Category:

Tanks

M3 Stuart & M5 Stuart – American Light tank | WWII

by Soora Solutions August 27, 2022

M3 Stuart and M5 Stuart are light tanks manufactured in the USA during the WWII era. M3 and M5 light tank production was started in 1941 and even today some M5 tanks are active in service. Before the attack on pearl harbor, the USA did not have any intention to join the war. Instead, the US used the world war as an opportunity to strengthen the economy of the country. To strengthen the economy, what the USA did was mass manufacture war machinery and sell them to Russia and Britain. To do that the lend-lease act was implemented in the USA. M3 Stuart was one of the first tanks to be sold to allied nations under the lend-lease act.

lend-lease act Discussions (CC License)

Historical significance of Stuart M3

After the USA entered the war M3 was the first tank with a US crew to fight with enemy tanks. The first fight was fought in December 1941 in the Philippines against Japanese tank battalions. As the first battle of Stuart M3, the operation crusader of the North African campaign is recorded.

In November 1941, the eighth army of England launched a surprise attack against Italian forces using 170 Stuart 3 tanks. It was the first time this light tank was seen on the battlefield. After that Stuart fought in many major global conflicts including the Chinese civil war, the Indu-Pakistan war, Cuban Revolution, the Korean war, and First Indochina war.

Operation crusader (CC License)

Development History

With the heat of WWII increasing rapidly, the U.S Army ordnance department wanted to improve their existing light tank M2 into something with better armor and firepower. The M2 light tank is also the predecessor of the M2 medium tank which provided the original blueprint for heavily successful M4 Sherman program.

M2 Light tank

For the standards of WWII light tanks, M3 was heavily armed and equipped with some serious firepower. The armor thickness varies from 9.5 to 50.8mm. The gun mantle had the highest armor thickness which was 51mm. A newly invented anti-tank gun, 37mm M5 was used as the main armament. (This was the same gun used in M2A4. A 0.30 caliber M1919A4 Browning machine gun mounted on an M20 AA gun mount was used as the secondary armament. The same gun was used as the hull machine gun in M4 Sherman.

M Series Light and Medium tanks

M3 Stuart Development in to M5 Stuart

In M3 and M3A1 tanks, air-cooled radial engines were used. Specifically, 7 Cylinder Continental W-670 petrol engine or 9 Cylinder Guiberson T-1020 Diesel engine was used to power M3 and M3A1. Both of these engines are originally designed as aircraft engines.

W-670 Petrol Engine Used in M3 Stuart

With the demand for aircraft engines rapidly growing in the market, using these engines for tank development was not a good deal at the time. So, the US Army ordnance department decided to improve a new M3 variant that does not use an aircraft engine.

A twin Cadillac V8 engine with an automatic transmission system was used in the new development project. With this new improvement, tank handling becomes easier. Automatic transmission made the tank training process much easier and more efficient. The engine was smooth running and quieter. So, it was easy for radio operators to communicate while moving.

Cadillac V8 engine used in M5 Stuart

M5 Stuart

The hull of M3 was redesigned for M5. The rear deck area of the hull was raised from its original position. The same 37 mm antitank gun used in M3 Stuart was used in M5. However, by the time of M5 development, the firepower of the 37mm gun was not enough to penetrate enemy armor. For some reason, the designers did not consider changing the gun.

M5 Stuart Tank

M3 and M5 Stuart Production

M3 Stuart production commenced in March 1941 and M5 production started in April 1942. M3 production continued until September 1943. A total of 13,859 M3s were produced during the two years. M5 production continued for another year after the M3 program was terminated. In June 1944 the last M5 Stuart entered production. In total 8,884 M5 tanks were manufactured during a two-year project scale.

Three different manufacturing companies undertook the production process.

American Car & Foundry Company WWII Tank factory (CC License)

General Specifications M3 Stuart & M5 Stuart

Other than the engine and transmission system, both M3 and M5 tanks have equal designs and equipment. The average tank body weight was 15.20 metric tonnes. The body was 4.84 meters long 2.29 meters wide and 2.57 meters tall. Both M3 and M5 tanks were manned by a four man crew. The crew consisted of Commander, Gunner, Driver and assistant driver.

M3 Stuart Tank Dimensions

Power, Transmission and Suspension

The main engine used in the series was a Twin Cadillac series 42 engine. At 3,400 RPM it was able to output 220hp. So, the power-to-weight ratio standard for M3 was 13.14 hp/t. In the M3 Stuart, a manual transmission system with 4 forward and one reverse gear was used.

In the M5 tank, the manual transmission was replaced with a hydramatic 4-forward speed gearbox. In both tanks, the internal fuel tank was able to carry 340 liters of diesel or petrol fuel. The operational range was only 160km. The maximum recorded on road speed was 58 km/h.

Main armament

Through the series a 37mm M6 antitank gun was used as the main armament.147 37mm rounds were carried in the tanks internal ammo storage compartment.

Later in the war 37mm was proven to be ineffective against heavily armed German tanks such as the Tiger 1.

In the M8 howitzer model the 37mm canon was replaced with a 75 mm M2 howitzer. The same weapon system was used in Sherman M4 howitzer modifications.

M8 Howitzer a modification of M3 Stuart

Secondary armament of M3 Stuart

Three .30 caliber Browning M1919A4 machine guns were used as the secondary armament. Tank carried approximately 6,750 rounds of ammunition for machine guns.

M3 Stuart major variants

M3 was a popular tank during and after WWII. M3, M3A1, M3A3, M5 and M5A1 are the major mass producing light tank variants. Other than light attack tanks, many special fighting vehicles were manufactured with the M3 blueprints.

Howitzers
recovery vehicles
Mortar vehicles
AA tanks
Command tanks
Flame thrower tank
Mine exploder tank
, are some modifications of M3 Stuart.
M3A1 aka Stuart iii
M3A1 is the first modified version of Stuart M3. It received a new turret, and a vertical stabilizer for the main gun. A sub variant known as Stuart iv was built with the petrol engine replaced by a diesel Guiberson engine.
M3A1
M3A3 or Stuart V
M3A3 production was started with having M5 blueprints in hand. The new M5 hull design was introduced to the M3 structure. In the front section, a sloped armour plate was welded to provide extra protection. A new SCR-508 radio was installed in the rear turret housing.
SCR 508 Radio

M5A1 or Stuart VI
M5A1 is developed as a combination of M3A3 and M5 tanks. The newly developed M3A3 turret was fitted to the M5 body.
Summary – M3 Stuart & M5 Stuart
M3 Stuart or officially light tank M3 is an American made light tank which fought in the WWII and post WWII battles. Originally designed in early 1940’s, even today some tanks are actively operating. M3 and M5 tanks were produced in USA during 1941 and 1944. During the four years 22,744 tanks were manufactured.
M3 Stuart tank in popular gaming culture
M3 and M5 Stuart tanks in Popular gaming culture

August 27, 2022 0 comment

Commonwealth Howitzer Medium Tank Tank destroyer Tanks USA World War II

Sherman M4 WWII American – Allied Medium tank

by Soora Solutions August 24, 2022

written by Soora Solutions

Medium tank M4, aka Sherman is a medium tank originally designed by US military during WWII. It was the most widely used medium tank by US military during the WWII era. Sherman M4 was used by all allied nations during the WWII and Sherman firefly was designed and manufactured in UK based on the M4 design. Sherman M4 served in the US military for 15 years from 1942 to 1957.

Sherman was one of the most significant and successful tanks of WWII era. Extremely high reliability, easy maintainability, abundance of spare parts and cheap building cost made it more attractive to have in any army. More than 49,000 units of Sherman tank was manufactured during the WWII era with each costing 44 to 65 thousand dollars.

Sherman M4

Development history of Sherman M4

Sherman is the 4th main development of medium tank class which started from the M2 light tank in 1935. M2 light tank developed into M2 medium tank in 1939 and it was again developed into M3 Lee tank. M3 is actually an intermediate design or a gap filling design. But, the development of M3 Lee was a big victory for US engineers since the 37 mm gun used in the M2 medium was replaced with a heavy 75mm M2 canon.

M2 light Tank

However, with the gun mounted on a side sponson M3 had some unusual design. Without a turret targeting was difficult with M3 and the tank needed to be moved around always to acquire a target. As a solution a joint design operation involving British, US and Canadian engineers resulted the first prototype M4 tank design Which was known as T6.

M3 Lee Tank

Lee M3 vs Sherman M4

Sherman is the successor of M3 Lee medium tank which served US army in the early WWII years. The mechanical design of the M3 did not changed from a significant level while developing the M4. The most significant change is that instead of mounting the main gun in side sponson mount, it was brought to the central turret. This gave the M4 Sherman better targeting ability and firing stability. A gyro-stabilizer was used to stabilize the turret main gun.

M2 75mm Gun mounted in a half-truck

A 75mm M2 or M3 gun was used in the M3 Lee and the same M3 gun was used in M4 as well. However, the ammo storage was increased from M3 carrying 46 rounds to M4 carrying 104 rounds.

M4 Sherman – General specifications

Sherman was originally designed by U.S Army Ordnance Department in 1940. The tank is 30 to 38 tonnes heavy and 19 to 20 ft long. Depending on the variant the width vary between 8ft 7 in to 9ft 10 in. Height 9 ft to 9 ft and 9 inches.

M4 Sherman

Crew

M4 Sherman was manned by a five personnel crew which include Commander, driver, gunner, loader and bow gunner. Bow gunner was also designated as the assistant driver of the tank.

Sherman M4 Armour

By the time M4 Sherman had a good armour to resist German anti-tank guns. The armour plate thicknesses vary from 12.7 to 177.8 mm depending on the location.

Sherman M4 main armament

As the main armament three different guns are used in different variants. The 75 mm M3 gun with 90 to 104 rounds, 76 mm M1A1, M1A1C and M1A2 guns with 71 rounds or a 105mm M4 howitzer with 66 rounds acted as the main armament of Sherman.

High explosive ammo, smoke ammo and armour piercing ammo were used with these guns.

Issues related to the M4 main gun

Muzzle blast in the initial 76mm guns caused heavy smoke and dust around the gun. So, after making the first shot the gunner was unable to clearly see the target. In M1A1C gun, the gun was threaded for a muzzle brake and the threads were covered with a protected cap.

Secondary armament

As the main machine gun a half inch caliber browning M2HB machine gun with 300-600 rounds were used. As the secondary machine guns in hull and turret two .30 caliber Browning M1919A4 MG with 6,000 – 6,750 rounds used.

Engine and power of Sherman M4

In the initial M4A1 version a petrol engine with 350 to 400 hp power is used. In the M4A2 version the fuel type was changed to diesel to increase the torque of the engine. The engine was manufactured by general motors. 6046, General motors 71 series two stroke engine was used in the M4A2.

In M4A3 again the fuel type was changed to petrol. Ford made V8 petrol engine installed in the M4A3 was able to output 450 hp. In M4A4 version a Chrysler A57 multibank 39 cylinder Petrol engine with a power output of 370hp was used. Again in M4A6 version a 450hp engine – Caterpillar D-200A 9 cylinder radial diesel engine was installed.

As the power transmission system Spicer made manual transmission system with 5 forward gears and single reverse gear was installed.

The power to weight ration of M4 Sherman tank vary from 10.46 to 13.49 hp/t range depending on the variant.

Range and Speed

Depending on the tank variant M4 Sherman can carry 520 to 660 L of fuel. This fuel storage was able to support a operational range of 160 to 240 km on road. Depending on the terrain the consumption may increase.

The maximum on road speed vary from 35 to 48 km/h.

Sherman – Probably the most successful military vehicle development program during WWII?

The design of Sherman was proven to be one of the most successful designs in the history. With incomparable reliability records US engineers considered developing various military vehicles based on the Sherman’s design. Some vehicles developed with the Sherman blueprint include,

Tank destroyers like M10 with 3 in gun
Howitzers like M7B1 with 105mm howitzer
Self-propelled gun carriers like M30 truck
Flamethrower tanks like M4-A2
Rocket launcher tanks like T34 Calliope
Amphibious assault vehicles
Engineering tanks
Artillery carriers
Recovery vehicles

M10 Tank Destroyer

Major battles

Other than WWII, Sherman served in many major battles around the world. Korean war, Cuban revolution, Indo-pakistan war, Suez crisis, Iran – Iraq war are some highlights, which Sherman served as main medium tank for different countries.

Sherman Firefly

Sherman firefly is a British made medium tank of WWII. Firefly was developed from the blueprints of Sherman M4. More than 2,100 Firefly tank units were manufactured in UK’s Detroit tank arsenal company.

Unlike the M4, firefly only need a four man crew which include the commander, gunner, loader and driver. Instead of using US M2 or M3 75 mm medium velocity guns , British made QF 17 pounder 76.2 mm gun with 77 round storage capacity was used in the firefly.

A multibank petrol engine was used to power this tank and the maximum recorded power was 425 hp.

Sherman Fury

Fury is an American war film released in 2014. The movie timeline moves with a story of US tank crew, who is fighting though the German front lines during the final weeks of WWII. The crews beloved tank is a M4 Sherman nicknamed “Fury”

The tank featured in the movie is an A2 variant of Sherman M4 American made medium tank.

Summary – M4 Sherman

M4 Sherman is a WWII era American medium tank used by many armies including US army, British army, Canadian army and other allied armies. Sherman was the successor of M3 Lee tank. Sherman was identified as a durable, enduring and powerful tank and it was very successful in the battle field. Using the same design many other military vehicles including engineering vehicles, rocket launching vehicles and tank destroyers were developed.

August 24, 2022 0 comment

Commonwealth Howitzer Infantry Tank Tanks World War II

Churchill 1 of United Kingdom WWII | Infantry tank Mk IV A22

by Soora Solutions August 24, 2022

written by Soora Solutions

Churchill 1 or Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) by official designation, is a WWII era 39 t infantry tank made by British engineers. During the WWII A22 tank served in multiple armies including UK, USSR and Poland. Later in 1950’s Churchill served in Korean war for Soviet army. The manufacturing process was started in 1941 with 303 Churchill 1 tanks produced in the first phase. The last Churchill VIII tank was manufactured a year before WWII was ended in 1944.

Highlights of Churchill 1

Starting from the external appearance, the first thing you will notice in the Churchill 1 tank is its abnormal design. The all around track design with multiple bogies was not a very common thing to see during that era. It was well known for its ability to climb steep slopes and to maintain stability in all terrain.

Comparing to most other infantry tanks Churchill has one of the best service records. The A22 fought in many wars including in North Africa, Italy, India, Korean war, USSR army and Irish Army.

The history of Churchill Tanks

After the experience gained in the WWI, with the threat of Germans invading Britain growing, the designers of Churchill tank was advised to build a tank to face all types of terrain in European region. With the new innovative infantry tank concept implemented in England, the concern was raised to develop a supplementary infantry tank to fight together with Matilda and Valentine tanks.

Development of A20 tank

A20 tank is the true prototype of Churchill 1 tank. A20 was not actually a totally new development. In 1939 A20 was manufactured with the help of Matilda tanks blue prints. The purpose of the new development was to attack fixed baseline defense and to support infantry to advance.

The armour was designed to resist German’s 37mm Pak 36 anti tank guns. Only 60mm of maximum armour was provided to minimize the tank weight.

A20 Prototype tank

Matilda turret was installed to newly designed body without much modification . In the testing phase, A20 repeatedly broke down and frequent services were required to maintain tanks functionality.

Features of A20

First in the designing phase, many different suggestions were made about choosing armament for the tank. The general staff suggested to install two 40mm QF 2 pounder guns in each side installed in a sponson. They also recommended to install two coaxial Besa machine guns in each side. Another Besa MG and a smoke projector was recommended to be installed in the front hull area.

QF 2 pounder AA gun – Similar gun used in Churchill 1

Power and design of A20

A20 tank roughly weighted 32 tons. To drive this heavy tank a 300 hp flat-12 meadows engine was mounted to the tank. This limited power to weight ratio to 9.37 hp/t which is not a very good ratio for a infantry tank. Already been a consultant to the project Vauxhall motors was given a task to develop a new engine for A20.

It was a whole new level of experience for Vauxhall motors. Their engineers never had prior experience in working with tracked vehicle manufacturing. But, surprisingly they developed a new 350 hp petrol engine for A20 within a very short period of time.

Final armament arrangement of A20

Construction began in 1940’s. Due to the material shortages, cost and other reasons the designers decided to reconsider the armament arrangement. 6-pounder gun and a french 75mm gun was recommended to fit as the hull main gun. But, the issue with QF 6 pounder is that the barrel is too long. (8ft) Finally, it was decided to fit a 3-inch howitzer.

Ordnance QF 3-inch howitzer

The howitzer was mounted in the front hull. The same design was used in A22 Mk1 tank. The pounder 2 gun was mounted in the turret as the primary armament. But, in few Churchill Mk II tanks, the arrangement was changed and the pounder was brought to the hull and howitzer was fitted to the turret.

QF 3 in Howitzer – Similar Howitzer gun used in Churchill 1

Failure of howitzer

Churchill tanks were designed to climb steep slopes and to run in the muddy terrain of England. Due to mud frequently depositing on the hull front, most of the time the howitzer was blocked and not functional.

The ordnance QF howitzer was designed and able to fire high explosive howitzer rounds. But, the ammunition was not available by the time. It was only used to fire smoke ammunition to smoke parts in enemy territories.

Troubling to manufacture A22 Churchill 1

By the time howitzer gun was rare in the market and really expensive to produce. When 300 units of Mk1 tanks manufactured, the market almost ran out of ordnance QF howitzer guns. So, the design engineers decided to replace the howitzer gun with a machine gun starting from Mk ii variant.

Development of A22

After 1939 Battle of France, the general staff understood the upcoming war scenario. Dr Henry Merritt was the director of tank design at the Royal arsenal by the time. Dr Henry and the tank design department developed new specifications to match growing European conditions and in June 1940 appointed Vauxhall for the new development project.

Efficient designing and manufacturing process

With the war almost waiting near the gates, the military had urgent requirement of having as much as tanks in the battlefield. Vauxhall was given a tight schedule to complete the project and start manufacturing of A22 tanks within a year.

Just after a month in July 1940 Vauxhall completed the new design and after another five months they completed the first prototype tanks. Serial production of A22 started right after the prototype development and in June 1941 the first completed tanks entered service, as expected by the general staff.

Naming the A22

By the time of A22 entering production, Sir Winston Churchill was the prime minister of England. Sir Churchill was founder of Landship committee, an organization which was formed during the WWI. This committee promoted the idea of developing AFV (Armored fighting vehicles) during the WWI. The tank was named after Sir Winston Churchill honoring his contribution for tank development.

However, some people believe A22 is named after John Churchill, who is the first Duke of Marlborough.

File:Sir Winston Churchill.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Sir Winston Churchill (CC License)

Design of Churchill 1 A22 Tank

Side of the tank

Unlike many of other tanks the idler in the front and sprocket has teeth in them. The tracks are very large and tall. The whole track is visible from the side view. In later versions the upper part of track was covered for safety reasons.

A heavy metal square shaped door with a plug also can be seen in the right side. The plug act as an opening for personal weapons to protect sides of the tank. The side door is large enough for the crew to access the hatch.

Few feet away, the air filter intake opening can be seen in the side. This is one of the first air filter designs used in tanks. Due, to its positioning air filter usually suck up waste materials like leaves and dust from the ground.

Side View of Churchill 1

Turret design

The turret is small in size. But, it can carry three personal including, gunner, loader and commander. A 40mm QF 2 pounder gun is fitted to the tank as the main armament. In the right side of the QF 2, coaxial 7.92 mm Besa machine gun can be seen. The MG is only adjustable in horizontal length. In the left side opening for the periscope view can be seen.

More than thousand of A22 turrets were manufactured in USA and shipped to Britain for fitting.

Crew of Churchill 1

Churchill 1 is crewed by five personal which include,

Driver – In front
Machine gunner – in front
Loader – In turret
Main Gunner – In turret
Commander / Radio man – In turret

Power transmission

A merit brown transmission system was used in Churchill 1. It was the first time merit brown system was implemented in a tank. The system was located behind the engine in the back of the tank. Merit brown system incorporated the gearbox.

In the first 100 tanks a five-speed gearbox was used. But, it failed frequently. So, the engineers changed the gearbox to a four-speed system.

Churchill Mk2

A slow tank

Churchill 1 tank had a maximum on road speed of 24 km/h. Since, it is an infantry tank the speed was not expected in the first place.

The tracks were not covered with rubber. So, when moving Churchill 1 generated a heavy sound and due to the noise radio operators were not able to communicate when inside the tank.

To lower the noise for communication purposes, the tank had to slow down to a minimum of 16 km/h speed. Later in the war with other tanks moving faster Churchill was unable to catch up with other tanks in the battlefield and on road.

Summary – Churchill 1 A22

Churchill 1, Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) is a British WWII era infantry tank. 303 Tanks of Churchill 1 was produced by Vauxhall motors in 1941. The main armament of Churchill 1 was a two pounder canon. As the second armament a machine gun mounted in the turret and a 3 inch howitzer mounted in the front hull can be seen.

Churchill 1 in popular gaming culture

Churchill 1 tank in popular gaming culture

August 24, 2022 0 comment

USSR Medium Tank World War II

World War II KV-1 Heavy Tank

by wartankers August 20, 2022

written by wartankers

Kliment Voroshilov or KV-1 is a post WWI era heavy tank manufactured in soviet union. More than 5,200 units were produced during 1939-1943 era. KV-1 served in many WWII battles with a good combat history and a victory record.

Development of KV-1

The KV- 1’s primary artillery was the 76.2 mm F- 34, and it also had three DTM7.62 mm machine ordnance. In 1939, construction began. The KV- 1 was the world’s most effective heavy tank, outperforming all other heavy tanks.

The W-2-K diesel machine could reach a top speed of 29 kilometers per hour. Ninety mm thick was the anterior armour. The KV- 1 also had a five-person crew; the system’s overall weight was around kg, with a total length of 6.2 meters.

It has a torsion bar suspense system and a five-speed forward and one-speed rear transmission. The early KV- 1s had a low position of trustability due to colorful problems. The suspense and transmission systems might affect mechanical failure and vehicle immobilization.

Torsion bar suspense system used in KV1

Modifications of KV-1

The first KV1 had a turret with 76.2 mm and a 45 mm cannon and a machine gun in the housing. The KV was rushed to the front with the onset of the Winter War but replaced only a 45 mm machine gun with a 7.62 mm machine gun and added another machine gun in the reverse of the turret to cover the tank from the army attacks.

The 76.2 mm L- 11 tank cannon was upgraded with the new 7.62 mm F- 32 guns near the end of 1940, performing in the KV- 1 or Model 1940. The KV- 1A is another name for this type.

M1942 Field Gun Same gun used in KV-1

In 1940, in response to German intelligence, they decided to beef up the armour of the KV- 1; the housing and turret were corroborated with further extraordinary armour plates. The KV- 1e has come born from this bettered KV. This came the number one get the 76.2 mm ZiS- 5 cannon, known as the KV- 1B, within the simplified title for the KV series variants.

The KV-1C (Model 1941)

The KV-1 was also over- armored in 1941, with a complete cast turret and armour around 120 mm thick. The KV- 1C used a modified interpretation of the 76.2 mm F- 34 tank gun, the 76.2 mm ZiS- 5 tank gun, designed to fit the KV- 1C( Model 1941) cast turret better.

KV 1 C Tank

These Main Tank ordnance outperformed the aged F-32 and the 76.2 mm L/ 11 from the Leningrad Kirov Factory. Another variation, the KV- 1S, was introduced in 1942 with one crucial difference it was mainly lighter due to removing much of its armour.

KV 1 S Tank

In reality, the S in KV- 1S stands for speed. Made a complete of a thousand. The KV- 1 collection also has a flame-throwing interpretation called the KV- 8. Except for the addition of a flamethrower, it’s extensively essential, as the unique platform, in discrepancy to the KV- 2. The KV- 2 came with a vastly upgraded KV- 1 nobility tone-propelled gun that noticed confined action. (2) It’s also worth noting that sure KV- 1s captured through German forces were given a German anti-tank gun to modernize the unique Soviet ordnance and have been renamed Panzerkampfwagen KV- IA 753( r) as a result.

KV 8 Flamethrower Tank

The KV- 1 is a league 5 Soviet heavy tank

The KV1 construction began towards the top of 1938. In August 1939, they created an illustration. The vehicle saw a battle for the primary time in December 1939 on the Mannerheim Line. From March 1940 to August 1942, the tank was plant-made in giant figures, with vehicles created.

In the T- 28 medium tank, utmost new players can notice the KV- 1’s enjoying different from what they are used to. It’s slow and not especially elegant, equipped with the applicable 76 mm ZiS- 5. The 57 mm Project 413 is also a fantastic choice for a heart rate and tight penetration. The KV- 1 with the 122 mm-11 cannon firing HE shells is delightful to play; still, don’t anticipate negotiating a commodity once you’re within the thick of effects.

T-28 Medium Tank

It’s one among the tanks that green gamers should learn how to kill presto because of its susceptible places blockish degree participated with the aid of using occasion capacity unit vehicles. The flat plate underneath the turret and the dropped plate underneath the nearly slanting vicinity blockish degree susceptible anterior spots, and pellets to the side and reverse can habitually access the flat 60 mm armour.

History of KV-1

During the 1939 Winter War with the Republic of Finland, the primary kilovolt order significant tank appeared.

The kV( Klimenti Voroshilov) was initially developed in the solar timetable month of 1939 and completed and tested by September 1939. The Red Army held 639 KV- 1 tank once the German violence began, and the Germans unreliableness permitted them to go down. Replaced the F- 32 guns in July 1941 with a seventy-six recruit. By 1942, the kV set on utmost specialized issues continued to rattle off the assembly lines in ever-adding figures.

When the Soviets discovered that they could make more effective heavy tanks, they halted the production of tanks in 1943, leading to the development of the Iosif Stalin series of heavy tanks.

KV-1 Variations

The Soviet KV- 1 was first used in 1939 and has experienced numerous variations. Model 1941were equipped with ZIS- 5 gun, pierce the armour of ultramodern German tanks, following the Nazi German irruption of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The welded turret on early manufacturing variants had armour up to 75 mm thick. They hung tough in fierce fighting with German armour, contributing to the Soviet resistance that would ultimately turn the tables and push back the German advance.

ZIS 5 76 mm Gun

August 20, 2022 0 comment

Medium Tank Post World War Tanks USSR

T-54 / T-55 Medium tank USSR | Most popular tank in the history

by Soora Solutions August 20, 2022

written by Soora Solutions

T-54/55 is one of the most successful tank projects in the history of armored vehicle engineering. Started the service in 1947 in USSR, and even today, some countries are using T-55 tank variants as their main battle tank. Within the 75 years of T-54/55 history, more than 100,000 tanks entered the service.

T-54/55 first entered the service as a medium tank and served under many handlers including world superpowers Russia, China, and India. By the time of its first design T54 was the most advanced tank in the world. The capability to move and operate underwater, operate under nuclear and biological hazard environments, and night vision-like features were a new experience for the handlers in the late 1940’s.

History of T-54 and T-55 Tanks

In 1945 a prototype medium tank was completed in Nizhny Tagil city of Sverdlovsk Oblast state. The t-54 prototype was built as a successor to the T-34 and T-44 tanks. The t-34 tank was extremely successful during the world war II era.

It was known as the best tank in the world at the time. T-34 was a very balanced design with good firepower, good armor, and better mobility. Some versions of T-34 only cost 130,000 rubles. This amount is equal to 43,000 USD in today’s money.

T-34 Predecessor of T-54

The initial production of T54 tank began in 1947. After reaching the battle field, many issues were identified in the initial model. Even with a better armour and gunpowder, T-54 tank was not mush popular during 1950’s. T34-85 was very successful even during the 50’s and remained as the main battle tank for a long time.

Later in 1950’s T-54 tank was chosen as the main battle tank by USSR and Warsaw pact nations.

Why T54 was developed?

When T34-85 was extremely successful why did Soviet engineers decide to develop the T54 tank? The reason was that T34 was built purely with WWII-era technology. During the WW and right after the victory Soviet engineers uncovered many new technologies for tank development.

But, these technologies were not introduced to the T34 design during the world war because a new design may have slowed down the production process during war times.

As a result, the Soviet engineers completed the T-34M prototype design and released the newly developed tank as T-44. T-44 had the almost same performance as the T-34 but a better gun and heavier armor was provided to the new tank.

t 44 War Tankers War Tanks Encyclopedia https://i0.wp.com/wartankers.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Untitled-4.png?fit=529%2C302&ssl=1

T-34 vs T-54

The main change is the gun. 76.2mm F-34 gun in the T34 was replaced with a 100mm D-10T rifled gun with a fume extractor.The 100mm gun was capable of firing BR-412 series armour piercing high explosive ammunition at a 1000 m/s muzzle velocity.

This APHE was highly effective against enemy armour and the penetration ability was very high. This is one of the main reasons to shift from T34 to T54.

APHE Ammunition

T54 is heavier and larger than the T34 tank. But, both the tanks are equipped with same amount of power. A V12 38.8L engine was able to output 500hp. While the T34

T-44 in to T54

The soviet engineers tried to improve the T44 tank further. Many prototypes were built by combining better armament and armour. In 1945 a T44 was redesigned with a 100mm gun and slightly wider body and a large turret. This prototype later entered the service as T54.

A record 1,490 modifications were made to the T44 tank to develop the T54 tank. As a result new facilities were required for the manufacturing of new T54 tank.

T-54 Tank variants

It is difficult to define how many variants of T54/55 tank entered the service. For the last 75 years T54 served in all major battles in the world under many different armies. Many local improvements were made during the time and country specific variants were designed. This section of the article only mention the major serial production tanks variants.

T-54 is the initial prototype variant of the tank series. Next the second prototype was introduced as T-54-1. T-54-1 is the first serial production version.

85mm F34 Feild gun

T-44 was in service for more than 20 years but during the time period only 1,800 tanks were manufactured. The first T44 tanks had similar design as T34 and used a 85 mm anti tank gun as the main armament. In later versions a 100mm canon was installed in T-44 tanks.

T-54-1

T-54-1 was developed from the second T54 prototype in 1948. Comparing to the initial version it has a thicker hull armour. However, some design failures were noticed during the production and the soviet army instructed to halt the production process. As a result a improved version T-34-2 was designed.

T-54-1 Tank

T-54-2

T-54-2 or Ob’yekt 137R entered serial production in 1949. Most significant changes are made to the turret in the new design. The new turret had a dome shape and the sides of the turret are flat like what it is in IS-3 tank. This dome shaped design was continued to appear in the later T54 versions with slight changes.

Other notable improvements are,

Fender machine guns replaced with Single bow mounted gun
Improved transmission system was installed
The track was replaced with a wider (0.58m) new track
T-54-2 Tank

T-54-3

Just two years after the development of T-54-2 tank, the second modernized variant T-54-3 was designed. It was designated by the soviet army as Ob’yekt 137Sh. The most noticeable improvements are,

Newly designed turret
New improved telescopic gunners sight

T-54-3 Tank

T-54A Tank

In 1953 the designer of T-54 tank was replaced by Lenoid N Kartsev. Kartsev was given new set of tasks to significantly improve modern capabilities of the T54 tank. As his first task a new 100mm D-10TG gun with STP-1 vertical stabilizer was installed to the T54 tank. This first design was designated as Ob’yekt 137G or T-54A. The initial version had a muzzle counter weight installed in the barrel. This system was later replaced with modern fume extractor. Fume extractors are devices used to remove lingering gases and other airborne particles which are released when the gun is fired.

D-10 100mm Field Gun

T-54A was installed with a IR flash light. This IR light provided night vision for the driver with telescopic view. A primary level flasher and a IR telescope was used in this variant. Other noticeable improvements are,

TSh-2A-22 telescope
New improved R-113 radio
Multi-stage air filter for the engine
Electric oil pump
Automated fire extinguisher

T-54A is the first tank in the series to get underwater operation capabilities. The tank was installed with a OPVT wading snorkel. Diesel engines require air to breath. But, when the tank is submerged the engine does not have sufficient amount of air to complete internal combustion. The wading snorkel is carried in the rear wood logs carrying compartment. It was installed manually by the crew when the tank is about to reach underwater.

R113 Radio

T54-B Tank

In 1955 T-54A was developed into T54B with the D-10T replaced with 100mm D-10T2S. The vertical stabilizer “Gorizont” used in T-54A was replaced with STP-2 2-plane stabilizer. The overall night vision capabilities of the tank crew was improved with a newly added L-2 Luna IR searchlight and a TPN-1 range gunners sight with IR scanning.

T54-B production was started in 1957 and was the last variant of T54 tank range.

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The requirement of T55 Tank

With the global super powers developing nuclear weapons and the Germans using chemical weaponry in Russian territory during the WWII, the concern was increased to develop main battle tanks with the ability withstand such attacks. T54 was a modern and highly capable tank. With a great mobility and underwater capabilities it was unbeatable in the battlefield.

But, T54 was no match for serious nuclear, biological and chemical hazards. T54 was actually checked in the Soviet nuclear testing grounds. It was able to survive 15 kilo ton nuclear bomb blast while staying in a distance of 300m from the epicenter of the blast. But, the crew did not survived at 300m distance.

T55 Tank

So, development of better NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) response system was proposed for the T54 tank. The proposed system was expected to provide rapid response against NBC attacks with a response time less than 300 mill seconds.

What is new in T55 Tank?

Protivoatomnaya Zashchita NBC protection system
V-55 12-cylinder four stroke engine
38.88 liter engine capacity output 581 hp
Electric fuel pumps increase the pressure of fuel delivery and provide a better power
Ak-150S charger and Electric starter system
New 300L additional fuel tanks
T54/55 General specifications
Since, many different variants were developed it is difficult to define a specific weight or power for T54/55 tank. But, let’s see in general what the specifications are.
T55 tank weighted 36 metric tons. Considering the dimensions, the tank is 9m long, 3.4 m wide and 2.4 meters tall.The ground clearance of the tank was 0.425m.
The tank was manned by four crew members which are tank commander, driver, gunner and loader.
African Union T55 Tank (CC License)
T55 Power
T55 tanks were powered with model V-55 V-12 engine. A water cooling system was used in this engine. An electric fuel pumping system was used to increase the fuel pressure in order to increase maximum power output. The initial T55 versions had a maximum power output of 500 hp or 373 kW. In later versions the engine was improved to provide a maximum power output up to 800hp.
In the initial version the power to weight ratio was 14.6 hp/t and it was increased up to 22.22 hp/t in the later versions. A manual, mechanical synchromesh power transmission system with five forward gears and one reverse gear was used.
T55 fuel and range
The T55 engine use diesel fuel. In the internal storage T55 can carry 580 L of diesel and in the external tanks it can carry 320 L of diesel. The rear drums can also carry another additional 400 L of diesel.
With the 580 L of internal fuel T55 can operate in a 325 km range on unpaved roads. With the external tanks carrying additional fuel the range is extended to 610 km.
The maximum movement speed on road is 51 km/h.
T55 armament
As the main armament a D-10T 100mm rifled gun was used in the T54/55 tanks. In T55 a fume extractor was used to filter airborne particles. T54 was only able to carry 34 ammo rounds. T55 can carry 43 rounds of ammunition which include high explosive fragmentation ammo and anti-tank armour piercing ammo. 18 out of 45 rounds were stored in wet containers which are located in the hull fuel tanks.
dhsk HMG used in t55
The secondary armament was a 7.62 mm SGMT coaxial machine gun or a 1.7 mm DShK heavy machine gun.
SGMT Machine gun used in T55
T55 Armour
Turret front is the most vulnerable place to take damage from enemy rounds. So, the turret front was equipped with heavy metal sheets with a thickness of 205 mm. Turret sides has 130mm armour plates. Hull front is angled at 60 degrees and the armour thickness is 120mm. The lowest armour thickness can be seen in hull bottom and lower sides of the hull.
T54/55 Tank armour
T54/55 Tank production history
T54/55 tanks were designed by the original designers from 1945 to 1958. However, after 1958 up to today many modifications were done by third parties. Soviet union manufactured T54/55 tanks from 1946 to 1981 in Kharkov Locomotive Factory, Ukrain and Uralvagonzavod factory in Russia. In the same era T54/55’s were manufactured in Poland and Czechoslovakia (Modern Czech republic and Slovakia)
The original designer of T54 tank was Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau. After the T54A UralVagonZavod started the design process.
T-90 Tanks in modern UralVagonZavod facility
T54/55 in modern Gaming culture
T54/55 tanks fought all the major battles which occurred after the WWII. So, these tanks appear in many games as playable vehicles and sometimes as AI controlled vehicles. World of tanks and War thunder like games allow the players to control the T54 and T55 tanks.
T54/55 Tank in games

Summery – T54/55 Tanks
T54/55 was the most popular tank in the history of war tanks. With more than 100,000 units produced T54/55 tanks served for many armies and many nations. Started the development in 1945, after 75 years, still some T55 tanks are in service with many advance modifications. T55 tank was equipped with modern military capabilities such as underwater operations, IR night vision, anti-aircraft capabilities and NBC response system.

August 20, 2022 0 comment

USA Medium Tank World War II

T6 – The American Medium Tank

by Soora Solutions August 6, 2022

written by Soora Solutions

What is this T6?

This is a medium tank that was used during the period of the second world war. And this was built as a prototype for another famous war tank, M4 Sherman. That was also another famous medium tank during the time. This was an American tank. This M6 tank was considered the most important American tank in that period.

History

As we previously mentioned, this tank was the prototype of the famous American medium tank, M4. And that M4 tank was also a replacement for another tank called M3 and history goes on.

Were all these tanks the same?

No. Every one of these guns was far more advanced than in the previous war. We consider these advancements through gun power and everything. Especially the turret and the guns were replaced in advance.

Were they look different from the British tanks?

Their original plan was to avoid the design of British tanks. But, instead of that, the outcome was so related to British tanks. So, they had so much in common with the British tank.

General information

Now let us look into the general information of the tankT6. There are so many things we can talk about under this category. Such as the crew, the armor, the firepower, the mobility, and the spotting. So, let us talk about them one by one.

The crew

There were five crew members in this American medium tank. They were the commander, the gunner, the driver, the radio operator, and the loader. It is the typical crew placement of the war tanks.

The armor

Next, let us look into the armor of the tank T6. When we talk about armor, it can be discussed under three topics. The hull armor, the turret armor, and the survivability. Let us see.

Hull armor

The hull armor of the T6 tank was 44 mm thick from the front, 37 mm thick from the sides, and 37 mm thick from the rear.

Turret armor

The turret armor was way thicker than the hull armor. It was 65 mm thick from the front and the back and the sides of the turret armor was about 40 mm thick.

Survivability

When we talk about the survivability of the tank T6, we can divide the topic into two sections. The repairing time and the hit points. Let us see.

The suspension repair time

Here the suspension repair time took around 10 to 11 seconds. The most frequent time recorded was 10.3 seconds. And the next topic is the hit points.

Hit points

When we talk about the hit points of the T6 tank, it was able to bear until 450 hp powerful attacks. As the turret armor was averagely thick, there is no wonder.

The firepower

Now, let us look into the firepower of the tank T6. We can talk about it under several topics. For your convenience, let us take them one by one.

Damage and the armor penetration

In this tank, the armor penetration was around 90 / 125 / 38 mm. so, it was pretty high. And the damage bore by this tank leveled around 110 / 110 / 175 hp powerful. So, this American tank was good at facing opponents.

Rate of fire and damage per minute

The rate of fire of this T6 tank was around 13.33 rounds per minute. And the damage caused by this tank was at an upper level. It was 1 466 hp powerful. So, that is a lot.

Aiming time and dispersion

The aiming time was not so quick in this tank. It was nearly two seconds. The actual measurement was 1.90 seconds. And the dispersion rate was 0.47 m at 100 m. and the ammo capacity of this tank was about 75 pieces.

Mobility

When we talk about the mobility of a tank, there are certain things we have to focus on. They are the weight, power, and speed. Let us see.

Weight

The total weight of the tank T6 was about 27 tons. This was the complete battle-ready weight. This means this was the weight with the crew and the supplies in it. The tank itself weighed around 25.48 tons.

Power

Here the power means the engine power and the specific power of the tank. The engine power was around 350 hp and the specific power was calculated as 13.74 hp per ton.

What is the specific power of a tank?

Specific power of a tank means the hp/t. which means the total horsepower of the engine of the tank divides by the tank’s weight. Normally we take tons as the measurement when we talk about the weight of a tank.

Speed

When we talk about the speed of a tank, we can talk about the top speed, the traverse speed, and the turret traverse speed of the tank. Let us see.

Traverse speed	The traverse speed was about 32 deg per second
Top speed	The top speed of this tank was about 34 km per hour
Turret traverse speed	The turret traverse speed was around 34 deg per second

Spotting

When we talk about spotting, we can divide the topic into two sections. The view range and the signal range. The view range of this tank was super high. It was about 320 m and the signal range was about 325 m. which is approximately good.

Modules

Now let us move on to the modules and the specifications of T6

Guns

Firstly, let us talk about the most important module of a tank, the guns. There were four guns on this T6 tank. Let’s look into them one by one.

75 mm Gun M3

The penetration of this gun was 92/127/38mm and the damage caused by this gun was 110/110/175hp. The rate of fire was 14.56 rounds/minute and the dispersion was at a level of 0.4m while the aiming time was 2.7s. The weight of this gun was around 1437kg.

105 mm M4

The penetration of this gun was 53/102/38mm and the damage caused by this gun was 410/350/175hp. The rate of fire was 4.44 rounds/minute and the dispersion was at a level of 0.6m while the aiming time was 3.3s. The weight of this gun was around 2600kg.

75 mm Gun M2

The penetration of this gun was 90/125/38mm and the damage caused by this gun was 110/110/175hp. The rate of fire was 13.65 rounds/minute and the dispersion was at a level of 0.46m while the aiming time was 1.8s. The weight of this gun was around 1237kg.

75 mm M3 Tank Howitzer

The penetration of this gun was 38/92/38hp and the damage caused by this gun was 110/110/175hp. The rate of fire was 13.04 rounds/minute and the dispersion was at a level of 0.53m while the aiming time was 3.2s. The weight of this gun was around 138kg.

Engines

There were two engines in this T6 tank. The Wright Continental R-975EC2 and the Wright Continental R-975C4. The first engine produced 350 hp and the second one generated 460 hp. The first engine weighed about 515 kg and the second engine weighed around 550 kg.

If you want to know more cool facts about war tanks like this, please visit our site, wartankers.com!

August 6, 2022 0 comment

Infantry Tank Tanks UK World War II

“Valentine” – All about the number 1 Infantry Tank

by Soora Solutions July 29, 2022

written by Soora Solutions

What is this ‘Valentine’ tank?

This is one of the most mass-produced tanks in history. This tank was mainly and mostly used by the British armies and it was during the second world war period. This tank has served in so many important wars and battles in history.

Valentine

Cool fact about this tank

The design of this tank was presented on Valentine’s Day, which means the 14^th of February in 1940. That is how this tank got its name. And some say that the middle name of the designer of the predecessors of this tank was Valentine. So, they named this tank on his behalf of him.

Origin

The place of origin of this tank was the United Kingdom. They built this tank as an infantry tank. These tanks were built as support to the infantryman on the field when they attack.

History

The history of this tank can be divided into two parts. The production history and the service history. Let us look at them one by one.

The production history

The first tank of the Valentine tanks was produced in 1940. And they kept producing them for four constant years. The demand for this tank was so high that they had to produce 8 275 of them. Even though this belonged to the United Kingdom, 1 420 from those 8 275 were built in Canada.

Designer & Manufacturer

The designer of this special tank was a conglomerate of engineers named ‘Vickers – Armstrongs’. They designed this tank in the year 1938. And the manufacturer of this tank was also the company of Vickers – Armstrongs, and others.

Variants

There were so many variants for this tank. Let us take the list.

Valentine l, II, III
Valentine IIICS
Valentine IV, V, VI, VII
Valentine VIIA
Valentine VIII, IX, X, XI
Valentine DD
Valentine OP/command
Valentine CDL
Valentine Scorpion II
Valentine AMRA Mk lb…

There are many more other variants are available.

Valentine

The service history

This tank has a very fruitful and memorable service history. This tank was in service for whole two decades. They used these from 1940 to 1960. And these were not only used by a specific army. These were used by the British army, the Red Army, and the New Zealand army.

Wars

This was used mainly in the second world war. But rather than that, this was also used in two other important wars. They are the 1948 Arab – Israeli war and were also used in the Cyprus crisis of 1963 – 64.

Operators

There were several operating countries and armies for this Valentine tank. They are Canada, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Iran, Nazi Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Soviet Union, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

General information

Now let us look into the general information about the tank Valentine. There are so many areas to talk and let us take them one by one.

Dimensions

When we take the length of this tank, it was 17 ft and 9 inches long. And the width of the body was 8 ft and 7.5 inches. The height of this Valentine was 7 ft and 5.5 inches, or 2.273 m. finally, the mass of this tank was around 16 tons.

Crew

As this was an infantry tank, there was no need to have so many crew members. So, they designed this to only have three crew members. They were the commander, the gunner, and the driver. But the Mk III version of this tank had 4 crew members. They included a loader to that variant.

Valentine

Other facts about this tank

There are several other things we can talk about this tank and its variants. Especially some details about the post-war period. Let us take a look.

Survived tanks

After all the wars, few tanks have left from the destruction. And some are still in running condition. If you are interested, you can search or visit the Bovington Tank Museum. There are around forty of them in that museum.

Remained chassis

After the war, there were so many Valentine chassis were left and saved. So, they used them to build vehicles. They were built under three categories.

1^st category’s vehicles – SP 17 pounder, Valentine, Mk I, Archer
2^nd category – Carrier, Valentine, 25-pounder gun Mk I, Bishop
3^rd category – Tank, infantry, Valiant (A38)

Building faults of Valentine

There was only one fail in this tank. And this problem was not unique to this. This was a common fault of many other tanks during that period. Especially in the British tanks. It is the explosive capacity of the gun of the tank. It was not enough to face the opponent tanks.

Was that the only fault of that tank?

No, it was not. That gun was not enough at all. Even though they fixed the firepower, there were so many other faults with that gun. Because of that, the gun of Valentine became outdated very quickly.

Valentine

General information of Valentine Mk. II

Now let us see the specification of the tank Valentine. There are several things to talk about it. let us take them one by one.

Dimensions

The total length of the tank with the forward gun was around 17 ft and 9 inches. And the width of the tank was 8 ft and 7 inches. And the height of this tank was 7 ft and 5 inches. As this was an infantry tank, it was not that big. This tank weighed about 16 tons and the measurements were taken as long tons.

Crew

As this was an infantry tank, there were not so many crew members. There were only three of them. They were the commander, the driver, and the gunner.

if you want to know more cool facts about other war tanks, please visit our site. You are warmly welcome to our site, ‘War Tankers’.

July 29, 2022 0 comment

Heavy Tank Post World War Tanks USA

T110E5 – The American Heavy Hero

by Soora Solutions July 27, 2022

written by Soora Solutions

What is this T110E5?

This T110E5 is a variant of the main tank version, T110. This T110E5 is also known as the TS 31. This T110 project was canceled due to its size of it. The assigned duty of this tank was to pass through some small tunnels in the Bernese Alps and they were too big to do that.

T110E5

So they canceled it on the first try?

No, they did not. They tried several ways and proposed several proposals before canceling the project T110. That is how the T110E5 was produced. This was the third proposal and the final proposal that became a reality.

Proposals

They initially planned on proposing five projects. But they only built three of them. And all three of them were just prototypes. The other two are T110 Proposal 1, as known as T110E3, and T110 Proposal 2, as known as T110E4.

Origin

This was never built to use in wars. They just tried to keep the T 110 project without canceling and as a result T110E5 was created. The first tank of this series is the T 110 and this T110E5 is the sixth and last tank of this series. The place of origin of this tank is the United States. This tank was created as a heavy tank.

History

Normally when we talk about the history of tanks, we can talk it under two categories. The service history and the production history. But here, there is no service history. Because this was just a prototype. The only thing we can say about the service history of T110E5 is that it was used by the armies of the United States.

T110E5

The production history

There are a few things we can talk about under the production history of T110E5. Not as many other US tanks, this was designed and manufactured in two different tank plants. The manufacturing was done at the Detroit Arsenal Army Tank Plant and the designing was done at the Chrysler Motor Army Tank Plant. They were the best designers and manufacturers at the time.

Variants

Even though this tank was just a prototype and only one tank was built, this also had a few variants. They were the TS5, the TS6 version 1, and the TS 6 version 2.