All UK tanks. English tanks and armored vehicles of the Second World War. British medium tanks

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

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

Armament in English

This is the essence of British tank building: take one model and start consistently producing improvements and improvements on its basis, carefully marking 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 the armament of tanks is somewhat similar: the three- (light Tetrarch) and six-pound (Churchill and medium Ram II, M7) guns already present in the game, we suspect, will pursue the player for a long time. But after that 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, with some delay, self-propelled gunners will pull up on the battlefield - both artillerymen and anti-tank self-propelled guns. How can a virtual war do without such a recognizable and similar to the American "sloths" T28 and T95 tank destroyers A39 Tortoise, but simply "Turtles". The ranks of the Shermans will also be replenished, since the United States during the war supplied the UK with a sufficient number of these tanks of various modifications ...

british tanks british tanks

The symbol of British tank building in the years between the two world wars was the heavy five-turret tank A T Independent. This machine became the object of close attention of specialists from many countries and, no doubt, served as a prototype for the creation of the Soviet heavy tank T-35 and the German Nb.Fz

As you know, the British began building tanks back in the years of the First World War. By the end of it, they had numerous and institutionalized tank troops - the Royal Armored Corps (RAC) - the 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 the UK, a discussion has dragged on about the role and place of tanks in modern war. The uncertainty on this issue among the military hampered the development of appropriate tactical and technical requirements and the issuance of orders to industry. Played my part and geographical feature states - the British were not going 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. The most interesting ideas their creators either embodied in prototypes and experimental samples that remained unclaimed, or simply did not find application in their homeland.

The end of the disputes in the USSR and Germany about the role of tanks and the ensuing mass deployment of tank forces in these countries forced the British military to come out of hibernation. Starting around 1934, the development of armored vehicles in the UK intensified dramatically.

By this time, the views of the military leadership on the tactical use of tanks were also largely determined. In accordance with them in England, tanks were divided into three classes: light, infantry and cruising. Moreover, the concept of cruising tanks was formed later than others. At first, their functions were to be performed by the lungs. combat vehicles- fast and agile. The main task of the infantry tanks was the direct support of the infantry on the battlefield. These vehicles had limited speed and powerful 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 enough.

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

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

At the same time, unfolding fighting V North Africa revealed the huge need of the army for a reliable and full-fledged tank for independent armored formations. HVi 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 excellent ships, aircraft and cars could not achieve the necessary operational reliability of tank engines and chassis components 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, on the other hand, was increasingly acquiring the features of a universal one. Shortly after the end of World War II, the British abandoned the division of tanks into classes according to their purpose.

For the 1940s, the design and assembly technology of British tanks cannot be considered progressive. Hulls and turrets (if the latter were not cast in one piece) were assembled using bolts on frames or using a frameless method ("Valentine"). Welding was used extremely limited. 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.

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

British Tanks Challenger 1 Challenger belongs to the third post-war generation. He is further development and has been in development since the mid-1970s. Technical management military vehicles and equipment and firms oh Vickers. The prototype for it was the export Shir2, the design of which was finalized, thereby creating the Challenger I. From 1983 to 1989, 420 of these vehicles were manufactured for the British army. They were removed from service at the end of 2000, but since 1999 these tanks have been supplied to Jordan under the name ALHussein. A total of 303 units were sent.

UK Challenger tanks

"Challenger 1" - a tank of the classic layout. Combat weight 62 tons. The hull and turret are welded, made of Chobhem combined armor. The bottom of the hull has a V-shape to reduce the impact of anti-tank mines. In front of the machine is the control compartment. The fighting compartment and the tower occupy the middle part. Engine compartment in the aft. The turret has a 120mm L11A5 rifled gun. Pointing angles of the gun in the vertical plane from -10 to +20 degrees.

L11A5 120mm rifled gun, other tanks in the world use smoothbore guns

The ammunition load of 64 rounds of separate loading is located in the control compartment and in fighting compartment. To the right of the gun is a 7.62 mm machine gun coaxial with a cannon. The anti-aircraft machine gun is located above the hatch of the commander's cupola. The machine used an automated fire control system, consisting of a laser rangefinder sight and an electronic ballistic computer. If necessary, it is possible to fire from the commander's seat. There is also a laser irradiation indicator with a signal to the crew.
The motor-transmission unit weighing 5.49 tons is located in the stern. Typically field replacement only takes 45 minutes. The main engine is a 12-cylinder V-shaped Condor turbocharged diesel engine with a power of 1200 hp. There is also an auxiliary diesel engine with a capacity of 37 hp, which serves to drive the electric generator, start the main engine and recharge the batteries.

Tank Challenger 1 performed in leading role from Britain in the war Persian Gulf for Operation Granby

On "Challenger 1" for the first time, an automatic hydromechanical transmission with hydrostatic transmission was used in the drive of the turning mechanism. It allows you to smoothly turn the machine, which improves handling.

• Speed ​​- 56 km / h.
• Power reserve - 400 km.
• Tank suspension - unregulated hydropneumatic piston.

On each side, six double supporting and four double supporting rubberized rollers are installed. Caterpillar with metal and hinges and removable rubber pads.
The Challenger 1 has three modifications: Mk 1, Mk 2 and Mk 3. The Mk l tanks were equipped with a 120 mm L30 cannon, which included depleted uranium shells. On Mk 2 in the aft part there are two additional 200-liter external fuel tanks, on MkZ - an additional active and passive protection front and sides.

The Challenger 2 is the last of Britain's main battle tanks. Weighs 63 tons

Tank UK Challenger 2 developed by Vickers in 1988. It is a modernized Challenger 1, which has changed the design of the turret, gun and weapon control system. Serial production began in 1994. Now 386 tanks are in service with the British army, 38 are in service with the army of Oman.

Challenger 2 will remain in the British Army until 2035

Royal Scottish Dragoons guards regiment. Germany. 1998 color of the combat vehicle

The hull and turret of the Challenger 2 are made of second-generation Chobham combined armor. The turret was designed based on experience in the creation of the Mk7 and . Combat weight 62.5 tons.
The ammunition load of the L30A1 rifled gun includes armor-piercing sub-caliber shells with a depleted uranium core. Ammunition - 52 shells of separate loading.

Photo shot from CHALLENGER 2

Fire control system - upgraded computer american tankМ1А1 Abrams ("Abrams"), the commander's stabilized day sight is similar to that installed on French tank Leclerk, the gunner's main sight is also French with a laser rangefinder and a thermal imaging unit.

A thermal imager is located above the Challenger 2 barrel, it can be clearly seen in the photo. This allows the crew to see thermal images of any hotspots, vehicles, soldiers, etc.

Transmission is new, hydropneumatic suspension and chassis modernized. There are two external fuel tanks on the body. The engine is the same - Condor.

The 1200 horsepower Condor engine allows the tank to develop top speed 37 miles

A filter-ventilation unit and automatic fire fighting equipment have been installed. There are variants of command tanks.
Challenger 2, modified for hot climates, were delivered to Oman.

Challenger 2 on the background of burning oil wells Persian Gulf

The developer has created an export modification of the Challenger 2E, which is considered as an option for upgrading tanks in service with the British army.

Sep 25, 2016 Game guides

Tanks are the center World games of Tank Blitz. Understanding the differences between tanks and knowing which country's tanks are best for you is half the battle. In this guide, I will try to describe the English tank development tree in as much detail as possible, but at the same time I will not go to extremes and will not paint 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 develop your british tanks. If you would like to get acquainted with all the branches of the development of tanks in the game as a whole and in less detail, then try to refer to .

British tanks: an overview

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

British tanks are quite unique - they are very heterogeneous and different from each other, although the general trend is the ability to inflict big damage with one hit coupled with a slow reload - or use fast-firing guns with a high dispersion. Britain's tanks must be played carefully and scrupulously, counting each round and accurately predicting the trajectory of the enemy's movement. Want to be a sniper? Choose British tanks! Do you want to change the style of play depending on the class? Choose British tanks! Do you want to smash the enemy to pieces with unique shells in close combat? Choose British tanks! But it should be understood that such cool features will require you to concentrate as much as possible during the game - you simply won’t be able to relax and do anything if you want to win.

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

British light tanks

First light tank British in WoT: Blitz - Cruiser Mk. III. It is fast and has a variety of weapons - both a rapid-fire machine gun and an accurate penetration cannon, and a melee 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 bet on outflanking the enemy and quickly destroying the enemy - it is useless to rush into battle with many opponents and “enter the clinch”, throwing projectiles face to face with other tanks. The next Cruiser Mk. IV does not change its strategy much - despite a fairly solid front, its sides are still easily penetrated, but high speed and the choice of three top-end guns offset these shortcomings. The choice of Mk. IV features three cannons, of which one 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 easy enough to hit. After Cruiser Mk. IV follows the Covenanter, pushing the concept of "quick war" to the limit - it's nimble, fast and agile, and its guns deal a lot of damage. By itself, however, it is made of cardboard and is pierced by almost any projectile, which leads to frequent critical hits on modules and crew. If you want to quickly flank the enemy and kill him before he turns his guns on you, then 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 its guns are by no means as powerful as 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 everything lung. 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 blows.

British medium tanks

The first British medium tank is the Vickers Medium Mk. I. Many players do not like to fight on this tank very much - and there is an explanation for this: it is large and slow, and its armor is similar to paper in its protective properties. The perfect target for any accurate gun! At the same time, the main advantage of this tank is a large supply of health, so you should fight first of all with low-rank light tanks in order to have time to blow them up with land mines before they pierce your armor and kill the crew. Vickers Medium Mk. II is not too different - it's still the same big and cardboard tank, but this time armed with excellent guns that can pierce the enemy and deal great damage. Hide behind covers and support your allies, and then you will surely survive until the end of the match on the Vickers Mk. II! The last Vickers, Vickers Medium Mk. III, completes the "torment" with large and thin Vickers. The third model differs from the previous ones by the ability to install a rapid-fire gun that can accurately shoot enemies at any distance.

A long line of not very powerful Vickers is closed by the magnificent Matilda tank - this tank, unlike its predecessors, has thick armor on all sides and is able to quickly deal a lot of damage to enemies. This is the first British medium tank that can be used in a frontal attack without fear for your health! Unfortunately, it's not perfect in every way - it's slow and doesn't do much damage in one shot, but does that matter when your armor can withstand enemy hits and you can quickly pierce it with multiple projectiles in a row?

The next medium tank again returns to the “quick war” tactics already familiar from British light tanks - the fast and agile Cromwell can cross the entire map in a fairly short time, and its rapid-fire cannons with high level penetrations can cause a lot of problems to the enemy. Of course, there is a price for this - the armor of this tank is weak for its rank. Cromwell's follow-up to the Comet is a tank that's just as fast and agile, but has a solid turret that allows it to both play the role of a sniper in an ambush and flank enemies, inflicting amazing damage with a fast-firing cannon. The problems lie in the weak hull of the tank and the low penetration of its guns, so you always need to keep an eye on the environment and aim well at the enemy's weak points.

Centurion Mk. An I moving further turns into an ideal sniper rather than a fast scout - despite its weak hull and relatively large size, combined with low speed, its guns are the best for its rank. With a 20-pound gun on board, this tank is able to quickly aim at the enemy at any distance and also quickly destroy them with a couple of shots. Following after him Centurion Mk. 7/1 follows the principle of “same but stronger”, and is the same sniper, created 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 piercing 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 in view of this, you have to constantly move so as not to expose her to a blow. 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, but adds fuel to the fire monstrously low speed the first Churchill. However, its guns deal high damage quickly and pierce opponents well, so you can use your thick frontal armor and take out everyone in front of you without taking too much damage. The main thing is that your flanks are covered! The next Churchill VII after him fixes the thin armor of the flanks and becomes even stronger, turning into a real “tank”, capable of holding back a lot of opponents and taking fire. The damage dealt by his guns is not as high as it should be, and his movement speed is still as low as the first model, but he nullifies his shortcomings with his “thickness”.

This tank is followed by the Black Prince, whose tactics are practically the same - thick armor protects him from almost any opponents, but his low speed does not allow him to compete in battle with fast opponents. Its advantage over the previous model is more accurate and faster-firing guns - but the damage coming from them is extremely low and can only serve as an addition to the fire of the allies.

The further Caernarvon gets a bit faster and lighter (but don't expect the speed of even a medium tank), and in doing so, its armor gains multiple curves, allowing it to deflect enemy projectiles when positioned correctly. Otherwise, it is similar to the previous “Black Prince” and the tactics of battle on it remain the same – quickly aim, shoot quickly, deal constant damage and take hits on the frontal defense.

The next heavy tank, the Conqueror, is significantly different. He gains mobility while losing powerful armor, while being able to pierce enemies with explosive projectiles and blow them up from the inside without much trouble. Its gun is gorgeous - 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 to opponents with the help of Conqueror.

The last English heavy tank, the FV215b, differs in that it plays in much the same way as a medium tank - its weak hull armor and low speed do not allow it to move in the forefront, but a powerful turret makes it possible to shoot from behind cover without fear. At the same time, his cannon is extremely accurate, fast-firing and powerful, so that such support will always be a joy to any allies.

British tank destroyers

The first British tank destroyer is the 2nd rank Universal Carrier 2-pdr. Imagine a small cardboard box moving quickly between the bushes and releasing powerful piercing projectiles from itself. It will be 2-pdr. It is not easy to spot, and while you are looking for it, it can destroy many of your allies, but if you find it, then any projectile will tear it to shreds. Moreover, you can even try to ram him - most likely he will have enough. A huge difference is the Valentine AT following it - this slow and rather large tank destroyer is well protected and, if positioned correctly, is even impenetrable and is able to take out enemies with one shot from a large-caliber cannon, which, however, needs to be reloaded for a long time. 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 inconspicuous, and its cannon can destroy enemies with one shot, but at the same time, the problem of the thinnest armor is also accompanied by the problem with the accuracy of the gun - the chance to miss 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 big, but that doesn't stop him from dealing massive damage with his ultra-penetrating cannon while enemy projectiles fly off of him.

After him comes the Churchill Gun Carrier - this Churchill tank destroyer is an excellent sniper with features inherent in this role: maneuverability and armor are reduced in favor of a hefty, powerful and ultra-accurate gun with a fairly high rate of fire. Stand and destroy everyone you see, but be aware that the first enemy to sneak into your flank is likely to destroy you. Next, you will meet with AT 8 - almost a copy of the previous AT 2 with a boost in accuracy and rate of fire. The tactic is the same - conveniently position yourself at an angle to the enemies and shoot them one by one while they shower you with projectiles in vain. The same applies to the AT 7 following it - it is practically the same vehicle, but its gun 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 cannon is not located on the left, and it relies primarily on a high rate of fire and curved strong armor. The problem is that the tank has a lot weaknesses and when hitting 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 point of the “heavy” British tank destroyers is the rank nine Tortoise. “Turtle” has the thickest armor and deals the highest damage per minute, but it 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 last tank destroyer of this nation slightly departs from the “huge armor and hefty gun” model, focusing on the last part of this phrase - the FV215b (183) does not have such dense armor, but it does have an excellent turret with which you can defend yourself from attacks from the flank, and a cannon capable of inflicting over a thousand points of damage in a single shot. The main problem in a small number of shells is that you need to shoot as carefully as possible, otherwise you will quickly exhaust the ammunition and be defenseless against the advancing enemy. But if you do not miss, then the enemies will suffer and be afraid to lean out of cover.

Conclusion

We have covered almost everythingnon-premiumBritish tanks. Some models were considered in more detail due to their exclusivity and effectiveness, others were considered in less detail, as they are improved versions of their predecessors. After reviewing 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!

The pioneers in world tank building are the British, for this 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, the secretary of the defense committee, Colonel E. Swinton, proposed creating an armored tracked vehicle that could break through defense lines: cross trenches, trenches and barbed wire. The Minister of War did not react to the idea in any way, but the First Lord of the Admiralty (Naval Minister) W. Churchill supported the idea, and some time later the Land Ships Committee was created under the Naval Department.

The history of the development of British tanks by models

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

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

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

The first tanks were created exclusively to break through the defense and suppress enemy machine guns, which was facilitated by the special shape of the hull. It was a parallelogram with tracks along the outer contour to overcome vertical obstacles. It was like that.

Even after tangible successes from tanks in battle, the English military leadership considered their use to be of little promise, and only thanks to the real successes of the high-speed French Renault, the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bmass production of tanks captured the minds of military leaders. J. Fuller, later a well-known tank theorist, for example, advocated the mass creation of high-speed tanks.

English tanks of the First World War

There were several tank qualifications in the British forces of that time.

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

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

As for the doctrine of the use of tanks in battle, then the opinions of the military were divided into two halves. One half wanted to create and use purely "infantry" tanks, the second "cruising".

Infantry type - used for close 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 the infantry, lightly armored. On their shoulders, together with the cavalry, fell the task of quickly breaking through the defense, girths and raids on the rear of the enemy. The armament of both types was the same, mostly machine guns.

This concept of using tanks from the British survived until the start of World War II. If you delve deeper into it, you can see that tanks play an auxiliary role, the main tasks are solved by cavalry and infantry.

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

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

In the diaries of German soldiers and in official reports, there are many interesting facts. For example, due to the gas content inside the tanks, there were frequent cases of strangulation of the entire crew. Through the primitiveness of the suspension, the tanks created such a rumble that, in order to mask the movement of tank units, the British accompanied them with artillery cannonade. Because of the narrow tracks, there were cases when the tanks got 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 remained at the cannon abandoned by the servants, he, slowly, loading and shooting himself, destroyed 16 English tanks in order.

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

Be that as it may, the British with their tanks gave a new round of warfare, they transferred them to other speeds. Until the end of the war, they were the first in the world to create amphibious tanks and communication tanks.

Tanks between the great wars

the first World England finished as a leader in tank building, but very soon all the advantages came to naught.

Firstly, due to the fact that the types of tanks and their use were strictly separated: 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, rather than the land army.

The implementation of one of the tactical ideas of J. Fuller, by the way, almost all countries “got sick” with it, was the creation of mechanized infantry. For these purposes, the Cardin-Lloyd MkVI tankette was ideal. She, in her mass, according to the plan of the strategist, was supposed to play the role of an "armored skirmisher". Despite the fact that the tankette did not receive recognition in its homeland, although 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 compatriots was the Vickers - 6 tons. In world tank building, he played no less a role than Renault FT at one time. Lightweight 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 in the late 20s and early 30s were:

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

In anticipation of a big war, headquarters 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 the Italian attack on Ethiopia, the British leadership, anticipating the approach of the "big conflict" and understanding the inconsistencies in 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 implemented on the well-known wheeled-tracked base of the American inventor Christie, but using one propulsion unit.

In 1939, the production of the first (!) tank with anti-cannon armor began - the infantry A11 Mk I Matilda, later another tank would be called by this name. The speed of 13 km / h and machine gun armament made him a laughingstock. In general, during the period between the "great" wars, the designers of England 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, the armored vehicles of England were noticeably outdated. Neither in quality nor quantity could it equal the technology of the USSR and Germany. The total number of all tanks in the British army was about 1000 pieces, in greater mass lungs. The lion's share of which was lost in the battles for France.

During the war, British manufacturers were never able 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 new technology was rather mediocre, it was one step behind the German and Russian.

Mostly cruising and infantry tanks were produced, and a small number of light airborne ones.

After the famous post-war phrase of Churchill, the tanks of the whole world joined the arms race, and their development, in general, is similar to each other. Conqueror is being created to counter our IS. After the adoption in the world of the concept of the main battle tank released "Chieften". The third generation tank in England is the Challenger.

In addition to the main ones, after a long break, in 1972 they began to produce light tanks "Scorpion".