Tanks in service with the British. Modern British tanks and armored vehicles. British tanks: an overview
Defeats in Europe and the disaster at Dunkirk
Before the start of the German offensive in the West, the British had 12 divisions in France and over 500 tanks, 9 of these 15 divisions were located in Belgium as part of the combined Anglo-French North-Eastern Front, which was supposed to cover this direction from a possible German strike. The British Expeditionary Force in France was armed with Matilda (Mark II), Сruiser (Mark IIA) and Cruiser (Mark IIIA) tanks, armed with 40mm guns, more than half of which for 1940 had excellent armor and were hardly hit by German tank guns. In addition, do not forget that many German tanks in the French campaign were still armed only with a machine gun (Pz.I and Pz.II)..jpg)
The French also had an impressive fleet of tanks (more than 3,000 vehicles) - among which were medium "Somua" and heavy tanks "B1". Their armor and armament were also not inferior to the German. The only thing in which the Anglo-French tanks lost to the German ones was in speed. As for tactics, operational leadership, training of crews and the will to win, the Germans definitely got the better of the allies in this. On May 10, 1940, German troops launched a rapid offensive through Belgium. The strike of German mobile formations was directed around the French Maginot Line. The coordinated actions of German tanks, aviation, artillery and infantry led to the defeat and surrender of the Dutch army on May 14th. After that, the Germans rapidly crossed the Meuse River and their tank groups rushed to the west. On May 21, they reached the English Channel and over 50 Anglo-French divisions were surrounded in the Dunkirk area. The defeated Belgian army also surrendered on 28 May. incurring big losses and throwing all the remaining equipment to the enemy, the Anglo-French troops were evacuated to England in early June. See also:
English tanks in Africa
Initially, in Africa, the British were opposed by parts of the Italian army, the technical equipment of which left much to be desired - all Italian combat vehicles inferior to English models. When the first offensive of the British troops in Africa against the Italian aggressors began in December 1940, the superiority of the British in technology made itself felt - the Italians retreated until the German command, which decided to help its ally, transferred a corps under the command of General Rommel. The counterattack of this corps, which has initial stage there were only 120 tanks, drove the British back to the Egyptian border and surrounded their base in Tobruk.
In November 1941, the British launched a retaliatory offensive, the purpose of which was nothing less than the defeat of Rommel's entire tank group and a decisive turning point in the African campaign. With twice as many tanks as the enemy, the British failed to carry out their grandiose plan. Rommel maneuvered the tank formations, regrouped scattered units and threw them into battle again, preventing the British from gaining a decisive advantage. Nevertheless, the Italo-German troops had to retreat further and further. In May 1942, Rommel decided to launch a powerful counterattack with all available forces, despite the lack of fuel and ammunition. The British command had about 900 tanks, which meant almost three times the superiority over the advancing troops of Rommel. Nevertheless, Germany was initially successful. Only at El Alamein was the German advance decisively halted. German losses were huge, Rommel had only about 50 tanks left, but despite the critical supply situation, the Germans resisted for a long time. The British force in Africa was constantly growing, while the German reserves were drying up, there were no reinforcements, and the supply was terrible. By the end of the African campaign, which ended with the surrender of the Italo-German troops in May 1943, the number of British tanks had already exceeded one thousand, while Germany, shackled by the war against the USSR, could not help the African Corps in any way. Tank production in England during the war
The pace of tank production in the prewar years in England was very low. In many sources, this is sometimes explained by the fact that there were many opponents of the development of tank forces in the British War Office. Some officials considered the development of tanks a waste of the budget. In the end, nevertheless, the British came to the conclusion that it was necessary to produce tanks of two different options - infantry and cruising. By 1938, British industry, according to the plan, was to produce over 600 cruising and about 370 infantry tanks. However, it was actually possible to produce thirty cruising
and sixty infantry tanks, which was simply incredibly small, given the approaching war. A year later, the British replenished their tank fleet with a little more than 300 combat vehicles of various types. And yet it was catastrophically small. Britain met the war without even a thousand tanks. In addition, most of the available tanks were light. For almost the entire war, the British made tanks rather unsuccessful, both in terms of design and reliability. At the final stage of the war, the main enemy of the countries of the Anti-Hitler coalition, Germany, already had such a serious superiority in tanks over Britain that it is not possible to name an English tank that could be compared in combat value with the German "Tigers" or "Panthers". During the war years, British industry produced 24 thousand tanks, about 4 thousand self-propelled guns. In the production of self-propelled guns and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, the chassis of obsolete tanks were often used. Many British tanks produced in 1939-1945 never made it to the front and only served in the rear as training vehicles for training crews and practicing tank operation skills. The symbol of British tank building in the years between the two world wars was the heavy five-turret tank A T Independent. This machine became the object of close attention of specialists from many countries and, no doubt, served as a prototype for the creation of the Soviet heavy tank T-35 and the German Nb.Fz
As you know, the British began building tanks during the First World War. By the end of it, they had numerous and institutionalized tank troops - the Royal Armored Corps (RAC) - the Royal Tank Corps.
In the next 20 years, British tank building was almost at the "freezing point". There were several reasons for this. First of all, there has been a long discussion in the UK about the role and place of tanks in modern warfare. The uncertainty on this issue among the military hampered the development of appropriate tactical and technical requirements and the issuance of orders to industry. Played my part and geographical feature states - the British were not going to attack anyone, but they had a real enemy in Europe long time did not have.
This situation led to the fact that during this period of time the British industry produced only a few hundred tanks, the design of which can hardly be called innovative. The most interesting ideas their creators either embodied in prototypes and experimental models that remained unclaimed, or simply did not find application in their homeland.
The end of the disputes in the USSR and Germany about the role of tanks and the ensuing mass deployment of tank forces in these countries forced the British military to come out of hibernation. Starting around 1934, the development of armored vehicles in the UK intensified dramatically.
By this time, the views of the military leadership on the tactical use of tanks were also largely determined. In accordance with them in England, tanks were divided into three classes: light, infantry and cruising. Moreover, the concept of cruising tanks was formed later than others. At first, their functions were to be performed by light combat vehicles - high-speed and maneuverable. The main task of the infantry tanks was the direct support of the infantry on the battlefield. These vehicles had limited speed and powerful armor. Sometimes it reached the point of absurdity: the gearbox of the Matilda I infantry tank, for example, had only one speed - it was believed that this was enough.
In 1936, the British considered it sufficient to arm tanks only with machine guns. Common sense, however, soon triumphed, and first a 2-pound gun appeared on cruising, and then on infantry vehicles. Its capabilities, however, were very limited - there were no high-explosive fragmentation shells in the ammunition load.
The Dunkirk disaster forced the British to reconsider their views somewhat. Light tanks were now assigned only reconnaissance functions, and even then they were gradually transferred to armored vehicles during the war. The role of infantry tanks, the only ones that proved themselves well in battles on the continent, remained practically unchanged, and efforts to improve them were reduced to increasing the power of weapons and armor protection.
At the same time, the ongoing hostilities in North Africa revealed the army's great need for a reliable and full-fledged tank for independent armored formations. HVi, one of the cruiser tanks then in service with the British Army, did not fully meet these requirements. One can only be surprised that a country that built excellent ships, aircraft and cars could not achieve the necessary operational reliability of tank engines and chassis components for several years. The British were able to resolve these issues only by 1944. By this time, the importance of infantry tanks and their specific gravity in tank units. The cruising tank, on the other hand, was increasingly acquiring the features of a universal one. Shortly after the end of World War II, the British abandoned the division of tanks into classes according to their purpose.
Leading developer and manufacturer of armored vehicles in the UK in 1930 - 1940 vols. was Vickers-Armstrong Ltd. With her participation, almost half of all British tanks that participated in the Second World War were created. In the photo - Polish tanks Vickers in the shop
Assembling cruiser tanks Mk II in the shop of the BRCW plant, 1940. In the foreground - stands for assembling towers
Manufacture of the body of the tank Mk V "Covenanter" in the workshop of the LMS plant
Cruiser tank Mk V "Covenanter" in
Prototype tank A43 Black Prince ("Black Prince"), 1945. This vehicle, developed on the basis of the infantry tank "Churchill" and armed with a 17-pounder gun, is an attempt to create a full-fledged English heavy tank
For the 1940s, the design and assembly technology of British tanks cannot be considered progressive. Hulls and turrets (if the latter were not cast in one piece) were assembled using bolts on frames or using a frameless method ("Valentine"). Welding was used extremely limited. Armor plates, as a rule, were located vertically, without any angles of inclination. British tanks, especially in the second half of the war, could not compete with German tanks either in terms of armor protection or firepower.
Lagged behind real needs and pace tank production before and during World War II. For example, by December 1938, the industry was supposed to supply the army with more than 600 cruising and about 370 infantry tanks. However, only 30 of the first were produced, and 60 of the second. A year later, only 314 tanks of all types entered the army. As a result, Britain entered the war with just over 600 tanks, of which more than half were light. In total, during the war years, the British produced 25,116 tanks, about 4,000 self-propelled guns and SPAAGs. Moreover, a significant part of the latter was manufactured using the chassis of obsolete and decommissioned vehicles. Speaking about the production of tanks in the United Kingdom, it should be borne in mind that a significant part of the combat vehicles produced during the war period never made it to the front" and was used for training purposes.
One hundred years ago, the British army was the first to use tanks in military operations, but the power of its current armored forces greatly weakened and changed. What is their state of the art and plans for the future? Since the end cold war The British Ministry of Defense was one of many who took the liberty of declaring that there would be little need for main battle tanks (MBTs) in a modern operating space.
This position of the state was the impetus for a dramatic reduction in the number of tanks in the British army and the crews on which they could serve, from 14 regiments (the British equivalent of a battalion) with a total of approximately 1000 tanks in the late 80s to three regiments in accordance with the current army modernization program Army 2020.
Today, these regiments have enough tanks and trained crews available to ensure that in total each of them can deploy a squadron (the British equivalent of a company) - approximately 18 tanks - in support of the lead LATF (Lead Armored Task Force) armored task force. This group, after receiving the order, must advance within 30 days.
After the current cycle of transformations is completed, the term for the advancement of a completed brigade, including 56 tanks, will general case will be 90 days.
At the Castlemartin training ground in Wales, a British Army Challenger 2 tank fires an armor-piercing sub-caliber practical projectile with a short range. Live firing remains the key to maintaining a high level of combat training and crew coherence
Over the past 25 years, the British armored forces have demonstrated their capabilities twice. The first demonstration took place in 1990-1991, when a rash decision was made to send two armored brigades (including three Type 57 tank regiments with 171 Challenger 1 tanks) to the liberation of Kuwait as part of Operation Granby.
Later in 2003, two regiments of Challenger 2 tanks (and part of the units of the third regiment) were to be hastily deployed to Iraq in Operation Telic 1. Their number was later reduced to one squadron, which remained in this theater of operations until the end of Operation Telic 13 in 2009.
Despite a request made in 2006, the British Army did not deploy to Afghanistan in Operation Herrick. However, since 2007, British troops in Helmand province have often called for tank support from their allies: a platoon of three Danish Leopard tanks 2A5DK; US Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams tank companies; and between 2006 and 2011, a reinforced squadron of Leopard 2A6CAN and Leopard C2 tanks from the neighboring province of Kandahar.
Ultimately, the representation of British heavy armored vehicles since 2010 in Afghanistan has been limited to three Trojan clearing vehicles (an engineering version of the Challenger 2 tank) and two Challenger CRARRV armored recovery vehicles deployed in Helmand province.
Since the middle of the last decade, the British army has been mainly focused on peacekeeping operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has led to a corresponding reduction in combat training (in the form of tactical exercises and armored maneuvers) of the rest of the combined arms formations in the UK and Germany.
However, the capabilities of the armored forces were supported by the participation of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in basic training for hybrid combat operations (the concept of the "war of three quarters", the essence of which is that in a relatively small urban area one unit will be forced to conduct simultaneously and hostilities and peace enforcement operations and peacekeeping operation), which all combat units have already passed.
A New Look
In accordance with the five-year review of strategic defense and security, published in 2010, and the final structure of the British Army 2020 program, each of the three remaining tank regiments (analogues of battalions) was assigned to one of the three mechanized infantry rapid reaction brigades that are part of the 3rd division . (The army includes eight more combat brigades: the 16th Air Assault Brigade and seven infantry brigades subordinate to the 1st Division, none of which have attached armored units.)
Each tank regiment has its own name: the King's Royal Hussars (KRH), the Queen's Royal Hussars (QRH) and the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR). In addition, the expanded order of battle includes one reserve regiment, the so-called Royal Wessex Yeomanry, which provides all three regular tank regiments with reserve tank crews, but does not have a single tank of its own.
All three regiments are in service, which was originally developed in the late 80s by Vickers Defense Systems (currently BAE Systems). BAE Systems delivered a total of 386 serial machines in 1994-2002; current plans foresee that some of them will remain in operation until 2035.
An upgraded weapon system based on the Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun and a number of improvements to the undercarriage and fire control system were approved at the beginning of the last decade for the Challenger 2 tank as part of a proposed capability extension program, but due to funding problems in 2008 it was stopped. In 2012, a capability extension program was incorporated into the Challenger 2 Tank Life Extension Program, which will upgrade or replace various subsystems of the tank. In accordance with the service life extension program, 227 Challenger 2 tanks will be upgraded.
A separate funding scheme adopted for the improvement and maintenance of standard ammunition, to date, allows only such minimally costly refurbishment and modernization activities as are necessary to extend the shelf life of existing stockpiles. The depots store ammunition that is at least 25 years old and is not currently manufactured in the UK. No type of regular ammunition is compatible with modern standards for low-sensitivity (inert) ammunition.
rebirth
The first tangible change in the fate of the British armored forces occurred in 2012, when the reduction of troops in Operation Herrick, publicly announced even before the withdrawal of the British contingent in December 2014, allowed these units not to return to Afghanistan and focus on their combat training for future tasks.
The first armored regiment to return from its last Afghan tour in October 2012 was the KRH, which operated there as the lead unit for the Lashkar Gah battle group. Having no tanks on this theater of operations, he mainly performed dismounted infantry tasks using Mastiff 6 × 6 mine-protected vehicles and Warthog all-terrain tracked transporters.
The battlegroup-level Prairie Storm Combined Arms Training Maneuvers, held at the British BATUS base in Canada, allows British tankers and infantry units to practice working with their support groups, including the minefield clearing engineer squadron. On the picture extended charge demining a Python fired from a Trojan engineer tank detonates, and thus allows the passage of the 1 Yorks battle group
After the necessary recovery and combat readiness, two KRH tank squadrons ("C" and "A") were successfully identified to support the intermediate armored group, the lead armored battle group LABG (lead armored battlegroup) and later the lead armored tactical tactical group LATF, deployed by its head of the 12th armored brigade. Since the end of 2013, this brigade has been responsible for performing special tasks (which theoretically include the conduct of hostilities). It was decided that it would be replaced by the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade in January 2016, which in turn would be replaced by the 20th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in January 2017.
Currently, the British army is in an intermediate state, more precisely, in the process of transition from old structures to new ones, changing areas of responsibility, changing the location of its bases and auditing military equipment. That is why the 12th motorized infantry brigade was not replaced on time, and its combat duty was extended by 18 months. However, as soon as the "perestroika" turbulence calmed down, it became possible to establish a standard duration of readiness (12 months for a brigade and 6 months for battle group), which is considered optimal for maintaining “correct service” in accordance with the revised Army 2020 Adaptive Operational Readiness Mechanism (A-FORM), introduced in 2015.
The 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade entered its "training" year in early 2015, and its established RTR Tank Regiment, which provides armored capabilities to the brigade, has begun joint combat training in the UK and Canada (Joint Combat Training Level 4/CT4) .
The 20th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which will be the last to leave Afghanistan, is currently undergoing rebuilding and reorganization at its bases in Germany and the UK and will take up combat duty in 2017. By 2020, the last unit of this brigade, including the QRH, should finally (after almost 70 years) leave Germany and return to their home base in the UK along with other units of the 3rd (British) Division stationed in the Balford/Tidworth area.
On the range at home
In May-June 2015, live firing of the tank squadron "C" KRH took place at the Castlemartin artillery range and tactical exercises platoon level (CT1) in the Salisbury Plain training area.
At the basic levels, the essence of joint combat training (the distances and set of targets on the British artillery ranges have not changed significantly over the past 40 years) has remained traditional, although some changes may be worth making.
Since the end of World War II, British tank regiments have typically had three tanks per platoon, but a four tank per platoon structure has been adopted under the Army 2020 programme. This gives greater organizational flexibility and combat redundancy, which allows each platoon to potentially perform more tasks when divided into pairs, as well as being closer to the combat training of tank platoons of the American and German armies.
There are four training grounds in the UK where fire training with live firing is possible. These are Castlemartin, Kircudbright, Lulworth and Salisbury Plain, but none of them yet correspond to the completely new platoon structure.
The Castlemartin range has enough directrixes for the simultaneous operation of four Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, but the limitations of the firing sectors along the length make it difficult to carry out live firing at the level of a platoon of four Challenger 2 tanks. reconnaissance scout vehicles will also need to improve these shooting ranges. This is the concern of the army headquarters, which keeps this issue under control.
While there have been many complaints in the past about limits on kilometers traveled, practical ammunition or fuel reserves, this is no longer a problem for a tank squadron. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the available stocks of spare parts and ammunition at one time were intended to provide essential more Challenger 2 tanks than the British Army currently needs to deploy.
The recent increase in politico-military activity in the Baltic States entails the need to demonstrate the competence of British Expeditionary Armored Capabilities and this will no doubt also be helpful in addressing any similar problems that impede the planning process and the implementation of the tasks.
The first expeditionary test of the 12th High Readiness Combat Brigade LABG was the Black Eagle exercise held in Poland in October 2014. In the background is a Challenger 2 tank, manned by KRH C Squadron, paired with a Polish Army Leopard 2A4 tank. In the course of the exercises, a methodology was developed and consolidated for the early depreservation of tanks that are in long-term storage. Interestingly, the British tank does not have the usual camouflage cape.
In order to perform the so-called annual crew test ACT (annual crew test), the crew of the Challenger 2 tank can count on firing 83 rounds of ammunition from the main armament of the tank, as well as 2940 rounds from the 7.62-mm machine gun. IN academic year(once every three years) crews also conduct platoon-level live fire assessments, during which an additional 42 cannon rounds and 1,200 rounds of 7.62mm machine gun rounds can be fired.
Before the start of live firing, personnel undergo intensive training on simulators (including 20 exercises for gunners and 4 or 5 exercises for the crew as a whole, including annual comprehensive testing) in their unit. The target designation procedure is carried out at the crew level (in simulators and on the shooting range) and then at the platoon level as part of joint combat training.
Distances to targets fired from tank guns(mainly static tank hulls) at the Castlemartin range is 3 km or less, while for auxiliary weapons the maximum distance is about 1100 meters (tracer burnout time). The percentage of hits from the gun for the gunner and commander during the annual ACT must be at least 75%; a similar standard when firing from a coaxial machine gun (7.62-mm L94A1 Chain Gun), but in the latter case, the standard exercise consists in shooting three bursts of five rounds (one sighting and two "to kill") at one target. Shooting from a coaxial machine gun is considered more difficult from a technical point of view, although even if you take a separate machine gun L94A1, its dispersion characteristics are regarded by some as "too insufficient" for suppressive fire.
One of the "legacies" of Afghanistan was to give each company one advanced aviation gunner (in the 80s there were only three gunners per brigade). As a result, Challenger 2 tank squadrons are now accompanied by a modified version of the Warrior artillery observation vehicle, which houses the fire support team leader, along with a forward observer and a forward air gunner, coordinating with jets or attack helicopters.
The original Challenger 2 armament and fire control requirements previously dictated that the crew must be able to fire the 120mm L30A1 rifled cannon with individual ammunition at a rate of fire of 10 rounds per minute. However, the need for this kind of prolonged firing will not arise very often: in a series of standard tests, one tank, as a rule, will need to fire five targets (including one for a machine gun) for 55 seconds, set at random azimuths and distances in the sector over 120°.
According to one of the squadron officers, creating the right "atmosphere" and the interaction of the crew in the tower is the key to success in battle.
At the end of the armored forces center, a crew member usually starts as a driver, then he is promoted to a gunner and loader, and, eventually, to a vehicle commander with a certificate of training in several specialties.
In addition to its main function of providing the main and auxiliary weapons with ammunition, the loader also performs the functions of a radio operator and fires from a 7.62 mm universal machine gun mounted next to the hatch; it also makes a significant contribution to target detection for the gunner and commander. The driver also contributes to close range targeting by taking advantage of his day and night vision devices with a wider forward field of view; it can also assist the loader by keeping a count of the number of shots remaining in the magazine, thereby ensuring that when firing at a target, the shells do not run out at the most crucial moment.
Tank crew commanders are either in the rank of corporal (junior sergeant), sergeant (aged 22-25 who occupied the position of loader, or older in the case of platoon sergeant), or officer (platoon leader, deputy squadron leader, squadron leader and in an armored battle group unit commander). After undergoing 44 weeks of general officer training at the Royal Army Military School Sandhurst, Armored Forces officers attend a six-month crew commander course at the Bovington Armored Center, where they are trained in driving, gunnery, communications and tactics. Platoon corporals who have passed through the ranks of sergeants attend the same courses.
After completing the mandatory educational training required to qualify for the ACT, newly promoted officers initially assume the position of platoon leader under the supervision of their more experienced drill sergeant. After the new platoon leader undergoes joint training in tactics and combined arms combat at the BATUS (British Army Training Unit Suffield) training base in Canada, his dependence on the supervising drill sergeant may noticeably decrease (depending on the qualities of the newly minted officer).
As a result, a candidate for the position of an officer can already command soldiers in just two years after entering the military service. (For example, in the German army, a newly appointed tank officer can take up a position in his battalion no earlier than 79 months after the start of his military career.)
Decisive Test
Achievements in the field of simulation allow significant savings, including on the expenditure of ammunition. At the same time, live firing still remains the most important part of the educational process; they validate practical skills in materiel and gunnery and allow system performance checks and annual ACT crew testing.
The result of ACT is determined to a greater or lesser extent by the operational parameters of the tank's systems and, as it ages, by the degree of their “looseness” in the turret, especially the FCS. As the crews go through their tests, they begin to understand that much depends on the efficiency and coordinated work of all the systems of a particular tank, and that their readiness and the readiness of their commanders to perform combat missions depend on this.
By the end of training, all 18 crews of Panzer Squadron "C" had successfully passed their ACT tests. Squadron Commander Major Peter Pirowne said that "C Squadron is now confident in each of its 18 tanks." This is a significant improvement compared to 2014, when the squadron had only 14 tanks at its disposal, and the crews of only three tanks showed sufficient combat training and met the ACT standards.
Shelter
As part of the ground forces fleet management program, gradually implemented by the British Ministry of Defense over the past ten years for all registered vehicles, Challenger 2 tanks of two out of three squadrons, as a rule, remain in long-term storage at army equipment depots in Ashchurch. The storage conditions there make it possible to keep the tanks in working condition, but if contracts are issued, the industry will be able to upgrade them in accordance with the agreed plan and standards without negative impact for the planned combat training of units.
Although this approach has not met with general approval, "collectivization" or pooling of this kind has its advantages in terms of significant savings, as well as the impact on the coherence of military actions. This gives regimental personnel, unable to work with their tanks, the “maneuvering space” necessary to improve their individual skills, that is, the opportunity to leave the unit, enroll in courses and improve their professional level. As one officer put it, “The regiment cannot go full throttle indefinitely, otherwise it will not be able to do the extra work required of it while keeping its entire fleet in working condition.”
The commander of the tank squadron, currently serving as the armored component of the lead armored combat group LABG, Major Piroun noticed that, unlike his colleagues in the other two tank squadrons ("A" and "B"), he "owns" only 18 tanks, who are held in position as part of the regiment's base unit. This base unit typically consists of 20 tanks, with two additional tanks serving as spare vehicles in case of breakdown, as well as reserve vehicles for training.
Tank Challenger 2 TES, designated Megatron, created by the group of development and testing of armored vehicles for urban operations in Iraq. Note the improvised explosive device silencer system (similar to a bird feeder), the Enforcer remotely controlled weapon station mounted on the loader's hatch, and also installed in front of the electronic signature control system. The CoolCam plastic mesh draped over the top surfaces of the tank reduces heat from the sun.
The Royal Hussars KRH have half of the parking spaces at their base in Tidworth, which has a "garage" capacity for 72 tanks, the remaining 36 places are given to the RTR regiment. The latter is also tasked with providing a tank squadron for the 1st Brigade LABG battle group, that is, providing reinforcements for the base unit with additional tanks so that the second squadron can carry out the prescribed firing or tactical exercises or training for large exercises.
The Challenger 2 tank must be kept in a secure hangar (whether long-term storage or military service) even if it is not equipped with electronics and additional armor in accordance with the modernization of the Theater Entry Standard (TES). In this regard, it is unique, but similar restrictions will apply to the promising Scout vehicle, which should replace the eight Scimitar vehicles in service. intelligence group each regiment.
Current plans provide for the redeployment of the third armored regiment QRH from the "native" base in Germany also to the base in Tidworth, and in this case, difficulties may arise when placed in existing hangars with a capacity of 72 tanks; all the more so, there will definitely not be additional places to accommodate the promising Scout car. However, as one of the officers said, “the new funding will allow the construction of appropriate hangars in Tidworth to accommodate the base units of all three armored regiments.”
The operational readiness of the tanks of the base units is also increased due to the greater availability of squadron mechanics and mobile regimental repair shops. Tank crews are also contributing, enthusiastically using unofficial means. Major Piroun cited a simple vacuum cleaner as an example (it is extremely popular with German tankers and gunners), which "finicky crews" can use in the field to keep the armor space and turret systems relatively clean, and, most importantly, to get rid of annoying sand.
To be continued…
Hello fellow tankers! Today we will look at british tank development branch(in the World of Tanks game), or rather, I will describe to you all its pros and cons in as much detail as possible from my point of view and, perhaps, help you decide on the choice of a nation.
The popularity of British tanks in World of Tanks
Tanks to battle, gentlemen! For the queen! The following phrases have entered firmly into the thoughts of Britain in many people. After the update with the introduction of British vehicles, it became the most popular (which is usually the case after the introduction of new tanks - their popularity rises sharply against the background of other vehicles). Although British tanks are not particularly different from other tanks, they still found their admirers (although there are a couple of vehicles that deserve attention and are very individual in the game). Top cars are the most popular, as well as many others, but the most striking of them are anti-tank self-propelled guns.Advantages and disadvantages of British tanks
At first glance, it may seem that British tanks do not have any features or significant differences from the vehicles of other nations. This is not entirely true. There are features, but they are extremely poorly balanced due to the historical purpose of tanks in England. The most striking advantage of technology is the "English" accuracy. To find out the pros and cons of technology, let's plunge into the history of British tank building and why they were needed at all.A bit of history
The navy in England was the best developed (due to geographical location of this state), and apart from the fleet, few areas were developed. Then the British command thought about the development of heavy vehicles to cover infantry in battle (during the First World War). Having built the first tanks and successfully used them in battle, it was decided to develop this industry. The first tanks of World War II had a narrow purpose: breaking through fortifications and attacking behind enemy lines. Therefore, for a breakthrough, tanks with high armor were used, and for "rear wars" they used "cruising" tanks. Cavalry (cruising) tanks include fast tanks from light armor and small guns designed to quickly penetrate behind enemy lines and inflict damage through surprise attacks. by the most typical representatives This class of tanks can be called a branch of British light tanks.And now back to the advantages and disadvantages, based on historical significance.
- A definite plus you can call it that in the "cruising" meaning, the British achieved their goal: Covenanter, Crusader, Cromwell, Comet are ideal for entering the rear at speed and carving out enemy artillery. The advantages include the frontal armor of some vehicles (such as Black Prince, Matilda, Valentine and almost all anti-tank self-propelled guns in Britain). Medium tanks have worse armor, but a certain slope gives a chance of non-penetration, and the turret can traditionally take a good hit. The British also have good guns: they have good armor penetration, fast aiming and not too long reload. Some machines have mobility, speed and maneuverability. British tanks have good visibility.
- By cons refers to one-time damage per shot, tk. it is very small (except for high-explosives and the FV215b (183) top tank destroyer). Some vehicles have poor hull armor. Huge disadvantages are hard armored tanks Britain is speed, maneuverability and extensive “soft” points that are easily accessible for breaking through.
General
Vehicles are divided into 4 initial WoT development branches: tank destroyers, light tanks (full fast "cruising" line), light tanks (up to heavy tanks) and medium tanks (up to heavy tanks).fri-sau
British anti-tank installations are famous for their armor, as well as good rapid-fire and penetrating cannons. You can get a lot of pleasure from their penetration and armor at any level of battles, but greatly resent their speed. In general, it can be said about them that the British tank builders achieved their goals when they built these vehicles as indestructible destroyers of fortifications. They are difficult to penetrate and have fast-firing guns, so dealing with such colossus in close combat will be problematic for many players, and at long distances it will be difficult to target weak spots. However, with their low speed, British anti-tank installations become a tasty target for enemy artillery. The most interesting and popular models are AT 2, Valentine AT, Alecto and FV215b (183)."Cruising" light tanks
Light tanks of Britain of initial levels (and all tanks of Britain up to level 4 are real cardboard). Light tanks of the initial levels are completely similar to each other on both branches. They are lightly armored, have the same equipment and the same guns. Despite their armor, light tanks have penetration cannons, and also have a Pom-Pom cannon that fires two projectiles, each of which fires a doublet. "Cruising" light tanks reach the Cromwell, and medium tanks start from it. Cromwell has excellent dynamics and a good gun, extremely weak armor, and after him come less agile vehicles with better guns. The worst tank in this lane is probably the Comet, which has neither armor, nor normal speed, nor a good gun (disgusting penetration of 148 units).Light tanks (up to heavy tanks)
In general, they are very similar to "cruising" light tanks, i.e. they are also "cruising", but already lead to heavy vehicles. They have worse armor compared to the first branch of light tanks, but otherwise they are exactly the same. On the fourth level, Valentine comes across on the way (on which many do not stay long) and from the fifth level the branch of heavy tanks of Great Britain begins. It starts with the heavy tank Churchill I. The tank has a good gun. It is accurate, piercing, fast enough and deals good damage. The tank has good armor (in no way comparable to Lend-Lease Churchills), but low speed.medium tanks
Although they are average, they are still poorly armored. These tanks have mediocre dynamics, slanting, but penetrating and damaging cannons. They are interesting in everything only with guns. At the fourth level, we get a perfectly armored Matilda tank, which is too tough even for some fifth levels. Matilda has two good cannons to choose from. One high-explosive, and the other is a quick-shooter-hole puncher. At the fifth level, we again go to the Churchill I heavy tank.British heavy tanks are well armored in the forehead, have good guns (except for the Black Prince) and feel good in battles with the same level "classmates".
Outcome
Summing up, we can say that british tanks are good for experienced players, because a beginner will not be able to understand the whole point (unless, of course, it is available somewhere other than anti-tank self-propelled artillery installations). It's a good idea to pump British vehicles up to level 8-10, just to ride in random battles, without much encroachment on the "terrible bend" or something else like that. They just ride it, so to speak, for the soul (again, except for the tank destroyer, there is another story). It is worth mentioning the anti-tank self-propelled guns of Britain, because. its armor and guns terrify many players and ride them like breakthrough tanks. So far, the British are deprived of artillery, but, I hope, not for long. Do not forget about the "English" jewelry accuracy of the guns, and therefore many French "gunners" may be interested in new artillery, which certainly meets British standards for accuracy.
The term "tank", a synonym for combat vehicle, strictly speaking, cannot be applied to British car Mark IX, which was actually an armored personnel carrier. Due to the high payload, the Mark IX became the prototype modern machines milking transportation of the military. The first use of tanks during the First World War revealed the shortcomings of other branches of the armed forces, especially the infantry, which could hardly keep up with the tanks. It wasn't a consequence high speed vehicles moving no faster than a pedestrian. Foot soldiers could not continue to move, because they fell under the concentrated fire of the enemy. As a result, tanks rarely contributed to the actual advance of troops and often found themselves isolated. Thus, there was an urgent need to make the infantry more mobile and protected. The infantry needed to get as close as possible to the enemy, while avoiding a large number of casualties from his artillery shells. In addition, soldiers who did not need to spend strength moving across rough terrain should be more combat-ready in order to beat the enemy with their own weapons. It was from these premises that the idea of an armored personnel carrier was born. During World War II, the Germans developed a large number of variants of armored personnel carriers that performed their task admirably. However, two decades earlier, the British had developed the Mark IX, becoming the fathers of the armored personnel carrier idea. Initially, the British military wanted to get their hands on armored vehicles to transport soldiers. But very quickly the realization of this idea turned out to be impossible. The tightness of the Mark I tank and especially the highlight carbon dioxide and cordite fumes threatened the lives of the soldiers on board. Often crew members became victims of intoxication and were carried out of the cars in an unconscious state. Each new soldier who got into the tank only worsened the situation. Although the infantrymen could approach the enemy unharmed, when leaving the tank they were completely incapable of combat for several minutes. The Mark V Star tank, which entered service in 1918, is a Mark V tank stretched to carry personnel. In 1917, Lieutenant G. R. Rackham was appointed as the developer of an armored vehicle for transporting infantrymen. But the British military did not have enough experience to determine the technical requirements for such a machine and, as a result, it was decided to develop a machine equipped with a gun.
Thus, in the event that the Mark VIII tank, which was still in the process of development, would not have fulfilled its task, the Mark IX could be turned into an armored personnel carrier, which became the first "tank" (from the English "tank" - "reservoir"). The military eventually decided to abandon the "understudy" tank, which was both a tank and a transporter, and the development of the tank began.
Mark IX. The caterpillars were kept on an elongated, reinforced chassis and an elongated body of the Mark V tank, thanks to the use of fans, the ventilation system was improved ... Everything superfluous was removed inside, which made it possible to make room for a maximum of 30 people. The Mark IX was equipped with two machine guns and eight vision slits that gave men the opportunity to fire. The engine was moved forward, the gearbox was left behind, the space reserved for the soldiers was crossed by a long transmission shaft with a scale. The thickness of the armor did not exceed 10 mm, in the stowed position the weight reached 27 tons. The crew consisted of four people: commander, driver and two machine gunners. Due to the shape of the tracks and resemblance the car was nicknamed "the pig" (The Pig).
The prototype has been approved general staff, who handed over an order to representatives of the military industry for the manufacture of 200 copies of an armored personnel carrier. By the time the peace was signed on November 11, 1918, only 35 machines had been assembled. After the war, one of them began to be used by the medical service, and the second turned into an amphibious tank.
TANK VICKERS MARK E |
The lessons learned from the First World War were clear: countries capable of creating decent armored forces should have invested in research and development, as well as in creating an armor production system. But in 1920, the production of tanks was very expensive. People survived a four-year bloody war, a period of disarmament began, the state of public finances in different countries was depressing. Military budgets were small, and the need for weapons immediately fell into the zone of special attention in the event of an order for mass production. The defense industry was looking for ways to develop inexpensive but reliable weapons and equipment without attracting attention.  The British company Vickers-Armstrong took a big risk when, on its own initiative, it decided to design a new tank without any ministerial support and without an advance payment for development costs. The famous engineers and tank designers John Valentine Cardin and Vivian Lloyd took up the development of the "six-ton tank". An experimental model appeared in 1928 and received the name "Mark E". The car seemed impressive: the thickness of the frontal armor was 25 mm, and on the tower, in the rear and on the sides - 19 mm; gasoline engine power 98 l. from.; excellent tracks, on which the tank could travel up to 5000 km. Two versions of the Vickers Mark E tanks were produced: model "A" with two turrets, each of which was equipped with a Vickers machine gun, and model "B" with one double turret equipped with a 47-mm cannon and one machine gun. But after various stages tests, in the end, the British army abandoned the tank due to the insufficient reliability of the suspension. Although the hopes of the Vickers company did not materialize, she did not leave her project and tried her luck on the international market. This decision paid off. In the late 1920s, the Vickers tank became the main weapon of many tank armies in Europe and around the world. These tanks were in service with the armies of Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Greece, Finland, Portugal and Thailand. In addition, the light tank was quickly copied by foreign engineers. The characteristics of the tank made such a deep impression on the Soviet military that they bought a license from the Vickers company to produce their own version - the T-26 tank, which was slightly different in armament and armor. In the period from 1931 to 1941, from the conveyors of Soviet factories at least 12 T-26 LLC of all modifications left. |