T2 tank

Last updated
T2 Medium Tank
T2-tank.jpg
Type Medium tank
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In serviceprototype only
Used by United States Army
Production history
DesignerRock Island Arsenal
Produced1930
No. built1
Specifications
Mass13.6 tons
Length16 ft (4.9 m)
Width8 ft 0 in (2.44 m)
Height9 ft 1 in (2.77 m)
Crew4 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Armor 0.25 to 1 in (6.4 to 25.4 mm)
Main
armament
47 mm (75 rounds) turret
37 mm M5, L/50 gun, hull
Secondary
armament
12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun (2000 rounds)
7.62 mm M1919 Browning machine gun (4500 rounds)
Engine Liberty L-12 V12 gasoline engine water-cooled
338 hp (252 kW)
SuspensionVickers type leaf springs with roller pairs
Operational
range
121 miles
Maximum speed paved 25 mph (40 km/h)
terrain 15 mph (24 km/h)

The T2 Medium Tank was an American design that replaced three prototype medium tank designs started in the 1920s for conducted by the United States Army. The T2 tank built in 1930 by Rock Island Arsenal. Its legacy, however, was the M2 light tank, developed into the M2 medium tank, and onto the M3 Lee and M4 Sherman medium tanks.

Design

Following the testing of the Medium Tank M1921 two new medium tank projects were approved in 1926, one of which was for a lighter 15 ton tank design. The first design, armed with a gun in the hull front and a smaller gun in the turret, did not progress due to lack of funding and instead the Light Tank T1E1 was used as a basis. [1]

The design of the T2 was largely inspired by the British Vickers Medium Mark II and was later developed into the M2 light tank. When the T2 Medium Tank was built, its weight had to be reduced drastically because the US War Department had set a maximum weight of 15 tons. The T2 weighed only 14 tons when it was combat-loaded. The secondary armament was a 0.5 inch (12.7mm) machine gun and a 0.3 inch (7.62mm) machine gun at the front of the hull on the right; these were later replaced with a single .30 cal machine gun. The primary armament was a 47mm semi-automatic gun mounted on the turret and it initially had an additional 37mm cannon placed on the hull but that was abandoned in 1931. Only one T2 was produced; it is currently on display at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M3 Stuart</span> WW2 American light tank

The M3 Stuart/light tank M3, was an American light tank of World War II. An improved version of the tank entered service as the M5 in 1942 to be supplied to British and other Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. into the war. Afterwards, it was used by U.S. and Allied forces until the end of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M3 Lee</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vickers 6-ton</span> British light tank of the 1930s and WW2.

The Vickers 6-ton tank or Vickers Mark E, also known as the "Six-tonner", was a British light tank designed in 1928 in a private project at Vickers. Though not adopted by the British Army, it was picked up by several other armed forces, and licensed by the Soviet Union as the T-26. It was also the direct predecessor of the Polish 7TP tank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L6/40 tank</span> Light tank

The L6/40 was a light tank used by the Italian army from 1940 through World War II. It was designed by Ansaldo as an export product, and was adopted by the Italian Army when officials learned of the design and expressed interest. It was the main tank employed by the Italian forces fighting on the Eastern Front alongside the L6/40-based Semovente 47/32 self-propelled gun. L6/40s were also used in the North African campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T28 super-heavy tank</span> Super-heavy tank, Assault gun

The T28 Super Heavy Tank was an American super-heavy tank/assault gun designed for the United States Army during World War II. It was originally designed to break through German defenses of the Siegfried Line and was later considered as a possible participant in the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun turret</span> Protected platform which can train and elevate projectile weapons

A gun turret is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in some degree of azimuth and elevation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M2 light tank</span> 1930s United States light tank

The M2 light tank, officially Light Tank, M2, was an American light tank of the interwar period which saw limited service during World War II. The most common model, the M2A4, was equipped with one 37 mm (1.5 in) M5 gun and five .30 cal M1919 Browning machine guns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanks of the interwar period</span>

Tanks were initially deployed in World War I, engineered to overcome the deadlock of trench warfare. Between the two world wars, tanks were further developed. Although they had demonstrated their battlefield effectiveness, only a few nations had the industrial resources to design and build them. During and after World War I, Britain and France pioneered tank technology, with their models generally serving as a blueprint for other countries. However, this initial advantage would slowly diminish during the 1930s, shifting in favor of the Soviet Union and, to a lesser degree, Nazi Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vickers Medium Mark II</span> British medium tank

The Vickers Medium Mark II was a British tank built by Vickers in the Inter-war period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanks in World War II</span> Overview of tanks in World War II

Tanks were an important weapons system in World War II. Although tanks in the inter-war years were the subject of widespread research, few were made, in just a few countries. However, during World War II, most armies employed tanks, and thousands were built every month. Tank usage, doctrine, and production varied widely among the combatant nations. By war's end, a consensus was forming on tank doctrine and design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M6 heavy tank</span> American heavy tank

The Heavy Tank M6 was an American heavy tank designed during World War II. The tank was produced in small numbers and never saw combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M2 medium tank</span> Medium tank

The M2 medium tank, officially Medium Tank, M2, was a United States Army medium tank that was first produced in 1939 by the Rock Island Arsenal, just prior to the commencement of the Second World War in Europe. Production was 18 M2 tanks, and 94 slightly improved M2A1 tanks, for a total of 112. Events in Western Europe rapidly demonstrated that the M2 was obsolete, and it was never used overseas in combat; it was, however, used for training purposes throughout the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T20 medium tank</span> Series of armored fighting vehicles designed by the United States

The Medium Tank T20, Medium Tank T22 and Medium Tank T23 were prototype medium tanks, developed by the United States Army during World War II. They were designed as successors to the M4 Sherman. The standard main weapon for production versions of these designs was to be the 76 mm M1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMX-40</span> Main battle tank

The AMX-40 was a French main battle tank developed by GIAT during the latter stages of the Cold War as an export tank to replace the earlier AMX-32. Designed to be an inexpensive tank orientated towards militaries with smaller defence budgets, the AMX-40 featured a lightly armoured hull and good mobility reminiscent of previous French MBTs with a powerful 120 mm cannon. It however failed to attract interest and sales, rendering the project a failure, being discontinued in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1 combat car</span> Light tank

The M1 combat car, officially Light Tank, M1, was a light tank used by the U.S. Cavalry in the late 1930s and developed at the same time as the US Army infantry branch's very similar Light Tank M2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanks of the United States</span> Tanks used or produced by the United States

The United States has produced tanks since their inception in World War I, up until the present day. While there were several American experiments in tank design, the first American tanks to see service were copies of French light tanks and a joint heavy tank design with the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanks in the Japanese Army</span>

This article deals with the history and development of tanks of the Japanese Army from their first use after World War I, into the interwar period, during World War II, the Cold War and modern era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T1 light tank</span> Light tank

The T1 light tank was a United States Army light tank of the late 1920s and early 1930s that was only built in prototype form. The tank was an Army design built by James Cunningham, Son and Company. Introduced in 1927, it was developed up through 1932 as a series of modified versions. The tank was never mass-produced, nor was it ever used in combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanks in the Italian Army</span> History of tanks used or produced by Italy

Tanks have been employed by the military forces in Italy since their first use in World War I. They have had continued use in wars after and are still used through the modern day. The C1 Ariete is the current main battle tank of the Italian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M7 medium tank</span> WW2 American tank

The Medium Tank M7, initially Light Tank T7, was an American tank, originally conceived as an up-gunned replacement for the Light Tank M3/M5 ("Stuart"). The project developed to mount the same 75mm armament as the M4 Sherman while retaining the light weight and maneuverability of the M3 Stuart; however, during development the weight of the prototype surpassed the US Army's standard for light tanks and crossed into the medium tank category and was renamed. The M7 had significantly less armor than the M4 Sherman, no greater firepower, and held only a slight advantage in top speed. For these reasons, and because the M4 was already battle-tested and in full production, the M7 was cancelled in 1943.

References

  1. A-N
  2. "Preserved Tanks .Com | Tank Types". preservedtanks.com.