WesWorld

A question for those nations that are producing tanks, what is your estimated tank production capacity now (ie peace time) and how did you arrive at that number?

Atlantean production for 1936 is a total of 819 tanks.

220 AT-35 (BT-7/T-34 hybrid, armed with 57mm)
308 AT-34 (BT-IS clone)
57 AT-33 (A7E3 clone)
106 AT-32 (T4 clone)
128 AT-31 (BT-5 clone)
819 total

I've built a modest number of tanks due to the fact that I have a huge supply of FT/AT-17 tanks still in service. I could (or should) be producing abit more when you look at German production numbers.

Between 1934 and 1939 they built 1800 Panzer I's, while 1223 Panzer II's were built between 1935 and 1939. That works out to around 360 Panzer I's and 300 Panzer II's a year. Total German production prewar was around 4,082 tanks including Panzer III's, IV's, 35's and 38's so Atlantean production would be roughly 1/4 of Germany's

I figured Atlantean production capacity wouldn't be as high as Germany's as Germany was a highly industrialised nation with a long series of borders to protect.

I also considered the complexity of the designs as well. The Panzer I and II's were relatively easy to produce, a similar Atlantean design would be the AT-31's and 32's so these types could be produced in large quantity's. The more complex AT-34's and 35's would be produced in lower numbers due to their recent introduction and you'll notice AT-33 production is winding down as the newer designs are considered a priority.

All that being said my AT-31/32 production could be higher but being an Island nation tanks are not seen as a dire priority.

Bharat's 1936 Production

120 Argun
100 Satyaki
100 Katchuua
____
320 tanks

The Argun is a brand new vehicle so production lines are getting accustomed to it, at the same time the Satyaki is basically an Argun hull modified to carry troops with a MG armed turret. The light 3 tons amphibious tanks are also a brand new design but production will be limited.

My reasoning is that basically I'm building a pre-war Panzer IV so it should be illogical for Bharat to built hundreds of the type when nations with three times the industrial capacity only have a little bit more vehicles.

I'm not including the construction of armored cars and in the future the production could increase but will not; the capacity of Bharat is limited and certain hulls will be used to built support type vehicles.

Also with maybe the one of the largest ground armies in the world resources must likely have to be strained plus getting soldiers with a basic knowledge in the use of vehicles (drivers) is also difficult IMO to get in Bharat.

I'm expecting Germany has a maximum production, in peacetime, of around 6-800 light tank hulls per year and 5-600 medium tank hulls per year. That's based on the historical numbers in 1939-1940 for producing Panzer IIs, IIIs, and IVs and StuG IIIs (I'm not counting the Czech tanks because those are outside of 1936 WW Germany). In 1937, Germany's going to be producing only a portion of her maximum of light tank hulls (with medium panzers arriving to replace some of them in the panzer divisions, Germany doesn't need those lines running at maximum rate and hasn't yet seen a need for SP artillery or anti-aircraft on light tank hulls (like the Wespe)), but probably most all of the medium panzer production capacity will be used to try to fill out the panzer divisions (it won't happen, several panzer regiments will be equipped with only light panzers at the end of 1937, or several motorized infantry regiments will have light tanks replacing their sturmgeshtuz).

Pretty much I make the numbers up as historically the Dutch had two old Ft-17s and depended on their neutrality to keep them safe....which worked oh so well.

edit : Summary of blathering below:
From UK : 51 tankettes/year
From Czech : ~102 light tanks/year
From Italy : ~72 assault guns/year
Netherlands : ~102+ light tanks, ~51+ heavy tanks,
expanding to ~51 light amphib tanks ~51+ heavy tanks

So : 225 foriegn, 163 domestic light, 102 domestic heavy : 490 tracked armor vehicles

Belgium : 100-150 light tank destroyers.

Text :
I don't produce a ton of tanks yearly, so I'm not to worried about numbers, but I have the following presumptions :

I was figuring on a per factory basis the larger LT-35s roll out at a rate of about 1 per 5-7 days on a single shift, while the LT-33s are more like 1 per 3 days.

Casting is supposed to be simpler, so once a backlog of cured hulls are ready, I can move them up to 1 per 4 and 1 per 2.

Now, if I run triple shifts, I would expect the rate to climb to 2-2.5x current (not 3x due to plant downtime and lesser skilled workers).

Where the tanks come from depends on the tank :

The Vickers Cardens-Llyod amphibious tankettes have always been English orders from pre-Hood days, as were the Vickers 6-ton "G"s.

The Dutch contracted with Skoda for them to build the LT-33. We get tractors from Skoda-Davao, but no tanks.

Several years ago I had a story about a Dutch-Skoda plant being built in the Netherlands. I presume that is complete and where the LT-35A and B production is occuring.

During the Belgian depression, Dutch funds included renovation of Belgian metallurgical facilities (armor plate) and building of a plant for large castings around Liege. This is where the LT-35C will be build, as well as the LT-36 amphibious tank (if I recall my nomenclature correctly).

The Belgians build the little tank destroyers at Fairmaillieux I believe and I figure they could manage 100-150 a year.

Once Agent 148 gets going as France, the Belgians will be looking to buy tanks there.

Italy

Up to around 1000per year but more likely around 600-800 given historical production figures. Italy didn't experience much wartime increase in production in OTL. Here there are a lot more foreign orders and so Terni has started up AFV production facilities as well as Fiat to meet the demand a bit more. Probably increase to around 1500per year.

Take into account the size of tanks and maybe 500 tanks in the 30t range

Romania, is currently building a tank and aircraft assembly plant, which will be able to produce around 100 of each/year, the tanks will be new production, and be the Polish 7TPjw.

Poland, I figure can produce around 150 tanks a year, although I was planning on having Sikorski build a facility in 1938, as things start to likely heat up capable of building an additional 350 tanks/year.

Brazil, will as she did historically rely on foreign imports, so in 1937 Brazil will be placing a large (300 tanks) order to replace wartime losses. Brazil would prefer to purchase her light, medium, and heavy tanks from one supplier, and should the tanks prove acceptable, will look into a joint tank production facility on Brazilian soil with the foreign supplier.

One thing I've thought of: given the example of the Hetzer, it's quite possible to produce a sturmgeshutz on a lengthened Pz II chassis (ie, the lengthened Pz II chassis used for the Wespe). Historically, it was never done, the Pz III and Pz IV hulls being used instead (certainly roomier and probably handier inside) for this type of vehicle until the Hetzer was built on the Czech 38 chassis, but still, it would be possible to do it. In the short term, it's unlikely Germany will do anything like this, the StuG III is already in production and the armored corps are not going to grow so fast that the shortfall in production in 1937 is going to be a long term issue, but it is an interesting thought.

British production seems lower than most.

Light Tank Mk IV and V: Entering service in 1935 around 100 in total will be produced by 1937. That means roughly 50 per year

Light Tank Mk VI (A14): Designed by Vickers as a private venture in 1936. The War Office ordered 120 for introduction into service in 1937. Production will be undertaken by Metropolitan-Cammell. Most will be built over two years before supplementry orders for another 120 are received.

Cruiser Tank Mk I and I CS (A9): Around 125 have been delivered from Vickers and Harland & Wolff.

Cruiser Tank Mk II and II CS (A10): A total order of 275 has been placed to begin deliveries from late 1935 from Vickers, Metropolitan-Cammell and Harland & Wolff. Production will end 1937.

Cruiser Tank Mk III (A13): A trial vehicle designated A13E1 was built in mid 1936 by Morris Motors for trials. 65 initial vehicles will be built by Morris Motors, Crawley, Oxfordshire during 1936, and the following 200 tanks will be built by Nuffield Aero & Mechanisation, Cowley, Oxfordshire in a new purpose-built factory in a joint programme with Morris. I reckon these could be buit in one year easily.

Cruiser Tank Mk IV (A13 Mk II): From 1937 another 200 A13 will be built by Nuffield Aero & Mechanisation as the A13 Mk II.

Cruiser Tank Mk V Crusader (A15): An order for 400 will be placed in 1938 with production to begin in early 1939. (That leaves a year's worth of A13s to be built in 1938 so maybe 200 a year again)

Infantry Tank Mk I Matilda I (A11): 140 completed by 1934-36.

Infantry Tank Mk II Matilda II (A12): 140 will be completed by late 1937 by Vickers. Thus with the Mk I we can see Vickers is building around 140 per year.

I reckon 440 tanks a year will be built by all the factories with obvious room for expansion to three times that number with so many shadow factories and new-build factories.

440 is what is being built but not what could be built (using all capacity without expansion)?

Issues of production capacity are one of the reasons the Heer is enquiring what else can be done with the Panzer II production lines at the end of 1936. Any new design more drastic than adding a bit of armor will take time to design and time for the lines to be changed to accommodate it, but this is one reason why the Panzer II chassis is being examined for it's ability to become something else (it's easier to modify the existing chassis, which works well and has proven components, than to develop a whole new chassis that's not THAT much different). Even if the Heer decided as of January 1, 1937 that it wanted, for instance, Wespes instead of some of the Panzer IIs it could get, the design and production process would take at least 9 months before Wespes could be coming off the production line (and Wespes are easy, they're using almost no new components besides a lengthened drive line).

OTL production for 1939

UK 969
USSR 2,950
Germany 247
Italy 40 (not inc light tanks and tankettes)

The German production numbers seem low. Figures I have for example state that the Germans built 2,446 tanks between 9/39 and 12/40. So thats an average of 163 tanks a month for 489 tanks between September and December 39.

From what I can get from my source material the Germans produced 98 Panzer III E's and 156 F's in 1939 for 254 Panzer III E/F models. Its a little more difficult to determine how many Panzer IV's were built but 140 C's were build in late 38 to 39 and production of the D's began in the summer of 39 and continued untill 1940, 248 were built in this time. I'm guessing around 78-ish Panzer IV tanks were built in 39 but it could be as low as 40.

The USSR was cranking out nearly 3,000 tanks/year by 1935. WW RF is producing about 2/3 that.

T-29 (Infantry support) - 200/year
T-30 (BT-5/7, production shifting to T-35) - 200/yr
T-35 (slimmed-down-T-34 w 57mm gun) - 800/yr

BTR-35 (APC) - 800/yr

These rates increase substantially upon mobilization....

Defense Council is considering using BTR-35 chassis to increase the mobility of artillery in motorized/mechanized/tank units. Tankbuilders on the way.