Tank in service with England. Modern tanks of Western Europe: Britain. British tanks: an overview

The British are the pioneers in world tank building, for which we must thank W. Churchill. As you know, it quickly developed into a positional war. To give it at least some dynamics, in October 1914, Secretary of the Defense Committee Colonel E. Swinton made a proposal to create an armored vehicle on a tracked vehicle that could break through defense lines: cross trenches, trenches and wire fences. The Minister of War did not react to the idea, but the First Lord of the Admiralty (Naval Minister) W. Churchill supported the idea, and after some time the Land Ships Committee was created under the Navy Department.

History of the development of British tanks by model

The commander of the British troops in France, General J. French, impressed by the ensuing battles, formulated the basic requirements for the “land dreadnought”:

• Relatively small dimensions.
• Bulletproof armor.
• Crawler mover.
• Ability to overcome craters up to 4 m and wire fences.
• Speed ​​not lower than 4 km/h.
• The presence of a cannon and two machine guns.

In fact, these were the world's first requirements for tank performance. And in January 1916, the committee presented the world's first tank capable of taking part in battles. Thus, with the light hand of Churchill, tank building began in Britain, and a few years later throughout the world.

The first tanks were created solely for breaking through defenses and suppressing enemy machine guns, which was facilitated by the special shape of the hull. It was a parallelogram with tracks along the outer contour for overcoming vertical obstacles. That's how he was.

Even after tangible successes from tanks in battle, the British military leadership considered their use to be of little promise, and only thanks to the real successes of the high-speed French Renaults did the idea of ​​mass production of tanks take possession of the minds of military leaders. J. Fuller, a later famous tank theorist, for example, advocated the mass creation of high-speed tanks.

British tanks of the First World War

There were several tank qualifications in the British forces at the time.

The first is weight: up to 10 tons - light, from 10-20 tons medium and about 30 tons heavy. As is known, preference was given mainly to heavy tanks.

The second qualification concerns weapons: tanks with exclusively machine gun armament were called “females”, those with cannons were called “males”. After the first oncoming battles with German tanks, which showed the inadequacy of machine-gun models, a combined type with cannons and machine guns appeared, such tanks were called “hermaphrodites”.

As for the doctrine of using tanks in battle, the opinions of the military were divided into two halves. One half wanted to create and use purely “infantry” tanks, the other “cruising” ones.

Infantry type - used for direct support of infantry, had low mobility and was well armored.

The cruising type is a kind of “armored cavalry”, quite fast, and in comparison with infantry, lightly armored. On their shoulders, together with the cavalry, fell the tasks of quickly breaking through the defense, enveloping and raiding the enemy’s rear. The armament of both types was the same, mainly machine guns.

The British retained this concept of using tanks until the beginning of World War II. If you delve deeper into it, you will see that tanks play a supporting role, the main tasks are performed by cavalry and infantry.

Before the end of the First World War in England, after the heavy MK-I, its modifications were produced up to Mk VI and Mk IX and medium ones: Mk A (unofficially “Whippet”), Mk B and Mk C.

Of course, the quality of the first production tanks was quite low.

In the diaries of German soldiers and in official reports there are many interesting facts. For example, due to gas pollution inside the tanks, there were frequent cases of suffocation of the entire crew. Due to the primitiveness of the suspension, the tanks created such a roar that, in order to disguise the movement of tank units, the British accompanied them with artillery cannonade. Due to the narrow tracks, there were cases when tanks became muddy in the ground right in front of the enemy trenches.

One case speaks about security.

In November 1917, in the battles near Cambrai, on the outskirts of the village of Flesquières, one German officer was left with a cannon abandoned by servants; he, slowly, loading himself, pointing and shooting, destroyed 16 British tanks in order.

It seemed that even then it was necessary to think about strengthening the armor, but not one of the tank manufacturers did this until the conflict in Spain.

Be that as it may, the British, with their tanks, added a new level to the conduct of wars; they transferred them to other speeds. Before the end of the war, they managed to be the first in the world to create amphibious tanks and communication tanks.

Tanks between the great wars

First world England ended up as a leader in tank building, but very soon all the advantages disappeared.

Firstly, due to the fact that they strictly separated the types of tanks and their use: the British continued to build “infantry” and “cruising” types.

Secondly, due to its geographical location, the command gave priority to the development of the fleet over the ground army.

The implementation of one of the tactical ideas of J. Fuller, by the way, almost all countries “fell ill” with it, was the creation of mechanized infantry. The Carden-Lloyd MkVI wedge was ideal for these purposes. In its entirety, according to the strategist’s plan, it was supposed to play the role of an “armored skirmisher.” Despite the fact that the wedge did not receive recognition at home, although they were built on its basis reconnaissance tanks and tractors, it was purchased by 16 countries, and Poland, Italy, France, Czechoslovakia and Japan acquired licenses for their production. In the USSR it was produced as the T-27.

Another tank that was not appreciated by its compatriots was the Vickers 6 tons. In the world tank building it played no less a role than the Renault FT in its time. Light and cheap to manufacture, with a machine gun in one turret and a cannon in the other, it was the embodiment of the idea of ​​World War I tanks: machine gun tanks act against manpower, while cannon tanks support them.

Among the tanks put into service at the end of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s were:

• medium Mk I "Vickers-12 tons",
• heavy A1E1 “Independent”,
• various modifications of the Vickers-Carden-Loyd Mk VII and Mk VIII.

In anticipation of a big war, headquarters ground forces back in the late 20s, insisted on creating and releasing infantry tanks, but due to the economic crisis in the country, funding was not allocated.
After the conflict in Spain and Italy’s attack on Ethiopia, the British leadership, anticipating the approach of a “big conflict” and understanding the inconsistencies of the time of the equipment they had previously created, urgently financed the creation and production of new tanks.

Appear: “cruising Mk I (A9), Mk II (A10), Mk III, Mk IV and Mk VI “Crusader” (A15).

Mk IV and Mk VI were implemented on the famous wheeled-tracked base of the American inventor Christie, but using one propulsion unit.

In 1939, production of the first (!) tank with anti-ballistic armor began - the infantry A11 Mk I "Matilda", later another tank would be named by this name. Its speed of 13 km/h and machine gun armament made it a laughingstock. In general, during the period between the “great” wars, British designers created more than 50 real models of tanks, 10 of which were put into service.

British tanks of World War II

At the time of the start, England's armored vehicles were noticeably outdated. Neither in quality nor in quantity could it compare with the equipment of the USSR and Germany. The total number of all tanks in the British army was about 1000, in larger mass lungs. The lion's share of which was lost in the battles for France.

During the war, English manufacturers were unable to satisfy the demands of the army; during the period 1939-1945, only 25 thousand units of armored vehicles were produced, the same number came from the USA and Canada.

All the new technology was rather mediocre, it was one step behind the German and Russian ones.

Mainly cruiser and infantry tanks were produced, and light airborne tanks were produced in small quantities.

After Churchill’s famous post-war phrase, tanks all over the world joined the arms race, and their development, in general, is similar to each other. To counter our IP, Conqueror is being created. After the concept of the main battle tank was accepted in the world, the Chieftain was released. The third generation tank in England is the Challenger.

In addition to the main ones, after a long break, light Scorpion tanks began to be produced in 1972.

Sep 25, 2016 Game guides

Tanks are the center Games World of Tanks Blitz. Understanding the differences between tanks and knowing which tanks from which country are best for you is half the battle in the game. In this guide, I will try to describe the English branch of tank development in as much detail as possible, but at the same time I will not go to extremes and will not write out huge tables with numerical data for each tank. The purpose of this guide is to give you an idea of ​​the direction in which you would like to take your British tanks. If you would like to get acquainted with all the branches of tank development in the game as a whole and in less detail, then try contacting .

British tanks: an overview

If you have already read the general guide to tanks of different nations, then this paragraph will not tell you anything new - but otherwise, or for repetition, you should familiarize yourself with it before we move directly to the tanks.

British tanks are quite unique - they are very heterogeneous and different from each other, although the general tendency is the ability to inflict big damage with one hit coupled with slow reloading - or use rapid-fire guns with high spread. Great Britain's tanks must be played carefully and scrupulously, counting each cartridge and accurately predicting the enemy's trajectory. Do you want to be a sniper? Choose British tanks! Do you want to vary your play style depending on the class? Choose British tanks! Do you want to smash your enemy to pieces with unique projectiles in close combat? Choose British tanks! But you should understand that such cool features will require maximum concentration from you during the game - relaxing and doing whatever you want simply won’t work if you want to win.

Now let's move on to a more detailed review of British tanks.

Light tanks of Great Britain

First light tank British in WoT:Blitz - Cruiser Mk. III. He is fast and has a variety of weapons - both a rapid-fire machine gun and an accurate breaching gun, and a close-combat weapon that allows you to shoot longer by reloading clips. For all its lethality, however, the Cruiser Mk. III will not be able to boast of strong armor, so he should rely on outflanking the enemy and quickly destroying the enemy - it is useless to rush into battle with many opponents and “clinch”, throwing shells face to face with other tanks. Next after it is the Cruiser Mk. IV doesn't change its strategy much - despite a fairly strong front, its sides are still easily penetrated, but high speed and the choice of three top guns offset these shortcomings. There is a choice of Mk. IV features three guns, one of which is accurate and penetrating, and the other two are fast-firing and powerful. An additional problem with the Mk. IV is its large size - this tank is quite easy to hit. After the Cruiser Mk. IV follows the Covenanter, which takes the concept of “quick war” to the extreme - it is maneuverable, fast and agile, and its guns deal a lot of damage. It itself, however, is cardboard and can be penetrated by almost any projectile, which leads to frequent critical hits on modules and crew. If you want to quickly flank your enemy and kill him before he turns his guns on you, then the Covenanter is for you. Britain's last light tank is the Crusader. This tank does not lose the speed of other British light tanks and compensates for the low thickness of the armor with its curves. It aims quickly and fires quickly - but at the same time its guns are by no means as powerful compared to the armor of other tanks of the fifth rank to which it belongs. The ideal tactic for the user of such tanks is to be a killer of all lungs. Light tanks and tank destroyers are your victims. If you can get close to them, they will not have time to react and will quickly turn into a sieve while you avoid their attacks.

UK medium tanks

The first British medium tank was the Vickers Medium Mk. I. Many players really don’t like to fight with this tank - and there is an explanation for this: it is large and slow, and its armor is similar to paper in its protective properties. An ideal target for any precision gun! At the same time, the main advantage of this tank is its large reserve of health, so you should fight first of all with light tanks of low rank in order to have time to blow them up with landmines before they penetrate your armor and kill the crew. Vickers Medium Mk. II is not too different - it is still the same big and cardboard tank, but this time armed with excellent guns that can penetrate the enemy and cause great damage. Hide behind cover and support your allies, and you'll be sure to survive until the end of the match in the Vickers Mk. II! The last Vickers, Vickers Medium Mk. III, ends the “torment” with large and thin Vickers. The third model differs from the previous ones by the possibility of installing a rapid-fire gun, capable of accurately shooting enemies at any distance.

The long line of not the most powerful Vickers is closed by the magnificent Matilda tank - this tank, unlike its predecessors, has thick armor on all sides and is capable of quickly inflicting a lot of damage on enemies. This is the first medium tank Britannia, which can be used in a frontal attack without fear for your health! Unfortunately, it is not ideal in all respects - it is slow and does not deal much damage per shot, but is this important when your armor can withstand enemy attacks and you can quickly penetrate it with several projectiles in a row?

The next medium tank again returns to the “quick war” tactics already familiar from British light tanks - the fast and mobile Cromwell can cross the entire map in a fairly short time, and its rapid-fire guns with high level penetrations can cause a lot of problems for the enemy. Of course, there is a price for this - the armor of this tank is weak for its rank. Cromwell's follow-up is the Comet, an equally fast and agile tank, but with a durable turret that allows it to either act as a sniper in an ambush or flank enemies, dealing devastating damage with its rapid-fire cannon. The problems lie in the weak hull of the tank and the low penetration of its guns, so you always need to monitor your surroundings and take good aim at the enemy's weak points.

Centurion Mk. I, coming next, turns into an ideal sniper rather than a fast scout - despite his weak frame and relatively large size combined with low speed, his guns are the best for his rank. With a 20-pound cannon on board, this tank is able to quickly target the enemy at any distance and also quickly destroy it with a couple of shots. Next after it is the Centurion Mk. The 7/1 follows the "same, but stronger" philosophy and is the same sniper, designed to support the team from the flank with an accurate, powerful weapon with extremely low recoil. Britain's latest medium tank is the FV4202, an excellent balanced tank capable of punching through enemies with unique HESH shells and destroying them one by one. At the same time, the tank cannot be called fragile as a whole - although its turret has practically no additional protection and because of this, you have to constantly move so as not to expose her to attack. However, this is not difficult, since the tank has sufficient mobility and can even bypass other, slower tanks without much difficulty, and penetrate them from the flanks.

British heavy tanks

The first heavy tank of the British, Churchill I at first may strongly resemble the aforementioned Matilda - but with the exception that its weapons are more powerful, and it itself is “healthier”. The only problem is that the level of side and rear armor does not at all correspond to the fifth rank and is easily penetrated by enemies, and adds monstrous fuel to the fire low speed the first Churchill. However, its guns quickly deal high damage and penetrate enemies well, so you can use your thick frontal armor and destroy everyone in front of you without taking much damage. The main thing is that your flanks are covered! The next one after it, Churchill VII, corrects the thin armor of the flanks and becomes even stronger, turning into a real “tank”, capable of holding back a lot of enemies and taking fire on itself. The damage caused by its guns cannot be called the highest, and its movement speed is still as low as that of the first model, but it nullifies its disadvantages with its “thickness”.

After this tank comes the Black Prince, the tactics of play on which are practically the same - thick armor protects it from almost any opponent, but its low speed does not allow it to compete in battle with fast opponents. Its advantage over the previous model is its more accurate and faster-firing guns - but the damage emanating from them is extremely low and can only serve as an addition to allied fire.

The later Caernarvon becomes slightly faster and lighter (but don't expect the speed of even a medium tank), and at the same time its armor acquires multiple bends, allowing it to deflect enemy projectiles if positioned correctly. Otherwise, it is similar to the previous “Black Prince” and the battle tactics on it remain the same - quickly aim, quickly shoot, deal constant damage and take hits on the frontal defense.

The next heavy tank, the Conqueror, is significantly different. He gains mobility, losing his powerful armor, and at the same time is able to pierce enemies with explosive projectiles and blow them up from the inside without any problems. His gun is amazing - fast aiming, fast reloading, high shooting accuracy, high penetration - everything is with it. The main thing is to watch your sides, and you will be able to inflict monstrous damage on your opponents with the help of Conqueror.

The latest English heavy tank, the FV215b, is distinguished by the fact that it plays roughly the same as a medium tank - its weak hull armor and low speed do not allow it to go in the front ranks, but a powerful turret makes it possible to shoot from behind cover without fear. At the same time, his gun is extremely accurate, rapid-fire and powerful, so such support will always be a joy for any allies.

British tank destroyer

The first tank destroyer of the British is the Universal Carrier 2-pdr of the 2nd rank. Imagine a small cardboard box moving quickly between the bushes and releasing powerful penetrating projectiles. It will be 2-pdr. He is not easy to spot, and while you are looking for him, he can destroy many of your allies, but if you find him, any projectile will tear him to shreds. Moreover, you can even try to ram it - most likely it will be enough for him. A huge difference is the Valentine AT that comes after it - this slow and fairly large tank destroyer is well protected and, if positioned correctly, is even impenetrable and is capable of taking out enemies with one shot from a large-caliber gun, which, however, takes a long time to reload. This is a great tank sniper if you have patience and concentration.

The rebirth of the “boxed” Universal Carrier is the next Alecto. It is tiny (albeit larger than 2-pdr) and invisible, and its cannon can destroy enemies with one shot, but at the same time, the problem of the thinnest armor is also added to the problem with the accuracy of the gun - the chance of missing is quite high. Further, unfortunately or fortunately, we will not see among British tank destroyers the same “boxes”, and the next one will be the incredibly “thick” AT 2. This tank cannot be penetrated - it is protected from all sides. He's large, but that doesn't stop him from dealing massive damage with his super-piercing cannon while enemy shells bounce off of him.

After it comes the Churchill Gun Carrier - this “Churchill” tank destroyer is an excellent sniper with the inherent features of this role: maneuverability and armor are reduced in favor of a hefty, powerful and ultra-precise gun with a fairly high rate of fire. Stand and destroy everyone you see, but know that the first enemy to sneak into your flank will most likely destroy you. Next you will meet the AT 8 - almost a copy of the previous AT 2 with a boost in accuracy and rate of fire. The tactics are the same - position yourself comfortably at an angle to the enemies and shoot them one by one while they vainly shower you with shells. The same applies to the next AT 7 - it is practically the same vehicle, but its cannon is located on the right side, which allows you to hide the left side of the hull behind cover and shoot “from around the corner.” The AT 15, as you might guess, uses a similar tactic - but this time its gun is not located on the left, and it relies primarily on a high rate of fire and curved, durable armor. The problem is that there is a lot on the tank weak points and if you hit some, the enemy can easily kill your loader, which will reduce the rate of fire - so always take a first aid kit with you into battle on this tank.

The peak of the “heavy” tank destroyers in Great Britain is the ninth rank Tortoise. “Turtle” has the thickest armor and deals the highest damage per minute, but at the same time moves extremely slowly. When playing on this machine, you must choose the right tactical position in advance, take it and wait for the enemy to appear.

The nation's latest tank destroyer departs slightly from the "huge armor and big gun" model, focusing on the last part of this phrase - the FV215b (183) does not have as dense armor, but does have an excellent turret with which you can defend against attacks from the flank, and a cannon capable of inflicting over a thousand units of damage in one shot. The main problem is the small number of shells - you need to shoot as carefully as possible, otherwise you will quickly exhaust your ammunition and be defenseless against the advancing enemy. But if you don’t miss, the enemies will suffer and be afraid to stick their heads out of cover.

Conclusion

We've covered almost everythingnon-premiumUK tanks. Some models were reviewed in more detail due to their exclusivity and efficiency, others were reviewed in less detail because they are improved versions of their predecessors. After reading this guide, you can get a complete picture of the features of English tanks and decide how (and whether it is worth it) to develop the development branch of this nation. I hope that this knowledge will help you in battles both on the side of the Queen’s tanks and in the battle against them. Fight like a pro in World of Tanks Blitz!

Tanks of England

The development of British armored vehicles in the pre-war years was reflected in the conflict of opinions regarding the nature of the future war. Supporters of the creation of mechanized armies, who believed that the second World War with their participation must end quickly, with a single strategic strike, which within a few days and even hours will decide the outcome of the battles and force the enemy to capitulate, they insisted on the creation of “cruising” tanks - lightly armored, with increased speeds and with 40 mm caliber guns. To test their views on a future war, they achieved the creation of the first experimental mechanized unit in the British armed forces in 1927.

There was also a group of influential military men, based on the headquarters of the British ground forces, who believed that the main purpose of tanks was direct support for the advancing infantry. For this purpose, low-speed, heavily armored tanks with 40-75 mm caliber guns are used - the so-called “infantry” tanks. As a compromise, it was decided to have both cruiser and infantry tanks in service. Infantry tanks included tanks such as "Matilda", "Valentine" and "Churchill", and cruiser tanks - "Crusider", "Cromwell", "Comet". Thus, the inseparable combat qualities of a tank are armor protection and mobility were artificially divided between two types of machines. The fallacy of this concept was revealed quite quickly during the fighting, but during the war the British designers failed to create a single tank capable of performing direct infantry support tasks and operating as part of armored formations. That's why best tank English army became the American M4 Sherman.

Light tanks created in England before the war quickly disappeared from the battlefields, as their armor and weapons turned out to be unsatisfactory. Therefore, the British army widely used American light tanks M3 and M5. In 1943, production of its own light tank"Tetrarch", however, his combat characteristics were below specifications German tanks. Self-propelled artillery, as in the US Army, was divided into field, anti-tank and anti-aircraft. However, the quantity self-propelled units, produced by the English industry, was small and amounted to approximately 800 machines.

The characteristic features of British armored vehicles were:

• large overall dimensions and weight, low firepower and mobility of tanks;
• creation of field, anti-tank and anti-aircraft self-propelled units based on tanks and cars;
• widespread use of the chassis of obsolete light tanks to create armored personnel carriers;
• the creation and widespread use of armored vehicles;
• the use of outdated design solutions and technological methods: vertical arrangement of armor plates, frame construction of tanks, connecting armor plates with bolts and rivets, the use of mainly carburetor engines, etc.

In total, during the Second World War, 25,116 tanks were produced in England, another 23,246 tanks and self-propelled guns came from the USA and Canada. The formation of armored formations in England occurred rather slowly. By the end of the second year of the war, five armored divisions and five separate brigades had been formed.
The armored division consisted of two armored brigades, each of which had three tank regiments, as well as two motorcycle and rifle battalions, an artillery and a mixed anti-aircraft and anti-tank regiment. The division had about 300 tanks, but practically no motorized infantry. In addition, the division structure turned out to be cumbersome and did not allow for prompt command of units during the battle. Therefore, at the end of 1942, the divisions were reorganized. One armored brigade was excluded from them, but a motorized infantry brigade was introduced, there were two artillery regiments, a regiment was introduced anti-tank artillery. The 1942 model division consisted of 18 thousand personnel, 344 tanks and more than 150 guns.

For joint action with infantry divisions Separate armored brigades were formed consisting of three regiments. Each brigade had 260 tanks. In total, during the Second World War, 11 armored divisions and 30 armored brigades were formed in Great Britain. Tank corps and armies were not created, but army corps, which included 2-3 armored divisions, participated at different stages of the war.

The symbol of British tank building in the years between the two world wars was the heavy five-turret tank A T Independent. This vehicle became the object of close attention of specialists from many countries and, without a doubt, served as a prototype for the creation of the Soviet T-35 heavy tank and the German Nb.Fz

As you know, the British began building tanks during the First World War. By its end, they had numerous and organized tank forces - Royal Armored Corps (RAC) - Royal Tank Corps.

In the next 20 years, British tank building was almost at the “freezing point”. There were several reasons for this. First of all, in Great Britain the discussion about the role and place of tanks in modern warfare has dragged on. Uncertainty on this issue among the military slowed down the development of appropriate tactical and technical requirements and the issuance of orders to industry. Played her role and geographical feature states - the British did not intend to attack anyone, but they had a real enemy in Europe for a long time did not have.
This situation led to the fact that during this period of time the British industry produced only a few hundred tanks, the design of which can hardly be called innovative. Most interesting ideas their creators were either embodied in prototypes and experimental samples that remained unclaimed, or simply did not find application in their homeland.

The end of the debate in the USSR and Germany about the role of tanks and the subsequent massive deployment of tank troops in these countries forced the British military to come out of hibernation. Beginning around 1934, the development of armored vehicles in Great Britain intensified sharply.

By this time, the views of the military leadership on the tactical use of tanks had largely been determined. In accordance with them, tanks in England were divided into three classes: light, infantry and cruising. Moreover, the concept of cruising tanks was formed later than others. At first, their functions were supposed to be performed by the lungs combat vehicles- fast and maneuverable. The main task of infantry tanks was to directly support infantry on the battlefield. These vehicles had limited speed and heavy armor. Sometimes it reached the point of absurdity: the gearbox of the Matilda I infantry tank, for example, had only one speed - it was believed that this was quite enough.

In 1936, the British considered it sufficient to arm tanks only with machine guns. Common sense However, it soon triumphed, and first on cruising and then on infantry vehicles a 2-pound cannon appeared. Its capabilities, however, were very limited - there were no high-explosive fragmentation shells in the ammunition load.

The disaster at Dunkirk forced the British to reconsider their views somewhat. Light tanks were now assigned only reconnaissance functions, and even then, during the war, they were gradually transferred to armored vehicles. The role of infantry tanks, the only ones that had proven themselves well in battles on the continent, remained virtually unchanged, and efforts to improve them boiled down to increasing the power of weapons and armor protection.

At the same time, unfolding fighting in North Africa, the army identified a huge need for a reliable and complete tank for independent armored formations. HVi is one of those then in service british army cruising tanks did not fully meet these requirements. One can only be surprised that a country that built beautiful ships, planes and cars could not achieve the required operational reliability of tank engines and chassis elements for several years. The British were able to resolve these issues only by 1944. By this time, the importance of infantry tanks and their share in tank units had significantly decreased. The cruising tank increasingly acquired the features of a universal one. Soon after the end of World War II, the British abandoned the division of tanks into classes according to purpose.

For the 1940s, the design and assembly technology of British tanks cannot be considered progressive. The hulls and turrets (if the latter were not made in one piece) were assembled using bolts on frames or using the frameless method (“Valentine”). Welding was used to an extremely limited extent. Armor plates, as a rule, were located vertically, without any angles of inclination. British tanks, especially in the second half of the war, could not compete with German tanks either in terms of armor protection or firepower.

The pace of tank production on the eve and during the Second World War also lagged behind real needs. For example, by December 1938, the industry was supposed to supply the army with more than 600 cruiser and about 370 infantry tanks. However, only 30 of the former were produced, and 60 of the latter. A year later, only 314 tanks of all types entered the army. As a result, Britain entered the war with just over 600 tanks, more than half of which were light tanks. In total, during the war years the British produced 25,116 tanks, about 4,000 self-propelled guns and self-propelled guns. Moreover, a significant part of the latter were manufactured using the chassis of obsolete and decommissioned vehicles. Speaking about the production of tanks in the United Kingdom, it should be taken into account that a significant part of the combat vehicles produced during the war never reached the front” and were used for training purposes.

Defeats in Europe and the disaster at Dunkirk

See also:

British tanks in Africa

Tank production in England during the war