Special Sub-Topic: Tanks of World War II Click Here To Play: Tanks of World War II

Large numbers of the M3 Lee medium tank, as it was known in US service, were supplied to the British and used in North Africa. What was the name given to these M3 tanks used in British service?

Grant. The Lee/Grant was an interesting tank because its main armament was mounted in its hull. A much smaller anti-tank gun was housed in a revolving turret. The Grant was a welcome addition for the British Army in North Africa, whose mix of cruiser and infantry tanks were being outclassed by the German panzers. It was mechanically reliable and its 75mm main gun finally allowed the British to fight Rommel's Afika-Korps on more equal footing.

Which of these German tanks was in production throughout the entire war?

Panzer IV. The Panzer IV medium tank was designed to meet a 1934 requirement from the German Army and remained in production during the entire war. Krupp manufactured nearly 9,000 of the machines, constantly updating them with heavier armor and armaments. The Mark IV also served as the basis for a variety of self-propelled guns and specialty vehicles.

Which of these British tanks had the slowest top speed?

Matilda. The British envisioned a return to trench warfare in Europe before the outbreak of WWII and designed this slow-moving infantry tank to escort infantry across "no man's land". The Germans had trouble with the Matilda's thick armor and often had to call in Stukas to knock them out early in the war. However, the tank was lightly armed and too small for its for effective upgrading of its gun. It was replaced in frontline service around the time of El Alemein and was used in a variety of specialized roles.

Which of these self-propelled guns mounted the 155mm Long Tom gun?

M40. The first production M40s entered US service just as WWII was coming to end and saw most of their action in Korea and with the French in Indochina. The M40 proved to be a very successful weapon and served as the basis for later self-propelled artillery designs. The 155mm Long Tom delivered a powerful shell a long ways with great accuracy and was a very successful weapon in its towed form as well.

In the 1970 film "Patton", the German panzer forces are anachronistically shown using this postwar series of tanks?

M48. Ironically, the Germans are shown fighting in M48 Pattons throughout the movie. Almost half of the film's budget was spent on soldiers and equipment borrowed from the Spanish Army. "Patton" is one of the greatest movies of all time and features an Oscar-winning performance by George C. Scott as Ol' Blood and Guts. Interestingly, Rod Steiger, Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, and Robert Mitchum all turned down the lead role before it was offered to Scott. John Wayne eagerly campaigned for the job, but was rejected by the producers.

Which of these tank destroyers had a permanently rear facing gun?

Archer. When the British realized that they would need a bigger anti-tank gun than the 6-pounder, they had trouble mounting a bigger (and heavier) gun in their tanks. Their interim solution was to create a tank destroyer by adapting a Valentine tank chassis to carry a 17 pounder. The gun was fixed in a rearward position and this proved to work to its advantage. Its lack of a turret gave it a low silhouette and the vehicle could be driven away quickly without turning around if an ambush went sour. One of its drawbacks was that the driver had to leave the vehicle before it was fired as his seat was in the path of the gun's recoil. A total of 655 archers were produced by the end of WWII and the weapon served into the mid-1950s.

Which of these postwar tanks first saw action in the closing stages of WWII?

M26 Pershing. The US Military had stopped development of the M26 Pershing during the war to concentrate on the production of Shermans. When it was discovered how woefully inadequate the Sherman was when compared with the larger and more powerful Panthers and Tigers, development was hurridly started again and small numbers of Pershings saw service in Europe near the end of the war. The M26 was heavily armored and mounted a 90mm gun, finally giving the US Armored forces something that could evenly compete with the latest German tanks. However, the Pershing suffered from a poor power to weight ratio due to its weak Ford engine. Pershings saw service in Korea and were eventually replaced by the Patton series of tanks.

What theme do the British traditionally follow when naming their self-propelled guns?

Religious Titles. British crews nicknamed the M7 self-propelled howitzers they received through the Lend-Lease program "Priests" because of their pulpit shaped machine-gun turret. They also referred to Valentine and Canadian Ram tanks converted to mount the 25-pounder as "Bishops" and "Sextons". This tradition continued after the war with the adoption of the 105mm "Abbot" self-propelled gun.

How many rotating turrets did the T-28 medium tank have?

3. The Soviet T-28 mounted a 76.2mm main armament in a central turret. The tank also had two auxiliary turrets on either side of the driver's position mounting machine-guns. The side turrets had a limited range of traverse and their hatches could not be opened unless the main turret was angled in the opposite direction. Later models had additional armor on the hull front and turret after hundreds were knocked out in the Russo-Finnish Winter war of 1939-40.

Which of these tanks mounted the largest gun?

IS-2 Josef Stalin. The IS-2 entered service in 1944 and mounted a powerful 122mm gun. The massive tank was well armored and remained in production well after the war. The IS-2 was a development of the earlier KV series of heavy tanks and led the advance into Berlin in 1945.