War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

2S3M

2022-12-11T12:17:26Z

U19318377: /* Pros and cons */ Added pros that is provided by the HE-VT fuse shell

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_2s3m
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

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

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

The survivability of the 2S3M is a very situational one. Due to having absolutely no effective armour to stop any munition but small firearms, it is very vulnerable to all damage. However, solid shots such as APCR have a chance to go right through the armour without making any damage whatsoever. The armour of the 2S3M can also partially stop artillery strikes fragmentation depending on the distance between the explosion and the platform. The best armour of the 2S3M is not to be seen. As a howitzer with a very potent weapon, it should be never stay stationary after firing, as this can disclose the location of the platform and be killed.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm (74°) || 15 mm ''Top'' 15 mm ''Bottom'' || 15 mm || 10 - 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 10 - 30 mm ''Turret front'' 20 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm || 15 mm || 10 - 15 mm
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 5 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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

The 2S3M is not exactly agile, but it is nowhere near being sluggish. It takes time to accelerate and brake due to the heavy weight of the main gun, but it reaches the top speed fairly easily. It holds a max speed of 60 km/h, which is fast for a vehicle. As it is based on the SU-100P hull, it has a very decent turn rate and reverse speed, being able to reach up to -14 km/h while on reverse. It has a very capable cross-country capability and when track module is researched, along with a much better turn radius.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=739|rbMinHp=460}}

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

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

{{main|2A33 (152 mm)}}

The 2S3M has access to the 152 mm 2A33 howitzer, a very potent gun with a significant firepower. It is the only howitzer in game capable of firing HEAT and APCBC rounds. The performance of the gun leaves nothing to expect, decent muzzle velocity for rounds as well as a slow but steady aiming speed. While it is slower in performance compared to the Type 75 SPH or the Bkan 1C, it holds one of the most devastating rounds in game: the 3OF25. Holding more than 10 kg of TNT equivalent explosive mass, it is able to annihilate any ground vehicle with almost any hit. The 3OF25(PF) has the same characteristics but has the trait of being a variable time fuze shell allowing it to take down aircraft far more effectively than normal shells. Additionally, this fuze works on ground vehicles which can allow the 2S3M to destroy light to moderately armored vehicles hiding behind terrain by exploding down into the roof. Do note that the fuse arms at 300m, so utilizing this feature in close combat would not work.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[2A33 (152 mm)|152 mm 2A33]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+60° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 8.8 || 12.2 || 14.8 || 16.4 || 17.4 || rowspan="2" | 17.29 || rowspan="2" | 15.30 || rowspan="2" | 14.10 || rowspan="2" | 13.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 6.0 || 7.0 || 8.5 || 9.4 || 10.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| OF-540 || HE || 49 || 49 || 49 || 49 || 49 || 49
|-
| BP-540 || HEAT || 250 || 250 || 250 || 250 || 250 || 250
|-
| BR-540B || APHEBC || 166 || 164 || 156 || 146 || 137 || 129
|-
| 3OF25 || HE || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62
|-
| 3OF25 (PF) || HE-VT || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| OF-540 || HE || 655 || 43.56 || 0 || 0.1 || 5,900 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BP-540 || HEAT || 680 || 27.4 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 5,910 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-540B || APHEBC || 600 || 48.96 || 1.2 || 19 || 1,020 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 3OF25 || HE || 655 || 43.56 || 0 || 0.1 || 10,120 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="12" | Proximity-fused shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Arming distance (m)
! rowspan="2" | Trigger radius (m)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 3OF25 (PF) || HE-VT || 655 || 43.56 || 0 || 0 || 300 || 3 || 10,120 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''46''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

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

{{main|PKT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[PKT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm PKT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,500 (250) || 700 || -6°/+15° || -160°/+155°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The 2S3M should be used as a support gun, able to take down even the heaviest of targets with a single shot. Teammates should be supported with the power of this weapon as well as the variety of projectiles available to it. It is not to be played as a frontline vehicle due to the immense reload time and aiming of the weapon. However it is a very good guerilla combatant and skirmisher if used as a backup for frontline vehicles.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Its deadly HE shells can finish anything with overpressure, like [[Panther II]], [[Tiger II (H)]], [[M4A3E2 (76) W]], etc.
* HEAT with a penetration of 250 mm is able to penetrate most tanks at the rank
* Has a variety of shell types: HE, HEAT, HE-VT, APHEBC
* HE-VT shell can take down aircraft and enemies hiding behind cover or terrain in certain situations.
* Is turreted, allowing more flexible tactics
* -14 km/h reverse speed is good enough to retreat into cover
* Has a dozer blade to build a dirt cover
* Has NVD for night battles

'''Cons:'''

* Thin armour, any weapon larger than a MG is threatening
* Poor -4° gun depression limits its ability in hilly terrains
* Long reload time
* Turret is huge, easy to get spotted and hit
* Slow turret steering speed

== History ==

By 1964, NATO was equipped with the M109 self-propelled artillery. However, the Soviet army were still using artillery developed during WWII. During an exercise at Yavoriv military base, senior officials determined that the various types of artillery developed during World War II were not suitable for the war at that time. In order to make up for the technological gap with NATO countries, Resolution No. 609-201, issued by the Central Committee of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union on July 4, 1965, was finalized, starting the development plan for the new 152 mm self-propelled gun. In 1971, the Soviet Union passed the acceptance of the 2S3 self-propelled gun and began mass production.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_2s3m Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Yr8N-qXDGjM|'''The Shooting Range #287''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 01:04 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


* [[Type 75 SPH]]
* [[Bkan 1C]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7460-development-2s3m-hammer-of-the-war-god-en|[Devblog] 2S3M : Hammer of the war god]]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

2S3M

2022-12-11T12:15:39Z

U19318377: /* Armaments */ Added summary on usage and characterisitcs of the 152mm fuse shell

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_2s3m
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

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

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

The survivability of the 2S3M is a very situational one. Due to having absolutely no effective armour to stop any munition but small firearms, it is very vulnerable to all damage. However, solid shots such as APCR have a chance to go right through the armour without making any damage whatsoever. The armour of the 2S3M can also partially stop artillery strikes fragmentation depending on the distance between the explosion and the platform. The best armour of the 2S3M is not to be seen. As a howitzer with a very potent weapon, it should be never stay stationary after firing, as this can disclose the location of the platform and be killed.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm (74°) || 15 mm ''Top'' 15 mm ''Bottom'' || 15 mm || 10 - 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 10 - 30 mm ''Turret front'' 20 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 15 mm || 15 mm || 10 - 15 mm
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 5 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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

The 2S3M is not exactly agile, but it is nowhere near being sluggish. It takes time to accelerate and brake due to the heavy weight of the main gun, but it reaches the top speed fairly easily. It holds a max speed of 60 km/h, which is fast for a vehicle. As it is based on the SU-100P hull, it has a very decent turn rate and reverse speed, being able to reach up to -14 km/h while on reverse. It has a very capable cross-country capability and when track module is researched, along with a much better turn radius.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=739|rbMinHp=460}}

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

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

{{main|2A33 (152 mm)}}

The 2S3M has access to the 152 mm 2A33 howitzer, a very potent gun with a significant firepower. It is the only howitzer in game capable of firing HEAT and APCBC rounds. The performance of the gun leaves nothing to expect, decent muzzle velocity for rounds as well as a slow but steady aiming speed. While it is slower in performance compared to the Type 75 SPH or the Bkan 1C, it holds one of the most devastating rounds in game: the 3OF25. Holding more than 10 kg of TNT equivalent explosive mass, it is able to annihilate any ground vehicle with almost any hit. The 3OF25(PF) has the same characteristics but has the trait of being a variable time fuze shell allowing it to take down aircraft far more effectively than normal shells. Additionally, this fuze works on ground vehicles which can allow the 2S3M to destroy light to moderately armored vehicles hiding behind terrain by exploding down into the roof. Do note that the fuse arms at 300m, so utilizing this feature in close combat would not work.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[2A33 (152 mm)|152 mm 2A33]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+60° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 8.8 || 12.2 || 14.8 || 16.4 || 17.4 || rowspan="2" | 17.29 || rowspan="2" | 15.30 || rowspan="2" | 14.10 || rowspan="2" | 13.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 6.0 || 7.0 || 8.5 || 9.4 || 10.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| OF-540 || HE || 49 || 49 || 49 || 49 || 49 || 49
|-
| BP-540 || HEAT || 250 || 250 || 250 || 250 || 250 || 250
|-
| BR-540B || APHEBC || 166 || 164 || 156 || 146 || 137 || 129
|-
| 3OF25 || HE || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62
|-
| 3OF25 (PF) || HE-VT || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62 || 62
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| OF-540 || HE || 655 || 43.56 || 0 || 0.1 || 5,900 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BP-540 || HEAT || 680 || 27.4 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 5,910 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| BR-540B || APHEBC || 600 || 48.96 || 1.2 || 19 || 1,020 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 3OF25 || HE || 655 || 43.56 || 0 || 0.1 || 10,120 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="12" | Proximity-fused shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Arming distance (m)
! rowspan="2" | Trigger radius (m)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 3OF25 (PF) || HE-VT || 655 || 43.56 || 0 || 0 || 300 || 3 || 10,120 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''46''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

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

{{main|PKT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[PKT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm PKT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,500 (250) || 700 || -6°/+15° || -160°/+155°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The 2S3M should be used as a support gun, able to take down even the heaviest of targets with a single shot. Teammates should be supported with the power of this weapon as well as the variety of projectiles available to it. It is not to be played as a frontline vehicle due to the immense reload time and aiming of the weapon. However it is a very good guerilla combatant and skirmisher if used as a backup for frontline vehicles.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Its deadly HE shells can finish anything with overpressure, like [[Panther II]], [[Tiger II (H)]], [[M4A3E2 (76) W]], etc.
* HEAT with a penetration of 250 mm is able to penetrate most tanks at the rank
* Has a variety of shell types: HE, HEAT, HE-VT, APHEBC
* Is turreted, allowing more flexible tactics
* -14 km/h reverse speed is good enough to retreat into cover
* Has a dozer blade to build a dirt cover
* Has NVD for night battles

'''Cons:'''

* Thin armour, any weapon larger than a MG is threatening
* Poor -4° gun depression limits its ability in hilly terrains
* Long reload time
* Turret is huge, easy to get spotted and hit
* Slow turret steering speed

== History ==

By 1964, NATO was equipped with the M109 self-propelled artillery. However, the Soviet army were still using artillery developed during WWII. During an exercise at Yavoriv military base, senior officials determined that the various types of artillery developed during World War II were not suitable for the war at that time. In order to make up for the technological gap with NATO countries, Resolution No. 609-201, issued by the Central Committee of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union on July 4, 1965, was finalized, starting the development plan for the new 152 mm self-propelled gun. In 1971, the Soviet Union passed the acceptance of the 2S3 self-propelled gun and began mass production.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_2s3m Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Yr8N-qXDGjM|'''The Shooting Range #287''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 01:04 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


* [[Type 75 SPH]]
* [[Bkan 1C]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7460-development-2s3m-hammer-of-the-war-god-en|[Devblog] 2S3M : Hammer of the war god]]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

T-64B

2022-03-26T06:47:27Z

U19318377: Added some pros and cons based on experience

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_t_64_b_1984
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|GarageImage T-64BV.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm"]]. In [[Update 1.79 "Project X"]], the vehicle gained the modification to equip "Kontakt-1" ERA blocks, transforming the variant into a '''T-64BV'''.

The T-64B is a fearsome opponent on the battlefield that improves on the infamy of its older brother, the T-64A. Its triple-layer composite armour is capable of shrugging off hits from most of the other top rank cannons, however its lacklustre engine power can prove a little underwhelming in the face of the turbine engines and hugely powerful turbo diesels the vehicles it competes against sport. The 125mm 2A46M-1 "Sprut" cannon comes with ammunition perfectly capable of perforating almost all forms of armour on the battlefield, regardless of operating range. The low profile of the T-64B allows it to avoid detection and utilize forms of cover that other tanks cannot hide behind. The T-64B can be differentiated from the T-64A by the lack of the side extrusion panels, however is visually extremely similar to the T-80B and it's often hard to differentiate, especially when the armour package is applied. The T-64B gains a pintle-mounted machine gun which can prove useful as a deterrent against CAS and some light vehicles.

With the "Kontakt-1" ERA upgrade, the tank's appearance drastically changes. The ERA is fitted in a "pike" or triangular prism shape. The hull is also different as its covered with ERA and the distinctive triangle at the front is gone. There is also an extra armour plate on the lower plate.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Composite armour (Hull front, Turret front)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
* Armour radiation material (Roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60* mm (68°) ''Front glacis'' 80 mm (62°) ''Lower glacis'' || 85 mm ''Front'' 70 mm ''Rear'' <br. 20 mm (33°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm (4-54°) ''Top'' 45 mm ''Center'' 20 mm (21-57°) ''Bottom'' || 30 + 30 mm ''Front'' 20 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 50-330 mm (0-80°) || 65-140* mm (12-29°) || 65 + 30 mm (0-65°) || 45-140 + 30 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 45 mm || 40 + 30 mm
|-
! Composite armour* !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 403 mm ''Kinetic'' 476 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
| Turret || ''Angles +0-0°:'' 440 mm ''Kinetic'' 500 mm ''Chemical'' ''Angles +30-30°:'' 400 mm ''Kinetic'' 450 mm ''Chemical'' || 200 mm ''Kinetic'' 220 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, torsion bars are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.
* A 5 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment
* A log providing 100 mm thickness in wood is mounted on the rear.
* The snorkel tube on the turret rear provide 4 mm of structural steel.
* Hull composite armour configuration is 60 mm RHA + 35 mm Textolite + 30 mm RHA + 35 mm Textolite + 45 mm RHA.
* Turret composite armour configuration is 130-140 mm CHA + 150 mm Ultra porcelain + 100-110 mm CHA.
* Turret side composite armour configuration is 90 mm CHA + 80 mm Ultra porcelain + 60 mm CHA.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,085|rbMinHp=619|AoAweight=1.1|weight=41.2}}

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

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

{{main|2A46M-1 (125 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[2A46M-1 (125 mm)|125 mm 2A46M-1]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 36 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+14° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 22.85 || 31.62 || 38.40 || 42.47 || 45.18 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 7.10
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.40 || 22.56 || 24.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| 3BK18M || HEATFS || 550 || 550 || 550 || 550 || 550 || 550
|-
| 3OF26 || HE || 42 || 42 || 42 || 42 || 42 || 42
|-
| 3BM22 || APFSDS || 425 || 420 || 415 || 405 || 393 || 380
|-
| 9M112 || ATGM || 650 || 650 || 650 || 650 || 650 || 650
|-
| 3BM42 || APFSDS || 457 || 454 || 445 || 431 || 419 || 406
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 3BK18M || HEATFS || 905 || 19 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 2,790 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| 3OF26 || HE || 850 || 23 || 0 || 0.1 || 5,240 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| 3BM22 || APFSDS || 1,760 || 4.83 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 76° || 77° || 80°
|-
| 9M112 || ATGM || 400 || 27.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 5,540 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
| 3BM42 || APFSDS || 1,700 || 4.85 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo part
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty*
! 4th rack empty*
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''36''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 36 ''(+0)'' 36 ''(+0)'' || 34 ''(+2)'' 29 ''(+7)'' || 29 ''(+7)'' 1 ''(+36)'' || 1 ''(+36)'' N/A || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* The {{PAGENAME}} main ammo rack consists of a mechanized carousel at the bottom of the turret. Such ammo stowage carries 28 propellants and projectiles.
* The 4th Projectile Rack is the carousel at the bottom of the turret; it serves as First-Stage ammo stowage.
* The 3th Propellant Rack is the carousel at the bottom of the turret; it serves as First-Stage ammo stowage.

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

{{main|NSVT (12.7 mm)|PKT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[NSVT (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm NSVT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 300 (150) || 700 || -5°/+70° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[PKT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm PKT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,250 (250) || 700 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The T-64B performs optimally as a sniper or support tank, utilising the low profile and long-range weapon performance. While the armour of the T-64B was good for it's time, many later vehicles can fairly reliably penetrate the UFP, even through the composite armour. The gun performs well, with a good variety of ammunition, an autoloader for reliable reload times (even when a crew member is knocked, or putting out fires) and extremely high round velocity for long-range ease of use.

The T-64B can be used as a brawling tank but positioning is key - wherever possible, the LFP should not be exposed, and due to the abysmally low reverse speed, there's usually no escape from a sticky situation. Play carefully in close quarters environments, letting targets move into your gunsights rather than vice versa.

Keep in mind that the vehicle is relatively slow, so you'll often be one of the last into battle. This gives you an opportunity to exploit known intel - where your teammates have been shot/destroyed from, primarily - which can be used to position, ready for pushing enemy tanks.

'''T-64BV'''

One of the later upgrades available to the T-64B is the "additional protection" upgrade, which covers the frontal hull and turret with "Kontakt-1" ERA. This adds a huge amount of protection to the vehicle specifically against chemical rounds. While it's uncommon to see top rank MBTs use HEAT rounds, it can prove useful when facing IFVs/ATGM carriers, or in many cases, helicopters with ATGMs. The weight increase is often well worth the benefits of the BV upgrade.

'''Top-rank Adversaries'''

* [[M1 Abrams (Family)|M1/IPM1/M1A1 Abrams]]: The Abrams series of vehicles are significantly faster than the T-64B, and will almost always get into position before you're able to. The best way to combat them is to catch them while they're pushing. Be careful with shot placement, however, because of the nature of the Abrams vehicles it's often very hard to guarantee a one-shot vehicle knockout - if necessary, disable the vehicle's gunner/weapon first. When you have a clear shot on the back of an Abrams' turret, try to place it through the ammunition and the blast door: this often results in ammo detonation and the vehicle's destruction.

* [[Leopard 2K]]: The Leopard 2K has negligible armour and can often be destroyed with a well placed shot almost anywhere - beware the highly angled surfaces, however, which will bounce shots you may not expect it to. Watch out for the Leo's mobility, though - it can flank quickly and the L/44 120mm can be deadly.

* [[Leopard 2A4]]/[[Leopard 2A5|2A5]]: The Leopard 2A4/2A5 are similar vehicles to face, although the 2A5 can prove significantly harder to kill. Both vehicles are reasonably mobile, especially compared to the T-64. The best option for both vehicles is to try to get a side shot - but if this isn't possible, try for a round through the lower plate. Where this isn't possible, try destroy the gun directly or place a shot through the turret ring - but avoid the turret cheeks on these vehicles, as they're near impenetrable.

* [[Challenger Mk.2]]/[[Challenger Mk.3|Mk.3]]/[[Challenger 2|2]]: These vehicles can be extremely hard to destroy when they're in a hull-down position - their turret cheeks are extremely well protected and the mantlet is small and hard to place a round through. If you're forced to engage one at long range, it's best to try your best to land a shot in the mantlet or the lower half of the turret cheeks, which are slightly weaker. When a Challenger is exposed, however, simply place a shell through the massive LFP and reap the rewards.

* [[Leclerc]]: The Leclerc isn't anything special - the easiest way to disable it is through the huge gun mantlet, and from there putting shots into the LFP/turret ring/mantlet as necessary.

* [[Ariete]]/[[Ariete PSO|PSO]]: The Ariete is reasonably easy to destroy - it has a reasonably vulnerable hull, although the turret can be slightly harder to deal with. Still avoid being a target, because due to the compact nature of the T-64 and spread out ammunition, if an Ariete penetrates you, there's a pretty good chance you're a goner.

'''How to fight the T-64B'''

Disable its gun: the gun mantlet is very weak against top tier shells so it will be destroyed. Even if a shell can penetrate the composite armour, make sure the T-64B can not hit you back as it will penetrate most vehicles it can face. The driver port does not contain composite armour. Rounds with 200 mm of penetration can penetrate effectively, almost guaranteeing a kill. However at long ranges this is a very small target so try and hit the T-64B's gun. The lower plate is a very big weak spot as there is no composite armour there. Any top tier shell will penetrate at close to medium range. However at long ranges the lower plate is a very small target so try and disable the T-64B's gun. Vehicles such as the Type-90 or Ariete C1 are capable of punching straight through the hull composite armour.

Fighting the T-64BV (T-64B with "Kontakt-1" ERA) is a different situation. With the ERA, protection against chemical is 850 mm and above meaning it can stop the HOT missile and DM12 HEAT-FS. If you have an auto-cannon fire at the ERA to destroy it. Once it is gone you the value will drop to 500 mm against chemical rounds. In some cases, a if a projectile with lots of explosive hits the breech or the ERA on turret, some shrapnel will deflect downwards into the ammunition, destroying the tank even though the projectile was stopped. However, the provides minimal protection against kinetic rounds.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Stock-friendly grind, with decent stock HEAT shell and potent HE shell
* Upgraded hull armour allows it to shrug off hits from many top-rank cannons
* Lower profile compared to other MBTs, allows the user to utilize cover and tactics that other players cannot use
* Ability to mount the Kontakt-1 Explosive Reactive Armour package which enhances first-hit protection against chemical munitions
* Very strong turret armour combined with a bad but usable -6° gun depression can allow it to hull down relatively well in some instances
* Upgraded 125 mm cannon inherited from the previous model
* The high muzzle velocity on the T-64B's APFSDS rounds make it an excellent sniper
* More diverse ammunition choices gives it a great deal of flexibility and allows it to engage at any distance and adapt to different situations and playstyle
* 9M112 "Kobra" ATGM capable of penetrating 650 mm of armour
* Replaces the "oil barrel" smoke grenades with two sets of four-barrelled smoke grenade launchers
* Better optics compared to the T-72B, allows for more accurate shots at long range.

'''Cons:'''

* Horrible reverse speed (-4 km/h)
* Bad gun depression compared to its adversaries
* Gun elevation/depression speed is very slow compared to other MBTs (2.4 degrees per second)
* HEAT-FS shell requires skill against its contemporaries' armour, simply pointing and firing it will not guarantee a penetration
* High risk of ammunition detonation thanks to the vertical nature of the autoloader
* While the hull armor is decently strong, its not good enough to reliably stop APFSDS shells from the most higher tier tanks.
* Angling the tank causes the weak side armour to be exposed and let APFSDS to tear through the ammo carousel

== History ==

===Development===
The T-64B or Object 447 was an improvement to the currently existing T-64A and T-72A. The T-64B model was now fitted with a better laser range finder along with improved fire control systems. In addition, it had the 2A46M-1 cannon (aka the D-81TM gun) with a 2E26M stabilizer, 6ETs40 autoloader, 1A33 FCS (fire control system) comprising a ballistic calculator, and a sight with laser telemetry and cross-wind sensor. The ATGMs were eight 9M112 "Kobra" (radio-guided, NATO "AT-8 Songster"). The turret armour had a new design consisting of ceramic balls designed to absorb or reduce chemical munitions. However the T-64B still had the unreliable and complicated 5TDF engine. Designers added a more powerful engine which led to the T-72B and T-80 series.

===Combat usage===
Although there is no hard evidence, some sources saw the T-64B saw action in Afghanistan in the 1980s. This could have been for testing but there are no official records. Russia had 4,000 T-64Bs, but 2,000 were put out of service in 2000 and used for scrap. The T-64B and BV-1 model is currently used by The Democratic Republic of Congo. 50 were purchased from Ukraine in 2014. The T-64B saw heavy action in the 2014 Ukraine Civil War and Invasion of Crimea. 17 T-64B were confirmed destroyed, including the "Bulat" model. Ukraine is now upgrading there there fleet of T-64B to a more modernized version called the T-64BM "Bulat"

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_t_64_b_1984 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px">
File:T-64B Snow.JPG|250px|thumb|none|The T-64B in War Thunder with Winter Camouflage
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|P6SfZC-n-U4|'''T-64B vs M1 Abrams''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|9VBAWLdfLcw|'''The Shooting Range #90''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:26 discusses the T-64B.}}

== 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/5351-development-t-64b-when-good-is-not-good-enough-en|[Devblog] T-64B: When Good Is Not Good Enough]]
* [[wt:en/news/5503-development-t-64bv-defence-reaction-en|[Devblog] T-64BV: Defence Reaction]]

{{USSR medium tanks}}

[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

Pz.IV J

2020-09-01T07:30:22Z

U19318377: /* Main armament */ Changed details regarding APCR usage as the previous editor was an idiot to recommend APCR against angled armor despite is poor performance against slopes.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_J}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Pz.IVJ.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''Panzer IV J''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]]. A retrograde of its [[Pz.IV H|predecessor]], the Ausf. J removes the powered traverse for a simpler manual one, though retains the [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm L/48]] gun for the same lethality.

The Panzer IV Ausf. J is a shadow of the infamous [[Pz.IV F2|F2]] variant. The tank has a new gun which doesn't have that much of a difference, and the armour is lacking. With 80 mm of armour at the front, the Panzer IV J will be an easy target for [[IS-1]], [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 Jumbo]], [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]]s and many other powerful tanks. But despite those flaws, Ausf. J can still pack a mean punch for enemies that might not take too much notice. The fact that the Panzer IV J will be thrown against more powerful opponents can be an advantage because many players would rather focus on the most lethal threats rather than a lowly Panzer IV. Ensure that the opponents are focused on the stronger tanks from the team, then flank them and engage. Using these tactics, the Panzer IV J can become a game changer. Be warned and always mindful that this tank has an utterly poor turret traverse rate. Check the surroundings and pre-aim the 75 mm gun to expected enemy positions.

The mobility of this tank is another flaw (being the heaviest of the entire Panzer 4 series). Although it can achieve a decent speed, it will take time for it to accelerate to top speed. Engine is under powered and the tracks are narrow, which results in poorer cross-country performance than many heavier tanks.

The Panzer IV Ausf. J on the outside shares many features with the older Panzer IV series. It brings back the distinctive ''Dunkelgelb'' yellow coat on the default body (and would be changed with alternate camouflages), has a double-baffle muzzle brake on the 75 mm KwK 40 L/48 gun, and still has the turret offset to the left of the main body. The ''Schürzen'' skirts are only present on the turret, the hull left exposed without the skirts.

The biggest difference to the Panzer IV Ausf. J compared to the others is the lack of a powered turret traverse, part of the retrograde program with the tank for simpler production. This causes the turret slew rate to be significantly reduced in the Panzer IV J compared to the others, with a stock traverse rate of only 3.6°/s compared to the other's 8.3°/s

Though some details are seen distinctive to the Panzer IV Ausf. J model compared to the others. The biggest sign is in the number of return rollers on the top tracks, reduced to three instead of the usual four. On the turret top, the presence of a ''Nahverteidigungswaffe'' discharger was present next to the turret ventilator. The commander's hatch on the cupola is also now a one-piece design rather than the usual two-piece design. The wheel rack on the hull left side is repurposed to hold extra jerry cans.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (11°) ''Front plate'' 20 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 80 mm (12-64°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 30 mm (4-15°) || 26 mm ''Front'' 10 mm ''Rear and hatches''
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (7-29°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 (23-26°) + 5 (0-1°) mm || 30 (15-17°) + 5 mm || 16 mm ''Front'' 10 mm ''Rear''
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 95 mm || 10 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The turret sides are protected by an extra 5 mm thick plate to provide protection against HEAT and HE rounds.
* Barrel shroud around gun barrel is 20 mm thick.
* [[Add-on Armor|Add-on Armour]] gives an additional 20 mm of armour can be added to the front facing surfaces.
* Belly armour is 10 mm thick.

The Panzer IV Ausf. J is vulnerable to most front shot engagement, especially so if no serious attempt is made in compound angling. The front plate in its unsloped format is an enticing target, but beware to not hit the front sloping glacis right in front of it as that area has a tendency to bounce everything. Also avoid hitting straight into the ball machine gun and driver's port in the front as these also have a tendency to nullify an armour-piercing shot. When using APHE rounds, simply hit center mass of the front plate and let the post-penetration effect do the rest.

In the case of a vehicle with a gun simply unable to penetrate this front plate, aim towards the turret that still retains a 50 mm front plate. Even the weaker non-autocannon armaments can penetrate through this front plate and incapacitate the turret crew. Aim for the turret left side (right side when shooting it) to knock out the gunner and deny their firepower, then chip away at weak spots until the threat is destroyed.

Alternatively, aim at the Panzer IV from its long vulnerable sides in cases where its slow turret traverse cannot keep up with a flanking manoeuvre or catching it in an ambush. The interior is fully stocked with ammo racks even when the user is taking a minimum load. Moreover, the fuel tank resides at the very bottom of the center of the tank, so a penetrating shot with APHE will either detonate the ammunition, set the tank on fire, or knock out a good portion of the crew, if not fully destroy the tank with all three effect.

In every case scenario, it is to the benefit of the surviving player to fire the first shot against the Panzer IV Ausf. G above all else, as it would deny the Panzer IV G even a chance to use its high-penetrating 75 mm gun.

=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.''

{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 465|rbMinHp= 265|AoAweight= 0.4}}

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

{{main|KwK40 (75 mm)}}

*'''PzGr 39''' - {{Annotation|APCBC|Armour Piercing Ballistic Cap}} shell - This is the main ammo type, always use this if confident it can penetrate enemy armour. It deals the most damage because of its explosive filler.
*'''PzGr 40''' - {{Annotation|APCR|Armour Piercing Composite Rigid}} shell - This type of ammo should be used only if there is trouble penetrating the opponent, or trying to hit a fast moving tank at some distance. However, its damaging potential is much lower because it has no explosive filler to further enhance damage after the penetration.
*'''Hl.Gr. 38B''' - {{Annotation|HEAT|High Explosive Anti-Tank}} shell - it is recommended to completely avoid this kind of shell as its performance is vastly inferior in all aspects compared to APCBC or APCR ammo used by this tank.
*'''SprGr. 34''' - {{Annotation|HE|High Explosive}} shell - Carry only very few of these. They are useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK40]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 87 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A ||5.71||7.91||9.60||10.62||11.29|| rowspan="2" |7.67|| rowspan="2" |6.78|| rowspan="2" |6.25|| rowspan="2" |5.9
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.57 ||4.20||5.10||5.64||6.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 140 || 137 || 125 || 112 || 100 || 89
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 166 || 162 || 146 || 128 || 112 || 98
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || N/A || 0.1 || 872.1 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 750 || 6.8 || 1.2 || 14.0 || 28.9 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 930 || 4.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 550 || 5.74 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. || 540 || 6.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''87''' || 78 ''(+9)'' || 68 ''(+19)'' || 58 ''(+29)'' || 48 ''(+39)'' || 38 ''(+49)'' || 28 ''(+59)'' || 19 ''(+68)'' || 10 ''(+77)'' || 1 ''(+86)'' || style="text-align:left" | yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 58 ''(+29)''



=== Machine guns ===

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Coaxial || 3,150 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The Panzer IV J suffers compared to its other variants due to its slow, manual turret traverse rate. This causes the Panzer IV J to lose flexibility in reacting to close encounters without turning the entire hull around. As such, it is recommended not to use the Panzer IV J as a front-line assaulter in combat.

Tactics-wise, the Panzer IV J is perfect for sniping and ambushes, where the slower turret traverse rate affects its combat performance less. Attack from a distance, especially while that enemy is focused on other allies in the team. Ambushes can also work in close-range events when watching corners, street intersections, and choke points, but be wary of any enemies trying to outmanoeuvre the Panzer IV J as it would require drastic action with the slow turret rate. Try not to engage the enemy in a straight-up front confrontation as most enemies would be able to easily cleave through the front armour and end the vehicle.

Although any tank of Rank III can destroy the Panzer IV J pretty quickly, the tanks that mostly need to avoided in open combat are [[IS-2]]s, [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2s]], [[SU-152]]s, [[Tiger H1|Tigers]] and [[Panther D|Panthers]].

Most of the [[:Category:Heavy tanks|heavy tanks]] that it will face include Tigers, the last of [[KV-85|KV series]], [[IS-1]]s, and even some [[IS-2]]s. Particularly IS-2s will be the toughest opponent, and can take out the Panzer IV with one hit. Avoid frontal confrontation at all cost. Instead try to be sneaky and attack them from the sides where they become vulnerable.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
| Ostketten
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
|
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Hl.Gr 38B
| Adjustment of Fire
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| PzGr 40
| Elevation Mechanism
| Smoke grenade
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
| Add-on Armor
| Artillery Support
| K.Gr.Rot Nb.
|
|-
|}

As with most tanks make sure to research ''Parts'' and ''FPE''. Then focus on researching ''Pz.Gr 40'' (APCR shells) so the tank can stand the chance against heavily armoured vehicles like the M4A3E2 Jumbo. After progressing this far into the unlock tree artillery should be taken swiftly as well. Accuracy is decent, so sidestepping over to the mobility upgrades to address the bad acceleration is not a bad idea, in particular filters and transmission are useful.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* The KwK 40 L/48 cannon provides enough muzzle velocity to penetrate most enemies in the BR range at far range.
* PzGr 40 (APCR) offers great penetration in case PzGr 39 (APCBC) fails.
* Sometimes under tiered.
* Synchromesh ZF SSG 77 transmission provides good acceleration.
* Satisfactory performance on off road and on road terrains.
* Turrets have Schürzen (Spaced Armour), which can offer some protection from HEAT or HE rounds.
* 5 crew members are present in the tank. (Commander, gunner, driver, loader, machinegunner.)

'''Cons:'''

* Turret traverse is the slowest compared to all the other Panzer IV models.
* Schürzen (side skirts) only protects the turret.
* Lacks a gun mantle.
* Armour protection is poor, able to be penetrated by all the tanks it encounters even frontally.
* Unable to traverse fast in rough terrains.
* Generally out performed by the vehicle it faces and fights with.

== History ==

=== Development ===
The '''Pz.Kpfw. IV''' was designed and approved for production in 1936. Envisioned as a support tank, it was equipped with a 75 mm howitzer at its initial stages. MAN, Krupp, and Rheinmetall-Borsig worked on the development of the Panzer IV, with Krupp's model finalized as the basis of the Panzer IV, using a leaf-spring double-bogie system for its suspension. The main armament was the KwK 37 L/24 75 mm howitzer. The vehicle held a crew of five, the commander, gunner, loader, radio operator (and hull machine gunner), and driver. Though it looked symmetrical, the Panzer IV turret was actually offset to the left of the chassis center line a bit while the engine was also offset to the right, this was to allow the torque shaft to turn the turret. The offset also meant that more of the ammo is held on the right side of the tank in storage areas. Nevertheless, the Panzer IV, with about 8,553 units made from 1936 to the end of World War II in 1945, it remained as one of Germany's main battle tank of the war, despite newer replacements such as the [[Panther G|Panther]] tank.

The Panzer IV started with only minimum armour, 14.5 mm on the Ausf. A. This was upgraded to 20 mm on the [[Pz.IV C|Ausf. C]]. As the war moves on to 1940, the 20 mm armour was deemed insufficient, so 30 mm extra steel plates were bolted or welded on on the [[Pz.IV E|Ausf. E]] variant, becoming a permanent feature as a single 50 mm plate on the [[Pz.IV F1|Ausf. F]]. As the war moves to the Invasion of Barbarossa, the German tank forces were unprepared for the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks, which could shrug the 75 mm howitzer on the Panzer IV. An upgrade was done on the gun to mount the newer and better KwK 40 L/43 cannon on the [[Pz.IV F2|Ausf. F2]], which balanced the disparity on tank firepower. The Panzer IV was upgraded again in 1942 to the [[Pz.IV G|Ausf. G]] with an extra 30 mm steel plate applied to the 50 mm glacis, bringing the armour to 80 mm thick, plus a newer KwK 40 L/48 gun that was slightly more powerful. Then in 1943, the most produced variant [[Pz.IV H|Ausf. H]] was finalized with a single-piece 80 mm glacis plate, ''Zimmerit'' paste, and ''Schürzen'' side armour skirts.

=== Panzer IV Ausf. J ===
However many Panzer IV the German Army fielded, the war was not looking their way by 1944. The Allied had landed in France in part of Operation Overlord, and the Soviet offensive in Operation Bagration had costed the Wehrmacht lots of land, personnel, and materiel. To replace the decimated armoured forces, the Panzer IV was once again revised not to be better, but for a more easily produced vehicle, the end result was a retrograde from the Panzer IV Ausf. H, the '''Panzer IV Ausf. J'''. The Panzer IV Ausf. J had the electric turret traverse and its associated auxiliary engine removed for an auxiliary fuel tank (although a dual speed hand-traverse was installed to compensate for this loss). The pistol and vision ports on the turret were removed, the engine radiator housing was simplified, a ''Nahverteidigungswaffe'' device was added for self-defense device (firing smoke or high-explosive shells on its surrounding). The armour on the tank roof was increased, the return rollers were reduced from four to three, the ''Schürzen'' skirts were changed from solid plates to wire-meshes. All of these were made to increase productivity of the Panzer IV while keeping combat survivability high.

Despite these features, the Panzer IV has already met its maximum limit. An attempt to mount the ''Schmalturm'' found on the [[Panther F|Panther Ausf. F]] failed and only further proved this point. The Ausf. J's new features did not increase its survivability, nor was it able to replace the combat losses suffered on the German Panzer forces.

15 Panzer IV Ausf. J were bought by Finland for about twice its production price. Ironically, they arrived too late to fight the Soviets and instead were used against the Germans during the Lapland War between Finland and Germany. After the war, around 130 Panzer IVs of various variants made it to Syria in the 1950s and 1960s. These Panzer IVs served the Syrians alongside [[T-34-85]]s, [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]]s, and T-55s during the Six-Day War against Israel.

=== In-game description ===
The final serial modification to the Pz.Kpfw.IV medium tank. It was a simplified version that was designed to be as easy as possible to produce. For example, the tank had no backup engine for rotating the turret, so it had to be rotated manually using flywheels. A metal mesh was frequently used instead of screens.

The tank was produced between June, 1944 and March, 1945. 1,700 tanks were released.

== Media ==


* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pz_iv_j '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the "Panzer IV J" from live.warthunder.com.]

;Gunsights

* [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]

== 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.''

{{Germany medium tanks}}

Pz.IV H

2020-09-01T07:28:38Z

U19318377: /* Shell types */ Changed details regarding APCR usage as the dude who edited is an idiot to recommend APCR against sloped armor despite its poor performance when hitting angled plates.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_H}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Pz.IVH.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''Panzer IV Ausf. H''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. The most common iteration of the Panzer IV, the Ausf. H carries the powerful [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm L/48]] gun that can destroy most tanks at its BR. It also has side-skirts that can provide a small degree of protection to the side armour of the tank.

The most distinctive aspect of this Panzer IV compared to its previous iterations, is that its covered head to toe in 5mm thick spaced armour skirts (known as Schurtzen). These skirts, while they won't stop much in the way of an enemy AP or APBC shell, It can give tanks like the M4A3 (105) some trouble in damaging you. There is a small mobility penalty from having the extra armour though, compared to the G and F2. So keep that in mind. It's also the first Panzer IV to get the upgraded 75mm L/48 gun. Which, while not that much of an upgrade from the L/46 on the G and F2, still packs a punch at it's BR. It also is the only Panzer IV in the game that comes with Zimmereit modelled on the hull, turret, and turret skirts. This just affects the visuals though, as War Thunder doesn't have infantry armed with magnetic mines.

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


'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (11-12°) ''Front plate'' 20 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' 80 mm (13-14°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 + 5 (6°) mm || 20 mm (4-15°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (7-29°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 (23-26°) + 5 (0-1°) mm || 30 (15-17°) + 5 mm || 16 mm ''Front'' 25 mm ''Rear''
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 95 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The hull and turret side is protected by an extra 5 mm thick plate to provide protection against HEAT and HE rounds.
* [[Add-on Armor|Add-on Armour]] gives an additional 20 mm of armour can be added to the front facing surfaces.

The armour of the Panzer IV H is almost identical to the previous Panzer IV with exception of the up-armoured hull armor from 50 (+ 30 applique armour) mm on the Pz.IV G to a 80 mm solid armour on the Pz.IV H. This tank also has added side skirts that adds an extra 5 mm of rolled homogeneous armor, but due to it being spaced, it may add some nice protection against HEAT shells.

However, the Panzer IV Ausf. H's armour is vulnerable to most front shot engagement, especially so if no serious attempt is made in compound angling. The front plate in its unsloped format is an enticing target, but beware to not hit the front sloping glacis right in front of it as that area has a tendency to bounce everything. Also, avoid hitting straight into the ball machine gun and driver's port in the front as these also have a tendency to nullify an armour-piercing shot. When using APHE rounds, simply hit centre mass of the front plate and let the post-penetration effect do the rest.

In the case of a vehicle with a gun simply unable to penetrate this front plate, aim towards the turret that still retains a 50 mm front plate. Even the weaker non-autocannon armaments can penetrate through this front plate and incapacitate the turret crew. Aim for the turret left side (right side when shooting it) to knock out the gunner and if using ammunition with explosive filler, also ruin the gun breech, loader and commander. Then get around the side and chip away at weak spots until the threat is destroyed.

Alternatively, aim at the Panzer IV from its long vulnerable sides in cases where its turret traverse cannot keep up with a flanking manoeuvre or catching it in an ambush. The interior is fully stocked with ammo racks even when the user is taking a minimum load. Moreover, the fuel tank resides at the very bottom of the centre of the tank, so a penetrating shot with APHE will either detonate the ammunition, set the tank on fire, or knock out a good portion of the crew, if not fully destroy the tank with all three effects.

In every case scenario, it is to the benefit of the surviving player to fire the first shot against the Panzer IV Ausf. H above all else, as it would deny the Panzer IV H even a chance to use its high-penetrating 75 mm gun.

=== Mobility ===


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

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

{{main|KwK 40 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 40 L/48]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 87 || -10°/+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'' ||13.33||18.45||22.4||24.77||26.35
|-
| ''Realistic'' ||8.33|| 9.8 ||11.9||13.16||14
|-
! 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.
|-
|7.67||6.78||6.25||5.9
|-
|}

===== 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 || APCBC ||140||137||125||112||100||89
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 177 || 176 || 154 || 130 || 109 || 92
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| 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%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 750 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 15.0 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 930 || 4.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 570 || 5.7 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || +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. || 570 || 6.8 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

=====Shell types=====

*'''PzGr 39''' - Armour Piercing Ballistic Cap shell - This is your main ammo type, always use this if you think it can penetrate enemy armour. It deals the most damage because of its explosive filler.
*'''PzGr 40''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - This type of ammo should be used only if you are having trouble penetrating your opponent, or trying to hit a fast-moving tank at some distance. However, its damaging potential is much lower because it has no explosive filler to further enhance damage after the penetration.
*'''Hl.Gr. 38B''' - Cumulative Anti-armour shell - it is recommended to completely avoid this kind of shell as its performance is vastly inferior in all aspects compared to APCBC or APCR ammo used by this tank.
*'''SprGr. 34''' - High Explosive shell - You should carry only very few of these. They are useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.

===== [[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" |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
|-
|| '''87''' || 78 ''(+9)'' || 68 ''(+19)'' || 58 ''(+29)'' || 48 ''(+39)'' || 38 ''(+49)'' || 28 ''(+59)'' || 19 ''(+68)'' || 10 ''(+77)'' || 1 ''(+86)'' || style="text-align:left" | yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 58 ''(+29)''

=== 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" | 3,000 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

This tank can be described in one word. Capable. While this version of the Panzer IV isn't nearly as renowned and feared as the [[Pz.IV F2|Ausf. F2]] variant that precedes it, it's still a very capable medium tank. The Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H has a new gun that, while not that different to the guns on the G and F2, still packs a deadly punch in it's BR range. The armour is meh, with a paltry 50mm of armour at the front of the turret, and 80mm of armour at the front of the hull. This makes you an easy target for tanks like [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]]s, [[T-34-85 (D-5T)]]s, and [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 Jumbos]] among others. But, with some careful play and some creative use of angling, you can bounce some shots from equal rank tanks, and destroy tanks at the top of your BR range. Mobility of this tank is lacking, albeit not by much. (It is the heaviest version of the entire Panzer 4 series after all). It's acceptable, but it will still take time for it to accelerate to its top speed, as your engine is underpowered and your tracks are narrow, which results in poorer cross-country performance than comparable tanks.

The Pz.Kpfz IV Ausf. H is a capable, versatile tank, perfect for sniping, ambushing, flanking, and second line defence. Make use of its accurate gun for hitting the enemy from a distance. But keep in mind it's weak turret armour should return fire come your way. This tank also works very well supporting heavy tanks. Hide behind a friendly heavy that can tank the damage, while you can pop out and destroy the enemy if your teammate can't. Or you can use your decent mobility and get around to shoot into the enemy tanks flanks. In an equal BR rank or lower, you can reliably bounce shots if angled properly, but remember that frontal confrontation in a full up-tier can lead to a quick end.

Tactics-wise, on an open map like Kursk, make like a true German tank and hit the enemy from range. Don't bother going in close, as your advantages lie at range. On a city map like Advance to the Rhine, go for flank routes, or stick with your heavies, giving them more firepower should they need it. Keep in mind to keep the frontal armour angled as you go around corners to bounce any shots.

Although most tanks in Rank III can destroy you pretty quickly, the tanks you need to avoid in open combat (if possible) are KV-2s, [[SU-152|SU-152s]], T-34-85 (D-5T)s, M4A3E2 Jumbos, and if you're playing in Arcade: [[Tiger H1|Tigers]] and [[Panther D|Panthers]]

* For KV-2s, if it's looking at you, (And hopefully reloading) shoot at the flat of the turret below the mantlet. It's flat, relatively thin armour, and your shell should go right through and take out everyone and everything in the turret. From the side, shoot it in the side of the hull (At a 90-degree angle for best effects) to ignite the fuel tanks and maybe even detonate the ammo. Shooting the turret isn't recommended unless for knocking out the gunner or the breech, as there are a lot of crew members in there, and the shells in the turret rarely ignite. Trying to destroy it that way will take time.

* For SU-152s, shoot to the right of the gun, above the driver's viewport, and it will wreck everything inside. If that's an option, try to get around it. It is a casemate after all. Once you're on its side, shoot it in the crew compartment to obliterate it.

* For T-34-85 (D-5T)s, it is imperative you get the first shot off, as their 85mm will go through you 85 ways from Sunday, and nuke your entire tank interior. Don't shoot the turret unless you have no other option, as it's incredibly trollish and prone to bouncing your shot. Instead, shoot the turret ring right below the turret. This usually will decimate the entire crew of the tank. Pay close attention not to hit the driver's hatch as it's actually more armoured than the glacis itself.

* M4A3E2 Jumbo's will give you the hardest time, as their frontal armour is nigh impenetrable, aside from the machine gun port. It's a small, unreliable target, but it's your only chance of penetrating the Jumbo from the front. If you're lucky and catch a Jumbo on its side, shoot it in its hull. As it's Turret side (and rear!) armour is still thick enough to block your shots. Also, keep in mind, that if the Jumbo is showing its side while angling toward you, that the side armour behind its tracks is very thinly armoured. Try shooting there if you can. There is a chance you can detonate its ammo rack.

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="2" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks
|Ostketten
|Parts
|Horizontal Drive
|
|-
|II
|Suspension
|Brake System
|FPE
|Hl.Gr 38B
|Adjustment of Fire
|-
|III
|Filters
|
|Crew Replenishment
|PzGr 40
|Elevation Mechanism
|-
|IV
|Transmission
|Engine
|Add-on Armor
|Artillery Support
|K.Gr.Rot Nb.
|}

As with most tanks make sure you research ''Parts'' and ''FPE''. Then focus on researching ''Pz.Gr. 40'' (APCR shells) so your tank can stand the chance against heavily armoured vehicles like the Panther. After progressing this far into the unlock tree ''Artillery'' should be taken swiftly as well. Accuracy is decent, so sidestepping over to the mobility upgrades to aid the bad acceleration is not a bad idea, in particular ''Filters'' and ''Transmission'' are useful.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* 75 mm KwK 40 gun can destroy most equivalent tanks with stock rounds, with APCR for more heavily armoured vehicles
* Great gun accuracy
* Good turret traverse
* Good gun depression of -10°
* 5 man crew, able to spare 2 casualties before combat efficiency drops
* Decently fast and manoeuvrable for the battlefield
* 80 mm of frontal armour that can absorb some damage when angled properly, and even resist shells in long-range engagements
* Access to 20 mm of additional armour in the form of T-34 tracks (effectively 15 mm RHA) that cover almost the whole of the front of the hull and the turret armour
* Side-skirts can soak up HE and HEAT shells, as well as bomb and rockets at a sufficient distance

'''Cons:'''

* Flat armour on all sides
* Side armour is weak, very vulnerable to 20 mm autocannons at close range
* Very circumstantial protection. Only the upper front vertical glace is actually the listed 80mm thick.
* Small gun mantlet, with weak 50 mm frontal turret armour
* Despite it's upgrades, still only has 10 mm of roof armour, making it vulnerable to 12.7 and 20 mm AP shells fired from aircraft
* Cramped turret crew space means that one hit can knock out entire turret crew
* Cupola extends up from the profile and can be a weak point for enemies to shoot at
* Like all Panzer IV models, ammo racks all over the hull and are likely to be hit
* Heaviest of the Panzer IV model, consequently it is the slowest of them all
* Acceleration is mediocre
* Poor cross-country performance due to the underpowered engine and narrow tracks
* No smoke grenade dischargers

== History ==

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

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

=== Panzer IV Ausf. H ===
In the latter part of World War II, the Panzer IV in its base form was deemed inadequate against the new tanks the Allies have, the Soviet [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] and American [[M4|M4 Shermans]] was able to come toe-to-toe with the Panzer IV, if not better than it. Germany rapidly upgraded their Panzer IV to compete with the enemy, mainly the armour and gun. From the [[Pz.IV C|Ausf. C]] to the [[Pz.IV G|Ausf. G]], the armour increased from the original 20 mm to 80 mm thick and the original KwK 37 L/24 75 mm Howitzer to the longer KwK 40 L/48 75 mm.

The '''Panzer IV Ausf. H''' began production in June 1943. The 80 mm front glacis armour is now a single piece rather than attached via weld or bolt. ''Zimmerit'' paste is also added onto the Panzer IV hull to prevent the use of magnetic anti-tank mines. ''Schürzen'' side skirts on the hull added 5 mm thickness while the turret added 8 mm thickness, plus its application as spaced armour improved its efficiency. A common complaint of the ''Schürzen'' side skirts was that it was easy for the skirts to just fall off by brushing against the foliage. The Ausf. H return rollers were changed from rubber-rimmed to cast steel. All these modifications increased the tank weight to 25 tons, and despite the use of a new suspension, the cross-country speed dropped to only 10 mph (16 km/h). Despite that, the Panzer IV Ausf. H would go on to be the most produced Panzer IV variant. These features pushed the Panzer IV's limits to its maximum capacity. An attempt to mount the ''Schmalturm'' found on the [[Panther F|Panther Ausf. F]] failed and only further proved this point.

The Panzer IV Ausf. H stayed as the main German tank alongside the [[Panther G|Panther]] tanks throughout the rest of the war. The 80 mm thickness of the frontal armour could withstand the M4 Sherman's 75 mm gun, and the 76.2 mm gun of the T-34. The Ausf. H served in all combat theatres past 1943, from the Battle of Kursk to the Battle of France, and the Ardennes Offensive. Many were lost due to combat or from lack of fuel and supplies and had to be abandoned. The rapid loss of the Panzer IVs in the German inventory caused a simplified variant to be produced. Designated the [[Pz.IV J|Panzer IV Ausf. J]], the construction was simplified and the internal mechanics were modified, but the variant is a retrograde of the Ausf. H.

Twenty Panzer IV Ausf. H went to Spain in 1943, which held them as the best tanks they had in their inventory. Spain sold them to Syria in 1967. Around 130 Panzer IVs of various variants made it to Syria in the 1950s and 1960s. These Panzer IVs served the Syrians alongside [[T-34-85]]s, [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]]s, and T-55s during the Six-Day War against Israel.

=== In-game description ===
"The Ausf. H variant was the most mass-produced tank of this type. It was manufactured by the factories of three companies: Krupp-Gruson AG, VOMAG, and Nibelungenwerke. The first 30 tanks under this designation rolled off of the conveyor belt in April 1943. The front plate of the roof turret was thickened to 16 mm, and the rear plate to 25 mm. All Ausf. H tanks received a Zahnradfabrik ZF SSG77 transmission, reinforced drives with cast drive wheels and Schurzen side skirts, which protected the lower part of the sides from anti-tank and hollow-charge projectiles. The radio antenna was moved to the rear of the hull. From the summer of 1943 onward, to simplify production, solid-rolled 80 mm plates replaced the extra 30-mm-thick outer armor.

In September of the same year, the vertical surfaces of the tanks were coated with Zimmerit paste for protection against magnetic mines. From December 1943 onward, the front plates of the hull were merged into a single plate, improving the new front's resistance against shell impacts. In 1944, the tanks were produced with all-metal supporting rollers. Later Ausf. H models received a turret mount for the MG42 machine gun in the commander's cupola, as well as a vertical rear armor plate instead of the oblique plate featured on all previous variants of the tank. The driver's periscope viewing device was removed. During production, many other changes were implemented to reduce the tank's cost and simplify its manufacture.

Manufacturing of the Ausf. H continued until 1944, and 3960 units were made in all.
Tanks of this variant were supplied to Hungary and Bulgaria. In 1950, the Bulgarian army was still operating 11 of these vehicles.
In Operation Citadel, Pz.Kpfw. IV tanks accounted for nearly 60% of all German tanks. Most of them were G and H variants.

The Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. H proved itself to be a reliable combat machine.
Its disadvantages included low maneuverability and speed."

== Media ==
'''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the Panzer 4H series can be found with the search term [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=#pz_iv_h "#pz_iv_h"] or for more results the general term [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23panzer4h "#panzeriv"] on [http://live.warthunder.com live.warthunder.com].

*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/81100/ Staff vehicle II.PzRgt, 9.XX PzDiv Hohenstaufen - Tarnopol 1944]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/20135/ Anglerfish from ''Girls und Panzer'' for Panzer IV Ausf. H]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/24828/ Panzer IV ausf H - Modified 3rd panzer division fictional skin]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/96512/ (What if) Japan bought production license from Germany and then started building German tanks for use with the I.J.A.]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/149582/ [Realistic<nowiki>]</nowiki> Panzer IV Ausf. H, 12. SS Panzer Division, 1944.]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/10136/ Tricolour skin by Dr.Nooooo]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/11514/ A German historical camo used on the Panzer IV Ausf. H in June 1944 in Normandy during the World War II.]

===Sights===

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

== 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.''

{{Germany medium tanks}}

Pz.IV G

2020-08-05T06:30:46Z

U19318377: /* Ammunition */ Changed details regarding APCR usage as the previous editor was an idiot to recommend APCR against angled armor despite is poor performance against slopes.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_G}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_PzIVG.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''Pz.IV G''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. Compared to its [[Pz.IV F2|predecessor]], the Ausf. G grants a 80 mm front armour plate for increased front survivability, yet retains the same firepower with the [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm L/43 gun]]. The increased armour leads to an increase in weight, which also led to a reduced maximum forward speed.

The '''Ausf. G''' variant of the Panzer IV line-up takes the play style of both its predecessor ([[Pz.IV F2|F2]]) and successor ([[Pz.IV H|H]]), with the long 75 mm L/43 KwK 40 gun and now a decent 80 mm of frontal armour, good enough to survive encounters with the formidable Shermans and T-34s. It is still light enough to retain a good speed, but well armoured to survive the introduction into Rank III game-play. Due to this, it can perform a variety of play style such as front-line assault, support, and as a flanker.

The most notable external signs of the Panzer IV G compared to its other brothers is the distinctive ''Dunkelgelb'' yellow coat on the body, though this will be invalid if it uses an alternate camouflage. In comparison to its successors, the Ausf. H and [[Pz.IV J|J]], the Panzer IV G has no ''Schürzen'' skirts on the turret and hull. Smaller differences are the usage of a double-baffle muzzle brake, a feature that may confuse player for the longer L/48 75 mm gun. There is also the presence of a wheel rack on the left side of the tank holding two wheels (not pictured). Unlike its predecessors and successors, the Ausf. G also comes with smoke launchers on either side of the turret, enabling the tank to defensively saturate an area with smoke; however, unlike launching smoke grenades from inside the tank, all smoke grenades are launched in succession and cannot be launched individually.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (11-12°) ''Front plate'' 20 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' 80 mm (13-14°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 20 mm (4-15°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (7-29°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (23-26°) || 30 mm (15-17°) || 16 mm ''Front'' 25 mm ''Rear''
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 95 mm || 8 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Lower glacis is protected by attached spare tracks, adding 20 mm of armour

The Panzer IV Ausf. G, despite the improved 80 mm front plate, is still vulnerable to most front shot engagement, especially so if no serious attempt is made in compound angling. The front plate in its unsloped format is an enticing target, but beware to not hit the front sloping glacis right in front of it as that area has a tendency to bounce everything. Also, avoid hitting straight into the ball machine gun and driver's port in the front as these also have a tendency to nullify an armour-piercing shot. When using APHE rounds, simply hit centre mass of the front plate and let the post-penetration effect do the rest.

In the case of a vehicle with a gun simply unable to penetrate this front plate, aim towards the turret that still retains a 50 mm front plate. Even the weaker non-autocannon armaments can penetrate through this front plate and incapacitate the turret crew. Aim for the turret left side (right side when shooting it) to knock out the gunner and deny their firepower, then chip away at weak spots until the threat is destroyed.

Alternatively, aim at the Panzer IV from its long vulnerable sides in cases where its turret traverse cannot keep up with a flanking manoeuvre or catching it in an ambush. The interior is fully stocked with ammo racks even when the user is taking a minimum load. Moreover, the fuel tank resides at the very bottom of the centre of the tank, so a penetrating shot with APHE will either detonate the ammunition, set the tank on fire, or knock out a good portion of the crew, if not fully destroy the tank with all three effects.

In every case scenario, it is to the benefit of the surviving player to fire the first shot against the Panzer IV Ausf. G above all else, as it would deny the Panzer IV G even a chance to use its high-penetrating 75 mm gun.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=465|rbMinHp=265|AoAweight=0.15}}

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

{{main|KwK40 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK40]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 87 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 13.33 || 18.45 || 22.40 || 24.77 || 26.35 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.33 || 9.80 || 11.90 || 13.16 || 14.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

*'''PzGr 39''' - Armour Piercing Ballistic Cap shell - This should be the main ammo type, always use this if positive the gun can penetrate enemy armour. It deals the most damage because of its explosive filler.
*'''PzGr 40''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - This type of ammo should be used when facing a heavily armored enemy such as the Churchill VII and flanking is not an option. However, its damaging potential is much lower because it has no explosive filler to further enhance damage after the penetration. DO NOT USE PzGr 40 against sloped armor as APCR has extremely poor performance against angled armor.
*'''Hl.Gr. 38B''' - High Explosive Anti Tank shell - it is recommended to completely avoid this kind of shell as its performance is vastly inferior in all aspects compared to APCBC or APCR ammo used by this tank.
*'''SprGr. 34''' - High Explosive shell - Carry only very few of these. They are useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 137 || 135 || 123 || 110 || 98 || 88
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 163 || 159 || 143 || 126 || 110 || 96
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 740 || 6.80 || 1.2 || 14.0 || 28.9 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.40 || N/A || 0.1 || 872.1 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 919 || 4.10 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 550 || 5.74 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. || 540 || 6.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Pz.IVF2.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Panzer IV F2, which is the same as the Ausf. G]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''87''' || 78 ''(+9)'' || 68 ''(+19)'' || 58 ''(+29)'' || 48 ''(+39)'' || 38 ''(+49)'' || 28 ''(+59)'' || 19 ''(+68)'' || 10 ''(+77)'' || 1 ''(+86)'' || Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 58 ''(+29)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

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

== Usage in battles ==

The Ausf. G can be utilized as both a sniper and brawler, thanks to its improved armour and great gun - however, situational awareness must be maintained at all costs as the un-sloped armour, while an improvement over the Ausf. F2 is still not sufficient to provide reliable defence. It is best to shoot first, as the KwK40 L/43 can deal with the majority of enemies it will face. Heavy tanks like the KV and M6A1 will need careful aim but are still not a major threat. Like most German tanks, the default round is the best round available; however, the maximum load should be avoided (around 30 is sufficient) as it increases the chance of ammo rack explosions if the armour is penetrated.

In close quarters/urban settings, it can also perform adequately due to the average turret traverse rate, mobility, and high-punching gun. A good tactic is to launch the smoke grenades and flank enemies that are aware of the Panzer's presence.

The L/43 75 mm KwK 40 gun still packs a powerful punch at this rank. A solid hit on a target's front armour that's not using compound angling is very likely to penetrate. At the battle rating of 4.3, the Ausf. G's worst heavily armoured vehicle it will fight will be the KV series and the [[M6A1|M6 heavy tank]], both of which have prominent weak spots that can be exploited. Shoot first, hit hard and don't miss.

The Churchill VII is also a common sight in higher rank games. It has thick armour and a gun that is effective against the Panzer's weak turret armour. Under 500 m, it is advisable to use APCR, which is effective against the Churchills flat armour. If the Churchill is angling, the best method is to try flanking or aiming for its weak machine gun ports.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
| Ostketten
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
|
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Hl.Gr 38B
| Adjustment of Fire
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| PzGr 40
| Elevation Mechanism
| Smoke grenade
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
| Add-on Armor
| Artillery Support
| K.Gr.Rot Nb.
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Better armour than predecessors, 80 mm thick at the hull front
* Cupola armour greatly improved to 95 mm thick
* Great gun depression - no need to expose hull when shooting over hills
* High APCR shell velocity (919 m/s) makes targeting moving tanks easy
* Large ammo capacity
* Good mobility on hard ground

'''Cons:'''

* Poor ammo storage protection, prone to detonation if penetrated
* Turret front armour is unchanged at only 50 mm thick
* Narrow tracks and quite heavyweight -> Poor cross-country performance - in soft terrain it isn't much faster, or more agile than the heavier [[Tiger H1|Tiger Tank]]
* Rate of fire is not very impressive

== History ==

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

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

=== Panzer IV Ausf. G ===
With the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks, the [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV Ausf. F2]] was made as a stopgap solution with a new and more powerful KwK 40 L/43 gun. After three months into production, the Panzer IV was upgraded again to the '''Panzer IV Ausf. G'''. The Ausf. G featured a stronger 80 mm thick front glacis armour with 30 mm side armour. Some weight-saving techniques were put into play, but the tank still weighed about 23.6 tons and put strain onto the driving system. Some simplification went into the tank such as the removal of the vision ports on the sides of the turret.

The Panzer IV Ausf. G was also the first variant on the Panzer IV line to feature some new innovative features. In March 1943, the Ausf. G was presented with the first of the ''Schürzen'' side armour skirts on the turret and hull sides. On the later models, the KwK 40 L/43 was also upgraded to the L/48 variant, simply a longer version with a better muzzle brake to improve recoil efficiency.

The Panzer IV Ausf. G was well-liked by the armoured crews due to increased armour and lethality against the progressively stronger Allied armour such as the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34s]] and the [[M4|M4 Shermans]]. While the 50 mm armour before was deemed very vulnerable to the Allied guns, the 80 mm caused some headaches among Allied tankers, though could still come on-par in performances. At this point, the newer [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks in production should have replaced the venerable Panzer IV by now, but production problems and low quantity meant the Panzer IV was staying at the main tank for the German Army for a while.

The Panzer IV Ausf. G was then upgraded again to the [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IV Ausf. H]], which would become the most numerous variant of all the Panzer IVs.

=== In-game description ===
The first changes of this variant, which were carried out in the summer of 1942, included a new two-chamber pear-shaped muzzle brake. The viewports in the front plates of the turret and the view hatch in its forward plate were removed. Smoke grenade launchers were moved from the rear of the hull to the sides of the turret. The tank was given an ignition assistance system for winter conditions.

Since the 50-mm-thick front armor of the Pz.Kpfw. IV was still inadequate, it was strengthened with additional 30 mm armor plates that were welded or bolted on. The thickness of the front plates on the turret and the weapon mantlet was 50 mm, and this thickness was not increased in future upgrades.

Improving the machines' protective armor during production was a slow process, and by November only about half of the tanks included the reinforced armor. This armor was only installed on all new tanks from January 1943 onward. In the spring of 1943, the 75 mm 7,5 cm KwK 40 L/43 gun on this variant was replaced with a 7,5 cm Kw.K.40 L/48 with a long 48 caliber barrel, which had slightly higher armor penetration power. By the Battle of Kursk, almost all of the tanks had received Schurzen skirts for their sides and turrets.

Production of Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. G tanks lasted until June 1943, with a total of 1687 units being produced. Of this number, about 700 tanks received the reinforced armor, and 412 had the KwK 40 L/48 gun installed.

This variant made up the majority of Pz.Kpfw. IV tanks which participated in Operation Citadel.

Ausf. G tanks were supplied to Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Turkey, and Spain. The Bulgarian and Romanian machines fought against the Red Army, and after they joined the Allies, against the German military. Captured Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F tanks which were still serviceable were eagerly used by the Red Army.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pz_iv_g '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the "Panzer IV G" from live.warthunder.com.]

;Sights

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

== See also ==


;Similar Vehicles

* [[Pz.IV F2]] - German rank II medium tank
* [[T-34-57]] - Soviet rank III medium tank
* [[M4A2]] - American rank III medium tank
* [[Sherman II]] - British rank II medium tank

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

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

{{Germany medium tanks}}

T-62

2020-07-18T03:52:10Z

U19318377: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_62}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.61 "Road to Glory"]]. The T-62 is a further development of the T-54 series and was made to fight the newer NATO tanks. It features a [[U-5TS_(115_mm)|115 mm U-5TS smoothbore gun]], which makes the T-62 the first tank in-game and in real life to use a smoothbore gun. The gun also was the first to introduce the Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) into the game.

In the 1950s, with the introduction of the [[L7A1 (105 mm)|105 mm L7 tank gun]] on many NATO tanks such as the [[Centurion Mk 10|Centurion]], [[Leopard I|Leopard]], and [[M60]], the Soviets realised that the 100 mm D-10 on the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]]/[[T-55A|T-55]] series of medium tanks was becoming obsolete. To maintain parity with the new NATO tanks, a new 115 mm smoothbore gun was developed along with a new medium tank based on the T-55. This tank entered service in 1961 as the T-62 and was the first tank in the world to begin service with a smoothbore gun.

As in real life, the T-62 is the first Soviet tank in the tech tree to be equipped with a smoothbore gun and is also the first Soviet medium tank in the tech tree capable of firing APFSDS rounds. While there is little improvement in terms of mobility or protection over the previous [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]], the T-62 has substantially improved firepower. It is capable of frontally penetrating nearly any tank it is likely to see in-game at most combat ranges. It is also the first Soviet medium tank to have a gun stabiliser, allowing it to fire on the move with reasonable accuracy.

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


The armour protection of the T-62 is very similar to that of the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]]. Unfortunately, the T-62 tends to face more powerful guns at its BR, so its armour is not nearly as effective for its BR as the T-54's is. The well-rounded turret and sloped hull can ricochet poorly aimed rounds when angled, but should not be relied upon to protect the T-62.

Like most Soviet tanks, the T-62 has a very compact layout, meaning that a single penetrating hit is will most likely cripple or outright destroy the tank. Of particular note of concern is the front hull ammunition rack inside the fuel tank situated next to the driver. This rack is the ready rack of the T-62 and cannot be emptied by reducing the number of rounds carried. A penetrating hit there is likely to result in an ammunition cook-off that will instantly destroy the tank.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 899|rbMinHp= 513}}

The {{PAGENAME}}'s mobility is somewhat similar to that of the T-54 medium tank, although the heavier weight makes it a little bit more sluggish. It can reach a respectable 50 km/h forward, and the maximum reverse speed is -8 km/h. Because the {{PAGENAME}} is longer than the T-54 and does not have neutral steering, its turning performance is noticeably worse, especially on rough terrain.

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


The 115 mm 2A20 smoothbore gun is a potent gun capable of firing APFSDS, HE-FS, and HEAT-FS ammunition. It is stabilised, allowing for accurate firing on the move. The turret traverse is also significantly improved over that of the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]], and the turret also provides more gun depression, allowing for some use of hull-down tactics. It should be noted that the gun has limited depression when the gun passes over the hull fuel tanks (at roughly 45 degrees to each side). Due to the large size of the 115 mm ammunition and cramped space of the T-62, the reload is much slower than that of comparable NATO tanks (~10–12 s depending on crew skill level and training).

While the APFSDS ammunition is not as lethal as the APHE ammunition used on previous Soviet medium tanks and requires some degree of careful aim, it is still capable of one-shotting tanks, especially with frontal penetrations. There are two types of APFSDS ammunition: 3BM3 and 3BM4. The stock 3BM4 round has a pure steel rod penetrator while the unlockable 3BM3 penetrator is a steel rod with a tungsten slug inside the penetrator. The latter has substantially more vertical penetration and somewhat better post-penetration lethality, but its performance against highly sloped armour is significantly worse. Both rounds have outstanding muzzle velocities of over 1,600 m/s, allowing long-range shots to be made without much lead.

The 3BK4 fin-stabilised HEAT round has more penetration than either APFSDS round and retains its penetration at long ranges, but has a much slower muzzle velocity that makes aiming at long ranges significantly more difficult. It is more effective than APFSDS against lightly armoured targets since it can reliably hull-break them if it detonates.

The 3UOF11 fin-stabilised HE round is rather unremarkable and is only really useful against soft targets.

=== Machine guns ===


The T-62 is armed with a single coaxial 7.62mm SGMT machine gun with a single 2500 ammo belt.

== Usage in battles ==


The T-62 is the first entry in the new stage of Soviet MBTs that most Soviet Tankers will research. As usual with soviet MBTs, only the turret has armour to speak of. Do not let this put you off as the T-62's 115mm U-5TS is able to perform exceptionally even with 10.0 BR tanks. In fact, the U-5TS has more penetration than what comes after it, the T-55A, making a lot of players fall back to it (not to mention you lose the cool shell dump animation!). This comes at the cost of slightly slower reload time of 12.0s (9.2s if maxed crew), which is a little below average for it's BR. All in all, the T-62 will give Soviet Tankers a general idea of how to play upcoming MBTs, as the playstyle doesn't change much.

It is best to find visual cover as soon as possible if an enemy plane was spotted since the tank does not have a top machine gun to protect itself from aircraft.

=== General Playstyle ===
It is recommended to play Arcade through the stock grind of the T-62, because your mobility is automatically improved, and the aiming reticle in Arcade will help you penetrate vehicles with the poorer stock round. However, this tank does excel in Realistic, because it can make use of its lower silhouette and very accurate gun (long-range encounters are much easier because there is very little bullet drop).

==== Arcade Battles ====
The T-62 performs rather well in Arcade, due to a very good gun and a mobile platform. Its armour does help you survive from time to time, especially when you are hidden behind bushes or buildings, and the enemies have to go off of your red silhouette to aim (ricochets are plenty in this scenario, because of the circular turret), however, you shouldn't rely on the armour. The biggest downside of playing Arcade is the fact that you have to face Soviet vehicles, which have the most armour around tier you will be fighting and can be annoying to fight.

In Arcade, it's advised to go to sniping positions at the beginning of the match, and later move closer to the objectives to aid your team with clean-up or with a counter-push to secure objectives. Now, due to the small sizes of maps in Arcade, it sometimes works to drive straight into the open and try to hit an enemy exiting their spawn (something that is easy to do with the stabilizer and is a great way to get the "First Blow!" award). If not possible, then it's advised to go to one side of the map and occupy a sniping position (e.g. the hills on the Middle East, South spawn; or the rocks overlooking the sands of El Alamein, either spawn; or rocks around Alaska, either spawn; etc.).

'''''Important Note:''''' If more than half of your team is sniping, as often happens on disliked maps such as the Middle East, step up to the plate and go for the objectives. For details on city combat read-on.

The T-62 can fight in close quarters in Arcade very well. However, caution needs to be taken, because the reload is sub-par, and it generally doesn't allow you to push further than the objectives, because you get overrun with enemies just spawning in. So, if you find yourself in close quarters, decide if your team can cover you from the sides: if they look like they can, then focus forwards - take a strategic position where you overlook a passage to the objective and wait for enemies to pass through and shoot them; if your team can't cover you from the sides, then be very careful about your actions - it's best to find some cover in-front of your tank, and look around your sides, because when enemies don't encounter enemies, they will push up and show you their sides.

''However'', this doesn't mean that you should always rely on your team, or you should always stick to a single location. Arcade allows you to move around and to succeed, you must move around, because it is difficult for opponents to know where exactly you can shoot them from if you constantly change your angles. So you should find a piece of cover, snipe a couple of tanks, then move forwards or sideways across the map to another position and surprise other enemies.

'''''Important Note:''''' Try to keep an eye on the minimap and have a general idea where large groups of enemies are - you don't want to run into 3 leopards in a city by accident. Keeping general enemy locations in mind will help you with your advancement plans - you shouldn't rush around the map only ''hoping'' that you won't get shot.

==== Realistic Battles ====
The T-62 enjoys Realistic Battles because its low silhouette can surprise enemies. It can hide behind a small bush, and hold an ambush position overlooking an open area around an objective (e.g. around the city in Alaska, or in the forests on European Province). The low silhouette and the amazing gun should be used together to ambush enemies at any range, one-shot them and then change position so that any call-outs on the enemy team are wrong information by the time they are noticed. It can be rather annoying playing Realistic in this tank, however, due to German and Italian tanks being able to get half-way across the map and set-up ambushes before you are able to leave your spawn (this is negated in Arcade, because it's always mixed battles and faster tanks get killed first by faster enemy tanks).

In Realistic, long-range encounters are plenty, and they do favour the T-62, unless in a rather hilly environment, where the gun depression isn't enough. It is recommended to get into some sniping position at the start of the match, but after 3-5 shots to attempt to move forward, closer to the objectives. At that point, all of the Leopards and Centauros should be moving forward to your spawn, and while they are doing so, you can usually pick them off one-by-one (the is very effective if you've managed to move close to the objectives, because you will be in the enemy's rear as they move past the objectives).

'''''Side-Note:''''' If you see a teammate pushing in the same direction you are, then follow them, but stay some distance behind. Chances are if there are enemy ambushes, they are going to fire at your teammate and you will in turn be able to disable or destroy the ambushers.

There is less close quarters encounters in Realistic Battles, however many objectives are placed inside towns or cities. In those cases, when playing the T-62 it's important to surprise the enemy, so it's advised to go on a big flank. If you know where the enemies are, approximately, you may get away with simply rushing them, because they won't expect it, however, this poses a big risk and should only be done in dire situations. If you do find yourself in a stand-off with another tank, you can try baiting a shot by showing them your front plate while angling it (but not showing the side), by using a corner of a building as cover. You can also abandon the encounter, retreat, find an ambush and wait, although a smart enemy will be cautious, some might fall into your trap.

'''''Important Note:''''' Soviet vehicles such as the Object 906 or the BMP-2 are better equipped for close-quarters, so if you're planning on fighting in cities, they are the better choice.

=== The Stock Grind ===
Through experience, it has been found best to complete the first part of the stock grind in Arcade Battles, notably '''researching Parts and FPE''' and perhaps Adjustment of Fire. Arcade is better due to the fact that the maps are smaller and you are almost guaranteed to get one kill. Moreover, '''you can activate 3-5 spare universal back-ups''' and spawn twice in the T-62 in the next 3-5 battles.

However you decide to complete the stock grind, these are some general tips:

* Stay further back and play passive - your reload will be your death as soon as you find yourself too far in front of your team.
** As a part of this strategy, you can bait teammates by letting them go first and see where they are shot from, then shooting those enemies.
** You can also just snipe, because your rounds are insanely fast from the beginning, and it's easy to hit long shots.
* Play the objectives, because it increases the chances of your team winning, and also gives you research points.
** Moreover, enemies converge on objectives, especially light tanks, which are easy to take out.
* It's always a good idea to stick close to your squadmate, or a light tank because they ''are able'' to repair you even if you can't.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="3" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
|
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| 3BM3
|
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|
|
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
| ESS
| Artillery Support
| 3BK4
| NVD
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good stock grind due to default shell being the 3BM4 which has enough flat pen and a great amount of angled pen to lay waste on any adversaries at this BR.
* Better gun depression in comparison to most Soviet tanks before which allows it to utilize some hull down tactics in some situations.
* Faster turret traverse than the T-54/T-55A
* Larger ammunition capacity than the T-54, with a generous hull ready rack
* Easy to learn and play
* ESS smoke system which can create a massive smokescreen for your team as well as allowing you to cover up your retreat.
* Has a stabilizer which improves its fire-on-the move capabilities and aids in getting the first shot against enemies, especially against those without stabilizers.
* Relatively low profile.

'''Cons:'''

* No anti-aircraft heavy machine gun which makes dealing with aircraft as well as lightly armored vehicles more difficult.
* "Upgraded" 3BM3 round while having more flat penetration is worse than the stock 3BM4 round due to having significantly worse angled penetration. The increased flat pen of 3BM3 is not really needed at this battle rating due most enemies having weak armor(such as Leopards) and many tanks relying more on sloped armor for protection (such as T95E1 and Chieftains)
* Turret traverse is still slower than other tanks
* Slow reload compared to NATO 105 mm L7-armed main battle tanks.
* Not as mobile as the T-54/55A
* No neutral steering
* Lack of APHE shells compared to earlier russian tanks can feel like a letdown in terms of overall oneshotting capability
* Cramped layout prone to vulnerable crippling hits or ammunition detonation when penetrated

== 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 ==


* [[T-62M-1]]: Improved variant with a more powerful engine, added-on composite armour, and missile-launch capability for the gun
* [[IT-1]]: Missile-launcher variant of the T-62

== 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-64B

2020-07-18T03:36:19Z

U19318377: /* Pros and cons */ Added some pros and cons based on experience

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_64_b_1984}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm"]]. In [[Update 1.79 "Project X"]], the vehicle gained the modification to equip "Kontakt-1" ERA blocks, transforming the variant into a '''T-64BV'''.

The T-64 "Bravo" is a fearsome opponent on the battlefield that improves on the infamy of its older brother, the T-64 "Alpha". Its triple-layer composite armour is capable of shrugging off hits from most of the other top rank cannons, however its lacklustre engine power can prove a little underwhelming in the face of the turbine engines and hugely powerful turbo diesels the vehicles it competes against sport. The 125mm 2A46M-1 "Sprut" cannon comes with ammunition perfectly capable of perforating almost all forms of armour on the battlefield, regardless of operating range. The low profile of the Bravo allows it to avoid detection and utilize forms of cover that other tanks cannot hide behind. The T-64B can be differentiated from the T-64A by the lack of the side extrusion panels, however is visually extremely similar to the T-80B and it's often hard to differentiate, especially when the armour package is applied. The T-64B gains a pintle-mounted machine gun which can prove useful as a deterrent against CAS and some light vehicles.

With the "Kontakt-1" ERA upgrade, the tank's appearance drastically changes. The ERA is fitted in a "pike" or triangular prism shape. The hull is also different as its covered with ERA and thee distinctive triangle at the front is gone. There is also an extra armour plate on the lower plate.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Composite armour (Hull front, Turret front)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
* Armour radiation material (Roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60* mm (68°) ''Front glacis'' 80 mm (62°) ''Lower glacis'' || 85 mm ''Front'' 70 mm ''Rear'' <br. 20 mm (33°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm (4-54°) ''Top'' 45 mm ''Center'' 20 mm (21-57°) ''Bottom'' || 30 + 30 mm ''Front'' 20 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 50-330 mm (0-80°) || 65-140* mm (12-29°) || 65 + 30 mm (0-65°) || 45-140 + 30 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 45 mm || 40 + 30 mm
|-
! Composite armour* !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 403 mm ''Kinetic'' 476 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
| Turret || ''Angles +0-0°:'' 440 mm ''Kinetic'' 500 mm ''Chemical'' ''Angles +30-30°:'' 400 mm ''Kinetic'' 450 mm ''Chemical'' || 200 mm ''Kinetic'' 220 mm ''Chemical'' || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, torsion bars are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.
* A 5 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment
* A log providing 100 mm thickness in wood is mounted on the rear.
* The snorkel tube on the turret rear provide 4 mm of structural steel.
* Hull composite armour configuration is 60 mm RHA + 35 mm Textolite + 30 mm RHA + 35 mm Textolite + 45 mm RHA.
* Turret composite armour configuration is 130-140 mm CHA + 150 mm Ultra porcelain + 100-110 mm CHA.
* Turret side composite armour configuration is 90 mm CHA + 80 mm Ultra porcelain + 60 mm CHA.

To fight the T-64B:

* Disable the gun. Gun mantle is very weak against top tier shells so it will be destroyed. Even if a shell can penetrate the composite armour, make sure the T-64B can not hit you back as it will penetrate most vehicles it can face.
* The drivers port does not contain composite armour. Rounds with 200 mm of penetration can penetrate effectively, almost guaranteed kill. However at long ranges this is a very small target so try and hit the T-64B's gun.
* Lower plate is a very big weak spot as there is no composite armour there. Any top tier shell will penetrate at close to medium range. However at long ranges the lower plate is a very small target so try and disable the T-64B's gun.
* Vehicles such as the Type-90 or Ariete C1 are capable of punching straight through the hull composite armour.
* Fighting the T-64BV (T-64B with "Kontakt-1" ERA) is a different situation. With the ERA, protection against chemical is 850mm and above meaning it can stop the HOT missile and DM12 HEAT-FS. If you have an auto-cannon fire at the ERA to destroy it. Once it is gone you the value will drop to 500mm against chemical rounds. In some cases, a if a projectile with lots of explosive hits the breech or the ERA on turret, some shrapnel will deflect downwards into the ammunition, destroying the tank even though the projectile was stopped. However, the provides minimal protection against kinetic rounds

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,085|rbMinHp=619|AoAweight=1.1}}

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

{{main|2A46M-1 (125 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[2A46M-1 (125 mm)|125 mm 2A46M-1]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 36 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+14° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 22.80 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 7.10 || rowspan="2" | 7.10
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.28 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| 3BM22 || APFSDS || 425 || 420 || 415 || 405 || 393 || 380
|-
| 3BM42 || APFSDS || 479 || 477 || 470 || 462 || 453 || 445
|-
| 3BK18M || HEATFS || 550 || 550 || 550 || 550 || 550 || 550
|-
| 3OF26 || HE || 47 || 47 || 47 || 47 || 47 || 47
|-
| 9M112 || ATGM || 650 || 650 || 650 || 650 || 650 || 650
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| 3BM22 || APFSDS || 1,760 || 4.83 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 76° || 77° || 80°
|-
| 3BM42 || APFSDS || 1,700 || 4.85 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| 3BK18M || HEATFS || 905 || 19.00 || N/A || 0.1 || 2,790 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| 3OF26 || HE || 850 || 23.00 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 5,240 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| 9M112 || ATGM || 400 || 27.50 || N/A || 0.1 || 3,600 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''36''' || 35 ''(+1)'' || 28 ''(+8)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' || No
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|NSVT (12.7 mm)|PKT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[NSVT (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm NSVT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 300 (150) || 700 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[PKT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm PKT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,250 (250) || 700 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The T-64B performs optimally as a sniper or support tank, utilising the low profile and long-range weapon performance. While the armour of the T-64B was good for it's time, many later vehicles can fairly reliably penetrate the UFP, even through the composite armour. The gun performs well, with a good variety of ammunition, an autoloader for reliable reload times (even when a crew member is knocked, or putting out fires) and extremely high round velocity for long-range ease of use.

The T-64B can be used as a brawling tank but positioning is key - wherever possible, the LFP should not be exposed, and due to the abysmally low reverse speed, there's usually no escape from a sticky situation. Play carefully in close quarters environments, letting targets move into your gunsights rather than vice versa.

Keep in mind that the vehicle is relatively slow, so you'll often be one of the last into battle. This gives you an opportunity to exploit known intel - where your teammates have been shot/destroyed from, primarily - which can be used to position, ready for pushing enemy tanks.

'''T-64BV'''

One of the later upgrades available to the T-64B is the 'additional protection' upgrade, which covers the frontal hull and turret with "Kontakt-1" ERA. This adds a huge amount of protection to the vehicle specifically against chemical rounds. While it's uncommon to see top rank MBTs use HEAT rounds, it can prove useful when facing IFVs/ATGM carriers, or in many cases, helicopters with ATGMs. The weight increase is often well worth the benefits of the BV upgrade.

'''Top-rank Adversaries'''

* '''[[M1 Abrams (Family)|M1/IPM1/M1A1 Abrams]]:''' The Abrams series of vehicles are significantly faster than the T-64B, and will almost always get into position before you're able to. The best way to combat them is to catch them while they're pushing. Be careful with shot placement, however, because of the nature of the Abrams vehicles it's often very hard to guarantee a one-shot vehicle knockout - if necessary, disable the vehicle's gunner/weapon first. ''Protip: When you have a clear shot on the back of an Abrams' turret, try to place it through the ammunition - this often results in ammo detonation and the vehicle's destruction.''

* '''[[Leopard 2K]]:''' The Leopard 2K has negligible armour and can often be destroyed with a well placed shot almost anywhere - beware the highly angled surfaces, however, which will bounce shots you may not expect it to. Watch out for the Leo's mobility, though - it can flank quickly and the L/44 120mm can be deadly.

* '''[[Leopard 2A4]]/[[Leopard 2A5|2A5]]:''' The Leopard 2A4/2A5 are similar vehicles to face, although the 2A5 can prove significantly harder to kill. Both vehicles are reasonably mobile, especially compared to the T-64. The best option for both vehicles is to try to get a side shot - but if this isn't possible, try for a round through the lower plate. Where this isn't possible, try destroy the gun directly or place a shot through the turret ring - but avoid the turret cheeks on these vehicles, as they're near impenetrable.

* '''[[Challenger Mk.2]]/[[Challenger Mk.3|Mk.3]]/[[Challenger 2|2]]:''' These vehicles can be extremely hard to destroy when they're in a hull-down position - their turret cheeks are extremely well protected and the mantlet is small and hard to place a round through. If you're forced to engage one at long range, it's best to try your best to land a shot in the mantlet or the lower half of the turret cheeks, which are slightly weaker. When a Challenger is exposed, however, simply place a shell through the massive LFP and reap the rewards.

* '''[[Leclerc]]:''' The Leclerc isn't anything special - the easiest way to disable it is through the huge gun mantlet, and from there putting shots into the LFP/turret ring/mantlet as necessary.

* '''[[Ariete]]/[[Ariete PSO|PSO]]:''' The Ariete is reasonably easy to destroy - it has a reasonably vulnerable hull, although the turret can be slightly harder to deal with. However, it has the highest-penetration kinetic round available in the game, and can penetrate almost anywhere on your vehicle. Avoid being a target, because due to the compact nature of the T-64 and spread out ammunition, if an Ariete penetrates you, there's a pretty good chance you're a goner.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! colspan="2" | Protection
! colspan="2" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
|
| Horizontal Drive
| 3BK18M
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Smoke grenade
| Adjustment of Fire
| Laser rangefinder
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| NVD
| Elevation Mechanism
| 9M112
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
| ESS
| T-64BV
| Artillery Support
| 3BM42
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Stock-friendly grind, with a very good stock APFSDS shell
* Ability to mount the Kontakt-1 Explosive Reactive Armour package which enhances first-hit protection against chemical munitions
* Very strong turret armor combined with a bad but usable -6° gun depression can allow it to hull down relatively well in some instances.
* Upgraded armour allows it to shrug off hits from many top-rank cannons
* Lower profile compared to other MBTs, allows the user to utilize cover and tactics that other players cannot use
* Upgraded 125mm cannon inherited from the previous model
* More diverse ammunition choices gives it a great deal of flexibility and allows it to engage at any distance and adapt to different situations and playstyle.
* 9M112 "Kobra" ATGM capable of penetrating 650mm of armour. Also fastest ATGM in the game
* Replaces the "oil barrel" smoke grenades with two sets of four-barrelled 81 mm smoke grenade launchers
* The high muzzle velocity on the T-64B's APFSDS rounds make it an excellent sniper.

'''Cons:'''

* Ban gun depression compared to its adversaries.
* Horrible reverse speed (-4 km/h)
* HEAT-FS shell requires skill against its contemporaries' armour, simply pointing and firing it will not guarantee a penetration
* If the tank's hull is penetrated from almost any angle there is a high risk of ammunition detonation thanks to the spread-out nature of the autoloader
* Angling the tank causes the weak side armour to be exposed
* Maximum of five 9M112 "Kobra" ATGMs allowed in tank
* Gun elevation/depression speed is very slow compared to other MBT's (2.5 degrees per second)
* Hull armour can be extremely easily penetrated by a variety of enemy vehicles

== History ==

===Development===
The '''T-64B''' or ''Object 447'' was an improvement to the currently existing T-64A and T-72A. The T-64B model was now fitted with a better laser range finder along with improved fire control systems. In addition, it had the 2A46M-1 cannon (aka the D-81TM gun) with a 2E26M stabilizer, 6ETs40 autoloader, 1A33 FCS (fire control system) comprising a ballistic calculator, and a sight with laser telemetry and cross-wind sensor. The ATGMs were eight 9M112 "Kobra" (radio-guided, NATO "AT-8 Songster"). The turret armour had a new design consisting of ceramic balls designed to absorb or reduce chemical munitions. However the T-64B still had the unreliable and complicated 5TDF engine. Designers added a more powerful engine which led to the T-72B and T-80 series.

===Combat usage===
Although there is no hard evidence, some sources saw the T-64B saw action in Afghanistan in the 80's. This could have been for testing but there are no official records. Russia had 4,000 T-64Bs, but 2,000 were put out of service in 2000 and used for scrap. The T-64B and BV-1 model is currently used by The Democratic Republic of Congo. 50 were purchased from Ukraine in 2014. The T-64B saw heavy action in the 2014 Ukraine Civil War and Invasion of Crimea. 17 confirmed T-64B's were destroyed, including the "Bulat" model. Ukraine is now upgrading there there fleet of T-64B's to a more modernized version called the T-64BM "Bulat"

== Media ==


;Images
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:T-64B Snow.JPG|250px|thumb|none|The T-64B (1984) in War Thunder with Winter Camoflage]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:GarageImage T-64BV.jpg|250px|thumb|none|The T-64BV with the "Kontakt-1" ERA in the garage.]] </li>
</ul></div>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|P6SfZC-n-U4|'''Т-64B vs M1 Abrams''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|9VBAWLdfLcw|'''The Shooting Range #90''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:26 discusses the T-64B.}}

== 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/5351-development-t-64b-when-good-is-not-good-enough-en|[Devblog] T-64B: When Good Is Not Good Enough]]
* [[wt:en/news/5503-development-t-64bv-defence-reaction-en|[Devblog] T-64BV: Defence Reaction]]

{{USSR medium tanks}}

[[Category:ATGM vehicles]]

T-44-100

2020-07-18T03:28:17Z

U19318377: /* Specific Enemies Worth Noting */ Removed recommended use of APCR since it barely has any improved pen and does nonexistent damage.

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_44_100}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-44-100.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]]. It is a standard [[T-44]], but with the stronger [[D-10T (100 mm)|100 mm D-10T]] gun, the same one as on the [[SU-100]] and the [[T-54 (1947)|T-54]] tanks.

This is a fast, manoeuvrable with low profile tank that should be played as a brawler, flanker and ambusher. The tank's speed is quite good in Rank IV (compare with previous version [[T-34-85]] and [[Panther A|Panther]] variants) and its gun can compete with [[KwK 43 (88 mm)|88 mm gun]] of [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]] (amount of explosive, shell velocity).

This tank isn't suitable for front-line roles because of the lack of armour and gun depression. Moreover, T-44-100 has a fast reverse speed, making it more of a "shoot-and-scoot" vehicle.

The armour isn't very thick, however, it does have the potential to bounce some shots.

== 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 || 90 mm (64°) ''Front glacis'' 90 mm (44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 + 6 mm || 45 mm (19°) ''Upper'' 30 mm (73°) ''Lower'' || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 120 mm (9-58°) ''Turret front'' 110 mm (7-63°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 100 mm (12-21°)|| 75 mm (10°) || 15 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 90 mm || 15 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* There are tracks giving additional 18 mm of armour on the lower back of the turret.
* Spaced armour is put on the side that gives an additional 6 mm.
* Belly armour is 30 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 806|rbMinHp= 460|}}

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

{{main|D-10T (100 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[D-10T (100 mm)|100 mm D-10T]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 36 || -3°/+18° || ±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 ||40.00||44.24|| 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 ||17.50||21.25||23.50|| 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.
|-
| 13.65 ||12.08||11.13|| 10.50
|-
|}

===== 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''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-412 || APHE || 217 || 213 || 192 || 169 || 148 || 130
|-
| BR-412B || APHEBC || 217 || 214 || 195 || 173 || 154 || 137
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 239 || 236 ||223|| 207 || 192 || 178
|-
| BR-412P || APCR || 222 || 216 || 186 || 154 || 127 || 105
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 20 || 20 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19
|-
|}
{| 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-412 || APHE || 895 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 100.1 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-412B || APHEBC || 895 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 100.1 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-412D || APCBC || 887 || 15.9 || 1.2 || 19 || 93.94 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-412P || APCR || 1050 || 8.53 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| OF-412 || HE || 880 || 15.2 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 1,460 || +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):''
|-
| 3D3 || 880 || 15.6 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 272
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T-44-100.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-44-100.]]
{| 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
|-
|| '''36''' || 34 ''(+2)'' || 24 ''(+12)'' || 21 ''(+15)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

''Turret empty:'' 24 ''(+12)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle 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" | 250 (50) || 600 || -10°/+60° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| 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 ==

=== General Gameplay ===
The T-44-100 is a very versatile tank for its Battle Rating of 7.0. When fully upgraded, it's extremely mobile and decently fast, which allows it to go on flanks and set up ambushes to make full use of its 100 mm gun. This gun can penetrate many tanks frontally, although often you have to look for weak spots. Luckily, most of the time that you penetrate an enemy, it will destroy it in one shot, due to the explosive nature of the available shells. Having said that, it's best to make your way behind the enemy lines throughout any game, and then clean them up for your team. Moreover, you have 3 crew members in the turret, and if an APHE shell penetrates anywhere, or someone penetrates the turret side, you are most likely dead in one shot, so protect your turret.

'''Arcade Battles'''

In Arcade, the T-44-100 can make use of many sniping positions on almost all maps (cliff edge on El Alamein comes to mind). The improved mobility and speed should be used to confuse the enemies and keep your position unknown (i.e. change cover often, move around the map carefully; if needed retreat to your spawn to repair and plan ahead). The mobility will also help you in any stand-offs because you can keep moving your hull and your turret randomly to increase the chances of enemy shells bouncing and hitting only your cannon barrel or track (allowing you to take your time and return fire).

'''''Important Note:''''' Don't over-angle your hull because side armour is ''not'' thick enough to block most shots. You will have to practice this yourself.

Rushing objective points is also a valid tactic in Arcade, although it's best to pick points with the most cover because you shouldn't get shot as stated previously. When there are enemies occupying the capture point, it's a good idea to avoid obvious routes and try to snipe the enemies from afar or flank them, because they will always have an advantage on you. If your tank is fully upgraded, you can try rushing in and causing panic, although there is no guarantee that you will survive through that (your team usually pushes in at that point, and most of the time you get the capture point in the end).

Lastly, just try to confuse your enemies by any means. Make it look like you are going around the left side, then when you can't see enemy tags - turn around and go around the right side; or you can try shooting machine guns into the distance by tapping the space bar, and some enemies may think that that was your shot (machine gun tracers are only marginally smaller than main gun tracers), and they will push out into your line of sight. There are many small strategies you can make use of in Arcade because your tank is so responsive - just try stuff!

'''Realistic Battles'''

The gameplay is slower in Realistic, and the T-44-100 will be outmatched by early Leopards and other fast vehicles (AUBL, M50 Ontos, Ru 251 etc) in terms of mobility. You should play with more caution, and your main strategies should be: ambushes, flanks and medium-range sniping. To begin with, ambushing is a very successful strategy, and it can be employed in almost every map. You should find a piece of cover around the middle of the map, and look over the main pathways that the enemy team is likely to take (e.g. rubble around B point on Stalingrad, or the passage from B to C on Tunisia, etc). Also, don't forget you can ambush enemy flankers - they will often over-extend, and if you expect that to happen you can set up anti-flank ambushes for them.

When flanking with the T-44-100, you need to be cautious of enemy flankers. Always look around, and try to cover your sides. If a capture point is being captured by the enemies, don't rush in, rather go from cover to cover and try to spot the enemy on the capture point first. That way you will have the advantage over them. If the capture point is in a hilly area, peak over the hill slightly sideways (don't go straight-on), because your side armour will be more angled than the lower plate, and also you are less likely to be one-shot if spotted.

'''''Side Note:''''' Peaking with your side does help with depression as well, but only on shallow hills, on steep hills, you will not be able to get a shot on target without exposing your whole tank. Also, don't try to do this when the enemy sees you, because this strategy needs time to be set-up.

Lastly, sniping will feel easier with the D-10T gun, and at Battle Rating 7.0 extremely fast rounds are uncommon, so you will stand a chance in most medium and long-range engagements. Make sure to use a rangefinder, and aim for hits, not for 100% penetrations, because at long ranges luck plays a bigger role. After every 3-4 shots, try to change your position - it's best to move forward and find cover, but moving sideways will also help. This way enemies will not be able to explicitly focus fire on you.

=== Moving from T-44 to T-44-100 ===
This section is for players who are experiencing the sudden jump from Battle Rating 6.3 to 7.0, because you will see many new enemies, and gameplay changes quite a bit. The biggest drawback you will experience is the lack of stabilizer, which makes it harder to play reactively (heavy tanks and tanks with stabilizers will be able to get their guns ready faster than you).

Don't try to penetrate everything up-front, even though the gun has improved significantly. Sure, you can hit some one-shots through weak spots on some enemies, but the amount of times you will bounce and be destroyed straight after is bigger. This might get annoying, and you will turn away from this wonderful machine - don't do that. Take your time to learn what enemies are easy to penetrate (British medium tanks, German Leopards and JPz 4-5, US M46s etc), and what tanks will take time and effort to outplay (Conqueror, Maus, T32, etc).

Overall, don't get a false sense of security and ability to handle everything, because quite the opposite happens - most tanks can easily penetrate you, while their armour is increased and can be awkward.

=== The Stock Grind ===
When grinding the first modifications, Arcade Battles might be more fun, because of faster-paced gameplay and the ability to see all threats. Now, it's '''a priority to research Parts and FPE,''' and it may also be a good idea '''to activate 3-5 universal vehicle back-ups''' to be able to respawn twice in one match (although it is probably a better idea to wait for the T-54 '47 to use them).

General tips for the stock grind are:

* When playing against German Leopards - you can penetrate them frontally, and there are many of them, so take advantage of this.
** Most medium tanks you can penetrate through the turret ring, but it's a gamble sometimes.
** If an enemy tries to angle, shoot at the front side that they're showing because it usually has negligible armour
* Play the objectives - they award points, and if you stay to defend them, you will be able to get some easy hits on those who try to get it back (by ambushing them).
** You can also set up ambushes ''before'' the objective so that enemies will push past you and you can shoot their sides.
* Push with your teammates, but let them take the hits, then poke out and take a shot or two.

=== Specific Enemies Worth Noting ===
Against certain enemies, the recommended tactics are:

* [[Tiger II (P)|Tiger II (P)]] and [[Tiger II (H)|(H)]]: shoot at turret cheeks (thin part so you should aim carefully), the lower glacis, there is a transmission ('''Warning''': Only shoot this when the Tiger II is facing you directly). If successful in flanking the Tiger II, shoot the part below the turret a little bit.
* [[Panther F]] and [[Panther II]]: watch for their maneuver, shoot at turret cheek, hull (directly facing only) and lower glacis (directly facing only).
* [[Caernarvon|Caernavron]]: Turret ring and its thin lower glacis (one shot and it will blow up). Hit the side turret as well to knock out the fighting crew.
* [[T29]]: The lower glacis and turret ring
* [[Leopard I|Leopard 1A0]]: shoot anywhere, but avoid getting hit
* [[Jagdpanther|Jagdpanther]]: Aim at the side of the gun and penetrate through the front glacis.
* [[Jagdtiger]]: Shoot the lower glacis when it is facing you head on, that will disable the transmission, proceed to shoot its sides. If you have the opportunity, flanking it immediately is recommended.
* [[Maus]]: The turret cheek (only below 100m). Recommended to flank the tank and shoot the side of the hull flat on.
* [[Centurion Mk 3]]: Hull and lower glacis
* [[FV4202]]: Lower glacis and turret
* [[T-44]] and T-44-100: Anywhere
* [[IS-2]]: Shoot at the flat part of the hull, one-shot guarantee.
* [[IS-2 (1944)|IS-2 (1944)]]: Turret, lower glacis (which is not angled much)
* [[T26E1-1|T26E1-1 "Super Pershing]]: Hull and lower glacis
* [[Tortoise|Tortoise]]: '''Never shoot the lower glacis''', shoot the machine gun position (the upper left side), this can knock out at least 3 crews of it.
* [[T95]]: Commander cupola. Recommend to flank it due to its low speed.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="3" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks
|
|Parts
|BR-412B
|Horizontal Drive
|
|-
|II
|Suspension
|Brake System
|FPE
|BR-412D
|Adjustment of Fire
|
|-
|III
|Filters
|
|Crew Replenishment
|Elevation Mechanism
|BR-412P
|Smoke grenade
|-
|IV
|Transmission
|Engine
|
|Artillery Support
|3D3
|}

The first modifications you should get are “Parts” and “FPE”. The best order for this is Parts → Horizontal Drive → FPE. After you get those, you can grind what you want. It’s recommended to get the modifications of the Category “Firepower” and “Protection” first. Because it's a medium tanks you should also get the modifications “Filters”, “Transmission” and “Engine” as fast as possible, to have better mobility.

You could do it like this: Parts → Horizontal Drive → FPE → BR-412B → BR-412D → Adjustment of Fire → Crew Replenishment → Filters → Elevation Mechanism → Transmission → Engine → Artillery Support → Brake System → Suspension → Tracks → BR-412P

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful 100 mm D-10T gun with good AP-rounds and a good one-shot-potential
* Introduces players to the 100 mm D-10T gun of the T-54 family
* 12.7mm DShK machine gun provides effective anti-aircraft defence and saves main gun ammo when facing soft targets like SPAA's
* Very manoeuvrable when fully upgraded, lots of power compared to the [[T-34-85]] and the [[T-44]]. Good top speed, acceleration and reverse
* Low profile, so you won’t get spotted easily
* Good frontal armour. Quite many rounds bounce
* Side skirts provide spaced armour

'''Cons:'''

* Only -3° of gun depression. So the T-44-100 favours only flat or hull down/ low lying positions
* Long reload time, even with an aced crew (as fast as a [[Panther II|Panther II]] stock)
* Quite a weak turret armour. The turret cheeks are weak points
* 3 of 4 crewmen are in the turret, so it's easy to be one-shot
* Big ammo-rack next to your driver in the front

== History ==


===Development===
The [[T-44]] started development in the Autumn of 1943 at the Stalin Ural Tank Factory No. 183, with the objective of creating a tank that is superior to the [[T-34-85|T-34]]. The requirement was that it have the same mobility as the T-34, but with more armour on it. In November, chief designer A. A. Morozov presented the T-44's design and model, called ''Object 136'' as a prototype. The first prototype was completed on January the next year and two more in February. The first two prototypes are armed with the 85 mm D-5T gun with the designation ''T-44-85'', while the last had a 122 mm D-25-44T cannon similar to the one on the [[IS-2]] tank (Though differing from one-piece ammunition and better muzzle brake) designated the ''[[T-44-122]]''. Overall, the design allowed the T-44 to be much more protective in armour thickness when compared to the T-34 while remaining a lower profile. Trials with the first prototypes began in February 1944. The T-44 with the 122 mm gun was deemed impractical in the trials and was discontinued while the T-44 with the 85 mm gun went on to further development. Improvements and changes went into the design until it was accepted in November 1944, where it was placed into service of the Soviet Red Army. Production started in 1944 at Factory No. 75 and continued building until 1947 with about 1,823 units produced.

Despite the T-44's superiority over the T-34 tank, it used the same gun, the 85 mm ZiS-S-53, as its main armament. It was requested that a larger armament be placed onto the T-44 instead for increased firepower. Testing began at October 1944 for this upgrade at the Ural Tank Factory, with the T-44 armed with the 100 mm to be called the ''T-44B'' (or the '''T-44-100'''). Two prototypes were made for the T-44-100 in February 1945, one with a D-10TK gun and another with the LB-1 gun. The T-44-100, compared to the original T-44, had its turret ring diameter increased, thicker armour overall, and increased weight.

===Test results===
The T-44-100 trials in March and April resulted in the positive performance of the T-44-100. The performance the T-44B gave convinced the army that the design had potential and was to not instantly be put into production and instead wait for the entire tank design to be modernized before starting production. Thus, only two working prototypes were made before the entire tank design went into an overhaul. The resulting tank from this development was the [[T-54 (1947)|T-54]] main battle tank. This tank was accepted while all further development on the T-44 stopped.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="300px">
T-44-100_Wallpaper Preview.jpg|The T-44-100 unveiled to the world.
</gallery>

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/865|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Т-44-100: Maneuver and fire!]]

{{USSR medium tanks}}

Avenger

2020-01-20T18:27:16Z

U19318377: /* Pros and cons */ Turning is now that sluggish. Its quite responsive.

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a30_sp_avenger}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It is armed with the 17-pounder, with no secondary armament. It was based on a lengthened Cromwell hull from the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]] from World War II.

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


Avenger is one of the most unexpected survivors on battlefields of War Thunder, both arcade and realistic mode.

All of this is due to fact that its crew sits in very specific places and the vehicle's armour doesn't have any small, weird weak spots. In fact, armour and overall module placement is so solid, it can sometimes hold off a SPAA attack, some bombs, and even a 75 mm from a [[M4A3E2]] with some angling and range.

Even if shells penetrate (usually through the angled sides of the turret), usually only 2 crew members get knocked out.

The only strange weak spot the Avenger has is the windows on top of turret. While roof windows seem to be a flaw, as it creates potential for HE shells to simply fly inside of Avenger and decimate entire crew, in reality nobody uses those types of rounds at this BR. Even strafing planes have hard time hitting anything through those windows, and rather penetrate the roof directly, which is still a challenge.

Because of that, the windows instead give enemy APHE shells a high chance to bounce around and fly out of window without exploding inside of vehicle. In fact, this happens so often, a single Avenger can survive up to six direct shots while losing only gunner or loader, while vehicles like the [[Sherman Firefly]] would be destroyed in one hit by those.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm (1°) ''Front plate'' 30 mm (71°) ''Front glacis'' 57.15 mm (19°) ''Lower glacis''|| 14 mm || 38.1 mm (1°) ''Top'' 38.1 mm (13-59°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 63.5 mm (0-49°) ''Turret front'' 40 mm (30-31°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 40 mm (0-1°) || 40 mm (8-40°) || 20 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Rack on top of the hull rear seems to be stacking 38.1 mm armour. No concrete evidence of their effectiveness as of yet.

=== 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" | 31.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 56 (AB)
|-
|52 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|852
|1,049
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|27.05
|33.30
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|16.86
|19.04
|-
|}

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

{{main|Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|76 mm OQF 17-pounder]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 55 || -10°/+17° || ±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'' || 12.33 || 17.06 || __.__ || __.__ || 24.38
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.33 || 9.80 || __.__ || __.__ || 14.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 7.28 || __.__ || __.__ || 5.60
|-
|}

===== 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''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || AP || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 190 || 187 || 172 || 155 || 140 || 126
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 883 || 7.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 883 || 7.0 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 580 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 883 || 7.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 883 || 7.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +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):''
|-
| 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 754 || 8.4 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of 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" |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
|-
|| '''55''' || 49 ''(+6)'' || 42 ''(+13)'' || 35 ''(+20)'' || 28 ''(+27)'' || 21 ''(+34)'' || 14 ''(+41)'' || 7 ''(+48)'' || 1 ''(+54)'' || style="text-align:left" | yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 49 ''(+6)''

===== Optics =====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x3 || x6 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[VFW]]
|-
|}

First tank in Tank Destroyer British tech line to have X6 scope. It will not get any better than this until rank VI, so get used to it - it will be the same across entire tech tree for a while with SPAA being the only exception.

As of rank III, this scope is slightly or moderately superior to most medium and heavy tanks, but do not expect to outsnipe German SPG as they have same optics or even better.

== Usage in battles ==

The Avenger plays like an upgunned and a bit more sluggish Cromwell. There are two main play styles possible with this vehicle.

'''Close range flanker''': The Avenger's mobility allows it to sneak up to the enemy's flank without too much problems. With its awesome gun depression, it can pop over a hill and shoot before engaging a "turn fight" (running around the enemy's tank too fast so he can't aim at you). Such manoeuvre has a greater chance of success on isolated enemies since you need to get at least 2 shots to destroy any tank you might encounter. This kind of strategy is great early in the game, to counter-capture a point by , for example, an enemy Hellcat that rushed it. A small note there: make sure to pre-aim in the general direction of your enemy since the turret turning rate is not so great.

'''Sniper''': As said earlier, the Avenger's crazy depression angles and good gun, combined with its great mobility and good climbing characteristics makes it ideal for the sniper role. It's mobility allows the Avenger to get anywhere on the map, an intelligent pilot will avoid main roads where encountering enemies upfront is often a death sentence and prefer unexpected roads, surprising camping spots, your enemy must never know where to expect a shot from. When firing, make sure to change position every 2-3 shots (every time you destroy a tank). With a good mix of luck and skill, you can even find a good viewing point on the enemy's base pretty early in the game (even in AB !). Make sure sure to hide your turret top since HE and some APHE can detonate from the thin plate of your half open-topped turret, resulting in a crew knock out. One last thing to consider: the Avenger's functional elevation angle is lower than its characteristics says: the optics gets blinded in the last 1-2 degrees.

What's great with this vehicle is it can change role pretty fast in the game. A great way to use this vehicle at its plains potential is on a map like Mozdok or El Amalein. A good example of tactics is being flanker early game, then sniper to clear the next capture point and then flanker again to go get it (provided you do not get shut down).

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Cromwell-esque controls with good acceleration and speed
* Neutral steering allows for quick alignment of hull
* Access to the 17-pounder "Quickfire" cannon
* Good gun depression
* Very fast rate-of-fire

'''Cons:'''

* No machine gun armament
* 17-pounder AP shells are all solid shot, no explosive filler
* Vulnerable turret, no exterior gun mantlet
* Turning can be sluggish at times.
* Terrible reverse speed
* Armour is not sloped
* Very poor side armour
* Gun traverse speed is only subpar

== History ==

===Basis===
The [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]] tank was an improved variant of the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] tank made to improve the firepower of the armoured brigades in the British Army. While equipped with the 17-pounder, the Challenger ran into issues with production and mechanical issues, along with design deficiencies that was much criticized by the crew that manned the tank. The Challenger had thin armour, had a tendency for track throwing, and had a high profile. However, it was praised for its speed, agility, and firepower with the 17-pounder gun. The Challenger was ordered in February 1943 for 200 vehicles, but the development of the [[Sherman Firefly|Firefly]] from the [[M4|Sherman]] tank proved much easier and cheaper than the Challenger and was thus cancelled.

===The Avenger===
An attempt to improve on the Challenger was the [[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]], which used a different open-topped turret to save weight on the tank design. However, due to priorities on the [[Comet I|Comet]] tank in the Vauxhall Motors plant, they were not being built until 1945 and weren't used until after the war in Europe is over. 250 unit were built and formed part of the British Army of the Rhine stationed in Germany after the war. They did not see any combat action during their service life.

== Media ==

Skin and Camouflages for the [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=uk_a30_sp_avenger Avenger] in Warthunder Live.

== 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 ==


* [[Wikipedia:Cruiser_Mk_VIII_Challenger#Variants|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger - Variants]]

{{Britain tank destroyers}}

Comet I

2020-01-20T18:24:30Z

U19318377: Added advantages of neutral steering. Changed description of Ap damage. Solid shot damage of the 77mm is reliable to some extent and is not that bad.

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a_34_comet}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Comet I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''A34 Comet I''' is a Rank III British medium tank with a battle rating of 5.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]. Armed with a [[Ordnance QF Mk.II (77 mm)|77 mm HV gun]], essentially a 17-pounder with a lower muzzle velocity, it has one of the more powerful guns available for a medium tank at the rating.

The Comet is an excellent medium tank. It has great mobility and acceleration, able to reach 38 km/h very quickly and stay there in full throttle, but its reverse speed is pitiful like the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell's]]. Firepower is also a benefit of the vehicle, especially after the unlocking of the APDS shot, giving it the penetration needed to deal with any threat you might encounter. The drawback of the design is the sub-par armour that can be pretty easily penetrated at BR 5.3. One should take advantage of the Comet's low profile and mobility to hide and maneuver from the enemy to catch them at an advantageous angle. The Comet also has a benefit the previous tanks in its branch, the [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Firefly]], didn't have in the great gun depression. This allows the Comet to more easily fire over hills in an hull-down position to destroy the enemy with the most the best terrain benefit for protection.

The Comet is a grayish-brownish colour like all other British tanks. It is also quite low in stature. The Comet has a unique turret design and has a nice long barrel. The barrel has a muzzle break at the end of it. The machine gunner beside the driver which doesn't work (sad face).

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret front, Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 76.2 mm (1°) ''Front plate'' 32 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 63.5 mm (19°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (69°) ''Lower glacis'' || 32 mm ''Top front half'' 25 mm ''Top back half'' 29 + 14 mm ''Bottom'' || 32 + 25.4 mm (1°) ''Top half'' 32 mm (32°) ''Lower half'' || 14 mm
|-
| Turret || 102 mm (3-57°) ''Turret front'' 102 mm (1-34°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 63.5 mm || 57.1 + 5 mm (1°)|| 25.4 mm ''Front half'' 20 mm ''Back half''
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 44 mm || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

*Suspension wheels and the tracks are 20 mm thick.
*There are tracks attached on the turret that provide an extra 20 mm armour where they are attached.
*Steel boxes on the left and right side of the hull by the turret gives 4 mm extra armour at their location.
*The bustle rack on the back of the turret gives an armour rating of 5 mm

Aim for the hull. You will almost certainly destroy the tank when a Comet player is reversing and panicking at the same time.

The turret is an unreliable area to target. Its armour is thicker and bouncy. A good Comet player will be in a hull down position, but you can easily take it out if you aim for the cupola or if your gun can take it, the turret cheeks.

=== 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" | 33.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 57 (AB)
|-
|52 (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''
|27.76
|34.18
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|15.85
|17.91
|-
|}

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

{{main|Ordnance QF Mk.II (77 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF Mk.II (77 mm)|77 mm OQF Mk.II]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 61 || -12°/+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'' || 8.9 || 12.4 || _._ || _._ || 28.2
|-
| ''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.
|-
| 7.6 || _._ || _._ || _._
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 136 || 134 || 123 || 111 || 100 || 91
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 136 || 134 || 123 || 111 || 100 || 91
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 151 || 149 || 137 || 124 || 112 || 101
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 220 || 216 || 199 || 179 || 159 || 139
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 754 || 7.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 754 || 7.0 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 580 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.4|| APC || 754 || 7.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 754 || 7.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 1120 || 1.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_Comet_I.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Comet I.]]
{| 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
|-
|| '''61''' || 54 ''(+7)'' || 46 ''(+15)'' || 38 ''(+23)'' || 30 ''(+31)'' || 22 ''(+39)'' || 15 ''(+46)'' || 8 ''(+53)'' || 1 ''(+60)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Left side empty: 30 ''(+31)''

===== Optics =====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x3 || x6 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[VFW]]
|-
|}

Second tank in Medium tank British tech line to have X6 scope. It will not get any better than this until rank VI, so get used to it - it will be the same across entire tech tree for a while with SPAA being the only exception.

As of rank III, this scope is slightly or moderately superior to most medium and heavy tanks, but do not expect to outsnipe German SPG as they have same optics or even better.

With newfound APDS ammunition, you might want to take tank on a test drive to get used to APDS ballistic markings. As usually, each mark represents 200 m, but they skip over the 8 number on the scope, leaving inexperienced user guessing where is the 800 m mark. It is the second big line on your scope - try to remember it well.

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! 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" | 5,175 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Fighting a tank of the same weight classification is relatively easy, but difficult against the more armoured [[Panther A|Panther]] and [[T-34-85]] tanks. Until the APDS shot can be unlocked, more decisive shots will have to be made to take care of these tanks, the Mk.6 and Mk.8 shot are the preferred ammunition to use. The Panthers should be targeted on the gun mantlet in the front and should be aimed at the gunner to immobilize their firepower and cause crew damage. The T-34-85 is a bit of a hit-or-miss due to the more heavy sloping nature of the armour and the turret. Penetrating through the front hull armour when it is facing directly at you is the best course of action against the T-34-85. Heavy tanks get even more tricky, but easier once the APDS round is unlocked for use. A [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] is admittedly an easy tank to deal with due to the vertical slope of the armour. Problems arise with the [[IS-2]] tank that may show up, due to their heavy armour and their tendency to absolutely wreck vehicles with their 122 mm gun. Distance is not your friend against this tank, the closer the better for your gun to penetrate the weak spots on its frontal armour. A tough situation, but a survivable one.

For every Comet player that does not have the APDS shells, do not engage in long distance gun fights. You are almost certainly going to lose. So use it first as its intention is, a cruiser tank. Cap point and retreat. If you find yourself in a sticky situation, get as close to the enemy as possible and fire at it's side. Conduct the battle in this manner until the APDS is unlocked

The best tactic is flanking and "shoot and scoot". Your armour won't stand against T-34's and Tigers you'll meet so don't pick a snipe position and keep firing - sooner or later you '''will''' be pinned down. You need to locate a good spot for attack, fire a few shots (Comet has a great fire rate: use it) and relocate. Don't mind the damage you made: keep moving!

Also, another "never" to do with this tank, never go in reverse. You are almost certainly going to get yourself destroyed in the process as you have an awful reverse speed of only -1 mph (-3 km/h). If you want to reverse, turn the whole tank around instead using neutral steer or just charge at the enemy, circle him or her once and disappear the other way. You must do this as quickly as you appeared. You can use smoke grenades, but still, don't reverse, charge at the enemy. To not to get in the situation in the first place, choose where you are going to go carefully. You must study the situation quickly and cautiously to not to get yourself blown up in the process. The key is to run, run and run.

Overall, you must dedicate quite a bit of time to master the tank in all. Even when you have the APDS shells.

===Battle mode specifics===
====Arcade battles====
In arcade domination mode where the cap points are arranged perpendicular to the cap points (ex. Poland, Ash River, Berlin, Korea, Karelia, Kuban, etc.), go for the flanks (A or C). If the cap points are diagonal (ex. Stalingrad), go for the closest cap point. And if the cap points are parallel to cap points (ex. Ardennes, Eastern Europe, etc.) go for the middle point as fast as you can. If you feel that you cant make it, help cap the point closest to spawn. You can also decide if you want to defend the point after capturing it. It is suggested to defend the cap point that has a lot of cover and an easy escape if overwhelmed (Suggested points to defend: A or C in Poland, C in Stalingrad, C in Ardennes).

====Realistic/Simulator battles====
In realistic and simulator, the Comet can become sluggish and isn't as fast as in arcade. A suggestion would be to capture the closest cap point, cap it, and then go into hiding. When you go into hiding, take every well placed shot you can and immediately run away from an encounter. You will mainly be facing Tiger IIs, Tiger Is, and Panthers, T-34-85s, rarely Chi-Tos and Chi-Ris. If you encounter them on a one v. one, always be on the move. Move around the other tank and try to hit it from the side (Panthers, Tiger Is, Chi-Tos, and Chi-Ris). If you encounter a Tiger II, slap it across the cheek with a APDS shell and take shoot it through the side. T-34-85 would be easier. You can easily penetrate the frontal armour of the T-34-85. It is just a matter of reaction time.

===Specific enemies worth noting===

All tanks when you do not have APDS shells yet. If you do, it a lot easier. As it has been mention before, when engaging a Tiger II, slap an APDS shell on the right turret cheek to knock out the gunner and finish it off from the side. The hardest tanks to counter are the following:

*[[Tiger II (P)|Tiger II]]s
*[[Tiger E|Tiger I]]s
*[[Panther A|Panther]]s
*[[T-34-85]]
*[[IS-1]]/[[IS-2|2]]

Although your gun can counter anything within the Comets BR range, you should constantly be aware that one hit from pretty much any gun to the front of the hull will knock out the Comet. In particular, the Russian 85mm and German 75mm/88mm guns should be taken very seriously. They have plenty of explosive filler. The turret on the Comet has the chance to bounce even the mighty 88mm gun found on the Tiger I, but only a chance. Your hull won't even protect you from the majority of rank 2 guns, so rank 3 and 4 guns will slice through the Comets armour like butter. Because of this, almost any enemy is dangerous. Even SPAA can be a frontal threat to you. In particular, the [[Wirbelwind]]/ [[Ostwind]] can cause serious damage at close/ medium range. Be particularly cautious late in a match when SPAA are more common.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent maneuverability and speed - second only by a little to the [[T-34-85 (D-5T)]] and [[Panther D|Panther D]].
* Good gun, precise and with good penetration values (vertical armor).
* Great turret armor.
* Access to APDS shot (lowest-rank tank to get this ammo type).
* Low profile.
* Great gun depression of -12°, compared to [[Sherman Firefly|Firefly]] with only -5°.
* 5 crew member, balanced crew survival.
* Good climbing ability, can get to sniping positions that other tanks cannot.
* When fully upgraded, the Comet I is fast and maneuverable.
* Has access to neutral steering which allows quick repositioning of the tank.
* APDS is great at taking out Panthers and Tigers at long range. One shot KO's are common if you know where the ammo racks are.
* APDS makes the tank very easy to use in RB and SB. The round drops very little over distance and retains a lot of penetration.

'''Cons:'''

* Bad penetration values against sloped armour without APDS.
* Mediocre gun damage due to lack of explosive fillers, aim at the enemy gunner to increase your fighting chance.
* The 77 mm HV does not have as much penetration as the true 17-pounder and other Rank III guns.
* Overall bad armour for its rank, only the turret front has some good chance to bounce some hits.
* Awful reverse speed of only 3 km/h (2 mph).
* APDS causes less post-penetration damage than the other AP rounds.
* Painful to use when stock due to disappointing performance in terms of acceleration and frustratingly bouncy stock rounds.

== History ==

===Development===
The British experience against the Germans during World War II showed that there were severe deficiencies with their cruiser tanks. The main cruiser tanks in the British inventory was the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader]] tank, but suffered from a gradually inefficient armament and thin armour. A request was submitted in 1941 to the Nuffield Organization and Leyland Motors Ltd for a heavier cruiser tank that could take on the gradually stronger German tanks, the design was also to use components from the Crusader tanks for economic reasons. This became the A24 Cruiser Tank Mk VII Cavalier tank and the A27L Cruiser tank Mk VII Centaur tank, which are both superseded by the [[Cromwell V|A27M Cruiser Tank Mk VII Cromwell tank]]. The Cromwell ended up as a decent cruiser tank for the British Army, giving great mobility, reliability, and a decent OQF 75 mm gun (or a 6-pounder gun). However, it still had problems, such as being under-gunned against the more armoured German tanks and suspension problems.

It was determined that the British Army needed a tank that mounted the large 17-pounder gun, which would allow the tank to stand its ground against the German panzers. The first attempt was an upgraded Cromwell in the form of the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], but development and production was slow and the first mass-produced tank with the 17-pounder was the modified [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Firefly]]. While the Firefly was adequate, it was a logistical burden when the Firefly is attached with Cromwell troops, which would require the troop to have maintenance requirements for a Cromwell and a Sherman tank. A more standard tank is needed to fix this, and development started on this with the General Staff specification '''A34'''.

The developing tank, now called '''A34 Comet I''', was meant to fix the issues from the Cromwell such as the suspension and the track shedding, plus also increase the firepower and speed. The gun mounted on the tank was the "77 mm HV", a specifically built gun for the Comet I. Though using the same projectiles as the 17-pounder, the 77 mm HV gun uses cartridges with different casings and thus the rounds between the two gun are different and the 77 mm HV produces a lower muzzle velocity for the round, but this allowed easier stowage in the gun due to the more compact size. The Comet I also gave a greater armour protection, a welded armour construction, cast gun mantlet, stronger suspension, a return roller established in the suspension, an electrically traversed turret, and ammo stowage inside armoured bins. The Comet I, though having the power to go faster than the Cromwell, is restricted with an engine governor to preserve the suspension, engine, and tracks. The Comet I entered prototype stage in February 1944, but delays caused production to start at September 1944 and then put into service in Europe at December 1944. By the end of the war, about 1,186 Comet I tanks were made for the British Army.

===Combat usage===
The first units to receive the Comet I tank was the British 11th Armoured Division, which was delivered in December 1944, and was the only division to be refitted with Comets by the end of the war. The Comet did not perform significantly in the battlefield due to its late arrival, but it was involved in the crossing of the Rhine and the Berlin Victory parade in July 1945. At Europe, the maximum speed of 51 km/h allowed the Comet I to exploit the German highways to travel throughout the entire countryside.

The Comet I saw service after World War II during the Korean War when it started, serving alongside its to-be successor [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion tank]]. Though the Centurion was adopted in 1949, the Comet I continued to see service in the British Army until 1958, when it was then decommissioned and sold to foreign countries, which included South Africa, Finland, Ireland, Cuba, and Myanmar. Notable records with the Comet I sales was 41 tanks to Finland, which used them until 1970 and kept them in storage for much longer. In 1959, 4 were sent to Ireland in 1959 and another 4 the following year, the Irish kept them until 1973 before being withdrawn.

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|oc_Z6gHeFCA|A running Comet I at Parola Armour Museum in 2015}}

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/852/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> A34 Comet I and A30 Challenger]
* [http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Comets.pdf Surviving Comet Is - Shaddock.free]

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

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}