War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

M36 GMC

2020-03-13T02:19:26Z

U51320323: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card|code=us_m36}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_M36GMC.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''90-mm Gun Motor Carriage M36''' (or the '''M36''', nicknamed the ''Jackson'') is a Rank IV American tank destroyer with a battle rating of 5.7. It was introduced in [[Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory"]]. The M36 is a nice upgrade to the [[M18 GMC]], owning a more powerful gun in the form of the [[M3 (90 mm)|90 mm]] M3. This vehicle can be a great threat to the enemy. And can be very fun to play if used correctly.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 38.1 mm (56°) ''Front glacis'' 50.8-107.8 (9-63°) ''Transmission housing'' || 19.05 mm (37°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm ''Bottom'' || 19.05 mm (42°) ''Top'' 19.05 (1-45°) ''Bottom'' || 19.5 mm ''Front roof'' 9.5 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 31.75 mm (2-53°) ''Turret front'' 76.2 mm (°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 31.75 mm (0-21°) || 25.4 mm (2-23°) || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Tracks are 30 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick while the wheels are 20 mm thick.
* Small slivers of 5 mm armour hang off the top side hull armour, giving minuscule protections at those areas.
* Track blocks on the side hull armour allows an extra 30 mm of armour at their locations.

=== Mobility ===


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

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

{{main|M3 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M3 (90 mm)|90 mm M3]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 47 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.28 || 19.80 || 24.0 || 26.60 || 28.20
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.4 || 22.60 || 24.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 11.05 || 9.78 || 9.01 || 8.50
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| T33 shot || AP || 189 || 188 || 163 || 137 || 115 || 96
|-
| M71 shell || HE || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19 || 19
|-
| M82 shot || APCBC || 165 || 164 || 150 || 137 || 125 || 114
|-
| M304 shot || APCR || 264 || 260 || 245 || 226 || 210 || 191
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| T33 shot || AP || 822 || 11 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M71 shell || HE || 823 || 11 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 925 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M82 shot || APCBC || 813 || 11 || 1.2 || 20 || 137.2 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M304 shot || APCR || 1021 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| M313 || 821 || 11 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_M36GMC.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the M36.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''47''' || 43 ''(+4)'' || 37 ''(+10)'' || 28 ''(+19)'' || 19 ''(+28)'' || 10 ''(+37)'' || 1 ''(+46)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}

Notes:

* Recommended load is 20 ''(+27)'' to remove most ammo from the hull, keeping rack 6 intact.
* 1st and 2nd ammo racks are ready racks and take priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills 6, 5, 4, then 3.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in either ready rack. If both ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 3-6 into 2 then 1, as long as there is ammo present in racks 3-6. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,000 (200) || 577 || -10°/+70° || ±60°
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Play style with the M36 should be about the same as the [[M10 GMC|M10]]. The speed is about the same and armour is still just as thin, but it has an improved turret traverse rate and a 90 mm gun, making it able to engage targets much easier.

===Modules===

# M82 shot (APCBC). This will greatly improve the firepower.
# Parts. So the vehicle can repair.
# Adjustment of fire, to improve gun accuracy.
# FPE, to put out fires in the event the M36 isn't done in by pyrotechnics.
# Elevation Mechanism, to improve gun accuracy.
# Personal discretion from here. M304 shot (APCR), Engine, Horizontal Drive are all good next choices. The engine is probably the best bet if taking into RB, but less important in AB.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Access to 90mm gun and most of its ammo types
* Good handling off road
* Good gun depression
* Powered turret traverse gives better turn rate than the [[M10 GMC|M10]]
* .50 cal machine gun for AA defence and warding off SPAA's and trucks

'''Cons:'''

* Armour is very thin, M10 thin
* Open top vehicle, vulnerable to strafing and artillery
* Slow acceleration
* Reverse speed is bad
* Outmatched by most contemporary enemy tanks in terms of armour and mobility

== History ==


===Development===
United State's anti-tank doctrine called for the formation of a tank destroyer force filled with vehicles that are fast and have powerful guns. One of the vehicles designed for this job was the [[M10 GMC|M10 GMC]] carrying the [[M7 (76 mm)|3-inch M7 gun]]. While adequate at the time of its introduction, later in the war it was encountering more heavily armoured German vehicles that could withstand its calibre. Some M10 were up-gunned to the [[M1 (76 mm)|76mm gun]], but even that was determined to not be enough. The army needed a tank-killing cannon to be placed on its most numerous tank destroyer vehicle to deal with any armoured threat that could possibly come.

The 90mm gun started as the anti-aircraft M1 and M1A1 gun. It wasn't until the M2 model that it earned a dual-purpose role of anti-aircraft and anti-tank in May 1943. Finally, it was decided to mount the mighty gun onto a vehicle, starting with the M10 GMC. The tank mountable variant was called the [[M3 (90 mm)|90 mm M3]] and was tested on the M10 tank destroyer in early 1943. After installing a modified turret onto the M10 body, the vehicle was designated the ''T71 GMC'', it was approved for service and renamed as the '''M36 GMC'''. The nickname ''Jackson'' for the M36 was given in September 1944 by Ordnance Department, however, this nickname never saw use during war documents. The nickname only became well-known to the public in the 1970s, and soon became synonymous to the vehicle. Like its predecessor, it features an open-top turret and exposes the crew to the elements and enemy fire. However, a postwar modification allows a folding armoured roof to protect the crew from rain and shrapnel.

===Combat usage===
The M36 GMC arrived at Europe in September 1944. Though 1,400 were produced during the course of the war, the demand for self-propelled 90 mm guns was so high that 187 [[M4]] were converted with the 90 mm and sent as the ''M36B1''. The 90mm was met with much approval by not only the crew, but other units around the area as the 90 mm could deal with the thick German armour on the Panthers and Tigers. The M36 GMCs were deployed in the Battle of the Bulge along with its other tank destroyer types, where it took out many German tanks with ease due to its high-power cannon and ability to ambush the tanks by the flanks. Humorously, there was an account sometime in March 1945 where a unit of the 635th Tank Destroyer Battalion radioed into their logistic support asking why their newly supplied 90 mm shells were more than a foot too long for their gun chambers. A few forwarding later got the message to a Captain Elmer Gray, who happened to be looking for the misplaced rounds for the new [[T26E1-1|"Super Pershing"]] doing combat tests.<ref name="PershingHunnicutt">Hunnicutt, R.P. ''Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series'' U.S.A.: Feist Publications, 1971</ref>

At the end of World War II, The M36 GMC's role in the tank destroyer doctrine became obsolete. Mainly due to increasing prevalence of well-armoured tanks that could do its job more efficiently such as the [[M26|M26 Pershings]] (which also had the 90mm gun), but also the lack of German AFVs at the time of the war and a study on ammo usage indicates that the tank destroyers spent more time supporting infantry with high-explosive shells than killing tanks with armour-piercing, rendering the anti-tank section an unnecessary component in the modernizing armoured forces.

The M36 then served in the Korean War, able to destroy all the Soviet tank designs used by the North Koreans and the Chinese. An addition of a ball-mounted machine gun on the assistant driver's side was done as well. The M36 served well with the South Koreans until American M26 Pershings and [[M46|M46 Pattons]] could be built up as reinforcements. Aside from that, the M36 was exported to many countries and are still in use by some today. Some of the notable post-World War II conflicts the M36 GMCs served in was the First Indochina War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, and the Croatian War of Independence of 1991, which proved that the M36 GMCs were still useful to countries half a century after they were introduced.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23m36 Skins and camouflages for the M36 from live.warthunder.com.]

[[File:M36 in battle.jpg|thumb|none]]

==References==
<references />

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/772/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Attacker FB.1 and M10 & M36 Slugger] 

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

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

{{USA tank destroyers}}

T-34-85

2020-03-12T21:15:44Z

U51320323: /* Description */

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_t_34_85_zis_53}}
{{About
| about = Soviet medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = T-34 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T-34-85.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. Though similar to the [[T-34-85 (D-5T)]], it has an improved gun and a full crew for combat efficiency.

The T-34-85 is an improvement over its predecessor, the T-34-85 (D-5T) with a better armament, ammo, and an additional crew member. Aside from that, the two's technical specification is pretty much the same.

The front hull armour is only 45 mm thick, even when sloped this is a pitiful amount of armour to fight with against the other BR 5.7 vehicles as every other tank gun can penetrate that armour. Thus if possible, do not prolong the exposure of the hull armour towards the enemy.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
*Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Cupola, Driver's hatch, Machine gun port)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (60°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (60°) ''Lower glacis'' 75 mm (60°) ''Driver's hatch'' 65 mm (30°) ''Machine gun port'' || 45 mm (39-40°) ''Top'' 45 mm ''Bottom'' || 45 mm (47-49°) ''Top'' 45 mm (46°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 90 mm (1-69°) ''Turret front'' 90 + 40 mm (8-61°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm (19-22°) ''Front 2/3rd'' 52 mm (13-19°) ''Rear 1/3rd'' || 52 mm (9°) || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 90 mm || 20 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* The gun mantlet has 90 mm in front with additional small and thin 40 mm plates on the sides of the gun. [http://i.imgur.com/HhKRdli.jpg See here.]
* Suspensions wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 18 mm thick

Any enemy vehicle around the T-34-85's BR bracket can destroy it if it can get a solid shot on the hull armour. Beware when exposing hull when coming out to take a shot on an enemy, someone is bound to be watching for the T-34-85 and they won't be afraid to plant a shell into the 45 mm hull armour.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 775|rbMinHp= 442|AoAweight= 0.2}}

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

{{main|ZiS-S-53 (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ZiS-S-53 (85 mm)|85 mm ZiS-S-53]]
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 60 || -5°/+22° || ±180°
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 14.90 || 20.60 || 25.00 || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.90 || 17.50 || _.__ || _.__ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.60 || _.__ || _.__ || 7.40
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-365K || APHE || 145 || 142 || 125 || 107 || 92 || 78
|-
| BR-365A || APHEBC || 142 || 139 || 123 || 105 || 91 || 81
|-
| O-365K || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| BR-365P || APCR || 180 || 175 || 136 || 100 || 73 || 54
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-365K || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 81.6 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-365A || 792 || 9.2 || 1.2 || 15 || 164 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| O-365K || 780 || 9.5 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 646 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| BR-365P || 1030 || 5.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks T-34-85.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the T-34-85.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''60''' || 51 ''(+9)'' || 41 ''(+19)'' || 31 ''(+29)'' || 21 ''(+39)'' || 11 ''(+49)'' || 1 ''(+59)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

''Turret empty:'' 24 ''(+12)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,890 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The '''T-34-85'''<nowiki/>'s best playstyle is that of a flanker. Due to its high mobility, fast turret traverse, and a capable cannon with excellent post-penetration damage, the '''T-34-85''' fills this role perfectly. Since the turret is so tall, it makes combat behind low obstacles difficult, as the turret segment above the main gun is visible. The '''T-34-85'''<nowiki/>'s other playstyle can be as a support tank, by keeping up with more protected vehicles like the [[IS-2]] and supplement firepower while their heavy armament reloads.

The '''T-34-85''' would not make a very suitable short-range brawler though even with the 85 mm gun as the gun has a rather tedious reload for the specific playstyle and the [[T-34-57|T-34]]'s armour is very poor at its BR. With that, the '''T-34-85''' would tend to be able to fire one shot at a close enemy before it gets taken out by other enemies nearby. However, it is understandable that the situation is unavoidable, so it is recommended to stay steady by firing one shot at an unsuspecting enemy at close range before retreating to reload, evading enemy shots.

===Tactics===
If one decides to use the T-34 as a main battle tank, it's advisable to hide the hull as well as possible which has the weakest armour. Unfortunately, most heavy tanks like the Tiger II are nearly invulnerable from the front, but many mediums and even Cold War MBT's can still be destroyed. At this rank bracket, however, its speed, turret location, and poor armour push it towards a flanking role, away from the 1940-43 main battle comfort zone. The gun is still very potent, and the ammunition often knocks out nearly the entire crew, but the increases in armour of enemy vehicles necessitate learning their weakspots. The gun is generally accurate and most shells retain their velocity even into far ranges -- at 1000 meters a Tiger I can be destroyed with a frontal hit.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast turret traverse
* Fast speed
* Excellent upward elevation on the gun
* Fast rate of fire - approximately 7+ seconds with a good crew
* 85mm AP does respectable damage (semi-one-shot) upon penetration
* Has APCR as an upgrade
* Overall armour can bounce lower BR tanks quite reliably, and with a good MM, it clubs hard
* Benefits from a designated loader in the crew, a first for the T-34 series, resulting in faster reload. 5 crew-members also means survivability is significantly increased

'''Cons:'''

* Armour is useless in Rank 4+ matches
* Below average penetration with standard ammo
* Poor angling on the turret(makes bouncing shots unlikely in most situations)
* High profile. Since the turret is so tall, it makes combat behind low obstacles difficult, as the turret segment above the main gun is visible

== History ==

===Development===
The T-34, in its introduction, was a huge shock to the German army when they invaded as they did not have the adequate anti-tank weaponry to defeat the T-34 and its heavier companion [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tank. However, by 1943, the Germans began introducing newer tanks or upgrading their current tanks. They upgraded their [[Pz.IV G|Panzer IVs]] with the 75 mm KwK 40 gun, which could penetrate the T-34, and introduced the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] and [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks into their forces, which could not only destroy the T-34s easily, but can also take in the 76.2 mm shells the T-34 fires. The inferior firepower the T-34 forced the T-34 forces to close into a very close distance during the Battle of Kursk with the Tigers and Panthers in order to get to the sides and fire at the weaker armour. While the Soviets were victorious against the German offensive, the T-34s suffered high losses with this strategy.

The T-34's slow improvement from the [[T-34 (1941)|1941 model]] was due to the decision to keep changes to the model low to keep costs low and productivity high. This worked well in the first two years against the Germans, but the Battle of Kursk showed that the newer German tanks now outgun the T-34s. Soviet High Command, once conservative on the T-34's upgrades, now opted for an increase in the T-34 armament to be able to counter the German tanks. During the development, an interim solution for the problem was the equipping of the 57 mm ZiS-4M gun onto the T-34, which has better penetration capabilities compared to the 76.2 F-34 guns. This tank, the [[T-34-57]], performed as an adequate "tank-hunter", but the small HE shell on the 57 mm gun made it a poor tank armament so this was only an interim solution until a better design is made.<ref name="ZalogaM26vsT-34">Zaloga Steven. ''T-34-85 vs M26 Pershing: Korea 1950'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2010</ref>

Testings with various guns in Soviet inventory against captured German tanks showed that the most capable gun was the 85 mm 52-K anti-aircraft gun. With this discovery, the 52-K underwent development to make derivatives able to be mounted onto a tank. The cannon was able to penetrate the front of the Tiger from 500 meters out, the turret side from 600 meters away, and the hull side from 800 meters away. The 85 mm was first mounted onto the [[SU-85]]s, but the need for an upgraded tank had the Soviets find a way to fit the gun in the T-34. The cannon was much larger than the F-34 gun and so a much larger turret was necessary to house the gun. The solution to this was to transfer the turret from the cancelled T-43 tank program onto the T-34, this increased the turret ring diameter from the original 1,425 mm into 1,600 mm, which required a retooling in the manufacturing plants. While this delayed T-34 production, the 85 mm was finally able to be mounted onto the T-34 as the '''T-34-85'''.<ref name="ZalogaM26vsT-34">Zaloga Steven. ''T-34-85 vs M26 Pershing: Korea 1950'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2010</ref>

===Design===
The T-34-85, aside from the enlarged turret ring for the new turret, uses the same T-34 hull design. Armour was still about 45 mm thick, sloped at 60 degrees for a 90 mm effective thickness. The Christie suspension was retained, as well as the diesel engine. However, the biggest difference in the tank design is the three-man turret, though a turret basket is still exempt from the design. Before, the two-man turret on the older [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] had the commander forced to do his job and the gunner's, the three-man turret on the T-34-85 separated the commander's duty by having a separate gunner to fire the gun, leaving the commander to do his job commanding the tank as a whole. The larger turret also has space for a radio (previously in the hull by the assistant driver), allowing the commander to effectively communicate between tank units. Aside from the enlarged turret ring, new turret, and the 85 mm gun, the internal specifications of the T-34 and its pros and cons were nearly identical to the older variants.

The 85 mm gun on the T-34-85 was able to penetrate 125 mm of armour at 500 meters away at a 90 degree meet angle with normal AP rounds. The 85 mm gun was derived from the 52-K anti-aircraft gun, which was developed from Vasilliy Grabin and Fyodor Petrov's design bureaus. Petrov's bureaus produced the 85 mm D-5T gun while Grabin's design, after being taken over by A. Savin, produced the 85 mm ZiS-53 gun. During trials in the Gorokhoviesky Proving Grounds, it was found that the ZiS-53 gun was much better than the D-5T and was much simpler, which was redesignated as the ZiS-S-53 after Savin's initials. However, as the new turret was optimized with the D-5T gun, the T-34-85 started with the D-5T as the [[T-34-85 (D-5T)|T-34-85 Model 1943]], which ran on from February to March 1944. After March 1944, the 85 mm ZiS-5 was used as the armament of the [[T-34-85|T-34-85 Model 1944]]. During its production life from 1943 to 1958, up to 48,950 T-34-85s were created (22,559 of which during World War II), consisting of more than half of the total 84,070 T-34 units created in its entire production life since 1940.

===Combat usage===
From its introduction in March 1944 and onwards, the T-34-85s were the main tank in Soviet service.<ref name="ZalogaM26vsT-34">Zaloga Steven. ''T-34-85 vs M26 Pershing: Korea 1950'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2010</ref> The older [[T-34 (1942)|T-34s]] were still being used in the theatre as they are lost from combat and retribution and replaced. The T-34-85's 85 mm gun armour penetration and front turret armour nearly doubled compared to the older T-34, yet retain the same speed, mobility, and hull armour. The T-34-85 was vastly superior to the German's [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IVs]] and [[StuG III G|StuG IIIs]], and though it was still inferior against the [[Panther A|Panther]] and the [[Tiger E|Tiger I]], it had a better chance than the older T-34 models. The T-34-85s maintain numerical superiority throughout the entire war due to the Soviet's industrial base and design concept of mass producing single designs, while the Germans focus on newer, better tanks such as the heavier [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], which restricted productivity and made logistics a hard job to maintain. The T-34-85s were the main Soviet spearhead weapon during Operation Bagration and its future offensives up until the Battle of Berlin. After the fall of Nazi Germany, the Soviets use the T-34-85s again in their invasion of Manchuria to fulfil their promise to invade Japan after the fall of Germany. The combined-arms forces of their armoured units overran the Japanese positions in Manchuria and were pushed all the way to a distance from the Yalu River. The Japanese surrender order was given out by the emperor on August 14, which was not carried out as a cease-fire until August 17.

After the end of World War II, the T-34-85s were given out in massive quantities to Soviet-occupied territories and their allies. The next action the T-34-85s faced was in the Korean War, in the hands of the North Koreans. The North Korean armoured forces are able to assault deep into South Korea with these tanks as South Koreans were severely under-equipped in anti-tank weaponry, only armed with US-supplied [[M24|M24 Chaffees]] and regular bazookas, which were useless against the T-34s. It wasn't until the deployment of US troops into the Korean peninsula that the tide turned against the North Koreans and their tanks. The US sent their [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3E8 Shermans]], [[M26|M26 Pershings]], and "Super Bazookas" to arm the troops there. All these weapons are able to destroy the T-34-85s, with the M26 Pershing being able to penetrate straight through the front and back of the T-34-85 armour with HVAP rounds. The Shermans are nearly equal to the T-34-85s, but the better optic quality and crew training gave them an edge against the T-34-85s. These anti-tank weapons supplied by the coalition caused the North Koreans to suffer major tank losses and after their supply lines were cut by the US landings at Inchon, the armoured vehicles were abandoned as the North Koreans retreated. Pure tank-to-tank battles between the two sides were scarce after 1950 due to a heavy decline in armoured forces in the North Korean side.<ref name="ZalogaM26vsT-34">Zaloga Steven. ''T-34-85 vs M26 Pershing: Korea 1950'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2010</ref>

Past the Korean War, the T-34-85s were clearly obsolete with the development of newer tanks being developed worldwide. Despite that, many countries still use T-34-85s as their main tank or as reserves, even the Soviets and Finnish continue using them until the late 1960s. Warsaw Pact countries used them in large quantities and were involved in many conflicts within these countries, such as the East German uprising in June 1953, Hungarian revolution in 1956, Coup by Greek junta in July 1974, and the Turkish invasion in July-August 1974. The T-34-85s also saw conflicts in the Middle East in the hands of Syrians, Egyptians, Jordanians, and Iraq; Vietnam with the North Vietnamese, and in the Bosnian War in the Bosnian Serb Army. African countries such as Somalia and Angola still use T-34-85s in their armies, and they could even be seen in the recent conflicts in Yemen and in Ukraine. Despite their age, it seems that the T-34-85 was to become a tank that will persist in the hands of smaller countries for years to come.

During late 1944, the Soviets were already searching for a successor to the T-34s that use most of the newest tank technology found in recent years. The result was the [[T-44]] medium tank, which did not enter service in time to see widespread usage and even combat during World War II. The T-44 underwent further development and redesigning to become a tank that would surpass the T-34 in the most produced tank in existence, the [[T-54 (1949)|T-54 tank]].

=== In-game description ===
This model of tanks received the new S-53 cannon with a 54.6 calibre barrel length mounted on a turret with an expanded traverse circle. Its armour-piercing 9.2 kg shell penetrated 111 mm and 102 mm thick armour at ranges of 500 and 1,000 metres respectively, while its subcalibre round penetrated 138 mm thick armour at a range of 500 metres. Tanks with this cannon used the improved TS-16 telescopic sight. To allow firing from cover, it had an elevation level and a turreted rangefinder. The turret's roof featured two MK-4 observation instruments which provided noticeably improved vision over the PTK-5 panoramic telescope. Another ventilator was also added and the command cupola was moved back. The turret's frontal armour was increased to 90 mm, and the sides to 60 mm.

The 9RC radio set was installed on all the vehicles, and late production tanks received electric drive for turning the turret and the means to set up smokescreens. Combined manual and electric drives meant that the turret could be fully turned in 12-15 seconds, and its turning motion became steadier. Although the tank's weight was somewhat increased by the installation of its more powerful cannon and stronger armour, thanks to its powerful diesel engine, its mobility did not suffer.

Tanks of this model went into mass production in February 1944. By the end of the Second World War, around 20,500 of them were made in total. The tank was widely used in all conflicts in the war's final stage.

In spite of the very significant upgrades present on the T-34-85, its battle characteristics could not be considered entirely satisfactory for the second half of the war in the context of improved German tanks and anti-tank weapons.

Captured tanks of this type were used by the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS until the end of the war.
The tank underwent several modernisations after the war, the last of which took place in 1969. In the 50s, it was mass-produced in Poland and Czechoslovakia."

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

{{youtube|url = jm-VC18vo20|A T-34-85 makes its runs}}

==References==
<references />

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

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

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USSR medium tanks}}

Nashorn

2020-03-12T20:50:55Z

U51320323: /* Main armament */

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_panzerjager_nashorn}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (''Rhinoceros'') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]].

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

The Nashorn's armour is paper-thin; it will not protect you from even heavy-calibre machine gun fire and can be hull-broken from large-calibre HE rounds.

The Nashorn also lacks a roof, making it a very desirable target for strafing runs by fighters, as well as rocket attacks by attack aircraft.

One interesting (and somewhat comical) note to the Nashorn's armour that it is so thin, shells may pass through it without exploding due to the fuse passing through enough material to set it off and detonate.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 426|rbMinHp= 525|}}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===
{{main|PaK 43 (88 mm)}}The gun has great pen at all ranges and angles with a ok reload. Snipe with it as most other guns at your rank can't pen as much at range and very few tanks tan take a hit from it if you gun in you shoot right.

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

The Nashorn has two [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)]] aimed towards the vehicle's sides. Since they are the vehicles secondary weapon, you can't switch between different belts. Furthermore, they have various blind spots, e.g. the space behind or in front of the tank as well as the area above the vehicle since the machine guns have an elevation of only around +20°, making the tank very vulnerable against diving fighters or bombers.

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

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful 88mm PaK 43 gun can destroy most, if not every, opponent in one shot
* Armour, although thin, can cause armour-piercing rounds to slice through without causing other damages outside its trajectory
* Has not one, but two machine guns
* Has faster reload times than that of the Tiger II
* Mobility of a Panzer IV
* Plays like the Marder III H

'''Cons:'''

* Has next to no armour and can be penetrated by .50 cal machine guns
* Crew compartment has no roof; is vulnerable to artillery and strafing aircraft
* Ammo racks are attached to the sides of the crew compartment; a shell strike there can detonate the ammunition
* Can be hull-broken
* Horrible gun depression
* Very tall silhouette
* Combined those two above makes it very hard for the Nashorn to hide in plain sight on flat grounds

== History ==


Also known as the Hornisse (Hornet), the Nashorn comprised a composite Pz III/IV chassis and an 8.8 cm PaK 43 gun. 494 were built and it was used on all fronts in the heavy tank destroyer units from mid-1943 on. The first user was the 655th Schwere Panzerjaegerabteilung in Russia.

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

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

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

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

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

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Challenger Mk.3

2020-03-11T04:47:55Z

U51320323: /* Mobility */

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_challenger_mk_3}}
{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Challenger (Disambiguation)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage {{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (shortened as '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]].

The Challenger Mk.3 retains most of the characteristics of the [[Challenger Mk.2]]. It has some unique differences; such as: [[Armour#Explosive_reactive_armour_.28ERA.29|"ROMOR-A ERA"]] which covers the lower glacis and sides, along with the addition of the ammunition storage being covered with rolled homogeneous armour. It retains the same engine (1200hp) as the Mk.2, however with a minor increase in weight it suffers slightly reduced mobility and acceleration. Its iconic, legendary, and pin-point accurate gun stays the same as on the Challenger Mk.2.

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


The armour protection on the Challenger Mk.3 is excellent in some areas and bad in others. The upper half of the turret cheeks are capable of withstanding almost all kinetic penetrators and will stop most chemical penetrators with less than 800 mm, while the lower half won't protect against most top-rank rounds. Additionally, the breach weak spot is quite small. This means the turret has excellent protection and hulldown play is recommended. The hull composite is only good against lower penetrating APFSDS rounds such as T-55AM, and can also withstand some chemical munitions, but it is not advised to rely on this armour. The rest of the tank (turret and hull sides, lower front plate) has decent protection against chemical rounds due to the add on armour, ERA, and thick turret sides.

=== Mobility ===

The Challenger Mk.3 has an acceptable top speed, however, acceleration and mobility (primarily due to its weight) are lacklustre compared to other MBTs.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" |
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 65.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 62 (AB)
|-
|56 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,860
|2,290
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|1,076
|1,200
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|28.39
|34.96
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|16.42
|18.32
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! '''Module rotation speed'''
! 90 Degrees
! 180 Degrees
! 360 Degrees
|-
| '''Tank Hull'''
| 5 Seconds
| 10 Seconds
| 20 Seconds
|-
| '''Tank Turret'''
| 3 Seconds
| 6 Seconds
| 12 Seconds
|-
| '''Test Conditions'''
| colspan="3" | *Tank and crew conditions of this test were done using a spaded Challenger MK 3: With crew at maximum crew skill, with the qualification of basic training. Results can vary based on tank research state, crew levels & qualifications.
|}

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

{{main|L11A5 (120 mm)}}

The Challenger's main gun, while not the most powerful at its rank, is competitive, and more importantly, accurate. With a little over 400 mm of penetration at maximum, aim for weak spots (particularly when facing higher-ranked vehicles such as the T-80U, Leopard 2A5, etc) and make use of the Challenger's good reload speed.

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|L37A2 (7.62 mm)|L8A2 (7.62 mm)}}

It is possible to switch to the machine-gun as the main weapon and use thermals through the machinegun sight to get a better view of the situation while hulldown.

== Usage in the battles ==


=== Urban Environments ===
In urban environments, the Challenger will struggle relative to the T-80B, M1 Abrams and Leopard 2A4 - it's large, heavy and sluggish which proves costly in close quarters or when engagements occur in open streets. While the Challenger's gun still proves effective, often opposition vehicles will achieve valuable positioning before a Challenger can, forcing the Challenger tanker to play defensively. However, playing carefully and avoiding obvious routes, the Challenger can be comfortably put to use in urban environments.

=== Rural Environments ===
The Mk.3 performs very well in rural areas, where deffolades and ditches that can be used for cover are far more readily available. The Challenger is still best played in hull-down defensive positions, clearing areas of maps before moving up, but a patient playstyle will be rewarded. Make use of the vehicle's good gun depression and competitive reload, utilising off-angles and hull-down positions. If a situation begins to degrade, make use of the Challenger's reasonably good reverse speed and reposition.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Decent turret armour
* Reasonably small breech
* Good chemical resistance on front/sides
* Good neutral steering
* Decent reverse speed
* Reasonably good reload, particularly for a 120 mm

'''Cons:'''

* Gun has lacklustre penetration values; must aim for weak spots
* The lower half of the turret cheeks are vulnerable to some higher-tier rounds
* Slower than most of the vehicles it faces, albeit not by a huge margin
* Hull is very vulnerable to kinetic rounds
* Cannot shoot straight over its engine deck

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5918-development-challenger-mk-3-a-royal-upgrade-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Challenger Mk 3 - A Royal Upgrade]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Panther (Disambiguation)

2020-02-17T00:39:17Z

U51320323: /* Rank IV - Vehicles */

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Panther (Disambiguation)}}

'''Panther''' may refer to:

==Ground vehicles - [[Panther tank (Family)]]==
===Rank III - Vehicles===

* [[Panther D]]
* [[Ersatz M10]] - ''Mocked up Panther tank made to resemble a [[M10 GMC]].''
* [[T-V (USSR)]] - ''Russian-captured Panther tank.''

===Rank IV - Vehicles===

* [[Panther A]]
* [[Panther G]]
* [[Panther F]]
* [[Panther II]]
* [[Panther «Dauphine»]] - ''French-captured Panther tank.''

== Aircraft - [[F9F (Family)]]==

* [[F9F-2|F9F-2 ''Panther'']]
* [[F9F-5|F9F-5 ''Panther'']]

[[Category:Disambiguation pages]]

Panther (Disambiguation)

2020-02-17T00:38:58Z

U51320323: /* Rank III - Vehicles */

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Panther (Disambiguation)}}

'''Panther''' may refer to:

==Ground vehicles - [[Panther tank (Family)]]==
===Rank III - Vehicles===

* [[Panther D]]
* [[Ersatz M10]] - ''Mocked up Panther tank made to resemble a [[M10 GMC]].''
* [[T-V (USSR)]] - ''Russian-captured Panther tank.''

===Rank IV - Vehicles===

* [[Panther A]]
* [[Panther G]]
* [[Panther F]]
* [[Panther II]]
* [[Panther «Dauphine»]] - ''French-captured Panther tank''

== Aircraft - [[F9F (Family)]]==

* [[F9F-2|F9F-2 ''Panther'']]
* [[F9F-5|F9F-5 ''Panther'']]

[[Category:Disambiguation pages]]