What are the Top 10 tanks of World War 2 that we use in Wargaming? Here’s a top made by yours trully!
What top is this?
Well, i am simply ranking the most known and used tanks of World War 2 but according to their popularity in Wargaming. This is of course subjective and your area might present a different take on this subject, although classics are classics, as you will see!
Number 10 – StuG III
Probably the most effective and cheap tank platform to be developed by the Germans, the StuG III was first used as an artillery support gun for the infantry, and later on as a mobile anti-tank force.
The StuG is attractice because it offers the players a high caliber gun that can perform defensive duty at a fraction of a cost from a regular tank.
Usually companies prefer to make the StuG III G the more common variant, namely the 75mm long gun mid war, with the H (shurtzen equipped long gun) and B (short artillery gun) variants as less common.
In terms of tabletop gaming the StuG is cheap enough to get quite a lot in a force if needed be. The usual models are easy to assemble and small enough to store due to the lack of turret. It also helps that the G variant can be fielded pretty much in any mid-late war force without anyone raising an eyebrow.
Number 9 – Churchill
The most known unknown Allied tank (what a description), the Churchill suffers from the fact that it was always undergunned and too expensive compared to the M4 Sherman. The British fielded it in sufficient numbers to be recognized by most gamers but usually people prefer the more robust American equipment.
The Churchill comes with 2 main variants game wise, the normal 75mm gun variant (which is actually the late upgraded one) and the 95mm howitzer variant.
On the tabletop the Churchill is not cheap, it’s usually fielded for the specific role of adding firepower as a central point of a British force and is (truth be told) the epitome of britishness in a tank force.
However, the model is usually a bit difficult to assemble due to the complex shapes of the hull and the “weird” design. It does sport early, mid and late variants also but these usually require magnetic guns to be able to easily replace them for whatever phase of the war you’re playing.
Number 8 – IS-2
There is literally nothing that spells Soviet Power more then a heavy tank with a big gun. The IS-2 entered the war at the later stage, and some might say on an already favorable position for the Russians, but it did put the capital M in the Monster tank.
Fielding IS-2 tanks usually means a heavy investment of points, at least compared to the other options available to the Soviet player but these can pack a punch and go through basically anything that the enemy might throw at them. It would truly be foolish for anyone to take these heads on, so they are usually avoided or bombed by artillery or air power.
The models are bulky and feel right. The tank and the hull mold so well and that nice rounded shape makes you feel that this is an end game machine in itself. The downside is that the IS-2 is quite specific in the time period or role that it has to perform so it’s not a very common sight across the battlefield.
Number 7 – KV-1
The first time the German Army knew it severely underestimated the Soviet tanks was when it first encountered a KV-1. Truly a gigantic sight for the small Panzer II and Panzer III that first met it, it inspired terror via the large metallic hull that was twice the size of any German Tank.
Getting KV-1’s on the battlefield is expensive and they are either fielded in a platoon during the mid-late war or as a single tank during the early war. Its power during the early war is such that some have called them broken unless restrained in game value by their inferior soviet command (bad leadership or mechanical issues limiting its use)
This is the TIGER of the early war, with any player readily recognizing its turret shape and gun. The models are usually easy to assemble without many detailing as this was also a “welded” tank like most soviet vehicles.
Most Soviet forces that field them tailor their playstyle around this armored fist, so flexibility is not a strong point and opponents try to make the soviet player “waste” these behemoths by avoiding or delaying them.
Number 6 – Sherman Firefly
Although the overall M4 Sherman was the mass produced Allied tank of the war, the more respected variant was the British Sherman Firefly. Armed with the QF 17-pounder (76.2mm) gun it was able to punch way above its weight and it made such an impression on the Germans that Fireflies were primary targets in armored encounters on the Western Front.
The Firefly is a late war option for the Allied forces, but it’s quite cheap for the effect that it has on the battlefield. Any opponent will try to avoid a direct shooting exchange between any of his tanks and the Firefly because the later was specifically designed to win such an exchange.
Probably one of the biggest advantages for non-purists is the fact that any M4 Sherman can be quickly converted to a Firefly via turret or gun exchange (there are still some hull differences but that’s why I said non-purists). The models are classic late war M4 Shermans and any tank heavy Allied force will have some Fireflies close by to deal with those Late War German tanks.
Number 5 – Panther
The Panther represents probably the biggest turning point in German tank design. After encountering the feared T-34, German tank designers decided to apply the lessons learned and improve on them.
The Panther is a medium tank that excels in everything that it does. It has great traction via its wide tracks, it’s light for its size at only 45 tons, it sports angled armor plates basically increasing its protection and is armed with a phenomenal 75mm gun that had a better penetrating power then the Tiger’s 88.
Yeah, I admit, it is my favorite tank of WW2. 🙂
Some models are hard to assemble with the angular turret or hull being easily messed up (I know I did massacre some Revel models beyond the point of repair) but overall the tank is very satisfying to watch after completion.
On the tabletop Panthers are usually found in specific themed Tank Companies, with multiple platoons being fielded in fast spear like formations. The Panther is almost never fielded as support, but rather as the can opener of an offensive force, supported by fast glass canon units.
Number 4 – Panzer IV
The Panzer IV wins hands down the prize for the the best tank to evolve during WW2. Starting the war as an infantry support tank, it proved to be the only available platform to be armed with upgunned 75mm canons to handle the Russian tanks during the summer of 1942. The chassis was so efficient that it spawned the biggest array of designs from StuG’s to Mobile Artilery and Tank Hunters.
On the Tabletop the Panzer IV forms the core of any mid-late war tank force, fielded in multiple platoons due to the reasonable price and the variety of upgrades it can have.
Early war variants are fielded for their short 75mm explosive shell totting gun, Mid war variants are there to counter any opponent tank with their 75mm gun and Late war variants field extra protection with Shurtzen plates.
The early-mid war models are fine to assemble, with the Shurtzen posing issues depending on the maker as the support of the plates is thin and easily breakable (some use magnets to mount them in place). The Panzer IV is moderately priced and very efficient for its price so any self respecting German player will have a few or more in its collection.
Number 3 – M4 Sherman
As we enter the last 3 positions, it’s no wonder we find this Allied workhorse near the top. The M4 Sherman is probably the easiest tank to recognize of WW2, simply because there are not many that look like it, and it doesn’t require as much knowledge to identify.
Closer to the Panzer IV in efficiency, the M4 suffered numerous modifications and upgrades and was mass produced for most of the war. Although a medium tank in all respects (armor, gun caliber, general attributes), it was probably the most technically reliable machine of the war, being exported massively to the Soviet army as well.
The M4 is fielded in numerous numbers in any Allied force and also as specialized platoons in Soviet forces. It’s quite cheap for what it brings to the table, but not “horde” cheap.
Usually the technical reliability and upgrades are represented by specific gameplay rules (rerolling to hit due to gyrostabilizers, being able to fire both AP and HE shells, etc) and the models in itself are quite easy to put together due to the bulkiness of the tank.
Number 2 – T-34
Another “workhorse”, this time of the Soviet kind. The T-34’s futuristic design for its time made a huge impact on general tank development during the war. The best compliment we can make on it is that the Germans copied it.
Light, for a medium tank, fast and sporting 57mm (just as an experimental design), 75mm or 85mm guns in its variants, this was the most produced tank of the war and the tank that suffered the heaviest losses as well. Less reliable then the M4 or the Panzer IV, the T-34 was compensating the technical issues that plagued all soviet tanks by sheer design and firepower, coupled with the soviet tactic of deploying hundreds of these machines at once, which allowed them to recoup and repair the damaged ones after the offensive moved in depth.
Some would argue this was the “best” tank of WW2 due to its role in winning the Eastern Front battles, and nobody can deny the T-34 bore the brunt of the fight. This can be seen in its tabletop application, as it’s usually fielded in large formations of either mid or late war variants, with the understanding that many will be lost, but they can and will overwhelm the weak points of any defense.
Most T-34 tank models allow you to model all of the 3 variants, with the most popular ones being mid war 75mm gun and late war T-34/85 85mm gun. Due to the late war turret being different and usually incorporated together with the early war turret, you can easily have both available for a single tank, which reduces the number of tanks needed to buy to field either period forces.
Number 1 – Tiger
I mean, really, were you expecting anything else?
Even for non-history buffs, the Tiger is easily recognizable as German design. Big, blocky and menacing, the Tiger earned its reputation on the battlefield, although more were lost to technical breakdowns then to fighting.
Since its introduction it proved to outmatch any single tank it faced, being able to knock out even the most heavily armored target from distances of up to 2km. The heavy frontal and side armor made it also the choice for any heavy spearhead forces and it was extensively used as the spear point of any major offensive.
As a mid/late war monster, the Tiger is usually fielded in a single unit with 1 to 3 tanks. It is expensive and has an enormous firepower, coupled with usually special gameplay rules that make it the centerpoint of any force.
The model is usually a bit above the average in complexity due to the specific turret shape and the massive armor plates coupled with complex gears on the tracks. The result is spectacular though, with a true indomitable fortress available to you once completed.
Honorable mentions
Yeah, it’s missing from the list, but this is found rarely in late war lists and the general consensus is that the heavy point cost is never worth it. Still, it is one of the practically indestructible Late War monsters that Germans can field.
Not a single model but a whole slew of Soviet assault guns, these vehicles were all based on T-34/KV chassis and saw extensive use as mobile gun batteries. The champion would be the ISU-152 which was nicknamed “Cat killer”.
(Picture from here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Isu152_Kubinka.jpg)
The first true mass-produced antitank vehicle for the Allies, the M10 was heavily armed and very fast, used in specialized tank hunter units.
(Picture from here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aberdean_proving_grounds_036.JPG)
Another Soviet “Horde” tank, the T70 (or any light fast Soviet tank) can be found in large groups of fast “huns” that simply overwhelm the enemy with firepower. This archetype was quite popular at one point in wargaming and no doubt will endure as it’s the classic “cheap but many” approach.
(Picture from here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:T-70,_technical_museum,_Togliatti-1.jpg)
Designed to be the premier anti-tank platform for the Germans the chassis could not stand a heavy 75mm gun in a turret, so the best version of this was upgunned to a 50mm gun. Still, this tank did good work for most of the early to mid war and becoming obsolete by 1942 when the Panzer IV F2 started showing up.
(Picture from here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PzKpfwIIIH.Saumur.000a1y8q.jpeg)
Mounting a 90mm gun on an M10 chassis was what made the M36 a tank hunter that could deal with the late war german designs. This made it by the end of WW2 the defacto anti-tank vehicle of the Allied forces.
(Picture from here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M36_Jackson_2.jpg)
In 1936 there were few vehicles that could match the T-26 in armament, speed and numbers. The Soviet army started WW2 with a massive 11.000 units available to them, but they were quick to be destroyed as by 1941 they were old and under armored. Still, the firepower is something that they were feared for especially in anti-infantry roles, and in Tabletop Early war there are several Soviet formations that field 20-30 of these “Atilla’s huns”.
(Picture from here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:T26_parola_1.jpg)
And there are probably more that are worthy of mention but not as popular as the ones already listed! Do you want to give me your opinion? Go ahead and leave a message here and tell me what other tanks i forgot!
Editor note
I received a lot of good feedback from good people so updating this Article:
1. Adding Panzer III as honorable mention.
2. Adding M36 Jackson as honorable mention.
3. Made a note that the T-34’s 57mm gun was just experimental.
4. Made a note that the Firefly is actually a british conversion.
5. Changed the picture for the “Firefly”. It was actually an M4A3E8.
6. Change the wording of the KV-1 to fit more with the KV-1, not the KV-2.
7. Added T-26 as honorable mention.
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