Beginning of tank building was laid during the First World War. Machines striking the imagination of contemporaries appeared on the Western Front. The fighting between Germany, France and Great Britain remained positional for several years. The soldiers sat in the trenches, and the front line hardly moved. It was almost impossible to break through the enemy positions with existing means. Artillery preparation and forced marches of the infantry did not give the desired result. The history of tank building began thanks to the British. They were the first to use unparalleled self-propelled vehicles.
UK
The first English Mark I tank appeared in 1916, when an experimental model was produced in the amount of 100 combat units. This model had two modifications: with machine guns and cannons. The history of tank building began with a “pancake lump”. The Mark I was ineffective. In the Battle of the Somme, his machine guns could not deal with the German gun emplacements.
Despite the fact that those tanks were imperfect, they demonstrated that the new type of weapons has serious prospects. Moreover, the first models horrified German soldiers who had never seen anything like this. Therefore, Mark I was used more as a psychological weapon thancombat.
In total, nine models appeared in this British "family". Significant progress was noted Mark V. He got a four-speed gearbox and a special tank engine called "Ricardo". It was the first model to be driven by only one person. There have been other changes as well. An additional machine gun appeared in the stern, and the commander's cabin increased.
France
The success of the British inspired the French to continue the experiments of the allies. The history of tank building owes much to the Renault FT-17 model. The French released it in 1917-1918. (almost 4 thousand units were produced). The effectiveness of the FT-17 is at least evidenced by the fact that they continued to be used even at the beginning of World War II (twenty years for tank building is a colossal period).
What was the reason for Renault's success? The fact is that it was the first tank that received a classic layout. The machine was controlled from its front. In the center was the combat compartment. Behind was the engine compartment. Such a technical and ergonomic solution revealed the combat potential of the FT-17 in the best possible way. The history of the development of tank building would have been different if not for this machine. Most historians consider it the most successful model used on the fronts of the First World War.
USA
American history of tank building began thanks to the efforts of General John Pershing. He arrived in Europe in 1917 withby the US Expeditionary Force after they declared war on Germany. Having got acquainted with the experience of the allies, their equipment and positional warfare, which was not suspected in America, the general began to seek attention from his leadership to the topic of tanks.
The US Army purchased French Renaults and used them in the battles near Verdun. American designers, having received foreign cars, carried out a slight modification. After the First World War, the US tank forces were disbanded due to the high cost. Then, for several years, the American army did not allocate funds at all for the creation of new machines. And only in the 1930s. the first experimental models of their own production appeared. It was the M1931 (T11 Fighting Vehicle). It was never adopted, but the experimental work gave American designers the necessary food for thought before further research.
The evolution of American technology was also slowed down due to the Great Depression, which seriously shook the country's economy. Serious funding for engineers and designers came only with the outbreak of World War II, when the authorities realized that they might not be able to sit out overseas and would have to send troops to Europe.
In 1941, the "M3 Stuart" appeared. This light tank was produced in the amount of 23 thousand units. This record in its class has not yet been broken. The history of world tank building does not know more than a model produced in such quantity. "Stuarts" were not only used by the American army, but also supplied to the allies: to Great Britain, France, China and the USSR according tolend-lease.
Germany
Armored troops in Germany appeared only in the era of the Third Reich. The Treaty of Versailles, concluded at the end of the First World War, forbade the Germans to start their own combat-ready park. Therefore, during the Weimar Republic, Germany did not have its own cars. And only the Nazis, who came to power in 1933, spun the military flywheel. At first, light tanks were produced under the guise of tractors. However, the German authorities, who got a taste for it, quickly stopped hiding. As for the parallels between tanks and tractors, a similar practice existed in the Soviet Union, where in the 1930s. many tractor factories were built, which, in the event of a war, could easily be converted into tank factories.
In 1926, Germany and the USSR entered into an agreement under which future German military specialists began to study at a specialized school near Kazan. Later, this backbone began to create technology in their homeland. The first German tank was the Panzer I. This model turned out to be the backbone of the German fleet.
By the beginning of the Second World War, there were more than three thousand tanks in Germany, and before the attack on the USSR, more than four thousand vehicles were concentrated on the Eastern Front alone. The Germans were the first to use heavy equipment as an assault. Many SS Panzer divisions received nominal names ("Das Reich", "Totenkopf", etc.). Most of them were destroyed. In total, the Third Reich lost about 35 thousand cars during the war. Key German mediumthe tank was the Panther, and the heavy tank was the Tiger.
USSR
In the mid-1920s. the history of Soviet tank building began. The first serial model in the USSR was MS-1 (another name is T-18). Prior to that, only captured vehicles captured during the civil war were at the disposal of the Red Army. With the advent of peace, work was organized to design a heavy positional tank. They were turned off in 1925, when, after the next meeting in the Red Army, the military decided to direct all resources to the creation of a small maneuverable model. She became MS-1, created in 1927
Soon other Soviet tanks appeared. By 1933, the production of light T-26 and BT, tankettes T-27, medium T-28 and heavy T-35 was launched. Bold experiments were carried out. The history of tank building in the USSR in the early 1930s. passed under the sign of designing amphibious tanks. They were represented by T-37 models. These machines received a fundamentally new propeller. Its feature was the rotating blades. When moving afloat, they provided reverse.
The history of Soviet tank building would be incomplete without T-28 medium tanks. Thanks to them, it became possible to qualitatively strengthen combined arms formations. T-28s were designed to break through enemy defensive positions. The tank weighed 28 tons and outwardly stood out with a three-turret weapon mount (it included three machine guns and a cannon).
In 1933-1939. 50-ton T-35 was produced. It was created as a combat vehicle for a qualitative increase in attack when breaking through fortifications. At that moment, the history of Soviet tank building moved to a new stage, since it was the T-35 that was the first to receive such numerous weapons. It was installed in five towers (a total of five machine guns and three cannons). However, this model also had disadvantages - first of all, sluggishness and poor armor at large sizes. In total, several dozen T-35s were produced. Some of them were used at the front at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War.
1930s
In the 30s of the last century, Soviet engineers and designers actively conducted experiments related to the creation of wheeled-tracked tanks. Such a device of machines complicated the chassis and power transmission, however, domestic specialists managed to cope with all the difficulties that confronted them. In the late 1930s a tracked medium tank was created, called the T-32. Later, on its basis, the main Soviet legend appeared. We are talking about the T-34.
On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, designers paid the most attention to two qualities of vehicles: mobility and firepower. However, already the civil war in Spain in 1936-1937 showed that other characteristics also needed to be modernized. First of all, this was required by armor protection and artillery weapons.
The results of the concept change were not long in coming. In 1937, the T-111 appeared. It became the first Soviet tank to be equipped with anti-cannon armor. It was a serious breakthrough not only for the domestic, but for the entireworld industry. The characteristics of the T-111 were such that it was intended to support infantry units. However, the model was never put into mass production for a number of design reasons. It proved impractical in terms of mounting and dismounting parts due to the locked suspension and other features of the machine.
Soviet light tanks
Interestingly, the history of Soviet tank building and tanks of the USSR differed from the foreign one, at least in relation to light tanks. Everywhere they were preferred due to economic reasons. In the USSR there was an additional motivation. Unlike other countries, in the Soviet Union light tanks were used not only for reconnaissance, but also for direct combat with the enemy. The key Soviet vehicles of this type were the BT and T-26. Before the German attack, they made up the majority of the Red Army park (about 20 thousand units were built in total).
The construction of new models continued during the Great Patriotic War. In 1941, the T-70 was developed. This tank became the most produced in the entire war. He made the greatest contribution to the victory during the Battle of Kursk.
After 1945
The first generation of post-war tanks include those whose development began back in 1941-1945 and which did not have time to start operating at the front. These are Soviet models IS-3, IS-4, as well as T-44 and T-54. The history of American tank building of this period left behind the M47, M26 Pershing and M46 Patton. To this rowalso includes the British Centurion.
Light models by 1945 finally became highly specialized machines. So, the Soviet model PT-76 was intended for water combat conditions, the American Walker Bulldog was created for reconnaissance, the Sheridan was designed for easy transportation by aircraft. In the 1950s medium and heavy tanks are being replaced by main battle tanks (MBTs). This is the name of multi-purpose models that combine good security and firepower. The first in this cohort were the Soviet T-62 and T-55 and the French AMX-30. The history of US tank building has developed in such a way that the class of main battle tanks in America began with the M60A1 and M48.
Second post-war generation
In the 1960s and 1970s, the era of the second generation of post-war tanks began. What made them different from their predecessors? New models were created by engineers, firstly, taking into account the existence of improved modernized anti-tank equipment, and secondly, in the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction.
These tanks have acquired combined armor, consisting of several layers and made from different materials. First of all, it protected against kinetic and cumulative ammunition. In addition, the crew received a set of protection against weapons of mass destruction. Tanks of the second generation began to be equipped with a mass of electronics: ballistic computers, laser rangefinders, a fire control system, etc.
T-72, M60A3, "Chieftain", "Leopard-1" belonged to this technique. Some models appeared as a result of a deep modification of the machines of the firstgenerations. Soviet tanks of that period were in no way inferior to their alleged opponents in terms of their characteristics, and in some ways even significantly surpassed them. However, since the 1970s, there has been a noticeable lag in equipping with electronics. As a result, Soviet technology began to become obsolete before our eyes. This process was especially noticeable against the backdrop of conflicts in the Middle East and other countries where outbreaks of the global Cold War took place.
Modernity
In the 1980s. the so-called third post-war generation appeared. The history of Russian tank building is connected with it. The key feature of such models was the high-tech protective equipment. The third generation includes French Lecrercs, German Leopards 2, British Challengers, and US Abrams.
The history of Russian tank building is symbolized by such vehicles as the T-90 and T-72B3. These models are rooted in the distant 1990s. The T-90 was also named "Vladimir" in honor of its chief designer, Vladimir Potkin. In the 2000s, this tank became the best-selling main battle tank worldwide. In the face of this model, the history of the development of tank building in Russia turned another glorious page of its own. However, domestic designers did not stop at their achievement and continued their unique technical research.
In 2015, the newest T-14 tank appeared. Its distinctive feature was such elements as an uninhabited tower and the Armata tracked platform. For the first time, the T-14 was demonstrated to a wideto the public at the Victory Parade dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War. The model is produced by Uralvagonzavod.
