British tanks. Tanks of Great Britain Challenger Tanks in service with the British

On July 28, 1914, cannonade thundered over Europe new war. Back then, no one imagined that this conflict would become a global struggle of attrition. All participants planned to defeat their opponents within a few months of a decisive offensive. But more and more states got involved in the battle, armies suffered huge losses, and in the end Europe found itself crossed out by lines of trenches from northern to south seas. The offensives brought less and less results: tens, or even hundreds of thousands of dead were paid for literally a few kilometers conquered. In an attempt to somehow break the stalemate, the participants in the war invented ever new means of destruction. It was during these years that poisonous gases, flamethrowers appeared, and a fighter aircraft was used for the first time. And it was then that the tank was invented in Britain.

Tanks first took part in battle on September 15, 1916 on the Somme River. The armored monsters broke through the German defenses, but the result was achieved only at the tactical, but not at the operational level. In general, tanks did not play a decisive role in the First World War. More than two decades had to pass before the new military equipment fully revealed her potential. Over the years, it was necessary not only to improve the design of tanks, but also to learn how to use them correctly. Surprisingly, the British, the pioneers of tank building, had problems with both the first and second aspects.

As usual, main reason These problems were due to the human factor. Let's start with the fact that in the British War Office there were many outspoken opponents of the development of armored forces. Historian D. Brown wrote that the attitude of military officials towards the tank corps was marked by a spirit of displeasure and envy. The extreme level of hostility included statements that tanks were a waste of the military budget.

Not everything was smooth in the supporters’ camp either. Here they could not come to a consensus as to what role the tank should play on the battlefield in the future. Two points of view stood out clearly. According to the first, the tank was supposed to advance along with the infantry, cover it with armor and help fight enemy infantry. Artillery was supposed to fight enemy fortified points, tanks and guns. Supporters of the second point of view were inclined to believe that tanks should be used in the same way as cavalry. In their opinion, the tanks had to quickly break through to the enemy’s rear, strike communications and warehouses, and attack units on the march and not ready for an effective rebuff.

Ultimately, the British decided, figuratively speaking, to sit on two chairs at once. A division was created into infantry and cruiser tanks. The former were slow and well armored, while the latter were fast but thinly armored. Moreover, their weapons were approximately the same. Although at first it was planned to equip infantry tanks only with machine guns. Then they finally got around to equipping combat vehicles with guns. But both infantry and cruiser tanks had gun calibers for a long time limited, and the ammunition load did not include high-explosive fragmentation shells.

Let's take a closer look at both “families” of British tanks from the early period of World War II.

Infantry tanks, as already mentioned, initially did not have cannon weapons. A typical example of such a car was the Matilda I, which began production in 1937. It was a slow but well armored tank. When the British first took on the Germans in 1940, it turned out that German anti-tank weapons were often unable to penetrate the tank. Unfortunately, the advantage in defense was completely erased by the very low firepower of the vehicle.

In 1939, production of the Matilda II infantry tank began, which became the most heavily armored British tank at the beginning of the war. Its 60 mm armor was guaranteed to be penetrated only by 88 mm anti-aircraft guns and 76-mm German guns anti-tank installations Marder II. Unlike its namesake, the previous modification, Matilda II was armed with a 2-pounder cannon. In principle, this was enough for the very beginning of the war. But by mid-1942, the Matilda II had ceased to be of any significance in the role of a gun tank. But it was not possible to install a more powerful gun on it due to the small size of the turret and the diameter of the shoulder strap.

The Valentine was recognized as the most successful infantry tank at the beginning of the war. This vehicle received its baptism of fire in 1941 in North Africa. The Valentines were produced until 1944, although already in 1942 the tank was considered hopelessly outdated. Its obvious disadvantages were its low speed and weak weapon. Unlike the Matilda II, the Valentine's armament was strengthened: in 1942, a turret for a 57-mm (6-pound) gun was developed. The turret was cramped and could only accommodate two people, which negatively affected the crew's efficiency. Talking about Valentine tank, it should be noted that about half of the vehicles built were sent under Lend-Lease to the USSR.

As for the British cruiser tanks, by the beginning of World War II they were still far from perfect and extremely unreliable. Moreover, this was typical for all technology of this class. The ancestors of cruising tanks were the vehicles of the American engineer Walter Christie.

The first-born among cruising tanks was the Vickers Mk I, produced in small series since 1934. It practically did not participate in the war, although a small number of these vehicles remained in service until 1941. The rest were taken to the rear and used as training ones.

An attempt to correct this deplorable situation was the Vickers Mk IV tank. The thickness of its armor was increased to 30 mm. This was done by welding additional sheets onto the tower and other vulnerable spots. This additional armor gave the Mk IV turret its unusual hexagonal shape, which was later adopted by the Covenanter cruiser tank. In addition, minor work was carried out to improve the chassis. The Mk IV became more combat-ready than its predecessors, but still broke down prohibitively often.

In 1940-1941, the British suffered serious defeats on almost all fronts. France, North Africa, Greece - everywhere British tanks lost to their opponents. Sometimes this was due to technical imperfections, sometimes due to incompetent commanders. I had to draw conclusions and take action.

In the second part of the article we will tell you how Britain's armored weapons developed further.

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Also in the “Media” section of our portal you can watch a video dedicated to British tanks.

Traditionally, the new research tree does not appear in the game completely, but in small portions. First of all, the British will acquire the main branches of research: heavy tanks up to level ten and medium tanks up to level nine.

At the second level, the research tree suddenly diverges in as many as three directions - which is also unusual for a "release" option - two of which lead to light tanks. One of the “light” branches will eventually lead the player to a level nine medium tank, and the tanks of the second suddenly gain weight when moving from the fourth level (light Valentine) to the fifth - where the already heavy Churchill I tank is located.

Armament in English

This is the essence of British tank building: take one model and begin to consistently produce improvements and enhancements based on it, carefully labeling them “Mk I”, “Mk II”, etc. New gun - new "Mk". New engine - perhaps a new "Mk", or sometimes a completely different name.

The situation with armament for tanks is somewhat similar: the three-pound (light Tetrarch) and six-pound guns (Churchill and medium Ram II, M7) already present in the game, we suspect, will haunt the player for a long time. But then they will inevitably be replaced by something more lethal: for example, the famous 17-pounder, which was originally installed on tanks specifically to fight the German Tigers and Panthers.

Naturally, the UK tank research tree will not be limited to two and a half branches of technology. As expected, self-propelled gunners - both artillerymen and anti-tank self-propelled guns. How can one manage in a virtual war without such a recognizable T28 and T95 tank destroyer, similar to the American “sloths”, A39 Tortoise, or simply “Turtle”. The ranks of the Shermans will also be replenished; fortunately, the United States supplied Great Britain with a sufficient number of these tanks of various modifications during the war...

British tanks British tanks

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 quite heterogeneous and different from each other, although the general tendency is the ability to inflict damage on the enemy 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 more detailed review UK 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 then you will surely survive to the end of the match on 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 in Britain that 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 weak points of enemies.

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

First heavy tank British, Churchill I at first may strongly resemble the aforementioned “Matilda” - but with the exception that his weapons are more powerful, and he himself 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 who relied on the headquarters ground forces England, who believed that the main purpose of tanks was direct support for 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. TO infantry tanks Tanks of the Matilda, Valentine and Churchill types were included, while cruiser tanks included the Crusader, Cromwell, and Comet. Thus, the inseparable combat qualities of a tank - armor protection and mobility - were artificially divided between two types of vehicles. 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;
• use of outdated design solutions and technological methods: vertical arrangement 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.
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.