Your Favorite WWII Armour?

[Nerva]

Salvete Omnes!

When it comes to the image that encapsulates 'A Tank' for me, it's got to ge this...



I know it had it's shortcomings, they're were much better tanks built during the war but there's just something about it...

As for general fighting vechiles, its this...

[Swifty]

Has to be the Panzerkampfwagen V 'Panther' Ausf. A/G (later post-Kursk models!). In comparison to it's German counterparts it's 75mm gun was only inferior to the long 88mm gun of the Tiger II. It was far cheaper to produce than the Tiger I and it could move a hell of a lot faster. Best all round tank of the war with a tilt of the hat to the sloped-armour design of the Russian T-34. Even in the early 1950's it would have compared admirably with the world's best machines.

Alles bestens

[Cpl Flood]

The Josef Stalin 2 is an absolute monster though!...I saw one in Poland a few years ago & couldn't believe my eyes. It had an earth shuddering 120mm gun and the rounds were so big it could only carry 12. It had sloped armour too but still managed to weigh in at just under 50 tons (so it could go over bridges). No wonder the Russians won the war with that thing...they were still using it up to the early 1960s.

[Na Fianna Éireann]

The King Tiger encapulates it all for me as it was a revolutionary design and there were practically no Tank on the battle field that could take it on and survive , the acute shortage of fuel was it's down fall as apparently most Tanks were destroyed by their crews after running out of fuel to run them and rather than fall in Allied hands were subsequently destroyed by their crews, I had the pleasure of taking to Gert a veteran of the Das Reich SS 2nd Division in England who was assigned to a King Tiger and he told me that they were magnificent pieces of workmanship and that they felt invunerable when in them . There are lots of veterans who can give you their memoires of the vehicles and armour they were assigned too throughout the war years , I met Gustav Knittel's despatch rider at Detling but I think that its best to read accounts in autobiographies etc rather than make a nuisence off oneself hounding veterans .I wonder what veterans think of autograph chasers , Anyway the King Tiger was a technical wonder and a technical nightmare as well to repair

[Tychsen]

I would have to go with Swiftly - the later model Panther , although the Perishing which was just emerging - saw very limited service in Europe did so with an amazing degree of success , in terms of speed , hitting power and armour it was a force to be reckoned with.
The Panther showed that there was development potential within the design - there were plans to up gun it , the JP. development was highly successful and many of the teething problems had been ironed out - she had matured and come of age.
The long 75mm was able to take on any Allied or Soviet tank , she was fast stable and awell balanced package - in terms of drive - she was still weak - and for her weight she was still underpowered.

The King Tiger - too big , too heavy , underpowered , limited range , vunerable transmission , transportation and battlefield mobility presented problems.
Quality of build might also be an issue - by the end of the war materials and the proivision of quailty raw materials were making an impact.
She could destroy anything and her heavy armour provided protection - the down side came from an engine system which was under strain and "you just couldn't carry fuel to her".
In some respects the wrong tank at the wrong time.

[speirs]

id hae to tip my hat at the tiger. only problom is they could not make them fast enough in ters of production.

i think the ratio was 10 serman built for one tiger (open for correction on this)

the us average was 5 shermans lost for one tiger. the fact they were pumping out shermans ment they could afford to lose them.

then came the hellcat what a can opener. mast bi gun. i suppose its classed as a spg but hay it coul sure knok out tanks.

[vonbock]

the Panzer mark4 for me HHHHHMMMMMM always mistaken for a Tiger one of my favs

[vonbock]

[Nerva]

Ah Vonbrook

The Panzer IV Ausf H, very nice indeed

[Seathrun]

M-24 Chaffee it was a light tank. I got to ride in one at a show when I was 10. Just fell in love with it. http://www.onwar.com/tanks/usa/data/ltm24.htm http://www.onwar.com/tanks/usa/profiles/pm24.htm
Seth