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Charioteer (tank)
The Charioteer Tank, or FV4101 Tank, Medium Gun, Charioteer was a post–World War II British armoured fighting vehicle. It was produced in the 1950s to up-gun units of the Royal Armoured Corps continuing to use the Cromwell tank during the early phases of the Cold War. The vehicle itself was a modified Cromwell with a more powerful gun installed in a relatively lightly armoured two-man turret. Charioteer saw limited use with the British Army, but was used more extensively by overseas nations in Europe and the Middle East. Charioteers saw action in conflicts in the Middle-East. Development In the early Cold War during the 1950s, plans to combat a potential invasion from Soviet forces called for a Royal Armoured Corps formation to be equipped with the Cromwell tank.Charioteer, by David Fletcher, published in Wheels & Tracks magazine (published by After the Battle), Number 60, 1997 Production of Centurion Mk 3 was slower than production of 20-pounder guns, while the large ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medium Tank
A medium tank is a classification of tanks, particularly prevalent during World War II, which represented a compromise between the mobility oriented light tanks and the armour and armament oriented heavy tanks. A medium tank's classification is not actually based on weight, but on tactical usage and intended purpose; for instance the German Panzerkampfwagen V Panther medium tank has a mass similar to contemporary Allied heavy tanks. The most widely produced, cost effective and successful tanks of World War II (the German Panzer IV, the Soviet T-34, and the American M4 Sherman) were all medium tank designs. Many of the medium tank lines became what are called main battle tanks in most countries. History The first tanks to carry the name "Medium" appeared in the First World War with the British Medium Mark A Whippet. It was smaller, lighter and faster than the British heavy tanks of the time and only carried machine guns. The medium tank doctrine came into use in the interwa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cromwell Tank
The Cromwell tank, officially Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Cromwell (A27M), was one of the series of cruiser tanks fielded by Britain in the Second World War. Named after the English Civil War–era military leader Oliver Cromwell, the Cromwell was the first tank put into service by the British to combine high speed from a powerful, reliable engine (the Rolls-Royce Meteor) and reasonable vehicle armour, armour. The intended dual-purpose high-velocity gun could not be fitted in the turret, so a medium-velocity dual-purpose gun was fitted instead. Further development of the Cromwell combined with a high-velocity gun led to the Comet tank. The name "Cromwell" was initially applied to three vehicles during development. Early Cromwell development led to the creation of the A24 Cavalier. Later Cromwell development led to the creation of the competing Centaur tank (officially the ''Tank, Cruiser, Mk VIII, Centaur (A27L)''). This was closely related to the Cromwell, both vehicles being exter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smoke Grenade Discharger
A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires a specially designed, large caliber projectile, often with an explosive, smoke, or gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms firing unitary grenade cartridges. The most common type are man-portable, shoulder-fired weapons issued to individuals, although larger crew-served launchers are issued at higher levels of organization by military forces. Grenade launchers are produced in the form of standalone weapons (either single shot or repeating) or as attachments mounted to a parent firearm, usually a rifle. Larger crew-served automatic grenade launchers such as the Mk 19 are mounted on tripods or vehicles. Some armored fighting vehicles also mount fixed arrays of short-range, single-shot grenade launchers as a means of defense. History Early precursors The earliest devices that could be referred to as grenade launchers were slings, which could be used to throw early ''grenado'' fuse bombs. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tank
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. They are a mainstay of modern 20th and 21st century ground forces and a key part of combined arms combat. Modern tanks are versatile mobile land weapons platforms whose main armament is a large- calibre tank gun mounted in a rotating gun turret, supplemented by machine guns or other ranged weapons such as anti-tank guided missiles or rocket launchers. They have heavy vehicle armour which provides protection for the crew, the vehicle's munition storage, fuel tank and propulsion systems. The use of tracks rather than wheels provides improved operational mobility which allows the tank to overcome rugged terrain and adverse conditions such as mud and ice/snow better than wheele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tank Destroyers
A tank destroyer, tank hunter or tank killer is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, predominantly intended for anti-tank duties. They are typically armed with a direct fire artillery gun, also known as a self-propelled anti-tank gun, or missile launcher, also called an anti-tank missile carrier. The vehicles are designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often with limited operational capacities. While tanks are designed for front-line combat, combining operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities and performing all primary tasks of the armoured troops, the tank destroyer is specifically designed to take on enemy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles. Many are based on a tracked tank chassis, while others are wheeled. Since World War II, gun-armed powerful tank destroyers have fallen out of favor as armies have favored multirole main battle tanks. However, lightly armoured anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) carriers are commonly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Tank Museum
The Tank Museum (previously the Bovington Tank Museum) is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset, South West England. It is about north of the village of Wool and west of the major port of Poole. The collection traces the history of the tank with almost 300 vehicles on display. It includes Tiger 131, the only working example of a German Tiger I tank, and a British First World War Mark I, the world's oldest surviving combat tank. It is the museum of the Royal Tank Regiment and the Royal Armoured Corps and is a registered charity. History The writer Rudyard Kipling visited Bovington in 1923 and, after viewing the damaged tanks that had been salvaged at the end of the First World War, recommended that a museum be set up. A shed was established to house the collection but was not opened to the general public until 1947. George Forty, who was appointed director of the museum in 1982, expanded and modernized the collection. He retired in 1993 afte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comet Tank
The Comet tank or Tank, Cruiser, Comet I (A34) was a British cruiser tank that first saw use near the end of the World War II, Second World War, during the Western Allied invasion of Germany. The Comet was developed from the earlier Cromwell tank with a lower profile, partly-cast metal, cast turret which mounted the new Ordnance QF 17 pdr#77 mm HV, 77 mm HV gun. This was a smaller version of the 17 pdr anti-tank gun firing the same 76.2 mm (3") projectiles, albeit with a lighter charge, and was effective against late-war German tanks, including the Panther tank, Panther and Tiger I, Tiger. The Comet rendered the Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger obsolete and was an interim solution until the completely new design Centurion tank was available. When firing armour-piercing discarding sabot, APDS rounds, the 77 mm HV was superior in armour penetration capability to the 75 mm KwK 42 gun of the equivalent Axis tank, the Panther. The Comet entered active servic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conqueror Tank
The FV 214 Conqueror, also known as tank, heavy No. 1, 120 mm gun, Conqueror was a British heavy tank of the post-World War II era. It was developed as a response to the Soviet IS-3 heavy tank. The Conqueror's main armament, an L1 120 mm gun, Ford, World's Great Tanks, p. 119 was larger than the 20-pounder (83.4 mm) gun carried by its peer, the Centurion. The Conqueror's role was to provide long range anti-tank support for the Centurion. Nine Conquerors were issued for each regiment in Germany, usually grouped in three tank troops. In the British Army both the Conqueror and the Centurion were replaced by the Chieftain. Background The Conqueror's origins trace back to the initiation of the A 45 program in 1944, for a heavy infantry tank to complement the A 41. This new design was to be based on that of the A 41, sharing as many components as possible but on a larger and more heavily armoured vehicle. As WWII came to a close, the project was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Centurion Tank
The FV4007 Centurion was the primary main battle tank of the British Army during the post-World War II period. Introduced in 1945, it is one of the most successful post-war tank designs, remaining in production into the 1960s, and seeing combat into the 1980s. The chassis was adapted for several other roles, and these variants have remained in service. It was a very popular tank with good armour, maneuverability, mobility, and a powerful main armament. Development of the Centurion began in 1943 with manufacture beginning in January 1945. Six prototypes arrived in Belgium less than a month after the war in Europe ended in May 1945. It entered combat with the British Army in the Korean War in 1950 in support of the UN forces. The Centurion later served on the Indian side in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, where it fought against US-supplied M47 Patton, M47 and M48 Patton tanks, and it served with the Royal Australian Armoured Corps in the Vietnam War. Israel's army used Centurio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wheels & Tracks
''Wheels & Tracks'' was a military history magazine covering the history of military vehicles worldwide and published quarterly in the United Kingdom by After The Battle publication. It was founded by Bart Vanderveen in 1982. When Vanderveen died in 2001, publication ceased. The final issue was issue 75, April 2001. At about that time, two monthly Monthly usually refers to the scheduling of something every month. It may also refer to: * ''The Monthly'' * ''Monthly Magazine'' * ''Monthly Review'' * ''PQ Monthly'' * ''Home Monthly'' * ''Trader Monthly'' * ''Overland Monthly'' * Menstruation ... magazines by rival publishers '' Military Machines International'' and '' Classic Military Vehicles'' appeared in newsagents. References History magazines published in the United Kingdom Quarterly magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1982 Magazines disestablished in 2001 Military magazines publish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Fletcher (military Historian)
David John Fletcher (born 1942) is an English author and military historian specialising in the history of armoured warfare, particularly that of the United Kingdom. He was an employee of The Tank Museum The Tank Museum (previously the Bovington Tank Museum) is a collection of armoured fighting vehicles at Bovington Camp in Dorset, South West England. It is about north of the village of Wool and west of the major port of Poole. The collectio ..., Bovington from 1982 until December 2012, becoming the museum's longest serving member of staff. Earlier that year, he was a panellist on Operation Think Tank, an international symposium on tanks, held in California. He also presents contemporary media such as YouTube for the Tank Museum. Until 2023, David Fletcher hosted a regular video series on The Tank Museum's YouTube channel called 'Tank Chats', in which he gave viewers a brief insight in to a specific tank in the Museum's collection. In his final year at Bovington, he w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soviet Army
The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under the command of the Commonwealth of Independent States until it was formally abolished on 14 February 1992. The Soviet Ground Forces were principally succeeded by the Russian Ground Forces in Russian territory. Outside of Russia, many units and formations were taken over by the post-Soviet states; some were withdrawn to Russia, and some dissolved amid conflict, notably in the Caucasus. While the Ground Forces are commonly referred to in English language sources as the Soviet Army, in Soviet military parlance the term '' armiya'' (army) referred to the combined land and air components of the Soviet Armed Forces, encompassing the Ground Forces as well as the Strategic Rocket Forces, the Air Defence Forces, and the Air Forces. After World W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
