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M36B2

2024-11-09T04:10:51Z

U23879436: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
|about = American tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage = other versions
|link = M36 Jackson (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m36b2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''M36B2''' tank destroyer, formally known as the 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36B2, is an improved modification of the [[M36 GMC]] tank destroyer deployed by the U.S. Army near the end of World War II and throughout the Korean War. The M36B2 shared many traits with the original M36 GMC, including the same armour layout, engine, and main anti-tank gun. Beginning in May 1945, the American Locomotive Company rebuilt 672 M10 hulls into the 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36B2 variant. In May 1945, the Montreal Locomotive Works delivered another batch of 52 M36B2s. As Germany in World War II unconditionally surrendered in May 1945, this upgraded variant of the M36B2 saw no combat following its introduction. Instead, it was heavily utilized by the U.S. Army and the Republic of Korea Army against Soviet-made North Korean armoured vehicles during the Korean War, which began five years later, in 1950. Because [[M26]] and [[M46]] tanks were in short supply, the M36B2 became one of the favoured armoured vehicles for MAP (Military Assistance Program) transfers.

Introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]], the M36B2 GMC performs extremely similarly to the original M36 GMC. Armoured turret cover shields were added to the M36B2, providing some modest protection against small artillery shrapnel and strafing by small-calibre aircraft machine guns. Despite this, the vehicle remains poorly armoured, leaving it vulnerable to strafing by large-calibre aircraft heavy machine guns or aircraft cannons. For the M36B2 variant, new HEAT-FS ammunition has become available, allowing it to engage strongly armoured enemy vehicles at a significantly greater range with reliability.

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


'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38.1 mm (54°) ''Front glacis'' 50.8-107.8 mm (6-70°) ''Transmission housing''
| 19.05 mm (38°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm ''Bottom'' || 19.05 mm (31-36°) ''Top'' 19.05 mm (13-45°) ''Bottom''
| 19.5 mm 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 31.75 mm (5-53°) ''Turret front'' 76.2 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 31.75 mm (14-21°) || 25.4 mm (0-22°) ||6.5 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

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

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


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

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

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

{{main|M3 (90 mm)}}

The 90 mm M3 is the same gun available for the Super Hellcat, the T25 or the M26 and stays reliably accurate until 800 m distance. Beyond 1,000 m the loss of accuracy becomes a real handicap. The high muzzle velocity of your shells grants you pretty flat firing trajectories and thus helps fire at moving targets from a distance. In that regard, using the "sight distance control" feature can increase your chances of successfully hitting enemy tanks.

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M3 (90 mm)|90 mm M3]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 47 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 21.1 || 29.3 || 35.5 || 39.3 || 41.8 || rowspan="2" | 9.75 || rowspan="2" | 8.63 || rowspan="2" | 7.95 || rowspan="2" | 7.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
|-
|}

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

* '''T33''': APBC; a solid shot with an average penetration power and no explosive filler.
* '''M71''': HE; useful for destroying open and lightly armoured vehicles.
* '''M304''': APCR; a composite round with a very high penetration power but no explosive filler and will only penetrate flat vertical surfaces.
* '''M82''': APCBC; a capped armour-piercing shell with a ballistic cap that has a better but still average penetration power and an explosive filler. It will destroy any armoured target it penetrates.
* '''M348''': HEATFS; a HEAT round with very high penetration and excellent performance on angled armour
* '''M313''': Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.

{{:M3 (90 mm)/Ammunition|T33 shot, M71 shell, M313, M304 shot, M82 shot (M36B2), M348 shell}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''47''' || 39 ''(+8)'' || 30 ''(+17)'' || 21 ''(+26)'' || 12 ''(+35)'' || 7 ''(+40)'' || 1 ''(+46)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Racks 5 and 6 are first stage ammo racks. They total 11 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
* These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 5 - 6 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as shells are available in the ready racks 5 and 6. If the ready rack is empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-4 into rack 6 then 5. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
|Pintle||1,000 (200)||577||-10°/+70°||±60°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

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

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast speed
* Roof cover to protect from some air attacks
* Fast turret traverse, when many tank destroyers don't have a turret at all.
* HEATFS, APCBC and Browning .50 cal gives a wide range of options to fight different targets.
* HEATFS has enough penetration to stay relevant even if uptiered to 6.7 lineups

'''Cons:'''

* Slow and lacking in maneuverability when stock
* Armor is not sufficient to provide reliable protection against cannons at this BR
* Roof armor does not fully close off the turret, therefore the vehicle is still vulnerable to overpressure like an open top vehicle.
* Stock APBC is mediocre
* HEATFS explodes on fences and bushes and cannot reliably one-shot if the target cannot be overpressured
* Terrible ammo placement, first-stage rack on the turret rear and extra rounds on the sponsons are all prone to getting exposed.

== History ==

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m36b2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== See also ==


;Other M36B2s

* [[M36B2 (Japan)]]
* [[M36B2 (France)]]

== External links ==

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

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

{{TankManufacturer Ordnance Department}}
{{USA tank destroyers}}

ZSU-57-2

2024-11-05T23:59:19Z

U23879436: mention APHE in default belt

{{About
| about = Soviet SPAA '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = ZSU-57-2 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_zsu_57_2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]].

An SPAA built on a heavily-modified T-54 chassis, the ZSU-57-2 features two powerful 57 mm guns, good mobility, and very light armour. It has proven to be more of a menace to ground vehicles than aircraft with its high-velocity cannons, but low sustained rate of fire and poor accuracy.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 13.5 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 15 mm (53°) ''Lower glacis'' || 15 mm || 10 mm (17-49°) ''Top'' 6 mm (73°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (14-57°) ''Turret front'' 15 mm (25-64°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 13.5 mm (9-61°) || 13.5 mm (4-59°) || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 13.5 mm thick.
* A 6 mm RHA plate separates the engine compartment from the crew.
* Hatches and air intake are 6 mm thick.

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


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

The ZSU-57-2's mobility is rather good. It is faster than most medium tanks, while weighing 28 tons and having a 520 hp engine at 2,000 RPM. Manoeuvrability is good at all speeds, as its a relatively light tank with a powerful engine. It bleeds a lot of speed while turning, but the turning is fast and responsive, even though it does not have neutral steering. The maximum speed is limited by the transmission to 51 km/h forwards and -8 km/h in reverse for RB, and 55/-9 km/h for AB.

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

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

{{main|S-68 (57 mm)}}

Although this is an AA vehicle, its twin 57 mm cannons are still equally deadly against ground units. When stock, their accuracy isn't good so the shells fly all over the place as the distance increases, and the belt is made up of half APHE, half HE, meaning it is not particularly good against either planes or tanks but can deal with both to acceptable degree. Therefore the best tactic for a fully stock ZSU-57-2 is to shoot the enemies' side up close or to target low-flying helicopters.

When the BR-281U belt (full APHE) is available, the player can go into full anti-tank mode as this shell packs quite a punch, and it can penetrate pretty much any tank's side armour (excluding the Maus, in which case take out its gun barrels) and some tanks' frontal armour. In a flank the ZSU-57-2 can finish off a group of opponents at an unbelievable speed. Two shells will slice through their side armour and explode, so theoretically one clip is enough to wipe out four tanks in a row (aiming at the crew compartment only, of course). A few seconds later, another clip will be loaded, ready to hunt more prey. Be aware that each clip only contains 8 rounds (4 for each of the two cannons), so do not waste your shots.

This shell also performs alright in the AA role, since its calibre is quite large for planes, and a direct hit usually critically damages the plane, if not killing it instantly. However, unlike its Chinese brother, WZ305, the ZSU-57-2 does not have access to any VT shells so it is always beneficial to lead with extra care and only open fire if the plane is close enough.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[S-68 (57 mm)|57 mm S-68]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 296 (4) || rowspan="2" | 120 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 52.8 || 73.1 || 88.8 || 98.2 || 104.5 || rowspan="2" | 2.60 || rowspan="2" | 2.30 || rowspan="2" | 2.12 || rowspan="2" | 2.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 35.7 || 42.0 || 51.0 || 56.4 || 60.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|HE*|High-explosive fragmentation (self-destroying)}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APCBC|Armour-piercing capped ballistic capped}} - Half the rounds in this belt are useless against tanks or planes. However, against open topped vehicles this belt is lethal with all its rounds and can reliably take out crew, armament, ammo and engine. Having one belt in reserve can help.
* '''BR-281SP:''' {{Annotation|APCBC|Armour-piercing capped ballistic capped}} - An anti-tank belt, it is comprised of APCBC shells only that can penetrate most tanks from the side. However, the shells do not contain any explosive filler, making it at best a side grade to the default belt.
* '''OR-281U:''' {{Annotation|HE*|High-explosive fragmentation (self-destroying)}} - For use against planes. One or two hits usually gets the job done. Heavy armoured attackers and bombers may require more though.
* '''BR-281U:''' {{Annotation|APCBC|Armour-piercing capped ballistic capped}} - Very similar to the preceding BR-281SP belt; however, the shells now have a small amount of explosive filler, making them slightly more efficient against ground vehicles.

{{:S-68 (57 mm)/Ammunition|BR-281SP, OR-281U, BR-281U}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''74''' || 74 ''(+0)'' || 70 ''(+4)'' || 38 ''(+36)'' || 32 ''(+42)'' || 28 ''(+46)'' || 24 ''(+50)'' || 18 ''(+56)'' || N/A || Yes
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Visual discrepancy: the 8th ammo rack never empties, even with all ammunition spent.

== Usage in battles ==

Versatile in the anti-aircraft and anti-tank role this heavily modified [[T-54 (1947)|T-54]] chassis delivers two heavy 57 mm punches. The ZSU-57-2 can be used for two roles.

;Anti-air role

Even though the ZSU-57-2 was designed as an SPAA, it is not very good at destroying planes compared to other SPAA vehicles at similar battle ratings, which often have a significantly higher rate of fire or even radar. However, this is compensated for by its comparatively massive firepower compared to similar SPAA platforms. The large 57 mm cannons will often disable, or more likely destroy a plane with its first hit. It is also extremely effective in an anti-helicopter role, as helicopters are much slower than planes.

;Tank Destroyer

Using the 57 mm cannons in an anti-tank role is possible and have been exploited by many players. Using BR-281 ammo, the guns can effectively pierce the sides and rear of any tank (excluding the Maus). Remember the ZSU-57-2's armour does not compare to other tanks armour so one shot could be the end of the SPAA. Play cat-and-mouse and wait for the enemy to go into an engagement with another target and then jump out into the open and fire upon them while they are distracted. It is recommended to the first aim for their rear to disable their engine and cause a fire, they will have to stop what they are doing and put it out. During this time they won't be able to move or fire upon the ZSU-57-2, allowing a chance to finish off the crewmen inside by unloading the 57 mm cannons into the side of the enemy tank. Any shot from the 57 mm cannons into an enemies' ammo load will also instantly kill them. Almost all British tanks have very weak side armour, and your BR-281 ammo will easily rip through even at an angle. Aim for the front portion of their tank, where their driver is. Their ammo rack is located right next to the driver, meaning that you can easily ammo rack them.

'''Fighting the ZSU-57-2'''

If you spot a ZSU-57-2, do not ignore it. It is a very real threat and can make short work of your side armour. If you have the advantage of surprise, aim for the turret, as this has a chance to take out the gunner, cannon breeches and detonate the ammunition, even against machine guns, the turret armour of the ZSU does not provide much protection. If none of these are destroyed with the first shot, retreat quickly, unless you are sure that the 57mm guns cannot penetrate your frontal plate. If you do not have the advantage of surprise and have less than 151mm of frontal armour including weak spot, do not peak out. Try to disengage. If this is not possible, call artillery fire on the ZSU's location, and/or mark their position on the map for better positioned teammates to deal with.
=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Multi-role weaponry able to fight both planes and tanks
* Excellent turret rotation speed
* 57 mm guns will destroy or cripple aircraft with one hit, and can easily take out tanks from the sides too
* Very high penetration for an SPAA at 151 mm
* Very effective against lightly armoured vehicles like the [[Leopard 1]] or [[AMX-30]]

'''Cons:'''

* Large vehicle size
* Very vulnerable turret (ammo on all sides of turret + very thin armour)
* Crew is very crowded in the turret (1 shot has the potential to knock out 5 crew members with ease)
* Shells have bad accuracy after consecutive shots
* Sub-par anti-air capability due to low rate of fire and poor accuracy

== History ==

===Development===
The course of World War II revealed to the Soviets how dangerous the air power has become to their ground forces. It was determined that the best method of fighting these aircraft was to have ready vehicles in the front-lines with dedicated anti-aircraft roles to take out these assault aircraft. Experiences from other countries, such as the United States with their [[M3 Half-Track (Family)|M3 half-tracks]] equipped with anti-aircraft armament and Germany with their [[Wirbelwind]] and [[Ostwind]] anti-aircraft vehicles showed that the role of the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) makes a positive effect on the battlefield for the protection of the ground forces. The Soviet development of SPAAGs came as simple, truck-mounted weapons and armoured variants of SPAAG were scarce to begin. The first put into production was the [[ZSU-37]], which did not see the majority of World War II as it was put into production on February 1945, with production lasted only until 1948 and retired not long after that. The single 37 mm gun on the ZSU-37 was also reported on no longer being efficient against aircraft, so a major development project was initiated for a new SPAAG in Soviet service.

Few projects were started on the SPAAG concept following right after World War II. One was just a [[BTR-152A|BTR-152 armoured personnel carrier armed with two or four 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine guns]]. About two different vehicle development was made for the SPAAG role, designated the ZTPU-2 and ZTPU-4. Development, while slow at first, took up a large focus after the realization that the Soviet Union's enemy, the United States, posses a large air force power that could take the air supremacy of the battlefield anywhere. This causes the Soviets to begin investing in a SPAAG in order to fight against this. The first of such was in February 1946 where the design bureau at Works No. 174 at Omsk along with Research Institute No. 58 at Kaliningrad submitted their joint design of a SPAAG based off the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] chassis. The design had four 37 mm AA guns attached, but the design did not proceed as new tank production at the time had the High Command prioritize on the new tank chassis that was going to be produced.

Research Institute No. 58 during this time developed a twin 57 mm anti-aircraft gun under the guidance of Vasiliy G. Grabin. The 57 mm gun was based off the previous 57 mm S-60 gun from 1947 and the new one was called the S-68, which was ready by 1948. This armament is then chosen to be mounted onto the new SPAAG project currently known as ''Object 500'', but the designation for such vehicle would be called '''ZSU-57-2''' ("57" for the armament calibre and "2" for the twin armament). The project design finished in 1948 with the S-68 gun mounted onto the new [[T-54 (1949)|T-54]] tank chassis. The first prototype was completed in June 1950 and testings for the vehicle lasted from 27 January 1951 to 15 March 1951, which had the vehicle drive 1,500 km and fire 2,000 rounds. More prototypes were built for testings and had improvements built into their design such as more ammunition storage. Service update tests started in 1954 after much delays in deliveries of the S-68 guns and parts for it, but the ZSU-57-2 was finally put into service on 14 February 1955. First vehicles were completed by 1957 and a total of 2,023 ZSU-57-2s were completed by the time production ended at the end of the 1950s.

===Design===
The ZSU-57-2 used a modified T-54 chassis for its basis, the T-54 chassis uses four road wheels per side rather than five and uses thinner armour. However, the interior is nearly the same as the T-54, with more space due to the thinned armour. There are three crew compartments in the tank, the driver in the front, the fighting in the middle, and the engine in the back. The driver's position has been moved slightly forward and to the left and has accommodations for an infrared vision device. The vehicle has a maximum road speed of 50 km/h and is considerably much faster than the T-54 due to the lighter weight while still powered by the same V-54 4-stroke diesel V12 engine.

The fighting compartment uses an open-topped turret that mounted the dual 57 mm S-68 gun. The gun is aimed via a sighting system that is adjusted based on the target's speed, direction, and range by the sight adjuster crew member. While the speed and direction must be estimated, the range can be found via a rangefinder or estimated. Two loaders are needed to load the two gun and a gunner fires using a trigger that fires both barrels or one of the two-foot pedals that fire either barrel independently. The gun is able to reach a firing rate of 240 rounds per minute with, but the practical rate of fire is about 140 rpm to maximize the barrel cooling rate and firing sustainability. Shells available for the gun are fragmentation and armour-piercing tracer, the fragmentation comes with a safety-destructor that causes the shell to explode after a certain amount of time so the rounds do not come back to the surface and do harm. The 57 mm shells were considered to be the most powerful anti-aircraft armament at the time and can very quickly destroy an aircraft if a shell connects.

A huge disadvantage of the ZSU-57-2 was the lack of fire-control radar, so it must rely on optical vision in order to find and eliminate targets. A ZSU-57-2 battery of four vehicles was less effective than a battery of six towed 57 mm S-60 anti-aircraft guns due to the latter having a fire control radar. The reliance on radar has been due to the increased proficiency of jets, which makes an estimation of distance and speed a very difficult process. Other disadvantages were its low firing rate due to the manual loading by loaders per gun, the air-cooled barrels heated up too quickly, and the turret traverse could not keep up with the newer and faster jet aeroplanes as well.

===Combat usage===
Entering service in 1955, the ZSU-57-2 replaced the older BTR-40As and BTR-152As in 1957 and was revealed to the public in November 1958 during a military parade. The ZSU-57-2 was issued out to tank regiments in one battery, which contained four ZSU-57-2s. This was later changed to two batteries per regiment, increasing the number of SPAAGs available. Some ZSU-57-2s saw service in motor rifle regiments as well as one battery. Despite its superior armament, the ZSU-57-2's performance among the newer aircraft technology along with jets causes the ZSU-57-2 to be considered unsatisfactory and obsolete by the early 1960s but stayed until the early 1970s as it was replaced by the [[ZSU-23-4]] Shilkas, which has radar-guided abilities. The remaining ZSU-57-2s were put into reserves, stored, repurposed into other roles, or scrapped.

Like much of the Soviet hardware, the ZSU-57-2 was also given out to the Soviet allies in the Warsaw Pact. Countries that bought the ZSU-57-2 range Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea, and North Vietnam. These countries used the ZSU-57-2 to a greater extent than the Soviets did. East Germany was the first foreign operator to own the ZSU-57-2, which received 129 vehicles. Poland also received 129 units as well. Yugoslavia ordered 100 units, Slovenia owned a few for the 44th Armoured-mechanized battalion, Finland imported 12 units, and Cuba received 25 units during the missile crisis in 1962. Iraq, Iran, and Egypt ordered 100 units for deliveries, their use in conflicts would also end with the Israelis owning a few as well. North Korea developed its own units by using the Chinese Type 59 (a copy of the Soviet T-54A) tank chassis and bought the turrets to mount on them, about 250 were made like this. China created a copy of the ZSU-57-2 for Iraq by their request, using a reverse-engineered turret on a Type 69 chassis, which became the [[WZ305|Type 80 SPAAG]], though China is more well known for modernizing the S-68 ammunition with a proximity-fuze round.

The ZSU-57-2 saw use in many Cold-War conflicts in the hands of foreign operators. It saw action in the Vietnam War by the North Vietnamese and was used as air defence for tank regiments and against ground targets. The ZSU-57-2 also saw conflicts in the Middle East such as in the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War against Israel by Syria and Egypt. These were used to defend the El-Arish airstrip, but they were not very successful and many were captured by the Israelis. Syria also used the vehicle again in the Lebanon War of 1982 against Israel, where they failed against the Israeli air force, but fair much better against ground targets. Iraq and Iran used the ZSU-57-2 against each other in the Iran-Iraq War, though Iraqi forces had access to Chinese copies and the benefit of radio information for their vehicles. Iraqi ZSU-57-2s also saw use in the Gulf War against the United States coalition where it manages to successfully shoot down a Tornado GR1 aircraft by the British, three more were reported to be heavily damaged as well. The Iraqis still used them up until the Second Gulf War. The ZSU-57-2s were used by many factions in the Yugoslav Wars and had air defence roles against the NATO air raids. The most recent usage of the ZSU-57-2 is in the Syrian Civil War, where 10 are still active in the Syrian Army, these are probably used exclusively against ground targets today.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
In 1947 at the NII-58 research institute plans were made under the direction of B.G. Grabin to pair a 57 mm automatic cannon with a C-68 anti-air cannon on the basis of the C-60. It was intended to be installed on either a track-based chassis or a body with wheels.

The track-based chassis was based on aggregates of the T-54 medium tank. The self-propelled version of the vehicle received the factory designation of Object 500 and the military designation of ZSU-57-2.

The ZSU-57-2 underwent comprehensive testing from 1950-1954. In 1955 the ZSU-57-2 was accepted into the arsenal of the Soviet Army. It was produced at factory #174 in Omsk from 1955 to 1960. A total of 857 ZSU-57-2s were produced.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_zsu_57_2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|HdY1bQ65ih4|'''SPAA versus TANK. Is there a place for such vehicles in War Thunder at all? ZSU-57-2''' - ''HowToPlay1337''}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[ZSU-57-2 (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:ZSU-57-2|[Wikipedia] ZSU-57-2]]
* [https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/USSR/ZSU-57-2.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> ZSU-57-2]

{{TankManufacturer Omsktransmash}}
{{USSR anti-aircraft vehicles}}

2S3M

2023-06-23T16:18:44Z

U23879436: /* Armaments */ Details about HE-VT

{{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 at the cost of a long reload time. 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 lightly armoured ground vehicle with a direct hit anywhere and even the most protected vehicles can still be destroyed in one shot if aimed properly. The 3OF25 (PF) is a proximity fuse high-explosive shell which detonates automatically when it gets close to any vehicle. It is perfect for shooting down vulnerable vehicles that are so unprotected that a near miss could destroy, namely planes and tanks that expose their crews to the outside. Additionally vehicles hiding just behind ridge lines or obstacles could still be destroyed by sending the shell right above their vehicles. However against vehicles with some armour you would be forced to lob the shell right above them and hopefully explode above their roofs. The proximity fuse tends to detonate the shell quite far away if shot directly at the target, combined with usually thicker armour on front, sides and rear compared to the roof would usually end up with the shell not doing any damage. The fuse arms past 300 m, against closer targets the fuse doesn't work and the shell will perform just like the standard 3OF25 shell.

{| 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 ====
{{:2A33 (152 mm)/Ammunition|OF-540, BP-540, BR-540B, 3OF25, 3OF25 (PF)}}

==== [[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''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* The {{PAGENAME}} uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant charges (orange). Both have separate racks.
* Projectiles and propellant charges are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Hull empty: 13 ''(+33)'' shells.

=== 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:'''

* Powerful HE shells can finish off 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 to suit different preferences and situations: HE, HEAT, HE-VT, APHEBC
* HE-VT shell lets it take an anti-aircraft role and hurt 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

'''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 with ready rack at the back, easy to get spotted and destroy with ammo rack detonation
* 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}}

Pz.IV J

2021-07-08T21:19:24Z

U23879436: /* Usage in battles */

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

== Description ==

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


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

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

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.

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

{{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 || 5.7 || 7.9 || 9.6 || 10.6 || 11.3 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.6 || 4.2 || 5.1 || 5.6 || 6.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

*'''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.
*'''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.
*'''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.
*'''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 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 || 140 || 137 || 125 || 112 || 100 || 89
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| 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%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 750 || 6.8 || 1.2 || 14 || 28.9 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 930 || 4.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 550 || 5.74 || 0 || 0.1 || 686 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. || 540 || 6.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
|-
| '''87''' || 84 ''(+3)'' || 82 ''(+5)'' || 80 ''(+7)'' || 72 ''(+15)'' || 63 ''(+24)'' || 54 ''(+33)''
|-
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
!
|-
| 46 ''(+41)'' || 38 ''(+49)'' || 30 ''(+57)'' || 24 ''(+63)'' || 1 ''(+86)'' || No
!
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Racks are modeled by sets of 2 and disappear after both shells in the set having been shot or loaded.
* Sides empty: 30 ''(+57)'' shells

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

{{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 || 3,150 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (150) || 900 || -10°/+25° || ±180°
|-
|}

== 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.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* The KwK 40 L/48 cannon provides enough penetration to penetrate most enemies in the BR range at far range with above average muzzle velocity to make aiming a bit easier.
* PzGr 40 (APCR) offers great penetration in case PzGr 39 (APCBC) fails against top tier heavy tanks.
* Synchromesh ZF SSG 77 transmission provides good acceleration.
* Satisfactory manuverability on off road and on road terrains.
* Turrets have Schürzen (side skirts), which can offer some protection from HEAT or HE rounds.
* Hull front in places with add-on armor modification can protect the tank against APHE from T-34 using 76mm gun and Sherman using 75mm gun reliabily.
* 2 crew members in the hull often saves the vehicle from destruction when the turret is penetrated and everyone up there dies.

'''Cons:'''

* Turret traverse is the slowest compared to all the other Panzer IV models and competiting medium tanks at this BR.
* Relies on hull traverse to turn the gun quickly when needed, hence depends on terrain and condition of the powertrain.
* Schürzen (side skirts) is too thin against AP rounds and act as shot baits more often.
* Lacks a gun mantle.
* Turret front has below average protection and while most HE rounds couldn't penetrate it, they could go through the hull roof instead which is below the turret front. This frequently takes out the vehicle through overpressure.
* Generally out performed by the Pz. IV H at the same BR.

== 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 ==


;Skins

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

;Sights

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|8zX4mPAxGfg|'''Lookback: {{PAGENAME}}''' - ''Orangefan''|gsDaAuhxaqA|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

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

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

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

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

{{Germany medium tanks}}

Valentine IX

2021-04-10T22:12:59Z

U23879436: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_valentine_mk_9
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The general style of play that best works with the Valentine Mk.IX changes depending on the battle ratings of the current match. If you find yourself at the higher end of the spectrum, the armour is still very viable and you can play much like a standard heavy tank. If you find yourself on the lower end of the spectrum your armour is of less value, and many tanks will be able to penetrate you reliably, this often means its best to play in a supporting role of other tanks. Unlike the first Valentine the Mk.IX can engage most other tanks somewhat reliably at longer ranges and with more reliability due to being significantly up gunned from the former model.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (1°) ''Front plate'' 30 mm (65-67°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (73°), 60 mm (24°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50 mm || 17 mm (58-59°) ''Top'' 20 mm (65°), 60 mm (1°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 65 mm (0-66°) ''Turret front'' 65 mm (0-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 60 mm || 65 mm (1-57°) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Note:'''

* Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=256|rbMinHp=146}}

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

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

{{main|6pdr OQF Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[6pdr OQF Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm 6pdr OQF Mk.III]] || 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" | 53 || rowspan="2" | -12°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 15.23 || 21.08 || 25.60 || 28.31 || 30.12 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 9.52 || 11.20 || 13.60 || 15.04 || 16.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 108 || 104 || 87 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 110 || 106 || 89 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 122 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0 || 0.1 || 590 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''53''' || 43 ''(+10)'' || 32 ''(+21)'' || 21 ''(+32)'' || 11 ''(+42)'' || 1 ''(+52)'' || No
|-
|}

==== Optics ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[M4A1]]
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

'''Overview:'''

The Valentine IX is an interesting vehicle. The armour can be useful against most enemy cannons if you angle properly, but the mobility is sub par. The 6 pounder gun provides excellent penetration with a fast velocity, not to mention the reload rate and semi stabilization. The best way to play the Valentine IX is to play around cover and play carefully. The benefit of being slow is it gives Valentine commanders time to think before they act. The Valentine will be the last to the fight in most situations, so make sure to pay attention to your allies and enemy positions as they reveal themselves. With careful planning, the Valentine can preform very well. Because it is so slow, it is important to play with your team. Use the map to point out enemy positions and pay attention when your allies do the same. Also be careful not to push too far into enemy territory, your low speed will not let you get out quickly. You cannot rely on smoke cover for retreats either as you only get 2 smoke grenades that are launched together, which is far fewer than most British vehicles. Another weakness to consider with the Valentine IX specifically is the lack of a machine gun. While the MGs on most tanks are not often used, lacking one is still a disadvantage.

'''Notable Enemies:'''

The most notable enemies for the Valentine IX are the Panzer IV F2, and any T-34. The Panzer IV F2 will make short work of the Valentine, regardless of armour angling. The T-34 is very difficult to kill in the Valentine because the 6 pounder gun struggles against angled armour. Against the T-34, shoot for the turret or machine gun port. Against the Panzer IV F2, just make sure you shoot first.

'''Differences AB vs RB:'''

While the slow speed can be an advantage in RB, allowing Valentine commanders to play more cautiously, it AB it is a simple disadvantage. However the other qualities of the Valentine allow it to be a somewhat competitive front line medium tank in AB, using its angled armour and firepower to bounce a few shots and easily dispatch most enemy vehicles.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 57mm gun has decent penetration
* Upper glacis is sloped, can bounce a few shots
* Low profile allows it to hide behind obstacles
* Decent stock shells
* Turret is angled and can bounce some shots
* Fast reload speed

'''Cons:'''

* No machine gun
* Hull armour is uchanged from Valentine I at 2.3, much less effective now due to increased BR.
* Slow top speed (22 km/h)
* Slow traverse speed, easily circled
* Driver's port and the area around it is a major weak spot
* No explosive filler in shells
* Only 3 crew members (crew can be knocked out very easily)
* Thin top armour makes it vulnerable to air attacks
* Unlike many other British tanks, very few smoke grenades and all are released at once.

== History ==

===Development===
The experiences taken from the development of the A9, A10 cruiser tanks and the A11 infantry tank prompted Vickers-Armstrongs to begin development of a new tank. As a private venture, the design did not receive any designations from the British General Staff during its creation. The designing of the tank focused on the tank having the weight of a cruiser, but with the armour comparable to the infantry tanks. The basis was to have the vehicle with 60 mm of frontal armour and a 2-pounder gun in a two-man turret. To make it as light as possible, it was small and featured a cramped interior. The design used features taken from the A9 and A10 tanks so the design was easier to produce and cheaper to make. Vickers unveiled the design to War Office at February 10, 1938. While they initially viewed it unfavorably for its tiny two-man turret, they took it in April 1939 due to the growing tense situation in Europe with Nazi Germany, with the first order coming in May 1940 after the losses suffered by the British Expeditionary Forces in the Battle of France. The name '''Valentine''' was given to the tank sometime between its introduction to War Office and its adoption. The origin of the name is disputed, some say it was due to its introduction on February 14 in 1938 or 1940, other say it was the middle name of Sir John V. Carden, who helped design the Valentine's predecessors. Other sources say it is a name from the Vickers' company full name (Vickers-Armstrong Ltd Elswick & [Newcastle-upon] Tyne), and David Fletcher from Bovington Tank Museum say that "Valentine" was a code name used by the company for its development.

The Valentine was put into service as quickly as possible under the designation ''Tank, Infantry, Mk.III''. Vickers, Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon, and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company were all involved in the construction of this vehicle. During World War II, Canada was also contracted to build the Valentine to build up their own tank forces. The United Kingdom produced a total of 6,855 Valentines during the war between the three company while Canada built 1,420 Valentine tanks in their factories, for a total of 8,275 tanks produced, making the Valentine the most produced British tank in the entire war.

===Variants===
The Valentine is one of the most modified British tank in World War II, up to eleven variants were made during its entire production life.

#''[[Valentine Mk I|Mark I]]'': The first one, it was built with a rivet construction, a 135 hp petrol engine, and a 2-pounder, but was not sent to combat due to mechanical problems.
#''Mark II'': Uses a 131 hp diesel engine and has an auxiliary fuel tank added to the left hull.
#''Mark III'': Has a slightly thinner side armour (60 mm to 50 mm) and a modified turret design, giving room for a loader in the tank, freeing the commander to do his job.
#''Mark IV'' A modified Mk.II using an American 138 hp GMC diesel engine and an American-produced transmission, making the tank more reliable.
#''Mark V'': The same as Mk.IV, except using the Mk.III as the basis.
#''Mark VI'': A Canadian built Valentine, using Canadian and American parts and a GMC diesel engine, plus later switching the BESA machine gun into a Browning machine gun.
#''Mark VII'': A Canadian Mk.VI with a new radio set and a modified interior. Another Mk.VII named the ''Mark VIIA'' has jettisonable fuel tanks and new tracks, oil cooler, and headlights.
# ''Mark VIII'': Uses a British AEC diesel engine and a modified turret to use the 6-pounder. The modification eliminated the coaxial machine gun from the design.
#''[[Valentine Mk IX|Mark IX]]'': A Mk.V modified to take the 6-pounder as well, but with an armour reduction. Later version also had a stronger 165 hp GMC diesel engine installed.
#''Mark X'': Features another modified turret design using the 6-pounder, but made it able to use a coaxial machine gun again and still uses the 165 hp diesel engine. Uses a welded construction
#''[[Valentine Mk XI|Mark XI]]'': The Mk.X using the QF 75 mm gun instead of a 6-pounder, with the 210 hp diesel engine. However, these tanks only served as a command tank in the battlefield. Uses a welded construction

===Combat usage===
The Valentine mostly saw service in the North African Campaign, where the crew reported on it very favorable as a reliable and well-protected tank. The first unit who saw action with the Valentine was the 8th Royal Tank Regiment in Operation Crusader, where it was in the process of replacing the [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda II]]. The reliability is expressed when some Valentine were reported to have traveled a distance of 4,800 kilometers by the time the British reached Tunisia. The Valentine tanks soon saw wide-spread use by mid-1941 when they were issued out widely to armoured regiments due to the lack of cruiser tanks available to fill in the ranks.

However, the biggest weakness of the Valentine tank is the lack of high-explosive rounds for the 2-pounder, a weakness suffered by every other tank using the 2-pounder. This and the 2-pounder's growing deficiency against tank armour was remedied by the usage of the 6-pounder on the Valentine after the Mark VIII version, and then the QF 75 mm gun. However, these larger guns were harder to mount on the small Valentine turret and made for a cramped interior, even removing the established loader's position made in an enlarge turret for the 2-pounder. By the time these larger guns were introduced for the tank, better tanks were being introduced, such as the [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill heavy tanks]] from Britain and the [[M4|M4 Shermans]] from the Americans. Despite the better tanks, the Valentine's low height is able to exploit small cover on the battlefield and take up a good hull-down position behind hills.

Some Valentines were sent to the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease program, most of the Valentines came from Canada's production lines. The Valentines saw use from the time of Battle of Moscow in 1941 all the way until the end of the war, though the Valentines saw use more as a second-line tank due to its relative weakness. It was criticized for its slow speed and weak gun, but was liked for its small size, reliability, and armour protection and thus the Soviet Supreme Command continue asking for it and its production to continue until the end of the war.

By 1944, the Valentine is mostly taken out from the front-line services and replaced by the newer tanks. A few were retained for special purposes and command vehicles for [[Archer|Archer]] units, which is a tank destroyer based off the Valentine chassis. The tank continue to see use in the Pacific in limited numbers until May 1945 in the 3rd New Zealand Division, some had their armaments changed to the larger 3-inch howitzer to use it stronger high-explosive ammunition against the Japanese. New Zealand kept the normal and modified Valentines all the way until 1955. The last known combat usage of the Valentine was on Cyprus in early 1960s when a turret-less Valentine was used by the Greek militia, added with a make-shift armour and a machine gunner position with a Bren gun.

===Survivors===
About forty Valentines and vehicles based off the Valentine chassis exist in various conditions in the world. Valentines in running condition exist in the Bovington Tank Museum and in private hands in New Zealand and United Kingdom. The Valentines survivors can be seen in UK, Canada, Belgium, France, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=uk_valentine_mk_9 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|qfY_erhfnog|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|xIrVVhdC9ac|'''Tank Chats #11 Valentine''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}

== See also ==

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

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

== External links ==

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

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Valentine IX

2021-04-07T03:06:52Z

U23879436: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_valentine_mk_9
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The general style of play that best works with the Valentine Mk.IX changes depending on the battle ratings of the current match. If you find yourself at the higher end of the spectrum, the armour is still very viable and you can play much like a standard heavy tank. If you find yourself on the lower end of the spectrum your armour is of less value, and many tanks will be able to penetrate you reliably, this often means its best to play in a supporting role of other tanks. Unlike the first Valentine the Mk.IX can engage most other tanks somewhat reliably at longer ranges and with more reliability due to being significantly up gunned from the former model.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (1°) ''Front plate'' 30 mm (65-67°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (73°), 60 mm (24°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50 mm || 17 mm (58-59°) ''Top'' 20 mm (65°), 60 mm (1°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 65 mm (0-66°) ''Turret front'' 65 mm (0-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 60 mm || 65 mm (1-57°) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Note:'''

* Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=256|rbMinHp=146}}

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

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

{{main|6pdr OQF Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[6pdr OQF Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm 6pdr OQF Mk.III]] || 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" | 53 || rowspan="2" | -12°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 15.23 || 21.08 || 25.60 || 28.31 || 30.12 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 9.52 || 11.20 || 13.60 || 15.04 || 16.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 108 || 104 || 87 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 110 || 106 || 89 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 122 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0 || 0.1 || 590 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''53''' || 43 ''(+10)'' || 32 ''(+21)'' || 21 ''(+32)'' || 11 ''(+42)'' || 1 ''(+52)'' || No
|-
|}

==== Optics ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[M4A1]]
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

'''Overview:'''

The Valentine IX is an interesting vehicle. The armour can be useful against most enemy cannons if you angle properly, but the mobility is sub par. The 6 pounder gun provides excellent penetration with a fast velocity, not to mention the reload rate and semi stabilization. The best way to play the Valentine IX is to play around cover and play carefully. The benefit of being slow is it gives Valentine commanders time to think before they act. The Valentine will be the last to the fight in most situations, so make sure to pay attention to your allies and enemy positions as they reveal themselves. With careful planning, the Valentine can preform very well. Because it is so slow, it is important to play with your team. Use the map to point out enemy positions and pay attention when your allies do the same. Also be careful not to push too far into enemy territory, your low speed will not let you get out quickly. You cannot rely on smoke cover for retreats either as you only get 2 smoke grenades that is launched together, which is far fewer than most British vehicles. Another weakness to consider with the Valentine IX specifically is the lack of a machine gun. While the MGs on most tanks are not often used, lacking one is still a disadvantage.

'''Notable Enemies:'''

The most notable enemies for the Valentine IX are the Panzer IV F2, and any T-34. The Panzer IV F2 will make short work of the Valentine, regardless of armour angling. The T-34 is very difficult to kill in the Valentine because the 6 pounder gun struggles against angled armour. Against the T-34, shoot for the turret or machine gun port. Against the Panzer IV F2, just make sure you shoot first.

'''Differences AB vs RB:'''

While the slow speed can be an advantage in RB, allowing Valentine commanders to play more cautiously, it AB it is a simple disadvantage. However the other qualities of the Valentine allow it to be a somewhat competitive front line medium tank in AB, using its angled armour and firepower to bounce a few shots and easily dispatch most enemy vehicles.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 57mm gun has decent penetration
* Upper glacis is sloped, can bounce a few shots
* Low profile allows it to hide behind obstacles
* Decent stock shells
* Turret is angled and can bounce some shots
* Fast reload speed

'''Cons:'''

* No machine gun
* Side armour is very weak
* Slow top speed (22km/h)
* Drivers port and the area around it is a major weakspot
* No explosive filler in shells
* Only 3 crew members (Crew can be knocked out very easily)
* Thin top armour makes it vulnerable to air attacks
* Unlike many other British tanks, very few smoke grenades and all are released at once.

== History ==

===Development===
The experiences taken from the development of the A9, A10 cruiser tanks and the A11 infantry tank prompted Vickers-Armstrongs to begin development of a new tank. As a private venture, the design did not receive any designations from the British General Staff during its creation. The designing of the tank focused on the tank having the weight of a cruiser, but with the armour comparable to the infantry tanks. The basis was to have the vehicle with 60 mm of frontal armour and a 2-pounder gun in a two-man turret. To make it as light as possible, it was small and featured a cramped interior. The design used features taken from the A9 and A10 tanks so the design was easier to produce and cheaper to make. Vickers unveiled the design to War Office at February 10, 1938. While they initially viewed it unfavorably for its tiny two-man turret, they took it in April 1939 due to the growing tense situation in Europe with Nazi Germany, with the first order coming in May 1940 after the losses suffered by the British Expeditionary Forces in the Battle of France. The name '''Valentine''' was given to the tank sometime between its introduction to War Office and its adoption. The origin of the name is disputed, some say it was due to its introduction on February 14 in 1938 or 1940, other say it was the middle name of Sir John V. Carden, who helped design the Valentine's predecessors. Other sources say it is a name from the Vickers' company full name (Vickers-Armstrong Ltd Elswick & [Newcastle-upon] Tyne), and David Fletcher from Bovington Tank Museum say that "Valentine" was a code name used by the company for its development.

The Valentine was put into service as quickly as possible under the designation ''Tank, Infantry, Mk.III''. Vickers, Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon, and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company were all involved in the construction of this vehicle. During World War II, Canada was also contracted to build the Valentine to build up their own tank forces. The United Kingdom produced a total of 6,855 Valentines during the war between the three company while Canada built 1,420 Valentine tanks in their factories, for a total of 8,275 tanks produced, making the Valentine the most produced British tank in the entire war.

===Variants===
The Valentine is one of the most modified British tank in World War II, up to eleven variants were made during its entire production life.

#''[[Valentine Mk I|Mark I]]'': The first one, it was built with a rivet construction, a 135 hp petrol engine, and a 2-pounder, but was not sent to combat due to mechanical problems.
#''Mark II'': Uses a 131 hp diesel engine and has an auxiliary fuel tank added to the left hull.
#''Mark III'': Has a slightly thinner side armour (60 mm to 50 mm) and a modified turret design, giving room for a loader in the tank, freeing the commander to do his job.
#''Mark IV'' A modified Mk.II using an American 138 hp GMC diesel engine and an American-produced transmission, making the tank more reliable.
#''Mark V'': The same as Mk.IV, except using the Mk.III as the basis.
#''Mark VI'': A Canadian built Valentine, using Canadian and American parts and a GMC diesel engine, plus later switching the BESA machine gun into a Browning machine gun.
#''Mark VII'': A Canadian Mk.VI with a new radio set and a modified interior. Another Mk.VII named the ''Mark VIIA'' has jettisonable fuel tanks and new tracks, oil cooler, and headlights.
# ''Mark VIII'': Uses a British AEC diesel engine and a modified turret to use the 6-pounder. The modification eliminated the coaxial machine gun from the design.
#''[[Valentine Mk IX|Mark IX]]'': A Mk.V modified to take the 6-pounder as well, but with an armour reduction. Later version also had a stronger 165 hp GMC diesel engine installed.
#''Mark X'': Features another modified turret design using the 6-pounder, but made it able to use a coaxial machine gun again and still uses the 165 hp diesel engine. Uses a welded construction
#''[[Valentine Mk XI|Mark XI]]'': The Mk.X using the QF 75 mm gun instead of a 6-pounder, with the 210 hp diesel engine. However, these tanks only served as a command tank in the battlefield. Uses a welded construction

===Combat usage===
The Valentine mostly saw service in the North African Campaign, where the crew reported on it very favorable as a reliable and well-protected tank. The first unit who saw action with the Valentine was the 8th Royal Tank Regiment in Operation Crusader, where it was in the process of replacing the [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda II]]. The reliability is expressed when some Valentine were reported to have traveled a distance of 4,800 kilometers by the time the British reached Tunisia. The Valentine tanks soon saw wide-spread use by mid-1941 when they were issued out widely to armoured regiments due to the lack of cruiser tanks available to fill in the ranks.

However, the biggest weakness of the Valentine tank is the lack of high-explosive rounds for the 2-pounder, a weakness suffered by every other tank using the 2-pounder. This and the 2-pounder's growing deficiency against tank armour was remedied by the usage of the 6-pounder on the Valentine after the Mark VIII version, and then the QF 75 mm gun. However, these larger guns were harder to mount on the small Valentine turret and made for a cramped interior, even removing the established loader's position made in an enlarge turret for the 2-pounder. By the time these larger guns were introduced for the tank, better tanks were being introduced, such as the [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill heavy tanks]] from Britain and the [[M4|M4 Shermans]] from the Americans. Despite the better tanks, the Valentine's low height is able to exploit small cover on the battlefield and take up a good hull-down position behind hills.

Some Valentines were sent to the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease program, most of the Valentines came from Canada's production lines. The Valentines saw use from the time of Battle of Moscow in 1941 all the way until the end of the war, though the Valentines saw use more as a second-line tank due to its relative weakness. It was criticized for its slow speed and weak gun, but was liked for its small size, reliability, and armour protection and thus the Soviet Supreme Command continue asking for it and its production to continue until the end of the war.

By 1944, the Valentine is mostly taken out from the front-line services and replaced by the newer tanks. A few were retained for special purposes and command vehicles for [[Archer|Archer]] units, which is a tank destroyer based off the Valentine chassis. The tank continue to see use in the Pacific in limited numbers until May 1945 in the 3rd New Zealand Division, some had their armaments changed to the larger 3-inch howitzer to use it stronger high-explosive ammunition against the Japanese. New Zealand kept the normal and modified Valentines all the way until 1955. The last known combat usage of the Valentine was on Cyprus in early 1960s when a turret-less Valentine was used by the Greek militia, added with a make-shift armour and a machine gunner position with a Bren gun.

===Survivors===
About forty Valentines and vehicles based off the Valentine chassis exist in various conditions in the world. Valentines in running condition exist in the Bovington Tank Museum and in private hands in New Zealand and United Kingdom. The Valentines survivors can be seen in UK, Canada, Belgium, France, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=uk_valentine_mk_9 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|qfY_erhfnog|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|xIrVVhdC9ac|'''Tank Chats #11 Valentine''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}

== See also ==

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

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

== External links ==

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

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Sd.Kfz. 6/2

2021-03-25T00:23:08Z

U23879436: /* Ammunition */

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_sdkfz_6_2_flak36
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_Sd.Kfz.62.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]].

The 3.7-cm Flak 36 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz 6/2 with its 3.7 cm cannon can easily dispatch any aircraft given the circumstances. However, its gun (with APHE ammo) can also make it a very good improvised anti-tank vehicle if push comes to shove against an enemy tank.

Because it is based on a simple truck, it has no armour anywhere and even machine guns can knock out the driver inside, and crew manning the turret is completely exposed. However, it can be surprisingly durable at times, mostly because of inexperienced players attacking it with AP/APCR ammo, and often targeting all the wrong places, like the Engine, Driver sitting inside, or edges of the turret armour. However, these attacks are a hit-or-miss as the hull-break mechanics mean that even a passing through AP round has the potential of utterly destroying the vehicle. The chances are worse if the enemy decides to sling over a chemical round for the explosion to do its deed. The mobility however is comparable to somewhere between a light and medium tank, and the chassis produces a favorable cross-country performance, so use this to get out of an area if spotted or being pursued.

Being an SPAA, this vehicle is designed to shoot down aeroplanes. It was originally designed to follow alongside convoys, so to be used with other vehicles of the type. Its gun has a relatively low rate of fire for an SPAA, however, its shells pack quite the punch. Being a 37mm cannon, should it get a good hit, it will likely down the plane. It also gets access to AP belts, which can be used against tanks. It can penetrate any medium or light tank of its rank (from the side/rear usually), but will flat out be out of luck against heavier opponents like the [[KV-1 (Family)|KV-1]]. However, hunting tanks are not its job which is why it is not the best at that.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Structural Steel
*Rolled homogeneous armour (Gun shield)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 3 mm (3-9°) ''Grille'' 3 mm (83-84°) ''Front hood'' || 3 mm || 3 mm || 3 mm
|-
| Gun Shield || 7 mm (25-33°) || 10 mm || N/A || N/A
|}
'''Notes:'''

* There is simply no armour anywhere, as it is basically a simple truck with AA gun mounted on its back
* Only "armour" is on the front of the turret, which can protect from some light machine gun fire and shrapnel from nearby explosions

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=163|rbMinHp=102}}

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

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

{{main|FlaK36 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FlaK36 (37 mm)|37 mm FlaK36]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 318 (6) || rowspan="2" | 160 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 30.82 || 42.66 || 51.80 || 57.28 || 60.94 || rowspan="2" | 0.49 || rowspan="2" | 0.43 || rowspan="2" | 0.40 || rowspan="2" | 0.38
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 20.83 || 24.50 || 29.75 || 32.90 || 35.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}} - This belt contains a bit of everything, but master of none. Since this vehicle has no switching time between belts, there's no reason to use this belt after researching better ones.
* '''Sprgr. 18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}} - Meant for planes and other trucks, it is good against fighters but bombers will take some time to destroy.
* '''PzGr:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}} - Ammo against tanks. It has comparable penetration to regular Rank I tanks which is sufficient when top rank, but will struggle to penetrate even side armor from up close with no angles against the toughest tanks you face. It's even worse than previous SPAAs using 20mm HVAP.
* '''M.Gr.18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}} - Meant for planes and other trucks. With this much explosive filler it will take down planes in 2-3 hits at most, making the low RoF (among SPAA) acceptable.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
| PzGr || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| M.Gr.18 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || FI-T || 820 || 0.62 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 49.3 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr || APHE || 770 || 0.69 || 1.2 || 9 || 22.1 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M.Gr.18 || FI-T || 914 || 0.55 || 0 || 0.1 || 108 || 47° || 56° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''53''' || 50 ''(+3)'' || 46 ''(+7)'' || 43 ''(+10)'' || 39 ''(+14)'' || 36 ''(+17)'' || 29 ''(+24)'' || 18 ''(+35)'' || 0 ''(+53)''|| Yes
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_Sd.Kfz.62.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
There are 15 ammunition boxes strung about the bed of the truck. Two under the loader, three sitting on the tailgate, and the rest under the benches behind the driver. Most tankers won't bother trying to ammo rack you thanks to your exposed crew members, so bring as much as you want. However, near misses from aircraft and tanks alike could set off a box since they are kind of everywhere if you do take a full load, so follow alternate recommendation if one has concerns for this.

Notes:

* Recommended ammo load: 53.
* Alternate recommended ammo load: 36. Keeps all ammo under the bed bench.

== Usage in battles ==

To use this machine to its fullest capabilities it is recommended to stay from areas of heavy combat, as you can be taken out very easily, especially by machine gun fire and HE shells. You should always stay behind friendly troops, but don't stay at spawn as it is most likely the first place enemy planes will go to drop bombs.

If you want to fight with the tanks, you'll definitely need to research APHE-only belts. However, the APHE's lacklustre penetration means this option is extremely limited and highly discouraged for a Sd.Kfz. 6/2 user. This is a tactic that should only be used as a last-stand measure against a flanking enemy that is unaware of the Sd.Kfz. 6/2's position. Avoid any open terrain, watch the battlefield situation carefully and wait, or use your speed to get out of any unfavourable battle condition. When the suitable target is spotted and in-range, it is a good idea is to reverse around the corner turned sideways, with your gun aiming at the expected enemy direction. This manoeuvre exposes only half of your turret and makes it possible to very quickly hide again behind the corner when needed. Your driver, engine and more than half of the vehicle remain hidden the whole time, meaning the chances of hull-break by kinetic shell would be reduced, but chemical shells would still finish off the tank upon contact. This kind of positioning also significantly shortening the exposure time and lowering the chance of being immobilised. When targeting tanks, aim at side armour of the hull and/or turret, or just hit any weak spots. Make sure the enemy is close by, generally less than 400 meters, as the aim dispersion and massive recoil of the gun can cause the shells to spray everywhere, a bad idea if wanting to take out the enemy as quick and precise as possible.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 37 mm capable of dealing heavy damage to planes upon contact
* Deadly against light tanks and light-skinned tank destroyers
* Decently fast (50 km/h top speed)
* Insane reloading rate
* Losing 1 or 2 crew members have no noticeable effect on vehicle performance (Apart from temporal immobilisation for example)
* Having no armour is also an advantage - AP/APCR Rounds that most players use often just harmlessly pass through the vehicle without doing any damage
* Difficult to destroy in one shot unless using pure HE rounds as APHE rounds will often just pass through without detonation
* Some players don't recognize this vehicle as any kind of threat, and carelessly show their sides that just might be able to be penetrated with the 37 mm AP
* Friendly tanks around you often have higher priority for all enemies, meaning you can often escape from combat unharmed, or surprise unsuspecting enemies

'''Cons:'''

* Slow rate of fire can make shooting down faster planes difficult
* No armour - single HE shell from anything will usually knock out the vehicle
* Very vulnerable to Artillery calls; even being 20 m away from it does not prevent the crew from being injured, or even incapacitated
* Gun goes up when it is traversing over the driver, preventing you from firing ahead of your vehicle
* Entire crew vulnerable to being strafed by planes and tank machine gun fire
* Ammo can run out if not careful
* Gun recoil is ridiculous, making continuous fire useless against any decently armoured target
* Knocked out easily if rammed by an aeroplane (no longer an issue in AB)
* Hull break can happen from with a well-placed shot
* AP shell has less penetration than predecessors' 20 mm APCR

== History ==

===The gun===
The 3.7 cm FlaK cannon was an anti-aircraft gun capable of fully automatic fire at a rate of 150 rounds per minute and is able to fire onto Allied aircraft up to four kilometres away. Multiple variants were made for the FlaK cannon from the 3.7 cm FlaK 18/36/37/43. The FlaK 18 was the initial variant with a dual-axle mount. The Flak 36 was a simplified variant with a lighter single-axle mount, the FlaK 37 has a simplified sighting system, and the FlaK 42 was the variant made for the German Kriegsmarine for their surface ships and U-boats. Of the variants, the FlaK 36 and 37 were the most produced guns

===The vehicle===
The ''Sd.Kfz.6'' was a half-track designed in 1934 for the purpose of towing the 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer or 11 men in the back of the half-track, which could be covered by a canvas structure to protect the crew from the elements of nature. The vehicle was powered by a Maybach HL 54TUKRM 6-cylinder engine with 115 hp. Along with its use as a tractor for the 10.5 leFH 18 howitzer and other artillery pieces, the vehicle was to be used to tow heavy equipment for engineer units. Production was carried out by both Büssing-NAG and Daimler-Benz corporations. About 750 units were made during its production life until 1942.

===Anti-aircraft mount===
As World War II progressed, the need for a mobile air defence capable of engaging low flying targets became urgent. German engineers attempted to fill this need by modifying vehicles to fit an anti-aircraft gun. The ''Sd.kfz.6'' half-track was modified with a new superstructure on the back, removing the backseats where the passengers would be. The superstructure allows the installation of a traversable anti-aircraft gun. The gun of choice for the ''Sd.kfz.6'' was the 3.7 cm FlaK 36, the conversion for the vehicle was designated the '''3.7 cm Flak 36 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz.6/2'''.

The ''Sd.Kfz.6/2'' has the FlaK cannon mounted on the back, however, there is no gun shield for the crew to provide small arms protection from the ground. Thus, the ground support role for the vehicle was not a recommended role and is more best against flying targets. However, a modification on the vehicle by the crew to give protection against small arms and shrapnel. Ammunition for the gun was towed on a separate trailer towed by the half-track.

Modifications on the ''Sd.Kfz.6'' into the ''Sd.Kfz.6/2'' was carried out from 1941 to 1943, whereof the 750 of the ''Sd.Kfz.6'', 339 were converted into the anti-aircraft variant. As the war progressed, the ''Sd.Kfz.6/2'' were supplemented with the more numerous ''Sd.Kfz.7'' half-track.

=== In-game description ===
To fight against enemy aircraft, German designers developed a new AA gun based on the 5-ton Sd.Kfz. 6 produced by the company Bussing-NAG. The new AA vehicle had a 37 mm 3,7 cm FlaK 36 L/98 anti-aircraft gun with a 98-caliber long barrel placed on a rotating carriage. The vehicle carried 120 shells, towed by a Sonderanhanger Sd.Ah. 57 trailer. The anti-aircraft gun traveled with spare barrels. The 10.4 ton setup supported a crew of 5 to calculate the gun's trajectory.

The anti-aircraft gun's effective rate of fire was 120 rounds per minute. The gun could fire at targets up to an altitude of 4,800 meters. In stowed position, the sides of the towing vehicle were raised, and in combat situations they were reclined to facilitate a circular range of fire. The vehicle could reach a speed of 50 kph and had a maximum range of 317 km.

The AA vehicle was produced by the companies Bussing-Nag, Daimler Benz, Böhmisch-Mährischen Maschinenfabrik, and Praga from 1941 to 1943. A total of 339 were built. During production, the gun was fitted with a shield to protect those performing the calculations from bullets and shrapnel. Shield construction varied.

At least 200 Sd.Kfz. 6/2 anti-aircraft guns entered the service of the Luftwaffe, and the rest joined the Wehrmacht's anti-aircraft divisions. An anti-aircraft division consisted of 9 AA vehicles. This vehicle was used in combat on all fronts.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=germany&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=spaa&vehicle=germ_sdkfz_6_2_flak36 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|naeDoEwZ5Pg|'''German SPAAs''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 1:45 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|UItw1051OWA|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[ZiS-43]]
* [[CCKW 353 AA]]
* [[Lvtdgb m/40]]

== 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 anti-aircraft vehicles}}
[[Category:Half-tracks]]

ZiS-43

2021-02-28T09:15:40Z

U23879436: /* Armaments */

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_zis_43
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

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

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

The ZiS-43's armour is nonexistent and can barely withstand 12.7 mm machine gun fire. Thus, much like the rest of SPAA in the game, it is really fragile and the armour should not be relied on. Every plane is a threat that has to be taken seriously as the turret is open and only has a small 15 mm shield which barely provides protection against 7.62 mm machine gun fire. Almost all bomb fragmentation is able to penetrate and damage crew members. Some bombs, depending on the explosive power and fragmentation radius, may not knock out crew members. However they will often damage them and leave them in a yellow-orange status.

'''Armour type:'''

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

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

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

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=128|rbMinHp=80}}

Similar to the [[M16 MGMC|M16]] SPAA, being a halftrack is a mid-point between wheel speed and track traction. It is far from being the fastest halftrack in game. However, it does provide increased traction when it comes to rough terrain, is not comparable to full tracked vehicles but is better than fully wheeled vehicles seen at the battle-rating. Being a halftrack leaves it with a "semi tank turn" capacity, meaning tracks are able to help steer but will not do so completely as the steering is given from the frontal wheels.

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

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

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

The ZiS-43 is armed with a quick firing 37mm which is more than capable to deal with both aircraft and ground targets, but just like other low rate of fire SPAA it requires the player to shoot accurately in order to do well. Since it has a slow traverse speed, it is tricky to aim with the ZiS-43 when it comes to short distances between aircraft and SPAA. This can be countered by engaging enemy aircraft at distances. However, this is a game changer when it comes to ground fight. Turret rotation speed is the difference between life or death for various reasons: exposed crew, not being able to counterattack quickly, tank traverse is painfully slow. At least unlike previous SPAAs, the driver's cabin no longer gets in the way of the gun allowing you to shoot ground targets right in front of the vehicle.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[61-K (37 mm)|37 mm 61-K]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 260 (5) || rowspan="2" | 160 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 26.5 || 36.6 || 44.4 || 49.1 || 52.2 || rowspan="2" | 0.65 || rowspan="2" | 0.58 || rowspan="2" | 0.53 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - These rounds work well until the others are researched and offer the same performance as both other belts to the detriment of a halfed rate of fire.
* '''UO-167:''' {{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - These are absolutely devastating in the AA role. A couple of direct hits will take down smaller planes and while large bombers can soak up more shots, they are not fast enough to survive their bombing run while you're shooting at them with this belt.
* '''BR-167:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}} - These are best against enemy tanks at close range. It has enough penetration to go through all medium tanks from the sides when up close and some more vulnerable ones can even be penetrated from the front (such as [[Pz.IV F2|Pz IV F2]] ). It does not have any explosive filler, but rate of fire is so high that you can simply spray multiple shots around the target's sides.

Since every bullet is a tracer, firing makes you easily detected by enemy airplanes and tanks.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 71 || 68 || 57 || 46 || 37 || 30
|-
| UO-167 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
| BR-167 || 71 || 68 || 57 || 46 || 37 || 30
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| UO-167 || HEFI-T* || 866 || 0.74 || 0 || 0.1 || 34 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-167 || AP-T || 880 || 0.76 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''52''' || 1 ''(+51)'' || No
|-
|}
The ammunition is modeled as a single big box containing clips.

== Usage in battles ==


Despite the vehicle potent armament, it is not built for direct front-line combat. It is poorly armoured, tall, slow and unstable. If necessary, it is possible to penetrate most vehicles sides or rear but sticking to anti-aircraft duty will yield the best results. Do not stay in spawn however, most planes will attack your teammates busy fighting instead of you. Similar to previous seen SPAA, they have really good capabilities for both anti-air and anti-ground duties. However, despite being a higher calibre than the previously seen 25 mm and 14.5 mm, it lacks the ROF to engage targets ''as fast'' as the other SPAAs.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

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

'''Cons:'''

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

== History ==


The GAU (Russian: Главное артиллерийское управление, English: Main Artillery Directorate) set forth a requirement for an anti-aircraft vehicle using a 37 mm AA gun on a ZiS-42 half-track on 14 November 1942. The requirements stated that it was to have armour protection for the engine and cabin, and also was to have an armoured shield for the gun mount. The requirements also gave a maximum weight of 6.5 tons; the vehicle was developed by the ZiS factory in Moscow and was given the designation ZiS-43.

The ZiS-43 utilized the ZiS-42M half-track chassis with a 37 mm 61-K anti-aircraft gun mounted on the flat bed at the rear. The front half of the weapon mount was protected by armoured shields, the engine compartment was uparmoured, and so was the cabin. All the added armour protection gave the vehicle a weight of 8.75 metric tons. In addition to the weapon system and increased armour, the vehicle included other minor changes in comparison to the ZiS-42 including redesigned grills for increased engine cooling. The sides, as well as the top, of the engine compartment received armoured hatches for ease of maintenance. The cabin was redesigned in order to give the driver more comfortable working conditions, as on other models the driver's position was known to be incredibly uncomfortable.

The prototype went to trials on 15 December 1942 after driving 380 kilometers to Gorohovets Artillery Proving Grounds from the factory. From the 19th to the 23rd of December, the ZiS-43 prototype was driven over five hundred kilometers. Problems arose with the cooling of the vehicle, with the engine overheating twice during trials and the cabin getting as hot as 50°C. Due to the weight of the ZiS-43, a maximum speed of 35 kph was achieved on roads and only 19.5 kph on dirt roads. The average speed was 29.3 kph on roads and the fuel consumption was as high as 110 litres per 100 kilometers on dirt roads and still a low minimum of 90 litres per 100 kilometers on more favourable terrain. During firing trials a number of other issues were revealed; the headlights would shatter upon firing due to changes in pressure and the high center of gravity caused accuracy issues due to instability.

The ZiS-43 never entered service thanks to its disappointing performance during trials, leaving production at only one prototype. For an anti-aircraft vehicle such armour was seen as an unnecessary burden, and the program was subsequently cancelled. After the cancellation of the program the armour of the ZiS-43 prototype was removed, returning it to its original state as a ZiS-42M.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=spaa&vehicle=ussr_zis_43 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|6KTz0cQWk2M|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Sd.Kfz. 6/2]]
* [[CCKW 353 AA]]
* [[Lvtdgb m/40]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4383-development-zis-43-when-you-need-a-bigger-bang-en/|[Devblog] ZiS-43: When You Need a Bigger Bang]]
* https://warspot.net/124-halftrack-experiments - Halftrack Experiments on warspot.net

{{USSR anti-aircraft vehicles}}

KV-2 (1939)

2021-02-25T01:55:39Z

U23879436: /* Armaments */

{{About
| about = Soviet heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = KV-2 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_kv_2_1939
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. One of the most infamous tanks in the Soviet tree, the KV-2 introduces the concept of heavy-calibre armaments that will trend on other Soviet heavy tanks.

The KV-2 is a modification of the KV-1 that mounted a [[M-10T (152 mm)|M-10T (152mm) howitzer]] in order to provide support to infantry against fortified positions. The large and extremely heavy turret, necessary to mount the 152 mm howitzer, results in a slow traverse time. Its gun is an effective breach weapon, designed against fortifications. Despite this usage, very few were made, with the majority being lost due to breakdowns and not German attackers because none of their tanks at that time could penetrate the thick armor. The KV-2 would have been more effective if the Red Army was attacking and not defending because then they would have needed more bunker destroyers.

The KV-2 is a behemoth of a tank, which players feared due to the devastating punch of its 152 mm round and its distinctive and intimidating profile. However, these traits also serve as the tank's weaknesses. The KV-2 can be an effective force on the battlefield, and is well-loved by the community, being christened with numerous nicknames, usually in reference to its abnormally large armament calibre, large profile, or its iconic and legendary status in the Soviet tech tree. The KV-2 has also been given the title '''''"The King Of Derp"''''' by the fanbase.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (31°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 25 mm (7-71°) ''Joint plate'' 75 mm (26-51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (13-89°) ''Top'' 70 mm (14-57°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 75 mm (15-16°) ''Front turret'' 90 mm (10-20°) ''Gun mantlet'' 90 mm (1-54°) ''Gun mantlet shield'' || 75 mm || 75 mm || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* With its straight angles the KV-2 can easily be angled in the diamond direction (30°). Improving the line of sight thickness of the chassis to 100mm frontally and 130mm on the side. The turret achieves at 30° up to 90mm of steel, however, the turret ring remains a weak point on all angles. Although since the introduction of volumetric shells this has been made less of a problem

[[File:Armour KV-2 badly angled.png|left|thumbnail|x250px|A surprised and unangled KV-2 with line-of-sight armour thickness. Even in this state the [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|KwK 40]] ([[Pz.IV F2|Panzer 4]]) will have problems penetrating at ranges >500m]]

The normal role of a heavy tank is to bring armour and firepower to support the lighter, faster tanks to hold strategic points they have captured. However, the massive profile of the KV-2 heavy tank and the majority of flat 75 mm armour means that even with proper angling and cover, the KV-2 will be unable to hold points for long. The KV-2 easily identified by even the least experienced players and as soon as it fires one round, it will be out-manoeuvred on and forced to retreat or be violently removed. Additionally, artillery and aircraft will often force the KV-2 out of positions if not outright destroy it due to the KV's abysmal speed and massive size. Lastly, the KV-2 has no machine gun to deal with air or lightly armoured targets, meaning once the howitzer fires, that is it for around 30 seconds. Even most anti-air vehicles can effortlessly overrun and destroy the KV-2 if it is over-extended or alone. Couple that with this tank's inability to provide effective long range support and players will have a difficult time finding their niche with this vehicle.

The large turret housing the 152 mm howitzer is a huge target on the KV-2, a more enticing target than the hull. The profile makes concealing the tall, heavy tank difficult, while the turret armour is relatively poor all-around at 75 mm. Not to mention that there will always be ammunition inside the turret, so a penetrating APHE shot has a very high chance of detonating one of these rounds. At its battle rating and rank, most enemy tanks have the capability of penetrating and eliminating the KV-2 through the turret, not to mention even some of the lower rank ones have powerful enough guns to deal with the armour.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=775|rbMinHp=531}}

The {{PAGENAME}} is incredibly sluggish in speed and manoeuvrability. The original KV-1 is already slow as is, but the KV-2 added a huge and heavy turret that increased the total weight from ~46 tons to ~52 tons. Top speed for the vehicle on flat ground is only about 34 km/h, and accelerating is very slow to get the tank up to this speed. Unless moving forwards at a certain gear, the {{PAGENAME}} is also very hard to turn on even ground.

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

"Parts" and "FPE" should be the first targets for unlocking. While the mobility of the KV-2 is quite bad, the turret traverse and accuracy is worse. Thus "Horizontal Drive", "Adjustment of Fire" and "Elevation Mechanism" should be prioritized after the first set of upgrades. The "PB-35" shell unlock can be ignored as it is only a marginal upgrade compared with the GF-530 stock shell.

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

{{main|M-10T (152 mm)}}

The 152 mm gun is perhaps the most iconic weapon in the Soviet tree. Shells that penetrate will always destroy the enemy and even those that failed to do so will still do anywhere from some damage to destroying the target thanks to huge amount of explosives in all 3 available shells. A large caliber gun coupled with the heavy turret sadly produces a slow gun traverse (both horizontally and vertically) to get the gun onto a target and huge reload times. The turret also presents a narrow gun depression and elevation range (-5° and 12° respectively), even though limited depression is something common among soviet tanks and you rarely need more elevation.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M-10T (152 mm)|152 mm M-10T]] || 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" | -5°/+12° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 4.85 || 6.72 || 8.20 || 9.00 || 9.60 || rowspan="2" | 43.29 || rowspan="2" | 38.30 || rowspan="2" | 35.30 || rowspan="2" | 33.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.57 || 4.20 || 5.10 || 5.64 || 6.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''G-530''' (AC)

: The "Anti-Concrete" round has below average but bearable velocity with enough penetration for most tanks up to BR 5.0 ([[Churchill VII]] being one of the few exceptions), but the massive size can struggle to go through small weakspots such as the bow machine gun of the [[M4 (Disambiguation)|M4 Sherman]]. With over 5kg of TNT equivalent of HE filler, it will one shot enemies whenever it enters the crew compartment of the enemy vehicle. Even when it doesn't penetrate the enemy's armor, it can still send fragments through thin plates nearby and kill crew/damage components like a large HE shell. Its armor piercing qualities and much lower fuse sensitivity than HE shells sometimes makes it better than HE since it can go through tracks and side skirts then explode closer to the main armor. Shells this heavy can also trigger hull break with a single shot.

* '''OF-530''' (HE)

: "High-explosive" shell of this size is very good at lower BRs against thinly armored enemies, giving vehicles like [[Ho-Ro]] devasting damage potential. However at BR 3.7, KV-2 faces much better protected opponents, few of them will be harmed by 48mm of fragment penetration and even fewer of them are hull breakable. While it can use its much higher ricochet angles than other two shell types to target roof armor of enemy vehicles which are typically thin but at angles that guarantee ricochet against AP shells, it rarely achieves one-shot this way.

* '''PB-35''' (APCBC)

: The APCBC shell has the same penetration as AC shell at point-blank range, but loses less of it over range. It's also less prone to ricochets. These are the only pros it has, further undermined by reduced shell velocity which makes the KV-2 even less suitable for long range engagements (800m+). At the same time its explosive filler is also less potent than AC shell, which means it's less effective as a do-it-all shell.

{| 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
|-
| G-530 || AC || 95 || 94 || 89 || 83 || 78 || 73
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 95 || 94 || 90 || 86 || 81 || 77
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| G-530 || AC || 530 || 40.00 || 1.2 || 19.0 || 5,100 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 530 || 40.00 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 5,830 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 436 || 51.06 || 1.2 || 19.0 || 4,850 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_KV-2(1939).png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''36''' || 32 ''(+4)'' || 27 ''(+9)'' || 20 ''(+16)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' || Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 27 (+9)

== Usage in battles ==


The old peek-a-boom tactics, and staying behind others is still the best method for employing this "heavy tank". Roll forward, take the shot, and then pull back for the over half-minute reload time, and then repeat. Close range brawling is a bad idea due to certain characteristics on the tank. Make sure to plan the route ahead of time make sure to avoid large distances in the open, this is a slow moving tank with a large profile making it an easy target for long barreled guns. It is recommended to have a work with a squad mate or other friendly tanks to cover the KV-2 during the reloading phase.

Most tanks with a high-velocity cannon can cripple the KV-2 through the turret. As such, pretty much all tanks at its battle rating should be taken account of. Rely on always getting the first shot off, else the enemy tank is more than likely to destroy the KV-2. Another type of vehicles to worry about are the very small tanks like the [[M22|M22 ''Locust'']] and the [[ASU-57]] as these can get right under the tank's gun depression and fire away at weak points with little risk of return fire by the KV-2.

===Arcade battles===
In '''Arcade''', the target lead indicator make the slow, but long-range penetrating PB-35 APCBC a destructive force to be afraid of since ranging is a lot easier for the low-velocity shells. Always conduct attacks via "Peek-a-boo" tactic in that stay behind cover while searching for targets, then pop out when a target presents itself to fire before returning back to cover to reload.

One must be conscious and use the map terrain to their advantage. On more open maps like [[Karelia]] and [[Carpathians]], the KV-2's speed and low velocity will make traversing the battlefield while sniping long-range targets difficult. However, one could hang back and snipe unsuspecting and immobile targets, while at the range most return fire would more than likely bounce off the armour. However, be wary of more penetrating guns like the 75 mm on the [[Panther D|Panther]] and the 76 mm on the [[M4A3 (76) W|M4 Shermans]] that easily piece the front turret armour.

Smaller maps benefit the KV-2 in that the low shell velocities are no longer a big detriment to the combat ability, plus it could make the most of the initial penetration values in close-range battles. However, enemy tanks in close-range will also have an easier time penetrating the KV-2 front armour, or flanking around while reloading the gun thanks to engine power increase. In these cases, situational awareness and friendly support is the key to victory and ''survival'' of the KV-2 in the smaller maps.

===Realistic/Simulator battle===
'''Realistic''' and '''Simulator''' modes are taxing for the KV-2 as the removal of the target lead indicator can make long-range fighting with the 152 mm a chore.

The most important thing in these game modes, due to the lack of target markers, is the vision. The binoculars are the greatest assets. Keep the turret in a well-angled position while scouting for targets with the binoculars or normal eyesight.

Since the usual fighting ranges exceed 600 m, getting hits without aim assist with the howitzer are rare. Though close-range fighting can fix this, the close-quarters battle is not a tactic the KV-2 should indulge in alone without supporting teammates to cover for the tank in case of flankers. Due to long reloads, rangefinding should be priority whenever the distance is not clear in order to not waste the first shot. If the target is beyond rangefinding range, a tip is to utilize the OF-530 HE shell in the first shot, with spare G-530 anti-concrete rounds for the follow-up. These two rounds share the same ballistics, so the HE shell can be fired first to gauge the distance. If it lands close to the enemy and hits, chances are it will either destroy it or cripple its mobility, plus the impact of the explosion will alert teammates of the presence of an enemy tank at the area of firing. If the enemy tank still remains after the OF-530 shell, the next loading G-530 AC shell can follow through the same ballistic path and destroy the enemy via a penetration.

===Counter-tactics===
'''Getting close''': Probably the most difficult part, if spotted a 40 kg shell will soon be on its way to ruin someone's day. Thus sneaking up, or attacking, from outside the KV-2's field of view is advised. Of course, after the KV-2 has fired, a window of opportunity and hope will open up. With moving up and aiming two shots can be placed on the moving Soviet tower tank. An attack route from the side or rear is preferable, not only is it a blind spot, but the turret traverse is so awful on the KV-2 that it will not have the time to react fast enough. Just make sure to hit, or the tank will be alerted and counter-attack.

'''Shooting''': Targets should be the gunner (right side) to stop the loading process and the loader to increase loading time to up to one and a half minutes. If shooting APHE shells, two penetrating hits will often take out the gun breech as well, stopping the reload and the ability to return fire entirely. The easiest way of performing these hits is via the turret ring, although a harder task since the implementation of volumetric shells, which will always not be angled at certain parts from the front. If APHE shells hit below the side hull, it will possibly detonate the main storage of ammunition, resulting in one-shot destruction. If that is not the case the gunner, commander, cannon breech, loader, and ammunition and turret ring will be damaged or wounded.

Shooting a KV-2 from the side is much easier, just one massive turret reaching into the sky. But do not shoot anywhere! The tracks will often eat shots and most KV-2 drivers are by now smart enough to not fully load up their KV-2, leaving the rear turret empty of shells.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Huge howitzer, dealing high damage with incredible force that will almost always one-shot enemies on a successful penetration
* Fear factor, the sight and sound of this behemoth and its gun tends to send smaller tanks fleeing in terror
* Has one of the best HE rounds in the game
* Able to destroy higher rank tanks
* Has the hull armour of the KV-1 which will stop most Pz.III and Pre-[[T-34-57]] shots
* Large crew count means it is unlikely to be destroyed in one-shot unless the ammo racks explode

'''Cons:'''

* Long reload, resulting in difficult 1-on-1 fights since missing gives the enemy an opportunity to counter
* Slow rotation speed of the turret means that flank attacks are difficult to respond to
* If more than 19 rounds loaded, the ammo fills the weak spot ammo racks in the sides of the turret
* A characteristic trait of Soviet tanks, the KV-2 has terrible gun depression, worse when compared to other Soviet tanks
* Tall turret is very vulnerable from the side and difficult to hide
* Driver's viewport is a juicy weak spot, easily exploitable by experienced players
* Has a tendency, although a rare but dreaded occurrence, to overshoot targets at close range when using the sights
* Large silhouette

== History ==

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

During the developmental progress, the prototypes of all these heavy tanks were made and the Winter War with Finland was on its way. The Soviets sent these tanks into Finland for combat testing, to which the KV design outperformed in every way with its superior armour and firepower. The armour on the KV tank was impenetrable by a tank cannon in service and most anti-tank guns as well, the 76,2 cannon also gave it a huge firepower boost compared to the usual 37 mm in use by other countries. However, the design was found to be difficult to steer, the transmission was unreliable, ergonomics was poor and vision was limited, plus with its 45-ton weight, it was a very heavy tank for its time. In truth, while formidable in power and protection, courageous crew member willing to curse the name would speak out about the trouble the KV tank really was. The main variant of production before World War II broke out was the '''[[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]]''' model.

===KV-2===
Despite its superiority on the battlefield, some observed that the KV-1's armament was not enough to destroy some of the Finnish fortifications that they encountered. For this, a request to mount a 152 mm howitzer on the KV-1 was made and resulted in the '''KV-2''' with its extremely large turret and an increased weight of 52 tons. The KV-2 suffered from a very high profile, low speed, and was to turret heavy. Compared to the KV-1 height of about 9 feet, the KV-2 was at 11 feet tall. The increased weight of the tank slowed it down drastically, and the very heavy turret mixed with a low-powered traverse speed meant that the KV-2 can only traverse on level ground, as a slope would cause the turret to start turning with gravity. The combat ineffectiveness and flaws of the KV-2 came to light and was only put on limited production due to them, resulting in only about 334 units being produced from 1939 to 1941.

===Combat usage===
During the opening stages of Operation Barbarossa, the KV tanks came as a huge surprise from the Germans as they had no prior intel about these tanks, resulting in a lack of capable anti-tank weaponry that could destroy these tanks, aside from 88 mm FlaK guns. The KV-2 served alongside the KV-1 in stalling the German Offensive to Moscow. During the Battle of Raseiniai, in Lithuania, a single KV-2 was able to hold up the entire 6th Panzer Division for a full day by firing at them from a concealed location before it ran out of ammunition, ending with about two dozen tanks destroyed.

Due to the low quantity of KV-2 produced, they didn't see much service past the opening stages of the war due to loss from attrition or mechanical failures, however, 10 were still in service with the Voronezh Front on 4 July 1943 for the battle of Kursk. These were transferred to the 3rd Mech Corps on 9 July, and by 18 July only 1 was left serviceable - 5 were destroyed on 12 July, and 4 are recorded as being in repair from 13 July. <ref name="3rdMechKursk">[http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA360311 <nowiki>[DTIC.ORG] KURSK OPERATION SIMULATION AND VALIDATION EXERCISE - PHASE II (KOSAVE II) (PDF)</nowiki>]</ref>

===Survivors===
Only one KV-2 is left intact as a survivor of the war, it is housed at the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow.

=== In-game description ===
This tank came into service in the Red Army in 1940 and was an assault tank intended to be used to overcome long-term defensive positions. The KV-2 was armed with a powerful 152 mm M-10 cannon installed in its tall armoured rotating turret. This weapon was shot with separately loaded shells, so its combat rate of fire was not high. The howitzer had relatively good characteristics. Its armour-piercing 52 kg round with a 436 m/s muzzle velocity penetrated a 72 mm thick armour plate at a distance of 1500 m at a 60° angle. For firing on concrete fortifications, it possessed a 40 kg concrete-piercing shell with a 530 m/s muzzle velocity. All these vehicles were equipped with a 71-TK-3 radio set. The vehicle was armed with three additional 7.62 mm DT tank machine guns. One was paired with the howitzer, the second mounted in the rear turret wall, and the third mounted as a bow gun in the underturret box's frontal plate to the driver's left.

By 1941, 330 of these tanks had been produced in total, and production ceased at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

In mid-February 1940, several of these heavy tanks were put to the test during the breaking of the Mannerheim Line. They broke through stone fortifications and destroyed pillboxes at close range, allowing infantry divisions to pass through areas previously closed to them. Furthermore, its strong armour could survive heavy fire from the enemy's anti-tank artillery. In the first years of the war, the KV-2 was practically invulnerable to all forms of anti-tank artillery. A number of captured vehicles of this type were used by German troops.

The tank had some serious flaws. Its mobility on the move and in combat was seriously limited by its high weight and issues with its clutch and transmission. When the vehicle was at a slight tilt, the turret became extremely difficult to turn. Its ammunition complement for its main gun amounted to only 38 shells.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=heavy_tank&vehicle=ussr_kv_2_1939 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|XTSIvLEsV6c|'''The KV Family''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel'' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 04:53|Lps-iu_n_8o|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|ezJ7MKKcR3c|'''The Tower of Stalin''' by ''BaronVonGamez''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[KV-2 (Family)]] / [[KV-1 (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[SU-152]]
* [[Brummbar|Brummbär]]
* [[Lorraine 155 Mle.50]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Kliment_Voroshilov_tank#KV-2|[Wikipedia] Kliment Voroshilov tank - KV-2]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_KV-2.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> KV-2]
* [http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=210 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> KV-2 (Klimenti Voroshilov)]

=== References ===
<references />

{{USSR heavy tanks}}

YaG-10 (29-K)

2021-02-25T01:09:10Z

U23879436:

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_zsu_29k
|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 1.67 "Assault"]].

This unarmoured truck is equipped with a good fast-firing 76.2 mm cannon, which has similar armour penetration to the infamous [[D-5T (85 mm)|D-5T]] from later soviet vehicles. This is the last unarmoured truck chassis of the Soviet tech tree, after the [[ZiS-12 (94-KM)]] and before the [[ZiS-43]]. The 29-K is a pure sniper, use it as such. This truck is all about its precise, fast firing gun and nothing else. Safely cover up 2/3 of the vehicle behind a building, leaving only the gun, gunner and one loader exposed, taking precise shots at unsuspecting enemies.

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


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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Truck || 5 mm ''Grille'' 5 mm (83-86°) ''Front hood''|| 5 mm || 5 mm || 5 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Wheels are 10 mm thick
* Chassis is 30 mm thick

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 133|rbMinHp= 83}}

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

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[3-K (76 mm)|76 mm 3-K]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 48 || rowspan="2" | -3°/+82° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 9.7 || 13.4 || 16.2 || __._ || 19.2 || rowspan="2" | 6.5 || rowspan="2" | 5.7 || rowspan="2" | 5.3 || rowspan="2" | 5.0
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 6.5 || 7.7 || __._ || __._ || 11.0
|-
|}

The 76.2 mm 3-K equipped on this chassis is one hell of a gun, with good penetration, relatively flat ballistic trajectory and enough explosives in the APHE shell to one-shot kill when it penetrates. ''3 loaders'' provide it with a fast reload speed, comparable to Rank 1 vehicles. These 3 crew members allows a bit of loss before feeling a reduced firing rate. The only thing the gun lacks is turning speed for reacting faster, especially since the cabin gets in the way of the gun when trying to shoot forwards. This gun has similar characteristics to the D-5T, found on later Soviet tanks, providing a good learning curve to tanks using it (mainly [[SU-85]], [[IS-1]], [[T-34-85 (D-5T)]]).

The gun can also fire HE-DF shells, however setting the fuse requires rangefinding the target which is never done quickly enough against air targets. Even if the shell manages to detonate near the plane, its explosive amount is rarely enough to take down the target in one go. Low rate of fire compared to proper SPAA doesn't help either. In general, planes should be the lowest priority target of this vehicle.

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| BR-361 || APHEBC || 121 || 119 || 109 || 98 || 88 || 79
|-
| O-361 || HE-TF || 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%
|-
| BR-361 || APHEBC || 813 || 6.61 || 1.2 || 14 || 150 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-361 || HE-TF || 813 || 6.61 || 0 || 0.1 || 621 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''48''' || 37 ''(+11)'' || 25 ''(+23)'' || 13 ''(+35)'' || 1 ''(+47)'' || No
|-
|}
Note:

* As they are modeled by sets of 6, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire all shells in the set.
* Front racks empty: 25 ''(+23)'' shells.

== Usage in battles ==

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

'''Do not:'''

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

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

* [[Churchill Mk VII]], [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 ''Jumbo'']]: Both impervious to shots on the front glacis.
* [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)|Jagdpanzer 38(t) ''Hetzer'']]: Well-angled armour can bounce many shots.
* [[Calliope|M4 ''Calliope'']]: Has many ready-to-fire rockets to annihilate the 29-K.
* Any AA/AAA is a threat as their heavy automatic weapons will rip through the thin armour.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''
* Decent AP penetration.
* Good reload time.
* Precise gun, good ballistic trajectory.
* Paper-thin armour reduces spalling from AP shells and APHE fuse rarely activates.
* Six crew members.
* Ammo racks are protected from low caliber MG fire.

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

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

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|l1DTj5x40CY|'''The Shooting Range #57''' - ''War Machines'' section at 00:27 discusses the YaG-10 (29-K).}}

== 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/4562-development-29-k-reach-the-sky-en|[Devblog] 29-K: Reach the Sky]]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}