The beginning of tank building was laid during the First World War. Amazing contemporaries machines appeared on the Western Front. The fighting between Germany, France and the UK for several years remained positional. The soldiers settled in the trenches, and the front line hardly moved. It was almost impossible to break through the enemy’s positions with existing means. Artillery preparation and infantry march-throws did not give the desired result. The history of tank building began thanks to the British. They were the first to use self-propelled machines that had no analogues.
Great Britain
The first English tank Mark I appeared in 1916, when the experimental model was released in the amount of 100 combat units. This model had two modifications: with machine guns and guns. The history of tank building began with a “damn lump”. Mark I was ineffective. In the battle of the Somme, his machine guns could not fight with German firing points.
Despite the fact that those tanks were imperfect, they demonstrated that the new type of weaponry has serious prospects. Moreover, the first models terrified German soldiers who had never seen anything like it. Therefore, Mark I was used more as a psychological weapon than a military one.
In total, nine models appeared in this British "family." Mark V marked significant progress. He acquired a four-speed gearbox and a special tank engine called the Ricardo. This was the first model that was driven by only one person. Other changes have occurred. An additional machine gun appeared in the stern, and the commander's cabin increased.
France
The successes 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. The French released it in 1917-1918. (almost 4 thousand units were released). At least the fact that they continued to operate even at the beginning of the Second World War (twenty years for tank building is a colossal period) indicates the effectiveness of the FT-17.
What explained such a success, “Renault"? The fact is that this was the first tank that received the classic layout. The machine was controlled from its front. In the center was a combat compartment. The engine compartment was located behind. Such a technical and ergonomic solution perfectly revealed the combat potential of the FT-17. 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
The American history of tank building began thanks to the efforts of General John Pershing. He arrived in Europe in 1917 with the expeditionary forces of the United States, after they declared war on Germany. Acquainted with the experience of the Allies, their technology and positional war, which was not suspected of in America, the general began to seek attention from his leadership on the topic of tanks.
The US Army bought the French Renault and used them in battles near Verdun. American designers, having received foreign cars, carried out a small modification. After World War I, US tank forces were disbanded due to high cost. Then, for several years, the American army did not allocate funds to create new cars. And only in the 1930s. the first experimental models of own production appeared. It was an M1931 (T11 combat vehicle). It was never taken into service, but the experimental work gave the American designers the necessary food for thought before further research.
The evolution of American technology was also hindered by 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 released in the amount of 23 thousand units. This record in its class is still not broken. The history of world tank building no longer knows the model released in such numbers. “Stuarts” were not only used by the American army, but also supplied to the allies: to the UK, France, China and the USSR under Lend-Lease.
Germany
Armored forces in Germany appeared only in the era of the Third Reich. The Treaty of Versailles, concluded on the basis of the First World War, banned the Germans from starting their own combat park. Therefore, during the Weimar Republic, Germany did not have its cars. And only the Nazis who came to power in 1933 spun the military flywheel. At first, light tanks were disguised as tractors. However, the German authorities that came to taste 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 to tank ones.
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 skeleton began to create technology in their homeland. The first German tank was the Panzer I. This model was the basis of the German park.
By the start of World War II, 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 registered names ("Das Reich", "Totenkopf", etc.). Most of them were destroyed. In total, the Third Reich lost about 35 thousand cars during the war. The key German medium tank was the Panther, and the heavy Tiger.
USSR
In the mid-1920s The history of Soviet tank building began. The first production model in the USSR was the MS-1 (another name - T-18). Prior to this, the Red Army had only captured vehicles captured during the Civil War. With the advent of peace, work was organized on the design of a heavy positional tank. They were turned back in 1925 when, after the next meeting in the Red Army, the military decided to devote all resources to creating a small maneuverable model. It became the MS-1, created in 1927.
Soon, other Soviet tanks appeared. By 1933, the production of light T-26s and BTs, T-27 wedges, medium T-28s and heavy T-35s was launched. Bold experiments were conducted. The history of tank construction of the USSR in the early 1930s. passed under the sign of the design of amphibious tanks. They were presented by T-37 models. These machines received a fundamentally new screw. Its feature was rotating blades. When moving afloat, they provided reverse gear.
The history of the USSR tank building would not be complete without the T-28 medium tanks. Thanks to them, a qualitative strengthening of combined arms has become possible. T-28s were intended to break through the enemy's defensive positions. The tank weighed 28 tons and externally stood out with a three-turret installation of weapons (it included three machine guns and a cannon).
In 1933-1939 50-ton T-35 was produced. It was created as a fighting vehicle for high-quality attack enhancement when breaking through fortification strips. At that moment, the history of Soviet tank building moved to a new stage, since the T-35 was the first to receive such numerous weapons. It was installed in five towers (a total of five machine guns and three guns). However, this model also had drawbacks - primarily slowness and poor booking with large sizes. In total, several dozens of T-35s were produced. Some of them were used at the front at the initial stage of World War II.
1930s
In the 30s of the last century, Soviet engineers and designers actively conducted experiments related to the creation of wheeled-tracked tanks. A similar arrangement 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 caterpillar medium tank was created, called the T-32. Subsequently, the main Soviet legend appeared on its basis. It's about the T-34.
On the eve of World War II, designers paid most attention to two qualities of machines: mobility and firepower. However, already the Spanish Civil War in 1936-1937 showed that other characteristics needed to be modernized. This was primarily demanded by armor protection and artillery weapons.
The results of the concept change were not long in coming. In 1937, the T-111 appeared. He became the first Soviet tank equipped with ballistic armor. This was a major breakthrough not only for the domestic, but also for the entire world industry. The characteristics of the T-111 were such that it was intended to support infantry units. However, the model was never launched into mass production for a number of design reasons. It turned out to be impractical from the point of view of mounting and dismounting parts due to the blocked suspension and other features of the machine.
Light Soviet tanks
Interestingly, the history of Soviet tank building and Soviet tanks differed from a foreign one, at least in relation to light tanks. Everywhere they were preferred because of 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 cars of this type were BT and T-26. Before the German attack, they made up most of the Red Army park (in total, they built about 20 thousand units).
The design 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 manage to begin to operate at the front. These are the Soviet models IS-3, IS-4, as well as the T-44 and T-54. The history of American tank building of this period left behind the M47, M26 Pershing and M46 Patton. The British Centurion also belongs to this series.
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 replaced by main battle tanks (MBT). 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 so that the class of main battle tanks in America began with the M60A1 and M48.
The second post-war generation
In the 1960-1970s, the era of the second generation of post-war tanks. What distinguished them from their predecessors? New models were created by engineers, firstly, taking into account the existence of an improved modernized anti-tank technology, and secondly, in the context of the use of weapons of mass destruction.
These tanks acquired combined armor, consisting of several layers and made from different materials. First of all, she defended 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 host of electronics: ballistic computers, laser rangefinders, fire control system, etc.
T-72, M60A3, Chieftain, and Leopard-1 belonged to a similar technique. Some models appeared as a result of a deep modification of the first generation machines. The Soviet tanks of that period in their characteristics were not inferior to the alleged opponents, but in some ways even significantly superior to them. However, since the 1970s, the lag in electronics equipment has become noticeable. 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 associated with it. The key feature of such models is the high-tech protective equipment. The third generation includes the LeCrers of France, the Leopards-2 of Germany, the Challengers of Great Britain, and the Abrams of the USA.
The history of tank construction in Russia is symbolized by such machines as the T-90 and T-72B3. These models are rooted in the distant 1990s. The T-90 also received the name "Vladimir" in honor of its chief designer Vladimir Potkin. In the 2000s, this tank became the best-selling main battle tank in the world. In the face of this model, the history of the development of tank construction in Russia turned over another glorious page. However, domestic designers did not stop at their achievement and continued unique technical research.
In 2015, the newest T-14 tank appeared. Its distinctive feature was elements such as an uninhabited tower and tracked platform "Armata". For the first time, the T-14 was demonstrated to the general public at the Victory Parade, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The model is produced by Uralvagonzavod.