Page 354 - (DK) Smithsinian - Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare

352 ALLIED ARMORED Also armed

1914–1945 FIGHTING VEHICLES 47mm SA 35 with a 7.5mm
main gun
machine-gun
Although Allied tanks seldom reached the standard of their German
counterparts in terms of technical excellence, they were far better equipped

ARS to meet the demands of mass production. This was especially the case with
the Soviet T-34/85 and the US M4 Sherman tanks, which were manufactured
in the tens of thousands and played a pivotal role in defeating the Germans
on both the Eastern and Western fronts. France produced some good tank
ORLD W designs in the 1930s, but failed to use them effectively when Germany
invaded France in 1940. British tanks often proved inadequate for combat
conditions, although the gunned-up Sherman Firefly proved to be a potent
battle-winning weapon.
THE W ▼ CHAR B1-BIS HEAVY TANK The French army’s B1-bis was a ▲ SOMUA S35 An effective 1930s design that utilized a
powerful main gun and a cleverly sloped
Date 1936 Origin France
armor, the three-man SOMUA equipped
Weight 21.5 tons (19.5 tonnes)
France’s cavalry divisions, complementing
formidable tank in its day, even if it
Date 1936 Origin France
Length 18ft (5.38m)
was slow and not very reliable. Heavily
Weight 30.8 tons (28 tonnes)
however, was that the commander
armored, it had the unusual distinction Top speed 25mph (40kph) the infantry’s Char B1-bis. One drawback,
3
Length 20 ⁄4ft (6.37m) of being equipped with two main Engine SOMUA 8-cylinder was also required to act as the gunner
Top speed 17mph (28kph) armaments—a howitzer for firing high 190hp (142kW) gasoline engine inside the very cramped turret.
explosives against enemy fortifications,
Engine Renault 6-cylinder
307hp (229kW) gasoline engine and a turret-mounted anti-tank gun. 76mm main gun
▶ M4A1 MEDIUM TANK
Also armed with 75mm (SHERMAN) Also armed with
hull-mounted howitzer and 47mm turret-mounted gun a .5in machine-
two 7.5mm machine-guns Date 1941 Origin US gun and two .3in
Weight 35.6 tons (32.3 tonnes) machine-guns
Length 19ft (5.84m)
Top speed 30mph (48kph)
Engine Continental R975
400hp (298kW) gasoline radial engine
The M4 tank was the most important tank
fielded by the Western Allies, equipping
the armored divisions of the US and UK.
Although easy to produce and maintain,
it was inadequately armored and its gun
could not take on the Panther and Tiger
tanks of the German armed forces.
▼ CRUISER MK VIII (A27M) One of the more successful British
CROMWELL TANK tanks designs of World War II, the five-
man Cromwell combined reasonable
Date 1943 Origin UK
armored protection with an effective
Weight 30.7 tons (27.9 tonnes)
main gun. It was widely used in a
3
Length 20 ⁄4ft (6.35m) reconnaissance role because of its Also armed with
Top speed 40mph (64kph) impressive top speed, reliability, two 7.92mm
and ease of handling. machine-guns
Engine Rolls Royce V12 603hp
(450kW) gasoline engine

Rear drive
sprocket