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The most common division in role has been between tanks intended to focus on fighting against infantry, and tanks intended for fighting against other AFVs , especially other Tank s. Weight-based classifications are useful, but only in reference to a period's other tanks (for example, a light tank at the end of World War II would have been considered a heavy tank at the beginning). Light, medium, and heavy have other meanings than just weight, e.g., relating to Gun size, the amount of Armour , or speed. As an example, in the mid 1930s to early '40s, Germany developed a new generation of combat tanks after the shells and the III could fire High-explosive shells to attack infantry, but neither was as effective in the roles of the other. By the start of World War II, the Pz IV would be a medium and the III light medium, when compared to French tanks of the time. Note that the meaning of general type name like 'light tank' can describe different types of vehicles in different periods or among different countries. CLASSIFYING TANKS Many classification systems have been used for tanks over the nearly one hundred years of their history. Classification has always been determined by the prevailing theories of armoured warfare, which have been altered in turn by to rapid advances in technology. No one classification system works across all periods or all countries. Tanks are often referred to by weight-based classification, such as 'light', 'medium' or heavy', which may also imply tactical roles. Many types are also described by their tactical role, which depends on contemporary military doctrine. For instance 'infantry' and 'cruiser' tanks are British classifications of the 1930s and '40s; 'infantry', 'fast', and 'breakthrough' are contemporaneous Soviet types. Furthermore, expected weights for a given tank type vary over time; a medium tank of 1939 could weigh less than a light tank of 1945. Some examples:
Overview British and Soviet tacticians up to the time of the Second World War classified tanks into three major roles: Infantry , light, and Cavalry . ''Infantry tanks'' were to be distributed to infantry units to integrally support dismounted infantry actions. Light tanks performed the traditional cavalry role of scouting and screening. ''Cavalry'' or ''"cruiser" tank'' units were meant to exploit breakthroughs and fight other armoured formations. Even into the 1930s, some soldiers saw tanks as merely serving in support roles for large conscript armies of foot soldiers and horse cavalry. But even before the end of the First World War, some military theorists such as J.F.C. Fuller , and later Basil Liddell Hart , formulated a different image of combined-arms armoured warfare, featuring independent professionally-manned tank units. The conditions of the Treaty Of Versailles forced Germany to build an armed forces essentially from scratch, allowing them to more easily abandon conservative theories and develop Blitzkrieg tactics. The infantry and cavalry tank roles were abandoned by the end of the Second World War. WWII tanks were generally classified by weight and role: fast, relatively inexpensive ''light tanks'' for reconnaissance, general-purpose ''medium tanks'', and slow ''heavy tanks'' for breakthroughs and long-range fire. Combat experience helped weed out the unsuccessful designs. After WWII, less expensive Armoured Car s and more specialized tracked vehicles gradually took over the reconnaissance role. Heavy tanks were shown to be incapable of keeping up with mobile warfare, but advances in engine, gun, and armour technology allowed medium tanks to acquire the best characteristics of heavy tanks—the ultimate in mobility, firepower, and protection were rolled into the extremely optimized main battle tank (MBT). Some of the names developed for tracked AFV and tank types over history
See also History Of The Tank . TANK TYPES There were many names given to different tank types, and similar names do not assure the same design goals. Some light tanks were relatively slow, and some were fast. Some heavy tanks had large-calibre low-velocity guns for engaging infantry and bunkers, and some had high-velocity antitank guns. WWI tank types , a late-1918 British tank.]] In WWI the first tank, the Mark I , was designed for supporting infantry by crossing trenches and attacking machine gun posts. Initially, there were two types with two roles. The 'males' armed with artillery guns, and 'females' armed solely with machine guns to protect the 'males' from infantry. The tanks that followed were described relative to it, including light, medium, and super-heavy tanks. For example, the light tank FT-17 (weight approximately 7 t / 15,000 lb.) and the medium Medium Mark A 'Whippet' (14 t/ 31,360 lb.). By the end of the war, the Mark I (~30 t/ 56-60,000 lb.) could be classified as a medium tank, and the Whippet as a light tank. Super-heavy breakthrough tanks such as the Char 2C (69 t/ 158,000 lb.) or the K-Wagen (120 t) were nearly completed before the war ended. In comparison, the current British MBT, the Challenger 2 , weighs some 60 t (137,500 lb). Tank development from 1930-1945 tank of 1932 was the first Soviet copy of Walter Christie's design.]] Tank models were developed before and during WWII according to different philosophies, with different combinations of armour, mobility and armament. Each major nation developed its own doctrine of tank use, and tank models to suit. News doctrines explored the role of the tank as a fast striking unit while technological improvements led to the invention of engines, tracks, transmission and suspension that made tanks more reliable over a long distance. The ideas of the American inventor Walter Christie were important in establishing the fast tank concept. In the UK, tank doctrine was that one group of tanks would accompany the infantry in a similar role to WWI, while another group of 'Cruiser' tanks would then exploit a breakthrough, in a role similar to cavalry. In the USSR, 1930s tank doctrine specified three groups of tanks: one 'breakthrough' tank in the infantry support role, one tactical breakthrough tank to clear the combat area, and then a 'fast tank' for operational maneuver. In Germany, the ideas of Guderian established the need for unified tank formations, but with a mixture of armaments for differing roles. In the USA, doctrine evolved that the main purpose of the tank was to provide support to mobile infantry, while divisions would be provided with battalions of Tank Destroyers to combat enemy tanks themselves. These doctrinal differences are important when considering WWII tank classifications. Infantry tank See Also: infantry tank displaying a captured Italian flag. (British Crown Copyright ).]] The idea for this tank was developed during World War I by the British and French. The Infantry tank was designed to work in concert with infantry, moving at most at a running pace, which let it carry much heavier armour than the average tank. Its main purpose would have been to clear the battlefield of obstacles, kill enemy soldiers, and protect the infantry on their advance into and through enemy lines. One of the best-known infantry tanks was the Matilda II of World War II. Its armour was thick enough to stop all but the most powerful anti-tank rounds of the period. Its 2 Pounder gun was sufficient to take on most light and medium tanks of the early war. It should not be confused with the Matilda Mk I , also an infantry tank, which was armed with only a machine gun. The Churchill and Valentine Infantry tanks were also successful models, each with a number of variants, such as ones mounting heavier guns like the 6-pounder . Cruiser tank .]] A cruiser tank, or cavalry tank, is designed to move fast and exploit penetrations of the enemy front. The idea originated in "Plan 1919", a British plan to break the trench deadlock of World War I in part via the usage of very high-speed tanks. This concept was later implemented in the "Fast Tanks" pioneered by Walter Christie . They were used by the United Kingdom during World War II , and the early models were thinly armoured and armed with Anti-tank Gun s that could not effectively combat infantry or towed anti-tank weaponry. Cruiser tanks were designed to complement Infantry Tank s, exploiting gains made by the latter to break through enemy lines and assault from the rear. In practice they largely proved to be less effective than the German tanks they opposed. The early Cruiser tanks (designs A9 and A10 ) were comparatively lightly armoured, but mobile and reasonably well-armed for the early campaigns of WWII. Earlier cruiser tanks were largely replaced by larger cruisers such as the Crusader series, though in some cases reverted to even lighter (but better-armoured) scouting tanks such as the U.S. M3 Stuart (referred to by its crews as the 'Honey'). In 1942–1944, British cruiser tank units were re-equipped with American M4 Sherman tanks. In 1944 in replacing their tanks, a few units were partially converted back to British-made Cromwell cruiser tanks which were much faster than the Sherman but a little more lightly armoured. The final cruiser tank was the Comet , introduced in late 1944, which was an extremely effective medium tank on a par with the German Panther . The last of the British Cruiser tanks, the Centurion would be one of the first MBTs. The Soviet fast tank (''bistrokhodniy tank'', or BT Tank ) classification also came out of the infantry/cavalry concept of armoured warfare. Fast tanks differed from Soviet light tanks by an emphasis on speed, and descended from a Christie Tank prototype of 1931. The T-34 were a development of this line of tanks as well, though their armament, armour and all-round capability places them firmly in the medium tank category. Light tank light tank at the Worthington Tank Museum .]] Light tanks tended to be smaller, faster, and lighter vehicles, and cheaper to produce. The weight of a 'light' tank increased markedly during WWII. For example, the M24 Chaffee was a purpose built light tank of late WWII, but weighed more than the Panzer III , a mainstay medium tank from 1939-43 but obsolete at the time the Chaffee was introduced. Some light tanks are often able to move over land rapidly compared to heavier tanks and are manoeuvrable through obstacles such as Jungle while maintaining lethality against enemy infantry. The Imperial Japanese Army exploited this ability of Their Light Tanks the Battle Of Malaya . However, many other light tanks are no more mobile than their heavier cousins, in part because the emphasis on economy meant they often were powered by standard light truck engines rather than the larger, heavier, but much more powerful medium tank engines. Light tanks were quite common at the start of World War II, being the main element of German, Polish and French formations in the Polish and French campaigns, but during the war were relegated to reconnaissance roles because of the increasing firepower of tanks and anti-tank weapons. Some were Amphibious , and some, like the Tetrarch were small enough to be air-lifted to the battlefield. They were often preferred over armoured cars for scouting. The Soviet Union even built an experimental Winged Tank . The USSR experimented with giving infantry units detachments of light tanks (e.g. T-70) to provide armoured support. The idea was a failure because the tanks' armour was readily penetrated by German anti-tank weapons, and their firepower was inadequate for fighting other tanks or destroying field fortifications. After WWII light tanks continued in the Reconnaissance role for some time thanks to their modest cost and potential for amphibious capabilities, but have been eventually replaced by infantry carriers and armoured cars. The French WWII-era Light Tank (''Char Léger'') type was generally similar to other nations' light tanks of the period. Since it was intended to be used for infantry support rather than scouting, it was slower than most light tanks, giving it the weaknesses of the type but no advantages. The French intended the Armoured Reconnaissance (''Automitrailleuses de Reconnaissance'') and Armoured Combat (''Automitrailleuses de Combat'') for the scouting and light combat role. Medium tank from World War II, the workhorse of U.S. armoured forces]] Medium tanks were neither the heaviest nor lightest in the arsenal, and many of the designs had successful balance of firepower, mobility, protection, and endurance and could often be adapted to a variety of roles. In WWI, the first tank, the Mark I turned out to be a 'medium' tank being about in the middle of lighter and heavier designs of the time. In the intra-war period a medium tank would probably be something like the T-28 , though tanks such as the 7TP or LT-38 could also be considered. There were medium tanks that focused on anti-infantry capabilities, such as in WWII the Panzer IV short-barrel and the Sherman with a 75 mm gun, and medium tanks that were more focused on the anti-tank role, such as the later versions of both those tanks and T-34s. The French Medium Tanks (''Chars Moyens'') were much the same as their light tanks, but of a heavier sort and intended for infantry support. Their Cavalry Tanks (''Chars de Cavalerie'') focused on speed in addition to power and protection of the other designs. They were similar to what other countries called medium tanks, but were specifically intended for what is now considered the MBT role. In modern times, the MBT is largely descendant of the faster medium-sized tank designs of WWII, especially the cruiser, cavalry, and anti-tank–focused medium tanks. Heavy tanks are no longer significantly used, having fallen out of use in the 1960s. This means that the lighter-class vehicles including older generations of MBTs, or other hybrid vehicles such as the M2 Bradley , function in the medium tank role. Heavy tank .]] Heavy tanks have usually been deployed to fulfil the need for a breakthrough tank, though in practice have been more useful in the defensive role than in the attack. Design goals have included attacking obstacles, creating breakthroughs, and engaging enemy armoured formations. They feature very heavy armour and guns relative to lighter tanks, however they tend to push power plants to the limits. As a result they tend to be either underpowered and comparatively slow, or have engine and drive train problems from overworking the engine. The first tank, the Mark I of WWI was designed around this philosophy, even more so the Char 2C , one of the largest tanks ever produced. At the start of WWII the French and the Soviets were the only countries to have inventories of heavy tanks, such as the Char B1 , T-35 and KV-1 . The Matilda II infantry tank, though not as heavy as the others, had thicker armour than most tanks in service at the time. Later war examples were the German Tiger I and II , as well as the Soviet IS Series . Paradoxically, the Pz.Kpfw. V Panther, albeit considered a "medium", equalled or outweighed all Allied heavy tanks. Heavy tanks achieved their greatest successes both fighting other, lighter tanks and destroying fortifications with their very large guns. After WWII came the last major fielding of heavy tanks in addition to mediums, which included the M103 Heavy Tank , the FV214 Conqueror , and ARL-44 in response to the Soviet IS-3 . The largest tank guns were approaching the maximum calibre whose shell could still be handled by the crew, even using awkward two-part shell and propellant, which greatly slowed their rate of fire. And thanks to improved engine and armour technology, more mobile medium tanks were catching up to them in the amount of firepower and protection they could carry. After these, what had been medium tanks then became the largest tanks, and came to be known as Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), with no specialised super-heavy tanks being fielded. Less expensive assault guns and artillery pieces could fulfill the heavies' anti-infantry role. Heavy tanks were finally rendered obsolete by Anti-tank Guided Missile s and High Explosive Anti-tank ammunition (HEAT). The much more flexible missiles are effective at ranges beyond a tank gun's, and sheer armour mass was no longer a guarantee of survivability against the largest HEAT warheads of tank guns or missiles. Some designs called "heavy assault tanks" were actually heavy self-propelled guns, including the Soviet KV-2 and German Jagdpanzer , as well as the experimental post-war British Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank and U.S. T-28 Super Heavy Tank . Late twentieth century: the main battle tank MBT]] Advances in tank design, armour, and engine technology allowed tank designers to increase the capabilities of tanks significantly without always resorting to heavier designs, although weights did gradually increase. However, HEAT ammunition was a huge threat to tanks and could penetrate steel armour thicker than was practical to put on a tank. Advances such as the British-designed Chobham Armour did much to limit the effectiveness of weaker HEAT rounds, but the vulnerability has remained. The demise of the heavy tank meant that what had been medium sized vehicles were now the heaviest. What remained were developments of the more heavy-set cruiser tanks of Britain, and medium tanks intended for anti-tank work of other nations, but with a focus on weapon power and mobility greater than ever before. The name Main Battle Tank gained widespread use. The term Main Battle Tank is applied to tanks designed to function as the backbone of modern ground forces. It is armed and armoured to face as many kinds of threat as possible, but especially direct hits from other tanks and lighter Infantry anti-tank weapons. However, the threats to MBTs on a modern battlefield are numerous. Even heavily armoured MBTs are vulnerable to all manner of anti-tank weapons, often designed to attack the most vulnerable locations: the top, the bottom, and the tracks. Tanks also retain much of their vulnerability to artillery fire and mines. While a tank can afford to have half a metre of armour on the front, it can't have it everywhere. The solution was to focus on the traits that allow the tank to survive: mobility and firepower. The amount of armour added was usually sufficient to stop at least previous-generation projectiles from penetrating. Armour on the more advanced MBTs has been shown to deflect older generation projectiles, but there is little public information on the armour levels of the latest MBTs, as such information is generally kept secret. Some of the known examples are from friendly fire. For example, in the 1991 Gulf War it was shown that a U.S. Hellfire anti-tank missile could destroy an M1 Abrams and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a Challenger 2 was fired upon by another, destroying it and killing two of its crew. The twenty-first century: decline of heavy armour? , a wheeled replacement for tanks?]] The tank was declared obsolete because of Guided Missiles in the 1960s, and because of the attack helicopter in the 1970s. This has not stopped the main powers from designing and ordering new MBTs into the 1990s. Today the emphasis on light fast-reaction military units, Unconventional Warfare , and the electronic battlefield has several nations reconsidering the use of heavy armoured forces. Canada has shelved its Leopard Tank s. Wheeled vehicles, such as the Stryker and the Tank Gun –armed Mobile Gun System , are being considered as replacements. SPECIALIST TANKS Armored Vehicle Landing Bridge, deploying its bridge.]] Tanks have often been modified for special purposes. Often they provide armoured capability for Combat Engineer s. These include tanks with large-calibre demolition guns, with flails or ploughs for Mine -clearing, bridge-layer tanks, or Flame Tank s armed with Flame-thrower s. Another important modification is the Amphibious Tank , such as the Sherman Duplex Drive ( DD ). These designs are modified with waterproofing and propulsion systems to be able to traverse open water. Their most notable usage was on D-Day . An example would be the Churchill AVRE , intended for destroying bunkers, amphibious tanks, and mine-clearing tanks. Many specialist tank roles have been assigned to other vehicle types, though many tank chassis are still used for wide variety of vehicles, ranging from Anti-aircraft to bridge layers. Also, there exist many attachments to allow tanks to fulfil specialized tasks, for example, mine clearing devices. SEE ALSO
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