Michael E. Haskew - The World’s Greatest Tanks: An Illustrated History

During the period of rapid rearmament under the Nazi regime in the 1930s, German soldiers load PzKpfw II tanks onto waiting transporters. The PzKpfw II and other German tanks provided the armoured ground thrust of the Blitzkrieg that conquered much of Europe in the early days of World War II.

During the early days of the Cold War, the tank became a symbol of both freedom and repression. The Soviet Union exported its battle tested tanks in great numbers to Warsaw Pact nations and client states, while the United States and Great Britain led the West in its search for an armoured vehicle that might stand up to an avalanche of armour from the East. Land warfare in the twentieth century became synonymous with the tank. It was inconceivable that a successful ground campaign might be waged without tanks and their supporting mobile infantry, riding into combat in armoured battle taxis. The day that had dawned in No Mans Land had reached high noon.

As early as 1918, German Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg observed, The fact that the tanks had now been raised to such a pitch of technical perfection that they could cross our undamaged trenches and obstacles did not fail to have a marked effect on our troops.

The thorough defeat of inferior Iraqi T-54/55, T-62 and T-72 tanks by the M1A1 Abrams, Challenger and other modern fighting vehicles of the coalition that ejected Saddam Hussein from Kuwait in 1991 and then toppled his regime in 2003 brought the absolute potential for the tank to determine the outcome of a land battle sharply into focus. The time, money and even lives that had been devoted to the advancement of armoured technology had suddenly seized the limelight.

Routinely weighing more than 50 tonnes (49.2 tons) and mounting fearsome weapons of 120mm (4.7in) or more, the main battle tank has become the focus of land warfare, first during an age of mutually-assured destruction at the height of the Cold War, then through the era of proxy wars in the Third World and eventually into the day of the despot, when civilized nations opposed the brutality of tyrants.

The tank has continued to evolve with the latest in fire control, weapons systems, thermal imaging, composite armour and computerization. Todays tank is capable of tracking multiple targets simultaneously, defending itself against the latest anti-tank weapons and ordnance fired by enemy armoured vehicles and bringing its crew home safely from the maelstrom of the modern battlefield.

From tank versus tank combat to urban warfare and counter-insurgency, the tank has adapted. In close quarters and facing low-technology weapons such as the improvised explosive device (IED), or on the open desert or plain confronting the finest military hardware of an enemy, the tank will continue to evolve, influence the tactical dialogue of ground commanders and endure.

This Tiger I heavy tank raises a cloud of dust along a dirt road. The Tiger performed extremely well against Allied tanks of all types. Its main weakness was its slow speed and lack of manoeuvrability