For certain military vehicles, we are fortunate to have hundreds of photographs and pages of testimonies of those who operated, built, or fought against them. The opposite is also true, where information is remarkably scant, as with the Pegaso 3560/57. This was a one-off prototype/testbed on the BMR-600 PP/C.1 prototype armed with a Hot Compact Turret (HCT), also known as a HAKO, which fired HOT missiles. Luckily, the one remaining photo of the Pegaso 3560/57 provides enough information to get a good idea of what this particular vehicle was like. Context – A Democratic Spain Spain entered the Cold War as a quasi-Fascist dictatorship. Francisco Franco’s regime had been made…
An interesting Beutepanzerjäger SU-85(r) – a Soviet SU-85 tank destroyer, captured and reused by German forces – has recently been found in a digitized video titled ‘Padomju Latvija’ (latv. for ‘Soviet Latvia’) from the Latvian State Archives of Audiovisual Documents. One scene shows such a vehicle standing next to German tank destroyers, namely Jagdpanzer IV (Sd.Kfz.162). The German Balkenkreuz marking on the casemate side is clearly visible in the footage. https://youtu.be/ywWdY0J9BnE The barrel of the vehicle looks different compared to the original SU-85, which made numerous people think it was reamed* by the Germans to fit German 8.8 cm caliber Flak ammunition. However, due to scarce information, this theory cannot…
MarkoPantelic | Published 2026-05-09 10:51 | 3 Comments
Following the campaign in Western Europe in 1940, the Germans finally began rearming the Panzer III with the newly developed 5 cm KwK L/42 gun. The first version of the Panzer III to receive this armament as standard from the start of production was the Panzer III Ausf.H, which entered service in 1941. At the start of the war, the German Panzer III was among the more modern tank designs in service. It featured a five-man crew, along with decent firepower and armor protection, at least beginning with the Panzer III Ausf.E variant. However, its 3.7 cm main gun soon proved inadequate, as it struggled to penetrate enemy armor at…
Leander Jobse | Published 2026-05-06 07:36 | 3 Comments
In the first quarter of the 21st century, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) developed a booming armored vehicle industry, with many relatively small companies offering a plethora of designs. These were mostly limited to light armored personnel carriers, though heavier designs were occasionally developed. One of these was the Snake mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle (MRAP), developed by the company Harrow Security Vehicles and based on a commercially available MAN TGM truck chassis. A prototype was presented in 2016 which, seemingly destined to remain a catalogue oddity, was surprisingly sold to Côte d’Ivoire (also known as Ivory Coast). However, further production and sales appear to not have occurred. [caption id=”” align=”aligncenter”…
MarkoPantelic | Published 2026-05-04 07:55 | 5 Comments
After the end of the Second World War, the Jugoslovenska Armija (Eng. Yugoslav Army) was formed in Yugoslavia, later renamed the Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija (Eng. Yugoslav People’s Army). This army was equipped with a diverse collection of vehicles from various countries, including both Western and Eastern blocs. Thanks to good relations with the West, during the 1950s, the JNA acquired a wide array of western military vehicles, including approximately 265 M8 Light Armored Cars. The U.S. M8 Light Armored Car in JNA service.Source: http://www.srpskioklop.paluba.info/m8/opis.htm Historical Context Following the conclusion of the Second World War in Europe, the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia came under the leadership of…
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Finland was in an unenviable situation. Like many other European nations during the period, it was situated between two expanding spheres of influence: those of the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. The Finns would enter into conflict with the Soviets twice and the Germans once before the end of World War 2. During their second conflict with the Soviets, referred to as the Continuation War, Finnish forces would capture two different variants of the KV-1 heavy tank, locally nicknamed “Klimi”. These tanks, although impressive in many ways when compared to other tanks employed by the Finns, also had a series of drawbacks that meant…
Harold Biondo | Published 2026-05-20 08:31 | 3 Comments
In 1952, the U.S. Army’s Detroit Arsenal launched Operation Question Mark, an initiative aimed at exploring new concepts for military vehicle design. This project sought to stimulate discussion on future tank development by presenting a series of innovative proposals. The H-3 was the last of the three heavy tank designs put forward, and was by far the most extreme of all the Operation Question Mark I concepts. It was armed with a gargantuan 175 mm T145 cannon, mounted in a “cleft” turret, a sort of hybrid between a conventional and an oscillating turret. The Question Mark concepts, though originally never intended for production, played a crucial role in shaping future…
MarkoPantelic | Published 2026-05-18 08:16 | 5 Comments
The German Army during the Second World War relied on a wide range of half-tracks to tow its artillery. However, because of limited production capacity and the heavy losses suffered on the frontlines, there were never enough of them to fully equip the army. As a result, the Germans often had to use whatever vehicles were available, including captured trucks and even modified tanks, as artillery tractors. In one such case, surviving Panzer 35(t) tanks were converted by removing their turrets and fitting them with a towing hook, creating a vehicle known as the Mörserzugmittel 35(t). These conversions allowed the chassis to serve as an artillery towing vehicle. Around 49…
MarkoPantelic | Published 2026-05-16 09:13 | 4 Comments
By 1941, Britain was engaged in a grueling war of attrition against the Axis powers in North Africa and was in desperate need of tanks to replace its depleted inventory. While the British had their own tank production, it could not keep pace with wartime losses and operational demands. The passage of the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941 offered a solution, allowing Britain to receive thousands of American-built light tanks. The US M-series of light tanks, developed during the 1930s, were America’s first truly mass-produced armored vehicles, built in the thousands. Although their light armor and armament meant they quickly became obsolete as frontline combat tanks, their sheer numbers ensured…
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Tank Encyclopedia is the best place to learn about the history of armored vehicles, from their early inspirations and pioneers to the latest main battle tanks. Our painstakingly researched articles cover many nations and all eras of armor development, accompanied by our beautiful and iconic illustrations. We cover a wide swathe of armored vehicle designs ranging from bridge-layers and engineering vehicles, to tank destroyers and armored personnel carriers. You can also find articles on soft-skinned vehicles, anti-tank weaponry, tactics, battles, and technology.
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The United Kingdom and France started development of tanks in order to break through enemy lines. However, many pioneers had envisioned the use of armored vehicles in the decades prior to the Great War. Soon after its introduction, the tank quickly became a killing machine integrated into combined arms operations.
The Interwar period saw the tank go on a worldwide tour, from Bolivia to China, every corner of the globe and all seven continents felt the tread of heavy armor. Even so, many were unconvinced by this new weapon of war. World War Two would change these perceptions, and see tanks used in unprecedented numbers across all theaters of war.
In a period dominated by nuclear weapons, two opposing superpowers led to the splitting of the world into East and West. Although the USA and USSR never fought each other directly, almost all proxy wars of the period saw extensive usage of their tanks.
Despite numerous prophets heralding the demise of the tank, armor is still an important part of all the world’s militaries. The modern battlefield shows no signs of this changing soon, with the development of tanks continuing to adapt to it.
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