Tanks on the Battle field, Of WW2 Check it out Options

[Spartan]

The Panzerkampfwagen IV (PzKpfw IV), more commonly referred to as the Panzer IV, was a tank developed by Nazi Germany and used extensively in WW2. It was designed initially as an infantry-support medium tank, to work in conjunction with the anti-tank crews. Later in the war, it was up-gunned and up-armored, and took over the tank-fighting role. The Panzer IV was the most common German tank of World War II, and was used as the base for many other fighting vehicles, such as tank destroyers and self-propelled antiaircraft guns. By the end of the war nearly 9000 had been built.




Panzer III
n 1936 german industry passed to develope a true battle tank using the experiences got with the previous panzers. Panzer III Ausf. E (Sd.Kfz. 141), armed with a 37mm L46 gun (muzzle speed of 762 m/s), appeared in less than a hundred (previous III models included) during the polish campaign. Circa 300 Panzer III were ready for French campaign, too few to fill the Panzerdivisionen's order of battle and so being often replaced by the light PzKpfw 38(t)s, 35(t)s and IIs; this last operation proved the "foolness" of using 37mm gun against the heavy armored tanks such as the Char B1-bis or the british Matildas. A handful of new Ausf. F, armed with 50mm L42 KwK 38 was tested in the final days of the campaign. Ausf. Fs and heavier armored Ausf. Gs formed the bulk of General Rommel's Afrika Korps when it landed in Libya on 28th February 1941 for reinforcing the Italian anti-tank defence. Experience on the field proved necessity of better tropicalization in both engine filters and turret ventilation.





Sherman M4
In March 1941 the U.S army decided it needed a new tank to replace the Grant M2A1. After looking at five different proposals the Sherman M4 was chosen. Production began early in 1942. The original armament was a 75mm gun capable of firing high explosive shells. Its 500hp engine had a maximum speed of 26mph. This was replaced by a 76mm high-velocity gun in February 1944. The tank's suspension was redesigned and improved by the beginning of 1945.

Although inferior to the best German and Soviet tanks in armament and protection, it was superior in terms of reliability, serviceability and cost-effectiveness. The British army used the Sherman Tank at El Aleman in 1942 and by 1943 was the mainstay of Allied operations in Africa and Europe.

No picture available. sry guys

Like last time i want u guys to do a lil reaserch.

[FeezyWeezy]

PzKpfw 6 / Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E / Tiger I

Link to the full story! <<<


Originally developed under the name Pzkw VI Ausf. H the tank was redesigned as Ausf. E (Ausführung Ger. "version") in March 1943. The tank was also known as the Mark VI-E, Panzer VI-E, PzKpfw VI-E or Sd.Kfz. 181 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 181), although in general it was commonly known as the Tiger I or simply the Tiger.

The Tiger I was in use from late 1942 until the German surrender in 1945. It was given its nickname by Ferdinand Porsche. The design served as the basis for other armoured vehicles, including the Tiger II, or King Tiger tank, and the Sturmtiger self-propelled gun.

The Tiger's crew training manual, the Tigerfibel, became a souvenir item after WWII.


The Tiger differed from earlier German tanks principally in its design philosophy. The German tanks that preceded the Tiger balanced mobility, protection, and firepower. They were sometimes outgunned by their opponents, but greatly superior German tactics offset this disadvantage.

The Tiger I represented a new approach that emphasized firepower and armour at the expense of mobility. Design studies for a new heavy tank had been started in the late 1930s, without any production planning. The real impetus for the Tiger was provided by the quality of the Soviet T-34. Although the general design and layout were broadly similar to the previous medium tank, the Panzer IV, the Tiger weighed more than twice as much. This was due to its substantially thicker armour, the larger main gun, and the consequently greater volume of fuel and ammunition storage, larger engine, and more solidly-built transmission and suspension. The Tiger I had front armour up to 102 mm thick, as opposed to the 80 mm front armour of contemporary models of the Panzer IV, with 80 mm on the sides and back. This was very effective at stopping anti-tank rounds of most WWII tank guns at common engagement distances especially from the front. At closer ranges and on the sides, the tank was more vulnerable. Its roof armour was 25 mm or 40 mm thick, similar to most medium tanks of the day.

Armour plates were mostly flat, with interlocking construction. The weld joints were also of high quality, being stepped and welded rather than riveted. A petrol engine in the rear drove front sprockets, which were mounted quite low on the vehicle. The suspension used torsion bars, similar to the Panzer III. The turret had a full circular floor basket with 157 cm headroom. The gun breech and firing mechanism were derived from the famous German "88" dual purpose flak gun. The 88 mm Kwk 36 L/56 gun was the variant chosen for the Tiger and was, along with the Tiger II's 88 mm Kwk 43 L/71, one of the most effective and feared tank guns of WW2. The Tiger's gun had a very flat trajectory and extremely accurate Zeiss TZF 9b sights. In British war-time firing trials, five successive hits were scored on a 16"x18" target at a range of 1,200 yards. Tigers were reported to have knocked out enemy tanks at ranges greater than a mile (1,600 m), although most WW2 engagements were fought at much closer range.

The size of the Tiger forced the introduction of new and complex technologies, giving the engineers a series of technical challenges which were never entirely surmounted. The eleven-ton turret had a hydraulic motor powered by mechanical drive from the engine; even so, a full rotation took about a minute. The tank had triple interleaving road wheels, giving a better cross country ride, but also making maintenance more difficult. The steel and rubber wheels were mounted on sixteen independent interleaved torsion bar axles, leading on one side and trailing on the other. The interleaving wheels gave a relatively soft and stable ride for such a large vehicle. This complex system had a number of drawbacks; one was that the wheels could become packed with mud or snow that could then freeze. The Soviets discovered this and on occasion timed their attacks in the early morning, when the Tigers were more likely to be immobilized.

The tracks were an unprecedented 725 mm wide. To meet rail-freight size restrictions, the outer row of wheels had to be removed, and narrower 520 mm tracks installed.

The tank was too heavy for most bridges, so it was designed to ford four-metre deep water. This required unusual mechanisms for ventilation and cooling. Submersion required perhaps 30 minutes of preparation. The turret and gun had to be locked in the forward position so they could be sealed.

Another new feature was the hydraulically-controlled pre-selector gearbox and semi-automatic transmission. The extreme weight of the tank also meant a new steering system. Instead of the clutch-and-brake designs of lighter vehicles, a variation on the British Merritt-Brown single radius system was used. The Tiger's steering system was of twin radius type, meaning that two different, fixed radii of turn could be achieved at each gear, the smallest radius on the first gear was four metres. Since the vehicle had an eight-speed gearbox, it thus had sixteen different radii of turn. If a smaller radius was needed, the tank could be turned by using brakes. The steering system was easy to use and ahead of its time. However, the tank's automotive features left much to be desired. When used to tow an immobilized Tiger, the engine often became over heated and sometimes resulted in an engine breakdown or fire. The low-mounted sprocket limited the obstacle-clearing height. The tracks also had a bad tendency to override the sprocket, resulting in immobilization. If a track overrode and jammed, two Tigers were normally needed to tow the tank. The jammed track was also a big problem itself, since due to high tension, it was often impossible to disintegrate the track by removing the track pins. It was sometimes simply blown apart with an explosive charge. The standard German Famo recovery tractor could not tow the tank; up to three tractors were usually needed to tow one Tiger.



The engine was initially a 590 hp (440 kW) 21 litre Maybach petrol design, which was found to be underpowered; this was soon upgraded to a 23.88 litre HL 230 P45.

The internal layout was typical of German tanks. Forward was an open crew compartment, with the driver and radio-operator seated at the front, either side of the gearbox. Behind them the turret floor was surrounded by panels forming a continuous level surface. This helped the loader to retrieve the ammunition, which was stowed in both sponsons. Two men were seated in the turret; the gunner to the left of the gun, and the commander behind him. The loader had the luxury of a folding seat in the turret. The rear of the tank held an engine room flanked by two floodable rear compartments each containing a fuel tank, radiator, and fans.

Although the Tiger I was one of the most heavily armed and armoured tanks of WWII, a formidable opponent of Allied tankers, the design was conservative and had some serious drawbacks. The flat armour plates were unsophisticated in comparison to the sloped armour of the Soviet T-34, requiring a massive increase in weight to provide for sufficient protection. The tank's weight put severe stress on the suspension, while the complex wheel design put a severe strain on field maintenance. The sophisticated transmission system was also prone to breakdowns.

A major problem with the Tiger was its very high production cost. During the Second World War over 40,000 American Sherman and 58,000 Soviet T-34s were produced, compared to 1,350 Tiger I and 500 Tiger II tanks. The German designs were expensive in terms of time, raw materials and reichsmarks, the Tiger I costing over twice as much as a contemporary Panzer IV and four times that of a Stug. III assault gun.



Henschel & Sohn began development of the Tiger in spring of 1937. After various side-tracks, in 1941 Henschel and three other companies (Porsche, MAN, and Daimler-Benz) submitted designs for a 35-ton tank with a 75 mm main gun. The emergence of the Soviet T-34 rendered these designs nearly obsolete; according to Henschel designer Erwin Adlers "There was great consternation when it was discovered that the Soviet tanks were superior to anything available to the Wehrmacht". An immediate weight increase to 45 tons and an increase in gun calibre to 88 mm was ordered. The due date for new prototypes was set for April 20, 1942, Adolf Hitler's birthday. With the limited design time, the existing lighter designs were used as the basis for the new tank. This increased weight caused much stress on the various components of the tank and considerably reduced reliability. Unlike the Panther tank, the design did not incorporate any of the innovations of the T-34: the deflection benefits of sloping armor were absent but the thickness and weight of the Tiger's armour more than made up for its lack of sloping armour.

Porsche and Henschel submitted prototype designs and they were compared at Rastenburg before Hitler. The Henschel design was accepted but was fitted with the turret from the Porsche design. Production of the Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E began in August 1942. At the same time, ninety of the Porsche version were also ordered. These were not used but the hulls were converted into the Panzerjäger Tiger, also known as Ferdinand, and after Hitler's orders of February 1 and 27, 1944, Elefant.

The Tiger was essentially still at the prototype stage when first hurried into service, and therefore changes, both small and large, were made throughout the production run. A redesigned turret with a lower, safer cupola was the most significant change. To cut costs, the submersion capability was dropped. An external air-filtration system was dropped.


Some notable uses for Panzer V chassis


Tiger-Mörser / Sturmtiger


Sturmtiger firing a rocket

The Tiger-Mörser, 38cm RW61 auf Sturm(panzer)mörser Tiger, or Sturmmörser Tiger, more commonly known as the Sturmtiger or Sturmpanzer VI, was a World War II German assault gun built on the Panzer VI Tiger I chassis armed with a large naval mortar, the 38cm SturmMörser RW61 L/5.4.

The idea for a heavy infantry support vehicle capable of demolishing heavily defended buildings or fortified areas with a single shot came out of the experiences of the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942. At the time, the Wehrmacht had only the Sturminfanteriegeschütz 33 available, a Sturmgeschütz III variant armed with a 150 mm heavy infantry gun. Twelve of them were lost in the fighting at Stalingrad.

Its succesor, the Sturmpanzer IV Brummbär was in production from early 1943, but the Wehrmacht still saw a need for a similar, but heavier armoured and armed vehicle. Therefore a decision was made to create a new vehicle based on the Tiger tank and arm it with a 210 mm howitzer.

However, this weapon turned out not to be available at the time and was therefore replaced by a 380 mm mortar rocket launcher, which was adapted from a Kriegsmarine depth charge launcher.

The first prototype was ready and presented to Adolf Hitler in October 1943. Production was approved in April of 1944, after extensive testing. Between August and December, 18 Sturmtigers were completed. Production was slow partially because the Sturmtigers were built on battle damaged or retired Tiger 1 tanks rather than newly built vehicles.



The main armament was the 380mm Raketenwerfer 61 L/5.4, a breech loading rocket launcher/mortar, which fired short range rocket propelled projectiles. These projectiles were roughly 1.5 metre in length and could either contain a high explosive charge of 125 kg or a shaped charge for use against fortifications, which could penetrate up to 2.5 metres of reinforced concrete. The stated range of the former was 5650 meters. The weight of the complete rounds was 345-351 kilo. A normal charge first accelerated the projectile to 45 m/s, the 40 kg rocketcharge then boosted this to about 250 m/s.

The design of the rocket launcher caused some problems, as the hot rocket exhaust could not be vented into the fighting compartment but neither could the barrel withstand the pressure if the gasses were not vented. Therefore a ring of ventilation shafts were put around the barrel which channelled the exhaust and gave the weapon somewhat of a pepperbox appearance.

Because of the bulkiness of the ammunition, only 14 rounds could be carried, of which one was already loaded, with another in the loading tray. The rest were carried in two storage racks. To help with the loading of ammunition into the vehicle, a loading crane was fitted at the rear of the superstructure, next to the loading hatch. Even then, the entire five man crew had to help with the loading.


Panzerjäger Tiger / Elefant



The Panzerjäger Tiger (P) Elefant (Sd.Kfz. 184) was an anti-tank Panzerjäger of the German Wehrmacht
in World War II. They were originally built under the name Ferdinand, after their designer.

The design evolved from cruder, improvised designs of 1941-42, as well as the later, but still defective, Marder designs. The chassis was created from the 90 Porsche Tiger I models already built with new tracks and an all-steel wheel arrangement: three twin bogies on side sprung torsion bars driven from the rear breast. The engines were placed in the middle of the hull to give room for the armament at the rear in a simple box structure on top of this chassis. The driver and radio operator were in a separate compartment at the front. A 88 mm PaK 43/2 L/71 gun was fitted. This gun was not the same famous 88 mm gun that had found fame as an anti-aircraft gun and improvised anti-tank gun in the Western Desert. This new gun fired a different, longer cartridge than the Flak 18 or 36 guns. As fitted the gun was capable of only 25° traverse and a similarly limited elevation.



Porsche AG had manufactured about one hundred hulls for their proposal of the Tiger tank, the 'Porsche Tiger' in the Nibelungenwerke factory in St. Valentin Austria. Since Henschel's design was chosen for production, the Porsche hulls were of no use. It was therefore decided that the Porsche hulls are to be used as the basis of a new heavy tank destroyer, mounting the Krupp's newly developed Pak 43/2 anti-tank gun. Ninety hulls were converted. The two unreliable air cooled engines in each hull were replaced by two 300 hp Maybach HL 120 TRM engines powering two generators that drove two electric motors which in turn powered the drive sprockets. Add-on armor of 100 mm was bolted to the front plates, incresing the plate's thickness to 200 millimetres. A large housing for the gun and most of the vehicle's crew was mounted in the rear end of the vehicle. The work was completed in just a few months in the spring of 1943. After deployment in Russia, forty-eight of the fifty surviving vehicles were modified by addition of improved vision capabilities and gun-ports and one or two MG 34s as anti-infantry weapons. This increased the weight to 70 t. These were named Elefant by Hitler's orders of February 1st and 27th 1944.



This post has been edited by FeezyWeezy: 03/18/06 7:53pm