The best tank in the world?

World's Armed Forces Site ^ | 13 November 2002 | Maverick

[sonofatpatcher2]

What do you all think is the best tank in the world, now and before of cause.

I´m from Germany so for me it´s clear. The Leopard 2A5 ist the best tank the world has ever known. We also produced some great tanks like the Tiger or Panther, for Expert´s the Henschel Sturmtiger and the Köngistiger are the ancestors of all modern tanks and the Us and Russia have stolen our ideas.

[AppyPappy]

A Stalin tank would whoop a T-34.

[BobinIL]

Nope, While we did provie the Ruskies a lot of material including tanks, the western tanks they were given were pretty much disliked by their crews. They knew they were inferior to their own T-34 and KV-1 tanks let alone the german Panzers

[Petronski]

The French tank has the most comfortable suspension and the most comfortable toilets...

What? Nothing about the speed in Reverse?

The main gun barrels are used to age fine Roquefort and Brie.

[Hacksaw]

We gave the Russians about 4,000 Shermans. Of the top of my head, they made @ 33,000 T-34s.

The memory of this comes from reading "The Good War" in which a sailor in the Merchant Marine tells about trying to deliver a supply through freezing seas. A good book.

[Petronski]

In late 41 Hitler was shown captured Soviet KV-1 and T-34 tanks. "How could such savages produce such tanks!" he roared.

Ah, the T-34. My sentimental favorite, used by Soviet bastards to crush Romanian bastards in weakened frontal positions and surround an entire army of Nazi bastards, in the great Operation Uranus, saving Stalingrad and turning the tide of war.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Nope, While we did provie the Ruskies a lot of material including tanks, the western tanks they were given were pretty much disliked by their crews.

I read somewhere that they liked the Shermans; I think they may have only gotten the ones with the M-23 turret/76MM gun.

The Sherman was more ergonomic than Soviet tanks by a long sight.

Walt

[Petronski]

The beloved T-34 (lamentably named for Stalin himself).

[WhiskeyPapa]

Ah, the T-34. My sentimental favorite, used by Soviet bastards to crush Romanian bastards in weakened frontal positions and surround an entire army of Nazi bastards, in the great Operation Uranus, saving Stalingrad and turning the tide of war.

yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, Sherman equipped units could run rings around Uranus.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :)

Walt

[tortoise]

The Abrams uses Chobham (sp)armor

This isn't entirely true. While it is true that the Abrams (and most truly modern MBTs) use Chobham-like armor, the US made a number of technological improvements to the basic Chobham concept which are unique to our tanks. In essence, we used our superior materials engineering capability (which the Europeans can't touch) and greatly extended the performance envelope of the basic concept.

The British can probably be credited with the core concept, but we probably have the most advanced implementation of the concept and have made a number of improvements to it.

[KneelBeforeZod]

[Petronski]

My friend had a Camaro without a reverse gear - we would simply push it out of the parking stop if we were not on a hill.

Was it an automatic? A buddy of my with a '74 Caprice Classic (the 'Taco Wagon,' because it looked so 'barrio') lost his reverse gear too. We later learned that the transmission (a Torqueflite 350 IIRC) had a NYLON reverse band!

2+ tons of vehicle, and a friggen' NYLON band to handle the reverse clutch!

[Petronski]

Well, Sherman equipped units could run rings around Uranus.

[RightWhale]

The Leopard 2A5 ist the best tank the world has ever known.

It didn't keep the Allies from defeating the filty Nazi bastards

60 years too late to help the filthy Nazi bastards.

[jdege]

The turbine doesn't burn that much more fuel than the diesel, it's just that it burns the fuel whether it's moving or not.

If you can convince the tank crew to shut off the engine when they are stationary, it's about as fuel efficient as the diesels.

I've seen commanders try - I've never seen them succeed.

[Petronski]

My bad: The T34 was not named for Stalin. Phew.

[BobinIL]

Someone should post a picture of the big dog that was named after Salin

[SAMWolf]

LOL! The JS-1 and JS-2 were named for Stalin.

[SAMWolf]

IMHO, the Pzkw-IV is underated. It may not have been the best tank, but it stayed in the war from 1939 until 1945 and was able to be up-armored and up-gunned to meet the new improvements in enemy armor. It was able to hold it's own until the very end when the JS-1 and JS-2 showed up.

It was the real "Workhorse" of the German PanzerTruppen.

[cobandeh4]

Nope. The tank didn't help against the Russian winter and the Russian hoards.

[biblewonk]

Tanks are useless in 21st century warfare.