Anyone know what tank this is? I know it's one of the earliest british tanks from WWI (from before most other nations - including Germany used tanks), but I can't recall the name...
Nell said: I find it strange where tank design went after this. Two side-mounted guns is better than a turret with one.
This design is all kinds of wrong. You think in a similar way the early Soviet engineers did... and yes, they created some of the most useless abominations that ever entered the battlefield (or didn't).
This design is all kinds of wrong. You think in a similar way the early Soviet engineers did... and yes, they created some of the most useless abominations that ever entered the battlefield (or didn't).
Kind of a late reply, but it was a good design when one thinks about what the Mark IVs were meant to do. The war was at a stalemate due to the nature of trench warfare, thus a vehicle that could withstand small arms fire, carry troops and enter the trenches was needed. The Mark IV possessed these qualities despite being slow and dangerous not to mention uncomfortable for the crew. Its gun placement seems to be more ideal for engaging those in trenches, and its rhomboidal shape is better suited for maneuvering through trenches than its more contemporary counterparts.
I find it strange where tank design went after this. Two side-mounted guns is better than a turret with one.
Only at trench warfare, and even then the larger size and complexity needed is arguably worse and certainly less resource efficient compared to smaller, single-gun tanks like the Renault FT.
The problem with multi-gun/turret tanks is that the (obvious)positives just don't counteract the (somewhat hidden)negatives. First problem is size and weight. Multi-gun/turret tanks have to be larger than single gun ones, especially in the early days that meant mechanical complexity that wouldn't hold up in a warzone, they also had to reduce armor to reduce weight for several reason, most obviously reliability.
Second problem is that while the idea of having multiple independent guns is sensible(large calibre low velocity howitzer for dealing with infantry and bunkers at range, small calibre high velocity gun for antitank use, machine guns for short range anti-personnel use) in practice the massive amount of crew you need is a problem. Warships could deal with having large crews due to their size, and the multiple guns could each get enough crewmembers and decent command chain to use every gun independently. Tank however are too small and as several countries found out the hard way, tanks work best if everyone inside has only a single job and for size reasons you want the least amount of people required to keep the tank small. The Mk.I had a 8 man crew while the Mk.VII had a 12 man crew, they and every tank inbetween was very much a hellhole to coordinate since so many people had stuff to do inside that actualy commanding everyone effectively was not possible, this got made worse with that they were toxic and loud inside. The Renault FT had only 2 crewmembers, and the commander was very overworked, but it was more combat-effective simply because you could build and field much more of them. 6 tanks with 2 cannon and 4 machine guns between them beats a single tank with 2 cannon and 7 machine guns.
Third problem is that hull or sponson mounted guns obviously have a smaller arc of fire. Only rarely could you use multiple guns at the same time. And you need at least 3 guns if you want 360 degree coverage, and that is only on a triangular tank. While hull-mounted guns have always had some use in slapping the biggest gun available on the smallest vehicle possible, usualy you'd be better of getting a turret so that you could attack multiple targets faster no matter where they are.
Last one I remember right now is just simple obsolescence, modern tank guns don't need to choose between being good at exploding shit or punching holes in shit, they can do both fine. Only other gun they need is a machine gun. Mostly because you can carry a lot more MG ammo compared to cannon ammo and no need to use your limited anti-personell cannon ammo when you can just unload half a belt of MG ammo on them.