Army Tanks

Army tanks are large military vehicles used in fighting with or against infantry or other tanks. Although almost all are called main battle tanks, there are different categories depending on the purpose and the weight. These divisions include infantry tanks, cruiser tanks and antitank vehicles. They are further classified according to weight as light, medium and heavy.

The British and the French developed the infantry tank during World War 1. Its main purpose was to work with the infantry keeping pace with their progress. These tanks were heavily armoured and were designed to clear the battlefield for the soldiers. On the other hand a cruiser tank was designed to move very quickly so that it could penetrate the enemy’s front lines. Early models used by the forces of the United Kingdom in World War 11 had anti-tank weapons to fight off the tanks of the enemy, but as a rule they were lightly armoured. Their mission was to complement the work of the infantry tanks and take advantage of the gains made by breaking through enemy lines.

The light tank was also fast and had the ability to move over difficult terrain, such as through the jungle. They were quite common at the beginning of the Second World War, but were later used for reconnaissance missions. Some were small enough to be airlifted and were more efficient in scouting out the enemy lines than cars.

Medium tanks have been very successful because they can carry a reasonable load of weapons. They were very mobile and could be adapted to a wide variety of roles. After World War 11, armoured cars that were cheaper to produce replaced them. Heavy tanks were designed to break through enemy lines but they could also be used in defensive positions. They were very heavily armoured, but were very slow. When pushed to their limits in terms of speed, they often suffered engine failure.

The tank is now obsolete on the battlefield with the development of wire-guided missiles in the 1960’s. Larger missiles mounted on helicopter gunships further replaced the use of tanks in battle, but there are specialized versions still in use. They can be used for mine clearing or as flamethrowers to provide support for combat engineers. The amphibious tank was one of the designs that allowed these heavy vehicles to travel on water, such as in the D-Day landings.