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Bf 109 E-3

2021-06-12T11:30:00Z

U108595433: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
| about = German fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Bf 109 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=bf-109e-3
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

After having experienced the [[Bf 109 E-1]], players will rejoice upon unlocking the E-3. While essentially the same plane, the E-3 overcomes the inadequate firepower (compared to other aircraft of similar BR) of the E-1. With two wing-mounted [[MG FF (20 mm)|MG FF's]] with 60 rounds each, the plane has a deadly punch. Players that did well in the E-1 and learned their 109 trade will be able to make great use of their new Emil. Fighting in the E-3 is essentially the same in the E-1 with the difference that a pilot can now actually reliably dispatch enemies in a short burst.

Remaining a great energy fighter against its historical opposition, the E-3 is somewhat troubled by the fact that it often faces mid-to-later-war planes such as the [[P-47D-25|P-47D]]. To engage these, make sure to have a clear energy advantage; if attacked, fly defensively and attempt to bleed the enemy's speed while pulling them down. The Bf 109 E-3 is often regarded as a poor turner, a reputation coming out of the fact that its main rival, the [[Spitfire_(Family)|Spitfire]], simply did it better. However, with combat flaps, the E-3 is a respectable turner able to out-manoeuvre most planes that outperform it in firepower or other factors.

The main armament is identical to that of the [[Fw 190 A-1]]. However, there is one critical difference. The MG FF is '''not''' the [[MG_FF/M (20 mm)|MG FF/M]], which can fire ''Minengeschoss'' shells. ''Minengeschoss'' have thin cases, allowing more incendiary material to be used; however, these very same characteristics prevent these shells from being fired from older MG FF versions. Thus, the MG FF/Ms are far more powerful than the MG FFs. Unfortunately, this means that the E-3's cannons compare poorly with the later MG FF/Ms.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 550 || 537 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 21.0 || 21.8 || 14.7 || 14.6 || rowspan="2" | 376
|-
! Upgraded
| 591 || 570 || 19.1 || 20.0 || 21.6 || 17.8
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 477 || 448 || 300 || ~12 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 450 || < 390 || < 400 || > 312
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 4,800 m || 905 hp || 1,086 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* No armour plating
* No armour glazing
* Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 under pilot)
* Critical components located in front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls, cooling)

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|MG FF (20 mm)|MG 17 (7.92 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 2 x 20 mm MG FF cannons, wing-mounted (60 rpg = 120 total)
* 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, nose-mounted (1,000 rpg = 2,000 total)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|SC50JA (50 kg)|SC250JA (250 kg)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (200 kg total)
* 1 x 250 kg SC250JA bomb (250 kg total)

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:Cockpit_Bf109e3.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Click to enlarge]]
Just as the with the [[Bf 109 E-1|E-1]], new players should adopt a hit and run tactic with the Bf 109s (also known as Boom and Run). While often called a Boom & Zoom aircraft, the 109s are not dedicated Boom & Zoomers, and many other aircraft such as the Fw 190 do it much better. While it is true that a pure Boom and Zooming approach can be used for the 109s, limiting oneself to this enormously undermines plane efficiency. That said, the 109s do build up speed quickly in a dive, and they have a respectable zoom climb that ends in a strongly sustained climb at ~270 km/h (optimal climbing speed 260, and dash 280 km/h). Doing so will often give the player the maximum speed or altitude advantage they can have over their chosen target. A straight-up bounce, with a short, extend from the target and a slowly increasing climb leading into an Immelmann, tends to work best for rookie pilots. Remember to check the six and surroundings during the climb and just before diving back onto the target. Don't forget to try and gain altitude; but only up to 3,000m is recommended but 4,000m is the limit as anything higher will cause you controls to stiffen and "buckle out" meaning turn rate will get considerably slow and bombers at that altitude will be able to easily outrun you.

With mounting experience on the side of the player, the energy fighting abilities of the Bf 109 E-3 come to the forefront. Fluid and speedy transitions between altitude and speed, together with well-timed uses of flaps, throttle, and manoeuvres, enable the Emil to quickly change engagement in its favour.

When firing at enemies, be aware that the 20 mm cannons only hold a 60 round drum magazine each. They empty quick, and many a new pilot has seen themselves on pitifully low ammunition after only one attack run. Once the cannons are empty, the E-3 will be hard-pressed to destroy any aircraft. Do not waste the cannon ammunition on ground targets and when firing at planes, fire in short, controlled, and well-aimed bursts. Luckily, the E-3 holds 1,000 rounds in each of its two [[MG 17 (7.92 mm)|MG 17]]s. Use these if inclined to spray and pray or are about to engage ground targets.

Given the low cannon ammo count of the E-3, mastering trigger control is crucial for new players. An interesting way to practice trigger discipline is to bind the keys for firing (usually LMB) and bailing out (usually J) together. This way you are forced to fire short bursts for no more than 3 seconds each time, or you will be bailed out. This can be very effective as short bursts within 3 seconds long are generally enough to cripple if not destroy a target, and the price for shooting longer than that is losing the chance to keep fighting, which is a lesson one will not want to learn.

The E-3 can load either 4 x 50 kg or 1 x 250 kg either. Unless wanting to fly at a severe disadvantage, do not use the bombs unless it is necessary to win a match, for example after refuelling/restocking at the base. The bomb load is nowhere near large enough to make a fighter bombing trip worth it.

'''Simulator Battles'''

In Simulator, the Bf 109 E-3 is quite a friendly fighter that can perform many tasks. It offers great flight performance with its smooth handling, adequate speed, and impressive climb rate and turn rate. The nose gentally slopes down from the windscreen, offering great over-the-nose vision. Despite having a razorback, the Emils actually have great visibility towards the tail, increasing the pilot's situational awareness. There are also a few bomb options to choose from which are beneficial for ground-pounding or base-bombing, although these are not its primary objectives. However, the E models have their cannons mounted on the wings which is not very friendly to aim, and each cannon only has a poor 60-round drum as mentioned above.

You can bring the least fuel amount, since the 60-round drums run out fast, making you constantly return to base to rearm so there is no point bringing more fuel. Close gun convergence of 250-400 m is recommended, given the low velocity of the cannons. You can also set keys for vertical head movement, as lifting up your head a little helps improving the over-the-nose visibility.

Dogfighting in SB involves everyday RB tactics. Utilise common manoeuvres such as Immelmann, Split-S, scissor, barrel roll, etc. You may want to practice smoothing the aircraft, as the wing guns are quite awkward to aim. To make every shell count, get close and "let the enemy fill up your windscreen". A good distance to open fire is when their wingtips fully fill up the reticle circle. Note: the Bf 109 handles very sluggishly in the roll axis at low speed, so take this into account if dogfighting at low speed/altitude. You can even pull the elevator fully for maximum agility, but only if you pull gentally and gradually will the 109 manoeuvre as you wish. If maximum elevator input is harsh and sudden, the plane will start swaying around and enter a flat spin. The aircraft can quite easily recover from a flat spin by fully deflecting elevators downward and rudder to the opposite side of which the plane is spinning, and wait until it starts a dive and gather some speed to pull up.

Landing may need practice for some. It is easy at first: decelerate and descent towards the runway, deploy combat, takeoff, landing flaps and gears in order, fly at ~190 km/h before touchdown. If the plane bounces up with landing flaps, use takeoff/combat flaps instead to reduce lift. Note that you must align the plane with the airstrip correctly prior to touchdown and do not yaw/break one side too much when breaking, as the main landing gears are so close together that they cannot support such sideways force, causing the plane to wobble dangerously or even tilt towards one side, striking a wingtip into the ground.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable 1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===

[[File:Radar chart Bf 109 E-3.png|thumb|Fighter abilities of the Bf 109 E-3]]

'''Pros:'''

* Good acceleration
* Good rate of climb
* Good continuous turn rate
* Good roll rate
* Good sustained turn rate
* Plenty of LMG ammo
* Can perform negative G manoeuvres
* Better cockpit visibility than [[Bf 109 F-4|Bf 109Fs]]

'''Cons:'''

* Less than average instantaneous turn rate
* Control stiffening above 400 km/h (IAS)
* Low cannon ammo
* Weak low-velocity cannons compared to Hispano, [[MG 151 (20 mm)|MG 151]], etc
* Relatively poor durability

== History ==

The Bf 109 E-3 became the mainstream fighter of the German Luftwaffe between 1940 to 1941. Seeing some action in 1939, the E-3 was the most produced aircraft of the Emil series and much appreciated by pilots. While pilot comfort was not what one might call outstanding, German pilots held the Emil in high regard, due to its performance and offensive bite. Its improvements over the [[Bf 109 E-1|''Bf 109 E-1'']] were a strengthening of the structural integrity and the integration of two-wing mounted MG FFs in the wings, replacing two MG 17s the earlier Emil carried. In order to save the 20 mm shell cases, the wing had a small empty container in which used casings were thrown into after firing of the weapon.

Powered by a DB 601 Aa with a performance of 1175 hp upon takeoff, the plane was initially regarded as a technological secret. This was due to the use of a direct petrol injection system that allowed the engine to run when experiencing negative Gs. The frequent use of a Split-S to evade earlier [[Spitfire_(Family)|''Spitfire'']] and [[Hurricane_(Family)|''Hurricanes'']] using carburettor engines shows the distinct advantage such a system gave. While it worked as a trump card for some time, the nature of war ensured that Allied forces soon had access to downed Bf 109 E-3s and their engine configuration. The first Bf 109 E-3 to fall into enemy hands happened as early as November 1939 near Woerth, France.

The E-3 was one of the first planes that saw widespread exportation. Bulgaria, Japan, Switzerland, and Spain are some of the countries that purchased the Emil.

The E-3 was used extensively in the Battle of Britain, eventually being replaced by the [[Bf 109 F-4|''Friedrich'']].

=== In-game description ===
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a single-seat monoplane fighter used by the Luftwaffe before and during WWII. It was used as a fighter, interceptor, high-altitude interceptor, fighter-bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.

The Bf 109 E variant, or "Emil", was in fact the first truly mass-produced variant of the venerable Messerschmitt Bf 109 family. Powered by a new Daimler-Benz DB 601A direct fuel injection engine, the Emil also had a redesigned supercharger. However, most importantly, the engine proved much more reliable than its predecessors. First production variants reached front-line units in early 1939. The Emil was armed with two 7.9mm machine guns in the engine housing and two 20mm cannon in the wings.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23bf109e3 Skins and camouflages for the "Bf 109 E-3" from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|CA_fZTI-ikI|'''Bf 109 E Helpful Beginner Tips, Guide, and Information''' - ''Messer Smitty''}}

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Mitsubishi [[A6M (Family)|A6M]]
* Bell [[P-39 (Family)|P-39]] Airacobra
* Curtiss [[P-36 (Family)|P-36]]
* Curtiss [[P-40 (Family)|P-40]]
* Dewoitine [[D.520]]
* Fiat [[G.55 serie 1|G.55]]
* Focke-Wulf [[Fw 190 (Family)|Fw 190]]
* Grumman [[F4F (Family)|F4F]] Wildcat
* Grumman [[F6F (Family)|F6F]] Hellcat
* Hawker [[Hurricane (Family)|Hurricane]]
* Heinkel [[He 112 (Family)|He 112]]
* [[IAR-81C|IAR-81]]
* Kawasaki [[Ki-61 (Family)|Ki-61]]
* Lavochkin [[LaGG-3 (Family)|LaGG-3]]
* Macchi [[C.202]]
* Macchi [[C.205 serie 1|C.205]]
* Mikoyan-Gurevich [[MiG-3 (Family)|MiG-3]]
* Morane-Saulnier [[M.S.406C1|MS.406]]
* Nakajima [[Ki-43 (Family)|Ki-43]]
* North American [[P-51 (Family)|P-51]] Mustang
* Polikarpov [[I-16 (Family)|I-16]]
* Supermarine [[Spitfire (Family)|Spitfire]]
* Yakovlev [[Yak-1]]
* Yakovlev [[Yak-9]]

== External links ==


* [https://forum.warthunder.ru/index.php?/topic/105629-pasport-bf-109-e1e3/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]
* Radinger, Willy & Otto, Wolfgang, Messerschmitt Me 109 - Das meistgebaute Jagdflugzeug der Welt - Entwicklung, Erprobung, Technik - Bf 109A bis 109K, Aviatic Verlag, Oberhachingen: 2011
* [http://www.messerschmitt-bf109.de/web.php?lang=de&auth=e&name=bf109b&versionscategory=6 "Falcon's Messerschmitt Bf 109 Hangar" Bf 109E subpage]
* [[wikipedia:Messerschmitt_Bf_109_variants#Bf_109E|[Wikipedia] Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants – Bf 109 E]]
* [http://kurfurst.org/#Emil "Performance Information Bf 109E"]

{{AirManufacturer BFW}}
{{Germany fighters}}

BT-7

2021-06-12T10:34:17Z

U108595433: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = Soviet light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = BT-7 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_bt_7_1937
|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. Like the [[BT-5]], but with improved front armour, it is fast and has an adequate 45 mm cannon able to destroy opposing tanks.

The BT-7 is a fast tank with relatively thin armour. It can be useful to flank and hit the side armour of enemy tanks, taking advantage of its very high top speed. The armour is very well angled at certain points, however being as thin as it is, don't count on it to protect you very well; your speed can be your best defence, so move fast and try to zig-zag a bit to make yourself a more difficult target for tanks farther away (not too much though, or you'll bleed off too much speed).

The BT-7 surprises with its Christie suspension. Closer to a race-car than a tank, this lightning on tracks is fun to drive, but not particularly easy. With its high top speed and lightweight, this tank will drift in turns. For maximum control in turns, reduce throttle beforehand and the only tip/nudge the turn-keys. It needs some time to get used to, however, it does prepare you for the T-34s break-turns.

Off-road behaviour is good and the aforementioned drifts aren't as extreme as on city-roads. Top speed is not really reduced as well, making the BT-7 one of the fastest early tanks due to its very wide tracks, something both the ''[[M2A4|Light tank M2]]'' and [[Pz.II C|Panzer II]] miss.

The crew compartment is very small and only inhabited by the driver, commander and another crew member. The latter has to perform the tasks of the gunner and radio-man. "Not getting shot at" is the best advice for the crew to survive.

The BT-7 was the last of the BT series of Soviet cavalry tanks that were produced in large numbers between 1935 and 1940. They were lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for their time, and had much better mobility than other contemporary tank designs. The BT tanks were known by the nickname Betka from the acronym, or its diminutive, Betushka.

The BT-7 tank's successor would be the famous T-34 medium tank, introduced in 1940, which would replace all of the Soviet fast tanks, infantry tanks, and medium tanks then in service.

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

[[File:BT-7 Firing its cannon.jpg|thumb|BT-7 Firing its cannon]]
With 20 mm armour on the front and with all that inclination on the armour panels, this vehicle had decent protection. With 5 mm less armour on the turret, that's the vulnerability of the tank, especially on the turret's backside, where the ammo is stored. However, you only get 3 crew members in the vehicle, making the tank vulnerable to any "crew knocked out" scenarios. One strong point for the vehicle is that you have speed, and the trade-off of speed vs. armour can come in handy especially travelling around 59 km/h (It's very hard to reach 60 km/h) ensures any enemy SPG will be very unlikely to hit close to you!

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm (62°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (19°) ''Driver's hatch'' 20 mm (5-52°) ''Lower hull''|| 20 mm ''Front'' 15 mm ''Rear'' || 10 mm (55°) ''Top'' 13 mm (16-58°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (7-53°) ''Gun mantlet'' 15 mm (13-14°) ''Turret front'' || 15 mm (13°) ''Front'' 13 mm (10°) ''Rear'' || 13 mm (15°) || 10 mm
|}
'''Notes'''

* Tracks and suspension wheel are both 15 mm thick.

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

[[File:BT-7 Screenshot 2.jpg|thumb|250px|BT-7 driving through "[[Advance to the Rhine|Advance To The Rhine]]"]]

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=620|rbMinHp=354}}

Like its predecessor the [[BT-5]], the BT-7 has competitive mobility, easily being able to reach capture points before most other tanks or get to competitive camping spots before anyone else, the 400 hp engine gives the BT-7 29.2 hp per ton, which also allows the BT-7 to scale hills and smaller obstacles with relative ease.

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

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

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

The 20-K is the typical Soviet rank I gun. Players should get used to it since it will be your main armament up until rank II. The APHEBC round has a good amount of HE filler, meaning penetrating shells will do good damage, sometimes even one-shotting enemies. At much longer ranges, shells begin to lose penetration and accuracy but on most common low tier maps this is not a problem due to the smaller map sizes.

{| 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" | 188 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 15.23 || 21.08 || 25.60 || 28.31 || 30.12 || rowspan="2" | 3.77 || rowspan="2" | 3.33 || rowspan="2" | 3.07 || rowspan="2" | 2.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 9.52 || 11.20 || 13.60 || 15.04 || 16.00
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 70 || 68 || 59 || 50 || 42 || 35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 || 71 || 62 || 52 || 44 || 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-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.43 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 29.3 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.43 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
|-
| '''188''' || 174 ''(+14)''|| 162 ''(+26)'' || 147 ''(+41)'' || 135 ''(+53)'' || 123 ''(+65)''|| 108 ''(+80)''|| 89 ''(+99)''
|-
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
!
|-
| 73 ''(+115)'' || 57 ''(+131)'' || 41 ''(+147)'' || 25 ''(+163)'' || 13 ''(+175)'' || 1 ''(+187)''|| No
!
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* Turret empty: 147 ''(+41)'' shells.
* Turret and side racks empty: 89 ''(+99)'' shells.

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

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Coaxial || 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

There are two common schools of thought when driving the BT-7, firstly rushing a capture point using your better than average mobility to get there before other friendly or enemy tanks. This tactic can help to gain points early in the game and perhaps even a few kills as enemy tanks try to take the point that you captured, but your fairly thin armour will leave you at risk of being crippled and destroyed by enemy fire unless you retreat to cover or get backup from friendly vehicles. A second school of thought is not charge right into the combat, but wait a while to see how the battle develops - observe where and how many enemy tanks go, maybe fire a few shots from a distance. Use your great mobility to get to the best positions and flank the enemy, from these positions you could snipe into the main battler area to damage and kill enemy vehicles. You could then decide to use the BT-7's mobility to charge at lonely opponents, which at close range have no chance of keeping their guns pointed at you as you can essentially drive circles around them. Keep in mind that charging into more than 1 opponent is usually a quick end as it is very hard to not get hit from either of them at the same time. There is basically paper armour on BT-7 to stop anything other than machine gun fire, overall speed is key, being mobile and changing your position often will be a great way to avoid enemy fire and potential revenge kill attempts.

If you lose one of your 3 crew members it would be advisable to head to a friendly capture point to use your crew replenishment as your vehicle needs 2 members to operate, and having a 'spare' crew member can come in handy.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* [[Pz.II (Disambiguation)|Pz.IIs]], [[Flakpanzer I]]: Although not as fast as the BT-7, the Pz.IIs still have an average speed of around 40 km/h. Also they are equipped with a deadly 20 mm autocannon that will punch holes on the BT-7 with ease, and their rate of fire can quickly kill multiple crew. The BT-7 has thin armour protecting only 3 crew, making it extremely vulnerable to those autocannons. Try to finish them before they shoot at you.

* [[Sd.Kfz.234/2|Sd.Kfz.234 series]]: These wheeled vehicles all have scary on-road speed of more than 60 km/h, so in any map with roads connecting to the points they can always get there first and set up an ambush. However, these vehicles are wheeled meaning they cannot turn in-place, they are rather sluggish when trying to turn, and they have either slow turret traverse or no turret at all, so the player can use this to their advantage. Wiggle/circle around them to avoid their guns and force them to turn, then aim carefully and immobilise them. Note that the DT machine gun on the BT-7 only has 10 mm penetration at most, making it almost impossible to go through their armour and kill any crew, so don't think of destroying these wheeled vehicles with the MG.

* [[M8 Greyhound]], [[M3 Stuart (Family)|M3 Stuarts]]: These vehicles can be equally fast, and the M8 can outrun the BT-7 if it's travelling on road, allowing them to get to the point before the BT-7 does. Therefore, if America is on the other side the player might want to change their tactics and not rush the point since low tier battles are always filled with fast tanks. The M8 has a roof-mounted .50 cal MG which easily tears the BT-7's armour apart and kills the crew inside. Also most of them have a vertical stabiliser that works at low speed, so avoid firing on the move with them.

* [[B1 bis]]: A heavily armoured tank for its BR, but do not panic when you see it. Don't fire at a distance unless you are directly aiming at its side armour. The best option is to try and get as close to it as possible (point-blank range is ideal) and shoot straight at its side. However sometimes due to a variety of reasons the player might be unable to flank it and has to face it frontally. If that is the case, shoot the rather vertical driver's compartment and there's a great chance of penetration, killing the driver and the commander (which is also the gunner for the turret). Or, shoot between the two guns on the turret to kill the commander/gunner. Or, shoot at the near-vertical part of the curved gun mantlet of the big hull-mounted gun.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Deadly firepower at its BR: high penetration of up to 70 mm, with the 29 g TNT it can frontally one-shot most tanks like [[Pz.II (Disambiguation)|Pz.II]], [[Chi-Ha (Family)|Chi-Ha]] or [[M3 Stuart (Family)|M3 Stuart]]; its firepower is effective even in high tier battles, if aiming at the right spot
* One of the fastest tanks in the game, great acceleration and overall mobility makes it a nice point-capper, flanker and climber- can outrun the commonly seen M3 Stuart on road
* 3-4 second reload time is quick enough to destroy opponents it cannot one-shot, like [[Pz.IV C]] and [[LVT(A)(1)|LVT(A)]] series
* Adequate reverse speed of -10 km/h allows it to quickly retreat from danger when there is no time to turn around
* Small and low profile allows it to easily hide behind cover or bushes

'''Cons:'''

* Poor survivability: non-existent armour on all sides plus the closely packed crew makes it vulnerable to autocannons ([[Pz.II (Disambiguation)|Pz.II]], [[Flakpanzer I]]), heavy MG ([[M13 MGMC]]) and even solid shells
* Turret and hull traverse is rather slow, meaning it may not be able to keep track of fast targets- this is also a disadvantage in a close quarters duel, as other light tanks like [[M3/M5 Stuart (Family)|M3]] can turn way faster
* Although fast, it is still slower than the [[Sd.Kfz.234/1|Sd.Kfz.234]] series on road.
* Gun depression of only -6 degrees (worse than previous BT-5) means it cannot effectively fight in hills
* Fuel tanks and ammo are scattered inside and are prone to detonation upon being hit
* AP shell lacks enough penetration against certain tanks like the M2 Medium, even when firing at the rear- meaning you will need to switch to your APHEBC; and even then around 4-6 shots to take it out from the front.

== History ==

===Development===
The success of the [[BT-5|BT light tanks]] in Soviet service prompted additional upgrades and other developmental projects done on the design to increase its service life. The development led to the final model of the BT light tank series, the '''BT-7'''. The tank differed from the older BT-5 tank with a welded hull, redesigned hull front, and a new engine in the Model 1935 version. The '''Model 1937''' version of the BT-7 added a redesigned turret that featured sloping armour.

The tank initially had a canted-ellipse shaped turret mounting the main gun and coaxial machine guns with the focus of allowing the tank to mount different tanks without changing the whole design, which led to the development of two main kinds of BT-7s, the normal variant with a 45 mm 20K gun for anti-armour and a artillery variant called the ''BT-7A'' which mounted a 76.2 mm KT-26 howitzer for anti-infantry. The tank was redesigned before it entered production by using the BT-5 turret instead with the main gun and coaxial machine gun still attached, though the concept of swapping to different guns was still in development for the tank. A radio was also installed on the turret as well. The tank had a three-man crew, the commander/gunner and loader in the turret, and the driver in the front. Production started in 1935 but was redesigned in 1937 with a new conical turret that allowed more ammunition to be stored and a machine gun on the rear of the turret. The BT-7 mod. 1937 also had improvements on the drive wheels, gearbox, and tracks by 1938. The BT-7 went on to be produced from 1935 to 1940 for a total unit production of between 2,700 to 5,300 tanks.

===Combat usage===
The BT-7 served alongside its older counterpart BT-5 tanks. The BT light tanks were meant to be a cavalry tank, and at the time of their introduction, they were considered some of the finest tanks against other countries' tanks. They had great mobility of all available tanks, and it's 45 mm gun could perform very well in combat. The only drawbacks of the design were its light armour and its gasoline engine, which caused the design to be rather flammable to improvised incendiary weapons. The BT-7's most notable combat service came against the Japanese at Khalkhin Gol. The tactics of Soviet Marshal Georgi Zhukov and the performance of his BT-5 and BT-7 tanks led to a decisive victory. It was during this battle that the BT tanks tendency to catch fire was found, but its performance was positive against the inferior Japanese armoured forces.

The BT-7 next combat use was during the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa when Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union. The superior German tanks [[Pz.III F|Panzer III]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV]] was able to easily take out these lightly armoured tanks. Reports note that about 2,000 BT-7 tanks were lost in the first 12 months alone against the German forces, with hundreds broken down from low maintenance and were abandoned. Despite their inferiority, the Soviets continued to produce and field them among armour and mechanized units to boost their operational capacity, though most were kept away from the front lines due to their inadequacy. The BT-7 would finally see its service again in Soviet invasion of Japanese-controlled Manchuria. The Soviets fielded the BT-7 and other tanks in its inventory against the inferior Japanese forces in Manchuria, where it proved very effective against the more lightly armoured Japanese tanks employed. The BT series were all retired after the end of World War II due to their obsolete design as an inter-war period tank design.

===Legacy===
Perhaps the most important impact the BT light tanks series was that it kick-started the development of the [[T-34 (1940)|T-34]] medium tank, which would go on as the most produced tank of World War II. A new design team was formed in 1937 at the KhPZ factory, where they built prototypes utilizing the more armour and a heavier gun onto the design, which was called the ''A-32'' and was approved for production as the T-34 tank. The BT tanks also serve as the basis of support vehicles such as the ''BT-7A'' artillery tan, ''BT-7TU'' command tank, ''OP-7'' flamethrower tank, and even the ''TT-BT-7'' remote-controlled tank. An attempt in 1940 also had the BT-7 up-armoured with hinged homogeneous armour, which added five tons to the design weight. These vehicles are not known to have seen service in combat units.

{{Notice|The BT-7 also holds the record for the furthest jump in a tank, at 42 metres, set in 1936.}}

=== In-game description ===
In the second half of 1937, the BT-7 tank was mass-produced with a conical turret, a three-speed gearbox and strengthened suspension. In comparison to the BT-7 Mod. 1935, the tank's weaponry became more powerful due to the inclusion of a DT machine gun in the turret. Its ammunition capacity was increased by 44 and totalled 188 rounds in the battle vehicles and 145 rounds in the command vehicles equipped with a radio set. Some of the tanks were equipped with an anti-aircraft gun.

The unit command vehicles were equipped with a 71-TK-1 radio set with a hand-rail antenna, and later with a rod antenna. To allow the vehicle to fire its cannon and coaxial machine gun at night, it was equipped with two special projector headlights. Over the course of its modernisation, the thickness of its frontal hull armour reached 22 mm. The turret's armour was also strengthened using vertically sloping armour plates. Its combat-loaded weight grew to 13,925 kg. Factory No. 183 alone manufactured 4,727 tanks of this series.

The BT-7 underwent its trial by fire in the Khalkhyn Gol river region as part of the 6th and 11th tank brigades. In the process, the latter undertook a hurried 500 km trek to the scene of the conflict. On the whole, the tanks gained a good reputation, but their drawbacks were noted as well: they were difficult to drive, which meant they required highly trained drivers, and they had insufficient armour and poor communication equipment. All these flaws were confirmed in the Poland Campaign of September 1939 and in the Winter War with Finland.

With appropriate tactics and a well-trained crew, the BT-7 could successfully oppose all types of German tanks at the beginning of the war, being inferior to them only in armour.

BT-7 tanks participated in combat operations on the Soviet-German front right up until 1944, and in 1945 they served in the war with Japan. A few captured tanks served in the Finnish army until the beginning of the 50s.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=light_tank&vehicle=ussr_bt_7_1937 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|8bSWm7KuRJ8|'''What unique combination of properties other nations cant use? BT-7''' - ''HowToPlay1337''|1UqRTYkUIAY|'''{{PAGENAME}} 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.''

{{USSR light tanks}}

Cobra King

2021-05-27T09:20:16Z

U108595433: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
| about = premium American heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| other
| usage-1 = other M4 Shermans
| link-1 = M4 Sherman (Family)
| usage-2 = other uses
| link-2 = M4 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m4a3e2_sherman_jumbo_cobra_king
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} American heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was one of the first American tanks to be released with the American ground tree in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]]. A premium version of the [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 Jumbo]]. As a side note, the nickname "Jumbo" was likely never used during WWII, as there is no record of it. However, its use both on the Wiki and in-game is still prevalent.

The "Cobra King" is in many respects the same as the regular M4A3E2 with some notable cosmetic differences. The most notable is a different shade of green on the vehicle than the standard US olive-drab green, with a more pronounced green colour than the subdued mix with brown. On vehicles that did not meddle with the decals, the large white text of "First in Bastogne" is present on the tank hull's left side, boasting about the tank's actual achievement in the US Third Army in World War II. A bit lower on the hull sides will show a decal giving the tank its name "Cobra King". Another large difference is the presence of kit, canvas, gear, tracks, and fuel tanks on the rear of the Cobra King vehicle, those of which are absent on the regular vehicle.

The "Cobra King" still features the double layered front armour giving the vehicle its distinctive 101.6 mm total front armour. The transmission housing is also considerably beefier too from the addition of armour at the area as well. The front of the T23-style turret is also distinctive with the very blocky gun mantlet and circular barrel shroud around the rather underwhelming 75 mm gun barrel.

The sides and suspension look like the usual game with the M4 Sherman series, but with minor differences. The flat side armour of the hull, instead of 38.1 mm thick is now 76.2 mm thick for much stronger side protection. However, the lower side hull around the bogie suspension area is still only 38.1 mm thick, vulnerable to most regular anti-tank weapons. Another minor difference is the tracks, the T48 rubber chevron tracks are equipped with extended end connectors in an effort to improve ground pressure performance for the additional weight of the armour.

This tank is used as a breakthrough tank to attack fortified enemy positions due to its thick armour. It is a great tank when fighting Tigers as the 88mm cannons cannot penetrate the armour of the Jumbo Sherman from its sides when angled efficiently. As such it allows players to get close to Tigers and attack them from the sides, or force them to retreat. When fighting Panthers the Jumbo Sherman is less effective as the 75mm cannon on the Panther can penetrate the armour of the Jumbo Sherman from the front even when angled more than 30 degrees at 500 meters.

The Jumbo's armour is nothing to underestimate. It can bounce 88mm shells from the Tiger 1 at point blank range when angled more than 30 degrees. And the turret is well armoured from all sides, too.

On the downside, the gun is wimpy without M61 shot and even then it still bounces more often than not. Best to take a bit more ammo than normal to compensate for all the shots that will bounce.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour (Front, Side, Rear, Roof)
*Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Transmission area)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 + 38.1 mm (47°) ''Front glacis'' 114.3-139.7 mm (7-66°) ''Transmission housing'' || 76.2 mm ''Top'' 38.1 mm ''Bottom'' || 38.1 mm (10°) ''Top'' 38.1 mm (7-24°) ''Bottom'' || 19.5 mm
|-
| Turret || 152.4 mm (0-52°) ''Turret front'' 177.8 mm (4-60°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 152.4 mm (4-42°) || 152.4 mm (0-79°) || 63.5 mm ''Front'' 25.4 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 51 mm || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, the bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 17 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 25.4 mm thick.
* Hull underside right above the tracks are 9.5 mm thick.
* Gun breech is 300 mm thick in structural steel.

The M4A3E2 Jumbo presents very little frontal weak spots in an engagement. It is best to try and force the Jumbo to try and angle his vehicle towards the player or his allies. An angle more than 30 degrees can expose the much weaker lower side hull armour in the suspension that is only 38.1 mm thick. With a powerful enough gun, a round can penetrate this area and damage the crew, or even set off the ammunition all cluttered up on the bottom of the tank.

If a frontal engagement is unavoidable and is unfortunately armed with guns unable to penetrate through the front glacis, there are only two areas that are viable. First is the machine gun port, which is one of the areas that is not layered with the extra 38.1 mm added on top of the base armour. Guns like the Panzer IV 75 mm KwK 40 guns that are unable to cleave through the front glacis can push their luck in this area, with small "sweet spots" that the round can pass through. Another way to attack the M4A3E2 in this scenario is exploiting a shot-trap in the gun mantlet. The small corner flaps on the bottom corners of the gun mantlet have a tendency to deflect rounds downwards onto the 19.5 mm hull roof armour. While this will be left to the ricochet chances, it is still possible and can be used if no other scenarios are favourable.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=646|rbMinHp=442}}

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

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

{{main|M3 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm M3]] || 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" | 104 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Vertical|up to 24 km/h}} || 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
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 104 || 101 || 90 || 78 || 68 || 59
|-
| T45 shot || APCR || 139 || 135 || 121 || 105 || 91 || 79
|-
|}
{| 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°
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 463 || 6.3 || 0 || 0.1 || 666 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 618 || 6.79 || 1.2 || 14 || 63.7 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| T45 shot || APCR || 868 || 3.81 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}
{| 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_M4A3E2.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the M4A3E2 (identical).]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''104''' || 100 ''(+4)'' || 50 ''(+54)'' || 0 ''(+104)'' || No
|-
|}
Notes:

* As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.
* Turret empty: 100 ''(+4)'' shells.

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|M1919A4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 600 (200) || 577 || -10°/+30° || ±60°
|-
|}
{| 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
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The M4A3E2 Jumbo is best in assaulting enemy positions with allies. Its great mobility for a heavy tank, especially with its armour, makes it a vehicle able to charge into battle and take anything head-on with confidence. It can act as a bullet magnet against enemy tanks more worried about the M4A3E2, diverting fire that would've gone to more vulnerable teammates. Though the 75 mm gun's AP performance is not suited to the type of enemies expected at the BR, it can still harass enemies and the gun is lethal enough that enemies will be forced to show their front armour towards the Jumbo else a 75 mm penetrates their side armour. Their focus on the Jumbo can allow allies to move around and eliminate them. During all this, take care not to over-angle and show the lower side armour too much as this will allow vehicles to penetrate through down there and damage modules although even without angling and showing your hull inexperienced Tiger players can't get a penetration through the frontal armour., even the ammunition storage if they are lucky.

Another role the M4A3E2 is good it is as a flanker. Due to its great mobility as a heavy tank, the M4A3E2 Jumbo can manoeuvre like a medium tank around the battlefield. This is also beneficial to the 75 mm gun as it would permit the M4A3E2 a chance to attack the weaker side armours of enemy vehicles. Once flanking around and finding a prime position in a firing angle right into an enemy chokepoint, minimize exposure to anything but the front armour and the M4A3E2 can remain a formidable obstacle to all opponents. Take care not to be outflanked by enemy players aware of the M4A3E2 position.

Due to the M4A3E2 Jumbo having a slightly higher battle-rating than the other M4 Shermans at 5.0 it can be up-tiered against tanks such as the [[Panther D]] and [[Tiger_H1|Tiger H1]], meaning it's 75 mm cannon starts becoming less effective. For this reason, it is advisable to take the T45 APCR ammo into battle, at least enough to take on the armoured targets the Jumbo will face.

The Soviet 85 mm can be a threat, so caution is advised when going up against tanks armed with the 85 mm, such as the [[T-34-85]], [[SU-85]], and [[IS-1]]. The [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)|Jagdpanzer 38(t)]] and [[Jagdpanzer IV]] can be tricky when facing off against them. Their frontal armour is too thick and sloped for the 75 mm M3 gun to have any effect on it. For these two targets, it is advised to target their tracks and transmission and then flank for a side shot, where the armour is much weaker. Finally, the Dicker Max wields a 105 mm that can penetrate the front plate of the M4A3E2 Jumbo, so caution is advised against those as well.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decent 75 mm gun with APCR rounds
* High rate of fire for the main gun
* Excellent gun depression
* Very strong turret armour from all sides, very good at hull down position
* Excellent frontal armour, about 101 mm thick
* Can absorb a lot of damage
* Better mobility than the Russian KV-1 and the British Churchill
* Equipped with gun stabilizer, making it more accurate at moving and when preparing a shot after moving
* Good acceleration
* Incredibly tough when angled
* Wide tracks enable it to have decent off-road mobility, unlike other previous Sherman models
* Learning curve from previous M4 Sherman variant will help a lot at mastering this tank

'''Cons:'''

* [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm gun]] lacks penetration against [[:Category:Heavy_tanks|heavy tanks]]
* APCR shot is quite expensive, using it as a primary shell will seriously lower the Silver Lion reward by a large margin
* Armour weak spot above the gun-mantlet (63.5 mm @ 60°)
* Small bottom corners on M4A3E2 gun mantlet can serve as shot traps
* Side armour better than normal, but still weak (76.2 mm) and the lower side hull armour is even worse (38.1 mm)
* Very thin rear armour
* Inability to compound angle greatly due to very weak lower side hull armour that would be penetrated
* Tall profile makes it a bigger target
* Bad off-road manoeuvrability
* Low top speed of 35 km/h
* Reverse speed is bad
* Hull MG is a weak spot on the front glacis

== History ==


===Development===
Even before the invasion of Normandy, the Allied commanders had to figure out a method in order to breach heavily-defended fortification lines such as the Siegfried Line blocking the path from France to Germany. One of the solutions was the implementation of "assault tanks" that would enter enemy territory and root out the enemy fortifications. The initial plan was for the production of the [[M26|M26 Pershing]] tanks to fulfil this role, but setbacks in its development caused the M26 deployment to be delayed until 1945. A quick solution had to be made to fill this "assault tank" role for the invasion of Europe in 1944.

The US Ordnance Department then took their abundant [[M4|M4 Shermans]] in stock and fixed them up for the new role they've been assigned. Although keeping the same engine, the armour was upped from around 76.2 mm initial thickness to 102 mm and angled at 47 degrees from vertical. This angle would influence later Sherman designs such as the M4A3 by changing the original 56 degrees angled glacis with protruding crew hatches to 47 degrees angled glacis without any protrusion from the crew hatches. This modified M4 Sherman's armour when angled would then be 150 mm line-of-sight (LOS) thick and 180 mm effective. The side armour was also increased to 76.2 mm thick and the turret was redesigned to provide more protection. These modified Shermans were designated as the [[M4A3E2|'''M4A3E2''']] by the Ordnance Department, whereas the nickname "Jumbo" was likely a post-war invention. At the end of the modifications, the Sherman "Jumbo" now weighed about 42 tons and moved at a lower speed of 22 miles per hour. A drawback to the increased weight of the Sherman is that the Vertical Volute Suspension System (VVSS) from the Sherman was unable to take the weight easily, so extra care was taken by the crew members to not break the suspension.

In March of 1944, the US Army ordered 254 of these vehicles to be delivered for use in European Operations. Intended to assault the Normandy Beachhead, it was deployed in Normandy after D-Day to assist the infantry push through German defences. The M4A3E2 originally came with the 75 mm cannon to support infantry with its better HE shells compared to the planned 76 mm instalment, but the 76 mm was installed later in the campaign and called the [[M4A3E2 (76) W|M4A3E2 (76) W Jumbo]].

===Combat usage===
The M4A3E2s was well-liked by the crew and commanders due to its protection value. Despite the weight difference and strain on the suspension, it performed reliably and could absorb damage that would otherwise destroy regular Shermans. Later in the war, when the quantity of the M4 Sherman "Jumbos" were unable to meet the demand, George S. Patton ordered the existing M4 Shermans to weld on armour plates scavenged from knocked out tanks to makeshift "on-the-field" Jumbos. This caused the newer Shermans such as the [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3 (76) W HVSS]] to have the same protection by welding metal onto the hull. One of the Jumbo's notable participation in the war was in Patton's Third Army where it spearheaded the assault of Bastogne to relieve the pinned down 101st Paratroopers. The '''M4A3E2 "Cobra King"''' was the tank Lt Charles P. Boggess commanded to lead elements of Patton's Third Army into Bastogne on December 25, 1944. The 101st was finally relieved and reconnected with the Third Army on December 27. "Cobra King", however, was knocked out sometime during the fighting (maybe during the Hammelburg Raid) and had its interior destroyed by an internal fire. When the tank's remnants were identified in 2008, it was shipped back to the United States to Fort Knox at the Patton museum to be restored by Len Dyer, director of the Patton Museum and the soon-to-be National Armor and Cavalry Museum. After two years of restoration work, the tank was put into the display at Fort Benning as a dedication to the Charlie Company of the 4th Armored Division's 37th Tank Battalion. It was moved in August 2017 to the future National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.<ref name="WPRuaneCobraKing">Ruane, Michael E. ''A Battered World War II Hero of Bastogne Gets a New Home, and a Museum Built around It.'' The Washington Post, WP Company, 3 Aug. 2017, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/08/03/a-battered-world-war-ii-hero-of-bastogne-gets-a-new-home-and-museum-built-around-it/?utm_term=.7d7604b9ecab Website]</ref>

When the war in the European Theater ended, the M4A3E2s were then placed stateside for the preparation for the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands. However, this was never to be fulfilled as Japan surrendered to the United States in September 1945. The M4A3E2 Shermans proved to be a very effective stop-gap solution until heavier armoured tanks such as the Pershing could come into play. In 1948, about 96 Sherman Jumbos still remained in US inventory.

=== In-game description ===
Preparations for the invasion of Europe saw a heavily armored assault tank designated M4A3E2 (76)W designed using the M4A3 base. In March 1944 the Armed Forces Committee approved a program refitting 254 tanks, some of which were equipped with 76 mm cannons. Their armor was strengthened by stacking 38 mm armor plates welded together on the front and sides of the hull. As a result, the frontal armor reached a thickness of 102 mm to go along with the 76 mm on the sides.

The transmission was protected with a 140 mm cast cover, while the rest of the hull was not modified. The new T23 cast turret had walls 152 mm thick and was special in that it did not have a hatch from which to fire a personal weapon. The 178 mm mantlet was mounted with a 76 mm M1A1C cannon, while ammunition was stored in wet stowage.

The thicker armor pushed the tank's weight to 38 tons, simultaneously lowering its top speed to 35 km/h.

The exact number of M4A2E2 tanks refitted with 76 mm M1A1C cannons was never ascertained.

The tanks were very popular as column leads, given the fact that German antitank guns could not penetrate their frontal armor.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=usa&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=heavy_tank&vehicle=us_m4a3e2_sherman_jumbo_cobra_king Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
Image:CobraKing LeftHull Bastogne.jpg|Left hull side of the "Cobra King", where the crew made a note of their achievement.
Image:Cobra King Bastogne.jpg|Historical photo of the "Cobra King" at the Battle of the Bulge (National Archive).
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|l31USzTa5EQ|'''How to destroy the Jumbo''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|aWcW1dJl54s|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Other M4A3E2 vehicles in the game

* [[M4A3E2]]
* [[M4A3E2 (76) W]]
* [[M4A3E2 (France)]]

== External links ==


'''News article about the tank'''

* [http://www.stripes.com/news/vilseck-tank-confirmed-as-cobra-king-1.86612 Vilseck Tank confirmed as "Cobra King"]
* [http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/cobra-king-today/ "Cobra King" - Where is it today?]
* [http://www.army.mil/article/17393/ "Cobra King" Combat History - Army News Archive]
* [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/08/03/a-battered-world-war-ii-hero-of-bastogne-gets-a-new-home-and-museum-built-around-it/ Washington Post - A battered World War II hero of Bastogne gets a new home, and a museum built around it]

=== References ===
<references />

{{USA heavy tanks}}
{{USA premium ground vehicles}}

Me 262 A-1a/U1

2021-05-23T04:42:19Z

U108595433: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
| about = squadron German strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Me 262 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=me-262a1_u1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_Me_262_A1a-U1.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a squadron rank {{Specs|rank}} German strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]]. It can be unlocked with 310,000 squadron activity points or 6,600 golden eagles.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 825 || 798 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 29.4 || 30.4 || 16.2 || 15.3 || rowspan="2" | 750
|-
! Upgraded
| ___ || 865 || __._ || 28.0 || __._ || 19.5
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 558 || 529 || 380 || ~10 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 500 || < 600 || < 680 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="6" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="3" | Empty mass || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Junkers Jumo 004B-1 || 2
| colspan="3" | 4,550 kg || colspan="3" | 300 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="5" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 16m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 53m fuel
|-
| 720 kg || colspan="2" | Axial-flow turbojet
| 5,164 kg || 5,311 kg || 5,679 kg || 6,231 kg || 6,525 kg || 6,520 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="6" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 16m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 53m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 910 kgf || N/A
| 0.35 || 0.34 || 0.32 || 0.29 || 0.28 || 0.28
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 910 kgf (0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.35 || 0.34 || 0.32 || 0.29 || 0.28 || 0.28
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}


* 15 mm Steel - Behind the pilot
* 15 mm Steel - Pilot's headrest
* 15 mm Steel - Between cockpit and fore fuel tank
* 15 mm Steel - Instrument panel plate
* 16 mm Steel x 2 - Ammunition protection plates
* 90 mm Bulletproof glass

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|MK 103 (30 mm)|MK 108 (30 mm)|MG 151 (20 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 2 x 30 mm MK 103 cannons, nose-mounted (72 rpg = 144 total)
* 2 x 30 mm MK 108 cannons, nose-mounted (66 rpg = 132 total)
* 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, nose-mounted (146 rpg = 292 total)

== Usage in battles ==


As a modified [[Me 262 A-1a]], its role in the battle has not changed that much. The added cannons make the plane more capable at its battle rating, with a single burst it will obliterate any opponent in its path. Its cannon's can carry an ammo belt that has the capability of penetrating the roofs of some tanks when playing in Tank Realistic Battles.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Outstanding amount of nose battery of 6 autocannons
* Can completely obliterate enemy teams if in the hands of a capable player
* Decent energy retention (compared to other contemporary aircraft)
* Can equip its MK103 autocannons with HVAP rounds that can pen 95 mm of armour
* Plenty of ammo, especially compared to Russian planes
* Only a slight difference in flight performance compared to the [[Me 262 A-1a]]
* Good roll rate at low speeds
* Fairly manoeuvrable at low speeds compared to early jets
* Can fire each pair of cannons separately

'''Cons:'''

* Lack of suspended armaments
* Can regularly face post-war jets that outrun it like the [[F-84 (Family)|F-84]]
* Rather slow compared to most other jets
* Bad acceleration
* Very fragile engines
* If engines are hit it is quite easy to get into a flat-spin while stalling
* Not very nimble at high speeds
* Poor rate of climb
* Fuel feed cuts off if flying with negative G-loads for an extended period of time

== History ==


The Me 262A-1a/U1 is a modification of the world's first mass produced jet fighter, the German [[Me 262 A-1a|Me 262]] 'Schwalbe'. The armament of the A-1 sub-serie, being four 30mm MK.108 auto cannons, had a number of drawbacks, such as cycle failures and complex heavy shell ballistics. For these reasons, engineers experimented with different variations as to the weaponry, including a reinforced cannon battery. As such, the Me.262A-1a/U1 modification was created as part of this program. German engineers managed to fit 6 autocannons in the nose: 2x20mm MG.151/20, 2x30mm stock version MK.108, and 2x30mm MK.103 guns. For the latter, they developed shells with a higher initial speed, and the guns themselves had a longer barrel length than the MK.108, as well as an effective muzzle brake - all to improve the ballistics of the heavy shells. They built a prototype (according to other sources, there were three units), but the project was not entered into mass production. However, one example was flown by one of the most effective jet aces of World War II, Heinz Bär, who flew it at the end of April 1945, and with it, even shot down several Thunderbolts in the skies over Germany.

''- From [[wt:en/news/6386-development-squadron-vehicles-me-262a-1a-u1-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=germany&vehicleType=aircraft&vehicleClass=fighter&vehicle=me-262a1_u1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Me 262 A-1a/U1 Devblog Images" heights="200">
File:Me 262A-1a U1 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Me 262A-1a U1 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Me 262A-1a U1 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|V77eUJjifzM|'''The Me-262 family''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:17 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|d5k2T9FP0bQ|'''Avoid them in frontal attack!''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 2:33 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|bxalaBFUfb8|'''The Shooting Range #174''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:45 discusses the Me 262 "Schwalbe".|V7WNaq8wiqQ|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Squadron Vehicle Overview''' - ''Bacongaming''|n7R9ix6KSfY|''' The Germans were NUTS - {{PAGENAME}}''' - ''PhlyDaily''}}

== 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 aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6386-development-squadron-vehicles-me-262a-1a-u1-en|[Development<nowiki>]</nowiki> Squadron vehicles: Me 262A-1a/U1]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/320881-messerschmitt-me-262-a-1a-a-1au4/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer BFW}}
{{Germany jet aircraft}}
{{Squadron aircraft}}