War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

Ikv 73

2020-08-20T13:43:38Z

U67473093: Added a single pro

{{Specs-Card|code=sw_ikv_73}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Starfighters"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6808-special-operation-s-u-m-m-e-r-2020-en|2020 Operation S.U.M.M.E.R.]] event.

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


Armor protection on the Ikv 73 is average for its tier. While it is 55 mm thick, it is practically vertical. Angling your armor will not help, as the sides are only 30 mm in thickness. The turret armor is pretty much identical to that of the hull. The crew is very tightly packed, so a penetrating shot to the turret or hull is a guaranteed destruction.

Although the best course of action in an Ikv 73 is to remain undetected, there will be times when taking a hit or two will be inevitable. In such a scenario, angle slightly towards the enemy with your front right corner (the one opposite the driver) and try to bait a shot to your right turret cheek (the one with the coaxial MGs). Early HEAT and HE projectiles, as well as the spalling from weaker APHE and Soviet shrapnel rounds, will likely be absorbed by the machine guns. Solid shot will be almost guaranteed to penetrate, but will only kill the commander and machine gunner. Most shots to the rear engine deck will likely bounce due to the extreme sloping.

{| 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 ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=582|rbMinHp=363|AoAweight=|abForwardSpeed=46|abMaxHp=717}}

Mobility of the Ikv 73 is good; about the same as that of the Shermans or earlier Panzers. The tank swiftly accelerates to its top speed of 42 km/h (26 mph), and stops just as easily (though the tank tends to "drift" slightly when stopping mid-turn. The tank reverses at 5 km/h. The suspension damping allows for firing immediately after coming to a stop from full speed, though it is not powerful enough to allow for accurate fire while on the move. The Ikv 73 lacks neutral steering, but still turns about as quickly as its contemporaries.

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

{{main|kan m/41 (75 mm)}}

''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[kan m/41 (75 mm)|75 mm kan m/41]] || 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" | 59 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 13.21 || 18.28 || 22.20 || 24.55 || 26.12 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 8.92 || 10.50 || 12.75 || 14.10 || 15.00
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| slpprj m/40 || AP || 85 || 83 || 74 || 64 || 55 || 48
|-
| sgr m/40 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| slpprj m/40B || APBC || 85 || 82 || 73 || 63 || 54 || 46
|-
| slpgr m/39 || APHE || 63 || 61 || 53 || 44 || 37 || 31
|-
|}
{| 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/40 || AP || 580 || 6.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| sgr m/40 || HE || 570 || 6.43 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 580 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| slpprj m/40B || APBC || 590 || 6.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| slpgr m/39 || APHE || 580 || 6.5 || 1.2 || 9.0 || 260 || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}
{| 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)
|-
| rökgr m/22 || 496 || 6.6 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 8
|-
|}

==== [[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
|-
| '''59''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

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

''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''

{| 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
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (250) || 649 || -__°/+__° || ±__°
|-
| Coaxial || 2,000 (250) || 649 || -__°/+__° || ±__°
|-
| Coaxial || 2,000 (250) || 649 || -__°/+__° || ±__°
|-
|}

== 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).''

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Mobility
! Protection
! colspan="2" | Firepower
|-
| I
| Tracks
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
|
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
| rökgr m/22
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
| slpgr m/39
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
| slpprj m/40B
|-
! colspan="6" | This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===

''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a 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:'''

* Has a machine gun on top that can rotate 360°.

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==

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

== Media ==

<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="150px">
GarageImage Ikv 73 (S.U.M.M.E.R).jpg|"Arsenalen" Camouflage (S.U.M.M.E.R Reward Skin)
</gallery>

== See also ==


===Related Development===

* [[Strv m/42 EH]]

===Tanks of comparable role, configuration and era===

* [[Pz.III J]]
* [[Pz.III F]]
* [[T-28]]
* [[P40|P26/40]]
* [[AMX-13 (FL11)]]

== External links ==


*[[wt:en/news/6808-special-operation-s-u-m-m-e-r-2020-en|[Special] Operation S.U.M.M.E.R. 2020]]
*[[wt:en/news/6810/current|[Development] Operation S.U.M.M.E.R. Infanterikanonvagn 73]]

{{Sweden tank destroyers}}
{{Sweden premium ground vehicles}}

LVT(A)(4)

2020-05-28T19:04:39Z

U67473093: Changed con from "turretless" to "Bad turret rotation"

{{Specs-Card|code=us_lvt_a_4}}

== Description ==


The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6703-event-winner-vehicles-for-the-victory-anniversary-en|Victory Day]] event.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and 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.''

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=387|rbMinHp=221}}

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

{{main|M2 Howitzer (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2 Howitzer (75 mm)|75 mm M2 Howitzer]] || 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" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -20°/+40° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 400 (200) || 576 || -5°/+70° || ±180°
|-
|}

== 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).''

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Tier
! colspan="2" |Mobility
!Protection
! colspan="2" |Firepower
|-
|I
|Tracks||
|Parts
|Horizontal Drive||
|-
|II
|Suspension||Brake System
|FPE
|Adjustment of Fire||
|-
|III
|Filters||
|Crew Replenishment
|Elevation Mechanism||M64
|-
|IV
|Transmission||Engine
|
|Artillery support
|
|-
! colspan="6" |This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase
|-
|}
=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Good speed and manoeuvrability
* Five crew members with huge space between them increases survivability, especially when most guns it faces have small calibre and little explosive filler (eg. the [[M3 Stuart (Family)|Stuarts']] 37 mm)
* Amazing -20° gun depression allows excellent mountain combat ability.
* Well-angled turret can lead to some shells bouncing
* Is amphibious, meaning it can launch surprise attacks using rivers
* Heavy MG can effectively damage light vehicles and low-flying planes

'''Cons:'''

* Huge and tall hull makes it easy to be seen / shot at
* Very thin armour, can be penetrated by any cannon / heavy MG
* Easily hull broken by large calibre HEAT, such as the [[Chi-Ha]]'s 57 mm HEAT
* Shells have low velocity which is a disadvantage in long range combat.
* The crew in the open topped turret are very close together, meaning they can be taken out in a single shot or by aircraft
* Bad turret rotation, meaning it cannot respond to flankers in time

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

== Media ==

[[File:LVT(A)(4) crossing tropical river.jpg|none|thumb]]

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

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

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

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

{{USA light tanks}}
{{USA premium ground vehicles}}

LVT(A)(4)

2020-05-14T13:52:14Z

U67473093: Added once again media

{{Specs-Card|code=us_lvt_a_4}}

== Description ==


The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6703-event-winner-vehicles-for-the-victory-anniversary-en|Victory Day]] event.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and 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.''

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=387|rbMinHp=221}}

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

{{main|M2 Howitzer (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2 Howitzer (75 mm)|75 mm M2 Howitzer]] || 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" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -20°/+40° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 400 (200) || 576 || -5°/+70° || ±180°
|-
|}

== 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:'''

* 12.7 mm heavy machine gun is very good at dealing with AA vehicles and soft targets
* Very fast and manoeuvrable on most terrain
* Fast reloads for the calibre
* Amphibious

'''Cons:'''

* Open-top turret exposes crew to artillery and aircraft strafing fire
* Very slow turret traverse rate
* Shells have low muzzle velocity, not good for long-range fighting
* Tall profile

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

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
[[File:LVT(A)(4) crossing tropical river.jpg|none|thumb]]

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

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

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

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

{{USA light tanks}}
{{USA premium ground vehicles}}

LVT(A)(4)

2020-05-13T14:47:26Z

U67473093: Added a few pros and cons

{{Specs-Card|code=us_lvt_a_4}}

== Description ==


The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6703-event-winner-vehicles-for-the-victory-anniversary-en|Victory Day]] event.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and 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.''

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=387|rbMinHp=221}}

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

{{main|M2 Howitzer (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2 Howitzer (75 mm)|75 mm M2 Howitzer]] || 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" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -20°/+40° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 400 (200) || 576 || -5°/+70° || ±180°
|-
|}

== 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 ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a 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:'''

* 12.7 mm heavy machine gun is very good at dealing with AA vehicles and soft targets
* Very fast and manoeuvrable on most terrain
* Fast reloads for the calibre
* Amphibious

*

'''Cons:'''

* Open-top turret exposes crew to artillery and aircraft strafing fire

* Very slow turret traverse rate
* Shells have low muzzle velocity, not good for long-range fighting
* High profile

*

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

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

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

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

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

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

{{USA light tanks}}
{{USA premium ground vehicles}}

LVT(A)(4)

2020-05-13T14:43:35Z

U67473093: Added my media

{{Specs-Card|code=us_lvt_a_4}}

== Description ==


The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} American light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6703-event-winner-vehicles-for-the-victory-anniversary-en|Victory Day]] event.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and 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.''

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=387|rbMinHp=221}}

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

{{main|M2 Howitzer (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2 Howitzer (75 mm)|75 mm M2 Howitzer]] || 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" | 46 || rowspan="2" | -20°/+40° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 400 (200) || 576 || -5°/+70° || ±180°
|-
|}

== 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 ===
''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a 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:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

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

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
[[File:LVT(A)(4) crossing tropical river.jpg|none|thumb]]

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

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

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

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

{{USA light tanks}}
{{USA premium ground vehicles}}

File:LVT(A)(4) crossing tropical river.jpg

2020-05-13T14:42:59Z

U67473093:

The unique LVT(A)(4) crossing a tropical river

Pz.IV F2

2020-05-04T10:29:48Z

U67473093:

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_F2}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage Pz.IVF2.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. It is essentially the earlier [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV Ausf. F1]] rearmed with a long-barreled 75 mm gun for much greater anti-tank capabilities.

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


The armour of the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 is virtually identical to that of the Ausf. F1. With a maximum thickness of only 50 mm, it is quite thin compared to that of its arch-rivals, the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34]] and [[Sherman|M4]] medium tanks, and can be easily penetrated by most medium calibre guns and is also mostly unangled. The side and rear armour is even thinner, and is highly vulnerable to even autocannons commonly used by anti-aircraft vehicles at medium and close ranges.

The hull armour can be supplemented by add-on armour in the form of track links, but the turret remains highly vulnerable since it receives no extra protection even with the upgrade. The turret also sports a relatively large cupola that is just thick enough to cause some rounds with explosive filler to detonate after penetration, potentially killing the entire turret crew. It is also important to note that the roof armour is only 10 mm thick, and is quite vulnerable to aircraft heavy machine guns and cannons.

The crew compartment is relatively compact, and has a lot of ammunition scattered all over. Penetrating hits are likely to be quite devastating, especially if the shell has an explosive filler.

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50 mm (12°) ''Front plate'' 20 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (13-59°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 30 mm (4-15°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (7-29°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (23-26°) || 30 mm (15-17°) || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, while the tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 465|rbMinHp= 265|AoAweight= 0.35}}

The mobility of the Ausf. F2 is comparable to that of the earlier Ausf. F1, though slightly worse due to the heavier gun. It is decent enough for a medium tank, especially since the Ausf. F2 is less reliant on flanking due to its powerful gun, and it can keep up with most advances without problems. The reverse speed of 10 km/h is also relatively good, allowing it to back off fairly quickly for a medium tank.

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

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

The biggest difference between the Ausf. F2 and the Ausf. F1 is the new long-barreled '''7,5 cm KwK 40 L/43''' gun. As easily the best gun available to any medium tank at the Ausf. F2's BR, the KwK 40 has absolutely no problems dealing with all but the heaviest tanks at this BR, even from the front. It is even quite capable against higher tiered tanks, with only a few exceptions. The turret also provides the gun with an excellent amount of gun depression, allowing the effective use of hull-down tactics.

The stock '''PzGr 39''' APCBC shell is also the best all-round ammunition to use. It is much more effective against sloped armour than the '''PzGr 40''' APCR shot and even at 2,000 m has more penetration than the '''HlGr 38B''' HEAT shell. The only reason to carry any APCR at all is in case of a full uptier, where very heavily armoured tanks such as the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill VII]] may be faced and only shots to the front are possible.

Smoke and HE shells are also available, although their use is rather situational.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 40]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 87 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.33 || 18.45 || 22.40 || 24.77 || 26.35
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.33 || 9.80 || 11.90 || 13.16 || 14.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 7.67 || 6.78 || 6.25 || 5.90
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC ||137||135||123||110||98||88
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 175 || 173 || 151 || 127 || 108 || 91
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 740 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 15.0 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 919 || 4.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 550 || 5.7 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. || 423 || 6.8 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_Pz.IVF2.png|right|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Panzer IV F2]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''87''' || 78 ''(+9)'' || 68 ''(+19)'' || 58 ''(+29)'' || 48 ''(+39)'' || 38 ''(+49)'' || 28 ''(+59)'' || 19 ''(+68)'' || 10 ''(+77)'' || 1 ''(+86)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

The tank can carry up to 87 rounds, which is more than sufficient for most battles. It is recommended to carry only 58 rounds at most, as this will reduce the likelihood of ammunition detonation if the turret is penetrated.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,000 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battle ==


A veritable glass cannon, the Ausf. F2 has one of the best guns of its battle-rating, balanced by its poor armour. This makes it rather more oriented towards long and medium range combat, where the thin armour is less of an issue and its powerful gun gives it a big advantage in firepower over its peers. Like the American [[Sherman|M4s]], the Ausf. F2 has a good amount of gun depression, which allows the player to hide the tank's entire hull behind terrain and only expose its turret while shooting. Unlike the M4, however, the F2's turret is unable to deflect almost anything that hits it, and it will wither quickly under concentrated fire. Unlike the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34]], the Ausf. F2 cannot hope to bounce anything but the weakest guns from the front, and should thus be played a lot more cautiously.

The 75 mm gun will frontally penetrate all but the most heavily armoured tanks even with the stock APCBC. Combined with the explosive filler in the APCBC shell, the Ausf. F2 is a very dangerous threat that even higher BR tanks can ill-afford to ignore. Only the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill VII]] is reasonably immune, but even its frontal armour can be penetrated by the APCR shell at cose ranges. However, it may be more efficient to simply flank around and use the APCBC shell against the sides, since the APCR round lacks post-penetration effectiveness. This combination of an excellent gun, relatively good mobility, and good gun depression allow the Ausf. F2 to remain quite competitive even in uptiers, where other medium tanks begin to struggle against the heavier tanks that can be faced.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Outstanding penetration and lethality with the stock APCBC shell
* High-penetration APCR shot
* Excellent gun depression
* Great mobility and top speed compared to later Panzer IV variants
* Competitive even when uptiered

'''Cons:'''

* Thin armour
* Poor post-penetration damage with APCR
* Cramped crew compartment with ammunition scattered all over
* Large commander's cupola

== History ==

===Development===
The '''Pz.Kpfw. IV's''' creation, like its predecessor the [[Pz.III E|Pz.Kpfw. III]], was devised by Heinz Guderian. He envisioned a support tank to be used to handle anti-tank guns and fortifications. The Panzer IV was to work alongside the more numerable Panzer III in Panzer Divisions (three company of IIIs and one of IVs) to engage the enemy, giving the role of fighting enemy armoured forces to the Panzer IIIs. As a support tank, the tank was to have the short 75 mm howitzer as its main armament and have a weight limit of 24 tons. MAN, Krupp, and Rheinmetall-Borsig worked on the development of the tanks, but the Krupp's model was selected for further testing.

The chosen model from Krupp, once finished, used a leaf-spring double-bogie system for its suspension, doing away the proposed interleaved or torsion bar suspension system earlier devised for the sake of faster production. The vehicle held five crew members: the commander, gunner, loader, radio operator (and hull machine gunner), and driver. Though it looked symmetrical, the Panzer IV turret was actually offset to the left of the chassis centerline a bit while the engine was also offset to the right. This was to allow the torque shaft to turn the turret. The offset also meant that most of the ammo is held on the right side of the tank in storage areas. The Panzer IV was then accepted into service and production began in 1936.

===Panzer IV Ausf. F2===
With the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks. The [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV Ausf. F1]] with its short 75 mm howitzer was upgraded with the KwK 40 L/43, then designating it the '''Panzer IV Ausf. F2'''. The new cannon was able to penetrate 77 mm of armour at 1,800 meters with standard armour-piercing rounds compared to the 43 mm of the howitzer. The new gun helped put the Panzer IV back into balance and could theoretically hold against the T-34s and KV-1s that the Soviets were sending. The Panzer IV Ausf. F2 still retained the 50 mm front armour thickness with 30 mm on the sides.

Despite the new gun, it had some deficiency on the tank. First is a new weight, the tank now weighed 23.6 tons, and the heavy gun in front made the vehicle nose-heavy, enough that the forward suspension springs were always under compression, causing the tank to sway even without any steering.

Most of the F2 variants saw service in either Russia or against the Allies in Africa (though in very small quantities). In Russia, the Ausf. F could penetrate the T-34 at up to 1,600 meters now and took part in Case Blue Offensive. In Africa, the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 could deal with all of the Allied armour available. The venerable [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda]] was no match to its long range gun, and the [[M3 Lee|M3 Lee]] was also helpless.

The Panzer IV Ausf. F2 still had some faults, and three months after its production started, it was renamed the [[Pz.IV G|Panzer IV Ausf. G]] with a few upgrades.

=== In-game description ===
The next variant of this tank was designed to increase its combat power. A new 75 mm 7,5 cm KwK 40 gun with a long 43-caliber barrel and a muzzle velocity of 770 mps for armor-piercing rounds was developed by designers worked at the companies Krupp and Rheinmetall. The gun's barrel had a characteristic single-chamber muzzle brake and was mounted in a new mantlet with a new TZF 5f sight. A new ammunition stacking system was used, and the amount of ammunition carried was upgraded to 87 rounds, 32 of which were located in the turret. The armor on the gun's recoil devices was modified. This variant's operational weight was 23,000 kilograms.

Production began releasing the new tanks in April 1942. The new tanks entered combat in the summer of 1942 and were able to fight the Soviet T-34 and KV, matching their firepower. The new tanks were completely superior to British and American tanks of the day. By July 1942, 175 Pz. IV Ausf. F2 had been manufactured, and another 25 had been converted from the F1. In May 1942, 8 tanks with increased armor thickness were released.

These tanks took part in combat in Africa and on the Eastern Front in 1942 and 1943.

In September 1942, 10 Ausf. F2 tanks were delivered to Nazi Germany's most loyal ally, Hungary.

A number of captured tanks were used by the Red Army.

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 tanks in use in 1942 and 1943 sported a huge variety of color schemes, since new types of camouflage were being adopted in February 1943.

== Media ==

[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pz_iv_f2 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the "Panzer IV F2" from live.warthunder.com.]
[[File:PZ-4 F2 alongside 15 cm Pz.W.42.jpg|none|thumb|Panzer IV with winter camo alongside a [[15 cm Pz.W.42]] halftrack.]]

===Sights===

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

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

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

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

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

{{Germany medium tanks}}

Pz.IV F2

2020-05-04T10:29:22Z

U67473093: Added a media

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_F2}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage Pz.IVF2.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. It is essentially the earlier [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV Ausf. F1]] rearmed with a long-barreled 75 mm gun for much greater anti-tank capabilities.

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


The armour of the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 is virtually identical to that of the Ausf. F1. With a maximum thickness of only 50 mm, it is quite thin compared to that of its arch-rivals, the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34]] and [[Sherman|M4]] medium tanks, and can be easily penetrated by most medium calibre guns and is also mostly unangled. The side and rear armour is even thinner, and is highly vulnerable to even autocannons commonly used by anti-aircraft vehicles at medium and close ranges.

The hull armour can be supplemented by add-on armour in the form of track links, but the turret remains highly vulnerable since it receives no extra protection even with the upgrade. The turret also sports a relatively large cupola that is just thick enough to cause some rounds with explosive filler to detonate after penetration, potentially killing the entire turret crew. It is also important to note that the roof armour is only 10 mm thick, and is quite vulnerable to aircraft heavy machine guns and cannons.

The crew compartment is relatively compact, and has a lot of ammunition scattered all over. Penetrating hits are likely to be quite devastating, especially if the shell has an explosive filler.

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50 mm (12°) ''Front plate'' 20 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (13-59°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 30 mm (4-15°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (11°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (7-29°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (23-26°) || 30 mm (15-17°) || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, while the tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 465|rbMinHp= 265|AoAweight= 0.35}}

The mobility of the Ausf. F2 is comparable to that of the earlier Ausf. F1, though slightly worse due to the heavier gun. It is decent enough for a medium tank, especially since the Ausf. F2 is less reliant on flanking due to its powerful gun, and it can keep up with most advances without problems. The reverse speed of 10 km/h is also relatively good, allowing it to back off fairly quickly for a medium tank.

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

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

The biggest difference between the Ausf. F2 and the Ausf. F1 is the new long-barreled '''7,5 cm KwK 40 L/43''' gun. As easily the best gun available to any medium tank at the Ausf. F2's BR, the KwK 40 has absolutely no problems dealing with all but the heaviest tanks at this BR, even from the front. It is even quite capable against higher tiered tanks, with only a few exceptions. The turret also provides the gun with an excellent amount of gun depression, allowing the effective use of hull-down tactics.

The stock '''PzGr 39''' APCBC shell is also the best all-round ammunition to use. It is much more effective against sloped armour than the '''PzGr 40''' APCR shot and even at 2,000 m has more penetration than the '''HlGr 38B''' HEAT shell. The only reason to carry any APCR at all is in case of a full uptier, where very heavily armoured tanks such as the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill VII]] may be faced and only shots to the front are possible.

Smoke and HE shells are also available, although their use is rather situational.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 40]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 87 || -10°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 13.33 || 18.45 || 22.40 || 24.77 || 26.35
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.33 || 9.80 || 11.90 || 13.16 || 14.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 7.67 || 6.78 || 6.25 || 5.90
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC ||137||135||123||110||98||88
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 175 || 173 || 151 || 127 || 108 || 91
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 740 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 15.0 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 919 || 4.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 550 || 5.7 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| K.Gr.Rot Nb. || 423 || 6.8 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_Pz.IVF2.png|right|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Panzer IV F2]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''87''' || 78 ''(+9)'' || 68 ''(+19)'' || 58 ''(+29)'' || 48 ''(+39)'' || 38 ''(+49)'' || 28 ''(+59)'' || 19 ''(+68)'' || 10 ''(+77)'' || 1 ''(+86)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

The tank can carry up to 87 rounds, which is more than sufficient for most battles. It is recommended to carry only 58 rounds at most, as this will reduce the likelihood of ammunition detonation if the turret is penetrated.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,000 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battle ==


A veritable glass cannon, the Ausf. F2 has one of the best guns of its battle-rating, balanced by its poor armour. This makes it rather more oriented towards long and medium range combat, where the thin armour is less of an issue and its powerful gun gives it a big advantage in firepower over its peers. Like the American [[Sherman|M4s]], the Ausf. F2 has a good amount of gun depression, which allows the player to hide the tank's entire hull behind terrain and only expose its turret while shooting. Unlike the M4, however, the F2's turret is unable to deflect almost anything that hits it, and it will wither quickly under concentrated fire. Unlike the [[T-34 (Family)|T-34]], the Ausf. F2 cannot hope to bounce anything but the weakest guns from the front, and should thus be played a lot more cautiously.

The 75 mm gun will frontally penetrate all but the most heavily armoured tanks even with the stock APCBC. Combined with the explosive filler in the APCBC shell, the Ausf. F2 is a very dangerous threat that even higher BR tanks can ill-afford to ignore. Only the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill VII]] is reasonably immune, but even its frontal armour can be penetrated by the APCR shell at cose ranges. However, it may be more efficient to simply flank around and use the APCBC shell against the sides, since the APCR round lacks post-penetration effectiveness. This combination of an excellent gun, relatively good mobility, and good gun depression allow the Ausf. F2 to remain quite competitive even in uptiers, where other medium tanks begin to struggle against the heavier tanks that can be faced.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Outstanding penetration and lethality with the stock APCBC shell
* High-penetration APCR shot
* Excellent gun depression
* Great mobility and top speed compared to later Panzer IV variants
* Competitive even when uptiered

'''Cons:'''

* Thin armour
* Poor post-penetration damage with APCR
* Cramped crew compartment with ammunition scattered all over
* Large commander's cupola

== History ==

===Development===
The '''Pz.Kpfw. IV's''' creation, like its predecessor the [[Pz.III E|Pz.Kpfw. III]], was devised by Heinz Guderian. He envisioned a support tank to be used to handle anti-tank guns and fortifications. The Panzer IV was to work alongside the more numerable Panzer III in Panzer Divisions (three company of IIIs and one of IVs) to engage the enemy, giving the role of fighting enemy armoured forces to the Panzer IIIs. As a support tank, the tank was to have the short 75 mm howitzer as its main armament and have a weight limit of 24 tons. MAN, Krupp, and Rheinmetall-Borsig worked on the development of the tanks, but the Krupp's model was selected for further testing.

The chosen model from Krupp, once finished, used a leaf-spring double-bogie system for its suspension, doing away the proposed interleaved or torsion bar suspension system earlier devised for the sake of faster production. The vehicle held five crew members: the commander, gunner, loader, radio operator (and hull machine gunner), and driver. Though it looked symmetrical, the Panzer IV turret was actually offset to the left of the chassis centerline a bit while the engine was also offset to the right. This was to allow the torque shaft to turn the turret. The offset also meant that most of the ammo is held on the right side of the tank in storage areas. The Panzer IV was then accepted into service and production began in 1936.

===Panzer IV Ausf. F2===
With the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks. The [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV Ausf. F1]] with its short 75 mm howitzer was upgraded with the KwK 40 L/43, then designating it the '''Panzer IV Ausf. F2'''. The new cannon was able to penetrate 77 mm of armour at 1,800 meters with standard armour-piercing rounds compared to the 43 mm of the howitzer. The new gun helped put the Panzer IV back into balance and could theoretically hold against the T-34s and KV-1s that the Soviets were sending. The Panzer IV Ausf. F2 still retained the 50 mm front armour thickness with 30 mm on the sides.

Despite the new gun, it had some deficiency on the tank. First is a new weight, the tank now weighed 23.6 tons, and the heavy gun in front made the vehicle nose-heavy, enough that the forward suspension springs were always under compression, causing the tank to sway even without any steering.

Most of the F2 variants saw service in either Russia or against the Allies in Africa (though in very small quantities). In Russia, the Ausf. F could penetrate the T-34 at up to 1,600 meters now and took part in Case Blue Offensive. In Africa, the Panzer IV Ausf. F2 could deal with all of the Allied armour available. The venerable [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda]] was no match to its long range gun, and the [[M3 Lee|M3 Lee]] was also helpless.

The Panzer IV Ausf. F2 still had some faults, and three months after its production started, it was renamed the [[Pz.IV G|Panzer IV Ausf. G]] with a few upgrades.

=== In-game description ===
The next variant of this tank was designed to increase its combat power. A new 75 mm 7,5 cm KwK 40 gun with a long 43-caliber barrel and a muzzle velocity of 770 mps for armor-piercing rounds was developed by designers worked at the companies Krupp and Rheinmetall. The gun's barrel had a characteristic single-chamber muzzle brake and was mounted in a new mantlet with a new TZF 5f sight. A new ammunition stacking system was used, and the amount of ammunition carried was upgraded to 87 rounds, 32 of which were located in the turret. The armor on the gun's recoil devices was modified. This variant's operational weight was 23,000 kilograms.

Production began releasing the new tanks in April 1942. The new tanks entered combat in the summer of 1942 and were able to fight the Soviet T-34 and KV, matching their firepower. The new tanks were completely superior to British and American tanks of the day. By July 1942, 175 Pz. IV Ausf. F2 had been manufactured, and another 25 had been converted from the F1. In May 1942, 8 tanks with increased armor thickness were released.

These tanks took part in combat in Africa and on the Eastern Front in 1942 and 1943.

In September 1942, 10 Ausf. F2 tanks were delivered to Nazi Germany's most loyal ally, Hungary.

A number of captured tanks were used by the Red Army.

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2 tanks in use in 1942 and 1943 sported a huge variety of color schemes, since new types of camouflage were being adopted in February 1943.

== Media ==

[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pz_iv_f2 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the "Panzer IV F2" from live.warthunder.com.]
[[File:PZ-4 F2 alongside 15 cm Pz.W.42.jpg|none|thumb|Panzer IVwith winter camo alongside a [[15 cm Pz.W.42]] halftrack.]]

===Sights===

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

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

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

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

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

{{Germany medium tanks}}

15 cm Pz.W.42

2020-05-04T10:27:16Z

U67473093: Added media

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_panzerwerfer_42}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:15 cm Pz.W.42}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}.

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

Armour used on this vehicle is fairly typical of other armoured half-tracks, enough to block rifle calibre machine guns from most angles, but practically non-existent against any antitank weapon. That said, it can be surprisingly durable thanks to the large radiator and engine that love to soak up shrapnel from high explosive shells which are too small too cause hull break.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 97|rbMinHp= 60|}}

The {{PAGENAME}} has decent mobility for a half-track: it is quick enough to get where you want to or behind cover when in trouble. The top reverse speed is -8 km/h (RB).

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''

Arguable the best and worst part about this vehicle. It can unload 10 rockets in a matter of seconds, each one capable of 1 shotting any tank in the game (via the roof or floor pen by the blast) in any direction. But they are very slow and the scope is inaccurate, meaning they require massive lead and elevation compensation that the player has nothing but their own reckoning to achieve. And you only get 1 reload.

=== Additional armament ===
''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''

=== Machine guns ===
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''

A single MG-42 mounted over the cab. Limited traverse but fast firing, useful for spotting, knocking out unarmored trucks, grabbing the occassional assist against low flying planes.

== 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).''

The thin armour and low-velocity ordinance serve very well in short-range ambushes but leave much to be desired in open terrain. With lots of skill, practice, and/or luck, you can score hits at considerable range, but the armour will NOT protect you. The engine can make a great shield against shrapnel from 75 mm and sometimes 105 mm HE rounds, but APHE is almost guaranteed to kill all 3 crew members and detonate the spare rockets if you brought them.

=== Pros and cons ===
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a 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:'''

* Decent mobility
* Fast reload for ten rockets
* Will do huge amounts of damage to SPAA and light tanks due to rockets large blast radius

'''Cons:'''

* Poor penetration (~40 mm)
* Paper thin armour, even the smallest calibre machine guns can destroy it

== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to 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></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

=== Development ===
Production started in 1942 by the Opel company based on a Maultier half track. It was produced in series from April 1943 to March 1944 together with the accompanying ammunition vehicle, the Sd.Kfz. 4. In total Opel 296 Panzerwerfer 42 and 251 produced ammunition vehicles Sd.Kfz. 4.

=== In-game description ===
A modified Nb.Wf.41 ten-barreled rocket-propelled mine-thrower was installed on the adapted chassis of an Opel Maultier tractor trailer enclosed in armor. It was developed in 1942. During its production from 1943 to 1944 about 300 mounts were released. They were widely used by the Wehrmacht. Due to the use of a mine-stabilization system based on rotation, a higher degree of accuracy and lower spread was achieved than that of rocket-propelled projectiles with tailfin stabilization systems.

== Media ==

Skin and Camouflages for the [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=germany&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=germ_panzerwerfer_42 15cm Pz.W.42] in Warthunder Live.
[[File:PZ-4 F2 alongside 15 cm Pz.W.42.jpg|none|thumb|[[Pz.IV F2]] alongside a 15 cm Pz.W.42.]]

== 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 ==


* [[Wikipedia:Panzerwerfer|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> Panzerwerfer]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}
{{Germany premium ground vehicles}}

File:PZ-4 F2 alongside 15 cm Pz.W.42.jpg

2020-05-04T10:24:28Z

U67473093:

Winter camo Pz-4 F-2 and 15 cm Pz.W.42 scouting for enemies in a snowy map.

Avenger

2020-04-30T12:50:41Z

U67473093: Added a media

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_a30_sp_avenger}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It is armed with the 17-pounder, with no secondary armament. It was based on a lengthened Cromwell hull from the [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]] from World War II.

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


Avenger is one of the most unexpected survivors on battlefields of War Thunder, both arcade and realistic mode.

All of this is due to fact that its crew sits in very specific places and the vehicle's armour doesn't have any small, weird weak spots. In fact, armour and overall module placement is so solid, it can sometimes hold off a SPAA attack, some bombs, and even a 75 mm from a [[M4A3E2]] with some angling and range.

Even if shells penetrate (usually through the angled sides of the turret), usually only 2 crew members get knocked out.

The only strange weak spot the Avenger has is the windows on top of turret. While roof windows seem to be a flaw, as it creates potential for HE shells to simply fly inside of Avenger and decimate entire crew, in reality nobody uses those types of rounds at this BR. Even strafing planes have hard time hitting anything through those windows, and rather penetrate the roof directly, which is still a challenge.

Because of that, the windows instead give enemy APHE shells a high chance to bounce around and fly out of window without exploding inside of vehicle. In fact, this happens so often, a single Avenger can survive up to six direct shots while losing only gunner or loader, while vehicles like the [[Sherman Firefly]] would be destroyed in one hit by those.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm (1°) ''Front plate'' 30 mm (71°) ''Front glacis'' 57.15 mm (19°) ''Lower glacis''|| 14 mm || 38.1 mm (1°) ''Top'' 38.1 mm (13-59°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 63.5 mm (0-49°) ''Turret front'' 40 mm (30-31°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 40 mm (0-1°) || 40 mm (8-40°) || 20 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Rack on top of the hull rear seems to be stacking 38.1 mm armour. No concrete evidence of their effectiveness as of yet.

=== Mobility ===


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

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|76 mm OQF 17-pounder]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 55 || -10°/+17° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 12.33 || 17.06 || __.__ || __.__ || 24.38
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.33 || 9.80 || __.__ || __.__ || 14.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 7.28 || __.__ || __.__ || 5.60
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || AP || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 190 || 187 || 172 || 155 || 140 || 126
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.6 || AP || 883 || 7.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 883 || 7.0 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 580 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 883 || 7.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 883 || 7.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| 17pdr Shell SS Mk.1 || 754 || 8.4 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the {{PAGENAME}}.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''55''' || 49 ''(+6)'' || 42 ''(+13)'' || 35 ''(+20)'' || 28 ''(+27)'' || 21 ''(+34)'' || 14 ''(+41)'' || 7 ''(+48)'' || 1 ''(+54)'' || style="text-align:left" | yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 49 ''(+6)''

===== Optics =====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} [[Optics]]
|-
! Which ones
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| x3 || x6 
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2;" style="text-align:center;" | [[VFW]]
|-
|}

First tank in Tank Destroyer British tech line to have X6 scope. It will not get any better than this until rank VI, so get used to it - it will be the same across entire tech tree for a while with SPAA being the only exception.

As of rank III, this scope is slightly or moderately superior to most medium and heavy tanks, but do not expect to outsnipe German SPG as they have same optics or even better.

== Usage in battles ==

The Avenger plays like an upgunned and a bit more sluggish Cromwell. There are two main play styles possible with this vehicle.

'''Close range flanker''': The Avenger's mobility allows it to sneak up to the enemy's flank without too much problems. With its awesome gun depression, it can pop over a hill and shoot before engaging a "turn fight" (running around the enemy's tank too fast so he can't aim at you). Such manoeuvre has a greater chance of success on isolated enemies since you need to get at least 2 shots to destroy any tank you might encounter. This kind of strategy is great early in the game, to counter-capture a point by , for example, an enemy Hellcat that rushed it. A small note there: make sure to pre-aim in the general direction of your enemy since the turret turning rate is not so great.

'''Sniper''': As said earlier, the Avenger's crazy depression angles and good gun, combined with its great mobility and good climbing characteristics makes it ideal for the sniper role. It's mobility allows the Avenger to get anywhere on the map, an intelligent pilot will avoid main roads where encountering enemies upfront is often a death sentence and prefer unexpected roads, surprising camping spots, your enemy must never know where to expect a shot from. When firing, make sure to change position every 2-3 shots (every time you destroy a tank). With a good mix of luck and skill, you can even find a good viewing point on the enemy's base pretty early in the game (even in AB !). Make sure sure to hide your turret top since HE and some APHE can detonate from the thin plate of your half open-topped turret, resulting in a crew knock out. One last thing to consider: the Avenger's functional elevation angle is lower than its characteristics says: the optics gets blinded in the last 1-2 degrees.

What's great with this vehicle is it can change role pretty fast in the game. A great way to use this vehicle at its plains potential is on a map like Mozdok or El Amalein. A good example of tactics is being flanker early game, then sniper to clear the next capture point and then flanker again to go get it (provided you do not get shut down).

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Cromwell-esque controls with good acceleration and speed
* Neutral steering allows for quick alignment of hull
* Access to the 17-pounder "Quickfire" cannon
* Good gun depression
* Very fast rate-of-fire

'''Cons:'''

* No machine gun armament
* 17-pounder AP shells are all solid shot, no explosive filler
* Vulnerable turret, no exterior gun mantlet
* Turning can be sluggish at times
* Terrible reverse speed
* Armour is not sloped
* Very poor side armour
* Gun traverse speed is only subpar

== History ==

===Basis===
The [[Challenger|A30 Challenger]] tank was an improved variant of the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] tank made to improve the firepower of the armoured brigades in the British Army. While equipped with the 17-pounder, the Challenger ran into issues with production and mechanical issues, along with design deficiencies that was much criticized by the crew that manned the tank. The Challenger had thin armour, had a tendency for track throwing, and had a high profile. However, it was praised for its speed, agility, and firepower with the 17-pounder gun. The Challenger was ordered in February 1943 for 200 vehicles, but the development of the [[Sherman Firefly|Firefly]] from the [[M4|Sherman]] tank proved much easier and cheaper than the Challenger and was thus cancelled.

===The Avenger===
An attempt to improve on the Challenger was the [[Avenger|A30 SP Avenger]], which used a different open-topped turret to save weight on the tank design. However, due to priorities on the [[Comet I|Comet]] tank in the Vauxhall Motors plant, they were not being built until 1945 and weren't used until after the war in Europe is over. 250 unit were built and formed part of the British Army of the Rhine stationed in Germany after the war. They did not see any combat action during their service life.

== Media ==

Skin and Camouflages for the [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=britain&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=uk_a30_sp_avenger Avenger] in Warthunder Live.

[[File:Avengers heading for battle.jpg|none|thumb|Avenger heading to the frontlines in [[Vietnam Hills|Vietnam]]]]

== 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 ==


* [[Wikipedia:Cruiser_Mk_VIII_Challenger#Variants|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger - Variants]]

{{Britain tank destroyers}}

File:Avengers heading for battle.jpg

2020-04-30T12:49:31Z

U67473093:

A couple of Avengers moving to the battlefield

Crusader AA Mk II

2020-04-30T12:45:28Z

U67473093: Added a new media. Couldn't put it by the side of the other one.

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_aa_mk_2}}
{{About
| about = British SPAG '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Crusader (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the entire British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (86°), 20 mm (62°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (26-64°) ''Lower glacis'' 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's plate'' || 14 mm || 14 mm (44-50°) ''Top'' 14 mm (14°) ''Bottom''|| 7 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 mm (5°) 30 mm (2-52°) || 14 mm (7-9°) || 17 mm (6-39°) || 12.7 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* The driver's port at the driver's position offers up to 50 mm of protection in cast homogeneous armour.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 483|rbMinHp= 301}}

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

{{main|Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)|20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II]] (x2)
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="2" | 1,200 (60) || 450 || -5°/+87° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.8 || 32.9 || 40.0 || 44.2 || 47.0
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 7.8 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Belt composition
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Default || AP-T, HEF-I || 40 || 39 || 27 || 18 || 10 || 6
|-
| HET || HEFI-T, HEF-I || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
| APT || AP-T || 40 || 39 || 27 || 18 || 10 || 6
|-
|}

=====Belt types=====
{| class="wikitable catlist"
| '''Belts''' || '''Shell composition''' || '''Combat usage'''
|-
| align="left" |''Default'' || align="left" | AP-T – HEF-I || align="left" | This belts carry an equal mixture of HET and APT.
|-
| align="left" |''HET'' || align="left" | HEFI-T – HEF-I || align="left" | This is the belts you want to research first, since they are the best against aircraft.
|-
| align="left" |''APT'' || align="left" | AP-T || align="left" | These are purely APCR belts that, as mentioned above, are not very useful with 40mm of penetration, it is always a good idea to carry a round of them for self-defence - It can knockout lightly armoured vehicles.
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks AC Mk II AA.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo rack]] of the AC Mk II AA (identical to {{PAGENAME}}).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''10''' || 8 ''(+2)'' || 6 ''(+4)'' || 4 ''(+6)'' || 2 ''(+8)''|| style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Though the Crusader AA Mk.II was meant for SPAA, the twin 20 mm cannons mean this vehicle can annihilate thin-skinned vehicles with ease, such as the [[8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.|8.8cm Flak 37]] or the [[M15A1 CGMC|M15]], as the 20 mm will slice through the thin half-track armour to knock out the crew.

'''''Prefered fighting locations''''' 
Due to the heavy ammunition consumption as SPAA in AA fights, stay at "safe" capture points to get free ammunition to reload during battle. If forced to return to a cap point early in the game, this will often be a death sentence.

'''''Ammunition''''' 
This vehicle has multiple uses depending on which type of ammunition is selected.

'''HET''' is recommended for destroying planes, but it would be impossible to destroy a tank with them. If such an encounter occurs, get out of the vicinity and do not draw the attention of tanks like the [[T-34-57]] or [[Tiger H1|Tiger]] will one shot this SPAA. When shooting planes try to aim for bombers and ground attack planes as they won't be able to outmanoeuvre the shots.

'''APT''' rounds gives a lot more choices. Though it is a Rank 3 vehicle, the low battle rating means it will be matched against Rank 2 opponents, many of which won't stand a chance if shot from the sides with APT. If in a higher rank battle (with opponents like the [[Panther D]] and the [[IS-1]]), this tactic will often not work. However, the Mark II can still tear apart tracks and gun barrels just as easily with the APT rounds.

As for the '''default''' belt, it is probably better off changing to prioritize HET or APT.

Due to the relatively low ammo reserve, only take one type of belt with you and take as much you can carry as the ammo will run out quickly when it is split apart for both belts.

Due to the closed nature of the vehicle, the Crusader AA Mk.II doesn't need to worry about strafing fighters as they will often not do any serious damage to the crew. However, ground attackers like the [[IL-2_(1942)|Ilyushin]] or [[P-47D-25|Thunderbolt]] are still just as deadly. Though more protected from machine gun fire, its armour is not enough to stand against enemy tanks, which would slice through the armour with shots from their cannons.

===Modules===

* Like every other vehicle, the "Parts" and "FPE" modifications should be prioritized so you won't lose your vehicle due to being disabled.
* After that, prioritize on the different ammunition, aiming for "HET", for better anti-air performance.
* Getting "Horizontal Drive" next is recommended for aiming at high-speed targets
* Everything else is extra, but still essentials to upgrading the vehicle.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Using [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader Mk II]]'s chassis - fast with a low profile.
* High fire rate and a quick reload.
* Closed-top AAA - the crew is well protected from strafing planes.
* Extremely dangerous for vehicles with the armour of 40 mm or less.
* Rank III vehicle - suitable for completing missions for war bonds and events.
* Lightly armoured vehicles like armoured cars, SPAA, and tank side armour can be an easy target to the rapid-fire 20 mm autocannons.

'''Cons:'''

* Limited ammo supply (can be a problem when losing on one point maps).
* Essentially the armour of a Rank 1 tank.
* Can only penetrate medium tanks like the Panzer IVs from the side at close range, any more armour will leave the SPAA armament useless.
* Contemporary to the [[Wirbelwind|German Wirbelwind]], but with less firepower, less anti-tank ability, and less hull armour.
* No improvement in firepower compared to the 20 mm Oerlikon cannons on the Armoured Car Mk.II AA.

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20-ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and ''[[Crusader Mk II|Mk.II]]'' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the ''[[Crusader Mk III]]'' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw the first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combined with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were re-equipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code-named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the '''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk.I]]''' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk.II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

The AA tank Mark II replaced the obsolete Mark VI AA tanks that had been in the four-vehicle anti-aircraft troop in a British armoured regiment or infantry tank battalion, starting with the Normandy landings. The lack of German air targets meant they were largely used against ground targets. These regimental AA troops in France in 1944 used a mix of Crusader Mark IIs, Crusader AA Mk IIIs (which had a coaxial machine gun as well), and similarly armed Centaur AA tanks (based on an early version of the Cromwell that was also no longer useful as a battle tank).

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

== Media ==

<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Crusader AA Mk II night fury.jpg|thumb|none|350px|A night shot of the '''{{PAGENAME}}''' firing its cannons.]][[File:Crusader AA Mk II after shooting down a Ju-87.jpg|none|thumb|327x327px|A Crusader shortly after shooting down a [[Ju 87 (Family)|Ju 87]]]]</li>
</ul></div>

===Live.Warthunder===
[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/all/?q=#crusader_aa_mkII '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the Crusader AA Mk.II from live.warthunder.com.]

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/855/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Crusader AA Mk.I and Crusader AA Mk.II] 

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

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

{{Britain anti-aircraft vehicles}}

File:Crusader AA Mk II after shooting down a Ju-87.jpg

2020-04-30T12:39:22Z

U67473093:

My own screenshot after I shot down a incoming Ju-87.

Me 410 A-1

2020-04-29T11:46:45Z

U67473093: Added a screenshot

{{Specs-Card|code=me-410a-1}}
{{About
| about = German twin-engine fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Me 410 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

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

== General info ==
[[File:Cockpit_Me410.jpg|thumbnail|right|The Me 410's instrument panel.]]
=== Flight performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,700 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| 602 || 584 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 31.9 || 32.8 || 7.8 || 7.8 || 444
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,700 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
| 647 || 624 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 29.6 || 30.7 || 14.4 || 10.8 || 444
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! + !! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 480 || ~12 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 390 || < 410 || < 460 || > 311
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 5,300 m || 1,510 hp || 1,665 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 8 mm steel - front of cockpit (either side of the glass)
* 5 mm steel - wings leading edge (in front of fuel tanks)
* 8 mm steel - prop hub and gear bay
* 9 mm steel - top and bottoms of wings (around the liquid cooling system
* 8 mm steel - plates in the tail
* 8 mm steel - bulkhead aft of gunner
* 8 mm steel - between gunner and pilot
* 12 mm steel - pilot's headrest
* 60 mm bulletproof glass - in front of the pilot (inside aircraft)

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

{{main|MG 151/20 (20 mm)|MG 17 (7.92 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, nose-mounted (350 rpg = 700 total)
* 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, nose-mounted (1,000 rpg = 2,000 total)

=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|SC50JA (50 kg)|SC250JA (250 kg)|SC500K (500 kg)}}

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

* Without load
* 8 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (400 kg total)
* 2 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (500 kg total)
* 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs (1,000 kg total)

=== Defensive armament ===

{{main|MG 131 (13 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:

* 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, 2 x beam turrets (500 rpg)

== Usage in battles ==
[[File:Me 410 A-1 shot down an unidentified british fighter.jpg|thumb|Me 410 A-1 flying past a unidentified british plane.]]
The Me 410 A-1 is the first variant unlocked of the Me 410 line-up of planes, succeeding the [[Do 217 (Family)|Do 217]] fighter variants. Compared to Do 217, the Me 410 boasts significantly better flight performance in virtually all aspects and performs much more like an improved [[Bf 110 C-7]]. However, in the large spectrum of things, this doesn't really say a lot as the Me 410 gets pitted against even faster, more nimble and better armed single-engine fighters than its predecessors. Perhaps even more grievous of a pitfall, its armament of 2 x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns and 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons hardly outgun conventional fighters. A small but nonetheless noticeable plus is that defensive armament has very good coverage of the entire rear of the aircraft besides the immediate area behind the tail boom.

The Me 410 A-1, like the Do 217 and the Bf 110 C-7, is completely committed to boom and zoom tactics, and just like the predecessors, is useless at absolutely everything else. Trying to retain energy and knowing where your friends and enemies are is key to surviving in the aircraft. This also means, just like with the previous heavy fighters, that you should never commit to following a certain enemy. If an enemy is starting to turn off to the point where you need to use elevators to assist you in a turn, you will be burning far too much energy and make yourself easy prey for more nimble fighters.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable Auto control available || Not controllable Not auto controlled || Controllable Not auto controlled || Combined || Not controllable 1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 7 mm
| Turret 13 mm
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| New 7 mm MGs
| New 13 mm MGs (turret)
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|
|-
| IV
|
| Engine injection
| Cover
| New 20 mm cannons
|
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Nose-mounted armament gives a very dense cone of fire
* Good traverse arcs for the 13 mm machine guns
* Reasonably fast for a twin-engine fighter
* Has air brake
* Larger ammo capacity than conventional fighters
* Significantly more manoeuvrable than the Do 217 fighters
* Capable of mounting a decent amount of bombs (for a fighter) by default in the internal bomb bay

'''Cons:'''

* Large target for enemy aircraft
* Subpar manoeuvrability; even a few bombers can out-turn it
* Pilot can be vulnerable in a head-on attack
* Defensive armament cannot shoot directly behind the aircraft, leaving a very critical blindspot in the coverage
* Slow, a sitting duck if caught in a low energy state
* Compresses easily at high speeds
* Wings rip easily at high speeds in RB/SB

== History ==

The Me 410 was developed from the Me 210. The Me 210 had many aerodynamic flaws which were exploited by the more nimble Hawker Typhoons. The Me 410 was a redesign of the Me 210 which included a lengthened fuselage, more powerful Daimler-Benz DB603A engines, and larger wing surface area. Most importantly, the installation of automatic slats greatly improved handling characteristics. Early versions of the Me 410 were designed as fast night and day bombers but quickly fell prey to better British night fighters. In the role of a heavy fighter, the Me 410 was used to attack US day-bomber combat box formations, equipped with 50 mm BK cannons or 210 mm Werfer-Granate rocket tubes. These modifications made the Me 410 rather clumsy and unmanoeuvrable. This made them easy targets to the bomber's escorts, fast and agile Spitfires or P-51 Mustangs. The Me 410 often worked in co-operation with Bf 110s. In the closing stages of World War II, many Me 410s were used as homeland defence or tactical reconnaissance.

=== In-game description ===
The pressing need to replace the obsolete Bf 110 and the unsuccessful Me.210 in the Luftwaffe's squadrons became reason for Messerschmitt AG to create a new twin-engine heavy fighter. It was decided that this aircraft be based on the Me.210 so that its production could use available manufacturing equipment and components and accessories which were in stock. In addition, this approach made it easier for the flight crews to master the new aircraft. Although it would have been more logical to keep the previous designation and only add a variant letter, the Me.210 had such a bad reputation that it was decided to replace its designation with a new one, "Me.410".

The Me.410V-1 prototype was redesigned from the Me.210A-0. Testing began in the autumn of 1942, and full-scale production of the Me.410A was launched in January 1943.

The length of the Me.410's fuselage was changed, and significant changes were introduced to the wing structure; in particular, the leading-edge sweep was reduced by 5 degrees. Leading edge slats were mounted, the aerodynamics of the radiators were slightly improved, and the shape of the wing flaps was changed. The most unique characteristic of the Me.410 was new high-powered 1,750 hp Daimler-Benz DB 603A twelve-cylinder, liquid-cooled engines with VDM three-bladed, controllable-pitch propellers.

When compared to the Me.210, the Me.410's controllability was much improved, as the aircraft no longer tended to suddenly go into a spin. The flight characteristics were significantly higher than those of the Bf 110.

Two aircraft variants in the series were built simultaneously: a high-speed Me.410A-1 bomber and a Me.410A-2 "destroyer" (Zerstörer). Both variants had the same armament, similar to that of the Me.210A-1.

One 1,000 kg PC 1000, SD 1000, or SC 1000 bomb, two 500 kg bombs, or eight 50 kg bombs could be suspended in the bomb bay. The plane's standard bomb load was determined to be 500 kg. The Me.410A-1 was equipped with a special Stuvi 5B sight for dive bombing and tandem pairs of ETC bomb racks under the wing roots with four 50 kg bombs, two under each panel. Two 250 kg bombs could be suspended under the wings with the help of special Aussen ETC shackles.

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

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

* ''reference to the series of the 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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer BFW}}
{{Germany twin-engine fighters}}

File:Me 410 A-1 shot down a Firecrest.jpg

2020-04-29T11:45:22Z

U67473093:

Prior to the screenshot, the Me 410 A-1 had engaged and destroyed the tail of the british plane and it bursted in flames. I couldn't identify the british airplane so far.

J21A-2

2020-04-29T11:24:59Z

U67473093: Added my screenshot of a J21A-2 flying

{{Specs-Card|code=saab_j21a_2}}
{{About
| about = Swedish fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = J21 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 4,300 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
| 616 || 599 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 21.0 || 21.9 || 12.6 || 12.6 || rowspan="2" | 300
|-
! Upgraded
| 666 || 640 || 19.0 || 20.0 || 19.0 || 15.5
|-
|}

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

{| 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}} || 460 || 460 || 325 || ~11 || ~5
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 10 mm steel - Firewall armour plate
* 10 mm steel - Firewall cover armour plate
* 10 mm steel - Pilot's back armour plate
* 60 mm bulletproof glass

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

{{main|Akan m/45 (20 mm)|Akan m/39A (13.2 mm)}}

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

* 1 x 20 mm Akan m/45 cannon, nose-mounted (140 rpg)
* 4 x 13.2 mm Akan m/39A machine guns, nose-mounted (350 rpg = 700 total)
* 4 x 13.2 mm Akan m/39A machine guns, wing-mounted (325 rpg = 650 total)

== Usage in battles ==


The J21A-2 (along with the rest of the J21A variants) is an excellent energy fighter. The plane retains and gains speed very well, as long as it is flying in a straight line. In level flight or in a dive, the J21A is very fast and can outrun most of its opponents. Additionally, it can manoeuvre quite well compared to some of its opponents but pilots must watch to ensure their speed does not drop too low as this makes the J21A an easy target. The nose mounted armament makes it possible to successfully fight head-on with opponents and the 20 mm cannon is especially devastating when combined with the 13.2 mm machine guns. This armament also makes the J21A good as a bomber-interceptor since it can knock out critical components of an opponent's aircraft very quickly.

Overall, the J21A was designed (and should be used) as an interceptor. One excellent tactic is to climb at about 20 degrees until reaching 4000-5000 meters and operating from that altitude in a boom-and-zoom role. This enables the J21A to use its excellent dive speed and heavy armament to maximum effect.

Another effective tactic is to fly level and fast at medium altitude 2000-3000 meters and act as a support fighter, assisting team mates who are overwhelmed by picking off some of their opponents in hit-and-run attacks. While the J21 can manoeuvre quite well (especially with combat flaps) it is not advisable to do this except as a last resort because the aircraft bleeds speed very rapidly. Also, this can expose the J21's engine (mounted in the rear of the aircraft) to and an enemy, allowing him the opportunity to knock out the J21's engine or hit its fuel tank (centrally located between the cockpit and the engine). This is another reason to avoid running away from an opponent, except when you can dive faster than the enemy or outclimb him. Many planes at the J21's level can keep up with it, although many also cannot. As long as you know your opponent and their capabilities, you can use the J21 very effectively.

Although the J21 can be set on fire rather easily due to its centrally located fuel tank, it is often possible to put out the fire by diving very steeply and fast. This creates enough of a slipstream around the fuselage to often put out the fire.

=== Manual Engine Control ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | MEC elements
|-
! rowspan="2" | Mixer
! rowspan="2" | Pitch
! colspan="3" | Radiator
! rowspan="2" | Supercharger
! rowspan="2" | Turbocharger
|-
! Oil !! Water !! Type
|-
| Not controllable || Controllable Auto control available || Controllable Auto control available || Controllable Auto control available || Separate || Not controllable 1 gear || Not controllable
|-
|}

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="2" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
| Offensive 13 mm
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| New 20 mm cannons
|
|-
| IV
|
| Engine injection
| Cover
|
| New 13 mm MGs
|-
|}
[[File:J21A-2 flying over a body of water.jpg|thumb|J21A-2 flying]]

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Very stable, does not stall in level flight even with the throttle set to zero
* Retains controllability at all speeds, even when stalling
* Engine protected from head-on attacks
* Most armament is nose-mounted
* Heavy armament with excellent ammunition belts

'''Cons:'''

* Pusher aircraft, engine mounted facing rear, exposed to enemy aircraft which may follow
* Required to set convergence due to wing-mounted machine guns
* Loses speed rapidly in sharp turns
* Long weapon reload time (in AB)
* High repair cost

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

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

* ''reference to the series of the 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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer Saab}}
{{Sweden fighters}}

File:A21A-3 flying over a body of water.jpg

2020-04-29T11:23:48Z

U67473093:

Screenshot took when a friendly J21A-2 approached my plane during a match.

Crusader AA Mk I

2020-04-29T10:50:16Z

U67473093: Uploaded screenshot to media

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_aa_mk_1}}
{{About
| about = British SPAA '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = Crusader (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Crusader AA Mk I.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was released along with the entire British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]]. Compared to the [[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk.II variant]], the Mk.I features a single 40 mm Bofors auto-cannon as its main armament. While it means a reduced rate of fire compared to the faster firing 20 mm Oerlikon auto-cannons, the 40 mm can cause devastating damage if it hits an aircraft.

In comparison to its predecessor and other 40 mm contemporaries like the American [[M19]], the Crusader AA Mk.I unfortunately has some disadvantages. The single 40 mm cannon means that it cannot fire as fast as the 20 mm auto-cannons on the predecessor or have the fire density of the dual-cannons on the M19. Thus, accuracy is important to conserve what little ammo the SPAA can hold and to make sure that airplane gets hit.

The Crusader AA Mk.I is meant to be a SPAA, meaning it must stay away from the front lines or else it will easily be destroyed by the enemy. Instead, stay at least a good distance from the fighting and stay in cover, hopefully in an area where the gun has full 360° view of the whole sky to knock out any airplane attempting to strafe your allies.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (85°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (27°, 61°) ''Joint plate'' 20 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis'' 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's Port''|| 14 + 14 mm || 14 mm (14°), 12 mm (51°) ''Rear plate'' 14 mm (44-46°) ''Engine grille'' || 7 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 mm (36°) || 12 mm (14-15°) || 12 mm (19°) || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 483|rbMinHp= 301}}

== Armaments ==

{{main|Bofors (40 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Bofors (40 mm)|40 mm Bofors]]
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="2" | 160 (8) || 120 || -6°/+70° || ±180° ||N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.8 || 32.9 || 40.0 || 44.2 || 47.0
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 0.65 || 0.58 || 0.53 || 0.50
|-
|}

=== Ammunition ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Mk.II || HEFI-T* || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3 || 3
|-
| M81A1 || AP-T || 76 || 74 || 62 || 45 || 33 || 24
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Mk.II || HEFI-T* || 874 || 0.86 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 63 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M81A1 || AP-T || 874 || 0.88 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===Belt types===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Belts''' || '''Shell composition''' || '''Combat usage'''
|-
| align="left" |''Default'' || align="left" | '''AP-T''' / '''HEFI-T*''' || align="left" | These work fine, a hit on an aircraft means certain death for it and still is able to hurt ground vehicles, especially if it is side into the side of a enemy tank. These seem like a good I don't know what i will run into belt.
|-
| align="left" |''Mk.II'' || align="left" | '''HEFI-T*''' || align="left" | These mean certain death for aircraft, what should be used for AA work.
|-
| align="left" |''M81A1'' || align="left" | '''AP-T''' || align="left" | These are the worst belts against airplanes. however, they are able to hurt ground vehicles especially if it is side into the side of a enemy tank. If you plan on killing tanks load this and flank, since side shots are almost a necessity.
|}

=== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] ===
[[File:Ammoracks_Crusader_AA_Mk_I.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Crusader AA Mk I.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''20''' || 17 ''(+3)'' || 13 ''(+7)'' || 9 ''(+11)'' || 5 ''(+15)'' || 1 ''(+19)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==


Despite being an SPAA vehicle, the Crusader struggles in an AA role. The gun is slow firing and fires at quite a low velocity, meaning that you will struggle to target fast moving enemy aircraft. Granted, a single hit will often spell doom for an enemy aircraft. Therefore, it is important to hide and wait for an opportune moment to open fire on an enemy aircraft. A low flying aircraft within 1km, flying at low speed, should be easier to hit. However, higher ranked and faster planes will can be a much harder target to his with the slow turret traverse for tracking and the slow fire rate of the gun.

The Crusader AA Mk.I can also serve in an anti tank role. With armour piercing rounds, the Crusader performs better than most SPAA in this role. With 76 mm of penetration, you can penetrate the frontal armour of light and some medium tanks and the side or rear armour of some heavy tanks. Poor post penetration damage means that you will need to target various sections of an enemy tank in order to destroy it. Some tanks will be almost invulnerable to your rounds, and while tanks KV-1 ZiS-5 can be dealt at point-blank range on the side or rear, there are many other heavy tanks that the 40 mm cannon will not penetrate.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast speed of the Crusader light tank
* 40 mm Bofors auto-cannon can heavily damage aircraft if the Mk.II shell contacts
* Tall turret armour makes aircraft require to be a near vertical angle to hit the crew inside with machine guns
* Though thin, the turret armour is enough to protect the Crusader from anything up to 20 mm cannons on German aircraft
* Offers more protection to the gunnery crew than its German competitors
* AP shells have enough power to penetrate some tank armour, like the Panther's sides

'''Cons:'''

* Very little armour, especially the AA turret
* Cannon slot in front turret armour allows machine gun bullets to go through and injure/kill the crew
* Against attacker and bombers, 40 mm cannon is not a one-hit kill and repeated contact is necessary
* Exposed top leave crew vulnerable
* Slow firing gun, slow muzzle velocity, limited ammo
* Will be serving as a primary British SPAA until the [[Falcon]], leading to having to track and fire against some of the fastest piston engine aircraft in the game and early jets, which are very difficult targets for the gun

== History ==


===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and ''[[Crusader Mk II|Mk.II]]'' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the ''[[Crusader Mk III]]'' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the '''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk.I]]''' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk.II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

The AA Tank Mk. 1 was issued to artillery light anti-aircraft regiments starting with the landing in Normandy, but the Mark I's were withdrawn from service soon after D-Day due to the Allied air supremacy and lack of Luftwaffe targets meaning significantly fewer anti-aircraft weapons ended up being required.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
[[File:Crusader AA Mk I in Normandy.jpg|left|thumb|Crusader AA Mk I in [[Normandy (Ground Forces)|Normandy]]]]

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/855/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Crusader AA Mk.I and Crusader AA Mk.II] 

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

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

{{Britain anti-aircraft vehicles}}

File:Crusader AA Mk I in Normandy.jpg

2020-04-29T10:48:29Z

U67473093:

Just my Crusader AA Mk I heading to battle in the Normandy map

He 177 A-5

2020-04-29T10:40:13Z

U67473093:

{{Specs-Card|code=he-177a-5}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_He177A-5.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{PAGENAME}} ''Greif''''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy bomber {{Battle-rating}}. This bomber was introduced in [[Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm"]] as part of the revenue share program. It was created by Daniil "''Joy_Division__'' Zaytsev.

The Heinkel He 177 A-5 is a heavy bomber that excels at destroying stationary targets such as pillboxes and bases from altitude. Its speed allows to bomb one base or two before confronting any enemy plane and then withdrawing back in shallow dive. Even if an enemy is trying to intercept you, your defensive armament in manual mode would keep it at bay.

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,500 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
|531||518|| {{Specs|ceiling}} ||32.2||33.4||5.9||5.9|| 1,600
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,500 m)
! rowspan="2" |Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" |Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
|582||555|| {{Specs|ceiling}} ||29.8||31.0||10.5||8.0|| 1,600
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flap (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! +
! -
|-
|{{Specs|разрушение|конструкции}} || {{Specs|разрушение|шасси}}||450|| ~?? || ~?
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 300 || < 310 || < 360 || > 715
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 5,700 m || 2,520 hp || 2,797 hp
|-

|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 9 mm Steel plates in pilot’s seat.
* 7 mm Steel plate under the entire cockpit
* 9 mm Steel plate in front of the front dorsal gunner.
* 7 mm Steel plates on cockpit roof around front dorsal gunner.
* 7 mm Steel plates around rear dorsal gunner.
* 7 mm Steel box in front of the rear dorsal gunner.
* 57 mm Bulletproof glass in front of tail gunner.
* 9 mm Steel plates around the bottom and front of tail gunner.

== Armaments ==
=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|:Category:Suspended armaments|l1=Suspended armaments}}

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

* 48 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (2,400 kg total)
* 12 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (3,000 kg total)
* 6 x 500 kg SC500K bombs (3,000 kg total)
* 4 x 1,000 kg SC1000L2 bombs (4,000 kg total)
* 2 x 1,800 kg SC1800B bombs (3,600 kg total)
* 2 x 1,800 kg SC1800B bombs + 6 x 500 kg SC500K bombs (6,600 kg total)
* 3 x 1,400 kg PC 1400 X (Fritz X) bombs (4,200 kg total)

=== Defensive armament ===

{{main|MG 151/20 (20 mm)|MG 81 (7.92 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can defend itself with:

* 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, chin turret (300 rpg)
* 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, tail turret (800 rpg)
* 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, front dorsal turret (1,000 rpg = 2,000 rpg)
* 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, rear dorsal turret (1,000 rpg)
* 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, ventral turret (1,000 rpg)
* 1 x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun, nose turret (1,000 rpg)

== Usage in battles ==
[[File:A lone HE-177.jpg|thumb|He-177 flying in War Thunder]]
Combining the speed and handling of the Do 217 and the immense payload of the Lancaster along with defensive armament approaching that of the American bombers, the He 177 Greif is an outstanding heavy bomber. Its max payload of 2 x 1,800 kg and 6 x 500 kg bombs is easily the best of its contemporaries when it comes to demolishing bases in AB and airfields in RB/SB. Other payloads are quite useful depending on the bombing objectives in RB/SB: 6 x 500 kg against bases (3 per bases), 4 x 1000 kg and 2 x 1800 kg for aircraft carriers and airfields.

The He 177 bears some similarities to the Do 217 series. It has an exceptionally high dive speed for a heavy bomber and is capable of reaching up to 700 km/h in a dive. It is, however, more manoeuvrable at high speeds, one has to be careful not to overload the wings. The two engines (which are really two V12 DB 605 engines coupled together to drive one four-bladed propeller, making them essentially 24 cylinder engines) are very powerful, but at the same time more vulnerable to damage.

The defensive armament of the Greif is very good by German standards, consisting primarily of 13 mm MG 131 heavy machine guns, completed with 2 MG 151/20 cannons, one in front and one in tail turret. The large tail fin prevents the dorsal turrets from firing directly to the rear, leaving only the MG 151/20, however.

====Climbing and bombing====

The He 177 A-5 will spawn at 4.5 km as a long-range bomber and as such, it's much easier to get out the reach of interceptors. Do some side climbing, reach 5,000 m after game start (speed will decrease to 250 km/h, but still fine) and continue with a 5-degree climb. Remember, this aircraft is not a dive bomber and should not be treated as such.

In order to do side climbing, you should upgrade the engine parts and then, just go ASAP to the ''ETC 1000/I'' module. After this upgrade, you will be able to carry 4 x 1,000 kg bombs which can be used to destroy up to 4 bases (no external wing carried bombs here).

After upgrading engine parts and getting ''ETC 1000/I'', it's time to climb and boom! Just go for the nearest base after reaching +6,000 m altitude. Then, it's done. Be careful of enemy interceptors which may snake their way up to your altitude, because you are really vulnerable at low speeds, hence the recommendation to side-climb. Side-climbing will help pilot have enough time to reach high altitudes, and lay in a bombing run.

Some notes:

* You should use combat flaps when bombing airfield to decrease speed (there's a chance of not hitting the airfield)
* Protect your aircraft as the repair costs are 40,000 Silver Lions.
* Losing one flap will cause instability, just be careful!

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

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! Survivability
! colspan="3" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage Repair
| Radiator
|
| Turret 7 mm
| ETC 250/IV
| Turret 20 mm
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| New 7 mm MGs (turret)
| ETC 500/II
|
|-
| III
| Wing Repair
| Engines
|
| Turret 13 mm
| ETC 1000/I
| New 20 mm cannons (turret)
|-
| IV
|
| Engine Injection
| Cover
| New 13 mm MGs (turret)
| ETC 1800
| FX 1400
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Heavy defensive weaponry with accurate 13 mm and 20 mm turrets
* Plenty of bomb load options, with a maximum bomb load of four 1,000 kg bombs
* Can carry all 4 x 1,000kg SC1000L2 bombs in the bomb bay, so He 177 A-5 can get 3-4 bases at first spawn in realistic battles
* One of only three heavy bombers for Germany, and the only high-rank heavy bomber in the tech tree
* Capable of speeds of up to 530 km/h or 340 mph in level flight
* First spawn at long-range bombers' altitude, which will help get altitude over interceptors and other fighters
* Good climb rate, can easily make it to 6.5 km altitude
* Dual engine aerodynamic, make it quite manoeuvrable for a heavy bomber
* Combat flaps are really useful for decreasing airspeed
* Fritz X guided bomb is very effective against destroyers and other slow-moving ships (drop from +2,000 m)
* High SL multiplier, very good money making

'''Cons:'''

* Plane is vulnerable in frontal engagement due to the absence of copilot and the glazed nose
* Engines overheat very quickly when activating WEP and when the cooling system is empty
* Vulnerable from side attacks
* Expensive repair cost for RB and higher than average on AB and SB
* No air brakes for a heavy bomber which increases landing difficulty
* Being a heavy bomber means that you can't take off from medium airfields
* Quickly overheats above 5,500 m
* Engines oil cooler and flaps are vulnerable against machine guns fire
* Incapable of flying with one engine only, will keep losing altitude and eventually will have to land or crash

== History ==

Development of the He 177 began in 1936 as part of the Bomber A specifications issued by the German Air Ministry (RLM). The specifications called for a long-range, high-speed bomber with a payload of 1,000 kg. Despite the very demanding specifications, Heinkel began working on a mockup which was submitted for review in late 1937, with an order for 12 experimental machines following shortly after in early 1939. However, throughout its development, the He 177 suffered from a range of problems, some of which weren’t even fixed before further development stopped. For example, one of the requirements (which was soon rejected, since it was impossible to implement) from the Air Ministry was the ability to bomb from a dive, that’s why the engineers had to make various workarounds to provide the required flight technical characteristics. To reduce aerodynamic drag and to ensure flight range, two DB 601 engines were installed in pairs on one gondola and worked with a common shaft which rotated one four-bladed propeller. Thanks to this it was possible to create the aircraft using a two-engined scheme. But for this reason, the vehicle suffered from severe engine overheating issues and more often than not experienced mid-flight engine failures and frequent fires. In the process of fine-tuning the aircraft, the weight was significantly increased, so it became necessary to install a massive frame which could not be hidden - a relatively thin wing or tightly packed nacelles wouldn't fit. As a result, each frame was divided into two racks, each with a single wheel that could be retracted into the wing on opposite sides of the nacelle.

By 1944, development of the He 177 was considered finished, but by that time, the fortune of war had already turned on Germany and the need for a complex strategic bomber had faded. Nonetheless, over 1,000 He 177s were produced across several variants, with most machines seeing action on the Eastern front. However, despite being made in large numbers, the aircraft ultimately failed to make a difference in the war’s outcome as its design maturity came too late, although some of the built vehicles were also used after war’s end.

''- From [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5356-development-heinkel-he-177-a-5-greif-the-flaming-arrow-en Devblog]''

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|Q6sYNcaVVO0|'''The Shooting Range #88''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 10:02 discusses the He 177.}}

== 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 ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5356-development-heinkel-he-177-a-5-greif-the-flaming-arrow-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Heinkel He 177 A-5 Greif: The Flaming Arrow]

{{AirManufacturer Heinkel}}
{{Germany bombers}}

File:A lone HE-177.jpg

2020-04-29T10:39:29Z

U67473093:

A lone He-173 flying over a ocean

Ta 154 A-1

2020-04-29T10:33:06Z

U67473093:

{{Specs-Card|code=ta_154a_1}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Ta154A-1.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} German twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]]. The '''Ta 154 A-1''' is part of the [[Affiliate_Program_Revenue_Share|revenue share program]] and was created by Vitaly ''"NovA29R"'' Vostokov (model) and Michael ''"__StrafeMike__"'' Ioannidis (texture).

The Ta 154 A-1 has very powerful frontal armament, placed in the fuselage, which can give you quick and easy kills. Unfortunately, it doesn't turn very well at low speeds so it is recommended to keep your speed up and Boom & Zoom. Turning should be a last resort. If you try to get an edge in a turn-fight using your flaps, you should watch your speed as your flaps can break off very easily at speeds above 450 km/h (279 mph). The roll-rate of the Ta 154 is almost as good as the Fw 190s roll-rate, this is due to the fact that there are no fuel tanks in the wings. This advantage can and should most definitely be used when flying evasively but when at low altitude, do periodically check what's in front of you.

== General info ==
=== Flight Performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,700 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
| 634 || 615 ||{{Specs|ceiling}}|| 24.3 || 25.2 ||12.77||12.77|| 560
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,700 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
|693||659||{{Specs|ceiling}}||21.8||23||20.5||16.1|| 560
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! +
! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 480 || ~8 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 420 || < 420 || < 460 || > 324
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,900 m || 1,300 hp || 1,521 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 5,500 m || 1,150 hp || 1,345 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 12 mm Steel - Front cockpit plate
* 10 mm Steel - Instrument panel plate
* 8 mm Steel - 2 x Side cockpit plates
* 10 mm Steel - Pilot's seat
* 10 mm Steel - Rear cockpit armor plate
* 38 mm Bulletproof glass
* 50 mm Bulletproof glass

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

{{main|MK 108 (30 mm)|MG 151/20 (20 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 30 mm MK 108 cannons, fuselage-mounted (110 rpg = 220 total)
* 2 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, fuselage-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)

== Usage in battles ==


'''RB'''

Climb with your cursor pointing at 15 degrees. If there are high altitude interceptor(Most commonly P-61 and Whirlwinds, note that they will typically have a higher altitude than you), destroy them if you can. Destroy the bombers that choose to fly high. If there aren't any remaining in the area, try using boom and zoom to destroy fighters that are likely going to be lower than you.

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

[[File:FighterImage_Ta154.JPG|300px|thumbnail|right|Ta 154 A-1 in action in War Thunder]]

'''''MEC usage guide''''' 
This plane doesn't differ a lot from the Bf 109s and Fw 190s regarding usage of Manual Engine Settings.

Prop pitch: unless you really know what you're doing, don't even dare to think about using it.

Radiator: radiator can be set at 30% for a long time but will eventually have to be changed to 40-50% as the engines will start to overheat continuously. While this happens you will be forced to use WEP less as the match progresses unless you stop using MEC for quite a while or land and repair which will reset this. Radiator can be left at around 40% for winter maps, 50% for spring/fall maps, and 60% for summer maps without much issue except for prolonged usage of WEP.

Supercharger stage: For optimal performance switch to stage 2 at 4 km (13,123 feet)

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="1" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| New 20 mm cannons
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| Offensive 30 mm
|-
| IV
|
| Engine injection
| Cover
| New 30 mm cannons
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Exceptional armament (with decent ammunition count)
* Heavy armour and nose mounted 2 x 20 mm and 2 x 30 mm cannons are the perfect combo for head-on attacks
* Maneuverability is sufficient to keep up with other heavy fighters and heavier American single engine fighters
* Absurdly durable airframe and cockpit (Engines are often destroyed long before the wings or pilot are lost)
* Can operate on a single engine (enough to get back to the airfield)
* Decent climb rate
* Interceptor spawn, will gain altitude much faster than its opponents
* Exceptional speed in a straight line
* Low wing load gives the plane a good turn rate at higher speeds
* Exceptional roll rate
* Excellent bomber interceptor
* Fear factor: Many Allied pilots who would normally go head on will break off from a head-on engagement, allowing you to either extend and make another pass or shoot him down if they pulls up or rolls to dodge
* Excellent glide ratio owing to wooden construction and low wing loading

'''Cons:'''

* Flaps break off easily at speeds above 450 km/h (279 mph)
* Varying muzzle velocity of the Mk 108 and MG 151 cannons makes long range shooting difficult
* Turns horribly at low speeds
* Can fly on 1 engine but only around 300 km/h (186 mph)
* Landing gears are very sensitive and will break when landing at speeds above 240 km/h (150 mph)
* Prolonged WEP can lead to engine problems, using manual engine control is highly recommended with this aircraft
* A rather large target
* Weak suspension on landing gear, watch descent rate closely
* Tail likes to fall off during belly landings, belly land only as a last resort
* Easy to over G at high speeds due to wooden construction
* Sensitive engines, will overheat quickly if radiators are punctured
* Occasionally can be pilot sniped in a head-on or by gunners through the thin plate behind the nose
* Elevator compression becomes severe past 660 km/h (410 mph), requiring a lot of room to pull out of a steep, high speed dive to avoid crashing into the ground

== History ==
[[File:Squadron of Ta-154.jpg|thumb|Squadron of Ta-154]]The Ta-154 was a fast twin-engine German interceptor/night fighter created and developed by renowned aircraft designer Kurt Tank during World War 2. It was eventually cancelled as it was to complicated to build for war-torn Nazi Germany.

The origins of the Ta-154 dated back to the late 1930s when Kurt Tank and his engineers were working on a twin-engined medium bomber called the Ta-211. It was planned to be made out of plywood bonded with a special chemical called Tego film. Only the pressurized cockpit would be made out of metal. The aircraft was supposed to use the Jumo 211r engine (which was why the Ta-211 had the number 211) but was instead fitted with the more powerful Jumo 213 engine when Junkers could not produce the Jumo 211r in time. The aircraft's serial number was changed to 8-154 and it was given the name Moskito as a tribute to the RAF's Dh.98 Mosquito.

The Ta-154V1 prototype made its first flight on July 1st, 1943 with the Jumo 211F engine. A few days later, the V2 prototype with the Jumo 211N took off for the first time. In trials, the Ta-154 easily outperformed its rivals- Ju-388 and He-219. The Ta-154 reached at top speed of 700km/h or 440mph in testing. The V3 prototype was equipped with radar and a second seat for the radar operator and was consequently 75km/h slower than the other two prototypes with its heavy night fighting equipment. Nevertheless, it still had superior performance to the He-219.

In early 1944, the Jumo 213 engines finally arrived and a production run of 150 plus Ta-154A-1 models were ordered. Several were produced before the factory making the Tego-film glue was destroyed. As a result, the Germans substituted the Tego-film glue with an inferior type of glue. This inferior type proved to be complete garbage as several Ta-154s created with it fell apart in flight. Similar problems also beseeched the He-162 Volksjager.

In August of 1944, Kurt Tank finally ordered the end of production of what could have been an amazing fighter as the Germans needed to turn their attention to faster aircraft like the Do-335 and could not waste time or resources. With that, the few Ta-154s built were used in night fighters squadrons or in training units. Several Ta-154s out of the 50 or so built saw combat in World War 2 as night fighters until the war ended. With that, the Ta-154s were examined or scrapped. One was captured by American forces but its fate is unknown.

Even though the Ta-154 only had a minor impact in real life, you can take control of the mighty Ta-154 in War Thunder and wreak havoc on the bombers that escaped its wrath back in WW2.

<ref>https://ww2db.com/aircraft_spec.php?aircraft_model_id=322</ref> <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Ta_154</ref>

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|uJziizNMYj8|'''The Shooting Range #164''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:32 discusses the Ta 154 A-1.}}
== 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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

/references

{{AirManufacturer Focke-Wulf}}
{{Germany twin-engine fighters}}
{{Germany premium aircraft}}
<references />

Ta 154 A-1

2020-04-29T10:32:16Z

U67473093: Added my own media

{{Specs-Card|code=ta_154a_1}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Ta154A-1.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} German twin-engine fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]]. The '''Ta 154 A-1''' is part of the [[Affiliate_Program_Revenue_Share|revenue share program]] and was created by Vitaly ''"NovA29R"'' Vostokov (model) and Michael ''"__StrafeMike__"'' Ioannidis (texture).

The Ta 154 A-1 has very powerful frontal armament, placed in the fuselage, which can give you quick and easy kills. Unfortunately, it doesn't turn very well at low speeds so it is recommended to keep your speed up and Boom & Zoom. Turning should be a last resort. If you try to get an edge in a turn-fight using your flaps, you should watch your speed as your flaps can break off very easily at speeds above 450 km/h (279 mph). The roll-rate of the Ta 154 is almost as good as the Fw 190s roll-rate, this is due to the fact that there are no fuel tanks in the wings. This advantage can and should most definitely be used when flying evasively but when at low altitude, do periodically check what's in front of you.

== General info ==
=== Flight Performance ===
''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.''

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,700 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
| 634 || 615 ||{{Specs|ceiling}}|| 24.3 || 25.2 ||12.77||12.77|| 560
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,700 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
|693||659||{{Specs|ceiling}}||21.8||23||20.5||16.1|| 560
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! +
! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 480 || ~8 || ~4
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 420 || < 420 || < 460 || > 324
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 1,900 m || 1,300 hp || 1,521 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 5,500 m || 1,150 hp || 1,345 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===


* 12 mm Steel - Front cockpit plate
* 10 mm Steel - Instrument panel plate
* 8 mm Steel - 2 x Side cockpit plates
* 10 mm Steel - Pilot's seat
* 10 mm Steel - Rear cockpit armor plate
* 38 mm Bulletproof glass
* 50 mm Bulletproof glass

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

{{main|MK 108 (30 mm)|MG 151/20 (20 mm)}}

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

* 2 x 30 mm MK 108 cannons, fuselage-mounted (110 rpg = 220 total)
* 2 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, fuselage-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)

== Usage in battles ==


'''RB'''

Climb with your cursor pointing at 15 degrees. If there are high altitude interceptor(Most commonly P-61 and Whirlwinds, note that they will typically have a higher altitude than you), destroy them if you can. Destroy the bombers that choose to fly high. If there aren't any remaining in the area, try using boom and zoom to destroy fighters that are likely going to be lower than you.

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

[[File:FighterImage_Ta154.JPG|300px|thumbnail|right|Ta 154 A-1 in action in War Thunder]]

'''''MEC usage guide''''' 
This plane doesn't differ a lot from the Bf 109s and Fw 190s regarding usage of Manual Engine Settings.

Prop pitch: unless you really know what you're doing, don't even dare to think about using it.

Radiator: radiator can be set at 30% for a long time but will eventually have to be changed to 40-50% as the engines will start to overheat continuously. While this happens you will be forced to use WEP less as the match progresses unless you stop using MEC for quite a while or land and repair which will reset this. Radiator can be left at around 40% for winter maps, 50% for spring/fall maps, and 60% for summer maps without much issue except for prolonged usage of WEP.

Supercharger stage: For optimal performance switch to stage 2 at 4 km (13,123 feet)

===Modules===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="1" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Offensive 20 mm
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
| New 20 mm cannons
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| Offensive 30 mm
|-
| IV
|
| Engine injection
| Cover
| New 30 mm cannons
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Exceptional armament (with decent ammunition count)
* Heavy armour and nose mounted 2 x 20 mm and 2 x 30 mm cannons are the perfect combo for head-on attacks
* Maneuverability is sufficient to keep up with other heavy fighters and heavier American single engine fighters
* Absurdly durable airframe and cockpit (Engines are often destroyed long before the wings or pilot are lost)
* Can operate on a single engine (enough to get back to the airfield)
* Decent climb rate
* Interceptor spawn, will gain altitude much faster than its opponents
* Exceptional speed in a straight line
* Low wing load gives the plane a good turn rate at higher speeds
* Exceptional roll rate
* Excellent bomber interceptor
* Fear factor: Many Allied pilots who would normally go head on will break off from a head-on engagement, allowing you to either extend and make another pass or shoot him down if they pulls up or rolls to dodge
* Excellent glide ratio owing to wooden construction and low wing loading

'''Cons:'''

* Flaps break off easily at speeds above 450 km/h (279 mph)
* Varying muzzle velocity of the Mk 108 and MG 151 cannons makes long range shooting difficult
* Turns horribly at low speeds
* Can fly on 1 engine but only around 300 km/h (186 mph)
* Landing gears are very sensitive and will break when landing at speeds above 240 km/h (150 mph)
* Prolonged WEP can lead to engine problems, using manual engine control is highly recommended with this aircraft
* A rather large target
* Weak suspension on landing gear, watch descent rate closely
* Tail likes to fall off during belly landings, belly land only as a last resort
* Easy to over G at high speeds due to wooden construction
* Sensitive engines, will overheat quickly if radiators are punctured
* Occasionally can be pilot sniped in a head-on or by gunners through the thin plate behind the nose
* Elevator compression becomes severe past 660 km/h (410 mph), requiring a lot of room to pull out of a steep, high speed dive to avoid crashing into the ground

== History ==
The Ta-154 was a fast twin-engine German interceptor/night fighter created and developed by renowned aircraft designer Kurt Tank during World War 2. It was eventually cancelled as it was to complicated to build for war-torn Nazi Germany.

The origins of the Ta-154 dated back to the late 1930s when Kurt Tank and his engineers were working on a twin-engined medium bomber called the Ta-211. It was planned to be made out of plywood bonded with a special chemical called Tego film. Only the pressurized cockpit would be made out of metal. The aircraft was supposed to use the Jumo 211r engine (which was why the Ta-211 had the number 211) but was instead fitted with the more powerful Jumo 213 engine when Junkers could not produce the Jumo 211r in time. The aircraft's serial number was changed to 8-154 and it was given the name Moskito as a tribute to the RAF's Dh.98 Mosquito.

The Ta-154V1 prototype made its first flight on July 1st, 1943 with the Jumo 211F engine. A few days later, the V2 prototype with the Jumo 211N took off for the first time. In trials, the Ta-154 easily outperformed its rivals- Ju-388 and He-219. The Ta-154 reached at top speed of 700km/h or 440mph in testing. The V3 prototype was equipped with radar and a second seat for the radar operator and was consequently 75km/h slower than the other two prototypes with its heavy night fighting equipment. Nevertheless, it still had superior performance to the He-219.

In early 1944, the Jumo 213 engines finally arrived and a production run of 150 plus Ta-154A-1 models were ordered. Several were produced before the factory making the Tego-film glue was destroyed. As a result, the Germans substituted the Tego-film glue with an inferior type of glue. This inferior type proved to be complete garbage as several Ta-154s created with it fell apart in flight. Similar problems also beseeched the He-162 Volksjager.

In August of 1944, Kurt Tank finally ordered the end of production of what could have been an amazing fighter as the Germans needed to turn their attention to faster aircraft like the Do-335 and could not waste time or resources. With that, the few Ta-154s built were used in night fighters squadrons or in training units. Several Ta-154s out of the 50 or so built saw combat in World War 2 as night fighters until the war ended. With that, the Ta-154s were examined or scrapped. One was captured by American forces but its fate is unknown.

Even though the Ta-154 only had a minor impact in real life, you can take control of the mighty Ta-154 in War Thunder and wreak havoc on the bombers that escaped its wrath back in WW2.

<ref>https://ww2db.com/aircraft_spec.php?aircraft_model_id=322</ref> <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Ta_154</ref>

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|uJziizNMYj8|'''The Shooting Range #164''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:32 discusses the Ta 154 A-1.}}

[[File:Squadron of Ta-154.jpg|center|thumb]]

== 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;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the aircraft;''
* ''other literature.''

/references

{{AirManufacturer Focke-Wulf}}
{{Germany twin-engine fighters}}
{{Germany premium aircraft}}
<references />

File:Squadron of Ta-154.jpg

2020-04-29T10:29:25Z

U67473093:

3 Ta-154 flying in formation

KV-1 (L-11)

2020-04-27T13:19:50Z

U67473093:

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_kv_1_L_11}}
{{About
| about = Soviet heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = KV-1 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage KV-1(L-11).jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. This tank was introduced during the closed beta testing for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The KV-1 L-11 is the first unlockable Soviet heavy tank which boasts raw firepower and armour at the cost of mobility.

The first heavy tank available in the Soviet branch. It's slow, difficult to maneuver and heavily armoured, and mounts the same gun of the [[T-34 (1940)|T-34 1940]], sharing its awful penetration. In Rank II battles, this tank is tough to penetrate so you can lead the assault and absorb shots that will quickly destroy your lighter and better-armed teammates. It's better to prefer short-range engagements, and you must aim for weak spots, but your best weapon is other players, so act like a steel wall and cover other tanks with better guns.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (31°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 25 + 70 mm (7-71°) ''Joint plate'' 75 mm (26-51°) ''Lower glacis'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (13-89°) ''Top'' 70 mm (14-57°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Turret || 75 mm (15°) ''Turret front'' 90 mm (1-52°) ''Gun mantlet shield'' 75 mm (15-57°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm (14-15°) || 75 mm (16°) || 40 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Roof armour is quite excellent. 30 - 40 mm is nothing to ignore. It will reliably protect from most autocannons. Although aircraft with unique diving capability and +0 mm arms may still pierce it. More importantly, it makes the vehicle quite resilient against rocket strikes from vehicles such as the [[Calliope|Calliope]].
*The lower glacis, unlike most other tanks, is not a weak spot! It is including your own turrets height significantly better angled than the upper frontal plate. Further, neither the MG port nor the drivers view slit are weak points. Discard them as targets.
* Gun mantlet is an extra 75 mm bolted on to the turret, with some parts with an additional 90 mm added instead. This results in a spaced overlapped part with ~150 mm. Only the cheeks left, and right of the mantlet bulges should be shot! However, these areas are quite small and easily missed, if the turret is traversed.

=== Mobility ===


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

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

{{main|L-11 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[L-11 (76 mm)|76 mm L-11]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 111 || -7°/+25° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 7.1 || 9.9 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 7.1 || 8.4 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.3 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC ||78||76||69||61||53||47
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC ||93||91||83||74||66||58
|-
| OF-350M || HE ||10||10||10||10||10||10
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel|| 37 || 35 || 29 || 25 || 20 || 17
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| BR-350A || APHEBC || 615 || 6.3 || 0.15 || 10.0 || 150 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-350SP || APBC || 615 || 6.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-350M || HE || 615 || 6.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 621 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Sh-354T || Shrapnel || 615 || 6.2 || 0.5 || 8.0 || 85 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_KV-1(L-11).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the KV-1 L-11]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''111''' || 107 ''(+4)'' || 102 ''(+9)'' || 82 ''(+29)'' || 1 ''(+110)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 102 (+9)

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DT (7.62 mm)}}

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

== Usage in the battles ==

The first thing to know about the tank, just because it's a heavy tank ''does not'' mean you should charge headfirst into the enemy. While it may look intimidating as you watch the enemy's shells deflect off your vehicle as you move slightly forward to their front lines, you risk getting flanked as moving forward gives the enemy enough space to get around and hit you in the vulnerable rear area. Try to avoid letting the enemy get close enough to catch your turret ring and destroy each of your crew from there. Despite the 75 mm all-around armour, don't think for a second that you are invulnerable and play smart still.

One of the more common and dangerous enemies this vehicle will face is the [[Pz.IV F2|Pz IV F2.]] The Panzer IV F2 has thin armour, but the long [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm]] cannon can easily pierce the KV-1 armour if it is not angled properly. The penetration for the PzGr 39 Shell, which is an APCBC and the stock shell for the Panzer IV F2, at normal combat ranges of 100 meters and 500 meters has 133 mm and 121 mm respectively.

===Counter-tactics===
''Never'' charge into a KV-1 unless you are also playing as a heavy tank. The L-11 is a low-quality gun but can do devastating damage at short range. As a light tank, medium tank, or tank destroyer, ''always'' sneak around the KV-1 and get in shots from the back or side. It is not advised to engage with a KV-1 at all if you are playing as an SPAA.

As a heavy tank, if your gun is capable of penetrating the front of the KV-1's frontal armour, aim for the lower middle of the upper glacis, where the large ammo rack is located. If the shot penetrates, it almost guarantees a destroyed KV-1 as the ammo rack is huge.

As a light tank, medium tank or tank destroyer/SPG, use the advantage of cover (building, hill, trees, etc.) to flank or get behind a KV-1. It will be hard-pressed to turn quickly enough to angle its near-impervious frontal armour towards you. If you are not confident in your gun's ability to deal significant damage to the engine block or ammo racks, it is advised to fire at the tracks and disable the tank before rushing up to it and firing directly at the back. Shooting at the rear of the turret is also an option to attempt to hit one of the ammo racks on either side. However, smarter drivers will empty their turret of ammunition, so firing at the turret will not always work.

===Modules===
As usual, ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' first. ''Tracks'' is a good additional choice, a frequently targeted module. Also, it increases your turning capability a lot. After these, research ''Adjustment of fire'' and ''Brake System'', because the accuracy of the L-11 cannon is slightly increased, even though it is still subpar. The suspension is useful for firing on the move, something particularly useless for a slow, heavy tank. Braking quickly and being able to fire a more accurate shot proves to be much more efficient. The BR-350SP does not see any use. The small gain in penetration is offset by the lack of any HE filler, and the round should be ignored entirely. Afterwards, all Tier III & Tier IV upgrades are equally useful.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* All points of armour are better than good at its rank
* Angling your hull makes it virtually immune to most guns it faces
* Virtually no weak spot except the small turret ring
* Gun does decent damage upon penetration
* Heavily armoured for a Rank II tank
* One of the few Russian tanks that have a crew of five
* Excellent rate of fire, useful for short-range engagements
* Quicker and better armed than the other first-rank II heavy tank; the [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda II]]

'''Cons:'''

* L-11 gun is very inadequate for its battle rating
* Low speed, typical for heavy tanks
* Slow turret traverse, if you need to change targets quickly you must rotate both the turret and the hull
* Making turns, especially when playing as the stock KV-1, will decrease your speed dramatically
* Penetration shots from the sides and below the turret are typically catastrophic
* Heavy and slow, you can't relocate quickly, and you are vulnerable when climbing hills
* Later variant of the Panzer IV can easily penetrate your armour, even from the front
* Large fuel tanks lined up on the side
* Cannot reliably compete with other heavy tanks in its BR range
* Most British tanks can penetrate your armour even from long range
* Trying to knock out another KV-1 L-11 is just a waste of shells and time

== History ==

===Development===
The start of the KV-1 heavy tanks began after the heavy tank [[T-35]]'s 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 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 a tank cannon in service and most anti-tank guns as well; the 76.2 mm cannon also gave it a colossal firepower boost compared to the usual 37 mm in use by other countries. However, the design was found to be challenging to steer, the transmission was unreliable, ergonomics were weak, and vision was limited, plus with its 45-ton weight, it was a weighty 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 was. The first variant of production before World War II broke out was the '''KV-1''' model. The first model production was equipped with the L-11 cannon, but this was deemed insufficient in performance and was later replaced in subsequent production models by the improved [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|F-34, or the ZiS-5 cannon]].

===Combat usage===
When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, the Red Army had 508 of the KV tanks. With that many KV tanks available, the Russians shocked the German forces as their anti-tank and tank forces had few weapons capable of defeating it, having to rely mostly on the 88 mm Flak guns and the 5 cm Pak 38 with APCR rounds. But by 1942, Germany fielded large amounts of long barreled 50mm and 75mm cannons in both tanks and towed format, making the KV lose much of its armour advantage.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of glory for the KV-1 was at Krasnogvardeysk near Leningrad on the 19th of August 1941 when 5 KV-1s, led by Lt Zinoviy Kolobanov, ambushed the German 8th Panzer Division (a light panzer division consisting mainly of Panzer II, III and 38(t)). But there are some contradicting stories about what happened, and even if it indeed did happen. One story that supports the claim goes like this: each of the five KV-1s was hiding at different locations, came out one by one to fire at the incoming German tanks, then retreat before the next tank could come out. Such tactic boxed an entire tank and ended with 43 tanks destroyed before the KV-1 tanks retreated from running out of ammo, all in a span of about half an hour. During this battle, one of the KV-1 tanks was struck 135 times with no penetration. For their feat, Lt Z. Kolobanov and a few officers were decorated with the Order of Lenin and Order of the Red Banner medal.

The KV-1 continued to serve until the end of the war, though in dwindling numbers as they were lost due to mechanical failures, combat, and being superseded by more modern tanks. Some KV-1s built in 1941 still saw service in 1944 at the Leningrad front before being replaced by IS-2 tanks, then they saw service in Manchuria in 1945 before retired altogether at the end of World War II.

===Variants===
Many variants of the KV tank would be produced in the span of World War II as the Soviet try to keep it in production as long as possible, the initial version was called the '''KV-1''' and remained most part as the main Soviet heavy tank for the first part of World War II. A bunker-buster variant mounting a 152 mm howitzer after experiences in Finland brought the monster '''[[KV-2 (1939)|KV-2]]''' assault tank, which is very turret heavy that it must be on a flat surface to properly rotate. After complaints of its mechanical issues and lack of performance compared to the lighter [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] medium tank was heard, the factory updated the tank, thinning its armour, and adding a commander's cupola with all-around vision blocks, so in 1943 it was designated as the '''[[KV-1S]]'''. But the KV-1S introduction was a little too late as then the better German tanks such as the [[Panther D|Panther tanks]] could knock them out with ease. An attempt to up-gun the KV-1S was to give it the 85 mm D-5T gun then in use on the [[SU-85]]. This variant was called the '''[[KV-85]]'''. Though it was seen favourable for a nice increase in firepower among the armoured forces, soon even the lighter T-34 began mounting the 85 mm gun as the [[T-34-85]]. It was determined that the heavy tank would have a much bigger gun than the medium tanks, but at the time the KVs were falling out of favour in preference to the newer [[IS-1]] and [[IS-2]] heavy tanks coming into service, which was based off the ''KV-13'' prototype tanks developed in 1942 as a medium tank.

===Survivors===
Several KV-1s survive after the war, most as monuments, but also in museums. Only one genuine KV-1 was restored to running condition in Russia after it was found in the bottom of the Neva River.

=== In-game description ===
The first clashes with Spanish nationalists armed with light anti-tank weapons made it clear that a new heavy tank with cannon proof armour had to be created. The heavy tank's design began at the end of 1938.

For 1940, the mass-produced KV-1 was a truly pioneering innovation, embodying the most advanced ideas of its time: individual torsion-bar suspension, reliable cannon proof armour and a single powerful universal weapon within a classic layout. This was the first time such an arrangement was used on a Soviet mass-produced heavy tank, which meant that the KV-1 received the strongest defences and most potential for modernisation. The tank's armoured hull was welded from 75, 40, 30 and 20 mm thick rolled armour plates. The KV-1 was equipped with a 500 hp B-2K diesel engine and a 76.2 mm L-11 cannon with an ammunition complement of 111 shots, in addition to three 7.62 mm DT machine guns. One was paired with the cannon, while the others were placed on the bow and stern in ball mounts. When necessary, the machine guns could be removed and used outside the tank.
The KV-1 tanks made their debut on the Winter War front. The tank successfully passed its trial by fire. No enemy anti-tank cannon was able to destroy it. Many times, the new vehicles survived battle not only with several but with several dozen German tanks.

The tank had some serious drawbacks: it's poorly designed transmission and air filter, insufficiently durable tracks and road wheels, a crowded fighting compartment and poor vision. The engine and transmission often broke down during intensive use. The tank's 7-tonne turret also caused many problems. Its weight lead to rotation issues related to the high force placed on the aiming mechanism levers and the low power of the electric motors.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23kv1l11 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the KV-1 L-11 series from live.warthunder.com.]

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2783/current/ Official War Thunder article: [Historical<nowiki>]</nowiki> Tanks of Kliment Voroshilov] 

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

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

{{USSR heavy tanks}}

Marder III H

2020-04-27T13:15:41Z

U67473093:

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_38t_Marder_III_ausf_H}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_MarderIIIH.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or '''Marder III H''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.47 "Big Guns"]].

The Marder III H is a step above the basic [[Marder III]]. As it is in Germany's open - top tank destroyer line, it's calling card is its superb firepower; in fact, it has the most powerful gun for the battle rating 2.0 - 3.0 - 4.0 range - APCBC is almost always enough to '''penetrate and destroy any tank on the battlefield''', and with APCR, it has '''the highest penetration of any tank for its battle rating range''' - even at '''battle rating 5.0 your gun will remain competitive'''.

The Marder III Ausf. H mounts a 75 mm gun slightly surpassing those on the late [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IV's]], thus its only disadvantages are its weak armour and its open encasement.

Being a modified Pz.38(t) tank, it is one of the more mobile of the German tanks - nearly matching some Russian tanks. It has a better gun close-range wise and has better armour coverage, being curved to the sides, unlike the earlier Marder III.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50 mm (19°) ''Front plate'' 12 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (13°) ''Lower glacis'' || 16 mm ''Upper'' 15 mm ''Lower'' || 15 mm || 12 mm
|-
| Turret || 11 + 8 mm (31°) || 11 mm (8-9°) || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Note:''' 

* Belly armour is 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===


{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 213|rbMinHp= 133|}}

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

{{main|PaK 40/3 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[PaK 40/3 (75 mm)|75 mm PaK 40/3 L46]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 38 || -2°/+22° || ±30° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 10.57 || 14.63 || 17.76 || 19.63 || 20.89
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 7.14 || 8.40 || 10.20 || 11.28 || 12.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 7.60 || 6.75 || 6.24 || 5.90
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 151 || 148 || 135 || 121 || 108 || 96
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 197 || 195 || 170 || 144 || 121 || 102
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 792 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 15.0 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 990 || 4.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 550 || 5.7 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 686 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_MarderIIIH.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Marder III H.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''38''' || 37 ''(+1)'' || 33 ''(+5)'' || 29 ''(+9)'' || 25 ''(+13)'' || 17 ''(+21)'' || 9 ''(+29)'' || 1 ''(+37)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Gun shield empty: 33 ''(+5)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|Vz.37 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[Vz.37 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm Vz.37]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Hull mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,200 (200) || 769 || ±10° || ±10°
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Since you are an unprotected tank from behind, try to be as far from the action as possible. If getting close to enemy tanks cannot be prevented (Urban maps, Allied retreat etc), then try to hide at least a part of your hull against a wall or rock.

Use the horizontal range of the Marder III H as much as possible - as a turret-less SPG, it has excellent - if not the best - gun traverse for any turret-less SPG. This tank destroyer can be penetrated easily; it has next to no armour at its battle rating. keep close to other tanks to prevent this in urban maps, and stay close to cover in other maps. Also, be careful when being targeted by Artillery; one close hit on your rear and you can be destroyed by shrapnel. Another important thing to take into account is the fact that ammunition is stored in the nearly unarmoured gun shield - nearly any vehicle in the game - with the notable exception of the [[GAZ-AAA (4M)]] - can penetrate this tank with ease. To get Ammunition out of the turret, bring only 32 shells, leaving the "turret" basically empty - 32 shells is more than enough. Another fact to take into account is that nearly all shells will over penetrate the "turret", with no damage, a crewman knocked out or 2.

The Marder III H's main APCBC shell, the PzGr 39, is good enough against most standard medium tank models like the M4 Sherman and T-34 at a front-on and slightly angled perspective. However, the penetration performance against sloped armour is only just enough for these circumstances, and extreme angling beyond a 60 degree angle of attack on those tank's part can bounce rounds heading towards their front glacis. This makes up-armoured models like the T-34E and T-34E STZ particularly dangerous as they can defeat the APCBC shell's sloped performance at even slight angles. The T-34E presents itself an enhanced side armour that can bounce shots while the T-34E STZ features enhanced front armour to bounce shots, so be sure to distinguish the two models for a better understanding on where to aim.

===Modules===
First off, the Marder III H is hull-breakable, which triggers when a 75mm+ size AP round strikes the gun breech, transmission, or engine block. It also triggers when a large HE or any size HEAT shell hits it. Due to this alteration, modifications that improves survival ''after'' getting hit are not as important, so get ''Tracks'' and ''Horizontal Drive'' first, then ''Adjustment of Fire'', ''Elevation Mechanism'', and the three mobility upgrades. Then you are free to get ''Parts''/''FPE'', though one can invest in ''FPE'' to avoid a case of a stray shrapnel or aerial strike penetrating the engine deck and causing a fire without hull-breaking the vehicle.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Outstanding gun for its rank
* Armour that protects the crew from MG fire, but thin enough to allow normal AP rounds to over-penetrate
* Fairly small tank destroyer can hide behind most obstacles
* Good gun elevation
* Excellent horizontal arc of 30°, that allows hiding easily the tank
* Amazing penetration with APCR ammunition

'''Cons:'''

* Vulnerable to HE rounds
* Not fully enclosed (Exposed crew)
* Bad gun depression
* Extremely high penetration that it often over penetrates most light tanks that it faces
* Hull-breakable

== History ==

===Development===
After the start of ''Operation Barbarossa'', the Wehrmacht found a very dire problem of the lack of a mobile anti-tank system and adequate anti-tank weapons, especially after the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks. The only mass-issued anti-tank was the 37 mm Pak 36 and the only mobile anti-tank system widely used was the ''Panzerjäger I'' with the Czech 47 mm anti-tank gun. Modifications to current vehicles in service was done to put more self-propelled anti-tank weapons into service, which created the ''Marder I'' from the French Lorraine, the ''Marder II'' from the [[Pz.II F|Panzer IIs]], and the '''Marder III''' from the Czech [[Pz.38(t) F|Panzer 38(t)]].

===Specifications===
The Marder III, with the rest of the ''Marder'' series, gave Germany forces a self-propelled gun mounting a better gun than what was available on German tanks, such as the 75 mm Pak 40 or captured Soviet 76.2 mm guns chambered for the Pak 40 ammo. All of the ''Marders'' share a lack of armour for the crew, the top and rear of the vehicle is left exposed to mortar, shrapnel, or infantry weapons. This weakness is mitigated with the fact that the ''Marders'' is supposed to be anti-tank motor carriages that are to ambush incoming enemy tanks.

The '''Marder III Ausf. H''' uses the Panzer 38(t) as it was a design going obsolete, and new large German anti-tank weapons were being produced, so they mounted these guns onto the Panzer 38(t) first. The finished self-propelled mount had a higher silhouette than the Panzer 38(t), which left it more vulnerable, but had a 75 mm Pak 40 gun and withhold 38 rounds in the vehicle. A machine gun on the hull was retained for anti-infantry purposes.

The Marder III Ausf. H predecessor, simply named as the '''[[Marder III]]''' mounted a rechambered 76.2 gun instead of a Pak 40. Another variant created, the '''Ausf. M''', featured a lower silhouette and a better-sloped armour and fighting compartment, despite only holding 27 rounds for the mounted Pak 40. A total of 3,472 Marder IIIs and its version was created or converted from Panzer 38(t) during its production life.

===Combat usage===
The Marder III Ausf. H fought on all fronts of the war, being produced from 1942 to 1945, with 450 Marder III Ausf. H with the Pak 40 converted and produced. Using the tested design of the Panzer 38(t), the Marder III experienced a reliable mechanical history and has a gun that could take out most allied tanks in the war. The vulnerability to the crew due to lack of armour was its most pressing issue, with only a front shield plate at most 15 mm thick and side plates that can't enclose the crew. This makes it as very poor assault vehicles or tank substitutes as the open top could allow infantry to easily kill the crew from hidden areas, despite that, it is sometimes repurposed to this role to the chagrin of the crew.

As its production was underway, Germany already had a few self-propelled assault weapons being produced such as the [[StuG III F|StuG III]] that could have the same anti-tank capabilities, yet was fully armoured, enclosing the crew inadequate armour. This obvious advantage over the open ''Marder'' series encouraged the development of a new kind of tank destroyer from the Panzer 38(t) with better armour, which will eventually create the [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)|Jagdpanzer 38(t)]]. Despite that, the ''Marders'' continued to serve to the end of the war.

=== In-game description ===
"An antitank vehicle designed by Alkett. The prototype was built in June, 1942. It was produced from November, 1942 to April, 1943 at the BMM factory. The Marder II Ausf.H was also rebuilt from damaged tanks at the Wehrmacht factory in Prilougi using cabins obtained from BMM.

Marder IIIs were used actively on all fronts of World War II. Most of them were used on the Eastern Front.

A total of 613 Marder III Ausf.H tank destroyers were produced."

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

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

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

''ETC.''

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

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

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Me 264

2020-04-27T10:44:21Z

U67473093: Fixed 2 Play styles to 3

{{Specs-Card|code=me_264}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German bomber {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy"]].

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

The first thing the player will notice is the plane's similarity to the famed B-29, as it shares a similarly designed fuselage and glazed nose, but a different twin tail instead of the large single tail on the B-29. Despite being a heavy bomber, the Me 264 is quite responsive and manoeuvrable. However, you are still a heavy bomber and you shouldn't try to turn with anyone. It is also quite speedy for its rank and classification, able to out-speed some of the planes at its BR when at altitude.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="8" | Characteristics
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Stock''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
| 496 || 487 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 38.1 || 39.1 || 1.2 || 1.2 || 2,600
|-
! colspan="8" | ''Upgraded''
|-
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (meters)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (meters/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (meters)
|-
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
! AB
! RB
|-
| 545 || 519 || {{Specs|ceiling}} || 35.9 || 37.0 || 6.7 || 3.5 || 2,600
|-
|}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wing-break speed (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear limit (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Combat flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! +
! -
|-
| {{Specs|destruction|constructions}} || {{Specs|destruction|chassis}} || 380 || ~6 || ~3
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities
|-
! Ailerons (km/h)
! Rudder (km/h)
! Elevators (km/h)
! Radiator (km/h)
|-
| < 340 || < 350 || < 290 || > 290
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Compressor (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 1
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 2,600 m || 1,750 hp || 2,074 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 2
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 6,800 m || 1,540 hp || 1,825 hp
|-
! colspan="3" | Setting 3
|-
! Optimal altitude
! 100% Engine power
! WEP Engine power
|-
| 9,700 m || 1,230 hp || 1,458 hp
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
<-- Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems. -->

Despite the lack of armour overall, the Me 264 ''Amerikabomber'' can take quite a beating and has a knack for surviving fires. Due to its four engines, it can lose one or two and still make it back to base for repairs. However, it is one of the largest planes in the game and thus is impossible to miss, so while you can take a lot of damage, you will be receiving a lot as well.

Although it has a general lack of armour, it has the guns to make up for it. With 3 x MG 151/20's that have access to the dreaded ''Minengeschoß'' high-explosive incendiary round complemented by another 3 x MG 131 heavy machine guns, as a few well-placed shots will make short work of any attacker that recklessly tails you.

== Armaments ==
=== Suspended armament ===

{{main|SC250JA (250 kg)|SC500K (500 kg)|SC1000L2 (1,000 kg)|SC1800B (1,800 kg)}}

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

* 9 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (2,250 kg total)
* 6 x 500 kg SC500K bombs + 3 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (3,750 kg total)
* 4 x 1,000 kg SC1000L2 bombs (4,000 kg total)
* 2 x 1,800 kg SC1800B bombs + 3 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (4,350 kg total)

With a massive 4,000 kg payload, the Me 264 has the second best payload of any non-premium German bomber, and one of the best payloads at its BR. Ideally, you should use the 2 x 1,800 kg bombs + 3 x 250 kg bombs for destroying bases, as in Arcade Battles this payload can destroy a base in one pass (or get close depending on if you up-tier it) and in Realistic Battles, the 2 x 1,800 kg ''Satan'' bombs can destroy two bases with one for each base, and then you can damage the last base with the 3 x 250 kg bombs. The only other worthwhile payload is the 4 x 1,000 kg bombs, as these can be better for destroying ground targets, but you shouldn't be using the Me 264 in this way unless you absolutely know what you're doing.

=== Defensive armament ===

{{main|MG 151/20 (20 mm)|MG 131 (13 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is defended by:

* 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, nose turret (750 rpg)
* 1 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, front dorsal turret (450 rpg)
* 1 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, rear dorsal turret (450 rpg)
* 1 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, ventral turret (750 rpg)
* 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, 2 x beam turrets (500 rpg)

== Usage in battles ==


'''When flying as:'''

The Me 264 plays like your typical heavy bomber: a slow and lumbering beast that has amazing defensive armament and a good payload. While you may have one of the best defensive armaments in the German bomber line (or out of bombers in general), it is best to avoid engagements all together to minimize potential damage due to your massive size. However, if an enemy gets on your tail, they're as good as dead thanks to your superb defensive armament that can shred through planes like paper. '''Never allow a plane to head-on you.''' Be sure to face your tail towards the attacker, as more than half of your guns face towards the back and your glazed nose makes it easy to snipe your pilot out.

Notable enemies include any heavily armed interceptor that has at least semi-decent performance, but notably the [[P-61C-1|P-61]], [[P-38J-15|P-38J]], [[Mosquito FB Mk VI|Mosquito]] and the [[P-47D-28|P-47D]]'s, as all of these planes can climb to your altitude and destroy you with their heavy armament.

The P-61 and P-38J are some of the most deadly, as their powerful armament can tear you in half, especially the P-61 with its quad AN/M2 20 mm cannons. Focus fire on the cockpit in order to snipe the pilot.

The Mosquito is a sort of push-pull. While you can down it easily due to its wooden construction, it can do the same to you with its quad Hispano Mk.II's. Aim for centre mass near the cockpit, as this is the most vulnerable area, or aim for the wings where the fuel tanks are stored and can cause fires.

You can deal with the P-47D's in a similar fashion as the P-61 and P-38J, but you should focus fire on the engine and wings as this can result in fires, broken engines and snapped wings. Watch out for its 8 x .50 cals, as most of the pilots run the ''Tracer'' belt which is entirely API-T and is known for starting fires.

'''Play styles'''

There are three playstyles the 264 can cater to, although the second one is very risky and is not recommended.

'''High-Altitude Strategic Bomber:''' The role the 264 was designed for, and the role it excels the most at. Firstly climb to altitude, anywhere from 6-7 km and then maintain that altitude through level flight and gain some speed, as would-be attackers will struggle to catch you by keeping a constant speed of 400-435 Kph or 250-270 Mph. Make your way towards the bases and drop your bombs.

'''Gunship''': While being significantly more dangerous to the player, the "Gunship" play style is infinitely more fun. It is only recommended to use this play style when the plane is spaded. Stay relatively low to the ground and attack ground troops, and if any player comes to attack you, focus your guns on them and let them tail you. The main bonus for flying in this way is that your extremely vulnerable belly is covered, preventing anybody from attacking you from there. The only reason this play style is viable is because the lower rank players you will encounter are more likely to make mistakes such as tailing you, allowing you to shoot them down for points.

'''Bomber Hunter''': Climb to meet enemy bombers at high-altitude. While the enemy bombers will acknowledge the Me 264, they will rarely react against the Me 264 aside from keeping some air space. Deny their evasive manoeuvres and close-in to the enemy bombers. Once in range, use the 20 mm HEI-T belts and attack the enemy. Attempt to approach the target to make use of as many turrets as possible at a time for a quick end to the engagement. If the bomber's defensive is formidable, try to enter and exit the engagement as fast as possible to avoid significant damage to the Me 264.

'''When attacking''':

"'''Never tail a Me 264'''". Tailing a 264 is basically suicide unless all of their gunners are knocked out. You can treat the 264 almost like a B-29 or B-17 as the planes are very similar in both design and defensive capabilities. It is best to head-on the bomber if you can as you can easily knock out the pilots due to its glazed nose while also taking minimal damage. However the bomber lacks a ventral turret on its belly, making it easy to deal damage from below, but be weary of the downwards facing rear 20 mm cannon near the tail. When at a higher altitude, it is best to make a dive from an oblique angle and focus fire on the wings and nose.

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

=== Modules ===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="1" | Tier
! colspan="2" | Flight performance
! colspan="1" | Survivability
! colspan="3" | Weaponry
|-
| I
| Fuselage repair
| Radiator
|
| Turret 13 mm
|
| ETC 500/II
|-
| II
|
| Compressor
| Airframe
|
| Turret 20 mm
| ETC 1000/I
|-
| III
| Wings repair
| Engine
|
| New 13 mm MGs (turret)
|
| ETC 1800
|-
| IV
|
| Engine injection
| Cover
|
| New 20 mm cannons (turret)
|
|-
|}

The stock payload is quite poor, so pick up the ''ETC 500/II'' modification first, followed by the 20 mm belts to add more ''minengeschoß'' rounds, then the ''ETC 1000/I'' and ''ETC 1800''. The rest of the modules are up to you, but survivability modules are recommended to withstand the beating you will be getting.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Deadly and accurate defensive armament
* Great payload, unmatched by any non-premium until the [[He 177 A-5]]
* Decent speed and acceleration for a bomber
* Maneuverability is good
* Solid RP grinder
* Surprisingly responsive

'''Cons:'''

* Gunners have a lot of deadzones
* Massive size, one of the biggest planes in the game
* Has troubles diving at high speeds

== History ==

Development of the Me 264 began in the late 1930s when Messerschmitt conducted work on developing a long-range reconnaissance aircraft, designated P.1061. In early 1941, six prototypes of the P.1061 were ordered and the aircraft received the formal designation of Me 264. However, the initial order for six prototypes would shortly afterwards be dropped to three.

Progress on constructing the ordered prototypes was slow at start, but development quickly picked up the pace with the start of the Amerikabomber project in spring 1942. The project called for new very long range strategic bomber designs, resulting in several designs being proposed, among them also the Me 264.

It soon became clear that despite all the advantages of the Me 264 the aircraft would not be able to demonstrate acceptable flight characteristics due to the lack of more powerful engines at that time. Apart from the Amerikabomber project, the Me 264 was also briefly considered by the Kriegsmarine as a possible replacement for the dated Fw 200 in the maritime reconnaissance role.

The first and only prototype of the Me 264 which saw completion, flew on 23 December 1942. While undergoing modifications, the Me 264 project had its further development halted, with the sole completed prototype being used as a transport machine. In 1943, the second prototype was destroyed during an allied bombing raid. The same fate also struck the first and unfinished third prototype in July 1944. After all prototypes were lost, the Me 264 project was officially cancelled in September 1944.

''- From [[wt:en/news/6190-development-me-264-the-teutonic-superfortress-en|Devblog]]''

== Media ==


;Images
<div><ul>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 005.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 006.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
<li style="display: inline-block;"> [[File:Me 264 WTWallpaper 007.jpg|thumb|none|250px|]] </li>
</ul></div>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|lBTQGGr-Kxs|'''The Shooting Range #149''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 05:10 discusses the Me 264.}}

== See also ==


;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Avro [[Lincoln B Mk II|Lincoln]]
* Boeing [[B-29A-BN|B-29]] Superfortress
* Nakajima [[G8N1]]
* Piaggio [[P.108B serie 1|P.108]]
* Tupolev [[Tu-4]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/6190-development-me-264-the-teutonic-superfortress-en|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Me 264: The Teutonic Superfortress]]
* [https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/amerikan-bomber-1942/ [Rare Historical <nowiki>Photos]</nowiki> Messerschmitt Me 264 Amerika bomber]

{{AirManufacturer BFW}}
{{Germany bombers}}

75/32 M41

2019-10-16T21:24:41Z

U67473093:

{{Specs-Card|code=it_semovente_m41_75_32}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage 75 32 M41.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italy tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and 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.''

=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability as well as the maximum speed forward and backwards.''

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

{{main|75/32 mod.37 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[75/32 mod.37 (75 mm)|75 mm 75/32 mod.37]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 43 || -12°/+22° || ±18° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 12.3 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.3 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.7 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Granata Perforante mod.32 || APCBC || 76 || 75 || 66 || 56 || 48 || 41
|-
| Granata mod.32 || HE || 10 || 10 || 9 || 9 || 9 || 9
|-
| EPS M42 || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Granata Perforante mod.32 || APCBC || 630 || 6.3 || 1.3 || 15 || 270 || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Granata mod.32 || HE || 490 || 6.4 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 610 || ° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| EPS M42 || HEAT || 399 || 5.3 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 500 || ° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| Gr. Fumogena || 450 || 6.4 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''XX''' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}

== 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 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 ===
''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a 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 - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''

'''Pros:'''

* Low Profile

*

'''Cons:'''

*

== History ==


About 25 Semoventi 75/18s were re-equipped in mid-1943 with the improved 75/32 field gun, which had a longer barrel, increased muzzle velocity and range compared to the 75/18 howitzer. Some of these saw combat with the 135th "Ariete II" Armored Division around Rome in September 1943. A number were confiscated by Germany on Italy's surrender and turned over to Fascist Italian forces.

== Media ==

Skin and Camouflages for the [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=italy&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=it_semovente_m41_75_32 75/32 M41] in Warthunder Live.

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

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

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

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

{{Italy tank destroyers}}

Wirbelwind

2019-06-21T12:19:56Z

U67473093: Added a screenshot to media

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_flakpanzer_IV_Wirbelwind}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Wirbelwind.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft (SPAA) vehicle {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]].

The Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind is a anti-aircraft platform on a Panzer IV chassis. Armed with quad 20 mm FlaK38 cannons, this machine will absolutely obliterate any enemy plane that's unfortunate enough to cross paths with it. Due to the high fire rate, this machine effectively spews out a river of high explosives. Any airplane unfortunate enough to even touch that stream will at least burst into flames, if not more severe damage. However, they are incredibly easy to spot because of the tracers. While an individual 20 mm shell does not do much damage, it is very hard when using the Wirbelwind to hit an aircraft with only one shell. The sheer number of shells will overwhelm the aircraft, and act like a laser, cutting off pieces and burning others.

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

The armour surrounding the turret can provide a small amount of protection against plane machine guns, but the amount of armour on its turret is still low and it has an open top so it's best to destroy the attacking plane quickly or move out of the way.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (11°) ''Front plate'' 20 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 80 mm (11-12°) ''Lower glacis''|| 30 mm || 30 mm (4-15°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 16 mm (19-24°) || 16 mm (21-27°) || 16 mm (17-22°) || N/A
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Some track links are placed on the front glacis, adding 15 mm armour at their area.
* Belly armour is 10 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 25.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 42 (AB)
|-
|39 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|426
|525
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|17.04
|21.00
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.60
|12.00
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|FlaK 38 (20 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FlaK 38 (20 mm)|20 mm FlaK 38]] (x4)
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="3" | 480 (20) || 480 || -10°/+90° || ±180°
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 35.7 || 49.4 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 35.7 || 42.0 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.2 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

=== Ammunition ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr || API-T || 46 || 45 || 33 || 23 || 15 || 11
|-
| PzGr 40 || HVAP-T || 64 || 63 || 33 || 23 || 15 || 11
|-
| Sprgr. || HEFI-T || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr || API-T || 780 || 0.15 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| PzGr 40 || HVAP-T || N/A || N/A || N/A || N/A || N/A || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
| Sprgr. || HEFI-T || 900 || 0.12 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 10.2 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

===Belt types===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Belts''' || '''Shell composition''' || '''Combat usage'''
|-
| align="left" |'''''Default ''''' || align="left" | [[:Category:Ammunition#Kinetic_energy_shells|API-T]], [[:Category:Ammunition#Cannon_shells|HEFI-T]] (Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer – High Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell || align="left" | 50% of this belt are useless against tanks or planes. However against other SPAA this belt can reliably take out crew, armament, ammo and engine. Having one belt in reserve does not hurt.
|-
| align="left" |'''''Sprgr.''''' || align="left" | [[:Category:Ammunition#Cannon_shells|HEFI-T]] (High Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell || align="left" | Versus planes and open combat compartment vehicles. Aircraft will usually take three to six hits. Heavy armoured attackers and bombers may require more though.
|-
| align="left" |'''''PzGr''''' || align="left" | [[:Category:Ammunition#Kinetic_energy_shells|API-T]] (Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer) shell || align="left" | Intermediate usage until the better PzGr 40 can be used. Decent enough versus light tanks and other vehicles from the rear. Due the lack of HE filler underwhelming damage, yet still better than the PzGr 40.
|-
| align="left" |'''''PzGr 40''''' || align="left" | HVAP-T, API-T (High Velocity Armour Piercing tracer - Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer) shell || align="left" | Best penetrating shell of this vehicle. However, the damage effects are very poor. In close combat snipe for modules and crewmember for increased survival rate. Nothing is more annoying than emptying a clip and then to get destroyed in the reload because the enemy gunner survived. Against angled armoured it is not very effective like any other ACPR shell, this is offset by the very high base penetration though.
|}

=== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] ===
[[File:Ammoracks_Wirbelwind.png|x250px|right|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] for the Wirbelwind.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''160''' || 36 ''(+128)'' || 32 ''(+128)'' || 24 ''(+136)'' || 20 ''(+140)'' || 16 ''(+144)'' || 12 ''(+148)'' || 8 ''(+152)'' || 0 ''(+160)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Clips with 20 rounds each (3,200 rounds max)

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Ammunition clips in turret do not empty

== Usage in the battles ==


Being the first anti-aircraft of a modified Panzer IV, it is superior to the previous vehicle, the [[Sd.Kfz. 6/2|3.7-cm Flak 36 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz. 6/2]] in many areas and has little to none disadvantages. One notable disadvantage would be the lack of penetration of API-T rounds compared to the prior 3,7 cm cannon. It is recommended to stay away from areas of combat as your quad 20's will do practically nothing against the front plates of heavier armoured enemies at its rank, against which its only defence is to blind enemy vehicles with a barrage of fire and hope allies will neutralize the threat. However, firing a stream of HVAP-T rounds into an enemy's side plates can lead to a very fast elimination.

In terms of advantages with the 20 mm autocannons, the quad-mount gives the Wirbelwind the ability to fire a lethal stream of explosive round at any pilot who wanders into your sights.

'''Anti-Aircraft:''' 
While in tank guns, dispersion (the MOA cone that is used to determine accuracy) is something that is ideally kept to a minimum, this vehicle benefits from it by having shots spread out in a sort of "shotgun" effect, rather than having four separate beams of projectiles. This means that if you can get your lead point right, your odds of shredding aircraft with even a momentary burst is exceptional compared to other types of AA present at the ranks that you will be operating this vehicle. Unfortunately, this rapid-fire ability is hindered by the 20 round magazine capacity for each cannon (for a total of 80 rounds), meaning that it is best to fire 3-5 round bursts to make effective use of what ammunition you have and your magazine size. This is one of the few areas the Wirbelwind is caught lacking, the others being an open crew compartment roof and the fact that your SPAA houses most of its crew in a thinly armoured turret.

Some of these disadvantages with the Wirbelwind can be mitigated by working with another SPAA. Two Wirbelwinds about 30m apart prove a daunting combination to enemy aircraft as their crossed streams maximize their ability to hit and it is very hard to neutralise both in one go. Besides doubling their spotting ability — when one sees the other firing, he or she will be quick to acquire the same target and proceed to severely worsen the aeroplane's day. For this reason, as a matter of etiquette, do not fire into the air if you do not see anyone, so as not to mislead your teammates.

'''Attack:''' 
It is highly discouraged to use the Wirbelwind aggressively since it can be hard to always get such a favourable engagement (and also it is not the SPAA's job to do so). However, should a player choose such an attack plan, they should consider either being supported by friendly tanks as an additional gun or cover, or flanking wide and make effective use of cover and concealment against thin-skinned vehicles. Use roads less-traveled to remain hidden. No matter which manoeuvre that is used, stay vigilant for enemy aircraft to avoid them spotting and pouncing on the Wirbelwind. Even if equipped with the PzGr 40 belt for anti-tank purposes, eighty 20 mm shells from the Wirbelwind can still mess up an aircraft's flight time.

Once the question of manoeuvring to an advantageous position is answered, the next concern is seeing if the 20 mm have enough firepower to be of any threat to the enemy downrange. While the PzGr 40 APCR belt can be a threat to enemy light tank, lightly armoured tank destroyers like the [[M18 GMC|M18 Hellcat]], and also enemy anti-air vehicle, the shell's penetration decreases drastically at range and it's not enough to deal with more heavily armoured vehicles, with the side armour of some medium tanks even being a questionable option. The Wirbelwind's armour is only enough to reduce the damage done by aeroplanes, which makes engaging any sort of tank very dangerous. As such, pick targets wisely and make sure to either take them out within one belt's worth of shells or hold fire to avoid drawing any attention at all.

===Modules===
'''Tier 1''': ''Spr.Gr.'' (new HE belts) -> ''Parts'' (for repairs) -> ''Turet drive'' (faster turn rate) 
'''Tier 2''': ''FPE'' (fire extinguisher) -> plus something of desire ''Adjustment of fire'' is not recommended with 1800rpm. Spray a minefield! 
'''Tier 3''': ''Elevation mechanism'' (faster barrel raise) -> Anything else 
Everything else can be researched at leisure.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire (1,800 rounds per minute combined!)
* Impressive ammo capacity of 3,200 rounds / 2 minutes of fire
* Will devastate planes at close range
* Excellent turret traverse makes it possible to stay on aircraft
* Extreme fire rate, compared to other SPAA
* Excellent armour for an AA vehicle
* High driving speed able to move from cover to cover with little to no problem.

'''Cons:'''

* Open top design makes vehicle vulnerable to strafing runs by enemy aircraft
* Hexagonal turret susceptible to HE rounds
* Less effective at firing at distant aircraft
* Reloading rate sub-par compared to other SPAAs at 5.6 seconds
* With continuous firing, a magazine is emptied very fast
* 20 mm shells have difficulty dealing with bombers due to both durability and an average altitude of targets
* Weak-side armour, where an ammo rack is located

== History ==

===Development===
Development of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns that could keep up with the Panzer formations were not taken into consideration in the early years of World War II due to the Luftwaffe's superiority over the air, but gradual losses in the Luftwaffe and inability to support their flights gave the Allies the upper hand in the air, granting them air superiority. The growing air power of the Allies forced the Germans to develop methods to protect their tank formations from strafing from Allied aircraft, one early design to protect the front line tanks was the ''Flakpanzer IV Mobelwagen'', an interim design as Flakpanzer designs underwent development. SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl Wilhelm Krause of the 12th SS Panzer Division came up with the concept of the '''Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind''' in the summer of 1944. The commander of the 12th SS Panzer Regiment, SS-Obersturmbannführer Max Wünsche, received this and presented it to Hitler, to which he approved for its development.

The design called for use of the proven Panzer IV design. The Wirbelwind uses the Panzer IV hull, but the original Panzer IV turret was removed and replaced with an open-topped nine-sided turret that mounted the anti-aircraft armament. The anti-aircraft armament chosen for the vehicle was a quadruple mounted 2 cm FlaK 38. Though a closed-top turret design was desired, the number of gasses given out by the gun made this impossible for the crew. The production of the Wirbelwind commenced at the Ostbau Werke at Sagan, Silesia. Between 87 to 105 Wirbelwinds were manufactured from May to November 1944, with the discrepancies due to differences in the Wehrmacht service records and Ostbau Werke's production records.

===Combat usage===
The troops nicknamed the Wirbelwind the ''"Keksdose"'' (Biscuit Tin) due to its unique turret shape. The Wirbelwind was equipped with Panzer formations to protect them against low-flying aircraft. During the Battle of Normandy in 1944, flak units in the 12th SS Panzer Division were credited with shooting down 45 allied planes. However, there weren't enough to go around in the front-lines so many Panzer formations were left vulnerable to enemy aircraft due to lack of availability of the Flakpanzers. Not only did their small numbers made their effect on the front minimal, but the 20 mm cannon was also determined to insufficient against the more armoured aircraft that the Allies are fielding. Thus, the design was changed to not use the quadruple 2 cm Flak 38, but instead the 3.7 cm FlaK 43 in the new designation [[Ostwind|Flakpanzer IV Ostwind]]. Aside from that the Wirbelwind also served as a ground support role, which it proved very well at with its rapid firing 20 mm cannons.

It was determined that the Flakpanzer IV in the ''Wirbelwind'' and ''Ostwind'' configurations were to be replaced by the [[Kugelblitz]] by early 1945, in an attempt to yet again increase the firepower of the anti-aircraft guns. But this never happened due to the war ending before the Kugelblitz could be deployed.

=== In-game description ===
After losing air superiority, the Wehrmacht needed to improve the AA weapons of its armored tank divisions. The Wirbelwind AA vehicle was built on the chassis of the Pz.IV tank. It was the first specialized, self-sufficient means of defending armored tank divisions against enemy aircraft. The Flakvierling 38 installation was placed in an open turret protected by 16 mm of armor plating. Unlike various other self-propelled AA systems, this AA weapon struck a balance between protection, deployment time, and firepower. Between July, 1944 and March, 1945 105 of these mounts were built. They were used on the Western and Eastern Fronts. The first prototype was built on the basis of a remodeled Pz.IV by Krupp-Druckenmuller GmbH Berlin-Mariendorf in May, 1944.

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

[[File:Wirbelwind looking for planes.jpg|frameless]]

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

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

''ETC.''

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

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

{{Germany anti-aircraft vehicles}}

File:Wirbelwind looking for planes.jpg

2019-06-21T12:07:46Z

U67473093:

User:U67473093

2019-06-21T12:01:06Z

U67473093: More details ;)

Hi, I am a wiki member that mainly adds screenshots to the pages. Here's my steam account: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198321037279

User:U67473093

2019-06-21T11:51:35Z

U67473093:

I doubt someone will ever read this.

Crusader AA Mk II

2019-06-21T11:35:51Z

U67473093: Added a screenshot to the media

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_aa_mk_2}}
{{Notice|''This page is about the self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle '''{{PAGENAME}}'''. For other uses, see [[Crusader (Disambiguation)]]''}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced along with the entire British tree line in [[Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (86°), 20 mm (62°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (26-64°) ''Lower glacis'' 18 mm (1°) ''Driver's plate'' || 14 mm || 14 mm (44-50°) ''Top'' 14 mm (14°) ''Bottom''|| 7 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 mm (5°) 30 mm (2-52°) || 14 mm (7-9°) || 17 mm (6-39°) || 12.7 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* The driver's port at the driver's position offers up to 50 mm of protection in cast homogeneous armour.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 16.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 46 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|483
|595
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|301
|340
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|29.63
|36.50
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|18.47
|20.86
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Oerlikon Mk.II (20 mm)|20 mm Oerlikon Mk.II]] (x2)
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="2" | 1,200 (60) || 450 || -5°/+87° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.8 || 32.9 || 40.0 || 44.2 || 47.0
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 7.8 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

=== Ammunition ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Belt composition
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Default || AP-T, HEF-I || 40 || 39 || 27 || 18 || 10 || 6
|-
| HET || HEFI-T, HEF-I || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
| APT || AP-T || 40 || 39 || 27 || 18 || 10 || 6
|-
|}

===Belt types===
{| class="catlist"
| '''Belts''' || '''Shell composition''' || '''Combat usage'''
|-
| align="left" |''Default'' || align="left" | AP-T – HEF-I || align="left" | This belts carry an equal mixture of HET and APT.
|-
| align="left" |''HET'' || align="left" | HEFI-T – HEF-I || align="left" | This is the belts you want to research first, since they are the best against aircraft.
|-
| align="left" |''APT'' || align="left" | AP-T || align="left" | These are purely APCR belts that, as mentioned above, are not very useful with 40mm of penetration, it is always a good idea to carry a round of them for self-defence - It can knockout lightly armoured vehicles.
|}

=== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] ===
[[File:Ammoracks AC Mk II AA.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo rack]] of the AC Mk II AA (identical to {{PAGENAME}}).]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''10''' || 8 ''(+2)'' || 6 ''(+4)'' || 4 ''(+6)'' || 2 ''(+8)''|| style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Though the Crusader AA Mk.II was meant for SPAA, the twin 20 mm cannons mean this vehicle can annihilate thin-skinned vehicles with ease, such as the [[8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.|8.8cm Flak 37]] or the [[M15A1 CGMC|M15]], as the 20 mm will slice through the thin half-track armor to knock out the crew.

'''''Prefered fighting locations''''' 
Due to the heavy ammunition consumption as SPAA in AA fights, stay at "safe" capture points to get free ammunition reload during battle. If forced to return to a cap point early in the game, this will often be a death sentence.

'''''Ammunition''''' 
This vehicle has multiple uses depending on which type of ammunition is selected.

'''HET''' is recommended for destroying planes, but it would be impossible to destroy a tank with them. If such an encounter occurs, get out of the vicinity and do not draw the attention of tanks like the [[T-34-57]] or [[Tiger H1|Tiger]] will one shot this SPAA. When shooting planes try to aim for bombers and ground attack planes as they won't be able to outmanoeuvre the shots.

'''APT''' rounds gives a lot more choices. Though it is a Rank 3 vehicle, the low battle rating means it will be matched against Rank 2 opponents, many of which won't stand a chance if shot from the sides with APT. If in a higher rank battle (with opponents like the [[Panther D]] and the [[IS-1]]), this tactic will often not work. However, the Mark II can still tear apart tracks and gun barrels just as easily with the APT rounds.

As for the '''default''' belt, it is probably better off changing to prioritize HET or APT.

Due to the relatively low ammo reserve, only take one type of belt with you and take as much you can carry as the ammo will run out quickly when it is split apart for both belts.

Due to the closed nature of the vehicle, the Crusader AA Mk.II doesn't need to worry about strafing fighters as they will often not do any serious damage to the crew. However, ground attackers like the [[IL-2_(1942)|Ilyushin]] or [[P-47D-25|Thunderbolt]] are still just as deadly. Though more protected from machine gun fire, its armour is not enough to stand against enemy tanks, which would slice through the armour with shots from their cannons.

===Modules===

* Like every other vehicles, the "Parts" and "FPE" modifications should be prioritized so you won't lose your vehicle due to being disabled.
* After that, prioritize on the different ammunition, aiming for "HET", for better anti-air performance.
* Getting "Horizontal Drive" next is recommended for aiming at high-speed targets
* Everything else are extra, but still essentials to upgrading the vehicle.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Using [[Crusader Mk II|Crusader Mk II]]'s chassis - fast with a low profile.
* High fire rate and a quick reload.
* Closed-top AAA - the crew is well protected from strafing planes.
* Extremely dangerous for vehicles with armour of 40 mm or less.
* Rank III vehicle - suitable for completing missions for warbonds and events.
* Lightly armoured vehicles like armoured cars, SPAA, and tank side armour can be easy target to the rapid-fire 20 mm autocannons.

'''Cons:'''

* Limited ammo supply (can be a problem when losing on one point maps).
* Essentially the armour of a Rank 1 tank.
* Can only penetrate medium tanks like the Panzer IVs from the side at close range, any more armour will leave the SPAA armament useless.
* Contemporary to the [[Wirbelwind|German Wirbelwind]], but with less firepower, less anti-tank ability, and less hull armour.
* No improvement in firepower compared to the 20 mm Oerlikon cannons on the Armoured Car Mk.II AA.

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and ''[[Crusader Mk II|Mk.II]]'' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the ''[[Crusader Mk III]]'' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the '''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk.I]]''' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk.II]]'' Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running [[Crusader Mk III]] at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France.

== Media ==
[[File:Crusader AA Mk II night fury.jpg|none|thumb]]
===Live.Warthunder===
[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/all/?q=#crusader_aa_mkII '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the Crusader AA Mk.II from live.warthunder.com.]

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/855/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Crusader AA Mk.I and Crusader AA Mk.II] 

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

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

{{Britain anti-aircraft vehicles}}

File:Crusader AA Mk II night fury.jpg

2019-06-21T11:26:41Z

U67473093:

Cromwell I

2019-06-21T11:18:35Z

U67473093:

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

== Description ==

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

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

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

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || 25.4 mm || 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 14 mm
|-
| Turret || 76.2 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 63.5 mm || 57.1 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 99 || 96 || 81 || 65 || 53 || 42
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 107 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 109 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 121 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 13 || 13 || 12 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 807 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

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

== Usage in battles ==


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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 71 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

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

== History ==

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in 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 ==

[[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|thumb|315x315px|Cromwell I in the desert|none]]

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

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

== External links ==


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

{{Britain medium tanks}}

Cromwell I

2019-06-21T11:18:00Z

U67473093: Added a screenshot to the media

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

== Description ==

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

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

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

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 63.5 mm ''Front plate'' 25.4 mm (74°) ''Front glacis'' 57 mm (13°) ''Joint plate'' 25.4 mm (68°) ''Lower glacis'' || 25.4 mm || 32 mm (0-7°) ''Top'' 20 mm (47°) ''Bottom'' || 14 mm
|-
| Turret || 76.2 mm ''Turret front'' 63.5 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 63.5 mm || 57.1 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 27.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|64 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|930
|1,145
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|34.44
|42.41
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|19.67
|22.22
|-
|}

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 75 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 23.80 || 32.94 || _._ || _._ || 47.06
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.88 || 17.50 || _._ || _._ || 25.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _._ || _._ || 4.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 99 || 96 || 81 || 65 || 53 || 42
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 107 || 104 || 88 || 70 || 57 || 46
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 109 || 106 || 90 || 72 || 59 || 48
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 121 || 118 || 101 || 84 || 70 || 58
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 13 || 13 || 12 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 807 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.87 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.23 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 655 || 2.72 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 590 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

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

== Usage in battles ==


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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Very fast for a medium tank
* 57 mm is a good gun in dealing with many vehicles that it may face
* Above 2 combined make it excellent for seizing zones and destroying the lighter tanks from other nations that are usually the first there
* With judicious use, the tank can often end up with the most formidable tank in a lower rank game
* Can easily hide behind obstacles and surprise passing enemies with a flanking manoeuver
* If played correctly, it can outflank and destroy even higher ranking tanks
* Has a speed of 71 km/h on flat terrain

'''Cons:'''

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

== History ==

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Cromwells were also given out to Allied units such as the 1st Polish Armoured Division and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade. These units served in 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 ==

[[File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg|left|thumb|315x315px|Cromwell I in the desert]]

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

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

== External links ==


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

{{Britain medium tanks}}

File:Cromwell I desert charge.jpg

2019-06-21T11:05:10Z

U67473093:

Crusader III

2019-02-06T19:30:51Z

U67473093:

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_mk_3}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Crusader Mk III.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''Crusader Mk III''' is a Rank I British light tank with a battle rating of 2.7. It was introduced along with the initial British tree line in [[Update_1.55_"Royal_Armour"|Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (78-85°), 20 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (26-64°) ''Lower glacis'' || 4 + 14 + 14.27 mm || 14 mm (44-50°) ''Top'' (14-52°) 14 mm ''Bottom'' || 7 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 mm (1°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (0-44°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (50°) || 17 mm (28-53°) || 12.7 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Interior 14.27 mm side armour is made of structural steel.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 20.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 47 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|527
|649
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|301
|340
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|25.96
|31.97
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|14.83
|16.75
|-
|}

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 65 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 9.5 || 13.2 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.5 || 11.2 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 100 || 83 || 67 || 51 || 45
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP|| 112 || 111 || 92 || 74 || 57 || 50
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 94 || 92 || 83 || 72 || 63 || 52
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 113 || 112 || 100 || 90 || 84 || 80
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 807 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 807 || 3.0 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 153 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.9 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_Crusader_Mk_III.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Crusader Mk III.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''65''' || 49 ''(+16)'' || 33 ''(+32)'' || 17 ''(+48)'' || 1 ''(+64)'' || No
|-
|}
Center and front rack empty: 33 ''(+32)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,375 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

[[File:Crusader MkIII Poland rain.jpg|thumb|A Crusader MkIII heading to combat on [[Poland (Ground Forces)|Poland]].]]
The Crusader tank was designed to be fast and highly mobile, exploiting enemy battle lines by penetrating the flanks and disrupting the enemy from behind. In the game, the Crusader should be used in a similar fashion. It is quick, well armed and highly manoeuvrable, making it great at rushing capture points and exploiting the enemies flanks. The 57mm gun is excellent for its tier, with high penetration and good ballistics. Very few tanks can withstand a hit from this gun without major damage or worse.

The tanks low profile is its main advantage. You can hide easily among vegetation and obstacles like walls, shooting from a concealed position or retreating if the situation is looking a little too dangerous.

Of course, you can't have everything. The tank has thin armour, so it isn't suitable as a front line tank. The armour is sloped, however, so you may bounce some smaller calibre shells. Explosive shells are your worst nightmare, so avoid getting hit by them.

The 57 mm gun has great penetration, but the Crusader has very thin armour. There are still plenty of enemies that can give you some trouble.

* T-34 (1940)- You will begin encountering early models of T34s at this tier. You can penetrate their turret easily and drivers port easily, but they can pose a serious problem when angled properly. Also, the 76mm L11 gun can easily take you out with its massive explosive power. Try to take out the gunner first and then deal with the rest of the crew members for a safe kill.
* Panzer IV F1- The rapid-fire 75mm short barreled gun can fire HEAT or APCBC rounds, which can penetrate and cause serious damage to the Crusader. Luckily, the F1 has flat armour which can be easily penetrated from the front. Range is your friend with these tanks. Their gun is very difficult to aim accurately over 500m. Hit it before it hits you and you will most likely come out on top.
* Panzer IV F2- If you get up-tiered then you will face off against the dreaded Panzer IV F2. Its gun is accurate, high penetration and causes massive damage upon penetration. It will kill you easily at range. Fortunately, it has the same weak flat armour as the F1, so can be easily dealt with if you get off the first shot
* KV1-L11 - These heavy tanks are rare at your battle rating, but can still be faced. They have great, bouncy armour and a deadly gun. Try to hit the turret cheeks or the side/rear armour.
* Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. L - This Panzer III has a great, high-velocity gun and excellent frontal armour. The extra 20mm high hardness plates make a massive difference to the frontal armour, making it more bouncy and harder to penetrate. Fortunately, your gun can reliably penetrate the Panzer III L. If you are unsure, aim for the drivers port to kill the driver, gunner and commander.

Almost every tank can kill you easily, even with Rank I guns. Stay mobile, take advantage of the tanks low profile and shoot only when you know you can penetrate. This can make you a formidable tank on the battlefield.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good penetration for a Rank I light tank
* Diverse selection of shells
* Low profile
* Gun is very lethal at close/mid range. It can easily get through the armour of any vehicle at its rank and beyond
* Gun already has a quick fire rate and no loader, so if a crew member dies you cannot lose much of your fire rate advantage
* Makes a good sneaky flanker in later rank matches. The gun remains effective and your low profile can come in handy
* Armour is thin but has odd angles all over the place, causing some rounds to bounce
* Reverse speed is much better than the Cromwell tank, though still only average
* Good manoeuvrability
* Carries 50 smoke grenades, can lay down long smoke screens to cover large areas

'''Cons:'''

* Not as fast as some of the other light tanks at this rank
* Weak armour
* Face of the turret is flat, making it quite easy to kill the gunner
* Only 3 crew members, relatively easy to kill in one shot

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20-ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and ''[[Crusader Mk II|Mk.II]]'' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the '''[[Crusader Mk III]]''' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These first saw action in the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combined with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were re-equipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code-named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the ''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk.I]]'' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk.II]]''. Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running Crusader Mk.III at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France

== Media ==
[[File:Crusader MkIII Poland rain.jpg|thumb|A Crusader MkIII heading to combat on [[Poland (Ground Forces)|Poland]].|none]]
== Read also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''

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

''ETC.''

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

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

{{Britain light tanks}}

User:U67473093

2019-02-06T19:19:35Z

U67473093: Created page with "I'm just a guy that plays realistic battles and likes to take screenshots."

I'm just a guy that plays realistic battles and likes to take screenshots.

Crusader III

2019-02-06T19:13:16Z

U67473093: Uploaded a screenshoot of the Crusader.

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_crusader_mk_3}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Crusader Mk III.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''Crusader Mk III''' is a Rank I British light tank with a battle rating of 2.7. It was introduced along with the initial British tree line in [[Update_1.55_"Royal_Armour"|Update 1.55 "Royal Armour"]].

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Driver's port)
* Structural steel (Side skirts)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (33°) ''Front plate'' 9 mm (78-85°), 20 mm (61°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (26-64°) ''Lower glacis'' || 4 + 14 + 14.27 mm || 14 mm (44-50°) ''Top'' (14-52°) 14 mm ''Bottom'' || 7 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 mm (1°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (0-44°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (50°) || 17 mm (28-53°) || 12.7 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Interior 14.27 mm side armour is made of structural steel.

=== Mobility ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 20.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 47 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|527
|649
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|301
|340
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|25.96
|31.97
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|14.83
|16.75
|-
|}

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mk.III (57 mm)|57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 65 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || Vertical
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 9.5 || 13.2 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.5 || 11.2 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 5.20 || _.__ || _.__ || _.__
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 101 || 100 || 83 || 67 || 51 || 45
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP|| 112 || 111 || 92 || 74 || 57 || 50
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 94 || 92 || 83 || 72 || 63 || 52
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 113 || 112 || 100 || 90 || 84 || 80
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| Shot Mk.5 || AP || 807 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.10 || HE || 807 || 3.0 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 153 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.5 HV || AP || 853 || 2.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APC || 853 || 2.9 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.9 || APCBC || 801 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_Crusader_Mk_III.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Crusader Mk III.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''65''' || 49 ''(+16)'' || 33 ''(+32)'' || 17 ''(+48)'' || 1 ''(+64)'' || No
|-
|}
Center and front rack empty: 33 ''(+32)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[BESA (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm BESA]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,375 (225) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The Crusader tank was designed to be fast and highly mobile, exploiting enemy battle lines by penetrating the flanks and disrupting the enemy from behind. In game, the Crusader should be used in a similar fashion. It is quick, well armed and highly maneuverable, making it great at rushing capture points and exploiting the enemies flanks. The 57mm gun is excellent for its tier, with high penetration and good ballistics. Very few tanks can withstand a hit from this gun without major damage or worse.

The tanks low profile is its main advantage. You can hide easily among vegetation and obstacles like walls, shooting from a concealed position or retreating if the situation is looking a little too dangerous.

Of course, you can't have everything. The tank has thin armour, so it isn't suitable as a front line tank. The armour is sloped however, so you may bounce some smaller caliber shells. Explosive shells are your worst nightmare, so avoid getting hit by them.

The 57 mm gun has great penetration, but the Crusader has very thin armour. There are still plenty of enemies that can give you some trouble.

* T-34 (1940)- You will begin encountering early models of T34s at this tier. You can penetrate their turret easily and drivers port easily, but they can pose a serious problem when angled properly. Also, the 76mm L11 gun can easily take you out with its massive explosive power. Try to take out the gunner first and then deal with the rest of the crew members for a safe kill.
* Panzer IV F1- The rapid fire 75mm short barreled gun can fire HEAT or APCBC rounds, which can penetrate and cause serious damage to the Crusader. Luckily, the F1 has flat armour which can be easily penetrated from the front. Range is your friend with these tanks. Their gun is very difficult to aim accurately over 500m. Hit it before it hits you and you will most likely come out on top.
* Panzer IV F2- If you get uptiered then you will face off against the dreaded Panzer IV F2. Its gun is accurate, high penetration and causes massive damage upon penetration. It will kill you easily at range. Fortunately, it has the same weak flat armour as the F1, so can be easily dealt with if you get off the first shot
* KV1-L11 - These heavy tanks are rare at your br, but can still be faced. They have great, bouncy armour and a deadly gun. Try to hit the turret cheeks or the side/rear armour.
* Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. L - This Panzer III has a great, high velocity gun and excellent frontal armour. The extra 20mm high hardness plates make a massive difference to the frontal armour, making it more bouncy and harder to penetrate. Fortunately your gun can reliably penetrate the Panzer III L. If you are unsure, aim for the drivers port to kill the driver, gunner and commander.

Almost ever tank can kill you easily, even with Rank I guns. Stay mobile, take advantage of the tanks low profile and shoot only when you know you can penetrate. This can make you a formidable tank on the battlefield.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good penetration for a Rank I light tank.
* Diverse selection of shells.
* Low profile.
* Gun is very lethal at close/mid range. It can easily get through the armour of any vehicle at its rank and beyond.
* Gun already has a quick fire rate and no loader, so if a crew member dies you cannot lose much of your fire rate advantage.
* Makes a good sneaky flanker in later rank matches. The gun remains effective and your low profile can come in handy.
* Armour is thin but has odd angles all over the place, causing some rounds to bounce.
* Reverse speed is much better than the Cromwell tank, though still only average.
* Good maneuverability.
* Carries 50 smoke grenades, can lay down long smoke screens to cover large areas.

'''Cons:'''

* Not as fast as some of the other light tanks at this rank.
* Weak armour.
* Face of turret is flat, making it quite easy to kill the gunner.
* Only 3 crew members, relatively easy to kill in one shot.

== History ==

===Development===
In 1938, the General Staff of the British Army requested for a cruiser tank that was lighter and more affordable than the heavier A16 cruiser design developed by Nuffield Mechanizations & Aero. One of these designs was the designation ''Tank, Cruiser Mk.V'' based off the [[A13 Mk I|A13 cruiser tanks]], named the "Covenanter", and Nuffield was invited to become part of its development team, but they refused due to interest in developing their own cruiser tank. Their tank was designated the '''Tank, Cruiser Mk.VI Crusader''' and fell under the General Staff specification of ''A15''. The Crusader was a parallel design to the Covenanter, but was ready six weeks earlier than the Covenanter despite starting at a later time. The Crusader was adopted into service with the British Army in 1941 and the 5,300 units were manufactured between 1940 to 1943.

===Design===
The Crusader features a new design that differs from its cruiser tank predecessors. The Christie suspension system on the Crusader had five road wheels for it instead of the usual four, which improves weight distribution of the increased 20 ton weight of the Crusader compared to the 14 tons of the A13 cruisers. The engine, steering system, and cooling system on the Crusader was different as well, but the Covenanter and Crusader use the same main turret. The polygonal shape of the turret gives the crew inside more room for the turret ring diameter.

The Crusader Mk.I and ''[[Crusader Mk II|Mk.II]]'' were equipped with the 2-pounder, which was aimed by the gunner inside with a padded shaft that allows them to elevate the gun by simply adjusting his own height. Later in the war where an up-gun of the tank armament was necessary and newer tanks such as the [[Cromwell V|Cromwell]] was delayed, the Crusader was upgraded into the '''[[Crusader Mk III]]''' variant with a 6-pounder instead, which restricted turret space, requiring the turret crew to be reduced from three to two. These saw first action the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942.

===Combat usage===
The Crusader first saw action at North Africa, right after the British had been pushed back to the Egyptian border by Axis forces. The Crusaders were part of the huge shipment in the Malta Convoys to reequip the British forces there. Enough Crusaders arrive that the entire 6th Royal Tank Regiment was refitted with them, which joined up with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment to form the 7th Armoured Brigade "Desert Rats". The brigade's first action was in Operation Battleaxe, though it was delayed due to adapting the tanks for the desert environment. The operation, which called for the relieve of the siege of Tobruk in June, was initiated in June to which 11 Crusader tanks were lost to anti-tank guns, plus many more to mechanical faults. While more Crusader tanks came in to reinforce the cruiser tank forces, there were never enough to supply the continuously expanding armoured units as 7th Brigade was combine with the 7th Hussars, the 2nd Armoured Brigade was added to the 7th Armoured Division, and the 8th Hussars was combined with the 4th Armoured Brigade. Overall, the Crusaders proved effective in the North African Campaign, the Crusader was faster than any tanks on the opposing side and the 2-pounder was lethal to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III]], but the tank suffered from its thin armour, mechanical problems in the desert, and the growing deficiency of the 2-pounder, which didn't have enough range to destroy farther tanks. The Crusader design also caused the ammo racks on the tank to easily ignite due to unprotected racks and shot traps on the turret design. Anti-tank guns continue to be the main reason the Crusader units suffer losses, rather than to enemy tanks.

By the end of 1941, only the 2nd Armoured Brigade retained the Crusaders, the rest of the other tank units were being refitted with better tanks, such as the [[Grant I|M3 Grant medium tank]] from the American Lend-Lease. Crusader units were also refitted with the more powerful Crusader Mk.III with the 6-pounder, which improved the Crusader's ability to destroy the gradually stronger German tanks. After General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Army in 1942, more British tank units were reequipped with the Grant and [[M4|M4 Sherman]] tanks while the Crusaders were relegated from the front-lines to "light squadrons" meant to flank the enemy and attacked at its exposed sides. When the British 1st Army engaged the Axis at Tunisia, some tank regiments still use Crusaders mixed in with [[Valentine Mk I|Valentine tanks]]. These units in the 26th Armoured Brigade, code named "Blade Force", worked alongside the 78th Infantry Division as an independent armoured column. During Tunisia, the 1st Army was already converting the tank regiments into Shermans, but the 8th Army continued to use the Crusaders for much longer, which would see use at the Battle of Wadi Akarit and Mareth Line.

After the North African Campaign, the Crusaders no longer saw any use in the front-lines and were used in other roles such as gun tractors with 17-pounders or anti-aircraft mounts such as the ''[[Crusader AA Mk I|Crusader AA Mk.I]]'' and ''[[Crusader AA Mk II|Mk.II]]''. Some Crusader tanks equipped the tank regiments that stayed back at the British Homelands such as the 11th Armoured Division.

===Survivors===
About 21 Crusaders still exist intact in various parts of the world. The most notable places with the Crusaders are South Africa with 8 known survivors, a running Crusader Mk.III at Bovington Tank Museum at England, and an anti-aircraft version at Musée des Blindés in France

[[File:Crusader MkIII Poland rain.jpg|thumb|A Crusader MkIII heading to combat on [[Poland (Ground Forces)|Poland]].]]

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

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

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

''ETC.''

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

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

{{Britain light tanks}}

File:Crusader MkIII Poland rain.jpg

2019-02-06T19:04:43Z

U67473093: A Crusader MkIII heading to combat on Poland.

A Crusader MkIII heading to combat on Poland.