War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

P-51D-30

2023-10-17T15:46:31Z

U118659507: /* Offensive armament */

{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = P-51 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=p-51d-30_usaaf_korea
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|cockpit=cockpit_p-51d-30_usaaf_korea.jpg
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update_1.33#09.08.2013|Update 1.33.27.0]].

The P-51D was a further development of earlier Allison-engined P-51s in that it received the excellent Rolls-Royce Merlin engine which gave it excellent high-altitude performance. This, combined with excellent endurance, made the P-51 well-suited for bomber escort duties.

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

In-game, the P-51D-30 runs a 75" boost that allows it to outspeed nearly every single vehicle at 5.0 BR. It possesses an above-average climb rate and good high-speed handling which makes it extremely well suited for Boom and Zoom. Additionally, bombs and rockets can be carried making the P-51 a good ground striker in Ground RB.

Use this plane as a Boom & Zoom fighter. Altitude and speed are your biggest friends while in combat. The P-51D has a laminar flow wing, hence it is fast and very agile at high speeds. The laminar flow wing reduces drag especially when going fast, which means that the aircraft turns best at high speeds. The P-51D out-dives nearly all opponents at 5.0, and is also very agile at high speeds. The plane has great endurance with its 1,880 rounds of ammo and 31 minutes of fuel minimum. Use this to your advantage.

It has a very high stall speed. You'd be better off to not stall in this plane. Only do it when necessary and when you know you're safe to do it. The P-51D-30 is not a turn fighter but is definitely manoeuvrable enough to dogfight at high speed. Optimal climb speed is 250 km/h IAS with WEP. The flaps are so strong you can deploy them in pretty much any situation in a dogfight. And even at 600+ km/h IAS, it takes a little bit of time for your flaps to break, takeoff flaps can be deployed at up to 510 km/h IAS.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,400 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
| 689 || 672 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 21.1 || 21.8 || 18.3 || 18.3 || rowspan="2" | 396
|-
! Upgraded
| 754 || 721 || 19.1 || 20.0 || 28.8 || 22.7
|-
|}

==== 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}} || 644 || 512 || 265 || ~11 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 500 || < 300 || < 500 || > 400
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 2,400 m || 1,580 hp || 1,959 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 6,400 m || 1,370 hp || 1,699 hp
|-
|}

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


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass in front of the pilot.
* 19.05 mm Steel plate in front of the engine.
* 6.35 mm Steel plate between the engine and pilot.
* 15.87 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.

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

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

{{main|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)}}

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

* 6 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (400 rpg inner, 270 rpg outer x2 = 1,880 total) Due to the way the guns are setup the outer guns run out of ammo before the inner guns do so you only have 2 working guns once you fire off 1620 rounds.

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


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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! !! width="4%" | 1 !! width="4%" | 2 !! width="4%" | 3 !! width="4%" | 4 !! width="4%" | 5 !! width="4%" | 6 !! width="4%" | 7 !! width="4%" | 8 !! width="4%" | 9 !! width="4%" | 10
| rowspan="6" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_P-51D-5.png]]</div>
|-
! [[AN-M65A1 (1,000 lb)|1,000 lb AN-M65A1]] bombs
| || || || 1 || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! [[Mk 78 incendiary]] bombs
| || || || 1 || || || 1 || || ||
|-
! [[HVAR]] rockets
| 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
! [[M8]] rockets
| || 3 || || || || || || || 3 ||
|-
| colspan="11" | Maximum permissible loadout weight: 1,500 kg Maximum permissible wing load: 750 kg Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 550 kg
|-
|}

{{Navigation-Start|Default weapon presets}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}

* Without load
* 6 x M8 rockets
* 10 x HVAR rockets
* 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
* 2 x Mk 78 incendiary bombs
{{Navigation-End}}

== Usage in battles ==

'''Offense'''

Probably the best assets the P-51D has are its speed, weaponry, and straight-line energy retention. If one climbs at the ideal speed of 250 km/h IAS side climbing is not necessary- a high enough altitude will be achieved by the time the first contact is initiated that the P-51D-30 can simply evade incoming fire and speed away, untouchable. It's still a good strategy to side-climbs in order to have amble time to build up speed before engaging the enemy as the P-51D-30 does not have good acceleration. A ~10 km distance will allows the P51D to go from 250 km/h IAS to almost 400 km/h IAS in a straight line.

When an enemy is spotted moving away from the P-51-D, enter a mild dive and go for a strafing run. After that, it is important to continue heading in the same direction so the speed is maintained. Doing this, even the most agile fighters won't be able to turn quickly enough to fire on you. If you miss on your strafe run or have an enemy behind you, you should get at least 2+km from the enemy and then start to turn towards him, depending on his speed. If your speed is under 500 km/h, a bigger distance should be achieved before attempting a turn. This ensures that your turn will be completed before the enemy gets within 1 km distance before you can line up your shot. Head-ons are actually very effective against fragile/lightly gunned vehicles such as the A6M and Spitfire. The high rate of fire and velocity of the 50 cals make long-range sniping very viable.

When engaging enemy bombers, aim for engines and wings. A good burst will rip off wings with ease and/or start several fires.

'''Defense'''

Contrary to popular myth, the P-51D-30 is not a good high-altitude fighter in-game. The P-51D-30 will maintain maximum manifold pressure from sea level to 1000 m and from 3000 m to 5000 m. Besides running away, avoid dogfighting at altitude outside of these areas or P-51D-30 will not be performing at its best. Most drastic lost of performance from 2000 m to 3000 m and above 6000m . This does not means that you should not climb above 5000 m. Always climbs as high as you can before engaging the enemy or running away as diving from altitude is the only way to quickly get above 500 km/h IAS. Furthermore, the P-51D-30 is near untouchable in a dive; though be careful, however, as planes such as the G.55S can and will catch a P-51 in a steep dive. In such a case, initiate a shallow dive which will make use of your superior energy retention and top speed. Almost all planes will reliably get to 600 km/h IAS in a dive but only few like the P-51 can get up to and beyond 700 km/h IAS.

Defensive dives are a strong suit of the P-51D as the flaps and airframe are very durable- spiral dives can easily rip the wings of more fragile Bf 109s and Spitfires. Should a pilot dare to do so and the situation allow it, a vertical dive at +500 km/h IAS will lock up almost all other fighters but the P51. Extend combat flaps and roll in a wide circle when the enemy comes within .5km to slow down and forces an overshoot. There will be a small window afterward when the enemy pull up for you to get some shots in but do not climb after the enemy for more than a few seconds, you do not have the energy for it and will stall out before they do.

It is possible in arcade to perform Pugachev's Cobra (due to the agility at high speeds) in some situations but should not be attempted unless you are at high speed and know what you are doing as it does require a large amount of skill to pull off successfully.

When flying against others, notable enemies are the Griffon/LF Spitfires, Fw 190 Ds, and Ta 152 H-1s. Each have to be handled accordingly when met: Griffon/LF Spitfires can be outrun, Fw 190 Ds can be out-turned, and Ta 152 Hs can be out-dived.

Due to the speed of the P-51D you may be able to outrun slower vehicles in a straight line (especially above 5 km) such as the Bf 109, Fw 190, and some heavier fighters and most ground attack aircraft. Coupled with light rolling and WEP you should be able to run from most dogfights.

=== 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 Auto control available || Controllable Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable 2 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

It's recommended to use Manual Engine Control with the P-51D-30 because of quite fast engine overheating. The D-30 has indefinite WEP and Meredith Effect modeled so radiator drag at high speeds is not an issue, even when fully opened they slow down the plane by up to 5 km/h.

The MEC controls on this plane are incredibly simple. Put out both radiators to 100%, and keep it like that for the whole game, as your engine will never overheat. Due to the position of the radiators, it gives a small amount of jet thrust to counteract the little drag it creates.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Outstanding Boom & Zoom capability
* Above average climb rate
* Very high top speed at all altitudes
* Very agile at high speeds
* M2 Browning machine guns do decent damage and has high ammo, velocity and range
* Good cockpit visibility
* Decent payload options for ground attack
* Incredibly simple MEC (Manual Engine Controls)
* Good turn radius at high speeds

'''Cons:'''

* Fragile and catches fire easily
* Loses speed quickly in maneuvers.
* Sluggish manoeuvrability at low speeds
* Poor high-speed rudder control makes aiming difficult
* High stall speed (166 km/h)
* Minimum fuel load is rather big (weighs the plane down)

== History ==

The North-American P-51 Mustang was an American fighter designed in the early 1940s and is considered the best US fighter of WWII. It was widely exported to countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. The P-51 participated in the Korean War and other post-WWII conflicts.

The most famous Mustang version was the P-51D with teardrop (or bubble) canopy. The main problem for the pilots of the earlier variants was a huge blind spot at the rear of the aircraft due to the canopy design. An earlier attempt to address the issue was a British-designed Malcolm hood, installed on many P-51Bs. It improved rearward visibility, but the search for a better solution continued. In January 1943, USAAF's Colonel Mark Bradley, while stationed in Britain, was introduced to the then-new "bubble" canopy, designed for use on Spitfires and Typhoons. The canopy had no framework and offered near 360-degree vision. To install the new canopy, the rear fuselage section of the Mustang had to lose some height. However, this change required minimal redesign to the airframe. The inaugural flight of the new P-51D took place at Inglewood, California on 17th November 1943. The P-51D-30 was developed soon before the war ended. It mainly served in the Korean war.

{{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}}
A single-seat all-metal cantilever monoplane fighter with a single engine, closed cockpit and retractable landing gear.

The P-51D model Mustangs lacked one of the main flaws of the P-51B and P-51C models – poor visibility from the cockpit, particularly to the rear. The P-51D fighters received a new drop-shaped cockpit canopy without bracing, providing a perfect 360° view.

Over time, the German Luftwaffe's resistance became weaker. Sightings of enemy planes in the sky grew rarer and rarer. This influenced the Mustang's continued evolution. Model P-51D aircraft were no longer painted – camouflage on the ground and in the air came to be considered excessive. The fighters now gleamed with polish metal. Its weight had decreased slightly, and its aerodynamics improved. On average, this resulted in a small addition to its speed.

Mustangs then began to attack ground targets more often than air targets. They received rocket equipment to increase their efficiency as fighter-bombers and attack aircraft.

The P-51D-30 could carry a "cluster" of three "tubes" – directional M10s, M14s or M15s for launching unguided M8 rockets. In place of these, it could also carry clips for the suspension of unguided 127 mm HVAR rockets. The P-51D was able to carry up to six heavy rockets along with suspended fuel tanks, and up to ten rockets without them. The aircraft's rocket armament significantly increased its ability to damage small moving targets.

The P-51D became the most mass-produced Mustang model, a symbol of American aviation and one of the best fighters of World War II. In total, 8,156 of them were built.

Apart from the RAF and USAAF, the P-51 was in service with France, China, Australia and the Netherlands during World War II.

The P-51D remained in service with the USAAF for many years after World War II. In 1948, the USAF, newly formed as a separate type of army, abolished the letter "P" ("pursuit") as a designation for fighter and replaced it with the letter "F" ("fighter"). The designation P-51 changed to F-51 accordingly.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=p-51d-30_usaaf_korea 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 aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/2818--en|[Ace of the Month] Major George E. Preddy Jr]]
* [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/405630-p-51d/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance]

{{AirManufacturer NAA}}
{{USA fighters}}

M60A2

2023-05-08T09:23:01Z

U118659507: /* General info */

{{About
| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = M60 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m60a2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' or 'starship' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]].

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

The M60A2 shares the hull with the other M60 variants. That means that the front hull armor is sufficient to stop 100 mm/105 mm kinetic ammunition of the same tier, while it does not protect you against hollow charge shells with a caliber of 90 mm and above. It also has the same 114 mm thick turret base, which is a weak point. The center part of the turret is a cast 220 mm plate in front of the cannon breech, which while not thick enough to protect you against any shells of even outdated guns, often eats shots (at cost of the cannon breech). The outer parts of the turret are significantly lower than the breech and rounded like in most post war soviet tanks. If not hit head-on, these sides can bounce most of the incoming shots. On top of the turret is a massive cupola for the commander, which is a big weak spot and often gets your commander knocked out, even the whole tank if your opponent is firing shells with explosive filler. The side armor on the hull is thick enough to withstand cannon fire of up to 25 mm (excluding APDS and the part around the gearbox), while cannons with a caliber of up to 40 mm will have significant problems and the tank may withstand a large number of shells. It will however not stop shells fired out of cannons of equal tier. The back of the hull can even be penetrated by HMGs. The turret side is around the cannon is 120-140 mm thick and will resist most shots if angled. The lower part however will most likely get penetrated often due to the reduced thickness the further towards the turret back you get. The hull is completely filled with ammunition, ammo is placed to the left, right and behind the driver (which is sitting in the middle of the front hull). Taking a reduced amount of shells is therefore advisable. The crew is well spaced, a solid shot in the front turret will likely only knock out a single crew member, since all crew members sit next to each other and not behind each other like in most other tanks, but this obviously increases the chance to get destroyed due to a side-shot. Overall the armor will not completely protect you, but you have good chances to eat a bigger amount of shells than most other tanks.

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


The mobility of the vehicle is average for its tier. With a top speed of 48 km/h (RB) and -11 km/h in reverse, it is not as fast as other tanks like the Leopard 1, but fast enough to get where you want quickly. The maneuverability is average to bad: you lose a lot of speed while turning. You can, however, turn on the spot thanks to neutral steering.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,162|rbMinHp=663}}

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

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

{{main|M162 (152 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M162 (152 mm)|152 mm M162]] || 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" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 15.60 || rowspan="2" | 13.80 || rowspan="2" | 12.72 || rowspan="2" | 12.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:M162 (152 mm)/Ammunition|M409A1, M657A2, MGM-51B Shillelagh}}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''46''' || 39 ''(+7)'' || 32 ''(+14)'' || 27 ''(+19)'' || 25 ''(+21)'' || 12 ''(+34)'' || 1 ''(+45)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Empty turret: 25 ''(+21)'' shells.

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

{{main|M85 (12.7 mm)|M73 (7.62 mm)}}

The M60A2 is equipped with a coaxial 7.62 mm LMG and a 12.7 mm HMG on top of the turret. Like on most American vehicles, this allows you to engage lightly armored vehicles and slow aeroplanes at small to medium ranges.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M85 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M85]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,260 (180) || 626 || -15°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M73 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M73]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,500 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The M60A2 Starship is the perfect combination of armor, firepower and speed. Based on the chassis of the M60, it has decent mobility and armor while the addition of the 152 mm gun/launcher allows the player to reliably pierce enemy tanks armor at its tier. The Shillelagh missile unlocks the possibility of long-range sniping, along with the powerful HEAT shell. Due to your odd turret design, it is possible to go hull-down, only exposing your gun to fire at enemies, while your loader and gunner are safe from shells. If you are a more aggressive player, you can flank the enemy and hide your position using your smoke grenade launchers. However, the reload time is not that great so immediately go back to cover after you take a shot. Suggested roles are support, sniper, and flanker.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very fast turret rotation
* Turret front is hard to predictably penetrate due to its odd design
* Has smoke launchers
* Same ammunition as the [[M551|M551 Sheridan]]
* Stabilizer allows for accurate firing on the move and fast reaction time, especially for a vehicle with the ability to launch ATGMs
* The armor can be very good

'''Cons:'''

* Slow off-road mobility: the Starship struggles to reach 30 km/h on a slight downhill
* Cannot fire from cover like the [[IT-1]] or [[RakJPz 2|Raketenjagdpanzers]]
* Cupola is one huge weak spot sticking out up top
* ATGM reload time is several seconds longer than normal ammunition
* Can only hold 7 ATGMs total
* ATGM has a very low starting speed making it hard to hit moving targets at closer ranges

== History ==

'''Design'''
[[File:M60A2 at AAF Museum (1).jpg|thumb|M60A2 at American Armoured Foundation Museum in Danville, Virginia.]]
The M60A2 used the Type B turret which featured an unconventional low profile design. The turret base was disc shaped and was very low profile, while the center part was much larger and consisted of a lane running front to rear that mounted the gun breech and behind that the commander's position. The gunner was seated under the disc portion of the right side of the turret, while the loader was located on the opposite side under the disc portion. The commander was located in a rotating cupola at the rear of the center part of the turret. The turret received an interior Kevlar spall liner. A basket was mounted to the rear of the turret for stowage. A bank of four M226 smoke grenades is located on each side of the turret for a total of eight smoke grenade launchers. Additionally, a xenon white light or infrared spotlight could be fitted to the left of the gun for night operations.

The M60A2's main armament consisted of a two-plane stabilized 152 mm M162 gun/launcher mounted in the center part of the turret. The M162 could fire both HE and HEAT conventional rounds as well as the MGM-51 Shillelagh ATGMs. The HE rounds were used against enemy infantry or emplacements, the HEAT rounds were used against enemy armor at close range (it had an effective range of 1.5 km), and the ATGMs were used against enemy armor at longer ranges of up to 3 km for the MGM-51B and C variants. 33 conventional rounds and 13 missiles could be carried in the tank.

Testing of the weapon system found a number of issues. Notably, there were a number of misfires and premature detonations caused by leftover propellant in the gun barrel and breech. As such, a fume extractor was fitted which was later replaced by a Closed Bore Scavenger System (CBSS) which used compressed air to push the fumes out of the gun.

Secondary armament of the M60A2 consisted of two machine guns. One was a coaxial 7.62 mm M73 machine gun and the other was a 12.7 mm M85 machine gun in the commander's cupola. These were later replaced by the 7.62 mm M240 and 12.7 mm M2HB Browning respectively. 5,560 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and 1,080 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition were carried.

The M60A2 received the M51 Missile Guidance System (MGS), produced by Ford's Aerospace Division. The M51 MGS included an AN/WG-1 ruby laser rangefinder as well as an infrared beam system for control of the MGM-51 Shillelagh ATGMs. The MGM-51 was guided after launch by IR beam which the gunner had to keep on the target (by way of his aiming sight) the entire flight in order to hit the target. The M60A2 was one of if not the very first production tank used by the US Army to include a laser rangefinder. The laser rangefinder allowed accurate ranging of the target up to 4,000 meters to provide the gunner with a firing solution. On the other hand, the laser rangefinder was ineffective at night and was only accurate out to 600 meters at 25% moonlight.

The hull of the M60A2 was originally identical to that of the M60A1. It was powered by a 750 horsepower Continental AVDS-1790-2A engine coupled to the General Motors CD-850-5 cross-drive transmission with two forward and one reverse gear, allowing the M60A2 to reach a top speed of 48 km/h. It used the standard T97 track assembly. Many M60A2s were later upgraded to the RISE standard with an improved AVDS-1790-2C engine and T142 tracks.

'''Production and Service'''

After the M60A1E2 prototype was designated as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 152-mm Gun/Launcher, M60A2 in 1970, the US Army ordered the M60A2 in 1971. Production lasted from 1973 to 1975 with the total production of the M60A2 at 540, all of which were produced at the Chrysler Tank Plant in Warren, Michigan.

The first US Army unit to receive its M60A2 tanks was the B Company, 1st Battalion, 32 Armor Battalion in June 1975.

Ultimately the M60A2 tank was a failure, mostly down to the weapon system. The MGM-51 Shillelagh proved to be an extremely expensive and problematic system due to its advanced technology. There were issues with the propellant as well as the tracking and guidance systems. Not only this, but the fact that the MGM-51 was the only anti-tank weapon at range limited the anti-tank role of the M60A2 greatly; the gunner had to keep the target in his sight during the entire flight of the ATGM from the gun barrel to the impact point. Additionally, the MGM-51 ATGM could not be fired while on the move despite the fully stabilized gun, as well as the fact that the MGM-51 was much more expensive than a conventional round.

These issues, among others, contributed to a poor opinion of the tank by the US Army. The M60A2 even gained the unofficial nickname of "Starship" due to its unconventional turret appearance and advanced technology. The M60A2 was removed completely from service by 1981. Many former M60A2s had their turret removed and replaced by the more conventional M60A3 turret and were put back into service. M60A2s were also converted to noncombat variants in 1985, including the M60A1 AVLB bridge layer and the M60 Panther MDCV mine-clearing vehicle. Many M60A2s were also converted to the M728A1 CEV (combat engineering vehicle) variant as well.

The M60A2 was never cleared for export.
[[File:M60A1E1 Prototype.jpg|thumb|M60A1E1 Prototype at AMVETS Post 93 in Armada, Michigan. Vehicle since repainted.]]

'''Variants'''

* XM66 - Designation for Type A, B, and C turret concepts.
* M60A1E1 - M60E1 hulls with Type A turret fitted with XM81 gun/launcher.
* M60A1E2 - M60A1 hull with Type B turret fitted with XM81E13 gun/launcher. The M60A1E2 was accepted for service, with modifications, as the M60A2.
* M60A1E3 - M60A1E2 experimentally fitted with 105 mm M68E1 rifled gun.
* M60A1E4 - Concept of M60 hull fitted with Type C turret with remote weapons system. Only a turret mock-up was built.
* M60A2 - Production version of the M60A1E2, fitted with M162 gun/launcher and received minor modifications such as a laser rangefinder.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m60a2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|60IVWW1_Flw|'''The Shooting Range #52''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 02:24 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|zoBPU0n65_A|'''The M60 family''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 5:22 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== 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 Chrysler Defense}}
{{USA medium tanks}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

M60A2

2023-05-08T09:20:20Z

U118659507: /* Description */

{{About
| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = M60 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m60a2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}'''or 'starship' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]].

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

The M60A2 shares the hull with the other M60 variants. That means that the front hull armour is sufficient to stop 100 mm/105 mm kinetic ammunition of the same tier, while it does not protect you against hollow charge shells with a calibre of 90 mm and above. It also has the same 114 mm thick turret base, which is a weak point. The centre part of the turret is a cast 220 mm plate in front of the cannon breech, which while not thick enough to protect you against any shells of even outdated guns, often eats shots (at cost of the cannon breech). The outer parts of the turret are significantly lower than the breech and rounded like in most post war soviet tanks. If not hit head-on, these sides can bounce most of the incoming shots. On top of the turret is a massive cupola for the commander, which is a big weak spot and often gets your commander knocked out, even the whole tank if your opponent is firing shells with explosive filler. The side armour on the hull is thick enough to withstand cannon fire of up to 25 mm (excluding APDS and the part around the gearbox), while cannons with a calibre of up to 40 mm will have significant problems and the tank may withstand a large number of shells. It will however not stop shells fired out of cannons of equal tier. The back of the hull can even be penetrated by HMGs. The turret side is around the cannon is 120-140 mm thick and will resist most shots if angled. The lower part however will most likely get penetrated often due to the reduced thickness the further towards the turret back you get. The hull is completely filled with ammunition, ammo is placed to the left, right and behind the driver (which is sitting in the middle of the front hull). Taking a reduced amount of shells is therefore advisable. The crew is well spaced, a solid shot in the front turret will likely only knock out a single crew member, since all crew members sit next to each other and not behind each other like in most other tanks, but this obviously increases the chance to get destroyed due to a side-shot. Overall the armour will not completely protect you, but you have good chances to eat a bigger amount of shells than most other tanks.

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


The mobility of the vehicle is average for its tier. With a top speed of 48 km/h (RB) and -11 km/h in reverse, it is not as fast as other tanks like the Leopard 1, but fast enough to get where you want quickly. The manoeuvrability is average to bad: you lose a lot of speed while turning. You can, however, turn on the spot thanks to neutral steering.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,162|rbMinHp=663}}

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

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

{{main|M162 (152 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M162 (152 mm)|152 mm M162]] || 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" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 15.60 || rowspan="2" | 13.80 || rowspan="2" | 12.72 || rowspan="2" | 12.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:M162 (152 mm)/Ammunition|M409A1, M657A2, MGM-51B Shillelagh}}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''46''' || 39 ''(+7)'' || 32 ''(+14)'' || 27 ''(+19)'' || 25 ''(+21)'' || 12 ''(+34)'' || 1 ''(+45)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Empty turret: 25 ''(+21)'' shells.

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

{{main|M85 (12.7 mm)|M73 (7.62 mm)}}

The M60A2 is equipped with a coaxial 7.62 mm LMG and a 12.7 mm HMG on top of the turret. Like on most American vehicles, this allows you to engage lightly armoured vehicles and slow aeroplanes at small to medium ranges.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M85 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M85]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,260 (180) || 626 || -15°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M73 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M73]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,500 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The M60A2 Starship is the perfect combination of armour, firepower and speed. Based on the chassis of the M60, it has decent mobility and armour while the addition of the 152 mm gun/launcher allows the player to reliably pierce enemy tanks armour at its tier. The Shillelagh missile unlocks the possibility of long-range sniping, along with the powerful HEAT shell. Due to your odd turret design, it is possible to go hull-down, only exposing your gun to fire at enemies, while your loader and gunner are safe from shells. If you are a more aggressive player, you can flank the enemy and hide your position using your smoke grenade launchers. However, the reload time is not that great so immediately go back to cover after you take a shot. Suggested roles are support, sniper, and flanker.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very fast turret rotation
* Turret front is hard to predictably penetrate due to its odd design
* Has smoke launchers
* Same ammunition as the [[M551|M551 Sheridan]]
* Stabilizer allows for accurate firing on the move and fast reaction time, especially for a vehicle with the ability to launch ATGMs
* The armour can be very good

'''Cons:'''

* Slow off-road mobility: the Starship struggles to reach 30 km/h on a slight downhill
* Cannot fire from cover like the [[IT-1]] or [[RakJPz 2|Raketenjagdpanzers]]
* Cupola is one huge weak spot sticking out up top
* ATGM reload time is several seconds longer than normal ammunition
* Can only hold 7 ATGMs total
* ATGM has a very low starting speed making it hard to hit moving targets at closer ranges

== History ==

'''Design'''
[[File:M60A2 at AAF Museum (1).jpg|thumb|M60A2 at American Armoured Foundation Museum in Danville, Virginia.]]
The M60A2 used the Type B turret which featured an unconventional low profile design. The turret base was disc shaped and was very low profile, while the center part was much larger and consisted of a lane running front to rear that mounted the gun breech and behind that the commander's position. The gunner was seated under the disc portion of the right side of the turret, while the loader was located on the opposite side under the disc portion. The commander was located in a rotating cupola at the rear of the center part of the turret. The turret received an interior Kevlar spall liner. A basket was mounted to the rear of the turret for stowage. A bank of four M226 smoke grenades is located on each side of the turret for a total of eight smoke grenade launchers. Additionally, a xenon white light or infrared spotlight could be fitted to the left of the gun for night operations.

The M60A2's main armament consisted of a two-plane stabilized 152 mm M162 gun/launcher mounted in the center part of the turret. The M162 could fire both HE and HEAT conventional rounds as well as the MGM-51 Shillelagh ATGMs. The HE rounds were used against enemy infantry or emplacements, the HEAT rounds were used against enemy armour at close range (it had an effective range of 1.5 km), and the ATGMs were used against enemy armour at longer ranges of up to 3 km for the MGM-51B and C variants. 33 conventional rounds and 13 missiles could be carried in the tank.

Testing of the weapon system found a number of issues. Notably, there were a number of misfires and premature detonations caused by leftover propellant in the gun barrel and breech. As such, a fume extractor was fitted which was later replaced by a Closed Bore Scavenger System (CBSS) which used compressed air to push the fumes out of the gun.

Secondary armament of the M60A2 consisted of two machine guns. One was a coaxial 7.62 mm M73 machine gun and the other was a 12.7 mm M85 machine gun in the commander's cupola. These were later replaced by the 7.62 mm M240 and 12.7 mm M2HB Browning respectively. 5,560 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and 1,080 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition were carried.

The M60A2 received the M51 Missile Guidance System (MGS), produced by Ford's Aerospace Division. The M51 MGS included an AN/WG-1 ruby laser rangefinder as well as an infrared beam system for control of the MGM-51 Shillelagh ATGMs. The MGM-51 was guided after launch by IR beam which the gunner had to keep on the target (by way of his aiming sight) the entire flight in order to hit the target. The M60A2 was one of if not the very first production tank used by the US Army to include a laser rangefinder. The laser rangefinder allowed accurate ranging of the target up to 4,000 meters to provide the gunner with a firing solution. On the other hand, the laser rangefinder was ineffective at night and was only accurate out to 600 meters at 25% moonlight.

The hull of the M60A2 was originally identical to that of the M60A1. It was powered by a 750 horsepower Continental AVDS-1790-2A engine coupled to the General Motors CD-850-5 cross-drive transmission with two forward and one reverse gear, allowing the M60A2 to reach a top speed of 48 km/h. It used the standard T97 track assembly. Many M60A2s were later upgraded to the RISE standard with an improved AVDS-1790-2C engine and T142 tracks.

'''Production and Service'''

After the M60A1E2 prototype was designated as the Tank, Combat, Full Tracked: 152-mm Gun/Launcher, M60A2 in 1970, the US Army ordered the M60A2 in 1971. Production lasted from 1973 to 1975 with the total production of the M60A2 at 540, all of which were produced at the Chrysler Tank Plant in Warren, Michigan.

The first US Army unit to receive its M60A2 tanks was the B Company, 1st Battalion, 32 Armor Battalion in June 1975.

Ultimately the M60A2 tank was a failure, mostly down to the weapon system. The MGM-51 Shillelagh proved to be an extremely expensive and problematic system due to its advanced technology. There were issues with the propellant as well as the tracking and guidance systems. Not only this, but the fact that the MGM-51 was the only anti-tank weapon at range limited the anti-tank role of the M60A2 greatly; the gunner had to keep the target in his sight during the entire flight of the ATGM from the gun barrel to the impact point. Additionally, the MGM-51 ATGM could not be fired while on the move despite the fully stabilized gun, as well as the fact that the MGM-51 was much more expensive than a conventional round.

These issues, among others, contributed to a poor opinion of the tank by the US Army. The M60A2 even gained the unofficial nickname of "Starship" due to its unconventional turret appearance and advanced technology. The M60A2 was removed completely from service by 1981. Many former M60A2s had their turret removed and replaced by the more conventional M60A3 turret and were put back into service. M60A2s were also converted to noncombat variants in 1985, including the M60A1 AVLB bridge layer and the M60 Panther MDCV mine-clearing vehicle. Many M60A2s were also converted to the M728A1 CEV (combat engineering vehicle) variant as well.

The M60A2 was never cleared for export.
[[File:M60A1E1 Prototype.jpg|thumb|M60A1E1 Prototype at AMVETS Post 93 in Armada, Michigan. Vehicle since repainted.]]

'''Variants'''

* XM66 - Designation for Type A, B, and C turret concepts.
* M60A1E1 - M60E1 hulls with Type A turret fitted with XM81 gun/launcher.
* M60A1E2 - M60A1 hull with Type B turret fitted with XM81E13 gun/launcher. The M60A1E2 was accepted for service, with modifications, as the M60A2.
* M60A1E3 - M60A1E2 experimentally fitted with 105 mm M68E1 rifled gun.
* M60A1E4 - Concept of M60 hull fitted with Type C turret with remote weapons system. Only a turret mock-up was built.
* M60A2 - Production version of the M60A1E2, fitted with M162 gun/launcher and received minor modifications such as a laser rangefinder.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m60a2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|60IVWW1_Flw|'''The Shooting Range #52''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 02:24 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|zoBPU0n65_A|'''The M60 family''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 5:22 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== 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 Chrysler Defense}}
{{USA medium tanks}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

M36 GMC

2023-05-08T09:15:20Z

U118659507: /* Modifications and economy */

{{About
| about = American tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage = other versions
|link = M36 Jackson (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m36
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or the '''M36''', nicknamed the ''Jackson'') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory"]]. The M36 is a nice upgrade to the [[M18 GMC]], owning a more powerful gun in the form of the [[M3 (90 mm)|90 mm M3]]. If used correctly, this vehicle can be both a great threat to the enemy, and a very fun experience to its user.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Transmission area)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38.1 mm (56°) ''Front glacis'' 50.8-107.8 (9-63°) ''Transmission housing'' || 19.05 mm (37°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm ''Bottom'' || 19.05 mm (42°) ''Top'' 19.05 (1-45°) ''Bottom'' || 19.5 mm ''Front roof'' 9.5 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 31.75 mm (2-53°) ''Turret front'' 76.2 mm (°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 31.75 mm (0-21°) || 25.4 mm (2-23°) || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Tracks are 30 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick while the wheels are 20 mm thick.
* Small slivers of 5 mm armour hang off the top side hull armour, giving minuscule protections at those areas.
* Track blocks on the side hull armour allows an extra 30 mm of armour at their locations.

Being lightly armoured, the {{PAGENAME}} is very vulnerable to nearby ammorack detonations and bomb blasts.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=710|rbMinHp=442}}

Based on the chassis of the M10 GMC, the {{PAGENAME}} has the same all-round mobility: the tank accelerates quickly and is able to reach a maximum speed of 45 km/h in a dozen seconds. The brakes are powerful and make the {{PAGENAME}} skid rather than slow down when traveling at maximum speed. The violent braking also causes the hull to wobble, making your targeting less accurate. The reverse speed is poor: it won't get you out of a dangerous situation quickly enough.
Turning doesn't make you lose much speed as your acceleration is fast. While there is no neutral steering, turning on the spot is done as easily as in a light vehicle: build a little speed before turning to turn even faster.
The off-road mobility is good: the {{PAGENAME}} reaches 20 km/h when fording, 18 km/h when driving uphill with some speed built-up but a mere 10 km/h uphill from a stop start. The tracks are large and grant you a decent mobility on hard (solid ground, roads) and soft terrain (mud, snow, sand). Light and medium obstacles (fences, posts, bushes and small trees) are not a problem but large obstacles will reduce your mobility: avoid them. In short, the {{PAGENAME}} is agile enough to perform its combat role on all types of terrain.

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

The following modifications should take priority:

# M82 shot (APCBC). This will greatly improve the firepower.
# Parts. So the vehicle can repair.
# FPE, to put out fires in the event the M36 isn't done in by pyrotechnics.
# Adjustment of fire, to improve gun accuracy.
# Elevation Mechanism, to improve gun accuracy.
# Personal discretion from here. M304 shot (APCR), Engine, Horizontal Drive are all good next choices. The engine is probably the best bet if taking into RB, but less important in AB.

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

{{main|M3 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M3 (90 mm)|90 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" | 47 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 21.1 || 29.3 || 35.5 || 39.3 || 41.8 || 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
|-
|}
The 90 mm M3 is the same gun available for the Super Hellcat, the T25 or the M26 and stays reliably accurate until 800 m distance. Beyond 1,000 m the loss of accuracy becomes a real handicap. The high muzzle velocity of your shells grants you pretty flat firing trajectories and thus helps fire at moving targets from a distance. In that regard, using the "sight distance control" feature can increase your chances of successfully hitting enemy tanks.

The rotation speed of the gun is better than average compared to other tanks at the same rank or battle rating. Which makes tracking a target from a distance an easy task to perform as your targeting process is fast. Elevation and depression angles of the gun are important, allowing you to fire from unusual positions (behind a ridge, from uphill, etc.). Your reload time is similar to vehicles at the same BR, if not a little longer than average. Your recoil is important but not powerful enough to throw your gun off target after firing. Lacking a stabilizer, the tank can't reliably fire on the move.

==== Ammunition ====
The available ammunition allows for engaging all types of targets:

* '''M77''': AP; a solid shot with an average penetration power and no explosive filler.
* '''M82''': APCBC; a capped armour-piercing shell with a ballistic cap that has a better but still average penetration power and an explosive filler. It will destroy any armoured target it penetrates.
* '''M304''': APCR; a composite round with a very high penetration power but no explosive filler and will only penetrate flat vertical surfaces.
* '''M71''': HE; useful for destroying open and lightly armoured vehicles.
* '''M313''': Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.

{{:M3 (90 mm)/Ammunition|M77 shot, M82 shot (T25), M304 shot, M71 shell, M313}}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''47''' || 39 ''(+8)'' || 30 ''(+17)'' || 21 ''(+26)'' || 12 ''(+35)'' || 7 ''(+40)'' || 1 ''(+46)'' || No
|-
|}

Notes:

* Recommended load is 21 ''(+26)'' to remove most ammo from the hull.
* Racks 5 and 6 are ready racks and take priority in being filled as well as depleted.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in either ready racks. If both ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 1 to 4 into 5 then 6, as long as there is ammo present in racks 1 to 4. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 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 || 1,000 (200) || 576 || -10°/+70° || ±60°
|-
|}
The turret-mounted heavy machine gun has great depression & elevation, posing a big threat to any plane that is flying too close to the {{PAGENAME}}. It can also easily penetrate lightly armoured vehicles and even the sides of some medium tanks.

== Usage in battles ==

Play style with the M36 should be about the same as the [[M10 GMC|M10]]. The speed is slightly better and armour is still just as thin, but it has an improved turret traverse rate and a 90 mm gun, making it able to engage targets much easier. The play style is also similar to the M18, since they have the same concept - speed and manoeuvrability with a powerful armament.

The greatest advantages of the M36 are its speed and its armament. As such, the best course of action is to make use of the speed to get to good early game positions on the map. The 90 mm gun is powerful at its BR, and it can penetrate many tanks at its BR from the front. But, this is not the case for more heavily armoured targets such as those in the IS series or the Panther series, but it can reliably kill every tank at its BR from the side in 1 to 2 shots because of the high explosive filler in the APCBC round. In addition, most enemy tanks can reliably penetrate you from the front, as the M36 does not have thick armour. Your armour can only protect you when a shell hits it at an extreme angle, or against low penetration weapons, such as those one some anti-aircraft vehicles. All of these factors mean that the M36 should never engage enemy tanks from the front, unless they are preoccupied with a friendly vehicle or not looking in your direction, but the M36 should engage enemies from the side. As such, the M36's mobility should be used to get to positions that the enemy would not expect where it will be able to shoot the enemy in the side before they even realize you are there. The M36 can also use its mobility to flank effectively. If an enemy knows your location and has an operational gun, you should not push out into their line of fire, as they are likely to come of better than you. If an enemy is likely to be able to shoot you, do not chance it, as only one shot will often knock out or disable the M36. The rounds you should carry are a mix of M82 APCBC and M304 APCR rounds - which one is in the first slot is up to the driver. The APCBC round is sufficient against the side armour of virtually every target you will face, and can penetrate many enemies from the front. The APCR round is effective against the frontal armour of many enemy tanks. The advantage of the APCBC round is the high explosive filler, which can kill most of the crew in one shot if it penetrates. The APCR round is advantageous against more heavily armoured targets, but it has less post penetration damage, and when firing APCR you will need to aim for crew members.

One thing to note: if there is an enemy plane in the vicinity, getting to cover is a priority as the turret is open topped, and a plane can kill all three turret crew in one pass with only low-calibre machine guns.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Easily achieves its top speed of 42 km/h regardless of the terrain, allowing it to get to most positions in good time
* Excellent firepower with a maximum penetration of 173 mm and 137 g TNT; easily pens and one-shots most opponents like the [[Tiger H1]], [[Panzer IV/70(A)|Pz.IV/70]] and [[T-34-85]], combined with its x5 scope magnification it is a deadly sniper
* APCR with 260+ mm penetration poses a big threat to heavy vehicles like the [[T-44]], [[Ferdinand]], [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]] and [[Ho-Ri Production|Ho-Ri]]
* 10° gun depression provides great terrain adaptation.
* Around 16°/sec of turret rotation is adequate to respond to surprise attacks, especially when there are [[M18 (Italy)|M18]]<nowiki/>s around.
* Powerful roof mounted M2 MG can deal with light vehicles (eg. [[M18 (Italy)|M18]], [[FIAT 6614]], [[GAZ-MM (72-K)|GAZ]] trucks) and incoming planes

'''Cons:'''

* Only 5 km/h of reverse speed is not enough to back out of a dangerous situation
* Weak armour overall, can be knocked out by artillery strikes, rockets, bombs, and autocannon fire from even SPAAs
* Open-topped, vulnerable to blast overpressure and aircraft strafing attacks
* Gun is wobbly after every displacement
* Abysmal stock round
* Quite big and tall for a tank destroyer - difficult to hide

== History ==

===Development===
United State's anti-tank doctrine called for the formation of a tank destroyer force filled with vehicles that are fast and have powerful guns. One of the vehicles designed for this job was the [[M10 GMC|M10 GMC]] carrying the [[M7 (76 mm)|3-inch M7 gun]]. While adequate at the time of its introduction, later in the war it was encountering more heavily armoured German vehicles that could withstand its calibre. Some M10 were up-gunned to the [[M1 (76 mm)|76 mm gun]], but even that was determined to not be enough. The army needed a tank-killing cannon to be placed on its most numerous tank destroyer vehicle to deal with any armoured threat that could possibly come.

The 90 mm gun started as the anti-aircraft M1 and M1A1 gun. It wasn't until the M2 model that it earned a dual-purpose role of anti-aircraft and anti-tank in May 1943. Finally, it was decided to mount the mighty gun onto a vehicle, starting with the M10 GMC. The tank mountable variant was called the [[M3 (90 mm)|90 mm M3]] and was tested on the M10 tank destroyer in early 1943. After installing a modified turret onto the M10 body, the vehicle was designated the ''T71 GMC'', it was approved for service and renamed as the '''M36 GMC'''. The nickname ''Jackson'' for the M36 was given in September 1944 by Ordnance Department, however, this nickname never saw use during war documents. The nickname only became well-known to the public in the 1970s, and soon became synonymous to the vehicle. Like its predecessor, it features an open-top turret and exposes the crew to the elements and enemy fire. However, a postwar modification allows a folding armoured roof to protect the crew from rain and shrapnel.

===Combat usage===
The M36 GMC arrived at Europe in September 1944. Though 1,400 were produced during the course of the war, the demand for self-propelled 90 mm guns was so high that 187 [[M4]] were converted with the 90 mm and sent as the ''M36B1''. The 90 mm was met with much approval by not only the crew, but other units around the area as the 90 mm could deal with the thick German armour on the Panthers and Tigers. The M36 GMCs were deployed in the Battle of the Bulge along with its other tank destroyer types, where it took out many German tanks with ease due to its high-power cannon and ability to ambush the tanks by the flanks. Humorously, there was an account sometime in March 1945 where a unit of the 635th Tank Destroyer Battalion radioed into their logistic support asking why their newly supplied 90 mm shells were more than a foot too long for their gun chambers. A few forwarding later got the message to a Captain Elmer Gray, who happened to be looking for the misplaced rounds for the new [[T26E1-1|"Super Pershing"]] doing combat tests.<ref name="PershingHunnicutt">Hunnicutt, R.P. ''Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series'' U.S.A.: Feist Publications, 1971</ref>

At the end of World War II, The M36 GMC's role in the tank destroyer doctrine became obsolete. Mainly due to increasing prevalence of well-armoured tanks that could do its job more efficiently such as the [[M26|M26 Pershings]] (which also had the 90 mm gun), but also the lack of German AFVs at the time of the war and a study on ammo usage indicates that the tank destroyers spent more time supporting infantry with high-explosive shells than killing tanks with armour-piercing, rendering the anti-tank section an unnecessary component in the modernizing armoured forces.

The M36 then served in the Korean War, able to destroy all the Soviet tank designs used by the North Koreans and the Chinese. An addition of a ball-mounted machine gun on the assistant driver's side was done as well. The M36 served well with the South Koreans until American M26 Pershings and [[M46|M46 Pattons]] could be built up as reinforcements. Aside from that, the M36 was exported to many countries and are still in use by some today. Some of the notable post-World War II conflicts the M36 GMCs served in was the First Indochina War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and the Croatian War of Independence of 1991, which proved that the M36 GMCs were still useful to countries half a century after they were introduced.

{{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}}
The SPG is a 90 mm M3 cannon installed in an open-topped, rotating turret on the body of the M10 SPG. It was developed as an enhanced carrier for 90 mm guns for fighting German heavy tanks, which current American tank models were unable to do successfully.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m36 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
File:M36 in battle.jpg|M36 in battle
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|xpXomGvD-pc|'''The Slugger: {{PAGENAME}}''' - ''Virus''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[M36 Jackson (Family)]], except the M36B1
* [[M10 (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/772/|[Devblog] Attacker FB.1 and M10 & M36 Slugger]]
* [[wikipedia:M36_tank_destroyer|[Wikipedia] M36 tank destroyer]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/US/M36_Jackson.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> 90 mm GMC M36 Jackson]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=251 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> M36 Gun Motor Carriage (Jackson / Slugger)]

=== References ===
<references />

{{USA tank destroyers}}

M36 GMC

2023-05-08T09:14:43Z

U118659507: /* Mobility */

{{About
| about = American tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage = other versions
|link = M36 Jackson (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m36
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or the '''M36''', nicknamed the ''Jackson'') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory"]]. The M36 is a nice upgrade to the [[M18 GMC]], owning a more powerful gun in the form of the [[M3 (90 mm)|90 mm M3]]. If used correctly, this vehicle can be both a great threat to the enemy, and a very fun experience to its user.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Transmission area)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38.1 mm (56°) ''Front glacis'' 50.8-107.8 (9-63°) ''Transmission housing'' || 19.05 mm (37°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm ''Bottom'' || 19.05 mm (42°) ''Top'' 19.05 (1-45°) ''Bottom'' || 19.5 mm ''Front roof'' 9.5 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 31.75 mm (2-53°) ''Turret front'' 76.2 mm (°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 31.75 mm (0-21°) || 25.4 mm (2-23°) || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Tracks are 30 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick while the wheels are 20 mm thick.
* Small slivers of 5 mm armour hang off the top side hull armour, giving minuscule protections at those areas.
* Track blocks on the side hull armour allows an extra 30 mm of armour at their locations.

Being lightly armoured, the {{PAGENAME}} is very vulnerable to nearby ammorack detonations and bomb blasts.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=710|rbMinHp=442}}

Based on the chassis of the M10 GMC, the {{PAGENAME}} has the same all-round mobility: the tank accelerates quickly and is able to reach a maximum speed of 45 km/h in a dozen seconds. The brakes are powerful and make the {{PAGENAME}} skid rather than slow down when traveling at maximum speed. The violent braking also causes the hull to wobble, making your targeting less accurate. The reverse speed is poor: it won't get you out of a dangerous situation quickly enough.
Turning doesn't make you lose much speed as your acceleration is fast. While there is no neutral steering, turning on the spot is done as easily as in a light vehicle: build a little speed before turning to turn even faster.
The off-road mobility is good: the {{PAGENAME}} reaches 20 km/h when fording, 18 km/h when driving uphill with some speed built-up but a mere 10 km/h uphill from a stop start. The tracks are large and grant you a decent mobility on hard (solid ground, roads) and soft terrain (mud, snow, sand). Light and medium obstacles (fences, posts, bushes and small trees) are not a problem but large obstacles will reduce your mobility: avoid them. In short, the {{PAGENAME}} is agile enough to perform its combat role on all types of terrain.

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

The following modifications should be taken with priority:

# M82 shot (APCBC). This will greatly improve the firepower.
# Parts. So the vehicle can repair.
# FPE, to put out fires in the event the M36 isn't done in by pyrotechnics.
# Adjustment of fire, to improve gun accuracy.
# Elevation Mechanism, to improve gun accuracy.
# Personal discretion from here. M304 shot (APCR), Engine, Horizontal Drive are all good next choices. The engine is probably the best bet if taking into RB, but less important in AB.

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

{{main|M3 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M3 (90 mm)|90 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" | 47 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 21.1 || 29.3 || 35.5 || 39.3 || 41.8 || 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
|-
|}
The 90 mm M3 is the same gun available for the Super Hellcat, the T25 or the M26 and stays reliably accurate until 800 m distance. Beyond 1,000 m the loss of accuracy becomes a real handicap. The high muzzle velocity of your shells grants you pretty flat firing trajectories and thus helps fire at moving targets from a distance. In that regard, using the "sight distance control" feature can increase your chances of successfully hitting enemy tanks.

The rotation speed of the gun is better than average compared to other tanks at the same rank or battle rating. Which makes tracking a target from a distance an easy task to perform as your targeting process is fast. Elevation and depression angles of the gun are important, allowing you to fire from unusual positions (behind a ridge, from uphill, etc.). Your reload time is similar to vehicles at the same BR, if not a little longer than average. Your recoil is important but not powerful enough to throw your gun off target after firing. Lacking a stabilizer, the tank can't reliably fire on the move.

==== Ammunition ====
The available ammunition allows for engaging all types of targets:

* '''M77''': AP; a solid shot with an average penetration power and no explosive filler.
* '''M82''': APCBC; a capped armour-piercing shell with a ballistic cap that has a better but still average penetration power and an explosive filler. It will destroy any armoured target it penetrates.
* '''M304''': APCR; a composite round with a very high penetration power but no explosive filler and will only penetrate flat vertical surfaces.
* '''M71''': HE; useful for destroying open and lightly armoured vehicles.
* '''M313''': Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.

{{:M3 (90 mm)/Ammunition|M77 shot, M82 shot (T25), M304 shot, M71 shell, M313}}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''47''' || 39 ''(+8)'' || 30 ''(+17)'' || 21 ''(+26)'' || 12 ''(+35)'' || 7 ''(+40)'' || 1 ''(+46)'' || No
|-
|}

Notes:

* Recommended load is 21 ''(+26)'' to remove most ammo from the hull.
* Racks 5 and 6 are ready racks and take priority in being filled as well as depleted.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in either ready racks. If both ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 1 to 4 into 5 then 6, as long as there is ammo present in racks 1 to 4. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 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 || 1,000 (200) || 576 || -10°/+70° || ±60°
|-
|}
The turret-mounted heavy machine gun has great depression & elevation, posing a big threat to any plane that is flying too close to the {{PAGENAME}}. It can also easily penetrate lightly armoured vehicles and even the sides of some medium tanks.

== Usage in battles ==

Play style with the M36 should be about the same as the [[M10 GMC|M10]]. The speed is slightly better and armour is still just as thin, but it has an improved turret traverse rate and a 90 mm gun, making it able to engage targets much easier. The play style is also similar to the M18, since they have the same concept - speed and manoeuvrability with a powerful armament.

The greatest advantages of the M36 are its speed and its armament. As such, the best course of action is to make use of the speed to get to good early game positions on the map. The 90 mm gun is powerful at its BR, and it can penetrate many tanks at its BR from the front. But, this is not the case for more heavily armoured targets such as those in the IS series or the Panther series, but it can reliably kill every tank at its BR from the side in 1 to 2 shots because of the high explosive filler in the APCBC round. In addition, most enemy tanks can reliably penetrate you from the front, as the M36 does not have thick armour. Your armour can only protect you when a shell hits it at an extreme angle, or against low penetration weapons, such as those one some anti-aircraft vehicles. All of these factors mean that the M36 should never engage enemy tanks from the front, unless they are preoccupied with a friendly vehicle or not looking in your direction, but the M36 should engage enemies from the side. As such, the M36's mobility should be used to get to positions that the enemy would not expect where it will be able to shoot the enemy in the side before they even realize you are there. The M36 can also use its mobility to flank effectively. If an enemy knows your location and has an operational gun, you should not push out into their line of fire, as they are likely to come of better than you. If an enemy is likely to be able to shoot you, do not chance it, as only one shot will often knock out or disable the M36. The rounds you should carry are a mix of M82 APCBC and M304 APCR rounds - which one is in the first slot is up to the driver. The APCBC round is sufficient against the side armour of virtually every target you will face, and can penetrate many enemies from the front. The APCR round is effective against the frontal armour of many enemy tanks. The advantage of the APCBC round is the high explosive filler, which can kill most of the crew in one shot if it penetrates. The APCR round is advantageous against more heavily armoured targets, but it has less post penetration damage, and when firing APCR you will need to aim for crew members.

One thing to note: if there is an enemy plane in the vicinity, getting to cover is a priority as the turret is open topped, and a plane can kill all three turret crew in one pass with only low-calibre machine guns.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Easily achieves its top speed of 42 km/h regardless of the terrain, allowing it to get to most positions in good time
* Excellent firepower with a maximum penetration of 173 mm and 137 g TNT; easily pens and one-shots most opponents like the [[Tiger H1]], [[Panzer IV/70(A)|Pz.IV/70]] and [[T-34-85]], combined with its x5 scope magnification it is a deadly sniper
* APCR with 260+ mm penetration poses a big threat to heavy vehicles like the [[T-44]], [[Ferdinand]], [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]] and [[Ho-Ri Production|Ho-Ri]]
* 10° gun depression provides great terrain adaptation.
* Around 16°/sec of turret rotation is adequate to respond to surprise attacks, especially when there are [[M18 (Italy)|M18]]<nowiki/>s around.
* Powerful roof mounted M2 MG can deal with light vehicles (eg. [[M18 (Italy)|M18]], [[FIAT 6614]], [[GAZ-MM (72-K)|GAZ]] trucks) and incoming planes

'''Cons:'''

* Only 5 km/h of reverse speed is not enough to back out of a dangerous situation
* Weak armour overall, can be knocked out by artillery strikes, rockets, bombs, and autocannon fire from even SPAAs
* Open-topped, vulnerable to blast overpressure and aircraft strafing attacks
* Gun is wobbly after every displacement
* Abysmal stock round
* Quite big and tall for a tank destroyer - difficult to hide

== History ==

===Development===
United State's anti-tank doctrine called for the formation of a tank destroyer force filled with vehicles that are fast and have powerful guns. One of the vehicles designed for this job was the [[M10 GMC|M10 GMC]] carrying the [[M7 (76 mm)|3-inch M7 gun]]. While adequate at the time of its introduction, later in the war it was encountering more heavily armoured German vehicles that could withstand its calibre. Some M10 were up-gunned to the [[M1 (76 mm)|76 mm gun]], but even that was determined to not be enough. The army needed a tank-killing cannon to be placed on its most numerous tank destroyer vehicle to deal with any armoured threat that could possibly come.

The 90 mm gun started as the anti-aircraft M1 and M1A1 gun. It wasn't until the M2 model that it earned a dual-purpose role of anti-aircraft and anti-tank in May 1943. Finally, it was decided to mount the mighty gun onto a vehicle, starting with the M10 GMC. The tank mountable variant was called the [[M3 (90 mm)|90 mm M3]] and was tested on the M10 tank destroyer in early 1943. After installing a modified turret onto the M10 body, the vehicle was designated the ''T71 GMC'', it was approved for service and renamed as the '''M36 GMC'''. The nickname ''Jackson'' for the M36 was given in September 1944 by Ordnance Department, however, this nickname never saw use during war documents. The nickname only became well-known to the public in the 1970s, and soon became synonymous to the vehicle. Like its predecessor, it features an open-top turret and exposes the crew to the elements and enemy fire. However, a postwar modification allows a folding armoured roof to protect the crew from rain and shrapnel.

===Combat usage===
The M36 GMC arrived at Europe in September 1944. Though 1,400 were produced during the course of the war, the demand for self-propelled 90 mm guns was so high that 187 [[M4]] were converted with the 90 mm and sent as the ''M36B1''. The 90 mm was met with much approval by not only the crew, but other units around the area as the 90 mm could deal with the thick German armour on the Panthers and Tigers. The M36 GMCs were deployed in the Battle of the Bulge along with its other tank destroyer types, where it took out many German tanks with ease due to its high-power cannon and ability to ambush the tanks by the flanks. Humorously, there was an account sometime in March 1945 where a unit of the 635th Tank Destroyer Battalion radioed into their logistic support asking why their newly supplied 90 mm shells were more than a foot too long for their gun chambers. A few forwarding later got the message to a Captain Elmer Gray, who happened to be looking for the misplaced rounds for the new [[T26E1-1|"Super Pershing"]] doing combat tests.<ref name="PershingHunnicutt">Hunnicutt, R.P. ''Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series'' U.S.A.: Feist Publications, 1971</ref>

At the end of World War II, The M36 GMC's role in the tank destroyer doctrine became obsolete. Mainly due to increasing prevalence of well-armoured tanks that could do its job more efficiently such as the [[M26|M26 Pershings]] (which also had the 90 mm gun), but also the lack of German AFVs at the time of the war and a study on ammo usage indicates that the tank destroyers spent more time supporting infantry with high-explosive shells than killing tanks with armour-piercing, rendering the anti-tank section an unnecessary component in the modernizing armoured forces.

The M36 then served in the Korean War, able to destroy all the Soviet tank designs used by the North Koreans and the Chinese. An addition of a ball-mounted machine gun on the assistant driver's side was done as well. The M36 served well with the South Koreans until American M26 Pershings and [[M46|M46 Pattons]] could be built up as reinforcements. Aside from that, the M36 was exported to many countries and are still in use by some today. Some of the notable post-World War II conflicts the M36 GMCs served in was the First Indochina War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and the Croatian War of Independence of 1991, which proved that the M36 GMCs were still useful to countries half a century after they were introduced.

{{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}}
The SPG is a 90 mm M3 cannon installed in an open-topped, rotating turret on the body of the M10 SPG. It was developed as an enhanced carrier for 90 mm guns for fighting German heavy tanks, which current American tank models were unable to do successfully.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m36 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
File:M36 in battle.jpg|M36 in battle
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|xpXomGvD-pc|'''The Slugger: {{PAGENAME}}''' - ''Virus''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[M36 Jackson (Family)]], except the M36B1
* [[M10 (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/772/|[Devblog] Attacker FB.1 and M10 & M36 Slugger]]
* [[wikipedia:M36_tank_destroyer|[Wikipedia] M36 tank destroyer]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/US/M36_Jackson.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> 90 mm GMC M36 Jackson]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=251 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> M36 Gun Motor Carriage (Jackson / Slugger)]

=== References ===
<references />

{{USA tank destroyers}}

Strv 81

2022-11-11T09:59:49Z

U118659507: /* Usage in battles */

{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_strv_81
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]].

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 76.2 mm (58°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (47-48°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50.8 (12°) + 6 mm || 38 mm (8-12°) || 29 mm 8-14 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 152 mm (6-27°) ''Turret front'' 152 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 89 mm (5-12°) || 89 mm || 50.8 mm ''Border of turret'' 29 mm ''Centre of turret''
|-
| Cupola || 152 mm || 90 mm || 90 mm || 29 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

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


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

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

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

{{main|kan Strv 81 (84 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[kan Strv 81 (84 mm)|84 mm kan Strv 81]] || 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" | 65 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 19.0 || 26.4 || 32.0 || 35.4 || 37.7 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 11.9 || 14.0 || 17.0 || 18.8 || 20.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| slpprj || APCBC || 232 || 229 || 216 || 201 || 187 || 173
|-
| slpprj m/54 || APDS || 285 || 283 || 262 || 239 || 218 || 198
|-
| slsgr m/53 || HE || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| slpprj || APCBC || 1,000 || 9.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| slpprj m/54 || APDS || 1,430 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| slsgr m/53 || HE || 600 || 7.5 || 0 || 0.1 || 1,130 || 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)
|-
| rökgr m/53 || 250 || 9.3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''65''' || 63 ''(+2)'' || 61 ''(+4)'' || 53 ''(+12)'' || 45 ''(+20)'' || 37 ''(+28)'' || 29 ''(+36)'' || 9 ''(+56)'' || 5 ''(+60)'' || 1 ''(+64)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_Centurion_Mk_3.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the [[Centurion Mk 3]] (identical)]]
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Racks 8 and 9 are first stage ammo racks. They total 8 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
* These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 8 - 9 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 7.
* If you pack 29 ''(+36)'' shells, it will keep most of the hull empty of ammo.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-7 into racks 9 then 8. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

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

{{main|ksp m/39B (8 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[ksp m/39B (8 mm)|8 mm ksp m/39B]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,750 (250) || 649 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Strv 81 is an effective medium tank if played to its strengths. If one wants to keep it simple, just use the powerful gun to snipe from distance. More advanced tankers can utilize the not too impressive max speed (35 km/h (22mph)) to move with this medium tank into the flanks of enemy tanks (close to the border of a map) and search for positions like hills and ridges where one can make use of the amazing -10° gun depression to hide the vulnerable lower plate of this tank. Once in such a position, one should use the binoculars to scout for enemies without exposing the turret. If an enemy tank is spotted that could be a potential threat (dangerous tank / faced towards you) pop out a little bit and start to take out the enemies gunner/cannon barrel/cannon breech to prevent him from returning fire. Now utilize the quick reload to take out one crew member after the other to finish your opponent. If an enemy is spotted who is exposing their side or even the rear while not aiming towards you, shoot the engine first to immobilize and possibly even ignite the enemy tank, preventing him to take cover. The next shots should again disable the gun of the enemy, now finish your prey by shooting all crew members or if you feel lucky shoot an ammo rack.

The best choice to pierce enemy tanks is obviously the slpprj m/54 (APDS) although it is quite expensive in terms of Silver Lions. The slpprj (APCBC) works in most situation as well but lacks penetration compared to the slpprj m/54 APDS shot. The amazing penetration characteristics of this APDS shot enables this gun to pierce front plates of all Panther models (apart from the Panther II) to ranges up to 2000 m. T-44s and Panther IIs front plates can be penetrated to ranges up to almost 1000 m. Keep in mind though that the front plate of the T-44 is angled at 60°, so it bounces even this powerful APDS shot quite often. Even the front plate of the mighty Tiger II is not able to stop this APDS shot if not angled and the range is shorter than 100 m.

In a head to head situation with an enemy tank approaching try to angle the centurion not more than 5° degrees to either side since the side armour is quite weak (50.8 mm), try to hide your lower front plate which is a massive weak spot, while reloading turn the turret 10° to the right to maximize chances of bouncing shots (right side of the turret front has some extra armour) and keeping the gunner alive.

The best thing to do with this tank is avoid playing it. The slow top speed, minimal armour, and weaker ammunition than the 7.0 IKV 91 lends itself to being avoided.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful and high penetrating gun, the stock round is adequate and APDS can punch through anything it will face
* Has a base reload time of 8.1 seconds, which can be lowered further into around 7.4 seconds (which is on average two seconds faster than its competitors)
* Excellent gun depression and elevation
* Extremely strong gun mantlet
* Somewhat bouncy armour
* Gunner is on the right side of the tank
* Neutral steering can turn on the spot without having to switch into 1st gear
* Good manoeuvrability
* Good reverse speed
* Gun stabilizer

'''Cons:'''

* Low top speed
* Ammo rack in the front, penetration through the lower glacis will likely end up destroying or detonating the ammo rack
* Top armour covering the engine compartments is 8 mm
* APDS shot causes only punctual damage (aim carefully)
* No explosive filler on any AP shells
* Weak side armour, do not angle the hull too much

== History ==

The Strv 81 was the designation given to 240 British Centurion Mk 3s equipped with Swedish communication equipment. As the first Centurion type used by the Swedish army, the vehicles were fielded extensively during the Cold War as a counter to the numerous T-54/T-55 MBTs fielded by the Soviet Army. The Strv 81s would later be complemented by the [[Strv 101]], a variant of the Centurion Mk 10, and later followed by the Strv 102 and Strv 104. These "Swedish Centurions" would continue service until the introduction of more advanced MBTs such as the Leopard 2 in Swedish service.

After the end of the Second World War, Sweden was in a tight spot in terms of armoured vehicles, as the Soviet forces near its borders possessed significant numbers of IS-series and T-44 tanks, along with the wartime-era T-34 tank variants. Most of these tanks far outclassed the Strv m/41 and m/42 tanks that equipped the Swedish army at the time. As a result, Swedish tank designers were immediately tasked with the development of a new medium tank. However, most of these designs failed to produce strong results, and thus, the Swedish army began the search for a new foreign-built medium tank.

The Swedish army considered two main tank designs: the M46 Patton and the Centurion Mk 3. The Swedish army decided to buy the Centurion, but Britain was unwilling to sell the tanks immediately due to the Korean War. As a result, the Swedish army began considering French-built tanks, notably the AMX-13. However, in late 1952, the British army agreed to sell Sweden 80 Centurion Mk 3 tanks with the order fulfilled 1953-1954. After testing with Swedish specialists, the first 80 Centurion Mk 3s were delivered to Sweden as the Strv 81 - these tanks were virtually identical to the British version.

In 1955, Sweden ordered an additional 160 Centurion Mk 3s, this time with modifications to the gun barrel to reduce fumes reentering the turret after firing. This made for a total of 240 Strv 81s in Swedish service, replacing the highly obsolete Strv m/41 and m/42 tanks of the wartime era. The Strv 81s were later complemented by the Strv 101s, which were British-built Centurion Mk 10s. Together, the Swedish Centurions served for a long time in Swedish service, later variants serving until 2001 when they were replaced by the variants of the German Leopard 2.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sw_strv_81 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images:
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="150px">
File:Strv 81 '80401'.jpg|Strv 81 with '80401' Market Camouflage
File:Strv 81 Desert (Late).jpg|Strv 81 with Desert (Late) Camouflage
File:Strv 81 Quadricolor Deforming.jpg|Strv 81 with Quadricolor Deforming Camouflage
File:Strv 81 Standard.jpg|Strv 81 with Standard Camouflage
File:Strv 81 Tricolor Summer.jpg|Strv 81 with Tricolor Summer Camouflage
File:Strv 81 Tricolor Winter Deforming.jpg|Strv 81 with Tricolor Winter Deforming Camouflage
File:Strv 81 Unicolor Winter.jpg|Strv 81 with Unicolor Winter Camouflage
</gallery>

== See also ==

{{main|Centurion (Family)}}

;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Strv 81 (RB 52)]]
* [[Strv 81 (RB 52) (Great Britain)]]
* [[Centurion Mk 3]]

;Related development

* [[Strv 101]]
* [[Strv 104]]
* [[Strv 105]]

;Similar role vehicles

* [[M47]]
* [[M48A1]]
* [[Leopard 1]]
* [[T-54 (1947)]]

== External links ==


;Bibliography

Rickard O. Lindström. (2014, September 20) in ''ointres'' https://www.ointres.se/strv_81_101_102_104_centurion.htm

{{TankManufacturer Department of Tank Design}}
{{Sweden medium tanks}}

Seafire LF Mk.III (France)

2022-05-25T04:09:00Z

U118659507: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| other
| usage-1 = the British version
| link-1 = Seafire LF Mk.III
| usage-2 = other versions
| link-2 = Spitfire (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=seafire_mk3_france
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Winged Lions"]].

== 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 3,963 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
| 561 || 541 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 17.2 || 17.8 || 14.6 || 14.6 || rowspan="2" | 340
|-
! Upgraded
| 627 || 592 || 15.7 || 16.2 || 26.9 || 19.5
|-
|}

==== 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 || ✓ || 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}} || N/A || N/A || 230 || ~10 || ~5
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 321 || < 400 || < 350 || > 500
|-
|}

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

''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.''

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

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

{{main|Hispano Mk.II (20 mm)|Browning (7.7 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, wing-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)
* 4 x 7.7 mm Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (350 rpg = 1,400 total)

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== 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
|-
| Controllable || Controllable Not auto controlled || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Separate || Not controllable 1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===

''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

16 second turn time is more than adequate to deal with enemies

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft 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 ==

''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 aircraft;''
* ''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.''

{{AirManufacturer Supermarine}}
{{France fighters}}

ELC bis

2022-05-24T06:12:00Z

U118659507: /* Pros and cons */

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

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]].

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

The ELC bis' armour is only sufficient to protect against small arms fire, and the 2-man crew means there is little chance of survival if shot at. In particular, while the front hull armour and parts of the front turret armour are sufficient to protect against .50 cals, there are weak spots on the front turret with an effective thickness as low as 13 mm, notably around the driver, making any encounter with vehicles equipped with .50 cals potentially deadly, even at up to 1500 m. The ELC can survive low shots however, as both the engine and transmission sit in the front of tank, and thus can absorb most of the damage if directly hit.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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

The ELC bis has a formidable top speed of 87 km/h (AB) and 80 km/h (RB/SB). However, it suffers from poor acceleration and speed retention through turns, which is particularly noticeable in RB/SB, where the ELC will in practice only reach 60 km/h at most even when fully upgraded. Thus, its mobility on the battlefield is comparable to the American [[M50]] and [[M56]], which both stand at the same BR. The reverse speed is only of -10 km/h, too slow to escape dangerous encounters, which is something players must keep in mind when engaging enemies. In contrast, the ELC bis has a particularly good power-to-weight ratio, even when compared to other light vehicles at the same BR.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=256|rbMinHp=159}}

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

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

{{main|D915 (90 mm)}}

The 90 mm D915 cannon is unsuited for long range due to the poor ballistics of the HEATFS, and fails to make up for it in close quarters due to the average reload time. In addition, stabilizing the gun after stopping takes a few seconds, making snapshots impossible.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[D915 (90 mm)|90 mm D915]] || 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" | -7°/+13° || rowspan="2" | ±20° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 26.4 || 36.5 || 44.4 || 49.1 || 52.2 || rowspan="2" | 8.71 || rowspan="2" | 7.70 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 6.70
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

==== 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 60-62 || HEATFS || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320
|-
| OE 90 F1 || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
|}
{| 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 60-62 || HEATFS || 750 || 8.95 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 877.7 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| OE 90 F1 || HE || 640 || 10.45 || 0 || 0.1 || 945 || 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)
|-
| OFUM PH90-F2 || 640 || 10.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''36''' || 1 ''(+35)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* The ELC bis has only one ammo rack, located at the rear of the tank, just before the fuel tank. As such, there is no real survivability decrease by taking a full ammo load.

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

The machine gun can only clear light obstacles, its primary use is to clear fences or other elements that would otherwise make your HEATFS shells detonate before reaching the target. Vehicles with exposed crew aren't particularly common at the ELC's battle rating, the main vehicles the ELC encounters where the machine gun can prove useful against are the American [[M42 Duster (Family)|M42]] and [[M56]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,800 (150) || 551 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Despite looking like one, it is important to remember that the ELC bis is not a light tank. It is strictly a tank destroyer, a fact highlighted by the absence of the scouting ability. The ELC bis is mobile but is generally slower than other light vehicles of the same BR, thus it is not really able to capture points early-on. The ELC excels in camouflage and in taking spots normally unattainable, and the gameplay generally revolves around this. The ELC bis is best unseen: .50 cal MGs, which are common at the BR, can penetrate weak spots on the front turret and immediately knock out the crew. In addition, the reload speed being simply average makes engaging multiple enemies not desirable. But in RB and SB, that is where the ELC's top-notch camouflaging ability comes into play, as the ELC bis can take the time to choose its targets carefully and patiently wait for the right time to strike. The slow reverse speed can be deadly if an engagement turns out dangerous, but this can be alleviated with a promptly-timed usage of the smoke grenades.

HEATFS being the ELC's only available shell, large tanks can be hard to deal with, but in particular, extra care is required against the [[Centurion Mk.5 AVRE]], as its ERA armour is extremely efficient against HEATFS rounds.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Incredibly small profile, can hide in places that are simply impossible for other vehicles
* Good mobility
* Formidable top speed of 80 km/h
* HEATFS rounds with 320 mm of penetration, making enemy armour not a concern

'''Cons:'''

* Only 2 crew members, both sitting in a small turret: hits on the turret are nearly always fatal
* Front turret weak spots make the ELC vulnerable to .50 cal MGs even from the front
* Weak top armour: 20 mm cannons and 50 cal MGs found on aircraft rip right through and knock out the crew as well
* Rarely reaches its top speed in RB and SB
* Reverse speed is underwhelming for a light tank
* Cannot fully traverse the turret 360 degrees
* Low muzzle velocity on the HEATFS shells: not suited for engaging moving targets at long range
* Low gun elevation
* Tank rocks back and forth when coming to a stop which makes aming very hard

== 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=fr_amx_elc_bis 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/news/7615-development-amx-elc-bis-the-grass-crawler-en|[Devblog] AMX ELC bis: The Grass Crawler]]

{{TankManufacturer AMX}}
{{France tank destroyers}}

AMX-13 DCA 40

2022-05-16T04:49:53Z

U118659507: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
| about = French SPAA '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = AMX-13 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_amx_13_dca_40
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{specs|name}}''' ('''''A'''telier de Construction d'Issy-les-'''M'''oulineau'''x''', char de '''13''' t, '''d'''éfense '''c'''ontre '''a'''vions, canon de '''40''' mm'': Issy-les-Moulineaux construction bureau, 13 ton tank, anti-air defense, 40 mm gun) is a Rank {{specs|rank}} French self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. It is a clear improvement to its predecessor in all domains, combining two good things to make them even better: the [[AMX-13]]'s chassis and an improved [[Bofors (40 mm)|Bofors]] cannon (The 40 mm Mle 51 T1 cannon is a French version of the usual 40mm Bofors AA gun).

An [[AMX-13]] chassis, a classic of French post-war technology has been modified to fit SPAA role. This specific chassis has some variants over the usual ones : an enlarged turret ring and with it some extra storage boxes, both extend sideways over the tracks. This tank is quite recognizable for its large box-shaped turret over its chassis.

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

This tank has 20 mm of armour, all around, barely angled but for the UFP, this won't protect it from antitank rounds nor from autocannon fire but it can certainly deflect poorly-aimed HMG bursts, but not for too long. If taking too long bursts (or if the enemy gets too close), some bullets may find their way through the two ''large holes'' in the turret front, near the gun area (there is also two smaller holes in the turret's back). In sum, this tank's armour is not to be trusted, but it will save you from stray bullets and medium to long range MG/HMG fire.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (66°) ''Upper Glacis'' 40 mm (cylindrical) ''Transmission housing'' 20 mm (51°) ''Lower Glacis'' || 20 mm ''Sides'' 20 mm (13-15°) ''Turret base'' || 15 mm ''upper plate'' 15 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm (24°) ''Front glacis'' 10 mm ''Centre and rear'' 5mm ''Vents''
|-
| Turret || 20 mm (24-54°) ''Gun shield'' || 20 mm (14-15°) || 20 mm (conical) ''Top'' 20 mm (cylindrical) ''Bottom'' || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:''' 
''Turret:''

* Turret frontal armour is split in two for gun clearance.
* Round hole below gun hole in front of the turret.
* Two small holes in the turret's back armour
* Turret ring is 30 mm thick.
* Gun breech is 150 mm thick.
* Turret basket is 5 mm thick.

''Hull:''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Storage boxes are 4 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 302|rbMinHp= 239}}

French ground forces players should be used to the AMX-13 chassis as it is the basis for most French light tanks. With its turret being a little bit heavier and its engine 31 hp less powerful, this tank is slower than the usual [[AMX-13]]. It can still carry its user wherever it wants, as long as the situation does not require fast escape maneuvers: with only -6 km/h backwards, it is difficult to quickly get out of an unwanted situation.

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

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

{{main|Mle51 T1 (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Mle51 T1 (40 mm)|40 mm Mle51 T1]] || 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" | 404 (4) || rowspan="2" | 240 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 26.4 || 36.6 || 44.4 || 49.1 || 52.2 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

The gun is this vehicle's main appeal. Being twice as fast-firing as its predecessor makes it easier to get planes down, but you will still have to aim. As for engaging tanks, with up to 94 mm max penetration, you will start to struggle firing at most enemies since their frontal armour is strong enough to block incoming 40 mm rounds, though with some precision, medium tanks and even heavy tanks can fall victim to your gun. Lightly armoured tanks and SPAAs are easy targets with your 4-rounds bursts.

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - The standard belt can fulfill both roles (anti-air and lightly armoured vehicles) but with a lower rate of fire.
* '''40mm HE-T:''' {{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}} - This belt is adapted for targeting aircraft with its high-explosive shells.
* '''40mm AP-T:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - This belt is adapted for targeting lightly armoured vehicles with its armour-piercing rounds.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | 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 || 94 || 90 || 77 || 62 || 51 || 41
|-
| 40mm HE-T || 94 || 90 || 77 || 62 || 51 || 41
|-
| 40mm AP-T || 94 || 90 || 77 || 62 || 51 || 41
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
|| '''101''' || 93 ''(+8)'' || 85 ''(+16)'' || 77 ''(+24)'' || 61 ''(+40)'' || 41 ''(+60)'' || 25 ''(+76)'' || 17 ''(+84)''|| 9 ''(+92)'' || 1 ''(+100)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* Ammunition is organized in clips of 4 rounds.
* Racks are subdivided in sets of 4 clips.
* Clips disappear when all clips in the set have been shot or loaded.

== Usage in battles ==

This SPAA is quite versatile as it can take down both tanks and planes with mitigated efficiency. It has an auto-cannon that does not fires fast enough to engage planes efficiently nor does it penetrates enough to shred tanks. As it is, this SPAA is good for front line use: providing cover for incoming ground attackers to its allies while also securing flanks from fast-movers.

Good at engaging both tanks and planes, its versatile belts allows this vehicle to switch roles in a split second. In the right hands, in a downtier, this SPAA is an absolute monster, easily capable of ace matches against tanks.

'''SPAA use:'''

Pre-aim your gun in the predicted direction of your target: the DCA-40 has a bit of a slow turret traverse for an SPAA. It is easier to aim at targets coming towards you: stay with your team and fire when the plane is ~500 m away: an hitting round will shred it in no time. Any other SPAA tactics apply normally to this vehicle.

'''Front-line use:'''

''Do not'' engage tanks frontally: prefer lateral engagements, surprise your foes. If it happens that the enemy team is composed of medium/light tanks, there is a great chance that you can knock some of them out, but be sure to have an escape route as any tank noticing you counters those flanking maneuvers. Heavy tanks at this BR are usually very hard to get trough, even from the side, engage at your own risk.

Even though your gun has SPAA - Level Penetration, It can go through pretty much any tank side that it faces. '''Even the Tiger II.''' And it's from this that the DCA 40 gets it's charm tactic:

# Take out the gun
# Take out the track
# Take out the machine gun
# Take out the tank

Knowing this, you can win battles against Panthers, Tigers (I and II), and many tanks you might find in an uptier at medium range, even when taking this tank into a higher tier than it could face.

Taking out the gun is fairly easy, your center mounted bofors just needs to be aimed at the gun, and can take it out with 2 or 3 shots.

Once you've taken out the gun, go for the track or transmission. doing this will render any tank immobile for at least 20 seconds, which is more than enough.

'''93mm of penetration can go through almost any tank's side armour and rear armour in the game.''' With the exception of the Maus, of course, your gun can '''Shred''' enemy tanks from the side. Knowing this

It's worth mentioning that in a downtier against axis powers, you can penetrate every vehicle you see ''from the front'' except for some German casemates. In an uptier, if you must engage a heavily armored tank from the front, several well placed shots to the cannon barrel will knock it out, and enable you to flank at your leisure and feast on their side armor. A more conservative way to play is to stay a few meters behind the front-line and spot flanking tanks while also watching the skies.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good top speed, and decent agility
* Fast reload (unnoticeable reload)
* Fires ''twice'' as fast as its predecessor (240 rpm)
* Shells have a higher velocity compared to the standard Bofors 40mm, making it easier to find hits
* Shells have amazing penetration
* Fast elevation speed
* +85° elevation angle
* UFP sloped at 67° may bounce some shots
* 5 mm thick turret basket act as leg protection for the crew (from HMG fire)
* Often one-shots planes
* Each belt has both HE-T and AP-T ammo inside (great for multipurpose roles)
* Decent reverse speed
* Gun is hard to overheat
* If only loading approximately 50% ammo, shots to the right side of the turret will knock out one crew member and do no other damage
* Tons of ammo

'''Cons:'''

* Turret is literally an ammo rack
* Bad gun depression
* Loader is exposed to MG fire
* Struggles to reach its top speed
* Vulnerable to HMG fire
* Most enemies that it faces are no longer vulnerable to side shots
* Slow turret rotation
* Turret prone to ammo-racking from strafing planes

== History ==

{{main|AMX-13#History|l1=History of the AMX-13}}

===Design===
The need for a SPAAG emerged in the 1950s for the French Army when the only AA vehicles left over from WW2 (M16 half-tracks mainly) became underpowered and thus obsolete. Several projects were launched using Bofors guns. Among them was the AMX-13 DCA canon de 40 mm using the hull of the AMX-13 on which was installed a specially designed SAMM S 980 turret housing the 40 mm Bofors L/70 gun. The turret offered good protection for the crew, 360° traverse and a 90° elevation angle. The Mle51 T1 gun fired 240 rounds per minute at 993 m/s.

===Development===
The development of the SAMM S 980 turret was stopped in 1957 and the Bofors gun production stopped in 1958. The experience gathered from similar single-gun SPAAG projects put the stress on numerous shortcomings when compared to twin-gun designs.

===Combat usage===
The {{PAGENAME}} never saw service or combat action in the French Army.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_amx_13_dca_40 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|PosWOnOGkSo|'''Best experimental vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 7:28 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ocKGyaYTPds|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[AMX-13 (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Ostwind]]
* [[ZSU-37]]
* [[Crusader AA Mk I]]
* [[Lvkv 42]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5269-vehicle-amx-13-dca-40-anti-air-tank-en|[Vehicle] {{PAGENAME}}: Anti-Air Tank]]
* [[wikipedia:AMX-13|[Wikipedia] AMX-13]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/France/AMX-13-DCA.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> AMX-13 DCA]

{{TankManufacturer AMX}}
{{France anti-aircraft vehicles}}

AMX-13 DCA 40

2022-05-16T04:48:12Z

U118659507: /* Armaments */ fixed spelling

{{About
| about = French SPAA '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = AMX-13 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_amx_13_dca_40
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{specs|name}}''' ('''''A'''telier de Construction d'Issy-les-'''M'''oulineau'''x''', char de '''13''' t, '''d'''éfense '''c'''ontre '''a'''vions, canon de '''40''' mm'': Issy-les-Moulineaux construction bureau, 13 ton tank, anti-air defense, 40 mm gun) is a Rank {{specs|rank}} French self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. It is a clear improvement to its predecessor in all domains, combining two good things to make them even better: the [[AMX-13]]'s chassis and an improved [[Bofors (40 mm)|Bofors]] cannon (The 40 mm Mle 51 T1 cannon is a French version of the usual 40mm Bofors AA gun).

An [[AMX-13]] chassis, a classic of French post-war technology has been modified to fit SPAA role. This specific chassis has some variants over the usual ones : an enlarged turret ring and with it some extra storage boxes, both extend sideways over the tracks. This tank is quite recognizable for its large box-shaped turret over its chassis.

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

This tank has 20 mm of armour, all around, barely angled but for the UFP, this won't protect it from antitank rounds nor from autocannon fire but it can certainly deflect poorly-aimed HMG bursts, but not for too long. If taking too long bursts (or if the enemy gets too close), some bullets may find their way through the two ''large holes'' in the turret front, near the gun area (there is also two smaller holes in the turret's back). In sum, this tank's armour is not to be trusted, but it will save you from stray bullets and medium to long range MG/HMG fire.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (66°) ''Upper Glacis'' 40 mm (cylindrical) ''Transmission housing'' 20 mm (51°) ''Lower Glacis'' || 20 mm ''Sides'' 20 mm (13-15°) ''Turret base'' || 15 mm ''upper plate'' 15 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm (24°) ''Front glacis'' 10 mm ''Centre and rear'' 5mm ''Vents''
|-
| Turret || 20 mm (24-54°) ''Gun shield'' || 20 mm (14-15°) || 20 mm (conical) ''Top'' 20 mm (cylindrical) ''Bottom'' || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:''' 
''Turret:''

* Turret frontal armour is split in two for gun clearance.
* Round hole below gun hole in front of the turret.
* Two small holes in the turret's back armour
* Turret ring is 30 mm thick.
* Gun breech is 150 mm thick.
* Turret basket is 5 mm thick.

''Hull:''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Storage boxes are 4 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 302|rbMinHp= 239}}

French ground forces players should be used to the AMX-13 chassis as it is the basis for most French light tanks. With its turret being a little bit heavier and its engine 31 hp less powerful, this tank is slower than the usual [[AMX-13]]. It can still carry its user wherever it wants, as long as the situation does not require fast escape maneuvers: with only -6 km/h backwards, it is difficult to quickly get out of an unwanted situation.

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

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

{{main|Mle51 T1 (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Mle51 T1 (40 mm)|40 mm Mle51 T1]] || 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" | 404 (4) || rowspan="2" | 240 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 26.4 || 36.6 || 44.4 || 49.1 || 52.2 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

The gun is this vehicle's main appeal. Being twice as fast-firing as its predecessor makes it easier to get planes down, but you will still have to aim. As for engaging tanks, with up to 94 mm max penetration, you will start to struggle firing at most enemies since their frontal armour is strong enough to block incoming 40 mm rounds, though with some precision, medium tanks and even heavy tanks can fall victim to your gun. Lightly armoured tanks and SPAAs are easy targets with your 4-rounds bursts.

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - The standard belt can fulfill both roles (anti-air and lightly armoured vehicles) but with a lower rate of fire.
* '''40mm HE-T:''' {{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}} - This belt is adapted for targeting aircraft with its high-explosive shells.
* '''40mm AP-T:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - This belt is adapted for targeting lightly armoured vehicles with its armour-piercing rounds.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | 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 || 94 || 90 || 77 || 62 || 51 || 41
|-
| 40mm HE-T || 94 || 90 || 77 || 62 || 51 || 41
|-
| 40mm AP-T || 94 || 90 || 77 || 62 || 51 || 41
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
|| '''101''' || 93 ''(+8)'' || 85 ''(+16)'' || 77 ''(+24)'' || 61 ''(+40)'' || 41 ''(+60)'' || 25 ''(+76)'' || 17 ''(+84)''|| 9 ''(+92)'' || 1 ''(+100)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* Ammunition is organized in clips of 4 rounds.
* Racks are subdivided in sets of 4 clips.
* Clips disappear when all clips in the set have been shot or loaded.

== Usage in battles ==

This SPAA is quite versatile as it can take down both tanks and planes with mitigated efficiency. It has an auto-cannon that does not fires fast enough to engage planes efficiently nor does it penetrates enough to shred tanks. As it is, this SPAA is good for front line use: providing cover for incoming ground attackers to its allies while also securing flanks from fast-movers.

Good at engaging both tanks and planes, its versatile belts allows this vehicle to switch roles in a split second. In the right hands, in a downtier, this SPAA is an absolute monster, easily capable of ace matches against tanks.

'''SPAA use:'''

Pre-aim your gun in the predicted direction of your target: the DCA-40 has a bit of a slow turret traverse for an SPAA. It is easier to aim at targets coming towards you: stay with your team and fire when the plane is ~500 m away: an hitting round will shred it in no time. Any other SPAA tactics apply normally to this vehicle.

'''Front-line use:'''

''Do not'' engage tanks frontally: prefer lateral engagements, surprise your foes. If it happens that the enemy team is composed of medium/light tanks, there is a great chance that you can knock some of them out, but be sure to have an escape route as any tank noticing you counters those flanking maneuvers. Heavy tanks at this BR are usually very hard to get trough, even from the side, engage only at risk.

Even though your gun has SPAA - Level Penetration, It can go through pretty much any tank side that it faces. '''Even the Tiger II.''' And it's from this that the DCA 40 gets it's charm tactic:

# Take out the gun
# Take out the track
# Take out the machine gun
# Take out the tank

Knowing this, you can win battles against Panthers, Tigers (I and II), and many tanks you might find in an uptier at medium range, even when taking this tank into a higher tier than it could face.

Taking out the gun is fairly easy, your center mounted bofors just needs to be aimed at the gun, and can take it out with 2 or 3 shots.

Once you've taken out the gun, go for the track or transmission. doing this will render any tank immobile for at least 20 seconds, which is more than enough.

'''93mm of penetration can go through almost any tank's side armour and rear armour in the game.''' With the exception of the Maus, of course, your gun can '''Shred''' enemy tanks from the side. Knowing this

It's worth mentioning that in a downtier against axis powers, you can penetrate every vehicle you see ''from the front'' except for some German casemates. In an uptier, if you must engage a heavily armored tank from the front, several well placed shots to the cannon barrel will knock it out, and enable you to flank at your leisure and feast on their side armor. A more conservative way to play is to stay a few meters behind the front-line and spot flanking tanks while also watching the skies.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good top speed, and decent agility
* Fast reload (unnoticeable reload)
* Fires ''twice'' as fast as its predecessor (240 rpm)
* Shells have a higher velocity compared to the standard Bofors 40mm, making it easier to find hits
* Shells have amazing penetration
* Fast elevation speed
* +85° elevation angle
* UFP sloped at 67° may bounce some shots
* 5 mm thick turret basket act as leg protection for the crew (from HMG fire)
* Often one-shots planes
* Each belt has both HE-T and AP-T ammo inside (great for multipurpose roles)
* Decent reverse speed
* Gun is hard to overheat
* If only loading approximately 50% ammo, shots to the right side of the turret will knock out one crew member and do no other damage
* Tons of ammo

'''Cons:'''

* Turret is literally an ammo rack
* Bad gun depression
* Loader is exposed to MG fire
* Struggles to reach its top speed
* Vulnerable to HMG fire
* Most enemies that it faces are no longer vulnerable to side shots
* Slow turret rotation
* Turret prone to ammo-racking from strafing planes

== History ==

{{main|AMX-13#History|l1=History of the AMX-13}}

===Design===
The need for a SPAAG emerged in the 1950s for the French Army when the only AA vehicles left over from WW2 (M16 half-tracks mainly) became underpowered and thus obsolete. Several projects were launched using Bofors guns. Among them was the AMX-13 DCA canon de 40 mm using the hull of the AMX-13 on which was installed a specially designed SAMM S 980 turret housing the 40 mm Bofors L/70 gun. The turret offered good protection for the crew, 360° traverse and a 90° elevation angle. The Mle51 T1 gun fired 240 rounds per minute at 993 m/s.

===Development===
The development of the SAMM S 980 turret was stopped in 1957 and the Bofors gun production stopped in 1958. The experience gathered from similar single-gun SPAAG projects put the stress on numerous shortcomings when compared to twin-gun designs.

===Combat usage===
The {{PAGENAME}} never saw service or combat action in the French Army.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_amx_13_dca_40 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|PosWOnOGkSo|'''Best experimental vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 7:28 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ocKGyaYTPds|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[AMX-13 (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Ostwind]]
* [[ZSU-37]]
* [[Crusader AA Mk I]]
* [[Lvkv 42]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5269-vehicle-amx-13-dca-40-anti-air-tank-en|[Vehicle] {{PAGENAME}}: Anti-Air Tank]]
* [[wikipedia:AMX-13|[Wikipedia] AMX-13]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/France/AMX-13-DCA.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> AMX-13 DCA]

{{TankManufacturer AMX}}
{{France anti-aircraft vehicles}}

AMX-13 DCA 40

2022-05-16T04:46:00Z

U118659507: /* Survivability and armour */ removed extra words

{{About
| about = French SPAA '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = AMX-13 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_amx_13_dca_40
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{specs|name}}''' ('''''A'''telier de Construction d'Issy-les-'''M'''oulineau'''x''', char de '''13''' t, '''d'''éfense '''c'''ontre '''a'''vions, canon de '''40''' mm'': Issy-les-Moulineaux construction bureau, 13 ton tank, anti-air defense, 40 mm gun) is a Rank {{specs|rank}} French self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. It is a clear improvement to its predecessor in all domains, combining two good things to make them even better: the [[AMX-13]]'s chassis and an improved [[Bofors (40 mm)|Bofors]] cannon (The 40 mm Mle 51 T1 cannon is a French version of the usual 40mm Bofors AA gun).

An [[AMX-13]] chassis, a classic of French post-war technology has been modified to fit SPAA role. This specific chassis has some variants over the usual ones : an enlarged turret ring and with it some extra storage boxes, both extend sideways over the tracks. This tank is quite recognizable for its large box-shaped turret over its chassis.

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

This tank has 20 mm of armour, all around, barely angled but for the UFP, this won't protect it from antitank rounds nor from autocannon fire but it can certainly deflect poorly-aimed HMG bursts, but not for too long. If taking too long bursts (or if the enemy gets too close), some bullets may find their way through the two ''large holes'' in the turret front, near the gun area (there is also two smaller holes in the turret's back). In sum, this tank's armour is not to be trusted, but it will save you from stray bullets and medium to long range MG/HMG fire.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (66°) ''Upper Glacis'' 40 mm (cylindrical) ''Transmission housing'' 20 mm (51°) ''Lower Glacis'' || 20 mm ''Sides'' 20 mm (13-15°) ''Turret base'' || 15 mm ''upper plate'' 15 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm (24°) ''Front glacis'' 10 mm ''Centre and rear'' 5mm ''Vents''
|-
| Turret || 20 mm (24-54°) ''Gun shield'' || 20 mm (14-15°) || 20 mm (conical) ''Top'' 20 mm (cylindrical) ''Bottom'' || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:''' 
''Turret:''

* Turret frontal armour is split in two for gun clearance.
* Round hole below gun hole in front of the turret.
* Two small holes in the turret's back armour
* Turret ring is 30 mm thick.
* Gun breech is 150 mm thick.
* Turret basket is 5 mm thick.

''Hull:''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Storage boxes are 4 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 302|rbMinHp= 239}}

French ground forces players should be used to the AMX-13 chassis as it is the basis for most French light tanks. With its turret being a little bit heavier and its engine 31 hp less powerful, this tank is slower than the usual [[AMX-13]]. It can still carry its user wherever it wants, as long as the situation does not require fast escape maneuvers: with only -6 km/h backwards, it is difficult to quickly get out of an unwanted situation.

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

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

{{main|Mle51 T1 (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Mle51 T1 (40 mm)|40 mm Mle51 T1]] || 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" | 404 (4) || rowspan="2" | 240 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 26.4 || 36.6 || 44.4 || 49.1 || 52.2 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

The gun is this vehicle's main appeal. Being twice as fast-firing as its predecessor makes it easier to get planes down, but you will still have to aim. As for engaging tanks, with up to 94 mm max penetration, you will start to struggle firing at most enemies since their frontal armour is strong enough to block incoming 40 mm rounds, though with some precision, medium tanks and even heavy tanks can fall victim to your gun. Lightly armoured tanks and SPAAs will be easier tarets for your 4-rounds bursts.

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - The standard belt can fulfill both roles (anti-air and lightly armoured vehicles) but with a lower rate of fire.
* '''40mm HE-T:''' {{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}} - This belt is adapted for targeting aircraft with its high-explosive shells.
* '''40mm AP-T:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - This belt is adapted for targeting lightly armoured vehicles with its armour-piercing rounds.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | 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 || 94 || 90 || 77 || 62 || 51 || 41
|-
| 40mm HE-T || 94 || 90 || 77 || 62 || 51 || 41
|-
| 40mm AP-T || 94 || 90 || 77 || 62 || 51 || 41
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
|| '''101''' || 93 ''(+8)'' || 85 ''(+16)'' || 77 ''(+24)'' || 61 ''(+40)'' || 41 ''(+60)'' || 25 ''(+76)'' || 17 ''(+84)''|| 9 ''(+92)'' || 1 ''(+100)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* Ammunition is organized in clips of 4 rounds.
* Racks are subdivided in sets of 4 clips.
* Clips disappear when all clips in the set have been shot or loaded.

== Usage in battles ==

This SPAA is quite versatile as it can take down both tanks and planes with mitigated efficiency. It has an auto-cannon that does not fires fast enough to engage planes efficiently nor does it penetrates enough to shred tanks. As it is, this SPAA is good for front line use: providing cover for incoming ground attackers to its allies while also securing flanks from fast-movers.

Good at engaging both tanks and planes, its versatile belts allows this vehicle to switch roles in a split second. In the right hands, in a downtier, this SPAA is an absolute monster, easily capable of ace matches against tanks.

'''SPAA use:'''

Pre-aim your gun in the predicted direction of your target: the DCA-40 has a bit of a slow turret traverse for an SPAA. It is easier to aim at targets coming towards you: stay with your team and fire when the plane is ~500 m away: an hitting round will shred it in no time. Any other SPAA tactics apply normally to this vehicle.

'''Front-line use:'''

''Do not'' engage tanks frontally: prefer lateral engagements, surprise your foes. If it happens that the enemy team is composed of medium/light tanks, there is a great chance that you can knock some of them out, but be sure to have an escape route as any tank noticing you counters those flanking maneuvers. Heavy tanks at this BR are usually very hard to get trough, even from the side, engage only at risk.

Even though your gun has SPAA - Level Penetration, It can go through pretty much any tank side that it faces. '''Even the Tiger II.''' And it's from this that the DCA 40 gets it's charm tactic:

# Take out the gun
# Take out the track
# Take out the machine gun
# Take out the tank

Knowing this, you can win battles against Panthers, Tigers (I and II), and many tanks you might find in an uptier at medium range, even when taking this tank into a higher tier than it could face.

Taking out the gun is fairly easy, your center mounted bofors just needs to be aimed at the gun, and can take it out with 2 or 3 shots.

Once you've taken out the gun, go for the track or transmission. doing this will render any tank immobile for at least 20 seconds, which is more than enough.

'''93mm of penetration can go through almost any tank's side armour and rear armour in the game.''' With the exception of the Maus, of course, your gun can '''Shred''' enemy tanks from the side. Knowing this

It's worth mentioning that in a downtier against axis powers, you can penetrate every vehicle you see ''from the front'' except for some German casemates. In an uptier, if you must engage a heavily armored tank from the front, several well placed shots to the cannon barrel will knock it out, and enable you to flank at your leisure and feast on their side armor. A more conservative way to play is to stay a few meters behind the front-line and spot flanking tanks while also watching the skies.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good top speed, and decent agility
* Fast reload (unnoticeable reload)
* Fires ''twice'' as fast as its predecessor (240 rpm)
* Shells have a higher velocity compared to the standard Bofors 40mm, making it easier to find hits
* Shells have amazing penetration
* Fast elevation speed
* +85° elevation angle
* UFP sloped at 67° may bounce some shots
* 5 mm thick turret basket act as leg protection for the crew (from HMG fire)
* Often one-shots planes
* Each belt has both HE-T and AP-T ammo inside (great for multipurpose roles)
* Decent reverse speed
* Gun is hard to overheat
* If only loading approximately 50% ammo, shots to the right side of the turret will knock out one crew member and do no other damage
* Tons of ammo

'''Cons:'''

* Turret is literally an ammo rack
* Bad gun depression
* Loader is exposed to MG fire
* Struggles to reach its top speed
* Vulnerable to HMG fire
* Most enemies that it faces are no longer vulnerable to side shots
* Slow turret rotation
* Turret prone to ammo-racking from strafing planes

== History ==

{{main|AMX-13#History|l1=History of the AMX-13}}

===Design===
The need for a SPAAG emerged in the 1950s for the French Army when the only AA vehicles left over from WW2 (M16 half-tracks mainly) became underpowered and thus obsolete. Several projects were launched using Bofors guns. Among them was the AMX-13 DCA canon de 40 mm using the hull of the AMX-13 on which was installed a specially designed SAMM S 980 turret housing the 40 mm Bofors L/70 gun. The turret offered good protection for the crew, 360° traverse and a 90° elevation angle. The Mle51 T1 gun fired 240 rounds per minute at 993 m/s.

===Development===
The development of the SAMM S 980 turret was stopped in 1957 and the Bofors gun production stopped in 1958. The experience gathered from similar single-gun SPAAG projects put the stress on numerous shortcomings when compared to twin-gun designs.

===Combat usage===
The {{PAGENAME}} never saw service or combat action in the French Army.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_amx_13_dca_40 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|PosWOnOGkSo|'''Best experimental vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 7:28 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ocKGyaYTPds|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[AMX-13 (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Ostwind]]
* [[ZSU-37]]
* [[Crusader AA Mk I]]
* [[Lvkv 42]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5269-vehicle-amx-13-dca-40-anti-air-tank-en|[Vehicle] {{PAGENAME}}: Anti-Air Tank]]
* [[wikipedia:AMX-13|[Wikipedia] AMX-13]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/France/AMX-13-DCA.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> AMX-13 DCA]

{{TankManufacturer AMX}}
{{France anti-aircraft vehicles}}

L-62 ANTI II

2022-05-12T02:34:57Z

U118659507: /* Survivability and armour */ removed description of what to write

{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_l_62_anti_II
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish SPAA {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]]. One can treat it as a sidegrade of the [[Lvtdgb m/40]], as such most of the text onward will compare them, rather than just describe this one.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}When one looks at the {{PAGENAME}}, it's expected to have decent protection, when in reality it's armoured like the reserve tank [[Strv m/38]]. As such, its hull and the turret will only sustain rifle-calibre MG.

The gun shield is expected to protect the crew in case of a brawl with a light tank, but it's only 8 mm thick and can be penetrated by anything at point blank range. It's also way too small to protect the SPAA from any aircraft.

Depending on the BR of opposing tanks, the turret crew armour may protect from enemy tanks, many rank I and II tanks can be too short to fire over it, but most of rank III tanks (which will be the norm in AB, as the {{PAGENAME}} belongs to the rank III lineup by default) will not only be too tall for it to matter, but will have HMG that can penetrate it anyway. Regardless, the turret has a lot of openings which allow any tank to decimate the entire turret crew if they try harder. The turret is also way too short and inconsistent to protect from any decent pilot and might as well not exist in case of an air strike.

Compared to the Lvtdgb m/40, technically the protection is supposed to be better, but in reality it just provokes tanks to fire APHE or HE at it, immediately destroying the tank. There is also no longer a possibility to just face them with the front and to lay suppressive fire, expecting the driver cab to stop incoming attacks - the whole interior is now interconnected. But it may protect from MG in RB/SB due to the SPAA's lower BR there.

Technically, it's difficult to notice the {{PAGENAME}} as it's not a truck and looks like a tank from afar, so in RB/SB it can pass as something less dangerous to aircraft and faraway tanks until it starts to fire. In AB, it's class will immediately alert everyone of what it actually does and every aircraft will immediately go after it.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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


It is effectively slower than the [[Lvtdgb m/40]], but can turn around in place even without neutral steering, which makes it better when fighting inside of a town.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 205|rbMinHp= 127}}

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

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

{{main|lvakan m/36 (40 mm)}}

The gun and the ammunition are the same as the [[Lvtdgb m/40]]. The only noticeable differences are the slightly reduced recoil, the fact that the gun is able to fire straight in any direction and the slower traverse speed, requiring the hull to be turned at the same time to catch up to an enemy.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[lvakan m/36 (40 mm)|40 mm lvakan m/36]] || 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" | 144 (8) || rowspan="2" | 120 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 18.5 || 25.6 || 31.1 || 34.4 || 36.6 || rowspan="2" | 0.65 || rowspan="2" | 0.58 || rowspan="2" | 0.53 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 12.5 || 14.7 || 17.9 || 19.7 || 21.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|APC|Armour-piercing capped}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''slsgr m/36C:''' {{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APC|Armour-piercing capped}}
* '''slhpgr m/43:''' {{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}

{| 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 || 79 || 75 || 60 || 46 || 35 || 26
|-
| slsgr m/36C || 79 || 75 || 60 || 46 || 35 || 26
|-
| slhpgr m/43 || 66 || 62 || 48 || 34 || 25 || 18
|-
|}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''18''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Against aircraft, 40 mm HE is lethal when it hits
* Works as a tank destroyer in RB against rank I-II tanks since it has 60-79 mm penetration
* Stock belt is a very effective all-purpose belt, while SAPHEI belt can destroy tanks and severely damage bombers in one hit
* Almost has no noticeable reload time, allowing it to continuously fire when needed
* Relatively mobile
* Is less prone to alert every aircraft due to not looking like a truck (not relevant in AB)

'''Cons:'''

* Bad reverse speed
* Can be destroyed by any explosive ammunition via overpressure due to it being open-topped
* Very ineffective armour that can even be circumvented by anything head-on
* Turret armour does not protect well against strafing aircraft and might as well not exist after a certain height
* Bad turret traverse speeds (both horizontal & vertical)
* Slow rate of fire (120 rpm) and average shell velocity, hitting fast planes is quite hard
* Low fire density, requires more-than-average aiming skills in a head-on
* -5° gun depression is only usable in flat battlefields

== History ==


The Landsverk L-62, also known as the Anti II, was a self propelled anti-aircraft gun designed for Finland in 1941 by Landsverk of Sweden. It was based on the Anti I, but with an improved hull and turret. It was based on the chassis of the Landsverk L-60, a light tank design made in the interwar period. The L-62 had an extra road wheel, compared to the L-60. The turret was open topped, and circular. This allowed for better visibility of planes. It was armed with the 40 mm Bofors L/60 anti-aircraft gun. Finland ordered 6 of these vehicles in 1942, and designated them as the ItPsv 41, or Ilmatorjuntapanssarivaunu 41'''.''' This translates to anti-aircraft tank 41 in English. In the Summer of 1944, the ItPsv 41 shot down 11 Soviet planes. This protected the tank brigade from air attack. All 6 vehicles were used in Finnish service until 1966.

=== [[wt:en/news/6624-development-l-62-anti-ii-finnish-choice-en|Devblog]] ===
Development of the L-62 began in 1931, with the Landsverk company choosing to convert their L-10 light tank into an SPAA unit as part of a plan to create a range of vehicles intended for the export market. During development however, Landsverk created the more advanced L-60 tank, leading to the decision of continuing development of the L-62 on that chassis instead of the previously used L-10.

The first prototype of the L-62, named ANTI I, was built by the end of the 1930's in parallel with the L-60 then tested. While the Swedish military didn't express interest in procuring the L-62, the Hungarian military purchased the production licence for both the L-60 and L-62, resulting in the creation of the domestically produced 38M Toldi and 40M Nimród tanks, respectively.

Landsverk continued developing the L-62 into the early 1940's, creating a more advanced version of the L-62 in 1941, called the ANTI II. The improved version featured a new hull and turret, as well as having its German transmission swapped out for a Swedish one.

A total of six L-62 ANTI IIs were built, all of which were purchased by Finland and subsequently used in action throughout the remainder of WWII. Surviving the war, the L-62s were used as training vehicles in the postwar period and right up until their retirement in 1966.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sw_l_62_anti_II Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 06.jpg|
</gallery>

== 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/6624-development-l-62-anti-ii-finnish-choice-en|[Devblog] L-62 ANTI II: Finnish Choice]]

=== Bibliography ===

* Landsverk L-62 Anti-II. (2019, October 20). In ''Wikipedia.'' https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Landsverk_L-62_Anti_II&oldid=922225342

{{TankManufacturer AB Landsverk}}
{{Sweden anti-aircraft vehicles}}

StuG III A

2022-05-11T03:43:51Z

U118659507: /* Usage in battles */ seperated armour from gun

{{About
| about = German tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = StuG III (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_stug_III_ausf_A
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''StuG III A''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. The StuG III A is the beginning of the StuG III line and the first enclosed tank destroyer for the German tree. It presents the same 75 mm gun as on the early Panzer IVs.

This tank destroyer was originally built as an assault gun, designed to fling low-velocity high explosive shells in the assistance of attacking infantry. Against armoured vehicles, however, the StuG III A should be used for frontal assaults on objectives or ambushes, due to poor accuracy at range and the high shell arc. In both roles, its low profile and excellent short-range firepower provide a distinct advantage. You should get into cover when reloading. Due to the sloped armour on the top, shots will bounce more if you are on the same elevation as the tank you are fighting or if your gun is facing the tank at 0° elevation. If you are raising your gun to shoot at an enemy, they can pierce your armour easily below the gun.

The StuG III A will build up momentum slowly, allowing it to effectively charge capture points. The recommended method of attacking points in this machine is to keep a building between you and the enemy tanks in the objective while approaching at high speed. Once you have arrived, you should round the corner, quickly aim, shoot, and immediately reverse to take cover behind the corner you just rounded. Be careful not to expose too much of your tank during the reversing turn.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 26 mm (86°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (23°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 30 mm || 17 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 50 mm (11°) ''Front plate'' || 30 mm || 30 mm || 11 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick.
* Tracks are 20 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=426|rbMinHp=265}}

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

'''Recommended research path:'''

# Parts and FPE (Fire Prevention Equipment, symbolised by the fire extinguisher)
# Usual Adjustment of Fire
# Both HEAT shells, to be able to deal with more heavily armoured threats, and then Elevation Mechanism
# Upgrades that improve mobility: Engine, Transmission, Filters
# Remaining upgrades

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

{{main|StuK37 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[StuK37 (75 mm)|75 mm StuK37]] || 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" | 44 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | -9°/+5° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 7.0 || 9.8 || 11.8 || 13.1 || 13.9 || rowspan="2" | 4.29 || rowspan="2" | 3.80 || rowspan="2" | 3.50 || rowspan="2" | 3.30
|-
! ''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
|-
| K.Gr.rot Pz. || APCBC || 52 || 50 || 45 || 39 || 34 || 30
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || 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%
|-
| K.Gr.rot Pz. || APCBC || 385 || 6.78 || 1.2 || 14 || 80 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.57 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 872.1 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 450 || 4.8 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 875.5 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 420 || 5.74 || 0 || 0.1 || 686 || 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)
|-
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. || 423 || 6.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''44''' || 30 ''(+14)'' || 15 ''(+29)'' || 1 ''(+43)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* Left side empty: 30 ''(+14)'' shells.

== Usage in battles ==

The StuG's AP shell can deal with many opponents at its rank. It has devastating when used on the many light tanks at Rank I, whilst your frontal armour can hold a lot of their shells.The front of a StuG is not invulnerable however so you must be cautious when exposing yourself.

Do not use HE, it lacks the penetration of the HEAT and AP, and the explosive force of higher rank howitzers, such as the Sturmhaubitze and KV-2 have. The HEAT round is an excellent tool for sniping whilst even more important, cracking British heavy tanks, with both the Valentines and the Matilda not having enough armour to hold a HEAT projectile. Aim for their turrets, and you can easily destroy them in one shot, both being too slow and cumbersome to make use of your low-velocity cannon. HEAT rounds should be your main choice of ammo once you have researched it.

Due to the StuG III being made from the Panzer III chassis, this tank destroyer inherited its brilliant speed and mobility. This either makes it perfect at "shoot-and-scoot" tactics (i.e. destroying a tank then changing position) or flanking/head-on attacks, where your mobility can make you a hard target to hit. While the StuG series lacks a turret, it can turn on the spot very fast and has a decent gun arc, providing you have cover or able teammates which can negate the lack of a turret with the track traverse.

One of the huge disadvantages of the StuG III A is the lack of a turret that can traverse and unsloped side armour. The limited field of fire severely hampers the StuG's urban capabilities. The flank of the StuG is also unsloped and thin, making it extremely easy to penetrate if exposed. However, the StuG has a very low profile and good frontal sloping, affording it excellent protection when shooting from a gap in rocks or obstacles.

If you have a side shot on this vehicle, attempt to disable its tracks; this will make accurate aiming more difficult for the StuG driver as well as make the turning time of the tank destroyer increase, giving you more time to shoot the StuG without receiving shots in return. The StuG III A is weak in the sides, giving you prime shots at the particularly frail engine and ammo rack. The armour is unsloped on the sides and therefore offers little protection.

Overall, the StuG III A is an early devastating tank to face, with its pros outweigh its cons. The lack of turret is overlooked when the combination of HEAT rounds, fast mobility, quick reload, and decent armour comes into play.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Possesses a powerful gun against its opponents
* Low profile due to casemate structure
* HEAT options are very effective in dealing with heavily armoured vehicles
* Good handling and mobility, quick turning response
* Fast loading speed
* Good frontal armour of 50 mm
* Difficult to penetrate from upper frontal armour due to the various sloping areas, where most inexperienced players will fire

'''Cons:'''

* Stock APCBC ammo has low penetration, ~50 mm at close range
* Limited fire arc due to the gun mount
* High shell arc due to slow shell velocity
* Flat weak spots in the front superstructure, that crew and ammunition are right behind
* Sides are extremely vulnerable as they are unsloped and thin
* 3 crew can be knocked out with a well-placed shot through the driver's port

== History ==

===Development===
The role of a self-propelled gun came from combat experiences in World War I. During the German offensives on the Allied front, infantry lacked artillery support against fortifications in places out-ranged by their heavy artillery behind the lines. A need for a mobile artillery piece was necessary to keep up with the German infantry and fight enemy fortifications with a direct-fire assault role. The father of this concept was German General Erich von Manstein and was coined as the ''Sturmartillerie'' (assault artillery), and these units were to be embedded in infantry divisions.

On June 15, 1936, Daimler-Benz AG was ordered to develop a support vehicle mounting the 75 mm howitzer as its armament in a casemate structure with a traverse of 25 degrees. The vehicle was to provide full protection for its crew and be no taller than an average soldier. Daimler-Benz repurposed the chassis and running gear of their [[Pz.III E|Panzer III]] design for the role. These new vehicles were named the '''Sturmgeschütz III''' (assault gun), or the shortened '''StuG III''' and the finished designs were sent to Alkett for prototype production and five were produced in 1937. These prototypes were made of mild steel and had the 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 cannon, an adaption of the original 75 mm KwK 37 cannon on the [[Pz.IV E|Panzer IV]]. This gun would be featured on the StuG III variants Ausf. A to Ausf. E. The StuG III entered production from January 1940 to the end of the war on April 1945 due to the many upgrades done on the vehicle to increase serviceability and its low cost. At about a total production of 11,300 StuG III and its variants, the StuG III design was the most produced armoured fighting vehicle in German service. However, only about 36 vehicles of the Ausf. A variant was produced from January to May in 1940 before it was upgraded.

===Design===
The StuG III had a fully enclosed armoured structure, keeping the crew safe within the vehicle. As a casemate structure, it has a limited traverse range for its front view, and the whole vehicle must be turned if a target is outside its traverse range. The StuG III featured about 50 mm of armour on the front, but about 30 mm of armour everywhere else. The suspension system is identical to the Panzer III's, a torsion bar system. The StuG III had a crew of four, the commander, driver, loader, and gunner. Initial variants lack machine guns, so the StuG was required to work with support units to ensure it does not get overrun by infantry. It wasn't until December 1942 when a machine gun could be accommodated for the loader to use. Initial variants also did not have a commander's cupola so his view was quite restricted. However, models after September 1943 had them installed.

===Combat usage===
The StuG III was placed in the artillery branch of the Wehrmacht Heer as neither the infantry nor Panzer forces could accept the StuG vehicle. The StuGs were organized into battalions with 18 vehicles organized into three batteries of six vehicles each. The intent of the vehicle was to provide close support for infantry and so it was meant to destroy lightly-armoured targets and fortifications, not tanks. The vehicle served well in its intended role in the early parts of World War II in Poland and France Campaigns, proving highly successful. One prominent commander of the StuG III is Michael Wittman, who would eventually become the most popular tank ace in German service. However, during the German campaigns in World War II, they encounter more heavily armoured and armed tanks in the Allied sides, such as the French heavy tank Char B1, but it was the Soviets [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks that made the Germans rearm their vehicles to be better able to combat these tanks. Thus, the StuG III Ausf. A was upgraded with a 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 gun on the [[StuG III F|Ausf. F]] and the 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 gun on the [[StuG III G|Ausf. G]], effectively turning these assault guns into a dual-purpose role as a tank destroyer as well. Also, go for hills for sniping when there is a lot of enemies (Ash's river south base capture when play on the left side)

The StuG III design was also made into different variants with different armaments, such as a 105 mm howitzer on the [[StuH 42 G|StuH 42]] , a flamethrower on the StuG III (Flamm), and even a 150 mm sIG 33 infantry gun on the Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B.

The StuG III was a widely-exported design to Germany's allies, such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Spain, and Finland. The StuG III would continue serving in various countries past World War II in conflicts in the 1960s, such as the Six Days War in Syria's service that was donated by the Soviet Union. Today, some are still serving as static pillboxes on the Golan Heights.

=== In-game description ===
Designs and samples of a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun built from a Pz. III began to be produced by the company Daimler-Benz AG in 1938. But only after the Polish campaign, which exposed the acute shortage of mobile field artillery in parts of the Wehrmacht, was the first production batch of machines launched, designated Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. A (abbreviated StuG III Ausf. A) in February 1940. The basis for the new machines was the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F tank, which had a conning tower installed instead of the hull's superstructure and turret. The assault vehicle was armed with a short-barreled 75 mm StuK37 L/24 gun with 44 shells. The armour for the hull and the turret was increased by adding additional 20 mm armour plates. This resulted in a maximum armour thickness of 50 mm.

From January to May 1940, 30 StuG III Ausf. A vehicles were produced. The new assault guns joined the 640th, 659th, 660th, and 665th artillery assault divisions and participated in combat in France, where they had a very successful combat debut. The Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. A also took part in the attack on the USSR. The most popular tank ace of World War II, Michael Wittmann, began his combat career in this vehicle.

The assault guns were supplied to Germany's allies: Romania, Bulgaria, Finland, Italy, Hungary, and Spain.

In the 1950, the assault guns served in Romania, Spain, Egypt, and Syria.

The StuG III became the most widespread specimen of German armoured vehicles from World Wad II and proved itself well in battle.

The vehicle's major drawback was its lack of a machine gun and the low muzzle velocity of its projectiles. As a result, the self-propelled gun was defenseless in close combat and against well-armoured tanks. Therefore, the StuG III was only rarely deployed without supporting forces.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|fBbfrGAiUGI|'''{{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 ==


* [[wt:en/news/2842/current/|[Vehicle Profile] Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. A]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

BT-7

2022-05-11T03:38:10Z

U118659507: /* Description */ description

{{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|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== 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.

The BT-7 was the last of the BT series of Soviet cavalry tanks that were produced in large numbers between 1935 and 1940, and successor to the [[BT-5]]. It was lightly armoured, but reasonably well-armed for its time. 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.

The BT-7 can be considered better than the BT-7M due to the its lower BR. BT-7M being BR2.0 is liable to facing STUGs which are hard to counter without flanking.

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

[[File:BT-7 Firing its cannon.jpg|thumb|BT-7 Firing its cannon]]
The armour is well angled at certain points like the front, however being as thin as it is, don't count on it to protect you very well. 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 (61°) ''Upper front glacis'' 20 mm (18°) ''Driver's hatch'' 20 mm (5-52°) ''Lower front glacis''|| 20 mm ''Driver compartment'' 15 + 4 mm ''Fighting & engine compartments'' || 10 mm (55°) ''Upper glacis'' 13 mm (15°) ''Centre plate'' 13 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 10 mm 4 mm ''Engine vents''
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (7-53°) ''Gun mantlet'' 15 mm (13°) ''Turret front'' || 15 mm (13°) ''Front'' 13 mm (13°) ''Bustle'' || 13 mm (15°) || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes'''

* Tracks, torsion bars and suspension wheels are 15 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 6 mm thick.
* Mudguards and storage boxes are 4 mm thick.
* There is a 4 mm internal wall separating the crew compartment from the engine compartment.

=== 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}}

It is a very 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 speed. With its speed and low weight, this tank will drift in turns. For maximum control in turns, reduce throttle beforehand and only tip/nudge the turn-keys. It needs some time to get used to, however, it can prepare you for the T-34's break-turns.

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).

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 relatively wide tracks, something both the [[M2A4|Light tank M2]] and [[Pz.II C|Panzer II]] miss.

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 a good power-to-weight ratio, 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 back up from friendly vehicles. The second school of thought is not to 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 by 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 speeds 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 (Family)|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 Stuart (Family)|M3 Stuart]] can turn way faster
* Although fast, it is still slower than the [[Sd.Kfz.234 (Family)|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

== 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 an 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 cavalry tanks, 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 its 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 the 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 of 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 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/?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.''

{{TankManufacturer Morozov}}
{{USSR light tanks}}

B1 bis

2022-05-11T03:31:40Z

U118659507: /* Pros and cons */ fixed a descrepency between the reverse speed listed here and the reverse speed in game.

{{About
|about=French heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=the premium version
|link=B1 ter
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_b1_bis
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (Battle tank B1 "repeated") is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. With arguably the best armour at its BR, this tank is a beast in long-range engagements since it is hard to penetrate at distances. While not having the best armament, it should do the job taking care of these dangerous early SPGs and light tanks. The "bis" suffix is a French way of marking an improved version.

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

In order to effectively use this tank's armour, there is a few things to consider. First of all, there are a ''lot'' of shot traps, the main ones being the turret ring and the hull gun mount, in order to minimize your enemies' chance to hit these weak spots, stay away from them. Second, even if your armour is ''very strong'' for the BR, do not completely rely on it by sitting around in an open field: you will eventually get hit where it hurts. The third thing to consider is your small and thick turret: hide that big clumsy hull behind a hill and pop out only your hard "head", take a shot, fall back, reload, repeat. If something goes wrong (i.e. getting shot in the turret ring), there is usually enough men left to take the job left by their dead "camarade". Do not bother getting spotted: it is your job to stay in the enemies' sights while your lighter teammates do what they ought to. In some situations, it can even be used as a breakthrough tank, rely on your own experience to guess when it is time to do so.

This tank will get penetrated by some seemingly harmless vehicles, such as the [[M3 Stuart (Family)|Stuarts]] or even a [[Pz.II (Disambiguation)|Pz.II]]. Any tank with more than 55 mm penetration will be able to pierce your hull side at close range with minimal angle. Thus it is crucial to always angle the hull.

When fighting the B1 bis, due to the extremely heavy frontal armour, one should try to use mobility to flank the B1. However, if that isn't possible, you'll want to try and hit the "mailslot" of the turret ring. It may be a tricky shot, but there's only ~40 mm of armour there.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, 47 mm gun mantlet)
* Cast homogeneous armour (turret, 75 mm gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (7-62°) ''Front glacis'' 60 mm (32-48°) ''Lower glacis'' || 55 mm ''Center Mass'' 55 + 55 mm ''Border'' || 50 mm (1-47°) || 25 mm (77-89°)
|-
| Turret || 56 mm (0-46°) ''Turret front'' 56 mm (1-85°) ''Gun mantlet'' 56 mm (0-49°) ''Machine gun cover''|| 56 mm (2-19°) || 56 mm (18-19°) || 30 mm (62-89°)
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 48 mm (cylindrical) || 30 mm (spherical)
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Lower turret ring armour 40 mm thick, while upper turret ring armour is 25 + 40 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=396|rbMinHp=272}}

This tank's mobility won't allow you to position fast enough. Taking time is the only way to get where you want safely. Since this tank is pretty long and narrow, do not engage in cramped spaces since you will not be allowed to manoeuvre as you wish. Your reverse speed won't allow you to retreat if things get bad around you, stay behind the frontlines, making good use of your armour. Interestingly, the B1 has neutral steering which very much helps to aim the hull-mounted 75 mm gun or to angle the hull quickly.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|SA35 L/32 (47 mm)}}

With the same gun as most other Rank 2 French tanks, the B1 bis will never be recognized for having a fearsome armament: penetration rates are even lower than most reserve tanks. Although this turreted armament is only good at firing light targets such as SPGs (eg. [[SU-76M]], [[Marder III]]) and light tanks (eg. [[M5A1]], [[T-50]]), heavier targets (eg. [[Pz.IV F2]], [[Cromwell (Family)|Cromwell]]) can still be penetrated with careful aiming and thorough knowledge on weak spots. The AP shell does a good job at breaking gun barrels and tracks, allowing the B1 bis to disarm/immobile an opponent prior to a flanking kill. The reload rate is average for its calibre but rather fast at this BR. Elevation and depression angles are very good but turret slewing rate is a bit slow: this tank has been designed to be hull-down.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/32 (47 mm)|47 mm SA35 L/32]] || 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" | 50 || rowspan="2" | ±18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Shoulder || 8.1 || 11.2 || 13.6 || 15.0 || 16.0 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 6.0 || 7.0 || 8.5 || 9.4 || 10.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 62 || 59 || 47 || 36 || 27 || 20
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 660 || 1.62 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 590 || 1.41 || 0 || 0.1 || 143 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x200px|[[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''50''' || 39 ''(+11)'' || 27 ''(+23)'' || 25 ''(+25)'' || 23 ''(+27)'' || 21 ''(+29)''|| 11 ''(+39)''|| 1 ''(+49)''|| No
|-
|}
Note:

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
{{Break}}

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|SA35 L/17 (75 mm)}}

The hull-mounted 75 mm gun may be useless for most of the time, since to maximise its armour effectiveness the B1 has to angle a lot, and given the hull-mounted gun's extremely limited horizontal traverse it can hardly aim at anything while the hull is angling. It also has a very curved trajectory, slow projectile velocity and poor penetration, leading to a challenging usability. However this gun does have a very impressive -20° depression angle which is more than enough to deal with any slopes. Its post-penetration effect is also significantly better than the turreted 47 mm thanks to the 90 g TNT filling. Therefore, it should only be used as a close range defence device. Exposing your 75 mm gun for long range engagements not only makes you vulnerable, it is also mostly ineffective.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/17 (75 mm)|75 mm SA35 L/17]] || 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" | 74 || rowspan="2" | -20°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±1° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 3.2 || 4.5 || 5.4 || 6.0 || 6.4 || rowspan="2" | 11.1 || rowspan="2" | 9.8 || rowspan="2" | 9.1 || rowspan="2" | 8.6
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 2.4 || 2.8 || 3.4 || 3.8 || 4.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Mle1910M || APHE || 58 || 57 || 50 || 43 || 37 || 32
|-
| Mle1915 || 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%
|-
| Mle1910M || APHE || 470 || 6.4 || 1.2 || 14 || 90 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Mle1915 || HE || 500 || 5.55 || 0 || 0.1 || 740 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! 14th rack empty
! 15th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''74''' || 68 ''(+6)'' || 64 ''(+10)'' || 62 ''(+12)'' || 60 ''(+14)'' || 56 ''(+18)'' || 53 ''(+21)'' || 38 ''(+36)'' || 36 ''(+38)'' || 25 ''(+49)'' || 23 ''(+51)'' || 21 ''(+53)'' || 14 ''(+60)'' || 9 ''(+65)'' || 3 ''(+71)'' || 1 ''(+73)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x200px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Note:

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
{{Break}}

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,100 (150) || 551 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

The Char B1, upon playing it for the first time will be slow in both acceleration, max speed and turret rotation speed. The hull gun takes more work to aim than that of the turret because of the limited firing arc it has. In order to aim it to any reasonable extent, the entire tank must be turned. However, careful use of it will reward a skilled tanker with devastating firepower compared to other Tier I tanks, with its high penetration and explosive filler. The best way to play the B1 bis is to hold down a position, preferably hull down (as its turret is thick and small, it will ricochet most shots it will take). Playing the B1 bis well, there are only 3 ways to get knocked out:

* Being outflanked by a light tank
* The enemy has been lucky enough to get a shot through a shot trap
* Meeting a ''dangerous'' gun

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* M3/M5 Stuart: as previously mentioned, light tanks can be a dangerous threat to the clumsy B1. The Stuarts have good acceleration, great top speed regardless of the terrain, and fast hull traverse, allowing them to sneak up or charge at a B1 without getting hit. When they are close, their 37 mm cannons can easily penetrate your hull cannon mount, turret sides and hull sides, and their fast reload can knock out your crews one by one. To counter them, angle your hull for about 45 degrees, this way their small calibre shells tend to ricochet and will have a hard time to penetrate you. If they circle you, turn your hull and reverse at the same time to avoid them flanking, and if possible gain some separation. Target their hull, as their frontal turret is mostly covered by a curved gun mantlet which can cause non-penetrations.

'''Against the B1 bis:'''

'''Light tank/SPAA''': this is usually the type of vehicle that the B1 "bully" the most as some of their low penetrations simply do not allow them to punch through the B1's armour from any angle. However, apart from some reserve tanks, light tanks and SPAA may have shells with over 65 mm penetration, and that is enough to deal with a B1. First of all you must use your good mobility and get as close as possible, preferably when the B1 is busy dealing with other teammates so you can take your time to place every shell accurately. When fighting the B1 frontally, aim for the curved hull cannon mount, it will knock out the hull gunner. Or go for the near-vertical driver's port below the turret, it will knock out the driver and commander who is also the turret gunner. For tanks with extremely low penetration (eg. early Japanese tanks) you cannot even penetrate the rear at point blank range. If this is the case, you can target the turret ring which is only ~40 mm thick. Just make sure that your shells impact the armour with as little angle as possible since popular small-calibre shells tend to ricochet on angled armour. Certain SPAA with access to high-penetration belts (eg. [[Flakpanzer 38]]) can also complete the above tasks.

'''Medium tank''': medium vehicles may not be able to quickly sneak up next to a B1, but they usually come with a better cannon or better shells. Aim at the above areas, but watch out for the B1's guns, as you cannot move as fast a light tanks to get away. Angle your armour when needed, the B1's hull and turret gun will struggle against angled armour. If your penetration is over 55 mm you can try shooting at its side. Shoot anywhere and it will disable some crew or the engine. The tracks of the B1 bis are quite hard to break with a few shots since medium tanks' cannons at this tier are still of small calibres, so it is better to focus on scoring successful penetrations.

'''Heavy tank''': if your heavy vehicle sees a B1 bis, then it usually suggests that the B1 is fighting in an uptier, as there are not many heavy tanks with lower BR. As such, a typical low-tier heavy vehicle like [[Matilda III|Matilda]], [[Churchill I]] or even the [[Gun Carrier (3-in)]] all have superior armour to a B1. You can confidently sit face to face with a B1 and no need to hurry to aim. Given that these early heavy tanks still have quite small cannons, the weakspots remain the same. Wiggle your hull while you reload, the B1 still has some chance to penetrate your weakspots in return.

'''Tank destroyer''': tank destroyers around the B1 bis's BR will already have destructive firepower, so they will be the main force to counter B1 bis. For example, the [[LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2) (China)|LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2)]] and [[ZiS-30]]'s 57 mm guns can frontally penetrate a B1 anywhere, even through the sloped upper front plate. Tank destroyers with weaker guns (eg. [[SU-76M]]) might scramble a bit, but their shorter cannons usually mean more explosives inside the shells, the B1's interior is not spacious so there is always a good chance to one-shot it. However do be very careful, only go out to fire when the B1 is distracted, as its 2 cannons will not struggle to destroy a weakly protected tank destroyer with a salvo.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Overall good armour
** Very heavy frontal armour for its rank
** Strong turret from the front
** Good at sidescraping (thick sides)
** Nearly impenetrable hull when angled
** Armour is quite thick and curvy at the driver's port area
** The MAC 31's large drum can sometimes absorb shell fragments or smaller shells

* Decent firepower
** One of the best in-game depression (-18°, turret gun)
** Has 2 main armaments
** A rare feature on French tanks: it has APHE ammunition
** MAC 31 coaxial MG
** Turret gun has a shoulder stabiliser, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics effective

'''Cons:'''

* Armour has many shot traps, easing the task of killing it
** Fuel tank behind the grille lights up very often when penetrated
** Large turret ring is weak (25-40 mm poorly sloped)
** Hull gun mount is a weak spot and can be penetrated by most guns of the tier
** Crew is cramped
** Turret rear is only 38 mm thick
** Has a tall and "thin" cupola
** Literally has an hallway full of ammo in the back

* Guns feel lacking
** Lacking penetration from both of its guns
** Abysmal traverse on 75 mm gun (~1° left to right)
** Slow reload on the 75mm
** Only stock ammo choices
** APHE shell won't detonate when shooting at light targets (25 mm or less armour)
** Hull gun is hard to master (not beginner-friendly)

* Mobility is subpar
** Not very mobile due to weight
** Slow hull turning rate
** Reverse speed is low (-4km/h)

== History ==


Intended originally as a heavy infantry-support tank, the first prototype of the Char B dates back to January, 1929. Testing and altered design requirements led to the Char B1, which entered army service in late 1935. In total 35 of this earlier model had been built, but by the onset of war had been replaced in service. The successor B1 bis had heavier armour, a bigger engine, and a more powerful gun in a new turret (same as the Somua S35). Sophisticated and powerful for its time, it suffered from the one-man turret, poor communications, slow speed, a small operational radius, and difficulties in achieving mass production. The driver aimed and fired the bow-mounted howitzer and MG, which due to a lack of lateral traverse, had to be aimed by turning the tank. The complex steering system that enabled this, through a hydrostatically controlled auxiliary differential, proved particularly prone to breakdowns.

In May 1940, 243 B1 bis were deployed in combat units, out of 368 built. They formed the main striking force of France's four armoured divisions, with two battalions in each division, as well as five other independent tank companies (10 tanks per company).

In the 1940 Battle for France, only the German 88 mm guns could reliably defeat the B1 bis. Most were lost due to breakdown or fuel shortage.

161 B1 bis were captured by Germany, who replaced the 75 mm with a flamethrower in 60 of them, which served in France, Holland (including at Arnhem), the Balkans and Crimea. Another 16 were converted to self-propelled 105 mm howitzers. The Free French 13th Dragoons employed a squadron of 17 recaptured B1 bis in combat in 1945.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=france&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=heavy_tank&vehicle=fr_b1_bis Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|4_cJ1CpEatw|'''Best gun depression''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:01 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|z_qMuP5HYFo|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|woJWg8E03HM|'''The Shooting Range #75''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:13 discusses the B1 bis and B1 ter.|e1e7dEJigJQ|'''The Shooting Range #74''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:47 discusses the origins of the B1.}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[B1 ter]]

;Vehicles equipped with the same 47 mm gun

* [[AMC.35 (ACG.1)]]
* [[D2]]
* [[S.35]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[M3 Lee]] / [[M3 Medium (USSR)]]
* [[Grant I]] / [[Grant I (USA)]]
* [[Churchill I]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Char_B1|[Wikipedia] Char B1]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/france/char_b1_bis.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Char B1/B1 bis]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=824 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> Renault Char B1]

{{France heavy tanks}}

B1 bis

2022-05-11T03:25:26Z

U118659507: /* Survivability and armour */ fixed a gramatical error

{{About
|about=French heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=the premium version
|link=B1 ter
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_b1_bis
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (Battle tank B1 "repeated") is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. With arguably the best armour at its BR, this tank is a beast in long-range engagements since it is hard to penetrate at distances. While not having the best armament, it should do the job taking care of these dangerous early SPGs and light tanks. The "bis" suffix is a French way of marking an improved version.

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

In order to effectively use this tank's armour, there is a few things to consider. First of all, there are a ''lot'' of shot traps, the main ones being the turret ring and the hull gun mount, in order to minimize your enemies' chance to hit these weak spots, stay away from them. Second, even if your armour is ''very strong'' for the BR, do not completely rely on it by sitting around in an open field: you will eventually get hit where it hurts. The third thing to consider is your small and thick turret: hide that big clumsy hull behind a hill and pop out only your hard "head", take a shot, fall back, reload, repeat. If something goes wrong (i.e. getting shot in the turret ring), there is usually enough men left to take the job left by their dead "camarade". Do not bother getting spotted: it is your job to stay in the enemies' sights while your lighter teammates do what they ought to. In some situations, it can even be used as a breakthrough tank, rely on your own experience to guess when it is time to do so.

This tank will get penetrated by some seemingly harmless vehicles, such as the [[M3 Stuart (Family)|Stuarts]] or even a [[Pz.II (Disambiguation)|Pz.II]]. Any tank with more than 55 mm penetration will be able to pierce your hull side at close range with minimal angle. Thus it is crucial to always angle the hull.

When fighting the B1 bis, due to the extremely heavy frontal armour, one should try to use mobility to flank the B1. However, if that isn't possible, you'll want to try and hit the "mailslot" of the turret ring. It may be a tricky shot, but there's only ~40 mm of armour there.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, 47 mm gun mantlet)
* Cast homogeneous armour (turret, 75 mm gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (7-62°) ''Front glacis'' 60 mm (32-48°) ''Lower glacis'' || 55 mm ''Center Mass'' 55 + 55 mm ''Border'' || 50 mm (1-47°) || 25 mm (77-89°)
|-
| Turret || 56 mm (0-46°) ''Turret front'' 56 mm (1-85°) ''Gun mantlet'' 56 mm (0-49°) ''Machine gun cover''|| 56 mm (2-19°) || 56 mm (18-19°) || 30 mm (62-89°)
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 48 mm (cylindrical) || 30 mm (spherical)
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Lower turret ring armour 40 mm thick, while upper turret ring armour is 25 + 40 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=396|rbMinHp=272}}

This tank's mobility won't allow you to position fast enough. Taking time is the only way to get where you want safely. Since this tank is pretty long and narrow, do not engage in cramped spaces since you will not be allowed to manoeuvre as you wish. Your reverse speed won't allow you to retreat if things get bad around you, stay behind the frontlines, making good use of your armour. Interestingly, the B1 has neutral steering which very much helps to aim the hull-mounted 75 mm gun or to angle the hull quickly.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|SA35 L/32 (47 mm)}}

With the same gun as most other Rank 2 French tanks, the B1 bis will never be recognized for having a fearsome armament: penetration rates are even lower than most reserve tanks. Although this turreted armament is only good at firing light targets such as SPGs (eg. [[SU-76M]], [[Marder III]]) and light tanks (eg. [[M5A1]], [[T-50]]), heavier targets (eg. [[Pz.IV F2]], [[Cromwell (Family)|Cromwell]]) can still be penetrated with careful aiming and thorough knowledge on weak spots. The AP shell does a good job at breaking gun barrels and tracks, allowing the B1 bis to disarm/immobile an opponent prior to a flanking kill. The reload rate is average for its calibre but rather fast at this BR. Elevation and depression angles are very good but turret slewing rate is a bit slow: this tank has been designed to be hull-down.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/32 (47 mm)|47 mm SA35 L/32]] || 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" | 50 || rowspan="2" | ±18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Shoulder || 8.1 || 11.2 || 13.6 || 15.0 || 16.0 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 6.0 || 7.0 || 8.5 || 9.4 || 10.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 62 || 59 || 47 || 36 || 27 || 20
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 660 || 1.62 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 590 || 1.41 || 0 || 0.1 || 143 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x200px|[[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''50''' || 39 ''(+11)'' || 27 ''(+23)'' || 25 ''(+25)'' || 23 ''(+27)'' || 21 ''(+29)''|| 11 ''(+39)''|| 1 ''(+49)''|| No
|-
|}
Note:

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
{{Break}}

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|SA35 L/17 (75 mm)}}

The hull-mounted 75 mm gun may be useless for most of the time, since to maximise its armour effectiveness the B1 has to angle a lot, and given the hull-mounted gun's extremely limited horizontal traverse it can hardly aim at anything while the hull is angling. It also has a very curved trajectory, slow projectile velocity and poor penetration, leading to a challenging usability. However this gun does have a very impressive -20° depression angle which is more than enough to deal with any slopes. Its post-penetration effect is also significantly better than the turreted 47 mm thanks to the 90 g TNT filling. Therefore, it should only be used as a close range defence device. Exposing your 75 mm gun for long range engagements not only makes you vulnerable, it is also mostly ineffective.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/17 (75 mm)|75 mm SA35 L/17]] || 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" | 74 || rowspan="2" | -20°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±1° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 3.2 || 4.5 || 5.4 || 6.0 || 6.4 || rowspan="2" | 11.1 || rowspan="2" | 9.8 || rowspan="2" | 9.1 || rowspan="2" | 8.6
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 2.4 || 2.8 || 3.4 || 3.8 || 4.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Mle1910M || APHE || 58 || 57 || 50 || 43 || 37 || 32
|-
| Mle1915 || 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%
|-
| Mle1910M || APHE || 470 || 6.4 || 1.2 || 14 || 90 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Mle1915 || HE || 500 || 5.55 || 0 || 0.1 || 740 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! 14th rack empty
! 15th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''74''' || 68 ''(+6)'' || 64 ''(+10)'' || 62 ''(+12)'' || 60 ''(+14)'' || 56 ''(+18)'' || 53 ''(+21)'' || 38 ''(+36)'' || 36 ''(+38)'' || 25 ''(+49)'' || 23 ''(+51)'' || 21 ''(+53)'' || 14 ''(+60)'' || 9 ''(+65)'' || 3 ''(+71)'' || 1 ''(+73)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x200px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Note:

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
{{Break}}

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,100 (150) || 551 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

The Char B1, upon playing it for the first time will be slow in both acceleration, max speed and turret rotation speed. The hull gun takes more work to aim than that of the turret because of the limited firing arc it has. In order to aim it to any reasonable extent, the entire tank must be turned. However, careful use of it will reward a skilled tanker with devastating firepower compared to other Tier I tanks, with its high penetration and explosive filler. The best way to play the B1 bis is to hold down a position, preferably hull down (as its turret is thick and small, it will ricochet most shots it will take). Playing the B1 bis well, there are only 3 ways to get knocked out:

* Being outflanked by a light tank
* The enemy has been lucky enough to get a shot through a shot trap
* Meeting a ''dangerous'' gun

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* M3/M5 Stuart: as previously mentioned, light tanks can be a dangerous threat to the clumsy B1. The Stuarts have good acceleration, great top speed regardless of the terrain, and fast hull traverse, allowing them to sneak up or charge at a B1 without getting hit. When they are close, their 37 mm cannons can easily penetrate your hull cannon mount, turret sides and hull sides, and their fast reload can knock out your crews one by one. To counter them, angle your hull for about 45 degrees, this way their small calibre shells tend to ricochet and will have a hard time to penetrate you. If they circle you, turn your hull and reverse at the same time to avoid them flanking, and if possible gain some separation. Target their hull, as their frontal turret is mostly covered by a curved gun mantlet which can cause non-penetrations.

'''Against the B1 bis:'''

'''Light tank/SPAA''': this is usually the type of vehicle that the B1 "bully" the most as some of their low penetrations simply do not allow them to punch through the B1's armour from any angle. However, apart from some reserve tanks, light tanks and SPAA may have shells with over 65 mm penetration, and that is enough to deal with a B1. First of all you must use your good mobility and get as close as possible, preferably when the B1 is busy dealing with other teammates so you can take your time to place every shell accurately. When fighting the B1 frontally, aim for the curved hull cannon mount, it will knock out the hull gunner. Or go for the near-vertical driver's port below the turret, it will knock out the driver and commander who is also the turret gunner. For tanks with extremely low penetration (eg. early Japanese tanks) you cannot even penetrate the rear at point blank range. If this is the case, you can target the turret ring which is only ~40 mm thick. Just make sure that your shells impact the armour with as little angle as possible since popular small-calibre shells tend to ricochet on angled armour. Certain SPAA with access to high-penetration belts (eg. [[Flakpanzer 38]]) can also complete the above tasks.

'''Medium tank''': medium vehicles may not be able to quickly sneak up next to a B1, but they usually come with a better cannon or better shells. Aim at the above areas, but watch out for the B1's guns, as you cannot move as fast a light tanks to get away. Angle your armour when needed, the B1's hull and turret gun will struggle against angled armour. If your penetration is over 55 mm you can try shooting at its side. Shoot anywhere and it will disable some crew or the engine. The tracks of the B1 bis are quite hard to break with a few shots since medium tanks' cannons at this tier are still of small calibres, so it is better to focus on scoring successful penetrations.

'''Heavy tank''': if your heavy vehicle sees a B1 bis, then it usually suggests that the B1 is fighting in an uptier, as there are not many heavy tanks with lower BR. As such, a typical low-tier heavy vehicle like [[Matilda III|Matilda]], [[Churchill I]] or even the [[Gun Carrier (3-in)]] all have superior armour to a B1. You can confidently sit face to face with a B1 and no need to hurry to aim. Given that these early heavy tanks still have quite small cannons, the weakspots remain the same. Wiggle your hull while you reload, the B1 still has some chance to penetrate your weakspots in return.

'''Tank destroyer''': tank destroyers around the B1 bis's BR will already have destructive firepower, so they will be the main force to counter B1 bis. For example, the [[LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2) (China)|LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2)]] and [[ZiS-30]]'s 57 mm guns can frontally penetrate a B1 anywhere, even through the sloped upper front plate. Tank destroyers with weaker guns (eg. [[SU-76M]]) might scramble a bit, but their shorter cannons usually mean more explosives inside the shells, the B1's interior is not spacious so there is always a good chance to one-shot it. However do be very careful, only go out to fire when the B1 is distracted, as its 2 cannons will not struggle to destroy a weakly protected tank destroyer with a salvo.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Overall good armour
** Very heavy frontal armour for its rank
** Strong turret from the front
** Good at sidescraping (thick sides)
** Nearly impenetrable hull when angled
** Armour is quite thick and curvy at the driver's port area
** The MAC 31's large drum can sometimes absorb shell fragments or smaller shells

* Decent firepower
** One of the best in-game depression (-18°, turret gun)
** Has 2 main armaments
** A rare feature on French tanks: it has APHE ammunition
** MAC 31 coaxial MG
** Turret gun has a shoulder stabiliser, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics effective

'''Cons:'''

* Armour has many shot traps, easing the task of killing it
** Fuel tank behind the grille lights up very often when penetrated
** Large turret ring is weak (25-40 mm poorly sloped)
** Hull gun mount is a weak spot and can be penetrated by most guns of the tier
** Crew is cramped
** Turret rear is only 38 mm thick
** Has a tall and "thin" cupola
** Literally has an hallway full of ammo in the back

* Guns feel lacking
** Lacking penetration from both of its guns
** Abysmal traverse on 75 mm gun (~1° left to right)
** Slow reload on the 75mm
** Only stock ammo choices
** APHE shell won't detonate when shooting at light targets (25 mm or less armour)
** Hull gun is hard to master (not beginner-friendly)

* Mobility is subpar
** Not very mobile due to weight
** Slow hull turning rate
** Reverse speed is low (-3km/h)

== History ==


Intended originally as a heavy infantry-support tank, the first prototype of the Char B dates back to January, 1929. Testing and altered design requirements led to the Char B1, which entered army service in late 1935. In total 35 of this earlier model had been built, but by the onset of war had been replaced in service. The successor B1 bis had heavier armour, a bigger engine, and a more powerful gun in a new turret (same as the Somua S35). Sophisticated and powerful for its time, it suffered from the one-man turret, poor communications, slow speed, a small operational radius, and difficulties in achieving mass production. The driver aimed and fired the bow-mounted howitzer and MG, which due to a lack of lateral traverse, had to be aimed by turning the tank. The complex steering system that enabled this, through a hydrostatically controlled auxiliary differential, proved particularly prone to breakdowns.

In May 1940, 243 B1 bis were deployed in combat units, out of 368 built. They formed the main striking force of France's four armoured divisions, with two battalions in each division, as well as five other independent tank companies (10 tanks per company).

In the 1940 Battle for France, only the German 88 mm guns could reliably defeat the B1 bis. Most were lost due to breakdown or fuel shortage.

161 B1 bis were captured by Germany, who replaced the 75 mm with a flamethrower in 60 of them, which served in France, Holland (including at Arnhem), the Balkans and Crimea. Another 16 were converted to self-propelled 105 mm howitzers. The Free French 13th Dragoons employed a squadron of 17 recaptured B1 bis in combat in 1945.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=france&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=heavy_tank&vehicle=fr_b1_bis Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|4_cJ1CpEatw|'''Best gun depression''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:01 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|z_qMuP5HYFo|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|woJWg8E03HM|'''The Shooting Range #75''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:13 discusses the B1 bis and B1 ter.|e1e7dEJigJQ|'''The Shooting Range #74''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:47 discusses the origins of the B1.}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[B1 ter]]

;Vehicles equipped with the same 47 mm gun

* [[AMC.35 (ACG.1)]]
* [[D2]]
* [[S.35]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[M3 Lee]] / [[M3 Medium (USSR)]]
* [[Grant I]] / [[Grant I (USA)]]
* [[Churchill I]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Char_B1|[Wikipedia] Char B1]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/france/char_b1_bis.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Char B1/B1 bis]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=824 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> Renault Char B1]

{{France heavy tanks}}

B1 bis

2022-05-11T03:24:23Z

U118659507: /* Survivability and armour */ fixed a minor gramatical error.

{{About
|about=French heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=the premium version
|link=B1 ter
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_b1_bis
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (Battle tank B1 "repeated") is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. With arguably the best armour at its BR, this tank is a beast in long-range engagements since it is hard to penetrate at distances. While not having the best armament, it should do the job taking care of these dangerous early SPGs and light tanks. The "bis" suffix is a French way of marking an improved version.

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

In order to effectively use this tank's armour, there is a few things to consider. First of all, there are ''lot'' of shot traps, the main ones being the turret ring and the hull gun mount, in order to minimize your enemies' chance to hit these weak spots, stay away from them. Second, even if your armour is ''very strong'' for the BR, do not completely rely on it by sitting around in an open field: you will eventually get hit where it hurts. The third thing to consider is your small and thick turret: hide that big clumsy hull behind a hill and pop out only your hard "head", take a shot, fall back, reload, repeat. If something goes wrong (i.e. getting shot in the turret ring), there is usually enough men left to take the job left by their dead "camarade". Do not bother getting spotted: it is your job to stay in the enemies' sights while your lighter teammates do what they ought to. In some situations, it can even be used as a breakthrough tank, rely on your own experience to guess when it is time to do so.

This tank will get penetrated by some seemingly harmless vehicles, such as the [[M3 Stuart (Family)|Stuarts]] or even a [[Pz.II (Disambiguation)|Pz.II]]. Any tank with more than 55 mm penetration will be able to pierce your hull side at close range with minimal angle. Thus it is crucial to always angle the hull.

When fighting the B1 bis, due to the extremely heavy frontal armour, one should try to use mobility to flank the B1. However, if that isn't possible, you'll want to try and hit the "mailslot" of the turret ring. It may be a tricky shot, but there's only ~40 mm of armour there.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, 47 mm gun mantlet)
* Cast homogeneous armour (turret, 75 mm gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (7-62°) ''Front glacis'' 60 mm (32-48°) ''Lower glacis'' || 55 mm ''Center Mass'' 55 + 55 mm ''Border'' || 50 mm (1-47°) || 25 mm (77-89°)
|-
| Turret || 56 mm (0-46°) ''Turret front'' 56 mm (1-85°) ''Gun mantlet'' 56 mm (0-49°) ''Machine gun cover''|| 56 mm (2-19°) || 56 mm (18-19°) || 30 mm (62-89°)
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 48 mm (cylindrical) || 30 mm (spherical)
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Lower turret ring armour 40 mm thick, while upper turret ring armour is 25 + 40 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=396|rbMinHp=272}}

This tank's mobility won't allow you to position fast enough. Taking time is the only way to get where you want safely. Since this tank is pretty long and narrow, do not engage in cramped spaces since you will not be allowed to manoeuvre as you wish. Your reverse speed won't allow you to retreat if things get bad around you, stay behind the frontlines, making good use of your armour. Interestingly, the B1 has neutral steering which very much helps to aim the hull-mounted 75 mm gun or to angle the hull quickly.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|SA35 L/32 (47 mm)}}

With the same gun as most other Rank 2 French tanks, the B1 bis will never be recognized for having a fearsome armament: penetration rates are even lower than most reserve tanks. Although this turreted armament is only good at firing light targets such as SPGs (eg. [[SU-76M]], [[Marder III]]) and light tanks (eg. [[M5A1]], [[T-50]]), heavier targets (eg. [[Pz.IV F2]], [[Cromwell (Family)|Cromwell]]) can still be penetrated with careful aiming and thorough knowledge on weak spots. The AP shell does a good job at breaking gun barrels and tracks, allowing the B1 bis to disarm/immobile an opponent prior to a flanking kill. The reload rate is average for its calibre but rather fast at this BR. Elevation and depression angles are very good but turret slewing rate is a bit slow: this tank has been designed to be hull-down.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/32 (47 mm)|47 mm SA35 L/32]] || 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" | 50 || rowspan="2" | ±18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Shoulder || 8.1 || 11.2 || 13.6 || 15.0 || 16.0 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 6.0 || 7.0 || 8.5 || 9.4 || 10.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 62 || 59 || 47 || 36 || 27 || 20
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 660 || 1.62 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 590 || 1.41 || 0 || 0.1 || 143 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x200px|[[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''50''' || 39 ''(+11)'' || 27 ''(+23)'' || 25 ''(+25)'' || 23 ''(+27)'' || 21 ''(+29)''|| 11 ''(+39)''|| 1 ''(+49)''|| No
|-
|}
Note:

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
{{Break}}

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|SA35 L/17 (75 mm)}}

The hull-mounted 75 mm gun may be useless for most of the time, since to maximise its armour effectiveness the B1 has to angle a lot, and given the hull-mounted gun's extremely limited horizontal traverse it can hardly aim at anything while the hull is angling. It also has a very curved trajectory, slow projectile velocity and poor penetration, leading to a challenging usability. However this gun does have a very impressive -20° depression angle which is more than enough to deal with any slopes. Its post-penetration effect is also significantly better than the turreted 47 mm thanks to the 90 g TNT filling. Therefore, it should only be used as a close range defence device. Exposing your 75 mm gun for long range engagements not only makes you vulnerable, it is also mostly ineffective.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/17 (75 mm)|75 mm SA35 L/17]] || 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" | 74 || rowspan="2" | -20°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±1° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 3.2 || 4.5 || 5.4 || 6.0 || 6.4 || rowspan="2" | 11.1 || rowspan="2" | 9.8 || rowspan="2" | 9.1 || rowspan="2" | 8.6
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 2.4 || 2.8 || 3.4 || 3.8 || 4.0
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Mle1910M || APHE || 58 || 57 || 50 || 43 || 37 || 32
|-
| Mle1915 || 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%
|-
| Mle1910M || APHE || 470 || 6.4 || 1.2 || 14 || 90 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Mle1915 || HE || 500 || 5.55 || 0 || 0.1 || 740 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! 14th rack empty
! 15th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''74''' || 68 ''(+6)'' || 64 ''(+10)'' || 62 ''(+12)'' || 60 ''(+14)'' || 56 ''(+18)'' || 53 ''(+21)'' || 38 ''(+36)'' || 36 ''(+38)'' || 25 ''(+49)'' || 23 ''(+51)'' || 21 ''(+53)'' || 14 ''(+60)'' || 9 ''(+65)'' || 3 ''(+71)'' || 1 ''(+73)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x200px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Note:

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
{{Break}}

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,100 (150) || 551 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

The Char B1, upon playing it for the first time will be slow in both acceleration, max speed and turret rotation speed. The hull gun takes more work to aim than that of the turret because of the limited firing arc it has. In order to aim it to any reasonable extent, the entire tank must be turned. However, careful use of it will reward a skilled tanker with devastating firepower compared to other Tier I tanks, with its high penetration and explosive filler. The best way to play the B1 bis is to hold down a position, preferably hull down (as its turret is thick and small, it will ricochet most shots it will take). Playing the B1 bis well, there are only 3 ways to get knocked out:

* Being outflanked by a light tank
* The enemy has been lucky enough to get a shot through a shot trap
* Meeting a ''dangerous'' gun

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* M3/M5 Stuart: as previously mentioned, light tanks can be a dangerous threat to the clumsy B1. The Stuarts have good acceleration, great top speed regardless of the terrain, and fast hull traverse, allowing them to sneak up or charge at a B1 without getting hit. When they are close, their 37 mm cannons can easily penetrate your hull cannon mount, turret sides and hull sides, and their fast reload can knock out your crews one by one. To counter them, angle your hull for about 45 degrees, this way their small calibre shells tend to ricochet and will have a hard time to penetrate you. If they circle you, turn your hull and reverse at the same time to avoid them flanking, and if possible gain some separation. Target their hull, as their frontal turret is mostly covered by a curved gun mantlet which can cause non-penetrations.

'''Against the B1 bis:'''

'''Light tank/SPAA''': this is usually the type of vehicle that the B1 "bully" the most as some of their low penetrations simply do not allow them to punch through the B1's armour from any angle. However, apart from some reserve tanks, light tanks and SPAA may have shells with over 65 mm penetration, and that is enough to deal with a B1. First of all you must use your good mobility and get as close as possible, preferably when the B1 is busy dealing with other teammates so you can take your time to place every shell accurately. When fighting the B1 frontally, aim for the curved hull cannon mount, it will knock out the hull gunner. Or go for the near-vertical driver's port below the turret, it will knock out the driver and commander who is also the turret gunner. For tanks with extremely low penetration (eg. early Japanese tanks) you cannot even penetrate the rear at point blank range. If this is the case, you can target the turret ring which is only ~40 mm thick. Just make sure that your shells impact the armour with as little angle as possible since popular small-calibre shells tend to ricochet on angled armour. Certain SPAA with access to high-penetration belts (eg. [[Flakpanzer 38]]) can also complete the above tasks.

'''Medium tank''': medium vehicles may not be able to quickly sneak up next to a B1, but they usually come with a better cannon or better shells. Aim at the above areas, but watch out for the B1's guns, as you cannot move as fast a light tanks to get away. Angle your armour when needed, the B1's hull and turret gun will struggle against angled armour. If your penetration is over 55 mm you can try shooting at its side. Shoot anywhere and it will disable some crew or the engine. The tracks of the B1 bis are quite hard to break with a few shots since medium tanks' cannons at this tier are still of small calibres, so it is better to focus on scoring successful penetrations.

'''Heavy tank''': if your heavy vehicle sees a B1 bis, then it usually suggests that the B1 is fighting in an uptier, as there are not many heavy tanks with lower BR. As such, a typical low-tier heavy vehicle like [[Matilda III|Matilda]], [[Churchill I]] or even the [[Gun Carrier (3-in)]] all have superior armour to a B1. You can confidently sit face to face with a B1 and no need to hurry to aim. Given that these early heavy tanks still have quite small cannons, the weakspots remain the same. Wiggle your hull while you reload, the B1 still has some chance to penetrate your weakspots in return.

'''Tank destroyer''': tank destroyers around the B1 bis's BR will already have destructive firepower, so they will be the main force to counter B1 bis. For example, the [[LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2) (China)|LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2)]] and [[ZiS-30]]'s 57 mm guns can frontally penetrate a B1 anywhere, even through the sloped upper front plate. Tank destroyers with weaker guns (eg. [[SU-76M]]) might scramble a bit, but their shorter cannons usually mean more explosives inside the shells, the B1's interior is not spacious so there is always a good chance to one-shot it. However do be very careful, only go out to fire when the B1 is distracted, as its 2 cannons will not struggle to destroy a weakly protected tank destroyer with a salvo.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Overall good armour
** Very heavy frontal armour for its rank
** Strong turret from the front
** Good at sidescraping (thick sides)
** Nearly impenetrable hull when angled
** Armour is quite thick and curvy at the driver's port area
** The MAC 31's large drum can sometimes absorb shell fragments or smaller shells

* Decent firepower
** One of the best in-game depression (-18°, turret gun)
** Has 2 main armaments
** A rare feature on French tanks: it has APHE ammunition
** MAC 31 coaxial MG
** Turret gun has a shoulder stabiliser, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics effective

'''Cons:'''

* Armour has many shot traps, easing the task of killing it
** Fuel tank behind the grille lights up very often when penetrated
** Large turret ring is weak (25-40 mm poorly sloped)
** Hull gun mount is a weak spot and can be penetrated by most guns of the tier
** Crew is cramped
** Turret rear is only 38 mm thick
** Has a tall and "thin" cupola
** Literally has an hallway full of ammo in the back

* Guns feel lacking
** Lacking penetration from both of its guns
** Abysmal traverse on 75 mm gun (~1° left to right)
** Slow reload on the 75mm
** Only stock ammo choices
** APHE shell won't detonate when shooting at light targets (25 mm or less armour)
** Hull gun is hard to master (not beginner-friendly)

* Mobility is subpar
** Not very mobile due to weight
** Slow hull turning rate
** Reverse speed is low (-3km/h)

== History ==


Intended originally as a heavy infantry-support tank, the first prototype of the Char B dates back to January, 1929. Testing and altered design requirements led to the Char B1, which entered army service in late 1935. In total 35 of this earlier model had been built, but by the onset of war had been replaced in service. The successor B1 bis had heavier armour, a bigger engine, and a more powerful gun in a new turret (same as the Somua S35). Sophisticated and powerful for its time, it suffered from the one-man turret, poor communications, slow speed, a small operational radius, and difficulties in achieving mass production. The driver aimed and fired the bow-mounted howitzer and MG, which due to a lack of lateral traverse, had to be aimed by turning the tank. The complex steering system that enabled this, through a hydrostatically controlled auxiliary differential, proved particularly prone to breakdowns.

In May 1940, 243 B1 bis were deployed in combat units, out of 368 built. They formed the main striking force of France's four armoured divisions, with two battalions in each division, as well as five other independent tank companies (10 tanks per company).

In the 1940 Battle for France, only the German 88 mm guns could reliably defeat the B1 bis. Most were lost due to breakdown or fuel shortage.

161 B1 bis were captured by Germany, who replaced the 75 mm with a flamethrower in 60 of them, which served in France, Holland (including at Arnhem), the Balkans and Crimea. Another 16 were converted to self-propelled 105 mm howitzers. The Free French 13th Dragoons employed a squadron of 17 recaptured B1 bis in combat in 1945.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=france&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=heavy_tank&vehicle=fr_b1_bis Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|4_cJ1CpEatw|'''Best gun depression''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:01 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|z_qMuP5HYFo|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|woJWg8E03HM|'''The Shooting Range #75''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:13 discusses the B1 bis and B1 ter.|e1e7dEJigJQ|'''The Shooting Range #74''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:47 discusses the origins of the B1.}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[B1 ter]]

;Vehicles equipped with the same 47 mm gun

* [[AMC.35 (ACG.1)]]
* [[D2]]
* [[S.35]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[M3 Lee]] / [[M3 Medium (USSR)]]
* [[Grant I]] / [[Grant I (USA)]]
* [[Churchill I]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Char_B1|[Wikipedia] Char B1]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/france/char_b1_bis.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Char B1/B1 bis]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=824 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> Renault Char B1]

{{France heavy tanks}}

S.35

2022-05-11T03:19:10Z

U118659507: /* Pros and cons */ minor spelling error fixed.

{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_somua_s35
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (SOMUA's 1935 S cavalry tank) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. As it was considered to be ''the best'' tank at its time, being very mobile, easy to maintain while having good combat characteristics. As WW2 struck, these were on the frontlines, hence the nickname [[wt:en/news/5175-development-somua-s-35-shield-of-the-republic-en|"Shield of The Republic"]]. This tank will surely feel like a breath of fresh air over its underpowered predecessors.

The S.35 has the same turret design as on the Char [[B1 bis]], meaning that the penetration, reload and turret rotation speed is the same (But there is no "mail slot" turret ring). The S.35 contains a 3 man crew (Gunner/Commander, Driver and Radio operator) so a well placed frontal shot from HEAT or from a high caliber gun will in majority of cases destroy you on the spot. The S.35 is best used when showing only its strong turret, exposing only one crew member at a time brings extra survivability. The S.35 is a tall and cumbersome tank at its battle rating, though it is relatively mobile with a 40 km/h top speed.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (engine vents, side skirts)
* Cast homogeneous armour (hull, turret. cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 47 mm (24°) ''Upper plate'' 35 mm (cylindrical) ''Upper glacis'' 40 mm (cylindrical) ''Lower glacis'' || 40 mm (15-25°) ''Top'' 38 mm (17-21°) ''Top - Access panels'' 40 ''Bottom'' 40 + 20 mm ''Bottom - Side skirts'' || 35 mm (31°) ''Top'' 25 mm ''Centre'' 25 mm (25-29°) ''Bottom'' || 35 mm (cylindrical) ''Front glacis'' 25 mm (4-9°) ''Centre and rear'' 8 mm (13°) ''Engine vents''
|-
| Turret || 56 mm ''Turret front'' 45 mm ''Gun mantlet'' 45 + 56 mm ''Machine gun port'' 40 mm ''Turret ring'' || colspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 45 mm (20°) || 30 mm (24°) ''Front part'' 30 mm ''Rear part''
|-
| Cupola || 40 mm (8°) || 40 mm (25-26°) || 40 mm (9°) || 30 mm (spherical)
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.
* Hull underside above the tracks is 10 mm thick.
* Gun barrel is 15 mm thick.

Armour is the {{PAGENAME}}'s main attribute as it is thick and provides good protection for its 3-man crew. Still, do not completely rely on it as there are many foes that can easily penetrate it at any range. Take every bounced shot as a "lucky roll" and get back into cover as quick as possible as the next shot could be your last. Armour this thick makes this tank very resilient to SPAA shots from all sides. An effective way to angle this tank is by facing your enemy at 45°, showing them your right-hand track: this sides minimises shot traps (on the other side, a flat 40 mm plate is conveniently placed at the right angle to make this tactic as ineffective as possible). As for top armour, this tank is pretty much immune to strafing from anything ranging from rifle caliber to HMG rounds, which are common aircraft armaments at this BR.

If you see a {{PAGENAME}}, aim at the connection of the lower/middle plate with the upper plate which meets at 90 degrees, despite being curved, creating a weak spot that often knocks them out if penetrated. If not then aim at the driver's optics to knock out both driver and gunner. Flank if possible and make sure to be quite close to this tank's side as its armour is thick in this general area. The S.35 cannot fight more than one tank at a time, so if you can surround the {{PAGENAME}}, it will fall quickly due to poor reload rate and turret turning speed.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 294|rbMinHp= 168}}

Forward motion of the {{PAGENAME}} is great, turning and reverse are awful. It has average crossing capability on soft terrain (snow, mud, etc.). Align your hull in a straight line towards your objective and hit the gas ''without correcting trajectory'' is the best way to maximise this tank's speed as any turning motion slows it down quite significantly.

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

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

{{main|SA35 L/32 (47 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/32 (47 mm)|47 mm SA35 L/32]] || 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" | ±18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Shoulder || 9.5 || 13.2 || 16.0 || 17.7 || 18.8 || rowspan="2" | 5.2 || rowspan="2" | 4.6|| rowspan="2" | 4.2|| rowspan="2" | 4.0
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 6.0 || 7.0 || 8.5 || 9.4 || 10.0
|-
|}

While being subpar to later pre-war tanks, this vehicle's main armament provides decent anti-tank capability. Its main flaw being slow reload and low spalling: make every shot count. Early commanders of French tanks should be used to command one-man turrets, with all their benefits and flaws. It is worth mentioning the shoulder gun stabilizer, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics effective.

==== Ammunition ====
The {{PAGENAME}} has a limited choice of ammunition:

* '''Mle1935''': APC; a solid shot with average penetration and no explosive filler. Make sure to target modules and crew positions to maximise the damage. Knowledge of enemy vehicle layouts is essential with this type of ammunition.
* '''Mle1935 HE''': HE; useful for destroying open and very lightly armoured vehicles.

{| 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
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 62 || 59 || 47 || 36 || 27 || 20
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 660 || 1.62 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 590 || 1.41 || 0 || 0.1 || 143 || 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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''84''' || 67 ''(+17)'' || 49 ''(+35)'' || 25 ''(+59)'' || 1 ''(+83)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* As they are modeled by sets of 3, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire all shells in the set.

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,250 (150) || 551 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

Your best option is to play in a supportive role, stay behind a well armoured vehicle and land shots on the enemy from a medium distance. Do not try to rush in ahead of the team or go solo, as 7/10 times you will be destroyed by a counter-flanking player. The S.35 is able to hold its ground if you create a corridor for people to come at you. If you are able to flank without being seen, just remember to check behind you every now and then.

All light tanks are to be feared as they can out-manoeuvre this cumbersome tank quite easily and most enemies with a bit of luck will eventually hit one of this tank's weak spots, the only thing to fear is facing a good bit of armour. With its low post-penetration damage, tank with many crew members are also hard to take down.

Another option is playing a hull down position on a hill. This lets you take full advantage of the guns -18° of gun depression and means that only exceptionally well placed shots will be able to harm you.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Over all thick armour for rank I
** ~35-40 mm thick on all sides + a bit sloped gives it a chance to survive a hit or two
** Capable of ''very noticeable'' angling due to thick sides
** Turret is quite thick on all sides
* One of the first French tanks to be able to fight on its own at close range
* Shoulder stabilizer makes stop-and-shoot tactics very effective
* Good acceleration in AB, with an acceptable turn speed when driving At max speed
* Has 3 crew members, granting better survivability than other 2-man French vehicles

'''Cons:'''

* Big cupola is an obvious shot trap
* Angling can be defeated by knowing its shot traps: even a well-angled S.35 shows flat armour
* Gun has poor penetration power from long range
* Limited ammunition choice
* Mobility is an issue:
** Long and narrow chassis makes for difficult turning
** Reverse speed feels slow

== History ==

The SOMUA S.35 was developed in 1934 in response to demand for a cavalry tank that could withstand direct hits from contemporary anti-tank weapons. SOMUA was the company assigned to the challenge, and by spring 1935 they completed construction of the first prototype, designated the AC3.

Unfortunately, early testing revealed some flaws with the first prototype, which SOMUA subsequently fixed and released in a pre-production batch of four vehicles (called the AC4). This first batch demonstrated satisfactory performance. In 1936, the AC4 modification of the vehicle was adopted as the standard medium tank for the cavalry units of the French army. Shortly thereafter, it received the official designation of SOMUA S.35.

Production of the SOMUA S.35 began in 1936, with a goal of producing 600 vehicles. During production, however, financial restraints limited the number that could be produced. Of the initial 600 planned, only 450 were actually ordered and built for the French army.

Following the outbreak of WW2, the S.35 was soon deployed to defend French soil against a German invasion. Because the tank was designed to fight contemporary armoured vehicles of other nations, it fared well against the onslaught of Panzer III's and early modifications of the Panzer IV.

In fact, in most battles where the S.35 clashed with German Panzers in engagement ranges of around 1000 meters, the S.35 was able to destroy the Panzers without taking any critical damage in return.

Unfortunately, while the S.35 did reasonably well in combat, the mechanics servicing the vehicle had few kind words for it. Due to its cast hull and complex suspension design, the S.35 was notoriously difficult to service and maintain—so difficult that if the tank was damaged in combat, the crew was unlikely to be able to repair it on the battlefield.

While the S.35 saw some success in battle, its victories were short-lived. In June 1940, France surrendered and German forces occupied the northern part of the country, while the Vichy government was established in the south. Dozens of S.35s were captured, modified, and then deployed by the German and Italian forces. A handful of S.35s were also given to axis allies such as Hungary and Bulgaria.

The S.35 was eventually decommissioned from active service at the end of hostilities in 1945.

''- From [[wt:en/news/5175-development-somua-s-35-shield-of-the-republic-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_somua_s35 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|4_cJ1CpEatw|'''Best gun depression''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:01 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|vwE8wSgoDwY|'''SOMUA {{PAGENAME}}, French, Tier-1, Medium Tank''' - ''Angry Nerd Gaming''|HreZgJwCMzM|'''The Shooting Range #79''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 05:05 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|NBK3FOqZB4k|'''{{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 ==


* [[wt:en/news/5175-development-somua-s-35-shield-of-the-republic-en|[Devblog] SOMUA S.35 - Shield of The Republic]]
* [[wikipedia:SOMUA_S35|[Wikipedia] SOMUA S35]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/france/Somua_S35.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> SOMUA S35]

{{France medium tanks}}

S.35

2022-05-11T03:18:19Z

U118659507: /* Usage in battles */ added an important paragraph for players new to the game that may not yet have an understanding of how to utilise gun depression.

{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_somua_s35
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (SOMUA's 1935 S cavalry tank) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. As it was considered to be ''the best'' tank at its time, being very mobile, easy to maintain while having good combat characteristics. As WW2 struck, these were on the frontlines, hence the nickname [[wt:en/news/5175-development-somua-s-35-shield-of-the-republic-en|"Shield of The Republic"]]. This tank will surely feel like a breath of fresh air over its underpowered predecessors.

The S.35 has the same turret design as on the Char [[B1 bis]], meaning that the penetration, reload and turret rotation speed is the same (But there is no "mail slot" turret ring). The S.35 contains a 3 man crew (Gunner/Commander, Driver and Radio operator) so a well placed frontal shot from HEAT or from a high caliber gun will in majority of cases destroy you on the spot. The S.35 is best used when showing only its strong turret, exposing only one crew member at a time brings extra survivability. The S.35 is a tall and cumbersome tank at its battle rating, though it is relatively mobile with a 40 km/h top speed.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (engine vents, side skirts)
* Cast homogeneous armour (hull, turret. cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 47 mm (24°) ''Upper plate'' 35 mm (cylindrical) ''Upper glacis'' 40 mm (cylindrical) ''Lower glacis'' || 40 mm (15-25°) ''Top'' 38 mm (17-21°) ''Top - Access panels'' 40 ''Bottom'' 40 + 20 mm ''Bottom - Side skirts'' || 35 mm (31°) ''Top'' 25 mm ''Centre'' 25 mm (25-29°) ''Bottom'' || 35 mm (cylindrical) ''Front glacis'' 25 mm (4-9°) ''Centre and rear'' 8 mm (13°) ''Engine vents''
|-
| Turret || 56 mm ''Turret front'' 45 mm ''Gun mantlet'' 45 + 56 mm ''Machine gun port'' 40 mm ''Turret ring'' || colspan="2" style="text-align:center" | 45 mm (20°) || 30 mm (24°) ''Front part'' 30 mm ''Rear part''
|-
| Cupola || 40 mm (8°) || 40 mm (25-26°) || 40 mm (9°) || 30 mm (spherical)
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.
* Hull underside above the tracks is 10 mm thick.
* Gun barrel is 15 mm thick.

Armour is the {{PAGENAME}}'s main attribute as it is thick and provides good protection for its 3-man crew. Still, do not completely rely on it as there are many foes that can easily penetrate it at any range. Take every bounced shot as a "lucky roll" and get back into cover as quick as possible as the next shot could be your last. Armour this thick makes this tank very resilient to SPAA shots from all sides. An effective way to angle this tank is by facing your enemy at 45°, showing them your right-hand track: this sides minimises shot traps (on the other side, a flat 40 mm plate is conveniently placed at the right angle to make this tactic as ineffective as possible). As for top armour, this tank is pretty much immune to strafing from anything ranging from rifle caliber to HMG rounds, which are common aircraft armaments at this BR.

If you see a {{PAGENAME}}, aim at the connection of the lower/middle plate with the upper plate which meets at 90 degrees, despite being curved, creating a weak spot that often knocks them out if penetrated. If not then aim at the driver's optics to knock out both driver and gunner. Flank if possible and make sure to be quite close to this tank's side as its armour is thick in this general area. The S.35 cannot fight more than one tank at a time, so if you can surround the {{PAGENAME}}, it will fall quickly due to poor reload rate and turret turning speed.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 294|rbMinHp= 168}}

Forward motion of the {{PAGENAME}} is great, turning and reverse are awful. It has average crossing capability on soft terrain (snow, mud, etc.). Align your hull in a straight line towards your objective and hit the gas ''without correcting trajectory'' is the best way to maximise this tank's speed as any turning motion slows it down quite significantly.

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

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

{{main|SA35 L/32 (47 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/32 (47 mm)|47 mm SA35 L/32]] || 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" | ±18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Shoulder || 9.5 || 13.2 || 16.0 || 17.7 || 18.8 || rowspan="2" | 5.2 || rowspan="2" | 4.6|| rowspan="2" | 4.2|| rowspan="2" | 4.0
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 6.0 || 7.0 || 8.5 || 9.4 || 10.0
|-
|}

While being subpar to later pre-war tanks, this vehicle's main armament provides decent anti-tank capability. Its main flaw being slow reload and low spalling: make every shot count. Early commanders of French tanks should be used to command one-man turrets, with all their benefits and flaws. It is worth mentioning the shoulder gun stabilizer, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics effective.

==== Ammunition ====
The {{PAGENAME}} has a limited choice of ammunition:

* '''Mle1935''': APC; a solid shot with average penetration and no explosive filler. Make sure to target modules and crew positions to maximise the damage. Knowledge of enemy vehicle layouts is essential with this type of ammunition.
* '''Mle1935 HE''': HE; useful for destroying open and very lightly armoured vehicles.

{| 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
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 62 || 59 || 47 || 36 || 27 || 20
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 660 || 1.62 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 590 || 1.41 || 0 || 0.1 || 143 || 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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''84''' || 67 ''(+17)'' || 49 ''(+35)'' || 25 ''(+59)'' || 1 ''(+83)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* As they are modeled by sets of 3, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire all shells in the set.

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,250 (150) || 551 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

Your best option is to play in a supportive role, stay behind a well armoured vehicle and land shots on the enemy from a medium distance. Do not try to rush in ahead of the team or go solo, as 7/10 times you will be destroyed by a counter-flanking player. The S.35 is able to hold its ground if you create a corridor for people to come at you. If you are able to flank without being seen, just remember to check behind you every now and then.

All light tanks are to be feared as they can out-manoeuvre this cumbersome tank quite easily and most enemies with a bit of luck will eventually hit one of this tank's weak spots, the only thing to fear is facing a good bit of armour. With its low post-penetration damage, tank with many crew members are also hard to take down.

Another option is playing a hull down position on a hill. This lets you take full advantage of the guns -18° of gun depression and means that only exceptionally well placed shots will be able to harm you.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Over all thick armour for rank I
** ~35-40 mm thick on all sides + a bit sloped gives it a chance to survive a hit or two
** Capable of ''very noticeable'' angling due to thick sides
** Turret is quite thick on all sides
* One of the first French tanks to be able to fight on its own at close range
* Shoulder stabilizer makes stop-and-shoot tactics very effective
* Good acceleration in AB, with an acceptable turn speed when driving At max speed
* Has 3 crew members, grating better survivability than other 2-man French vehicles

'''Cons:'''

* Big cupola is an obvious shot trap
* Angling can be defeated by knowing its shot traps: even a well-angled S.35 shows flat armour
* Gun has poor penetration power from long range
* Limited ammunition choice
* Mobility is an issue:
** Long and narrow chassis makes for difficult turning
** Reverse speed feels slow

== History ==

The SOMUA S.35 was developed in 1934 in response to demand for a cavalry tank that could withstand direct hits from contemporary anti-tank weapons. SOMUA was the company assigned to the challenge, and by spring 1935 they completed construction of the first prototype, designated the AC3.

Unfortunately, early testing revealed some flaws with the first prototype, which SOMUA subsequently fixed and released in a pre-production batch of four vehicles (called the AC4). This first batch demonstrated satisfactory performance. In 1936, the AC4 modification of the vehicle was adopted as the standard medium tank for the cavalry units of the French army. Shortly thereafter, it received the official designation of SOMUA S.35.

Production of the SOMUA S.35 began in 1936, with a goal of producing 600 vehicles. During production, however, financial restraints limited the number that could be produced. Of the initial 600 planned, only 450 were actually ordered and built for the French army.

Following the outbreak of WW2, the S.35 was soon deployed to defend French soil against a German invasion. Because the tank was designed to fight contemporary armoured vehicles of other nations, it fared well against the onslaught of Panzer III's and early modifications of the Panzer IV.

In fact, in most battles where the S.35 clashed with German Panzers in engagement ranges of around 1000 meters, the S.35 was able to destroy the Panzers without taking any critical damage in return.

Unfortunately, while the S.35 did reasonably well in combat, the mechanics servicing the vehicle had few kind words for it. Due to its cast hull and complex suspension design, the S.35 was notoriously difficult to service and maintain—so difficult that if the tank was damaged in combat, the crew was unlikely to be able to repair it on the battlefield.

While the S.35 saw some success in battle, its victories were short-lived. In June 1940, France surrendered and German forces occupied the northern part of the country, while the Vichy government was established in the south. Dozens of S.35s were captured, modified, and then deployed by the German and Italian forces. A handful of S.35s were also given to axis allies such as Hungary and Bulgaria.

The S.35 was eventually decommissioned from active service at the end of hostilities in 1945.

''- From [[wt:en/news/5175-development-somua-s-35-shield-of-the-republic-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_somua_s35 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|4_cJ1CpEatw|'''Best gun depression''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:01 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|vwE8wSgoDwY|'''SOMUA {{PAGENAME}}, French, Tier-1, Medium Tank''' - ''Angry Nerd Gaming''|HreZgJwCMzM|'''The Shooting Range #79''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 05:05 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|NBK3FOqZB4k|'''{{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 ==


* [[wt:en/news/5175-development-somua-s-35-shield-of-the-republic-en|[Devblog] SOMUA S.35 - Shield of The Republic]]
* [[wikipedia:SOMUA_S35|[Wikipedia] SOMUA S35]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/france/Somua_S35.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> SOMUA S35]

{{France medium tanks}}

M10 GMC (France)

2022-05-11T03:08:54Z

U118659507: /* Usage in battles */ old version has the same paragraph repeated so less helpful version was deleted

{{About
| about = tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|other
|usage-1 = other versions
|link-1 = M10 (Family)
|usage-2 = other uses
|link-2 = M10 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_m10
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]].

The M10 GMC takes much from the [[M4A2]] which it was derived from. The drivetrain is identical with the drive shaft running from the engine in the rear to the front transmission and sprockets. The hull is sloped to a larger degree. The [[M7 (76 mm)|76 mm M7 cannon]] originally mounted on the experimental M6 Heavy Tank lacks the muzzle brake of the 76 mm M1A2 gun used on the later Rank III Sherman's and the [[M18 GMC]]. The turret is a pentagonal shaped M5 Mount type.

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


The armour of the M10 GMC is essentially decent for the rank, and with proper angling is able to ricochet a lot of shells, however, the armour is not thick enough to resist any of the stronger tank weapons of Rank II and above. The sides and back are quite thin and are not able to resist most weapons stronger than a 12.7 mm machine gun. The front of the turret can often eat shells as the shell will fragment on the initial armour, and the massive breech of the 76 mm cannon will often absorb most if not all of the fragmentation, leaving the crew untouched, allowing for a retreat and repair without crew losses. The turret's top is open and because it that it is quite vulnerable to HE shells and planes, and artillery barrages.

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Transmission carter)
*Structural steel (Counterweight)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38.1 mm (55°) ''Upper glacis - Top'' 50.8 mm (55°) ''Upper glacis - Bottom'' 50.8 mm (cylindrical) ''Transmission carter'' 50.8 mm (51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 19.05 mm (38°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm ''Bottom'' || 19.05 mm (28°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm (7°) ''Lower plate'' 25.4 mm (51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 38.1 mm (35°) ''Front glacis'' 19.05 mm ''Centre half'' 9.5 mm ''Rear half''
|-
| Turret || 25.4 mm (68-89°) ''Turret front'' 57.15 mm (44-45°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 100 mm ''Gun mantlet'' 25.4 mm (23°) || 25.4 mm (30-47°) ''Turret rear'' 50 mm (38°) ''Counterweight'' || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick while bogies are 10 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 12.7 mm thick.
* The turret ring is 25.4 mm thick.
* An internal 9.5 mm plate separates the crew compartment from the engine compartment.
* Hull underside above tracks is 9.5 mm thick.
* Hull sides are protected by add-on tracks and grousers that give 20 mm of extra armour.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=582|rbMinHp=363|AoAweight=0.5}}

The {{PAGENAME}} has essentially the same mobility features as the [[M4]] Sherman tank. When spaded, the tank is able to move quite fast in a straight line, going slightly below or even up to its max speed. The turning speed is not that great and the reverse speed does not have much going for it either. The {{PAGENAME}} struggles while driving on inclines due to its narrow tracks. In conclusion, the mobility is average and it is able to reach wanted positions reasonably fast.

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

First off get all protection modifications: Parts and FPE. After that move on to research modifications from the Firepower tree: Horizontal Drive, Adjustment of Fire, and the Elevation Mechanism. Lastly research the Mobility tree: Tracks, Filters, Engine, Transmission, Suspension, Brake System.

Though the M79 shot stock is an available module in the modifications, it can be at the bottom of prioritization as it currently possess no advantage over the stock M62 shell, having the same shell velocity but with worse penetration at all distances and angles, shallower ricochet angle, higher shell cost.

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

{{main|M7 (76 mm)}}

The 3-inch (76 mm) cannon is a wonderful and powerful gun. APCBC ammo can penetrate any tank on the battlefield even from long range. Because APCBC has enough penetration, the AP ammo is less useful. It is not a bad idea to carry HE ammo as well to fight lightly armoured and open top tanks like the [[M16 MGMC]]. The powerful gun and potent ammunition make the M10 a good sniper vehicle at its battle rating, especially with its -10° gun depression, giving the M10 the ability to maximize a hull-down position. Unfortunately, even though this tank destroyer does feature a turret, its turret rotation speed is extremely slow (< 4.0°/s) due to its historic configuration of only possessing a hand crank for the turret traverse.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M7 (76 mm)|76 mm M7]] || 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" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+30° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 3.96 || 5.48 || 6.66 || 7.37 || 7.84 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 2.68 || 3.15 || 3.83 || 4.23 || 4.50
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| M62 shell || APCBC || 149 || 146 || 133 || 119 || 106 || 95
|-
| M42A1 shell || HE || 7 || 7 || 7 || 7 || 7 || 7
|-
| M79 shot || AP || 134 || 132 || 121 || 109 || 99 || 89
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| M62 shell || APCBC || 792 || 7 || 1.2 || 14 || 63.7 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M42A1 shell || HE || 800 || 5.84 || 0 || 0.1 || 390 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M79 shot || AP || 792 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_M10_GMC.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the M10 GMC (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
|-
| '''54''' || 49 ''(+5)'' || 37 ''(+17)'' || 25 ''(+29)'' || 13 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 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 || 300 (200) || 577 || -10°/+28° || ±60°
|-
|}
The turret-mounted M2HB .50 cal heavy machine gun is very good at knocking out tracks, punching through lightly armoured vehicles and shooting down low-flying aircraft. Use it sparsely because of its low ammo count.

== Usage in battles ==


The M10 is a support vehicle. Find a good sniping position and lay behind the team taking out enemy tanks from a distance. Try to stay away from enemy tanks to avoid getting destroyed quickly. To make full use of its decent sniping capacity, find a spot that:

* overlooks key passageway / street / battle area
* is not too close to the frontline
* has slopes, hard covers or bushes
* is not too hard to get to

With a location like that, the M10 can utilise its -10° gun depression and use hull down. Its turret front and mantlet can consistently cause ricochets especially in a downtier. Looming behind bushes, an M10's well aimed shots should be able to knock out most enemy tanks at the battle-rating range from long range. Even if you get spotted, any slope or hard covers will provide protection for you.

If fighting in a close quarter's environment, do not try to push forward without support. Stay behind friendly tanks in order to support them without being shot at. If in an urban scenario on maps like [[Poland (Ground Forces)|Poland]] or [[Normandy (Ground Forces)|Normandy]], utilize the tank's turning speed to rotate the turret to the right angle. But, the best option is still to find a hull down location. For example, in Normandy, the best location is towards the C point, where there are hills and dips that can be used to hide the hull, while giving a good view of the battlefield.

The M10 has a very slow turret rotation speed, but the M10 can traverse faster than it can rotate its turret and use its high speed when at high gear to produce some interesting skids via the physics engine to swerve the M10 and angle its gun at an enemy tank around the corner. It is recommended to understand and get a good feel of the M10's mobility and horsepower on dirt and paved roads before attempting this stunt. The low turret rotation speed means that a M10 player must always be aware of where the enemy tanks are, because they will not be able to turn the turret quickly if the enemy is able to flank the M10. In addition, the M10's side armour is weak, and the ammunition storage is in the hull sides, so if the enemy is able to shoot the M10 at that location, it is very likely to explode the ammo rack and destroy the tank with one shot.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* [[R3 T20 FA-HS]]: this vehicle is the exact opposite tank when comparing to an M10: extremely high topspeed, great traverse and fast gun rotation. A well-manoeuvred R3 can easily circle around the M10 and shoot AP shells through the thin side, while the M10 struggles to get the gun on target even when traversing the hull with the gun. If you know an R3 is around, you better turn your hull towards the possible direction and be ready to engage. Move the hull with the gun to target quicker. Even if you miss, the M2 Browning can still penetrate the R3 and knock out its crews. Note that a side shot on the R3 does not guarantee a kill as the fuse might not get triggered, and the crew are pretty separated. The R3 can run away and repair for another attack. A frontal shot, however, is likely to one shot it as the crew are all lined up.

* [[8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.]]: it is rather hard to knock out due to the fact that its armour is so thin that almost every shell will over-penetrate, dealing almost no critical damage. Plus this vehicle mostly face their side to the targets, making it even harder to kill them as the crew are all far apart. So it can usually take quite some hits and take out the shooters one by one. As the shooter, aim for the left side of its turret first to disable its gunner first, then knock out the rest of its crew (right turret & driving compartment). Do not hope that the M2 HB can knock out the crew members, the truck's armour is too thick for any MG to penetrate.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Main cannon penetration and damage is very good for the rank, can knock out many tanks in one hit. For example the [[Chi-Nu]], [[Pz.IV F2]], [[StuG III F]] or even the [[Tiger H1]] when aiming carefully
* Good gun depression of -10°, perfect for hull-down positions
* Front armour can resist certain shots: front glacis steeply sloped and the huge, V-shaped gun mantlet can often bounce / absorb shells (e.g. 75 mm M3 and 76 mm F-34 / ZiS-5), as well as the large gun breech behind it further protecting the turret crew
* 5 crew members, plus one more with [[Crew Replenishment]] modification
* Turreted purpose-built tank destroyer allows for wide field of fire compared to casemate designs
* Pintle-mounted HMG can offer effective anti-aircraft fire
* Access to the [[Add-on Armor|add-on armour]] modification
* Has relatively no problem when getting uptiered

'''Cons:'''

* Very poor turret traverse speed combined with its rather sluggish hull traverse "locks" it as a long range sniper for most players- close quarters combat is very difficult and great situational awareness is required, as it often cannot get its gun on target in time. It is also vulnerable to flankers like the Sd.Kfz.234/2
* Base armour is quite thin, can get easily penetrated by common opponents like the Pz.IV F2 or the US [[M10 GMC]]
* Open-topped, vulnerable to aircraft strafing and overpressure
* Poor reverse speed can sometimes get the vehicle destroyed

== History ==

{{main|M10_GMC/History|l1=History of the M10 GMC}}

===Combat usage===
The M10 GMC was provided officially to the Free French Forces mostly through the lend-lease program from 1943.
227 M10 were delivered to the Free French Forces. They saw combat action in Italy, France and Western Germany in 1944 and 1945.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_m10 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|j1McioDJan8|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[M10 (Family)]]
* [[M36 Jackson (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:M10_tank_destroyer|[Wikipedia] M10 tank destroyer]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/US/M10_Wolverine.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> 3in GMC M10 Wolverine]

{{France tank destroyers}}