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The days of the individual scout on a horse were numbered as soon as World War II began. Each type of tank had a specific role to play on the battlefield. Tank Typesĭuring World War II, both sides used a three-tiered system for designing and producing tanks. The mobility of the German tank units, and their ability to react quickly to changes in the strategic or tactical situation contributed to the German successes early in the war. This combined arms approach became the Blitzkrieg strategy used by the Germans throughout most of World War II. Guderian envisioned armored columns leading spearheads of an army, backed with air power, and followed by infantry units left to clean up any remaining resistance. Heinz Guderian, the famed German tank commander, carefully crafted a military strategy where tanks were at the center of battle. The development and design of new tanks were low on the list of priorities for the British and the Americans until they saw the success of the German model. Early tanks for the Allies had limited transverse movement for the turret, because their primary purpose was to serve as a gun platform for the infantry units coming behind them. Tanks could be used to open a hole in enemy lines, but the brunt of the fighting must be done by infantry units. The British and American militaries adopted a tank strategy that envisioned armored vehicles as infantry support units. It was during the period between world wars that tank strategies began to develop. Development of Tank Strategiesįirst seen on the battlefield in large numbers during World War I, tanks were used as a ram to break through enemy trenches or to provide a safe firing position for infantry support troops. Standing above the other changes, the reliance on armored warfare revolutionized the way nations prepared for and fought wars. Nuclear weapons became a reality and redefined the strategic toolbox available to military and political leaders. Planes elevated air superiority to a necessity for armies on the ground. Technology introduced new weapons to the battlefield, and old strategies were replaced to reflect the new situation. World War II brought fundamental changes to the ways in which nations conduct wars.