Why do Tanks have a NEED for SPEED?

Would you rather go to war in a tank that was quick but lightly armoured – or heavily armoured but slow?

The concept of fast tanks has existed since the First World War, but making a tank fast is easier said than done. You can increase the speed, but only by compromising the other two sides of The Iron Triangle.

Whilst a good power to weigh ratio is key to making a tank go fast, there are other factors that need to be considered. J Walter Christie pioneered the innovative helicoil spring suspension system – an invention that allowed tanks to cope with travelling at high speeds across country. Although not picked up by the US Army, the brilliance of Christie’s suspension was recognised by the Soviets and soon made an appearance on the BT-Series of tanks – and most effectively on the T-34.

Back in the UK, the newly mechanised cavalry was making use of some brand-new Cruiser tanks. Whilst these were fast vehicles, this was coming at the cost of effective protection. Some military thinkers advocated for the concept of “speed as armour” but results were mixed – with the Crusader and Cromwell both proving to be capable tanks.

After the war, the British Army finally moved on from “speed as armour” and settled on sacrificing a bit of speed for the sake of better protection. This was incorporated first into the concept of Universal Tanks and remains a fixture in the modern Main Battle Tank.

So, we’ll ask again. Would you rather go to war in a tank that was quick but lightly armoured – or heavily armoured but slow?

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This video features archive footage courtesy of British Pathé.

In this video, Chris Copson and Paul Famojuro take us on a high-speed journey through fast tank design. Tanks may have started as lumbering machines of battlefield breakthrough; armies quickly realised the potential that faster vehicles could bring with a return to mobile warfare. Many inventors have pursed the concept of speed as armour, and many advancements in mobility and suspension have been found in pursuit of this quest. But can a lightly-armoured fast tank outmatch a heavily-armed slower opponent? It’s not clear whether the risk is worth the reward.

Whilst tanks started life as machines of battlefield breakthrough, WW1 designs like the Whippet showed the potential that fast tanks could bring with a return to mobile warfare. Making tanks fast is difficult, with compromises being made to armour and armament in order to increase a vehicle’s mobility. But the need for speed has been on the minds of many tank designers, and the quest for “speed as armour”…

Want to learn more about Fast Tanks? Here are some of the sources we used to make this film:

Chamberlain and Ellis, British & American Tanks of WWII, Orion Publishing 2004

Harris, J.P. (ed), Armoured Warfare, Batsford 1991.

Harris, J.P. (ed), Men, Ideas and Tanks: British Military Thought and Armoured Forces, 1903-39, Manchester University Press 1996

Tucker-Jones, Anthony, Tank Battles of the Cold War, Pen and Sword 2021.

Zaloga, Steven J. (ed), Battle Ground, Osprey Publishing 2011.

Eta320, Christie SuspensionThe Man, The Myth, And The Legend, 2021

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