T-54 (1951)

T-54 (1951)

T-54 (1949)

T-55A

T-54 (1951)

T-54 (1949)

T-55A

USSR

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.0	8.0	8.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:61 000

Purchase:340 000

Show in game

Description

The T-54 (1951) is a rank V Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 8.0 (AB/RB/SB).

In 1951, a new hemispherical turret with improved ballistic shaping was introduced for the T-54 medium tank. This turret eliminated the turret shot-traps of earlier models and became the definitive one for all T-54 and T-55 variants that followed. A new telescopic gunsight was also introduced.

Ingame, the 1951 model plays similarly to the 1949 model. It has the same reduced hull armour compared to the 1947 model but makes up for this with its better mobility and turret, which is not vulnerable to shot-traps like the 1947 and 1949 models are. The 1951 model also has access to a powerful HEAT-FS round.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Gun mantlet)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	100 mm (60°) Front glacis  100 mm (54°) Lower glacis	80 mm	45 mm (16°) Upper  30 mm (72°) Lower	30 mm Front 20 mm Back
Turret	160 mm (14-39°) Turret front  200 mm (4-78°) Gun mantlet	115 mm (45-50°) Upper 155 mm (10-30°) Lower	65 mm (9-35°)	30 mm

Notes:

• Suspensions wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armour weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
35.5	N/A	56 (AB)
		50 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	806
Realistic/Simulator	460
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	18.66
Realistic/Simulator	10.65

Armaments

Main armament

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: {{main|Name of the weapon}}. 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.

Additional armament

Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.

Machine guns

Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.

Usage in the battles

The T-54 '51 is practically the same tank as the T-54 '49, it has the same armour as the T-54 '49 and the only difference is the addition of the new HEAT-FS round capable of going through 380mm of armour (the War Thunder community generally accepts the T-54 '51 as having the best ammunition overall). Again, the new round should be taken as a back-up option for the most armoured enemies, while BR-412D should remain the main round.

General Playstyle

The T-54 '51 is simply the better tank than the T-54 '49, because it has the same armour, and the only difference is the addition of HEAT-FS round, which penetrates through 380mm. (Read the T-54 '47 and the T-54 '49 articles, as they cover the T-54 playstyle).

Major Gameplay Differences from the T-54 '49 (Read the T-54 '47 and the T-54 '49 articles prior to reading this!)

• You can now penetrate all vehicles that you can see.
• If the map is very big, and you are forced to snipe, you may prefer to take APDS ammunition, because it's much easier to aim.

The Stock Grind

When grinding the first modifications, Arcade Battles might be more fun, because of faster-paced gameplay and the ability to see all threats. Now, it's a priority to research Parts and FPE, and it may also be a good idea to activate 3-5 universal vehicle back-ups to be able to respawn twice in one match. In this case, it's worth it, because the T-54 '51 is a grinder for rank V and first rank VI vehicles - the faster you spade it, the faster you can grind!

General tips for the stock grind are the same as those for the T-54 '47, read that article.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Improved turret shape and armour thickness, with no shot-traps (Same turret as the T-54 '49)
• Lighter than the 1947 model, with improved mobility
• Wide ammunition selection, including 380 mm penetration 3BK-5 HEAT-FS and powerful APHE rounds
• Well-sloped hull glacis plate, resistant to most full-bore AP rounds
• Roof-mounted DShK heavy machine gun for use against aircraft or light vehicles

Cons

• Unstabilised main gun and very slow turret traverse make it vulnerable to being flanked in close combat
• Relatively low rate-of-fire
• Small magazine size of the DShK heavy machine gun
• Weaker hull armour than the 1947 model
• Poor penetration with APHE rounds

History

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In-game description

"The new 1951 tank model received a cast semi-spherical turret without shot traps and with improved traverse sealing and an apparatus for attaching a minesweeper. Its two SG-43 machine guns were replaced with a 7.62 mm SGMT machine gun. The T-54's main armament remained as before - a 100 mm D-10T cannon with a 56 calibre barrel length. This weapon was developed in the No. 9 artillery factory's design bureau under the direction of F.F. Petrov. The 100 mm cannon's armour-piercing round was able to penetrate a 125 mm thick vertical armour plate at a range of 2,000 m. After the Second World War, improved variants of this tank served for forty years after the basic model was developed. From 1946, all the characteristics of the T-54 and its variants surpassed those of foreign medium tanks, and its weapon had the best armour-piercing properties.

In total, 7,009 of them were made between 1952 and 1955. The T54 Mod. 1951 became widespread outside the USSR's borders and was licensed for production in Poland, Czechoslovakia and China. Its Chinese variant was designated Type 59. Tanks of this type were used in a multitude of armed conflicts in the 20th century. These vehicles are still in service in many countries in Asia and the Middle East.

A disadvantage of the tank was the hull layout is inherited from the T-44. It ensured the Soviet tank's advantages over its foreign counterparts, but also restricted opportunities for further increasing the tank's defences, particularly against the new 90 and 105 mm high-explosive anti-tank warheads and armour-piercing subcalibre rounds. The unstabilised tank cannon's accuracy and rate of fire were too low when firing on the move. The T-54's transmission and undercarriage restricted opportunities to increase its mobility after installing a more powerful weapon or increasing its armour."

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read also

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• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

ETC.

Sources

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• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.