Kind of a flawed poll as the various powers built tanks for different purposes. For example the Sherman was used as an infantry support tank in keeping with US Doctrine at the time.
The T34 for all it capability had a 2 man turret, did not generally have a radio, and had poor ammo management.
The Panther was a better design but suffered from mechanical reliability as noted, the PZKW IV also by later in the war was having reliability problems due the the constant increase in weight.
The KV-1 was a decent design but had some transmission problems in the earlier versions, it was I believe (could be wrong here) considered a heavy tank.
Both the Comet and Pershing were good designs that saw limited service, in the last couple of months of the war.
At some point you have to put limits in there, for the entire war, for May 1945, was in service for at least 6 months.
So really is the question what was the best overall tank that saw significant service say at least 1 year. combining all the factors of a good design:
Armour
Gun
Mobility
Optics
Communications
Crew layout
Reliability - this one is a little subjective but is still valid.
I would tend to go with the Panther. In spite of it's mechanical problems it was a good all round tank. Good gun, good turn of speed, good protection, proper crewing (Driver, gunner, loader, commander, co-driver). Good communication and optics. With a decent driver the mechanical issues could be minimized, although by wars end they were likely hard to find.
The KV-1 could be a contender but it had issues with the turret layout as did the T-34, which dogged the early Russian tanks The gun was improved to the 85, good turn of speed, good protection, poor crewing (Driver, gunner, loader/ commander, co-driver, rear gunner (dropped in later models) and poor vision when buttoned up compared to other tanks.
The T-34 had much the same problem as the KV-1 in that it had a poor turret layout. However keeping with my specification of 1 year of service the T-34/85 is most certainly a contender. With a 3 man turret and improved gun it meets all the criteria of the Panther with better reliability.
However, and Russian tank experts please correct me if I am wrong, the optics were generally inferior to both the Germans and the West allies. Communication gear was also more limited, partly due to a lack of native manufacturing and the sheer volume of tanks made.
The Sherman deserves mention simply because it had a good turret layout, good comms, decent speed, a decent gun in the 76mm versions. Good reliability in general, but the armour lacked even in the 76 variants.
The T34 for all it capability had a 2 man turret, did not generally have a radio, and had poor ammo management.
The Panther was a better design but suffered from mechanical reliability as noted, the PZKW IV also by later in the war was having reliability problems due the the constant increase in weight.
The KV-1 was a decent design but had some transmission problems in the earlier versions, it was I believe (could be wrong here) considered a heavy tank.
Both the Comet and Pershing were good designs that saw limited service, in the last couple of months of the war.
At some point you have to put limits in there, for the entire war, for May 1945, was in service for at least 6 months.
So really is the question what was the best overall tank that saw significant service say at least 1 year. combining all the factors of a good design:
Armour
Gun
Mobility
Optics
Communications
Crew layout
Reliability - this one is a little subjective but is still valid.
I would tend to go with the Panther. In spite of it's mechanical problems it was a good all round tank. Good gun, good turn of speed, good protection, proper crewing (Driver, gunner, loader, commander, co-driver). Good communication and optics. With a decent driver the mechanical issues could be minimized, although by wars end they were likely hard to find.
The KV-1 could be a contender but it had issues with the turret layout as did the T-34, which dogged the early Russian tanks The gun was improved to the 85, good turn of speed, good protection, poor crewing (Driver, gunner, loader/ commander, co-driver, rear gunner (dropped in later models) and poor vision when buttoned up compared to other tanks.
The T-34 had much the same problem as the KV-1 in that it had a poor turret layout. However keeping with my specification of 1 year of service the T-34/85 is most certainly a contender. With a 3 man turret and improved gun it meets all the criteria of the Panther with better reliability.
However, and Russian tank experts please correct me if I am wrong, the optics were generally inferior to both the Germans and the West allies. Communication gear was also more limited, partly due to a lack of native manufacturing and the sheer volume of tanks made.
The Sherman deserves mention simply because it had a good turret layout, good comms, decent speed, a decent gun in the 76mm versions. Good reliability in general, but the armour lacked even in the 76 variants.