War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

M901

2022-11-11T02:13:20Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m901_itv
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} American tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]]. Based on the M113 chassis, this vehicle is equipped with the BGM-71C I-TOW ATGM missile launcher.

Upon release, M901 ITV was nicknamed Wall-E, after the Waste Allocation Load-Lifter: Earth-Class robot, the main protagonist of the 2008 Pixar's computer-animated science fiction film of the same name.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


[[File:M901 X-ray.png|thumb|x250px|right|Interior layout of the {{PAGENAME}} showing the location of ammo racks, crew and critical components.]]

The {{PAGENAME}} is based off the M113. It may look like a lightly armoured vehicle, but it features 44 mm of alloy 7039 on the sides and 38mm on the front. The front is angled to make frontal armour effective thickness to match the flat sides. Overall, This counts as about 21 mm of RHA. However, there is a hatch on front which is much about 40% thinner and make this effort rather fruitless, which is compensated by engine block being there to block some shots.

Overall, head-on this is only enough to stop 12.7 mm calibre machine gun fire from 600m away and if angled correctly able to stop some low-calibre SPAA's from penetrating the hull and '''any''' APHE of its rank will detonate upon hitting it. Keep in mind, that SPAA have high fire rate and you must park it at least 600 m away and at an angle, or they will still manage some partial penetrations. The 30-35 mm SPAA and light tanks will penetrate this tank indefinitely at almost any range.

The top is also quite strong with 38 mm of alloy, which is equivalent to about 18 mm RHA, which means hull might be able to sustain some inaccurate fighter strafe, but most of their 30 mm cannons or top-down attacks will still ruin the tank. If small Bombs or rockets miss, they might fail to penetrate, but armour will not save M901 when receiving a direct hit.

The crew, however, has excellent survivability when the vehicle is placed in a hull-down position. Two crew members, the loader and the commander, are located in the back part of the hull and there are no other critical components located there, so there is little reason to target them first. In the middle of the tank is the gunner operating the tower. Since the I-tow missile is launched from a launcher mounted on top of a tower, it is next to impossible to hit the tower base when hull-down and so the gunner is not exposed to direct fire. The driver is located at the front of the vehicle and is next to the engine block, which might block the shot.

Behind the engine block is the ammunition storage, if hit from the front with SPAA rounds or some types of conventional rounds, the engine block will eat up (absorb and protect the rest of the vehicle) most of the shots, however, if shot from the side or from the front with HEAT, pure AP, APDS and APFSDS rounds, this usually ends in disaster as it will go through the engine and cause an ammunition explosion or destroy a majority of the crew, knocking out the vehicle with a single shot.

When played from a hull-down position with only the launcher exposed, this vehicle is practically immune to kinetic damage, however, being hit with a chemical shell or ATGM into the turret might cause the ATGMs to explode and destroy the carrier. Crossing open areas may also result in taking a hit, thus losing an engine, a crew member or resulting in an ammo-rack explosion.

'''Armour type:'''

* Aluminum Alloy 5083 - Main
* Structural Steel - Front and Rear Fenders
* Rubber-Fabric Screens - Fenders/Sideskirts
* Gun Steel - Launcher

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38 mm (45°) ''Upper glacis'' 38 mm (26°) ''Lower glacis'' 29 mm (45°) ''Engine maintenance hatch'' || 44 mm ''Top''
32 mm ''Bottom''
| 38 mm || 38 mm
|-
| Turret
| colspan="4" | 10 mm ''Launcher'' 17 mm ''Launcher frame''
|-
| Cupola|| 20 mm || 20 mm || 20 mm || 16 mm
|-
|}

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=301|rbMinHp=188}}

The mobility of the {{PAGENAME}} is okay. The power-to-weight ratio is 17.45 HP/ton. The top speed for the {{PAGENAME}} is 64 km/h, though there are not many circumstances you will reach these speeds. Offroad, the {{PAGENAME}} will reach 20 km/h quite fast due to its high power-to-weight ratio and will reach its top speed of 38 km/h. In reverse it will easily reach -14 km/h, allowing you to get out of a bad situation.

This vehicle does not have neutral traverse, but still does turn quite fast.

However, the {{PAGENAME}} suffers in traversing hills with high angles such as getting up the west side of point "C" on the El Alamein map. This does limit the ability of this vehicle to get to good positions without being spotted and fired upon.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|BGM-71C I-TOW}}

The main weapon on the {{PAGENAME}} is the BGM-71C I-TOW ATGM. It has up to 630 mm of penetration at 0 degrees at any distance since it carries a HEAT warhead. The post penetration of this missile is not amazing and in some circumstances, a follow-up missile may be needed. The missile is a second-generation ATGM so it is mouse controlled. It travels at a speed of 296 m/s. Due to the fuse sensitivity of 0.01 mm, any bush, fence or object in the way will trigger the missile into detonation and the lack of a machine gun means that these obstacles will become quite a nuisance.

The turret can angle down 30 degrees, which means it can fire down from almost any mountain or fire horizontally even when standing on a steep cliff. It also does not have an arming distance, therefore it an fire at tanks even in an immediate surroundings.

The vehicle is trying to put the launcher on the pad whenever it is moving, however, it is still possible to keep it unfolded by moving short distances at a time and stopping between them. Keep in mind that the vehicle will attempt to stow the launcher even when pushed by the enemy, making it impossible to shoot back, therefore all care should be taken to avoid such situations.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BGM-71C I-TOW]] ATGM || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 10 (2 preloaded in launcher) || rowspan="2" | -30°/+35° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 46.62 || 46.62 || 56.61 || 62.60 || 66.60 || rowspan="2" | 13.00 || rowspan="2" | 11.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.60 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 31.50 || 31.50 || 38.25 || 42.30 || 45.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
BGM-71C I-TOW ATGM is a relatively potent missile, having above average penetration values and an excellent flight velocity. Its close Soviet counterpart, [[IT-1]], has {{#expr: (1-(500 / 630)) * 100 round 0}}% lower penetration and {{#expr: (1-(224 / 296)) * 100 round 0}}% lower velocity, on the other hand [[RakJPz 2 (HOT)]] has {{#expr: abs((1-(800 / 630)) * 100) round 0}}% higher penetration, but {{#expr: (1-(240 / 296)) * 100 round 0}}% lower velocity.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| I-TOW || ATGM || 630 || 630 || 630 || 630 || 630 || 630
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Range (m)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| I-TOW || ATGM || 296 || 3,750 || 19.05 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 2,720 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''5''' || 4 ''(+1)'' || 3 ''(+2)'' || 2 ''(+3)'' || 1 ''(+4)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note:'''

* The ammo counter when full will appears as 2/4, and so pre-match ammo selection will show as 5/5. It's due to the fact that a single ammunition load represents 2 missiles, with the first 2 loaded into the launcher at the start of the match.

== Usage in battles ==


;Hull down

In a battle, this vehicle is best played hull-down, preferably behind a rock so that rounds won't dip and hit the main chassis, if this is not possible, try to find a ridge to hide behind or a depression in the terrain. Since your launcher is the only thing exposed, expect for your launcher to get hit and receive a 10-second repair. (Note for stock vehicles, you will still be able to fire). Some players will be smarter and will shoot HESH rounds at you, the splash damage could be enough to knock out the crew. Since you only have 12 missiles (2 in the launcher, 10 stowed away) you will have to be patient and skilled at using this missile. If in the right hands, it is incredibly strong and can hold an important spot and single handily deny the enemy any chance of taking an area. This will reward you a large number of targets destroyed as well as gaining a large number of points from people shooting at you launcher.

However, there is a couple of issues. The launcher can only be deployed when stationary and has a deployment time before you are able to train the gun sights on the target and open fire. The reload also requires the launcher to traverse to the rear of the vehicle and further lengthening the reload. one way to combat this is to have the rear end of the vehicle to the target, therefore reducing the time taken to traverse the launcher back to the firing position.

;SPAA duty

Apart from shooting at tanks, the ATGM can also be used on helicopters as there is no drop on ATGMs. If playing hull down, it might also be quite hard for helicopters to spot you, therefore making it a potent weapon against an enemy helicopter. Planes will be harder to hit as they will be moving at a faster speed.

'''Urban combat'''

The M901 does not fare too well in urban combat - due to the speed of the ATGM it is quite hard to readjust the missile direction in case of a miss and having to stop to fire the ATGM will result in an unpleasant experience. However, if you are forced to take this vehicle out in an urban environment, the best strategy will be to follow your teammates, hide behind cover and wait for your teammates to bait the enemy out.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* [[M113A1 (TOW)]]: this is a similar vehicle based on the M113 hull, with a much slimmer TOW launcher. The launcher only has 90 degrees horizontal rotation and 20 degrees gun depression meaning it adapts terrains slightly worse than the M901. Also, its launcher has a very small profile meaning it is harder to spot so you must deal with the M113A1 (TOW) carefully. However, its gunner is fully exposed and is prone to being knocked out or detonating chemical shells. In a battle, your M901 and the M113A1 (TOW) might be at similar spots which is kind of a sniper vs sniper scenario. Try to spot it first and fire at the gunner/launcher. Its gunner/launcher will detonate your missile and cause overpressure damage, killing all the crew. But watch out for its 12.7 mm MG, it might damage your launcher or penetrate the hull in some cases.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* I-TOW ATGMs have good penetration
* Launcher holds two missiles, which allows for a quick follow-up attack if the first missile misses or fails to completely destroy the target
* Has the best launcher depression of all horizontal ATGM launchers in the game at -30 degrees
* The missile launcher is very tall, and combined with its amazing depression of -30 degrees, it can allow for players to abuse terrain features to go completely hull-down and reduce their chance of being spotted at range
* Has access to 1st generation thermal sights that allow you to increase your situational awareness and spotting ability once unlocked
* Access to two salvos of smoke grenades

'''Cons:'''

* Very thin overall armour that can be penetrated by even heavy machine guns
* The missile launcher is very tall and does not fully retract when hull-down, which can lead to situations where it is easily destroyed and must be repaired, or worse, you get ammo-racked while reloading your missiles by players with good aim or luck
* While the vehicle is traveling, the launcher is retracted and will be stowed away facing backwards and will take about 4 seconds for it to deploy and face the hull front, which means any vehicle that catches the M901 while it is relocating can dispatch it with ease
* The launcher only reloads after the second missile has registered a hit
* The gun sight is located in the launcher, so when the launcher is reloading, it moves together with it and forces the operator to switch over to the binoculars to scan their surroundings
* Very limited ammo

== History ==

[[File:M901 TOW missile vehicle (1985).jpg|thumb|right|M901 in Germany during the Reforger "Central Guardian" 1985 exercise]]
M901 ITV (Improved TOW Vehicle) is a variant of the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier introduced in 1979 as a highly mobile tank destroyer that could engage not only armoured targets but also fortifications while offering maximum protection for the crew. The vehicle could be transported by air, parachute-dropped and ford water up to 1 m deep with no preparation. Last vehicle of the series was produced in 1998, totaling 3,315 units built over the years.

It's called "improved" due to being an upgrade over the [[M113A1 (TOW)|M113A1 with TOW launcher mounted]] instead of the standard [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|M2 Browning]] for the chassis. Its SEI 901 TUA launcher was capable of rapid deployment, could accurately hit targets with the first missile and fire the second one as soon as the first impacted the target. It was reloaded manually within 40 seconds. That said though, it had to be stowed when moving above 8 km/h (5 mph) to avoid damage to the launcher. As a secondary weapon M901 carried [[M60D (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M60 machine gun]] operated by the gunner. A total of 10 missiles and 2,000 machine gun rounds were stored.

A number of variants of the M901 existed, notably:

* M901 - equipped with first-generation TOW missiles, M113A1 chassis (in-game variant)
* M901A1 - equipped with TOW 2, M113A2 chassis
* M901A3 - equipped with TOW 2, M113A3 chassis

The in-game launcher uses the BGM-71C I-TOW missiles, which were the most advanced missiles available on the M901, featuring an increased range and an improved shape-charge warhead. The missile could be fired at targets up to 3,750 m away, with an arming distance of 65 m. Missile's average speed at the maximum range was 187.5 m/s.

Currently, the largest operators of the M901 ITV are Saudi Arabia (335 units), Greece (320) and Egypt (262), a total of 1313 units remains in operation between 10 countries.

{{Clear|right}}
[[File:M901 details.png|800px|center|thumb|Details of the M901 ITV in the A3 variant]]

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m901_itv Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|qoZv-sA80aI|'''Squadron Vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 00:38 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|4_cJ1CpEatw|'''Best gun depression''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:42 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[M113 (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=106 [Military Factory<nowiki>]</nowiki> M901 ITV (Improved TOW Vehicle)]

{{TankManufacturer Emerson Electric Company}}
{{USA tank destroyers}}
{{Squadron ground vehicles}}

[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

Object 122MT "MC"

2022-11-10T17:05:19Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=cn_object_122tm
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} Chinese medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Danger Zone"]].

Also known to the Chinese community as the 三机样车 ("triple-mechanical" prototype; mechanical suspension, transmission and control), it was the Chinese attempt to build new MBT during the heat of Sino-Soviet conflicts with their latest technology available. This version of 122MT introduced the very first 120 mm smoothbore gun in the world as well as a new ATGM welded onto the turret for extra firepower, as well as sporting their latest FCS with laser rangefinder and new diesel engine.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

At longer distance, 122TM looks exactly like any other Warsaw Pact or Chinese tanks in early Cold War with its iconic oval shape cast turret and sloped chassis; but in 122TM's case, it has higher slope angle at 67° that gives it more protection against late APCBC shells, while the turret itself is slight thinner than T-54s/Type 59. The sides look somewhat similar to a Leopard 1 with sloped plates that gives 122TM slightly higher protection on the sides, but the lower plate is the same 80 mm flat, it could stop autocannons from a distance (around 500m and above), but do not expect it can do miracle at close quarter brawling.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 100 mm (67°) UFP 80 mm (60°) LFP || 5 mm (49°)+ 80 mm ''Top'' 80 mm ''Bottom'' || 30 mm (25°) || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 214 mm ''Turret front (Volumetric)'' ___mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 165 mm ''(Volumetric)'' || 65 mm ''(Volumetric)'' || 30 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="4" | 30 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}

An important aspect of 122TM is the overall upgrade on mobility, therefore Weifang Diesel developed a new 8V160 engine for the tank with higher output at 650 hp. It might not sound much against NATO tanks, but its design also makes sure the overall mobility is sufficient to move around at higher acceleration against Warsaw Pact tanks- which is the main enemy proposed by the engineers.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,007|rbMinHp=575}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|122TM (120 mm)}}

Based on the 115 mm [[U-5TS (115 mm)|U-5TS]] gun captured on [[T-62 545 (China)|Soviet T-62]], Chinese engineers up-gunned the cannon into a stabilized 120 mm smoothbore cannon with automatic ballistic solution thanks to its laser rangefinder; although the overall gun handling is similar to a WZ120 (Type 59) or a T-62, the larger cannon with varieties of shells will make sure it can make short work of enemies at its rank.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[122TM (120 mm)|120 mm 122TM]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 40 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane ||__._
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" |12.0|| rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
|__._
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| 120-I || APFSDS || 285 || 279 || 263 || 243 || 222 || 202
|-
| 120-HE || HE || 33 || 33 || 33 || 33 || 33 || 33
|-
| 120-II || APFSDS || 350 || 347 || 322 || 300 || 283 || 270
|-
| 120-HEAT || HEATFS || 440 || 440 || 440 || 440 || 440 || 440
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 120-I || APFSDS || 1,610 || 4.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 72° || 76° || 78°
|-
| 120-HE || HE || 940 || 16.5 || 0 || 0.1 || 2,760 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| 120-II || APFSDS || 1,610 || 4.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 76° || 77° || 80°
|-
| 120-HEAT || HEATFS || 1,000 || 15 || 0.052 || 0.1 || 1,750 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
|}
Thanks to its higher gun pressure and the development of new shells, 122MT also has a few varieties of shells at disposal.

The 120-I is among one of the stock shells for the tank, due to the fact that it was a steel core dart and statically similar to Soviet 3BM4, although being labeled an APFSDS, it might sometimes have problem facing tanks with rounded hull such as American [[M48 Patton (Family)|M48 Patton]] series or [[Object 279]]; but in most cases it is sufficient to defeat most tanks at its rank.

The 120-HE is another stock shell for it as well, although the caliber might sound tempting and does has slightly higher mass and penetration from 3OF11, but the explosive content and penetration also means that only light vehicles or SPAAG will have a bad day facing this HE shell; well-armored targets are likely immune to it unless being hit from gun ports (overpressure) while some NATO tanks also have chances of being blasted by the shell from the roof.

The first researchable shell is the 120-II, a tungsten rod APFSDS; thanks to its tungsten core, it has higher flat penetration from its stock counterpart and performs similarly in terms of damage but also trades sloped penetration; it will have problem facing Soviet tanks at uptier.

The final shell awaits the 120-HEAT, performs similarly to 3BK4 but at slightly higher velocity and mass; but like many HEATFS of the era, it might face ERA or composite armor and do very little on them, as well as its jet stream doesn't have as much spalling as darts. Optionally this can replace HE shells and take it as a way to defeat light vehicles.

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''40''' || 35 ''(+5)'' || 33 ''(+7)'' || 31 ''(+9)'' || 15 ''(+35)'' || 1 ''(+39) ''|| No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 5 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 14 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 5 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-4 into rack 5. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|302}}

A unique feature of 122MT is the 2 pairs of 302 ATGMs welded onto the turret; as the ancestor of the later HJ-8 missiles, although it might not have the highest penetration and speed among ATGMs at its rank, 4 ATGMs can make sure most enemies will not have the chance to retaliate or in case players do not feel confident with its gun.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[302]] ATGM
|-
! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
|-
| 4 || -6°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| 302 Anti-tank Missile || ATGM || 480 ||480
|480
|480
|480
|480
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Missile details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Range (m)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 302 Anti-tank Missile || ATGM || 250 || 3000 || 11.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1960 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''4''' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|SGMT (7.62 mm)}}

Although it has a slightly different DShK (Type 54) design with an anti-aircraft reticle, the overall performance of it is identical to any other DShK which is good for gunning down light vehicles or helicopters that get too close.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
|Pintle||500 (50)||600||-10°/+60°||±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SGMT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm SGMT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
|Coaxial||3,000 (250)||600||N/A||N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

At first glance, some players might consider it as a reverse-engineered T-62 of Mainland China with 4 tubes welded next to the turrets; but as soon as they read the statcard, there are some major differences, namely the gun at 120 mm and those tubes are in fact ATGMs. The overall playstyle of 122MT is very similar to T-62 or previous T-54/55 family aside from the overall mobility being better thanks to the upgraded 650 hp engine; the steep slope on the UFP also helps it for a slightly better protection against full-caliber kinetic rounds from late WWII or early Cold War tanks; even if players are not confident with the darts onboard against "doomsday" tank such as the infamous Maus or bowl-shaped hull tanks like M103, it still comes with 4 ATGMs at its disposal with more than enough penetration against most targets of its rank. All of these features above makes it a fearsome brawler at its rank.

But do note that, although it has better power-to-weight ratio to US tanks, British tanks or Warsaw Pact tanks of its era, it is still not the fastest tank, targets like Leopards and AMX-30 will likely outrun 122TM for vantage point; wheeled vehicles started to be common by this rank as well as APFSDS where it will have few problem penetrating 122TM's armor. Do also be well prepared for enemies by turning the turret to where they might appear- the turret traverse speed is slow (albeit better than original T-54s). The "302" missiles onboard are also relatively inferior to its counterparts and flies slow, in some occasions it will be jammed by either IRCM on certain tanks or being intercepted by hard-kill APS on namely [[T-55AMD-1]], sometimes even by bullets. So either utilize them on unnoticed targets or those who had already been crippled by your 120 mm gun, they will very unlikely survive the upcoming missile; if any helicopters do show up within its 3 km radius, taking them out with "302" is also viable but do make sure you lead enough onto the target.

Overall, the 122MT is a very versatile tank of its rank, both sniping and brawling works fine with 122MT depending on the map and the playstyle of players.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Powerful 120mm APFSDS can frontally penetrate common foes (eg. [[M60 (Family)|M60]], [[T-54/55 (Family)|T-55]], [[Leopard 1 (Family)|Leopard 1]])
* 4 ATGM are a very useful backup (or primary) armament to finish off enemies
* Slightly better frontal protection than T-55/62, making angling a more effective tactic
* Low profile, harder to get spotted & hit
* Has a range of useful protective features like 12.7mm HMG and ESS.
* Access to laser rangefinder and 2-plane stabiliser for effective target acquisition

'''Cons:'''

* Awful reverse speed of -7 km/h, can sometimes put the player in a fatal situation
* While cannon and missiles are powerful, they still cannot penetrate well armoured tanks like [[T-55AM-1|T-55AM]]
* Insufficient gun depression
* Large tank profile making it easier to hit
* Long reload, can be dangerous if the player fails to one-shot target
* No thermal imaging, a disadvantage in night battles against more advanced tanks like [[Leopard A1A1 (L/44)|Leopard]] A1A1
* No ERA or composite armour, will get easily penetrated by HEAT (eg. [[M551]], [[M901]])
* 120-II APFSDS doesn't offer any substantial upgrade, trading worse angled penetration for a slightly more flat penetration

== History ==

Somewhere in the corner of the YTO Group Factory in Luoyang, Henan is the home of some medium tanks of Mainland China as this factory (coded Factory 081) was known as the other tank factory other than Factory 617 (Norinco Inner Mongolia First Machinery Group) and the home of some batches of Type 59 and its variants; one of these stored tanks stood out among these tank prototypes: the Factory 704 prototype of Project 122 medium tank, the first attempt to design a new tank from scratch.

=== Project 122 (122工程) ===
After the capture of a Soviet Border Troops' [[T-62 545 (China)|T-62]] at Darmansky/Zhenbao Island on the Sino-Russian border, the tank engineers of Mainland China soon found themselves lagging severely behind the mainstream tanks (which by the time were already the dawn of MBTs such as the [[T-64A (1971)|T-64A]]); the introduction of smoothbore cannons, two-plane stabilizers as well as active/passive night-vision devices were all new technologies for Mainland China which by the time only has relatively outdated Type 59s at its disposal. By the time WZ121 (Type 69) made it into commission, most of the aforementioned technologies were already been reverse-engineered onto the new tank. In parallel, way before the Darmansky Island Incident in April 1967, the COSTIND have already started the development of a brand-new MBT as well as new combat vehicles later known by its project name '''"Campaign 2-4" (二四会战)'''.

Alongside with new amphibious tank, APC, the new MBT was dubbed '''Project 122''' under the "Campaign 704" (704会战, issued 1970/4) in this case with the provision for 100/115/120 mm gun where the 120 mm was selected as the main cannon and became the very first 120 mm smoothbore cannon decade before the Rheinmetall L/44 gun made into commission. Due to the lack of experience on building smoothbore guns, most of the technology was the result of the reverse-engineering of U-5TS gun on T-62; the result wasn't pleasing either due to its low bore-pressure (312 MPa instead of the standard of 379 MPa for a high-pressure gun) as the tests in late 1970s showed the gun and its APFSDS didn't meet the requirements to penetrate the mock-up UFP plates of a T-72. Another feature of the early prototypes of Project 122 are the 2 pairs of 302 ATGMs onboard which might have been affected by the philosophy of tank-launched ATGMs. The 4 missiles welded onto the turret are the ancestor of the 2nd generation ATGM of PLAGF before HJ-8. Other features including a heavily-slopped UFP, shorter turret for a low-profile, new FCS with integrated optics, automatic ballistic solution and stabilizer, as well as sporting new suspension system (in case of the "triple-hydraulic prototype") and engine.

The new prototypes passed in an internal inspection for PLAGF in October 1970; however, due to the changes in design philosophy in 1972 which also led to a completely revoke of tank designs before Project 784 (predecessor of WZ123, later ZTZ99), most of the Project 122 MBTs bit the dust alongside with all the other planned vehicles of Campaign 2-4 other than the '''1225 prototype''' (which later became the approved version of WZ122, aka ZTZ80). But all the efforts during this 5-years of research also marked a new start for Chinese MBTs where both the WZ122 (ZTZ80/85/88/96) and even WZ123 (ZTZ99) family utilized the technologies from Project 122.

=== [[wt:en/news/7809-development-squadron-vehicles-object-122tm-en|Devblog]] ===
The experimental Chinese medium tank Object 122TM is a new squadron vehicle for all War Thunder players. This is a classic layout tank with a cast domed turret and a Chinese-made 120-mm cannon. The vehicle features four launchers for anti-tank guided missiles, which may be used in battles not only against armored vehicles, but also against enemy helicopters. The gun itself has a fairly good flatness and is equipped with a stabilizer and night vision device in the gunner's sight. At the commander's disposal there are two types of armor-piercing fin-stabilized rounds, as well as high-explosive and shape-charged rounds. The tank has a good maximum speed, but most importantly, a high power-to-weight ratio. Coupled with a good turret traverse speed, this makes it an excellent close quarter duelist!

== Media ==

''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7809-development-squadron-vehicles-object-122tm-en|[Devblog] Squadron vehicles: Object 122TM]]

{{China medium tanks}}
{{Squadron ground vehicles}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

KV-2 (1939)

2022-11-10T17:01:45Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = Soviet heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = KV-2 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_kv_2_1939
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. One of the most infamous tanks in the Soviet tree, the KV-2 introduces the concept of heavy-calibre armaments that will trend on other Soviet heavy tanks.

The KV-2 is a modification of the KV-1 that mounted a [[M-10T (152 mm)|M-10T (152mm) howitzer]] in order to provide support to infantry against fortified positions. The large and extremely heavy turret, necessary to mount the 152 mm howitzer, results in a slow traverse time. Its gun is an effective breach weapon, designed against fortifications. Despite this usage, very few were made, with the majority being lost due to breakdowns and not German attackers because none of their tanks at that time could penetrate the thick armour. The KV-2 would have been more effective if the Red Army was attacking and not defending because then they would have needed more bunker destroyers.

The KV-2 is a behemoth of a tank, which players feared due to the devastating punch of its 152 mm round and its distinctive and intimidating profile. However, these traits also serve as the tank's weaknesses. The KV-2 can be an effective force on the battlefield, and is well-loved by the community, being christened with numerous nicknames, usually in reference to its abnormally large armament calibre, large profile, or its iconic and legendary status in the Soviet tech tree. The KV-2 has also been given the title '''''"The King Of Derp"''''' by the fanbase.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (31°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 25 mm (7-71°) ''Joint plate'' 75 mm (26-51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (13-89°) ''Top'' 70 mm (14-57°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 75 mm (15-16°) ''Front turret'' 90 mm (10-20°) ''Gun mantlet'' 90 mm (1-54°) ''Gun mantlet shield'' || 75 mm || 75 mm || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* With its straight angles the KV-2 can easily be angled in the diamond direction (30°). Improving the line of sight thickness of the chassis to 100 mm frontally and 130 mm on the side. The turret achieves at 30° up to 90 mm of steel, however, the turret ring remains a weak point on all angles. Although since the introduction of volumetric shells this has been made less of a problem

[[File:Armour KV-2 badly angled.png|left|thumbnail|x250px|A surprised and unangled KV-2 with line-of-sight armour thickness. Even in this state the [[KwK40 L43 (75 mm)|KwK40 L43]] ([[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV]]) will have problems penetrating at ranges >500 m]]

The normal role of a heavy tank is to bring armour and firepower to support the lighter, faster tanks to hold strategic points they have captured. However, the massive profile of the KV-2 heavy tank and the majority of flat 75 mm armour means that even with proper angling and cover, the KV-2 will be unable to hold points for long. The KV-2 easily identified by even the least experienced players and as soon as it fires one round, it will be out-manoeuvred on and forced to retreat or be violently removed. Additionally, artillery and aircraft will often force the KV-2 out of positions if not outright destroy it due to the KV's abysmal speed and massive size. Lastly, the KV-2 has no machine gun to deal with air or lightly armoured targets, meaning once the howitzer fires, that is it for around 30 seconds. Even most anti-air vehicles can effortlessly overrun and destroy the KV-2 if it is over-extended or alone. Couple that with this tank's inability to provide effective long range support and players will have a difficult time finding their niche with this vehicle.

The large turret housing the 152 mm howitzer is a huge target on the KV-2, a more enticing target than the hull. The profile makes concealing the tall, heavy tank difficult, while the turret armour is relatively poor all-around at 75 mm. Not to mention that there will always be ammunition inside the turret, so a penetrating APHE shot has a very high chance of detonating one of these rounds. At its battle rating, most enemy tanks have the capability of penetrating and eliminating the KV-2 through the turret, not to mention even some of the lower rank ones have powerful enough guns to deal with the armour.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=775|rbMinHp=531}}

The {{PAGENAME}} is incredibly sluggish in speed and manoeuvrability. The original KV-1 is already slow as is, but the KV-2 added a huge and heavy turret that increased the total weight from ~46 tons to ~52 tons. Top speed for the vehicle on flat ground is only about 34 km/h, and accelerating is very slow to get the tank up to this speed. Unless moving forwards at a certain gear, the {{PAGENAME}} is also very hard to turn on even ground.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

"Parts" and "FPE" should be the first targets for unlocking. While the mobility of the KV-2 is quite bad, the turret traverse and accuracy is worse. Thus "Horizontal Drive", "Adjustment of Fire" and "Elevation Mechanism" should be prioritized after the first set of upgrades. The "PB-35" shell unlock can be ignored as it is only a marginal upgrade compared with the GF-530 stock shell.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|M-10T (152 mm)}}

The 152 mm gun is perhaps the most iconic weapon in the Soviet tree. Shells that penetrate will almost always destroy the enemy and even those that fail to do so will still typically do some damage or even destroy the target thanks to the huge amount of explosives in all 3 available shells. A large calibre gun coupled with the heavy turret sadly produces a slow gun traverse (both horizontally and vertically) to get the gun onto a target and very long reload times. The turret also presents a narrow gun depression and elevation range (-5° and 12° respectively), even though limited depression is something common among soviet tanks and you rarely need more elevation.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M-10T (152 mm)|152 mm M-10T]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 36 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+12° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 4.85 || 6.72 || 8.20 || 9.00 || 9.60 || rowspan="2" | 43.29 || rowspan="2" | 38.30 || rowspan="2" | 35.30 || rowspan="2" | 33.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.57 || 4.20 || 5.10 || 5.64 || 6.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''G-530''' (AC) - The "Anti-Concrete" round has below average but bearable velocity with enough penetration for most tanks up to BR 5.0 ([[Churchill VII]] being one of the few exceptions), but the massive size can struggle to go through small weak spots such as the bow machine gun of the [[M4 Sherman (Family)|M4 Sherman]]. With over 5 kg of TNT equivalent of HE filler, it will one shot enemies whenever it enters the crew compartment of the enemy vehicle. Even when it doesn't penetrate the enemy's armour, it can still send fragments through thin plates nearby and knock out crew/damage components like a large HE shell. Its armour piercing qualities and much lower fuse sensitivity than HE shells sometimes makes it better than HE since it can go through tracks and side skirts then explode closer to the main armour.

* '''OF-530''' (HE) - High-explosive shell that can destroy pretty much any tank in the game if you know where to shoot. The high explosive mass of the shell inflicts devastating damage to tanks with the overpressure mechanic, provided you target a spot where the armour is thin. The roof of the hull is a good spot, as the explosion will knock out the crew with the blast when going through the roof plate.

* '''PB-35''' (APCBC) - The APCBC shell has the same penetration as AC shell at point-blank range, but loses less of it over range. It's also less prone to ricochets. These are the only pros it has, further undermined by reduced shell velocity which makes the KV-2 even less suitable for long range engagements (800+ m). At the same time its explosive filler is also less potent than AC shell, which means it's less effective as a do-it-all shell.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| G-530 || AC || 95 || 94 || 89 || 83 || 78 || 73
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 95 || 94 || 90 || 86 || 81 || 77
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| G-530 || AC || 530 || 40.00 || 1.2 || 19.0 || 5,100 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 530 || 40.00 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 5,830 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 436 || 51.06 || 1.2 || 19.0 || 4,850 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo type
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''36''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 25 ''(+11)'' 29 ''(+7)'' || 13 ''(+23)'' 15 ''(+21)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' 1 ''(+35)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* The {{PAGENAME}} uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant bags (orange). Both have separate racks.
* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.

== Usage in battles ==


The old peek-a-boom tactics, and staying behind others is still the best method for employing this "heavy tank". Roll forward, take the shot, and then pull back for the over half-minute reload time, and then repeat. Close range brawling is a bad idea due to certain characteristics on the tank. Make sure to plan the route ahead of time make sure to avoid large distances in the open, this is a slow moving tank with a large profile making it an easy target for long barreled guns. It is recommended to have a work with a squad mate or other friendly tanks to cover the KV-2 during the reloading phase.

Most tanks with a high-velocity cannon can cripple the KV-2 through the turret. As such, pretty much all tanks at its battle rating should be taken account of. Rely on always getting the first shot off, else the enemy tank is more than likely to destroy the KV-2. Another type of vehicles to worry about are the very small tanks like the [[M22|M22 ''Locust'']] and the [[ASU-57]] as these can get right under the tank's gun depression and fire away at weak points with little risk of return fire by the KV-2.

===Arcade battles===
In '''Arcade''', the target lead indicator make the slow, but long-range penetrating PB-35 APCBC a destructive force to be afraid of since ranging is a lot easier for the low-velocity shells. Always conduct attacks via "Peek-a-boo" tactic in that stay behind cover while searching for targets, then pop out when a target presents itself to fire before returning back to cover to reload.

One must be conscious and use the map terrain to their advantage. On more open maps like [[Karelia]] and [[Carpathians]], the KV-2's speed and low velocity will make traversing the battlefield while sniping long-range targets difficult. However, one could hang back and snipe unsuspecting and immobile targets, while at the range most return fire would more than likely bounce off the armour. However, be wary of more penetrating guns like the 75 mm on the [[Panther D|Panther]] and the 76 mm on the [[M4A3 (76) W|M4 Shermans]] that easily piece the front turret armour.

Smaller maps benefit the KV-2 in that the low shell velocities are no longer a big detriment to the combat ability, plus it could make the most of the initial penetration values in close-range battles. However, enemy tanks in close-range will also have an easier time penetrating the KV-2 front armour, or flanking around while reloading the gun thanks to engine power increase. In these cases, situational awareness and friendly support is the key to victory and ''survival'' of the KV-2 in the smaller maps.

===Realistic/Simulator battle===
Realistic and Simulator modes are taxing for the KV-2 as the removal of the target lead indicator can make long-range fighting with the 152 mm a chore.

The most important thing in these game modes, due to the lack of target markers, is the vision. The binoculars are the greatest assets. Keep the turret in a well-angled position while scouting for targets with the binoculars or normal eyesight.

Since the usual fighting ranges exceed 600 m, getting hits without aim assist with the howitzer are rare. Though close-range fighting can fix this, the close-quarters battle is not a tactic the KV-2 should indulge in alone without supporting teammates to cover for the tank in case of flankers. Due to long reloads, rangefinding should be priority whenever the distance is not clear in order to not waste the first shot. If the target is beyond rangefinding range, a tip is to utilize the OF-530 HE shell in the first shot, with spare G-530 anti-concrete rounds for the follow-up. These two rounds share the same ballistics, so the HE shell can be fired first to gauge the distance. If it lands close to the enemy and hits, chances are it will either destroy it or cripple its mobility, plus the impact of the explosion will alert teammates of the presence of an enemy tank at the area of firing. If the enemy tank still remains after the OF-530 shell, the next loading G-530 AC shell can follow through the same ballistic path and destroy the enemy via a penetration.

===Counter-tactics===
'''Getting close''': Probably the most difficult part, if spotted a 40 kg shell will soon be on its way to ruin someone's day. Thus sneaking up, or attacking, from outside the KV-2's field of view is advised. Of course, after the KV-2 has fired, a window of opportunity and hope will open up. With moving up and aiming two shots can be placed on the moving Soviet tower tank. An attack route from the side or rear is preferable, not only is it a blind spot, but the turret traverse is so awful on the KV-2 that it will not have the time to react fast enough. Just make sure to hit, or the tank will be alerted and counter-attack.

'''Shooting''': Targets should be the gunner (right side) to stop the loading process and the loader to increase loading time to up to one and a half minutes. If shooting APHE shells, two penetrating hits will often take out the gun breech as well, stopping the reload and the ability to return fire entirely. The easiest way of performing these hits is via the turret ring, although a harder task since the implementation of volumetric shells, which will always not be angled at certain parts from the front. If APHE shells hit below the side hull, it will possibly detonate the main storage of ammunition, resulting in a single-shot destruction. If that is not the case the gunner, commander, cannon breech, loader, and ammunition and turret ring will be damaged or wounded.

Shooting a KV-2 from the side is much easier, just one massive turret reaching into the sky. But do not shoot anywhere! The tracks will often eat shots and most KV-2 drivers are by now smart enough to not fully load up their KV-2, leaving the rear turret empty of shells.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Huge howitzer, dealing high damage with incredible force that will almost always knock out enemies with a single shot
* Fear factor, the sight and sound of this behemoth and its gun tends to send smaller tanks fleeing in terror
* Has one of the best HE rounds in the game
* The new overpressure mechanic has made it so the KV-2 can kill pretty much anything with a turret shot
* Able to destroy higher rank tanks
* Has the hull armour of the KV-1 which will stop most Pz.III and Pre-[[T-34-57]] shots
* Large crew count means it is unlikely to be knocked out with a single shot unless the ammo racks explode

'''Cons:'''

* Long reload, resulting in difficult 1-on-1 fights since missing gives the enemy an opportunity to counter
* Slow rotation speed of the turret means that flank attacks are difficult to respond to
* If more than 19 rounds loaded, the ammo fills the weak spot ammo racks in the sides of the turret
* The KV-2 has terrible gun depression
* Tall turret is very vulnerable from the side and difficult to hide
* Driver's viewport is a juicy weak spot, easily exploitable by experienced players
* Has a tendency, although a rare but dreaded occurrence, to overshoot targets at close range when using the sights
* Large silhouette
* Slow turret travers and garbage reaction time

== History ==

===Development===
The start of the KV heavy tanks began after the heavy tank [[T-35]] flaws came to light. Designers were ordered to draw up new designs to become the basis of a breakthrough heavy tank needed for the Soviet doctrine. This made for a tank that was heavily armoured, but not very mobile as it was to be for siege warfare. The designs offered all had heavy armour, wide tracks, and used the torsion-bar suspension. The designs were the [[SMK]], T-100, and what would be the '''KV-1 tank''', which was named after the then Soviet Defense Commissar '''K'''liment '''V'''oroshilov.

During the developmental progress, the prototypes of all these heavy tanks were made and the Winter War with Finland was on its way. The Soviets sent these tanks into Finland for combat testing, to which the KV design outperformed in every way with its superior armour and firepower. The armour on the KV tank was impenetrable by a tank cannon in service and most anti-tank guns as well, the 76,2 cannon also gave it a huge firepower boost compared to the usual 37 mm in use by other countries. However, the design was found to be difficult to steer, the transmission was unreliable, ergonomics was poor and vision was limited, plus with its 45-ton weight, it was a very heavy tank for its time. In truth, while formidable in power and protection, courageous crew member willing to curse the name would speak out about the trouble the KV tank really was. The main variant of production before World War II broke out was the '''[[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]]''' model.

===KV-2===
Despite its superiority on the battlefield, some observed that the KV-1's armament was not enough to destroy some of the Finnish fortifications that they encountered. For this, a request to mount a 152 mm howitzer on the KV-1 was made and resulted in the '''KV-2''' with its extremely large turret and an increased weight of 52 tons. The KV-2 suffered from a very high profile, low speed, and was to turret heavy. Compared to the KV-1 height of about 9 feet, the KV-2 was at 11 feet tall. The increased weight of the tank slowed it down drastically, and the very heavy turret mixed with a low-powered traverse speed meant that the KV-2 can only traverse on level ground, as a slope would cause the turret to start turning with gravity. The combat ineffectiveness and flaws of the KV-2 came to light and was only put on limited production due to them, resulting in only about 334 units being produced from 1939 to 1941.

===Combat usage===
During the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa, the KV tanks came as a huge surprise from the Germans as they had no prior intel about these tanks, resulting in a lack of capable anti-tank weaponry that could destroy these tanks, aside from 88 mm FlaK guns. The KV-2 served alongside the KV-1 in stalling the German Offensive to Moscow. During the Battle of Raseiniai, in Lithuania, a single KV-2 was able to hold up the entire 6th Panzer Division for a full day by firing at them from a concealed location before it ran out of ammunition, ending with about two dozen tanks destroyed.

Due to the low quantity of KV-2 produced, they didn't see much service past the opening stages of the war due to loss from attrition or mechanical failures, however, 10 were still in service with the Voronezh Front on 4 July 1943 for the battle of Kursk. These were transferred to the 3rd Mech Corps on 9 July, and by 18 July only 1 was left serviceable - 5 were destroyed on 12 July, and 4 are recorded as being in repair from 13 July. <ref name="3rdMechKursk">[http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA360311 <nowiki>[DTIC.ORG] KURSK OPERATION SIMULATION AND VALIDATION EXERCISE - PHASE II (KOSAVE II) (PDF)</nowiki>]</ref>

===Survivors===
Only one KV-2 is left intact as a survivor of the war, it is housed at the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow.

=== In-game description ===
This tank came into service in the Red Army in 1940 and was an assault tank intended to be used to overcome long-term defensive positions. The KV-2 was armed with a powerful 152 mm M-10 cannon installed in its tall armoured rotating turret. This weapon was shot with separately loaded shells, so its combat rate of fire was not high. The howitzer had relatively good characteristics. Its armour-piercing 52 kg round with a 436 m/s muzzle velocity penetrated a 72 mm thick armour plate at a distance of 1,500 m at a 60° angle. For firing on concrete fortifications, it possessed a 40 kg concrete-piercing shell with a 530 m/s muzzle velocity. All these vehicles were equipped with a 71-TK-3 radio set. The vehicle was armed with three additional 7.62 mm DT tank machine guns. One was paired with the howitzer, the second mounted in the rear turret wall, and the third mounted as a bow gun in the underturret box's frontal plate to the driver's left.

By 1941, 330 of these tanks had been produced in total, and production ceased at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

In mid-February 1940, several of these heavy tanks were put to the test during the breaking of the Mannerheim Line. They broke through stone fortifications and destroyed pillboxes at close range, allowing infantry divisions to pass through areas previously closed to them. Furthermore, its strong armour could survive heavy fire from the enemy's anti-tank artillery. In the first years of the war, the KV-2 was practically invulnerable to all forms of anti-tank artillery. A number of captured vehicles of this type were used by German troops.

The tank had some serious flaws. Its mobility on the move and in combat was seriously limited by its high weight and issues with its clutch and transmission. When the vehicle was at a slight tilt, the turret became extremely difficult to turn. Its ammunition complement for its main gun amounted to only 38 shells.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_kv_2_1939 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|XTSIvLEsV6c|'''The KV Family''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel'' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 04:53|Lps-iu_n_8o|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|ezJ7MKKcR3c|'''The Tower of Stalin''' by ''BaronVonGamez''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[KV-1 (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[SU-152]]
* [[Brummbar|Brummbär]]
* [[Lorraine 155 Mle.50]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Kliment_Voroshilov_tank#KV-2|[Wikipedia] Kliment Voroshilov tank - KV-2]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_KV-2.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> KV-2]
* [http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=210 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> KV-2 (Klimenti Voroshilov)]

=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer Kirov}}
{{USSR heavy tanks}}

Maus

2022-11-10T16:58:00Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_pzkpfw_Maus
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]] as a main tree vehicle, however in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]] it was shifted to become a gift vehicle for players who previously owned it. It was later reopened to research for a limited time during War Thunder's [[wt:en/news/6907-special-8th-anniversary-of-war-thunder-en|8th]], [[wt:en/news/7408-news-happy-birthday-war-thunder-en|9th]] and [[wt:en/news/7945-special-happy-anniversary-war-thunder-en|10th]] anniversary events. The Maus is the definitive tank of heavy armour in Rank V and is one of the largest ground vehicles in-game. The Maus can be a menace in the battlefield and conversely also a bullet magnet, a double-edged sword that must be played correctly or else fall victim to heavy enemy fire.

The Maus lives up to its reputation as a mobile bunker. The dual guns do great damage, however, against high-rank tanks it is best to use the 128 mm main gun. It is important to protect the back armour on the Maus and to make sure it does not get outflanked. Preferable used at long range and choke points. Best used as an armoured beast able to destroy vehicles and take any shot.

Speed on the vehicle is roughly 20 km/h. The sheer mass of the vehicle and its speed makes the mobility difference from the road to off-road negligible. The vehicle can actually turn pretty fast once at Gear 6, which is better than the Jagdtiger and some other Rank V heavy counterparts. Keep that in mind and use it as an advantage in {{Annotation|CQC|Close Quarters Combat}}.

The 128 mm KwK44 is a great gun in-game, very accurate and perfect for mid to long range engagements. The reload is very good too for its calibre (23 seconds stock) that is a big advantage against IS-4s, because the Maus has three seconds for an extra shot. It has one of the best penetration value of any APCBC shell in-game alongside the [[IS-7]] and the [[Object 279]]. However, the APCR and HEAT shells of the T-54 and late US vehicles surpass it. Damage-wise the 128 mm PzGr.43 is equivalent to the shell BR-471 of the [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T]] cannon, for which penetration usually means a knock-out.

Coaxial MG? That's for normal tanks (but it is there anyway). On the Maus, everything is bigger. The short 75 mounted alongside the main 128 originally served as anti-infantry and soft target weapon of choice. In War Thunder, these vehicle types are either not found on the battlefield or as latter only on certain maps. It comes without question that the 75 mm should be used against AAA, trucks and SPAA. However, the HEAT shell can be used to harass the enemy, lure them out/in of cover, or just damage medium tank's sides (T-54 and M46 do not exceed 80 mm of armour) tracks and even destroy some lightly-armoured vehicles with overpresssure such as the BMP 1. In addition, the secondary cannon has a good reload rate of around 5 sec, thus it can be used to defeat [[:Category:Light_tanks|light tanks]] and [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|SPAA]] without wasting the precious 128 mm ammo for more heavily armoured targets.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 200 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' 200 mm (35°) ''Lower glacis'' || 180 mm ''Top'' 100 mm ''Bottom'' 300 mm ''Weld joints''|| 150 mm (36°) ''Top'' 150 mm (31°) ''Bottom'' || 50 mm ''General area'' 100 mm ''Front roof''
|-
| Turret || 232 mm (3-53°)''Turret front'' 240 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 205 mm (30°) || 200 mm (15°) || 60 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Armour on the Maus is quite complex, and definitely does not end with the above-mentioned values
** Gun mantlet is 240 mm thick and nicely rounded, right around both guns the armour is 300 mm thick
** Tracks at the front are protected by 100+60 mm plates (100 mm basic plate + attached tracks)
** Behind the frontal upper plate on deck armour, there are many 60 mm highly sloped plates of armour, protecting the engine vents and turret ring from HEAT/HE shells and some small-calibre fire
** Frontal part of the belly is also 100 mm thick (Would be probably good against mines/other explosives), the rest is 50 mm
** Deck armour in front of these plates is also strengthened to an impressive 100 mm
** Side armour is split to two parts, top with 180 mm and bottom with 100 mm + tracks
** Even inside the tank there is armour - there are many 20 mm plates inside the tank, separating crew compartments from various modules, and partially protecting the interior from shrapnel that penetrated the tank from other areas
***One plate is at the rear of the tank, between the enormous transmission and the fighting compartment
*** Second one is more to the front, separating fighting compartment from the middle-mounted Engine and its radiators
*** Third is in the front between the driver's compartment and the engine
*** Around the driver there are many more 20 mm plates, adding some protection to Fuel Tanks located there

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,549|rbMinHp=1,061}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|KwK44 (128 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK44 (128 mm)|128 mm KwK44]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 68 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+23° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 6.6 || 9.0 || 10.9 || 12.0 || 12.8 || rowspan="2" | 23.66 || rowspan="2" | 20.93 || rowspan="2" | 19.30 || rowspan="2" | 18.20
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.8 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 7.5 || 8.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| PzGr || APC || 252 || 249 || 237 || 222 || 208 || 196
|-
| Sprgr. L/5 || HE || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC || 272 || 269 || 257 || 242 || 228 || 215
|-
| 12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS || APCBC || 312 || 307 || 288 || 266 || 245 || 226
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| PzGr || APC || 930 || 26.35 || 1.2 || 19 || 786.5 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. L/5 || HE || 750 || 28 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 3,700 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC || 940 || 28.3 || 1.2 || 19 || 786.5 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS || APCBC || 1,230 || 9.85 || 1.2 || 19 || 108.8 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo parts
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''68''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants''|| 62 ''(+6)'' 62 ''(+6)'' || 55 ''(+13)'' 55 ''(+13)'' || 50 ''(+18)'' 50 ''(+18)'' || 45 ''(+23)'' 45 ''(+23)'' || 39 ''(+29)'' 39 ''(+29)'' || 33 ''(+35)'' 33 ''(+35)'' || 25 ''(+43)'' 25 ''(+43)'' || 17 ''(+51)'' 17 ''(+51)'' || 9 ''(+59)'' 9 ''(+59)'' || 1 ''(+67)'' 1 ''(+67)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 45 ''(+23)'' shells.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK44 L/36.5]] || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
| 100 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 5.20 || 4.60 || 4.24 || 4.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 420 || 5.74 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 450 || 4.8 || 0 || 0.1 || 875.5 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. || 423 || 6.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|center|framed|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''100''' || 76 ''(+24)'' || 51 ''(+49)'' || 26 ''(+74)'' || 1 ''(+99)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 76 ''(+24)'' shells.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,000 (150) || 900 || -7°/+23° || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Versus heavy tanks, the Maus has all the advantages. While slower it can make up for this in close combat thanks to the good turn rate of both tracks and turret. Just quickly angle the Maus (both turret and hull) and you will turn it nearly invincible (be advised that HEAT shells can still penetrate the angled turret). Try angling the front drive wheel at the enemy tank and turn the turret so that the armour is at ~45 degrees to the enemy fire. The tanks that pose a threat are the [[M103]], the [[M48 Patton (Family)|M48]], the [[T-62 545 (China)|Chinese T-62]], the BMPs, the [[Object 120]], and basically every tank that has HEATFS, ATGM, or APFSDS rounds that can penetrate more than 320 mm of armour. One good strategy is to capture the objective and just defend it. This can be really helpful to the team.

Versus medium tanks, the Panzerkampfwagen VIII can fight in {{Annotation|CQC|Close Quarter Combat}} with its decent turret rotation but at the cost of exposing its side armour and getting flanked. Doing so should be kept as one's last resort. Distance is the ally of the Maus, which should be easy to do considering that the top speed is 20 km/h.

While it is very strong frontally because of its excellent armour, the Maus should be played very carefully: it can be very vulnerable if it gets uptiered where enemies have APFSDS rounds and ATGMs that will go clean through your armour. Try to stay out of close quarters as it will be easier for tanks to take out your gun barrel or move to your sides.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Heavily-armoured tank, practically invincible if angled properly
* Capable of soaking a large amount of damage and very resilient to bombs and rockets
* Only vulnerable to large-calibre HE shells
* Turret sides are as strong as, if not stronger than, the front of the turret
* Access to smoke grenades
* Surprisingly good off-road manoeuvrability
* Makes decently fast turns in high gear movement or in neutral steering
* Very difficult to immobilize, due to extremely thick track skirts
* Powerful 128 mm cannon and rounds
* Secondary 75 mm coaxial cannon is surprisingly effective when using HEAT round
*

'''Cons:'''

* Very slow turret traverse and slothful reaction times
* Moves at a snails pace
* It is very bad at Close quarter combat because of it sluggishness
* Struggles on hilly terrain
* Requires good teamwork to perform adequately
* The sides of the Maus are littered with ammo racks
* Very loud engine, players will be able to locate the Maus just by the engine sounds
* Vulnerable at all ranges to modern rounds such as HEAT and sabot rounds
* Towing is practically impossible unless it is done by another Maus
* Large bombs will commonly cripple the Maus, or detonate its fuel tanks
* Optics have little zoom capability, making it difficult for hitting long range targets
* Big target for ATGMs
* No modern armour of any kind, relies completely on conventional armour plating
* Secondary 75 mm is hard to aim

== History ==

===Development===
This monster of a tank started development in 1942 on the suggestion of Ferdinand Porsche to Hitler, which was approved. The first prototype was to be completed by 1943 and the project vehicle was designated the ''Mammut'' (Mammoth). The name changed in December 1942 to ''Mäuschen'' (Little Mouse), then once more to the '''Maus''' (Mouse) in February 1943, which stayed as its designation (and perhaps proving that Germany does have a sense of humour).

The prototype used Ferdinand's "electric transmission" that was previously used on the rejected [[VK 45.01 (P)|Tiger(P)]], the vehicle would be powered by an MB 517 diesel engine. The Maus has a suspension design with 24 wheels on each side, 2 per bogie with two bogies side by side and six bogies lining up from front and back. The armour was perhaps the most defining feature at 220 mm thick at the hull front, the sides and rear were 190 mm thick. The turret was even thicker at 240 mm on the front and 200 mm on the sides and rear. The vehicle was to also have a 128 mm KwK44 main gun with a 75 mm KwK44 gun as a coaxial. The overwhelming design was approximated to weight 100 tons.

The production plan was to have the prototype completed by mid-1943 and for 10 vehicles per month after the prototype delivery. Work would be divided between Krupp and Alkett for the production of the machine. The wooden model of the tank was presented on May 1943 to Hitler. It was then approved for production and 150 of them were to be built. With the final design finished, it was estimated to weight 188 tons now. Though Hitler and his peers saw it with much favour, Heinz Guderian criticised the Maus design because there was a lack of machine guns, thus it was extremely vulnerable to infantry attacks at close-quarters for the same reason as the [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand tank destroyer]]. The anti-infantry problem was solved with the addition of a coaxial machine gun and a "Nahverteidigungswaffe" dischargers, firing smoke or high-explosive shells in its surrounding area, installed on the turret.

===Production and cancellation===
Two prototypes of the Maus were made in 1943 and 1944. The first one, called ''V1'' was turretless and assembled by Alkett in December 1943, it was fitted with a mock turret that helped finalise the turret design in 1944. Here they determine the Maus was definitely too heavy for any bridges in existence so the Maus would ford rivers with a snorkel. The second prototype called ''V2'' by Alkett again had the first produced Maus turret attached with the 128 mm gun, coaxial 75 mm gun, and coaxial machine gun. In July 1944, Krupp was producing four more hulls, but these were scrapped and the whole project stopped on August 1944, though tests with the ''V2'' continued. The weight of the tank meant that the power-to-weight ratio was extremely poor, resulting in the Maus' ideal speed of about 8 miles per hour maximum in ideal conditions.

However, the Maus was never fully produced because it was the only tank that ceased production because of a strategic bombing campaign that would ruin its production facilities. Adding to this, by 1944, the Red Army was advancing deeper and deeper into what was previously German-controlled territory. The vision that the Red Army might capture the testing grounds of the Maus prototypes and the prototypes themselves seem to come closer to reality. The Germans were forced to destroy the prototypes to prevent their capture by the Soviets, placing charges onto the ''V2'' prototype (the ''V1'' was only a hull so it wasn't combat-effective). The second prototype had the entire hull damaged as there was ammunition still in the tank when the charges went off, but the turret was mostly intact. The Soviets captured the damaged prototypes and held them until the end of the war. After World War II, the Soviet Commander of Armoured and Mechanized troops ordered for the V1 hull to be attached with the turret from the V2 prototype. They had to use six ''Sd.Kfz. 9'', the largest half-track vehicles produced by Germany, to move the 55-ton turret to the hull. The fixed prototype was sent back to the Soviet Union for testing and arrive on May 4, 1946. Once this is done, the prototype was sent to Kubinka Tank museum in Russia where it lays today on display for the public.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
An experimental super-heavy tank built in Germany towards the end of the war. The project was developed by Ferdinand Porsche.

The first tank was assembled at the Alkett factory in Berlin on August 1, 1943.

The first trial run of the Type 205/1 tank was conducted on December 24, 1943. The turret still wasn't ready, so a load equal to the weight of the turret was placed on top of the tank. The prototype turned out to be quite manoeuvrable once it was able to leave the assembly area, where it had been rather cramped. According to those who had the opportunity to drive the tank, the Maus was easier to drive than the Pz.Kpfw. IV.

In November, 1943 a 44 calibre, 128 mm KwK44 cannon was built that was intended for the tank. The cannon's designation was later changed to 12.8 cm KwK82. The weapon was tested at the Meppen training ground. The turret was installed on the 205/1 prototype on July 6, 1944, and on October 3, 1944 the armament was installed and the fully-outfitted tank was tested at the training ground in Kummersdorf.

Both prototypes were tested in Kummersdorf, but no reliable information on these tests is available. Whether or not experimental firing was conducted is also unknown.

Toward the end of the war, bodies and turrets had begun to be produced in addition to the prototypes that had been built.

As the Soviet troops were approaching in 1945 both prototypes were blown up. Soviet specialists were able to reconstruct one Maus from the wreckage. This rebuilt tank was delivered to the training ground in Kubinka in 1946, where various tests were performed.

The Panzerkampfwagen Maus can currently be viewed on display at the tank museum in Kubinka.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_pzkpfw_Maus Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Wallpaper MAUS 000012.jpg|thumb|none|300px|]] </li>
</ul></div>

;Videos

Gameplay/History:
{{Youtube-gallery|6ZtvfyAsmM4|'''The Shooting Range #68''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 09:31 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|B2woWvJK4ew|'''Top 7 most armoured vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:35 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ly9JS6errQQ|'''Best secondary armaments''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:14 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|x97HKmhCRsE|'''The Maus''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|Zs9_u_plcSw|'''The Maus Super-Heavy Tank''' - ''Simple History''}}
Review:
{{Youtube-gallery|_x9vub-xk9Y|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|SfMT-d6Kez4|'''Mighty Maus''' - ''TheDevildogGamer''}}

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/737/|[Devblog] Panzerkampfwagen VIII «Maus»]]
* <nowiki>[Historical]</nowiki> Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus", [[wt:en/news/2825-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-i-en|Part I]], [[wt:en/news/2831-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-ii-en|Part II]], and [[wt:en/news/2843/current/|Part III]]

{{Germany heavy tanks}}

M901

2022-11-10T16:49:40Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m901_itv
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} American tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]]. Based on the M113 chassis, this vehicle is equipped with the BGM-71C I-TOW ATGM missile launcher.

Upon release, M901 ITV was nicknamed Wall-E, after the Waste Allocation Load-Lifter: Earth-Class robot, the main protagonist of the 2008 Pixar's computer-animated science fiction film of the same name.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


[[File:M901 X-ray.png|thumb|x250px|right|Interior layout of the {{PAGENAME}} showing the location of ammo racks, crew and critical components.]]

The {{PAGENAME}} is based off the M113. It may look like a lightly armoured vehicle, but it features 44 mm of alloy 7039 on the sides and 38mm on the front. The front is angled to make frontal armour effective thickness to match the flat sides. Overall, This counts as about 21 mm of RHA. However, there is a hatch on front which is much about 40% thinner and make this effort rather fruitless, which is compensated by engine block being there to block some shots.

Overall, head-on this is only enough to stop 12.7 mm calibre machine gun fire from 600m away and if angled correctly able to stop some low-calibre SPAA's from penetrating the hull and '''any''' APHE of its rank will detonate upon hitting it. Keep in mind, that SPAA have high fire rate and you must park it at least 600 m away and at an angle, or they will still manage some partial penetrations. The 30-35 mm SPAA and light tanks will penetrate this tank indefinitely at almost any range.

The top is also quite strong with 38 mm of alloy, which is equivalent to about 18 mm RHA, which means hull might be able to sustain some inaccurate fighter strafe, but most of their 30 mm cannons or top-down attacks will still ruin the tank. If small Bombs or rockets miss, they might fail to penetrate, but armour will not save M901 when receiving a direct hit.

The crew, however, has excellent survivability when the vehicle is placed in a hull-down position. Two crew members, the loader and the commander, are located in the back part of the hull and there are no other critical components located there, so there is little reason to target them first. In the middle of the tank is the gunner operating the tower. Since the I-tow missile is launched from a launcher mounted on top of a tower, it is next to impossible to hit the tower base when hull-down and so the gunner is not exposed to direct fire. The driver is located at the front of the vehicle and is next to the engine block, which might block the shot.

Behind the engine block is the ammunition storage, if hit from the front with SPAA rounds or some types of conventional rounds, the engine block will eat up (absorb and protect the rest of the vehicle) most of the shots, however, if shot from the side or from the front with HEAT, pure AP, APDS and APFSDS rounds, this usually ends in disaster as it will go through the engine and cause an ammunition explosion or destroy a majority of the crew, knocking out the vehicle with a single shot.

When played from a hull-down position with only the launcher exposed, this vehicle is practically immune to kinetic damage, however, being hit with a chemical shell or ATGM into the turret might cause the ATGMs to explode and destroy the carrier. Crossing open areas may also result in taking a hit, thus losing an engine, a crew member or resulting in an ammo-rack explosion.

'''Armour type:'''

* Aluminum Alloy 5083 - Main
* Structural Steel - Front and Rear Fenders
* Rubber-Fabric Screens - Fenders/Sideskirts
* Gun Steel - Launcher

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38 mm (45°) ''Upper glacis'' 38 mm (26°) ''Lower glacis'' 29 mm (45°) ''Engine maintenance hatch'' || 44 mm ''Top''
32 mm ''Bottom''
| 38 mm || 38 mm
|-
| Turret
| colspan="4" | 10 mm ''Launcher'' 17 mm ''Launcher frame''
|-
| Cupola|| 20 mm || 20 mm || 20 mm || 16 mm
|-
|}

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=301|rbMinHp=188}}

The mobility of the {{PAGENAME}} is okay. The power-to-weight ratio is 17.45 HP/ton. The top speed for the {{PAGENAME}} is 64 km/h, though there are not many circumstances you will reach these speeds. Offroad, the {{PAGENAME}} will reach 20 km/h quite fast due to its high power-to-weight ratio and will reach its top speed of 38 km/h. In reverse it will easily reach -14 km/h, allowing you to get out of a bad situation.

This vehicle does not have neutral traverse, but still does turn quite fast.

However, the {{PAGENAME}} suffers in traversing hills with high angles such as getting up the west side of point "C" on the El Alamein map. This does limit the ability of this vehicle to get to good positions without being spotted and fired upon.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|BGM-71C I-TOW}}

The main weapon on the {{PAGENAME}} is the BGM-71C I-TOW ATGM. It has up to 630 mm of penetration at 0 degrees at any distance since it carries a HEAT warhead. The post penetration of this missile is not amazing and in some circumstances, a follow-up missile may be needed. The missile is a second-generation ATGM so it is mouse controlled. It travels at a speed of 296 m/s. Due to the fuse sensitivity of 0.01 mm, any bush, fence or object in the way will trigger the missile into detonation and the lack of a machine gun means that these obstacles will become quite a nuisance.

The turret can angle down 30 degrees, which means it can fire down from almost any mountain or fire horizontally even when standing on a steep cliff. It also does not have an arming distance, therefore it an fire at tanks even in an immediate surroundings.

The vehicle is trying to put the launcher on the pad whenever it is moving, however, it is still possible to keep it unfolded by moving short distances at a time and stopping between them. Keep in mind that the vehicle will attempt to stow the launcher even when pushed by the enemy, making it impossible to shoot back, therefore all care should be taken to avoid such situations.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BGM-71C I-TOW]] ATGM || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 10 (2 preloaded in launcher) || rowspan="2" | -30°/+35° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 46.62 || 46.62 || 56.61 || 62.60 || 66.60 || rowspan="2" | 13.00 || rowspan="2" | 11.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.60 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 31.50 || 31.50 || 38.25 || 42.30 || 45.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
BGM-71C I-TOW ATGM is a relatively potent missile, having above average penetration values and an excellent flight velocity. Its close Soviet counterpart, [[IT-1]], has {{#expr: (1-(500 / 630)) * 100 round 0}}% lower penetration and {{#expr: (1-(224 / 296)) * 100 round 0}}% lower velocity, on the other hand [[RakJPz 2 (HOT)]] has {{#expr: abs((1-(800 / 630)) * 100) round 0}}% higher penetration, but {{#expr: (1-(240 / 296)) * 100 round 0}}% lower velocity.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| I-TOW || ATGM || 630 || 630 || 630 || 630 || 630 || 630
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Range (m)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| I-TOW || ATGM || 296 || 3,750 || 19.05 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 2,720 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''5''' || 4 ''(+1)'' || 3 ''(+2)'' || 2 ''(+3)'' || 1 ''(+4)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note:'''

* The ammo counter when full will appears as 2/4, and so pre-match ammo selection will show as 5/5. It's due to the fact that a single ammunition load represents 2 missiles, with the first 2 loaded into the launcher at the start of the match.

== Usage in battles ==


;Hull down

In a battle, this vehicle is best played hull-down, preferably behind a rock so that rounds won't dip and hit the main chassis, if this is not possible, try to find a ridge to hide behind or a depression in the terrain. Since your launcher is the only thing exposed, expect for your launcher to get hit and receive a 10-second repair. (Note for stock vehicles, you will still be able to fire). Some players will be smarter and will shoot HESH rounds at you, the splash damage could be enough to knock out the crew. Since you only have 12 missiles (2 in the launcher, 10 stowed away) you will have to be patient and skilled at using this missile. If in the right hands, it is incredibly strong and can hold an important spot and single handily deny the enemy any chance of taking an area. This will reward you a large number of targets destroyed as well as gaining a large number of points from people shooting at you launcher.

However, there is a couple of issues. The launcher can only be deployed when stationary and has a deployment time before you are able to train the gun sights on the target and open fire. The reload also requires the launcher to traverse to the rear of the vehicle and further lengthening the reload. one way to combat this is to have the rear end of the vehicle to the target, therefore reducing the time taken to traverse the launcher back to the firing position.

;SPAA duty

Apart from shooting at tanks, the ATGM can also be used on helicopters as there is no drop on ATGMs. If playing hull down, it might also be quite hard for helicopters to spot you, therefore making it a potent weapon against an enemy helicopter. Planes will be harder to hit as they will be moving at a faster speed.

'''Urban combat'''

The M901 does not fare too well in urban combat - due to the speed of the ATGM it is quite hard to readjust the missile direction in case of a miss and having to stop to fire the ATGM will result in an unpleasant experience. However, if you are forced to take this vehicle out in an urban environment, the best strategy will be to follow your teammates, hide behind cover and wait for your teammates to bait the enemy out.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* [[M113A1 (TOW)]]: this is a similar vehicle based on the M113 hull, with a much slimmer TOW launcher. The launcher only has 90 degrees horizontal rotation and 20 degrees gun depression meaning it adapts terrains slightly worse than the M901. Also, its launcher has a very small profile meaning it is harder to spot so you must deal with the M113A1 (TOW) carefully. However, its gunner is fully exposed and is prone to being knocked out or detonating chemical shells. In a battle, your M901 and the M113A1 (TOW) might be at similar spots which is kind of a sniper vs sniper scenario. Try to spot it first and fire at the gunner/launcher. Its gunner/launcher will detonate your missile and cause overpressure damage, killing all the crew. But watch out for its 12.7 mm MG, it might damage your launcher or penetrate the hull in some cases.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* I-TOW ATGMs have good penetration
* Launcher holds two missiles, which allows for a quick follow-up attack if the first missile misses or fails to completely destroy the target
* Has the best launcher depression of all horizontal ATGM launchers in the game at -30 degrees
* The missile launcher is very tall, and combined with its amazing depression of -30 degrees, it can allow for players to abuse terrain features to go completely hull-down and reduce their chance of being spotted at range
* Has access to 1st generation thermal sights that allow you to increase your situational awareness and spotting ability once unlocked
* Access to two salvos of smoke grenades

'''Cons:'''

* Very thin overall armour that can be penetrated by even heavy machine guns
* The missile launcher is very tall and does not fully retract when hull-down, which can lead to situations where it is easily destroyed and must be repaired, or worse, you get ammo-racked while reloading your missiles by players with good aim or luck
* While the vehicle is traveling, the launcher is retracted and will be stowed away facing backwards and will take about 4 seconds for it to deploy and face the hull front, which means any vehicle that catches the M901 while it is relocating can dispatch it with ease
* The launcher only reloads after the second missile has registered a hit
* The gun sight is located in the launcher, so when the launcher is reloading, it moves together with it and forces the operator to switch over to the binoculars to scan their surroundings
* A shot to the missile launcher will cause ammo detonation even with small arms fire

== History ==

[[File:M901 TOW missile vehicle (1985).jpg|thumb|right|M901 in Germany during the Reforger "Central Guardian" 1985 exercise]]
M901 ITV (Improved TOW Vehicle) is a variant of the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier introduced in 1979 as a highly mobile tank destroyer that could engage not only armoured targets but also fortifications while offering maximum protection for the crew. The vehicle could be transported by air, parachute-dropped and ford water up to 1 m deep with no preparation. Last vehicle of the series was produced in 1998, totaling 3,315 units built over the years.

It's called "improved" due to being an upgrade over the [[M113A1 (TOW)|M113A1 with TOW launcher mounted]] instead of the standard [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|M2 Browning]] for the chassis. Its SEI 901 TUA launcher was capable of rapid deployment, could accurately hit targets with the first missile and fire the second one as soon as the first impacted the target. It was reloaded manually within 40 seconds. That said though, it had to be stowed when moving above 8 km/h (5 mph) to avoid damage to the launcher. As a secondary weapon M901 carried [[M60D (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M60 machine gun]] operated by the gunner. A total of 10 missiles and 2,000 machine gun rounds were stored.

A number of variants of the M901 existed, notably:

* M901 - equipped with first-generation TOW missiles, M113A1 chassis (in-game variant)
* M901A1 - equipped with TOW 2, M113A2 chassis
* M901A3 - equipped with TOW 2, M113A3 chassis

The in-game launcher uses the BGM-71C I-TOW missiles, which were the most advanced missiles available on the M901, featuring an increased range and an improved shape-charge warhead. The missile could be fired at targets up to 3,750 m away, with an arming distance of 65 m. Missile's average speed at the maximum range was 187.5 m/s.

Currently, the largest operators of the M901 ITV are Saudi Arabia (335 units), Greece (320) and Egypt (262), a total of 1313 units remains in operation between 10 countries.

{{Clear|right}}
[[File:M901 details.png|800px|center|thumb|Details of the M901 ITV in the A3 variant]]

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m901_itv Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|qoZv-sA80aI|'''Squadron Vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 00:38 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|4_cJ1CpEatw|'''Best gun depression''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:42 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[M113 (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=106 [Military Factory<nowiki>]</nowiki> M901 ITV (Improved TOW Vehicle)]

{{TankManufacturer Emerson Electric Company}}
{{USA tank destroyers}}
{{Squadron ground vehicles}}

[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

KV-2 (1939)

2022-11-10T15:38:21Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = Soviet heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = KV-2 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_kv_2_1939
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. One of the most infamous tanks in the Soviet tree, the KV-2 introduces the concept of heavy-calibre armaments that will trend on other Soviet heavy tanks.

The KV-2 is a modification of the KV-1 that mounted a [[M-10T (152 mm)|M-10T (152mm) howitzer]] in order to provide support to infantry against fortified positions. The large and extremely heavy turret, necessary to mount the 152 mm howitzer, results in a slow traverse time. Its gun is an effective breach weapon, designed against fortifications. Despite this usage, very few were made, with the majority being lost due to breakdowns and not German attackers because none of their tanks at that time could penetrate the thick armour. The KV-2 would have been more effective if the Red Army was attacking and not defending because then they would have needed more bunker destroyers.

The KV-2 is a behemoth of a tank, which players feared due to the devastating punch of its 152 mm round and its distinctive and intimidating profile. However, these traits also serve as the tank's weaknesses. The KV-2 can be an effective force on the battlefield, and is well-loved by the community, being christened with numerous nicknames, usually in reference to its abnormally large armament calibre, large profile, or its iconic and legendary status in the Soviet tech tree. The KV-2 has also been given the title '''''"The King Of Derp"''''' by the fanbase.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (31°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 25 mm (7-71°) ''Joint plate'' 75 mm (26-51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (13-89°) ''Top'' 70 mm (14-57°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 75 mm (15-16°) ''Front turret'' 90 mm (10-20°) ''Gun mantlet'' 90 mm (1-54°) ''Gun mantlet shield'' || 75 mm || 75 mm || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* With its straight angles the KV-2 can easily be angled in the diamond direction (30°). Improving the line of sight thickness of the chassis to 100 mm frontally and 130 mm on the side. The turret achieves at 30° up to 90 mm of steel, however, the turret ring remains a weak point on all angles. Although since the introduction of volumetric shells this has been made less of a problem

[[File:Armour KV-2 badly angled.png|left|thumbnail|x250px|A surprised and unangled KV-2 with line-of-sight armour thickness. Even in this state the [[KwK40 L43 (75 mm)|KwK40 L43]] ([[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV]]) will have problems penetrating at ranges >500 m]]

The normal role of a heavy tank is to bring armour and firepower to support the lighter, faster tanks to hold strategic points they have captured. However, the massive profile of the KV-2 heavy tank and the majority of flat 75 mm armour means that even with proper angling and cover, the KV-2 will be unable to hold points for long. The KV-2 easily identified by even the least experienced players and as soon as it fires one round, it will be out-manoeuvred on and forced to retreat or be violently removed. Additionally, artillery and aircraft will often force the KV-2 out of positions if not outright destroy it due to the KV's abysmal speed and massive size. Lastly, the KV-2 has no machine gun to deal with air or lightly armoured targets, meaning once the howitzer fires, that is it for around 30 seconds. Even most anti-air vehicles can effortlessly overrun and destroy the KV-2 if it is over-extended or alone. Couple that with this tank's inability to provide effective long range support and players will have a difficult time finding their niche with this vehicle.

The large turret housing the 152 mm howitzer is a huge target on the KV-2, a more enticing target than the hull. The profile makes concealing the tall, heavy tank difficult, while the turret armour is relatively poor all-around at 75 mm. Not to mention that there will always be ammunition inside the turret, so a penetrating APHE shot has a very high chance of detonating one of these rounds. At its battle rating, most enemy tanks have the capability of penetrating and eliminating the KV-2 through the turret, not to mention even some of the lower rank ones have powerful enough guns to deal with the armour.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=775|rbMinHp=531}}

The {{PAGENAME}} is incredibly sluggish in speed and manoeuvrability. The original KV-1 is already slow as is, but the KV-2 added a huge and heavy turret that increased the total weight from ~46 tons to ~52 tons. Top speed for the vehicle on flat ground is only about 34 km/h, and accelerating is very slow to get the tank up to this speed. Unless moving forwards at a certain gear, the {{PAGENAME}} is also very hard to turn on even ground.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

"Parts" and "FPE" should be the first targets for unlocking. While the mobility of the KV-2 is quite bad, the turret traverse and accuracy is worse. Thus "Horizontal Drive", "Adjustment of Fire" and "Elevation Mechanism" should be prioritized after the first set of upgrades. The "PB-35" shell unlock can be ignored as it is only a marginal upgrade compared with the GF-530 stock shell.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|M-10T (152 mm)}}

The 152 mm gun is perhaps the most iconic weapon in the Soviet tree. Shells that penetrate will almost always destroy the enemy and even those that fail to do so will still typically do some damage or even destroy the target thanks to the huge amount of explosives in all 3 available shells. A large calibre gun coupled with the heavy turret sadly produces a slow gun traverse (both horizontally and vertically) to get the gun onto a target and very long reload times. The turret also presents a narrow gun depression and elevation range (-5° and 12° respectively), even though limited depression is something common among soviet tanks and you rarely need more elevation.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M-10T (152 mm)|152 mm M-10T]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 36 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+12° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 4.85 || 6.72 || 8.20 || 9.00 || 9.60 || rowspan="2" | 43.29 || rowspan="2" | 38.30 || rowspan="2" | 35.30 || rowspan="2" | 33.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.57 || 4.20 || 5.10 || 5.64 || 6.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''G-530''' (AC) - The "Anti-Concrete" round has below average but bearable velocity with enough penetration for most tanks up to BR 5.0 ([[Churchill VII]] being one of the few exceptions), but the massive size can struggle to go through small weak spots such as the bow machine gun of the [[M4 Sherman (Family)|M4 Sherman]]. With over 5 kg of TNT equivalent of HE filler, it will one shot enemies whenever it enters the crew compartment of the enemy vehicle. Even when it doesn't penetrate the enemy's armour, it can still send fragments through thin plates nearby and knock out crew/damage components like a large HE shell. Its armour piercing qualities and much lower fuse sensitivity than HE shells sometimes makes it better than HE since it can go through tracks and side skirts then explode closer to the main armour.

* '''OF-530''' (HE) - High-explosive shell that can destroy pretty much any tank in the game if you know where to shoot. The high explosive mass of the shell inflicts devastating damage to tanks with the overpressure mechanic, provided you target a spot where the armour is thin. The roof of the hull is a good spot, as the explosion will knock out the crew with the blast when going through the roof plate.

* '''PB-35''' (APCBC) - The APCBC shell has the same penetration as AC shell at point-blank range, but loses less of it over range. It's also less prone to ricochets. These are the only pros it has, further undermined by reduced shell velocity which makes the KV-2 even less suitable for long range engagements (800+ m). At the same time its explosive filler is also less potent than AC shell, which means it's less effective as a do-it-all shell.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| G-530 || AC || 95 || 94 || 89 || 83 || 78 || 73
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 95 || 94 || 90 || 86 || 81 || 77
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| G-530 || AC || 530 || 40.00 || 1.2 || 19.0 || 5,100 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 530 || 40.00 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 5,830 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 436 || 51.06 || 1.2 || 19.0 || 4,850 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo type
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''36''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 25 ''(+11)'' 29 ''(+7)'' || 13 ''(+23)'' 15 ''(+21)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' 1 ''(+35)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* The {{PAGENAME}} uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant bags (orange). Both have separate racks.
* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.

== Usage in battles ==


The old peek-a-boom tactics, and staying behind others is still the best method for employing this "heavy tank". Roll forward, take the shot, and then pull back for the over half-minute reload time, and then repeat. Close range brawling is a bad idea due to certain characteristics on the tank. Make sure to plan the route ahead of time make sure to avoid large distances in the open, this is a slow moving tank with a large profile making it an easy target for long barreled guns. It is recommended to have a work with a squad mate or other friendly tanks to cover the KV-2 during the reloading phase.

Most tanks with a high-velocity cannon can cripple the KV-2 through the turret. As such, pretty much all tanks at its battle rating should be taken account of. Rely on always getting the first shot off, else the enemy tank is more than likely to destroy the KV-2. Another type of vehicles to worry about are the very small tanks like the [[M22|M22 ''Locust'']] and the [[ASU-57]] as these can get right under the tank's gun depression and fire away at weak points with little risk of return fire by the KV-2.

===Arcade battles===
In '''Arcade''', the target lead indicator make the slow, but long-range penetrating PB-35 APCBC a destructive force to be afraid of since ranging is a lot easier for the low-velocity shells. Always conduct attacks via "Peek-a-boo" tactic in that stay behind cover while searching for targets, then pop out when a target presents itself to fire before returning back to cover to reload.

One must be conscious and use the map terrain to their advantage. On more open maps like [[Karelia]] and [[Carpathians]], the KV-2's speed and low velocity will make traversing the battlefield while sniping long-range targets difficult. However, one could hang back and snipe unsuspecting and immobile targets, while at the range most return fire would more than likely bounce off the armour. However, be wary of more penetrating guns like the 75 mm on the [[Panther D|Panther]] and the 76 mm on the [[M4A3 (76) W|M4 Shermans]] that easily piece the front turret armour.

Smaller maps benefit the KV-2 in that the low shell velocities are no longer a big detriment to the combat ability, plus it could make the most of the initial penetration values in close-range battles. However, enemy tanks in close-range will also have an easier time penetrating the KV-2 front armour, or flanking around while reloading the gun thanks to engine power increase. In these cases, situational awareness and friendly support is the key to victory and ''survival'' of the KV-2 in the smaller maps.

===Realistic/Simulator battle===
Realistic and Simulator modes are taxing for the KV-2 as the removal of the target lead indicator can make long-range fighting with the 152 mm a chore.

The most important thing in these game modes, due to the lack of target markers, is the vision. The binoculars are the greatest assets. Keep the turret in a well-angled position while scouting for targets with the binoculars or normal eyesight.

Since the usual fighting ranges exceed 600 m, getting hits without aim assist with the howitzer are rare. Though close-range fighting can fix this, the close-quarters battle is not a tactic the KV-2 should indulge in alone without supporting teammates to cover for the tank in case of flankers. Due to long reloads, rangefinding should be priority whenever the distance is not clear in order to not waste the first shot. If the target is beyond rangefinding range, a tip is to utilize the OF-530 HE shell in the first shot, with spare G-530 anti-concrete rounds for the follow-up. These two rounds share the same ballistics, so the HE shell can be fired first to gauge the distance. If it lands close to the enemy and hits, chances are it will either destroy it or cripple its mobility, plus the impact of the explosion will alert teammates of the presence of an enemy tank at the area of firing. If the enemy tank still remains after the OF-530 shell, the next loading G-530 AC shell can follow through the same ballistic path and destroy the enemy via a penetration.

===Counter-tactics===
'''Getting close''': Probably the most difficult part, if spotted a 40 kg shell will soon be on its way to ruin someone's day. Thus sneaking up, or attacking, from outside the KV-2's field of view is advised. Of course, after the KV-2 has fired, a window of opportunity and hope will open up. With moving up and aiming two shots can be placed on the moving Soviet tower tank. An attack route from the side or rear is preferable, not only is it a blind spot, but the turret traverse is so awful on the KV-2 that it will not have the time to react fast enough. Just make sure to hit, or the tank will be alerted and counter-attack.

'''Shooting''': Targets should be the gunner (right side) to stop the loading process and the loader to increase loading time to up to one and a half minutes. If shooting APHE shells, two penetrating hits will often take out the gun breech as well, stopping the reload and the ability to return fire entirely. The easiest way of performing these hits is via the turret ring, although a harder task since the implementation of volumetric shells, which will always not be angled at certain parts from the front. If APHE shells hit below the side hull, it will possibly detonate the main storage of ammunition, resulting in a single-shot destruction. If that is not the case the gunner, commander, cannon breech, loader, and ammunition and turret ring will be damaged or wounded.

Shooting a KV-2 from the side is much easier, just one massive turret reaching into the sky. But do not shoot anywhere! The tracks will often eat shots and most KV-2 drivers are by now smart enough to not fully load up their KV-2, leaving the rear turret empty of shells.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Huge howitzer, dealing high damage with incredible force that will almost always knock out enemies with a single shot
* Fear factor, the sight and sound of this behemoth and its gun tends to send smaller tanks fleeing in terror
* Has one of the best HE rounds in the game
* The new overpressure mechanic has made it so the KV-2 can kill pretty much anything with a turret shot
* Able to destroy higher rank tanks
* Has the hull armour of the KV-1 which will stop most Pz.III and Pre-[[T-34-57]] shots
* Large crew count means it is unlikely to be knocked out with a single shot unless the ammo racks explode
* It has stalinium, no more needs to be said
* Turret has tendency to bounce shells

'''Cons:'''

* Long reload, resulting in difficult 1-on-1 fights since missing gives the enemy an opportunity to counter
* Slow rotation speed of the turret means that flank attacks are difficult to respond to
* If more than 19 rounds loaded, the ammo fills the weak spot ammo racks in the sides of the turret
* The KV-2 has terrible gun depression
* Tall turret is very vulnerable from the side and difficult to hide
* Driver's viewport is a juicy weak spot, easily exploitable by experienced players
* Has a tendency, although a rare but dreaded occurrence, to overshoot targets at close range when using the sights
* Large silhouette

== History ==

===Development===
The start of the KV heavy tanks began after the heavy tank [[T-35]] flaws came to light. Designers were ordered to draw up new designs to become the basis of a breakthrough heavy tank needed for the Soviet doctrine. This made for a tank that was heavily armoured, but not very mobile as it was to be for siege warfare. The designs offered all had heavy armour, wide tracks, and used the torsion-bar suspension. The designs were the [[SMK]], T-100, and what would be the '''KV-1 tank''', which was named after the then Soviet Defense Commissar '''K'''liment '''V'''oroshilov.

During the developmental progress, the prototypes of all these heavy tanks were made and the Winter War with Finland was on its way. The Soviets sent these tanks into Finland for combat testing, to which the KV design outperformed in every way with its superior armour and firepower. The armour on the KV tank was impenetrable by a tank cannon in service and most anti-tank guns as well, the 76,2 cannon also gave it a huge firepower boost compared to the usual 37 mm in use by other countries. However, the design was found to be difficult to steer, the transmission was unreliable, ergonomics was poor and vision was limited, plus with its 45-ton weight, it was a very heavy tank for its time. In truth, while formidable in power and protection, courageous crew member willing to curse the name would speak out about the trouble the KV tank really was. The main variant of production before World War II broke out was the '''[[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]]''' model.

===KV-2===
Despite its superiority on the battlefield, some observed that the KV-1's armament was not enough to destroy some of the Finnish fortifications that they encountered. For this, a request to mount a 152 mm howitzer on the KV-1 was made and resulted in the '''KV-2''' with its extremely large turret and an increased weight of 52 tons. The KV-2 suffered from a very high profile, low speed, and was to turret heavy. Compared to the KV-1 height of about 9 feet, the KV-2 was at 11 feet tall. The increased weight of the tank slowed it down drastically, and the very heavy turret mixed with a low-powered traverse speed meant that the KV-2 can only traverse on level ground, as a slope would cause the turret to start turning with gravity. The combat ineffectiveness and flaws of the KV-2 came to light and was only put on limited production due to them, resulting in only about 334 units being produced from 1939 to 1941.

===Combat usage===
During the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa, the KV tanks came as a huge surprise from the Germans as they had no prior intel about these tanks, resulting in a lack of capable anti-tank weaponry that could destroy these tanks, aside from 88 mm FlaK guns. The KV-2 served alongside the KV-1 in stalling the German Offensive to Moscow. During the Battle of Raseiniai, in Lithuania, a single KV-2 was able to hold up the entire 6th Panzer Division for a full day by firing at them from a concealed location before it ran out of ammunition, ending with about two dozen tanks destroyed.

Due to the low quantity of KV-2 produced, they didn't see much service past the opening stages of the war due to loss from attrition or mechanical failures, however, 10 were still in service with the Voronezh Front on 4 July 1943 for the battle of Kursk. These were transferred to the 3rd Mech Corps on 9 July, and by 18 July only 1 was left serviceable - 5 were destroyed on 12 July, and 4 are recorded as being in repair from 13 July. <ref name="3rdMechKursk">[http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA360311 <nowiki>[DTIC.ORG] KURSK OPERATION SIMULATION AND VALIDATION EXERCISE - PHASE II (KOSAVE II) (PDF)</nowiki>]</ref>

===Survivors===
Only one KV-2 is left intact as a survivor of the war, it is housed at the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow.

=== In-game description ===
This tank came into service in the Red Army in 1940 and was an assault tank intended to be used to overcome long-term defensive positions. The KV-2 was armed with a powerful 152 mm M-10 cannon installed in its tall armoured rotating turret. This weapon was shot with separately loaded shells, so its combat rate of fire was not high. The howitzer had relatively good characteristics. Its armour-piercing 52 kg round with a 436 m/s muzzle velocity penetrated a 72 mm thick armour plate at a distance of 1,500 m at a 60° angle. For firing on concrete fortifications, it possessed a 40 kg concrete-piercing shell with a 530 m/s muzzle velocity. All these vehicles were equipped with a 71-TK-3 radio set. The vehicle was armed with three additional 7.62 mm DT tank machine guns. One was paired with the howitzer, the second mounted in the rear turret wall, and the third mounted as a bow gun in the underturret box's frontal plate to the driver's left.

By 1941, 330 of these tanks had been produced in total, and production ceased at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

In mid-February 1940, several of these heavy tanks were put to the test during the breaking of the Mannerheim Line. They broke through stone fortifications and destroyed pillboxes at close range, allowing infantry divisions to pass through areas previously closed to them. Furthermore, its strong armour could survive heavy fire from the enemy's anti-tank artillery. In the first years of the war, the KV-2 was practically invulnerable to all forms of anti-tank artillery. A number of captured vehicles of this type were used by German troops.

The tank had some serious flaws. Its mobility on the move and in combat was seriously limited by its high weight and issues with its clutch and transmission. When the vehicle was at a slight tilt, the turret became extremely difficult to turn. Its ammunition complement for its main gun amounted to only 38 shells.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_kv_2_1939 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|XTSIvLEsV6c|'''The KV Family''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel'' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 04:53|Lps-iu_n_8o|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|ezJ7MKKcR3c|'''The Tower of Stalin''' by ''BaronVonGamez''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[KV-1 (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[SU-152]]
* [[Brummbar|Brummbär]]
* [[Lorraine 155 Mle.50]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Kliment_Voroshilov_tank#KV-2|[Wikipedia] Kliment Voroshilov tank - KV-2]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_KV-2.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> KV-2]
* [http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=210 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> KV-2 (Klimenti Voroshilov)]

=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer Kirov}}
{{USSR heavy tanks}}

Churchill VII

2022-11-10T15:34:07Z

U108186769: Pros

{{About
| about = British heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Churchill (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_a_22f_mk_7_churchill_1944
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}_AddArmour.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png|ArtImage2_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]] along with the rest of the initial British Ground Forces Tree. A lumbering beast made of pure steel, the Churchill Mk VII is the epitome of a "walking giant" which you do not want to have staring down at you. With 152 mm of armour, it is one of the most heavily protected tanks in Rank III, even if its firepower seems pitiful for such a tank.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Machine gun port, Driver's hatch, Turret)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 152 mm (1°) ''Front plate'' 57.15 mm (66-67°) ''Front glacis'' 139 mm (24°) ''Lower glacis'' 102 mm ''Machine gun port'' || 95 mm || 50.8 mm (1°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm (64°) ''Bottom'' || 15.875 mm
|-
| Turret || 152 mm (1-20°) ''Turret front'' 152 mm (1-54°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 95.25 mm || 95.25 mm (0-1°) || 20 mm
|-
| Cupola || 152 mm || 152 mm || 152 mm || 20 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.

If you are using vehicle below 4.7 BR do not attempt to fire at the Churchill Mk VII at the front (unless you have a very high penetration shell for your cannon). There is no benefit of attempting to penetrate the Churchill Mk VII from its front without aiming for thinner sides or weak points, that 152 mm of armour will chew up shells like nothing. The saving grace is that the Churchill has a gun that belongs to Rank II and low top speed, so it is possible to outmanoeuvre it in the terrain. Flank the tank to get a good shot on its weak side armour. Eliminate the turret crew to immobilise their firepower, then move in for the easy points.

Side armour of the hull and turret's sides and flat parts of frontal armour are the most significant weaknesses on the Churchill, as their effective thickness is much lower. It is also technically possible to penetrate the roof if an enemy tank's profile is high enough. The turret is entirely bare, and a hit could disable the entire turret crew, losing half of your total crew. For this reason, Churchill VII needs armour and smoke upgrades as soon as possible.

A hit in the hull is a hit or miss, but it seems that a hit there is also likely to hit your tracks and suspensions, which would mitigate the round if it caught it. The rear of the vehicle is also vulnerable, but if an enemy can come around and smack the Churchill from behind, even with all the allies and smoke screens around, it probably wasn't your day anyway.

As with other Churchill tanks, a single rocket to the engine deck is often fatal for this tank due to the irremovable ammo racks.

It is also worth noting that installing additional track armour makes ammo rack weak spots extremely obvious for people who know about it, although anything below SPG grade cannon will likely fail to penetrate until the track gets destroyed by concentrated fire. However, the tracks are a must-have to bolster frontal hull and side turret armour, so this upgrade should be used regardless for their benefits.

The long leading tracks often glitch out and fail to stop a shell which hits them from the front at flat angle, so it is entirely possible to get knocked out with a single shot through them even by an [[AMX-13 (FL11)]]. This is surprisingly common, especially in AB, and so correct angling is always effective.

For all these reasons, Churchill VII must always drive at an angle and slightly turn away its turret from opponents after shot, and in Arcade mode it must always smoke up the battlefield, whether their teammates will be mad or not. Angling vehicle makes Churchill VII nearly invulnerable to vehicles below battle rating 5.0, while smoke screens blind opponents and make firing at weak spots and judging attack angle near to impossible, which prolongs tank's life significantly. To reduce amount of teammate's frustration generated by spamming smokes, you'll have to try to land them in such way, that teammates can still see something from the sides, but effectively disabling aim assist and direct sight between you and your enemy.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 452|rbMinHp= 310|AoAweight= 0.5}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|OQF Mk.V (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[OQF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm OQF Mk.V]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 84 || rowspan="2" | -12°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 19.42 || 26.88 || 32.64 || 36.10 || 38.40 || rowspan="2" | 6.50 || rowspan="2" | 5.75 || rowspan="2" | 5.30 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.40 || 22.56 || 24.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 91 || 88 || 78 || 67 || 57 || 49
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 103 || 100 || 89 || 77 || 66 || 57
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 619 || 6.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 618 || 6.53 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 463 || 6.3 || 0 || 0.1 || 666 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| M89 || 259 || 3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_ChurchillMkVII.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''84''' || 68 ''(+16)'' || 51 ''(+33)'' || 34 ''(+50)'' || 17 ''(+67)'' || 1 ''(+83)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 68 ''(+16)'' shells

==== Optics ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x3 || x6
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[VFW]]
|-
|}

The first tank in Heavy Tank British tech line to have X6 scope. It will not get any better than this until rank VI, so get used to it - it will be the same across entire tech tree for a while with SPAA being the only exception.

At rank III, this scope is slightly or moderately superior to most medium and heavy tanks, but do not expect to outrange German SPG as they have same optics or even better.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 9,450 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Churchill Mk VII is a slow and manoeuvrable turtle, you're not going to break any speed records, but rest assured that if the frontal armour is facing toward the enemy, most of their shells are not able to penetrate the front of the hull and turret at your BR and below. In an uptier, you really should avoid enemy SPGs and to be careful with medium tanks, as they can destroy or fatally cripple the tank, even when you are angled.

The 75 mm gun may not be able to easily take on some of the tanks you may encounter at the rank, but with the high degree of protection, you can leisurely take your time picking out the weaknesses of your enemy to deal precise blow as you hear their rounds bounce off of your frontal armour. With the best ammunition, you can defeat or annoy even other heavy tanks without having to drive close to them. If enemy team is using open topped SPGs like [[M36 GMC]], [[Pvkv m/43 (1946)]], [[8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.]], [[Pvkv II]] and such, start firing HE - the main gun can fire as often as each 5 seconds and HE can destroy any of them in one hit almost anywhere regardless of range via overpressure, while they do not expect you to deal any at all, meaning that ironically the weakest gun around can be the strongest if underestimated enough.

If nothing else, the Churchill VII can take a lot of smoke shells and make its opponent's life much worse, by driving up to capture points and smoking down snipers and passages, then proceed to blind fire at those unfortunate enough to be close to it. No matter what, do not let the enemy land a straight shot at you. In downtier, they may struggle with you for a long time even if you got surrounded.

When encountering enemies in close quarters, different considerations are to be made depending on the type of tank and what they bring to the battlefield. Don't stay in the same spot for too long, keep moving and "hull-dancing" to make it harder for your enemies to shoot at a weak spot such as the MG port or the thin roof armour. Beware of enemies trying to flank and shoot at your sides. It is recommended to research the "Add-on armour" modification as soon as possible. You can also resort to a lesser extent to sidescraping and angling.

'''Germany'''

German tanks always pose a threat. Almost every German tank you'll face is armed with the long barrel 75 mm gun, which can penetrate the Churchill Mk VII from the front with the APCR shot (unangled). Even worse, you may face dedicated SPGs such as the Dicker Max with its 105 mm gun. When using Pzgr.rot it will be deadly and will slice through your armour. Also, the Panzer IV/70(V)/(A) a terrifying threat. They carry the same gun as the Panther and will be able to penetrate you under 1,000 m easily. Luckily, common German tanks like the Panzer IV can be easily penetrated by your 75 mm gun. The same cannot be said for their tank destroyers: the Jagdpanzer 38(t), Jagdpanzer IV and the Panzer IV/70(V) or (A). They have thick, sloped armour and will easily bounce your hits. The Panther A, D and G have stock rounds that can penetrate up to 192 mm of armour, enough to take you out. It is recommended to rally and team up with other tanks that have better firepower while you soak up the damage. As for Tiger Is, it can penetrate you at point blank range but you won't be penetrating any Tiger beyond 100 metres.

'''USSR'''

Soviet tanks can be tough enemies to take on. Tanks in the T-34 line have sloped armour and are highly mobile. Early models with the 76 mm gun will not be able to penetrate you. They will try to go around the sides and to your rear. The T-34-85 is more of a threat, but even the 85 mm gun will not be able to penetrate your frontal armour unless aimed at your machine gun port. The SU-85 is less of a threat with slightly less mobility and no turret. The thing about the Soviets is that they love their big guns, in particular, the KV-2 and the SU-152 with their massive 152 mm howitzers. Their HE shells alone will prove devastating to the Churchill, which has very thin top armour. Expect your game to very suddenly end when you come across either of these vehicles.

The Soviets also have very useful heavy tanks. You can come upon some slightly awkward stalemates when facing vehicles like the KV-1 ZiS-5. You will struggle to penetrate their armour, and they will fight to penetrate yours. Stalemates are a common situation with Churchill Mk VII. It is important to have back up so that you can soak up damage for your teammates with more powerful guns, and to protect you from being overwhelmed if the KV brought more tanks to flank you. You may also encounter IS-1s which you will struggle to deal with. Soviet tanks are frustrating to deal with. Their armour is sloped, and you will often have to aim for weak spots with your 75 mm gun. If the armour is not sloped, it is usually too thick to penetrate. This is easier said than done in some circumstances.

Special notes for the [[IS-2 (Family)|IS-2]]: it carries a very deadly cannon that can knock out literally anything with a single shot, including the Black Prince. Its 122 mm gun can easily go through your frontal hull and turret, subsequently knocking out everyone inside. The best way to avoid that is to angle your hull so that your long, large tracks cover up the frontal hull, exposing your angled side and luring the IS-2 into firing at your side armour. The side armour of the Black Prince resembles the Churchills' which are quite complex, with some weird internal structures soaking up lots of shells, increasing your survivability. Against an IS-2 1943, aim at the hull armour that curves and blends into the side, or the turret cheeks. Its crew are closely packed and even the British solid shells can knock them all out at once. Against a 1944 model, only shoot at its turret as the hull is quite strong.

'''Japan'''

As a whole, Japanese tanks are easier to deal with. Their armour is quite thin and usually quite easy to penetrate. Tanks to note are the Chi-To and Chi-Ri II. They can penetrate 155 mm of armour at 100 m, which is just enough to get through your frontal armour. The Na-To is also a threat with its APCR, which can penetrate you frontally under 500 m. Finally, the low-rank Ho-Ro is dangerous, with its powerful 150 mm howitzer, but not many people will be using it at this rank.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Amazing frontal armour (152 mm) makes it impervious to all kinetic shells at its BR
* The 75 mm gun main gun is decent for close-range combat and also can be armed with utility shells
* Able to smoke up the entire battlefield in a matter of seconds if necessary
* Ability to pivot steer
* Good weight dispersion leads to amazing hill-climbing capabilities
* Great -12° gun depression
* Gunsight zoom is high, so aiming for weak spots is easier
* Hull in practically invincible when angled

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible mobility: speed is capped at 20 km/h, slow acceleration, subpar -3 km/h reverse, and cannot scale obstacles properly
* Weak firepower: 75 mm AP shells lack explosive filler, have slow velocity, curved trajectory, and low penetration
* Still has frontal weak spots: machine gun port both on the hull and turret are only 50 mm thick
* Extremely vulnerable to coordinated flanking, as penetrations to the sides typically cause catastrophic damage to ammo racks located below the turret
* Is very long, harder to navigate through confined spaces (e.g. urban maps)
* Requires good coordination with a team to enable full potential
* Turret side armour is extremely weak

== History ==


===Development===
The General Staff specification ''A20'' was implemented before World War II and was meant to replace the [[Matilda III]] and [[Valentine Mk XI|Valentine]] infantry tanks. The specification was based around the British infantry tank doctrine, and with the expectation that the coming war would be based on the World War I trench warfare. Thus the tank was needed to travel across unfavourable terrain and able to destroy enemy defences and infantry obstacles. As speed and heavy firepower were not taken with priority, the vehicle was to have two 2-pounder guns on side sponson mounts with a coaxial machine gun, with another machine gun and smoke dischargers on the front hull, armour was about 60 mm on the turret. Four prototypes were made by June 1940 by Harland and Wolff. The front hull would see an upgrade in armament with a 3-inch howitzer during the prototype stages, the 43-ton tank had a 300 hp Meadows engine from the Covenanter tank and was made the tank underpowered. The A20 project was cancelled with the Battle of France, which saw the emergency evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk that left a majority of their heavy equipment behind.

The Battle of France proved that the coming World War II was not going to be a stagnant battlefield like the trench warfare from World War I. The entire concept had to be redesigned and was done so by Henry Merrit, the director of Tank Design at Woolwich Arsenal. His new concept, the '''A22''' or '''Infantry Tank Mark IV Churchill''', was given to Vauxhall Motors in June 1940. War Office requested that the A22 be ready to enter production within the year due to the growing pressure of a German invasion of Britain. The designs were prepared in July 1940, and the prototypes were made by December of the same year, production soon followed in June 1941. The rushed development was acknowledged in the company to being the cause of many faults and defects in the tank, but the demand by the government was so high that it must be carried out, with the expectation that the issues will be fixed during production. The Churchill tank suffered from an underpowered engine, weak armament, and mechanical problems. The weak weapon from a 2-pounder was replaced with the arming of a 6-pounder on the Churchill, but the other issues caused poor performance of the Churchill in the battlefield. The Churchill production was almost cancelled in favour of the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] due to its issues, but its usage in the Second Battle of El Alamein proved its value and kept it in service.

The Churchill would carry on the rest of the war as one of the most versatile tank design in British service, serving in many specialist roles other than its tank role. Altogether, a total of 7,568 Churchill units produced from 1941 to 1945, with 5,968 as tanks.

===Variants===
The Churchill, used in a multitude of roles, is made into many different variants. Twelve different kinds of tank variants were produced for combat roles, with 11 more variants in specific roles ranging from armoured personnel carrier, a bridge-layer, mine clearer, a [[Gun Carrier (3-in)]], flamethrower tank, and an armoured recovery vehicle.

===Combat usage===
The Churchill tank was first used in the Dieppe Raid in August 1942. While it was a test on how an opposed landing would work, the 60 Churchill tanks to support the Canadian units suffered from mechanical issues, and those that did work are not able to penetrate past the sea wall due to impassable defences. None of the Churchill tanks that landed returned from the beaches and with a 70% casualty rate, the raid's attempt to establish a beachhead was a failure.

The next use of the Churchill was in North Africa during the Second Battle of El Alamein. At this point, the Churchills have been upgraded to the [[Churchill Mk III|Mk.III]] variants with 6-pounders as their main armament. The detachment, code-named "King Force", help supported the 7th Motor Brigade in their attack. The Churchills were fired upon by many German anti-tank weapons, but none were taken out with only one receiving noteworthy damage. "King Force", as a test bed for the feasibility of Churchills operating in the desert environment, was disbanded with the establishment of the 25th Army Tank Brigade with the Churchills to see action in February 1943 in Tunisia. In the German offensive Operation Ochsenkpf, two Churchill Mk.III from the 51st Royal Tank Regiment came across an entire German transport column that they ambushed. The result was a loss of twelve artillery pieces, 25 wheeled vehicles, two [[Panzer III]]s and 200 casualties on the British side with no losses. The Churchill also played a crucial role in the Battle of Longstop Hill, where Churchill tanks in the 48th Royal Tank Regiment faced off with Germany's newest heavy tank [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]]. Though suffering losses, a lucky 6-pounder shot from the Churchill ended up jamming the Tiger's turret and turret ring that injured the crew, forcing them to abandon the tank. The Tiger tank was captured by the British for intelligence purpose on Germany's armoured forces. The Tiger Tank is named Tiger 131.

After the North African campaign, the Churchill began to see widespread usage in the British army as a support unit for the infantry. The Churchill saw much more operation hours than any other British tank in service. It was at this point that the Churchill Mk.III began conversion into the 75 mm guns that were used on the American [[M4]] Sherman tanks. These conversions, known as NA75, were a resourceful solution for increasing the firepower of the Churchill tanks using readily available equipment. Some Churchills were also converted into close support vehicles with 95 mm howitzers as their main armaments. In response to the growing German anti-tank firepower in the later years of World War II, the Churchill tanks were also upgraded in armour by a large degree, though their engines were also upgraded to compensate for the additional weight. The [[Churchill Mk VII]], for example, has armour ranging up to 152 mm thick in the front, in comparison to the Mk.III 89 mm thick front hull. The Churchills also saw service in Europe during Operation Overlord. At the time, it was considered that the Churchill would become severely outdated with the growing tank technology, so an experimental program under specification A43, otherwise known as the [[Black Prince|Black Prince]], to up-armour and up-gun the Churchill. While this experimented seem fruitful, the development of more agile tanks with the same level of protection and armament such as the [[Centurion Mk 1|Centurion]] rendered the project obsolete.

The Churchills were also given out to the Allies to help combat the Axis forces. The Australian Army received a handful of Churchills for testing alongside the M4 Sherman with the Matilda II as the basis, to which proved that the Churchill was superior in jungle warfare. Of the 510 Churchills ordered by the Australians in the war, only 46 arrived in time and were not used in the Pacific War; the rest were cancelled with the end of World War II. The USSR also used the Churchills given by the British as part of the Lend-Lease act. 301 Churchills were sent, but 43 were lost to the sea by German naval forces. Of those that arrived, the Soviets gave the Churchills to the 5th Guards Tank Army in the Battle of Prokhorovka during the Kursk Offensive.

After World War II, the Churchill stuck around in the British Army until the Korean War, where the British sent the Churchill Crocodile Squadron (C squadron of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment) to Korea to fight with the Allied coalition. They fought as gun tanks in battle such as the Third Battle of Seoul. The Churchills were instrumental in some victories and were widely praised by both British and American forces and historians. After the Korean war, the Churchills remains in combat service until 1952, with the specific bridge-layer variant staying until the 1970s. The Irish Army also received three Churchill tanks in 1948 and another in 1949 as rentals until 1954, where they were purchased after trials with the vehicles. Despite running out of spare parts for the Churchill, the Irish Army took them in and experimented with using different engines to keep them functional, though this ended with failure and by 1967, only one was still functional. All were retired in 1969, and one was preserved at the Curragh Camp.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_a_22f_mk_7_churchill_1944 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|gR3JPNt0iPw|'''Heavyweight brits''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:06 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|gxIVvUZGptw|'''The Shooting Range #51''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:14 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/845/|[Devblog] A22B Сhurchill Mk.III and A22 Churchill Mk.VII (with developers answers)]]

{{TankManufacturer Vauxhall}}
{{Britain heavy tanks}}

FV4005

2022-11-10T15:31:54Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_fv4005
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]].

The FV4005 holds the distinction of being among the largest conventional cannons available in War Thunder Ground Forces with its 183 mm calibre, as well as having a very long single-shell reload with a stock time of almost 40 seconds. It can only fire HESH (high-explosive squash head) shells and has a limited turret rotation of ±45°.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

The FV4005 Stage II has essentially negligible armour, due to the gigantic turret providing only 14 mm of protection from any given angle. Due to this and the vehicle's crew being largely based in the turret, the FV4005 is extremely vulnerable to even .50 calibre machine guns, and any large calibre explosives can and will inflict overpressure damage on them, which is always fatal.

The only redeeming trait in regards to survivability is that the crew may survive some side-on attacks due to the sheer size of the gun breech. Regardless, an FV4005 player should not count on surviving anything bar the lightest of machine gun fire.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 76.2 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50.8 (12°) + 6 mm || 38 mm (6°) ''Top'' 38 mm (13°) ''Bottom'' || 38 mm 29 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 14 mm (10°) ''Turret front'' 14 mm (12-61°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (0-8°) || 14 mm (1°) || 14 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Tracks and suspension wheels are both 20 mm thick.
* Spaced armour plates are placed on the side of the Centurion chassis, giving an additional 6 mm of side armour.
* The rear has a steel rack providing an additional 15 mm of protection.

'''Crew:'''

* Commander
* Gunner
* Loader x2
* Driver

Total: 5 crew members

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=923|rbMinHp=575}}

The {{PAGENAME}} doesn't represent anything special in terms of mobility; the vehicle utilises a Centurion hull and retains most of the same characteristics, including the somewhat sub-par reverse speed. Hull traverse times are reasonable, but not exceptional, and maximum forwards speed is a limited 28 km/h in RB/SB.

Due to the vehicle's limited mobility, players should play conservatively, avoiding flanking routes and any areas where there is no immediate escape route available. The Tracks upgrade is particularly valuable on the {{PAGENAME}}, as due to its limited turret traverse distance the improved hull traverse will on occasion be a saving grace.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|QF L4A1 (183 mm)}}

The FV4005 Stage II sports the largest cannon available in War Thunder Ground Forces, the 183 mm QF L4A1, with the second longest single-shell base reload time of any vehicle, at 38.9 seconds. The L4A1 is restricted to the use of HESH only, due to the weapon originally being envisaged as an anti-emplacement howitzer.

HESH has slower fuse than HE and HEAT and won't detonate on most foliage, but it cannot penetrate more than one layer of armour, so it can be blocked by side skirts and, sometimes, even by chassis or machine guns. Despite problems with penetration of the countermeasures, HESH can be used to great effect against almost any possible target, provided shots are placed well - ideally on angled side armour, while ensuring the armour isn't angled enough to bounce and isn't protected by an additional layer.

HESH could also be placed straight on top of the target crew compartment, as long as it is strong enough to break through the armour (generally, angled frontal armour is only built with kinetic shells and HE in mind) and isn't blocked by internal modules. In the case of the L1 shell, which the FV4005 uses, even the frontal hull armour of the [[Maus]] is not enough to sustain a direct hit.

Despite the size and weight of the L1 round, it has reasonable ballistics at 716 m/s velocity. Due to a colossal explosive power, even if the shell misses it will sometimes destroy tanks with overpressure damage and create holes in the ground. Maximum penetration and effective range of the explosion effect are difficult to measure.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF L4A1 (183 mm)|183 mm QF L4A1]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 12 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±45° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 15.85 || 21.94 || 26.64 || 29.46 || 31.34 || rowspan="2" | 38.87 || rowspan="2" | 34.38 || rowspan="2" | 31.69 || rowspan="2" | 29.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.71 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shell L1 || HESH || 228 || 228 || 228 || 228 || 228 || 228
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shell L1 || HESH || 716 || 72.57 || 0.1 || 4 || 21,760 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
|}

'''Important note:''' HESH round performance improves, within reason, when targets are angled. This is due to the 'squash head' the rounds are tipped by - on larger angles the head will 'squash' further and result in more internal damage. However, the improvements with angling are limited once the rounds reach their ricochet angles - past 73° of angling the rounds have a chance to bounce. As such it's best to limit rounds to less than 70° where possible.

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo type
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''12''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 7 ''(+5)'' 11 ''(+1)'' || 1 ''(+11)'' 9 ''(+3)'' || N/A 7 ''(+5)'' || N/A 5 ''(+7)'' || N/A 3 ''(+9)'' || N/A 1 ''(+11)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* The FV4005 has extremely limited ammunition, with a maximum of 12 rounds. Despite this, it's no mean feat to run out of ammo due to the extended reload time.
* Projectiles and propellant bags are modeled individually and disappear as soon as they're loaded/fired.
* Projectiles racks empty from back to front.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

The FV4005's coaxial machine gun is of limited value; it should be used to clear small obstacles or if possible crew members in open-top vehicles. It can be used as a ranging machine gun while keeping in mind that the main weapon's ballistics do not follow the machine gun's trajectory exactly as the MG has a slightly higher round velocity.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,750 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The main in-game use of this tank is the elimination of hull-down tanks (similar to [[T30]]), super-armoured heavy tanks in general (similar to [[IS-7]]), well-armoured SPG's (similar to [[Ho-Ri_Production|Ho-Ri]]) and the likes of them. Meanwhile, you still can help your team by hiding around and eliminating reckless rushers in 1 hit, when they aren't looking.

Your main goal in between your hunts is to survive and stay hidden, as you only have enough armour to stop 7.62 mm machine guns, and your reloading time is exceptionally long, especially if you lose either of the loaders. Contrary to popular belief, if you aim poorly with FV4005 it does not knock anything out of existence with a single shot anyway. You should first get out of your cover (or wait for the enemy to get into your firing lines), then take aim at the enemy, and only then fire. HESH shell will do the rest for you if your aim and weak spot suggestion was correct.

Weak spots depend on the mode you play in. As an example, for most Soviet tanks, the frontal weak spot is the left side of the hull (for you - right side). It's also possible to target the back of their turrets in Realistic battle. However, if you fire at back of the turret of IS-2 in arcade mode, it may still survive with just 1 crew member (driver with very high "vitality" level), go into "last stand" mode, turn its turret and fire back at you. As such, try to aim at places, from which spalling can definitely hit every last crew member.

Likewise, in Arcade mode, it's not enough to just eliminate crew in your turret, and your driver is hidden in the decently armoured hull. However, if your FV4005 is attacked by explosives from 105+ mm gun, it will likely be overpressurized and destroyed. If the gun breech is hit and damaged, there is also a chance that the shell inside will also be destroyed, and you won't be able to avenge yourself even if you manage to repair before a follow up shot.

HESH shells have a slow fuse, which does not react to literally every obstacle it hits, unlike with the HEAT or HE, sometimes allowing FV4005 to fire through some foliage, flimsy fences and the likes. While it does not look very useful at first, it can be especially beneficial in Arcade mode or in some specific sniper setup, as AB players are often extremely uncomfortable with firing without aim assist confirmation, which is easily prevented by obstacles such as a weak metal fence built around a capture point, while you can learn the gun ballistics and train yourself to fire by using distance indicators and tank profile (use "select" hotkey, which is by default set to mouse wheel, to see hostile tank overall size and position) instead, to surprise them and thus avoid return fire.

Going into sniper duels without preparations, like rangefinding and adjusting the gun beforehand, with this tank is ill-advised, as any sniper tank needs significantly less time to aim at you, due to the fact that your turret cannot turn freely, your enormous profile, and faster flying ammunition types. They also can destroy you in 1 hit as well, by hitting your ammo, or even by causing the turret to explode without engaging it directly, particularly noticeable with ATGM tanks like [[Type 60 ATM]].

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Armed with the gigantic 183 mm cannon. This is the biggest gun mounted on any tank in the game
* 183 mm HESH will cause the spalling of enemy armour that is 228 mm thick or less. Devastating to even the most heavily armoured tanks
* Large gun breech can potentially protect some of the turret crew from incoming fire and shrapnel.
* The co-axial machine gun has a very similar trajectory to the 183 mm gun, making it ideal for ranging.
* Has the hull of a centurion, it will block or deflect shots and explosions which missed the turret with modest efficiency
* L1 shell can damage the ground, but the tank reloads so slowly, that there has to be multiple of FV4005, or the match has to be stalled for quite long for them to do any strategically significant damage
* Brings fear to the hearts of enemies when directly looking at them

'''Cons:'''

* Huge turret with only 14 mm of armour all around. Can be shredded by .50 cal machine guns and auto cannons, vulnerable even to HEAT overpressure damage if hit
* Lots of ammo lining the entire turret which can be detonated with little effort
* 4 of the 5 crew members are in turret. An APHE penetration or overpressure will likely knock out the tank
* HESH is inherently unreliable, a hit to a wrong spot on certain enemy tank chassis or armour may do no damage at all despite shell's potential, while a close miss might annihilate enemy tank regardless
* Carries only 12 shells
* Due to the thin turret armour and sheer size of the tank, is a prime target for AA guns and all aircraft at the BR
* Turret cannot traverse a full 360 degrees, you'll need to traverse the entire tank left or right to engage enemies on your flanks or rear
* Incredibly long reload time, a knocked out or injured loader can easily push the reload time over 1 minute
* A huge target for enemy cas which can easily penetrate its weak turret

== History ==


Work started on a 180 mm self-propelled gun in 1950 by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. Designated the ''FV215B'', the plan was to mount the gun onto the Conqueror hull.<ref name="Ware pg79">Ware 2012a, p. 79</ref> It was intended for the three trial vehicles to be built from the span of 1951-1955. The project was cancelled in early 1957 with no prototypes produced.<ref name="Ware pg80">Ware 2012a, p. 80</ref>

During the development phase of the FV215B, another project was done on the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]].<ref name="Ware pg80" /> Labeled the '''FV4005''', it was an attempt to mount the 180 mm on the Centurion hull. The design phase is distinctive in two parts, Stage I and II. Stage I had the gun mounted on an open-topped hull. The gun had a concentric recoil system and an auto-loader. '''Stage II''' had the gun encased in a lightly armoured, splinter-proof turret with a conventional recoil system and manual loading.<ref name="Ware pg78">Ware 2012a, p. 78</ref><ref name="Ware pg109">Ware 2012b, p. 109</ref>

In December 1952, the 180 mm gun was increased into a 183 mm gun mounting. Though a single prototype was made for testing, the project never passed basic feasibility. In August 1957, the project was abandoned as well.<ref name="Ware pg78" /><ref name="Ware pg109" /> The lone prototype is currently stationed outside at Bovington Tank Museum.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_fv4005 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Akto0OJJEgI|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|PosWOnOGkSo|'''Best experimental vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:37 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[Conway]] - A vehicle built under a similar principle of a large gun on a Centurion chassis.

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4540-development-fv4005-big-box-surprise-en|[Devblog] FV4005 - Big Box Surprise]]
* [[Wikipedia:Centurion_(tank)#Fighting_Vehicle_numbers|[Wikipedia] Centurion (tank) - Fighting Vehicle numbers]]

=== References ===

;Citations
<references />

;Bibliography

* Ware Pat. ''Images of War: British Tanks: 1945 to the Present Day'' Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military, 2012a
* Ware Pat. ''Images of War Special: The Centurion Tank'' Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military, 2012b

{{TankManufacturer Department of Tank Design}}
{{Britain tank destroyers}}

IS-2

2022-11-10T15:28:26Z

U108186769: Pros and cons

{{About
| about = Soviet heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = IS-2 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_is_2_1943
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The IS-2 introduces the heavy-hitting 122 mm D-25T gun as a tank armament, presenting massive firepower with a devastating post-damage effect. Its effect on the battlefield should not be underestimated.

Operational and visual characteristics of the IS-2, as its design and name suggest, is visually similar to its previous sister-tank, the [[IS-1]] but with operational characteristics of a Tank Destroyer at its BR. Players experienced in operating previous models of the KV series tanks, in particular, the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]] and SU-line of Tank Destroyers should have little to no difficulty in adjusting to this vehicle.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

[[File:IS-2 scheme of armour.jpg|right|thumbnail|300px|The historical armour layout of the IS-2 for the 1943 and 44 models]]
The IS-2 has sufficient armour, but will not protect from the guns of its rank. The frontal plate has 120 mm of armour plating, which will not stop anything the IS-2 faces, making slight angle adjustments paramount survivability essential. However, due to a tendency for the driver's view port to literally absorb the round, most players will not aim here. The LFP has a value of 100 mm angled at 27 degrees, and will not bounce any shots. Since behind the LFP is the driver and the 2 main fuel tanks, a penetrating round will have catastrophic results for the {{PAGENAME}}. The side armour is 90 mm, and observing the front of the tank, it has a noticeable curvature to it. When viewed from the front, the 90 mm of armour will deflect or absorb a high number of shots contrary to the 120 mm plate. Angling with large adjustments will cause the {{PAGENAME}} to render this part useless and make the tank extremely vulnerable. The frontal turret armour is 100 mm with a distinctive "cheek" construction. As with any "cheek" construction, the lower part may act as a shot trap and the middle may absorb shots, but it is more than likely to fail against high-penetration guns.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Hull front and side, turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull roof, engine compartment side & rear, turret and cupola roof, gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 120 mm (27-34°) ''Driver viewport'' 60 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm (28-36°) ''Lower glacis'' || 90 - 100 mm (9-25°) ''Top'' 90 mm ''Bottom''|| 60 mm (49-50°) ''Top'' 60 mm (38°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 100 mm (7-72°) ''Turret front'' 100 mm (5-60°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 100 mm (12-22°) || 100 mm (5-35°) || 30 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 90 mm (cylindrical) ''Base'' 90 mm (spherical) ''Upper part'' || 90 mm ''Outer ring'' 30 mm ''Centre''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and bogies are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 671|rbMinHp= 460}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|D-25T (122 mm)}}

Many players find it hard to get used to similar Soviet cannons mainly due to their absurdly long reload. This can be caused by inaccurate aiming, resulting in the shell missing or not penetrating, so the player have to wait for half a minute to reload, which is of course frustrating. Players can overcome this by practising shooting and getting used to the ballistics, to make most if not every shell count. Once one is able to consistently knock out opponents with a single shot, the reload will not seem as long, since it generally takes quite a few minutes before the next target shows up.

Ammunition-wise, the best ammo is of course the BR-471B. The added ballistic cap can really make a difference when shooting angled armour. For example shooting at the UFP of an angling M4A3E2 with BR-471 might not penetrate, however with a BR-471B it will decrease the compound angle at which the shell impacts the armour for quite a bit, therefore easily pierce through. This can be the difference between getting a kill or getting killed. If you want to save silver lions, you can bring a mix of the two shells. The BR-471 works great as well.

The last aspect to overcome is the painful gun depression. Make sure to fight on flat ground so you do not have to aim down. Even if you fight in an urban environment, be careful in the streets, since some curbsides lift up one of your tracks and may prevent you from aiming at an opponent.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 28 || rowspan="2" | -3°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 11.3 || 15.7 || 19.0 || 21.1 || 22.4 || rowspan="2" | 27.04 || rowspan="2" | 23.92 || rowspan="2" | 22.05 || rowspan="2" | 20.80
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.3 || 9.8 || 11.9 || 13.2 || 14.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| BR-471 || APHE || 205 || 201 || 182 || 161 || 143 || 127
|-
| BR-471B || APHEBC || 205 || 203 || 192 || 178 || 166 || 155
|-
| OF-471 || HE || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| BR-471 || APHE || 795 || 25 || 1.2 || 19 || 246.4 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-471B || APHEBC || 795 || 25 || 1.2 || 19 || 246.4 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-471 || HE || 795 || 25 || N/A || 0.1 || 3,600 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo part
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''28''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 13 ''(+15)'' 27 ''(+1)'' || 1 ''(+27)'' 24 ''(+4)'' || N/A 21 ''(+7)'' || N/A 11 ''(+17)'' || N/A 6 ''(+22)'' || N/A 1 ''(+27)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* The {{PAGENAME}} uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant bags (orange). Both have separate racks.
* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Centre floor rack emptied: 11 ''(+17)'' shells.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

As the tank's design purpose suggests, the IS-2 is a heavy tank built with an emphasis on engaging hostile armoured vehicles as well as a breakthrough tank. The tanks heavy armour retains the similar properties of its [[IS-1]] and previous KV line of battle-tanks but introduces some sloped armour on the front plate and turret mantlet. Differing from its IS-1 predecessor, the IS-2 comes equipped with the large 122 mm D-25T gun and a slightly more armoured but elongated turret. Although powerful, the D-25T main cannon of the IS-2 is encumbered by a slow reload time, mimicking that of the Soviet Tank-Destroyer line of vehicles at around the mid-20 seconds. Nevertheless, this vehicle with its powerful cannon and shell will commonly destroy almost all but the most heavily armoured vehicles with a single shot, behaving similarly to the older KV-2 predecessor, albeit with half the time required for reloading. In the tank's BR and rank, the armour of the IS-2 no longer stands up to much punishment with the advent of opponents with more powerful weaponry, and caution should be taken. Close-quarters combat and brawling against more than one target at a time is highly discouraged due to the long reload speed unless the tank operator is trapped and situation requires this as an absolute necessity. Alternatively, if escorted and accompanied by other friendly tanks, the IS-2 can be supplemented and perform better in dire close-quarters situations.

If you are to apply bushes onto the IS-2, consider putting most of them on upper frontal hull and the curved sides next to it. This is because that quite some opponents will automatically target the curved armour, knowing that area is a common weak spot when the IS is angling. By covering up the hull front and the curves, the IS's frontal hull will now look flatter, somewhat resembling the hull of an IS-2 1944. This will cause some confusion and delay the enemy's reaction & aiming time, as they now cannot directly see where your curved armour is, gifting you a few precious seconds before they open fire. For any leftover bushes, the turret front and the lower front plate are also good spots to put them on.

=== General Gameplay ===

==== Arcade Battles ====
In Arcade, the IS-2 proves to be quite mobile when fully upgraded. This can be used effectively to get into superior positions to engage enemies early in the match when they haven't yet set-up camp in well-covered positions and/or presented their strongest armour. Thus, it's easy to gain a kill at the start of the match, if you are comfortable with the 122 mm gun.

Close quarters combat proves even more deadly in Arcade Battles because all opposing vehicles will be able to easily overrun a single IS-2, especially after it has shot and is now waiting through its long reload (> the 20s). Hence why it's advised to use your improved reverse speed to quickly disengage after shooting and retreating towards your teammates, who will likely be able to return fire. If the map forces you to fight in close quarters, attempt to get into a position where your teammates can cover your sides, while you can face forwards and clear the road. If the map allows, you can try taking 5 rounds of ammunition and camp at a capture point (usually one that's given to your team) to snipe all enemies that enter your line of sight while reducing your chances of blowing up at the first incoming shot.

In rare cases, it's possible to rush with the IS-2 and surprise lighter vehicles at a contested capture point in the early stages of a game. This strategy relies on the capture point being unpopular and being lucky to face only one enemy vehicle at a time. Some light tanks are unable to penetrate the IS-2 frontally, especially if they are from a much lower rank (e.g. [[BT-7]], the [[Sd.Kfz.234/2|Puma]] or the [[R3 T20 FA-HS|R3]]), so that's an added benefit of being a decently mobile heavy tank. If successful, the IS-2 can then flank to other objectives or advance to the enemy spawn to destroy another enemy or two. You shouldn't expect a lot of easy targets with this strategy, because it exposes your tank to potentially a lot of enemy fire.

==== Realistic Battles ====
In Realistic, the IS-2 begins to feel like a heavy tank. Its mobility is heavily reduced and its speed is outmatched by practically everything, mostly due to poor acceleration off-roads. However, this should be used as an advantage to gauge where the enemies are set-up, by looking where your teammates are killed from. You can then decide to return fire, although sometimes opponents don't show themselves until later in the match, in which case you should stay passive and try to remain behind your team's front lines.

Due to generally increased map size in Realistic, you will have to get comfortable with the bullet drop. There is an added benefit to that because the following [[IS-3]] and [[IS-4M]] mount the same gun (as does [[T-44-122]] and [[KV-122]], if you have them), and [[T-10M]] has similar bullet drop. Now, the IS-2 performs decently well at longer ranges, but it will cost you a lot if you miss or don't penetrate, because the reload is so long. Often, you will need to rely on the rangefinder, the teammates or map knowledge to gauge how high you need to shoot, so it might be a great idea to take out another vehicle first (such as the [[T-44]] or [[T-34-85]]) remember the distance and then take the IS-2 out. However, on larger maps, it is generally a better idea to take out other vehicles.

A more reliable strategy for the IS-2 is to camp nearby an objective and pick off any enemies who pose a threat. Just make sure to find a flat spot with cover, because your poor gun depression and long reload will be your death in hilly or open areas. It's also a good idea to target heavy enemies, because they are easier to hit, and also will likely pose a larger threat to your general team (e.g the [[Ferdinand]], the [[Ho-Ri Production|Ho-Ri]] or the [[Tiger II (H)]]).

====General Tactics====

Although classified as a heavy tank and an upgraded improved design over the KV predecessor, the IS-2's armour will no longer hold up to its more common and heavier opponents of its BR and rank. Compared with other vehicles such as the new German Tiger II, American heavy T-series tanks; most of which can easily deflect even the most powerful shots of the IS-2 unless targeted specifically and known weak spots. Because of this, it is recommended to always travel and fight in groups of two or more vehicles. The slow and difficult in the manoeuvring of the vehicle (especially in confined spaces) will more than once place the IS-2 in significant danger. It is recommended to field the IS-2 into a fire-support role, peeking over the shoulder of friendly, more heavier vehicles and firing a shot against the opposition in tandem.

Another significant note of this vehicle is the IS-2's considerably fast reverse rate, the highest at its BR for the nation's faction inherited from its IS-1 predecessor, topping at 17 km/h. During situations where engagement is expected, an unorthodox strategy can be utilized where the operator of the IS-2 tank re-positions the vehicle 90 degrees and drive in reverse with the rear-facing towards the enemy. By driving in reverse this way, the engine blocks make a crude yet somewhat effective shield to protect the more delicate crew members. As the fuel tanks are mostly stored at the front on the left and right side of the driver's station, the risk of fire and fuel-tank explosion is reduced significantly (but not completely eliminated) and thus, the tank is able to resist even the most powerful of shots. Be aware that more experienced players may attempt to instead fire at the more exposed turret of the IS tank and instantly knocking out the crew with a common APHE penetrating shell in this way.

Despite the overall below-average protection for a heavy tank, the IS-2 can actually act as a shell magnet without being penetrated. The IS-2 can take advantage of the tactic of "side-scraping" thanks to its sturdily thick side armour and fast reverse speed. First find some solid cover and hide the entirety of the tank's front behind it, then point the rear hull outside a bit so you can reverse and peek the back half of the hull side out at an extremely tiny angle from the direction of incoming shots. Now what the enemy should see is a part of your hull side forming a very small angle of incidence. Due to the fact that not a lot tankers know this tactic, they will take the bait and fire at your side armour. The shell will either hit the side armour and ricochet away, or damage the track but not break it. This way, you can safely lure the enemy to fire first, then poke out and finish them with your powerful cannon. However, do note that in an uptier, there will be vehicles equipped with HEAT/HEATFS shells (e.g. [[ST-A1]], [[M56]], [[T114]], [[Type 60 SPRG (C)|Type 60]]) that can easily penetrate you regardless of how hard you angle. So if you know they are present, do not use this tactic. Your engine/fuel tank will get damaged. Rather, wait until they fire at a teammate or are distracted. Another factor to take into account is the curved armour connecting the front and the side, it will increase the incidence angle of enemy shells, resulting in you being penetrated, so do not expose too much of the side.

In regards to shells, the D-25T cannon is also equipped with powerful High-explosive (HE) Shells which should not go ignored. Firing a HE shell with precise aim directly underneath the chassis of enemy vehicles where the armour is thinnest, like on the top of the vehicle, can cripple or instantly destroy said enemy vehicles. In rare instances, the HE shell of the D-25T is so powerful to the point two or more medium or heavy tanks close to each other can be destroyed with a single exploding HE shell. Alternatively, the powerful armour-piercing capability of the D-25T cannon's APHE rounds has also been documented to pierce two or three light-armoured targets without exploding.

==== Against the IS-2 ====
'''Light tank/SPAA''': the nations that fight the USSR the most are the US and Germany. Their light tanks (e.g. [[M24 (Family)|M24]], [[Sd.Kfz.234/2]]) are usually armed with a rather powerful cannon that can destroy an IS-2 by targeting certain weak spots. Be careful though, only peek out to shoot when you are sure that you will not get hit, the IS-2 will easily knock you out with a single shot. For tanks like the M24, the commander's cupola is a great weakness as it is 90 mm thick without any slopes. The short 75 mm shell will go straight through and explode right at the other side, sending a shower of shrapnel down to every crew in the turret, destroying the IS-2. Other than this, the IS-2 is frontally immune to the M24's short 75 mm. The Puma, on the other hand, can consistently penetrate not only the cupola, but also the lower front plate and the turret cheeks. Avoid the gun mantlet, driver's port and the shot trap between them. The IS-2's side is of course vulnerable to any gun, a penetrating shell through the side of the hull below the turret will knock out all the crew easily. SPAA can use their autocannons and break the IS-2's large gun barrel or tracks, and call for teammates of an artillery strike.

'''Medium tank''': the weak spots for medium tanks are not limited to the cupola, lower front plate and turret cheeks. Now the driver's port and side armour all become vulnerable to common medium tanks such as the [[Comet I|Comet]], [[Panther A|Panther]] and [[M4A2 (76) W|M4A2]]/[[M4A3 (76) W|3 (76) W]]. Explosive-filled shells will knock out the IS-2 with a single shot, while solid shots might need a few more penetrations. Still you want to avoid the gun mantlet as volumetric shells are very likely to scratch the barrel before hitting the mantlet, and it will lose lots of penetration that way. Be more careful, as medium tanks lose the advantage of manoeuvrability and small profile, meaning the IS-2 is more likely to see and shoot you.

'''Heavy tank''': heavy tank commanders should not be any less careful when fighting an IS-2, due to its destructive 122 mm cannon that can frontally penetrate all tanks around its BR. Because that heavy tanks usually have longer reload, you want to make every shell count. In front of a common heavy tank, the IS-2 is no longer protective and you can penetrate it almost anywhere, however there are still spots that you should definitely avoid shooting at. The frontal glacis joining the driver's port and the lower front plate is quite thick, at 60 mm with a slope angle of 74°, drastically increasing its effective thickness to ~210 mm. The side armour, when angled, is very strong too, so if an IS-2 tries to lure you into shooting at its angled side, do not. The shell will certainly bounce.

'''Tank destroyer''': for tank destroyers around the IS-2's BR, its weak spots remain overall the same, and you should still be careful when hunting down an IS-2. But for late-war tank destroyers with absurd armour and huge cannons, like [[T28]], [[Jagdtiger]], [[Ho-Ri Production|Ho-Ri]], the player can be more confident. Sit in front of the IS-2 at a comfortable distance and it will simply not penetrate your armour. If you gunsight magnification is high enough it is better to force the IS-2 into a long range battle. Its gunsight zoom is really poor and the gun is not beginner friendly, meaning that most IS-2 players will miss their shots. Still, its strong points are there to bounce/absorb the most powerful kinetic shells so aim carefully away from the front glacis, gun mantlet and the turret ring.

====Specific enemies worth noting====

German Tiger IIs, Panthers will be common encounters at the IS-2's BR, combined with the more threatening and heavier American T-Series tanks such as the T34 and M26. At this Battle Rating and Rank, more powerful British Tanks such as the Centurions will be encountered. As previously specified above, The IS-2 no longer retains its armour advantage at this BR unlike its IS-1 predecessor and thus, it is important to identify and fire on targets first before they do. In this rank, Tanks such as the Panthers, Tiger II and similar vehicles will be present with sloped armour, strong enough to even withstand the might of the 122 mm Shells of the D-25T gun. A common design flaw, however, is the turret of said vehicles, commonly being mostly blunt and flat and easy to penetrate. A patient and well placed aim and shot against these surfaces will destroy the target with no more than a single shot. Be aware that most opposition vehicles at this rank have the lower calibre and puncturing power than the D-25T of the IS-2, but come with an improved reload speed, a reload speed commonly faster than the IS-2. Japanese line of tanks at the same rank as the IS-2 is of little concern; their poor armour and armaments at the same rank will render them relatively easy to destroy.
[[File:Wsp volumetric shell diagram.png|thumb|Differences between non-volumetric shells and volumetric shells hitting a Tiger I]]
An important note when engaging tanks, especially Tiger I's, is that, with the implementation of volumetric shells, you can no longer expect your shells to pierce through small openings or right past an obstacle. The large 122 mm calibre of your shells will result in it catching on an armour plate's edge very often, losing all of its penetration. For example, a Tiger I has some edges that can absorb your shell unexpectedly, despite having flat armour. Thus you must always make sure that where you are aiming at is absolutely free of obstruction, or it may result in a non-penetration or a ricochet. This can be seen in the diagram to the right.

Another specific enemy vehicle worth noting is the German [[Ferdinand]] tank destroyer. Most new players in Rank IV battles fielding the IS-2 may commonly mistake the front armour of the Ferdinand as appearing as thin as similar-looking tank destroyers such the [[Nashorn]] and are commonly caught unaware that almost the entire front of the Ferdinand consists entirely of heavy 100 mm and 200 mm plate armour, the largest being the fighting compartment located behind the driving compartment. Due to it being such a large target, many players including both IS-2 users and other vehicle type users alike will be tempted into firing at that portion expecting easy wins, only for almost all shots to be absorbed, even the powerful shells of the D-25T. It is recommended to avoid engaging the Ferdinand or ignore it entirely. If the opportunity arises, Ferdinand's weaker side and rear armour should be targeted (80 mm).

=== The Stock Grind ===
When grinding the first modifications, Arcade Battles might be more fun, because of faster-paced gameplay and the ability to see all threats. Now, it's a priority to research Parts and FPE (you may want to activate 3-5 universal vehicle back-ups to be able to respawn twice in one match if you really wish to upgrade this vehicle quickly).

General stock grind advice:

* Don't show your rear to any enemies, because a single fire will be your death.
* Your gun is still very effective, so don't be afraid to attack enemies frontally, just make sure to aim for weak spots if possible.
** Shooting at planes in Arcade with your machine gun (or main gun) and scoring some hits can often award you a kill if the plane crashes, which grants points.
* Play as a support tank - push with your team and let them take fire, then poke out and take your shots, then retreat back into cover.
** Try to push into objectives with your team to gain those points as well.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent firepower with nearly unmatched potential for single-shot knock-outs
* Considerably good speed for a heavy tank: around 40 km/h on road
* Very fast reverse speed at -15 km/h
* Repositioning of fuel tanks reduces chances of fires
* Players proficient with the KV-2 and Soviet heavy tank destroyers will feel comfortable with the IS-2
* Has quite a low profile for a heavy tank

''' Cons:'''

* Extremely poor gun depression
* Very low rate of fire demanding every shot to count
* Sub-par armour for a heavy tank, inherited from the IS-1
* Poor manoeuvrability, very bad hull traverse speed, often needing forward acceleration before turning
* Slow turret traverse speed
* Big weak spots that directly lead to the driver or an ammo rack
* Very cramped causing it to be easily one shotted

== History ==

===Development===
The effort began on another heavy tank after the [[IS-1]]'s 85 mm gun no longer had a firepower advantage after the standard [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] medium tank was upgraded with the same gun into the [[T-34-85]]. Due to that, the IS-1 was discontinued in January 1944 with about 107 units produced.<ref name="ISZaloga">Zaloga, Steven J. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref> Those in storage still awaited upgrade to become a more powerful heavy tank.

In late 1943, the upgrade of the IS tank began and the choices available were rounded down to two weapons, the 122 mm A-19 gun and the 100 mm D-10 gun. Both guns had their advantages and disadvantages in their specifications, the 100 mm D-10 had a much better armour penetration capabilities and uses a single-piece ammunition, the 122 mm A-19 has a better high-explosive round and used a two-piece ammunition In the end, the 122 mm A-19 (adopted as the D-25T) gun was chosen as the gun of the new IS tank due to larger supply of the gun available for use (the D-10 was a newly produced gun) and the better high-explosive round available. The better high-explosive round is due to the heavy tank's specification as a "breakthrough" tank than an anti-tank role, so it was meant to fight fortifications more than against armour. Nevertheless, against armour, the 122 mm gun proved a very lethal cannon against armour, having the capacity to knock out any German tanks fielded in the war, even the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], though the ease of knocking them out vary from their armour protection.

The 122 mm gun's two-piece ammunition was perhaps the gun's worst drawback, this along with the heavy shells and charges that it uses causes reloading speed to only be one and a half rounds per minute maximum. Even after some modernization to the gun including a semi-automatic breech, the rate of fire only increased to two to three rounds per minute. Another drawback of the gun was the size of the ammunition that the 122 mm gun uses, the IS tank interior could only hold 28 of such ammunition, which restricts the time the IS could last in battle before requiring a resupply. In battle, the usual distribution of the shells is 20 high-explosive and 8 armour-piercing rounds.

The finished IS tank with the 122 mm gun, first called the ''IS-122'', was finally approved and renamed the '''IS-2''' heavy tank, some were rearmed IS-1s from the factory with the 122 mm gun. The IS-2 tank, like the IS-1, was superior to the previous [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] tanks used in the Red Army. Production of the IS-2 started in October or November 1943 and by the end of World War II when production ended, a total of 3,854 units were produced.

===Design===
The IS-2 tank hull was similar to the IS-1 tank, but the turret was modified to accommodate the larger 122 mm D-25T gun. The suspension was a torsion-bar suspension system and the tank was powered by a diesel V2-IC engine. The drivetrain and the engine were taken from the KV-1 tank, yet was considerably more mobile. The armour on the IS-2 was a 120 mm thick front plate sloped at 60 degrees with a small step in the front for the driver's hatch. This "early version", developed from the KV-13 design, was produced from the initial production lines until some time in late 1944, where a [[IS-2 (1944)|IS-2 mod. 1944]] version was modified with the front plate now a single sloped 120 mm plate at 60 degrees with no interruptions in order to eliminate shot traps and weaknesses in the armour design. Other design changes when the IS-2 was upgraded to the 1944 model was a stronger gun mount, wider mantlet, and an addition of a Dshk machine gun on the turret. The formidable armour of the IS-2 is able to withstand the 88 mm shells from the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] at 1,000 m out, yet the whole tank weighs less than the Panther at only 46 tons. Despite its construction, the IS-2 was still quite crude in quality and can have signs of being hastily built from the factories. This did not affect its battlefield performance greatly and the crude construction is merely a side effect of the fast production of the tanks to fill battlefield demands.

===Combat usage===
The IS-2 first saw action in early 1944. The IS-2 was organized in heavy tank regiments, each with 21 tanks. Their role was to spearhead the offensives launched at each sector, breaking through enemy emplacements and supporting the infantry by destroying enemy fortifications, they were not meant to exploit breakthroughs and this role was given to the lighter [[T-34-85|T-34]] tanks. Their first reported action was in April 1944 in the 11th Special Guards Heavy Tank Regiment near Tarnopol, Ukraine. The IS-2 presented such a surprise to the Germans as no Soviet tanks before could engage with accurate fire from more than 3 kilometres away. A bigger shock was when they found out the 88 mm of the Tiger I couldn't adequately penetrate their armour. The IS-2 initial combat experience was limited due to the inexperienced crew and organization, but more and more IS-2 started to come in to reinforce the Soviet forces.<ref name="ISZaloga">Zaloga, Steven J. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref>

The IS-2's next great effort was in Operation Bagration in July 1944. By this time period, the heavy tank regiments were allocated to one for each tank corps. During Operation Bagration, the IS-2 combat effort contributed to the decimation of the German Army Group Center. The IS-2 was able to deal with the troublesome German Panther and Tiger I tanks with ease. By December 1944, enough IS-2 was produced that the Soviets began outfitting them to Guards heavy tank brigades, consisting of 65 IS-2 tanks with other vehicles for support. Though the number of these brigades were still limited, they proved valuable in breaking through German lines, as used in January 1945 against the German in the Oder Offensive. It should be noted that despite having a role similar to the Tiger heavy tank battalions in the German service, they are produced in far greater numbers to enforce every tank corp with one heavy tank regiment that allowed even the IS-2 to overwhelm German defences. The IS-2 continued to see combat service for the Red Army all the way to the Battle of Berlin and the end of World War II.<ref name="ISZaloga">Zaloga, Steven J. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref>

After World War II, the IS-2 production was replaced by the more heavily armoured [[IS-3]], but the IS-2 stayed in service up until 1982 due to modernization efforts on the IS-2. This modernized IS-2 was named the ''IS-2M'' and were done in the mid-1950s. These modernization efforts added external fuel tanks and stowage bins onto the hull and protective skirts on the edges of the tracks. The IS-2 was finally placed into storage in the 1990s and were kept in reserves or sold out as scrap metal.

Like most of Soviet Union's military hardware, the IS-2 was given out to the Warsaw Pact nations as supplies. The IS-2 was thus lent out to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, China, North Vietnam, and maybe North Korea. Later in 1960, a shipment of IS-2 was also sent to Cuba, these were converted into bunkers and coastal defences as spare parts for the tank never made it to Cuba due to the US blockade imposed in 1962.

=== In-game description ===
The most powerful tank deployed in combat in World War II. The Iosif Stalin IS-2 was developed in the summer of 1943 at the same time as the IS-1 heavy tank armed with an 85 mm cannon. Thanks to its thick armour and high firepower, the IS-2 was a worthy opponent to German heavy tanks. The vehicle's basic armament consisted of the powerful 122 mm D-25T cannon with separate shell loading. The 122 mm weapon's penetration and firing accuracy were quite high. The standard-issue BR-471 sharp-nosed armour-piercing shells allowed it to penetrate the frontal armour of all German tanks.

The tank's layout was standard, with the transmission in the rear. The tank's hull was a fully welded armoured box made of cast and rolled armour.

The hull's nose and the under turret box were made of cast pieces. Its base, sides, rear and roof were rolled steel. The turret had a streamlined shape and was cast steel. Its sides contained small hatches with armoured covers for shooting through with small arms.

Around 450 of them were made between December 1943 and May 1944.

Tanks of this model played a large role in the battles of 1944-1945, particularly excelling in storming cities.

The IS-2's flaws limiting its anti-tank capabilities included its small ammunition supply consisting of 28 shots and its cannon's separate loading, which decreased its rate of fire. Its first battles revealed that the tank's frontal hull armour was insufficient.

The new heavy tanks were provided to Czechoslovakian units and the Polish Army, which participated in the final stage of the Great Patriotic War.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_is_2_1943 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|bVoBUcq25gg|'''The Shooting Range #305''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:26 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|z3pEoHfHxlw|'''Famous, Feared and very Soviet! IS-2''' - ''HowToPlay1337''|wDxhzDnCnHY|'''The Shooting Range #111''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 09:49 discusses Alexandra Boiko, IS-2 tank commander.|MhjI_h5FhG4|'''IS-2 vs Tiger E''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|eqLe-I0FRwQ|'''The Shooting Range #72''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:43 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|7cOGY93rbps|'''IS-2 Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|0tRz1s5AL2M|'''IS-2: When 85mm is not enough''' - ''Military History Visualized''}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[IS-2 (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/2673--en|[Vehicle Profile] Iosif Stalin 2]]
* [[wikipedia:IS-2|[Wikipedia] IS-2]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_IS-II.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> IS-2]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=357 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> IS-2 / JS-2 (Josef Stalin)]

=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer ChTZ}}
{{USSR heavy tanks}}

T-44

2022-11-10T15:21:45Z

U108186769: Pros

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_t_44
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. A vastly improved tank over the T-34 series, the T-44 features similar mobility with much better frontal armour protection.

As a direct successor of the [[T-34-85]], the T-44 truly was a pioneering tank construction, paving the way for many modern Soviet tanks. It provides great mobility and a good degree of armour protection. Veteran players with the T-34-85 will instantly recognize the turret and the gun, as the T-44 is armed with the same ZiS-S-53 85 mm gun as the T-34-85, but there are no more further similarities between the two. The T-44 expresses a different and more modern-looking layout of the tank compared to the T-34, with the turret now in the middle of the hull, and the tank is noticeably lower to the ground, with an extremely sloped frontal armour plate. The resulting silhouette is nearly half of the T-34-85, making the T-44 a much smaller target. These changes were made possible mainly by one important aspect of the construction - the relocation of the engine, a V-44 V12 diesel engine producing 500 horsepower, to a position perpendicular to the axis of the tank. This change, along with the removal of hull sponsons, allowed the crew compartment to be built with more space, and subsequently more comfortable for the crew even for a smaller tank.

Off-road performance and mobility drops compared to the T-34-85 due to the T-44's increased weight. However, the T-44 inherits a great degree of mobility from the T-34 thanks to its wide tracks. On paved surfaces, the T-44 reaches a top speed up to 60 km/h, has very good acceleration and, with a trained driver, is pleasantly agile as well. Combine this with the mentioned low profile and the T-44 can zip around the map and reach a desirable firing position quickly. Use its speed and impressive agility to worm into unexpected places and fire on the enemies' sides. However, be careful when engaging enemies frontally, particularly heavy opponents, as the ZiS-S-53 is no longer a powerful armament at its BR. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to penetrate more heavily-armoured opponents frontally.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof, Gun mantlet)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 90 mm (62°) ''Front glacis'' 90 mm (46°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 45 mm (17°) ''Upper'' 30 mm (70°) ''Lower'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 120 mm (1-79°) ''Turret front'' 120 mm (3-69°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 90 mm (14-21°)|| 75 mm (12°) || 15 mm
|-
| Cupola || 120 mm || 120 mm || 120 mm || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick
* Tracks covering the hull of the tank gives an additional 18 mm of protection at their locations
* Belly armour is 15 mm thick
* The left side of the turret has a small protrusion around the gunner area

The T-44 sports a 90 mm thick frontal plate sloped under at 62°. Compared to the 45 mm thick armour of the T-34, the T-44 offers twice as much effective frontal armour thickness, and even surpasses the frontal hull armour protection of the equally ranked Centurion Mk.3 or the Panther Ausf. F tanks. We also should not forget the low profile, which allows the tank to use the terrain to either provide hardcover or to conceal the T-44's movement. However, the lower profile of Soviet tanks came at a cost of poor gun depression, and the T-44 is no exception, limiting possible hull-down positions considerably.

The frontal armour is, however, far from invincible. The frontal glacis is very bouncy, but can still be penetrated by some guns and, as the fuel tank is located directly beneath the frontal plate, frontal penetration will likely result in fuel fire or even detonation of the fuel tank. The front of the turret is only 120 mm thick and despite it being oblique, it will be still penetrated by nearly any tank gun at the given BR spread, with some being able to penetrate the turret even at long range. Here, it is suggested to lower the ammunition load to empty the ready rack, located at turret's rear - this will prevent ammunition detonation in case of turret penetration.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=775|rbMinHp=442}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

Research Parts and FPE first. Follow this with various gun upgrades, especially the BR-367, since it eases combat and allows one, in combination with BR-367P, to combat the [[Tiger II (H)]] effectively. Useful Performance modules are all located in tiers III and IV; all three provide more horsepower, and henceforth improved acceleration and mobility.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|ZIS-S-53 (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[ZIS-S-53 (85 mm)|85 mm ZIS-S-53]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 58 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 23.8 || 32.9 || 40.0 || 44.2 || 47.1 || rowspan="2" | 9.62 || rowspan="2" | 8.51 || rowspan="2" | 7.84 || rowspan="2" | 7.40
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.9 || 17.5 || 21.3 || 23.5 || 25.0
|-
|}

The armament of the T-44 is identical to the [[T-34-85]]. The ZiS-S-53 85 mm tank gun offers up to 142 mm of penetration with the basic BR-365A APHEBC ammunition, while the top BR-367 APCBC post-war round offers up to 159 mm of penetration. While this is an improvement over the BR-365A APHE round (aka the top round of the T-34-85), it is still overshadowed by other medium tank guns at the given BR spread, such as the KwK 42 L/70 on the Panther, the 90mm M3 gun on the T25, or the British OQF 20-pounder gun on the Centurion Mk.3. Interestingly, the BR-365A shell actually sports significantly more HE filler and better-sloped performance, making it a better round in general. Penetration can be boosted up to 230 mm by using BR-367P APCR rounds, but against sloped armour, this round will struggle to penetrate like any APCR round in the game. That said, it is obvious the firepower is not exactly the strongest trait of the T-44. In fact, it was this very problem which in real life that led Soviet engineers to develop upgunned T-44-100 and T-44-122 prototypes, armed with 100 mm and 122 guns respectively.

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 148 || 143 || 126 || 106 || 90 || 77
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 135 || 133 || 124 || 114 || 104 || 95
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 195 || 187 || 154 || 122 || 96 || 76
|-
| BR-367 || APCBC || 164 || 162 || 154 || 143 || 134 || 125
|-
| BR-367P || APCR || 208 || 201 || 176 || 148 || 125 || 106
|-
| O-365K || HE || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 14 || 73.92 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 14 || 164 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 1,050 || 4.99 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| BR-367 || APCBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 14 || 67.76 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-367P || APCR || 1,020 || 5.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 793 || 9.54 || 0 || 0.1 || 741 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''58''' || 57 ''(+1)'' || 52 ''(+6)'' || 47 ''(+11)'' || 17 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+57)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 5 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 16 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 5 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-4 into rack 5. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.
* Hull empty: 17 ''(+41)'' shells.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The T-44 is a tank that has great mobility and agility, with a somewhat bouncy but not impenetrable armour. The 85 mm cannon may struggle at its BR. All of these traits produce a recipe for a good flanker. In tight city maps such as Cologne or Stalingrad, the T-44 is great at out-circling lumbering heavies and placing shots in their flanks, as well as in capping target zones in Domination and Break modes. On large open maps such as Mozdok or Kursk, the T-44 can be used to outflank the enemy and either cap the enemy's base (when playing Battle mode), or rush into the enemy rear and surprise any enemy tanks by shooting them from behind. Stay mobile as much as possible and engage only when penetration is assured - the T-44 is simply not sturdy enough to survive head-on shootouts with enemy heavy tanks and tank destroyers. Used properly, the T-44 will serve well as a highly mobile effective medium tank. Experiences earned with this tank is also easily transferable, as the next few Soviet tanks, the [[T-44-100]] and [[T-54 (1947)]], are played nearly the same way, except with a much stronger gun on the former, and better armour on the latter.

For Realistic Battles and head-on engagements:

* [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II H]], [[Tiger II (10.5 cm Kw.K)|105]] and [[Tiger II (H) Sla.16|Sla.16]]: Load APCR with 230 mm of penetration and shoot at the right turret cheek to knock out the gunner, then load APHE and shot at the flat part below the turret to set of ammo racks.
* All Panther models: aim for the turret cheeks, against model [[Panther D|D]], [[Panther A|A]] and [[Panther G|G]] the shot trap can be used.
* [[Jagdpanther]]: Lower front plate, Upper front plate might be penetrated, but is prone to ricochets.
* [[Ferdinand]]: Lower front plate with the Upgraded APHE shell (159 mm of penetration) works sometimes. Shooting the part with the gun with APCR is more reliable though, aim for the right side.
* [[Jagdtiger]]: Head-on encounters should be avoided at all times. The only part which MIGHT be penetrated is the machine gun port at close range with the upgraded APHE shell with no angling, flanking is highly advised.
* [[T25]]: LFP with upgraded APHE, UFP and machine gun port.
* [[M26]] and [[M46]]: LFP sometimes, machine gun port, UFP.
* [[M47]]: LFP with upgraded APHE and machine gun port.
* [[T32]]: LFP sometimes with upgraded APHE and machine gun port.
* [[T34]]: Some parts of the LFP and machine gun port.
* [[T26E1-1]]: Bounces a lot of shells. Aim for the machine gun port.
* [[T95]]: Hit the cupola.
* [[Caernarvon]]: Hit the lower front plate.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 90 mm upper glacis is invulnerable to most enemy shells due to its ~60° slope
* High acceleration and top speed for a medium tank
* Proper positioning, if angled correctly will cause many incoming shots to harmlessly bounce off the armour
* Sides of the turret are 90 mm at 77°, making it effectively 440 mm front the front
* Small profile
* Good mobility and gun traverse speed

'''Cons:'''

* HEAT and APDS rounds will penetrate your upper front glacis
* Gun may prove insufficient until the better shells are researched
* Limited gun depression of -5°
* Gun mantlet and turret cheeks are only 120 mm thick and are able to be easily penetrated by any tank at its rank
* Fuel tank and ammo storage in the front of the hull may prove fatal in case of a frontal penetration
* 4 crew members and cramped interior can lead to one-hit knockouts from a penetration
* Bouncy suspension leads to unstable hull movement, hindering accuracy when moving and stopping

== History ==

===Predecessors===
The Soviet Union tank [[T-34 (1940)|T-34]] began production at the end of 1940, but there were already plans to upgrade the T-34 design as early as 1941 by incorporating modern technology.<ref name="ZalogaModernSoviets">Zaloga Steven. ''Modern Soviet Combat Tanks'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1984</ref> The first of these projects was the ''T-34M'', which would have thicker armour, a three-man turret, torsion bar suspension, road wheels with shock absorbers, increased fuel capacity, and more ammo storage. The design also had the driver and assistant driver spots switched, but still retaining the large driver hatch on the front glacis. Four return rollers were also added and a 12-cylinder diesel engine producing 600 horsepower was used along with an 8-speed transmission system. The design used a traverse engine placement, making the design smaller than the original T-34, yet giving the crew more workspace in the tank. While the development underway to constructing armour plates, the project was placed on hold with Nazi Germany's invasion in Operation Barbarossa and all production facilities were mass-producing the T-34s to counter the invasion.

Despite the initial success with the T-34s against the Geman tanks, it was determined that a new medium tank was needed with better protection, yet staying around the same weight range. This program was the ''T-43'' and featured a new turret, shorter suspension, better gun, and more armour. However, logistics took over and the priority in mass-producing the already proven [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] overruled the new development of a new tank. The T-43 was cancelled, but the turret was adapted onto the T-34 design to mount the 85 mm gun in the designated [[T-34-85]] tanks, fulfilling a specification to give more firepower to the armoured corps.

===Development===
In the autumn of 1943 at the Stalin Ural Tank Factory No. 183, the designers started working on a vehicle under orders of Stalin to have major improvements over the initial T-34s. The mobility of the T-34 medium tank was to be similar, but with more armour on it. In November, chief designer A. A. Morozov presented a design and model, and it was designated the '''T-44''' (Object 136). Compared to the T-34-85, the T-44 had the same road wheels, engine, and turret; but the suspension was replaced with a torsion bar suspension and a simpler hull shape for a smaller profile. The first prototype was completed on January the next year and two more in February. The first two prototypes are armed with the 85 mm D-5T gun with the designation T-44-85, while the last had a 122 mm D-25-44T cannon similar to the one on the [[IS-2]] tank (Though differing from one-piece ammunition and better muzzle brake) designated the [[T-44-122]]. Innovative design on the T-44 was the placement of the engine perpendicular to the axis of the tank. Mounting the engine sideways allows for reducing the overall hull length by maximizing the hull width to fit the engine. This allowed the hull to be made without sponsons, gave the crew a much bigger fighting compartment, had the turret placed on the centre of the vehicle and reduced the vehicle's overall length. However, the ammo stored on the left side of the tank was easily hit and could detonate, destroying the tank. The armour on the design featured 75 mm thick plate on the front, 90 mm on the turret mantlet, side armour is 45 mm thick with the capability of mounting an additional 30 mm of armour. These prototypes had a V-2IS diesel engine delivering 500 horsepower. The tank provided many advantages over the T-34 design, the gun accuracy on the T-44 design was arguably better, and the turret ring was more reliable. It presented more than double frontal armour without significantly affecting weight distribution. The increased fighting compartment meant that the turret floor ammunition storage on the T-34 could be removed. Tank height comparison, the T-44 was 300 mm lower than the T-34, and the driver's vision from his hatch is much better than on the T-34.

Trials with the first prototypes began in February 1944. One of the competition was against the German [[Panther G|Panther tank]]. The results indicated that the T-44 with the 122 mm gun was impractical and was discontinued while the T-44 with the 85 mm gun went on to further development after a few faults were discovered. By May, the next batch of prototypes arrived with improvements. The driver's position was moved slightly back so the hatch is now partly on the hull roof, and the vision flap on the hatch was simplified. Two prototypes were made, one with a splashboard on the glacis plate and the other with a smooth plate. One of these passed trials on June and July 1944, it weighed 31.3 tons, had an 85 mm cannon, and had an armour thickness of 115 mm effective on the front and 75 mm thick on the hull sides. The prototype went through improvements again and was designated the ''T-44A'', which had the front armour thickness increased to 90 mm and turret front armour increased to 120 mm, yet had a weight reduction to 30.7 tons. The vehicle had a new engine that delivers 520 hp and could travel at 60.5 km/h. The driver's hatch was also now entirely moved to the hull top with a vision slot cut on the glacis. The vehicle still retained the 85 mm cannon. The T-44 finally entered service on November 23, 1944, after a few more upgrades (upping the weight to 32 tons), but did not actually see any World War II service. Production started in 1944 at Factory No. 75 and continued building until 1947 with about 1,823 units produced.

===Usage===
Though the T-44 did not see combat in World War II, it was issued to tank brigades for training purposes. The Cold War that ensued after the end of World War II prompted the Soviets to keep the T-44 a secret, never shown publicly until the secrecy dropped in the 1960s, though some have been reported to be seen when the Soviet invaded Hungary in 1956. Some T-44 were upgraded with parts from the [[T-54 (1947)|T-54 main battle tank]] and was called the ''T-44M''. Some T-44s were reconfigured to other roles during its service life, such as armour recovery vehicles, command tanks, and engineer vehicles. The Soviets kept the T-44s around up until the end of the 1970s when it is retired. The T-44 was never exported to other countries in the Warsaw Pact, unusual behaviour for the Soviet Union.

The T-44 was an innovative new tank for the Soviet Armoured Forces, but it proved lacking in the coming age of tank technology. This was evident by its usage of an 85 mm gun, whereas the army requested a mounting of the more powerful 100 mm D-10 gun seen on the [[SU-100]]. An attempt to mount the 100 mm on the T-44 produced a vehicle designated ''[[T-44-100|T-44B]]'', which was also modified with thicker armour, different driver's hatch and vision slot, and a larger turret ring diameter, along with the 100 mm D-10TK gun. The weight was increased to 35.5 tons, which had the road speed reduced to 43.5 km/h. The trials proved positive and the decision was made to drastically modernize the tank before establishing production, as the larger turret ring diameter would require enlarging the hull so a redesign had to be made. The development of this project would eventually bring about the most-produced Soviet tank of all time, the [[T-54 (1947)|T-54 main battle tank]].

===Survivors===
Some T-44 models when they were unveiled from secrecy or when they were retired were given to various military museums in Russia. One went to Brest in Belarus, another to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, another in Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park, and some to the Kubinka Tank Museum, including one of the two T-44 prototypes mounting the 100 mm D-10 cannon.

One T-44 in the Kubinka Tank Museum, with sponsorship from Gaijin Entertainment, has been restored to full, running condition in six months and painted in a parade camouflage style of the 29th Tank Corps of the 5th Guards Mechanized Army.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
This tank was created in 1943-1944 by UZTM's design bureau and was designed to replace the T-34 as the Red Army's main tank. The new 500 hp B-44 engine was installed crosswise in the hull with modified water and oil pump positioning. This meant the tank's hull height and width were 300 mm smaller in comparison to the T-34, reducing its weight, which allowed its armour to be increased and a turret housing an 85 mm cannon to be placed on the centre of the hull. This allowed the hull's frontal armour to be increased to 90 mm thickness without overloading the front road wheels. The thickness of the side and rear hull armour plates was also increased. The turret's front was 120 mm thick, and its rear 70-75 mm thick. In order to increase the thickness of the frontal hull plate, the driver's hatch was moved to the hull roof and the bow machine gun's ball mount was removed. The undercarriage's reliability was increased owing to the use of torsion-bar suspension on the road wheels.

The tank received all the newest achievements in fire control - an improved sight, an electric trigger button for the gun and machine gun, and combined manual and motor drive for turning the turret. All the tank's components and mechanisms were significantly improved. The tank's crew was reduced by a gunner/radio officer, as the tank's commander operated the radio. The bow machine gun was rigidly fixed to the frontal armour and operated by the driver. The space previously occupied by the gunner/radio officer was used for a fuel tank.

This tank came into service in 1944. By 1947, a total of 1,823 of these tanks were made, including 655 made during the war.

The T-44's appearance led to the creation of the entirely new T-54 combat vehicle.

The only armed conflict the T-44 took part in was the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_t_44 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|-ndHK-sKUkw|Running T-44 at Kubinka on Warthunder Channel|FiEXsMxd5rc|'''The Shooting Range #56''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 02:57 discusses the T-44.|fyRkpUAoH5k|'''The Shooting Range #187''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:27 discusses the T-44.}}

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3533/current/|[Vehicle Profile] Successor of a Legend: the T-44]]

=== References ===
<references />

{{TankManufacturer Morozov}}
{{USSR medium tanks}}

M-51

2022-11-10T15:18:19Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = Israeli medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the premium version
| link = M-51 (W)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=il_m_51
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Israeli medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]]. It is the sole "reserve" tank of Israel, therefore, for several battles it is repaired for free and it's possible to spawn this tank several times in a single battle. It looks similar to the [[M4A1 (76) W]], but feels smoother at the edges and has a different weapon.

It's important to know, that even if you gain access to this tank, your beginning crew level is still level 1 (meaning, that you can't even buy expert qualification for the crew), while everyone around has level 30 to 60 and (very likely) an expert training.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The hull armour is mostly inadequate. Almost every popular tank in the BR range can penetrate the tank's front with ease even when it is presented at an extreme angle, short of light tanks and SPAAs. Still, frontal armour can protect the tank from bombs and rockets. The side armour is quite weak and is arguable the weakest part of the tank, as even SPAA can penetrate it at various angles. The rear is technically the best protected side when it comes to hopeless situations - if the opponent hits too high, then shell bounces into tough turret and does nothing; if opponent hits too low, then engine might stop the shell. Unfortunately, tank's awful reverse speed does not allow it to charge with rear forward, so it can only be used defensively.

The turret armour is bad and good. Turret sides are unlikely to protect from anything but 20 mm SPAA, but the front is decent. The gun mantlet actually allows the turret to deflect stray shots and can allow the tank to fight in hulldown position, but the turret's top is not cut off on the "mask" level, but higher. The actual roof is connected to it with 26 mm RHA plate, which is not even angled enough to bounce shells in the first place, and most of opponents in tank's rank are either extremely tall, have angle negating shells, or both. Because of this, if the M-51 is charging into high ground, it is easily destroyed before it can even fire, especially in AB. By keeping distance and vertical angle, the tank can reduce the probability of being penetrated.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull side bottom, hull roof - engine)
* Cast homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm (44°) ''Upper glacis'' 63.5 mm (cylindrical) ''Transmission housing'' 38.1 mm ''Hull corners'' || 38 mm (2-15°) ''Top'' 38 mm ''Bottom'' || 38 mm (14°) || 63.5 mm (46°) ''Front glacis'' 19.5 mm ''Crew compartment'' 20 mm ''Engine compartment'' 9.5-9.5+4 mm ''Engine vents''
|-
| Turret || 55 mm (12°) ''Turret front'' 80 - 250 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm (10-17°) || 51 mm 51 mm (65°) ''Bustle'' || 25.4 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 63.5 mm (cylindrical) || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, tracks are 20 mm thick, and torsion bars are 10 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


Without upgrades, even in AB the tank will never be able to take initiative from opponents, as it accelerates poorly and loses a lot of momentum when turning at low/zero crew level - opponents will always be first to the capture point and almost always will react faster in combat.

With all the upgrades, it is still slower than most of other tanks, but it will feel far less clunky to drive and will more often reach maximum speed. It will also accelerate surprisingly fast, for how it performed before.

Remember, the reverse speed on this tank is only 3-5 km/h, combined with poor hull plating it requires the commander to make decisions count, or to not rely on mobility at all.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=713|rbMinHp=407}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|M-51 (105 mm)}}

The gun fires HEAT and HE with characteristics typical of a rank IV SPG, but its velocity is very close to the default APHE (usually a bit slower), which makes learning curve less strict than it normally is. The tank is also reasonably tall, so HEAT does not lose a lot of power like with the SPG of the rank, which struggle with heavy tanks due to an insane angle of attack.
[[File:M51 heat long range attack over cover.jpg|thumb|right|At medium to long range, the minor difference in HEAT and APHE velocity may allow M51 to outplay superior tanks]]
Gun accuracy is great even without the gun adjustment upgrade and with zero crew experience, but its vertical elevation speed is awful, and the gun is constantly tilted by changes of movement pace, which makes handling it difficult. This makes personal user skill to fire on move without braking a necessity.

The only way to reduce the tilt is to upgrade movement modules, as it reduces the tilt threefold. Due to the low gun elevation speed, the elevation mechanism upgrade is a must have, and it is generally a good idea to pull the gun up before charging downhill, as to not disarm the tank in process, particularly at low crew level.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M-51 (105 mm)|105 mm M-51]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 56 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 22.8 || 31.6 || 38.4 || 42.5 || 45.2 || rowspan="2" | 9.75 || rowspan="2" | 8.63 || rowspan="2" | 7.95 || rowspan="2" | 7.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| OCC 105 F1 || HEAT || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| OE 105 F1 Mle.60 || HE || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| OCC 105 F1 || HEAT || 800 || 10.95 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,020 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| OE 105 F1 Mle.60 || HE || 800 || 12.1 || 0 || 0.1 || 2,000 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| OFPH 105 F1 || 600 || 11.4 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

HEAT shells destroy any tank regardless of its armour. They can be used at point blank range to knock out [[Panther tank (Family)|Panthers]] with a single shot by hitting their hull straight to the middle. They can also be used in typical HEAT fashion to bombard any enemy 600 m away over a hill, even without direct sight - returned APHE fire will not hit the tank back, since it's generally a bit faster, and even if there is an artillery genius on the other side, the gun mask should be able to handle it.

The HE shell is nice to have. Even if it's difficult to memorize which tank's roofs it can penetrate, the HE can be used to bully sneaky light tanks and beat certain SPGs like the [[Type 75 SPH]].

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''56''' || 33 ''(+23)'' || 9 ''(+47)'' || 4 ''(+52)'' || 1 ''(+55)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|M1919A4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 750 (250) || 500 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
| Coaxial || 4,750 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The M-51 has poor armour for its BR, which is why you should never get into a brawl. Even though the overall armour might not be suited for close-range engagements, the hull armour is kind of decent at long ranges but is really good against bombs and rockets. Pick off targets from long range and avoid being spotted so do not hang around in one spot for too long. Your eather thin armour means that you cannot risk taking even a single hit especially from the side as you will be destroyed instantly. Aerial opponents are also a threat.

;Enemies worth noting

* [[Panther D]] - If the Panther presents its front, then shoot the left side of the mantlet where the gunner and the commander sits, which will effectively disable it. You can then try and shoot the front to knock out the rest of the crew.
* [[IS-2]] - This Soviet tank has better armour than you but your excellent 105 mm gun with HEAT shells should have no problem penetrating it. However, you must make sure that you shoot first to disable its gunner. Shoot at the turret if the IS-2 is presenting its front. The IS-2 has poor gun depression which can be used against it on hilly maps when it attempts to climb up a hill.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 400 mm penetration HEAT launcher is a death sentence for any tank
* Gun mantlet can block or bounce inaccurate shots, decent for hulldown tactics
* The gun is reasonably accurate even when stock and with untrained crew
* There are three of them, which means you only have to pay for the repair once (there are also free repairs several times)
* Gun scope has great zoom
* Decent gun depression
* Gun can easily destroy a lightly armoured vehicle no matter where the shot is placed due to hullbreak

'''Cons:'''

* Very bouncy gun; paired with the poor vertical gun elevation speed any panic on commander's side is fatal
* HEAT rounds are highly unreliable with mostly poor post-penetration damage
* No .50 cal heavy machine gun
* Fire-on-the-move techniques take time to be fully mastered
* Turret armour has a fatal flaw which makes it weak when charging into high ground (or in general against good snipers in AB)
* The hull armour is effectively useless at the rank, it's easy to forget that it still exists and can save from airstrikes or SPAA
* When initially unlocked, must be used with a level 1 crew with no expert training against elite crews of other nations - very high personal skill requirement or patience strain
* No survivability

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=il_m_51 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
{{Israel medium tanks}}

M-51

2022-11-10T15:16:10Z

U108186769: pros

{{About
| about = Israeli medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the premium version
| link = M-51 (W)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=il_m_51
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Israeli medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]]. It is the sole "reserve" tank of Israel, therefore, for several battles it is repaired for free and it's possible to spawn this tank several times in a single battle. It looks similar to the [[M4A1 (76) W]], but feels smoother at the edges and has a different weapon.

It's important to know, that even if you gain access to this tank, your beginning crew level is still level 1 (meaning, that you can't even buy expert qualification for the crew), while everyone around has level 30 to 60 and (very likely) an expert training.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The hull armour is mostly inadequate. Almost every popular tank in the BR range can penetrate the tank's front with ease even when it is presented at an extreme angle, short of light tanks and SPAAs. Still, frontal armour can protect the tank from bombs and rockets. The side armour is quite weak and is arguable the weakest part of the tank, as even SPAA can penetrate it at various angles. The rear is technically the best protected side when it comes to hopeless situations - if the opponent hits too high, then shell bounces into tough turret and does nothing; if opponent hits too low, then engine might stop the shell. Unfortunately, tank's awful reverse speed does not allow it to charge with rear forward, so it can only be used defensively.

The turret armour is bad and good. Turret sides are unlikely to protect from anything but 20 mm SPAA, but the front is decent. The gun mantlet actually allows the turret to deflect stray shots and can allow the tank to fight in hulldown position, but the turret's top is not cut off on the "mask" level, but higher. The actual roof is connected to it with 26 mm RHA plate, which is not even angled enough to bounce shells in the first place, and most of opponents in tank's rank are either extremely tall, have angle negating shells, or both. Because of this, if the M-51 is charging into high ground, it is easily destroyed before it can even fire, especially in AB. By keeping distance and vertical angle, the tank can reduce the probability of being penetrated.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull side bottom, hull roof - engine)
* Cast homogeneous armour (hull, turret, cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm (44°) ''Upper glacis'' 63.5 mm (cylindrical) ''Transmission housing'' 38.1 mm ''Hull corners'' || 38 mm (2-15°) ''Top'' 38 mm ''Bottom'' || 38 mm (14°) || 63.5 mm (46°) ''Front glacis'' 19.5 mm ''Crew compartment'' 20 mm ''Engine compartment'' 9.5-9.5+4 mm ''Engine vents''
|-
| Turret || 55 mm (12°) ''Turret front'' 80 - 250 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm (10-17°) || 51 mm 51 mm (65°) ''Bustle'' || 25.4 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 63.5 mm (cylindrical) || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, tracks are 20 mm thick, and torsion bars are 10 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


Without upgrades, even in AB the tank will never be able to take initiative from opponents, as it accelerates poorly and loses a lot of momentum when turning at low/zero crew level - opponents will always be first to the capture point and almost always will react faster in combat.

With all the upgrades, it is still slower than most of other tanks, but it will feel far less clunky to drive and will more often reach maximum speed. It will also accelerate surprisingly fast, for how it performed before.

Remember, the reverse speed on this tank is only 3-5 km/h, combined with poor hull plating it requires the commander to make decisions count, or to not rely on mobility at all.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=713|rbMinHp=407}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|M-51 (105 mm)}}

The gun fires HEAT and HE with characteristics typical of a rank IV SPG, but its velocity is very close to the default APHE (usually a bit slower), which makes learning curve less strict than it normally is. The tank is also reasonably tall, so HEAT does not lose a lot of power like with the SPG of the rank, which struggle with heavy tanks due to an insane angle of attack.
[[File:M51 heat long range attack over cover.jpg|thumb|right|At medium to long range, the minor difference in HEAT and APHE velocity may allow M51 to outplay superior tanks]]
Gun accuracy is great even without the gun adjustment upgrade and with zero crew experience, but its vertical elevation speed is awful, and the gun is constantly tilted by changes of movement pace, which makes handling it difficult. This makes personal user skill to fire on move without braking a necessity.

The only way to reduce the tilt is to upgrade movement modules, as it reduces the tilt threefold. Due to the low gun elevation speed, the elevation mechanism upgrade is a must have, and it is generally a good idea to pull the gun up before charging downhill, as to not disarm the tank in process, particularly at low crew level.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M-51 (105 mm)|105 mm M-51]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 56 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 22.8 || 31.6 || 38.4 || 42.5 || 45.2 || rowspan="2" | 9.75 || rowspan="2" | 8.63 || rowspan="2" | 7.95 || rowspan="2" | 7.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| OCC 105 F1 || HEAT || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| OE 105 F1 Mle.60 || HE || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| OCC 105 F1 || HEAT || 800 || 10.95 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,020 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| OE 105 F1 Mle.60 || HE || 800 || 12.1 || 0 || 0.1 || 2,000 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| OFPH 105 F1 || 600 || 11.4 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

HEAT shells destroy any tank regardless of its armour. They can be used at point blank range to knock out [[Panther tank (Family)|Panthers]] with a single shot by hitting their hull straight to the middle. They can also be used in typical HEAT fashion to bombard any enemy 600 m away over a hill, even without direct sight - returned APHE fire will not hit the tank back, since it's generally a bit faster, and even if there is an artillery genius on the other side, the gun mask should be able to handle it.

The HE shell is nice to have. Even if it's difficult to memorize which tank's roofs it can penetrate, the HE can be used to bully sneaky light tanks and beat certain SPGs like the [[Type 75 SPH]].

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''56''' || 33 ''(+23)'' || 9 ''(+47)'' || 4 ''(+52)'' || 1 ''(+55)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|M1919A4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 750 (250) || 500 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
| Coaxial || 4,750 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The M-51 has poor armour for its BR, which is why you should never get into a brawl. Even though the overall armour might not be suited for close-range engagements, the hull armour is kind of decent at long ranges but is really good against bombs and rockets. Pick off targets from long range and avoid being spotted so do not hang around in one spot for too long. Your eather thin armour means that you cannot risk taking even a single hit especially from the side as you will be destroyed instantly. Aerial opponents are also a threat.

;Enemies worth noting

* [[Panther D]] - If the Panther presents its front, then shoot the left side of the mantlet where the gunner and the commander sits, which will effectively disable it. You can then try and shoot the front to knock out the rest of the crew.
* [[IS-2]] - This Soviet tank has better armour than you but your excellent 105 mm gun with HEAT shells should have no problem penetrating it. However, you must make sure that you shoot first to disable its gunner. Shoot at the turret if the IS-2 is presenting its front. The IS-2 has poor gun depression which can be used against it on hilly maps when it attempts to climb up a hill.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 400 mm penetration HEAT launcher is a death sentence for any tank
* Gun mantlet can block or bounce inaccurate shots, decent for hulldown tactics
* The gun is reasonably accurate even when stock and with untrained crew
* There are three of them, which means you only have to pay for the repair once (there are also free repairs several times)
* Gun scope has great zoom
* Decent gun depression
* Gun can easily destroy a lightly armoured vehicle no matter where the shot is placed due to hullbreak

'''Cons:'''

* Very bouncy gun; paired with the poor vertical gun elevation speed any panic on commander's side is fatal
* HEAT rounds are highly unreliable with mostly poor post-penetration damage
* No .50 cal heavy machine gun
* Fire-on-the-move techniques take time to be fully mastered
* Turret armour has a fatal flaw which makes it weak when charging into high ground (or in general against good snipers in AB)
* The hull armour is effectively useless at the rank, it's easy to forget that it still exists and can save from airstrikes or SPAA
* When initially unlocked, must be used with a level 1 crew with no expert training against elite crews of other nations - very high personal skill requirement or patience strain

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=il_m_51 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{TankManufacturer Israeli Ordnance Corps}}
{{Israel medium tanks}}

15cm sIG 33 B Sfl

2022-11-10T15:12:05Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_sturmpanzer_II
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]]. Based on the Panzer II chassis, it mounted a 150 mm cannon and was used during the North African campaign.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 35 mm (11°) ''Front plate'' 20 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' 35 mm (14°) ''Lower glacis'' || 15 mm || 15 mm
!
|-
| Superstructure || 30 mm (12°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm || 15 mm
!
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Hull underside right above tracks is 15 mm thick and belly armour is 5 mm thick.

The Sturmpanzer II does have enough armour to stop low BR tank rounds, however it should not be relied upon to stop high velocity or high penetration rounds, especially from other SPGs. It is an open-topped vehicle, and since it has no machine guns, it is very vulnerable to air attack.

Despite having very little armour, it does have a lot of empty space in the tank to resist multiple penetrating hits before being destroyed. However, it is hull-breakable against 75 mm or larger guns with sufficient AP velocity or HE capability.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=220|rbMinHp=137}}

The Sturmpanzer II can go up to 45 km/h, but due to the low power-to-weight ratio, the practical top speed is significantly less. Reverse speed is decent, up to -8.4 km/h. It has a decent turning capability when moving at higher speeds, but when stopped it can barely turn due to its weight.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|s.I.G.33 (150 mm)}}

The Sturmpanzer II mounts a s.I.G.33 infantry support cannon, which can fire HEAT or HE rounds. The shell velocity is very slow (240 m/s), so slow that it can be awkward to target moving targets or those at long ranges, especially with HE rounds. The calibre of the gun is 15 cm (150 mm / 5.9 in). The Sturmpanzer does not have any other weapons.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[s.I.G.33 (150 mm)|150 mm s.I.G.33]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 18 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+40° || rowspan="2" | -1°/+6° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 5.3 || 7.3 || 8.9 || 9.8 || 10.4 || rowspan="2" | 14.43 || rowspan="2" | 12.77 || rowspan="2" | 11.77 || rowspan="2" | 11.10
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.6 || 4.2 || 5.1 || 5.6 || 6.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''I.Gr.38 (HE):''' This round is extremely powerful, and can destroy pretty much every tank at the same battle rating as the {{PAGENAME}}. It requires only a hit on the tank, underneath it, or in close proximity to be effective. It completely ignores the armour of most tanks you will face, and is very good at destroying a tank with a single shot. It is likely that you will knock out several crew members and/or detonate their ammunition.

* '''I.Gr.39 HI/A (HEAT):''' This round is effective, just as is the high-explosive round, but unless you are up-tiering the vehicle, the HEAT round is likely a worse choice. It has more penetration, but that penetration is unlikely to be useful at this BR. Plus, the HEAT does not have near as much post-penetration damage as the HE round, meaning you may waste 2 shots on 1 tank, whereas the HE round may have knocked it out with a single shot. As such, unless you are up-tiering the tank you will not need HEAT, and you should probably only take a few rounds (if any), just in case you run across something like a B1 Bis.

The I.Gr.38 HE shell penetrates 61 mm against all armour angles. The 8.6 kg TNT equivalent ensure that anything that gets penetrated is instantly knocked out or is so badly crippled that a follow-up shot is guaranteed. The HE shell is so powerful that it can even knock out top-tier tanks with a single shot reliably through overpressure, but due to the huge mobility disadvantage, this is not recommended unless you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.

The I.Gr.39 HI/A HEAT shell penetrates 185 mm against vertical armour and still has a 5.3 kg TNT equivalent of explosives behind it, giving it the possibility to inflict overpressure damage from the explosion splash on top of the HEAT superplastic copper jet penetration.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| I.Gr.38 || HE || 61 || 61 || 61 || 61 || 61 || 61
|-
| I.Gr.39 HI/A || HEAT || 185 || 185 || 185 || 185 || 185 || 185
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| I.Gr.38 || HE || 240 || 38 || 0 || 0.1 || 8,600 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| I.Gr.39 HI/A || HEAT || 280 || 24.58 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 5,320 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo part
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''18''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 9 ''(+9)'' 10 ''(+8)'' || 5 ''(+13)'' 6 ''(+12)'' || 0 ''(+18)'' 0 ''(+18)'' || No
|-
|}

The most recommended ammo loadout would probably either be 18 shells or 9 shells. If you expect a long lasting battle a full loadout should be preferred. 9 shells would be the choice if fast action combat is in sight. Taking only 9 shells removes all the ammo from the right side of the tank, reducing the risk of ammo rack detonation. Packing 9 shells is probably the most balanced ammunition loadout in terms of survivability and endurance, while packing a full loadout is suited for high/risk-high-reward gameply.

At higher BRs 3.0 or more consider taking always a full loadout, because at this BR the chances of being destroyed with one hit is very high, leaving the pro of having more ammo (in theory more kills) outdoing the risk of an ammo rack explosion.

== Usage in battles ==


The 15cm SIG can only played in mainly three ways:

The Sturmpanzer has no air defence weapons, therefore partnering with an SPAA tank at the back of the map is a viable option. For those operators who prefer to close-range brawl with other low-tier tanks, then sticking with another tank is a good idea, mainly due to the long reload time, allowing your partner tank to help fend off any enemy advancing tanks. It has the capability to knock out much higher battle rated tanks, so if you're uptiered, there is still a good chance of survival. However, it is imperative to get a shot off first, because if you come across a higher tier tank, there may not be a second chance. Stay on the move after firing, fall back to safety to reload and then re-engage.

Another tactic is to try facing down a street while partly undercover. The Sturmpanzer is a relatively small vehicle and many beginning players will not notice the tank, especially if only part of the vehicle is exposed. Patiently wait for an easy target to turn onto the street then fire before they realize where they are being fired from. It is critical to remember the shell drop of the tank cannon after being fired, compared to other tanks, the shell drop is significant over any distance. It is advisable to always fire just above where other tanks would typically target to allow for shell drop and hit the enemy vehicle where intended instead of lower than expected.

Due to the huge HE splash ability and sheer calibre of the gun, it can even be used to battle high-rank IFVs. It does the same thing to BMP-2s, M3 Bradleys, Warriors, Centauros, and many other vehicles. The HE splash, however, is strong enough that it can knock out light tanks such as the M41A1 Bulldog, any AMX-13 variation, Crusaders in lower ranks, and many others. Purposely up-tiering it can be a very effective way to earn Silver Lions with the "God Mode!" award - destroying an enemy vehicle 5.0 BR ranks higher (BR 7.0+) than you which nets 20,000 Silver Lions.

;Enemies worth noting

* [[B1 bis]]: This is one of the few tanks that you will face while playing at your original BR that you may struggle to destroy. These tanks are heavily armoured and much of their hulls can withstand a shot from your gun, even from the side. If you are facing one of these tanks, aim for the turret. The turret is one of the only places you can reliably do damage to the B1 bis, and you can often get a single-shot knock-out if you hit the turret. Note: The B1 bis looks extremely similar to its much more heavily armoured successor, the B1 ter, and it can be incredibly hard to tell which variety it is except at closer ranges. The B1 ter has thicker armour and so both HE and HEAT shells must be aimed much more carefully in order to cause damage.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Deadly HE with 65 mm penetration and 8.6 kg TNT filler destroys anything at its rank (e.g. [[B1 bis]], [[M5A1]], [[T-50]]) or even in a purposely uptiered battle
* HEAT offers 185 mm penetration, posing a great threat against WW2 heavy targets like [[M4A3E2]], [[IS-1]], [[KV-1E]], etc.
* Adequate mobility: moderate top speed and fast hull traverse when driving allows it to deliver heavy blows from unexpected positions
* Low and small profile makes it easy to hide behind bushes or covers
* Can withstand a few hits on certain parts of frontal armour, which may bounce low-penetrating tanks like [[M16 MGMC]] or [[P.7.T AA]]
* Can be used purposely in an uptiered battle to obtain "God mode" earning yourself many silver lions

'''Cons:'''

* Very long reload impedes close-range combat. 14 second reload requires cover from allies if in crowded position.
* Limited gun traverse and extremely curved trajectory means it's hard to track and hit moving/distant targets
* HE and HEAT get detonated by various obstacles like fences and brick walls, making some positions difficult to shoot from
* Poor survivability overall: thin armour can get penetrated by anything, especially heavy MG found on [[M16 MGMC]], and the open top means it is vulnerable to strafing aircraft, nearby bombs and exploding artillery shells
* Very slow, spastic at turning on the spot, might not be able to get gun on target in time
* Although speed is decent, most opponents still outrun it easily, for example [[M5A1]], [[T-50]], [[M22]]
* Very vulnerable to artillery fire

== History ==

{{main|Pz.II C#History|l1=History of the Panzer II}}

=== Design ===
The Sturmpanzer I Bison was a self-propelled gun, consisting of a 150 mm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun mounted on top of a Panzer I chassis, together with a lightly armoured casemate to protect the gun servants. It was stop-gap vehicle used as an infantry support vehicle and showed its limits during the invasion of France and the Low Countries. The weight of the gun and the additional armour strongly hindered the mobility of the tank and caused premature mechanical wear. The gun installed very high on the chassis together with the casemate made the Sturmpanzer I a target of choice on the battlefield due to its very tall silhouette. The casemate did not protect all gun servants: the gunner and the commander were protected but loaders were extremely exposed as the casemate wasn't designed long enough to cover the rear of the vehicle. The extremely cramped layout of the vehicle made it impossible to stow ammunition: it had to be brought by a separate dedicated tank.

The need for the Sturmpanzer II was born early in 1941 when Rommel requested self-propelled guns to support his armoured divisions in North Africa.
This led the German Army to consider mounting the heavy gun sIG 33 on a vehicle chassis more fit to the task. The requirements for the new vehicle were to provide a less cramped layout for the gun and the crew to operate in optimal conditions, to give a silhouette as small as possible and to carry its own ammunition onboard, while maintaining the crew count, operational range and top speed of the previous Sturmpanzer.

=== Development ===
After the battle of France, the German Army focused on equipping their tank divisions with Panzer III and IV. The Panzer II tanks were recycled into other vehicles to assume different combat roles: tank destroyers, self-propelled guns, training vehicles or reconnaissance tanks. The availability of the Panzer II made it a natural successor of the Panzer I for the project. The first prototype used the standard chassis of a Panzer II, which revealed a similarly cramped layout. To remedy the issue, the chassis was widened by 32 cm, lengthened by 60 cm and a 6th roadwheel added along with track links.
The new casemate was open-topped but effectively surrounded the crew compartment, with a reinforced frontal gun shield. The 15cm sIG 33 B Sfl also carried 30 rounds. The loaders were still slightly exposed to gun fire when fetching ammunition around the vehicle but the emphasis was put on keeping a silhouette as small as possible. The operational range was increased and the crew count of 4 maintained together with the top speed.
12 vehicles were built in November and December 1941.

=== Combat action ===
The 15cm sIG 33 B Sfl served in North Africa, in the German 707th and 708th Heavy Infantry Gun Companies Heavy Infantry Gun Company until their destruction or surrender in 1943.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_sturmpanzer_II Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|iE4wTuJbe2I|'''The Shooting Range #40''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 02:43 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|_xCgMBOiA8U|'''High-explosive power''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 6:06 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Panzer II]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[SU-122]]
* [[Ho-Ro]]
* [[fm/43-44]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:15_cm_sIG_33_auf_Fahrgestell_Panzerkampfwagen_II_(Sf)|[Wikipedia] 15 cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf)]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/15-cm-sig-33-auf-fahrgestell-panzerkampfwagen-ii-sf/ <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> 15cm sIG 33 auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen II (Sf)]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Falcon

2022-11-10T15:08:15Z

U108186769: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_falcon
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]]. While being an anti-aircraft vehicle, the Falcon has optimal performance against everything, assuming you have enough modifications. Some self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles have a high fire rate, which allows them to destroy planes instantly or harass them from great distances, although they may have problems with standard ground vehicles due to armour. There are others which can destroy tanks by using high penetration ammunition but have difficulty taking down aircraft due to a lack of explosive filler. The Falcon has the ability to perform both of these roles with a high degree of efficiency.

The Falcon has the appearance of a light tank with a slightly sloped round turret on the back. It is easy to recognize the Falcon due to its unique features as there are not many vehicles like it on a field at its battle rating.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


The armour on the Falcon is not very effective, as it can only reliably protect against rifle-calibre machine guns. Aircraft that are armed with heavy machine guns and cannons are able to destroy it, but the Falcon is quick and highly manoeuvrable compared to most other vehicles which can allow it to escape into cover.

Important to note that some full calibre APHE shells do not detonate upon impacting the Falcon's armour, granting it some chances to make narrow escapes.

Many of the tanks at the battle rating of the Falcon also carry 12.7 mm or 14.5 mm heavy machine guns and will fire them at the Falcon. These machine guns are easily capable of defeating the armour and will devastate the interior of the vehicle, so as long as the mobility of the vehicle is not hampered it is advisable to keep moving and find cover.

Chemical rounds, such as HEAT-FS and HESH, will obliterate the Falcon, and artillery can also quickly bring a swift end to the Falcon.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 10 mm (80°), 12.7 mm (2-19°) ''Front glacis'' 12.7 mm (37°) ''Lower glacis'' || 12.7 mm ''Top'' 12.7 mm (13°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm (2°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 10 mm (4-64°) || 10 mm (14-26°) || 10 mm (2°) || 6 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* The general armour on the Falcon is extremely thin, which allows some full calibre APHE shells to pass through without detonating.
* Heavy machine guns are able to defeat the armour protection of the Falcon.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=303|rbMinHp=188}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|HSS 831L (30 mm)}}

The Falcon carries two 30 mm autocannons with a high rate of fire. Together, they can shred tanks and planes apart in mere seconds.

Autocannons can overheat if continuously fired, so short bursts work best. Firing for more than 6 seconds can cause overheating and jamming and it is advised to refrain from extended firing unless absolutely necessary. The recoil from guns slows the tank down and pushes it back. If attempting a flanking attack, try to fire over the the side of the vehicle, as otherwise, the opponent's turret might catch up.

Ammunition is stored in two identical belts (one for each cannon), which ensures uniformity of ammunition but does have several disadvantages. For example, rearming the belt is only possible when all ammunition is expended. This takes an extended period of time (20 seconds) and then the Falcon must also reload for 4 seconds; if team lacks any control over the map it may be impossible. Lack of a backup belt also allows aircraft to easily take it out if they are aware of this weakness and see it standing on a capture point.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[HSS 831L (30 mm)|30 mm HSS 831L]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 620 (310) || rowspan="2" | 600 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 70.4 || 97.5 || 118.4 || 130.9 || 139.3 || rowspan="2" | 65.00 || rowspan="2" | 57.50 || rowspan="2" | 53.00 || rowspan="2" | 50.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 47.6 || 56.0 || 68.0 || 75.2 || 80.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|SAP-I|Semi-armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - General combat. Avoid heavily armoured vehicles at all costs, but can punish other SPAA and light tanks.
* '''30x170 HE-I-T:''' {{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI*|High-explosive incendiary (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAP-I|Semi-armour-piercing incendiary}} - Belt adapted to hunt down planes. Damage to SPAA and light tanks is reduced severely.
* '''30x170 APHE-I:''' {{Annotation|SAP-I|Semi-armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAP-I|Semi-armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAP-I|Semi-armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Belt adapted to hunt down light tanks. Damage to planes is reduced, but still adequate.
* '''30x170 APDS-T:''' {{Annotation|SAP-I|Semi-armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APDS|Armour-piercing discarding sabot}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAP-I|Semi-armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEI-T*|High-explosive incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - Anti-tank belt. Flank and destroy careless MBTs, damage heavy tanks, while doing AA duty. May not cause fatal damage immediately due to APDS not being the first shell in the belt.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 HE-I-T || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APHE-I || 53 || 50 || 39 || 29 || 21 || 16
|-
| 30x170 APDS-T || 110 || 101 || 95 || 69 || 52 || 41
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''620''' || 310 ''(+310)''|| 0 ''(+620)''|| No
|-
|}

==== Optics and night vision ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! rowspan="3" |Type of optic
! rowspan="3" |Magnification
! colspan="5" |[[Night Vision Devices]]
|-
! colspan="3" |Image Intensifier
! rowspan="2" |{{Annotation|Thermal Imager Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! rowspan="2" |Notes
|-
! {{Annotation|Resolution|The higher the resolution the clearer and more detailed the image is}}
! {{Annotation|Light Mult|By how much the image intensifier amplifies the existing light, primarily useful for comparing image intensifiers}}
! {{Annotation|Noise Level|How much noise is present in the image (how grainy the image is)}}
|-
! Gunner's Sight
| X1.8 - X3.5 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Commander's View
| X6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || Not Fitted ||
|-
! Driver's View
| X1 / 3PV || 800X600 || ? || high || Not Fitted || Only useable with tier 4 upgrade
|-
|}

Use night vision to avoid hostile tanks or to fight them at close range at night. The image intensifier is not installed for gunner or commander, so be cautious when shifting between third person and other views during night.

== Usage in battles ==


;Combat tactics

Generally, Falcon drives around the battlefield, trying to hide in hard to notice flank positions or behind houses and shoots at planes. In case if someone drives by - flanks them and destroys them, if the AP belt is equipped.

It's generally better to stay out of sight, using terrain elevation or houses. You only can choose one belt, AP belt is adequate for any work. If you want to shoot just planes you can take explosive ammo, but then you are almost completely useless against armour. APDS belt allows harassing even heavily armoured vehicles from sides. You won't need to reload until you are done.

In case if some tank noticed you and wants to destroy you, you can use the fact, that tanks turrets are usually far from the front of the tank. Bait enemy towards your cover, stand far enough away from the corner to see enemy tracks, but not to see an enemy turret, and shoot cannons at the track that is '''further away from you'''. That will force the moving tank to topple over and mess with the enemy aim. Before enemy realized what has just happened shred their side armour and destroy them. If that failed - run, they won't be able to get you anyway. You can do that in duels as well, however, just destroying them is better at that point.

In RB, it's possible to hide in forests, waiting for relatively poorly armoured German medium tanks, light tanks and alike, however, if they notice your vehicle first you probably won't do enough damage to stop them from firing again.

In AB, it's possible to just drive around and shoot at everyone, since it's even faster there, however, people dislike being shot at by autocannons, and someone will certainly notice the noise and kill-feed, so don't expect to live long, especially against Soviets, who have lots of frontal armour and BMPs, which are superior to you in every way.

Some enemies to be concerned about:

* ATGM: These are worse than any tanks because they won't accidentally hit your loader with AP shell, they will just explode you. Attack only when having the upper hand, be that long range, cover, or surprise.
* [[Maus]]: It's invulnerable to you and has 2 cannons. Even the [[IS-7]] technically can be defeated in point blank duel with APDS belt, but not the Maus. In AB this means, that you can't drive anywhere it can look and fire at.
* American and Soviet tanks, heavy tanks in general: A lot of them have heavy machine guns, which can penetrate the Falcon. They also have superior frontal armour, so try to be careful around them.

;Counter-tactics


''Ground:''

AP and APDS belts are most effective when fired at your side armour or the back of the turret. If you are attacked by a Falcon, just turn both hull and turret to take better angle against them.

It's best to not let them get a jump on you at all, since it may be able to destroy 2 tanks before anyone even realizes what's going on. Just don't stand with your sides open towards flank directions, instead, turn your hull's front and back there, if the enemy you are currently fighting cannot fire at your hull anyway.

On rare occasions, ramming the Falcon damages it's guns. Ramming at full speed often damages tracks or at least temporarily stops it.

''Air:''

The Falcon has questionable accuracy at 2 km range, but it still can force you to disengage just by firing in your general direction. It's still better to not mess with the Falcon and avoid flying too much near to buildings if you know it's there, since its users often fire in the back of planes passing by.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High penetrating APDS rounds can actually do some major damage at the tier
* Very high one-second burst mass
* Only has one ammo belt per gun so no need to reload
* Has a 2 plane stabilizer for both cannons, meaning you can shoot accurately on the move
* All belts contain APHE Shells with 53mm of Pen
* Commanders View Night Vision
* Has the ability to engage multiple targets
* Will mostly face early Mbt's with little to no armour
* Very quick and highly manoeuvrable which allows it to easily flank enemies
* Fast turret traverse speed

'''Cons:'''

* Weak armour
* Shotgun effect when fired continuously for more than 10 seconds. Will most likely overheat at that point, too
* Approximately 30 seconds worth of ammo before needing to rearm at a capture circle, which might be not possible
* Average speed without an experienced driver is 30-35km/h
* You will mostly face enemies with heat or sometimes hesh round that can easily one shot you

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_falcon Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/866/|[Devblog] Falcon AA: Britain's foremost anti-air gun]]

{{Britain anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Maus

2022-11-10T15:03:04Z

U108186769: I added pros and cons

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_pzkpfw_Maus
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]] as a main tree vehicle, however in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]] it was shifted to become a gift vehicle for players who previously owned it. It was later reopened to research for a limited time during War Thunder's [[wt:en/news/6907-special-8th-anniversary-of-war-thunder-en|8th]], [[wt:en/news/7408-news-happy-birthday-war-thunder-en|9th]] and [[wt:en/news/7945-special-happy-anniversary-war-thunder-en|10th]] anniversary events. The Maus is the definitive tank of heavy armour in Rank V and is one of the largest ground vehicles in-game. The Maus can be a menace in the battlefield and conversely also a bullet magnet, a double-edged sword that must be played correctly or else fall victim to heavy enemy fire.

The Maus lives up to its reputation as a mobile bunker. The dual guns do great damage, however, against high-rank tanks it is best to use the 128 mm main gun. It is important to protect the back armour on the Maus and to make sure it does not get outflanked. Preferable used at long range and choke points. Best used as an armoured beast able to destroy vehicles and take any shot.

Speed on the vehicle is roughly 20 km/h. The sheer mass of the vehicle and its speed makes the mobility difference from the road to off-road negligible. The vehicle can actually turn pretty fast once at Gear 6, which is better than the Jagdtiger and some other Rank V heavy counterparts. Keep that in mind and use it as an advantage in {{Annotation|CQC|Close Quarters Combat}}.

The 128 mm KwK44 is a great gun in-game, very accurate and perfect for mid to long range engagements. The reload is very good too for its calibre (23 seconds stock) that is a big advantage against IS-4s, because the Maus has three seconds for an extra shot. It has one of the best penetration value of any APCBC shell in-game alongside the [[IS-7]] and the [[Object 279]]. However, the APCR and HEAT shells of the T-54 and late US vehicles surpass it. Damage-wise the 128 mm PzGr.43 is equivalent to the shell BR-471 of the [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T]] cannon, for which penetration usually means a knock-out.

Coaxial MG? That's for normal tanks (but it is there anyway). On the Maus, everything is bigger. The short 75 mounted alongside the main 128 originally served as anti-infantry and soft target weapon of choice. In War Thunder, these vehicle types are either not found on the battlefield or as latter only on certain maps. It comes without question that the 75 mm should be used against AAA, trucks and SPAA. However, the HEAT shell can be used to harass the enemy, lure them out/in of cover, or just damage medium tank's sides (T-54 and M46 do not exceed 80 mm of armour) tracks and even destroy some lightly-armoured vehicles with overpresssure such as the BMP 1. In addition, the secondary cannon has a good reload rate of around 5 sec, thus it can be used to defeat [[:Category:Light_tanks|light tanks]] and [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|SPAA]] without wasting the precious 128 mm ammo for more heavily armoured targets.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 200 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' 200 mm (35°) ''Lower glacis'' || 180 mm ''Top'' 100 mm ''Bottom'' 300 mm ''Weld joints''|| 150 mm (36°) ''Top'' 150 mm (31°) ''Bottom'' || 50 mm ''General area'' 100 mm ''Front roof''
|-
| Turret || 232 mm (3-53°)''Turret front'' 240 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 205 mm (30°) || 200 mm (15°) || 60 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Armour on the Maus is quite complex, and definitely does not end with the above-mentioned values
** Gun mantlet is 240 mm thick and nicely rounded, right around both guns the armour is 300 mm thick
** Tracks at the front are protected by 100+60 mm plates (100 mm basic plate + attached tracks)
** Behind the frontal upper plate on deck armour, there are many 60 mm highly sloped plates of armour, protecting the engine vents and turret ring from HEAT/HE shells and some small-calibre fire
** Frontal part of the belly is also 100 mm thick (Would be probably good against mines/other explosives), the rest is 50 mm
** Deck armour in front of these plates is also strengthened to an impressive 100 mm
** Side armour is split to two parts, top with 180 mm and bottom with 100 mm + tracks
** Even inside the tank there is armour - there are many 20 mm plates inside the tank, separating crew compartments from various modules, and partially protecting the interior from shrapnel that penetrated the tank from other areas
***One plate is at the rear of the tank, between the enormous transmission and the fighting compartment
*** Second one is more to the front, separating fighting compartment from the middle-mounted Engine and its radiators
*** Third is in the front between the driver's compartment and the engine
*** Around the driver there are many more 20 mm plates, adding some protection to Fuel Tanks located there

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,549|rbMinHp=1,061}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|KwK44 (128 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK44 (128 mm)|128 mm KwK44]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 68 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+23° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 6.6 || 9.0 || 10.9 || 12.0 || 12.8 || rowspan="2" | 23.66 || rowspan="2" | 20.93 || rowspan="2" | 19.30 || rowspan="2" | 18.20
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.8 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 7.5 || 8.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| PzGr || APC || 252 || 249 || 237 || 222 || 208 || 196
|-
| Sprgr. L/5 || HE || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC || 272 || 269 || 257 || 242 || 228 || 215
|-
| 12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS || APCBC || 312 || 307 || 288 || 266 || 245 || 226
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| PzGr || APC || 930 || 26.35 || 1.2 || 19 || 786.5 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. L/5 || HE || 750 || 28 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 3,700 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC || 940 || 28.3 || 1.2 || 19 || 786.5 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS || APCBC || 1230 || 9.85 || 1.2 || 19 || 108.8 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo parts
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''68''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants''|| 62 ''(+6)'' 62 ''(+6)'' || 55 ''(+13)'' 55 ''(+13)'' || 50 ''(+18)'' 50 ''(+18)'' || 45 ''(+23)'' 45 ''(+23)'' || 39 ''(+29)'' 39 ''(+29)'' || 33 ''(+35)'' 33 ''(+35)'' || 25 ''(+43)'' 25 ''(+43)'' || 17 ''(+51)'' 17 ''(+51)'' || 9 ''(+59)'' 9 ''(+59)'' || 1 ''(+67)'' 1 ''(+67)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 45 ''(+23)'' shells.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK44 L/36.5]] || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
| 100 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 5.20 || 4.60 || 4.24 || 4.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 420 || 5.74 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 450 || 4.8 || 0 || 0.1 || 875.5 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. || 423 || 6.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|center|framed|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''100''' || 76 ''(+24)'' || 51 ''(+49)'' || 26 ''(+74)'' || 1 ''(+99)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 76 ''(+24)'' shells.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,000 (150) || 900 || -7°/+23° || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Versus heavy tanks, the Maus has all the advantages. While slower it can make up for this in close combat thanks to the good turn rate of both tracks and turret. Just quickly angle the Maus (both turret and hull) and you will turn it nearly invincible (be advised that HEAT shells can still penetrate the angled turret). Try angling the front drive wheel at the enemy tank and turn the turret so that the armour is at ~45 degrees to the enemy fire. The tanks that pose a threat are the [[M103]], the [[M48 Patton (Family)|M48]], the [[T-62 545 (China)|Chinese T-62]], the BMPs, the [[Object 120]], and basically every tank that has HEATFS, ATGM, or APFSDS rounds that can penetrate more than 320 mm of armour. One good strategy is to capture the objective and just defend it. This can be really helpful to the team.

Versus medium tanks, the Panzerkampfwagen VIII can fight in {{Annotation|CQC|Close Quarter Combat}} with its decent turret rotation but at the cost of exposing its side armour and getting flanked. Doing so should be kept as one's last resort. Distance is the ally of the Maus, which should be easy to do considering that the top speed is 20 km/h.

While it is very strong frontally because of its excellent armour, the Maus should be played very carefully: it can be very vulnerable if it gets uptiered where enemies have APFSDS rounds and ATGMs that will go clean through your armour. Try to stay out of close quarters as it will be easier for tanks to take out your gun barrel or move to your sides.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* One of the most armoured tanks in the game
** Practically invincible, if angled properly
** Capable of soaking a large amount of damage
* Only vulnerable to large-calibre HE shells
* Very resilient to bombs and rockets
* Turret sides are as strong as, if not stronger than, the front of the turret
* Access to smoke grenades
* Surprisingly good off-road manoeuvrability
* Makes decently fast turns in high gear movement or in neutral steering
* Very difficult to immobilize, due to extremely thick track skirts
* Powerful 128 mm cannon
* Secondary 75 mm coaxial cannon is surprisingly effective when using HEAT rounds
* One of the best Aphe rounds in the game

'''Cons:'''

* Very slow
* Struggles on hilly terrain
* Requires good teamwork to perform adequately
* Slow turret rotation
* The sides of the Maus are littered with ammo racks
* Very loud engine, players will be able to locate the Maus just by the engine sounds
* Vulnerable at all ranges to modern rounds such as sabot rounds
* Towing is practically impossible unless it is done by another Maus
* Large bombs will commonly cripple the Maus, or detonate its fuel tanks
* Optics have little zoom capability, making it difficult for hitting long range targets
* Big target for ATGMs
* No modern armour of any kind, relies completely on conventional armour plating
* Secondary 75 mm is hard to aim
* Will commonly face Heat rounds
* Very weak lower glacis

== History ==

===Development===
This monster of a tank started development in 1942 on the suggestion of Ferdinand Porsche to Hitler, which was approved. The first prototype was to be completed by 1943 and the project vehicle was designated the ''Mammut'' (Mammoth). The name changed in December 1942 to ''Mäuschen'' (Little Mouse), then once more to the '''Maus''' (Mouse) in February 1943, which stayed as its designation (and perhaps proving that Germany does have a sense of humour).

The prototype used Ferdinand's "electric transmission" that was previously used on the rejected [[VK 45.01 (P)|Tiger(P)]], the vehicle would be powered by an MB 517 diesel engine. The Maus has a suspension design with 24 wheels on each side, 2 per bogie with two bogies side by side and six bogies lining up from front and back. The armour was perhaps the most defining feature at 220 mm thick at the hull front, the sides and rear were 190 mm thick. The turret was even thicker at 240 mm on the front and 200 mm on the sides and rear. The vehicle was to also have a 128 mm KwK44 main gun with a 75 mm KwK44 gun as a coaxial. The overwhelming design was approximated to weight 100 tons.

The production plan was to have the prototype completed by mid-1943 and for 10 vehicles per month after the prototype delivery. Work would be divided between Krupp and Alkett for the production of the machine. The wooden model of the tank was presented on May 1943 to Hitler. It was then approved for production and 150 of them were to be built. With the final design finished, it was estimated to weight 188 tons now. Though Hitler and his peers saw it with much favour, Heinz Guderian criticised the Maus design because there was a lack of machine guns, thus it was extremely vulnerable to infantry attacks at close-quarters for the same reason as the [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand tank destroyer]]. The anti-infantry problem was solved with the addition of a coaxial machine gun and a "Nahverteidigungswaffe" dischargers, firing smoke or high-explosive shells in its surrounding area, installed on the turret.

===Production and cancellation===
Two prototypes of the Maus were made in 1943 and 1944. The first one, called ''V1'' was turretless and assembled by Alkett in December 1943, it was fitted with a mock turret that helped finalise the turret design in 1944. Here they determine the Maus was definitely too heavy for any bridges in existence so the Maus would ford rivers with a snorkel. The second prototype called ''V2'' by Alkett again had the first produced Maus turret attached with the 128 mm gun, coaxial 75 mm gun, and coaxial machine gun. In July 1944, Krupp was producing four more hulls, but these were scrapped and the whole project stopped on August 1944, though tests with the ''V2'' continued. The weight of the tank meant that the power-to-weight ratio was extremely poor, resulting in the Maus' ideal speed of about 8 miles per hour maximum in ideal conditions.

However, the Maus was never fully produced because it was the only tank that ceased production because of a strategic bombing campaign that would ruin its production facilities. Adding to this, by 1944, the Red Army was advancing deeper and deeper into what was previously German-controlled territory. The vision that the Red Army might capture the testing grounds of the Maus prototypes and the prototypes themselves seem to come closer to reality. The Germans were forced to destroy the prototypes to prevent their capture by the Soviets, placing charges onto the ''V2'' prototype (the ''V1'' was only a hull so it wasn't combat-effective). The second prototype had the entire hull damaged as there was ammunition still in the tank when the charges went off, but the turret was mostly intact. The Soviets captured the damaged prototypes and held them until the end of the war. After World War II, the Soviet Commander of Armoured and Mechanized troops ordered for the V1 hull to be attached with the turret from the V2 prototype. They had to use six ''Sd.Kfz. 9'', the largest half-track vehicles produced by Germany, to move the 55-ton turret to the hull. The fixed prototype was sent back to the Soviet Union for testing and arrive on May 4, 1946. Once this is done, the prototype was sent to Kubinka Tank museum in Russia where it lays today on display for the public.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
An experimental super-heavy tank built in Germany towards the end of the war. The project was developed by Ferdinand Porsche.

The first tank was assembled at the Alkett factory in Berlin on August 1, 1943.

The first trial run of the Type 205/1 tank was conducted on December 24, 1943. The turret still wasn't ready, so a load equal to the weight of the turret was placed on top of the tank. The prototype turned out to be quite manoeuvrable once it was able to leave the assembly area, where it had been rather cramped. According to those who had the opportunity to drive the tank, the Maus was easier to drive than the Pz.Kpfw. IV.

In November, 1943 a 44 calibre, 128 mm KwK44 cannon was built that was intended for the tank. The cannon's designation was later changed to 12.8 cm KwK82. The weapon was tested at the Meppen training ground. The turret was installed on the 205/1 prototype on July 6, 1944, and on October 3, 1944 the armament was installed and the fully-outfitted tank was tested at the training ground in Kummersdorf.

Both prototypes were tested in Kummersdorf, but no reliable information on these tests is available. Whether or not experimental firing was conducted is also unknown.

Toward the end of the war, bodies and turrets had begun to be produced in addition to the prototypes that had been built.

As the Soviet troops were approaching in 1945 both prototypes were blown up. Soviet specialists were able to reconstruct one Maus from the wreckage. This rebuilt tank was delivered to the training ground in Kubinka in 1946, where various tests were performed.

The Panzerkampfwagen Maus can currently be viewed on display at the tank museum in Kubinka.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_pzkpfw_Maus Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Wallpaper MAUS 000012.jpg|thumb|none|300px|]] </li>
</ul></div>

;Videos

Gameplay/History:
{{Youtube-gallery|6ZtvfyAsmM4|'''The Shooting Range #68''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 09:31 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|B2woWvJK4ew|'''Top 7 most armoured vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:35 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ly9JS6errQQ|'''Best secondary armaments''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:14 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|x97HKmhCRsE|'''The Maus''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|Zs9_u_plcSw|'''The Maus Super-Heavy Tank''' - ''Simple History''}}
Review:
{{Youtube-gallery|_x9vub-xk9Y|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|SfMT-d6Kez4|'''Mighty Maus''' - ''TheDevildogGamer''}}

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/737/|[Devblog] Panzerkampfwagen VIII «Maus»]]
* <nowiki>[Historical]</nowiki> Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus", [[wt:en/news/2825-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-i-en|Part I]], [[wt:en/news/2831-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-ii-en|Part II]], and [[wt:en/news/2843/current/|Part III]]

{{Germany heavy tanks}}

T-50

2022-11-10T15:00:33Z

U108186769: i added another pros

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_t_50
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. It is an effective light tank with great sloping armour and an adequate 45 mm cannon, a great vehicle for beginners getting used to the Soviet play style in higher ranks. Basically, the {{PAGENAME}} is a mini T-34 and should be played as such: as a close range brawler.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

Like its big brother, the T-34, the {{PAGENAME}} has sloped frontal armour that can bounce most shots if angled properly. The armour is especially capable at stopping rounds when facing US [[M3 (37 mm)|37 mm M3]] and German [[KwK38 (50 mm)|50 mm KwK38]] cannons, which will bounce fairly easily even without proper angling. Additionally, there aren't many vital components (ammo rack, fuel tank, majority of the crew, etc.) in the front. Firing at the front will, at best, knock out the driver and immobilize the tank. However, the gun will still be operational and the {{PAGENAME}}'s gun is more than capable of defeating opponents at its level. Therefore, it is best to aim for other parts of the tank. It has excellent armour for a light tank and its sloping makes it very effective, especially if angled properly, though its hull cheeks are somewhat vulnerable.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, turret)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 40 mm (53°) ''Front glacis'' 40 mm (55°) ''Cheeks'' 45 mm (53°) ''Lower glacis'' || 40 mm (40°) ''Top'' 40 mm ''Bottom'' || 25 mm (59°) ''Upper part'' 40 mm (9°) ''Centre part'' 40 mm (28°) ''Lower part'' || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 40 mm (6-64°) ''Turret front'' 40 mm (9-54°) ''Gun mantlet''|| 40 mm (15-19°) || 15 mm (13-15°) || 15 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 40 mm (20°) || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Note'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


As a light tank, the {{PAGENAME}} is very agile and has a very high top speed and HP ratio. Due to this, the acceleration on the {{PAGENAME}} is outstanding; 60 km/h in about 6 seconds off-road. Use its agility coupled with the excellent armour to perform flanking manoeuvres, destroy enemy tanks and retreat quickly. It is often used in tier 2 battles for its versatility as an aggressive scout tank.
The tracks are quite large and grant you a decent mobility on hard (solid ground, roads) and soft terrain (mud, snow, sand).
The lack of neutral steering makes turning on the spot a bit slow: make sure to build a little speed before turning.
The reverse speed is good: it will get you out of a dangerous situation quickly. The {{PAGENAME}} reaches 16 km/h when fording and 20 km/h when driving uphill.
Light and medium obstacles (fences, posts, bushes and small trees) are not a problem for the {{PAGENAME}} but large obstacles will reduce your mobility: avoid them.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 465|rbMinHp= 265}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|20-K (45 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 150 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 7.62 || 10.54 || 12.80 || 14.16 || 15.06 || rowspan="2" | 3.77 || rowspan="2" | 3.33 || rowspan="2" | 3.07 || rowspan="2" | 2.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.76 || 5.60 || 6.80 || 7.52 || 8.00
|-
|}

The {{PAGENAME}} mounts the same gun as the [[T-26|T-26]] but compensates for lack of penetration with the ability to use APCR shells. The gun is also excellent for its BR, having a fairly high velocity combined with a good HE filler amount and a very fast fire rate which makes follow up/corrective shots easy and lethal. Elevation and depression angles of the gun are important, allowing you to fire from unusual positions (behind a ridge, on a slope, etc.). Your recoil is also nonexistent.
Unfortunately, there is one major flaw with the {{PAGENAME}}: the turret traverse. It has a very slow traverse rate which makes up-close urban encounters dangerous as you can't rotate quickly to face your opponent.

==== Ammunition ====
The available ammunition is focused on engaging armoured targets:

* '''BR-240''': APHEBC; a shell with explosive filler that will knock out any tank that it penetrates with a single shot, but it has an average penetration power.
* '''BR-240SP''': APBC; a solid shot with a better penetration but no explosive filler.
* '''BR-240P''': APCR; a composite round with the best penetration but no explosive filler and that will only penetrate flat vertical surfaces.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 70 || 67 || 58 || 47 || 39 || 32
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 || 70 || 60 || 50 || 41 || 34
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 106 || 98 || 72 || 48 || 33 || 22
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.43 || 1.2 || 9 || 29.26 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.43 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 1,070 || 0.85 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''150''' || 134 ''(+16)''|| 117 ''(+33)'' || 100 ''(+50)'' || 83 ''(+67)'' || 66 ''(+84)''|| 49 ''(+101)''|| 33 ''(+117)'' || 17 ''(+133)'' || 1 ''(+149)'' || Yes
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* The visual discrepancy concerns all racks.
** Racks 1: 10 shells modeled / contains 17 shells.
** Racks 2 & 3: 14 shells modeled / contains 17 shells.
** Racks 4 & 5: 12 shells modeled / contains 17 shells.
** Racks 6: 27 shells modeled / contains 17 shells.
** Racks 7: 21 shells modeled / contains 16 shells.
** Racks 8 & 9: 12 shells modeled / contains 16 shells.
* Pack 100 ''(+50)'' shells to let the left flank empty of ammo (racks 1 to 3 emptied).
* Packing 33 ''(+117)'' shells is a good compromise to have enough shells at your disposal while reducing drastically the risk of ammo rack detonation (racks 1 to 7 emptied).

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Coaxial || 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the DT machine guns makes them largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. They still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help. Even equipped with 2 machine guns, the clip capacity is quite poor as they rely on a magazine of 63 bullets instead of a belt like similar machine guns from other nations.

== Usage in battles ==


;Combat tactics

The {{PAGENAME}} is unusual in that it combines great mobility and good armour with lacklustre firepower. It is quite capable at flanking and ambushing unsuspecting enemies, and is also adept at close range brawling.

With a high top speed and great acceleration, the {{PAGENAME}} is one of the faster tanks at its tier. With such speed, it is possible to reach desirable positions on the map well before the enemy can, and it is also possible to flank around the enemy with ease. However, sharp turning does tend to cause the {{PAGENAME}} to drift, losing speed and controllability.

This tank is also protected by a surprisingly powerful armour setup. The front and sides of the hull are sloped quite well, and this means that low tier tanks will often bounce their shells off of the {{PAGENAME}}. The turret can also be quite challenging to penetrate.

With all of this in mind, the {{PAGENAME}}'s greatest weakness is its 45 mm main cannon. It's rather weak compared to the cannons on similar tanks, and the calibre is low for the battle rating. The gun's APHE shell does fairly decent post-penetration damage if it penetrates, but this is not guaranteed. Against better-armoured tanks, it is advisable to use the APCR shell for a better chance of penetrating. The gun has a fast reload, which makes it good for engaging multiple enemies at the same time. The turret traverse is slow, which may be a hindrance in close range brawls or city battles.

;Notable Enemies:

The [[Pz.III (Disambiguation)|Pz.III]] line of tanks are equipped with powerful guns, a high rate of fire, and decent armour. This makes for a difficult opponent, but the {{PAGENAME}} can still come out on top if it takes advantage of its mobility and sloped armour. British tanks are also well-armoured, and against these vehicles it is usually better to use APCR shells over APHE shells. Although they do less post-penetration damage, they have a better chance of penetrating the enemy's armour in the first place.

;Defeating a {{PAGENAME}}:

The advice for defeating a {{PAGENAME}} is similar to many other tanks: flank it and hit the sides. This is easier said than done, of course, as the {{PAGENAME}} demonstrates excellent mobility, but with the right amount of sneaking around, it can be done. Both sides of the tank contain juicy ammo racks that are hard to miss if the tank's sides are hit, but more experienced drivers will know to empty the left wall. Therefore, it is advised to fire at the right side of the tank if possible.
If the right side is angled at an impenetrable angle, or if it simply is too difficult to hit, the next best target is the turret. Hitting it anywhere on the turret is likely to, upon penetration, wound if not knock out the three crew inside the turret. Combined with the {{PAGENAME}}'s subpar turret traverse, the {{PAGENAME}} will be in dire straits if its turret is hit. Make sure to fire at the tracks with secondary armament, if possible, to immobilize the tank so anyone could dispatch it with leisure.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great mobility
* Decent penetration and good rate of fire
* Excellent armour
* Provides a good learning curve for the [[T-34 (1940)]]
* Unlike the BT-series ([[BT-5]], [[BT-7]]), the {{PAGENAME}} can be driven with some precision
* It is easy to rush an enemy tank and catch it by surprise, giving a first shot advantage
* APHEBC shell has explosive filler, making it much more effective than the comparable shells in the US 37 mm and British QF 40 mm cannons
* Unlike most tanks, it has two 7.62 mm machine guns in the turret. This allows for more effective combat against SPAA and low flying aircraft
* Frontal armour very effective due to it being angled

'''Cons:'''

* Penetration can be found wanting with the APHEBC shell, though generally not an issue
* The high speed makes it easy to damage the tracks, especially the first few times driving this tank
* The cannon mantlet can be easily penetrated even by starter tanks
* Slow turret traverse speed
* Cramped interior, one penetration can knock out the majority of the crew

== History ==

===Development===
The Spanish Civil War gave the Soviets insight on the future of tank warfare, and the knowledge led to an attempt to upgrade or replace their tank forces that consisted mainly of the [[T-26|T-26]] light tanks. The development started in 1939 to create a replacement for the T-26 and [[BT-5|BT]] light tanks.

The prototypes created for this development were the [[T-126|T-126]] and T-127, which were similar to a previous T-46-5 project earlier abandoned. The T-126 was selected for further development and was to have two prototypes built and tested in Leningrad after the original design bureau was decimated by Stalin's Great Purge.

The design, now finalised as the '''T-50''' light tank, used innovative features in its introduction, using well-sloped welded armour, a torsion-bar suspension, diesel engine, a commander's cupola, and a three-man turret. It was also arranged for all of the tanks to accommodate radios. The T-50's design plan was completed by January 1941, and production was authorised after setting up in April. However, technical difficulties prevented this from happening. While its production was on standby, another tank with superior specifications was being tested and produced, which will end up as the [[T-34 (1940)|T-34]] medium tank.

===Production===
Though production was planned for in 1941, the Germans launched Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, which delayed the T-50 productions as tank manufacturing lines were relocated. Tanks were being produced in the Urals and that included the T-50 light tanks, finally in production. While an excellent design, it was mechanically unreliable, expensive, and hard to produce compared to the T-34 and another light tank design, the [[T-60]]. Because of these issues, only 69 T-50s were made before production ended in January 1942. During production, two variants were made, a basic model and an up-armoured model with extra bolted or welded metal plates. The basic model had a 37 mm frontal armour thickness, while the up-armoured version could have 57 mm thickness.

===Combat usage===
Despite the low numbers, the ones available were sent to Leningrad where they saw most of their service. Some were also used in the Continuation War against Finland as the Finnish were able to capture one up-armoured version in 1944. After that, its role was largely replaced by the more numerous and capable T-34 tanks, and it was relegated to reconnaissance roles when available.

Today, two T-50 tanks survive, one basic in the Kubinka Tank Museum, and the up-armoured variant in Finland at a museum in Parola.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
This tank was developed in 1940 to replace the T-26 light tank, whose main task was direct infantry support on the battlefield. The T-50 was solidly armoured, well armed and equipped with a powerful diesel engine. It had a classical layout, with the driving and fighting compartments in the front of the vehicle and the engine transmission compartment in the rear. The armour plating on its hull was sloped at a steep angle. Its streamlined turret was fully welded. The tank seated three crew. The rear of the turret's roof contained a command cupola with seven observation slots protected by armoured hatches. The vehicle was armed with a 45 mm 20K Mod. 1938 cannon and two 7.62 mm DT coaxial machine guns.

Thanks to its 300 hp B-4 diesel engine, the vehicle's road speed came to 52 km/h in spite of its 13.8 tonne mass. Two fuel tanks with an overall capacity of 350 litres gave it an operational range of up to 344 km by road. Road wheels with internal cushioning and torsion-bar suspension were mounted in the tank's undercarriage.

These tanks were mass-produced by factory No. 174. Between July 1941 and February 1942, 69 of these tanks were built. The tank's construction was far more complicated than that of the T-26. The inline six-cylinder diesel engine designed for it was very difficult for the industry to adopt into its manufacturing processes.

The T-50 was primarily used on the Leningrad front. Several tanks were equipped with add-on armour plates during field maintenance. During the battles of 1941, one vehicle was captured by Finnish troops and was used right up to the end of 1954.

The tank turned out to be functionally designed and well balanced, with overall optimal combat and service characteristics. Its armament, armour and mobility were equal to the German PzKpfw III medium tank, and it had significantly smaller dimensions and lower combat-loaded weight.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_t_50 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Tr-1BHTvokk|'''The Shooting Range #209''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:36 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|7a6MbbLbNFI|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[T-126]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3250/current|[Vehicle Profile] T-50]]
* [[wikipedia:T-50_tank|[Wikipedia] T-50 tank]]

{{TankManufacturer OKMO}}
{{USSR light tanks}}

Pz.Kpfw. Churchill (Germany)

2022-11-10T03:58:53Z

U108186769: pros i added another point

{{About
| about = captured heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Churchill (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_infanterie_kampfpanzer_churchill
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Pz.Kpfw. Churchill is a German captured [[Churchill Mk III]] in the German tech tree. It has virtually no differences to its British tech-tree counterpart, other than being painted grey (with the same tone as the Panzer IV and Panzer III).

The Pz.Kpfw. Churchill is one of the best heavy tanks in rank III, sporting heavy frontal armour, a 6 pounder gun that is suitable for its rank, and 30 smoke grenades that are fired separately from the roof, great for covering great areas with smoke. The Churchill also has great gun depression and turret traverse, meaning it can fire at different targets very efficiently.

This vehicle has a few weaknesses which are important to be aware of before charging into battle. First is its low acceleration with a maximum speed of only 24.9 km/h, so it's merely jogging speed as opposed to charging. The tank is also very bulky, difficult to manoeuvre, and a large target. Combine those weaknesses with thin roof armour, and this tank becomes the perfect prey for fighter-bombers and rocket attacks. The side armour is not as strong as its frontal armour, meaning it is vulnerable to flanking.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


There are very few enemies which can successfully penetrate the Churchill, the [[M10 GMC|M10]] and the [[Achilles]] can quickly take care of this vehicle even at long ranges! Other tanks like the [[Jagdpanzer IV]], the [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)]], and the [[Dicker Max]] can also make quick work of the Churchill, but only in arcade battles, as in realistic battles, they all belong in the same tree.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 452|rbMinHp= 310}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|6pdr OQF Mk.V (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[6pdr OQF Mk.V (57 mm)|57 mm 6pdr OQF Mk.V]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 85 || rowspan="2" | -12°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 19.42 || 26.88 || 32.64 || 36.10 || 38.40 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.40 || 22.56 || 24.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 116 || 111 || 94 || 76 || 62 || 50
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 115 || 111 || 93 || 75 || 60 || 49
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 132 || 127 || 110 || 91 || 75 || 63
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 883 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 891 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 847 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0 || 0.1 || 590 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Churchill_III.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the Churchill III (identical)]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''85''' || 82 ''(+3)'' || 43 ''(+42)'' || 22 ''(+63)'' || 5 ''(+80)'' || 1 ''(+84)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after all shells in the rack have been shot or loaded.
* Turret empty: 82 ''(+3)'' shells.

==== Optics ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[Pz.IV G]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 9,350 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Like its British counterpart, the Churchill can be used as a very efficient brawler with its excellent turret traverse and gun depression, and heavy frontal armour. Though in urban environments, you should be careful in case someone tries to flank your weak side and rear armour.

This tank can be effectively be played in a brawling style, going into the front lines. This tank, due to its excellent armour and gun, can even hold off an entire enemy flank with minimal backup. In city maps, be careful not to expose your side armour as it is quite weak and your engine might get damaged. With its good gun, it can be as a support tank as well, in the second line destroying tanks. Angle your armour to maximize its effectiveness. When frontally angled, even the sides will be tough to penetrate. Many tanks will struggle penetrating you. There are some tanks that you don't even need to worry at all penetrating you from the front, such as the Panzer III. Angling your armour will make you even tough against the high penetration Panzer IV F2. However, be aware of higher penetration tanks. The M10 is a worthy mention as most of the time it might be able to penetrate your armour. The far deadlier Achilles can penetrate your front with little effort. Thus, it is advised to take cover, angle, or destroy them first. Shermans are not much threat since they won't really penetrate your armour, but sometimes they do. They are easy to deal with as your 57 mm gun can punch straight through. Your 57 oddly does a lot of damage for a 57 mm gun. It can one shot Panzer III's, and sometimes Shermans if you aim correctly. Overall, the Churchill III is a very powerful Rank III vehicle that is capable of holding off an entire flank, while destroying tanks easily in quick succession.

If you are not in an up-tiered situation, you can effectively enter a battle and absorb all the enemy rounds which could've been fired at your weaker teammates and either engage the enemy with your 57 mm cannon or let your teammates return fire. Companion vehicles such as the [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV F2]], "[[8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.|Flakbus]]" and other German vehicles possess superior firepower compared to the other country vehicles in rank III (Except for other special TD's, such as the American [[M10 GMC|M10]] and British [[Achilles]]) and can in most cases hold their own.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Long, tough hull is easily angled
* 90 mm turret armour is effective at medium & long range
* Large tracks can absorb shells fired at the side
* Fast turret traverse, easy to engage people without turning
* 57 mm gun reloads quickly
* Good penetration
* Slow speed makes it easy to hit enemies after a shortstop
* 30 individually fired smoke grenades, great for covering points and areas with smoke
* Great at close quarter combat

'''Cons:'''

* No HE filler for any rounds, unless hitting an ammo rack, it will require multiple shots to take the target down
* Large target, easily spotted by bombers/fighter-bombers
* Very poor speed, both forward and backward
* Unangled armour fares poorly at close ranges
* Lack of camouflage, only urban grey and winter livery
* Machine gun port is only 50 mm
* Roof armour is very thin, can be penetrated by .50 cal rounds
* Engine mostly affected when hit from the side or turret
* Large tracks are vulnerable to damage

== History ==

The German military first encountered the [[Churchill (Family)|Churchill]] tank in August of 1942, following the disastrous Dieppe raid made by British and Canadian military elements. On August 8th, the Churchill Mk IV made its debut, as almost 60 of them had been allocated to assist the 6,000 British and Canadian troops raiding the beach. Of those, only the first 30 were deployed, and of those 30, one became trapped in its damaged landing craft, another two sank, and 11 were disabled by indirect fire and rough terrain. Despite the losses, this was the first successful use of heavy tanks in amphibious landings. In the chaotic evacuation that followed, the tanks that had deployed and survived the raid were unable to be recovered by the British and were abandoned. They, along with many other examples of British equipment, were captured by the Germans.

These tanks were later evaluated by the Germans. Though none were damaged by direct anti-tank fire, the Germans had come to the conclusion that the tanks were virtually obsolete, too underpowered and lacking proper firepower. Two of the twenty-nine tanks captured at Dieppe were used as ''Beutepanzers'' and saw service with the German military, repainted into the German standard grey colouration and marked with prominent Iron Crosses on the sides of the turret. The rest of the captured Churchills were repurposed for secondary combat roles, destroyed, or taken apart, with their turrets being used as improvised beach defences at Dieppe after the raid.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_infanterie_kampfpanzer_churchill Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|0LHf6Jlb8yg|'''Infanterie Pz.Kpfw. Churchill Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{TankManufacturer Vauxhall}}
{{Germany heavy tanks}}
{{Germany premium ground vehicles}}

SU-5-1

2022-11-10T03:43:49Z

U108186769: I have added another pros stating that it has excellent one shotting abilities because it has 150 grams of he filler in its stock aphe round.

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_su_5_1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]].

The SU-5-1 is a crude SPG built off the T-26 chassis. The T-26 chassis of the SU-5-1 allows it to place itself with relative ease on any spot on the map. The high gun shield can lure the enemy into firing too high, missing the crew. If a hit goes into the body, with a bit of luck, APHE ammo will not detonate on contact and instead go straight through, leaving little spalling damage. The vehicle's crew of 5 will allow some casualties before the loss of efficiency.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, gun shield)
* Structural steel (gun barrel, gun breech)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm ''Upper plate'' 15 mm (17°) ''Upper plate - Driver hatch'' 7 mm (79°) ''Upper glacis'' 15 mm (10°) ''Lower plate'' 15 mm (53°) ''Lower glacis'' || 15 mm || 10 mm || 7 mm (11°) ''Front glacis'' 8 mm ''Engine compartment''
|-
| Gun shield || 15 mm (27°) ''Gun shield - Top'' 15 mm ''Gun shield - Bottom'' 15 mm (cylindrical) ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 6 mm thick.

Given the very thin armour on the hull and gun shield, this vehicle is a textbook example of a glass cannon. The T-26 chassis has mobility, but due to the top and back having no armour, stray artillery strikes can easily decimate the crew members. The SU-5-1's all-round armour protection, being around 15 mm, is inadequate against anything other than rifle-calibre bullets. Any cannon is able to easily tear through the thin sheet of metal and hurt the crew/modules inside. Moreover, any flanking light tank and strafing aircraft poses a paramount threat to the {{PAGENAME}}, since a short spray of their machine gun could knock your crew out. It is recommended to take positions where you do not have to rely on your armor.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=128|rbMinHp=80}}

The SU-5-1 has unsatisfactory mobility, sharing the chassis with [[T-26-4]] and all of its poor drive characteristics. Its average speed on hard surfaces is only ~25 km/h, with very sluggish acceleration due to the weak engine, meaning it will be left behind by pretty much every other unit. This includes other low-BR SPGs, so taking the most attractive positions will be tricky. The top speed is also low, meaning it struggles in both short-range and long-range manoeuvres. The SU-5-1 is sufficiently mobile enough to climb hills or traverse muddy terrain, but will do so really slowly. Its hull traverse is also very slow, which makes it difficult to respond to flankers. It's reverse speed is slow too, at -5 km/h, is not ideal. Properly playing the SU-5-1 takes patience and a thourough understanding of the map.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|1902/30 (76 mm)}}

The 76 mm 1902/30 cannon has above average horizontal guidance for this SPG of ±15°, allowing the SU-5-1 to fight without traversing the hull too much. The stock BR-350A APHEBC shell is able to frontally penetrate and take out pretty much any target it encounters with a single shot like the [[Pz.IV C]], the [[Chi-Ha (Family)|Chi-Ha]] or the [[M13/40 (III)]], making the SU-5-1 a capable tank destroyer. The large explosive filler also means that if the shot is not placed well enough (e.g. hitting the very edge of crew compartment instead of dead centre) it is still more than likely to knock out most of the crew members with the post-penetration explosion, which is less precision-demanding and more beginner-friendly. A similar gun can be found on the [[KV-1 (L-11)]], being a great testament to the staying power and the capability of this gun. The gun slewing speed is adequate to keep track of targets with moderate speed, but will struggle against fast targets like the [[AS 42]], especially if they are up close. The reload time is quite decent for the gun's power.

The biggest and most noticeable drawback of the SU-5-1's armament, however, is the extremely limited ammunition capacity of only 8 rounds. While most players are likely to die before they can fire all of that, this can be a serious issue if one manages to survive long enough and has no friendly capture points nearby. As such, the player must make every shot count. Another disadvantage is the below-average gun depression of -5°, which means that the SU-5-1 may have difficulties taking certain positions behind or on top of hills.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[1902/30 (76 mm)|76 mm 1902/30]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 8 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+60° || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 7.0 || 9.7 || 11.8 || 13.1 || 13.9 || rowspan="2" | 5.59 || rowspan="2" | 4.95 || rowspan="2" | 4.56 || rowspan="2" | 4.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.8 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 7.5 || 8.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| BR-350A (MD-5 fuze) || APHEBC || 87 || 85 || 77 || 69 || 62 || 55
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 99 || 96 || 87 || 76 || 66 || 58
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 35 || 34 || 30 || 26 || 22 || 19
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| BR-350A (MD-5 fuze) || APHEBC || 662 || 6.3 || 1.2 || 14 || 150 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 655 || 6.5 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 618 || 6.44 || 1.2 || 14 || 85 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''8''' || 1 ''(+7)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modelled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* It is recommended to go into battle with a full rack as the ammo capacity is already limited.

== Usage in battles ==

This vehicle is the perfect (and only) SPG for Soviet tech tree beginners: somewhat fragile, decently fast and carrying a gun similar to what is found in higher ranks. It is a great trainer for later gameplay.

As an open-backed SPG, it is advised to never be seen by the enemy, especially if flanked. Since the gun's ballistics are somewhat tricky to learn and the ammo count is limited, it is recommended to ambush enemies near capture points, preferably by your team's side. Aim carefully, regarding both the vertical and horizontal leading when attacking a moving target, although this is not advised if the moving target is a heavy tank or is very fast since that will make leading your heavy shells a hard task. With a capacity of 8 shells, you cannot afford to miss a shot.

As a tank destroyer/SPG, it is recommended to play as supporting fire in the rear lines of the team, never at the front but not too far back, repelling enemy assaults on the point. One tactic is to find a spot with a good view near a capture point or bury yourself in a dark alley (if you have fast reflexes since if you miss the target might be aware and attack you). Then you wait to see the enemy fall into your sights. Do not forget to move to the nearest captured point after each 1-2 enemies destroyed to reload since your ammo count is very low (sometimes you won't even have enough ammo to finish the second enemy, make sure to engage only if necessary in this case).

This role can be accomplished at any time in the game but it needs two things to be fulfilled: a captured objective nearby and a cooperative team. The objective will be your ammo and target supply since when waiting on a captured point you get an ammo refill. Ammo will be refilled one by one at roughly the same rate as your vehicle can shoot (about a minute for full loadout in this case). A cooperative team will help hold the point since you probably can't do it all by yourself. Moving means putting yourself at high risk of being spotted in a poor position. If your team loses the point, it is recommended not to rush for it since the rest of the enemy team may be following behind the person capturing the point. It is advised for your allies to help and stay hidden, taking careful shots at well-chosen enemies. Remember to move after firing a shot, since you pose a large threat in terms of firepower at that battle-rating, and the light tanks will start hunting for you if you keep camping.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* [[Flakpanzer 38]], [[AS 42]]: although SPAAs, in general, are a huge threat, these two are especially menacing since they are fast, small, and armed with powerful autocannons. Their shells can easily penetrate the SU-5-1's armour even without using HVAP rounds and their high rate of fire allows them to spray shells evenly over the SU-5-1 to knock out any surviving crew member, significantly decreasing the SU-5-1's chance of survival. These two SPAAs are also weakly armoured, meaning that the SU-5-1's AP shells will overpenetrate without detonating thus dealing minimal damage. The SU-5-1 doesn't have any MG which makes it even harder to deal with fast and tiny targets with exposed crews like them. A lot of the time these SPAAs will only expose their gunner while scraping back and forth, and it is quite challenging to precisely hit something the size of a human torso moving patternlessly behind cover. Unlike most other tank destroyers, the SU-5-1 often does not have enough spare ammunition space to fit in HE rounds, and so unless they are taken, the AP rounds will be the vehicle's only form of retaliation.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decent penetration on stock rounds
* Fast reload (6.5s base)
* Good gun traverse angle
* High crew count means it can afford to take a few shots, especially from tanks without HE filler or MG
* Transmission in the front can absorb shots (i.e. in a sniper battle, it is the "ideal" spot to be shot)
* Good shell diversity (somewhat meaningless since it is recommended to fill it with APHE)
* Excellent one-shot ability

'''Cons:'''

* Extremely low ammo count (8 rounds)
* Exposed and cramped gun crew that can be destroyed with machine-gun fire, or a HE shell somewhere in the rear
* Weak front armour, susceptible to machine guns
* Rather tall profile due to gun placement
* Somewhat low shell speeds means it's hard to land a shot on a moving target
* Average gun depression of -5°

== History ==

[[File:Su-5-1 Historical.jpg|thumb|right|Photograph of one of the SU-5-1 units built]]
SU-5-1 (СУ-5-1) was conceived as the first of "small triplets" (малого триплекса, the other two being SU-5-2 and SU-5-3), with a goal of providing support for the mechanized troops and cavalry using a standardized chassis for multiple roles. SU-5-1 was anti-tank, -2 was howitzer and -3 provided mortar support. This was to ease maintenance and production. An estimated 5 units were built, after testing they took part in the 1939 invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War 2, however, they never fired at the Polish units.

The dated, but abundant, [[1902/30 (76 mm)#History|76 mm divisional gun M1902]] is put on a modified chassis of the T-26. The key difference includes moving the engine to the front of the chassis, to make space for the gun crew. Overall the evaluators concluded the chassis to be overweight and pressed for AT-1 instead, which in the end didn't enter into serial production either. Eventually, the Soviet army settled for [[T-26-4]] and BT-7A (which is the basis for the in-game [[BT-7 (F-32)]]).

This SPG was operated from a stationary position, where two crew members operated the gun from the ground. It was designed to be accompanied by an ammunition carrier based on the same chassis, that would support the firing position.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_su_5_1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|sS7fOV2UGH4|'''Community Choice, {{PAGENAME}}. Putting the record straight''' - ''Joseph 2000''|wwmY3WG5IRY|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|_KkCsRzeh-A|'''A Meme Gone Too Far - ☭{{PAGENAME}} Tank Destroyer''' - ''MikeGoesBoom''}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[T-26 (Family)]]

;Vehicles of comparable role, configuration and era

* [[Panzerjager I|Panzerjäger I]]
* [[Lorraine 37L]]
* [[Spj fm/43-44]]

== External links ==


* [https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/su-5-1933.htm <nowiki>[GlobalSecurity.org]</nowiki> SU-5 self-propelled artillery]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/su-26 <nowiki>[The Online Tank Museum]</nowiki> SU-26]

{{TankManufacturer OKMO}}
{{USSR tank destroyers}}