Soldier Magazine: ten top tanks that have helped to shape history

[Rick]

Hmm, saw this and had to comment. For a supposed objective list, it's very subjective - I definitely think that if you are going to put the Chally in there as the first Western composite-armoured production tank, then at least an honourable mention should go to the T-64 for having the very first composite armour (not counting experimental or prototype tanks), even if it wasn't exactly Chobham! 

[Orcs]

Now let's group hug.

You only want a group hug because you imagine us all as Totty in Bikini's

[Rob]

Hmm, saw this and had to comment. For a supposed objective list, it's very subjective - I definitely think that if you are going to put the Chally in there as the first Western composite-armoured production tank, then at least an honourable mention should go to the T-64 for having the very first composite armour (not counting experimental or prototype tanks), even if it wasn't exactly Chobham! 

Hi Rick and welcome to the forumn. I think what you are suggesting is very sensible. ( )

I put in my post the T62 as a Soviet game changer, but my memory served me wrong as I quoted it as being the first to have an auto-loader which was wrong; it was the T64!
The T64 did have composite armour later used on all Soviet tanks. They also use reactive armours and seem to be moving to the more sophisticated reactive armours like Shtora which to me is positivly space age technology.

Cheers, Rob 

[PatG]

With apologies for the necro. Note the link in the bottom right of the article  to the effect of: "If you disagree - comment on our board" Soldier Magazine looking for traffic? Mission accomplished I would say.

Oh and for a top 10, I would swap out the 6 ton for Panzer IV or maybe a  38-T which was the backbone of the blitzkrieg......

[J.S.]

I'm usually no big fan of such "my country did xyz better than your country"-lists, but in the context of the title of this article ("helped to shape history books"  ... "crucially influenced tank design and warfare" would be fitting though) I really can't take this list seriously. So how exactly did the Chalenger 2 "change the shape of history" more than any (!) German tank of world war 2? Even the humble Panzer II would have been a better choice here. After all this was the tank which made up the bulk of the German forces that conquered Poland and France.

I'd agree to include the Sherman and the T-34. Those tanks definitely helped to decide ww2. Not sure though whether ww1 wouldn't have had a smiliar outcome with no tanks at all (some of the most successful offensive operations like Caporetto 1917 or the Spring Offensive 1918 were accomplished without the help of tanks). I guess the main achievement of the Mark IV was to get this whole tank thing started after all.