Light tank
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A light tank is a
The fast light tank was a major feature of the pre–
Early light tank designs were generally better armed and armored than
History
20th century
World War I
In World War I, industrial initiative also led to swift advances. The car industry, already used to vehicle mass production and having much more experience in vehicle layout, designed the first practical light tanks in 1916, a class largely neglected by the British. Renault's small tank design, the FT, was the first tank to incorporate a top-mounted turret with a full rotation. The FT was in many respects the first truly modern tank having a layout that has been followed by almost all designs ever since: driver at the front; main armament in a fully rotating turret on top; engine at the rear. Previous models had been "box tanks", with a single crowded space combining the role of engine room, fighting compartment, ammunition stock and driver's cabin. The FT had the largest production run of any tank of the war, over 3,700 (mostly in 1918), and was more numerous than all British and German tanks combined.[i]
Interwar
The
In general, French tanks of the 1930s were well-armored, innovative vehicles that owed little to foreign designs. However, the light tanks lacked firepower and almost all French tanks were handicapped by their one-man turrets, even the larger tanks such as the Char B1, which overworked the commander who, besides directing the vehicle, or even a troop, had to load and aim the turret gun. The lack of radios with the light tanks was not seen as a major drawback, since French doctrine called for slow-paced, deliberate maneuvers in close conformance to plans. The role of small unit leaders was to execute plans, not to take the initiative in combat.[citation needed] In 1939, a belated effort was made to improve flexibility and increase the number of radios.
Throughout the interwar period the US produced only a few hundred tanks. From the end of World War I to 1935, only 15 tanks were produced. Most were derivatives or foreign designs or very poor quality private designs. The Christie designs were among the few better examples, but the US Army acquired only three Christies and did not pursue the idea any further. Budget limitations and the low priority given to the army meant that there were few resources for building tanks. The US Army instead developed and tested tank components such as suspensions, tracks, and transmissions. This paid off when production had to be initiated on the outbreak of war.
World War II
At the start of World War II, the majority of all of the great powers' tank forces consisted of light designs. The most common were the British
Soviet
The
Germany
Germany's armored
American
American light tank development started with the M2 light tank series. These light tanks were mechanically very reliable, with good mobility. However, they had a high silhouette, and only a few saw combat. The M3 Stuart series was an improvement of the M2 with better armor. The new medium tank just entering production in 1940 was the M2A1. This was a poor design with thin armor and a high silhouette.
The M3 Stuart saw use in the
Light tanks were issued to tank battalions (one of the four companies was a light tank company), light tank battalions and cavalry reconnaissance squadrons. The original role of the light tank in these formations was similar to medium tanks and they were expected to engage enemy armor with AP rounds and enemy positions with HE rounds. As a result, tank gunnery training for light and medium tankers was common.[3]
US Army Field Manuals written before 1944 clearly show that light tanks were to be part of an armored assault on enemy positions, and examples of fire on enemy armor were in these manuals.[4] When pursuing an enemy, Light Tank Battalions were expected to move parallel with enemy columns and, together with accompanying infantry and engineer units, seize "critical terrain that will block hostile retreat".[5] Despite the fact that light tank platoons were not expected to function as a reconnaissance unit, they could be used for reconnaissance purposes.[6] In this role, they were expected to remain behind the main reconnaissance force as the support element and augment the firepower whenever enemy contact was made.[7]
British
The British withdrew their light tank designs from their armored divisions early in the war, but used some later designs for minor amphibious operations and airborne operations.
Japan
The Japanese made extensive use of light tanks that were much better suited to
Cold War
Light tanks continued to be built, but for very limited roles such as amphibious reconnaissance, support of
The British FV101 Scorpion, the fire support variant of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) series of vehicles that replaced armored cars in British service, has been described as a light tank and was sold to many smaller nations. Another light tank in the Cold War era was the Swedish Ikv 91 (classified as an assault gun by Sweden). It had a low-pressure 90mm gun, strong armor against 20mm grenades, and it was fully amphibious.
Post–Cold War
Light tanks, such as the
21st century light tank design
Role
The modern light tank supplements the main battle tank in expeditionary roles and situations where all major threats have been neutralized and excessive weight in armor and armament would only hinder mobility and cost more money to operate. They have also been used for reconnaissance and, in some cases, infantry support.
Countermeasures
Typically, the armor in contemporary light tanks is modular, sometimes up to three configurations.[11]
The flat hull necessary for amphibious light tanks to
Weapons
A gun capable of defeating modern tanks at reasonable ranges requires a large vehicle to carry it. Gun weight is typically the product of caliber and muzzle velocity. Large caliber guns on light tanks often sacrifice muzzle velocity in interest of saving weight. These guns are effective against close-quarter targets but lack the power and/or accuracy to effectively engage heavier vehicles at a distance.
Mobility
Tactical mobility
Some light tanks such as the
Strategic mobility
Some light tanks, such as the
See also
- Main battle tank
- Tankette
- Light tanks of the United Kingdom
- History of the tank
- Tanks in World War I
- Comparison of World War I tanks
- Tanks of the interwar period
- Tanks in World War II
- Comparison of early World War II tanks
- Cold War Tanks
- Post-Cold War Tanks
- Armoured fighting vehicle
Notes
- ^ By comparison the French built about 800 medium and heavy tanks in total. The British built about 2,500 heavy tanks and 100 medium tanks during the war.
References
- ISBN 978-0-7190-4814-2. p275
- ^ Coox p. 437, 998
- ^ Armored Force Field Manual FM 17-12, Tank Gunnery, April 22, 1943 p. 18–19
- ^ Armored Force Field Manual FM 17-30, Tank Platoon, October 22, 1942, p 44
- ^ Armored Force Field Manual FM 17-33 The Armored Battalion - Light and Medium, September 18, 1942, p 112
- ^ Armored Force Field Manual FM 17-30 Tank Platoon, October 22, 1942, p 55-56
- ^ Cavalry Field Manual FM 2-30, Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized, August 28, 1944, p. 2
- ISBN 1-874622-37-Xp13
- ^ JAPANESE TANKS and TANK TACTICS (PDF). United States Government Printing Office. 1944.
- ^ "General Dynamics wins $1.14 billion Mobile Protected Firepower contract". Breaking Defense. 28 June 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ Roblin, Sebastien (11 November 2017). "The U.S. Army Is Searching for a New Light Tank". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "JSF Not Too Hot For Carriers". Archived from the original on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2010-04-03.
- ^ RS22947 The Marines Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV): Background and Issues for Congress
- ^ "M551 Armored Reconnaissance/Airborne Assault Vehicle". Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide. Inetres.com. Retrieved 2010-03-31.
Bibliography
- Bishop, Chris (2002). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,500 Weapons Systems, Including Tanks, Small Arms, Warplanes, Artillery, Ships and Submarines. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 1-58663-762-2.
- Chamberlain, Peter; Ellis, Chris (2001). British and American Tanks of World War Two: The Complete Illustrated History of British, American, and Commonwealth Tanks 1933–1945. Cassell & Company. ISBN 0-7110-2898-2.
- ISBN 0-8047-1160-7.
- Doherty, Richard (2007). The British Reconnaissance Corps in World War II. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-122-9.
- Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. (1978). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons & Warfare. Vol. 16. Phoebus. ISBN 9780839361756.
- ISBN 978-0-11-290460-1.
- ISBN 0-11-290534-X.
- Harclerode, Peter (2005). Wings Of War – Airborne Warfare 1918–1945. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-304-36730-3.
- Jackson, Robert (2010). 101 Great Tanks. Roseb Pub Group. ISBN 978-1-4358-3595-5.
- Otway, Lieutenant-Colonel T.B.H. (1990). The Second World War 1939–1945 Army – Airborne Forces. Imperial War Museum. ISBN 0-901627-57-7.
- Tucker, Spencer (2004). Tanks: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-57607-995-3.
- Zaloga, Steven. Japanese Tanks 1939-45. Osprey 2007. ISBN 978-1-84603-091-8.
External links
- Tank Museum:Light Tank Category Archived 2019-02-14 at the Wayback Machine