War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

SU-85

2024-11-23T18:16:54Z

U62757156: /* Ammo racks */

{{About
| about = Soviet tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| other
| usage-1 = the other version
| link-1 = SU-85M
| usage-2 = the open-topped SPG
| link-2 = SU-85A
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_su_85_1943
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''SU-85''' was a Soviet self-propelled gun used during World War II. The Soviet was forced to develop more powerful weapons to counter the German tanks, which had become more sophisticated as the war progressed. The 85 mm D-5T tank gun was developed in May 1943 by Petrov's bureau. Given that the new armament is too big to fit into any tank designs that are currently in use, the [[SU-122]] was selected for testing and modification, and its 122 mm M-30S howitzer was swapped out for a modified 85 mm D-5T tank gun. With an 85 mm D-5S tank gun, the new SU-85 is manufactured using the T-34 medium tank chassis.

Introduced in the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41, the SU-85 should be played as a long-range sniper due to its powerful gun but subpar armour. Most tanks at its rank can be destroyed by the 85 mm D-5S tank gun. However, the armour is so fragile that it cannot withstand most enemy shots. It is therefore not a good idea to be close to the front lines. To increase the effectiveness of armour, players should stay behind the main fighting zone and eliminate enemy targets from far away, taking advantage of both distance and low silhouettes for concealment.

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


The frontal armour on the SU-85 may look not impressive but it is sloped, therefore many rounds will lose effectiveness against it over distance. That's why this tank destroyer must always sit at a distance from targets it engages. To further push the advantage, the SU-85 should be angled to the left about 10-15 degrees when it's not firing. While this often exposes the right side with the commander, it is a necessary evil, as for many tanks it becomes near impossible to penetrate the main body, which usually results in ammo rack, fuel explosion or crew knock-out. To further reduce enemy chances of destroying the SU-85 in one hit, only take half of the shells with you.

Avoid attacking tanks on the high ground unless you can fire first, as otherwise the frontal armour loses its angle advantage and will be penetrated by literally anything. Be careful with the tall tanks for the same reason.

Due to the lacking armour it is a delicate balance, which one can only guess by the feel in each particular encounter, so practice it while you don't have to fight experienced tankers of rank III or IV, which will aim much faster and better, specifically targeting out your weak spots and are less prone to firing randomly when surprised. Angling also works to some extent on future SU tanks, but the further down the tech tree, the less efficient it is due to appearance of new weak spots, popularity of tall tanks and improvement of enemy's weaponry.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's hatch)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 45 mm (49°) ''Front glacis'' 45 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis'' 70 mm (49°) ''Driver's hatch'' || 45 mm || 45 mm (48°) ''Top'' 45 mm (48°) ''Lower'' || 20 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 45 mm (49°) 52 mm (0-63°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 45 mm (17-40°) || 45 mm (12°) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Front glacis has tracks placed on it, adding 18 mm at their location.

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


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

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

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

{{main|D-5S (85 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[D-5S (85 mm)|85 mm D-5S]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 48 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±10° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 13.2 || 18.3 || 22.2 || 24.6 || 26.1 || rowspan="2" | 9.62 || rowspan="2" | 8.51 || rowspan="2" | 7.84 || rowspan="2" | 7.40
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.9 || 10.5 || 12.8 || 14.1 || 15.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:D-5S (85 mm)/Ammunition|BR-365K, BR-365A, O-365K}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''48''' || 43 ''(+5)'' || 41 ''(+7)'' || 29 ''(+19)'' || 16 ''(+32)'' || 1 ''(+47)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
* Left side empty: 29 (+19) shells.

== Usage in battles ==

The SU-85, as a tank destroyer, should be played in a sniper format due to its powerful gun, but subpar armour. The 85 mm gun is able to take out many tanks at its battle rating due to being the lowest BR vehicle with the gun. However, the armour is only decent and is basically an enlarged T-34 front hull for front armour. At the battle rating, this armour quality is no longer able to withstand the enemy shots such as that of the [[Pz.IV G]]. Thus, this makes it a bad idea to be near the front line and instead sit back behind the fighting and take out distant enemy targets, maximizing the low silhouette to hide and distance to improve armour effectiveness.

Be warned that penetrations from shells with explosive fillers are often fatal due to the cramped nature of the crew compartment. Either most of the crew will be knocked out or the modules damaged and these will drastically hinder the {{PAGENAME}}'s ability to fight and survive. It is imperative that the {{PAGENAME}} hit the enemy and be the first one to fire the 85 mm gun to win an engagement. This is especially true in realistic and sim battles where the low profile will grant the {{PAGENAME}} an advantage of stealth.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* [[Panther D]]: The Panther D is one of the most common tanks around BR 5.3, and they pose a great threat with their deadly long 75 mm cannon, thick frontal armour and adequate speed. You want to avoid engaging them at long range as the SU-85 has only x3.5 scope magnification, making long-range shooting super hard. Engage the Panthers within 500 m and avoid shooting their frontal hull. Their biggest weak spot is the gun mantlet, which is only 100 mm thick and has a flat part in the middle. That is where you want to aim at, the SU-85's APHE has sufficient damage to instantly destroy the Panther even from its turret. There also is a shot trap under the Panther's turret mantlet in which a penetrating shot will destroy the Panther, but that requires some finesse in aiming, especially at long ranges. The second weak spot is the sides, which more often than not instantly destroys the vehicle. Generally, APHE is enough to deal with the Panthers, and no APCR is needed. The APHE shell loves to chew through the Panther's thin side armour, even if it's angled.

* [[Tiger H1]]: The Tiger's weak spots are the opposite with the Panthers. Their hull is unsloped and rather thin, while the gun mantlet is weirdly shaped and can absorb quite some shells. The best engaging range remains the same, within 500 m. If the Tiger is angling, aim at the turret ring to disable the gunner and destroy the turret traverse, or aim at the hull side below the side skirt, which is only 60 mm. If it is not angling, aim between the driver's vision port and the MG for an instant kill. Avoid shooting at these two parts as they tend to bounce/absorb shells. Just in case if you see a Tiger E, don't shoot at the lower glacis as there will be add-on tracks installed there, making it harder to penetrate. Its transmission will also absorb all damage.

* [[Panzer IV/70(V)]], [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)]]: These small tank destroyers with their well-angled frontal armour can be quite a problem from a distance. With APHE, you can disable their transmission by shooting at their lower glacis. Now if you can, flank them. The 85 mm APHE does a great job at penetrating sloped, thin armour, so you don't have to get to their absolute sides. For the Pz IV/70, you can also aim at the downward part of the gun mantlet since the shell might ricochet downwards into the hull, knocking out every crew member. The Jagdpanzer 38(t) doesn't have this problem, so side-shooting is required to destroy it effectively.

* [[M4A3E2]] Jumbo: This is another common enemy. It is recommended to use the BR-365A, the one with less penetration but more explosive filler. The reason is that it is better at penetrating sloped armour, which the Jumbo has. With that shell, you can easily destroy an M4A3E2 who's not angling. If it is, aim at the hull side just above the tracks, or load APCR and shoot straight at its gun mantlet. Against a 75 mm M4A3E2, you can relax a bit as it will struggle to penetrate your armour, but your cupola is a rather large weak spot and a shot through there can knock out the SU-85. Be more careful with the M4A3E2 76 W, as they can easily pierce through your armour.

* [[Sturer Emil]]: Picking a long-range fight with Sturer Emil from the front is suicide, the Emil's 128 mm will reach and penetrate the SU-85 before it is in position to fire back. Only engage if certain the Emil is unaware of the SU-85's presence on its flanks, or point it out to allies for more mobile friendlies to engage and destroy it. Allies could also divert its attention from the SU-85 to allow for an 85 mm shot into the thin armour on it.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great 85 mm gun, with effective post-penetration damage and good penetration rates
* The BR-365K and BR-365A have enough explosive filler, pretty much any penetrating shot will be an instant knock-out
* Amazing sloped armour penetration
* Good mobility akin to the T-34, you will be one of the first ones to the cap point
* Low profile, you will be able to utilize small hills and slopes for cover
* Decently sloped armour and angles, "wiggling" the tank will cause rounds to ricochet

'''Cons:'''

* Armour is only that of a T-34's and will not stop many rounds at this rank
* As is common in every Soviet tank, very limited gun depression
* Lack of APCR ammo, in case you have to go against heavies like the Jumbo
* Small combat compartment can cause quick crew knock-out from any penetrating shot

== History ==

===Development===
The development for this vehicle began in 1943 to supplement the firepower the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] has. Before then, the T-34 and KV-1 tanks are more than adequate to deal with the German Panzer forces, but by the end of 1942, the appearance of the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] revealed that the German armoured forces were becoming more developed and more armoured. This reveal showed the Red Army that needed better guns in order to deal with the rising threat of these new German vehicles.

The search for a better gun led to the development of the D-5 85 mm gun, which was a modified anti-aircraft gun made by design bureaus of Vasiliy Grabin and Fyodor Petrov. It was found that the new gun was unable to be mounted on the current T-34 or KV-1, so it was to be mounted as a self-propelled gun like the [[SU-122]], which is a self-propelled gun made on a T-34 chassis. The vehicle to be produced was designated the '''SU-85''' and was similar to the SU-122, just replacing the 122 mm gun with an 85 mm one. The gun that was to be mounted in the self-propelled configuration was designated the D-5S (S for self-propelled) and the vehicle was produced at the Uralmash factory. Modifications were made overtime during its production such as a telescopic sight and a new ball gun mantlet, these modified vehicles were designated the ''SU-85-II''. Up to 2,050 units were produced from mid-1943 to late 1944.

===Combat usage===
The SU-85 saw service in August 1943 in Soviet service, which coincides the time the Soviets engage in a counteroffensive against the Battle of Kursk. It was praised for its low profile to be able to conceal itself and its excellent mobility. The initial production batch had low visibility due to lack of optics, with only four periscopes in the design, but this was improved on the [[SU-85M]] with a commander's cupola seen on the later variants of the T-34. The 85 mm gun was able to destroy a Tiger tank from 1,000 me out, proving much capable against the newer German tank designs. Though capable, its firepower was still seen as lacking considering the Tiger could still destroy it and T-34s from up to 2,000 m away. The lack of range on the SU-85, plus the up-arming of T-34s from the 76.2 mm F-34 gun to the same 85 mm gun as well in the [[T-34-85]] caused the production of the SU-85 to be cancelled in late 1944 as it no longer provided any beneficial firepower over the standard tank unit.

Even after it was retired from Soviet service, replaced by the more powerful [[SU-100]], it was exported to Soviet allies in the Warsaw Pact after World War II. The SU-85s were either kept as tank destroyers or converted into armour recovery or command vehicles. These vehicles saw service in North Korea, Vietnam, and may still be in service today by Central European countries like Albania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Romania.

{{break}}
{{Navigation-Start|{{Annotation|Archive of the in-game description|An archive of the historical description of the vehicle that was presented in-game prior to Update 1.55 'Royal Armour'}}}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}
Tactical deployment of the SU-122 showed that in order to fulfill its task of accompanying and supporting tanks, its rate of fire needed to be increased. The new SU-85 SPG was developed and put into service at the end of the summer of 1943. It was created based on the T-34 tank and equipped with an 85 mm D5-S85 cannon with a 48.8 calibre barrel length. The penetration of the new weapon's shell was 75% higher than the T-34's 76 mm cannon shell and 45% higher than the 122 mm howitzer on the SU-122. These qualities resulted in a 1.5 times increase in its effective firing range against armoured vehicles. Its ammunition capacity totalled 48 shells.

The SPG was comparable to the SU-122 in its design, with an aft-located engine compartment and a cabin armoured from all sides with the cannon installed in the front. The self-propelled vehicle was primarily intended for direct fire during short stops. It was also armed with a panoramic sight to allow it to fire from cover. A 9R or 9RS radio set was mounted on the SPG, along with the TPU-3-BisF intercom. With its superior mobility in comparison to enemy heavy tanks and SPGs, the SU-85 was able to successfully do battle with them in spite of its weaker armour.

Between August 1943 and July 1944, 2,337 of them were made in total.
The new vehicles were put into service in separate SPG regiments (up to 16 vehicles per regiment) and were widely used in the conflicts of the Great Patriotic War.

The SPG's flaws included its lack of a machine gun for defending the vehicle from infantry in close quarters, its small ammunition capacity and relatively weak armour.
{{Navigation-End}}

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_su_85_1943 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|HqDtRttvNBk|'''The Shooting Range #331''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:38 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[SU-122]]
* [[SU-85M]]
* [[SU-100]]
* [[SU-122P]]

;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Jagdpanzer IV]]
* [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:SU-85|[Wikipedia] SU-85]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_SU-85.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> SU-85]
* [[wt:en/news/2644--en|[Ace Tanker] Vasily Krysov]]

{{TankManufacturer Uralmash}}
{{USSR tank destroyers}}

Hydropneumatic suspension

2024-09-27T08:39:39Z

U62757156: /* Vehicles with hydropneumatic suspension */

<div class="object-info clearfix" align="justify">

== Description ==
'''Hydropneumatic suspension''' refers to a suspension with the ability to adjust the inclination or the clearance of the vehicle. The feature was added into the game in [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]] for the Type 74 (E) and the STB-1. Settings to control the suspension can be found in: Controls > Ground vehicles > Suspension control.

== Vehicles with hydropneumatic suspension ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! width="20%" | Vehicle !! Country !! Forwards/ Backwards !! Left/Right !! Clearance
|-
| {{Specs-Link|ussr_zprk_2s6}} || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|ussr_2s25}} || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|ussr_2s25m}} || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|fr_amx_10rc}} || [[File:France_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|ussr_bm_13n}} || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|ussr_bm_31_12}} || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|ussr_bmd_4}} || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|ussr_bmp_3}} || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|germ_kpz_70}} || [[File:Germany_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|sw_lvkv_42}} || [[File:Sweden_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|us_mbt_70}} || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|ussr_object_775}} || [[File:USSR_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_st_b1}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|sw_strv_103_0}} || [[File:Sweden_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|sw_strv_103a}} || [[File:Sweden_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|sw_strv_103c}} || [[File:Sweden_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_tkx_prot}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_10_prototype}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|cn_tor_m1}} || [[File:China_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_10}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_74_c}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_74}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_74_f}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_74_mod_g_kai}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_87}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_90}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_90b}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|jp_type_90b_camo}} || [[File:Japan_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|germ_vt_1_2}} || [[File:Germany_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|us_xm1_gm}} || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{Specs-Link|us_xm_803}} || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Cross}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
| {{specs-link|us_m1128_mgs}} || [[File:USA_flag.png|40px|link=]] || {{Tick}} || {{Cross}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}

== Media ==

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|PxvXk966uh0|'''Presentation of working hydropneumatic suspension in Type 90'''|iqT-3qrvTxU|'''Demonstration of working hydropneumatic suspension in Type 74'''|On1Hn0UlydE|'''Presentation of working hydropneumatic suspension in Type 74 for American Soldiers ({{Annotation|NTC|National Training Center}}, Arizona)'''}}

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4380-development-hydropneumatic-suspension-in-war-thunder-en|[Devblog] Hydropneumatic suspension in War Thunder]]

[[Category:Game mechanics]]

ARL-44

2023-01-26T18:23:44Z

U62757156: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
|about= French tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage= the heavy tank version
|link= ARL-44 (ACL-1)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_arl_44
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. As a rank III turreted tank destroyer, it performs very well in its role. With a very good gun and appreciable armour, this tank is deemed to be a long-range sniper on the battlefield. Its only downside lies with its mobility: it is slower than most tanks at this BR.

The ARL-44 bears very distinctive characteristics, with a WWI-style track system (similar to the Churchill) which runs across the whole side of its chassis. This tank is a mix of different inspirations, mainly late war German tank technology such as the [[Panther D|Panther series]] or the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], from which it takes its sloped frontal armour and tall profile. As France was reviving from WW2, its engineers were hard at work to catch up with tank technology, the ARL-44 series was a training ground for them. This is why this tank has rather weird design choices, coming from both experience and experimentation. This final iteration of the series is comparable to the famous King Tiger in aesthetics and the Panther performance-wise, while not as good.

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


'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 120 mm (48°) ''Front glacis'' 100 mm (spherical) ''MG port'' 50 mm ''Hull compartment between the tracks'' 50 mm (63°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50 mm 25 mm ''Tracks cover'' || 35 mm (32°) ''Rear glacis'' 35 mm (20°) ''Hull compartment between the tracks'' || 20 mm 5 mm ''Radiator vents'' 5 mm (18°) ''Engine access panel''
|-
| Turret || 110 mm (0-70°) ''Turret front'' 66 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 60 mm (14°) || 20 mm (8°) || 20 mm (11°) ''Front'' 10 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Cupola || colspan="4" style="text-align:center" | 60 mm (spherical)
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick and bogies are 10 mm thick.
* An additional 25 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment.

In spite of its armour the {{PAGENAME}} still has weak spots easy to target. Avoid showing your sides and/or your back to enemy tanks and you should be mostly fine. Because of the large weak spots like the turret cheeks or the hull between the tracks, it is better to stay as far as possible from the frontline, using the very powerful gun to knock down enemies.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=852|rbMinHp=531}}

While the {{PAGENAME}} suffers from poor traction and a low top speed for a tank destroyer, the powerful engine and good transmission allows the {{PAGENAME}} to accelerate quickly and turn effectively despite its immense size. The vehicle has decent mobility even in close quarters, however at these ranges your armour is ineffective and your gun impractical, so it is ill-advised to fight at close range, even if you have the mobility to support it.

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

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

{{main|SA45 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA45 (90 mm)|90 mm SA45]] || 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" | 37 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 21.1 || 29.2 || 35.5 || 39.3 || 41.8 || rowspan="2" | 13.00 || rowspan="2" | 11.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.60 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.3 || 16.8 || 20.4 || 22.6 || 24.0
|-
|}

The gun is clearly the biggest quality of the {{PAGENAME}} as it can take down anything at this battle rating from a good distance. Keep in mind that your reload rate is rather slow. The shells have no explosive filler but every penetrating shot carries a very large amount of shrapnel. Destroying enemies with one shot is thus a frequent occurrence, even if this tanks only has solid shots.

==== Ammunition ====
{{:SA45 (90 mm)/Ammunition|90 mm Obus de rupture, 90 mm Obus explosif}}

==== [[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
|-
| '''37''' || 25 ''(+12)'' || 13 ''(+24)'' || 1 ''(+36)'' || Yes
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* The visual discrepancy concerns the crossed out shells: they are modeled but missing when in-game.
* Turret empty: 25 ''(+12)'' shells.

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 5,100 (150) || 551 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==


;Combat tactics

The {{PAGENAME}} is a not a well enough armoured vehicle to play as a frontline or support tank and should be played as a sniper: take advantage of your very good gun to disable enemies with well placed shots while staying at a distance guaranteeing your survivability. Your frontal glacis is strong enough to resist most enemy guns beyond 800 m but there are obvious weak spots your opponents will prioritize: the turret cheeks, the MG port, the turret cupola and the lower glacis to a lesser extent. Staying far (between 800 m and 1,000 m) will make it difficult for enemy players to target your weak spots with accuracy and will give you time to react on incoming shots.

Your gun has a very good penetration power allowing you to stay at a distance but the lack of explosive filler is detrimental to your performance as you'll need two to three shells to take down enemies. Your reload time is a bit longer than most opponents, so aim precisely and make every shot count. Make sure to target modules and crew positions to maximise the damage. Disabling the enemy gunner on your first shot will also be critical to win engagements as the enemy vehicle could return fire before your second shot. Use the "sight distance control" feature to increase your chances of successfully hitting enemy tanks from long distance.

Refrain from fighting in close quarters: your sides are weak and your turret traverse speed is too slow to react to an unexpected encounter. Staying at a distance from the frontline will also prevent from being taken in a pincer move. Your mobility is rather poor, with a rigid suspension, outdated tracks, a long and cumbersome chassis and a poor traction. Terrain irregularities will make you slow down and hinder your progress. Position your hull carefully when getting to a shooting spot to avoid hull twitching that will impact your targeting process.

;Notable enemies

* Tank destroyers with powerful guns that can penetrate you from afar: Sturer Emil, Panzer IV/70(V), Nashorn, Waffenträger, VFW, ISU-122, ISU-122S, Charioteer Mk VII or ISU-122 (China). The IS-2 and the IS-2 (China) can be added to the list as they sport as gun identical in performance to the ISU-122
* Tanks firing HEAT/HEATFS shells that can defeat your frontal glacis: PT-76B, PT-76 (China) or Ikv 103.
* Tanks firing APDS shots that can defeat your frontal glacis: Challenger, Comet I, Iron Duke IV, Centurion Mk 1, Sherman Vc (Italy), Pvkv m/43 (1963) or Strv 74.
* Tanks whose cannon is powerful enough to penetrate your frontal glacis once closer to your vehicle (500 m distance): M36 GMC, Tiger H1, Tiger E, Panther D, Panther A, T-34-85, SU-85M, IS-1, KV-85, Chi-Ri II, M4A3 (76) W HVSS, T-34-85 (S-53) (China), T-34-85 Gai or M36 (China).

;How to defeat an {{PAGENAME}}

[[File:ARL-44 weakspot.png|thumb|As seen in this picture, this weak spot only has less than 100 mm effective thickness, meaning that even 3.7 tanks can easily penetrate there, let alone 5.7 tanks with better penetration and more explosives]]

* Behind the track and the front sprocket wheel, there is a thin, vertical armour plate of only 50 mm thick. Behind that is the 3rd ammo rack. Thus if an ARL-44 is facing you frontally, shoot at either of the two front sprocket wheels. An average gun with at least 110 mm penetration (at 0°) on a shell with explosive filler (e.g. an [[M10 (Family)|M10]] tank destroyer) will certainly punch through the track, wheel, the armour, then ultimately explode inside the hull. The spot is quite small from a distance.
* Do not attack the {{PAGENAME}} frontally unless you have enough armour to afford it.
* Sneak around it and target the turret from the back or the side. The {{PAGENAME}} has a slow turret traverse and flat side and rear armour, making it especially vulnerable to flanking.
* If you have no other option than to attack it frontally, blind it with smoke before closing the gap. Target the turret cheeks or the cupola as they are weak spots.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Mobility is good as long as you don't push it
** Good acceleration at low speed
** Good hull turning rate
* Frontal armour is thick with 120 mm of sloped armour on the glacis.
* Complex side armour negates occasional HEAT shells.
* Potent gun
** Very high penetration power
** Good spalling
** High muzzle velocity round: easy to aim at distances
* Can be played a little like a heavy tank when facing weaker enemies.

'''Cons:'''

* Large silhouette
** Angling often doesn't help
* Overall weak turret armour
** Turret armour is underwhelming at 100-110 mm of flat armour. Most 75 mm guns can penetrate at range.
** Weak gun mantlet is only 60 mm flat armour
** Turret back is only 20 mm thick, vulnerable to HMG fire.
* Hull armour has many weak spots
** Extremely thin roof armour (10 mm on the turret and 5 mm on the engine deck). Strafing planes are deadly.
** Side vulnerable to solid shots.
** Weak lower plate is only 50 mm, a major shot trap.
** A hit to a track from the front has a high chance of both knocking out the track and some crew members. High calibre guns may be able to one shot.
* Moving can be unpleasant with the outdated suspension
** Tracks have poor ground traction
** Hill climbing is hard
** Struggles reaching top speed
* Wall of ammo behind the upper glacis plate, penetrating it can result in an ammo rack

== History ==

Development of the ARL-44 began shortly after the Liberation of France in 1944. The established provisional government was keen on restoring France's influence and power to what it used to be before the war. This involved, among other things, the revival of all French military branches. The situation was looking particularly desperate for the army, as most indigenous equipment and tanks were manufactured in the 1930s and the most advanced in use at the time was equipment left behind by the Germans. The French Ministry of War decided to remedy this issue by starting the production of a so called "transitional tank". This project was intended to bolster the number of indigenous tanks in use with the army, reuse existing tank parts and, most importantly, provide French engineers with a base on which they could "experiment" on to gain valuable experience for future tank development. Thus, in November 1944, the decision was made to design a heavy tank with relatively modest specifications. Staff from several design and manufacturing state companies were assigned to the project and work on what would become the ARL-44 began.

Initially, the new tank was required, apart from using existing tank parts, to have a weight of 30 tonnes, a top armour thickness of 60 mm and a primary gun of the 75 mm calibre. As the engineers were limited to using existing parts for their new machine, it very quickly became apparent that the amount of innovation that was possible for the new machine was equally limited. Thus, the ARL-44 soon took on the resemblance of a Char B1, with the exception of the turret and gun. The end of the war in 1945 didn't stop development however, quite the opposite in fact. The design went through several changes, from increasing the armour thickness to the installation of a new engine and the new 90 mm French cannon, despite the fact that there was no longer a need for such a vehicle. At that point, the further development and subsequent limited production run of the ARL-44 was only used for "propaganda" purposes, with the aim of increasing the morale of the French people in the post-war period. In the end, only 60 ARL-44s were constructed and no sooner than they were introduced into service, they were also decommissioned due to, unsurprisingly, unsatisfactory performance, at the beginning of the 1950s. Despite this, the project did fulfill one of its major goals - generate experience for a new generation of French tank designers. Thanks to experiences gained from projects like the ARL-44, France would build its first true modern MBT only a decade later, serving as proof that the ARL-44 was not in vain after all.

''- From [[wt:en/news/5205-development-arl-44-a-battleship-in-disguise-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_arl_44 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|CFmL0qG0bB4|'''The Shooting Range #231''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 03:35 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|kKzzN3pzLSI|'''The Shooting Range #86''' - ''War Machines'' section at 00:25 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[Panther A]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5205-development-arl-44-a-battleship-in-disguise-en|[Devblog] ARL-44 - A Battleship in Disguise]]
* [[wikipedia:ARL_44|[Wikipedia] ARL 44]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/France/ARL-44.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> ARL-44]

{{France tank destroyers}}

Centurion Action X

2022-09-28T21:20:57Z

U62757156: /* Ammunition */

{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage = other versions
|link = Centurion (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_centurion_action_x
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]].

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


'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, turret roof, cupola roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, cupola sides and center)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 76.2 mm (57°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (45°) ''Lower glacis'' || 50.8 mm (12°) + 6 mm || 38 mm (7°) ''Upper plate'' 20 mm (62°) ''Lower glacis'' || 29 mm (8°) ''Front'' 30 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 89-198 mm (1-67°) ''Turret front'' || 89-98 mm 76 mm (43-49°) ''Side glacis'' || 89 mm (10-18°) || 76 mm (20°) ''Front glacis'' 29 mm
|-
| Cupola || 152 mm || 152 mm ''Front half'' 90 mm ''Rear half'' || 90 mm || 29 mm ''Outer ring'' 29 mm (spherical) ''Centre''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels, tracks and bogies are 20 mm thick.
* The belly is 17 mm thick.
* An internal structural plate of 17 mm thickness separates the forward ammo rack from the driver as seen in X-ray mode.
* Another internal 17 mm structural plate with large openings separates the driver compartment from the crew compartment.
* The steel boxes and the mudguards are 4 mm thick.

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


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

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|84 mm 20pdr OQF Mk.I]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 63 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 17.1 || 23.7 || 28.8 || 31.8 || 33.9 || rowspan="2" | 8.19 || rowspan="2" | 7.25 || rowspan="2" | 6.68 || rowspan="2" | 6.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.7 || 12.6 || 15.3 || 16.9 || 18.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
The ammunition available to the {{PAGENAME}} offers a wide range of projectiles to engage most types of targets:

* '''Shot Mk.1''': APCBC; an armour-piercing capped shell with ballistic cap that has a good penetration power but a rather average post-penetration damage effect. Make sure to target modules and crew positions to maximize the damage inflicted.
* '''Shot Mk.3''': APDS; an armour-piercing discarding sabot shot that has a very high penetration power but a poor post-penetration damage effect. Make sure to target modules and crew positions to maximize the damage inflicted.
* '''Shell Mk.1''': HE; a shell useful for destroying open and lightly armoured vehicles but travels at a low speed.
* '''20pdr Shell SS Mk.1''': Smoke; useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives. However, it is a very slow shell.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.1 || APCBC || 232 || 229 || 216 || 201 || 187 || 173
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 285 || 283 || 262 || 239 || 218 || 198
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.1 || APCBC || 1,000 || 9.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.3 || APDS || 1,430 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 600 || 7.5 || 0 || 0.1 || 1,130 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| 20pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 250 || 9.3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
|-
| '''63''' || 61 ''(+2)'' || 59 ''(+4)'' || 57 ''(+6)'' || 54 ''(+9)'' || 52 ''(+11)'' || 49 ''(+14)''
|-
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
!
|-
| 46 ''(+17)'' || 38 ''(+25)'' || 13 ''(+50)'' || 6 ''(+57)'' || 1 ''(+62)'' || No
!
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear from the rack after having been loaded in the breech.
* Racks 10 and 11 are first stage ammo racks. They total 12 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
* These 2 racks are also emptied first when firing: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 10 - 11 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 9.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-9 into racks 11 then 10. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

==== [[Optics]] ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} Optics
|-
!
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| X4.9 || X6.0
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | [[Strv 104]]
|-
|}

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

{{main|L3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[L3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm L3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,750 (250) || 500 || -10°/+5° || N/A
|-
|}

The small calibre of the L3A1 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

At first glance, the Centurion Action X does not bring a significant change in playstyle. Compared to equivalent-rank vehicles, battle usage can be straightforward. But there are some meaningful lessons for future medium tanks that excel at support roles down the rank, namely the [[Chieftain (Family)|Chieftains]].

One way to master this tank's capabilities is to minimize its weaknesses. Knowing the limited maximum speed, the commanders often should resort to long-distance gunnery. This long-range shooting is, in fact, very healthy for the Centurion X. The firepower is more than sufficient to cause damage in most ranges; thus, sniping is where most mainstream British medium tanks will excel.

The shoot-and-scoot tactic benefits the Centurion Action X. It will protect the vehicle from prolonged exposure as the lower turret is poorly armoured to withstand serious firepower. One way to stay alive is never to expose your lower half of the turret.

An early game planning of the map positioning will allow the Centurion Action X to strike lethally without being immediately obliterated. However, players should keep in mind another forte of most British MBTs down the line; this is the flexibility of the gun elevation. Therefore slopes, cliffs and trenches on maps such as [[Ash river]], [[Carpathians (Ground Forces)|Carpathians]] or [[Fulda (Ground Forces)|Fulda]], should be used to multiply the damage the Centurion can cause.

The sniper or support role can provide the best results in the long run, as most tanks at its rank will often struggle to fire effectively when on the move or at long ranges. Meanwhile, the Centurion Action X will quickly get in and out of cover thanks to the gun stabilizer, firing whenever enemy targets are spotted.

New players may learn the best way to help your team win the game is by being in the rear supporting the offensive of the most aggressive tanks. Not only covering the fronts but also on the lookout for light flankers.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful and high penetrating 20 pdr gun, available with an APDS choice
* Very quick reload time, down to 6.3 seconds per round when in full crew and ace experience
* Has good gun depression and with gun stabilizer like other Centurion
* Slopped upper turret armour, up to 240+ mm thick in some areas

'''Cons:'''

* With only 39 (AB), 35 (RB and SB) km/h top speed, its mobility is mediocre when compared to some contemporary mediums
* Ammo rack in the front like other Centurions
* Small internal compartment (only 4 crew members), easy to knock out with one hit
* Although APDS provides high penetration even in long distances, it provides little post-penetration damage
* Lower turret armour is not reliable sometimes, very thin armour
* No explosive filler on any AP shells

== History ==

=== [[wt:en/news/6427-development-centurion-action-x-the-chiefturion-en|Devblog]] ===
Development of the Centurion Action X began in the early 1950s. The aim of the project was to improve the Centurion's ballistic protection by fitting the vehicle with the recently developed 'mantletless' turret design. The turret was fitted on a Centurion Mk.7 hull and featured thick, heavily sloped surfaces which further increased its effectiveness.

Furthermore, the vehicle was tested with both the QF 20-pdr as well as the 105 mm L7 cannon. In the end however, only a couple prototypes were built and tested in addition to a few turrets being used separately for ballistic trials. The Centurion Action X never passed the testing stage and was thus also not ordered into production. However, the experience gained during its development, specifically regarding the use of the mantletless turret, was later incorporated into subsequent tank designs such as the FV4202 and the well-known Chieftain main battle tank.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Vu3VyrhT5r4|'''Should You Buy The {{PAGENAME}}?''' - ''Sako Sniper''|5tnrZ7_gXk0|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Tank Review''' - ''Napalmratte''|8uNloxGw-6I|'''{{PAGENAME}}''' - ''ConeOfArc''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[Centurion (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6427-development-centurion-action-x-the-chiefturion-en|[Devblog] Centurion Action X - The Chiefturion]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/centurion-mantletless-turret/ <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Centurion Mantletless Turret]

{{TankManufacturer Department of Tank Design}}
{{Britain medium tanks}}
{{Britain premium ground vehicles}}

Pvkv III

2022-08-28T20:04:59Z

U62757156: Added the ammo rack section including an image showing the individual racks in order

{{About
| about = Swedish tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other version
| link = Pvkv II
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_pvkv_III
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Danger Zone"]].

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

Like the [[Pvkv II]], the Pvkv III shares its hull with the [[Strv m/41 S-II|Strv m/41]], and as such has acceptable hull armour for its BR. However, due to the incredibly thin turret armour which is unlikely to resist the .50 cals found on many vehicles it will face, it is not recommended to fight head-on.

The floor armour in the turret combined with the gun placement makes anything but the largest HE, APHE, and HEAT unlikely to incapacitate the turret and hull crew in one shot, allowing the machine gunner and driver to retreat and repair. Due to this, a hull-down position is recommended.

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angles) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull ||50 mm (20°) ''Upper plate'' 15 mm (74°) ''Upper glacis'' 50 mm (18°) ''Lower plate'' 15 mm (59°) ''Lower glacis'' || 15-20 mm ''Front'' 15 mm ''Rear'' || 15 mm (15°) || 8 mm
|-
| Turret || 15 mm (0-39°) ''Turret front'' || 10 mm (6-28°) || 10 mm || 6 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Tracks are 15 mm thick, while suspension wheels and torsion bars are 10 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 8 mm thick.

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

''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.''

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=234|rbMinHp=146}}

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

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

{{main|Pvkan m/43 (57 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Pvkan m/43 (57 mm)|57 mm Pvkan m/43]] || 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" | 32 || rowspan="2" | -12°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 10.6 || 14.6 || 17.7 || 19.6 || 20.9 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 7.1 || 8.4 || 10.2 || 11.3 || 12.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| slpprj m/43 || AP || 101 || 97 || 81 || 65 || 52 || 42
|-
| sgr m/43 || HE || 8 || 8 || 8 || 8 || 8 || 8
|-
| slpgr m/43 || APHEBC || 88 || 86 || 78 || 69 || 61 || 53
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| slpprj m/43 || AP || 830 || 2.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| sgr m/43 || HE || 600 || 2.82 || 0 || 0.1 || 500 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| slpgr m/43 || APHEBC || 850 || 2.51 || 1.2 || 9 || 60 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''32''' ||24 (+8)|| ''16 (+16)'' || 1 ''(+31)'' || Yes
|-
|}
[[File:PvkvIII.png|alt=Ammo racks of the Pvkv III|thumb|Ammo racks of the Pvkv III]]
Each shell disappears individually

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

{{main|ksp m/36 (8 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[ksp m/36 (8 mm)|8 mm ksp m/36]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Hull || 1,000 (250) || 649 || ±10° || ±10°
|-
|}

== 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:'''

* Considerable speed
* Good penetration capabilities
* Good gun depression
* Slightly decent armour angling
* Armour angling and turret positioning results in better hiding behind hills

'''Cons:'''

* Very tall; hard to hide
* Extremely vulnerable to artillery
* Very thin turret armour
* Very limited range of the machine gun
* Extremely thin top hull armour results in easy death by planes

== History ==

=== [[wt:en/news/7687-development-pvkv-iii-swedish-pop-head-en|Devblog]] ===
At the beginning of the Cold War, the Swedish military was looking to equip its armed forces with new armoured units. However, as the state budget didn't allow for the procurement of completely new units, the military resorted to converting existing chassis into new vehicles. As a result, a range of experimental vehicles were hastily designed and tested to act as a stopgap measure until more modern equipment could be acquired.

Among these vehicles was the Pvkv III - a Strv m/41 converted into a tank destroyer by having its old turret replaced with a new one, housing a dedicated 57 mm anti-tank cannon. Differing only from the Pvkv II - a vehicle we already covered in one of our previous articles - by the weapon choice and by the intention to act as a stopgap itself for the Pvkv II until its production could be ramped up, all vehicles underwent testing in the early 1950s. Despite proving itself as a capable vehicle during these tests, the Swedish military soon adopted the Strv 81 into service, making further work on the project redundant and thus leading to the project's cancellation soon thereafter.

== Media ==


;Skins

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

== See also ==

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7687-development-pvkv-iii-swedish-pop-head-en|[Devblog] Pvkv III: Swedish Pop-Head]]

{{TankManufacturer AB Landsverk}}
{{Sweden tank destroyers}}

File:Ammoracks Pvkv III.png

2022-08-28T20:03:55Z

U62757156:

Ammo racks of the PvKvIII

KV-2 (1940)

2022-06-02T13:52:49Z

U62757156: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
|about= heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage= other versions
|link= KV-2 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_kv_2_1940
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|market=KV-2 (1940) (USSR)
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The KV-2 (1940) was a reward vehicle for the [[wt:en/news/3681-special-event-series-chronicles-of-world-war-ii-day-28-faq-added-en|2016 WW2 Chronicles]] and the [[wt:en/news/5224-special-festive-quest-en|2017 Festive Quest]] events.

One of the most infamous tanks in the Soviet tree, the KV-2 introduces the concept of heavy-calibre armaments that will trend on in the Soviet heavy tank.

The KV-2 is a modification of the KV-1 that mounted a 152 mm howitzer in order to provide support to infantry against fortified positions. The large heavy turret, necessary to mount the 152 mm howitzer, results in a slow traverse time. Its gun is an effective breach weapon, designed to be used against fortifications. Despite effective usage, very few were made, with the majority being lost due to breakdowns.

The KV-2 is a behemoth of a tank, which players feared due to the mighty punch of its 152 mm round and its distinctive profile. However, these traits also serve as the tank's weaknesses. While the KV-2 can still be an effective force on the battlefield, it is currently outperformed by nearly all other Soviet vehicles.

This KV-2 behemoth is also referred to by the following nicknames: the barn, King of Derp, the fridge, Tsar Bomba.

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

The large turret housing the 152 mm howitzer is a huge target on the KV-2, a more enticing target than the hull. The profile makes concealing the tall heavy tank difficult, while the turret armour is relatively poor all-around at 75 mm. Not to mention that there will always be ammunition inside the turret, so a penetrating APHE shot have a very high chance of detonating one of these ammunition. At its battle rating and rank, most enemy tanks have the capability of penetrating and eliminating the KV-2 through the turret, not to mention even some of the lower rank ones have powerful enough guns to deal with the armour.
The normal role of a heavy tank is to bring armor and firepower to support the lighter, faster tanks to hold strategic points they have captured. However, the massive profile of this tank and majority of flat 75 mm armour means that even with proper angling and cover, the KV-2 will be unable to hold points for long. The KV-2 is easily identified by even the least experienced players and as soon as it fires one round, it will be out-maneuvered on and forced to retreat or be violently removed. Additionally, artillery and aircraft will often force the KV-2 out of positions if not outright destroy it due to the KV's abysmal speed and massive size. Lastly, the KV-2 has no machine gun to deal with air or light armoured targets, meaning once the howitzer fires, that is it for around 30 seconds. Even most anti-air vehicles can effortlessly overrun and destroy the KV-2 if it is over-extended or alone. Couple that with this tank's inability to provide effective long range support and players will have a difficult time finding their niche with this vehicle.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (30°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 75 mm (26-58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (3-86°) ''Top'' 70 mm (11-58°) ''Bottom'' || 35 mm ''Front'' 30 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 75 mm ''Front turret'' 70 + 75 mm (2-41°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm || 75 mm 45 mm (2-49°) ''Machine gun port'' || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, torsion bars are 20 mm thick, and tracks are 30 mm thick.

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


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

The KV-2 is incredible sluggish in speed and manoeuvrability. The original KV-1 is already slow as is, but the KV-2 added a huge and heavy turret that increased the total weight from ~46 tons to ~52 tons. Top speed for the vehicle on flat ground is only about 30 km/h, and accelerating is very slow to get the tank up to this speed. Unless moving forwards at a certain gear, the KV-2 is also very hard to turn on even ground.

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

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

{{main|M-10T (152 mm)}}
The 152 mm gun is perhaps the most iconic and niche weapon in the Soviet tree. Coupled with the heavy turret, it produces a slow turret traverse to get the gun onto target. The turret also presents a narrow gun depression and elevation (-5° and 12° respectively). However, the biggest factors to consider is the ammunition for the 152 mm. Although the vaunted High-Explosive rounds would be the perceived preferred round for the heavy gun, it does not do as well against the typical armour with only 54 mm of shrapnel penetration, requiring a precise hit against the enemy roof or belly armour. Even the other AP rounds, the anti-concrete O-530 and PB-35 APCBC rounds have relatively mediocre penetration for the battle rating. Firing at a relatively low velocity of ~500 m/s, the heavy rounds will be hard to lead against targets at ranges up to 500 m. After firing, the infamous long reload occur that can take up to 30 seconds even with a full crew, leaving the KV-2 vulnerable to any attacks that will more than likely cripple or destroy the KV-2.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M-10T (152 mm)|152 mm M-10T]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 36 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+12° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 4.9 || 6.7 || 8.2 || 9.0 || 9.6 || rowspan="2" | 43.29 || rowspan="2" | 38.30 || rowspan="2" | 35.30 || rowspan="2" | 33.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.6 || 4.2 || 5.1 || 5.6 || 6.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''G-530''' (AC) - The "Anti-Concrete" round has the same speed as the HE shell with decent amount of penetration for nearly all [[:Category:Third_rank_ground_vehicles|rank III]] tanks. In ranges greater than 1,000 m, the OF-530 shell should be loaded to effectively deal with any vehicle including heavy tanks. Compared to the PB-35, it has much greater speed, improving long range accuracy especially against moving targets. This round is also free to use compared to the PB-35, so tankers who are a little low on funds can utilize this round to "stretch their lions", as despite the advantages of the PB-35, the G-530 is equally as effective against most targets that can be encountered.
* '''OF-530''' (HE) - The "High-explosive" shell requires careful aim as despite its infamous power, a solid hit on the front of an enemy tank would not necessarily defeat the enemy. One must preferably aim beneath tanks or below the gun mantlet to sneak into thinly armored portions such as the roof or belly armour.
* '''PB-35''' (APCBC) - Compared to the G-530, this shell retains better penetration over range, greater effectiveness against sloped armor thanks to the ballistic cap, and a higher explosive payload that use of A-IX-2 explosive compound. However, because the projectile is much heavier and it uses the same propellant charges, the speed of the projectile is much slower with a muzzle velocity of 436 m/s (975 mph) and results in a higher arc of fire downrange. While this can present a disadvantage against moving target at range, careful gunners can make use of this attribute to shoot over hills or obstacles easier then they could with the G-530.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| G-530 || AC || 95 || 94 || 89 || 83 || 78 || 73
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 95 || 94 || 90 || 86 || 81 || 77
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| G-530 || AC || 530 || 40 || 1.2 || 19 || 5,100 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 530 || 40 || 0 || 0.1 || 5,830 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 436 || 51.06 || 1.2 || 19 || 4,850 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo type
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''36''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 25 ''(+11)'' 21 ''(+15)'' || 13 ''(+23)'' 9 ''(+27)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' 1 ''(+35)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* The {{PAGENAME}} uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant bags (orange). Both have separate racks.
* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Turret empty: 9 ''(+27)'' shells.

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

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,087 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


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

Most tanks with a high-velocity cannon can cripple the KV-2 through the turret. As such, pretty much all tanks at its battle rating should be taken account of. Rely on always getting the first shot off, else the enemy tank is more than likely to destroy the KV-2.

Another type of vehicles to worry about are the very small tanks like the [[M22]] and the [[ASU-57]] as these can get right under the tank's gun depression and fire away at weak points with little risk of return fire by the KV-2.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Huge howitzer, dealing high damage with incredible force
* Fear factor, the sight of this behemoth tends to send smaller tanks fleeing in terror
* Acceptable armour, especially for its rank
* Able to destroy higher rank tanks
* Bouncy hull and turret, the chassis may effectively absorb shots as well
* Many experienced tank drivers would dread the characteristic, map-echoing sound of the 152 mm howitzer being fired
* As is the case with all Soviet tanks armed with a 152 mm, the KV-2 can one shot any tank or tank destroyer in the game with a single HE shell to the turret or rear hull.
* Has the armour of the KV-1 which will stop most Pz.III and T-34-76 shots
* Has premium RP and SL rewards
* If a lighter vehicle is flanking the KV-2, the rear machine gun can take care of it
* Turret is smaller than the 1939 model, so it's less easier to spot and more easy to conceal

'''Cons:'''

* Long reload, resulting in difficult 1-on-1 fights since missing gives the enemy an opportunity to destroy the KV-2.
* Slow rotation speed of the turret means that flank attacks are difficult to respond to.
* Tall turret is very vulnerable from the side and difficult to hide.
* If more than 19 rounds loaded ammo racks in the side of the turret means that most penetrating shots to the side of the turret are lethal.
* A characteristic trait of Soviet tanks, the KV-2 has terrible gun depression, worse when compared to other Soviet tanks
* Driver's viewport is a juicy weak spot, easily exploitable by experienced players
* Has a tendency, although a rare but dreaded occurrence, to overshoot targets at close range when using the sights
* Large silhouette
* Rear machine gun is only effective against the lightest vehicles, and due to its position it's next to impossible to shoot down aircraft with it

== History ==

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

During the developmental progress, the prototypes of all these heavy tanks were made and the Winter War with Finland was on its way. The Soviets sent these tanks into Finland for combat testing, to which the KV design outperform in every way with its superior armour and firepower. The armour on the KV tank was impenetrable by an tank cannon in service and most anti-tank guns as well, the 76.2 cannon also gave it a huge firepower boost compared to the usual 37 mm in use by other countries. However, the design was found to be difficult to steer, the transmission was unreliable, ergonomics was poor and vision was limited, plus with its 45 ton weight, it was a very heavy tank for its time. In truth, while formidable in power and protection, courageous crew member willing to curse the name would speak out about the trouble the KV tank really was. The main variant of production before World War II broke out was the '[[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] model.

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

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

Due to the low quantity of KV-2 produced, they didn't see much service past the opening stages of the war due to loss from attrition or mechanical failures, however 10 were still in service with the Voronezh Front on 4 July 1943 for the battle of Kursk. These were transferred to the 3rd Mech Corps on 9 July, and by 18 July only 1 was left serviceable - 5 were destroyed on 12 July, and 4 are recorded as being in repair from 13 July.<ref name="3rdMechKursk">[http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA360311 Link, open at your own discretion!] Source provided by‎ user Stalins Organ. US Army Center for Strategy and Force Evaluation - detailed day-day analysis of formation strengths at Kursk - both sides. 12 MB PDF download </ref>

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_kv_2_1940 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="250px">
File:KV-2 Moscow.jpg|{{PAGENAME}} at the Moscow Central Armed Forces Museum.
File:KV-2 1939vs1940.jpg|Comparison between the [[KV-2 (1939)|1939]] and the 1940 variant
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|uLAFq8Hc4mQ|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3698-development-new-additions-to-the-kv-2-series-en/|[Devblog] New additions to the KV-2 series]]

=== References ===
<references />

{{USSR heavy tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}
{{Winter Event}}

KV-2 (1940)

2022-06-02T13:51:40Z

U62757156: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
|about= heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage= other versions
|link= KV-2 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=ussr_kv_2_1940
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|market=KV-2 (1940) (USSR)
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The KV-2 (1940) was a reward vehicle for the [[wt:en/news/3681-special-event-series-chronicles-of-world-war-ii-day-28-faq-added-en|2016 WW2 Chronicles]] and the [[wt:en/news/5224-special-festive-quest-en|2017 Festive Quest]] events.

One of the most infamous tanks in the Soviet tree, the KV-2 introduces the concept of heavy-calibre armaments that will trend on in the Soviet heavy tank.

The KV-2 is a modification of the KV-1 that mounted a 152 mm howitzer in order to provide support to infantry against fortified positions. The large heavy turret, necessary to mount the 152 mm howitzer, results in a slow traverse time. Its gun is an effective breach weapon, designed to be used against fortifications. Despite effective usage, very few were made, with the majority being lost due to breakdowns.

The KV-2 is a behemoth of a tank, which players feared due to the mighty punch of its 152 mm round and its distinctive profile. However, these traits also serve as the tank's weaknesses. While the KV-2 can still be an effective force on the battlefield, it is currently outperformed by nearly all other Soviet vehicles.

This KV-2 behemoth is also referred to by the following nicknames: the barn, King of Derp, the fridge, Tsar Bomba.

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

The large turret housing the 152 mm howitzer is a huge target on the KV-2, a more enticing target than the hull. The profile makes concealing the tall heavy tank difficult, while the turret armour is relatively poor all-around at 75 mm. Not to mention that there will always be ammunition inside the turret, so a penetrating APHE shot have a very high chance of detonating one of these ammunition. At its battle rating and rank, most enemy tanks have the capability of penetrating and eliminating the KV-2 through the turret, not to mention even some of the lower rank ones have powerful enough guns to deal with the armour.
The normal role of a heavy tank is to bring armor and firepower to support the lighter, faster tanks to hold strategic points they have captured. However, the massive profile of this tank and majority of flat 75 mm armour means that even with proper angling and cover, the KV-2 will be unable to hold points for long. The KV-2 is easily identified by even the least experienced players and as soon as it fires one round, it will be out-maneuvered on and forced to retreat or be violently removed. Additionally, artillery and aircraft will often force the KV-2 out of positions if not outright destroy it due to the KV's abysmal speed and massive size. Lastly, the KV-2 has no machine gun to deal with air or light armoured targets, meaning once the howitzer fires, that is it for around 30 seconds. Even most anti-air vehicles can effortlessly overrun and destroy the KV-2 if it is over-extended or alone. Couple that with this tank's inability to provide effective long range support and players will have a difficult time finding their niche with this vehicle.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (30°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (70°) ''Front glacis'' 75 mm (26-58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (3-86°) ''Top'' 70 mm (11-58°) ''Bottom'' || 35 mm ''Front'' 30 mm ''Rear''
|-
| Turret || 75 mm ''Front turret'' 70 + 75 mm (2-41°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm || 75 mm 45 mm (2-49°) ''Machine gun port'' || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, torsion bars are 20 mm thick, and tracks are 30 mm thick.

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


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

The KV-2 is incredible sluggish in speed and manoeuvrability. The original KV-1 is already slow as is, but the KV-2 added a huge and heavy turret that increased the total weight from ~46 tons to ~52 tons. Top speed for the vehicle on flat ground is only about 30 km/h, and accelerating is very slow to get the tank up to this speed. Unless moving forwards at a certain gear, the KV-2 is also very hard to turn on even ground.

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

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

{{main|M-10T (152 mm)}}
The 152 mm gun is perhaps the most iconic and niche weapon in the Soviet tree. Coupled with the heavy turret, it produces a slow turret traverse to get the gun onto target. The turret also presents a narrow gun depression and elevation (-5° and 12° respectively). However, the biggest factors to consider is the ammunition for the 152 mm. Although the vaunted High-Explosive rounds would be the perceived preferred round for the heavy gun, it does not do as well against the typical armour with only 54 mm of shrapnel penetration, requiring a precise hit against the enemy roof or belly armour. Even the other AP rounds, the anti-concrete O-530 and PB-35 APCBC rounds have relatively mediocre penetration for the battle rating. Firing at a relatively low velocity of ~500 m/s, the heavy rounds will be hard to lead against targets at ranges up to 500 m. After firing, the infamous long reload occur that can take up to 30 seconds even with a full crew, leaving the KV-2 vulnerable to any attacks that will more than likely cripple or destroy the KV-2.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M-10T (152 mm)|152 mm M-10T]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 36 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+12° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 4.9 || 6.7 || 8.2 || 9.0 || 9.6 || rowspan="2" | 43.29 || rowspan="2" | 38.30 || rowspan="2" | 35.30 || rowspan="2" | 33.30
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 3.6 || 4.2 || 5.1 || 5.6 || 6.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''G-530''' (AC) - The "Anti-Concrete" round has the same speed as the HE shell with decent amount of penetration for nearly all [[:Category:Third_rank_ground_vehicles|rank III]] tanks. In ranges greater than 1,000 m, the OF-530 shell should be loaded to effectively deal with any vehicle including heavy tanks. Compared to the PB-35, it has much greater speed, improving long range accuracy especially against moving targets. This round is also free to use compared to the PB-35, so tankers who are a little low on funds can utilize this round to "stretch their lions", as despite the advantages of the PB-35, the G-530 is equally as effective against most targets that can be encountered.
* '''OF-530''' (HE) - The "High-explosive" shell requires careful aim as despite its infamous power, a solid hit on the front of an enemy tank would not necessarily defeat the enemy. One must preferably aim beneath tanks or below the gun mantlet to sneak into thinly armored portions such as the roof or belly armour.
* '''PB-35''' (APCBC) - Compared to the G-530, this shell retains better penetration over range, greater effectiveness against sloped armor thanks to the ballistic cap, and a higher explosive payload that use of A-IX-2 explosive compound. However, because the projectile is much heavier and it uses the same propellant charges, the speed of the projectile is much slower with a muzzle velocity of 436 m/s (975 mph) and results in a higher arc of fire downrange. While this can present a disadvantage against moving target at range, careful gunners can make use of this attribute to shoot over hills or obstacles easier then they could with the G-530.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| G-530 || AC || 95 || 94 || 89 || 83 || 78 || 73
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 95 || 94 || 90 || 86 || 81 || 77
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| G-530 || AC || 530 || 40 || 1.2 || 19 || 5,100 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 530 || 40 || 0 || 0.1 || 5,830 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 436 || 51.06 || 1.2 || 19 || 4,850 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! Ammo type
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''36''' || ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 25 ''(+11)'' 21 ''(+15)'' || 13 ''(+23)'' 9 ''(+27)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' 1 ''(+35)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* The {{PAGENAME}} uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant bags (orange). Both have separate racks.
* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Turret empty: 9 ''(+27)'' shells.

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

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[DT (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm DT]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,087 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


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

Most tanks with a high-velocity cannon can cripple the KV-2 through the turret. As such, pretty much all tanks at its battle rating should be taken account of. Rely on always getting the first shot off, else the enemy tank is more than likely to destroy the KV-2.

Another type of vehicles to worry about are the very small tanks like the [[M22]] and the [[ASU-57]] as these can get right under the tank's gun depression and fire away at weak points with little risk of return fire by the KV-2.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Huge howitzer, dealing high damage with incredible force
* Fear factor, the sight of this behemoth tends to send smaller tanks fleeing in terror
* Acceptable armour, especially for its rank
* Able to destroy higher rank tanks
* Bouncy hull and turret, the chassis may effectively absorb shots as well
* Many experienced tank drivers would dread the characteristic, map-echoing sound of the 152 mm howitzer being fired
* As is the case with all Soviet tanks armed with a 152 mm, the KV-2 can one shot any tank or tank destroyer in the game with a single HE shell to the turret or rear hull.
* Has the armour of the KV-1 which will stop most Pz.III and T-34-76 shots
* Has premium RP and SL rewards
* If a lighter vehicle is flanking the KV-2, the rear machine gun can take care of it
* Turret is smaller than the 1939 model, so it's less easier to spot and more easy to conceal

'''Cons:'''

* Long reload, resulting in difficult 1-on-1 fights since missing gives the enemy an opportunity to destroy the KV-2.
* Slow rotation speed of the turret means that flank attacks are difficult to respond to.
* Tall turret is very vulnerable from the side and difficult to hide.
* If more than 19 rounds loaded ammo racks in the side of the turret means that most penetrating shots to the side of the turret are lethal.
* A characteristic trait of Soviet tanks, the KV-2 has terrible gun depression, worse when compared to other Soviet tanks
* Driver's viewport is a juicy weak spot, easily exploitable by experienced players
* Has a tendency, although a rare but dreaded occurrence, to overshoot targets at close range when using the sights
* Large silhouette
* Rear machine gun is only effective against the lightest vehicles, and due to its position it's next to impossible to shoot down aircraft with it

== History ==

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

During the developmental progress, the prototypes of all these heavy tanks were made and the Winter War with Finland was on its way. The Soviets sent these tanks into Finland for combat testing, to which the KV design outperform in every way with its superior armour and firepower. The armour on the KV tank was impenetrable by an tank cannon in service and most anti-tank guns as well, the 76.2 cannon also gave it a huge firepower boost compared to the usual 37 mm in use by other countries. However, the design was found to be difficult to steer, the transmission was unreliable, ergonomics was poor and vision was limited, plus with its 45 ton weight, it was a very heavy tank for its time. In truth, while formidable in power and protection, courageous crew member willing to curse the name would speak out about the trouble the KV tank really was. The main variant of production before World War II broke out was the '[[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] model.

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

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

Due to the low quantity of KV-2 produced, they didn't see much service past the opening stages of the war due to loss from attrition or mechanical failures, however 10 were still in service with the Voronezh Front on 4 July 1943 for the battle of Kursk. These were transferred to the 3rd Mech Corps on 9 July, and by 18 July only 1 was left serviceable - 5 were destroyed on 12 July, and 4 are recorded as being in repair from 13 July.<ref name="3rdMechKursk">[http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA360311 Link, open at your own discretion!] Source provided by‎ user Stalins Organ. US Army Center for Strategy and Force Evaluation - detailed day-day analysis of formation strengths at Kursk - both sides. 12 MB PDF download </ref>

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_kv_2_1940 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="250px">
File:KV-2 Moscow.jpg|{{PAGENAME}} at the Moscow Central Armed Forces Museum.
File:KV-2 1939vs1940.jpg|Comparison between the [[KV-2 (1939)|1939]] and the 1940 variant
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|uLAFq8Hc4mQ|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3698-development-new-additions-to-the-kv-2-series-en/|[Devblog] New additions to the KV-2 series]]

=== References ===
<references />

{{USSR heavy tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}
{{Winter Event}}

Centurion Mk 1

2022-05-10T15:30:43Z

U62757156: /* Usage in battles */

{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Centurion (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_centurion_mk_1
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]]. It is equipped with the well-known British [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|QF 17-pounder]] mounted on a new hull that definitively makes the Cromwell chassis outdated.

This tank does not play like any of the preceding British vehicles: while its mobility is below average for a rank IV medium, it compensates with armour, meaning that you will actually be able to withstand frontal combat and return fire, even if you get hit. It is the first medium to feature the late-game British armour pattern: a strong turret, thick and well-angled upper-glacis, weak lower glacis and thin sides. British tankers must get used to this configuration since it is found on every following medium tank.

The Centurion Mk 1 moves away from the familiar Cromwell chassis. While not being as fast or manoeuvrable, It does have sloped frontal armour, a strongly armoured turret, and a good QF 17-pounder gun with access to APDS.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret sides, Turret roof)
* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret front, Gun mantlet, Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 76.2 mm (58°) ''Front glacis'' 76.2 mm (44°) ''Lower glacis'' || 51 (12°) + 6 mm || 38 mm (7°) ''Top'' 38 mm (18°) ''Bottom'' || 29 mm 8-14 mm ''Engine deck''
|-
| Turret || 127 mm (2-58°) ''Turret front'' 127 mm (6-40°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 76 mm (9-11°) || 76 mm (1°) 38 mm (89°) ''Turret underside'' || 25 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 90 mm || 25 mm ''Outer ring'' 19 mm ''Centre''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

*Tracks and suspension wheels are both 20 mm thick.
*The steel boxes around the turret and hull give a 4 mm additional protection, though this seems to be a negligible addition.
*Skirting are placed on the sides of the Centurion, giving an additional 6 mm of side protection and can act as spaced armour.
*An internal structural plate of 17 mm thickness separates the forward ammo rack from the driver as seen in X-ray mode.
*Another internal 17 mm structural plate with large openings separates the driving compartment from the fighting compartment.

The {{PAGENAME}} is the first tank players will encounter in the British tech tree that sports a sloped hull front similar to the Panther, which with a thickness of 76.2 mm provides great protection for its battle rating, especially when the hull is angled slightly. Turret armour features 127 mm thickness throughout the front but features many flat areas that cannons of sufficient power will exploit to destroy the tank, especially since 3 out of the 4 crew members are located in the turret. Side armour can withstand auto-cannon fire with exceptions for HVAP rounds, so don't rely on it outside of that. If the situation becomes sticky and a tactical retreat is required, a single wide volley of smoke grenades launched from the turret can cover you from the line-of-sight.

The main improvement from previous British mediums is its thick and sloped armour. Reaching 152 mm on the turret and a good 76 mm angled at 58° on the front hull, this tank can actually block point-blank shots from most cannons it will face like the Russian [[D-5T (85 mm)|D-5T]], the Japanese [[Type II Model II (75 mm)|Type II 75 mm]] and even some German guns if aimed poorly. This tank can actually expose its upper glacis since it will bounce most shots. This tank still has weak spots though: gun and MG mantlet are "only" 127 mm thick, barely angled and lower glacis are 76 mm at 44°, meaning close-range shots will eventually penetrate. It also has thin side armour, meaning that the tank is vulnerable to flank attacks and compound angling cannot be done effectively without exposing the sides. These traits mean that the {{PAGENAME}} can happily stand up most frontal shots at this rank.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=984|rbMinHp=562}}

The Centurion easily reaches its top speed of 39 km/h on almost any ground, due to its wide tracks and a good engine, even at stock performances. It also has a refreshingly good reverse speed (~13 km/h) (compared to the dreadful reverse speed of tanks on the Cromwell chassis) and can turn on the spot quite fast.

Compared to the many Cromwell based tanks before the Centurion, it does lose out on a great forward speed, only being able to reach 41 km/h (AB) / 37 km/h (RB) maximum, but in return it does receive great reverse speed of 13.4 km/h (AB)/12.1 km/h (RB), allowing for tactics that would not be recommended with the Cromwell like "Peek-a-boos". It also retains good maneuverability, effective neutral steering, and a very acceptable acceleration due to good power-to-weight ratio.

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

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

{{main|QF 17-pounder (76 mm)}}

The gun does not fire any shells with explosive filler, meaning that pinpoint accuracy is needed to get reliable kills (aiming for important modules, crew, or ammo racks). This canon's reload rate is faster than average at this BR, meaning you will be able to land 2 shots before your enemy can even fire. After having depleted the ready rack of 5 shells, the reload time increases so be mindful when shooting. As any other tanks equipped with the [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|QF 17-pounder]], you will have to grind through subpar AP, APC and APCBC shells before getting APDS. This last type of shell helps make accuracy quite easy and remains effective at long ranges while not being too costly in terms of silver lions.

A minor issue to notice is that the machine gun has very poor elevation and is loader-controlled, meaning that it cannot target even low flying aircraft and that it will be disabled once you lose two or more crew members.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|76 mm QF 17-pounder]] || 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" | 75 || rowspan="2" | -12°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 17.14 || 23.72 || 28.80 || 31.84 || 33.88 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 10.71 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 190 || 187 || 172 || 155 || 140 || 126
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 228 || 226 || 207 || 189 || 159 || 134
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 883 || 6.98 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 580 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 1,203 || 1.73 || 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)
|-
| 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 229 || 8.44 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! 9th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''75''' || 74 ''(+1)'' || 73 ''(+2)'' || 68 ''(+7)'' || 38 ''(+37)'' || 30 ''(+45)'' || 22 ''(+53)'' || 14 ''(+61)'' || 6 ''(+69)'' || 1 ''(+74)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* The QF 17-pounder cannon fires single-piece ammunition stored in stowage racks in the hull floor and the hull front next to the driver.
* Recommended ammo load is 38 to remove the large ammo rack at the front of the hull.
* Ammo rack 9 is a ready rack, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle.
* After the first order ammo rack is depleted, the reload time is longer, at around 10 seconds.

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

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

Unlike many turret-mounted machine guns that are co-axial, this machine gun is mounted in pintle mount similar to hull-mounted machine guns, so it is able to independently traverse on its own to a degree, a trait that is shared with the Soviet T-28. This can provide a slight advantage when the turret ring is disabled, as it can allow more accurate fire without the need to move the turret/hull.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,375 (225) || 600 || ±7° || ±7°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

'''Overview:'''

The Centurion Mk 1 is widely considered as the first Main Battle Tank (MBT), and plays in the role of a medium/heavy. The armour is more than satisfactory against most enemy weapons, although it should not be relied upon. The 17 pounder cannon is very effective against enemy armour, although its post penetration damage is lacklustre. The tank is not particularly fast, but is mobile, especially in reverse.

'''Strategies:'''

Centurion tank commanders should use cover and be careful for the majority of the time. When the opportunity arises, the Centurion can help lead the charge against enemy medium and heavy tanks. Centurion commanders should keep in mind that the APDS ammunition is unlikely to destroy enemy vehicles in one shot, so they may need to expose themselves to enemy fire for extended periods of time in order to secure a kill. Generally, the Centurion plays similarly to other medium tanks of the tier. It is best practice to angle the turret, but the hull should not be angled due to the thin side armour.

In terms of engagement ranges, the Centurion works well at both long and short ranges. The issue with sniping in the centurion is that it is very difficult to secure kills with the lacklustre post penetration damage. Because of this, medium and short range engagements are preferable.

'''Notable Enemies:'''

At its BR, the Centurion faces many iconic German big cats like the Tiger I, the Panther and even the Tiger II. The Centurion is capable of going head to head with the big cats. The APDS rounds will slice through the Tiger I at most angles but one must be cautious of facing Tiger II, and can even penetrate the upper front plate of a Panther at close ranges or at range when using APDS. This round can even penetrate the Jagdpanther. It can also easily penetrate the hull of the IS-1 and early IS-2. Generally when firing at enemies, be careful to aim for the flat parts of the armour. APDS ammunition doesn't handle angled armour very well most of the time.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Fast firing 17-pounder armament with APDS rounds
* Good gun depression of -12°
* Tough round and sloped armour that is quite resistant to the 85mm, 76mm and even the German 88 mm (KwK 36) guns at medium/long range
* Turret's top armour is thick, can resist most aircraft guns and some HE shells
* Average mobility and decent manoeuvrability
* Good reverse speed and neutral steering
* Benefits greatly from the learning curve of the Comet I and Challenger, their players will find themselves at home when playing the Centurion
* Mastering this tank will provide a good learning curve for the next Centurion variants

'''Cons:'''

* Precision and knowledge of enemy tanks are required, because APDS localized damage
* Large tank size, especially length
* Weak side armour, angling the armour too much will result in the side armour being penetrated
* Centurion Mk 1 is slow for a medium tank
* Unlike its later iterations, no [[Gun stabilizer|gun stabilizer]]
* Some-what weak lower frontal plate (LFP); ammo rack also present there, a weakness carried over to all British tanks onward
* Top armour covering the engine is poor, only 8 mm
* Only 6 shells available before the first order ammo rack is depleted, leading to a longer reload time
* Frontal turret cheek armour is flat

== History ==


===Design===
In 1943, the British War Office mandated the Directorate of Tank Design to start working on a new heavy cruiser tank. The requirements stated that the new tank should be capable of withstanding a direct hit from the infamous German 88 mm gun, while providing greater protection against mines as well as staying under the 40-tons limit imposed by logistical constraints. The tank also had to offer a good cross-country capability when offroad, a high reverse speed was required but not a high forward top speed. The new project, called A41, had to surpass the Comet tank in all areas except the main armament for which the 17-pdr gun was still deemed effective enough to deal with enemy tanks.

===Development===
Early in the development, it became clear that the 40-tons limit imposed by logistical constraints (transport trailers, Bailey truss bridge, etc.) could not be held if the other requirements were to stay the same (armour and turret size). The limit was raised to 50 tons and the tank's maximal size for railway bridges and tunnels was also scrapped.
The hull was designed larger, welded and with sloped armour. The turret was made of thick cast armour, with the sides sloped and overall wider than previous tanks to fit the 17-pdr gun and 3 crew members.
Inside the hull was installed a Rolls-Royce turbojet, the engine found on the Gloster Meteor.
The suspension was changed to a Horstmann suspension to reduce its size and encroachment while allowing for modular maintenance in the field.
Prototypes for evaluation arrived in Belgium less than a month after the end of WW2 in Europe and manufacturing began later in 1945.
The new A41 tank was subsequently designated the Centurion. During its test phase, it demonstrated better performance than the Comet in all areas and was adopted by the British Army.

===Combat usage===
The Centurion Mk 1 never saw combat and was quickly upgraded to Mk 2 and 3 with the introduction of the 20-pdr gun.
The first Centurions to see combat were British and Canadian Centurions Mk 3 in Korea in the 1950s where the tank gained its laurels and became a major export success.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=uk_centurion_mk_1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|I5sGIacZ5jU|'''Centurion Mk1 Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|XThuUn_3u30|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review - APDS Only''' - ''Napalmratte''|HsiYQG4dKaQ|'''British Blitzkrieg - {{PAGENAME}} Review''' - ''MikeGoesBoom''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same gun and ammunition

* [[Challenger]]
* [[Black Prince]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/4515-development-centurion-mk-i-a-tank-for-a-new-era-en|[Devblog] Centurion Mk I: A Tank for a New Era]]
* [[wikipedia:Centurion (tank)|[Wikipedia] Centurion]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/UK/FV-4200_Centurion <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> FV4007 Centurion]

{{Britain medium tanks}}

M4

2022-05-03T20:39:49Z

U62757156: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = American medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| other
| usage-1 = other versions
| link-1 = M4 Sherman (Family)
| usage-2 = other uses
| link-2 = M4 (Disambiguation)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m4_sherman
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the rest of the American ground tree in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]].

Armed with a 75 mm cannon and a sloped front armour, the M4 Sherman gives the balance of firepower and mobility for the US ground tree. The in-game model represents a "Sherman 1.5" design with an M55 telescopic sight in a new gun mantlet with appliqué armour added in front of the gunner and on the ammo racks.

The iconic American medium tank has a very distinctive silhouette with its high front sloping armour, flat sides, and rounded turret shape. The olive-drab green M4 medium uses a welded construction for the hull, resulting in the sharp-edged hull shape compared to the [[M4A1|cast M4A1 medium]]. The turret, constructed the same way with cast steel in all 75 mm M4 medium variants, used an M34A1 gun mount for the 75 mm M3 gun; a change from the M34 gun mount in that the M34A1 used a combination of an M55 telescopic sight and an M4 periscope with an M38 telescopic sight in it.

The hull's sloping glacis is at 56 degrees, as usual with the early model of M4 Shermans. The model is a "small hatch" variant as seen with the hatch shape being parallel with the hull. This configuration also caused the hatch to protrude from the hull's sloping contour, resulting in the interruptions in the slope that compromises the sloped armour's overall effectiveness. To mitigate this problem, armour plates are welded in front of the interruptions for additional protection. Aside from this note, some other features on the front glacis are the bundled desert-coloured jerry cans in the driver's area and the road wheel right on the transmission cover. On the side hull, one distinctive feature of the M4 Sherman was the added appliqué over the sponson ammunition area. While this does provide minute protection, they also serve as highlights for the enemy to aim for an ammo rack destruction.

The 75 mm cast turret, designated D50878, was one produced in early 1943. The early M34A1 gun mount design added onto the tank as well as an appliqué "cheek" in front of the gunner, as the redesign of the turret and room for the power traverse caused the armour in front of the gunner to be thinner than the rest of the turret. The M34A1 gun mount is noted as early due to the presence of lifting rings on the top of the gun mount as well as mounting bolts on the sides, both that are eliminated in the later model. A curious note for keen eyes is the lack of a loader hatch on the turret top, a feature not introduced until productions in late 1943. Another note is the pistol port on the left rear side of the turret. On top of the commander's cupola is the distinctive .50 cal M2 Browning machine gun that is commonly seen on American vehicles.

The M4 medium's use of the Continental R975 radial engine results in a distinctive engine deck as well. It has a protruding hood over the air intake on top, followed by a relatively flat top all the way to the rear. Besides, the hooded air intake on both sides within the shielded wall are filler ports for the radiators. Outside of the wall are two more filler ports for the fuel tanks on both sides. On the very rear, the large engine doors are visible, featuring early door hinges used as early as the M3 medium. On both sides of the door, engine filters are also present.

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


'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50.8 mm (56°) ''Front glacis'' 50.8 mm (12-56°) ''Transmission area'' 50.8 (13-20°) + 25.4 mm (35°) ''Protruding hatches'' || 38.1 mm 38.1 + 25.4 mm ''Appliqué addition'' || 38.1 mm (0-10°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm (33-64°) ''Bottom'' || 19.5 mm ''Sides'' 12.7 mm ''Engine deck and center''
|-
| Turret || 76.2-88.9 mm (4-67°) ''Turret front'' 50.8 + 88.9 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 50.8 mm (0-68°) || 50.8 mm (2-66°) || 25.4 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 50.8 mm || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Front armour has two protruding areas for driver and co-driver hatches. These are weak points as they present a flat armour surface.
* Belly armour is 12.7 mm thick.

Though most high-end anti-tank weapons can cleave through the M4 Sherman's front armour rather easily, some smaller-calibre weapons less than 75 mm would have some trouble going against the front armour. In these cases, aim for weak points like the protruding hatches in the front sloping armour, or even the crest of the transmission housing, where the slope is minimum in both areas. The turret has a very robust construction so if there is no faith in penetrating through the front hull easily, don't bother trying to penetrate the turret from the front except for the very small weak point on the gunner's position of the turret.

If a shot can be made to the M4 Sherman's sides, send it towards the front half of the tank where it would either cripple the crew or ignite one of the ammunition racks strewn all over the internals.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=620|rbMinHp=354}}

The {{PAGENAME}} is powered with an engine able to adequate for its weight class. While accelerating up to this speed can be sluggish at first, the {{PAGENAME}} takes to a running start after Gear 4.

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

Obvious first choice for research would be Parts in tier I. For the tier II it might be worth a risk to go for M61 shot first, as its such a significant improvement over the stock shell. The other option being FPE. On tier III Filters and Crew Replenishment are very important, and in tier IV further mobility improvements with the Engine and then Transmission should be prioritized. Once done - Horizontal Drive and two modifications responsible for accuracy or Artillery Support. The least important module to research is the M89 shell due to its extremely situational use.

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

{{main|M3 (75 mm)}}

75 mm M3 gun is a competent, well-handling gun for a medium tank. Even without any modifications, its ability to fulfil its role, though where it begins to shine is with the M61 shot. Default, M72, suffers from issues typical to US and British sold shots - poor post-penetration effects. This means it's preferable to take down enemy gunner first, usually by hitting the right side of the turret.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M3 (75 mm)|75 mm M3]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 97 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Vertical|up to 24 km/h}} || 22.85 || 31.62 || 38.40 || 42.47 || 45.18 || rowspan="2" | 6.50 || rowspan="2" | 5.75 || rowspan="2" | 5.30 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.40 || 22.56 || 24.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
When discussing {{PAGENAME}} shells, one always has to account for the fact that it's a medium tank. This means short to medium engagement range, so realistically it can benefit more from its short-range penetration figures than long-range sniping tanks would.

* M72 shot - {{Annotation|AP|Armour-Piercing}} - Solid shot, stock shell. Acceptable penetration, poor post-penetration damage.
* M48 shell - {{Annotation|HE|High-Explosive fragmentation shell}} - Low-velocity shell useful against soft targets, in particular when hitting an open-topped vehicle. Harmless against any vehicle with more than 10 mm of armour.
* M61 shot - {{Annotation|APCBC|Armour-Piercing Capped Ballistic Capped}} - This shell has a better penetration than the M72 thanks to its ballistic cap and a good post-penetration damage thanks to its explosive filler.
* M89 smoke shell - Useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.

{| 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
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 91 || 88 || 78 || 67 || 57 || 49
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 104 || 101 || 90 || 78 || 68 || 59
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 619 || 6.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 463 || 6.3 || 0 || 0.1 || 666 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 618 || 6.79 || 1.2 || 14 || 63.7 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}
{| 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)
|-
| M89 || 259 || 3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''97''' || 91 ''(+6)'' || 88 ''(+9)'' || 86 ''(+11)'' || 78 ''(+19)'' || 63 ''(+34)'' || 46 ''(+51)'' || 31 ''(+66)'' || 1 ''(+96)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Notes:

* To go into battle with the turret basket empty of ammo, pack 78 ''(+19)'' shells (racks 1 to 4 emptied).
* To go into battle with the turret basket and the flanks empty of ammo, pack 31 ''(+66)'' shells (racks 1 to 7 emptied).
* The 8th rack is large and located in a weak spot: the bottom section of the armour. In case of penetration, there is a high risk of ammo rack detonation. Make sure not to expose your flanks unnecessarily.

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

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

The M4 Sherman is armed with two machine guns, a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun on the pintle-mount atop the M4 Sherman turret, the famous .50 cal "Ma Deuce" machine gun. This weapon is the same type as the one used in American aircraft, though at a slower fire rate. However, this leads to the anti-aircraft power of the weapon as most formidable against low strafing attacking aircraft.

The second machine gun is a general-purpose 7.62 mm M1919A4 Browning machine gun mounted in the coaxial position. A typical machine gun not too unlike on many other vehicles, the machine gun is just average.

{| 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 || 600 (200) || 577 || -10°/+25° || ±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 || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The M4 Sherman is an effective medium-range combat tank. Equipped with a fast-firing 75mm gun and with good handling characteristics, the M4 can be an extremely useful asset in most battles.

In battle the M4 performs well as an all-rounder; the thick turret front and 10 degrees of gun depression make the tank ideal for taking hull-down positions which protect the thinner hull armour from being penetrated by enemy fire. The sloped front upper glacis, when angled, also provides good protection against enemy fire. An unusual - and useful - difference is that the upper glacis is sloped at 56 degrees rather than the standard 45 degrees, making it more of a threat and more powerful due to improving the chances of a round ricochet. The only downfall may be the 2 crew member position in the front that protrudes out to form a flat surface, but both are covered with an additional 20 mm plate. The reasonable mobility of the Sherman makes flanking a viable tactic. The main weakness of the M4 is the side armour - not only is it vertical and thin, but behind it most of the ammunition is stowed. The tall silhouette of the tank also makes finding suitable cover difficult. Overall, the M4 Sherman can be considered as an armoured jack-of-all-trades - it will serve a tanker well, however it will not excel in any particular role.

In battle, try to use terrain as cover. Hull-down positions are especially strong in the M4 Sherman, as it has a good 10 degrees of gun depression. The gun mantlet and turret are reasonably strong, but avoiding shots is still the best strategy. In this respect, a hull-down position hides the vulnerable hull. If this is not available, then angling the hull armour to present a greater slope is often a good idea, as this can bounce some low-powered cannon at any range and at longer ranges, render the hull impenetrable.

Another way to play the M4 Sherman is to tap into its traditional cavalry role, its mobility. The M4 Sherman is a great flanker as it is fast enough to get the jump on the enemy's side. Defeat the enemy at their weak front lines or go around the entire enemy force. Once in position at their sides or rear, ambush them. Ideally, the enemy should be too busy focusing on allies attacking in the front to notice the M4 instantly. Take out the weaker light or medium tanks, the 75 mm gun is not very ideal against heavy tanks like the [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] so take out its friends to allow allies more room to outmanoeuvre the KV tank. An organized attack will increase the M4 chances on the battlefield and success.

The presence of a pivot-mounted .50 calibre machine gun gives the Sherman some flexibility. It can engage softer targets such as some tank destroyers and many SPAAGs at short ranges when loading a HE shell would be inconvenient. While not ideal, they provide the Sherman tank with some measure of protection against aircraft- sometimes enough to dissuade a pilot from making another pass. It can be an effective rang-finder for targets at longer ranges where the M1919 in the turret would be less effective. While it pales in comparison to the destructive effect of tank guns, it provides the Sherman with some flexibility over other comparable vehicles, who are restricted to their rifle-calibre coaxial machine guns.

There will be concerns about certain vehicles:

'''[[M4A2]] / [[M4A4 (1st PTG)|A4]]'''

* These Sherman tanks are widely used by over 3 nations that spread across both the Allied and the Axis side, so no matter which nation you play they can be quite tough to destroy in the hands of a skilled tanker. Given the rather weak penetration of your short 75mm gun, their hull can be almost impossible to penetrate when angled, hull down or 300m away. For a M4A4, there are 2 apparent bulges on the upper front plate, a penetration through there can guarantee a knock-out most of the times. But in case the opponent covers them up or when it's a M4A2, aim for the middle parts of the gun mantlet or the turret armour unprotected by the mantlet, you can at least make them defenseless. Note that their guns are equally weak against you, so wiggle around to disrupt their aim while you reload, you have a good chance of bouncing some shells.

;[[Churchill I]], [[Churchill III]], [[Pz.Kpfw. Churchill (Germany)|Pz.Kpfw. Churchill]]

* The Churchills, with their complex hulls and sturdy turrets, can be quite hard to penetrate at range. Again, manoeuvre as close to them as possible, the idea distance being no more than 200m. If they are angling their hull but facing their turret at you, only go for the turret. For the Mk I Churchills, aim at the near-vertical part of their rounded cheeks to ensure successful penetrations. For the Mk III and the German Churchill, also aim for their flat turret which is at most 89mm. The shell should go in easily and knock out most, if not all of the crew. Only when you are facing their hull without any angles should you shoot the hull, otherwise shoot the turret only, as their big tracks can easily get in front of the frontal hull. The side hull have multiple layers of armour, some of which are weirdly angled and can absorb plenty of shells.

;[[KV-1 (Family)|KV-1 and variants]]:

* A vehicle that the M4 Sherman will have trouble against is the KV-1. While the [[KV-1 (L-11)|L-11]] is underpowered, the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|ZiS-5]] is potent enough to punch through the Sherman's front, and the Sherman is unable to penetrate the KV-1's thick frontal armour. If this heavy tank is encountered, try to shoot it in its sides and rear, where its armour is thinner and unsloped, though it will still have to be at a close range to penetrate the armour. In addition, shots to the sides will most likely hit fuel tanks or ammunition storage, causing a fire or ammunition detonation and at best, time to reassess the situation.

;[[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV F2]]/[[Pz.IV G|G]]/[[Pz.IV H|H]]/[[Pz.IV J|J]]:

* The historical nemesis of any Sherman, the Panzer IV is one of the Shermans biggest threats at this rank. The long barrel 75mm gun will easily penetrate the Sherman from the front. The F2 variant is admittedly easy to deal with. A single APCBC to its hull or turret should end it pretty quickly, even at long range. The other variants are slightly harder to deal with. They have thicker hull armour, at 80mm, which will be much harder to penetrate with the APCBC over 500m. Luckily the turret armour remains the same at 50mm. Either aim here with APCBC or sacrifice damage potential and use the AP round to penetrate the hull.

;[[StuG III F]]/[[StuG III G|G]]:

* Another historical nemesis of the Sherman, and another big threat. The StuG III packs the same punch as the Panzer IV line with its long barrel 75mm gun, whilst losing the turret, which turns out to be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Lacking a turret means that it will have to traverse the whole vehicle to target an enemy, but it also means that it has a lower profile. The StuG's armour profile is also more complex than the Panzer IV, with less flat areas. Certain areas are sloped and very bouncy. Luckily, there is a big weak spot. There are two flat plates on the front of the hull. The flat plate on the right is the drivers port. Shoot that and you are able to knock out the driver, gunner and loader in one go. This is a very efficient way to destroy this vehicle. With the F variant, you can use APCBC to instantly one-shot this vehicle. With the G variant, it is more reliable to use AP at ranges over 500m to ensure penetration.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent gun depression of -10° plus the angled frontal turret allows it to utilise hills very well
* Great penetration and post-penetration damage when using M61 shells; can frontally penetrate and one-shot most opponents like the [[Pz.IV F2]], [[Chi-Nu]] and T-34
* Great turret traverse speed allows it to deal with multiple threats easily
* Capable armour when angled and at a distance
* Adequate top speed allows it to get to positions in time, or to do tactical manoeuvres like flanking
* Pintle-mounted HMG provides an anti-aircraft defence or anti-tank duty against tanks like [[Marder III]]
* Fitted with a vertical stabilizer, allowing more accurate fire on the move compared to other tanks, as well as better usage of shoot-n-scoot tactics

'''Cons:'''

* Large profile and weak side armour; flankers like the Sd.Kfz.234/2 can easily see and penetrate it
* Frontal armour is still inadequate, it will get frontally penetrated and knocked out with a single shot by tanks like [[Pz.IV F2]]/[[Pz.IV G|G]], [[StuG III F]]/[[StuG III G|G]] or [[M10 (Family)|M10]]
* The best M61 shell struggles to penetrate heavy targets like [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)]], [[Churchill III]] or even the T-34 and M10 when angled
* Trajectory is curved and velocity is low due to its short barrel, thus distant/moving targets are hard to shoot at
* Hull traverse is quite slow, making it sluggish in a turn. Also the narrow tracks offer poor ground flotation, thus poor off-road capabilities. Can only reach its top speed on paved or hard surfaces
* Roof armour of 19.5 mm thick is vulnerable to airstrikes with AP cannons. For example the widely used [[M2 Browning (12.7 mm)|M2 Browning]]

== History ==


The Battle of France in 1940 proved to America that their current tank arsenal would not be able to withstand a German assault. The only tanks in their inventory at that time was the [[M2A4|M2 light tank]] and the [[M2|M2 medium tank]], both are inadequate against the German [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]]. The US Army, in response, ordered for a tank armed with a 75 mm gun. While a 75 mm gun was available for use, a turret able to mount the gun was not. So while the turret and tank design underwent development, the 75 mm would be mounted on the stopgap [[M3 Lee|M3 Lee]] tank in a sponson mount. This interim design put the 75 mm on a lower and limited traverse mount that restricted its firing angle, but it did give the Western Allies a tank with the gun, so it was issued by the thousands until a better design could be produced.

During the M3 medium's development, the designs of the 75 mm armed vehicle were being drawn up and submitted by the Ordnance Department. Specifications on the tank design were strict in order to maximize logistical support. Restrictions were made on the tank's height, width, and weight in order to make it able to be transported over bridges, roads, railroads, and on naval ships. These specifications would help the Army by making the tank be very flexible on strategic, logistical, and tactical grounds. On April 1941, the Armored Force Board chose the simplest of the designs, which was a redesigned M3 hull and chassis with a turret mounting the 75 mm gun designated the ''T6'', completed in September 1941. This tank would then designated the '''Medium Tank M4''' in American service. The tank would eventually become the most used Allied tank during World War II as it was lent out by the thousands in the Lend-Lease program to the Allied countries. The British designated the M4 the "[[Sherman II|Sherman]]", which coined into the tank's name '''M4 Sherman''' that it would be known as in history. The production for the Shermans began on October 1941 and would continue to be produced until the end of the war in 1945 with around 50,000 units produced, making it the second most-produced tank in World War II before the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34 tank]].

=== Design ===
Many variants of the Shermans were produced, but they all followed a similar layout. The driver and bow gunner sat in the front driving compartment, the fighting compartment in the middle housed the turret its three crew member, and in the back was the engine compartment. The Sherman used many features present in previous American tank designs, the vertical volute suspension system (VVSS) and radial engine from the [[M2A4|M2 Light Tanks]], and the sloping armour of the [[M2|M2 Medium Tanks]]. This became a contributing factor on the Sherman's reliability on the field, as most of the design flaws were ironed out with the previous tank designs. The tank-mounted the 75 mm M3 gun, giving the tank very good AP and HE capabilities. The Sherman's turret traverse speed was very fast, able to traverse a full 360 degrees in only 15 seconds, which is considerably faster than the traverse speed on most German tanks. Another unique feature on the Sherman was the installation of a gyroscopic stabilizer on the gun and sight, making the Sherman one of the first produced tanks to incorporate those features. While the stabilization was only done for the vertical plane, it kept the gun stable enough to be able to shoot on the move effectively, with a study showing a 70 % hit probability on an enemy 300 to 1,200 yards away when moving at a speed of 15 mph. However, this feature was controversial among the crew and experiences with it vary.

The '''M4 Sherman''' model ran on a gasoline Continental R975 radial engine and was one of the first models of the Sherman developed. The early M4 Sherman featured the M38 telescopic sight in the M4 periscope with no zoom, but experience in North Africa and recommendations from the British changed the sight into the M55 telescopic sight integrated into the gun mantlet.<ref name="ZalogaArmorT1">Zaloga Steven. ''Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II'' Stackpole Books, 2008, "Baptism Of Fire"</ref> This change in optics required appliqué armour to be added at the turret area in front of the gunner since the modification left the area weaker than the overall turret. This problem would be fixed in later-production models of the M4 Sherman. The tank's hull was welded, with the front armour plate placed on a 56-degree sloping angle. An early design defect with the design was the protruding armoured hatches for the driver and assistant driver. These protrusions create "shot traps" as they were in a near vertical position that gave less protection on the front armour than the sloping areas. This was fixed on later models as well. Up to 6,748 M4A1s were produced from July 1942 to January 1944, out of the 49,234 total Sherman units produced in the war.

===Combat usage===
====European Theater====
The Shermans first saw combat in the North African Campaign in the Second Battle of El Alamein on October 1942 in the hands of the British. It was much quicker to reinforce the British armoured divisions with the more than 300 Shermans sent to North Africa than it was to create new American ones. It proved much better than the German [[Pz.III F|Panzer IIIs]] and [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IVs]], able to eliminate them at distances more than 2,000 yards away. The Americans received their first Shermans in the next month in Operation Torch. However better the Shermans were to the German tanks at the time, the Allied armoured units still suffered casualties against the German tanks and anti-tank guns, most notably in the Battle of Kasserine Pass. In Italy, the Shermans proved much more mobile than the German Panzers, able to travel cross-country on the hilly terrain with ease. However, it was at this stage that the Sherman's shortcoming began to take face in the advent of the newer German tanks, the [[Tiger H1|Tiger Is]] and [[Panther D|Panthers]]. These two tanks featured armour that proved impenetrable when fired at the front, and with guns that could take out the Shermans from farther than the Sherman's effective combat range. The Shermans have to hit the side of these tanks for penetration and at ranges that were considered suicidal. Although programs were initiated to [[M4A1 (76) W|up-gun the Sherman with a 76 mm gun]], American leaders determine that the Panther and Tigers would not be produced in large quantities and were not as great as a threat as these two vehicles could still be destroyed by the 75 mm gun and standard anti-tank equipment.

During the invasion of France, it was clear that the Sherman's current build with a 75 mm gun was no longer going to cut it against the German armoured forces. While the Sherman was adequate against what little Panzer III and IVs the Germans have left and against infantry and fortifications with the 75 mm gun, the Panthers and Tigers were in much large quantity than expected, and proved better in armour and firepower to the Shermans. Though in the bocage country of France, the Allies lost more tanks to hidden anti-tank guns and infantry weapons than to tanks. Despite these losses, the mass production of M4 Sherman back in the United States ensured that enough tanks were available for the Allied Forces as they spearhead through France, plus the lack of any other capable tanks meant they had to use the Shermans for the time being. The large quantities of Shermans produced during the war gave the Allied armoured units a major advantage of being fully equipped as the German panzer divisions were rarely in full strength, with some US infantry divisions having more tracked vehicles than some of the panzer divisions. Due to the high attrition rates, tank crews sometimes add [[Add-on Armor|improvised armour]] onto their Shermans in the form of sandbags and logs in hopes of increased survival, but these were determined to be ineffective from evaluations. A more effective method was to have metal armour welded on in improvisation, and an official project was made for such "assault tanks" that ended with the [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 "Jumbos"]] with 254 made for the fighting in Europe. The Allies continued to use 75 mm Shermans until the Battle of the Bulge in Winter 1944, when the commanders request only 76 mm Shermans to be brought into Europe as the battle showed the intense armour disparity with the German's large numbers of [[Panther G|Panthers]] and [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II tanks]]. While new units arriving in Europe were armed exclusively with 76 mm armed-Shermans, the veteran units kept the 75 mm Shermans, to which it continued to do well against softer targets with little threat from German armour due to their declining numbers.

====Pacific Theater====
The M4 Sherman's importance in the Pacific theatre was less than that of the European theatre due to the different tactical doctrine established from the amphibious nature of combat. Only about 20 tank battalions fielded by the US Army were sent to support the Pacific theatre of operations, compared to the total 16 armoured divisions and 70 tank battalions they have in service. The low priority in tanks was due to the following reasons. Firstly, the jungle terrain on most of the islands fought on was unsuitable for the deployment of large-scale armoured units, relegating armour support to light tanks such as the [[M3 Stuart|M3 Stuarts]]. Secondly, the Japanese forces' armoured units were rather inferior to the American tank forces by 1943. While the Japanese [[Ha-Go|Type 95 Ha-Go]] tank was comparable to the [[M2A4|M2A4 Light Tank]], the Shermans out gun these tanks by a large margin. Such a large margin that the tank crew prefer to use high-explosive shots against the Japanese tank than regular armour-piercing as the AP rounds would penetrate straight through without causing much damage in the interior of the tank. The Japanese developed the [[Chi-Nu|Type 3 Chi-Nu]] and the [[Chi-To|Type 4 Chi-To]] to fight back the Shermans, but these two never saw combat as they were kept at the Japanese homeland for the defence against the Allied invasion.

The Shermans, when deployed, were superior to most of the Japanese anti-tank equipment and often were essential to some of the Marines advances on some of the island assaults. In 1945, the equipping of flamethrower Shermans known as ''M4A3R3'', nicknamed "Zippos", were a significant boost to the infantry's firepower in having a very long range of fire compared to the standard infantry-modelled flamethrowers with the benefit of being in an armoured vehicle. The Japanese solution against the Shermans, other than with their 47 mm anti-tank guns, were often suicidal tactics ranging from placing satchel charges right onto the tank, using pole-mounted anti-tank mines to reach and destroy the tank or even simply throwing oneself underneath a tank with mine or other explosive and triggering it manually.

==== Lend-Lease ====
The Sherman tank was given out in large numbers to American Allies during World War II under the Lend-Lease policy. While America retained about 20,361 Shermans in the Army and Marine Corps, 17,184 went to Britain (about 34% of Shermans produced and 78% of Shermans given out) and the Soviet Union obtained 4,102 Shermans.<ref name="ZalogaArmorT2">Zaloga Steven. ''Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II'' Stackpole Books, 2008, "The British Sherman"</ref> China obtained 812 Shermans, Brazil with 53, and New Zealand and Australia for 153 Shermans total. Other countries using the Shermans were Poland, Free France, and Czechoslovakia. The British deployed the Sherman among their armoured squadrons in such a large number to become the standard tank of their armoured forces. The increased threat of German tanks in the European theatre also provoked the British to up-gun the M4 Sherman with a more capable gun, resulting in the [[Sherman Firefly|Firefly]].

==== Post-War ====
After the war, the Shermans continued serving America and its allies as the [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3E8]] with a new suspension and the 76 mm gun. The [[M26|M26 Pershing]] that was introduced late in World War II was phased out for the Shermans due to its unreliability, and the Sherman stayed until the [[M46|M46 Patton]] was introduced. After being phased out of American service, many other countries still used the Sherman as their main tank, mainly Israel where they up-gun the tank with the much powerful post-war French 75 mm and 105 mm gun as the M-50 and M-51 respectively (nicknamed "Super Shermans"). These proved successful as they were able to fight against the Soviet-supplied [[T-54 (1947)|T-54 tanks]] and [[T-34-85]]s in Middle East service, proving the Sherman as a successful and adaptable design for many years to come.

=== In-game description ===
The Americans did an excellent job recognizing the problems with the M3's main-caliber weaponry being mounted in a side sponson. Immediately after it began full-scale production, they began work on a new, more modern tank with a 75 mm cannon in a fully traversing turret. Its prototype, termed the T6, was ready for trials at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in September 1941.

The M4 was a medium tank boasting a welded hull, a cast turret, and the 350 hp Continental R-975, a gas-powered radial engine. Design of the M4 began in 1941, and by July 1942 it was ready for full-scale production. Between July 1942 and January 1944, 6,748 M4s rolled off the line. The tank's welded hull boosted its ammunition capacity in comparison with cast hulls by expanding its internal armoured capacity. The hull's front plate initially had viewing slits, though armour covers were welded over them and periscopes were added. The front part of the hull's gear compartment on older models consisted of three sections bolted together. Tanks had a narrow mantlet for the M34 artillery mount, while subsequent units employed a fully cast forward hull section and M34A1 artillery mount with a wide mantlet. The last batches, which were made beginning at the end of 1943, had the front of their hulls made from cast and rolled pieces. At the beginning of 1944 the frontal plate became one piece, moving the driver and gunner hatches to the top of the hull. The angled frontal armour went from 56° to 47° from vertical.

The Pressed Steel Car Company kicked off production of the first M4 tanks in July 1942. Four more companies were added later.

M4 tanks saw combat in Africa, Italy, the Western front, and the Pacific islands through 1945.

Shermans proved a strong option with good reliability and maneuverability in addition to armament and armour suiting its roll as a medium tank.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=usa&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=us_m4_sherman Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|wCUERS1CEJA|'''{{PAGENAME}} Sherman Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|GOuPWRJqlK8|'''Pages of History: M4 Sherman''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

* [[M4 Sherman (Family)]]

;Vehicles equipped with the same gun

* [[M8A1]]
* [[T14]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/2988/current/|[Vehicle Profile] M4 Sherman [Decal Included]]]
* [[wikipedia:M4_Sherman|[Wikipedia] M4 Sherman]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/US/M4_Sherman <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Medium Tank M4 Sherman]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=40 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> M4 Sherman (Medium Tank, M4)]

=== References ===
<references />

{{USA medium tanks}}

Research Points

2022-04-30T16:14:27Z

U62757156: added plural

'''Research Points (RP)''' {{Rp}}, or "experience", is used to research and advance in vehicles, modifications, and crew training. RP gain in the game depends on the [[:Category:Game_modes|game mode]] played.

== Game economy ==
Gaining RP in War Thunder's economy depends on many factors, but the key ones are: game mode, destroyed vehicle, activity in battle, and the outcome of the battle (victory or defeat). So a player who helped the allies in a battle, performed mission tasks, earned various achievements, and was close to the epicenter of the battle earns, accordingly, more RP than the player who neglected teamwork or the game objective. RP is also earned as a vehicle's modules are unlocked, those earnings go to unlock the selected vehicle.

== Distribution==
RP earned in battle are distributed to the following funds:

* Research of the next chosen vehicle of the nation
* Research of the next modification in the vehicle used in battle
* Crew experience for the crew slots that were used in battle
* Convertible research point is given the same, total amount of RP as gained in combat and not deducted or divided from the total

'''Vehicle Research Points''' are "experience" that a player can spend on researching locked vehicles. The number of points earned depends on the battle RPs earned and the difference in ranks between the researching vehicle and the vehicle on which the RPs were earned. When researching a vehicle using a vehicle of a different rank, a reduction factor may be applied to the RP obtained ([[#Multipliers|see table]]). In the research of lower-rank vehicles with a higher-ranking premium vehicle, there are no penalties. Using the previous vehicle in the line to research the next vehicle has a bonus of +30% RP gain in Arcade Battles, and a +10% RP gain in Realistic/Simulator Battles.

'''Modifications Research Points''' are the "experience" that a player can spend on researching the modifications of the vehicle on which they were earned. The number of modification RPs always coincides with the number of research points earned. Vehicle modifications are divided into four tiers. Some modifications may be researched only after the previous ones. There is also a limitation - several modifications in a tier must be researched first before unlocking the next, higher tier modifications.

* When all modifications in a tier are unlocked, an amount of vehicle research points is awarded. The award corresponds to 20% of the total RP cost for that tier. For example, if there are 4 modifications of 1,500 RP each, the award is 0.2 x 6,000 = 1,200 RP. While this award is minimal for low-rank vehicles (a few hundred RP), it can be consequential with top-tier vehicles (several thousands of RP). This award is received when each tier is completed (4 tiers in total). Furthermore, the award is not impacted by [[#Multipliers|research efficiency and other multipliers]].

'''Convertible Research Points''' are "experience" points that can be used towards the research of any vehicle of any nation via the premium currency [[Golden Eagles]] (GE) {{Ge}}. For 1 GE, a player can transfer 45 convertible RP to 45 vehicle research points. In battles, the amount of convertible RPs earned matches the normal research points. Also, the convertible RP can be obtained for playing in single-player missions, tutorials, and for obtaining achievements related to account upgrading.

'''Crew Experience Points''' are calculated based on research points for the different battle modes as follows:

* In Arcade battles - 30 experience points for 1,000 RP
* In Realistic battles - 11.3 experience points for 1,000 RP
* In Simulator battles - 9 experience points for 1,000 RP

== Multipliers ==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:20px;text-align:center;" width="360px" align="right"
|+Rank difference research penalties
|-
! Rank difference !! Research of high-ranked vehicles while using low-ranked vehicles !! Research of low-ranked vehicles while using high-ranked vehicles
|-
| 0 || width="120px" | N/A ||N/A
|-
| 1 || N/A || -10%
|-
| 2 || -60% || -70%
|-
| 3 || -70% || -90%
|-
| 4 || -80% || -95%
|-
| 5 || -80% || -95%
|-
| 6 || -80% || -95%
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | Current as of [[Update 1.89]]
|-
|}
Each vehicle has RP and game currency multipliers, which can be found in their respective vehicle cards. The higher the multiplier, the more RP and SL the vehicle will earn. Premium vehicles have a multiplier which is doubled (compared to regular vehicles).

In addition to vehicle multipliers, players can take advantage of a wide range of other boosters.

* Premium account - long-lasting boost which can be purchased with GE.
* Boosters - in-game items which can be activated before a battle to provide a specified gain.
* Talisman - a modification for individual vehicles which significantly increases the amount of RP they gain.

Researching high-ranked vehicles while using low-ranked vehicles in battles, and vice versa, will lead to a penalty which is applied to the RP obtained from those battles (see '''Rank difference research penalties''' table). High ranked premium vehicles are excluded in that they do not have any research penalty when used to research low-ranked vehicles.

{{Notice|Most of the boosters and bonuses work on a multiplication/percentage basis, and these values will therefore be imposed on the initial characteristics of the vehicle thusly, rather than simply being "added", so it’s important that you read the description accurately to determine what will happen when the relevant booster or bonus is used, with "+" meaning an addition and "*" being a multiplication.
For example: a +300% booster will be applied to the original 100% multiplier, and will therefore give a total 400% income.}}

{{Notice|Each subsequent booster that is activated at the same time will lose a percentage of its efficiency, so it's more profitable to activate them one at a time.|!}}

[[Category:Currency_and_research_points]]

L-62 ANTI II

2022-02-13T10:53:06Z

U62757156: /* Pros and cons */ I changed it a very effictive to "is"

{{Specs-Card
|code=sw_l_62_anti_II
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish SPAA {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]]. One can treat it as a sidegrade of the [[Lvtdgb m/40]], as such most of the text onward will compare them, rather than just describe this one.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''

When one looks at the {{PAGENAME}}, it's expected to have decent protection, when in reality it's armoured like the reserve tank [[Strv m/38]]. As such, its hull and the turret will only sustain rifle-calibre MG.

The gun shield is expected to protect the crew in case of a brawl with a light tank, but it's only 8 mm thick and can be penetrated by anything at point blank range. It's also way too small to protect the SPAA from any aircraft.

Depending on the BR of opposing tanks, the turret crew armour may protect from enemy tanks, many rank I and II tanks can be too short to fire over it, but most of rank III tanks (which will be the norm in AB, as the {{PAGENAME}} belongs to the rank III lineup by default) will not only be too tall for it to matter, but will have HMG that can penetrate it anyway. Regardless, the turret has a lot of openings which allow any tank to decimate the entire turret crew if they try harder. The turret is also way too short and inconsistent to protect from any decent pilot and might as well not exist in case of an air strike.

Compared to the Lvtdgb m/40, technically the protection is supposed to be better, but in reality it just provokes tanks to fire APHE or HE at it, immediately destroying the tank. There is also no longer a possibility to just face them with the front and to lay suppressive fire, expecting the driver cab to stop incoming attacks - the whole interior is now interconnected. But it may protect from MG in RB/SB due to the SPAA's lower BR there.

Technically, it's difficult to notice the {{PAGENAME}} as it's not a truck and looks like a tank from afar, so in RB/SB it can pass as something less dangerous to aircraft and faraway tanks until it starts to fire. In AB, it's class will immediately alert everyone of what it actually does and every aircraft will immediately go after it.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


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


It is effectively slower than the [[Lvtdgb m/40]], but can turn around in place even without neutral steering, which makes it better when fighting inside of a town.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 205|rbMinHp= 127}}

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

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

{{main|lvakan m/36 (40 mm)}}

The gun and the ammunition are the same as the [[Lvtdgb m/40]]. The only noticeable differences are the slightly reduced recoil, the fact that the gun is able to fire straight in any direction and the slower traverse speed, requiring the hull to be turned at the same time to catch up to an enemy.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[lvakan m/36 (40 mm)|40 mm lvakan m/36]] || 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" | 144 (8) || rowspan="2" | 120 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+85° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 18.5 || 25.6 || 31.1 || 34.4 || 36.6 || rowspan="2" | 0.65 || rowspan="2" | 0.58 || rowspan="2" | 0.53 || rowspan="2" | 0.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 12.5 || 14.7 || 17.9 || 19.7 || 21.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|APC|Armour-piercing capped}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''slsgr m/36C:''' {{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|APC|Armour-piercing capped}}
* '''slhpgr m/43:''' {{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|SAPHEI|Semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEFI-T|High-explosive 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 || 79 || 75 || 60 || 46 || 35 || 26
|-
| slsgr m/36C || 79 || 75 || 60 || 46 || 35 || 26
|-
| slhpgr m/43 || 66 || 62 || 48 || 34 || 25 || 18
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''18''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

== 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:'''

* Against aircraft, 40 mm HE is lethal when it hits
* Works as a tank destroyer in RB against rank I-II tanks since it has 60-79 mm penetration
* Stock belt is a very effective all-purpose belt, while SAPHEI belt can destroy tanks and severely damage bombers in one hit
* Almost has no noticeable reload time, allowing it to continuously fire when needed
* Relatively mobile
* Is less prone to alert every aircraft due to not looking like a truck (not relevant in AB)

'''Cons:'''

* Bad reverse speed
* Can be destroyed by any explosive ammunition via overpressure due to it being open-topped
* Very ineffective armour that can even be circumvented by anything head-on
* Turret armour does not protect well against strafing aircraft and might as well not exist after a certain height
* Bad turret traverse speeds (both horizontal & vertical)
* Slow rate of fire (120 rpm) and average shell velocity, hitting fast planes is quite hard
* Low fire density, requires more-than-average aiming skills in a head-on
* -5° gun depression is only usable in flat battlefields

== History ==


The Landsverk L-62, also known as the Anti II, was a self propelled anti-aircraft gun designed for Finland in 1941 by Landsverk of Sweden. It was based on the Anti I, but with an improved hull and turret. It was based on the chassis of the Landsverk L-60, a light tank design made in the interwar period. The L-62 had an extra road wheel, compared to the L-60. The turret was open topped, and circular. This allowed for better visibility of planes. It was armed with the 40 mm Bofors L/60 anti-aircraft gun. Finland ordered 6 of these vehicles in 1942, and designated them as the ItPsv 41, or Ilmatorjuntapanssarivaunu 41'''.''' This translates to anti-aircraft tank 41 in English. In the Summer of 1944, the ItPsv 41 shot down 11 Soviet planes. This protected the tank brigade from air attack. All 6 vehicles were used in Finnish service until 1966.

=== [[wt:en/news/6624-development-l-62-anti-ii-finnish-choice-en|Devblog]] ===
Development of the L-62 began in 1931, with the Landsverk company choosing to convert their L-10 light tank into an SPAA unit as part of a plan to create a range of vehicles intended for the export market. During development however, Landsverk created the more advanced L-60 tank, leading to the decision of continuing development of the L-62 on that chassis instead of the previously used L-10.

The first prototype of the L-62, named ANTI I, was built by the end of the 1930's in parallel with the L-60 then tested. While the Swedish military didn't express interest in procuring the L-62, the Hungarian military purchased the production licence for both the L-60 and L-62, resulting in the creation of the domestically produced 38M Toldi and 40M Nimród tanks, respectively.

Landsverk continued developing the L-62 into the early 1940's, creating a more advanced version of the L-62 in 1941, called the ANTI II. The improved version featured a new hull and turret, as well as having its German transmission swapped out for a Swedish one.

A total of six L-62 ANTI IIs were built, all of which were purchased by Finland and subsequently used in action throughout the remainder of WWII. Surviving the war, the L-62s were used as training vehicles in the postwar period and right up until their retirement in 1966.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sw_l_62_anti_II Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 01.jpg|
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 02.jpg|
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 03.jpg|
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 04.jpg|
File:L-62 Anti II WTWallpaper 05.jpg|
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</gallery>

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

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

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6624-development-l-62-anti-ii-finnish-choice-en|[Devblog] L-62 ANTI II: Finnish Choice]]

=== Bibliography ===

* Landsverk L-62 Anti-II. (2019, October 20). In ''Wikipedia.'' https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Landsverk_L-62_Anti_II&oldid=922225342

{{Sweden anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Cromwell V

2021-09-18T17:55:36Z

U62757156: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = British medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Cromwell (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=uk_a27m_cromwell_5
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the initial British ground tree in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]. An adequately armoured cruiser tank that is armed with a rather inadequate [[Ordnance QF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm cannon]] due to poor post-penetration performance. However, the Cromwell V's speed makes it a very good flag runner akin to the [[M18 GMC|M18 Hellcat]].

The Cromwell V, despite being a later and more modern version than the Mk I, has a slightly lower (3.0-3.3) BR than the [[Cromwell I|Mk.I]] and arrives first in the tech tree. This is due to its 75 mm gun, which offers less penetration than the [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm]] in the Mk. I, and thus makes many higher BR tanks effectively invulnerable to it. Those few points of BR make little the difference; in its match-ups the Cromwell V is an average opponent, but will easily outrun anything on the map to take up effective positions for the first shot, and then doling out some of the worst damage in the game at its BR from its 75 before running off to another location.

This tank is not a beginner-friendly vehicle. Though fast, the vehicle's gun does not provide reliable victories against enemy tanks. Skill is required to maximize the vehicle's speed, rectangular armour, and firepower against enemy vehicles with AP rounds with HE fillers. Excellent aim very important to get the job done.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm (1°) ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (71°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (18°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis'' || 25.4 mm || 32 mm || 14 mm
|-
| Turret || 76.2 mm (1°) ''Turret front'' 63.5 (1°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 63.5 mm || 57.1 mm (1°) || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

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


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

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

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

{{main|OQF Mk.V (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[OQF Mk.V (75 mm)|75 mm OQF Mk.V]] || 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" | 64 || rowspan="2" | -12°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 23.8 || 32.9 || 40.0 || 44.2 || 47.1 || rowspan="2" | 6.50 || rowspan="2" | 5.75 || rowspan="2" | 5.30 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.9 || 17.5 || 21.3 || 23.5 || 25.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 91 || 88 || 78 || 67 || 57 || 49
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 103 || 100 || 89 || 77 || 66 || 57
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="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%
|-
| M72 shot || AP || 619 || 6.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M61 shot || APCBC || 618 || 6.53 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M48 shell || HE || 463 || 6.3 || 0 || 0.1 || 666 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| M89 || 259 || 3 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''64''' || 50 ''(+14)'' || 45 ''(+19)'' || 31 ''(+33)'' || 17 ''(+47)'' || 12 ''(+52)'' || 0 ''(+64)'' || No
|-
|}

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

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

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,950 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

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

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

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

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent gun depression of -12°.
* Very fast acceleration.
* Very sensitive brakes enables Cromwell to land shots almost immediately after stopping.
* Decent front turret armour of 64 mm.
* Exceptional speed for a medium tank.
* Acceptable reload for 75 mm gun that allows a steady rate of fire.
* Solid shot produces cone of shrapnel in post-penetration line of fire.
* Armour can be compounded angled to the sides for extra effectiveness.
* Very good flanker and rushing caps at early game.
* Has neutral steering.
* Performs exceptionally well when working with other allied tanks with different role.
* Excellent manoeuvrability.
* Standard 5 crew members allow a margin of crew casualties before a decrease in combat performance.
* Low profile.
* Excellent climbing ability (both in reverse and forwards).
* Still gains speed while climbing even the steepest of slopes.
* Great turret rotation for a Rank 2 medium tank (beaten only by the T-34).

'''Cons:'''

* Solid shot post-penetration damage still mediocre, with emphasis in precise targeting of critical modules and crew on the first shot.
* Only solid shot ammunition for armour-piercing shells
* 75 mm gun only average in anti-tank capabilities.
* The sensitive brakes can throw aim off in the instance, letting a prepared enemy fire first.
* Armour is only supported by raw thickness due to its flat, boxy construction. Requires manual compound angling to improve effectiveness.
* Using the Cromwell for frontal engagements is not advised, should use flanking tactics instead and let heavier allies like the Matildas and Churchills to take frontal assault.
* Weak side armour.
* Ammunition racks litter all around the hull center.
* Prone to fishtailing or breaking out, A and D keys can be merely tapped, effectively uncontrollable at high speeds.
* Very poor reverse speed, just 3 km/h (1.8 mph).
* Unlockable M61 APCBC shell with acceptable ricochet characteristics loses extra penetration the stock M72 shell has.
* Lacks any sort of gun stabilization.
* Gun elevation speed is extremely poor.
* Neutral steering only works on flat terrain.

== History ==

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=medium_tank&vehicle=uk_a27m_cromwell_5 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|HhXW8pe1Flk|'''{{PAGENAME}} - Tank Review''' - ''Napalmratte''|QuG-IJY1wVY|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}

== See also ==

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

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

== External links ==

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

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}

MiG-27M

2021-09-12T19:47:43Z

U62757156: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=mig_27m
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Direct Hit"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

This aircraft has an excellent top speed, which means it can speed away from enemy fighters if needed, with flares and chaff assisting in countering incoming missiles. One thing to remember is that the plane has a pretty bad turn rate, at 37.8 meters per second. The turn rate is actually worse then the BV-238 at 30 meters per second.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at _,___ m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2340 || 2330 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 37.6 || 37.8 || 133.9 || 127.3 || rowspan="2" | 750
|-
! Upgraded
| ___ || ___ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| _ || _ || _ || _ || _ || _ 
|-
|}

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

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

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Turmansky R-29B-300 || 1
| colspan="2" | _,___ kg || colspan="2" | ___ kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! _m fuel || __m fuel || __m fuel
|-
| 1780 kg || colspan="2" | Jet
| _,___ kg || _,___ kg || _,___ kg || _,___ kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (___%/WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || ___%/WEP
! _m fuel || __m fuel || __m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 7430 kgf || 9690 kgf
| _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Optimal'' || ___ kgf (_ km/h) || ___ kgf (_ km/h)
| _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The plane gets some 10 mm armor behind the pilot, and 9 mm on each side of the pilot. This will not really save you against the firepower faced in top-rank jet battles and is more against the stray machine gun round or shrapnel from ground attacks.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|GSh-6-30 (30 mm)}}

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

* 1 x 30 mm GSh-6-30 cannon, belly-mounted (300 rpg)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|OFAB-100 (100 kg)|FAB-250M-62 (250 kg)|OFAB-250sv (250 kg)|FAB-500M-62 (500 kg)|KAB-500 (500 kg)}}
{{main|Kh-23M|Kh-25ML|Kh-29L|Kh-29T|GSh-23L (23 mm)}}
{{main|R-13M1|R-60M|S-5KP|S-8KO|S-24B}}

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

* Without load
* 7 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,750 kg total)
* 4 x 250 kg OFAB-250sv bombs (1,000 kg total)
* 7 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (3,500 kg total)
* 80 x S-8KO rockets
* 4 x S-24B rockets
* 2 x Kh-23M missiles
* 4 x Kh-25ML missiles
* 2 x Kh-29L missiles
* 2 x Kh-29T missiles
* 4 x R-60M missiles
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons (250 rpg = 500 total)
* 128 x S-5KP rockets
* 20 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (2,000 kg total)
* 12 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs + 64 x S-5KP rockets (1,200 kg total)
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 2 x Kh-25ML missiles
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 40 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 2 x S-24B rockets
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 12 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (1,200 kg total)
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 2 x S-24B rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 4 x R-60M missiles + 5 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,250 kg total)
* 4 x R-60M missiles + 5 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,500 kg total)
* 4 x R-60M missiles + 12 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (1,200 kg total)
* 80 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 80 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (750 kg total)
* 40 x S-8KO rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 40 x S-8KO rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles + 3 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (750 kg total)
* 40 x S-8KO rockets + 5 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,500 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 5 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,250 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 5 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,500 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 40 x S-8KO rockets
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 40 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles + 3 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (750 kg total)
* 4 x R-60M missiles + 2 x Kh-25ML missiles
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons + 2 x S-24B rockets
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons + 40 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons + 5 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,250 kg total)
* 4 x 500 kg KAB-500 bombs (2,000 kg total)
* 2 x 500 kg KAB-500 bombs + 4 x R-60M missiles (1,000 kg total)
* 2 x 500 kg KAB-500 bombs + 2 x R-13M1 missiles (1,000 kg total)

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a 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. Examine 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 ===

''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

* Very high top speed
* The 30 mm cannon is effective at destroying both ground and air targets
* Wide variety of suspended weapons
* KAB-500 guided bombs provide all the advantages of air-to-ground missiles with none of their drawbacks

'''Cons:'''

* Lacks radar for air-to-air combat
* Only two KAB-500 guided bombs can be carried with air-to-air missiles
* The 30 mm cannon has a paltry ammunition capacity for its rate of fire, requiring stringent trigger discipline
* Bad turn rate

== History ==

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=mig_27m Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== 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 aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

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

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

{{USSR jet aircraft}}

MiG-27M

2021-09-12T19:47:16Z

U62757156: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=mig_27m
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Direct Hit"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

This aircraft has an excellent top speed, which means it can speed away from enemy fighters if needed, with flares and chaff assisting in countering incoming missiles. One thing to remember is that the plane has a pretty bad turn rate, at 37.8 meters per second. The turn rate is actually worse then the BV-238 at 30 meters per second.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at _,___ m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2340 || 2330 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 37.6 || 37.8 || 133.9 || 127.3 || rowspan="2" | 750
|-
! Upgraded
| ___ || ___ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| _ || _ || _ || _ || _ || _ 
|-
|}

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

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

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Turmansky R-29B-300 || 1
| colspan="2" | _,___ kg || colspan="2" | ___ kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! _m fuel || __m fuel || __m fuel
|-
| 1780 kg || colspan="2" | Jet
| _,___ kg || _,___ kg || _,___ kg || _,___ kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (___%/WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || ___%/WEP
! _m fuel || __m fuel || __m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 7430 kgf || 9690 kgf
| _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Optimal'' || ___ kgf (_ km/h) || ___ kgf (_ km/h)
| _.__ || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The plane gets some 10 mm armor behind the pilot, and 9 mm on each side of the pilot. This will not really save you against the firepower faced in top-rank jet battles and is more against the stray machine gun round or shrapnel from ground attacks.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|GSh-6-30 (30 mm)}}

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

* 1 x 30 mm GSh-6-30 cannon, belly-mounted (300 rpg)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|OFAB-100 (100 kg)|FAB-250M-62 (250 kg)|OFAB-250sv (250 kg)|FAB-500M-62 (500 kg)|KAB-500 (500 kg)}}
{{main|Kh-23M|Kh-25ML|Kh-29L|Kh-29T|GSh-23L (23 mm)}}
{{main|R-13M1|R-60M|S-5KP|S-8KO|S-24B}}

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

* Without load
* 7 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,750 kg total)
* 4 x 250 kg OFAB-250sv bombs (1,000 kg total)
* 7 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (3,500 kg total)
* 80 x S-8KO rockets
* 4 x S-24B rockets
* 2 x Kh-23M missiles
* 4 x Kh-25ML missiles
* 2 x Kh-29L missiles
* 2 x Kh-29T missiles
* 4 x R-60M missiles
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons (250 rpg = 500 total)
* 128 x S-5KP rockets
* 20 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (2,000 kg total)
* 12 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs + 64 x S-5KP rockets (1,200 kg total)
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 2 x Kh-25ML missiles
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 40 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 2 x S-24B rockets
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 12 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (1,200 kg total)
* 2 x R-13M1 missiles + 2 x S-24B rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 4 x R-60M missiles + 5 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,250 kg total)
* 4 x R-60M missiles + 5 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,500 kg total)
* 4 x R-60M missiles + 12 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (1,200 kg total)
* 80 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 80 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (750 kg total)
* 40 x S-8KO rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 40 x S-8KO rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles + 3 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (750 kg total)
* 40 x S-8KO rockets + 5 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,500 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 5 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,250 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 5 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,500 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 40 x S-8KO rockets
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 40 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 2 x S-24B rockets + 4 x R-60M missiles + 3 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (750 kg total)
* 4 x R-60M missiles + 2 x Kh-25ML missiles
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons + 2 x S-24B rockets
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons + 40 x S-8KO rockets + 3 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons + 5 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,250 kg total)
* 4 x 500 kg KAB-500 bombs (2,000 kg total)
* 2 x 500 kg KAB-500 bombs + 4 x R-60M missiles (1,000 kg total)
* 2 x 500 kg KAB-500 bombs + 2 x R-13M1 missiles (1,000 kg total)

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a 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. Examine 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 ===

''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

* Very high top speed
* The 30 mm is effective at destroying both ground and air targets
* Wide variety of suspended weapons
* KAB-500 guided bombs provide all the advantages of air-to-ground missiles with none of their drawbacks

'''Cons:'''

* Lacks radar for air-to-air combat
* Only two KAB-500 guided bombs can be carried with air-to-air missiles
* The 30 mm cannon has a paltry ammunition capacity for its rate of fire, requiring stringent trigger discipline
* Bad turn rate

== History ==

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

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=mig_27m Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

== 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 aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

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

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

{{USSR jet aircraft}}

B1 ter

2021-05-22T21:42:12Z

U62757156: I have changed a grammatical error in the cons section where an "an" was incorrectly used

{{About
|about=premium heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=the standard version
|link=B1 bis
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_b1_ter
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
|store=9510
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (Battle tank B1 "tertiaire") is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} French heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]] as a pack vehicle and eventually discontinued from the store, but was later reintroduced for [[wt:en/news/6442-special-war-thunder-reaches-its-7th-year-en|War Thunder's 7th anniversary]] as a premium purchasable in-game for 1,300 Golden Eagles {{ge}} and through the [[Warbonds]] mechanic.

With the best armour at its BR, this tank is a beast in engagements since it is hard to penetrate at a distance. While not having the best armament, it should do the job taking care of these dangerous early SPGs and light tanks. The "ter" suffix to its name is a Latin abbreviation which means "third", referring to the series, just as the suffix "bis" identified the previous second B1 production series. Its most noticeable features from its predecessor ([[B1 bis]]) are an increased horizontal traverse for the hull gun, thicker armour and an extra crew member.

This tank's mobility won't allow you to position fast enough. Taking time is the only way to get where you want safely. Since this tank is pretty long and narrow, do not engage in cramped spaces since you will not be allowed to manoeuvre as you wish. You reverse speed won't allow you to retreat if things get bad around you, stay behind the front-lines, making good use of your armour.

In order to effectively use this tank's armour, there is a few things to consider. First of all, there is some shot traps,most noticeably the turret ring and the hull gun mount. In order to minimize your enemies' chance to hit these weak spots, stay away from them. Second, even if your armour is ''very strong'' for the BR, do not completely rely on it by sitting around in an open field: you will eventually get hit where it hurts. The third thing to consider is your small and thick turret: hide that big clumsy hull behind a hill and pop out only your hard "head", take a shot, fall back, reload, repeat. If something goes wrong (i.e. getting shot in the turret ring), there is usually enough men left to take the job left by their knocked out crew. Do not bother getting spotted: it is your job to stay in the enemies' sights while your lighter teammates do what they ought to. In some situations, it can even be used as a breakthrough tank, rely on your own experience to guess when it is time to do so.

With the same gun as most other rank 2 French tanks, the {{PAGENAME}} will never be recognized for having a fearsome armament: penetration rates are even lower than most reserve tanks while reload time is twice as long (a known feature of early French tanks). The turreted armament is only good at firing light targets such as SPGs and light tanks. Elevation and depression angles are ''amazing'' but turret sewing rate is a bit slow: this tank has been designed to be hull-down. As for the hull-mounted gun, it should only be used as a close range defence device, as it has poor penetration rates and high drop. Exposing your hull-mounted gun for long range engagements does not only makes you vulnerable, it is also mostly ineffective.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, side skirts, turret ring)
* Cast homogeneous armour (turret, 75 mm gun mantlet, 47 mm gun mantlet, mudguards)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 70 mm (18-42°) ''Front glacis'' 70+70 mm (spherical) ''Gun mantlet'' 70 mm (49°) ''Lower glacis'' || 55 mm (1-18°) + 55 mm (0-43°) ''Top - Mudguards'' 55 mm + 50 mm (23-28°) ''Bottom - Front'' 70 mm (21-27°) ''Bottom - Centre'' 55 mm ''Bottom - Rear'' 20 mm ''Bottom - Tracks'' || 25 mm (65°) ''Top'' 55 mm (1°) ''Centre'' 55 mm (46°) ''Bottom'' || 25 mm 8 mm ''Engine vents'' 22+25 mm ''Tracks cover''
|-
| Turret || 56 mm (0-46°) ''Turret front'' 56 mm (1-85°) ''Gun mantlet'' 56 mm (0-49°) ''Machine gun cover''|| 56 mm (5-19°) || 56 mm (18-19°) 38.1 mm (18°) ''Turret hatch'' || 30 mm
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 48 mm (cylindrical) || 30 mm (spherical)
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Lower turret ring armour 40 mm thick, while upper turret ring armour is 25 + 40 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.

The B1 ter has argubally the best armour at its BR. Being an up-armoured model of the previous B1 bis, the ter model features thicker hull armour, especially on the side. Now the hull will be completely immune to the PzGr.40 belt of [[Pz.II (Disambiguation)|Pz.II]] light tanks which is a common opponent. There are also improvements such as a smaller turret ring, refined frontal hull, a large mudguard, etc. While angling the hull at ~40°, the B1 ter can be extremely hard to destroy for vehicles at the same BR and can even resist uptier tanks like the [[Pz.IV F2]]. Due to the extremely heavy frontal armour, one should try to use mobility to flank the {{PAGENAME}}. However, if that isn't possible, you'll want to try and hit the turret ring. It may be a tricky shot, but there's only ~40 mm of armour there. When flanking, it is preferable to go for the right side of the tank as is is filled with ammo and fuel.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=452|rbMinHp=310}}
The B1 ter's mobility is below average, which is to be expected given its heavy armour. On flat/hard surface, the B1 has a rather slow acceleration and needs some time to pick up speed. Its average on-road speed is ~20 km/h which is just enough to keep up with equally slow tanks and will not allow the B1 to get to any position quickly. Its hull traverse speed is acceptable and it has neutral steering which is helpful when the B1 tries to angle the hull. On sloped surface or bad roads the acceleration will be more sluggish and top speed slower, further limiting the B1's mobility. The reverse speed is also extremely bad and will not allow you to back up fast enough. Lastly, the dated suspension leaves very little room for the road wheels to bounce up and down while the B1 is driving over rough surfaces, leading to the whole tank rocking around which can slow it down a bit.

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|SA35 L/32 (47 mm)}}
The primary weapon of the B1 ter is the 47 mm cannon inside the turret. Although small in calibre, it can still be very effective in medium/close-range engagements. Its penetration of ~60 mm allows the B1 to easily penetrate common foes such as Pz.IV C and T-50. The post-penetration effect, just like every other solid shot, is not destructive and requires the player to target for crew compartments. At longer distances, however, the 47 mm gun will start to struggle. The shell drop makes targeting quite challenging, and the drastically decreased penetration means that one might not even penetrate the hull side of a Pz.IV. This cannon is also slightly limited by the turret's slow traverse speed.

The 47 mm cannon has a vertical stabiliser which can significantly increase its ability to target & fire on the move, making it harder for the opponents to aim carefully. The cannon also has an amazing -18° gun depression which is more than enough for any type of terrain.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/32 (47 mm)|47 mm SA35 L/32]] || 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" | 60 || rowspan="2" | ±18° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Shoulder || 8.1 || 11.2 || 13.6 || 15.0 || 16.0 || rowspan="2" | 5.20 || rowspan="2" | 4.60 || rowspan="2" | 4.24 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 6.0 || 7.0 || 8.5 || 9.4 || 10.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 62 || 59 || 47 || 36 || 27 || 20
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Mle1935 || APC || 660 || 1.62 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Mle1935 HE || HE || 590 || 1.41 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 143 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''60''' || 49 ''(+11)'' || 37 ''(+23)'' || 7 ''(+53)'' || 5 ''(+55)'' || 3 ''(+57)'' || 1 ''(+59)'' || No
|-
|}
Note:

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.

=== Additional armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|SA35 L/17 (75 mm)}}
Compared to the [[B1 bis|bis]] model, the 75 mm cannon inside the hull of the B1 ter sacrifices gun depression for more horizontal traverse angle. Though this change is useful in flat battlefields, the B1 ter will now struggle to use it in a hilly environment. The improved horizontal traverse, however, is still inadequate and may usually result in the 75 mm gun not being used, since the B1 has to angle a lot. This hull-mounted gun should only be used as a close range defence device, as it has poor penetration rates and high drop. Exposing your hull-mounted gun for long range engagements not only makes you vulnerable, it is also mostly ineffective. But if it hits and penetrates, it will usually kill.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA35 L/17 (75 mm)|75 mm SA35 L/17]] || 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" | 90 || rowspan="2" | -4°/+9° || rowspan="2" | -7°/+5° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 3.2 || 4.5 || 5.4 || 6.0 || 6.4 || rowspan="2" | 14.9 || rowspan="2" | 13.1 || rowspan="2" | 12.1 || rowspan="2" | 11.4
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 2.4 || 2.8 || 3.4 || 3.8 || 4.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| Mle1910M || APHE || 64 || 62 || 55 || 47 || 41 || 35
|-
| Mle1915 || HE || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11 || 11
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Mle1910M || APHE || 500 || 6.40 || 1.2 || 14.0 || 90 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Mle1915 || HE || 500 || 5.55 || 0 || 0.1 || 740 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
|-
| '''90''' || 84 ''(+6)'' || 80 ''(+10)'' || 77 ''(+13)'' || 75 ''(+15)'' || 71 ''(+19)'' || 68 ''(+22)'' || 53 ''(+37)'' || 38 ''(+52)''
|-
! 9th rack empty
! 10th rack empty
! 11th rack empty
! 12th rack empty
! 13th rack empty
! 14th rack empty
! 15th rack empty
! 16th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| 36 ''(+54)'' || 34 ''(+56)'' || 32 ''(+58)'' || 27 ''(+63)'' || 21 ''(+69)'' || 19 ''(+71)'' || 8 ''(+82)'' || 1 ''(+89)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x230px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
Notes:

* As they are modeled by sets of 2 to 4, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
* Packing 38 ''(+52)'' shells keeps the forward crew compartment empty of 75 mm shells.

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

{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,000 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
The small calibre of the MAC 31 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

== Usage in battles ==

The Char B1, upon playing it for the first time will be slow in both acceleration, max speed and turret rotation speed. The Hull gun is usable, while not being very suitable for this tank's main role. The best way to play the B1 ter is to hold down a position, preferably hull down (as its turret is thick and small, it will ricochet most shots it will take). Playing the B1 ter rightly, there is only 3 ways to get outplayed:

* Being outflanked by a light tank
* The enemy has been lucky enough to get a shot through a shot trap
* Meeting a ''dangerous'' gun (see [[B1 ter#Specific enemies worth noting|Specific enemies worth noting]])

All light tanks are dangerous as they can easily outflank you if they get too close, shoot them down before it happens. Also, do not engage medium and heavy tanks from the front as it is only a waste of efforts.

It is not advised to position the B1 in an overly-opened location where the B1 can get shot from multiple directions (more than 2) or from directions that are too wide apart (more than ~45° from the hull's longitudinal axis). This is because that although the B1 is heavily armoured, it is still most effective at dealing with threats from one direction only, just like every other tank, so the player can concentrate on said direction and not worry about getting flanked. Hence, memorise some spots where you only need to face enemies from one general direction, and that the spot overwatches a popular passageway of the opponents, for example the long narrow street at the right side of [[Berlin (Ground Forces)|Berlin]]. At your battle position, decide whether to push or not depending on the battle's BR, the higher it is the more high-penetrating tanks you will face. While you charge towards the enemy defence, engage the 'battle' cruise mode (press 'E' once) to put the B1 at a speed just enough for the 47 mm gun's vertical stabiliser to work. This way you can comfortably aim and shoot while the enemy has to target your moving tank. It also creates great pressure for the opponents, seeing an invincible chunk of metallic fortress slowly but surely moving close. Some will definitely panic.

'''Enemies worth noting:'''

* M3 / M5 Stuart: as previously mentioned, light tanks can be a dangerous threat to the clumsy B1. The Stuarts have good acceleration, great top speed regardless of the terrain, and fast hull traverse, allowing them to sneak up or charge at a B1 without getting hit. When they are close, their 37 mm cannons can easily penetrate your hull cannon mount, turret sides and driving compartment, and their fast reload can knock out your crews one by one. But with the additional side armour of the B1 ter, Stuarts might struggle to penetrate your hull sides. To counter them, angle your hull for about 45 degrees, this way their small calibre shells tend to ricochet and will have a hard time to penetrate you. If they circle you, turn your hull and reverse at the same time to avoid them flanking, and if possible gain some separation. Target their hull, as their frontal turret is mostly covered by a curved gun mantlet which can cause non-penetrations.
* German tanks above its BR: their guns are usually more than enough to pierce the 70 mm front armour and if they do, most of the crew will be knocked out, likely resulting in an OHK.
* [[M4A3 (105)]], [[Ho-Ro]], [[Spj fm/43-44]], etc: these vehicles all carry large-calibre howitzers which can critically damage if not straight up knock out the B1 ter with a frontal hit, through the B1's thick armour. If you see one, wait until they fire first or if they are distracted then poke out and shoot. For the 105 mm M4, the only effective way to destroy one is to get to its hull side and fire a salvo or two from both your guns. Its frontal hull armour or even the turret side can resist all of your rounds.
* [[T-34 (1940)]], [[SU-122]]: the T-34 chassis is argubally very effective at deflecting small-caliber shells and low-penetrating large-caliber shells, both of which are used by the B1 ter. For the SU-122, target the vertical hull side armour between the road wheels and upper angled hull side. For the T-34, also target this area plus the vertical parts of its curved turret cheeks to disarm it. Try not to get hit by them, the T-34's cannon is more than enough to punch through the B1 ter's frontal armour, while the SU-122 can destroy the B1 with its powerful HE shells.
* [[Churchill I]], [[Matilda III|Matilda]]: these tanks are protected with thick armour that the B1 cannot easily penetrate. The thickness of their frontal & side armour on the hull and turret are all well beyond the B1's maximum penetration at point-blank range, thus the only effective way to damage them is to shoot at their rear hull armour which is around 50 mm. This can set fire on their engine/fuel tank. Or you can utilise the fast reload of your 47 mm gun and disable their guns and tracks, and call for more powerful teammates to destroy them. Although their guns are of small calibers and tend to bounce off an angling B1 ter, your weakspots (turret ring, commander cupola, vertical driver's armour, etc) are still vulnerable.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Overall good armour
** Very heavy frontal armour for its rank.
** Strong turret from the front
** Good at side-scraping (thick sides)
** Nearly impenetrable hull when angled
** Increased armour values all around from its predecessor (70 mm instead of 60 mm)
** Extra crew member (now 5 instead of 4)
** Smaller turret ring than its predecessor
** Sides are no longer completely flat
** Top part of tracks is now shielded
* Decent firepower
** One of the best in-game depression (-18°, turret gun)
** Has 2 main armaments
** A rare feature on French tanks: it has APHE ammunition.
** MAC 31 coaxial MG
** Turret gun has LOCK, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics effective.
** Hull gun has better horizontal traverse than its [[B1 bis|bis]] version.
** Carries more ammo than the [[B1 bis|bis]]

'''Cons:'''

* Armour has minor weak spots:
** Has a tall and "thin" cupola
** Large turret ring is weak (25-40 mm poorly sloped)
** Fuel tank behind the grille lights up very often when penetrated.
** 8 mm grille above ammo and loader makes it vulnerable to aircraft HMG fire.
* Crew is cramped
* Has a very noticeable and thick antenna sticking upwards.
* Literally has a hallway full of ammo in the back
* Guns feel lacking
** Lacking penetration from both of its guns
** Poor traverse on 75 mm gun (12° total)
** The hull gun has reduced depression compared to the B1 bis version (-4°)
** Slow reload on both guns
** Only stock ammo choices
** APHE shell won't detonate when shooting at light targets (25 mm or less armour)
** Hull gun is hard to master (not beginner-friendly)
* Mobility is sub par
** Not very mobile due to weight.
** Slow hull turning rate
** Reverse speed is low (-3 km/h)
** Turret sewing rate is slower than its predecessor
** 4 tons heavier than its predecessor while sharing its engine.

== History ==

The Char B1 was one of the most produced and widely used indigenous French tank designs employed during the Invasion of France in 1940. The Char B1 came in three modifications, with the ter modification marking the third and final one. Each modification brought with it several changes that would improve the design's overall performance, from the installation of more powerful engines, over enhanced armour protection and anti-tank capabilities to increased ammunition count. Although the Char B1's development began as early as the mid 1920s, the B1ter version was conceived around the same time the Char B1 bis entered serial production, in 1937.

Compared to the B1 bis, the ter modification featured thicker frontal armour protection, going up to 75 mm. Apart of the extra armour, the B1ter was also equipped with a more powerful 350 hp engine as well as a different transmission and received space for an additional crew member too. These changes increased the weight of the vehicle up to 36.6 tonnes, but also made the planned production process a lot easier, faster and most importantly, cheaper. The first prototype of the Char B1ter was constructed and shown off to French military officials in 1937, with testing and production approval following in May 1940. However, at that point, it was a case of too little too late for the Char B1ter. Three further prototypes were constructed before France capitulated in June 1940, with efforts to evacuate the prototypes from France ultimately failing, as the ship transporting the vehicles was sunk by a German air raid on 21 June 1940.

''-From [[wt:en/news/5161-development-char-b1ter-a-blast-from-the-past-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=france&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=heavy_tank&vehicle=fr_b1_ter Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|4_cJ1CpEatw|'''Best gun depression''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:01 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|ly9JS6errQQ|'''Best secondary armaments''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 4:56 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|GHsW9fVXIpQ|'''Should You Buy: {{PAGENAME}}''' - ''ConeOfArc''|LmQWveM5O1c|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|-BrvfqHFpYA|'''{{PAGENAME}}- Box of fun''' - ''Oxy''|woJWg8E03HM|'''The Shooting Range #75''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:30 discusses the B1 ter.|woJWg8E03HM|'''The Shooting Range #75''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 04:13 discusses the B1 bis and B1 ter.}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[M3 Lee]] / [[M3 Medium (USSR)]]
* [[Grant I]] / [[Grant I (Great Britain)]]
* [[Churchill I]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/5161-development-char-b1ter-a-blast-from-the-past-en|[Devblog] Char B1ter: A Blast From The Past]]
* [[wikipedia:Char_B1|[Wikipedia] Char B1]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/france/char_b1_bis.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Char B1/B1 bis]
* [https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=824 <nowiki>[Military Factory]</nowiki> Renault Char B1]

{{France heavy tanks}}
{{France premium ground vehicles}}