History Main / TanksButNoTanks

* ''Film/{{Downfall}}'', despite showing very accurate historical levels in uniforms and equipment, there's a very poor mock-up of a Tiger I tank in one scene (the one where Schenck heads towards the abandoned hospital), which is otherwise jarring for a film that [[ShownTheirWork shows its work]]. However, it ''does'' show accurate T-34s used by the Soviets.
* ''Film/WarHorse'' falls on both sides of this. The Mk IV tank seen in the film is actually a modern-built replica, so perfectly made on the outside that it's ''on display at Bovington'' as a working representative of the machine. It's good enough that they drive it around on special occasions. On the inside, however, it's got little touches like modern safety systems, a modern engine, and curious anachronisms like an exhaust pipe for the engine so the crew inside doesn't choke on the fumes. Mini documentary [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFbYTYt6Ok8 here]] if you have a few minutes.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'', the tanks that the Giant battles during the climax are M41 Bulldogs, and for the most part they're portrayed accurately. The artistic license comes in when the Giant destroys them. The animators take care to show the crews of each tank escaping before they are blown up (presumably so as not to contradict the movie's anti-violence {{Aesop}}), but only two people are seem coming out of each tank. The M41 had a crew of four in real life.

* Another category of error regarding the depiction of tanks can be seen in the cover art of Major John Foley's ''Mailed Fist'', his account of leading a British tank squadron across Europe from D-Day to war's end. Despite the tanks used by Foley and his men being very clearly identified as Churchill heavies, successive cover artists depicted Shermans, Kangaroo troop carriers, M7 Priest SPG's... in fact, anything but Churchills. It is only in the most recent imprints that this error has been amended and Churchills feature on the cover. Even then they seem to be in a suspiciously desert setting...

* ''Series/HogansHeroes''. The episode "One Army at a Time" used an American M7 Priest self-propelled artillery vehicle painted up in German colors to represent a generic German AFV. It was a good choice because the Priest is an obscure enough vehicle that most of the viewing public (particularly back when the show first came out) wouldn't know what it really was... The same Priest had, however, previously tried to stand in for a Tiger tank in an earlier episode called "Hold That Tiger", which wasn't such a good choice as the two look nothing alike...

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' features a (surprisingly clean, all things considered - shouldn't it be covered in bits of zombie?) British Chieftain standing in for an abandoned M1 Abrams. Rick gets into the tank via a belly hatch after he crawls under it, thinking all is lost, and a real M1 doesn't HAVE a belly hatch.

* On ''Series/AlloAllo'', Lieutenant Gruber is very proud of his "little tank". It's actually a small armoured car, an [=SdKfz=] 222, a small four-wheeled armoured car used by the Germans for recce and runabout duties.

* ''Film/ThePentagonWars'', which is a [[ArmedFarces humorous retrospective]] on the development of the Bradley [=AFV=] (as well as all [[ExecutiveMeddling the waste, corruption and sillyness that went on]] in the Pentagon during it) was not BackedByThePentagon. The actual Bradleys and their scale models and blueprints appear in numerous scenes throughout the film. The opening scenes of the film also show heat-seeking missiles and bombs being tested on a different APC entirely. It looks like a retired Soviet [=BTR=] 8-wheeler APC. While it's never really explained [[InUniverse in-film]] why they're using that particular vehicle (or a mockup of it, if it is one) for target practice, we might assume it's because it is supposed to represent an enemy vehicle. Given that the "present day" scenes of the film are set in the early 90s, this would make sense. This trope is also lampshaded in one scene, when the designers point out that putting a turret on the Bradley would make it look more like a tank, which means it becomes a priority target for the enemy. And that, of course, is the ''last'' thing you'd want to happen to an infantry transport.[[note]]This is ArtisticLicenseHistory on the part of the film, since the Bradley did not start as a scout vehicle or infantry transport as depicted, but was conceived from the start as an infantry fighting vehicle that would be comparable in function to the Soviet BMP.[[/note]]

* ''Film/ThePentagonWars'', which is a [[ArmedFarces humorous retrospective]] on the development of the Bradley [=AFV=] (as well as all [[ExecutiveMeddling the waste, corruption and sillyness that went on]] in the Pentagon during it) was not BackedByThePentagon. The actual Bradleys and their scale models and blueprints appear in numerous scenes throughout the film. The opening scenes of the film also show heat-seeking missiles and bombs being tested on a different APC entirely. It looks like a retired Soviet [=BTR=] 8-wheeler APC. While it's never really explained [[InUniverse in-film]] why they're using that particular vehicle (or a mockup of it, if it is one) for target practice, we might assume it's because it is supposed to represent an enemy vehicle. Given that the "present day" scenes of the film are set in the early 90s, this would make sense. This trope is also lampshaded in one scene, when the designers point out that putting a turret on the Bradley would make it look more like a tank, which means it becomes a priority target for the enemy. And that, of course, is the ''last'' thing you'd want to happen to an infantry transport.

* ''Film/ToHellAndBack1955'', a film depiction of Creator/AudieMurphy's [=WW2=] service which actually had to ''tone down'' his feats [[[[RealityIsUnrealistic to be more believable]], has him jump into a burning M4 Sherman to fire its [[{{BFG}} 50-caliber machine gun]] at German troops, in the action that earned him the Medal of Honor. In real life he jumped into an M10 Tank Destroyer; the M4 provided the chassis on which the M10 was based, so the lower hull and running gear look similar, but the upper hull geometry and the turret look very different. Presumably it was easier to procure a surplus M4 tank than to get an actual M10, and you couldn't convincingly disguise an M4 as an M10, so they simply took the artistic license of making it an M4 in the movie.

* ''Film/ToHellAndBack1955'', the [[RealityIsUnrealistic semi-true]] autobiography of Creator/AudieMurphy's [=WW2=] service, has him jump into a burning M4 Sherman to fire its [[{{BFG}} 50-caliber machine gun]] at German troops, in the action that earned him the Medal of Honor. He actually jumped into an M10 Tank Destroyer, although at least the vehicles are relatives because the chassis of the M4 was the basis for the M10.

* ''Film/ToHellAndBack1955'', the [[RealityIsUnrealistic semi-true]] autobiography of Creator/AudieMurphy's [=WW2=] service, has him jump into a burning M4 Sherman to fire its [[{{BFG}} 50-caliber machine gun]] at German troops, in the action that earned him the Medal of Honor. He actually jumped into an M10 Tank Destroyer, although the two are very similar (The M10 Wolverine Tank Destroyer was based on the Sherman.)

* ''Film/ToHellAndBack'', the [[RealityIsUnrealistic semi-true]] autobiography of Creator/AudieMurphy's [=WW2=] service, has him jump into a burning M4 Sherman to fire its [[{{BFG}} 50-caliber machine gun]] at German troops, in the action that earned him the Medal of Honor. He actually jumped into an M10 Tank Destroyer, although the two are very similar (The M10 Wolverine Tank Destroyer was based on the Sherman.)

* In ''Film/{{The Big Red One}}'', Italian and German armored fighting vehicles are portrayed by Israeli "Super Shermans" (much of the movie was filmed in Israel).

* In the Israeli Defense Force:

-->''Film/ThePentagonWars''

* The Basilisk the Aldecaldos can get their hands on in ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' is, as several characters note, an armored cargo transport with some self-mounted defense weaponry that's also outaded by anything Militech currently fields, but considering the [[NormalFishInATinyPond things it's going against aren't more dangerosu than some desert raiders]], everyone treats it as they would a normal tank.

* In the first episodes of the Japanese CopShow ''Series/SeibuKeisatsu'', the show's protagonists are charged with apprehending a trio of mercenaries who have hijacked the TU-355 Ladybird, an experimental "monster tank", for [[ManBehindTheMan their boss]], an aged {{RightWingMilitiaFanatic}. The Ladybird itself is frequently described as a tank by secondary source materials [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51JzvKtubQL.jpg (such as its official art book)]], it runs on giant rubber wheels instead of tank treads. [[EnforcedTrope It's not clear if the props team assumed that any armed vehicle with a turret was a tank]], a SpecialEffectsFailure, or an attempt to replicate a [[https://i.redd.it/kmbhlre90po21.jpg Cadillac Gage Commando]] APV, which ''does'' heavily resemble the Ladybird.

** This was actually a common occurrence in real life, since most Allied soldiers were ignorant of the different German tank models or how common each type was, and if they saw a panzer approaching they would be quick to see it as whatever they were most afraid of, which was the Tiger. As Nick Moran points out in "Myths of American Armor", the Panzer IV has a blocky shape and long gun with large muzzle brake which look superficially similar to a Tiger at a distance, and if a guy sees that through his telescope he’s going to think "TIGER!" and start frantically reacting instead of sitting there counting the number of road wheels on it to make sure.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The Army Surplus Special on ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'' is a mashup of an army tank and a steam roller.
[[/folder]]

** [[CompletelyMissingThePoint There are]] ''[[CompletelyMissingThePoint NO]]'' tank factories in Kursk.

* Subverted in ''Series/SpaceAboveAndBeyond''. In the episode "Pearly", the Marines of the 58th Reconnaissance Squadron, AKA "The Wildcards", are in danger of being overrun by enemy forces when they take shelter inside an AwesomePersonnelCarrier. Only thing is, the driver of the vehicle keeps insisting that it is in fact a tank. Aside from that, by all appearances, Pearly ''should'' probably be considered an [=APC=], since it's relatively roomy inside with space for a squad of Marines to ride around in it. This is even funnier because in this show's setting, "Tank" is a [[FantasticSlurs highly derogatory term]] used to describe In Vitro humans, genetically engineered and grown in factories to be cheap labor and soldiers for an earlier war the humans fought. Two of the Wildcards, including their commander, [=Lieutenant Colonel TC McQueen=], are In Vitros.

* The Rhino in the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise has always been referred to as a tank. However, its earliest designs (the ones that appeared in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'', ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'', and ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'') have wheels rather than tracks, making it look more like an APC.

** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' has The Rhino being modeled on an actual tank, however it still falls into this trap thanks to the description from an in-game website mistaking which tank was modeled for the game. The website unmistakably describes an [=M1=] Abrams with references to a weight of 60 tons, a 1,500hp turbine engine, a 120mm cannon and the line [[{{Irony}}"One of the few vehicles still manufactured in America"]]. The Rhino is actually modeled on the Leopard [=2A4=] Which despite having the 120mm cannon [[note]] which was developed for the Leopard tank first then used on the Abrams [[/note]] is different in every other detail in the description. The Leopard 2 uses a 1,479hp [=V12=] Diesel engine, has a weight of 68 tons, and is made in Germany.

There are many very [[JustifiedTrope good reasons for this]]. Firstly, most survivors are historical artifacts belonging to museums and obviously cannot be used recklessly or destroyed. Moreover, many types of antique armored vehicles are actually quite scarce, and some were quite rare in the first place - the WWII Axis were the worst offenders as they favoured shorter production runs and a far greater number of variants. Just 492 King Tiger panzers were produced, as against 47k M4 Sherman tanks (all variants), and many contemporary Italian or Japanese vehicles were produced in even smaller numbers. In many cases surviving examples aren't available (e.g. [[TanksForNothing submerged in a Belarussian swamp]]) or simply don't exist due to the ravages of combat, the temptations of scrapping/salvage, and the passage of time.

For producers who care, there are a number of ways around it. One is to use surplus or 'backup tanks' from modern armies such as Russia or Spain: Most T-34 and Sherman tanks used in WWII films were not actually from the war but modernized vehicles from the immediate postwar period. Another is to take a more common modern or contemporary vehicle and give it a [[WeaponsUnderstudies cosmetic makeover to give it the appearance of the correct historic vehicle]]; sometimes these conversions can be quite sophisticated with only a few detail differences such as turret location and suspension design that only dedicated military vehicle enthusiasts would likely notice (these folk are often called "rivet counters" in the trade and are usually considered to be very annoying and hard-to-please people). Finally, there are always models of both the real and the Computer Generated variety, which naturally come with [[SpecialEffectsFailure their]] [[ConspicuousCG own]] sorts of problems.

** This was actually a common occurrence in real life, since most Allied soldiers were ignorant of the different German tank models or how common each type was, and if they saw a panzer approaching they would be quick to see it as whatever they were most afraid of, which was the Tiger. As Nick Moran points out in "Myths of American Armor", the Panzer IV has a blocky shape and long gun with large muzzle break which look superficially similar to a Tiger at a distance, and if a guy sees that through his telescope he’s going to think "TIGER!" and start frantically reacting instead of sitting there counting the number of road wheels on it to make sure.

* ''Film/KellysHeroes'', filmed in Yugoslavia, used Russian T-34s that had been modified to look like German Tigers (there are only 6 Tigers in existence and only one is in serviceable condition). The Tiger replicas were already available since they'd been made for an earlier government sponsored historical film ''Battle of Neretva''. The most obvious giveaway is the location of the turret, which is much too far forward for a real Tiger, and the suspension, which lacks the Tiger's characteristic overlapping roadwheels. The scale is also off. Considering this movie was made in the same era when it was standard practice to call M47 Pattons "Panzers" though, it was a commendable effort in at least attempting to replicate the real thing. The movie also used Yugoslav army Shermans since they still had them in reserve in 1970.

* A big misidentifying example in one of ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonorAlliedAssault'' expansions, Spearhead. After you successfully parachuted into France on the 6th of June 1944, you meet up with your British allies and are about to head off on your assigned mission. Suddenly, one of the brits shouts "TIGER TANK!"...and then you turn around and find out it's not a Tiger Tank but is, in fact, a Panzer IV.

** Then you get to whatever the Pereh is, which is an ATGM disguised as a Magach, or an American M48 Patton. It was used to great effect in all Israeli conflicts since the 80s thanks to it looking like a regular tank, which lead the attackers to believe that they were safer than they were, and then they'd get slaughtered at twenty times the expected range for the tanks that the Perehs look like.