TANKS

Number Five: Ram II

Designed and made in Canada by a government and army that understood that military and industrial strength were interdependent and that real sovereignty has a price. They never saw combat as designed but they were probably better then the Sherman (which I know is not saying a lot) that was used instead. I like them because they’re Canadian. 

Produced: 1941–43

Weight: 29.5 t

Length: 5.79 m

Width: 2.67 m

Height: 2.9 m

Crew: 5 

Armour: 87 mm Primary
Armament: Mk III QF 6 pdr, 2 × .30 cal machine guns

Engine: Continental R-975 9-cyl radial gas 400/340 hp (298/254 kW)
Range: 232 km

Speed: 25 mph (40 km/h)

Number Four: Vickers A1E1 Independent

This tank was really a one off, an experimental model, that didn’t really work that well. It influenced a lot of other tanks that didn’t really work that well (see Russian T-35). But it speaks to every kid who ever imagined a giant, land going  battleship. It was a bolo before it’s time, with multiple turrets and the mission of going it alone on the battlefield against all comers. I like it because it’s different.

Manufactured: 1926

Weight: 33 tons

Length: 24 ft 11 in (7.6 m)

Width: 8 ft 9 in (2.7 m)

Height: 8 ft 11 in (2.7 m)

Crew: 8

Armour: 13-28 mm

Primary Armament: QF 3 pounder gun (47 mm) , 4 × 0.303 Vickers machine gun

Engine: Armstrong Siddeley V12 370 hp (280 kW)

Speed: 20 mph (30 km/h)

Number Three: Vickers Valentine

The Valentine tank (weirdly cool name, origins uncertain) was the only half-decent tank the Brits had at the beginning of WWII. It was capable of taking a lot of modifications and changes which is always the sign of a good design. They built a lot of them, so did we, most went to the Russians who were happy to get them. Not a great tank, but a good tank that could do the job when it was needed. Maybe it’s their small, human sized dimensions or maybe it’s that they were built in Canada, but I like them.

Produced 1940–44

Weight :16-17 tons

 Length hull: 17 feet 9 inches (5.41 m)

Width: 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m)

Height: 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m)

Crew: 3 - 4

Armour: 8-65 mm Primary
Armament Mk I-VII: QF 2-pounder, Mk VIII-X: QF 6-pounder, Mk XI: QF 75 mm

Engine: 131–210 hp (97–157 kW)

Operational range: 90 miles (140 km)

Speed: 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)

Number Two: Leopard II

This is it, probably the best tank going. With its long 120mm gun, heavy armour, huge engine and great fire control it may be better then any other tank in the world today. The Germans are having a fire sale on used tanks, they figure they won’t need them (hope they’re right) and they can corner the market on spares and maintenance for the future. In the meantime we should buy at least another fifty or so while the buying is good because in case nobody has noticed, they aren’t making tanks anymore. I like them because they’re good.

In Service: 1979

Weight: 62.3 tons

Length: 9.97 m (32.75 ft)

Width: 3.75 m (12.3 ft)

Height: 3.0 m (10 ft)

Crew: 4

Armament: 1 x 120 mm Rheinmetall L55 smoothbore gun, 42 rounds

                   2 x 7.62 mm MG3A1, 4,750 rounds

Engine: MTU diesel engine 1,479 hp

Operational range: 550 km (340 mi) internal fuel

Speed: 72 km/h (45 mph)

Number One: Centurion Tank

This is my favorite tank. Designed during the Second World War, the Brits finally got it right just after they needed it. It had the usual British emphasis on firepower and armour at the expense of mobility. But in 1945 it was the best tank in the world, in 1965 when we were using them in Germany it was still the best tank in the world. Twenty years later with the appropriate updates it still would have been viable. In fact with enough spare parts and the right updates it could still be useful in Afghanistan. The tank that won the cold war and my personal favorite – The Centurion Tank

In service: 1945

Weight: 52 tons  

Length: 25 feet (7.6 m)

Width: 11 feet 1 inch (3.38 m)

 Height: 9 ft 10.5 in (3.01 m)

Crew: 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver)

Armour: 6 inches (150 mm)

Armament 105 mm L7 rifled gun,

Secondary armament: .30 cal Browning machine gun

Engine: Rolls Royce Meteor 650 hp (485 kW)

Operational range: 280 miles (450 km)

Speed 21 miles per hour (34 km/h)