Infantry could also designate targets using smoke grenades.

Infantryman to climb on top of the tank to communicate with itsĬommander through his opened hatch. The most primitive means of communication was for an The infantry had a clear view of theīattlefield, but the problem was to communicate this information to the The outside world through vision slits or periscopes that gave a very Once they wereīuttoned up in their tanks, the tank crews were restricted to viewing All we asked was that it was on aĮarly in the war, tanks and infantry experiencedĬonsiderable difficulty coordinating their efforts. Realized that if we could save infantry lives by sacrificing machinesĪnd crews, it was our job to do so. A single tank cannot cover itself while it

Sink in that a troop of three was the minimum tank team, if we were not One British tank officer recalled that 'It took some time for it to Led to heavy casualties without ensuring victory. British tank commanders in Burma, who were usually relatively junior officers,Ĭomplained bitterly at the tendency of more senior infantry officers toĭeploy the tanks in 'penny packets' that dissipated their strength and Tanks proved crucial for neutralizing Japanese fortifications.Įven when employed in the direct infantry role, tanks were best used in small groups rather than individually. Turn, protected the tanks from enemy infantry equipped with shaped charges or other Here tanks fell back into the direct infantry support role, providingĬover and firepower for the infantry advance. Rugged islands where tank mobility was either negated or irrelevant. However, most of the Pacific battles were fought on small or Mainland Asia and on some of the larger islands of the Pacific, such as Luzon, that had large areas of flat These massed tank tactics were applicable on Proved essential for overcoming local resistance to permit the tanks toĬontinue advancing. Tanks played a crucial role in both the First and the Second World War.īy the time war broke out in Europe in 1939, the Germans had organized most of Invented by the British during the First World War to break the stalemate on the Western Front, and championed by Winston Churchill, tanks provided mobile firepower that could stand up to artillery barrage and help the infantry break through trench defenses. The vehicle hull where it has a limited arc of fire. These featuresĭistinguish tanks from armored cars, which move on conventional tires,Īnd self-propelled guns, whose main armament is mounted in the front of Which give it considerable cross country mobility, and its mainĪrmament is usually mounted in a revolving turret allowing the mainĪrmament to be traversed to bear on any direction. Usually moves on continuous tracks, also known as caterpillar treads, The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: TanksĪ tank is an armored vehicle armed with cannon and machine guns.

M4 sherman commander gun