War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

AMC.34 YR

2019-11-30T05:42:21Z

U8515006: /* Description */ Removed mention of it being reserve, as it's no longer so. Filled in missing values in tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amc_34}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' (Combat machinegun-car) is a rank {{specs|rank}} French light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. While originally a reserve vehicle, it was later superseded in status as a reserve vehicle in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]] by the AMD.35. It features a well-armoured turret on a fragile chassis with a subpar SA34 L/30 cannon as the main armament.

Being not so fast, not so well-armoured and not so powerful, this tank is clearly not one to be bold with. Any other light tank you may encounter has a cannon that penetrates about 150% greater than yours and can fire twice as fast, so never engage an enemy head-on. Instead, as with most rank 1 French vehicles, stick with the team and follow flanking manoeuvres. Do not go out in an open field since your armour cannot protect you from incoming shots, your cannon cannot reliably engage an enemy, and your mobility does not allow for dodging. At best, this tank is a ''support brawler''; at worse, it is a decoy for the enemy to shoot a round of ammunition at.

This tank's turret is its best attire: thick, sloped, and small. It is nearly invincible in a hull-down position. Otherwise, any penetrating frontal shot has a good chance to one-shot you: on the left side, a big ammo-rack can be easily detonated while on the right side, your only 2 crew members are all lined-up. Its mobility is "Not the best but still good" in terms of characterization. With about 15 HP/ton, it can carry its user to a good position.

Firepower is the main worry of early French tanks: they are subpar. With at most 27 mm of penetration at point-blank ranges, poor ballistics and an awful reload time, this the worst main reserve armament. This gun is best used in assisting allied flanking manoeuvres and close-quarter engagements.

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

The AMC.34 YR fits all definitions of a light tank. It has very little armour and very little space - it can't take a shot. When looking at it frontally, the AMC.34 YR has a big ammo rack on the left, and both crew members on the right, meaning that any shot that penetrates will almost certainly destroy the tank. When looking side-on, the AMC.34 YR has two other ammo racks in the middle, and right behind those, there are crew members (if any of them are taken out, the tank is destroyed); the only way that this tank can survive when shot side-on is if the enemy shoots too far back, where there's only a single fuel tank. However, with short reloads at rank I, the enemy is likely to reload in-time to finish the job.

Generally, the AMC.34 YR ''can't'' get shot, if it does - it is destroyed. This is easier to accomplish in realistic battles, where bushes can be used as cover, as well as buildings. However, in arcade battles, the AMC.34 YR has to be played extremely carefully and the player should expect the enemies to know their exact location.

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (18-24°) ''Front plate'' 10 mm (88°), 20 mm (29°) ''Front glacis'' 20 mm (41°) ''Lower glacis'' || 18 mm || 10 mm (22-44°) ''Top'' 10 mm (24°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 35 mm ''Turret front'' 35 mm (0-70°) ''Gun mantlet'' 56 mm (0-62°) ''Machine gun cover'' || 35 mm (0-22°) || 35 mm (22-26°) 38 mm (22°) ''Turret hatch'' || 30 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 35 mm || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are 15 mm thick
* Turret ring is 10 mm thick

=== Mobility ===

The AMC.34 YR is one of the more mobile rank I French tanks. It can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h when on hard, flat ground and it turns rather well. However, its speed can't be used to avoid enemy fire, since the maps at this rank are quite small, and usually, enemies are still able to align their shots due to very short reload speeds. Nevertheless, the player should move around the map when playing the AMC.34 YR, especially in realistic battles. If the enemies don't know your position, they can't shoot you - and you can't take any chances.

{| 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" | 9.7 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 45 (AB)
|-
|40 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|130
|160
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|106
|120
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|13.40
|16.49
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.93
|12.37
|-
|}

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

{{main|SA34 L/30 (47 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[SA34 L/30 (47 mm)|47 mm SA34 L/30]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 76 || -8°/+12° || ±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'' || 14.95 || 20.69 || 25.12 || 27.77 || 29.55
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 9.34 || 10.99 || 13.34 || 14.75 || 15.70
|-
! 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.
|-
| 7.80 || 6.90 || 6.36 || 6.00
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| Mle1892G || APHE || 27 || 25 || 20 || 14 || 11 || 8
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| Mle1892G || APHE || 450 || 1.5 || 1.2 || 6.0 || 50 || ° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the AMC.34 YR.]]
{| 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
|-
|| '''76''' || 52 ''(+24)'' || 24 ''(+52)'' || 1 ''(+75)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! 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" | 1,800 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Play carefully. The AMC.34 YR is the opposite of survivable, so you can't get shot, at all. Your gun will struggle to penetrate early Italian tanks and some German tanks, which you will encounter the most, so learn the weak spots and flank. Below are some strategies that may help you out when operating the AMC.34 YR:

;'''Hull-down:'''

* With its thickest armour being on the turret, this tank performs fairly well in ambush positions ''near'' a choke-point: find yourself a rock, trench or hill and poke your turret out. You should have a good view of the battlefield while bouncing most incoming rounds, although don't take your chances and use cover to hide from the enemies. Even if you found a good spot, reposition every now and then since you ''will'' be spotted and dealt with in no time.

;'''Support:'''

* Assisting your allies will be your best use of this tank, whether by breaking tracks/guns of your enemies or by scouting and marking enemies on the map (or calling them out in the chat). Do try to steal targets from your allies, since its the best you can do. However, do keep in mind that your penetration and reload time are awful, never engage anything alone, or without cover nearby, since you will likely be destroyed.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Has APHE shell (Mle1892G)
* Turret is well armoured and angled
* MAC 31 machine gun as coaxial MG is good
* Tiny target

'''Cons:'''

* Has bad penetration values
* Reload time is twice as slow as any other tanks of similar caliber
* Bad speed
* Hull armour is only 20 mm thick and flat
* Turret ring is only 30 mm thick
* Only 2 crew members are lined up and cramped: easy to one-shot
* Huge ammo racks are easy to detonate

== History ==


The AMC.34 was a pre-war cavalry tank design that was not accepted for wide service, being considered insufficiently armoured. A dozen pre-series vehicles were equipped with the APX1-model turret, also used by the pre-war Char B1 tank and mounting the 47 mm SA 34 gun (as shown in-game), and used by the French 4th Cuirassiers in 1936-37, before being re-armed with 20mm gun turrets and shipped to the French North African colonies for service there. They are believed to have been all replaced by H.39 tanks and taken out of service in late 1939.

The earlier Char D1 and the early versions of the Char D2 infantry tanks, which shared the same short 47 mm gun (and turret, in the case of the early-production D2) as the in-game AMC.34 but on different vehicle bodies (better armoured than the AMC.34, but also slower), did see wartime service. France produced 160 D1s between 1932 and 1935, which equipped 3 tank battalions in North Africa in 1939. One of these battalions, the 67th, would be recalled to fight in the fall of France. After the French defeat, the Germans allowed the Vichy regime to keep 60 of their remaining D1s in North Africa, where they fought against both the American landings at Oran in late 1942 and the German occupation of Vichy Tunisia around the same time. The estimated 50 early-model D2s that were produced between 1934 and 1936 with the same APX1 turret (later production vehicles of the D2 line would be up-gunned to carry the better 47 mm also found on the in-game Somua and B1 bis) also served during the fall of France, in their case with the 19th Tank Battalion under De Gaulle.

== 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.''

{{France light tanks}}

AMD.35

2019-11-30T05:21:22Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Filled in missing values in table. Updated Ammo racks section. Added to description.

{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amd_35}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.93 "Shark Attack"]], replacing the [[AMC.34 YR]] as a reserve vehicle for the nation.

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

The AMD.35 raw armour thickness is superior all-around to its fellow rank I armoured cars, (including the ZT3).

{| class="wikitable"
!Armour
!Front (Slope angle)
!Sides
!Rear
!Roof
|-
|Hull
|15 mm (66°), 26 mm (0°), ''Front glacis''
15 mm (38°) ''Lower glacis''
20 mm (45°) ''Driver's hatch''
|15 mm (0°) ''Side''
20 mm (0°) ''Driver port sides''
|15 mm (22-23°) ''Fighting compartment rear''

15 mm (2°) ''Top''

15 mm (44°) ''Bottom''
|7mm
|-
|Turret
|26 mm (25°) ''Turret front''
20 mm (0-15°) ''Gun mantlets''
|15 mm (15-24°)
|15 mm (30-31°)
|7mm
|}

* Wheel are 10 mm thick.
* Fender are 5 mm thick
* Belly armour is 7 mm thick.

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" | Game Mode
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristics
! colspan="2" | Engine power (horsepower)
! colspan="2" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! Max Speed
! {{Annotation|Weight|Vehicle Weight (Tons)}}
! {{Annotation|AoA Weight|Add-on Armour Weight (Tons)}}
! Stock
! Upgraded
! Stock
! Upgraded
|-
! Arcade
| 80 || rowspan="2" | 8.5 || rowspan="2" | N/A || 163 || 200 || 19.18 || 23.53
|-
! {{Annotation|Realistic|Simulator uses Realistic FMs}}
| 72 || 93 || 105 || 10.94 || 12.35
|}

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

{{main|SA34 L/72 (25 mm)}}

The AMD.35 possesses the same gun as the AMR.35 ZT3: the 25 mm SA34 L/72. Its high (950 m/s) velocity gives its shells a very flat trajectory, making rangefinding a relatively easy task.

The penetration capability is acceptable, but the post-penetration damage, because of the shell type (only APC), is very light. You will have to shoot multiple times in order to destroy an enemy tank.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA34 L/72 (25 mm)|25 mm SA34 L/72]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 48 || rowspan="2" | -7°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 23.80 || 32.94 || 40.00 || 44.23 || 47.06 || rowspan="2" | 3.90 || rowspan="2" | 3.45 || rowspan="2" | 3.18 || rowspan="2" | 3.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 14.88 || 17.50 || 21.25 || 23.50 || 25.00
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| Mle1934 TP (Ch.F) || APC || 64 || 61 || 50 || 39 || 31 || 24
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | 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)
! rowspan="2" | Normalisation at 30° from horizontal
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| Mle1934 TP (Ch.F) || APC || 950 || 0.31 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4.0° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammorack AMD.35.png|thumb|[[Ammo racks]] of the AMD.35.]]
The SA34 L/32 utilizes single-piece ammunition stored in a single rack found behind the gunner in the hull.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''48''' || 1 ''(+47)'' || No
|-
|}
Recommended ammo load is the full 48 as not only is the full stowage small in size and is an adequate number for the gun's rate of fire (provides 2.5-3 minutes of continuous fire), but reducing the ammo count brings negligible results in this case due to the way the ammo depletes.

==== [[Optics]] ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="3" | {{PAGENAME}} Optics
|-
!
! Default magnification
! Maximum magnification
|-
! Main Gun optics
| X2.1 || X3.7
|-
! Comparable optics
| colspan="2" | ___
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

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

The AMD.35 is equipped with a single ''Mitrailleuse MAC 31 de 7,5 mm'' installed in a separate mantlet to the left of the main gun. It is loaded with 800 rounds organised in AP/AP/T belts, with a maximum 10 mm of penetration and a decent fire-rate and velocity. It is loaded with a pan magazine loaded with 150 rounds (100 AP and 50 T) per magazine. The machine gun is able to provide continuous fire for around 6.5 seconds before having to be reloaded, taking 6 seconds with a stock crew. (It seems that the magazine the AMD.35 first spawns with is considerably shorter, firing only for only 2.5 seconds before having to reload.)

The machine gun, while not carrying the destructive power of a .50 cal HMG, it is often enough to wipe out the crew of unarmoured trucks quickly and when in extreme close range, penetrate light-car armour.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount
! Capacity (Belt capacity)
! Fire rate (shots/minute)
! Vertical guidance
! Horizontal guidance
|-
| Coaxial || 800 (150) || 1,350 || 0°/+20° || N/A
|-
|}

== 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
! Firepower
|-
| I
| Tires
|
| Parts
| Horizontal Drive
|-
| II
| Suspension
| Brake System
| FPE
| Adjustment of Fire
|-
| III
| Filters
|
| Crew Replenishment
| Elevation Mechanism
|-
| IV
| Transmission
| Engine
|
| Artillery Support
|-
|}

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* High top speed in a straight line on paved and hardened surfaces. (80 km/h AB, 72 km/h RB).
* Reserve tier for instant access and free repairs.
* Quick 18°/s turret rotation (aced with stock crew, up to 25°/s max.)
* Vehicle geared to achieve same top speed both in drive and reverse, allowing for a quick retreat.
* Good frontal armour in its class.
* Raw armour thickness is superior all-around to all other rank I armoured cars (including the ZT3) and includes three internal plates of armour around the engine compartment.
* Good armour penetration of the main gun, capable of penetrating the frontal (unsloped) armour of most enemy tanks in its rank at 500 m distance
* Fast reload speed of the main gun.
* Large crew for a vehicle of its class, increasing survivability.
* The quick reload, relatively fast velocity and flat shell trajectory of the SA34 L/72 (25 mm) can be used to fire at low-flying planes with relative ease.

'''Cons:'''

* Poor cross-country performance
* Poor fording and obstacle-crossing capabilities
* Wheeled vehicle, unable to turn on the spot
* Slow vertical gun elevation speed. (4.25°/s when aced with stock crew, up to 4.8°/s)
* Lightly armoured and vulnerable flanks and rear when compared to traditional tanks.
* Limited ammo storage (48 rounds for the main gun, 800 rounds for coaxial machine gun)
* While capable of a relatively fast muzzle velocity of 950m/s, the round's light weight does not carry its force very far. (dramatic decrease of penetration power above 500 m range )
* Very light APC round, doing comparatively little damage. Multiple rounds are usually required to obtain a single tank kill
* APC round has comparatively poor penetration on vehicles with sloped armour in its rank
* Absence of specialised anti-aircraft protection
* -7° of depression compared to the -10° of the ZT3

== History ==

The AMD.35 or ''Automitrailleuse de Découverte'', also known as the ''Panhard 178'' was a French 4x4 specialised long-range armoured reconnaissance car built by Panhard. Designed to a 1931 specification to replace older models of armoured cars, Panhard completed a prototype in October of 1933 which was evaluated in January and February of 1934. Out of four competing models, built by Panhard, Renault, Berliet and Latil, the Panhard design was considered the best, being a highly advanced design for its time. After further trials by the French Cavalry, the Panhard 178 was accepted for production as the ''AMD Panhard Modèle 1935''. Initial use revealed some issues like engine overheating and cracking of the gun sight, resulting in a major modification program in 1937 which saw numerous modifications introduced.

In order to obtain a vehicle capable of a long-range and relatively high speed for its class, Panhard designed the 178 to be relatively light. As a result, the vehicle was relatively lightly armoured, ranging from 7 mm armour bottom plates to 13 mm flank armour and 26 mm frontal armour. As a result, the vehicle had a road speed of 72 km/h (45 mph) and a range of about 300 km (186 miles), but due to its long wheelbase and leaf-spring suspension, its off-road top speed lay at 42 km/h (26 mph) and its wading and trench-crossing capacity lay at just 60 cm (2 ft). The vehicle also had its shortcomings: it had a cramped interior, poor cross-country performance, a slow turret rotation speed and a weak clutch.

Unusually for a French light reconnaissance vehicle, the Panhard 178 was equipped with a 2-man turret at a time when even most of their tanks had one-man turrets: the AP3X turret housed a commander and gunner, who had a 25 mm Hotchkiss Modèle 34 main gun and 7.5 mm Reibel coaxial machine gun at their disposal. The turret also housed a reserve machine gun which could be mounted on top for anti-aircraft defence, but which was rarely mounted in practice. The Hotchkiss gun had tungsten rounds at its disposal, capable of penetrating up to 50 mm of armour, however, these rounds performed poorly when confronted with angled armour. Already early on the poor armour-penetrating capabilities of the Hotchkiss Modèle 34 were recognised, and work was started on up-arming the AMD.35 with a 47 mm SA 35 gun. Early designs would have seen the gun fitted in the rear driver's post creating a tank-destroyer with two AT guns (the turreted Hotchkiss gun and a hull-mounted SA 35 gun), but this was abandoned in favour of a vehicle with a turreted SA 35 in an enlarged turret. Even so, by May of 1940, in the response of events in Poland, plans were already being drawn up to phase out production of the lightly armoured AMD.35 in favour of the more heavily armed and armoured AM40P.

Events decided differently, and following the German invasion of France in May of 1940, the AMD.35 proved its worth, outclassing its German counterparts. In a number of direct confrontation, German reconnaissance vehicles proved vulnerable to the Panhard's Hotchkiss gun, while their own 20 mm main gun proved ineffective against the Panhard. As a result, following the defeat of France, the Panhard 178 was taken into production for the German army as the ''Panzerspähwagen P204 (f)''. In German service, some of these vehicles were refitted with the 37 mm KwK 36; in 1944, a batch of captured ex-Vichy Panhards were fitted with the 50 mm KwK 38 L/42 or L/60 in an open turret.

Following the Liberation of France in 1944, production of the Panhard 178 was reinstated for the French Army, and consideration was given to up-arming the design with the 75 mm SA 45 L/32. A larger turret was designed which could fit this gun, however, before production started the decision was taken to fit the new Panhard 178B with the pre-war 47 mm SA 35 instead. The up-armed Panhard 178B was produced for the French Army, entering service after the War: it served both in France and its colonies, such as Syria, Tahiti, Madagascar and Indo-China. The Panhard 178B was phased out of French army service in 1960; examples taken over by Syria following its independence in 1946 continued service into the mid-1960, when it was finally phased out in favour of Soviet-supplied equipment.

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

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

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

== External links ==


* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panhard_178
* http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/france/Panhard-178_AMD-35.php

{{France light tanks}}

File:Ammoracks AMD.35.png

2019-11-30T04:59:29Z

U8515006:

Ammo Rack of the AMD.35 as of Update 1.93.

File:Ammoracks AMX-30.png

2019-11-30T04:15:30Z

U8515006: U8515006 uploaded a new version of File:Ammoracks AMX-30.png

[[Category:Ammo racks]]

AMX-30

2019-11-30T04:03:09Z

U8515006: /* Armaments */ Filled in missing values in tables. Updated Ammo racks section.

{{Specs-Card
|code = fr_amx_30
}}
{{About
|about= premium/pack '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage= other uses
|link= AMX-30 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a gift Rank {{specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm"]].

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

The armour only reaches 190 mm at some angled parts of the front, the turret goes 100mm at best, some rank I vehicles like the Panzer IV E could take you on frontally and easily win.

Be wary, also, of your ridiculously tall cupola, you can be destroyed even if you are behind cover just because of it.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull roof, Hull sides)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 79 mm (57-68°), 50 mm (52-76°) ''Front glacis'' 79 mm (0-57°), 30 mm (75°) ''Lower glacis'' || 35-57 mm (0-35) 30 mm ''Bottom'' 25 mm (70°) ''Belly'' || 30 mm (10°) ''Top'' 30 mm ''Center'' 25 mm (70°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm 8 mm ''Engine grille''
|-
| Turret || 30-150 mm (0-79°) ''Gun mantlet'' 30 mm (61-75°) ''Turret front top'' || 41.5 mm (19-47°) || 30 mm (1-64°) 20 mm (54-64°) ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 60 mm || 20 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

=== Mobility ===

The mobility, which is good but unexceptional, can be both a blessing and a curse, since, due to said lack of stabilizer, you will not be able to shoot accurately while on the move.

{| 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" | 36.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|65 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,116
|1357
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|637
|720
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|31.00
|37.70
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|17.69
|20.00
|-
|}

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

{{main|CN-105-F1 (105 mm)}}

The AMX-30 is a similar tank to its younger counterpart, the [[AMX-30 (1972)]], with the 20 mm coaxial autocannon replaced by a 12.7 mm heavy machinegun, still able to deal with lightly armoured targets such as SPAA, but doesn't deal the extra punch of an autocannon.

Like the AMX-30 (1972), it lacks a stabilizer and has incredibly weak side armour, but the excellent HEAT shell, comparable to other nations' HEATFS shells, the reasonable front armour (most tanks will still one-shot you though) and the good mobility make up for it.

The HEAT shell is comparable to other nations' HEATFS shells, and has a good penetration amount (400 mm flat), but will often bounce on angled surfaces. When the shell penetrates, it usually causes enough shrapnel to one-shot a tank. In a fight against lightly armoured vehicles, like SPAA, the HEAT round will often cause hull breaks.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[CN-105-F1 (105 mm)|105 mm CN-105-F1]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 50 || -8°/+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'' || 28.56 || 39.53 || 47.00 || 51.48 || 56.47
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 17.85 || 21.00 || 25.70 || 28.40 || 30.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 8.71 || 7.7 || 7.1 || 6.70
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| OCC 105 F1 || HEAT || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| OE 105 F1 Mle.60 || HE || 26 || 26 || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| OCC 105 F1 || HEAT || 1,000 || 10.95 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 1,020 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| OE 105 F1 Mle.60 || HE || 700 || 12.1 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 2,000 || +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):''
|-
| OFPH 105 F1 || 700 || 11.4 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the {{PAGENAME}}.]]The CN-105-F1 cannon fires single-piece ammunition from two stowages, the primary rack found in the rear of the turret, and the secondary rack located in the hull front to the right of the driver. It'll take the loader about 13 seconds to stock a round into the ready rack from the hull rack.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''50''' || XX ''(X+)'' ||  ''(+)'' ||  ''(+)'' ||  ''(+)'' ||  ''(+)'' ||  ''(+)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

* Recommended ammo load is 20. This will leave the hull rack empty and all ready racks filled.
* Ammo racks 1, 2, and 3 are ready racks, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills rack 4.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in any of the ready racks. If all ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from rack 4 into racks 3, 2, then 1 as long as there is ammo in rack 4. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|AAN-F1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! 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" | 800 (200) || 577 || -0°/+20° || N/A
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[AAN-F1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm AAN-F1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,000 (100) || 900 || -10°/+45° || ±120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

This tank cannot stand a fight on its own, therefore, only two tactics are viable.

First (the most dangerous), you can try getting behind the enemy lines and attacking the SPAA, you will often get hull breaks thanks to the HEAT round, be wary of bushes however, they will stop your HEAT shells, you can attempt to take on enemy tanks, provided it is from the side, and you can hit the ammunition (HEAT will rarely cause fire, and the weak shrapnel makes it hard to take out entire crews).

Second, stay with your team, ideally behind another tank (do ''not'' lead the formation, it'll paint a target onto the tank), use your HEAT shells to disable tracks or take out one or two crew members and ease the task of your teammates.

Compared to the vehicles it will face, the AMX-30 ranges from Inferior to Harmless, every enemy vehicle should be regarded the same way, as major threats that will destroy it in a couple of hits at best. Aiming for the ammunition is the only way for you.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Moderate front armour
* Fuel tank armour surrounding frontal ammo rack, much like Cold War Russian tanks
* The HEAT shell is comparable to other HEATFS shells of contemporary tanks and can theoretically penetrate up to 400 mm on flat armour
* Fairly good mobility

'''Cons:'''

* No kinetic ammunition.
* Very tall cupola
* Only 30-35mm thick side armour
* Does not have a stabilizer
* Lacks the 20mm Autocannon of its tree counterpart, the [[AMX-30 (1972)]]
* Rear turret bustle is pretty much lathered with ammunition when filled
* Fuel tanks everywhere in hull, front and sides, likely to cause a fire
* HEAT shell will be stopped by any kind of obstacle, which includes (but is not limited to) bushes, trees, fences, wooden houses, etc.

== 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).''

== 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.''

{{France medium tanks}}
{{France premium ground vehicles}}

AMX-30 (1972)

2019-11-30T04:02:33Z

U8515006: /* Armaments */ Filled in missing values in tables. Updated Ammo racks section.

{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amx_30_1972}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=AMX-30 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. This medium tank was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]].

The [[AMX-30]] was first issued in August 1966, with the first 5 units being assigned to 501''e Régiment de Chars de Combat'' (Combat Tank Regiment). The AMX-30 is the first tank to use France's very own 105mm gun, the [[CN-105-F1 (105 mm)|CN-105-F1]] designed in tandem with the Obus G spin stabilized High Explosive Anti-Tank round; a [[Browning M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7mm M2HB]] heavy machine gun for a co-axial, and a [[AAN-F1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm]] machine gun on the cupola. At the time, it weighed a light 36 tons (metric) compared to the [[Leopard I|Leopard's]] 40 tons, but overall has a lower hp/ton ratio due to the usage of a weaker engine. The AMX-30 mod. 1972 saw the replacement of the [[Browning M2HB (12.7 mm)|M2HB]] co-axial machine gun with a [[M693 (20 mm)|20mm M693 autocannon]] with the ability to elevate from -8° to 40° (20° higher than the main gun) in order to target light armoured Vehicles and helicopters

As previously mentioned, the 105mm gun on the AMX-30 is France's own, and designed with a particular shell in mind, the OCC 105 "Obus G". This shell works by having the HEAT warhead mounted on bearings to an outer shell by bearings, thus keeping the accuracy of a normal rotating HEAT shell with the penetrative power of non-rotating HEAT Fin Stabilized shell, supposedly making the shot more accurate at longer ranges. This shell and the revision from a .50 cal to a 20mm autocannon suggest this tank was modernized for long-range combat in a highly mobile package which could be a reflection of the French's army exceptions, possibly that fighting over the fields of France.

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

Being a derivative of the Euro-panzer project (like the Leopard) and that mobility and firepower were placed above almost all else, the AMX-30 was not built to get shot at by main battle tanks, or tanks for that matter.

'''Hull armour :'''

The lower front plate is 79 mm thick at 39° (which is not a lot at 7.3) while the upper front plate is (again) 79mm, this time at 68°. In other words, the hull will not defend the AMX-30 against anything heavier than an auto-cannon, although it could bounce some AP and APHE rounds when using the 8° of gun depression to its fullest, though to be safer, don't expose the front of the hull.

The side/rear of the hull are also lacklustre, with 30mm side and rear protection and then the only "strong point" being the sponsons with 35mm, expect most rounds larger than heavy machine guns to pass through. The sponsons themselves have only a 57mm plate covering the front, not to mention it is angled up and to the side, it could potentially be a weak spot for anti-aircraft vehicles if they are at an angle compared to you.

'''Turret armour:'''

Much like the Hull, the turret isn't really meant to protect against much. The turret is 80mm thick around the gun (not counting the 150 mm gun ring since it's too small a target). The rest are mostly 60mm thick apart from a 50mm autocannon mantlet and a 35mm plate for the viewport. The top and bottom of the mantlet are 30mm thick, but it's at 78°, meaning it might be the toughest part yet, particularly since shot traps from the bottom of the mantlet don't seem common.

The turret cheeks maybe only 41.5mm thick, but from the front, the angle makes the shot risky, though be aware it is still a potential target. If the tank is played using its mobility and peeking over ridges, the cupola is 60mm and rather big, so be wary of APHE shells because if they penetrate there, you might lose the turret crew if not the entire tank.

The most likely target on the turret (maybe even the whole tank) is the turret top and "forehead", the armour plate directly above the mantlet is 30mm thick with an angle of 71°, it might bounce ''some'' shells, but most APDS and HEAT will still go through. The problem is that sitting at the rear of the turret is the ready rack, which will most likely detonate if hit.

The turret side armour has nothing much speaking for it that the front armour has, as much like the hull, it isn't well armoured. Ricochets and bounces off this sector are quite rare and should be unexpected. Just make sure to keep your head on a swivel and have that turret hidden or pointing at your foe.

'''Modules and crew placement:'''

A particularity in the AMX-30's survivability is the placement of modules and crew. On the Leopard, shooting the left side of the upper front plate of the hull would knock out the driver, gunner, and commander all at once, thus completely neutralizing the tank and requiring a replacement crew to be deployed, and shooting the right side would detonate the ammo rack which holds 90% of the Leopard's ammo capacity

This problem doesn't happen as much on an AMX-30 however, because of the tank's fuel tank being in front and beside the ammo rack, shots to the left side of the hull might not detonate the ammo rack there and (if you are lucky) might not even hit the gunner. As for the right side, the only crewman behind the driver is the loader.

In other words, whereas it would take one shot to disable or destroy a Leopard 1 through the hull, it may take more than one to defeat an AMX-30 this way.

The downside, of course, is that you have 19 rounds of ammunition in a ready rack that will constantly fill itself, which means that 40% of your munitions is sitting behind the gunner and commander, making shots at the turret the enemy's priority

A final note will be on the smoke shells and smoke grenades available on the AMX-30: use these without moderation! If targeted and multiple enemies are pointing/firing upon you, use the smoke grenades and relocate; if an enemy is keeping you pinned, try to catch him off guard and throw a smoke shell in his face then proceed.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull roof, Hull sides)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 79 mm (57-68°), 50 mm (52-76°) ''Front glacis'' 79 mm (0-57°), 30 mm (75°) ''Lower glacis'' || 35-57 mm (0-35) 30 mm ''Bottom'' 25 mm (70°) ''Belly'' || 30 mm (10°) ''Top'' 30 mm ''Center'' 25 mm (70°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm 8 mm ''Engine grille''
|-
| Turret || 30-150 mm (0-79°) ''Gun mantlet'' 30 mm (61-75°) ''Turret front top'' || 41.5 mm (19-47°) || 30 mm (1-64°) 20 mm (54-64°) ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 80 mm || 20 mm
|}

=== Mobility ===

The mobility of the AMX-30 is great in almost every respect. It has slightly lower acceleration than a Leopard or [[STB-1]], but it still gets the job done about as well. It doesn't struggle much off road, but do remind yourself that the gun is not stabilized. Firing on the move might hit occasionally and might scare them off, but shooting straight means stopping, something you should '''never''' do when targeted by enemy tanks.

Reminder that the tank as -8° elevation to the front of the tank, and (like the Leopard) cannot depress over the back, so don't get flanked, ever (considering the mobility of this tank, if your outflanked, you either stayed still too long, took the unfortunate path, or didn't pay enough attention).

{| 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" | 36.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 72 (AB)
|-
|65 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,116
|1357
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|637
|720
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|31.00
|37.70
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|17.69
|20.00
|-
|}

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

{{main|CN-105-F1 (105 mm)}}
The main armament on the AMX-30 (1972) is the [[CN-105-F1 (105 mm)|CN-105-F1]]. This gun was specifically designed for the use of the tank's OCC-105 spin stabilized HEAT shell, which works by spinning an outer shell using the gun's rifling in order to provide aerodynamic stability while the inner shell (the actual warhead) is suspended by bearings in order to minimize rotation, which would reduce the penetrative power of said shell. It is for all intents and purposes a slightly different HEAT-FS shell.

The main concern is that HEAT shells, particularly modern ones, are sensitive to impact, they might fly through some foliage and some fences, but it is best to destroy the destructible terrain first before firing (where the 20mm comes in handy, more on that later), though you must remember that on maps like [[Sinai|Sinai]] where houses can be shot through without being shot down, you are at a disadvantage because if you are seen, enemies with AP shells of any sort can and will be able to shoot through the building and hit you, while chemical shells (including HE, HEAT, and HEAT-FS) can't.

But do not underestimate the power of its HEAT shell, it still is quite deadly, harder to bounce, and it keeps penetration over a range, not to mention you get similar performance to a Leopard's HEAT-FS from stock and thus without the associated price. All in all, firepower-wise, the tank is not bad.

The shrapnel of the round in post-penetration damage might not be as plentiful as APHE rounds, but with a reload speed of 8.7 seconds stock, provided you aim for crew and modules, you can spit out about 7 HEAT shells penetrating anything from 200mm at 60° to 400mm at 90° every minute. Once fully upgraded, you go from 8.7 seconds reload for about 7 shots per minute to 6.7 seconds reload for about 9 shots a minute. It isn't the best out there, but it does fire fast.

A word of warning before talking of the gun's flexibility though, knowing your enemy's tank is crucial, but most importantly you must know and remember the location of A) the gunner, in order to prevent him from firing, and B) the ammo racks, in order to one shot the enemy, should you catch him off guard or incapacitate his gunner.

As for gun handling, it's quite exceptional. The turret rotation is okay stock at 36°/s and is fast once you get the "horizontal turret drive" module unlocked at 50°/s. The turret elevation isn't slow either, meaning that acquiring, tracking, and changing targets is relatively easy on this tank, you can even track some propeller driven aircraft (more on that later).

The elevation angles aren't too bad, though could be better considering the high roof and aforementioned "forehead" of the turret, the gun only goes 8° down when fully depressed, it is worse than tanks like the Leopard and Centurions that can depress 9° and 10° respectively, but do remember it is still better than the Vickers' 7° and the T-54's 4° of depression so don't be too afraid of peeking over small hills and ridges, just be quick to pop up and back down when necessary.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[CN-105-F1 (105 mm)|105 mm CN-105-F1]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 50 || -8°/+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'' || 28.56 || 39.53 || 47.00 || 51.48 ||56.47
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 17.85 || 22.10 || 25.70 || 28.40 || 30.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 8.7 || 7.7 || 7.1 || 6.7
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
For ammo loadouts, it is suggested to bring 20-25 rounds of HEAT, 3-6 rounds of Smoke, and no HE rounds. That is because despite the 47 rounds capacity, in a normal game you won't fire that many HEAT rounds, thus 20 shells for the more ammo conserving folk or 25 rounds for the more trigger happy recommend. You may take more if you really need to, but you can get away with just that many if you make a stop by a capture zone to replenish.

The smoke rounds, depending on your play-style, you might not need often, but when you do, they are life-saving as they can allow you to lay a smoke screen right in front of you or your team when you're out of smoke grenades (or if you've yet to unlock them yet) and they can blind snipers allowing you and your team to move up.

The HE shells are very situational since the 20 mm is almost always a better alternative. You don't need it to hull break light vehicles since the HEAT shell already does that, the only use would be for a target that is too far to hit effectively with the 20mm, but where a HEAT shell might be unnecessary.
{| 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
|-
| OCC 105 F1 || HEAT || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| OE 105 F1 Mle.60 || HE || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25 || 25
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| OCC 105 F1 || HEAT || 1,000 || 11 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 1,020 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| OE 105 F1 Mle.60 || HE || 700 || 12 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 2,000 || +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):''
|-
| OFPH 105 F1 || 700 || 11 || 20 || 5 || 25 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_AMX-30.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|Ammo racks of the AMX-30 (identical to AMX-30 (1972).]]The CN-105-F1 cannon fires single-piece ammunition from two stowages, the primary rack found in the rear of the turret, and the secondary rack located in the hull front to the right of the driver. It'll take the loader about 13 seconds to stock a round into the ready rack from the hull rack.
{| 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
!4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''47''' || 46 ''(1+)'' || 36 ''(11+)'' || 27 ''(19+)''
|1 ''(46+)''|| style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

* Recommended ammo load is 20. This will leave the hull rack empty and all ready racks filled.
* Ammo racks 1, 2, and 3 are ready racks, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills rack 4.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in any of the ready racks. If all ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from rack 4 into racks 3, 2, then 1 as long as there is ammo in rack 4. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Additional armament ===

{{main|M693 (20 mm)}}
The secondary on the AMX-30 is not a machine gun, but an auto-cannon. It fires a belt with a composition of 1 High Explosive Fragmentation (HEF) round, followed by one Armour Piercing round (AP) with both of these rounds being incendiary tracer rounds (I-T). Alternating between explosive rounds that are great from helicopters, planes and exposed crew, whilst burning and tracing the round, and an armour piercing round for lightly armoured targets, whilst burning and tracing the round.

The only times where you would not be firing your 20mm gun is either: 1) there are no targets, 2) it would give your sniping position or your flanking attack away, 3) you are too far away to hit/damage anything, 4) you are trying to cool the weapon down (yes it can overheat) 5) you're reloading/un-jamming it.

In almost every other circumstance, firing the 20mm is preferably though some times more than others, because this secondary is useful at four things in particular :

# destroying fences, walls, trees, bushes, ... and any other destructible environment your HEAT shell would detonate upon before reaching your target
# destroying light vehicles, exposed crew and even other tanks should you have the side or rear of the target to shoot at
# shooting down planes, as they are preparing or exiting an attack run
# and lastly, destroying the exposed modules (canons, guns, tracks, ERA blocks) of any tank if you can't destroy it outright

There is only one belt to use, so make use of the HE-AP combination in the belt. The autocannon gets one thousand rounds to use, which means 500 rounds of crew-injuring HE and 500 rounds of tank damaging AP, with a fire rate not too slow nor too fast that allows for sustained suppressive fire.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[M693 (20 mm)|20 mm M693]]
|-
! 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" | 1,000 (500) || 740 || -0°/+20° || N/A
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|AAN-F1 (7.62 mm)}}
Considering the fact that the 20 mm co-axial is not only powerful enough but flexible enough to shoot down planes with, the AAN-F1 machine gun just seems like an outlier in terms of providing firepower. It could be useful to attack exposed crew members, but this is very rare with the type of enemy vehicles seen in matches. The best use of this machine gun would probably to annoy the enemy, or draw their attention without using the valuable 20 mm autocannon shells.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[AAN-F1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm AAN-F1]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,000 (100) || 900 || -10°/+45° || ±120°
|-
|}

== 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 ===

'''Pros:'''

* Tank is relatively fast and mobile
* Turret rotation and elevation is fast
* 20 mm auto-cannon is good against light tanks, planes, and obstacles
* HEAT shells have good penetration
* Has access to smoke shells and smoke grenades
* Gunner and driver are not aligned means tank is harder to disable in one shot
* Hull ammo rack surrounded by a fuel tank
* Has a good rangefinder as a modification, making long-range engagements easier

'''Cons:'''

* Armour is unsatisfactory against enemy armaments
* Only 8° of gun depression
* Cannot depress the gun over the engine deck
* HEAT shell can't go through obstacles
* Ready-rack at turret rear is prone to getting shot, even from the front
* High cupola design makes it easier to spot

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

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5206-development-amx-30-mod-1972-next-generation-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> AMX-30 Mod. 1972: Next Generation]

{{France medium tanks}}

AMX-50 (TOA100)

2019-11-29T22:57:36Z

U8515006: /* Armaments */ Filled in missing values in tables. Added Paragraph to Ammo racks section.

{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amx_50}}
{{About
|about=medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=AMX-50 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. If features the same armament (and turret) as the [[Lorraine 40t]] on a more robust chassis, similar to that of the [[AMX M4]], in sum, it is a fusion of the former's firepower and the latter's mobility and protection. It is the logical next step to the French rank IV medium tech tree.

The lower part resembles that of a [[Panther D|Panther]]'s hull with its overlapping metal road wheels, its two large fans over the engine deck, its sloped front and back armour and its high profile. There are a few things that distinguishes it from its predecessor: there is not longer a "flat" portion between the LFP and UFP and the two fan casings have been removed. As for the turret, it is quite a classical post-war French design: an oscillating turret fitted with an auto-loader mechanism, a long gun and turret bulge and a thick turret ring.

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

This tank's hull is very similar to that of the famous German medium tank, even in armour values. It is only slightly weak from the side, making angling quite ineffective. This armour should be able to deflect incoming shots from the weaker tanks it may encounter at its BR spread, notably the famous Russian [[D-5T (85 mm)|85mm D-5T]]. With its good slope, it can easily deflect APCR shots. The only thing wrong with this tank is its turret: it is very weak to incoming shots, with only 45mm sloped at 52°, it is a bit weaker than a [[T-34-85 (D-5T)|T-34]]'s hull. The only way to avoid being taken down too easily is to increase distance between the AMX-50 position and the enemy. Don't worry on that: the 100 mm gun is suited for that purpose.

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (55°) ''Front glacis'' 35 mm (61°) ''Lower glacis'' 60 mm (39°) ''Front cheeks'' || 40 mm (24°) ''Top'' 40 mm ''Bottom'' || 40 mm (0-30°) 30 mm (30°) ''Transmission hatch'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 45 mm (39-56°) ''Turret front'' 30 mm (9-26°) ''Turret base'' 50 mm (7-82°) ''Barrel shroud'' || 30 mm (0-55°) ''Turret'' 30 mm (0-25°) ''Turret base'' || 30 mm (0-30°) ''Turret bustle'' 30 mm (6-22°) ''Pivot ball'' 20 mm (69-90°) ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick. Suspension wheels are interleaved and can double in some areas.
* Tracks 20 mm thick hang on the hull sides at the crew compartment area.
* Hull undersides above tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

While not being a the fastest tank, it certainly is capable of many feats of agility. As mentioned in the [[AMX M4]]'s article, this tank may be the slowest French rank IV tank, which is not a bad thing considering French tank's general dynamic game-play at this BR. "Don't put the tank in nasty front-line situations" is the best advice to follow with this tank. As it is, this 800+ HP engine should be able to carry the tank to any location in a good time.

{| 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" | 54.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 57 (AB)
|-
|51 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,550
|1,885
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|884
|1,000
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|28.70
|35.67
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|16.37
|18.52
|-
|}

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

{{main|SA47 L/58 (100 mm)}}

The SA47 L/58 is a very potent gun for a rank IV tank: it performs in a similar way to the Russian [[D-10T (100 mm)|100mm D-10T]] equipped on the [[T-54 (1947)|T-54]] series. While not having any -HE filler in their AP rounds, the French engineers somehow managed to optimize armour spalling on penetrating shots and muzzle velocity, making these shells very good at long-range engagements. This gun is also mounted with an auto-loader, which provides it with a solid 6.67 seconds reload time. Not happy yet ? It has good gun depression and a fast turret traverse, which enables this tank to react quickly to flankers and take solid hulled-down position, its high gun placement minimizes the tank's silhouette behind hills.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[SA47 L/58 (100 mm)|100 mm SA47 L/58]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 50 || -8°/+15° || ±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'' || 28.56 || 39.53 || 47.00 || 51.48 || 56.47
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 17.85 || 21.00 || 25.50 || 28.20 || 30.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 4.0 || 4.0 || 4.0 || 4.0
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| 100 mm Obus de rupture || APCBC || 297 || 293 || 280 || 264 || 248 || 234
|-
| 100 mm Obus explosif || HE || 22 || 22 || 21 || 20 || 20 || 20
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| 100 mm Obus de rupture || APCBC || 1,060 || 15 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 100 mm Obus explosif || HE || 1,000 || 15 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 1,400 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks {{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}.]]This tank features an auto-loading system that removes the need for a crew member to reload the main gun, although a loader is present to restock the auto-loader. A large drum of seven rounds is found underneath the gun breach for rapid use. Once this drum is empty, rounds in the hull will need to be placed in the auto-loader rack before it can be used by the auto-loader, which takes about 14 seconds to perform for one round. Nine rounds are found in three racks near the bottom of the hull behind the driver and machine-gunner while the rest of the stowage is found in the side sponsons above the tracks, aside from a small rack of 5 rounds near the rear of the turret.
{| 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" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''50''' || 49 ''(+1)'' || 44 ''(+6)'' || 37 ''(+13)'' || 30 ''(+20)'' || 23 ''(+27)'' || 16 ''(+34)'' || 12 ''(+38)'' || 7 ''(+43)'' || 1 ''(+49)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

* Ammo rack 9 is the auto-loader drum and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 8 through 1.
* If the auto-loader drum is empty, the main gun '''cannot''' fire until ammo is loaded into the auto-loader drum.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 1-8 into the ready rack, as long as there is ammo present in racks 1-8. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! 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" | 4,800 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

This medium tank performs good in its role, being versatile enough to take many battlefield roles: flanker, sniper and ambusher. The only thing it is insufficient at is absorbing damaging shots: there are too many weak spots on this tank to take anything bigger than HMG to the front. Don't stay too close to the front line since the reverse speed will not allow the tank to escape sufficiently fast and flanking maneuvers will make the weak sides vulnerable.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* High penetration 100mm main gun with an auto-loader!
* Amazing conical spread from stock APCBC shells. They are free and frontal hits will be deadly.
* High top speed (57 kph)
* MAC 31 coaxial MG
* Fast turret rotation speed
* Sloped frontal armour can bounce some lower rank guns and APCR
* Very maneuverable
* Great flanker
* Higher velocity than the Russian [[D-10T (100 mm)|100mm D-10T]] gun, easier to aim at range.
* Has 5 crew members
* Wide tracks: able to cross all sorts of terrain with good speed.
* Overlapping wheels provide extra 20 mm to the hull's lower side.

'''Cons:'''

* Armour will not protect the tank from rank 4/5 guns
* No explosive filler in shells, one hit KOs from the side are rare.
* One choice of shell. No APHE, no HEAT, no APDS/FS.
* Less penetration than the Russian 100 mm APCBC, with less post penetration damage.
* Same turret as the [[Lorraine 40t]]: only 45mm thick
* Elevation angle is only 15°: it sometimes is a problem.
* Gun elevation speed is slow due to oscillating turret design.
* Large, [[Panther D|Panther]]-like hull, hard to hide.
* Incapacitated loader will disable this tank from shooting its coaxial MG.
* Weak LFP

== 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).''

== 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.''

{{France medium tanks}}

AMX M4

2019-11-29T22:24:56Z

U8515006: /* Armaments */ Filled in missing numbers in table. Add paragraph to Ammo racks.

{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amx_m4}}
{{About
| about = French medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = M4 (Disambiguation)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. It uses the same 90 mm SA45 cannon as the [[ARL-44]] but has a 7 rounds auto-loader and a better armour pattern while being more mobile. It is clearly better than any rank III French tanks, offering new battle opportunities.

This is the sturdiest representative of French rank IV vehicles, from which he shares some common features: it has good mobility, an oscillating turret (fitted with an auto-loader), sloped armour in front and back, high hull, high gun placement, good gun depression, 4 crew member, a coaxial MAC 31 machine gun and large tracks. What distinguishes the AMX M4 is its [[Panther D|Panther]]-like hull, it's efficient 90 mm SA45 gun inherited from the [[ARL-44]] and the thickest armour pattern of all French ground forces with 80 mm sloped at ~55° in the frontal area.

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

As said above, this tank's armour is very similar to that of the famous German tanks, it's hull even shares the same general patterns and dimensions, the distinctive features being...weak spots: an almost flat portion between UFP and LFP and two 60 mm "corners" above the tracks. As for the frontal turret part, it is sufficiently thick to endure many nasty hits, as long as you do not leave your foe enough time to aim: the turret ring area, while still being 80 mm thick, is flat. As for side armour, it is a good reason to keep away from front line duty: 35 mm flat armour does not protect from anything bigger than HMG fire. the hull's back is sloped, which may deviate some shots and prevent long-range "back flanking". The most exposed part of this tank is the turret's back, with only 20 mm of armour between the bulge and the turret ring.

In sum, engage frontally, avoid anything bigger than a slight angle as it may expose the 60 mm UFP "corners". Distance is a great tool to avoid your weak spots being easily targeted. This armour's role quite fluctuates as it depends on if what it faces can penetrate it or not.

Dealing with an opponent AMX M4 leads to a new sort of challenge. It is hard to penetrate from a distance, but if you can do it, then it's sniper battle time. If your guns do not provide enough power at distances, then get personal: the closer you are, the better you can disable it, here are a few tips for dealing with an AMX M4:

'''Frontal assault:'''

Any French rank IV tank has a good gun capable of going through most armours at standard combat ranges (and above), they are even more frightful when knowing about their good reload rates (they all have autoloaders). With that in mind, engage them first so that they (maybe) will not have enough time to reload a second shell. Specifically, to the AMX M4, this tank's armour is virtually as resistant as a Panther tank: if you can't go through a Panther, you neither cannot with this tank, unless you shoot its weak spots. Don't panic though, its side armour is only 35 mm, which makes it very vulnerable to flanking and "multi-target" engagements: it can't protect itself well from two tank if they are enough apart from each other.

'''Flanking:'''

As for flanking onto a single AMX M4, it must be dealt with quick: its fast turret turning speed allows it to react quite fast to either of its sides. Try to disable its ''large gun breech'' first so it won't be able to fire in a long time (this may also ammo-rack it if detonating a pre-loaded ammo), only then finish it off, if the first hit/series of hits (SPAAs) does not disable it from firing back, consider yourself done.

'''Armour type:'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (27-55°) ''Front glacis'' 35 mm (61°) ''Lower glacis'' 60 mm (39°) ''Cheeks'' || 40 mm (24°) ''Sponson'' 40 mm (0°) ''Main'' || 40 mm (30°) ''Main'' 30 mm (30°) ''Hatch'' || 20 mm ''Main'' 8 mm ''Engine grille''
|-
| Turret || 85 mm (0-79°) ''Turret front'' 60 mm (29-86°)''Gun mantlet'' 40 mm (0-17°) ''Turret base'' 85-100 mm (18-79°) ''Barrel shroud'' || 60 mm (0-61°) ''Turret'' 40 mm (0-27°) ''Turret base'' || 40 mm (0-60°) ''Turret bustle'' 25 mm (16-25°) ''Pivot ball'' 20 mm ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 60 mm || 20 mm
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The turret and the base overlap in some areas, leading to cumulative armour.
* The armour plate separating the fighting compartment and the engine compartment is 8 mm.
* Floor armour is 20 mm thick, with the underside of the sponsons also being 20 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

Post-war French designs are all very good at moving around: they have good engines, wide tracks and can easily achieve ~40 km/h on most terrains. The AMX M4 may be the worst of them all, on par with the [[AMX-50|AMX-50-100]] as they share a ''very similar'' hull, they still have ''above average'' mobility, when compared to other medium tanks at the BR. This observation is imbued by the fact that this tank's reverse speed only reaches -5 km/h and it does not have the ability to do neutral steering, anything else is comparable to its contemporaries.

{| 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" | 52.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 57 (AB)
|-
|51 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,550
|1,855
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|884
|1,000
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|29.81
|35.67
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|17.00
|19.23
|-
|}

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

{{main|SA45 (90 mm)}}

The gun may feel a little lackluster in terms of penetration: at the same BR, some tanks can consistently punch through more than 200 mm of armour while this tank's gun can't. This little defect is palliated by its auto-loader mechanism, providing up to 9 rounds a minute, a very good firing rate for the BR. All French medium rank IV tanks share this good reload rate, this is their prominent selling point.

The oscillating turret design also allows an high gun placement, this means you can fire over hills by exposing only the strong top portion of your tank, even more so with its good depression angles. When it comes to elevation, there is a problem: this tank can only lift its gun 15°, which make defending against planes impossible and uphill battle a bit challenging.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[SA45 (90 mm)|90 mm SA45]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 49 || -8°/+15° || ±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'' || 28.56 || 39.56 || 47.00 || 51.48 || 56.47
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 17.85 ||21.00|| 25.50 || 28.20 || 30.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 6.7 || 6.7 || 6.7 || 6.7
|-
|}

===== 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''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 215 || 212 || 201 || 188 || 175 || 164
|-
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 1000 || 11 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 700 || 11 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 945 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks {{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the {{specs|pseudonym}}.]]This tank features an auto-loading system that removes the need for a crew member to reload the main gun, although a loader is present to restock the auto-loader. A large drum of seven rounds is found underneath the gun breach for rapid use. Once this drum is empty, rounds in the hull will need to be placed in the auto-loader rack before it can be used by the auto-loader, which takes about 14 seconds to perform for one round. Nine rounds are found in three racks near the bottom of the hull behind the driver and machine-gunner while the rest of the stowage is found in the side sponsons above the tracks, aside from a small rack of 5 rounds near the rear of the turret.
{| 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" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''49''' || 44 ''(X+5)'' || 42 ''(+7)'' || 35 ''(+14)'' || 28 ''(+21)'' || 21 ''(+28)'' || 14 ''(+35)'' || 10 ''(+39)'' || 7 ''(+42)'' || 1 ''(+48)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

* Ammo rack 9 is the auto-loader drum and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 8 through 1.
* If the auto-loader drum is empty, the main gun '''cannot''' fire until ammo is loaded into the auto-loader drum.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 1-8 into the ready rack, as long as there is ammo present in racks 1-8. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! 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" | 5,000 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

At its BR, 80 mm of sloped frontal armour is more than sufficient to endure close range fights (as long as it is facing the enemy with its frontal armour). But what this tank is really good at is, as any other French rank IV, ''sniping'': a very good gun, great depression and fire rate make it very deadly, even more so that it ''can'' take a few hits. The AMX M4 offers the best survivability of all French rank IV tanks since its BR is low and armour, thick. It is a true "medium tank" capable of all roles, given the good context.

This tank can be used in almost all roles on the battlefield, as long as the context is on its side. Here are some roles this tank is the most efficient at:

'''Sniper:'''

This is clearly this tank's intended role: at all BR placements, it provides the best results from this tank. There is only a few things that can defeat such tactic: drastically better firepower and thick frontal armour faced towards it. This gun's performance is not the best at its rank, in that way, the AMX M4 may have to rely on surprise attacks to its foe's sides in order to disable them. Use this tank's great mobility to get into a good spot and reposition ''whenever it is needed'' do not allow approaching targets as they increase your chances to be dealt with. Don't bother falling back before it is needed: your reverse speed won't allow for hasty retreats.

'''Frontline fights:'''

When facing lower BR tanks, the AMX can easily be used in the same role as Panther tanks: breakthrough...but with reserve, your side armour won't allow even the slightest side shot. Use your good reload speed and turret rate to their best: fast reaction times and multi-target engagements are possible.

'''Flanker:'''

Got a light tank squad wanting to flank? Go with them and provide extra firepower for these vulnerable scouted targets. All considerations from the "''sniper''" role can be taken into consideration when flanking, the only difference being a more consistent usage of this tank's mobility.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good 90 mm gun inherited from [[ARL-44]] (easy learning curve)
* Front glacis is 80 mm and is heavily sloped for a high chance of ricochets, similar to [[Panther D|Panther]]'s
* Very good reload rate between 7 shots due to auto-loader
* Good manoeuvrability
* Fast
* Decent reverse speed
* Good gun depression of -8°
* Good turret rotation

'''Cons:'''

* Overall armour is quite thin against expected opponents
* Long reload time after 7 shots due to auto-loader
* Only two ammo choice between APC and HE rounds
* Ammo always held in reload mechanism makes it easy ammo rack targets
* Thin side armour
* 60 mm UFP "corners" makes angling ineffective
* Bad elevation angles
* Vulnerable to planes (thin top armour)

== History ==

The AMX M4 was developed and tested in the late 1940s, though it never saw active service.

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5265-vehicle-amx-m4-en [News<nowiki>]</nowiki> AMX M4]

{{France medium tanks}}

Object 268

2019-11-22T02:56:29Z

U8515006: Added several up-to-date tables and short description. Minor proof-reading. Surely needs a mod's touch. :)

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_object_268}}

== Description ==
The Object 268 is a rank V soviet tank destroyer with a battle rating of 7.3. It was introduced in update '''[[Update 1.69 "Regia Aeronautica"]]'''. The Object 268 is a self-propelled gun based on the T-10M heavy tank featuring a 152mm M-64 cannon.

== 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.''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Armour!!Front!!Sides!!Rear!!Roof
|-
|Hull||120 mm (57°) ''Front glacis''
120 mm (49°) ''Lower glacis''
40/60 mm (78-79°) ''Driver's port''||60 mm (52-56°) ''Top''
80 mm (0-42°) ''Middle''
30+80 mm (60°) ''Bottom''||50 mm (53°) ''Top''
60 mm (21-52°) ''Bottom''
|30 mm (84-90°) ''Engine Deck''
5 mm (13-14°) ''Vents''

|-
|Superstructure||187 mm (0-27°) ''Turret front''
157 mm (50-61°) ''Gun mantlet''
|100 mm (20°)||50 mm (13-14°)||30 mm (81-89°)
|-
!Armour!!Sides!!Roof
|-
|Cupola||40 mm||40 mm
|}

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

{| 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" |50.0|| colspan="1" rowspan="2" |N/A|| colspan="1" |53 (AB)
|-
|50 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" |Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" |Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|968
|1192
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|663
|750
|-
! colspan="3" |Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" |Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|19.36
|23.84
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|13.26
|15.00
|}
== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|M-64 (152 mm)}}

The Object 268 is fitted with the 152mm M-64 cannon, a very fearsome weapon at this BR with three potent rounds that are capable of destroying virtually any vehicle in the game, so as long as the operator is skilled in its use. The ammunition loadout consists of HE, APCBC and HEAT, all three of which are excellent solutions to various situations in a battle.

This 152mm cannon has an excellent reload speed at 22.2s stock and 17.1s with an Ace crew, which means it has massively increased firepower compared to the similarly-tiered IS-3, which has a reload rate of 27.7s stock and 24.0s Aced.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" |[[M-64 (152 mm)|152mm M-64 cannon]]
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Total Capacity
!First stage Capacity
! rowspan="1" |Vertical
guidance
! rowspan="1" |Horizontal
guidance
! rowspan="1" |Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="2" |35
|17||-5°/+15°||±6°||N/A
|-
! colspan="6" |Gun traverse 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''||7.04||__.__||__.__||__.__||__.__
|-
|''Realistic''||4.73||__.__||__.__||__.__||__.__
|-
! 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.
|-
|22.23||19.67||18.13||17.10
|}

=====Ammunition=====
{| 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%
|-
|OF-540||HE||750||43.56||0.1||0.5||5,900||+0°||79°||80°||81°
|-
|BR-540B||APCBC||750||48.96||1.2||19||1,020||+4°||48°||63°||71°
|-
|BP-540||HEAT||770||27.67||0.0||0.1||5,910||+0°||62°||69°||73°
|-
|}
{| 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-540B||APCBC||228||226||216||204||193||182
|-
|OF-540||HE||49||49||49||49||49||49
|-
|BP-540||HEAT||250||250||250||250||250||250
|}

[[Ammo racks|'''Ammo racks''']]

{| class="wikitable" 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
|-
||'''35'''||30 ''(+5)''||18 ''(+17)''||11 ''(+24)''||9 ''(+26)''|| style="text-align:left" |No
|}

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|KPVT (14.5 mm)}}

The Object 268 is armed with a single 14.5mm KPVT heavy machine gun commanded by the commander. It is highly effective in dispatching lightly armoured vehicles and defending from air attacks. It can even potentially damage or destroy enemy gun barrels. However, this machine gun is loaded with 50 round belts, which only allows for a few short bursts punctuated with a lengthy reload.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" |[[KPVT (14.5 mm)|14.5 mm KPVT]]
|-
! colspan="7" |''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" |Fire rate
(shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" |Vertical
guidance
! rowspan="1" |Horizontal
guidance
|-
| colspan="4" |500 (50)||600||-5°/+85°||±180°
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The Object 268 is an excellent single-direction brawler, as its frontal armour can withstand most kinetic shells at its BR, it is capable of locking down an entire street, which dissuades any enemy advances in the area. Although it is best used in urban maps as a brawler, it can also function as a mobile pillbox in rural maps, drawing enemy fire and covering a wide area of the map to deny enemy movements.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Excellent frontal protection, the armour is more than 250mm thick in most places and can deflect virtually any kinetic energy projectile at its BR with ease.
* Single frontal weakspot is relatively small and easy to conceal with bushes.
* Excellent firepower, with a fast-firing 152mm and a 14.5mm machine gun, which is perfect for dealing with light tanks and dissuading enemy air support.
* Impressive mobility in a straight line.
* All ammunition types remain effective at long ranges, solving an issue that persists with many Russian tanks at this BR.
* Side armour of the casemate is an excellent 100mm. Which can afford you to engage targets from multiple directions without having to worry about exposing weaker side armour.
* The original reload speed is retained with the loss of one loader.
* Has access to a unlockable Rangefinder modification, increasing its already impressive performance at longer ranges.

'''Cons:'''

* Large and boxy profile makes the Object 268 relatively easy to spot.
* Unimpressive turning ability makes it difficult to deal with flanking enemies at closer ranges, and nearly impossible to counter targets directly behind the vehicle.
* Large ammo racks on the sides and rear of the vehicle's casemate make flanking shots extremely lethal and usually unforgiving.
* Firing the cannon kicks up a massive dust cloud, making the vehicle easy to spot when its firing from a concealed position.
* The 14.5mm KPV machine gun cannot point directly to the vehicle's left side, as its traverse is blocked by the rangefinder and cupola.
* Small weakspot next to the gun is a flat 187mm area, and is usually lethal if penetrated.

== History ==


=== Development ===

The '''Object 268''' self-propelled gun was one of the many derivative designs of the ''T-10'' heavy tank. The concept began on 2 July 1952 at the Leningrad Kirov Plant on the order of the Council of Ministers USSR.<ref name="Kinnear1" /> The Object 268 would follow in the same line of doctrine as had the earlier Soviet self-propelled guns of World War II, the ''SU-100'', ''-122'', and ''-152''. This contrasted with the Western concept of a self-propelled gun being used as an artillery piece rather than the Soviet usage as a tank destroyer.<ref name="Kinnear1" /> There had been earlier attempts at converting a heavy tank to a self-propelled gun, using the chassis of the ''IS-4'' and ''IS-7'', but those had not been fully developed and were cancelled. The IS-4 production was running too slowly and the IS-7 had been too complex to manufacture in large numbers.<ref name="Kinnear2" /> The Leningrad Kirov Plant worked to produce an SPG on the T-10 chassis by combining it with the 152 mm M-48 cannon, which had high velocity and was much more powerful than earlier 152 mm cannons. Drawing work led to the ''Object 730'' SPG which would be paired with the M-53 cannon, a parallel development to the M-48.<ref name="Kinnear3" />

The Object 730 SPG had five different variants drawn up with each one being unique. Version No.1 was a front mounted casemate design which would be developed into the Object 268. Version No.2 had a rear casemate with the main armament using a drum magazine at the rear of the fighting compartment and the engine at the front of the vehicle.<ref name="Kinnear4" /> Version No.3 abandoned the casemate design and used a conventional turret with all ammunition being stored in the rear of the turret.<ref name="Kinnear4" /> Version No.4 was a slightly modified No.2 with a lengthened hull, addition of a second loader (bringing the crew to five) and a new cupola with a rangefinder and machine gun.<ref name="Kinnear5" /> Version No.5, likewise, was a reworked No.3 to also bring the crew to five and the addition of a 14.5 mm KPV machine gun, along with it using the same engine as would be used in the T-10M.<ref name="Kinnear6" /> Versions No.4 and 5 were rejected due to being too drastic of changes to the base design, and it was decided to go with a slightly modified Version No.1 with the same engine as the T-10M.<ref name="Kinnear7" />

=== Final Design and Prototype ===

The final design for the Object 268 was presented to the committee in June 1953 using technical drawings and a scale model, which was approved on 25 August by A.I. Radzievsky.<ref name="Kinnear7" /> This would be armed with the 152 mm M-64 cannon along with a 14.5 mm KPVT machine gun on the roof of the casemate, along with a stereoscopic rangefinder. While the crew was kept at five (having two loaders), it was intended to have a crew of four as soon as an automated loading mechanism could be made for the M-64 cannon.<ref name="Kinnear7" /> The main armament was being slowly developed due to being lower priority than 122 mm development, but the M-64 was created by taking the M-53 cannon and slightly shortening it while still maintaining a muzzle velocity of 750 m/s.<ref name="Kinnear8" /> The final drawings for the Object 268 were finalized in June 1954, reviewed in August and construction on prototypes had begun in March 1955.

Work continued on the M-64 cannon, with the prototype being completed in December 1955 and one being sent to Leningrad for installation into the Object 268 in February 1956. The prototype Object 268 was finally completed in March 1956 and was also still modified from the final drawings, as it was decided to use flat steel plates for the roof and rear of the casemate rather than the originally planned rounded plates as well modifications to allow the main armament to be installed and removed.<ref name="Kinnear9" />

=== Completed Vehicle and Cancellation ===

The completed Object 268 prototype was armed with the 152.4 mm M-64 cannon, built at the Leningrad plant, using the TSh-2A "Sharik" sight for direct fire and the ZiS-3 panoramic sight.<ref name="Kinnear10" /> A TKD-09 stereoscopic rangefinder was mounted on the roof of the casemate along with a 14.5 mm KPVT heavy machine gun in a rotating ring above the gunner's hatch.<ref name="Kinnear10" /> Full ammunition load was 35 rounds, with AP and HE-FRAG being available. The range at which a target could be engaged in direct fire was 900 meters with a maximum indirect fire range of 13,000 meters.<ref name="Kinnear10" /> The hull of the Object 268 was 120 mm thick of RHA and the casemate was 187 mm. The engine used was the V-12-6 generating 750 HP, as well as using the same transmission as the T-10. Weight of the tank was 50 tonnes with a maximum speed of 48 km/h.

The Object 268 was ultimately cancelled, largely due to internal problems associated with the development of Soviet tanks. By the time the prototype was completed and trials had finished it was approaching the end of 1957 and even further development had been done. These designs had specifications and characteristics that were more advanced that the Object 268 and would have been so well protected that the M-64 cannon would have difficulty in taking them out.<ref name="Kinnear11" /> It was expected that the Western tank development would also be able to defend against the Object 268, and the T-10 heavy tank had already begun production which could have caused issues if tank plants were made to manufacture a different version at the same time. In addition, a major shift in Soviet doctrine to incorporate more usage of anti-tank guided missiles, which had just been created in the Soviet Union in 1956.<ref name="Kinnear11" /> The Object 268 was not accepted for mass production and further development of the Object 268 was halted, with only the single prototype having been made. It remains in the Kubinka tank polygon and museum.

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|MwDaA15tiO8|Video of Object 268 running at Kubinka (Russian) Vehicle starts at (10:11)}}

== See also ==


* [[T-10M|'''''T-10M''''']] - Object 268 was developed on the hull of the T-10
* [[ISU-152|'''''ISU-152''''']] - Object 268 was intended as the successor to the ISU-152

== External links ==


* Kinnear, James and Stephen L. Sewell. ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017.

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Kinnear1">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 113.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear2">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 114.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear3">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), pp. 114-115.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear4">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 115.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear5">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 116.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear6">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 117.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear7">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 118.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear8">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 119.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear9">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 121.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear10">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 122-123.</ref>
<ref name="Kinnear11">James Kinnear and Stephen L. Sewell, ''Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants'' (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2017), p. 124-125.</ref>
</references>

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

IS-3

2019-11-19T21:04:54Z

U8515006: /* Ammo racks */ Updated and fleshed out Ammo Racks section.

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_is_3}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_IS-3.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the closed beta testing for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The IS-3 keeps the same [[D-25T (122 mm)|D-25T]] gun as its predecessor while ''drastically'' upgrading its armour without hindering mobility too much.

Anyone familiar with the [[IS-2]] and [[IS-2 (1944)]] will sit comfortably behind the driver's controls of this behemoth.

As with previous IS models, the IS-3 sports the same D-25T 122mm cannon, with its awesome destructive potential. Experienced tankers will know which weak points to look for on most targets, although the weapon's effectiveness increases dramatically once the BR-417D ammunition is researched, upgrading its penetration from 207mm to 230mm while retaining most of the HE filler. At 7.3 BR, the IS-3 will come up against many other heavy tanks with large, slow reloading guns, making the playing field much more even. Despite this, always beware the faster, lightly armoured targets such as the [[Ru 251]], [[Leopard I]], and other vehicles that can essentially ignore the IS-3's armour like the [[FV4005|FV4005]]. As with the IS-2 mod. 1944, the IS-3 has a spindle-mounted Heavy Machine Gun, good for warding off strafing aircraft or deterring light vehicles.

The IS-3 once again demonstrates sub-par maneuverability, despite being relatively light for a heavy tank. It has an engine that produces a measly 671 horsepower, making the vehicle feel sluggish when attempting to initiate a turn from both standstills and when moving. Its' acceleration also leaves much to be desired, however, it does have a reasonably high top speed, and usually will reach it eventually regardless of the surface it is driving on. Fortunately, as with all late Soviet heavy tanks, the reverse speed of the IS-3 is very respectable, often allowing it the time necessary to back out of bad situations to reload or repair. The reverse gears and low forward gears allow the vehicle to climb surprisingly sharp slopes, despite what some might expect from such a large vehicle.

The most obvious changes over the previous IS tanks are of course the redesigned turret and the sharply angled 'pike' nose. The front is not only angled, but the armour is also relatively thick, with 110mm on both the top and bottom, angled at 54°-56° and 54° respectively. As with previous designs, the IS-3 has somewhat sub-par side and rear armour, and angling should be avoided. The redesigned turret is much more resilient than the older designs, with more angling, a much smaller flat area around the mantlet, and significantly thicker casting. The tank is somewhat vulnerable to trap shots and turret ring penetration - these can be somewhat negated by depressing the gun and blocking the vulnerable areas.

The IS-3 is the definition of a 'breakthrough' tank, which excels at close-range, front-on conflict where the chances of flanking are minimal and drivers can take advantage of the heavy frontal armour and reverse speed. When up-tiered, or against certain enemies with HEAT, HESH or ATGMs, IS-3 drivers should play cautiously as the tank is extremely vulnerable to high-penetration and chemical rounds.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 110 mm (54-56°) ''Front glacis'' 110 mm (54°) ''Lower glacis'' || 90 mm (0-40°) ''Top'' 20 mm (60°) ''Bottom'' || 60 mm (47°) ''Top'' 60 mm (41-42°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 250 mm (1-78°) ''Turret front'' 100 + 250 mm (9-79°) ''Gun mantlet''|| 75-220 mm (33-69°) || 70-120 mm (22-52°) || 20 mm ''Front, Hatch roof'' 40 mm ''Center'' 75 mm ''Sides''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* The thickest armour of the tank is at the front – the "beak" at the front of the hull raises the effective thickness of the armour from 110 to around 180 – 200 mm, depending on the exact spot.
* The turret front of the IS-3 is an also fairly well armoured, with 250 mm of heavily sloped armour equating to around 400 mm effective thickness.
* Turret side armour is not equal throughout its length. In the side middle, it is 130 mm, then bordering the rear armour is 150 mm thick.
* Gun mantlet side and bottom are boosted by the 250 mm of the turret front, whereas the top of gun mantlet has no armour behind it.
* Side armour of the hull has an additional 5 mm of sheet metal on above the suspension area.
* Turret ring is 200mm thick with a 20mm "collar" covering the front and sides.

=== 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" | 48.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 43 (AB)
|-
|40 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|671
|827
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|460
|520
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|13.98
|17.23
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|9.58
|10.83
|-
|}

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

{{main|D-25T (122 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 28 || -3°/+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'' ||7.28||10.08||12.24||13.54||14.4
|-
| ''Realistic'' ||5.36||6.30||7.65||8.43|| 9.00
|-
! 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.
|-
|26.0||23.0||21.2||20.0
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| BR-471 || APHE ||205||201||183||162||144||128
|-
| BR-471B || APHEBC ||205||203||191||178||166||155
|-
| BR-471D || APCBC || 230 ||227||215||200||186||173
|-
| OF-471 || HE ||37||37||37||37||37||37
|-
|}
{| 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-471 || APHE || 795 || 25 || 1.2 ||19||246.4|| -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-471B || APHEBC ||795|| 25 || 1.2 ||19||246.4|| +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-471D || APCBC || 800 || 25 || 1.2 ||19||192.5|| +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-471 || HE || 800 || 25 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 3,600 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks IS-3.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the IS-3.]]The D-25T cannon fires two-piece ammunition that are stored all around the crew compartment. The majority of the projectiles are found lining the sides and rear of the turret while the majority of the propellant found in the hull, with two large piles flanking the driver and a few kept on the hull floor and rear. Next to the cannon breach on the loader's side is a small ready rack containing 5 propellant charges, with the 5 accompanying projectiles found to the loader's right against the turret side. The time it takes the loader to load one round into the ready rack from the stowage racks is about 21 seconds.
{| class="wikitable" 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
!6th
rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''28''' || 23 ''(+5)'' || 17 ''(+11)'' || 13 ''(+15)'' || 10 ''(+18)'' || 8 ''(+20)''
|1 ''(+27)''
| style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

* Recommended ammo load is 12, which empty all of the racks but racks 1 and 6.
* Ammo Rack 1 is a ready rack, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 6 through 2.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in the ready racks. If all three ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 2-6 into rack 1, as long as there is ammo in racks 2-6. Firing will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 300 (50) || 600 || -4°/+85° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| 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" | 2,000 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The IS-3, continuing the tradition of the Russian IS line of heavy tanks, sports a powerful 122mm cannon, strong frontal armour and reasonable mobility for its class. As with its predecessors, it excels at dispatching anything it can penetrate with its explosive-filled rounds, and relies heavily on its excellent reverse speed and sharply angled armour to keep itself out of trouble. However, an IS-3 commander will increasingly encounter HEAT, HESH and ATGMs which pose a serious threat to the vehicle.

=== General Gameplay ===
One of the most important points about the IS-3 is that angling does not work - your pike nose will become easier to get through as you angle your tank, so handle all enemies head-on, if possible. However your gun is still the same 122 mm cannon as on the initial [[IS-2]] at which is situated at a lower battle rating, so it is understandable that you will struggle to penetrate many heavy enemies frontally now at the higher battle rating.

In the current meta, faster vehicles are more viable than heavier ones, and the IS-3 is at a big disadvantage especially in Realistic. Your armour is amazing in a downtier (to Battle Ratings 6.3 / 6.7), but it's basically non-existent in an uptier (to Battle Ratings 8.0 / 8.3, where you start seeing APFSDS and HEAT shells all the time), so knowing when to take this tank out is also a big part of gameplay with it.

'''Arcade Battles'''

Surprisingly, the IS-3 can do very well in Arcade. Many enemies in Arcade don't seem to know that the best way to kill the IS-3 with a conventional round is via a shot-trap, so your survivability is increased. Moreover, when fully upgraded, the IS-3 becomes extremely mobile in Arcade allowing you to get into cover after shooting, or quickly advance on an unsuspecting enemy. The best strategy against a single enemy is to just rush them - the terrain usually bounces your tank around slightly making it very difficult to penetrate, and the sheer sight of a heavy tank speeding towards the enemy will cause some panic.

The more experienced tanker will know when to take the IS-3 out in battle and when to use other vehicles. If you know that the game is an uptier (e.g. by checking the statistics tab, or by the map draw) you should decide against the IS-3 and take out a tank like the [[BMP-1]], which fits better into the high tier meta. Also, long-range engagements are a gamble, since your top round and long reload times make it difficult to successfully attack enemies, while they might have a HEAT shell that disregards distance. However, the rush strategy can work here as well, especially if you turn your tank in random directions once in a while, making it harder for opponents to aim at you.

'''Realistic Battles'''

In Realistic, the IS-3 is much more difficult to play, because enemies take more time to aim at weakspots and your mobility is toned down. Due to that, you need to take time with your own shots and know your opponents - is there an ammo-rank in the side of the Caernarvon, or should you shoot at the driver's position? and etc. Generally, you need to play with stealth in Realistic, because the person who shoots first is usually the one that gets the kill. Flanking can, and does, work with the IS-3, not because of speed, but because your teammates are shot and you can return fire at the perpetrators and continue your advance. Moreover, some light tanks that are prevalent at the higher Battle Ratings outright cannot penetrate you with their main guns (most of them have ATGMs, though).

Against ATGMs, it's a good idea to use your machine guns to shoot at the ground in front of your tank - this makes a small smoke-screen out of dirt and rubble that makes it difficult for enemies to aim their ATGMs. Keep in mind though, that you should still move your tank away from the initial position, because enemies will try to predict where you are going (it's a good idea to shoot machine guns increasingly to the left, while moving to the right, because it causes a sense of your tank moving with machine guns, while actually, you're moving in the other direction).

'''General Tips'''

The IS-3 is relatively versatile, but excels in close-range combat against conventional rounds - it is very good at taking on other heavy tanks such as the [[T32|T32]] and [[Caernarvon]].

* It has reasonably decent top speed, and on solid ground, acceptable acceleration, allowing it to reach cap points and combat areas fairly promptly and set up in positions to allow it to make the most of the frontal armour.
* When down tiered (6.3-6.7 games), the IS-3 performs excellently, able to push forward and play its 'breakthrough' role with impunity.
* Good climbing capabilities allow the IS-3 to reach some surprising positions for sniping or supporting teammates pushing points. Despite the gun's effectiveness being reduced at the range, the armour of the vehicle becomes much more effective as weak spots become significantly harder to hit.
* Since the IS-3 can keep up with most medium tanks like the Centurions, Panthers or T-44s, it can be played as early-game heavy support for those lighter, more vulnerable hulls to assist in taking objectives.
* In up tiered games (7.7-8.3), the IS-3 can come across a lot of chemical rounds and must be played significantly more carefully, as its armour simply cannot compete with the high penetration of these rounds.

Play this tank almost any way that is favourable. A few tips to increase this vehicle's performance:

* Always face towards the enemies directly, avoid exposing the weak hull sides.
* Cover the frontal weak spots if necessary with the gun's large barrel by pointing it downwards. It's better to have the gun barrel destroyed than it is to lose crew members and be potentially unable to reverse out of bad situations.
* Stop only to fire. Movement makes the weak spots harder to target. Even when there is no destination to move to, go back and forth a few meters just so that the IS-3 hull wobbles a bit on start and stop.
* Plan aggressive pushes and movements around enemy locations. The gun has negligible depression and very bad horizontal traverse, making reacting to enemies slow and risky, and impossible if they're on lower ground.
* Avoid engaging vehicles over hills by climbing the hill as it will be hard to aim with only -3° depression and the lower plate will be vulnerable due to the angling.
* Avoid fighting tanks with HEAT/HESH/APFSDS.
* Be careful when brawling at extremely close ranges, as the top of the turret is quite vulnerable due to the vehicle's low profile.
* Avoid facing elevated opponents, as this decreases LOS thickness for hull and exposes turret top.
* Carrying less ammo helps increase survivability from penetrating shots to the turret (ammunition is spread around the edges of the turret).

=== The Stock Grind ===
This vehicle can be a pain to play when stock, because enemies will try to kill you in any way, often by setting you on fire 3 times in a row. Your tracks and gun barrel are frequent targets as well, and without Parts or FPE gameplay is going to be painful. Due to this, you must '''research Parts and FPE first''', this is extremely important. Generally, you would want to be behind your teammates, to let them get shot more instead of you, when reloaded you can poke out and shoot your shot, right before going back into the cover or behind teammates. Sniping is an option, but it's not the most viable since there's quite a lot of bullet drop and missing your shots will cause the very long reload.

===Modules===
In tier, I, ''Parts'' and ''Horizontal Drive should, of course, be the prioritized modules for repairs and turret traverse speed. These two will also unlock Tier II modifications and grant access to the very vital ''FPE'' and ''M61 shot'', the former for preservation against fires and the latter to improve damage in the battlefield.''

Then in tier III, ''Crew Replenishment'' should be obtained for crew survival improvement and the APCR ''T45 shot'' for improved armour-piercing power. After that, everything else could be done at one's own priorities, but ''Engine'' should be invested for better automotive performances and ''M89'' for the smoke capabilities.

=== Pros and cons ===


;Pros:

* Turret is heavily sloped
* Gun mantlet is nearly impenetrable
* Front glacis is shaped like a pike and is heavily sloped
* Spaced side armour
* Anti-aircraft HMG
* Turret has few weak spots
* Respectable top speed
* Very good reverse speed and can accelerate backwards rather quickly
* Powerful filler, can potentially one-shot opponents
* Access to the upgraded BR-471D which evens out the playing field
* Tank's appearance often confuses enemy players, causing them to panic and shoot at impenetrable spots (turret, upper glacis)
* Can be very difficult to deal with for players who are inexperienced against this new design
* Good tank for team/squad play where one can be the centre of attention of the enemy by drawing fire and soaking damage, allowing more mobile teammates to flank around and engage
* Rear mounted transmission, less vulnerable to fire damage
* Radiator can protect the engine from damage

;Cons:

* Incredibly long reload for the main armament at around 20 seconds, even with an ace crew
* No neutral steering, have to put in gear one and move a bit forward when turning to a direction
* Vulnerable to trap shots
* HEAT-FS, APDS and sabot shells might defeat even the thickest parts of the armour
* Restrictive elevation angles hamper attempts to exploit terrain features
* Mediocre manoeuvrability, even worse when stock without performance modules
* Front glacis raw thickness is rather thin, relies on the pike to be effective
* Cannot afford to be angled as this exposes the weaker hull sides and reduces the pike's effectiveness
* Slow turret traverse speed
* Cramped crew
* Armour loses effectiveness significantly when up-tiered
* It is possible for shells to disable the engine from the front
* Cannon barrel is easily damaged
* Bad quality optics (No enhanced zoom, only 1x and 2x options)
* Penetration through the frontal armour will likely detonate ammo racks or incapacitate the crew outright

== History ==


===Development===
Late in 1944, development of the next generation of the IS heavy tanks started, following after the [[IS-2 (1944)|IS-2]] tank. The tank was to be better in armour compared to the IS-2 as a response to the new [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]] that showed up and is able to penetrate the front armour of the hull. The project was codenamed ''Kirovets-1'' and was headed by General Nikolai Dukhov.<ref name="ZalogaIS">Zaloga Steven. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref> Design bureaus at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant "Tankograd" (ChTZ) and Factory No. 100 worked on the design of the vehicle. A focus on the armour improvement came from a study by an engineer in the teams that most tank losses occurred from hits to the front turret, with the front hull coming in second. The two design bureaus came up with their own ideas on how to make the armour of the tank more effective, with ChTZ developing an extremely rounded turret and No.100 developing a new angled front armour in a shape of a "beak". Soviet command decided that the design should use both features in the armour as both ideas were promising. The prototype vehicle was then produced at ChTZ and completed in October 1944 when it trialled and accepted for production as the '''IS-3'''. Production for the IS-3 started in 1945 at ChTZ alongside the IS-2 production. As the first tanks rolled off production lines, it was determined that the design was rushed and unproven with its multiple mechanical problems, some of which included the armour plates welds cracking open from the vibration of cross-country movement and muzzle blast from the gun. Because of this, the IS-3 was not available in large numbers to be committed into battle, leading to their absence in the final months of World War II before Germany surrendered in May 1945.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

Despite its rough introduction and prevalent mechanical issues, the IS-3 continued production with gradual fixes to the front hull, final drive, and engine mounts. The Chelyabinsk factory produced IS-3s from 1945 to 1951 for a total of 1,800 tanks.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

===Usage===
Though the IS-3 was not available in large numbers at the start, the Soviets attempted to transport the IS-3 to Germany in April 1945 to assist in the fightings, but they arrived too late to be committed to any fighting. It is reported that the IS-3 did see service during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945 to fulfil Stalin's promise in the Yalta Conference to invade Japan after the capitulation of Germany, however not much information is present about this topic.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

The end of the most destructive war in history did not waver the Soviet's opinion of the IS-3 however, and the Soviet command had the 52 IS-3 tanks from the 2nd Guards Tank Army paraded in the Berlin Victory Parade on September 7, 1945.<ref name="ZalogaIS" /> The reveal of the IS-3 in the parade came as a huge shock to the Western Allies who saw the IS-3 as a nigh-invulnerable breakthrough tank with their heavy armour. The response to the tank was there to develop their own heavy tanks able to do the same job and with a gun able to fight the IS-3, such as the British [[Conqueror|Conqueror]] and the American [[M103|M103]] heavy tanks. Despite its very ominous stature, the IS-3 was still plagued with mechanical issues at this point with its poor armour quality and mechanical reliability. A short modernization program from 1948 to 1952 was made to fix these issues with tanks in production and in the depots with no change to the name designation. The IS-3 was then modernized further in the 1960s to keep it up with changing times. The modifications done were similar to the IS-2M, which gave the IS-3 extra external fuel tanks, storage bins, and protective side skirts as well as an improved engine, engine filtration, new radios, new machine guns, new gun optics, and many more small changes. The modernized IS-3 was named the ''IS-3M''.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

One of the few actions the IS-3 saw in the post-war era with the Soviet Union was in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution with a single heavy tank regiment. The Soviet's heavy tank regiments used to consist of 21 heavy tanks during World War II. In 1947, the regiment composition is changed to between 44-46 heavy tanks and 21 heavy assault guns in a mixed formation. Another change between 1958-1959 saw this mixed unit changed to consist of only heavy tanks but now consists of up to 100 heavy tanks. Despite their armour, a number of heavy tanks were lost before the Soviets were able to crush the revolution. The IS-3 after that did not see much action afterwards in the Soviet Union's hands before it started to be replaced by the newer [[T-10M|T-10]] heavy tank in the 1960s. During this time, many heavy tanks were transported to the border between the Soviet Union and China in face of the rising tension between the two countries.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

The IS-3 would also be supplied to the Soviet Union's allies such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, North Korea, and Egypt. Poland and Czechoslovakia never adopted the tank after trials however, thus leaving only North Korea and Egypt as the main foreign users of the IS-3. The Egyptians used the IS-3M, 100 of which were received from the Soviets, against the Israelis in the Six-Day War in 1967. Of all the tanks used in that war, the IS-3M was the most feared by the Israelis due to the thick front armour. Israeli infantry's standard anti-tank weaponry could not penetrate through the front, and tanks as modern as the [[M48A1|M48 Patton]] also could not defeat the IS-3M. Nevertheless, the better tactics and training among the Israeli tank units were able to prevail against the IS-3M, with the IS-3 being commented by the Egyptians for its low rate of fire and outdated fire-controls to the crew's deficiency in combat. Of the 100, 73 tanks were lost during the Six-Day War. The Israeli managed to capture a number of IS-3 and pressed them into service, though only for a short period before its faults become more problematic than its benefits. The engine on the IS-3 proved to be unsuitable in the desert climate of the Middle East, and an attempt by the Israeli to alleviate this by replacing the engine with one from the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]], though this did not prove fruitful. In the Yom Kippur War in 1973, both the Egyptians and Israeli used the IS-3M to a smaller degree than the Six Day War, the IS-3 not seeing much combat in the Egyptian forces and were used as dug-in pillboxes on the Jordan River by the Israelis.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

===Decline and Discontinuation===
With the introduction of the lighter and more mobile [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]] main battle tank in the 1950s, the IS-3 saw less usage among the Soviet front-line as it started to become obsolete. Further development to improve and continue the IS tank series became the [[IS-4M|IS-4]], IS-7, and the [[T-10M|T-10]] tanks. However, in 1960, Nikita Khrushchev, the new premier of the Soviet Union after Stalin died, ordered heavy tank production to be terminated in wake of a new military strategy of missiles rather than conventional forces.<ref name="ZalogaIS" /> His orders are not without reason, heavy tanks are difficult to maintain and transport across the huge Soviet Union, which also did not have many bridges that could support a heavy tank. Another reason was the changing anti-tank technology that made tank armour extremely vulnerable, especially against the new anti-tank missiles that are becoming more and more efficient at their task in destroying tanks. Still, the order did not mean the dissolution of heavy tank units as by 1978, there were still up to 2,300 heavy tanks in the Far East. To this day, many heavy tanks are still either in inactive reserves or dug in as pillboxes along the borders of the Soviet Union.<ref name="ZalogaIS" /> The heavy tank's place in the Soviet Union's military was replaced by the main battle tanks (MBT) like the T-64, which presented a much better firepower, armour, and mobility for only a weight of 35 tons, a technological sign on the rising prevalence of the MBT.

=== In-game description ===
In spite of the fact that the IS-2 lived up to expectations, a decision was made a year after the end of the war to create a tank with even higher characteristics. Its unique welded hull and cast turret construction significantly increased its armour strength in comparison to the IS-2, from which it took many key parts and components.

The hull was welded together from rolled armour plates and contained no cast armour pieces. The dual-sloping inclined nose design allowed a driver's hatch to be placed in it, significantly improved visibility in the field, and provided high armour strength to the frontal hull. For increased fire safety, its fuel tanks were moved from the fighting compartment to the engine compartment. It was armed with a 122 mm D-25T cannon with a coaxial 7.62 mm DT machine gun. The turret's roof was equipped with a 12.7 mm DShK anti-aircraft machine gun. It had no bow or rear machine guns.

At the beginning of their deployment, a range of flaws resulting from a number of design errors and miscalculations was revealed in these tanks. Among other issues, these included failures in the engine, gearbox, and parts of the armoured hull in the region of the engine compartment. In 1948-1952, all IS-3 tanks were reworked and modernised. The engine brackets were reinforced, the gearbox fixings changed, the underturret plate strengthened, the main friction coupling design updated, and the sealing enhanced on the final drive and road wheels. The 10-RK radio set was replaced with the 10-RT radio set. These changes increased the tank's mass to 48.8 tonnes.

The first experimental group of IS-3 heavy tanks left their factories in 1945. In total, 2,311 of them were made by mid-1946.
They were not deployed in combat in the Great Patriotic War. There are some indications that the IS-3 was used in the defeat of the Japanese army in August 1945.

== Media ==


* [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23is3 Skins and camouflages for the IS-3 from live.warthunder]

==References==
<references />

== 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 ==


* [http://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/227061-vehicle-profile-is-3/#entry4370635 [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> IS-3]

{{USSR heavy tanks}}

File:Ammoracks IS-3.png

2019-11-19T20:32:20Z

U8515006: U8515006 uploaded a new version of File:Ammoracks IS-3.png

[[Category:Ammo racks]]

Centurion Mk 1

2019-11-19T15:39:11Z

U8515006: /* Mobility */ Corrected max speed. Added to Armor & Survivability notes. General proof-reading.

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

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Centurion Mk 1.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]]. It is equipped with the well-known British [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|QF 17-pounder]] mounted on a new hull that definitively makes the Cromwell chassis outdated.

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

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

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

''Armour'' 
The main improvement from previous British mediums is its thick and sloped armour. Reaching 152 mm on the turret and a good 76 mm angled at 58° on the front hull, this tanks can actually block point-blank shots from most cannons it will face like the Russian [[D-5T (85 mm)|D-5T]], the Japanese [[Type II Model II (75 mm)|Type II 75 mm]] and even some German guns at 500 m. This tank can actually expose its upper glacis since it will bounce most shots. This tank still has weak spots though: gun and MG mantlet are "only" 127 mm thick, barely angled and lower glacis are 76 mm at 44°, meaning close-range shots will eventually penetrate. It also has thin side armour, meaning that the tank is vulnerable to flank attacks and compound angling cannot be done effectively without exposing the sides. These traits mean that the Centurion Mk.1 can happily stand up most frontal shots at this rank.

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

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

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
The Centurion Mk 1 is the first tank players will encounter in the British tech tree that sports a sloped hull front similar to the Panther, which with a thickness of 76.2 mm provides great protection for its battle rating, especially when the hull is angled slightly. Turret armour features 127 mm thickness throughout the front but features many flat areas that cannons of sufficient power will exploit to destroy the tank, especially since 3 out of the 4 crew members are located in the turret. Side armour can withstand auto-cannon fire with exceptions for HVAP rounds, so don't rely on it outside of that. If the situation becomes sticky and a tactical retreat is required, a single wide volley of smoke grenades launched from the turret can cover you from the line-of-sight.

'''Armour type:'''

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

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

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

=== Mobility ===

Compared to the many Cromwell based tanks before the Centurion, it does lose out on a great forward speed, only being able to reach 41 km/h (AB)/37 km/h (RB) maximum, but in return it does receive great reverse speed of 13.4 km/h (AB)/12.1 km/h (RB), allowing for tactics that would not be recommended with the Cromwell like "Peek-a-boos". It also retains good maneuverability, effective neutral steering, and a very acceptable acceleration due to good power-to-weight ratio.
{| 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" | 46.9 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 41 (AB)
|-
|37 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|984
|1212
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|562
|635
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|20.98
|25.84
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.98
|13.53
|-
|}

== 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" | 74 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 17.14 || 23.72 || 28.80 || 31.84 || 33.88
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 10.70 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
! 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 || 6.79 || 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''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 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 || APC || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 190 || 187 || 172 || 155 || 140 || 126
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 228 || 226 || 207 || 189 || 159 || 134
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="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 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 883 || 6.98 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 883 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 1203 || 1.73 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
|}
{| 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_Centurion Mk 1.png|right|x250px|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Centurion Mk.1]]The QF 17-pounder cannon fires single-piece ammunition stored in stowage racks in the hull floor and the hull front next to the driver. There are 11 rounds stored in 3 small ready racks located in the turret basket inside the hull for quick reloading by the loader. The time it takes the loader to load one round into the ready rack from the stowage racks is about 17 seconds.
{| class="wikitable" 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
!5th
rack empty
!6th rack empty
!7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''74''' || 71 ''(+3)'' || 67 ''(+7)'' || 64 ''(+10)'' || 62 ''(+12)''
|46 ''(+28)''
|30 ''(+44)''
|1 ''(+73)''|| style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Notes:

* Recommended ammo load is 30 to remove from ammo from the hull floor and half of rack 7.
* Ammo rack 1, 2, and 3 are ready racks, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 7 through 4.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in the ready racks. If all three ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 4-7 into rack 3, 2, and 1, as long as there is ammo in racks 4-7. Firing will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! 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 || ±7° || ±7°
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

This tank is a good Jack-of-all-trades, meaning it can effectively deal with any situation with good effectiveness, so one can play it as you like, as long as you follow a few specific guidelines and patterns, in order not to get shot down too easily.

'''Hide LFP''': In any engagement, this is the weakest part of your frontal armour, behind it there is your main ammo rack and driver, avoid showing this part of the tank to the enemy.

'''Stay on the move''': This tank has good mobility, use it to make it harder to target your weak spots at close ranges and avoid shots at long ranges.

'''No hull angling''': Since your sides are weak, do not try angling since it will only allow the enemy to get an easy kill. Use your good hull traverse (turning on the spot) to always face directly your foe. When turning corners, take a ''large turn'' in order to show only your frontal armour to anything that can be waiting around the corner.

'''Angle turret between shots''': While your hull sides are not that thick, your turret's side armour is much more forgiving at 89 mm, nod your turret ~ 10° to the right in order to maximise frontal LOS thickness.

'''Compensate parallax''': Your gun and optics are very far apart from each order meaning that your shells will always fall 1 meter left of your crosshair at ''any range'' (no convergence). This is particularly important in RB/SB battle since there is no aiming assistance to help you.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast firing 17-pounder armament with APDS rounds
* Good gun depression of -12°
* Decent front sloping armour
* Tough round sloping turret front
* Average mobility and decent manoeuvrability
* Good reverse speed
* Neutral steering
* Good stock mobility
* Access to smoke grenades
* Centurion Mk 1 can fill the role of a heavy tank if needed
* Turret can be angled for a much more effective armour thickness
* Frontal armour is quite resistant to the 85mm, 76mm and even the German 88 mm (KwK36) guns at medium/long range
* Benefits greatly from the learning curve of the Comet I and Challenger, their players will find themselves at home when playing the Centurion
* Armour is a huge step up from the Comet I and the Challenger
* Centurion Mk 1 is arguably the best BR 5.7 tank, as it has a well-balanced stats in terms of armour, mobility and firepower
* Mastering this tank will provide a good learning curve for the next Centurion variants
* Very low risk of fire
* Turret's top armour is thick, can resist most aircraft guns

'''Cons:'''

* No APHE rounds available, precision and knowledge of enemy tanks are required
* Large tank size, especially length
* Weak side armour, angling the armour too much will result in the side armour being penetrated
* Front ammo rack to the left of the driver, penetration to the lower glacis will likely ignite or destroy it
* Centurion Mk 1 is slow for a medium tank
* Unlike its later iterations, no [[Gun stabilizer|gun stabilizer]]
* Difficult to get kills with stock shells. They can penetrate but they may not destroy a tank, resulting in a lot of kill assists
* Weak Lower Frontal Plate (LFP), a weakness carried over to all British tanks onward
* Subpar turret armour (127 mm)
* Top armour covering the engine is poor, only 8 mm

== History ==


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

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/4515-development-centurion-mk-i-a-tank-for-a-new-era-en/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Centurion Mk I: A Tank for a New Era]

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

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}

IS-3

2019-11-19T15:11:39Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated Main armament table. Updated Ammunition tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_is_3}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_IS-3.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the closed beta testing for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The IS-3 keeps the same [[D-25T (122 mm)|D-25T]] gun as its predecessor while ''drastically'' upgrading its armour without hindering mobility too much.

Anyone familiar with the [[IS-2]] and [[IS-2 (1944)]] will sit comfortably behind the driver's controls of this behemoth.

As with previous IS models, the IS-3 sports the same D-25T 122mm cannon, with its awesome destructive potential. Experienced tankers will know which weak points to look for on most targets, although the weapon's effectiveness increases dramatically once the BR-417D ammunition is researched, upgrading its penetration from 207mm to 230mm while retaining most of the HE filler. At 7.3 BR, the IS-3 will come up against many other heavy tanks with large, slow reloading guns, making the playing field much more even. Despite this, always beware the faster, lightly armoured targets such as the [[Ru 251]], [[Leopard I]], and other vehicles that can essentially ignore the IS-3's armour like the [[FV4005|FV4005]]. As with the IS-2 mod. 1944, the IS-3 has a spindle-mounted Heavy Machine Gun, good for warding off strafing aircraft or deterring light vehicles.

The IS-3 once again demonstrates sub-par maneuverability, despite being relatively light for a heavy tank. It has an engine that produces a measly 671 horsepower, making the vehicle feel sluggish when attempting to initiate a turn from both standstills and when moving. Its' acceleration also leaves much to be desired, however, it does have a reasonably high top speed, and usually will reach it eventually regardless of the surface it is driving on. Fortunately, as with all late Soviet heavy tanks, the reverse speed of the IS-3 is very respectable, often allowing it the time necessary to back out of bad situations to reload or repair. The reverse gears and low forward gears allow the vehicle to climb surprisingly sharp slopes, despite what some might expect from such a large vehicle.

The most obvious changes over the previous IS tanks are of course the redesigned turret and the sharply angled 'pike' nose. The front is not only angled, but the armour is also relatively thick, with 110mm on both the top and bottom, angled at 54°-56° and 54° respectively. As with previous designs, the IS-3 has somewhat sub-par side and rear armour, and angling should be avoided. The redesigned turret is much more resilient than the older designs, with more angling, a much smaller flat area around the mantlet, and significantly thicker casting. The tank is somewhat vulnerable to trap shots and turret ring penetration - these can be somewhat negated by depressing the gun and blocking the vulnerable areas.

The IS-3 is the definition of a 'breakthrough' tank, which excels at close-range, front-on conflict where the chances of flanking are minimal and drivers can take advantage of the heavy frontal armour and reverse speed. When up-tiered, or against certain enemies with HEAT, HESH or ATGMs, IS-3 drivers should play cautiously as the tank is extremely vulnerable to high-penetration and chemical rounds.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 110 mm (54-56°) ''Front glacis'' 110 mm (54°) ''Lower glacis'' || 90 mm (0-40°) ''Top'' 20 mm (60°) ''Bottom'' || 60 mm (47°) ''Top'' 60 mm (41-42°) ''Bottom'' || 20 mm
|-
| Turret || 250 mm (1-78°) ''Turret front'' 100 + 250 mm (9-79°) ''Gun mantlet''|| 75-220 mm (33-69°) || 70-120 mm (22-52°) || 20 mm ''Front, Hatch roof'' 40 mm ''Center'' 75 mm ''Sides''
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* The thickest armour of the tank is at the front – the "beak" at the front of the hull raises the effective thickness of the armour from 110 to around 180 – 200 mm, depending on the exact spot.
* The turret front of the IS-3 is an also fairly well armoured, with 250 mm of heavily sloped armour equating to around 400 mm effective thickness.
* Turret side armour is not equal throughout its length. In the side middle, it is 130 mm, then bordering the rear armour is 150 mm thick.
* Gun mantlet side and bottom are boosted by the 250 mm of the turret front, whereas the top of gun mantlet has no armour behind it.
* Side armour of the hull has an additional 5 mm of sheet metal on above the suspension area.
* Turret ring is 200mm thick with a 20mm "collar" covering the front and sides.

=== 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" | 48.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 43 (AB)
|-
|40 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|671
|827
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|460
|520
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|13.98
|17.23
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|9.58
|10.83
|-
|}

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

{{main|D-25T (122 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 28 || -3°/+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'' ||7.28||10.08||12.24||13.54||14.4
|-
| ''Realistic'' ||5.36||6.30||7.65||8.43|| 9.00
|-
! 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.
|-
|26.0||23.0||21.2||20.0
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| BR-471 || APHE ||205||201||183||162||144||128
|-
| BR-471B || APHEBC ||205||203||191||178||166||155
|-
| BR-471D || APCBC || 230 ||227||215||200||186||173
|-
| OF-471 || HE ||37||37||37||37||37||37
|-
|}
{| 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-471 || APHE || 795 || 25 || 1.2 ||19||246.4|| -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| BR-471B || APHEBC ||795|| 25 || 1.2 ||19||246.4|| +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| BR-471D || APCBC || 800 || 25 || 1.2 ||19||192.5|| +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-471 || HE || 800 || 25 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 3,600 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks IS-3.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the IS-3.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo Part
! 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
|-
|| '''28''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 22 ''(+6)'' 22 ''(+6)'' || 15 ''(+13)'' 15 ''(+13)'' || 11 ''(+17)'' 11 ''(+17)'' || 4 ''(+24)'' 8 ''(+20)'' || 1 ''(+27)'' 1 ''(+27)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

Center diminished: 22 ''(+6)''

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|DShK (12.7 mm)|DT (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[DShK (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm DShK]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 300 (50) || 600 || -4°/+85° || ±180°
|-
|}
{| 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" | 2,000 (63) || 600 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The IS-3, continuing the tradition of the Russian IS line of heavy tanks, sports a powerful 122mm cannon, strong frontal armour and reasonable mobility for its class. As with its predecessors, it excels at dispatching anything it can penetrate with its explosive-filled rounds, and relies heavily on its excellent reverse speed and sharply angled armour to keep itself out of trouble. However, an IS-3 commander will increasingly encounter HEAT, HESH and ATGMs which pose a serious threat to the vehicle.

=== General Gameplay ===
One of the most important points about the IS-3 is that angling does not work - your pike nose will become easier to get through as you angle your tank, so handle all enemies head-on, if possible. However your gun is still the same 122 mm cannon as on the initial [[IS-2]] at which is situated at a lower battle rating, so it is understandable that you will struggle to penetrate many heavy enemies frontally now at the higher battle rating.

In the current meta, faster vehicles are more viable than heavier ones, and the IS-3 is at a big disadvantage especially in Realistic. Your armour is amazing in a downtier (to Battle Ratings 6.3 / 6.7), but it's basically non-existent in an uptier (to Battle Ratings 8.0 / 8.3, where you start seeing APFSDS and HEAT shells all the time), so knowing when to take this tank out is also a big part of gameplay with it.

'''Arcade Battles'''

Surprisingly, the IS-3 can do very well in Arcade. Many enemies in Arcade don't seem to know that the best way to kill the IS-3 with a conventional round is via a shot-trap, so your survivability is increased. Moreover, when fully upgraded, the IS-3 becomes extremely mobile in Arcade allowing you to get into cover after shooting, or quickly advance on an unsuspecting enemy. The best strategy against a single enemy is to just rush them - the terrain usually bounces your tank around slightly making it very difficult to penetrate, and the sheer sight of a heavy tank speeding towards the enemy will cause some panic.

The more experienced tanker will know when to take the IS-3 out in battle and when to use other vehicles. If you know that the game is an uptier (e.g. by checking the statistics tab, or by the map draw) you should decide against the IS-3 and take out a tank like the [[BMP-1]], which fits better into the high tier meta. Also, long-range engagements are a gamble, since your top round and long reload times make it difficult to successfully attack enemies, while they might have a HEAT shell that disregards distance. However, the rush strategy can work here as well, especially if you turn your tank in random directions once in a while, making it harder for opponents to aim at you.

'''Realistic Battles'''

In Realistic, the IS-3 is much more difficult to play, because enemies take more time to aim at weakspots and your mobility is toned down. Due to that, you need to take time with your own shots and know your opponents - is there an ammo-rank in the side of the Caernarvon, or should you shoot at the driver's position? and etc. Generally, you need to play with stealth in Realistic, because the person who shoots first is usually the one that gets the kill. Flanking can, and does, work with the IS-3, not because of speed, but because your teammates are shot and you can return fire at the perpetrators and continue your advance. Moreover, some light tanks that are prevalent at the higher Battle Ratings outright cannot penetrate you with their main guns (most of them have ATGMs, though).

Against ATGMs, it's a good idea to use your machine guns to shoot at the ground in front of your tank - this makes a small smoke-screen out of dirt and rubble that makes it difficult for enemies to aim their ATGMs. Keep in mind though, that you should still move your tank away from the initial position, because enemies will try to predict where you are going (it's a good idea to shoot machine guns increasingly to the left, while moving to the right, because it causes a sense of your tank moving with machine guns, while actually, you're moving in the other direction).

'''General Tips'''

The IS-3 is relatively versatile, but excels in close-range combat against conventional rounds - it is very good at taking on other heavy tanks such as the [[T32|T32]] and [[Caernarvon]].

* It has reasonably decent top speed, and on solid ground, acceptable acceleration, allowing it to reach cap points and combat areas fairly promptly and set up in positions to allow it to make the most of the frontal armour.
* When down tiered (6.3-6.7 games), the IS-3 performs excellently, able to push forward and play its 'breakthrough' role with impunity.
* Good climbing capabilities allow the IS-3 to reach some surprising positions for sniping or supporting teammates pushing points. Despite the gun's effectiveness being reduced at the range, the armour of the vehicle becomes much more effective as weak spots become significantly harder to hit.
* Since the IS-3 can keep up with most medium tanks like the Centurions, Panthers or T-44s, it can be played as early-game heavy support for those lighter, more vulnerable hulls to assist in taking objectives.
* In up tiered games (7.7-8.3), the IS-3 can come across a lot of chemical rounds and must be played significantly more carefully, as its armour simply cannot compete with the high penetration of these rounds.

Play this tank almost any way that is favourable. A few tips to increase this vehicle's performance:

* Always face towards the enemies directly, avoid exposing the weak hull sides.
* Cover the frontal weak spots if necessary with the gun's large barrel by pointing it downwards. It's better to have the gun barrel destroyed than it is to lose crew members and be potentially unable to reverse out of bad situations.
* Stop only to fire. Movement makes the weak spots harder to target. Even when there is no destination to move to, go back and forth a few meters just so that the IS-3 hull wobbles a bit on start and stop.
* Plan aggressive pushes and movements around enemy locations. The gun has negligible depression and very bad horizontal traverse, making reacting to enemies slow and risky, and impossible if they're on lower ground.
* Avoid engaging vehicles over hills by climbing the hill as it will be hard to aim with only -3° depression and the lower plate will be vulnerable due to the angling.
* Avoid fighting tanks with HEAT/HESH/APFSDS.
* Be careful when brawling at extremely close ranges, as the top of the turret is quite vulnerable due to the vehicle's low profile.
* Avoid facing elevated opponents, as this decreases LOS thickness for hull and exposes turret top.
* Carrying less ammo helps increase survivability from penetrating shots to the turret (ammunition is spread around the edges of the turret).

=== The Stock Grind ===
This vehicle can be a pain to play when stock, because enemies will try to kill you in any way, often by setting you on fire 3 times in a row. Your tracks and gun barrel are frequent targets as well, and without Parts or FPE gameplay is going to be painful. Due to this, you must '''research Parts and FPE first''', this is extremely important. Generally, you would want to be behind your teammates, to let them get shot more instead of you, when reloaded you can poke out and shoot your shot, right before going back into the cover or behind teammates. Sniping is an option, but it's not the most viable since there's quite a lot of bullet drop and missing your shots will cause the very long reload.

===Modules===
In tier, I, ''Parts'' and ''Horizontal Drive should, of course, be the prioritized modules for repairs and turret traverse speed. These two will also unlock Tier II modifications and grant access to the very vital ''FPE'' and ''M61 shot'', the former for preservation against fires and the latter to improve damage in the battlefield.''

Then in tier III, ''Crew Replenishment'' should be obtained for crew survival improvement and the APCR ''T45 shot'' for improved armour-piercing power. After that, everything else could be done at one's own priorities, but ''Engine'' should be invested for better automotive performances and ''M89'' for the smoke capabilities.

=== Pros and cons ===


;Pros:

* Turret is heavily sloped
* Gun mantlet is nearly impenetrable
* Front glacis is shaped like a pike and is heavily sloped
* Spaced side armour
* Anti-aircraft HMG
* Turret has few weak spots
* Respectable top speed
* Very good reverse speed and can accelerate backwards rather quickly
* Powerful filler, can potentially one-shot opponents
* Access to the upgraded BR-471D which evens out the playing field
* Tank's appearance often confuses enemy players, causing them to panic and shoot at impenetrable spots (turret, upper glacis)
* Can be very difficult to deal with for players who are inexperienced against this new design
* Good tank for team/squad play where one can be the centre of attention of the enemy by drawing fire and soaking damage, allowing more mobile teammates to flank around and engage
* Rear mounted transmission, less vulnerable to fire damage
* Radiator can protect the engine from damage

;Cons:

* Incredibly long reload for the main armament at around 20 seconds, even with an ace crew
* No neutral steering, have to put in gear one and move a bit forward when turning to a direction
* Vulnerable to trap shots
* HEAT-FS, APDS and sabot shells might defeat even the thickest parts of the armour
* Restrictive elevation angles hamper attempts to exploit terrain features
* Mediocre manoeuvrability, even worse when stock without performance modules
* Front glacis raw thickness is rather thin, relies on the pike to be effective
* Cannot afford to be angled as this exposes the weaker hull sides and reduces the pike's effectiveness
* Slow turret traverse speed
* Cramped crew
* Armour loses effectiveness significantly when up-tiered
* It is possible for shells to disable the engine from the front
* Cannon barrel is easily damaged
* Bad quality optics (No enhanced zoom, only 1x and 2x options)
* Penetration through the frontal armour will likely detonate ammo racks or incapacitate the crew outright

== History ==


===Development===
Late in 1944, development of the next generation of the IS heavy tanks started, following after the [[IS-2 (1944)|IS-2]] tank. The tank was to be better in armour compared to the IS-2 as a response to the new [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]] that showed up and is able to penetrate the front armour of the hull. The project was codenamed ''Kirovets-1'' and was headed by General Nikolai Dukhov.<ref name="ZalogaIS">Zaloga Steven. ''IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944-73'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1994</ref> Design bureaus at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant "Tankograd" (ChTZ) and Factory No. 100 worked on the design of the vehicle. A focus on the armour improvement came from a study by an engineer in the teams that most tank losses occurred from hits to the front turret, with the front hull coming in second. The two design bureaus came up with their own ideas on how to make the armour of the tank more effective, with ChTZ developing an extremely rounded turret and No.100 developing a new angled front armour in a shape of a "beak". Soviet command decided that the design should use both features in the armour as both ideas were promising. The prototype vehicle was then produced at ChTZ and completed in October 1944 when it trialled and accepted for production as the '''IS-3'''. Production for the IS-3 started in 1945 at ChTZ alongside the IS-2 production. As the first tanks rolled off production lines, it was determined that the design was rushed and unproven with its multiple mechanical problems, some of which included the armour plates welds cracking open from the vibration of cross-country movement and muzzle blast from the gun. Because of this, the IS-3 was not available in large numbers to be committed into battle, leading to their absence in the final months of World War II before Germany surrendered in May 1945.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

Despite its rough introduction and prevalent mechanical issues, the IS-3 continued production with gradual fixes to the front hull, final drive, and engine mounts. The Chelyabinsk factory produced IS-3s from 1945 to 1951 for a total of 1,800 tanks.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

===Usage===
Though the IS-3 was not available in large numbers at the start, the Soviets attempted to transport the IS-3 to Germany in April 1945 to assist in the fightings, but they arrived too late to be committed to any fighting. It is reported that the IS-3 did see service during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in August 1945 to fulfil Stalin's promise in the Yalta Conference to invade Japan after the capitulation of Germany, however not much information is present about this topic.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

The end of the most destructive war in history did not waver the Soviet's opinion of the IS-3 however, and the Soviet command had the 52 IS-3 tanks from the 2nd Guards Tank Army paraded in the Berlin Victory Parade on September 7, 1945.<ref name="ZalogaIS" /> The reveal of the IS-3 in the parade came as a huge shock to the Western Allies who saw the IS-3 as a nigh-invulnerable breakthrough tank with their heavy armour. The response to the tank was there to develop their own heavy tanks able to do the same job and with a gun able to fight the IS-3, such as the British [[Conqueror|Conqueror]] and the American [[M103|M103]] heavy tanks. Despite its very ominous stature, the IS-3 was still plagued with mechanical issues at this point with its poor armour quality and mechanical reliability. A short modernization program from 1948 to 1952 was made to fix these issues with tanks in production and in the depots with no change to the name designation. The IS-3 was then modernized further in the 1960s to keep it up with changing times. The modifications done were similar to the IS-2M, which gave the IS-3 extra external fuel tanks, storage bins, and protective side skirts as well as an improved engine, engine filtration, new radios, new machine guns, new gun optics, and many more small changes. The modernized IS-3 was named the ''IS-3M''.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

One of the few actions the IS-3 saw in the post-war era with the Soviet Union was in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution with a single heavy tank regiment. The Soviet's heavy tank regiments used to consist of 21 heavy tanks during World War II. In 1947, the regiment composition is changed to between 44-46 heavy tanks and 21 heavy assault guns in a mixed formation. Another change between 1958-1959 saw this mixed unit changed to consist of only heavy tanks but now consists of up to 100 heavy tanks. Despite their armour, a number of heavy tanks were lost before the Soviets were able to crush the revolution. The IS-3 after that did not see much action afterwards in the Soviet Union's hands before it started to be replaced by the newer [[T-10M|T-10]] heavy tank in the 1960s. During this time, many heavy tanks were transported to the border between the Soviet Union and China in face of the rising tension between the two countries.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

The IS-3 would also be supplied to the Soviet Union's allies such as Poland, Czechoslovakia, North Korea, and Egypt. Poland and Czechoslovakia never adopted the tank after trials however, thus leaving only North Korea and Egypt as the main foreign users of the IS-3. The Egyptians used the IS-3M, 100 of which were received from the Soviets, against the Israelis in the Six-Day War in 1967. Of all the tanks used in that war, the IS-3M was the most feared by the Israelis due to the thick front armour. Israeli infantry's standard anti-tank weaponry could not penetrate through the front, and tanks as modern as the [[M48A1|M48 Patton]] also could not defeat the IS-3M. Nevertheless, the better tactics and training among the Israeli tank units were able to prevail against the IS-3M, with the IS-3 being commented by the Egyptians for its low rate of fire and outdated fire-controls to the crew's deficiency in combat. Of the 100, 73 tanks were lost during the Six-Day War. The Israeli managed to capture a number of IS-3 and pressed them into service, though only for a short period before its faults become more problematic than its benefits. The engine on the IS-3 proved to be unsuitable in the desert climate of the Middle East, and an attempt by the Israeli to alleviate this by replacing the engine with one from the [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]], though this did not prove fruitful. In the Yom Kippur War in 1973, both the Egyptians and Israeli used the IS-3M to a smaller degree than the Six Day War, the IS-3 not seeing much combat in the Egyptian forces and were used as dug-in pillboxes on the Jordan River by the Israelis.<ref name="ZalogaIS" />

===Decline and Discontinuation===
With the introduction of the lighter and more mobile [[T-54 (1951)|T-54]] main battle tank in the 1950s, the IS-3 saw less usage among the Soviet front-line as it started to become obsolete. Further development to improve and continue the IS tank series became the [[IS-4M|IS-4]], IS-7, and the [[T-10M|T-10]] tanks. However, in 1960, Nikita Khrushchev, the new premier of the Soviet Union after Stalin died, ordered heavy tank production to be terminated in wake of a new military strategy of missiles rather than conventional forces.<ref name="ZalogaIS" /> His orders are not without reason, heavy tanks are difficult to maintain and transport across the huge Soviet Union, which also did not have many bridges that could support a heavy tank. Another reason was the changing anti-tank technology that made tank armour extremely vulnerable, especially against the new anti-tank missiles that are becoming more and more efficient at their task in destroying tanks. Still, the order did not mean the dissolution of heavy tank units as by 1978, there were still up to 2,300 heavy tanks in the Far East. To this day, many heavy tanks are still either in inactive reserves or dug in as pillboxes along the borders of the Soviet Union.<ref name="ZalogaIS" /> The heavy tank's place in the Soviet Union's military was replaced by the main battle tanks (MBT) like the T-64, which presented a much better firepower, armour, and mobility for only a weight of 35 tons, a technological sign on the rising prevalence of the MBT.

=== In-game description ===
In spite of the fact that the IS-2 lived up to expectations, a decision was made a year after the end of the war to create a tank with even higher characteristics. Its unique welded hull and cast turret construction significantly increased its armour strength in comparison to the IS-2, from which it took many key parts and components.

The hull was welded together from rolled armour plates and contained no cast armour pieces. The dual-sloping inclined nose design allowed a driver's hatch to be placed in it, significantly improved visibility in the field, and provided high armour strength to the frontal hull. For increased fire safety, its fuel tanks were moved from the fighting compartment to the engine compartment. It was armed with a 122 mm D-25T cannon with a coaxial 7.62 mm DT machine gun. The turret's roof was equipped with a 12.7 mm DShK anti-aircraft machine gun. It had no bow or rear machine guns.

At the beginning of their deployment, a range of flaws resulting from a number of design errors and miscalculations was revealed in these tanks. Among other issues, these included failures in the engine, gearbox, and parts of the armoured hull in the region of the engine compartment. In 1948-1952, all IS-3 tanks were reworked and modernised. The engine brackets were reinforced, the gearbox fixings changed, the underturret plate strengthened, the main friction coupling design updated, and the sealing enhanced on the final drive and road wheels. The 10-RK radio set was replaced with the 10-RT radio set. These changes increased the tank's mass to 48.8 tonnes.

The first experimental group of IS-3 heavy tanks left their factories in 1945. In total, 2,311 of them were made by mid-1946.
They were not deployed in combat in the Great Patriotic War. There are some indications that the IS-3 was used in the defeat of the Japanese army in August 1945.

== Media ==


* [http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23is3 Skins and camouflages for the IS-3 from live.warthunder]

==References==
<references />

== 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 ==


* [http://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/227061-vehicle-profile-is-3/#entry4370635 [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> IS-3]

{{USSR heavy tanks}}

File:Ammoracks Centurion Mk 1.png

2019-08-22T00:29:00Z

U8515006: U8515006 uploaded a new version of File:Ammoracks Centurion Mk 1.png

[[Category:Ammo racks]]

Centurion Mk 1

2019-08-21T21:02:45Z

U8515006: /* Armaments */ Updated charts and added paragraph and notes to Ammo rack section. /* Mobility */ Added paragraph and updated chart.

{{Specs-Card|code=uk_centurion_mk_1}}
{{Notice|''This page is about the medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''. For other uses, see [[Centurion (Disambiguation)]]''}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Centurion Mk 1.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} British medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.67 "Assault"]]. It is equipped with the well-known British [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|QF 17-pounder]] mounted on a new hull that definitively makes the Cromwell chassis outdated.

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

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

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

''Armour'' 
The main improvement from previous British mediums is its thick and sloped armour. Reaching 152 mm on the turret and a good 76 mm angled at 58° on the front hull, this tanks can actually block point-blank shots from most cannons it will face like the Russian [[D-5T (85 mm)|D-5T]], the Japanese [[Type 5 (75 mm)|Type II 75 mm]] and even some German guns at 500 m. This tank can actually expose its upper glacis since it will bounce most shots. This tank still has weak spots though: gun and MG mantlet are "only" 127 mm thick, barely angled and lower glacis is 76 mm at 44°, meaning close-range shots will eventually penetrate. It also has thin side armour, meaning that the tank is vulnerable to flank attacks and compound angling cannot be done effectively without exposing the sides. These traits mean that the Centurion Mk.1 can happily stand up most frontal shots at this rank.

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

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

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
The Centurion Mk 1 is the first tank players will encounter in the British tech tree that sports a sloped hull front similar to the Panther, which with a thickness of 76.2mm, provides great protection for its BR, especially when the hull is angled slightly. Turret armor features 127mm thickness throughout the front, but features many flat areas that cannons of sufficient power will exploit to destroy the tank, especially since 3 out of the 4 crew members are located in the turret. Side armor can withstand auto-cannon fire with exceptions for HVAP rounds, so don't rely on it outside of that.

'''Armour type:'''

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

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

*Tracks and suspension wheels are both 20 mm thick.
*The steel boxes around the turret and hull give a 4 mm additional protection, though this seems to be a negligible addition.
*Spaced armour plates are placed on the side of the Centurion, giving an additional 6 mm of side armour.

=== Mobility ===
Compared to the many Cromwell based tanks before the Centurion, it does lose out on a great forward speed, only being able to reach 25.6 AB/23.1 RB maximum, but in return it does receive great reverse speed of 8.3mph AB/7.5mph RB, allowing for tactics that would not be recommended with the Cromwell like "Peek-a-boos". It also retains good maneuverability effective neutral steering and a very acceptable acceleration due to good power-to-weight ratio.
{| 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" | 46.9 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 25.6 (AB)
|-
|23.1 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|984
|1212
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|562
|635
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|20.98
|25.84
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.98
|13.53
|-
|}

== 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" | 74 || -12°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 17.14 || 23.72 || 28.80 || 31.84 || 33.88
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 10.70 || 12.60 || 15.30 || 16.92 || 18.00
|-
! 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 || 6.79 || 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''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 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 || APC || 171 || 168 || 155 || 139 || 126 || 113
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 190 || 187 || 172 || 155 || 140 || 126
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 228 || 226 || 207 || 189 || 159 || 134
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" 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 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Shell Mk.1 || HE || 883 || 6.98 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 883 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Shot Mk.4 || APC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot Mk.8 || APCBC || 883 || 7.71 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Shot SV Mk.1 || APDS || 1203 || 1.73 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
|}
{| 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_Centurion Mk 1.png|right|x250px|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Centurion Mk.1]]The QF 17-pounder cannon fires single-piece ammunition stored in stowage racks in the hull floor and the hull front next to the driver. There are 11 rounds stored in 3 small ready racks located in the turret basket inside the hull for quick reloading by the loader. The time it takes the loader to load one round into the ready rack from the stowage racks is about 17 seconds.
{| class="wikitable" 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
!5th
rack empty
!6th rack empty
!7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''74''' || 71 ''(+3)'' || 67 ''(+7)'' || 64 ''(+10)'' || 62 ''(+12)''
|46 ''(+28)''
|30 ''(+44)''
|1 ''(+73)''|| style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Notes:

* Recommended ammo load is 30 to remove from ammo from the hull floor and half of rack 7.
* Ammo rack 1, 2, and 3 are ready racks, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 7 through 4.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in the ready racks. If all the ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 4-7 into rack 3, 2, and 1, as long as there is ammo in racks 4-7. Firing will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

{{main|BESA (7.92 mm)}}Unlike many turret mounted machine guns that are co-axial, this machine gun is mounted in pintle mount similar to hull mounted machine guns, so it is able to independently traverse on its own to a degree, a trait that is shared with the Soviet T-28. This can provide a slight advantage when the turret ring is disabled, as it can allow more accurate fire without the need to move the turret/hull.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! 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 || ±7° || ±7°
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

This tank is a good Jack-of-all-trades, meaning it can effectively deal with any situation with good effectiveness, meaning you can play it as you like, as long as you follow a few specific guidelines and patterns, in order not to get shot down too easily.

'''Hide LFP''': In any engagement, this is the weakest part of your frontal armour, behind it there is your main ammo rack and driver, avoid showing this part of the tank to the enemy.

'''Stay on the move''': This tank has good mobility, use it to make it harder to target your weak spots at close ranges and avoid shots at long ranges.

'''No hull angling''': Since your sides are weak, do not try angling since it will only allow the enemy to get an easy kill. Use your good hull traverse (turning on the spot) to always face directly your foe. When turning corners, take a ''large turn'' in order to show only your frontal armour to anything that can be waiting around the corner.

'''Angle turret between shots''': While your hull sides are not that thick, your turret's side armour is much more forgiving at 89 mm, nod your turret ~ 10° to the right in order to maximise frontal LOS thickness.

'''Compensate parallax''': Your gun and optics are very far apart from each order meaning that your shells will always fall 1 meter left of your crosshair at ''any range'' (no convergence). This is particularly important in RB/SB battle since there is no aiming assistance to help you.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast firing 17-pounder armament with APDS rounds.
* Good gun depression of -12°.
* Decent front sloping armour.
* Tough round sloping turret front.
* Average mobility and decent maneuverability.
* Good reverse speed.
* Neutral steering.
* Good stock mobility.
* Access to smoke grenades.
* Centurion Mk 1 can fill the role of a heavy tank if needed.
* Turret can be angled for a much more effective armour thickness.
* Frontal armour is quite resistant to the 85mm, 76mm and even the German 88mm (KwK36) guns at medium/long range.
* Benefits greatly from the learning curve of the Comet I and Challenger, their players will find themselves at home when playing the Centurion.
* Armour is a huge step up from the Comet I and the Challenger.
* Centurion Mk 1 is arguably the best BR 5.7 tank, as it has a well balanced stats in terms of armour, mobility and firepower.
* Mastering this tank will provide a good learning curve for the next Centurion variants.
* Very low risk of fire.
* Turret's top armour is thick, can resist most aircraft guns.

'''Cons:'''

* No APHE rounds available, precision and knowledge of enemy tanks are required.
* Large tank size, especially length.
* Weak side armour, angling the armour too much will result in the side armour being penetrated.
* Front ammo rack to left of driver, penetration to the lower glacis will likely ignite or destroy it.
* Centurion Mk 1 is slow for a medium tank.
* Unlike its later iterations, no [[Gun stabilizer|gun stabilizer]].
* Difficult to get kills with stock shells. They can penetrate but they may not destroy a tank, resulting in a lot of kill assists.
* Weak Lower Frontal Plate (LFP), a weakness carried over to all British tanks onward.
* Subpar turret armour (127 mm).
* Top armour covering the engine is poor, only 8 mm.

== History ==


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

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/4515-development-centurion-mk-i-a-tank-for-a-new-era-en/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Centurion Mk I: A Tank for a New Era]

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

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

{{Britain medium tanks}}

KV-2 (ZiS-6)

2019-08-12T02:16:06Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Added missing values.

{{Specs-Card
|code = ussr_kv_2_zis_6
}}
{{About
|about=heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=KV-2 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is gift Rank {{specs|rank}} Russian heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. The KV-2(ZIS-6) was introduced in [[Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows"]] as a gift vehicle and was available on the Gaijin store for pre-order prior to the update. It is an up-gunned KV-2 featuring the new 107 mm ZIS-6 cannon.

The KV-2(ZiS-6) is a heavy artillery tank. It is an experimental up-gunned variant of the [[KV-1 (Disambiguation)|KV-1]] and [[KV-2 (Disambiguation)|KV-2]] models built with an emphasis of destroying fortification, bunkers and enemy armored vehicles. Although the armour thickness is the same as the KV-1 and KV-2, this vehicle is notable for having a more powerful cannon; although smaller in calibre to the KV-2, has much higher armor penetration values. In fact, the tank fires Armor-Piercing High-Explosive (APHE) shells with the highest penetration value out of all USSR tanks both at and below its battle rating of 5.3. With about 190 mm of penetration in normal combat conditions and with 19 grams of explosive filling carried by the default B-420 shell, this tank will obliterate all enemy vehicles upon penetration with the exception of some light-armoured vehicles of which the contact fuse may fail to detonate. Despite its significantly powerful armament, the KV-2(ZiS-6) is plagued by inherited weaknesses shared within the KV lineage of tanks. At 5.3 Battle Rating, the tank's armour will be of little protection against other hostile vehicles it will face. With just 75 mm armour all around and including the largely slat and exposed turret, almost all tanks and the ammunition they fire (a significant number of which have double the penetration value of the thickness of the KV's armour) will penetrate with little to no difficulty. Tightly packed and strewn ammunition both within and at the base of the turret will more than likely turn the entire vehicle into a erupting volcano upon being struck by stray shells, if not outright cripple the crew to the point the fire-rate is nearly reduced to virtually almost a standstill. This tank is a spiritual successor of the original KV-2 in combat operations. Although a high crew count of 6, the rate of fire is relatively slow but faster than its predecessor with a higher velocity and flatter trajectory. The same is unfortunately to be said for its slower turret traverse, reverse and acceleration speed and heavy weight.

Operational and visual characteristics of the KV-2(ZiS-6) retain the visual and operational similarities to the KV-2 which it is upgraded from. Players experienced in operating previous models of the KV-2 or Soviet SPGs should have little to no difficulty in adjusting to this vehicle. The ZiS-6 can be distinguished from its KV and KV-2 predecessors by its enlarged and tall rectangular turret and longer barrel. A quick glance at this vehicle may be mistaken for similar looking tanks such as the KV-2 in which shares the same turret shape.

The KV-2(ZiS-6)'s closest and most popular competitor of the same battle-rating is the [[KV-85]]. The KV-85 when compared, is free to unlock with currency spending, is lighter in weight, more maneuverable, faster in fire rate and turret traverse at the expense of fewer crew members. What the ZiS-6 lacks in these qualities may be compensated by its firepower comparable as 'a mini-[[IS-2]]' at 5.3 battle-rating as well as the added Premium talisman RP and SL increase bonus of which the KV-85 will lack one the get-go. These detail and information should be considered by the interested user when deciding whether to purchase this tank and incorporating it into their existing arsenal, or when taking into battle. The KV-2(ZiS-6) will reward those who are patient, and a boon to those seeking increased premium firepower unmatched by any other USSR vehicle at 5.3 battle-rating.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope Angle°) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 75 mm (31°) ''Front plate'' 70 mm (71°) ''Front glacis'' 75 mm (25-74°) ''Lower glacis'' 45 mm (1-50°) ''Machine gun port'' || 75 mm || 60 mm (3-86°) ''Top'' 70 mm (11-58°) ''Bottom'' || 35 mm ''Front'' 30 mm ''Rear'' 35 mm ''Hatches''
|-
| Turret || 75 mm (1°) ''Front turret'' 70 + 70 mm (1-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 75 mm || 75 mm (1°) 45 mm (1-50°) ''Machine gun port'' || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, torsion bars are 20 mm thick, and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Front belly armour is 35 mm thick, rear belly armour is 30 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" | 52.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | 0.2 || colspan="1" | 36 (AB)
|-
|34 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|14.79
|18.21
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.13
|11.45
|-
|}

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

{{main|ZiS-6 (107 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[ZiS-6 (107 mm)|107 mm ZiS-6]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 36 || -5°/+12° || ±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'' || 4.86 || 6.72 || 8.16 || 9.02 || 9.60
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 3.57 || 4.20 || 5.10 || 5.64 || 6.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 21.71 ||19.7||17.7||16.70
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| B-420 || APHEBC || 162 || 160 || 150 || 138 || 127 || 117
|-
| OF-420 || HE || 26 || 26 || 26 || 26 || 26 || 26
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| B-420 || APHEBC || 830 || 17 || 1.2 || 15 || 440 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-420 || HE || 720 || 17 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 2,150 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks {{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo Part
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''36''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 34 ''(+2)'' 33 ''(+3)'' || 31 ''(+5)'' 18 ''(+18)'' || 16 ''(+20)'' 12 ''(+24)'' || 12 ''(+24)'' 7 ''(+29)'' || 6 ''(+30)'' 4 ''(+32)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' 1 ''(+35)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Turret left side empty: 18 ''(+18)''

=== 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 battles ==

At its Rank and Battle Rating, the KV-2(ZiS-6)'s armour is no longer up to par against newer and more powerful weapon systems of opposition vehicles it will face. Although unlike the [[IS-1]] successor of which is unable to protect itself by angling due to the rounded turret mount causing a vulnerability, the KV-2 has less of this issue as the entire front potion of the front and lower-plate is designed to be straight and rectangular and allowing it to deflect or ricochet some shots when angled optimally but the large turret is extreme exposed and vulnerable to head-on fire.

Due to its unsatisfactory maneuverability, fire-rate and traverse speed, close-quarters engagements against multiple enemies in small-spaced environments are highly discouraged unless absolutely necessary. The tank is too large and slow to escape or retreat from what would be overwhelming situations, and too large to hide. Should the need to enter tight alleyways and streets if towns or cities, escort either by or with other friendly units are of utmost importance and should best serve in a support capacity should more heavily armored opponents are encountered. This tank excels best at long to medium range engagements on largely open areas. Due to its poor 3 degrees of gun depression - a trait inherited by all USSR armored vehicles, engaging hostiles by cresting over the tops of hills are highly discouraged unless absolutely necessary. Should clusters of multiple hostile vehicles are encountered in combat, the optimal tactic is to wait for them to split up before engaging them one-by-one if the opportunity presents itself.

Lightly armoured vehicles where the contact fuse may not activate upon penetration such as the [[Waffentrager]] or [[Nashorn]] are of the most concern as the default B-420 APHE shell has the tendency of penetrating from the front to rear dealing less damage than what is expected. Follow up shots may be required. Although the HE OF-420 shell is an excellent solution, the 16 seconds of shell swap may not warrant enough justification for use when few seconds are only available to determines survival.

Another class of vehicles of significant threat are fast-tanks such as the [[M18 GMC]] or [[T-34 (Disambiguation)|T-34]] tanks capable of running circles in ways the KV-2(ZiS-6)'s slow turret traverse rate and poor maneuverability will be unable to cope in close-quarters engagements. The last type of vehicle of concern are low-chassis tanks such as the [[ASU-57]], [[ASU-85]], [[PT-76B]] and even some German tank-destroyers are so small to the point they safely drive up to the vicinity of KV-2 and be immune from retaliation due to the 107 mm gun situated on a high turret and only 3 degrees if traverse up and down.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent firepower
* Greatly improved reload speed over previous KV-2 models
* High crew capacity (6)
* High velocity and powerful munition
* Premium talisman with RP and SL increase bonus

'''Cons:'''

* Slow rate of fire
* Insufficient armour protection
* Poor gun depression of -3° (common trait of all USSR tanks)
* Large profile
* Poor maneuverability and slow speed
* High weight
* High risk of internal ammunition explosions by penetrating shells

== 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 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></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>=== 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 ==


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

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

KV-2 (1940)

2019-08-12T00:47:00Z

U8515006: /* Ammo racks */ Updated picture.

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_kv_2_1940}}
{{About
|about=heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=KV-2 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The KV-2 (1940) was made available during the 2016 WW2 Chronicles, unlocked after completing 14 "Tank Tasks", and during the 2017-18 Festive Quest, unlocked after gathering 10 individual Christmas Toys if the total player population gathers 500,000 Christmas lights.

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

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

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

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

The large turret housing the 152 mm howitzer is a huge target on the KV-2, a more enticing target than the hull. The profile makes concealing the tall heavy tank difficult, while the turret armour is relatively poor all-around at 75 mm. Not to mention that there will always be ammunition inside the turret, so a penetrating APHE shot have a very high chance of detonating one of these ammunition. At its battle rating and rank, most enemy tanks have the capability of penetrating and eliminating the KV-2 through the turret, not to mention even some of the lower rank ones have powerful enough guns to deal with the armour.

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

[[File:Armour KV-2 badly angled.png|left|thumbnail|x250px|A surprised and unangled KV-2 with line-of-sight armour thickness. Even in this state the [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|KwK 40]] ([[Pz.IV F2|Panzer 4]]) will have problems penetrating at ranges >500m]]

The normal role of a heavy tank is to bring armor and firepower to support the lighter, faster tanks to hold strategic points they have captured. However, the massive profile of this tank and majority of flat 75 mm armour means that even with proper angling and cover, the KV-2 will be unable to hold points for long. The KV-2 easily identified by even the least experienced players and as soon as it fires one round, it will be out-maneuvered on and forced to retreat or be violently removed. Additionally, artillery and aircraft will often force the KV-2 out of positions if not outright destroy it due to the KV's abysmal speed and massive size. Lastly, the KV-2 has no machine gun to deal with air or light armoured targets, meaning once the howitzer fires, that is it for around 30 seconds. Even most anti-air vehicles can effortlessly overrun and destroy the KV-2 if it is over-extended or alone. Couple that with this tank's inability to provide effective long range support and players will have a difficult time finding their niche with this vehicle.

This KV-2 behemoth is also lovingly referred to by the following nicknames:

* "the barn"
* "the mountain"
* "nuclear death cannon"
* "King of Derp"
* "Troll Cannon"
* "Fridge"
* "The King of Derp"
* "Tsar Bomba"

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

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

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

=== Mobility ===

{| 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" | 52.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 36 (AB)
|-
|34 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|14.79
|18.21
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.13
|11.45
|-
|}

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

{{main|M-10T (152 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M-10T (152 mm)|152 mm M-10T]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 36 || -5°/+12° || ±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'' || 4.86 || 6.72 || 8.16 || 9.02 || 9.60
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 3.60 || 4.20 || 5.10 || 5.64 || 6.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 43.3 || 38.3 || 35.3 || 33.30
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| G-530 || AC || 95 || 94 || 89 || 83 || 78 || 73
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 95 || 94 || 90 || 86 || 81 || 77
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="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%
|-
| G-530 || AC || 530 || 40 || 1.5 || 15 || 5,100 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 530 || 40 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 5,830 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 436 || 51.07 || 1.5 || 15 || 5,900 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

* '''G-530''' (AC) The "Anti-Concrete" round has the same speed as the HE shell with decent amount of penetration for nearly all [[:Category:Third_rank_ground_vehicles|era III]] tanks. In ranges greater than 1000m, the OF-530 shell should be loaded to effectively deal with any vehicle including heavy tanks. Compared to the PB-35, it has much greater speed, improving long range accuracy especially against moving targets. This round is also free to use compared to the PB-35, so tankers who are a little low on funds can utilize this round to "stretch their lions", as despite the advantages of the PB-35, the G-530 is equally as effective against most targets that can be encountered.
* '''OF-530''' (HE) The "High-explosive" shell requires careful aim as despite its infamous power, a solid hit on the front of an enemy tank would not necessarily defeat the enemy. One must preferably aim beneath tanks or below the gun mantlet to sneak into thinly armored portions such as the roof or belly armour.
* '''PB-35''' (APCBC) Compared to the G-530, this shell retains better penetration over range, greater effectiveness against sloped armor thanks to the ballistic cap, and a higher explosive payload that use of A-IX-2 explosive compound. However, because the projectile is much heavier and it uses the same propellant charges, the speed of the projectile is much slower with a muzzle velocity of 436 m/s (975 mph) and results in a higher arc of fire downrange. While this can present a disadvantage against moving target at range, careful gunners can make use of this attribute to shoot over hills or obstacles easier then they could with the G-530.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:AmmoRack KV-2(1940).png|thumb|435x435px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo rack]] of KV-2 (1940).]]
The KV-2 utilizes two piece ammunition for it's howitzer, so ammo racks can contain either the powder charge or the projectile itself. The entire projectile stowage is kept in the center of the hull behind the driving compartment, while the powder charge stowage can be found primarily in the turret, with a small stash in the hull next to the driver.
{| 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
!5th
rack empty
!6th
rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''36''' || 31 ''(+5)'' || 25 ''(+12)'' || 19 ''(+17)'' || 13 ''(+23)''
|7 (+29)
|1 (+35)|| style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

''Recommended ammo load out:'' '''''9'''''. Keeps turret ammo stowage empty.

=== 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 battles ==


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Huge howitzer, dealing high damage with incredible force
* Fear factor, the sight of this behemoth tends to send smaller tanks fleeing in terror
* Acceptable armour, especially for its rank
* Able to destroy higher rank tanks
* Bouncy hull and turret, the chassis may effectively absorb shots as well
* Many experienced tank drivers would dread the characteristic, map-echoing sound of the 152 mm howitzer being fired
* As is the case with all Russian 152 mm armed tanks, the KV-2 can one shot any tank or tank destroyer in the game with a single HE shell to the turret or rear hull.
* Has the armour of the KV-1 which will stop most Pz.III and Pre T-34-57 shots
* Has premium RP and SL rewards
* If a lighter vehicle is flanking the KV-2, the rear machine gun can take care of it

'''Cons:'''

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

== History ==

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Media ==

===Images===
[[File:KV-2 Moscow.jpg|x250px|thumb|none|KV-2 at the Moscow Central Armed Forces Museum.]]
[[File:KV-2 1939vs1940.jpg|x250px|thumb|none|Comparison between the [[KV-2 (1939)|1939]] and the '''1940''' variant]]

== 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 ==


* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''
* [[wt:en/news/3698-development-new-additions-to-the-kv-2-series-en/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> New additions to the KV-2 series]]

{{USSR heavy tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}
<references />

File:Ammoracks KV-2 (1940).png

2019-08-11T23:14:17Z

U8515006: KV-2 (1940) Ammo Racks as of Update 1.89.

KV-2 (1940) Ammo Racks as of Update 1.89.

KV-2 (1940)

2019-08-11T23:08:33Z

U8515006: /* Armaments */ Filled in missing values, updated penetration values, updated paragraphs, added Ammo racks paragraph.

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_kv_2_1940}}
{{About
|about=heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=KV-2 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. The KV-2 (1940) was made available during the 2016 WW2 Chronicles, unlocked after completing 14 "Tank Tasks", and during the 2017-18 Festive Quest, unlocked after gathering 10 individual Christmas Toys if the total player population gathers 500,000 Christmas lights.

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

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

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

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

The large turret housing the 152 mm howitzer is a huge target on the KV-2, a more enticing target than the hull. The profile makes concealing the tall heavy tank difficult, while the turret armour is relatively poor all-around at 75 mm. Not to mention that there will always be ammunition inside the turret, so a penetrating APHE shot have a very high chance of detonating one of these ammunition. At its battle rating and rank, most enemy tanks have the capability of penetrating and eliminating the KV-2 through the turret, not to mention even some of the lower rank ones have powerful enough guns to deal with the armour.

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

[[File:Armour KV-2 badly angled.png|left|thumbnail|x250px|A surprised and unangled KV-2 with line-of-sight armour thickness. Even in this state the [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|KwK 40]] ([[Pz.IV F2|Panzer 4]]) will have problems penetrating at ranges >500m]]

The normal role of a heavy tank is to bring armor and firepower to support the lighter, faster tanks to hold strategic points they have captured. However, the massive profile of this tank and majority of flat 75 mm armour means that even with proper angling and cover, the KV-2 will be unable to hold points for long. The KV-2 easily identified by even the least experienced players and as soon as it fires one round, it will be out-maneuvered on and forced to retreat or be violently removed. Additionally, artillery and aircraft will often force the KV-2 out of positions if not outright destroy it due to the KV's abysmal speed and massive size. Lastly, the KV-2 has no machine gun to deal with air or light armoured targets, meaning once the howitzer fires, that is it for around 30 seconds. Even most anti-air vehicles can effortlessly overrun and destroy the KV-2 if it is over-extended or alone. Couple that with this tank's inability to provide effective long range support and players will have a difficult time finding their niche with this vehicle.

This KV-2 behemoth is also lovingly referred to by the following nicknames:

* "the barn"
* "the mountain"
* "nuclear death cannon"
* "King of Derp"
* "Troll Cannon"
* "Fridge"
* "The King of Derp"
* "Tsar Bomba"

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

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

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

=== Mobility ===

{| 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" | 52.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 36 (AB)
|-
|34 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|775
|954
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|531
|600
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|14.79
|18.21
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|10.13
|11.45
|-
|}

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

{{main|M-10T (152 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M-10T (152 mm)|152 mm M-10T]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 36 || -5°/+12° || ±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'' || 4.86 || 6.72 || 8.16 || 9.02 || 9.60
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 3.60 || 4.20 || 5.10 || 5.64 || 6.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 43.3 || 38.3 || 35.3 || 33.30
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| G-530 || AC || 95 || 94 || 89 || 83 || 78 || 73
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48 || 48
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 95 || 94 || 90 || 86 || 81 || 77
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="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%
|-
| G-530 || AC || 530 || 40 || 1.5 || 15 || 5,100 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| OF-530 || HE || 530 || 40 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 5,830 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PB-35 || APCBC || 436 || 51.07 || 1.5 || 15 || 5,900 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

* '''G-530''' (AC) The "Anti-Concrete" round has the same speed as the HE shell with decent amount of penetration for nearly all [[:Category:Third_rank_ground_vehicles|era III]] tanks. In ranges greater than 1000m, the OF-530 shell should be loaded to effectively deal with any vehicle including heavy tanks. Compared to the PB-35, it has much greater speed, improving long range accuracy especially against moving targets. This round is also free to use compared to the PB-35, so tankers who are a little low on funds can utilize this round to "stretch their lions", as despite the advantages of the PB-35, the G-530 is equally as effective against most targets that can be encountered.
* '''OF-530''' (HE) The "High-explosive" shell requires careful aim as despite its infamous power, a solid hit on the front of an enemy tank would not necessarily defeat the enemy. One must preferably aim beneath tanks or below the gun mantlet to sneak into thinly armored portions such as the roof or belly armour.
* '''PB-35''' (APCBC) Compared to the G-530, this shell retains better penetration over range, greater effectiveness against sloped armor thanks to the ballistic cap, and a higher explosive payload that use of A-IX-2 explosive compound. However, because the projectile is much heavier and it uses the same propellant charges, the speed of the projectile is much slower with a muzzle velocity of 436 m/s (975 mph) and results in a higher arc of fire downrange. While this can present a disadvantage against moving target at range, careful gunners can make use of this attribute to shoot over hills or obstacles easier then they could with the G-530.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks KV-2(1939).png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo rack]] of KV-2 (1939).]]The KV-2 utilizes two piece ammunition for it's howitzer, so ammo racks can contain either the powder charge or the projectile itself. The entire projectile stowage is kept in the center of the hull behind the driving compartment, while the powder charge stowage can be found primarily in the turret, with a small stash in the hull next to the driver.
{| 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
!5th
rack empty
!6th
rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''36''' || 31 ''(+5)'' || 25 ''(+12)'' || 19 ''(+17)'' || 13 ''(+23)''
|7 (+29)
|1 (+35)|| style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

''Recommended ammo load out:'' '''''9'''''. Keeps turret ammo stowage empty.

=== 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 battles ==


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Huge howitzer, dealing high damage with incredible force
* Fear factor, the sight of this behemoth tends to send smaller tanks fleeing in terror
* Acceptable armour, especially for its rank
* Able to destroy higher rank tanks
* Bouncy hull and turret, the chassis may effectively absorb shots as well
* Many experienced tank drivers would dread the characteristic, map-echoing sound of the 152 mm howitzer being fired
* As is the case with all Russian 152 mm armed tanks, the KV-2 can one shot any tank or tank destroyer in the game with a single HE shell to the turret or rear hull.
* Has the armour of the KV-1 which will stop most Pz.III and Pre T-34-57 shots
* Has premium RP and SL rewards
* If a lighter vehicle is flanking the KV-2, the rear machine gun can take care of it

'''Cons:'''

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

== History ==

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

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

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

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

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

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

== Media ==

===Images===
[[File:KV-2 Moscow.jpg|x250px|thumb|none|KV-2 at the Moscow Central Armed Forces Museum.]]
[[File:KV-2 1939vs1940.jpg|x250px|thumb|none|Comparison between the [[KV-2 (1939)|1939]] and the '''1940''' variant]]

== 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 ==


* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
* ''other literature.''
* [[wt:en/news/3698-development-new-additions-to-the-kv-2-series-en/|[Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> New additions to the KV-2 series]]

{{USSR heavy tanks}}
{{USSR premium ground vehicles}}
<references />

User:U8515006

2019-08-11T03:11:56Z

U8515006: Created page with "Welcome to my User page. You're here because you clicked on my name somewhere probably because you're a little interested in who I am. Well, since you're here, let me tell y..."

Welcome to my User page. You're here because you clicked on my name somewhere probably because you're a little interested in who I am. Well, since you're here, let me tell you a few things about me as a bit of a reward or something.

I'm currently a Community Helper for War Thunder. In High School, I would constantly draw "blueprints" of armored vehicles inspired the many tanks of the WWII era in my free time (as well as during class, but don't let the teachers know ;). War Thunder wasn't around then, but that other game was however, which definitely exponentially peaked my interest on the subject in a way nothing else would have at the time thanks to their detailed models for the time. Once War Thunder debuted tanks (Long past my graduation days) and saw what they offered, I easily dumped that game for this and have been playing since.

File:Ammoracks AMX-13-90.png

2019-08-11T00:39:34Z

U8515006: U8515006 uploaded a new version of File:Ammoracks AMX-13-90.png

[[Category:Ammo racks]]

AMX-13

2019-08-11T00:33:07Z

U8515006: /* Ammo racks */ Added Paragraph.

{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amx_13_75}}
{{About
|about=light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=AMX-13 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} French light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. The AMX-13's chassis is the mainstay of France's light tank technology for the post-war period and this one is its most iconic iteration as it is mounted with the FL10 turret. This vehicle is one of the best light tanks at its battle rating, capable of fulfilling many roles on the battlefield.

The AMX-13 series has one of the most distinctive looks of all armoured warfare's history as it combines many unusual design choices. First, this tank does not feature a "classical" layout: engine deck is next to the driver and the turret ring is at the rear of the tank's hull. Speaking of turrets, this tank has an oscillating one, which means that both gun and turret armour are welded together and that the whole assembly has to rotate to elevate the gun. This way of mounting allows the placement of an autoloader mechanism in the ''long'' turret bulge. As for its size, it is very small.

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

Even though this tank has unimpressive armour values, its sloped profile will protect it from autocannon fire (with some distance, even the [[Bofors (40 mm)|Bofors]] can't go through this tank). Any dedicated antitank gun/missile/contraption will go right through this tank's armour. While this may sound a bit bad "getting easily pierced" also has its advantages: some APHE rounds will not detonate upon impact, which will minimise the damage done. If you happen to get shot at, the best way to survive is by showing your right front corner towards the enemy, this way, the engine deck may catch some shells. Don't ever rely on this tank's armour, take every shot you survive as a second chance.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret base, Turret front)
* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (67°) ''Front glacis'' 20-40 mm (5-50°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm || 15 mm ''Top'' 15 mm (45°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm 5 mm ''Engine grille''
|-
| Turret || 40 mm (32-47°) ''Turret front'' 40 mm (12-41°) ''Turret base'' 40 mm (15-75°) ''Barrel shroud'' || 20 mm (0-30°) ''Turret'' 20 mm (12-14°) ''Turret base'' || 20 mm ''Turret bustle'' 20 mm (17-22°) ''Pivot ball'' 10 mm (77-90°) ''Turret underside'' || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
* 8 mm Structural steel firewall separates the driver from the engine.
* The track and wheel on the front glacis offer about 15 mm structural steel thickness.

=== Mobility ===

This vehicle can carry you wherever you want as long as you do not give yourself up. With 28 HP/ton, this tank's engine allows for fast accelerations and good, sustained, top speed, it will never let you down. Run this vehicle around the battlefield as you wish, deserting points to find other ones to fire from.

{| 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" | 14.7 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 67 (AB)
|-
|60 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|418
|515
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|239
|270
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|28.43
|35.03
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|16.26
|18.37
|-
|}

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

{{main|SA50 (75 mm)}}

Well-positioned, this gun can make your enemies cry: with the quick-firing rate it is "one-two, goodbye" for any foe caught from the sides/rear. In usual one-on-one engagements, foes usually exchange shots but, with the AMX-13, this is a lie: it can fire ''twice'' before its foe can reload, this can hurt very much. This high rate of fire makes it very efficient at long-distance sniping: it can adjust fire faster than its foes.

High gun placement and good gun depression angles make this tank very efficient at keeping low behind hills while showing very little of itself. Said shortly, this tank's armament is amazing.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[SA50 (75 mm)|75 mm SA50 L/57]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 36 || -6°/+13° || ±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'' || 28.56 || 39.53 || 47.00 || 51.48 || 56.47
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 17.85 || 21.00 || 25.50 || 28.20 || 30.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 5.0 || 5.0 || 5.0 || 5.0
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| POT-51A || APC || 181 || 178 || 162 || 143 || 127 || 113
|-
| 75mm HE || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| PCOT-51P || APCBC || 202 || 198 || 180 || 159 || 141 || 125
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| POT-51A || APC || 1,000 || 6.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 75mm HE || HE || 753 || 6.2 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 675 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PCOT-51P || APCBC || 1,000 || 6.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|400px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo rack]] locations within the {{PAGENAME}} and the order in which the ordnance is consumed.]]This tank features an auto-loading system that removes the need for a crew member to reload the main gun. Twelve rounds in twin cylinders are stored in the back of the turret for rapid use. Once these racks are empty, rounds in the hull will need to be placed in the auto-loader rack before it can be used by the auto-loader, which takes about 20 seconds to perform for one round.
{| 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
|-
|| '''36''' || 30 ''(+6)'' || 24 ''(+12)'' || 19 ''(+17)'' || 15 ''(+21)'' || 10 ''(+26)'' || 5 ''(+31)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

;Notes:

* Ammo racks 1 and 2 are the auto-loader racks, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 7 through 3.
* If both auto-loader racks are empty, the main gun '''cannot''' fire until ammo is loaded into the auto-loader racks.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 3-7 into the ready rack, as long as there is ammo present in racks 3-7. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! 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 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The AMX-13 is a very competitive tank as it can reach tricky positions quite fast on the battlefield. Its low profile allows it to hide behind many obstacles, serving as armour for this light vehicle. Keeping hull-down, behind a hill on the border of the map is the best way to use this tank: frontal engagements are a no-go with such little armour. AMX-13 commanders will be surprised to be able to shoot ''1 round every 5 seconds'' with such accuracy and power at this BR.

;Long range sniper/flanker:

* Stay low and scout targets for your team. When spotting a vulnerable enemy, shoot its engine/transmission/driver, '''don't get back into cover''' and finish it off 6 seconds later, only then, fade back into the shadows. Do not get out of cover too often as enemies too much aware of your position may destroy you easily. If spotted, stay ''as far as possible'' from enemy fire: this tank's small size can avoid a lot of shots since it takes some serious gunnery skills to hit such a fast ''and'' small target from a distance (1000+ m).

;Brawler:

* Even though this is not recommended usage, this can tank actually be taken in close-quarter combat. In this role, it behaves much like any SPAA in the same context: flanking and surprising its foes from the sides with a hailstorm of bullets. Use smoke launchers in order to secure roads and advance concealed towards unsuspecting foes.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Can reach its top speed quite fast
* '''Awesome''' reload rate: '''1 shot every 5 seconds''', comparable to most ''rank 1'' reload times
* Gun performance is comparable to the British [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|QF 17-pounder]]'s solid shots.
* '''12 round''' autoloader mechanism.
* Has smoke launchers (high ark of fire)
* Good gun depression value
* Fast turret rotation
* Thin armour will often not detonate APHE ammo
* Low profile
* High gun placement make hull-down positions very efficient
* Stock shell is quite good, although the upgraded shell is a strict improvement
* Frontally resistant to some SPAA fire (Ostwind and M19)
* Has '''scouting''' ability

'''Cons:'''

* Bad reverse speed for a light tank
* Gun penetration subpar in up-tiers: relies heavily on flanking manoeuvres
* Thin sides will get shredded by SPAAs and HMGs
* Poor gun elevation value
* Lacks defensive armament against aircraft
* Thin top armour: vulnerable to strafing planes (can be penetrated by .50 cals with ground target belts at typical strafing ranges)
* Bad at stop-and-shoot due to oscillating turret design
* Only 3 crew members

== 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).''

== 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.''

{{France light tanks}}

AMX-13-90

2019-08-11T00:30:24Z

U8515006: /* Armaments */ Updated Main Armament and Ammo Rack section.

{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amx_13_90}}
{{About
|about=light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=AMX-13 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} French light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]].

The AMX-13-90 is a light tank, and a good one if you keep on scouting. Its low profile and good mobility are your best allies if you want to make good use of its 90mm heat-fs shells, especially with its autoloader. Always flank, scout as much as possible and only shoot when you're sure no one is waiting for you to come out of your hiding. Most cannons above 20mm will penetrate and destroy this very fragile vehicle and its small crew, so do your best to avoid being shot at.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret base, Turret front)
* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (67°) ''Front glacis'' 20-40 mm (5-50°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm || 15 mm ''Top'' 15 mm (45°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm 5 mm ''Engine grille''
|-
| Turret || 40 mm (32-45°) ''Turret front'' 40 mm (12-41°) ''Turret base'' 40 mm (15-75°) ''Barrel shroud'' || 20 mm (0-30°) ''Turret'' 20 mm (12-14°) ''Turret base'' || 20 mm ''Turret bustle'' 20 mm (17-22°) ''Pivot ball'' 10 mm (77-90°) ''Turret underside'' || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
* 8 mm Structural steel firewall separates the driver from the engine.
* The track and wheel on the front glacis offer about 15 mm structural steel thickness.

=== 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" | 15.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 67 (AB)
|-
|60 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|418
|515
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|239
|270
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|26.97
|33.22
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|15.42
|17.42
|-
|}

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

{{main|CN90 F3 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[CN90 F3 (90 mm)|90 mm CN90 F3]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 34 || -6°/+13° || ±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'' || 28.56 || 39.53 || 47.00 || 51.48 || 56.47
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 17.85 || 21.00 || 25.50 || 28.20 || 30.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 5.00 || 5.0 || 5.0 || 5.0
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| OCC 60-62 || HEATFS || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320
|-
| OF 90 F1 || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| OCC 60-62 || HEATFS || 950 || 9.0 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 877.7 || +0° || 65° || 72° || 75°
|-
| OF 90 F1 || HE || 750 || 10 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 945 || +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):''
|-
| OFUM PH90-F2 || 750 || 10 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the AMX-13-90.]]This tank features an auto-loading system that removes the need for a loader to reload the main gun. Twelve rounds in twin cylinders are stored in the back of the turret for rapid use. Once these racks are empty, rounds in the hull will need to be placed in the auto-loader rack before it can be used by the auto-loader, which takes about 20 seconds to perform for one round.
{| class="wikitable" 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
!7th
rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''36''' || 30 ''(+6)'' || 24 ''(+12)'' || 19 ''(+17)'' || 15 ''(+21)'' || 10 ''(+26)'' || 5 ''(+31)''
|1 ''(+35)''|| style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}
Notes:

* Ammo racks 1 and 2 are the auto-loader racks, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 7 through 3.
* If both auto-loader racks are empty, the main gun '''cannot''' fire until ammo is loaded into the auto-loader racks.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 3-7 into the ready rack, as long as there is ammo present in racks 3-7. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! 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 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== 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:'''

* Has HEAT-FS
* Small profile
* Good mobility

'''Cons:'''

* HEAT-FS ammunition has poor post-penetration damage
* Lacks armour

== History ==

During the ‘50s and ‘60s, the AMX-13 light tank was considered to have underwhelming firepower when compared to certain other tanks fielded by other nations. To remedy this, several modernization and upgrade efforts were launched which focused primarily on improving the killing potential of the AMX-13. Some AMX-13s were equipped with different types of ATGMs, whilst others, like the AMX-13-90, received a larger caliber cannon with improved ballistic properties. In case of the AMX-13-90, the tank received, as the name already suggests, a 90mm CN 90 F3 cannon, which boasted increased penetrating power and allowed the AMX-13 to engage targets at longer distances too.

''- From [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5285-vehicle-amx-13-90-new-toy-to-play-en Devblog]''

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5285-vehicle-amx-13-90-new-toy-to-play-en [Vehicle<nowiki>]</nowiki> AMX-13-90: New Toy to Play]

{{France light tanks}}

File:Ammoracks AMX-13.png

2019-08-10T19:24:34Z

U8515006: U8515006 uploaded a new version of File:Ammoracks AMX-13.png

[[Category:Ammo racks]]

AMX-13

2019-08-10T18:32:24Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated Main Armaments section and filled in missing values in tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amx_13_75}}
{{About
|about=light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
|usage=other uses
|link=AMX-13 (Family)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} French light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. The AMX-13's chassis is the mainstay of France's light tank technology for the post-war period and this one is its most iconic iteration as it is mounted with the FL10 turret. This vehicle is one of the best light tank at its BR, capable of fulfilling many roles on the battlefield.

The AMX-13 series has one of the most distinctive looks of all armoured warfare's history as it combines many unusual design choices. First, this tank does not feature a "classical" layout: engine deck is next to the driver and the turret ring is at the rear of the tank's hull. Speaking of turrets, this tank has an oscillating one, which means that both gun and turret armour are welded together and that the whole assembly has to rotate to elevate the gun. This way of mounting allows the placement of an autoloader mechanism in the ''long'' turret bulge. As for its size, it is very small.

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

Even though this tank has unimpressive armour values, its sloped profile will protect it from autocannon fire (with some distance, even the [[Bofors (40 mm)|Bofors]] can't go through this tank). Any dedicated antitank gun/missile/contraption will go right through this tank's armour. While this may sound a bit bad "getting easily pierced" also has its advantages: some APHE rounds will not detonate upon impact, which will minimise the damage done. If you happen to get shot at, the best way to survive is by showing your right front corner towards the enemy, this way, the engine deck may catch some shells. Don't ever rely on this tank's armour, take every shot you survive as a second chance.

'''Armour type:'''

* Cast homogeneous armour (Turret base, Turret front)
* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 20 mm (67°) ''Front glacis'' 20-40 mm (5-50°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm || 15 mm ''Top'' 15 mm (45°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm 5 mm ''Engine grille''
|-
| Turret || 40 mm (32-47°) ''Turret front'' 40 mm (12-41°) ''Turret base'' 40 mm (15-75°) ''Barrel shroud'' || 20 mm (0-30°) ''Turret'' 20 mm (12-14°) ''Turret base'' || 20 mm ''Turret bustle'' 20 mm (17-22°) ''Pivot ball'' 10 mm (77-90°) ''Turret underside'' || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
* 8 mm Structural steel firewall separates the driver from the engine.
* The track and wheel on the front glacis offer about 15 mm structural steel thickness.

=== Mobility ===

This vehicle can carry you wherever you want as long as you do not give yourself up. With 28 HP/ton, this tank's engine allows for fast accelerations and good, sustained, top speed, it will never let you down. Run this vehicle around the battlefield as you wish, deserting points to find other ones to fire from.

{| 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" | 14.7 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 67 (AB)
|-
|60 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|418
|515
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|239
|270
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|28.43
|35.03
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|16.26
|18.37
|-
|}

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

{{main|SA50 (75 mm)}}

Well-positioned, this gun can make your enemies cry: with its quick firing rate it is "one-two, goodbye" for any foe caught from the sides/rear. In usual one-on-one engagements, foes usually exchange shots but, with the AMX-13, this is a lie: it can fire ''twice'' before its foe can reload, this can hurt very much. This high rate of fire makes it very efficient at long-distance sniping: it can adjust fire faster than its foes.

High gun placement and good gun depression angles make this tank very efficient at keeping low behind hills while showing very little of itself. Said shortly, this tank's armament is amazing.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[SA50 (75 mm)|75 mm SA50 L/57]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 36 || -6°/+13° || ±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'' || 28.56 || 39.53 || 47.00 || 51.48 || 56.47
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 17.85 || 21.00 || 25.50 || 28.20 || 30.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 5.0 || 5.0 || 5.0 || 5.0
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| POT-51A || APC || 181 || 178 || 162 || 143 || 127 || 113
|-
| 75mm HE || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
| PCOT-51P || APCBC || 202 || 198 || 180 || 159 || 141 || 125
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| POT-51A || APC || 1,000 || 6.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 75mm HE || HE || 753 || 6.2 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 675 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PCOT-51P || APCBC || 1,000 || 6.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|250px|[[Ammo racks|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" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''36''' || 30 ''(+6)'' || 24 ''(+12)'' || 19 ''(+17)'' || 15 ''(+21)'' || 10 ''(+26)'' || 5 ''(+31)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}
Notes:

* Ammo racks 1 and 2 are the auto-loader racks, and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 7 through 3.
* If both auto-loader racks are empty, the main gun '''cannot''' fire until ammo is loaded into the auto-loader racks.
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 3-7 into the ready rack, as long as there is ammo present in racks 3-7. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! 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 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The AMX-13 is a very competitive tank as it can reach tricky positions quite fast on the battlefield. Its low profile allows it to hide behind many obstacles, serving as armour for this light vehicle. Keeping hull-down, behind a hill on the border of the map is the best way to use this tank: frontal engagements are a no-go with such little armour. AMX-13 commanders will be surprised to be able to shoot ''1 round every 5 seconds'' with such accuracy and power at this BR.

'''Long range sniper/flanker:'''
Stay low and scout targets for your team. When spotting a vulnerable enemy, shoot its engine/transmission/driver, '''don't get back into cover''' and finish it off 6 second later, only then, fade back into the shadows. Do not get out of cover too often as enemies too much aware of your position may destroy you easily. If spotted, stay ''as far as possible'' from enemy fire: this tank's small size can avoid a lot of shots since it takes some serious gunnery skills to hit such a fast ''and'' small target from a distance (1000+ m).

'''Brawler:'''
Even though this is not recommended usage, this can tank actually be taken in close quarter combat. In this role, it behaves much like any SPAA in the same context: flanking and surprising its foes from the sides with an hailstorm of bullets. Use smoke launchers in order to secure roads and advance concealed towards unsuspecting foes.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Can reach its top speed quite fast
* '''Awesome''' reload rate: '''1 shot every 5 seconds''', comparable to most ''rank 1'' reload times
* Gun performance is comparable to the British [[Ordnance QF 17-pounder (76 mm)|QF 17-pounder]]'s solid shots.
* '''12 round''' autoloader mechanism.
* Has smoke launchers (high ark of fire)
* Good gun depression value
* Fast turret rotation
* Thin armour will often not detonate APHE ammo
* Low profile
* High gun placement make hull-down positions very efficient
* Stock shell is quite good, although the upgraded shell is a strict improvement
* Frontally resistant to some SPAA fire (Ostwind and M19)
* Has '''Scouting''' ability

'''Cons:'''

* Bad reverse speed for a light tank
* Gun penetration subpar in uptiers: relies heavily on flanking maneuvers
* Thin sides will get shredded by SPAAs and HMGs
* Poor gun elevation value
* Lacks defensive armament against aircraft
* Thin top armour: vulnerable to strafing planes (can be penetrated by .50 cals with ground target belts at typical strafing ranges)
* Bad at stop-and-shoot due to oscillating turret design
* Only 3 crew members

== 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).''

== 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.''

{{France light tanks}}

AMX M4

2019-06-13T04:26:05Z

U8515006: /* Survivability and armour */ Added additional notes.

{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amx_m4}}
{{About
| about = French medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other uses
| link = M4 (Disambiguation)
}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. It uses the same 90 mm SA45 cannon as the [[ARL-44]] but has a 7 rounds auto-loader and a better armour pattern while being more mobile. It is clearly better than any rank III French tank, offering a new battle opportunities.

This is the sturdiest representative of French rank IV vehicles, from which he shares some common features: it has good mobility, an oscillating turret (fitted with an auto-loader), sloped armour in front and back, high hull, high gun placement, good gun depression, 4 crew member, a coaxial MAC 31 machine gun and large tracks. What distinguishes the AMX M4 is its [[Panther D|Panther]]-like hull, its efficient 90 mm SA45 gun inherited from the [[ARL-44]] and the thickest armour pattern of all French ground forces with 80 mm sloped at ~55° in the frontal area.

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

As said above, this tank's armour is very similar to that of the famous German tanks, it's hull even shares the same general patterns and dimensions, the distinctive features being...weak spots: an almost flat portion between UFP and LFP and two 60 mm "corners" above the tracks. As for the frontal turret part, it is sufficiently thick to endure many nasty hits, as long as you do not leave your foe enough time to aim: the turret ring area, while still being 80 mm thick, is flat. As for side armour, it is a good reason to keep away from front line duty: 35 mm flat armour does not protect from anything bigger than HMG fire. the hull's back is sloped, which may deviate some shots and prevent long-range "back flanking". The most exposed part of this tank is the turret's back, with only 20 mm of armour between the bulge and the turret ring.

In sum, engage frontally, avoid anything bigger than a slight angle as it may expose the 60 mm UFP "corners". Distance is a great tool to avoid your weak spots being easily targeted. This armour's role is quite fluctuent as it depends on if what it face can penetrate it or not.

Dealing with an opponent AMX M4 leads to a new sort of challenge. It is hard to penetrate from a distance, but if you can do it, then it's sniper battle time. If your guns does not provide enough power at distances, then get personal: the closer you are, the better you can disable it, here is a few tips for dealing with a AMX M4:

'''Frontal assault:'''

Any French rank IV tank has a good gun capable of going through most armours at standard combat ranges (and above), they are even more frightful when knowing about their good reload rates (they all have autoloaders). With that in mind, engage them first so that they (maybe) will not have enough time to reload a second shell. Specifically to the AMX M4, this tank's armour is virtually as resistant as a Panther tank: if you can't go through a Panther, you neither cannot with this tank, unless you shoot its weak spots. Don't panic though, its side armour is only 35 mm, which makes it very vulnerable to flanking and "multi-target" engagements: it can't protect itself well from two tank if they are enough apart from each other.

'''Flanking:'''

As for flanking onto a single AMX M4, it must be dealt with quick: its fast turret turning speed allows it to react quite fast to either of its sides. Try to disable its ''large gun breech'' first so it won't be able to fire in a long time (this may also ammo-rack it if detonating a pre-loaded ammo), only then finish it off, if the first hit/series of hits (SPAAs) does not disable it from firing back, consider yourself done.

'''Armour type:'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (27-55°) ''Front glacis'' 35 mm (61°) ''Lower glacis'' 60 mm (39°) ''Cheeks'' || 40 mm (24°) ''Sponson'' 40 mm (0°) ''Main'' || 40 mm (30°) ''Main'' 30 mm (30°) ''Hatch'' || 20 mm ''Main'' 8 mm ''Engine grille''
|-
| Turret || 85 mm (0-79°) ''Turret front'' 60 mm (29-86°)''Gun mantlet'' 40 mm (0-17°) ''Turret base'' 85-100 mm (18-79°) ''Barrel shroud'' || 60 mm (0-61°) ''Turret'' 40 mm (0-27°) ''Turret base'' || 40 mm (0-60°) ''Turret bustle'' 25 mm (16-25°) ''Pivot ball'' 20 mm ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 60 mm || 20 mm
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The turret and the base overlap in some areas, leading to cumulative armour.
* The armor plate separating the fighting compartment and the engine compartment is 8mm.
* Floor armor is 20mm thick, with the underside of the sponsons also being 20mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

Post-war French designs are all very good at moving around: they have good engines, wide tracks and can easily achieve ~40 km/h on most terrains. The AMX M4 may be the worst of them all, on par with the [[AMX-50|AMX-50-100]] as they share a ''very similar'' hull, they still have ''above average'' mobility, when compared to other medium tanks at the BR. This observation is imbued by the fact that this tank's reverse speed only reaches -5 km/h and it does not have the ability to do neutral steering, anything else is comparable to its contemporaries.

{| 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" | 52.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 57 (AB)
|-
|51 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|1,550
|_,___
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|884
|1,000
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|29.81
|__.__
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|17.00
|19.23
|-
|}

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

{{main|SA45 (90 mm)}}

The gun may feel a little lackluster in terms of penetration: at the same BR, some tanks can consistently punch through more than 200 mm of armour while this tank's gun can't. This little defect is palliated by its auto-loader mechanism, providing up to 9 rounds a minute, a very good firing rate for the BR. All French medium rank IV tanks share this good reload rate, this is their prominent selling point.

The oscillating turret design also allows an high gun placement, this means you can fire over hills by exposing only the strong top portion of your tank, even more so with its good depression angles. When it comes to elevation, there is a problem: this tank can only lift its gun 15°, which make defending against planes impossible and uphill battle a bit challenging.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[SA45 (90 mm)|90 mm SA45]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 49 || -8°/+15° || ±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'' || 17.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 17.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! 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.
|-
| 38.0 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 193 || 191 || 180 || 168 || 156 || 145
|-
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 1000 || 11 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 700 || 11 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 945 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks {{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the {{specs|pseudonym}}.]]
{| 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" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''49''' || 44 ''(X+5)'' || 42 ''(+7)'' || 35 ''(+14)'' || 28 ''(+21)'' || 21 ''(+28)'' || 14 ''(+35)'' || 10 ''(+39)'' || 7 ''(+42)'' || 1 ''(+48)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! 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" | 5,000 (150) || 1,350 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

At its BR, 80 mm of sloped frontal armour is more than sufficient to endure close range fights (as long as it is facing the enemy with its frontal armour). But what this tank is really good at is, as any other French rank IV, ''sniping'': a very good gun, great depression and fire rate make it very deadly, even more so that it ''can'' take a few hits. The AMX M4 offers the best survivability of all French rank IV tanks since its BR is low and armour, thick. It is a true "medium tank" capable of all roles, given the good context.

This tank can be used in almost all roles on the battlefield, as long as context is on its side. Here is some roles this tank is the most efficient at:

'''Sniper:'''

This is clearly this tank's intended role: at all BR placements, it provides the best results from this tank. There is only a few things that can defeat such tactic: drastically better firepower and thick frontal armour faced towards it. This gun's performance is not the best at its rank, in that way, the AMX M4 may have to rely on surprise attacks to its foe's sides in order to disable them. Use this tank's great mobility to get into a good spot and reposition ''whenever it is needed'' do not allow approaching targets as they increase your chances to be dealt with. Don't bother falling back before it is needed: your reverse speed won't allow for hasty retreats.

'''Frontline fights:'''

When facing lower BR tanks, the AMX can easily be used in the same role as Panther tanks: breakthrough...but with reserve, your side armour won't allow even the slightest side shot. Use your good reload speed and turret rate to their best: fast reaction times and multi-target engagements are possible.

'''Flanker:'''

Got a light tank squad wanting to flank ? Go with them and provide extra firepower for these vulnerable scouted targets. All considerations from the "''sniper''" role can be taken into consideration when flanking, the only difference being a more consistent usage of this tank's mobility.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good 90 mm gun inherited from [[ARL-44]] (easy learning curve)
* Front glacis is 80 mm and is heavily sloped for a high chance of ricochets, similar to [[Panther D|Panther]]'s.
* Very good reload rate between 7 shots due to auto-loader.
* Good maneuverability.
* Fast.
* Decent reverse speed.
* Good gun depression of -8°.
* Good turret rotation.

'''Cons:'''

* Overall armour is quite thin as for 6.0 medium tank.
* Long reload time after 7 shots due to auto-loader.
* Only two ammo choice between APC and HE rounds.
* Ammo always held in reload mechanism makes it easy ammo rack targets.
* Thin side armour
* 60 mm UFP "corners" makes angling ineffective.
* Bad elevation angles
* Vulnerable to planes (thin top armour)

== History ==

The AMX M4 was developed and tested in the late 1940s, though it never saw active service.

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

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

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

== External links ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5265-vehicle-amx-m4-en [News<nowiki>]</nowiki> AMX M4]

{{France medium tanks}}

Pz.Sfl.Ic

2019-06-12T22:41:30Z

U8515006: /* Description */ Added introduction date and mentioned its former name.

{{Specs-Card
|code = germ_pzkpfw_II_ausf_H
|store = 4634
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating}}. Before Server Update 11.6.2019, this tank was simply called the Pz. Kpfw. II Ausf. H or Pz.II H for short. It was introduced in Update 1.43 as part of an Advance package called "Heavy Armor".

== 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 forwards and backwards.''

== 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 flexibilty 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.''

=== 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 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.''

== Usage in the 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. Do not 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:'''

*

'''Cons:'''

*

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

=== In-game description ===
In July, 1940 Armament Command ordered two light tank prototypes with enhanced weaponry from the company MAN. Rheinmetall-Borsig built the cannons and the bulkheads comprising the body.

In January, 1942 four tanks were produced and immediately sent to the Eastern Front as part of the 1st and 3rd squads of the 559 Antitank Battalion.

An open-top rotating hexagonal turret with no rear wall was installed. Its primary weapon was a 50mm KwK 39.

== 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.''

M56

2019-06-12T02:57:15Z

U8515006: /* Survivability and armour */ Single typo.

{{Specs-Card|code=us_m56_scorpion}}

== Description ==
[[File:GarageImage_M56Scorpion.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{Break}}
The '''M56 Scorpion''' is a Rank IV American tank destroyer with a battle rating of 6.3 (AB) 6.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in [[Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters"]].

Though one of the lightest tank destroyer in-game, its 90 mm gun gives it a very powerful punch, including a HEATFS round that can penetrate 320 mm of armour.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
Fitting the definition of a glass cannon, the M56 has virtually no armor to speak of, as the majority of the tank composes of structural steel that isn't meant to protect and has a weak armor modifier (x0.45 KE), which renders it near useless in protecting internal components of any caliber, with exceptions to high-angle impacts from rifle-caliber rounds. Same applies to the only armor plate found on the entire tank, the gun shield, as the 5mm thick plate with 12mm bullet-proof glass will only be able to stop rifle-caliber bullets from mid to long range.

The crew consists of only 3 members, a driver on the port side of the gun breach, the gunner on the starboard side of the gun breach, and the commander sitting rather casually behind the driver. If the tank is noticed and takes fire, expect the commander to be the first one down, since he is the most exposed of the three, sitting far away and above the gun shield. Overall, survivability is very low and it's advised to take precautions to not take any fire from the opposition, making use of terrain and mobility when things get heated.

'''Armour type:'''

* Structural steel
* Rolled homogeneous armour (Gun shield)
* Bulletproof glass

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 15 mm (59-79°) ''Front glacis'' 15 + 10 mm (29-65°) ''Lower glacis'' 10 mm ''Engine cover'' || 15 mm || 15 mm (1-70°) || 10 mm
|-
| Gun Shield || 5 mm (17°) ''Shield'' 12 mm (17°) ''Bulletproof Glass'' || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Wheel thickness is 10 mm, sprocket and idler wheel are 20 mm thick, and tracks are 15 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===
Where the M56 lacks in armor, it easily makes it up in mobility. It's light weight and decently powered engine gives it a great power-to-weight ratio that lets it propel to its top speed easily, even when stock. You'll want to use this to gain access to favorable positions at the beginning of each match. When your position is compromised, seek a retreat using it's excellent reverse speed of 20 km/h and plan ahead your next route.
{| 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" | 7.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 49 (AB)
|-
|45 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|284
|350
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|177
|200
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|40.57
|50.00
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|25.28
|28.57
|-
|}

== Armament ==
{{main|M54 (90 mm)}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[M54 (90 mm)|90 mm M54]]
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 29 || -10°/+15° || -30°/+15°
|-
! 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'' || 3.57 || 4.90 || 6.00 || 6.60 || 7.10
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 3.57 || 4.20 || 5.10 || 5.60 || 6.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 9.75 || 8.63 || 7.95 || 7.50
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
The M54 cannon has 5 great flavors of destruction to choose from, APCR rounds, APCBC rounds, HEAT-FS rounds, HESH shells, and HE shells.

The '''M332 APCR''' are your basic rounds that you'll utilize when you first play your tank. Like any other APCR, with knowledge of the opposition's internal components like gunner/driver locations and ammo racks, it's very useful against heavy foes with low-angle slopes in their armor profile, but is very lacking in the post-penetration damage department. Though they are free to use, players may find the lack of post-penetration damage unfavorable, especially for a glass cannon who can't risk staying exposed for very long trying to pick apart an armored foe.

The '''M82 APCBC''' are probably the first shells you'll unlock to shoot with and will provide some relief if you've grown tired of the APCR's low post-pen damage. Like any other APHE, they possess good penetration at close to mid range with exceptional post-penetration damage for dealing with moderately armored targets like many of the medium tanks you'll encounter at your battle rating. As soon as you unlock these, start carrying these as your standard round against most tanks while carrying a few of the above APCR for heavier foes, at least until you unlock the HEAT-FS round.

The '''M431 HEAT-FS''' should be '''the''' round you'd want to rely on to take care of most armored foes you come across. Combining the best muzzle velocity, the greatest penetration, especially at long range, and decent post-penetration damage makes this the superior round to use in any mid-to-long range engagement. At close range or in ambush situations, with this shell being your loaded round, you will most likely cripple any target you may encounter. It may then be best to switch to APCBC or HESH (depending on the vehicle type) as a follow up to finish off the surviving target, unless the target still presents itself to be very armored from your angle of fire (like the [[Maus]] or most heavies from the front). Especially so if you're conscious about your ammo bill after the battle as HEAT-FS are not the cheapest option.

The '''T142E3 HESH''' are an advanced high-explosive round that's capable of penetrating thick armor, especially so against highly-sloped armor. If you know your target possesses not a single plate of armor greater than 100mm, then these are the rounds to use to wreck them at any range, as these are equally effective against a valid target, including many medium tanks, any light tank and SPAA, and even some heavy tanks that rely on angles rather then raw thickness like an [[IS-3]] or [[AMX-50 Surbaisse]]. Just be sure to aim away from the tracks and suspension, as these modules can easily absorb any damage caused by HESH.

The '''M71 HE''' are just like your typical medium-caliber HE round, good against unarmored targets like exposed crew members, hull-breakable vehicles, and air targets (should you be able to hit them), but not very useful outside of that. Though this is a free round with slightly better velocity (making it easier to use at long range), favor HESH instead when you can as it carries nearly as much of a payload and has increased versatility against more targets.

One last ammo type to mention are the '''M313 Smoke''' shells. While not particularly useful for the role the M56 typically fills, they can still have good effect in long-range conflicts where a smoke to the face of an experienced enemy sniper can buy you or your allies time to bypass them in favor of a retreat or advancement towards the objective.

Overall, with all shells unlocked where you'll be employing mid to close range tactics, the typical recommended ammo composition can look something like this: 12 HEAT-FS, 4 APCBC, 5 HESH. For long-range engagements where you'll be playing more of a sniper role, it's best to forgo the APCBC in favor of bringing as much HEAT-FS as you can while throwing in a couple of smokes, though the smokes are optional. With this the recommended ammo composition for long-range engagements will look more like this: 20 HEAT-FS, 7 HESH, 2 Smokes.

{| 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
|-
| M332 shot || APCR || 271 || 270 || 245 || 217 || 192 || 170
|-
| M82 shot || APCBC || 170 || 169 || 164 || 151 || 138 || 127
|-
| M431 shell || HEATFS || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320 || 320
|-
| M71 shell || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
| T142E3 || HESH || 102 || 102 || 102 || 102 || 102 || 102
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| M332 shot || 1178 || 5.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| M82 shot || 853 || 11 || 1.2 || 20 || 137.2 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M431 shell || 1216 || 5.8 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 712.64 || +0° || 65° || 72° || 75°
|-
| M71 shell || 823 || 11 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 925 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| T142E3 || 792 || 11 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 792 || +0° || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke characteristic
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity in m/s
! Projectile Mass in kg
! ''Screen radius in m''
! ''Screen time in s''
! ''Screen hold time in s:''
! ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
|-
| M313 || 821 || 11 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_M56.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the M56 Scorpion.]]
{| 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
|-
|| '''29''' || 20 ''(+9)'' || 11 ''(+18)'' || 1 ''(+28)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Recommended ammo load is 20. Carry full load of 29 rounds for large open maps like [[Kursk (Ground Forces)|Kursk]], [[Fulda (Ground Forces)|Fulda Gap]] and [[Maginot Line (Ground Forces)|Maginot Line]].

== Usage in the battles ==
The M56 Scorpion is a fast, light tank destroyer with very little armor to speak of.

A rapid volley from an enemy machine gun will knockout the three crew members with ease, if not carefully concealed. Its 90 mm M54 cannon is very able to disable enemy tanks at Rank IV. It is able to perform various destruction missions utilising various tactics. An M56 Scorpion is a dedicated airborne tank destroyer with airborne vehicle-based performance. The scorpion has a very stable and fast rate of acceleration on any terrain with a top speed of up to 28 MPH (45 km/h). With its high speed, it is very tempting to charge towards the capture point. When in a situation where a single enemy tank is present, unprotected, uncovered and separated from the opposing team. A rampaging Scorpion will be able to close in, then blow it up to kingdom come. However, caution must be undertaken throughout.

Be wary that any tank, even if only armed with a machine gun, is capable of knocking out the M56 due to the exposed crew. One particular enemy to keep an eye for is the [[ASU-85]]. It's a complete soviet equivalent of the Scorpion. Its stock BR-372 APCBC-HE is hopeless against a Scorpion since it will always overpenetrate it & be unable to explode inside its engine or gun breech. Meanwhile the M82 APCBC-HE has the opposite effect against it, as the ASU-85 has 45 mm armour just like the [[T-34-85]], which was a big mistake. Even with inferior penetration, an M82 still has 1.5x more explosive warhead. Given enough penetration, it will always be able to cause it to explode frontally without much effort. Take a grain of salt when firing at the ASU-85 from its flank, since the M82 will also overpenetrate away. Loading the M71 HE is much better, since the explosion will spam the ASU-85's interior all over the place. Or if already loaded with M82 & an ASU-85 is approaching while showing its flank, aim for the engine to prevent it from recovering & escaping. Then blast it away.

===Game modes===
While the Arcade Battle environment is not favorable due to the marker system easily spotting the M56, it can still perform in flank and surprise attacks if employed properly. It still can snipe from far away & make score against some targets when the M431 HEATFS is unlocked. Be aware that many light tanks can hunt it down if caught in firing range, particularly the [[M41A1|M41A1 Bulldog]] and [[T92]].

The battle environment is more favorable in Realistic and Simulator Battles. It can completely perform full flanking manoeuvres even when stock, it can also snipe from far-distance without getting spotted easily. Using both tactics will guarantee a complete concealment from the enemy, while being able to launch '''M82 APCBC-HE''' at them with just a couple of shots. Closing in to the enemy is only viable if the enemy number has been completely depleted and/or are unable to insert reinforcements to cover their team.

Closing in, the Scorpion can out manoeuvre and outflank most, if not all enemy vehicles at its BR. When it is unable to flank due to tight enemy formation across the map, sniping is the best option.

It is recommended to Load: '''M431 HEATFS''' or '''M82''' if the enemy armour is insufficient to withstand such rounds. I.e. [[T-34-100]]). The reload time can help it to outgun any opposition, to withstand its sustained rate of fire. Especially if it is equipped with an Ace crew, which can reload around of 7 seconds. Also, try to use an ambush tactic. It can annihilate a whole team if used by a skilled player.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Very small profile (68% visibility).
* Excellent mobility & maneuverability on all terrain (45 km/h top speed & acceleration, 20 km/h reverse speed).
* An airborne vehicle, ''very'', ''very light'' (7 tons).
* 90 mm gun with ammunition selection from the [[M48A1|M48A1 Patton]].
* Heavy recoil fired from a hill will sometimes save the vehicle from enemy fire, '''explosive push'''.
* Very quick sustained reload time.
* 3 variety of very capable shells.
* APCR as stock shell; big penetration bonus from the start, also free.
* Destructive APCBC-HE; can bake a tank's interior through side shot.
* HEATFS can easily punch 320 mm of armour.

'''Cons:'''

* No armour.
* Completely exposed crew from 360°.
* Gets easily tipped over because of its weight.
* A shot through the bulletproof glass will knock-out 2 crews, then instantly disabled.
* Top speed is limited at 45 km/h. While boasting excellent acceleration, it will be outrun by other light vehicles on open field.
* Heavy recoil will make the vehicle jump back about 5 feet, forcing a realignment of the sight.
* High chance to catch fire when shot in the frontal hull.
* Hopeless if its engine is destroyed.
* APCR as stock shell; unable to cripple a tank even from flank with only a shot.
* HEATFS are expensive (640 SL, per round).
* Affected by the Hull Break mechanic (Large HE shells will destroy the M56 in 1 shot).

== History ==
===Development===
During World War II, the constant problem for the US Airborne divisions is that their anti-tank power was very minimal in the front lines. Though there were attempts to improve their firepower with towed anti-tank guns or airborne tanks like the [[M22|M22 ''Locust'']], the former proved too cumbersome and heavy while the latter proved too under-powered and weak. Thus, development began in April 1949 for a very lightly armoured vehicle to mount a hard-hitting gun with heavy emphasis on firepower, speed, and with as little weight as possible. This evolved into the development of a self-propelled 90 mm gun and the project was taken up by the Cadillac Motor Division of General Motors. The pilot vehicle developed were designated ''T101''.<ref name="ZalogaM551">Zaloga Steven. ''M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2009</ref>

The first models were completed in 1953 and were tested in 1955. It was approved for service in 1958 and designated as the '''M56 90mm self-propelled gun''', or by its nickname '''"Scorpion"''' and its acronym '''SPAT''' ('''S'''elf-'''P'''ropelled '''A'''nti-'''T'''ank). It's main selling point was being light enough at only 7 tons to be lifted by helicopter or carried onto aircraft, allowing for parachute drops. As a rather specialized vehicle, it wasn't produced in large numbers, with only 150 units built from the Cadillac production line from 1953 to 1959.<ref name="ZalogaM551" />

===Usage===
The M56 Scorpion was issued out to airborne and anti-tank units from 1958 to the early 1960s. As a defensive weapon, the M56 Scorpion was never meant to venture out to seek and destroy enemy tanks, but its lack of armour was still criticized by its crew, what with only a simple gun shield blocking the crew from getting shot by even small arms. The lightness of the vehicle was also bad for the extreme recoil of the 90 mm M54 gun, which would lift the entire vehicle off its front wheels.<ref name="ZalogaM551">Zaloga Steven. ''M551 Sheridan: US Airmobile Tanks 1941-2001'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2009</ref> An informal manual even recommends that when firing, the commander and loader should step off the vehicle to avoid being harmed by the lurching vehicle. The M56 Scorpion served America in combat during the Vietnam War in the 173rd Airborne Brigade, with 17 vehicles organized into three platoons. It served as a defensive role in most of American foreign bases until the advent of the anti-tank missile launchers such as the TOW, which proved more potent than the Scorpion, and was replaced in the late 1960s and early 70s.<ref name="ZalogaM551" />

The M56 Scorpions were also given out in limited numbers, with Morocco given 87 vehicles and Spain obtaining 5 in the Military Aid Program. Morocco used the Scorpions in the Western Sahara War, being the only foreign user of the M56 Scorpions.

===Survivors===
At least 18 intact M56 Scorpions survive in the United States today, mainly in museums and in private collections.

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

==References==
<references />

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

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

''ETC.''

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

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

{{USA tank destroyers}}

T32

2019-06-09T03:40:49Z

U8515006: /* Shell types */ Fixed typos.

{{Specs-Card|code=us_t32}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T32.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It is one of the first American tanks to be released with the American ground tree in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]]. It can be seen as an extremely buffed up version of a [[M26|M26 Pershing]] with a [[T15E2 (90 mm)|high velocity 90 mm gun]] and extremely tough front turret armour able to exploit hull down positions against its competitors.

The T32 is a post-World War II heavy tank with 7.0 Battle Rating, and it's one of the best tanks for a specific battle tactic known as hull-down. Due to its 298 mm thick frontal turret armour, it will mostly deflect any incoming armour-piercing shells at any range, except incoming High Explosive Anti-Tank-Fin-Stabilized (HEAT-FS), aimed at the turret hole beneath the mantlet. It's crucial to conceal the T32's weak spots, especially the lower plate tips and lower mantlet since both spots can cause catastrophic damage to the T32.

Even if a T32 is hulling-down, doesn't mean it's invulnerable. If an armour-piercing shot deflects at the lower mantlet and penetrates through top hull armour, It will instantly knock out the tank, since the deflected shot goes right through the main ammo load and blows it off. Also, a very powerful HE shot from guns with over 120 mm calibre can cause severe damage to the T32's armour.

It's armed with the [[T15E2 (90 mm)|90 mm T15E2 gun]], and very effective against most enemies appearing in its Battle Rating range, mainly with late-World War II German and Soviet tanks. The stock ammunition T43 Armoured Piercing shell has good penetration but lack of explosive warhead is not enough to knock out most tanks in a single shot. A concentrated shot has to be very well aimed to seriously damage any enemy. Like most of U.S. tanks, the T32 performs better when armed with newly researched shell, the M82 Armour-Piercing Capped Ballistic Cap. Thus, the ammunition upgrades are very advisable to research first. The M82 shell has the roughly equal penetrating power with the T43 shell but contains 140 grams of explosive warhead inside, deadly enough to destroy any kind of tank in a single successful penetrating shot. Other shell includes T44 Armour-Piercing Composite Rigid, with impressively better penetration but unarmed with explosives. Despite having no explosive at all, APCR is good enough to cook off enemy tank's ammo load or take out critical module parts with an accurate shot. There's also T42 High Explosive shell, which is useful for destroying [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|Self-Propelled Anti-Air vehicles]], but rather ineffective against armoured vehicles.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="6" align="center" | '''Tank Armour Table'''
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 127 mm (54-70°) ''Front Glacis'' 95.25 mm (26-46°) ''Lower Glacis'' || 76.2 mm || 50.8 mm (0-56°) || 38.1 mm
|-
| Turret || 298.4 mm (8-21°) ''Turret front'' 298.4 mm (0-80°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 152.4-196 mm (3-42°) || 152.4 mm (0-72°) || 25.4 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 152.4 mm (50°) || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Machine gun port weak point is 127 mm + 25.4 mm of 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" | 54.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 37 (AB)
|-
|35 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|994
|1,228
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|681
|770
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.41
|22.74
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.61
|14.26
|-
|}

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

{{main|T15E2 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[T15E2 (90 mm)|90 mm T15E2]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 54 || -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'' || 19.42 || 26.88 || 32.64 || 36.09 || 38.40
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.4 || 22.60 || 24.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 18.85 || 16.68 || 15.37 || 14.50
|-
|}

===== 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''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| T43 shot || AP || 210 || 208 || 193 || 177 || 162 || 148
|-
| T42 shell || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
| T41 || APCBC || 224 || 221 || 206 || 188 || 172 || 157
|-
| T44 shot || APCR || 270 || 266 || 250 || 231 || 214 || 195
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| T43 shot || AP || 975 || 10.9 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| T42 shell || HE || 975 || 10.94 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 925 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| T41 || APCBC || 975 || 11 || 1.2 || 20 || 137.2 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| T44 shot || APCR || 1143 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

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

* '''T43 ''AP''''' - Stock shell, which means it's free to use, but highly recommended to replace with ''T41'' APCBC once available.
* '''T41 ''APCBC''''' - This shell is superior to the above shell in very way, able to penetrate ~10-15mm more armor at all angles and distances as well as an explosive filler to increase post-pen damage. Post-penetration effects are fantastic, only oversized fighting compartments can survive a successful penetration (e.g. Tortoise, Tiger) if the ammo racks have conveniently been emptied prior. 137 gram of TNT equivalent knocks the Soviet [[D-10T (100 mm)|100 mm D-10T]] out of the park.
* '''T44 ''APCR''''' - Plus ~50mm penetration on all ranges, looks good on paper, but a further check reveals a great disadvantage. With greater armour angles the penetration quickly drops, bone breaking as angled plates become very common in era IV and V. Additionally, the post-penetration effects are small, so it's best to focus fire on important crewmen and modules to disable the tank momentarily, with direct hits on ammo racks having a good chance (but not guaranteed) to cause an explosion like the ''T43'' AP shot. Best use one might find for this ammo is against tanks with flat armor like the [[Tiger II (H)]] front turret armor at long range, especially over 1000m where the ''T41'' APCBC shell will struggle to pen in comparison.
* '''T42 ''HE''''' - Penetration power is nothing to boast about, 1 mm more than the [[KwK_43 (88 mm)|long 8,8]] of the [[Tiger II (H)|King Tigers]], but 2 mm less than of the [[M46|90 mm cannons]] used by Patton's. Damage against common [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|SPAA]] is satisfactory, but the long reload and good fuse sensitivity make the T41 APCBC shell the better choice. The roof-mounted [[Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|M2HB Browning]] heavy machine gun is the better weapon of choice against light vehicles.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T32.png|right|thumbnail|300px|Ammo racks of the T32.]]

The cannon takes two-piece ammunition, which explains why it takes so long for the cannon to load despite its 90 mm caliber. The propellant stowage covers the entire floor of the fighting compartment three times over. The projectiles themselves are kept in four racks, two lining both sides of the hull's fighting compartment, and two smaller ones on the port side of the turret in front of the loader.

{| 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
|-
| style="text-align:center" | '''54''' || 45 ''(+9)'' || 23 ''(+31)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Recommended ammo load: 23. ''Keeps starboard hull projectile rack and forward propellant stowage intact''.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,000 (200) || 577 || -10°/+35° || ±120°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[Browning (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! 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" | 4,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The play style of T32 is vastly different in each game mode, due to the nature of the gameplay available in Ground Forces:

'''Arcade battles'''

* Player, ally, and enemy position will be immediately spotted upon detection with their name indicator visible above their vehicle and on the minimap
* Aim assist is present to help accurate aiming at a target
* Player and enemy team tank's nationality are mixed

The T32 shouldn't be exposed to the enemy at a prolonged time at close range engagement since the enemies will use aim assist to take out the T32 from either lower plate tips or lower turret. On the other hand, the T32 can also utilize these features against the enemy, albeit with much harder difficulty due to rather sub-par penetration against other tanks in Rank IV to reliably achieve first penetration in arcade tank combat. Exercise caution

'''Realistic battles'''

* No visible name indicator
* Manual range calculation
* Player and enemy team tank's nationality are not mixed

The T32 can safely mobilize itself due to the dissipation of name indicator above the vehicle, especially with its low profile. In Realistic Battle, the T32 can do almost anything on its own, especially with flanking enemies to deliver a striking blow to the enemy formations, since the sub-par penetration of the M82 APCBC is negated by the enemies' side armour weakness (be aware with [[IS-4M]] as it has 160 mm of side armour, expect to use both APCBC and APCR). As aforementioned earlier, the T32 excels better at flanking than other roles due to characteristics of its gun performance, mobility, and protection.

'''Simulator battles'''

* No visible name indicator
* Manual range calculation
* Player and enemy team tank's nationality are not mixed

The T32 can safely mobilize itself due to the dissipation of name indicator above the vehicle, especially with its low profile. In Simulator Battle, the battle tactic is almost similar to Realistic Mode. T32 can do almost anything on its own, especially with flanking enemies to deliver a striking blow to the enemy formations. Since the sub-par penetration of the M82 APCBC is negated by the enemies' side armour weakness (be aware with [[IS-4M]], as it has 160 mm of side armour, expect to use both APCBC and APCR). As aforementioned earlier, the T32 excels better at flanking than other roles due to characteristics of its gun performance, mobility, and protection.

Other considerations in Simulator mode is the different gun sight placement and 3rd person perspective. The gun sight is tough to control, located on the left side of mantlet. The 3rd person perspective, now in the commander's cupola area, helps the T32 by restricting the enemy's field of vision (although the player is as well) and allow the T32 to move stealthily more easily.

===Tactics===
The T32 can fulfil major roles in battle due to its flexibility at any kind of operation, known as "Jack-of-all-Trades". Its role is not far different than the well-known [[M26|M26 Pershing Medium Tank]]. There are 5 known roles that can be used in battle, which are Assault, Flank, Snipe, Support, and the last but not least, Ambush:

;Assault:

* Leading an assault directly into the enemy forces is the most frequently used tactic, especially in urban areas. It's quite capable to abuse the enemy shots with angling, but not entirely, since battle will mostly take place at very close range (about 0 - 100 meters). A strike team is needed to carry out an assault since T32 can't cover its side armour and slow reload time alone. In most cases, a T32 will likely to initiate flanking role to the enemy once it comes up-close to increase the chance of incapacitating a vehicle with a single strike in quick succession.

;Flank

* Flanking is the most effective role for the T32. Its characteristics and performances are highly orientated for flanking purpose. At given destructive penetrating power of the M82 Shell from close range, the T32 can critically damage, if not outright knocking out everything from the side. Be aware when initiating the operation, since someone might be trying to flank the flanker. Flanking is also a part of the assault role, albeit with a more focused objective on manoeuvring on the enemies' side. At this rate, the enemies will likely to scatter around to evade, so eliminating any available threat is required to continue the tactic. The armour will greatly aid in this tactic, as return fire is commonly a hasty act, yet be wary of the tank's weak spots! On open terrain keep manoeuvring during reload to throw of aim, alternatively on distances above 400m drive slightly angled forwards and backwards.

;Snipe:

* Sniping is frequently used by the T32 when encountering enemies in a large, open map such as Kursk and Mozdok. The T44 APCR is a good option when the target is too far and very fast since the M82 APCBC travels slower than APCR. Locating target is much harder than engaging at close range, since most of the enemies will also be sniping from afar, especially when sharpshooting against [[:Category:Germany_ground_vehicles|German tanks]]. Fortunately, almost no T32's frontal weak spot will be a viable target when sniping, since the weak spots are much more protected at longer range. It is suggested, if having to play on wide open terrain found on Tunisia, Kursk and Mozdok, to take full ammo load and 50/50 of APCR and APHE.

;Support:

* Supporting the allies to attack the enemies is a backup plan used to increase the allied forces firepower when attacking the enemies, such as providing covering fire for smaller tank such as [[T-44|T-44 medium tank]] or to increase the combat effort alongside the other heavy tank like [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II Heavy Tank]].

;Ambush'

* Ambush is preferable when enemies are unaware of the presence of a concealing T32. It should be commenced at a strategic choke point where the enemies will likely to mobilize their armours from there. Be aware that ambush is only used when the enemies are already identified by allies and heading to the choke point. Otherwise, sitting still and waiting for nothing can burden the team. Keep in mind that 90 mm T15E2 is L/73 length gun (aka very long), so make sure the gun barrel is hidden from the enemy if planning to catch them by surprise.

;"Hunker down"-Support:

* Move up to an distant open spot, visible from the enemy spawn or main route of attack and begin firing machine guns to draw in attention. The idea is caught the enemies attention and with this bind enemy firepower on something they can physically not destroy from the distance. Both the hostile force and the T32 will be pinned down in a stalemate, subtracting from each team's firepower. Therefore keep in mind the enemy's tank value. If it is only an M26, the T32 may be better off in the Support role, but if it is an IS-4 or several other evenly ranked tanks, then pursuing the hunker down tactic is worthwhile to the team's success.

;Conclusion:

* Overall, the T32 is a versatile heavy tank with an impressive performance in the game, but since it's not invincible with a fair amount of potential weaknesses, it requires specific knowledge with this tank to survive. The T32 will lead to the pinnacle of the U.S. heavy tank branch – the [[M103|120 mm Gun Tank M103]].

===Modules===
It takes a long time to research modules because the T32 requires a lot of research points. First of all, research Parts, since the T32 won't be able to continue the battle if any critical parts are knocked out. After researching the Parts, the next priority is the M82 shot, making it easy to penetrate other tanks and the progress will be much faster. The rest can be researched at any priority.

The most recommended research priority can be sorted from the most important and so on:

# Parts
# M82 Shot
# FPE
# T44 Shot
# Adjustment of Fire
# Elevation Mechanism
# Turret Drive
# Tracks
# Suspension
# Filters
# Engine
# Transmission
# Brake System

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent 298 mm front turret armour
* Sloped front armour has effective ~200 mm thick
* Accurate high-velocity T15E2 cannon
* Splendid destructive power of the M82 APCBC
* Low profile
* Reasonably agile for a heavy tank
* Versatile tank role: Snipe, Assault, Flank, Support, and Ambush, known as "Jack-of-All-Trades"
* Very efficient in hull-down fighting

'''Cons:'''

* Long gun easily knocked out and disabled
* "Shot trap" on the lower part of mantlet can blow the main ammo load entirely
* Bow machine gun port and lower glacis armour are vulnerable front weak points
* Weak lower plate tips
* Rather thin side armour of 76 mm, angling could expose the weaker sides
* Lengthy reload time, at roughly 15.7 - 18.8 seconds
* A single shot into the centre main hull can cause the ammo to explode violently

== History ==

=== Predecessors & necessity ===
The deployment of the [[M26|M26 Pershing]] in the European theatre was very promising to the Allied firepower against Germany's late war tank designs such as the [[Panther G|Panthers]] and the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger IIs]]. However, the M26 Pershing was deemed too unarmoured to the same abuse it could dish out as the German 88 mm cannons could still knock it out relatively easily. In December 1944, the Ordnance Department was requested to build a Pershing tank with more armour and two approaches were made to this goal. The first was to have a standard M26 Pershing with more armour placed on it and a better final-drive gear installed, this method was similar to the construction of the [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 "Jumbo"]] from the [[M4|M4 Shermans]]. The second approach was a new design using as many Pershing parts as possible for standardization. By February 1945, four prototypes of the latter were constructed and were designated the '''T32 Heavy Tank'''. This design took high priority in the tank development and proceeded in April 1945 with further development.

=== Development ===
The T32 design took some parts from the experimental ''T29 Heavy Tank'', namely an improved version of its cross-drive transmission. The T32 design used many M26 Pershing parts, but the design had the hull extended and an additional road wheel is attached on each side and its tracks were extended with five-inch extensions to reduce ground pressure. The tank was powered by a Ford GAC V12 engine that was able to crank out 770 hp. The 90 mm T15E2 gun mounted on the tank used a two-piece ammo design and such required a different interior stowage design but gave the tank great penetration capability. The armour on the tank was about 203 mm thick in the front hull, with about 300 mm of armour on the turret front. The first two prototypes retained a bow machine gun on the front hull, but this was removed on the last two prototypes, which increased the front armour integrity. The differences between the two prototype models were the method the armour was made (cast vs rolled) and the periscope designs. The later two prototype models were redesignated on August 1945 as the T32E1 Heavy Tank. These tanks were produced at the Chrysler Automotive Plant in Detroit. The first two prototypes (T32) were shipped to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in early 1946 for evaluation while the last two (T32E1) was completed in mid-1946 and the first was sent to Fort Knox and the other kept at Detroit Arsenal for engineering studies.

===Testing and cancellation===
The T32, as the first tank design to be tested with the cross-drive transmission, performed poorly in the evaluations as it was plagued with problems. Teething troubles and high maintenance requirements proved difficult for designers. However, this transmission design would eventually become a standard in American tanks once these issues were fixed. Despite its promising future as America's heavy tank, the T32 eventually had its funding cut due to severe budget cutbacks in the military after the end of World War II. No serial production was ordered so the four prototypes were left as test subjects for new technologies, which proved useful in the future.

=== In-game description ===
In 1944-1945 the Ordnance Department initiated the T29 program, which was the high priority construction of several tanks based on the M26. The end result was the next version of the M26 Pershing. The US ground forces needed a new, modified version of the mass-produced M26 outfitted with thicker armor, heavier weaponry, and an enlarged turret.

On February 8, 1945, the construction of four prototypes was approved, with the official T32 designation conferred in March. The tank hull was made from plates of homogeneous armor, and protecting the front section was prioritized. As a result, the armor there was 70-127 mm thick, while the side armor was made with 51-76 mm armor plates and the rear was protected by only 19-51 mm. The thickness of the lower section's front part was expanded to 38 mm, identical to the hull roof. The hull enjoyed a traditional design, though two prototypes had a cast front hull section and the other two had welded components.

The turret construction resembled the T29 models, which were larger than the M26 and had a gun mantlet that was expanded to 298 mm. The main weapon was a 90 mm T15E2 cannon with separate tube reloading. The weapon boasted high initial velocity and was good at penetrating armor, outstripping almost every one of its foreign equivalents.

Regardless of the work put into the project, the tank could not be completed by the end of the war, after which the T32 program lost its priority status. The conclusion had already been drawn by 1946 that there was no need to mass produce the model, given that M29s with similar weaponry already existed. There were also more powerful tanks in the pipeline.

== Media ==
'''Skins''' and camouflages for the T32 from live.warthunder.com:

*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23t32 '''#T32''' Keyword]

=== Videos ===
{{Youtube-gallery|iuBx0vYccvg|Review "T32 Tank Review : Competing at Range" by ''CornyBros''|czgYdoxhbBE|Squad Gameplay "T-32 Tank Gameplay" by ''eNtaK''|Gy6fWdzkSbQ|Gameplay "Nuke Rounds in the T-32! (War Thunder 1.49)" by ''BaronVonGamez''}}

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2881/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> T32 Heavy Tank]

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

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

{{USA heavy tanks}}

T32E1

2019-06-03T05:23:51Z

U8515006: /* Description */ Added paragraph. /* Survivability and armor */ Updated Table.

{{Specs-Card|code=us_t32e1}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} American heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea"]].

Being the next stage of it's development cycle, the T32E1 is essentially the same as the [[T32]] except the designers replaced the cast homogeneous plates of the front hull in favor of simpler rolled homogeneous ones, deleting the hull machine gun port in the process. This not only removes an obvious weakness from the design, but it also strengthened the front hull plate from penetrations.

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


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 127 mm (58°) ''Upper glacis'' 95.3 mm (18°) ''Seam''
95.3 mm (40-59°) ''Lower glacis''
| 76.2 mm || 50.8 mm || 66.6 mm ''Crew compartment''
25.4 mm ''Engine compartment''
|-
| Turret || 298.4 mm (8-21°) ''Turret front'' 298.4 mm (0-80°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 152.4 - 196 mm (3-42°) || 152.4 mm (0-72°) || 25.4 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 152 mm || 25 mm
|-
|}

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

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

{{main|T15E2 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[T15E2 (90 mm)|90 mm T15E2]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 54 || -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'' || 19.4 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.4 || 22.60 || 24.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 18.85 || 16.68 || 15.37 || 14.50
|-
|}

===== 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''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| T43 shot || AP || 210 || 207 || 193 || 176 || 161 || 147
|-
| T42 shell || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
| T41 || APCBC || 221 || 218 || 203 || 186 || 170 || 155
|-
| T44 shot || APCR || 270 || 266 || 250 || 231 || 214 || 195
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| T43 shot || AP || 975 || 10.9 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| T42 shell || HE || 975 || 10.6 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 925 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| T41 || APCBC || 975 || 10.94 || 1.2 || 20 || 137.2 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| T44 shot || APCR || 1,143 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[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
|-
|| '''54''' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || XX ''(+XX)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}

=== 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.''

== 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:'''

* Removal of the hull MG port = one less weak spot to worry about
* Same hard-hitting 90mm gun as on the original T32
* Great turret armour; all but invincible when hull-down
* Good hull armour; can take a hit or two, especially if angled correctly
* T41 AP shell has outstanding post-penetration damage
* Reasonably mobile for a heavy tank
* Great gun depression; good for hull-down tactics

'''Cons:'''

* Ammo rack in the middle of the tank; a shell strike and penetration there can result in instantaneous destruction
* Long reload time of 15-18 seconds
* Small but noticeable shot trap where the mantlet meets the hull; enemies may try to shoot there
* Stock AP round doesn't have explosive filler, making killing enemy tanks somewhat difficult

== 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).''

== 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 heavy tanks}}

File:Ammoracks T32.png

2019-06-03T03:14:28Z

U8515006: U8515006 uploaded a new version of File:Ammoracks T32.png

T32

2019-06-03T01:58:57Z

U8515006: /* Main armaments */ Updated Arcade turret rotation speed /* Ammunition */ Updated penetration values. /* Shell types */ Updated shell names and edited paragraphs. /* Ammo racks */ Added paragraph. Condensed table since projectile and propellants sync.

{{Specs-Card|code=us_t32}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_T32.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It is one of the first American tanks to be released with the American ground tree in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]]. It can be seen as an extremely buffed up version of a [[M26|M26 Pershing]] with a [[T15E2 (90 mm)|high velocity 90 mm gun]] and extremely tough front turret armour able to exploit hull down positions against its competitors.

The T32 is a post-World War II heavy tank with 7.0 Battle Rating, and it's one of the best tanks for a specific battle tactic known as hull-down. Due to its 298 mm thick frontal turret armour, it will mostly deflect any incoming armour-piercing shells at any range, except incoming High Explosive Anti-Tank-Fin-Stabilized (HEAT-FS), aimed at the turret hole beneath the mantlet. It's crucial to conceal the T32's weak spots, especially the lower plate tips and lower mantlet since both spots can cause catastrophic damage to the T32.

Even if a T32 is hulling-down, doesn't mean it's invulnerable. If an armour-piercing shot deflects at the lower mantlet and penetrates through top hull armour, It will instantly knock out the tank, since the deflected shot goes right through the main ammo load and blows it off. Also, a very powerful HE shot from guns with over 120 mm calibre can cause severe damage to the T32's armour.

It's armed with the [[T15E2 (90 mm)|90 mm T15E2 gun]], and very effective against most enemies appearing in its Battle Rating range, mainly with late-World War II German and Soviet tanks. The stock ammunition T43 Armoured Piercing shell has good penetration but lack of explosive warhead is not enough to knock out most tanks in a single shot. A concentrated shot has to be very well aimed to seriously damage any enemy. Like most of U.S. tanks, the T32 performs better when armed with newly researched shell, the M82 Armour-Piercing Capped Ballistic Cap. Thus, the ammunition upgrades are very advisable to research first. The M82 shell has the roughly equal penetrating power with the T43 shell but contains 140 grams of explosive warhead inside, deadly enough to destroy any kind of tank in a single successful penetrating shot. Other shell includes T44 Armour-Piercing Composite Rigid, with impressively better penetration but unarmed with explosives. Despite having no explosive at all, APCR is good enough to cook off enemy tank's ammo load or take out critical module parts with an accurate shot. There's also T42 High Explosive shell, which is useful for destroying [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|Self-Propelled Anti-Air vehicles]], but rather ineffective against armoured vehicles.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="6" align="center" | '''Tank Armour Table'''
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 127 mm (54-70°) ''Front Glacis'' 95.25 mm (26-46°) ''Lower Glacis'' || 76.2 mm || 50.8 mm (0-56°) || 38.1 mm
|-
| Turret || 298.4 mm (8-21°) ''Turret front'' 298.4 mm (0-80°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 152.4-196 mm (3-42°) || 152.4 mm (0-72°) || 25.4 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 152.4 mm (50°) || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm and tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Machine gun port weak point is 127 mm + 25.4 mm of 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" | 54.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 37 (AB)
|-
|35 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|994
|1,228
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|681
|770
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.41
|22.74
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.61
|14.26
|-
|}

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

{{main|T15E2 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[T15E2 (90 mm)|90 mm T15E2]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 54 || -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'' || 19.42 || 26.88 || 32.64 || 36.09 || 38.40
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 14.28 || 16.80 || 20.4 || 22.60 || 24.00
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 18.85 || 16.68 || 15.37 || 14.50
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| T43 shot || AP || 210 || 208 || 193 || 177 || 162 || 148
|-
| T42 shell || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
| T41 || APCBC || 224 || 221 || 206 || 188 || 172 || 157
|-
| T44 shot || APCR || 270 || 266 || 250 || 231 || 214 || 195
|-
|}
{| 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%
|-
| T43 shot || AP || 975 || 10.9 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| T42 shell || HE || 975 || 10.94 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 925 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| T41 || APCBC || 975 || 11 || 1.2 || 20 || 137.2 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| T44 shot || APCR || 1143 || 7.6 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

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

* '''T43 ''AP''''' - Stock shell, which means it's free to use, but highly recommended to replace with ''T41'' APCBC once available.
* '''T41 ''APCBC''''' - This shell is superior to the above shell in very way, able to penetrate ~10-15mm more armor at all angles and distances as well as an explosive filler to increase post-pen damage. Post-penetration effects are fantastic, only oversized fighting compartments can survive a successful penetration (e.g. Tortoise, Tiger) if the ammo racks have conveniently been emptied prior. 137 gram of TNT equivalent knocks the Soviet [[D-10T (100 mm)|100 mm D-10T]] out of the park.
* '''T44 ''APCR''''' - Plus ~50mm penetration on all ranges, looks good on paper, but a further check reveals a great disadvantage. With greater armour angles the penetration quickly drops, bone breaking as angled plates become very common in era IV and V. Additionally, the post-penetration effects are small, so it's best to focus fire on important crewmen and modules to disable the tank momentarily, with direct hits on ammo racks having a good chance (but not guaranteed) to cause an explosion like the ''T34'' AP shot. Best use one might find for this ammo is against tanks with flat armor like the [[Tiger II (H)]] front turret armor at long range, especially over 1000m where the T41 shell will struggle to pen in comparison.
* '''T42 ''HE''''' - Penetration power is nothing to boast about, 1 mm more than the [[KwK_43 (88 mm)|long 8,8]] of the [[Tiger II (H)|King Tigers]], but 2 mm less than of the [[M46|90 mm cannons]] used by Patton's. Damage against common [[:Category:Anti-aircraft_vehicles|SPAA]] is satisfactory, but the long reload and good fuse sensitivity make the T41 APCBC shell the better choice. The roof-mounted [[Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|M2HB Browning]] heavy machine gun is the better weapon of choice against light vehicles.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_T32.png|right|thumbnail|Ammo racks of the T32|300px]]The cannon takes two-piece ammunition, which explains why it takes so long for the cannon to load despite its 90 mm caliber. The propellant stowage covers the entire floor of the fighting compartment three times over. While the projectiles themselves are kept in four racks, two lining both sides of the hull's fighting compartment, and two smaller ones on the port side of the turret in front of the loader.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" | Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st racks empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd racks empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd racks empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
| style="text-align:center" | '''54''' || 45 ''(+9)'' || 23 ''(+31)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || style="text-align:center" | No
|-
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Recommended ammo load: 23; Keeps starboard hull projectile rack and forward propellant stowage intact.

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[Browning M2 (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Pintle mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 1,000 (200) || 577 || -10°/+35° || ±120°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[Browning (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! 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" | 4,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The play style of T32 is vastly different in each game mode, due to the nature of the gameplay available in Ground Forces:

'''Arcade battles'''

* Player, ally, and enemy position will be immediately spotted upon detection with their name indicator visible above their vehicle and on the minimap
* Aim assist is present to help accurate aiming at a target
* Player and enemy team tank's nationality are mixed

The T32 shouldn't be exposed to the enemy at a prolonged time at close range engagement since the enemies will use aim assist to take out the T32 from either lower plate tips or lower turret. On the other hand, the T32 can also utilize these features against the enemy, albeit with much harder difficulty due to rather sub-par penetration against other tanks in Rank IV to reliably achieve first penetration in arcade tank combat. Exercise caution

'''Realistic battles'''

* No visible name indicator
* Manual range calculation
* Player and enemy team tank's nationality are not mixed

The T32 can safely mobilize itself due to the dissipation of name indicator above the vehicle, especially with its low profile. In Realistic Battle, the T32 can do almost anything on its own, especially with flanking enemies to deliver a striking blow to the enemy formations, since the sub-par penetration of the M82 APCBC is negated by the enemies' side armour weakness (be aware with [[IS-4M]] as it has 160 mm of side armour, expect to use both APCBC and APCR). As aforementioned earlier, the T32 excels better at flanking than other roles due to characteristics of its gun performance, mobility, and protection.

'''Simulator battles'''

* No visible name indicator
* Manual range calculation
* Player and enemy team tank's nationality are not mixed

The T32 can safely mobilize itself due to the dissipation of name indicator above the vehicle, especially with its low profile. In Simulator Battle, the battle tactic is almost similar to Realistic Mode. T32 can do almost anything on its own, especially with flanking enemies to deliver a striking blow to the enemy formations. Since the sub-par penetration of the M82 APCBC is negated by the enemies' side armour weakness (be aware with [[IS-4M]], as it has 160 mm of side armour, expect to use both APCBC and APCR). As aforementioned earlier, the T32 excels better at flanking than other roles due to characteristics of its gun performance, mobility, and protection.

Other considerations in Simulator mode is the different gun sight placement and 3rd person perspective. The gun sight is tough to control, located on the left side of mantlet. The 3rd person perspective, now in the commander's cupola area, helps the T32 by restricting the enemy's field of vision (although the player is as well) and allow the T32 to move stealthily more easily.

===Tactics===
The T32 can fulfil major roles in battle due to its flexibility at any kind of operation, known as "Jack-of-all-Trades". Its role is not far different than the well-known [[M26|M26 Pershing Medium Tank]]. There are 5 known roles that can be used in battle, which are Assault, Flank, Snipe, Support, and the last but not least, Ambush:

;Assault:

* Leading an assault directly into the enemy forces is the most frequently used tactic, especially in urban areas. It's quite capable to abuse the enemy shots with angling, but not entirely, since battle will mostly take place at very close range (about 0 - 100 meters). A strike team is needed to carry out an assault since T32 can't cover its side armour and slow reload time alone. In most cases, a T32 will likely to initiate flanking role to the enemy once it comes up-close to increase the chance of incapacitating a vehicle with a single strike in quick succession.

;Flank

* Flanking is the most effective role for the T32. Its characteristics and performances are highly orientated for flanking purpose. At given destructive penetrating power of the M82 Shell from close range, the T32 can critically damage, if not outright knocking out everything from the side. Be aware when initiating the operation, since someone might be trying to flank the flanker. Flanking is also a part of the assault role, albeit with a more focused objective on manoeuvring on the enemies' side. At this rate, the enemies will likely to scatter around to evade, so eliminating any available threat is required to continue the tactic. The armour will greatly aid in this tactic, as return fire is commonly a hasty act, yet be wary of the tank's weak spots! On open terrain keep manoeuvring during reload to throw of aim, alternatively on distances above 400m drive slightly angled forwards and backwards.

;Snipe:

* Sniping is frequently used by the T32 when encountering enemies in a large, open map such as Kursk and Mozdok. The T44 APCR is a good option when the target is too far and very fast since the M82 APCBC travels slower than APCR. Locating target is much harder than engaging at close range, since most of the enemies will also be sniping from afar, especially when sharpshooting against [[:Category:Germany_ground_vehicles|German tanks]]. Fortunately, almost no T32's frontal weak spot will be a viable target when sniping, since the weak spots are much more protected at longer range. It is suggested, if having to play on wide open terrain found on Tunisia, Kursk and Mozdok, to take full ammo load and 50/50 of APCR and APHE.

;Support:

* Supporting the allies to attack the enemies is a backup plan used to increase the allied forces firepower when attacking the enemies, such as providing covering fire for smaller tank such as [[T-44|T-44 medium tank]] or to increase the combat effort alongside the other heavy tank like [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II Heavy Tank]].

;Ambush'

* Ambush is preferable when enemies are unaware of the presence of a concealing T32. It should be commenced at a strategic choke point where the enemies will likely to mobilize their armours from there. Be aware that ambush is only used when the enemies are already identified by allies and heading to the choke point. Otherwise, sitting still and waiting for nothing can burden the team. Keep in mind that 90 mm T15E2 is L/73 length gun (aka very long), so make sure the gun barrel is hidden from the enemy if planning to catch them by surprise.

;"Hunker down"-Support:

* Move up to an distant open spot, visible from the enemy spawn or main route of attack and begin firing machine guns to draw in attention. The idea is caught the enemies attention and with this bind enemy firepower on something they can physically not destroy from the distance. Both the hostile force and the T32 will be pinned down in a stalemate, subtracting from each team's firepower. Therefore keep in mind the enemy's tank value. If it is only an M26, the T32 may be better off in the Support role, but if it is an IS-4 or several other evenly ranked tanks, then pursuing the hunker down tactic is worthwhile to the team's success.

;Conclusion:

* Overall, the T32 is a versatile heavy tank with an impressive performance in the game, but since it's not invincible with a fair amount of potential weaknesses, it requires specific knowledge with this tank to survive. The T32 will lead to the pinnacle of the U.S. heavy tank branch – the [[M103|120 mm Gun Tank M103]].

===Modules===
It takes a long time to research modules because the T32 requires a lot of research points. First of all, research Parts, since the T32 won't be able to continue the battle if any critical parts are knocked out. After researching the Parts, the next priority is the M82 shot, making it easy to penetrate other tanks and the progress will be much faster. The rest can be researched at any priority.

The most recommended research priority can be sorted from the most important and so on:

# Parts
# M82 Shot
# FPE
# T44 Shot
# Adjustment of Fire
# Elevation Mechanism
# Turret Drive
# Tracks
# Suspension
# Filters
# Engine
# Transmission
# Brake System

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent 298 mm front turret armour
* Sloped front armour has effective ~200 mm thick
* Accurate high-velocity T15E2 cannon
* Splendid destructive power of the M82 APCBC
* Low profile
* Reasonably agile for a heavy tank
* Versatile tank role: Snipe, Assault, Flank, Support, and Ambush, known as "Jack-of-All-Trades"
* Very efficient in hull-down fighting

'''Cons:'''

* Long gun easily knocked out and disabled
* "Shot trap" on the lower part of mantlet can blow the main ammo load entirely
* Bow machine gun port and lower glacis armour are vulnerable front weak points
* Weak lower plate tips
* Rather thin side armour of 76 mm, angling could expose the weaker sides
* Lengthy reload time, at roughly 15.7 - 18.8 seconds
* A single shot into the centre main hull can cause the ammo to explode violently

== History ==

=== Predecessors & necessity ===
The deployment of the [[M26|M26 Pershing]] in the European theatre was very promising to the Allied firepower against Germany's late war tank designs such as the [[Panther G|Panthers]] and the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger IIs]]. However, the M26 Pershing was deemed too unarmoured to the same abuse it could dish out as the German 88 mm cannons could still knock it out relatively easily. In December 1944, the Ordnance Department was requested to build a Pershing tank with more armour and two approaches were made to this goal. The first was to have a standard M26 Pershing with more armour placed on it and a better final-drive gear installed, this method was similar to the construction of the [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 "Jumbo"]] from the [[M4|M4 Shermans]]. The second approach was a new design using as many Pershing parts as possible for standardization. By February 1945, four prototypes of the latter were constructed and were designated the '''T32 Heavy Tank'''. This design took high priority in the tank development and proceeded in April 1945 with further development.

=== Development ===
The T32 design took some parts from the experimental ''T29 Heavy Tank'', namely an improved version of its cross-drive transmission. The T32 design used many M26 Pershing parts, but the design had the hull extended and an additional road wheel is attached on each side and its tracks were extended with five-inch extensions to reduce ground pressure. The tank was powered by a Ford GAC V12 engine that was able to crank out 770 hp. The 90 mm T15E2 gun mounted on the tank used a two-piece ammo design and such required a different interior stowage design but gave the tank great penetration capability. The armour on the tank was about 203 mm thick in the front hull, with about 300 mm of armour on the turret front. The first two prototypes retained a bow machine gun on the front hull, but this was removed on the last two prototypes, which increased the front armour integrity. The differences between the two prototype models were the method the armour was made (cast vs rolled) and the periscope designs. The later two prototype models were redesignated on August 1945 as the T32E1 Heavy Tank. These tanks were produced at the Chrysler Automotive Plant in Detroit. The first two prototypes (T32) were shipped to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in early 1946 for evaluation while the last two (T32E1) was completed in mid-1946 and the first was sent to Fort Knox and the other kept at Detroit Arsenal for engineering studies.

===Testing and cancellation===
The T32, as the first tank design to be tested with the cross-drive transmission, performed poorly in the evaluations as it was plagued with problems. Teething troubles and high maintenance requirements proved difficult for designers. However, this transmission design would eventually become a standard in American tanks once these issues were fixed. Despite its promising future as America's heavy tank, the T32 eventually had its funding cut due to severe budget cutbacks in the military after the end of World War II. No serial production was ordered so the four prototypes were left as test subjects for new technologies, which proved useful in the future.

=== In-game description ===
In 1944-1945 the Ordnance Department initiated the T29 program, which was the high priority construction of several tanks based on the M26. The end result was the next version of the M26 Pershing. The US ground forces needed a new, modified version of the mass-produced M26 outfitted with thicker armor, heavier weaponry, and an enlarged turret.

On February 8, 1945, the construction of four prototypes was approved, with the official T32 designation conferred in March. The tank hull was made from plates of homogeneous armor, and protecting the front section was prioritized. As a result, the armor there was 70-127 mm thick, while the side armor was made with 51-76 mm armor plates and the rear was protected by only 19-51 mm. The thickness of the lower section's front part was expanded to 38 mm, identical to the hull roof. The hull enjoyed a traditional design, though two prototypes had a cast front hull section and the other two had welded components.

The turret construction resembled the T29 models, which were larger than the M26 and had a gun mantlet that was expanded to 298 mm. The main weapon was a 90 mm T15E2 cannon with separate tube reloading. The weapon boasted high initial velocity and was good at penetrating armor, outstripping almost every one of its foreign equivalents.

Regardless of the work put into the project, the tank could not be completed by the end of the war, after which the T32 program lost its priority status. The conclusion had already been drawn by 1946 that there was no need to mass produce the model, given that M29s with similar weaponry already existed. There were also more powerful tanks in the pipeline.

== Media ==
'''Skins''' and camouflages for the T32 from live.warthunder.com:

*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23t32 '''#T32''' Keyword]

=== Videos ===
{{Youtube-gallery|iuBx0vYccvg|Review "T32 Tank Review : Competing at Range" by ''CornyBros''|czgYdoxhbBE|Squad Gameplay "T-32 Tank Gameplay" by ''eNtaK''|Gy6fWdzkSbQ|Gameplay "Nuke Rounds in the T-32! (War Thunder 1.49)" by ''BaronVonGamez''}}

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2881/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> T32 Heavy Tank]

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

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

{{USA heavy tanks}}

8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.

2019-06-02T03:31:48Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables. Updated penetration table.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_sdkfz_9_flak37}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_8,8cmFlak37Sfl.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update_1.63_"Desert_Hunters"|Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters"]]. It features the famous 8.8 cm FlaK 37 cannon on a half-track mount, presenting heavy firepower at the cost of armour and even mobility due to its heavy weight.

The vehicle is affectionately nicknamed as the:

* 'Flak-Bus'
* 'Flak-Track'

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Half-track || 10 mm ''Grille'' 8 mm (85-86°) ''Front hood'' 14.5 mm (50°) ''Driver View'' || 14.5 mm || 14.5 mm || 14.5 mm
|-
| Gun shield || 14.5 mm (17-41°) || 10 mm (14°) || N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Tracks are 10 mm thick while suspension wheels are 15 mm thick.

If encountered in combat, attacking players can attempt to dispatch it at longer ranges. At slightly higher Battle-Ratings it is extremely unlikely that a player will use this vehicle to lead in the front line, but if he/she does, it can usually be easily dispatched from a concealed position. When the enemy is sniping, it is a difficult vehicle to destroy in a map with uneven and hilly terrain like Kuban where plentiful cover allows it to hide easily, but can be destroyed more easily on congested and more urban maps like Advance to the Rhine as there is increased difficulty for long ranged combat due to abundances of buildings and walls to use as cover for both sides.

Due to limited gun vertical traverse, smaller vehicles with lower chassis such as ASU-57 or similar can easily defeat it in extremely closer quarters engagement by simply driving up and make physical contact with the vehicle. The limited vertical traverse of the 88mm gun will mean the attacking vehicle cannot be damaged or destroyed in this situation.

There are multiple ways to destroy this vehicle. Users must take note that the design of the targeted vehicle has separated compartments for driving, gunnery and ammunition storage. Each one must be targeted best in accordance to different situations presented. Attacking forces unfamiliar with the vehicle may be confused as to which compartment to target first; the exposed ammunition storage, disable the gunnery or disable its movements; valuable time expended on this decision usually results in destruction of the unwitting user's vehicle. This does not become a problem if attacking vehicles are equipped with High-Explosive shells, as even a glancing hit will completely disable or destroy it without the need to selectively target individual compartments. If not equipped with High=Explosive Shells and the user is unfamiliar with the target vehicle, they may opt do disable the gunnery controls first and buying more valuable time to target the remaining compartments. Alternatively, due to the vehicle being constructed of light armour, can be easily perforated with 50. or higher caliber shells to ensure quick destruction if the first shell misses or fails to deal critical damage. Artillery Strike can also easily and quickly disable or destroy the vehicle. Due to the exposed crew and light armour, a brief strafe from Fighter or Bomber aircraft can also quickly disable or destroy it in a single pass.

=== 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" | 24.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 43 (AB)
|-
|40 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|326
|___
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|203
|230
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|13.41
|__.__
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|8.35
|9.46
|-
|}

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

{{main|FlaK 37 (88 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FlaK 37 (88 mm)|88 mm FlaK 37]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 40 || -3°/+85° || ±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'' || 9.69 || 13.41 || 16.28 || 18.00 || 19.15
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 6.55 || 7.70 || 9.35 || 10.34 || 11.0
|-
! 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.
|-
| 6.50 || 5.75 || 5.30 || 5.00
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| Pzgr. || APCBC || 153 || 151 || 140 || 128 || 116 || 106
|-
| Sprgr. L/4,5 || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
|}
{| 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. || APCBC || 810 || 9.5 || 0.8 || 28 || 160 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. L/4,5 || HE || 820 || 11 || 0.1 || 0.5 || 935 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_8,8cmFlak37Sfl.png|right|x250px|thumbnail||[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the 8.8 cm Flak.37]]
{| 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" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''40''' || 21 ''(+19)'' || 1 ''(+39)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Despite the presence of a whopping 88 mm gun on the back of this half-track, the complete lack of any armour gives this vehicle a short lifespan on the front lines. Thus, the best course is to keep the half-track as far away from the battle as possible. The gun has a slow gun traverse and a terrible depression when angled towards the front, so firing against targets at close range on level ground will leave the vulnerable and unable to return fire against targets of low-profile chassis. The gun however can be depressed further at a lower degree when pointed to the sides and rear of the vehicle as it provides more physical clearance. As such when engaging targets on level ground at close to medium ranges, it is recommended to turn the entire vehicle clockwise or counterclockwise for 45 degrees and the gun turret 45 degrees in opposition to the angle of the chassis for clearance. This should be accomplished only in areas with enough maneuvering room to ingress and egress to guarantee clearance, or else the half-rack will find itself stuck (in some cases literally) between a rock and a hard place. Find cover behind rocks or other obstacles, inch out of cover only enough to show the gun, then race back into cover after firing to avoid being shot and losing valuable crew members.

The ammo rack at the back of the halftrack can be reduced from two possible racks to one by reducing your total ammo count from 40 shells to 21, with the 21st shell will be loaded in the gun breech. This can reduce the possibility of an ammo rack explosion.

In the ways of modification purchases, try to obtain the spare parts and FPE first. From there, research Horizontal Drive, Adjustment of Fire, and Elevation Mechanism to increase your total combat effectiveness. The stock halftrack's turn rate is rather poor and needs improvement if you want to be able to quickly react to a changing battlefield. One thing that cannot be stressed enough is the fact that this vehicle is the definition of a ''Glass Cannon''. Most of the time, your TD will be destroyed by either an ammo rack explosion or most commonly a tank burn-down. Since the Flak.37 does not have armour, HEAT and HE shells can destroy you with one well placed shot.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* 88 mm cannon in Rank II
* Has a high potency of destroying tanks it encounters in just one shot
* Extremely fast reloads (avg. 6 seconds)
* Six crew member
* Gun elevation maxed at 85°, some may use it to fight larger aircraft
* Paper thin armour makes AP shell more likely to pass through
* More than adequate ammo for prolonged combat

'''Cons:'''

* Very little armour, a heavy machine gun or strafing aircraft, and ramming planes will make mincemeat out of this vehicle
* Armour can hull-break
* Crew exposed, artillery barrages could be lethal
* Boxes near the rear are ammo racks, smart players will just take out your gunner and shoot there
* Heavy half-track and gun gives low and sluggish speed
* With a gun depression of -3 degrees and the gun being high off the ground, you will have a near impossible chance of hitting short tanks that are really close to you on level ground
* You are a priority target for airstrikes or even escorting fighters, smart players will take the chance to destroy the vehicle (AB)

== History ==

===The half-track===
The '''Sd.Kfz. 9''' (nicknamed the ''Famo'') was Germany's heaviest half-track seeing service in World War II. The first model was made in 1936 and entered service with the Wehrmacht in 1938. Its primary purposes was as an artillery tractor and a tank recovery vehicle. The vehicle was able to tow about 28 tonnes, which was more than capable of towing the 24 cm Kanone 3 siege gun and the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV]], but required two to four to tow the heavier [[Panther A|Panther]], [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]], and [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]]. It was produced between 1938 to 1944 with 2,500 units produced.

===The gun===
The '''8.8 cm FlaK''' is a German anti-aircraft artillery and one of their mainstay anti-air and anti-tank weapons in World War II. The 8.8 cm caliber was developed in 1917 during the times of World War I from available naval caliber to effectively combat Allied aircraft. The first of the FlaK series, the ''FlaK 18'', was mounted on a easily deployable and traversable gun platform, has a semi-automatic loading system, and had a wide variety of ammunition available from high-explosives and armour-piercing. The guns first saw service in the Spanish Civil War and it proved as one of the most effective anti-aircraft guns of the period. Improvements to the Flak led to the ''FlaK 36'' and ''FlaK 37'' with new features such as a two-piece barrel and ability to fire without deploying the gun platform. Though the set-up time for the platform was quick at two and a half minutes, the weight of the gun required a half-track such as the Sd.Kfz 7 to quickly move it to a new position. The gun proved effective on ground targets as well, much of an impact that it was adapted as a tank armament on the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] heavy tank. The FlaK series ended up being produced in the thousands from 1933 to 1945, with up to 21,000 units produced in that time period.

===8.8 cm Flak.37 sfl===
In 1940, fifteen examples of Sd.Kfz.9 were adapted to be mounted with the 8.8 cm FlaK 18 guns. These were officially known as '''8.8 cm Flak 18 (Sfl.) auf Zugkraftwagen 18t'''. Its primary purpose was to serve in an anti-tank role, with the half-track needed to provide much-needed mobility to the gun. Aside from these 15 units produced, not much is known of its combat performance on the battlefield, but its existence inspired some American tank destroyer designs in 1943 to mount an anti-aircraft gun on a mobile vehicle, but these proved unsuccessful.

== Media ==

Skin and Camouflages for the [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=germany&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=germ_sdkfz_9_flak37 8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.] 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 ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/4244-development-8-8cm-flak-37-sf-auf-s-zgkw-18t-a-heavyweight-flak-en/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> 8.8cm Flak 37 (Sf.) auf s. Zgkw. 18t - A Heavyweight Flak]
* [[Wikipedia:Sd.Kfz._9#Variants|[Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> Sd.Kfz._9 - Variants]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

StuG III F

2019-05-31T16:00:48Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables. Updated penetration table.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_stug_III_ausf_F}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_StuGIIIF.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''StuG III F''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. An improvement over the [[StuG III F|StuG III A]] with the installation of the longer [[StuK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm StuK 40 L/43]] gun.

This tank destroyer has a very high first-shot knock-out ability, due to the superb penetration, damage and accuracy of its gun. Right off the bat, the gun will easily penetrate medium tanks and the KV-1 at certain ranges, and the APCR ammo can consistently pen KV-1's at most ranges. Furthermore, its gun is very accurate and with proper range-finding and aim, hitting the bow gunner's port on a T-34 is possible from 800 meters. However, its frontal armour is insufficient for any form of "slugging match" and its reload time is extensive, so it should be used at long-medium ranges and moved into cover once a shot is fired.

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

With a maximum of only 50 mm of armour on the superstructure, the StuG III Ausf. F is vulnerable to most guns that it faces, and even to lower rank vehicles if they get close enough. It must instead rely on its low profile in order to stay hidden and avoid incoming fire.

The driver, commander, and gunner are seated in a row on the left side of the tank, and a single shot that penetrates that side of the superstructure will usually result in all three of them being disabled, rendering the StuG III completely helpless. On the left side is the loader as well as a generous ammunition rack, and shots to that side of the tank usually result in a much quicker return to the hangar.

It should also be noted that the thin roof armour can be vulnerable to aircraft cannon fire, or even heavy machine guns at very close ranges.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (86°), 50 mm (50°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (23°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 30 mm (33°) ''Top'' 30 mm (11°) ''Bottom'' || 17 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 50 mm (9-10°), 30 mm (76°) || 30 mm || 30 mm (26-30°) || 11 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

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

=== Mobility ===

The mobility of the StuG III is very similar to that of the PzKpfw III medium tank on which it is based. It is quite adequate for relocating and keeping up with other tanks.
{| 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" | 22.7 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 44 (AB)
|-
|40 (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''
|18.77
|23.13
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.67
|13.21
|-
|}

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

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

The 7,5 cm StuK 40 L/43 is almost identical to the 7,5 cm KwK 40 L/43 on the PzKpfw IV Ausf. F2. It is one of the best guns in the game for its rank, combining excellent penetration, lethal APHE shells, high velocity, high rate-of-fire, and high accuracy, complementing the StuG's playstyle as a medium/long range tank destroyer. Unfortunately, the StuG III does not have the gun depression of the PzKpfw IV F2, and thus is not so good at taking advantage of terrain.

The StuK 40 also has access to an APCR round with excellent penetration, but its lethality is a lot worse than the APHE shell and it is very rare that the extra penetration is needed. The HEAT round is not worthy of consideration since its penetration is inferior to the APHE round's penetration at ranges up to 2,000 m.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[StuK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm StuK 40 L43]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 44 || -6°/+17° || ±10° || 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'' || 13.21 || 18.28 || 22.20 || 24.55 || 26.12
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.93 || 10.50 || 12.75 || 14.10 || 15.00
|-
! 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 || 5.9
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 140 || 137 || 125 || 112 || 100 || 89
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 177 || 176 || 154 || 130 || 109 || 92
|-
| Hl.Gr 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 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° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 570 || 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]] =====
'''Last updated: 1.79.1.10'''
[[File:Ammoracks StuGIIIF.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the StuG III F.]]
{| 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
|-
|| '''44''' || 22 ''(+22)'' || 17 ''(+27)'' || 1 ''(+43)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Front right empty: 22 ''(+22)''

== Usage in the battles ==

StuGs, with their thin side and top armour, should be careful of their position. If operating solely, StuGs should either move to the flanks, in order to catch the enemy unaware or operate behind the friendly lines. Staying behind or undercover is preferable, although many rock formations will block the gun trajectory (whilst other tanks can simply shoot over them). Do always keep at least one flank covered, if the enemy is within range.

A particularly useful indicator is the [[Marder III|Marder III]]. They feature a similar gun, but are higher, and have a largely exposed crew. As a result of the latter, Marders are very fragile. If a Marder survives in a certain position, then the StuG is likely to do too.

Best, of course, is to operate in cooperation with the team.

Operate in a squad with other StuGs, and at least one Pv.IV or Pz.III. They are higher, and might thus attract the enemy's attention, but draw fire away from the StuG for support while the StuG uses its gun to destroy the enemy before it destroys the allied medium tanks.

When fighting without support, relocate after each shot as the StuG III is sufficiently mobile to evade detection often; also, if the team does not have air superiority, seek wooded areas, as any plane armed with 20 mm cannons can attempt to penetrate through the thin roof armour.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Powerful and accurate 75 mm cannon
* Good mobility for relocating quickly
* Large gun mantlet and sections of highly sloped armour often deflect poorly aimed shots
* Low silhouette makes the StuG easy to conceal in RB and SB
* Completely enclosed vehicle

'''Cons:'''

* Weak frontal armour
* Limited gun depression
* Cramped layout makes it vulnerable to being incapacitated or even one-shot if penetrated
* Lack of a turret makes reacting to flanking enemies harder
* Obstacles on the ground can easily block the low-profile StuG's view

== History ==

===Development===
The role of a self-propelled gun came from combat experiences in World War I. During the German offensives on the Allied front, infantry lacked artillery support against fortifications in places out-ranged by their heavy artillery behind the lines. A need for a mobile artillery piece was necessary to keep up with the German infantry and fight enemy fortifications with a direct-fire assault role. The father of this concept was German General Erich von Manstein and was coined as the ''Sturmartillerie'' (assault artillery), and these units were to be embedded in infantry divisions.

On June 15, 1936, Daimler-Benz AG was ordered to develop a support vehicle mounting the 75 mm howitzer as its armament in a casemate structure with a traverse of 25 degrees. The vehicle was to provide full protection for its crew and be no taller than an average soldier. Daimler-Benz repurposed the chassis and running gear of their [[Pz.III E|Panzer III]] design for the role. These new vehicles were named the '''Sturmgeschütz III''' (assault gun), or the shortened '''StuG III''' and the finished designs were sent to Alkett for prototype production and five were produced in 1937. These prototypes were made of mild steel and had the 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 cannon, an adaption of the original 75 mm KwK 37 cannon on the [[Pz.IV E|Panzer IV]]. This gun would be featured on the StuG III variants Ausf. A to Ausf. E. The StuG III entered production from January 1940 to the end of the war on April 1945 due to the many upgrades done on the vehicle to increase serviceability and its low cost. At about a total production of 11,300 StuG III and its variants, the StuG III design was the most produced armoured fighting vehicle in German service.

===Design===
The StuG III had a fully enclosed armoured shell, keeping the crew safe within the vehicle. As a casemate structure, it has a limited traverse range for its front view, and the whole vehicle must be turned if a target is outside its traverse range. The StuG III featured about 50 mm of armour on the front, but about 30 mm of armour everywhere else, this was upgraded as the war progressed to 80 mm. The suspension system is identical to the Panzer III's, a torsion bar system. The StuG III had a crew of four, the commander, driver, loader, and gunner. Initial variants lack machine guns, so the StuG was required to work with support units to ensure it does not get overrun by infantry. It wasn't until December 1942 when a machine gun could be accommodated for the loader to use. Initial variants also did not have a commander's cupola so his view was quite restricted. However, models after September 1943 had them installed.

===Combat usage===
The StuG III was placed in the artillery branch of the Wehrmacht Heer as neither the infantry nor Panzer forces could accept the StuG vehicle. The StuGs were organized into battalions with 18 vehicles organized into three batteries of six vehicles each. The intent of the vehicle was to provide close support for infantry and so it was meant to destroy lightly-armoured targets and fortifications, not tanks. The vehicle served well in its intended role in the early parts of World War II in Poland and France Campaigns, proving highly successful. One prominent commander of the StuG III is Michael Wittman, who would eventually become the most popular tank ace in German service. However, during the German campaigns in World War II, they encounter more heavily armoured and armed tanks in the Allied sides, such as the French heavy tank Char B1, but it was the Soviets [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks that made the Germans rearm their vehicles to be better able to combat these tanks.

The [[StuG III A|initial Stug III design]] was up-gunned to better combat these newer tanks. The original 75 mm StuK 37 was inadequate so like the [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV]]s, it was given a 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 cannon. This variant was the '''Ausf. F''' and with its new cannon, could penetrate about 91 mm of armour inclined at 30 degrees at 500 meters distance, being able to engage the Soviet T-34 designs. This upgrade changed the StuG III role from its usual infantry support role into a tank destroyer, though it can serve both roles with acceptable performance. The design was changed with an exhaust fan on top of the vehicle to vent out propellant fume that could accumulate in the tank from firing the cannon. An additional 30 mm of armour was welded on the tank to up the front armour from 50 mm to 80 mm in thickness. This, plus with the StuG III's low profile makes its concealment very easy to ambush tanks with its powerful 75 mm cannon. Some later models from December 1942 onward have the StuG III Ausf. F mounted the longer 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 cannon more commonly seen on the ''[[StuG III G|Ausf. G]]'' variant. Another redesign in 1942 had the StuG III chassis built from the improved [[Pz.III J|Panzer III Ausf. J]] and [[Pz.III L|Ausf. L]] with better rear armour protection and hull design. This redesigned variant was called the ''Ausf. F/8''. About 616 StuG III Ausf. F and F/8 were produced from March 1942 to December 1942.

This up-gunned StuG III variant was better able to destroy Allied armours like the [[T-34 (1942)|T-34]]s and the [[M4A1|M4 Sherman]]s. Another upgrade to the StuG III gave it the longer 75 mm StuK 40 L/48 cannon, and this variant was called the [[StuG III G|StuG III Ausf. G]].The vehicles were deemed very successful and attributed to more tank kills than any other armoured fighting vehicle in German service. The success of the StuG III urged Germany to prioritize the production of casemate structure vehicles built from chassis of other vehicles for further development in tank destroyers such as the [[Jagdpanther|JagdPanther]], [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)|Jagdpanzer 38(t)]], and the [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand]].

The StuG III design was also made into different variants with different armaments, such as a 105 mm howitzer on the ''[[StuH 42 G|StuH 42]]'' , a flamethrower on the ''StuG III (Flamm)'', and even a 150 mm sIG 33 infantry gun on the ''Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B''.

===Legacy===
The StuG III design would see service in the entire war due to its adaptability to the changing course of the war, going from an offensive support weapon to a defensive tank destroyer. The StuG III holds the distinct title of knocking out the most Allied tanks in German service with about 20,000 tanks tallied, much more than the better [[Panther D|Panther]] and [[Tiger H1|Tiger]] tanks. It was a widely-exported design to Germany's allies, such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Spain, and Finland. The StuG III would continue serving in various countries past World War II in conflicts in the 1960s, such as the Six Days War in Syria's service that was donated by the Soviet Union. Today, some are still serving as static pillboxes on the Golan Heights.

=== In-game description ===
During the first battles on the Eastern Front, the low efficiency of the StuG III assault gun's anti-tank abilities became apparent. Stronger assault guns were needed to fight the Soviet T-34 and KV tanks. From the beginning of 1942 onward, the StuG III began to be outfitted with a long-barreled 75 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig StuK40 L/43, which had a long 43 caliber barrel. To give the gun a 20° horizontal field of fire, the cut-out in the front of the tower had to be enlarged. A ventilation fan was installed in the roof of the cabin to vent gases from the crew compartment. Some of the Ausf. F assault guns received a gun with a spherical muzzle brake.

Beginning in May 1942, an armor-covered Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung smokescreen system was installed in the rear of the vehicle's hull. In June 1942, the two front headlights were replaced by a single Notek blackout light installed on the middle of the upper-front hull. In August 1942, the configuration and angle of the tower forward armor plating was changed. Standard ammunition capacity was increased to 54 shells by no longer storing the shells in individual containers. Thanks to these changes, the vehicle's weight grew to 23,200 kilograms.

Production of the new Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. F released 364 vehicles between March and September 1942. This was the first variant of the StuG III to see large-scale production.
The Greater Germany artillery division was the first unit to receive the new vehicle, obtaining 22 self-propelled guns.

An important advantage of all of this SPG variants was its minimal profile, greatly reducing its chances of taking direct hit from long- and medium-range threats and allowing it to effectively use many different kinds of cover.

== 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}}

StuG III G

2019-05-31T16:00:45Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables. Updated penetration table.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_stug_III_ausf_G}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_StuGIIIG.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' (or '''StuG III Ausf. G''') is a Rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. This vehicle was introduced in Update 1.43. With a low profile and a powerful 7.5 cm gun, it proves to be a formidable vehicle in the ambush role.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (86°), 80 mm (50°) ''Front glacis'' 80 mm (19°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 + 5 mm || 50 mm (15°) ''Top'' 50 mm ''Bottom'' || 16 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 80 mm (10-11°), 30 mm (69°) || 30 + 5 mm || 30 mm || 11 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 50 mm || 11 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Front side is not all 80 mm thick, the rest are 30 mm, but are heavily sloped.
* The hull sides are protected by an extra 5 mm thick plate to protect against HEAT and HE rounds.
* Access to the [[Add-on Armor|Add-on Armour]] module

=== 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" | 23.9 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | 0.5 || colspan="1" | 44 (AB)
|-
|40 (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''
|17.82
|21.97
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.09
|12.55
|-
|}

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[StuK 40 (75 mm)|75 mm StuK 40 L48]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 54 || -6°/+17° || ±10° || 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'' || 13.21 || 18.28 || 22.20 || 24.55 || 26.12
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 8.93 || 10.50 || 12.75 || 14.1 || 15.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 7.6 || 6.78 || 6.25 || 5.9
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 140 || 137 || 125 || 112 || 100 || 89
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 177 || 176 || 154 || 130 || 109 || 92
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" |Velocity in m/s
! rowspan="2" |Projectile Mass in kg
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
''in m:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
''in mm:''
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):''
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° from horizontal:''
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
|-
! 0%
! 50%
! 100%
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 750 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 15.0 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 930 || 4.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.4 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 570 || 5.7 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 715 || +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]] =====
{| 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
|-
|| '''54''' || 35 ''(+19)'' || 19 ''(+35)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

This tank destroyer is best played as a support vehicle. Unlike its predecessors, it has excellent armour and can be invincible from long ranges. However, if playing with this tank close to the front lines, (for example, capturing points) this armour will not be adequate against the close-range power of most vehicles. Any shot which penetrates the armour will most likely destroy the vehicle due to the small interior layout. The sides are a weak point from any ranges, so take care of that as well. Support teammates from the flanks, attack from long ranges, and never close in the distance even for objectives unless necessary. If properly concealed, the enemy will never know where they are attacked as they concentrate their assault forwards.

Once in a game, choose the spawn point patiently to pick the best area to start accepting firing positions. The open spaces are not good for the StuGs so when repositioning, make sure it is safe before moving ahead. Flank an objective point where the enemies will be capped, but the teammates will be frontally attacking. Be careful not to get detected by the enemy and find a place where the StuG can be in cover and start shooting. Always look around, and if the situation gets bad, relocate to another vantage point. If the StuG III is rooted in the enemy lines and alone, only attack if there is only one enemy. From long ranges, the StuG can always a winner in 1v1 duels if played cautiously. From short intervals, the key is situational awareness, and how fast the StuG III can shoot down the enemy before they fire and hit the StuG.

Some tips on enemies:

* American Tanks: M4 Shermans are easy targets, but in a 600 m area, they could penetrate the StuG's frontal armour if untangled. M4A3E2 Jumbos can lead to stalemates, but getting too close can allow the Jumbo to aim for weak spots. The best way to defeat the Jumbo is to flank and hit them at the side, preferably the lower area at the suspension where it is only 38.1 mm thick.
* Soviet tanks: T-34 will be dangerous from any ranges. It is easy to penetrate them, so the StuG must detect and shoot them down quickly. From long ranges, angling the StuG slightly might enhance the front armour against the T-34 shells, but angling too much will allow the T-34 to hit the vulnerable side armour.
* British tanks: The British tanks have some low calibre guns, but their high muzzle velocity and fast reload rate will penetrate and destroy the StuG easily. The Cruiser tanks like Cromwell will be a difficult target, as they are mobile and can flank the StuG easily. Be the first to detect the tank and fire at them while they are trying to position themselves, as their armour could be easily pierced by the 75 mm gun. If faced with a Churchill Mk.VII from the front, it is best to withdraw and call on teammates for support. If the Churchill is distracted, reposition to take aim at the side armour and devastate the interior with an APHE round. Other Churchills (Mk.I or Mk.III) can easily be penetrated frontally.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good penetrating 75 mm StuK 40 gun.
* 80 mm of front armour.
* Low silhouette.
* Additional side plates of armour.

'''Cons:'''

* Armour has some vertical areas in the front that is easier to penetrate.
* A penetration on the driver port can knock out the driver, gunner, and commander
* Fixed casemate superstructure restricts gun movement to the front.
* Machine gun shield on the roof can compromise low profile and also has no machine gun!
* A HE shell onto the machine gun shield can send the shrapnel down through the hull roof down into the crew compartment.

== History ==

===Development===
The role of a self-propelled gun came from combat experiences in World War I. During the German offensives on the Allied front; infantry lacked artillery support against fortifications in places out-ranged by their heavy artillery behind the lines. A need for a mobile artillery piece was necessary to keep up with the German infantry and fight enemy fortifications with a direct-fire assault role. The father of this concept was German General Erich von Manstein and was coined as the ''Sturmartillerie'' (assault artillery), and these units were to be embedded in infantry divisions.

On June 15, 1936, Daimler-Benz AG was ordered to develop a support vehicle mounting the 75 mm howitzer as its armament in a casemate structure with a traverse of 25 degrees. The vehicle was to provide full protection for its crew and be no taller than an average soldier. Daimler-Benz repurposed the chassis and running gear of their [[Pz.III E|Panzer III]] design for the role. These new vehicles were named the '''Sturmgeschütz III''' (assault gun), or the shortened '''StuG III''' and the finished designs were sent to Alkett for prototype production and five were produced in 1937. These prototypes were made of mild steel and had the 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 cannon, an adaption of the original 75 mm KwK 37 cannon on the [[Pz.IV E|Panzer IV]]. This gun would be featured on the StuG III variants [[StuG III A|Ausf. A]] to Ausf. E. The StuG III entered production from January 1940 to the end of the war on April 1945 due to the many upgrades done on the vehicle to increase serviceability and its low cost. At about a total production of 11,300 StuG III and its variants, the StuG III design was the most produced armoured fighting vehicle in German service.

===Design===
The StuG III had a fully enclosed armoured shell, keeping the crew safe within the vehicle. As a casemate structure, it has a limited traverse range for its front view, and the whole vehicle must be turned if a target is outside its traverse range. The StuG III featured about 50 mm of armour on the front, but about 30 mm of armour everywhere else, this was upgraded as the war progressed to 80 mm. The suspension system is identical to the Panzer III's, a torsion bar system. The StuG III had a crew of four, the commander, driver, loader, and gunner. Initial variants lack machine guns, so the StuG was required to work with support units to ensure it does not get overrun by infantry. It wasn't until December 1942 when a machine gun could be accommodated for the loader to use. Initial variants also did not have a commander's cupola, so his view was quite restricted. However, models after September 1943 had them installed.

===Combat usage===
During the initial stages of World War II, the StuG III with the 75 mm StuK 37 howitzer fared well in the campaigns in France and Poland, but when the invasion of Soviet Union commenced, the lack of German guns able to destroy their [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks prompted Germany to rearm their vehicles with newer guns. So the original StuK 37 cannon from the [[StuG III A|initial designs]] was upgraded to the 75 mm StuK 40 cannons. The [[StuG III F|StuG III Ausf. F]] has the shorter L/43 cannon, but the '''StuG III Ausf. G''' featured the longer L/48 cannon with improved design features on the vehicle. The Ausf. G was the most common and produced StuG III variant in the war. It featured a widened superstructure with a straightened back wall, also making it slightly higher with a height of 2160 mm now. The exhaust fan is moved to the back, and a commander's cupola is added onto the design. The driver's periscope on the design was abandoned, and the vehicle has ''Schürzen'' armour plates installed on the hull to protect the weaker hull sides against anti-tank rifles and HEAT rounds. Instead of the 50 mm hull armour with an additional 30 mm welded on the Ausf. F, the Ausf. G featured a solid 80 mm plate on the hull front. A machine gun mount has also become integrated into the design with a small shield for the loader as well to operate it in safety, though a "remote" operated version was also installed later so that the loader would only need to get out to reload the machine gun. This design is the most numerous of the StuG III variants, and the 11,300 StuG IIIs built, 8738 StuG III Ausf. Gs were built from December 1942 to April 1945, with some converted from fully built Panzer IIIs.

The new 75 mm StuK 40 cannon could engage many Allied tank designs. This upgrade changed the StuG III role from its usual infantry support role into a tank destroyer, though it can serve both roles with acceptable performance. The vehicles were deemed very successful and attributed to more tank kills than any other armoured fighting vehicle in German service. The success of the StuG III urged Germany to prioritize the production of casemate structure vehicles built from chassis of other vehicles for further development in tank destroyers such as the [[Jagdpanther|Jagdpanther]], [[Jagdpanzer 38(t)|Jagdpanzer 38(t)]], and the [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand]].

The StuG III design was also made into different variants with different armaments, such as a 105 mm howitzer on the ''[[StuH 42 G|StuH 42]]'' , a flamethrower on the ''StuG III (Flamm)'', and even a 150 mm sIG 33 infantry gun on the ''Sturm-Infanteriegeschütz 33B''.

===Legacy===
The StuG III design would see service in the entire war due to its adaptability to the changing course of the war, going from an offensive support weapon to a defensive tank destroyer. The StuG III holds the distinct title of knocking out the most Allied tanks in German service with about 20,000 tanks killed, much more than the better [[Panther D|Panther]] and [[Tiger H1|Tiger]] tanks. It was a widely-exported design to Germany's allies, such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Spain, and Finland. The StuG III would continue serving in various countries past World War II in conflicts in the 1960s, such as the Six Days War in Syria's service that was donated by the Soviet Union. Today, some are still serving as static pillboxes on the Golan Heights.

== 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}}

Sd.Kfz. 6/2

2019-05-31T03:51:29Z

U8515006: /* Ammo racks */ Updated table to new pic. Added Paragraph and notes.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_sdkfz_6_2_flak36}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Sd.Kfz.62.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]].

The 3.7-cm Flak 36 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz 6/2 is a half-track-based anti-aircraft vehicle. With its 3.7 cm cannon, it can easily dispatch any aircraft given the circumstances. However, its gun (with APHE ammo) can also make it a very good improvised anti-tank vehicle. It has enough penetration to go through front armour of most tanks at its rank and reliably cuts through side/rear armour and weak spots (even at some range), causing impressive damage.

Because it is based on a simple truck, it has no armour anywhere, and even machine guns can knock out the driver inside, and crew manning the turret is completely exposed. However, it can be surprisingly durable at times, mostly because of inexperienced players attacking it with AP/APCR ammo, and often targeting all the wrong places, like the Engine, Driver sitting inside, or edges of the turret armour. It has mobility comparable to a lighter medium tank, and very good cross-country performance, because of its combined wheel/track chassis.

Being an SPAA, this vehicle is designed to shoot down aeroplanes. It was originally designed to follow alongside convoys, so to be used with other vehicles of the type. Its gun has a relatively low rate of fire for an SPAA, however, its shells pack quite the punch. Being a 37mm cannon, should it get a good hit, it will likely down the plane. It also gets access to AP belts, which can be used against tanks. It can penetrate any medium or light tank of its rank (from the side/rear usually), but will struggle against heavier opponents like the [[KV-1 (Disambiguation)|KV-1]]. However, hunting tanks are not its job which is why it is not the best at that.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Structural Steel
*Rolled homogeneous armour (Gun shield)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 3 mm (3-9°) ''Grille'' 3 mm (83-84°) ''Front hood'' || 3 mm || 3 mm || 3 mm
|-
| Gun Shield || 7 mm (25-33°) || 10 mm || N/A || N/A
|}
'''Notes:'''

* There is simply no armour anywhere, as it is basically a simple truck with AA gun mounted on its back
* Only "armour" is on the front of the turret, which can protect from some light machine gun fire and shrapnel from nearby explosions

=== 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" | 11.1 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 54 (AB)
|-
|50 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|163
|201
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|102
|115
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|14.68
|18.11
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|9.19
|10.36
|-
|}

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

{{main|FlaK 36 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FlaK 36 (37 mm)|37 mm FlaK 36]]
|-
! 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" | 318 (6) || 160 || -8°/+85° || ±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'' || 30.82 || 42.66 || 51.80 || 57.28 || 60.94
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 20.83 || 24.50 || 29.75 || 32.9 || 35.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 0.49 || 0.43 || 0.40 || 0.38
|-
|}

=== 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 || APHE || 46 || 43 || 31 || 20 || 12 || 9
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || FI-T || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2
|-
| M.Gr.18 || FI-T || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| 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 || APHE || 740 || 0.69 || 1.3 || 15 || 22.1 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || FI-T || 820 || 0.62 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 49.3 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M.Gr.18 || FI-T || 914 || 0.55 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 108 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===Belt types===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Belts''' || '''Shell composition''' || '''Combat usage'''
|-
| align="left" |'''''Default''''' || align="left" | APHE / FI-T (Armour Piercing High Explosive –Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell || align="left" | This belt is useful against lightly armoured open-topped tank destroyers, or bombers. Against other SPAA this belt can reliably take out crew, armament, ammo and engine.
|-
| align="left" |'''''Sprgr. 18''''' || align="left" | FI-T (Fragmentation Incendiary Tracer) shell || align="left" | Versus planes and open combat compartment vehicles. Lighter aircraft will often go down by a single hit.
|-
| align="left" |'''''PzGr''''' || align="left" | APHE (Armour Piercing High Explosive) shell || align="left" | Ammo against tanks. It has comparable power to regular Rank I tanks, but combined with the Insane RoF, can be very deadly. It even has the HE filler, 3-4 well aimed penetrating hits can disable any tank.
|-
| align="left" |'''''M.Gr.18''''' || align="left" | FI-T (Fragmentation Incendiary Tracer) shell || align="left" | Versus planes and open combat compartment vehicles. Lighter aircraft will often go down by a single hit.
|-
|}

=== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] ===
[[File:Ammoracks_Sd.Kfz.62.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Sd.Kfz. 6/2.]]There are 15 ammunition boxes strung about the bed of the truck. Two under the loader, three sitting on the tailgate, and the rest under the benches behind the driver. Most tankers won't bother trying to ammo rack you thanks to your exposed crew members, so bring as much as you want. However, near misses from aircraft and tanks alike could set off a box since they are kind of everywhere if you do take a full load, so follow alternate recommendation if one has concerns for this.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
!2nd rack empty
!3rd rack empty
!4th rack empty
!5th rack empty
!6th rack empty
!7th rack empty
!8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''53''' || 50 ''(+3)''
|46 ''(+7)''
|43 ''(+10)''
|39 ''(+14)''
|36 ''(+17)''
|29 ''(+24)''
|18 ''(+35)''
|0 ''(+53)''|| style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Recommended ammo load: 53.
* Alternate recommended ammo load: 36. Keeps all ammo under the bed bench.

== Usage in battles ==

To use this machine to its fullest capabilities it is recommended to stay from areas of heavy combat, as you can be taken out very easily, especially by machine gun fire and HE shells. You should always stay behind friendly troops, but don't stay at spawn as it is most likely the first place enemy planes will go to drop bombs.

If you want to fight with the tanks, you'll definitely need to research APHE-only belts. Go forward with your teammates, but ALWAYS stay some distance behind them, avoid any open terrain, watch the battlefield situation carefully and wait. Use your speed to get out of any unfavourable battle condition. When you find a suitable target (No KV-1...), one good idea is to reverse around the corner turned sideways, with your gun aiming at the expected enemy direction. This manoeuvre exposes only half of your turret and makes it possible to very quickly hide again behind the corner when needed. Your driver, engine and more than half of the vehicle remain hidden the whole time, significantly shortening the exposure time and lowering the chance of being immobilised. Aim at sides of the turret, hull, or any other weak areas.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* 37 mm capable of dealing heavy damage to both planes and tanks (if aimed at weak spots)
* Deadly against light tanks and tank destroyers
* Can penetrate T-34s (Pre T-34-85) if you aim at the turret cheeks
* Will destroy most planes in one or two hits, doing more damage than the 20 mm on previous SPAA
* Decently fast (50 km/h top speed)
* Insane reloading rate
* Loosing 1 or 2 crew members have no noticeable effect on vehicle performance (Apart from temporal immobilisation for example)
* Having no armour is also an advantage - AP/APCR Rounds that most players use often just harmlessly pass through the vehicle without doing any damage
* Difficult to destroy in one shot unless using pure HE rounds as APHE rounds will often just pass through without detonation
* Some players don't recognize this vehicle as any kind of threat, and carelessly show their sides or entire tanks, only to be easily destroyed afterwards
* Friendly tanks around you often have higher priority for all enemies, meaning you can often escape from combat unharmed, or surprise unsuspecting enemies with your powerful gun

'''Cons:'''

* Slow rate of fire can make shooting down faster planes difficult
* No armour - single HE shell from anything will usually knock out the vehicle
* Very vulnerable to Artillery calls; Even being 20 m away from it does not prevent the crew from being injured, or even incapacitated
* Gun goes up when it is traversing over the driver, preventing you from firing ahead of your vehicle
* Entire crew vulnerable to being strafed by planes and tank machine gun fire
* Ammo can run out if not careful
* Knocked out easily if rammed by an aeroplane
* Hull break can happen from with a well-placed shot
* Less penetration than predecessors

== History ==

===The gun===
The 3.7 cm FlaK cannon was an anti-aircraft gun capable of fully automatic fire at a rate of 150 rounds per minute and is able to fire onto Allied aircraft up to four kilometres away. Multiple variants were made for the FlaK cannon from the 3.7 cm FlaK 18/36/37/43. The FlaK 18 was the initial variant with a dual-axle mount. The Flak 36 was a simplified variant with a lighter single-axle mount, the FlaK 37 has a simplified sighting system, and the FlaK 42 was the variant made for the German Kriegsmarine for their surface ships and U-boats. Of the variants, the FlaK 36 and 37 were the most produced guns

===The vehicle===
The ''Sd.Kfz.6'' was a half-track designed in 1934 for the purpose of towing the 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer or 11 men in the back of the half-track, which could be covered by a canvas structure to protect the crew from the elements of nature. The vehicle was powered by a Maybach HL 54TUKRM 6-cylinder engine with 115 hp. Along with its use as a tractor for the 10.5 leFH 18 howitzer and other artillery pieces, the vehicle was to be used to tow heavy equipment for engineer units. Production was carried out by both Büssing-NAG and Daimler-Benz corporations. About 750 units were made during its production life until 1942.

===Anti-aircraft mount===
As World War II progressed, the need for a mobile air defence capable of engaging low flying targets became urgent. German engineers attempted to fill this need by modifying vehicles to fit an anti-aircraft gun. The ''Sd.kfz.6'' half-track was modified with a new superstructure on the back, removing the backseats where the passengers would be. The superstructure allows the installation of a traversable anti-aircraft gun. The gun of choice for the ''Sd.kfz.6'' was the 3.7 cm FlaK 36, the conversion for the vehicle was designated the '''3.7 cm Flak 36 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz.6/2'''.

The ''Sd.Kfz.6/2'' has the FlaK cannon mounted on the back, however, there is no gun shield for the crew to provide small arms protection from the ground. Thus, the ground support role for the vehicle was not a recommended role and is more best against flying targets. However, a modification on the vehicle by the crew to give protection against small arms and shrapnel. Ammunition for the gun was towed on a separate trailer towed by the half-track.

Modifications on the ''Sd.Kfz.6'' into the ''Sd.Kfz.6/2'' was carried out from 1941 to 1943, whereof the 750 of the ''Sd.Kfz.6'', 339 were converted into the anti-aircraft variant. As the war progressed, the ''Sd.Kfz.6/2'' were supplemented with the more numerous ''Sd.Kfz.7'' half-track.

=== In-game description ===
"To fight against enemy aircraft, German designers developed a new AA gun based on the 5-ton Sd.Kfz. 6 produced by the company Bussing-NAG. The new AA vehicle had a 37 mm 3,7 cm FlaK 36 L/98 anti-aircraft gun with a 98-caliber long barrel placed on a rotating carriage. The vehicle carried 120 shells, towed by a Sonderanhanger Sd.Ah. 57 trailer. The anti-aircraft gun traveled with spare barrels. The 10.4 ton setup supported a crew of 5 to calculate the gun's trajectory.

The anti-aircraft gun's effective rate of fire was 120 rounds per minute. The gun could fire at targets up to an altitude of 4,800 meters. In stowed position, the sides of the towing vehicle were raised, and in combat situations they were reclined to facilitate a circular range of fire. The vehicle could reach a speed of 50 kph and had a maximum range of 317 km.

The AA vehicle was produced by the companies Bussing-Nag, Daimler Benz, Böhmisch-Mährischen Maschinenfabrik, and Praga from 1941 to 1943. A total of 339 were built. During production, the gun was fitted with a shield to protect those performing the calculations from bullets and shrapnel. Shield construction varied.

At least 200 Sd.Kfz. 6/2 anti-aircraft guns entered the service of the Luftwaffe, and the rest joined the Wehrmacht's anti-aircraft divisions. An anti-aircraft division consisted of 9 AA vehicles. This vehicle was used in combat on all fronts."

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|udFWDS6bbo8|37 mm of Pain [The Iron Armenian]}}

== 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 anti-aircraft vehicles}}

File:Ammoracks Sd.Kfz.62.png

2019-05-30T22:48:49Z

U8515006: U8515006 uploaded a new version of File:Ammoracks Sd.Kfz.62.png

Pz.IV F2

2019-05-30T21:32:16Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_F2}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage Pz.IVF2.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''Panzer IV F2''') 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. Introducing the [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|long 75 mm cannon]] onto the Panzer IV tank, the Panzer IV F2 presents the new age of firepower for the medium tank.

The Panzer IV F2 is a very capable tank on the battlefield. It can engage enemies at medium range with startling effectiveness, but at long ranges, its effectiveness starts to drop.

The Pz. IV F2, along with the IV G, is one of the mainstays of the German armour line in Rank II/III. Unlike the previous C/E models, it has a much more powerful KwK 40 L/43 75mm long-barrelled gun that can reliably penetrate nearly every single tank within the F2's BR range (2.3-4.3). The new gun is a very welcome upgrade for any German tanker, having a very good PzGr 39 shell with good HE filler and high velocity. It is not recommended to use APCR due to poor spalling/fragmentation effects and low ranged penetration except against the thickest armour.

Besides the gun, the F2 also possesses decent manoeuvrability. While not on par with certain Russian and British tanks such as the T-34 and Cromwell, the IV can still comfortably outflank and outspeed Shermans, KV-1s, and in some cases, unspaded T-34 models. Use this manoeuvrability to avoid shots and get into crucial firing positions, as the IV F2 has very poor armour compared to its contemporaries.

The armour on the IV F2 is unfortunately very bad for its 3.3 BR. Without the added tracks/armour, the 50mm front plate and mantlet are far from sufficient at stopping any shell besides HMG fire at 3.3. Use the F2's mobility to reach comfortable firing positions, and do not overexpose the thin side armour. It is also recommended to not take more than ~40 shells, the IV F2 is very vulnerable to ammo-racking with a full ammo loadout.

'''Remember: while the F2 can penetrate (and basically OHK) every tank within its BR range, it can be penetrated by any tank in return. '''

The most distinctive feature of this variant is a '''new [[KwK 40 (75 mm)|KwK 40 L/43 gun]]''', found with only minor adjustments on all later Pz.IV variants, as well as on some StuG tank destroyers. It is one of the most powerful guns around its [[BR]], having both very good penetration and damage potential. Overall, this weapon is very similar to 76 mm guns equipped on many T-34s, albeit with more penetration at the expense of some post penetration damage. Unlike the main guns featured on previous Pz.IV models, the KwK 40 L/43 is quite accurate and fires at a higher velocity. With this gun, the Pz.IV F2 is more than capable of tackling any armour it faces. There are almost no tanks at this BR that are well armoured enough to withstand its gun. Factor this with good gun depression and a stable chassis and it results in an excellent vehicle. Other than the gun itself, the F2 features no other notable differences than previous models; it uses the exact same hull as its predecessor, the [[Pz.IV F1|Pz.IV F1]]. It also retains the generally good manoeuvrability from earlier Panzer IVs.

The tank is not perfect though. It is by no means the fastest tank at the BR, with the T-34 being almost 10 km/h faster and the Cromwell 15 km/h faster. Then there is the armour. It is flat and quite thin at 50 mm and can be penetrated by most Rank 1 gun at 500 m or less. Angling can increase its effectiveness, but too much can expose the even thinner side armour. The roof armour is even worse, at only 10 mm, meaning that 12.7 mm AP rounds can penetrate the Panzer IV from above. This makes the F2 a good target for pretty much any vehicle on the game (except some low-rank SPAA). Another big weakness that the F2 shares with its predecessors are its large commander's cupola, which only has 30 mm of protection. A well-aimed HE round or APHE round can at the very least knock out the commander, if not the entire turret crew.

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

'''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 tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Armour will, unfortunately, let down the F2 in any frontal engagement to the point where even the T-50 or BT-5 can penetrate the front at close range, and penetrate the side and rear at virtually any range. The turret armour all round is practically the same.
* Most rounds shot at the cupola would only knock out the commander, but some penetrating APHE shells (after exploding inside the cupola) create a wave of shrapnel that bounces from the inside of the cupola into the turret, often knocking out the entire turret crew.

Due to its weak armour, enemies with 37 mm guns or larger can pose a threat. So take every enemy tank seriously, especially if they are on the flanks. In particular, watch out for tanks that fire powerful HE shells, like the SU-122 and Type 4 Ho-Ro. They will easily destroy the Panzer by aiming at the cupola, or turret armour. If the Pz.IV F2 has been up-tiered then watch out for KV-1's. The Pz.IV F2 can penetrate it from the front however these spots are small and it will easily penetrate the Panzer IV while it is reloading if the Panzer does not knock out the KV-1 with one shot.

=== 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" | 22.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | 0.3 || colspan="1" | 48 (AB)
|-
|43 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|465
|572
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|20.85
|25.65
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.88
|13.45
|-
|}

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

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

{| 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''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APCBC || 135 || 133 || 121 || 107 || 95 || 85
|-
| 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
|-
|}

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

*'''PzGr 39''' - Armour Piercing Ballistic Cap shell - This is the main ammo type, always use this if there's a chance of penetrating the enemy armour. It deals the most damage because of its explosive filler.
*'''PzGr 40''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - The extra penetration can help at longer ranges, but does less overall damage. Use only against targets that the stock ammo wouldn't likely penetrate (like the side of the turret on a [[M4A3E2|Jumbo]]).
*'''Hl.Gr. 38B''' - Cumulative Anti-armour shell - it is recommended to completely avoid this kind of shell as its performance is vastly inferior in all aspects compared to APCBC or APCR ammo used by this tank.
*'''SprGr. 34''' - High Explosive shell - Carry only very few of these. They are useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_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
|-
|}

Turret empty: 58 ''(+29)''

=== 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 the battles ==

Always try to use the terrain to the tank's advantage. This vehicle retains the superb gun depression of the previous Panzer IVs, which allows the player to hide the tank's entire hull behind terrain and to only expose its turret while shooting. Too much enemy attention (even from a distance) poses a serious problem as the F2's turret is unable to deflect almost anything that hits it. After firing few shots, always retreat back to cover and let the opponents find another target before re-engaging.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* The 75mm KwK 40 cannon is fantastic, expect a lot of destruction with just one shot
* The stock PzGr 39 shell has sufficient penetration and damage capable of destroying most tanks
* PzGr 40 APCR shell has high muzzle velocity and high penetration for the heavily armoured foes
* Gun depression of 10 degrees, rarely will have to expose the hull when shooting over hills
* Great mobility and top speed, fastest of all Panzer IV with the KwK 40
* Very large ammo capacity at 87 rounds
* Is a good tank even in high-rank games thanks to its speed and firepower

'''Cons:'''

* Armour is only 50 mm at its thickest, every tank the F2 faces can punch right through the armour with ease
* Due to its sub-optimal armour, the F2 can be easily dealt with in close quarters combat. Must rely on the F2's speed and manoeuvrability when attempting to brawl
* Cramped tank with ammo stocked all over the fighting compartment. Most penetrating APHE shells will either knock out the entire crew or detonate an ammo rack. Going into battle fully loaded is not advised
* Despite the great gun depression, like all the other Panzer IV's, the F2 has a huge commander's cupola atop a weakly armoured turret Continuous turret exposure will yield disastrous results
* F2's matchmaking is quite a leap from previous Panzer IV's. Brand new F2 players will begin to encounter "big" anti-tank guns
* PzGr 40 APCR tends to bounce due to the bad normalization. Not to mention that it dose little in post-penetration damage
* High penetration rounds may over-penetrate thinly armoured vehicle and cause minimal damage
* The Hl.Gr 38B HEAT shell has worse muzzle velocity, penetration, and post-penetration damage than the stock PzGr 39 shell. So taking any HEAT shells into battle is pointless

== 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.]

===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]

== Read also ==

[http://storage.net-fs.com/hosting/3912593/2/index.htm A 3D camera perspective inside a Panzer IV gunner seat. Panzer IV seems to be F2 or lower due to presence of turret side vision ports.]

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

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

{{Germany medium tanks}}

Pz.III M

2019-05-30T21:10:25Z

U8515006: /* Armaments */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_III_ausf_M}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage Pz.IIIM.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.'''

The M-modification is the latest version of Panzer III able to be purchased for [[Silver Lions|Silver Lions]] (the last modification available is the [[Pz.III N|Pz.III N]], which can be purchased with Golden Eagles). It has the same [[Battle_ratings|battle rating]] as the previous [[Pz.III L|Pz.III L]] (except in SB) and offers some additional protection enhancements.

The most notable differences are the added ''Schürzen'', or side skirts (both on the hull and the turret). Although they are very thin, they can effectively protect the tank from glancing HEAT and HE rounds along with nearby artillery strikes and bombs. also, the dreaded Panzer cupola has been upgraded so it is no longer a fatal weak spot, which is a very useful improvement. Russian T-34s/KV-1s and most weaker tanks can no longer exploit this which adds to the Panzer III M's survivability potential.

The Panzer III M is armed with a 5 cm high-velocity anti-tank gun. At close range it can become dangerous to attack the Russian T-34, however with the exception of lucky shots. The KV-series of tanks is usually immune to normal APCBC shells. The high muzzle velocity makes long range shots rather easy, although it will noticeably lose penetration. The smaller calibre also offers a higher rate of fire than 75mm and 76mm guns.

Surprisingly, these upgrades did not add any notable extra weight, so the mobility of the tank has not been altered.

With the tank's good armour and a free path to the [[Tiger H1|Tiger]], Pz.III M is sometimes called the "Mini Tiger".

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun barrel shroud, Cupola)
* High hardness rolled armour (Front spaced armour)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50 + 20 mm (12°) ''Front plate'' 25 mm (85°), 50 mm (52°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (25°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 + 5 mm || 50 mm || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 57 mm + 20 mm ''Turret front'' 50 + 20 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 + 5 mm || 30 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 100 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* The tank has 50 mm of armour at the front of the hull and 57 on the turret front, but there is an additional 20mm plate on the upper hull and at the front of the turret, increasing the effective armour to 70mm and 77mm respectively. When the armour is angled, this tank becomes very strong frontally.
* Side armour of the hull and turret are 30 mm and are protected by an extra 5 mm plate that protects from HEAT and HE rounds.
* The strong turret armour makes this tank powerful when hull-down, as many enemies will only be able to penetrate the cupola, only knocking out the commander. However, don't allow anyone to freely fire there, as some unlucky shot fired there can still occasionally cause severe damage.
* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 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" | 23.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 59 (AB)
|-
|53 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|465
|572
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|20.17
|24.87
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.52
|13.04
|-
|}

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

{{main|KwK 39 (50 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 39 (50 mm)|50 mm KwK 39]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 92 || -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 || 22.4 || 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.
|-
| 4.81 || 4.25 || 3.92 || 3.70
|-
|}

===== 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 || APC || 97 || 96 || 79 || 62 || 49 || 38
|-
| Sprgr. 38 || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 128 || 126 || 91 || 61 || 40 || 27
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 150 || 149 || 108 || 72 || 48 || 32
|-
|}
{| 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 || APC || 835 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 25 || 45.9 || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. 38 || HE || 550 || 1.8 || 2.0 || 0.1 || 170 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 1140 || 1.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 1180 || 0.93 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

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

*'''PzGr 39''' - Armour Piercing Capped shell - This is the main ammo type; use it whenever it is possible to penetrate the target. It deals the most damage because of its explosive filler. It also offers the best penetration at very long range (over 1500 m). Combat at this range is, however, not recommended.
*'''PzGr 40/1''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - This type of ammo should be used if the gun is having trouble penetrating the opponent, or trying to hit a fast-moving tank at some distance. However, its damaging potential is much lower because it has no explosive filler to further enhance damage after the penetration. It should be used only at close and medium ranges. PzGr 40 is better.
*'''PzGr 40''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - this variation of APCR is lighter, slightly faster and offers the best penetration. Use it against heavily armoured tanks like KV-1 (If unable to flank them). However, don't expect it to cause any real damage upon penetration. It's even worse than that of the PzGr 40/1. It basically only deals damage to modules/crew straight in its path. It is therefore almost useless to fire them at things like turret cupolas, as it will usually just fly right through them.
* '''SprGr 38''' - High Explosive ammo - Carry only very few of these. They are completely useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
||'''92''' || 70 ''(+22)'' || 47 ''(+45)'' || 24 ''(+68)'' || 1 ''(+91)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,750 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The Panzer III M is a tank worth mastering. Try to play it like a standard battle tank, but only in a support role. Never fight on the front lines, as other tanks will be able to take advantage of the Panzer III's weaknesses. The tank's armour is far too weak for close counters engagements. With its surprisingly good gun penetration and good battle rating, it does fairly well with the tanks it is put up against. Feel free to carry plenty of shells; this Panzer has its ammunition stored in such a way where it will not get ammo racked too easily. After a while, any player will probably realise that after a few games they use a lot of shells with the fast firing 50 mm gun.

Always remember that the tank doesn't have the best gun around, but it has a good rate of fire to compensate and is still powerful enough against most threats (especially deadly at close/medium ranges). The Panzer III M may not always knock out the opponent in one blow, so try prioritizing on what to aim first.
Here is a list of priority targets when attacking a (superior) enemy:

:*Turret - The turret contains some vital crew members and modules. If a successful penetration is scored, it will most likely knock out the loader, gunner, and commander. A solid penetration on an enemy's turret will most likely knock out/damage the following modules: cannon breech, ammo rack, and the horizontal and vertical turret drives. By knocking out any of these crew members and modules with the first fired shot, it will greatly decrease the time it will take to destroy the enemy tank while minimizing its immediate threat.

:*If the enemy hasn't been blown up yet, focus on shooting at the enemy's weak spots and known areas of vital/fragile modules (e.g. ammo rack, fuel tank, engine). The rear part of every tank is the most lightly armoured one, so focus fire there and maybe score a penetration to the engine block/transmission. Enemies without the "FPG" module installed will succumb to the flames.

:*If the opponent is still alive after repeated attacks, the best thing to do is to get up close and personal. Try to analyze what damage has been done and alter the attack based on the modules/crew destroyed. However, never underestimate the enemy and always approach the enemy with caution, no matter how much damage has been inflicted. Get up close and personal and land shots wherever they can penetrate to do the most damage.

While the armour is something to take note of, this tank will perform best in flanking attacks. It has good penetration and fires fast enough to destroy an enemy tank quickly and efficiently. Stay close to the battlefield as this tank does not fair well in long range combat. The Panzer III M is best utilized as support or front line tank that can move quickly across the battlefield.

*'''Use the tank's mobility''' - The {{PAGENAME}} has a good gun, but don't let that encourage camping gameplay in one spot and wait for enemies to come over. Be proactive and move actively around the map; the tank is perfectly suited to perform this role. As mentioned above, applying flanking tactics is the most effective way to use this tank.

*'''Spaced armour and ''Schürzen''''' - The {{PAGENAME}} may fool itself into believing that those 5 mm plates on the sides of the tank's hull and turret are useless and that they just add dead weight to the tank. This is simply untrue. Their main purpose is to absorb HEAT/HE shells and prematurely activate the fuse on some AP rounds. They are definitely a useful component to any tank.

*'''Angling the armour''' - Despite the fact that this vehicle has a sufficient armour thickness and spaced armour to protect itself from HEAT shells, the {{PAGENAME}} can always find itself in the situation when the tank is just too close to the enemy and armour thickness isn't an advantage anymore. Do not let the enemies take well-aimed shots; the weak spots around the machine gun ports and driver's viewport are tempting targets. In this case, it's best to angle the armour at around a 45-60 degree angle and start moving to maximize the effective armour thickness and increase chances of the enemy shell ricocheting. Try not to over-angle the hull; once the side armour loses the high angle advantage, anything can punch through.

*'''Cover the lower glacis''' - The Panzer III M has a very exposed lower glacis. Although mostly covered by attached spare tracks, if the tank takes a hit there, it will most likely result in a knocked out transmission, a fire burning, and an incapacitated driver. Thus, whenever possible, try to use natural cover like rocks and obstacles to protect the lower glacis from enemy attack.

*'''Carry as much ammo not as needed, but want!''' - That's right, if unsure of particular shooting skills, or just like to shoot at everything that moves, bring all the ammo! The ammo is stored in a relatively safe location in the lower part of the tank, so ammo rack hits are uncommon.

Always try to get the first shot off. With a clear shot, make sure to hit a vital point. For heavier tanks, aim for the gunner or turret ring, as they are fairly easy targets for this tank. Once the tank is disabled, start hitting "sweet spots" like the rest of the crew members. The 50 mm gun reloads quickly so this feat is easily achieved.

*The '''KV-1s''', especially the unarmoured [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1(ZiS-5)]] will be a problem! Their gun mantlets and certain areas on the hull can be penetrated, but take the time with the shot; if not, be expected to be spotted and be hit quickly! APCR shells are a viable option, but several shots are often required to destroy the enemy tank. It, on the other hand, usually only needs 1 or 2 shots to send the Panzer III back to the garage.
*'''[[T-34 (1942)|T-34]]''' is another problematic opponent to deal with, especially the later modifications. Their hull is basically invulnerable to the 50 mm gun, and weak spots on it and the turret are difficult to hit, especially when the vehicle is moving. Their gun is also lethal to most tanks.
*US '''[[M10 GMC|M10 tank destroyer]]''' and '''M4 Shermans''' are other tanks that should be avoided and flanked, rather than engaged directly. They often deploy "hull-down" tactics, covering their hulls behind terrain. Plus, their turret armour is very good.
*Lastly, from the German Side, always look out for their '''Tank Destroyers''' and '''Pz.IVs''' equipped with long 7.5cm guns (like [[Pz.IV F2| Pz.IV F2]] or [[Pz.IV G|Pz.IV G]] ). Their guns can easily punch through the Panzer III armour at any distance.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Strong spaced armour on the frontal hull armour and whole turret
* Good armour overall
* Decent speed and manoeuvrability
* Highly accurate and reliable cannon, with great gun depression
* High rate of fire
* Shells travel fast, making it easier to aim at long distance
* Side skirts help prevent damage from HEAT and HE shells
* Small size makes it difficult to hit when on the move
* Strong armour on commander's cupola (100 mm)
* Access to smoke launchers

'''Cons:'''

* Gun is unreliable when facing certain tanks frontally unless one aims for weak spots or uses PzGr40 shells (APCR)
* Gun is bad for long-range combat
* Armour weak spots: lower plate, machine gun, and driver's viewport
* Weak-side and rear armour
* Some higher rank vehicles can easily knock the Panzer III out, even though all that spaced armour
* Armour is flat on most places
* Sometimes runs out of ammunition due to high rate of fire

== History ==

===Development===
The '''Panzerkampfwagen III''' medium tank or the '''Panzer III''' was developed in the 1930s. Starting in early 1934, Heinz Guderian set down some specifications for a new tank, which Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kilograms with a top speed of 35 km per hour. This tank's role was to be the main tank of the German army and was expected to destroy opposing tanks, as opposed as a tank made to destroy anti-tank guns and opposing infantrymen, which the [[Pz.IV C|Panzer IV]] was created for.

Damlier-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall produced prototypes meeting the specifications and the Damlier-Benz model was chosen after testing in 1936-1937. The Panzer III model used a leaf-spring suspension in its early models (Ausf. A - Ausf. D) before utilizing a six-wheeled torsion-bar suspension in the [[Pz.III E|Ausf. E]] and beyond. The Panzer III had a crew of five people, the commander, gunner, loader, driver, and assistant driver. The best feature of the Panzer III during its introduction that is the most overlooked was the three-man turret, which was not as common at the time. This freed the commander to be able to effectively command the tank while maintaining situational awareness rather than be burdened by the role of a loader or gunner, improving the combat effectiveness of the tank. Despite this rather advanced design, the turret did not have a basket for the crew. It was a proven design and production began in May 1937. The total number of Panzer IIIs constructed in its production life was 5,774 units (excluding [[StuG III F|StuG III]] variant).

===Specifications===
The '''Panzer III Ausf. M''' has the 50 mm KwK 39 as its main armament, giving it the firepower to go against the Allied tanks [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]]s and [[M4|M4 Shermans]]. The Panzer III Ausf. M still featured the armour from the [[Pz.III L|Ausf. L]], with 50 mm of hull armour and offset armour on the front of the hull and turret that are 20 mm effective. Aside from that, there was also the instalment of the ''Schürzen'' side armour skirts also being applied onto the [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IVs]]. These offset armour and ''Schürzen'' also apply as spaced armour due to not being attached to the hull or turret mantlet. The spaced armour on the front helped defend the tank against Soviet anti-tank rounds or HEAT rounds fired at it on those plates, as it dissipates the penetration power before striking the hull.

===Combat usage===
Despite its newer aspects compared to older Panzer IIIs, the prevalence of newer German tanks such as the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] and [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks, plus the establishment [[Pz.IV H|upgunned Panzer IVs]] made these more able to take on Allied tanks than the Panzer III. The Panzer III began slowly to be relegated to secondary roles such as training or anti-partisan activities. Nevertheless, the Panzer IIIs proved a versatile armoured platform in German service, as even though it was obsolete in late 1941, it was constantly upgraded with better guns, better protection, or modified completely to fit a different role more efficiently than its original. Even when phased out of service, its chassis was used as the basis of Germany's most lethal tank destroyer, the [[StuG III G|StuG III]].

The Panzer III, after being relegated as secondary roles, was made into an infantry support tank with the [[Pz.III N|Panzer III Ausf. N variant]], which featured the 75 mm KwK 37 howitzer originally equipped in the first few [[Pz.IV E|Panzer IV models]].

=== In-game description ===
"This new tank was actually the Ausf. L variant, adapted to handle water obstacles up to a depth of 1.4 meters without requiring additional preparation. This was achieved by sealing all of the hatches, installing additional covers over the engine and ventilation air intakes, and installing a muffler high above the ground and equipped with a valve. The tank's length reached a total of 6,410 mm, including its cannon. The escape hatches in the side of the tank's hull were removed. This allowed the tank to carry 98 shells instead of the earlier 84. The smoke generators in the tank's rear were replaced with six mortars for launching 90 mm NbK smoke grenades. Almost all of the tanks of this variant were equipped with 5 mm Schutzen side skirts, increasing the width of the tank to 3,100 mm.

1,000 of the tanks were ordered initially, but this order was soon reduced to 775 tanks, since the Pz.Kpfw. IV surpassed the Pz.Kpfw. III in some ways. By the end of its production, which ran from October 1942 to February 1943, only 250 of this variant had actually been produced. The remaining tanks were converted to StuG III vehicles and flame tanks.

Tanks of this variant were used en masse in the summer of 1943, during the fighting in the Kursk Bulge area. At that time, about 60% of the German tanks on the Eastern Front were of this variant. After suffering heavy losses, the remaining tanks were converted into command vehicles, flame tanks, or self-propelled StuG III anti-aircraft guns."

== Media ==
'''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the ''Panzer 3 Ausf.M'' from live.warthunder.com. There are plenty of category terms flying around. So looking through every one of them will be necessary.

*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pziii_m #pziii_m]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pziiim #pziiim]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23panzer_iii_m #panzer_iii_m]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23panzer3m #panzer3m]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pz_iii_m #pz_iii_m]

===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]

== 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 medium tanks}}

Pz.III L

2019-05-30T20:55:10Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_III_ausf_L}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage PzIIIL.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''Panzer III L''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Germany medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41.

The Ausf. L modification is intended to improve the protection of the [[Pz.III J1| J variant]] by mounting an additional 20 mm thick armour plates on the front of the hull and turret. While this certainly improve its resistance against HEAT and HE projectiles(which explode on impact, and damage only the first layer of armour), as well as classic AP, more than a single layer 70 mm would do, there are small "holes" in these armour plates - around the driver's viewport and machinegun port. Turret front armour itself also got increased from 50 to 57 mm.

The 5cm cannon on this tank is best suited to short-mid range combat, while engaging enemies from the sides and/or rear if at all possible. This gun can allow the tank to hold its own in frontal engagements against angled KV's and T34's, but only at short range where the PzGr40's and 40/1 still have impressive penetration. The gun fires very fast and is accurate even at long range. When fighting tanks that can be penetrated easily, one should use the default ammo as it does more damage than the APCR.

There are also attached tracks to lower plate of the vehicle, adding extra protection. All this extra armour adds about 1.5 tons, slightly slowing down the machine. Other properties of the vehicle remain unchanged.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)
*High hardness rolled armour (Appliqué armour)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50 + 20 mm (12°) ''Front plate'' 25 mm (85°), 50 mm (52°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (25°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 50 mm || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 57 mm + 20 mm ''Turret front'' 50 + 20 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm || 30 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 50 mm || 10 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* It has 50 mm of armour at the front of the hull and 57 on the turret front, but there is an additional 20mm plate on the upper hull and at the front of the turret, increasing the effective armour to 70mm and 77mm respectively. When the armour is angled, this tank becomes very strong frontally.
* The strong turret armour makes this tank powerful when hull-down, as many enemies will only be able to penetrate your cupola, only knocking out the commander. However, don't allow anyone to freely fire there, as some unlucky shot fired there can still occasionally cause severe damage.
* The side and rear armour of the tank are thin, but it is possible to bounce shots from the side armour if it is angled steeply while side-scraping.
* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.

Panzer III L has pretty good frontal armour, but there are several weak spots - around the driver's viewport and machinegun port, and few small spots on the turret, where armour is only 50 mm thick and completely flat, aim there. Sides and rear are very thin, if you can target these areas (even under quite a high angle), they are penetrable very easily. If you have powerful enough gun, you can try to outgun it from afar, where its own 5 cm gun will struggle with penetration.

=== 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" | 22.5 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 59 (AB)
|-
|53 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|465
|572
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|20.67
|25.42
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.78
|13.33
|-
|}

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

{{main|KwK 39 (50 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 39 (50 mm)|50 mm KwK 39]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 92 || -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 || 22.4 || 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.
|-
| 4.81 || 4.25 || 3.92 || 3.70
|-
|}

===== 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 || APC || 97 || 96 || 79 || 62 || 49 || 38
|-
| Sprgr. 38 || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 128 || 126 || 91 || 61 || 40 || 27
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 150 || 149 || 108 || 72 || 48 || 32
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | 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 || APC || 835 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 25 || 45.9 || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. 38 || HE || 550 || 1.8 || 2.0 || 0.1 || 170 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 1140 || 1.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 1180 || 0.93 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

*'''PzGr 39''' - Armour Piercing Capped shell - This is your main ammo type, use it whenever you think it has enough penetration to penetrate your target. It deals the most damage, because of its explosive filler. It also offers the best penetration at very long range (over 1500 m), combat at this range is however not recommended.
*'''PzGr 40/1''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - This type of ammo should be used if you are having trouble penetrating your opponent, or trying to hit a fast-moving tank at some distance. However, its damaging potential is much lower, because it has no explosive filler to further enhance damage after the penetration. It should be used only at close range, at medium range, PzGr 40 is better.
*'''PzGr 40''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - this variation of APCR is lighter, slightly faster and offers the best penetration. Use it against heavily armoured tanks like KV-1 (If you can't flank them). However, don't expect it to cause any real damage upon penetration, its even worse than that of PzGr 40/1. It basically only deals damage to modules/crew straight in its path. It is therefore almost useless to fire them at things like turret cupolas, as it will usually just fly right through them.
* '''SprGr 38''' - High Explosive ammo - You should carry only very few of these. They are completely useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_Pz.IIIJ1.png|right|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Panzer III J1 (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" |Visual discrepancy
|-
||'''92''' || 70 ''(+22)'' || 47 ''(+45)'' || 24 ''(+68)'' || 1 ''(+91)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 3,750 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

This tank is very versatile as it can tank frontally, is good at flanking, and features a rapid-fire gun. This tank is outclassed when it is forced into long range engagements due to its mediocre penetration. One should use this tank as a flanker whenever possible, using its good speed to reach good positions. When the tank is forced into frontal engagements, it can still hold its own due to its good frontal armour and high penetration APCR at the short-medium range. This tank is strong in hull-down locations due to its strong frontal turret armour.

* US M4 Shermans have too strong frontal armour for the L/60 gun to be penetrated reliably, especially the HVSS, which is almost invincible to it. They all outgun you as well. Flanking them is advised.
* All mentioned USSR tanks have almost impenetrable hull armour for the L/60 and can destroy the Panzer III with one well-aimed shot. Avoiding direct confrontation is needed. Leave them to your better-armed allies, try to flank them, or aim for weak spots. Use some range to increase the effectiveness of your own armour.
* Pz. IVs and StuG outgun you at all ranges, you can exchange fire with them or flank them, but they are at an advantage. StuG III G can be hard to penetrate without APCR ammo.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

*Strong frontal armour
*High hardness 20 mm plates offer more protection than the usual rolled homogeneous armour
*Fast for a medium tank
*Rapid fire gun, good for the sides and rear
*Shells travel fast, making it easier to aim at long distance
*Excellent gun depression
*Small and well-located ammo racks - the tank is very rarely destroyed by being ammo racked, unline Pz.IVs

'''Cons:'''

*Gun is unreliable when facing certain tanks frontally (T-34s, [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]], M4s) unless one aims for weak spots or uses PzGr40's (APCR)
*Gun is bad for long-range combat
*Armour isn't 70 mm thick at the entire front - machine gun port and the driver's viewport are weak spots
*Turret ring is prone to get damaged, even by non-penetrating hits
*Large and vulnerable commander's cupola

== History ==

===Development===
The '''Panzerkampfwagen III''' medium tank or the '''Panzer III''' was developed in the 1930s. Starting in early 1934, Heinz Guderian set down some specifications for a new tank, which Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kilograms with a top speed of 35 km per hour. This tank's role was to be the main tank of the German army and was expected to destroy opposing tanks, as opposed as a tank made to destroy anti-tank guns and opposing infantrymen, which the [[Pz.IV C|Panzer IV]] took up in.

Damlier-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall produced prototypes meeting the specifications and the Damlier-Benz model was chosen after testing in 1936-1937. The Panzer III model used a leaf-spring suspension in its early models (Ausf. A - Ausf. D) before utilizing a six-wheeled torsion-bar suspension in the [[Pz.III E|Ausf. E]] and beyond. The Panzer III had a crew of five people, the commander, gunner, loader, driver, and assistant driver. The best feature of the Panzer III during its introduction that is the most overlooked was the three-man turret, which was not as common at the time. This frees the commander to be able to effectively command the tank while maintaining situational awareness rather than be burdened by the role of a loader or gunner, improving the combat effectiveness of the tank. Despite this rather advanced design, the turret did not have a turret basket for the crew. It was a proven design and production began in May 1937. The total number of Panzer IIIs tanks constructed in its production life was 5,774 units (excluding [[StuG III F|StuG III]] variant).

===Specifications===
The '''Panzer III Ausf. L''' has the improved 50 mm KwK 39 as its main armament, giving it the firepower to go against the better Allied tanks [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]]s and [[M4|M4 Shermans]]. The Panzer III Ausf. L featured the armour finalized on the [[Pz.III J1|Ausf. J1]], with 50 mm of hull armour and offset armour on the front of the hull and turret that is 20 mm effective. This armour also is applied as spaced armour due to not being attached to the hull or turret mantlet. The spaced armour on the front helped defend the tank against Soviet anti-tank rounds or HEAT rounds fired at it on those plates, as it dissipates the penetration power before striking the hull.

===Combat usage===
Despite its newer aspects compared to older Panzer IIIs, the prevalence of newer German tanks such as the [[Tiger H1|Tiger I]] and [[Panther D|Panther]] tanks, plus the establishment [[Pz.IV G|upgunned Panzer IVs]] made these more able to take on Allied tanks than the Panzer III. The Panzer III began slowly to be relegated to secondary roles such as training or anti-partisan activities. Nevertheless, the Panzer IIIs proved a versatile armoured platform in German service, as even though it was obsolete in late 1941, it was constantly upgraded with better guns, better protection, or modified completely to fit a different role more efficiently than its original. Even when phased out of service, its chassis was used as the basis of Germany's most lethal tank destroyer, the [[StuG III G|StuG III]].

The Panzer III at this time was given one more upgrade in its armour into the variant [[Pz.III M|Panzer III Ausf. M]], which featured the new ''Schürzen'' armour skirts.

=== In-game description ===
"Production of the Pz.Kpfw. III light tank, Ausf. L variant began in June 1942. For a few months prior to this date, the military had experimented with installing the turret from the Pz.Kpfw. IV on this tank. This allowed the use of the long-barreled 75 mm KwK43 tank gun. However, this test proved unsuccessful, and in the spring of 1942, the armament department ordered the production of a variant equipped with the 5 cm KwK39 L/60, but including all of the changes that had been made during the attempts to install the turret from the Pz.Kpfw. IV. Because of this, the weapon mantlet, which also served as the weapon's counterweight, had to be reinforced.

An additional 20 mm front armor plate became standard design. Pz. III Ausf. L tanks received 57 mm of frontal turret armor, along with the installation of a torsion counterbalance for the gun instead of a coil spring. This resulted in a decrease of the ammunition carried for the gun. This variant received a 20 mm spaced armor plate in the forward part of the hull's superstructure. A coolant transfer system was installed which could move warm coolant fluid from one tank to another, making the cold tank easier to start in winter conditions.

Later, the track adjusters were upgraded, and the smoke bombs were relocated to a position under the rear of the tank. Additional protection was achieved by removing the observation slits from the sides of the turret. The tank's operational weight was 22,700 kilograms.

During the second half of 1942, the companies Alkett, Henschel, MAN, MNH, MIAG and Wengmann built 653 Ausf. L tanks.
These tanks were used to replace the losses which had been incurred by the army. They were widely used in Africa and on the Eastern Front from 1942 to 1943. In the summer of 1943, before the Battle of Kursk, the tank was equipped with 5 mm Schutzen side skirts around the hull and turret to protect it from anti-tank and hollow-charge projectiles."

== Media ==

[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23Pz_iii_l '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the "Panzer III L" from live.warthunder.com.]

===Sights===

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

== 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 medium tanks}}

Marder III H

2019-05-30T20:22:18Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{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 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 ===

{| 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" | 11.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 46 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|227
|280
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|142
|160
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|20.09
|24.78
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.57
|14.16
|-
|}

== 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 || 147 || 146 || 133 || 118 || 105 || 93
|-
| 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.

===Modules===
First off, research ''Parts'' to fix and vehicle damages, especially the gun barrel because it is very easy to get damaged in the midst of combat. Get the ''Horizontal Drive'' to move on to the next tier for the ''FPE''. Any over penetrations will critically damage, or set alight, the engine, immobilizing you and destroying you if the fire is not put out. Lastly, go for ''Adjustment of fire'' - as one may find the gun of the Marder III H as inaccurate at times.

=== 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

== 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 front 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}}

Marder III

2019-05-30T20:22:12Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_38t_Marder_III}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_MarderIII.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|name}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]].

The armour of the Marder is its biggest fault. Because it is open-topped, strafing runs from fighter planes can disable the crew very easily, even leading to ammo detonation! Enemy tanks only have this privilege because of poor positioning of the Marder, or because of a highly exploited breakthrough of allied defences. The front turret armour is also very thin and is vulnerable to basically any weapon save most 7.62 MGs. The hull armour at the front is rather thick at 50mm and is decently sloped for a tank destroyer. It still should not be relied on heavily, but if angled correctly it can be used to deflect British 2 pdr. guns, German, US and Russian 37mm and sometimes 50mm guns, as well as most ammunition used by the KV-1 series of tanks.

The Marder also has surprisingly poor manoeuvrability for a small tank destroyer. Being based on the Pz38(t) chassis, forward turning abilities slow the tank down significantly and neutral turning leaves a lot to be desired. The fact that the Marder has a forward facing gun with no turret means that it is required for the whole vehicle to turn to align the gun onto target if out of its arc of fire. Therefore, it is highly recommended to play with a squadmate or more mobile player, as the mobility of the Marder can significantly hamper urban combat abilities. Use the high speed of the Marder to reach a comfortable shooting position and stay there- the poor traverse and turning speed is fatal against nearly all turreted vehicles, along with the very poor armour.

However, the Marder makes up for most of these drawbacks with its high velocity, high damage 76mm cannon. It can OHK every single tank within the 1.7-3.7 BR range. Whether it be a Sherman, T-34, or Churchill, no UFP (upper front plate) is safe. Ballistics are very similar to all other 75mm long guns in the German line (IV F2, Marder III H, etc.), and thus experienced German tankers should not have issues assimilating to the Marder's cannon.

== 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 ===

{| 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" | 11.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 46 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|227
|280
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|142
|160
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|20.09
|24.78
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.57
|14.16
|-
|}

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

{{main|PaK 36(r) (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[PaK 36(r) (76 mm)|76 mm PaK 36(r)]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 30 || -6°/+18° || ±10.5° || 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.
|-
| 9.23 || 8.16 || 7.52 || 7.10
|-
|}

===== 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 rot || APCBC || 135 || 133 || 121 || 108 || 97 || 86
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 189 || 188 || 165 || 139 || 117 || 99
|-
| Sprgr. 39 || HE || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15 || 15
|-
|}
{| 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 rot || APCBC || 740 || 7.6 || 1.2 || 25 || 34 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr 38C || HEAT || 450 || 5.1 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 875.5 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 990 || 4.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Sprgr. 39 || HE || 550 || 6.3 || 0.2 || 0.5 || 585 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_MarderIII.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Marder 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" |5th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |6th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |7th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |8th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" width="10%" |Recommendations
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''30''' || 27 ''(+3)'' || 23 ''(+7)'' || 19 ''(+11)'' || 15 ''(+15)'' || 11 ''(+19)'' || 7 ''(+23)'' || 4 ''(+26)'' || 1 ''(+29)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Left side empty: 15 ''(+15)''

=== 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 || -6°/+18° || ±10°
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==


=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Good gun penetration
* Powerful at all ranges
* Relatively high forward speed
* Relatively good HE filler in APCBC rounds
* Average hull armour of 50 mm
* Capable of penetrating all tanks frontally at its BR range (1.7-3.7)
* High capacity spotting machine gun in the hull

'''Cons:'''

* Tall profile, hindering concealment ability
* Slow turning movement
* Very prone to falling over due to height, especially for newer players with low amounts of invested crew points towards driver
* Very thin gun shield for the gun crew
* Open top vehicle, gunner and loader can be easily machine-gunned
* Vehicle can be hull broken

== 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 fairly weak 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'' are supposed to be anti-tank motor carriages that are to ambush incoming enemy tanks.

The Marder III use the Panzer 38(t) as it was a design going obsolete, and lots of Soviet 76.2 mm guns were captured, 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 rechambered 76.2 mm Pak 36(r) gun with the Pak 40 ammo and could hold 30 rounds in the vehicle. A machine gun on the hull was retained for anti-infantry purposes.

The Marder III with a 75 mm Pak 40 gun mounted instead of the rechambered 76.2 guns was called the '''[[Marder III H|Marder III Ausf. H]]'''. 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 fought on all front of the war, being produced from 1942 to 1945, with 2,080 Marder III with the 76.2 mm gun 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 in adequate 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 on the basis of the Pz.38(t) tank by the BMM company (formerly ChKD) by installing a 76.2mm F-22 division cannon on the chassis of a captured Soviet tank that had been modified by German engineers. The impetus for building this platform was the fact that in 1941 it became clear on the Eastern Front that the Wehrmacht did not have the means to fight Soviet heavy tanks. At the time, the captured 76.2mm F-22 division cannon was able to fight these tanks, so they decided to install it on the reliable frame of the Pz.38(t). BMM produced 344 of these antitank vehicles.

== Media ==
[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23marderiii Skins and camouflages for the Marder III from live.warthunder.com.] Watch out for the "Marder III H" entries as they will not fit on this first version. You need the ones with the small, not rounded turret.

== Read also ==
[https://warthunder.com/en/news/2767/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Marder III]

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

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

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Pz.III J1

2019-05-30T20:22:06Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_III_ausf_J}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage Pz.IIIJ1.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''Panzer III J1''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.43]]. An improvement over the J version with the longer [[KwK 39 (50 mm)|50 mm KwK 39]] gun: the Panzer III J1 provides a better punch.

This variant, compared to its predecessor - [[Pz.III J|Pz.III J]], features only few, but very important upgrades.

Most importantly, the J1 variant is the first Panzer III to have the long barreled KwK 39 L/60 50mm tank gun. This gun offers 96mm of armour penetration at a range of 100 m and 79 mm at 500 m. In a practical sense, it is just enough to deal with most tanks at this BR, although targeting weakspots, or side/rear armour is often necessary, especially against well-armoured heavy tanks like the KV-1 but that is why you have APCR ammunition. APCR comes in two sets, PzGr40 and PzGr40/1. PzGr40 has the highest penetration - 150mm at close range, but loses penetration quite rapidly when shooting far targets and is also a higher tier modification. ''(->More info can be found below in the "[[#Ammunition|Ammunition]]" section.)''

The second important upgrade is the electric turret drive - greatly improving the turret traverse speed, and removing the long present weakness of all older Panzer III variants.

Optimal combat distance for this vehicle is somewhere between medium to close range. But don't be mistaken, the Panzer III J1 is not an frontline tank. You should be always on the move and harass the enemy without rest as any return fire will be lethal. Don't trust your armour and instead rely on your mobility. Flanking is the best option for J1 as you can use the high RoF for good effect and hopefully avoid the incoming retribution. You don't have the best mobility for a medium tank, but you definitely remain competitive against most enemy tanks you may encounter. Always try to find some good firing positions, with available cover, and if necessary, pull back and relocate. Always avoid direct close range confrontations with main enemy force; never try to fight more than 1 enemy at the time. However - playing purely as support/sniper tank isn't optimal either, because of your lower armour penetration.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Barrel shroud, Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50 mm (12°) ''Front plate'' 25 mm (86°), 50 mm (53°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (23-69°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 50 mm (15-41°) ''Top'' 50 mm (11-66°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (12-25°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (12-46°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (22-25°) || 30 mm (13-16°) || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 50 mm || 10 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 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" | 21.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 59 (AB)
|-
|53 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|465
|572
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|21.33
|26.24
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.16
|13.76
|-
|}

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

{{main|KwK 39 (50 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 39 (50 mm)|50 mm KwK 39]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 92 || -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 || 22.4 || 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.
|-
| 4.81 || 4.25 || 3.92 || 3.70
|-
|}

===== 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 || APC || 97 || 96 || 79 || 62 || 49 || 38
|-
| Sprgr. 38 || HE || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 128 || 126 || 91 || 61 || 40 || 27
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 150 || 149 || 108 || 72 || 48 || 32
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | 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 || APC || 835 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 25 || 45.9 || -1° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Sprgr. 38 || HE || 550 || 1.8 || 2.0 || 0.1 || 170 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 1140 || 1.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 1180 || 0.93 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

====Shell types====

*'''PzGr 39''' - Armour Piercing Capped shell - This is your main ammo type, use it whenever you think it has enough penetration to penetrate your target. It deals the most damage because of its explosive filler.
*'''PzGr 40/1''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - This type of ammo should be used if you are having trouble penetrating your opponent, or trying to hit a fast moving tank at some distance. However, its damaging potential is much lower, because it has no explosive filler to further enhance damage after the penetration.
*'''PzGr 40''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - this variation of APCR is lighter, slightly faster and offers the best penetration (up to 150mm). Use it against heavily armoured beasts like the [[KV-1 (Disambiguation)|KV-1]] (If you can't flank them). However, don't expect it to cause any real damage upon penetration, it is even worse than that of PzGr 40/1. It basically only deals damage to modules/crew straight in its path. It is therefore almost useless to fire them at things like turret cupolas, as it will usually just fly right through them.
* '''SprGr 38''' - High Explosive ammo - You should carry only very few of these. They are completely useless against anything other than unarmoured AA vehicles, to which it is lethal.

==== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_Pz.IIIJ1.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Panzer III J1.]]
{| 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
|-
|| '''92''' || 70 ''(+22)'' || 47 ''(+45)'' || 24 ''(+68)'' || 1 ''(+91)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 70 ''(+22)''

=== 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" | 3,750 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

First of all, lets talk about the gun. The 5 cm KwK 39 is a good gun in the right circumstances. Its main round, the PzGr 39 Armour Piercing Capped has average penetration for the BR, but causes little post penetration damage. Granted, if you fire it into a tightly packed turret, it will knock out the crew, but larger vehicles can be an issue. Then, there is the PzGr 40 Armour Piercing Composite Rigid (APCR) round, which has high penetration (150mm!) and can engage anything at its BR but causes very little internal damage and performs poorly against sloped armour. It also loses its penetration quickly at range. It is best to carry both of these types of ammunition, allowing you to combat different targets more effectively.

Luckily, the KwK 39 has a saving grace. With a reload time of just under 5 seconds, it fires very quickly. This gun performs effectively in flanking maneuvers, where you can take advantage of weak side armour. Precise aim is necessary, as this gun rarely destroys a target in one shot. Normally you have a choice. Do you shoot the driver and immobilize the tank and then incapacitate the gunners? Or do you knock out the gunners first and then take out the driver? Most of the time, it is best to take out the gunners first, so that the tank cannot shoot back. However, if the tank is mobile and the turret is facing another direction, it is sometimes best to take out the driver first. This way the tank won't have a chance to find cover. This is always the best strategy against turretless SPGs, as immobilizing the vehicle by taking out the driver, transmission, or engine will incapacitate the tank if it is not facing you and guarantees an easy target for follow-up shots.

The armour of the Panzer III is poor. It is flat, and at 50 mm it won't protect you from even rank 1 guns. From the sides you are vulnerable to anything above a .50 cal machine gun. Avoid frontal engagements with [[M4|M4 Shermans]] and [[T-34 (Disambiguation)|T-34]]s. You are unlikely to be able to destroy them quickly, and often your rounds will ricochet off their sloped armour. Their rounds will slice through your armour like butter and often knock out your entire crew after a single penetration. Thus, this tank is best used as a flanker, using your decent speed and high fire rate to unload shell after shell into vulnerable side armor and hope for the best.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* High rate of fire
* High shell velocity
* Mobile and fast
* Excellent gun depression
* APCR ammo is great against moving targets

'''Cons:'''

* Poor damage against modules and crew
* Gun lacks penetration at range, is likely to bounce from slopes, and isn't very accurate
* Overall weak armour
* Modules are sensitive to damage
* APCR is pathetic at long ranges and deals very little damage upon penetration

== History ==

===Development===
The '''Panzerkampfwagen III''' medium tank, or the '''Panzer III''' was developed in the 1930s. Starting in early 1934, Heinz Guderian set down some specifications for a new tank, which the Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kilograms with a top speed of 35 km per hour. This tank's role was to be the main tank of the German army and was expected to destroy opposing tanks, as opposed to a tank made to destroy anti-tank guns and opposing infantrymen, which the [[Pz.IV C|Panzer IV]] served as.

Daimler-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall produced prototypes meeting the specifications and the Daimler-Benz model was chosen after testing in 1936-1937. The Panzer III model used a leaf-spring suspension in its early models (Ausf. A - Ausf. D) before utilizing a six-wheeled torsion-bar suspension in the [[Pz.III E|Ausf. E]] and beyond. The Panzer III had a crew of five men, the commander, gunner, loader, driver, and assistant driver. The best feature of the Panzer III during its introduction that is the most overlooked was the three-man turret, which was not as common at the time. This frees the commander to be able to effectively command the tank while maintaining situational awareness, rather than be burdened by the role of a loader or gunner, improving combat effectiveness of the tank. The 37 mm (later 50 mm) anti-tank gun was also very effective against contemporary tanks. Despite this rather advanced design, the turret did not have a turret basket for the crew. It was a proven design and production began in May 1937. The total number of Panzer III tanks constructed in its production life was 5,774 units (excluding the far more produced [[StuG III F|StuG III]] variant).

===Specifications===
The '''Panzer III Ausf. J1''' features a much better 50 mm gun compared to its predecessors, the 50 mm KwK 39, which is an improvement over the 50 mm KwK 38 by its longer barrel that provided additonal accuracy. Longer cartridges with more propellant charge were used, providing extra velocity and penetration. This new 50 mm gun gives the Panzer III a fighting edge against [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]]s and [[M4|M4 Shermans]], which the older 50 mm KwK 38 had trouble fighting against. The Panzer III Ausf. J1 still featured the 50 mm armour thickness on the front and rear originally from the [[Pz.III J|Ausf. J]] variant, but later models had new offset armour on the front of the hull and turret that provide 20 mm of effective protection These armour also apply as spaced armour due to not being attached to the hull or turret mantlet. The spaced armour on the front helped defend the tank against Soviet anti-tank rounds or HEAT rounds fired at it on those plates, as it dissipates the penetration power before striking the hull.

===Combat usage===
The Panzer III J1 was only a stopgap design to integrate the 50 mm KwK 39 into service as fast as possible. The final designs in its later models were later redesignated the [[Pz.III L|Panzer III Ausf. L]] and [[Pz.III M|Panzer III Ausf. M]]. It saw service on the eastern front, where it performed poorly against superior [[T-34 (Disambiguation)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (Disambiguation)|KV-1]] tanks. However, it also saw service in North Africa, where it would easily defeat allied light tanks such as the [[M3 Stuart]] and the [[Crusader Mk III|Crusader]], even when outnumbered. However, the introduction of more medium tanks by the allies in the African theater would prove to be problematic for the Panzer III. Those that survived the defeat in Africa would try to defend Sicily from the allied invasion of Italy.

=== In-game description ===
"One of the serial modification to the Pz.Kpfw.III light tank, 1,549 of these tanks were produced from March to October, 1941.
The armor plating installed on tanks of the Ausf.H modification was a temporary measure. Tanks of the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J modification began to be released in March, 1941. The thickness of the single-layer, homogenous armor of the front and rear plates was 50 mm.

The design of the spherical machine gun installation had to be modified due to the increase in the thickness of the armor plates. A large number of less significant changes were also made.

The first vehicles released were added to the arsenal of the African Corps, but the overwhelming majority entered divisions that were performing combat operations in the incipient war with the Soviet Union."

== Media ==
'''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the ''Panzer III Ausf. J1'' from live.warthunder.com. There are plenty of category terms flying around. So looking through every one of them will be necessary. Some of these might not work. Look for the Panzer 3 tanks with the very long barrel, or see what the description says.

*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23panzer_iii_j1 #panzer_iii_j1]

===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]

== 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 medium tanks}}

Sd.Kfz. 6/2

2019-05-30T19:59:35Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_sdkfz_6_2_flak36}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_Sd.Kfz.62.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]].

The 3.7-cm Flak 36 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz 6/2 is a half-track-based anti-aircraft vehicle. With its 3.7 cm cannon, it can easily dispatch any aircraft given the circumstances. However, its gun (with APHE ammo) can also make it a very good improvised anti-tank vehicle. It has enough penetration to go through front armour of most tanks at its rank and reliably cuts through side/rear armour and weak spots (even at some range), causing impressive damage.

Because it is based on a simple truck, it has no armour anywhere, and even machine guns can knock out the driver inside, and crew manning the turret is completely exposed. However, it can be surprisingly durable at times, mostly because of inexperienced players attacking it with AP/APCR ammo, and often targeting all the wrong places, like the Engine, Driver sitting inside, or edges of the turret armour. It has mobility comparable to a lighter medium tank, and very good cross-country performance, because of its combined wheel/track chassis.

Being an SPAA, this vehicle is designed to shoot down aeroplanes. It was originally designed to follow alongside convoys, so to be used with other vehicles of the type. Its gun has a relatively low rate of fire for an SPAA, however, its shells pack quite the punch. Being a 37mm cannon, should it get a good hit, it will likely down the plane. It also gets access to AP belts, which can be used against tanks. It can penetrate any medium or light tank of its rank (from the side/rear usually), but will struggle against heavier opponents like the [[KV-1 (Disambiguation)|KV-1]]. However, hunting tanks are not its job which is why it is not the best at that.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Structural Steel
*Rolled homogeneous armour (Gun shield)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 3 mm (3-9°) ''Grille'' 3 mm (83-84°) ''Front hood'' || 3 mm || 3 mm || 3 mm
|-
| Gun Shield || 7 mm (25-33°) || 10 mm || N/A || N/A
|}
'''Notes:'''

* There is simply no armour anywhere, as it is basically a simple truck with AA gun mounted on its back
* Only "armour" is on the front of the turret, which can protect from some light machine gun fire and shrapnel from nearby explosions

=== 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" | 11.1 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 54 (AB)
|-
|50 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|163
|201
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|102
|115
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|14.68
|18.11
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|9.19
|10.36
|-
|}

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

{{main|FlaK 36 (37 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[FlaK 36 (37 mm)|37 mm FlaK 36]]
|-
! 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" | 318 (6) || 160 || -8°/+85° || ±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'' || 30.82 || 42.66 || 51.80 || 57.28 || 60.94
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 20.83 || 24.50 || 29.75 || 32.9 || 35.00
|-
! 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.
|-
| 0.49 || 0.43 || 0.40 || 0.38
|-
|}

=== 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 || APHE || 46 || 43 || 31 || 20 || 12 || 9
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || FI-T || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2
|-
| M.Gr.18 || FI-T || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4
|-
|}
{| 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 || APHE || 740 || 0.69 || 1.3 || 15 || 22.1 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| Sprgr. 18 || FI-T || 820 || 0.62 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 49.3 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M.Gr.18 || FI-T || 914 || 0.55 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 108 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

===Belt types===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Belts''' || '''Shell composition''' || '''Combat usage'''
|-
| align="left" |'''''Default''''' || align="left" | APHE / FI-T (Armour Piercing High Explosive –Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell || align="left" | This belt is useful against lightly armoured open-topped tank destroyers, or bombers. Against other SPAA this belt can reliably take out crew, armament, ammo and engine.
|-
| align="left" |'''''Sprgr. 18''''' || align="left" | FI-T (Fragmentation Incendiary Tracer) shell || align="left" | Versus planes and open combat compartment vehicles. Lighter aircraft will often go down by a single hit.
|-
| align="left" |'''''PzGr''''' || align="left" | APHE (Armour Piercing High Explosive) shell || align="left" | Ammo against tanks. It has comparable power to regular Rank I tanks, but combined with the Insane RoF, can be very deadly. It even has the HE filler, 3-4 well aimed penetrating hits can disable any tank.
|-
| align="left" |'''''M.Gr.18''''' || align="left" | FI-T (Fragmentation Incendiary Tracer) shell || align="left" | Versus planes and open combat compartment vehicles. Lighter aircraft will often go down by a single hit.
|-
|}

=== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] ===
[[File:Ammoracks_Sd.Kfz.62.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Sd.Kfz. 6/2.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''53''' || 53 ''(+0)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

To use this machine to its fullest capabilities it is recommended to stay from areas of heavy combat, as you can be taken out very easily, especially by machine gun fire and HE shells. You should always stay behind friendly troops, but don't stay at spawn as it is most likely the first place enemy planes will go to drop bombs.

If you want to fight with the tanks, you'll definitely need to research APHE-only belts. Go forward with your teammates, but ALWAYS stay some distance behind them, avoid any open terrain, watch the battlefield situation carefully and wait. Use your speed to get out of any unfavourable battle condition. When you find a suitable target (No KV-1...), one good idea is to reverse around the corner turned sideways, with your gun aiming at the expected enemy direction. This manoeuvre exposes only half of your turret and makes it possible to very quickly hide again behind the corner when needed. Your driver, engine and more than half of the vehicle remain hidden the whole time, significantly shortening the exposure time and lowering the chance of being immobilised. Aim at sides of the turret, hull, or any other weak areas.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* 37 mm capable of dealing heavy damage to both planes and tanks (if aimed at weak spots)
* Deadly against light tanks and tank destroyers
* Can penetrate T-34s (Pre T-34-85) if you aim at the turret cheeks
* Will destroy most planes in one or two hits, doing more damage than the 20 mm on previous SPAA
* Decently fast (50 km/h top speed)
* Insane reloading rate
* Loosing 1 or 2 crew members have no noticeable effect on vehicle performance (Apart from temporal immobilisation for example)
* Having no armour is also an advantage - AP/APCR Rounds that most players use often just harmlessly pass through the vehicle without doing any damage
* Difficult to destroy in one shot unless using pure HE rounds as APHE rounds will often just pass through without detonation
* Some players don't recognize this vehicle as any kind of threat, and carelessly show their sides or entire tanks, only to be easily destroyed afterwards
* Friendly tanks around you often have higher priority for all enemies, meaning you can often escape from combat unharmed, or surprise unsuspecting enemies with your powerful gun

'''Cons:'''

* Slow rate of fire can make shooting down faster planes difficult
* No armour - single HE shell from anything will usually knock out the vehicle
* Very vulnerable to Artillery calls; Even being 20 m away from it does not prevent the crew from being injured, or even incapacitated
* Gun goes up when it is traversing over the driver, preventing you from firing ahead of your vehicle
* Entire crew vulnerable to being strafed by planes and tank machine gun fire
* Ammo can run out if not careful
* Knocked out easily if rammed by an aeroplane
* Hull break can happen from with a well-placed shot
* Less penetration than predecessors

== History ==

===The gun===
The 3.7 cm FlaK cannon was an anti-aircraft gun capable of fully automatic fire at a rate of 150 rounds per minute and is able to fire onto Allied aircraft up to four kilometres away. Multiple variants were made for the FlaK cannon from the 3.7 cm FlaK 18/36/37/43. The FlaK 18 was the initial variant with a dual-axle mount. The Flak 36 was a simplified variant with a lighter single-axle mount, the FlaK 37 has a simplified sighting system, and the FlaK 42 was the variant made for the German Kriegsmarine for their surface ships and U-boats. Of the variants, the FlaK 36 and 37 were the most produced guns

===The vehicle===
The ''Sd.Kfz.6'' was a half-track designed in 1934 for the purpose of towing the 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer or 11 men in the back of the half-track, which could be covered by a canvas structure to protect the crew from the elements of nature. The vehicle was powered by a Maybach HL 54TUKRM 6-cylinder engine with 115 hp. Along with its use as a tractor for the 10.5 leFH 18 howitzer and other artillery pieces, the vehicle was to be used to tow heavy equipment for engineer units. Production was carried out by both Büssing-NAG and Daimler-Benz corporations. About 750 units were made during its production life until 1942.

===Anti-aircraft mount===
As World War II progressed, the need for a mobile air defence capable of engaging low flying targets became urgent. German engineers attempted to fill this need by modifying vehicles to fit an anti-aircraft gun. The ''Sd.kfz.6'' half-track was modified with a new superstructure on the back, removing the backseats where the passengers would be. The superstructure allows the installation of a traversable anti-aircraft gun. The gun of choice for the ''Sd.kfz.6'' was the 3.7 cm FlaK 36, the conversion for the vehicle was designated the '''3.7 cm Flak 36 auf Selbstfahrlafette Sd.Kfz.6/2'''.

The ''Sd.Kfz.6/2'' has the FlaK cannon mounted on the back, however, there is no gun shield for the crew to provide small arms protection from the ground. Thus, the ground support role for the vehicle was not a recommended role and is more best against flying targets. However, a modification on the vehicle by the crew to give protection against small arms and shrapnel. Ammunition for the gun was towed on a separate trailer towed by the half-track.

Modifications on the ''Sd.Kfz.6'' into the ''Sd.Kfz.6/2'' was carried out from 1941 to 1943, whereof the 750 of the ''Sd.Kfz.6'', 339 were converted into the anti-aircraft variant. As the war progressed, the ''Sd.Kfz.6/2'' were supplemented with the more numerous ''Sd.Kfz.7'' half-track.

=== In-game description ===
"To fight against enemy aircraft, German designers developed a new AA gun based on the 5-ton Sd.Kfz. 6 produced by the company Bussing-NAG. The new AA vehicle had a 37 mm 3,7 cm FlaK 36 L/98 anti-aircraft gun with a 98-caliber long barrel placed on a rotating carriage. The vehicle carried 120 shells, towed by a Sonderanhanger Sd.Ah. 57 trailer. The anti-aircraft gun traveled with spare barrels. The 10.4 ton setup supported a crew of 5 to calculate the gun's trajectory.

The anti-aircraft gun's effective rate of fire was 120 rounds per minute. The gun could fire at targets up to an altitude of 4,800 meters. In stowed position, the sides of the towing vehicle were raised, and in combat situations they were reclined to facilitate a circular range of fire. The vehicle could reach a speed of 50 kph and had a maximum range of 317 km.

The AA vehicle was produced by the companies Bussing-Nag, Daimler Benz, Böhmisch-Mährischen Maschinenfabrik, and Praga from 1941 to 1943. A total of 339 were built. During production, the gun was fitted with a shield to protect those performing the calculations from bullets and shrapnel. Shield construction varied.

At least 200 Sd.Kfz. 6/2 anti-aircraft guns entered the service of the Luftwaffe, and the rest joined the Wehrmacht's anti-aircraft divisions. An anti-aircraft division consisted of 9 AA vehicles. This vehicle was used in combat on all fronts."

== Media ==

{{Youtube-gallery|udFWDS6bbo8|37 mm of Pain [The Iron Armenian]}}

== 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 anti-aircraft vehicles}}

Pz.IV F1

2019-05-30T19:08:15Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_F}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage Pz.IVF1.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or '''Panzer IV F1''') 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.

Appearing in 1941 at about the same time as the PzKpfw III, Ausf. J, this model saw substantial changes. The basic armour thickness was increased from 30 mm to 50 mm on all front faces (hull, superstructure, turret) and to 30 mm on the sides. The supplementary bolted armour was dropped. The superstructure front was changed back to a single straight plate, and the hull machine gun was changed from the Gimbal mount to a ball mount, Kugelblende 50.

In the game, compared to the previous modification [[Pz.IV E]], F1 offers enhanced armour, mostly on the turret, which used to be a "weak spot" on the E variant.

Side & Rear hull armour has been improved to 30 mm, and the entire upper front hull is now a single plate of 50 mm steel - while some places are actually weaker, there are no longer any "holes" in the armour easily penetrable by any gun.

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

'''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 (13-58°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 30 mm (4-14°) || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (12°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (12-29°) ''Gun mantlet''|| 30 mm (23-26°) || 30 mm (14-17°) || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The hull underside right above the tracks is 10 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" | 22.3 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 48 (AB)
|-
|43 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|465
|572
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|20.85
|25.65
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.88
|13.45
|-
|}

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

{{main|KwK 37 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 37 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 37]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 80 || -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.
|-
| 4.29 || 3.79 || 3.49 || 3.3
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| K.Gr.rot Pz. || APCBC || 56 || 54 || 50 || 46 || 42 || 38
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38C || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
| 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%
|-
| K.Gr.rot Pz. || APCBC || 385 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 15.0 || 80 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.6 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38C || HEAT || 450 || 4.8 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 875.5 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 420 || 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]] =====
{| 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" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" width="10%" |Recommendations
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''80''' || 72 ''(+8)'' || 63 ''(+17)'' || 54 ''(+26)'' || 45 ''(+35)'' || 36 ''(+44)'' || 27 ''(+53)'' || 18 ''(+62)'' || 9 ''(+71)'' || 1 ''(+79)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 72 ''(+8)''

=== 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" | 2,700 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Any veteran of the Ausf. C and E should feel right at home in this vehicle. Usage is the same, players should only be careful of some possible new opponents, coming from higher Tiers. In general, it is still an excellent short range corner-cleaner.

The gun is very powerful, with a great rate of fire, but it suffers from low penetration. HEAT shells can be used to solve this issue, but they do a lot less post-penetration damage. The '''Pz.IV F1''' is often capable of annihilating an enemy vehicle with a single AP shell. It has a fair amount of armour as well, however, due to the lack of an actual slope it may seem considerably more fragile than some Soviet vehicles when facing AP shells.

Against most threats, it is often wiser to close in with the enemy vehicle, to make targeting the weakest areas possible, increasing the chance of successful penetration. When engaging vehicles at close range, it is, for example, a good idea to count on the slower turret speed of the Soviet machines, allowing the player to circle around them with ease and deliver devastating shots. Bear in mind that while this tank can easily obliterate any vehicle at its own BR, against higher tier enemies the relatively poor penetration of the gun and very slow shell travel speed can become a problem. Avoiding direct encounters, and using flanking manoeuvres is advisable.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Fast reload speed for short 75 mm (Great when using HEAT rounds)
* Decent mix of protection and mobility
* Good traverse rate
* Excellent gun depression

'''Cons:'''

* Poor AP penetration at range
* Weak side armour
* Huge and weak commander cupola
* Frail engine and ammo rack
* Narrow tracks -> poor performance in soft/sandy terrain (most notable in realistic modes)
* F1 is a bit heavier and slower than previous Pz.IV tanks

== History ==

=== Development ===
The '''Pz.Kpfw. IV's''' creation, like its predecessor the [[Pz.III E|Pz.Kpfw. III]], was devised by Heinz Guderian, where 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, which was chosen instead of both a proposed interleaved suspension and the earlier devised torsion bar suspension system 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 centre line 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. F1===
After the Battle of Poland and France, the deficiencies of the [[Pz.IV C|Ausf. C]] variant saw it being upgraded on October 1940 to the [[Pz.IV E|Ausf. E]]. Despite the new upgrades, the Panzer IV was upgraded again to refine its detail with the '''Panzer IV Ausf. F''' in April 1941. Still retaining the KwK 37 L/24 75 mm howitzer gun, but with now a full 50 mm thick glacis plate and an increase of side armour to 30 mm. The tracks are also widened from 380 to 400 mm to balance the increased weight from the Ausf. C's 18 tons to the Ausf. F 22 tons.

The Ausf. F was the main Panzer IV variant during the start of Operation Barbarossa, but was soon found to be terribly outgunned by the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks. The short 75 mm howitzer was inadequate to deal with these new tanks at all. All was not lost though, as in the weeks before Barbarossa, a proposal was made to upgrade the Panzer IV with a new gun to increase its firepower, with the new 75 mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. The resulting gun was the KwK 40 L/43 and up-gunned the Panzer IV Ausf. F. The Ausf. F was then renamed to '''F1''' for the variants retaining the shorter 75 mm howitzer, and [[Pz.IV F2|Panzer IV Ausf. F2]] for the variants with the more lethal 75 mm KwK 40 L/43 gun.

=== In-game description ===
"The Pz. IV Ausf. F tank was the result of analysis of previous variants' combat experience in Poland and France. The thickness of the front armor on the turret and hull was increased to 50 mm. The single-hinged hatches on the sides of the turret were replaced with double-hinged ones. The thickness and arrangement of viewports were modified. The front hull was straightened once again. The directional machine gun received a new Kugelblende 50 ball mount. The ammunition for the machine guns (both the gun paired with the cannon and the directional gun) was increased to 3,000 rounds. Since the hull's weight was 48% greater than that of the Ausf. E variant, the vehicle received new 400-mm-wide tank treads instead of the 360 mm treads used earlier. Additional ventilation holes were located in the roof of the engine compartment and in the covers over the transmission hatch. The design and placement of the engine and turret rotation motor were modified.

All of these improvements were intended to increase the safety of the crew and the usability and serviceability of the vehicle.

The Krupp-Gruson, Vomag, and Nibelungenwerke companies manufactured this tank from April 1941 to March 1942.

A total of 437 were produced. Beginning in April 1942, the tank was designated Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F1, since it was the basis for the design of the Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F2, which included a new 75 mm 7,5 cm KwK 40 gun with a long 43-caliber barrel.

Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F1 vehicles fought in Africa, on all parts of the Eastern Front from 1941 to 1944, and in Operation Citadel.

This variant was supplied to Germany's allies: Hungary, Croatia, Turkey, and Spain. Captured Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. F tanks were eagerly used by the Red Army."

== Media ==
[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pz_iv_f1 '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the "Panzer IV F1" from live.warthunder.com.]

===Sights===

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

== 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 medium tanks}}

StuH 42 G

2019-05-30T19:08:10Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_stuh_III_ausf_G}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_StuH42G.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or just '''StuH 42 Ausf. G''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory"]]. The StuH 42 is essentially a [[StuG III G]] with a 10,5 cm howitzer.

While the StuH 42 bears much resemblance to the [[StuG III F]] and [[StuG III G]], its play style is much, much different. While StuG is most effective at medium to long range combat, StuH is much more suitable for close to very close range.

The reason is its gun - it is equipped with a large 10.5 cm howitzer. This gun has much lower penetration and shell velocity than that of StuG, but it can cause crippling damage with a single hit. Therefore, to be effective, StuH has to come very close to their opponents, to be able to hit their weakest parts of armour. Fortunately, its armour is reasonably good, at 80mm, and good mobility of Panzer III chassis now becomes even more useful.

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

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (86°), 80 mm (50°) ''Front glacis'' 80 mm (19°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 + 5 mm || 30 mm (77°) ''Tlop'' 50 mm (15-42°) ''Middle'' 50 mm ''Bottom'' || 16 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 80 mm (10-11°), 30 mm (50-69°) || 30 (9°) + 5 mm ''Left'' 30 (11°) + 5 mm ''Right'' || 30 mm || 11 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 50 mm || 11 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Sides of the tank are covered by additional 5 mm thick armour plates, protecting the tank against HEAT and HE shells, as well as reducing damage from nearby explosions.
* Some areas of the front armour are still only 30 mm thick. With a bit of luck they can be penetrated even by much weaker guns
* Belly armour is 30 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" | 23.9 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 44 (AB)
|-
|40 (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''
|17.82
|21.97
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.09
|12.55
|-
|}

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

{{main|StuH 42 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[StuH 42 (105 mm)|105 mm StuH 42]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 36 || -6°/+20° || ±10° || 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.
|-
| 13.0 || 11.5 || 10.6 || 10.0
|-
|}

===== Ammunition =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr || APHE || 85 || 84 || 79 || 73 || 68 || 63
|-
| F.H.Gr. || HE || 22 || 22 || 22 || 22 || 22 || 22
|-
| Gr.39 rot HI/B || HEAT || 105 || 105 || 105 || 105 || 105 || 105
|-
| Gr.39 rot HI/C || HEAT || 115 || 115 || 115 || 115 || 115 || 115
|-
|}
{| 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 || APHE || 475 || 14 || 0.8 || 28 || 238 || -1° || 47° || 60° || 75°
|-
| F.H.Gr. || HE || 472 || 15 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 1,750 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| Gr.39 rot HI/B || HEAT || 495 || 12 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 2,530 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Gr.39 rot HI/C || HEAT || 495 || 12 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 2,550 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
|}

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

* '''PzGr ''' - Armour Piercing High Explosive - This is the main ammo type, use it whenever it has enough power to penetrate the target, as the explosive filler can make short work of a tank interior.
* '''FHGr''' - High Explosive round - Another very useful kind of ammo, can obliterate any unarmoured SPAAA vehicles or reserve tanks. But if used correctly can be quite effective even against very well armoured tanks - shoot them at the lower part of the turret front, or cupolas - explosion of the shell can then penetrate the deck/roof armour of the tank and cause extensive damage. It also often knocks out the gun and optics. Most penetrations will result in a knock-out 99% of the time.
* '''HI.Gr.38B''' - Cumulative Anti-Armour round - This one should be just skipped, it has no advantage over the better HI.Gr.38C.
* '''HI.Gr.38C''' - Cumulative Anti-Armour round - This shell has the highest penetration, but it is generally advised to not use it, as its damage effects are vastly inferior to both APHE and HE shells. They are also prone to detonate prematurely on spaced armour, or some debris in the flight trajectory. Their advantage is that they bounce less from sloped armour, and if they hit Fuel Tank or Ammorack, they usually detonate them reliably. Lastly, they don't lose any penetration over distance - carry only few of them in case they are needed.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_StuH42G.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the StuH 42.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Ammo Part
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''36''' || style="text-align:right" | ''Projectiles'' ''Propellants'' || 25 ''(+11)'' 31 ''(+5)'' || 19 ''(+17)'' 7 ''(+29)'' || 13 ''(+23)'' 1 ''(+35)'' || style="text-align:left" | No
|-
|}

Left side empty: 19 ''(+17)''

== Usage in the battles ==

This vehicle is quite difficult to play because of its gun characteristics - it is forced to come closer to the battlefield, reducing effectiveness of its armour and risk being flanked. Therefore, it is recommended to never travel alone, always make sure the sides and rear are covered, and that there is some sort of solid cover to hide to during reloading. Its main role is either ambusher - waiting at favourable location for some unlucky enemy to come, or a direct support vehicle, helping other front line tanks deal with threat. Usage of hit & run tactics is a must, after firing it will take almost 19 seconds to reload, always get behind cover after each shot.

Careful TD-style flanking is good idea as well, for the StuH it is no problem to quickly turn, move around a building and fire a devastating shot at its opponent's rear. But be very cautious when doing this, make sure the opponents are distracted by other threats, and won't turn their unwanted attention to the StuH too soon.

Lastly - know the ammo and its characteristics - know what the 105 mm can penetrate and what it can't - try to plan the maneuvers and pick targets. Don't recklessly run face-to-face into a KV-1 tank, which is almost invulnerable to the gun. While certain shells are effective against various targets, switching them during combat is very problematic, because of its extremely slow reload speed.

With its battle rating at 3.0 (all game modes), it will generally face early vehicles of late Rank I and early Rank II. The battle rating puts the StuH in a bit of a weird position; there are few tanks at that BR and therefore it is likely to be uptiered or downtiered. In an uptier, even to 3.3, most of the guns encountered will be reasonably dangerous, as most of them can penetrate between 90 and 100 mm of armour, versus the ~80 mm from the howitzer. However, in a downtier, there are five main enemies to look out for: [[ZiS-30]], [[SU-76M]], [[B1 bis|Char B1]], [[M3 Lee]] and [[Crusader Mk III]]. The ZiS-30 has an extremely potent 57 mm gun, which is potent up to Rank III (!). The SU-76M has a (relatively) large 76mm cannon, which more or less acts the same way as T-34 cannons. The Char B1's 75mm is of most concern, but the 47mm is also powerful at close range. Its armour is quite hard to crack, especially with a howitzer. The M3 Lee carries a similar 75 mm gun as the [[M4|M4 Sherman]], which is dangerous from the front. The Crusader Mk. III's 57mm cannon isn't as powerful as the ZiS-30's, but still packs quite a punch.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* 105 mm howitzer with a variety of ammunition to use
* Rather useful HE shell against thin roof armour or hull-break vehicles
* APHE provides large amount of HE filler for devastating post-pen damage
* HEAT rounds provide extra penetration power in cases of heavily armoured enemies
* Gun has kind of a "fear factor", enemies often won't risk being hit by the 105 mm gun and back off from combat
* Good frontal armour of 80 mm & low silhouette
* Good mobility to get around the battlefield and into position
* Very easy to destroy another StuH, simply shoot the thin sheet of metal sticking out of the top with HE

'''Cons:'''

* 105 mm howitzer performance lacking compared to [[StuK_40 (75 mm)|75 mm StuK 40]] in penetration even with HEAT
* HEAT damage lacking compared to APHE, trading off significant post-pen for penetration
* Low reload speed, maximum of 13 seconds
* Low accuracy (even at close range) makes weak spot targeting harder
* Low gun depression of -6°
* Very low shell velocity, less than 500 m/s
* If the loader dies, the vehicle's reload rate decreases dramatically and the StuH becomes rather useless in combat
* Huge ammo rack on the right side of the tank (and loader behind it) - clever players will often target this area
* Lack of a turret means reacting to flanking enemies is harder
* Cupola and machine gun shield on superstructure roof are weak points that can be targeted with HE to penetrate through the 11 mm roof top

== History ==

===Development===
The role of a self-propelled gun came from combat experiences in World War I. During the German offensives on the Allied front, infantry lacked artillery support against fortifications in places out-ranged by their heavy artillery behind the lines. A need for a mobile artillery piece was necessary to keep up with the German infantry and fight enemy fortifications with a direct-fire assault role. The father of this concept was German General Erich von Manstein and was coined as the ''Sturmartillerie'' (assault artillery), and these units were to be embedded in infantry divisions.

The result of this concept was a vehicle known as the [[StuG III A|StuG III]], a vehicle built on the Panzer III chassis that fits the role of a support vehicle in the artillery branch. It was meant to give close support to advancing infantry against fortifications or other lightly armoured oppositions. As such, it was initially armed with a 75 mm StuK 37 L/24 howitzer. However, as World War II progressed, the appearance of newer and better tanks such as the [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and the [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks forced the Germans to upgun their existing StuG IIIs in order to be able to combat these tanks. This resulted in the StuG III design being armed with a 75 mm StuK 40 L/43 and L/48 cannon in the ''[[StuG III F|StuG III Ausf. F]]'' and ''[[StuG III G|Ausf. G]]'' respectively, turning the design into something of a tank destroyer.

===StuH 42 Ausf. G===
The StuG III designs are now bona fide tank destroyer, but an infantry support role was still needed from these assault gun to support the advancing infantry. In 1942, some StuG III Ausf. F were equipped with the 105 mm leFH 18 howizter rather than the usual 75 mm cannons. This variant was designated the '''StuH 42''' (''Sturmhaubitze 42'', or "assault howitzer") and was meant to support the infantry with heavier artillery power than the 75 mm could provide. The StuH 42 was made from the StuG III Ausf. G chassis (though the first 12 were built on refurbished StuG Fs). About 1,300 of these StuH 42 were built between March 1943 to 1945.

=== In-game description ===
A modified version of the StuG self-propelled assault mount adapted to strike undefended targets, including those beyond direct firing range. The first models of the vehicle armed with 105mm howitzers were assembled in October, 1942, and on November 22 they were used in combat by the 185th Assault Artillery Division.

The first vehicles were based on the StuG.III Ausf.F8. However, all other vehicles were assembled on the basis of the StuG.40 Ausf.G, whose chassis was a better fit for the 105mm howitzer. The vehicles with this modification were built at Allket’s factories right up until April, 1945.

== 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}}

Panzerjager I

2019-05-30T18:27:49Z

U8515006: /* Armaments */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_panzerjager_1}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_PanzerjagerI.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''4,7 cm Pak(t) auf Pz.I Ausf.B''', otherwise known as the '''Panzerjäger I''', is a Rank I German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 1.7. It was introduced in [[Update 1.57 "Battle March"]].

The vehicle is based on a Pzkpfw. I chassis, which is also found on the [[Flakpanzer I]]. This means it has no armour. It has a silhouette slightly resembling a [[Marder III]], but is quite scaled down.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 13 mm (18°) ''Front plate'' 13 mm (72-75°) ''Front glacis'' 13 mm (26°) ''Lower glacis'' || 13 mm || 13 mm || 8 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 14 mm (26°)|| 14 mm (15-18°)|| N/A || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and bogies are 10 mm thick while the tracks are 15 mm thick.

Any enemies at this rank can pierce your armour. However, the biggest threats are the SPAA vehicles due to their higher rate of fire with effective weapons that will absolutely rip apart the vehicle. Airplanes too are a concern, and Artillery is very deadly.

=== 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" | 6.4 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 46 (AB)
|-
|42 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|142
|175
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|88
|100
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|22.19
|27.34
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|13.75
|15.62
|-
|}

== Armaments ==

{{main|Pak(t)(Sf.) (47 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[Pak(t)(Sf.) (47 mm)|47 mm Pak(t)(Sf.)]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 86 || -8°/+10° || ±15° || 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'' || 7.10 || 8.40 || 10.20 || 11.28 || 12.0
|-
! 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.
|-
| 3.90 || 3.49 || 3.33 || 3.0
|-
|}

===== 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.36(t) || APC || 75 || 72 || 58 || 44 || 33 || 25
|-
| Pzgr.40 || APCR || 103 || 102 || 73 || 49 || 32 || 22
|-
|}
{| 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.36(t) || APC || 775 || 1.7 || 1.2 || 25.0 || 15 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Pzgr.40 || APCR || 1080 || 0.83 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_PanzerjagerI.png|right|thumbnail|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Panzerjäger I.|x250px]]
{| 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
|-
|| '''86''' || 50 ''(+36)'' || 38 ''(+48)'' || 28 ''(+60)'' || 10 ''(+76)'' || 0 ''(+86)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

Although virtually unarmoured, it ''can'' be used in a head-on manner. However, this is not recommended. It is much better to snipe or ambush the enemy. Its gun may have a good Rate of Fire, but many other guns of its rank, such as the British 2 pounder, will reload faster than you. Your gun is extremely powerful for its rank, which means you will go through almost anything, so there is no need to throw yourself in front of the enemy.

While the gun can be sufficient and one-shot many enemies from light to medium tanks, more heavily armoured tanks will be a problem unless using the APCR ammunition. The common enemies to be concerned about are the B1 bis, B1 ter, and Matilda Mk II if the Panzerjaeger I is used as the highest-BR option in your lineup. The B1 bis is only frontally penetratable on the turret ring or the exposed breech of the hull-mounted 75mm. The B1 ter is only penetratable in flank shots with APCR or a very lucky turret ring hit. The Matilda is only frontally penetratable on the turret ring or demands use of APCR.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

*Large ammo reserve of 86 rounds
*Agile vehicle
*Good power-to-weight ratio (27.34 hp/ton in AB, 15.62 hp/ton in RB/SB)
*One of the best guns in Rank I, can penetrate most things it comes up against and destroy them in 1-2 penetrating hits due to HE filler
*Access to APCR ammunition for certain targets that the APC-HE cannot penetrate reliably
*Good ballistics for 47 mm, can be used effectively at long range
*Narrow, can fit in tight spaces

'''Cons:'''

*Tall profile, bigger target
*Very thin armour, maximum of 15 mm
*Crew operating the gun have no armour protection in the top and rear of their position
*Not a lot of horsepower, poor for towing downed allied vehicles
*No defensive machine gun, open-top SPAA can be a problem
*Gun quickly becomes obsolete in uptiers, it does not cope well with sloped armour

== History ==

===Development===
The heavily armoured tanks in Allied inventory was considered a threat to the German armoured forces, which consisted of mostly 3.7 cm gun that were ineffective. To counter these threats, the Germans sought for a vehicle able to mount a bigger gun able to fight these tanks. It was found that they could convert obsolete chassis designs like the Panzer I to mount the guns, thus saving the design process of developing a new vehicle for the role. The Czech 4.7 cm Pak(t) anti-tank gun was chosen for this task, and was mounted on a converted Panzer I chassis with the turret removed, a gun shield was used for the mount of the gun. Between 1940 to 1941, 202 Panzer I’s were converted by Alkett and Deutz AG to these tank destroyers, designated the ‘’’Panzerjäger I‘’’, the first of its kind of tank destroyers in the war.

===Combat usage===
The Panzerjäger I were organised in anti-tank battalions, each having three companies with nine vehicles each. Five battalions in the war were equipped with the tank destroyer. The first usage of the Panzerjäger I was in the Battle of France, where four battalions were committed. Though, only Anti-Tank Battalion 521 saw service from the beginning to the end as the other four were still in training when the campaign started. The opinion of the crew of these vehicles were positive, saying that the weapon was adequate to distances up to 600 meters if the enemy had 45 to 50 mm of armour. However, the crew also say that the ability to observe the battle in the vehicle was terrible, the crew had to look over the shield to see what is ahead, risking themselves to injury to the head.

After the Battle of France, the Panzerjäger I's in Anti-Tank Battalion 605 were sent to the North African Campaign, though only 3 of the 27 vehicles made it as the transport freighter ''Castellon'' carrying the rest was sunk. The battalion was in full strength during the British offensive in Operation Crusader in November 1941, to which they lost 13 vehicles in the battle. Battle experience praise the accuracy the vehicle provides, but state that the vehicles were too weak for the combat conditions and the gun didn’t have enough penetration in long distance. With an APCR round, it was found it could destroy the venerable Matilda infantry tanks at distance of around 400 meters. The battalion continued this battle of attrition with reinforcement and losses that during the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, only 11 Panzerjäger I’s were left in the battalion. The last two replacement vehicle were sent to the battalion in November 1942. In Operation Barbarossa, five anti-tank battalions were equipped with the Panzerjäger I’s, which made up a total of 135 vehicles. The combat experience was subpar, while the Panzerjäger I had a good effective range of up to 1,000 to 1,200 meters, but the high profile of the vehicle presented a big target to enemy anti-tank weapons and artillery, even shrapnels from high-explosive shells could penetrate the thin armour. Many Panzerjäger I’s were destroyed and by the Fall of 1942, many battalions reported to be under equipped for further action and were disbanded. At this point, better anti-tank weaponry and vehicles were more accessible and replaced the Panzerjäger I in service, notably the Marder series.

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

== Read also ==

* [https://warthunder.com/en/devblog/current/886/ [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> The Panzerjäger I, and announcing a branch of German SPGs with open cabins]
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/4478-profile-panzerj%C3%A4ger-i-the-first-german-tank-hunter-en [Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> Panzerjäger I - The first German Tank Hunter]

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

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

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Pz.III J

2019-05-30T18:24:36Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_III_ausf_J_L42}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage Pz.IIIJ.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or '''Panzer III J''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Barrel shroud, Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 50 mm (12°) ''Front plate'' 25 mm (86°), 50 mm (52°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (23-69°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 50 mm (14-46°) ''Top'' 50 mm (10-66°) ''Bottom'' || 15 mm
|-
| Turret || 50 mm (10-25°) ''Turret front'' 50 mm (12-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (20-25°) || 30 mm (12-15°) || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 50 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 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" | 21.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 59 (AB)
|-
|53 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|465
|572
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|21.33
|26.24
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.16
|13.76
|-
|}

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

{{main|KwK 38 (50 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 38 (50 mm)|50 mm KwK 38]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 99 || -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'' || 5.24 || 7.25 || 8.80 || 9.73 || 10.35
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 3.27 || 3.85 || 4.67 || 5.17 || 5.5
|-
! 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 || 4.60 || 4.24 || 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''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APC || 74 || 73 || 59 || 45 || 34 || 26
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 118 || 117 || 84 || 56 || 37 || 25
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 132 || 130 || 94 || 63 || 42 || 28
|-
|}
{| 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 || APC || 685 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 25 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 1005 || 1.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 1050 || 0.92 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |3rd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |4th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''99''' || 75 ''(+24)'' || 50 ''(+49)'' || 25 ''(+74)'' || 1 ''(+98)'' || style="text-align:left" | Yes
|-
|}

Left side empty: 50 ''(+49)''

=== Machine guns ===

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

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

== Usage in the battles ==

Use of this tank is similar to the Pz. III F, and while it does have significantly better armour on the front than its predecessor, the higher BR of 2.3 means it faces nastier opposition in semi-frequent up-tiers to 3.3. T-34 (1940)s are almost unpenetrable from any side except flat-on below the tracks. M4A1s are similar in speed to you, have thinner sides, are spacious, have powerful guns, and stabilizers. Cromwells are much faster than you with stronger guns. You can only hope for them to get overconfident, overextend, and shoot them in the side or rear. APCR post-penetration damage is not reliable enough to be counted upon when you need it the most, plus neither PzGr.40/1 or PzGr.40 can frontally penetrate a Sherman or T-34 anyway. The gap between 2.3 and 3.3 is tremendous, and is just as crippling as that between 6.7 and 7.7, for an accurate relative comparison.

Furthermore, even in the best circumstances, the high fuse sensitivity makes many lightly-armoured things with strong guns your worst nightmare, since you'll over-penetrate repeatedly in most cases, allowing easy return fire from the person you failed to knock out, which more often than not cripples you. Enemy SPAAG, in particular, is frustrating to knock out because of your 15 mm turret ring weak spot enabling them to spray all over you to incapacitate your gunner and loader.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Accurate and decently powerful gun
* Great gun depression
* Good Mobility
* APCR ammo has very high speed and good penetration, making shooting at long range easier
* Armour is fairly decent, can protect reliably against lower-ranked tanks

'''Cons:'''

* Penetration is a bit lacking, as is post-penetration against things in up-tiers
* Awful turret traverse speed
* Flat armour with little slope, weak side armour
* Large commander's cupola, often sticking out above the terrain, drawing enemy attention
* Rather high fuse sensitivity for such a lacklustre cannon

== History ==
===Development===
The '''Panzerkampfwagen III''' medium tank or the '''Panzer III''' was developed in the 1930s. Starting in early 1934, Heinz Guderian set down some specifications for a new tank, which Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kilograms with a top speed of 35 km per hour. This tank's role was to be the main tank of the German army and was expected to destroy opposing tanks, as opposed as a tank made to destroy anti-tank guns and opposing infantrymen, which the [[Pz.IV C|Panzer IV]] took up in.

Damlier-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall produced prototypes meeting the specifications and the Damlier-Benz model was chosen after testing in 1936-1937. The Panzer III model used a leaf-spring suspension in its early models (Ausf. A - Ausf. D) before utilizing a six-wheeled torsion-bar suspension in the [[Pz.III E|Ausf. E]] and beyond. The Panzer III had a crew of five people, the commander, gunner, loader, driver, and assistant driver. The best feature of the Panzer III during its introduction that is the most overlooked was the three-man turret, which was not as common at the time. This frees the commander to be able to effectively command the tank while maintaining situational awareness rather than be burdened by the role of a loader or gunner, improving the combat effectiveness of the tank. Despite this rather advanced design, the turret did not have a turret basket for the crew. It was a proven design and production began in May 1937. The total number of Panzer IIIs tanks constructed in its production life was 5,774 units (excluding [[StuG III F|StuG III]] variant).

===Specifications===
The Panzer III started with only 15 mm of armour on all sides, this was quickly upgraded to 30 mm on the front, side, and rear on the Ausf. D, E, F, and G models. Then the Ausf. H placed an additional 30 mm of armour onto the front hull as an interim solution before the '''Panzer III Ausf. J''' gave the Panzer III a 50 mm armour thickness on the front and rear. The Panzer III Ausf. J still retained the 50 mm KwK 38 cannon from the [[Pz.III F|Ausf. F]], which provided much-needed firepower over the 37 mm KwK 36. The Panzer Ausf. J had a 300 PS Maybach HL 120 TRM engine that gave it a top speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph) with an operational range of 155 km (96 mi.).

===Combat usage===
The Panzer III Ausf. J gave the German army better armour for their Panzer III and with a better gun. However, it was still considered under-gunned to the Soviet contemporary [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks as the 50 mm KwK 38 was not powerful enough to penetrate these tanks frontally with normal ammo. This requires the use of APCR, which was in low supply. The Soviet [[T-26|T-26]] and [[BT-5|BT series]] light tanks were still easily taken care of and there were still in larger quantities than the T-34s and KVs, but T-34 production was kicking off and it won't be long before the T-34 becomes the main tank of the Red Army.

The Panzer III still needed improvements if it ever was to go up against the more modern tanks and Germany needed it to stay in service as long as possible as their new tanks are being developed. The next variant featured additional armour and a better 50 mm cannon, the 50 mm KwK 39, on the [[Pz.III J1|Panzer III Ausf. J1]]. The armour had an additional 20 mm offset armour in the front hull and turret, plus the 50 mm KwK 39 featured a longer barrel than the 50 mm KwK 38, increasing its penetration values.

=== In-game description ===
Then next modification to the Pz.Kpfw.III medium tank after Ausf. J, featuring an enhanced armament.

These tanks, which were armed with KwK38 L/42 cannons, were unable to fight successfully against Soviet T-34 and KB tanks, whose armor could withstand the impact of projectiles fired by the short-barreled cannon. The tank’s armament had to be enhanced. The new weapon selected was the long-barreled KwK39 L/60, which featured high ballistic characteristics. However, despite these enhanced characteristics, fighting Soviet tanks remained extremely difficult. Tanks with the new armament began to be released in December, 1941. A total of 1,067 tanks with the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J modification and KwK39 L/60 cannon were produced.

== Media ==
'''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the ''Panzer III Ausf.J'' from live.warthunder.com. There are plenty of category terms flying around. So looking through every one of them will be necessary.

*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pz_iii_j #pz_iii_j]
*[http://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pziii_j #pziii_j]

===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]

== 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 medium tanks}}

Pz.III F

2019-05-30T18:24:30Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_III_ausf_F}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage Pz.IIIF.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ('''Panzer III Ausf. F''') 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. Compared to the [[Pz.III E|Panzer III Ausf. E]], the Panzer III Ausf. F presents a newer [[KwK 38 (50 mm)|5 cm KwK 38]] main gun.

In the game, Ausf. F modification differs from its predeccesor - Pz.III E mostly by its new 5 cm KwK 38 L/42 gun. While it doesn't offer that much more penetration than the previous gun and has a bit longer reload, it definitely causes more damage upon successful penetration. Other than that, only the turret armour has been enhanced a bit - most of the turret front armour is now 37mm thick (was 30mm). These changes makes the tank only slightly heavier, but the effect on mobility is negligible.

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm (11°) ''Front plate'' 25 mm (85°), 30 mm (53°) ''Front glacis'' 30 mm (22-72°) ''Lower glacis'' || 30 mm || 10 mm (74°), 20 mm (33-70°) ''Top'' 20 mm (11-66°) ''Bottom'' || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 mm (14-30°) ''Turret front'' 37 + 37 mm (5-52°)''Gun mantlet'' || 30 mm (17-26°) || 30 mm (0-23°) || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* The barrel shroud around the main gun is 20 mm thick.
* Bustle racks on the rear hull sides give another 30 mm thick armour at their locations.
* Belly armour is 15 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" | 19.8 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 79 (AB)
|-
|71 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|465
|572
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|23.48
|28.89
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|13.38
|15.15
|-
|}

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

{{main|KwK 38 (50 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 38 (50 mm)|50 mm KwK 38]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 99 || -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'' || 5.24 || 7.25 || 8.80 || 9.73 || 10.35
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 3.27 || 3.85 || 4.67 || 5.17 || 5.5
|-
! 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 || 4.60 || 4.24 || 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''''' '''@ 90°'''
|-
! 10m
! 100m
! 500m
! 1000m
! 1500m
! 2000m
|-
| PzGr 39 || APC || 74 || 73 || 59 || 45 || 34 || 26
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 118 || 117 || 84 || 56 || 37 || 25
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 132 || 130 || 94 || 63 || 42 || 28
|-
|}
{| 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 || APC || 685 || 2.1 || 1.2 || 25 || 28.9 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40/1 || APCR || 1005 || 1.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| PzGr 40 || APCR || 1050 || 0.92 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
|}

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

*'''PzGr 39''' - Armour Piercing Capped shell - This is the main ammo type, use it whenever it has enough penetration to penetrate the target. It deals the most damage, because of its explosive filler. On this tank, most of the time it is not necessary to use any other type of ammo.
*'''PzGr 40/1''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - This type of ammo should be used if the gun is having trouble penetrating the opponent, or trying to hit a fast-moving tank at some distance. However, its damaging potential is much lower, because it has no explosive filler to further enhance damage after the penetration. It is also much lighter than Gr 39, so it loses penetration faster over distance. It is also notable that it does not ricochet so easily from highly sloped armour.
*'''PzGr 40''' - Armour Piercing Composite Rigid shell - this variation of APCR is even lighter, slightly faster and offers the best penetration. Use these against the occasional T-34 and Sherman tanks, which have highly sloped armour and are generally very resistant to the basic APC ammo. However, don't expect it to cause any real damage upon penetration, its even worse than that of PzGr 40/1. It basically only deals damage to modules/crew straight in its path. It is therefore almost useless to fire them at things like turret cupolas, as it will usually just fly right through them without causing any damage.

===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks_Pz.IIIF.png|right|x250px|thumbnail||[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the Panzer III F.]]
{| 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
|-
|| '''99''' || 75 ''(+24)'' || 50 ''(+49)'' || 25 ''(+74)'' || 1 ''(+98)'' || style="text-align:left" | yes
|-
|}

Turret empty: 50 ''(+49)''

=== Machine guns ===

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

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

== Usage in the battles ==

This tank should be played as second line support or area denial vehicle, due to acceptable speed and accurate, potent gun, yet sluggish turret traverse even when fully upgraded. Avoid engagements at less than 500 meters, where the armour offers more protection against low-velocity guns and the 50 mm cannon retains its penetration well. Always try to use the terrain to the Panzer III's advantage, it has a very nice gun depression so the Panzer III will have no problem with attacking over hills and various obstacles while hiding the vulnerable hull.

At 2.0 BR, this tank does not see T-34 (1940), M4A1 (US/FR), Cromwell V, AMX-13 (FL-11), and other very potent and popular 3.3 tanks. Rather its most challenging opposition will be the 3.0 Churchill Mk I, the 2.3 B1 ter, the 3.0 3-inch Gun Carrier, and the 2.7 M3 Lee/Grant I (versions for US, UK, or RU). All will demand heavy use of APCR to deal with in frontal confrontations, and all but the M3 Lee clones demand APCR for even side shots.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Accurate and decently powerful gun
* Great gun depression
* Very high APCR shell velocity (over 1,000 m/s)
* Good mobility
* Armour is fairly decent- will protect the tank against 37mm guns at range and 20mm cannon at all ranges if angled properly

'''Cons:'''

* Awful turret traverse speed
* Flat armour with little slope
* Low reverse speed

== History ==

===Development===
The '''Panzerkampfwagen III''' medium tank or the '''Panzer III''' was developed in the 1930s. Starting in early 1934, Heinz Guderian set down some specifications for a new tank, which Army Weapons Department took up to design the tank to weigh no more than 24,000 kilograms with a top speed of 35 km per hour. This tank's role was to be the main tank of the German army and was expected to destroy opposing tanks, as opposed as a tank made to destroy anti-tank guns and opposing infantrymen, which the [[Pz.IV C|Panzer IV]] took up in.

Damlier-Benz, Krupp, MAN, and Rheinmetall produced prototypes meeting the specifications and the Damlier-Benz model was chosen after testing in 1936-1937. The Panzer III model used a leaf-spring suspension in its early models (Ausf. A - Ausf. D) before utilizing a six-wheeled torsion-bar suspension in the Ausf. E and beyond. The Panzer III had a crew of five people, the commander, gunner, loader, driver, and assistant driver. The best feature of the Panzer III during its introduction that is the most overlooked was the three-man turret, which was not as common at the time. This frees the commander to be able to effectively command the tank while maintaining situational awareness rather than be burdened by the role of a loader or gunner, improving the combat effectiveness of the tank. Despite this rather advanced design, the turret did not have a turret basket for the crew. It was a proven design and production began in May 1937. The total number of Panzer IIIs tanks constructed in its production life was 5,774 units (excluding [[StuG III F|StuG III]] variant).

===Specifications===
The Panzer III Ausf. A through C had 15 mm of armour on all sides with 10 mm on top and 5 mm on the bottom. This was quickly upgraded to 30 mm on front, side, and rear on the Ausf. D, E, F, and G models. The '''Panzer III Ausf. F''' featured a 50 mm KwK 38 cannon, an upgrade over the previous 37 mm KwK 36. The Panzer Ausf. F had a 300 PS Maybach HL 120 TRM engine that gave it a top speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph) with an operational range of 155 km (96 mi.).

===Combat Usage===
The Panzer III Ausf. F was first prompted by the German army concerns of their tank-killing tank being under-gunned during the French campaign, where the appearance of the French Char B1 and British [[Matilda Mk II|Matilda]] tanks proved that their current arsenal was inadequate to counter these threats. Though it was initiated during the campaign, it was over before it could be fully implemented among the armoured forces. It wasn't until Operation Barbarossa, where the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks forced the Germans to take up better weapons for their anti-tank inventory. The solution was the 50 mm KwK 38, which helped the Panzer III be able to destroy these Soviet tanks with APCR rounds. Even though the newer Soviet tanks may put the Panzer III out of frontline duties, it still stayed as the more common Soviet [[T-26|T-26]] and [[BT-5|BT series]] light tanks were more easily destroyed by the Panzer III.

The German army continued to upgrade their Panzer III to keep them in service as long as possible. The Panzer III Ausf. H featured another 30 mm of armour applied to the original 30 mm of armour on the hull. The next significant upgrade was to the [[Pz.III J|Panzer III Ausf. J]], which featured a solid 50 mm of frontal and rear armour plating.

=== In-game description ===
"The Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F variant, produced from September 1939 to July 1940, had some minor differences from the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. E. Armored covers were installed over the air intakes used to cool the tank's steering mechanism and brakes. Also, a modified Maybach HL 120TRM engine was installed. Special angled screens were installed in front of the base of the turret to protect its rotation mechanism from being hit by a projectile and jamming. Some electrical equipment was also added, including positional lights on its edges, two lights on its tow hitches, and a Notek headlight on its left side.

Together, the Alkett, Daimler-Benz, FAMO, MAN and Henschel companies built 435 of these tanks. The experience of the Polish campaign convinced the troops of the need for tanks with more powerful weaponry than a short-barreled 37 mm gun. Therefore, in June 1940, the first 10 Ausf. F tanks were built, equipped with 50 mm 5 cm KwK38 L/42 guns, with a reworked gun mantlet and front section of the turret.
The second round of the tank's modernization was conducted from 1942 to 1943, when the vehicles received long-barreled 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 guns.

Some variant Ausf.F tanks remained in service for quite some time. One of the last of the machines, operated by the 116th Panzer Division, was destroyed in Normandy in June 1944.
Captured Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. F tanks were actively used by the Red Army. Test results from the Kubinka firing ground made a good impression on Soviet military leadership. The Soviet Union recognized this tank as the best foreign tank in its class, as far as mobility, crew safety, and ease of operation were concerned."

== Media ==
[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23Pz_iii_f '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the "Panzer III Ausf. F" from live.warthunder.com.]

===Sights===

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

== 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 medium tanks}}

Pz.IV E

2019-05-30T18:09:02Z

U8515006: /* Main armament */ Updated values for Turret rotation speed and Reload speed tables.

{{Specs-Card|code=germ_pzkpfw_IV_ausf_E}}

==Description==

[[File:GarageImage Pz.IVE.jpg|420px|thumb|left|The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' in the garage.]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' ('''Panzer IV E''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]].

In the game, compared to the previous modification [[Pz.IV C]], E modification is mostly an armour upgrade - front lower plate is now 50 mm thick, side and rear armour have been increased by 5mm. Plus, the front and side armour have additional armour plates installed on them. Commander's cupola got thicker as well. Gun remains the same, short 7.5cm KwK 37 L/24. Another notable thing is the availability of a new improved Hl.Gr.38C HEAT ammunition, with higher armour penetration.

Mobility got improved as well - top speed has been raised from 35 kph to 43 kph. Reverse speed has been slightly raised too (from about 6 kph to 8 kph).

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

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 + 30 mm (11°) ''Front plate'' 20 mm (72°) ''Front glacis'' 50 mm (14°) ''Bottom glacis'' || 20 + 20 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 30 mm ''Turret front'' 35 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 20 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 30 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Upper front armour (30 mm) is enhanced by added 30 mm plate, making it 60 mm thick total, with small areas with only 30 mm.
* Side armour is also enhanced by added armour plates as well, 40 mm thick total.
* Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
* Hull underside right above tracks is only 10 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" | 21.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 48 (AB)
|-
|43 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|465
|572
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|265
|300
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|22.14
|27.24
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|12.62
|14.28
|-
|}

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

{{main|KwK 37 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 37 (75 mm)|75 mm KwK 37]]
|-
! colspan="3" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="3" | 80 || -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.
|-
| 4.29 || 3.79 || 3.49 || 3.3
|-
|}

===== 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
|-
| K.Gr.rot Pz. || APCBC || 56 || 54 || 50 || 46 || 42 || 38
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38B || HEAT || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80 || 80
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38C || HEAT || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
| 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%
|-
| K.Gr.rot Pz. || APCBC || 385 || 6.8 || 1.3 || 15.0 || 80 || +4° || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38B || HEAT || 450 || 4.6 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 872.1 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Hl.Gr. 38C || HEAT || 450 || 4.8 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 875.5 || +0° || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr. 34 || HE || 420 || 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]] =====
{| 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" |9th rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''80''' || 72 ''(+8)'' || 63 ''(+17)'' || 54 ''(+26)'' || 45 ''(+35)'' || 36 ''(+44)'' || 27 ''(+53)'' || 18 ''(+62)'' || 9 ''(+71)'' || 1 ''(+79)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
|-
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
|-
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
|-
| colspan="4" | 2,700 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in the battles ==

The gun is very powerful, with a great rate of fire, and with HEAT shells, can one-shot most of its opponents. While being able to penetrate most of your opponent's frontal armour, you are a lot more effective when the enemy doesn't see you as your armour is not the greatest. Pz.IV E is often capable of annihilating an enemy vehicle with a single AP shell, regardless of the angle of the enemy's armour. It has a fair amount of armour as well, however, due to the lack of an actual slope it may seem considerably more fragile than some Soviet vehicles when facing AP shells.

Against most threats, it is often wiser to close in with the enemy vehicle, to make targeting the weakest areas possible, increasing the chance of successful penetration. When engaging vehicles at close range, it is, for example, a good idea to count on the slower turret speed of the Soviet machines, allowing the player to circle around them with ease and deliver devastating shots. Bear in mind that while this tank can easily obliterate any vehicle at its own BR, against higher rank enemies the relatively poor penetration of the gun and very slow shell travel speed can become a problem. However, take note that your standard AP round can still penetrate most tanks you face at BR 2.0 but take HEAT rounds for the more heavily armoured tanks (Such as the Valentine and Matilda II). An advisable approach to play the Pz.Kpfw Ausf. E is to attack the enemy's flanks and avoid direct encounters with enemy vehicles.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Powerful gun
* Gun is devastating to lightly armoured vehicles
* Excellent gun depression
* Access to improved HlGr 38C HEAT ammo, which has enhanced penetration and can hull break most lighter enemies
* Good mobility
* Has access to smoke shells

'''Cons:'''

* Poor turret armour
* The starting shells lack penetration
* Gun lacks penetration at longer ranges
* Low-velocity gun
* Commander's cupola is huge and easy to hit

== History ==

===Development===
The '''Pz.Kpfw. IV's''' creation, like its predecessor the [[Pz.III E|Pz.Kpfw. III]], was devised by Heinz Guderian, where 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 centre line 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. E===
After the Battle of Poland and France, the deficiencies of the [[Pz.IV C|Panzer IV Ausf. C]] saw it being upgraded on October 1940 to the '''Panzer IV Ausf. E'''. Still retaining the KwK 37 L/24 75 mm howitzer gun, but with an upgrade to 50 mm thick, with the original 20 mm glacis plus a 30 mm steel plate bolted onto the glacis as improvised protection. The commander cupola was moved slightly forward to accommodate the new storage bin on the back of the turrets from that model on.

Despite that, the Ausf. E was soon taken over by a new variant in production in April 1941, the [[Pz.IV F1|Panzer IV Ausf. F]]. Though, the Ausf. E saw service alongside it in Operation Barbarossa, but was soon found to be terribly outgunned by the appearance of the Soviet [[T-34 (1941)|T-34]] and [[KV-1 (L-11)|KV-1]] tanks. It was replaced from front-line service with the Ausf. F variant.

=== In-game description ===
A modification of the Pz.Kpfw IV medium tank that took into account all the flaws that had previously come to light. The armor plating was enhanced, the front of the body was now covered by additional 30 mm plates, and the sides — by 20 mm plates. The tank now weighed 21 tons. A new model of tracks was also used that had a width of 400 mm rather than the old 360 mm tracks.
The tanks of this series were released between September, 1940 and April, 1941. 223 tanks were produced.

== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
===Skins and camouflages===
Links for [[Custom_skins|custom camouflages]]:

*[http://live.warthunder.com/?q=%23pziv_e Link to all "Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf. E"]

====Top six downloaded skins from live.warthunder.com====

* [http://live.warthunder.com/post/141375/ Pzkpfw. IV Ausf. E "61" 20. Pz.Div. [Russia 1941]]

===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]

== 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 medium tanks}}