Modern British tanks. Tanks of Great Britain Challenger Challenger. Light tanks of Great Britain

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 infantry tanks In general, it was planned to equip only 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 guns of German Marder II anti-tank guns. 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.

Sep 25, 2016 Game guides

Tanks are the center of the game 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. It is fast and has a variety of weapons - a fast-firing machine gun, an accurate penetration cannon, and a close-quarters 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 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 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 it 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!

British tanks during the Second World War could not boast of serious tactical and technical characteristics. Most British combat vehicles were in many ways inferior to American, German and Soviet models in one way or another. British tanks were divided into infantry and cruiser tanks. The functions of the former included, as the name already implies, direct support of the infantry in the offensive, suppression of firing points, and jointly with the infantry deterring enemy counterattacks. These tanks were distinguished by serious armor for the start of the war and extremely low speed, which, however, was explained by the fact that they had to conduct an offensive in the ranks of the infantry and simultaneously with it. On the contrary, cruiser tanks had good dynamics, speed and mobility, but their armor was rather weak. These tanks could enter a breakthrough and develop an offensive behind enemy lines, threatening his communications, suddenly attack enemy units on the march, and encircle large enemy groups with the support of aviation, artillery and infantry. It was the cruising tanks that had much greater potential, but the British often used these tanks in the same way as infantry ones - only to support attacking units, scattering tanks along the front, while Germany clearly demonstrated what large, mobile and mobile tank formations.

Defeats in Europe and the disaster at Dunkirk

Before the start of the German offensive in the West, the British had 12 divisions and over 500 tanks in France, 9 of these 15 divisions were located in Belgium as part of the joint Anglo-French North-Eastern Front, which was supposed to cover this direction from a possible German attack. The English Expeditionary Force in France was armed with Matilda (Mark II), Cruiser (Mark IIA) and Cruiser (Mark IIIA) tanks armed with 40mm guns, more than half of which had excellent armor for 1940 and were difficult to hit by German tank guns. In addition, do not forget that many German tanks in the French campaign were still armed only with a machine gun (Pz.I and Pz.II).
The French also had an impressive tank fleet (more than 3,000 vehicles) - among which were the Somua medium and B1 heavy tanks. Their armor and armament were also not inferior to the German ones. The only thing in which the Anglo-French tanks were inferior to the German ones was speed. As for tactics, operational leadership, crew training and the will to win, in this the Germans clearly prevailed over the Allies. On May 10, 1940, German troops began a rapid advance through Belgium. The attack of the German mobile formations was aimed at bypassing the French Maginot Line. The coordinated actions of German tanks, aviation, artillery and infantry led to the defeat and surrender of the Dutch army on May 14. After which the Germans quickly crossed the Meuse River and their tank groups rushed to the west. On May 21, they reached the English Channel and were surrounded by over 50 Anglo-French divisions in the Dunkirk area. The defeated Belgian army also surrendered on May 28. Having suffered heavy losses and abandoned all remaining equipment to the enemy, the Anglo-French troops evacuated to England in early June.

See also:

British tanks in Africa

Initially, in Africa, the British were opposed by parts of the Italian army, the technical equipment of which left much to be desired - all Italian combat vehicles inferior to English models. When the first offensive of British troops in Africa against the Italian aggressors began in December 1940, the superiority of the British in technology made itself felt - the Italians retreated until the German command, which decided to help its ally, transferred a corps to Africa under the command of General Rommel. The counterattack of this corps, which has initial stage there were only 120 tanks, drove the British back to the Egyptian border and surrounded their base in Tobruk.
In November 1941, the British launched a retaliatory offensive, the goal of which was nothing less than the defeat of Rommel's entire tank group and a decisive turning point in the African campaign. Having twice more tanks than the enemy, the British failed to carry out their grandiose plan. Rommel maneuvered his tank formations, regrouped the scattered units and threw them into battle again, preventing the British from achieving a decisive advantage. Nevertheless, the Italo-German troops had to retreat further and further. In May 1942, Rommel decided to launch a powerful counterattack with all available forces, despite the lack of fuel and ammunition. The British command had approximately 900 tanks, which meant an almost threefold superiority over Rommel's advancing troops. Nevertheless, success initially accompanied Germany. Only at El Alamein was the German offensive decisively stopped. The German losses were enormous, Rommel had only about 50 tanks left, but despite the critical supply situation, the Germans resisted for a long time. The British force in Africa was constantly growing, while German reserves were drying up, there were no reinforcements, and supplies were terrible. The number of tanks the British had by the end of the African campaign, which ended with the surrender of the Italo-German troops in May 1943, had already exceeded a thousand, while Germany, shackled by the war against the USSR, could not help the African corps in any way.

Tank production in England during the war

The rate of tank production in the pre-war years in England was very low. In many sources, this is sometimes explained by the fact that in the British War Ministry there were many opponents of the development of tank forces. Some officials considered the development of tanks a waste of the budget. As a result, the British nevertheless came to the conclusion that it was necessary to produce tanks of two different options- infantry and cruising. By 1938, the British industry, according to the plan, was to produce over 600 cruiser and about 370 infantry tanks. However, it was actually possible to produce thirty cruising
and sixty infantry tanks, which was simply incredibly small considering the approaching war. A year later, the British replenished their tank fleet with just over 300 combat vehicles different types. And yet this was catastrophically not enough. Britain faced the war without even a thousand tanks. In addition, most of the available tanks were light. For almost the entire war, the British made tanks that were quite unsuccessful, both in terms of design and reliability. At the final stage of the war, the main enemy of the countries Anti-Hitler coalition- Germany already had such a serious superiority in tanks over Britain that it is not possible to name an English tank that could compare in combat value with the German Tigers or Panthers. During the war years, British industry produced 24 thousand tanks and approximately 4 thousand self-propelled guns. In the production of self-propelled guns and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, the chassis of outdated tanks was often used. Many British tanks, produced in 1939 - 1945, never made it to the front and only served in the rear as training vehicles for training crews and developing tank operating skills.

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 hold 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 inconsistency 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 serial tanks it 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, the headquarters of the ground forces, back in the late 20s, insisted on the creation and production of 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 laughing stock. 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.


Hello, fellow tankers! Today we will look at British branch of tank development(V game World of Tanks), or rather, I will describe to you all its pros and cons in as much detail as possible from my point of view and, perhaps, help you decide on the choice of nation.

Popularity of British tanks in World of Tanks

Tanks for battle, gentlemen! For the queen! The following phrases have become firmly embedded in many people's thoughts about Britain. After the update with the introduction of British equipment, it became the most popular (which usually happens after the introduction of new tanks - their popularity increases sharply against the background of other equipment). Although the British tanks are not particularly different from other tanks, they still found their admirers (although there are a couple of vehicles that deserve attention and are very individual in the game). Top cars- the most popular, as well as many others, but the brightest of them are anti-tank self-propelled artillery mounts.

Advantages and disadvantages of British tanks

At first glance, it may seem that British tanks do not have any features or significant differences from the equipment of other nations. This is not entirely true. There are features, but they are extremely poorly balanced due to the historical purpose of tanks in England. The most striking advantage of the technology is its “English” accuracy. To find out the pros and cons of the technology, let’s dive into the history of British tank building and why they were needed in the first place.

A little history

The navy in England was the best developed (due to its geographical location of this state), and besides the fleet, few areas were developed. Then the British command thought about developing heavy vehicles to cover infantry in battle (back during the First World War). Having built the first tanks and successfully used them in battle, it was decided to develop this industry. The first tanks of the Second World War had a narrow purpose: breaking through fortifications and attacking behind enemy lines. Therefore, tanks with high armor were used for a breakthrough, and for “rear wars” they were used "cruising" tanks. Cavalry (cruising) tanks are fast tanks with light armor and small guns, designed to quickly penetrate enemy lines and cause damage through surprise attacks. The most typical representatives of this class of tanks are the British branch of light tanks.

Now let's return to the advantages and disadvantages, based on historical significance.

  • A definite plus we can say that in the “cruising” sense the British achieved their goal: Covenanter, Crusader, Cromwell, Comet are ideal for entering the rear at speed and cutting out enemy artillery. The advantages include frontal armor some vehicles (such as Black Prince, Matilda, Valentine and almost all British anti-tank self-propelled guns). Medium tanks have worse armor, but some tilt gives a chance of not being penetrated, and the turret can traditionally take a good hit. The British also have good guns: They have good armor penetration, fast aiming and a not too long reload. Some machines have mobility, speed and maneuverability. British tanks have good visibility.
  • On to the cons applies one-time damage per shot, because it is very small (except for high explosives and the top tank destroyer FV215b (183)). Some of the equipment has poor hull armor. The huge disadvantages of heavily armored British tanks are speed, maneuverability and extensive “soft” points that are easily accessible for penetration.

General

The technique is divided into 4 initial branches WoT development: tank destroyers, light tanks (full high-speed “cruising” line), light tanks (up to heavy tanks) and medium tanks (up to heavy tanks).

Fri-Sau

British anti-tank installations famous for their armor, as well as good rapid-fire and penetrating guns. You can get a lot of pleasure from breaking through them and armoring them at any level of battles, but be very indignant at their speed. In general, it can be said that the British tank builders achieved their goals when they built these vehicles as indestructible fortification destroyers. They are difficult to penetrate and have rapid-fire guns, so dealing with such machines in close combat will be problematic for many players, and at long distances it will be difficult to target weak spots. However, with their low speed, British anti-tank installations become a tasty target for enemy artillery. The most interesting and popular models are AT 2, Valentine AT, Alecto and FV215b (183).

"Cruising" light tanks

Light tanks of Britain of initial levels (and all tanks of Britain up to level 4 are real cardboard). Light tanks of the initial levels are completely similar to each other on both branches. They are lightly armored, have the same equipment and the same guns. Despite their armor, light tanks have penetrating cannons and also have a Pom-Pom cannon, which fires two shells, each of which comes in a doublet. "Cruising" light tanks reach Cromwell, and starting from there are medium tanks. The Cromwell has excellent dynamics and a good gun, extremely weak armor, and after it come less agile vehicles with better guns. The worst tank on this line is probably the Comet, which has neither armor nor normal speed, not a good gun (disgusting penetration of 148 units).

Light tanks (up to heavy tanks)

In general, they are very similar to “cruising” light tanks, i.e. they are also “cruising”, but they lead to heavy vehicles. They have worse armor compared to the first branch of light tanks, but otherwise they are exactly the same. At the fourth level, the Valentine comes across on the way (which many do not stay for long) and from the fifth level the branch of British heavy tanks begins. It starts with the Churchill I heavy tank. The tank has a good gun. It is accurate, penetrating, quite rapid-fire and deals good damage. The tank has good armor(in no way comparable to Lend-Lease Churchills), but low speed.

Medium tanks

Although they are average, they are still poorly armored. These tanks have mediocre dynamics, slanting, but penetrating and damaging guns. They are only interesting in everything because of their guns. At the fourth level we get a well-armored Matilda tank, which is too tough for even some fifth levels. Matilda has two good guns to choose from. One is a high explosive, and the other is a rapid fire hole puncher. At the fifth level we again come to heavy tank Churchill I.
Heavy tanks of Britain are well armored in the front, have good guns (except for the Black Prince) and feel good in battles with same-level “classmates”.

Bottom line

To summarize, we can say that British tanks are good for experienced players , because a beginner will not be able to understand the whole point (if, of course, it is available somewhere other than anti-tank self-propelled artillery installations). It’s a good idea to upgrade British vehicles to level 8-10 in order to simply ride in random battles, without much encroachment on the “formidable bend” or anything else like that. They just ride it, so to speak, for fun (again, except for the tank destroyer, that’s a different story). It’s worth mentioning British anti-tank self-propelled guns, because... its armor and guns are terrifying to many players and ride them like breakthrough tanks. So far the British are deprived of artillery, but, I hope, not for long. We should not forget about the “English” precision of the guns, and therefore many French “artillery enthusiasts” may be interested in new artillery that certainly meets English standards for accuracy.

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