British armored vehicles during the Second World War. British tanks from World War II
Tanks of England
The development of British armored vehicles in the pre-war years was reflected in the conflict of opinions regarding the nature of the future war. Supporters of the creation of mechanized armies, who believed that the Second World War with their participation should end quickly, with a single strategic strike, which within a few days and even hours would decide the outcome of the battles and force the enemy to surrender, insisted on the creation of “cruising” tanks - lightly armored, with increased movement speeds and with 40 mm caliber guns. To test their views on a future war, they achieved the creation of the first experimental mechanized unit in the British armed forces in 1927.
There was also a group of influential military men, based on the headquarters of the British ground forces, who believed that the main purpose of tanks was direct support for the advancing infantry. For this purpose, low-speed, heavily armored tanks with 40-75 mm caliber guns are used - the so-called “infantry” tanks. As a compromise, it was decided to have both cruiser and infantry tanks in service. Infantry tanks included tanks such as "Matilda", "Valentine" and "Churchill", and cruiser tanks - "Crusider", "Cromwell", "Comet". Thus, the inseparable combat qualities of a tank - armor protection and mobility - were artificially divided between two types of vehicles. The fallacy of this concept was revealed quite quickly during the fighting, but during the war the British designers failed to create a single tank capable of performing direct infantry support tasks and operating as part of armored formations. Therefore, the American M4 Sherman became the best tank of the British army.
Light tanks created in England before the war quickly disappeared from the battlefields, as their armor and weapons turned out to be unsatisfactory. Therefore, the British army widely used American light tanks M3 and M5. In 1943, production of its own light tank "Tetrarch" began, but its combat characteristics were lower than those of German tanks. Self-propelled artillery, as in the US Army, was divided into field, anti-tank and anti-aircraft. However, the number of self-propelled units produced by the English industry was small and amounted to approximately 800 vehicles.
The characteristic features of British armored vehicles were:
- large overall dimensions and weight, low firepower and mobility of tanks;
- creation of field, anti-tank and anti-aircraft self-propelled units based on tanks and cars;
- widespread use of the chassis of obsolete light tanks to create armored personnel carriers;
- the creation and widespread use of armored vehicles;
- the use of outdated design solutions and technological methods: vertical arrangement of armor plates, frame construction of tanks, connecting armor plates with bolts and rivets, the use of mainly carburetor engines, etc.
In total, during the Second World War, 25,116 tanks were produced in England, another 23,246 tanks and self-propelled guns came from the USA and Canada. The formation of armored formations in England occurred rather slowly. By the end of the second year of the war, five armored divisions and five separate brigades had been formed.
The armored division consisted of two armored brigades, each of which had three tank regiments, as well as two motorcycle and rifle battalions, an artillery and a mixed anti-aircraft and anti-tank regiment. The division had about 300 tanks, but practically no motorized infantry. In addition, the division structure turned out to be cumbersome and did not allow for prompt command of units during the battle. Therefore, at the end of 1942, the divisions were reorganized. One armored brigade was excluded from them, but a motorized infantry brigade was introduced, there were two artillery regiments, and an anti-tank artillery regiment was introduced. The 1942 model division consisted of 18 thousand personnel, 344 tanks and more than 150 guns.
For joint operations with infantry divisions, separate armored brigades consisting of three regiments were formed. Each brigade had 260 tanks. In total, during the Second World War, 11 armored divisions and 30 armored brigades were formed in Great Britain. Tank corps and armies were not created, but at different stages of the war army corps, which included 2-3 armored divisions, participated.
Tank building among the British began its development during the First World War and after the end of the war they already had full-fledged organized tank forces.
Then the construction of tanks in Great Britain almost completely froze, namely for 20 years after the First World War. One of the reasons for this downtime was that in Europe there was no one to fight with and, moreover, there were constant disputes about the need for tanks in modern warfare.
In 1934, tank building among the British was revived with renewed vigor. Great Britain was given impetus by the USSR and Germany, which during these years began to intensively increase the construction and modernization of tanks.
Also in England they have already completely decided on the tactical use of tanks. Tanks were divided into classes. There were light tanks, infantry tanks and cruiser tanks. The latter were formed later than everyone else.
It is noteworthy that until 1936, British tanks were armed exclusively with machine guns, but it soon became clear that this was not correct. Initially, a 2-pound cannon was installed on an infantry tank, and then on a cruiser tank. The capabilities of such weapons were limited.
The events at Dunkirk significantly influenced the British views on the armor and armament of their tanks. They gradually began to move away from light tanks to armored vehicles, and infantry tanks did not particularly change their role on the battlefield, only the British increased their armor and improved their weapons. By the way, infantry class tanks performed well in battles on the continent.
North Africa became a test for British tanks. Heavy battles showed that the British were sorely lacking a universal tank. Of course, the HVi tank, which was a cruising class tank, was not bad, but it did not fully meet the requirements of modern combat operations. It is surprising that a country that produced excellent aircraft could not build a decent tank. By 1944, infantry and light tanks gradually began to give way to heavy ones, and cruiser tanks gradually began to be modernized into universal combat vehicles. When World War II ended, the UK decided to no longer divide tanks into classes.
By 1940, British tank technology could not be considered modern relative to other countries. Tank construction continued to be dominated by bolted connections, although other countries had long ago mastered welding and the production of solid cast turrets. The armor was mainly vertical. British tanks could not compete with Reich tanks in any aspect.
Along with modernization, the pace of tank construction was also lagging behind. By the end of 1938, 600 cruising class tanks were supposed to enter service with the British, but only 60 units were produced. Great Britain entered World War II with 600 tanks, 70% of which were light tanks. Most of the tanks that were produced during the war never entered service.
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As you know, the British began building tanks during the First World War. By its end, they had numerous and organized tank forces - Royal Armored Corps (RAC) - Royal Tank Corps.
In the next 20 years, British tank building was almost at the “freezing point.” There were several reasons for this. First of all, in Great Britain the discussion about the role and place of tanks in modern warfare has dragged on. Uncertainty on this issue among the military slowed down the development of appropriate tactical and technical requirements and the issuance of orders to industry. The geographical feature of the state also played a role - the British did not intend to attack anyone, and for a long time they did not have a real enemy in Europe.
This situation led to the fact that during this period of time the British industry produced only a few hundred tanks, the design of which can hardly be called innovative. The most interesting ideas of their creators were either embodied in prototypes and experimental samples that remained unclaimed, or simply did not find application in their homeland.
The end of the debate in the USSR and Germany about the role of tanks and the subsequent massive deployment of tank troops in these countries forced the British military to come out of hibernation. Beginning around 1934, the development of armored vehicles in Great Britain intensified sharply.
By this time, the views of the military leadership on the tactical use of tanks had largely been determined. In accordance with them, tanks in England were divided into three classes: light, infantry and cruising. Moreover, the concept of cruising tanks was formed later than others. At first, their functions were to be performed by light combat vehicles - fast and maneuverable. The main task of infantry tanks was to directly support infantry on the battlefield. These vehicles had limited speed and heavy armor. Sometimes it reached the point of absurdity: the gearbox of the Matilda infantry tank, for example, had only one speed - it was believed that this was quite enough.
In 1936, the British considered it sufficient to arm tanks only with machine guns. Common sense, however, soon triumphed, and first on cruising and then on infantry vehicles a 2-pounder gun appeared. Its capabilities, however, were very limited - there were no high-explosive fragmentation shells in the ammunition load.
The symbol of British tank building in the years between the two world wars was the heavy five-turret A1 Independent tank. This vehicle became the object of close attention of specialists from many countries and, without a doubt, served as a prototype for the creation of the Soviet T-35 heavy tank and the German Nb.Fz
The disaster at Dunkirk forced the British to reconsider their views somewhat. Light tanks were now assigned only reconnaissance functions, and even then, during the war, they were gradually transferred to armored vehicles. The role of infantry tanks, the only ones that had proven themselves well in battles on the continent, remained virtually unchanged, and efforts to improve them boiled down to increasing the power of weapons and armor protection.
At the same time, the unfolding hostilities in North Africa revealed the army's enormous need for a reliable and complete tank for independent armored formations. HVi, one of the cruising tanks then in service with the British Army, did not fully meet these requirements. One can only be surprised that a country that built beautiful ships, planes and cars could not achieve the required operational reliability of tank engines and chassis elements for several years. The British were able to resolve these issues only by 1944. By this time, the importance of infantry tanks and their share in tank units had significantly decreased. The cruising tank increasingly acquired the features of a universal one. Soon after the end of World War II, the British abandoned the division of tanks into classes according to purpose.
Leading developer and manufacturer of armored vehicles in Great Britain in 1930 - 1940. was Vickers-Armstrong Ltd. With her participation, almost half of all British tanks that participated in World War II were created. The photo shows one of the variants of the Mk IV light tank in the factory yard
Assembly of cruiser tanks Mk II in the workshop of the BRCW plant, 1940. In the foreground are stands for assembling turrets
For the 1940s, the design and assembly technology of British tanks cannot be considered progressive. The hulls and turrets (if the latter were not made in one piece) were assembled using bolts on frames or using the frameless method (“Valentine”). Welding was used to an extremely limited extent. Armor plates, as a rule, were located vertically, without any angles of inclination. British tanks, especially in the second half of the war, could not compete with German tanks either in terms of armor protection or firepower.
The pace of tank production on the eve and during the Second World War also lagged behind real needs. For example, by December 1938, the industry was supposed to supply the army with more than 600 cruiser and about 370 infantry tanks. However, only 30 of the former were produced, and 60 of the latter. A year later, only 314 tanks of all types entered the army. As a result, Britain entered the war with just over 600 tanks, more than half of which were light tanks. In total, during the war years the British produced 25,116 tanks, about 4,000 self-propelled guns and self-propelled guns. Moreover, a significant part of the latter were manufactured using the chassis of obsolete and decommissioned vehicles. Speaking about the production of tanks in the United Kingdom, it should be taken into account that a significant part of the combat vehicles produced during the war never reached the front and were used for training purposes.
Manufacturing the hull of the cruiser tank Mk V "Covenanter" in the workshop of the LMS plant. 1941
A prototype of the A43 Black Prince tank, 1945. This vehicle, developed on the basis of the Churchill infantry tank and armed with a 17-pounder gun, is an attempt to create a full-fledged English heavy tank
British tanks during the Second World War could not boast of serious tactical and technical characteristics. Most British combat vehicles were in one way or another inferior to American, German and Soviet models in many respects. British tanks were divided into infantry and cruiser tanks. The functions of the former included, as the name already implies, direct support of the infantry in the offensive, suppression of firing points, and jointly with the infantry deterring enemy counterattacks. These tanks were distinguished by serious armor for the start of the war and extremely low speed, which, however, was explained by the fact that they had to conduct an offensive in the ranks of the infantry and simultaneously with it. On the contrary, cruiser tanks had good dynamics, speed and mobility, but their armor was rather weak. These tanks could enter a breakthrough and develop an offensive behind enemy lines, threatening his communications, suddenly attack enemy units on the march, and encircle large enemy groups with the support of aviation, artillery and infantry. It was the cruising tanks that had much greater potential, but the British often used these tanks in the same way as infantry ones - only to support attacking units, scattering tanks along the front, while Germany clearly demonstrated what large, mobile and mobile tank formations.Defeats in Europe and the disaster at Dunkirk
Before the start of the German offensive in the West, the British had 12 divisions and over 500 tanks in France, 9 of these 15 divisions were located in Belgium as part of the joint Anglo-French North-Eastern Front, which was supposed to cover this direction from a possible German attack. The British Expeditionary Force in France was armed with Matilda (Mark II), Cruiser (Mark IIA) and Cruiser (Mark IIIA) tanks, armed with 40mm guns, more than half of which had excellent armor for 1940 and were difficult to hit by German tank guns. In addition, do not forget that many German tanks in the French campaign were still armed only with a machine gun (Pz.I and Pz.II).The French also had an impressive tank fleet (more than 3,000 vehicles) - among which were the Somua medium and B1 heavy tanks. Their armor and armament were also not inferior to the German ones. The only thing in which the Anglo-French tanks were inferior to the German ones was speed. As for tactics, operational leadership, crew training and the will to win, in this the Germans clearly prevailed over the Allies. On May 10, 1940, German troops began a rapid advance through Belgium. The attack of the German mobile formations was aimed at bypassing the French Maginot Line. The coordinated actions of German tanks, aviation, artillery and infantry led to the defeat and surrender of the Dutch army on May 14. After which the Germans quickly crossed the Meuse River and their tank groups rushed to the west. On May 21, they reached the English Channel and were surrounded by over 50 Anglo-French divisions in the Dunkirk area. The defeated Belgian army also surrendered on May 28. Having suffered heavy losses and abandoned all remaining equipment to the enemy, the Anglo-French troops evacuated to England in early June.
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British tanks in Africa
Initially, in Africa, the British were opposed by parts of the Italian army, the technical equipment of which left much to be desired - all Italian combat vehicles were inferior to English models. When the first offensive of British troops in Africa against the Italian aggressors began in December 1940, the superiority of the British in technology made itself felt - the Italians retreated until the German command, which decided to help its ally, transferred a corps to Africa under the command of General Rommel. The counterattack of this corps, which at the initial stage had only 120 tanks, drove the British to the Egyptian border and surrounded their base in Tobruk.In November 1941, the British launched a retaliatory offensive, the goal of which was nothing less than the defeat of Rommel's entire tank group and a decisive turning point in the African campaign. Having twice as many tanks as the enemy, the British failed to carry out their grandiose plan. Rommel maneuvered his tank formations, regrouped the scattered units and threw them into battle again, preventing the British from achieving a decisive advantage. Nevertheless, the Italo-German troops had to retreat further and further. In May 1942, Rommel decided to launch a powerful counterattack with all available forces, despite the lack of fuel and ammunition. The British command had approximately 900 tanks, which meant an almost threefold superiority over Rommel's advancing troops. Nevertheless, success initially accompanied Germany. Only at El Alamein was the German offensive decisively stopped. The German losses were enormous, Rommel had only about 50 tanks left, but despite the critical supply situation, the Germans resisted for a long time. The British force in Africa was constantly growing, while German reserves were drying up, there were no reinforcements, and supplies were terrible. The number of tanks the British had by the end of the African campaign, which ended with the surrender of the Italo-German troops in May 1943, had already exceeded a thousand, while Germany, shackled by the war against the USSR, could not help the African corps in any way.
Tank production in England during the war
The rate of tank production in the pre-war years in England was very low. In many sources, this is sometimes explained by the fact that in the British War Ministry there were many opponents of the development of tank forces. Some officials considered the development of tanks a waste of the budget. As a result, the British came to the conclusion that it was necessary to produce two different versions of tanks - infantry and cruising. By 1938, the British industry, according to the plan, was to produce over 600 cruiser and about 370 infantry tanks. However, it was actually possible to produce thirty cruisingand sixty infantry tanks, which was simply incredibly small considering the approaching war. A year later, the British replenished their tank fleet with just over 300 combat vehicles of various types. And yet this was catastrophically not enough. Britain faced the war without even a thousand tanks. In addition, most of the available tanks were light. For almost the entire war, the British made tanks that were quite unsuccessful, both in terms of design and reliability. At the final stage of the war, the main enemy of the countries of the Anti-Hitler Coalition, Germany, already had such a serious superiority in tanks over Britain that it was not possible to name an English tank that could compare in combat value with the German Tigers or Panthers. During the war years, British industry produced 24 thousand tanks and approximately 4 thousand self-propelled guns. In the production of self-propelled guns and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, the chassis of outdated tanks was often used. Many British tanks produced in 1939 - 1945 never made it to the front and only served in the rear as training vehicles for training crews and developing tank operating skills.
The British began building tanks during the First World War. By its end, England had numerous and organized tank forces - Royal Armored Corps (RAC) - Royal Tank Corps. In the next twenty years, tank construction here was almost at the “freezing point.” First of all, the discussion about the role and place of tanks in modern warfare has dragged on. Uncertainty on this issue among the military slowed down the development of appropriate tactical and technical requirements and the issuance of orders to industry. The British did not intend to attack anyone, and for a long time they did not have a real enemy in Europe. This situation led to the fact that during this period the industry produced only a few hundred tanks, the design of which can hardly be called innovative. The most interesting ideas of their creators were either embodied in prototypes and experimental samples that remained unclaimed, or simply did not find application in their homeland. The issue describes the history of creation, a description of the designs of British tanks during the Second World War, their modifications and vehicles built on their basis; combat use; technical characteristics. A large number of unique photographs, drawings and drawings.