We here at TankHistoria love to document, discuss, explain and simply ponder the fascinating history of the tanks and armored fighting vehicles that have clashed on the battlefields and drawing boards over the last 100 years.
K2 Black Panther - South Korea's World Leading MBT - Tank Historia. The Leopard 2, M1A2 Abrams, Challenger 2 and T-14 Armata are often regarded as the top dogs on today’s lists of current main battle tanks. However, South Korea’s K2 Black Panther certainly deserves a place near the top of these lists. Designed almost entirely in house by South Korea, the K2 is one of the newest and most advanced main battle tanks (MBT) around today. An intense development phase saw South Korea investigate and incorporate the best features from foreign designs into a single high performing machine.
The K2 outguns even the M1A2 Abrams, but despite its heavyweight punch, it is more than 10 tons lighter than its American counterpart. Production of the K2 started in 2008 and the tank entered service in 2014. Contents History As with many vehicles, the story of the K2 started long before its development. After the Korean War the Korean peninsula was split into two; North Korea and South Korea. By the late 1970s North Korea possessed large numbers of powerful Soviet-designed MBTs. King Tiger Tank | Tank Historia. Experts have confirmed that the famous “lost” King Tiger Tank No 124 is to be insured for £2 million by Lloyds of London it can be revealed.
Following a final decision by the French courts in 2021 the ownership of the 65 ton WW2 monster has been resolved and the new owners have an obligation to make sure that the tank is fully insured. This has involved having it officially valued for £2 million, and even now that figure may increase as more valuations are discussed. The tank in question is WW2 King Tiger No 124 which was lost in combat in August 1944 during the retreat towards Paris.
The Tiger II model SdKfz 182 belonged to the 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion, a unit who were at the forefront of the fighting to hold the advancing Allied forces back. Some of the most famous tank battles in Normandy involved the 101st Panzer Battalion, including the famous battle for Villiers-Bocage undertaken almost single-handedly by tank ace Michael Wittmann. Tankhistoria. Introduction The IS-3 heavy tank was a late World War Two Soviet tank design that was animprovement on the IS-2. Although the IS-3 arrived too late to see combat in WWII, it would become the main Soviet tank of the immediate Cold War period and participate in conflicts throughout the 1950s and ’60s and even into the modern day. The IS-3 caused significant alarm in the West when introduced due to its powerful armament and advanced protection, which combined raw thickness with complex angles.
However it would come to earn a rather poor combat record, becoming something of a “paper tiger”. This has resulted in controversy amongst some who suggest that the IS-3 was overrated, and others that claim the tank’s poor record was due to poor training and tactics. Contents Development The development of the IS-3 (originally known as Object 703) started in late 1944 at the Factory No. 100 Kirovskiy Works as an improvement on the IS-2. The IS-3’s Unique Design Service Introduction Contents Development Service. Sturmtiger - The Tiger with a 380 mm Rocket Launcher - Tank Historia. The Sturmtiger was Germany’s answer to the problem of fighting troops in urban environments – deny the enemy usage of a building or fortification by simply turning it to rubble.
We say “simply”, but such a task was anything but simple. In fact, it required a 380 mm rocket launcher and 70 tons of armor, tracks and engine just to have a chance. The Sturmtiger, officially designated the Sturmmörserwagen 606/4 mit 38 cm RW 61, was an assault gun built on the chassis of the already-powerful Tiger I. It was specially designed to survive the brutal conditions of urban warfare while demolishing city structures. As such, few vehicles from the Second World War match the power, armor protection and sheer scale of the Sturmtiger.
Only 18 of these mighty beasts were built, with just two still around today. Contents Background Such a vehicle was needed because in these areas, threats can come from all directions. Read More Karl-Gerät – A 600 mm Siege Mortar Sturmtiger Development The Sturmtiger Service. BMPT Terminator | Terminator Tanks | Tank Historia. This is the mighty BMPT, a Russian armored fighting vehicle that is armed to the teeth and specialised for anti-infantry and urban roles. Sprawling with missiles, autocannons and grenade launchers, the BMPT has been given the unofficial nickname “Terminator”. They are the result of lessons learned from high losses in urban warfare in the Soviet-Afghan War and actions in Chechnya. The BMPT was designed specifically to solve this – with plenty of gun elevation and weapons for any potential targets. The BMPT only entered service with Russia in 2018, but it has been operated by Kazakhstan since 2011.
Contents Tank Escort Ever since the creation of the tank in WWI it has been well understood that tanks without support can be picked off, even by infantry and basic anti-tank weapons. No where is this more true than in urban areas. Buildings add verticality to the battlefield, which provides foes with opportunities to strike the weak roof armor of tanks. BMPT “Terminator” BMPT-72 “Terminator 2” Tiger 131 Tank | Tiger Day 2022 | Tank Historia. See the world’s only running Tiger I tank in action during its last outing of 2022, at Tiger Day 17th September at The Tank Museum.
Tiger 131 runs only twice a year, on Tiger Day in April and September, and always attracts huge crowds when it does. Visitors will have the chance to see it in action in a 45-minute WW2 tank display, including its ‘Fury’ movie co-star, the Sherman tank ‘Fury’. As well as an action-packed arena display, including the Panzer III, Comet, Chaffee and more, visitors will be able to get up close to vehicles in the Tank Park and explore military history traders set amongst the Museum collection.
The Tank Museum is also giving Tiger fans the chance to win a ride in its most famous exhibit in a special charity auction, starting 12th August, and raffle. Museum Curator David Willey said; “Tiger 131 is the famous tank in the world and there are a lot of tank fans who will jump at the chance for a ride in this WW2 icon.” Another Article From Us: Panzer I Ausf. SU-100Y - The Soviet "Boxtank" - Tank Historia.
While fighting the Winter War against Finland the Soviets started development on a bunker-busting self propelled gun named the SU-100Y. It was created by placing a powerful 130 mm naval gun on the chassis of the T-100 heavy tank. Though technically designed to eradicate fortifications, the SU-100Y would have made light work of any German tank unfortunate enough to find itself in its sights. By the time the SU-100Y was complete the Winter War had ended and the Soviets had little use for this 60 ton beast. However the single SU-100Y built was reportedly pulled out of storage and used to help defend Moscow in 1941. Some say that this mighty machine saw even more action, remaining operational until the war’s end.
Contents T-100 Heavy Tank As mentioned, the SU-100Y was built on the chassis of the T-100. The T-100 was a large tank designed by factory N°185 in Leningrad in the late 1930s as a potential successor to the rather lackluster T-35. Developing the SU-100Y The SU-100Y Fate Contents The SU-100Y. Sherman Tank - M51 Super Sherman | Tank Historia. The M-51 is arguably the best example of upgrading a piece of equipment far beyond original expectations to meet new requirements. It is also perhaps the greatest proof of the Sherman’s excellent and adaptable design. Nearly 20 years after the first Shermans rolled off the production line Israel modified around 180 of their own to carry an enormous 105 mm gun. This was nothing like the 105 mm howitzer used on Shermans during WWII, but a long, tank killing weapon designed by the French.
With gun barrels almost as long as the tanks themselves, these once-obsolete Shermans became a formidable force in Israel’s arsenal, which were able to punch through the very newest tanks. The iconic M-51 fought in a number of wars and remained in service for decades. Contents Development of the M-50 and M-51 As a relatively young country, Israel was under a constant threat of war with its Arab neighbours in the years after WWII.
This was the same as their Shermans. War was coming and they needed 105 mm guns. The Kugelpanzer Ball Tank - What is it? - Tank Historia. The Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia is famous for its collection of strange vehicles and prototypes. Perhaps the strangest of them all though is the Kugelpanzer. Well, at least that’s people call it, as its true name is unknown. In fact the Kugelpanzer literally means “ball tank”. With a long list of questions and a distinct lack of answers, few vehicles match its mysteriousness and uniqueness. Almost everything about it is unknown, and the museum is not helping matters as it appears to be withholding information about the Kugelpanzer. It spent decades tucked away behind the museum’s Tiger I, but in 2017 it was moved to a new exhibit and given a fresh lick of paint.
Contents Origin As a German built vehicle in Russia, it must have been handed over or captured at some point but even how the Soviets came to acquire it isn’t clear. Some say that it was built by Krupp in Germany and shipped to Japan sometime in the 1940s, only to be captured by the Red Army in Manchuria in 1945. The Kugelpanzer Origin. Double Barrelled Tank | VT Tanks | Tank Historia. In the 1970s Germany investigated a novel approach to tank design when attempting to replace its Leopard 1. This vehicle was small, extremely mobile and, most importantly, carried two 120 mm guns. It was named the Versuchsträger, meaning “test-bed”, but was known simply as the VT tank. The motivation behind the VT tank was to increase first hit probability by increasing the number of guns on the vehicle – more guns equals a higher chance of hitting something, right?
Like the Swedish S-tank, the VT completely ignored conventional tank design philosophy of a hull and rotating turret. Also like the S-tank, the VT was a main battle tank (MBT), not a tank destroyer, even though it follows many design principles of older tank destroyers. However, despite taking a radical approach to address the requirements of MBTs, the VT tank offered too little advantages over normal designs to justify its adoption into service. Contents Background Similarly, the VT tank broke many design traditions. Contents.