A tank phone (also called a tank telephone, grunt phone, tank-infantry phone, TIP, infantry tank telephone, ITT, or infantry phone) is a telephone mounted on the exterior of armoured vehicles to facilitate communication between people outside of the vehicle and those inside, whilst avoiding the tank crew becoming exposed to enemy fire.
Communication between infantry and tanks may be possible via radio and other means. However, it is more efficient and reliable to provide a tank phone mounted typically on the rear of the tank in a small box that contains a standard telephone handset which infantrymen may use to speak directly to the tank commander. Infantrymen may thus direct the tank's fire, which they are better placed to do as the tank crew will typically have their vision impeded by being buttoned up within the tank. The typical method of doing this is using the present direction of the tank gun as a reference point and moving it onto the target from there using up/down left/right commands, though clock-references may also be used. [1] [2]
During the first world war British Mk. I Tanks were fitted with telephone equipment whereby the tank would lay a telephone wire behind it so that the tank-crew could communicate with friendly forces behind it. A crude field telephone was carried by the Mk. I tank for use with this, and the wire was hundreds of metres in length. However, this did not work very well and whilst the tanks were initially fitted with this equipment, it was rarely used. [3] [4]
British commonwealth forces used tank phones during the second world war. For example Australian Matilda II close-support tanks deployed on the Tarakan island were equipped with them. [5] British tanks deployed in the Normandy campaign in 1944 were also equipped with them, though they were often knocked out of action as they were exposed to artillery and mortar fire. [6] The Churchill IV tank first fielded in 1943 [7] and VII tanks also came with infantry telephones mounted as standard. [8] The Comet also came equipped with a telephone box mounted on the rear hull of the tank (in later Finnish service this was replaced with a Finnish army model). [9]
The Chieftain tank included a rear-mounted telephone box. [10] All British main battle tanks deployed as of 2002 included tank phones mounted so as to avoid the need for infantrymen to climb on the tank hull to speak with the crew. [11]
Most tanks fielded by the US Army and US Marines between the M4 Sherman and the M1 Abrams included an infantry phone. [12]
The first US armoured vehicles to have tank phones attached to them were M4 Shermans deployed during the 1943 Bougainville islands campaign, where tank-crews mounted field telephones to the rear of their tanks housed typically in ammunition cans that were linked to the tank's internal intercom system. A variation on this had the phone connected to the tank by a long wire trailing to a distant phone where infantrymen could use it without exposing themselves to enemy fire. Americans deployed to Europe also made similar modifications to their tanks. [13] During the battle of Tarawa, deployed Sherman M4 tanks carried infantry phones housed in rear-mounted bags. [1] Tanks deployed to Iwo Jima also included infantry phones. [14]
M4A3 Shermans deployed during the Korean war included tanks with phones housed in rear-mounted boxes. [15] M26 tanks in Korea included tank phones, however these were criticised for being mounted too high up on the rear deck such that infantrymen had to stand up to use it, thus exposing themselves to fire, and easily became damaged. [16] M26 tank phones also proved less effective due to a lack of familiarity with their use amongst US personnel. [17]
US Marine Corps M48A3 tanks deployed during the Vietnam war included infantry phones, including those with a 35-foot extension cord to allow the infantryman to stand away from the tank whilst directing fire. [18] In the "Mod B" program these were raised and moved away from the rear mud-guard as to avoid it becoming tangled with undergrowth whilst the tank was driving through thick jungle. [19]
Unlike previous US tanks, including the M60, the M1 Abrams tanks originally lacked a tank-phone. This meant that communication with local infantry necessitated allocation a radio frequency for communication with them. [20] The infantry phone was thought to lead to infantrymen speaking on it becoming exposed and a target for enemy forces. [21] This caused problems due to the loud noise of the AGT1500 gas turbine engine of the Abrams making it hard for infantry to make themselves heard whilst talking to tank crews, and exposing the tank crew to enemy fire. [22] This deficiency was fixed in 2006 with the TUSK (Tank Urban Survivability Kit) upgrade to the M1 Abrams that was implemented during the Iraq war, which included a tank phone mounted on the rear of the tank above the right track. [23]
An assault gun is a type of self-propelled artillery which uses an infantry support gun mounted on a motorized chassis, normally an armored fighting vehicle, which are designed to provide direct fire support for infantry attacks, especially against other infantry or fortified positions. Assault guns were pioneered by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany during the 1930s, initially being self-propelled guns with direct fire in mind, with Germany introducing the first purpose-built assault gun, the Sturmgeschütz III, in 1940.
A tank destroyer, tank hunter or tank killer is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, predominantly intended for anti-tank duties. They are typically armed with a direct fire artillery gun, also known as a self-propelled anti-tank gun, or missile launcher, also called an anti-tank missile carrier. The vehicles are designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often with limited operational capacities.
An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe defines an infantry fighting vehicle as "an armoured combat vehicle which is designed and equipped primarily to transport a combat infantry squad, and which is armed with an integral or organic cannon of at least 20 millimeters calibre and sometimes an antitank missile launcher". IFVs often serve both as the principal weapons system and as the mode of transport for a mechanized infantry unit.
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation American main battle tank designed by Chrysler Defense and named for General Creighton Abrams. Conceived for modern armored ground warfare and now one of the heaviest tanks in service at nearly 68 short tons, it introduced several modern technologies to US armored forces, including a multifuel turbine engine, sophisticated Chobham composite armor, a computer fire control system, separate ammunition storage in a blowout compartment, and NBC protection for crew safety. Initial models of the M1 were armed with a 105 mm M68 gun, while later variants feature a license-produced Rheinmetall 120 mm L/44 designated M256.
The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It was also the basis of several other armored fighting vehicles including self-propelled artillery, tank destroyers, and armored recovery vehicles. Tens of thousands were distributed through the Lend-Lease program to the British Commonwealth and Soviet Union. The tank was named by the British after the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman.
The M26 Pershing is a heavy tank/medium tank formerly used by the United States Army. It was used in the last months of World War II during the Invasion of Germany and extensively during the Korean War. The tank was named after General of the Armies John J. Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War I.
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.
The M36 tank destroyer, formally 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage, M36, was an American tank destroyer used during World War II. The M36 combined the hull of the M10 tank destroyer, which used the M4 Sherman's reliable chassis and drivetrain combined with sloped armor, and a new turret mounting the 90 mm gun M3. Conceived in 1943, the M36 first served in combat in Europe in October 1944, where it partially replaced the M10 tank destroyer. It also saw use in the Korean War, where it was able to defeat any of the Soviet tanks used in that conflict. Some were supplied to South Korea as part of the Military Assistance Program and served for years, as did re-engined examples found in Yugoslavia, which operated into the 1990s. Two remained in service with the Republic of China Army at least until 2001.
The M18 Hellcat is a tank destroyer that was used by the United States Army in World War II and the Korean War. Despite being equipped with the same main gun as some variants of the much larger Sherman tank, the M18 attained a much higher top speed of up to 55 mph (89 km/h) by keeping armor to a minimum, and using the innovative Torqmatic automatic transmission.
A flame tank is a type of tank equipped with a flamethrower, most commonly used to supplement combined arms attacks against fortifications, confined spaces, or other obstacles. The type only reached significant use in the Second World War, during which the United States, Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom all produced flamethrower-equipped tanks.
The M10 tank destroyer was an American tank destroyer of World War II. After US entry into World War II and the formation of the Tank Destroyer Force, a suitable vehicle was needed to equip the new battalions. By November 1941, the Army requested a vehicle with a gun in a fully rotating turret after other interim models were criticized for being too poorly designed. The prototype of the M10 was conceived in early 1942 and delivered in April that year. After appropriate changes to the hull and turret were made, the modified version was selected for production in June 1942 as the 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10. It mounted a 3-inch gun M7 in a rotating turret on a modified M4 Sherman tank chassis. An alternate model, the M10A1, which used the M4A3 variant chassis, was also produced. Production of the two models ran from September 1942 to December 1943 and October 1942 to November 1943, respectively.
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.
Tank desant is a military combined arms tactic, where infantry soldiers ride into an attack on tanks, then dismount to fight on foot in the final phase of the assault. Note that this differs from infantry troops merely riding on tanks as a form of ad-hoc transportation. Desant is a pan-Slavic general term for airborne or parachute drops and naval infantry amphibious landing operations.
The 37 mm gun M3 is the first dedicated anti-tank gun fielded by United States forces in numbers. Introduced in 1940, it became the standard anti-tank gun of the U.S. infantry with its size enabling it to be pulled by a jeep. However, the continuing improvement of German tanks quickly rendered the 37 mm ineffective and, by 1943, it was being gradually replaced in the European and Mediterranean theaters by the more powerful British-developed 57 mm gun M1. In the Pacific, where the Japanese tank threat was less significant, the M3 remained in service until the end of the war, but some 57mm guns were issued.
The M46 Patton is an American medium tank designed to replace the M26 Pershing and M4 Sherman. It was one of the U.S Army's principal medium tanks of the early Cold War, with models in service from 1949 until the mid-1950s. It was not widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, being exported only to Belgium, and only in small numbers to train crews on the upcoming M47 Patton.
Tank development both evolved considerably from World War II and played a key role during the Cold War (1945–1990). The period pitted the nations of the Eastern Bloc and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO against each other.
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.
This article deals with the history and development of American tanks from the end of World War II and during the Cold War.
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