66 replies to this topic

[Rick]

 What would the members of this Grate Site consider the pluses and minuses of tanks from the beginning of the Spanish Civil War to the beginning of WW2? From this ex-sailor's point of view the T26 seems impressive.

Thank you.

[DougRichards]

You mean the Vickers 6 Ton?  That also resulted in the Polish 7PT?

[Markus Becker]

Early British cruisers. Shit armour like everyone had but they had three men turrets and that wasn't the norm. Ok, the hatches were probably the 'Nick trying to exit the Comet' type but beggars can't be choosers.

[Rick]

You mean the Vickers 6 Ton?  That also resulted in the Polish 7PT?

Had to look this up. Yes.

[Rich]

Anything in the American Armaments Corporation catalog.

[DougRichards]

The Vickers Mediums were also significant.

[bojan]

Anything in the American Armaments Corporation catalog.

Were it they or M-H that did 2-gun tanks for a while?

[Rich]

 

Anything in the American Armaments Corporation catalog.

Were it they or M-H that did 2-gun tanks for a while?

 

 

Marmon-Herrington built the tanks...AAC built the guns.

[Stuart Galbraith]

The Vickers Mediums were also significant.

 

Yes they were. I think they were probably the most advanced tank of the 1920's.

 

They also played a role in developing doctrine that in the west became known as Blitzkrieg. One of them we even the very first armoured command vehicle fitted with radios.

[Rick]

 

The Vickers Mediums were also significant.

 

Yes they were. I think they were probably the most advanced tank of the 1920's.

 

They also played a role in developing doctrine that in the west became known as Blitzkrieg. One of them we even the very first armoured command vehicle fitted with radios.

 

Looks rather tall for a pre-war/early war tank.

[DougRichards]

 

 

The Vickers Mediums were also significant.

 

Yes they were. I think they were probably the most advanced tank of the 1920's.

 

They also played a role in developing doctrine that in the west became known as Blitzkrieg. One of them we even the very first armoured command vehicle fitted with radios.

 

Looks rather tall for a pre-war/early war tank.

 

 

In some ways it was more like a late WW1 project, but advanced for its 1920s time frame. 

[Markus Becker]

Less efficient aka more bulky everything?

[Panzermann]

Less efficient aka more bulky everything?

This and I think the drive train is also on the bottom of the hull more akin to a bulldozer.

[Colin]

https://www.youtube....IhWXaz3rk&t=78s

[Nikolas93TS]

Arguably the only thing that Soviets learned from Spanish Civil War was that tanks needed to be at least partially armored against contemporary anti-tank guns, and it can be debated if they were already aware of that but industrial base could not follow-up, as can be seen with experimental light infantry tank T-46-5.
In the beginning of 1936, renowned tank designer S.A. Ginzburg (later responsible for T-50 and SU-76) wrote to the chief of the Main Directorate of Armoured Forces that the BT and T-26 light tanks no longer meet the modern battle requirements*, emphasized that these vehicles were no longer adequately protected and are basically vulnerable even to small caliber fire and artillery shrapnel. Furthermore, he pointed out the fact that foreign tanks are much better armored and often have sloped and thicker armor. He also stated that it was his belief the Red Army doesn’t really need planned T-46, because he considered its up-armoring not sufficient so he designed more heavily armoured T-46-5 (ot T-111) on his own initiative, but that eventually turned into failed project.

Other design aspects like sloped armor, 76mm main gun, radios, wider tracks etc. were already in development or fielded (T-28) by the time Spanish war started. On operational level they concluded that infantry needs decently armored light tank support, which resulted in T-50 light tank and clinched with that concept even late into war.
On a side note, probably a most far reaching Soviet operational conclusion in Spanish Civil War was that mobile artillery and self-propelled guns were unnecessary, resulting in abandonment of some promising projects like SU-1, SU-5, AT-1 etc.

[lastdingo]

The Germans also confirmed the need for tanks to be able to penetrate tanks. To issue steel core bullets didn't help Pzkpfw I to penetrate T-26 at all.

[Ken Estes]

Japanese tanks in this period remained fairly advanced.

 

Certain successes among the many French tanks also date from the period in the OP.

Edited by Ken Estes, 25 July 2019 - 0710 AM.

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

 

 

The Vickers Mediums were also significant.

 

Yes they were. I think they were probably the most advanced tank of the 1920's.

 

They also played a role in developing doctrine that in the west became known as Blitzkrieg. One of them we even the very first armoured command vehicle fitted with radios.

 

Looks rather tall for a pre-war/early war tank.

 

 

In some ways it was more like a late WW1 project, but advanced for its 1920s time frame. 

 

 

Yeah, I can see the Medium C and D in it.

[Stuart Galbraith]

 

 

The Vickers Mediums were also significant.

 

Yes they were. I think they were probably the most advanced tank of the 1920's.

 

 

They also played a role in developing doctrine that in the west became known as Blitzkrieg. One of them we even the very first armoured command vehicle fitted with radios.

 

Looks rather tall for a pre-war/early war tank.

 

 

It was, but as you can see, they were firing on the move. If they made it any shorter, they might not have the hull Mg's and they would probably be bouncing around the turret on the move. There was as you will note, no seats in the turret. You stood on the pedestal.

 

It was probably the most advanced tank of its era, but as David Fletcher (and Kenneth Macksey) points out, the armour was derisory.

 

This gives some idea of its significance. It played a vital role in developing Tank Doctrine, not least at 'The Battle of Tilshead', the first armoured drive commanded by Radio in history.

[KV7]

T-28 deserves a mention as probably the first practical true medium tank (in the ~30 ton range and with acceptable mobility).

Edited by KV7, 25 July 2019 - 0839 AM.