British Tanks of WWIIBritain had been the worldwide trend-setter in tank development from 1915. They would design something new, and if it worked it would be replicated by other nations in their own way. However, Britain had lost its leadership position as the Second World War approached. Hindered by a low amount of money spent in the years leading up to the war, the British Army entered the war unprepared for the sort of combat its theorists such as J.F.C. Fuller and B. H. Liddell Hart had warned them about
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Development |
The British Army developed two types of tanks. "Infantry Tanks" were heavily armoured with good all terrain performance but were slow. The lack of speed wasn't considered a flaw because they were designed to support infantry assaults where the tanks would have to go slowly so that the infantry could keep up. The other type were "Cruiser Tanks" which were intended for rapid breakouts and flanking attacks. Early Cruiser tanks gained performance at a cost in the armour they could carry. Reliability was an important issue especially in the harsh conditions of North Africa and the mountainous terrain of Southern Europe, where the A10 and A13 in particular suffered broken tracks and overheating. The lack of a sufficient high-explosive shell for the 2-pounder, for shooting at lightly armoured targets, and the growing number of 5 cm KwK (Kampfwagenkanone - "fighting vehicle cannon") 38 anti-tank guns in the Afrika Korps gave the German army in Libya a huge advantage for much of late 1941 and early 1942. This began to be offset by late 1942 but the Germans continued to enjoy an 12–18 month lead in tank and anti-tank gun development and production until the end of 1944.
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Guns |
British tank crews were trained to fire on the move and the gun was mounted for good balance so that the gunner could aim with his body rather than use geared elevation. This reduced available space inside the turret. Both early Cruiser and Infantry tanks carried the Ordnance QF (quick firing) 2-pounder, a 40 mm anti-tank gun, a good match for the German 3.7 cm KwK 36, and effective against tanks of the time but outclassed as the war progressed. Production shortages caused by the Battle of the Atlantic forced the British to delay widespread introduction of the Ordnance QF 6-pounder (57 mm) anti-tank gun until 1942.
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