War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

IJN Agano

2024-09-18T22:30:56Z

U125982294: Added description of battle useage, AA armament and torpedoes. Changed the pro part of 'main guns being weak' into 'main guns lack penetration', as it is more accurate: the guns deal decent damage to DDs

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

== Description ==

'''Agano''' (Japanese: 阿賀野) was the lead ship of her class of Imperial Japanese Navy light cruisers (in Japanese also designated as 阿賀野型軽巡洋艦 - second-rank cruisers of the Agano class). Launched and commissioned in October 1940, she saw limited combat during her service. Although designed as a modern vessel, she was criticised for her inadequate anti-aircraft armament. Agano participated in several missions, including the Battle of Bougainville Island, but her role was marginal at best. In November 1943, she was heavily damaged during the Rabaul air raids, losing her rudder and two propellers. While attempting to return to Japan for repairs, she was torpedoed by the American submarine USS Skate on 16 February 1944 and subsequently sank, marking the first loss of her class.

'''{{Specs|name}}''' was introduced along with the initial release of the Imperial Japanese Navy in [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]]. She has a fairly high speed, long-lance torpedoes, scout planes, and a good rate of fire, making it easy to fight against destroyers and other cruisers, while also being very competent at winning missions through objectives. Her biggest downsides are very limited anti-air capability, relatively poor survivability, and low penetration of the armour-piercing rounds, making her a difficult vessel to play in uptiers.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
''Armour is virtually non-existent. A few accurate salvos from an american. soviet or even german destroyer will send IJN Agano to the bottom of the sea.''

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}

The Agano is very fast for a cruiser and can keep up with some destroyers when fully upgraded.The ship makes up for its overall semi-weak armour with speed. It is able to weave in and out of combat at will and is relatively manoeuvrable when compared to its usual adversaries.

{{NavalMobility}}

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

== Armament ==
{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
=== Primary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}

{{main|15 cm/50 Type 41 (152 mm)}}

{{:15 cm/50 Type 41 (152 mm)/Ammunition|152 mm Type 0 HE, 152 mm Type 4 SAP, 152 mm Type 0 HE-TF}}

=== Secondary armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}

{{main|8 cm/60 Type 98 (76 mm)}}

{{:8 cm/60 Type 98 (76 mm)/Ammunition|76.2 mm Type 98 HE, 76.2 mm Type 98 HE-TF}}

=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
{{main|25 mm/60 Type 96 (25 mm)}}

''Anti-aircraft defenses can be described as adequate at best. 10 x 25 mm AA guns in four separate mounts can shoot down a slow-flying or non-maneuvering plane at distances of under 2 km. However, they will have trouble dealing with a fast and maneuvering aircraft.''

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
{{main|Type 93 Model 1, Mod 2 (610 mm)}}

''The ship has 16 type 93, mod 2 torpedos in 2 torpedo tubes with the impressive explosive mass of almost 500 kg (627 kg of TNT equivalent), and the travel distance of 20 km at the speed of 91 km\h. They are capable of dealing a fatal blow to most opponents including battleships, provided that the hit lands anywhere near their ammo.Note that the firing angles of the tubes are very limited.''

=== Scout plane ===
{{Specs-Fleet-Plane}}

Located amidships is a catapult with one Aichi E13A1 scout plane (the second stored on the trolley is not available) which provides unique offensive and defensive abilities, expanding tactical options. Ship-launched scout planes fly just like regular tree units but lack munition choices and cockpit views. The E13A1 is equipped with a [[Type 97 navy (7.7 mm)|7.7 mm Type 97]] defensive machine gun and a formidable load of 4 x 60 kg bombs. It also has the scout plane ability to cap zones and lay down smoke cover (up to 3 times). Captains will be wise to remember to utilize the aircraft and consider when best to use it, for example to cap a point early or late in the match, to create a smoke screen to stymie enemy bombardment and repair, to attack enemy units directly, or perhaps something completely new! Carrying a heavier bomb load than most other scout planes, this unit has a very good chance to sink enemy boats or even a destroyer.

== Usage in battles ==
''When downtiered your best bet is to go after enemy destroyers as your fast-firing (6 second reload) 6inch guns provide you with excellent means of disposing of them. One has, however, to be accurate with their shots, as the ready rack only has 20 shells per gun, and when that is gone you are left in a very precarious position. It is best to find a safe spot and have it reloaded. Try to avoid duels with enemy cruisers as your guns can hardly penetrate most of them. When uptiered you can face WWI battlecruisers, heavily armoured cruisers which your guns can only scratch. Your only realistic way of fighting them is to use your torpedos.''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 16 Long Lance torpedoes are devastating against enemy ships
* Very fast for a cruiser, can keep up with some destroyers when fully upgraded
* Main guns have a great rate of fire in first-stage, equal to US cruisers
* One scout plane

'''Cons:'''

* 25 mm AA guns cannot engage close targets
* Torpedoes have very limited firing arc
* Armour is mediocre, other cruisers will punch right through it at close range
* Turrets are large and lack armour, can thus easily be disabled
* Main gun shells lack penetration power

== History ==

Agano was the lead ship of four light cruisers built to supercede and replace the older cruisers serving as destroyer flotilla flagships in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Launched in October 1941, she entered service a year later and saw her first operation escorting troop transports to New Guinea in December 1942. The ship was involved in Operation Ke, the evacuation of 10,652 Japanese troops from Guadalcanal as well as the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, an American victory which closed the Solomon Islands campaign. Several weeks later, American airstrikes damaged the ship as it lay in port at Rabaul and whilst en route to receive repairs, she was struck by a torpedo from an American submarine which flooded the boiler rooms and knocked out all power. The submarine Albacore prepared to finish the helpless and immobile ship, but was prevented from doing so by depth charges from the Urakaze. Taken under tow to Truk, Agano underwent 4 months of repairs before being able to attempt the journey back to the home islands of Japan in February 1944, for more permanent fixes. Ambushed by the American submarine Skate, Agano was hit by 2 torpedoes and sank 6 hours later.

Her destroyer escort Oite took on 523 survivors from the Agano, but was herself sunk 2 days later by Grumman TBF Avengers of Task Force 58 during Operation Hailstone. She sank almost immediately with the loss 172 out of her 192 complement whilst all 523 survivors of the Agano were lost.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=jp_cruiser_agano Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
{{Skin-gallery |market|ugcitem_1000611|IJN Agano 1944.jpg|1944 Camo}}

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Japanese cruiser Agano|[Wikipedia] Japanese cruiser Agano]]
* [https://japanese-warship.com/light/agano-class/ <nowiki>[大日本帝国軍主要兵器]</nowiki> 『阿賀野型軽巡洋艦』【Agano-class light cruiser】]
* [https://japanese-warship.com/light/agano/ <nowiki>[大日本帝国軍主要兵器]</nowiki> 阿賀野【阿賀野型軽巡洋艦　一番艦】【Agano-class light cruiser first】]

{{ShipManufacturer Sasebo Naval Arsenal}}
{{Japan light cruisers}}

Panther "Dauphiné"

2024-09-18T21:47:11Z

U125982294: I corrected the description of the difference btw this panther and the german panther G. This panther does not have the improved gun mantlet (like the original description claimed) but rather the one similar to panthers A or D.

{{About
|about = French medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|other
|usage-1 = other versions
|link-1 = Panzer V Panther (Family)
|usage-2 = other uses
|link-2 = Panther (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_pzkpfw_V_panther_dauphine
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

Throughout the development of WWII after D-Day, French forces made an effort to capture and rearm as many German panzers as possible. Most of these tanks were Panzer IVs, however, a small number of Panthers and Tigers were also used by France. A number of Panthers were captured at the Battle of Dompaire after the French surrounded a Panzer Battalion, however not all the tanks captured during this encirclement were used due to logistical reasons. In the end, all tanks of this type were replaced shortly after the end of WWII.

The {{PAGENAME}} was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]]. It is a French-captured example of the [[Panther G]] found in the German tree with a few cosmetic differences like missing side skirts and new French markings. The only significant difference between this Panther and the Panther G in the German tree is the early production variant of the gun mantlet, which does not prevent shots from ricocheting into the top of the hull. In all other aspects, the '''{{Specs|name}}''' behaves like any other Panther G. It features a very powerful cannon, which is easier to use thanks to the increased turret rotation when compared to the Panther D, however like all Panthers, it suffers from very poor reverse speed, and thus it is hard to escape from difficult situations, use your front armour at hull down positions and long-range combat for better chances of survival.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (56°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50 mm (30°) ''Top'' 41.5 mm ''Bottom'' || 40 mm (24°) || 17 mm
|-
| Turret || 110 mm ''Turret front'' 100 mm ''Gun mantlet''|| 45 mm || 45 mm || 15 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 110 mm || 15 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Belly armour front part is 18 mm thick while the back part is 15 mm thick.
* Turret right side is covered in tracks, providing 20 mm extra thickness.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=930|rbMinHp=531}}

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

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

{{main|KwK42 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK42 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK42]] || 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" | 82 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 19.0 || 26.3 || 32.0 || 35.4 || 37.6 || rowspan="2" | 9.6 || rowspan="2" | 8.5 || rowspan="2" | 7.9 || rowspan="2" | 7.4
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 11.9 || 14.0 || 17.0 || 18.8 || 20.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:KwK42 (75 mm)/Ammunition|PzGr 39/42, Sprgr. 42}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Panther_G.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
|-
| '''82''' || 80 ''(+2)'' || 74 ''(+8)'' || 62 ''(+20)'' || 50 ''(+32)'' || 38 ''(+44)''
|-
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| 26 ''(+56)'' || 22 ''(+60)'' || 12 ''(+70)'' || 4 ''(+78)'' || 1 ''(+81)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.
* Right side empty: 50 ''(+32)'' or both sides empty: 22 ''(+60)''

=== 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 || 2,700 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the MG34 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

As with all other Panther-series medium tanks, it is best played in a supporting role or as a front-line offensive tank due to its agility. The cannon is more than forgiving and powerful enough to destroy any potential target, so use it to an advantage; long-range shooting is effective as the muzzle velocity is extremely high, owing to the long-barreled 75 mm, the penetration values are more than capable of punching through any opposing armour, and the shell weight will, if the shell penetrates, consistently deal decent amounts of crew and module damage, if not immediately make the target on combat ineffective.

This tank, however, owing to its "mailbox" gun mantlet design, is not a good combatant frontally, especially at its BR; many enemy tanks will find the gun mantlet a juicy target. Never engage in extended frontal skirmishes with enemy tanks; instead, use the high mobility as much as possible. Don't stay in one place as much as possible, shoot and scoot before the enemy can react shoot through the mantlet.

Another thing to note: the only difference between this and the German Panther G is the absence of side skirts and the thicker lower part of the mantlet, as well as the French markings on the side of the gun mantlet and the tank's name at the hull rear. This is useful in Simulator battles because if you were to put German markings over the French ones you may just pass as a German tank. Take that as you will and warn the people on your team not to shoot you.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent cannon with great stock AP for common targets (e.g. [[Tiger H1]], [[Pz.IV H]] and [[M4A3E2]]) and HE for light vehicles. Great accuracy and velocity allows easy long-range sniping. Plenty of ammo capacity means flexible ammo setups
* Heavily armoured frontal hull is immune to most guns like the 75 mm Kwk40, 88 mm L/56 and 76 mm M1
* Fast top speed and good hull traverse. Can get to positions in time
* Adequate gun depression of -8° adapts most terrains well
* Does not face threatening opponents (e.g. [[IS-2 (Family)|IS-2]]) as much as the German one would, increasing survivability

'''Cons:'''

* Gun mantlet is only 100 mm, a huge and well-known weak spot to shoot at. 76 mm Sherman, Pz.IV G/H/J, [[Tiger H1]] can easily penetrate it
* Side ammo racks are prone to detonation when hit
* Terrible reverse speed of only -4 km/h, can get the player killed
* No access to APCR meaning it struggles to deal with tanks encountered in a uptier like [[Ho-Ri Production|Ho-Ri]], Tiger II(H) and [[Ferdinand]]
* Very identical appearance to the German Panthers, and can get hit by friendly fire a lot in simulator mode
* Weak side armour gets penetrated easily by Russian APHEBC (mixed battle). Cannot angle too much
* Lower glacis often catches fire or brakes transmission when penetrated, leaving the tank immobile and vulnerable
* High profile for a medium tank makes it harder to hide
* Weak roof armour is vulnerable to strafers like IL-2 (Germany) or Hs-129 B3
* Although heavily armoured, it can still get frontally penetrated by common British tanks like the [[Sherman Firefly]]

== History ==


The Panther "Dauphiné" played a significant role in a French initiative aimed at repurposing Panzers left behind by the Wehrmacht post-D-Day. Spearheaded by Captain Besnier, this initiative resulted in the formation of a small tank brigade comprising nearly 20 antiquated panzers, predominantly Panzer IVs, alongside 2 Panthers and even 2 Tigers. Operating under the moniker "Commando Besnier," these forces were instrumental during the encirclement of Saint-Nazaire, the final city under German control on May 11, 1945, before participating in the French Occupation of Germany toward war's end.

Following the conflict, some of these tanks were assigned to the 3rd Armored Division by late 1945 and remained operational for several months before eventual replacement. Several models found their way into museums, notably the Tiger housed in the Saumur museum in France.

Each tank under Besnier's command was affectionately dubbed after distinct French regions: Tiger "Colmar," Tiger "Bretagne," and Panther "Dauphiné."

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|AEW7aFVCvmo|'''French Panthers''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|WoLatpmJuTA|'''Should You Buy: {{PAGENAME}}''' - ''ConeOfArc''|PUwSXP04-9Q|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Tank Review''' - ''Napalmratte''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Panzer V Panther (Family)]]

== External links ==


=== References ===

;Bibliography

* Braeuer, Luc. L'incroyable histoire de la poche Saint-Nazaire, 2000 (French)

{{TankManufacturer MAN AG}}
{{France medium tanks}}
{{France premium ground vehicles}}