Tank costs ($ / £)

Hello,

Finding specifications for tanks is generally quite common, but I haven't seen much in the way of tanks costs beyond generalities like "expensive" or "cheap".

Does any one know of a source which breaks down how much various pieces of equipment actually cost? For example, the M2A1, in 1940, could be reasonably be estimated to cost $33,500, as quoted by Chrysler.

My primary interest is in the cost of the Crusader tank, but I'd love to have other figures for a base of comparison.

 

German tanks seem at least "easy".

One source has cited the cost of a Panther tank as 117,100 Reichmarks (RM). This compared with 82,500 RM for the StuG III, 96,163 RM for the Panzer III, 103,462 RM for the Panzer IV, and 250,800 RM for the Tiger I. These cost figures did not include the cost of the armament and radio.[12][13] In terms of Reichmarks per ton, therefore, the Panther tank was one of the most cost-effective of the German AFV's of World War II.[14] However, these cost figures should be understood in the context of the time period in which the various AFVs were first designed, as the Germans increasingly strove for designs and production methods that would allow for higher production rates, and thus steadily reduced the cost of their AFVs. For example, another source has cited the total cost of the early production Tiger I in 1942–1943 to be as high as 800,000 RM.

Panther tank - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

There's some more information in this thread.

Armored Vehicles. These prices include weapons and other normally installed equipment.
$9,024. Sd.Kfz.7 medium half track (3 ton / infantry squad).
$20,000. Panzer MkIIC tank. 10 tons. 20mm autocannon. 15mm armor.
$34,181. 7TP light tank. 10 tons. 37mm main gun. 17mm armor.
$37,096. R35 light tank. 10 tons. 37mm main gun. 43mm armor.
$40,000. Panzer MkIIIG (and later) tank. 50mm main gun. 30mm armor.
$46,000. M4 (Sherman) tank. 35 tons. 75mm main gun.
$46,387. Panzer MkIVG (and later) tank. 75mm main gun. 50mm armor.
$60,000. Panzer MkV (Panther) tank. 75mm/70 main gun. 80mm armor.
$119,920. Panzer MkVIE (Tiger) tank. 88mm main gun. 100mm armor.

 

Thank you for your responses,

Regarding the German equipment, I don't suppose there are any websites which include scanned government procurement contracts for this sort of thing? I'd love to see the comparitive costs from batch-to-batch.

 

I highly recommend contacting the British Tank Museum at Bovington. They can probably help you and it is a joy to visit. I believe they have a Crusader. Failing that the Imperial War Museum in London is a fine source and there is a small private group of tank restorers with a smaller museum on the Isle of Wight.

Bovington:
Welcome to the Tank Museum - Home of the Tank - Welcome to the Tank Museum - Home of the Tank

Isle of Wight museum:
Military Museum, Isle of Wight

Imperial War Museum:
Welcome to the Imperial War Museum

I believe the Imperial has a branch in Northern London, East of Hampstead Heath. ( Sorry, was thinking of Duxford.)

GB

 

Funny you should mention that, I've been strongly considering contacting Bovington and making such a request; being that they are professionals though, I was hoping to see if such resources could be found locally or online prior to disturbing them.

Would you happen to know if they respond to email information requests like this? Being in Canada somewhat limits my ability to visit in person.

 

You do have to be very careful comparing the cost between countries however. For instance the price the US paid for Shermans incorporated some of the cost of building the plants I believe and the German government kept the mark at an artificially high value on the exchange market. Other factors abound.

 

Thanks lwd. I'm actually mostly interested in costs between various British tanks, getting a better grasp on the cost/benefit they offer.

For example, the Valentine is often mentioned being cheap, but I have no idea how much less a Valentine costs vs. something like a Churchill.

 

In that case your biggest problem may be in defining the benefits.

 

You need to read:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Business-Tanks-G-Macleod-Ross/dp/0722308701

The story of Great Britain's tank procurement efforts in the New World during WWII.