Don Doom
Posts: 2446
Joined: 9/23/2000 From: Lost somewhere in the upper backwoods of Michigan! Status: offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Nikademus: I just recalled something else that probably should be mentioned.
When bereft of APCR ammo, both versions of the 50mm will be hard pressed to penetrate the T-34 along it's still formidably well sloped front "Hull" Though the recent 'balistical' adjustment shaved off a good 25-30mm worth of equiv zero degree armor thickness, the average result still falls around 106-110mm of equiv armor. Unless a "vulnerable location" hit is scored, simming a hit on the machine gun mantlet, the driver's plate or just a plain flaw in the armor itself, both guns, even with their upgraded stats cant punch through the armor as they peak at 77 and 97mm respectively assuming a near perpendicular shot.
That leaves only the special and rarer APCR rounds which even then might still skip off thanks to the slope and WAW's excellent detail level.
Thus, only the less well sloped frontal turrets remain vulnerable. True you can argue 50% chance of hitting (and pen) the turret is alot but keep in mind the historical precedence. The Germans needed a gun that could effectively take out a 34 (or a KV, which all around remains very tough for the Pz-III series to take without special ammo) at a longer range and with a far more effective chance than meerly 50% (or less).
'Thats' the reason why the 50mm, and the Mark III eventually lost it's role as MBT in the German army, not because the 50mm was 'totally' ineffective against uber T-34 and KV tanks, but because it was'nt "effective enough" to give the Germans a comfortable margin of superiority. In fact it was the opposite, at least until the advent of much more heavily armored varients like the Ausf M for the Mark III and the Aufs G and H for the Mark IV. In the case of the Pz-III all that additional armor benefited the Germans little if the tank gun they carried required them to get as close as 400yards or less for their gun to have a decent frontal arc chance to knock out a 34.
The Germans needed a far more effective balance tipper, and found it in the form of the uparmored and upgunned Mark IV, regaining for them battlefield superiority at least in straight shoot out terms, especially if the Germans were on the defense, which by 43 they were more and more on with the sole exception of the Kursk offensive.
A tank of course is not simply gun and armor though, its also mobility and reliability. The T-34 still retains it's mobility edge which neither the Mark III or IV could ever fully match, which again is the reason for the genesis of the Mark V...a tank purpose built to beat the T-34 in all three major catagories, Mobility, firepower, and protection.
So has the T-34 and KV really been disadvantaged? or simply brought down to earth so to speak?
there remain some questions about the downgraded gun stats i'll admit. What would help here is some data from the best real life example we have, Kursk, both historical and player data from the Kursk scenerio. How are Tigers being knocked out? Pz-III's IV's? Is it soley through luck or APCR? or can the 34's at least compete at close range? or against the flanks of the tanks?
And of the III's and IV's present, how many were the uparmored beasts like the M and H varients? only those particular's would give the 34 big problems with it's basic ammo. (even at 200yards a Pz IVh is very tough for a 76to punch through)
Add Tiger's and worse, Panthers to the mix and now the Russians found themselves in the German's position from 41 through a good portion of 42, faced with enemy tank types that increasingly made the main gun of their entire tank arm ineffective requireing the use of mass to overcome it.
Enter the T-34/85, the answer to the Mark IV upgrades and to a lesser extent the Tiger and Panther. The 85mm revitalized a nearly 3.5 - 4 year old tank design (old in terms of actual warfare) and allowed the tank to re-take on the still primary battle tank of the German army at standard to long battle ranges on equal terms more or less (Mark IV), and even gave it a chance against the Tiger with it's formidably thick but reletively unsloped hide. (which considering the Tiger is a heavy tank, meant to fight other heavy tanks does'nt speak ill of the T-34, the real answer to a heavy like the Tiger is another heavy! (IS series)
Panther was more of a problem in a way, with it's thick 'and' well sloped glasis but at there's a bonus at least. It's a big tank which presents a potentially big flank shot easily penetrable by the new 85.
So the Germans even with 7.0 ar'nt uber at least. Tougher, yes, but not uber.
[ December 17, 2001: Message edited by: Nikademus ]
[ December 17, 2001: Message edited by: Nikademus ]
[ December 17, 2001: Message edited by: Nikademus ]
[ December 17, 2001: Message edited by: Nikademus ]
This say's it all.
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Doom Vet of the Russian General Winter For death is only the begining
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