Onizuka-GTO
2004-06-08, 11:46 AM
Today most tanks are in the 'main battle tank' category. However, from the 1920s to 1940s there were widespread differences of doctrine about how tanks should be used in battle and what technical specifications designs should have. Some of the categories that arose are below.
Tankette
A tankette was a small tank, with a crew of 2 (there were prototypes with one-man crew). It usually had no turret, or if it did, it was traversed by hand. It was armed with 1 or 2 machineguns, or rarely with 20mm gun. The "classic" design was British Carden-Loyd Mk.VI Tankette - many others were modelled after it. Tankettes were produced between about 1930 and 1939, but ceased soon afterwards due to limited usefulness and extreme vulnerability.
Light Tank
These tanks were designed for speed and to be able to take on infantry and light vehicles. While very common at the start of World War II they were graudually relegated to use as scouts and to strike vulnerable areas. Some, like the Tetrarch were small enough to be air-lifted to the battlefield. Sometimes called a cavalry tank.
Medium Tank
Tanks with a good balance of firepower, mobility and protection. Able to engage infantry and also other tanks. German Panzer III, Panzer IV and Panther tanks were medium tanks of increasing sophistication and power, as were the American M3 Grant and M4 Sherman and Russian T-34.
Heavy Tank
Designed to attack obstacles, create breakthroughs and engage enemy armoured formations. Prominent World War II examples were the German Tiger and Russian Josef Stalin. They featured very heavy armour and guns. After World War II the heavy tank concept wasmerged into that of the main battle tank.
Assault Tank
A very heavily-armoured vehicle designed to directly attack heavy anti-tank emplacements, of limited tactical use otherwise. While the German Panzer IV was originally envisaged as something like this, World War II versions included the Sherman Jumbo, Sturmmoser Tiger and Churchill AVRE.
Cruiser Tank
Primarily restricted to Britain and the Commonwealth, cruiser tanks were designed to have moderate armor and fast speed. They were intended for maneuvers such as flanking the enemy.
Infantry Tank
The idea for this tank was developed during World War I by the British and French. The infantry tank was designed to be slow (moving at the same pace as running infantry) and heavily armored. Its main purpose would have been to clear the battlefield of obstacles, take out enemy soldiers, and protect the infantry on their advance through and into enemy lines.
The most developed infantry tanks were the Matildas of World War II. Their armour and anti-tank firepower was sufficient to take on German Panzer IIIs. However, their anti-infantry weaponry was often restricted to a machine-gun, with no high-explosive rounds for their main gun being available. Later British tanks were more akin to medium tanks.
Tank Destroyer
Used mainly in World War II, the tank-destroyer concept was used by German, British, American and Russian armed forces. In theory, tank-destroyer units (from platoon to battalion level) would be deployed alongside armored formations to destroy enemy armoured forces when encountered and act as fully mechanized anti-tank guns.
All tank destroyers were equipped with powerful guns. Early in the war tank destroyers tended to be lightly-armoured to ensure mobility but increasingly late in the war heavily-armoured models were produced, able to take on heavy tanks at all ranges.
In spite of the tank destroyers, most tank casualties in the War were inflicted by other tanks or anti-tank guns. After the War the concept of the tank destroyer was replaced by that of the main battle tank.
Obviously now the three empire specific "Main Battle Tanks" aren't in the same catagory at all.
What are they?
Lightening is definately a Light Tank,
But what is the Magrider?
What is the Prowler?
What is the Vanguard?
Personally, i think the magrider is a Tank Destroyer, Vanguard is a Heavy Tank and the Prowler is a Medium Tank.
Tankette
A tankette was a small tank, with a crew of 2 (there were prototypes with one-man crew). It usually had no turret, or if it did, it was traversed by hand. It was armed with 1 or 2 machineguns, or rarely with 20mm gun. The "classic" design was British Carden-Loyd Mk.VI Tankette - many others were modelled after it. Tankettes were produced between about 1930 and 1939, but ceased soon afterwards due to limited usefulness and extreme vulnerability.
Light Tank
These tanks were designed for speed and to be able to take on infantry and light vehicles. While very common at the start of World War II they were graudually relegated to use as scouts and to strike vulnerable areas. Some, like the Tetrarch were small enough to be air-lifted to the battlefield. Sometimes called a cavalry tank.
Medium Tank
Tanks with a good balance of firepower, mobility and protection. Able to engage infantry and also other tanks. German Panzer III, Panzer IV and Panther tanks were medium tanks of increasing sophistication and power, as were the American M3 Grant and M4 Sherman and Russian T-34.
Heavy Tank
Designed to attack obstacles, create breakthroughs and engage enemy armoured formations. Prominent World War II examples were the German Tiger and Russian Josef Stalin. They featured very heavy armour and guns. After World War II the heavy tank concept wasmerged into that of the main battle tank.
Assault Tank
A very heavily-armoured vehicle designed to directly attack heavy anti-tank emplacements, of limited tactical use otherwise. While the German Panzer IV was originally envisaged as something like this, World War II versions included the Sherman Jumbo, Sturmmoser Tiger and Churchill AVRE.
Cruiser Tank
Primarily restricted to Britain and the Commonwealth, cruiser tanks were designed to have moderate armor and fast speed. They were intended for maneuvers such as flanking the enemy.
Infantry Tank
The idea for this tank was developed during World War I by the British and French. The infantry tank was designed to be slow (moving at the same pace as running infantry) and heavily armored. Its main purpose would have been to clear the battlefield of obstacles, take out enemy soldiers, and protect the infantry on their advance through and into enemy lines.
The most developed infantry tanks were the Matildas of World War II. Their armour and anti-tank firepower was sufficient to take on German Panzer IIIs. However, their anti-infantry weaponry was often restricted to a machine-gun, with no high-explosive rounds for their main gun being available. Later British tanks were more akin to medium tanks.
Tank Destroyer
Used mainly in World War II, the tank-destroyer concept was used by German, British, American and Russian armed forces. In theory, tank-destroyer units (from platoon to battalion level) would be deployed alongside armored formations to destroy enemy armoured forces when encountered and act as fully mechanized anti-tank guns.
All tank destroyers were equipped with powerful guns. Early in the war tank destroyers tended to be lightly-armoured to ensure mobility but increasingly late in the war heavily-armoured models were produced, able to take on heavy tanks at all ranges.
In spite of the tank destroyers, most tank casualties in the War were inflicted by other tanks or anti-tank guns. After the War the concept of the tank destroyer was replaced by that of the main battle tank.
Obviously now the three empire specific "Main Battle Tanks" aren't in the same catagory at all.
What are they?
Lightening is definately a Light Tank,
But what is the Magrider?
What is the Prowler?
What is the Vanguard?
Personally, i think the magrider is a Tank Destroyer, Vanguard is a Heavy Tank and the Prowler is a Medium Tank.