Return Rollers

A tank that can't traverse broken or muddy terrain isn't going to be much use to anyone, and thus significant thought was given to the makeup of the suspension of German and Soviet tanks. While the Germans pursued ever more complex and versatile suspension, the Soviet engineers became famous for incorporating ruggedness and mechanical reliability into their more simple suspension systems.

The basic elements of a tank's suspension are its drive wheels, its roadwheels, its idler wheels, and its return rollers . The configuration of the roadwheels could produce a variety of different suspension systems, while the position of the drive wheels/idler wheels would produce different degrees of torque (how much engine horsepower would be converted into actual movement).

The most basic idea of a tank's drive system and suspension is as follows. The various wheels of a tank's suspension form a "frame" around which the tank's treads are laid. As the drive wheel turns, its gear teeth grip the treads and make them run around the other wheels in the tank's suspension much the same way a conveyor belt's belt moves over the rollers. The tread has a much greater grip on the ground than normal wheels would, and thus the tank can traverse a much greater variety of terrain than a normal wheeled vehicle.

The return rollers are the least important of the various components of a tank's suspension and drive system. The function of the return rollers is to make sure that the treads do not slip off of the wheels. The return rollers do this by helping to guide the treads to the wheels. On Soviet tanks and on German tanks with interleaved roadwheels there are no return rollers, since the roadwheels themselves act to guide the treads. On earlier German tanks, however, (such as the Panzer III pictured to the right) return rollers were an integral part of the tank's suspension system.

HOW TO LOCATE A TANK'S RETURN ROLLERS

The return rollers are a set of small wheels that border the underside of the treads on the uppermost extremity of the suspension system. Look for the roadwheels, then up to find the return rollers. Keep in mind that return rollers are only found on a few different tanks.