Which tank was the best?

Answer 1

World War II in the Pacific, was a naval war; and steel for Naval Warships took precedence over steel for the Army's Tanks, in Japan. Japan still managed to field about twelve different tank types during the war (tankettes, amphibious tanks, light & medium tanks). The best of which were the Type 95 Light tanks, with 120 horse power diesel engines, 37mm cannons, and 3 man crews, about 2,000 were built; and the Type 97 medium tank, 170 horse power diesel engine, a 57mm main gun, and manned by 4 crewmen. Roughly 2,100 Type 97's were built. Germany was a land force, and consisted of a far more variety of armor. Their best was the Mark IV, as it was the only German tank that started the war and ended the war; and was the only German tank that was in constant production. Hollywood and amateur "armchair" soldiers (referred to more often as "Arm-Chair Generals") enjoy discussing the German "Tiger" and "Panther" tanks. Pioneering tanks to be sure, but during WW2, nothing but "teething problems" for the crewmen that had to man them. The USSR (Russians) had the famous T-34 medium tank (roughly 30 tons). More than 57,000 were produced during the war. The US had the famous M-4 Sherman (roughly 30 tons); about 39,000 were built (some books will state higher numbers were built). Prior to the 21st century (standards have changed since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 & the end of the cold war in 1990)...the criteria for a good tank was: Reliability (Dependability), Ruggedness, firepower, power/maneuverability, and SIMPLE TO OPERATE (Draftees may have to man the tanks). For WW2, the best tank would be between the Soviet (Russian) T-34 and the US M-4 Sherman tank. Both tanks were rugged, reliable, had firepower & engine power, and were SIMPLE TO OPERATE; "They were also easy to mass produce!" Note*-today's M-1 tanks are "rolling computers", thermal sleeved main guns, computerized (laser) range finders, GPS systems, stabilized guns and turrets (for shooting accurately on the move), aircraft turbo jet engines. They are extremely complicated and expensive to build, and require today's armor crewmen to utilize the TM dash 10 (Operator's Manual) to place the tank into operation. Today's armor crewmen are more closely related to Aircraft crewmen than to the tank crewmen of WWII and the Vietnam War. To have fought WW2 on the scale that we did (39,000 plus Shermans) with M-1 tanks, it would have taken the US LONGER to build them and take LONGER to train the crewmen to man them.