Tanks of WWII
Andrew Logan
Middle Township High School
US History
Wilson
4/4/14
WWII was an era of learning and innovation, despite the ominous history behind it. Many new technologies were developed and led to many things never seen before; Jets made their first debut, experimentation with rockets started, nuclear science reached nuclear levels, peering radar, and huge metal boxes on wheels. These metal boxes have evolved so much during WWII. Tanks have had such an impact on the war, and the same is true the other way around. Each nation had a slightly different take on tanks, each evolving throughout the way, along with the way tanks were used also varied among nations, and changed significantly throughout the war.
Interesting enough, Japan actually had tanks during WWII. Few were ever deployed during WWII, because most of the fighting occurred in the pacific. Japan purchased tanks from foreign sources before WWII, most of which were obsolete by the time the war came around. These tanks mostly included the Vickers series of tanks from the British. Japan did make a few advanced tanks, but mass production was put off since they had no industry allocated to heavy manufacturing, and the war ended too quickly for them. The only prominent WWII tanks Japan had was the Type 3 Chi-Nu tank. Developed to counter Americas M4 Shermans, it carried a 75 mm gun, which was capable of penetrating the M4 Sherman’s armour. Only 166 of these were built, however, and were kept in standby in Japan.
Similarly, China had imported tanks from other nations, mostly the british Vickers series. They never made their own WWII tanks however, and lacked a significant armoured force for the majority of the war. When the so...
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... late, since they were always designing and changing things for even negligible enhancements. They started late in the war with the E series of tanks to standardize. This tardiness had a pronounced effect however. By the battle of Kursk, the Soviets outnumbered the German armoured forces 1 to 2. (Cornish, 2002)
Overall, it can be said that tanks started out unrefined and relegated to infantry support (except for Germany). As the war progressed, the tank’s role opened up dramatically. Both sides began to build better tanks than the other, in an effort to be superior. Standardization came into play when quantity over quality became paramount. 50,000 M4 Shermans were made, while only 1,300 Tiger I’s were made. (Nuutinen) Competition in tank designs led to better tanks with standardization easing manufacturing, with expanded roles for tanks on the battle field.
In World War II, many new weapons were created to kill more people with more efficiency. The most notable of these was the atomic bomb. As American troops closed in on Japan at the end of the war, they realized that taking the small island nation would be nearly impossible. The Japanese soldiers had shown their willingness to die for their country when kamikaze pilots flew into American ships.... ...
New advances in technology changed warfare in WW2. The change in technology since WW1 has produced such things as Atom Bomb, and new and improved sea and air warfare. New techniques had to be used because of technology, techniques such as 'mouseholing'. More people were killed because of technology, as more people died in WW2 than WW1.The technological advances in WW2 changed the battlefield completely as more deadly auxiliary was introduced.
World War II: Pacific Theater Overview and Japanese Cruelty Starting in the early 1930’s, the Japanese began to display their great imperialistic dreams with ambition and aggression. Their goal was to create a "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere" where they controlled a vast empire in the western Pacific.1 In September of 1939, Japan signed the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis Treaty, allying themselves with Germany and Italy in an effort to safeguard their interests in China from the Soviet Union. Japan’s only major obstacle left lay in the significant size of the United States Pacific Fleet. To rid themselves of this, Japan attacked the United States Pacific Fleet in hopes of crippling it enough to prevent any further hindrance from the US. Although Japan began the War in the Pacific on the offensive, winning many battles and gaining significant territories, the tide quickly turned in favor of the US because of the dominating industrial capacity.
In 1937, Tucker had the idea of developing a combat vehicle. Two years later, he moved his family back to Michigan to develop new automotive products. Tucker received an opportunity from the Dutch government. The government wanted a combat vehicle that would work in the muddy Dutch land. He began to design an armored combat car, nicknamed “Tucker Tiger.” When the Germans invaded Holland, Tucker had not completed the vehicle. By then, the Dutch lost interest, so he offered it to the U.S. government. The combat car could go up to 115 mph, which was too fast for the government. They had already committed to other combat cars, and refused the car. However, the gun turret on the car took a place in the U.S. Navy and was soon used in many of the ships.
It all started on December 7th, 1941. America had entered their Second World War following the Pearl Harbor attacks. America started its Pacific Campaign against the Imperial Japanese Army. After three years, America joined with fellow allied nations and invaded Nazi- Occupied France codename Operation Overlord. This was the biggest amphibious invasion ever recorded. From Pearl Harbor to the fall of Berlin in the spring of 1945, the American bomber plane helped defeat the Nazi regime, end the war in the Pacific, and revolutionize modern warfare.
World War Warfare was one of the greatest examples of technological advancement and strategic challenge, with the introduction of inventions such as the aircraft and the tank the battlefield transformed from attrition as scene in the early years of the war to decisive by the end of the war.
Those that did make it usually found them selves stuck in no man’s land in the mud. The wonder-weapon had been found out to be not that wonderful. The tanks gave the Germans a fright at first; however it was later in the war that the tanks showed there worth as a weapon. Another big development in weapons was gas. How...
The. Johnson, David E. Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers: Innovation in the U.S. Army, 1917-1945. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998. Print. The. "
...ilities of the tanks being penetrated were slim. Also there was an addition of an anti-craft gun which made it even more powerful and unstoppable (Slayton 103).
World War II was one of the deadliest military conflicts in history. There were many different battles that took place within this war; some more important than others. World War II began once Germany’s new dictator, Adolf Hitler, decided that he wanted to gain power for Germany and for himself. One of Hitler’s first moves in power was invading Poland on September 1, 1939. Many other countries became involved in this war because of the alliance system. The two sides during this war were the Allies and Axis powers. German, Italy and Japan were on the Axis powers; France, Britain, and the United States were on the Allies. Germany first began with the Blitzkrieg tactic meaning “lightning war”. This tactic is based on speed, surprise and was the most popular tactic. It is set up with military forces based around tanks which are supported by planes and infantry. The Blitzkrieg tactic lead to air wars with airplanes between countries. All of the countries were allowed to participate in the air wars but the four main countries were United States, Japan, Britain, and Germany. During the 1920’s and 1930’s airplanes grew in size and structure giving them more power, and making planes more effective. Planes made it easier to drop bombs, or plan attacks. All of these countries fought over air superiority. Air superiority is the position in which the air force has control over all of the air warfare and air power of the opposing forces. Germany began with air superiority but they lost it when Britain defeated them at the Battle of Britain. Gaining control over the air is a very big advantage because it is easier to plan an attack on an opposing country. All of the countries relied on their aircrafts during this war. The issue about the use of...
War has been a recurring part of America’s history for the past hundreds of years. From the 1700s to the present, America has gotten into numerous situations and turmoil, which eventually lead to the wars we currently study and know about today. Technological advancements in warfare were necessary and a great obligation during times of war. This was pursued with drastic improvement. From the transformation of the use of smoothbore muskets during the Civil War to the industrial revolution leading to weaponry innovations post civil war, the nature of warfare dramatically changed. These developments proved to be proficient in battle. In the midst of these hundreds of years, while many technological advances demonstrated to be efficient in battle, the machine gun was one of the most significant advancements in technology that changed the face of warfare through its transformation of operations and strategy.
Blitzkrieg used speed and surprise along with highly concentrated tank corps, supported by mechanized infantry and airplanes. Warfare is in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era.
...fensive. The tanks were successful in that they achieved the goal of intimidating the German soldiers, making them feel helpless and as if large monsters were coming at them. (Winter). The early tanks used at the Somme offensive were unreliable, with very few actually making it to the German trenches. In addition to the unreliability, when the weather turned to rain the entire battleground became a large quagmire, meaning tanks were unable to move efficiently across the battlefield, resulting in an increased stalemate.
The 761st 'Black Panther' Tank Battalion was the first African-American armored unit to see combat.
Japan was one of the major powers of Axis Powers during the World War II. From 1937 to 1945, Japan started a series of wars, and resulted in millions of casualties along the way. Japanese battlefield consists of three parts: China, Pacific and Southeastern Asia. Japanese started these wars because they wanted to gain resources and war advantages for their own country. Japan committed crimes against humanity during their wars, which means they neglected human dignity and degraded human value by humiliation. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Pearl Harbor Attack and wars in Southeastern Asia, Japan, in pursuit of self-interest, violated human rights and committed crimes against humanity.