British tanks. British tanks and armored vehicles of the Second World War. British tanks: an overview

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, later than others, the concept was formed namely cruiser tanks. 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 V North Africa identified the army's great 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.

A century ago, the British Army pioneered the use of tanks in warfare, but the strength of its current armored force has been greatly weakened and changed. What are their current state and plans for the future? Since graduation Cold War The British Ministry of Defense was one of many to take the liberty of declaring that there would be little need for main battle tanks (MBTs) in modern operational space.

This government position prompted a dramatic reduction in the number of tanks in the British Army and the crews on which they could serve, from 14 regiments (the British equivalent of a battalion) to total number tanks from approximately 1000 tanks in the late 80s to three regiments in accordance with the current army modernization program Army 2020.

Today, these regiments have sufficient tanks and trained crews to ensure that each of them can deploy a squadron (the British equivalent of a company) - approximately 18 tanks - in support of the leading LATF (Lead Armored Task Force) armored task force. This group, after receiving the order, must move out within 30 days.

Once the current cycle of transformation is completed, the time frame for fielding a full brigade, including 56 tanks, will generally be 90 days.

At the Castlemartin training ground in Wales, the British Army's Challenger 2 tank fires a short-range armor-piercing sub-caliber practical projectile. Live firing remains the key to maintaining a high level of combat training and crew coherence

Over the past 25 years, British armored forces have demonstrated their capabilities twice. The first demonstration took place in 1990-1991, when the reckless decision was made to send two armored brigades (including three Type 57 tank regiments with 171 Challenger 1 tanks) to liberate Kuwait as part of Operation Granby.

Later in 2003, two regiments of Challenger 2 tanks (and some elements of a third regiment) were to be hastily deployed to Iraq in Operation Telic 1. Their number was later reduced to one squadron, which remained in this theater of operations until the end of Operation Telic 13 in 2009.

Despite a request made in 2006, the British Army did not deploy to Afghanistan in Operation Herrick. However, since 2007, British forces in Helmand have often called upon the support of their allies' tanks: a platoon of three Danish Leopard 2A5DK tanks; corps tank companies Marine Corps US M1A1 Abrams; and between 2006 and 2011, a reinforced squadron of Leopard 2A6CAN and Leopard C2 tanks from the neighboring province of Kandahar.

Ultimately, the representation of heavy British armored vehicles Since 2010, Afghanistan has been limited to three Trojan clearance vehicles (an engineering version of the Challenger 2 tank) and two Challenger CRARRV armored recovery vehicles stationed in Helmand province.

Since the middle of the last decade, the British Army has been largely focused on peacekeeping operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has led to a corresponding reduction in combat training (in the form of tactical exercises and armored maneuvers) of the remaining combined arms formations in the UK and Germany.

However, the capabilities of the armored forces were supported by the participation of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in basic training for hybrid warfare (the concept of the “war of three quarters”, the essence of which is that in a relatively small urban area one unit will be forced to conduct both combat operations and a peace enforcement operation and a peacekeeping operation), which all combat units have already undergone.

A New Look

According to the five-year review strategic defense and Security, published in 2010, and the final structure of the British Army 2020 program, each of the three remaining tank regiments (equivalent to battalions) was assigned to one of the three motorized infantry brigades rapid response, part of the 3rd division. (The army includes eight more combat brigades: the 16th air assault brigade and seven infantry brigades subordinate to the 1st Division, none of which have attached armored units.)

Each tank regiment has its own name: the King's Royal Hussars (KRH), the Queen's Royal Hussars (QRH) and the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR). In addition, the expanded order of battle includes one reserve regiment, the so-called Royal Wessex Yeomanry, which provides all three regular tank regiments with spare tank crews, but does not have a single tank of its own.

All three regiments are armed with , which was originally developed in the late 80s by Vickers Defense Systems (currently BAE Systems). BAE Systems supplied in 1994-2002 total 386 production vehicles; Current plans call for some of them to remain in operation until 2035.

An upgraded weapon system based on the Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun and a number of improvements to the chassis and fire control system were approved early last decade for the Challenger 2 tank as part of a proposed capability extension program, but due to funding problems it was withdrawn in 2008 stopped. In 2012, a capability extension program was included in the Challenger 2 tank life extension program, which will upgrade or replace various subsystems of the tank. In accordance with the service life extension program, 227 Challenger 2 tanks will undergo modernization.

A separate financing scheme adopted for the improvement and maintenance of standard ammunition, today allows for only such minimally costly restoration and modernization measures as are necessary to extend the shelf life of existing stocks. The depots stock ammunition that is at least 25 years old and is not currently manufactured in the UK. No type of standard ammunition is compatible with modern standards for insensitive (inert) ammunition.

Renaissance

The first tangible change in the fortunes of British armored forces came in 2012, when the troop drawdown of Operation Herrick, publicly announced before the British withdrawal in December 2014, allowed these units to avoid returning to Afghanistan and focus on their combat training for future missions.

The first tank regiment to return from its last Afghan tour in October 2012 was KRH, which operated there as the lead unit for the Lashkar Gah battle group. Having no tanks in this theater of operations, it mainly performed dismounted infantry tasks using mine-protected Mastiff 6x6 vehicles and Warthog all-terrain tracked transporters.

Battlegroup level Prairie Storm combined arms training exercises, held at British Base BATUS in Canada, allow British tank crews and infantry units to practice working with their support teams, including an engineer squadron dedicated to making passages in minefields. In the photo, an extended Python mine clearance charge, fired from a Trojan engineering tank, detonates, thereby allowing the passage of Battle Group 1 Yorks

After the necessary recovery and combat training, two KRH tank squadrons ("C" and "A") were successfully assigned to support the intermediate armored group, the lead armored battle group LABG (lead armored battlegroup) and later the lead armored task force LATF deployed by its the head 12th armored brigade. Since late 2013, this brigade has been responsible for special missions (which theoretically include combat operations). It was decided that it would be replaced by the 1st Motorized Infantry Brigade in January 2016, which in turn would be replaced by the 20th Motorized Infantry Brigade in January 2017.

Currently, the British army is in an intermediate state, more precisely in the process of transitioning from old structures to new ones, changing areas of responsibility, changing the location of its bases and auditing military equipment. That is why the 12th Motorized Infantry Brigade was not relieved on time, and its combat duty was extended by 18 months. However, as soon as the “perestroika” turbulence calmed down, it became possible to establish a standard duration of readiness (12 months for a brigade and 6 months for a combat group), considered optimal for maintaining “correct performance of duty” in accordance with the revised adaptive mechanism for the operational readiness of combat units within Army 2020 (A-FORM) program, introduced in 2015.

The 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade entered its "training" year in early 2015, and its established RTR tank regiment, which provides armored capabilities for the brigade, began joint combat training in the UK and Canada (joint combat training level 4/CT4). .

The 20th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which will be the last to leave Afghanistan, is currently undergoing rehabilitation and reorganization at its bases in Germany and the UK and will begin combat duty in 2017. By 2020, the last unit of this brigade, including the QRH, should finally (after almost 70 years) leave Germany and return to its home base in the UK along with other units of the 3rd (British) Division stationed in the Bulford/Tidworth area.

Feels like home at the training ground

In May-June 2015, live firing of Tank Squadron "C" KRH took place at the Castlemartin Artillery Range and platoon level tactical exercises (CT1) at the Salisbury Plain training area.

At basic levels, the essence of joint combat training (the ranges and target mix of British artillery ranges have not changed significantly in the past 40 years) remains traditional, although some changes may be worth making.

Since the end of the Second World War, British tank regiments have typically had three tanks per platoon, but the Army 2020 program adopted a four tanks per platoon structure. This provides greater organizational flexibility and combat redundancy, allowing each platoon to potentially perform more missions when divided into pairs, as well as being closer to the combat training of American and German tank platoons.

There are four training grounds in the UK where fire training with live firing is possible. These are Castlemartin, Kirkcudbright, Lulworth and Salisbury Plain, but none of them yet follow the completely new platoon structure.

The Castlemartin range has enough directrixes for the simultaneous operation of four Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, but the limitations of the firing sectors along the length make it difficult to conduct live firing at the platoon level of four Challenger 2 tanks. Due to the future installation of a new 40 mm gun on the upgraded Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, motorized infantry units and new Scout vehicles from reconnaissance units will also require improvements to these shooting ranges. This is the concern of the army headquarters, which keeps this issue under control.

While in the past there were many complaints regarding limitations on kilometers traveled, practical ammunition or fuel reserves, this is now not much of an issue for a tank squadron. This may be due to the fact that the existing stocks of spare parts and ammunition were at one time intended to provide significantly more more Challenger 2 tanks than the British Army currently needs for deployment.

The recent increase in politico-military activity in the Baltics brings with it the need to demonstrate the competence of the British Armored Expeditionary Capability and this will no doubt also be useful in resolving any such problems that impede the planning and execution process.

The 12th LABG's first expeditionary test was Exercise Black Eagle, held in Poland in October 2014. In the background is a Challenger 2 tank, crewed by KRH "C" Squadron, working in tandem with a Polish Army Leopard 2A4 tank. During the exercises, a methodology for the early reactivation of tanks in long-term storage was developed and consolidated. Interestingly, the British tank does not have the usual camouflage cape.

In order to complete the so-called annual crew test (ACT), the crew of the Challenger 2 tank can count on firing 83 rounds of ammunition from the main armament of the tank, as well as 2,940 rounds of ammunition from the 7.62 mm machine gun. IN academic year(every three years) crews also conduct platoon-level live fire assessments, during which an additional 42 cannon rounds and 1,200 7.62mm machine gun rounds can be fired.

Before the start of live firing, personnel undergo intensive simulator training (including 20 exercises for gunner operators and 4 or 5 exercises for the crew as a whole, including annual comprehensive testing) in their unit. The targeting procedure is performed at the crew level (in simulators and on the range) and then at the platoon level as part of joint combat training.

The distance to targets fired from tank guns (mostly static tank hulls) at the Castlemartin training ground is 3 km or less, while for secondary weapons the maximum distance is about 1100 meters (tracer burn-up time). The gunner's and commander's gun hit percentage during the annual ACT must be at least 75%; the same standard applies when firing from a coaxial machine gun (7.62 mm L94A1 Chain Gun), but in the latter case the standard exercise consists of firing three bursts of five rounds (one sighting and two “kill”) on one target. Shooting from a coaxial machine gun is considered more difficult from a technical point of view, although even if you take a separate L94A1 machine gun, its dispersion characteristics are considered by some to be “too insufficient” for suppressive fire.

One of the “legacies” of Afghanistan was the assignment of one forward aircraft gunner to each company (in the 80s there were only three gunners per brigade). As a result, squadrons of Challenger 2 tanks are now accompanied by a modified version of the Warrior artillery observation vehicle, which houses the fire support team commander along with a forward observer and a forward air gunner, coordinating with jets or attack helicopters

Original Challenger weapons 2 and fire control system requirements previously specified that the crew must be able to fire the L30A1 rifled 120mm cannon with separate ammunition at a rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute. However, the need for this kind of long-term firing will not arise very often: in a series of standard tests, one tank, as a rule, will need to fire within 55 seconds at five targets (including one for a machine gun), placed at random azimuths and distances in the sector more than 120°.

According to one of the squadron officers, creating the right “atmosphere” and crew interaction in the turret is the key to success in combat.

Upon graduation from Armored Forces Center, a crew member typically starts as a driver, then is promoted to gunner and loader operator, and eventually to vehicle commander with the award of a multi-specialty training certificate.

In addition to his main function of providing the main and auxiliary weapons with ammunition, the loader also serves as a radio operator and fires from a 7.62 mm universal machine gun mounted next to the hatch; it also makes a significant contribution to target acquisition for the gunner operator and commander. The driver also contributes to short-range targeting by taking advantage of his day and night vision devices with a wider forward field of view; it can also help the loader by counting the number of shots remaining in the magazine, thereby ensuring that when firing at a target the shells will not run out at the most crucial moment.

Commanders tank crews are either in the rank of corporal (junior sergeant), sergeant (at the age of 22-25 occupying the place of loader, or older in the case of a platoon sergeant), or officer (platoon commander, deputy squadron commander, squadron commander and in an armored combat group, unit commander) . Having completed 44 weeks of general officer training at the Royal Military College ground forces at Sandhurst, armored officers attend a six-month crew chief course at the Armor Center at Bovington, where they are trained in driving, gunnery, communications and tactics. Platoon corporals who have passed through the ranks of non-commissioned officers attend the same courses.

After completing the mandatory educational training required to qualify for the ACT, new officers initially assume the position of platoon leader under the supervision of their more experienced drill sergeant. After the new platoon commander has undergone joint training in tactics and combined arms combat at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) training base in Canada, his dependence on the supervising drill sergeant may be noticeably reduced (depending on the qualities of the newly minted officer).

As a result, a candidate for the position of officer can already command soldiers just two years after joining military service. (For example, in the German Army, a newly appointed tank officer can take up a position in his battalion no earlier than 79 months after the start of his military career.)

Decisive test

Achievements in the field simulation modeling allow significant savings, including on ammunition consumption. At the same time, live firing still remains the most important part of the educational process; they confirm practical skills in materiel and gunnery and allow for system performance checks and annual testing of the ACT crew.

The ACT score is determined to a greater or lesser extent by to a lesser extent operational parameters of the tank systems and, as it ages, the degree of their “looseness” in the turret, especially the control system. As the crews undergo their tests, they begin to understand that much depends on the efficiency and coordinated operation of all the systems of a particular tank and that their readiness and the readiness of their commanders to carry out combat missions depends on this.

By the end of the training, all 18 Tank Squadron "C" crews passed their ACT tests. The squadron commander, Major Peter Pirone, said that "C Squadron now has confidence in each of its 18 tanks." This is a significant improvement compared to 2014, when the squadron had only 14 tanks at its disposal, and the crews of only three tanks showed sufficient combat training and met ACT standards.

Shelter

As part of the Army Fleet Management Programme, which has been gradually introduced by the British Ministry of Defense over the past ten years to all registered Vehicle, Challenger tanks 2 of the three squadrons, as a rule, remain in long-term storage at the army equipment depots in Ashchurch. The storage conditions there allow the tanks to be kept in working order, but if contracts are awarded, the industry will be able to modernize them in accordance with the agreed plan and standards without negative influence for planned combat training of units.

Although this approach has not met with general approval, "collectivization" or pooling of this kind has its advantages in terms of significant savings, as well as the impact on the coordination of military actions. This gives regiment personnel who are unable to work with their tanks the “room for maneuver” necessary to improve their individual skills, that is, the opportunity to leave the unit, enroll in courses and improve their professional level. As one officer put it, “The regiment cannot go full throttle forever, otherwise it will not be able to do the extra work required of it while maintaining its entire fleet.”

The commander of the tank squadron currently serving as the armored component of the leading LABG armored battle group, Major Piroun noted that, unlike his colleagues in the other two tank squadrons ("A" and "B"), he "owned" only 18 tanks, which are held in position as part of the regiment's base unit. This basic unit typically consists of 20 tanks, with two additional tanks serving as spare vehicles in case of breakdown and also as reserve vehicles for training.

The Challenger 2 TES tank, designated Megatron, was created by the armored vehicle development and testing group for urban operations in Iraq. Note the system of suppressors for improvised explosive devices (similar to a bird feeder), the remote-controlled Enforcer combat module installed on the loader's hatch, as well as the electronic signature control systems installed in the front. CoolCam plastic mesh draped over upper surfaces tank, reduces heating from sunlight.

The KRH Hussars have half the vehicle spaces at their base at Tidworth, which has 'garage' capacity for 72 tanks, with the remaining 36 spaces allocated to the RTR. The latter is also tasked with providing a tank squadron for the LABG 1st Brigade Combat Team, that is, providing reinforcement to the base unit with additional tanks so that the second squadron can carry out required firing or tactical training or preparation for large exercises.

The Challenger 2 tank must be kept in a secure hangar (whether for long-term storage or military use) even if it is not equipped with electronics and additional armor in accordance with the Theater Entry Standard (TES) upgrade. In this regard, it is unique, but similar restrictions will apply to the promising Scout vehicle, which should replace the eight Scimitar vehicles in service with the reconnaissance group of each regiment.

Current plans provide for the redeployment of the third armored regiment QRH from its “home” base in Germany also to the base in Tidworth and in this case difficulties may arise when placed in existing hangars with a capacity of 72 tanks; Moreover, there will definitely be no additional places to accommodate the promising Scout vehicle. However, as one of the officers said, “new funding will make it possible to build appropriate hangars in Tidworth to accommodate base units all three armored regiments."

The operational readiness of base unit tanks is also increased due to the greater availability of squadron mechanics and mobile regimental repair shops. Tank crews also contribute, enthusiastically using unofficial means. Major Piroun cited as an example a simple vacuum cleaner (it is extremely popular among German tank crews and artillerymen), which “fastidious crews” can use in the field to keep the armored space and turret systems relatively clean, and, most importantly, allows you to get rid of annoying sand.

To be continued…

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 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 lower than the characteristics of German tanks. Self-propelled artillery, as in the US Army, was divided into field, anti-tank and anti-aircraft. However, the number of self-propelled units produced by the English industry was small and amounted to approximately 800 vehicles.

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.

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

For a long time, the prevailing opinion among the British military was that reconnaissance should be carried out by wheeled armored vehicles (BRM - “combat reconnaissance vehicle”, English Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance). However, in the mid-60s, when armor based on aluminum alloys appeared, it became possible to create a lightweight air-transportable tracked vehicle using automotive components and assemblies, which significantly reduced the cost and speeded up production. In 1964, the Elvis company began creating such a tank.

In 1968, the first samples successfully passed tests, and in 1972 it was put into service under the name "Scorpio" FV-101. The car uses a commercial 6-cylinder liquid-cooled petrol engine "Jaguar" with a power of 195 hp. With. The transmission is mechanical, planetary with a differential rotation mechanism. The gearbox provides 7 forward and reverse gears. The design of the transmission is similar to that of the Chieftain, but is significantly smaller in size and weight. Individual torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers on the front and rear units.