Difference between revisions of "LVT(A)(4)"

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Revision as of 20:04, 24 July 2020

Rank IV USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Tu-1 Pack
LVT(A)(4)
us_lvt_a_4.png
LVT(A)(4)
AB RB SB
1.3 1.3 1.3
Show in game

Description

GarageImage LVT(A)(4).jpg


The LVT(A)(4) is a premium gift rank I American light tank with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during Update 1.97 "Viking Fury" as a reward for the Victory Day event.

General info

Survivability and armour

Like its reserve rank brother, the LVT(A)(4) is a big tank with lots of space between modules and crew. This allows some surprising survivabilty when facing tanks that have low caliber single shot guns, and even some automatic cannons such as the ones equipped on the Panzer II's. The LVT(A)(4)'s biggest adversary is HEAT ammunition, such as the kind fired from the Chi Ha's 57 mm and Panzer 4's 75 mm. The LVT(A)(4)'s hull armor is very thin, and is only effective against low caliber machine guns. The turret armor is a different story. With decent angles and relatively good thickness the turret can cause a fair amount of shots to ricochet or bounce. The turret is open top however, and is vulnerable to artillery and air attacks.

Armor Composition

  • Rolled Homogeneous Armor
  • Cast Homogeneous Armor
  • Gun Steel - Main Gun, Machine Gun
  • Structural Steel of Chassis - Suspension
  • Tracks
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 6.35 mm (84°) Upper Glacis

12.7 mm (31°) Upper Plate

6.35 mm (40°-80°) Lower Glacis

6.35 mm Upper

6.35 mm + 6.35 mm Lower

6.35 mm 6.35 mm
Turret 38.1 mm Turret front

12.7 mm Gun mantlet

25.4 - 38.1 mm 25.4 mm 0 - 9.5 mm
Commander's MG Ring 25.4 mm + 11.75 mm All Round

Notes:

  • The gun barrel (10 mm) is wrapped in 12.7 mm of armor
  • The turret for the most part is open topped, but at the very rear there are 9.5 mm of armor
  • Tracks and Suspension - 15 mm
  • Turret Ring - 12.7 mm + 6.35 mm Turret Ring Guard (Hull)
  • Fenders - 6.35 mm

Mobility

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 45 6 18.1 387 477 21.38 26.35
Realistic 40 5 221 250 12.21 13.81

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: M2 Howitzer (75 mm)
75 mm M2 Howitzer Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 46 -20°/+40° ±180° N/A 5.71 7.91 9.60 10.62 11.29 4.29 3.80 3.50 3.30
Realistic 3.57 4.20 5.10 5.64 6.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
M48 shell HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
M66 HEAT 89 89 89 89 89 89
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
M48 shell HE 381 6.30 0.4 0.5 666 79° 80° 81°
M66 HEAT 304 6.02 N/A 0.1 548.13 62° 69° 73°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Screen radius
(m)
Screen deploy time
(s)
Screen hold time
(s)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
M64 381 6.9 13 5 20 50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the LVT(A)(4)
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
46 41 (+5) 32 (+14) 12 (+34) (+45) No

Machine guns

Main article: M2HB (12.7 mm)
12.7 mm M2HB
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Pintle 400 (200) 576 -5°/+70° ±180°

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism M64
IV Transmission Engine Artillery Support
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good speed and manoeuvrability
  • Five crew members with huge space between them increases survivability, especially when most guns it faces have small calibre and little explosive filler (eg. the Stuarts' 37 mm)
  • Amazing -20° gun depression allows excellent mountain combat ability.
  • Well-angled turret can lead to some shells bouncing
  • Is amphibious, meaning it can launch surprise attacks using rivers
  • Heavy MG can effectively damage light vehicles and low-flying planes

Cons:

  • Huge and tall hull makes it easy to be seen/shot at
  • Very thin armour, can be penetrated by any cannon/heavy MG
  • Easily hull broken by large calibre HEAT, such as the Chi-Ha's 57 mm HEAT
  • Shells have low velocity which is a disadvantage in long range combat.
  • The crew in the open topped turret are very close together, meaning they can be taken out in a single shot or by aircraft
  • Bad turret rotation, meaning it cannot respond to flankers in time

History

Development and Design

The vehicle's origins is from a swamp-access vehicle called the Alligator made for civilians. Donald Roebling, its developer, built an improved version of his vehicle with better speed in water. The United States Marine Corps became interested in this amphibious design as they began drawing up their amphibious warfare doctrine. They requested a more sea-worthy version of the vehicle for use in their military operations. Though Roebling and the Navy were reclusive on that idea (the Navy believes they have the current vehicle in store already), the idea brought fruit when World War II broke out in Europe and Roebling created a military version. After a few trials with improvements like a stronger engine, the Bureau of Ships placed a contract for 100 of these vehicles with all-steel armour. The first ones arrive in July 1941, with 200 more ordered before the initial contract was finished. The vehicle design was adopted and designated the LVT, with many different variants of the vehicle being produced throughout the war.

The first version of the LVT, the LVT-1, could carry 18 men or 4,500 pounds of equipment. The Marines first used the LVT-1 in Guadalcanal with 128 available to 1st Marine Division. Usage in the field revealed that the LVT was too thinly armoured for a rapid deployment back and forth the ships and landing site, but the Marines saw the vehicle's potential as an assault vehicle. So in June 1941, the Marines push forward with a Roebling design of the LVT armed with a gun turret. In order for this to be possible, the LVT underwent a redesign into the LVT-2 "Buffalo", which had a new powertrain and suspension to allow better performances on land and able to carry up to 6,950 pounds in equipment. 

Early on it became clear that the LVTs that were in production - which were usually armed with only machine guns - did not have the firepower necessary to support the infantry, especially when facing enemy pillboxes, bunkers, and other entrenched positions used by the Japanese Army. In order to solve this problem, a fire support vehicle based on the LVT-2 was designed. It had a turret that was very similar to the turret of the M3 Stuart light tank. Before the introduction of the better armed LVT(A)-4 in 1944, 510 LVT(A)-1 were built by the Food Machinery Corporation.

The LVT(A)-1 was based on the LVT-2, but with a number of changes to make it a support vehicle. The LVT(A)-1 was fitted with a turret very similar to that of the M3 Stuart, and it was armed with the same 37 mm Gun M6 with 10 degrees of gun depression and 25 degrees of elevation. The main gun was fitted in the M4 mount, and there was a coaxial .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine gun. At the rear of the vehicle, two .30 cal Browning M1919A4 machine guns were fitted, and the gunners were protected by standard Navy gun shields. The deck was armored, and the vehicle was fully enclosed. The front of the turret had 51 mm (2 in) of armor, and the ammunition was stored a number of racks throughout the vehicle. The vehicle had a crew of six; a commander and gunner in the turret, the driver and machine gunner in the front of the crew compartment, and two machine gunners at the rear of the vehicle. The LVT(A)-1 was a pure fire support vehicle, as there was no room inside to transport personnel or cargo. All the other features of the LVT(A)-1 were the same as on the LVT-2.

The LVT(A)-4 was essentially just an LVT(A)-1 but equipped with a different turret. It was still based on the LVT-2, but it has the turret of the 75 mm Gun Motor Carriage M8 "Scott" instead of the turret of the M3 Stuart light tank. Additionally, the two rear machine gun positions were removed; this reduced the crew to five, with the commander, gunner, and loader in the turret and the driver and co-driver in the front crew compartment. In total, 1,890 LVT(A)-4 vehicles were built, and they largely replaced the LVT(A)-1 in service. The 75 mm gun was more effective against fortified positions, but the 37 mm gun of the LVT(A)-1 was as effective or more effective against enemy armor. But, the main goal of the LVT(A)-1 and -4 was to support the infantry, not to destroy enemy armor - which is why the LVT(A)-4 was more effective.

The LVT(A)-4 was itself the basis of an improved fire support version of the LVT, the LVT(A)-5. This was an improved model of the LVT(A)-4. It featured a gyro-stabilizer for the main gun, and a powered turret. In the late 1940's many LVT(A)-5 received additional armor plating. A total of 269 LVT(A)-5 were produced.

Service

The first usage of the LVT family is as a cargo carrier in Guadalcanal, it was unarmoured at the time and only had machine guns as their main armaments. Their next usage was in Tarawa, which saw the first usage of the newly designed LVT-2. The vehicles in both cases carried ammunition, troops, and wounded back and forth the ships and the beach. After Tarawa, the LVT inventory increased by the battalion, as well as the appearance of the gun-armed LVT(A)-1 and LVT(A)-4. The LVT family continued to see service in Bougainville, the Marshall Islands, Saipan, Peleliu, Leyte (its largest usage in the war), Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The LVT's also saw use in South East Asia in use by the British, but they never saw combat action.

Outside the Pacific, the LVT also saw use in the European Theater of Operations. Their first usage was in North Africa in November 1942 during Operation Torch to land troops, where its best usage was to get stranded landing boats back into action. The LVT's were also given to the British as part of Lend-Lease. The LVT's were used in the Normandy landings and other operations in Europe such as crossing the Rhine River in Germany and Po River in Italy.

After World War II, the LVT's continued to see action in the multiple conflicts in the world. A number were given to the Chinese Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War by America. Many of these were captured by the Chinese PLA, with some converted to use a 75 mm howitzer or a ZIS-2 anti-tank gun. The Americans used a number of LVT vehicles in the Korean War, notably the landing at Inchon and the attack on Seoul. The French also used American-supplied LVTs during the Indochina War and the Suez Crisis.

Media

Images
LVT(A)(4) crossing tropical river.jpg
Videos

See also

Vehicles with the same chassis
Vehicles with the same gun

External links


USA light tanks
LVT  LVT(A)(1) · ○LVT(A)(1) · LVT(A)(4)
M2  M2A2 · M2A4 · M2A4 (1st Arm.Div.)
M3/M5 Stuart  M3 Stuart · M3A1 Stuart · M3A1 (USMC) · M5A1 · M5A1 TD · ▃Stuart VI (5th CAD)
M22 Locust  M22
M24 Chaffee  M24 · M24 (TL)
M18 Hellcat  M18 GMC · M18 "Black Cat" · Super Hellcat
M41 Walker Bulldog  M41A1
M551 Sheridan  M551 · M551(76)
M3 Bradley  M3 Bradley · M3A3 Bradley
Wheeled  M8 LAC · T18E2 · M1128 · M1128 Wolfpack
Other  M8A1 GMC · T92 · T114 · HSTV-L · CCVL · XM8 · XM800T · AGS

USA premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  LVT(A)(4) · M2A4 (1st Arm.Div.) · M3A1 (USMC) · ▃Stuart VI (5th CAD) · M8 LAC · M8A1 GMC
  M18 "Black Cat" · Super Hellcat · T18E2 · M551(76) · T114 · M1128 Wolfpack
Medium tanks  ▃Grant I · M4A5 · Calliope · T20 · M26 T99 · M26E1 · M46 "Tiger" · T54E1 · T54E2 · ▃Magach 3 (ERA) · M728 CEV
  XM1 (GM) · XM1 (Chrysler) · M1 KVT · M1A1 Click-Bait
Heavy tanks  T14 · Cobra King · M6A2E1 · T29 · T30
Tank destroyers  T28 · T55E1