ARL-44 (ACL-1) - Revision history

U115682487: Redesign of the "Ammorack" sub-section, my first major Wiki change! I'm so happy!

2024-03-30T13:50:11Z

Redesign of the "Ammorack" sub-section, my first major Wiki change! I'm so happy!

U38088265: /* Description */

2024-03-04T13:27:26Z

‎Description

U38088265: /* Description */

2024-02-29T10:35:22Z

‎Description

U120313908: /* Description */ New Description Project

2024-02-25T20:33:17Z

‎Description: New Description Project

U17577377 at 04:03, 26 November 2023

2023-11-26T04:03:35Z

U24550200: Removed outdated information. Added new pictures of ammo storage and example shot on KV-1

2023-11-21T00:51:06Z

Removed outdated information. Added new pictures of ammo storage and example shot on KV-1

U141562625: /* Description */

2023-07-13T16:50:05Z

‎Description

U44629479: /* Ammunition */ Converted to transclusion

2023-01-24T10:25:58Z

‎Ammunition: Converted to transclusion

U44629479: /* Media */ Removed dead video

2023-01-11T21:19:56Z

‎Media: Removed dead video

U44629479: Edits

2022-08-21T23:31:10Z

Edits

@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 ==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 [[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
-<!-- '''Last updated: 2.1.0.110''' -->
+<!-- '''Last updated: 2.35.0.56''' -->
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 |-
 ! Full<br>ammo
-! 1st<br>rack empty
+!1st<br>rack empty
-! 3rd<br>rack empty
+!2nd<br>rack empty
 ! Visual<br>discrepancy
 |-
-| '''37''' || 25&nbsp;''(+12)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+36)'' || No
+| '''37''' || 25&nbsp;''(+12)''
 |-
 |}
 '''Notes''':
-* Rack 1 is a first-stage ammo rack. It totals 24 shells and will get replenished over time when not interrupted by firing.
+* Rack 2 is a first-stage ammo rack. It totals 24 shells will get replenished over time when not interrupted by firing.
-* Shells are modelled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
+** The restocking time is longer than the normal reload time of the gun (about 19 seconds). Take this into account when playing.
 * Hull empty: 25&nbsp;(+12) shells

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 The ARL-44 (ACL-1) bears very distinctive characteristics, with a WWI-style track system (similar to the Churchill) which runs across the whole side of its chassis. This tank is a mix of different inspirations, mainly late-war German tank technology such as the [[Panther D|Panther series]] or the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], from which it takes its sloped frontal armour and tall profile. As France was reviving from WW2, its engineers were hard at work to catch up with tank technology, the ARL-44 series was a training ground for them. This is why this tank has rather weird design choices, coming from both experience and experimentation. Originally armed with a 75 mm cannon, an ACL-1 turret, and a 60 mm sloped front plate in 1944, the design was deemed to weak, and many considered that it would quickly be outdated. It was later improved with a 90 mm SA45 gun with 37 rounds, a 120 mm front plate and a redesigned sloped turret ([[ARL-44]]).
-It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is a well-rounded vehicle more suited for a medium tank role than an heavy one due to lacking armour (which is still decent). It distinguishes from previous French heavy tanks for having a potent gun. The vehicle features a good set of trades, an adequate cannon (although with a limited ammo selection), good frontal and side armour that allows for limited angling, and -10 degrees of gun depression. However, the tank does have a very large profile and the turret ammo storage is very exposed and lightly armoured.
+It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is a well-rounded vehicle more suited for a medium tank role than an heavy one due to lacking armour (which is still decent). It distinguishes from previous French heavy tanks for having a potent gun. The vehicle features an adequate cannon (although with a limited ammo selection), good frontal and side armour that allows for limited angling, and -10 degrees of gun depression. However, the tank does have a very large profile and the turret ammo storage is very exposed and lightly armoured.
 == General info ==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 == Description ==
-<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->The ARL-44 (ACL-1) bears very distinctive characteristics, with a WWI-style track system (similar to the Churchill) which runs across the whole side of its chassis. This tank is a mix of different inspirations, mainly late war German tank technology such as the [[Panther D|Panther series]] or the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], from which it takes its slope frontal armour and tall profile. As France was reviving from WW2, its engineers were hard at work to catch up with tank technology, the ARL-44 series was a training ground for them. This is why this tank has rather weird design choices, coming from both experience and experimentation. Originally armed with a 75mm cannon, an ACL-1 turret and a 60mm sloped front plate in 1944, the design was deemed to weak, and many considered that it would quickly be outdated, for this reason the design was improved with its regular 90 SA45 gun with 37 rounds, a 120mm front plate and a redesigned slopped turret.
+<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is the second heavy tank in the French tree. It is a well-rounded foe more suited for a medium tank role than an heavy one due to lacking armour (which is still decent). It distinguishes from previous French heavy tanks for having a potent gun. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is a prototype design that would be finalized as the [[ARL-44]]. The vehicle features a good set of trades, an adequate cannon, although with a limited ammo selection, good frontal and side armour that allows for limited angling, and a -10 degree gun depression. However the tank does have a very large profile and the turret ammo storage is very exposed and lightly armoured.
+It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is a well-rounded vehicle more suited for a medium tank role than an heavy one due to lacking armour (which is still decent). It distinguishes from previous French heavy tanks for having a potent gun. The vehicle features a good set of trades, an adequate cannon (although with a limited ammo selection), good frontal and side armour that allows for limited angling, and -10 degrees of gun depression. However, the tank does have a very large profile and the turret ammo storage is very exposed and lightly armoured.
 == General info ==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 == Description ==
-<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
+<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->The ARL-44 (ACL-1) bears very distinctive characteristics, with a WWI-style track system (similar to the Churchill) which runs across the whole side of its chassis. This tank is a mix of different inspirations, mainly late war German tank technology such as the [[Panther D|Panther series]] or the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], from which it takes its slope frontal armour and tall profile. As France was reviving from WW2, its engineers were hard at work to catch up with tank technology, the ARL-44 series was a training ground for them. This is why this tank has rather weird design choices, coming from both experience and experimentation. Originally armed with a 75mm cannon, an ACL-1 turret and a 60mm sloped front plate in 1944, the design was deemed to weak, and many considered that it would quickly be outdated, for this reason the design was improved with its regular 90 SA45 gun with 37 rounds, a 120mm front plate and a redesigned slopped turret.
-The ARL-44 (ACL-1) bears very distinctive characteristics, with a WWI-style track system (similar to the Churchill) which runs across the whole side of its chassis. This tank is a mix of different inspirations, mainly late war German tank technology such as the [[Panther D|Panther series]] or the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], from which it takes its slope frontal armour and tall profile. As France was reviving from WW2, its engineers were hard at work to catch up with tank technology, the ARL-44 series was a training ground for them. This is why this tank has rather weird design choices, coming from both experience and experimentation.
+It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is the second heavy tank in the French tree. It is a well-rounded foe more suited for a medium tank role than an heavy one due to lacking armour (which is still decent). It distinguishes from previous French heavy tanks for having a potent gun. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is a prototype design that would be finalized as the [[ARL-44]]. The vehicle features a good set of trades, an adequate cannon, although with a limited ammo selection, good frontal and side armour that allows for limited angling, and a -10 degree gun depression. However the tank does have a very large profile and the turret ammo storage is very exposed and lightly armoured.
 == General info ==
@@ Line 132: / Line 131: @@
 ;Notable enemies:
 * Tank destroyers with powerful guns that can penetrate you from afar: M10, StuG III F, YaG-10 (29-K), ASU-57, SU-85A, Achilles, Na-To, 90/53 M41M, Breda 501, Pvkv II and Pvkv m/43 (1946). You can add the Pz.IV F2, the Pz.IV G/J to the list as they sport powerful cannons too.
 * Tanks firing HEAT shells that can defeat your frontal glacis: 75/34 M43, P40,
@@ Line 140: / Line 140: @@
 ;How to defeat {{PAGENAME}}
 * One might assume that the ARL's side armour is also very thick, complex, and hard to penetrate at an angle but the ARL can actually get penetrated frontally even with 3.7 tanks despite the fact that the tracks and hull sides somewhat resemble the structure of a Churchill heavy tank. Behind the track and front sprocket wheel lays an unangled armour of only 50 mm thickness. The effective thickness of all these components combined are no more than 100 mm when aiming from the front. Therefore even a 3.7 tank can shoot at the track and the shell will most certainly go through the frontmost wheel, then penetrate the 50 mm armour, sending shrapnel into the crew compartment with its explosion. Of course, solid shots will not work as good since you are shooting at the very edge of the tank after all, you need explosive filler to knock out the crew who are beside the point of penetration. This weak spot remains small and requires close proximity.

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 * Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick and bogies are 10 mm thick.
-* 25 mm RHA plate separate the engine from the crew compartment.
+* 25 mm RHA plate separates the engine from the crew compartment.
-* Turret ring is 55 mm thick, with an additional 20 mm armour behind it.
+* The Turret ring is 55 mm thick, with an additional 20 mm of armour behind it.
-The armour on this version of the ARL-44 is average as the frontal glacis plate can be penetrated by most foes it encounters up close from the front: with 60 mm at 48°, it is similar to a [[M4A3 (105)]]. With that in mind, this tank should be kept a fair distance from the frontline. In order to put this "Heavy Tank" to good use, it should be angled at about 25° facing towards the enemy. An even better way to maximise its armour is by keeping an hull-down position, using its -10° depression. Turret armour is ~100 mm thick, with a lot of overlapping armor profiles around the mantlet area. With a bit of distance and angle, most rounds will not penetrate, except from high pentration TD rounds.
+The armour on this version of the ARL-44 is average as the frontal glacis plate can be penetrated by most foes it encounters up close from the front: with 60 mm at 48°, it is similar to a [[M4A3 (105)]]. With that in mind, this tank should be kept a fair distance from the frontline. In order to put this "Heavy Tank" to good use, it should be angled at about 25° facing towards the enemy. An even better way to maximise its armour is by keeping a hull-down position, using its -10° depression. Turret armour is ~100 mm thick, with a lot of overlapping armour profiles around the mantlet area. With a bit of distance and angle, most rounds will not penetrate, except from tank destroyers with high penetration.
 Another thing to consider is this tank's large elevation mechanism, a penetrating shot to the tank's center of mass may damage or disable it, making it very hard to return fire.
@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 {{tankMobility|abMinHp= 775|rbMinHp= 531}}
-At 47 tons, this is not a light tank, even more so that its tracks have bad ground traction. What saves this vehicles from feeling too slow is it 600 HP engine (RB), capable of maintaining its top speed even when climbing slight hills. Do not expect too much, as this tank is still heavy and sluggish, especially in highly inclined and soft terrains. Don't forget its reverse speed of "only" -7.5 km/h, it won't get you out quick of the situations so don't over-extend.
+At 47 tons, this is not a light tank, even more so that its tracks have bad ground traction. What saves this vehicle from feeling too slow is its {{Annotation|600 HP|Realistic}} engine, capable of maintaining its top speed even when climbing slight hills. Do not expect too much, as this tank is still heavy and sluggish, especially in highly inclined and soft terrains. Don't forget its reverse speed of "only" -7.5 km/h, it won't get you out quickly of the situations so don't over-extend.
 === Modifications and economy ===
@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 |-
 |}
-[[File:Penetration chance at 500m when shooting at KV-1 (L-11), not angled..jpg|thumb|Example shot at a KV-1 (L-11) from a distance of 500mm when not angled.]]
+[[File:Penetration chance at 500m when shooting at KV-1 (L-11), not angled..jpg|thumb|Example shot at a [[KV-1 (L-11)]] from a distance of 500 m when not angled.]]
-When compared to other Medium or Heavy tanks at the same battle rating, the gun is somewhere in the middle of the group. The standard (and only usable) shell  has enough penetration to penetrate all but the heaviest armor from the front at a distance of 500m and less when the enemy is not angeled. The most notable disadvantage is the lack of an AP shell with an explosive filler meaning it is often needed to shoot and penetrate more than once to destroy a target. With the addition of volumetric shells, the post penetration damage can be quite lackluser if the armor of the target is just thick enough. This will prevent enough shrapnel to be created to critically damage and/or kill the crew inside an enemy tank.
+When compared to other Medium or Heavy tanks at the same battle rating, the gun is somewhere in the middle of the group. The standard shell has enough penetration to penetrate all up to the heaviest armour from the front at a distance of 500 m and less when the enemy is not angled. The most notable disadvantage is the lack of an AP shell with an explosive filler meaning it is often needed to shoot and penetrate more than once to destroy a target. The post-penetration damage while quite deadly, can be quite lacklustre if the armour of the target is just thick enough. This will prevent enough shrapnel from being created to critically damage and/or knock out the crew inside an enemy tank.
 ==== Ammunition ====
@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 ==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
-[[File:ARL-44 (ACL-1) Crew and module placement..jpg|thumb|Modules and ammo rack locations. Shells are moved from rack 1 to rack 2 after some time.]]<!-- '''Last updated: 2.1.0.110''' -->
+<!--NEEDS NEW PICTURE-->
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 |-
 ! Full<br>ammo
 ! 1st<br>rack empty
-! 2nd<br>rack empty
+! 3rd<br>rack empty
 ! Visual<br>discrepancy
 |-
@@ Line 99: / Line 101: @@
 '''Notes''':
-* Rack 2 is a first-stage ammo rack. It totals 24 shells and will get replenished over time when not interrupted by firing.
+* Rack 1 is a first-stage ammo rack. It totals 24 shells and will get replenished over time when not interrupted by firing.
+* Shells are modelled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
 * Hull empty: 25&nbsp;(+12) shells
@@ Line 130: / Line 131: @@
 Your mobility is rather poor, with a rigid suspension, outdated tracks and a long and cumbersome chassis. Terrain irregularities will make you slow down and hinder your progress. Position your hull carefully when getting to a shooting spot to avoid hull twitching that will impact your targeting process.
-Notable enemies:
+;Notable enemies:
 * Tank destroyers with powerful guns that can penetrate you from afar: M10, StuG III F, YaG-10 (29-K), ASU-57, SU-85A, Achilles, Na-To, 90/53 M41M, Breda 501, Pvkv II and Pvkv m/43 (1946). You can add the Pz.IV F2, the Pz.IV G/J to the list as they sport powerful cannons too.
 * Tanks firing HEAT shells that can defeat your frontal glacis: 75/34 M43, P40,
@@ Line 137: / Line 137: @@
 * Heavy tank able to resist your fire and get close enough to damage you: KV-1S, MK-II "Matilda"
-[[File:ARL-44 weakspot picture.png|thumb|This piece of armour will detonate the shell, leading to the knock out of at least 1 crew member]]How to defeat {{PAGENAME}}
+[[File:ARL-44 weakspot picture.png|thumb|This piece of armour will detonate the shell, leading to the knock out of at least 1 crew member]]
 * One might assume that the ARL's side armour is also very thick, complex, and hard to penetrate at an angle but the ARL can actually get penetrated frontally even with 3.7 tanks despite the fact that the tracks and hull sides somewhat resemble the structure of a Churchill heavy tank. Behind the track and front sprocket wheel lays an unangled armour of only 50 mm thickness. The effective thickness of all these components combined are no more than 100 mm when aiming from the front. Therefore even a 3.7 tank can shoot at the track and the shell will most certainly go through the frontmost wheel, then penetrate the 50 mm armour, sending shrapnel into the crew compartment with its explosion. Of course, solid shots will not work as good since you are shooting at the very edge of the tank after all, you need explosive filler to knock out the crew who are beside the point of penetration. This weak spot remains small and requires close proximity.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 == Description ==
 <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
-The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is the second heavy tank in the French tree. It is a well-rounded foe more suited for a medium tank role than an heavy one due to lacking armour (which is still very good). It distinguishes from previous French heavy tanks for having a potent gun. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is a prototype design that would be finalized as the [[ARL-44]].
+The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is the second heavy tank in the French tree. It is a well-rounded foe more suited for a medium tank role than an heavy one due to lacking armour (which is still decent). It distinguishes from previous French heavy tanks for having a potent gun. The ARL-44 (ACL-1) is a prototype design that would be finalized as the [[ARL-44]].
 The ARL-44 (ACL-1) bears very distinctive characteristics, with a WWI-style track system (similar to the Churchill) which runs across the whole side of its chassis. This tank is a mix of different inspirations, mainly late war German tank technology such as the [[Panther D|Panther series]] or the [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger II]], from which it takes its slope frontal armour and tall profile. As France was reviving from WW2, its engineers were hard at work to catch up with tank technology, the ARL-44 series was a training ground for them. This is why this tank has rather weird design choices, coming from both experience and experimentation.
@@ Line 142: / Line 142: @@
 * One might assume that the ARL's side armour is also very thick, complex, and hard to penetrate at an angle but the ARL can actually get penetrated frontally even with 3.7 tanks despite the fact that the tracks and hull sides somewhat resemble the structure of a Churchill heavy tank. Behind the track and front sprocket wheel lays an unangled armour of only 50 mm thickness. The effective thickness of all these components combined are no more than 100 mm when aiming from the front. Therefore even a 3.7 tank can shoot at the track and the shell will most certainly go through the frontmost wheel, then penetrate the 50 mm armour, sending shrapnel into the crew compartment with its explosion. Of course, solid shots will not work as good since you are shooting at the very edge of the tank after all, you need explosive filler to knock out the crew who are beside the point of penetration. This weak spot remains small and requires close proximity.
 [[File:ARL-44 (ACL-1) weakspot picture.png|thumb|As seen through protection analysis, this weak spot only has an effective thickness of less than 100 mm, meaning almost any tank can reliably penetrate there]]
 * Do not attack the {{PAGENAME}} frontally unless you have enough armour to afford it.
 * Sneak around it and target the turret from the back or the side. The {{PAGENAME}} has a slow turret traverse and flat side and rear armour, making it especially vulnerable to flanking.
@@ Line 189: / Line 191: @@
 ;Skins
 * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_arl_44_acl1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 ==== Ammunition ====
-{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+{{:SA44 (75 mm)/Ammunition|75 mm OR Mle.44, 75 mm OE Mle.28}}
 ==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

@@ Line 221: / Line 221: @@
 ;Skins
 * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_arl_44_acl1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 ;Videos
-{{Youtube-gallery|fdfFS8z1jsU|'''{{PAGENAME}}, French, Tier-3, Heavy Tank''' - ''Angry Nerd Gaming''|Z_ID9rFO6dM|'''{{PAGENAME}} Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''}}
+{{Youtube-gallery|fdfFS8z1jsU|'''ARL-44 (ACL-1), French, Tier-3, Heavy Tank''' - ''Angry Nerd Gaming''}}
 == See also ==

@@ Line 131: / Line 131: @@
 |-
 |}
-Notes:
+'''Notes''':
 * Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
@@ Line 184: / Line 184: @@
 '''Pros:'''
-* Thick side armour enables strong angling.
+* Thick side armour enables strong angling
-* Complex side armour can negate HEAT round effectiveness.
+* Complex side armour can negate HEAT round effectiveness
-* 5 crew members increase the survivability.
+* 5 crew members increase the survivability
-* Good mobility for a heavy tank, suited with a powerful engine.
+* Good mobility for a heavy tank, suited with a powerful engine
-* Hull turning is fast due to wide hull.
+* Hull turning is fast due to wide hull
-* Potent gun for the battle rating.
+* Potent gun for the battle rating
-* -10° of gun depression angle.
+* -10° of gun depression angle
 '''Cons:'''
-* Large silhouette makes it a priority target.
+* Large silhouette makes it a priority target
-* Many tanks can reliably penetrate its frontal glacis.
+* Many tanks can reliably penetrate its frontal glacis
-* Thin roof armour.
+* Thin roof armour
-* Weak 20 mm plate in turret back protects one of the main ammo racks.
+* Weak 20 mm plate in turret back protects one of the main ammo racks
-* Many weak spots in the armour, including shot traps.
+* Many weak spots in the armour, including shot traps
-* Track traction is subpar (pre-war track pattern).
+* Track traction is subpar (pre-war track pattern)
-* Very slow reverse speed.
+* Very slow reverse speed
-* No explosive filler in available shells.
+* No explosive filler in available shells
-* Limited ammunition choice.
+* Limited ammunition choice
-* Long reload time.
+* Long reload time
-* Large elevation mechanism, often get damaged.
+* Large elevation mechanism, often get damaged
-* Bad ammo storage layout makes ammo rack shots frequent.
+* Bad ammo storage layout makes ammo rack shots frequent
 == History ==
@@ Line 222: / Line 222: @@
 ;Skins
-* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=france&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=heavy_tank&vehicle=fr_arl_44_acl1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
+* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=fr_arl_44_acl1 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 ;Videos