List of interwar armoured fighting vehicles
Encyclopedia
This is a list of armoured fighting vehicle
s developed during the interwar years between the end of the First World War (1918) and the start of the Second World War (1939). There is some overlap with tanks that actually served in the early part of the Second World War.
See also history of the tank
, list of armoured fighting vehicles.
China
China purchased several hundred armoured combat vehicles during the 1930s. The exact model and numbers are difficult to obtain, please see this article for more info.
Some of China's armoured fighting vehicles in 1930s:
France
Germany
, Soviet Russia had a stock of imported Mark V (called Rikardo, after the Ricardo engine), Whippet
(Tyeilor, after the Tylor engine), and Renault FT (Reno) tanks, and an assortment armoured trains.
By the time of the German invasion
on June 22, 1941, the Soviets had already fielded 222 T-40
light amphibious tanks, 967 T-34
medium tanks and 508 KV-1 and KV-2 heavy tanks.
Light tanks
Flame-throwing and engineer tanks
Medium tanks
Heavy tanks
Armoured fighting vehicle
An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked....
s developed during the interwar years between the end of the First World War (1918) and the start of the Second World War (1939). There is some overlap with tanks that actually served in the early part of the Second World War.
See also history of the tank
History of the tank
The history of the tank began in World War I, when armoured all-terrain fighting vehicles were first deployed as a response to the problems of trench warfare, ushering in a new era of mechanized warfare. Though initially crude and unreliable, tanks eventually became a mainstay of ground armies...
, list of armoured fighting vehicles.
ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
China purchased several hundred armoured combat vehicles during the 1930s. The exact model and numbers are difficult to obtain, please see this article for more info.Some of China's armoured fighting vehicles in 1930s:
- Carden Loyd M1931 Amphibious Tank - 29 purchased in 1935
- Carden Loyd M1936 - Light 2 man tank, 4 purchased in 1936
- Renault FT-17Renault FT-17The Renault FT, frequently referred to in post-WWI literature as the "FT-17" or "FT17" , was a French light tank; it is among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history...
- Approx. 100+ purchased from Poland and France in 1920s & 1930s - CV-33 - Italian tankettes purchased in 1936, numbers disputed (20-100)
- Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. APanzer IThe Panzer I was a light tank produced in Germany in the 1930s. The name is short for the German ' , abbreviated . The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was SdKfz 101 .Design of the Panzer I began in 1932 and mass production in 1934...
- 10 purchased from Germany in 1930s - Carden Loyd tankette Mk IVCarden Loyd tanketteThe Carden Loyd tankettes were a series of British pre-World War II tankettes, the most successful of which was the Mark VI, the only version built in significant numbers...
- Armoured Vickers MG carrier, 24 purchased in 1929 - Universal CarrierUniversal CarrierThe Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrong. Produced between 1934 and 1960, the vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War...
- T-26T-26The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s as well as during World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and is widely considered one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s....
- Licensed copy of British Vickers 6-ton Tank, ~88 were purchased from Soviets in 1938 - BA-6 - Armoured car purchased from Soviet Union, armed with 45 mm gun turret
FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Char B1Char B1The Char B1 was a French heavy tank manufactured before World War II.The Char B1 was a specialised heavy break-through vehicle, originally conceived as a self-propelled gun with a 75 mm howitzer in the hull; later a 47 mm gun in a turret was added, to allow it to function also as a Char...
- Hotchkiss H-35Hotchkiss H35The Hotchkiss H35 or Char léger modèle 1935 H was a French light tank developed prior to World War II.Despite having been designed from 1933 as a rather slow but well-armoured light infantry support tank, the type was initially rejected by the French Infantry because it proved difficult to steer...
- Hotchkiss H-39
- Renault R-35
- Renault FT-31Renault FT-17The Renault FT, frequently referred to in post-WWI literature as the "FT-17" or "FT17" , was a French light tank; it is among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history...
- SOMUA S35
GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- NeubaufahrzeugNeubaufahrzeugThe German Neubaufahrzeug series of tank prototypes were a first attempt to create a heavy tank for the Wehrmacht after Adolf Hitler had come to power. Multi-turreted, heavy and slow, they did not fit in with the Blitzkrieg tactics and therefore only five were made...
- Panzer IPanzer IThe Panzer I was a light tank produced in Germany in the 1930s. The name is short for the German ' , abbreviated . The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was SdKfz 101 .Design of the Panzer I began in 1932 and mass production in 1934...
- Panzer IIPanzer IIThe Panzer II was the common name for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II...
- SdKfz 265 PanzerbefehlswagenSdKfz 265 PanzerbefehlswagenThe SdKfz 265 Panzerbefehlswagen was the German Army's first purpose-designed command tank, and the primary German command tank in service at the beginning of World War II. Converted from the Panzer I Ausf...
Poland
- 7TP7TPThe 7TP was the Polish light tank of the Second World War. A development of the British Vickers 6-ton, it was significantly better armed than its most common opponents, the German Panzer I and Panzer II. A standard tank of the Polish Army during the Polish Defensive War of 1939, its production...
- C7PC7PC7P was a Polish tracked artillery tractor, used by the Polish Army before and during World War II...
- TKSTKSThe TK and TKS were Polish tankettes during the Second World War.-Design and development:The TK tankette was a Polish design produced from 1931 that was based upon an improved chassis of the British Carden Loyd tankette. The TKS was an improved model with a new hull and a more powerful engine...
- Samochód pancerny wz. 34Samochód pancerny wz. 34Samochód pancerny wz. 34 , was a standard light armored car used by the Polish Army during the September Campaign of 1939.The vehicle was based on the earlier half track samochód pancerny wz. 28, which entered service in 1928...
- Samochód pancerny wz. 29
- 10TP10TPThe 10TP was a Polish light cruiser tank that never left the prototype status. While advancing the Polish armour development programme, the prototype was deemed unsuccessful...
Soviet Union
At the end of the Russian Civil WarRussian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, Soviet Russia had a stock of imported Mark V (called Rikardo, after the Ricardo engine), Whippet
Whippet Mk A
The Medium Mark A Whippet was a British tank of World War I. It was intended to complement the slower British heavy tanks by using its relative mobility and speed in exploiting any break in the enemy lines. Possibly the most successful British tank of World War I, the Whippet was responsible for...
(Tyeilor, after the Tylor engine), and Renault FT (Reno) tanks, and an assortment armoured trains.
By the time of the German invasion
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
on June 22, 1941, the Soviets had already fielded 222 T-40
T-40
-External links:* on Battlefield.ru...
light amphibious tanks, 967 T-34
T-34
The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. Although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era, it has been often credited as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II...
medium tanks and 508 KV-1 and KV-2 heavy tanks.
Light armoured cars
- D-8 Armoured CarD-8 Armored CarD-8 was an early Soviet armored vehicle built in 1932-1934. Only around 25 were built; it was quickly superseded by the FAI armoured car...
open-topped armoured car - D-12
- FAIFAI armoured carThe FAI armoured car was a replacement for the D-8 armoured car, used by the Soviet Union from the early 1930s to early 1940s....
- BA-20BA-20The BA-20 was an armored car developed in the Soviet Union in 1936 and used in the early stages of World War II.-Design and production:The BA-20 armored car was developed in 1934 for use by HQ staffs, reconnaissance and communications units...
Tanks
Small amphibious tanks- T-37A
- T-38
Light tanks
- Russkiy Reno (or M, copy of Renault FT)
- T-18T-18 tankThe T-18 light tank was the first Soviet-designed tank. Produced from 1928–31, it was based on the Renault FT-17, with the addition of a vertically sprung suspension....
(or MS-1) - T-26T-26The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s as well as during World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and is widely considered one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s....
(license-built copy of Vickers 6-ton) - BT-2
- BT-5
- BT-7BT-7The BT-7 was the last of the BT tank series of Soviet cavalry tanks that were produced in large numbers between 1935 and 1940. They were lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for their time, and had much better mobility than other contemporary tank designs...
- BT-8
Flame-throwing and engineer tanks
- ST-26 engineer tank
- OT-26 flame tank
- OT-130 flame tank
Medium tanks
- T-24T-24The T-24 was a Soviet medium tank built in 1931. Only twenty-four tanks were built, and saw no combat. This was the first tank produced at the KhPZ factory in Ukraine, which was later responsible for the very successful T-34 and T-54 Soviet tanks...
- T-28T-28The Soviet T-28 was among the world's first medium tanks. The prototype was completed in 1931 and production began in late 1932. It was an infantry-support tank intended to break through fortified defences...
- T-29 (experimental)
- A-20 (experimental)
Heavy tanks
- T-35T-35The T-35 was a Soviet multi-turreted heavy tank of the interwar period and early Second World War that saw limited production and service with the Red Army. It was the only five-turreted heavy tank in the world to reach production but proved to be slow and mechanically unreliable...
Self-propelled guns
Most of these were manufactured in very small numbers- SU-12 76.2mm gun truck
- T-26T-26The T-26 tank was a Soviet light infantry tank used during many conflicts of the 1930s as well as during World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and is widely considered one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s....
A artillery support tank - BT-7A artillery support tank
- 4M quad 7.62mm Maxim anti-aircraft truck
- YaG-10 76.2mm anti-aircraft truck
- ZiS-42 25mm anti-aircraft truck
Tankettes
- Carden Loyd Mk IVCarden Loyd tanketteThe Carden Loyd tankettes were a series of British pre-World War II tankettes, the most successful of which was the Mark VI, the only version built in significant numbers...
- CrossleyCrossley MotorsCrossley Motors was a British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. They produced approximately 19,000 high quality cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.Crossley Brothers, originally...
-Martel TanketteGiffard LeQuesne MartelGeneral Sir Giffard Le Quesne Martel, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC , familiarly known as "Q Martel", was a British Army officer during World War I and World War II....
Tanks
- Vickers 6-TonVickers 6-TonThe Vickers 6-Ton Tank or Vickers Mark E was a British light tank designed as a private project at Vickers. It was not purchased by the British Army, but was picked up by a large number of foreign armed forces and was copied almost exactly by the Soviets as the T-26. It was also the direct...
(153) - Cruiser Mk ICruiser Mk IThe Tank, Cruiser, Mk I was a British cruiser tank of the interwar period. It was the first cruiser tank: a fast tank designed to bypass the main enemy lines and engage the enemy's lines of communication, along with enemy tanks...
A9 - Cruiser Mk IICruiser Mk IIThe Tank, Cruiser, Mk II , was developed alongside the A9, and was intended to be a heavier, infantry tank version of that type. In practice it was not deemed suitable for the infantry tank role and was classified as a "heavy cruiser"....
A10 - Cruiser Mk IIICruiser Mk IIIThe Tank, Cruiser, Mk III was a British cruiser tank of the Second World War. It was the first British cruiser tank to use the Christie suspension system which gave higher speeds and better cross-country performance, previous models of cruiser tanks having used triple wheeled bogie...
A13 - Infantry Tank Matilda Mk IMatilda Mk IThe Tank, Infantry, Mk I, Matilda I was a British infantry tank of the Second World War. It is not to be confused with the later model Tank, Infantry Mk II , also known as the "Matilda II" which took over the "Matilda" name after the early part of the war when the first Matilda was withdrawn from...
- Infantry Tank Matilda Mk IIMatilda tankThe Infantry Tank Mark II known as the Matilda II was a British infantry tank of the Second World War. It was also identified from its General Staff Specification A12....
- Light tank Mk I to Mk VLight Tanks of the UKLight Tanks of the UK include the Light Tanks Mk II to Mk V.Between the First and Second World Wars, the British produced a series of similar light tanks. They saw use in training, and in limited engagements with British Empire units such as the South African Army during the East African Campaign...
- Light Tank Mark VI
- Medium Mark I
- Medium Mark II
- Medium Mark IIIMedium Mark III-External links:...
- Medium Tank A7E2
- Vickers A1E1 IndependentVickers A1E1 IndependentThe Independent A1E1 is a multi-turreted tank that was designed by the British armaments manufacturer Vickers during the interwar period. Although it only ever reached the prototype stage it influenced many other tank designs....
(1 prototype) - Vickers Medium Mark IIVickers Medium Mark IIThe Vickers Medium Mark II was a British tank built by Vickers in the Inter-war period.The Medium Mark II, derived from the Vickers Medium Mark I, was developed to replace the last of the Medium Mark Cs still in use. Production and rebuilding ran from 1925 until 1934. The tank was phased out of...
Tanks
- Mark VIII Liberty (100)
- 6-ton Tank M1917Renault FT-17The Renault FT, frequently referred to in post-WWI literature as the "FT-17" or "FT17" , was a French light tank; it is among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history...
(US Production of Renault FT-17Renault FT-17The Renault FT, frequently referred to in post-WWI literature as the "FT-17" or "FT17" , was a French light tank; it is among the most revolutionary and influential tank designs in history...
, 952) - M2 Light TankM2 Light TankThe Light Tank M2 was an American pre-World War II light tank that saw combat with the US Marine Corps 1st Tank Battalion on Guadalcanal in 1942, during World War II. Its service with the 1st Tank Battalion during the Pacific War was its only U.S...
- T2 Light Tank
- M2 Medium TankM2 Medium TankThe Medium Tank M2 was a United States Army tank that was first produced in 1939 by the Rock Island Arsenal, just prior to the commencement of the war in Europe. Production was 18 M2 tanks, and 94 slightly improved M2A1 tanks, for a total figure of 112...
- T2 Medium Tank
Light armoured cars
- Davidson-Duryea gun carriageDavidson-Duryea gun carriageThe Davidson-Duryea gun carriage was a 3 and 4 wheeled armed armored vehicle manufactured in 1898 and 1899 for military use.- Development history :...
- Davidson Auto Battery armoured carDavidson Auto Battery armored carThe Davidson Automobile Battery armored car was a further development of the Davidson-Duryea gun carriage, but with steam power. It was built by Royal Page Davidson and the cadets of the Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in Highland Park, Illinois. Davidson designed this vehicle in 1901...
- Davidson-Cadillac armoured carDavidson-Cadillac armored carThe Davidson-Cadillac armored car of 1915 was developed on a Cadillac chassis by Royal Page Davidson and the cadets of the Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in Highland Park, Illinois...
- King Armored CarKing Armored CarThe King Armored Car was manufactured by the Armored Motor Car Company . It was the first American armored vehicle, and was ordered by the United States Marine Corps in 1915 for testing before being used by the 1st Armored Car Squadron, which consisted of eight cars...
Heavy armoured cars
- Jeffery armoured carJeffery armored carThe Jeffery Armored Car No.1 was developed by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1915.The armored car No.1 was used in by General John Pershing’s 1916 Pancho Villa Expedition in Columbus, New Mexico for training...