The U.S. built 17. American industry provided almost two-thirds of all the Allied military equipment produced during the war: 297,000 aircraft, 193,000 artillery pieces, 86,000 tanks and two million army trucks.
Soviet Union. The Soviet Union started and ended the war with more tanks than the rest of the world combined (18,000–22,000).
The Sherman tank was the most commonly used American tank in World War II. More than 50,000 Shermans were produced between 1942 and 1945. They were used in all combat theaters—not only by the United States, but also by Great Britain, the Free French, China, and even the Soviet Union.
Overall the new Russian tank is on par with the US Abrams tank. In some areas it is slightly superior than the Abrams, however it has got no cutting-edge superiority. The Abrams has technical superiority in mobility and cross-country performance.
The Churchill tank, named after Britain's leader of the time, faced an uncertain development due to a misguided philosophy on what a tank should be prior to the key battles of WWII. Nevertheless, the Churchill rose up as one of the best tanks in WWII.
The German Tiger tank (above) had a more powerful main gun, heavier armor, and wider tracks than the American Sherman tank (below). The German 88 is more powerful than any American tank gun used during the course of most of the war.
Total production
3,024 reconnaissance vehicles. 2,450 other armoured vehicles. 21,880 armoured personnel carriers. 36,703 semi-tracked tractors.
Prefabrication was perfected, with complete deckhouses, double-bottom sections, stern-frame assemblies and bow units speeding production of the ships. By 1944, the average time to build a ship was 42 days. In all, 2,751 Liberties were built between 1941 and 1945, making them the largest class of ships built worldwide.
Russian arms production during WW2 amounted to 99,150 armored vehicles (including all kinds of assault guns, tank destroyers and self-propelled guns) from June 1941 to May 1945. There were also delivered 11,900 tanks and self-propelled guns, which are part of Lend-Lease program by the Western Allies.
Among others, five raids between 22 September and 7 October 1944 destroyed 95 percent of the floor area of the Henschel plant. It is estimated that this caused the loss in production of some 657 Tiger IIs. Only 492 units were produced: one in 1943, 379 in 1944, and 112 in 1945.
Hundreds of Tanks Lost
As of July 18, Russia has lost 237 T-72B3 tanks, hundreds more in other T-72 variants, and 170 T-80s, according to Oryx Intelligence. This adds up to around 800 Russian tanks destroyed – most of them Soviet-era tanks that Moscow upgraded over the years.
There are only three surviving L6/40 light tanks, an Italian armored vehicle used in the Balkans, the Soviet Union, and North Africa. This one is stashed at the 12th-century Gjirokastër Fortress in southern Albania.
SOVIET UNION (21,000,000)
The largest country on the planet, the Soviet Union also had the largest armed forces ever assembled under one flag. By 1945, there were as many veterans in the Soviet Union as there were people in Mexico.
By 1944, total production of tanks and AFV's had fallen to 925 and for 1945, only 256 were produced. Japan developed many experimental and operative armored vehicles, tanks and tank-destroyer types throughout the war; but largely held them in reserve, for home-land defense.
General overview: French armored forces in 1939
A total force of nearly 5,800 tanks, many of which were based overseas, in operational reserve or second line (such as the obsolete FT).
To counter the new threat, the Sherman was equipped with thicker frontal armor and a new gun. In 1944, the U.S. fielded the 76mm M1 high-velocity long-barrel gun which could actually penetrate a Tiger's armor from the front. The gun had already seen action with U.S. Tank Destroyer Battalions.
A massive 90mm main gun, good mobility, and excellent range all combined to make the M36 an effective weapon.
After the Armistice, all tanks in German hands were confiscated. Almost all were eventually scrapped, and the various postwar treaties forbade the former Central Powers from building or possessing tanks.