provincial government ordered 12

light tanks,

in

was

was approved

(eight

in

vehicles

armed with

contracts with that firm, for in January

amphibian

and June 1940

February

little

the only remaining source for armored

They immediately set about organizing the 200th

when 12

trailers

in

the military mission expelled 10 years

purchase of new armored vehicles by the central

government came

Rangoon

apparently saw

By 1 940

been

The fate of the remaining ZBs

provided the impetus

vehicles.

their first

vehicles)

to have

The Japanese invasion of China

and improvised

Small quantities of FT- 1 7 tanks

WORLD WAR

MG and 400 3" mortar),

Australian production in

all

from

942/43. These were

used for the most part to form the carrier

platoons of the British-pattern infantry
battalions being

formed

in India

and Burma.

The last

October 1936.

Germany, which had

strong military advisory mission in the country,

and arch-rival France. In December 1934 they

placed an order for
cars

36 as-yet-undesigned armored

with Germany, these being delivered as 18

MG-armed SdKfz 221 and 12 2cm-armed SdKfz

222 in 1 936-37. In mid- 1 935
1 5

placed for

second order was

PzKw IA light tanks and 1 8 more

Germany had few armored vehicles

armored

cars.

to spare,

however, and the last batch, 14 armored

cars, arrived in

Canton

in

In France they placed

for

Renault UE chenillettes

(fitted

and armed with

a light

superstructure

gun) and

Provincial

ZBs were delivered

in

37mm SA-

government were delivered

in

to Japanese pressure.

fl/0/if:The Renault

by the

gun and

October 1 938. Those for

Haiphong for transhipment

the

later

3.2mm MGs. The Yunan

due

machine

Government. Half of the ZBs

the other half with

there

936

with a small

few months

were armed with the short

the central

AMR-ZB tankettes. A further four

AiVlR-ZB were ordered

Yunan

December 1 937.

an order in March

to

1938 but held up

The UEs appear to

AMR-ZB combined a

modified

AMR with

R-35 tank suspension. Here a Chinese vehicle with

13.2mm armament in Burmer,1942 (George Rodger/Titnepix)

217

TANKS OF WORLD

JANE'S

WAR

II

Left:

the

Chinese Vickers amphibian tanks

German

service

936

three Lynxes in

until the

when

dissolved in 1943,

1940 and remained on

in

Danish Army strength

the

The

occupation.

saw no combat

in

the)'

Germans for occupation

army was

were taken over by

duties.

Ecuador

The Army bad no armored vehicles

until

942.

Ecuador's declaration of war on the Axis

immediately

after Pearl

Army mission and

Harbor brought

1942 twelve Marmon-Herrington

and eight

M3A1

US

Lend-Lease Equipment. In

CTMS tanks

scout cars were delivered to

form an armored squadron with

a four-vehicle

scout car platoon and two five-vehicle tank

platoons. In 1943

In June 1943 the

US

assigned

,000

M3A3

China, but only 536 were actually

light tanks to

42

M3A1

light tanks

and four

handed over a small number of PzKw IV tanks

more scout cars were assigned by Lend-Lease,

and

these arriving between

Italian

Semoventi 75s.

mid- 1943 and mid- 1944.

shipped from the US, and only 100 of those

actually

made

it

Chinese forces in Burma. In

to

their place the British, reluctantly, provided

Shermans

in late

1944 for three battalions

16

for

Denmark

Eire

Other than

Denmark's

first

few extemporized armored trucks,

armored vehicles were

1933- two Carden-Loyd

use in Burma.

purchased in August

Colombia

without armament and

Patrol Tanks

The Colombian Army had no motorized

until the start of the

Equipment
twelve

for a small tank

M3A1

light tanks

was assigned

cars,

M3A1

The

and the scout

tracks.

scout

tanks

cars in

1944.

and

unsatisfactory,

a tendency to shed

They were discarded

in

937. Attention

then turned to armored cars and in 1934 a

single

January

reliability

armed

94 1 followed the next day by the

forces. Shortly thereafter the

Ustasha

it

These vehicles,

chassis,

By 1937
for

armored

German

regional

command furnished a

Croatian forces, starting with

8 ex-Polish

tankettes. In addition, ex- Yugoslav

used.
1

With

to

TKS

R-35s were

the Italian surrender in September

943 the Croatians

including about 26

Semoventi 47

seized

L 6/40

variants.

numbers of AFVs,
light tanks

and

Germany also apparently

this

time for two of

the

army

two armored
cars),

regiments.

and an

built

at

DK 100,000

on Biissing-NAG 6x4

from foreign supplies during the

Cut

early part

off

of

They

force structure plan called

car squadrons (each with nine

one

in each of the

two cavalry

The Landsverk Lynx was selected

initial

contract for three vehicles, at

125,000 each, was signed

in

& Co. of Carlow to

Ford

chassis. Built

machine gun and

a single light

constructed of mild

steel,

proof against .303

ball

ammunition, but not against AP ammunition.

A further three were fitted to slightly larger

Dodge chassis.

In 1943 17 Beaverette

in April

DK

939.

cars

were used to form the

Mk III

st

- 3rd Armoured

Squadrons, while the Beaverettes were used by

the 4th

Armoured Squadron. A squadron's

worth of Universal

December 1938.

These vehicles were delivered

armed with

steel hulls for

and IV were supplied by the UK. The armored

proved more successful.

German Waffen SS. The bulk of the armor was

wide variety of captured armored vehicles

218

May 1935 a second contract

more modern L-180 models

concentrated in the guard battalion of the UV.

local

armored bodies

truck chassis.

during 1940/41 these three-man vehicles were

formed the "Ustasha Vojnica", an analogue of the

The

fitted to

mounted on Leyland 6x4

proved underpowered and

chassis,

each.
part)'

were locally

turrets

and

The

4x4

the

cars

four separate turrets from Landsverk.

1935

produce 28

was placed with Landsverk,

L-180 armored

In

DK 60,000. Built on a Fordson

The independent state of Croatia was declared on

formation of the Domobranstvo, or

six

end of WW2.

commissioned Thompson

Landsverk L-185 armored car was

training duties. In

April

these served through the

Royce

Republic in 1921, and

purchased for

Croatia

thirteen Rolls

cars to the Irish

the war the Irish improvised.

overloaded and by 1939 had been relegated to

official

handed over

the arm)' ordered

with a single light

machine gun each, but proved

with limired

company, with

and two

in early 1943.

arrived in mid-year

forces

Lend-Lease program.

Mk VI. They were delivered

fitted

Britain

armored

received, but that

early

MG Carriers was also

squadron was broken up

1943 and the vehicles distributed

in

to the

infantry battalions.

second contract, for nine more vehicles, was

signed in
in

May 1939 and a third

February 1940. These

last

for the final six

two batches,

however, had not been delivered by the time of

Estonia

By 1939 Estonia
trucks

still

had nine old armored

from the fighting

in 1919. Five

of these

JANE'S

Rights

locally built Irish

TANKS OF WORLD WAR II

Leyland armored car (PMK)

were built on three-ton

AEG chassis and the

other four were captured Russian vehicles (three

Purilov-Austins and a Putilov-Garford). All

were 4x2 drive vehicles and completely obsolete.

Also on strength were twelve Renault
(3 with

FT tanks

37mm gun, nine with machine gun)

purchased

1920. Later acquisitions consisted

in

of 13 armored

cars built

on Crossley 4x2

chassis

37mm gun for the home guard and

(four with

nine with machine guns for the Army) delivered

in

1927-28, and

purchased

in

six Polish

TKS

tankettes

934. At the time of the Soviet

occupation the armored force consisted of the

1st

Armored Company with nine old armored

trucks, the

2nd Armored Company with

three

vehicles. All the Vickers tanks

FTs and nine Crossleys, and the 3rd Armored

turret models, delivered

Company with

or optics.

nine FTs and

six TKS.

The

first

without armament

12 were delivered in

1938 and the remainder

first official

purchase of 32

and 18 with

FT

psvk36 guns, although not

procurement of

armored vehicles came

in

tanks (14 with

8mm MG)

time for the Winter

1919 with the

37mm

Although

in

Winter War,

1921. In

trials: a

Mk VI* MG

carrier, a

6-ton tank and a Model 1933 light tank.

results

mid- 1936

contract was

placed for

and

32

37mm

were ready in

of 1939/40.

of the Vickers tanks and

lost

service.

six

in

considerable

number of

By May 1941 the army included 40

flame tanks) and 29

amphibian

M1931 and

T-37A and

13 T-38

War

the British 6-ton

45mm

the T-26) were refitted with Soviet

tanks and called T-26E. Similarly the twinturret

and flame-thrower T-26s were modinormal single-turret models with

fied into

the

45mm

mounted

gun.

MG

crew member

Some

also received a ball-

in the hull front

man

to

and

a fourth

it.

Further captures during 1941-42 added

Soviet tanks to the Finnish park. By

more

mid- 1942 they had 127 T-26s (including 6

flame tanks and 24 T-26E), 33 light

amphibian
all

tanks, 53

BT-7M

fast

tanks (not

operational), 3 T-34/76s, 7 T-28s and a

KV. The number of T-26s remained

single

tanks.

After the Winter

tanks (which had been the design basis of

during the

T-26s (including 10 twin-turret

were considered satisfactory

for the 6-ton, but not the other two,

all

The

Soviet tanks were captured and put into

1933 three vehicles were purchased from

Vickers for

five

War

most of the FTs were

from Renault.

Another two were delivered

The

in 1939.

Vickers were armed locally with

Finland
Finland's

were single

constant for the

fairly

rest

of the war, form-

ing the bulk of the Finnish armored force.

Fourteen more T-34s (including 9 T-34/85s)

were added

An

in 1944.

interesting conversion was undertaken

starting in late 1942, modifying 18 of the

BT-7s into assault guns. This was done by

welding

a big

box extension

the turret and rearming

it

to the rear of

with the British

4.5" howitzer. Although used in combat, the

resultant vehicle,

known

as the

not considered successful,

firing

was slow due

Left.

BT-42, was

was cramped,

difficult.

replacement for the BT-42s an order

was placed

Model

it

to the separate-loading

ammunition, and aimine

As

as

in

mid- 1943

assault guns.

for

45 StuG40

Only 30 of

these

The Finnish BT-42 was a generally

unsuccessful attempt to create a

version of the

BT

light

fire

support

tank

219

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

WORLD WAR
Left.

to be

A Marmon-Herrington Armored Car

built for Iran.

Not

confused with the South African vehicles also so-

named because they used

conversion

the Marmon-Herrington

4x4

kits

Iran (Persia)

The Shah launched

in

his motorization

933. At that time the

Army

old Rolls Royce armored cars,

tires,

and two

Army placed

FT

a contract

1933 the

with American-

LaFrance to build an armored car

Iranian design.
vehicle

was

The effort

rejected.

Marmon-

to

Herrington. This vehicle placed

armored body on the

37mm

a thinly-

chassis of a

surmounted by

gun and

to a general

and the

failed

A similar contract was

awarded the next year

truck,

with solid

still

tanks. In July

program

possessed four

coaxial

M-H

4x4

Bofors turret with

MG. The armor was

sufficient to protect against rifle-caliber ball

were actually delivered,

that year.

in

July-September of

The Finns removed

armor and replaced the German machine

DT

trials

accepted and a further eleven ordered

batches of

several vehicles in the early 1930s, including

one

Model TH 310 ALF,

equipment program was launched

the armored vehicles except the StuGs and

but these had

1935 when tenders went out

T-34s proved obsolete. As

war broke

During

models.

the Soviet offensive of

Germans renewed

1944

The StuGs

the

a result,

PzKw

received extra

armor

BT-42s were

single

was

retired

from

and

Landsverk L-182, purchased

During 1939-40 over 21 armored

in

1936,

cars

of

BA-20 and

10 BA-lOs) were captured and placed in ser-

By mid- 1943 the armored

vice.

car park

included 18 FAI/BA-20, 24 BA-10, 3 FAJs

and

few BA-3s and BA-6s.

One

unusual vehicle

to

be purchased

was the Landsverk "Anti", a

gun on

Landsverk tank

40mm

Bofors

chassis. Six

vehicles were purchased in April 1941

delivered in

and

March 1942. They served

throughout the war, apparently quite

successfully, for they

remained

through the 1950s.

Right.

An

Iranian AH-IVtankette

Division in January 1941.

tanks, but

Winter War.

seven types (including 10 FAI or

During the war with

Italy they

did capture about 50 L3 tankettes, of which 27

The

British

and

Mk VIB light

by the time the Germans had

in service

carriers

issued to the mechanized division.

also

to

in

TNH light tanks.

to be

in

January

to several tank

May a contract was

CKD for 30 AH-IV tankettes and

was increased

to

had been delivered. The bulk of these were

larger portion of the re-

manufacturers and

awarded
26

promised

launched their invasion only about 100

Only

cars.

in service at the start of the

out.

been scrapped by the time the

to provide Universal Carriers

at local

service.

Finns used few armored

all

were used to form the 19th Mechanized

tanks during June-August 1944.

depots. At that time, the T-26s, T-28s

The

all

deliveries, these including

29 more StuG 40 Model Gs and 15

IV Model

The much

Renault

as the

delivered in 1935.

NC and two Vickers 6-ton tanks, plus

two Carden-Loyd Mk VI carriers with trailers,

guns with Soviet

220

ammunition, but not AP. This vehicle was

Greece

The Greek Army purchased

the spaced

to

In September the award

50 of each, with

armed with 3.7cm A4 guns.

theTNHs
Deliveries

Tehran occurred between August 1936 and

May

1937.

A few of the armored cars saw

action against the British (and promptly

surrendered) in 1941, but the rest of the

JANE'S

Right An

Iraqi

Crossley armored car (PMK)

armored force remained

With
be the

intact.

the outbreak of the war these were to

armored vehicles acquired by the

last

Iranian Army, although a few

M3A1

scout

were supplied to the Gendarmerie

cars

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

in

1943 by the US.

Iraq

modest mechanization

was begun

effort

in

the mid- 1930s that resulted in the 1937

delivery often armored bodies from Britain
to convert Crossley

6x4 trucks into armored

and 14 CV.35 tankettes from

cars,

repairing

some

Italy.

After

damage

extensive water

suffered during shipment the tankettes were

placed in service in a

new

light tank

That company, together with

infantry battalion, formed the

The

Force.
1

tankette

Mechanized

company took

94 1 campaign, losing several

company.

motorized

part in the

TG. 130 armored

cars to

with .303 Vickers weapons.

March 1935 18

with .303 Vickers

Army, including the supply of 40

Chevrolet

In

MG-armed

light tanks

from Vickers, twelve of them

vehicles.

In 1942 the British began rebuilding the

Iraqi

four

form an

MG,

937 models with

tanks, although this

declared war on the Axis in January

model

943

the

Mechanized Force consisted of an armored

car regiment (35

TG.130

in three

squadrons),

in

model.

models

CKD

May 1937 a
for 2 LTL
1

was changed

to the

LTH

tanks were to have

940, but by that time the Soviets had already

occupied the country. Thus,

old Crossleys, of which 6 were operational),

of the war in September

the tank detachment (the surviving eight

armored force comprised one armored car

CV.35s), a motorized infantry battalion and

company

(with six remaining old

vehicles),

one company of old tanks

an

artillery battery. In late

were

1943 the tankettes

finally retired to training duties

at the

939

outbreak

WW

Medium

and two new tank companies (each nine

Mk VI

Vickers).

light tanks

donated by Britain.

and 26 Humber

I,

II

In early

20 Valentine

British transferred

in

Army.

independence

in

1920 Latvia inherited

Mk V
Composite and two Medium Mk B,
five

assorted armored cars.

The

new-build tanks came

in

when
1

7)

six Fiat

3000A

purchase of armored vehicles came

ordered from Fiance.

and eight

purchase of

tanks (copies of the FT-

Vickers, each

Italy.

Two

of these were

Puteaux and the other

fitted

needed and

Army ordered

37mm

Vickers

937-40 defense plan

for the

Renaults. Landsverk proposed

L-

its

CKD returned
LTL model. In May 1937 CKD was

00 and L-l 20 models, while

with

its

awarded

a contract for 2

LTL tanks armed with

problems and design changes, however, delayed

1940. By

this

Baltic states,

Union and

first

vehicle until mid-April of

time Lithuania,

like the

other

had been annexed by the Soviet

the tanks were never delivered.

Lithuania has the distinction of being the

first

They

with

arrived

16

in

unarmed

7.92mm Maxim

December 1933

Ml 933

armed with

MG. A

light tanks
a single

the

from

7.92mm

1935 competition between

Vickers, Landsverk and

cars. Six

L-l 8 Is on Daimler-Benz

were ordered

in

933 and delivered

in

934. Each of these vehicles was armed with a

20mm Oerlikon BWautocannon and two

MG locally. A more modern design was

clearly

March of 1926

were bought from

gun-armed with

first

now aged

chassis

1923 when 12 Renault FT- 17s were

and were each

used British tanks, three

purchase of cannon-armed tanks to replace the

armored

first

Lithuanian tanks were armed

nation to order the Landsverk 180-series of

Lithuania

in

all

machine guns and funds were set

aside in the

These were taken over by the Soviets

1940.

The
Latvia

On

B),

& III armored cars from

their local holdings to the Iraqi

point

the roll-out of the

(six Fiat

replaced by three Crusader cruisers and six

1945 the

this

Ml 936

20mm Oerlikon guns. Numerous teething

Latvia's

3000, two Composite and one

and

To

solely with

an armored car detachment (the surviving 10

16 tanks

Ml 936

been delivered between July and August

1

a further

were bought, these being the similar

a 2pdr. In

March 1939. The

were bought

the other six being

contract was signed with

armored car regiment. Thus, by the time Iraq

May 936

Vickers and in

CKD was won by

7.92mm Maxim machine guns.

At the

armored

start

of World

War Two

force consisted of an

company with

the Lithuanian

armored car

the six L-l 81s, one tank

company

with the 12 FT- 17s, one company with the 16

M
Vickers M
Vickers

into the

company with

933, and one

936. All the vehicles were absorbed

the

Red Army in March 1940.

221

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD

WAR

II

Left: The prototype ot the

Dutch

M39 armored

car

At the time ol the German invasion the order

of battle showed only two armored units: the

Armored Car Squadron with 12 M36s, and

2nd Armored Car Squadron with

2 M38s.

1st

the

separate detachment of the Horse Artillery

Regiment,

manned

known

as the

'Yellow Riders"

the Carden-Loyds,

The M39s were in

the cavalry depot awaiting finishing, and

some

of these were fielded on an extemporized

basis.

Netherlands East Indies

Although much of the archipelago was

unsuitable for armored vehicles, the
(East Indies

Army)

these than the

Manctiukuo

181s from Landsverk in 1935, these being

The puppet forces

up by the Japanese

set

Manchuria had no armored

late

930s,

when

In

vehicles until the

three

eight Isuzu trucks were given

armored bodies by the

Company.

armed with

in

Dowa Automobile

37mm Bofors anti-tank gun and

7.92mm Lewis machine guns. They were

known

as

M36 in Dutch service. This was

followed by an order for 12 L-l 80 with the same

1943 about ten Type 94 tankettes

armament, plus two

command versions with a

were donated by the Japanese to form an

dummy main gun, The second batch vehicles

armored company.

were designated

Mexico

also the purchase

Included

Six

Marmon-Herrington

tankettes were purchased

form the

(sole)

tank

CTL (two-man)
in

company

with the

the

to

1942

in late

of four Marmon-Herrington

arrival

following year.

by six

M3A1

The US

scout cars the

authorized 24

(gasoline) light tanks in 1943,

and

these were

delivered in 1944.

Netherlands

Committed

to a purely defensive role in a small

country, the

Dutch Army saw little

vehicles.

Two FT- 17s had

for testing,

and

fitted

for

armored

been acquired, mainly

with

M08/ 1

(Schwarzlose) machine guns.

The only other

tracked armored vehicles on strength were five

Carden-Loyd

Mk VI machine gun carriers.

The Dutch were slightly more

acquisition of armored cars.

Right:fV\ Overakvagen

Dutch East Indies

active in their

They ordered 2

armored truck

of the

second Landsverk order was

of 1 2 L- 1 80

turrets.

These

DAF PT3, officially designated the M39.

war, but the fitting ol

armament had not been

completed and no radios

CTMS (three-man) tanks and three M2 halftracks, followed

in the

L-

installed.

as

Overvalwagen were

built for local defense in the 1930s.

major order

more of

home army. Improvised

armored trucks known

for tanks

was placed

in

The

first

1937,

covering 73 commercial light tanks from

two-man MG-armed

Vickers,

analogous to the British

vehicles

Mk III light tank,

along with two amphibious light tanks. At the

same time

The vehicles were completed by the start of the

Lend-lease

began

M38s by the Dutch.

were to be mounted on an indigenous design,

1 937 and used

deliveries of armored vehicles

222

KNIL

actually purchased

armored

dozen Alvis-Straussler AC3D

were ordered and delivered

cars

in

1939. In June 1939 another order was placed

with Vickers,

this

time for 45 of the larger

Command Tanks with 40mm guns, and a few

months
for

80

later a third order followed, this

utility tractors. In the event,

broke out

in

Europe the

British

time

when war

government

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

JANE'S

Right

Berliet

GNR in 1942

armored cars of the Portuguese

confiscated

all

undelivered tanks after only 24

of the light tanks

made

to the East Indies,

it

Forced to find another supplier, and alarmed

by the success of German tank forces, the

KNIL

turned to the US. Orders were placed with

200

CTLS

(two-man,

Marmon-Herrington

for

MG-armed) and 120

CTMS (three-man,

37mm-armed)
further

34

tanks in October 1940.

CTLS and 74 CTMS were ordered

in

MTLS

March/April 1941, along with 200

Of these,
models
CTLS
however, only a very few of the
(four-man,

37mm-armed)

tanks.

had been delivered prior to the Japanese

invasion.

The weapons were contracted

separately,

and

with the tanks.

tanks,

50

it is

unclear

Due to

if the

arms

delays in the

lor

arrived

gun-armed

M3 light tanks were ordered, but these

also never arrived.

White Scout Cars from

Also ordered were 40

the

US

and 49 used and well-worn

Mk III armored cars from British

Herrington

Middle-East stocks,

all

up on

of which had been

Because few of these vehicles had been fully

invasion, the

KNIL at the

time of the

both

at

Bandoeng.

The improvised

armored trucks were scattered about the

outlying islands guarding ports

The tank
2

and

airfields.

battalion launched a counterattack

March 1941

against Japanese

Soebang and were

forced to retreat.

on

occupying

initially successful,

infantry support withered

destruction of the battalion. Apparently few of

armored

cars

and 188 ex-Dutch

on Java,

1942 Britain agreed

LTL tanks from CKD. The

tanks were

363-man tank

when

the

they were

Tanque 38/39. A

battalion with

Army

motorized cavalry regiment included an

tanks proved popular in service, but further

armored car squadron with

quantities could not be obtained. Lend-Lease

cars,

factor in equipping the

1939, and in the

light tanks

army

Autumn of 1943 30

were received from the US,

cars.

This permitted the expansion of the tank

including

were acquired until

after World

War Two.

The

mix of armored

some based on Ford truck chassis

with turret-mounted machine guns, and Berliet

6x6

vehicles with turrets with short-barrel

37mm guns and machine guns. The British

provided an additional

armored

cars for the

five

Humber IV

GNR in mid- 1944.

battalion to a nominal regiment in January

this

regiment consisted of only

Romania

one battalion - with two 10-tank companies of

The bulk of the armored strength up

LTLs and one 1 6-tank company of M3Als. At

mid- 1 930s was found

the same time the former mechanized group

in 1919,

division,

Portugal

tractors

Although the Army nominally included

a tank

battalion at the start of the war, the only tanks

actually

on hand were

few old Renault FTs and

76

until the

FT tanks purchased

37mm SA gun and

28 with the Hotchkiss 8mm MG. These
in service to the

and security

was acquired

one

in

48 with the short

in training

arms dealer and no additional armored vehicles

cars.

companies was immediately established. The

was the dominant

for

Republican National Guard (GNR), whose

two 12-tank

remained

been sold to an international

dozen

other force with armored vehicles was the

real.

to have

March 1944. Other deliveries

and 48 Humber IV armored

Carriers

The Paraguayan Army captured two of Bolivia's

during the Chaco War in 1933.

and

36 having been

by that time included 178 Universal

although the change was more symbolic than

single-turret)

tanks,

delivered by

was redesignated an armored

These appear

supply 24

quite a bit of its 1937 budget to purchase 24

the following year,

Paraguay

three Vickers six-ton tanks (one twin-turret,

to
II

1944, although

as the

Japanese reported at the end of the war that they

held 44 ex-Dutch tanks

1930 purchase of six Carden-Loyd

late

all

its

along with an equal number of M3A1 scout

and the unit was

damaged,

followed

one twin)

single turret,

Mk VI MG carriers. In

six

more

M3A1

but

Army

Carden-Loyd

and

reconditioned Valentine

after

The next two days saw the

the vehicles were seriously

theories of

Mk VI MG carriers and trailers by devoting

given the local designation

and the tank battalion (with Vickers

light tanks),

modern

delivered in February 1939,

mechanized forces consisted of

four cavalry platoons (with the AlvisStrausslers)

to

mechanization, the Peruvian

delivered before the Japanese invasion.

incorporated into the

two Vickers 6-tons (one

Peru

An early convert

Marmon-

to build

end of the war,

roles. In

1937

300 Renault

and production began

albeit

a license

UE armored

at the

Malaxa

factory in late 1939, but production ended with

March 1941 when

the supply of

vehicle

126

critical

components from France ceased.

in

223

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Romanian R-1 (AH-IV)

Left:h

vehicles, including

TNH-series from

tankette

theT-21 from Skoda and

CKD. All

fell

through. In

compensation the Germans sold 26 used

partial

PzKw 35 (t) from

their holdings in

October 1 94 1

these being delivered in June-July 1942. In

September 1 942 they further sold

IIIK and

the

first

04 more

StuG

III in

December 943, then

1

in the first half of

By mid- 942
1

Romanian tank
to

Of equal significance was

half of 1944.

the sale of four

1

it

Germany appears

to have

first

1938, but no production actually resulted, aside

donated about 50
stocks in the

half of 1941.

in

Talks with the Czech firms of

Skoda had begun

CKD and

in the early 1930s,

but

AH-IV tankettes,
,

to

be

known

and another with Skoda

for

CKD for 35

locally as the

126 S-II-aR

R-

(a

as

1937-38.

the R-2.
It

was

The R- Is were delivered

also anticipated that the

hoped

to

fleet

had

in

Malaxa

to establish a plant to

co-produce 200

end they were only able

these vehicles

to

import 41 of

whole from France before French

domestic requirements shut down

further

the supply.

34 R-35s were acquired

in

1939

from interned Polish equipment.

The Romanians

returned to the Czech fold and

firm would license-produce the R-l and the

attempted to purchase tanks or license production

required contract was signed in September

rights for a variety

of Skoda and

CKD/BMM

to provide

much

LtCol Ghiulai of the ordnance

help.

department was ordered

to design

some

armor force. His solution was

captured Soviet
quantity,

on the

to the early
initially

gun power

insufficient

be effective on the Eastern Front and that the

systems that could assure

February 1939.

Renault R-35s. This plan came to naught, and

in the

The

modified version of the LT-35) tanks, to be

known

December 1938

For the infantry support role the Romanians

was

it

not until 1936 that concrete action resulted. In

August a contract was signed with

from one prototype. Deliveries of the R-2s came

944.

had become apparent that the

Germans would not be able

more UEs from captured French

PzKw

2 each

November-December 1943, then 83 more

sold in
ill

PzKw IV. A further 3 PzKw IV were

stopgap

lethality for the

mount

to

76mm guns, available in great

chassis of various tanks, similar

German Marder vehicles. He

chose theT-60

andT-60A chassis,

since

number of these were available as captured

booty,

and the

known

as the

Ml 936 L/51

removed and replaced by

the

gun made from

captured

gun.

The

result

was

TACAM T-60. The turret was

1

a three-sided shield for

5mm armor cut from

BT tanks, while

the engine was

replaced by a locally-built Fargo

FH.2 model.

The suspension was beefed up and gun-laying

controls modified slightly. Deliveries of the

34

TACAM T-60s were spread out over

An

943.

almost identical conversion was undertaken

using the chassis of the R-2 tank.
vehicles

were converted in the

Of less utility was

Twenty

first

half of 1 944.

the conversion of some R-

35 tanks to a nominal tank-hunter

role.

This

was accomplished by extending the front of the

45mm Soviet
tank gun in place of the short 37mm piece. In
turret

forward to accommodate a

the process the coaxial

machine gun was

the tank's utility as a general offensive

lost,

so

weapon

was reduced. In any event, by the time the

conversion process got going in early 1944 the

45mm was no longer an effective anti-tank

Left:

224

A Romanian TACAM R-2

tank destroyer

(PMK)

JAN E'S TAN KLS OF

Right: Spanish

weapon.

PzKw

WORLD WAR

tanks on parade

A total of 30 vehicles were so rearmed.

Development of an indigenous tank

destroyer, similar in overall outline to the

German/Czech
five

Hetzer, was

begun

prototypes of the vehicle,

in

known

1943 and
as the

Maresal, had been completed by August 1944.

production had been ordered, but was

Series

when Romania switched

cancelled

Following the defection to the

continued

sides.

Allies,

Romania
no

to field the existing vehicles,

Soviet vehicles being received.

Spain

The

first

tanks bought by Spain were a response

of Spanish forces

to the humiliating defeat

Morocco

in

in

1920-21. In August 1921, the

Spanish bought 12 FTs from France,

with

1 1

7mm Hotchkiss machine guns and one radio

tank.

On

March 1922 they were committed

18

poor co-ordination. Further purchases

1

920s included

seven

six

Model 1923

disasters. In

Schneider
St.

CA- 1

in the

tanks and

diamond wheel/track

1926 development of an improved

FT was begun and six of the

version of the

cars, the vast

Armored

cars

were procured

de Asaltos" paramilitary force, which had been

1932 and by 1934 had 14

in

battalions,

each including an armored car platoon. Ttking

an American

Dodge 4x2 model 1930

-

made

tanks,

the

first

German-

32 PzKw IA and one kl.PzBefWg

October 1936. Deliveries probably

88

PzKw I

(evenly split between

light

command

A and

tanks. Italy

appears to have sent about 100 CV.35 tankettes.

The conclusion of the civil war found

victorious nationalists with a variety of
vehicles,

German and

Italian, that

captured from the Republicans.

the

armored

had been

given to them, and Soviet that they had

the

shipyard at Bilboa designed an armored body

with a machine gun

majority of the latter

On the Nationalist side,

B models) and four

"Guardia

and 291

being extemporized vehicles on truck chassis.

totalled

1931).

formed

armored

arrived in

resultant Trtibia tanks were built (the last in

lor the

May 1938

models and BA-3 heavy vehicles. By

the Republic force included 126 tanks

to combat with disappointing results due to

The

reorganization directive of October 1939

formed four nominal tank regiments, each

to

consist of an anti-tank gun company and two

tank battalions; of the

in

latter,

however, only one

each regiment was provided with vehicles.

Each regiments operational battalion held 3

light tanks

and 27 gun-armed

tanks. In the 1st,

3rd and 4th Regiment that meant a

combination of Pz

Is

andT-26s,

in the

2nd

Regiment L3s andT-26s. The cavalry branch

was organized into 10 reconnaissance groups

and an armored car squadron. The

reconnaissance groups were not identically
organized, but each generally included a

mechanized battalion that included an armored

Two series were

turret.

produced: one of 36 vehicles for the Guardia

and one of 14

for the cavalry's

new armored

car

group.

The outbreak of the

of military

equipment

Republican

civil

side, the first

Model 1933s from

the

October 1936 and a

war brought

into the country.

shipment of 50T-26

USSR arrived in

total

of 281 had been

delivered by the time the last shipment

unloaded
were

in

March 1938.

also delivered in

a flood

On the

was

In addition, 50

BT-5s

August 1937. Also

included were about 50 armored cars, FAI light

Right: Captain Verdeja developed numerous tracked
vehicles, including a

45mm-armed tank, shown,

but none

passed prototype stage.

225

JANE'S

TAN KS OF WORLD WAR

Left: The

Vickers Armstrong Type 33

light

tank

in

Switzerland

later

and these three (two with

MG) were still on

the

army

940. As

program of the mid-

part of the motorization

19305, two Vickers Carden

light tanks

37mm one with

rolls in

Loyd Model 1933

were purchased for

March

trials in

1934. One, with leaf springs, was designed the

Typ 33 and the

Typ

other, with coil springs, the

light tanks

from the same firm, delivered

Spring of 1935. All

single
for a

six

a search

armored

cars.

937

Two mechanized cavalry

and 20

PzKw IVH

regiments were formed in 1940, each of which

Chevrolet

included an armored group of an armored car

Ills.

squadron (10 Chevrolet or BA-six armored

cars), a light

tank squadron (10 L3s) and a tank

squadron (10T-26).

Although further reorganizations took

of real accretions

place, the lack

to strength

limited their usefulness until 1943.

implemented the Bar program

regularized trade
deliveries.

PzKw IVH and

other items, 50

which

and promised arms

and placed orders

among

10 StuG-IIIG.

In anticipation of these modest reinforcements

German

advisors had suggested, in early 1942,

establishing an
officially

done

armored division and that was

in mid-year.

The

1st

Armored

Division was built around two armored

brigades (each of a mototized battalion and
a

tank battalion) and an armored

reconnaissance battalion.

Twenty of the tanks and

the 10

StuGs were

delivered in 1943, but the remaining tanks

were never delivered due to pressing German

requirements and the

them

deliveries the Spanish

Right:Vne

on

difficult)'

across southern France.

Pzw 39 with

AA mount

its

of transporting

With

medium

tanks;

60 L3

937 armored

On arrival
tank

PzKw

the

cars;

16 T-26B

tankettes; 80

and 10 StuG

IVs were assigned

company of

to

vehicles in each

these

Army's armored vehicle

24mm g un and furer-type MG

cannon.

the Landsverk L-60

CKD TNH was won by the latter and

contract for

24

vehicles

December 937. The

1

was placed
twelve

first

delivered complete (except

in

Pzw 39 were

armament) and the

The

remainder

as kits for local assembly.

fitted their

own Saurer-Albon engine and a

locally-designed

24mm

Swiss

tank gun. Secondary

of the two armored division tank battalions.

armament was two Maxim 7.5mm machine

The

guns, one coaxial and one in the hull front.

assault

guns were assigned to an

experimental and demonstration company

at the

school of artillery.

Delivery was completed in April 1939. In

1941 a prototype tank destroyer was built

using a lengthened

Pzw39

gun mounted

The

never entered production.

first

two tanks, FT- 17 models, were

in

92 1

A third vehicle was added

as in a

chassis with a

German Marder,

Switzerland

purchased

Germany

for,

PzKw I A/B,

assure

in 1942,

Spanish officers visited

later that year

To

Germany

Spanish friendship during the war

226

park consisted of 93

was launched

more capable tank armed with

A competition between

in the

were armed only with

machine gun, and

and the

squadron with either L3s or Chevrolet

Model 35

34. These were followed by four

75m

but

it

A second prototype,

with a fully-enclosed superstructure, was built

JAN E'S TAN KS OF

Right:l\\e Thai Vickers

in

1944 bur

also

SP 2pdr AA guns on

proved

WORLD WAR II

display

dead-end.

In addition, about a dozen Renault R-35s were

taken into service in 1940 after being brought

across the border

by retreating French troops.

Thailand

The

first

purchase of armored vehicles came in

1929 when 10

Mk VI

machine gun

carriers

were purchased from Vickers, these being

delivered in

March 1930. They remained

loyal Vickers

purchasing

customer lor the next

six

armored

chassis with a turreted

cars (on

years,

6x4 Morris

8mm MG)

1930

in

lor

delivery in June 1931, and then 10 six-ton

single-turret tanks in

November 1932

for

delivery in February-March 1933. Thailand

became
tracked,

the world's

armored

January 1933,

it

first

purchaser of a

anti-aircraft vehicle

when,

in

bought 26 thinly-armored

Vickers tractors armed with 2pdr AA guns.

These were delivered up

In

to

1933 they returned

October

933.

to Vickers to

purchase two amphibian light tanks and the

following year bought 30
carriers
in

and 10

Mk VI

trailers, these

machine gun

being delivered

1934-35. Finally, an order was placed in

1938

for 12

more

single-turret 6-ton tanks

but only four were actually shipped before

deliveries

during the war of one British-equipped and

one Japanese-equipped tank battalion.

were halted by the outbreak of the

The war ended

war

in

the

UK and Thailand turned to Japan,

Europe.

delivery of 36

Type 95

the supply

from

taking

light tanks in 1940.

This completed the force structure, consisting

Turkey

The pre-war Turkish armored

force was built

around a contract with the Soviet Union that

935 of 60 T-26 Model

saw the delivery

in

1933

T-27 tankettes and 60 BA-6

tanks, five

armored

cars.

The outbreak of the war

caused

France and Britain to court Turkey, and

this

resulted in the delivery or further small

quantities of AFVs. France delivered 50

light infantry tanks in

Britain 16

R-35

January 1940 and

Mk VIB light tanks at the same time.

Turkey's geographic location guaranteed that

competition for her favor would continue. In

September 1942 Churchill directed that tanks

be

made

available in the

form ol 170

almost immediately increased to 2

Stuarts,

Stuarts

and 200 Valentines. Deliveries began

in

November and continued through 1943. By

the end of

943 the Turks had

500 Shermans

By

this time,

to

also requested

form two armored

divisions.

however, Turkish indecision on

entering the war, their receipt of weapons from

Germany, and

Left:

A Vickers medium

inspection

a general shortage

in

E (six ton) and

of armored

MG carriers at

Thailand

^K

227

JANE'S

TANKS OF WORLD WAR

Yugoslavia

1940

M3

1943

1944

1945

The army acquired

50

Renault R-35
British Light

1942

1.941

MkVIB

further 48 in

16

Stuart

920 and

1930, along with nine new

NC-

27. Eight Skoda S-I-d tankettes with a two-

23

354
100

22

Valentine

eight FT- 17s in

Sherman

34

PzKwIII

22

PzKw IVH

22

Bishop SP 25pdr

48

man

crew and a

37mm A3 gun in the hull were

delivered in 1937. Interest then turned to

Fiance and an order for 50 R-35s was placed,

-

these being incorporated into a French

contract with Renault of May

938. These

vehicles wete delivered in February 1940.

Wartime AFV Deliveries

Turkey

to

After the

fall

of Yugoslavia the partisans

used captured armor intermittently. As the

vehicles

on the Allied side had caused the

British to lose their patience, Deliveries to

Turkey were stopped

in

March 1944, by which

time Turkey had received almost 400 Stuarts

and Valentines,

all

Middle East and

Shermans

tired vehicles

from the

Persia/Iraq theaters,

that were

no longer

fit

for service.

Deliveries did not begin again until February

1

945,

war

Merropolitana Uruguaya rather than rhe army.

permanent armored units were required and

No further armored vehicles were acquired

the 1st

until late in

World War 2, when 40

tanks were delivered by the

and 34

the

most numetous tank

inventory, were almost

with only a few

M3A1

light

all

in the

2pdr armed versions,

Mk IX.

Three Citroen-Kegresse P-28 armored

were purchased from France in 1933-34,

auspices, then shipped to Yugoslavia. This

used a wide variety of equipment, including

between

L3 tankettes captured from the

H-35

light

Two Carden-Loyd

Italians

and

Germans. During rhe

M3A3 Stuart light tanks from Italy (and,

teportedly 24 AEC III & IV armored cars),

Venezuela

in

tanks from the

second half of 1944 the British delivered 52

tank battalion.

in

delivery of six
half-

Tank Brigade was formed under Allied

issued to the 4th Cavalry Regiment, creating a

purchased

Uruguay

in the

Novembet 1944 and June 1945. These wete

Mk VI MG

carriers

were

1928 and delivered the next

the only purchase of

tracks

US

when Turkey declared war on Germany.

The Valentines,

Balkans became more convenrional

but were used by the quasi-military Guardia

M3A1

armored vehicles

year,

until the

Scout Cars from the

US

942. There were no further acquisitions

until after the war.

and

in the first half of

Stuarts (five

scout

car.

1945 an additional 40

M3 and 35 M3A1) and a Lynx 2

Some of these were converred

to

crude SP weapons by removing the turrets

and replacing them with various pieces of

captured weapon ry.

Left:

One

of eight

Skoda

S-I-d tank destroyers

(PMK)

Index

229

NDEX

Page references in
tions.

Where an

italics refer to illustra-

illustration

is

immediately

adjacent to a description of the vehicle,

then only the one page reference

is

AMR-33
AMR-35

scout tank 81

Bison heavy

scout tank 81

Bohemia and Moravia 65-66, 67-69

anti-aircraft vehicles

Britain

45-46

28,

cm

Pak(t) auf

PzKw

anti-tank vehicle

IB self-propelled

105

7TP light tank 149

7.5 cm Pak40 auf PzKw

self-propelled

assault carriers,

armored

cars

Britain

8.8cm Pak43 auf PzKw III/IV

Bison heavy

fire

support vehicle 107

37L

tractor

83

127, 133

United States

38-40

45

Forces

17-19

prewar tanks

Sweden 181

187,188

tanks 32

prewar vehicles other than tanks

self-propelled artillery
self-propelled

25-26

26

tank destroyers 25-26, 41

United States tanks 24-25

British Somaliland

Union 157-158,167-170

Sweden 180

Austria 214,

57

Brummbar armored

BT

fast

assault carrier

tank 164

Bulgaria 216

215

Avenger tank 26

Canada

50, 52-53, 52, 53,

Carden-Loyd

AEC

BA-10 armored

armored car 44

214

tankette 66

Alecto assault gun 26

medium

tank 80

amphibious tanks, Japan 144

Britain 28-29,

car

159, 171

France 83

BA-20 armored

car

170

Italy

BA-64 armored

car

171

Japan 145

Beaverette 28

195-196

carrier

19,

carriers
bis

19-20

guns 4

Australia 49-52, 51, 52, 61

133

amphibians, United States

carriers,

126-127, 131-333

Soviet

20-23, 33-37

20, 30-32

light tanks

193-194, 209-210

guns

Italy

28-29, 46-47

medium

Hungary 121

34

guns 25-26

infantry tanks 23-24,

Union 158-159,170-171

Army Ground

28

27-28, 42-44

cars

light reconnaissance cars

B-l

Afghanistan 213,

230

Achilles tank destroyer 25

AH-IV

assault

Germany 90-92, 101-102

A15 cruiser tank 35

A22 infantry tank 40
A24 cruiser tank 35
A30 Avenger tank 26
car

armored

carriers

Britain

armored

27-28,42-44

armored personnel

A9 cruiser tank 33
A10 cruiser tank 33
Al 1 infantry tank 38
A12 infantry tank 38

AB

anti-aircraft vehicles

cruiser tanks

assault

45-46

anti-aircraft tanks

Sweden 180-181
120

47

Carrier

17-47

Hungary

Soviet

cruiser tank

Germany 105

Poland 149

Gun

Britain

216

215-216

Germany 93-94, 109-111

Italy

38M Toldi light tank 119

39M Csaba armored car 2
40M Nimrod self-propelled gun
40M Turan medium tank 19
40M Zrinyi assault gun 121

Al 3

Bren

France 81-82

self-pro-

106

pelled anti-tank vehicle

15cm sIG auf PzKw

armored

106

anti-tank vehicle

214

Argentina 213-214,

II

Brazil

Archer tank destroyer 26, 41

67-69

light tanks

Bolivia 215,

Arab Legion 57, 57

4.7

69

anti-aircraft tanks

Bohemia and Moravia 69

given.

support vehicle 107

fire

46-47

127

Sweden 181

Belgium 214-215, 215

Cavalier tank 35

Bishop self-propelled gun 41

cavalry tanks, France

80

46

59-60

105

INDEX

cavalry vehicles, France 73-75

Dingo scout

Centaur tank 36

Dodge armored

Challenger tank 37

Dominican Republic 216

car 61

Germany 84-113

76

car

CharB-1 tank 72

UE

armored

assault carriers

armored

cars

94, 109-1

guns 90-92, 101-102

assault

Chi-Ha medium tank 142

East Africa

captured vehicles 95

Chi-Hetank 143

Ecuador 218

Chi-Nu tank 143

Eire

Chenillette

83

Chile 216-217

El

China 217-218, 217, 218

Christie, J Walter

183

11,

16-17, 24, 40

Churchill tank

57

pre-war 85-86

218

self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles

Salvador 216

Elefant assault

gun 102

self-propelled anti-tank guns

Estonia 218-219

141

self-propelled artillery 93,

fast tanks,

tank destroyers 90-92,103-104

36

Soviet

light

Union 164

combined-arms operations 14

Comet tank

Ferdinand assault gun

37

20, 23,

57

States

102

219

Costa Rica 216

Finland 219-220,

Covenanter tank 21, 34

Firefly

Coventry armored car 27-28, 44

firepower increases 9-10

FlakPanzer IV anti-aircraft tank 109

Cromwell tank 36

flame-thrower tanks

Crossley armored car

26

cruiser tanks, Britain

20-23, 33-37

armored

cars

Crusader tank 35
car

121

tank 200

81-82

83

cavalry tanks

80

cavalry vehicles 73-75

infantry vehicles

Czechoslovakia 62-69

light tanks

light tanks

D
D

medium

67-69

66

tank 79

medium

carriages,

Guy Wheeled

Light

Tank 27

H-35 tank 74
H-39

light

Haiti

216

tank 77

hah- tracks

71-73

77-79

tanks 79-80

scout tanks 81

United

Hamilcar

94, 111-113

States

glider

192-193,207-208
19, 31

Harry Hopkins tank 31

heavy tanks
131

tracked tractors 83

Italy

Vichy regime 75-76

Soviet

wartime production 75

United States 189-190,203

Union 156-157,165-166

Daimler armored car 27, 43

Free France 76

Hellcat tank destroyer

Denmark

French Colonies 73-74, 75

Hetzer tank 69

FT

high quality designs

177, 18

Department of Tank Design 21, 23

United States

206-207

Germany

76

Free France

Cuba 216

tankettes

gun motor

carriers

Csaba armored

68

Grille tank

151,152

France 70-83

Crusader anti-aircraft tank 46

light

Greece 220

Guatemala 216

tank 25

Croatia 218

CTLS

Grant tank 201

FlakPanzer 38(c) anti-aircraft tank 69

12

86-90, 96-100

tanks

tank 70-71, 79

Federated Malay

size

105-

107-108

FCM

United States 197

crew

92-93

self-propelled anti-tank vehicles

programme 18

expertise-expansion

93-

94, 109

106

cars

Japan

94-95, 111-113

half-tracks

Colombia 218
combat

105
1

light

tank 77

190,

204

231

NDEX

Centurion

17

CKDTNH
Comet

heavy tank 165

IS

IS U-

37

23,

ISU-152

Jagdpanther 104

Italy

PzKwV

98

PzKw VI

100

Tiger

guns

carriers

Ho-Ni

self-propelled

Ho-Ro

self-propelled howitzer

145

gun 138, 144

medium

145

26- 1 27, 131-133

L-181 armored car 180

landing vehicles tracked, United States

196, 210-211

129-130

RSI 128

77

tanks

car 27,

Hummel

Lend-Lease

124-126

108

04

Hungary

Jagdpanzer IV/70 tank destroyer

assault

guns

light tanks

medium

121

JagdPz 38 (t) tank 69

121

tanks

Japan

120

self-propelled guns

134-145

cars

light tanks

artillery

India

II

self-propelled

107

50, 56, 61

135

141

14

medium

tanks

pre-war

134-135

142-143

self-propelled guns

144-145

tankettes

140

23-24,38-40

Union 164

France 77-79

Italy

129
141

Soviet

149

Union 153-154,161-162
185-186,197-200

United States

wartime production 134-140

Soviet

20, 30-32

Britain

Poland

infantry tanks

infantry vehicles, France 71-73

Bohemia and Moravia

Japan

India pattern wheeled carrier 61

Britain

03

Hungary 119

chaotic production

combat

Czechoslovakia 67-69

145

carriers

Hybrid Stuart tank 185

IeFH 18/2 aufPzKw

104

amphibious tanks 144

1 1

45
light tanks

67-69

Jagdtiger tank destroyer

119

Union 159-160

light reconnaissance cars, Britain

Jagdpanther tank destroyer

Jagdpanzer IV tank destroyer 103

cars

24-25

Britain

Soviet

Hungary 114-121
armored

Lee tank 201

128

self-propelled artillery

80

Latvia 221

127

43

Humberette 28

Landsverk company 173-177

self-propelled artillery

Humber armored

Landsverk armored cars

pre-war 123-124

Hornisse self-propelled anti-tank vehicle

11,

180

Lanchester armored car 42

29

Honduras 216

Hotchkiss tank

127-128

car

armored car 82

Laffly

tanks

tankettes

129

tank

light

L-180 armored

27

light tanks

(Italy)

127, 133

heavy tanks 131

personnel carrier

106

232

L3 tankette 128

foreign-built vehicles

T-34 155-156, 163

Ho-Ha armored

L3 tank

158, 170

L6

cars

124

170

122-133

assault

Somua S-35 74

gun

assault

armored

Panther 99

L3 tank (Hungary) 114-115, 116

122 assault gun

Hetzer 69

PzKwlV

218

Irish Free State

64

Lithuania 221

Locust tank
Lorraine

37L

99

tractor

83

low quality designs

Covenanter 21

Ka-Mi amphibious tank 144

Iran

220-221, 220

Kama

Iraq

221,227

KV

proving ground 85

heavy tank 166

FT

light

tank 77

LT-35

light

tank 62-63, 67

LT-38

light tank

67

INDEX

LVT

landing vehicles tracked

196, 210-

M 17 anti-aircraft half-track

206

32

Britain

France 79-80

ml'37 tankette 174, 178

Ml 8
Ml 8
M22
M24
M26
M36

m/38 tank 172-173, 175, 178

Malaya 57

Mexico 222

m/39 tank 178

Manchukuo 222

Mobelwagen

211

Lynx armored

car

177, 188

M
m/31 tank 176

Hungary 119

personnel carrier

Japan

142-143

heavy tank 203

Soviet

Union

tank destroyer 204

United States 186-189, 201-202

200

light tank

self-propelled anti-tank vehicle

II

mark

tank 45

light anti-aircraft

light

mark

Matilda infantry tank 14, 38

M2 half-track 207-208
M2 light tank 184, 197
M2 medium tank 201
M3 half-track 182-183, 192,207-208
M3 Lee/Grant medium tank 20
M3 light tank 198
M3 scout car 209
M4 half track 207-208
M4 Sherman medium tank 186, 202
M5 halftrack 207-208
M5 light tank 199
M7 howitzer 195
M7 self-propelled artillery 205
M8 armored car 15, 210
M8 self-propelled artillery 205
M9 half track 207-208

mark

II

mark VII

Cavalier cruiser tank 35

M10 tank destroyer 203

Mil medium tank 122-123, 125,
M13 anti-aircraft half-track 206
M13 medium tank 126, 130
M13 self-propelled artillery 206
M14 anti-aircraft half-track 206
Ml 5 anti-aircraft half-track 206
Ml 6 anti-aircraft half-track 206

mark VII

light

light

gun

car

anti-aircraft

62- 1 63

tank

109

45

80

197

tank 197

129

Netherlands 222, 222

tank 30

45

mark

II

light anti-aircraft tanks

mark

II

light

mark

II

Matilda infantry tank 14, 38

mark

III

mark

III light

mark

III

Ostwind

gun

120

anti-aircraft tank

109

self-propelled

Valentine infantry tank 23, 39

infantry tank

16-17,
P- 1 6 armored car

24,40
mark IV

cruiser tank

mark IV

light tank

light tank

mark VI Crusader
mark VI

light

mark VIII

P40 heavy tank

34

Panhard

30

V Covenanter cruiser

mark V

54

34

tank 30

mark IV Churchill

mark

Zealand 50, 53-55,

Nicaragua 216

Nimrod

tank 30

cruiser tank

Netherlands East Indies 222-223, 222

New

33

cruiser tank

self-propelled anti-tank vehicle

106

mark

assault

combat

54- 1 56,

light reconnaissance car

Nashorn

33

cruiser tank

mark

Ml
Ml

Morris

Marder tank 68

m/42 tank 179

m/43

129-130

Italy

199

Locust light tank

106

m/4l tank 777

m/42 armored

190

carriage

Hellcat tank destroyer 204

Marder

m/40 tank 178

motor gun

Hellcat

tank 34

35

tank 18, 30

tank 31

light

tank 31

78 armored car 82

Panther tank 99

Persia

220-221, 220

Peru 223

Poland

146-149

armored
lis;hr

cars

149

149

tanks

148

Marmon-Herrington

tankettes

armored car 58

Portugal 223,

CTLS

light

pre-war

tanks

191-192

tank 200

Paraguay 223

30
cruiser tank

74, 8

223

Britain tanks

17-19

Matilda tank 14, 38

Britain vehicles other than tanks

medium

Germany 85-86

tanks

19-20

233

INDEX

123-124

Italy

Soviet

SdKfz 139 tank 68

134-135

SdKfz 140

Union 151-153

SdKfz 141 tank 97

japan

United States 183-185

Soviet

SdKfz 142

Union 155

United States

assault

gun

101

Pzjag 38(c) tank 68

SdKfz 166 armored

SdKfz 167

assault

SdKfz 184

assault

assault carrier

102

Shinhoto Chi-Ha

armored car 109

Siam 227, 227

SdKfz 223

light

armored

Singapore 57

SKP m/42 armored

SdKfz 232 heavy armored car

Slovakia

car

R-40

light tank

78

SdKfz 250

armored

light

10

tank 79

light

armored car 109

SdKfz 261

light

armored car 109

SdKfz 263 heavy armored

Romania 223-224, 224

car

Germany

m/43

assault

92-93

gun 180

105-106

scout tanks, France 8

SdKh

Britain

121 tank 96

SdKfz 124 self-propelled

107

SdKfz 131 self-propelled anti-tank vehicle

106

SdKfz 135/1 self-propelled

SdKfz 138 tank 68

26

Germany
artillery

Italy

108

93, 107-108

127

United States 194-195, 205

Britain

156-157,165-166
164

infantry tanks

159-160

Lend-Lease

medium

153-154, 161-162

tanks

154-156,162-163

Germany

tank destroyers

157-158,169

225

SS type bridge layer 134-136

Staghound armored car 28

self-propelled guns
artillery

164

Spain 225-226,

self-propelled artillery

SdKfz 101 tank 96

157-158,167-170

pre-war 151-153

self-propelled anti-tank vehicles,

scout cars, United States 209

tanks

light tanks

Germany

158-159,170-171

cars

heavy tanks
110

93-94, 109

self-propelled anti-tank guns,

Sav

14,

fast

self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles,

S-35 cavalry tank 80

Union 151-171

armored

assaultguns

SdKfz 260

42

41

Hungary 120

181

66

59
Soviet

half-track

113

car

personnel carrier

Somua S-35 tank 80

Renault R-35 tank 78

Royce armored

tank 143

South Africa 48-49, 50, 55-56, 55, 58,

Renault R-40 tank 78

Rolls

202

110

half-track 94,

medium armored

186, 188,

1 1

111-112

SdKfz 25

Hummel

108

medium

SdKfz 231 heavy armored car 110

1

108

III/IV

Sherman tank 24-25,

light

SdKfz 234 heavy armored car

Renault

PzKw

SdKfz 222

78

tank 59

18/1 auf

armored car 109

109

26

13/1 auf Lorraine Schlepper

light

light tank

Ram

sFH

SdKfz 221

SdKfz 233 heavy armored

artillery

self-propelled artillery

car

133

Sexton self-propelled gun 60

sFH

SdKfz 186 tank destroyer 104

11-12

105

artillery

gun 132

self-propelled artillery

R-35

radio

108

gun 102

gun

assault

Sexton self-propelled

artillery

SdKfz 173 tank destroyer 104

234

Semoventi 90 self-propelled

Semoventi 105

SdKfz 165 self-propelled

PzKw 35 (t) tank 62-63, 61

PzKw 38(t) tank 67, 86
PzKw tank 96
PzKw II tank 96
PzKw III tank 97
PzKw IV tank 98
PzKw V Panther tank 99
PzKw VI Tiger tank 15, 89, 100

131

Semoventi 75 assault gun 128, 132

SdKfz 162 tank destroyer 103

12-13

144-145

Semoventi A7 assault gun

SdKfz 161 tank 98

87

production tonnage

Japan

69

anti-aircraft tank

Straussler,

Miklos

Straussler,

Nicholas 20

Strv

m/37

115, 118

tankette

174, 178

m/38 tank 172-173,

Strvm/39 tank 178
Strv

Strv

m/40 tank 178

175, 178

INDEX

Strvm/42 tank 179

Sturmgeschutz 40 assault gun 101
Sturmgeschutz 7.5cm assault gun 84-85,

T-80

light rank

UE

Sturmgeschutz 8.8cm Pak 43/2 assault

Soviet

Sturmpanzer IV armored

assault carrier

105

Czechoslovakia 66

SU-12

Japan 140

SU- 1 5
SU-76

assault

gun

67

Poland

assault

gun

67

Sweden 178

SU-85

assault

148

Thailand 227,227

180-181
181

226

200

tank 200

T-17 armored

car

209

T-26 infantry tank 153, 164

T26

tank

pre-war 183-185

194-195, 205

self-propelled artillery

100

tank destroyers

148

190-191, 203-204

Universal carrier 29, 47

119

Uruguay 228

Transjordan 57

178

Switzerland 226-227,

light

186-189,201-202

ranks

tracked tractors, France 83

178-179

light tank

185-186, 197-200

scout cars 209

15, 89,

TK tankette
Toldi tank

181

tankettes

T14
T16

Tiger rank

guns 180

carriers

tanks

carriers

light tanks

Marmon-Herrington tanks 191-192

medium

Tetrarch tank 31

armored personnel

size)

Sweden 178-179

Sweden 172-181
cars

189-190,203

landing vehicles tracked 210-21

Sudan 57, 57
armored

206-207

192-193,207-208

heavy tanks

124-126

Italy

169

carriages

half-tracks

Germany 86-90, 96-100

169

gun 168

assault

SU-1 52 assault gun

191-192

Tanks (not subdivided by

gun 168
destroyer

197

cars

gun motor

128

gun 167

SU-100 tank

combat

193-194, 209-210

cars

export of Marmon-Herrington vehicles

assault

assault

armored

tankettes

Italy

195-196

amphibians

Union 157-158, 169

United States 190-191,203-204

gun 102
Sturmgeschutz IV assault gun 102

Chenillette 83

United States 182-211

25-26,41

Britain

Germany 90-92, 103-104

90, 101

SU- 122

162

tank destroyers

Turan tank 119

Valentine tank 23, 39

Turkey 227

Venezuela 228

type

type

medium Chi-He tank 143

Ho-Ni self-propelled gun 138,

144

Vickers carriers 47

Ka-Mi amphibious tank 144

Vickers commercial light rank 32

type 3

Chi-Nu medium tank 143

Vickers

type 4

Ho-Ro

type 89

medium

T-34 medium tank 150-151, 156,

type 92

combat

tank
car

type 94 tankette

163

medium E rank 32

self-propelled howitzer

T-28 medium tank 162

T-35 heavy tank 152, 165

Vickers 6-ton ner tank 17

type 2

145

189

Vichy France 75-76

type 95 light tank

10, 137,

142

Windsor

carrier

Wirbehvind

141

60

anti-aircraft

tank

109

wz.34 armored car 149

138, 140

141

Chi-Ha medium tank 142

T-37

light tank

161

type 97

T-38

light

tank

161

type 97 improved Shinhoto

T-40

light

tank 161

T-60

light

tank

161

type 97 tankette

T-70

light tank

162

type 98 light tank

medium

Chi-Ha

Yugoslavia

227,227

tank 143

140
141

Zrinyi assault gun

121

235

Production tables

236

PRODUCTION TABLES

armored

27

Britain

Czechoslovakia 64

Sweden export orders

assault

half-tracks,

Soviet

21,

22

France 73

armored

27

cars

light tanks

orders pre-war

scout cars 27
self-propelled artillery

Britain 22

Czechoslovakia 64

tank destroyers 25

Soviet

tanks by firm 21

United

medium

22

variants

carriers, Britain

Central America shipments from United

216

cruiser tanks, Britain

21,

22

armored

half-tracks

Britain

19

heavy tanks

France

73

light tanks

medium

self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles

self-propelled anti-tank guns
self-propelled artillery

93

92

94

Commonwealth 24
1

93

87

187

tanks

187

137

Union 154

scout cars

193, 194

self-propelled artillery

195

shipments destinations 25
shipments to Caribbean 216

27

shipments to Central America 216

self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles,

guns 91

pre-war 184, 193

United States 193, 194

94

196

193,194

cars

half track vehicles

Britain

64

Germany 88

types),

exports to British

scout cars

Germany

(all

armored

Zealand 50

United States 184, 193

Free France, Lend-Lease 76

United States

Union 155

Soviet

France 73, 76

25

Turkey, shipments received 228

tanks

Japan

Czechoslovakia 64

160

tracked amphibians, United States

Germany 86

22

177

tanks

87

pre-war

29

conversions, Britain

United States 187

New

216

States

160

176

tankettes, Czechoslovakia

Union 155

Soviet

Caribbean shipments from United States

155

United States 190

shipments to Soviet Union 160

Canada 50

177

Germany

21, 22

Britain

26

cars

export orders

Britain

light tanks

19

155

tank destroyers

Union 160

Soviet

22

pre-war

54

tanks

Free France 76

24-25

Lend-Lease

24-25

Britain

22

infantry tanks

tanks

armored

Lend-Lease

22

cruiser tanks

155

medium

Sweden

wartime 139

conversions 22

160

shipments from United States

137

pre-war

29

carriers

155

Lend-Lease

shipments from Britain

Japan

guns 25

heavy tanks

self-propelled guns

127

Italy

Union

light tanks

infantry tanks

Britain

Union 155

South Africa 50

Union 155

Britain

Soviet

United States 195

50

India

91

Bohemia and Moravia 65

assault

93

Hungary 117

25

Australia 50

States

United States 187

Germany

assault

tanks pre-war 86

Soviet

guns

Britain

Britain

Germany 93

heavy tanks

Germany 94

26

tanks 88

half track vehicles, United States

77

United States 193, 194

armored

self-propelled artillery

tank destroyers 91

cars

self-propelled anti-tank guns,

shipments to Soviet Union

tank destroyers

Germany 94
Germany

160

90

tracked amphibians

196

92

237

Jane's

^H

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..'^-

riHI

vND FIGHTING VEHICLES

^V'^^P^fr*

All the

Combat vehicles

of

World War

II

cars
Covers tanks, personnel carriers, scout vehicles, mortar carriers and armoured

specifications
Over 200 vehicle profiles providing detailed technical data and production
alongside summaries of the vehicles' capabilities and points of vulnerability

Somaliland and the Soviet Union, a nation-by-nation

encyclopaedia of each army's tanks and fighting vehicles

From Ecuador and Japan,

^^H

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Features over 200 incredible photographs

The only guide

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World War

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