Infographic The Tanks of El Alamein and the Desert Wars

M3 ‘Honey’ Stuart

The M3 Stuart was an American tank that won its nickname ‘Honey’ due to its smooth ride and general reliability. A light tank, with a turret gun of just 37mm, the Stuart was designed to aid infantry and scout out enemy territory. Famous for its ability to ‘scoot and shoot’, it was the first US tank to be used by the British and was still in use by some nations up until the 1980s.

M4 Sherman

The most widely used tank by the Allies throughout the Second World War, the US-built M4 Sherman also formed the main bulk of the Allied tanks used in the Second Battle of El Alamein. An improvement on the M3 tank, the Sherman saw an increase in reliability, ease of production and an adaptability that allowed it to be used for a variety of roles. When compared to other tanks used in El-Alamein, the M4 Sherman is often considered to be the best.

Crusader II

Vital to the North African campaign, the Crusader was one of the main British ‘cruiser’ tanks used during the early years of the war. It was designed to be small, light, and nimble, while still capable of posing a threat to German medium tanks. A more heavily- armoured version of the Crusader I, the II was soon to be phased out after the Second Battle of El Alamein.

Crusader III Cruiser

The British Crusader III first saw action in the Second Battle of El Alamein. Up-gunned and more heavily equipped than previous iterations, the Crusader wasn’t used outside of Northern Africa, but could be counted on for its reliability and adaptability in a variety of roles – even though it lacked serious armour.

Valentine

A strong and reliable tank that proved invaluable in the North African campaign, the Valentine Tank was designed to support British infantrymen. These heavily armoured vehicles were capable of close-quarter fighting – though became rapidly outdated as the war drew on.

Axis

Panzer II

While originally designed as a stopgap until better German tanks could be developed, the lightweight Panzer II was still a formidable vehicle, especially in the early years of the war. Seeing action on both fronts, the Panzer II’s role in North Africa saw it fare well against Allied infantry.

Panzer III

Originally designed to fight other armoured vehicles, the German Panzer III was quickly outgunned by Allied tanks. To counter this, the German army upgraded their Panzer IV’s to fight tanks and the Panzer III became an effective infantry tank. At the second battle of El Alamein, both long and short-barrelled versions of the Panzer III were in use.

Panzer IV

The most widely used tank in the German army during World War Two, the Panzer IV saw various upgrades, modifications and adaptations throughout its years of service. Only a handful were deployed during the Second Battle of El Alamein, and despite being able to penetrate Allied tanks, they were still vastly outnumbered.

M13/40

The Carro Armato M13/40 was the primary tank used by the Italians during the conflict. Making up the vast majority of Italian tanks during the Second Battle of El Alamein, the M13/40 struggled against Allied opposition. A relatively weak engine, lack of crew experience, and inadequate armour meant that the M13/40 was at a severe disadvantage.

L6/40

An Italian light tank well suited for scouting missions, or useful when facing off against light vehicles, the L6/40 was however generally no match for the medium tanks in use during the conflict. A lack of effective armour throughout the Italian forces meant that L6/40s were used as measure of last resort and were overall ineffective.