Top 5 Tanks | Schola Gladiatoria

In this weeks Top 5 Tanks, join online historian and medieval weapons fanatic Matt Easton of the @scholagladiatoria channel as he chooses 5 of his favourite tanks from our collection, and relates them back to his own historical passion and expertise.
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00:00 | Intro
00:46 | Number 5
06:01 | Number 4
11:32 | Number 3
19:40 | Number 2
24:21 | Number 1
#tankmuseum #Scholagladiatoria #Top5Tanks

[@thetankmuseum]

Hi Tank Nuts! What did you think of this crossover? Let us know in the comments below.

[@Elastane]

:3

[@davekrab3363]

I think it's great!

[@Lowlandlord]

Love seeing a crossover with two of my favourite channels!

[@KrisV385]

Great to see Matt at the Tank museum! Great choice.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Isn't he the piece of sh1t that threw Shadiversity under the bus? Because Shad is a little too conservative on his non-sword separate channel? I think I'll pass. You should have gotten Shad instead. He was in the UK up till a week ago.

[@ArmouredPhalanx]

As a Canadian I feel obligated to point out that a lot of the Russian lend-lease Valentines were actually built in Canada. The Canadian War Museum has a Canadian-built Valentine that was recovered from a swamp or river (memory fails me) in Russia and was restored and returned as a gift in happier diplomatic times.

[@canuckled]

Most Canadian tank crews were trained in Valentines before moving to Shermans

[@adamjaquay4279]

​@@canuckledindeed. Someone needs to do a video on training tanks lol. Hell at one point (1943 i think) the US had just over 6,000 various tanks in CONUS just for training with around 1500 TDs also. I imagine our Canadian cousins had many many training tanks also.

[@christineshotton824]

The way things are going over there, they might be asking for it back.😎

[@anzelmasmatutis2500]

Nowadays Putin claims that Soviets would won without ANY help :P

[@thorodinson3597]

That or buying IS-series tanks back from N.Korea.

[@MartinSchreiber-mc5mr]

and now i want to see the Chieftains top 5 swords.

[@HaVoC117X]

I can give you Chieftains list. Probably five different version of shermans: 5. M4a4, hey we make 5 car engine work together, great. 4. M4a2, if you want a diesel here is a diesel 3. M4a1, we put an radial aircraft engine in a tank, nobody thought this was a good idea, but we got many of them and it worked. 2.M4a3, Ford V8 best tank engine for a 30 ton tank there is, 1. M4a3 with the t23 turret, 76mm gun, unity sights and HVSS suspension. Probably the reason why he isn't asked anymore.

[@Riceball01]

@@HaVoC117X Swords, not tanks. And I'm pretty sure that the Chieftain has already done a Top 5 for Bovington.

[@HaVoC117X]

@@Riceball01It's not Chieftains problem that they used swords instead of shermans.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

Saber, Model 1902 would be the top one. I'll have a bit of a think about the other four

[@foowashere]

@@TheChieftainsHatchlooking forward to the video! 👍

[@mattblack118]

Thank you Matt for this incredible amount of context. Only Matt Easton could take a top 5 Tanks video and turn it into a 37 min documentary.

[@rileyernst9086]

Scimitar: an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. Ajax: Giant box that tries simultaneously to deafen the crew and passengers and shake them apart.

[@babboon5764]

No offence to the other guest presenters but this bloke is notably good Lively & fizzing with enthusiasm as well as well informed about tanks. Really enjoyed the saga of Sgt Wilf Harris - clearly deserves to be remembered. Now he is. Neat.

[@alericc1889]

He is a LEFTIST TOOL

[@13thdukeofwybourne69]

Not a fan, sorry.

[@impalabeeper]

It helps that Mat was in the army, I guess.

[@BlaBla-pf8mf]

Nice to see that Matt provided plenty of context for his choices.

[@petewatts9475]

Captain Context strikes again

[@Armoure10]

​@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623shad is garbage.

[@WreckItRolfe]

Ironic

[@zsoltbocsi7546]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 i am pretty sure that move is in Le Jeu de la Hache

[@thekaxmax]

@@zsoltbocsi7546 With Shad named, yup.

[@williamsowder9573]

My grandfather started military service on horse back Calvary in the US Army before WWII and then they transferred to tanks and ended up as a tank commander in a Sherman in 3rd Armor division. Cheers.

[@thorodinson3597]

That is really interesting. I'm guessing, changing over to fully mechanized would have required the same paradigm shift in tactics & strategy, as with unmanned/remote warfare today.

[@NexusReload]

​@@thorodinson3597 Yeah they figured out pretty quick that cavalry is worse than useless in the jungle. My grandfather was a cavalryman in the Texas national guard who got reassigned to a machine gun platoon. I still have his spurs and horse brush which is really cool.

[@stephenbarker5162]

It is interesting to remember that the last cavalry sword introduced to the US Army in 1913 designed by a junior officer who became General Patton, one of the best tank commanders in WWII.

[@batteredwarrior]

*Cavalry.

[@thomasfromswindon7609]

I remember in the late 1980s i was posted to Germany. On Exercise, i noticed a Scimitar CRV operated by the Royal Irish Rangers. Jokingly, i asked " can i have a go" and.... they let me. Up and down an airfield at full speed. even full speed in reverse.

[@jerry2357]

3:42 The Airfix Scorpion kit (or at least the version sold in the 1970s) had extra parts so you could make it as a Scimitar if you preferred.

[@Centaur255]

MAAAAATTTTTT! Oh man I got so excited when I saw MATT DID A REVIEW OF TOP TANKS! Love your channel and content Matt!

[@stuartdollar9912]

Matt knows his tanks as well. Impressive.

[@paladinpariah325]

"DRIVE CLOSER SO I CAN HIT THEM WITH MY SWORD!!!" Matt Easton is awesome.

[@alamore5084]

37 minutes of Matt Easton at Bovington, talking about tanks. Simply Awesome💪💪💪💥

[@tetronaut88]

I love these top five videos! I hope I can go to the museum one day, but I currently reside on the opposite side of the world.

[@someutubchannel69]

We live in a virtual reality world now ... These Museums should have an option to be visited (paid option of course) using the Metaverse or similar technology. What do you think?

[@clydedopheide1033]

Same

[@darreng745]

If you get the chance take it seriously, I have been twice and will be going for a third time but I would love to do the Australian museum in Cairns and the American museum in Aberdeen because there are different perspectives and knowledge out there especially with the tanks that tend to be written down like the Lee/Grant combination which gets a bit of a slating for it's service in N Africa yet served faithfully in Burma and for the Australian armoured forces.

[@spm36]

It's a weekends worth visit and you'd still miss stuff! Book that flight👍

[@chrisjordan4210]

I've not heard mention of it recently, but I read that the wavy line deception camouflage on some of the Fireflies 17pdr barrels was designed by the young artist Rex Whistler who was himself a Cromwell commander in the Welsh Guards, sadly killed in a dismounted action. It was a simple and very clever design that can also be seen on other vehicles.

[@ddraig1957]

Interesting to note that the Valentine has a lower profile than the M3 Stuart light tank behind it.

[@theodore6491]

Good point. Due to the difference in the type of engines used, as I recall. Radial engine in Stuart.

[@drewschumann1]

Lower profile is probably the most overrated aspect of a tank. While low profile appears to be a benefit, it's harder to go hull down with a lower profile tank. Plus they are generally harder to fight in.

[@ddraig1957]

@theodore6491 The radial engines also contributed to the high profiles of the Lees and Shermans.American tanks were designed and put into production incredibly quickly. It's not surprising they had flaws.

[@KartarNighthawk]

The Valentine was heavily armoured, but, like the Matildas before it, not particularly large. Even the later versions with the bigger turret and 6-pounder gun didn't present much of a target. The combination of the size and the protection together helped make it an effective combat platform; it was hard to hit and well armoured if you did.

[@robertsantamaria6857]

Matt makes a good point about the importance of the Sherman. I think it's time for someone to do a Top 5 Shermans.

[@jimjamauto]

#1 T31 Demolition Tank #2 T31 #3 T31 #4 T31 #5 T31

[@vincediscombe7360]

hasn't Eta320 done something like that? I know he did a breakdown on the different types a while back

[@tarjei99]

Unusually interesting talk. Obviously one of the very best top 5 talks.

[@extragoogleaccount6061]

Yes, Very good. I find myself saying that many of these are “amongst the best,” though haha

[@kevadu]

It's in the top 5 of top 5 tank talks.

[@brunomadeira8432]

I had already enjoyed Matt interesting and engaging videos about his preferred subject so it's not surprising he can pull it off with other matters.

[@rickcheyne]

The battle of Cambrai gets lots of attention because of the use of armour but the Battle of Amiens in the following year was a much more effective use of all arms, including cavalry. Here is an excerpt from the 28th Canadian Infantry Battalion war diary dated August 8-10 1918: CAVALRY: The support - moral and actual - of the Cavalry throughout the operations, has been of tremendous assistance to the infantry. One incident observed by several Officers of this Unit bears testimony to the fact that British Cavalry has lost none of its old daring. A patrol of four other ranks, moving across the open, was engaged (at about 400 yards distance) by an enemy machine gun. The four horsemen immediately turned in the direction of the gun and galloped towards it. Three of the number, in turn, were shot down; but the fourth continued the charge, cutting down the enemy gun’s crew, and captured the weapon. He then, with great coolness, rode after and caught the horse of one of his fallen comrades, and led it back to his squadron. It is regretted that, under the circumstances, it was not possible to obtain the name of this man.

[@steveholmes11]

Guderian in Achtung Panzer was delighted that the British attached cavalry to their tank forces. His greatest fear was a breakthrough by "fast" light tanks (Whippets and French Renaults). He knew that his machineguns could pin any accompanying cavalry and halt the armoured breakthrough.

[@genek8630]

It's one of the best Top 5 Tanks videos I've seen.👍

[@JorisKoolen]

Seeing Matt outside of his comfort zone and his home studio just shows how darn good he is at talking and presenting, it's impressive!

[@rmod42]

Great bait and switch with the Scimitar - I absolutely thought Matt was going to bring up the friendly fire incident with the A-10 as the most famous event they were involved in during GW1

[@Theduckwebcomics]

A shameful incident by two idiot pilots.

[@Shelmerdine745]

One of the absolute best top 5s ever. You should have him do more videos.

[@jamesv.hillegas-elting3543]

This was fantastic! Absolutely one of the best Top 5 videos to date. I'm a huge fan of both the Tank Museum channel and Schola Gladiatoria, and really appreciate Matt's perspective here. He's applied the same depth of research, personal passion, and nuanced interpretation of his work on swords and armor as he does here on armored vehicles. Matt's got a style that is the best combination of informative, educational, and entertaining. Well done!

[@mpersad]

What a great selection, terrific work by Matt. Thank you to the Tank Museum for inviting him to pick his Top 5! Really enjoyed this video.

[@CirWot]

Great to see a guest that really does their research and presents effortlessly. Best top 5 so far!

[@markpileggi643]

Great presentation. He obviuously loves tanks (as well as swords) and did his research. BTW I follow his channel.

[@mikesmith2905]

This is one of the best 'top tanks' episodes, lots of interesting historical detail and context. Well done.

[@bradjohnson4787]

Love the perspective! The Valentine was reliable! The Sherman was reliable!

[@msgretrogamer]

Great video, Matt is excellent.

[@coolranch1660]

This is one of my favorite top 5 videos, entertaining and easy to watch

[@Theduckwebcomics]

Wow, an afrika core panzer IV waa my first model too! Excellent top 5 tank video! Lots of context and extra info, delivered with subjectivity, without bias and yet not dry. Very well researched. Love to see Matt do more.

[@uha6477]

This was a good list. Very enjoyable. There was a nice amount of detail he provided. (I made the same kit as my first model tank...got to love it for the same reasons).

[@Stuahnoir]

Not on topic but isn’t it time the Panther received a tank chats reloaded? The Panther tank chat is rather short when compared to the later editions, it would be great to get some more detail. 👍

[@lyndoncmp5751]

Not so well known fact. The Panzer III was built in larger numbers and was more prevalent 1939-mid 1943 and the Panther was built in larger numbers in 1944 and 1945, being more prevalent after mid 1944 according to the production figures by Jentz and Doyle. So the Panzer IV was only the most prevalent German tank for about a year. Mid 1943 to mid 1944. Even in Normandy, the Panther was almost as numerous as the Panzer IV. Nearly 700 v nearly 900.

[@paoloviti6156]

I think that you stated quite well the best 5 ever tanks including your love for the Scimitar! Essentially you are correct about your tanks but more importantly you have been in the proper perspective the role is the Pz.Kpfw IV and the Sherman Firefly that at last it could fight the "Cats" on much better terms despite it's drawback. It is safe to say that the Sherman Firefly a very important tank fighting this Germans. A very interesting video, thanks for sharing this very interesting video 👍👍👍

[@66kbm]

37.28 Why was a Major leading an infantry team? Brilliant set of 5 Best. Really good explanations of the reasons why.

[@casbot71]

The Lemon Russ, you always have the option - "Drive me closer! I want to hit them with my sword!!"

[@hachimanjiro]

Really enjoyed the video,a bit of a change thanks Matt!

[@anthonyjackson280]

Possibly the most comprehensive 'Top/Bottom Fives' ever presented.

[@mfern45]

/prays that Matt will find a tank that mounted a bayonet //clicks play

[@rileyernst9086]

For anyone who is curious as to why the 75mm gun's HE round was so well praised, it is because it's a pretty low velocity quick firing field gun literally from 1897, because the shell was flying slowly it could have thinner walls without the threat of fragmenting mid flight and that means you can have more payload. It was never designed to be shooting at tanks, WW1 tanks, let alone panthers and tigers, therefore high payload was ideal. This is not the only way to go about it. The German Flak 88 HE round they just went for a larger projectile size and less powder pushing it, and subsequently they had a devastatingly massive HE payload(it's actually got considerably more high explosives in the shell than the Soviet 122mm HE shell(so a tiger was putting out bigger booms than an IS2 or SU122, and much more quickly), and still an excellent high velocity AP shot. It meant your crews might need to readjust aim if they are switching shell types, but you're dropping A LOT of explosives. The British had close support tanks with 3 inch howitzers early in the war for shooting smoke and HE rounds(doctrinally more often smoke, but Australian CS matildas would be put to good effect firing HE in New Guinea and Borneo), but being fielded 2 tanks per squadron (3x troops of 4 or so tanks each) of gun tanks they didn't have much effect. Of course mainly attacking fortified positions in the pacific the Australians would run the 3 inch howitzer tanks 50:50 with 2pdr tanks, they'd also throw in flamethrower matildas too.

[@TheKRU251]

One of the most impressive top 5's due to all the very interesting 'background information'. Many thanks !!!!

[@ericlundquist3466]

Good choices. I was expecting tanks that everyone says. "King tiger.. tiger.. panther... " I was thinking:. "Well, this will probably be uninteresting "

[@t.fahrmann9757]

I would argue that the Tank Museum has found a formidable new presenter as a future replacement for the "aging" present staff, excellent presenting skills, knowledge and camera presence and he is entertaining, very well done. 🤓😊😀

[@DavidCulshawmer-r]

probably the best and most informed top 5 yet 👍a very interesting top 5 , thanks for this 😊

[@tommygun333]

Matt, incredibly orepared for the show, as usual. He could start working for the tank museum. Please, consider this!

[@AlRoderick]

I would argue that the tank, especially the early ones like the Mark IV, were not replacing cavalry. They were replacing the siege tower, or the battering ram, or any number of other clever military engineering solutions you would use to break a siege, which is what the battlefields of the first world war had become. It was a modern reinvention of a thing we hadn't needed for a while because the cannon made stone walls useless. We had to wait a long time for a new kind of fortification to be invented and then had to invent the new battering ram to beat it.

[@Theduckwebcomics]

How they thought of them at the time was as land warships. Warships had had all this tech down pat for many years and were seen as the absolute apex of military tech and prestige, tanks were the little tiny land baby version of the mighty battleship concept: armoured behemoths that could cruise in, shrug off damage and deliver destruction where it was needed.

[@simonrigg8391]

I could listen to matt easton all day!

[@EriktheRed2023]

Excellent historical context by Matt!

[@Tankej0527]

Unexpected but not unwelcome crossover! If only he did the interview in his german harness 😂

[@batteredwarrior]

Matt is awesome! Great top 5!

[@richmarko8704]

Excellent presentation, very professionally done ! You just out did the History Channel ! Thank you .

[@terryroots5023]

Entertaining and informative. Excellent video.

[@Xenophaige_reads]

Thank-you for putting the valentine on your list. Hopefully it will help get it a redone tank chat.

[@Twirlyhead]

One of the best top fives from Matt SG. Great detail in the given time. His presenting skills _honed_ (😊) at Schola Gladiatoria shine through. Matt, give my regards to Gladys.

[@Sabelzahnmowe]

21:20 ish. The actually thought they were seeing a Tiger, because with the "Schürzen" it looked like one from a distance at a glance. I always thought that was rubbish, but the I went to the Tschech Tank Museum Lesany and they have a hall with a light and sound installation where you walk throuugh a Ditch. It is pretty intense. And after entering I came around a bend and for a moment thought "Oh a Tiger" But it was a late model Panzer IV :) I gues in the heat of battle that effect would be even more pronunced.

[@gamingborger]

i do love he chose tanks we're still learning from so many decades later

[@bsquadronguy]

"A" Squadron, 16th/5th Lancers also engaged Iraqi tanks with 30mm, destroying some and damaging others. The Rarden could fire APDS, HE, and APSE.

[@IosuamacaMhadaidh]

I play WoTB and from there found Tank Chats, etc, and through interest in HEMA found Schola, and now it's all come together, worlds colliding! 😂

[@andymoody8363]

Great video Matt, I'm also a huge fan of the Valentine and Pz IV but I especially liked your talk on the Mk IV, the role of cavalry and the crossover with the new armoured warfare. Great stuff.

[@christineshotton824]

My first tank model was a Tamiya PzKpfw IV ausf F2.😁

[@lukascehlar999]

Mate! You didn't have to go that hard! BRILIANT

[@frankbodenschatz173]

Nice description of the tank battle Matt.

[@triskeldeian4989]

Great as usual Matt, and longwinded as usual :)

[@AndyTernay]

Awesome!!!! Love it!!!

[@fritztheblitz1061]

Great video, thank you for sharing your opinion. Thumps up 👍

[@Nerobyrne]

it's interesting to look at the differences between IFVs and main battle tanks. Technically you could classify them both as tanks, given their general construction. However, they are so different that they have entirely different classifications and roles on the battlefield.

[@tonyhuntington]

The most interesting top 5 thanks Matt love your normal channel

[@alexwilliamson1486]

Great rundown there! Personally for me it’s the mark IV at all he top? A true workhorse throughout the war, and the chassis, the basis for a lot of vehicles. The 75mm was a good piece of ordinance also.

[@stevenbrown8857]

Brilliant, lots of different perspectives 😊

[@codexintegrum]

Quite enjoyed that Matt, well done.

[@stevenpremmel4116]

Really nicely done, Matt. I like the stories attached to each tank.

[@jm9371]

I wonder if Matt is going to bring a tank to his next HEMA event.

[@AlRoderick]

Historical European Mechanized Armor.

[@thekaxmax]

he _does_ have a new harness

[@klarthkoken1925]

@@thekaxmax One might even say armour.

[@thekaxmax]

@@klarthkoken1925 ...I did. :P 'harness'=='full set of armour'.

[@alantheinquirer7658]

Heh. I had a Scorpion tank for my Action Man. 🙂 It was a Valentine hatch that 'nipped' off the finger tip of the actor Ian Carmichael.

[@crwhittle]

That windmill looks happy to be involved. 16:44

[@user-qm5vn9zx7s]

Great review!

[@stephenrglover]

Excellent choice of vehicles

[@TheDerpySpartan]

The valentines is my number one tank. I absolutely love the little devil. I know it struggled in the fight. But I love how unique it is. :D

[@asitisrequiredasitisrequir3411]

Great choice of number 1 tank!

[@foldedspace2391]

Great job!

[@manricobianchini5276]

Agreed. Sometimes personal reasons apply to a degree.

[@rileyernst9086]

Valentines were armed with 75mm guns and used as command tanks in Italy and Western Europe where they were attached to Archer tank hunter units.

[@Wladislav]

Love the storytelling.

[@rileyernst9086]

The Soviets liked the reliability of the valentine, and the British were supplying them with tanks fitted with diesel engines. It's worth mentioning that even at the end of the war, when they were receiving valentines with 6pdr AT guns(which might not seem the best tank on that front at that time) they were also having to make and field their own T70 light tanks, which were armed with a 45mm gun. These tanks were often used as regular gun tanks as the soviets often lacked the inter unit communication equipment, and command and control structures that would allow for the correct use of light tanks in reconnaissance. Compared to the T70 the valentine had a much better gun and much better armour.

[@KartarNighthawk]

The Valentine was never as poorly armed as some people like to make out. The 2-pounder could kill the early model Panzer IIIs and IVs once they were within the range at which they could threaten to puncture its armour, and the 6-pounder armed version could do the same to the later models. You wouldn't necessarily want to fight a Panther or Tiger with it, but those were never super common anyway.

[@rileyernst9086]

@@KartarNighthawk Well at close range(as in within 500m, so pretty scary close ranges to be honest) the 6pdr could penetrate the front of a panther or tiger, it wouldn't be a fun encounter but it could be done. But the 6pdr is better than the 45mm gun. In British service they'd be upgraded to the 75mm, and would be fielded as command tanks in tank hunter units in Western Europe, the AT capability of the 75mm is not really an issue in this case, as they'd be attached to a whole unit of 17 pdr armed vehicles, and I can imagine that having a tank there capable of using the larger HE charge of the 75mm shell would be handy in that case.

[@jrd33]

@@rileyernst9086 The 6 pdr was generally regarded as a better AT gun than the British 75mm. However the 75mm was far superior against everything except enemy tanks.

[@KartarNighthawk]

@@rileyernst9086 I don't dispute the 6-pounder could pierce the Tiger at close enough ranges--one of the first Tigers knocked out in Tunisia was taken out by a towed 6-pounder. It's rather that in this hypothetical versus scenario (not that warfare tends to present a lot of one v one) the advantage would be with the Tiger, since it's lethal from greater range. Whereas against a Panzer III or IV, the effective range that they can penetrate a Valentine brings them inside the lethal range of the Valentine's gun.

[@alexbowman7582]

The Firefly 17 pounder was probably the best WW2 tank gun. The sabot 17 pounder round had the greatest penetration, 8 inches, although it had accuracy problems.

[@nathanbeverley247]

Yeah, sabot rounds have trouble with muzzle brakes.

[@MB5rider81]

You had me at top five tanks

[@Furniture121]

I really wish Matt would give more context for the use of the tanks, and his choices... Also, there wasn't enough discussion of the penetration capabilities of the rounds.

[@thekaxmax]

this is about tanks not ammo. :P Can easily look 'em up.

[@thoso1973]

The Centurion is basically the grand daddy of all modern tank designs. For that alone it should make anyone's top 5 list imo.

[@mechaman7818]

20:42 I've always seen the Panzer 4 as the German Sherman. But I live that Stug life, so it'll never be my favorite German armored vehicle.

[@linnharamis1496]

Thanks!

[@KartarNighthawk]

People who say the Valentine was undergunned tend to forget that in North Africa at least it was mostly pitted against Panzer IIIs and M13/40s, both of whom the 2-pounder could quite easily kill. Add in the comparatively heavy armour, the ease with which it was produced, the mechanical reliability, and that it could be upgraded to take the 6-pounder and it's no surprise that the British built so many of them and that it proved popular with its crews.

[@rileyernst9086]

They also acquitted themselves very well during the battle of Kasserine Pass. They were just about the only allied tanks that performed well in during that battle. After the breakout the Axis forces in the south found themselves facing GIs dug in on the high ground with as many 105mm guns that they could muster, as you could guess direct fire from 105mm guns is not good for most tanks and night and day the Axis failed to break these positions. Whilst in the north the Germans attempted a night attack with panzers, which stumbled into an encamped British tank unit and had a close in knife fight with valentines(and were violently dissuaded of their plan). And the next morning when the axis tanks tried again the valentines were holding down the low ground, only presenting their small dustbin turrets to fire at close range, whilst concealed AT guns behind them could really go to work. After this the German and Italian forces would retreat back through the pass.

[@KartarNighthawk]

​​@@rileyernst9086Upgunned with the 6-pounder, the Valentine was a match for any Panzer III or IV variant. The ranges at which they could reliably puncture its frontal armour were well within the lethal range of its gun, and in the position at Kasserine they were, as you note, a near impossible target to boot. Even positive descriptions of the Valentine tend to emphasise its reliability and the numbers it was built in rather than its actual combat ability; lots of talk of it being a "workhorse" and that kind of thing. In doing so, I think they undersell its abilities quite badly. From the Western Desert through to Tunisia, the Valentine demonstrated that it could take whatever the Germans (and Italians) could take out and hit back hard.

[@tapioperala3010]

::Looks at Firefly:: ::chuckles in good vibes::

[@alantheinquirer7658]

Matt on tanks? 😄 Surely the one with the best armour? 🙂

[@Kefuddle]

One of the best Top 5s so far. Awesome job SG!

[@mrjmorovis]

I've watched the videos that show various calibers being shot at various types of armor and just plain metals and other materials. The aluminum armors are actually more resileint than they are rated for.

[@KartarNighthawk]

I think people have the notion that aluminum armour is bad because a) it sounds weak to a layman who associates aluminum with foil and b) we've all seen footage from Vietnam etc of an M113 or other light vehicle getting blown up by an RPG-7. Of course the latter would blow up a steel vehicle of that calibre too, while the aluminum being used in combat vehicles is a touch different from what I wrap my leftovers in.

[@Mute_Nostril_Agony]

The Sherfly Fireman was my favourite WW2 tank