The tank; one of the greatest inventions that changed the way war is fought today. The tank, first used in battle in 1916, was used as a moble protection with firearms. Tanks were first know as Armored Fighting Vehicles (AVS). The British were the ones that started calling them tanks. Each tank had two 57 mm/2.2 inch guns plus machine guns. It was armored with .39 inch armored plates and it reached a maximum speed of 6.4 kph/ 4 mph. Throughout the years tanks have been revolutionized to become today’s “mean” weapon machine.
After the first World War, the heavy fighting machine were replaced with lighter models. These models were armed with guns up to 50 mm. caliber mounted in revolving turrets. A new engine was used and the tank could now reach up to 28 mph. Most of these tanks were similar to the ones used in WWII. By the time WWII broke out, the tank was starting to take the shape of the tanks we see today but there are many tanks that stood out about all the rest.
The M-4 Sherman, produced in 1942 in the U.S, was a tank that was easy to produces which is the main reason it stands out. Used during WWII and even the Korean War, about 50,000 of these tanks were produced between 1942 and 1946 (http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_m4_sherman.php3). These tanks were loaded with a 75mm gun. The Sherman weighed in at 31 tons and was 19 feet long and 9 feet in both width and height. With its Ford eight-cylinder engine, the Sherman could reach a top speed of 26 mph. This tanks is classified as a medium tank. The US believed at the time that the medium tank's job was to assist infantry in the assault and provide a base of fire to fight from. Countries all over the world were still trying to figure out the best way for the tanks to be used and their special duties.
Another tank that stands out above all the rest is a very unique tank build in the US in 1983.This tanks reaches a top speed of 42 mph. and randges 289 miles. The M1 Abram; Over 3,273 M1 tanks were produced. The M1 Abrams holds a 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun. The commander has a 12.7mm Browning M2 machine gun and the loader has a 7.62mm M240 machine gun. Armour bullheads deparate the crew compartments from the fuel tank which is a very good thing. This tank is built with a Chobham Armor. Anther version of this tank is the M1A1. 4,796 of the M1A1's were produced. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X4j_2Kgi9o
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| M-4 Shermans in ETO, World War II. |
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| M1 Abrams Tanks (Photo courtesy of the U.S Department of Defense) During Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia. |
