M103 - Revision history

U38088265: /* Description */

2024-07-05T17:02:53Z

‎Description

U44629479: Edits

2024-04-14T10:57:09Z

Edits

U7665380: /* Pros and cons */

2024-04-14T08:55:07Z

‎Pros and cons

U44629479: Edits

2024-04-13T18:41:58Z

Edits

U7665380: /* Pros and cons */

2024-04-12T22:06:25Z

‎Pros and cons

U28580205: /* Description */ Updated to new format

2024-01-14T01:36:54Z

‎Description: Updated to new format

U38088265: /* Ammunition */ Converted to transclusion

2023-02-08T16:25:42Z

‎Ammunition: Converted to transclusion

U38088265: /* In-game description */ Reformatted

2022-10-24T21:24:57Z

‎In-game description: Reformatted

U9202753: New specs-card image

2022-02-20T16:09:04Z

New specs-card image

U44629479: Edits

2022-01-04T10:19:28Z

Edits

Show changes

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 <!-- ''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.'' -->
-During the Berlin Victory Parade of 1945, the American and British representatives witnessed the debut of the Soviet [[IS-3]] heavy tank. Concerned about how protected the IS-3 may be to Allied tanks of the time, the Americans begin considering a tank design with the firepower capable of tackling the tank. By 1948, the new tank project began as the T43, utilizing the American experience developing heavy tanks during World War II. Development of the tank expedited when the Korean War started, showcasing the urgent need of well-armed tanks to counter Soviet ones. As such, the T43 tanks began production even before testing was fully completed, resulting in a lengthy period of rebuilds as faults were discovered and incorporated into the design. Ultimately, 300 T43 and T43E1s were produced and standardized as the '''M103''', with 80 going to the US Army and 220 going to the US Marine Corps. The heavy tanks remained in service until 1974.
+During the Berlin Victory Parade of 1945, American and British representatives witnessed the debut of the Soviet [[IS-3]] heavy tank. Concerned about how protected the IS-3 may be against Allied tanks of the time, the Americans began considering a tank design with the firepower capable of tackling the tank. By 1948, the new tank project began as the T43, utilizing American experience developing heavy tanks during World War II. Development of the tank expedited when the Korean War started, showcasing the urgent need for well-armed tanks to counter Soviet ones. As such, the T43 tanks began production even before testing was fully completed, resulting in a lengthy period of rebuilds as faults were discovered and incorporated into the design. Ultimately, 300 T43 and T43E1s were produced and standardized as the '''M103''', with 80 going to the US Army and 220 going to the US Marine Corps. The heavy tanks remained in service until 1974.
 Introduced alongside the American ground tech tree in [[Update 1.45 "Steel Generals"]], the M103 is armed with a monstrous 120 mm gun. Thanks to its powerful 120 mm gun with HEAT rounds, the tank can engage any target it encounters. However, the entire gameplay with the M103 revolves around its gun, as its decent armour is more of a bonus than an advantage, given that many opponents have HEAT and APDS rounds capable of penetrating its frontal armour without much difficulty. In such situations, the tank's rounded armour shapes with varying thickness often lead to enemy shots ricocheting. Furthermore, the M103's mobility is a weak point, as it struggles to keep up with most allies.

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 * Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
-'''Hull armour:''' After the fantastic T32, the M103's armour situation is generally a letdown. Its side armour is nearly nonexistent, same applying to the rear. The M103's turret size was also increased while reducing the armour down from 152mm to ~85mm average. But all hope is not lost - the M103's armour design did improve. Unlike its predecessor, it features slopes and angles everywhere, making the M103 a difficult target to destroy from the front. It is also reassuring to know that the frontal chassis is no longer a big weak spot; it is relatively minor and can reliably bounce shots right into the armoured gun mantlet.
+'''Hull armour:''' After the fantastic T32, the M103's armour situation is generally a letdown. Its side armour is nearly nonexistent, same applying to the rear. The M103's turret size was also increased while reducing the armour down from 152 mm to ~85 mm average. But all hope is not lost - the M103's armour design did improve. Unlike its predecessor, it features slopes and angles everywhere, making the M103 a difficult target to destroy from the front. It is also reassuring to know that the frontal chassis is no longer a big weak spot; it is relatively minor and can reliably bounce shots right into the armoured gun mantlet.
-'''Turret armour:''' The M103's turret fares better. It is designed to take on tanks from the front, as the line of sight thickness exceeds 300mm on many occasions and where it doesn't the angle will result in bounces. However, this only works when facing straight at the enemy. Any slight angling miscalculation and the Line of Sight armour becomes useless.
+'''Turret armour:''' The M103's turret fares better. It is designed to take on tanks from the front, as the line of sight thickness exceeds 300 mm on many occasions and where it doesn't the angle will result in bounces. However, this only works when facing straight at the enemy. Any slight angling miscalculation and the Line of Sight armour becomes useless. Penetration on the turret results to catastrophic damage and leaves 2 crews left
-'''Weak spots:''' The worst part of the M103 is its true weak spots. As mentioned previously, the upper glacis and lower gun mantlet tend to bounce shots into each other, often with deadly results. Furthermore, the bottom turret cheeks are not as well angled as the rest of the turret (~176mm) and can even be penetrated by the [[KwK 43 (88 mm)|long 88 mm KwK 43]]. The biggest issue present is the abnormally large turret ring. It is visible all around the tank, and with merely 127 mm of armour it attracts many shots. This, in combination with the "shot trap", presents a very deadly scenario: Either the enemy hits the turret ring and incapacitates the entire crew with one APHE shell, or the shell strikes the mantlet/glacis and still does massive damage to either the driver's compartment or the gun breech. Keep the turret ring hidden. Another small weakness is that the M103's belly armour is only 38.1 mm thick, meaning most high-explosive rounds used by the Rank V tanks, HESH, can be splashed under the M103 and actually penetrate it with the explosion alone.
+'''Weak spots:''' The worst part of the M103 is its true weak spots. As mentioned previously, the upper glacis and lower gun mantlet tend to bounce shots into each other, often with deadly results. Furthermore, the bottom turret cheeks are not as well angled as the rest of the turret (~176 mm) and can even be penetrated by the [[KwK 43 (88 mm)|long 88 mm KwK43]]. The biggest issue present is the abnormally large turret ring. It is visible all around the tank, and with merely 127 mm of armour it attracts many shots. This, in combination with the "shot trap", presents a very deadly scenario: Either the enemy hits the turret ring and incapacitates the entire crew with one APHE shell, or the shell strikes the mantlet/glacis and still does massive damage to either the driver's compartment or the gun breech. Keep the turret ring hidden. Another small weakness is that the M103's belly armour is only 38.1 mm thick, meaning most high-explosive rounds used by the Rank V tanks, HESH, can be splashed under the M103 and actually penetrate it with the explosion alone.
 === Mobility ===
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 * Uncapped APBC shell performs poorly against sloped armour
 * The HEATFS round has poor post-penetration damage
 == History ==

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 * Uncapped APBC shell performs poorly against sloped armour
 * The HEATFS round has poor post-penetration damage
 == History ==

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 * Large and vulnerable turret ring
 * Very weak side and rear turret and hull armour
 * Uncapped APBC shell performs poorly against sloped armour
-* The HEATFS has poor post-penetration damage
+* The HEATFS round has poor post-penetration damage
 == History ==

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 * Uncapped APBC shell performs poorly against sloped armour
 * The HEATFS has poor post-penetration damage
 == History ==
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 ;Skins
 * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=us_m103 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

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 == 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}} American heavy 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"]]. The pinnacle of US heavy armour, armed with a monstrous 120mm gun and a nigh impenetrable gun mantlet, it can become an almost unstoppable foe if played correctly.
 == General info ==

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 ==== Ammunition ====
-{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+{{:M58 (120 mm)/Ammunition|M358 shot, M356 shell, M469 shell, M357}}
 ==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

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 Today, only a few M103 samples are left intact around America in various bases and museums.
-=== In-game description ===
+{{break}}
 By the end of the Second World War the M26 Pershing was the primary heavy tank for the American armed forces, though it was later redesignated a medium tank. The US at the same time was working on new heavy tanks, creating the T29, T30, T34, and T32 prototypes.
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 The Marine Corps later ordered a final modernization for the tank: after the basic M60 was accepted, its diesel engine and fire control system were adapted. The new model was designated the M103A2.
 == Media ==

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 {{Specs-Card
 |code=us_m103
-|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
+|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
 }}