We know that tanks have been put into use in World War I, but before the outbreak of World War II, many people believed that tanks could not form an army alone, but were just an auxiliary weapon for infantry.
During that time, many light and ultralight tanks emerged. It was not until the outbreak of World War II that the true power of the tank armored unit was revealed. Today we are going to introduce to you, the Vickers light tank designed and built by the British Vickers company. The birth of the Vickers light tank has its own background.
As a victorious country in the First World War, Britain did not make a comeback after World War I, but went downhill. For this reason, the requirements for tanks are more inclined to high quality and low price. In 1928, the prototype of the Vickers tank was born. It had good maneuverability and remarkable firepower.
This tank has a gross tonnage of only 6 tons. It relies on an in-line four-cylinder gasoline engine as its driving force. It can reach a maximum speed of 35 kilometers per hour and a cruising range of 160 kilometers. Due to the limited tonnage, the defense of the Vickers light tank is relatively weak. The thickness of the front armor and side armor is only 13 mm, the rear armor is only 8 mm, and the top armor is even 5 mm. The subsequent upgraded version increased the thickness of the main armor to 17 mm and the total tonnage to 8 tons.
The main firepower of Vickers light tanks, including two design concepts. One is a dual turret type, each equipped with a 7.7 mm Vickers machine gun, the second is a single turret, the main weapon is a 47 mm caliber rapid-fire gun, and the auxiliary weapon is a 7.7 mm caliber machine gun. The 47mm rapid-fire gun can fire anti-tank shells, especially armor-piercing shells, which can penetrate 25mm thick armor 500 meters away. There was almost no resistance to it in the light tanks at the time.
This inexpensive tank was not recognized by the United Kingdom, because the United Kingdom already had cutting-edge weapons represented by the "Matilda" infantry tank. However, there is a fragrance in the wall, and the Vickers light tank has been introduced into many countries, and its production volume has reached 12,000, which is considered a relatively successful tank.
However, as soon as World War II broke out,These Vickers light tanks were quickly destroyed. Facing the tank and armored corps, the Vickers light tank has no advantage at all. Let alone the Tiger tank, the previous Type II and Type III tanks can form an overwhelming advantage over Vickers.
The era of light tanks is quickly over, and the era of tanks as the king of land warfare has officially arrived.
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