War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

F-86A-5

2020-05-13T11:08:55Z

U29176946: /* Pros and cons */ added a bit

{{Specs-Card
|code=f-86a-5
|cockpit=380314/1306424
}}
{{About
|about=aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=F-86 (Family)
}}

== Description ==


[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} American jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. This fighter has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

== General info ==
=== Flight Performance ===

The {{PAGENAME}} like many of the first line variants of an aircraft promises the world but does not fully live up to the promise, which is accurate for the Sabrejet. Outfitted with the General Electric J47-GE-13 jet engine, the {{PAGENAME}} struggles to climb to attack altitude and overall accelerate to sufficient attack speed. However, once the {{PAGENAME}} is at a good perching altitude, it can use its weight and manoeuvrability to Boom & Zoom other aircraft. This aircraft will not win many speed races against contemporary aircraft, however, with its speed, it can get in and out of a fight in a hurry and set up for another run. While the fighter is very agile when it comes to rolling, attempting to turn the aircraft results in a significant loss of speed. During this time, the wing’s leading edge slats extend and help the fighter make tighter turns, however, sustained turns will bleed all of the fighter’s energy, leaving it flying slow, an easy target for enemy aircraft.

One place where a slower {{PAGENAME}} actually has an advantage is in the ground bombing role as the the leading edge wing slats will help the maneuverability of the aircraft while lining up a bombing run with either 2,000 lbs of bombs or 16 [[HVAR]] rockets which can be unleashed from a stable weapons platform. When engaging ground targets, the trick is to get in and get out as quick as possible, because when flying low and slow, there is not much room for error and enemy fighters will be on the look out for aircraft on the deck without much room to maneuver. During bombing runs, reserve WEP power as a backup for departing the area. Once any external payload ordinances have been released, the {{PAGENAME}} can resume its role as an interceptor.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 1,081 || 1,071 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 25.4 || 25.9 || 30.8 || 28.8 || rowspan="2" | 700
|-
! Upgraded
| 1,105 || 1,093 || 22.7 || 24.0 || 46.2 || 38.1
|-
|}

====Details====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 620 || 620 || 350 || ~13 || ~8
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 850 || < 600 || < 680 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric J47-GE-13 || 1
| colspan="2" | 4,900 kg || colspan="3" | 232 kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 31m fuel
|-
| 1,145 kg || colspan="2" | Axial-flow turbojet
| 5,285 kg || 5,740 kg || 6,154 kg || 6,196 kg || 9,530 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 9m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 31m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 2,273 kgf || N/A
| 0.43 || 0.40 || 0.37 || 0.37 || 0.24
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 2,273 kgf (0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.43 || 0.40 || 0.37 || 0.37 || 0.24
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Front Windshield
* 6.35 mm Steel - Nose armour x 2
* 20 mm Steel - Pilot's headrest
* 12.7 mm Steel - Back of pilot's seat

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|Browning M3 (12.7 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 6 x 12.7 mm Browning M3 machine guns, nose-mounted (300 rpg = 1,800 total)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|AN-M65A1 Fin M129 (1,000 lb)|HVAR}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordinance:

* Without payload
* 16 x 127 mm HVAR rockets
* 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 Fin M129 bombs (2,000 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:ArtworkImage_F86mig.jpg|thumb|300px|right|The view of an F-86 Sabre from the cockpit of a [[MiG-15]]]]
The F-86A-5 should be played as a strict Boom & Zoom plane due to the fact that simple turns make it bleed a lot of speed. Gain some speed after takeoff (750 - 800 kph or 466 - 497 mph) then zoom up to 3,000 m/9,843 ft then turn to the centre after you're done zoom side-climbing. Next, you pick your targets. Dive, engage, zoom up smoothly (to not lose a lot of speed) then rinse and repeat. If there are multiple enemies above you, don't engage and keep flying straight. If there is one enemy above you in the vicinity, you can engage, but don't pull up hard or you will lose a lot of speed in the process! Do it smoothly. If you are generally low on speed and you can escape from enemies, keep flying straight until you're fast, zoom up then loop around and keep flying straight at the altitude you went up to then resume the strict Boom & Zoom procedure.

The F-86A-5 is not an air superiority fighter, it's more of a support plane despite being a Sabre. Tactics explained in "General playstyle".

All top rank jets are a threat. All of them have better performance overall especially in acceleration, climb rate and energy retention.

For those who may have a {{PAGENAME}} on their tail, if you're in an emergency (a situation where nothing that was explained works), resort to defensive flying. The defensive flying capabilities of the A-5 Sabre are very high and extremely good due to its roll rate. Most of the time, top rank jet pilots will Boom & Zoom you which can be a problem for you, however, if they decide to stick around and dogfight you, you will have the advantage.

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage Repair
| Compressor
|
| Offensive 12 mm
|
|-
| II
| New Boosters
|
| Airframe
|
| FRC mk.2
|-
| III
| Wings Repair
| Engine
|
| New 12 mm MGs
|
|-
| IV
| G-Suit
|
| Cover
|
| FLBC mk.1
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very fast roll rate
* Leading-edge slats which improve low-speed manoeuvrability
* Nose mounted weaponry with lots of ammunition
* Very agile with good dive and turn rates
* 12.7 mm M3 Browning .50 calibre guns are very effective weapons
* can fly with one wing

'''Cons:'''

* Poor sustained climb rate
* Slow acceleration for a top rank jet
* Loses a lot of speed in turns
* Slow compared to its enemies
* Becomes sluggish when ordnance is equipped
* Very hard to get guns on target in horizontal due to weak rudder control
* May face super sonic aircraft with guided munitions

== History ==

[[File:F86-MiG15_guncamera_Korea.gif|thumb|right|A view from the gun camera on an F-86 Sabre capturing the downing of a MiG-15 over the skies of Korea (''Click image to view .gif footage'')]]
The F-86 is considered one of the best fighter jets of the Korean War. It is the most-produced Western fighter, with almost 10,000 aircraft produced by the US, Australia, Canada (as the re-engined CL-13), Italy, and Japan.

The F-86 was developed by North American Aviation, the creator of the venerable P-51 Mustang. The XP-86 prototype was created to meet the USAF requirement for a high-altitude escort fighter. It was derived from the Navy's FJ-1 Fury, a transitional fighter jet that borrowed the wings, tail surfaces and canopy from the P-51D. The XP-86 was under threat of cancellation because the XP-80 and XP-84 had similar performance characteristics and were farther ahead in development. However, North American designers made a radical change to the design and replaced the straight wing with a swept wing, which was shown by seized German research to greatly reduce drag and increase performance at high speed. The resulting performance boost was so significant that the swept-wing prototype of the XP-86 was supposedly able to break the sound barrier in a dive a few days before Chuck Yeager made his official attempt.

The F-86A-5 is the first operational variant of the F-86. It is powered by the General Electric J47 engine and includes slats on the leading edge of the wing derived from the Messerschmitt Me 262 to increase low-speed performance. It is armed with six M3 .50 (12.7 mm) electrically boosted machine guns firing at 1,200 rounds per minute. It can carry eight 5" rockets, 2,000 lb of bombs, or a pair of external fuel tanks that can be jettisoned in-flight to increase performance in combat. While most of the F-86As had a Mark 18 manual ranging-computing gun sight, the last 24 F-86A-5-NAs were equipped with the A-1CM gun sight, which used radar to automatically compute a target's range. This later became standard on the F-86E.

=== In-game description ===
An all-metal monoplane jet fighter with swept wings.

The development of the Sabre began in the autumn of 1944 as a modification of the NA-134 shipboard fighter. In November 1944, North-American presented its plan for a daytime fighter to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF): the NA-140 model, based on the NA-134 and later given the designation of XP-86. It was decided in the design process that the XP-86 would feature the more promising swept wings instead of straight ones. The prototype Sabre XP-86, built with swept wings, first flew on October 1, 1947.

The first production model of the Sabre was the Р-86А (manufacturer number NA-151). In June 1948, the aircraft was given the new designation of F-86A. It was fitted with a General Electric J47-GE-1 (-3, -7) turbojet engine producing 2,360 kg of thrust.

The aircraft's armament consisted of six 12.7mm Browning M3.5 machine guns with 1,800 total rounds of ammunition. The distinctive features of the production model were a curved windscreen and flaps over the machine gun firing ports, which could be closed by means of an electric motor. The first production Р-86А-1 took off on 20 May 1948. Most of the F-86А-1s were used to perform various tests and were not delivered to the front.

The F-86A-5 (NA-151) was the first real combat Sabre with a J47-GE-7 engine. It was produced for the first time on February 23, 1949. This model had a new windscreen, and the closeable flaps of the machine gun firing ports were removed to simplify maintenance. The cockpit canopy could be jettisoned if necessary. Two 780-liter fuel tanks could be mounted on the underwing pylons. Instead of fuel tanks, the aircraft could carry a combat load, which usually consisted of two 100-lb (45-kg), 500-lb (227-kg) or 1,000-lb (454-kg) bombs, two 375-kg tanks filled with napalm, or two 220-kg bomb clusters. Guide rails could also be mounted to hold eight unguided 5-inch HVAR rockets under each wing.

A contract to deliver the next batch of the F-86As was signed in May 1948. These aircraft were still designated as F-86A-5s but they were named NA-161s at the plant, as they had a number of differences from previous series. In particular, they were equipped with a J47-GE-13 engine. Deliveries of this batch began in October 1949 and were finished in December of the following year.

The last 24 F-86A-5s had a new A-1CM sight coupled with an AN/APG-30 radar ranging unit. The planes originally equipped with the А-1СМ were designated as F-86A-6s, and those retrofitted on site were designated as F-86A-7s.

The first USAAF military unit that received the F-86A was the 94th FS (Fighter Squadron) of the 1st FW (Fighter Wing). The pilots in the unit nicknamed the new fighter the Sabre.

The F-86A fighters took part in the Korean War, making their first combat flight on December 17, 1950. Compared to its main opponent, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 fighter, the Sabre's flight characteristics were somewhat better at low altitude, but it was inferior to the MiG in its rate of climbing, service ceiling, speed at high altitude, and armament. However, the Sabre's main advantage was its sight, equipped with a radar ranging unit that enabled more accurately aimed fire when maneuvering at high speeds.

The total number of the F-86A aircraft constructed was 554, and they served only with the USAF and the Air National Guard (ANG).

=== Notable pilots ===

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Ray_S_Wetmore_portrait.jpg|thumb|none|200px|link=User:U64962917#Wetmore,_Ray_S.|United States ace pilot [[User:U64962917#Wetmore,_Ray_S.|Ray S. Wetmore]], fatally crashed while flying an '''F-86''' which malfunctioned on final approach into Otis Air Force Base in Massachussetts in 1951.]] </li>
</ul></div>

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

== See also ==


;Related development

* Canadair [[F-86 (Family)|Sabre]] (those Sabres manufactured with the designator "CL")
* North American [[F-86K (France)|F-86D]] Sabre
* North American [[F-100D|F-100]] Super Sabre
* North American [[FJ-4B|FJ-4]] Fury

;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Dassault [[Super Mystere B2|Super Mystère]]
* Grumman [[F9F-8|F-9]] Cougar
* Hawker [[Hunter F.1|Hunter]]
* Lavochkin [[La-15]]
* Mikoyan-Gurevich [[MiG-15]]
* Mikoyan-Gurevich [[MiG-17]]
* Saab [[J29D|J29]] Tunnan

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

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

{{AirManufacturer NAA}}
{{USA jet aircrafts}}

M6A1

2020-05-13T11:00:49Z

U29176946: /* Pros and cons */ added a bit

{{Specs-Card|code=us_m6a1}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_M6A1Heavy.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was one of the first American tanks to be released with the American ground tree in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]]. A rather unusual tank design mounting two cannons in the turret, however, it has a durable frontal armour for the battle rating it occupies.

The M6A1 is one of the most unique tanks in the game, with its large hull and being as tall as a Tiger I. Another interesting feature is that it is one of the most manoeuvrable heavy tanks in the game with a powerful Wright G-200 engine (the same engine powering the [[B-17E|B-17 ''Flying Fortress'' bomber]]) with a max speed of 35 km/h, making it very mobile in a battle situation. The tank has two 12.7 mm's in the hull which can be used but cannot be angled sideways. The M6A1 is one of the first American tanks as well in the game to have the transmission at the rear of the tank.

Something to keep in mind is the shell arc of the secondary 37 mm cannon. Its shell will usually hit the same spot on distances up to 1400 m (~1 mile). But do not forget that the gun is offset to the left in close combat, or it will not hit the target.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Front, Transmission area, Turret)
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Front, Side, Rear, Roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 82.5 mm (5-35°) ''Front'' 101.6 mm (5-35°) ''Transmission''|| 44.4 mm || 44.4 mm || 25.4 mm
|-
| Turret || 250 mm (6-65°) ''Turret front'' 50.8 + 50.8 mm (7-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 82.5 mm (0-12°) || 82.5 mm (0-68°) || 25.4 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 82.5 mm || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 17 mm thick.
* Frontal armour plate is unevenly curved for better ricochet chances and efficient armour thickness.
* Side skirts are 25 mm thick rolled homogeneous armour and will trigger fuses on APHE projectiles. In most cases, APHE shells set off before reaching the main hull and destroying the ammo stack beneath. Still, both skirts and hull are not sturdy enough to withstand a regular AP shell.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1033|rbMinHp= 708|}}

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

{{main|M7 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[M7 (76 mm)|76 mm M7]]
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
!Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="4" | 75 || -10°/+30° || ±180°
|Vertical
|-
! colspan="7" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="2" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 10.70 || 14.80 || 18.00 || 19.90 || colspan="2" | 21.20
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 10.70 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || colspan="2" | 18.0
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 7.67 || 6.78 || 6.25 || 5.90
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| M62 Shell || APCBC || 127 || 125 || 116 || 106 || 97 || 89
|-
| M42A1 Shell || HE || 7 || 7 || 7 || 7 || 7 || 7
|-
| M79 Shot || AP || 155 || 154 || 131 || 107 || 88 || 72
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| M62 Shell || 792 || 7 || 1.2 || 20 || 63.7 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M42A1 Shell || 800 || 5.8 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 390 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M79 Shot || 792 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks {{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the M6A1.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 40 ''(+35)'' || 4 ''(+71)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

=== Additional armament ===

{{main|M3 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M3 (37 mm)|37 mm M3]]
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 202 || N/A || N/A
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert Qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace Qualif.
|-
| 3.77 || 3.33 || 3.07 || 2.90
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| M74B1 || AP || 90 || 89 || 69 || 50 || 37 || 27
|-
| M63 Shell || HE || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2
|-
| M51B1/B2 || APC || 79 || 78 || 69 || 59 || 51 || 43
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| M74B1 ||883 || 0.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M63 Shell || 807 || 0.73 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 38 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M51B1/B2 || 883 || 0.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''202''' || 85 ''(+12)'' || 161 ''(+41)'' || 121 ''(+81)'' || 81 ''(+121)'' || 41 ''(+161)'' || 1 ''(+201)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,000 (200) || 576 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Hull mount #1''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,000 (200) || 576 || -10°/+35° || ±15°
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Hull mount #2''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,000 (200) || 576 || -10°/+35° || ±15°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

=== Gameplay ===
Although this is a heavy tank, and able to bounce some shells, its armour will not protect it from all incoming fire. Enemies to specifically watch out for are the [[IS-1]], [[Panther tank (Family)|Panthers]], [[Tiger E|Tigers]], and [[M4A3E2|Jumbo]] Shermans, as they can all easily penetrate this vehicle's weak frontal armour. Make sure to protect the rear flank too: M6A1's engine is very large and prone to catching on fire when hit.

But despite the imperfect armour layout, the M6A1 does bring an impressive cannon to the battle. The powerful 76 mm gun is able to penetrate the front of most Rank III tanks and can destroy most enemy targets in a single shot. The secondary cannon is weaker than the 76 mm, but can be effective. When engaging targets from the side, this smaller gun should have no trouble penetrating and destroying an enemy unit. And as with all multi-gun tanks, the secondary gun should be fired separately from the main cannon to maximize efficiency and facilitate aim. By firing the secondary cannon, it is occasionally possible to bait the enemy into advancing out of cover and revealing a weak-spot--they will not expect that you have another shell loaded in the main gun. Additionally, the vehicle mounts three 12.7 mm machine guns, which can be very effective in dealing with enemy aircraft if positioned correctly.

In most situations, the M6A1 driver will find that a slower play-style suits this tank best. The vehicle is large, turret rotation is slow, and enemies will be eager to flank it. As such, the support of teammates is necessary for an effective attack. In a defensive situation, the M6A1 is effective when located behind a ridge or other cover. This will help to obscure the tank's large profile and allow the player to ambush advancing enemies.

The M6A1 is often compared to the M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman. Although less armoured than its higher-tiered counterpart, the M6A1 is arguably better than the Jumbo during the early game and at range. While the M4A3E2 may have trouble dealing with enemy heavy tanks such as the [[KV-1 (Family)|KV-1]], this vehicle is very-well suited for engaging those targets. The M6A1 may be thought of as a Jumbo Sherman that was traded some of its armour protection in exchange for a more lethal armament.

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="2" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks||
|Parts
|Horizontal Drive||M51B1/B2
|-
|II
|Suspension||Brake System
|FPE
|Adjustment of Fire||M79 shot
|-
|III
|Filters||
|Crew Replenishment
|Elevation Mechanism||
|-
|IV
|Transmission||Engine
|
|||
|}
=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great main 76 mm gun and ammunition capable consistent of 1 hit kills
* Great secondary 37 mm gun with good reload speed and decent penetration
* Good gun depression
* Reload rate isn't generally affected when losing crew members
* Has .50 cal AA machine gun, as well as a dual-mount .50 cal in front
* First standard heavy tank in the US tree, which can dish out and take punishment equally
* Lower portion of the hull sides are protected by additional 25.4 mm armour sheet
* Adequate roof armour of 25 mm means aerial strafing will be of a little issue without large-calibre weaponry
* Rear mounted transmission means it is not affected with a frontal penetration
* Big hull increases the chance of surviving after a penetrating hit
* Good acceleration and power-to-weight ratio
* Good hill-climbing abilities
* Very good cross country performance due to large tracks

'''Cons:'''

* Lots of weak points, such as gun mantlet, upper side armour, driver port, MG port, and front armour cheeks
* Armour profile overall is quite flat, no angling benefits
* Ammo is stored in the lower side armour
* All automotive module mounted in the rear, easily prone to damage, set ablaze, or exploded when shot
* Slow top speed
* Mediocre turn speed
* Pretty large in general, will stand out in the battlefield

== History ==

===Development===
When World War II broke out, limited development in the United States meant that the military possessed very few tanks and so development hastened and eventually gave them tanks such as the [[M3 Lee|M3 Lee]] and [[M4|M4 Sherman]]. On May 20, 1940, the US Army Ordinance Corps began to work on a 50-ton heavy tank for their army. Initially, it was going to have a multi-turret design, two turrets with the 75 mm gun and one secondary turret with a 37 mm gun with a coaxial machine gun, then one more with a 20 mm gun with coaxial. Plus, four .30 cal machine guns were to be put on ball mounts on the front glacis and rear corners of the hull. This project was approved on June 11, 1940, and moved on as the ''Heavy Tank T1''. However at the same time, similar concepts in Europe of heavy breakthrough tanks such as the Soviet [[T-35]] and the German [[Nb.Fz.|Neubaufahrzeug]] tanks were falling out of favour due to lack of combat effectiveness and unfavourable performance for their cost, and the US did the same in October so the design was changed.

The tank now had one turret with a 3-inch (76.2 mm) gun alongside a coaxial 37 mm gun. The turret housed three crew members and was powered by an electrical traverse system. The commander's cupola was copied from the M3 Lee, featuring a hatch with it sown machine gun. Two .50 cal machine guns now protruded from the bow mount (fired by bow gunner) and two .30 cal machine guns as well (fired by the driver). The entire tank held six crew members, the commander, gunner, driver, assistant driver, loader #1, and loader #2. While the construction of the vehicle was feasible, the engine was not enough to power the vehicle reliably due to heavy 57-ton weight.

In 1941 to 1942, three prototypes were constructed with the different transmission, one with electrical and the rest with a torque converter. The ones with the torque converters were designated the '''Heavy Tank M6''' and '''M6A1'''. The electrical transmission design designated '''M6A2''', was never approved by Ordinance, but was to be manufactured anyway. It was hoped that 115 of these tanks could be built for further testing and production started in December 1942 with design changes. The commander's cupola now featured a regular hatch rather than the machine gun one, which was removed along with one of the machine gun in the front hull. By the time the M6 was ready for production, the Army was moving forward and interest waned on these heavy tanks with the [[M4|M4 Sherman's]] performance in the war. The M6's armour was only slightly thicker than the Sherman's and the 3-inch gun didn't offer too much improvement over the 75 mm gun, plus it had a large profile and low ergonomics, not to mention mechanical issues.

===Production and cancellation===
In early 1942, the M6 production was set for 250 a month but was cut down in September from 5,000 to a mere 100 when manufacturing focus moved to planes. By the end of 1942, Sherman's performance in the war proved its role in the war was more adaptable than the M6 heavy tank while remaining cheaper and lighter for transportation and supplying. This caused the M6 production to lower even more to just 40, before being shut down. Though testing with a 90 mm gun found the M6 to be a good gun mount, the poor layout of the tank restricted it, and the project was shut down before further development could be made.

In August 1944, the Ordinance Corps planned to modify some of the M6 heavy tanks with more armour and heavier armament to breach fortified areas. These were to be the '''M6A2E1''' and weighed 77 tons with a 190 mm front armour and a 105 mm gun. Eisenhower rejected these as impractical and cancelled it. The M6 was found to be obsolete by December 1944 with only 40 units produced and never seeing combat service. They served as a propaganda piece during the war and were all scrapped after it except one, which is put on display at Aberdeen, Maryland at the United States Army Ordinance Museum. During development, the M6 turret was modified to become the turret for the [[M10 GMC|M10 Tank Destroyer]].

=== In-game description ===
"At the end of May 1940 the US infantry chief of staff responsible for armor put together requirements for future tanks in light of what was happening in Europe: the German army was relentlessly moving toward France and using armor with great success along the way. The Wehrmacht's use of new Pz.IV tanks with 75 mm guns instantaneously made the American tanks and their 37 mm cannons obsolete.

The new tank type had to be heavy (around 50 short tons), with 76 mm and 37 mm cannons arranged side-by-side in the turret. It had four machine guns (two heavy caliber and two rifle caliber), a Wright G-200 engine, a Hydromatic transmission, and a top speed of 25 mph. The green light was given for the construction of four prototypes in February 1941.

The prototypes developed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works were designed with different transmissions and hulls in the interests of finding the best option for full-scale production. Two modifications at most were permitted, and on April 13, 1942, the T1E2 and T1E3 were standardized as the M6 and M6A1. The latter added a welded hull, Wright G-200 engine, and torque converter to the M6.

Mass production was scheduled for November 1942, though a report by General Jacob Devers on December 7 indicated that the M6s would enjoy only limited tactical use due to their size. Moreover, two M4s equipped with 75 mm and 76 mm weapons could be built in place of two heavy tanks. As a result, the Armored Corps hurried to revoke the contract.

Between 1942 and 1943 the Baldwin Locomotive Works ended up producing 12 M6 heavy tanks. They did not join the army or see combat."

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/3209/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Heavy Tank M6A1]

{{USA heavy tanks}}

KW I C 756 (r) (Germany)

2020-05-02T12:04:15Z

U29176946: fixed spelling error

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_kv_1_kwk_40}}
{{About
|about=heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=KV-1 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_KV-IB756(r)(Germany).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium Rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]]. It features a heavily modified [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] heavy tank, with the most glaring change with the gun from the 76.2 mm Soviet gun into the [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|7.5 cm KwK 40]] gun, giving the KV-1 a very noticeable improvement in firepower against enemy tanks.

The KV-1B 756(r)'s German made 75mm KwK40 gun is a solid gun. The main gun is a 75 mm German KwK 40 with barrel length L/48. Available are 4 different ammunition types: APCBC, APCR, HEAT and HE. As a decently long German gun it features very good accuracy and muzzle velocity: from 990m/s for APCR to 450m/s for HEAT. The reload time in game is 7.6s which means that you can fire almost 8 rounds per minute. The guns strength are long-range engagements and it is especially good to use in BR 4.7, where you will face many easy to penetrate medium tanks. In higher ranks it will have a superior fire rate then most higher caliber guns.

[[File:DamageModel KV-IB756(r) SideWeakpoints.jpg|thumbnail|left|Weakspots: Side Armour profile]]

AP ammo has decent armour penetration and APCR will penetrate the frontal armour of anything up to around 500m with the exception of the Sherman Jumbo. It has the same accuracy characteristics as any German made gun – it will hit the target dead center. The shells wills fly in a nice flat trajectory making aiming easier in RB and SB. The gun has a diameter of 75mm which will cause a moderate amount of damage with APCBC ammo. It will most likely take two to four shots of APCBC shells to knock out the crew, depending on the enemy tank. The fire rate is around 7.5 rounds per minute depending how well the loader is trained. The total ammo capacity is 80 rounds. It's recommended to carry around 60 rounds of APCBC, 15-20 APCR and a couple of HE rounds. HEAT rounds sound good in theory, it retains its penetration over any distance, but the arching trajectory and low velocity makes it impossible to hit moving or even stationary vehicles at a great distances. There are four ammo racks in total: two on the sides of the turret (5 rounds each), one to the right of the driver (18 rounds) and the largest directly below the turret. The chance of an ammo explosion from a hit to the front is slim however if hit at the side and low there will most likely be an explosion. The only real way to reduce the risk of an ammo explosion is to take out 10 shells so that the two ammo rack in the turret will be empty.

[[File:DamageModel KV-IB756(r) RearWeakpoints.jpg|thumbnail|left|Weakspots: Rear turret Armour profile]]

The armour is fantastic. The front hull armour is up to 100mm thick, slopped at 30 degrees, which is on par with a Tiger's armour. If the hull is angled correctly (around 40 degrees) that number can increase up to 145mm. With that kind of armour the only tanks that can penetrate the KV-1B 756(r) are the Panther, IS-2 and Panzer IV/70(V) with AP ammo. There are several more tanks that can shoot APCR rounds and successfully penetrate the tank. The side also has additional protection because of the wheels and tracks adding a good amount of protection. All that said the KV-1b 756(r) has its drawbacks. The front hull has several weak points which are protected by 75mm of armour, penetrable by most enemy AP shells. The turrets mantle and surrounding armour is only 50mm and it's not slopped making it extremely easy to penetrate. If the side is exposed there is a high likelihood that the fuel tanks or the ammo rack will explode from a direct impact. When the tank is stationary always angle the tanks hull when facing an enemy. When reloading the gun swing the turret to the side so that the mantle is protected by the strong side armour.

[[File:DamageModel KV-IB756(r) FrontWeakpoints.jpg|thumbnail|right|Weakspots: Frontal Armour profile]]

The tank's mobility is serviceable at best. It has a decent top speed but off-road the tank will slow down to a crawl. The acceleration is poor and a lot of speed is lost when turning. Taking long routes to the objective is not recommended because It will simply take too much time. Flanking and maneuvering is next to impossible. Reverse speed is very sluggish as well. Because the tank is so inherently slow it’s best to avoid hills, slopes and mud. The KV-1B 756(r) can be effective in close quarters but always be one step back from the front to avoid being flanked by faster tanks. Going into a wide open area can be very dangerous, If the enemy has any cover that they can shoot from a good distance it's better not to go out. On the other hand if there isn't any cover going out in the open can be the right thing to do considering that the KV-1B 756(r) exceeds in long range combat.

All in all the KV-1B 756(r) has a good gun, strong amour but lacks in speed. It’s best to be at a distance and try to snipe enemy tanks. Be mindful of the weak spots on the front hull and the mantle. Do not expose the side of the tank because of the fear or a fuel and/or ammo explosion. When met with an enemy tank angle your own hull for extra protection and when reloading turn the turret to the side to protect the mantle. Don’t move around much or perform flanking maneuvers, the KV-1B 756(r) isn’t a medium tank. Be cautious when driving around in towns or any other close quarters locations.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 + 25 mm (30-31°) ''Front plate'' 40 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 75 + 25 mm (26-51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (31°) ''Top'' 70 mm (14-54°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 105 mm (11-79°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (25-41°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 105 mm (1-16°) || 105 mm (6-14°) || 40 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 50 mm || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* The front hull is 75 mm thick, but an extra 25 mm armour is welded onto that plate, increasing its armour thickness.
* Turret ring is protected by 25 mm thick armour at front and sides.
* 105 mm cast armour are present above and below the 50 mm gun mantlet.

<gallery>
DamageModel KV-IB756(r) FrontArmour.jpg| Front
DamageModel KV-IB756(r) SideArmour.jpg| Side
DamageModel KV-IB756(r) RearArmour.jpg| Rear
DamageModel KV-IB756(r) RoofArmour.jpg| Roof
</gallery>

Firstly it's a good idea to close the distance. The tough armour is even tougher to penetrate at long ranges and for some tanks out right impossible. If there is no other choice try shooting for the mantle. It's not going to be easy to hit it considering the area is small and most likely shells will frustratingly bounce of the gun of the KV-1B 756(r).

[[File:DamageModel KV-IB756(r) CrewSpots.jpg|thumbnail|right|Crew Layout of the Pz.Kpfw. KV-1B 756(r)]]

When up close there are multiple places on the tank where massive damage can be dealt. When facing the front of the KV-1B 756(r) there are 3 distinct weakspots: the drivers view port, the hull machine gunners port and the mantle of the gun. Most tanks shouldn't have a problem penetrating these spots with AP ammunition. Coming up at the side there is a chance to shoot one of the ammo racks to explode the tank in one graceful shot. The ammo racks are located directly below the turret and just above the lower wheels, directly to the right of the driver and on either side of the turret. The turrets side and back armour is uniform thickness and it can be pretty tough to penetrate it when its angled. It's best to simple aim just below the turret and shoot the the hull (note that there is a small strip or additional 25mm armour just below the turret so avoid shooting that spot) to knock out the crew in the turret. Also watch out for the track and wheels on the side, they can add enough armour to negate any damge. When firing at the back of the tank it's best to shoot the turret because there aren't any fuel tanks near the engine. There isn't much use of taking out the engine because of the fact that the KV-1B 756(r) is inherently slow and most likely won't run away.

=== Mobility ===


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

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 40 L/48]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 80 || -6°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 7.1 || 9.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 7.1 || 8.4 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 7.6 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC ||140||137||125||112||100||89
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 177 || 176 || 154 || 130 || 109 || 92
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 750 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 15.0 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 930 || 4.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 570 || 5.7 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

*'''PzGr 39''' - Armour Piercing Ballistic Cap shell - This is your main ammo type, always use this if you think it can penetrate enemy armour. It deals the most damage because of its explosive filler.
*'''PzGr 40''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - It is highly advised to take at least 15-20 of these rounds. The shell has enough penetration to deal with any tank (except the Sherman Jumbo) from the front up to 500m but lacks the necessary damage. Use this shell to exploit weaknesses in the enemies tank by targeting ammunition racks, fuel tanks, the engine and any other weak points. When facing slopped armour at or close to 60 degrees use APCBC. It's best used against Panthers, Tigers, IS tanks and SU-85Ms. Has a good flat flying trajectory.
*'''Hl.Gr. 38B''' - Cumulative Anti-armour shell - it is recommended to completely avoid this kind of shell as its performance is vastly inferior in all aspects compared to APCBC or APCR ammo used by this tank.
*'''SprGr. 34''' - High Explosive shell - You should carry only very few of these. They are useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_KV-IB756(r)(Germany).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the KV-1B.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''80''' || 76 ''(+4)'' || 71 ''(+9)'' || 53 ''(+27)'' || 27 ''(+53)'' || 1 ''(+79)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,350 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The KV-1b 756(r) is a potent vehicle when angled (Preferably 30-45 degrees to the left or right). The long 75 mm is a deadly weapon as well. And you have average mobility at best. This is a great vehicle if you know how to effectively use it.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Powerful main gun with good penetration and damage
* Well armoured to resist most shells against its typical enemy
* Somehow more mobile and faster than the regular KV-1
* Very good acceleration up until 20 km/h
* APCR shell can penetrate even the heaviest foes
* Rear transmission means frontal hits is unlikely to damage component and render tank immobile
* Since it is based on a "Russian" tank, you can trick ''some'' enemies into thinking you're a friendly in [[Simulator Battles|SB]] battles. However, a skilled opponent will know.
* Premium RP/SL bonuses

'''Cons:'''

* Several weak points on the front armour especially the weak mantlet
* Cupola on turret top is very prominent and can compromise position or even be hit
* The sides are lined with fuel tanks, high chance of fire or fuel explosion
* Concentrated ammo rack at the hull bottom, low side shots have a high chance of striking and causing an ammo rack detonation
* Small turret space, a single shot can knock out every turret crew member
* Bad gun depression (-6°)
* Poor turning ability, turning will bleed speed very quickly
* Slow reverse of -5 km/h
* Since it is based on a "Russian" tank, unknowing teammates may shoot/destroy you in SB battles

== History ==


===The KV-1===
The appearance of the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] during the German invasion of the Soviet Union came as a huge surprise to them. No German anti-tank weapon bar the 88 mm cannons was able to defeat the KV-1. However, as the war progressed and Germany began to build a better tank and anti-tank guns in response to the KV-1 and [[T-34 (1942)|T-34s]]. The Soviets in turn also did a few changes to the KV-1s in order to adapt them to the changing battlegrounds, but they were eventually phased out by the newer [[IS-1|IS]] heavy tank series.

===Captured KV-1 by the Germans===
During the battles that raged on the Eastern Front, a few KV-1s were captured by the German due to the crew abandoning them from mechanical failures or combat damages. The Germans recovered and repaired these tanks, and used them against their former users under their designation as the ''Pz.Kpfw. KV-1A 753(r)'' for the 1941 model (KV-1B) and the ''Pz.Kpfw. KV-1B 755(r)'' for the 1942 model (KV-1C). While these tanks were adequate for German usage, a decision was to modify the captured KV-1 tanks for better efficiency with better guns and armour. This modified tank was to be designated the '''Pz.Kpfw. KV-1B 756(r)''' and was based on KV-1C model with applique armour and a cast turret. The first major change to the vehicle was the removal of the old 76.2 mm gun with the 75 mm KwK 40 seen on the newer [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IVs]] on a new mantlet design derived from the [[Pz.IV G|Ausf. G]] model. The commander's cupola on the KV-1 was also replaced with the Panzer IV's with the two-part hatch. The ventilator on the turret was taken from a T-34 and installed, and utility baskets were added on the rear deck of the tank.

Only one KV-1 saw this change into the KV-1B 765(r), though it arguably gave the KV-1 a much better firepower advantage from the older 76.2mm cannon. This KV-1 was attached to the 204th Panzer Regiment, a part of the 22nd Panzer Division, and saw action in the Battle of Kursk in 1943. Today, its fate is unknown, but it is presumed to have been destroyed in the heavy fighting.

== Media ==


[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23kv1b '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the KV-1B 756(r) from live.warthunder.com.]

===Sights===

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

===Images===
[[File:Kv1-beute-pzkw7561-1.jpg|x300px|thumbnail|none|Historical photo of the KV-1B 756(r)]]

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3183/current/|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> PzKpfw KV-1B 756(r)]]

{{Germany heavy tanks}}
{{Germany premium ground vehicles}}

Cromwell V (RP-3)

2020-04-20T11:23:16Z

U29176946: /* Pros and cons */ removed redundancy and added lack of explosive filler

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_5_rp3
|store = 8219
}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell Mk.V (RP-3).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows"]]. Equipped with four 152 mm [[RP-3]] rockets with a relatively straight trajectory, the Cromwell RP-3 could be played with more precision than its other rocket-bearing contemporaries like the [[Calliope|T34 Calliope]].

The Cromwell RP-3 is very similar to the [[Cromwell V]] in terms of armour, mobility, and armament. The 75 mm gun can help do damage to tanks of the same class like the [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV]], using its speed to get to an angle to hit the weaker points of the enemy tanks. However, the Cromwell RP-3 is equipped with four rockets on the turret. Unlike its contemporaries, which often has the rockets on racks above the turret, the rocket integrated on the turret allows for better aiming with the rockets in-game than the others. In the range of around 500 meters, the rockets can be aimed by use of the gun's aiming sight. Though practice is needed to get the feel of the rocket's landing point, this is a lot better than simply lobbing rockets after rockets in hope that one will hit.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (19°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (66°) ''Lower glacis'' || 25.4 mm || 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (58°) ''Bottom'' || 14 mm
|-
| Turret || 63.5 mm (1°) ''Turret front'' 63.5 (1°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 63.5 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Rocket racks on the turret are 25 mm thick gun steel.

=== Mobility ===


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

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

{{main|Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm OQF Mk.V]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || 5.75 || 5.30 || 5.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 90 || 88 || 78 || 67 || 57 || 49
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC ||103||100||89||77||66||57
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 619 || 6.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 618 || 6.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 463 || 6.3 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 666 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| M89 || 259 || 3.0 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

''Explain how the optic's status can affect the tank's gameplay in any unique or meaningful way. A comparison to rival tanks of the rank is welcome.''

''If you are having problems with it, refer to the [[Optics|optics gallery]] page for examples.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M4]]
|-
|}

=== Additional armament ===

{{main|RP-3}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | 152 mm RP-3 rocket
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Flight speed (m/s)
! rowspan="1" | Range (m)
|-
| colspan="3" | 4 || N/A || 350 || 4,500
|-
|}

=====Ammunition=====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| RP-3 || SSM || 75 || 75 || 75 || 75 || 75 || 75
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| RP-3 || SSM || 350 || 43 || N/A || 0.1 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell RP-3 should not fight tanks in a head-on battle due to the relatively unsloped frontal armour. As such, the mobility of the Cromwell should be exploited to get to the blind spots of an enemy tank and fire at them from there with the 75 mm gun or the rockets.

The Cromwell fighting prowess is due to its maneuverability and gun rotation. This is thanks to the combination of the Rover Meteor engine, essentially a Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame with the supercharger removed, and its Merrit-Brown triple-differential transmission. This gives the Cromwell power even while it manoeuvres so it maintains speed much better than those tanks using traditional clutch-and-brake systems like practically everything in this BR. This not only allows it to spin in place and easily run around obstacles, but it can also out-climb almost every tank in the game, allowing it to go places the enemy might not expect to find you. But mostly this gives it unmatched speed, allowing you to reach the good sniping spots before anyone else in the match. But there is a down side to the Cromwells amazing speed, Going in reverse will only let you go up to 3KM/h, and rarely will you be able to damage a tank enough to get a similarly effective second shot; either the tanks was still drivable and retreated to cover, angled to best bounce your next shot, or 1 shot you in return with APHE.

Once upgraded, the Cromwell's turret rotation is one of the best for the rank, only beaten by the [[T-34 (1940)|T-34]] that has a rotation speed of 29°/s (fully aced crew). This allows an upgraded Cromwell to quickly engage targets in different angles, important for close-quarter fighting. German tanks will come close to you but not be able to catch up with you in some situations, but this being said; '''do not''' go into the hell of battle thinking "My turret rotation is fast enough to best all of youse!" because that will get the Cromwell destroyed by a tank who only needs to hit your turret from the front to disable you. And as said before your reverse speed isn't that fast so if you are in this situation all you can do is pray and hope that your team mates come up to help you out or in worst case scenario the Cromwell gets destroyed straight away from a side on hit. But instead help out the team from a distance of around 0-550m or if you feel like sniping from a distance your max range is 850m.

The downside to this tank is its thin hull armour, especially on the sides. Everything on the map can penetrate the Cromwell hull, even from the front. This includes SPAAs, who will easily tear the Cromwell apart, especially the [[Wirbelwind]] that will do so at almost all ranges typically encountered and any angle. The Cromwells turret is somewhat better off, with just over 60 mm on the front and sides, but the flat plates are easily penetrated by any type of shell. The closely packed interior means it's a one-hit-to-burn design for anything with a 75 mm, and at 3.3 BR these will be on almost all tanks you face. Keep moving! If you take a shot or get shot at, re-position, don't ever try to fight it out. You're so much faster and more manoeuvrable than anything you meet that you can almost always find a better location to go after any target. Just don't try to reverse; it's single reverse gear gets you 2 mph (3 km/h), meaning you're likely better off spinning in place and then driving away.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* Great overall mobility
* 75 mm is a good gun in lower rank games
* RP-3 rockets are able to destroy enemy tanks at long ranges
* RP-3 rockets can be very accurate when learned how to use them effectively
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use you can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower ranked game
* Great armour if angled
* Armour is able to withstand powerful rounds at long distances
* Very good reload time, pending crew skill and experience

'''Cons:'''

* Very slow reverse speed
* lacks rounds with explosive filler
* Sensitive steering in forward gears; very prone to fishtailing and spinning out
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* relatively thin armor on roof/sides that can be penetrated by auto cannons or heavy machine guns
* Has no anti-aircraft protection
* Can take some time to learn how to use it effectively
* Rockets can be hard to aim at first
* Rocket racks cannot be adjusted by elevation
* RP-3s can only damage heavily armored targets with direct hits

== History ==


===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction of the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. A second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944 after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. Suspension was the Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks's road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger caliber. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm over time for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell V''' was Cromwell variant that used the 75 mm gun and a welded construction, no riveting was used in the frame.

===Combat usage===
''To be filled''

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3738-development-cromwell-v-rp3-en/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell V RP3]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}
{{Britain premium ground vehicles}}

Cromwell V (RP-3)

2020-04-20T11:18:01Z

U29176946: spell-checked maneuverability

{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_5_rp3
|store = 8219
}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell Mk.V (RP-3).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows"]]. Equipped with four 152 mm [[RP-3]] rockets with a relatively straight trajectory, the Cromwell RP-3 could be played with more precision than its other rocket-bearing contemporaries like the [[Calliope|T34 Calliope]].

The Cromwell RP-3 is very similar to the [[Cromwell V]] in terms of armour, mobility, and armament. The 75 mm gun can help do damage to tanks of the same class like the [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV]], using its speed to get to an angle to hit the weaker points of the enemy tanks. However, the Cromwell RP-3 is equipped with four rockets on the turret. Unlike its contemporaries, which often has the rockets on racks above the turret, the rocket integrated on the turret allows for better aiming with the rockets in-game than the others. In the range of around 500 meters, the rockets can be aimed by use of the gun's aiming sight. Though practice is needed to get the feel of the rocket's landing point, this is a lot better than simply lobbing rockets after rockets in hope that one will hit.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (19°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (66°) ''Lower glacis'' || 25.4 mm || 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (58°) ''Bottom'' || 14 mm
|-
| Turret || 63.5 mm (1°) ''Turret front'' 63.5 (1°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 63.5 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Rocket racks on the turret are 25 mm thick gun steel.

=== Mobility ===


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

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

{{main|Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm OQF Mk.V]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.50 || 5.75 || 5.30 || 5.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 90 || 88 || 78 || 67 || 57 || 49
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC ||103||100||89||77||66||57
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 619 || 6.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 618 || 6.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 463 || 6.3 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 666 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| M89 || 259 || 3.0 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====

''Explain how the optic's status can affect the tank's gameplay in any unique or meaningful way. A comparison to rival tanks of the rank is welcome.''

''If you are having problems with it, refer to the [[Optics|optics gallery]] page for examples.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M4]]
|-
|}

=== Additional armament ===

{{main|RP-3}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | 152 mm RP-3 rocket
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Flight speed (m/s)
! rowspan="1" | Range (m)
|-
| colspan="3" | 4 || N/A || 350 || 4,500
|-
|}

=====Ammunition=====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| RP-3 || SSM || 75 || 75 || 75 || 75 || 75 || 75
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| RP-3 || SSM || 350 || 43 || N/A || 0.1 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell RP-3 should not fight tanks in a head-on battle due to the relatively unsloped frontal armour. As such, the mobility of the Cromwell should be exploited to get to the blind spots of an enemy tank and fire at them from there with the 75 mm gun or the rockets.

The Cromwell fighting prowess is due to its maneuverability and gun rotation. This is thanks to the combination of the Rover Meteor engine, essentially a Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame with the supercharger removed, and its Merrit-Brown triple-differential transmission. This gives the Cromwell power even while it manoeuvres so it maintains speed much better than those tanks using traditional clutch-and-brake systems like practically everything in this BR. This not only allows it to spin in place and easily run around obstacles, but it can also out-climb almost every tank in the game, allowing it to go places the enemy might not expect to find you. But mostly this gives it unmatched speed, allowing you to reach the good sniping spots before anyone else in the match. But there is a down side to the Cromwells amazing speed, Going in reverse will only let you go up to 3KM/h, and rarely will you be able to damage a tank enough to get a similarly effective second shot; either the tanks was still drivable and retreated to cover, angled to best bounce your next shot, or 1 shot you in return with APHE.

Once upgraded, the Cromwell's turret rotation is one of the best for the rank, only beaten by the [[T-34 (1940)|T-34]] that has a rotation speed of 29°/s (fully aced crew). This allows an upgraded Cromwell to quickly engage targets in different angles, important for close-quarter fighting. German tanks will come close to you but not be able to catch up with you in some situations, but this being said; '''do not''' go into the hell of battle thinking "My turret rotation is fast enough to best all of youse!" because that will get the Cromwell destroyed by a tank who only needs to hit your turret from the front to disable you. And as said before your reverse speed isn't that fast so if you are in this situation all you can do is pray and hope that your team mates come up to help you out or in worst case scenario the Cromwell gets destroyed straight away from a side on hit. But instead help out the team from a distance of around 0-550m or if you feel like sniping from a distance your max range is 850m.

The downside to this tank is its thin hull armour, especially on the sides. Everything on the map can penetrate the Cromwell hull, even from the front. This includes SPAAs, who will easily tear the Cromwell apart, especially the [[Wirbelwind]] that will do so at almost all ranges typically encountered and any angle. The Cromwells turret is somewhat better off, with just over 60 mm on the front and sides, but the flat plates are easily penetrated by any type of shell. The closely packed interior means it's a one-hit-to-burn design for anything with a 75 mm, and at 3.3 BR these will be on almost all tanks you face. Keep moving! If you take a shot or get shot at, re-position, don't ever try to fight it out. You're so much faster and more manoeuvrable than anything you meet that you can almost always find a better location to go after any target. Just don't try to reverse; it's single reverse gear gets you 2 mph (3 km/h), meaning you're likely better off spinning in place and then driving away.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* Great overall mobility
* 75 mm is a good gun in lower rank games
* RP-3 rockets are able to destroy enemy tanks at long ranges
* RP-3 rockets can be very accurate when learned how to use them effectively
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use you can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower ranked game
* Great armour if angled
* Armour is able to withstand powerful rounds at long distances
* Very good reload time, pending crew skill and experience

'''Cons:'''

* Very slow reverse speed
* Not well armoured for higher rank combat, and the 75 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward gears; very prone to fishtailing and spinning out
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* Can be penetrated easily at close range
* Has no anti-aircraft protection
* Can take some time to learn how to use it effectively
* Rockets can be hard to aim at first
* Rocket racks cannot be adjusted by elevation
* RP-3s can only damage heavily armored targets with direct hits

== History ==


===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction of the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. A second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944 after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. Suspension was the Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks's road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger caliber. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm over time for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell V''' was Cromwell variant that used the 75 mm gun and a welded construction, no riveting was used in the frame.

===Combat usage===
''To be filled''

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3738-development-cromwell-v-rp3-en/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell V RP3]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}
{{Britain premium ground vehicles}}

Cromwell I

2020-04-20T11:16:55Z

U29176946: just added to the see also

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_1}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=Cromwell (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Cromwell I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The Cromwell Mk I uses the 6-pdr, which provides higher penetration than the 75 mm on the [[Cromwell V|Mk V]]. It is also slightly faster and more manoeuvrable, thanks to the addition of an engine governor on the Mk. V that lowered its maximum output. However, these advantages are offset by the higher BR which means the Cromwell will be facing some tanks that are a good match for the Cromwell in terms of speed, like the [[M18 GMC|M18]], and some tanks that are largely invulnerable, like the [[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]].

The Cromwell I is one of the fastest tanks in the game, due to its Meteor engine derived from the famous Rolls-Royce Merlin of Spitfire fame. It can outrun almost every other tank, including most low-rank light tanks like the [[BT-5|BT]] [[BT-7|series]] or [[M3 Stuart|M3]], but has adequate armour for a medium tank and a reasonable gun. Generally speaking, it can easily outfight most tanks that can keep up with it, and outrun anything that is a serious threat. Just don't sit still; anyone can snipe if given the chance, and the Cromwell's armour makes it a one-hit-wonder.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port, Side armour, Compartment hull roof)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' ||'''Front compartment:''' 44 mm ''Upper side'' 32 + 14 mm ''Lower side''

'''Engine compartment:''' 
38 (0°) + 32 mm (34°) ''Upper side'' 25.4 + 14 mm ''Lower side''
| 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm ''Compartment'' 14 mm ''Engine''
|-
| Turret || 64 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 51 mm || 44 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


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

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

{{main|Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 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" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 97 || 82 || 66 || 53 || 43
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 108 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 110 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 122 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 815 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== Ammo racks =====
[[File:Ammoracks_CromwellV.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Cromwell V (identical).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''75''' || 66 ''(+9)'' || 56 ''(+19)'' || 46 ''(+29)'' || 37 ''(+38)'' || 28 ''(+47)'' || 19 ''(+56)'' || 10 ''(+65)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

===== Optics =====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x1.85 || x3.5 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[M10 GMC]]
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Cromwell excels in flanking attacks, especially on larger maps where it has room to manoeuvre. Circling around the enemy will almost always provide some excellent sniping encounters, just be sure to take out the gunners and then immobilize the target so they cannot simply drive to safety. It can also climb like a mountain goat, allowing it to a position in areas where tanks simply won't expect the Cromwell I.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* Great gun handling
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 64 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

* Terrible reverse speed
* Neutral turning does not like any terrain sloping
* Poor at peeking shots
* Not well armoured when up-tiered and the 57 mm gun is marginal
* Sensitive steering in forward travelling gears
* Boxy, vertical armour on hull and turret makes angling critical
* 57 mm struggles to penetrate sloped or angled (or both) armour. T-34s and KV-1s are an issue at this rank as they are very difficult to penetrate at long range
* Gunner is frequently knocked out from frontal shots

== History ==

===Development===
Development for the tank started back in 1940, just around the time the [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader cruiser tank]] was being put into service in the British Army. The development of a stronger cruiser tank was initiated due to the belief that that the Crusader would become obsolete in the face of more advanced German tanks as the time pass. The initial plans was for the tank to mount the OQF 6-pounder gun and was to be completed in 1942. The project was taken up by three companies who submitted their designs. Vauxhall developed the ''A23'', a scaled down [[Churchill Mk III|Churchill tank]] with 75 mm of armour and a 12-cylinder Bedford engine. Nuffield developed the ''A24'' based off the Crusader that was powered by the Liberty engine and had an advantage of being put into production quickly. Leyland and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon developed a design that was similar to Nuffield's, but with different suspension and track designs. All these designs were examined in January 1941 and it was decided that Nuffield's A24 would become the vehicle of choice for the project. Six prototypes of the vehicle, now called ''Cromwell I'' were ordered for delivery in the Spring of 1942, but arrived four months late, with current events making the tank designs outdated. Despite that, the tank was put into production and experienced an unsatisfactory performance history as being an under-powered tank. The lack of available tanks led to the demands for more 6-pounders on the battlefield, which were used to be mounted on the older tank designs.

When Britain entered the war, Rolls-Royce stopped producing cars and set up a team to find ways to use their production lines. The team was made under Roy Robotham at Clan Foundry near the city of Belper. Meeting with Henry Spurrier of Leyland, they talked tank designs and a project began of fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine onto a tank. A Leyland-built Crusader was used for the test, removing the supercharger from the engine before installing it in the tank. The result was an absurdly fast tank, able to reach a speed of 80 km/h, estimated since timing the speed runs was difficult. The impressive performance had Leyland organize a production for 1,000 units of the engine, renamed as the ''Meteor''. This plan was changed after concerns of the engine's cooling was raised, Leyland decides to produce their own version of Meteor which was weaker (350 hp) compared to the Rolls design (500 hp). Thus, the Tank Board decided to just order the engine straight from Rolls-Royce for the Meteor engine. The A24 tank design with the Meteor engine was redesignated as the A27. During the development, Leyland suggested that the tank should be made to fit both the Meteor and the American-designed Liberty engine, thus the designation expanded to A27M (Meteor) and the A27L (Liberty) and were called ''Cromwell III'' and ''Cromwell II'' respectively. Leyland's attempt at building their own engine was abandoned. The A27M tank was made into a prototype and delivered on January 1942, it proved extremely mobile with its 600 hp engine and orders were placed for both engine versions. This proved difficult due to production difficulties with the Meteor and soon Leyland took over production of both versions. Production lines for the Meteor engine continued to be strained until late 1942, where Ernest Hives of Rolls met with Spencer Wilks of the company Rover made a deal in January 1943 to exchange factories, with Rolls establishing a Meteor engine factory at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Production of the tank began in November 1942 with new names given out the tanks. The original A24 Cromwell I from Nuffield was renamed the ''Cavalier'', the Liberty powered Cromwell II became the ''Centaur'', and the Meteor powered Cromwell III retained the name as the '''Cromwell'''. The actual Cromwell tank production was delayed until January 1943 due to low supply of Meteor engines until the Rover factory began producing it. With more Meteor engines being produced, the Centaur tanks were often converted to use the Meteor engine, turning them into Cromwells. Field tests with the tanks took place in August to September in 1943 alongside the [[M4A2|M4A2]] and M4A4 Shermans. The tests proved the Shermans to be more reliable than the Cromwell and Centaurs, needing only about 0.03 hours of mechanical attention every mile compared to the Cromwell's 0.07 hours per mile and the Centaur's 0.08 hours per mile. The two tanks were thus given time to iron out these deficiencies, the Cromwell suffered from oil leaks along with brake and clutch failures. While the tank suffered from these defects, the crews expressed their satisfaction with the designs for their speed and handling, but the Centaur was not given the same attention as the Cromwell. The second test in November had the Cromwell perform with improved results while the Centaur was still experiencing the same problems. The production model was finalized on February 2, 1944, after a specifications for a "Battle Cromwell" came in from Leyland, which included some design changes, an increase of 6 mm on the bottom of the tank, seam welding the joints, and the standard usage of the Meteor engine and the Merritt Brown transmission. The Centaur was relegated to training roles or modified for specialist roles such as anti-aircraft guns or engineering vehicles. Total production for the A27 tank series is 4,016 tanks, of which 950 are Centaurs and 3,066 are Cromwells.

===Design===
The Cromwell's frame used a riveted construction in its initial production models, but this later changed to welding. The frame was strengthened with bolted armour plates. Companies involved in the A27 production were LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, and English Electric. Some of these models were not consistent in construction, such as some variants built with 360 mm wide tracks and some with 393 mm tracks. The suspension was a Christie suspension derived from the earlier cruiser tank designs. Four of the tanks' road wheels have shock absorbers, and no return rollers are available, the tracks are supported on the top of the large road wheels. The gearbox has five forward and one reverse gear, with the first forward gear made for confined areas and sharp turns. While the Meteor engine is capable of going faster, it is restricted to 540 hp output with a governor to avoid straining the engine and suspension. The Cromwell's armaments changed over a few times, it's initial model mounted the 6-pounder gun, but the later models [[Cromwell V|mounted the 75 mm gun]]. The adaption was easy due to the 75 mm gun being a 6-pounder bored for the larger calibre. A 7.92 mm BESA machine gun was available for coaxial firing on the turret. The armour on the Cromwell started as a 76 mm plate, which increased gradually to 83 mm and 100 mm overtime for additional protection.

The '''A27M Cromwell I''' was exactly the same as Centaur I, with the biggest difference being that it was powered with a Meteor engine. It featured a 6-pounder as its main armament, but only a few were produced before the Cromwell changed armament to the [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm gun]]

===Combat usage===
The British, at the time of Operation Overlord, primarily service the [[M4|M4 Sherman]] as the main tank of their armoured units, only the armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division were equipped with the Cromwell tanks. Although the Cromwell also saw use as armoured reconnaissance regiments in other British divisions such as the Guards Armoured Division and the 11th Armoured Division. Compared to the Sherman, the Cromwell was much faster, so fast that it earned the title as the fastest British tank in World War II. The Cromwell also presented a smaller profile, making it a lower target, and has a thicker frontal armour plate. However, the Cromwell's armour was not sloping, was not as reliable in comparison to the Sherman, and a slightly smaller crew space inside the tank. Nevertheless, the Cromwell proved very mobile and effective on the battlefield alongside the Sherman, often outflanking German armour with their superior speed to hit the tanks on their sides or rear. Since the Cromwells are not able to mount the larger and more powerful 17-pounder and a derivative, the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]], met with production issues, Cromwell units were equipped with [[Sherman Firefly|Sherman Fireflies]] in order to supplement the firepower of the 17-pounder. Later in the war, these units began to be succeeded by the [[Comet I|Comet tank]] which had more armour and a more powerful 77 mm gun derived from the 17-pounder.

During the war, the Cromwell chassis was used in various specialized roles on the battlefield. The ''A30 Challenger'' is a tank design that attempted to mount the 17-pounder on a lengthened Cromwell chassis, the ''[[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]]'' was another attempt to equip the 17-pounder, but used a lighter turret instead. Some were made into observation posts or command tanks. The Centaur saw a wider conversion with some becoming engineering vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, and armoured personnel carriers. After the war, the British attempted to up-gun the Cromwell into the ''[[Charioteer Mk VII|Charioteer]]'', which was designed in the 1950s to supplement tank units before the [[Centurion Mk 3|Centurion]] was mass-issued.

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in Northern Europe with the Allies as they breakthrough deeper into Europe. After World War II, some Cromwell stayed in service and saw service in the Korean War with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment and the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. The Cromwells also were given to Greece, where it had the distinction of being the first tank put into service by the Greek Army. 52 Centaurs were given to Greece in 1946 to fight in the Greek Civil War, but these were stored due to lack of crews with adequate training. Formal training began in Greece began in 1947 with the return of trained officers from Britain. The Centaur saw limited service in the Greek Armoured Corps, fighting in the Greek mountains. These units kept the Centaurs up until 1963 where it was replaced by the American [[M47|M47 Pattons]].

== Media ==


<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|none|350px|Cromwell I in the desert.]] </li>
</ul></div>
== See also ==
[[Cromwell V|Cromwell Mk.V]]

[[Cromwell Mk.V (RP-3)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/846/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell I]]
* [[wt:en/news/3549-profile-cromwell-mk-i-en|[Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cromwell Mk I]]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Talk:Galer's F3F-2

2020-04-20T11:10:40Z

U29176946: Created page with "why is this literally the same as the standard f3f page? i know its super similar but still"

why is this literally the same as the standard f3f page? i know its super similar but still

F3F-2

2020-04-20T11:06:39Z

U29176946: 1 spelling error 1 link and I changed the wording a bit

{{Specs-Card
|code=f3f-2
|cockpit=333246/1106386
}}
{{About
| about = American fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the premium version
| link = Galer's F3F-2
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

The F3F-2 is the sole American biplane fighter other than its [[Galer's F3F-2|premium variant]]. However, it is a very capable biplane fighter, and can be seen in-game as a rival to the USSR's [[I-153 M-62|I-153 Chaika]].

As expected with most Rank I fighters, but often considered "unusual" for an American fighter, the F3F is a pure-bred turn fighter. Like the Chaika mentioned above, and the polar opposite in performance to the [[F2A-1|F2A]] that replaced it in service, the F3F can pull turns with relative ease, and also has a very excellent roll rate, which when abused can provide a tough challenge for most of its opposition. It easily outclasses all reserve planes except the [[Ki-10-I|Ki-10]] in manoeuvrability, and is on par with the [[I-153 M-62|I-153]] in that matter as well. However, the F3F's BR can push it into the domain of [[Spitfire Mk Ia|Spitfires]], [[I-16 type 24|late-model I-16s]], [[Ki-43-I|Ki-43s]] (as well its bigger brother, the [[Ki-44-I|Ki-44]]) and of course [[Bf 109 E-3|Bf 109s]], all of which are capable of easily disposing of their biplane opposition. It isn't the fastest or most climbable fighter either.

Due to its lacklustre armament (one M2 Browning machine gun with 200 rounds and one 7.62 mm Browning machine gun with 500 rounds), the F3F should mainly go after the fighter opposition, and not after bombers - leave that job to the [[P-40E-1|P-40s]]. While it can carry two 100 lb bombs, they are only effective against lightly armoured targets (armoured cars, artillery, AAA etc.), and if carried early on in the match can weigh the plane down, affecting its flight characteristics a bit as a result. Leave the bombs until either the opposition goes passive for a while or air superiority can be obtained for a period of time over an opposing field of ground targets.

The F3F is armed with one [[Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2 Browning]] machine gun, and one [[Browning (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Browning]] machine gun, both are located within the nose of the aircraft right above the engine. While this does mean gun convergence is not an issue, the two-gun armament can be lacking in both firepower and ammunition count; the larger M2 has only 200 rounds to play with while the smaller 7.62 has 500 rounds on hand.

Nevertheless, this armament is decent enough to take down reserve and lightly-armoured Rank I planes with relative ease and, if an experienced player is behind the controls, is capable of dealing with even rank II aircraft.

The best air-to-air belts for the 12.7 MG are either Universal or Stealth belts (good amount of incendiary bullets), and Universal belts should be used for the 7.62 MG.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===

The F3F-2 is a highly manoeuvrable aircraft as would be expected from its biplane configuration, this allows it to competitively turn with majority of the enemy aircraft that it encounters, the energy retention is good at lower speeds (<250km/h), but at higher speeds the F3F-2 will lose energy quickly when in a hard turn, problems will be found when facing higher BR monoplane fighters which will have a considerably superior top speed this can cause problems due to the slower speed of the F3F.

Despite the slower speed of the F3F-2 it does have good early acceleration (0-240km/h) and will usually be one of the first aircraft in the air at the start of the match thanks to its 210m needed takeoff distance, the 16m/s climb rate will also allow for the F3F-2 to have an altitude against majority of the enemy fighters that it will face.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,268 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 418 || 403 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 15.7 || 16.1 || 12.4 || 12.4 || rowspan="2" | 210
|-
! Upgraded
| 460 || 436 || 14.4 || 15.0 || 20.9 || 16.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear
|-
| X || X || X || X || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|body}} || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || N/A || N/A || ~13 || ~6
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 8.5 mm Steel boxes in the fuselage.

== Armaments ==
=== Offensive armament ===

{{main|M2 Browning (12.7 mm)|Browning (7.62 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (200 rpg)
* 1 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun, nose-mounted (500 rpg)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|AN-M30A1 (100 lb)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (200 lb total)

== Usage in battles ==

The F3F is first and foremost a fighter aircraft, this is a role in which it thrives with its brilliant maneuverability allowing it to deal with majority of enemy aircraft in a turn fight, trying to get an enemy aircraft to turn with you will be the best way to engage and win a fight, if the enemy is a monoplane they will usually have worse performance at slower speeds, so making them turn and lose energy is a good way to gain an advantage with your superior slow speed performance, if the enemy aircraft is also a biplane your main focus should be preventing them from getting guns onto your aircraft, if you can gain a turning advantage you should move into position and attempt to down the enemy aircraft, your two guns can end up putting lots of rounds into an enemy, but a hit to any critical component such as the pilot or engine will either end the fight or put it strongly in your favor. It is best to avoid "head on" engagements with enemy aircraft, as the engine on the F3F has a large frontal profile (radial engine) along with the engine front being exposed, this makes the engine being hit a common occurrence and without your engine survival is unlikely.

The F3F will commonly come across aircraft with superior top speed, such as many of the [[Bf 109 (Family)|early Bf-109 variants]] (A, B-1, E-1 & F-1), these aircraft will usually attempt to use a "boom & zoom" attack style against your aircraft, the best you can do is to keep a good amount of energy and be ready to evade when the commit to an attack run, if you can evade them for long enough you will hopefully receive some help from some of your other team members or you might be able to make the enemy try and commit to a turn fight where you should have an advantage and be able to critically damage or down their aircraft.

As for using the F3F for [https://wiki.warthunder.com/CAS_-_Close_Air_Support close air support (CAS)] you will have a few possibilities, the most popular choice will be to take the two 100 lb bombs (AN-M30A1), these only contain 24.5 kg of explosive mass so you will need to land them very close to the intended target to do any meaningful damage. A second option is to use your .50 cal (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine gun to destroy ground targets, all belts for this gun have 26mm of penetration, although the ground targets belts are best as they contain more AP rounds, these will be able to go through SPAA (Self Propelled Anti Aircraft) vehicles as well as some light & medium tanks, firing at the roof armour or side armour on enemy vehicles will usually prove to be the most likely areas to achieve penetration.

It is recommended not to hold the brakes on landing, as the F3F will likely flip over, it is best to tap the breaks on and off to avoid this occurring.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Controllable || Controllable Not auto controlled || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Auto control available || Separate || Controllable 2 gears || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="3" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
|
| Offensive 7 mm
|
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| Offensive 12 mm
|
| Mk.41
|-
| III
|
| Engine
|
|
| New 7 mm MGs
|
|-
| IV
| Wings repair
| Engine injection
| Cover
| New 12 mm MGs
|
|
|-
|}

For firepower modules, outside of upgrades for the machine guns, the unlock of the module ''Mk.41'' will allow the {{PAGENAME}} to mount two 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very good turn rate and roll rate
* Capable of dealing with most reserve or rank I aircraft
* Can land on carriers, which comes in handy
* Massive fuel load
* 12.7 mm MG can damage/destroy light tanks and SPAA vehicles making it useful for CAS
* Good rate of climb when compared to other aircraft at this BR

'''Cons:'''

* Limited Armament
* Not a very fast plane
* Engine is exposed and is susceptible to damage
* Will easily flip on landing with constant brake use

== History ==

The last biplane fighter in use by the United States Navy, the Grumman F3F first flew on 20 March 1935, and entered front-line service with VF-5B of USS ''Ranger'' the following March. The improved F3F-2 model-fitted with a more powerful Wright R-1820-22 Cyclone nine-cylinder engine-entered service between 1937-38 and proved to be the ultimate evolution of American biplane fighter design; it also earned the nickname "Flying Barrel" due to its modified engine cowling, which had to be larger to fit the new and bigger 1820 cubic-inch (29.88-litre) radial powerplant. The modifications allowed the updated fighter to accelerate to a higher top speed of 264 miles per hour (425 km/h), improved its climb rate from 2050 to 2750 ft/min (10.4 m/s to 13.7 m/s) and also expanded its service ceiling to 33,200 feet (10,120 m). Despite already being obsolete by the time it was introduced, Navy pilots loved the tough little Grumman fighter, and the F3F also influenced and provided a starting point for the design of Grumman's more successful wartime [[F4F-3|F4F Wildcat]] monoplane fighter.

Eighty-one F3F-2s were procured, and served with VF-6 aboard the USS ''Enterprise'' as well as Marine squadrons VMF-1 and VMF-2. The last F3Fs in front-line use by carrier squadrons were gone by 1941 (replaced by newer [[F2A-1|Brewster F2A Buffalo]] monoplanes), but remained in use for training and transport duties during the first two or so years of the United States' involvement in World War II, the last of which was retired in November 1943.

== Media ==


* [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23f3f War Thunder Live camouflages for the F3F]

== See also ==


* [[Galer's F3F-2]] - Premium variant

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Grumman_F3F|[Wikipedia] Grumman F3F]]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20190526124324/http://www.mucheswarbirds.com/F3Fart.html [Mucheswarbirds.com<nowiki>]</nowiki> The Grumman F3F: The U.S. Navy's Last Biplane Fighter]

{{AirManufacturer Grumman}}
{{USA fighters}}