War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

FV4202

2021-11-25T13:04:44Z

U25658854:

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_fv4202
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters"]]. As the prototype of the [[Chieftain Mk 3|Chieftain]], it features the heavy sloping armour of the Chieftain on the chassis of a [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion tank]].

The FV4202 gives the player a very good insight on what to expect on the future of the Rank IV and V medium tanks of the British Ground Forces. Featuring a very sloped frontal armour and the powerful high-penetrating cannon. The FV4202 is also relatively mobile for its armour and weight, this can be used to push towards the enemy. When in movement, keep in mind the turret armour and lower frontal glacis as these are prominent front weak points of the FV4202.

The FV4202 is a British medium tank. It has sloped frontal armour, a well rounded and thickly armoured turret and a powerful 84mm gun with access to APDS ammunition. The first thing that you may notice when you first get the FV4202 is that the stock 20-pdr gun is far more effective than the stock 17-pdr gun, due to the fact that you start with APCBC ammunition, which is far more effective than the 17-pdr's purely AP stock rounds. This makes it far more forgiving than tanks like the Centurion MK1 or the Challenger. When fighting in a low rank game, it can be a game changing tank. It can easily take out Tiger I and Panther tanks at long range whilst remaining resistant to enemy fire. Even Tiger II tanks are vulnerable to the 84mm gun, though their gun poses a big threat to you, especially at long range. When you get up-tiered, you will face far more challenging enemies. At this battle rating, you can face the Jagdtiger, Leopard I , IS-6, IS-3, IS-4M and the T-54 (and even the Maus if you're playing realistic). These are all highly resistant to your APDS (even from the side in the IS-3/IS-4M case), and have extremely potent armament.

When you get up-tiered the weaknesses of the FV4202 start to show. To start, it has a very poor reverse speed. As a British tanker, you will have experience with similar issues from vehicles with the Cromwell chassis, but the FV4202 has nowhere near the mobility, so it is difficult to quickly escape from a bad situation as it was with Cromwell based tanks. The frontal armour is thin and so is particularly vulnerable to high calibre HE shells (apart from the rather resilient turret roof). Also, although thickly armoured, the turret has some flat parts which are easily penetrated by many tanks of the BR. Finally, there are only four crew in the tanks, three of whom are in the turret. A turret penetration may knock out the entire turret crew and destroy the tank.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 51.2 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 74.8 mm (46°) ''Lower glacis'' || 51.2 (13°) + 13 mm || 31 mm (2°) ''Upper'' 31 mm (51°) || 27.2 mm
|-
| Turret || 170-200 mm (0-60°) || 89.6 mm || 92.6 mm || 60 mm
|-
| Cupola || 59.5 mm || 59.5 mm || 59.5 mm || 60 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The front of the turret is heavily sloped and vary in thickness, being the thickest on the sides of the gun at 240 mm
* The turret ring is 200 mm

Aiming for the LFP (Lower Frontal Plate), with an effective thickness of around 150 mm, is probably the easiest place to go for when targeting the FV4202 from the front. By doing this, you are both taking out the driver and ammo. Aiming for the plate under it to take out the transmission and possibly the driver is also an option from the front. If your tank has a more powerful gun, aiming for the upper cupola or weak spots such as the gun mantlet or armour cheeks is possible. Thanks to a thick turret roof of FV4202, shooting there with HE is usually ineffective.

If countering the FV4202 from the side, the skirt armour and tracks can sometimes catch a shot or two. Instead, aim for the side of the turret if a possibility. As all three turret crew members are located here, as well as the gun breech, this is generally a good idea. Especially noting that three of the four crew are here, taking this shot into consideration as a possible way to instantly incapacitate the tank. When taking a larger amount of shells, ammo racks are located just under the turret also, so when possible also take this into consideration. Preferably do the same when engaging from the rear. When using any aircraft, it is possible to penetrate the thin 8mm of armour above the engine compartment, making this an easy shot.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=790|rbMinHp=451}}

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

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

{{main|20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20pdr OQF Mk.I]] || 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" | 50 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 17.14 || 23.72 || 28.80 || 31.85 || 33.88 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.71 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
|}

==== 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.1 || APCBC || 232 || 229 || 216 || 201 || 187 || 173
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 285 || 283 || 262 || 239 || 218 || 198
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15
|-
|}
{| 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.1 || APCBC || 1,000 || 9.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 1,400 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 600 || 7.5 || 0 || 0.1 || 1,130 || 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)
|-
| 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 250 || 9.3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''50''' || 45 ''(+5)'' || 39 ''(+11)'' || 34 ''(+16)'' || 29 ''(+21)'' || 9 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+49)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 6 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 8 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 6 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 5.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 5 into rack 6. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

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

{{main|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 7,500 (250) || 500 || -10°/+20° || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

====Tactics====


Hull down: Due to the good gun depression and strong turret armour, the FV4202 performs well in a hull down position, where only the turret is visible to the enemy. Some maps are better for this tactic than others. It involves looking for a good spot overlooking a capture point or a large open space, setting up a good defensive position and then picking off enemies that come into your sights. This way you will be a lot more difficult to destroy as enemies can only get glancing shots on your sloped and rounded turret.

Sniping: With APDS, the 84mm is a very precise and accurate gun. Therefore, it is effective at taking out targets at long range. It is extremely satisfying sniping enemy tanks at the other end of the map. This is a good tactic for the FV4202, where you can hang back, retain the effectiveness of your armour and pick off enemy tanks at your leisure. Just ensure to change position every few shots to avoid getting bombed or knocked out by another tank. When you get down tiered, Tigers, Panther, IS-1/2 and T-34s can be leisurely picked off at range while you remain largely immune to their hits.

Front line tank: Particularly when down tiered, the FV4202 makes an excellent front line vehicle. It's main gun can counter any threat, particularly Tiger I and Panther Tanks, whilst its heavily sloped armour and strong turret allows it to bounce some hits. This allows you to push capture points and takeout enemy tanks on the move with your stabilizer. Be careful not to over extend. The FV4202 is very vulnerable from the sides. If you over extend you will open up your flanks and become vulnerable. Instead you should get to a comfortable place and then initiate a hull down tactic.

====Specific enemies worth noting====


* Tiger II [[Tiger II (P)|(P)]]/[[Tiger II (H)|(H)]]: With a BR 6.7, the FV4202 is more than likely to see a Tiger II in the field. If encountered in the front, aim for the cheeks of the turret, the right side to knock out the gunner and render the Tiger II unable to fire. Use this opportunity to withdraw for a better vantage point for more capable tanks to destroy the Tiger II or for the enemy Tiger to make another mistake and get shot by the FV4202 again. Avoid getting hit by the Tiger IIs 88mm gun. It will be able to penetrate you at long range and a hit will most likely knock you out.
* [[IS-2]] ([[IS-2 (1944)]]): Another common enemy heavy tank. If it is the regular IS-2, the 20-pounder can easily penetrate the hull armour and the turret cheeks (right side again for the gunner). The mod. 1944 is more complicated due to its improved frontal armour so it is important to be able to target the turret cheeks to knock out its fighting capability. Like the Tiger II, the IS-2 has a very powerful main gun. A direct hit will almost certainly destroy the FV4202 in one hit.
* [[T29]]: American heavy tank capable of outright destroying the FV4202. Frontal glacis and turret armour near impenetrable in the front. Aim for the lower glacis or even a glancing shot on the turret side for a chance to penetrate the armour.
* [[Tortoise|A39 Tortoise]]: This heavily armoured vehicle prevents the FV4202 from penetrating its frontal armour, the only weak point being the commander's location and that is not a good place as the 20-pounder does not have a lot of post-penetration damage. Best case is to simply withdraw and attack it from the sides.
* [[Panther II]]: Unlike the first [[Panther tank (Family)|Panther series]], the Panther II's frontal armour cannot be penetrated by the 20-pounder, plus it has the famous [[KwK 43 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK 43 gun]] so more caution is needed. However, just like the Tiger II, aiming for the turret cheeks can ensure a disabling of the vehicle to take advantage of.
* [[IS-6]] : The IS-6 is one of the most challenging vehicles that you face at this rank. It is fast, very well armoured and has a powerful gun. Despite the fact that it is a premium, it is very common. You will face it often. It can easily bounce the 84mm APDS from the front and even the sides. If angled properly the IS-6 is very difficult to displace. It is not invincible though. Firing at it from high ground can reduce the effectiveness of its angled armour and HEAT-fs is good for penetrating it's armour, so working closely with other tanks is important.
* [[Maus]] : The very sight of a Maus on the battle field can be enough to make some players turn tail and run. It is an extremely menacing opponent to face on the battlefield, and its huge 128mm gun will have no trouble taking you out of the game. Even the 75mm coaxial gun can damage your main gun and tracks, if not penetrate the {{PAGENAME}} from the side. Luckily, the Maus is not invincible. With APDS you can penetrate turret cheeks and side armour relatively easily, but sometimes your rounds will simply pass through the massive superstructure without doing very much damage. The internal layout of the Maus is quite complex and is lined with extra 20 mm plates of armour, protecting crew members and modules from internal shrapnel. Destroying the Maus in one shot is extremely difficult, so it is often best to retreat after a successful hit.
* [[Jagdtiger]] : The Jagdtiger is armed with the same devastating 128mm gun as the Maus, which is absolutely deadly if it hits you. Couple this with formidable frontal armour and you have a very dangerous opponent. Try to flank this opponent or hit the flat superstructure on the left and right of the main gun.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decent mobility for the size
* Heavy punching 84 mm 20-pounder "Quickfire" gun can penetrate most enemies seen at BR
* Very strong sloped frontal armour able to withstand most shells fired at the FV4202
* Resistant to Soviet 85 mm and German [[KwK36 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK36]] cannons at long range
* Has a stabiliser which allows for accurate fire on the move
* Has a low profile compared to other British tanks of the same rank such as the Centurion Mk 3
* Unlock-able APDS shell for heavier targets

'''Cons:'''

* Weak side armour
* Overall thin armour yet sloped
* LFP (Lower Frontal Plate) is generally weak and most penetrative hits will take out driver and ammo rack
* Poor reverse speed
* A part of the soft turret armour is near a flat weak point
* Vulnerable to air attacks from planes with heavier guns as engine roof armour is lacking
* Although a small target, there is an 89 mm weak spot right above the gun Shots penetrating this, in particular APHE may knock out the turret crew
* The cupola on top of the turret is a deadly weak spot One penetration from APHE will take you out
* Is only equipped with solid shot ammunition, with no explosive filler. The APDS lacks post-penetration damage and spalling shrapnel.

== 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=uk_fv4202 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|oa26g25qqP4|'''Best medium tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:16 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== 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}}

FV4202

2021-11-22T16:40:08Z

U25658854: FV4202 has thick roof

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_fv4202
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters"]]. As the prototype of the [[Chieftain Mk 3|Chieftain]], it features the heavy sloping armour of the Chieftain on the chassis of a [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion tank]].

The FV4202 gives the player a very good insight on what to expect on the future of the Rank IV and V medium tanks of the British Ground Forces. Featuring a very sloped frontal armour and the powerful high-penetrating cannon. The FV4202 is also relatively mobile for its armour and weight, this can be used to push towards the enemy. When in movement, keep in mind the turret armour and lower frontal glacis as these are prominent front weak points of the FV4202.

The FV4202 is a British medium tank. It has sloped frontal armour, a well rounded and thickly armoured turret and a powerful 84mm gun with access to APDS ammunition. The first thing that you may notice when you first get the FV4202 is that the stock 20-pdr gun is far more effective than the stock 17-pdr gun, due to the fact that you start with APCBC ammunition, which is far more effective than the 17-pdr's purely AP stock rounds. This makes it far more forgiving than tanks like the Centurion MK1 or the Challenger. When fighting in a low rank game, it can be a game changing tank. It can easily take out Tiger I and Panther tanks at long range whilst remaining resistant to enemy fire. Even Tiger II tanks are vulnerable to the 84mm gun, though their gun poses a big threat to you, especially at long range. When you get up-tiered, you will face far more challenging enemies. At this battle rating, you can face the Jagdtiger, Leopard I , IS-6, IS-3, IS-4M and the T-54 (and even the Maus if you're playing realistic). These are all highly resistant to your APDS (even from the side in the IS-3/IS-4M case), and have extremely potent armament.

When you get up-tiered the weaknesses of the FV4202 start to show. To start, it has a very poor reverse speed. As a British tanker, you will have experience with similar issues from vehicles with the Cromwell chassis, but the FV4202 has nowhere near the mobility, so it is difficult to quickly escape from a bad situation as it was with Cromwell based tanks. The frontal armour is thin and so is particularly vulnerable to high calibre HE shells (apart from the rather resilient roof). Also, although thickly armoured, the turret has some flat parts which are easily penetrated by many tanks of the BR. Finally, there are only four crew in the tanks, three of whom are in the turret. A turret penetration may knock out the entire turret crew and destroy the tank.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 51.2 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 74.8 mm (46°) ''Lower glacis'' || 51.2 (13°) + 13 mm || 31 mm (2°) ''Upper'' 31 mm (51°) || 27.2 mm
|-
| Turret || 170-200 mm (0-60°) || 89.6 mm || 92.6 mm || 60 mm
|-
| Cupola || 59.5 mm || 59.5 mm || 59.5 mm || 60 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The front of the turret is heavily sloped and vary in thickness, being the thickest on the sides of the gun at 240 mm
* The turret ring is 200 mm

Aiming for the LFP (Lower Frontal Plate), with an effective thickness of around 150 mm, is probably the easiest place to go for when targeting the FV4202 from the front. By doing this, you are both taking out the driver and ammo. Aiming for the plate under it to take out the transmission and possibly the driver is also an option from the front. If your tank has a more powerful gun, aiming for the upper cupola or weak spots such as the gun mantlet or armour cheeks is possible. Thanks to a thick roof of FV4202, shooting there with HE is usually ineffective.

If countering the FV4202 from the side, the skirt armour and tracks can sometimes catch a shot or two. Instead, aim for the side of the turret if a possibility. As all three turret crew members are located here, as well as the gun breech, this is generally a good idea. Especially noting that three of the four crew are here, taking this shot into consideration as a possible way to instantly incapacitate the tank. When taking a larger amount of shells, ammo racks are located just under the turret also, so when possible also take this into consideration. Preferably do the same when engaging from the rear. When using any aircraft, it is possible to penetrate the thin 8mm of armour above the engine compartment, making this an easy shot.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=790|rbMinHp=451}}

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

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

{{main|20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20pdr OQF Mk.I]] || 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" | 50 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 17.14 || 23.72 || 28.80 || 31.85 || 33.88 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.71 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
|}

==== 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.1 || APCBC || 232 || 229 || 216 || 201 || 187 || 173
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 285 || 283 || 262 || 239 || 218 || 198
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15
|-
|}
{| 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.1 || APCBC || 1,000 || 9.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 1,400 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 600 || 7.5 || 0 || 0.1 || 1,130 || 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)
|-
| 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 250 || 9.3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''50''' || 45 ''(+5)'' || 39 ''(+11)'' || 34 ''(+16)'' || 29 ''(+21)'' || 9 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+49)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 6 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 8 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 6 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 5.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 5 into rack 6. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

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

{{main|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 7,500 (250) || 500 || -10°/+20° || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

====Tactics====


Hull down: Due to the good gun depression and strong turret armour, the FV4202 performs well in a hull down position, where only the turret is visible to the enemy. Some maps are better for this tactic than others. It involves looking for a good spot overlooking a capture point or a large open space, setting up a good defensive position and then picking off enemies that come into your sights. This way you will be a lot more difficult to destroy as enemies can only get glancing shots on your sloped and rounded turret.

Sniping: With APDS, the 84mm is a very precise and accurate gun. Therefore, it is effective at taking out targets at long range. It is extremely satisfying sniping enemy tanks at the other end of the map. This is a good tactic for the FV4202, where you can hang back, retain the effectiveness of your armour and pick off enemy tanks at your leisure. Just ensure to change position every few shots to avoid getting bombed or knocked out by another tank. When you get down tiered, Tigers, Panther, IS-1/2 and T-34s can be leisurely picked off at range while you remain largely immune to their hits.

Front line tank: Particularly when down tiered, the FV4202 makes an excellent front line vehicle. It's main gun can counter any threat, particularly Tiger I and Panther Tanks, whilst its heavily sloped armour and strong turret allows it to bounce some hits. This allows you to push capture points and takeout enemy tanks on the move with your stabilizer. Be careful not to over extend. The FV4202 is very vulnerable from the sides. If you over extend you will open up your flanks and become vulnerable. Instead you should get to a comfortable place and then initiate a hull down tactic.

====Specific enemies worth noting====


* Tiger II [[Tiger II (P)|(P)]]/[[Tiger II (H)|(H)]]: With a BR 6.7, the FV4202 is more than likely to see a Tiger II in the field. If encountered in the front, aim for the cheeks of the turret, the right side to knock out the gunner and render the Tiger II unable to fire. Use this opportunity to withdraw for a better vantage point for more capable tanks to destroy the Tiger II or for the enemy Tiger to make another mistake and get shot by the FV4202 again. Avoid getting hit by the Tiger IIs 88mm gun. It will be able to penetrate you at long range and a hit will most likely knock you out.
* [[IS-2]] ([[IS-2 (1944)]]): Another common enemy heavy tank. If it is the regular IS-2, the 20-pounder can easily penetrate the hull armour and the turret cheeks (right side again for the gunner). The mod. 1944 is more complicated due to its improved frontal armour so it is important to be able to target the turret cheeks to knock out its fighting capability. Like the Tiger II, the IS-2 has a very powerful main gun. A direct hit will almost certainly destroy the FV4202 in one hit.
* [[T29]]: American heavy tank capable of outright destroying the FV4202. Frontal glacis and turret armour near impenetrable in the front. Aim for the lower glacis or even a glancing shot on the turret side for a chance to penetrate the armour.
* [[Tortoise|A39 Tortoise]]: This heavily armoured vehicle prevents the FV4202 from penetrating its frontal armour, the only weak point being the commander's location and that is not a good place as the 20-pounder does not have a lot of post-penetration damage. Best case is to simply withdraw and attack it from the sides.
* [[Panther II]]: Unlike the first [[Panther tank (Family)|Panther series]], the Panther II's frontal armour cannot be penetrated by the 20-pounder, plus it has the famous [[KwK 43 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK 43 gun]] so more caution is needed. However, just like the Tiger II, aiming for the turret cheeks can ensure a disabling of the vehicle to take advantage of.
* [[IS-6]] : The IS-6 is one of the most challenging vehicles that you face at this rank. It is fast, very well armoured and has a powerful gun. Despite the fact that it is a premium, it is very common. You will face it often. It can easily bounce the 84mm APDS from the front and even the sides. If angled properly the IS-6 is very difficult to displace. It is not invincible though. Firing at it from high ground can reduce the effectiveness of its angled armour and HEAT-fs is good for penetrating it's armour, so working closely with other tanks is important.
* [[Maus]] : The very sight of a Maus on the battle field can be enough to make some players turn tail and run. It is an extremely menacing opponent to face on the battlefield, and its huge 128mm gun will have no trouble taking you out of the game. Even the 75mm coaxial gun can damage your main gun and tracks, if not penetrate the {{PAGENAME}} from the side. Luckily, the Maus is not invincible. With APDS you can penetrate turret cheeks and side armour relatively easily, but sometimes your rounds will simply pass through the massive superstructure without doing very much damage. The internal layout of the Maus is quite complex and is lined with extra 20 mm plates of armour, protecting crew members and modules from internal shrapnel. Destroying the Maus in one shot is extremely difficult, so it is often best to retreat after a successful hit.
* [[Jagdtiger]] : The Jagdtiger is armed with the same devastating 128mm gun as the Maus, which is absolutely deadly if it hits you. Couple this with formidable frontal armour and you have a very dangerous opponent. Try to flank this opponent or hit the flat superstructure on the left and right of the main gun.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decent mobility for the size
* Heavy punching 84 mm 20-pounder "Quickfire" gun can penetrate most enemies seen at BR
* Very strong sloped frontal armour able to withstand most shells fired at the FV4202
* Resistant to Soviet 85 mm and German [[KwK36 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK36]] cannons at long range
* Has a stabiliser which allows for accurate fire on the move
* Has a low profile compared to other British tanks of the same rank such as the Centurion Mk 3
* Unlock-able APDS shell for heavier targets

'''Cons:'''

* Weak side armour
* Overall thin armour yet sloped
* LFP (Lower Frontal Plate) is generally weak and most penetrative hits will take out driver and ammo rack
* Poor reverse speed
* A part of the soft turret armour is near a flat weak point
* Vulnerable to air attacks from planes with heavier guns as engine roof armour is lacking
* Although a small target, there is an 89 mm weak spot right above the gun Shots penetrating this, in particular APHE may knock out the turret crew
* The cupola on top of the turret is a deadly weak spot One penetration from APHE will take you out
* Is only equipped with solid shot ammunition, with no explosive filler. The APDS lacks post-penetration damage and spalling shrapnel.

== 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=uk_fv4202 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|oa26g25qqP4|'''Best medium tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:16 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== 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;''
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{{Britain medium tanks}}

FV4202

2021-11-22T16:35:11Z

U25658854: FV4202 has thick roof

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_fv4202
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters"]]. As the prototype of the [[Chieftain Mk 3|Chieftain]], it features the heavy sloping armour of the Chieftain on the chassis of a [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion tank]].

The FV4202 gives the player a very good insight on what to expect on the future of the Rank IV and V medium tanks of the British Ground Forces. Featuring a very sloped frontal armour and the powerful high-penetrating cannon. The FV4202 is also relatively mobile for its armour and weight, this can be used to push towards the enemy. When in movement, keep in mind the turret armour and lower frontal glacis as these are prominent front weak points of the FV4202.

The FV4202 is a British medium tank. It has sloped frontal armour, a well rounded and thickly armoured turret and a powerful 84mm gun with access to APDS ammunition. The first thing that you may notice when you first get the FV4202 is that the stock 20-pdr gun is far more effective than the stock 17-pdr gun, due to the fact that you start with APCBC ammunition, which is far more effective than the 17-pdr's purely AP stock rounds. This makes it far more forgiving than tanks like the Centurion MK1 or the Challenger. When fighting in a low rank game, it can be a game changing tank. It can easily take out Tiger I and Panther tanks at long range whilst remaining resistant to enemy fire. Even Tiger II tanks are vulnerable to the 84mm gun, though their gun poses a big threat to you, especially at long range. When you get up-tiered, you will face far more challenging enemies. At this battle rating, you can face the Jagdtiger, Leopard I , IS-6, IS-3, IS-4M and the T-54 (and even the Maus if you're playing realistic). These are all highly resistant to your APDS (even from the side in the IS-3/IS-4M case), and have extremely potent armament.

When you get up-tiered the weaknesses of the FV4202 start to show. To start, it has a very poor reverse speed. As a British tanker, you will have experience with similar issues from vehicles with the Cromwell chassis, but the FV4202 has nowhere near the mobility, so it is difficult to quickly escape from a bad situation as it was with Cromwell based tanks. The frontal armour is thin and so is particularly vulnerable to high calibre HE shells. Also, although thickly armoured, the turret has some flat parts which are easily penetrated by many tanks of the BR. Finally, there are only four crew in the tanks, three of whom are in the turret. A turret penetration may knock out the entire turret crew and destroy the tank.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 51.2 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 74.8 mm (46°) ''Lower glacis'' || 51.2 (13°) + 13 mm || 31 mm (2°) ''Upper'' 31 mm (51°) || 27.2 mm
|-
| Turret || 170-200 mm (0-60°) || 89.6 mm || 92.6 mm || 60 mm
|-
| Cupola || 59.5 mm || 59.5 mm || 59.5 mm || 60 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The front of the turret is heavily sloped and vary in thickness, being the thickest on the sides of the gun at 240 mm
* The turret ring is 200 mm

Aiming for the LFP (Lower Frontal Plate), with an effective thickness of around 150 mm, is probably the easiest place to go for when targeting the FV4202 from the front. By doing this, you are both taking out the driver and ammo. Aiming for the plate under it to take out the transmission and possibly the driver is also an option from the front. If your tank has a more powerful gun, aiming for the upper cupola or weak spots such as the gun mantlet or armour cheeks is possible. Thanks to a thick roof of FV4202, shooting there with HE is usually ineffective.

If countering the FV4202 from the side, the skirt armour and tracks can sometimes catch a shot or two. Instead, aim for the side of the turret if a possibility. As all three turret crew members are located here, as well as the gun breech, this is generally a good idea. Especially noting that three of the four crew are here, taking this shot into consideration as a possible way to instantly incapacitate the tank. When taking a larger amount of shells, ammo racks are located just under the turret also, so when possible also take this into consideration. Preferably do the same when engaging from the rear. When using any aircraft, it is possible to penetrate the thin 8mm of armour above the engine compartment, making this an easy shot.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=790|rbMinHp=451}}

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

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

{{main|20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20pdr OQF Mk.I]] || 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" | 50 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 17.14 || 23.72 || 28.80 || 31.85 || 33.88 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.71 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
|}

==== 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.1 || APCBC || 232 || 229 || 216 || 201 || 187 || 173
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 285 || 283 || 262 || 239 || 218 || 198
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15
|-
|}
{| 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.1 || APCBC || 1,000 || 9.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 1,400 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 600 || 7.5 || 0 || 0.1 || 1,130 || 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)
|-
| 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 250 || 9.3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''50''' || 45 ''(+5)'' || 39 ''(+11)'' || 34 ''(+16)'' || 29 ''(+21)'' || 9 ''(+41)'' || 1 ''(+49)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 6 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 8 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 6 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 5.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 to 5 into rack 6. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

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

{{main|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 7,500 (250) || 500 || -10°/+20° || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

====Tactics====


Hull down: Due to the good gun depression and strong turret armour, the FV4202 performs well in a hull down position, where only the turret is visible to the enemy. Some maps are better for this tactic than others. It involves looking for a good spot overlooking a capture point or a large open space, setting up a good defensive position and then picking off enemies that come into your sights. This way you will be a lot more difficult to destroy as enemies can only get glancing shots on your sloped and rounded turret.

Sniping: With APDS, the 84mm is a very precise and accurate gun. Therefore, it is effective at taking out targets at long range. It is extremely satisfying sniping enemy tanks at the other end of the map. This is a good tactic for the FV4202, where you can hang back, retain the effectiveness of your armour and pick off enemy tanks at your leisure. Just ensure to change position every few shots to avoid getting bombed or knocked out by another tank. When you get down tiered, Tigers, Panther, IS-1/2 and T-34s can be leisurely picked off at range while you remain largely immune to their hits.

Front line tank: Particularly when down tiered, the FV4202 makes an excellent front line vehicle. It's main gun can counter any threat, particularly Tiger I and Panther Tanks, whilst its heavily sloped armour and strong turret allows it to bounce some hits. This allows you to push capture points and takeout enemy tanks on the move with your stabilizer. Be careful not to over extend. The FV4202 is very vulnerable from the sides. If you over extend you will open up your flanks and become vulnerable. Instead you should get to a comfortable place and then initiate a hull down tactic.

====Specific enemies worth noting====


* Tiger II [[Tiger II (P)|(P)]]/[[Tiger II (H)|(H)]]: With a BR 6.7, the FV4202 is more than likely to see a Tiger II in the field. If encountered in the front, aim for the cheeks of the turret, the right side to knock out the gunner and render the Tiger II unable to fire. Use this opportunity to withdraw for a better vantage point for more capable tanks to destroy the Tiger II or for the enemy Tiger to make another mistake and get shot by the FV4202 again. Avoid getting hit by the Tiger IIs 88mm gun. It will be able to penetrate you at long range and a hit will most likely knock you out.
* [[IS-2]] ([[IS-2 (1944)]]): Another common enemy heavy tank. If it is the regular IS-2, the 20-pounder can easily penetrate the hull armour and the turret cheeks (right side again for the gunner). The mod. 1944 is more complicated due to its improved frontal armour so it is important to be able to target the turret cheeks to knock out its fighting capability. Like the Tiger II, the IS-2 has a very powerful main gun. A direct hit will almost certainly destroy the FV4202 in one hit.
* [[T29]]: American heavy tank capable of outright destroying the FV4202. Frontal glacis and turret armour near impenetrable in the front. Aim for the lower glacis or even a glancing shot on the turret side for a chance to penetrate the armour.
* [[Tortoise|A39 Tortoise]]: This heavily armoured vehicle prevents the FV4202 from penetrating its frontal armour, the only weak point being the commander's location and that is not a good place as the 20-pounder does not have a lot of post-penetration damage. Best case is to simply withdraw and attack it from the sides.
* [[Panther II]]: Unlike the first [[Panther tank (Family)|Panther series]], the Panther II's frontal armour cannot be penetrated by the 20-pounder, plus it has the famous [[KwK 43 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK 43 gun]] so more caution is needed. However, just like the Tiger II, aiming for the turret cheeks can ensure a disabling of the vehicle to take advantage of.
* [[IS-6]] : The IS-6 is one of the most challenging vehicles that you face at this rank. It is fast, very well armoured and has a powerful gun. Despite the fact that it is a premium, it is very common. You will face it often. It can easily bounce the 84mm APDS from the front and even the sides. If angled properly the IS-6 is very difficult to displace. It is not invincible though. Firing at it from high ground can reduce the effectiveness of its angled armour and HEAT-fs is good for penetrating it's armour, so working closely with other tanks is important.
* [[Maus]] : The very sight of a Maus on the battle field can be enough to make some players turn tail and run. It is an extremely menacing opponent to face on the battlefield, and its huge 128mm gun will have no trouble taking you out of the game. Even the 75mm coaxial gun can damage your main gun and tracks, if not penetrate the {{PAGENAME}} from the side. Luckily, the Maus is not invincible. With APDS you can penetrate turret cheeks and side armour relatively easily, but sometimes your rounds will simply pass through the massive superstructure without doing very much damage. The internal layout of the Maus is quite complex and is lined with extra 20 mm plates of armour, protecting crew members and modules from internal shrapnel. Destroying the Maus in one shot is extremely difficult, so it is often best to retreat after a successful hit.
* [[Jagdtiger]] : The Jagdtiger is armed with the same devastating 128mm gun as the Maus, which is absolutely deadly if it hits you. Couple this with formidable frontal armour and you have a very dangerous opponent. Try to flank this opponent or hit the flat superstructure on the left and right of the main gun.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decent mobility for the size
* Heavy punching 84 mm 20-pounder "Quickfire" gun can penetrate most enemies seen at BR
* Very strong sloped frontal armour able to withstand most shells fired at the FV4202
* Resistant to Soviet 85 mm and German [[KwK36 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK36]] cannons at long range
* Has a stabiliser which allows for accurate fire on the move
* Has a low profile compared to other British tanks of the same rank such as the Centurion Mk 3
* Unlock-able APDS shell for heavier targets

'''Cons:'''

* Weak side armour
* Overall thin armour yet sloped
* LFP (Lower Frontal Plate) is generally weak and most penetrative hits will take out driver and ammo rack
* Poor reverse speed
* A part of the soft turret armour is near a flat weak point
* Vulnerable to air attacks from planes with heavier guns as engine roof armour is lacking
* Although a small target, there is an 89 mm weak spot right above the gun Shots penetrating this, in particular APHE may knock out the turret crew
* The cupola on top of the turret is a deadly weak spot One penetration from APHE will take you out
* Is only equipped with solid shot ammunition, with no explosive filler. The APDS lacks post-penetration damage and spalling shrapnel.

== 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=uk_fv4202 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|oa26g25qqP4|'''Best medium tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:16 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== 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}}

Maus

2021-11-22T13:41:07Z

U25658854:

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

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]] as a main tree vehicle, however as of [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]] it was shifted to become a gift vehicle for players who previously owned it. It was later reopened to research for a limited time during [[wt:en/news/6907-special-8th-anniversary-of-war-thunder-en|War Thunder's 8th anniversary]] and again for the [[wt:en/news/7408-news-happy-birthday-war-thunder-en|9th anniversary]]. The Maus is the definitive tank of ''heavy armour'' in Rank V and is one of the largest ground vehicles in game. The Maus can be a menace in the battlefield and conversely also a bullet magnet, a double-edged sword that must be played correctly or else fall victim to heavy enemy fire.

The "Maus" lives up to its reputation as a mobile bunker. The dual guns do great damage, however, against high-rank tanks it is best to use the 128 mm main gun. It is important to protect the back armour on the Maus and to make sure it does not get outflanked. Preferable used at long range and choke points. Best used as an armoured beast able to destroy vehicles and take any shot.

Speed on the vehicle is roughly 20 km/h. The sheer mass of the vehicle and its speed makes the mobility difference from the road to off-road negligible. The vehicle can actually turn pretty fast once at Gear 6, which is better than the Jagdtiger and some other Rank V heavy counterparts. Keep that in mind and use it as an advantage in {{Annotation|CQC|Close Quarters Combat}}.

The 128 mm is a great gun in-game, very accurate and perfect for mid to long range engagements. The reload is very good too for its calibre (23-second stock) that is a big advantage versus IS-4s, because the Maus has three seconds for an extra shot. KwK44 has the second best penetration value of any APHE shell in-game surpassed only by the 130 mm on the [[IS-7]]. However, the APCR and HEAT shells of the T-54 and late US vehicles surpasses it. Damage wise the 128 mm PzGr.43 is equivalent to the [[IS-3|122 mm BR-471 of the D-25T]], where penetration usually means a knock-out.

Coaxial LMG? Pff, that's for normal tanks (But it is there anyway). On the Maus, everything is ''bigger''. The short 75 mounted alongside the main 128 originally served as anti-infantry and soft target weapon of choice. In War Thunder, these vehicle types are either not found on the battlefield or as latter only on certain maps. It comes without question that the 75 mm should be used against AAA, trucks and SPAA. However, the HEAT shell can be used to harass the enemy, lure them out/in of cover, or just damage medium tank's sides (T-54 and M46 do not exceed 80 mm of armour) tracks and even hull break some lightly armoured vehicles such as the BMP 1. In addition, the secondary cannon has a good reload rate of around 5 sec, thus it can be used to defeat [[:Category:Light_tanks|light tanks]] and [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|SPAA]] without wasting the precious 128 mm ammo for more heavily armoured targets.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 200 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' 200 mm (35°) ''Lower glacis'' || 180 mm ''Top'' 100 mm ''Bottom'' 300 mm ''Weld joints''|| 150 mm (36°) ''Top'' 150 mm (31°) ''Bottom'' || 50 mm ''General area'' 100 mm ''Front roof''
|-
| Turret || 232 mm (3-53°)''Turret front'' 240 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 205 mm (30°) || 200 mm (15°) || 60 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Armour on the Maus is quite complex, and definitely does not end with the above-mentioned values
** Gun mantlet is 240 mm thick and nicely rounded, right around both guns the armour is 300 mm thick
** Tracks at the front are protected by 100+60 mm plates (100mm basic plate + attached tracks)
** Behind the frontal upper plate on deck armour, there are many 60mm highly sloped plates of armour, protecting the engine vents and turret ring from HEAT/HE shells and some small-calibre fire
** Frontal part of the belly is also 100 mm thick (Would be probably good against mines/other explosives), the rest is 50mm
** Deck armour in front of these plates is also strengthened to an impressive 100 mm
** Side armour is split to two parts, top with 180 mm and bottom with 100 mm + tracks
** Even inside the tank there is armour - there are many 20 mm plates inside the tank, separating crew compartments from various modules, and partially protecting the interior from shrapnel that penetrated the tank from other areas
***One plate is at the rear of the tank, between the enormous transmission and the fighting compartment
*** Second one is more to the front, separating fighting compartment from the middle-mounted Engine and its radiators
*** Third is in the front between the driver's compartment and the Engine
*** Around the driver there are many more 20 mm plates, adding some protection to Fuel Tanks located there

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,549|rbMinHp=1,061}}

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

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

{{main|KwK44 (128 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK44 (128 mm)|128 mm KwK44]] || 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" | 68 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+23° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 6.6 || 9.0 || 10.9 || 12.0 || 12.8 || rowspan="2" | 23.66 || rowspan="2" | 20.93 || rowspan="2" | 19.30 || rowspan="2" | 18.20
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.8 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 7.5 || 8.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| PzGr || APC || 252 || 249 || 237 || 222 || 208 || 196
|-
| Sprgr. L/5 || HE || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC || 272 || 269 || 257 || 242 || 228 || 215
|-
|12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS
|APCBC
|312
|307
|288
|266
|245
|226
|-
|}
{| 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 || APC || 930 || 26.35 || 1.2 || 19 || 786.5 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. L/5 || HE || 750 || 28 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 3,700 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC || 940 || 28.3 || 1.2 || 19 || 786.5 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS
|APCBC
|1230
|9.85
|1.2
|19
|108.8
|48°
|63°
|71°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo parts
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''68''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants''|| 62 ''(+6)'' 62 ''(+6)'' || 55 ''(+13)'' 55 ''(+13)'' || 50 ''(+18)'' 50 ''(+18)'' || 45 ''(+23)'' 45 ''(+23)'' || 39 ''(+29)'' 39 ''(+29)'' || 33 ''(+35)'' 33 ''(+35)'' || 25 ''(+43)'' 25 ''(+43)'' || 17 ''(+51)'' 17 ''(+51)'' || 9 ''(+59)'' 9 ''(+59)'' || 1 ''(+67)'' 1 ''(+67)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Turret empty: 45 (+23)

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK44 L/36.5]] || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
| 100 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 5.20 || 4.60 || 4.24 || 4.00
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 420 || 5.74 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 450 || 4.8 || 0 || 0.1 || 875.5 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| 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. || 423 || 6.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|center|framed|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
|-
| '''100''' || 76 ''(+24)'' || 51 ''(+49)'' || 26 ''(+74)'' || 1 ''(+99)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 76 (+24)

=== Machine guns ===
{{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 || 1,000 (150) || 900 || -7°/+23° || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Versus heavy tanks, the Maus has all the advantages. While slower it can make up for this in close combat thanks to the good turn rate of both tracks and turret. Just quickly angle the Maus (both turret and hull!) and ''turn'' it almost invincible heat shells can still penetrate the angled turret, be advised. Try angling the front drive wheel at the enemy tank and turn the turret so that the armour is at ~45 degrees to the enemy fire. The tanks that pose a threat are the [[M103]], the [[M48 Patton (Family)|M48]], the [[T-62 545 (China)|Chinese T-62]], and especially the BMPs, and the [[Object 120]], basically every tank that has got HEAT-FS, ATGM, and the APFSDS that can penetrate more than 320mm of armor. One other good strategy is to capture the objective and just defend it. This can be really helpful to the team.

Versus medium tanks, the Panzerkampfwagen VIII can fight in {{Annotation|CQC|Close Quarter Combat}} with its great turret rotation speed, but at the cost of exposing the side armour and getting flanked, this should be kept as one's last and or only option. Distance is the ally of the Maus, which should be easy to do considering that the top speed is 20 kph.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* One of the most armoured tanks in the game
** Practically invincible, if angled properly
** Capable of soaking a large amount of damage
* Only vulnerable to large-calibre HE shells
* Very resilient to bombs and rockets
* Turret sides are as strong as, if not stronger than, the front of the turret
* Access to smoke grenades
* Surprisingly good off-road manoeuvrability
* Makes decently fast turns in high gear movement or in neutral steering
* Very difficult to immobilize, due to extremely thick track skirts
* Powerful 128 mm cannon
* Secondary 75 mm coaxial cannon is surprisingly effective when using HEAT rounds

'''Cons:'''

* Very slow
* Struggles on hilly terrain
* Requires good teamwork to perform adequately
* Slow turret rotation
* The sides of the Maus are littered with ammo racks
* Very loud engine, players will be able to locate the Maus just by the engine sounds
* Vulnerable at all ranges to modern rounds such as sabot rounds
* Towing is practically impossible unless it is done by another Maus
* Large bombs will commonly cripple the Maus, or detonate its fuel tanks
* Optics have little zoom capability, making it difficult for hitting long range targets
* Big target for ATGMs
* No modern armour of any kind, relies completely on conventional armour plating
* Secondary 75 mm is hard to aim

== History ==

===Development===
This monster of a tank started development in 1942 on the suggestion of Ferdinand Porsche to Hitler, which was approved. The first prototype was to be completed by 1943 and the project vehicle was designated the ''Mammut'' (Mammoth). The name changed in December 1942 to ''Mäuschen'' (Little Mouse), then once more to the '''Maus''' (Mouse) in February 1943, which stayed as its designation (and perhaps proving that Germany does have a sense of humour).

The prototype used Ferdinand's "electric transmission" that was previously used on the rejected [[VK 45.01 (P)|Tiger(P)]], the vehicle would be powered by an MB 517 diesel engine. The Maus has a suspension design with 24 wheels on each side, 2 per bogie with two bogies side by side and six bogies lining up from front and back. The armour was perhaps the most defining feature at 220 mm thick at the hull front, the sides and rear were 190 mm thick. The turret was even thicker at 240 mm on the front and 200 mm on the sides and rear. The vehicle was to also have a 128 mm KwK 44 main gun with a 75 mm KwK 44 gun as a coaxial. The overwhelming design was approximated to weight 100 tons.

The production plan was to have the prototype completed by mid-1943 and for 10 vehicles per month after the prototype delivery. Work would be divided between Krupp and Alkett for the production of the machine. The wooden model of the tank was presented on May 1943 to Hitler. It was then approved for production and 150 of them were to be built. With the final design finished, it was estimated to weight 188 tons now. Though Hitler and his peers saw it with much favour, Heinz Guderian criticised the Maus design because there was a lack of machine guns, thus it was extremely vulnerable to infantry attacks at close-quarters for the same reason as the [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand tank destroyer]]. The anti-infantry problem was solved with the addition of a coaxial machine gun and a ''Nahverteidigungswaffe'' dischargers, firing smoke or high-explosive shells in its surrounding area, installed on the turret.

===Production and cancellation===
Two prototypes of the Maus were made in 1943 and 1944. The first one, called ''V1'' was turretless and assembled by Alkett in December 1943, it was fitted with a mock turret that helped finalise the turret design in 1944. Here they determine the Maus was definitely too heavy for any bridges in existence so the Maus would ford rivers with a snorkel. The second prototype called ''V2'' by Alkett again had the first produced Maus turret attached with the 128 mm gun, coaxial 75 mm gun, and coaxial machine gun. In July 1944, Krupp was producing four more hulls, but these were scrapped and the whole project stopped on August 1944, though tests with the ''V2'' continued. The weight of the tank meant that the power-to-weight ratio was extremely poor, resulting in the Maus' ideal speed of about 8 miles per hour maximum in ideal conditions.

However, the Maus was never fully produced because it was the only tank that seized production because of a strategic bombing campaign that would ruin its production facilities. Adding to this, by 1944, the Red Army was advancing deeper and deeper into what was previously German-controlled territory. The vision that the Red Army might capture the testing grounds of the Maus prototypes and the prototypes themselves seem to come closer to reality. The Germans were forced to destroy the prototypes to prevent their capture by the Soviets, placing charges onto the ''V2'' prototype (the ''V1'' was only a hull so it wasn't combat-effective). The second prototype had the entire hull damaged as there was ammunition still in the tank when the charges went off, but the turret was mostly intact. The Russians captured the damaged prototypes and held them until the end of the war. After World War II, the Soviet Commander of Armoured and Mechanized troops ordered for the V1 hull to be attached with the turret from the V2 prototype. They had to use six ''Sd.Kfz. 9'', the largest half-track vehicles produced by Germany, to move the 55-ton turret to the hull. The fixed prototype was sent back to the Soviet Union for testing and arrive on May 4, 1946. Once this is done, the prototype was sent to Kubinka Tank museum in Russia where it lays today on display for the public.

=== In-game description ===
An experimental super-heavy tank built in Germany towards the end of the war. The project was developed by Ferdinand Porsche.

The first tank was assembled at the Alkett factory in Berlin on August 1, 1943.

The first trial run of the Type 205/1 tank was conducted on December 24, 1943. The turret still wasn't ready, so a load equal to the weight of the turret was placed on top of the tank. The prototype turned out to be quite maneuverable once it was able to leave the assembly area, where it had been rather cramped. According to those who had the opportunity to drive the tank, the Maus was easier to drive than the Pz.Kpfw. IV.

In November, 1943 a 44 caliber, 128mm KwK 44 cannon was built that was intended for the tank. The cannon's designation was later changed to 12.8 cm KwK 82. The weapon was tested at the Meppen training ground. The turret was installed on the 205/1 prototype on July 6, 1944, and on October 3, 1944 the armament was installed and the fully-outfitted tank was tested at the training ground in Kummersdorf.

Both prototypes were tested in Kummersdorf, but no reliable information on these tests is available. Whether or not experimental firing was conducted is also unknown.

Toward the end of the war, bodies and turrets had begun to be produced in addition to the prototypes that had been built.

As the Soviet troops were approaching in 1945 both prototypes were blown up. Soviet specialists were able to reconstruct one Maus from the wreckage. This rebuilt tank was delivered to the training ground in Kubinka in 1946, where various tests were performed.

The Panzerkampfwagen Maus can currently be viewed on display at the tank museum in Kubinka.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Images
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Wallpaper MAUS 000012.jpg|thumb|none|300px|]] </li>
</ul></div>

;Videos

Gameplay/History:
{{Youtube-gallery|6ZtvfyAsmM4|'''The Shooting Range #68''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 09:31 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|B2woWvJK4ew|'''Top 7 most armoured vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:35 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ly9JS6errQQ|'''Best secondary armaments''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:14 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|x97HKmhCRsE|'''The Maus''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|Zs9_u_plcSw|'''The Maus Super-Heavy Tank''' - ''Simple History''}}
Review:
{{Youtube-gallery|_x9vub-xk9Y|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|SfMT-d6Kez4|'''Mighty Maus''' - ''TheDevildogGamer''}}

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/737/|[Devblog] Panzerkampfwagen VIII «Maus»]]
* <nowiki>[Historical]</nowiki> Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus", [[wt:en/news/2825-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-i-en|Part I]], [[wt:en/news/2831-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-ii-en|Part II]], and [[wt:en/news/2843/current/|Part III]]

{{Germany heavy tanks}}

Maus

2021-11-22T13:39:18Z

U25658854: maus is no longer largest on ground

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

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]] as a main tree vehicle, however as of [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]] it was shifted to become a gift vehicle for players who previously owned it. It was later reopened to research for a limited time during [[wt:en/news/6907-special-8th-anniversary-of-war-thunder-en|War Thunder's 8th anniversary]] and again for the [[wt:en/news/7408-news-happy-birthday-war-thunder-en|9th anniversary]]. The Maus is the definitive tank of ''heavy armour'' in Rank V and is the one of the largest ground vehicles in game. The Maus can be a menace in the battlefield and conversely also a bullet magnet, a double-edged sword that must be played correctly or else fall victim to heavy enemy fire.

The "Maus" lives up to its reputation as a mobile bunker. The dual guns do great damage, however, against high-rank tanks it is best to use the 128 mm main gun. It is important to protect the back armour on the Maus and to make sure it does not get outflanked. Preferable used at long range and choke points. Best used as an armoured beast able to destroy vehicles and take any shot.

Speed on the vehicle is roughly 20 km/h. The sheer mass of the vehicle and its speed makes the mobility difference from the road to off-road negligible. The vehicle can actually turn pretty fast once at Gear 6, which is better than the Jagdtiger and some other Rank V heavy counterparts. Keep that in mind and use it as an advantage in {{Annotation|CQC|Close Quarters Combat}}.

The 128 mm is a great gun in-game, very accurate and perfect for mid to long range engagements. The reload is very good too for its calibre (23-second stock) that is a big advantage versus IS-4s, because the Maus has three seconds for an extra shot. KwK44 has the second best penetration value of any APHE shell in-game surpassed only by the 130 mm on the [[IS-7]]. However, the APCR and HEAT shells of the T-54 and late US vehicles surpasses it. Damage wise the 128 mm PzGr.43 is equivalent to the [[IS-3|122 mm BR-471 of the D-25T]], where penetration usually means a knock-out.

Coaxial LMG? Pff, that's for normal tanks (But it is there anyway). On the Maus, everything is ''bigger''. The short 75 mounted alongside the main 128 originally served as anti-infantry and soft target weapon of choice. In War Thunder, these vehicle types are either not found on the battlefield or as latter only on certain maps. It comes without question that the 75 mm should be used against AAA, trucks and SPAA. However, the HEAT shell can be used to harass the enemy, lure them out/in of cover, or just damage medium tank's sides (T-54 and M46 do not exceed 80 mm of armour) tracks and even hull break some lightly armoured vehicles such as the BMP 1. In addition, the secondary cannon has a good reload rate of around 5 sec, thus it can be used to defeat [[:Category:Light_tanks|light tanks]] and [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|SPAA]] without wasting the precious 128 mm ammo for more heavily armoured targets.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 200 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' 200 mm (35°) ''Lower glacis'' || 180 mm ''Top'' 100 mm ''Bottom'' 300 mm ''Weld joints''|| 150 mm (36°) ''Top'' 150 mm (31°) ''Bottom'' || 50 mm ''General area'' 100 mm ''Front roof''
|-
| Turret || 232 mm (3-53°)''Turret front'' 240 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 205 mm (30°) || 200 mm (15°) || 60 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Armour on the Maus is quite complex, and definitely does not end with the above-mentioned values
** Gun mantlet is 240 mm thick and nicely rounded, right around both guns the armour is 300 mm thick
** Tracks at the front are protected by 100+60 mm plates (100mm basic plate + attached tracks)
** Behind the frontal upper plate on deck armour, there are many 60mm highly sloped plates of armour, protecting the engine vents and turret ring from HEAT/HE shells and some small-calibre fire
** Frontal part of the belly is also 100 mm thick (Would be probably good against mines/other explosives), the rest is 50mm
** Deck armour in front of these plates is also strengthened to an impressive 100 mm
** Side armour is split to two parts, top with 180 mm and bottom with 100 mm + tracks
** Even inside the tank there is armour - there are many 20 mm plates inside the tank, separating crew compartments from various modules, and partially protecting the interior from shrapnel that penetrated the tank from other areas
***One plate is at the rear of the tank, between the enormous transmission and the fighting compartment
*** Second one is more to the front, separating fighting compartment from the middle-mounted Engine and its radiators
*** Third is in the front between the driver's compartment and the Engine
*** Around the driver there are many more 20 mm plates, adding some protection to Fuel Tanks located there

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,549|rbMinHp=1,061}}

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

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

{{main|KwK44 (128 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK44 (128 mm)|128 mm KwK44]] || 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" | 68 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+23° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 6.6 || 9.0 || 10.9 || 12.0 || 12.8 || rowspan="2" | 23.66 || rowspan="2" | 20.93 || rowspan="2" | 19.30 || rowspan="2" | 18.20
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 4.8 || 5.6 || 6.8 || 7.5 || 8.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| PzGr || APC || 252 || 249 || 237 || 222 || 208 || 196
|-
| Sprgr. L/5 || HE || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37 || 37
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC || 272 || 269 || 257 || 242 || 228 || 215
|-
|12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS
|APCBC
|312
|307
|288
|266
|245
|226
|-
|}
{| 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 || APC || 930 || 26.35 || 1.2 || 19 || 786.5 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. L/5 || HE || 750 || 28 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 3,700 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr 43 || APCBC || 940 || 28.3 || 1.2 || 19 || 786.5 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|12,8/8,8 Pzgr.TS
|APCBC
|1230
|9.85
|1.2
|19
|108.8
|48°
|63°
|71°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo parts
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''68''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants''|| 62 ''(+6)'' 62 ''(+6)'' || 55 ''(+13)'' 55 ''(+13)'' || 50 ''(+18)'' 50 ''(+18)'' || 45 ''(+23)'' 45 ''(+23)'' || 39 ''(+29)'' 39 ''(+29)'' || 33 ''(+35)'' 33 ''(+35)'' || 25 ''(+43)'' 25 ''(+43)'' || 17 ''(+51)'' 17 ''(+51)'' || 9 ''(+59)'' 9 ''(+59)'' || 1 ''(+67)'' 1 ''(+67)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Turret empty: 45 (+23)

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[KwK44 L/36.5 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK44 L/36.5]] || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
| 100 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 5.20 || 4.60 || 4.24 || 4.00
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 420 || 5.74 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 450 || 4.8 || 0 || 0.1 || 875.5 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| 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. || 423 || 6.2 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|center|framed|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
|-
| '''100''' || 76 ''(+24)'' || 51 ''(+49)'' || 26 ''(+74)'' || 1 ''(+99)'' || No
|-
|}

Turret empty: 76 (+24)

=== Machine guns ===
{{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 || 1,000 (150) || 900 || -7°/+23° || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Versus heavy tanks, the Maus has all the advantages. While slower it can make up for this in close combat thanks to the good turn rate of both tracks and turret. Just quickly angle the Maus (both turret and hull!) and ''turn'' it almost invincible heat shells can still penetrate the angled turret, be advised. Try angling the front drive wheel at the enemy tank and turn the turret so that the armour is at ~45 degrees to the enemy fire. The tanks that pose a threat are the [[M103]], the [[M48 Patton (Family)|M48]], the [[T-62 545 (China)|Chinese T-62]], and especially the BMPs, and the [[Object 120]], basically every tank that has got HEAT-FS, ATGM, and the APFSDS that can penetrate more than 320mm of armor. One other good strategy is to capture the objective and just defend it. This can be really helpful to the team.

Versus medium tanks, the Panzerkampfwagen VIII can fight in {{Annotation|CQC|Close Quarter Combat}} with its great turret rotation speed, but at the cost of exposing the side armour and getting flanked, this should be kept as one's last and or only option. Distance is the ally of the Maus, which should be easy to do considering that the top speed is 20 kph.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* One of the most armoured tanks in the game
** Practically invincible, if angled properly
** Capable of soaking a large amount of damage
* Only vulnerable to large-calibre HE shells
* Very resilient to bombs and rockets
* Turret sides are as strong as, if not stronger than, the front of the turret
* Access to smoke grenades
* Surprisingly good off-road manoeuvrability
* Makes decently fast turns in high gear movement or in neutral steering
* Very difficult to immobilize, due to extremely thick track skirts
* Powerful 128 mm cannon
* Secondary 75 mm coaxial cannon is surprisingly effective when using HEAT rounds

'''Cons:'''

* Very slow
* Struggles on hilly terrain
* Requires good teamwork to perform adequately
* Slow turret rotation
* The sides of the Maus are littered with ammo racks
* Very loud engine, players will be able to locate the Maus just by the engine sounds
* Vulnerable at all ranges to modern rounds such as sabot rounds
* Towing is practically impossible unless it is done by another Maus
* Large bombs will commonly cripple the Maus, or detonate its fuel tanks
* Optics have little zoom capability, making it difficult for hitting long range targets
* Big target for ATGMs
* No modern armour of any kind, relies completely on conventional armour plating
* Secondary 75 mm is hard to aim

== History ==

===Development===
This monster of a tank started development in 1942 on the suggestion of Ferdinand Porsche to Hitler, which was approved. The first prototype was to be completed by 1943 and the project vehicle was designated the ''Mammut'' (Mammoth). The name changed in December 1942 to ''Mäuschen'' (Little Mouse), then once more to the '''Maus''' (Mouse) in February 1943, which stayed as its designation (and perhaps proving that Germany does have a sense of humour).

The prototype used Ferdinand's "electric transmission" that was previously used on the rejected [[VK 45.01 (P)|Tiger(P)]], the vehicle would be powered by an MB 517 diesel engine. The Maus has a suspension design with 24 wheels on each side, 2 per bogie with two bogies side by side and six bogies lining up from front and back. The armour was perhaps the most defining feature at 220 mm thick at the hull front, the sides and rear were 190 mm thick. The turret was even thicker at 240 mm on the front and 200 mm on the sides and rear. The vehicle was to also have a 128 mm KwK 44 main gun with a 75 mm KwK 44 gun as a coaxial. The overwhelming design was approximated to weight 100 tons.

The production plan was to have the prototype completed by mid-1943 and for 10 vehicles per month after the prototype delivery. Work would be divided between Krupp and Alkett for the production of the machine. The wooden model of the tank was presented on May 1943 to Hitler. It was then approved for production and 150 of them were to be built. With the final design finished, it was estimated to weight 188 tons now. Though Hitler and his peers saw it with much favour, Heinz Guderian criticised the Maus design because there was a lack of machine guns, thus it was extremely vulnerable to infantry attacks at close-quarters for the same reason as the [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand tank destroyer]]. The anti-infantry problem was solved with the addition of a coaxial machine gun and a ''Nahverteidigungswaffe'' dischargers, firing smoke or high-explosive shells in its surrounding area, installed on the turret.

===Production and cancellation===
Two prototypes of the Maus were made in 1943 and 1944. The first one, called ''V1'' was turretless and assembled by Alkett in December 1943, it was fitted with a mock turret that helped finalise the turret design in 1944. Here they determine the Maus was definitely too heavy for any bridges in existence so the Maus would ford rivers with a snorkel. The second prototype called ''V2'' by Alkett again had the first produced Maus turret attached with the 128 mm gun, coaxial 75 mm gun, and coaxial machine gun. In July 1944, Krupp was producing four more hulls, but these were scrapped and the whole project stopped on August 1944, though tests with the ''V2'' continued. The weight of the tank meant that the power-to-weight ratio was extremely poor, resulting in the Maus' ideal speed of about 8 miles per hour maximum in ideal conditions.

However, the Maus was never fully produced because it was the only tank that seized production because of a strategic bombing campaign that would ruin its production facilities. Adding to this, by 1944, the Red Army was advancing deeper and deeper into what was previously German-controlled territory. The vision that the Red Army might capture the testing grounds of the Maus prototypes and the prototypes themselves seem to come closer to reality. The Germans were forced to destroy the prototypes to prevent their capture by the Soviets, placing charges onto the ''V2'' prototype (the ''V1'' was only a hull so it wasn't combat-effective). The second prototype had the entire hull damaged as there was ammunition still in the tank when the charges went off, but the turret was mostly intact. The Russians captured the damaged prototypes and held them until the end of the war. After World War II, the Soviet Commander of Armoured and Mechanized troops ordered for the V1 hull to be attached with the turret from the V2 prototype. They had to use six ''Sd.Kfz. 9'', the largest half-track vehicles produced by Germany, to move the 55-ton turret to the hull. The fixed prototype was sent back to the Soviet Union for testing and arrive on May 4, 1946. Once this is done, the prototype was sent to Kubinka Tank museum in Russia where it lays today on display for the public.

=== In-game description ===
An experimental super-heavy tank built in Germany towards the end of the war. The project was developed by Ferdinand Porsche.

The first tank was assembled at the Alkett factory in Berlin on August 1, 1943.

The first trial run of the Type 205/1 tank was conducted on December 24, 1943. The turret still wasn't ready, so a load equal to the weight of the turret was placed on top of the tank. The prototype turned out to be quite maneuverable once it was able to leave the assembly area, where it had been rather cramped. According to those who had the opportunity to drive the tank, the Maus was easier to drive than the Pz.Kpfw. IV.

In November, 1943 a 44 caliber, 128mm KwK 44 cannon was built that was intended for the tank. The cannon's designation was later changed to 12.8 cm KwK 82. The weapon was tested at the Meppen training ground. The turret was installed on the 205/1 prototype on July 6, 1944, and on October 3, 1944 the armament was installed and the fully-outfitted tank was tested at the training ground in Kummersdorf.

Both prototypes were tested in Kummersdorf, but no reliable information on these tests is available. Whether or not experimental firing was conducted is also unknown.

Toward the end of the war, bodies and turrets had begun to be produced in addition to the prototypes that had been built.

As the Soviet troops were approaching in 1945 both prototypes were blown up. Soviet specialists were able to reconstruct one Maus from the wreckage. This rebuilt tank was delivered to the training ground in Kubinka in 1946, where various tests were performed.

The Panzerkampfwagen Maus can currently be viewed on display at the tank museum in Kubinka.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Images
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Wallpaper MAUS 000012.jpg|thumb|none|300px|]] </li>
</ul></div>

;Videos

Gameplay/History:
{{Youtube-gallery|6ZtvfyAsmM4|'''The Shooting Range #68''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 09:31 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|B2woWvJK4ew|'''Top 7 most armoured vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:35 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ly9JS6errQQ|'''Best secondary armaments''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:14 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|x97HKmhCRsE|'''The Maus''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|Zs9_u_plcSw|'''The Maus Super-Heavy Tank''' - ''Simple History''}}
Review:
{{Youtube-gallery|_x9vub-xk9Y|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|SfMT-d6Kez4|'''Mighty Maus''' - ''TheDevildogGamer''}}

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/737/|[Devblog] Panzerkampfwagen VIII «Maus»]]
* <nowiki>[Historical]</nowiki> Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus", [[wt:en/news/2825-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-i-en|Part I]], [[wt:en/news/2831-historical-panzerkampfwagen-viii-maus-part-ii-en|Part II]], and [[wt:en/news/2843/current/|Part III]]

{{Germany heavy tanks}}