As one must destructive war in human history, World War II has been remembered as the war that brought swift change to human society. Nowhere was this more felt then in the weapons that were built to bring about the defeat of a nation. The “tank” a vehicle incased in armor and made mobile by tracks fitting for a tractor was a weapon wielded by all nations that had a standing army. WWII did not create the tank, but refined it. from the years of 1939 to 1945 the Axis powers and the Allied powers, sought new ways to better the tank. To the United States (M4 Sherman) to the Soviet (T34) and the German (Tiger). Nothing could have prepared the world for the development race that would revolutionize the tank from a slow obsolete metal casket to a fast armored machine of war. Why this topic? Tanks are a weapon that many see on the battlefield. But what most don’t realize is that what they see today was vastly different in WWII. Tanks had many roles and forms that suited different purposes. Today we only know of one configuration the “Main Battle Tank.” Back then it was the light tank, medium tank, heavy tank, and super heavy. Yet, for this bibliographic project, I’ll address the concern of how the development of these tanks WWII where fielded on the battlefield. Two subtopics will be provided, one the “development of the light tank” and the second the “development of the heavy tank.” This bibliography represents the collection of Hamilton library, located in the “State of Hawaii” at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
