Tortoise - Revision history

U44629479: Edits

2024-11-02T20:52:19Z

Edits

U124022231: /* Development */ changed wording, made more coherent and readable

2024-10-07T12:34:29Z

‎Development: changed wording, made more coherent and readable

U44629479: Edits

2024-03-30T16:31:27Z

Edits

U28580205: Edits to text and changes in image titles

2023-02-03T02:29:54Z

Edits to text and changes in image titles

U52785269: Eloborated on armor vs more advanced ammunition.

2023-01-29T19:10:39Z

Eloborated on armor vs more advanced ammunition.

U52785269: /* General info */ Improved description of the Survivability and armour.

2023-01-29T18:49:19Z

‎General info: Improved description of the Survivability and armour.

U38088265: /* Ammunition */ Converted to transclusion

2023-01-21T23:35:31Z

‎Ammunition: Converted to transclusion

U9202753: New Specs-Card-Image added

2022-10-27T15:14:57Z

New Specs-Card-Image added

U44629479: Edits

2022-09-28T07:40:42Z

Edits

U50095228: /* Armaments */ Additional information on armaments

2022-09-27T10:20:26Z

‎Armaments: Additional information on armaments

@@ Line 182: / Line 182: @@
 ===Design===
-The ''AT16'' was renamed the '''A39 Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank''' during its production life. The Tortoise employed a fixed casemate design which limited the gun traverse significantly. Though classified as an Assault Tank, it was in reality a self-propelled/assault gun. The front armour was very thick, 225mm at its most armoured. This large amount of armour came at the cost of 80 tons of increased weight and a height of 10 feet. Armed with a 96 mm 32-pounder gun that provided effective explosive and armour-piercing capabilities, capable of destroying a [[Panther G|Panther]] tank at 1,000 yards. The Tortoise was powered by a Meteor engine with an all-speed transmission system for equal speed forward and reverse. The suspension was a bogie system, with each bogie having a pair of wheels that linked to a transverse torsion bar. The vehicle held a six-man crew, two of which being loaders for the 32-pounder gun.
+The ''AT16'' was renamed the '''A39 Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank''' during its production life. The Tortoise employed a fixed casemate design which limited the gun traverse significantly. Though classified as an Assault Tank, it was in reality a self-propelled/assault gun. The front armour was very thick, 225 mm at its most armoured. This large amount of armour came at the cost of 80 tons of increased weight and a height of 10 feet. Armed with a 96 mm 32-pounder gun that provided effective explosive and armour-piercing capabilities, capable of destroying a [[Panther G|Panther]] tank at 1,000 yards. The Tortoise was powered by a Meteor engine with an all-speed transmission system for equal speed forward and reverse. The suspension was a bogie system, with each bogie having a pair of wheels that linked to a transverse torsion bar. The vehicle held a six-man crew, two of which being loaders for the 32-pounder gun.
 ===Cancellation===

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 '''Armour type:'''
 * Cast homogeneous armour
 * Rolled homogeneous armour (Side hull, Rear hull, Hull roof, Superstructure roof)
@@ Line 176: / Line 177: @@
 <!-- ''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).'' -->
 ===Development===
-Years before the invasion of Normandy, there were men among the Allied planners worrying about the heavily-defended fortification lines such as the Siegfried Line blocking the path from France to Germany. One of the proposed methods was to develop extremely heavily armoured vehicles capable of destroying any fortification it comes across and any resistance the German had. Britain and America both worked on this project in order to develop these super-heavy tanks.
+Years before the invasion of Normandy, Allied planners worried that heavily-defended fortification lines such as the Siegfried Line would block an Allied advance from France to Germany. One of the proposed methods was to develop extremely heavily armoured vehicles capable of destroying any fortification they came across and any resistance the Germans had. Britain and America both worked on this project in order to develop these super-heavy tanks.
-The British began to develop a new type of vehicle to counter this threat, the Assault Tanks that focuses all effort on armour. The first development for such a tank began in 1943 as the [[Excelsior|A33 Excelsior]] tank, though this was cancelled with better reliability of the [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill infantry tank]]. The Secretary of State for War and the Minister of Supply sent out specifications for the Assault Tanks in April 1943, to which the Nuffield Organisation react with 18 designs for the specifications between May 1943 to February 1944, named ''AT1'' to ''AT18''. Each design was more armoured than its predecessor, but design ''AT16'' was approved by the Tank Board in February 1944. It was proposed that 25 vehicles would be produced and thus work began throughout the rest of the war. Six units were produced before production came to an end.
+The British began to develop a new type of vehicle to counter this threat, the Assault Tanks that focuses all effort on armour. The first development for such a tank began in 1943 as the [[Excelsior|A33 Excelsior]] tank, though this was cancelled in favour of the more reliable [[Churchill Mk VII|Churchill infantry tank]]. The Secretary of State for War and the Minister of Supply sent out specifications for the Assault Tanks in April 1943, to which the Nuffield Organisation responded with 18 designs between May 1943 to February 1944, named ''AT1 -'' ''18''. Each design was more armoured than its predecessor, and after careful consideration ''AT16'' was approved by the Tank Board in February 1944. It was proposed that 25 such vehicles would be produced and thus work began throughout the rest of the war. Six units were produced before production came to an end.
 ===Design===
-The ''AT16'' was renamed the '''A39 Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank''' during its production life. The Tortoise is a fixed casemate design. Though classified as an Assault Tank, it was in reality a self-propelled/assault gun. The fixed casemate superstructure limited the gun traverse, but the front armour is very thick at 225 mm. This large amount of armour came at the increased weight of 80 tons and a height of 10 feet. The gun is the 96 mm 32-pounder gun that provided effective explosive and armour-piercing capabilities, good enough to destroy a [[Panther G|Panther]] tank at 1,000 yards away. The Tortoise is powered by a Meteor engine with an all-speed transmission system for equal speed forward and reverse. The suspension is a bogie system, with each bogie having a pair of wheels that are linked to a transverse torsion bar. The vehicle holds a crew of six people, two of which are loaders for the 32-pounder gun.
+The ''AT16'' was renamed the '''A39 Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank''' during its production life. The Tortoise employed a fixed casemate design which limited the gun traverse significantly. Though classified as an Assault Tank, it was in reality a self-propelled/assault gun. The front armour was very thick, 225mm at its most armoured. This large amount of armour came at the cost of 80 tons of increased weight and a height of 10 feet. Armed with a 96 mm 32-pounder gun that provided effective explosive and armour-piercing capabilities, capable of destroying a [[Panther G|Panther]] tank at 1,000 yards. The Tortoise was powered by a Meteor engine with an all-speed transmission system for equal speed forward and reverse. The suspension was a bogie system, with each bogie having a pair of wheels that linked to a transverse torsion bar. The vehicle held a six-man crew, two of which being loaders for the 32-pounder gun.
 ===Cancellation===

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 <!-- ''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.'' -->
-As its name suggest, the Tortoise is not very fast. While its mobility leaves much to be desired, the tank's survivability is the complete opposite. The tank sacrifices its speed for very thick armour, both on the front and sides. The frontal protection varies from 170 mm at the lower plate to 215 mm of cast steel around the mantlet, with additional protection being provided by spaced armour, covering the gun breach. This, combined with the mostly well-angled front of the tank, makes the armour reach an effective thickness of around 250 mm. This makes the Tortoise borderline immune to most attacks from the guns found at its BR, even the mighty Russian [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T cannon]]. The Tortoise's hull sides and rear are also very tough to pierce, making any SPAA vehicle, and even some light tanks, more of a nuisance than a real threat to the tank. If the armour is not enough the Tortoise has a huge 7 man crew, which does contribute a lot to its survivability. As the crew is spread out in the hull, knocking out the Tortoise with just one-shot is quite rare.
+As its name suggest, the Tortoise is not very fast. While its mobility leaves much to be desired, the tank's survivability is the complete opposite. The tank sacrifices its speed for very thick armour, both on the front and sides. The frontal protection varies from 170 mm at the lower plate to 215 mm of cast steel around the mantlet, with additional protection being provided by spaced armour, covering the gun breech. This, combined with the mostly well-angled front of the tank, makes the armour reach an effective thickness of around 250 mm. This makes the Tortoise borderline immune to most attacks from the guns found at its BR, even the mighty Russian [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T cannon]]. The Tortoise's hull sides and rear are also very tough to pierce, making any SPAA vehicle, and even some light tanks, more of a nuisance than a real threat to the tank. If the armour is not enough the Tortoise has a huge 7 man crew, which does contribute a lot to its survivability. As the crew is spread out in the hull, knocking out the Tortoise with just one-shot is quite rare.
 [[File:Tortoise Armour Weakspot 1 vs Tiger II.png|right|thumb|Tiger II easily capable of penetrating Tortoise's flat armour.]]
 The tank does have some glaring weak spots in its frontal armour. First weak spot of note is the cupola. Considering that the cupola is only 101.6 mm thick and flat, it is very easy for the Tortoise's opponents to penetrate it, usually resulting in a loss of a crew member. Another weak spot is actually one of the thickest part of the tank, the gun mantlet area. While the plate itself is very thick, the fact that it is flat makes it very vulnerable, if not angled. A shot from a Tiger II can pierce it, resulting in the Tortoise's destruction or at the very least incapacitation. In order to avoid this, it is advised to angle the armour to make it more effective.
@@ Line 131: / Line 131: @@
 The A39 Tortoise was created with the intention of serving as a "heavy assault tank" to break through the Siegfried Line. It plays more as a tank destroyer that's best used at long range. Therefore, to maximize the potential of the Tortoise, one must stay at long distances and snipe enemies with the very accurate [[Ordnance QF 32-pounder (94 mm)|32 pdr OQF]] cannon, while making sure to choose good cover, so as to not allow the enemy to target the Tortoise's weak spots: the MG turret and gunner's cupola, the flat areas of the mantlet armour, and the lower front plate (LFP) if it is left exposed. With its slow speed and reload rate, this is not a frontline tank; it will easily be outflanked if used in shorter range engagements. In summary, the Tortoise is best used in a defensive capacity - either to defend capture points, or important strategic areas on the map (i.e. areas where enemies love to camp).
-The Tortoise is a true sniper tank destroyer: the farther, the better. Its biggest vulnerability is that it moves extremely slowly, so it's not recommended for frontline combat. It plays much better as an entrenched shooter that can change a game by picking cover with a good field of fire, and then denying enemy entry or egress of an area. The cannon lacks an AP shell  with HE filler, making general knowledge of tank internals a must. With good gun depression, it can be near-invincible when taking a good hull-down position, and can retreat back into cover easily enough due to its good reverse speed.
+The Tortoise is a true sniper tank destroyer: the farther, the better. Its biggest vulnerability is that it moves extremely slowly, so it's not recommended for frontline combat. It plays much better as an entrenched shooter that can change a game by picking cover with a good field of fire, and then denying enemy entry or egress of an area. The cannon lacks an AP shell with HE filler, making general knowledge of tank internals a must. With good gun depression, it can be near-invincible when taking a good hull-down position, and can retreat back into cover easily enough due to its good reverse speed.
 Some tips for specific combat environments:
@@ Line 196: / Line 196: @@
 ;Videos
-{{Youtube-gallery|-WGV2ECr-TA|'''The Shooting Range #252''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:25 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|B2woWvJK4ew|'''Top 7 most armoured vehicles'''  discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 0:18  - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|FafvSJDEfwA|'''Tank Chats #15 Tortoise''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}
+{{Youtube-gallery|-WGV2ECr-TA|'''The Shooting Range #252''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:25 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.|B2woWvJK4ew|'''Top 7 most armoured vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 0:18 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|FafvSJDEfwA|'''Tank Chats #15 Tortoise''' - ''The Tank Museum''}}
 == See also ==

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 <!-- ''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.'' -->
-As the name suggest, Tortoise is not very fast. While the mobility may leave much to be desired, the survivability of the tank is a complete opposite. The tank sacrfices it's speed for very thick armor, both on its front and sides. The frontal protection varies from 170mm at the lower plate to 215mm of cast steel around the mantlet, with additional protection being provided by spaced armour, covering the gun breach. This, combined with mostly well-angled front of the tank makes the armour reach an effective thickness of around 250mm. This makes the Tortoise borderline immune to any attacks from most of the guns, found at its BR, even the mighty Russian 122mm D-25T cannon. Tortoise's hull sides and rear are also very tough to pierce, making any SPAA vehicle, and even some light tanks, more of a nuisance than a real threat to the tank. If the armor is not enough the Tortoise has a huge 7 man crew, which does contribute a lot to its survivability, as it is spread out, making knocking out the Tortoise with just one-shot quite rare.
+As its name suggest, the Tortoise is not very fast. While its mobility leaves much to be desired, the tank's survivability is the complete opposite. The tank sacrifices its speed for very thick armour, both on the front and sides. The frontal protection varies from 170 mm at the lower plate to 215 mm of cast steel around the mantlet, with additional protection being provided by spaced armour, covering the gun breach. This, combined with the mostly well-angled front of the tank, makes the armour reach an effective thickness of around 250 mm. This makes the Tortoise borderline immune to most attacks from the guns found at its BR, even the mighty Russian [[D-25T (122 mm)|122 mm D-25T cannon]]. The Tortoise's hull sides and rear are also very tough to pierce, making any SPAA vehicle, and even some light tanks, more of a nuisance than a real threat to the tank. If the armour is not enough the Tortoise has a huge 7 man crew, which does contribute a lot to its survivability. As the crew is spread out in the hull, knocking out the Tortoise with just one-shot is quite rare.
-[[File:TortoiseArmor 1.png|thumb|Tiger II easily capable of penetrating Tortoise's flat armor.]]
+[[File:Tortoise Armour Weakspot 1 vs Tiger II.png|right|thumb|Tiger II easily capable of penetrating Tortoise's flat armour.]]
-The tank does have some glaring weakspots in its frontal armour. First of all the cupola. Considering it is only 101.6m thick and flat it is very easy for Tortoise's opponents to penetrate it, usually resulting in a loss of a crew memeber. Another weakspot is actually one of the thickest part of the tank, the gun mantlet area. While the plate itself is very thick, the fact that it is flat makes it really voulnerable, if not angled. A shot from a Tiger II is easily capable of piercing it, resulting in destruction or at the very least incapacitation of the Tortoise. In order to avoid this it is advised to angle the armour, making it even more effective.
+The tank does have some glaring weak spots in its frontal armour. First weak spot of note is the cupola. Considering that the cupola is only 101.6 mm thick and flat, it is very easy for the Tortoise's opponents to penetrate it, usually resulting in a loss of a crew member. Another weak spot is actually one of the thickest part of the tank, the gun mantlet area. While the plate itself is very thick, the fact that it is flat makes it very vulnerable, if not angled. A shot from a Tiger II can pierce it, resulting in the Tortoise's destruction or at the very least incapacitation. In order to avoid this, it is advised to angle the armour to make it more effective.
-There is one more weakspot which more advanced players will use to their advantage when facing a Tortoise. Another flat are of the superstructure is located next to the machinegun port, which is only 152mm thick. This flat area is quite large, making it an even easier target and unforunately for the Tortoise, even proper armour angling will not make it sturdy enough to withstand the long 8.8cm KwK 43, let alone something like the Russian D-25T or D10T.
+There is one more weak spot which more advanced players will use to their advantage when facing a Tortoise, another flat area of the superstructure located next to the machine gun port, which is only 152 mm thick. This flat area is quite large, making it an even easier target, and unfortunately for the Tortoise, even proper armour angling will not make it sturdy enough to withstand the long [[KwK43 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK 43]], let alone something like the Russian D-25T or [[D-10T (100 mm)|D-10T]].
-[[File:TortoiseArmor 2.png|thumb|Tiger II's round vs the flat armor plate around the machinegun port.]]
+[[File:Tortoise Armour Weakspot 2 vs Tiger II.png|left|thumb|Tiger II's round vs the flat armour plate around the machine gun port.]]
-Tortoise also has access to smoke grenade launchers, which are very useful and should be utilised often, especially if there is a need for a hasty retreat, which is allowed by good reverse speed. The smoke grenades are realeased in 4 charges through 3 mortars, one of which is placed on the rotating turret. Important thing to note is that if the turret's operator is knocked out, it won't be able to move, resulting in smoke grenades being launched in the direction the turret's MGs are facing.
+Tortoise also has access to smoke grenade launchers, which are very useful and should be utilised often, especially if there is a need for a hasty retreat, which is made possible by the Tortoise's good reverse speed. The smoke grenades are released in 4 charges through 3 mortars, one of which is placed on the rotating turret. Important thing to note is that if the turret's operator is knocked out, it won't be able to move, resulting in smoke grenades being launched in the direction the turret's MGs are facing.
-[[File:Tortoise 1.png|center|thumb|Smoke screen created by the Tortoise.]]Usually when faced against vehicles which use APCBC rounds and are of equal BR, the Tortoise's armour holds very well. The issue however appears when the tank faces enemies, who have access to more advanced munitions, like APDS, HEAT-FS or any early ATGMs. The armour performs really badly against these and will, 9/10 times, be pierced. There are also some large calibre guns capable killing the Tortoise by shooting HE shells into it's roof, through overpressure, which is made easier due to the large cupola.
+[[File:Tortoise Smokescreen.png|right|thumb|Smoke screen created by the Tortoise.]]
 * Cast homogeneous armour
 * Rolled homogeneous armour (Side hull, Rear hull, Hull roof, Superstructure roof)

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 [[File:TortoiseArmor 2.png|thumb|Tiger II's round vs the flat armor plate around the machinegun port.]]
 Tortoise also has access to smoke grenade launchers, which are very useful and should be utilised often, especially if there is a need for a hasty retreat, which is allowed by good reverse speed. The smoke grenades are realeased in 4 charges through 3 mortars, one of which is placed on the rotating turret. Important thing to note is that if the turret's operator is knocked out, it won't be able to move, resulting in smoke grenades being launched in the direction the turret's MGs are facing.
-[[File:Tortoise 1.png|center|thumb|Smoke screen created by the Tortoise.]]
+[[File:Tortoise 1.png|center|thumb|Smoke screen created by the Tortoise.]]Usually when faced against vehicles which use APCBC rounds and are of equal BR, the Tortoise's armour holds very well. The issue however appears when the tank faces enemies, who have access to more advanced munitions, like APDS, HEAT-FS or any early ATGMs. The armour performs really badly against these and will, 9/10 times, be pierced. There are also some large calibre guns capable killing the Tortoise by shooting HE shells into it's roof, through overpressure, which is made easier due to the large cupola.
 * Cast homogeneous armour

@@ Line 78: / Line 78: @@
 ==== Ammunition ====
-{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+{{:32pdr OQF (94 mm)/Ammunition|Shot Mk.1, Shell Mk.1}}
 ==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Specs-Card
 |code=uk_a39_tortoise
-|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
+|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
 }}

@@ Line 55: / Line 55: @@
 <!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
 {{main|32pdr OQF (94 mm)}}
-Unlike other British Rank IV tanks, the Tortoise does not have access to APDS or HESH ammunition, it relies on pure AP solid shots. Fortunately, these large calibre rounds are roughly similar to [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|20-pounder cannon's]] APDS, meaning the learning curve from the [[Charioteer Mk VII]] is not too steep. Plus, these 94 mm shells are stock rounds in the Tortoise.
+The main APCBC round for the Tortoise features superb penetration with 250+ mm at close range. While some other opponents might sport a better penetration, the ~10 seconds reload and incredible accuracy means you will usually be able to get a shot off before the enemy at this BR since a lot of tanks make use of large calibre guns with long reload times (Tiger II, IS-2, FV4005, etc.). The Shot Mk.1 also features excellent post-penetration damage thanks to its large calibre.
 Due to the stable gun platform provided by an incredibly heavy chassis, as well as the decent gun traverse, the Tortoise is able to halt, stabilize and fire its gun before enemies are able to.
@@ Line 141: / Line 140: @@
 The secondary armament on this tank is a MG turret with twin-mounted [[BESA (7.92 mm)|BESA]] machine guns, good for dealing with low-flying planes and even some bombers, although these MGs lack the power of cannons for aircraft encountered in mixed battles at this BR. Since this turret is the main weak spot on this tank's frontal armour, it is often disabled in the first few shots.
-Of note, 6 of the vehicle's smokegrenades are located on this machine gun turret, and even if it's disabled (locking it in the direction it was facing) the grenades will still fire like normal.
+Six of the vehicle's smoke grenades are located on the machine gun turret, and even if it's disabled (locking it in the direction it was facing) the grenades will still fire like normal.
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 Unlike other British Rank IV tanks, the Tortoise does not have access to APDS or HESH ammunition, it relies on pure AP solid shots. Fortunately, these large calibre rounds are roughly similar to [[20pdr OQF Mk.I (84 mm)|20-pounder cannon's]] APDS, meaning the learning curve from the [[Charioteer Mk VII]] is not too steep. Plus, these 94 mm shells are stock rounds in the Tortoise.
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
@@ Line 136: / Line 140: @@
 The secondary armament on this tank is a MG turret with twin-mounted [[BESA (7.92 mm)|BESA]] machine guns, good for dealing with low-flying planes and even some bombers, although these MGs lack the power of cannons for aircraft encountered in mixed battles at this BR. Since this turret is the main weak spot on this tank's frontal armour, it is often disabled in the first few shots.
 {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
@@ Line 229: / Line 235: @@
 == External links ==
 ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 * ''topic on the official game forum;''
 * ''other literature.''