Tank design gradually improved in the inter-war period also. In addition to infantry support, tanks fulfilled traditional cavalry roles, provided mobile artillery support, and were adapted to combat engineering roles. Initially, tanks had been used for close support of infantry, but as modern mechanized doctrine was developed by several armies, tanks became an essential part of the combined-arms team.

The doctrine of armored warfare changed radically in the inter-war years as armies sought ways to avoid the deadlock imposed by modern firepower and looked for the means to restore offensive power on the battlefield. Walter Christie which allowed considerably longer movement of the suspension than conventional leaf-spring systems then in common use, and allowed the tanks to have considerably greater cross-country speed. A breakthrough in tank design was the Christie suspension: a suspension system developed by American engineer J. World War I tanks moved at a walking pace, were relatively unreliable, and the best usage of them was still developing up to the war's end. Tanks of the First World War reflected the novelty of the idea and the primitive state of the automotive industry. The tank was invented by the British in 1916 and first used during World War I, with nearly simultaneous development in France. By war's end, a consensus was emerging regarding tank doctrine and design.īackground Christie suspension schematic T3E2 tank with Christie suspension crossing an obstacle during tests in 1936 Tank usage, doctrine and production varied widely among the combatant nations. However, during World War II, most armies employed tanks, and production levels reached thousands each month.

Even though tanks in the inter-war years were the subject of widespread research, production was limited to relatively small numbers in a few countries.

Tanks were an important weapons system in World War II. The Tiger I heavy tank could use its long ranged powerful gun to advantage in the open landscapes of the Battle of Kursk, 1943

Modern tank destroyer hullmounted