Top 5 Tanks | Schola Gladiatoria

[@thetankmuseum]

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

[@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.

[@OffordDarcy]

​@@bjorn301Shad deserves it.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Centaur255]

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

[@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.

[@paladinpariah325]

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

[@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.

[@miketheevil]

Yea but it's got an ipad so

[@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.

[@lukascehlar999]

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

[@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.

[@VintageWanderer]

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.

[@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👍

[@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!

[@CirWot]

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

[@genek8630]

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

[@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.

[@stuartdollar9912]

Matt knows his tanks as well. Impressive.

[@mikesmith2905]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@hachimanjiro]

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

[@alamore5084]

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

[@bradjohnson4787]

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

[@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.

[@coolranch1660]

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

[@Shelmerdine745]

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

[@markpileggi643]

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

[@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).

[@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!

[@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.

[@simonrigg8391]

I could listen to matt easton all day!

[@TheKRU251]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@stevenpremmel4116]

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

[@batteredwarrior]

Matt is awesome! Great top 5!

[@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.

[@66kbm]

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

[@lqr824]

25:22 "It could knock a Tiger out with just one shot! And that was really really important after the D-Day landings!" Uh, no, I think there were only like a dozen or two Tigers in all of France.

[@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 👍👍👍

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.

[@EriktheRed2023]

Excellent historical context by Matt!

[@Kefuddle]

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

[@Tankej0527]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@linnharamis1496]

Thanks!

[@richmarko8704]

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

[@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! 😂

[@anthonyjackson280]

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

[@Xenophaige_reads]

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

[@crwhittle]

That windmill looks happy to be involved. 16:44

[@triskeldeian4989]

Great as usual Matt, and longwinded as usual :)

[@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. 👍

[@Jon-cw8bb]

Not the crossover I expected but a welcome one 😂 I love Matt 😊

[@christineshotton824]

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

[@frankbodenschatz173]

Nice description of the tank battle Matt.

[@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.

[@DavidCulshawmer-r]

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

[@AndyTernay]

Awesome!!!! Love it!!!

[@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

[@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.

[@manricobianchini5276]

Agreed. Sometimes personal reasons apply to a degree.

[@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.

[@tonyhuntington]

The most interesting top 5 thanks Matt love your normal channel

[@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'.

[@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.

[@TimFromWinfield]

Matt! There's one favourite youtuber, I was not expecting on this channel

[@stevenbrown8857]

Brilliant, lots of different perspectives 😊

[@exharkhun5605]

What a lovely surprise. Love both channels. ❤❤

[@ericlundquist3466]

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

[@tommygun333]

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

[@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. 🤓😊😀

[@casbot71]

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

[@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.

[@gamingborger]

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

[@terryroots5023]

Entertaining and informative. Excellent video.

[@codexintegrum]

Quite enjoyed that Matt, well done.

[@MB5rider81]

You had me at top five tanks

[@mfern45]

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

[@Dominator046]

Matt Easton sent me. Fun show.

[@foldedspace2391]

Great job!

[@Wladislav]

Love the storytelling.

[@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.

[@alantheinquirer7658]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@Chiller11]

Impressive knowledge of armour for a bladed weapons expert.

[@asitisrequiredasitisrequir3411]

Great choice of number 1 tank!

[@lqr824]

24:00 the problem with talking about how good the armor was from the front is ignoring a couple things: 1) only at a few degrees out of 360 can you only see the front. You can see the rest of the tank from other angles. 2) in a firefight, scoring a mobility kill or the WWII equivalent of a sensor kill does much to put the tank partly out of action where you can deliver the subsequent coup de grace. 3) US production absolutely buried German production, and US supplies buried German supplies.

[@downunderrob]

I've rarely clicked on anything as fast!😂

[@janwojtyna3392]

Matt my man I am happy to watch this episode 😂

[@someutubchannel69]

Are tanks still a viable option for current armed conflicts? Has the appearance of drones do to tanks What naval aviation did to battle cruisers?

[@RaeveSpam]

Watch these Ukraine & T-72: The death of the tank? | The Tank Museum kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXfCnJV7jLiZZ68 Why does Ukraine want tanks? | The Tank Museum kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXbQiHhuaLVlgqM Tanks are obsolete, apparently since 1919 kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4HXmZKupqeLfbs

[@edcrichton9457]

One critical disadvantage of unmanned vehicles is that most current drones are weak to commo being jammed. A manned vehicle can keep engaging the enemy.

[@someutubchannel69]

@@edcrichton9457 Yes, I agree. But as the armour vs armour piercing weapons has been ... The electronic jamming va anti jamming technologies will define the near future battlefield... my guess

[@jimjamauto]

Just my pedestrian and civilian opinion, they are still viable but are unviable if you can't protect them from the enemy's air assets. Gulf War 1991 is a perfect example. I would be willing to bet drones are such a menace in the Russia-Ukraine War because neither side has adequate electronic warfare capabilities. The US seems to believe tanks are still viable with the adoption of the M10 Booker, but the US also prioritizes air superiority and has aircraft that supposedly fried the electronics on the Chinese spy balloon™️ . Pretty soon there will be directed-energy microwave countermeasures that can just sweep drones out of the sky. And speaking of the M10 Booker I think further tank development will have anti-armor capability take a back seat to infantry support. Infantry anti-tank weapons are cheaper, more flexible, and potentially more mobile than a tank, and the US has been working with this model since the late stages of the Cold War. Also you can just drop a bomb on a tank, or one cluster bomb on 30 tanks.

[@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.

[@paulpeterson4216]

The PzkwIV brings to mind the lines from Oddball and Moriarity in Kelly's Heroes, "You never said nothing about going up against Tigers... We were assaulted by those things in the bocage, you know what I mean? Assaulted!... The only way we have to distract them is to let them shoot holes in us." Every American in France thought that every Panzer IV was a Tiger and every 75mm AT gun was an 88. In actuality, they saw few 88s and almost no Tigers.

[@KartarNighthawk]

The Tiger was the one they knew the name of. The guys who served in Tunisia, and saw the first few lone Tigers they encountered easily taken out, were far less prone to Tiger panic.