Favourite Allied tank of the War (and semantic digressions)

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by Arlo, Nov 7, 2007.

?

Your Favorite

  1. Churchill IV

    2 vote(s)
    4.4%
  2. Matilda (Any version)

    13 vote(s)
    28.9%
  3. M4 Sherman

    5 vote(s)
    11.1%
  4. M4A1

    5 vote(s)
    11.1%
  5. M4AE3

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  6. Sherman Ronson

    2 vote(s)
    4.4%
  7. M-26 Pershing

    1 vote(s)
    2.2%
  8. T-34

    5 vote(s)
    11.1%
  9. T-34-85

    4 vote(s)
    8.9%
  10. SU-76

    4 vote(s)
    8.9%
  11. Other.

    4 vote(s)
    8.9%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Old Hickory Recon

    So that makes the Swedish S tank a TD then?
    [​IMG]

    Stridsvagen 103

    I think that is called an aberration.

    That's not a Grant. That, Jeff, is an M3 Lee!!!!

    Bod :cowboy_125:

    Edit: BTW it's favourite this side of the pond.:D

    Jeff,

    Thats a picture of Humphrey Bogards Lulabell!! in the film Sahara. definitely a 'Lee'.

    Regards

    Tom

    Lee or Grant, they're both still ugly as sin.:p
     
  2. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Za my dear friend.

    What did you expect from me?

    The Cromwell is such a lovely little tank. The JS-2 is ugly by comparison. I feel sorry for the russian tankies who have to fight in such ugly kit. Poor form indeed.

    The Cromwell has class and style. It also spawned the best tanks in history.

    Now that we have decided what's what let us all sing land of hope and glory.

    Captain, my Captain, I cannot agree. Soviet tanks are works of art on tracks. Example attached.

    [​IMG]
     
    Jaeger likes this.
  3. Jaeger

    Jaeger Senior Member

    Za

    That would be the desert paint scheme, (ala the Pink Panther or Pinky) complete with the 412 "Red Banner" nurse corps and their mascot Super Ivan.

    Sorry no chance. The roar of the Meteor is as thrilling as finding the Ark of the Covenant, opening the lid and finding Cameron Diaz naked and bored.
     
    Za Rodinu likes this.
  4. Drucius

    Drucius Junior Member

    I don't agree, we may know one when we see one, but your average Joe can't tell a halftrack from a Panther. If you have a set of rules that define a tank then anyone can recognise one. Which is a skill of limited use, I grant you.
     
  5. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Za

    That would be the desert paint scheme, (ala the Pink Panther or Pinky) complete with the 412 "Red Banner" nurse corps and their mascot Super Ivan.

    Sorry no chance. The roar of the Meteor is as thrilling as finding the Ark of the Covenant, opening the lid and finding Cameron Diaz naked and bored.

    Pah! What is that compared to opening the hatchlid on a T-34 and finding four babushkas each with a 50-year Party membership and a bottle of Stolichnaya in each shell slot?

    Some of these pissing contests sure can be difficult!
     
  6. Jaeger

    Jaeger Senior Member

    I guess we have to disagree on this one.
    Now if you'll excuse me, miss Diaz is bored again...
     
  7. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Don't tell her you know me or she will never stop bragging for once having been able to...
     
  8. Ropi

    Ropi Biggest retard of all

    Jeeez! The pink panther! (okay, panther-ancestor...)
     
  9. LesCM19

    LesCM19 "...lets rock!"

    I have an unhealthy liking for the A9 CS, they were so challenging in so many ways and we are talking 'favorite' not 'best' after all , but then fortunately I never had to go to war in one...
     
    von Poop likes this.
  10. CROONAERT

    CROONAERT Ipsissimus

    Though i've only really got eyes for one tank (and it belonged to the "other" side), I suppose I do have a soft-spot for a couple that aren't listed....top of that list being the FCM 2C. I'd just love one of them babies to be parked outside my house!

    dave.
     
  11. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

  12. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    I've changed the spelling of 'Favorite' in the title to the English usage. Mutter, harumph.

    This week, I have mostly been liking, The Great Eastern Rocket-launched ramp, which (as has been mentioned on other threads) was possibly only fired off on VE day.
    Churchill Great Eastern Ramp

    I feel the Canuck's are honour-bound to restore it and ship it over here as a present for the Queen, or something. A Jubilee opportunity missed.
    And yeah, not a tank - so sue me.

    [​IMG]

    Stylish.
     
  13. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    I've changed the spelling of 'Favorite' in the title to the English usage. Mutter, harumph.

    This week, I have mostly been liking, The Great Eastern Rocket-launched ramp, which (as has been mentioned on other threads) was possibly only fired off on VE day.
    Churchill Great Eastern Ramp

    I feel the Canuck's are honour-bound to restore it and ship it over here as a present for the Queen, or something. A Jubilee opportunity missed.
    And yeah, not a tank - so sue me.

    Stylish.
    Not the same princple, but in grandeur it is comparable to another Isambard Brunel work.

    Royal_Albert_Bridge_2009.jpg
     
  14. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

  15. Tavarish_Alexei34

    Tavarish_Alexei34 Panzer_fan

    I would go for the British Comet. A beautiful looking machine. For me a tank is an armoured fighting machine, with a gun and tracks. Let us not forget that the name "tank" was first used for secrecy by the British in WW1 and so I think that a TD or an SPG can be a tank, only it has a specialised role and so it was named differently. at the end of the day, they are all roughly the same. This is just my personal opinion
     
    Chris C likes this.
  16. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    The Anti tank gunners of the Royal artillery would probably nominate the Firefly version of the M10 SP Gun with the 17 pounder gun. As the author of the history of the 5th(?) Argyll;'s 91st Anti tank regiment wrote. "The M10 with the 3" gun is a decent anti tank gun. With the 17 pounder it is a terror. "

    THe World Tanks chappie bangs on about how the M36 is better, but the 17 Pounder SP was available by D Day and the decicive battles in Normandy.
     
    Nick the Noodle and Chris C like this.
  17. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    T-34/85 - a tank design from the 1930s that was in active service around the world for practically the entire 20th century and, incidentally, redefined the gold standard in tank construction at the time.
    За матушку Россию!
     
  18. TTH

    TTH Senior Member

    Hmmmm....favorite WWII tank? Well, I have always had a strong liking for the M3 Grant series. Part of that is aesthetic. Many may regard it is an ugly duckling but I think it has a kind of ziggurat symettry. Also, for reasons I can't entirely analyze or justify, I just like the idea of having so many different weapons available--you can see why it did well in infantry support in Burma. Of course, I am well aware of the M3's weaknesses: bolted armor on most versions, limited traverse of the main gun, high silhouette, difficulty of fighting hull down. Still, the thing WAS there in numbers when it was most needed in 1942. The 8th Army was very, very glad to have it, and the US armored divisions trained on it. I also like the M3-M5 series, probably the best light tanks around until the Chaffee.

    My favorite early war tank is certainly the Matilda II, which was pretty much the only battleworthy tank the RAC had in 1939-41. I love its looks, for one thing. I like the looks of the Vickers light tanks too, though I know objectively that they were close to useless. I am also very fond of the Churchill, the best of the I-tanks, and I am only sorry it didn't have a better gun. The Comet was clearly the best British tank of the whole war, though it saw such limited use that it's hard to for me to make it a favorite. I confess to a strange liking for the Challenger. As to Soviet tanks, the T34 may well have been the most important tank of the entire war, and one of the most successful, but it was never a favorite of mine. The best American tank of the war was probably the M26, which could take on anything. It's the American Comet, though, and appeared so late that it couldn't make much of an impact. Also I can't say that it's ever been a favorite of mine,

    Maybe my most justifiable favorite is....the Late M4. Yeah, yeah, I know all the arguments against, but the late model M4s had either a 17-Pdr or a 76mm M1, both of which could compete with German guns despite their weaknesses. There were improvements to armor and ammo stowage and many other details, mobility remained good, and reliability was excellent. No, it doesn't have quite the hitting power or protection of the heaviest German tanks and SPs, but it is a solid, well proven medium-medium tank. It is relatively easy to make and ship to the battlefield and maintain once it gets there. Finally, it is available in very large numbers. With all its flaws it is the Anglo-American T34.
     
    Chris C likes this.
  19. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    Fun facts about the M3 Lee/Grant:
    For reasons that may be known only to him, Steven Zaloga translated their soviet nickname into "a grave for seven brothers".
    The soviet tankists themselves, however, were a little more prosaic and actually called them «братская могила на семерых»: „a common grave for seven“.
    smartass mode "off" :rolleyes:
     
    von Poop and TTH like this.
  20. Don Juan

    Don Juan Well-Known Member

    No such thing as a non-excellent Allied tank. :cheers:
     

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