The M4 Sherman was an American medium tank from the Second World War. The first prototypes were built in 1941, and serial production was carried out in the period 1942-1945. In total, about 49,000 copies of this tank of all versions were created, which makes it one of the most produced tanks of the Second World War and the most important tank in the equipment of the Allied armies during this conflict. The M4 Sherman was powered by a single engine version of the M4A1 Continental R 975 C4 with a power of 400 hp . The vehicle was armed with - depending on the version - a single 75mm M3 cannon or a 76mm M1 cannon or a 105mm M4 howitzer and two 7.62mm Browning1919A machine guns.
The M4 Sherman was developed as the successor to the M2 and M3 tanks, although it used many of the latter's components. First of all, it only used a slightly changed chassis of the M3 Lee car. When designing the M4 Sherman, the emphasis was primarily on playing the role of an infantry support vehicle, and not fighting enemy tanks - this was the role of American tank destroyers. Only possible clashes with the carts were assumed Pz.Kpfw III and Pz.Kpfw IV. A significant role was also played in the mass production of the new tank and the lowest possible production costs. The result was a tank with good armament for 1942 and early 1943, average armor, but with a tilted front plate, but also with poor maneuverability and - especially in the first versions - very susceptible to fire as a result of hitting the engine compartment . At the same time, however, a tank was created that could be truly large-scale production and had a significant modernization potential. Many development versions were created in the course of serial production M4 Sherman. Chronologically the first was the M4A1 version that already had a cast armor. Another - M4A2 - had welded armor and a new General Motors 6460 engine with 375-410hp, but much less prone to fire. A version of the M4A3 also appeared, armed with a 105 mm howitzer and powered by a Ford GAA engine with a capacity of 450 HP. Based on the M4A3 version, two sub-versions were created: the M4A3E2 Jumbo with reinforced armor and the M4A3E8 with the HVSS and 76mm gun. An interesting development version was also the T34 Calliope with mounted missiles not guided on the turret. The M4 Sherman was also supplied in huge numbers to the British and Red Army. The former developed a version of the Firefly based on it, with a great 17-pounder anti-tank gun. During World War II, M4 Sherman tanks fought in North Africa (1942-1943), Italy (1943-1945), during the battles in Normandy, France and West Germany (1944-1945), but also in the Pacific or in the ranks The Red Army on the Eastern Front. After World War II, the M4 Sherman was used in many countries, including Argentina, Belgium, India, Israel, Japan, Pakistan and Turkey. He also took part in many post-1945 conflicts, including the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Six-Day War of 1967.
The Pz.Kpfw VI (Sd.Kfz.181) Tiger is a German heavy tank from World War II, one of the most famous combat vehicles of that time. The command of the German Panzerwaffe had the idea of creating a heavy tank from the beginning of the war, but the first attempts in the form of the centuries-old Neubaufahrzeuge tank turned out to be unsuccessful. In 1939 and 1940 they were conducted ineffectively, but after the clash with the T-34 and KW-1 on the eastern front, work on the new heavy tank sped up. On April 20, 1942, the prototype of the new tank, under the designation VK 4501 (H), underwent field trials in the presence of Adolf Hitler and was put into mass production shortly after. The first production versions were designated Pz.Kpfw VI Ausf.H1 (later Ausf.E). In the course of production, in the years 1942-1945, the tank was systematically modified by, for example, adding Feifell dust filters, different placement of headlights, modernization of optical equipment, changes to the commander's turret, etc. The drive was provided by a Maybach HL230 P45 12-cylinder carburetor engine with a capacity of 700 HP. The Pz.Kpfw VI tank, although it did not have such a contoured front hull as the T-34 or Pantera, was a heavily armored vehicle (frontal armor up to 120mm), armed with a very effective KwK 36 L / 56 88mm gun, which earned the reputation of being the most effective tank of the Second World War. It was a vehicle much better than the Allied M4 or Churchill and the Soviet T-34/76. He could also easily fight the IS-2 or M-26, surpassing them with the effectiveness of the main armament. On the other hand, the Pz.Kpfw VI had some disadvantages - first of all, it was extremely time-consuming to produce and had a very complicated suspension. In the later period of the war, the quality of the Tiger's armor also deteriorated, which resulted from the lack of access to the molybdenum deposits by the German economy. Despite these drawbacks, the Tiger on the battlefields proved to be a very effective weapon. He successfully fought in Tunisia, the Kursk Arch, Normandy and on the Eastern Front. Technical data: length (with a barrel): 8.45m, width: 3.7m, height: 2.93m, engine power: 700KM, weight: 56.9 t, range (on the road): 100km, maximum speed (on the road) ): 38 km / h, armament: 1 88 mm KwK 36 L / 56 gun, 3 7.92 mm MG 34 machine guns.
The Cromwell A27M was a British tank of the Second World War. The first prototypes were built as early as 1941, but serial production continued in the period 1943-1945. In total, about 4,100 copies of this tank were built. Cromwell was powered by an engine Rolls-Royce Meteor V12 with 600 hp. It was armed with a single 75mm ROQF cannon and two 7.92mm Besa machine guns.
Tank Cromwell was constructed as the successor to the Crusader tank. The technical requirements for a new tank for the British Army were already specified in 1940, and analytical work and the first prototypes appeared at the beginning of the next year. However, due to problems with serial production of the drive unit, serial production started only in 1943. The Cromwell, when it entered service, turned out to be a very successful tank, technically refined, and above all, having a lot of maneuverability. However, its poor armor and mediocre main armament were criticized, which was inferior to the 17-pounder cannon, which was the main armament of the Sherman Firefly tanks at the time. Despite this, Cromwell is recognized as one of the most successful British armored designs of World War II. Several versions of this tank were created in the course of serial production. Chronologically, the first was the Cromwell I, which was the first mass-produced version of this tank. Shortly after, the Cromwell V was created, in which the hull production technique was changed and the armor at the front of the car was strengthened (from 76 mm to 100 mm). There was also a version VII with even more reinforced armor and wider tracks - it was also the last production series. Cromwell tanks were also used by the Polish Armed Forces in the West (PES), namely the 1st Armored Division.
The Pz.Kpfw V (SD.Kfz 171) Panther is a German medium tank, considered to be one of the best tanks of the Second World War. This vehicle was a response to the Soviet T-34. The first production versions appeared as early as 1942, but the Panthers appeared for the first time on the front lines in the summer of 1943, in the Battle of Kursk. Due to the very high failure rate and numerous "childhood" problems of the vehicle, 150 out of 204 used vehicles were lost. Interestingly, however, only a few of these 150 cars were lost as a result of the Soviet shelling. After eliminating these shortcomings, the Panther became famous as an extremely effective tank. It owed it to the well-shaped frontal armor and the excellent anti-tank gun. KwK 42 / L70 cal 75mm. The basic version of the T34 / 76 did not stand a chance with the Panther. Only the advent of the T34 / 85 and IS-2 tanks changed this state of affairs. On the other hand, the Allied Sherman tanks could compete with the Panther only after being armed with a 17-pound gun (Sherman Firefly). Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that the Achilles' heel of this successful design was the weak side armor and the high technical complexity of the entire structure, and thus the high production time. Throughout the war, around 6,000 Panther vehicles of all versions (Ausf. D, A, G) were produced. The first mass-produced version was the "D" version, with 80mm thick frontal armor and a Maybach 230 P30 engine with 700HP. From the second half of 1943, tanks of this version had armored aprons. The Panther Ausf entered production in September 1943. A. It had a spherical mount for the MG-34 rifle in the fuselage. It was produced until March 1944. The "G" version was the most produced version. Over 3,700 tanks of this model were built. It was produced from March 1944 to January 1945. It mainly increased the angle of the frontal armor and made it thicker. The gun mantlet has also been modified. The Jagdpanther tank destroyer (Sd.Kfz 179) was also built on the Panther's chassis. When assessing the Pz.Kpfw V, you should remember not only about the great frontal armor or the gun, but also pay attention to the disadvantages of the weapon - large overall dimensions, delicate suspension, armor of increasingly poor quality caused by a lack of molybdenum or weak side armor. Technical data: length (with a barrel): 8.66m, width: 3.42m, height: 2.99m, engine power: 700KM, range (on the road): 200km, maximum speed (on the road): 46km / h, weapons : 1 cannon. 75mm KwK 42 / L70, 2 7.92mm MG-34 machine guns.