Yuuki Matsuda

TANK CLASSIFICATION Tanks are often referred to by weight-based classification, such as 'light', 'medium' or 'heavy', classified tanks into three major roles: infantry, light, and cavalry.

Infantry tanks were to be distributed to infantry units, to integrally support dismounted infantry actions. Its main purpose would have been to clear the battlefield of obstacles, kill enemy soldiers, and protect the infantry on their advance into and through enemy lines by giving mobile overwatch and cover.

Light tanks performed the traditional cavalry role of scouting and screening. Light tanks tend to be smaller, faster, and lighter vehicles, and cheaper to produce. Some light tanks are able to move over land rapidly compared to heavier tanks and are maneuverable through obstacles such as jungle thickets, while maintaining lethality against enemy infantry. During and after the war, the roles of light tanks were gradually taken over by less-expensive armoured cars and specialised reconnaissance vehicles.

Cavalry or "cruiser" tank units were meant to exploit breakthroughs and fight other armoured formations. Even into the 1930s, some soldiers saw tanks as merely serving in support roles for large conscript armies of foot soldiers and horse cavalry. designed to move fast and exploit penetrations of the enemy front.

Medium tank Medium tanks are simply neither the heaviest nor lightest in weight, and many of the designs had successful balance of firepower, mobility, protection, and endurance, and could often be adapted to a variety of roles.

The three traditional factors determining a tank's effectiveness in battle are its firepower, protection, and mobility.

• Firepower is the ability of a tank to identify, engage, and destroy a target. • Protection is the tank's ability to resist being detected, engaged, and disabled or destroyed by enemy fire. • Mobility includes tactical (short range) movement over the battlefield including over rough terrain and obstacles, as well as strategic (long range) mobility, the ability of the tank to be transported by road, rail, sea, or air to the battlefield. Tank design is a compromise; it is not possible to maximize firepower, protection and mobility simultaneously. For example, increasing protection by adding armour will result in an increase in weight and therefore decrease mobility; increasing firepower by installing a larger gun will force the designer to sacrifice speed or armour to compensate for the added weight and cost.

Heavy tank Heavy tanks have usually been deployed to fulfill the need for a breakthrough tank, though in practice have been more useful in the defensive role than in the attack. Design goals have included attacking obstacles, creating breakthroughs, and engaging enemy armoured formations. Heavy tanks achieved their greatest successes both fighting other, lighter tanks, and destroying fortifications with their very large guns.

Super-heavy tank As their name implies, most of these tanks were extremely heavy Super-heavy tanks featured thick armour, which was generally impervious to most weapons of their time. The armaments of these immense tanks were usually heavy artillery guns.