WWII Armor in World War Two

Listed here are the more common US, German and Japanese armored fighting vehicles that participated in the WWII . Not all systems are listed with  the Russian tanks to be added at a future date.    

 THE UNITED STATES 

Sherman M4A1 Medium Tank The M4 Sherman Medium Tank was the mainstay of the American armored fighting forces in WWII. Although weak in frontal armor (65mm) and having only a 75mm main gun, it was not designed to engage enemy tanks but rather to support infantry. Yet, throughout the war, the M4A1 and M4A3 Shermans  were the most common tanks assigned to US armored units.

 Sherman M4A3 Medium Tank When it was discovered that a stronger gun was needed to penetrate the more heavily armored German tanks, the quick response was to refit some of the Shermans with a more powerful 76mm gun, while the 90mm tank project (Pershing) was being completed. Shermans, armed with the 76mm main gun first entered combat in July 1944.     Pershing M26 Heavy Tank The answer to the weaker Sherman was the M26 Heavy Tank, which fired the more powerful 90mm M3 gun.  Although fully capable of effectively dealing with any German armor, these tanks did not enter combat until February 1945, and then far too few in number to have any creditable effect. They would serve as the main battle tank, of the US Army, during the Korean War (1950-1953)  

Chaffee M24 Light Tank         Produced in order to replace the obsolete M5 Stuart Light Tank, the first 34 arrived in November 1944. However, for the most part, these tanks were slow to arrive and the faithful Stuarts still remained an active in combat. Equipped with a 75mm M6 main gun, it performed well as a "recon" vehicle and was well liked by its crew. 

M36B1 Gun Motor Carriage U.S. Army's need for a tank with a more powerful anti-tank gun was first realized in April 1942 and led to a 90mm design in five months later. To an M4A2 Sherman medium tank hull they added the "Slammer", a 90mm M3 gun capable of penetrating the powerful German Tiger tank. The M36B1 GMC was first used in action during the North African Campaign of 1942 and by October 1944 they were in combat in Europe.

Hellcat M18 Gun Motor Carriage Unlike the M10, which used an M4 chassis, the M18 utilized its own chassis. That aside, it stilled possessed a 76.2 mm M7 main gun, which proved, as it did with the Wolverine, to be largely ineffective when fired at the front of the Panther or Tiger. None-the-less, Hellcats still played a key role in the Battle of the Bulge.

Wolverine M10 Gun Motor Carriage Numerically, the M10 was the most important tank destroyer of WWII. With its 76.2 mm M7 main gun, it could penetrated 3" of armor at 1,000 yards. First entering combat Tunisia in 1943, it proved largely ineffective against German Tiger tanks in Europe, following the Normandy invasion, and was eventually replaced by by the M36 Jackson tank destroyer. None the less, M10's saw action until the end of WWII.

 

Jackson M36 Gun Motor Carriage          In order to effectively deal with the German Panther and Tiger tanks, the M36 Tank Destroyer, with its powerful 90mm gun, were first delivered to US forces in France following the Normandy invasion and went into action in August 1944 . Like all US tank destroyers, it had an open top which provided the crew with ample room to operate the gun. Participating in all of the battles since its arrival, over 1,400 M36 GMC's  saw combat by the end of World War II.   

GERMANY  

Panzer Mk IVH Although intended to be used in limited numbers in 1939, the Pz IV medium Tank, in all models, was the most widely used tank by the German forces in WWII, with over 8.870 produced. The Mk IVH was equipped with a 75mm KwK 40 L48. Often equipped with side armored skirts (Schurzen), this model fought in every front and in every battle from April 1943 until wars end.  

 

 

 

Panzer Mk V Most often called the Panther" tank, it was arguably one of the best, if not the best, tanks in WWII. Between 1943 and the end of the war, some 6,000 were built, ranking second only to the Mk IV series. With near 100mm of frontal armor and armed with a powerful 75mm KwK 42 L70 main gun, it served prolifically on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. By wars end, half of the tanks still in operation with the Panzer Divisions were the Mk V Panthers. 

 Panzer Mk VIE Without any doubt, no vehicle in WWII placed more emphasizes on German tank power than the dreaded "Tiger".  Armed with a powerful 88mm KwK 36 L56 main gun and over 100mm frontal armor, it was also prone to mechanical breakdowns. In Western Europe, most "Tigers" served in their own independent Schwere (Heavy) tank units and were not organic to armed divisions. Between 1942 and 1944, some 1,347 PzKpFw VIe Tigers were built when production was phased out in favor of the new "King Tiger" (Konigstiger).   

StuG III Ausf G: Built on the chassis of the proven Panzer III, the Sturmgeschütz III (StuG III) assault gun was Germany's most produced armored fighting vehicle (AFV) in WWII. Initially designed as a mobile, armored gun platform for infantry support, the StuG was continually modified and was widely employed as a tank destroyer. Overall, the Sturmgeschütz series assault guns proved very successful and served on all fronts as assault guns and tank destroyers, with the Finnish Army also receiving 59 StuG III's for use against the Soviets in 1944. StuG IIIs were also exported to Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and Spain. First equipped with the low-velocity 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 gun (1940), and later with the 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 (1942), over 7,800 were produced during World War II.  

Sd Kfz 173 Jagdpanther Based on the chassis of the Mk V Panther tank, it is considered by many military historians to be one of the best tank destroyers of the war due to the combination of its powerful 88mm KwK 43 main gun and its proven Panther chassis. About 392 Jagdpanthers were produced between in 1944 and 1945 and served in heavy antitank battalions. They mainly served on the Eastern Front, and were also first  encountered, in very small numbers, late during the Battle of Normandy were the German 654th schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung ("Heavy Antitank Battalion") deployed about 12 of them against British units. Additionally, they were also encountered by the Allies during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.  

 

Sd Kfz 267 Ausf B Tiger II (Konigstiger) This massive tank, with its heavy armor (150mm frontal) and a powerful 88mm KwK L71 main gun, had the a decided advantage against all opposing Western Allied and Soviet tanks that attempted to engage it head on. The 503rd Heavy Tank battalion was the first unit to use this tank in combat in July 1944 on the Eastern Front. It also served at the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, at the East Prussian Offensive in January 1945 and finally during the Battle of Berlin at the end of the war. Unfortunately for Germany, in total only 489 were produced and they arrived too late to have any effect on the outcome of the war. 

    

IMPERIAL JAPAN

COMING SOON

     

Type 97 Te-Ke Tankette

 

Type 97 Ha-Go Light Tank

Type 89 Chi-Ro Medium Tank

Type 97 Chi-Ha Medium Tank

 

    

COMING SOON

 

 

MAIN GUN RANGE (METERS) & PENETRATION TABLES (METERS)  

    GERMAN GUN

 SYSTEM

 AMMO 

 500   1000   1500

    2000
75mm KwK 40 L48 (GR) Pz Mk VIH PzGr39 91 82 72 63
PzGr40 108 87 69 NA
75mm KwK42 L71 (GR) Pz Mk V Panther PzGr39 120 108 97 82
PzGr40 158 130 106 74
88mm KwK 36 L56 (GR) Pz Mk VI Tiger PzGr39 156 138 123 110
PzGr40 185 165 148 132
88mm KwK 43 L71  (GR) JagPather V & King Tiger PzGr39 185 165 148 132
PzGr40 217 193 171 153
75mm Pak 40  (GR) Anti-Tank Gun (Towed) PzGr40 120 97 77 NA

    US GUN

 SYSTEM

 AMMO 

 500   1000   1500

    2000
75mm M2 (US) M4 Sherman MBT AP 76 63 51 NA
APC 66 60 55 NA
76mm M1 (US) M4 Sherman MDT & M10 GMC  APCBC 94 89 81 76
HVAP 158 134 116 NA
90mm M3 (US) M26 Pershing & M36 GMC APCBC 126 120 114 105
57mm ATG Anti-Tank Gun (Towed) AP M70 78 64 55 50
37mm M5 ATG Anti-Tank Gun (Towed) APC 46 42 37 NA

    BRIT GUN

 SYSTEM

 AMMO 

 500   1000   1500

    2000
17 Pound Gun (BR)  Varied APCBC 140 130 120 111

    JAPANESE GUN

 SYSTEM

 AMMO 

 500   1000   1500

    2000

All of these superb drawings are courtesy of WW Drawings.com, which has the finest collection of color plates of aircraft and armored vehicles from all Nations I have ever seen. A must site to visit for any and all WWII miniature wargamers and history buffs. Link: http://ww2drawings.jexiste.fr/