The most important tanks

could someone tell me wich where the most important and common used tanks in world war 2 (there are so many )

I now that the panzer and the tiger were the most important german one's (I guess) but witch panzer was the most important one??

I would also like to now this for the other countries aswell ( if it isn't to much work.

 

This topic has been discussed before, and the "the most important" tank is not a completely objective evaluation. Time and place matter as well.

Most important tank for the outcome of the war was probably the T-34.

Most important tank for the Germans was the Panzer IV, especially from 1942 and onwards when it was upgunned. It was the workhorse of the German military, being used in the initial invasion of Poland and the last defences in Berlin, 39-45.

 

The Sherman was the workhorse of the US army. It was also used by the other allies extensively.

 

Althought thought by Soviet soldiers to be inferior to the T-34 and I can't complain with that. But yes the Sherman was the most important tank for the allied army on the wester front, used by practically every country on the western front, including Poland, Great Britain, and Canada.

 

Actually, memoirs have been quoted on this site of Russian tank commanders who preferred their M4A2(76) Shermans over T34s. I don't know if you have anything to back up your claim that they didn't?

Re: the original question, the most numerous and widely used tanks of WW2 were the Panzer IV for the Germans (some 12,000 made), the M4 Sherman for the Americans and British (some 46,000 made), and the T34 for the Russians (some 40,000 made).

 

The Sherman and T34 were very close in overall ability, each with different strengths and weaknesses, I have no doubt that some Soviet crews prefered the T34, while others prefered the M4A2.

Here is the interview with Dmitriy Fedorovich.

http://www.iremember.ru/tankers/loza/loza1.html

 

So bottom line you end up with a big 3
Germans PzIV
Russian T34
Western allies Sherman

 

Pretty much.

You could add the most common Japanese & Italian tanks, but they were never produced in such large numbers AFAIK.

 

Hi.

*lol*

most built japanese tank:

type 95 light tank Ha-Go (developed 1934/35):

Year / number:
1936 / 31
1937 / 80
1938 / 53
1939 / 115
1940 / 422
1941 / 685
1942 / 755
1943 / 234

total: 2377

Did a good job as recon and liaison tank.


most important tank:

type 97 medium tank Chi-Ha (developed 1937)

2208 tanks were built.

One of the best infantry support tanks at the time he was introduced, even better than the early Panzer III and IV. Rearmed in 1941 with a 47 mm high velocity tank gun, capable to destroy any medium tank of 1941 (minus T-34) with this gun from acceptable ranges, soon outclassed from 1942 onwards.

Japan was the third largest tank producer in the world until 1940......


Yours

tom!

 

thanks guys

 

and what about the tiger (not sturmtiger) it looks better than a panzer to me and it isn't slower or anything it is only bigger.

 

It is bigger, more than twice as heavy as the most advanced version of the Panzer IV, and only some 1400 examples of it were ever built. Because there were so few Tigers, this tank cannot be considered the most important tank for the Germans.

 

do you think it was a better tank than the panzer IV?

 

Well, yes, but it's of an entirely different class. It was never meant to be a main battle tank or medium tank like the Panzer IV and Panzer V Panther; it was a heavy tank designed to lead assaults into enemy positions and destroy enemy armour on the way. As such it was indeed very heavily armoured and armed, to such an extent that comparing it to the medium Panzer IV is pointless. How can a tank with a maximum weight of 26 tons compete with a 58 ton monster?

 

oke thank you roel (sorry i didn't check the weightdifference but I am still learning

 

Consdider the Panzer to mean Tank.

Germany = Tiger and the P IV, not including and "Tank Destroyers", tanks without turrets.
Allied, the Sherman= Firefly (A Sherman with a much bigger gun that worked very well against German armour)
Russian= the T34, that evolved to the T43, then the T43 85 (85 Means the size of the gun, 85mm that evolved from a 76mm)

 

This says it all

 

I think it would be Panzer IV.Because he is the true meaning for Blitzkireg warfare.

 

you guys are such great teachers

 

Welcome to the forum.

Actually, Blitzkrieg-like tactics were first used by the Russians in Manchuria in 1939, and the first German campaigns along the Blitzkrieg tactic's lines were fought primarily with Panzer IIIs as MBTs and Panzer IVs as support weapons. I don't think there was ever a true Blitzkrieg campaign carried by the Panzer IV in any version.