M4 Sherman oli amerikkalainen keskipitkä panssarivaunu toisesta maailmansodasta. Ensimmäiset prototyypit rakennettiin vuonna 1941 ja sarjatuotantoa tehtiin vuosina 1942-1945. Kaiken kaikkiaan tästä tankista luotiin noin 49 000 kopiota kaikista versioista, mikä tekee siitä yhden toisen maailmansodan eniten tuotetuista tankeista ja liittoutuneiden armeijoiden varusteiden tärkeimmän tankin tämän konfliktin aikana. M4 Shermanissa oli M4A1:n yksimoottorinen versio Continental R 975 C4 teholla 400 hv . Ajoneuvo oli aseistettu - versiosta riippuen - yhdellä 75 mm:n M3-tykillä tai 76 mm:n M1-tykillä tai 105 mm:n M4-haupitsilla ja kahdella 7,62 mm:n Browning1919A-konekiväärillä.
M4 Sherman kehitettiin M2- ja M3-tankkien seuraajaksi, vaikka se käytti monia jälkimmäisten komponentteja. Ensinnäkin se käytti vain hieman muutettua M3 Lee -auton alustaa. M4 Shermania suunniteltaessa painotettiin ensisijaisesti jalkaväen tukiajoneuvon roolia, ei vihollisen panssarivaunujen taistelua - tämä oli amerikkalaisten panssarihävittäjien rooli. Oletettiin vain mahdollisia yhteenottoja kärryjen kanssa Pz.Kpfw III ja Pz.Kpfw IV. Merkittävä rooli oli myös uuden säiliön massatuotannossa ja mahdollisimman alhaisilla tuotantokustannuksilla. Tuloksena oli panssarivaunu, jolla oli hyvä aseistus vuodet 1942 ja alkuvuodet 1943, keskiverto panssari, mutta kallistettu etulevy, mutta myös huono ohjattavuus ja - varsinkin ensimmäisissä versioissa - erittäin herkkä tulipaloon moottoritilaan osumisen seurauksena. Samaan aikaan kuitenkin luotiin säiliö, joka voisi olla todella laajamittaista tuotantoa ja jolla oli merkittävää modernisointipotentiaalia. Useita kehitysversioita syntyi sarjatuotannon aikana M4 Sherman. Kronologisesti ensimmäinen oli M4A1-versio, jossa oli jo valettu panssari. Toisessa - M4A2:ssa - oli hitsattu panssari ja uusi General Motors 6460 -moottori, jonka teho oli 375-410 hv, mutta paljon vähemmän altis tulipalolle. M4A3:sta ilmestyi myös versio, joka oli aseistettu 105 mm:n haupitsilla ja jota käytti Ford GAA -moottori, jonka teho on 450 hv. M4A3-version perusteella luotiin kaksi aliversiota: M4A3E2 Jumbo vahvistetulla panssarijärjestelmällä ja M4A3E8 HVSS:llä ja 76 mm aseella. Mielenkiintoinen kehitysversio oli myös T34 Calliope, jossa oli asennettu ohjuksia, joita ei ohjattu torniin. M4 Shermania toimitettiin myös valtavia määriä Britannialle ja puna-armeijalle. Edellinen kehitti sen pohjalta Firefly-version, jossa oli upea 17 punnan panssarintorjuntatykki. Toisen maailmansodan aikana M4 Sherman -panssarivaunut taistelivat Pohjois-Afrikassa (1942-1943), Italiassa (1943-1945), taisteluissa Normandiassa, Ranskassa ja Länsi-Saksassa (1944-1945), mutta myös Tyynellämerellä tai riveissä. Puna-armeija itärintamalla. Toisen maailmansodan jälkeen M4 Shermania käytettiin monissa maissa, mukaan lukien Argentiinassa, Belgiassa, Intiassa, Israelissa, Japanissa, Pakistanissa ja Turkissa. Hän osallistui myös moniin vuoden 1945 jälkeisiin konflikteihin, mukaan lukien Intian ja Pakistanin välinen sota 1965 ja kuuden päivän sota 1967.
The KW-1 is a Soviet heavy tank from the Second World War. The first prototypes of this vehicle were made in 1939, and the car entered service a year later (1940). Approximately 4,700-5,000 vehicles of this type were produced in the course of production. The combat weight of the tank was up to 42.5 tons. The drive was provided by a single W-2K diesel engine with a power of up to 600 HP. The main armament consisted of a 76.2 mm ZiS-5 gun and three 7.62 mm DT machineguns.
The KW-1 vehicle was developed as a successor to the failed T-35 tank. Compared to its predecessor, it differed on many levels, and above all, the multi-turret system was abandoned in favor of a single turret with main armament. What's more, based on the experience of the civil war in Spain (1936-1939), the armor of the entire car was also very impressive, for the late 1930s. Finally, when it was introduced to the KW-1 line, it clearly exceeded the armor and firepower of virtually every German tank. However, it was not without disadvantages, including poor maneuverability and high failure rate of some mechanical elements - especially the drive train. The KW-1 was used on a large scale during the German-Soviet war of 1941-1945, and its serial production was maintained until 1943 in parallel with the production of the T-34. The variants of the KW-1 include the KW-1s (a vehicle with improved reliability and ergonomics) and the KW-85 (armed with a 85mm D-5T gun).
The KW-2 is a Soviet heavy tank from the interwar period and the beginning of World War II. The first prototypes of this vehicle were created in 1940, and the car entered service in the same year. About 330 vehicles of this type were built during the production process. The combat weight of the tank was up to 52 tons. The drive was provided by a single diesel engine with a power of up to 600 HP. The main armament consisted of a 152mm M-10 gun and three 7.62mm DT machineguns.
The KW-2 vehicle was developed as a development of the KW-1 tank, and its production was the responsibility of the Leningrad Plant named after Kirov. The vehicle was created as a result of the experience of the Winter War (1939-1940), and its main task was to destroy the enemy's fortified resistance points and support their own infantry in the attack, not fight with tanks. For this reason, one can risk a statement that the KW-2 was essentially a self-propelled gun, and not a strictly senso tank. Despite their powerful armament and armor, the KW-2 vehicles suffered from high faults, especially in the drive train, which effectively reduced their combat value. Cars of this type were used primarily in the initial phase the German-Soviet war in 1941, although some of them served until 1945.
The SU-122 is a Soviet self-propelled gun (also classified as a tank destroyer) from the Second World War. The first prototypes of this car appeared in 1942, and the production of serine continued in the years 1942-1943. Approximately 640 vehicles of this type were created in its course. The weight of the vehicle was 31 tons. The drive was provided by a single V-2 engine with a capacity of 500 HP. It was armed with the 122 mm M-30 howitzer. The crew also had two 7.62 mm PPS submachine guns. Work on the SU-122 began in 1942, in connection with the decision of the Main Artillery Board to introduce new self-propelled guns to the line. During the design work, it was decided that the new SPG would use the chassis of the T-34 and many of its structural elements. Design works proceeded at a very fast pace, which led to the fact that in December 1942 the mass production of the car was initiated. Overall, the SU-122 was a rather successful SPG, based on a proven and successful chassis and suspension, with good off-road characteristics. The considerable disadvantages were the crampedness of the crew compartment (due to the size of the M-30 howitzer) and the rather small angle of fire, especially the complicated aiming process. However, the weapon was considered much better than the SU-76 self-propelled gun. The SU-122 vehicles were used on the Eastern Front from 1943 to 1945. Few of them, however, survived the war.
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank from the Second World War and the post-war period.
The first prototypes were built in 1937-1940, and serial production in the USSR was carried out in 1940-1957. About 84,000 vehicles of this type were built in its course, which makes the T-34 one of the most produced tanks in history! The drive was provided by a single engine V-2-34 with a power of 500 hp. The length of the car - in the T34 / 76 version - was 6.68 m, with a width of 3 meters. The armament consisted of a 76.2 mm F-34 gun and two 7.62 mm DT machineguns. The main armament in the T-34/85 version was the 85mm ZIS-S-53 gun.
The T-34 is undoubtedly one of the most famous tanks in the history of both World War II and military in general, representing a specific symbol of Soviet victory in the war with the Third Reich. The vehicle was developed for the needs of the Red Army as a successor to the so-called pursuit tanks from the BT series (BT-5 and BT-7), but also the T-26 tank. Work on the car started in 1937 in a special design office at the Steam Engine Factory in Kharkiv. Initially, the works were managed by Eng. Adolf Dik (he also made the first sketches of the new car), and after his arrest by the Soviet security authorities, Mikhail Koszkin managed the work. Initially, the vehicle was designated as A-20. However, a second prototype (A-32) was quickly built, with a main armament in the form of a 76.2 mm cannon and much thicker frontal armor. It was the latter prototype that was finally adopted for production. It can be assumed that when it was introduced into service, the TT-34 was a very successful tank in many respects. It was characterized - as in 1940 - with a very strong weapon, it had a well-profiled armor based on sloped armor plates, as well as very high mobility and off-road driving properties. The disadvantages include the very poor ergonomics of the car or the poor optics used in the first production batches. Despite these shortcomings, when the T-34 appeared on the Eastern Front, German troops were greatly surprised by it. The high overall rating of the T-34 and its combat values determined its mass production and making it the basic tank of the Red Army during the fights in 1942-1945. They also resulted in further improvements to the structure, e.g. in 1942 a new hexagonal tower appeared, improving the quality of work of crew members with the commander's cupola. The engine and gearbox were also improved. However, in 1944, the T-34/85 model was introduced into service, with a completely new three-man turret and the main armament in the form of an 85 mm cannon. The T-34 tank fought in virtually all major battles fought between the Red Army and the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front in 1941-1945: starting at the Battle of Moscow, through the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, Operation Bagration, and the capture of Berlin. After 1945, the T-34 tank was still in service, it was also widely exported outside the USSR to countries such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, East Germany, Hungary and Syria.