USA

  SHERMAN M4A3E8

M26 PERSHING

  M46 Patton

GERMAN

PANZER III (PzKpfw III)

 ARMOR

The Panzer III Ausf. A through C had 15 millimetres (0.59 in) of homogeneous steel armor on all sides with 10 millimetres (0.39 in) on the top and 5 millimetres (0.20 in) on the bottom. This was quickly determined to be insufficient, and was upgraded to 30 millimetres (1.18 in) on the front, sides and rear in the Ausf. D, E, F, and G models, with the H model having a second 30-millimetre (1.18 in) layer of face-hardened steel applied to the front and rear hull. The Ausf. J model had a solid 50-millimetre (1.97 in) plate on the front and rear, while the Ausf. J¹, L, and the M models had an additional layer of 20 millimetres (0.79 in) of armor on the front hull and turret. This additional frontal armor gave the Panzer III frontal protection from most British and Soviet anti-tank guns at all but close ranges. The sides were still vulnerable to many enemy weapons including anti-tank rifles at close ranges.

PANZER IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV)

PANTHER (Panzerkampfwagen V)

 ARMOR

The armor consisted of a thick homogeneous steel glacis (i.e. frontal hull) plate sloped back at 55 degrees from the vertical, welded but also interlocked for strength. The combination of thick 80 mm armor with a high degree of slope made the Panther's glacis armor extremely effective: very few Allied or Soviet weapons could penetrate it. The front of the turret was covered by a 100 mm thick cast mantlet, made in the shape of a transverse half-cylinder. The transverse-cylindrical shape of the mantlet meant that it was more likely to deflect shells, but it was discovered that the lower section of the transverse-cylindrical mantlet created a shot-trap: if a non-penetrating hit bounced downwards off the mantlet's lower section, it could penetrate the thin forward hull roof armor, and plunge down into the front crew compartment. Penetrations of this nature could have had catastrophic results since the front crew compartment housed the driver and radio operator sitting along both sides of the massive gearbox and steering unit combination, topped with the radio equipment. From September 1944, a slightly redesigned mantlet with a much thicker "chin" design was fitted to the Panther G, the chin being intended to prevent such deflections.

The main weakness of the Panther tank was its much thinner (40–50 mm thick) side armor. The thinner side armor was necessary to keep the tank's overall weight within reasonable bounds, but it made the Panther vulnerable to attacks from the side by most Allied and Soviet tank and anti-tank guns. German tactical doctrine for the use of the Panther thus emphasised the importance of flank protection. Five millimeter thick skirt armor, Schürzen, intended to provide protection for the lower side hull from Soviet anti-tank rifle fire was fitted on the hull side. Zimmerit ceramic coating against magnetic mines also became standard with the Ausf. A, and was retrofitted to older versions until deleted from new Panthers from about September 1944.

RUSSIAN

T-34/85

 T-10

Specifications

Crew: 4
Weight: 50,000 kg
Length: 9.875 m (including gun)
7.04 m (hull)
Width: 3.566 m
Height: 2.25 m
Max speed: 42 km/h (on road)
Max range: 250 km (on road)
Engine: One V-12 diesel
(522 kW)
Power-to-weight ratio: 10.44 kW/tonne
Vertical obstacle climb: 0.90 m
Gradient: 62 %
Trench crossing: 3.00 m
Main armament: 122-mm gun
Secondary armament: Two 12.7-mm DShKM machine-guns
(one co-axial with the main armament and one on mounted on the loaders cupola on the roof for AA defence)
Armour: 230 mm (fornt)
120 mm (sides and upper front)
250 mm (turret mantlet)
100 mm (turret sides)
25 mm (turret rear)
20-80 mm (rest of hull)

UK

 CENTURION MK3

COMET A34