War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

M46

2021-05-02T18:36:48Z

U91137961: /* Ammo racks */

{{Specs-Card
|code=us_m46_patton
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was one of the first American tanks to be released with the American ground tree in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]]. As an upgraded version of the [[M26|M26 Pershing]], it features many similarities to its predecessors but is improved with a better gun and engine for increased firepower and mobility.

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

'''Armour type:'''

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

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 101.6 mm (42-46°) ''Front Glacis'' 162.5 mm (25-60°) ''Upper front glacis'' 76.2 mm (26-53°) ''Lower Glacis'' || 76.2 mm ''Front'' 50.8 mm (0-9°) ''Rear'' || 50.8 mm ''Top'' 22.2 mm (65°) ''Bottom'' || 22.2 mm
|-
| Turret || 101.6 mm (1-55°) ''Turret front'' 114.3 mm (1-84°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 76.2 mm (3-54°) || 76.2 mm (0-79°) || 25.4 mm
|-
! Armour !! Sides !! Roof
|-
| Cupola || 76.2 mm || 25.4 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
* Belly armour is 25.4 mm thick.

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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,255|rbMinHp=716|AoAweight=0.2}}

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

Get ''Parts'' and ''FPE'' like the usual routine to increase the tank's survivability. After that, work towards the APCR and ''especially'' the HEATFS round at the Rank III and IV modifications to boost your firepower against the enemy at the battle rating.

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

{{main|M3A1 (90 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M3A1 (90 mm)|90 mm M3A1]] || 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" | 70 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 24.3 || 33.6 || 40.8 || 45.1 || 48.0 || rowspan="2" | 9.7 || rowspan="2" | 8.6 || rowspan="2" | 7.9 || rowspan="2" | 7.5
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 15.2 || 17.9 || 21.7 || 24.0 || 25.5
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| M318 shot || APBC || 175 || 173 || 161 || 147 || 135 || 123
|-
| M82 shot || APCBC || 185 || 182 || 170 || 155 || 142 || 130
|-
| M304 shot || APCR || 287 || 281 || 259 || 234 || 211 || 191
|-
| M332 shot || APCR || 291 || 286 || 264 || 240 || 217 || 197
|-
| M348 shell || HEATFS || 305 || 305 || 305 || 305 || 305 || 305
|-
| M71 shell || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| M318 shot || APBC || 853 || 10.98 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 47° || 60° || 65°
|-
| M82 shot || APCBC || 853 || 10.94 || 1.2 || 14 || 137.2 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| M304 shot || APCR || 1,021 || 7.62 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| M332 shot || APCR || 1,165 || 5.7 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| M348 shell || HEATFS || 853 || 6.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 926.17 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| M71 shell || HE || 823 || 10.55 || 0 || 0.1 || 925 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="7" | Smoke shell characteristics
|-
! Ammunition
! Velocity (m/s)
! Projectile Mass (kg)
! Screen radius (m)
! Screen deploy time (s)
! Screen hold time (s)
! Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
|-
| M313 || 821 || 10.7 || 13 || 5 || 20 || 50
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_M46Patton.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 2nd rack empty
! 1st rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''70''' || 9 ''(+61)'' || 1 ''(+69)'' || No
|-
|}
Notes:

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

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,000 (200) || 577 || -10°/+50° || ±120°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,900 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The tank plays almost like the M26 Pershing, it's relatively fast for its size yet has a very powerful gun. In comparison, the M46 Patton features improved manoeuvrability with increased acceleration, it also has a better gun to combat the foes it will face at its rank. Due to this, the M46 Patton can fit into multiple roles like the Pershing as an offensive or supporting unit. Attack and flank enemy units with the cooperation of allied units to get their more vulnerable sides.

At this rank, the more heavy duty vehicles appears such as the [[IS-3]], [[Tiger II (10.5 cm Kw.K)|10.5cm Tiger II]], [[T32|T32]], and the [[Maus|Maus]]. These tanks are a menace to not just you, but possibly your entire team. Taking these tanks out in the M46 Patton require close cooperation with other allies in order to get around and hit them in their side armour. More powerful ammunition unlocked in later modifications may improve your attempts at destroying these beasts.

'''Arcade Battles'''

The M46 plays like a light tank in Arcade, because it can reach speeds over 50 km/h in perfect conditions. Furthermore, it's very agile - turning on the spot and maneuvering in close quarters is extremely easy. Altogether, this tank is a pleasure to play in cities in Arcade, because you can escape stand-offs and flank the enemy tank, or you may decide to bait a shot by showing your side, then instantly reversing, or you might want to just leave the encounter altogether and help out a teammate who is relatively nearby. Oh, and your agility can also help you bounce shots - just move your hull and turret around slightly if you think you will get shot.

However, the agility of the tank comes at a cost - the armour is non-existent. At 7.0 Battle Rating all tanks can penetrate you anywhere. Luckily, though, this tank usually gets down-tiered to 6.7, although 7.7 is also frequent. Overall - try not to get shot, because you're likely to be very crippled, or dead, in one-shot. If you survive, however, there's a high chance that you can either shoot back, or use your mobility to get into cover, or just run away.

Lastly, in Arcade, your gun is very effective. Use HEAT-FS rounds and the markers to try to hit as many different enemies as possible - don't try to finish them off, just go for assists. Your round is almost guaranteed to penetrate wherever you hit, and if you don't hit ammunition and one-shot a tank, you are likely to take out a crew member or two, some vital component (e.g. the gun, the transmission, the engine etc.), making it very easy for your teammates to clean-up. It is unfortunate, however, that you don't get a stabilizer, so caution has to be taken when peeking corners or driving around flanks.

''Very importantly'', however, you ''must'' always move around the map. In Arcade, enemies often try to focus on a single tank that is slow, or not moving, and if you can move around the map - many enemies will forget about you, or think that their teammates will cover them. Just move around, and try not to get shot!

'''Realistic Battles'''

The M46 is not as effective in Realistic, due to much slower and focused gameplay, in the sense that a spotted vehicle is often a dead vehicle. The lack of armour doesn't help you here, either, because players take longer to aim at you, reducing any chances of lucky ricochets, and most rounds will be able to penetrate the anywhere.

If you can't rely on armour, mobility comes into question, and in Realistic it is dampened. Here, the behaves much more like a general medium tank, like the Centurion or the T-34. You are mobile, and quick, but you won't be able to run away from encounters, or flank an enemy in seconds (like you can do in Arcade). Therefore, you should play much more carefully, and avoid being seen at all, which can be easily accomplished because you can still maneuver rather easily in close quarters.

In terms of gunpower, it's still very reliable, penetration-wise. However, in Realistic it is advised to take your time to learn enemy vehicles and their ammo racks, because you would want to one-shot most of your enemies (if you don't, it's harder to escape from return shots). Hence why it's advised to flank your enemies and take your time, instead of running around the map like one might do in Arcade. Luckily, HEAT-FS does tend to explode ammo racks.

In general, in Realistic, just play calm and try to create a false sense of security for the enemies. Instead of tackling someone head-on, you should retreat and let them move into your ambush, because you don't have a stabilizer, nor armour.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Powerful 90 mm main cannon, especially with HEATFS rounds
* Great overall mobility
* Low profile
* Neutral steering
* Rear mounted transmission
* Excellent gun depression of -10 degrees
* The additional armour (fence around turret) can fend off some HEAT and HESH shells, and even ATGMs

'''Cons:'''

* Turret ring is prone to breaking
* Elevation gear is slow
* Armour can easily be pierced by other tanks at its rank
* Struggles to penetrate many opponents from the front without HEATFS
* Tendency to oversteer at high speeds in arcade battles due to high hp/ton ratio

== History ==

===Development===
The '''M46 Patton''' came about around the time of the Korean War. Before that, the US Army armoured units consisted of two tanks, the venerable [[M4A3 (76) W|M4 Shermans]] and the newer [[M26|M26 Pershings]]. Of the two, the Pershing was originally classified as a heavy tank as it weighed 41.7 tons compared to Sherman's 30-ton weight, but a reorganization had the M26 Pershing classified a medium tank after World War II. It proved unsuitable for the role as its mobility was unsatisfactory for that role, using the same Sherman engine, plus an unreliable transmission, to propel a vehicle ten tons heavier.

Work began in January 1948 to upgrade the Pershing's mobility with a new engine and transmission. The project was initially designated the ''M26E2'', but as newer upgrades and more modifications are installed onto the tank, it began to feel more like a completely new design rather than a Pershing upgrade, so it was decided to give the model a completely new designation. The end result was the Pershing tank mounting the mentioned upgrades, plus a new power plant and gun with a bore evacuator to expunge propellant fumes. This model was designated the '''M46 Patton''', named after General George S. Patton, the commander of the US Third Army and played a role in the establishment of American tank forces. The rebuilding of the tanks began in November 1949 and had 1,160 Pershings rebuilt into M46s, 800 to the standard variant and 360 to the ''M46A1'', which had better brakes, a cooling and fire protection system, a new engine and transmission, and better electrical equipment.

===Combat usage===
The M46 saw combat only during the Korean War. The first batch arrived on August 8, 1950, to the 6th Tank Battalion and proved superior to the North Korean and Chinese [[T-34-85]]s. About 200 M46 Pattons arrive in Korea by the end of 1950, making up 15% of the American armoured strength, though the majority was still the M4 Shermans. By 1951, all M26 Pershings in Korea were withdrawn and replaced by the M46 Pattons, and eventually, the units with Shermans were also re-equipped with the newer tanks as well. When the armistice was finally made, ending the conflict in the Korean Peninsula, the M46 Pattons were withdrawn back to the state.

By the later parts of the 1950s, the M46 Pattons in American service still were being replaced by the newer [[M47|M47 Pattons]] and those still in the inventory were leased for no cost to Belgium, France, and Italy for training purposes, sending American instructors to train the European crews and maintenance personnel.

=== In-game description ===
The M26, which appeared close to the end of World War II, was an excellent tank. However, power-to-weight ratio, maneuverability, and range were lacking. A special new 12-cylinder, air-cooled engine developed by Continental Motors to take care of the maneuverability issue reached 29,361 cm³, and at 2,800 rpm its 704 hp outstripped the M26's 500 hp. The 6.5-fold compression, which was large for the time, required 80 octane fuel, and the air-cooling system often overheated the engine. Giving the tank a new power plant required a replacement roof for the compartment housing the engine and transmission, resulting in the use of a single grating.

The new automatic CD-850 gearbox and steering mechanism were operated using a single lever that served both as a gearshift and steering wheel. The M46's running gear gained another small roller to keep constant tension on the tracks and prevent them from slipping between the leading wheels and rear road wheels. In addition, the front suspension points were given second shock absorbers. The tank was built for low temperatures and had water-crossing special equipment. As a result, it was heavier, though it did not suffer from reduced speed thanks to its upgraded power plant.

In 1948 the modernized tank was accepted as the M46 Patton and mass produced from 1949 through 1951. A total of 1,168 units spread across two modifications were built.

The M46 medium tank was used by US forces during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 and also served as part of the American forces in Europe.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23m46 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|p6cWlyUnJQA|'''Top 7 off-road beasts''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 0:55 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|Xwid3UCLr5U|'''The Patton Family''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 0:29 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


* [[M46 "Tiger"]] - Premium version

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/3154/current/|[Vehicle Profile] M46 Patton]]
* [http://www.massimocorner.com/afv/Surviving_M46_Pattons.pdf Surviving M46 Pattons] (PDF)

{{USA medium tanks}}

E.B.R. (1954)

2021-02-19T16:55:10Z

U91137961: /* Ammo racks */

{{Relevance|br}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_panhard_ebr_1954
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium gift rank {{Specs|rank}} French light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Hot Tracks"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6981-special-operation-w-i-n-t-e-r-en|2020 Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.]] event.

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

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

'''Armour type:''' 


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

'''Notes:''' 


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


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=310|rbMinHp=177}}

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

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

{{main|SA50 L/57 (75 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[SA50 L/57 (75 mm)|75 mm SA50 L/57]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 36 || rowspan="2" | -6°/+10° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 28.6 || 39.5 || 48.0 || 53.1 || 56.5 || rowspan="2" | 5.00 || rowspan="2" | 5.00 || rowspan="2" | 5.00 || rowspan="2" | 5.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| POT-51A || APC || 182 || 178 || 162 || 143 || 127 || 113
|-
| 75 mm HE || HE || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10 || 10
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| POT-51A || APC || 1,000 || 6.4 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| 75 mm HE || HE || 753 || 6.2 || 0 || 0.1 || 675 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''36''' || ''25 (+13)'' || ''13 (+25)'' || ''7 (+29)'' || 1 ''(+35)'' || No
|-
|}

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

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MAC 31 (7.5 mm)|7.5 mm MAC 31]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 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:'''

* Fast, it can reach 105 km/h in RB and deals relatively well with off-road terrain, even in reverse.
* The main gun reloads in 5 seconds even with 2 active crew members and the autoloader has a capacity of 12 rounds.
* The shells have a very high muzzle velocity (1,000 m/s for APC) and, despite the lack of explosive filler, deal a lot of damage.
* Both the front and back wheels steer, resulting in a pretty small turning radius.
* The hull armour, in the front (and back), is enough to stop .50 cal AP fire, as well as 14.5 mm AP-I(c) from 200 meters or more; the turret front may be even able to stop some autocannon fire.
* As this vehicle is an armoured car, scouting is available.
* APC shell with a very high penetration of 182 mm at 10 m, able to easily penetrate most vehicles that are faced.

'''Cons:'''

* Due to its shape, a penetration in the front (or back) by any actual tank cannon will mean losing the vehicle.
* The 7° gun depression is far from optimal for players that want to shoot from an hull down position.
* The massive radio antennas will make you visible even when the rest of the vehicle is hidden behind a hill or small building.
* Very easy to spot and recognize from the side due to its size and shape; in addition, the side armour (15 mm) won't really stop anything more than small calibre machine gun fire.
* The roof of the turret, right above the crew and autoloader drums, is 10 mm thick, making it vulnerable to airborne attacks.
* May have some difficulty climbing hills without a running start.
* Very slow when moving in mud.
* High risk of ammunition explosion if the turret is penetrated, thanks to the large first-stage ammo rack behind the cannon.
* Very slow acceleration (compared to other wheeled vehicles with similar HP/ton) and very poor crossing capabilities.
* Not very mobile off-road, indeed, bar dirt tracks and concrete roads, you'll travel at around 35 km/h most of the time which is pretty low compared to other wheeled vehicles and some tracked vehicles such as [[T-34-57]] and [[M18 GMC]] that will have no difficulty outrunning you in a straight line, especially from a standing start. This is partially recovered by the fact that, being a wheeled vehicle, the EBR does not lose much speed in turns.

== History ==

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

=== [[wt:en/news/7000-development-e-b-r-1954-en|Devblog]] ===
Before the outbreak of World War II, Panhard created a prototype of an 8x8 army wheeled all-terrain vehicle, with the first and last swivel wheel pairs having rubber tires, the middle pairs were metal and not swivel. The army placed an order for the production of 600 of these vehicles, but the outbreak of the war and the occupation of France did not allow the vehicle to be put into production. They returned to an interesting project after the war - the wheelbase received an oscillating turret with a 75 mm gun, which turned the all-terrain vehicle into a light wheeled tank. Later, the base of this vehicle became the basis for several curious army vehicles. It is interesting that it was the Panhard all-terrain vehicle that served as a carriage for the farewell ceremony for the President of the Fifth Republic, General Charles de Gaulle.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=france&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=light_tank&vehicle=fr_panhard_ebr_1954 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed" caption="E.B.R. (1954) Devblog images" heights="150">
File:E.B.R. WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:E.B.R. WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:E.B.R. WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:E.B.R. WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|DTL8x599AeU|'''The Five Star EBR: Panhard EBR Full Review''' - ''Sako Sniper''|JEsBDVWqltA|'''Speedy French Bias Ft. Ash007 - E.B.R''' - ''JustinPlaysYT''}}

== See also ==


;Vehicles equipped with the same gun

* [[AMX-13 (Family)]]
* [[M4A1 (FL10)]]
* [[M4A4 (SA50)]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7000-development-e-b-r-1954-en|[Devblog] E.B.R. (1954)]]
* [[wikipedia:Panhard_EBR|[Wikipedia] Panhard EBR]]
* [https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/France/Panhard_EBR.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Panhard EBR]

{{France light tanks}}
{{France premium ground vehicles}}

Class 3 (P)

2021-01-14T09:22:04Z

U91137961: /* Ammo racks */

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_th_800_bismark
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Hot Tracks"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6981-special-operation-w-i-n-t-e-r-en|2020 Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.]] event.

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

[[File:Class 3 inner spall shields.png|thumb|350x350px|As seen here, the frontal plate has double spall shields divided by a 200 mm air spacing.]]
[[File:Class 3 inner turrer spall shields.png|thumb|As seen here, the turret mantlet, front and sides all have double spall shields separated by an 80 mm air spacing]]
Due to the massive size of the Class 3, it is able to withstand high calibre ammunitions due to the poor armour as it will not create enough spalling when penetrated. The crew spacing as well as the interior spacing makes it one of the hardest wheeled vehicles to destroy in the game with only kinetic energy (KE) penetrators (APDS, APFSDS, etc etc). Centre of mass shots from the front with KE shells will often take the driver and set the engine on fire, but due to the turret crew being elevated, they are most likely to survive, meaning the turret is operational ready to engage any enemy threats. Chemical energy (CE) penetrators are a tricky topic when it comes to the frontal armour. Depending on the ammunition used an the impact angle, the Class 3 will be able to withstand the impact or not. CE rounds are most likely to penetrate and be partially or fully stopped thanks to the inner spall shields at a perpendicular angle but will knock out the driver and disable or damage engine as well as igniting the ammo rack. This changes when ATGMs take a play in engagements, they will often create much more spalling than tank-fired HEAT rounds as the calibre is higher (meaning a greater explosive mass) and will cause hullbreak if hit from the sides or if the ATGM spall goes all the way from the front to the back while penetrating the sides. For this same reason it is recommended to only carry ~24-26 rounds in the vehicle as it will empty most of the hull ammo racks but still keep the ready racks full in the turret. The armour is not to be relied on unless there are specific enemies (T-54's for example) as most of them will always penetrate your hull. The Class 3 is immune to autocannon fire from the front and hull upper half sides and turret sides due to the spaced armour. This is an advantage compared to the rest of wheeled light armoured vehicles in which 20 mm and 30 mm autocannons often penetrate and knock out crew and inner components.

Having spall shields bring multiple benefits against both CE and KE.

''Against KE:''

The air gap between plates not only reduces and scatters the shrapnel in a flatter surface so that the penetrating remains are less but they also reduce the speed and penetration of small calibre fire (below 40 mm), meaning they will not penetrate the second plate (below 30 mm) or will reduce the amount of shrapnel generated (above 30 mm). They also prematurely detonate APCBC shells and reduce the shrapnel generated. Due to this, all APCBC and APHE fuses will be activated which can be lethal in calibres higher than 76 mm even with the spall shields depending on where the round hits at.

''Against CE:''

Any part of the vehicle is susceptible to hull break if hit in the correct way, but often players will fire at centre of mass in which hull break is almost nullified. When a round is fired at the centre of mass frontally, the double plate armour will not only reduce the shrapnel but it is able to fully stop it, specially if said threat has a relative low explosive mass despite the armour penetration (PG-9 for example found on the [[BMP-1 (Family)|BMP-1]]). When fired at the turret it may vary as it totally depends on the firing angle. A perpendicular hit to the turret will be lethal but an angled hit will often deviate the shrapnel which may damage or destroy modules but will keep the vehicle operational. Due to its huge height, the enemies that fire at turret will have a more angled hit, meaning that most of the shrapnel will be launched towards the roof and not to the crew compartment, this can take one or two crew members depending on the hit.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* High hardness rolled armour

'''''Super structure armour'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm glacis (76°)
29 mm lower frontal plate (20°)
| 20 mm ''Top'' 20 mm ''Bottom'' || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 38 mm ''Turret front'' 80 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 16 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}

'''''Inner spall shields'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm air
38 mm second lower frontal plate (20°)
| 10 mm air
30 mm upper half plate
| 5 mm
|-
| Turret || 84 mm turret front first plate
80 mm air 38 mm turret front second plate 80 mm ''Gun mantlet''
| 30 mm turret side first plate
120 mm air 16 mm turret side second plate
| N/A
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension is 10 mm thick
* Wheels are 10 mm thick

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

Despite the tremendous size and mass, the Class 3 is almost as fast as the [[Radkampfwagen 90|Radkampfwagen]]. The 8 wheels give it an almost perfect cross-country capability with exception of mud, snow and deep sand. Acceleration wise, it takes time to make the Class 3 move if on a non urban environment or at an angle due to the mass. It has traction on the 8 wheels, meaning it is able to move even if only a pairs of wheels are touching the ground. As expected, due to the length, the turn radius is huge and it requires a big surface to be abe to make a 180° turn. Besides the length and height, the Class 3 is tremendously fast for a vehicle its size, specially if it is on urban environment. It is able to reach speeds of 80 km/h even on dirt. This not only makes the Class 3 a fearful tough to crack behemoth but also a flanking and "Hit N' Run" behemoth. Thanks to the stabilizer, the Class 3 is able to fire at enemy targets while on top speed, this requires practice but a handled commander will be able to achieve so.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,116|rbMinHp=695}}

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
The Class 3 has a GT-3 105mm rifled bore main gun, it shares the same ballistics as the L7A3 the [[Leopard 1 (Family)|Leopard]] family share with the exact same ammunition. Thus, there should be no hard enough threat to kill, specially if DM33 is being used with its potent 408mm of penetration.

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

{{main|GT-3 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[GT-3 (105 mm)|105 mm GT-3]] || 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" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 337 || 335 || 330 || 322 || 314 || 306
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 408 || 405 || 398 || 389 || 379 || 370
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 48 ''(+6)'' || 32 ''(+22)'' || 16 ''(+38)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || No
|-
|}

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

{{main|Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Browning MG4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (250) || 500 || -8°/+20° || ±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 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:'''

* Great top speed and good acceleration
* Lots of empty space, difficult to one shot without ammo racking
* Good gun, can deal with most enemies easily
* Turret is frontally immune to auto cannons
* The length of the vehicle makes small apds shrapnel despawn while travelling through the vehicle

'''Cons:'''

* Absolutely gigantic, size is on par with the Maus
* Prone to hull-breaking
* Because of its size it may have difficult traversing certain areas of maps, especially urban maps with lots of tight corners
* Very weak armour for its battle rating, won't stop anything other than heavy machine guns and autocannons

== History ==

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

=== [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|Devblog]] ===
Class 3 was the third and heaviest wheeled combat vehicle prototype to compete for the South African Army. When developing a heavy version of a wheeled tank, the designers were not limited by limits of weight or dimensions, therefore, in terms of weight, firepower and level of security, the Class 3 is a true wheeled tank. The competition commission opted for a lighter prototype, which later became the Rooikat 76 tank destroyer. The Class 3 prototype was exhibited at the Bloemfontein War Museum with a different turret.

== Media ==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Class 3 (P) Devblog Images" heights="150">
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[Rooikat 105]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|[Devblog] Class 3]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Class 3 (P)

2021-01-14T09:21:35Z

U91137961: /* Pros and cons */

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_th_800_bismark
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Hot Tracks"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6981-special-operation-w-i-n-t-e-r-en|2020 Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.]] event.

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

[[File:Class 3 inner spall shields.png|thumb|350x350px|As seen here, the frontal plate has double spall shields divided by a 200 mm air spacing.]]
[[File:Class 3 inner turrer spall shields.png|thumb|As seen here, the turret mantlet, front and sides all have double spall shields separated by an 80 mm air spacing]]
Due to the massive size of the Class 3, it is able to withstand high calibre ammunitions due to the poor armour as it will not create enough spalling when penetrated. The crew spacing as well as the interior spacing makes it one of the hardest wheeled vehicles to destroy in the game with only kinetic energy (KE) penetrators (APDS, APFSDS, etc etc). Centre of mass shots from the front with KE shells will often take the driver and set the engine on fire, but due to the turret crew being elevated, they are most likely to survive, meaning the turret is operational ready to engage any enemy threats. Chemical energy (CE) penetrators are a tricky topic when it comes to the frontal armour. Depending on the ammunition used an the impact angle, the Class 3 will be able to withstand the impact or not. CE rounds are most likely to penetrate and be partially or fully stopped thanks to the inner spall shields at a perpendicular angle but will knock out the driver and disable or damage engine as well as igniting the ammo rack. This changes when ATGMs take a play in engagements, they will often create much more spalling than tank-fired HEAT rounds as the calibre is higher (meaning a greater explosive mass) and will cause hullbreak if hit from the sides or if the ATGM spall goes all the way from the front to the back while penetrating the sides. For this same reason it is recommended to only carry ~24-26 rounds in the vehicle as it will empty most of the hull ammo racks but still keep the ready racks full in the turret. The armour is not to be relied on unless there are specific enemies (T-54's for example) as most of them will always penetrate your hull. The Class 3 is immune to autocannon fire from the front and hull upper half sides and turret sides due to the spaced armour. This is an advantage compared to the rest of wheeled light armoured vehicles in which 20 mm and 30 mm autocannons often penetrate and knock out crew and inner components.

Having spall shields bring multiple benefits against both CE and KE.

''Against KE:''

The air gap between plates not only reduces and scatters the shrapnel in a flatter surface so that the penetrating remains are less but they also reduce the speed and penetration of small calibre fire (below 40 mm), meaning they will not penetrate the second plate (below 30 mm) or will reduce the amount of shrapnel generated (above 30 mm). They also prematurely detonate APCBC shells and reduce the shrapnel generated. Due to this, all APCBC and APHE fuses will be activated which can be lethal in calibres higher than 76 mm even with the spall shields depending on where the round hits at.

''Against CE:''

Any part of the vehicle is susceptible to hull break if hit in the correct way, but often players will fire at centre of mass in which hull break is almost nullified. When a round is fired at the centre of mass frontally, the double plate armour will not only reduce the shrapnel but it is able to fully stop it, specially if said threat has a relative low explosive mass despite the armour penetration (PG-9 for example found on the [[BMP-1 (Family)|BMP-1]]). When fired at the turret it may vary as it totally depends on the firing angle. A perpendicular hit to the turret will be lethal but an angled hit will often deviate the shrapnel which may damage or destroy modules but will keep the vehicle operational. Due to its huge height, the enemies that fire at turret will have a more angled hit, meaning that most of the shrapnel will be launched towards the roof and not to the crew compartment, this can take one or two crew members depending on the hit.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* High hardness rolled armour

'''''Super structure armour'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm glacis (76°)
29 mm lower frontal plate (20°)
| 20 mm ''Top'' 20 mm ''Bottom'' || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 38 mm ''Turret front'' 80 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 16 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}

'''''Inner spall shields'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm air
38 mm second lower frontal plate (20°)
| 10 mm air
30 mm upper half plate
| 5 mm
|-
| Turret || 84 mm turret front first plate
80 mm air 38 mm turret front second plate 80 mm ''Gun mantlet''
| 30 mm turret side first plate
120 mm air 16 mm turret side second plate
| N/A
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension is 10 mm thick
* Wheels are 10 mm thick

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

Despite the tremendous size and mass, the Class 3 is almost as fast as the [[Radkampfwagen 90|Radkampfwagen]]. The 8 wheels give it an almost perfect cross-country capability with exception of mud, snow and deep sand. Acceleration wise, it takes time to make the Class 3 move if on a non urban environment or at an angle due to the mass. It has traction on the 8 wheels, meaning it is able to move even if only a pairs of wheels are touching the ground. As expected, due to the length, the turn radius is huge and it requires a big surface to be abe to make a 180° turn. Besides the length and height, the Class 3 is tremendously fast for a vehicle its size, specially if it is on urban environment. It is able to reach speeds of 80 km/h even on dirt. This not only makes the Class 3 a fearful tough to crack behemoth but also a flanking and "Hit N' Run" behemoth. Thanks to the stabilizer, the Class 3 is able to fire at enemy targets while on top speed, this requires practice but a handled commander will be able to achieve so.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,116|rbMinHp=695}}

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
The Class 3 has a GT-3 105mm rifled bore main gun, it shares the same ballistics as the L7A3 the [[Leopard 1 (Family)|Leopard]] family share with the exact same ammunition. Thus, there should be no hard enough threat to kill, specially if DM33 is being used with its potent 408mm of penetration.

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

{{main|GT-3 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[GT-3 (105 mm)|105 mm GT-3]] || 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" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 337 || 335 || 330 || 322 || 314 || 306
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 408 || 405 || 398 || 389 || 379 || 370
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 48 ''(+6)'' || 32 ''(+22)'' || 16 ''(+38)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || __
|-
|}

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

{{main|Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Browning MG4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (250) || 500 || -8°/+20° || ±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 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:'''

* Great top speed and good acceleration
* Lots of empty space, difficult to one shot without ammo racking
* Good gun, can deal with most enemies easily
* Turret is frontally immune to auto cannons
* The length of the vehicle makes small apds shrapnel despawn while travelling through the vehicle

'''Cons:'''

* Absolutely gigantic, size is on par with the Maus
* Prone to hull-breaking
* Because of its size it may have difficult traversing certain areas of maps, especially urban maps with lots of tight corners
* Very weak armour for its battle rating, won't stop anything other than heavy machine guns and autocannons

== History ==

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

=== [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|Devblog]] ===
Class 3 was the third and heaviest wheeled combat vehicle prototype to compete for the South African Army. When developing a heavy version of a wheeled tank, the designers were not limited by limits of weight or dimensions, therefore, in terms of weight, firepower and level of security, the Class 3 is a true wheeled tank. The competition commission opted for a lighter prototype, which later became the Rooikat 76 tank destroyer. The Class 3 prototype was exhibited at the Bloemfontein War Museum with a different turret.

== Media ==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Class 3 (P) Devblog Images" heights="150">
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[Rooikat 105]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|[Devblog] Class 3]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Class 3 (P)

2021-01-13T15:41:55Z

U91137961: /* Ammo racks */

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_th_800_bismark
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Hot Tracks"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6981-special-operation-w-i-n-t-e-r-en|2020 Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.]] event.

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

[[File:Class 3 inner spall shields.png|thumb|350x350px|As seen here, the frontal plate has double spall shields divided by a 200 mm air spacing.]]
[[File:Class 3 inner turrer spall shields.png|thumb|As seen here, the turret mantlet, front and sides all have double spall shields separated by an 80 mm air spacing]]
Due to the massive size of the Class 3, it is able to withstand high calibre ammunitions due to the poor armour as it will not create enough spalling when penetrated. The crew spacing as well as the interior spacing makes it one of the hardest wheeled vehicles to destroy in the game with only kinetic energy (KE) penetrators (APDS, APFSDS, etc etc). Centre of mass shots from the front with KE shells will often take the driver and set the engine on fire, but due to the turret crew being elevated, they are most likely to survive, meaning the turret is operational ready to engage any enemy threats. Chemical energy (CE) penetrators are a tricky topic when it comes to the frontal armour. Depending on the ammunition used an the impact angle, the Class 3 will be able to withstand the impact or not. CE rounds are most likely to penetrate and be partially or fully stopped thanks to the inner spall shields at a perpendicular angle but will knock out the driver and disable or damage engine as well as igniting the ammo rack. This changes when ATGMs take a play in engagements, they will often create much more spalling than tank-fired HEAT rounds as the calibre is higher (meaning a greater explosive mass) and will cause hullbreak if hit from the sides or if the ATGM spall goes all the way from the front to the back while penetrating the sides. For this same reason it is recommended to only carry ~24-26 rounds in the vehicle as it will empty most of the hull ammo racks but still keep the ready racks full in the turret. The armour is not to be relied on unless there are specific enemies (T-54's for example) as most of them will always penetrate your hull. The Class 3 is immune to autocannon fire from the front and hull upper half sides and turret sides due to the spaced armour. This is an advantage compared to the rest of wheeled light armoured vehicles in which 20 mm and 30 mm autocannons often penetrate and knock out crew and inner components.

Having spall shields bring multiple benefits against both CE and KE.

''Against KE:''

The air gap between plates not only reduces and scatters the shrapnel in a flatter surface so that the penetrating remains are less but they also reduce the speed and penetration of small calibre fire (below 40 mm), meaning they will not penetrate the second plate (below 30 mm) or will reduce the amount of shrapnel generated (above 30 mm). They also prematurely detonate APCBC shells and reduce the shrapnel generated. Due to this, all APCBC and APHE fuses will be activated which can be lethal in calibres higher than 76 mm even with the spall shields depending on where the round hits at.

''Against CE:''

Any part of the vehicle is susceptible to hull break if hit in the correct way, but often players will fire at centre of mass in which hull break is almost nullified. When a round is fired at the centre of mass frontally, the double plate armour will not only reduce the shrapnel but it is able to fully stop it, specially if said threat has a relative low explosive mass despite the armour penetration (PG-9 for example found on the [[BMP-1 (Family)|BMP-1]]). When fired at the turret it may vary as it totally depends on the firing angle. A perpendicular hit to the turret will be lethal but an angled hit will often deviate the shrapnel which may damage or destroy modules but will keep the vehicle operational. Due to its huge height, the enemies that fire at turret will have a more angled hit, meaning that most of the shrapnel will be launched towards the roof and not to the crew compartment, this can take one or two crew members depending on the hit.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* High hardness rolled armour

'''''Super structure armour'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm glacis (76°)
29 mm lower frontal plate (20°)
| 20 mm ''Top'' 20 mm ''Bottom'' || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 38 mm ''Turret front'' 80 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 16 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}

'''''Inner spall shields'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm air
38 mm second lower frontal plate (20°)
| 10 mm air
30 mm upper half plate
| 5 mm
|-
| Turret || 84 mm turret front first plate
80 mm air 38 mm turret front second plate 80 mm ''Gun mantlet''
| 30 mm turret side first plate
120 mm air 16 mm turret side second plate
| N/A
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension is 10 mm thick
* Wheels are 10 mm thick

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

Despite the tremendous size and mass, the Class 3 is almost as fast as the [[Radkampfwagen 90|Radkampfwagen]]. The 8 wheels give it an almost perfect cross-country capability with exception of mud, snow and deep sand. Acceleration wise, it takes time to make the Class 3 move if on a non urban environment or at an angle due to the mass. It has traction on the 8 wheels, meaning it is able to move even if only a pairs of wheels are touching the ground. As expected, due to the length, the turn radius is huge and it requires a big surface to be abe to make a 180° turn. Besides the length and height, the Class 3 is tremendously fast for a vehicle its size, specially if it is on urban environment. It is able to reach speeds of 80 km/h even on dirt. This not only makes the Class 3 a fearful tough to crack behemoth but also a flanking and "Hit N' Run" behemoth. Thanks to the stabilizer, the Class 3 is able to fire at enemy targets while on top speed, this requires practice but a handled commander will be able to achieve so.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,116|rbMinHp=695}}

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
The Class 3 has a GT-3 105mm rifled bore main gun, it shares the same ballistics as the L7A3 the [[Leopard 1 (Family)|Leopard]] family share with the exact same ammunition. Thus, there should be no hard enough threat to kill, specially if DM33 is being used with its potent 408mm of penetration.

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

{{main|GT-3 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[GT-3 (105 mm)|105 mm GT-3]] || 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" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 337 || 335 || 330 || 322 || 314 || 306
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 408 || 405 || 398 || 389 || 379 || 370
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 48 ''(+6)'' || 32 ''(+22)'' || 16 ''(+38)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || __
|-
|}

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

{{main|Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Browning MG4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (250) || 500 || -8°/+20° || ±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 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:'''

* Great top speed and good acceleration
* Lots of empty space, difficult to one shot without ammo racking
* Good gun, can deal with most enemies easily
* Turret is frontally immune to auto cannons

'''Cons:'''

* Absolutely gigantic, size is on par with the Maus
* Prone to hull-breaking
* Because of its size it may have difficult traversing certain areas of maps, especially urban maps with lots of tight corners
* Very weak armour for its battle rating, won't stop anything other than heavy machine guns and autocannons

== History ==

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

=== [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|Devblog]] ===
Class 3 was the third and heaviest wheeled combat vehicle prototype to compete for the South African Army. When developing a heavy version of a wheeled tank, the designers were not limited by limits of weight or dimensions, therefore, in terms of weight, firepower and level of security, the Class 3 is a true wheeled tank. The competition commission opted for a lighter prototype, which later became the Rooikat 76 tank destroyer. The Class 3 prototype was exhibited at the Bloemfontein War Museum with a different turret.

== Media ==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Class 3 (P) Devblog Images" heights="150">
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[Rooikat 105]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|[Devblog] Class 3]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Class 3 (P)

2021-01-13T15:38:51Z

U91137961: /* Ammo racks */

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_th_800_bismark
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Hot Tracks"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6981-special-operation-w-i-n-t-e-r-en|2020 Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.]] event.

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

[[File:Class 3 inner spall shields.png|thumb|350x350px|As seen here, the frontal plate has double spall shields divided by a 200 mm air spacing.]]
[[File:Class 3 inner turrer spall shields.png|thumb|As seen here, the turret mantlet, front and sides all have double spall shields separated by an 80 mm air spacing]]
Due to the massive size of the Class 3, it is able to withstand high calibre ammunitions due to the poor armour as it will not create enough spalling when penetrated. The crew spacing as well as the interior spacing makes it one of the hardest wheeled vehicles to destroy in the game with only kinetic energy (KE) penetrators (APDS, APFSDS, etc etc). Centre of mass shots from the front with KE shells will often take the driver and set the engine on fire, but due to the turret crew being elevated, they are most likely to survive, meaning the turret is operational ready to engage any enemy threats. Chemical energy (CE) penetrators are a tricky topic when it comes to the frontal armour. Depending on the ammunition used an the impact angle, the Class 3 will be able to withstand the impact or not. CE rounds are most likely to penetrate and be partially or fully stopped thanks to the inner spall shields at a perpendicular angle but will knock out the driver and disable or damage engine as well as igniting the ammo rack. This changes when ATGMs take a play in engagements, they will often create much more spalling than tank-fired HEAT rounds as the calibre is higher (meaning a greater explosive mass) and will cause hullbreak if hit from the sides or if the ATGM spall goes all the way from the front to the back while penetrating the sides. For this same reason it is recommended to only carry ~24-26 rounds in the vehicle as it will empty most of the hull ammo racks but still keep the ready racks full in the turret. The armour is not to be relied on unless there are specific enemies (T-54's for example) as most of them will always penetrate your hull. The Class 3 is immune to autocannon fire from the front and hull upper half sides and turret sides due to the spaced armour. This is an advantage compared to the rest of wheeled light armoured vehicles in which 20 mm and 30 mm autocannons often penetrate and knock out crew and inner components.

Having spall shields bring multiple benefits against both CE and KE.

''Against KE:''

The air gap between plates not only reduces and scatters the shrapnel in a flatter surface so that the penetrating remains are less but they also reduce the speed and penetration of small calibre fire (below 40 mm), meaning they will not penetrate the second plate (below 30 mm) or will reduce the amount of shrapnel generated (above 30 mm). They also prematurely detonate APCBC shells and reduce the shrapnel generated. Due to this, all APCBC and APHE fuses will be activated which can be lethal in calibres higher than 76 mm even with the spall shields depending on where the round hits at.

''Against CE:''

Any part of the vehicle is susceptible to hull break if hit in the correct way, but often players will fire at centre of mass in which hull break is almost nullified. When a round is fired at the centre of mass frontally, the double plate armour will not only reduce the shrapnel but it is able to fully stop it, specially if said threat has a relative low explosive mass despite the armour penetration (PG-9 for example found on the [[BMP-1 (Family)|BMP-1]]). When fired at the turret it may vary as it totally depends on the firing angle. A perpendicular hit to the turret will be lethal but an angled hit will often deviate the shrapnel which may damage or destroy modules but will keep the vehicle operational. Due to its huge height, the enemies that fire at turret will have a more angled hit, meaning that most of the shrapnel will be launched towards the roof and not to the crew compartment, this can take one or two crew members depending on the hit.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* High hardness rolled armour

'''''Super structure armour'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm glacis (76°)
29 mm lower frontal plate (20°)
| 20 mm ''Top'' 20 mm ''Bottom'' || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 38 mm ''Turret front'' 80 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 16 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}

'''''Inner spall shields'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm air
38 mm second lower frontal plate (20°)
| 10 mm air
30 mm upper half plate
| 5 mm
|-
| Turret || 84 mm turret front first plate
80 mm air 38 mm turret front second plate 80 mm ''Gun mantlet''
| 30 mm turret side first plate
120 mm air 16 mm turret side second plate
| N/A
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension is 10 mm thick
* Wheels are 10 mm thick

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

Despite the tremendous size and mass, the Class 3 is almost as fast as the [[Radkampfwagen 90|Radkampfwagen]]. The 8 wheels give it an almost perfect cross-country capability with exception of mud, snow and deep sand. Acceleration wise, it takes time to make the Class 3 move if on a non urban environment or at an angle due to the mass. It has traction on the 8 wheels, meaning it is able to move even if only a pairs of wheels are touching the ground. As expected, due to the length, the turn radius is huge and it requires a big surface to be abe to make a 180° turn. Besides the length and height, the Class 3 is tremendously fast for a vehicle its size, specially if it is on urban environment. It is able to reach speeds of 80 km/h even on dirt. This not only makes the Class 3 a fearful tough to crack behemoth but also a flanking and "Hit N' Run" behemoth. Thanks to the stabilizer, the Class 3 is able to fire at enemy targets while on top speed, this requires practice but a handled commander will be able to achieve so.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,116|rbMinHp=695}}

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
The Class 3 has a GT-3 105mm rifled bore main gun, it shares the same ballistics as the L7A3 the [[Leopard 1 (Family)|Leopard]] family share with the exact same ammunition. Thus, there should be no hard enough threat to kill, specially if DM33 is being used with its potent 408mm of penetration.

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

{{main|GT-3 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[GT-3 (105 mm)|105 mm GT-3]] || 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" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 337 || 335 || 330 || 322 || 314 || 306
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 408 || 405 || 398 || 389 || 379 || 370
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 47 ''(+7)'' || 31 ''(+23)'' || 15 ''(+39)'' || 1 ''(+53)'' || __
|-
|}

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

{{main|Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Browning MG4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (250) || 500 || -8°/+20° || ±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 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:'''

* Great top speed and good acceleration
* Lots of empty space, difficult to one shot without ammo racking
* Good gun, can deal with most enemies easily
* Turret is frontally immune to auto cannons

'''Cons:'''

* Absolutely gigantic, size is on par with the Maus
* Prone to hull-breaking
* Because of its size it may have difficult traversing certain areas of maps, especially urban maps with lots of tight corners
* Very weak armour for its battle rating, won't stop anything other than heavy machine guns and autocannons

== History ==

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

=== [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|Devblog]] ===
Class 3 was the third and heaviest wheeled combat vehicle prototype to compete for the South African Army. When developing a heavy version of a wheeled tank, the designers were not limited by limits of weight or dimensions, therefore, in terms of weight, firepower and level of security, the Class 3 is a true wheeled tank. The competition commission opted for a lighter prototype, which later became the Rooikat 76 tank destroyer. The Class 3 prototype was exhibited at the Bloemfontein War Museum with a different turret.

== Media ==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Class 3 (P) Devblog Images" heights="150">
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[Rooikat 105]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|[Devblog] Class 3]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Class 3 (P)

2021-01-13T15:29:44Z

U91137961: /* Ammo racks */

{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_th_800_bismark
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Hot Tracks"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/6981-special-operation-w-i-n-t-e-r-en|2020 Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.]] event.

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

[[File:Class 3 inner spall shields.png|thumb|350x350px|As seen here, the frontal plate has double spall shields divided by a 200 mm air spacing.]]
[[File:Class 3 inner turrer spall shields.png|thumb|As seen here, the turret mantlet, front and sides all have double spall shields separated by an 80 mm air spacing]]
Due to the massive size of the Class 3, it is able to withstand high calibre ammunitions due to the poor armour as it will not create enough spalling when penetrated. The crew spacing as well as the interior spacing makes it one of the hardest wheeled vehicles to destroy in the game with only kinetic energy (KE) penetrators (APDS, APFSDS, etc etc). Centre of mass shots from the front with KE shells will often take the driver and set the engine on fire, but due to the turret crew being elevated, they are most likely to survive, meaning the turret is operational ready to engage any enemy threats. Chemical energy (CE) penetrators are a tricky topic when it comes to the frontal armour. Depending on the ammunition used an the impact angle, the Class 3 will be able to withstand the impact or not. CE rounds are most likely to penetrate and be partially or fully stopped thanks to the inner spall shields at a perpendicular angle but will knock out the driver and disable or damage engine as well as igniting the ammo rack. This changes when ATGMs take a play in engagements, they will often create much more spalling than tank-fired HEAT rounds as the calibre is higher (meaning a greater explosive mass) and will cause hullbreak if hit from the sides or if the ATGM spall goes all the way from the front to the back while penetrating the sides. For this same reason it is recommended to only carry ~24-26 rounds in the vehicle as it will empty most of the hull ammo racks but still keep the ready racks full in the turret. The armour is not to be relied on unless there are specific enemies (T-54's for example) as most of them will always penetrate your hull. The Class 3 is immune to autocannon fire from the front and hull upper half sides and turret sides due to the spaced armour. This is an advantage compared to the rest of wheeled light armoured vehicles in which 20 mm and 30 mm autocannons often penetrate and knock out crew and inner components.

Having spall shields bring multiple benefits against both CE and KE.

''Against KE:''

The air gap between plates not only reduces and scatters the shrapnel in a flatter surface so that the penetrating remains are less but they also reduce the speed and penetration of small calibre fire (below 40 mm), meaning they will not penetrate the second plate (below 30 mm) or will reduce the amount of shrapnel generated (above 30 mm). They also prematurely detonate APCBC shells and reduce the shrapnel generated. Due to this, all APCBC and APHE fuses will be activated which can be lethal in calibres higher than 76 mm even with the spall shields depending on where the round hits at.

''Against CE:''

Any part of the vehicle is susceptible to hull break if hit in the correct way, but often players will fire at centre of mass in which hull break is almost nullified. When a round is fired at the centre of mass frontally, the double plate armour will not only reduce the shrapnel but it is able to fully stop it, specially if said threat has a relative low explosive mass despite the armour penetration (PG-9 for example found on the [[BMP-1 (Family)|BMP-1]]). When fired at the turret it may vary as it totally depends on the firing angle. A perpendicular hit to the turret will be lethal but an angled hit will often deviate the shrapnel which may damage or destroy modules but will keep the vehicle operational. Due to its huge height, the enemies that fire at turret will have a more angled hit, meaning that most of the shrapnel will be launched towards the roof and not to the crew compartment, this can take one or two crew members depending on the hit.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* High hardness rolled armour

'''''Super structure armour'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 30 mm glacis (76°)
29 mm lower frontal plate (20°)
| 20 mm ''Top'' 20 mm ''Bottom'' || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Turret || 38 mm ''Turret front'' 80 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 16 mm || 20 mm || 10 mm
|-
| Cupola || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm || 10 mm
|-
|}

'''''Inner spall shields'''''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear
|-
| Hull || 200 mm air
38 mm second lower frontal plate (20°)
| 10 mm air
30 mm upper half plate
| 5 mm
|-
| Turret || 84 mm turret front first plate
80 mm air 38 mm turret front second plate 80 mm ''Gun mantlet''
| 30 mm turret side first plate
120 mm air 16 mm turret side second plate
| N/A
|}

'''Notes:'''

* Suspension is 10 mm thick
* Wheels are 10 mm thick

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

Despite the tremendous size and mass, the Class 3 is almost as fast as the [[Radkampfwagen 90|Radkampfwagen]]. The 8 wheels give it an almost perfect cross-country capability with exception of mud, snow and deep sand. Acceleration wise, it takes time to make the Class 3 move if on a non urban environment or at an angle due to the mass. It has traction on the 8 wheels, meaning it is able to move even if only a pairs of wheels are touching the ground. As expected, due to the length, the turn radius is huge and it requires a big surface to be abe to make a 180° turn. Besides the length and height, the Class 3 is tremendously fast for a vehicle its size, specially if it is on urban environment. It is able to reach speeds of 80 km/h even on dirt. This not only makes the Class 3 a fearful tough to crack behemoth but also a flanking and "Hit N' Run" behemoth. Thanks to the stabilizer, the Class 3 is able to fire at enemy targets while on top speed, this requires practice but a handled commander will be able to achieve so.

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=1,116|rbMinHp=695}}

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

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
The Class 3 has a GT-3 105mm rifled bore main gun, it shares the same ballistics as the L7A3 the [[Leopard 1 (Family)|Leopard]] family share with the exact same ammunition. Thus, there should be no hard enough threat to kill, specially if DM33 is being used with its potent 408mm of penetration.

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

{{main|GT-3 (105 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[GT-3 (105 mm)|105 mm GT-3]] || 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" | 54 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
|-
! ''Realistic''
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
|-
|}

==== 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
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400 || 400
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127 || 127
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 337 || 335 || 330 || 322 || 314 || 306
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 408 || 405 || 398 || 389 || 379 || 370
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| DM12 || HEATFS || 1,173 || 10.5 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 1,270 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| DM502 || HESH || 732 || 14.85 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 4,310 || 73° || 77° || 80°
|-
| DM23 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| DM33 || APFSDS || 1,455 || 3.79 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

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


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''54''' || 47 || 31 || 15 || 1 || __
|-
|}

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

{{main|Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Browning MG4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm Browning MG4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (250) || 500 || -8°/+20° || ±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 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:'''

* Great top speed and good acceleration
* Lots of empty space, difficult to one shot without ammo racking
* Good gun, can deal with most enemies easily
* Turret is frontally immune to auto cannons

'''Cons:'''

* Absolutely gigantic, size is on par with the Maus
* Prone to hull-breaking
* Because of its size it may have difficult traversing certain areas of maps, especially urban maps with lots of tight corners
* Very weak armour for its battle rating, won't stop anything other than heavy machine guns and autocannons

== History ==

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

=== [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|Devblog]] ===
Class 3 was the third and heaviest wheeled combat vehicle prototype to compete for the South African Army. When developing a heavy version of a wheeled tank, the designers were not limited by limits of weight or dimensions, therefore, in terms of weight, firepower and level of security, the Class 3 is a true wheeled tank. The competition commission opted for a lighter prototype, which later became the Rooikat 76 tank destroyer. The Class 3 prototype was exhibited at the Bloemfontein War Museum with a different turret.

== Media ==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Class 3 (P) Devblog Images" heights="150">
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 001.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 002.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 003.jpg|
File:Class 3 WTWallpaper 004.jpg|
</gallery>

== See also ==


* [[Rooikat 105]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7001-development-class-3-en|[Devblog] Class 3]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}