A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities. Firepower is normally provided by a large-calibre main gun in a rotating turret and secondary machine guns, while heavy armour and all-terrain mobility provide protection for the tank and its crew, allowing it to perform all primary tasks of the armoured troops on the battlefield.

Tanks in World War I were developed separately and simultaneously by Great Britain and France as a means to break the deadlock of trench warfare. Their first use in combat was by the British Army on September 15, 1916 at Flers-Courcelette, during the Battle of the Somme. The name "tank" was adopted in Great Britain during the early stages of their development, as a security measure to conceal their purpose (see Etymology).

Tanks of the interwar period evolved into the designs of World War II. Important concepts of armoured warfare were developed; the Soviet Union introduced the T-34, a predecessor of the main battle tank; Germany introduced blitzkrieg ('lightning war'), a technique which made use of massed concentrations of tanks supported by artillery and air power to break through the enemy front and cause a complete collapse in enemy resistance and morale.

Tanks in the Cold War advanced to counter greater battlefield threats. Tanks became larger and their armour became thicker and much more effective. Advances in manufacturing late in the war allowed the mass production of composite armor. Aspects of gun technology changed significantly as well, with advances in shell design.

During the 20th century, main battle tanks were considered a key component of modern armies. In the 21st century, with the increasing role of asymetrical warfare and the end of the cold war, that also contributed to the increase of cost-effective Russian anti-tank weapons worldwide, the importance of tanks has waned. Modern tanks seldom operate alone, as they are organized into armoured units which involve the support of infantry, who may accompany the tanks in infantry fighting vehicles. They are also usually supported by reconnaissance or ground-attack aircraft.

Noun

tank m. inv.

1. tank (military and container)

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Swedish tank

A tank is a fully-tracked, armoured combat vehicle (armoured fighting vehicle), designed primarily to destroy enemy ground forces by direct fire.

Contents

• 1 T-34 tank
• 2 German tanks
  • 2.1 Tiger I
• 3 Tank warfare
• 4 External links

T-34 tank

• "The finest tank in the world" - Field-Marshal Ewald von Kleist

German tanks

• All you saw in your imagination was the muzzle of an 88 behind each leaf.
  • British Tank Commander Andrew Wilson
• You need five of your tanks to destroy a single German one, but you always have six.
  • A captured German tanker said to Allied soldiers

Tiger I

• The Tiger was the best tank and was particularly successful in heavy fighting.
  • German Tank Commander Oberst Franz Bäke

Tank warfare

• "If the tanks succeed, then victory follows."
  • Heinz Guderian.

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