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Tank games allow you to jump into the cockpit of a gigantic war machine and explore a myriad of different war-torn locations. You will have to drive these beasts and also control their weapons – destroy your enemies with impunity and conquer the battlefield!
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- Tank games allow you to literally jump into the cockpit of some gigantic war machines and enter a myriad of different war-torn locations. You will...
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; their main armament is often mounted within a turret.
Learn about the history and evolution of armored vehicles from WW1 to the modern era, with articles, illustrations, and public suggestions. Explore tanks from different nations, eras, and roles, as well as fake tanks, prototypes, and battles.
German Reich (WW2) - Tank Encyclopedia- Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz.182) Tiger II - Tank Encyclopedia
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- Panzer II Ausf.A-F and Ausf.L - Tank Encyclopedia
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- Sturmgeschütz III Ausf.G - Tank Encyclopedia
- Overview
- Earliest developments
- World War I
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tank, any heavily armed and armoured combat vehicle that moves on two endless metal chains called tracks. Tanks are essentially weapons platforms that make the weapons mounted in them more effective by their cross-country mobility and by the protection they provide for their crews. Weapons mounted in tanks have ranged from single rifle-calibre machine guns to, in recent years, long-barreled guns of 120- or 125-mm (4.72- or 4.92-inch) calibre.
This article discusses the development of tanks from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. For articles on related military platforms, see amphibious assault vehicle and armoured vehicle.
The use of vehicles for fighting dates to the 2nd millennium bce, when horse-drawn war chariots were used in the Middle East by the Egyptians, Hittites, and others as mobile platforms for combat with bows and arrows. The concept of protected vehicles can be traced back through the wheeled siege towers and battering rams of the Middle Ages to similar devices used by the Assyrians in the 9th century bce. The two ideas began to merge in the battle cars proposed in 1335 by Guido da Vigevano, in 1484 by Leonardo da Vinci, and by others, down to James Cowen, who took out a patent in England in 1855 for an armed, wheeled, armoured vehicle based on the steam tractor.
But it was only at the beginning of the 20th century that armoured fighting vehicles began to take practical form. By then the basis for them had become available with the appearance of the traction engine and the automobile. Thus, the first self-propelled armoured vehicle was built in 1900 in England when John Fowler & Company armoured one of their steam traction engines for hauling supplies in the South African (Boer) War (1899–1902). The first motor vehicle used as a weapon carrier was a powered quadricycle on which F.R. Simms mounted a machine gun in 1899 in England. The inevitable next step was a vehicle that was both armed and armoured. Such a vehicle was constructed to the order of Vickers, Sons and Maxim Ltd. and was exhibited in London in 1902. Two years later a fully armoured car with a turret was built in France by the Société Charron, Girardot et Voigt, and another was built concurrently in Austria by the Austro-Daimler Company.
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The outbreak of World War I in 1914 radically changed the situation. Its opening stage of mobile warfare accelerated the development of armoured cars, numbers of which were quickly improvised in Belgium, France, and Britain. The ensuing trench warfare, which ended the usefulness of armoured cars, brought forth new proposals for tracked armoured vehicles. Most of these resulted from attempts to make armoured cars capable of moving off roads, over broken ground, and through barbed wire. The first tracked armoured vehicle was improvised in July 1915, in Britain, by mounting an armoured car body on a Killen-Strait tractor. The vehicle was constructed by the Armoured Car Division of the Royal Naval Air Service, whose ideas, backed by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston S. Churchill, resulted in the formation of an Admiralty Landships Committee. A series of experiments by this committee led in September 1915 to the construction of the first tank, called “Little Willie.” A second model, called “Big Willie,” quickly followed. Designed to cross wide trenches, it was accepted by the British Army, which ordered 100 tanks of this type (called Mark I) in February 1916.
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Simultaneously but independently, tanks were also developed in France. Like the very first British tank, the first French tank (the Schneider) amounted to an armoured box on a tractor chassis; 400 were ordered in February 1916. But French tanks were not used until April 1917, whereas British tanks were first sent into action on September 15, 1916. Only 49 were available and their success was limited, but on November 20, 1917, 474 British tanks were concentrated at the Battle of Cambrai and achieved a spectacular breakthrough. These tanks, however, were too slow and had too short an operating range to exploit the breakthrough. In consequence, demand grew for a lighter, faster type of tank, and in 1918 the 14-ton Medium A appeared with a speed of 8 miles (13 km) per hour and a range of 80 miles (130 km). After 1918, however, the most widely used tank was the French Renault F.T., a light six-ton vehicle designed for close infantry support.
Learn about the development of tanks from ancient war chariots to modern armoured fighting vehicles. Explore the origins, types, and roles of tanks in warfare and history.
- Leopard 2 Battle Tank. The main battle tank—or in this case kampfpanzer—of the German Army, is the Leopard 2. As the name suggests, it was designed to replace the older Leopard 1 in front line service.
- Challenger 2 Battle Tank. The British debuted the first-ever tank during the peak of the first World War in 1916. With that kind of heritage, it’s no wonder that the Royal Army produces some of the best modern battle tanks.
- K2 Black Panther Battle Tank. South Korea faces a unique set of challenges and threats when it comes to national defense. It makes sense that they developed a tank specifically to meet those concerns.
- Merkava Battle Tank. Israel’s military has perhaps the most impressive track record of the post-WWII era. This small nation has more than once defended itself from seemingly insurmountable outside threats, and their advanced weapon systems are a big part of that success.
Jan 26, 2023 · Canada will supply Ukraine with four Leopard 2 main battle tanks and Canadian Armed Forces trainers to teach Ukrainian soldiers how to operate the vehicles, Defence Minister Anita Anand announced...
Jan 26, 2023 · (Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters) Following intense pressure from its allies, Germany appears to be inching toward approving deliveries of high-tech Leopard 2 main battle tanks that Ukraine and its biggest...
