War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

T-V (USSR)

2019-08-27T16:43:45Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_pzkpfw_V
|market=T-V
}}
{{About
|about = Russian '''«Panther»'''
|other
|usage-1 = other uses
|link-1 = Panther (Disambiguation)
|usage-2 = other vehicles of the family
|link-2 = Panther tank (Family)
}}
== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|pseudonym}}''' (also seen as '''{{specs|name}}''' in-game) is a gift Rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was available as a prize during the 2016 "Thunder League" eSports tournament, first as a giveaway prize for watching the Twitch stream, but then every Dog-Tag owner for the tournament earned one when the tournament prize pool reached its $50,000 goal. Though it has the external looks and automotive performance of a [[Panther A|Panther Ausf. A]], its firepower is of the in-game [[Panther D|Panther Ausf. D]] due to the lack of APCR ammunition. Either way, as a premium Panther tank in-game, it can prove quite an opponent in the battlefield.

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 mounted is more than forgiving and powerful enough to destroy any potential target, so use it to the tank's advantage; Long-range shooting is effective as the muzzle velocity is extremely high, owing to the long-barreled 75mm, 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 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 Panther's 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.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' 60 mm (56°) ''Lower glacis'' || 40 mm (40°) ''Top'' 40 + 5 mm ''Lower'' || 40 mm (29-31°) || 16 mm
|-
| Turret || 100 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 60-100 (7-80°) + 10 mm ''Gun mantlet''|| 45 mm (24-25°) || 45 mm (20-30°) || 16 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 80 mm (15-61°) || 16 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick. The interleaved suspension system allows the wheel to stack up, giving around 20 + 20 mm at places.
* Unlike German Panthers, the T-V's lower side hull ''Schürzen'' plates are mostly missing. At the locations they exist on, they provide a 5 mm thick armour plate.
* Rear parts of the upper side hull armour have tracks attached to it, adding additional 20 mm of armour.
* Belly armour is 16 mm thick.
* A 30 mm RHA plate separates the engine compartment from the crew compartment.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 44.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | 0.5 || colspan="1" | 61 (AB)
|-
|55 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,085
|1,336
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|619
|700
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|24.22
|29.82
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|13.82
|15.62
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|KwK 42 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 42 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 42]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 79 || -8°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.3 || 19.8 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.3 || 16.8 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.60 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39/42 || APCBC ||191||188||173||156||140||126
|-
| Sprgr. 42 || 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" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr 39/42 || 935 || 6.8 || 1.2 || 25.0 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. 42 || 700 || 5.7 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 725 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks Panther D.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Panther.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |10th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''79''' || 72 ''(+7)'' || 64 ''(+15)'' || 56 ''(+23)'' || 48 ''(+31)'' || 40 ''(+39)'' || 32 ''(+47)'' || 24 ''(+55)'' || 16 ''(+63)'' ||8 ''(+71)'' || 1 ''(+78)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

Center empty: 40 ''(+39)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|MG 34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,700 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast speed
* Great long range gun
* Good frontal hull armour
* Premium RP and credit bonus

'''Cons:'''

* Weak frontal gun mantlet
* Ammo is easy to detonate
* Terrible reverse speed
* Weak sides

== History ==

===Captured equipment===
In World War II on the Eastern Front, the Soviets captured many equipment from the German army that were either left behind or were repaired after being damaged in combat. The Soviets then used these captured equipment against their former users in the war. This practice is not exclusive to the Soviets, as the German military also used a variety of captured equipment such as [[M4 748 (a) (Germany)|Shermans]] and a variety of [[KV-IB 756(r) (Germany)|Soviet tanks]].

The types of equipment the Soviet captured were guns, clothing, materiel, and armoured vehicles. Some of the tanks the Soviets captured were hundreds of [[Pz.III J|Panzer IIIs]] and some [[StuG III F|StuG IIIs]], [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IVs]], [[Panther A|Panthers]], and even the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] and [[Tiger II (H)|II]] heavy tanks. The Soviets employed some of the captured tanks into their combat ranks, such as the Panzer IIIs as the [[T-III (USSR)|T-III]], and even the Panthers under the designation '''T-V''' (or '''T-5''').<ref name="FTRecordSovietPanther">EnsignExpendable. "Soviet Panthers." For the Record. WordPress, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2017. [http://ftr.wot-news.com/2013/10/09/soviet-panthers/ Website]</ref>

===Combat usage===
The Soviets usage of the Panthers in their ranks is actually quite rare due to a few reasons, the Panthers were difficult to maintain and added with the lack of logistics from the Soviet industry, there would be a shortage in spare parts, ammunition, and fuel. Several commanders in the 4th Tank Army have low opinion of employing enemy tanks due to these reasons and suggest that if necessary, make use of the Panzer IVs (T-4) instead for the same role. Nevertheless, the 4th Tank Army ended up using the Panthers tank in their own ranks, the only recorded usage of Panthers in a Soviet tank unit.

The Panthers were given to most notably the 62nd Guards Heavy Tank Regiment and the 51st Independent Motorcycle Regiment. The Panthers in these units were only given if in intact conditions and were to be used until they broke down, to which it would be abandoned and the unit refitted with better, more reliable tanks. The units using the Panthers were very aware of the Panther's defects, especially the weak final drive that is the most common mechanical issue on the tank. Despite that, one incident reported that a Panther unit was able to travel 600 km through unfavorable terrain and battle before breaking down with an engine fire (The Panther's final drive's life expectancy was 150 km). The units did not suffer fuel deficiency due to their usage of other gasoline-run Lend-Lease vehicles, giving them more gasoline than a typical Soviet tank unit. The unit also solve their spare parts issue by simply scavenging a second, worn-down Panther for parts to fix a more intact one.<ref name="FTRecordSovietPanther" /> There was an attempt to ease the ammo issue by adapting the turret to hold the 85 mm D-5 gun on the Soviet's [[T-34-85]], but this did not go through, possibly due to the inevitable end of the war.<ref name="TankArchivesGermanRearm">Tank Archives. "Re-arming German Tanks." Archive Awareness. Blogger.com, 20 May 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2017. [http://tankarchives.blogspot.ca/2013/05/re-arming-german-tanks.html Website]</ref>

In the battlefield, the Panthers were repainted with very prominent paint jobs and Soviet emblems to avoid being targeted by friendly units with a more common Soviet tanks such as the T-34s. The Panthers were used by the Soviets all the way up to early 1945. After which the remaining Panthers are either stowed away at collection points or sent to scrap yards. Romania received 13 Panther tanks from the Soviet Union in May 1946 and served until 1950.

== Media ==

===Live.Warthunder===

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23T_V '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the ''Panther T-V'' from live.warthunder.com.]
* [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===
[[File:Soviet Captured Panthers T-V.jpg|x250px|thumb|none|Historical photo of the Soviet-captured Panthers. Note that the very left one is the one seen in-game.]]

==References==
<references />

== 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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{USSR medium tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

KV-220

2019-08-27T16:42:45Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_kv_220
|market=KV-220
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_KV-220.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.61 "Road to Glory"]] in the "[[Operation S.U.M.M.E.R.]]" event of [[wt:en/news/4151-special-operation-s-u-m-m-e-r-updated-03-08-2016-en/|2016]] that lasted from 22 July to 22 August, unlocked after obtaining 36 tanker Marks of Distinction.

The KV-220 is played almost like the previous KV iterations in the Soviet heavy tank line-up. The great improvement over the predecessors is the improved all-around armour to 100 mm, meaning that the tank can angle its hull with more confidence without revealing a side weak point or the such. The great armour, decent mobility, and adequate gun gives the KV-220 a diverse role to play in, from a short-range brawler, a support tank, and a long-range sniper.

The KV-220 is quite a heavy tank of its own caliber. With 100 mm of armour all around the hull and turret, the angling of the hull can be done to maximize both front and side armour without worry of exposing weak points. Not to mention for its weight, the KV-220 is quite agile. While the 85 mm gun is powerful by its own remarks, it is inferior to the same 85 mm gun that is on the [[IS-1]] that shares the same BR as the KV-220. This is because the 85 mm on the IS has access to the more potent BR-365A and APCR shells. Thus, the KV-220 provides a heavy tank with an impressive arrangement of armour with decent mobility, but with a gun that may feel lacking in the battlefield against other heavy tanks.

There is one frontal weak point on the KV-220, and that is the gun mantlet. Not that the gun mantlet area is easy to penetrate, but that it curves downwards on the lower end of the shape. This presents a shot trap able to be exploited by any gun to ricochet a round off that and into the hull roof, which is only 30 mm thick. Do note this when facing an enemy taking aim at the tank.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Commander's cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 100 mm (30°) ''Front Plate'' 80 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm (26°) ''Lower glacis'' || 100 mm || 60 mm (8-72°) ''Upper'' 100 mm (19°) ''Lower'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 100 mm ''Turret front'' 90 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 100 mm || 100 mm || 40 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 130 mm || 30 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 62.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 36 (AB)
|-
|34 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,097
|1,351
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|752
|850
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|17.58
|21.65
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.05
|13.62
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|F-30 (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[F-30 (85 mm)|85 mm F-30]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 91 || -6°/+23° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 7.10 || 9.90 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 7.10 || 8.40 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.60 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC ||135||133||125||115||106||97
|-
| O-365K || HE ||12||12||11||11||11||11
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 164 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 780 || 9.5 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 646 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_KV-220.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] for the KV-220.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''91''' || 87 ''(+4)'' || 82 ''(+9)'' || 77 ''(+14)'' || 45 ''(+46)'' || 1 ''(+90)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Commander cupola mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || -5°/+60° || ±180°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

'''Fighting tanks'''

* Tiger I [[Tiger H1|H1]]/[[Tiger E|E]] - They are usually very easy to destroy and protecting the KV-220 is easy with the right angle of armour, but one mistake and the 88 mm guns can eliminate the KV-220.
* [[M18 GMC|M18 Hellcat]] - Very fast and manoeuvrable. Do not let them flank, if they get onto the sides, they will be able to penetrate. Try to shoot them from a distance.
* Tiger II ([[Tiger II (P)|P]]/[[Tiger II (H)|H]]) - They are better than the KV-220 in every aspect. Try to avoid them and shoot them in their side.
* [[Pz.Bfw.VI_(P)|Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P)]] - Usually, the 85 mm can't pen their 200 mm frontal armour, so try to aim for the angled cheeks.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Long barreled 85 mm gun
* More well armoured than most tanks
* 100 mm of armour ''all around'', sides and rear aren't weaker than the front (Though the slight sloping gives the front about 15 more mm in effective armour)
* Great acceleration
* Machine gun turret can traverse 360 degrees
* 85 mm shell has great HE filler
* When angled properly, the tank can bounce or soak up many shots
* Lots of ammo (91 rounds)
* Game changer, as it's very hard to dislodge a well positioned KV-220 especially when the player knows it perks
* 6 crew for large damage sponge
* One of the few Russian tanks that has a good gun depression

'''Cons:'''

* Very sluggish in turns.
* Tall profile and hull is longer than other KV and IS series tank
* Despite firing the BR-365A used on the other 85 mm armed tanks, this gun mounted on the KV-220 is among the earliest model, so it has lower penetration rating compared to others
* Slow turret traverse speed
* Only two types of ammo available (APHEBC and HE)
* Lower gun mantlet is a shot trap - Can direct ricochets into hull roof
* Some ammo will be stored in the turret rear if carrying full ammo
* Unlike other tanks, losing a loader will hinder the loading process by a large margin

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

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

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

* ''reference to the series of the 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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{USSR heavy tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

KV-1E

2019-08-27T16:41:38Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_kv_1e}}
{{About
| about = Soviet heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = KV-1 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update_1.41#19.06.2014_-_1.41.27.12|Update 1.41.27]]. Its basis is that of the [[KV-1 (L-11)|original KV-1 model]], but up-armoured with bolted appliqué armour on the front and side of the hull and turret.

In the game this tank possesses great armour and a mostly adequate gun, however, it sometimes will not be able to destroy an enemy from the front and will require very close distance or a flank shot. The defining characteristic of this tank is its armour and it can be a tough tank to destroy, most of the weak spots from its predecessors have been armoured and the only frontal weak spot is the centre of the upper hull. When using this tank do not be afraid to advance towards the enemy, especially against tanks such as the 75mm M4s and T-34s since they will find it very difficult to penetrate your armour. This tank can also be used for long-range support since when the armour is properly angled almost no tank that it faces can pierce its armour.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Barrel shroud,

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 + 25 mm (30-31°) ''Front plate'' 40 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 25 + 40-75 mm (7-71°) ''Joint plate'' 75 mm + 25 mm (26-51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 + 25 mm || 60 mm (13-89°) ''Top'' 70 mm (14-57°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 75 + 30 mm (14°) ''Turret front'' 90 mm (0-62°) ''Gun mantlet shield'' 75 mm (4-36°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 + 30 mm (14-15°) || 75 mm (15-16°) || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Roof armour is quite excellent. 30 - 40 mm is nothing to ignore, even for heavy fighters. It will reliably protect from most autocannons. Although aircraft with good drive-ability and +30mm arms may still pierce it. More importantly, it makes the vehicle quite resilient against rocket strikes from vehicles such as the [[Calliope]].
* The lower glacies, unlike most other tanks, is not a weakspot! it is including your own turrets height significantly better angled than the upper frontal plate. Further, neither the MG port nor the drivers view slit are weak points. Discard them as targets if aiming for them.
* Gun mantlet is an extra 75 mm bolted on to the turret, with some parts with an extra 90 mm added instead. This results in a spaced overlapped part with ~150 mm. Only the cheeks left and right of the mantlet bulges should be shot! However, these areas are quite small and easily missed, if the turret is traversed.
* Extra armour indicated by the addition to the armour is not placed all over the tank, thus revealing some weaker areas on the front hull and sides.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 49.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 36 (AB)
|-
|34 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|15.82
|19.47
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.84
|12.24
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|F-32 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[F-32 (76 mm)|76 mm F-32]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 111 || -5°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 7.1 || 9.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 7.1 || 8.4 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 8.1 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||78||76||69||61||53||47
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC ||86||84||76||67||59||52
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 615 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC || 615 || 6.8 || 0.9 || 15 || 108.8 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M ||HE|| 615 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80°
|81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 615 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| D-350A || 615 || 6.5 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_KV-1(L-11).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the KV-1 L-11]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''111''' || 107 ''(+4)'' || 102 ''(+9)'' || 82 ''(+29)'' || 1 ''(+110)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 102 ''(+9)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%">
'''Urban environment''' 
Urban areas tend to result in very close range engagements and at this range, the armour of this tank can no longer offer the degree of protection that is done at range. With this being said urban can also present nice medium range opportunists such as open-air squares and long streets in which this tank can use its armour.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Urban fighting presents the largest challenge for this tank as close range flank shots can easily pierce its mighty armour, as such here are some tactics to use in a city setting.

* Hold down a street - set yourself up in a way that minimizes the chance to be flanked while allowing for the largest angle fire. This will allow you to fire at the enemy while minimizing the chance of getting knocked out by a close-range flank shot
* Move with a group of tanks - try to stay in the middle of a group as this will minimize the chances of a close-range flank shot. At this range the cannon of the tank can penetrate most tanks and has a decent rate of fire, allowing it to quickly engage multiple targets.
* Never blindly drive through an intersection - always check both ways before crossing as this presents the largest area of danger for this tank.
</div></div>

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%">
'''Open country''' 
The armour of this tank allows it to engage in the long-range fighting that defines an open country. However, the gun on this tank does not allow it to engage targets at range. this means that in open country it is a good idea to get into a good overwatch position or to charge the enemy until you are capable of engaging at the optimal rage for your weapon.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While the armour on this tank is among the best for the enemies it faces, you will have to worry about certain tanks. The main tanks to work about is tanks with the American 76 mm, German 75 mm L48, Russian 57 mm and 85 mm, and of course all the large calibre guns such as the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]]. These weapons are capable of piercing your armour at range, however, this requires a lucky hit and for you to be un-angled. Here are some tips when fighting in open country.

* Always angle your tank - un-angled your armour is good angles it is almost impossible to pierce
* Don't be afraid to expose your self - use your armour to allow you to find the target that you can damage with your gun
* Advance - take the point or lead the charge you have the armour to break through enemy lines
</div></div>

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%">
'''Hill country ''' 
this is the type of terrain that this tank excels in. The average range of engagements allows for both your armour and gun to shine. The terrain also makes flanking hard since going over a hill exposes a tank to fire from multiple directions, but still, don't forget to check your surroundings
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
here are some tips and tactics for fighting in this environment

* In this type of environment move through the area between hills - this will allow you to control where the enemy will come from and angle your armour in accordance
* Going over large hills can be dangerous as it exposes you to fire from all directions and also exposes the bottom of the tank to fire
* check your surrounding - while this is dangerous, many newer player will attempt to do this and will sometimes manage to flank you.
</div></div>

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%">
'''long range''' 
This tank does not excel due to the low penetration of the gun however the armour of this tank makes it almost invulnerable to enemy fire at long ranges. Due to this, it is possible to safely attack enemies with little fear of return fire, just remember to properly angle the tank in order to maximizes its armour
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
While long-range combat is not the best option for this tank it can use its armour to sit in positions that no other tank could do safely. When using this tank from long range the first advice would be to close in on the enemy however this is sometimes not possible. When one finds that long-range combat is necessary or is a preferred strategy, one can use place this tank in a highly visible position to draw enemy fire. This will allow teammates to find the enemy and eliminate them, it also allows for this tank to choose its target since its gun necessitates shooting at weakly armoured targets or the sides and rear of tanks.
</div></div>

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%">
'''Medium range''' 
This tank excels in medium range combat due to great armour. Many tanks it faces will find penetrating this tank almost impossible even from the side, due to the additional armour.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
''please add detailed information about how to use this tank in this situation ''
</div></div>

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:100%">
'''Close range''' 
this tank does not excels due to bad mobility, and at this range the greatest strength of this tank, its great armour, is no longer as potent.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
''please add detailed information about how to use this tank in this situation ''
</div></div>

Generally, it is a good idea to avoid engaging the enemy armoured vehicles mentioned below frontally if possible, as they can reliably harm you and vice versa.

* - '''[[Pz.IV F2]]/[[Pz.IV G|G]]/[[Pz.IV H|H]]/[[Pz.IV J|J]]''' - Lethal at short ranges, shoot first.
* - '''[[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 Jumbo]]''' - Shoot at sides/rear or the armour weak spot above the gun-mantlet or Hull MG.
* - '''[[T14]]''' - Shoot at the hull MG port + sides/rear.
* - '''[[Churchill Mk III|Churchill MK. III]]/[[Churchill Mk VII|MK. VII]]''' - Hull at the MG port + sides/rear.
* - '''[[ARL-44]]''' - Difficult to engage frontally, shoot sides/rear.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great armour protection on all sides
* Weak spots like the flat sides are much better protected
* Acceleration is good on flat terrain
* Angling your hull makes the frontal armour immune to most guns it faces
* Gun does a lot of damage upon penetration
* Heavily armoured for a Rank II tank, even compared to [[KV-1 (L-11)|original KV-1]]
* Crew of five allow for higher survivability
* Reload rate is decent for the cannon

'''Cons:'''

* Poor overall top speed
* Additional weight hampers the tanks already poor performance
* F-32 gun is same as L-11 in penetration, very bad for dealing with other vehicles it may face
* Slow turret traverse, if you need to change target quickly you must rotate both the turret and the hull
* Making turns will decrease your speed dramatically
* Climbing hills is very sluggish for the tank
* Can encounter other armoured fighting vehicles that are able to easily penetrate its armour, such as the [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV F2]]
* Large fuel tanks lined up on the side

== History ==

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

During the developmental progress, the prototypes of all these heavy tanks were made and the Winter War with Finland was on its way. The Soviets sent these tanks into Finland for combat testing, to which the KV design outperform in every way with its superior armour and firepower. The armour on the KV tank was impenetrable by a tank cannon in service and most anti-tank guns as well, the 76.2 cannon also gave it a huge firepower boost compared to the usual 37 mm in use by other countries. However, the design was found to be difficult to steer, the transmission was unreliable, ergonomics was poor and vision was limited, plus with its 45-ton weight, it was a very heavy tank for its time. In truth, while formidable in power and protection, courageous crew member willing to curse the name would speak out about the trouble the KV tank really was. The main variant of production before World War II broke out was the '''KV-1''' model.

===KV-1E===
The initial production in 1939 had the KV-1 equipped with an [[KV-1 (L-11)|L-11 cannon]], this was upgraded to the F-32 in 1940. The Model 1940 production was the main KV-1 variant that was available during the German invasion in Operation Barbarossa. During the German invasion, it was found that the KV-1s, while invulnerable to even the German [[Pz.III J|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]], was easily taken out by the German 88 mm FlaK cannon used in anti-tank roles. This caused the KV-1 production model to be up-armoured for increased survivability with applique armour bolted onto the tank. Though it varies on how much extra armour is bolted on, some KV-1s have overall armour width of 100 mm thick. These up-armoured Model 1940 KV-1s were called '''KV-1E''', with "E" standing for ''"ekranami "'', which means "with shields". This up-armouring of the tank caused the weight to be increased from its original 45 tons to 50 tons, further straining the drive system of the tank.

===Combat usage===
The main bulk of these up-armoured tanks was sent to the Northwestern and Leningrad fronts. Some of these tanks were captured intact and used by German forces against their former users. Nevertheless, the KV-1 continued to serve until the end of the war, though in dwindling numbers as they are lost due to mechanical failures or combat. Some 1941-built KV-1s still saw service in 1944 at the Leningrad front before being replaced by [[IS-2]] tanks, then they saw service in Manchuria in 1945.

===Survivors===
Several KV-1s survive after the war, most as monuments, but also in museums. Only one genuine KV-1 was restored to running condition in Russia after it was found in the bottom of the Neva River. One KV-1B can also be found at the Bovington Tank Museum at England.

=== In-game description ===
After receiving the first reports from the front about the heavy tanks' deployment in battle, the LKZ factory began to work on strengthening the KV's armour. The only weapon capable of penetrating the Soviet tank's frontal armour was the 88 mm 8.8 Flak 18 anti-aircraft cannon. Its anti-aircraft rounds, even without an armour-piercing steel core, had an 810 m/s muzzle velocity and could penetrate an 80 mm thick armour plate set at a 30 degree angle from a range of 1,000 metres. As a rule, it disabled the KV-1 with 2-3 hits to its turret and hull.

Specialists at the Leningrad Kirovsk factory developed a simple but effective up-armouring design previously used on the T-28 tank. The tank's turret and hull sides were fitted with 25 mm add-on armour plates, increasing the overall armour width to 100 mm. Furthermore, a small gap was left between the turret and the add-on armour. This improved the tank's defences when under fire from shaped high explosive shells. These modifications increased the tank's combat-loaded weight to 50 tonnes. Tanks modified in such a way could be discerned by the huge heads of the bolts used to attach the add-on armour plates.

The main bulk of these up-armoured tanks was sent to the Northwestern and Leningrad fronts. Some of these tanks were captured intact and used by German forces.
The stationary nature of combat encounters did not allow the KV to truly come into its own. Apart from that, tank units constantly complained about the vehicle's high weight, which didn't just lead to technical problems. All it took was a few KV tanks driving along a road to make it difficult to negotiate for other vehicles, even tracked ones. The heavy tank's mobility on loose ground or boggy terrain was unsatisfactory.

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

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

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

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

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

{{USSR heavy tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

KV-2 (ZiS-6)

2019-08-27T16:40:09Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card
|code = ussr_kv_2_zis_6
}}
{{About
|about=heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=KV-2 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is gift Rank {{specs|rank}} Russian heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. The KV-2(ZIS-6) was introduced in [[Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows"]] as a gift vehicle and was available on the Gaijin store for pre-order prior to the update. It is an up-gunned KV-2 featuring the new 107 mm ZIS-6 cannon.

The KV-2(ZiS-6) is a heavy artillery tank. It is an experimental up-gunned variant of the [[KV-1 (Disambiguation)|KV-1]] and [[KV-2 (Disambiguation)|KV-2]] models built with an emphasis of destroying fortification, bunkers and enemy armored vehicles. Although the armour thickness is the same as the KV-1 and KV-2, this vehicle is notable for having a more powerful cannon; although smaller in calibre to the KV-2, has much higher armor penetration values. In fact, the tank fires Armor-Piercing High-Explosive (APHE) shells with the highest penetration value out of all USSR tanks both at and below its battle rating of 5.3. With about 190 mm of penetration in normal combat conditions and with 19 grams of explosive filling carried by the default B-420 shell, this tank will obliterate all enemy vehicles upon penetration with the exception of some light-armoured vehicles of which the contact fuse may fail to detonate. Despite its significantly powerful armament, the KV-2(ZiS-6) is plagued by inherited weaknesses shared within the KV lineage of tanks. At 5.3 Battle Rating, the tank's armour will be of little protection against other hostile vehicles it will face. With just 75 mm armour all around and including the largely slat and exposed turret, almost all tanks and the ammunition they fire (a significant number of which have double the penetration value of the thickness of the KV's armour) will penetrate with little to no difficulty. Tightly packed and strewn ammunition both within and at the base of the turret will more than likely turn the entire vehicle into a erupting volcano upon being struck by stray shells, if not outright cripple the crew to the point the fire-rate is nearly reduced to virtually almost a standstill. This tank is a spiritual successor of the original KV-2 in combat operations. Although a high crew count of 6, the rate of fire is relatively slow but faster than its predecessor with a higher velocity and flatter trajectory. The same is unfortunately to be said for its slower turret traverse, reverse and acceleration speed and heavy weight.

Operational and visual characteristics of the KV-2(ZiS-6) retain the visual and operational similarities to the KV-2 which it is upgraded from. Players experienced in operating previous models of the KV-2 or Soviet SPGs should have little to no difficulty in adjusting to this vehicle. The ZiS-6 can be distinguished from its KV and KV-2 predecessors by its enlarged and tall rectangular turret and longer barrel. A quick glance at this vehicle may be mistaken for similar looking tanks such as the KV-2 in which shares the same turret shape.

The KV-2(ZiS-6)'s closest and most popular competitor of the same battle-rating is the [[KV-85]]. The KV-85 when compared, is free to unlock with currency spending, is lighter in weight, more maneuverable, faster in fire rate and turret traverse at the expense of fewer crew members. What the ZiS-6 lacks in these qualities may be compensated by its firepower comparable as 'a mini-[[IS-2]]' at 5.3 battle-rating as well as the added Premium talisman RP and SL increase bonus of which the KV-85 will lack one the get-go. These detail and information should be considered by the interested user when deciding whether to purchase this tank and incorporating it into their existing arsenal, or when taking into battle. The KV-2(ZiS-6) will reward those who are patient, and a boon to those seeking increased premium firepower unmatched by any other USSR vehicle at 5.3 battle-rating.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope Angle°) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (31°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (71°) ''Front glacis'' 75 mm (25-74°) ''Lower glacis'' 45 mm (1-50°) ''Machine gun port'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (3-86°) ''Top'' 70 mm (11-58°) ''Bottom'' || 35 mm ''Front'' 30 mm ''Rear'' 35 mm ''Hatches''
|-
| Turret || 75 mm (1°) ''Front turret'' 70 + 70 mm (1-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm || 75 mm (1°) 45 mm (1-50°) ''Machine gun port'' || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, torsion bars are 20 mm thick, and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Front belly armour is 35 mm thick, rear belly armour is 30 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 52.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | 0.2 || colspan="1" | 36 (AB)
|-
|34 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|14.79
|18.21
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.13
|11.45
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|ZiS-6 (107 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ZiS-6 (107 mm)|107 mm ZiS-6]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 36 || -5°/+12° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.86 || 6.72 || 8.16 || 9.02 || 9.60
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 3.57 || 4.20 || 5.10 || 5.64 || 6.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 21.71 ||19.7||17.7||16.70
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| B-420 || APHEBC ||163||161|| 150 || 138 || 127 || 117
|-
| OF-420 || HE ||27||27||27||27||27||27
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| B-420 || APHEBC || 830 || 17 || 1.2 || 15 || 440 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-420 || HE || 720 || 17 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 2,150 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks {{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo Part
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''36''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 34 ''(+2)'' 33 ''(+3)'' || 31 ''(+5)'' 18 ''(+18)'' || 16 ''(+20)'' 12 ''(+24)'' || 12 ''(+24)'' 7 ''(+29)'' || 6 ''(+30)'' 4 ''(+32)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' 1 ''(+35)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Turret left side empty: 18 ''(+18)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

At its Rank and Battle Rating, the KV-2(ZiS-6)'s armour is no longer up to par against newer and more powerful weapon systems of opposition vehicles it will face. Although unlike the [[IS-1]] successor of which is unable to protect itself by angling due to the rounded turret mount causing a vulnerability, the KV-2 has less of this issue as the entire front potion of the front and lower-plate is designed to be straight and rectangular and allowing it to deflect or ricochet some shots when angled optimally but the large turret is extreme exposed and vulnerable to head-on fire.

Due to its unsatisfactory maneuverability, fire-rate and traverse speed, close-quarters engagements against multiple enemies in small-spaced environments are highly discouraged unless absolutely necessary. The tank is too large and slow to escape or retreat from what would be overwhelming situations, and too large to hide. Should the need to enter tight alleyways and streets if towns or cities, escort either by or with other friendly units are of utmost importance and should best serve in a support capacity should more heavily armored opponents are encountered. This tank excels best at long to medium range engagements on largely open areas. Due to its poor 3 degrees of gun depression - a trait inherited by all USSR armored vehicles, engaging hostiles by cresting over the tops of hills are highly discouraged unless absolutely necessary. Should clusters of multiple hostile vehicles are encountered in combat, the optimal tactic is to wait for them to split up before engaging them one-by-one if the opportunity presents itself.

Lightly armoured vehicles where the contact fuse may not activate upon penetration such as the [[Waffentrager]] or [[Nashorn]] are of the most concern as the default B-420 APHE shell has the tendency of penetrating from the front to rear dealing less damage than what is expected. Follow up shots may be required. Although the HE OF-420 shell is an excellent solution, the 16 seconds of shell swap may not warrant enough justification for use when few seconds are only available to determines survival.

Another class of vehicles of significant threat are fast-tanks such as the [[M18 GMC]] or [[T-34 (Disambiguation)|T-34]] tanks capable of running circles in ways the KV-2(ZiS-6)'s slow turret traverse rate and poor maneuverability will be unable to cope in close-quarters engagements. The last type of vehicle of concern are low-chassis tanks such as the [[ASU-57]], [[ASU-85]], [[PT-76B]] and even some German tank-destroyers are so small to the point they safely drive up to the vicinity of KV-2 and be immune from retaliation due to the 107 mm gun situated on a high turret and only 3 degrees if traverse up and down.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent firepower
* Greatly improved reload speed over previous KV-2 models
* High crew capacity (6)
* High velocity and powerful munition
* Premium talisman with RP and SL increase bonus

'''Cons:'''

* Slow rate of fire
* Insufficient armour protection
* Poor gun depression of -3° (common trait of all USSR tanks)
* Large profile
* Poor maneuverability and slow speed
* High weight
* High risk of internal ammunition explosions by penetrating shells

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

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3698-development-new-additions-to-the-kv-2-series-en/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> New additions to the KV-2 series]]

{{USSR heavy tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

SU-152

2019-08-27T16:39:16Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_su_152}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_SU-152.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. This vehicle was created on KV heavy tank chassis. It carries the powerful 152 mm ML-20S howitzer.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (32-71°) ''Front glacis'' 60 mm (23°) ''Lower glacis'' || 60 mm || 60 mm (8-59°) || 30 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 75 mm (29-30°) ''Front glacis'' 65 mm (0-73°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 60 mm (22-25°) || 60 mm (11°) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* A 25 mm plate covers front joint area between the front and lower hull glacis.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 45.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 46 (AB)
|-
|43 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|852
|___
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.72
|__.__
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.67
|13.19
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|ML-20S (152 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ML-20S (152 mm)|152 mm ML-20S]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 20 || -3°/+20° || ±12° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.8 || 6.6 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.8 || 5.6 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 27.7 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-540 || APHE ||170||169||161||152||144||136
|-
| OF-540 || HE ||65||65||64||64||63||63
|-
| BR-540B || APHEBC ||166||164||157||148||140||133
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-540 ||APHE || 600 || 49 || 1.2 || 15 || 816 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| OF-540 || HE || 655 || 44 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 5,900 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-540B || APHEBC || 600 || 49 || 1.2 || 15 || 1,120 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_SU-152.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the SU-152.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo part
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''20''' || style="text-align:left" |''Projectiles'' ''Propellants''|| 17 ''(+3)'' 17 ''(+3)'' || 11 ''(+9)'' 11 ''(+9)'' || 1 ''(+19)'' 1 ''(+19)''|| style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The SU-152 is a tank destroyer that serves many different purposes; the most accurate way to observe this vehicle is as somewhat of a "big brother" to the [[SU-122]] and as the "cousin" of the [[KV-2 (Disambiguation)|KV-2]]. However, this vehicle features many differences from its closest predecessors. For example, the SU-152's [[Battle ratings|BR]] is higher without any noticeable gain in firepower over its relatives. This presents a problem as the SU-152 will no longer be able to perform its trademark "one-shot" hits with the high-explosive rounds as often. However, unlike the other vehicles that fill the same role, the SU-152 gains access to highly effective armour piercing high explosive (APHE) ammo. This is the pinnacle of the SU-152's effectiveness. Nonetheless, turret shots with HE shells are still a viable option in combat. Due to the vehicle's BR, players are more likely to know and counter your strategy. Thus, the 152's new armour piercing rounds may come as a rude surprise.

The biggest threats you will encounter at any point whilst playing the SU-152 are enemy tank destroyers. The dreaded Panzer IV-derived tank destroyers pose a significant threat; they can punch through the SU-152's armour at ranges of more than 1000m with the L70 gun while remaining at the extreme edge of your own effective firing range. Another frequent threat are the [[M10 GMC|M10]] and [[M18_GMC|M18]] tank destroyers. Boasting both range and speed, these machines can either destroy you from distances that you cannot hope to match or completely avoid your fire while still creeping closer. The final threat to this TD is actually centred on the vehicle itself: an extremely long reload time that leaves little room for error. One missed shot from within your enemy's effective firing range can mean your undoing.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Makes up for speed with great turning time when stopped
* Powerful HE shells
* Impressive armour piercing damage
* High penetration on AP shells
* Generally good armour
* Good off-road manoeuvrability
* Lowest profile of all of the 152mm-armed tanks, allows for limited stealth
* BR that allows it to team up with the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]] and [[T-34-85 (D-5T)]], ideal for arcade battles
* Using HE shells has a high damage potential
* Great reverse speed (18 km/h)

'''Cons:'''

* Sluggish at low speeds
* Armour is box-like which prevents bounces and includes several shot traps at the front
* It lacks the "fear factor" normally associated with the KV-2
* Reload is long, though not as bad as the KV-2
* Extremely slow vertical guidance speed prevents reaction shots

== History ==

===Development===
During Operation Uranus, when the Soviet Army was able to successfully encircle the German Sixth Army inside Stalingrad, there were some weaknesses pointed out in their armoured formations. One was the need for heavy guns that could also be mobile, as there were many German fortifications that were unable to be handled by the front-line troops. The Soviet heavy artillery at the time, the 152 mm howitzer, was very heavy and could not be effectively towed from place to place due to unsuitable terrain and lack of capable transportation. Though they experimented with a propelled version of the gun with the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]], the tank was phased out of production by October 1941. In November 1942, the State Defense Committee attempted to fix this by ordering the development of a heavy self-propelled gun with the 152.4 mm ML-20 howitzer as its main armament and was to have greater mobility, armour, and better production cost.

The development of this project had actually been going on for a while and was considered before the order for its development, but the SU-152 was cancelled due to the urgency of standard tank production in the war. The project started in December 1942 among three different design teams from different factories. All the designs ended up with the 152 mm howitzer and the utilization of the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1S]] chassis. After evaluations, the design from Josef Kotin was chosen for further development and production as it had the gun and chassis combined with minimum cost. The project was then designated the ''KV-14'' and the first prototype was called "Object 236". The vehicle was complete rather quickly in only 25 days and trials began on January 25, 1943. The vehicle was then approved for production at the Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant on February 14 and accepted into service. The name was changed into its designation '''SU-152''' and was produced from February 1943 to December 1943 with only about 670 units produced.

===Design===
The design of the SU-152 followed standard Soviet format for self-propelled guns. The fighting compartment was fully armoured in a casemate structure to protect the crew. The crew consisted of four people - the gunner, loader, and commander was positioned beside the gun and the driver near the front. The armour on the SU-152 was about 75 mm on the front and was sloped for better protection. The 152 mm howitzer was mounted slightly to the right of the vehicle and had a limited traverse vector. The SU-152's suspension system was made up of torsion bars from the KV-1 chassis. Observation from inside the vehicle consisted of periscopes on the roof hatches and two gun sights (a panoramic and a telescopic sight). Its communications featured an intercom system installed for use with a single radio plus a radio for communication with other SU-152s. Inside, the crew's armament was made up of a few submachine guns and grenades.

===Combat usage===
The SU-152 proved devastating in its role, and the first batch was issued to the newly formed heavy mechanized gun regiments in May 1943. The first of these regiments with twelve vehicles saw action in Kursk but was further supplemented with nine more during the battle. The regiments' organization throughout the war was for 21 vehicles in a regiment with three batteries of seven vehicles with one KV-1S tank commanding the regiment. Despite its role as an anti-fortification artillery piece, a role it performed with standard HE rounds, it was also one of the Soviets' best anti-tank weapons. It was classified as a dual-role heavy assault gun and a heavy tank destroyer. Its large cannon could even destroy the new [[Panther D|Panthers]], [[Tiger H1|Tigers]], and [[Ferdinand|Ferdinands]] with relative ease by utilizing the spalling and blast concussion effects produced by its large high explosive shells. Because of such a capability of the vehicle to destroy better German tanks, it earned its nickname as the ''Zveroboy'', or the "Beast Slayer". The reports of the "SU-152 effect" on target is said to have been able to take the turret off the Tiger I at any range with just the HE shell. The SU-152 was reported to have caused numerous armoured fighting vehicle losses to the German side. One commander, Major Sankovskiy, who commanded a SU-152 that destroyed ten German tanks in one day, was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union.

After Kursk, the SU-152 continued to serve as the Soviet Army's primary anti-fortification weapon in all of its front lines, especially during its Operation Bagration offensive in summer of 1944. However, production ended in December 1943 and thus combat losses caused a decrease in SU-152 quantity in Soviet inventory. This halt in the production was due to the introduction of the better armoured and more reliable [[ISU-152]], which was based on the newer [[IS-2]] heavy tank while still keeping the same gun and combat role. Despite that, the SU-152 remained in service until 1954, when the Soviets decommissioned, scrapped, or sold their remaining SU-152s to other allies such as Syria and Egypt.

=== In-game description ===
"This SPG was put into production and service in February 1943. It holds a unique record in that the design and construction of its prototype model took only 25 days. The vehicle was created based on the KV-1S tank. The powerful 152 mm ML-20 howitzer-gun's elevating mass with a 28.8 calibre barrel length was installed practically unaltered in its frame. Its crew of five were housed in a specially designed fighting compartment.

The vehicle's hull and cabin were welded from rolled armour plates of 20, 30, 60 and 70 mm thickness. The gun mantlet was 60 mm thick. Its direct firing range came to 3,800 m, and its maximum range was 6,200 m. The howitzer-gun's rate of fire was 2 shots per minute. The vehicle's ammunition complement consisted of 20 separate loading quick-fire shells.

The self-propelled gun was mass-produced in February-December 1943. In total, 670 of them were made.
The SU-152 turned out to be a very effective means to combat heavy tanks. These vehicles' shells, weighing 48.8 kg each, easily penetrated Tiger and Panther armour and ripped off their turrets. This lead front-line soldiers to affectionately dub it Zveroboy (one who fights beasts/animals).

Thanks to its combination of mobility and high firepower, the SU-152 was used in three separate roles: assault weapon, tank destroyer and self-propelled howitzer. However, the weapon's low rate of fire and elevation angle along with its closed fighting compartment significantly hampered the vehicle's effectiveness. The SPG's other disadvantages were the absence of a defensive machine gun, its insufficient frontal armour for 1943 and its crowded fighting compartment. The lack of forced draught ventilation in the fighting compartment, particularly when the engine stalled, often lead to the crew suffocating during firing operations."

== Media ==

[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23su152 Camouflages and skins for the SU-152 from live.warthunder.com]

==References==
<references />

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

IS-1

2019-08-27T16:37:36Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_is_1}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_IS-1.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the closed beta testing for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. It is the first unlockable IS series heavy tank.

Operational and visual characteristics of the IS-1 retain the visual and operational similarities to the previous KV line of heavy tanks of which it is descended from. Players experienced in operating previous models of the KV series of tanks should have little to no difficulty in adjusting to this vehicle. Unlike its predecessor, the IS series of tanks are designed with a priority of engaging enemy armoured vehicles in mind and as such, come with increased yet more sloped armour than its KV predecessors whilst sporting a slightly longer chassis, more powerful 85mm D-5T gun and a larger, rounded turret.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Front hull, Turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Rear hull, Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 120 mm (35°) ''Front plate'' 60 mm (75°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm (28-36°) ''Lower glais'' || 100 mm (11-27°)''Top front'' 90 mm (11°) ''Top rear'' 90 mm ''Bottom'' || 60 mm (48°) ''Top'' 60 mm (35°) ''Lower'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 100 mm (0-89°) ''Turret front'' 100 mm (4-59°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 100 mm (19-21°) || 100 mm (2-36°) || 30 mm 35 mm ''Turret hatches''
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 90 mm || 35 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Though the front plate is 120 mm thick, it is not very sloped in comparison to the front glacis. Despite front glacis 60 mm thickness, slope effect up to ~130 mm and ricochet chances improves protection.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 44.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 45 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|671
|827
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|460
|520
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|15.25
|18.79
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.45
|11.82
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|D-5T (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[D-5T (85 mm)|85 mm D-5T]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer

|-
| colspan="3" | 59 || -5°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 8.30 || 11.50 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.30 || 9.80 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.60 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC ||135||133||125||115||106||97
|-
| BR-365K || APHE ||147||143||126|| 107 ||90||77
|-
| O-365K || HE ||12||12||11||11||11||11
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 180 || 175 || 136 || 100 || 73 || 54
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-365A || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 164 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-365K || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 81.6 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| O-365K || 780 || 9.5 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 646 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-365P || 1030 || 5.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_IS-1.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the IS-1.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''59''' || 42 ''(+17)'' || 37 ''(+22)'' || 32 ''(+27)'' || 27 ''(+32)'' || 24 ''(+35)'' || 11 ''(+48)'' || 1 ''(+58)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Turret empty: 37 (+22)

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

As the tank's design purpose suggests, the IS-1 is a heavy tank built with an emphasis on engaging hostile armoured vehicles as well as a breakthrough tank. The tanks heavy armour has similar properties of its previous KV-1 line, but the introduction of sloped armour on the front plate and turret mantlet can allow operators to withstand a significant amount of damage at most ranges, especially when armour is angled. The fast reloads speed of the 85mm gun (on par with its T-34 and KV-85 mounted sisters) also allows it to be an effective brawler in close quarters combat against multiple targets. When encountering better-protected targets, the IS tank (although equipped with the same type of cannon) has access to APCR rounds to better deal with more heavier opponents, something the KV and T-34 models lack.

Although classified as a heavy tank and an upgraded improved design over the KV predecessor, the tank is not invulnerable. The vehicle's armour thickness is quite effective in its class. Unlike its Tiger rivals and KV predecessors, the IS-1 has better or equal thickness armour on almost all sides except the rear hull and is sloped increasing the chance of ricochet and damage reduction when struck. Of note is the large turret and exposed turret mount which is commonly targeted at engaging hostile vehicles from the front. Armaments and ammunition options aside, the IS tank can perform similarly if not better at engaging targets than the common T-34, albeit with more satisfactory armour protection, able to allow users to lead a charge from the front with relative confidence or provide fire support from the sides or rear. This tank is quite sufficient in holding its own on the battlefield in many situations where a lighter vehicle cannot.

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

When engaging the common Tiger tank and Panzer IV models, each of these vehicles retains the design flaw of 90 degree flat armour plates on the front and sides of each respective vehicle. The IS-1's 85mm cannon should have little no difficulty in penetrating this and destroying the opposition's vehicle in a single shot if this weakness is exploited. The Panther and occasional Tiger II models are more considerably dangerous and difficult to dispatch when encountering them head-on due to the thicker and sloped armour of which the 85mm cannon of the IS-1 cannot penetrate. In head-on engagements, operators of this vehicle should note to precisely target the right and left side turret mantlet of each respective vehicles instead. Time expended in attempting to find a penetration confirmation indication on the cross-hair when inspecting the sloped front plate is time wasted and instead, should be diverted on precise targeting of the mantlet. Other more common tanks such as opposition USSR KV, IS and T-34 models are usually less of a concern than the common Panther tank, as most of these respective tanks also inherit the weakness of somewhat slopped frontal chassis and turret armour which can be easily penetrated even from significant distances with a precise aim.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good armour
* Sufficient firepower
* High rate of fire
* Good mobility
* Significantly fast reverse speed
* Ability to fire APCR
* Extremely durable against in down-tiered battles (when encountering lower rank M4 Shermans, Valentines, Pz.IV etc.)
* Re-positioning of fuel tanks reducing chances of fires.
* Player skill compatibility between older and newer KV and IS models

'''Cons:'''

* Poor gun depression (a common trait in all USSR tanks)
* Large silhouette and profile (slightly longer than its KV predecessor)
* Difficult to angle armour due to weaker hull cheeks

== History ==

===Development===
The start of the development for a new heavy tank in the Red Army came from the many criticisms of their current heavy tank, the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]]. The KV-1 had poor mobility and a lack of firepower and armour advantage over the standard [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]], plus the KV-1 was more expensive to produce for no real advantage. Attempts to remedy this problem produced the ''KV-1S'' and the ''[[KV-85]]'', which tried to make the KV-1 more mobile, more ergonomic, and have better firepower. Though they were improvements over the original KV-1 design, it was already determined that the KV-1 designs are to be replaced by a new heavy tank design and the newer KV-1 developments were to be interim designs until the heavy tank development is complete.

The heavy tank project, code-named ''Object 237'', had its basis from the cancelled KV-13 program and was restarted from the discovery of the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] after one was captured in Leningrad, thus it began in January 1943. However, despite the ensuing development, the intense tank fighting in 1943 in Kursk and ensuing operations forced the Object 237 to see action early, with its turret used on the KV-85, which itself was built atop the KV-1S hull. The turret mounted the new 85 mm D-5T gun and would be a great firepower advantage enjoyed by the Soviet tank forces as it gave them a heavy tank with comparable firepower to the Tiger I's 88 mm cannon. At the end of 1943, the Object 237 project was finished and was accepted into service as the '''IS-85''', or the '''IS-1''', named after Iosef (Joseph) Stalin, the current leader of the Soviet Union during World War II. The IS-1 began to be delivered in October 1943 and went into service in the same month. The IS-1 stayed in service until January 1944, when its production also ended with about 200 units produced.

===Combat usage===
The IS-1, like the KV-85 before it, was a great assist to the Soviet tank forces, giving them a heavily armoured tank with a great 85 mm gun that could defeat most of the German tanks in service except their heaviest ones such as the [[Tiger E|Tiger I]] and the [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks. The IS-1 was issued to Guards Heavy Tank Regiments for service, most notably the 1st, 8th, and 13th Guards Heavy Tank Regiments which saw service in Ukraine and Slovakia.

The IS-1 had a short-lived production due to advances in Soviet tank technology. Their standard [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] medium tanks were upgraded with the same 85 mm gun on the IS-1 into the [[T-34-85]]. The lack of firepower advantage the IS-1 now presented due to this upgrade prompted an up-gunning of the IS tank with a much bigger gun. After further development in late 1943, the IS-1 evolved into the [[IS-2]], which has the larger and much more powerful 122 mm A-19 gun.

=== In-game description ===
The IS-1 was developed in the spring and summer of 1943 by factory No. 100's design bureau led by Z.Y. Kotin. The tank's hull design and overall layout were taken from the previously developed experimental KV-13 tank.The main priority was creating reliable protection against the German 88 mm Flak 18 artillery cannon and making considerable mobility improvements by reducing the tank's mass and introducing a new epicyclic gearbox. The results of battles in 1943 revealed the need for a new heavy assault tank to replace the outdated mass-produced KV tanks. The prototype, designated IS, was built, tested and put into service in the Red Army in July-September 1943. Thanks to its new gearbox and the more streamlined placement of its strengthened armour, the new tank possessed superior mobility.

The IS's tight layout in its habitable section meant that a fifth crew member - the gunner/radio officer - would not fit inside. His duties were distributed between the commander and the driver.

Three crew were housed in the turret: the tank commander and the driver worked to the left of the gun, and the loader to the right. A command cupola with 82 mm thick vertical armour was installed in the tank's turret, and its hull had a hatch leading to the underside of the tank to allow the crew to evacuate in an emergency.

The IS-1 was armed with an 85 mm D-5T Mod. 1943 tank cannon and three machine guns.

It entered mass production in October 1943 at the ChKZ factory. In total, 130 of them were built.

The IS-1 was deployed in battles from February 1944 up to and including the winter of 1945. The results of these battles led to the conclusion that the armament and armour of the new tank were not equal to those of German heavy tanks. At that time, it was recommended that the shape and armour of the frontal hull be changed and the tank's armament upgraded immediately.

== Media ==

[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23is1 Skins and camouflages for the IS-1 from live.warthunder]

==References==
<references />

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR heavy tanks}}

SU-100Y

2019-08-27T16:35:43Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell names and shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_su_100Y}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_SU-100Y.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.51 "Cold Steel"]]. A rather large profile tank destroyer on-par with the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]], but with a much more powerful 130 mm naval cannon, it serves well as a defensive vehicle against an offensive force.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Rear hatch)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (46°) ''Front plate'' 60 mm (71°) ''Front glacis'' 25 mm (49,70°) ''Joint plate'' 60 mm (49°) ''Lower glacis''|| 60 mm ''Overall'' 60 mm (27°) ''Engine side deck''|| 60 mm (5-14°) || 20 mm ''Front'' 20 mm (82°) ''Rear deck''
|-
| Superstructure || 60 mm ''Front'' 50 mm (1-27°) ''Gun mantlet'' 60 + 60 mm ''Gun shield'' || 60 mm || 60 mm (17°) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

*Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while the tracks are 30 mm thick.
*The protection is only 60mm thick at its strongest. So it will not absorb any rounds anytime soon. Weapon calibres exceeding 20mm can pierce the armour, turning SPAAG into a real threat, if close enough. It is a good idea to stay with teammates or remain at distance from the main battle.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 64.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 35 (AB)
|-
|32 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,207
|1,486
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|752
|850
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.86
|23.22
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.75
|13.28
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|B-13 (130 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[B-13 (130 mm)|130 mm B-13]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 30 || -5°/+15° || ±10° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.20 || 5.80 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.20 || 4.90 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 25.00 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
|PB-46A|| APCBC ||201||199||190||179||168||158
|-
|OF-46|| HE || 36 || 36 || 36 || 36 || 36 || 36
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
|PB-46A|| APCBC || 870 || 34 || 1.2 || 15 || 2,350 || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|OF-46|| HE || 870 || 33 || 1.3 || 0.1 || 3,580 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_SU-100Y.png|thumbnail|right|x250px|Ammo racks of the SU-100Y.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo Part
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''30''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 28 ''(+2)'' 15 ''(+15)'' || 25 ''(+5)'' 13 ''(+17)'' || 23 ''(+7)'' 11 ''(+19)'' || 21 ''(+9)'' 9 ''(+21)'' || 19 ''(+11)'' 5 ''(+25)'' || 17 ''(+13)'' 3 ''(+27)'' || 7 ''(+23)'' 1 ''(+29)'' || style="text-align:left" | Propellants currently empty after projectiles
|}

21 shells - right wall empty

== Usage in battles ==

This tank is all about the gun. It defines what being a bonafide tank destroyer is. Bad armour, bad mobility, but amazing firepower. Just park the tank in a position where the SU-100Y will be difficult to flank. That way when the vehicles do fire the gun, it can immediately run and hide while the gun reloads. It can not be emphasized enough, this tank can not let itself get shot at. It just doesn't have the armour. But once ready to let one of the 130 mm shells loose, this tank fears few.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* SU-100Y's B-13 cannon is one of the most powerful guns in the game. Able to penetrate ~200 mm of armour at 500 meters. No tank at its BR can reliably bounce a shell from this tank
* Astounding 2.35 kg of TNT explosive filler in the PB-46A APHE shell. Can reliably one-shot any tank in the game, including the Maus
* With 5 degrees of gun depression, SU-100Y has better gun depression than nearly every other Russian tank destroyer
* SU-100Y has a very powerful engine. Accelerating to its top speed and maintaining it even while going uphill is no problem
* Six-man crew gives this tank a decent chance of surviving a penetrating shell
* Huge fear factor, no tank wants to get shot at by the 130 mm
* Like with every other premium tank, it has a research point and Silver Lions boost

'''Cons:'''

* Skilled players will recognize the threat SU-100Y poses. Expect to be the centre of the enemy's attention
* This is a huge tank, finding decent cover or a good ambush location is difficult at best
* Sub-par armour - very gun that this tank can face poses a serious threat
* Extremely vulnerable cannon breech and barrel. Problematic as a single hit to them will result in them being in critical condition
* With terrible manoeuvrability, horrifying reverse speed, and massive size, dodging enemy fire is nearly impossible
* Even a good crew will take more than 20 seconds to reload the gun

== History ==

===Development===
After the failure of the vehicle from testing in the Winter War, the T-100, along with the [[SMK]], fell back into the drawing boards along with other designs that didn't make the cut. But in December 1939, the Red Army requested that Factory No. 185 produce a vehicle based on the failed T-100 chassis. The specifications were for the vehicle to not only operate as a self-propelled gun but in a multitude of roles such as a bridge layer, explosive transporter, and tank recovery.

Development started with the proposal to mount the 152 mm cannon onto the T-100 in order to be able to combat fortifications like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]] with the same armament. The factory manager instead proposed the mounting of a 100 or 130 mm naval gun onto the vehicle instead, and this proposal was accepted on January 8, 1940. The designs, designated ''T-100-X'', was sent to the Izhorskyi factory. At that moment, the T-100-X had a box-shaped fighting compartment with a 130 mm B-13 naval gun. The vehicle had a torsion-bar suspension to stay mobile. Over time, the prototype was redesigned with a modified fighting compartment and such and was resubmitted to the factory for production on February 24, 1940, and redesignated as the '''SU-100Y'''. The produced design was tested in March, but the design was dropped from production due to the low demand and the ending of the Winter War. This leaves the SU-100Y with only one prototype ever built. Other methods to either modernize the T-100 or into other variants were made in complementary to the SU-100Y, such as mounting the 152 mm M-10 gun and designating it the T-100-Z. This idea never went past the drawing boards as the success of the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] and KV-2s proved the designs unnecessary. Another idea was to use the T-100 as coastal defence weapon with the 130 mm gun on a turret than a casemate structure, along with three machine guns, like the T-100-Z, this didn't pass the drawing boards.

===Service===
The SU-100Y prototype was sent to Kubinka in 1940 once the project stopped, however in the Battle of Moscow in 1941, the SU-100Y and its T-100 self-propelled variants SU-14 and SU-14-1 were pressed into service in the Independent Artillery Division for Special Duties. Combat records for these units are not known, but it left the SU-100Y in intact shape, allowing it to be preserved today in the Kubinka Tank Museum.

=== In-game description ===
The SU-100Y heavy SPG was built on a modified chassis of the experimental T-100 tank on which a new cabin with a 130mm B-13 navy gun had been installed. An experimental model was assembled at Factory #185 in March, 1940. Because combat operations on the USSR-Finnish front had ended, testing the new SPG in combat conditions was impossible. After undergoing tests, the vehicle was sent to the NII BTT research institute testing ground in Kubinka. Further work on this vehicle was abandoned.

== Media ==

[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23su100y '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the SU-100Y series from live.warthunder.com.]

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/800/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Ki-44-1 and SU-100Y]]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

ZiS-43

2019-08-27T16:34:00Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_zis_43}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. This SPAAG was introduced in [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]]. A 37 mm cannon placed in an anti-aircraft turret on a ZiS-42M half-track chassis, the ZIS-43 was a prototype built in November 1942 which underwent testing but never entered production.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Structural steel (Gun mount)
* Wood (Truck bed)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Driver's cabin || 10 mm (20-82°) 7.5 mm ''Hatches and Doors'' || 10 mm (14-27°) || 10 mm (6°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (2-32°) || 10 mm (4-6°) || N/A || N/A
|-
| Cargo bed || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, tracks are 7 mm, wheels are 2 mm thick.
*Due to the vehicle hurried construction, it is mostly a patchwork of 10mm steel plates welded onto the underlying chassis.
*The turret crew have their heads visible from the front and sides. They are fully exposed in the rear and above.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" |Mobility characteristic
|-
!Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" |Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" |Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" |8.7|| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |N/A|| colspan="1" |38 (AB)
|-
|35 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" |Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" |Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|128
|___
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|80
|___
|-
! colspan="3" |Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" |Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|14.71
|__.__
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|9.19
|__.__
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|61-K (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" |[[61-K (37 mm)]]
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="2" | 260 (5) || 160 || -5°/+85° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
|''Arcade''|| 26.46 || 36.56 || __.__ || __.__ || 52.24
|-
|''Realistic''|| 17.85 || 21.00 || __.__ || __.__ || 30.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 1.30 || __.__ || __.__ || 1.00
|}

=== Ammunition ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-167 || AP-T ||71|| 68 || 57 || 46 || 37 ||30
|-
| UO-167 || HEFI-T* || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-167 || AP-T || 880 || 0.76 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| UO-167 || HEFI-T || 866 || 0.74 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 34 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


Despite the vehicle potent armament, it is not built for direct front-line combat. It is poorly armoured, tall, slow and unstable. If necessary, it is possible to penetrate most vehicles sides or rear but sticking to anti-aircraft duty will yield the best results. Do not stay in spawn however, most planes will attack your teammates busy fighting instead of you.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 37 mm is deadly to anything it penetrates, planes or tanks
* The gun is able to shoot targets directly in front of the vehicle, unlike some of the previous AA trucks
* Most vehicles can be engaged at close range if needed
* Low armour means APHE won't always fuze
* Most light machine guns will struggle to penetrate
* Fairly high penetration (70 mm)
* Full turret rotation
* Driver and commander are protected in an enclosed driving compartment, which is well protected against small calibre machine gun rounds
* Four crew members allow you to continue with only two after taking damage
* Half-track mount gives better cross-country movement than previous trucks

'''Cons:'''

* Thin-skinned vehicle, HE rounds will destroy it
* Very tall for self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle
* Slow fire rate allows planes to fly between shots
* Open turret configuration, open to machine gun fire
* High recoil causes the entire chassis to wobble, making continuous fire extremely inaccurate
* Sluggish maneuverability
* Extremely vulnerable to 12.7 mm machine guns
* Slow turret traverse
* Needs to move forward in order to turn
* Armour protection is not sufficient to stop aircraft fire
* Vulnerable to artillery strikes
* Can be hull-broken
* Has a rather unusual tendency to wobble side-to-side when driving, making it harder to fire on the move

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

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/4383-development-zis-43-when-you-need-a-bigger-bang-en/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> ZiS-43: When You Need a Bigger Bang]

{{USSR anti-aircraft vehicles}}

SU-85M

2019-08-27T16:33:06Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_su_85m}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_SU-85M.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. The SU-85M is basically the beefed up version of the regular [[SU-85]] with an increased frontal armour thickness from 45 mm into 75 mm that can save it from shots that would've been lethal for the SU-85. It also has an APCR shell modification for increased lethality against enemy tanks.

When taking the vehicle out the first time, two things will be instantly noticeable: The armour and slow movement of the gun. The former being welcome and the latter being very painful. With the right ammunition between AP and the APCR, the SU-85M is a very good vehicle in the role of a sniper and ambusher. Weary tanks will pop out of corners, unhappy to see a SU-85M locked and loaded. The SU-85M can also be used as a long range sniper due to the 85 mm's good velocity and damage, which could destroy vehicles in just one shot. Range also comes at an advantage as the 75 mm of front sloped armour at a distance of more than 1,500 m is impervious to most tanks of its BR.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's hatch)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (49-50°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (60°) ''Lower glacis'' 70 mm (50°) ''Driver's hatch'' || 45 mm (15-41°) ''Top'' 45 mm ''Bottom'' || 45 mm (48°) ''Top'' 45 mm (48°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 75 mm (49-50°) ''Front glacis'' 75 + 75 mm (0-89°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45 mm (15-41°) || 45 mm || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 45 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 31.6 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 62 (AB)
|-
|57 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|710
|___
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|22.47
|__.__
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|13.99
|15.82
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|D-5S (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[D-5S (85 mm)|85 mm D-5S]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 60 || -3°/+20° || ±8° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.8 || 6.6 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.8 || 5.6 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.6 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-365K || APHE ||147||143||126|| 107 ||90||77
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC ||135||133||125||115||106||97
|-
| O-365K || HE ||12||12||11||11||11||11
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 180 || 175 || 136 || 100 || 73 || 54
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 81.6 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 164 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 780 || 9.5 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 646 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 1030 || 5.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_SU-85M.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the SU-85M.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''60''' || 46 ''(+14)'' || 31 ''(+29)'' || 16 ''(+44)'' || 1 ''(+59)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

As a tank destroyer, the SU-85M's job is to hunt down and ambush tanks and destroy them. When aiming at a tank, prioritize the area the enemy gunner sits at as if the first shot does not completely destroy the enemy vehicle, the downed gunner forces the enemy to fallback as the SU-85M goes through the lengthy reload time.

Do not attempt to brawl with this vehicle as it is unsuited for mobile, frontal assaults due to the fixed gun traverse. Keep calm and wait for the enemy to roll into the gun sights instead so while the enemy panics upon the sight of the tank destroyer, the SU-85M can use this time to aim for a good hit.

Heavy tanks and medium tanks should be engaged with caution due to their lethality against the SU-85M's armour. Heavy tanks are a concern as some have enough armour and angling to prevent a reliable penetration by the 85 mm, like the [[M4A3E2 (76) W|M4A3E2 (76) W Jumbo]], [[IS-1]], [[IS-2]], and [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]]. Have them distracted against teammates first to avert their cannons from the SU-85M's location. While they are engaged against them, aim the 85 mm onto weak points on their front armour, or flank around and attack them on their side armour. Though most medium tanks will be able to be destroyed by an 85 mm shot, some medium tanks could resist the 85 mm shot by a high degree such as [[Panther D|Panthers]].

* [[M4A3E2 (76) W|M4A3E2 (76) W Jumbo]]: Engage with caution. The 76 mm could penetrate through the front hull with ease at average combat ranges. The front hull armour is impervious to APCR in most cases and could bounce most AP shots if angled correctly. Focus on weak spots such as the lower side armour and the turret ring, or even the shot trap on the lower sections of the gun mantlet.
* [[Sturer_Emil|Sturer Emil]]: Picking a long-range fight with Sturer Emil from the front is suicide, the Emil's 128 mm will reach and penetrate the SU-85M before it is in position to fire back. Only engage if certain the Emil is unaware of the {{PAGENAME}}'s presence on its flanks, or point it out to allies for more mobile friendlies to engage and destroy it. Allies could also divert its attention from the SU-85M to allow for an 85 mm shot into the thin armour on it.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Modest Armour
* 85mm gun is still effective for all vehicles at close range (except, in some cases, the IS-2)
* Access to APCR ammunition.
* Good speed of 40 km/h with great manoeuvrability on most angles and surfaces

'''Cons:'''

* Gun depression is painful, even on a gentle slope
* Turret turning time is enough for an enemy to aim and do a point-blank shot (from 250m)
* Like most tank destroyers, it comes without a turret

== History ==

===Development===
The development for this vehicle began in 1943 to supplement the firepower the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] has. Before then, the T-34 and KV-1 tanks are more than adequate to deal with the German Panzer forces, but by the end of 1942, the appearance of the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] revealed that the German armoured forces were becoming more developed and more armoured. This reveal showed the Red Army that needed better guns in order to deal with the rising threat of these new German vehicles.

The search for a better gun led to the development of the D-5 85 mm gun, which was a modified anti-aircraft gun made by design bureaus of Vasiliy Grabin and Fyodor Petrov. It was found that the new gun was unable to be mounted on the current T-34 or KV-1, so it was to be mounted as a self-propelled gun like the [[SU-122]], which is a self-propelled gun made on a T-34 chassis. The vehicle to be produced was designated the '''[[SU-85]]''' and was similar to the SU-122, just replacing the 122 mm gun with an 85 mm one. The gun that was to be mounted in the self-propelled configuration was designated the D-5S (S for self-propelled) and the vehicle was produced at the Uralmash factory. Modifications were made overtime during its production such as a telescopic sight and a new ball gun mantlet, these modified vehicles were designated the ''SU-85-II''. Up to 2,050 units were produced from mid-1943 to late 1944.

===Combat usage===
The SU-85 saw service in August 1943 in Soviet service, which coincides the time the Soviets engage in a counteroffensive against the Battle of Kursk. It was praised for its low profile to be able to conceal itself and its excellent mobility. The initial production batch had low visibility due to lack of optics, with only four periscopes in the design, but this was improved on the '''SU-85M''' with a commander's cupola seen on the later variants of the T-34. The 85 mm gun was able to destroy a Tiger tank from 1000 meters out, proving much capable against the newer German tank designs. Though capable, its firepower was still seen as lacking considering the Tiger could still destroy it and T-34s from up to 2,000 meters away. The lack of range on the SU-85, plus the up-arming of T-34s from the 76.2 mm F-34 gun to the same 85 mm gun as well in the [[T-34-85]] caused the production of the SU-85 to be cancelled in late 1944 as it no longer provided any beneficial firepower over the standard tank unit.

Even after it was retired from Soviet service, replaced by the more powerful [[SU-100]], it was exported to Soviet allies in the Warsaw Pact after World War II. The SU-85s were either kept as tank destroyers or converted into armour recovery or command vehicles. These vehicles saw service in North Korea, Vietnam, and may still be in service today by Central European countries like Albania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Romania.

=== In-game descriptions ===
"The increasing armour thickness of the enemy's new heavy tanks necessitated a more powerful SPG. A newly planned 100 mm weapon was being reworked. So in July 1944, the 85 mm D-5-S85 cannon was installed in a newly designed SPG cabin with thicker 75 mm frontal armour, a spacious fighting compartment and a command cupola. This SPG was designated SU-85M and was produced until December 1944. The vehicle, equipped with a new gun mantlet, fired at a rate of 6-8 shots per minute. Its elevation angle was -5° to +25°, and its traversing angle was 20° (up to 10° to each side). In contrast to the SU-85, the vehicle's ammunition capacity was increased to 60 shells. The SPG's crew used PPSh submachine guns and F-1 hand grenades for self-defence.

In 1944, 315 SU-85M SPGs were manufactured in total.

The SPGs were used as cover for medium tanks and to offer them fire support when necessary. They were able to quickly move around the front both defensively and offensively. In defence, SU-85s often made use of ambush tactics. The vehicles hid at convenient distances along the enemy tanks' path and, letting them approach to within 300-600 m, opened precision fire. Before T-34-85 tanks went into mass production, this SPG was the primary means of effective battle against German tanks and played the important role of a mobile tank destroyer in the Red Army.

Captured SPGs of this type were used by the Wehrmacht. There were entire regiments of tank destroyers consisting of these vehicles - the 23rd Tank Division, for example.

SU-85 and SU-85M SPGs were put into service in the Polish Army.

In spite of all the SPG's advantages, its firepower was insufficient to combat enemy heavy tanks at long ranges."

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

SU-85

2019-08-27T16:31:38Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_su_85_1943}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_SU-85.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. This vehicle is a successor of [[SU-122]] bearing an 85 mm cannon instead of a howitzer.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's hatch)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (49°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis'' 70 mm (49°) ''Driver's hatch'' || 45 mm || 45 mm (48°) ''Top'' 45 mm (48°) ''Lower'' || 20 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 45 mm (49°) 52 mm (0-63°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45 mm (17-40°) || 45 mm (12°) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Front glacis has tracks placed on it, adding 18 mm at their location.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 29.6 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 62 (AB)
|-
|57 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|710
|874
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|23.99
|29.53
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|14.93
|16.89
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|D-5S (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[D-5S (85 mm)|85 mm D-5S]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 48 || -5°/+25° || ±10° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 8.9 || 12.4 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.9 || 10.5 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.6 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC ||135||133||125||115||106||97
|-
| BR-365K || APHE ||147||143||126|| 107 ||90||77
|-
| O-365K || HE ||12||12||11||11||11||11
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 164 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 81.6 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 780 || 9.5 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 646 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
'''Last updated: 1.77.2.68'''
[[File:Ammoracks_SU-85.png|right|x250px|thumbnail|Ammo racks of the SU-85.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''48''' || 43 ''(+5)'' || 41 ''(+7)'' || 29 ''(+19)'' || 17 ''(+31)'' || 1 ''(+47)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}

Left side empty: 29 (+19)

== Usage in the battles ==

The SU-85, as a tank destroyer, should be played in a sniper format due to its powerful gun, but subpar armour. The 85 mm gun is able to take out many tanks at its battle rating due to being the lowest BR vehicle with the gun. However, the armour is only decent and is basically an enlarged T-34 front hull for front armour. At the battle rating, this armour quality is no longer able to withstand the enemy's shots such as that of the [[Pz.IV G|Panzer IV]]. Thus, this makes it a bad idea to be near the front line and instead sit back behind the fighting and take out distant enemy targets, maximizing the low silhouette to hide and distance to improve armour effectiveness.

Be warned that penetrations from shells with explosive fillers are often fatal due to the cramped nature of the crew compartment. Either most of the crew will be knocked out or the modules damaged and these will drastically hinder the {{PAGENAME}}'s ability to fight and survive. It is imperative that the {{PAGENAME}} hit the enemy and be the first one to fire the 85 mm gun to win an engagement. This is especially true in realistic and sim battles where the low profile will grant the {{PAGENAME}} an advantage of stealth.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Amazing 85 mm gun.
* Good mobility akin to the T-34.
* Low profile.
* Decently sloped armour.
* Expect a lot of one hit KO's.

'''Cons:'''

* Armour is only that of a T-34's and will not stop many rounds.
* Lack of APCR ammo.
* Small combat compartment can cause quick crew knock-out.

== History ==

===Development===
The development for this vehicle began in 1943 to supplement the firepower the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] has. Before then, the T-34 and KV-1 tanks are more than adequate to deal with the German Panzer forces, but by the end of 1942, the appearance of the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] revealed that the German armoured forces were becoming more developed and more armoured. This reveal showed the Red Army that needed better guns in order to deal with the rising threat of these new German vehicles.

The search for a better gun led to the development of the D-5 85 mm gun, which was a modified anti-aircraft gun made by design bureaus of Vasiliy Grabin and Fyodor Petrov. It was found that the new gun was unable to be mounted on the current T-34 or KV-1, so it was to be mounted as a self-propelled gun like the [[SU-122]], which is a self-propelled gun made on a T-34 chassis. The vehicle to be produced was designated the '''SU-85''' and was similar to the SU-122, just replacing the 122 mm gun with an 85 mm one. The gun that was to be mounted in the self-propelled configuration was designated the D-5S (S for self-propelled) and the vehicle was produced at the Uralmash factory. Modifications were made overtime during its production such as a telescopic sight and a new ball gun mantlet, these modified vehicles were designated the ''SU-85-II''. Up to 2,050 units were produced from mid-1943 to late 1944.

===Combat usage===
The SU-85 saw service in August 1943 in Soviet service, which coincides the time the Soviets engage in a counteroffensive against the Battle of Kursk. It was praised for its low profile to be able to conceal itself and its excellent mobility. The initial production batch had low visibility due to lack of optics, with only four periscopes in the design, but this was improved on the '''[[SU-85M]]''' with a commander's cupola seen on the later variants of the T-34. The 85 mm gun was able to destroy a Tiger tank from 1000 meters out, proving much capable against the newer German tank designs. Though capable, its firepower was still seen as lacking considering the Tiger could still destroy it and T-34s from up to 2,000 meters away. The lack of range on the SU-85, plus the up-arming of T-34s from the 76.2 mm F-34 gun to the same 85 mm gun as well in the [[T-34-85]] caused the production of the SU-85 to be cancelled in late 1944 as it no longer provided any beneficial firepower over the standard tank unit.

Even after it was retired from Soviet service, replaced by the more powerful [[SU-100]], it was exported to Soviet allies in the Warsaw Pact after World War II. The SU-85s were either kept as tank destroyers or converted into armour recovery or command vehicles. These vehicles saw service in North Korea, Vietnam, and may still be in service today by Central European countries like Albania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Romania.

=== In-game description ===
Tactical deployment of the SU-122 showed that in order to fulfill its task of accompanying and supporting tanks, its rate of fire needed to be increased. The new SU-85 SPG was developed and put into service at the end of the summer of 1943. It was created based on the T-34 tank and equipped with an 85 mm D5-S85 cannon with a 48.8 calibre barrel length. The penetration of the new weapon's shell was 75% higher than the T-34's 76 mm cannon shell and 45% higher than the 122 mm howitzer on the SU-122. These qualities resulted in a 1.5 times increase in its effective firing range against armoured vehicles. Its ammunition capacity totalled 48 shells.

The SPG was comparable to the SU-122 in its design, with an aft-located engine compartment and a cabin armoured from all sides with the cannon installed in the front. The self-propelled vehicle was primarily intended for direct fire during short stops. It was also armed with a panoramic sight to allow it to fire from cover. A 9R or 9RS radio set was mounted on the SPG, along with the TPU-3-BisF intercom. With its superior mobility in comparison to enemy heavy tanks and SPGs, the SU-85 was able to successfully do battle with them in spite of its weaker armour.

Between August 1943 and July 1944, 2,337 of them were made in total.
The new vehicles were put into service in separate SPG regiments (up to 16 vehicles per regiment) and were widely used in the conflicts of the Great Patriotic War.

The SPG's flaws included its lack of a machine gun for defending the vehicle from infantry in close quarters, its small ammunition capacity and relatively weak armour.

== Media ==

[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23SU85 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the SU-85 series from live.warthunder.com.]

==References==
<references />

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

KV-85

2019-08-27T16:30:17Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_kv_85}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_KV-85.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the closed beta testing for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. A KV-1 with a completely new and more powerful armament in its name, the [[D-5T (85 mm)|85 mm D-5]], allows the Soviet heavy tank tree to have the firepower necessary to combat the other nation's Rank III vehicles.

The KV-85 is a heavy tank, specifically an up-gunned variant of the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] and [[KV-1S]] models built with an emphasis of engaging hostile armoured vehicles as well as a breakthrough tank. Operational and visual characteristics of the KV-85 retain the visual and operational similarities to the previous KV-1 line of heavy tanks of which it is upgraded from. Players experienced in operating previous models of the KV or T-34 series of tanks should have little to no difficulty in adjusting to this vehicle. The KV-85 can be distinguished from its KV predecessors by its enlarged and rounded turret and turret ring mount. A quick glance at this vehicle may be mistaken for similar looking tanks such as the [[IS-1]] which shares the same turret and cannon.

Although the armour thickness is the same as the KV-1S, this vehicle is notable for having a more powerful anti-tank gun shared by the [[IS-1]] and [[T-34-85 (D-5T)]]. At 5.3 Battle Rating, however, the tank armour will be of little protection against other hostile vehicles it will face. With just 75 mm front and 60 mm side armour, almost all tanks and the ammunition they fire (a significant number of which have double the penetration value of the thickness of the KV's armour) will penetrate with little to no issue. In comparison to other heavy tanks available in the USSR tree, such as the [[KV-2 (Disambiguation)|KV-2]] models and SPG's, the KV-85's handling and combat style is very similar to the IS-1, being quite capable as jack-of-all-trades heavy tank: fast rate of fire, lighter weight compared to similar USSR heavy tanks of its Rank and Battle Rating, satisfactory mobility, fast turret traverse speed, fast targeting, good ammunition penetration and explosive filler. Although despite its limitations, a skilful and experienced player of this vehicle can tip the favour of balance on their side consistently regardless of the combat situation, be it long-range skirmishes or close-quarters combat.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (30°) ''Front plate'' 75 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 25 mm (25-70°) ''Joint plate'' 75 mm (26-50°) ''Lower glacis'' || 60 mm || 75 mm (29-73°) || 40 mm
|-
| Turret || 100 mm (9-78°) ''Turret front'' 100 mm (4-58°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 100 mm (8-20°) || 100 mm (12-34°) || 30 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 82 mm || 35 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick.
* A 45 mm thick piece of armour lays on the boundary of the gun mantlet.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 46.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 36 (AB)
|-
|34 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|16.85
|20.74
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.54
|13.04
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|D-5T (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[D-5T (85 mm)|85 mm D-5T]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 70 || -3°/+23° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 8.3 || 11.5 || _._ || _._ || _._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.3 || 9.8 || _._ || _._ || _._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.6 || _._ || _._ || _._
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC ||135||133||125||115||106||97
|-
| BR-365K || APHE ||147||143||126||107||90||77
|-
| O-365K || HE ||12||12||11||11||11||11
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 164 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 81.6 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 780 || 9.5 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 646 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks KV-85.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the KV-85.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''70''' || 67 ''(+3)'' || 63 ''(+7)'' || 51 ''(+19)'' || 41 ''(+29)'' || 25 ''(+45)'' || 1 ''(+69)'' || style="text-align:left" | yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 51 (+19)

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

At its Rank and Battle Rating, the KV-85's armour is no longer up to par against newer and more powerful weapon systems of opposition vehicles it will face. Although unlike the [[IS-1]] successor of which is unable to protect itself by angling due to the rounded turret mount causing a vulnerability, the KV-85 has less of this issue as the entire front portion of the front and lower-plate is designed to be straight and rectangular and allowing it to deflect or ricochet some shots when angled optimally. The tactical usage and efficiency sit somewhere between the IS-1 and the [[T-34-85 (D-5T)]]; it is almost as armoured to par as the IS-1 in some aspects but is not as fast as the T-34-85 whilst still retaining the same armaments. Although of an older design, the KV-85 makes a crude, yet still effective jack-of-all-trades vehicle sufficient in holding its own on the battlefield in many situations by experienced users.

Another significant note of this vehicle is its considerably fast reverse rate, the second highest of its Rank and Battle-Rating for the nation's heavy tank line, topping at 14 km/h behind the [[IS-1]]'s 17 km/h. Players can use this advantage to cross from cover to cover whilst engaging hostile targets or to make a tactical retreat. During situations where close-quarters engagement is expected, an unorthodox strategy can be utilized when the operator of the KV tank re-positions the vehicle 180 degrees and drive in reverse towards the enemy. By driving in reverse with the rear facing the opposition, the engine blocks make a crude yet somewhat effective shield and protecting the more delicate crew. Many opponents the KV-85 will face will fire APHE as its main ammunition armament; the engine blocks and fuel tanks act as spaced-armour and causing APHE to detonate prematurely prior to reaching the crew compartment. In situations where the operator want's the best chance of victory in a 'round-the-corner' head on engagement, the surviving crew after a first-shot volley may be given the opportunity for a retaliatory strike and second-volley after being hit. This tactic should only be utilized in a case-by-case situation basis where it is an absolute necessity, as the engine compartment will almost certainly catch fire when struck. This is of little consequence if the user has Fire Extinguisher equipped. Be aware that this tactic is not suitable against opponents who fire solid-shot armour piercing shells such as certain British and American vehicles, as these will go straight through the rear, into the crew compartment and out the other side without stopping.

Although equally capable and effective in operating alone, the KV-85 also operates efficiently with other friendly vehicles. Of note are vehicles that act as bullet magnets such as the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill Mk.VII]] with its heavy armour and large target to act as a distraction or to soak up shots, whilst the user of the KV-85 or other friendly vehicles may trail behind it and fire off shots 'over-the-shoulder' to dispatch more powerful opponents of which the guns of the Churchill may have difficulty dealing damage against.

Japanese tanks faced by the KV-85 are of little concern as their armour protection is largely inferior, as well as being relatively rare to tanks of other nations. Vehicles of American and British of the same Rank and Battle Rating are also less of a concern as their weapons and armour (excluding the Churchill Mk VII) are also generally inferior to some extent. When situation persists, hostile vehicles of German and Soviet origins should be prioritized first. Tiger tanks should be targeted 'between-the-eyes' of the front plate between the MG and driver's viewport, or to the left or right side of the same front plate to set off ammunition racks. All Panzers models IV and below are of little concern - a single shot anywhere and everywhere will almost always guarantee to penetrate and destroy them. The [[Panther D|Panther]] of which it may occasionally face will be invulnerable in its sloped front plate. Target instead of the turret, or flank to the side and destroy with a single APHE shot.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good firepower with the 85 mm gun
* Fast targeting and tracking
* High rate of fire
* Rectangular armour shape allows for good angling effectiveness
* Good mobility, very similar to the KV-1S
* Significantly fast reverse speed
* Player skill compatibility between older and newer T-34, KV and IS models

'''Cons:'''

* Insufficient flat armour that would be penetrated if not angled
* Poor gun depression of -3°
* Large gun turret silhouette and profile
* Max speed relatively slow and inferior compared to contemporary tanks
* Limited crew (4 maximum)
* Vehicle center hull is a mass of ammunition, fuel, and crew that can all be damaged with a shot to the area

== History ==

===Pretext===
At its introduction, the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1 Heavy Tank]] in Soviet service was one of the most heavily armoured tanks in service in the world, it also has an outstanding firepower advantage over its contemporaries with the 76.2 mm gun. But as the war progressed, deficiencies in the KV designs were made to light; it was slow, not ergonomic for the crew, and was starting to become a setback due to the Germans being equipped with newer anti-tank guns. Plus, in a technical term, the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34 medium tank]] could do basically everything the KV-1 could do (had similar armour ratings and same gun), but was more mobile and cheaper to produce.

===Development===
It was clear that if the KV tanks wanted to stay in service, it needed to be upgraded. First was the ''KV-1 Model 1942'', which featured more armour, but still lacked mobility and had the same 76.2 mm gun. The first radical response to the tank design was the lighter '''KV-1S''', which featured lighter armour, a smaller turret, a commander cupola, and a better transmission system. All this helped the KV-1 increase in mobility and speed, but it brought the question on why the tank was still being produced still as now it really had the same specifications as the T-34, but the T-34 was still a lot cheaper to produce than the KV tank. If this viewpoint didn't cause the Soviet heavy program to gradually die, then it was the appearance of the [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks that convinced the Soviet command that their tanks need to have more armour and better guns.

In order to help introduce a better gun into the system quickly while better tanks were being developed, the 85 mm D-5T cannon commonly seen on the [[SU-85]] at the time was attached to the KV-1S tank on a new turret from the developing [[IS-1|IS-85]] tanks. The new model, called '''KV-85''', helped even the balance in tank firepower by being able to engage the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] from a long distance. However, it was only a stopgap design and not many were produced due to the same 85 mm cannon equipping the standard T-34s to make the [[T-34-85]], making the KV-85's firepower advantage a moot point. Plus, the development of the [[IS-2]], featuring more armour and mobility caused the KV tanks to finally be declared obsolete. The KV-85 was produced from September 1943 to December 1943, with only 148 tanks produced.

===Replacement===
The KV tank series was succeeded by the Iosef Stalin heavy tanks, first with the IS-1, which featured an 85 mm cannon and effectively replacing the KV-85, then the IS-2 with its 122 mm gun that can kill most of the later German tanks easily.

=== In-game description ===
"This tank was created based on the KV-1S due to delays in the IS-1's development. It was equipped with the turret developed for the IS-1 with an enlarged traverse circle, strengthened armour and an 85 mm cannon. The new vehicle was the next step on the path to creating a heavy tank significantly different from a medium tank not only in its armour, but in its firepower as well. The new cannon required a new ammo rack, and the ammunition complement had to be reduced to 70 shells. The tank's main armament was an 85 mm D-5T-85 cannon with a rate of fire of up to 8 shots per minute. Standard ammunition for the 85 mm Mod. 1939 air defence gun was used in the cannon. Instead of a frontal machine gun, a fixed bow machine gun was installed in a socket mount to the right of the driver, which he used to lay down unaimed fire. This allowed the gunner/radio officer to be removed from the crew. Part of the ammunition complement and an additional fuel tank were installed in his place.

Owing to the fact that the tank was an intermediate model, it was manufactured for a relatively short time. In total, 130 of them were made.
KV-85 tanks served in guards assault tank regiments. The first regiment of these new tanks reached the front as early as the first days of September 1943 during battles to liberate Left-bank Ukraine. Alongside other vehicles, the heavy tank was tasked with breaking through enemy positions and fighting armoured vehicles. When used correctly, it could oppose the newest German heavy tanks, which previously technically surpassed it. The tank had insufficient hull armour for the end of 1943, providing adequate defence only against German guns below with a calibre below 75 mm.
The KV-85 was an important intermediate link between pre-war heavy tank designs and the powerful IS tanks built to replace them."

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR heavy tanks}}

T-34-85 (D-5T)

2019-08-27T16:27:52Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_34_85_d_5t}}
{{About
| about = Soviet medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = T-34 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-34-85 (D-5T).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. This T-34 model is introduced with the formidable [[D-5T (85 mm)|85 mm gun]] on a tank mount. With a newer, strengthened turret, it can prove to be a menace at its battle rating. Though formidable, the Soviet upgraded the 85 mm gun to the improved ZiS-S-53 variant on the [[T-34-85]] model.

Operational and visual characteristics of the T-34-85(D-5T) are as similar and as common to previous T-34 lineage of tanks as they come, with the exception of a new turret and more powerful cannon. Players experienced in operating previous models of the T-34 in Rank II should have little to no difficulty in adjusting to this vehicle. The same can be said, unfortunately, about opposition forces facing this vehicle. The T-34-85(D-5T) inherits both its predecessors' strengths and weaknesses.

The T34-85 works very well with other allied tanks (British and American) that it is often paired with in RB and SB. It retains high mobility and an effective main gun, allowing it to quickly get to capture points (usually following M18s, which are often first at the scene). Here the {{PAGENAME}} can capture the points and then hold them until heavier reinforcements arrive. This means that often the team will have early superiority over the capture points.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (60°) ''Lower glacis'' 75 mm (56-60°) ''Driver's hatch'' 65 mm (30°) ''Machine gun port'' || 45 mm (39-40°) ''Top'' 45 mm ''Bottom'' || 45 mm (47-49°) ''Top'' 45 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 90 mm (1-69°) ''Turret front'' 90 mm (7-61°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm (19-22°) ''Front 2/3rd'' 52 mm (13-19°) ''Rear 1/3rd'' || 52 mm (12°) || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 90 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 18 mm thick

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 30.9 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 61 (AB)
|-
|55 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|25.08
|30.87
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|14.30
|16.18
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|D-5T (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[D-5T (85 mm)|85 mm D-5T]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 55 || -5°/+28° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.9 || 20.6 || _.__ || _.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.9 || 17.5 || _.__ || _.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 10.8 || _.__ || _.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-365K || APHE ||147||143||126|| 107 ||90||77
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC ||135||133||125||115||106||97
|-
| O-365K || HE ||12||12||11||11||11||11
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 81.6 || -1° || 43° || 30° || 25°
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 164 || +4° || 42° || 27° || 19°
|-
| O-365K || HE || 780 || 9.5 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 646 || +0° || 11° || 10° || 9°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
'''Last updated: 1.77.2.68'''
[[File:Ammoracks_T-34-85 (D-5T).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-34-85 (D-5T).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |10th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''55''' || 52 ''(+3)'' || 40 ''(+15)'' || 38 ''(+17)'' || 36 ''(+19)'' || 31 ''(+24)'' || 25 ''(+30)'' || 19 ''(+36)'' || 13 ''(+42)'' || 7 ''(+48)'' || 1 ''(+54)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Turret and side empty: 36 ''(+19)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Although this tank is classified as a medium tank, it should still be handled with care. The vehicle's armour thickness around the hull is inherited from the previous T-34 Models and remains unchanged; not considered reliably accurate to resist impacts of any weapon except for smaller calibre cannons (<57mm). Angling can result in ricochets even from the most powerful armaments, such as the cannon of the Tiger H1 in some conditions. The tank does retain a high top speed and acceleration, allowing it to outmanoeuvre its more common but heavier German counterparts in its rank. The 85 mm D-5T cannon is sufficient when fighting against Tiger tanks from the front (less than 100m away), but is accosted by a [[Panther D|Panther]] from the front, aiming for the very middle of the left or right side turret mantlet (100 mm), where the T-34's shells are guaranteed to penetrate.

Due to the fact, the only other thing worth noting about this vehicle compared to its predecessor's is its upgraded weaponry, the T-34-85(D-5T)'s armour protection in this Battle Rating and Rank are considered only barely sufficient when countering similar vehicle in its class. Almost all vehicles (excluding some SPAA) such as the common German Tigers, Panthers, USSR KV, IS and even other T-34 tanks will have little difficulty disabling or outright destroying this vehicle with a single shot in most conditions. When engaging the common Tiger tank and Panzer IV models, each of these vehicles retains the design flaw of 90 degree flat armour plates on the front and sides of each respective vehicle. The T-34-85(D-5T)'s cannon should have little no difficulty in penetrating this and destroying the opposition's vehicle in a single shot if this weakness is exploited. The Panther and occasional Tiger II models are more considerably dangerous and difficult to dispatch when encountering them head-on due to the thicker and sloped armour of which the 85mm cannon of the T-34 cannot penetrate. In head-on engagements, operators of this vehicle should note to precisely target the right and left side turret mantlet of each respective vehicles instead. Time expended in attempting to find a penetration confirmation indication on the cross-hair when inspecting the sloped front plate is time wasted and instead, should be focused on precise targeting of the mantlet. Of note for the Panther tank is the vehicle's slow turret traverse and as such, if opportunity presents itself, the operator of the T-34-85(D-5T) should utilize the vehicle's significant manoeuvrability advantage to out-flank, destroy the target in a single shot and prepare to switch and engage the next target, or to retreat. Other more common tanks such as opposition USSR KV, IS and T-34 models are usually less of a concern than the common Panther tank, as most of these respective tanks also inherit the weakness of somewhat slopped frontal chassis and turret armour which can be easily penetrated even from significant distances. Regardless, these vehicle's operation and design strengths and weaknesses are also inherited from vehicles of the previous Ranking and Battle-Ratings, only having their turret and weapons differing by being more powerful than their predecessors. All of which can still penetrate to critically disable to destroy the T-34-85(D-5T) in one or two shots.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent manoeuvrability
* Excellent acceleration
* High rate of fire
* Sufficient firepower, 85mm cannon and shells able to commonly destroy a vehicle with a single penetrating APHE shell in its rank regardless of ground vehicle type
* Increased turret armour
* Excellent turret traverse speed
* Wide tracks for better ground flotation
* Player skill compatibility between older and newer T-34 models

'''Cons:'''

* Poor gun depression - a common trait in all USSR tanks
* Barely-satisfactory armour protection in its rank
* Limited to four-man crew
* Poor reverse speed

== History ==

===Development===
The T-34, in its introduction, was a huge shock to the German army when they invaded as they did not have the adequate anti-tank weaponry to defeat the T-34 and its heavier companion [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tank. However, by 1943, the Germans began introducing newer tanks or upgrading their current tanks. They upgraded their [[Pz.IV G|Panzer IVs]] with the 75 mm KwK 40 gun, which could penetrate the T-34, and introduced the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] and [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks into their forces, which could not only destroy the T-34s easily, but can also take in the 76.2 mm shells the T-34 fires. The inferior firepower the T-34 forced the T-34 forces to close into a very close distance during the Battle of Kursk with the Tigers and Panthers in order to get to the sides and fire at the weaker armour. While the Soviets were victorious against the German offensive, the T-34s suffered high losses with this strategy.

The T-34's slow improvement from the [[T-34 (1941)|1941 model]] was due to the decision to keep changes to the model low to keep costs low and productivity high. This worked well in the first two years against the Germans, but the Battle of Kursk showed that the newer German tanks now outgun the T-34s. Soviet High Command, once conservative on the T-34's upgrades, now opted for an increase in the T-34 armament to be able to counter the German tanks. During the development, an interim solution for the problem was the equipping of the 57 mm ZiS-4M gun onto the T-34, which has better penetration capabilities compared to the 76.2 F-34 guns. This tank, the [[T-34-57]], performed as an adequate "tank-hunter", but the small HE shell on the 57 mm gun made it a poor tank armament so this was only an interim solution until a better design is made.

Testings with various guns in Soviet inventory against captured German tanks showed that the most capable gun was the 85 mm 52-K anti-aircraft gun. With this discovery, the 52-K underwent development to make derivatives able to be mounted onto a tank. The cannon was able to penetrate the front of the Tiger from 500 meters out, the turret side from 600 meters away, and the hull side from 800 meters away. However, the cannon was much larger than the F-34 gun and so a much larger turret was necessary to house the gun. The solution to this was to transfer the turret from the cancelled T-43 tank program onto the T-34, this increased the turret ring diameter from the original 1,425 mm into 1,600 mm, which required a retooling in the manufacturing plants. While this delayed T-34 production, the 85 mm was finally able to be mounted onto the T-34 as the '''T-34-85'''.

===Design===
The T-34-85, aside from the enlarged turret ring for the new turret, uses the same T-34 hull design. Armour was still about 45 mm thick, sloped at 60 degrees for a 90 mm effective thickness. The Christie suspension was retained, as well as the diesel engine. However, the biggest difference in the tank design is the three-man turret, though a turret basket is still exempt from the design. Before, the two-man turret on the older [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] had the commander forced to do his job and the gunner's, the three-man turret on the T-34-85 separated the commander's duty by having a separate gunner to fire the gun, leaving the commander to do his job commanding the tank as a whole. The larger turret also has space for a radio (previously in the hull by the assistant driver), allowing the commander to effectively communicate between tank units. Aside from the enlarged turret ring, new turret, and the 85 mm gun, the internal specifications of the T-34 and its pros and cons were nearly identical to the older variants.

The 85 mm gun on the T-34-85 was able to penetrate 125 mm of armour at 500 meters away at a 90 degree meet angle with normal AP rounds. The 85 mm gun was derived from the 52-K anti-aircraft gun, which was developed from Vasilliy Grabin and Fyodor Petrov's design bureaus. Petrov's bureaus produced the 85 mm D-5T gun while Grabin's design, after being taken over by A. Savin, produced the 85 mm ZiS-53 gun. During trials in the Gorokhoviesky Proving Grounds, it was found that the ZiS-53 gun was much better than the '''D-5T''' and was much simpler, which was redesignated as the ZiS-S-53 after Savin's initials. However, as the new turret was optimized with the D-5T gun, the T-34-85 started with the D-5T as the '''T-34-85 Model 1943''', which ran on from February to March 1944. After March 1944, the 85 mm ZiS-5 was used as the armament of the [[T-34-85|T-34-85 Model 1944]]. During its production life from 1943 to 1958, up to 48,950 T-34-85s were created (22,559 of which during World War II), consisting of more than half of the total 84,070 T-34 units created in its entire production life since 1940.

===Combat usage===
From its introduction onwards, the T-34-85s were the main tank in Soviet service, with the older T-34s still being used as they are lost from combat and retribution and replaced. The T-34-85's 85 mm gun armour penetration and front turret armour nearly doubled compared to the older T-34, yet retain the same speed, mobility, and armour compared to it. The T-34-85 was vastly superior to the German's [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IVs]] and [[StuG III G|StuG IIIs]], and though it was still ineffective in protection and armour penetration to the [[Panther A|Panther]] and the [[Tiger E|Tiger I]], it gave it a better edge in firepower to compete against them due to the higher armour penetration value on the 85 mm shells. The T-34-85s maintain numerical superiority throughout the entire war due to the Soviet's industrial base and design concept of mass producing single designs, while the Germans focus on newer, better tanks such as the heavier [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], which restricted productivity and made logistics a hard job to maintain. The T-34-85s were the main Soviet spearhead weapon during Operation Bagration and its future offensives up until the Battle of Berlin. After the fall of Nazi Germany, the Soviets use the T-34-85s again in their invasion of Manchuria to fulfil their promise to invade Japan after the fall of Germany. The combined-arms forces of their armoured units overran the Japanese positions in Manchuria and were pushed all the way to a distance from the Yalu River. The Japanese surrender order was given out by the emperor on August 14, which was not carried out as a cease-fire until August 17.

After the end of World War II, the T-34-85s were given out in massive quantities to Soviet-occupied territories and their allies. The next action the T-34-85s faced was in the Korean War, in the hands of the North Koreans. The North Korean armoured forces are able to assault deep into South Korea with these tanks as South Koreans were severely under-equipped in anti-tank weaponry, only armed with US-supplied [[M24|M24 Chaffees]] and regular bazookas, which were useless against the T-34s. It wasn't until the deployment of US troops into the Korean peninsula that the tide turned against the North Koreans and their tanks. The US sent their [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3E8 Shermans]], [[M26|M26 Pershings]], and "Super Bazookas" to arm the troops there. All these weapons are able to destroy the T-34-85s, with the M26 Pershing being able to penetrate straight through the front and back of the T-34-85 armour with HVAP rounds. The Shermans are able to go on par with the T-34-85s, but the better optic quality and crew training gave them an edge against the T-34-85s. These anti-tank weapons supplied by the coalition caused the North Koreans to suffer major tank losses and after their supply lines were cut by the US landings at Inchon, the armoured vehicles were abandoned as the North Koreans retreated. T-34-85s were still encountered once the Chinese became involved in the war, where they were accompanied with [[IS-2]]s as well. Though pure tank-to-tank battles between the two sides were scarce after 1950 due to combined-arms units used on both sides.

Past the Korean War, the T-34-85s were clearly obsolete with the development of newer tanks being developed worldwide. Despite that, many countries still use T-34-85s as their main tank or as reserves, even the Soviets and Finnish continue using them until the late 1960s. Warsaw Pact countries used them in large quantities and were involved in many conflicts within these countries, such as the East German uprising in June 1953, Hungarian revolution in 1956, Coup by Greek junta in July 1974, and the Turkish invasion in July-August 1974. The T-34-85s also saw conflicts in the Middle East in the hands of Syrians, Egyptians, Jordanians, and Iraq; Vietnam with the North Vietnamese, and in the Bosnian War in the Bosnian Serb Army. African countries such as Somalia and Angola still use T-34-85s in their armies, and they could even be seen in the recent conflicts in Yemen and in Ukraine. Despite their age, it seems that the T-34-85 was to become a tank that will persist in the hands of smaller countries for years to come.

During late 1944, the Soviets were already searching for a successor to the T-34s that use most of the newest tank technology found in recent years. The result was the [[T-44]] medium tank, which did not enter service in time to see widespread usage and even combat during World War II. The T-44 underwent further development and redesigning to become a tank that would surpass the T-34 in the most produced tank in existence, the [[T-54 (1949)|T-54 tank]].

=== In-game description ===
This tank was developed based on the T-34 at factory No. 183's design bureau by installing a new three-man cast turret with the 85 mm D-5T cannon. This weapon, with a length of 51.6 calibres, was created based on an artillery cannon with improved ballistics. The cannon's armour-piercing rounds reached a muzzle velocity of 795 m/s and according to standard firing data, it was able to penetrate the Tiger's frontal armour at a range of 500-800 metres.

The hexagonal shaped turret had an expanded traverse circle and slightly sloping sides, and its dimensions significantly exceeded those of the mass-produced T-34 turret equipped with a 76.2 mm cannon. The vehicle's commander also fulfilled the role of spotter as before, since the massive size of the weapon's breech prevented a third man from fitting into the turret. The turret's roof featured a cast command cupola with a two-leaved hatch and observation instrument, a ventilation hatch with an armoured hood, the PTK-5 surveillance device and a round loader's hatch.

The turret's armour had been increased, so its sides, front and command cupola walls were 75 mm thick, the turret roof 20 mm thick and the cupola roof 15 mm thick.

Its air filtering system was improved by installing the new Multicyclone air filter. Thanks to this, some motors worked for up to several hundred hours without repair, which was an almost unobtainable figure for T-34 Mod. 1941-1943 tanks.

Production of the tank began in January 1944. In total, 255 of them were made. Of them, 5 were command tank variants and were equipped with the RSB-F radio set, while the others were equipped with the 9RS radio set.

The vehicles began to join battle units (primarily Guards Tank Brigades) in 1944 and were used alongside the old T-34s. Tanks of this model actively participated in the liberation of Right-bank Ukraine in the spring of 1944, and in battles in Finland and Norway in battle units on the Karelian front.

== Media ==
Skins and camouflages for the T-34-85 from live.warthunder.com. Currently two category terms are in use: [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23t3485 #t3485] and [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23t34_85 #t34_85]. Both contain different camouflages and are worth checking out.

==References==
<references />

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

YaG-10 (29-K)

2019-08-27T16:24:08Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_zsu_29k}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_YaG-10 (29-K).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]].

This unarmoured truck is equipped with a good fast-firing 76.2 mm canon, which has similar armour penetration to the infamous [[D-5T (85 mm)|D-5T]] from later soviet vehicles. This is the last unarmoured truck chassis of the Soviet tech tree, after the [[ZiS-12 (94-KM)]] and before the [[ZiS-43]].

The 29-K is a pure sniper, use it as such. This truck is all about its precise, fast firing gun and nothing else. Safely cover up 2/3 of the vehicle behind a building, leaving only the gun, gunner and one loader exposed, taking precise shots at unsuspecting enemies.

'''''Mobility''''' 
It's a cannon on wheels. Unlike most other Soviet trucks, it is not a GAZ chassis, it is a ten-wheeled YaG-10. This new (and unique) chassis is slower than its predecessors, but has better ground flotation with 10 wheels in total (8 in the back and under the gun, 2 at the front). The wheeled configuration makes turning on the spot impossible; thus, anticipate an escape route in case the situation turns sour.

'''''"Protection?"''''' 
It has 6 crew members, meaning it can take a few shots and even resist MG fire (if well-covered). Ammo racks are covered with 12 mm steel plates, meaning regular MGs cannot ignite them. Otherwise, any HE shell will rip the YaG-10 apart really quickly and artillery usually shreds the vehicle with shrapnel. This low armour value has its advantages: APHE shells will often not detonate or simply not hit anything if shot from the sides.

'''''Gun''''' 
The 76.2 mm 3-K equipped on this chassis is one hell of a gun, with good penetration and a relatively flat ballistic trajectory. ''3 loaders'' provide it with a fast reload speed, comparable to Rank 1 vehicles. These 3 crew members allows a bit of loss before feeling a reduced firing rate. The only things the gun may lack is a good amount of HE filler for destroying enemy vehicles easier and a faster turning speed for reacting faster. This gun has similar characteristics to the D-5T, found on later Soviet tanks, providing a good learning curve to tanks using it (mainly [[SU-85]], [[IS-1]], [[T-34-85 (D-5T)]]).

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Structural steel (Truck cabin)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Bed frame)
* Wood (Truck bed)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Truck || 1 mm ''Grille'' 1 mm (83-86°) ''Front hood''|| 1 mm || 1 mm || 1 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Wheels are 2 mm thick
* Chassis is 1 mm thick

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 12.2 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 76 (AB)
|-
|70 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|133
|___
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|83
|93
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|10.90
|__.__
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|6.80
|7.62
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|3-K (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[3-K (76 mm)|76 mm 3-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 40 || -3°/+82° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 6.5 || _.__ || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 6.5 || _.__ || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || 5.75 || 5.30 || 5.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-361 || APHEBC ||121||119||109||98||88||79
|-
| O-361 || HE ||22||22||21||20||20||20
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-361 || APHEBC || 813 || 6.6 || 0.15 || 10 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-361 || HE || 813 || 6.6 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_YaG-10 (29-K).png|thumbnail|right|x250px|Ammo rack layout of the YaG-10 (29-K).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''40''' || 31 ''(+9)'' || 21 ''(+19)'' || 11 ''(+29)'' || 1 ''(+39)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Front empty: 21 ''(+19)''

== Usage in the battles ==

This truck is preferably used at a distance to increase its survivability. Most MGs have poor accuracy at distance, greatly decreasing their ability to shred the 29-K. It has a good and very precise gun capable of taking down (almost) any target it may encounter from the front. Always show the sides since it decreases the chances of having a bullet pass right through all of the crew members in one shot. Showing the side allows the YaG-10 to use the full 360° traverse to its best. If possible, only show the gun, this way, it allows minimal exposure and can allow for quick hiding at a moment's notice and if shot, only sacrifices one or two crew members.

'''Do not:'''

* Rush into towns
* Drive directly towards an enemy
* Stay near an artillery strike
* Snipe in the middle of a field: ''Find cover''

Although this is a Rank 3 vehicle, its low BR often places it against Rank 2 tanks. Even with it's awesome cannon, this truck can encounter fierce foes with even better armour.

* [[Churchill Mk VII]], [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 ''Jumbo'']]: Both impervious to shots on the front glacis.
* [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)|Jagdpanzer 38(t) ''Hetzer'']]: Well-angled armour can bounce many shots.
* [[Calliope|T34 ''Calliope'']]: Has many ready-to-fire rockets to annihilate the 29-K.
* Any AA/AAA is a threat as their heavy automatic weapons will rip through the thin armour.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Decent 76.2 mm gun can penetrate most enemies.
* Very fast reloads with 3 loaders.
* Precise gun, good ballistic trajectory.
* Paper-thin armour makes AP rounds over-penetrate.
* Six crew members.
* Ammo racks are protected from MG fire.

'''Cons:'''

* Paper-thin armour can have machine guns rip it to shreds.
* Poor gun depression of -3°.
* Ammo rack in rear and middle of the overall vehicle.
* Slow gun traverse.
* Very low mobility.
* Can be easily destroyed by air strikes.
* No access to APCR.
* Lack of a gun shield means that the gunners are easier to take out than they are on the 88mm Flak Truck.
* Shredded by artillery and HE shells.
* Prone to hull break.
* Cannot shoot upfront due to the high truck cabin.

== History ==


== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/4562-development-29-k-reach-the-sky-en/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> 29-K: Reach the Sky]

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

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

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

ASU-57

2019-08-27T16:22:42Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_asu_57}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_ASU-57.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows"]]. It is a tiny, mobile 57 mm gun carriage akin to the [[ZiS-30]].

The ASU-57 is a tiny, open topped, turretless SPG armed with a 57 mm gun with good penetration. It is famously one of the smallest tracked vehicle in the game, weighing only 3.3 tons. Its complete lack of armour makes it extremely vulnerable, its only defense being its small size, making it extremely difficult to notice, let alone hit. It has very good speed and excellent maneuverability, being very nimble for a turretless tank destroyer. The 57 mm gun starts with solid shot rounds, which is troublesome as each shot will make the firing position more apparent. For this reason it is recommended to research the APHE rounds and adjustment of fire to reduce the number of shots needed to destroy an enemy.

The ASU-57 is very difficult but very rewarding and fun to play, and it is not recommended for arcade battles, as its primary advantage, stealth, is lost. The ASU-57 is a master of stealth, famed and beloved by the community by its ability to sneak up on tanks by using its extremely small size. When using the ASU-57, objects that other tanks would ignore or simply drive over are capable of completely hiding the vehicle, making ambushes and surprise attacks the specialty of the ASU-57. This size comes at a cost, however, as the ASU-57 has barely more survivability than a Soviet AA truck.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof !! Belly
|-
| Body || 6 mm (21-65°) ''Front Plate'' 6 mm (38°) ''Lower glacis'' || 4 mm || 6 mm (9°) || 5 mm || 6 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick, tracks are 15 mm thick

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 3.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 50 (AB)
|-
|46 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|78
|___
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|49
|55
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|23.64
|__.__
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|14.85
|16.67
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|Ch-51M (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ch-51M (57 mm)|57 mm ch-51M]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 30 || -4°/+12° || ±7° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 7.10 || _.__ || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 7.10 || _.__ || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-271SP || APBC ||161||158||144||129||115||103
|-
| BR-271M || APCBC ||145||142||127||110||96||83
|-
| O-271 || HE || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5
|-
| BR-271N || APCR || 196 || 193 || 155 || 117 || 89 || 67
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-271SP || APBC || 1020 || 3.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-271M || APCBC || 975 || 2.8 || 1.2 || 20 || 22.1 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-271 || HE || 695 || 3.7 || 0.4 || 0.01 || 220 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-271N || APCR || 1125 || 2.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_ASU-57.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the ASU-57.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''30''' || 25 ''(+5)'' || 19 ''(+11)'' || 1 ''(+29)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Right side empty: 19 ''(+11)''

== Usage in battles ==


The ASU-57 is best used as an ambusher/flanker, executing surprise attacks from unexpected locations other vehicles would struggle or be unable to reach. The ASU-57 is incredibly short, and by driving up next to an enemy can render the vehicle completely safe, as almost no vehicle has enough gun depression to reach it. For this reason it is recommended to only go after isolated vehicles, as an enemy teammate will be able to assist their ally by destroying the ASU-57. For the maximum efficiency of this tactic, knock out the driver of the enemy vehicle, then rush up to their side before they can bring their gun to bear. Once this is done, try to ammo rack or pick off their crew before they can recover.

Literally any vehicle, be it ground or air, can destroy the ASU-57 within seconds if allowed to get it in their sights.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Tiny size and very light weight
* Difficult to target at long range
* Easy to conceal. The tank can proceed to the other side of the map and not be seen by anyone
* Good speed and mobility
* Although very vulnerable to strafing by enemy planes, the vehicle can be easily concealed from their view (RB and SB)
* Very low profile makes it impossible to be hit by most enemy tank guns when right next to them
* Powerful 57 mm gun
* Access to APCR ammunition

'''Cons:'''

* Virtually no armour
* High top speed + no armour means the ASU-57 can destroy itself upon hard collision
* Lightweight and tiny size makes it easy to push around by enemy and friendly tanks
* Low ammunition count
* Crew can get knocked out easily by aircraft fire or artillery
* 57 mm gun can struggle to deal with angled armour
* 57 mm gun rarely can destroy vehicles with one shot
* Not suitable for AB players; this tank's main advantage is its small size, so having a big red marker does not play in the player's favour
* No defensive machine guns. SPAA can be a real threat, even at long range
* Crew are packed into the ASU-57, any damage will result in one or more knocked out crew member
* Prone to hull break
* Can really struggle to penetrate certain tanks it will face, such as Jumbos and Churchills
* Poor horizontal and vertical traverse of the gun
* Unsuitable for long range engagements
* Tall grass can hinder clear vision through the sight

== History ==

===Development===
In mid-1940s, sometime either late in World War II or post-war, a proposal was made to develop a vehicle for the airborne troops. The vehicle was to be a lightweight assault gun able to support the paratroopers by being transportable by air. The task was given to two design bureaus, OKB-40 headed by Nikolaj Astrov in Mytischi and the other to Anatoly Karvtsev in Moscow. Astrov designed his vehicle as the ''ASU-76'', armed with a 76 mm D-56T gun. The design ended up being too heavy and its armour way too thin for adequate protection and was cancelled. Kartsev's project was the ''K-73'' which was amphibious and used a 57 mm Ch-51 anti-tank gun as its armament. This was even more thinly armoured than the ASU-76 and was also cancelled.

In 1949, Astrov was able to continue work on his design, but with specifications that the vehicle be made lighter and use the 57 mm Ch-51 gun instead due to its anti-tank performances. The redesigned vehicle was labeled ''Object 572'' and passed the test phases in 1949. It was formally accepted for service as the '''ASU-57''' in 1951 and production lasted from 1950 to 1952 with amounts produced up to a thousand.

===Usage===
The ASU-57, as an airborne vehicle, was made to be air-dropped from planes and land via a rocket-assisted parachute. It was then crewed by its airborne crew and support the airborne troops in their operation. Each airborne division had 54 vehicles at its disposal. It proved successful despite its weak armour and small caliber as this type of vehicle was invaluable in the hands of airborne troops, able to use a mobile artillery vehicle behind enemy lines. The ASU-57 stayed in service in the Soviet Airborne Forces for around 20 years before being replaced by the [[ASU-85]].

The ASU-57 was also given out to the Soviet Union's allies from 1960s to 70s. Such included Egypt, East Germany, North Korea, Poland, Sahrawi Republic, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and Ethiopia.

== Media ==

Skin and Camouflages for the [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=ussr_asu_57 ASU-57] in Warthunder Live.

{{youtube|url = i-V5rB5UOgA|The ASU-57}}

== See also ==


* [http://warthunder.com/en/news/3724-development-asu-57-air-delivery-en/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> ASU-57: Air Delivery]

== External links ==


* [[Wikipedia:ASU-57|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> ASU-57]]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

KV-1 (ZiS-5)

2019-08-27T16:21:01Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_kv_1_zis_5}}
{{About|
|about = Soviet heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage = other uses
|link = KV-1 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. This KV-1 introduces a new armament, the ZiS-5, that has a much stronger punch than the L-11 from its predecessor while retaining the same armour.

This tank is very similar to its predecessors, but mounts the same gun of the [[T-34 (1942)]] sharing its ability to fire APCR shells. The player should feel at home once going through the [[KV-1 (L-11)]], and while not as fast as the [[KV-1S]], it maintains more armour all-around. The gun may be lacking on penetration unless using APCR shells, its velocity is poor (makes it harder to aim in Realistic Battles), but will do plenty of damage once penetrated and reloads quite quickly. The armour is outstanding when angled. With extra 25mm spaced armour at the front of the hull results in a total of over 100mm of armour. The tank can take a lot of damage from lower ranks and still survive the battle. The turret remains vulnerable, however, but the turret ring is reinforced, which means that it's harder to jam the turret.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 + 25 mm (30-31°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 25 + 70-71 mm (7-71°) ''Joint plate'' 75 + 25 mm (26-51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (13-89°) ''Top'' 70 mm (14-57°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 90 mm (14-15°) ''Turret front'' 90 mm (5-54°) ''Gun mantlet shield'' 90 mm (3-77°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 90 mm (14-15°) || 90 mm (16°) || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Lower glacis applique armour do not cover the entire plate.
* The turret ring is protected by applique armour that are 25 mm thick, the front hull also has the benefit of having top part of the applique armour on the front plate also covering the path to the turret ring.
* The gun mantlet is extra protected with additional 90 mm plates added on, resulting in a very thick front turret armour. This is added with 45 mm plates on the very top and bottom of the gun shield. The side cheeks of the front armour are still vulnerable due to their small slope angles.

The KV-1 ZiS-5 armour is still relatively strong at the hull, taking the base armour of the original KV-1 L-11 with extra armour added on. While the mobility is subpar and firepower is the same compared to the more ubiquitous Soviet T-34 medium tank, they can still be a threat if ignored.

If facing an un-angled KV-1 face-on, the front hull plate is still a popular place to attack on with a high-velocity anti-tank weapon. The side hull is also an enticing place to hit as not only is it a flat 75 mm armour, the mass of fuel and ammunition are behind there. However, an angled KV-1 ZiS-5 is rather tough for any tank gun, with the tendency to bounce rising. However, the turret armour is still a vulnerable place to hit no matter which way the hull is angled with. Facing from the front, the turret cheeks, front, and the gun mantlet could be penetrated by most guns to either disable the gun or incapacitate the turret crew. An APHE through here could cripple or destroy the entire tank in one go.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 46.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 36 (AB)
|-
|34 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|16.70
|20.56
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.44
|12.93
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|ZiS-5 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ZiS-5 (76 mm)|76 mm ZiS-5]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 116 || -6°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 7.1 || 9.9 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 7.1 || 8.4 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.00 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||86||85||76||67||59||52
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC ||94||92||83||73||65||57
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||102||100||91||81||72||64
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 135 || 130 || 92 || 60 || 39 || 26
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 665 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC || 680 || 6.3 || 0.9 || 15.0 || 108.8 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 680 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 680 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 950 || 3.0 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_KV-1(L-11).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the KV-1 L-11 (identical as KV-1 (ZiS-5)).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''116''' || 112 ''(+4)'' || 107 ''(+9)'' || 87 ''(+29)'' || 1 ''(+115)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Turret empty: 107 ''(+9)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The KV-1 ZiS-5 plays like a standard heavy tank, with heavy armour able to soak up shells while angled and a decent 76 mm gun to fire back. While mobility is not the greatest, it is sufficient to get up to the front lines in time for the battle. Compared to its predecessors, the KV-1 ZiS-5 serves as a continuation rather than a big improvement, with the ZiS-5 gun the [[KV-1S]] had while sacrificing mobility for more armour.

Careful usage of the KV-1 ZiS-5 is needed due to its matchmaking compared to its predecessor. Its only distinctive perk is the armour, with the 76 mm gun already serving in the T-34 and KV-1S while mobility is only subpar. The matchmaking puts the KV-1 ZiS-5 against more powerful opponents in an up-tier, which one could find themselves unable to penetrate from the front. Enemies at the same time will be able to penetrate the KV-1 easily through common weak points in the last two iterations, flat on the side hull armour or through the turret front.

However, the KV-1 can still be a significant factor in the battlefield if played in the right circumstance. The boxy shape of the overall tank encourages angling, which can make the hull armour nigh-invulnerable by its contemporary guns, so do that. The biggest concern in survivability then will be the turret armour, and so try to minimize the risk of a straight-on hit onto the turret front by any means necessary, like the "turret wobble."

In a down-tier or fighting its battle rating contemporaries, the KV-1 ZiS-5 can handle its ground. Its armour is sufficient alone, with angling being a bonus, and the 76 mm can be a strong gun with its BR-350A/B APHEBC ammunition. In these situations, the KV-1 can serve as the front-line assault tank. Take the front lines with the teammates and serve as a bullet sponge (while angling). Allow the enemies to be concerned about the KV-1 presence and fire at it while the KV-1 should worry about staying alive. If enemies are not concerned about the KV-1 ZiS-5, then make them concerned with the 76 mm gun. With teammates, the KV-1 ZiS-5 can have enough supporting fire so that enemy tanks do not have an opportunity to outmanoeuvre the KV-1 to hit weak points. Thus, outside of tank destroyers and the typical high-velocity 75 mm guns, the KV-1 can be a menace to the enemy team.

In an up-tier however, as mentioned the KV-1 ZiS-5 will be more easily destroyed by the tougher enemies and guns. In these situations, the tactic of being an assault tank or a bullet sponge will be short-lived as a well-placed round will penetrate through the armour, plus the 76 mm may no longer be sufficient in penetration outside of the APCR ammunition. In this new position, act more as a support tank. Follow behind more capable allied tanks and assist them by bringing another gun into the equation. If they are occupied with one enemy in front, manoeuvre around while that enemy is concentrated on the ally and force them to split their combat vision. If an enemy tank is trying to flank the ally, then fire at them to throw them off their course of action by having to worry about the KV-1 as well.

Another way to use the KV-1 in an up-tier is to cover flanks and set up fire zones. While the KV-1's armour in an up-tier is not sufficient for a straight up fight, move along the flanks to engage on more mobile, but less armoured vehicles like light tanks trying to get around. If in a good position, set up a fire zone to watch for enemy tanks moving carelessly around, unaware of the KV-1 presence. In these cases, wait for the right moment to strike towards their side armour with an APHE round to quickly devastate their interior. Thus, the KV-1 can still be a major player in shutting down enemy movements in the right position, just ensure the lack of gun depression is taken account of in the firing angles.

In short, a more diverse play style is needed to accommodate the enemies the KV-1 ZiS-5 can face that its predecessors will not.

Since the KV-1 ZiS-5 armament hasn't drastically improved while the potential opponent pool has, there will be times when the KV-1 ZiS-5 be facing enemies that cannot be penetrated from the front. The poor armour, large profile, and cramped interior mean a penetrating round by any tank could be lethal.

High battle rating vehicles like the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] heavy tank have guns able to defeat the KV-1 ZiS-5 with ease, while the 76 mm gun is nigh useless at ranges. However, in close ranges towards flat angled armour, the 76 mm BR-350P APCR ammunition can penetrate through flat armour, especially that of the Tiger I while under 250 meters. APCR is discouraged against highly-sloped armour, so facing against even the [[M4A1 (76) W|M4 Shermans]] will have the front armour hard to hit through with the APCR, so the APHEBC rounds should remain the standard round, even if the penetration is not up to par anymore.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good penetration value, especially with APCR shells
* Good rate of fire
* Additional armour plates give this tank very effective hull armour up to 100 mm thick
* One of the few Russian tanks with a full 5 man crew
* Eliminates the turret ring weakness from the previous KV-1 model with additional plates
* Decently fast for a heavy tank
* Very hard to knock out in 1 hit
* Turret shape tends to bounce rounds off
* Rear mounted transmission prevents front hits from immobilizing via components
* Able to resist the up-gunned Panzer IVs at ranges > 500 m
* Invulnerable at all angles to 20 and 37mm autocannons

'''Cons:'''

* Maneuverability and HP ratio are below average, making you vulnerable during displacements
* Turning will bleed off speed very quickly
* Reverse speed is inadequate
* Driver's port is not covered by the additional armour
* Turret can easily be penetrated from the front with most weapons
* Relatively cramped interior can cause one penetration to devastate many modules
* May be unable to compete with standard ammo in up-tiers
* Expensive APCR shells requires conservation so battle costs don't exceed gains
* Sides are weak points with large fuel tanks and ammo stowage, a penetrating round has a high chance of striking one of these

== History ==

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

During the developmental progress, the prototypes of all these heavy tanks were made and the Winter War with Finland was on its way. The Soviets sent these tanks into Finland for combat testing, to which the KV design outperform in every way with its superior armour and firepower. The armour on the KV tank was impenetrable by a tank cannon in service and most anti-tank guns as well, the 76.2 cannon also gave it a huge firepower boost compared to the usual 37 mm in use by other countries. However, the design was found to be difficult to steer, the transmission was unreliable, ergonomics was poor and vision was limited, plus with its 45-ton weight, it was a very heavy tank for its time. In truth, while formidable in power and protection, courageous crew member willing to curse the name would speak out about the trouble the KV tank really was. The main variant of production before World War II broke out was the '''KV-1''' model. The ZiS-5 model used the newer and improved F-34 76.2mm gun instead of the [[KV-1 (L-11)|L-11 that equipped the early models]] or the shorter F-32 as both were deemed insufficient in performance.

===Combat usage===
When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the Red Army had 508 of the KV tanks. This shocked the German forces as their anti-tank and tank forces had few weapons capable of defeating it, having to rely mostly on the 88 mm Flak guns and the 5 cm Pak 38 with APCR rounds. But by 1942, Germany fielded large amounts of long barreled 50 mm and 75 mm cannons in both tanks and towed format, making the KV lose much of its armour advantage.

Perhaps the most famous moment of glory for the KV-1 was at Krasnogvardeysk near Leningrad on the 19th of August 1941 when 5 KV-1s, led by Lt Zinoviy Kolobanov, ambushed the German 8th Panzer Division (a light panzer division consisting mainly of Panzer II, III and 38(t)). But there are some contradicting stories about what happened, and even if it indeed did happen. One story that supports the claim goes like this: each of the five KV-1s was hiding at different locations, came out one by one to fire at the incoming German tanks, then retreat before the next tank could come out. This boxed an entire tank and ended with 43 tanks destroyed before the KV-1 tanks retreated from running out of ammo, all in a span of about half an hour. During this battle, one of the KV-1 tanks was struck 135 times with no penetration. For their feat, Lt Z. Kolobanov and a few officers were decorated the Order of Lenin and Order of the Red Banner medals.

The KV-1 continued to serve until the end of the war, though in dwindling numbers as they were lost due to mechanical failures, combat, and being superseded by more modern tanks. Some KV-1s built in 1941 still saw service in 1944 at the Leningrad front before being replaced by IS-2 tanks, then they saw service in Manchuria in 1945 before being retired altogether at the end of World War II.

===Variants===
Many variants of the KV tank would be produced in the span of World War II as the Soviet try to keep it in production as long as possible, the initial version was called the '''KV-1''' and remained most part as the main Soviet heavy tank for the first part of World War II. A bunker-buster variant mounting a 152 mm howitzer after experiences in Finland brought the monster '''[[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]]''' assault tank, which is very turret heavy that it must be on a flat surface to properly rotate. After complaints of its mechanical issues and lack of performance compared to the lighter [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] medium tank was heard, the factory lightened the tank in 1943 and designated as the '''[[KV-1S]]''' which presented some good features into the tank like a commander's cupola. But the KV-1S introduction was a little too late as then the better German tanks such as the [[Panther D|Panther tanks]] could knock them out with ease. An attempt to up-gun the KV-1S was to give it the 85 mm D-5T gun then in use on the [[SU-85]]. This variant was called the '''[[KV-85]]'''. Though it was seen favourable for a nice increase in firepower among the armoured forces, soon even the lighter T-34 began mounting the 85 mm gun as the [[T-34-85]]. It was determined that the heavy tank would have a much bigger gun than the medium tanks, but at the time the KVs were falling out of favour in preference to the newer [[IS-1]] and [[IS-2]] heavy tanks coming into service, which were based off the ''KV-13'' prototype tanks developed in 1942 as a medium tank.

===Survivors===
Several KV-1s survive after the war, most as monuments or static displays in museums. Only one genuine KV-1 was restored to running condition in Russia after it was found in the bottom of the Neva River.

=== In-game description ===
In 1941, the KV-1's design underwent a number of changes. In the autumn of 1941, 3-5 additional fuel tanks were installed on the tank's track fenders without a link to the fuel system. The drop-forged tracks were replaced with cast tracks. In December 1941, the tanks were equipped with the 10-R radio set. Some of the vehicles produced by the ChKZ factory were made with cast turrets with a rounded front weapon slot. Its armour thickness was upgraded to 82 mm.

The tank's armament was improved by installing a ZiS-5 cannon with a 41.5 calibre barrel length. This weapon was created based on the F-34, with differently designed cradle and gun mantlet parts. Its armour-piercing round had a 680 m/s muzzle velocity. Its overall ammunition complement was increased to 114 rounds. The hull's frontal projection was strengthened with add-on 25 mm armour plates.

However, the changes listed above did not lead to significant improvements in the KV-1's design. The tank's primary flaws remained uncorrected. It often broke down as a result of its transmission failing and was too slow.

In 1941-1943, KV tanks served in the main battalions of mixed tank brigades and heavy tank assault regiments. They were actively deployed in the Great Patriotic War until mid-1944. Captured tanks of this type were used by Wehrmacht units.

== Media ==
=== Skins ===
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=#kv1_zis Skins and camouflages for the KV-1 ZiS series from live.warthunder.com]
Top three downloaded skins:

* [http://live.warthunder.com/post/29614/ (Historical, 1942) "Merciless" 12th Tank Regt.]
* [http://live.warthunder.com/post/85907/ Scale model conversion - "213"]
* [http://live.warthunder.com/post/64394/ Girls und Panzer "Pravda school"]

==References==
<references />

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR heavy tanks}}

T-34-57

2019-08-27T16:18:27Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_34_1941_57}}
{{About
| about = Soviet medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = T-34 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-34-57.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The 57mm ZiS-4 gun can prove to be formidable at its battle rating, providing a noticeable improvement in penetration power, better aerodynamics and faster fire rate than the 76mm calibre T-34's of the similar Battle Rating, with a slight sacrifice in post-penetration damage and a higher chance of ricochet on angled surfaces compared to guns of higher calibre. The tank's armaments make fighting at long and short range a boon.

Operational and visual characteristics of the T-34-57 are as similar and as common to previous 76mm-armed T-34 lineage of tanks as they come, with the exception of a gun of smaller calibre and higher penetration power. Players experienced in operating previous models of the T-34 in Rank II should have little to no difficulty in adjusting to this vehicle. Due to the similarities, however, the tank inevitably inherits both its predecessors' strengths and weaknesses. It is to be noted that armour is ineffective against the occasional Rank III guns; usage of speed and agility to move quickly, to avoid enemy fire and moving cover-to-cover will prove advantageous.

The T-34-57 works very well with other allied tanks (British and American) that it is often paired with in RB and SB. It retains high mobility and an effective main gun, allowing it to quickly reach capture points or tactical firing positions, usually following [[M18 GMC|M18]]s and other T-34 tanks, which are often first at the scene.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (53°) ''Lower glacis'' 100 mm (0-38°) ''Joint plate'' 45 mm (61°) ''Driver's hatch'' 45 mm (0-32°) ''Machine gun port''|| 40 mm (40°) ''Top'' 45 mm ''Bottom'' || 40 mm (47-49°) ''Top'' 40 mm (46°) ''Bottom'' || 16 mm
|-
| Turret || 45 mm (3-67°) ''Turret front'' 45 mm (2-58°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45 mm (28-35°) || 45 mm (30-31°) || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 28.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 54 (AB)
|-
|49 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|27.38
|33.71
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|15.62
|17.67
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|ZiS-4 (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ZiS-4 (57 mm)|57 mm ZiS-4]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 77 || -5°/+28° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.9 || 20.6 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.9 || 17.5 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || 5.75 || 5.30 || 5.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-271 || APHEBC ||145||143||132||119||108||98
|-
| O-271 || HE || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5
|-
| BR-271K || APHE ||145||143||132||119||108||98
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-271 || APHEBC || 990 || 3.1 || 1.2 || 15 || 23.8 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-271 || HE || 700 || 3.7 || 0.4 || 0.01 || 220 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-271K || APHE || 990 || 3.1 || 0.6 || 20 || 30.6 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''77''' || 75 ''(+2)'' || 72 ''(+5)'' || 69 ''(+8)'' || 1 ''(+76)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 69 (+8)

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The T-34-57 can be played in a variety of roles. The gun is very accurate and has high penetration, making it a great sniper. The tank is fast and manoeuvrable, making it a good flanker. It can also brawl due to its fast turret rotation and great reload speed. However, don't expect to take many hits. At this tier, the T-34's armour will not stand up to enemy guns, even when angled. The best thing to do is keep to the flanks or just behind the battle line and take out enemy tanks at the range and from cover.

In lower tier battles, the T-34 will be in its element, picking off common foes like Pz. IVs and Shermans with ease at long range. The 57mm gun performs very well at long range against these tanks, so don't be afraid to hold back. However, you are just as effective pushing towards capture points. At lower tiers your armour is still quite effective, so angling can make you very difficult to penetrate. Just be aware that your turret armour is quite weak.

In higher tiers (up to 5.3), you will be less effective. There are many tanks that you will not be able to penetrate from the front. The Sherman Jumbo and Churchill Mk VII are notable opponents. Their armour is very thick at the front bar some small weak spots (machine gun ports). Luckily you will be working with tanks like the T-34-85, SU-85 and even the IS-1, which can destroy the Jumbo under 500m. Leave the front line combat to them. You can flank and hit your enemies from the side. It is the only way for you to be fully effective. At the top tier, the 57mm will have gone from being a highly effective precision weapon to a relatively hit and miss weapon. Some targets you can penetrate, others you will need to retreat from.

Pretty much any tank can be penetrated by the 57mm gun at this tier, but there are a few enemies worth noting.

[[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 Jumbo]] - This tank is the bane of everybody's life at this BR. It's turret in almost impossible to penetrate without APCR (which the T-34-57 does not have), its hull is VERY bouncy, and its gun can easily penetrate your armour. Avoid approaching from the front and flank if possible. If you find yourself backed into a corner, you can try and aim for the machine gun port in the hull. The explosive power of the 57mm isn't great, but penetrating this point means that you can at least cripple the jumbo and make your escape.

Panzer IV variants with KwK 40 L/43/48 75mm gun - These tanks are common at this tier and they can easily take you out with their powerful 75mm guns. However, they are easy to take out if you get the jump on them. Your high penetration 57mm gun can slice through their armour at long range.

[[8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.]]- The flak truck can destroy you at seriously long range, whilst its thin armour makes it very hard to effectively damage. Your rounds may simply pass straight through and not cause any damage. The best way to take one out is by aiming for the large ammo box at the back of the vehicle, which will explode when hit.

Other T-34 tanks (except 1940 variant) - Many of the T-34 variants ([[T-34 (1941)|1941]], [[T-34 (1942)|1942]], [[T-34E STZ|T-34E STZ]], etc.), including the T-34-57, can comfortably penetrate each others' armour at reasonable distances. Unless you are playing SB, you are likely to come up against other T-34 variants. Since you play this tank, it's easier to know your strengths and weaknesses. Make sure the hostile T-34 is not looking your way, then fire into the main hull or the turret to knock out the crew or blow up an ammo rack. Retreat to a safe distance before re-engaging. If direct confrontation is inevitable, angle your hull and fire into the front of the hostile tank to at least disable them and give you time to re-position, finish destroying the enemy, or escape.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* The gun has good penetration and rate of fire
* Very accurate gun with almost no recoil, making it easy for follow up shots
* It's fast and nimble, like all the T-34 series
* Can be played as a sniper given one has excellent aim
* Very fast reload rate
* The turret isn't the one mounted on the [[T-34 (1942)]], so it offers a smaller silhouette
* It's high penetration APHE ammunition is effective against all Rank II-III Heavies in close range
* All side armour (at this rank) is penetrable, and 1 or two-shotting them is very common if used correctly

'''Cons:'''

* The weak spot on the driver's hatch is problematic
* Still uses the 1940 hull, and the armour is inadequate for its rank
* Only 4 crew members, so the tank isn't very tanky
* The 57mm gun rarely one-shots enemies
* Can face superior tanks in up-tiers, such as the [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 Jumbo]]

== History ==

===Development===
As far back as the summer of 1940, an attempt to improve the anti-tank gun inventory in Soviet service was undertaken. This was due to only having massive stocks of underpowered 45 mm anti-tank cannons available, which were becoming obsolete with the newer armour being used by the Soviet Union's adversaries. When the request for an improved anti-tank cannon was sent out, a design bureau headed by V. G. Grabin was already underway under the name ''57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun''. The 57 mm was a very powerful anti-tank weapon due to its high penetration value with the high-velocity shells. The APCBC round available under the name BR-271 was able to penetrate 93 mm of armour when fired 100 meters away at a meet angle of 60 degrees. The first of the prototypes were created in the September of 1940, and it as later approved for production on June 1, 1941. However, this was stopped on December 1 due to beliefs that the high-velocity 57 mm shells would simply penetrate straight through tanks without causing damage or that it was a high-cost weapon. The production lines were then switched to produce the 76.2 mm ZiS-3 guns.

It was during its production life before being cancelled that the 57 mm gun was attached to a T-34 as a main armament in April 1941. However, the trials on this armament showed a lack of accuracy and short barrel life. Then in July, an improved variant of the 57 mm called the ''ZiS-4'' was installed onto the T-34 and tested again. This variant turned out to be successful and the gun was recommended for installation on certain T-34 units, despite the high cost of the ZiS-4. The T-34 with the 57 mm was redesignated the '''T-34-57''' and had the purpose of being "tank-hunters" due to the higher penetration value of the 57 mm compared to the default T-34 76.2 mm armament. The 57 mm ZiS-4 gun was produced at the Artillery Factory #92 and were mounted on various T-34s. However, the stop of all 57 mm production on December 1941 also stopped the 57 mm ZiS-4 production, thus halting the T-34-57 production with only 133 ZiS-4 guns made in the production life.

===Revitalization===
The 57 mm guns were revived in 1943 due to urgent needs for much better guns against the newer German tanks. The current 76.2 mm F-34 gun on the normal [[T-34 (1942)|T-34s]] were unable to defeat the newer German [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] and [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks. In a desperate attempt to upgrade the T-34 to compete against these tanks, the 57 mm was reinstated for production and began being issued in May 1943, these models being the '''[[T-34-57 (1943)|T-34-57 mod. 1943]]''' due to the upgraded armament. The ZiS-4 was upgraded to the ZiS-4M with simplified parts and standardization in parts from current existing artillery pieces such as the F-34 and the ZiS-2. These T-34-57s saw further action against the Axis until they were retired. In total, about less than 324 T-34-57s were made during its production life in 1941 and 1943.

===Combat usage===
The T-34-57 made in 1941 saw action during the Battle of Moscow in small quantities. The 21st Tank Brigade has 10 of such tanks in their units and were deployed on October 14. Though the brigade was able to cause massive damage to the German lines around Kalinin but ended with all of the T-34-57 destroyed by November 25. Other units using the T-34-57 were the 8th Tank Brigade on October 19. Afterwards came the deactivation of the 57 mm from the production line at the end of 1941, but the T-34-57s were revitalized again in 1943 to counter the newer German tanks. These tanks were used as "tank-hunters" and formed "Special Tank Company 100" with three T-34-57 in its first platoon to deal with German tanks. Despite their role, the company would only meet German tanks once in its life, and the first platoon was never used. Thus, the T-34-57 was never really able to prove their efficiency against active German tanks, though the unit would praise the gun's performance in practices against pillboxes, bunkers, and knocked out German tanks. All the T-34-57s were disbanded with the retirement of the 57 mm as a tank gun. This was due to its small HE shell available that made it an inadequate tank armament against softer targets, and also the introduction of the much bigger and better 85 mm tank gun on the newer [[T-34-85 (D-5T)|T-34-85]].

=== In-game description ===
Work on the tank began in the summer of 1940 with a view to upgrading its armament. At that time, the new 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun was put into operation. In April 1941, the weapon was installed on the tank and tested on a ballistic range. The tests were unsuccessful and the cannon required significant modifications, which were performed on a tight schedule. In July of the same year, the improved weapon was installed on the tank again. This time, the results were much better - the improved ZiS-4 version, designed specifically for tanks, could now destroy targets at a sighting distance of up to 2,000 metres. At maximum distance, the weapon penetrated 73-82 mm thick armour, and at minimum distance, 83-98 mm thick armour. After these successful tests, the anti-tank gun was put into service under the designation ZiS-4.

The tanks, designated T-34-57, were intended to go into production in the summer of 1941, but this deadline was pushed back by several months due to the beginning of the war. By the end of 1941, the No. 183 and STZ factories produced 42 of these tanks in total, 20 and 22 respectively. Production of the tanks was stopped due to the sufficient power of the F-34 cannon. The ZiS-2 and ZiS-4 cannons were taken out of production since their power was considered excessive for 1941. In summer-autumn, messages came from the front saying that the shell had penetrated straight through German tanks on multiple occasions, causing them no significant harm.

T-34-57 tanks served in separate tank brigades. The tanks took part in the Battle of Moscow in the 21st Tank Brigade. On the whole, the vehicles performed well with the new cannon, but by 25 November 1941, all of them had been lost.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3236/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> T-34 57]

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

SMK

2019-08-27T16:16:34Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Moved the ammunition tables of the main and secondary armaments to the correct locations. Removed Smoke characteristic table as SMK doesn't have smoke shells or smoke grenades. Updated shell names and penetration.

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_smk}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]]. The SMK was named after Sergei Mironovich Kirov, an early Communist Party official who was assassinated in 1934. A twin-turret heavy tank, the SMK provides an interesting play style to its users. Only one prototype was built before the project was dropped.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret fronts)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (30°) ''Front plate'' 75 mm (76°) ''Front glacis'' 75 mm (48-74°)|| 60 mm || 55 mm (26-71°) ''Top'' 55 mm (9-63°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 60 mm (4-70°) ''Turret front'' 60 mm (3-56°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 60 mm (14-17°) || 60 mm (15-16°) || 30 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret || 60 mm (11-47°) ''Turret front'' 60 mm (4-59°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 60 mm (9-16°) || 60 mm (15°) || 30 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 60 mm || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Column elevating main turret is 60 mm thick with a range of 12-18° of slope.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 55.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 38 (AB)
|-
|35 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,097
|1,351
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|752
|850
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|19.94
|24.56
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|13.67
|15.45
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|L-11 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[L-11 (76 mm)|76 mm L-11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 113 || -7°/+35° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 8.9 || 12.4 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.9 || 10.5 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 8.1 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
|BR-350A||APHEBC||78||76||69||61||53||47
|-
|OF-350M||HE||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
|Sh-354T||Shrapnel
|37||35||29||25||20||17
|-
|BR-350SP||APBC||93||91||83||74||66||58
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
|BR-350A||APHEBC||615||6.3||0.15||10.0||150|| +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|OF-350M||HE||615||6.2||0.05||0.1||621|| +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|Sh-354T||Shrapnel
|615||6.2||0.5||8.0||85|| +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|BR-350SP||APBC||615||6.78|| N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_SMK.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] for the SMK.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" width="10%" |Recommendations
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''113''' || 108 ''(+5)''|| 102 ''(+11)''|| 90 ''(+23)'' || 78 ''(+35)'' || 1 ''(+112)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 102 (+11)

=== Additional armament ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Front turret mount''
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 300 || -7°/+25° || ±135° || N/A
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 8.9 || 12.4 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.9 || 10.5 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert Qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace Qualif.
|
|-
| 3.8 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| O-243 || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|BR-240SP
|AP
|73
|71
|62
|52
|44
|37
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 103 || 94 || 64 || 40 || 21 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|O-243
|HE
|343
|2.2
|0.4
|0.3
|118
| +0°
|79°
|80°
|81°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 985 || 0.85 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''300''' || 1 ''(+299)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DK (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DK]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Turret rear mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 600 (50) || 600 || -10°/+1° || ±15°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


Confidently stand against most enemy tanks especially if they are without support, use caution against engaging multiple targets from a distance however as a track hit will end any day on the battlefield, the SMK packs its biggest punch up close and cannot expect to survive against sniping units if caught in the open. Keep the tank moving as much as possible and slightly angled facing enemies directly. When engaging heavies it's best to not go toe to toe head on however by disabling a track or turret the SMK can hold itself up in close proximity to most heavy enemy tanks. HE and shrapnel shells are not this tanks forte, rather its APHE rounds usually due to the trick against most enemy units.

Attack and break enemy lines, The SMK is very much a tank worthy of entitling "Not one step back"! A fast load rate and dual turret firing system allow this tank multiple scores even when surrounded or disabled, and the sizeable crew enables quick repair, which is great as its size makes the SMK a juicy target that is more than capable of withstanding incredible amounts of damage. Great at providing weaker units cover and protection from enemy fire, the one-two punch of its cannons reward players that love using more aggressive playing styles.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Two turrets, two guns. A punchy 45 mm and a slow, but steady 76 mm
* Good thick armour
* Outstanding Mobility for a heavy tank (15 hp/t)
* Can defend itself even when one gunner is injured thanks to the two turrets
* Very difficult to destroy in one hit
* Having one of the gunner crews knocked out will not render the SMK ineffective due to the presence of the second gun

'''Cons:'''

* Gigantic size, very easy target
* The additional turret won't really help when being circled
* Huge, flat armour on the sides
* Somewhat unique playstyle which may need practice
* Comes up against Panzer IVs with the long barrel 75mm gun, which will easily penetrate the armour
* Big ammo rack in the second turret (cannot be removed)
* Bad reverse gear

== History ==

===Development===
The development of the '''SMK''' began after the [[T-35]] heavy tank flaws came to light. The T-35 was unreliable and expensive, so the project was made to replace it. The project was headed by former OKMO designer N. Barykov and started in 1937 at the Bolshevik Plant with a specification that the tank could withstand 45 mm hits from point-blank ranges and 75 mm artillery at 1,200 meters. The design drawn up in 1938 was still a multi-turret design like the T-35, but the number of turrets was reduced to just two and a wide-track torsion-bar suspension was utilized instead of a spring suspension. The SMK was also redesigned to two different prototypes, the one with two turrets and the other with a single turret installed instead. These two designs were approved by Stalin and the single turret one was named after then Soviet Defense Commissar Kliment Voroshilov as the KV, the forerunner for the [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1 heavy tanks]].

The SMK design weighed 55 tons and had two turrets mounted with one in front of the other, with the one in the mid-hull area as the main turret and the one in front as the secondary turret. The main turret was mounted higher than the secondary and had the 76.2 mm L-11 gun mounted while the smaller one had a 45 mm 20-K gun mounted. The design was powered by a GAM-34BT engine that produces 850 hp for the vehicle. The tank suspension was a torsion-bar suspension for improved smoothness over other suspension designs. Armour on the front hull was 75 mm thick in the front and 60 mm on the sides.

===Testing===
As part of the heavy tank evaluations, the designs submitted for the project were to be battle-tested. The SMK, two KV-1, and two T-100 prototypes were sent to Finland during the Winter War and took part in the Battle of Summa. These vehicles formed the 91st Tank Battalion in the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade. The SMK, however, was immobilized by a Finnish anti-tank mine during combat and because of its heavy 55-ton weight, an attempt at recovering the vehicle failed and had to be left behind for two months before Soviet forces could break the Finnish defences to secure it. Before being recovered, the Finnish were able to document and photograph the SMK thoroughly. When German intelligence discovered the SMK, it was designated the ''T-35C'', which caused the misunderstanding that the T-35 also took part in the Winter War when it did not.

The failure of the SMK in the Winter War in contrast to the success of the KV-1 prototypes caused the KV-1 design to be accepted into service on December 19, 1939, as the Soviet's main heavy tank. The SMK thus never reached pass the development stage and was left with only one prototype produced.

=== In-game description ===
The SMK heavy tank was designed and built at the Kirov Factory in Leningrad. In January, 1939 work began on building the tank itself, and the SMK’s first test trip around the factory courtyard took place on April 30, 1939. After getting broken in at the factory, the tank was sent to testing grounds, where it underwent testing beginning on the night of July 31 and ending on August 1. Only one model was ever built. It was used in the Finnish War.

== Media ==

[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23smk '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the ''SMK'' from live.warthunder.com.]

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

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

== External links ==


* [http://russian-tanks.com/heavy-soviet-tank-smk.php [Russian Tanks<nowiki>]</nowiki> HEAVY SOVIET TANK SMK]

{{USSR heavy tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

ZUT-37

2019-08-27T15:30:47Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_zut_37}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

The {{PAGENAME}} is basically a T-70 with a weak turret and a 37 mm auto-cannon.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 35 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (32-79°) ''Lower glacis'' 35 mm (54-70°) ''Driver's hatch'' || 15 mm (0-1°) || 10 mm (71°) ''Top'' 25 mm (41°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 16 mm (22-53°) ''Turret front'' 16 mm (26-83°) ''Gun mantlet ''|| 16 mm (20-21°) || 16 mm (1-8°) || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

=== Mobility ===


The mobility of the {{PAGENAME}} is quite well with a top speed of 46 km/h and reverse speed of -6 km/h.

It has very good turning while on the move and fairly good turn rate when at a stop. Its acceleration is pretty good in comparison to some of the Rank II vehicles. 

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 7.9 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 46 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|241
|297
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|150
|170
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|30.50
|37.59
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|18.99
|21.52
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Sh-37 (37 mm)}}

The {{PAGENAME}}'s only armament is the 37 mm auto-cannon which has an average reload time of around 6.5 seconds, however, this will depend greatly on the skill level of the tank crew.

It's extremely difficult to hit aircraft with this gun, especially since the magazine only holds five rounds and has a long reload time, but if the shells connect with an aircraft, it will do major amounts of damage if not knock it out of the sky.

It is best used at medium-long range and firing your 5 rounds slower than it can allow you so you can re-aim back on target. Otherwise, if you are in close range (less than 50 m), just fire off the whole magazine and run, looking for cover while waiting for the gun to reload. Remaining out in the open while reloading puts a large bulls-eye on the tank for anyone to attack.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Sh-37 (37 mm)|37 mm Sh-37]]
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="2" | 200 (5) || 260 || -3°/+77° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.5 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.5 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

=== Ammunition ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| OFZ || HEFI-T* ||3||3||3||3||3||3
|-
| BT || AP-T ||71||68||57||46||37||30
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| OFZ || HEFI-T* || 900 || 0.74 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 34 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BT || AP-T || 880 || 0.76 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===Belt types===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Belts''' || '''Shell composition''' || '''Combat usage'''
|-
| align="left" |'''''Default ''''' || align="left" | [[:Category:Ammunition#Kinetic_energy_shells|AP-T]], [[:Category:Ammunition#Cannon_shells|HEFI-T]] (Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer – High Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell || align="left" | 50% of this belt are useless against tanks or planes. However against other SPAA this belt can reliably take out crew, armament, ammo and engine. Having one belt in reserve does not hurt.
|-
| align="left" |'''''HEFI-T''''' || align="left" | [[:Category:Ammunition#Cannon_shells|HEFI-T]] (High Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell || align="left" | Versus planes and open combat compartment vehicles. Aircraft will usually take three to six hits. Heavy armoured attack aircraft and bombers may require more though.
|-
| align="left" |'''''AP-T''''' || align="left" | [[:Category:Ammunition#Kinetic_energy_shells|AP-T]] (Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer) shell || align="left" | So-so, will work on the lighter armoured ground forces and can be used against aircraft in desperation.
|}

=== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] ===
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|x250px|right|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] for the {{PAGENAME}}.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''40''' || 21 ''(+19)'' || 1 ''(+39)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The ZUT-37 can be used in multiple roles, as a tank and as an AA battery. Its weapon has enough penetration for its BR to be used in light tank roles. It has very few rounds in each magazine, but if it hits it causes devastating damage to the plane.

One thing to take account when using the ZUT-57 is handling. The T-70 chassis is already somewhat unstable to drive, and this modification is not an improvement. It takes a considerable time for the suspension to settle from any substantial braking, leaving the vehicle unable to shoot accurately for some seconds. Is no use for shooting on the move because of this.

This vehicle also proves to be very helpful in SB or RB as a scout tank. The very good speed and acceleration allow you to quickly rush a contested point, or to quickly spot enemies once the round starts. Make sure to use the low profile to spot targets while moving through trenches or simply spotting over a small hill.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Quick and small allowing it to ambush other vehicles
* Has a quick firing magazine
* When it hits a plane it easily rips it to shreds
* Can take a tank apart in a few seconds if used properly

'''Cons:'''

* Fairly weak armour
* Two crew members, a well-aimed shot can take out both
* Longish reload making the vehicle vulnerable for around 6-7 seconds
* Not very good at short range attacks because it doesn't have much armour and can be outflanked with its slow turret rotation speed
* Cannot hit planes very well because of its slow turret rotation speed
* Can easily be destroyed if hit directly with artillery
* Prone to hull-break
* Open fighting compartment can allow for aerial attacks to knock out enemies

== History ==

In the Summer of 1942, the design bureau at Plant No.37 attempted to create an anti-aircraft tank. N.A. Popov had the tank design based on the light tank [[T-70]] and was supposed to mount a 37 mm gun Sh-37 gun autocannon originally developed for the IL-2 plane. constructed by Boris G. Shpitalny. The muzzle velocity of the gun was 1000 m/s with 200 rounds stored inside the tank, and the gun can fire at a rate of 170 - 185 rpm.

The ZUT-37 was capable of firing both at air and ground targets due to the equipping of a telescopic sight and red dot sighting on the tank. The gun traversed on two special racks. The vehicle was not put into production because of the unfavourable arrangement of the crew compartment and was shelved.

=== In-game description ===
The ZUT-37 anti-air tank was an enhanced version of the project by B. Shpitalny that was built in June, 1942 on the chassis of the T-70. The enhanced model underwent testing in December 1942 – January 1943. In general it passed the tests. Among the conclusions drawn from the results of the tests was the possibility of building an experimental batch of ZUT-37s once certain observations regarding the Sh-37 cannon had been rectified. However, this project was abandoned.

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/627 [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> ZUT-37]

{{USSR anti-aircraft vehicles}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

T-34 (Prototype)

2019-08-27T15:29:29Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_34_1940_l_11}}
{{About
| about = Soviet medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = T-34 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-34 (Prototype).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was available only for [[wt:en/news/356/current/|pre-order]] during the Closed Beta Test of Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]], then discontinued after the update's release. 500 units were also for sale during the [[wt:en/news/5079-special-hurry-up-and-get-rare-packs-en|5th Anniversary event]], which sold out within 12 hours.

The prototype of the T-34, known as the A-34, was the end result of almost five years of development that would eventually become the mass produced [[T-34_(1940)|T-34]]. The T-34 prototype plays like any other T-34, with its high top speed, an adequate 76 mm L-11 gun, and heavily sloped 45 mm armour. These traits make the T-34 prototype a great vehicle for flanking vehicle and as a brawler. While there are vulnerable points on the front that could be penetrated by its contemporaries and lower, a quick and aggressive fighting style could reduce the amount of time the enemy has to aim for these spots to disable the T-34 prototype.

The T-34 prototype presents some similarities and differences from its successor, the T-34 (1940). The front hull are identical, including the rather flat step for the driver right above his hatch's periscope. This spot only has a slope of 22° that gives only 48 mm effective armour. There are also two headlights in the front hull on both sides. Another significant detail on the hull is on the left hull on top of the track fender, which has a large rolled up canvas that is absent on the T-34 1940. Turret shape between the two tanks are about identical, with the exception of an extra light on top of the gun and a protruding antenna from the turret top's antenna mount.

Otherwise, the T-34 prototype follows the trend of a heavily sloped hull on all sides with 45 mm on the front and 40 on all other sides. The T-34 prototype shares the same gun, same weight, and same armour as the T-34 mod. 1940 counterpart. However, the prototype has a higher engine power compared to the mass-produced T-34/76 with 954 (AB)/500 (RB, SB) hp. This allows the prototype to gain speed and retain a higher max speed.

Several noticeable weak points on the T-34 prototype are the turret cheeks, which on the vertex areas are only 45.1 mm thick, allowing even 37 mm guns to penetrate from a reasonable range. Two weak points on the front hull are the step above the driver's hatch and the machine gun port, both of which have points of minimum sloping that degrades the full slope capability of the front hull. More precise shooters can also aim for the turret ring, which is only sloped enough to provide ~60 mm effective armour from all direction.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (0-53°) ''Lower glacis'' 45 mm (22-60°) ''Driver's hatch'' 45 mm (0-77°) ''Machine gun port'' || 40 mm (40°) ''Top'' 45 mm ''Bottom'' || 40 mm (10-47°) ''Top'' 40 mm (21-45°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 45 mm (8-80°) ''Turret front'' 45 + 20 mm (13-78°) || 45 mm (29-31°) 45 mm (1-73°) ''Vision ports'' || 45 mm (30-31°) 45 mm (25-32°) ''Turret ring'' || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Hull roof has hatches on the rear engine deck that adds 10 mm.
* Belly armour is 13 mm thick.
* Hull underside over tracks is 13 mm thick.

Given that the T-34 prototype nowadays is a rare tank, it is an unlikely opponent to be found on the current War Thunder battlefield. In the case it is found, defeat it in the same manner as any other T-34 tanks. The T-34 prototype has a higher power rating compared to other T-34/76 tanks so the T-34 prototype may move faster than the usual, which would affect the correct lead in aiming at a moving target. Though getting to the side may seem like an easy maneuver, the sloped side hull gives the T-34 a good chance to bounce shots. To counter this, aim for the flat hull sides near the suspension wheel areas (careful not to hit the track or wheels), or just hit the turret sides to knock out the the loader or gunner, both of which would deteriorate the T-34 prototype's combat performance.

The T-34 prototype can encounter Germany's longer [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 40]] gun on the [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV F2]], the Japanese 75 mm Type 3 gun on the Chi-Nu, and the American [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm]] on the M4 Shermans to be able to reliably penetrate its front weak points. Tanks with weaker guns could also aim for the weak points on the turret cheeks, driver step near the hatch, machine gun port, turret ring, and the lower side hull for a penetration.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 25.6 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 60 (AB)
|-
|54 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|30.27
|37.26
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|17.26
|19.53
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|L-11 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[L-11 (76 mm)|76 mm L-11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 77 || -5°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.9 || 20.6 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.9 || 17.5 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.3 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||78||76||69||61||53||47
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||93||91||83||74||66||58
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 615 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 615 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 615 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 615 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-34_(1940).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of T-34 1940 (identical as T-34 (Prototype)).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" width="10%" |Recommendations
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''77''' || 75 ''(+2)'' || 72 ''(+5)'' || 69 ''(+8)'' || 1 ''(+76)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}
Turret empty: 69 ''(+8)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The T-34 prototype, due to its weaker 76 mm L-11 gun, does better in closer encounters against thinner armour than long-range. This type of conflict encourages flanking maneuvers and brawling tactics.

:'''Flanking:''' 

The T-34 prototype's higher speed makes the vehicle more favourable for getting around the enemy's sides. This, combined with the BR-250A APHEBC round, can have the T-34 prototype land an exploding round right into the side hull of an enemy tank, hopefully destroying them instantly. This tactic works favourably in larger maps such as Carpathians and Eastern Europe to get around the enemy from a distance and close in on a term in favour of the T-34's. Though, the T-34 would risk running into enemies with more capable long-range fighting skills like the high-velocity [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 40]] gun that can end the T-34's run easily.

In CQB settings like ''Advance To The Rhine'' or ''Berlin'', the T-34 can exploit its speed to get around the city landscape and get to critical points before the enemy could. Though some light tanks could beat the T-34 prototype to these locations, those vehicles could be easily dealt with if engaged first. Be proactive in annihilating the enemy and playing the objective, both of which could be done by controlling a zone of access from the flank position to destroy all enemies crossing the gun sights.

:'''Brawling''' 

The T-34's large sloped armour on the turret and hull, barring the weak points, make quick reacting situations in close-quarters brawling favourable for the T-34. In a surprise engagement with an unsuspecting enemy, a careless shot from them will most likely bounce off the large surface area of the front hull or the top and bottom side of the turret cheeks. If the enemy fired before the T-34 did, it now has all the time to line a perfect shot for the 76 mm. However, the 76 mm gun in close range also a good ~70 mm penetration, quite capable to most enemies at its BR except against heavy tanks like the KV-1.

The downside with this tactic is the relatively longer reload time on the T-34 of ~8 seconds. When encountering enemies with high ROF guns, even the 50 mm guns on the Panzer III can penetrate the weak points and deal a mortal blow to the T-34. Thus, it is important to make sure the T-34 is always fully reloaded and that the first penetrating hit cripples the enemy tanks. It is also important to try and deal with individual enemies instead of multiples as the T-34 prototype is poor in dealing with multiple enemies trying to flank and hit weak points.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great sloping front hull armour
* Turret gun mantlet bounces shots frequently
* Sloped side armour top also bounces shots
* 76 mm APHEBC devastating when penetrating
* Strong engine and high top speed for excellent mobility
* Versatile fighting style due to great all-around capabilities
* Handling is superb, especially so with a trained driver
* Reverse speed quite quick for a withdrawal

'''Cons:'''

* Only subpar penetration for the calibre, can lead to the inability to destroy enemy heavy tanks
* Relatively long reload for the usual >75 mm calibre
* Lots of frontal weak points able to be penetrated by even 37 mm calibre, most noticeable are the turret cheeks
* 13 mm belly armour vulnerable to most high-calibre HE shells
* Poor gun depression of -5°
* Loss of crew members hamper tank's combat efficiency drastically
* Large centre ammo rack always filled, right between two fuel tanks
* Cramped crew next to fuel and ammo, detonating APHE shells would often destroy the entire vehicle

== History ==

===Development===
By 1939, the most numerous tank models in the Red Army were the [[T-26|T-26]] and the [[BT-7|BT-series]] light tanks. Though adequate on the days they were introduced, they are now outdated by this time due to the changing technology in anti-tank warfare. Back in 1937, a new tank project was already taking place under engineer Mikhail Koshkin, who was assigned to lead a design team at the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ) for a replacement for the BT light tanks as a new "cavalry tank" to engage in manoeuvre warfare. The first prototype was designated the ''A-20'' with 20 mm of armour, a 45 mm gun, and a diesel engine in a V-12 configuration. The Christie suspension is taken from the BT, even the conversion to drive track-less on roads. But gradually, the new track designs available made this conversion redundant and was excluded in further models. The A-20 also showed the effective research done into sloping armour on previous prototype designs, utilizing an all-around sloping armour on the design.

It was during this design process that the Russo-Japanese border wars took place and showed the deficiency of the T-26 and BT models. Koshkin then appealed for the initiation of a much better tank concept, the "universal tank" to completely replace the T-26 and BT tanks. The second prototype was the ''A-32'' and has an increased 32 mm of frontal armour with a 76.2 mm L-10 gun. The heavier prototype was still just as mobile as the A-20, and further development into the design increased the frontal armour thickness to 45 mm thick and a newer 76.2 mm L-11 gun attached instead. This prototype model presented, called the '''A-34''', was approved for production and designated the '''[[T-34 (1940)|T-34]]''' after the year 1934, when Koshkin believed was when he formulated the idea for the T-34. Koshkin, however, never saw his tanks in action as he succumbed to pneumonia in September 1940 after trials with the T-34 in the cold winter. Thus, the drivetrain developer Alexander Morozov was appointed as the next Chief Designer. The T-34 tank would go on to become the most produced World War II tank, with 84,000 tanks produced in the production span between 1940 to 1958.

===Design===
The T-34 took all of the Soviet's experiences with tanks and incorporated into the design. The tank had great sloping armour, a powerful engine, wide tracks, and a large gun. At its introduction, the armour of the T-34 was one of the best in the world, by sloping the 45 mm thick armour plate by 60 degrees, the effective thickness was now 90 mm thick. The armour was welded into place instead of riveted as rivets tend to "spall" and cause damage inside the tank even if the armour was not penetrated. The 76.2 mm gun was a major advantage compared to those on its adversaries, as it could be used as a multi-purpose weapon against infantry and tanks, unlike the Germans who had tanks split for two different roles such as the [[Pz.III E|Panzer III for anti-tank]] and the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV for infantry support]]. The engine, a Model V-2-34 V12 diesel engine, was adequately powerful for the Christie suspension tank design and allowed the T-34 to reach a maximum of 53 km/h (33 mph). The powerful engine, added with the wide tracks that gave it lower ground pressure, allowed the T-34 to travel across cross-country terrain with relative freedom without risk of bogging down.

However, the T-34 is not without its fault and its quality is very questionable in some cases. Two [[T-34 (1941)]] models were sent to the United States in late 1942 for evaluations. The evaluations found the armour quality to be rather insufficient, with improper welding in places that can allow leaks and improper alloys that made armour weaker in some places than others, the T-34 cast turret was even found to use softer armour than the hull that render it vulnerable to even 37 mm shells. The gun sights for the 76.2 mm cannon was also quite poor in comparison to the Axis and other Allies. The tank reliability was also troubled by various mechanical issues, especially in the earlier models. Low-quality air filters and insufficient airflow could impede the engine capabilities and the turret drive had poor reliability that could easily jam up. The vision devices were also poor, the crew are unable to see outside the tank with enough situational awareness, even the tank commander couldn't see well out of the tank. Also, the lack of radios on the first few years of T-34s forced the tank commanders to communicate via flags, with only company commanders tanks fitted with the radios. Ergonomics inside the tanks was unsatisfactory and was very cramped inside, with no turret basket the loader has to struggle when the turret rotates and accessing ammunition on the floor boxes makes it a hard and dangerous job for the loader. The commander's hatch on the turret was also one-piece, making even a "heads-up" view for the commander impossible on these large one-piece hatches. Finally, the two-person turret suffered from not only a very cramped compartment but an overworked commander who has to act as a gunner as well.

===T-34 Prototype===
The prototype of the T-34 was designated the '''A-34''' and was the pre-production model. One notable feature on this tank was a complex single-piece front hull, without the swinging hatch available for the driver to use.

=== In-game description ===
The A-34 was based on the experimental A-32 medium tank and was put into service in December 1939. This vehicle's design represented a massive leap in Soviet and world tank development. It was the first vehicle to harmoniously combine cannon proof armour, high-powered weapons and a reliable undercarriage. Its cannon proof qualities were provided by very thick rolled armour plates set at a slope. The tank was armed with a 76.2 mm L-11 cannon and two DT machine guns. A powerful 500 hp B-2-34 diesel tank engine and wide 550 mm tracks provided the vehicle with high mobility. The first T-34s produced in 1940 were notable for the very high quality manufacturing of their armour.

The T-34 had a classic layout. The tank's crew consisted of four men - the driver and gunner/radio officer in the driver's compartment, and the loader and commander (also fulfilling the role of gunner) in the two-man turret. The hull and turret were welded from homogenous rolled armour plates set at a slope.

Factory No. 183 in Kharkov produced these tanks. In the spring of 1940, around 100 A-34 tanks were produced.

Tests of the vehicle in its first tactical deployment exposed a range of flaws, such as crowding in the fighting compartment, the limited field of view from the tank, the lack of a radio connection, the low rate of fire and low technical reliability of the new diesel engines.

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_a32_t32.php [Tanks-Encyclopedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> T-34 Prototypes: A-20 & A-32]

{{USSR medium tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

T-34 (1st Gv.T.Br.)

2019-08-27T15:27:46Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_34_1941_cast_turret}}
{{About
| about = Soviet medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = T-34 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage {{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.41]]. This is a premium version of the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34 1941]] with a cast turret instead of an rolled homogeneous armour.

With its 17hp/ton power ratio and a top speed of 49km/h, it is faster and more mobile than other nations' counterparts (Shermans and PzIV's). The tank's transmission is in the back which is also an advantage as you won't get stuck or turned to the side on sharp terrain changes. Use your speed to get to a good advantage point at the start of every battle. The tank can reach 30km/h easily on flat ground in about 4-5 sec and reaching 45-49km/h in the next 4-5 sec while not turning. Bear in mind that every slight change of direction will cost you a few km/h - something to think about when relocating under enemy fire. For fast turning in place, it is best to go forward for a second or two, releasing the throttle and steering the tank left or right. This can save you precious seconds when responding to threats on your sides. It is also worth mentioning that turret rotation speed is 17,6°/s. This combined with hull mobility gives you very fast response time when being flanked or when performing a "carousel" manoeuvre.

This tank's armour is good, it is sloped all around, but don't expect miracles when fighting enemies with high-velocity guns such as StuGIII F or PzIV F2. It can bounce most low-velocity AP shells but remember those guns also use HEAT ammo which can penetrate it easily. Hull plates are 40-45mm thick with driver's hatch being 60mm. Turret armour is 45mm all around with gun mantle being the same. For more detailed armour layout see the table and pictures below. The frontal hull plate's effective thickness is around 75mm straight on, with it increasing as you angle the tank. With a standard 30° diamond formation you can get it up to 85-100mm effective thickness. Be careful not to angle too much as your sides become prone to penetration.

Now we're down to the business end of the T-34 1941 (1st Gv.T.Br.), the gun. The F-34 76mm main gun is capable of handling most of the tanks you encounter in 1-3 shots, depending on your knowledge of opponents crew/modules layout. Reload time starts with 7.2 sec and can be brought down to 6.0s with level 50 loader's "reloading" skill and buying "expert" upgrade for the entire crew. It comes with a variety of ammunition so you're prepared for everything. More details about specific ammo below. The tank also has the coaxial 7.62 DT MG which can be used to shoot at aircraft (don't expect to do much to them) or to injure/knock out exposed crew members in open vehicles (MarderIII series, ZIS-30 and various SPAA vehicles). The gun's vertical guidance is -5/28° which makes for good elevation but worse depression. For example, most of the German and USA tanks of the rank have -10°. On the other hand, you can try your luck as SPAA and "derp" down some low flying attackers/bombers with the main gun. Also, it's worth mentioning that positioning the gun over the engine deck will make your depression even worse, only about -1°. This is due to engine deck cover plates being in the way of your gun mantle. The area is 90° wide and it may cause some trouble if the enemy gets right on your rear, rendering you unable to hit the desired spot.

T-34 1941 (1st Gv.T.Br.) is, after all, a premium tank which gives you a bonus to silver lions, research points, and crew points. It has no advantage over the standard non-premium version other than unique camouflage and decal included in the purchase. It is recommended to play the standard T-34 1941 before thinking of buying the premium version, just to see if it's really the tank for you. If you are a new player that just started playing USSR ground forces and you're thinking of investing into a fun tank to get your crew trained up and silver lions to pile up then maybe T-34 1941 (1st Gv.T.Br.) is just the thing for you.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (60°) ''Front Glacis'' 45 mm (53°) ''Lower Glacis'' 60 mm (60°) ''Driver's Port'' 45 mm (28-77°) ''Machine Gun Port'' || 40 mm (40°) ''Top Hull'' 45 mm (0°) ''Lower hull'' || 40 mm (47°) ''Top'' 40 mm (46°) ''Bottom'' || 16 mm
|-
| Turret || 45 mm (3-81°) ''Turret front'' 45 mm (5-74°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45 mm (29-31°) || 45 mm (30°) || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 28.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 54 (AB)
|-
|49 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|27.38
|33.71
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|15.62
|17.67
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|F-34 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[F-34 (76 mm)|76 mm F-34]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 77 || -5°/+28° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.90 || 20.60 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.90 || 17.50 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.00 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||86||85||76||67||59||52
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||102||100||91||81||72||64
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC ||94||92||83||73||65||57
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 665 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 680 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 680 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC || 680 || 6.3 || 0.9 || 15.0 || 108.8 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-34_(1940).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of T-34 (1940) (identical to T-34 (1941)).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''77''' || 75 ''(+2)'' || 72 ''(+5)'' || 69 ''(+8)'' || 1 ''(+76)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Turret empty: 69 ''(+8)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

This tank will feel the same as the [[T-34 (1940)|T-34 1940]] in many ways. However, the play styles of these tanks could not be more different. The armour of this tank, while the same as the T-34 1940, is no longer as hard to penetrate by rival tanks; however its great mobility and speed more than makeup for this versus its rivals. The proper use of the mobility of this tank is the greatest factor to its successful use. The gun on this tank feels more suited to a tank of this mobility than its predecessor, with much more potential for destroying enemies with one shot, its reload speed allowing for a fast follow up shot before you run to cover. This tank is a great all around tank with the ability to quickly exploit weaknesses in the enemy lines as well as the ability to make a hole in the enemy lines through sheer firepower.

This tank features great speed and agility combined with a good turret traverse and reload speed. Its armour is also capable of bouncing shots. This tank is best employed in flanking manoeuvres, which focus on using the speed of this vehicle to catch players off-guard. The abundant sloped armour often helps this tank make it safely through the flanks at high speed even if noticed, as poorly aimed enemy shells are often deflected. Armour protection from the front, in general, is quite good especially if angled properly; however, it features many weak spots that can be easily exploited such as the machine gun port.

Pay attention to your team when playing alone. It is easy to rush forward to your favourite place just to find out you're alone and knocked out before slower tanks arrive to help you. If you happen to end up in that situation you can try to run or make a heroic stand. '''T-34 1941''' '''(1st Gv.T.Br.)''' in good hands is capable of holding off and defeating superior numbers on its own. Keep your tank on the flattest ground as possible so you have gun depression to fire at all times. If the hill is between you and the enemy don't go over it, go around it, since bad gun depression will make you exposed for too long before you can fire. Keep an eye at the minimap at all times for flanking enemies since any T-34 has fuel tanks on each side of the hull (2 on the right and 3 on the left side). One shot to your side and you'll find yourself on fire most of the times. Tanks such as KV-1 can be a tricky thing to handle sometimes, especially at long ranges. With proper aiming and ammo selection, even the sturdy KV-1 can be defeated. When it comes to survival, keep in mind that '''T-34 1941 (1st Gv.T.Br.)''' has several weak spots at the front. This tank's best bet when it is bound to get shot is to start moving. Change your angle and rotate the turret while reloading. That way your weak spots won't be a static target. Hull-down tactics won't work in most cases because of bad gun depression and the fact that turret is no better armoured than the hull. More details about weak spots are in the pictures below, also showing how to defeat '''T-34 1941 (1st Gv.T.Br.)'''. In case you lose two crew members, your rate of fire will be decreased drastically. If that happens you're no longer viable as a front line tank and your best bet is to fight from cover, employing so-called "pe-ka-boo" tactics. That way you can keep yourself in a fight and always have a safe place to handle long reload.

Against any T-34 including '''T-34 1941 (1st Gv.T.Br.)''' you should try to limit its movement. If fighting from a static position, aim for the gunner just right of the main gun when he's facing you. As mentioned above, when shooting T-34 from the side you have a very high chance of setting him on fire. The only choice you have is will you shot more towards the engine to immobilize him for sure or aim for the crew compartment. Under the turret, on the tank's floor, is a big pile of ammunition; thus, when shooting from the side try to hit the place where ammo and fuel tank overlap. You can also aim just above the ammo rack for a better chance of incapacitating crew members in case ammo does not detonate.

===Arcade battles===
Use your speed to either cap the specific point and withdraw and/or to place yourself somewhere so you can overwatch the enemy route. Use artillery support to defend capture zones and to keep enemies pinned. Flush enemies out of cover or even destroy them if they do not bother to move. After a few points, you will have an option to participate in air events. You can defend or attack bombers/attackers or call one of your own. Before joining an air event, make sure you are in a safe secluded place, so your tank does not get destroyed while you are away in the sky. Also, pay attention to the mini-map to determine the direction the enemy air strike is coming from.

==Realistic/Simulator battles==
The first thing any tanker should do before playing in these modes is to unlock the "summer camouflage" because you won't fool anyone with that stock white camo unless playing on a snowy map. Use your speed to position yourself into ambush position and await your targets. If you are up for more mobile tactics, use terrain and the summer camo to your advantages. Pickoff one enemy at a time and escape the area. On city maps, use small side streets to keep your enemies guessing of where you will pop up.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Gun has good penetration
* Good rate of fire
* Good all-around armour
* Good mobility
* Perfect balance of mobility, protection and firepower
* Sloped armour increasing the chance of ricochet
* Transmission is in the rear
* Big choice of ammunition

'''Cons:'''

* Many weak spots on the front of hull and turret
* Large target
* Fuel tanks beside the combat compartment, close to the ammo rack, make the tank prone fire, fuel tank detonations and ammo rack detonation chances at the same time
* Four crew members so you can only afford to lose one before the rate of fire drops drastically
* Default camouflage is winter and makes you stand out on summer maps
* Bad gun depression
* Sun behind the tank with the white paint can cause glare to the player through the monitor

== History ==

===Development===
By 1939, the most numerous tank models in the Red Army were the [[T-26]] and the [[BT-7|BT-series]] light tanks. Though adequate on the days they were introduced, they are now outdated by this time due to the changing technology in anti-tank warfare. Back in 1937, a new tank project was already taking place under engineer Mikhail Koshkin, who was assigned to lead a design team at the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ) for a replacement for the BT light tanks as a new "cavalry tank" to engage in manoeuvre warfare. The first prototype was designated the ''A-20'' with 20 mm of armour, a 45 mm gun, and a diesel engine in a V-12 configuration. The Christie suspension is taken from the BT, even the conversion to drive track-less on roads. But gradually, the new track designs available made this conversion redundant and was excluded in further models. The A-20 also showed the effective research done into sloping armour on previous prototype designs, utilizing an all-around sloping armour on the design.

It was during this design process that the Russo-Japanese border wars took place and showed the deficiency of the T-26 and BT models. Koshkin then appealed for the initiation of a much better tank concept, the "universal tank" to completely replace the T-26 and BT tanks. The second prototype was the ''A-32'' and has an increased 32 mm of frontal armour with a 76.2 mm L-10 gun. The heavier prototype was still just as mobile as the A-20, and further development into the design increased the frontal armour thickness to 45 mm thick and a newer 76.2 mm L-11 gun attached instead. This model was approved for production and designated the '''T-34''' after the year 1934 when Koshkin believed was when he formulated the idea for the T-34. Koshkin, however, never saw his tanks in action as he succumbed to pneumonia in September 1940 after trials with the T-34 in the cold winter. Thus, the drivetrain developer Alexander Morozov was appointed as the next Chief Designer. The T-34 tank would go on to become the most produced World War II tank, with 84,000 tanks produced in the production span between 1940 to 1958.

===Design===
The T-34 took all of the Soviet's experiences with tanks and incorporated into the design. The tank had great sloping armour, a powerful engine, wide tracks, and a large gun. At its introduction, the armour of the T-34 was one of the best in the world, by sloping the 45 mm thick armour plate by 60 degrees, the effective thickness was now 90 mm thick. The armour was welded into place instead of riveted as rivets tend to "spall" and cause damage inside the tank even if the armour was not penetrated. The 76.2 mm gun was a major advantage compared to those on its adversaries, as it could be used as a multi-purpose weapon against infantry and tanks, unlike the Germans who had tanks split for two different roles such as the [[Pz.III E|Panzer III for anti-tank]] and the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV for infantry support]]. The engine, a Model V-2-34 V12 diesel engine, was adequately powerful for the Christie suspension tank design and allowed the T-34 to reach a maximum of 53 km/h (33 mph). The powerful engine, added with the wide tracks that gave it lower ground pressure, allowed the T-34 to travel across cross-country terrain with relative freedom without risk of bogging down.

However, the T-34 is not without its fault and its quality is very questionable in some cases. Two [[T-34 (1941)|T-34 1941]] models were sent to United States in late 1942 for evaluations. The evaluations found the armour quality to be rather insufficient, with improper welding in places that can allow leaks and improper alloys that made armour weaker in some places than others, the T-34 cast turret was even found to use softer armour than the hull that render it vulnerable to even 37 mm shells. The gun sights for the 76.2 mm cannon was also quite poor in comparison to the Axis and other Allies. The tank reliability was also troubled by various mechanical issues, especially in the earlier models. Low-quality air filters and insufficient airflow could impede the engine capabilities and the turret drive had poor reliability that could easily jam up. The vision devices were also poor, the crew are unable to see outside the tank with enough situational awareness, even the tank commander couldn't see well out of the tank. Also, the lack of radios on the first few years of T-34s forced the tank commanders to communicate via flags, with only company commanders tanks fitted with the radios. Ergonomics inside the tanks was unsatisfactory and was very cramped inside, with no turret basket the loader has to struggle when the turret rotates and accessing ammunition on the floor boxes makes it a hard and dangerous job for the loader. The commander's hatch on the turret was also one-piece, making even a "heads-up" view for the commander impossible on these large one-piece hatches. Finally, the two-person turret suffered from not only a very cramped compartment but an overworked commander who has to act as a gunner as well.

===T-34 Mod. 1941===
The '''[[T-34 (1941)|T-34 Mod. 1941]]''' was the main T-34 variant used in 1941 and the second in the T-34/76 series, which is when it entered production. From the Model 1940, the Model 1941 has the newer F-34 76.2 mm gun, plus thicker armour. Otherwise, it was identical to the Model 1940, with a welded/cast two-man turret with a single large hatch on top for the loader and commander. The T-34 parts such as the engine, gun, and electricals are assembled in different factories, then sent to the KhPZ, Stalingrad Tractor Factory (STZ), or the Krasnoye Sormovo Factory for assembling onto the tank. However, it was at this time that the German invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, this forced the factories to be moved all the way to the Ural Mountains to escape the ranges of German conquest and their bombers. Though it is unknown just how many of this model was made, it became part of the 35,120 T-34/76 models created in its production life.

===Combat Usage===
Operation Barbarossa in June 22, 1941, was also the first time the T-34 saw combat action. The surprise appearance of the T-34 thoroughly shocked the German forces. Friedrich von Mellenthin has written in his book ''Panzer Battles'' that the Germans "had nothing comparable". The T-34 was impervious to the standard German anti-tank weaponry at the time and they were able to cause much chaos in German lines before being knocked out by either 105 mm howitzers or 88 mm FlaK cannons. In the first stages of Operation Barbarossa, the Soviet Union had 967 T-34s in inventory at the time, which they use in five mechanized corps out of the 29 available. One famous encounter with the T-34 was that it managed to crush a 37 mm Pak 36 under its treads, destroy two [[Pz.II F|Panzer IIs]], continue on for 14 kilometres causing many casualties before being taken out.

Despite that, the Soviets still suffered major losses in armoured forces in the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa due to a few factors. One is the still unreliable mechanical system in the tank and so many were lost to mechanical issues, another was the lack of wide-scale cooperation between units due to the lack of radios in the tank, causing an inability to respond to changing situations or inform the tank units about targets. The only way tanks in smaller units could communicate with each other is by flags, which requires eyesight and are easily misinterpreted. Crew training was also very insufficient, which added to the lack of coordination between tank units, many tank crew members were only given up to 72 hours of training before being sent to the front. Losses against German gunfire were actually slim in relative to these other problems.

Nevertheless, the T-34 1941 variant saw the majority of the action in 1941 and continued to prove a major headache to the German forces wherever they show up. This continued up until the next year, where improved variants of the T-34 were introduced as the [[T-34 (1942)|Model 1942 and 1943]]. All these T-34/76 models continued the fight against Germany in major conflicts for the remainder of the first half of World War II.

==== 1st Guards Tank Brigade ====
The 4th Tank Brigade was a part of the Russian 15th Tank Division and were stationed at Stalingrad at the beginning of the war. When German tanks attacked Russia, full mobilization within hundreds of miles followed. As German units were approaching the capital of Moscow, Soviets began to throw all available units into combat to stop them. On November 11th 1941, the 4th Tank Brigade has redesignated the '''1st Guards Tank Brigade''' due to their combat efforts. It was the very first unit that was designated as "Guards".

During the summer of 1941. It was noted that many Soviet units were lacking in leadership and were unable to execute orders. Many units were separated not knowing what to do, inflicting traffic jams or not even reaching the battle. Many units were lost to air strike because they just stood and died. It was obvious that not all Soviet forces were capable of fighting effectively or fighting at all. So the designation "Guards" came to be, not only for inspirational purposes but to separate units capable of performing given tasks. For combat efforts or even just for reaching the battle, the "Guards" title was assigned to units. It also gave senior commanders an indication of the unit's "semi-elite" status and their ability to execute difficult tasks. As an "elite" class, the unit sees this designation as a form of honour.

=== In-game description ===
The second T-34 model was developed in 1941. The main difference in the T-34 Mod. 1941 was the installation of the new 76 mm F-34 cannon with a 41.5 calibre barrel length. In addition, the shape of the cannon's recoil mechanism armor was changed, along with the method used to attach it. The muzzle velocity of its armor-piercing shell was somewhat higher than that of the L-11 cannon, amounting to 662 m/s. The weapon's armor penetration and gun depression were increased. Its practical rate of fire in combat conditions came to 3-5 shots per minute. Apart from that, the Mod. 1941 tanks were equipped with tracks with more pronounced track grousers. I

In 1942, versions appeared with cast turrets and new, wider tracks. Shortages of rubber deliveries for manufacturing road wheel bands forced the development of fully metallic wheels. Throughout 1942, an attempt was made to strengthen the tank's armor by laying additional 20-25 mm plates in the turret and frontal hull. The final issue tanks had additional fuel tanks attached to the back of the hull, along with a large number of hand-rails on the turret and hull for ease of carrying tankborne infantry and servicing the vehicle's components.

All in all, a large number of changes were aimed first and foremost at simplifying production and increasing the T-34's manufacturing speed. Some of these tanks were equipped with ATO-41 flamethrowers. In 1943, a design was presented at factory No. 112 to improve the T-34's armor after the fashion of German tanks. Vehicles with reinforced turrets, hull and side add-on armor were tested on the front in August 1943. Tests in combat conditions showed that the tank's survivability had not significantly increased, so the design was discarded.

Setting up production in evacuated factories allowed the number of these vehicles in tank units to be significantly increased, and from 1942, the T-34 became the most prolific tank, with more produced than all other types of tanks combined.

Shown as part of the 1st Guard Tank Brigade in winter camouflage.

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

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

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

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

SU-122

2019-08-27T15:25:42Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_su_122}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_SU-122.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. This vehicle was created on T-34 chassis. It carries a fearsome 122 mm M-30 howitzer.

The main feature of this SPG is a powerful gun, but make good use of the first shot, it might be the last. It is very hard to hit targets from over 500 m in realistic and simulator battles. One good tactic would be to rush an enemy tank and shoot him at point-blank range but this only works if there is no other enemy tank because with an untrained crew it can take up to 33 seconds before the {{PAGENAME}} has reloaded.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's hatch)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (49-50°) ''Front glacis'' 45-100 mm (21-69°) ''Lower glacis'' || 45 mm (17-41°) ''Top'' 45 mm ''Bottom'' || 45 mm (47-48°) ''Top'' 45 mm (48°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 45 mm (49-50°) || 45 mm (17-18°) || 45 mm (12°) || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 45 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 30.9 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 62 (AB)
|-
|57 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|710
|874
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|22.98
|28.28
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|14.30
|16.18
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|M-30 (122 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M-30 (122 mm)|122 M-30]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 40 || -3°/+25° || ±10° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 8.9 || 12.4 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.9 || 10.5 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 23.6 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| OF-462 || HE ||45||45||44||43||43||42
|-
| BP-460A || HEAT || 160 || 160 || 160 || 160 || 160 || 160
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| OF-462 || HE || 515 || 22 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 3,670 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BP-460A || HEAT || 335 || 13 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 3,170 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| D-462A || 515 || 23 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_SU-122.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the SU-122.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo Part
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''40''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 29 ''(+11)'' 29 ''(+11)'' || 17 ''(+23)'' 17 ''(+23)'' || 8 ''(+32)'' 8 ''(+32)'' || 1 ''(+39)'' 1 ''(+39)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great firepower, capable of one-shotting tanks when used with HEAT rounds
* Front Armor - while not outstanding, can still bounce some low-rank guns
* Mantlet is very strong and can bounce off it
* Great acceleration
* Good mobility
* Somewhat low silhouette
* Two re-spawns in [[Simulator Battles|SB mode]]

'''Cons:'''

* long reload time, the wounded loader will increase it
* Weak armour against higher rank guns
* Limited gun arc
* Bad gun depression
* Gun takes time to get used to
* Gun mantlet can limit the view when in sniper mode only when in SB Mode

== History ==

===Development===
The success of the Germans [[StuG III F|StuG III]] and other self-propelled assault gun took the Soviet High Command's interest on the concept. Self-propelled guns were generally considered cheaper and more easily produced compared to regular tanks due to the lack of turret, plus it could be made with a large fighting compartment and bigger guns than those that could be mounted on turrets, the only drawbacks to the designs were limited traverse of the gun so it would do poorly in close-quarters situations.

In April 1942, the Soviets asked design bureaus to begin development of assault guns using a wide selection of armament ranging from their 76.2 mm ZiS-3 field guns, 122 mm M-30, and 152 mm ML-20 howitzers. The prototype assault gun was armed with the 122 mm and was quite similar to the StuG III's design, designated the SG-122, of which only 10 were made due to reliability issues. The next step was to take the standard issued Soviet tank, the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]], and convert that into the assault gun. The prototype, U-34, was created in summer of 1942 in the Uralsky Machine Building factory by N. W. Kurin and G. F. Ksjunin. It initially had the same armament of 76.2 mm, but it was 70 cm lower than the regular T-34 and had more armour at a lighter weight, this did not enter production. Another work was done to combine the U-34 features with the SG-122, this was completed in around late summer of 1942 and featured the U-34 chassis with the 122 mm armament placed on with the least modifications possible to keep the design affordable and easy to produce. This new design, now the U-35, was created on November 25, 1942, and was sent for evaluations. There were faults discovered in the elevation mechanism, loading system, and ventilation for the crew. Despite these flaws, the vehicle was accepted into service first as the SU-35 but then renamed the '''SU-122'''. Several modifications were made to the vehicle during production, such as simplifications to the design, modified interior layout, removed vision slots, and added a commander's periscope. The production began in December 1942 and continue on until summer of 1944 with 1,150 total unit produced.

===Design===
The vehicle was based off the T-34 chassis, so it uses the same running gear, engine, suspension, and tracks as the T-34. This is consistent with the concept of utilizing the chassis of proven vehicles and converting them into other uses. The design mounted the 122 mm M-30 howitzer, which was made for infantry support in a role similar to the StuG III in German usage. The M-30S howitzer could be elevated or depressed between −3° and +26° and had 10° of the traverse. The design had no armour advantage over the standard T-34 with 45 mm thick frontal armour to keep production simple. The design had a crew of five, the driver, gunner, commander, and two loaders to load the 122 mm shells.

===Combat usage===
The first few SU-122s created were sent to training centres and to two combat units, the 1433rd and 1434th self-propelled artillery regiments. Each regiment was intended to have two batteries of four SU-122s and four batteries of four [[SU-76M|SU-76s]]. Thirty of such self-propelled artillery regiments were planned to be raised in the armour and mechanized corps. In January 1943, the 1433 and 1434 regiments were sent to Leningrad near the Volkhov Front to support the 54th Army. These regiments and their self-propelled guns first saw action on January 14 in the Smierdny region. Combat experience showed that the best deployment of the SU-122s was about 400 to 600 meters behind advancing tank units, to which it was sometimes reduced to just 200 meters minimum distance. The mixed deployment of the SU-76 and the SU-122 was a failure and the organization was changed. The new system had two batteries of SU-76 and three batteries of SU-122s for 20 vehicles, this was changed again in April for separate regiments for SU-76s and SU-122s (called "light" and "medium" respectively). The medium self-propelled artillery regiments had four batteries of four SU-122s each for 16 vehicles. An additional SU-122 or T-34 was added as a commander for the regiment, along with a BA-64 armoured car for reconnaissance duties. This organization of the self-propelled artillery regiments stayed until the beginning of 1944 as newer and better self-propelled guns such as the [[SU-85]], [[ISU-122]], and [[ISU-152]] were being produced, when the SU-122 was beginning to be phased out as well.

The SU-122 in combat proved very effective in its role as direct fire support on strongholds. The high-power high-explosive rounds create a massive concussion blast on impact and may be powerful enough to even knock the turret off a [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] tank. Until May 1943, only the HE rounds were available for the 122 mm gun, but the BP-460A HEAT rounds were introduced on that month that could theoretically penetrate any armour the German have on their tanks, but the HEAT round's primitive design and fuse, adding the gun's inaccuracy, caused the SU-122 to not be an effective tank destroyer.

The SU-122 was never mass-produced in multiple variants, however, some were converted into prototypes. The ''SU-122M'' had a larger compartment and newer D-11 gun, and the ''SU-122-III'' had an even lighter gun than the D-11, but was unsuccessful due to unreliability. Both of these were cancelled when production priorities went to the [[SU-85]] design.

===Survivors===
Only a small number of SU-122s survive the war, with only one known example on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum.

=== In-game description ===
"This SPG armed with a 122 mm М-30 Mod. 1938 howitzer was developed in October-November 1942 to support and escort tanks. In December of the same year, it entered production and was put into service.

The SPG was built on a T-34 chassis with an armoured cabin containing the driving compartment and the fighting compartment. To protect the howitzer's recoil mechanism, a large forward-extending armoured mantlet was used which swung with the weapon. The gunnery equipment could be used to fire both directly and from cover. The howitzer's ammunition load of 40 shots included high-explosive fragmentation shells and hollow-charge projectiles. The vehicle's undercarriage differed from the T-34 in the strengthened head assembly of its suspension. A 9R radio set was mounted on the SPG, along with the TPU-3-BisF intercom.

The vehicle was produced throughout 1942-1943, with 638 manufactured in total. Throughout its production, a large number of modifications were implemented with the aim of improving the vehicle's quality and simplifying its manufacturing. Work performed on perfecting the manufacturing and assembly technologies involved reduced the labour costs of its production by 15%.

The SU-122 was put into service in SPG regiments in quantities of up to 16 vehicles per regiment.

The SPG's flaws were: its small horizontal firing angle and complex aiming; long barrel length complicating manoeuvring on rough terrain and in urban areas; low rate of fire in combat; relatively small on-board ammunition capacity; and lack of a machine gun for self-defence. In spite of these flaws, the SU-122's high firepower, manoeuvrability and defensive capabilities made it a dangerous opponent in battle."

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23su122 Camouflages and skins for the SU-122 from live.warthunder.com]

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

KV-1S

2019-08-27T15:24:30Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_kv_1s}}
{{Notice|''This page is about the heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''. For other uses, see [[KV-1 (Disambiguation)]]''}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_KV-1S.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]]. A lightened [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] made to improve its maneuverability, the KV-1S has less overall armour than the original design, but keeps its same lethality with improved speed.

Compared to the KV-1 L-11, side and rear armour is decreased to 60 mm, lightening the vehicle and increasing its speed to maximum 43 kph. A new turret was installed, presenting a smaller profile, thicker armour, and better angling all around. The armament is also changed to the ZIS-5, the equivalent of its [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|successor]] and the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]]'s F-34 guns.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (30°) ''Front plate'' 50 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 25 + 50-60 mm (25-70°) ''Joint plate'' 60 mm (26-50°) ''Lower glacis'' || 60 mm || 60 mm (35-75°) ''Top'' 60 mm (2-69°) ''Bottom'' || 40 mm ''Front'' 30 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 82 mm (2-76°) ''Turret front'' 50-75 mm (4-71°) ''Gun mantlet shield'' 90 mm (0-29°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 82 mm (0-25°) || 82 mm (27-56°) 75 mm (1-43°) ''Machine gun port''|| 30 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 60 mm || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick.
* The gun mantlet shield has varying thickness, thickest just a little above and below the center 55 mm area.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 41.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 48 (AB)
|-
|45 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.72
|23.04
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.83
|14.49
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|ZiS-5 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ZiS-5 (76 mm)|76 mm ZiS-5]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 114 || -5°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 7.1 || 9.9 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 7.1 || 8.4 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.00 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||86||85||76||67||59||52
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC ||94||92||83||73||65||57
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||102||100||91||81||72||64
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 135 || 130 || 92 || 60 || 39 || 26
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 665 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC || 680 || 6.3 || 0.9 || 15.0 || 108.8 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 680 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 680 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 950 || 3.0 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_KV-1S.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the KV-1S.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''114''' || 110 ''(+4)'' || 105 ''(+9)'' || 100 ''(+14)'' || 68 ''(+46)'' || 36 ''(+78)'' || 24 ''(+90)'' || 1 ''(+113)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Turret empty: 100 ''(+14)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

When playing the '''KV-1S''', remember that you are still a heavy tank. Keep your front armor facing your enemies at all times, and preferably angled (but slightly less than [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1 L-11]]). '''KV-1S''' turret is more durable, and can deflect more shots than before, so if possible expose your turret only. Gun has no special penetration value, so try to target weakspots or areas with the least armor. Flanking attacks could end in a fiery demise. Also, this tank is still a KV-1 in it's heart.

The best tactics for this tank is: keep a low profile and stay behind the main assault. When your team has advanced to the enemy's base, the KV-1s is best used to round up straggling enemy tanks behind your lines. If these tanks aren't destroyed, they'll attack your team's rear.

The common enemies are armed with guns that usually can penetrate the driver's hatch. Watch out for enemy T-34 (especially mod. 1941 and 1942, sometimes mods 1943 and the 57 variants), since they can flank you easily. Also watch out for all german [[Pz.IV F2|Pz.IV]]<nowiki/>s & [[StuG III F|StuG]]<nowiki/>s armed with long 7.5 cm gun, as it can penetrate your front armor even if you are angled.

This vehicle (due to its higher BR) can also meet many opponents that your armor has no chance of stopping, avoid direct confrontation with them. (Includes: [[T-34-85]], [[SU-85]], [[Dicker Max]] & [[Nashorn]], [[Sherman Firefly]] & [[Achilles]])

Meeting other KV-1's and [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill]]<nowiki/>s may become a stalemate as the KV-1S gun may not penetrate against their formidable armour. This leads to the hope that the APCR ammunition works, and the firing of several rounds into the target for a penetration.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Faster than its [[KV-1 (L-11)|predecessor]] and [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|successor]], yet frontal armor is the same.
* Very hard to knock out in one shot
* Adequate gun
* Bouncy turret front
* Wide tracks make for good cross-country performance
* Resilient. Can remain reasonably effective, even with a lot of damage
* Very effective overall

'''Cons:'''

* Side armor is considerably weaker (75 mm into 60 mm)
* Turret is cramped
* Very low reverse speed, poor low speed handling
* Vulnerable to the long-barreled 75mm gun of the StuG III and Pz.IV F2,G, H and J
* First reverse gear presents a slow reverse speed of around -5 kph.
* Still carries most of the flaws of the KV-1 L-11
* Still a heavy vehicle, poor acceleration.
* Still cannot move on pace with T-34s
* Gun lacks penetration against heavier opponents: The [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1 ZiS-5]] and both [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill]]<nowiki/>s are very hard to get through. APCR is unreliable.

== History ==


== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/868/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> KV-1S: How’s the tank?]

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

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

{{USSR heavy tanks}}

T-34E STZ

2019-08-27T15:21:23Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_34E_STZ}}
{{About
| about = Soviet medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = T-34 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-34E STZ.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory"|Update 1.49 (1.70.1945) "Weapons of Victory"]]. An up-armoured version of the [[T-34 (1941)]] tank, the T-34E STZ utilizes much improved frontal hull armour in comparison to the standard T-34 tank.

This tank has great front protection and while not invulnerable, many enemy tanks will have difficulty knocking it out. The rest of the armour of the tank is decent, but nothing that is too difficult to penetrate. While the extra armour of the T-34E STZ greatly increases frontal protection it does slow the tank down. This combined with a great gun and a large selection of ammunition types makes this tank a jack of all trades.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun port)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 + 15 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 45 + 15 mm (52-53°) ''Lower glacis'' 100 mm (15-45°) ''Joint plate'' 75 mm (56°) ''Driver's hatch'' 60 mm (1-73°) ''Machine gun port'' || 40 mm (38-39°) ''Top'' 45 mm (0-2°) ''Bottom'' || 40 mm (48°) ''Top'' 40 mm (45°) ''Bottom'' || 16 mm
|-
| Turret || 45 mm (4-75°) ''Turret front'' 45 mm (14-58°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45 mm (28-30°) || 45 mm (31°) || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Parts of the front armour have increased armour such as the machine gun port (60 mm) and driver's hatch (75 mm)
* The applique armour in the front does not cover the entire front hull.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 29.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 54 (AB)
|-
|49 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|26.27
|32.34
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|14.98
|16.95
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|F-34 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[F-34 (76 mm)|76 mm F-34]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 77 || -5°/+28° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.9 || 20.6 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.9 || 17.5 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.0 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||86||85||76||67||59||52
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||102||100||91||81||72||64
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC ||94||92||83||73||65||57
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 135 || 130 || 92 || 60 || 39 || 26
|-
| BP-350A || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 665 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 680 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 680 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC || 680 || 6.3 || 0.9 || 15.0 || 108.8 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 950 || 3.0 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| BP-350A || HEAT || 355 || 5.3 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 1,060 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| D-350A || 680 || 6.5 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-34 (1940).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the T-34 (1940) (identical to T-34E STZ).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''77''' || 75 ''(+2)'' || 72 ''(+5)'' || 69 ''(+8)'' || 1 ''(+76)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Turret empty: 69 (+8)

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,898 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

There are two main ways to utilize this tank. The first is by staying at long range, and using the frontal armour and good gun to pick off enemies. When at long range remember that the front turret is the greatest weakness of this tank so try to not look directly at the enemy during reloading. The second is as a close-range brawler when using the tank in this manner make sure to watch the flanks. Both of these methods are equally viable, at close range seems to be where this tank does a little better.

The first option is to go straight for a cap point and find a good position just outside or just inside the point. Any position that has a good overwatch of the cap point or the approaches to the cap point will do. Once in position try to knock out any tank that tries to approach the point, make sure to properly angle the armour to maximize protection. If aware of where the enemy is coming from, it is easy to maximize the armour protection and engage enemies with an advantage. Always engage in the most favourable conditions, these means don't hesitate to retreat if starting to get overwhelmed. If the enemy follows through while retreating, they could expose themselves to allies to take them out.

The second option is to try to flank around them and approach the enemy from an angle they might not expect. When doing this try to make sure to have a good knowledge of the terrain, since choosing the wrong path means a bad encounter and demise. A good path is one where enemies appear in a predictable location and allow for disengagements with easy withdrawal. Ideal paths have a hill between the T-34E and the enemy, allowing the T-34E to manoeuvre slowly around the hill until the enemy is in sight. Once the enemy is sighted, engage if applicable. If the enemy starts charging, fight a fighting retreat using the hill as cover. However remember if moving around the flanks, it will be harder to receive team support if away from the main body of allies.

*'''Urban''' 

Urban settings can be challenging for the T-34E STZ. The reason for this is while the frontal armour is great, in the chaos of urban combat means that no one may know where the enemy is at. Another problem; while the front armour is good it does have a number of weak spots which can be easily targeted at point blank range. With that in mind, play the STZ as in a 1941 or 1942, and do not rely on the armour as with a KV-1. Try to use the flanks and side streets to get into firing position where enemies can come from a predictable path. This will allow maximum usage of the T-34E's mobility and protection to the fullest. The T-34E's agility is its main defence in these settings.

*'''Open Field''' 

In this type of environment, tank destroyers will always reign supreme. Their combinations of high-power guns, low profile, and tough frontal armour make them great long range combatants. However, the T-34E's armour allows the tank to play along, but always remember that it is not invulnerable, and while the F-34 gun cannot match those of tank destroyers', it can still get the job done. This means that the T-34E should not position itself in the open and take shots, try to find a location where the tank is protected from most angles and focus on one enemy at a time. By focusing on one tank at a time, it will minimize the odds of a lucky shot hitting weak spots.

*'''Hill Country''' 

This is the type of environment where T-34 STZ can really shine. The reason for this is that unlike in urban environments flaking can be a little more difficult. The average distance of engagement is longer, meaning the enhanced armour can do more than in urban environments. The more open nature allows the T-34E to make full use of the tank's mobility. When in this environment, there is a range of options and tactics to take on the enemy.

Some enemies to be concerned about:

*[[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 Jumbo]] - The frontal armour on the Jumbo is difficult to penetrate even with APCR shells, and its gun is quite capable of penetrating the T-34E's frontal armour even when angled. If encountered, get out of its line of sight and try to flank it if possible. Its left side has a very large ammo rack that will send the Jumbo back to the garage if hit. Aim for the centre of the left side of the hull.
*[[Pz.IV F2|Pz. IV F2]] - Despite its thin armour, the Pz. IV F2 has a gun fully capable of penetrating the T-34E's armour easily. If encountered, move to a safe position where it is still observable. Wait until it is not targeting directly at the T-34E, then shoot it in the main hull. Often one shot is all it takes. Alternatively, if feeling lucky, try to get the first shot off into the front of the tank. It should, if not an instant knock-out, at least disable a few crucial crew members and/or modules.
*[[M10 GMC|M10]] - This tank destroyer will comfortably destroy the T-34E with the 3-inch gun if it gets a chance to. Treat it like the Pz. IV F2, fragile but powerful. Make sure it isn't looking towards the T-34E's way, then shoot it in the main hull and it will, at the very least, fatally incapacitate it.
*[[M18 GMC|M18 GMC]] - Fight exactly the same way as an M10 or Pz. IV F2.
*[[Achilles]] - An M10 with a more powerful gun. Treat like the M10, except more carefully. However, the poor turret traverse and long reload mean that if it's facing in a different direction or if it just fired, there is the possible risk of exposing the T-34E STZ and taking a shot into the main hull.
*[[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Firefly]] - A Sherman with a more powerful gun. Its frontal armour, like all Shermans, is difficult for the F-34 gun to penetrate. Its gun is also more powerful than the traditional Sherman, making it even more problematic to deal with. If possible, engage from the side and fire into it. Otherwise, treat like the Jumbo and avoid entirely.
*[[M4A3 (105)|M4A3(105)]] - Treat like a Sherman Firefly, an up-gunned Sherman. Avoid getting hit, as its 105 mm shells can cause major damage and perhaps send the player back to the garage. Try hitting the side or the gun mantlet to OHK or disable the gun respectively.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* A smaller turret than previous T-34 (More difficult to hit flat parts)
* Better front armour (60mm) than the previous T-34
* Good Gun
* Good rate of fire
* Lots of ammunition variety
* Good mobility

'''Cons:'''

* The added armour does not cover all the front armour
* Turret armour, especially the cheeks, are still big weak points
* Weak-side armour
* Large target
* Bad gun depression

== History ==

The '''[[T-34 (1941)|T-34]]''' was beginning to become the main tank of the Soviet Army by 1941, however, the initiation of Operation Barbarossa by the Germans postponed most manufacturing deadlines due to the relocation of various factories to the Ural Mountains to keep them safe from the Germans. During the movement, only the Dzherzhinski Tractor Factory in Stalingrad (STZ) stayed in production and produced most of the T-34s during the relocation.

To increase the survivability of the tanks, the T-34 design in the STZ factory was up-armoured by use of applique armour plates. These applique armour variants of the T-34 were called '''[[T-34E]]''', with "E" meaning ''ekranami'' translates to "with screens" in Russian. These tanks were given applique armour throughout the entire vehicle, on all sides of the turret, one the front, on the sides, and even side skirts on the tracks. Some of the applique armour was placed in a way to act as spaced armour against enemy fire, which proved quite effective against the [[Pz.III L|Panzer III]]'s 50 mm KwK 39 cannon where the armour applied were on areas once vulnerable on the T-34 to the cannon. However, it was found that this additional armour did not help the T-34 against larger calibres such as the 75 mm PaK 40 and the 88 mm FlaK cannons. Due to the gradually growing number of tanks with the 75 mm and 88 mm, such as the up-gunned [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV]] and the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] that could easily destroy the T-34 even with the armour application, the armour configuration was not placed into mass production and thus only the testing batch of 47 units were made from the design.

However, one armour applique model produced in STZ did see more widespread use in the production line, though it still had the name '''T-34E''' as its main nomenclature (called the '''T-34E STZ''' in-game). This up-armoured model was more successful than the previous due to not drastically changing the design and only focusing on front armour protection by welding 15 mm of armour onto the front hull, thus minimizing weight gain by only focusing on the area most expected to be hit. The tank also featured redesigned road wheels and track designs. These T-34Es saw more widespread use and have photographs showing it being used in the Leningrad Front.

=== In-game description ===
A version of the T-34 medium tank with enhanced combat capabilities, especially in terms of armor. Additional armor plates were added to the body and turret. This was made necessary by the appearance and widespread use by the Wehrmacht of new, more powerful anti-tank weaponry.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23T34estz '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the T-34E STZ from live.warthunder.com.]

'''Historic Photos'''

* [http://nacekomie.ru/forum/files/201309/20575_5e1f0e24f54cc7a3c0767feea3d7370c.jpg Schematics of turret]
* [http://www.o5m6.de/t34_76_stz.html Website of STZ tanks]
* [http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/16/13/77/97/image110.jpg Picture of turret]
* [http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/16/13/77/97/image10.jpg Picture of whole tank]
* [http://i37.servimg.com/u/f37/16/13/77/97/image111.jpg Picture of whole tanks]
* [http://www.militarymodelling.com/sites/1/images/member_albums/131258/537801.jpg Picture of burnt out tank]

[[File:Leningrad T34E STZ.jpg|x300px|thumb|none|Historical photo of the T-34E STZ on the Leningrad front.]]

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

SU-76M (5th Gv.Kav.Corps)

2019-08-16T21:40:10Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_su_76m_5st_kav_corps
|market=SU-76M 5th Gv.Kav.Corps
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory"]]. The vehicle was made available during the [[wt:en/news/3084-special-the-most-important-strike-en|WW2 Chronicles]] and [[wt:en/news/3309/current/|"Tanker's Day Specials!"]] events in 2015, and again in the [[wt:en/news/4691-vday-victory-day-tournament-en|Victory Day Tournament]] and [[wt:en/news/4954-event-happy-tanker-s-day-en|"Happy tanker’s day!"]] events in 2017.

The finest example of a so-called “glass cannon“, SU-76M is a small, nimble SPG, but its strongest trait is its gun – the 76.2 mm (3-inch) ZiS-3 possesses a good rate of fire, is able to frontally penetrate and destroy any opposition at the given BR spread, and its shrapnel round is extremely effective against self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and other lightly armoured vehicles, making the HE shell somewhat redundant.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 25 mm || 15 mm || 15 mm || 7 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 25 mm || 10 mm || 15 mm || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* The rear superstructure does not cover the entire crew compartment.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 10.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 44 (AB)
|-
|40 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|199
|245
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|124
|140
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.95
|23.33
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.81
|13.33
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|ZiS-3 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ZiS-3 (76 mm)|76 mm ZiS-3]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 60 || -3°/+25° || ±15° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.20 || 5.80 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.20 || 4.90 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.0 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||86||85||76||67||59||52
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||102||100||91||81||72||64
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 135 || 130 || 92 || 60 || 39 || 26
|-
| BP-350A || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC ||94||92||83||73||65||57
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10
|10
|10
|10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 665 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 680 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 950 || 3.0 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| BP-350A || HEAT || 355 || 5.3 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 1,060 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC || 680 || 6.3 || 0.9 || 15.0 || 108.8 || +1.5° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 680 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| D-350A || 680 || 6.5 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_SU-76M.png|thumbnail|right|x250px|Ammo rack layout of the SU-76M.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''60''' || 46 ''(+14)'' || 31 ''(+29)'' || 16 ''(+44)'' || 1 ''(+59)'' || style="text-align:left" | yes
|}

== Usage in battles ==

As is common with Tank Destroyers, the SU-76M needs to be handled with care. Not only does it not have a rotating turret, it has an open top and practically no protection from behind. Therefore, when an engagement's complexity evolves and the Su-76 is surrounded, there is little that can be done to survive. One well placed hit to its rear will knock out a good part of the exposed crew, even machine guns can do the job of eliminating both loader and gunner.

Therefore, it is crucial to remain at a distance from the enemy, perhaps even seek the cover of trees for protection against low-level attack aircraft, and to only ever give the front side to an enemy. The fact that this vehicle does not have a turret not only means that it is not effective when fighting more mobile enemies attempting to flank, it also means that placing the armour at an angle is not a viable strategy to increase relative armour thickness and stay more protected, since the gun's limits for horizontal traverse mean that any significant angle of the hull towards an enemy will make make it harder to keep the enemy in sight. What can be done is to fire a shot and, immediately after, angle the hull ''whilst reloading'', to then return to facing the enemy to fire another shot. However, hiding whilst reloading is the most sensible choice.

Unfortunately, the SU-76 has fairly poor mobility, handling, and a vastly different gun when compared to its smaller and more mobile cousin, the ZiS-30. However, the gun on the SU-76 is definitely more powerful than the ZiS-30's 57 mm. The sheer force of the 76 mm shells will cause huge amounts of trauma to a target upon penetration. The SU-76 is also more well armoured than the ZiS-30 and provides much more protection to the gunner crew, especially from smaller caliber rounds (Unless fired from the rear). Given its poor gun depression and velocity, the SU-76 should be used as a mobile brawler and ambusher. It is well suited to performing ambushes in urban areas. The high HE filler of the 76mm shell makes it capable of OHK'ing nearly all enemy armour at its 2.3 BR. A minor issue with the SU-76 is that it has no defensive machine gun, meaning that responding quickly to SPAA is difficult.

The gun in itself is what makes the SU-76M a good vehicle, all its other characteristics are less than impressive. The variety of ammunition is a definite pro for this SPG, its APCR and HEAT shells being effective even at higher ranks, giving this humble tank destroyer the ability to down hightier tanks like the [[Tiger H1]]. Recently, the much more effective late-war BR-350B ammunition has been added to the SU-76M's ammunition options. It features noticeably more penetration and a better fuze in exchange for somewhat less explosive mass. Despite this, the SU-76M will often destroy most enemies in one shot when the shells penetrate. Once unlocked, the SU-76 is quite capable of dealing with any tank it is likely to see from the front, though there may be a need to swap ammunition often to deal with different targets.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros'''

* Good gun with a diverse selection of ammunition
* Decent HE filler in the AP shell
* Mobile platform can get around the battlefield quite efficiently

'''Cons'''

* Open topped makes the vehicle vulnerable to air strikes and shrapnels
* Weak armour, can be vulnerable to SPAAs and HE shells
* Gun performs poor at long ranges
* Easy prey when uptiered; much capable vehicles, such as the Pz.IV F2, StuG III F, and Pz.III M can easily deal with the SU-76M

== History ==

===Development===
During the interwar years, the development of self-propelled artillery was practically nonexistent in the Soviet Union. Those few projects, based on the chassis of [[T-26|T-26 light tank]], such as SU-1, AT-1 or SU-26, were eventually cancelled, and the Red Army entered the Second World War entirely without a dedicated self-propelled gun.

The situation changed after the German invasion in 1941, and vehicles such as the [[SU-152]] or [[SU-122]], based on the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] and [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] tanks respectively, were developed. In November 1942, the State Defense Committee then ordered the production of a light self-propelled gun, built on the chassis of a light tank and armed with a 76.2 mm gun. The [[T-70|T-70 light tank]] chassis was chosen, as the other light tanks, the [[T-50]] and [[T-60]], was already out of production. The chassis had to be modified for this role, so it was lengthened and had one additional pair of road wheels added to the design. The armament, the 76.2 mm divisional M1942 gun (also designated ZiS-3), was mounted in a fully enclosed case mate. The gun was positioned at the rear, with the transmission being mounted frontally.

The vehicle was designated '''SU-76''' (Samokhodnaya Ustanovka, “Self-Propelled Gun“), and the production was issued to the No.38 Factory in Kirov and started in December 1942. However, after only a couple of hundred vehicles were produced, the production was halted due to serious mechanical problems and other issues. The power train consisted of two GAZ-202 automobile engines, with each powering one track. However, there was no synchronization gear, so the driver has to control both engines simultaneously, which was an extremely difficult task. This arrangement also caused strong vibrations, which were the cause of frequent engine and transmission failures. The second biggest issue was the enclosed crew compartment, as it was very cramped and offered only a little space for crew members to work properly. The vehicle thus had to be modified, firstly the roof of the crew compartment was removed, improving the access to the gun. The power train was also changed, receiving the more powerful GAZ-203 engines, each producing 85 horsepower, which were now mounted in tandem on the right side of the vehicle, propelling a single drive-shaft. The modified vehicle was designated '''SU-76M''', and its production was resumed in early 1943. More than 14,000 SU-76M’s were produced between 1942-1945, making it the second most produced armoured vehicle in Soviet Union after the T-34 tank.

===Combat usage===
In its intended role, the SU-76M replaced earlier infantry support tanks and was very welcome to Soviet infantry units as it provided them with a light and mobile universal support weapon. The vehicle was meant to be part of three battlefield roles - a light assault gun, a mobile tank destroyer, or a mobile artillery gun as the weapon could be fired indirectly at a range of 17 km. The vehicle was fairly lightweight and produced low ground pressure, enabling it to pass through terrain unsuitable for heavier vehicles. Tts gun could utilize multitude of ammunition types, aside from standard high explosive ammunition, it could use fragmentation, shrapnel, incendiary and smoke rounds. As a tank destroyer, the gun was sufficient against German light and medium tanks such as [[Pz.III F|Panzer III]] or [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV]]. The introduction of the APCR and HEAT rounds then enabled SU-76M units to engage even heavier [[Panther D|Panther]] and [[Tiger H1|Tiger tanks]] with some success, though crew manuals instructed the gunner to try to hit the tracks or gun barrels before these rounds were made.

The vehicle also proved itself effective in an urban environment, where it was used as an assault gun for direct fire against enemy strong points and fortifications. The open-topped casemate made the crew vulnerable to snipers and hand grenades, but it also made the communication between vehicle commander and any accompanying infantry easier. Plus, it was found that the open compartment actually helps against the German infantry anti-tank weapon Panzerfaust, where a closed space would ensure the death of the crew members from the blast concussion amplified in the closed space. The SU-76M's low ground pressure from its weight made it one of the only Soviet vehicles able to operate in swampy terrain, which was extremely helpful during the Belarus Campaign in 1944, allowing the vehicle to attack through swamps in raids. This allowed the Soviets to bypass German defensive areas on more suitable terrain with support of an assault gun accompanying the light infantry. This vehicle was commanded by the units of the ''5th Guards Cavalry Corp'', equipping it with the necessary camouflage paint and insignias consistent with their unit. The 5th Guards were created in November 20, 1942 and consisted of the 11th and 12th Guards 'Don' Cossack Cavalry Division and the 63rd Cavalry Division. These were ordered to support the Transcaucasus Front and so participated in the Iassy-Kishinev Offensive, Battle of Debrecen, Budapest Offensive, and the Vienna Offensive.

After the end of World War II, the SU-76M was phased out of production, but many of them were exported to other countries, such as China, Cuba, North Korea, North Vietnam or Czechoslovakia, where they would be used in conflicts such as the Korean and Vietnam War against the US and their allies.

===Survivors===
Due to the large quantity produced and usage after World War II, many are found in intact conditions today in various locations around the world. Some could even be found as war monuments for the Soviet and German memorials.

== Media ==

[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23su76 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the SU-76M from live.warthunder.com.]

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3291/current/|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> SU-76]]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

SU-76M

2019-08-16T21:38:07Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_su_76m_1943}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_SU-76M.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41.

The SU-76 is a fairly versatile Rank 2 assault gun, equipped with a very good gun for its BR of 2.3.

Overall, the Su-76M is to be played defensively, with the ability to carry out some sneaky, cautious flanks if given a decent opportunity, but it should never get into prolonged fighting up close. A two-versus-one situation is very unfavourable for this vehicle.

The further research will then lead you to its successor – a fully enclosed [[SU-122]], carrying more armour, but mainly the massive 122 mm howitzer.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 25 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 30 mm (30°) ''Lower glacis'' 25 mm (35-89°) ''Driver's hatch'' || 15 mm || 15 mm (1°) ''Top'' 15 mm (32°) ''Lower'' || 7 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 25 mm (27°) || 10 mm (21-24°) ''Left'' 10 mm (18-19°) ''Right'' || 15 mm (1°) || N/A
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 7 mm thick.
* The rear superstructure does not cover the entire crew compartment.
* A 25 mm plate of armour separates the driver's and engine compartment to the rear fighting compartment.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 10.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 44 (AB)
|-
|40 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|199
|245
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|124
|140
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.95
|23.33
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.81
|13.33
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|ZiS-3 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ZiS-3 (76 mm)|76 mm ZiS-3]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 60 || -3°/+25° || ±15° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.20 || 5.80 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.20 || 4.90 || _.__ || __._ || __._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.0 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||86||85||76||67||59||52
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||102||100||91||81||72||64
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 135 || 130 || 92 || 60 || 39 || 26
|-
| BP-350A || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC ||94||92||83||73||65||57
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 665 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 680 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 950 || 3.0 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| BP-350A || HEAT || 355 || 5.3 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 1,060 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC || 680 || 6.3 || 0.9 || 15.0 || 108.8 || +1.5° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 680 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| D-350A || 680 || 6.5 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_SU-76M.png|thumbnail|right|x250px|Ammo rack layout of the SU-76M.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''60''' || 46 ''(+14)'' || 31 ''(+29)'' || 16 ''(+44)'' || 1 ''(+59)'' || style="text-align:left" | yes
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

As is common with Tank Destroyers, the SU-76M needs to be handled with care. Not only does it not have a rotating turret, it has an open top and practically no protection from behind. Therefore, when an engagement's complexity evolves and the Su-76 is surrounded, there is little that can be done to survive. One well placed hit to its rear will knock out a good part of the exposed crew, even machine guns can do the job of eliminating both loader and gunner.

Therefore, it is crucial to remain at a distance from the enemy, perhaps even seek the cover of trees for protection against low-level attack aircraft, and to only ever give the front side to an enemy. The fact that this vehicle does not have a turret not only means that it is not effective when fighting more mobile enemies attempting to flank, it also means that placing your armour at an angle is not a viable strategy to increase relative armour thickness and stay more protected, since the gun's limits for horizontal traverse mean that any significant angle of the hull towards an enemy will make it harder to keep the enemy in sight. What can be done is to fire a shot and, immediately after, angle the hull ''whilst reloading'', to then return to facing the enemy to fire another shot. However, hiding whilst reloading is the most sensible choice.

Unfortunately, the SU-76 has fairly poor mobility, handling, and a vastly different gun when compared to its smaller and more mobile cousin, the Zis-30. You could compare the Zis-30s gun to a nail. Its gun will pierce through anything at its rank, making most tanks armour seem like paper, but sometime its internal damage will be minimal and confined to the area that it penetrates. The gun on the SU-76 is more like a hammer. The sheer force of the shells will cause huge amounts of trauma to a target upon penetration. The SU-76 is also better armoured than the Zis-30 and provides much more protection to the gunner crew, especially from smaller calibre rounds (Unless fired from the rear). Given its poor gun depression and velocity, the SU-76 should be used as a mobile brawler and ambusher. It is well suited to performing ambushes in urban areas. The high HE filler of the 76mm shell makes it capable of OHK'ing nearly all enemy armour at its 2.3 BR. A minor issue with the SU-76 is that it has no defensive machine gun, meaning that responding quickly to SPAA is difficult.

The gun in itself is what makes the SU-76M a good vehicle, all its other characteristics are less than impressive. The variety of ammunition is a definite pro for this SPG, its APCR and HEAT shells being effective even at higher ranks, giving this humble tank destroyer the ability to down high-tier tanks like the [[Tiger H1]]. Recently, the much more effective late-war BR-350B ammunition has been added to the SU-76M's ammunition options. It features noticeably more penetration and a better fuze in exchange for somewhat less explosive mass. Despite this, you will often destroy most enemies in one shot when you penetrate. Once unlocked, the SU-76 is quite capable of dealing with any tank it is likely to see from the front, though you may have to swap ammunition often to deal with different targets.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good gun
* Good selection of ammunition
* Decent HE filler in the AP shell
* Mobile
* Low profile
* Adequate penetration with BR-350B shell
* Access to APCR shell

'''Cons:'''

* Open topped
* Weak armour, can be vulnerable to SPAAs
* Gun performs poorly at long ranges
* Vulnerable to strafing fighters
* Easy prey when up-tiered; more capable vehicles, such as the [[Pz.IV F2|Pz.IV F2]], [[StuG_III_F|StuG III F]], and [[Pz.III M|Pz.III M]] are within the battle rating reach
* Vulnerable to HE shells

== History ==

===Development===
During the interwar years, the development of self-propelled artillery was practically nonexistent in the Soviet Union. Those few projects, based on the chassis of [[T-26|T-26 light tank]], such as SU-1, AT-1 or SU-26, were eventually cancelled, and the Red Army entered the Second World War entirely without a dedicated self-propelled gun.

The situation changed after the German invasion in 1941, and vehicles such as the [[SU-152]] or [[SU-122]], based on the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] and [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] tanks respectively, were developed. In November 1942, the State Defense Committee then ordered the production of a light self-propelled gun, built on the chassis of a light tank and armed with a 76.2 mm gun. The [[T-70|T-70 light tank]] chassis was chosen, as the other light tanks, the [[T-50]] and [[T-60]], was already out of production. The chassis had to be modified for this role, so it was lengthened and had one additional pair of road wheels added to the design. The armament, the 76.2 mm divisional M1942 gun (also designated ZiS-3), was mounted in a fully enclosed casemate. The gun was positioned at the rear, with the transmission being mounted frontally. The vehicle was designated '''SU-76''' (Samokhodnaya Ustanovka, “Self-Propelled Gun“), and the production was issued to the No.38 Factory in Kirov and started in December 1942. However, after only a couple of hundred vehicles were produced, the production was halted due to serious mechanical problems and other issues. The power train consisted of two GAZ-202 automobile engines, with each powering one track. However, there was no synchronization gear, so the driver has to control both engines simultaneously, which was an extremely difficult task. This arrangement also caused strong vibrations, which were the cause of frequent engine and transmission failures. The second biggest issue was the enclosed crew compartment, as it was very cramped and offered only a little space for crew members to work properly. The vehicle thus had to be modified, firstly the roof of the crew compartment was removed, improving the access to the gun. The power train was also changed, receiving the more powerful GAZ-203 engines, each producing 85 horsepower, which was now mounted in tandem on the right side of the vehicle, propelling a single drive-shaft. The modified vehicle was designated '''SU-76M''', and its production was resumed in early 1943. More than 14,000 SU-76M’s were produced between 1942-1945, making it the second most produced armoured vehicle in the Soviet Union after the T-34 tank.

===Combat usage===
In its intended role, the SU-76M replaced earlier infantry support tanks and was very welcome to Soviet infantry units as it provided them with a light and mobile universal support weapon. The vehicle was meant to be part of three battlefield roles - a light assault gun, a mobile tank destroyer, or a mobile artillery gun as the weapon could be fired indirectly at a range of 17 km. The vehicle was fairly lightweight and produced low ground pressure, enabling it to pass through terrain unsuitable for heavier vehicles. Its gun could utilize a multitude of ammunition types, aside from standard high explosive ammunition, it could use fragmentation, shrapnel, incendiary and smoke rounds. As a tank destroyer, the gun was sufficient against German light and medium tanks such as [[Pz.III F|Panzer III]] or [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV]]. The introduction of the APCR and HEAT rounds then enabled SU-76M units to engage even heavier [[Panther D|Panther]] and [[Tiger H1|Tiger tanks]] with some success, though crew manuals instructed the gunner to try to hit the tracks or gun barrels before these rounds were made.

The vehicle also proved itself effective in an urban environment, where it was used as an assault gun for direct fire against enemy strong points and fortifications. The open-topped casemate made the crew vulnerable to snipers and hand grenades, but it also made the communication between vehicle commander and any accompanying infantry easier. Plus, it was found that the open compartment actually helps against the German infantry anti-tank weapon Panzerfaust, where a closed space would ensure the death of the crew members from the blast concussion amplified in the closed space. The SU-76M's low ground pressure from its weight made it one of the only Soviet vehicles able to operate in swampy terrain, which was extremely helpful during the Belarus Campaign in 1944, allowing the vehicle to attack through swamps in raids. This allowed the Soviets to bypass German defensive areas on more suitable terrain with support of an assault gun accompanying the light infantry. One famous SU-76M user was Rem Nikolaevich Ulanov, who was famous World War II veteran and his crew called their SU-76 the "Columbina".

After the end of World War II, the SU-76M was phased out of production, but many of them were exported to other countries, such as China, Cuba, North Korea, North Vietnam or Czechoslovakia, where they would be used in conflicts such as the Korean and Vietnam War against the US and their allies.

=== In-game description ===
"The SU-76M was created based on the T-70M light tank as a mobile infantry escort. In the front of the vehicle, the driver was seated on the left and the engine compartment was on the right. The fighting compartment was in the rear of the vehicle, in a cabin open at the top and partially open at the rear. The vehicle's crew consisted of 4 people. The vehicle's commander and loader sat on the right of the armoured cabin, and the gunner sat to the left of the cannon.

The SPG was armed with a 76.2 mm ZiS-3 cannon. Placing the cannon in an armoured cabin simplified the production of these SPGs in comparison to manufacturing tanks, and allowed for them to be produced in a higher overall quantity. In 1944, when armoured vehicle production in the Soviet Union reached its height, around 25% of the overall number of full-track combat vehicles manufactured were SU-76Ms.

The No. 38, No. 40 and GAZ factories mass-produced these vehicles. By 1945, these factories had produced 13,932 SU-76Ms in total. Consequently, the SU-76M became the most prolific Soviet SPG in World War II.

Vehicles of this type were widely used in combat operations both as infantry support vehicles and as tank destroyers against enemy light tanks, medium tanks and SPGs. With different types of ammunition at hand, they were able to overwhelm infantry, artillery and armoured targets alike. A subcalibre round from the vehicle could penetrate 100 mm armour from a distance of 500 metres.

These SPGs gained an excellent reputation in battle. As a vehicle of its class, the SU-76M was practically equal in all regards to its foreign counterparts.
After the war, the vehicles served in the Soviet Army until the beginning of the 50s, and in the DPRK army throughout the 50s."

===Survivors===
Due to the large quantity produced and usage after World War II, many are found in intact conditions today in various locations around the world. Some could even be found as war monuments for the Soviet and German memorials.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23su76 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the SU-76M from live.warthunder.com.]

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/3291/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> SU-76]

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

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

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

KV-1 (L-11)

2019-08-16T21:35:06Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_kv_1_L_11}}
{{About
| about = Soviet heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = KV-1 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage KV-1(L-11).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. This tank was introduced during the closed beta testing for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The KV-1 L-11 is the first unlockable Soviet heavy tank which boasts raw firepower and armour at the cost of mobility.

The first heavy tank available in the Soviet branch. It's slow, difficult to manoeuvre and heavily armoured, and mounts the same gun of the [[T-34 (1940)|T-34 1940]], sharing its awful penetration. In Rank II battles, this tank is tough to penetrate so you can lead the assault and absorb shots that will quickly destroy your lighter and better-armed teammates. It's better to prefer short-range engagements, and you must aim for weak spots, but your best weapon is other players, so act like a steel wall and cover other tanks with better guns.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (31°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 25 + 70 mm (7-71°) ''Joint plate'' 75 mm (26-51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (13-89°) ''Top'' 70 mm (14-57°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 75 mm (15°) ''Turret front'' 90 mm (1-52°) ''Gun mantlet shield'' 75 mm (15-57°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm (14-15°) || 75 mm (16°) || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Roof armour is quite excellent. 30 - 40 mm is nothing to ignore. It will reliably protect from most autocannons. Although aircraft with unique diving capability and +0 mm arms may still pierce it. More importantly, it makes the vehicle quite resilient against rocket strikes from vehicles such as the [[Calliope|Calliope]].
*The lower glacies, unlike most other tanks, is not a weak spot! It is including your own turrets height significantly better angled than the upper frontal plate. Further, neither the MG port nor the drivers view slit are weak points. Discard them as targets.
* Gun mantlet is an extra 75 mm bolted on to the turret, with some parts with an additional 90 mm added instead. This results in a spaced overlapped part with ~150 mm. Only the cheeks left, and right of the mantlet bulges should be shot! However, these areas are quite small and easily missed, if the turret is traversed.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 46.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 36 (AB)
|-
|34 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|16.85
|20.74
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.54
|13.04
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|L-11 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[L-11 (76 mm)|76 mm L-11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 111 || -7°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 7.1 || 9.9 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 7.1 || 8.4 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.3 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||78||76||69||61||53||47
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||93||91||83||74||66||58
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel|| 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 615 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 615 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 615 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 615 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_KV-1(L-11).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the KV-1 L-11]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''111''' || 107 ''(+4)'' || 102 ''(+9)'' || 82 ''(+29)'' || 1 ''(+110)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 102 (+9)

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The first thing to know about the tank, just because it's a heavy tank ''does not'' mean you should charge headfirst into the enemy. While it may look intimidating as you watch the enemy's shells deflect off your vehicle as you move slightly forward to their front lines, you risk getting flanked as moving forward gives the enemy enough space to get around and hit you in the vulnerable rear area. Try to avoid letting the enemy get close enough to catch your turret ring and destroy each of your crew from there. Despite the 75 mm all-around armour, don't think for a second that you are invulnerable and play smart still.

One of the more common and dangerous enemies this vehicle will face is the [[Pz.IV F2|Pz IV F2.]] The Panzer IV F2 has thin armour, but the long [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm]] cannon can easily pierce the KV-1 armour if it is not angled properly. The penetration for the PzGr 39 Shell, which is an APCBC and the stock shell for the Panzer IV F2, at normal combat ranges of 100 meters and 500 meters has 133 mm and 121 mm respectively.

===Counter-tactics===
''Never'' charge into a KV-1 unless you are also playing as a heavy tank. The L-11 is a low-quality gun but can do devastating damage at short range. As a light tank, medium tank, or tank destroyer, ''always'' sneak around the KV-1 and get in shots from the back or side. It is not advised to engage with a KV-1 at all if you are playing as an SPAA.

As a heavy tank, if your gun is capable of penetrating the front of the KV-1's frontal armour, aim for the lower middle of the upper glacis, where the large ammo rack is located. If the shot penetrates, it almost guarantees a destroyed KV-1 as the ammo rack is huge.

As a light tank, medium tank or tank destroyer/SPG, use the advantage of cover (building, hill, trees, etc.) to flank or get behind a KV-1. It will be hard-pressed to turn quickly enough to angle its near-impervious frontal armour towards you. If you are not confident in your gun's ability to deal significant damage to the engine block or ammo racks, it is advised to fire at the tracks and disable the tank before rushing up to it and firing directly at the back. Shooting at the rear of the turret is also an option to attempt to hit one of the ammo racks on either side. However, smarter drivers will empty their turret of ammunition, so firing at the turret will not always work.

===Modules===
As usual, ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' first. ''Tracks'' is a good additional choice, a frequently targeted module. Also, it increases your turning capability a lot. After these, research ''Adjustment of fire'' and ''Brake System'', because the accuracy of the L-11 cannon is slightly increased, even though it is still subpar. The suspension is useful for firing on the move, something particularly useless for a slow, heavy tank. Braking quickly and being able to fire a more accurate shot proves to be much more efficient. The BR-350SP does not see any use. The small gain in penetration is offset by the lack of any HE filler, and the round should be ignored entirely. Afterwards, all Tier III & Tier IV upgrades are equally useful.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* All points of armour are better than good at its rank
* Angling your hull makes it virtually immune to most guns it faces
* Virtually no weak spot except the small turret ring
* Gun does decent damage upon penetration
* Heavily armoured for a Rank II tank
* One of the few Russian tanks that have a crew of five
* Excellent rate of fire, useful for short-range engagements
* Quicker and better armed than the other first-rank II heavy tank; the [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda II]]

'''Cons:'''

* L-11 gun is very inadequate for its battle rating
* Low speed, typical for heavy tanks
* Slow turret traverse, if you need to change targets quickly you must rotate both the turret and the hull
* Making turns, especially when playing as the stock KV-1, will decrease your speed dramatically
* Penetration shots from the sides and below the turret are typically catastrophic
* Heavy and slow, you can't relocate quickly, and you are vulnerable when climbing hills
* Later variant of the Panzer IV can easily penetrate your armour, even from the front
* Large fuel tanks lined up on the side
* Cannot reliably compete with other heavy tanks in its BR range
* Most British tanks can penetrate your armour even from long range
* Trying to knock out another KV-1 L-11 is just a waste of shells and time

== History ==

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

During the developmental progress, the prototypes of all these heavy tanks were made, and the Winter War with Finland was on its way. The Soviets sent these tanks into Finland for combat testing, to which the KV design outperform in every way with its superior armour and firepower. The armour on the KV tank was impenetrable by a tank cannon in service and most anti-tank guns as well; the 76.2 mm cannon also gave it a colossal firepower boost compared to the usual 37 mm in use by other countries. However, the design was found to be challenging to steer, the transmission was unreliable, ergonomics were weak, and vision was limited, plus with its 45-ton weight, it was a weighty tank for its time. In truth, while formidable in power and protection, courageous crew member willing to curse the name would speak out about the trouble the KV tank was. The first variant of production before World War II broke out was the '''KV-1''' model. The first model production was equipped with the L-11 cannon, but this was deemed insufficient in performance and was later replaced in subsequent production models by the improved [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|F-34, or the ZiS-5 cannon]].

===Combat usage===
When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the Red Army had 508 of the KV tanks. With that many KV tanks available, the Russians shocked the German forces as their anti-tank and tank forces had few weapons capable of defeating it, having to rely mostly on the 88 mm Flak guns and the 5 cm Pak 38 with APCR rounds. But by 1942, Germany fielded large amounts of long barreled 50mm and 75mm cannons in both tanks and towed format, making the KV lose much of its armour advantage.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of glory for the KV-1 was at Krasnogvardeysk near Leningrad on the 19th of August 1941 when 5 KV-1s, led by Lt Zinoviy Kolobanov, ambushed the German 8th Panzer Division (a light panzer division consisting mainly of Panzer II, III and 38(t)). But there are some contradicting stories about what happened, and even if it indeed did happen. One story that supports the claim goes like this: each of the five KV-1s was hiding at different locations, came out one by one to fire at the incoming German tanks, then retreat before the next tank could come out. Such tactic boxed an entire tank and ended with 43 tanks destroyed before the KV-1 tanks retreated from running out of ammo, all in a span of about half an hour. During this battle, one of the KV-1 tanks was struck 135 times with no penetration. For their feat, Lt Z. Kolobanov and a few officers were decorated with the Order of Lenin and Order of the Red Banner medal.

The KV-1 continued to serve until the end of the war, though in dwindling numbers as they were lost due to mechanical failures, combat, and being superseded by more modern tanks. Some KV-1s built in 1941 still saw service in 1944 at the Leningrad front before being replaced by IS-2 tanks, then they saw service in Manchuria in 1945 before retired altogether at the end of World War II.

===Variants===
Many variants of the KV tank would be produced in the span of World War II as the Soviet try to keep it in production as long as possible, the initial version was called the '''KV-1''' and remained most part as the main Soviet heavy tank for the first part of World War II. A bunker-buster variant mounting a 152 mm howitzer after experiences in Finland brought the monster '''[[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]]''' assault tank, which is very turret heavy that it must be on a flat surface to properly rotate. After complaints of its mechanical issues and lack of performance compared to the lighter [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] medium tank was heard, the factory lightened the tank in 1943 and designated as the '''[[KV-1S]]''' which presented some good features into the tank like a commander's cupola. But the KV-1S introduction was a little too late as then the better German tanks such as the [[Panther D|Panther tanks]] could knock them out with ease. An attempt to up-gun the KV-1S was to give it the 85 mm D-5T gun then in use on the [[SU-85]]. This variant was called the '''[[KV-85]]'''. Though it was seen favourable for a nice increase in firepower among the armoured forces, soon even the lighter T-34 began mounting the 85 mm gun as the [[T-34-85]]. It was determined that the heavy tank would have a much bigger gun than the medium tanks, but at the time the KVs were falling out of favour in preference to the newer [[IS-1]] and [[IS-2]] heavy tanks coming into service, which were based off the ''KV-13'' prototype tanks developed in 1942 as a medium tank.

===Survivors===
Several KV-1s survive after the war, most as monuments, but also in museums. Only one genuine KV-1 was restored to running condition in Russia after it was found in the bottom of the Neva River.

=== In-game description ===
The first clashes with Spanish nationalists armed with light anti-tank weapons made it clear that a new heavy tank with cannonproof armour had to be created. The heavy tank's design began at the end of 1938.

For 1940, the mass-produced KV-1 was a truly pioneering innovation, embodying the most advanced ideas of its time: individual torsion-bar suspension, reliable cannonproof armour and a single powerful universal weapon within a classic layout. This was the first time such an arrangement was used on a Soviet mass-produced heavy tank, which meant that the KV-1 received the strongest defences and most potential for modernisation. The tank's armoured hull was welded from 75, 40, 30 and 20 mm thick rolled armour plates. The KV-1 was equipped with a 500 hp B-2K diesel engine and a 76.2 mm L-11 cannon with an ammunition complement of 111 shots, in addition to three 7.62 mm DT machine guns. One was paired with the cannon, while the others were placed on the bow and stern in ball mounts. When necessary, the machine guns could be removed and used outside the tank.
The KV-1 tanks made their debut on the Winter War front. The tank successfully passed its trial by fire. No enemy anti-tank cannon was able to destroy it. Many times, the new vehicles survived battle not only with several, but with several dozen German tanks.

The tank had some serious drawbacks: its poorly designed transmission and air filter, insufficiently durable tracks and road wheels, a crowded fighting compartment and poor vision. The engine and transmission often broke down during intensive use. The tank's 7 tonne turret also caused many problems. Its weight lead to rotation issues related to the high force placed on the aiming mechanism levers and the low power of the electric motors.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23kv1l11 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the KV-1 L-11 series from live.warthunder.com.]

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2783/current/ Official War Thunder article: [Historical<nowiki>]</nowiki> Tanks of Kliment Voroshilov] 

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

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

{{USSR heavy tanks}}

T-34 (1942)

2019-08-16T21:32:46Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_34_1942}}
{{About
| about = Soviet medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = T-34 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-34(1942).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]].

In 1942, a new hexagonal turret was developed and introduced for the T-34 medium tank in order to streamline production. Crew ergonomics were slightly improved, although the turret remained a two-man turret. Various other improvements were introduced, although most of these were geared towards increasing reliability and ease of production.

Ingame, the 1942 model is very similar in capability and characteristics to the earlier [[T-34 (1941)]]. The primary improvements are in the slightly faster reload speed (reflecting the improved crew ergonomics) and the thickened driver's hatch cover. It also has access to late-war APCR ammunition.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Driver's hatch, Machine gun mount)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 99 mm (5-35°) ''Welded glacis joint'' 45 mm (52°) ''Lower glacis'' 60 mm (1-73°) ''Machine gun ball mount'' 75 mm (60°) ''Driver's hatch'' || 40 mm (40°) ''Top'' 45 mm (0°) ''Lower'' || 40 mm (47-49°) ''Top'' 40 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 16 mm
|-
| Turret || 53 mm (3-58°) ''Turret front'' 45 mm (2-78°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 53 mm (21-22°) || 53 mm (18-20°) || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

====== Hull armour ======
The 1942 model has a very similar hull armour profile to the 1941 model, relying on angling instead of sheer thickness for protection. There are two key differences: the machine gun ball mount has an increased thickness of 60 mm of armour (compared to 45 mm on earlier models), as does the driver's hatch (75 mm, compared to 45 mm on earlier models). The weak spots created by the driver's optics on earlier models have also been removed. The driver's hatch has the thickest armour on any part of the T-34 and can be quite resilient to enemy fire if hit.

It should be noted that due to the relatively thin plate thickness used (40–45 mm), the T-34's hull is vulnerable can be vulnerable to overmatching from 75 mm and larger guns.T

====== Turret armour ======
The new hexagonal turret features thicker armour than on the 1941 model. However, there are a few caveats:

* The angling is noticeably worse, and there are some relatively flat spots on the front that can be vulnerable to penetrations from even relatively weak guns at close ranges.
* The turret front, side, and rear armour is made of cast armour instead of rolled plate, which is slightly weaker.

Overall, the turret armour is not a significant improvement over the earlier models and is in some ways weaker.

====== Module/crew layout ======
The bulk of the T-34's main gun ammunition is carried low in the hull, making it relatively hard to detonate the ammunition of a T-34, especially if it is carrying a reduced ammunition load. However, the T-34's hull sides are spanned by relatively large fuel tanks; thus, side penetrations can cause the diesel fuel to catch fire.

The crew are seated in a quite compact manner inside the tank, and successful penetrations are likely to disable multiple crew members at once.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 29.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 54 (AB)
|-
|49 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|25.83
|31.80
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|14.73
|16.67
|-
|}
The T-34 has a relatively good power-to-weight ratio. Combined with the wide tracks, this gives it excellent mobility, even over relatively soft terrain. The 1942 model is slightly heavier than the earlier T-34 models, although its mobility is not noticeably different.

The T-34 is not capable of neutral steering and has a reverse speed of about 10 km/h.

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|F-34 (76 mm)}}

The 76 mm F-34 remains the main armament of the 1942 model. It has a wide selection of ammunition, a relatively fast rate-of-fire, and is reasonably accurate.

The hexagonal turret has a very fast rotation speed, complimenting the T-34's advantages in brawling, close-range combat and allowing it to respond quickly to threats from multiple directions. The 5° of gun depression is standard for most Soviet tanks, although bad compared to most Allied tanks.

The BR-350B APHEBC shell is by far the best shell for the F-34 under most circumstances. It has the best penetration of the AP rounds with explosive fillers and is extremely lethal, usually one-shotting most tanks if it successfully penetrates.

The 1942 model also has access to the late-war BR-350P APCR shell. It has the best penetration of all the shells against vertical armour, but its lethality is very disappointing and the performance against sloped armour is atrocious. It is often better to simply flank around enemy tanks and use the BR-350B APHEBC round instead. Nevertheless, it is useful as a backup option if a frontal engagement against a heavily armoured tank is unavoidable.

The other shells are very situational:

* OF-350M: HE; useful for breaking the hulls of lightly armoured/unarmoured vehicles.
* Sh-354T: Shrapnel; useful against vehicles that are resistant to the HE shell but too thinly armoured to trigger the fuzes of APHE shells.
* BP-350A: HEAT; best penetration beyond 1,000 m, but the T-34 generally do not fare well in long-range duels.
* BR-350SP: APBC; a solid shot that is somewhat more lethal than APCR, but with less penetration.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[F-34 (76 mm)|76 mm F-34]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 100 || -5°/+28° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.90 || 20.60 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.90 || 17.50 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 8.40 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||86||85||76||67||59||52
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||102||100||91||81||72||64
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC ||94||92||83||73||65||57
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 135 || 130 || 92 || 60 || 39 || 26
|-
| BP-350A || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 665 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 680 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 680 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350B || APHEBC || 680 || 6.3 || 0.9 || 15.0 || 108.8 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350P || APCR || 950 || 3.0 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| BP-350A || HEAT || 355 || 5.3 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 1,060 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| D-350A || 680 || 6.5 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-34(1942).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of T-34 1942.]]The T-34 1942 model has a maximum ammunition capacity of 100 rounds, which is far more than is likely to be needed in an average battle.

Taking 89 rounds will leave only the ammunition racks in the bottom of the hull, decreasing the risk of ammunition detonation if penetrated.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''100''' || 97 ''(+3)'' || 93 ''(+7)'' || 89 ''(+11)'' || 1 ''(+99)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Like the previous T-34 models, the 1942 model excels at close to medium range fighting, utilizing its outstanding mobility for a medium tank to rapidly close the distance and relocate to attack from unexpected directions. The sloped hull armour has a good chance of ricocheting hastily aimed shots and helps increase the odds of the T-34 surviving when moving in to engage. The lethal BR-350B APHEBC round complements this playstyle, having about enough penetration to deal with the flanks of most enemies likely to be encountered; a single penetrating hit is usually fatal for the target. In close combat, the fast turret traverses and quick reload allow the T-34 to respond quickly towards changing situations, usually helping to ensure it will be the first to get its gun on the target.

Conversely, the T-34 fares poorly in long-range combat; both the BR-350B APHEBC and BR-350P APCR rounds have poor penetration at long ranges, and the BP-350A HEAT round is quite underwhelming as well.

=== Common opponents ===
'''[[M4|Medium Tank M4]], [[M4A2]]''' (American): The T-34's 76 mm gun cannot penetrate the welded hull M4/M4A2 reliably from the front, while the 75 mm gun on the M4/M4A2 can penetrate the T-34's turret and disable or cripple it. They do have very weak lower side hull armour (only 38 mm) that can be overmatched by the 76 mm APHEBC round if exposed, and the flat areas on the turret can also be penetrated fairly reliably if they can be hit. Generally avoid head-on engagements, especially if the M4 is hull-down.

'''[[M4A1|Medium Tank M4A1]], [[Sherman II]]''' (American/French, British): Similar to the M4/M4A2, except that the cast hull is weaker than the welded hull on the M4/M4A2, and can be penetrated frontally. Otherwise, the same advice applies.

'''[[M4A3E2|Assault Tank M4A3E2]]''' (American/French): The 'Jumbo' is one of the most dangerous opponents the T-34 can face. It is completely immune to the 76 mm F-34 gun from the front, except for the hard-to-hit hull machine gun mount. It is relatively slow and unmanoeuvrable, however, and is very vulnerable to flanking attacks, as its side armour is thin. It also shares the same lower side hull weakness with the other M4 variants.

'''[[Pz.IV F2|Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2]]''', [[Pz.IV G|'''G''']], [[Pz.IV H|'''H''']], [[Pz.IV J|'''J''']] (German): The Ausf. F2 variant is the first Panzer IV to mount a long-barreled 75 mm gun. This gun is one of the most lethal mounted on any tank within the T-34's BR range, and it is easily capable of penetrating the T-34 at most ranges. The Ausf. F2 has very weak armour, however, and is something of a glass cannon. The Ausf. G, H, and J have up-armoured hulls that are quite difficult to penetrate, but their turrets are as weak as the one on the F2. The Ausf. J, in particular, has manual turret traverse and is very vulnerable to being flanked. Avoid long-range duels with them.

[[Chi-Nu II|'''Chi-Nu II''']] (Japanese): Essentially the Japanese counterpart to the German Panzer IV Ausf. F2.

[[Churchill Mk III|'''Churchill III''']], [[Pz.Kpfw. Churchill (Germany)|'''Churchill(e)''']] (British, German): The 6-pounder gun on the Churchill will be hard-pressed to penetrate the sloped T-34 hull, but it can easily penetrate the turret and disable the turret crew. It is difficult to penetrate the frontal armour of the Churchill at long ranges. However, it is a slow, cumbersome heavy tank, and is easy to outflank and dispatch with shots to the side armour.

'''[[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill VII]]''' (British): The Churchill VII is virtually immune to the T-34 from the front, while it's 75 mm gun can penetrate the T-34's turret fairly easily. Even from the side, it has 95 mm of armour that cannot be penetrated by the BR-350B APHEBC round except at very close range, and even slight angling will render it all but immune. It is even slower than the Churchill III, however, and thus easy to avoid and outflank.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast turret traverse and quick reload, excelling in close combat situations
* Sloped hull armour resistant against lower calibre guns, capable of ricocheting larger calibre guns when angled correctly
* Outstandingly lethal BR-350B APHEBC round, capable of one-shotting most tanks if it penetrates
* Excellent manoeuvrability and high speed for a medium tank, allowing for quick relocation and flanking attacks
* Access to BR-350P APCR round for use against heavily armoured targets at close range
* Well-protected ammunition stowage in the hull floor

'''Cons:'''

* Hull armour is vulnerable to overmatching by large-calibre shells
* Hexagonal turret has a thicker but less angled armour and is also a larger target compared to the original T-34 turret
* Poor penetration at long range with any ammunition type
* Cramped interior, penetrations are likely to cripple multiple modules and/or crew members
* Poor gun depression

== History ==

===Development===
By 1939, the most numerous tank models in the Red Army were the [[T-26|T-26]] and the [[BT-7|BT-series]] light tanks. Though adequate on the days they were introduced, they are now outdated by this time due to the changing technology in anti-tank warfare. Back in 1937, a new tank project was already taking place under engineer Mikhail Koshkin, who was assigned to lead a design team at the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ) for a replacement for the BT light tanks as a new "cavalry tank" to engage in manoeuvre warfare. The first prototype was designated the ''A-20'' with 20 mm of armour, a 45 mm gun, and a diesel engine in a V-12 configuration. The Christie suspension is taken from the BT, even the conversion to drive track-less on roads. But gradually, the new track designs available made this conversion redundant and was excluded in further models. The A-20 also showed the effective research done into sloping armour on previous prototype designs, utilizing an all-around sloping armour on the design.

It was during this design process that the Russo-Japanese border wars took place and showed the deficiency of the T-26 and BT models. Koshkin then appealed for the initiation of a much better tank concept, the "universal tank" to completely replace the T-26 and BT tanks. The second prototype was the ''A-32'' and has an increased 32 mm of frontal armour with a 76.2 mm L-10 gun. The heavier prototype was still just as mobile as the A-20, and further development into the design increased the frontal armour thickness to 45 mm thick and a newer 76.2 mm L-11 gun attached instead. This model was approved for production and designated the '''T-34''' after the year 1934 when Koshkin believed was when he formulated the idea for the T-34. Koshkin, however, never saw his tanks in action as he succumbed to pneumonia in September 1940 after trials with the T-34 in the cold winter. Thus, the drivetrain developer Alexander Morozov was appointed as the next Chief Designer. The T-34 tank would go on to become the most produced World War II tank, with 84,070 tanks produced in the production span between 1940 to 1958.

===Design===
The T-34 took all of the Soviet's experiences with tanks and incorporated into the design. The tank had great sloping armour, a powerful engine, wide tracks, and a large gun. At its introduction, the armour of the T-34 was one of the best in the world, by sloping the 45 mm thick armour plate by 60 degrees, the effective thickness was now 90 mm thick. The armour was welded into place instead of riveted as rivets tend to "spall" and cause damage inside the tank even if the armour was not penetrated. The 76.2 mm gun was a major advantage compared to those on its adversaries, as it could be used as a multi-purpose weapon against infantry and tanks, unlike the Germans who had tanks split for two different roles such as the [[Pz.III E|Panzer III for anti-tank]] and the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV for infantry support]]. The engine, a Model V-2-34 V12 diesel engine, was adequately powerful for the Christie suspension tank design and allowed the T-34 to reach a maximum of 53 km/h (33 mph). The powerful engine, added with the wide tracks that gave it lower ground pressure, allowed the T-34 to travel across cross-country terrain with relative freedom without risk of bogging down.

However, the T-34 is not without its fault and its quality is very questionable in some cases. Two [[T-34 (1941)]] models were sent to the United States in late 1942 for evaluations. The evaluations found the armour quality to be rather insufficient, with improper welding in places that can allow leaks and improper alloys that made armour weaker in some places than others, the T-34 cast turret was even found to use softer armour than the hull that render it vulnerable to even 37 mm shells. The gun sights for the 76.2 mm cannon was also quite poor in comparison to the Axis and other Allies. The tank reliability was also troubled by various mechanical issues, especially in the earlier models. Low-quality air filters and insufficient airflow could impede the engine capabilities and the turret drive had poor reliability that could easily jam up. The vision devices were also poor, the crew are unable to see outside the tank with enough situational awareness, even the tank commander couldn't see well out of the tank. Also, the lack of radios on the first few years of T-34s forced the tank commanders to communicate via flags, with only company commanders tanks fitted with the radios. Ergonomics inside the tanks was unsatisfactory and was very cramped inside, with no turret basket the loader has to struggle when the turret rotates and accessing ammunition on the floor boxes makes it a hard and dangerous job for the loader. The commander's hatch on the turret was also one-piece, making even a "heads-up" view for the commander impossible on these large one-piece hatches. Finally, the two-person turret suffered from not only a very cramped compartment but an overworked commander who has to act as a gunner as well.

===T-34 Mod. 1942===
The '''T-34 Mod. 1942''' was an improved variant of the T-34 that also presented some fixes to general issues with the T-34. The Model 1942 was still mounted with a 76.2 mm cannon, making it a T-34/76 still, and the design featured additional armour and many simplified parts and components. The tank's road wheels, track pattern, driver's hatch, and transmission access cover on the rear were redesigned. Some of the designs also had a headlight moved to the left of the hull. However, at the same time, the '''Model 1943''' (released in 1942) was also introduced into the circulation, which features the more radical changes in the T-34 tank compared to the Mod. 1942. The T-34 Mod. 1943 was most prominent with the hexagonal turret, more armour, increased fuel capacity, and more ammo stowage. The hatches on this new turret came in two, one for loader and the commander and opens in a way that the Germans nicknamed it the "Mickey Mouse" tank due to the round hatches forming a shape similar to the circular ears when both are opened. Later Mod. 1943 production tanks were given a commander's cupola that provided a decent view for the commander, much better compared to a lone periscope, which was the only vision device for the commander when "button-upped" beforehand. To increase confusion, the Mod. 1943 was called the Model 1942 by the Soviets; regardless this vehicle is the most prominent by the hexagonal turret, which is seen in-game. Though it is unsure about the specific number of the model was produced, it made up part of the 35,120 T-34/76 created in its production life.

===Combat usage===
The newer T-34 models saw action in most operations in 1942, most notably during the Battle of Stalingrad, where T-34s made the main striking force of Operation Uranus to encircle the German Sixth Army and trap them inside Stalingrad. During the battle, T-34s were still being made in the Stalingrad Tractor Factory, churning out tanks that were immediately sent to the front-lines once finished that sometimes went without paint finish and crewed by the workers that were involved building the tank in the factory. After Stalingrad, the Soviet Army continued to push the Germans back in various of offensives, with the T-34 as the main tank in the armoured force. The T-34 mod. 1943 were also given to Polish and Czech units that escaped to the Soviet Union to continue fighting against the Germans. Like the Soviets, these units received little training with the T-34 and so casualties remain high in T-34 crew members.

The T-34 also became the most numerous tank in Soviet usage by the time Germany launched the 1943 Summer offensive Operation Citadel or the "Battle of Kursk". This battle was the debut of the [[Panther D|Panthers]] and saw a very large concentration in [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]]s and [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand tank destroyers]]. Other units supplementing these heavier tanks were the [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IVs]], [[StuG III G|StuG IIIs]], and the [[Pz.III M|Panzer III]]s. The introduction of these newer and more powerful tanks and tank destroyers and improved German tanks in the largest tank battle in history caused high casualties in the T-34 ranks and the entire Soviet armoured forces in a whole. The Tiger's 88 mm cannon is able to destroy the T-34 from a range of 1,500 meters while the 76.2 mm cannon on the T-34 must get very close in order to penetrate. In order to engage these tanks, the T-34 forces try to maximize their massive quantity of units to overwhelm German tank units and getting to "point-blank" ranges to the point of ramming in order to negate either of the tank's range advantages and blast away at each other.

The T-34's growing deficiency in performance in the war was due to the Soviet high command decision's to keep with one design in production to minimize costs and keep manufacturing rate high. This meant that upgrades to the tank were not the highest priority for the tank. While this ideal was very sufficient in the first two years since Operation Barbarossa, it now made the T-34 lacking compared to the improved German tanks. Attempts to fix this decision was to mount stronger guns onto the T-34, the first attempt was the mounting of the [[T-34-57|57 mm ZiS-4 cannon]] to make the T-34 a "tank hunter", but the 57 mm gun lacked a decent HE shell, this was not an efficient tank gun and was pulled. Then, it was decided to mount an 85 mm anti-aircraft gun onto the tank, though requiring a much larger turret to take in the bigger gun. This tank with the 85 mm gun was called the [[T-34-85 (D-5T)|T-34-85]].

=== In-game description ===
In 1942, a larger cast hexagonal turret was developed with two round hatches for the commander and the loader. The turret's armour was enhanced to a thickness of 52 mm in its frontal section. Its ammunition load was increased to 100 shells. Its operational range was also increased to 400 km by adding additional fuel tanks inside and outside the hull. The front-mounted 7.62 mm DT machine gun received an armoured gun mantlet. Depending on the factory that made them, the road wheels differed from each other in their appearance. h

Solid drop-forged rubber-coated wheels cast with reinforcing bars and circular apertures on the disc were used, both with and without bands. The tank was equipped with a more effective air filter system and an all-range fuel pump regulator. Unit commanders' vehicles were upgraded to the more powerful 9-R radio set from the 71-ТК-3 set. The T-34's mass increase from 28.5 tonnes to 30.9. The increased weight did not affect the vehicle's speed and manoeuvrability.

The turrets, produced by the UZTM factory in 1943, were drop-forged from 45 mm plate. These turrets were easy to differentiate from others owing to their rounded upper edges. On the whole, the new changes lead to an increase in the tank's manufacturing ease, combat strength and manoeuvrability. In total, 23,332 of these tanks were manufactured with the upgraded turret.

Tanks of this model participated in all the operations of the Great Patriotic War from the end of 1942 to the Battle in Berlin. Furthermore, their proportion in tank brigades constantly grew, and by November 1943, brigades had become uniform groups of 65 T-34s. Captured tanks served in the armies of Finland, Romania, and Hungary and were actively used by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen SS. The latter had an entire battalion of T-34s, one of which was commanded by the notorious tank ace Emil Seibold, who destroyed around 40 tanks with his T-34.

The Polish Army, the Czechoslovakian corps and the army of Yugoslavia all received tanks of this model.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

==References==
<references />

== Read also ==

[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3662-profile-t-34-model-1942-a-tough-nut-to-crack-en [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> T-34 Model 1942 - A Tough Nut to Crack]

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

BM-13N

2019-08-16T21:27:36Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated rocket penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_bm_13n}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a gift Rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]] as part of a [http://warthunder.com/en/news/4687-vday-bm-13n-say-hello-from-katyusha-en Victory Day Event] known as "KATYUSHA" during the span of May 06 - 10. The vehicle is unlocked during the event by destroying five vehicles using the [[BM-8-24]].

One of the most unusual vehicle in game, to say the least. Not only is its truck-based configuration not the most common, it also uses 16 x 132 mm M13 rockets as a main armament, has limited traverse, only 2 crew member, and a gun depression of +8°. The last is somewhat compensated by its ability to lean forwards with a [[hydropneumatic suspension|hydropneumatic suspension system]] found on some Rank 5 vehicles. Its gameplay is somewhat comparable to other unique premium machines such as the [[Calliope|T34 ''Calliope'']] or [[Panzerwerfer 42]], but remains a rather unique experience.

The '''BM-13N''', also known as Katyusha, is an artillery piece, belonging more in an artillery formation than in a tank battle. One should stay at a distance from the enemy since its rockets have a blind zone of about 250 meters in front of the truck when moving on a flat surface. This is best used as it was back in the days: to support allies. Best used in RB, it is a nasty surprise.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Roof)
* Structural steel (Chassis and driver's cabin)
* Gun steel

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Driver's cabin || 1 mm (77-86°) ''Hood'' 4 mm (38°) ''Driver's windows'' || 1 mm (1-8°) || 4 mm (86°) || 4 mm
|-
| Truck bed || 5 mm || 5 mm || 5 mm || 5 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Wheels provide 2 mm of armour thickness
* No armour in front grille, simple 7.62 mm machine gun rounds can enter and damage the engine.

=== Mobility ===


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 7.9 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 78 (AB)
|-
|72 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|134
|164
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|83
|94
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|16.96
|20.76
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.51
|11.90
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|M13}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M13|132 mm M13 rockets]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 16 || +8°/+45° || ±10° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.2 || 5.8 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.2 || 4.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 10.4 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| M-13 || SSM ||40||40||40||40||40||40
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| M-13 || SSM || 355 || 42 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 4,900 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_BM-13N.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the BM-13N.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |10th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |11th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |12th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |13th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |14th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |15th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |16th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''16''' || 15 || 14 || 13 || 12 || 11 || 10 || 9 || 8 || 7 || 6 || 5 || 4 || 3 || 2 || 1 || 0 || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Rockets deplete right to left, columns first

== Usage in battles ==


There is two main ways to use the Katyusha:

'''''Artillery''''' 
This truck is a real killer in an open field, provided it could hit its target before it is noticed. Since its main sight lack ranging marks, one should estimate the correct angle, shoot a rocket, watch where it lands, adjust fire, retry it as many time as it needs. Do not take too much time at range finding since a single shot can end your day. Once the correct angle is found, '''unleash hell'' on your enemies, blinding them with dust lifting up from the ground, detonating ammo racks and blasting off tracks. This is basically an intelligent artillery barrage. Once all rockets are fired, fall back behind ally lines, find a captured objective to reload at, repeat.

'''''Ambusher''''' 
Best used in an urban combat scenario, when your team is losing. In these kind of times, enemies often rush the base/objectives without watching corners very well. This is your chance: find yourself a pile of rubble and lift the rear of the truck on it in such a way that you can fire right in front of you, past the corner. When an enemy passes by, spread it with rockets until it dies, using your good rate of fire. This tactic is often a last resort since you're cornered and encircled, you may kill 1 or more enemy if you're lucky but you will eventually be spotted or run out of rockets.

When firing, try to aim for these:

* '''Tank's bellies''': since almost no tank has more than 40 mm of armour underneat, it can disable them.
* '''Tracks''': To immobilize your foes, providing your allies a chance to finish them off. Some tanks store ammo over the tracks, it can detonate them.
* '''Gun barrel''': Blasting off your ennemy's gun barrell will incapacitate it from effectively firing back at your allies.
* '''Engine deck''': Can disable a tank's engine, in the best case scenario igniting it.
* '''Turret front'''/ '''Commander's hatch''': Many tanks have weak top armour, use it to your advantage.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Powerful 132mm M13 rockets that can pierce 39 mm of steel
* High fire rate
* Moderate speed
* High velocity rockets
* Adjustable suspension
* Can be used in deceptions: A similar model is used as decorations on some maps, without rockets and add-on armour, which may allow the player to hide. Works better when in group of 2 or more.

'''Cons:'''

* Horribly protected against artillery and planes, Team kills are frequent due to this
* Distinguishable firing signature
* Lacks of other armaments beside rockets
* Bad gun traverse
* Low rocket supply of 16
* Technically has the worst gun depression in game of +8°
* Large dead zone in front of vehicle up to 250 meters on default suspension adjustment
* The only 2 crew members are barely protected
* Little to no armour, as expected from a truck
* Effectively built and intended as an indirect fire weapon, but no game mechanics exist in War thunder currently to support this playstyle.

== History ==

===Development===
The concept of a multiple rocket launcher system came about in June 1938, when the Soviet Jet Propulsion Research Institute was authorized by the Main Artillery Directorate to develop such system for the RS-132 rocket in use on their aircraft. A prototype by I. Gvay in Chelyabinsk was tried and fired M-132 rockets on ZiS-5 trucks, though these were unstable and were revised on the proposals of V.N. Galkovskiy to mount the launching rails longitudinally. Testing for the newly made prototype began at the end of 1938, firing 233 rounds in a couple of salvos. The rockets were found to be able to hit up to 5,500 meters out, but the system was not looked fondly upon by the artillery branch. It took 50 minutes to load 24 rockets onto the launching rail, while a regular artillery cannon and howitzer can fire about a hundred in the same time at a sustained rate.

Testing continued up until 1940 and with a prototype of a truck with the launch rails on the back. The design was approved for production before Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, and mass-production began after the first month of the war, where the multiple rocket launchers proved very successful. During the war, the launchers were taken with much secrecy and operated by specialized troops such as the NKVD who do not even know its true name. Through the presence of a "K" on the vehicles from the Komintern Factory, the soldiers operating decided to nickname these launchers ''"Katyusha"'' after a popular wartime song of the same name. Up to 3,237 of all types of Katyusha launchers were produced from 1941 to the end of 1942, and more than 10,000 were made by the end of the war.

===Advantages and disadvantages===
Compared to the contemporary artillery systems of the time, the multiple rocket launcher system presented a different kind of artillery barrages used in the field. Advantages the multiple rocket launcher was that they were simple, extremely effective in saturation bombardment, fires lots of ordnance in a small time span, and were usually attached to mobile vehicles that can permit a quick retreat after firing to prevent counter-battery firing. Disadvantages with the system was that the rockets took a long time to reload, less accurate than regular artillery guns, and cannot sustain fire for a long period of time. However, in the battlefield, the multiple rocket launcher induces a greater psychological effect onto the targets on the receiving end due to the heavy amount of explosives able to be delivered in a short time. A battery of only four launchers could deliver their salvos of about 4.35 tons of explosives in a span of no longer than 10 seconds at a 400,000 square meter area.

===Designations===
Multiple variants of the multiple rocket launcher system were made in the course of the war as the design is simply the attachment of launch rails onto a variety of vehicles. Each vehicle has different names that follows a template to distinguish their types.

* "BM-x-y" indicates a ground vehicle.
* "M-x-y" indicates a towed variant.
* "y-M-x" indicates a naval variant.

and "x" stands for the missile model while "y" stands for the number of launch rails available for the launcher variant. For example, the BM-8-16 indicates a ground vehicle firing M-8 rockets with 16 rails available to mount on.

Vehicles using the Katyusha launchers range from trucks, cars, and tanks. The production started with trucks such as the ZiS-6, then moving on to STZ-5 artillery tractors, then on Allied Lend-Lease vehicles. The 82 mm M-8 rockets, which saw service in August 1941, was the most popular rocket variant and saw use on the trucks and even tanks, which would make the '''BM-8-24''' rocket launcher tank mounted on the [[T-60]] light tank. Another attempt with tank mounting was with a [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] heavy tank as the ''KV-1K'', but as a waste of heavy armour, this was scrapped.

===Combat usage===
The Katyusha rocket launchers first saw service during the opening of Operation Barbarossa against Germany. On July 14, 1941, under the experimental battery commanded by Captain Ivan Flyorov, seven launchers were used in Rudnya and were able to cause massive destruction to the Germans in the town before they fled in panic. This success prompted the Red Army to build up more Katyushas in their inventory and raise more batteries and regiments for the vehicle. All these units were under NKVD control for secrecy until the Germans reveal their own multiple rocket launcher system, the Nebelwerfer. The Germans nicknamed the Katyusha launchers ''"Stalin's Orgel"'', literally "Stalin's Organ" after Joseph Stalin and how the launchers are organized in a way which looks like a church organ. This German nickname became widely known in other areas in Western Europe. By the end of 1941, eight regiments and 37 independent battalions were available with a count of 554 Katyushas total.

The rocket launchers continue to become more integrated into the rest of the army as the war continued. Heavy mortar battalions were armed with the newer M-30 rocket launchers with heavy 300 mm M-30 rockets in June 1942. In July, a battalion of rocket launchers was added to the tank corps. The organization and equipment of these mortar battalions equipped with the Katyusha continue to increase and by the end of the war in 57 regiments, about 518 batteries of Katyusha launchers were available.

===Legacy===
The Katyusha launchers, issued in large numbers in the Eastern Front, was largely successful in the strategic effect of the war, granting the Soviet Union the ability to lay down a very heavy and shocking bombardment very quickly. The success of the system prompted many other countries to pursuit such a system as well, such as the modified [[Calliope|T34 Calliope]] based off the Sherman and the Germans [[Panzerwerfer 42]]s. Today, the multiple rocket launcher system is still widespread with the implementation of newer technology, rockets, and missiles that makes the rocket launcher system a very potent weapon to anyone on the receiving end.

== Media ==

[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=ussr_bm_13n '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the BM-13N from live.warthunder.]

===Images===
[[File:Wallpaper BM-13NKatyusha.jpg|x300px|none|War Thunder Facebook announcement image]]

== 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 ==


* [http://warthunder.com/en/news/4687-vday-bm-13n-say-hello-from-katyusha-en [Event<nowiki>]</nowiki> BM-13N: Say Hello from Katyusha!]
* [[Wikipedia:Katyusha_rocket_launcher|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> Katyusha rocket launcher]]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

ZiS-30

2019-08-16T21:26:25Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_zis_30}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_ZiS-30.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} Russian tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. It is a lightly armoured tank destroyer mounting a gun that is very powerful for its rank.

The ZiS-30 is the second Soviet tank destroyer on the Soviet tech tree. The highlight of this tank destroyer is its ridiculously powerful gun for its rank, which is capable of destroying most tanks of a similar rank in one shot. The ZIS-30 serves mainly in a support role, firing from the rear of the line at spotted targets. Despite this, the ZIS-30 can feasibly serve as a lone sniper or a hit-and-run vehicle, due to its powerful gun and impressive speed. Although the ZIS-30 is a powerhouse in terms of speed and firepower, it is quite fragile and can easily be taken out by enemy tanks. Due to the near nonexistent armour of the ZIS-30, the crew is extremely prone to damage and it takes very few shots to knock them out. A proven tactic is to fire at preoccupied enemies so that they cannot react fast enough to fire back. Often it helps to set up an ambush position on a ridge and wait for the enemy to enter your line of fire. After taking several shots (2-4), it is advised that a new position be found, as other enemies may have noticed you by that time.

The ZiS-30 possesses three main advantages – small dimensions, great speed and manoeuvrability, and a fantastic gun for its rank. With its good top speed and acceleration, it can move very quickly across the map. It is also comparatively a very small vehicle, so it can be a very hard target to hit especially at long range. Its gun has virtually no problems when penetrating anything on the given BR spread (eg. 2.3-3.3) and features a (relatively) fast rate of fire and flat trajectory, making the vehicle a suitable long range sniper. As the gun is mounted onto the roof, the vehicle has a reasonably tall profile. This is both an advantage and disadvantage – it compromises your cover which allows you to be spotted easier, but at the same time, you can shoot over lower obstacles while exposing only the gun shield.

Obviously, there are disadvantages as well. The gun’s recoil is rather strong for the small chassis and the sway is large enough to cause you to lose track of your target, hence requiring realignment every time you take the shot. The vehicle also carries a very small ammunition supply. Most importantly, however, the vehicle’s armour is practically nonexistent and even armour piercing rounds from rifle calibre machine guns can pierce your frontal armour at close range. The crew of the gun are protected only by the gun shield. Otherwise, it’s exposed and thus very vulnerable. However, many armour piercing rounds will just pass through the gun shield without detonating, significantly reducing the damage. That being said, it is advised to use HE rounds when facing the ZiS-30.

Given its advantages and disadvantages, the ZiS-30’s performs best when used as a highly mobile, long range sniper. Race to a position using your speed and then conceal your fragile hull and then wait for the enemy to stumble in your sights. Use your high rate of fire to take several well-aimed shots, then quickly relocate. Further research of the ZiS-30 will lead to the famous [[SU-76M]] self-propelled gun.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 10 mm (24°) ''Front plate'' 10 mm (67°) ''Front glacis'' 10 mm (50°) ''Lower glacis'' || 7 mm (19°) ''Top'' 17 mm (1°) ''Bottom'' || 7 mm (1-42°)|| 5-7 mm
|-
| Gun shield || 5 mm (31°) || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Aside from the front gun shield, there is no armoured encasement for the gunner and loader crew members.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 4.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 46 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|71
|87
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|44
|50
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|17.75
|21.75
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.00
|12.50
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|ZiS-2 (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ZiS-2 (57 mm)|57 mm ZiS-2]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 20 || -4°/+22° || ±30° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.2 || 5.8 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.2 || 4.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || 5.75 || 5.30 || 5.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-271 || APHEBC ||145||143||132||119||108||98
|-
| BR-271K || APHE ||145||143||132||119||108||98
|-
| O-271 || HE || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-271 || APHEBC || 990 || 3.1 || 1.2 || 15 || 23.8 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-271K || APHE || 990 || 3.1 || 0.6 || 20.0 || 30.6 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| O-271 || HE || 700 || 3.7 || 0.4 || 0.01 || 220 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_ZiS-30.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the ZiS-30.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''20''' || 11 ''(+9)'' || 1 ''(+19)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Hull mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 756 (63) || 600 || ±10° || ±10°
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

As mentioned above, the ZIS-30 is ideal for ambush and sniping attacks, especially due to the fairly flat trajectory of the rounds. Carry a full load of ammo (it's only 20 rounds), especially the standard issue APHE shell, which is capable of penetrating the armour of just about every reasonable enemy for your BR. Shoot'n'scoot tactics are advised and use the surprising agility of the vehicle to get into unexpected locations.

While this tank can be used in AB to some effect (due to its excellent gun and good handling), you lose your main advantage, surprise! The ZIS-30 is easy to conceal due to its small size, especially if you have camouflage vegetation to add to the vehicle. This means that it is particularly effective in RB and SB. At the start of the match, rush to a good location overlooking enemy movement routes or a capture point and snipe away, making sure that you change your position every few shots to prevent enemies from tracking you down. In RB, planes become a big threat as the game goes on. Even light machine guns are a threat, and at BR 2.3 planes start getting heavier cannons and various payloads, which will tear you apart. Therefore, it is best to remain hidden in dense vegetation or among rocks or buildings to keep you safe.

In SB the ZIS-30 is very good at protecting capture points from enemy vehicles. Simply find a good hiding spot and wait for your enemy to go to capture the point, then take them out one by one.

===Modules===
Start as usual: ''Parts'' and ''FPE''. The BR-271 is a good shell and the BR-271K upgrade can be ignored. Focus on all accuracy upgrades. Long range duels and shots are a favourite past time of all tank destroyers. Additionally, it helps to hit the weak spots on enemy vehicles. After these, all performance upgrades like Engine or Suspension will come in handy to further improve the ZiS-30's excellent mobility.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent gun with good penetration, comparable to the Rank 3 tank [[T-34-57]]
* Has no issue penetrating anything at its rank
* Gun does good damage when it hits targets
* Short bullet travel time;
* Sufficient agility and top speed;
* Low shell fly arc, easy to aim in RB or SB
* Easy to conceal in vegetation (realistic & simulatory battles)
* Has a defensive machine gun for use against light SPAA
* Good horizontal traverse for the main gun

'''Cons:'''

* Paper armour, [[Browning M3 (12.7 mm)|HMG]]s are extremely dangerous
* Low HP ratio makes hill climbing difficult
* Wobbly handling, prone to accidental tipping with sharp turns
* Crew extremely prone to being injured
* Rocks violently upon vehicle stopping
* Low ammo capacity - carries 20 shells

== History ==


During the first weeks of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the Soviet armoured forces suffered crushing losses at the hands of the well organised German army. As the number of Soviet armoured vehicles rapidly decreased, Soviet representatives searched for ways to compensate for the losses with easily produced vehicles. As a result, an order for the quick development of improvised self-propelled anti-tank guns was issued in July 1941 as a means of providing the Red Army cheap and easy-to-produce anti-tank weapons. The schedule was extremely tight, allowing only two weeks for development.

In response to this, the design bureau in No.92 Factory, led by P. F. Muravyev, developed a light anti-tank destroyer using the chassis of the Komsomolets tracked artillery tractor, propelled by a 4-cylinder GAZ-M automobile engine which produced 50 horsepower and top speeds of up to 47.5 km/h (29.5 mph). The process of refitting the vehicle was simple: the chassis and the hull remained unchanged, while the armament, the 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun, was simply mounted atop the vehicle. The crew consisted of four men, the commander/gunner, loader, driver and machine gunner manning the hull-mounted machine gun. The situation was so dire, that mass production was launched on September 21, 1941, and by October 15, 100 vehicles designated as the '''ZiS-30''' were produced, a mere three months after the order to develop the vehicle was given, making it perhaps one of the fastest designed vehicles in the world.

The vehicle featured a gun that was capable of destroying any German tank of the period at combat range. This was a very welcome trait and proved invaluable to the Soviet defences against the German Panzers. However, there were significant disadvantages to its makeshift design. The weight of the gun reduced the mobility of the vehicle and the size of the vehicle allowed only a very small ammunition supply of 20 rounds to be carried. Protection of the crew was nonexistent, as the vehicle had only a very thin amount of armour and the gun crew was protected only frontally by the gun shield. The vehicle was unstable due to its high profile, had a low operational range and the communication between the driver and the gun crew was very problematic. Only 101 ZiS-30’s were manufactured due to problems with the availability of both the gun and the chassis, both being urgently needed elsewhere. The ZiS-30 served until Summer 1942, being replaced by more specialised vehicles such as the [[SU-76M]] once the urgency for such vehicles disappeared.

=== In-game description ===
During the first battles of the Great Patriotic War, it became clear that a new tank destroyer had to be developed, capable of quickly relocating and fighting German tank units, whose mobility significantly exceeded that of the Red Army's tank units.
The vehicle was designed by factory No. 92's design bureau, and consisted of a turret-mounted 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank cannon with a 73 calibre barrel length placed on a T-20 Komsomolets armoured artillery tractor.

The SPG's production began on 21 September 1941. By the 15th of October, the factory had produced 101 ZiS-30 vehicles in total, which took part in conflicts at the culmination of the Battle of Moscow. In September-October 1941, all these vehicles went towards reinforcing anti-tank gun batteries (6 vehicles per battery) in tank brigade motorised infantry batallions.

The artillery system allowed it to fire at a rate of up to 25 shots per minute, while its targeted firing rate amounted to 15 shots per minute. It was fired only from a stationary position. The tank destroyer was stabilised when firing using folding bipods located in the rear of the vehicle's hull. A 7.62 mm DT machine gun was mounted on the tank for self-defence, installed in a rotating joint on the right in the hull's frontal plate. The SPG's crew consisted of 4 people.

Artillerymen liked these self-propelled guns because of their mobility, improved defences in comparison with the towed version, and the increased effectivity of the ZiS-2 cannon, which at times ripped straight through German tanks of that period. The ZiS-30's disadvantages included its low movement range and on-board ammunition capacity, the gun mount's large dimensions, the lack of communication between the driver and crew, the vehicle's instability, its overloaded chassis and its weak armour.
Practically all these SPGs were lost by the summer of 1942, either in battle or due to mechanical failures.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23zis_30 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the ZiS-30 series from live.warthunder.com.]

== Read also ==

*[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3356/current/ [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> ZiS-30]

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

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

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

T-80

2019-08-16T21:23:37Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_80}}
{{About
| about = Soviet light tank '''T-80'''
| usage = the medium tank version
| link = T-80B
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-80.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. An upgrade over the [[T-70]], the T-80 introduces better armour and an extra crew member to increase the tank's survivability in the battlefield.

Just like the previous [[T-70]], the T-80 boasts strong frontal armour and high mobility in a compact package. However, several notable upgrades are present. These upgrades include an increased crew count, fire rate, and cannon traverse range. The only downsides are that turret armour is reduced, and a somewhat large shot trap now exists all around the turret.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 35 mm (62°) ''Front glacis'' 35 mm (33-71°) ''Driver's port'' 45 mm (31°) ''Lower glacis''|| 25 mm || 15 mm (70°) ''Top'' 25 mm (43°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 35 mm (4-67°) ''Turret front'' 45 mm (12-59°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 35 mm (6-23°) || 35 mm (28°) || 15 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 11.6 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 47 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|263
|324
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|150
|170
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|22.67
|27.93
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.93
|14.65
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 94 || -8°/+65° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 3.6 || 4.9 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 3.6 || 4.2 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.3 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| O-243 || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 103 || 94 || 64 || 40 || 21 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-243 || HE || 343 || 2.2 || 0.4 || 0.3 || 118 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 985 || 0.85 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-70.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-70 (identical to T-80).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''94''' || 1 ''(+93)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,071 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The T-80 is a little different from most light tanks. Like all light tanks, it has excellent speed and mobility. Unlike most light tanks it has great, sloped frontal armour and good turret armour, making it highly resistant to most tier 1 gun. Pair this with its fast firing 45mm gun and it becomes an excellent vehicle for hunting lightly armoured foes. The addition of APCR allows you to fight more heavily armoured vehicles. You may come across Matilda and Valentine tanks, which are highly resistant to the APHEBC round but can be more easily penetrated by the APCR (at the expense of less damage).

In order to take full advantage of this tank's strengths, you should aim to use one of two distinct tactical options. Option one is to operate as a frontline tank in urban combat. Your frontal armour is of great use here. However, this strategy should be avoided if you are not near or at the top of this tank's matchmaking range. The other option is to work as a flanking tank. Your gun is more than capable in this role, and unlike most flanking role tanks, the surprise isn't always necessary for survival. Thanks to your strong frontal armour, you can do well under incoming fire if your attempt at flanking is discovered, or if your opponent is determined to survive and providing stiff resistance. Few tanks offer the level of flexibility in terms of combat approach that is granted to the T-80.

When taking the tank into battle, a mix of APHEBC and APCR is favourable. The BR-240 AP shells against flanked opponents and structural weaknesses (e.g. [[Pz.IV_E|Pz.4 E]] turret), while the BR-240P APCR role is for close range combat (<400m, due blunt nose cone) and engaging heavy armoured box tanks, especially the [[M3 Stuart|M3 Lee]], [[StuG III A|StuG]] and up-armoured [[T-28E]]. As usual, having a few rounds of pure HE is great against any [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|SPAAG]].

In battle, you must beware of some of the high calibre guns found at the tier. Tank Destroyers such as the Panzerjäger I, 75mm Gun Motor Carriage M3 and the Japanese Ho-Ni will all be able to take the T-80 out easily. SPGs armed with howitzer type guns like the Type 4 Ho-Ro also pose a high threat. Also, beware German vehicles armed with the long barreled 50mm gun, like the Panzer III J and Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma. The best way to play the T-80 is to use it as a light tank. Do not be overconfident. Avoid direct combat and assume that enemy tanks will be able to penetrate you. Attacking from an advantageous position will allow your tanks great armour and gun to shine.

===Modules===
The T-80 is damaged very easily, and, as such, having the "parts" modification should be the first priority. After that, researching AP and APCR rounds is very useful, since it allows the tanker to be much more of a threat to well-armoured opponents, being much more versatile.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fastest reload speed in the game for a non-automated cannon
* Small target
* Co-axial MG suitable against unarmoured vehicles
* Capability to shoot APCR rounds
* Frontal turret and hull armour is surprisingly good, and can easily bounce shots from same Br opponents
* First Soviet light tank to feature more than two crew, meaning you can now afford to lose a crew member
* Awesome vertical traverse limit of 65°, allows for some anti-air potential, though it is unreliable in this role
* Some guns will really struggle to penetrate your armour at this tier. Japanese 37/57 mm and other 45 mm guns (without APCR) pose very little threat.
* Often underestimated. Many players will aim poorly and their shells will ricochet
* Ability to scout in low rank

'''Cons:'''

* Very slow traverse speed for turret (hand cranked)
* Slow gun elevation speed
* Front shot trap, although decently protected, is a serious weak point
* Low calibre gun
* Easily damaged by careless driving
* Gun is inaccurate at long range.
* Tank wobbles when you stop, meaning you will have to wait a few seconds before you can fire accurately.
* Easily one-shotted due to the small crew number

== History ==

The '''T-80''' light tank was a redesign of the [[T-70]] light tank in an attempt to make the design relevant again.

During World War II, the concept of the light tank was deemed obsolete, they were too lightly armoured, too lightly armed, and sometimes don't go that much faster than the 1940s medium tank designs which had better armour and guns. Plus, the smaller profile of the tank meant that the crew are not necessarily given enough comfort room and the constraint would force turret design to be a one or two-man turret, restricting the commander to perform other duties as well.

The T-80 tried to remedy this by giving the tank more armour and a two-man turret so the commander could coordinate more efficiently than the one-man turret on the T-70. However, the role of the light tank in the Soviet Union could be fulfilled by the incoming supplies of Lend-Lease equipment available from Britain and America in the form of [[M3 Stuart|M3 Stuarts]] and [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine]] tanks, which are better than the T-70 and T-80 designs. In October of 1943, the light tank production were all cancelled, resulting in only 120 T-80s being produced in its brief production life.

=== In-game description ===
This tank was created based on the T-70M, with the aim of eliminating its main flaws.
An analysis of the use of this tank in battle showed that a tank equipped with a cannon needs more than two crew members: the tank commander had to fulfill the role of both a driver and a loader, which negatively affected the tank's manoeuvrability and firing rate in battle. In addition, the constantly developing array of anti-tank weapons meant that stronger armour was required. So in 1943, the GAZ design bureau developed the new T-80 light tank with stronger armour and a three-man crew.

One of the tank's key elements was its 45 mm cannon's high angle of fire. To allow for high-angle firing, e.g. during battles in urban conditions, the tank was equipped with a K-8T collimator sight. This sight provided the ability to fire at both air and ground targets.

By September 1943, factory No. 40 in the town of Mytishchi had produced 81 vehicles of this type in total.

The T-80 tank had an assembly typical of Soviet-produced light tanks. The transmission compartment was located at the front, and the engine at the back. This caused increased vulnerability, since it was the front of the tank that was most often subjected to fire from the enemy. The T-80's fuel tanks were located outside of the fighting compartment in an armoured partition, which reduced the risk of a hit starting a fire. This arrangement increased the survivability of the tank's crew.

The tank's effectivity in combat was reduced by the unreliability of its high-powered engines and its low mobility due to its increased weight.
The new vehicles entered service in self-propelled artillery regiments as command tanks and were used until 1945.

== Media ==
[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=light_tank&vehicle=ussr_t_80 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the T-80 from live.warthunder.com.]

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR light tanks}}

T-28E

2019-08-16T21:21:21Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_28E}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-28E.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced with [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]]. It is similar to the original [[T-28]] in all respect except the additional armour welded onto the front, side, and rear of the tank. The additional armour improves protection against enemy fire but slows down the vehicle due to increased weight.

As with all other Soviet vehicles, the letter "E" behind the tank name means "ekranami" (which means "with screens" or "applique armour" in English). In this case, the T-28 received several 30 mm and 20 mm armour plates to enhance its protection. Whole main turret and machine gun turrets are reinforced by 30 mm plates, and Driver's viewport (a big weak spot) by 20 mm and 30 mm plates. Then there are several 20 mm and 30 mm armour plates installed on the sides and rear of the vehicle. All this armour adds about 4 tons to the weight, making it slightly slower than the original T-28. However, it is still very fast and mobile.

The powerful, yet accurate gun, paired with large profile make the T-28 look ideal for long-range encounters, yet its low penetration, slow shell travel speed and no real gun depression to cover yourself behind terrain quite discourage this kind of gameplay style. But the crew/equipment spacing, its high versatility and powerful main gun make this tank quite capable in close range encounters. Hit and run tactics work pretty well (if the "run" aspect of it is ever needed).

It is good to know the characteristics of your ammo types, as all 3 can be used effectively, according to the current situation and composition of enemy tanks. ''(See more info in the "[[#Ammunition|Ammunition]]" section.)''

If you ever find yourself against too well armoured Medium or Heavy tank, it is often better to stay and try to fight, as the large profile of your tank makes you easy to be hit while retreating.

Always aim for weak points like the driver's hatch or gunner's port. If you find yourself unable to ensure an accurate shot against such a small target, attempt to cripple the tank's offensive armament first to take some pressure off.

The extra armour on this tank is noticeable, especially when you angle your tank a bit, random poorly aimed shots will often be "consumed" by extra layers of armour, or machinegun turrets, or will simply ricochet off. However, this is only true when you are playing as a "top vehicle" against weaker opponents. This tank has a slightly higher BR, and when MM puts you "on the bottom", your armour will unfortunately again protect you like a paper against bullet does. Heavy tank like [[KV-1 (L-11)]] is completely immune to all types of your ammo, even from the rear. Avoid it.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 + 20 mm (20-22°) ''Driver's port'' 15 mm (65°) ''Front glacis'' 30 + 20 mm (23-25°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 + 30 mm ''Top'' 20 + 10 mm ''Bottom'' || 15 mm (68°) ''Top'' 20 + 30 mm (6-37°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 20 mm ''Turret front'' 20 mm (0-49°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 20 + 30 mm (0-23°) || 30 + 30 mm || 15 mm
|-
| Secondary Turrets || 22 + 30 mm || 20 + 15 mm || 20 + 15 mm || 10 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Applique armour ranging from 20 to 30 mm in thickness cover the tank, but do not cover the entire surface area.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 29.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 39 (AB)
|-
|35 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|697
|859
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|398
|450
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|23.71
|29.22
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|13.54
|15.31
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|L-10 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[L-10 (76 mm)|76 mm L-10]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 69 || -5°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 8.9 || 12.4 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.9 || 10.5 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || 5.75 || 5.30 || 5.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||67||66||59||52||46||41
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| SH-354T || Shrapnel || 34 || 33 || 30 || 24 || 20 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 555 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 560 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° ||81°
|-
| SH-354T || Shrapnel || 560 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-28.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-28 (identical to T-28E).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |10th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |11th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |12th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |13th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" width="10%" |Recommendations
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''69''' || 64 ''(+5)'' || 58 ''(+11)'' || 52 ''(+17)'' || 46 ''(+23)'' || 41 ''(+28)'' || 35 ''(+34)'' || 31 ''(+38)'' || 26 ''(+43)'' || 21 ''(+48)'' || 16 ''(+53)'' || 13 ''(+56)'' || 6 ''(+63)'' || 1 ''(+68)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Turret empty: 46 ''(+23)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,646 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Left turret mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,646 (63) || 600 || -5°/+28° || -155°/+5°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Right turret mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,646 (63) || 600 || -5°/+28° || -33°/+145°
|-
|}

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

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="2" |Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks||
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive||
|-
| II
| Suspension||Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire||BR-350A (MD-5 fuse)
|-
| III
| Filters||
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism||
|-
| IV
| Transmission||Engine
|
| Artillery Support||
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast and versatile for such a big medium tank
* The cannon does a lot of damage and is quite accurate
* BR 350A ammo will instantly destroy most tanks around this tank's battle rating, even the [[M3_Lee|M3 Lee]] frontally
* Crew of 6 - "extra" machine gunners can replace other knocked-out crewmembers and keep the tank performance at its full potential
* Machine gun turrets and complicated multilayer side armour often simply "absorb" projectiles
* Armour is good when playing as a "top tank"
* It has the Shrapnel as standard ammunition, which is very effective against light tanks and AAA-s
* Total of 3! machine guns can make short work of any unarmoured AA vehicles

'''Cons:'''

* Large silhouette
* Slow reloading
* Unreliable armour - a lot of small weak spots and strong areas very close to each other
* Though not necessarily slower, it takes a slightly longer time to accelerate than the original T-28
* Poor gun depression
* Very low penetration on standard ammo, making the initial grind quite painful, AP ammo penetration isn't very good either

== History ==

===Development===
Prerequisites set up in 1929 called for infantry support and breakthrough tank that are able to exploit breakthroughs and handle infantry fortifications. The development of this tank under Chief engineer S.Ginsburg may have been inspired by the British Vickers A1E1 Independent tank as the final design took some elements of it. The end result was a multi-turreted medium tank with a 76.2 mm L-10 main gun and two 7.62 mm machine gun turrets in front. The design was satisfactory that Stalin himself ordered a heavier variant of the tank that can suit the breakthrough role, which would be the [[T-35]]. The first multi-turreted was designated the '''[[T-28]]''' and was considered revolutionary for the time as it was the first medium tank of its kind and would establish the concept of such tanks. The first prototype of the T-28 was created sometime in 1931, its design was considered revolutionary for the time as it was one of the first medium tanks in the world. Production of this tank began in the Kirov Factory in Leningrad sometime in 1932, and it was accepted into service on August 11, 1933. Though in service for eight years from 1933 to 1941, only 503 units were produced.

===Design===
The T-28 was relatively slow for its weight, but as an infantry tank, this disadvantage was mitigated by its role and its heavier armour. The front two turrets with machine guns are installed in front of the main turret, which was considerably higher. The main turret was a shared feature from the T-35 in order to standardize parts in production. The tank was initially to be armed with a 45 mm gun like the [[BT-7|BT]] and [[T-26|T-26]] light tanks, but the larger 76.2 mm howitzer was chosen instead for added explosive power. The turret had a turret basket and a rear-facing machine gun. A later upgrade had a commander's cupola added onto the turret plus the capability to mount another machine gun on top for anti-aircraft purposes. The tank had a crew of six (driver, two machine gunners, loader, gunner, commander) and ran on a V12 M17 air-cooled engine that can deliver 500 horsepower. Though providing enough power to propel the T-28 at a speed of about 37 km/h (22 mph), the gasoline fuel it used was flammable and rare in Soviet usage. The armour on the tank was 30 mm maximum on the front and side glacis, which was sufficient enough to stop most anti-tank armament at the time. The suspension on the tank was a bogie system with plunger springs and usually has a 20 mm thick side skirt protecting the sides. Transmission and engine compartment is at the very rear under a canopy for easy access. At its introduction in 1933, the T-28 was one of the most effective tanks in the world and had a few innovations. Other countries only had WWI-era Renaults and the Germans had no tanks of their own at its development. The T-28 was also the first to have radios and anti-aircraft gun mounts.

===Combat usage===
The standard organization of the T-28 tanks in 1939 was 136 T-28s and 47 [[BT-7]] in one heavy armoured brigade. The T-28s were first deployed on the eastern borders during the border clashes with Japan in 1939. The first large scale action was in September 1939 when the Soviet Union invades Poland with its front line fleet of T-28s. Though the Polish tanks and anti-tank guns were able to take out a few T-28s, it is not known how many were lost. The next conflict the T-28 served in was the Winter War against Finland. These tanks were used against Finnish fortifications, but the conflict also showed the inadequate armour on the T-28, where Finnish anti-tank guns were able to reliably penetrate the tanks. Though over 200 T-28s were knocked out in the conflict, only 20 were totally lost due to the system of armour recovery and repairs the Soviet had and the conflict's close proximity to the Kirov Factory, some tanks were repaired more than five times and sent back to the front. The Finnish were able to capture seven of these (two in the Winter War, 5 in Continuation War)and used them against their users. The Finnish came about to nicknaming them ''Postivaunu'' ("mail coach") after an incident where a T-28 commander was captured carrying the salary and mail for the 91st Tank Battalion and ''Kivitalo'' ("stone building") for its large size. The heavy weight of the tank caused the Finnish to be unable to tow some of the knocked out T-28s for capture, so those unable to be recovered were stripped of their equipment.

After Finland, the T-28's inadequate armour was showcased to the Soviets and an attempt at up-armouring the design was made in 1940 with the welding of additional armour plating to increase the 30 mm armour to 80 mm of armour in thickness. This increase in armour made the tank now weigh 32 tons. This up armouring of the tank was designated the '''T-28E'''.

During the German invasion in Operation Barbarossa in mid-1941, the Soviets had about 411 T-28s in their inventory. Many were lost not due to battle, but actually from mechanical breakdowns due to lack of spare parts and low maintenance, causing them to be abandoned by the crew. The Germans were able to capture at least two of these tanks and may have used these against the Soviets as the ''T-28 746(r)''. The T-28s that were not lost during the first few months of Operation Barbarossa took part in winter defence of Leningrad and Moscow. Though still in inventory, by 1942 they were rare in Soviet service and declared obsolete as better tanks like the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] was taking over its role and is more heavily gunned, more armoured, and faster. The tanks still in one piece were dismantled for spare parts or sent to training facilities.

=== In-game description ===
A version of the T-28 multi-turret medium tank with additional armor plating on the turret and body. Its enhanced armor was based on the experience of the Soviet-Finnish War and also had the goal of adapting outmoded tanks to meet modern conditions.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/748/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> B-57B-2 and T-28E] 

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

T-28

2019-08-16T21:19:46Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_28}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-28.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. An unorthodox medium tank with three turrets, it is quite mobile and armed with a 76 mm gun to defend itself against its contemporaries. It may look big, but the T-28 is surprisingly agile and the roomy inside will turn many small calibre APHE shells into hot-air.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (22°) ''Driver's port'' 15 mm (65°) ''Front glacis'' 30 mm (23-25°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm ''Top'' 20 + 10 mm ''Bottom'' || 15 mm (68°) ''Top'' 20 mm (6-37°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 20 mm ''Turret front'' 20 mm (0-49°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 20 mm (0-23°) || 30 mm || 15 mm
|-
| Secondary Turrets || 22 mm || 20 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 25.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 44 (AB)
|-
|40 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|30.15
|37.56
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|17.40
|19.68
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|L-10 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[L-10 (76 mm)|76 mm L-10]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 69 || -5°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 8.9 || 12.4 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.9 || 10.5 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || 5.75 || 5.30 || 5.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||67||66||59||52||46||41
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| SH-354T || Shrapnel || 34 || 33 || 30 || 24 || 20 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 555 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 560 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° ||81°
|-
| SH-354T || Shrapnel || 560 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-28.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-28.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |10th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |11th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |12th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |13th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''69''' || 64 ''(+5)'' || 58 ''(+11)'' || 52 ''(+17)'' || 46 ''(+23)'' || 41 ''(+28)'' || 35 ''(+34)'' || 31 ''(+38)'' || 26 ''(+43)'' || 21 ''(+48)'' || 16 ''(+53)'' || 13 ''(+56)'' || 6 ''(+63)'' || 1 ''(+68)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 46 ''(+23)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,646 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Left turret mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,646 (63) || 600 || -5°/+28° || -155°/+5°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Right turret mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,646 (63) || 600 || -5°/+28° || -33°/+145°
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The powerful, yet accurate gun, paired with thin armour and a large profile makes the T-28 look ideal for long-range encounters, yet its low penetration, slow shell velocity and no real gun depression to exploit terrain discourages this kind of gameplay. However, due to the crew/equipment spacing that helps soak damage and keep it fighting, its highly versatile and powerful main gun make this tank quite capable in close range encounters. Hit & run tactics work pretty well (if the "run" aspect of it is ever needed).

If against a larger or more powerful tank, the T-28 will often be forced to stay and fight, as the large profile of the tank makes it easy to hit while retreating. Use the gun's accuracy to an advantage. Aim for weak points like the driver's hatch or gunner's port. If unable to shoot against such a small target, attempt to cripple the tank's offensive armament to take some pressure off.

Avoid T-34s, especially the later modifications. Their APHE ammo is devastatingly explosive, especially against such a large easy-to-hit tank with no real armour like the T-28. One shot almost anywhere into the tank and that's the end. At the same time, the T-34's own armour is basically invulnerable to the T-28 shells, except when on their sides, where the 76 mm can penetrate the turret, and possibly the side hull armour (Only with AP ammo). Keep in mind that T-34s can turn both their hull and turret very fast, so if the first shot misses, there won't be another chance.

Light tanks that can flank around the side or back of the T-28 can prove catastrophic as well.

===Modules===

# '''Parts''' - Mandatory first upgrade, then whatever else.
# '''BR-350A Ammo!''' - Without it, the T-28 won't be able to defeat the armour of half the tanks it'll meet
# '''Adjustment of Fire''' AND '''Fire Extinquisher''' - to improve accuracy, or have the ability to put out fires
# '''Anything else''', but upgrades that improve mobility are advised

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast and versatile for such a big medium tank
* The cannon is accurate and is able to do large amounts of damage on penetration
* Crew of six
* Machine gun turrets and complicated multi-layer side armour often absorb projectiles
* It has Shrapnel as standard ammunition, which is effective against light tanks and AA vehicles
* Total of 3 machine guns can make short work of any unarmoured AA vehicles

'''Cons:'''

* Large silhouette
* Generally thin armour
* Slow reload time
* Poor gun depression
* Bad penetration with all types of ammo

== History ==

===Development===
Prerequisites set up in 1929 called for infantry support and breakthrough tank that are able to exploit breakthroughs and handle infantry fortifications. The development of this tank under Chief engineer S.Ginsburg may have been inspired by the British Vickers A1E1 Independent tank as the final design took some elements of it. The end result was a multi-turreted medium tank with a 76.2 mm L-10 main gun and two 7.62 mm machine gun turrets in front. The design was satisfactory that Stalin himself ordered a heavier variant of the tank that can suit the breakthrough role, which would be the [[T-35]]. The first multi-turreted was designated the '''T-28''' and was considered revolutionary for the time as it was the first medium tank of its kind and would establish the concept of such tanks. The first prototype of the T-28 was created sometime in 1931, its design was considered revolutionary for the time as it was one of the first medium tanks in the world. Production of this tank began in the Kirov Factory in Leningrad sometime in 1932, and it was accepted into service on August 11, 1933. Though in service for eight years from 1933 to 1941, only 503 units were produced.

===Design===
The T-28 was relatively slow for its weight at 28 tons, but as an infantry tank, this disadvantage was mitigated by its role and its heavier armour. The front two turrets with machine guns are installed in front of the main turret, which was considerably higher. The main turret was a shared feature from the T-35 in order to standardize parts in production. The tank was initially to be armed with a 45 mm gun like the [[BT-7|BT]] and [[T-26|T-26]] light tanks, but the larger 76.2 mm howitzer was chosen instead for added explosive power. The turret had a turret basket and a rear-facing machine gun. A later upgrade had a commander's cupola added onto the turret plus the capability to mount another machine gun on top for anti-aircraft purposes. The tank had a crew of six (driver, two machine gunners, loader, gunner, commander) and ran on a V12 M17 air-cooled engine that can deliver 500 horsepower. Though providing enough power to propel the T-28 at a speed of about 37 km/h (22 mph), the gasoline fuel it used was flammable and rare in Soviet usage. The armour on the tank was 30 mm maximum on the front and side glacis, which was sufficient enough to stop most anti-tank armament at the time. The suspension on the tank was a bogie system with plunger springs and usually has a 20 mm thick side skirt protecting the sides. Transmission and engine compartment is at the very rear under a canopy for easy access. At its introduction in 1933, the T-28 was one of the most effective tanks in the world and had a few innovations. Other countries only had WWI-era Renaults and the Germans had no tanks of their own at its development. The T-28 was also the first to have radios and anti-aircraft gun mounts.

===Combat usage===
The standard organization of the T-28 tanks in 1939 was 136 T-28s and 47 [[BT-7]] in one heavy armoured brigade. The T-28s were first deployed on the eastern borders during the border clashes with Japan in 1939. The first large scale action was in September 1939 when the Soviet Union invades Poland with its front line fleet of T-28s. Though the Polish tanks and anti-tank guns were able to take out a few T-28s, it is not known how many were lost. The next conflict the T-28 served in was the Winter War against Finland. These tanks were used against Finnish fortifications, but the conflict also showed the inadequate armour on the T-28, where Finnish anti-tank guns were able to reliably penetrate the tanks. Though over 200 T-28s were knocked out in the conflict, only 20 were totally lost due to the system of armour recovery and repairs the Soviet had and the conflict's close proximity to the Kirov Factory, some tanks were repaired more than five times and sent back to the front. The Finnish were able to capture seven of these (two in the Winter War, 5 in Continuation War)and used them against their users. The Finnish came about to nicknaming them ''Postivaunu'' ("mail coach") after an incident where a T-28 commander was captured carrying the salary and mail for the 91st Tank Battalion and ''Kivitalo'' ("stone building") for its large size. The heavy weight of the tank caused the Finnish to be unable to tow some of the knocked out T-28s for capture, so those unable to be recovered were stripped of their equipment.

After Finland, the T-28's inadequate armour was showcased to the Soviets and an attempt at up-armouring the design was made in 1940 with the welding of additional armour plating to increase the 30 mm armour to 80 mm of armour in thickness. This increase in armour made the tank now weigh 32 tons. This up armouring of the tank was designated the '''[[T-28E]]'''.

During the German invasion in Operation Barbarossa in mid-1941, the Soviets had about 411 T-28s in their inventory. Many were lost not due to battle, but actually from mechanical breakdowns due to lack of spare parts and low maintenance, causing them to be abandoned by the crew. The Germans were able to capture at least two of these tanks and may have used these against the Soviets as the ''T-28 746(r)''. The T-28s that were not lost during the first few months of Operation Barbarossa took part in winter defence of Leningrad and Moscow. Though still in inventory, by 1942 they were rare in Soviet service and declared obsolete as better tanks like the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] was taking over its role and is more heavily gunned, more armoured, and faster. The tanks still in one piece were dismantled for spare parts or sent to training facilities.

=== In-game description ===
The T-28 was put into service in the Red Army in August 1933 and produced by the Leningrad Kirovsk factory right up until 1940. Over 550 of them were built in total.

A main feature of the tank was its three armed rotating turrets. The main turret in the middle of the tank was equipped with a 76.2 mm KT-28 cannon and two DT machine guns. The turret could turn 360° and was equipped with electric drive. Two smaller turrets armed with machine guns were located in front of the main turret. Each of these turrets could fire across a 220° arc. Starting from 1938, the tank began to be equipped with a 76 mm L-10 cannon.

Combat experience with the tank in the war with Finland led to its armour being strengthened by laying additional armour plates on its base armour and to manufacturing the vehicle with conical turrets, providing better protection against the enemy's weapons. Some late production vehicles were equipped with a DT anti-aircraft machine gun.

In spite of its relatively large mass at 27.8 tonnes, the tank had good mobility due to its reduced ground pressure. Its small-diameter road wheels were covered by add-on armour plates.

With all its primary combat characteristics put together, the T-28 was the strongest medium tank in the world in the 1930s. At the beginning of its production, it had practically no equal among mass-produced tanks. At the same time, the tank was a very complex vehicle with an outdated armament layout. It had serious flaws in its engine and transmission system. The undercarriage wore out rapidly: the springs snapped, parts of the suspension failed, and the hub drive cogs broke.

Vehicles of this type were used in combat operations at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The tanks were used in separate battle units on the Leningrad front until 1943.
A Finnish tank brigade captured and operated 7 of these tanks right up until 1945.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

T-34 (1941)

2019-08-16T21:18:33Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_34_1941}}
{{About
| about = Russian medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = T-34 (Family)
}}

== Description ==


The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


The T-34's armour, even though only 47 mm thick on the front, is angled at 60°, which increases its effective thickness and the ability to ricochet or bounce enemy shells. Never let your enemies see your sides, as they are thinner, less angled and your enemies can easily penetrate it. The turret is still 45 mm thick, but much less angled. If your enemy penetrates your turret with APHE shells, you're a goner. Always angle your armour.

The T-34 has a crew of 4 men packed tightly together, and one shot would incapacitate a few crew members. The ammunition is conveniently stored below the tank, making it difficult to detonate. Carry a decreased ammunition load, preferably 15-30 shells, and the enemy would have a hard time detonating your ammo. However, shrapnel from HE shells shot below you can be dangerous, especially when you encounter a [[Ho-Ro]], for example. The engine is the module most of your opponents will target. Parts and FPE should be researched to be able to survive the shots targeted at your engine. However, your quite low rate of fire (~9 sec reload stock) will give your enemies a second, final blow.

=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forward and backwards.''

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|F-34 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[F-34 (76 mm)|76 mm F-34]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 77 || -5°/+28° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _.__ || _.__ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _.__ || _.__ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 8.97 || _.__ || _.__ || 6.90
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A (MD-5 fuse) || APHEBC || 86 ||85|| 76 || 67 || 59 || 52
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||102||100||91||81||72||64
|-
| BR-350B (MD-8 fuse) || APHEBC ||94||92||83||73||65||57
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
|BR-350A (MD-5 fuse) || APHEBC || 662 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10 || 150 || - || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|BR-350SP || APBC || 655 || 6.78 || N/A || N/A || N/A || - || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350B (MD-8 fuse) || APHEBC || 655 || 6.3 || 0.9 || 10 || 98.56 || - || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 680 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 680 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8 || 85 || - || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| D-350A || 680 || 6.45 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,898 (63) || 600 || N/A ||N/A
|}

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

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good, angled armour
* Accurate and powerful gun (BR-350B penetrates 92 mm)
* Good top speed
* Good flanker
* Can destroy heavy tanks quite easily

'''Cons:'''

* Tightly packed crew
* Does not have APCR to deal with heavy armoured targets
* Reload speed is quite slow (especially at stock crew)
* Low survivability
* Can be destroyed easily with one-shot by enemies
* Struggles to penetrate the Sherman tanks from the front

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

=== In-game description ===
The second T-34 model was developed in 1941. The main difference in the T-34 Mod. 1941 was the installation of the new 76 mm F-34 cannon with a 41.5 calibre barrel length. In addition, the shape of the cannon's recoil mechanism armour was changed, along with the method used to attach it. The muzzle velocity of its armour-piercing shell was somewhat higher than that of the L-11 cannon, amounting to 662 m/s. The weapon's armour penetration and gun depression were increased. Its practical rate of fire in combat conditions came to 3-5 shots per minute. Apart from that, the Mod. 1941 tanks were equipped with tracks with more pronounced track grousers.

In 1942, versions appeared with cast turrets and new, wider tracks. Shortages of rubber deliveries for manufacturing road wheel bands forced the development of fully metallic wheels. Throughout 1942, an attempt was made to strengthen the tank's armour by laying additional 20-25 mm plates in the turret and frontal hull. The final issue tanks had additional fuel tanks attached to the back of the hull, along with a large number of hand-rails on the turret and hull for ease of carrying tankborne infantry and servicing the vehicle's components.

All in all, a large number of changes were aimed first and foremost at simplifying production and increasing the T-34's manufacturing speed. Some of these tanks were equipped with ATO-41 flamethrowers. In 1943, a design was presented at factory No. 112 to improve the T-34's armour after the fashion of German tanks. Vehicles with reinforced turrets, hull and side add-on armour were tested on the front in August 1943. Tests in combat conditions showed that the tank's survivability had not significantly increased, so the design was discarded.

Setting up production in evacuated factories allowed the number of these vehicles in tank units to be significantly increased, and from 1942, the T-34 became the most prolific tank, with more produced than all other types of tanks combined.

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

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

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

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

T-34 (1940)

2019-08-16T21:15:56Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_34_1941_l_11}}
{{Notice|''This page is about the medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''. For other uses, see [[T-34 (Disambiguation)]]''}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-34 (1940).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The first public iteration of the T-34 series, the T-34 1940 shows most of the early Soviet weaponry, but provides a demonstration of its famous sloped armour and mobility.

The T-34 mod. 1940, like all the other T-34s, is fairly quick and maneuverable, decently armed, and decently armoured. It is the first researchable T-34 and the "oldest" (worst) model, aside from the [[T-34 (Prototype)|T-34 prototype]]. It is notable for its distinct appearance, with its broad, sloped front, large road wheels, and comparatively narrow turret. It is distinguished from all other T-34/76 models in that it has the [[L-11 (76 mm)|L-11 gun]], as opposed to the more powerful [[F-34 (76 mm)|F-34]]. It is identified by its low-slung barrel, with a recuperator creating a bulge above it. The vehicle's speed allows it to be a versatile flanker, but its armour keeps it competitive enough to be a brawler. It will also bounce somewhat frequently so angling the armour, as with any T-34, is helpful. The gun is decent for its rank, but will struggle to penetrate other T-34s, [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV tanks]], [[M4|M4 Shermans]], and similar vehicles from the front.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (60°) ''Front Glacis'' 45 mm (53°) ''Lower Glacis'' 45 mm (61°) ''Driver's Port'' 45 mm (28-77°) ''Machine Gun Port'' || 40 mm (40°) ''Top Hull'' 45 mm (0°) ''Lower hull'' || 40 mm (47°) ''Top'' 40 mm (46°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 45 mm (8-81°) ''Turret front'' 45 mm (3-74°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45 mm (30-31°) || 45 mm (30°) || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

The T-34 1940 can pose a formidable enemy at its BR (3.3) and one might find it a resilient and stubborn foe. If your vehicle can reliably penetrate 90mm (more if vehicle is angled) of armour at medium to long range, you should try to eliminate the T-34 at the longest possible range, where the L-11 gun will preform poorly. If your weapon cannot reliably penetrate 90mm of armour and you are forced to close the distance, be wary of your foes mobility. It is recommended to aim for the turret ring, as the crammed crew compartment will result in an easy crew kill. Avoid shooting the drivers hatch and frontal machine gun port, it can easily result in a ricochet. It is wise to avoid shooting at the turret, often it will bounce and if it does penetrate a knowledgeable T-34 user would have emptied their turret, resulting in only the turret crew being knocked out. Brawling with a T-34 1940 is not recommended, the vehicles mobility and armour combined with a quick turret rotation speed may prove fatal.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 25.6 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 54 (AB)
|-
|49 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|30.27
|37.26
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|17.26
|19.53
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|L-11 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[L-11 (76 mm)|76 mm L-11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 77 || -5°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.9 || 20.6 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.9 || 17.5 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.3 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||78||76||69||61||53||47
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||93||91||83||74||66||58
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 615 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 615 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 615 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 615 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

=====Ammo types=====

* BR-350A: Most versatile of all the ammo types, with a decent penetration of ~70 mm and with an explosive filler for maximum damage.
* BR-350SP: More penetration than 350A with about 76 mm of penetration at 100 meters, but no explosive filler for more internal damages.
* OF-350M: Standard high-explosive shell for use against unarmoured targets.
* Sh-354T: Shrapnel shell with nearly same damage potential as high-explosive, but has some penetration capabilities that allows the round to do maximum damage at light armour vehicles by exploding inside the tank.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-34 (1940).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the T-34 (1940).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''77''' || 75 ''(+2)'' || 72 ''(+5)'' || 69 ''(+8)'' || 1 ''(+76)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Turret empty: 69 (+8)

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

This is the first non-premium model of the T-34 series. It's a powerful breakthrough tank in the right hands due to its battle rating, good armour and powerful gun but is prone to getting heavily damaged or destroyed from shots to the turret ring or cheeks. Keep moving, using its high speed and maneuverability, and get close to guarantee a penetration and angle the armour to easily bounce shells from enemy tanks.

The T-34 features great speed and agility, together with a good turret traverse and reload speed. It is best used in groups employing flanking maneuvers and focusing on the impressive speed of the vehicle to catch players off-guard. The armour is also thick and sloped, allowing it to bounce the shots from the short 75mm's and the high-velocity 50mm's on German tanks although the Panzer. IV Ausf. F2's gun will easily go through the sides or UFP even with moderate angling.

At 3.3 the T-34 1940 faces a lot of German and Japanese armour. These Axis tanks tend to have very flat and thin armour which make the 76mm APHE shell extremely effective. The high HE filler makes one-shotting Panzers, Chi-Ha's, etc., very easy. At range, however, Axis long-guns excel- get up close and personal to your opponents.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* The gun has extremely good post-penetration capabilities.
* The overall armour is decent, proper angling can make it very effective.
* Good maneuverability and speed.
* Very fast turret rotation speed.
* Despite weak spots, its armour is still quite resistant to many guns at the rank, especially when angled.

'''Cons:'''

* Quite long reload time.
* Turret front armour can be defeated even by the weakest guns, if they are allowed to aim precisely.
* Weaker guns can penetrate the turret ring/cheeks/sides fairly effectively.
* Bad penetration at medium ranges
* The crew is cramped together.
* The first hit will often knock out the loader, extending the reload time and impeding combat performance.
* Rather slow reverse speed.

== History ==

===Development===
By 1939, the most numerous tank models in the Red Army were the [[T-26|T-26]] and the [[BT-7|BT-series]] light tanks. Though adequate on the days they were introduced, they are now outdated by this time due to the changing technology in anti-tank warfare. Back in 1937, a new tank project was already taking place under engineer Mikhail Koshkin, who was assigned to lead a design team at the Kharkiv Locomotive Factory (KhPZ) for a replacement for the BT light tanks as a new "cavalry tank" to engage in maneuver warfare. The first prototype was designated the ''A-20'' with 20 mm of armour, a 45 mm gun, and a diesel engine in a V-12 configuration. The Christie suspension is taken from the BT, even the conversion to drive track-less on roads. But gradually, the new track designs available made this conversion redundant and was excluded in further models. The A-20 also showed the effective research done into sloping armour on previous prototype designs, utilizing an all-round sloping armour on the design.

It was during this design process that the Russo-Japanese border wars took place and showed the deficiency of the T-26 and BT models. Koshkin then appealed for the initiation of a much better tank concept, the "universal tank" to completely replace the T-26 and BT tanks. The second prototype was the ''A-32'' and has an increased 32 mm of frontal armour with a 76.2 mm L-10 gun. The heavier prototype was still just as mobile as the A-20, and further development into the design increased the frontal armour thickness to 45 mm thick and a newer 76.2 mm L-11 gun attached instead. This model was approved for production and designated the '''T-34''' after the year 1934, when Koshkin believed was when he formulated the idea for the T-34. Koshkin, however, never saw his tanks in action as he succumbed to pneumonia in September 1940 after trials with the T-34 in the cold winter. Thus, the drivetrain developer Alexander Morozov was appointed as the next Chief Designer. The T-34 tank would go on to become the most produced World War II tank, with 84,070 tanks produced in the production span between 1940 to 1958.

===Design===
The T-34 took all of the Soviet's experiences with tanks and incorporated into the design. The tank had great sloping armour, a powerful engine, wide tracks, and a large gun. At its introduction, the armour of the T-34 was one of the best in the world, by sloping the 45 mm thick armour plate by 60 degrees, the effective thickness was now 90 mm thick. The armour was welded into place instead of riveted as rivets tend to "spall" and cause damage inside the tank even if the armour was not penetrated. The 76.2 mm gun was a major advantage compared to those on its adversaries, as it could be used as a multi-purpose weapon against infantry and tanks, unlike the Germans who had tanks split for two different roles such as the [[Pz.III E|Panzer III for anti-tank]] and the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV for infantry support]]. The engine, a Model V-2-34 V12 diesel engine, was adequately powerful for the Christie suspension tank design and allowed the T-34 to reach a maximum of 53 km/h (33 mph). The powerful engine, added with the wide tracks that gave it lower ground pressure, allowed the T-34 to travel across cross-country terrain with relative freedom without risk of bogging down.

However, the T-34 is not without its fault and its quality is very questionable in some cases. Two [[T-34 (1941)]] models were sent to United States in late 1942 for evaluations. The evaluations found the armour quality to be rather insufficient, with improper welding in places that can allow leaks and improper alloys that made armour weaker in some places than others, the T-34 cast turret was even found to use softer armour than the hull that render it vulnerable to even 37 mm shells. The gun sights for the 76.2 mm cannon was also quite poor in comparison to the Axis and other Allies. The tank reliability was also troubled by various mechanical issues, especially in the earlier models. Low quality air filters and insufficient air flow could impede the engine capabilities and the turret drive had poor reliability that could easily jam up. The vision devices was also poor, the crew are unable to see outside the tank with enough situational awareness, even the tank commander couldn't see well out of the tank. Also, the lack of radios on the first few years of T-34s forced the tank commanders to communicate via flags, with only company commanders tanks fitted with the radios. Ergonomics inside the tanks was unsatisfactory and was very cramped inside, with no turret basket the loader has to struggle when the turret rotates and accessing ammunition on the floor boxes makes it a hard and dangerous job for the loader. The commander's hatch on the turret was also one-piece, making even a "heads-up" view for the commander impossible on these large one-piece hatches. Finally, the two-person turret suffered from not only a very cramped compartment, but an overworked commander who has to act as a gunner as well.

===T-34 Mod. 1940===
The '''T-34 Mod. 1940''' was the initial production variant of the T-34 and the first of the T-34/76 series. In its initial stages, it ran into political trouble from the conservative side, who wanted to keep the T-26 and BTs in production, that or keep the T-34 out of production as the more advanced T-34M completes its development to take over the tank role more effectively. However, these concerns were dissipated with the Winter War against Finland and the German Blitzkrieg tactics across Poland and France, which then advocated for the mass-production of the T-34 to compete against the Germans and improve the Sovet armoured forces.

The production for the T-34 started in September 1940 and completely overtook the production of the T-26, BTs, and even the [[T-28]] at the KhPZ plant. However, the new design features on the T-34 plus the heavier weight on the tank compared to its predecessors posed a problem to the Soviet industry due to insufficient toolings and machinery available in the majority of the Soviet manufacturing plants, thus defects in armour plates were present in the early models.

The T-34 Mod. 1940 never saw wide use as the design was improved with better gun and layout. The L-11 76.2 mm gun was found to be insufficient in performance, so it was replaced by the newly designed F-34 gun, which was much better than its predecessors. The interior of the tank was also fitted with a 9-RS radio set (when available) and thicker, better quality armour on the tank. This new tank design would be the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34 Mod. 1941]] and this replaced the 1940 model, of which only 400 units were produced before it was phased out, in comparison to the 35,120 T-34/76 models produced in the war.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23t34_1940 '''Skins''' and camouflages for the T-34 1940 L-11 from live.warthunder.com.]

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/2622/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> The T-34 mod. 1940]

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

T-35

2019-08-16T21:14:09Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated secondary gun's shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_35}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{specs|rank}} Russian heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]]. The T-35 has the distinction in-game as the vehicle with the most crew members (10 total). While the armour may not provide great protection against enemies even at Rank I, the large crew count makes up in part for the tank's survivability in combat.

The T-35 is ''large''. It has five turrets on top too, but only three should be taken into consideration, the one in the middle, the one front right from the middle, and the one bottom left from middle due to the armaments able to destroy tanks. However, don't be deceived by its size, the T-35's armour is barely more than 30 mm thick, so even with a Rank I standard gun, you may be able to penetrate its armour.

Despite the huge ammo reserve for the secondary turrets, the total ammo is split between the two turrets. This means that if one 45 mm cannon fires more than the other, it will run out and be unable to fire until resupplied.

The T-35 is the largest tank among the Rank I vehicles. With a multi-turreted platform of two 45 mm cannons and one 76.2 mm cannon, the tank could combat enemies at an almost 360° angle. However, the armour is quite thin for a vehicle of its size so one should not play this vehicle like a typical heavy tank later down the rank. Though the speed is decent for a vehicle of its size, so it is possible to catch the enemies off guard by attacking from an area they least expect.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (20°) ''Front plate'' 24 mm (77°) ''Front glacis'' 30 mm (18-63°) ''Lower glacis'' || 11 + 23 mm || 10 mm (20-77°) ''Top'' 20 mm (12-63°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 20 mm ''Turret front'' 20 mm (0-7°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 20 mm || 21 mm || 15 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret || 17 mm (0-84°) ''Turret front'' 17 mm (1-32°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 25 mm (0-1°) || 15 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Machine gun Turret || 22 mm (1°) || 23 mm (0-1°) || 10 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 52.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 29.8 (AB)
|-
|28.0 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|646
|795
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|12.42
|15.29
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|8.50
|9.61
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|KT-28 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KT-28 (76 mm)|76 mm KT-28]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 96 || -5°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.40 || 18.50 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 13.40 || 15.80 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.2 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| SH-353 || Shrapnel || 27 || 25 || 21 || 19 || 16 || 12
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||37||37||33||30|| 27 ||24
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||11||11||11||11||11||11
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| SH-353 || Shrapnel || 381 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 370 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 155 || +4° || 48° || 63°|| 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 387 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 710 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-35.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-35.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |10th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |11th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |12th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |13th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |14th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |15th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''96''' || 87 ''(+9)'' || 77 ''(+19)'' || 72 ''(+24)'' || 67 ''(+29)'' || 57 ''(+39)'' || 46 ''(+50)'' || 41 ''(+55)'' || 33 ''(+63)'' || 25 ''(+71)'' || 21 ''(+75)'' || 18 ''(+78)'' || 13 ''(+83)'' || 10 ''(+86)'' || 6 ''(+90)'' || 1 ''(+95)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Side walls empty: 46 ''(+50)''

=== Additional armament ===

{{main|20-К (45 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-К (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Front right turret mount''
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 113 || -8°/+32° || -50°/+132° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Rear left turret mount''
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 113 || -8°/+32° || -48°/+117° || N/A
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert Qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace Qualif.
|-
| 3.80 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''226''' || 115 ''(+111)'' || 2 ''(+224)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Rear turret empty: 115 ''(+111)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Main Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,260 (63) || 600 || ±15° || ±15°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Turret coaxial mount'' (x2)
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,520 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Front left turret mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,260 (63) || 600 || ±15° || -130°/+10°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Rear right turret mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,260 (63) || 600 || ±15° || -140°/+20°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The T-35 is nothing short of an absolute beast, being able to take more penetrating hits than any tank at 1.3 and beyond. With great survivability, firepower and size, the T-35 is the '''perfect''' tank to lead an assault, a good T-35 can change the outcome of a game with no problem.'

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

*KT-28 cannon destroys anything it penetrates with a single hit
*No less than three cannons available for use
*Can have guns pointed towards the front and rear at the same time due to the number of usable weapons
*High rate of fire with all weapons
*Large ammunition capacity
*Large frame which often can absorb more modular/crew damage than most other tanks
*Crew of 10 makes it an almost impossible target to completely destroy without an experienced player at the wheel
*Slowness and heaviness means that firing on the move is not a problem

'''Cons:'''

*Slow and with poor manoeuvrability
*Largest target currently among the ground forces
*Poorly armoured despite the size
*Complex armour structure creates many shot traps
*Possible to run out of ammo for one secondary turret if it is used too long
*Very long, can get stuck into difficult situations in close quarters
*Tall and with poor gun depression
*Ammo racks are strewn all over the centre compartment when carrying large amounts

== History ==


===Development===
The '''T-35''' concept began from the OKMO design bureau of the Bolshevik Factory in 1930 when work began on a heavy tank. Two teams were made for two competing designs, one was headed by German engineer Grotte and the other was headed by N. Tsiets. Grotte worked on a 100-ton four-turreted TG-5 tank, armed with a 107 mm naval gun, using pneumatic servo-controls and suspension, but this was cancelled. N. Tsiets worked on a design that may be inspired by the British tank design Vickers A1E1 Independent, which is a multi-turret tank using one main turret with a gun and smaller one's housing machine guns. This tank may also be the inspiration for the Soviet [[T-28|T-28 medium tank]].

The development was completed with a prototype by July 1932. The prototype was about 35 tons, had a 76.2 mm main gun and four smaller turrets around it, two with a 37 mm gun and two with machine guns. There were many defects with the transmission design and the design was considered too complex for the manufacturing process, plus it was expensive. Work stopped for a simpler prototype to be produced. This simpler version had a new engine, gearbox, and an improved transmission over the previous prototype. Standardization on the turrets between the prototype and that on the T-28 medium tank was utilized so the small machine gun turret is the same between the two designs, the main gun turret was also nearly identical, but the one on the T-28 has a rear-facing machine gun. The design was approved for production on August 11, 1933, and was produced at the Kharkov Locomotive Factory with about 20 units produced.

The tank was upgraded again from experiences of the two prototypes, the chassis was made longer, the hull redesigned, and 45 mm gun turrets from the [[BT-5|BT-5 light tanks]] used instead of a 37 mm gun. This was designated the T-35 Model 1935 and started production in 1935 and had 35 units built by 1938, with small improvements made throughout its production life. A final redesign made in 1938 had new turrets with sloping armour installed and modified side skirts for protecting the idler wheel, six of these Model 1938s were produced. The total production run from 1933 to 1938 produced a total of 61 T-35s for the Soviet Union, its high cost being the deciding factor that ended its production. A variant produced from the chassis was a self-propelled artillery mount called the ''SU-14'', but only two were made and never reached production stages.

===Design===
The T-35 is the only five-turreted tank to ever enter production. The main turret in the centre and mounted high is equipped with a 76 mm KT-28 cannon, two secondary turrets mounted front right and back left had a 45 mm 20-K gun, and two more secondary turrets on the front left and back right had a 7.62 mm machine gun. Despite being a rather large tank, the interior was quite constricted for its crew. The crew of 11-12 men were crammed together and this directly affected their combat efficiency. The crew layout was a compartment for the driver, each machine gun turret had one man, two men in the turret with 45 mm guns, and three men in the main turret. It was typical for a couple of crewmen to serve outside the tank. A senior driver was responsible for the transmission and running gear. While a mechanic overlooked and took care of the engine. Construction of the T-35s armour was a mix of welds and rivets. The tank was powered by a 12-Cylinder Mikulin M-17M engine generating nearly 500 hp and was considered underpowered. The design had many reliability issues and even flaws, such as the main turret able to render escape hatches on the smaller turrets unable to be opened due to its gun mount.

===Combat usage===
The T-35 was issued to the 5th Separate Heavy Tank Brigade in Moscow and was involved in parades through the Red Square from 1935 until 1940. The T-35 was there to impress spectators as well as foreign observers rather than as a fighting piece. In June 1940, the T-35 was subjected to either be withdrawn from front-line duties, be converted into self-propelled artillery, or be sent to military academies for future studies. It was decided to keep them for combat purposes and the T-35s were issued to the 67th and 68th Tank Regiments in the 34th Tank Division in the 8th Mechanized Corps in the Kiev Special Military District. The T-35 then saw action against the German forces when Operation Barbarossa was commenced. Though the tanks actual combat history is not very well documented, the tank regiments they were assigned to report a loss of 90% of the vehicles, more to mechanical failures than to enemy combat. These broken down tanks were subsequently destroyed by their crews to avoid capture. The last reported use of these tanks was during the Battle of Moscow, where two T-35s were deployed and its performance went unrecorded. One such vehicle was captured by the Germans and sent to the Kummersdorf military proving grounds for evaluations. This captured T-35 may or may not be the same one the German used during the Battle of Berlin in April 1945.

The T-35 was once mistaken for taking part in the Winter War against Finland, this is due to the deployment of the [[SMK]], T-100s, and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1s]] prototypes into the battle as combat testing. The SMK was disabled by the Finnish and was documented in photographs, which the German intelligence designated it as the ''T-35C'', despite being not anyway related to the T-35 tank.

===Survivors===
Today, only one T-35 is left not only in an intact state but still in running condition. This tank is held in the Kubinka Tank Museum at Moscow and only survived because it was used as a training facility rather than combat use. Kubinka also holds the second prototype of the aforementioned SU-14 self-propelled artillery gun.

=== In-game description ===
This tank came into service in 1933 and was mass-produced between 1933 and 1939. In total, around 60 of them were made. The vehicle had a classic layout: the driver's compartment was located in the front, the fighting compartment in the middle and the engine compartment in the rear. Its armament was installed in five turrets on two tiers. A 76.2 mm KT-28 cannon and a 7.62 mm DT machine gun were installed in the central rotating turret. Two 45 mm 20K Mod. 1932 cannons were diagonally mounted on the lower tier and could fire to the forward right and forward left. Two machine guns were also diagonally mounted next to the cannon turrets. The undercarriage was protected by add-on armour plates.

Between 1933 and 1939, numerous changes were introduced to the vehicle's basic structure. The 1935 model was longer and received a new turret with a 76.2 mm L-10 cannon. The hull sides were equipped with new add-on armour. The tank's mass grew to 55 tonnes, while the crew complement was reduced to 9. In 1938, turrets with sloping armour were installed on the last six tanks owing to the increased power of anti-tank artillery.

Most of these heavy tanks were lost in battle in the summer and autumn of 1941, mostly due to mechanical failures. Two T-35s were used in the Battle of Moscow. The tank was used in combat for the last time at the end of April 1945, when the Germans used a captured T-35 during the defence of Berlin.

This vehicle's firepower surpassed that of any other contemporary tank in the world. However, this complicated its structural system. The tank's traction and dynamic properties were insufficient, which was particularly noticeable when it turned. All these flaws in combination prevented the heavy tank from completing the tasks set before it. The high number of turrets resulted in the commander being unable to effectively control firing. The tank's weak armour meant that it was vulnerable to artillery, and its low mobility and huge size made it a perfect target.

== Media ==

[[File:T-35 Turrets.jpg|x300px|thumb|none|All the turrets shown on the T-35. The main turret is at centre, the secondary turrets with cannons are on the top left and bottom right, and the machine gun turrets are on the top right and bottom left.]]

===Videos===
{{Youtube-gallery|Owf2e7Xtx70|Working T-35 Tank at Kubinka!}}

== 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 ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/725/current/ Official War Thunder article: T-35: Release announcement]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/891/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> T-35: The Land Battleship]

{{USSR medium tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

RBT-5

2019-08-16T06:31:33Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_rbt_5
|market=RBT-5
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_RBT-5.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was available as a prize during the 2016 "Thunder League" eSports tournament as a giveaway prize for watching the Twitch stream, later every Dog-Tag owner who voted for Team ''Dislike'' earned one due to the "Champion" prize. It is currently available through the [https://trade.gaijin.net/ Gaijin store] for individual sale or through the 'Project-X' trophy.

The RBT-5 is a regular [[BT-5]] with the mounts to hold two 250 kg TT-250 torpedoes modified as rockets. The large calibre rockets prove hard to aim, but a real dealer to anything it hits.

This tank is quite unique. It has virtually no armour, weights only 11,5 tons and has a massive 400 HP engine (442 HP fully upgraded), giving it up to 38 HP/Ton ratio. This paired with excellent Christie suspension allows it to drive like a race car among tanks. Gun is an adequate 45mm 20-K cannon with decent penetration and quick reload.

Do remember - the RBT-5's two rockets are quite apart from each other, and that should be taken into account when aiming. The first rocket to be fired is the right one.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 13 mm (62°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (18°) ''Driver port'' 30 mm (62°) ''Lower glacis'' 40 mm (13°) ''Plate joint''|| 15 mm (1°) || 13 mm (0-59°)|| 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 20 mm (11-43°) ''Gun mantlet'' 15 mm ''Turret front'' || 15 + 15 mm || 15 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes'''

* Tracks and suspension wheel are both 15 mm thick.
* Rocket mounts provide additional spaced armour of 15 mm on the turret sides.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 11.6 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 59 (AB)
|-
|53 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|566
|696
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|323
|365
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|48.79
|60.00
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|27.84
|31.46
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 86 || -8°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 9.50 || 13.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.50 || 11.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.80 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_BT-5.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the BT-5]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''86''' || 72 ''(+14)''|| 57 ''(+29)'' || 43 ''(+43)'' || 29 ''(+57)'' || 15 ''(+71)''|| 1 ''(+85)''|| style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}
Turret empty: 29 ''(+57)''

=== Additional armament ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | 305 mm TT-250 torpedo
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Flight speed (m/s)
! rowspan="1" | Range (m)
|-
| colspan="3" | 2 || +9°/+50° || 260 || 6,500
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Best tactics is probably however to not charge right into the combat, but wait a while how the battle develops - observe where and how many enemy tanks go, maybe fire a few shots from the distance. Use your great mobility to get to the best positions. And then use its awesome speed to charge at lonely opponents, which at close range have no chance of keeping their guns pointed at you. Keep in mind that charging into more than 1 opponent is usually a quick end, as it is very hard to not get hit from either of them at the same time. There is no armour on BT-5 to stop anything other than machinegun fire. Finally, try to avoid AA vehicles, as they will have no problem targeting and destroying you, even from the distance.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* 45mm 20-K gun offers great penetration
* 20-K gun offers a good rate of fire
* The BR-240 APHEBC rounds deals the best damage and spalling at its rank, allowing for impressive post-penetration damage
* One of the fastest tanks in the game, the best acceleration and overall mobility
* Front armour, although very thin, may bounce shells thanks to the decent sloping of the glacis
* Sometimes used in high rank matches as scout/distraction/intruder - spawning does not account to a total of 3 spawns
* Excellent turning radius, allows the vehicle exploit enemy vehicles' turret traverse speed
* Very powerful rockets, can even instantly destroy a Maus, allowing the RBT-5 to handle even formidable foes

'''Cons:'''

* Equipped with only 2 rockets
* Rockets are set at a fixed angle which further complicates aiming, does not allow for zeroing targets
* Armour can only cope with rifle caliber rounds, could also deflect a few heavy machine gun rounds
* Very vulnerable to quick-firing automatic cannons like the German 20mm cannons or the TShN
* Terrible crew arrangement, a well-placed, penetrating shot will automatically take out the crew
* Rockets may overshoot at close range, due to the affixed nature of the mounting

== History ==

===Development===
The '''BT''', or ''Bystrokhodny tank'', was the forerunner to the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]]. The tank's name translates to "high-speed tank" and it lived up to that expectation. The BT series of tank's origin lays with an American Racing enthusiast named Walter Christie, also a prolific automotive designer. When the U.S. Army Ordnance Bureau repeatedly declined to produce Christie's designs, he becomes so frustrated with them for turning their interests away from a tracked vehicle able to go 60 miles per hour, so he turned to other countries such as Great Britain, Poland, and the Soviet Union. The Soviet's were eager to purchase his designs and were able to receive two M1931 turret-less examples that were labeled as "agricultural tractors", as well as the license to build more of their own variants. The Soviets quickly produced working prototypes of Christie's tanks and made various changes and improvements at the KhPZ factory in Kharkov. The development of the Christie suspension on the tank would become the BT-2 light tank. Further development would improve the BT-2 design as the BT-5, released sometime in 1935.

===Design===
The Christie design was based on the concept of "convertible tanks" which was to reduce the wear of tank tracks as they were quite unreliable at the time. The tracks could be removed and instead the vehicle would run on a chain drive to allow the tank to reach high-speed on roads with just the wheels that could be steered by pivoting the front road wheels. The conversion took about 30 minutes to complete. The Soviets saw the "convertible tank" feature of the Christie design to be of little use due to the lack of paved road in the Soviet Union, which was necessary for the use of the wheel conversion. The conversion also added unnecessary complexity and weight, so this was removed from later Soviet tank designs.

The primary changes from the BT-2 to the '''[[BT-5|BT-5]]''' was its new larger cylindrical shaped turret and more powerful 45 mm 20-K cannon. The new turret was capable of housing radio equipment and gave crew more freedom to move around. The BT-5 was slightly heavier then the BT-2, but the armour was left unchanged. The 12 cylinder M5 power-plant that was based off an American Liberty aircraft engine that was adapted for use with the BT series. It allowed the tank to travel up to impressive speeds. Several variants of the BT-5 were constructed that included features such as flamethrowers, 76.2mm cannon, and a snorkel to aid in fording waterways. Projects in extending the BT's role in other jobs also took place, such as the '''RBT-5''', which is a rocket launcher artillery variant that mounts two large 420 mm tank torpedoes on the turret, but this did not past prototypes. During its development, it was also slowly replaced by the improved [[BT-7]] model being produced form 1935 onward. A reported 1,884 BT-5 light tanks were produced from 1932 to 1941.

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

During the Spanish civil war, a force of BT-5s fought with the Republican forces and performed quite well against its inferior German and Italian opponents, whom deployed lightly armoured tanks with machine guns as their armament. With the outbreak of World War II, the BT-5 was deployed against Poland and aided in the defense of Russia from the invading German army in Operation Barbarossa, though was of little use against the better German [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]]. The BT-5 saw service through to the end of the war, where it participated alongside BT-7s and more modern Soviet tanks against Japanese-controlled Manchuria in August 1945.

== Media ==

[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=#bt5 '''Skins''' and camouflages for the BT-5 mod. 1933 from live.warthunder]

{{Youtube-gallery|O0G3pWR7_Ms|Uncommented test drive '''"RBT-5 Unique Premium Test drive!"''' by ''B.F.B Reptile ITA''|EJwluuEto-A|Combat encounter [[M60|M60]] vs RBT-5 '''"War Thunder RBT-5 on his game"''' by ''Tigernator''}}

== 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 ==


* [http://warthunder.pro/en/league Thunder League Tournament]

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

M3 Medium (USSR)

2019-08-16T06:29:22Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration and shell names

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_m3c
|market=M3 Medium (USSR)
}}
{{About
|about= tank '''{{PAGENAME}}''' in the Soviet tree
|usage=other uses
|link=M3 (Disambiguation)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a gift Rank {{specs|rank}} Russian medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced sometime during [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]. It was first obtained via the special event [[wt:en/news/3579-tournament-defender-combined-battles-en/|"Defender combined battles"]] in 20 February 2016 and has been occasionally available to be obtained since, primarily in the September "Tanker's Day" events in [[wt:en/news/4232-special-tanker-s-day-specials-en/|2016]] and [[wt:en/news/4954-event-happy-tanker-s-day-en|2017]].

Aside from the paint job, the M3 Medium is virtually identical to the American [[M3 Lee]]; the different name comes from the Russian designation of just "M3 Medium". The M3 is most well recognized for its tall profile and two cannons. The suspension resembles that of the [[M4|M4 Sherman]], the only notable difference being the return rollers' positions. The hull front is also stepped into two plates, where the upper is closer to vertical. The large sponson on the right side of the tank carries the main 75 mm gun; note that with 2 crew, it is the operational gun. The 37 mm gun is in a turret, mounted with a leftward offset, and has a small MG cupola on top.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38.1 mm (54°) ''Front Glacis'' 50.8 mm (15-55°) ''Transmission area'' 50.8 mm (29°) ''Driver port'' 38.1 mm (0-57°) ''Hull gun mount'' || 38.1 mm (0-22°) ''Top'' 38.1 mm ''Bottom'' || 38.1 mm (1-14°) ''Top'' 38.1 mm (15-53°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Turret || 50.8 mm (11-65°) ''Turret front'' 38.1 mm (1-82°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 50.8 mm (0-66°) || 50.8 mm (1-54°) || 22.2 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 50.8 mm || 50.8 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 17 mm thick.
* Hull doors and vision ports are 38.1 mm thick.

When combating this tank, avoid its 75 mm gun by flanking the vehicle, then get in close and hug the sides or rear of the vehicle to prevent them form turning and going under the 37 mm's depression range. Aim for the large superstructure, a solid penetration will knock out all 6 crew members or make the ammunition combust. Note that firing through the side hatch will usually destroy the tank in one-shot, owing to the lack of sloping and ammunition storage.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.7 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 43 (AB)
|-
|39 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|620
|763
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|354
|400
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|22.38
|27.54
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.78
|14.44
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|M5 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M5 (37 mm)|37 mm M5]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 179 || -7°/+60° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 10.70 || 14.80 || 18.00 || 19.90 || 21.20
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 10.70 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.0
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.77 || 3.33 || 3.07 || 2.90
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| M74B1 || AP ||78||76||65||54||45||37
|-
| M51B1/B2 || APC ||78||76||65||54||45||37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| M74B1 || AP || 883 || 0.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M51B1/B2 || APC || 883 || 0.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
'''Currently outdated'''
[[File:Ammoracks_M3Lee.png|right|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the M3 Lee|300px]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''179''' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || Yes
|-
|}

=== Additional armament ===

{{main|M2 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M2 (75 mm)|75 mm M2]]
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Hull mount''
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 50 || -9°/+20° || ±15° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert Qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace Qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || 5.75 || 5.30 || 5.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| M72 shot || AP ||84||82||73||62||53||46
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC ||96||94||84||73||63||55
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 588 || 6.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 448 || 6.3 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 666 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 588 || 6.8 || 1.2 || 20 || 63.7 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| M89 || 259 || 3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''50''' || 1 ''(+49)'' || Yes
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[Browning (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Commander cupola mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,000 (250) || 500 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The multiple cannons allow for different combinations of attack. The 37 mm gun on the full 360° traverse turret allows for a diverse role on the M3, with its high-velocity and effective round for long-range fighting, but with a fast reload for close-quarter encounters. The 75 mm on the sponson mount has the same penetration level as the 37 mm, but with a very high post-penetration damage with the right ammo at the cost of lower velocity, and thus a shorter battle range. The limited traverse on the 75 mm mount also means it is not as flexible as the turreted 37 mm. With these two cannon, the M3 can focus on a close-range combat with the two cannons fighting a single tank, or engage two separate tanks at a longer range. Closer range combat is supported by the M3's adequate sloped frontal armour, able to withstand most enemy fire at its battle rating. It is recommended to set the keys to allow separate firing of the cannons for maximum effectiveness.

Still, the different guns mean different styles of play. The M3 can also play as a tank destroyer, using its sponson gun to take shots at medium range and its 37 mm to cover the flanks and make longer range snipe shots. The M3 can also be used as an assault tank, quickly advancing on points while switching between the powerful 75 mm gun and the faster-firing 37 mm. It is also possible to completely ignore the 37 mm and focus solely on the 75 mm as it is a far more effective gun with its HE filler in its APCBC, as well as being easier to manage for newer players. In all game modes, the weapons should be assigned to different keys, this will allow the tank to aim using the sights of the three guns separately, allowing more accurate targeting at ranges, especially for the 75 mm gun. Since the 75 mm is in a side sponson, it is also possible to approach cover to where only the 37 mm is showing, allowing the tank to fire with most of the tank's profile hidden.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Ability to use two guns: a 37mm and a 75mm - which is unique as well as useful at this rank
* Best gun depression of all Russian tanks at the rank of -7°
* Acceptable frontal armour
* Side mounted 75 mm gives the ability for some unique tactics
* Despite the tall profile, the "wedding cake" design of the turret has thick sloped armour, providing extra protection to make up for its height
* 6 crew members, harder to fully incapacitate
* Good for researching low rank tanks
* Premium and Research rewards

'''Cons:'''

* Tall profile, big target
* 75 mm sponson weapon does not allow for hull-down combat
* Tall position of turret restricts gun depression
* Slow traverse speeds make it easy for a light or a particularly speedy medium tank to sneak around the sides
* Weak side armour
* Very awkward to use for new players

== History ==

===Development===
The current main tank in US inventory in 1940 was the [[M2|M2 medium tank]], but the Battle of France showed that such a tank was not going to be capable to go against the German [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]] and their Panzer Divisions. With the Western Allies now embroiled in the North African campaign against the Germans and Italians, the Allies needed a good tank capable of going against the Panzer tanks, and they needed it quickly.<ref name="ZalogaM3Med">Zaloga Steven. ''M3 Lee/Grant Medium Tank 1941-45'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2005</ref>

The new tank design took elements from the M2 Medium, using the chassis and its VVSS suspension system. Part of the requirement for the new tank was to mount the more powerful 75 mm cannon. However it was discovered that the United States does not have a turret design that can mount the 75 mm gun. But turret development takes time, and a new tank capable of fighting the Germans was needed now. Taking elements from French designs such as the Char B1, with its two cannon mounts, the American designers decided that the 75 mm, if can't be mounted on a turret, should be mounted on a sponson design on the hull. This design was tested on the M2 medium tank as the ''T5E2''. Ordnance approved it as combat-capable and the design was approved as the '''M3 Medium'''. The M3 Medium design had two cannons, the 75 mm on the hull sponson mount, and a 37 mm with a coaxial machine gun on a turret, a cupola on the turret had its own machine gun. The M3 Lee's 75 mm gun however presented a huge advantage over contemporary tank armaments as the 75 mm could fire high-explosive rounds for fortifications and artillery pieces, yet could fire a shell with a high enough velocity for anti-tank purposes.

The M3 design's faults was the high profile and the sponson mount for its armament. The M3 was 10 ft. 3 in. tall, a foot taller than the M2 medium tank. The 75 mm on a sponson mount meant that the main armament of the tank had a limited traverse compared to a rotatable turret and forced the tank to reveal much of its body in order to aim the gun at the enemy. The M3 Medium was also constructed out of rivets (which increased spalling) and had a smooth track design which reduced ground traction. Despite these disadvantages, the Allies happily accepted them as they were critically low on tanks, and German Colonel Hans von Luck considered them superior to the [[Pz.IV E|Panzer IV]]s from his experience in Africa.

The initial batch of M3 Lees were given to the British for their campaign at North Africa. The British experience with the M3 design pointed out most ofits flaws, but they were concerned with the lack of radio in the turret and a lacking in armour, with which they requested a redesign. The new design had a new cast turret with room for a radio, the hull had thicker armour, and the turret cupola's machine gun was removed for a simple hatch. The modified M3 also required one less crew member due to the radio now being in the turret for the commander rather than for a radio operator. The British ordered 1,250 of these modified M3 medium tanks.

On August 1941, production officially started on the M3 Mediums, though the armour was thicker than initials batches of the tank due to its combat experiences. A majority of these were completed at Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of the total 6,258 M3s built between start up to the end of production in December 1942, 2,855 units went to the British and 1,386 went to the Soviet Union. Other users of the M3 were the Australians and Indians in the Pacific Theater. The M3 Mediums arriving in British arsenal caused confusion as the same "M3" designation was given to the [[M3 Stuart|M3 Light Tank]], plus there were two different design types of the M3 Mediums. This set off the tradition of naming American tanks after generals, where the M3 medium tank earned the ''Lee'' for the initial Americans design, [[Grant I|''Grant'']] for the British redesign, and the M3 light tank and its [[M5A1|successors]] earned the ''Stuart''.

===Combat usage===
Combat experience with the M3 Lee was complicated, but favorable. In Africa, the Lees and Grants in British and American service surprised the German forces when they could withstand the [[KwK 38 (50 mm)|50 mm KwK 38 L/42 gun]] and [[KwK 37 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 37 L/24 howitzer]] armament on the Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs. The M3 Lee proved reliable and adequate in armour protection in British and American service. The Soviet's experience with the M3 Lee was less favorable, as their [[T-34 (1941)|T-34 tanks]] were much better in combat performance. The Soviets euphemistically called it a "grave for six men" and the Lee tanks were relegated to the secondary fronts or repurposed as armoured personnel carriers. In the Pacific, the M3 Lees were lent to the Australians and Indians, which proved vastly superior to the Japanese tanks in service. The high gun elevation on its 37 mm turret and machine guns proved effective in knocking Japanese sniper off from trees. The only American use of the M3 Lee at the Pacific Theater was during the Battle of Makin Island.

The M3 Lee served fine as a stop gap solution for the American tank development. They performed very well on the combat field and proved very reliable. However, once a 75 mm turret was finally designed, the M3 Lee was redesigned to use it, and the resulting tank was the [[M4|M4 Sherman]], which will go on to replace the M3 tanks in the Allies as they are withdrawn from service. Even if it wasn't, the M3 was becoming obsolete due to newer German tanks being deployed, such as the [[Panther D|Panther]], [[Tiger_H1|Tiger I]], or improvement of of old chassis like [[Pz.IV G|Panzer IV Ausf. G]] and [[StuG III F|StuG III Ausf. F]]. Its obsolescence was a consequence of its own rather unique development and anachronistic design, limiting this medium tank's service life to a mere two years in Allied hands. However it lived on until the end of World War II in some modifications such as tractor and recovery vehicle. The chassis and running gear were adapted by the Canadians to develop their [[M4A5|''Ram'' medium tank]].<ref name="ZalogaM3Med" />

===An anecdote===

::"The 75 (mm gun) is firing. The 37 (mm gun) is firing, but it is traversed round the wrong way. The Browning (machine gun) is jammed. I am saying ‘Driver advance’ on the A set and the driver, who can’t hear me, is reversing. And as I look over the top of the turret and see twelve enemy tanks fifty yards away, someone hands me a cheese sandwich.” —''British Lieutenant Ken Giles, tank commander of a M3 Grant''<ref name="GrantAnecdote">Bell, Chris. "Fury: All You Need to Know about Life in a Tank." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2017. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11167575/Fury-all-you-need-to-know-about-life-in-a-tank.html Website]</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}
<references />

T-50

2019-08-16T06:24:44Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_50}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-50.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. It is an effective light tank with great sloping armour and an adequate 45 mm cannon, a great vehicle for beginners getting used to the Soviet play style in higher ranks.

As a light tank, the T-50 is very agile and it has a very high top speed and HP ratio, due to this ratio the acceleration on the T-50 is outstanding; 60 Km/h in about 6 seconds Off-road. It mounts the same gun as the [[T-26|T-26]] but compensates for lack of penetration with the ability to use APCR shells. It has excellent armour for a light tank and it's sloping makes it very effective, especially if angled properly, though its hull cheeks are somewhat vulnerable. Use its agility coupled with the excellent armour to perform flanking manoeuvres, destroy enemy tanks and retreat quickly. It is often used in tier 2 battles for its versatility as an aggressive scout tank.

The armour is especially capable at stopping rounds when facing US [[M3 (37 mm)|37 mm]] and German [[KwK 38 (50 mm)|50 mm]] cannons, which will bounce fairly easily even without proper angling. The gun is also excellent for a 2.7 tank, having a fairly high velocity combined with a good HE filler amount and a very fast fire rate which makes follow up/corrective shots easy and lethal.

Unfortunately, there is one major flaw with the T-50- the turret traverse. It has a very slow traverse rate which makes up-close urban encounters very

Most new tankers will quickly become used to the T-50 due to its forgiving armour, mobility, and fast-firing gun. Basically, the T-50 is a mini T-34 and should be played as such- as a close range brawler.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 40 mm (53°) ''Front glacis'' 40 mm (55-56°) ''Cheeks'' 45 mm (54°) ''Lower glacis'' || 40 mm (40°) ''Top'' 40 mm (1°) ''Bottom'' || 25 mm (59°) ''Top'' 40 mm (9-28°) ''Bottom''|| 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 40 mm (13-64°) ''Turret front'' 40 mm (23-54°) ''Gun mantlet''|| 40 mm (16-19°) || 15 mm (13-15°) || 15 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 40 mm || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick in armour.

Like its big brother, the T-34, the T-50 has sloped frontal armour that can bounce most shots if angled properly. Additionally, there aren't many vital components (ammo rack, fuel tank, majority of the crew, etc.) in the front. Firing at the front will, at best, knock out the driver and immobilize the tank. However, the gun will still be operational and the T-50's gun is more than capable of defeating opponents at its level. Therefore, it is best to aim for other parts of the tank.

The advice for defeating a T-50 is similar to many other tanks: flank it and hit the sides. This is easier said than done, of course, as the T-50 demonstrates excellent mobility, but with the right amount of sneaking around, it can be done. Both sides of the tank contain juicy ammo racks that are hard to miss if the tank's sides are hit, but more experienced drivers will know to empty the left wall. Therefore, it is advised to fire at the right side of the tank if possible.

If the right side is angled at an impenetrable angle, or if it simply is too difficult to hit, the next best target is the turret. Hitting it anywhere on the turret is likely to, upon penetration, wound if not knock out the three crew inside the turret. Combined with the T-50's subpar turret traverse, the T-50 will be in dire straits if its turret is hit. Make sure to fire at the tracks with secondary armament, if possible, to immobilize the tank so anyone could dispatch it with leisure.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 13.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 71 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|465
|572
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|33.69
|41.45
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.20
|21.74
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 150 || -7°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.80 || 6.60 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.80 || 5.60 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.80 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 103 || 94 || 64 || 40 || 21 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 985 || 0.85 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-50.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-50.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''150''' || 133 ''(+17)''|| 117 ''(+33)'' || 100 ''(+50)'' || 83 ''(+67)'' || 66 ''(+84)''|| 49 ''(+101)''|| 33 ''(+117)'' || 17 ''(+133)'' || 1 ''(+149)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

Left wall empty: 100 ''(+50)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount'' (x2)
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,780 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Flank, flank, flank. The T-50 should be played like an up-armoured BT-5 due to its high speed and good armour.

The entire Pz. III line equipped with 50 mm guns which are especially deadly from the side/front, as their APHE shells combined with high velocity/fire rate and fairly good armour make for difficult opponents. However, Pz.IIIs have much worse mobility and armour - take advantage of this.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great mobility
* Decent penetration and good rate of fire
* Excellent armour
* Provides a good learning curve for the later T-34 1940
* Unlike the [[BT-5|BT]]-[[BT-7|tanks]], the T-50 can be driven with some precision
* It is easy to rush an enemy tank and catch them by surprise, giving a first shot advantage
* 45 mm shell has HE filler making it much more effective than the comparable shells in the US 37mms and British QF 40 mm cannons
* Unlike most tanks, it has two 7.62 mm machineguns in the turret. This allows for more effective combat against SPAA and low flying aircraft

'''Cons:'''

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

== History ==

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

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

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

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

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

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

=== In-game description ===
This tank was developed in 1940 to replace the Т-26 light tank, whose main task was direct infantry support on the battlefield. The T-50 was solidly armoured, well armed and equipped with a powerful diesel engine. It had a classical layout, with the driving and fighting compartments in the front of the vehicle and the engine transmission compartment in the rear. The armour plating on its hull was sloped at a steep angle. Its streamlined turret was fully welded. The tank seated three crew. The rear of the turret's roof contained a command cupola with seven observation slots protected by armoured hatches. The vehicle was armed with a 45 mm 20K Mod. 1938 cannon and two 7.62 mm DT coaxial machine guns.

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

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

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

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

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/3250/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> T-50]

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

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

{{USSR light tanks}}

SU-57

2019-08-16T06:23:03Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_su_57}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_SU-57.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory"]]. The vehicle is similar to the American [[M3 GMC|75 mm GMC M3]] by mounting a gun on the back of a half-track. The 57 mm gun can nearly penetrate most tanks at its battle rating range, nearly 100 mm at 500 meters away with regular AP rounds.

The most distinctive feature of this vehicle is its gun. Armed with very accurate 57 mm M1 gun with penetration of almost 90 mm on 2000m and fast reload speed, SU-57 is very effective long-range tank destroyer. Aside from that, SU-57 is very mobile, fast and agile. This, however, is vital for its survival as the vehicle basically lacks adequate armour protection. In order to use the SU-57 effectively, it is essential to combine its firepower with its mobility - attack selected targets from distance and be prepared for rapid relocation, as one well-placed enemy shot can tear the vehicle apart. On the other hand, one well-placed shot of the 57mm gun can tear apart almost everything SU-57 encounters, especially when aiming for weak spots.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Structural steel

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 6.35 mm (31°) ''Engine grille'' 6.35-12.7 mm (84°) ''Hood'' 6.35 mm (29-30°) ''Front plate'' || 6.35 mm (1-2°) || 6.35 mm (1°) || N/A
|-
| Turret (Gun shield) || 12.7 mm (24-79°) || 12.7 mm (16°) || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 7 mm thick.
* Wheels in the front are 2 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 6.35 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 8.6 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 78 (AB)
|-
|72 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|210
|259
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|131
|148
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|24.42
|30.12
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|15.23
|17.21
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|M1 (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M1 (57 mm)|57 mm M1]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 99 || -5°/+15° || ±27° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.2 || 5.8 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.2 || 4.9 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.2 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| M70 || AP ||117||114||97||80|| 66 ||54
|-
| M86 || APCBC ||103||100||85||69||56||46
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| M70 || AP || 900 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M86 || APCBC || 822 || 2.7 || 1.2 || 20 || 41.16 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_SU-57.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the SU-57.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''99''' || 75 ''(+24)'' || 50 ''(+49)'' || 25 ''(+74)'' || 1 ''(+98)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}
Bottom empty: 75 ''(+24)''

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Accurate and powerful gun capable of penetration even on vast distances
* Can destroy basically everything it encounters very easily
* Great mobility and speed of the half-track vehicle compared to tanks
* Ability to snipe from distance and relocate quickly if needed
* Enemy shells often fly through its thin armour without dealing any serious damage
* Crew has better protection compared to the American [[M3 GMC|75mm M3 GMC]]

'''Cons:'''

* Lack of armour protection - vulnerable even to machine gun fire
* Vulnerable to shrapnel and artillery shelling due to its open top
* Rather limited gun arc
* Cannot turn on one spot as tracked SPG can due to its half-track configuration

== History ==

===Development===
The '''SU-57''' began as the ''T48 57 mm Gun Motor Carriage'' from the United States. This is similar to their previous anti-tank vehicle the [[M3 GMC|75 mm GMC M3]], which mounted a 75 mm M1897A4 gun instead. The development started from a British and American requirement for a vehicle mounting the 6-pounder gun. This was fulfilled with the 57 mm gun M1 (A US version of the 6-pounder) and this was installed on the rear of an M3 Half-track. Orders came in at April 1942, but the Americans soon drop theirs after the [[M10 GMC|M10 GMC]] was put into production. Thus, the T48 was to be lend-leased to Allied countries and was never classified in the American inventory.

The vehicle was tested at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in May 1942 and was upgraded along the way with new mounting and recoil mechanism. A gun shield with 5/8 inches of armour on the front and 1/4 inch armour on the sides and top provided protection for the crew but was relatively low in height. The employment of the 75 mm GMC M3 had the T48 equipped with headlights that were demountable. The vehicle was approved for production in 1942 and was built until 1943 with 962 vehicles produced total.

===Combat usage===
The vehicle was delivered to the British and the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease Act. The British were to use it in the Western Desert Campaign around Egypt and Libya, but the victory was achieved before the vehicles could arrive and do anything. After that, the 57 mm gun on the T48 was being superseded by the 75 mm gun from the US and the 17-pounder from the British. The T48 became surplus in British inventory and some were shipped to the Soviet Union as aid as well. The T48 in Soviet service was called '''SU-57''' (Samokhodnaya ustanovka 57 - Self-propelled gun 57) and they received about 650 units in the course of the war. Some went to the Polish People's Army as well. Aside from that, British and Americans still retained several T48s but were all converted back into regular M3 Half-track carriers except for one in 1944. The German Wehrmacht also operated a few T48 as Half-track carriers due to being captured by the British and Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union employed the weapon most notably in their Summer 1944 offensive Operation Bagration. It was widely used by the Soviet 16th Separate Tank Destroyer Brigade in 1943 at the Dnieper River and the 19th Brigade in 1944 at the Baranow bridgehead. These vehicles would continue to serve in various units up until the Berlin and Prague offensives into Germany and Poland. They were allocated to 60 vehicles per brigade and the SU-57s were used as mobile fire support for the infantry due to their mobility. The 57 mm proved very well in this role as it could effectively hide behind a hill and fire from a long range due to the 57 mm gun.

=== In-game description ===
A self-propelled artillery/anti-tank mount based on the M3 semitrack transporter. Its weapons system included a six-pound British anti-tank cannon. The entire project was completed based on an order by Great Britain in 1942. The SPG was released between December 1942 and May 1943. In the end, Great Britain determined that the project was unnecessary, so this mount was used most widely in the USSR, where most of the SPGs produced were provided as part of the lend-lease program.

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

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

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

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

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

{{USSR tank destroyers}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

T-35

2019-08-16T06:20:15Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_35}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{specs|rank}} Russian heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]]. The T-35 has the distinction in-game as the vehicle with the most crew members (10 total). While the armour may not provide great protection against enemies even at Rank I, the large crew count makes up in part for the tank's survivability in combat.

The T-35 is ''large''. It has five turrets on top too, but only three should be taken into consideration, the one in the middle, the one front right from the middle, and the one bottom left from middle due to the armaments able to destroy tanks. However, don't be deceived by its size, the T-35's armour is barely more than 30 mm thick, so even with a Rank I standard gun, you may be able to penetrate its armour.

Despite the huge ammo reserve for the secondary turrets, the total ammo is split between the two turrets. This means that if one 45 mm cannon fires more than the other, it will run out and be unable to fire until resupplied.

The T-35 is the largest tank among the Rank I vehicles. With a multi-turreted platform of two 45 mm cannons and one 76.2 mm cannon, the tank could combat enemies at an almost 360° angle. However, the armour is quite thin for a vehicle of its size so one should not play this vehicle like a typical heavy tank later down the rank. Though the speed is decent for a vehicle of its size, so it is possible to catch the enemies off guard by attacking from an area they least expect.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (20°) ''Front plate'' 24 mm (77°) ''Front glacis'' 30 mm (18-63°) ''Lower glacis'' || 11 + 23 mm || 10 mm (20-77°) ''Top'' 20 mm (12-63°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Main Turret || 20 mm ''Turret front'' 20 mm (0-7°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 20 mm || 21 mm || 15 mm
|-
| Secondary Turret || 17 mm (0-84°) ''Turret front'' 17 mm (1-32°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 25 mm (0-1°) || 15 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Machine gun Turret || 22 mm (1°) || 23 mm (0-1°) || 10 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 52.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 29.8 (AB)
|-
|28.0 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|646
|795
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|442
|500
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|12.42
|15.29
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|8.50
|9.61
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|KT-28 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KT-28 (76 mm)|76 mm KT-28]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 96 || -5°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.40 || 18.50 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 13.40 || 15.80 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.2 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| SH-353 || Shrapnel || 27 || 25 || 21 || 19 || 16 || 12
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||37||37||33||30|| 27 ||24
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||11||11||11||11||11||11
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| SH-353 || Shrapnel || 381 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 370 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 155 || +4° || 48° || 63°|| 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 387 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 710 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-35.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-35.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |10th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |11th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |12th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |13th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |14th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |15th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''96''' || 87 ''(+9)'' || 77 ''(+19)'' || 72 ''(+24)'' || 67 ''(+29)'' || 57 ''(+39)'' || 46 ''(+50)'' || 41 ''(+55)'' || 33 ''(+63)'' || 25 ''(+71)'' || 21 ''(+75)'' || 18 ''(+78)'' || 13 ''(+83)'' || 10 ''(+86)'' || 6 ''(+90)'' || 1 ''(+95)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Side walls empty: 46 ''(+50)''

=== Additional armament ===

{{main|20-К (45 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-К (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Front right turret mount''
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 113 || -8°/+32° || -50°/+132° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Rear left turret mount''
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 113 || -8°/+32° || -48°/+117° || N/A
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert Qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace Qualif.
|-
| 3.80 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 62 || 59 || 45 || 35 || 29 || 26
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 || 68 || 51 || 35 || 25 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''226''' || 115 ''(+111)'' || 2 ''(+224)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Rear turret empty: 115 ''(+111)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Main Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,260 (63) || 600 || ±15° || ±15°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Turret coaxial mount'' (x2)
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,520 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Front left turret mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,260 (63) || 600 || ±15° || -130°/+10°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Rear right turret mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,260 (63) || 600 || ±15° || -140°/+20°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The T-35 is nothing short of an absolute beast, being able to take more penetrating hits than any tank at 1.3 and beyond. With great survivability, firepower and size, the T-35 is the '''perfect''' tank to lead an assault, a good T-35 can change the outcome of a game with no problem.'

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

*KT-28 cannon destroys anything it penetrates with a single hit
*No less than three cannons available for use
*Can have guns pointed towards the front and rear at the same time due to the number of usable weapons
*High rate of fire with all weapons
*Large ammunition capacity
*Large frame which often can absorb more modular/crew damage than most other tanks
*Crew of 10 makes it an almost impossible target to completely destroy without an experienced player at the wheel
*Slowness and heaviness means that firing on the move is not a problem

'''Cons:'''

*Slow and with poor manoeuvrability
*Largest target currently among the ground forces
*Poorly armoured despite the size
*Complex armour structure creates many shot traps
*Possible to run out of ammo for one secondary turret if it is used too long
*Very long, can get stuck into difficult situations in close quarters
*Tall and with poor gun depression
*Ammo racks are strewn all over the centre compartment when carrying large amounts

== History ==


===Development===
The '''T-35''' concept began from the OKMO design bureau of the Bolshevik Factory in 1930 when work began on a heavy tank. Two teams were made for two competing designs, one was headed by German engineer Grotte and the other was headed by N. Tsiets. Grotte worked on a 100-ton four-turreted TG-5 tank, armed with a 107 mm naval gun, using pneumatic servo-controls and suspension, but this was cancelled. N. Tsiets worked on a design that may be inspired by the British tank design Vickers A1E1 Independent, which is a multi-turret tank using one main turret with a gun and smaller one's housing machine guns. This tank may also be the inspiration for the Soviet [[T-28|T-28 medium tank]].

The development was completed with a prototype by July 1932. The prototype was about 35 tons, had a 76.2 mm main gun and four smaller turrets around it, two with a 37 mm gun and two with machine guns. There were many defects with the transmission design and the design was considered too complex for the manufacturing process, plus it was expensive. Work stopped for a simpler prototype to be produced. This simpler version had a new engine, gearbox, and an improved transmission over the previous prototype. Standardization on the turrets between the prototype and that on the T-28 medium tank was utilized so the small machine gun turret is the same between the two designs, the main gun turret was also nearly identical, but the one on the T-28 has a rear-facing machine gun. The design was approved for production on August 11, 1933, and was produced at the Kharkov Locomotive Factory with about 20 units produced.

The tank was upgraded again from experiences of the two prototypes, the chassis was made longer, the hull redesigned, and 45 mm gun turrets from the [[BT-5|BT-5 light tanks]] used instead of a 37 mm gun. This was designated the T-35 Model 1935 and started production in 1935 and had 35 units built by 1938, with small improvements made throughout its production life. A final redesign made in 1938 had new turrets with sloping armour installed and modified side skirts for protecting the idler wheel, six of these Model 1938s were produced. The total production run from 1933 to 1938 produced a total of 61 T-35s for the Soviet Union, its high cost being the deciding factor that ended its production. A variant produced from the chassis was a self-propelled artillery mount called the ''SU-14'', but only two were made and never reached production stages.

===Design===
The T-35 is the only five-turreted tank to ever enter production. The main turret in the centre and mounted high is equipped with a 76 mm KT-28 cannon, two secondary turrets mounted front right and back left had a 45 mm 20-K gun, and two more secondary turrets on the front left and back right had a 7.62 mm machine gun. Despite being a rather large tank, the interior was quite constricted for its crew. The crew of 11-12 men were crammed together and this directly affected their combat efficiency. The crew layout was a compartment for the driver, each machine gun turret had one man, two men in the turret with 45 mm guns, and three men in the main turret. It was typical for a couple of crewmen to serve outside the tank. A senior driver was responsible for the transmission and running gear. While a mechanic overlooked and took care of the engine. Construction of the T-35s armour was a mix of welds and rivets. The tank was powered by a 12-Cylinder Mikulin M-17M engine generating nearly 500 hp and was considered underpowered. The design had many reliability issues and even flaws, such as the main turret able to render escape hatches on the smaller turrets unable to be opened due to its gun mount.

===Combat usage===
The T-35 was issued to the 5th Separate Heavy Tank Brigade in Moscow and was involved in parades through the Red Square from 1935 until 1940. The T-35 was there to impress spectators as well as foreign observers rather than as a fighting piece. In June 1940, the T-35 was subjected to either be withdrawn from front-line duties, be converted into self-propelled artillery, or be sent to military academies for future studies. It was decided to keep them for combat purposes and the T-35s were issued to the 67th and 68th Tank Regiments in the 34th Tank Division in the 8th Mechanized Corps in the Kiev Special Military District. The T-35 then saw action against the German forces when Operation Barbarossa was commenced. Though the tanks actual combat history is not very well documented, the tank regiments they were assigned to report a loss of 90% of the vehicles, more to mechanical failures than to enemy combat. These broken down tanks were subsequently destroyed by their crews to avoid capture. The last reported use of these tanks was during the Battle of Moscow, where two T-35s were deployed and its performance went unrecorded. One such vehicle was captured by the Germans and sent to the Kummersdorf military proving grounds for evaluations. This captured T-35 may or may not be the same one the German used during the Battle of Berlin in April 1945.

The T-35 was once mistaken for taking part in the Winter War against Finland, this is due to the deployment of the [[SMK]], T-100s, and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1s]] prototypes into the battle as combat testing. The SMK was disabled by the Finnish and was documented in photographs, which the German intelligence designated it as the ''T-35C'', despite being not anyway related to the T-35 tank.

===Survivors===
Today, only one T-35 is left not only in an intact state but still in running condition. This tank is held in the Kubinka Tank Museum at Moscow and only survived because it was used as a training facility rather than combat use. Kubinka also holds the second prototype of the aforementioned SU-14 self-propelled artillery gun.

=== In-game description ===
This tank came into service in 1933 and was mass-produced between 1933 and 1939. In total, around 60 of them were made. The vehicle had a classic layout: the driver's compartment was located in the front, the fighting compartment in the middle and the engine compartment in the rear. Its armament was installed in five turrets on two tiers. A 76.2 mm KT-28 cannon and a 7.62 mm DT machine gun were installed in the central rotating turret. Two 45 mm 20K Mod. 1932 cannons were diagonally mounted on the lower tier and could fire to the forward right and forward left. Two machine guns were also diagonally mounted next to the cannon turrets. The undercarriage was protected by add-on armour plates.

Between 1933 and 1939, numerous changes were introduced to the vehicle's basic structure. The 1935 model was longer and received a new turret with a 76.2 mm L-10 cannon. The hull sides were equipped with new add-on armour. The tank's mass grew to 55 tonnes, while the crew complement was reduced to 9. In 1938, turrets with sloping armour were installed on the last six tanks owing to the increased power of anti-tank artillery.

Most of these heavy tanks were lost in battle in the summer and autumn of 1941, mostly due to mechanical failures. Two T-35s were used in the Battle of Moscow. The tank was used in combat for the last time at the end of April 1945, when the Germans used a captured T-35 during the defence of Berlin.

This vehicle's firepower surpassed that of any other contemporary tank in the world. However, this complicated its structural system. The tank's traction and dynamic properties were insufficient, which was particularly noticeable when it turned. All these flaws in combination prevented the heavy tank from completing the tasks set before it. The high number of turrets resulted in the commander being unable to effectively control firing. The tank's weak armour meant that it was vulnerable to artillery, and its low mobility and huge size made it a perfect target.

== Media ==

[[File:T-35 Turrets.jpg|x300px|thumb|none|All the turrets shown on the T-35. The main turret is at centre, the secondary turrets with cannons are on the top left and bottom right, and the machine gun turrets are on the top right and bottom left.]]

===Videos===
{{Youtube-gallery|Owf2e7Xtx70|Working T-35 Tank at Kubinka!}}

== 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 ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/725/current/ Official War Thunder article: T-35: Release announcement]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/891/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> T-35: The Land Battleship]

{{USSR medium tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}

T-70

2019-08-16T06:18:05Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_70_1942}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-70.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. The T-70 is a very good light tank for its rank location and should be taken seriously if seen on the battlefield.

The T-70 is an asymmetric vehicle with good mobility, average frontal sloped armour and the typical Rank 1 Soviet cannon: the [[20-К_(45_mm)|45 mm 20-K]]. It is manned by only 2 crew members, surrounded by two engines (right side), an ammo rack (left), transmission (front) and fuel tank (back).

This tank makes for a surprisingly good low-rank scout, and as an added bonus, can engage in front line combat when needed. The front armour is surprisingly strong and can bounce shots from several similarly low-rank opponents. The gun, while not the greatest, is very capable in combat.

The major drawbacks of this tank occur when it's engaged in urban combat, or against opponents with high penetration cannons. The side and rear armour is undeniably poor and combined with urban combat make it very easy to get flanked. This leads to the tank largest flaw, in that it only has two crew. One penetrating hit will usually be the tank's end.

Generally speaking in combat, stick to terrain with forests and hills. In these types of areas, the small stature of this tank can be used to hide it behind small hills, and use its gun ineffective ambush attacks.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 35 mm (62°) ''Front glacis'' 35 mm (33-71°) ''Driver's port'' 45 mm (31°) ''Lower glacis''|| 15 mm || 10 mm (70°) ''Top'' 25 mm (43°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (7-59°) || 35 mm (0-28°) ''Side turret'' 15 mm (Armour joints) || 35 mm (29°) || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 9.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 50 (AB)
|-
|45 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|217
|267
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|124
|140
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|22.14
|27.24
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.65
|14.28
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|20-К (45 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-К (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer

|-
| colspan="3" | 90 || -6°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 3.60 || 4.90 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 3.60 || 4.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 103 || 94 || 64 || 40 || 21 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-240P || APCR || 985 || 0.85 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-70.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] for the T-70.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''90''' || 1 ''(+89)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 945 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Unlike later tanks, the T-70 presents a strange configuration: motor and turret are sided by side, meaning that exposing the tank's back will not immobilize it. With its turret definitively leaning to the left, a smart player will prefer going around corners with the obstacle on the right side of the tank. This tactic has two effects: it decreases the size of the target for the enemy and protects the crew with the engine block, at the expense of being immobilized if shot from the right side. Try to avoid being shot to the left side since there is a big ammo rack on the whole left side of the vehicle.

;Mobility:

* With two car engines crammed together, this small tank is less than 10 tons with 254 HP - a quite decent HP/ton ratio. The suspension is very smooth, providing ''some'' ability to fire on the move, but also making it more difficult to quickly engage an enemy after stopping, as the vehicle will keep rocking back-and-forth until the suspension settles. This puts T-70 at a disadvantage in sudden one-on-one encounters, so rushing for the nearest piece of cover instead of stopping to take aim may be a better option, unless the enemy is unaware of the light tank.

;Armour:

* While the hull's shape is similar to late and post-war Soviet vehicles ([[T-54 (1947)|T-54 1947]], [[T-44]], etc.), it is shorter and not angled as much. Still, this armour configuration is efficient and makes the most out of this little amount of steel, meaning the tank can bounce some shots if angled properly. The lower frontal plate, while thicker, is not angled as much, but transmission prevents most shots from injuring the crew when penetrating. The frontal armour of the turret is a semi-circular 50 mm thick steel plate, which provides decent protection at long ranges (very bouncy). Thanks to its small profile, this tank's turret are nearly invincible when hulled-down at ranges since no gun is accurate enough at this BR to efficiently take down the light tank. Beware the thin side armour, however - most HMG's can penetrate it, and the ammo rack located on the left side makes the tank even more vulnerable, so make sure it's protected.

;Firepower:

* Any player familiar with low-rank tanks will be comfortable with the [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]] cannon. Some peculiarities to the T-70 is its good gun depression of -6° and slow turret traverse.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good frontal armour
* Relatively good gun with high penetration
* Good machine gun
* Compact size makes it a small target
* Thick gun mantlet

'''Cons:'''

* Only two crew members
* Slow reloading
* Very vulnerable from sides
* Very slow turret traverse (hand cranked)

== History ==

===Development===
In 1942, advances in armoured warfare caused light tanks in Soviet service to be considered inadequate in terms of protection, firepower, and mobility in comparison to the all-around [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] medium tank. The only advantage the light tanks present was that small factories could produce these, unable to handle the machining process of the medium and heavy tanks in Soviet service. The two light tanks in service however, the [[T-50]] and the [[T-60]] were inadequate in terms of Soviet doctrine. The T-50 was complicated and expensive to produce, and the T-60 had poor cross-country mobility and a weak 20 mm autocannon.

The '''T-70''' light tank was designed to solve this issue, though it started with a glaring mechanical issue of having two engines, one for each track. The '''T-70M''', a redesigned version that is still called the "T-70", fixes this with one engine on the right side of the hull and normal transmission layout. The turret was also changed in the "M" designation to be easily welded and moved to the left of the hull to compensate for the engine on the right. In the end, it was a 9-ton tank with a 45 mm gun and only had two crew members.

However, at this point of the war, it is increasingly clear that the light tank and the role of an infantry tank were obsolete. The T-70 was also insufficient of coordinating an armoured unit due to the two crew members, forcing the commander in the turret to be a gunner, loader, and radio operator as well. An attempt to remedy this was the [[T-80]] light tank design, which was a stronger T-70 with a two-man turret, but was deemed unnecessary and all light tank production ceased in October 1943, with the remaining ones issued to artillery units or other rear-echelon duties.

===Combat usage===
Despite its inferiority, the T-70 had a few moments to shine. On July 6, 1943, Lt B.V. Pavlovich of the 49th Guards tank brigade engaged and destroyed four German medium tanks near Pokrovka village. On March 26, 1944, Sgt Alexander Pegov of the Third Guards tank army in a T-70 tank ambushed a [[Panther A|Panther tank]] in a range of 150 to 200 meters with APCR rounds, setting it on fire. He immobilized another a moment later. The Panthers blocked a vital road as they were immobilized, and Pegov was decorated as a Hero of the Soviet Union.

The T-70 was also used as the platform for the SU-76 Soviet tank destroyer, featuring a wider and longer chassis. The main production variant for this tank destroyer was the '''[[SU-76M]]'''. The T-70 was also used as a basis for an anti-aircraft platform called the T-90 SPAAG. This was cancelled in 1943 in favour of the [[ZSU-37]] however, which is a repurposed SU-76M chassis.

The T-70 served all the way to 1948 in Soviet inventory. Despite its inferior status, it was a valuable war commodity as it helped fill in roles when the T-34 couldn't be spared to do so. About 8,226 of this vehicle was produced during its production life of 1942 to 1943.

=== In-game description ===
This tank was adopted by the Red Army in 1942 as a replacement for the Т-60 and put into mass production in three factories at once. In comparison to the T-60, it had stronger armour, more powerful weaponry and a powertrain consisting of two sequentially paired six-cylinder petrol engines. The transmission and driving wheels were placed in the front of the tank. The hull was welded together from rolled armour plates, and the welds were strengthened with rivets. The frontal and rear hull plates were set at a sloping angle. The vehicle was equipped with a 45 mm Mod. 1938 tank cannon and a DT coaxial machine gun. It was not equipped with a radio set.

T-70 light tanks served jointly with T-34 tanks in tank brigades and mixed regiments. They underwent their trial by fire in June-July 1942, suffering significant losses. Their first battles revealed the weaknesses of the new light tanks in combat. Their weaponry was not powerful enough to go toe to toe with German medium tanks, and their armour was insufficient for the tanks to be used for direct infantry support. In addition, there were only two tankers in the crew, one of which was overloaded with numerous responsibilities, and the vehicles had no means of communication. All of this significantly weakened their value in the units they operated in and led to increased losses.

According to some tank commanders, the T-70 was ideally suited for chasing retreating enemies, a characteristic which became important in 1943. The T-70's powertrain and running gear were more reliable than those of the T-34. This allowed them to make long treks. The T-70 was a quiet vehicle, in stark contrast to the roaring engine and rumbling tracks of the T-34, which could be heard from up to 1.5 km away at night.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR light tanks}}

T-26-4

2019-08-16T06:07:04Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_26_4}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-26-4.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.51 "Cold Steel"]]. It is a variant of the [[T-26]] with a 76 mm howitzer.

The T-26-4 is a rather unusual tank, combining average speed, thin armour and a large gun. It uses the same hull as [[T-26]] and an enlarged turret not dissimilar to the [[T-28]]'s main turret, able to mount the 76 mm KT-28 howitzer.

This tank and its gun can be roughly compared to its German peer, the [[Pz.IV C]], and its 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24. However, it is vastly inferior to it in ALL terms.

The penetration is almost two times lower, and shell travel speed is by about 1/4 lower as well. Reloading also takes a bit more time. Armour wise, they are the same, but [[Pz.IV C|Pz. IV C]] has 30 mm of armour at the front. The German tank is also a lot faster, with the HP/ton ratio almost two times better. To complete the list, it also has a mere -5° of gun depression, compared to -10° of the Panzer. Lastly, [[Pz.IV C]] can also equip HEAT shells, to deal with better-armoured targets.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm (18°) ''Driver's plate'' 15 mm (1°) ''Front plate 7 mm (64-80°) ''Front glacis'' 15 mm (6-52°) ''Lower glacis|| 15 mm (0-1°)|| 15 mm (1-31°) ''Top'' 15 mm (11°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm ''Hull'' 6 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (0-3°) ''Turret front'' 15 mm (6-7°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm (0-1°) || 15 mm (1°) || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 11.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 33 (AB)
|-
|30 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|141
|174
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|80
|91
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|12.82
|15.82
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|7.27
|8.27
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|KT-28 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KT-28 (76 mm)|76 mm KT-28]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 50 || -5°/+21° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 9.5 || 13.2 || _._ || _._ || _._
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.5 || 11.2 || _._ || _._ || _._
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.2 || _._ || _._ || _._
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| SH-353 || Shrapnel || 27 || 25 || 21 || 19 || 16 || 12
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||37||37||33||30|| 27 ||24
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||11||11||11||11||11||11
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| SH-353 || Shrapnel || 381 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 370 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 155 || +4° || 48° || 63°|| 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 387 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 710 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-26-4.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] for the T-26-4.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''50''' || 38 ''(+12)'' || 25 ''(+25)'' || 13 ''(+37)'' || 1 ''(+49)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 25 ''(+25)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Rear mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

This tank should be used as either a close range ambusher/flanker or as a direct supporter of friendly vehicles. Use its speed to exploit other tank's weak side or rear armour to deal a crippling blow. Try to concentrate your fire on lightly armoured vehicles, to which your gun is deadly. It's dangerous to go alone, take friends, otherwise you risk an encounter with a tank that you won't be able to penetrate. Don't use HE shells on anything other than unarmoured vehicles, they are not as good as its calibre might suggest.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Gun can easily kill any tank it meets with a single shot IF it penetrates
* Manoeuvrability is quite good, although somewhat limited by its low top speed (30 kph)
* Decent reload speed and fast turret traverse speed

'''Cons:'''

* Horrible penetration with all types of ammo, even at very close range
* Mediocre accuracy, combined with one of the slowest shell travel speeds in the game
* Very thin armour, can't stop even the autocannon shells from AA vehicles
* Very bad gun depression
* Very low reverse speed
* Has very little chance of causing any harm at all to tougher tanks
* Most aeroplanes can pierce your armour rather easily

== History ==


The '''T-26-4''' light tank is a variant of the [[T-26]] light tank in Soviet services. Instead of mounting a 45 mm cannon as its main armament, the T-26-4 mounts the 76.2 mm KT tank gun and is intended to fill the role of an artillery tank. The turret looks similar to the [[T-28]] medium tank, if not the same.

The T-26-4 design was tested in October 1933 after five were built. It was in this test that the 76.2 mm KT cannon was chosen to arm it instead of the more powerful and innovative 76.2 mm PS-3 cannon. A production of 50 of these tanks was scheduled in 1935, but an incident on September 19, 1934, with a shell case destruction caused the military to cancel the T-26-4. The T-26-4 turret was then used on the [[BT-7|BT-7A]] light tank intended for the same role.

=== In-game description ===
"In 1940, the T-26 light tank was modernised for the last time. The vehicle's underturret box was equipped with homogenous armour with sloping plates and its thickness was increased to 15 mm. The frontal section of the turret was welded. A distinctive feature of the tank was the special defensive cover over its radiator grille. An extra DT machine gun was mounted on the turret's roof and was used as an anti-aircraft gun.

All these changes led to the T-26's mass exceeding 10 tonnes. In spite of its strengthened construction, its undercarriage was pushed to the limit. Often, particularly when turning, the tank started losing its tracks. Test results showed that the tank's armour did not meet modern requirements, and there was no weight allowance for increasing its armament. Other flaws in the tank's design included its low speed, poor weight distribution and low reliability.

However, the tank was easy to control, simple to service and did not require much effort in the field. Although the tank had an engine with horizontally placed cylinders, the tank's profile remained low, which made it harder to hit. Many technical solutions applied to the T-26 were used later on other tanks. When used correctly and in the hands of an experienced crew, the light tank could cause serious damage to the enemy forces. The T-26 made a significant contribution to routing the enemy at Moscow, and took part in practically all combat operations right up to 1944.

A significant number of these tanks, after being captured and modified in various ways, served in the German and Finnish armies. Some of them were used by Finland until the beginning of the 50s."

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/797/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Pz-35t & T-26-4]

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

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

{{USSR light tanks}}

BT-7

2019-08-16T06:04:47Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_bt_7_1937}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_BT-7.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. Like the [[BT-5]], but with improved front armour, it is fast and has an adequate 45 mm cannon able to destroy opposing tanks.

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

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

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

The crew compartment is very small and only inhabited by the driver and the commander. The latter has to perform the tasks of the gunner and radio-man. If a single crew member dies, the BT-7 is "combat ineffective" and then destroyed. "Not getting shot at" is the best advice for the crew to survive.

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

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

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

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

* Tracks and suspension wheel are both 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 13.7 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 60 (AB)
|-
|54 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|620
|763
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|354
|400
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|45.25
|55.69
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|25.84
|29.20
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 188 || -6°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 9.50 || 13.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.50 || 11.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.80 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_BT-7.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the BT-7.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''146''' || 122 ''(+24)''|| 97 ''(+49)'' || 73 ''(+73)'' || 49 ''(+97)'' || 24 ''(+122)''|| 1 ''(+145)''|| style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 97 ''(+49)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Best tactics are probably, however, to not charge right into the combat, but wait a while to see how the battle develops - observe where and how many enemy tanks go, maybe fire a few shots from the distance. Use your great mobility to get to the best positions. And then use its awesome speed to charge at lonely opponents, which at close range have no chance of keeping their guns pointed at you. Keep in mind that charging into more than 1 opponent is usually a quick end, as it is very hard to not get hit from either of them at the same time. There is basically paper armour on BT-7 to stop anything other than machine gun fire. Finally, try to avoid AA vehicles, as they will have no problem targeting and destroying you, even from the distance.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast and nimble
* Excellent offroad capability
* Powerful engine and wide tracks make the BT-7 a good climber
* Good cannon with a good rate of fire
* Often used as a rusher/scout in higher rank matches. It can get to capture points more quickly than most tanks

'''Cons:'''

* Exposed tracks and suspensions are prone to be damaged
* The whole tank is basically ammo rack and fuel tank on tracks
* Very large and difficult to hide
* Difficult to drive with precision - can slew on turns and bounces a lot after braking.
* Very weak armour all around, more flat un-angled areas than BT-5
* Vulnerable to heavy machine gun fire

* Worse gun depression than BT-5 (below average now)
* Sometimes stalls on turns on soft terrain

== History ==

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With appropriate tactics and a well-trained crew, the BT-7 could successfully oppose all types of German tanks at the beginning of the war, being inferior to them only in armour.
BT-7 tanks participated in combat operations on the Soviet-German front right up until 1944, and in 1945 they served in the war with Japan. A few captured tanks served in the Finnish army until the beginning of the 50s.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23bt7 Skins and camouflages for the BT-7 from live.warthunder]

== Read 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.''

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR light tanks}}

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

2019-08-14T05:20:08Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_26_1940_1st_GvTBr}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
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]]. Essentially a premium version of the [[T-26|original T-26]], it boasts all its benefits and weaknesses. It costs 250 [[Golden_Eagles|Golden Eagles]]

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

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

{| 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 ===

While being a light tank, its mobility is one of a medium. It will carry you where you want to be, provided you choose your route well and avoid tricky manoeuvres. Reverse speed, while not great (-6 km/h), can save you from some bad situations, provided cover is not too far behind.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 9.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 33 (AB)
|-
|30 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|141
|174
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|80
|91
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|14.39
|17.75
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|8.16
|9.28
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|20-К (45 mm)}}

The [[20-K (45 mm)|20-K]] is the typical Soviet rank 1 gun, players should get used to it since it will be your main armament up until rank 2. This gun has a good amount of HE filler, meaning penetrating shells will do good damage, sometimes even one-shot enemies. 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 since it has very fast reload speed and turret traverse.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-К (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 205 || -5°/+28° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 9.50 || 13.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.50 || 11.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.80 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-26.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-26.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''205''' || 165 ''(+40)'' || 124 ''(+81)'' || 83 ''(+122)'' || 42 ''(+163)'' || 1 ''(+204)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 124 ''(+81)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good penetration even at distance
* Decent reload time
* The ammo rack is difficult to destroy

'''Cons:'''

* Awful maneuverability
* Exposed driver, prone to be injured
* Thin armour compared to the [[Pz.II C|PzKpfw II Ausf.C]]
* Tall profile compared to the [[Pz.II C|PzKpfw II Ausf.C]]
* Very weak roof armour, vulnerable to machine gun fire from airplanes
* Poor top speed, woeful reverse

== History ==


===Development===
The '''[[T-26]]''' light tank was a design is derived from the British Vickers 6-ton tank. In early 1930s, a Soviet buying committee traveled to Britain and purchased tanks, tractors, and cars for use in the Soviet Union, of which the Vickers tank was chosen. Fifteen Twin-turreted Vickers tank arrived into the Soviet Union in May 1930, equipped with only machine guns. Four more Vickers were delivered at the end of 1930, these being the single-turret variants with a 47 mm gun, and the deliveries were finished by 1932. The Vickers-produced tanks were designated as the ''V-26''.

The Vickers 6-ton tank competed with several Soviet designs for the "most suitable" tank design for Soviet use. One such competitor was the Soviet ''T-19'' light tank, which had advantages over the Vickers design, but also disadvantages. The T-19 designer, S. Ginzburg, suggested for a "hybrid" tank to be built off the features of the T-19 and the Vickers tank. But in January 1931, intelligence picked up that Poland bought up many foreign tanks from Britain and France with license to mass-produce them. As Poland was considered an enemy to the state, the pressure caused by this intelligence caused the Soviet military council to adopt the foreign tanks into Soviet usage, thus the Vickers 6-ton tank, under the designation as the '''T-26''', was accepted into service in February 13, 1931 as the main-stay of the Red Army's armoured forces.

Although outclassed later in the war, it was considered one of the more successful and widely produced tank model in the 1930s. It, along with the [[BT-7|BT]] light tanks, composed of the majority of Russia's armoured forces in late 1930s. It weighed just a little under 10 tons, had 15 mm thick armour in front, with a 45 mm 20K gun , and had a crew of three people. The Bolshevik Factory in Leningrad was the first factory to start producing the T-26 from June 1931, and production of the tank lasted from then until 1941.

===Variants===
During its production life, many variants of it was made for different purposes, up to '''53''' different ones to fit different roles, though only 23 would see service in production. Such designs included changes like a twin-turreted version (some with only machine guns and some with cannons), command tanks, added armour, artillery tanks (such as the [[T-26-4]]), flamethrower tanks, remote-controlled tanks, or just armoured carriers to tow artillery and such. Others were simply modified variants of the normal variants such as the [[T-26E]], which was the base single-turreted T-26 design with 30-40 mm applique armour made during the Winter War, which made them more resilient to the Finnish anti-tank weapons.

All these tanks produced in the span of 1931 to 1941 made up a total 10,300 tanks, and 1,701 other variants of it, for a total of 12,001 units produced.

===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 Russia 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 were 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.

===Survivors===
A number of survivors exist today in different museums, about 45 of them are still intact. A majority of them are in Russia, Spain, and Finland, where they saw most of their services.

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200px">
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 ==
''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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''

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

T-26E

2019-08-14T05:18:23Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_t_26E
|market=T-26E (USSR)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-26E.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. An up-armoured version of the [[T-26]], it stands a better chance deflecting enemy shells off its front armour.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 + 15 mm (22°) ''Front plate'' 7 mm (64-80°) ''Front glacis'' 15 mm (6-52°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 + 15 mm (24-25°) ''Top'' 15 mm (0°) ''Bottom'' || 30 + 15 mm (1°) ''Top'' 30 + 15 mm (12°) ''Bottom'' || 6 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 + 15 mm (12-33°) ''Turret front'' 30 + 15 mm (5-44°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 + 15 mm (17-19°) || 30 + 15 mm (17°) || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheel are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
* The 30 mm applique armour does not cover the entire area on the hull, so there are exposed areas vulnerable to enemy fire.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 12.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 33 (AB)
|-
|30 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|141
|174
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|80
|91
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|11.75
|14.50
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|6.67
|7.58
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|20-К (45 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-К (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 205 || -6°/+22° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 9.50 || 13.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.50 || 11.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.80 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-26.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-26.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''205''' || 165 ''(+40)'' || 124 ''(+81)'' || 83 ''(+122)'' || 42 ''(+163)'' || 1 ''(+204)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 124 ''(+81)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The main purpose of the tank is a diversion. In battle, when a close friendly player is attacked by an enemy, go behind a rock that has the size of the tank's hull, then shoot the target.

* When it's a tank destroyer, shoot its tracks to make it immobile
* When it's a medium tank (like the [[T-28]] ), shoot its horizontal turret drive (The ring below its turret), then shoot the tracks, to make it defenceless.

In Summary, it is a good tank, it is friendly to new players, but it is not recommended to players above Rank II.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire
* High turret armour
* Good for gathering SL in low ranks
* Its penetration is effective against almost all enemies in rank I, except the [[StuG III A]]

'''Cons:'''

* Low hull armour
* A weak spot in the hull box at the driver - keep this away from the enemy
* Slow for a scout, but agile
* Useless in Rank II or higher

== History ==


===Development===
The [[T-26]] light tank in Soviet service, while making up a major part of the Soviet armoured forces, proved quite under-armoured when against newer anti-tank weapons as it was an old 1931 design. The Spanish Civil War showed some of these defects in the T-26, but it wasn't until the Winter War against Finland that proved that the majority of light anti-tank weapons could destroy the T-26.

In order to remedy this, Factory No. 174 in Leningrad designed a new variant for the T-26 utilizing applique armour on the hull and turret. This variant was dubbed the '''T-26E''' (''E'' for ekranirovanny or "screened"), which added 30-40 mm of armour to the original armour plates via bolting and welding. All of the single-turreted T-26 models made during the Winter War period was given this modification and testings proved that the additional armour made the T-26 much more resilient against light anti-tank weapons. A total of 89 T-26Es were made during and after the Winter War, with 27 single-turret models made from the factory, 27 more as flamethrower-models, and 15 single-turret models were made in workshops near the front-line. After the war, 20 more single-turret variants were made and delivered for tank units. Many more modified T-26s were made during the course of World War II.

===Combat usage===
These '''T-26E'''s were used in the Winter War against Finland and the extra armour over the normal T-26 variants made it impenetrable to Finnish light anti-tank weapons. However, the extra armour added to the T-26 raised the weight from 9.6 tons to 12 tons, thus a larger strain on the chassis, engine, and suspension so the driver was advised to drive the tank in low gear and must take extra care to not overload these systems.

During World War II, applique armour of varying thickness from 15–40 mm was added onto many different T-26s in large quantities ranging to hundreds in the front-lines to fight back the German invasion. Such areas where these modifications took place in Leningrad, Odessa, Moscow, and Sevastopol in the period of 1941–1942 during battles and sieges taking place in or near these cities. However, compared to the modifications made during the Winter War, the World War II '''T-26E'''s were more crude and rough that the gun mask on the tank was unable to move, and the applique armour was only added on the front.

No known combat records exist for these modified T-26s in World War II and may have been simply been added as performances done by regular T-26s, but due to the obsolesce of the T-26 models compared to the German [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV]], many can be presumed to be lost in combat if not due to mechanical failures.

=== In-game description ===
The Spanish Civil War showed that the T-26 tank's armour no longer protected it from new low-calibre anti-tank weapons. So in 1937-1938, strengthening the tank's armour became an immediate concern. Designers at factory No. 174 decided to simply introduce a conical-shaped turret and to slope the armour plates on the underturret box. The armour's thickness remained unchanged, as the undercarriage structure, already pushed to its limits as it was, prevented the tank's mass from being increased. The issue of increasing the light tank's armour became a prominent concern again by the Winter War beginning on 30 November 1939.

The first battles showed that Finland's anti-tank weapons easily destroyed the tanks. On the 20th of December, work began on up-armouring T-26 tanks with 30-40 mm thick armour plates at factory No. 174. On 30 December 1939, firing tests were carried out on the first up-armoured T-26 at the factory's ballistic range, with positive results. The vehicle withstood fire from a 45 mm anti-tank cannon at a distance of 400-500 m.

Having successfully passed testing, the up-armoured design was accepted as a success and the Leningrad Kirovsk factory equipped around 70 tanks with the additional armour. The additional armour was attached to the turret, underturret box, side and front of the tank with screw rivets and electric arc welds. The gun mantlet was also up-armoured. The tank's mass increased to 12 tonnes, which meant the engine and suspension were overloaded. The tank could now only move in low gear and had an increased risk of breaking down.

T-26Es were used at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Several vehicles remained in service on the Leningrad front until 1943. Captured light tanks of this type were used by the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS in 1941-1942.

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

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

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

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

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

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

T-26

2019-08-14T05:14:02Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetrations

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_26_1940}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-26.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a reserve rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet light tank {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. It is a tiny tank with rather thin armour, but with a heavy hitting [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm cannon]] that can devastate most enemies at its battle rating.

This is the Soviet starter tank, unlike its German counterpart, the [[Pz.II C|PzKpfw II Ausf.C]], it has a single-shot cannon, that makes it more suitable for ranged engagements. With its poor armour, it is recommended to stay at distance from autocannons and HMGs since they can shred the T-26 pretty easily at any angle. With light armour, average mobility and a good gun for its rank, the T-26 is a frontline support. This is definitively not representative of later Soviet tanks but is a good trainer since it is forgiving and harder to play than later tanks.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

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

{| 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 ===

While being a light tank, its mobility is one of a medium. It will carry you where you want to be, provided you choose your route well and avoid tricky manoeuvres. Reverse speed, while not great (-6 km/h), can save you from some bad situations, provided cover is not too far behind.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 9.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 33 (AB)
|-
|30 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|141
|174
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|80
|91
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|14.39
|17.75
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|8.16
|9.28
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|20-К (45 mm)}}

The [[20-K (45 mm)|20-K]] is the typical Soviet rank 1 gun, players should get used to it since it will be your main armament up until rank 2. This gun has a good amount of HE filler, meaning penetrating shells will do good damage, sometimes even one-shot enemies. 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 since it has very fast reload speed and turret traverse.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-К (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 205 || -5°/+28° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 9.50 || 13.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.50 || 11.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.80 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC ||69||68||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-26.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-26.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''205''' || 165 ''(+40)'' || 124 ''(+81)'' || 83 ''(+122)'' || 42 ''(+163)'' || 1 ''(+204)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 124 ''(+81)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good penetration even at distance.
* Post penetration damage is excellent.
* Decent reload time.
* Fast turret rotation speed.
* Good gun depression.
* The ammo rack is difficult to destroy.
* Can carry huge amount of ammo.
* Free repairs and main ammo, allows for mistakes

'''Cons:'''

* Sometimes the gun is inaccurate.
* Exposed driver, prone to be injured.
* Thin armour compared to the [[Pz.II C|PzKpfw II Ausf.C]].
* Tall profile compared to the [[Pz.II C|PzKpfw II Ausf.C]].
* Very weak roof armour, vulnerable to machine gun fire from airplanes.
* Poor top speed, woeful reverse.
* .50 cal is enough to penetrate this vehicle.
* Very slow at scaling hills due to weak engine power.
* Only 3 crew members.
* One shot from the side will knock out all the crew.

== History ==

===Development===
The '''T-26''' light tank design is derived from the British Vickers 6-ton tank. In early 1930s, a Soviet buying committee traveled to Britain and purchased tanks, tractors, and cars for use in the Soviet Union, of which the Vickers tank was chosen. Fifteen Twin-turreted Vickers tank arrived into the Soviet Union in May 1930, equipped with only machine guns. Four more Vickers were delivered at the end of 1930, these being the single-turret variants with a 47 mm gun, and the deliveries were finished by 1932. The Vickers-produced tanks were designated as the ''V-26''.

The Vickers 6-ton tank competed with several Soviet designs for the "most suitable" tank design for Soviet use. One such competitor was the Soviet ''T-19'' light tank, which had advantages over the Vickers design, but also disadvantages. The T-19 designer, S. Ginzburg, suggested for a "hybrid" tank to be built off the features of the T-19 and the Vickers tank. But in January 1931, intelligence picked up that Poland bought up many foreign tanks from Britain and France with license to mass-produce them. This information pressured the Soviet military council to adopt the foreign tanks into Soviet usage, thus the Vickers 6-ton tank, under the designation as the '''T-26''', was accepted into service in February 13, 1931 as the main-stay of the Red Army's armoured forces.

Although outclassed later in the war, it was considered one of the more successful and widely produced tank model in the 1930s. It, along with the [[BT-7|BT]] light tanks, composed of the majority of Russia's armoured forces in late 1930s. It weighed just a little under 10 tons, had 15 mm thick armour in front, with a 45 mm 20K gun, and had a crew of three people. The Bolshevik Factory in Leningrad was the first factory to start producing the T-26 from June 1931, and production of the tank lasted from then until 1941.

===Variants===
During its production life, many variants of it was made for different purposes, up to '''53''' different ones to fit different roles, though only 23 would see service in production. Such designs included changes like a twin-turreted version (some with only machine guns and some with cannons), command tanks, added armour, artillery tanks (such as the [[T-26-4]]), flamethrower tanks, remote-controlled tanks, or just armoured carriers to tow artillery and such. Others were simply modified variants of the normal variants such as the [[T-26E]], which was the base single-turreted T-26 design with 30-40 mm applique armour made during the Winter War, which made them more resilient to the Finnish anti-tank weapons.

All these tanks produced in the span of 1931 to 1941 made up a total 10,300 tanks, and 1,701 other variants of it, for a total of 12,001 units produced.

===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 Russia 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 were 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.

===Survivors===
A number of survivors exist today in different museums, about 45 of them are still intact. A majority of them are in Russia, Spain, and Finland, where they saw most of their services.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

== See also ==


* [[T-26-4]] - Artillery version of the vehicle with a 76 mm howitzer
* [[BT-5]] - Other reserve vehicle for the USSR
* [[Pz.II C]] - Comparable vehicle in German tech tree
* [[M2A4]] - Comparable vehicle in USA tech tree.

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

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

{{USSR light tanks}}

BT-5

2019-08-14T05:09:15Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_bt_5}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_BT-5.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Soviet reserve Rank {{Specs|rank}} light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]]. It is a very fast tank with a heavy-hitting 45 mm gun but at the cost of lighter armour.

This tank is quite unique. It has virtually no armour, weights only 11,5 tons and has a massive 400 HP engine (442 HP fully upgraded), giving it up to 38 HP/Ton ratio. This paired with excellent Christie suspension allows it to drive like a race car among tanks. Gun is an adequate 45mm 20-K cannon with decent penetration and quick reload.

The BT-5, as with most light tanks in-game, are fast, but at the cost of having little armour. This makes the BT-5 an ideal flanker. The primary (safe) tactic would be to shoot and scoot, never stay in the same place for long. The less safe route would be to run rings around the enemy and take shots while circling them. Overall, the rule with the BT-5 is: shoot the enemy first; if they try to shoot, don't get hit.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 13 mm (62°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (18°) ''Driver port'' 30 mm (62°) ''Lower glacis'' 40 mm (13°) ''Plate joint''|| 15 mm (1°) || 13 mm (0-59°)|| 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 20 mm (11-43°) ''Gun mantlet'' 15 mm ''Turret front'' || 15 mm || 15 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes''' 

* Tracks and suspension wheel are both 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 11.6 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 59 (AB)
|-
|53 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|396
|487
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|323
|365
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.14
|41.98
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|27.84
|31.46
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm 20-K]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 86 || -8°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 9.50 || 13.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.50 || 11.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 3.80 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 69 || 68 ||59||50||42||35
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 73 ||71||62||52||44||37
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-240 || APHEBC || 760 || 1.4 || 1.2 || 15 || 32.3 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-240SP || AP || 757 || 1.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_BT-5.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the BT-5]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''86''' || 72 ''(+14)''|| 57 ''(+29)'' || 43 ''(+43)'' || 29 ''(+57)'' || 15 ''(+71)''|| 1 ''(+85)''|| style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}
Turret empty: 29 ''(+57)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Best tactics are probably, however, to not charge right into the combat, but wait a while to see how the battle develops - observe where and how many enemy tanks go, maybe fire a few shots from the distance. Use BT's great mobility to get to the best positions. And then use its awesome speed to charge at lonely opponents, which at close range have no chance of keeping their guns from tracking the BT. Keep in mind that charging into more than 1 opponent is usually a quick end, as it is very hard to not get hit from either of them at the same time. There is no armour on BT-5 to stop anything other than machine gun fire. Finally, try to avoid AA vehicles, as they will have no problem targeting and shredding the BT with rapid fire, even from the distance.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good gun penetration
* Good rate of fire
* One of the fastest tanks in the game, great acceleration and overall mobility
* Can run circles around other light tanks
* Front armour, although very thin, sometimes bounces shells thanks to the high sloping

'''Cons:'''

* Pretty much non-existent armour
* Very vulnerable to quick-firing auto-cannons like Pz.II's or AA vehicles
* One shot in the front will knock out the crew

== History ==

===Development===
The '''BT''', or ''Bystrokhodny tank (Fast tank)'', was a strange combination of national engineering. BT's origin lays with an American automotive designer named Walter Christie, who developed a suspension system that can be converted between tracked and wheeled travel. His first attempt was the M1919 tank and submitted in February 1921, but was withdrawn for improvements in Spring 1921. It was rebuilt as the M1921 and tested until May 1923. While his design had garnered interest, the deficiency of the cramped crew compartment and unreliable had the design rejected in July 1924. Christie improved the suspension again and patented the design in April 1928. The new suspension used large road wheels with smaller idler and drive sprocket, with a chain to drive the vehicle track-less when needed. The suspension wheels were supported by large springs in the hull to provide a relatively smooth ride compared to the usual suspension design of the day. This design, today is known as the Christie Suspension, was put onto the M1928 tank and presented on October 1928, with a public demonstration by driving the tank from Maryland to Pennsylvania on an average 28 mph speed. The attention grabbed overseas interest, one was the Polish Army, but another country interested in the design was the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, using their ties with Amtorg Corporation in New York, offered to buy the M1928 design and its license production rights. The deal was done on 30 April 1930 with two M1928 tanks for $60,000 and the production rights for $100,000.<ref name="Zaloga American">Zaloga 2016, ''American Origin''</ref>

The tanks that arrived at the Soviet Union were designated the M1940 convertible tank. Polish interest in the vehicle vanished upon learning of the transaction with the Soviet Union. However, while the Soviet Union was aware of Polish interest in the vehicle, they did not hear of the cancellation and made estimations that Poland could have up to 100 Christie tanks with 300 Vickers tank by 1931, prompting a hasty production schedule of their own tank designs. Though with flaws, the M1940 was accepted for production on 23 May 1931 as the BT-2. Manufacturing difficulties led to a delay in the production tables of the BT-2. Another issue was the choice of armament, with the Red Army jumping from the 37 mm PS-2 gun derived from the French Hotchkiss gun, the [[KwK 36 (37 mm)|37 mm Pak 36]] developed by Germany, then the [[20-K (45 mm)|45 mm]]. The changes in armament, each larger than the other, creating fitting issues with the BT-2 turret design. Despite 620 units produced by 1944, the BT-2 was deemed near useless except for practice.<ref name="Zaloga American" /> An improvement was needed for the service of the Red Army.

The BT-2 design was improved at the KB-T2K tank bureau, with BT-3 being a measurement conversion from imperial to metric, and the BT-4 changing the rivet construction with welds. In 1932, the plan was to upgrade the BT-2 and equip it with the 45 mm. The next iteration, the '''BT-5''', was completed on 21 October 1932 without a turret, though with the complete model made on 01 January 1933. The most notable change between the BT-2 design and the BT-5 was the enlarged turret for the 45 mm gun with a coaxial machine gun. Most BT-5 were equipped with the M-5 Liberty gasoline engine, but some equipped with the BD-2 diesel engine were designated the ''BT-5diz''.<ref name="Zaloga BT5">Zaloga 2016, ''The BT-5 Tank''</ref>

A total of 1,946 BT-5 were produced during its production life between 1933 and 1934.<ref name="Zaloga BT5" /><ref name="Zaloga BT-7">Zaloga 2016, ''The BT-7 Tank''</ref> Aside from the tank model, many different variants were produced on the BT-5 design. Such as the ''BT-5PKh'' designed for deep-wading<ref name="Zaloga Amphibious">Zaloga 2016, ''The PT-1 Amphibious Tank''</ref>, the ''[[RBT-5]]'' that equipped two 250 kg 305 mm Tverskiy “Tank Torpedoes” on the turret, a BT-5 with two [[BM-8-24|Katyusha]] launch rails,<ref name="Zaloga Artillery">Zaloga 2016, ''BT Artillery Tanks''</ref> the ''KhBT-5'' with a KS-34 flamethrower,<ref name="Zaloga Flame">Zaloga 2016, ''Flamethrower Tanks''</ref> and the ''SBT-5'' bridge-layer engineer vehicle. <ref name="Zaloga Engineer">Zaloga 2016, ''Engineer Support Tanks''</ref> All were built with varying levels of success and practicality, only the SBT-5 were made in noticeable numbers, of which was five units.<ref name="Zaloga Engineer" />

===Combat usage===
The BT-5 was first used to equip the 5th Kalinovskiy Mechanized Corps. 325 BT-5 were equipped with the 71-TK Shakal radio transceiver, designated the ''BT-5RT''.<ref name="Zaloga BT5" /> Tanks without radio had to communicate via signal flags, hand signals, or by flare.<ref name="Zaloga BT-7" />

The BT tank’s first combat usage was during the Spanish Civil War in 1937 in foreign hands, with 50 BT-5 sold to the Spanish Republic, delivered on 10 August 1937. The Spanish troops using them regarded the BTs as the best tanks in Spain. Soviet advisors from the 5th Kalinovskiy Mech. Corps were also supplemented among the Spanish troops during the war. However, the lack of tactics in the Spanish Republicans led to heavy losses among the BT units. Some BTs were even captured by the Spanish Nationalists and used against their owners. <ref name="Zaloga Combat">Zaloga 2016, ''Combat Use''</ref>

The Soviet’s first usage with the BT tanks was in the border conflicts with Japan at Khalkin Gol. At this point, the [[BT-7]] was starting to succeed the BT-5 in Red Army service, but the BT-5 still served in the 11th Tank Brigade in three battalions. Though the BT were successful in stopping Japanese advances and driving them back, the BT tanks suffered casualties under the 37 mm anti-tank guns and 70 mm field guns in Japanese service. While experience with the BTs was still satisfactory, the fighting revealed flaws in the design. The BT armour was becoming too thin to resist standard anti-tank weaponry, radio sets were too easily damaged, rubber on the wheels would melt off in prolonged march in hot weather,<ref name="Zaloga Combat" /> and the tank’s petrol were catching fire due to combat damages, leading to a change in Soviet power design from petrol engines to diesel.<ref name="Zaloga T34">Zaloga 1994, ''Design and Development''</ref>

The BT-5 also saw use during the Soviet’s invasion of Poland in 1939, with only 147 BT-2 and BT-5 in four tank regiments but these did not see much combat. A number were also used in the Winter War against Finland in 1940. In April 1941, months before the German’s Operation Barbarossa, the Soviets still had 1,658 BT-5 of all variants in inventory, but wear and tear had begun taking their toll on their reliability. Mechanical problems became rampant and when the Germans invaded Russia on 22 June 1941, many BT tanks were lost from breakdowns. Those that were able to encounter the German Panzer divisions were clearly outmatched by the [[Pz.III F|Panzer III]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV]]. They were only a match against light tanks like the [[Pz.38(t) F|Panzer 38(t)]], but the German’s more experienced tank formations were able to win even when outnumbered.<ref name="Zaloga Combat" />

The drastically reduced BT tank numbers meant they were almost a rarity past 1941. In the Summer 1942 fronts, there were only 65 BT tanks fighting the Germans. By June 1945, only 299 BT tanks were still available in all parts of the European theatre. The BT’s last major campaign was in Manchuria during the Soviet’s offensive against Japan. Though majorly BT-7s, 190 BT-5s were present by September 1945. In 1946, all BT tanks were retired from Soviet service.<ref name="Zaloga Combat" />

===Legacy===
Perhaps the most important impact the BT light tanks series was that it was the predecessor of the [[T-34 (1940)|T-34]] medium tank<ref name="Zaloga BT-7" />, which would go on as the most produced tank of World War II. During work on improving the BT design that would become the [[BT-7]], a separate design project at Kharkov headed by a designer named Mikhail Koshkin in October 1937 focused on a ''BT-20'',<ref name="Zaloga BT-7" /> which had a wider hull and a BD-2 diesel engine. Inside the design bureau, however, the design was renamed the ''A-20'', which was further improved into the ''A-32'' which had improved armour and a bigger 76.2 mm gun. Finally, in December 1939, Stalin approved the A-32 design, which was accepted under the name ''T-34''<ref name="Zaloga T34" />

=== In-game description ===
The BT-5 light tank was built as a result of a project to upgrade the BT-2. The first vehicles were released in March, 1933. The new tank’s main distinction was that it had a new turret with enhanced weaponry installed on it. A pair of 45mm 20К cannon and a 7.62mm DT machine gun were installed on the turret. Other less significant changes were also made that enhanced the tank’s build quality. 230 BT-5 tanks with enhanced turrets were produced.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=#bt5 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the BT-5 mod. 1933 from live.warthunder]

==References==
<references />

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/3452/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> A very Soviet Reserve: BT-5 Light Tank]

== Sources ==

* Zaloga, Steven. ''BT Fast Tank: The Red Army’s Cavalry Tank 1931-45'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2016
* Zaloga, Steven. ''T-34/76 Medium Tank 1941-45'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994

{{USSR light tanks}}

Begleitpanzer 57

2019-08-09T20:01:49Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_begleitpanzer_57}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.73 "Vive la France"]].

At first glance, the Begleitpanzer 57 may be confused for a SPAA due to the light armoured chassis and a rapid-fire 57 mm auto cannon. On the turret's is also a TOW launcher that can be fired in a SACLOS manner, meaning it will automatically align itself with the cross hair in flight.

The Begleitpanzer 57 overall construction is similar to that of the [[T114|T114]] with light armour all around that even heavy machine gun ammunition can penetrate through the sides. The turret's nature with its exterior gun mount also has its similarities.

As a light tank, the Begleitpanzer 57 carries a great firepower punch for its mobility despite its lack of armour. A rapid firing 57 mm cannon carries enough penetration rivaling that of the [[ZSU-57-2]], but the addition of a TOW launcher system makes this vehicle a dangerous opponent by being able to engage a variety of target at its leisure.

While the cannon shares the caliber with the Russian 57 mm gun, it is quite different in performance. The Russian SPAA has a slightly better combined fire rate and significantly more accuracy at range. You also start to lose the penetration advantage at 1 km compared to the APHE belt of the ZSU-57-2. All of this combined makes you very reliant on your ATGM, of which you only have 6. Upgrading to the better ATGM is highly encouraged, the APHE belt can be completely ignored as it can not reliably perforate Russian side armor.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 11 mm (76°), 32 mm (32°) ''Front glacis'' 32 mm (31-61°) ''Lower glacis'' || 15 mm (30°) ''Top'' 15 mm || 11 mm (24°) ''Top'' 11 mm (26°) || 11 mm
|-
| Turret || 25 mm (39°) ''Turret front'' 25 mm (0-9°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm (12-16°) ''Left side'' 15 mm ''Right side'' || 15 mm (39°) || 11 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 11 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 28.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 78 (AB)
|-
|70 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|32.63
|40.18
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|18.63
|21.05
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|Bofors L/70 Mk.I (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Bofors L/70 Mk.I (57 mm)|57 mm Bofors L/70 Mk.I]]
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="2" | 96 (48) || 200 || -8°/+45° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 20.0 || 27.67 || 33.6 || 39.53 || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 12.5 || 14.7 || 17.22 || 20.87 || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 15.00 || 15.00 || 15.00 || 15.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| 57x438 AP-T || APCBC ||125|| 122 || 107 ||91|| 77 ||66
|-
| 57x438 SAP-T || APHEBC || 94 ||92||81||69|| 58 ||50
|-
| 57x438 HE-T || HE ||8||8||8||8||8||8
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| 57x438 AP-T || APCBC || 950 || 2.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 57x438 SAP-T || APHEBC || 950 || 2.4 || 1.3 || 15 || 127.5 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 57x438 HE-T || HE || 1,020 || 2.4 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 765 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''96''' || 72 ''(+24)'' || 48 ''(+48)'' || 24 ''(+72)'' || 0 ''(+96)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Additional armament ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | BGM-71B TOW ATGM
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Flight speed (m/s)
! rowspan="1" | Range (m)
|-
| colspan="3" | 6 || -6°/+20° || 299 || 3,000
|-
! colspan="6" | BGM-71C TOW ATGM
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Flight speed (m/s)
! rowspan="1" | Range (m)
|-
| colspan="3" | 6 || -6°/+20° || 296 || 3,750
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| TOW || ATGM || 430 || 430 || 430 || 430 || 430 || 430
|-
| I-TOW || ATGM || 630 || 630 || 630 || 630 || 630 || 630
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| TOW || ATGM || 299 || 19 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 2,450 || ° || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
| I-TOW || ATGM || 296 || 19 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 2,080 || ° || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| ''6''' || 4 ''(+2)'' || 0 ''(+6)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|MG 3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG 3A1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 5,000 (1,000) || 1,200 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* 57 mm useful against light armoured vehicles like light tanks and Leopards.
* Great for spotting / disabling tracks and cannon parts.
* Can take out aircraft from a 45 degree angle or lower.
* When flanking, can easily destroy tanks from the side.
* Armour can withstand 7.62mm (.30) bullets from the front, but higher caliber AP will penetrate.

'''Cons:'''

* Most high-caliber machine guns (higher than .50 cals) will go through any of its armor.
* Its 45 degree gun elevation makes it vulnerable to high angle attacks.
* Can easily be hull broken.
* Cannot take on most tanks from the front.
* Fairly low ammunition count.
* Lack of a stabilizer
* Gun breech can be damaged from 7mm machine guns
* Must stop to use AGTMs

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5069-development-begleitpanzer-57-bofors-marder-united-at-last-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Begleitpanzer 57: Bofors/Marder united at last!]

{{Germany light tanks}}
[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

Maus

2019-08-09T19:59:48Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration and shell names

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_Maus}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Maus.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''<nowiki>{{Specs|name]]</nowiki>''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]]. The Maus is the definitive tank of ''heavy armour'' in Rank V and is one of the largest tanks in-game, if not the largest. The Maus can be a menace in the battlefield and conversely also a bullet magnet, a double-edged sword that must be played correctly or else fall victim to heavy enemy fire.

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

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

The 128 mm is a great gun in-game, very accurate and perfect for mid to long range engagements. The reload is very good too for its calibre (23-second stock) that is a big advantage versus IS-4s, because the Maus has three seconds for an extra shot. KwK44 has the best penetration value of any APHE shell in-game. However, the APCR and HEAT shells of the T-54 and late US vehicles surpasses it. Damage wise the 128mm PzGr.43 is equivalent to the [[IS-3|122mm BR-471 of the D-25T]], where penetration usually means a knock-out.

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

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 200 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' 200 mm (35°) ''Lower glacis'' || 180 mm ''Top'' 100 mm ''Bottom'' 300 mm ''Weld joints''|| 150 mm (36°) ''Top'' 150 mm (31°) ''Bottom'' || 50 mm ''General area'' 100 mm ''Front roof''
|-
| Turret || 220 mm (3-53°)''Turret front'' 240 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 200 mm (30°) || 200 mm (15°) || 60 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 188.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 22 (AB)
|-
|20.7 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,549
|____
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|1,061
|____
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|8.24
|__.__
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|5.64
|__.__
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|KwK 44 (128 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 44 (128 mm)|128 mm KwK 44]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 68 || -7°/+23° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 4.50 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 4.50 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 23.6 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr || APC ||227||224||213||200||188||176
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC ||267||265|| 253 ||238||224||211
|-
| Sprgr. L/4,5 || HE ||45||45||44||43||41||40
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr || APC || 930 || 28 || 0.8 || 28 || 786.5 || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC || 930 || 28 || 0.8 || 28 || 786.5 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. L/4,5 || HE || 750 || 28 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 3,700 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

Turret empty: 45 (+23)

=== Additional armament ===

{{main|KwK 44 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 44 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 44]]
|-
! colspan="6" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 68 || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 11.30 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 11.30 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 4.80 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38C || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38C || HEAT || 450 || 4.8 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 875.5 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 570 || 5.7 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 715 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. || 423 || 6.8 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

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

Turret empty: 76 (+24)

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|MG 34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,000 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Versus heavy tanks, the Maus has all the advantages. While slower it can make up for this in close combat thanks to the good turn rate of both tracks and turret. Just quickly angle the Maus (both turret and hull!) and ''turn'' it invincible. Try angling the front drive wheel at the enemy tank and turn the turret so that the armour is at ~45 degrees to the enemy fire. The only threat is other high-calibre tanks like the [[M103|M103]], but the M103's HEAT is limited in damage potential due to the big empty spaces inside the tank.

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Most armoured tank of the game
* Nigh invincible, if angled properly
* Capable of soaking a large amount of damage
* Powerful 128 mm cannon
* Nigh invulnerable to arty and large HE shells
* Very resilient to bombs and rockets
* Access to smoke grenades
* Surprisingly good off-road manoeuvrability
* Secondary 75 mm coaxial cannon to use when 128 mm is not necessary
* Turns pretty well in high gear movement or in neutral steer
* Very difficult to immobilize
* Turret sides are strong as, if not stronger than, the front of the turret

'''Cons:'''

* Very slow, though still faster than the T28/95
* Takes a while to reach the action zone
* Requires good teamwork to perform adequately
* Slow turret rotation
* The sides of the Maus is littered with ammo racks
* Very loud engine, players with 3D sound will be able to locate the Maus just by listening for the engine
* Vulnerable at all ranges to end rank American and Russian tanks using Sabot and HEAT rounds
* Extremely heavy, makes towing near impossible unless it is another Maus
* Vulnerable to 152 mm HE
* Resilient to bombs, but a large bomb will still have a high chance to destroy the Maus
* Optics have little zoom capability, difficult hitting long range targets
* Big target for [[Anti-tank_guided_missiles|ATGM]]

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
===Development===
This monster of a tank started development in 1942 on the suggestion of Ferdinand Porsche to Hitler, which was approved. The first prototype was to be completed by 1943 and the project vehicle was designated the ''Mammut'' (Mammoth). The name changed in December 1942 to ''Mäuschen'' (Little Mouse), then once more to the '''Maus''' (Mouse) in February 1943, which stayed as its designation (and perhaps proving that Germany does have a sense of humour).

The prototype used Ferdinand's "electric transmission" that was previously used on the rejected [[VK 45.01 (P)|Tiger(P)]], the vehicle would be powered by an MB 517 diesel engine. The Maus has a suspension design with 24 wheels on each side, 2 per bogie with two bogies side by side and six bogies lining up from front and back. The armour was perhaps the most defining feature at 220 mm thick at the hull front, the sides and rear were 190 mm thick. The turret was even thicker at 240 mm on the front and 200 mm on the sides and rear. The vehicle was to also have a 128 mm KwK 44 main gun with a 75 mm KwK 44 gun as a coaxial. The overwhelming design was approximated to weight 100 tons.

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

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

However, by 1944, the Red Army was advancing deeper and deeper into what was previously German-controlled territory. The vision that the Red Army might capture the testing grounds of the Maus prototypes and the prototypes themselves seem to come closer to reality. The Germans were forced to destroy the prototypes to prevent their capture by the Soviets, placing charges onto the ''V2'' prototype (the ''V1'' was only a hull so it wasn't combat-effective). The second prototype had the entire hull damaged as there was ammunition still in the tank when the charges went off, but the turret was mostly intact. The Russians captured the damaged prototypes and held them until the end of the war. After World War II, the Soviet Commander of Armoured and Mechanized troops ordered for the V1 hull to be attached with the turret from the V2 prototype. They had to use six ''Sd.Kfz. 9'', the largest half-track vehicles produced by Germany, to move the 55-ton turret to the hull. The fixed prototype was sent back to the Soviet Union for testing and arrive on May 4, 1946. Once this is done, the prototype was sent to Kubinka Tank museum where it lays today on display for the public.

=== In-game description ===
"An experimental super-heavy tank built in Germany towards the end of the war. The project was developed by Ferdinand Porsche.
The first tank was assembled at the Alkett factory in Berlin on August 1, 1943.

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

In November, 1943 a 44 caliber, 128mm KwK 44 cannon was built that was intended for the tank. The cannon’s designation was later changed to 12.8 cm KwK 82. The weapon was tested at the Meppen training ground. The turret was installed on the 205/1 prototype on July 6, 1944, and on October 3, 1944 the armament was installed and the fully-outfitted tank was tested at the training ground in Kummersdorf.

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

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

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

The Panzerkampfwagen Maus can currently be viewed on display at the tank museum in Kubinka."

== Media ==

=== Skins ===

*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23Maus Skins and camouflages for the Maus from live.warthunder]
**[http://live.warthunder.com/post/132778/ '''"Haus Maus Skin (Direct Painted)"''' by ''Face_OF_Insanity'']
**[http://live.warthunder.com/post/126700/ '''"Girls und Panzer Black Forest Peak "''' by ''CmdNomad'']
**[http://live.warthunder.com/post/138335/ '''"(Semihistorical) Maus Prototyp"''' by ''Tiger_VI'']
**[http://live.warthunder.com/post/138335/ '''"fictional sPzAbt 502 "Octopus Camouflage""''' by ''JoKeR_BvB09'']

=== Videos ===
'''History'''
{{youtube|url = Zs9_u_plcSw|Simple History - The Maus Super-Heavy Tank}}

'''Gameplay'''
{{Youtube-gallery|SfMT-d6Kez4|Tank overview & introduction '''"War Thunder - Mighty Maus"''' by ''TheDevildogGamer''|UY2FR8YFYpY|Early dev-server footage '''"War Thunder TANKS! MAUS GAMEPLAY - 30 Tanks VS MAUS!"''' by ''PhlyDaily''|NTX4WxzxQ3Y|'''"War Thunder Maus Tank Ace - The Mighty Mouse in RB - War Thunder Tanks 1.47"''' by ''BaronVonGamez''}}

== Read also ==

[https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/737/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Panzerkampfwagen VIII «Maus»] 
Official War Thunder forum article: [Historical<nowiki>]</nowiki> Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus", <nowiki>[http://warthunder.com/en/news/2825-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-i-en Part I]</nowiki>,
[http://warthunder.com/en/news/2831-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-ii-en Part II], and
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2843/current/ Part III]

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

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

{{Germany heavy tanks}}

Tiger II (10.5 cm Kw.K)

2019-08-09T19:56:57Z

U1261031: /* Ammunition */ Updated shell penetration and shell names

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_VI_ausf_b_tiger_IIh_kwk46}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') 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. Increasing Tiger II's main cannon to a whopping [[KwK L/68 (105 mm)|10.5 cm cannon]], the Tiger II boasts a much more powerful armament than any of the preceding Tiger II tanks.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

The armour on this variant is the same as on the regular Tiger II (H). The upper front plate provides excellent protection against any regular AP (APCBC, APHE etc.) shell you might face. The turret, however, is only 185 mm and easily penetrated by most enemies, but you can make it very difficult to hit by "wiggling" the turret left and right which will often result in bounces or non-pens. The lower glacis is a weak spot but the transmission right behind it often takes most of the shrapnel, it can catch fire pretty easily though, meaning researching FPE should be done as soon as possible.

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Cupola, driver MG port)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 150 mm (50-51°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm (50°) ''Lower glacis''|| 80 mm (27°) ''Top'' 80 + 5 mm ''Bottom''|| 80 mm (28°) || 40 mm
|-
| Turret || 185 mm (8°) ''Turret front'' 200 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 80 mm (19-21°) || 80 mm (20°) || 40 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 150 mm || 150 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Some part of the turret side have track links on them, which gives an additional 30 mm of protection to the armour.
* The weak spot is the front of the turret (185 mm), but it is small and very difficult to hit at mid-long ranges, where it is also harder to penetrate.
* Machine gun port could be marked as a close-range weak spot. Although most of it is still 150 mm thick, the angling is much worse.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 70.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 44 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,162
|1,431
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|796
|900
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|16.48
|20.29
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.29
|12.77
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|KwK L/68 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK L/68 (105 mm)|105 mm KwK L/68]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 54 || -8°/+15° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.97 || 20.72 || 25.16 || 27.82 || 29.60
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 11.01 || 12.95 || 15.72 || 17.39 || 18.50
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 20.02 || 17.71 || 16.32 || 15.40
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr.Rot || APCBC ||250||248|| 234 ||219||205|| 191
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 276 || 272 || 247 || 220 || 207 || 170
|-
| Sprgr. L/4,4 || HE || 20 || 20 || 20 || 20 || 20 || 20
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr.Rot || APCBC || 1,005 || 16 || 0.8 || 28 || 343.2 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 1,150 || 10 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Sprgr. L/4,4 || HE || 900 || 15 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 1,550 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Tiger 105.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo Part
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''54''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 43 ''(+11)'' 45 ''(+9)'' || 27 ''(+27)'' 37 ''(+17)'' || 15 ''(+39)'' 19 ''(+35)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' 9 ''(+44)'' ||   1 ''(+53)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}
Right side empty: 27 ''(+27)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|MG 34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 5,850 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

This tank's best and almost only possible role so far is a sniper/support tank. Stay at distance, or your reload time and mobility will be the death of you.

Use your mobility to reach sniping zones and wait for enemy tanks to show up. Keep your distance to maximize the effectiveness of your armour and use cover to reload without having to worry about being destroyed. Avoid close combat as much as possible since most of the other tanks at your battle rate can penetrate your armour very easily and your reload rate is 20 secs so if your shot doesn't penetrate you will be easily killed.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

*Like with most German guns, the main gun is very accurate.
*With the high muzzle velocity, high armour penetration value, and high damage of the PzGr 39 shell, there's really no need to every load any other shell.
*With the explosive mass of the PzGr 39 shell being equivalent to 343 grams of TNT, penetrating shells are devastating. They deal arguably more damage than any of the Russian 122mm shells do. Expect a lot of one-shots.
*With the upgraded engine, transmission, and filters, the 10.5 Tiger II has nearly 300 (AB/ 200 in RB) more horsepower than a fully upgraded Tiger II H. This will make the 10.5 accelerate quicker and climb hills faster than any of the other Tiger II's. Including the Tiger II Sla 16.
*With the upgraded turret, the 10.5's turret traverse will be 20.5 degrees per second. This will help you defend against enemy medium or light tanks trying to execute a flanking manoeuvre.
*Upper front plate still borderlines on impenetrable. You'll only have to really worry about APDS and HEAT going through it.

'''Cons:'''

*With the same lightly armoured turret as the Tiger II H, expect nearly every enemy tank facing you to aim right for it.
*Even with an ACE crew, the main guns take more than 15 seconds to reload. So close range brawls are not advised.
*Despite being quick and manoeuvrable for a heavy tank, it's still not a medium tank. So don't expect to outmanoeuvre any medium you're likely to face.
*Gun is easily disabled, rendering the tank helpless.

== History ==

===Tiger II===
The ''[[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]]'' with its 8.8 cm KwK 43 cannon was one of the most formidable tanks in World War II. Its 150 mm thick front armour plate sloped was never penetrated by an Allied tank throughout the war and its cannon could destroy any Allied tank fielded in the war. However, some German higher-ups believe that the armament on the Tiger II was just not enough, something more was needed.

===Concept===
Ideas of rearming the Tiger II was brought up by Krupp in sometime in late 1944. The concept drawing Krupp made was for the Tiger II to be rearmed with a 10.5 cm KwK L/68 cannon. This design would require new mountings and new mechanical parts to be optimized for the larger 10.5 cm gun. While the idea was indeed a very interesting one to up gun the Tiger II, it was never implemented because of its drawbacks. The 10.5 gun uses two-piece ammunition, which requires the presence of another loader. This is impossible because the turret is already cramped as is with three people inside, and the addition of another will make the interior a very miserable place to be in. Plus, the fact the gun's ammunition is two-piece already means that the drawback behind this upgrade is a much slower fire rate. This causes the concept to be rejected by German high command, and if it wasn't, it certainly ended with Germany's surrender in May 1945.

No prototypes were made and its existence is only proven by a concept drawing.

=== In-game description ===
This project was commissioned to improve the combat capabilities of the tank with a boosted fuel-injection Maybach HL230 engine with a power of 900 hp and an improved transmission. The designers of the company Henschel proposed the engine to be used for further production and also installed on Tiger II tanks which had already been produced, but the engine's production was prevented by the deterioration of the German economic situation. The tank was to be armed with the new 105 mm 10,5 cm KwK L/68 gun, equipped with a stabilizer. The gun would have used an automatic ammunition feed. The turret was equipped with a Zeiss stereoscopic rangefinder and a ventilation system. The vehicle was equipped with a crew compartment heating device. The tank's ammunition capacity was increased by 12 shells, thanks to an additional rack mounted inside the turret. A crew of 5-6 operated the tank, whose combat weight was 70.5 tons.

Production on the new Tiger II project, featuring the 10,5 cm KwK L/68 gun, was never launched.

== Media ==

===Live.Warthunder===

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=#tigerii_kwk105 Camouflages and skins for the "Tiger II KwK 105" can be found on live.warthunder.com]
* [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===
[[File:Tiger II 105 Concept.jpg|x300px|thumb|none|The Tiger II 10.5 cm Concept art from Krupp.]]

== 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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on tank;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Germany heavy tanks}}