Ranking The Top Tanks Of World War II

Main weapon: 75 mm KwK 42

Secondary: 7.92 mm machine guns 

Max speed: 34 mph

Armor: 80 mm

Number built: 6,000

The German army was taken aback by the unexpected quality and sheer quantity of Soviet tanks they encountered in the early phase of Operation Barbarossa. The T-34 was a cut above the Panzer IV, Germany’s main battle tank, so the development of a new model became a priority. The German high command was desperate to regain the technological upper hand in tank production. The Panzer V, better known as the Panther, was the result.

The first prototypes were out by the fall of 1942 and in service by the Battle of Kursk in 1943. The rushed production meant the early Panthers were prone to mechanical failures, and most of those lost in the summer of 1943 were due to breakdowns rather than enemy fire. The strategic situation after Kursk was one of a German army in retreat, so any Panther that broke down was pretty much done for. 

Once early mechanical issues were fixed, the Panther proved to be an effective machine. The 75 mm main gun had excellent range and accuracy, and an experienced crew could fire off six rounds a minute. The frontal armor was near impenetrable, but the flanks were vulnerable. Thanks to its speed and maneuverability, those weak sides weren’t often exposed. 

Germany built 6,000 Panthers in the second half of the conflict, making it second only to the Panzer IV as the most-produced German tank. Of course, those numbers were nothing compared with the number of T-34s and M4s churned out by the Allies. The Panther might have been Germany’s best tank of WWII, but it came too late and in too few numbers to alter the outcome.

Main weapon: 76.2 mm F-34 Tank Gun (1940) 85 mm (1943)

Secondary: 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns

Max speed: 33 mph

Armor: 80 mm

Number built: 57,000

The T-34 was a mainstay of the Red Army, a medium tank built in such vast numbers that the Wehrmacht couldn’t destroy them fast enough. When it first burst onto the scene in 1941, it was quite simply a cut above the German tanks it faced initially. Axis anti-tank guns fared little better as the T-34's innovative sloped armor shrugged off anti-tank rounds used at the time. 

It was easy to repair and maintain - getting one patched up and back in the fray could be done in a matter of hours. After the Battle of Kursk, the T-34's main gun was upgraded to an 85 mm model that greatly increased its stopping power and range. 

The T-34’s finest hour came in the Soviet counterattack during the Battle of Stalingrad. The tanks formed the armored spearhead that General Georgy Zhukov used to punch through the weak Romanian forces guarding the German 6th Army’s flanks. The Romanians had no answer to the T-34 and melted away. The encirclement of the 6th Army was complete within two days, a crucial turning point in the conflict. 

Striking an impressive balance between firepower, mobility, and cost-effectiveness, the T-34 makes a strong case for being the best tank of WWII.

Main weapon:  88 mm KwK 36 

Secondary: 7.92 mm machine guns

Max speed: 26 mph

Armor: 105 mm

Number built: 1,350

One of the most famous tanks of the conflict, the German Tiger was first conceptualized in 1941 to overcome the unexpected quality of Soviet armor. Where other panzers focused on achieving a balance of mobility, armor, and firepower, the Tiger was heavily geared toward maximum firepower and armor. That said, it wasn’t exactly a slug either - only a few miles an hour slower than the American M4, but much less maneuverable. 

The Tiger was Hitler’s pet project, and the deadline for the first prototype was his birthday: April 20, 1942. The rushed development and production meant the early service models suffered from mechanical failures, and the engines struggled to shift the increased weight of the Tiger.

With an 88 mm gun, it could destroy just about any Allied tank with ease, and at great distances. Its frontal armor was so thick that the British anti-tank guns it first encountered in Northern Africa were all but useless. Even the sides, a typical weak point, were better protected than the fronts of most other tanks. On the Eastern Front, the decisive battle of Kursk was delayed for the delivery of Tigers - a crucial delay that Erich von Manstein attributed to the failure of Operation Citadel. 

The Tiger was an impressive feat of engineering, but that was precisely the problem. It was overengineered to a ruinous extent. Because everything was top of the line, it was an enormously expensive machine to build and a nightmare to maintain. Only 1,350 were ever built, along with just 500 Tiger IIs. It does, however, say a great deal about its reputation and combat performance that a tank with such low production numbers is so memorable.

Main weapon:  7.5 cm KwK 37 (1940), 75 mm KwK 40 (later models) 

Secondary: 7.92 mm Machine Guns

Max speed: 26 mph

Armor: 15 - 80 mm 

Number built: 8,500 

The Panzer IV was Germany’s most-produced tank of WWII; it first entered service in 1940 and was still built right up until the end of the conflict. Other countries' militaries used it well into the 1960s. The Panzer IV did, however, undergo significant changes in its role and specifications over the course of its long operational life. 

It was first conceived as a support tank; the Panzer III was supposed to take on enemy armor while the Panzer IV would support infantry. The first models used a distinctive stubby gun that could also fire high explosive shells and smoke rounds to aid infantry. The Germans believed the superior quality of the Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks would overcome the much greater numbers of Soviet tanks. The T-34 forced a change in that thinking.

The first thing to go was the gun - the short one was replaced by a much longer 75 mm L43 gun that could take on Soviet tanks. It was Hitler’s wish that the Panzer IV would be much better at taking on enemy armor. He also insisted on thicker armor and the installation of side skirting to protect the tracks from anti-tank weapons. These were removed in later editions because they impeded visibility. 

The Panzer IV’s longevity was a testament to its design and mobility. Used in conjunction with aircraft and infantry, it was a key part of Germany’s early-war successes, and with a few modifications, could still hold its own against late-war armor.

Main weapon: QF 17 Pounder 

Secondary: .30 and .50 cal machine guns 

Max speed: 25 mph

Armor: 90 mm

Number built: 2,100

Britain might have been the nation that first conceived of the tank in WWI, but mass-producing an effective tank in WWII was a significant struggle for the British. The Sherman Firefly was a modified Sherman M4 designed by the British to take on late-war German tanks. The regular M4’s main gun was weak against late-war German panzers, so the British took the chassis of an M4 and slapped on a much more powerful anti-tank gun, the QF (quick-firing) 17-Pounder, and the Firefly was born.

The Firefly was actually capable of besting German Tigers and Panthers in combat, though it still needed to get the first hit in, as its armor wouldn’t stand up to much punishment. The Firefly became a bit of a victim of its own success, as the Germans soon noticed the M4s with the larger guns were making mincemeat out of their best tanks. So, they tended to prioritize squashing the Fireflys first in any attack. In response, the British tried to mask the distinctive gun to make it appear like any other Sherman. 

The Firefly wasn't built in huge numbers but played an important role in the Battle of Normandy, as it was the only Allied tank capable of besting German armor. During an attack on Norrey-en-Bessin on June 9, 1944, a Canadian officer quickly knocked out five German Panthers using only six rounds of his Firefly's main gun.

Main weapon: 122 mm D-25T

Secondary: 7.62 mm machine guns, 2.7 mm AA machine gun

Max speed: 23 mph

Armor: 120 mm

Number built: 3,400 

The IS-2 was named after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin - “IS” are the anglicized initials of his name in Russian. He was pleased with his namesake; upon inspecting the IS-2, he is said to have remarked, “with this tank, we will end the war.” 

His words proved prophetic, for it was an IS-2 that opened fire upon the Reichstag when Berlin fell in 1945. The IS-2 was the culmination of years of work to create an effective heavy tank. It built upon the design failures of the earlier KV models, with the IS-1 operating as a stopgap tank in the meantime.

Nothing could touch the IS-2 when it came to firepower. The 122 mm main gun was unsurpassed in WWII, and its armor was nearly impenetrable at range. It was not a particularly comfortable vehicle to serve in, and that gigantic gun took longer to load and was much slower to fire than other tanks. It was also limited in how much ammo it could carry. Still, with its range and armor, it could afford to take time to pick its shots.

It wasn’t simply built to take on other tanks, but to also break through German defenses. By 1944, the Wehrmacht was on the defensive, and the Soviets needed a heavy tank to break into entrenched positions. The IS-2 was called upon whenever the Red Army encountered a difficult defensive position. It was the IS-2 that led the spearhead to finally topple the Third Reich in April 1945.