How many Sherman tanks were lost in WW2?
According to Steve Zaloga's book Armored Thunderbolt: the US Army Sherman in WWII, total ETO losses of all types by US Army units was 4,295. 1636 were suffered by the 37 Independent Tank Battalions, and , 2659 by the 15 armored divisions. Other answers provide a breakdown on the reasons for losses.
The German 88 is more powerful than any American tank gun used during the course of most of the war. The German tank is much heavier and therefore its armor is much thicker than that of any American tank. The tracks of the former are much wider, with perhaps a less vulnerable suspension system than that of the latter.
Germany's Tiger tank, whether in the form of the Tiger I or later Tiger II (King Tiger), was the most feared tank of WWII.
The total number of Russian tanks destroyed, knocked out, or captured by the AFU since the war began was, by that count 2892 vehicles: almost exactly twice the tank losses confirmed by Oryx.
1941 | Total | |
---|---|---|
German Tank Production | 3,256 | 23,759 |
Production ratio(2) (German:Soviet) | 1:2 | 1:3.2 |
Soviet Tank losses | 20,500 | 83,500 |
German Tank losses | 2,758 | 25,584 |
19 the Ukrainian army had lost just 320 tanks: 176 of them destroyed.
In total, the 8th Air Force lost over 26,000 men. An additional 28,000 men became prisoners of war. Aircraft losses were also grim: 10, 561 planes of varying types were shot down, 4754 of those were B-17 heavy bombers.
Mobility and reliability were more important to the advancing Allied armies. But tanks like the Cromwell and the Comet should have been available much earlier. The Soviet Union showed it could be done. The T-34, produced in 1940, was arguably the best tank of the war.
Whether Russia's armored divisions are fielding T-14s or upgraded T-80s, American tank crews maintain a significant advantage over Russian crews: Both the T-14 and T-80 rely on autoloading systems that are slower than American tank crews.
The M1A2 Abrams, with all its upgrades, has to be considered the best tank compared to the Leopard and the Black Panther. To be sure, as a US-based publication, we could be biased. But no other tank has been so battle-tested and seen as a top-notch force multiplier in combat like the formidable Abrams.
Are there still abandoned tanks from ww2?
There are only three surviving L6/40 light tanks, an Italian armored vehicle used in the Balkans, the Soviet Union, and North Africa.
The Bob Semple tank (sometimes referred to as Big Bob) was a light tank designed by New Zealand Minister of Works Bob Semple during World War II. Originating out of the need to build military hardware from available materials, the tank was built from corrugated iron on a tractor base.

Today, only seven Tiger I tanks survive in museums and private collections worldwide.
Tiger I production ran from July 1942 to August 1944, with 1347 built. After this Henschel built 490 Tiger IIs until the end of the war, with the last 13 produced between the 1st and 4th April 1945 and handed directly over to the German forces defending Kassel.
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Russia has lost 52 of its own, higher-flying helicopters.
After six months of war in Ukraine, some observers have insisted that “we are seeing the very nature of combat change” and that tanks, along with fighter jets and warships, “are being pushed into obsolescence.”
The optics of German tanks were consistently superior to the Soviet tanks. The Soviet T-34 had better terrain mobility than most German tanks (except the Panther). German armour was better in material and assembly, but the Soviet armour was cheaper and better in shape.
Ukraine Reports has Destroyed 2,000 Russian Tanks, 254 Aircraft & 47,000 Soldiers - Warrior Maven: Center for Military Modernization.
Russia has reportedly lost more than 650 tanks and about 3,000 other armored vehicles and heavy equipment so far in its invasion of Ukraine. Experts put the losses down to the advanced anti-tank weapons given to Ukraine by Western countries, poor strategy, low morale, and important design flaws.
How many tanks does NATO have?
These tanks are only used in NATO by their respective countries. There are roughly 200 tanks in service for each tank type, making a total of 800, plus roughly 1500 Leopard 2's and roughly 2500 M1 Abrams, the majority of which are M1A2's and the rest M1A1's.
Of the 291 attacking Fortresses, 60 were shot down over Germany, five crashed on approach to Britain, and 12 more were scrapped due to damage – a loss of 77 B-17s.
Known as the “Ace of Aces,” Major Richard Ira Bong is credited with the downing of an impressive confirmed total of 40 enemy aircraft.
Aircraft losses | |
---|---|
Airframe | United States of America |
An-2 Kukuruznik | |
B-52 Stratofortress | 31 |
B-57 Canberra | 56 |
The Sherman tank was the most commonly used American tank in World War II. More than 50,000 Shermans were produced between 1942 and 1945. They were used in all combat theaters—not only by the United States, but also by Great Britain, the Free French, China, and even the Soviet Union.
In particular, there was a lack of home defences, especially against bombing. The heads of Britain's armed forces consistently warned Chamberlain that Britain was too weak to fight.
In armour and firepower, French tanks were generally not inferior to their German counterparts. In one incident, a single Char B1 "Eure" was able to destroy thirteen German tanks within a few minutes in Stonne on 16 May 1940, all of them Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks.
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Russia vs US Military Strength: Comparison.
Comparison | Russia | The United States |
---|---|---|
Air force - Combat aircraft | 1,900 Ranked 1st. | 3,318 Ranked 1st. 75% more than Russia |
Leopard 2A7 is the deadliest main battle tank that exists. In multi-national training, the weapon performs better than the US M1A2 SEP, the British Challenger 2, and the French Leclerc. Germany has already upgraded 20 Leopard in the 2A7 version and plans to upgrade 50 or 150 more.
The US dominates the air with far more bases, fighter jets and bombers than Russia but Russia is superior on the ground with more tanks, artillery and land vehicles. At sea, the countries are more evenly matched, but here the US has the edge with more destroyers, submarines and aircraft carriers.
Has the US ever lost an Abrams tank?
The tanks were destroyed by U.S. forces in order to prevent any trophy-claim by the Iraqi Army. A total of 23 M1A1s were damaged or destroyed during the war. Of the nine Abrams tanks destroyed, seven were destroyed by friendly fire and two intentionally destroyed to prevent capture by the Iraqi Army.
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FV101 Scorpion | |
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Maximum speed | 72.5 km/h (45.0 mph) |
They inspired a new kind of terror on the battlefield — German soldiers called it 'Panzerschreck': Tank Terror. Mephisto was deployed against Australian soldiers in France, but the Australians managed to steal the tank from right under the noses of the German army.
Centurion (tank) - Wikipedia.
According to the vets, the life expectancy of a tank crew member was only six weeks.
For firepower alone, with a very strict definition of a tank, the german King Tiger with its 88mm gun barely edges out the Russian T-34–85 with its 85mm gun.
The 17-pounder gun, mounted on the Sherman Firefly and some M10 tank destroyers, was the British answer to the Tiger problem and could effectively penetrate their armor. Over 2,000 were produced, while the 90 mm guns of the American M36 tank destroyer—later of the M26 Pershing—also demonstrated a capable counterthreat.
There are just over a dozen Panthers currently on display in the world. The MVTF Panther is one of six in working order and the only one in the United States.
- 1- M1A2 Abrams – United States of America.
- 2- T-14 Armata – Russia.
- 3- Merkava Mk.4 – Israel.
- 4- VT4 (MBT-3000) – China.
- 5- Leclerc – France.
- 6- Challenger 2 – United Kingdom.
- 7- K2 Black Panther – South Korea.
- 8- Leopard 2A7+ – Germany.
The Panther proved to be effective in open country and long-range engagements. The Panther was far cheaper to produce than the Tiger I. Key elements of the Panther design, such as its armour, transmission, and final drive, were simplifications made to improve production rates and address raw material shortages.
What was Hitler's biggest tank?
Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus | |
---|---|
Mass | 188 t (207 short tons; 185 long tons) |
Length | 10.2 m (33 ft) |
Width | 3.71 m (12.2 ft) |
Height | 3.63 m (11.9 ft) |
The Panther is often believed to be the best German tank of the Second World War. When the Germans invaded Russia in June 1941, they were surprised by the quantity and quality of Soviet armour. Hitler ordered that the T-34 be copied and the result was the Panther, which saw action for the first time at Kursk in 1943.
Minefields laid with purpose-designed mines were used for the first time, destroying tank tracks, and forcing combat engineers to clear them on foot.
The two most know TANK Aces of all time are; United States Staff Sergeant Lafeyette G. Pool, reported to have destroyed some 258 enemy vehicles. Germany's Michael Wittman, who is credited with destroying over 141 enemy tanks and 132 anti-tank guns.
A formidable machine
The Sd Kfz 173 Jagdpanther was Germany's greatest tank destroyer of the Second World War. An idea that came from Hitler himself, the Jagdpanther combined the reliable Panther tank chassis with the immense firepower of the PAK 43 88mm gun.
The Soviet Union is estimated to have suffered the highest number of WWII casualties.
“For a Russian crew, if the ammo storage compartment is hit, everyone is dead,” said Robert E. Hamilton, a professor at the U.S. Army War College, adding that the force of the explosion can “instantaneously vaporize” the crew.
19 the Ukrainian army had lost just 320 tanks: 176 of them destroyed.
To put the losses in perspective, there are many armies in the world than don't have 1,000 tanks in their entire arsenal. The Ukrainians have suffered large-scale equipment losses as well — some 320 tanks destroyed as of Oct.
Germany and the Soviet Union built the best tanks of World War II. Among WW2 tanks, the series of Panzerkampfwagen (armored fighting vehicles) that spearheaded Hitler's blitzkriegs in Europe and Russia caught the world's attention and convinced other Western nations of the need to match the German standard.
Why are tank destroyers no longer used?
Since World War II, gun-armed powerful tank destroyers have fallen out of favor as armies have favored multirole main battle tanks. However, lightly armoured anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) carriers are commonly used for supplementary long-range anti-tank work.
On 21 December 1939, Häyhä achieved his highest daily count of 25 kills. In his diary, military chaplain Antti Rantamaa reported 259 confirmed kills made by rifle and an equal number of kills by submachine gun from the beginning of the war until 7 March 1940, one day after Häyhä was severely wounded.
American war production — its ability to churn out astounding numbers of bombers, tanks and warships — was possibly the key war-winning factor, say some historians, who point out American factories produced more airplanes than all of the other major war powers combined.
Operation Barbarossa: why Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union was his greatest mistake. Launched on 22 June 1941 and named after the 12th-century Holy Roman emperor Frederick Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union represented a decisive breaking of the 1939 Nazi-Soviet pact.