Type 58 and T-34-85 in Chinese Service

People’s Republic of China (1950-~1990) Medium Tank – 1800+ Supplied (T-34-85), Unknown Number Converted (‘Type 58’) The Chinese Upgrade of the T-34-85 ‘Type 58’ is an unofficial name which refers to the mysterious Chinese upgrade package to the T-34-85. All T-34-85s in operational service with the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) came to the People’s Republic …

Type 63/65 SPAAG

Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Circa Early 1970s) Improvised Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun – 2+ Built “You catch fish with both hands” (Vietnamese Proverb) ‘Type 63 SPAAG’ and ‘Type 65 SPAAG’ are unofficial names for a mysterious improvised self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. Put simply, the vehicle is a Soviet-supplied T-34-85 chassis with a new superstructure which features a …

Type T-34 (Fake Tank)

People’s Republic of China Medium Tank – Fake Fake Until Proven Real “Type T-34” is a made-up designation for the T-34/76 in Chinese PLA (People’s Liberation Army) service. The only suggestion of the PLA operating the T-34/76 comes from the video game, World of Tanks, and their Chinese client company, Kongzhong. It is claimed that these tanks …

Medium Tank M4A2 Sherman in Chinese Service

Republic of China (1947-1949?) – 7? Donated  Communist China (~1949) – At Least 1 Captured Medium Tank From USMC to KMT to PLA The only known photograph of a Chinese M4A2 (Sherman) shows one in PLA (People’s Liberation Army) service on a victory parade in 1949, apparently with a non-standard main gun. The history of …

T-26s with Kremlin Armory Cannons (April Fools)

Soviet Union (1941) Self-Propelled Gun – Fake April Fools This article was originally published on Tanks Encyclopedia on 1st April 2018, as part of our April’s Fools Day celebrations. The information contained within is mostly fictional but some parts are actually true, such as the use of the prototype vehicles from Kubinka in combat, or …

Panzerkampfwagen I ‘Breda’

Nationalist Spain (1937-1939) Light Tank Destroyer – 4 Converted The Nationalists Strike Back The Panzer I ‘Breda’ (an unofficial name) is a rare conversion from the mid-Spanish Civil War. It was intended as a means of countering the Republican army’s Soviet-supplied vehicles (mainly the T-26 and BA-6). Nationalist forces only typically had CV-35s and Panzer …

Renault ZB

France (1935) Republic of China (1938-1942?) Light Tank – 19? Built Upgrading the AMR 33 The Renault ZB was essentially a lengthened test (and later, export) version of the AMR 33 fitted with a more versatile suspension type. The suspension type influenced later designs, such as the Renault R35, but the Renault ZB was rejected …

Panzerkampfwagen I ‘Lanzallamas’

Nationalist Spain (1936-1939?) Light Flamethrower Tank – 2 Converted The Civil War Heats Up Panzer I ‘Lanzallamas’ is an unofficial name for two Panzer Is which were converted into flamethrower tanks during the early Spanish Civil War. Little is known about the vehicles due to a lack of primary sources, and as a result, there …

Type 95 So-Ki

Empire of Japan (1935-1943) Armored Railroad Car / Tankette – 121-138 Built Occupational Hazard The Type 95 So-Ki was an armored railroad car and tankette. It had the niche ability to drive on both the ground with its tracks, and on railroads with its retractable railroad wheels. It was technically classified as an engineering vehicle …

Tanque Barbastro

Second Spanish Republic (1936?) Light Tank – 1 Built + 3 Partially Complete The Republican Behemoth The “Tanque Barbastro” is an unofficial name for a handcrafted light tank built by local (not government) initiative early in Spanish Civil War. The first and only completed tank was an improvised design, but production of several more was …

Bilbao Modelo 1932

Second Spanish Republic (1932-1939) Nationalist Spain (1936-1943) Armored Car – 48 Built Guardian of the Republic The Bilbao Modelo 1932 was the official armored car of the Guardias de Asalto (Assault Guard – officially known as Secciones de la Vanguardia del Cuerpo de Seguridad – Sections of the Vanguard of the Security Corps), who were …

Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf.A in Chinese Service

Republic of China (1937) Light Tank – 15 Imported Chinese Panzers! Facing a number of external threats in the 1930’s, the Chinese began to procure weapons from abroad in order to modernize their army. One of the many vehicles that Chiang Kai-shek’s government obtained was the Panzer I Ausf.A from Germany. Fifteen arrived in June 1937, …

Vickers Mark E Type B in Chinese Service

Republic of China (1934-1937) Light Tank – 20 Imported Chiang Kai-shek’s Armored Might The Vickers Mark E Type B (or Vickers 6-ton) was a huge export success, being sold to various nations across the world in the 1930s. With Japan occupying large parts of China (notably Taiwan and Manchuria) and German advisors suggesting that they …

T-72 Shafrah

Hello dear reader! This article on the T-72 Shafrah has not been updated since 19th March 2018, meaning that the article may be out of date, considering that the Syrian Civil War continues. Syrian Arab Republic (2017-Present) Main Battle Tank – Estimated 11-17 Converted New armor kits for the SAA The T-72 Shafrah was originally …

Gongchen Tank & Type 97 Chi-Ha in Chinese Service

Communist China (1945-1959) Medium Tank – 100+ Captured The PLA’s First Tank The Gongchen Tank (“Heroic Tank”, 功臣號) refers to a specific Chi-Ha Shinhoto captured by the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) in 1945. The story is part of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) folklore and its fine details seem somewhat fantastical. Nevertheless, the Gongchen Tank appears to …

Daimler-Guinness Armoured Lorries

United Kingdom (1916) Improvised Armored Personnel Carrier – 5 Built The first APC? The Daimler-Guinness Armoured Lorries were a little known, lightly-armored truck series that saw service in Ireland in 1916, during the Easter Rising. This is, of course, an unofficial name, as the lorries were just referred to as “Armoured Lorry”, “Armoured Car”, “Boilers”, …

T-72 Mahmia

Syrian Arab Republic (Circa 2014-2017) Main Battle Tank – 8-10 Converted (As Of March 2017) Forged by Civil War T-72 Mahmia (meaning “shielded/protected” in Arabic) is an unofficial name for up-armored T-72s from the Syrian Civil War. These tanks are Syrian Arab Army (government forces) T-72s that have been fitted with additional armor – mostly …

T-55 Enigma

Iraqi Republic (Circa 1988-1990) Main Battle Tank – Estimated 5-8 Converted A Real Enigma The “T-55 Enigma” (or Enigma, for short) is the unofficial name for an upgrade standard applied to a few Iraqi T-55s. According to some Iraqis, the official name was “Al Faw”. As the western name suggests, very little is known about …

ISU High Power Gun Projects (ISU-122-1, ISU-152-1, ISU-152-2, ISU-130, ISU-122-3)

Soviet Union (1944-1945) Heavy Tank Destroyers – 5 Prototypes Built Dedicated Beast Slayers In mid-1944, the Red Army recognized that it might need tanks that could consistently and reliably destroy the Wehrmacht’s most well-armored tanks. The Red Army fielded few tanks that could destroy the King Tiger, Elefant, and Jagdtiger reliably from medium-long ranges. Although …

Disston Tractor Tank

United States of America (Circa 1933) Tractor Tank – Estimated 6 Built Tanks on a Budget The Disston Tractor Tank (sometimes known as the Disston 6-ton Tractor Tank) was essentially a Caterpillar tractor that was given a simplistic armored superstructure, a turret, and a modest armament of a .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine gun and …