Comparison of early World War II tanks

This table compares tanks in use by the belligerent nations of Europe and the Pacific at the start of the Second World War, employed in the Polish Campaign (1939), the Battle of France (1940), Operation Barbarossa (1941), and the Malayan Campaign (1942).

	Infantry Tank Mk I Matilda	Infantry Tank Mk II Matilda	Panzer I	Panzer II	Panzer III	Panzer IV Ausf. A-F1	LT vz. 35 (Panzer 35(t)^[1]^[2])	LT vz. 38 (Panzer 38(t))	7TP^[3]^[4]	T-26^[5]	BT-7M ^[5]^[6]	T-34 Model 1940^[7]	KV-1 Model 1940	Type 97 Chi-Ha^[8]
Country	United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Nazi Germany	Nazi Germany	Nazi Germany	Nazi Germany	Czechoslovakia, Nazi Germany	Czechoslovakia, Nazi Germany, Sweden	Poland	Soviet Union	Soviet Union	Soviet Union	Soviet Union	Japan
Entered service	1938	1939	1934	1936	1939	1939	1937	1939	1935	1931	1939	1940	1940	1937
Crew	2	4	2	3	5	5	4	4	3	3	3	4	5	4
Dimensions
Length	4.9 m	6.0 m	4.40 m	4.80 m	5.52 m	5.92 m	4.9 m	4.61 m	4.56 m	4.88 m	5.66 m	5.92 m	6.75 m	5.50 m
Width	2.3 m	2.6 m	2.00 m	2.20 m	2.90 m	2.88 m	2.1 m	2.12 m	2.43 m	2.41 m	2.29 m	3.00 m	3.32 m	2.33 m
Height	2.0 m	2.5 m	1.70 m	2.00 m	2.50 m	2.68 m	2.35 m	2.40 m	2.27 m	2.08 m	2.42 m	2.45 m	2.71 m	2.21m
Turret Ring	?	1378mm	927mm	?	1560mm	1650mm	1267mm	?	?	?	?	1420mm	1580mm	1350mm
Weight	11 tonnes	27 tonnes	6.0 tonnes	9.5 tonnes	19.5 tonnes	21.0 tonnes	10.5 tonnes	9.5 tonnes	9.9 tonnes	10.3 tonnes	14.7 tonnes	26.3 tonnes	45 tonnes	14.3 to 15.2 tonnes
Armour
Turret front side top	65 mm 65 mm 10 mm	75 mm 75 mm 20 mm	13 mm 13 mm 8 mm	15 mm 15 mm 10 mm	30 mm 30 mm 12 mm	30 mm 20 mm 12 mm	25 mm 15 mm 8 mm	25 mm 15 mm 10 mm	15 mm 15 mm 10 mm	15 mm 15 mm 10 mm	15 mm 15 mm 15 mm	45 mm 45 mm 16 mm	70 mm 70 mm ? mm	25 mm 25 mm 10 mm
Hull front side top	60 mm 60 mm 30 mm	78 mm 55 mm 20 mm	13 mm 13 mm 6 mm	15 mm 15 mm 5 mm	30 mm^[a] 30 mm 16 mm	30+30 mm 20+20 mm 12 mm	25 mm 16 mm 8 mm	30 mm 15 mm 8 mm	17 mm 13 mm 10 mm	15 mm 15 mm 6 mm	30 mm 13 mm 10 mm	45 mm 45 mm 20 mm	75 mm 75 mm 70 mm	25 mm 25 mm 10 mm
Armament
Main	.303 (7.7mm) Vickers MG or 0.5 in (12.7mm) Vickers MG	Ordnance QF 2-pounder 40 mm	2×MG34 7.92 mm	2 cm KwK 30 20 mm	3.7 cm KwK 36 37 mm	7.5 cm KwK 37 75 mm	ÚV vz. 34 37 mm	3,7cm ÚV vz. 38 37 mm	Bofors wz. 37 37 mm	Model 32 45 mm	Model 38 45 mm	L-11 Model 1939 76.2mm L/30.5	76.2mm F-34 (tank gun)	Type 97 57mm Tank Gun
Secondary	–	7.92 mm Besa MG	–	2×MG34 7.92 mm	3×MG34 7.92 mm	2×MG34 7.92 mm	2×MG 37(t) 7.92 mm	2×MG 37(t) 7.92 mm	Ckm wz.30 7.92 mm	2×DT machine guns 7.62 mm	3×DT 7.62 mm	2×DT 7.62 mm (hull, turret rear)	4×DT 7.62 mm	2xType 97 7.7mm guns
Ammunition	– 4,000 rounds	93 AP shot 2,925 rounds	– 2,250 rounds	180 shells 2,250 rounds	125 shells 4,500 rounds	80 shells 2,700 rounds	72 shells 1,800 rounds	72 shells 2,400 rounds	80 shells 3,960 rounds	100 shells 2,848 rounds	146 shells 2,394 rounds	77 shells 2,898–4,725 rounds	? shells ? rounds	120 shells 2,350-2,575 rounds
Engine
Fuel	gasoline	diesel	gasoline	gasoline	gasoline	gasoline	gasoline	gasoline	diesel	gasoline	diesel	diesel	diesel	diesel
Engine	8-cylinder Ford	2x 6-cylinder AEC or Leyland	6-cylinder Maybach NL38TR	6-cylinder petrol Maybach HL 140 hp	12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM 300 PS	12-cylinder Maybach HL 120 TRM 300 PS	6-cylinder Škoda T11/0	6-cylinder Praga EPA	6-cylinder PZInż.235	6-cylinder GAZ T-26	12-cylinder V-2	12-cylinder V-2-34	12-cylinder V-2	12-cylinder SA12200VD
Power	70 hp (52 kW)	180 hp (130 kW)	100 hp (75 kW)	140 hp (100 kW)	265 hp (198 kW)	296 hp (221 kW)	120 hp (89 kW)	125 hp (93 kW)	110 hp (82 kW)	90 hp (67 kW)	450 hp (340 kW)	500 hp (370 kW)	600 hp (450 kW)	170 hp (130 kW)
Fuel consumption	?	?	103–126 litres/100 km	89–135 litres/100 km	?	?	?	?	81–100 litres/100 km	?	?	?	?	?
Mobility
Suspension	sprung bogie	coil spring	coil spring/ leaf spring	leaf spring	torsion-bar	leaf spring	leaf spring	leaf spring	leaf spring	leaf spring	Christie	Christie	torsion-bar	Bell-Crank
Speed (road) (terrain)	13 km/h 9	24 km/h 15	40 km/h ?	40 km/h 15 km/h	40 km/h ?	42 km/h 16 km/h	34 km/h ?	42 km/h 15 km/h	37 km/h 32 km/h	30 km/h ?	86 km/h ?	53.5 km/h ?	35 km/h ?	40 km/h ?
Range (road) (terrain)	80 miles (130 km)	160 miles (257 km)	140 km 115 km	200 km 130 km	155 km ?	320 km 200 km	190 km 120 km	250 km 160 km	160 km 130 km	225 km 150 km	700 km 400 km	300–400 km 230–260 km	250 km ?	210 km ?
power:weight	6.3 hp/t	6.7 hp/t	16.7 hp/t	14.8 hp/t	12.0 hp/t	12.0 hp/t	10.9 hp/t	13.2 hp/t	11.1 hp/t	8.7 hp/t	30.6 hp/t	19.0 hp/t	13.0 hp/t	11.3 hp/t
Track width		356 mm	280 mm	305 mm	360 mm	380 mm	320 mm	293 mm	267 mm	260 mm	300 mm	550 mm^[9]	?	350 mm
Ground pressure	68.0 kPa	111.7 kPa	?	60.8 kPa	?	96.5 kPa	?	?	59 kPa	60 kPa	76.5 kPa	62.76 kPa	?	?
Ground clearance	387 mm	330 mm	290 mm	340 mm	385 mm	400 mm	350 mm	400 mm	376 mm	380 mm	350 mm	400 mm	?	343 mm
Vertical obstacle Trench crossing Fording depth	0.76 m 1.98 m 0.76 m		0.36 m 1.4 m 0.58 m	0.42 m 1.7m 0.85 m	0.6 m 2.3 m 0.8 m	0.6 m 2.5 m 1.0 m	0.79 m 2.01 m 0.79 m	0.8 m 1.86 m 0.9 m	0.75 1.8 m 1.0 m	0.7 m 1.8 m 0.8 m	0.55 m 2 m 1.2 m	0.8 m^[9] 2.5 m^[9] 1.3m^[9]	?	1.0 m 2.5 m 1.0 m
	Matilda Mk I	Matilda Mk II	Panzer I	Panzer II	Panzer III	Panzer IV	LT vz. 35	LT vz. 38	7TP	T-26	BT-8	T-34	KV-1	Type 97 Chi-Ha

Notes

^ From the Ausf D variant onwards, earlier variants had 15 mm thick armour all round

References

^ Chamberlain, Peter; Doyle, Hilary L.; Jentz, Thomas L. (1993) [1978]. Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945 (rev. ed.). London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-214-6.
^ Kliment, Charles K.; Francev, Vladimír (1997). Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles. Atglen, PA: Schiffer. ISBN 0-7643-0141-1.
^ Twenty captured 7TP were used by Germans as PzKpfw 7TP 731 (p).
^ David R. Higgins and Ricard Chasemore. Panzer II vs 7TP: Poland 1939, Osprey Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781472808837.
^ ^a ^b Steven J. Zaloga and James Grandsen. Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two, London: Arms and Armour Press, 1984. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.
^ "Russia's BT-7 Fast Tanks" at wwiivehicles.com. URL accessed 2006-07-25.
^ Zaloga, Steven J., James Grandsen (1983). T-34 in Action, p.40. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal. ISBN 0-89747-112-1.
^ Tomczyk, Andrzej (2007) [2002]. Japanese Armor Vol. 2. AJ Press. ISBN 978-8372371119.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "T-34-76 Model 1940", at onwar.com. URL accessed 2006-07-25.

[9] From the Ausf D variant onwards, earlier variants had 15 mm thick armour all round

[1] Chamberlain, Peter; Doyle, Hilary L.; Jentz, Thomas L. (1993) [1978]. Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two: A Complete Illustrated Directory of German Battle Tanks, Armoured Cars, Self-propelled Guns and Semi-tracked Vehicles, 1933–1945 (rev. ed.). London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-214-6.

[2] Kliment, Charles K.; Francev, Vladimír (1997). Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles. Atglen, PA: Schiffer. ISBN 0-7643-0141-1.

[3] Twenty captured 7TP were used by Germans as PzKpfw 7TP 731 (p).

[4] David R. Higgins and Ricard Chasemore. Panzer II vs 7TP: Poland 1939, Osprey Publishing, 2015. ISBN 9781472808837.

[zaloga1984-5] Steven J. Zaloga and James Grandsen. Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two, London: Arms and Armour Press, 1984. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.

[6] "Russia's BT-7 Fast Tanks" at wwiivehicles.com. URL accessed 2006-07-25.

[zaloga1983-7] Zaloga, Steven J., James Grandsen (1983). T-34 in Action, p.40. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal. ISBN 0-89747-112-1.

[8] Tomczyk, Andrzej (2007) [2002]. Japanese Armor Vol. 2. AJ Press. ISBN 978-8372371119.

[onwar-10] "T-34-76 Model 1940", at onwar.com. URL accessed 2006-07-25.

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v t e History of the tank
Era	World War I Interwar World War II Cold War Post–Cold War
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