World War II Armored Vehicles - Who Made What? Quiz

Answer: British

A British Infantry Tank, designed to accompany troops attacking defense lines, the Churchill was designed in the early 1940s as a replacement for the Matildas and Valentines then in service. Heavily armored but slow, the Churchill performed well in the latter stages of World War II, but still suffered from having a small main gun.

Answer: American

The American M-26 Pershing was a heavy tank that could take on the German Panthers and Tigers much more effectively than the Sherman. Due to a prolonged development period, the Pershing did not reach Europe until the last months of the war. They also saw service in Korea, and were supplied to American allies as well.

Answer: German

The German Panzer V Panther was designed in response to the Soviet T-34, which took the Germans completely by surprise when first encountered. While the first models were unreliable, the Panther proved to be an excellent tank, fast, well armored and with a powerful main gun. Many experts rate the Panther as the best overall tank design of World War II.

Answer: British

First deployed in 1940, the Valentine was another British Infantry tank, slow but well armored with a weak main gun. The Valentine was used extensively in the North African campaign, where it proved to be adequate for infantry support, but lacking in tank vs. tank encounters. The Valentine began to be phased out of service as the Churchill became available in large numbers.

Answer: German

The mighty German Panzer VI Tiger tank was designed as a "breakthrough" vehicle, heavily armored with the outstanding 88mm main gun. First deployed in North Africa in 1942, the Tiger was all but invulnerable to Allied tank and anti-tank weapons of the day.

The vehicle was costly to produce, hard to transport, and too heavy for some roads and bridges. Only some 1,350 units were produced before the Tiger II debuted in 1944.

Answer: American

With some 50,000 units produced between 1942 and 1945, the U.S. M-4 Sherman tank was used by every Allied country and in every theater of World War II. The tank was a well balanced design of adequate armor, speed, and firepower, but was inferior to most German and Soviet tanks of the time.
Still, the Sherman was an integral part of the Allied victory, and upgraded units went on to serve into the 1980s.

Answer: American

First produced in 1944, the M-24 Chaffee was the replacement for the M-5 Stuart light tank. Fast and reliable, and armed with the same 75mm gun as the early Sherman tank, the Chaffee was a vast improvement over the Stuart. The M-24 was used by most of the Allied countries, and saw service in Korea, the Middle East, Africa, and the Indo-Pakistani Wars.

The last Chaffees were retired by Uruguay in 2018.

Answer: British

In service from 1939 with the British and Australian armies, the Matilda was a typical British Infantry Tank, heavily armored, slow, and under-gunned. The Matilda was the heaviest British tank in service until it began to be replaced by the Valentine from 1941. Matildas were extensively used in France in 1940 and North Africa until 1943.

The Australians also had success with Matildas in the Pacific theater until 1945.

Answer: German

Designed in 1942 to provide mobile fire support for tank units, the Hummel was a 15cm howitzer in an open topped mount, using the chassis of the Panzer III tank. Serving exclusively on the Eastern Front, the Hummel provided much needed fire support for the German tank units.

After the war, a few captured Hummels were provided to the Syrian army by the Soviet Union, and these units served into the 1960s.

Answer: British

The Comet was a British Cruiser Tank designed in 1943 and produced from September of 1944 until the end of the war. The Comet was a successful design, but was a stopgap as the much more capable Centurion tank was already in production when the Comet was first deployed in Europe.

The Comet was a fast and well armored tank, and the 17 pounder gun could deal with the German Panthers and Tigers at a respectable range. The Comet was sold to various countries after the war, and saw combat in the Middle East, Africa, and the Indo-Pakistan wars.

Answer: American

The M-3 and M-5 Stuart light tank was an American design produced from 1941-1944. The vehicle was supplied to most American allies, seeing action in both the European and Pacific theaters in World War II. After the war, Stuarts remained in service with armies across the world, seeing combat in Africa, India, the Middle East, and South America.

Answer: German

First produced in early 1943 and initially called the Hornisse (Hornet), the Nashorn was a German tank destroyer that carried the 88mm gun on a chassis that combined components of both the Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tanks. Though it was lightly armored and had a high profile, making it difficult to conceal, the Nashorn could knock out any Allied tank at long range.