How did tanks become more sophisticated in World War II?

Tanks were used in World War I, but they were relatively unsophisticated and traveled at slow speeds, largely to support infantries. Tanks during World War II were also not only to support infantries but also as cavalry units and to provide artillery backup in battle. Tanks developed greater mobility so that they could break through enemy lines and provide additional offensive power. At the beginning of the war, the German armies used tanks in combination with infantry and air power, and their tanks began to also have radios for communication. By the middle of the war, most countries had tanks with two-way radios.

In addition, tanks started to have heavier armor and more powerful weapons. Turrets became common on tanks so that they could fire powerful artillery in a wide range of motion. When World War II broke out, countries such as England largely only had tanks armed with machine guns. During the war, countries developed tanks that were more powerfully armed; for example, the German Panther medium tank had a 75-mm gun that fired bullets at a rate of 3,070 feet per second (versus 1,260 feet per second for the earlier German tanks). The newer tanks were also heavier, and the Germans eventually developed a Tiger tank with 88-mm guns that, at 68 tons, was the heaviest tank in the war. The Russian JS tank had a 122-mm gun and weighed 46 tons. These heavy tanks were often used to destroy enemy tanks, and countries also developed anti-tank guns. Tanks were also used for a wide range of military tasks, including as command vehicles, as flame throwers, and as part of engineering corps.