War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

ASU-57

2021-07-08T23:46:54Z

U49489082: /* Usage in battles */ Fixed spelling mistakes

{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_asu_57
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows"]]. It was designed as an airborne self-propelled gun to provide fire support and anti-tank capability for the VDV (''Vozdushno-Desantnye Voyska''), the Soviet airborne forces.

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

Due to the weight restrictions necessary for air portability, the ASU-57 has nearly no armour to speak of, and the side armour can be penetrated by even rifle-calibre machine guns. It has no armoured roof, and is thus extremely vulnerable to strafing runs by aircraft.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

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

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

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=78|rbMinHp=49}}

While the ASU-57 has a top speed below 50 km/h, it has an excellent power/weight ratio that allows the vehicle to accelerate very quickly to reach its top speed. It is thus very mobile and turns very quickly. However, it has a poor reverse speed of only 5 km/h, which makes it hard to back up into cover or away from a threat.

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

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

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

The ASU-57 is armed with the '''57 mm Ch-51M''', a derivative of the 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun encountered previously on the [[ZiS-30]]. The mounting has a very limited amount of gun depression and traverse due to the small size of the ASU-57. The gun itself has a fairly fast reload, which is a good thing since it is not uncommon for the first penetrating hit to not completely destroy the target.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Ch-51M (57 mm)|57 mm Ch-51M]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 30 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+12° || rowspan="2" | ±8° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 10.57 || 14.63 || 17.76 || 19.64 || 20.89 || rowspan="2" | 6.50 || rowspan="2" | 5.75 || rowspan="2" | 5.30 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 7.14 || 8.40 || 10.20 || 11.28 || 12.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''BR-271SP''': APBC; a solid shot with a good penetration but no explosive filler. It is your stock shell, use it until you unlock BR-271M.
* '''BR-271M''': APCBC; an armour-piercing round with ballistic cap and explosive filler. It will punch through most targets frontally and its explosive filler will take out most targets in a single shot. This should be your main shell once you unlock it.
* '''BR-271N''': APCR; a composite round with a slightly increased penetration but no explosive filler and will only penetrate flat vertical surfaces. The small added penetration (a few mm) does not make a viable ammo choice to deal with heavily armoured targets.
* '''O-271''': HE; a slow round with a high explosive mass useful for taking out the crew of open-topped vehicles. As it won't consistently kill SPAAGs due to the small calibre and low explosive mass, don't try to hunt these vehicles as they will kill you much faster than you will.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| BR-271SP || APBC || 142 || 139 || 126 || 111 || 98 || 87
|-
| BR-271M || APCBC || 155 || 151 || 135 || 118 || 102 || 89
|-
| O-271 || HE || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5 || 5
|-
| BR-271N || APCR || 159 || 155 || 140 || 123 || 108 || 94
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| BR-271SP || APBC || 975 || 3.14 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-271M || APCBC || 1,020 || 2.8 || 1.2 || 9 || 20.02 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-271 || HE || 695 || 3.72 || 0.4 || 0.01 || 220 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-271N || APCR || 1,125 || 2.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

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

Right side empty: 19 ''(+11)''

== Usage in battles ==


One of the smallest tracked vehicles in the game, weighing only 3.3 tons, the ASU-57's complete lack of armour makes it extremely vulnerable. Its only defense is its small size, making it extremely difficult to notice, let alone hit. It accelerates quickly and is very nimble for a turretless tank destroyer.

The ASU-57 is very difficult but can be very rewarding and fun to play. It is not recommended for arcade battles, as its primary advantage, stealth, is lost. The ASU-57 is a master of stealth, famed and beloved by the community for its ability to sneak up on tanks using its extremely small size. When using the ASU-57, objects that other tanks would ignore or simply drive over are capable of completely hiding the vehicle, making ambushes and surprise attacks the specialty of the ASU-57. This size comes at a cost, however, as the ASU-57 is extremely vulnerable to almost anything that can shoot at it. Aircraft are especially dangerous due to the open crew compartment.

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

Sniping can also be a very good tactic, thanks to the amazing velocity of BR-271M (over 1,000 m/s) and consequently penetration, also thanks to your very low profile you are very hard to spot/hit at far range. Be careful though when engaging American vehicles as they can just spray their .50 cals at you, knocking your crew out even at long range.

Note that the ASU-57 is the lowest ranked vehicle in the game with access to night vision devices, a useful feature in night battles.

;<nowiki>Enemies worth noting:</nowiki>:

As the ASU-57 can be easily knocked out by most enemies, it does not makes sense to list all opponents. However, some foes are more dangerous than others as they may survive your shots.

* [[Panther D]], [[Tiger H1]]: in uptiers you can see those two big cats. The Panther's UFP is immune to all your rounds, so better aim for the left side (right when facing it) of the gun mantlet, this will usually knock out gunner, commander and with some luck the gun breach. For the Tiger, aim for the front hull if it is not angled as you can punch right through. If it is angled, in this situation it is better to just retreat and relocate. The best is still to get a side shot on both of them. An important note is that with their enormous size and your rounds small explosive mass, you can and will struggle to destroy them; actually a shot to the middle of the Tiger's UFP wont take out a single crew member, only damage them.
* KV-1B/C (germany). Those can be really tricky even side shots can non-pen, treat similarly as a Tiger, the armour layout is very similar, especially on the hull.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Tiny size; difficult to spot and hit
* Smallest of bushes are able to hide the tank
* Armour is too thin to trigger APHE fuses
* Excellent mobility
* Most powerful 57 mm gun in the game
* Lowest ranked vehicle that has access to NVDs
* Given all the abilities of a light tank (scouting, help repair)
* Very short; so most tanks can't kill it with their main gun up close

'''Cons:'''

* Virtually no armour, can be hull-broken, and 12.7 mm will chew right through it
* Even 7.62 machine guns can penetrate the armor at close range.
* Low ammunition capacity
* Extremely vulnerable to aircraft
* 57 mm gun rarely destroys vehicles with one shot
* Zero stabilisation and extremely bouncy suspension, making quick shoot and scoots difficult
* Poor gun depression and horizontal traverse
* Gun located at the bottom of the vehicle, meaning in order to fire the whole tank must be exposed
* NVDs are only available in 3rd person or in the Commander's view

== History ==

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

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

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

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=ussr_asu_57 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|YuBjyMQLRy0|'''Airmobile tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 1:18 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|W1VPU4wqfkI|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|i-V5rB5UOgA|'''ASU-57 Soviet Airborne Tank Destroyer''' - ''yolkhere''}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[SU-57B]]
* [[ASU-85]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3724-development-asu-57-air-delivery-en/|[Devblog] ASU-57: Air Delivery]]
* [[Wikipedia:ASU-57|[Wikipedia] ASU-57]]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

M50

2021-06-07T00:42:57Z

U49489082: /* Pros and cons */ removed unnecessary capital G

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m50_ontos
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''', also known by the nickname '''Ontos''', is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A."]].

The M50 "Ontos" is pretty much a bulky carrier of recoilless rifles, carrying a payload of six shells of devastating HEAT and HESH shells. With six launchers pointing forwards, a well-emplaced M50 can point itself downrange and once a target comes into its sights, unleash all shells until the target is annihilated.

A stealthy and pouncing game style is needed to make the most of the hard-hitting guns and the thin armour of the Ontos.

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 10-13 (70°) ''Front glacis'' 13 mm (45-66°) ''Lower glacis'' || 13 mm (43°) ''Top'' 13 mm ''Bottom'' || 13 mm (36°) ''Top'' 13 mm ''Bottom'' || 13 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 13 mm || 13 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and torsion bars are 20 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=206|rbMinHp=128}}

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

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

{{main|M40A1C (106 mm)}}

The turret displacement is limited without being a huge handicap as it allows to cover a wide area without (±40°) having to reposition the hull. And in the case your guns reach a stop, repositioning the hull is quickly done.

The targeting process is manual and in average twice slower than tanks with turrets at the same tier or battle rating. However, the recoilless nature of the guns eliminates the need for retargeting between shots as the recoil is minimal. The short delay between shots eliminates the need for repositioning as it does not leave the target any time to retaliate.

An aspect to consider is the offset of the guns from the central target sight: at close range its impact is minimal but becomes noticeable when firing at specific weak spots on targets at a distance. Using the scouting MGs can help you assess the off-set but will reveal your position. Given the rifles layout of the Ontos, it is recommended to fire by salvos of 3 shells to guarantee a good balance between rate of fire and accuracy.

Like for a SPAA belt, you have to fire all 6 rifles before being allowed to start the reloading process. Your ammo capacity of 18 shells total (or 3 belts of 6) is limited, which will impact your combat performance as you're very likely to have to disengage in order to restock during a battle.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M40A1C (106 mm)|106 mm M40A1C]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 18 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±40° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 18.65 || 21.94 || 26.64 || 29.46 || 31.34 || rowspan="2" | 16.90 || rowspan="2" | 14.95 || rowspan="2" | 13.78 || rowspan="2" | 13.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.71 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| M344A1 || HEAT || 433 || 433 || 433 || 433 || 433 || 433
|-
| M361A1 || HESH || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152 || 152
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| M344A1 || HEAT || 502 || 10.0 || N/A || 0.5 || 1,650 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| M361A1 || HESH || 498 || 10.0 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 5,040 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''18''' || 14 ''(+4)'' || 0 ''(+18)'' || No
|-
|}

Six shells are loaded per reload. Individual tube reload is not possible.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|4}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|5}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|6}}

{{main|M80 (12.7 mm)|M1919A4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M80 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M80]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Coaxial || 120 (5) || 300 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Coaxial || 120 (5) || 300 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Coaxial || 120 (5) || 300 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Coaxial || 120 (5) || 300 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Rate of fire (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Pintle || 1,000 (250) || 500 || -5°/+50° || ±70°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

[[File:M50 Ontos at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.jpg|thumb|310x310px|M50 Ontos at the National Museum of the Marine Corps]]

Obviously the M50 is not a main battle tank, with its thin armour even Reserve units are a threat! Stealth and guile is the tactic, using its high mobility and small size to get in ambush or outflank an enemy push fast. Memorize shooting spots, be it concealed ambush points or sheltered ranged locations overlooking active routes. The most important tactic is '''''learn how to operate it!''''' Keymap a separate trigger for the spotting gun and learn the firing sequence! Nothing worse than sight a perfect target, but the gun on the wrong side is fired into a rock! Also keep in mind the turret has only 80 degrees of traverse (+/- 40), a consideration during tactical manoeuvres. Still, compared to other ATG's this traverse is much wider, and also has a respectable -10 depression. Add that -10 degrees and angled position to the already extremely sloped front glacis armour and one could be bouncing large calibre AP rounds! Don't forgot to spot enemies too, make them feel the pressure, not you.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Six recoilless 106 mm rifles
* The guns can be fired within 0.5 seconds of each other, allowing rapid fire on one helpless target
* Stock shells of HEAT and HESH
* The HEAT shell is really effective, literally point and shoot
* Four heavy machine guns coaxial to guns - can be used for spotting to adjust aim and estimate ranges
* Nice 33 mph/53 kph speed, can get to ambush or sniping positions early game or rush capture point
* Quite effective in urban fighting since low-velocity shells do not matter in close quarter combat

'''Cons:'''

* No armour whatsoever (can be easily destroyed by heavy MG rounds or via air strafing)
* Only 18 rounds - can't miss and be wasteful
* Only 2 crew members - one shot is most likely to put you out of action
* Spotting machine guns are hard to utilize, firing only in unison with the guns as default or separately with key bindings
* Pintle mounted machine gun is quite ineffective against even aircraft found at this rank
* Use of spotting gun and main gun needs practice to be proficient and successful
* Guns are very loud and will bring the enemy's notice to your location
* Relatively expensive repair cost for a light tank/tank destroyer

== History ==

It was such a strange "tank" the only word the US Army could think of for this strange thing was, well, "Thing", except someone was clever and used the Greek word, '''ὄντος''' (really, truly [exists]). Due to mountainous and difficult terrain of Korea brought the US Army revisited the idea of a light tank. It was quite an ingenious design made very quickly. The prototype was based on an M56 Scorpion ATG chassis, used a common truck engine, and mounted six very powerful M40A1C recoilless rifle guns and be light enough for air transport. The prototype was finished in 1952 and by 1955 completed its testing where it fulfilled its design requirements, but the Army simply did not like this monstrosity and decided against it. The US Marines on the other hand was not as picky and loved this highly mobile light tank with a huge punch, so ordered 297 in 1955. The design was reworked with a new chassis, new running gear with wide thread (ditching the M56 design), better internal layout, and other minor improvements that made the Ontos a unique one off design. While it had a few flaws, it was reliable enough to accomplish its mission.

The key to the M50’s offensive power is the 106mm M40A1C recoilless rifle firing devastating HEAT or HESH (later an anti-infantry "beehive") rounds with its integrated M8C .50 cal spotting rifle using a 10 or 20 round magazine. It should be noted the M8C is a shorter round (12.7x77mm, M48A2 Spotter-Tracer (S) bullets only) that the better known .50 AN/M2 BMG (12.7x99mm). Every M40 produced had the M8C, but on the M50 the lowest 2 barrels have this spotting rifle removed leaving an empty mounting post. If wanted (but not recommended) all 6 guns can be fired at once delivering far more destructive offensive load than any tank then or today. The nature of recoilless rifles is a powerful blow back, during a test firing all 6 simultaneously it knocked bricks out of a building and shattered a few car windows. In between is mounted a single pintel mounted .30 calibre M1919A4 machine gun for anti-infantry use.

The first combat use of the Ontos occurred in 1964 Dominican Republic Civil War where it reported destroyed an AMX-13 and an old Swedish L-60 (the only time it was used for purpose built, destroying tanks). But it was the following year when it was deployed to Vietnam did it shine.

Vietnam was extremely hostile to tanks not due to enemies but the environment. Jungle, swamp, rice fields, mountains, rivers, a limited road network with small bridges; it was a nightmare for regular tanks but the Ontos could glide over them with ease. Enemy Vietnamese troops rarely used tanks and few anti-tank guns so there was little threat from them, the paper thin armour was more than enough to resist small arms and heavy MG fire most often encountered. The significant vulnerability of reloading the 6 guns was largely moot as the fearsome reputation of this 6 shooter beast often cleared out enemy positions soon after it started shooting. Unfortunately its age was its greatest enemy. Over 10 years old and long out of production breakdowns became more frequent, some were cannibalized for parts and the turrets where mounted to fixed positions as point defence. Despite its unprecedented success in Vietnam its limited numbers, scattered deployment, breakdowns, and frequent rotation, it did not gain as much fame as it could have. More of footnote today, this unusual tank was the perfect vehicle for very difficult conflict.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=usa&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=us_m50_ontos Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|VFEv4q3G5Us|'''Most unusual vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 2:38 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|YuBjyMQLRy0|'''Airmobile tanks''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:44 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[T114]]
* [[Type 60 SPRG (C)]]
* [[FIAT 6614]]
* [[R3 T106 FA]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4905-gamescom-m50-ontos-something-out-of-the-ordinary-en|[Devblog] M50 Ontos - Something Out of The Ordinary]]

{{TankManufacturer Allis-Chalmers}}
{{USA tank destroyers}}

HSTV-L

2021-06-07T00:33:05Z

U49489082: /* Pros and cons */ typo fixed

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

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Starfighters"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
The HSTV-L is a very lightly-armoured vehicle. Depending on where you get shot you might lose 1 crew member but you will still be alive. If you get shot on the left side of the vehicle from the front, the chances of your ammo rack detonating greatly increases. Best case scenario for this vehicle is to not get hit in the first place.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 25.4 mm (80°) ''Upper Glacis'' {{annotation|25.4 mm|Estimated through calculation of effective thickness at angle.}} (55°) ''Lower Glacis (Upper Part)'' {{annotation|25.4 mm|Estimated through calculation of effective thickness at angle.}} (78°) ''Lower Glacis (Lower Part)''
| 25.4 mm ''Upper Sponson Side'' 19 mm ''Lower Sponson Side'' 38.1 mm ''Lower Hull Side''
| 25.4 mm || 19 mm ''Engine Compartment'' 5 mm ''Radiator Vents''
|-
| Turret || 25.4 mm ''Turret front'' 25.4 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 25.4 mm || 25.4 mm || 25.4 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="4" | 25.4 mm
|-
|Additional Armour
|| {{annotation|25.4 mm|Estimated through calculation of effective thickness at angle.}} (80°) ''Upper Glacis'' || {{annotation|25.4 mm|Estimated through calculation of effective thickness at angle.}} ''Frontal Sponson Side (Upper & Lower)'' 12.7 mm ''Frontal Sideskirts'' 8 mm ''Rear Sideskirts'' || colspan="2" |N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Lower glacis (both parts) is variable thickness armour.

* Upper glacis and frontal sponson sides appliqué armour is variable thickness armour.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,007|rbMinHp=575}}

The HSTV-L has a very good power-to-weight ratio making the vehicle decently fast. The vehicle utilizes a 648 HP gas turbine engine. The HSTV-L is very manoeuvrable due to the gas turbine engine and can get to flanking spots early in the game.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}'''<big>Unlock order recommendations</big>'''

The order of modifications should be well thought out. Below is a guide of which modifications to unlock first, but it is just a recommendation and can be modified or adapted depending on the tank commander's preferences.

'''Tier 1'''

Tier 1 only has useful modifications but the number one priority should be parts which allows the tank to repair during battle, something that comes in handy in a majority of battles. After that tracks is something that could be researched second as its mobility is more reliant on the tracks upgrade than the firepower is on horizontal drive.

'''Tier 2'''

Moving on to tier 2, this tier is harder to pick modifications from because in general they are less useful modifications, but only two are needed before moving to tier 3. FPE and adjustment of fire are the likeliest candidates except in cases where the goal is to use the scouting ability to spawn planes, in which either of the two could be replaced by airstrike. It's best to move on to tier 3 after two tier 2 modifications are researched.

'''Tier 3'''

In tier 3 it gets more interesting with a number of useful modifications; three modifications are needed to get to tier 4. All the modifications in this tier are useful so some hard choices have to be made. Due to a decent stock elevation speed the elevation mechanism mod isn't strictly necessary and can be put off until later. Smoke grenades are good for concealing the vehicle to make a hasty escape or try to prevent the enemy from hitting the tank, the laser rangefinder is useful for making accurate shots at range which is also very important as the gun does not have much penetration so well aimed shots are necessary, crew replenishment is useful as always, and filters are beneficial to the mobility. It's recommended to unlock laser rangefinder and smoke grenades and then choose between filters and crew replenishment before then moving on to tier 4.

'''Tier 4'''

The most important modifications in tier 4 are NVD to give access to thermal sights for easier spotting of enemies and also the engine modification which greatly increases mobility.

'''Finishing up'''

After tier 4 is unlocked and the priority modifications there are unlocked it is time to clean up the remaining modifications. The order of unlocking modifications at this point is less important but there are a few that should be left until last - suspension and brake system which are generally the least important modifications on any given ground vehicle.

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

{{main|XM274 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[XM274 (75 mm)|75 mm XM274]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 26 || rowspan="2" | -17°/+45° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 54.3 || 75.1 || 91.2 || 100.9 || 107.3 || rowspan="2" | 1.5 || rowspan="2" | 1.5 || rowspan="2" | 1.5 || rowspan="2" | 1.5
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 33.9 || 39.9 || 48.5 || 53.6 || 57.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| XM885 || APFSDS || 276 || 269 || 262 || 252 || 243 || 234
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| XM885 || APFSDS || 1,463 || 2.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''26''' || 7 ''(+19)'' || 1 ''(+25)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Rack 2 is a ready rack, so although shells deplete from that rack after firing, it will refill from rack 1.

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

{{main|M240 (7.62 mm)}}

The HSTV-L has 2 M240 machine guns. One is fixed to the gun mantlet and the other is mounted on the Commander's cupola. These machine guns can be used to mark enemies for your allies and can also be used to shoot down some lighter aircraft, but be careful as shooting them will give away your location and can result in them strafing and destroying your vehicle.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M240 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M240]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 1,600 (200) || 941 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 1,600 (200) || 941 || -10°/+69° || -180°/+20°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The HSTV-L is a light tank with a quick ready-rack reload, making it adept at dealing with multiple enemies in ambush situations. It can achieve a very good top speed thanks to its light weight and has a similarly good turning ability. With this mobility (which is on par with that of top MBTs), the HSTV-L can achieve desirable early-game positions and move quickly around the map when necessary.

Like most light tanks, this vehicle is lacking in the protection department. It has thin armour in all directions, which is not backed up by any spaced or composite protection, and is susceptible to hull-break. In some situations, the armour may be thin enough that kinetic rounds overpenetrate and pass straight through the vehicle without causing much damage. The highly-angled armour can also sometimes bounce shots. In most cases though, the HSTV-L cannot be counted on to sustain heavy fire.

This tank is fairly unique in that it is equipped with an autoloader with a 6-round ready-rack. This means that the first 6 shots fired from the HSTV-L can come in very rapid succession--the reload time for these shells is a mere 1.5 seconds. After these first rounds, the ready-rack is empty and the reload time increases dramatically. The player must take this into account when deciding which enemies to engage. The HSTV-L can pull off short bursts of high firepower, but needs time to replenish its ready-rack. The shell itself, an APFSDS round, is decent, but may have trouble penetrating the frontal armour of top MBTs. This combined with the vehicle's poor armour means that head-on attacks are rarely advisable.

The HSTV-L is better suited to firing at enemies without their noticing--from ambush positions, from the flanks, and from behind corners. The vehicle's great mobility will aid with this playstyle. Indeed, its mobility is what makes the HSTV-L great on urban maps. Furthermore, in ambush situations the tank is able to easily deal with multiple enemies thanks to its fast ready-rack reload. This tank has a 45 degree gun elevation and a 17 degree gun depression. This gun depression is extremely powerful, and makes the vehicle very effective at hill camping and at firing from behind ridgelines. A thermal sight in both gunner and commander/binocular views makes the HSTV-L a great scouting vehicle. It is recommended to use the vehicle's high mobility to aid in scouting enemies for teammates to locate and destroy.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Thanks to the autoloader (7 shots), the cannon has a very good rate of fire with 1.5s reload time
* Due to its light armour some kinetic rounds may over penetrate, leaving it undamaged
* Excellent urban fighting vehicle as in up-tiers, side shots are much more effective
* Internal 30 mm armour can help protect crew from spalling
* Thermal sight for both gunner and commander = Great scouting vehicle
* Up to 45° elevation and -17° depression over the sides (-13 depression to the front)
* Very good gun handling

'''Cons:'''

* Commander's cupola can be penetrated by heavy machine gun fire
* Limited ammo capacity, with only 26 rounds
* Fire rate decreases severely after the ready rack is depleted, as replenishing the autoloader requires roughly 15 seconds per shell
* Limited ammo selection; can only fire APFSDS
* APFSDS round has low penetration and has problems penetrating frontal armour of some MBTs
* The XM855 APFSDS dart causes minimal damage to modules or crew members after penetration due to its calibre (reduced spall - even less than APCR!)

== History ==

'''<big>Development</big>'''

The High Survivability Test Vehicle - Lightweight, shortened to HSTV-L, was a light tank project that was developed in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and built by the AAI Corporation. The prototype was completed in September 1979 and began field trials soon after. After the field trials the HSTV-L was used for testing of the fire control system (FCS) with different stabilization algorithms tested as well as the hunter-killer sights. The HSTV-L was not chosen for production by the Army or the Marine Corps and was cancelled in 1981. It was later developed into the Rapid Deployment Force Light Tank (RDF/LT).

'''<big>Design</big>'''

'''General'''

The HSTV-L design was based around an incredibly low profile hull and turret with very shallow angles on the frontal portion, in order to deflect projectiles fired at it. The HSTV-L had a crew of 3, with the driver and gunner side by side in the hull front and the commander in the left side of the turret, all of whom sat semi-reclined. All 3 crew members had the ability to fire the gun and both the gunner and driver’s position could drive the vehicle. The vehicle had a length of 8.528 m with gun forward and the hull had a length of 5.918 m. The height was only 2.414 m including the equipment on the turret roof, being 1.994 m to the top of the turret and 1.422 m to the top of the hull. The width was 2.794 meters. The vehicle had a combat weight of 14.5 tonnes or up to 17.0 tonnes when equipped with an appliqué armor package. During testing the HSTV-L was fitted with additional equipment for data collection and weighed 20.45 tonnes. The HSTV-L could be airlifted, underslung, by a CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter when at the weight of 14.5 tonnes.

'''Mobility and Power'''

The HSTV-L was propelled by a 650 horsepower (485 kilowatt) Avro-Lycoming gas turbine powerplant and an Allison X-300-4A transmission with four forward and two reverse gears. The transmission had a torque converter. There were five road wheels on each side and the tracks were 450 mm wide. The suspension was built by National Water Lift, being hydropneumatic but not variable; in other words the height could not be adjusted. The ground clearance of the HSTV-L was 0.508 meters. The HSTV-L could pivot in place while in neutral gear, and it carried a fuel load of 409 liters giving it a cruising range of 160 kilometers. It could accelerate from 0 to 48 kph in 11.8 seconds and had a maximum speed of 83.68 kilometers per hour.

In addition to the main propulsion system there were two 250 ampere generators providing auxiliary power as well as a 60 gpm hydraulic pump. The hydraulic pump was used to power an oil cooler fan mounted in the engine compartment as well as the gun control system and automatic loading system.

'''Armament and FCS'''

The main armament of the HSTV-L was an ARES 75 mm XM274 gun mounted in a rotating turret. 26 rounds of ammunition were provided of both depleted-uranium APFSDS-T and multi-flechette anti-aircraft rounds. The gun was loaded by an automatic loading system which provided the HSTV-L with a high rate of fire.

Secondary armament was provided by a coaxial 7.62 mm M240 machine gun and a second 7.62 mm M240 machine gun pintle-mounted on the commander’s cupola. A total of 3,200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition was split between the two machine guns.

The turret could rotate a full 360 degrees at a speed of 57 degrees per second. The gun could elevate 45 degrees but the depression depended on which direction the turret faced; over the front the gun could depress 17 degrees, 30 degrees over the side, and 6 degrees over the rear of the vehicle. Manual backup was provided for turret traverse and gun elevation but the rate at which they moved was much slower when manual than with power. The main gun was two-plane stabilized, with both the stabilization and gun control systems having been produced by Cadillac Gage.

The hunter/killer fire control system (FCS) was designed and built by Texas Instruments. The commander received a stabilized commander’s independent thermal viewer (CITV) which could rotate independently of the turret and included both TV and thermal imaging. The gunner also received a stabilized sight, though this one was slaved to the gun, which included thermal and TV imaging as well, along with an eye safe CO2 laser rangefinder built by Raytheon. This hunter/killer system allowed the commander to locate a target with the hunter sight. Once a target was located the gunner would use his killer sight to fire on the target while the commander began to search for the next target. The fire control system (FCS) used the sights, crosswind sensor, muzzle reference system, vertical reference system, and laser rangefinder to automatically determine the firing solution, leaving the gunner only to fire the gun. The fully stabilized main gun along with advanced FCS allowed the HSTV-L a high first hit probability and high accuracy on the move.

The driver and gunner are given a screen that displays the imaging of the hunter sight which allows them to operate independently of a vehicle commander if necessary. Theoretically, the HSTV-L could be controlled entirely by only one crew member from either the driver or gunner’s position since both had driving and gunnery controls.

=== [[wt:en/news/6711-development-hstv-l-view-of-tomorrow-en|Devblog]] ===
By the mid 1970’s, the US military initiated a series of studies which looked into the development of new concepts and designs for tanks which combined good firepower and survivability. The latter of which was to be achieved through a smaller size, rather than heavy armor protection.

As at the time, both the US Army and USMC were looking into possible replacements for their M551 Sheridan and M50 Ontos tanks respectively, the two military branches joined forces in a joint research programme dubbed “ARMVAL” (Advanced Antiarmor Vehicle Evaluation). The vehicles developed under this programme would be used as test beds for various new concepts and ideas in an effort to gain new experiences, which would in turn be used in the development of future tank designs.

One of the later products of this experimental programme was the HSTV-L - a compact, lightweight, highly mobile tank design, fitted with an autoloaded 75mm smoothbore cannon, designed to fire kinetic ammunition in short bursts in order to wear down and ultimately defeat composite armor screens. The HSTV-L was built in 1979 and underwent various trials until 1981.

At the start of the 1980’s, the 75mm gun was considered inadequate to deal with the most recent Soviet MBTs by the Army, while the USMC questioned the vehicle’s effectiveness in amphibious landing operations. This led to the ultimate discontinuation of the collaborative project in 1981.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

'''Images'''<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:HSTV-L WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:HSTV-L WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:HSTV-L WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:HSTV-L WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:HSTV-L WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
File:HSTV-L WTWallpaper 06.jpg|
File:HSTV-L WTWallpaper 07.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|C5cw-_dXhFE|'''The Shooting Range #203''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:30 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|6qzHOvgOWug|'''HSTV-L - Tank History and Review''' - ''Spookston''|PosWOnOGkSo|'''Best experimental vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:00 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* Tanks at similar positions in other tech trees:
** [[VFM5|VFM 5]] - A British light tank
** [[CV 90105 TML|CV90105 TML]] - A Swedish light tank
** [[TAM 2C]] - A German light tank
** [[Object 685]] - A Russian light tank

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6711-development-hstv-l-view-of-tomorrow-en|[Devblog] HSTV-L: View of Tomorrow]]
* https://tanknutdave.com/the-american-hstvl-tank/

{{TankManufacturer AAI Corporation}}
{{USA light tanks}}

M42

2021-05-19T16:03:03Z

U49489082: /* Description */ added a space

{{About
| about = American SPAA '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| other
| usage-1 = other usages
| link-1 = M42 (Disambiguation)
| usage-2 = other vehicles of the family
| link-2 = M42 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m42_duster
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft (SPAA) gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]]. It is currently the third to last tank on the American SPAA line up, preceding the [[M163|M163 Vulcan]] and [[M247|M247 Sergeant York]]. While armed with the same turret and cannons from its predecessor the [[M19]], it has enhanced mobility by using the chassis of the [[M41A1|M41A1 Walker Bulldog]] light tank.

The U.S. military awarded General Motors Corporation's tank division with a contract to design and build the M42 Duster, as an armoured light air-defence gun platform. Though initially developed to provide defence from air attacks, by the time the Duster was ready to be fielded in mass, the military switched gears determining that the Duster was not a useful tool against the jet aircraft which were beginning to fill the sky.

While Self Propelled Anti-Aircraft (SPAA) vehicles were initially created to counter aircraft, other uses developed in which they saw action against armoured vehicles. Compared to other contemporary SPAA vehicles ([[ZSU-37]], [[Wirbelwind]], [[M13 MGMC|Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M13]], etc...) though, the M42 is typically regarded as the least effective when used against vehicles with armour protection. The penetration value of the armour-piercing rounds is considered too low to penetrate armour plating, even when not angled. The Duster, however, can be devastating against vehicles with very little to no armour, especially at 120 rounds per minute for each gun.

Being considered a light tank, the M42 does not have the armour capability to stand up directly to many of the other vehicles which it will face on the battlefield, especially against tanks which may fire high-explosive shells. The Duster will fare better against machine gun fire and potentially against some of the lighter autocannon fire which it may encounter, though not for long. Due to the M42's lightweight nature, it is best to stage where there is cover to help shield the Duster. It is also essential to only expose the vehicle when necessary to get a shot. If discovered, it is best to have a contingency location to which to fall back and regroup.

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

Armour may as well be non-existent on the M42. Built off the chassis of the [[M41A1|M41 Walker Bulldog]], the SPAA can be penetrated by anything in the game, except for those few tanks armed with only machine guns, of course. In this tank, speed is your armour. A stationary Duster is a scrapped Duster unless you're firing on an aircraft, in which you should stop behind some cover.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 12.7 mm (33°) ''Front glacis'' 25.7 mm (39°) ''Bottom glacis'' || 12.7 mm || 12.7 mm ''Top'' 19 mm ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Turret || 12.7 mm || 8 mm || 8 mm || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=710|rbMinHp=442}}

This tank can go about 72 km/h forwards and -20 km/h backwards. Either way, it's fast. Being built with neutral steering and lighter than the M41A1. It should have no difficulty getting out of a situation in a pinch.

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

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

{{main|Bofors (40 mm)}}

The M42 Duster is armed with two [[Bofors (40 mm)]] anti-aircraft guns. They have a decent rate of fire and you will seldom have to stop and wait for a reload - more likely, you'll have to wait for the gun barrel to cool down. Against aircraft, these guns are deadly. A shot or two will be more than enough to shoot down an enemy. They are also quite deadly against lightly armoured vehicles, such as enemy SPAAs or light tanks such as the [[Ru 251|Spähpanzer Ru 251]] or [[M41A1|M41 Walker Bulldog]], and you can pen the side of [[Panther A|Panthers]], too. However, they require direct hits. Against the Soviet heavy or British medium tanks you are likely to encounter, however these guns will do nothing for you. You will rarely get an opportunity to use the Bofors on another tank, as they simply lack the penetration to do so - 72 mm doesn't get you very far at Rank IV. If you can get the guns to hit, you should have no trouble knocking aircraft out of the sky.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Bofors (40 mm)|40 mm Bofors]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 480 (8) || rowspan="2" | 120 || rowspan="2" | -3°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A ||35.22||48.75||59.20||65.47||69.65|| rowspan="2" | 0.65 || rowspan="2" | 0.58 || rowspan="2" | 0.53 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.80 || 28.00 || 34.00 || 37.60 || 40.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - These work fine, a hit on an aircraft means instant disassembly for it and still is able to hurt ground vehicles, especially if it is side into the side of a enemy tank.
* '''Mk.II:''' {{Annotation|HEFI-T*|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer (self-destroying)}} - These mean bad news for aircraft, what should be used for AA work.
* '''M81A1:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}} - These are the worst belts against airplanes. However, they are able to hurt ground vehicles especially if shot into the side of an enemy tank. If you plan on penetrating tanks, load this and flank, since side shots are almost a necessity.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 72 || 69 || 58 || 47 || 38 || 30
|-
| Mk.II || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
| M81A1 || 72 || 69 || 58 || 47 || 38 || 30
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Mk.II || HEFI-T* || 874 || 0.86 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 63 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M81A1 || AP-T || 874 || 0.88 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Recommendations
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''60''' || 50 ''(+10)'' || 38 ''(+22)'' || 14 ''(+46)'' || 2 ''(+58)'' || Keep Full || Yes
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


This tank has no armour, but a lot of speed and guns that do nothing against anything with actual armour. Refrain from attacking enemies that can take a hit from you, though you can roam around the battlefield with your insane speed and act as a scout. Ironically, shooting enemies you know your shot will bounce off of makes sense if you look at it as it then makes the enemy vehicle show up on the mini-map for all players to see, although it will also expose you. However, you could stay with your teammates and shoot down planes that will be harassing them. They know the danger of the Bofors guns but for some pilots that is a gamble, they are willing to take. A good way to lure planes toward you is the act like you don't see them, shoot off at some distant (ground) target, at which the plane will notice you are "distracted" and as they begin to dive to attack you, quickly re-aim the cannons and fire.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 40 mm cannons are devastating to planes
* AP rounds able to penetrate roughly 60 mm can be used against most medium tank side armour it could face, like the [[T-34-85]], [[Chi-Ri II]], [[Panther A]]/[[Panther D|D]]
* Unsynchronized firing helps improve overall fire rate
* Outside from default belts, the other belt options are made of a single type of shell that can be relied on
* Relatively fast vehicle with good mobility due to the [[M41A1]] light tank basis
* Fast turret traverse rate helps track aircraft
* Improved mobility, protection and ammunition count compared to [[M19]]

'''Cons:'''

* Despite 40 mm cannons and the unsynchronized firing, the overall fire rate is still lower than its contemporaries
* 40 mm AP rounds are not the best AP rounds to use overall due to relatively low penetration; cannot penetrate all-round protected heavy tanks like the [[IS-2]] or [[Tiger H1]]/[[Tiger E|E]]
* Relatively bad depression angles, a little worse than on the [[M19]], which means the {{PAGENAME}} has to expose itself to shoot over hills
* Open turret allows aerial attacks and machine guns to decimate the exposed crew
* Very thin armour hull, can be penetrated by .50 cal found on the [[M4]]
* Is hull-breakable
* Careless driving can damage the vehicle
* Ammo can be used up rather quickly due to the dual-gun firing, prolonged combat can find the ammo stowage run empty
* Easily ammo-racked due to racks scattered all around the turret, aerial autocannons could set it off if hit
* Bad mobility when stock

== History ==

===Development===
During late World War II and the Korean War, the US Army were using the [[M19|Twin Gun Motor Carriage M19]] as their main armoured forces anti-aircraft gun. However, during the Korean War, the US Army decides to phase out their M24 Chaffees and its variants, M19 included, in order to implement newer designs made in the time period. One of these newer designs was the development of the [[M41A1|M41 Walker Bulldog]] light tank. The 40 mm armament on the M19 was deemed effective enough to continue usage past the M19, so the turret of the M19 with the twin 40 mm cannons was taken off the chassis and modified to fit the chassis of the M41 light tank, which had a larger turret ring than the M24 Chaffee. This instalment of the anti-aircraft armament onto the M41 light tank was designated as the '''M42'''. The production of the vehicle began in early 1952 at the General Motors Cleveland Tank Plant and entered service in 1953, replacing the many other self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles the army was fielding. Production continued from 1952 to December 1959, ending with a total number of 3,700 units. During the production, the M42 was upgraded in 1956 with a new engine and other upgrades common with the M41 light tank, this upgraded variant was the ''M42A1''.

===Combat usage===
The M42 was kept in US inventory past the Korean War, however, it was sometime between then and the 1960s that the US Army came to the conclusion that ordinary anti-aircraft guns are unable to engage the new aircraft age of jets. Thus, the M42 was to be retired in 1963 and replaced by the HAWK surface-to-air missile. Though, even after their retirement, the units stationed at the Panama Canal Zone kept their M42s until the 1970s.

Then in the 1960s, with the intensity of the Vietnam War brewing up, more American soldiers get stationed in the country. Experiences with the missile showed that the HAWK missile system suppose to engage the new jet planes performed badly in low-altitude defence. In order to ensure a tight grip on the airspace, the Army began to reissue the M42s to the Army in the air defence artillery battalions which contain four M42 batteries and one headquarters battery. These M42s start arriving in the fall of 1966 in three battalions, 1/44th, 5/2nd, and the 4/60th Battalions. Though, despite their role, no dire air threat was presented from the North Vietnamese to the South, so the M42s were relegated to ground support duties in a tradition shared by its past predecessors. The M42s in this role was deployed as on-point security, convoy escorts, or a perimeter defence; it was in these roles that the M42 earned its nickname '''"Duster"''' for its lethality and effectiveness in ground support roles against the infantry.

After Vietnam, the M42 Dusters-equipped battalions were deactivated in late December 1971. These Dusters still in Vietnam were given to the ARVN forces. Training dusters at Fort Bliss were given back to the National Guard it was originally issued to, and multiple National Guard units were stationed with the M42 until it was officially retired in 1988, with the last unit retiring it be 2nd Battalion, 263 Air Defense Artillery.

=== In-game description ===
The M42 self-propelled 40 mm anti-air mount built by General Motors (GM). It was based on the M41 light tank and was intended to replace the M19 self-propelled anti-air mount. The unofficial name "Duster" was also used for this installation. A total of 3,700 M42's were produced between 1951 and 1959.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23m42 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

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

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[M42 Duster (Family)]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[M19]]
* [[Ostwind II]]
* [[Phòng không T-34]] / [[Phòng không T-34 (USSR)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/devblog/current/752|[Development] La-5FN and M42 Duster]]

{{USA anti-aircraft vehicles}}

M41A1

2021-05-19T13:50:20Z

U49489082: /* Usage in battles */ added an s.

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m41_walker_bulldog
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced at the same time as the American ground tree in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]]. A large improvement over its predecessor, the [[M24|M24 ''Chaffee'']], it features a gun that can more adequately fight the tanks at its tier with an APDS round and has very good mobility and low profile to move quickly against the enemy.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Lower glacis)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 28.5 mm (49°) ''Front glacis'' 63.5 mm (33-37°) ''Lower glacis'' || 28.5 mm || 28.5 mm (46°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm (1°) ''Middle'' 25.4 mm (20°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Turret || 44.4 mm (11-13°) ''Turret front'' 50.8 mm (2-43°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 31.75 mm (1°) || 31.75 mm (1°) || 12.7 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* An extra 12.7 mm RHA metal plate is present on the right side of the turret near the pintle 7.62 mm machine gun.
* A 4 mm Structural steel box is present, mounted on the vehicle rear turret.

There aren't any specific targets worth noting as the M41A1 will be hurt by pretty much anything. Be extra careful with [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|SPAAs]] as they can knock out the ''Walker Bulldog's components with ease and even destroy the tank.''

If at all possible, try only to expose the turret. If using the terrain to the M41A1's advantage, it'll usually be able to fire one to three shots, then start moving forwards and backwards, thus making it a lot harder for the enemy to hit the tank. Generally, the M41A1 be able to get in two shots on most targets before they can fire back, and the M41A1 accelerates from 0 to 30 km/h fast enough to become a hard target to hit if only the turret is exposed!

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=775|rbMinHp=442}}

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

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

{{main|M32 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M32 (76 mm)|76 mm M32]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 65 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 34.27 || 47.44 || 57.60 || 63.69 || 67.76 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.42 || 25.20 || 30.60 || 33.84 || 36.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| M339 shot || AP || 177 || 173 || 159 || 143 || 129 || 116
|-
| M352 shell || HE || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12
|-
| M319 shot || APCR || 206 || 200 || 174 || 146 || 122 || 103
|-
| M331A2 shot || APDS || 232 || 231 || 212 || 193 || 163 || 137
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| M339 shot || AP || 975 || 6.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M352 shell || HE || 732 || 6.8 || 0 || 0.1 || 867.22 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M319 shot || APCR || 1,234 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| M331A2 shot || APDS || 1,231 || 1.49 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| M361 || 713 || 7.1 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''65''' || 33 ''(+32)'' || 12 ''(+53)'' || 1 ''(+64)'' || No
|-
|}

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

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|M1919A4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 2,175 (200) || 577 || -10°/+70° || ±60°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,900 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Like the tanks that come before it, the ''Bulldog'' should be used as a rapid-deployment support vehicle in conjunction with heavier vehicles like the [[T32|T32]]. It is best used to run rapid insertion and flanking operations while allowing the heavier tanks to absorb the brunt of the enemy attack. The ''Walker Bulldog'' works well with [[M26|M26 Medium tanks]] as the M26 has a harder hitting gun to support the light tank's advance, but the M41A1 maintains a much better climb rate for hills and a much faster acceleration. The ''Bulldog's'' top speed does cap off-road, requiring good knowledge of the map to make the most of the terrain.

Always remember that the ''Bulldog'' lacks any effective armour. In a frontal attack, it will be easily penetrated by almost anything the enemy throws at it. Try to use the terrain to hide the tank and relocate after shots. Also, attempt to engage targets who are busy or already engaged with teammates. The ''Bulldog's'' 76 mm gun has great penetration, but due to the solid shot armour-piercing rounds it has it is necessary to make each shot count by hitting either ammo racks or fuel tanks/engines to disable and or destroy an enemy vehicle. Equipping HVAP rounds, later on, makes it easier to destroy vehicles with better side armour such as the [[IS-3]] which has a fairly strong side profile. Finally, avoid using the APCR rounds unless the APDS module has not yet been unlocked.

===Tactics===
The ''Bulldog'' is best playing a mobile role; trail the outskirts of the map and take shots at the enemy from a distance and keep relocating. Don't stand still for too long as one or two hits are usually enough to completely disable the tank.

While playing this tank, the biggest concern should be not to get hit ''by anything''. Given its thin armour, anything that the Bulldog is facing will be able to deal heavy damage. In summary, the ''Bulldog'' is a very manoeuvrable tank and with practice is a very potent threat to enemies.

If up against heavy tanks, such as the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II H]], don't bother trying to hit its front chassis armour even with APDS. The chances to penetrate this tank's upper glacis are very low. It is better to try and either ignoring him or aiming for his lower glacis and turret. Should the round penetrate the lower glacis, the transmission is likely to catch on fire. When attacking the turret, aim for the gunner on the left (player's right) of the gun. After that, disengage as the gunner will be replaced faster than the M41A1 can reload. Fighting off heavily armoured targets takes a lot of practice, but the gun's accuracy and good penetration can be used to the M41A1's advantage. Ambushing tanks as such as the Panther V series which many variants have slow slew rates will be highly effective as you can get two-three shots off and disable the gunner when you get a flank.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Extremely agile tank
* Good top speed 72 km/h (average speed is more around 35-40 km/h)
* Manually controlling the gears will give you a good advantage(1st level: up to gear two and 19 km/h & 2nd level up to gear three and 39 km/h)
* Fast turret traverse
* Fast reload rate
* Respectable firepower when loaded with APDS, can penetrate tough targets such as Panther's upper frontal glacis
* APDS has high muzzle velocity, easy to hit targets at longer ranges
* Good flanker
* Good suspension; can drive away from steep downhills and jumps
* .50 cal AA machine gun with good coverage
* AP is highly lethal to most tanks of all-tiers post pen
* Similar silhouette as the M47
* Access to night vision device (NVD)
* Plays similarly to the M24 and the M18, but with a much better gun
* Access to some unique light tanks upgrades such as airstrike and improved optics
* Decent acceleration

'''Cons:'''

* Low torque, without downhill the tank won't reach higher speeds than 50 km/h
* SPAA can be a threat but not as apparent
* Thin armour is still thick enough to trigger most APHE/APCBC shell fuses
* NVD is only available for driver (3rd person or driver view)
* Due to weak engine, unsuitable for scouting unit
* Scouting requires map knowledge
* Ammo storage in the front, next to the driver
* No APHE shells that can be quite handy at times
* APDS shot causes only puncture damage; due to small spall effect after penetration, typically only modules and equipment directly in the path of the shot are damaged
* No explosive filler on any AP shells
* Larger than the typical light tank
* The absence of stabilizer makes it extremely difficult to aim while moving and even worse when breaking
* Unlike the German LekPz M41, the A1 variant doesn't have HEAT-FS and smoke grenade launcher.

== History ==

===Development===
The U.S. Army light tank in the later part of World War II, the [[M24|M24 ''Chaffee'']], was a promising design but was deemed not effective for the future of armour encounters. Though its role as a scout was seen as needing the 75 mm gun, the army wanted a tank with a better gun to have a more equal chance against tanks. The project began as the ''T37'' program in 1947 with the focus of being air-transportable with an anti-tank capability in the form of a 76 mm gun and a rangefinder. The adoption of a simplified rangefinder had the project designation changed to the ''T41''. After testings and evaluations, the ''T41'' model was accepted into service as the '''M41 ''Little Bulldog'' ''', with production starting at Cadillac Cleveland Tank Plant in 1951. The name ''Little Bulldog'' stayed until General Walton Walker, the first commander of the 8th US Army in Korea, died in a car accident, so the tank was renamed into the '''M41 ''Walker Bulldog'' ''' in remembrance. Production went from 1953 to somewhere in the late 1960s with about 3,728 units produced.

The M41 light tank would go on to replace the M24 ''Chaffees'' by 1953. The M41 had a crew of four, commander, gunner, loader, and driver. The tank had a profile of under 9 feet and 19 feet long. The tank was lightweight at 23.5 tons and thus had rather thin armour, with the front armour only 25.4 mm thick (sloped at 60 degrees for about 50 mm effective). However, the tank was very agile with its torsion bar suspension and Continental AOS 895-3 series 6-cylinder gasoline engine of 500 hp which could deliver a road speed of 45 mph with a 100 miles operating range. Unfortunately, the tank was criticized for being noisy, a fuel-guzzler, rather heavy, and the American crewman found the ''Bulldog's'' interior to be quite cramped. Despite that, it delivered speed, firepower, and reliability in a light tank format. Several upgrades were made on the M41 with better technology, the '''M41A1''' had a hydraulic turret traverse with more ammo storage, the ''M41A2'' had a new fuel system, and the ''M41A3'' are old M41A1 tanks with the new fuel system from the M41A2.

===Combat usage===
The M41 ''Walker Bulldog'' first saw use in Korea in a limited combat run. The tanks, still labelled their experimental designation T41, were sent for field testing on design deficiencies. It is unknown what other purposes they served there except for the tests. Their first major conflict once adopted by the U.S. Army was in Vietnam, mainly by replacing the M24 ''Chaffees'' in service with the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) at the time. The M41A3 tanks arrived in January 1965 and were instantly popular; not only for their advantages, but the previously cramped interior for American crews were actually a perfect fit for the smaller Vietnamese armour crewman. The ''Bulldog'' went on to fight in the Vietnam War as a reliable war machine. The ''Bulldog'' had an advantage due to its lightweight in manoeuvring in the jungle terrain of the region. In 1971, Operation Lam Son 719, the disruption of the North Vietnamese Army supply lines had the M41 ''Bulldogs'' play a major role, accompanied by two airborne battalions and two cavalry regiments. Penetrating deep into enemy lines, the 17 M41 tanks engaged and destroyed six Soviet-designed [[T-54 (1951)|T-54 tanks]] and other lighter armoured vehicles. This engagement came at a loss of 5 M41 and 25 armoured personnel carriers. By 1973, the ARVN still used about 200 M41 tanks while the transition of the American unit over to the [[M48A1|M48A3 ''Patton'' tanks]] in Europe and Stateside. The M41 light tanks were also exported to various other countries. Today, Guatemala, Somalia, Taiwan, Uruguay, and Vietnam still use the M41 ''Walker Bulldog'', some via upgrading the tanks to extend their service life.

The M41 ''Walker Bulldog'' design was advanced for the time, giving a relatively lightweight tank the firepower to take on other tanks of its time period. The chassis was even used on the ''[[M42|M42 ''Duster'' Anti-Air gun]]'' and the ''M75 Armored Personnel Carrier''. The drive, engine, transmission, and auxiliary engine also were used in the ''M44/M52 155 howitzer''. By 1969, the US Army began replacing the M41 with the newer [[M551|M551 ''Sheridan'' Armored Airborne Reconnaissance Assault Vehicle]] (officially not a "light tank") which had a [[M81 (152 mm)|152 mm cannon]] that could fire shells and [[Anti-tank_guided_missiles|anti-tank missiles]]. The M551 ''Sheridan'' could be used in roles that the M41 ''Walker Bulldog'' couldn't do, such as be air-dropped and amphibious but was rather unreliable. This made the M41 ''Walker Bulldog'' to be the last American "light tank" produced and the last made before the classification between tank classes based on weight and role ended.

=== In-game description ===
In 1946 the Americans began looking for a replacement for the M24 Chaffee. The design for the new tank was to lean on experiences drawn from the Second World War.

In 1953 deliveries of the M41 Walker Bulldog to the US army began, with 5,500 units ultimately released.

The M41 Walker Bulldog featured a traditional layout with a welded hull and rationally sloped frontal plates. The turret was welded from cast and rolled armor elements. The running gear on each side was made up of five road wheels and three track return rollers in addition to guiding and leading wheels. The road wheels were independent of the torsion bar suspension, while the suspension for the first, second, and fifth rollers was equipped with hydraulic shock absorbers. The 500 hp air-cooled Continental AOS-895-3 engine featured a fire extinguishing system.

The tank's armament consisted of a 76 mm M32 cannon, a coaxial 7.62 mm Browning M1919A4E1 machine gun, and a turret-mounted 12.7 mm Browning M2HB anti-aircraft gun. The weapon was not stabilized and was equipped with a muzzle brake to reduce recoil. The battle compartment featured 24 rounds for fast reloading, along with 33 more in the tank hull that were only accessible when the turret was rotated hard to the rear.

Practice showed that the new tanks were poorly suited for reconnaissance, and their heavy weight and large dimensions made them just as difficult to transport as medium tanks. Those removed from active duty were quickly handed over and sold to allies and dependent governments.

M41 Walker Bulldogs saw combat in Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, the UK, North (captured) and South Vietnam, Guatemala, and Greece.

== Media ==

[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=usa&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=light_tank&vehicle=us_m41_walker_bulldog '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the M41A1 from live.warthunder]

*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/95846/ '''"US ARMY" 532''' by ''JoKeR_BvB09'']
*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/101650/ '''"German Bundeswehr 3tone skin - 2nd Co of Panzeraufklärungsbataillon 5 ( ReconBn )" fictional''' by ''JoKeR_BvB09'']
*[http://live.warthunder.com/post/95835/ '''"(Fictional) M41 Flecktarn <nowiki>[Germany 1985]</nowiki>"''' by ''Tiger_VI'']

== See also ==


;Other [[M41 Walker Bulldog (Family)|M41 Walker Bulldog]] vehicles

* [[LeKPz M41]] - M41A1 in the German tech tree
* [[M41A1 (Japan)]] - M41A1 in the Japanese tech tree
* [[M42 Duster (Family)|M42 Duster]] - SPAA variant based on the M41 light tank chassis

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3018/current/|[Vehicle Profile] M41 Walker Bulldog [Decal Included]]]

{{USA light tanks}}

Ostwind II

2021-05-18T17:35:02Z

U49489082: Undo revision 103192 by U49489082 (talk)

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_flakpanzer_IV_Ostwind_2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]], replacing the [[Flakpanzer 341]] in the German tech tree.

The {{PAGENAME}} is an average SPAAG which definitely has nothing to look for on the front line, however, there is a great advantage with its double cannon which becomes extremely dangerous for enemy aircraft which fly within range.

The {{PAGENAME}} has sufficient penetrating power to destroy [[M18 GMC|M18]]s or other light armoured vehicles, however, one should rather concentrate on enemy aircraft. The reasoning behind this is because the turret is open from above and weakly armoured on the sides, so is vulnerable to enemy aircraft fire and vehicles that carry .50 calibre machine guns.

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

[[File:Ostwind II armour.jpg|alt=Ostwind II armour|right|thumb|x200px]]

The frontal hull armour (80 mm) is quite well protected against small-calibre weapons and [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|.50 caliber BMG]]s, the sides (30 mm) and rear (20 mm) are not as well protected.

The turret is open at the top and has a rectangular recess in the right, frontal turret armour, because of the optics.

In addition, the steel of the turret (25 mm) is very weakly armoured, as well as the hull roof (10-12 mm).

Since the vehicle has a crew of six, with the driver and the machine gunner/radio operator in the hull, it usually survives the first attack from enemy aircraft as well as a shot into the turret.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=426|rbMinHp=265}}

The {{PAGENAME}} does not have that great average speed, which means that the 39 km/h will be rare on the battlefield. Forget about trying to turn on the spot as this vehicle does not have neutral steering. Even worse is attempting to use the reverse gear (-7 km/h) which is extremely insufficient presenting an easy target if having to back out of a tight situation.

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

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

{{main|FlaK44 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FlaK44 (37 mm)|37 mm FlaK44]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 992 (8) || rowspan="2" | 250 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+87° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 30.82 || 42.66 || 51.80 || 57.28 || 60.94 || rowspan="2" | 0.31 || rowspan="2" | 0.27 || rowspan="2" | 0.25 || rowspan="2" | 0.24
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 20.83 || 24.50 || 29.75 || 32.90 || 35.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''Sprgr. 18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''PzGr:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}
* '''M.Gr.18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
| PzGr || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| M.Gr.18 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || FI-T || 820 || 0.62 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 49.3 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr || APHE || 770 || 0.69 || 1.2 || 9 || 22.1 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M.Gr.18 || FI-T || 914 || 0.55 || 0 || 0.1 || 108 || 47° || 56° || 65°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''124''' || 92 ''(+32)'' || 62 ''(+62)'' || 30 ''(+94)'' || 6 ''(+118)'' || 2 ''(+122)'' || 0 ''(+124)'' || Yes
|-
|}


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

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Hull || 1,800 (150) || 900 || -5°/+7° || ±10°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


;Realistic Battles

The {{PAGENAME}} should be held in reserve, for towards the end of the game when there tends to be a significant amount of enemy aircraft flying. It is best to avoid the front lines or beating feet toward the enemy tanks as the {{PAGENAME}} tends to be an easy target for a majority of the other tanks in the game.

If your own team is about to lose or it gets very exciting towards the end and there are not many enemies left alive, you can place your {{PAGENAME}} inside an allied capture-point to defend it from enemy light tanks. Due to the location, it is more central to the battlefield and presents a difficult challenge for enemy aircraft to attempt to fly over.

It should also be kept in mind that if impenetrable heavily armoured enemies are encountered and you are left with no other option but to engage them, firing in a sustained manner at their cannon barrel is a semi-viable idea. This is because it is entirely possible that it will result in a damaged cannon barrel for the enemy and a chance to escape for you. Furthermore, you can target the tank tracks as well to leave the enemy both harmless and immobile which may possibly get you a kill assist if a teammate with enough firepower is nearby.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 2 x 3.7 cm FlaK 44 cannons
* Does not need to reload until it is completely out of ammunition
* Enough penetration to destroy enemy light armoured vehicles

'''Cons:'''

* Built on Panzer IV chassis and is a contemporary of it
* Quite slow average speed
* Inadequate penetration against many enemy vehicles (best against aircraft)

== History ==


The Ostwind II was a development of the [[Ostwind]]. First conceived as early as October 1943, the Ostwind II saw the single 3.7 cm FlaK 43 replaced by a twinned 3.7 cm FlaK Zwilling 44 built by the ''Gustloff-Werke'' in Suhl. One single prototype was delivered to the ''Panzerflak-Ersatz und Ausbildungsabteilung Ohrsdurf/Thühringen'' in January of 1945 for evaluation purposes, but due to the rapid events of the war it was never taken into production.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=germany&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=spaa&vehicle=germ_flakpanzer_IV_Ostwind_2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|naeDoEwZ5Pg|'''German SPAAs''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:44 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|Tvf5Z49Tjc4|'''{{PAGENAME}}: Same Old Wind But Stock''' - ''Napalmratte''|KHoF40aIeEU|'''The {{PAGENAME}} SPAA''' - ''Orangefan''}}

== See also ==


* [[Ostwind]] - Predecessor with a single 37 mm FlaK 43 autocannon.
* [[Flakpanzer 341]] - Gift vehicle that the Ostwind II substituted in the main tech tree.

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6317-development-changes-and-optimization-in-the-german-tech-tree-en|[Development] Changes and optimization in the German tech-tree]]

{{Germany anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Ostwind II

2021-05-18T17:25:39Z

U49489082: Undo revision 103191 by U49489082 (talk)

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_flakpanzer_IV_Ostwind_2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.91 "Night Vision"]], replacing the [[Flakpanzer 341]] in the German tech tree.

The {{PAGENAME}} is an average SPAAG which definitely has nothing to look for on the front line, however, there is a great advantage with its double cannon which becomes extremely dangerous for enemy aircraft which fly within range.

The {{PAGENAME}} has sufficient penetrating power to destroy [[M18 GMC|M18]]s or other light armoured vehicles, however, one should rather concentrate on enemy aircraft. The reasoning behind this is because the turret is open from above and weakly armoured on the sides, so is vulnerable to enemy aircraft fire and vehicles that carry .50 calibre machine guns.

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

[[File:Ostwind II armour.jpg|alt=Ostwind II armour|right|thumb|x200px]]

The frontal hull armour (80 mm) is quite well protected against small-calibre weapons and [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|.50 caliber BMG]]s, the sides (30 mm) and rear (20 mm) are not as well protected.

The turret is open at the top and has a rectangular recess in the right, frontal turret armour, because of the optics.

In addition, the steel of the turret (25 mm) is very weakly armoured, as well as the hull roof (10-12 mm).

Since the vehicle has a crew of six, with the driver and the machine gunner/radio operator in the hull, it usually survives the first attack from enemy aircraft as well as a shot into the turret.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=426|rbMinHp=265}}

The {{PAGENAME}} does not have that great average speed, which means that the 39 km/h will be rare on the battlefield. Forget about trying to turn on the spot as this vehicle does not have neutral steering. Even worse is attempting to use the reverse gear (-7 km/h) which is extremely insufficient presenting an easy target if having to back out of a tight situation.

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

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

{{main|FlaK44 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FlaK44 (37 mm)|37 mm FlaK44]] (x2) || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 992 (8) || rowspan="2" | 250 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+87° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 30.82 || 42.66 || 51.80 || 57.28 || 60.94 || rowspan="2" | 0.31 || rowspan="2" | 0.27 || rowspan="2" | 0.25 || rowspan="2" | 0.24
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 20.83 || 24.50 || 29.75 || 32.90 || 35.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''Sprgr. 18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''PzGr:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}
* '''M.Gr.18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
| PzGr || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| M.Gr.18 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || FI-T || 820 || 0.62 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 49.3 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr || APHE || 770 || 0.69 || 1.2 || 9 || 22.1 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M.Gr.18 || FI-T || 914 || 0.55 || 0 || 0.1 || 108 || 47° || 56° || 65°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''124''' || 92 ''(+32)'' || 62 ''(+62)'' || 30 ''(+94)'' || 6 ''(+118)'' || 2 ''(+122)'' || 0 ''(+124)'' || Yes
|-
|}


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

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Hull || 1,800 (150) || 900 || -5°/+7° || ±10°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


;Realistic Battles

The {{PAGENAME}} should be held in reserve, for towards the end of the game when there tends to be a significant amount of enemy aircraft flying. It is best to avoid the front lines or beating feet toward the enemy tanks as the {{PAGENAME}} tends to be an easy target for a majority of the other tanks in the game.

If your own team is about to lose or it gets very exciting towards the end and there are not many enemies left alive, you can place your {{PAGENAME}} inside an allied capture-point to defend it from enemy light tanks. Due to the location, it is more central to the battlefield and presents a difficult challenge for enemy aircraft to attempt to fly over.

It should also be kept in mind that if impenetrable heavily armoured enemies are encountered and you are left with no other option but to engage them, firing in a sustained manner at their cannon barrel is a semi-viable idea. This is because it is entirely possible that it will result in a damaged cannon barrel for the enemy and a chance to escape for you. Furthermore, you can target the tank tracks as well to leave the enemy both harmless and immobile which may possibly net you a kill assist if a teammate with enough firepower is nearby.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* 2 x 3.7 cm FlaK 44 cannons
* Does not need to reload until it is completely out of ammunition
* Enough penetration to destroy enemy light armoured vehicles

'''Cons:'''

* Built on Panzer IV chassis and is a contemporary of it
* Quite slow average speed
* Inadequate penetration against many enemy vehicles (best against aircraft)

== History ==


The Ostwind II was a development of the [[Ostwind]]. First conceived as early as October 1943, the Ostwind II saw the single 3.7 cm FlaK 43 replaced by a twinned 3.7 cm FlaK Zwilling 44 built by the ''Gustloff-Werke'' in Suhl. One single prototype was delivered to the ''Panzerflak-Ersatz und Ausbildungsabteilung Ohrsdurf/Thühringen'' in January of 1945 for evaluation purposes, but due to the rapid events of the war it was never taken into production.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=germany&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=spaa&vehicle=germ_flakpanzer_IV_Ostwind_2 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|naeDoEwZ5Pg|'''German SPAAs''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:44 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|Tvf5Z49Tjc4|'''{{PAGENAME}}: Same Old Wind But Stock''' - ''Napalmratte''|KHoF40aIeEU|'''The {{PAGENAME}} SPAA''' - ''Orangefan''}}

== See also ==


* [[Ostwind]] - Predecessor with a single 37 mm FlaK 43 autocannon.
* [[Flakpanzer 341]] - Gift vehicle that the Ostwind II substituted in the main tech tree.

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6317-development-changes-and-optimization-in-the-german-tech-tree-en|[Development] Changes and optimization in the German tech-tree]]

{{Germany anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Ostwind II

2021-05-18T17:25:07Z

U49489082: /* Usage in battles */ changed net to get

Ostwind

2021-05-18T16:51:03Z

U49489082: /* Pros and cons */ typo hs changed back to is

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

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German SPAA {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]]. The younger brother of the infamous Wirbelwind, Ostwind, is another German SPAAG, which is another force to be reckoned with. It switches quad 20mm autocannons for one 37mm gun, which comes with its advantages and disadvantages. The chassis is the same as on the previous SPAAG. While the player doesn't have to reload the primary weapon, which allows for the continuous fire, he or she has to be aware of overheating. Default belt works wonders against planes and ground tech alike.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front (Slope angle)
!Sides (Slope angle)
!Rear (Slope angle)
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|20 mm (70°) ''Upper Glacis''
80 mm (10°, 20°) ''Front, Lower Glacis''
|30 mm
|20 mm
|10 mm
|-
|Turret
|25 mm (50°)
|25 mm (50°)
|25 mm (50°)
!
|}

The Ostwind is lightly armoured, as most anti-air vehicles are, but is also unexpectedly survivable. With 5 crew members and a fairly spacious crew compartment, it is not uncommon for the vehicle to survive a direct hit from a shell, even one containing explosive filler. A center-mass shot to the hull will often only hit the ammunition storage, and there is a good chance that the ammo will not detonate in these situations.

However, this does not mean that the Ostwind is incredibly well-protected by any stretch of the imagination. It is still only a lightly armoured SPAA, and enemy tanks will have absolutely no trouble destroying it. Usually, a well-placed shot can at least cripple the Ostwind's ability to move or fire. Also note that the Ostwind's turret is completely exposed, making the three crew members within very vulnerable to strafing attacks by enemy aircraft.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=426|rbMinHp=265}}

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

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

{{main|FlaK43 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FlaK43 (37 mm)|37 mm FlaK43]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 1,000 (8) || rowspan="2" | 250 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+87° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 30.82 || 42.66 || 51.80 || 57.28 || 60.94 || rowspan="2" | 0.31 || rowspan="2" | 0.28 || rowspan="2" | 0.25 || rowspan="2" | 0.24
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 20.83 || 24.50 || 29.75 || 32.90 || 35.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''Sprgr. 18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''PzGr:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}
* '''M.Gr.18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
| PzGr || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| M.Gr.18 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || FI-T || 820 || 0.62 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 49.3 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr || APHE || 770 || 0.69 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 22.1 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M.Gr.18 || FI-T || 914 || 0.55 || N/A || 0.1 || 108 || 47° || 56° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''125''' || 93 ''(+32)'' || 62 ''(+63)'' || 31 ''(+94)'' || 6 ''(+119)'' || 1 ''(+124)'' || 0 ''(+125)'' || No
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Ostwind is best played in an anti-aircraft role. When this play-style is used, it is recommended (as it is recommended for any anti-air vehicle) to fire only when there is a good chance of hitting enemy aircraft. Firing at long ranges with the hopes of getting a lucky hit is both a waste of ammunition and a good way to broadcast your position to enemy ground and air units. Also, try to stay near cover--next to buildings or under trees and shrubbery--since the Ostwind's open turret makes its crew quite vulnerable to strafing attacks.

In a pinch, the Ostwind can be used to attack light and medium ground targets. This is often not the Ostwind's most effective use, but it is possible to destroy such enemy vehicles using the PzGr round, especially when firing at their sides or rear. Still, keep in mind that the Ostwind is itself lightly armoured, and quite easy to disable or destroy. If this vehicle is to be used in an anti-ground role, then it is best to avoid being detected by the enemy whenever possible. Also note that against heavier tanks such as the [[KV-1 (Family)|KV-1]], the PzGr round will likely not be able to penetrate from any angle.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Never need to reload
* Very little lead required to hit enemy aircraft
* Reasonable rate of fire for the calibre (37 mm)
* A single hit often cripples or completely destroys an enemy aircraft
* Very effective against light tanks
* Rather difficult to kill with one shot
* Turret is better armoured than the Wirbelwind

'''Cons:'''

* Based on the chassis of a Pz.IV tank: the armour and the mobility are lacking
* A viewing port in the turret allows enemies to kill the gunner with machine gun fire
* Open turret; susceptible to aerial gunfire or blast overpressure
* Significantly hard to hit and kill an enemy aircraft with the 37 mm cannon
* PzGr APHE belt with highest penetration values almost never penetrates armoured vehicles (aside fron light and open-topped vehicles)
* Can get overwhelmed if there are several planes with its low rate of fire
* Once the cannon is overheated, cooling takes time and hinders combat performance

== History ==


From 1943 onward Germany began to place more and more emphasis on self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAGs). This was because the Luftwaffe had lost their aerial supremacy they had maintained early in the war, as the Allied powers were able to completely outpace the German industry in terms of aircraft production. This lead to designs such as the 3.7 cm ''Flak auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (sf) "Möbelwagen", which was succeeded by the Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind - which was based on the Panzer IV chassis.

Designed in 1944, the Flakpanzer IV Ostwind (East Wind) was another Panzer IV based SPAAG, and it was designed to replace the earlier Wirbelwind. An unmodified Panzerkampfwagen IV chassis was used with the turret removed and replaced by a new open-topped hexagonal turret. The turret was open-topped to ventilate the large quantities of smoke generated by the gun, which would otherwise enter the enclosed crew compartment and cause harm to the crew. The armament of the Ostwind was a 3.7 cm Flak 43 anti-aircraft gun. The 37 mm gun was not only effective against aircraft, but also against lightly armoured vehicles and light fortifications. Compared to the Wirbelwind, the Ostwind had a slightly better protected turret and a more powerful armament. The Flak 43 was simply more powerful than the 2 cm Flak 38 guns of the Wirbelwind.

The Bundeswehr ordered 100 Flakpanzer IV Ostwinds in August 1944, but only 44 vehicles were completed between December 1944 and March 1945. 37 of the vehicles were converted from already existing PzKpfw IV tanks, and 7 were purpose-built. All conversions and constructions were carried out at Ostbau Werke in Sagan, Silesia (now in Poland).

=== In-game description ===
A development of the Wirbelwind project. The goal of the Ostwind project was to increase the unit's firepower, protection, and effective range. For this purpose, a 3.7 cm FlaK 43 anti-air gun was installed on it, and its turret's armour was increased to 25 mm. The first prototype was completed in September, 1944. In the same month, on the 23rd, it was used in combat operations on the Eastern Front. Between 1944 and 1945 Ostbau-Sagan released 43 mounts. They were more effective than their predecessors had been.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|naeDoEwZ5Pg|'''German SPAAs''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 2:22 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|5rmqhfuEC90|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[Flakpanzer IV]]

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

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

{{Germany anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Ostwind

2021-05-18T16:38:39Z

U49489082: /* Description */ Changed again to against.

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

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German SPAA {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]]. The younger brother of the infamous Wirbelwind, Ostwind, is another German SPAAG, which is another force to be reckoned with. It switches quad 20mm autocannons for one 37mm gun, which comes with its advantages and disadvantages. The chassis is the same as on the previous SPAAG. While the player doesn't have to reload the primary weapon, which allows for the continuous fire, he or she has to be aware of overheating. Default belt works wonders against planes and ground tech alike.

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front (Slope angle)
!Sides (Slope angle)
!Rear (Slope angle)
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|20 mm (70°) ''Upper Glacis''
80 mm (10°, 20°) ''Front, Lower Glacis''
|30 mm
|20 mm
|10 mm
|-
|Turret
|25 mm (50°)
|25 mm (50°)
|25 mm (50°)
!
|}

The Ostwind is lightly armoured, as most anti-air vehicles are, but is also unexpectedly survivable. With 5 crew members and a fairly spacious crew compartment, it is not uncommon for the vehicle to survive a direct hit from a shell, even one containing explosive filler. A center-mass shot to the hull will often only hit the ammunition storage, and there is a good chance that the ammo will not detonate in these situations.

However, this does not mean that the Ostwind is incredibly well-protected by any stretch of the imagination. It is still only a lightly armoured SPAA, and enemy tanks will have absolutely no trouble destroying it. Usually, a well-placed shot can at least cripple the Ostwind's ability to move or fire. Also note that the Ostwind's turret is completely exposed, making the three crew members within very vulnerable to strafing attacks by enemy aircraft.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=426|rbMinHp=265}}

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

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

{{main|FlaK43 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FlaK43 (37 mm)|37 mm FlaK43]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 1,000 (8) || rowspan="2" | 250 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+87° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 30.82 || 42.66 || 51.80 || 57.28 || 60.94 || rowspan="2" | 0.31 || rowspan="2" | 0.28 || rowspan="2" | 0.25 || rowspan="2" | 0.24
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 20.83 || 24.50 || 29.75 || 32.90 || 35.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''Sprgr. 18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''PzGr:''' {{Annotation|APHE|Armour-piercing high-explosive}}
* '''M.Gr.18:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="7" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Default || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
| PzGr || 49 || 46 || 33 || 22 || 14 || 10
|-
| M.Gr.18 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Belt details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Belt
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || FI-T || 820 || 0.62 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 49.3 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr || APHE || 770 || 0.69 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 22.1 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M.Gr.18 || FI-T || 914 || 0.55 || N/A || 0.1 || 108 || 47° || 56° || 65°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''125''' || 93 ''(+32)'' || 62 ''(+63)'' || 31 ''(+94)'' || 6 ''(+119)'' || 1 ''(+124)'' || 0 ''(+125)'' || No
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Ostwind is best played in an anti-aircraft role. When this play-style is used, it is recommended (as it is recommended for any anti-air vehicle) to fire only when there is a good chance of hitting enemy aircraft. Firing at long ranges with the hopes of getting a lucky hit is both a waste of ammunition and a good way to broadcast your position to enemy ground and air units. Also, try to stay near cover--next to buildings or under trees and shrubbery--since the Ostwind's open turret makes its crew quite vulnerable to strafing attacks.

In a pinch, the Ostwind can be used to attack light and medium ground targets. This is often not the Ostwind's most effective use, but it is possible to destroy such enemy vehicles using the PzGr round, especially when firing at their sides or rear. Still, keep in mind that the Ostwind is itself lightly armoured, and quite easy to disable or destroy. If this vehicle is to be used in an anti-ground role, then it is best to avoid being detected by the enemy whenever possible. Also note that against heavier tanks such as the [[KV-1 (Family)|KV-1]], the PzGr round will likely not be able to penetrate from any angle.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Never need to reload
* Very little lead required to hit enemy aircraft
* Reasonable rate of fire for the calibre (37 mm)
* A single hit often cripples or completely destroys an enemy aircraft
* Very effective against light tanks
* Rather difficult to kill with one shot
* Turret is better armoured than the Wirbelwind

'''Cons:'''

* Based on the chassis of a Pz.IV tank: the armour and the mobility are lacking
* A viewing port in the turret allows enemies to kill the gunner with machine gun fire
* Open turret; susceptible to aerial gunfire or blast overpressure
* Significantly hard to hit and kill an enemy aircraft with the 37 mm cannon
* PzGr APHE belt with highest penetration values almost never penetrates armoured vehicles (aside fron light and open-topped vehicles)
* Can get overwhelmed if there are several planes with its low rate of fire
* Once the cannon hs overheated, cooling takes time and hinders combat performance

== History ==


From 1943 onward Germany began to place more and more emphasis on self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAGs). This was because the Luftwaffe had lost their aerial supremacy they had maintained early in the war, as the Allied powers were able to completely outpace the German industry in terms of aircraft production. This lead to designs such as the 3.7 cm ''Flak auf Fahrgestell Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (sf) "Möbelwagen", which was succeeded by the Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind - which was based on the Panzer IV chassis.

Designed in 1944, the Flakpanzer IV Ostwind (East Wind) was another Panzer IV based SPAAG, and it was designed to replace the earlier Wirbelwind. An unmodified Panzerkampfwagen IV chassis was used with the turret removed and replaced by a new open-topped hexagonal turret. The turret was open-topped to ventilate the large quantities of smoke generated by the gun, which would otherwise enter the enclosed crew compartment and cause harm to the crew. The armament of the Ostwind was a 3.7 cm Flak 43 anti-aircraft gun. The 37 mm gun was not only effective against aircraft, but also against lightly armoured vehicles and light fortifications. Compared to the Wirbelwind, the Ostwind had a slightly better protected turret and a more powerful armament. The Flak 43 was simply more powerful than the 2 cm Flak 38 guns of the Wirbelwind.

The Bundeswehr ordered 100 Flakpanzer IV Ostwinds in August 1944, but only 44 vehicles were completed between December 1944 and March 1945. 37 of the vehicles were converted from already existing PzKpfw IV tanks, and 7 were purpose-built. All conversions and constructions were carried out at Ostbau Werke in Sagan, Silesia (now in Poland).

=== In-game description ===
A development of the Wirbelwind project. The goal of the Ostwind project was to increase the unit's firepower, protection, and effective range. For this purpose, a 3.7 cm FlaK 43 anti-air gun was installed on it, and its turret's armour was increased to 25 mm. The first prototype was completed in September, 1944. In the same month, on the 23rd, it was used in combat operations on the Eastern Front. Between 1944 and 1945 Ostbau-Sagan released 43 mounts. They were more effective than their predecessors had been.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|naeDoEwZ5Pg|'''German SPAAs''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 2:22 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|5rmqhfuEC90|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Related development

* [[Flakpanzer IV]]

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

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

{{Germany anti-aircraft vehicles}}