Comparison of World War I tanks

Last updated

This is a comparison of the characteristics of tanks used in World War I.

Contents

Tanks used in World War I

TankCountryYear introducedProduction totalCrewArmament
number of rounds
Armour thickness
(front/side/top)
Weight
Enginepower/weight ratioSpeedRange
Mark I MaleUK19167582x QF 6-pdr (57mm) [324],
3×MG [6,272]
12/10/6 mm28.4 tPetrol
105 hp (78 kW)
3.7 hp/t4.5 km/h
(2.8 mph)
37 km
(23 mi)
Female75Vickers machine gun, 1x Hotchkiss [30,080]27.4 t
Mark IV MaleUK191742082x QF 6-pdr (57mm) 6 cwt [lower-alpha 1] [332],
3× .303 Lewis Gun [6,272]
14/12/8 mm28.5 t125 hp (93 kW)5.6 km/h
(3.5 mph)
56 km
(35 mi)
Female595 [lower-alpha 2] 5×Lewis guns [10,000]27 t
Mark V MaleUK19182008 QF 6-pdr (57mm) 6 cwt [207],
4×MG [5,800]
14/14/8 mm29.5 t150 hp (112 kW)5.1-5.4  hp/t7.5 km/h
(4.7 mph)
72 km
(45 mi)
Female2006×.303 MG [14,100]28.5 t
Mark V* MaleUK19182008

(+14infantry [lower-alpha 3] )

2× 6-pdr [221],
8×MG [8,400]
14/12/6 mm33 t4 km/h
(2.5 mph)
63 km
(39 mi)
Female43210×MG [16,800]32 t
Medium Mark A Whippet UK19182003-44×.303 Hotchkiss Mk I machine gun [5,400]14/14/5 mm14 tPetrol 2×45 hp (34 kW)6.4 hp/t13 km/h
(8.1 mph)
64 km/h
(40 mph)
Schneider CA1 France 1917 400 6 75 mm Blockhaus Schneider [94–96],
2× 8 mm Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine gun [3,840]
11.5/11.5/5.5 mm 13.5 t 60 hp (45 kW) 8 km/h
(5.0 mph)
48 km
(30 mi)
1917 24/17/5.5 mm 14.6 t 75 km
(47 mi)
Saint-Chamond France 1917 165 8 75mm Saint-Chamond-Mondragón [106–108],
4× 8 mm MG [7,488]
11.5/17/5.5 mm 22 t 90 hp (67 kW) petrol-electric transmission 4.1 hp/t 12 km/h
(7.5 mph)
60 km
(37 mi)
Saint-Chamond

"Modèle 18"

1917 235 Canon de 75 modèle 1897 [106–108],
4× 8 mm MG [7,488]
11.5+8/17/5.5 mm 24 t
Renault FT mitrailleuseFrance 1918 3,694 [lower-alpha 4] 2 8 mm Mle 1914 machine gun [4,800] 16/8/6 mm 6.5 t 35 hp (26 kW) 10.7 hp/t 20 km/h
(12 mph)
60 km
(37 mi)
Renault FT canon1918 37 mm Puteaux SA 18 [240] 6.7 t
A7V Germany 1918 20 18 5.7 cm Maxim-Nordenfelt [180],
MG 08 [lower-alpha 5] [10,000–15,000]
30/20/10 mm32 t 2×100 hp (75 kW) 6.25 hp/t 15 km/h
(9.3 mph)
80 km
(50 mi)

Immediate post-war tanks

Tanks planned for production and with completed prototypes during the war, but entered service after it ended.

Prototype-World War I Tanks that entered service after, but as designed in World War I
NameCountryYearPlanned prod./actual
total
CrewArmament
[ammo (rds.)]
Armour thickness
(front/side/top)
Weight
(tonnes)
EngineSpeedRange
FCM Char 2C France1918300+/1012 Canon de 75 modèle 1897, 4× 7.92 mm MG45/22/10  mm70 tPetrol 2×200/250 hp15 km/h160 km
Mark VIII US/UK19181500/125122× 6 pdr; 7 MGs16/16/6 mm33.6 tPetrol 300/340 hp8 km/h89 km (55 mi)
Medium Mark B UK1918
Medium Mark C UK19185 Machine guns
LK II (Germany) [1] 1918580/24337mm or 7,92mm MG14/8/?8,75 tPetrol 60 hp (45 kW)14 km/h65–70 km

See also

Notes

  1. a shortened version of the gun used in the Mark I. The reduction in muzzle velocity was not a problem as the guns fired HE shells over short ranges
  2. A further 250 unarmed tanks were built for carrying supplies
  3. The tank was lengthened to cross wider trenches and the increased internal space was a bonus
  4. The U.S. made 950 M1917 light tanks (a near copy of the FT design), but only 64 were finished before the end of the war, and none saw combat.
  5. There was, briefly, one A7V with two extra machine guns in place of the 57 mm cannon. It was later converted to use the 57mm cannon
  1. Postwar 10 Delivered to Sweden, 14 to Hungary.

Related Research Articles

Matilda II British Army tank of World War II

The Infantry Tank Mark II, best known as the Matilda, was a British infantry tank of the Second World War.

M3 Lee American medium tank of World War II


The M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3, was an American medium tank used during World War II. The turret was produced in two forms, one for US needs and one modified to British requirements to place the radio next to the commander. In British Commonwealth service, the tank was called by two names: tanks employing US pattern turrets were called "Lee", named after Confederate general Robert E. Lee, while those with British pattern turrets were known as "Grant", named after Union general Ulysses S. Grant.

Churchill tank British heavy infantry tank

The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles. It was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war.

Valentine tank Infantry tank

The Tank, Infantry, Mk III, Valentine was an infantry tank produced in the United Kingdom during World War II. More than 8,000 of the type were produced in eleven marks, plus various specialised variants, accounting for approximately a quarter of wartime British tank production. The many variants included riveted and welded construction, petrol and diesel engines and a progressive increase in armament. It was supplied in large numbers to the USSR and built under licence in Canada. It was used extensively by the British in the North African campaign. Developed by Vickers, it proved to be both strong and reliable.

Cromwell tank Cruiser tank

The Cromwell tank, officially Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M), was one of the series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second World War. Named after the English Civil War-era military leader Oliver Cromwell, the Cromwell was the first tank put into service by the British to combine high speed from a powerful, reliable engine and reasonable armour. The intended dual-purpose high velocity gun could not be fitted in the turret, so a medium velocity dual purpose gun was fitted instead. Further development of the Cromwell combined with a high velocity gun led to the Comet tank.

A7V Tank used by Germany in WW I

The A7V was a heavy tank introduced by Germany in 1918 during World War I. One hundred chassis were ordered in early 1917, ten to be finished as fighting vehicles with armoured bodies, and the remainder as Überlandwagen cargo carriers. The number to be armoured was later increased to 20. They were used in action from March to October 1918, and were the only tanks produced by Germany in World War I to be used in combat.

Archer (tank destroyer) Self-propelled artillery anti-tank gun

The Self Propelled 17pdr, Valentine, Mk I, Archer was a British self propelled anti-tank gun of the Second World War based on the Valentine infantry tank chassis fitted with an Ordnance QF 17 pounder gun. Designed and manufactured by Vickers-Armstrongs, 655 were produced between March 1943 and May 1945. It was used in North-West Europe and Italy during the war; post-war, it served with the Egyptian Army. This vehicle was unusual in that its gun faced the rear of the chassis instead of the front.

Ordnance QF 17-pounder Anti-tank gun and tank gun

The Ordnance Quick-Firing 17-pounder was a 76.2 mm (3 inch) gun developed by the United Kingdom during World War II. It was used as an anti-tank gun on its own carriage, as well as equipping a number of British tanks. Used with the APDS shot, it was capable of defeating all but the thickest armour on German tanks. It was used to 'up-gun' some foreign-built vehicles in British service, notably to produce the Sherman Firefly variant of the US M4 Sherman tank, giving British tank units the ability to hold their own against their German counterparts. In the anti-tank role, it was replaced after the war by the 120 mm BAT recoilless rifle. As a tank gun, it was succeeded by the 84 mm 20 pounder.

Infantry tank Armoured fighting vehicle

The infantry tank was a concept developed by the United Kingdom and France in the years leading up to World War II. Infantry tanks were designed to support infantrymen in an attack. To achieve this, the vehicles were generally heavily armoured to allow them to operate in close concert with infantry even under heavy fire. The extra armour came at the expense of speed, which was not an issue when supporting relatively slow-moving foot soldiers.

Covenanter tank British WWII tank

The Cruiser tank Mk V or A13 Mk III Covenanter was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. The Covenanter was the first cruiser tank design to be given a name. Designed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway as a better-armoured replacement for the Cruiser Mark IV, it was ordered into production in 1939 before pilot models were built. Problems with the design became apparent only after production was under way.

Universal Carrier Armoured personnel carrier/weapon carrier

The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier and sometimes simply the Bren Carrier from the light machine gun armament, is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies.

British heavy tanks of World War I Type of combat tank

British heavy tanks were a series of related armoured fighting vehicles developed by the UK during the First World War. The Mark I was the world's first tank, a tracked, armed, and armoured vehicle, to enter combat. The name "tank" was initially a code name to maintain secrecy and disguise its true purpose by making it appear to be a water transport vehicle for bringing water to the troops at the front line. The tank was developed in 1915 to break the stalemate of trench warfare. It could survive the machine gun and small-arms fire in "No Man's Land", travel over difficult terrain, crush barbed wire, and cross trenches to assault fortified enemy positions with powerful armament. Tanks also carried supplies and troops.

Ordnance QF 6-pounder Anti-tank gun

The Ordnance Quick-Firing 6-pounder 7 cwt, or just 6-pounder, was a British 57 mm gun, serving during the Second World War as a primary anti-tank gun of both the British and United States Army. It was also used as the main armament for a number of armoured fighting vehicles.

The Tank, Cruiser, Mk VII Cavalier (A24) was an interim design of British cruiser tank during the Second World War. It was derived from the A15 Crusader tank and was superseded by the A27 Cromwell tank.

Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car Reconnaissance car

The Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car was a series of armoured vehicles that were produced in South Africa and adopted by the British Army during the Second World War. RAF Armoured Car companies possessed them, but seem never to have used them in action, making greater use of Rolls Royce Armoured Cars and other types.

Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Weapon

The Humber Light Reconnaissance Car, also known as Humberette or Ironside, was a British armoured car produced during the Second World War.

Mark V tank Tank

The British Mark V tank was an upgraded version of the Mark IV tank.

Mark IV tank British WWI Tank

The Mark IV was a British tank of the First World War. Introduced in 1917, it benefited from significant developments of the Mark I tank. The main improvements were in armour, the re-siting of the fuel tank and ease of transport. A total of 1,220 Mk IV were built: 420 "Males", 595 "Females" and 205 Tank Tenders, which made it the most numerous British tank of the war. The Mark IV was first used in mid 1917 at the Battle of Messines Ridge. It remained in British service until the end of the war, and a small number served briefly with other combatants afterwards.

David Fletcher (military historian) British military historian

David John Fletcher is a British military historian specialising in the history of armoured warfare, particularly that of the United Kingdom.

References