AC I / IV - Australian Medium Tank

After the German invasion of France and the Atlantic blockade against the United Kingdom, the Australian Army could not receive any modern tank from Europe, the situation gets worse with the eminent threat from Japan forcing the Australians to develop their own tank.

The development of the first Australian Cruiser tank (AC 1) started in 1940, after many changes in design and overcoming industrial limitation the final specifications for the AC 1 Sentinel has been recorded as a tank with 28 tons, operated by a crew of 5 men (driver, aux. driver, gunner, loader and commander), with an armor up to 65 mm thick and an unconventional 3x 100 hp Cadillac 346 V8 engine with a combined power of 300 hp and a top speed of 48 kmh. The turret housed a 40 mm QF 2 pdr and a water-cooled 7.9 mm Vickers .303 machine gun, another Vickers goes in the front hull. 

By 1942, 65 units of AC 1 were built when the need for a better gun became clear, this is where the AC IV has born, up-gunned to the 76 mm QF 17 pdr and with slightly modified turret, only one prototype has been built.

The Australian Armour and Artillery Museum displays a mock-up of this last version.

Panzer IV - German Medium Tank

The Pz.Kpfw IV (Panzer Kampfwagen IV) has born in 1936 as a infantry support tank when Krupp submitted the new design for a tank equipped with a high caliber gun to deal with fortifications and buildings in general.

The weapon of choice was the short barrel 75 mm KwK 37 L/24 capable of fire AP, HE, HEAT and Smoke rounds at low velocity, the secondary armament was a pair of 7.92 mm MG34 one in the turret and one in the hull. The armor was 30 mm thick, weighting 18 tons and being powered by a 230 hp Maybach HL 108 TR V12 engine, the Panzer IV Ausf. A (first production model) could reach a top speed of 33 kmh. This tank was operated by a crew of 5 men (driver, aux. driver, gunner, loader and commander).

After the initial shock caused by the Soviet T-34 and KV-1, it become clear the urgent need for a better anti-tank weapon, the  Panzer III's 50 mm and the Panzer IV short 75 mm guns proved to be incapable to penetrate the newer Soviet designs.

Improved versions of the Panzer IV (Ausf. F2 and later) used a new and more powerful gun to deal with the Soviet threat, this gun is the long barreled 75 mm KwK 40 L/43, improved engine of 265 hp Maybach HL 120 TRM V12 with a top speed of 42 kmh and thicker armor up to 50 mm. All these improvements changed the final weight to 23.6 tons.

The Panzer IV is one of the most built (more than 8200 units) and deployed German tank during World War II, used in all fronts due to it simplicity and reliability.

A27M Cromwell - British Cruiser Tank

The A27M Cromwell is one of the most famous British tanks used in World  War II, its development started in 1941 with the objective to replace the Crusader.

First production models used the 57 mm QF 6 pdr gun and two 7.9 mm Besa machine gun. Powered by a 600 hp Rolls Royce Meteor V12 and weighting 27.5 tons the Cromwell could reach a top speed around 55 kmh which is very fast for its time.

The 4 men crew (driver, gunner, commander and loader) were protected by an armor up to 76 mm thick.

About 3000 units were build and deployed during the invasion of Normandy, despite the high losses rate, the Cromwell served with armored units and reconnaissance regiments.

The Cromwell basis were used for some variants like the Excelsior (heavy tank) and the Charioteer, a tank destroyer with a powerful 84 mm QF 20 pdr gun.

T-34 - Soviet Medium Tank

The most legendary Soviet tank of World War II is the T-34, overwhelming in numbers, they built 84,000 T-34s which proved ti be ahead of its time when Operation Barbarossa begun in 1941, this medium tank playing a vital role in both defensive and offensive operations and served over 40 countries, some still in service today!



Development of the T-34 started in 1936 and the first sample was assembled in 1939, during trials many improvements were made until the first mass-produced model (T-34 Mod. 1940) leaves the factory. Designed with a 45 mm sloped armor with an effective thickness of 70 mm, the T-34 proved to be very hard to penetrate, the combination of relative lightweight of 26.8 tons, wide tracks and the 500 hp Model V-2 V12 engine provided a very good mobility in a ll terrains and a top speed of 54 kmh.



The crew of 4 men (driver, aux.driver, gunner and commander) could use a 76.2 mm L11 cannon and a pair of 7.62 mm DT machine gun, later models changed the main gun to the 76.2 mm F-34 due to problems with the previous gun.

After the battle of Kursk the Red Army issued the need for a more powerful weapon in the T-34 which lead to the T-34-85 armed with an 85 mm D-5T cannon and thicker armor up to 60 mm and weight of 30.2 tons, the new gun proved to be effective against the German Tiger I heavy tank. The T-34 series served as a basis for the late T-44 and T-54 Soviet tanks.

M18 Hellcat - American Tank Destroyer

Being one of the most successful American tank destroyer of World War II, the M18 Hellcat development started in 1941 when the US Army required a fast tank destroyer. Production started in 1943.

Housing a 400 hp Continental R975-C4 radial 9 cylinders engine and weighting only 18 tons the M18 Hellcat holds the record of the fastest tank of World War II being capable to reach 80 kmh of top speed (most of the modern tanks can't reach this speed).



Armed with a 76.2 M1A2 cannon and a .50 M2 could not take German heavy tanks in a direct engagement but the incredible speed proved to make this tank very lethal by easily flanking enemy positions.

The crew of 5 men (driver, co-driver, loader, gunner and commander) were protected only against small arms, the strongest armor thickness in the M18 was only 25 mm.

With the US Army doctrine to "Seek, Strike & Destroy" M18 proved to be fearsome to enemy tank formations. After the war the M18 served US allies for a long time.

Churchill - British Heavy Tank

This famous heavy tank played a vital role in infantry support withstanding enemy fire with its thick armor, providing cover and storming enemy positions with a variety of weapons.



The A22 Churchill development started in early 40s as a replacement for the Matilda and Valentine infantry tanks. The Churchill was designed to be slow as infantry pace, heavily armored and capable to deal with fortifications using a high caliber low velocity cannon. This first version used a 76.2 mm  Mk.I gun the hull and a QF 2 pdr gun in the turret.

Powered by a 300 hp Meadows flat 12 cylinders the Churchill could reach a top speed of 24 kmh. The 5 men crew (driver, aux. driver, gunner, loader and commander) were protected by thick armor of 102 mm, late production models used 152 mm armor.

The Churchill Mk VII used a bigger turret to accommodate the 75 mm Vickers QF gun.

Churchill AVRE used a Spigot 290 mm mortar to engage bunkers and others reinforced buildings.
Another famous version if the Churchill Crocodile equipped with a flame thrower.

During the World War II the Chruchill was one of the most armored tank used by the allies, the Mk VII surpass in armor thickness the legendary Tiger I.

Panzer III - German Medium Tank

The Pz.Kpfw III filled the role of anti-tank for the Germans in the first phase of World War II based on the experience from World War I.



In 1934 the first drawings of the Panzer III were undertaken, the first version of this tank, named Ausf. A, used a 37 mm Pak 36 cannon and three 7,92 mm MG34, the thin armor of 14.5 mm thick could protect against small arms only. With a final weight of 15 tons the Panzer III Ausf. A were powered by a 250 hp Maybach HL 108 TR V-12 petrol engine that could reach a top speed of  35 kmh.



Many other variants were made (Ausf. B, Ausf. C, Ausf. E, Ausf. D) but the most important is the Ausf. E with a additional 30 mm steel plate in the hull, providing more protection for the crew of 5 men (driver, aux. driver, gunner, loader and commander), a more powerful engine was adopted, the 265 hp Maybach HL 120 V-12 which slightly raised the top speed to 40 kmh, the main gun could now be changed to the 50 mm KwK 38 for better anti-armor role. The wight also raised to 19.5 tons.

Late production models (Ausf. H, Ausf. J) used a thicker armor of 50 mm, a longer 50 mm KwK L60 cannon, these improvements changed the final weight to 21.6 tons.

With more than 5700 units build, the Panzer III played a vital role in the first phase of the war, being used until the fall of Berlin, with a extensive combat history.