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Tiger H1

2022-08-26T17:09:03Z

U124360877: tip

{{About
| about = German heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Tiger I (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_pzkpfw_VI_ausf_h1_tiger
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''', also known as the '''{{PAGENAME}}''', is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. The {{PAGENAME}} carries its reputation from real-life to its in-game performances, armed with the infamous 88 mm KwK36 gun that can easily destroy most tanks it meets. The armour of the {{PAGENAME}} is strong at 102 mm and can be easily increased by angling the tank approximately 30° to the side, with the side armour thick enough for glancing side fire as well. Mobility is also decent for a heavy tank due to its 650 hp engine and suspension, making the {{PAGENAME}} a near jack-of-all-trades at its level.

The Tiger H1 is an early production variant of the Tiger I tanks. However, it is the basis of the Tiger I tanks with the three features: the long 88 mm KwK36 gun, the Schachtellaufwerk interleaving torsion suspension system, and a box armour shape of the hull with a circular turret housing the 88 mm gun. The tank is painted in a flat Dunkelgelb yellow coat, though there are large swatches bare metal from scratched off paint.

The Tiger H1 tank is most distinctive from its later production models is its drum-shaped, cylindrical cupola protruding from the top left of the turret. Turret-mounted smoke dischargers known as the Wurfbecher are mounted to the turret sides slightly behind the gun mantlet. On the hull-roof, there are also five S-Mine dischargers, with three on the left side and two on the right side. On the hull rear, there are two Feifel air cleaner units that were intended for dusty environments.

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

[[File:TigerIHTank Armour Angling.png|right|thumbnail|The ideal angling of hull armour on {{PAGENAME}} for maximum effective armour all-around|300px]]
One may feel the need to charge head-on into battle, blaring that 88 mm gun as shells bounce off the front armour while the Schachtellaufwerk suspension system runs over the ground; this is a short-lived strategy.

The Tiger H1 should be played more like a bulky medium tank rather than a heavy tank despite its status, supporting allies from the sideline or from a distance rather than leading directly from the front. This is due to the poor armour arrangement, most of the thickness of the tank is concentrated on the front face of the tank and leaves the sides exposed, espeically since this model of tiger has a 'boxier' design. This is even more important to remember as ammunition is stowed along the sides the tank, protected by the inferior side armor. One must remain a distance, exploit the 88 mm long-distance power, and maintain a diamond-shape compound angling to maximize armour thickness against the trailing enemy shells that will inevitably come towards the Tiger's way.

The Tiger H1 is equipped with 12 smoke grenades that can help cover the vehicle while it escapes or repairs. Smoke grenades discharge in 2 salvos of 6 (3 to each side of the turret) covering a 120° sector 10 m in front of the vehicle. The grenades deploy smoke in 4 seconds and last 25 seconds. Both salvos are separated by a 1-minute reload time.

The commander cupola is tall and weak: this can lead APHE shells to detonate inside, knocking out at best the loader or even the commander, loader, and gunner.

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 102 mm (9°) ''Front plate'' 62 mm (80°) ''Front glacis'' 102 mm (25°) ''Lower glacis''|| 82 mm ''Top'' 62 mm ''Bottom''|| 82 mm (9°)|| 26 mm
|-
| Turret || 100 mm ''Turret front'' 90 - 200 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 82 mm || 82 mm || 26 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 80 mm (cylindrical) || 26 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Turret front covered by gun mantlet has variable thickness depending on exact place, ranging from 90 to 200 mm of armour.
* Turret side (about 1/3) is covered by attached tracks, adding additional 30 mm of armour.
* While the hull side of the tank is 82 mm, the side where the suspension is located is only 62 mm thick so be aware of this weak point.
* On paper, the best angle is roughly 38.8° with armour all-round being from the front 130 mm.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 839|rbMinHp= 575}}

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

For Tier I modifications obtained the vital "Parts" and "Horizontal Drive" modifications as the former will give the Tiger the ability to repair and the latter will provide a much-needed boost to the Tiger's slow turret traverse rate.

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

{{main|KwK36 (88 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK36 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK36]] || 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" | 92 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+16° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 9.71 || 13.44 || 16.32 || 18.05 || 19.20 || rowspan="2" | 9.62 || rowspan="2" | 8.51 || rowspan="2" | 7.84 || rowspan="2" | 7.40
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 7.10 || 8.40 || 10.20 || 11.30 || 12.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''PzGr 39''': The go-to shell for all Tiger H1 drivers as this is arguably the best. It will do incredible damage to any tank shot by it, except SPAA, or any extremely thin armoured vehicles. Heavier tanks like the IS-1, IS-2, or American heavy tanks are able to resist the round at longer ranges, but well-placed shots from close range or sides will do the job. All other medium and light tanks will be history as soon as this shell make contact with them. This shell, however, will almost always over-penetrate all but the most armoured SPAA vehicles, so it is best to use HE or machine gun fire on thin-skinned vehicles.
* '''PzGr ''': This shell is also very useful. It has very similar characteristics as PzGr 39, but sacrifices some penetration for about 150% more Explosive Filler, meaning even more damage than already powerful PzGr 39. It is recommended to carry some of these shells and use them regularly, as the penetration is still enough to deal with most targets (at least when being down-tiered), and switch to PzGr 39 when shooting targets far away, or those that are heavily armoured.
* '''Sprgr. 39''': The HE shell is completely ineffective against all but SPAA or the AI artillery on the Kursk and Ash River maps, and the machine gun mounted on the Tiger has proven quite capable of dealing with these. Keep a small supply of this shell on hand if planning to flank the enemy and take out their SPAA or artillery, but avoid them for everything else.
* '''Hl.Gr. 39''': On paper the HEAT rounds don't bring anything new to the table, however they can be used as a substitute for the HE shells due to the greater explosive mass and still gives a fighting chance if caught with pants down.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 165 || 162 || 151 || 139 || 127 || 117
|-
| Pzgr. || APCBC || 153 || 151 || 140 || 128 || 116 || 106
|-
| Hl.Gr 39 || HEAT || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110
|-
| Sprgr. L/4.5 || 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%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 773 || 10.2 || 1.2 || 14 || 108.8 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Pzgr. || APCBC || 810 || 9.5 || 1.2 || 14 || 285.6 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr 39 || HEAT || 600 || 7.64 || 0 || 0.3 || 1,100 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. L/4.5 || HE || 820 || 9 || 0 || 0.1 || 698 || 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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''92''' || 77 ''(+15)'' || 61 ''(+31)'' || 45 ''(+47)'' || 29 ''(+63)'' || 25 ''(+67)'' || 21 ''(+71)'' || 17 ''(+75)'' || 13 ''(+79)'' || 7 ''(+85)'' || 1 ''(+91)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set
* Large sides empty: 29 ''(+63)'' shells.

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

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,350 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The main role of the Tiger tank was to eliminate enemy tanks at a far range, similar to behaving like a sniping tank, or a Tank Destroyer. Nonetheless, the Tiger can excel at brawling with other tanks at medium, even possibly against two [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks to close range and escape undamaged. It's recommended to not stay in one place for too long or risk getting outflanked, spotted, or bombed.

While guns like the Soviet [[D-5T (85 mm)|85 mm]] cannon can easily penetrate the Tiger at close range, the Tiger can stay nearly invulnerable at long range. The 88 can take out any tank on Rank 3 at any combat range but may have problems with the [[IS-1]]'s 120 mm front armour at some ranges. When having to close in a bit, it is generally advisable to angle the hull to the sides by about 30°, improving the armour rating enough that it can keep away 85 mm shells very well, even at closer ranges. The {{PAGENAME}} is still vulnerable to the [[SU-152|SU-152s]] howitzer and its HE shell at any range. So whenever encountering these heavy-calibre vehicles, it should be prioritized and eliminated first.

The Tiger's hull has many flat areas that can be easily penetrated. To maximize the angles and thus the protection, the tank should be angled about 40º to either side. An easy way of angling you tank is to make sure the corner of you tank is facing the enemy. The side armour is strong enough for such angling, and is flat as well. The turret is more complicated. It features many pieces of armour that overlap and such, and as such will either be exceptionally strong or be penetrated easily. As such, avoid relying on the turret to absorb shells. On the other hand, opponents will also try to avoid hitting the turret, as there is a chance to not penetrate.

Mobility-wise the {{PAGENAME}} is pretty good for a heavy tank. It is much faster than a [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] and about as equally fast as the [[IS-1]], although medium tanks like the [[T-34-85]] can easily outmanoeuvre all three at close range. Try to use the Tiger's mobility to keep a distance rather than for closing in on a target. Don't be afraid to use the speed to fall back if necessary as the Tiger cannot survive close range engagements on open terrain vs. mediums, due to the slow turret and the vulnerability to the 85 mm guns on Soviet medium tanks.

The Tiger has a very bad turret traverse, it is recommended to get the "Turret Drive" traverse modification as fast as possible. Even then, the Tiger will have to turn the tank in the direction of the traverse to make the most of the time to quickly engage a target. This, together with very exposed ammo racks on both sides (though one side can be emptied by reducing the ammo stowage) means that facing multiple enemies at once is almost a certain end to the Tiger tank. The best option is to take cover from one tank and fire on the other.

As far as ammo is concerned, the default PzGr 39 will be the standard AP rounds many players will use. The second AP round available, the Pzgr., is also a good round to use against the enemy as the shell contains more explosive filler than the default, but suffers from a lower penetration value compared to the PzGr 39. The HEAT rounds offer consistent penetration at all ranges including more than 2000 m. However, they provide less damage upon penetration. HEAT rounds usually are usually not used as the primary ammunition type for this sole reason. Upgrading the tank should mainly be dedicated to turret traverse, hull traverse (as this is needed even with the turret traverse upgrade) and engine upgrades. The Tiger's 88 has massive destructive power. Unlike the other German tank of its rank, all armed with 75 mm guns, the Tiger can easily knock out all the mediums like the T-34s, M4 Shermans with a single shot, and still be a threat against heavy tanks like the IS-1s. If it doesn't destroy a tank in one hit, most of the enemy crew will be wounded or incapacitated. The best place to aim with the 88 is either at the gunner's side of the enemy turret to incapacitate an enemy's firepower, or between the driver and the gunner which would usually wound or knock out most of the enemy crew at once. Attacking from the side also presents a good shot opportunity, as the best shot placement is right below the turret on the hull where most of the tank ammunition are stored, giving a big chance for an ammo-rack explosion.

When driving the Tiger, plan ahead on where it will drive. Even with engine and track modifications, the {{PAGENAME}} is still a heavy tank and a 90 degree or more turn will almost always mean an immediate standstill as the tank try to make the change in movement. Even small adjustments can knock the speed down a bit. Thus, knowing the terrain and destination is of the utmost importance to preserve its mobility to its fullest extent.

The {{PAGENAME}} is also best used on the flanks of the current maps, as these are usually more open and allow good use of its armour and excellent gun. The centre of the map would seem more logical as there are a lot of enemies, but as has already been established a Tiger taking fire from multiple directions won't last long. Going in a flank and taking down light and medium tanks is an easy task for this beast, and thus a flank can be easily secured if the {{PAGENAME}} is driven carefully. Then, work the {{PAGENAME}} into the enemy sides and rear of the main force in the centre, doing much more damage than if the Tiger faced the force head-on because a shot to the side and rear will set most enemies alight if not outright exploding the ammunition. Able to destroy vehicles in one hit, the Tiger can quickly jump from target to target and eliminate a good number of enemies in its lifespan.

The Tiger H1 is very effective at long range, and should be used accordingly. Players should try to avoid point blank fights with other tanks, since this will often result in the vulnerable sides being exposed. As a sniper or flanker, the tank is wonderful and as long as its sides are not exposed, it will last a long time.

There will be many hard eggs to crack such as the IS- Series, T-34 Series, American Jumbos, and several other tanks that will give the {{PAGENAME}} trouble.

* The Russians have many tanks at the BR able to handle the Tiger H1 easily. The main tank at this BR is the T-34-85's. While it may have very thin armour and is easy to penetrate it is easy to angle and the T-34 is a franking machine, it will drive circles around the Tiger so it needs to be destroyed quick. The IS- Heavy tanks are the second worst nightmare situation. Thick armour and a huge gun. If the IS tank is not destroyed first, it will definitely destroy the Tiger.
* The American Jumbos are similar to the T-34. The 75 mm variant would have trouble to penetrate the Tiger's armour at long ranges, but caution needs to be exercised when they are armed with a 76 mm gun.
* The Japanese tanks all have very thin armour that the 88 mm gun can easily penetrate through with no problem, but their guns at this BR all have enough penetration to deal with the {{PAGENAME}} if it gets a hit on.

'''Against the Tiger H1:'''

'''Light tank''': when dealing with a Tiger I, you must utilise your superior speed and agility to your advantage, to compensate for your weak firepower. If your penetration is less than 100 mm, then manoeuvre to the Tiger's side as that is where you can destroy it. The upper part of the hull side is 80 mm thick, without any angling, meaning that light tanks such as [[M24 (Family)|M24]] can reliably penetrate there. Even the reserve [[BT-5]] can punch through that armour section, though guns with less post-penetration damage will have to shoot several times to ensure that all crew are knocked out. The lower section of the hull side is only 60 mm, meaning that even if the player does not have a high tier light tank and can only use low tier tanks like the M3A3 Stuart, that area can still be penetrated. The Tiger's turret turns slowly, but still be careful to move out of its gun's way. Facing a Tiger I is a hard job because it can penetrate most places on your light tank so a frontal strike against it has a high chance of failing.

'''Medium tank''': with a medium tank, you can more confidently target the Tiger's frontal weak spots. Medium tanks such as [[M4A3 (76) W]], [[T-34-85]], and [[Sherman Firefly]] can all pierce through the Tiger's frontal hull armour when it is not angling. The turret armour is way harder to penetrate as it has some complex bulges, leading to the shells being absorbed. However, an experienced Tiger commander will angle its hull, stacking up the effective thickness to more than ~130 mm thus making it immune to all the above medium tanks. Now, if you cannot flank, aim for the commander's cupola. An explosive-packed shell through there will knock out ~1-3 crew in the turret. If the gunner is knocked out, wait for around 12 seconds for it to replenish a new gunner, then shoot at the cupola again. You can also try breaking the gun barrel, since the muzzle brake is quite large and therefore easier to catch onto shells, damaging the barrel. Note, it is better to avoid shooting at the lower front plate as the transmission behind it will absorb all incoming shells for the crew. Throughout this whole process, the player should be very careful not to get hit as the 88 mm cannon is very potent against most tanks.

'''Heavy tank/tank destroyer''': with a more powerful cannon and perhaps better armour, the player can finally duel the Tiger I with relative ease. For a heavy tank or tank destroyer who sacrifices mobility and/or armour just for superior firepower (e.g. [[IS-2 (Family)|IS-2]], [[ISU-122]]), a Tiger H1 can be penetrated in the hull even if it is angling. Still, do not shoot at the turret and lower front plate where the shells tend to do no damage. Also, try aiming for armour plates that are free of any obstruction, because vehicles who can easily penetrate the Tiger usually have a large calibre gun, their large shells will be bounced or lose penetration should the shell edge impact anything. For example, if you shoot at a Tiger who is facing you, target the dead center of the upper front plate where there is nothing but armour, instead of aiming right next to the driver's port where the armour blocks sticking out will absorb the shell.

'''SPAA''': anti-aircraft guns at this BR cannot really penetrate the Tiger I's armour effectively, but thanks to their fast-firing autocannons SPAAs are great for breaking the Tiger's gun barrel and tracks, assisting your teammates in destroying it. If no supporting fire is near, drop an artillery strike after immobilising the Tiger. Some SPAAs (e.g. [[Phòng không T-34]], [[M42 Duster (Family)|M42]]) have access to AP shells, any shell with more than 60 mm penetration is adequate to penetrate the lower side of the hull. Other than this area, the minimum thickness is 80 mm which is hard for any SPAA. This is an advantage of the Tiger I, although its flat armour performs poorly against heavier cannons, its all-round armour protection is fairly effective against low-penetrating vehicles like SPAAs.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* The gun mantlet, MG port and driver's port are particularly hard to penetrate due to their complex, varying shape and thickness.
* Decent cannon with adequate accuracy and a range of shells to choose. Stock shell has great penetration and damage, and can knock out common opponents easily with a single shot (e.g. [[T-34-85]], [[M4A2 (76) W]], [[IS-1]], [[M6A1]]). Has another AP that sacrifices a bit penetration for more TNT.
* One of the fastest heavy tanks with its top speed of 45 km/h, meaning it can get to some positions quickly alongside friendly medium tanks.
* The box-like hull shape gives the ability to angle. When angling the hull at around 40° and placing yourself far from the enemies (at least 500 m away) the Tiger H1 can resist common tanks like the 76 mm Shermans, T-34-85s and [[M36 Jackson (Family)|M36]].
* Good reverse speed and hull traverse allows it to quickly angle for deflecting shells.
* -8° gun depression works well in most hilly terrain.
* The rear is surprisingly hard to penetrate, partially due to the slightly-angled armour and partly due to the large exhaust pipes which seem to deflect shells.
* The strong gun makes it easy to destroy most opponents at the its battle rating with a single shot, even M4A3E2 Jumbo, as long as you carefully aim for the machine gun port.
* The tank is equipped with smoke grenades, which can help escape an undesirable situation alive.

'''Cons:'''

* Weak and vertical armour protection. If not angling the Tiger H1 can get destroyed easily by the T-34-85 or 76 mm Sherman. Even if the {{PAGENAME}} is angling, the [[IS-2 (Family)|IS-2]] can still knock it out with a single shot easily.
* The upper front plate is extremely vulnerable if it is not angled. It will be penetrated by any vehicle at its BR.
* Struggles to penetrate heavy targets frontally like the [[M4A3E2]], [[M26 (Family)|M26]] and [[IS-2 (1944)]].
* Rather slow acceleration limits its short range manoeuvrability.
* Slow turret traverse makes it hard to respond to flankers quickly. The [[M18 GMC]] is very common at this BR
* Ammo storage at the hull sides are very easy to explode when hit.
* Commander's cupola is tall and easy to penetrate
* Is a big and tall target, easy to get spotted and shot at.
* S-Mine dischargers on the hull limits gun depression in certain areas
* Tracks are rather loud so enemies will most times hear you and will be alert, so surprise attacks will be difficult.

== History ==

===Development===
The Tiger I heavy tank was arguably the most infamous tank of World War II. The design for this tank began as early as January 1937 when Henschel & Sohn worked on a large "breakthrough" called the "Durchbruchwagen" that weighed about 30 tons on request by the German military.<ref name="ImagesOfWarTiger">Anthony Tucker-Jones. Images Of War Special: Tiger I & Tiger II Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military, 2013</ref> The request was modified over time for more armour and better gun that increased the weight to 36 tons, but this project was dropped in 1938 in favour of the better prototypes VK 30.01(H) and VK 36.01(H). These new prototypes were the start of the usage of the Schachtellaufwerk wheel arrangements, but these also never passed prototype stages and were both cancelled in 1942.

During the development of the prototypes above, the German invasion of France showed that the Allied tanks such as the Somua, Char B1, and [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda II]] were impervious to their current anti-tank weaponry and a need for better armoured and armed tanks was emphasized. So on May 26, 1941, Henschel and Porsche were asked to submit designs for a 45-ton heavy tank that was to be ready for demonstration by June 1942. During their development in June 1941, Germany initiated Operation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union and was shocked by appearance of the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] tanks that were invulnerable to all but the most potent anti-tank weapon in German inventory, one of which was the [[KwK36 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK36 cannon]]. The potency of the 88 mm cannon against the heavily armoured tanks that the Germans faced had Hitler ordered that the heavy tank design undertaken by Henschel and Porsche to utilize the 88 mm as its main armament instead of a 75 mm cannon.

The designs of the tank were finalized and ready for demonstration on April 20, 1942, Hitler's birthday, and showed the VK 45.01(H) and the [[VK 45.01 (P)]]. The demonstration and subsequent evaluations on the two designs determined that the Henschel variant was superior to the Porsche variant, proving more reliable, more mobile, and more easily produced than the Porsche. This caused the Henschel variant to be adopted as the Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger and production started in August 1942. The Porsche variant had many chassis produced as Ferdinand Porsche thought the design would win, so the chassis was instead used in the [[Ferdinand]] tank destroyer.

===Design===
What perhaps made the Tiger I so unique in tank development and German doctrine is a change of focus between the three characteristics of the tank; with more emphasis to firepower and armour than to mobility. The Tiger I contained the large 88 mm KwK 36 cannon which was very accurate and powerful, being able to penetrate every Allied armour present at its introduction. The armour on the Tiger I was also one of the greatest at the time, with an astounding 102 mm of armour on the front hull armour, 82 mm on the side superstructure and rear, and 120 mm on the gun mantlet. The armour was vertical faced so no sloping benefits were present like on the [[Panther D|Panther]]. All these armour thicknesses proved invulnerable to most Allied anti-tank weaponry at the time, requiring more creative methods in a shot placement to disable the tank. The mobility, while taken with less emphasis in the development, was still respectable at the time as the tank weighed about 57 metric tons, about 20 tons more than other country's main tanks, yet is able to keep up a speed of 38 km/h (Maximum speed was 45 km/h, but an engine governor was installed to preserve the engine life).

The tank utilized a torsion-bar suspension system in a Schachtellaufwerk overlapping pattern, making the Tiger one of the first German tank design to use the pattern. While the design gave the Tiger I great flotation due to the use of a wider track for lower ground pressure, it had disadvantages in environment and maintenance. In the Eastern Front, mud and other foreign objects could be jammed in between the overlapping wheels, which would freeze in the winter and jam the wheels; the overlapping wheels also were a hassle to change out, in order to replace one wheel in the inside of the suspension, it requires the removal of at least nine other wheels in order to access it. The first 250 Tiger tanks used a Maybach V-12 HL210 engine with 650 hp before switching over to the more powerful Maybach V-12 HL230 engine with 700 hp. The engine proved adequate in propelling the tank but was still considered underpowered for the tank weight.

The Tiger I, as innovative as it is to tank warfare, was a strain on German war production. The tank was over-engineered, taking much more man-hour and materials for its worth as a war machine. Cost-wise, two [[Pz.IV G|Panzer IVs]] or four [[StuG III G|StuG IIIs]] can be built for the cost of one Tiger I. The tank was also expensive to maintain and took lots of fuel to run. These attributed to the low number of only 1,354 Tiger Is produced from 1942 to August 1944.<ref name="ImagesOfWarTiger">Anthony Tucker-Jones. Images Of War Special: Tiger I & Tiger II Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military, 2013</ref>

===Variants===
There are three main production Tiger I variants known today, the "early-production", "mid-production", and "late-production" models. The Early-production model, designated as the Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. H, were the first few batches and are distinguished by their drum-style cupola with an over-swinging hatch. The model also had two vehicle lights on the front side of the tank and dished steel wheels with rubber tyres. The Mid-production featured Zimmerit paste and a side-swinging cupola with accommodation for a machine gun mounted on the cupola. The vehicle light was also changed to just one placed right in the front of the hull armour. The mid-production was also redesignated in May 1943 as the [[Tiger E|Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. E]]. Late-production models featured the removal of the Zimmerit paste as there was an assumed flaw with it, and the overlapping wheels were instead made into interleaving with full-steel road wheels as well, in a manner similar to the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]].

Other specialized variants of the Tiger I was produced as well. A small number of demolition carrier models were field-made in Italy, where it had its main gun replaced by a crane to carry demolition to clear minefields or destroy obstacles. The demolition carrier version was interpreted by Allied intelligence as a BergeTiger, an armoured recovery vehicle, though it is not known if it ever saw service in this role. Another specialized variant produced in 1944 in some numbers was the Sturmtiger, an heavy assault gun with a 38 cm rocket launcher made from a depth charge. 19 of these were made and saw use in all fronts, though its most noteworthy combat action was in the Warsaw Uprising.

===Combat usage===
In its introduction, Hitler ordered the new Tigers to be used in the Leningrad siege in September 1942. However, as the faults of the tank were still not yet fully ironed out at this stage, the mechanical unreliability and the unsuitable terrain caused one of the Tiger Is to be stuck in the swamps and abandoned by its users. This example was then captured by the Red Army and tipped off the Allies of the development of the new Tiger tanks and so developments in countermeasures began. In North Africa, the Tigers saw the first action against the Western Allies in Tunisia in December 1942. Its impact there left an impression on the Allied armour forces, but its myth as an invulnerable tank was shattered when two Tigers were taken out by the British [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|6-pounder anti-tank guns]]. The total loss in that campaign was seven Tigers by February 1943.

Once mass-numbers of Tiger Is were available, they were employed in heavy tank battalions that were to be deployed in breakthrough operations or counter-attacks. Field experience with the Tiger showed that the Tiger's heavyweight proved a nuisance in operational mobility, an example being that small bridges were unable to support the Tiger tank's weight. An attempt to remedy this was to use a snorkel device so the tank could ford rivers as deep as four meters, however, this system was phased out of later production models for cost-savings. The Tiger suffered reliability problems in all of its service life that impeded its effectiveness and its high fuel usage limited its combat operations. Armour recovery of the vehicle was also terrible as three heavy recovery half-tracks were required to tow the tank away, causing a strain on the German support line to keep the Tiger tanks in running order. Despite that, the Tiger I proved superior in terms of armour and armament against the Allies and created massive losses among their armoured forces, causing many soldiers to keep an eye out for the infamous "Tigers".

The impact the Tiger had on the battlefield as the superior tank at its introduction created fame to the commanders and crew operating this tank, further fueling the Tiger's reputation in the war as a killing machine. Some Tiger units were able to achieve kill ratios up to 10:1, and some even higher. Some notable Tiger aces known were Kurt Knispel (168 tank kills), Otto Carius (150+), Johannes Bölter (139+), and Michael Wittmann (138).

However, as the war progressed and the impact of the Tiger's surprise in Kursk and Italy has dissolved, Allied developments gave forth more capable tanks able to defeat the Tiger I tanks. The Soviets solution was to up-gun their [[T-34 (1942)|T-34s]] with an [[D-5T (85 mm)|85 mm gun]] to make the [[T-34-85]], and the Western Allies with the [[M1 (76 mm)|76 mm]] and [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|17-pounders]] on the [[M4A1 (76) W|M4 Sherman]] and [[Sherman Firefly|Firefly]] respectively. The Tiger went as an highly-invulnerable tank design into a simple heavy tank as the war went on, and it was replaced by the more powerful and more heavily armoured [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]] in 1944. Despite its replacement, many Tiger I models still saw use up until the end of World War II.

===Survivors===
Due to the low number of Tiger Is created during the war (1,354, compared to [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IV]]'s 8,550 and the [[M4|M4 Sherman]]'s ~50,000), very few intact Tiger I pieces are left in the world. Today, only seven tanks in various conditions are existent in the world. The most famous of these is the Tiger 131, captured by the British in Tunisia in April 1943, when the crew abandoned the tank due to a [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|6-pounder]] shot from a [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] jamming the gun mantlet and turret ring, causing it to be unable to aim. The intact sample is also famous for being the only fully operational Tiger I in the world due to a reconstruction effort by the Bovington Tank Museum in the 1990s. However, the Tiger 131 does not run on its original Maybach HL210 engine, as it was taken out to be used as a separate display; rather, it uses the HL230, which was mostly used for the Tiger II. It is still there as a display and remains the museum's most popular exhibit.

=== In-game description ===
Work on the creation of a heavy tank began in 1937. Only after the attack on the USSR were the tactical and technical requirements needed for this new war machine met. The tank was designed by the Henschel company, led by Erwin Aders.
Production was handled by Henschel and Weggman factories, which made about 450 tanks from July 1942 to August 1943.

The first 495 vehicles included equipment that enabled the crossing of water obstacles up to 4 meters deep. Beginning with the 251st tank, the Maybach HL 230 P30 engine (600 hp) was replaced with a Maybach HL 230 P45 (700 hp). The Tiger was armed with an 88 mm 8,8 cm KwK-36 L/56 gun, which was a tank version of the famous Flak 18/36 anti-aircraft gun. In the spring and summer of 1943, the tank received smoke grenade launchers and mortars for launching anti-personnel mines.

The Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger entered service with heavy tank battalions. The tanks were first used in the fall of 1942, on the Leningrad front, in the 502nd heavy tank battalion. In December 1942, in North Africa, Tigers entered service with the 501st battalion.

The first tanks which arrived often broke, owing to the haste with which they were put into mass production. The vehicle was very heavy, with low manoeuvrability. It consumed 10 liters of fuel every 1 km. A full fuel tank, 567 liters, was enough for only two and a half hours of combat work, which was one of the tank's major drawbacks. But this was all compensated for by the battle machine's simplicity and ease of operation. Tank operators who served in Tigers were constantly praising its transmission and steering. The tank's armour also gave the crew a high chance of surviving battle, even if the tank was disabled.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_pzkpfw_VI_ausf_h1_tiger Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Sights

* [https://live.warthunder.com/post/675135/en/ RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|ryx7Uxo_3X0|'''The Shooting Range #250''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:40 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|tcIeR_s6fp8|'''The Shooting Range #204''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:50 discusses the Tiger I and the VK 45.01 (P).|9_txEPailKc|'''The Shooting Range #92''' - ''Tactics & Strategy'' section at 10:50 discusses the Tiger I.|QEz1MgTjUAw|'''War Thunder: Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger Ausf. H1''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|kFQd8TYt6Ew|'''Tank Chats #17 Tiger I''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}

== 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/4528-profile-pz-kpfw-vi-tiger-ausf-h1-en|[Vehicle Profile] Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger Ausf. H1]]
* [[wt:en/news/2641/current|[Vehicle Profile] Pzkpfw VI "Tiger" Ausf. H1]]
* [[wikipedia:Tiger_I|[Wikipedia] Tiger I]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/Panzer-VI_Tiger.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Ausf.E (Sd.Kfz.181) Tiger I]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=72 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> SdKfz 181 Panzer VI / Tiger I]

=== References ===
<references />

{{Germany heavy tanks}}

L3/33 CC

2022-08-17T00:07:54Z

U124360877:

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_l3_cc
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_L3_33_CC.jpg|ArtImage_L3-33_CC.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (shortened to ''{{Specs|pseudonym}}'') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]].

The L3/33 CC is an Italian tankette that is the War Thunder equivalent of a shoe-box on tracks (with a gun, of course). This vehicle has very little to no armour, which allows for it to quickly and deftly manoeuvre across the battlefield, scouting for pockets to position the vehicle in for tactical advantages against the slower and heavier enemy vehicles it faces.

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


The protection of the L3/33 is mediocre. Its small size and profile also expose it to being simply run over or rammed against a wall.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 8 mm (79°) ''Front glacis'' 14 mm (0°) ''Lower glacis'' || 14 mm || 8 mm (0-32°) || 8 mm 5 mm ''Hatches''
|-
| Superstructure || 14 mm (13-64°) 14 mm (0-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (0-15°) || 14 mm (0-17°) || 8 mm 5 mm ''Hatches''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=61|rbMinHp=38}}

The L3/33 CC is very mobile both on and off-road. Thanks to its light weight, it accelerates quickly and can cruise at 40 / 25 km/h (AB/RB) in seconds. It does not lose much speed when turning but tends to oversteer when turning while driving over 40 km/h (in AB). With only -6 km/h in reverse (AB & RB), turning around and driving away is easier to retreat form unwanted situations.

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

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

{{main|Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 (20 mm)}}

Wielding an anti-tank rifle with a 10 round magazine capable of launching a small APHE shell every second, the L3/33, in the hands of a competent commander, is able to deal with multiple lightly-armoured vehicles in quick succession. The only thing holding this quick-firing gun back is a lack of effective penetration to deal with all tanks at its battle rating, requiring the commander of this vehicle to be up close and personal and/or flank in order to deal with well-armoured targets ([[M3 Stuart]], [[Pz.38(t) F]], [[T-70]]). Certain heavy targets ([[B1 bis]]) should be avoided altogether.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 (20 mm)|20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39]] || 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" | 110 (10) || rowspan="2" | 60 || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | ±10° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 17.6 || 24.4 || 29.6 || 32.7 || 34.8 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 11.9 || 14.0 || 17.0 || 18.8 || 20.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Perforante mod.35 || APHE || 38 || 36 || 27 || 19 || 14 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Perforante mod.35 || APHE || 832 || 0.14 || 1.2 || 9 || 1.7 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''11''' || 10 ''(+1)'' || 9 ''(+2)'' || 8 ''(+3)'' || 7 ''(+4)'' || 6 ''(+5)'' || 5 ''(+6)'' || 4 ''(+7)'' || 3 ''(+8)'' || 2 ''(+9)'' || 1 ''(+10)'' || 0 ''(+11)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_L3_33_CC.png|right|x250px|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

== Usage in battles ==

The L3/33 CC is best used in ambushes, as this tactic allows it to strike from a close distance; a hill can provide a nice spot for this, as the L3 has 15 degrees of gun depression and can get to cover by simply reversing if it is spotted in time. It is also useful as a flanker due to its small size (hard to spot) and high mobility. You can also get into a lot of small hiding spots due to the tanks small size and low profile.

When playing the L3/33, incoming fire should be avoided at all costs. Due to the cramped layout of internal modules and crew of 2, any penetrating shell is enough to destroy the vehicle. In addition, the armour is so weak that it cannot even protect against .50 calibre machine gun: play carefully.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

[[B1 bis|B1]]:

The B1 is covered by thick armour of at least 50 mm in all directions, even the turret ring and the cupola are 40 mm which all exceed the maximum penetration of the L3 (38 mm). Do anything to avoid fighting this tank, leave it to your teammates by pinning its position on the map. But if unfortunately, you have to confront it, you must avoid its guns. Don't think you are small enough to slide beneath its guns, as it's hull-mounted 75 mm cannon has a whopping -20° depression, and the 47 mm in the turret has -18°, meaning that even if you are squeezing right between its tracks, it can still hit your fragile roof armour and eliminate a crew member with shrapnel. The only real damage you can do to it is to repeatedly shoot at its tracks to immobilize it.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Extremely tiny profile is sometimes a big advantage
* It utilizes small amounts of cover/bushes effectively
* Can easily sneak into lots of unexpected positions and set up for an ambush, advance or retreat
* Low silhouette can be fully covered behind a single one big bush decoration. It can even be covered with normal grass
* Amazing gun depression of -15° makes it a great mountain combat tank; combined with its tiny profile it can poke out only its gun to shoot from behind cover
* Quick firing cannon with an autoloading magazine can pinpoint enemy crew, especially with the spread-out ones like the LVT(A)
* Short stock grind, the best (and only) shell comes stock

'''Cons:'''

* The 20 mm rounds' penetration isn't great and drops dramatically over range: over 400 m away it can effectively penetrate nothing except soft targets like T-26, GAZ trucks or Flakpanzers.
* Thin armour with only two crew cramped together makes it very vulnerable
* Vulnerable to .50 calibre fire, one bullet to the crew can eliminate the tank
* Low cannon calibre of 20 mm makes it difficult to destroy obstacles like walls
* 3rd person camera is low to the ground, preventing the player from looking behind obstacles such as low fences
* The vehicle has such small mass that even trivial obstacles like fences can cause significant deceleration

== History ==

The '''Carro Veloce L3/33''', also known as the '''CV-33''' was a tankette produced by Ansaldo for the Regio Esercito beginning in 1933. The design was an adaptation of the British Carden Loyd tankette, which had seen wide success on the international export market and became the basis for a number of similar tankette designs throughout the 1930s. Because Italy lacked the industrial base to produce large numbers of more complex and advanced tank designs, the L3/33 and later L3/35 tankette formed the backbone of the Italian armoured corps and became the most widely produced Italian armoured fighting vehicles of the war, seeing service from the Italian invasion of Ethiopia to the very end of WW2. Several variants were produced, including a flamethrower variant (the L3/33 LF, standing for "LanciaFiamme"), a bridge carrier variant (L3/33 Passerella, with a 7 m bridge transported on a trailer that could be assembled by the crew in seven minutes and placed with two small cranes fastened on the chassis) and a command radio variant (L3 Centro Radio, equipped with a Marelli RF1 CA radio at level of platoons and companies). For the use of a radio station powerful enough to serve a regimental radio center, the L3 chassis was considered not suitable and replaced with a more spacious [[L6/40]] CR (Centro Radio = Radio Center).

As the war progressed, and the Italians faced the Allies in France and North Africa with their more heavily armed and armoured tanks and long-range anti-tank guns, the deficiencies of the L3/33 and 35 became apparent. Although fast and possessing a low profile, it was too thinly armoured, capable of only withstanding infantry rifle calibre munitions. In addition, its standard armament of a 6.5mm machine gun proved inadequate for long-range combat or engaging other armoured vehicles. While the Regio Esercito began slowly upgrading its armoured units to more modern standards, stopgap solutions to make up for the difference were considered and adopted. One of these was to mount a 20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 anti-tank gun in a small number of L3/33s and 35s, replacing the 6.5 mm machine gun and creating an ad hoc tank destroyer platform. These were designated as the '''L3/33 CC''', which stood for "controcarro" ("anti-tank"). Arriving too late to see action in Libya before the Axis retreat, they saw only limited action in Tunisia. Gradually, the L3/33 and L3/35 would be withdrawn from front line service, serving largely in behind-the-line roles such as artillery towing vehicles and police vehicles in Axis-occupied territories. After the Axis fell, many tanks were captured and either destroyed or repurposed. The last recorded use of an L3/33 in service was during the Iraqi war, where the US captured the tank.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_l3_cc Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|VFEv4q3G5Us|'''Most unusual vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:56 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|pLppoebKK6c|'''Tank Chat #146 Carro Veloce <nowiki>|</nowiki> The Tank Museum''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles of comparable role, configuration and era

* [[AMR.35 ZT3]]
* [[ASU-57]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:L3/33|[Wikipedia] L3/33]]

{{Italy tank destroyers}}

L3/33 CC

2022-08-17T00:07:05Z

U124360877: /* Usage in battles */

{{Specs-Card
|code=it_l3_cc
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_L3_33_CC.jpg|ArtImage_L3-33_CC.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (shortened to ''{{Specs|pseudonym}}'') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]].

The L3/33 CC is an Italian tankette that is the War Thunder equivalent of a shoe-box on tracks (with a gun, of course). This vehicle has very little armour, which allows for it to quickly and deftly manoeuvre across the battlefield, scouting for pockets to position the vehicle in for tactical advantages against the slower and heavier enemy vehicles it faces.

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


The protection of the L3/33 is mediocre. Its small size and profile also expose it to being simply run over or rammed against a wall.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 8 mm (79°) ''Front glacis'' 14 mm (0°) ''Lower glacis'' || 14 mm || 8 mm (0-32°) || 8 mm 5 mm ''Hatches''
|-
| Superstructure || 14 mm (13-64°) 14 mm (0-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (0-15°) || 14 mm (0-17°) || 8 mm 5 mm ''Hatches''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=61|rbMinHp=38}}

The L3/33 CC is very mobile both on and off-road. Thanks to its light weight, it accelerates quickly and can cruise at 40 / 25 km/h (AB/RB) in seconds. It does not lose much speed when turning but tends to oversteer when turning while driving over 40 km/h (in AB). With only -6 km/h in reverse (AB & RB), turning around and driving away is easier to retreat form unwanted situations.

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

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

{{main|Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 (20 mm)}}

Wielding an anti-tank rifle with a 10 round magazine capable of launching a small APHE shell every second, the L3/33, in the hands of a competent commander, is able to deal with multiple lightly-armoured vehicles in quick succession. The only thing holding this quick-firing gun back is a lack of effective penetration to deal with all tanks at its battle rating, requiring the commander of this vehicle to be up close and personal and/or flank in order to deal with well-armoured targets ([[M3 Stuart]], [[Pz.38(t) F]], [[T-70]]). Certain heavy targets ([[B1 bis]]) should be avoided altogether.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 (20 mm)|20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39]] || 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" | 110 (10) || rowspan="2" | 60 || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | ±10° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 17.6 || 24.4 || 29.6 || 32.7 || 34.8 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 11.9 || 14.0 || 17.0 || 18.8 || 20.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Perforante mod.35 || APHE || 38 || 36 || 27 || 19 || 14 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Perforante mod.35 || APHE || 832 || 0.14 || 1.2 || 9 || 1.7 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[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
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''11''' || 10 ''(+1)'' || 9 ''(+2)'' || 8 ''(+3)'' || 7 ''(+4)'' || 6 ''(+5)'' || 5 ''(+6)'' || 4 ''(+7)'' || 3 ''(+8)'' || 2 ''(+9)'' || 1 ''(+10)'' || 0 ''(+11)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_L3_33_CC.png|right|x250px|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

== Usage in battles ==

The L3/33 CC is best used in ambushes, as this tactic allows it to strike from a close distance; a hill can provide a nice spot for this, as the L3 has 15 degrees of gun depression and can get to cover by simply reversing if it is spotted in time. It is also useful as a flanker due to its small size (hard to spot) and high mobility. You can also get into a lot of small hiding spots due to the tanks small size and low profile.

When playing the L3/33, incoming fire should be avoided at all costs. Due to the cramped layout of internal modules and crew of 2, any penetrating shell is enough to destroy the vehicle. In addition, the armour is so weak that it cannot even protect against .50 calibre machine gun: play carefully.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

[[B1 bis|B1]]:

The B1 is covered by thick armour of at least 50 mm in all directions, even the turret ring and the cupola are 40 mm which all exceed the maximum penetration of the L3 (38 mm). Do anything to avoid fighting this tank, leave it to your teammates by pinning its position on the map. But if unfortunately, you have to confront it, you must avoid its guns. Don't think you are small enough to slide beneath its guns, as it's hull-mounted 75 mm cannon has a whopping -20° depression, and the 47 mm in the turret has -18°, meaning that even if you are squeezing right between its tracks, it can still hit your fragile roof armour and eliminate a crew member with shrapnel. The only real damage you can do to it is to repeatedly shoot at its tracks to immobilize it.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Extremely tiny profile is sometimes a big advantage
* It utilizes small amounts of cover/bushes effectively
* Can easily sneak into lots of unexpected positions and set up for an ambush, advance or retreat
* Low silhouette can be fully covered behind a single one big bush decoration. It can even be covered with normal grass
* Amazing gun depression of -15° makes it a great mountain combat tank; combined with its tiny profile it can poke out only its gun to shoot from behind cover
* Quick firing cannon with an autoloading magazine can pinpoint enemy crew, especially with the spread-out ones like the LVT(A)
* Short stock grind, the best (and only) shell comes stock

'''Cons:'''

* The 20 mm rounds' penetration isn't great and drops dramatically over range: over 400 m away it can effectively penetrate nothing except soft targets like T-26, GAZ trucks or Flakpanzers.
* Thin armour with only two crew cramped together makes it very vulnerable
* Vulnerable to .50 calibre fire, one bullet to the crew can eliminate the tank
* Low cannon calibre of 20 mm makes it difficult to destroy obstacles like walls
* 3rd person camera is low to the ground, preventing the player from looking behind obstacles such as low fences
* The vehicle has such small mass that even trivial obstacles like fences can cause significant deceleration

== History ==

The '''Carro Veloce L3/33''', also known as the '''CV-33''' was a tankette produced by Ansaldo for the Regio Esercito beginning in 1933. The design was an adaptation of the British Carden Loyd tankette, which had seen wide success on the international export market and became the basis for a number of similar tankette designs throughout the 1930s. Because Italy lacked the industrial base to produce large numbers of more complex and advanced tank designs, the L3/33 and later L3/35 tankette formed the backbone of the Italian armoured corps and became the most widely produced Italian armoured fighting vehicles of the war, seeing service from the Italian invasion of Ethiopia to the very end of WW2. Several variants were produced, including a flamethrower variant (the L3/33 LF, standing for "LanciaFiamme"), a bridge carrier variant (L3/33 Passerella, with a 7 m bridge transported on a trailer that could be assembled by the crew in seven minutes and placed with two small cranes fastened on the chassis) and a command radio variant (L3 Centro Radio, equipped with a Marelli RF1 CA radio at level of platoons and companies). For the use of a radio station powerful enough to serve a regimental radio center, the L3 chassis was considered not suitable and replaced with a more spacious [[L6/40]] CR (Centro Radio = Radio Center).

As the war progressed, and the Italians faced the Allies in France and North Africa with their more heavily armed and armoured tanks and long-range anti-tank guns, the deficiencies of the L3/33 and 35 became apparent. Although fast and possessing a low profile, it was too thinly armoured, capable of only withstanding infantry rifle calibre munitions. In addition, its standard armament of a 6.5mm machine gun proved inadequate for long-range combat or engaging other armoured vehicles. While the Regio Esercito began slowly upgrading its armoured units to more modern standards, stopgap solutions to make up for the difference were considered and adopted. One of these was to mount a 20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 anti-tank gun in a small number of L3/33s and 35s, replacing the 6.5 mm machine gun and creating an ad hoc tank destroyer platform. These were designated as the '''L3/33 CC''', which stood for "controcarro" ("anti-tank"). Arriving too late to see action in Libya before the Axis retreat, they saw only limited action in Tunisia. Gradually, the L3/33 and L3/35 would be withdrawn from front line service, serving largely in behind-the-line roles such as artillery towing vehicles and police vehicles in Axis-occupied territories. After the Axis fell, many tanks were captured and either destroyed or repurposed. The last recorded use of an L3/33 in service was during the Iraqi war, where the US captured the tank.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_l3_cc Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|VFEv4q3G5Us|'''Most unusual vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:56 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|pLppoebKK6c|'''Tank Chat #146 Carro Veloce <nowiki>|</nowiki> The Tank Museum''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles of comparable role, configuration and era

* [[AMR.35 ZT3]]
* [[ASU-57]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:L3/33|[Wikipedia] L3/33]]

{{Italy tank destroyers}}

T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.)

2022-08-04T22:20:45Z

U124360877: /* Survivability and armour */

{{About
| about = Soviet light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = T-26 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_t_26_1940_1st_GvTBr
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.41#19.06.2014 - 1.41.27.12|Update 1.41.27]].

The T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br) is a premium version of the [[T-26]], and is identical except in its special winter camo, of a T-26 of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade during the Battle of Moscow.

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

[[File:T-26 3.jpg|thumb]]
This is definitively the worst characteristic of this vehicle: armour is flat and thin on all sides. Do not expose yourself to enemy fire. Crew placement is not lined up from the front, meaning shells without HE filler can take up to 3 shots before being destroyed. Beware HMG and autocannons.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Tanks default camo is a winter camo

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm (22°) ''Front plate'' 7 mm (64-80°) ''Front glacis'' 15 mm (6-52°) ''Lower glacis'' || 15 mm (21-23°) ''Top'' 15 mm (0°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm (0°) ''Top'' 15 mm (12°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm ''Hull'' 6 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (13-15°) ''Turret front'' 15 mm (5-44°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm (17-19°) || 15 mm (17°) || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes'''

* Suspension wheel are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 6 mm thick

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


While being a light tank, its mobility is one of a medium tank. The top speed is very, very low for a light tank, combined with the low power to weight ratio given by its weak engine, the T-26 has poor acceleration and speed on most surfaces. It can reach around 30 km/h only on hard, flat surface, after a long, uninterrupted acceleration period. With even a small turn the speed will drop significantly. The narrow tracks significantly reduce its off-road mobility in muddy, sandy or snowy maps. Despite the tracks being short and far apart, the T-26 still has slow hull traverse and often needs a forward/backward jerk to start turning properly. Reverse speed is also very poor (-4 km/h), which cannot save you from most bad situations.

It will eventually take you where you want to be, provided that you are a very patient player, choose your route well, and avoid too many tricky turns.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=141|rbMinHp=80}}

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

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

[[File:T-26 2.jpg|thumb]]
{{main|20-K (45 mm)}}

The 45 mm 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 knocking out enemies with a single shot. In longer ranges, shells begin to lose penetration and accuracy; it is not made for sniping. Try to bring ~10-15 BR-240SP (pure AP shells) for heavier targets. This gun is very forgiving to beginners, with its very fast reload speed and turret traverse.

{| 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" | 205 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+22° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 15.23 || 21.08 || 25.60 || 28.31 || 30.12 || rowspan="2" | 3.77 || rowspan="2" | 3.34 || 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 || 29.26 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.43 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-26.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
|-
| '''205''' || 202 ''(+3)'' || 197 ''(+8)'' || 187 ''(+18)'' || 177 ''(+28)'' || 167 ''(+38)'' || 157 ''(+48)'' || 139 ''(+66)''
|-
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
!
|-
| 121 ''(+84)'' || 103 ''(+102)'' || 79 ''(+126)'' || 61 ''(+144)'' || 29 ''(+176)'' || 1 ''(+204)'' || No
!
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 157 ''(+48)'' shells.

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

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

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

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:T-26 1.jpg|thumb]]
The T-26 is definitely best suited to a more support role, flanking the battlefield and finding a good position to support your teammates from, the 45 mm cannon has very good characteristics with its rounds (APHEBC, AP) being able to deal fair damage to enemy vehicles from short and long range and the fast reload allowing for quick adjustment of aim between shots, this allows the T-26 to be a highly effective flanking vehicle if a good camping spot is found, however, the limited gun depression (-6°) will affect which positions are usable, keeping long range is certainly an effective way to avoid taking damage. The T-26 is also usable at closer ranges for brawling with enemy vehicles, but it should be kept in mind that the thin armour on the T-26 (≤15 mm) will leave the vital modules of your vehicle such as your crew, gun & powerplant (engine & transmission) at risk of taking damage, the mobility of the T-26 is also lesser than many of its counterparts which could potentially put it at risk in a brawling scenario, on the other hand the T-26's good reload (3.77 - 2.9s) will usually give it an upper hand if you can survive the first shots against an enemy vehicle.

Due to the top speed of the T-26 being less than many other vehicles at its BR (30 km/h), it will usually arrive to the battlefield after the fighting has already begun, this has the advantage of arriving after your team has already identified many targets, and also meaning that you will not be in the front line of attack, this will usually allow for you to last a bit longer than players who rushed the centre of the battlefield, alternatively it is also less likely that you will reach capture points before they are capped by your faster teammates although there are cases where you can help capture a contested point.

The lack of armour is really something to be kept in mind, even some machine guns (8 mm, 12.7 mm) will be able to go through you thickest pieces of armour (15 mm), due to this you want to be trying your best to avoid enemy vehicles getting the first shot, driving in cover is advisable to avoid being spotted and if you spot an enemy vehicle it would be best to engage and destroy them as soon as possible to avoid them becoming a threat, due to the lack of effective armour, aircraft can also be a risk, again, staying in cover will make it more difficult for enemy vehicles to spot and engage your T-26.

In terms of the T-26's gun there are 2 round options, the APHEBC round has 70 mm best effective penetration as well as an explosive filler, this will allow for this round to penetrate most armour at this BR and also have good post-penetration damage if the fuse is set off. Second round type is an AP round, this has 73 mm best effective penetration but lacks any explosive filler, this makes its post-penetration damage less effective than the APHEBC round. Moreinfo on both these rounds can be found in the Ammunition section above.

It is also worth keeping in mind that the reverse speed is only -3 km/h, so you will have to be careful when driving out into potential enemy fire.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great firepower; the stock shell has 69 mm maximum penetration and 32 g TNT which can frontally penetrate many tanks
* Even in an up-tier situation it can still effectively penetrate tanks like the B1
* Massive ammo capacity and fast reload time is good for new players who are learning to aim
* Premium bonuses thanks to its premium status

'''Cons:'''

* Very low survivability; the armour is thin, not angled and is only 15 mm max. Can get frontally penetrated by anything like the Pz.II, Pz.III and even heavy MG.
* The three crew members are packed tightly together significantly reduces survivability
* Poor mobility overall; has low top speed limited manoeuvrability around the battlefield, the weak engine doesn't allow it to climb hills
* The narrow tracks slow it in desert maps like Sinai or snowy maps like Frozen Pass
* The slow reverse speed of only -3 km/h is very fatal as it cannot back away from danger in time
* Average turret rotation combined with the sluggish hull traverse prevents it from responding to flanks quickly
* Average -5° gun depression limits its potential in hilly terrains
* Some ammo is stored inside turret which tends to explode when hit

== History ==

{{main|T-26#History|l1=History of the T-26}}

===Combat usage===
The T-26 first saw combat in the Spanish Civil War, where it showed its superiority over the current tanks of the period fielded by Italy and Germany. Then it saw combat against the Japanese in the Soviet-Japanese border conflicts at Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol, which exposed some of the design defects such as poor armour welding and the disadvantages of riveted constructions (the rivet would break off and could harm the crew inside). After that, the T-26 saw service in the Invasion of Poland and the Winter War against Finland. The Winter War effectively showed the Soviets that the T-26 was obsolete, as the 37 mm guns and anti-tank rifles and Finnish have could penetrate the light armour of the T-26. When World War II for the Soviet Union finally broke out in Operation Barbarossa, the T-26 proved inferior to the German's [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]], plus the air supremacy of the Luftwaffe ensured many tanks were lost in the opening stages of Barbarossa.

The T-26 at this point also was breaking down and the lack of spare parts made repairs hard, resulting in multiple T-26 units also being knocked out for being irrecoverable. The T-26 was gradually phased from service by the new, venerable [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] medium tanks, which gave Germany a run for their money. The T-26 still saw service in the war as a second-line unit, as it was still fighting in the Battle of Moscow of 1941, Stalingrad of 1942, and in Manchuria in 1945. Some T-26 even saw action in the '''1st Guards Tank Brigade''' (1st Gv.T.Br.), but these were quickly replaced by the more venerable T-34.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_t_26_1940_1st_GvTBr Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
File:T-26_(1st_Gv.T.Br.) Side.jpg|Right side of the T-26, which shows the insignia of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade
</gallery>

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[T-26 (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[M13/40 (Family)]]

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

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

{{TankManufacturer OKMO}}
{{USSR light tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.)

2022-08-04T22:20:18Z

U124360877: /* Survivability and armour */ camo

{{About
| about = Soviet light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = T-26 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_t_26_1940_1st_GvTBr
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.41#19.06.2014 - 1.41.27.12|Update 1.41.27]].

The T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br) is a premium version of the [[T-26]], and is identical except in its special winter camo, of a T-26 of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade during the Battle of Moscow.

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

[[File:T-26 3.jpg|thumb]]
This is definitively the worst characteristic of this vehicle: armour is flat and thin on all sides. Do not expose yourself to enemy fire. Crew placement is not lined up from the front, meaning shells without HE filler can take up to 3 shots before being destroyed. Beware HMG and autocannons.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Tank default camo is a winter camo

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm (22°) ''Front plate'' 7 mm (64-80°) ''Front glacis'' 15 mm (6-52°) ''Lower glacis'' || 15 mm (21-23°) ''Top'' 15 mm (0°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm (0°) ''Top'' 15 mm (12°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm ''Hull'' 6 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (13-15°) ''Turret front'' 15 mm (5-44°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm (17-19°) || 15 mm (17°) || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes'''

* Suspension wheel are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 6 mm thick

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


While being a light tank, its mobility is one of a medium tank. The top speed is very, very low for a light tank, combined with the low power to weight ratio given by its weak engine, the T-26 has poor acceleration and speed on most surfaces. It can reach around 30 km/h only on hard, flat surface, after a long, uninterrupted acceleration period. With even a small turn the speed will drop significantly. The narrow tracks significantly reduce its off-road mobility in muddy, sandy or snowy maps. Despite the tracks being short and far apart, the T-26 still has slow hull traverse and often needs a forward/backward jerk to start turning properly. Reverse speed is also very poor (-4 km/h), which cannot save you from most bad situations.

It will eventually take you where you want to be, provided that you are a very patient player, choose your route well, and avoid too many tricky turns.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=141|rbMinHp=80}}

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

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

[[File:T-26 2.jpg|thumb]]
{{main|20-K (45 mm)}}

The 45 mm 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 knocking out enemies with a single shot. In longer ranges, shells begin to lose penetration and accuracy; it is not made for sniping. Try to bring ~10-15 BR-240SP (pure AP shells) for heavier targets. This gun is very forgiving to beginners, with its very fast reload speed and turret traverse.

{| 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" | 205 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+22° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 15.23 || 21.08 || 25.60 || 28.31 || 30.12 || rowspan="2" | 3.77 || rowspan="2" | 3.34 || 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 || 29.26 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.43 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-26.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
|-
| '''205''' || 202 ''(+3)'' || 197 ''(+8)'' || 187 ''(+18)'' || 177 ''(+28)'' || 167 ''(+38)'' || 157 ''(+48)'' || 139 ''(+66)''
|-
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
!
|-
| 121 ''(+84)'' || 103 ''(+102)'' || 79 ''(+126)'' || 61 ''(+144)'' || 29 ''(+176)'' || 1 ''(+204)'' || No
!
|-
|}
'''Note''':

* Turret empty: 157 ''(+48)'' shells.

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

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

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

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:T-26 1.jpg|thumb]]
The T-26 is definitely best suited to a more support role, flanking the battlefield and finding a good position to support your teammates from, the 45 mm cannon has very good characteristics with its rounds (APHEBC, AP) being able to deal fair damage to enemy vehicles from short and long range and the fast reload allowing for quick adjustment of aim between shots, this allows the T-26 to be a highly effective flanking vehicle if a good camping spot is found, however, the limited gun depression (-6°) will affect which positions are usable, keeping long range is certainly an effective way to avoid taking damage. The T-26 is also usable at closer ranges for brawling with enemy vehicles, but it should be kept in mind that the thin armour on the T-26 (≤15 mm) will leave the vital modules of your vehicle such as your crew, gun & powerplant (engine & transmission) at risk of taking damage, the mobility of the T-26 is also lesser than many of its counterparts which could potentially put it at risk in a brawling scenario, on the other hand the T-26's good reload (3.77 - 2.9s) will usually give it an upper hand if you can survive the first shots against an enemy vehicle.

Due to the top speed of the T-26 being less than many other vehicles at its BR (30 km/h), it will usually arrive to the battlefield after the fighting has already begun, this has the advantage of arriving after your team has already identified many targets, and also meaning that you will not be in the front line of attack, this will usually allow for you to last a bit longer than players who rushed the centre of the battlefield, alternatively it is also less likely that you will reach capture points before they are capped by your faster teammates although there are cases where you can help capture a contested point.

The lack of armour is really something to be kept in mind, even some machine guns (8 mm, 12.7 mm) will be able to go through you thickest pieces of armour (15 mm), due to this you want to be trying your best to avoid enemy vehicles getting the first shot, driving in cover is advisable to avoid being spotted and if you spot an enemy vehicle it would be best to engage and destroy them as soon as possible to avoid them becoming a threat, due to the lack of effective armour, aircraft can also be a risk, again, staying in cover will make it more difficult for enemy vehicles to spot and engage your T-26.

In terms of the T-26's gun there are 2 round options, the APHEBC round has 70 mm best effective penetration as well as an explosive filler, this will allow for this round to penetrate most armour at this BR and also have good post-penetration damage if the fuse is set off. Second round type is an AP round, this has 73 mm best effective penetration but lacks any explosive filler, this makes its post-penetration damage less effective than the APHEBC round. Moreinfo on both these rounds can be found in the Ammunition section above.

It is also worth keeping in mind that the reverse speed is only -3 km/h, so you will have to be careful when driving out into potential enemy fire.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great firepower; the stock shell has 69 mm maximum penetration and 32 g TNT which can frontally penetrate many tanks
* Even in an up-tier situation it can still effectively penetrate tanks like the B1
* Massive ammo capacity and fast reload time is good for new players who are learning to aim
* Premium bonuses thanks to its premium status

'''Cons:'''

* Very low survivability; the armour is thin, not angled and is only 15 mm max. Can get frontally penetrated by anything like the Pz.II, Pz.III and even heavy MG.
* The three crew members are packed tightly together significantly reduces survivability
* Poor mobility overall; has low top speed limited manoeuvrability around the battlefield, the weak engine doesn't allow it to climb hills
* The narrow tracks slow it in desert maps like Sinai or snowy maps like Frozen Pass
* The slow reverse speed of only -3 km/h is very fatal as it cannot back away from danger in time
* Average turret rotation combined with the sluggish hull traverse prevents it from responding to flanks quickly
* Average -5° gun depression limits its potential in hilly terrains
* Some ammo is stored inside turret which tends to explode when hit

== History ==

{{main|T-26#History|l1=History of the T-26}}

===Combat usage===
The T-26 first saw combat in the Spanish Civil War, where it showed its superiority over the current tanks of the period fielded by Italy and Germany. Then it saw combat against the Japanese in the Soviet-Japanese border conflicts at Lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol, which exposed some of the design defects such as poor armour welding and the disadvantages of riveted constructions (the rivet would break off and could harm the crew inside). After that, the T-26 saw service in the Invasion of Poland and the Winter War against Finland. The Winter War effectively showed the Soviets that the T-26 was obsolete, as the 37 mm guns and anti-tank rifles and Finnish have could penetrate the light armour of the T-26. When World War II for the Soviet Union finally broke out in Operation Barbarossa, the T-26 proved inferior to the German's [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]], plus the air supremacy of the Luftwaffe ensured many tanks were lost in the opening stages of Barbarossa.

The T-26 at this point also was breaking down and the lack of spare parts made repairs hard, resulting in multiple T-26 units also being knocked out for being irrecoverable. The T-26 was gradually phased from service by the new, venerable [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] medium tanks, which gave Germany a run for their money. The T-26 still saw service in the war as a second-line unit, as it was still fighting in the Battle of Moscow of 1941, Stalingrad of 1942, and in Manchuria in 1945. Some T-26 even saw action in the '''1st Guards Tank Brigade''' (1st Gv.T.Br.), but these were quickly replaced by the more venerable T-34.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_t_26_1940_1st_GvTBr Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
File:T-26_(1st_Gv.T.Br.) Side.jpg|Right side of the T-26, which shows the insignia of the 1st Guards Tank Brigade
</gallery>

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[T-26 (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[M13/40 (Family)]]

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

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

{{TankManufacturer OKMO}}
{{USSR light tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

Pz.IV F2

2022-08-04T17:40:22Z

U124360877: armor upgrade

{{About
| about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Pz.IV (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_F2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png|ArtImage2_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. It is essentially the earlier [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV Ausf. F1]] rearmed with a long-barreled 75 mm gun for much greater anti-tank capabilities.

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


The armour of the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 is virtually identical to that of the Ausf. F1. With a maximum thickness of only 50 mm, it is quite thin compared to that of its arch-rivals, the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34]] and [[Sherman|M4]] medium tanks, and can be easily penetrated by most medium calibre guns and is also mostly unangled. The side and rear armor is even thinner and is highly vulnerable to even autocannons commonly used by anti-aircraft vehicles at medium and close ranges. You can also reaserch extra armor witch gives an extra 20 mm of armor on parts of the front of the tank.

The hull armour can be supplemented by add-on armour in the form of track links, but the turret remains highly vulnerable since it receives no extra protection even with the upgrade. The turret also sports a relatively large cupola that is just thick enough to cause some rounds with explosive filler to detonate after penetration, potentially killing the entire turret crew. It is also important to note that the roof armor is only 10 mm thick, and is quite vulnerable to aircraft heavy machine guns and cannons.

The crew compartment is relatively compact and has a lot of ammunition scattered all over. Penetrating hits are likely to be quite devastating, especially if the shell has an explosive filler.

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50 mm (12°) ''Front plate'' 20 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (13-59°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 30 mm (4-15°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (7-29°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (23-26°) || 30 mm (15-17°) || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 30 mm || 30 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, while the tracks are 20 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=465|rbMinHp=265|AoAweight=0.35}}

The mobility of the Ausf. F2 is comparable to that of the earlier Pz.IV F1, though slightly worse due to the heavier gun. It is decent enough for a medium tank, especially since the Ausf. F2 is less reliant on flanking due to its powerful gun, and it can keep up with most advances without problem. The reverse speed of 10 km/h is also relatively good, allowing it to back off fairly quickly for a medium tank.

Its adequate speed and cross-country capability (with Ostketten equipped) grant the F2 a good ambushing capability to go quickly around enemy positions and surprise them.

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

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

{{main|KwK40 (75 mm)}}

The biggest difference between the Ausf. F2 and the Ausf. F1 is the new long-barreled 7,5 cm KwK40 L/43 gun. As easily the best gun available to any medium tank at the Ausf. F2's BR, the KwK40 has absolutely no problems dealing with all but the heaviest tanks at this BR, even from the front. It is even quite capable against higher tiered tanks, with only a few exceptions. The turret also provides the gun with an excellent amount of gun depression, allowing the effective use of hull-down tactics.

The stock PzGr 39 APCBC shell is also the best all-round ammunition to use. It is much more effective against sloped armour than the PzGr 40 APCR shot and even at 2,000 m has more penetration than the HlGr 38B HEAT shell. The only reason to carry any APCR at all is in case of a full uptier, where very heavily armoured tanks such as the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill VII]] may be faced and only shots to the front are possible.

Smoke and HE shells are also available, although their use is rather situational.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK40]] || 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" | 87 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 13.3 || 18.4 || 22.4 || 24.8 || 26.4 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.3 || 9.8 || 11.9 || 13.2 || 14.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 137 || 135 || 123 || 110 || 98 || 88
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 163 || 159 || 143 || 126 || 110 || 96
|-
| 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%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 740 || 6.8 || 1.2 || 14 || 28.9 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 919 || 4.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 550 || 5.74 || 0.1 || 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. || 540 || 6.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Pz.IV_H.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the Pz.IV H (identical).]]

{| 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
|-
| '''87''' || 84 ''(+3)'' || 82 ''(+5)'' || 80 ''(+7)'' || 72 ''(+15)'' || 63 ''(+24)'' || 54 ''(+33)''
|-
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
!
|-
| 46 ''(+41)'' || 38 ''(+49)'' || 30 ''(+57)'' || 24 ''(+63)'' || 1 ''(+86)'' || No
!
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Racks are modeled by sets of 2 and disappear after both shells in the set having been shot or loaded.
* Sides empty: 30 ''(+57)'' shells
* The tank can carry up to 87 rounds, which is more than sufficient for most battles. It is recommended to carry fewer rounds, as this will reduce the likelihood of ammunition detonation if the turret is penetrated.

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

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


A veritable glass cannon, the Ausf. F2 has one of the best guns of its battle-rating, balanced by its poor armour. This makes it rather more oriented towards long and medium-range combat, where the thin armour is less of an issue and its powerful gun gives it a big advantage in firepower over its peers. Like the American [[Sherman|M4s]], the Ausf. F2 has a good amount of gun depression, which allows the player to hide the tank's entire hull behind terrain and only expose its turret while shooting. Unlike the M4, however, the F2's turret is unable to deflect almost anything that hits it, and it will wither quickly under concentrated fire. Unlike the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34]], the Ausf. F2 cannot hope to bounce anything but the weakest guns from the front, and should thus be played a lot more cautiously.

The 75 mm gun will frontally penetrate all but the most heavily armoured tanks even with the stock APCBC. Combined with the explosive filler in the APCBC shell, the Ausf. F2 is a very dangerous threat that even higher BR tanks can ill-afford to ignore. Only the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill VII]] is reasonably immune, but even its frontal armour can be penetrated by the APCR shell at close ranges. However, it may be more efficient to simply flank around and use the APCBC shell against the sides, since the APCR round lacks post-penetration effectiveness. This combination of an excellent gun, relatively good mobility, and good gun depression allow the Ausf. F2 to remain quite competitive even in up-tiers, where other medium tanks begin to struggle against the heavier tanks that can be faced.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* [[ZSD63]]: This SPAA has access to a full AP belt with 60+ mm of penetration ,which makes it able to penetrate the Pz.IV F2 from any angle up close, and its quick fire rate can knock out the entire crew with a short burst. If the add-on track armour is installed, it might actually save the {{PAGENAME}} in a frontal encounter, as it would make the frontal hull thick enough (at 50+20=70mm thick) to resist the autocannon. Do not shoot at the hull below the turret as there is absolutely nothing inside, shoot the turret or the front hull instead. Multiple shots might be needed as its armour is so thin the 75 mm shells will not detonate. When reloading, slightly angle the {{PAGENAME}} turret to avoid the return fire from penetrating the thin turret cheeks. When hunting down a ZSD63, it has a rather body and tall hull with a geometric turret sitting at the back, slightly similar to a Wirbelwind's. The firing signature is also rather distinctive: the sound and green tracers are very rapid, much like a buzzsaw, but then it will remain silent for half a minute reloading. Note that an experienced ZSD player will hold its fire or shoot in single salvos with long halts between, making it look like that it's reloading so be careful when exposing the {{PAGENAME}} for an attack.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Outstanding penetration and lethality with the stock APCBC shell; easily knocks out common targets with a single shot
* High-penetration APCR shot can effectively deal with up-tier heavy tanks, e.g. [[Churchill Mk VII]]
* Excellent gun depression of -10° provides great mountain warfare capacity.
* Great mobility and top speed compared to later Panzer IV variants. Hull traverse is better than the [[M4 Sherman (Family)|M4 Sherman]]s
* Space between the driving and fighting compartment can absorb some solid shells, might be helpful when facing British tanks like the [[Cromwell (Family)|Cromwell]]
* Reasonably small profile, can hide behind some large objects
* Add-on armour increases survivability against certain vehicles, for example the ZSD63.

'''Cons:'''

* Thin armour overall, can be knocked out with a single shot by common targets like the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34]] and [[M4]], or even low tier tanks like the [[M3 Stuart (Family)|M3 Stuart]]. The add-on armour generally doesn't help much against tank cannons
* Rather cramped crew compartment with ammunition scattered all over
* Large and weak commander's cupola. When penetrated by an explosive shell, all crew inside the turret, including the gunner, are likely to get knocked out

== History ==

===Development===
The '''Pz.Kpfw. IV's''' creation, like its predecessor the [[Pz.III E|Pz.Kpfw. III]], was devised by Heinz Guderian. He envisioned a support tank to be used to handle anti-tank guns and fortifications. The Panzer IV was to work alongside the more numerable Panzer III in Panzer Divisions (three company of IIIs and one of IVs) to engage the enemy, giving the role of fighting enemy armoured forces to the Panzer IIIs. As a support tank, the tank was to have the short 75 mm howitzer as its main armament and have a weight limit of 24 tons. MAN, Krupp, and Rheinmetall-Borsig worked on the development of the tanks, but the Krupp's model was selected for further testing.

The chosen model from Krupp, once finished, used a leaf-spring double-bogie system for its suspension, doing away the proposed interleaved or torsion bar suspension system earlier devised for the sake of faster production. The vehicle held five crew members: the commander, gunner, loader, radio operator (and hull machine gunner), and driver. Though it looked symmetrical, the Panzer IV turret was actually offset to the left of the chassis centerline a bit while the engine was also offset to the right. This was to allow the torque shaft to turn the turret. The offset also meant that most of the ammo is held on the right side of the tank in storage areas. The Panzer IV was then accepted into service and production began in 1936.

===Panzer IV Ausf. F2===
With the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks. The [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV Ausf. F1]] with its short 75 mm howitzer was upgraded with the KwK40 L/43, then designating it the '''Panzer IV Ausf. F2'''. The new cannon was able to penetrate 77 mm of armour at 1,800 m with standard armour-piercing rounds compared to the 43 mm of the howitzer. The new gun helped put the Panzer IV back into balance and could theoretically hold against the T-34s and KV-1s that the Soviets were sending. The Panzer IV Ausf. F2 still retained the 50 mm front armour thickness with 30 mm on the sides.

Despite the new gun, it had some deficiency on the tank. First is a new weight, the tank now weighed 23.6 tons, and the heavy gun in front made the vehicle nose-heavy, enough that the forward suspension springs were always under compression, causing the tank to sway even without any steering.

Most of the F2 variants saw service in either Russia or against the Allies in Africa (though in very small quantities). In Russia, the Ausf. F could penetrate the T-34 at up to 1,600 m now and took part in Case Blue Offensive. In Africa, the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 could deal with all of the Allied armour available. The venerable [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda]] was no match to its long range gun, and the [[M3 Lee|M3 Lee]] was also helpless.

The Panzer IV Ausf. F2 still had some faults, and three months after its production started, it was renamed the [[Pz.IV G|Panzer IV Ausf. G]] with a few upgrades.

=== In-game description ===
The next variant of this tank was designed to increase its combat power. A new 75 mm 7,5 cm KwK40 gun with a long 43-calibre barrel and a muzzle velocity of 770 mps for armour-piercing rounds was developed by designers worked at the companies Krupp and Rheinmetall. The gun's barrel had a characteristic single-chamber muzzle brake and was mounted in a new mantlet with a new TZF 5f sight. A new ammunition stacking system was used, and the amount of ammunition carried was upgraded to 87 rounds, 32 of which were located in the turret. The armour on the gun's recoil devices was modified. This variant's operational weight was 23,000 kg.

Production began releasing the new tanks in April 1942. The new tanks entered combat in the summer of 1942 and were able to fight the Soviet T-34 and KV, matching their firepower. The new tanks were completely superior to British and American tanks of the day. By July 1942, 175 Pz. IV Ausf. F2 had been manufactured, and another 25 had been converted from the F1. In May 1942, 8 tanks with increased armour thickness were released.

These tanks took part in combat in Africa and on the Eastern Front in 1942 and 1943.

In September 1942, 10 Ausf. F2 tanks were delivered to Nazi Germany's most loyal ally, Hungary.

A number of captured tanks were used by the Red Army.

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 tanks in use in 1942 and 1943 sported a huge variety of color schemes, since new types of camouflage were being adopted in February 1943.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_F2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Sights

* [https://live.warthunder.com/post/675135/en/ RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
File:PZ-4 F2 alongside 15 cm Pz.W.42.jpg|Panzer IV with winter camo alongside a [[15 cm Pz.W.42]] halftrack.
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|U4Z88CL-bdE|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Tank Review''' - ''Napalmratte''|_TZpQ9ClkkI|'''{{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.''

{{Germany medium tanks}}

Crew skills

2022-08-04T17:37:09Z

U124360877: small dicription thing

<center>[[File:Crew skills.jpg|class=dynamic_image]]</center>

'''Crew Skills''' are a way to improve crew performance and effectiveness, being for pilots, gunners, drivers, tank gunners, ship captains, radiomen, airfield/hangar/port mechanics, and more.

==Basics==
Crew skills are War Thunder's way of simulating the experience and skill gained by air, ground, and naval crews through combat missions, allowing them to perform/endure tasks more efficiently and effectively as they increase in skill over time. These can be how quickly aircraft are repaired by ground crew on the airfield, how fast the tank's loader can fit shells into the gun breech, how accurate bombers' gunners' fire is, the amount of g-force that can be sustained by a pilot begins blacking out, or how efficiently a ship's crew can put out a fire.

Crew experience is gained in the form of "Crew XP Points", earned by participating in battles. The number of points accrued for crew experience depends on the research points {{rp}} obtained in a battle, as well as the game mode of the battle. In Realistic and Simulator battles, for every 100 {{rp}} the player will receive 1 crew XP point which can be distributed to the crew of the vehicle used in that battle. In Arcade battles, every 100 {{rp}} will grant the player 3 crew XP points, but this higher rate also has the crew experience spread out among multiple available crews. Another way to obtain crew XP points is by purchasing them with Golden Eagles {{ge}} via the "Accelerated Training" tab on the top right corner of the Crew Training window.

During lulls in between matches in the hangar, look at the bottom left corner of the crew slots. This has a numerical value representing the crew level. The colour of this text indicates crew XP point accumulation: a regular silver font shows a regular amount of unused crew XP points and a glowing gold font shows a large amount of unused crew XP points.

Crew XP points can be used by either clicking the "Crew Training" button on the Crew tab of the infocard on the left-side of the Hangar UI, or by selecting the desired crew and clicking the "Crew" button. Both methods will open a window where crew XP points can be spent by pressing the "+" button next to desired skills. The more points invested, the more skilled the crew is, and the more points will be needed to upgrade to the next level.

==Shared crew skills==
===Logistical services===

* '''Repair Speed''' - Affects the speed at which vehicles are repaired. Repair time can be shortened up to three times when fully researched.
** For example, the base repair time of the [[Bf 109 F-4/trop]] in AB is 7 hours and 50 minutes, while with Repair Speed it is reduced to 2 hours and 36 minutes. This skill also affects the repair time of aircraft that have landed on a friendly airfield during a battle.
* '''Repair Rank''' - Determines the maximum aircraft rank to which the "Repair Speed" skill is applied. Has a total of five stages corresponding with the number of vehicle ranks in the game.
** For instance, the [[Bf 109 F-4/trop]] requires Repair Rank 3, because the plane is situated at Rank III in the [[:Category:Germany aircraft|German Air tech tree]]. If the Repair Rank is lower than Rank 3, the repair time will remain at 7 hours and 50 minutes no matter how high the repair speed skill is. This skill is one of the few not affected by crew qualification levels.

These two crew skills do not affect in-game combat, but rather allow you to repair your vehicles for free over time, if you uncheck "automatic repair" on the right of your line-up bar. This function is mostly used by players who play many nations at once and don't mind waiting in order to save some precious Silver Lions {{sl}}.

These skills are shared between crew types, which means that points in these skills will affect a crewed vehicle no matter what type of vehicle it is.

==Air vehicle crew skills ==
===General===

* '''G-Tolerance''' - Influences the tolerance of the pilot to acceleration in manoeuvres (g-forces), increasing the critical amount of "G's" that the pilot can sustain without the player's vision being darkened/reddened and losing control of the plane after a certain period of time, representing the pilot's loss of consciousness (also known as G-LOC). In "Mouse Aim" mode, this skill also affects the control accuracy of the aircraft.
* '''Stamina''' - Allows the crew to resist fatigue for a longer period of time. Accuracy and G-Tolerance gradually decrease, depending on the time spent in the session and the amount of g-forces sustained, representing fatigue and its effect on aircrew's performance. In addition, this skill has an effect on aiming accuracy in Mouse Aim mode.
* '''Vitality''' - Reduces the likelihood of the pilot receiving a mortal wound. For the beginner pilot with no points attributed to Vitality, a second .303 bullet hit (from [[MG 15 (7.92 mm)|MG 15]] or similar), or comparable shrapnel impact, is usually fatal, while a pilot with their Vitality maxed out can, with a measure of luck, survive one hit from a .50 (12.7 mm) [[Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|M2 Browning]] machine gun.

===Pilot===

* '''Keen Vision''' - Enhances the detection range when spotting enemies, i.e. the maximum distance at which the target indicator may appear. This ranges between 4 km (untrained) to 8 km (maxed) (3-5 km in RB/SB). Detection is only made if the enemy is in a cone in the direction of view of the player. Maximum detection distance is also dependent on the size of the target, lighting conditions, cloud cover, weather, and other factors.
* '''Awareness''' - Enhances the detection range of enemy targets between 400 m (untrained) to 800 m (maxed) (300-500 m in RB/SB). Detection is carried out in a sphere (all directions) around the aircraft, regardless of the direction that the player is observing.

=== Defensive armament ===

* '''Number of Experienced Gunners''' - All skills with gunners are reduced proportionally to the difference between the amount of gunners on the selected aircraft and the number of experienced gunners in the crew. For example, an [[He 111 H-6]] bomber has 5 gunner positions. If there is only two experienced gunners in the crew, the gunner's average skill will be reduced by 60%, with four - 20%. With all five experienced positions filled, their skills will be fully effective.
* '''Fire Accuracy''' - This skill only applies when the gunner is controlled by AI (when the player is not manually controlling them). Increases the traverse speed of a turret, the maximum burst length by up to 3 times, the distance at which gunners can start firing at a target by up to 275% (55% in RB/SB), the distance at which the targets direction can be anticipated, the chance of simultaneous fire and "leading" the target, and reduces miscalculation in "leading" the target (decreased by 7 times for RB/SB when maxed out).
* '''Fire Precision''' - This skill only applies when the gunner is controlled by AI (when the player is not manually controlling them). Reduces the scatter of the gun by 2.5 times (2 times in RB/SB), increases the burst length by up to a third, increases the distance at which the gunners open fire in arcade battles by a marginal amount (up to 8%), and increases the chance of simultaneous fire and "leading" the target just like fire accuracy\.

=== Logistical services ===

* '''Reload Speed''' - Increases the rate at which the weapons are reloaded in the air and on the airfield. Reduces the rearming time by three times for cannons & machine guns, two times for bombs, rockets and torpedoes, and four times for turrets when fully researched. For example, fully leveling up a [[La-5FN]] crew's Reload Speed skill will cause the rearmament time of cannons to go down from 40 seconds to 13.3; bombs will be reloaded in 20 seconds instead of 40.
* '''Weapon Maintenance''' - Increases the efficiency of vehicle's weaponry. Reduces the overheating speed of primary weapons, as well as spread of bombs and rockets for aircraft, reduces the chance of weapon jamming due to overheating by up to 3 times and reduces the angular velocity of bombs, rockets and torpedoes by up to 3 times, thereby significantly improving their accuracy.

==Ground vehicle crew skills ==
===General===

* '''Keen Vision''' - Determines at what distance the player can see an enemy ground vehicle, as well as the ability to see ones that are behind cover. The game server only sends information of a vehicle that's concealed to the client when the player is at a minimal distance from the enemy. This distance is around 563 m if the player is looking directly at them, with a non-maxed out crew. The distance of direct vision spotting is tripled when the player uses binoculars or fire control view, but vision becomes narrower. Players can also use the third person camera to spot enemies within 235 m of the hull's front and 97m around the vehicle. Leveling up keen vision to the maximum level on all of the crew members adds bonus vision up to 63% from the base. The crew can be "Aced" for another 63% to get a total of 222% vision effectiveness.
** Vehicles with [[Scouting]] have access to the modification "Improved Optics", that multiplies the skill's base power by 30%, helping them to scout and notice danger earlier than anyone else (at best, 1621 m without binoculars).
**In Arcade mode it also affects the distance at which a player can see markers on the enemy (through non-solid obstacles), affects how much it tells you about enemy (if enemy is too far it simply says class of enemy's vehicle without displaying the full vehicle name), and affects how much of an enemy vehicle must be exposed to notice and mark them. When maxed out, this skill even allows the player to see enemies through solid walls, although at very close range, and only when looking directly at them. Note that in Arcade "absolute detection" doesn't mark everything in a 360 degree radius around the player. Only line-of-sight and line-of-movement spots work, so it is recommended for players to keep turning the camera around when driving in towns and mountains.
* '''Field repair''' - Increases the basic rate at which damaged parts are repaired (by up to 50%). It most strongly affects track repair. The average level of this skill of all crew members is taken into account when calculating the total multiplier.
* '''Agility''' - Determines the speed with which a crew member can replace another fallen one. The average value of agility in the crew is what counts - spending all of the points on one disposable crew member won't benefit the player any more than distributing the points across all of them would.
* '''Vitality''' - Increasing health of a crewmember reducing the likelihood of a crew member receiving a mortal wound.

===Driver===

* '''Tank Driving''' - Affects the rate at which the driver automatically switches gears and applies the brake, thus improving the acceleration and responsiveness when turning. The default gear switching time of drivers is 1 second, the skill itself can reduce pause by 0.36 sec, and together with other factors it can be reduced to 0.1 sec. Braking time reaction is 0.14 sec, reduced by skill to 0.11 sec, and together with other factors it can go down to 0.07 sec.

===Gunner===

* '''Targeting''' - Influences the speed and precision of the gun's traverse and elevation. An experienced gunner aims horizontally and vertically at the same time. An inexperienced gunner does this one axis at a time. An experienced gunner can also improve turret traverse speed. In the case of ATGM carriers, the skill may affect the responsiveness of missiles to control inputs.
* '''Rangefinding''' - Affects how accurate and precise the gunner's estimate of distance is upon using the "Rangefinder" function.

===Tank Commander===

* '''Leadership''' - Improves all crew member's skills by up to 10%. This skill isn't affected by the qualification level of crew with the vehicle in question, and is one of the most expensive to train.

[[File:CrewSkills Tank reloading 0skill.jpg|right|thumb|Demonstrating the way the "reloading" skill affects the selected crew - with skill level 0]]
===Loader===

* '''Weapon Reloading''' - Decrease the time required for loading the weapon by up to 23%. Full skill level shortens reloading time by roughly 11% on it's own. This skill has no effect on [[:Category:Ground vehicles with autoloader|Ground vehicles with autoloader systems]] as an autoloader relies on a set mechanical action over manual personnel work in lifting and loading rounds.

[[File:CrewSkills Tank reloading upgradedskill.jpg|thumb|right|Demonstrating the way the "reloading" skill affects the selected crew - with upgraded skill]]

===Radio Operator Gunner===

* '''Artillery Strike Calling Time''' - Decreases the time between calling an artillery strike and the shells being fired (from a base level of 13 seconds to a minimum of 10 seconds).
* '''Artillery Targeting Accuracy''' - Increases the targeting accuracy of artillery by reducing the shells' scattering (from a base level of 57 m to a minimum of 45 m)
* '''Radio Communication''' - In Arcade mode, it highlights all enemies around the player on the minimap, if any allied vehicle sees them (including aircraft), with default range of 500 m, which is very helpful during and against flank attacks. In Realistic mode, it increases the range at which the enemy players detected by the allied team are displayed (through red arrows pointing downward on the borders of the screen). Either effect can be increased up to 1,000 m.

==Naval vehicle crew skills ==
===Ship commander===

* '''Leadership''' - Improves all crew member's skills by up to 5%. This skill isn't affected by the qualification level of a crew with the vehicle in question, and is one of the most expensive to train.
* '''Crew interchangeability''' - Lowers the required number of crew for your vessel to remain seaworthy.
* '''Radio Communication''' - In Arcade mode, it highlights all enemies around the player on the minimap. This happens if any allied vehicle sees them (including aircraft), with a default range of 250 m. This is very helpful during and against flank attacks. In Realistic mode, it increases the range at which the enemy players detected by the allied team are displayed (through red arrows pointing downward on the borders of the screen). Either effect can be increased up to 500 m.

===Observers===

* '''Air targets detection distance''' - Increases the distance at which aircraft will be outlined by a marker.
* '''Surface targets detection distance''' - Increases the distance at which ground and naval vehicles will be outlined by a marker. This skill also increases the distance at which the full vehicle name is displayed (otherwise, simply the class of the vehicle is displayed instead).
* '''Enemy torpedoes detection distance''' - Increases the distance at which torpedoes and their trails are marked.

===Engine room===

* '''Ship control''' - Reduces the time between sending a command for engine speed mode or rudder turn and applying the change.
* '''Fire prevention''' - Reduces the chances of a fire in the engine room, engine compartment, or transmission house.

===Gunners===

* '''Main caliber reload speed''' - Reduces the reload time of the main guns.
* '''Auxiliary caliber reload speed''' - Reduces the reload time of the auxiliary guns.
* '''AAA caliber reload speed''' - Reduces the reload time of the AAA guns.
* '''AAA gunner accuracy''' - Improves the accuracy of the AI gunners when firing the AAA guns. This skill has no effect when the AAA guns are being manually aimed.
* '''Auxiliary gunner accuracy''' - Improves the accuracy of the AI gunners when firing the auxiliary guns. This skill has no effect when the auxiliary guns are being manually aimed.
* '''Distance fuse set accuracy''' - Improves the accuracy of the distance fuse when using an airburst-capable shell.

===Damage control===

* '''Unwatering time''' - Reduces the time required to remove water from the vessel.
* '''Fire extinguishing''' - Reduces the time taken to extinguish a fire, reducing the damage received from a fire.
* '''Breach repair''' - Reduces the time required to repair the hull of the vessel.
* '''Survival leadership''' - Reduces the penalty gained for attempting to unwater, extinguish fires, and repair the vehicle simultaneously.

== Qualification Levels ==
Players can level up their crews' skills through two ways - spending the aforementioned crew XP points and investing in '''crew qualification''' through Silver Lions {{sl}}.

Unlike skills, qualification levels (beyond '''"Basic"''' - the training achieved by spending crew points) are acquired only for a specific vehicle. Qualification is an exceptional skill for a crew in control of this particular vehicle. To learn it, a certain crew level needs to be achieved. Crew level is the sum of the levels of all skills learned by the crew. For example, a level 5 crew will not be able to be Qualified for an [[M6A1]], which is Rank III, and will have to be leveled up higher to have this option available.

===Air vehicles===
Spending crew points in aircraft crews accounts for 50% of the attainable skill levels. There are three levels of qualification altogether before one can reach the full 100% of the crew: "Basic", "Expert" and "Ace".

[[File:CrewSkills Aircraft training.png|thumb|none|x500px|Diagram of the distribution of skill levels through the levels of qualification in Air crews.]]

The first level of qualification, "Expert," increases all skills by 3 levels, meaning a full 30% increase in efficiency. The second level afterwards, "Ace," increases these skills by another 2 levels, adding up to a total 50% increase with a jump of 5 levels.

In order to use these skills at their maximum level, a pilot needs to research them up to level 5 and obtain two qualifications to reach up to level 10. For instance, a pilot who leveled the "Keen Vision" skill up to 5 will detect targets approximately 6 km away; after getting the "Expert" qualification he will then see enemy targets at 7.2 km; finally, reaching "Ace" qualification will increase this detection distance to the maximum of 8 km.

===Ground and Naval vehicles===
In the case of ground crews, "Current skill level" accounts for 40% of the required qualification to reach the maximum skill level, the "Top" level. The remaining 60% are delegated to the two qualification levels - "Expert", and "Ace", as well as the bonus provided by the Tank/Ship Commander's "Leadership" skill.

[[File:CrewSkills Tank training.png|thumb|none|x500px|Diagram of the distribution of skill levels through the levels of qualification in Ground and Naval crews]]

==Crew points to level==
The following charts should be used to gauge the amount of crew XP points needed to level up a skill. Every skill with the exception of the "Repair Rank" skill is increased by increments of 0.5 levels.

The maximum achievable crew level for aviation crews is '''75'''. For tank crews, the maximum is '''150'''. For naval crews, the maximum is '''100'''.

Highlighted skills - the unique skills of a specific crew member

===Air crew===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="80%"
! width="165px" | Skill !! colspan="2" | 1 !! colspan="2" | 2 !! colspan="2" | 3 !! colspan="2" | 4 !! colspan="2" | 5 !! Total
|-
! colspan="12" | Pilot
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Keen Vision || 15 || 50 || 90 || 145 || 195 || 270 || 340 || 415 || 500 || 600 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 2,620
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Awareness || 15 || 50 || 90 || 145 || 195 || 270 || 340 || 415 || 500 || 600 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 2,620
|-
| G-Tolerance || 22 || 64 || 110 || 160 || 215 || 275 || 330 || 395 || 470 || 530 || 2,571
|-
| Stamina || 22 || 64 || 110 || 160 || 215 || 275 || 330 || 395 || 470 || 530 || 2,571
|-
| Vitality || 27 || 80 || 150 || 225 || 320 || 415 || 520 || 640 || 760 || 890 || 4,027
|-
! colspan="12" | Defensive armament
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Number of Experienced Gunners || 0 || 170 || 230 || 300 || 360 || 430 || 490 || 560 || 630 || 690 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 3,860
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Fire Accuracy || 12 || 29 || 55 || 80 || 110 || 135 || 165 || 195 || 235 || 265 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 1,281
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Fire Precision || 12 || 29 || 55 || 80 || 110 || 135 || 165 || 195 || 235 || 265 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 1,281
|-
| G-Tolerance || 17 || 40 || 60 || 100 || 110 || 150 || 160 || 200 || 215 || 250 || 1,302
|-
| Stamina || 17 || 40 || 60 || 100 || 110 || 150 || 160 || 200 || 215 || 250 || 1,302
|-
| Vitality || 17 || 40 || 60 || 100 || 110 || 150 || 160 || 200 || 215 || 250 || 1,302
|-
! colspan="12" | Logistical services
|-
| Repair Speed || 12 || 35 || 55 || 80 || 110 || 140 || 170 || 205 || 240 || 275 || 1,322
|-
| Repair Rank || colspan="2" | 0 || colspan="2" | 120 || colspan="2" | 240 || colspan="2" | 390 || colspan="2" | 590 || 1,340
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Reload Speed || 16 || 60 || 120 || 190 || 285 || 385 || 505 || 640 || 780 || 930 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 3,911
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Weapon Maintenance || 22 || 64 || 110 || 160 || 215 || 275 || 330 || 395 || 470 || 530 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 2,571
|-
| colspan="10" | || '''Total''' || '''33,881'''
|}

=== Ground crew ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="80%"
! width="165px" | Skill !! colspan="2" | 1 !! colspan="2" | 2 !! colspan="2" | 3 !! colspan="2" | 4 !! colspan="2" | 5 !! Total
|-
! colspan="12" | Driver
|-
| Keen Vision || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| Field Repair || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Agility || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Vitality || 23 || 70 || 125 || 185 || 255 || 325 || 400 || 480 || 570 || 660 || 3,093
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Tank Driving || 11 || 24 || 50 || 70 || 85 || 110 || 130 || 155 || 180 || 205 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 1,020
|-
! colspan="12" | Gunner
|-
| Keen Vision || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| Field Repair || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Agility || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Vitality || 23 || 70 || 125 || 185 || 255 || 325 || 400 || 480 || 570 || 660 || 3,093
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Targeting || 11 || 24 || 50 || 70 || 85 || 110 || 130 || 155 || 180 || 205 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 1,020
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Rangefinding || 11 || 24 || 50 || 70 || 85 || 110 || 130 || 155 || 180 || 205 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 1,020
|-
! colspan="12" | Tank Commander
|-
| Keen Vision || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| Field Repair || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Agility || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Vitality || 23 || 70 || 125 || 185 || 255 || 325 || 400 || 480 || 570 || 660 || 3,093
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Leadership || 16 || 60 || 120 || 200 || 290 || 400 || 515 || 650 || 800 || 970 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 4,021
|-
! colspan="12" | Tank Loader
|-
| Keen Vision || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| Field Repair || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Agility || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Vitality || 23 || 70 || 125 || 185 || 255 || 325 || 400 || 480 || 570 || 660 || 3,093
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Weapon Reloading || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 3,060
|-
! colspan="12" | Radio Operator Gunner
|-
| Keen Vision || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| Field Repair || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Agility || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Vitality || 23 || 70 || 125 || 185 || 255 || 325 || 400 || 480 || 570 || 660 || 3,093
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Artillery Targeting Accuracy || 8 || 18 || 25 || 45 || 50 || 55 || 75 || 75 || 90 || 100 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 541
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Artillery Strike Calling Time || 8 || 18 || 25 || 45 || 50 || 55 || 75 || 75 || 90 || 100 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 541
|-
| style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | Radio Communication || 11 || 24 || 50 || 70 || 85 || 110 || 130 || 155 || 180 || 205 || style="background-color:#DBE0E2;" | 1,020
|-
! colspan="12" | Logistical services
|-
| Repair Speed || 12 || 35 || 55 || 80 || 110 || 140 || 170 || 205 || 240 || 275 || 1,322
|-
| Repair Rank || colspan="2" | 0 || colspan="2" | 120 || colspan="2" | 240 || colspan="2" | 390 || colspan="2" | 590 || 1,340
|-
| colspan="10" | || '''Total''' || '''71,130'''
|}

=== Naval crew ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="80%"
! width="165px" | Skill !! colspan="2" | 1 !! colspan="2" | 2 !! colspan="2" | 3 !! colspan="2" | 4 !! colspan="2" | 5 !! Total
|-
! colspan="12" | Ship commander
|-
| Leadership || 16 || 60 || 120 || 200 || 290 || 400 || 515 || 650 || 800 || 970 || 4,021
|-
| Crew interchangeability || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Radio Communication || 12 || 29 || 55 || 80 || 110 || 135 || 165 || 195 || 235 || 265 || 1,281
|-
! colspan="12" | Observers
|-
| Air targets detection distance || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Surface targets detection distance || 16 || 60 || 120 || 200 || 290 || 400 || 515 || 650 || 800 || 970 || 4,021
|-
| Enemy torpedoes detection distance || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
! colspan="12" | Engine room
|-
| Ship control || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Fire prevention || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
! colspan="12" | Gunners
|-
| Main caliber reload speed || 16 || 60 || 120 || 200 || 290 || 400 || 515 || 650 || 800 || 970 || 4,021
|-
| Auxiliary caliber reload speed || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| AAA caliber reload speed || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| AAA gunner accuracy || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| Auxiliary gunner accuracy || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| Distance fuse set accuracy || 11 || 24 || 50 || 70 || 85 || 110 || 130 || 155 || 180 || 205 || 1,020
|-
! colspan="12" | Damage control
|-
| Unwatering time || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
| Fire extinguishing || 15 || 50 || 100 || 155 || 230 || 310 || 395 || 495 || 600 || 710 || 3,060
|-
| Breach repair || 16 || 60 || 120 || 200 || 290 || 400 || 515 || 650 || 800 || 970 || 4,021
|-
| Survive leadership || 20 || 47 || 100 || 135 || 175 || 215 || 260 || 310 || 360 || 410 || 2,032
|-
! colspan="12" | Logistical services
|-
| Repair Speed || 12 || 35 || 55 || 80 || 110 || 140 || 170 || 205 || 240 || 275 || 1,322
|-
| Repair Rank || colspan="2" | 0 || colspan="2" | 120 || colspan="2" | 240 || colspan="2" | 390 || colspan="2" | 590 || 1,340
|-
| colspan="10" | || '''Total''' || '''50,571'''
|}

== Media ==


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|bTNLb4WT_g4|'''The Shooting Range #312''' - ''Tactics & Strategy'' section at 07:47 discusses naval crew skills.|bVoBUcq25gg|'''The Shooting Range #305''' - ''Tactics & Strategy'' section at 07:50 discusses aircraft crew skills.|d27p2Kg06MA|'''The Shooting Range #302''' - ''Tactics & Strategy'' section at 08:10 discusses tank crew skills.|6lOL6wSZVtY|'''Tank Crew Skills Guide''' - ''skDoger''|iG5yHEgCpk8|'''Plane Crew Skills Guide''' - ''skDoger''|No7JtRPaHM0|'''Naval Crew Skills Guide - Comprehensive Guide For Naval Crews''' - ''Tankenstein''}}

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/697--en|[Special] All you need to know about aircraft crews]]
* [[wt:en/devblog/current/839|[Devblog] Improved Crew Skills with Update 1.53]]

[[Category:Game mechanics]]

Pz.II C

2022-08-04T15:48:58Z

U124360877: spelling errors

{{About
| about = German light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Pz.II (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_pzkpfw_II_ausf_C
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41.

The Pz.II C is a vehicle that fits well in any line-up using low-rank German tanks. The first of its column in the German tech tree, the Pz.II C can be distinguished from the later [[Pz.II F|Ausf. F]] model by its heavier frontal armor. A distinguishing feature for this series of Panzer II is the trademark 20 mm automatic cannon, which can be a curse to new users or a gift to players who know how to use the vehicle well. This autocannon can give several misconceptions on the Pz.II's utilities that can lure players into assuming it is a close quarters vehicle. The reality is much different - at close ranges, the 20 mm autocannon with its 280 round per minute (RPM) rate of fire and PzGr.40 APCR ammo can have a great effect on a single target, but the reload time and 10 round-capacity per magazine can backfire hard if the Pz.II C faces against more tanks than a single magazine can deal with.

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

[[File:Pz.II C Screenshot 2.jpg|thumb|Pz.II C on frozen pass]]
The Pz.II C has (on the surface) decent frontal armor, with 35 mm for the front plate with a section of heavily sloped 30 mm armor on the glacis, then a sloped lower glacis that has 35 mm as well. The side, rear, and hull roof armor are a paltry 15 mm, including the turret sides. The front turret face is 30 mm that do not overlap with the 30 mm thick gun mantlet well so it will be rare, if not impossible, for a chance at relying on a 60 mm overlapping area to deflect rounds.

Generally speaking, the Pz.II C does not have enough armor to defend itself unless fighting from an extreme range (which most early-ranked tanks can't reasonably do well), facing SPAA vehicles that are only using high-explosive shells or facing against some early-ranked French tanks.

Put shortly - do everything to ensure that the Pz.II C does not get hit, because even one well placed shot in the crew compartment will likely knock the Pz.II C out.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armor

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 + 14.5 mm (6°) ''Upper plate'' 14.5 mm (74°) ''Upper glacis'' 20 mm (33°) ''Lower glacis'' || 14.5 mm || 14.5 mm (6°) ''Upper plates'' 10 mm (61°) ''Lower glacis'' || 14.5 mm (16°) ''Front glacis'' 15 mm ''Crew compartment'' 14.5 mm ''Rear'' 10 mm (9°) ''Engine access panel'' 5 mm ''Vents''
|-
| Turret || 20 + 14.5 mm (cylindrical) ''Turret front'' 14.5 + 14.5 mm (cylindrical) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14.5 mm (21°) || 15 mm (24°) || 10 mm (15°) ''Front'' 10 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 15 mm (cylindrical) || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and torsion bars are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Mudguards are 4 mm thick.
* Belly armor is 5 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=217|rbMinHp=124}}

Mobility-wise, the {{PAGENAME}} is actually better than most of its peers, but the [[BT-5|BT]] series tanks and [[M3 Stuart]]s will still outpace it quite easily. Regardless, the {{PAGENAME}} can get around the battlefield quite respectably, and the vehicle's power-to-weight ratio makes it easy to go up steep inclines than larger, heavier vehicles. However, the {{PAGENAME}} is not going to outrun a pursuing enemy team, so locating good cover is immensely useful for its survival.

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

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

[[File:Pz.II C Screenshot 1.jpg|thumb|Pz.II C firing its main weapon]]
{{main|KwK30 (20 mm)}}

The main armament of the Pz.II C is the 20 mm KwK 30 automatic cannon.

With the ability to load HVAP rounds capable of penetrating 48 mm at point blank range, combined with its magazine-loaded rapid fire, the 20 mm can puncture through most enemy armor at this battle rating range like it is fabric.

The biggest problem with the 20 mm autocannon is the 10 round magazines combined with a 7.8s stock reload time, meaning that the tank may successfully take out two or three enemy tanks with controlled bursts, but is likely to be taken out during the reload. Another problem to consider is in the powerful HVAP ammunition, in that its impressive penetration statistics can make the gun reach out to about 200-300 meters, but the penetrative power drops off rapidly after that due to velocity drop, even more so than the standard PzGr round.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK30 (20 mm)|20 mm KwK30]] || 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" | 180 (10) || rowspan="2" | 280 || rowspan="2" | -9°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 13.33 || 18.45 || 22.40 || 24.77 || 26.35 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.33 || 9.80 || 11.90 || 13.16 || 14.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - The belt composition means that 50% of the shells (HEFI-T*) are useless against tanks. However, this belt is reliable against open-topped or thin-skinned vehicles like SPAA vehicles. Since there are no dedicated high-explosive shells for the selection, having one belt of this in reserve does not hurt for those situations.
* '''PzGr:''' {{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}} - This belt offers a good transition from the Default to the PzGr 40 belt. The round offers decent damage against lightly armored tanks, especially at close range. Due to lack of high-explosive filler, however, it is better to focus on the PzGr 40 belt to maximize penetration power.
* '''PzGr 40:''' {{Annotation|HVAP-T|High-velocity armour-piercing tracer}} - Probably the best belt with the best penetrating shell for the vehicle. While the damage effects post-penetration can be quite poor, the rapid fire from the autocannon can mitigate this problem by following up quickly with another penetrating shot. In close combat, these shells should be used against modules and crew member to make the most of each shell. Against angled armour, however, the HVAP ammo may not be very effective. Unlike the Flakpanzer 1 and Flakpanzer 38, this belt is still 100% HVAP.

{| 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 || 37 || 34 || 23 || 14 || 9 || 6
|-
| PzGr || 37 || 34 || 23 || 14 || 9 || 6
|-
| PzGr 40 || 48 || 45 || 31 || 20 || 13 || 8
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| PzGr || API-T || 800 || 0.15 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| PzGr 40 || HVAP-T || 1,050 || 0.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''18''' || 11 ''(+7)'' || 7 ''(+11)'' || 1 ''(+17)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Ammunition is modeled as 18 magazines of 10 rounds.
* Racks disappear after you've fired all magazines in the rack.
* Right flank empty: 11 ''(+7)'' magazines.

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

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

Mounted opposite to the 20 mm autocannon is the MG 34, which is loaded with a 50-round belt with an AP-I/AP-I/AP-T ammo pattern. With 13 mm of maximum penetration at point blank range, this gun's 800 RPM rate of fire will make short work of unarmored vehicles like truck-based SPAA, as well as exposed enemy crew members.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,800 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The main key to success with this vehicle is to drive aggressively, trying to take shots at relatively close range (100-300 meters or even less). Aim for the enemy's weak spots such as modules and crew members. Go for flank or rear shots in order to make the most of the 20 mm close-range penetration power on the enemy's thinner armor plates. If you manage to flak an enemy from the side or back you can tear thru enemy armor do to most tier one tanks having light armor. Also use your speed to get to the sides or rear of an enemy if you can.

When positioning the Pz.II C, try to use the terrain to remain hull down so that a quick reverse can mask the hull. With this position, the Pz.II C can quickly scoot forward and fire off a few quick shots before reversing to a safe position away from enemy fire. Keep this in mind when attempting to ambush the enemy in an open arena with little cover, as cover and concealment are more reliable in disrupting enemy return fire accuracy than the Pz.II's thin armor.

Alternatively, the Pz.II C can be played as a support vehicle, a second line tank, to say the least, to assist more armored allies when pushing the cap. Use short bursts (2-4 rounds ideally) to disable enemy vehicles by targeting weak points like their transmission or turret crew, then use the remaining ammo to take out the rest of the enemy crew, or let friendly tankers take them out for assists. The Pz.II C lacks the mobility to disengage and run from tanks like the M3 Stuarts or BT series tanks, but if their transmission, driver, or tracks are taken out, they will be temporarily immobilized and the Pz.II C player has bought themselves time to scurry back to friendly lines, where more powerful guns and numbers can be brought to counter the enemy.

Also, as a light tank with decent speed and low profile, the Pz.II C can act as a spotter (unfortunately without the use of the [[Scouting|scout]] mechanics) to locate enemy tanks for allies to prioritize and hit with guns, artillery, or airstrikes.
[[File:Pz.II C Screenshot 3.jpg|thumb|Pz.II C driving through frozen pass]]
The biggest threat to the Pz.II C on the battlefield are tanks that have very good armor and firepower at the expense of their mobility. The [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine]], [[FCM.36]], and [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda]] are examples of tanks that will easily deflect even 20 mm PzGr 40 shots, either due to their impressive frontal hull and turret armor, or just because they are so slow that the Pz.II C will engage them at ranges that render the shell penetration power ineffective. If one of these tanks are spotted trundling along in the distance, do not bother taking the shot because the 20 mm are unlikely able to do even cosmetic damages, while at the same time drawing their attention and revealing the Pz.II C's position due to the shell tracers.

Generally speaking, if the target is about the size of a coin when looking at it on max zoom in the gunner's sight, it is too far for effective fire and should not be engaged.

A more advanced method of playing this is to use it like an autoloading gun from higher BRs - fire only one or two shots per click at a given time. This helps avoid spraying uselessly at bigger, more stubborn targets.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decent frontal armor: when angled it can be immune to common opponents like the [[BT-5]], [[BT-7]], [[M3A1 Stuart|M3A1]] and [[A13 (Family)|A13]]
* Overall superior firepower: autocannon shoots rapidly, resulting in denser fire, and with the PzGr 40 belt it can penetrate any tank, including the [[B1 bis]] when aiming correctly
* Has a stabilizer. Quite poor, but enough to fire precisely while reversing.
* Fast top speed and great agility makes it a great flanker
* Curved turret armor of 30 mm plus -10 degrees gun depression allows it to hull-down on hills easily
* Small width means it can maneuver through or hide in narrow passages in urban maps, allowing it to ambush or flank unexpectedly
* Low profile makes it easy to hide behind bushes or cover
* In Simulator mode, friendly fire is less likely due to the very distinct shape and profile

'''Cons:'''

* Only performs well at close quarters combat, as both the AP and HVAP penetration drop below 30 mm past 500 m, making it struggle to penetrate common opponents such as the [[M3 Stuart (Family)|M3]]/[[M5 Stuart (Family)|M5]] Stuart and B1 bis
* Magazine-loaded armament means there is lengthy downtime for reloading where you are vulnerable
* Survivability is still inadequate: unsloped armor plus closely-packed crew of 3 means it is very vulnerable to [[T-26]], BT-5 or [[M8 General Scott (Family)|M8 Scott]] which all have explosive AP
* Although top speed is good, it is still slower than other light tanks like the infamous BT-5, [[M8 Greyhound (Family)|M8 Greyhound]] and M3/M5
* Poor damage of 20 mm shells means that new players cannot effectively destroy spacious tanks like [[LVT(A)(1)]]
* Low penetration when not using HVAP-T rounds. When stock it is useless against a B1 bis or M3/M5 (frontally)

== History ==

===Development===
In 1934, the development of the new German tanks, which would be the [[Pz.III E|Panzer III]] and [[Pz.IV E|Panzer IV]], was falling behind schedule despite an urgent need for tanks. As a stopgap solution until the designs were finalized, the Germany Army submitted a request for a new tank, giving the responsibility of designing to Krupp, MAN, Henschel, and Daimler-Benz. The product was a design based off the German Panzer I light tank, but was larger with the addition of an extra bogie wheel and had a 20 mm autocannon as its main armament. The finished tank was designated the '''Panzer II''' and production was to start in 1935, but tank deliveries did not start until 18 months later. At this time, it was in a low rate production status by 1936. By the time the Panzer II reached the '''Ausf. C''' designation, it was fitted with an improved suspension system to support the tank's weight. The changes included five larger wheels attached to new leaf springs. In 1937, the Ausf. C entered full production with MAN and other manufacturers. Over 1,600 Panzer II light tanks were produced between 1937 to 1942.

===Combat usage===
The Panzer II would serve in the initial stages of World War II but would serve the German army tell the end of the war in other backline roles. The Panzer II would serve most in Poland, France, North African Campaign, and Operation Barbarossa as Germany's main and most numerous tank (By May 1940, there were about a thousand Panzer Is and IIs, but only 381 Panzer III and 290 Panzer IVs). By 1941, it was clear that the Panzer II was starting to become obsolete. With increasing quantity of Panzer IIIs and IVs, the Panzer II was relegated to reconnaissance duties. By 1942, it was largely removed from front lines and production ceased by 1943. The turrets of these tanks were repurposed for use on defensive bunkers on the Atlantic Wall, and the chassis continued in service for other roles, such as a self-propelled gun and tank destroyer in the ''Wespe'' and ''Marder II'' respectively.

Early in the war during Poland and French Campaigns, the Panzer II Ausf. C's armor was deemed inadequate as every anti-tank weapon in service at the time could penetrate the armor. The German response was to increase the armor, first with a front armor increase to 30 mm on the Ausf. D, then ending with a 35 mm front armor and 20 mm side armor on the [[Pz.II F|Panzer II Ausf. F]].

=== In-game description ===
This variant of the Pz.Kpfw. II light tank was designed by Henschel and produced by Daimler-Benz.

The Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C was the third production variant of the tank. It differed from the Ausf. A and Ausf. B tank variants in its improved engine cooling system and the installation of 50 mm thick armored glass in the observation units. The new tank hull was 30 mm taller and 57 mm wider.

In 1940, Ausf.C variant tanks were upgraded: the frontal armor of the turret was reinforced with armor sheets 14.5 mm and 20 mm thick, and the frontal armor of the hull was further enhanced 20 mm plates. The construction of the body's front section was modified: over the bent 14.5 mm armor plating protecting the crew, two more plates were welded, joined to one another at a 70° angle. The upper plate had a thickness of 14.5 mm, the lower, 20 mm. A mounted turret which allowed for 360° observation replaced the two-hinged hatch in the tank's roof.

The front and rear rim of the turret was protected by a special armored collar. The gun mantlet was equipped with a protective lipped shield on the top and bottom that prevented the joints of the mantlet and edges of the opening from being hit with shrapnel. The gap between the turret box and turret was protected by an armored collar which was welded to the roof of the box. The driver/mechanic's hatch also received an armored shield.

The tank's armament remained unchanged, but a modified TZF4/38 sight was installed, and the rear of the hull could have smoke grenade launchers (two on each side) mounted to it.

Serial production of Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C tanks lasted from July 1938 to March 1940 and manufactured 100 vehicles.

Despite its outdated design and weak armament, the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C was used very actively in combat until mid-1942. Some tank divisions on the Eastern Front used the tanks till 1943.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Sights

* [https://live.warthunder.com/post/675135/en/ RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|VX-W-nH8Nfs|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Pz.II]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[T-60]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/2778/current|[Vehicle Profile] PzKpfw II Ausf C/F and DAK]]

{{Germany light tanks}}

Pz.II C

2022-08-04T15:42:13Z

U124360877: flanking

{{About
| about = German light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Pz.II (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_pzkpfw_II_ausf_C
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41.

The Pz.II C is a vehicle that fits well in any line-up using low-rank German tanks. The first of its column in the German tech tree, the Pz.II C can be distinguished from the later [[Pz.II F|Ausf. F]] model by its heavier frontal armour. A distinguishing feature for this series of Panzer II is the trademark 20 mm automatic cannon, which can be a curse to new users or a gift to players who know how to use the vehicle well. This autocannon can give several misconceptions on the Pz.II's utilities that can lure players into assuming it is a close quarters vehicle. The reality is much different - at close ranges, the 20 mm autocannon with its 280 round per minute (RPM) rate of fire and PzGr.40 APCR ammo can have a great effect on a single target, but the reload time and 10 round-capacity per magazine can backfire hard if the Pz.II C faces against more tanks than a single magazine can deal with.

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

[[File:Pz.II C Screenshot 2.jpg|thumb|Pz.II C on frozen pass]]
The Pz.II C has (on the surface) decent frontal armour, with 35 mm for the front plate with a section of heavily sloped 30 mm armour on the glacis, then a sloped lower glacis that has 35 mm as well. The side, rear, and hull roof armour are a paltry 15 mm, including the turret sides. The front turret face is 30 mm that do not overlap with the 30 mm thick gun mantlet well so it will be rare, if not impossible, for a chance at relying on a 60 mm overlapping area to deflect rounds.

Generally speaking, the Pz.II C does not have enough armour to defend itself unless fighting from an extreme range (which most early-ranked tanks can't reasonably do well), facing SPAA vehicles that are only using high-explosive shells or facing against some early-ranked French tanks.

Put shortly - do everything to ensure that the Pz.II C does not get hit, because even one well placed shot in the crew compartment will likely knock the Pz.II C out.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 + 14.5 mm (6°) ''Upper plate'' 14.5 mm (74°) ''Upper glacis'' 20 mm (33°) ''Lower glacis'' || 14.5 mm || 14.5 mm (6°) ''Upper plates'' 10 mm (61°) ''Lower glacis'' || 14.5 mm (16°) ''Front glacis'' 15 mm ''Crew compartment'' 14.5 mm ''Rear'' 10 mm (9°) ''Engine access panel'' 5 mm ''Vents''
|-
| Turret || 20 + 14.5 mm (cylindrical) ''Turret front'' 14.5 + 14.5 mm (cylindrical) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14.5 mm (21°) || 15 mm (24°) || 10 mm (15°) ''Front'' 10 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 15 mm (cylindrical) || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and torsion bars are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Mudguards are 4 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 5 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=217|rbMinHp=124}}

Mobility-wise, the {{PAGENAME}} is actually better than most of its peers, but the [[BT-5|BT]] series tanks and [[M3 Stuart]]s will still outpace it quite easily. Regardless, the {{PAGENAME}} can get around the battlefield quite respectably, and the vehicle's power-to-weight ratio makes it easy to go up steep inclines than larger, heavier vehicles. However, the {{PAGENAME}} is not going to outrun a pursuing enemy team, so locating good cover is immensely useful for its survival.

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

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

[[File:Pz.II C Screenshot 1.jpg|thumb|Pz.II C firing its main weapon]]
{{main|KwK30 (20 mm)}}

The main armament of the Pz.II C is the 20 mm KwK 30 automatic cannon.

With the ability to load HVAP rounds capable of penetrating 48 mm at point blank range, combined with its magazine-loaded rapid fire, the 20 mm can puncture through most enemy armour at this battle rating range like it is fabric.

The biggest problem with the 20 mm autocannon is the 10 round magazines combined with a 7.8s stock reload time, meaning that the tank may successfully take out two or three enemy tanks with controlled bursts, but is likely to be taken out during the reload. Another problem to consider is in the powerful HVAP ammunition, in that its impressive penetration statistics can make the gun reach out to about 200-300 meters, but the penetrative power drops off rapidly after that due to velocity drop, even more so than the standard PzGr round.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK30 (20 mm)|20 mm KwK30]] || 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" | 180 (10) || rowspan="2" | 280 || rowspan="2" | -9°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 13.33 || 18.45 || 22.40 || 24.77 || 26.35 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.33 || 9.80 || 11.90 || 13.16 || 14.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - The belt composition means that 50% of the shells (HEFI-T*) are useless against tanks. However, this belt is reliable against open-topped or thin-skinned vehicles like SPAA vehicles. Since there are no dedicated high-explosive shells for the selection, having one belt of this in reserve does not hurt for those situations.
* '''PzGr:''' {{Annotation|API-T|Armour-piercing incendiary tracer}} - This belt offers a good transition from the Default to the PzGr 40 belt. The round offers decent damage against lightly armoured tanks, especially at close range. Due to lack of high-explosive filler, however, it is better to focus on the PzGr 40 belt to maximize penetration power.
* '''PzGr 40:''' {{Annotation|HVAP-T|High-velocity armour-piercing tracer}} - Probably the best belt with the best penetrating shell for the vehicle. While the damage effects post-penetration can be quite poor, the rapid fire from the autocannon can mitigate this problem by following up quickly with another penetrating shot. In close combat, these shells should be used against modules and crew member to make the most of each shell. Against angled armour, however, the HVAP ammo may not be very effective. Unlike the Flakpanzer 1 and Flakpanzer 38, this belt is still 100% HVAP.

{| 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 || 37 || 34 || 23 || 14 || 9 || 6
|-
| PzGr || 37 || 34 || 23 || 14 || 9 || 6
|-
| PzGr 40 || 48 || 45 || 31 || 20 || 13 || 8
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| PzGr || API-T || 800 || 0.15 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| PzGr 40 || HVAP-T || 1,050 || 0.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''18''' || 11 ''(+7)'' || 7 ''(+11)'' || 1 ''(+17)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Ammunition is modeled as 18 magazines of 10 rounds.
* Racks disappear after you've fired all magazines in the rack.
* Right flank empty: 11 ''(+7)'' magazines.

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

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

Mounted opposite to the 20 mm autocannon is the MG 34, which is loaded with a 50-round belt with an AP-I/AP-I/AP-T ammo pattern. With 13 mm of maximum penetration at point blank range, this gun's 800 RPM rate of fire will make short work of unarmoured vehicles like truck-based SPAA, as well as exposed enemy crew members.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,800 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The main key to success with this vehicle is to drive aggressively, trying to take shots at relatively close range (100-300 meters or even less). Aim for the enemy's weak spots such as modules and crew members. Go for flank or rear shots in order to make the most of the 20 mm close-range penetration power on the enemy's thinner armour plates. If you manage to flak an enemy from the side or back you can tear thru enemy armor do to most tier one tanks have light armor. Also use your speed to get to the sides or rear of an enemy if you can.

When positioning the Pz.II C, try to use the terrain to remain hull down so that a quick reverse can mask the hull. With this position, the Pz.II C can quickly scoot forward and fire off a few quick shots before reversing to a safe position away from enemy fire. Keep this in mind when attempting to ambush the enemy in an open arena with little cover, as cover and concealment are more reliable in disrupting enemy return fire accuracy than the Pz.II's thin armour.

Alternatively, the Pz.II C can be played as a support vehicle, a second line tank, to say the least, to assist more armoured allies when pushing the cap. Use short bursts (2-4 rounds ideally) to disable enemy vehicles by targeting weak points like their transmission or turret crew, then use the remaining ammo to take out the rest of the enemy crew, or let friendly tankers take them out for assists. The Pz.II C lacks the mobility to disengage and run from tanks like the M3 Stuarts or BT series tanks, but if their transmission, driver, or tracks are taken out, they will be temporarily immobilized and the Pz.II C player has bought themselves time to scurry back to friendly lines, where more powerful guns and numbers can be brought to counter the enemy.

Also, as a light tank with decent speed and low profile, the Pz.II C can act as a spotter (unfortunately without the use of the [[Scouting|scout]] mechanics) to locate enemy tanks for allies to prioritize and hit with guns, artillery, or airstrikes.
[[File:Pz.II C Screenshot 3.jpg|thumb|Pz.II C driving through frozen pass]]
The biggest threat to the Pz.II C on the battlefield are tanks that have very good armour and firepower at the expense of their mobility. The [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine]], [[FCM.36]], and [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda]] are examples of tanks that will easily deflect even 20 mm PzGr 40 shots, either due to their impressive frontal hull and turret armour, or just because they are so slow that the Pz.II C will engage them at ranges that render the shell penetration power ineffective. If one of these tanks are spotted trundling along in the distance, do not bother taking the shot because the 20 mm are unlikely able to do even cosmetic damages, while at the same time drawing their attention and revealing the Pz.II C's position due to the shell tracers.

Generally speaking, if the target is about the size of a coin when looking at it on max zoom in the gunner's sight, it is too far for effective fire and should not be engaged.

A more advanced method of playing this is to use it like an autoloading gun from higher BRs - fire only one or two shots per click at a given time. This helps avoid spraying uselessly at bigger, more stubborn targets.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decent frontal armour: when angled it can be immune to common opponents like the [[BT-5]], [[BT-7]], [[M3A1 Stuart|M3A1]] and [[A13 (Family)|A13]]
* Overall superior firepower: autocannon shoots rapidly, resulting in denser fire, and with the PzGr 40 belt it can penetrate any tank, including the [[B1 bis]] when aiming correctly
* Has a stabiliser. Quite poor, but enough to fire precisely while reversing.
* Fast top speed and great agility makes it a great flanker
* Curved turret armour of 30 mm plus -10 degrees gun depression allows it to hull-down on hills easily
* Small width means it can manoeuvre through or hide in narrow passages in urban maps, allowing it to ambush or flank unexpectedly
* Low profile makes it easy to hide behind bushes or cover
* In Simulator mode, friendly fire is less likely due to the very distinct shape and profile

'''Cons:'''

* Only performs well at close quarters combat, as both the AP and HVAP penetration drop below 30 mm past 500 m, making it struggle to penetrate common opponents such as the [[M3 Stuart (Family)|M3]]/[[M5 Stuart (Family)|M5]] Stuart and B1 bis
* Magazine-loaded armament means there is lengthy downtime for reloading where you are vulnerable
* Survivability is still inadequate: unsloped armour plus closely-packed crew of 3 means it is very vulnerable to [[T-26]], BT-5 or [[M8 General Scott (Family)|M8 Scott]] which all have explosive AP
* Although top speed is good, it is still slower than other light tanks like the infamous BT-5, [[M8 Greyhound (Family)|M8 Greyhound]] and M3/M5
* Poor damage of 20 mm shells means that new players cannot effectively destroy spacious tanks like [[LVT(A)(1)]]
* Low penetration when not using HVAP-T rounds. When stock it is useless against a B1 bis or M3/M5 (frontally)

== History ==

===Development===
In 1934, the development of the new German tanks, which would be the [[Pz.III E|Panzer III]] and [[Pz.IV E|Panzer IV]], was falling behind schedule despite an urgent need for tanks. As a stopgap solution until the designs were finalized, the Germany Army submitted a request for a new tank, giving the responsibility of designing to Krupp, MAN, Henschel, and Daimler-Benz. The product was a design based off the German Panzer I light tank, but was larger with the addition of an extra bogie wheel and had a 20 mm autocannon as its main armament. The finished tank was designated the '''Panzer II''' and production was to start in 1935, but tank deliveries did not start until 18 months later. At this time, it was in a low rate production status by 1936. By the time the Panzer II reached the '''Ausf. C''' designation, it was fitted with an improved suspension system to support the tank's weight. The changes included five larger wheels attached to new leaf springs. In 1937, the Ausf. C entered full production with MAN and other manufacturers. Over 1,600 Panzer II light tanks were produced between 1937 to 1942.

===Combat usage===
The Panzer II would serve in the initial stages of World War II in Poland, France, North African Campaign, and Operation Barbarossa as Germany's most numerous tank (By May 1940, there were about a thousand Panzer Is and IIs, but only 381 Panzer III and 290 Panzer IVs). By 1941, it was clear that the Panzer II was starting to become obsolete. With increasing quantity of Panzer IIIs and IVs, the Panzer II was relegated to reconnaissance duties. By 1942, it was largely removed from front lines and production ceased by 1943. The turrets of these tanks were repurposed for use on defensive bunkers on the Atlantic Wall, and the chassis continued in service for other roles, such as a self-propelled gun and tank destroyer in the ''Wespe'' and ''Marder II'' respectively.

Early in the war during Poland and French Campaigns, the Panzer II Ausf. C's armour was deemed inadequate as every anti-tank weapon in service at the time could penetrate the armour. The German response was to increase the armour, first with a front armour increase to 30 mm on the Ausf. D, then ending with a 35 mm front armour and 20 mm side armour on the [[Pz.II F|Panzer II Ausf. F]].

=== In-game description ===
This variant of the Pz.Kpfw. II light tank was designed by Henschel and produced by Daimler-Benz.

The Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C was the third production variant of the tank. It differed from the Ausf. A and Ausf. B tank variants in its improved engine cooling system and the installation of 50 mm thick armoured glass in the observation units. The new tank hull was 30 mm taller and 57 mm wider.

In 1940, Ausf.C variant tanks were upgraded: the frontal armour of the turret was reinforced with armour sheets 14.5 mm and 20 mm thick, and the frontal armour of the hull was further enhanced 20 mm plates. The construction of the body's front section was modified: over the bent 14.5 mm armour plating protecting the crew, two more plates were welded, joined to one another at a 70° angle. The upper plate had a thickness of 14.5 mm, the lower, 20 mm. A mounted turret which allowed for 360° observation replaced the two-hinged hatch in the tank's roof.

The front and rear rim of the turret was protected by a special armoured collar. The gun mantlet was equipped with a protective lipped shield on the top and bottom that prevented the joints of the mantlet and edges of the opening from being hit with shrapnel. The gap between the turret box and turret was protected by an armoured collar which was welded to the roof of the box. The driver/mechanic's hatch also received an armoured shield.

The tank's armament remained unchanged, but a modified TZF4/38 sight was installed, and the rear of the hull could have smoke grenade launchers (two on each side) mounted to it.

Serial production of Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C tanks lasted from July 1938 to March 1940 and manufactured 100 vehicles.

Despite its outdated design and weak armament, the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C was used very actively in combat until mid-1942. Some tank divisions on the Eastern Front used the tanks till 1943.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Sights

* [https://live.warthunder.com/post/675135/en/ RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|VX-W-nH8Nfs|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Pz.II]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[T-60]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/2778/current|[Vehicle Profile] PzKpfw II Ausf C/F and DAK]]

{{Germany light tanks}}