Tiger series tanks? T-34 ? or Sherman firefly?

Answer 1

Less than 1,400 Tigers were produced during the war versus tens of thousands of T-34s and Shermans. The overwelming material won the tank battles for the allies, not the qulity of their tanks.

Answer 2

The best tank of WW2 was the T-34. This was not only because it's effectiveness on the battle field but also it's ease of production and operation. The Sherman Firefire was a excellent tank but in terms of operational performance it came to late. The Sherman itself was a medium tank that took on the best of the Panzer force. It, tank to tank, was not as effective as the PzKwf.IV and certainly not up to the Panther or the Tiger but for every Tiger or Panther there was ten or more Shermans. And the Tiger and Panther production plant's were under constant attack. Once the U-boats "Happy Time" was over the mass produced Shermans flooded England and then Europe. There was a conscious decision to maintain the Sherman as the Western Allies main battle tank, although it wasn't really suited to the role, because to switch to a another model would put a hitch in the flow of tanks to the front and retard the Allies numerical superiority.
Oddly enough, the people whose armies had planned for tank offensives and had among the most advanced models was the USSR. It was from this pre war effort that the T34,KV1 and @ and Iosef Stalin models came from. It does seem to help if your tank designers are in prison and have nothing else to think of and the access to food and warmth as incentives to think about tanks. The concepts for panzer tactics and blitzkrieg itself came from German officers watching Russian war gamers and reading Lyddell-Hart.
The Tiger was posibly the worst engineered tank of the war. Some believe that Dr. Porshe, who detested Hitler and the Nazi's, designed a enormous tank that looked menacing but didn't work internally. Take a look at the transmission.

Answer 3

The T-34 was the world's best tank when it entered service. Period. To say it wasn't a high quality machine is insane. In fact the Tigers were created to counter the T-34.

Similarly, when the Sherman was first produce it was better than any German tank. It was fast and very reliable, something the tigers weren't.

But in all reality you're making a poor comparison. The Tigers were heavy tanks, while the T-34 and Shermans were lights. It would probably be better to compare it to the IS-2 and M26 Pershing.

Answer 4

The Tiger series of tanks had the toughest armour, the best firepower and the best engine/transmission. On the other hand, it was a very complex and overengineered tank. Head to head, it could defeat any tank in WWII - but it was very difficult to keep them running.

The T-34 had a couple of technical leaps - sloped armour. cast turrets but it was the speed at which they could be built and used that made them successful. Its light weight (snow), tractor components and simplicity were an excellent match for the strengths and weakness of the Soviet Army.

The Sherman Firefly was an upgunned Sherman such that it had a chance to defeat the Tiger's armour. It was still never a match for a Tiger in a one to one shootout. The Sherman's greatest strength was that it was designed to be manufactured quickly and easily in a number of factories. At one point, the Germans were able to field under 600 tanks of all types, the Allies had almost 60,000. Since most tank work is infantry support, this gave the Allies the advantage.

Quantity has a Quality all of its own.

Answer 5

If you're asking what the best tank was, the Tiger tanks used by the Germans were generally considered to be the best in terms of being the highest quality tank of the era. The T-34s weren't all that good, but they were cheap, so many, many more T-34s could be produced than German Tigers. Overall, it evened out. I can't say I know much about the effectiveness of the Sherman. Look at the links below if you want to know more information.

Answer 6

Tiger was the bad boy of the playground but T-34 and the "Ronson" (Lights every time!!)Sherman were made in great numbers and though out gunned they took out the Tiger by massed firepower. My view is that the T-34 was the better of the two.As an old school Armor Sgt. I believe that it was the massed produced Sherman that ended the World War II. Warchild!