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Tank destroyer

A self-propelled anti-tank gun, or tank destroyer, is a type of armoured fighting vehicle Armoured fighting vehicle

An armoured fighting vehicle is a military vehicle [i], protected by armour and armed with weapon [i]s. ... 

. Tank destroyers are used primarily to provide antitank Anti-tank warfare

Anti tank refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicle [i]s, notably tank [i]s. ... 

 support in combat operations. They may mount a high-velocity anti-tank gun or sometimes an antitank guided missile Anti-tank guided missile

An Anti-Tank Guided Missile or Anti-Tank Guided Weapon is a guided [i] missile [i] ... 

 launcher, or ATGM. Tank destroyers cannot fulfil the many roles of tanks; they are much less flexible, and usually lack a strong anti-infantry capability. A common feature of a tank destroyer is the absence of a turret. However, as a result of having no turret and fewer parts, tank destroyers are much less expensive to manufacture.

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Encyclopedia

A self-propelled anti-tank gun, or tank destroyer, is a type of armoured fighting vehicle Armoured fighting vehicle

An armoured fighting vehicle is a military vehicle [i], protected by armour and armed with weapon [i]s. ... 

. Tank destroyers are used primarily to provide antitank Anti-tank warfare

Anti tank refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicle [i]s, notably tank [i]s. ... 

 support in combat operations. They may mount a high-velocity anti-tank gun or sometimes an antitank guided missile Anti-tank guided missile

An Anti-Tank Guided Missile or Anti-Tank Guided Weapon is a guided [i] missile [i] ... 

 launcher, or ATGM.

Tank destroyers cannot fulfil the many roles of tanks; they are much less flexible, and usually lack a strong anti-infantry capability. A common feature of a tank destroyer is the absence of a turret. However, as a result of having no turret and fewer parts, tank destroyers are much less expensive to manufacture.

Gun-armed tank destroyers have been largely supplanted by the more general-purpose tanks since World War II World War II

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide [i] conflict [i] fought betwe ... 

, but lightly-armoured ATGM carriers are used for supplementary long-range antitank capabilities.

World War II



Dedicated antitank vehicles made their first major appearance in the Second World War, as combatants developed effective armoured vehicles and tactics.

These tank destroyers fell broadly into two categories. Some were designed to be faster and cheaper than medium tanks while still able to destroy heavy armour at long range. Some of these designs were clearly expedients rushed into production. The second design strategy was to create heavily-armoured vehicles that were more effective in tank-versus-tank combat than enemy tanks.

German designs

The first German Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, refers to Germany in the years 1933 to 1945, when it was governe... 

 tank destroyers were the Panzerjäger which took an existing anti-tank gun and put it on a convenient chassis to give mobility. For instance, the German Panzer I Panzer I

The Panzerkampfwagen I, more commonly referred to as the Panzer I, was a light tank [i] produced by Germany [i] ... 

 light tank was obsolete before the war even started, with only thin armor and machine guns for armament. It was put into battle during the invasion of Poland Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country located in Central Europe [i]. ... 

, where it was found to be a deathtrap. Before the subsequent invasion of France Battle of France

In World War II [i], the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German [i]... 

, 202 were rebuilt as the Panzerjäger I Panzerjäger I

The Panzerjger I was the first of the Panzerjager [i] designs for German [i] tank destroyer [i] ... 

 self-propelled 47 mm anti-tank guns. Similarly Panzer II Panzer II

The Panzerkampfwagen II, also called Panzer II, was a German [i] tank [i] used in World War II [i] ... 

 tanks were used during Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa

Operation Barbarossa was the codename [i] for Nazi Germany [i]'s invasion of the Soviet Union [i] ... 

: captured Soviet 76.2 mm anti-tank guns were mounted on Panzer II Panzer II

The Panzerkampfwagen II, also called Panzer II, was a German [i] tank [i] used in World War II [i] ... 

 chassis, producing Marder II Marder II

The Marder II was a tank destroyer [i] based on the Panzer II [i] chassis [i]. ... 

 anti-tank guns. The most common mounting was a German 75 mm anti-tank gun on the Czech Panzer 38 Panzer 38(t)

The Panzer 38(t) was a Czechoslovakian [i] tank used by Germany [i] during World War II [i] ... 

 chassis to produce the Marder III Marder III

The Marder III is the name for a series of World War II [i] German [i] tank destroyer [i]s built... 

. The Panzerjäger continued up to the 88 mm equipped Nashorn Nashorn

Nashorn, initially known as Hornisse was a German [i] tank destroyer [i] of World War II [i] ... 

.

Although the Panzerjager carried effective weapons they were generally lacking in protection for the crew having thinly armoured open-topped superstructures and used older designs of chassis. They were to be followed by the Jagdpanzer Jagdpanzer

Jagdpanzer, German [i]: "Hunting tank", is a name for German [i] tank destroyer [i] ... 

s
' which mounted the gun in better superstructures - sacrificing the wider traverse capability of the anti-gun carriage for good armour protection. The best of the designs is considered to be the Jagdpanther Jagdpanther

The Jagdpanther was a tank destroyer [i] built by Germany [i] during World War II [i] based on the chass ... 

 which put an 88 mm gun in one of the later tank chassis, that of the Panther tank Panther tank

The Panther was a tank [i] of Germany [i] in World War II [i] that served from mid-1943 [i] ... 

. The Germans became side-tracked into production of large numbers of tank-destroyers because they could be produced more cheaply than full tanks. The Jadgpanzers were better suited to defence than attack because of their limited traverse and the later designs such as the Jagdtiger Jagdtiger

The Jagdtiger was a German [i] World War Two [i] Jagdpanzer [i] based on the chassis of ... 

 were heavy and consequently less manoeuvrable albeit extremely hard to defeat.

The most effective German tank destroyer by far was one that wasn´t supposed to be one: the Sturmgeschütz III Sturmgeschütz III

The Sturmgeschtz III assault gun [i] was Germany [i]'s most produced armoured fighting vehicle [i] durin ... 

.

Soviet


As with the Germans, the Soviet Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , more commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a Communist state [i] ... 

 designs mounted anti-tank guns, with limited traverse in turretless hulls. The results were smaller, lighter, and simpler to build than tanks, but could carry larger guns. This design methodology was used by both the USSR and the Germans to provide heavier anti-tank capability at lower cost, during the rapid up-armoring of all AFVs that took place during the war. The Soviets produced the 85mm SU-85 SU-85

The SU-85 was a Soviet [i] self-propelled antitank gun used during World War II [i], based ... 

 and 100mm SU-100 SU-100

The SU-100 was a Soviet [i] tank destroyer [i]. ... 

 self-propelled guns based on the same chassis as the T-34 T-34

The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank [i] produced from 1940 to 1958. ... 

 medium tank, as well as the 122mm ISU-122 ISU-122

The ISU-122 was a Soviet [i] self-propelled gun used during World War II [i]. ... 

 and 152mm ISU-152 ISU-152

The ISU-152 was a Soviet [i] self-propelled gun used during World War II [i]. ... 

 which shared components with the IS-2 Iosif Stalin tank

The Iosif Stalin tank, was a heavy tank [i] developed by the Soviet Union [i] during World War II [i]. ... 

 heavy tank and was nicknamed Zveroboy for its ability to destroy German Tigers, Panthers and Elephants. The gun was so powerful that in close range it could rip the turret clean off the tank. In 1943, the Soviets also shifted all production of light tanks like the T-70 T-70

The T-70 light tank was used by the Army of the Soviet Union [i] during World War Two [i], repl ... 

 to much simpler and better-armed SU-76 SU-76

The SU-76 was a Soviet [i] self-propelled gun [i] used during World War II [i].... 

 self-propelled guns, which used the same drive train.

US Army tank destroyer doctrine

U.S. United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 and derivative British United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state [i] tha ... 

 designs were very different in conception. U.S. doctrine was based on the need to defeat German blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg is a popular name for an offensive operational-level [i] military doctrine [i]... 

 tactics. U.S. units expected to be faced with large numbers of German tanks attacking on relatively narrow fronts. In actual practice, such attacks rarely happened.

The U.S. tank destroyer designs were intended to be very mobile and heavily armed. Most retained a turret, but left it open on top both to save weight and to accommodate a larger gun. The earliest expedient design was an M3 Half-track M3 Half-track

The Carrier, Personnel Half-track M3 was an armoured vehicle used by the United States [i] during World War II [i] ... 

 mounting an M1897 75mm gun in a limited-traverse mount. The larger guns required a counterweight at rear of the turret, which can be seen on designs like the 3-inch gun 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10 M10 Wolverine

The 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10, was a United States TD of the Second World War [i]. ... 

 and the 90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 M36 Jackson

The 90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 was an American [i] tank destroyer [i] in World War II [i] ... 

. The 76mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 M18 Hellcat

The 76mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 was an American [i] tank destroyer [i] of World War II [i] ... 

 came closer to the U.S. ideal; the vehicle was very fast, small, and mounted a 76mm gun in a turret. Of these, only the 90mm gun of the M36 proved to be effective against the German's larger tanks and tank destroyers. The open top made these particularly vulnerable to anything from ordinance such as an artillery shell Shell (projectile)

A shell is a projectile [i], which, as opposed to a bullet [i], is not solid but contains an explosive o ... 

 or a hand grenade Hand grenade

A hand grenade is a small hand-held bomb [i] designed to be thrown [i]. ... 

, and even the elements, which reduced fighting crew capability. Also, the very idea of independent anti-tank groups was found unworkable.

United Kingdom and Commonwealth

On the whole, the British army did not subscribe to the Tank Destroyer concept, prefering instead to design tanks armed with bigger guns. Although flawed in many other respects, contemporary British armour doctrine recognised the inevitabilty of tank versus tank combat and the Army strove to arm their tanks with the most powerful anti-tank gun available at the time.

Anti-tank guns were the domain of the Royal Artillery Royal Artillery

RGA redirects here. For the Danish political party, see Red-Green Alliance [i]. ... 

 rather than the Tank Corps and anti-tank gunned vehicles particularly anti-tank self-propelled guns such as the Deacon Deacon

Deacon is a role in the Christian Church [i] which is generally associated with service of ... 

 and Archer were their preserve.

The self-propelled guns that were built in the "Tank Destroyer" mould came about through the desire to field the formidable QF 17 pounder Ordnance QF 17 pounder

The Ordnance QF 17-pounder was a 76.2 mm gun [i] developed by the United Kingdom [i] during World War II [i] ... 

 anti-tank gun and simultaneous lack of suitable tanks to carry it. As a result they were of a somewhat extemporised nature as a result. Mounting the gun on the Valentine tank Valentine tank

The most numerous British [i] manufactured tank of World War II [i], the Tank, Infantry, Mk III, V ... 

 chassis gave the the Marder-like Archer.
The 17 pounder was also used to equip the US supplied M10 Wolverine M10 Wolverine

The 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10, was a United States TD of the Second World War [i]. ... 

 to give the "Achilles". Another attempt to give a specialist anti-tank tank was to fit the 17 pounder to the Cromwell chassis to give Tank, Cruiser, Challenger Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger

The Tank, Cruiser, Challenger was an attempt to mount the 17 Pounder [i] gun on the Cromwell tank [i] chassis [i] ... 

 and its near open-topped variant "Avenger". The latter delayed until post war before entering service.

The closest the British came to developing an armoured Tank Destroyer in the vein of the German Jagdpanzers or Russian ISU series was the Churchill 3 inch Gun Carrier - a Churchill tank Churchill tank

The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV was a heavy British [i] infantry tank [i] of the Second World War [i] ... 

 chassis with a boxy superstructure in place of the turret. The design was rejected in favour of developing a 17 pounder armed Cromwell tank variant ultimately leading to the Comet tank Comet tank

The Tank, Cruiser, Comet I was a British [i] tank [i] that first saw use near the end of World War II [i] ... 



By 1944, a number of the "basic" Shermans M4 Sherman

WWII foreign variants and use: Lend-Lease Sherman tanks [i]
... 

 in British use were being converted to Sherman Fireflies Sherman Firefly

The Sherman Firefly was a British [i] variation of the Sherman [i] tank [i], f ... 

 by adding the potent QF 17 pounder Ordnance QF 17 pounder

The Ordnance QF 17-pounder was a 76.2 mm gun [i] developed by the United Kingdom [i] during World War II [i] ... 

 gun — giving each platoon of Shermans a dedicated anti-tank tank.

Post–World War II development

In the face of the Warsaw Pact, a general need for extra firepower was identified. In the 1950s, the UK produced the FV 4101 Charioteer to beef up the tank regiments, mounting a 20 pounder gun in an oversize turret on the Cromwell tank hull - it lacked the all round capability of the Centurion tank Centurion tank

The Centurion was the primary British [i] Main Battle Tank [i] of the immediate post-war... 

. It was followed by the Conqueror tank Conqueror tank

The FV214 Conqueror, also known as "Tank, Heavy Gun No 1 120mm Conqueror" was a British [i] ... 

 which carried a 120 mm gun.

With the development of flexible Anti-tank guided missile Anti-tank guided missile

An Anti-Tank Guided Missile or Anti-Tank Guided Weapon is a guided [i] missile [i] ... 

s, which were capable of installation on almost any vehicle in the 1960s, the concept of the tank destroyer has waned.
With the weight of main battle tanks growing to the forty to seventy-tonne range, airborne forces were unable to deploy reasonable antitank forces. The result was a number of attempts to make a light vehicle, including the conventional ASU-85, the recoilless rifle–armed Ontos Ontos

The Ontos, officially the Rifle, Multiple 106 mm, Self-propelled, M50, was a light anti-tank [i] v ... 

, and missile-armed Hornet Malkara armoured car and Sheridan M551 Sheridan

The M551 Sheridan is a light tank [i] and armoured reconnaissance vehicle developed by the United States [i] ... 

 light tank.

Modern tank destroyers

Many forces' IFV Infantry fighting vehicle

An infantry fighting vehicle is a type of armoured fighting vehicle [i] used to carry infantry [i] int ... 

s carry ATGMs in every infantry platoon, and attack helicopter Attack helicopter

An attack helicopter is a military helicopter [i] armed for attacking targets on the ground, using automatic cannon [i]... 

s have also added antitank capability to the modern battlefield. But there are still dedicated antitank vehicles with very heavy long-range missiles, and ones intended for airborne use.


There have also been dedicated antitank vehicles built on ordinary armoured personnel carrier Armoured personnel carrier

Armoured personnel carriers are armoured fighting vehicle [i]s developed to transport infantry [i] on t ... 

 or armoured car Armored car

An armored car or armoured car is one of several types of wheeled armored vehicles: a civilian b... 

 chassis. Examples include the U.S. M901 "Improved TOW Vehicle" and the Norwegian Norway

Insert non-formatted text here
... 

 NM142 NM142

The NM-142 is an anti-tank [i] variant of the American M-113 [i] APC [i], the difference being that it i ... 

, both on an M113 M113 Armored Personnel Carrier

The M113 is an armored personnel carrier [i] family of vehicles in use with the US military and many ot ... 

 chassis, several Soviet Soviet Union

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , more commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a Communist state [i] ... 

 ATGM launchers based on the BRDM BRDM-2

The BRDM-2 is an armoured scout car used by Russia [i] and the former Soviet Union [i]. ... 

 reconnaissance car, and the German Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country [i] in central Europe [i]. ... 

 Raketenjagdpanzer series built on the chassis of the HS 30 and Marder IFV.

A US Army United States Army

The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces [i] ... 

 mechanized infantry battalion has four infantry companies with TOW missile–armed Bradley IFVs M2 Bradley

The M2 Bradley IFV and M3 Bradley CFV are American [i] infantry fighting vehicle [i] ... 

 and can bring a large concentration of accurate and lethal fire to bear on an attacking enemy unit that uses AFVs.

Some gun-armed tank destroyers continue to be used. The German army had specialized Kanonenjagdpanzer Kanonenjagdpanzer

The Kanonenjagdpanzer was a German post-war tank destroyer [i] equipped with a 90mm anti-tank gun [i]. ... 

, similar in design to the WWII tank destroyers, from the mid-1960s until the 1980s. In the same timeframe, Sweden Sweden

The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country [i] in Scandinavia [i]. ... 

 developed an indigenous tank destroyer to supplement its armoured forces: the Ikv 91 Infanterikanonvagn 91

The Ikv 91, or Infanterikanonvagn 91, was a high mobility tank destroyer [i] that w ... 

, armed with a high-velocity 90mm cannon. The People's Republic of China People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , is a country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

 has developed the PTL02 tank destroyer. This wheeled assault tank destroyer armed with a 100mm rifled gun was developed by NORINCO for the PLA new light mechanised infantry divisions. The vehicle has a three-man turret derived from the Type 88 Type 96

The Type 96 is the latest variant of China [i]'s second-generation main battle tank [i]. ... 

 MBT, and a 6×6 wheeled chassis based on the WZ551 APC.

References

  • Harry Yeide, The Tank Killers: A History of America's World War II Tank Destroyer Force. Havertown, PA: Casemate. ISBN 1-9320-3326-2






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