History of tank building of the USSR and other countries

The beginning of tank building was laid during the First World War. The machines that shocked the imagination of contemporaries appeared on the Western Front. The fighting between Germany, France and Britain for several years remained positional. The soldiers settled in the trenches, and the front line almost did not move. It was practically impossible to break through the enemy's existing positions. Artillery preparation and march-shots of the infantry did not give the desired result. The history of tank building began thanks to the British. They were the first to use unmatched self-propelled machines.

United Kingdom

The first English tank Mark I appeared in 1916, when the experimental model was released in the number of 100 combat units. This model had two modifications: with machine guns and guns. The history of tank building began with the "pancake lump". Mark I was ineffective. In the Battle of Somme, his machine guns could not fight German firing points.

Despite the fact that those tanks were imperfect, they demonstrated that the new type of weapons have serious prospects. Moreover, the first models brought German soldiers, who had never seen anything like it, in horror. Therefore Mark I was used more as a psychological weapon than a combat one.

In total in this British "family" there were nine models. Serious progress was noted Mark V. He got a four-speed gearbox and a special tank engine called "Ricardo". It was the first model that was run by only one person. There were other changes. An additional machine gun appeared in the stern, and the commander's cabin was increased.

France

The successes of the British inspired the French to continue the experiments of the Allies. The history of tank building is much obliged to the model "Renault FT-17". The French released it in 1917-1918. (Almost 4,000 units were produced). The effectiveness of the FT-17 is indicated, at least, by the fact that they continued to be exploited even at the beginning of the Second World War (twenty years for tank building is a colossal term).

What accounted for such a success, "Reno"? The fact is that this was the first tank, which received a classic layout. The car was driven from its front. In the center was a combat compartment. At the back was the engine compartment. This technical and ergonomic solution was the best way to reveal the combat potential of the FT-17. The history of tank building would have developed differently, 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 with the efforts of General John Pershing. He arrived in Europe in 1917, together with the expeditionary forces of the United States, after they declared war on Germany. Having become acquainted with the experience of the Allies, their technology and the positional war, which they did not suspect in America, the general began to seek from his leadership attention to the theme of tanks.

The US Army bought the French "Renault" and used them in battles near Verdun. American designers, having received foreign cars, made a small modification. After the First World War, US tank forces were disbanded because of high costs. Then for several years the American army did not allocate funds for the creation of new machines. And only in the 1930s. The first experimental models of own production appeared. It was the M1931 (T11 combat vehicle). He was never put into service, but the experimental work gave the American designers the necessary food for thought before further research.

The evolution of American technology stalled also because of 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 Stewart" appeared. This light tank was released in an amount of 23 thousand units. This record in its class is still not beaten. The history of world tank building does not know more than the model released in such quantity. The Stuarts were not only used by the US Army, but were also supplied to the Allies: Britain, France, China and the USSR in Lend-Lease.

Germany

The armored forces in Germany appeared only in the era of the Third Reich. The Treaty of Versailles, concluded after the First World War, forbade the Germans to establish their own battle-worthy park. Therefore, during the Weimar Republic, Germany had no cars of its own. And only those who came to power in 1933, the Nazis unleashed a military flywheel. At first, light tanks were produced under the guise of tractors. However, the German authorities, which had become popular, quickly ceased to hide. 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 remade as tank ones.

In 1926 Germany and the USSR concluded an agreement under which future German military specialists began to study in a specialized school near Kazan. Later this skeleton started to create the technique at home. The first German tank was Panzer I. This model was the basis of the German park.

By the beginning of the Second World War, Germany had more than three thousand tanks, and before the attack on the USSR on the Eastern Front alone, more than four thousand cars were concentrated. The Germans were the first to use heavy equipment as an assault. Many SS tank divisions received nominal names ("Das Reich", "Totenkopf", etc.). A considerable part of them was destroyed. Just for the war, the Third Reich lost about 35,000 cars. The key German medium tank was the Panther, and the heavy Tiger.

the USSR

In the mid-1920's. The history of Soviet tank building began. The first production model in the USSR was MS-1 (another name - T-18). Before that, the Red Army had only the captured vehicles captured during the Civil War. With the onset of peace, work was organized on the design of a heavy positioning tank. They were turned down in 1925, when after the next meeting in the Red Army, the military decided to send all the resources to create a small maneuvering model. It became the MC-1, created in 1927.

Soon other Soviet tanks appeared. By 1933 the production of light T-26 and BT, T-27 tank, medium T-28 and heavy T-35 was launched. Bold experiments were conducted. The history of tank building of the USSR in the early 1930s. Passed under the sign of the construction of floating tanks. They were represented by models T-37. These machines received a fundamentally new screw. Its feature was the turning blades. When moving afloat, they provide a reverse.

The history of the tank-building of the USSR would be incomplete without medium T-28 tanks. Thanks to them, a qualitative strengthening of combined-arms formations became possible. T-28 was intended to break through the defensive positions of the enemy. The tank weighed 28 tons and externally stood out with a three-tower weapon installation (it included three machine-guns and a cannon).

In the years 1933-1939. The 50-ton T-35 was produced. It was created as a combat vehicle for a qualitative increase in the attack with the breakthrough of the fortifications. At that time, the history of the Soviet tank building was transferred to a new stage, since it was the T-35 that was the first to receive such a large amount of armament. It was installed in five towers (only five machine guns and three cannons). However, this model had its drawbacks - first of all, sluggishness and weak reservation at large sizes. In total, several dozen T-35s were produced. Some of them were used at the front during the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War.

1930s

In the 30s of the last century, Soviet engineers and designers actively carried out experiments related to the creation of wheeled-tracked tanks. This arrangement of machines complicated the chassis and power transmission, but domestic specialists managed to cope with all the difficulties facing them. In the late 1930's. Was created caterpillar medium tank, called the T-32. Later on, the main Soviet legend appeared on its basis. It's about the T-34.

On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, designers paid most attention to two qualities of machines: mobility and firepower. However, the civil war in Spain in 1936-1937 showed that it is necessary to modernize and other characteristics. In the first place, armored protection and artillery armament demanded this.

The results of the concept change did not take long. In 1937, the T-111 appeared. It became the first Soviet tank equipped with anti-ballistic armor. This was a serious breakthrough not only for the domestic, but 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 proved impractical from the point of view of mounting and dismantling of parts due to the blocked suspension and other features of the machine.

Light Soviet tanks

It is interesting that the history of the Soviet tank building and tanks of the USSR differed from the foreign at least by the attitude to light tanks. Everywhere they were given preference because of economic reasons. In the USSR there was an additional motivation. Unlike other countries, in the Soviet Union light tanks used not only for reconnaissance, but also for direct combat with the enemy. The key Soviet machines of this type were BT and T-26. Prior to the German attack, they constituted a large part of the Red Army Park (in all, about 20,000 units were built).

The construction of new models continued during the Great Patriotic War. In 1941, the T-70 was developed. This tank became the most produced during 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 includes those whose development began back in 1941-1945 and which did not have time to exploit at the front. These are the Soviet models of IS-3, IS-4, and also T-44 and T-54. The history of American tank construction of this period was left behind by M47, "M26 Pershing" and "M46 Patton". This series also includes the British Centurion.

By 1945, light models had finally become highly specialized machines. So, the Soviet model PT-76 was intended for water combat conditions, the American "Walker Bulldog" was created for reconnaissance, "Sheridan" was designed for easy transportation by aviation. In the 1950s. To replace medium and heavy tanks, the main battle tanks (MBT) are coming. So called multi-purpose models, combining good security and firepower. The first in this cohort were Soviet T-62 and T-55 and French AMX-30. The history of tank building in the USA has developed so that the class of the main battle tanks in America began with the M60A1 and M48.

Second postwar generation

In the 1960s and 1970s, the era of the second generation of postwar tanks came. What distinguished them from their predecessors? New models were created by engineers, first, taking into account the existence of advanced modernized anti-tank technology, and secondly, in the conditions of using weapons of mass destruction.

These tanks have acquired a combined armor, consisting of several layers and produced from different materials. First of all, it protected 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 mass of electronics: ballistic calculators, laser range finders, a fire control system, and so on.

To this technique belonged the T-72, M60A3, "Chiften", "Leopard-1". Some models appeared as a result of a deep modification of the first-generation machines. Soviet tanks of that period were in no way inferior to the supposed opponents by their characteristics, and in some respects even surpassed them significantly. However, since the 1970s, the backlog in electronics equipment has become noticeable. As a result, Soviet technology began to become obsolete before our very eyes. This process was especially noticeable against the background of conflicts in the Middle East and other countries where the outbreaks of the global Cold War took place.

Modernity

In the 1980s. The so-called third postwar generation appeared. The history of Russian tank building is connected with it. A key feature of such models was the high-tech protection. The third generation includes "Lecerrki" of France, "Leopards-2" of Germany, "Challengers" of Great Britain, "Abramsa" of the USA.

The history of tank building in Russia is symbolized by such machines as T-90 and T-72B3. These models are rooted in the far 1990s. T-90 also received the name "Vladimir" in honor of its chief designer Vladimir Potkin. In the 2000s, this tank became the most sold main battle tank in the world. In the person of this model, the history of the development of tank construction in Russia has turned over yet another glorious page. However, domestic designers did not stop at their achievements and continued their unique technical research.

In 2015, the newest T-14 tank appeared. Its distinctive feature became such elements as the uninhabited tower and caterpillar platform of "Armata". For the first time, the T-14 was demonstrated to the public at the Victory Parade, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War. The model is produced by Uralvagonzavod.