Difference between revisions of "Add-on Armor"

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'''Add-on Armor''' is a modification in-game that allows the player to enable the addition of improvised armour onto their tanks.
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== Description ==
  
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==History==
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'''Add-on Armor''' is a modification in-game that allows the player to enable the addition of armour onto their tanks. This additional armour is either improvised (for WW2 vehicles) or designed (for post-WW2 vehicles). Improvised add-on armour was most often a field modification performed by the crew by adding track links or mesh screens to the standard issue vehicle. Designed add-on armour is an upgrade tested and validated by the tank manufacturer. It comes in the form of an armour kit (addition of composite armour) or a protection package (addition of explosive reactive armour blocks). The add-on armour increases the overall weight of the vehicle, giving a lower power-to-weight ratio and thus worse mobility.
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Tank warfare is a type of battle that can make the equipment involved become obsolete very quickly in terms of protection and firepower. In World War II, this is seen especially in the later half of the war when the [[M4|Shermans]] and [[T-34 (1942)|T-34s]] began being outgunned by better German tanks, and the German [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IV]] also being outgunned by those tanks. In an effort to get more protection onto their tanks, crew often improvise a variety of methods to increased the armour on their tanks. Methods included welding tracks or sheet metals as appliqué armour onto the tanks, placing sand bags on the hull, hanging logs from the sides, placing mesh sheets, or simply just pour concrete on the hull for the thickness. While these protection vary in their ability to stop a penetrating round or warhead, they all increase the overall weight of the tank, often taxing the suspension and steering beyond their normal capabilities. General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during the invasion of France, heard of this effect of improvised armour on the tank's suspension and forbid his units from using the common sandbags as improvised armour to mitigate vehicle breakdowns (he was however a fan of welded metal sheets similar to the [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 Jumbo]] and had many normal Shermans made into make-shift Jumbos).
 
  
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Results vary from the variety of improvised armour used in the war. Some armour, like the concrete, was deemed useless or impractical and were not widely used. Sandbags and logs were mostly seen as ineffective against the tank rounds and HEAT warheads used by infantry anti-tank launchers. Out of the bunch, welded metal was perhaps the most effective improvised armour one can put onto a tank. A study done by the U.S. Army on the improvised armour used by the tankers on their Shermans reveal that while the majority of improvised armour had little effect on armour protection, the best impact of improvised armour was morale, as they at least gave the worried tankers an additional bit of psychological, if not physical, protection for their tanks.
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== Tanks able to use modification ==
  
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==Effect in-game==
 
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In the game, the ''Add-on Armor'' modification adds spare track links along the hull and turret of the tank being modified. The track links, when added, give an around 17 - 20 mm of additional armour to where they are attached. As the vehicle ranks increased, the type of armour added increased in complexity from simply "improvised" type additions such as tracks to integral upgrades such as explosive reactive armour.
 
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Since Update 1.67, the add-on armour now adds mass to the overall vehicle weight, meaning a lower power-to-weight ratio and thus lower mobility.
 
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== Tanks able to use modification ==
 
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''As of 2.5.1.56''
 
 
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{{Notice|The [[BMP-1]], the [[SPz BMP-1]] and the [[ZBD86]] do not appear in the table because the BMP-1P upgrade increasing the weight of the vehicle is not armour-related (installation of an ATGM launcher).}}
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==History==
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Tank warfare is a type of battle that can make the equipment involved become obsolete very quickly in terms of protection and firepower. In World War II, this is seen especially in the later half of the war when the [[M4|Shermans]] and [[T-34 (1942)|T-34s]] began being outgunned by better German tanks, and the German [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IV]] also being outgunned by those tanks. In an effort to get more protection onto their tanks, crew often improvise a variety of methods to increased the armour on their tanks. Methods included welding tracks or sheet metals as appliqué armour onto the tanks, placing sand bags on the hull, hanging logs from the sides, placing mesh sheets, or simply just pour concrete on the hull for the thickness. While these protection vary in their ability to stop a penetrating round or warhead, they all increase the overall weight of the tank, often taxing the suspension and steering beyond their normal capabilities. General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during the invasion of France, heard of this effect of improvised armour on the tank's suspension and forbid his units from using the common sandbags as improvised armour to mitigate vehicle breakdowns (he was however a fan of welded metal sheets similar to the [[M4A3E2|M4A3E2 Jumbo]] and had many normal Shermans made into make-shift Jumbos).
  
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{{Notice|The [[BMP-1]], the [[SPz BMP-1]] and the [[ZBD86]] do not appear in the table because the BMP-1P upgrade increasing the weight of the vehicle is not armour-related (installation of an ATGM launcher).}}
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Results vary from the variety of improvised armour used in the war. Some armour, like the concrete, was deemed useless or impractical and were not widely used. Sandbags and logs were mostly seen as ineffective against the tank rounds and HEAT warheads used by infantry anti-tank launchers. Out of the bunch, welded metal was perhaps the most effective improvised armour one can put onto a tank. A study done by the U.S. Army on the improvised armour used by the tankers on their Shermans reveal that while the majority of improvised armour had little effect on armour protection, the best impact of improvised armour was morale, as they at least gave the worried tankers an additional bit of psychological, if not physical, protection for their tanks.
  
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==Images==
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==Media==
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===In-game===
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;Images
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<gallery  mode=packed-hover heights=200px>
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<gallery  mode=packed-hover caption="In-game screenshots" heights=200px>
 
AddonArmor M4A1(76)W.jpg|The [[M4A1 (76) W|M4A1 (76) W Sherman]] with add-on armour on side of the hull and turret.
 
AddonArmor M4A1(76)W.jpg|The [[M4A1 (76) W|M4A1 (76) W Sherman]] with add-on armour on side of the hull and turret.
 
AddonArmor PzIVH.jpg|The [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IV Ausf. H]] with add-on armour on the front of the hull and turret.
 
AddonArmor PzIVH.jpg|The [[Pz.IV H|Panzer IV Ausf. H]] with add-on armour on the front of the hull and turret.
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AddonArmor ChurchillMkVII.jpg|A [[Churchill Mk VII]] with add-on armour on front hull, front turret, and turret sides.
 
AddonArmor ChurchillMkVII.jpg|A [[Churchill Mk VII]] with add-on armour on front hull, front turret, and turret sides.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
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<gallery  mode=packed-hover caption="Historical photos" heights=200px>
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===Historic===
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Sandbagged-Sherman Patton.png|A [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3E8 Sherman]] sporting sand bag add-on armour. The man in front is George Patton, who just finished chewing out the crew for using sand bags, which he banned on tanks.
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<gallery  mode=packed-hover heights=200px>
 
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Sandbagged-Sherman Patton.png|A [[M4A3 (76) W|M4A3E8 Sherman]] sporting sand bag add-on armour.<br/>''Trivia: The man in front is George Patton, who just finished chewing out the crew for using sand bags, which he banned on tanks.''
 
 
T3485E_hist.jpg|A [[T-34-85E|T-34-85]] with added mesh screens as protection against HEAT rounds.
 
T3485E_hist.jpg|A [[T-34-85E|T-34-85]] with added mesh screens as protection against HEAT rounds.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
[[Category:Modules_and_modifications]]
 
[[Category:Modules_and_modifications]]

Revision as of 22:03, 29 October 2021

Description

Add-on Armor is a modification in-game that allows the player to enable the addition of armour onto their tanks. This additional armour is either improvised (for WW2 vehicles) or designed (for post-WW2 vehicles). Improvised add-on armour was most often a field modification performed by the crew by adding track links or mesh screens to the standard issue vehicle. Designed add-on armour is an upgrade tested and validated by the tank manufacturer. It comes in the form of an armour kit (addition of composite armour) or a protection package (addition of explosive reactive armour blocks). The add-on armour increases the overall weight of the vehicle, giving a lower power-to-weight ratio and thus worse mobility.

Tanks able to use modification

Researchable vehicles Premium vehicles
USA flag.png
Germany flag.png
USSR flag.png
Britain flag.png
Japan flag.png
China flag.png
Italy flag.png
France flag.png
Sweden flag.png


II Rank
Item own.png
M10 GMC
us_m10.png
Item own.png
StuH 42 G
germ_stuh_iii_ausf_g.png
Item own.png
Pz.IV F2
germ_pzkpfw_iv_ausf_f2.png
Item prem.png
▀M4 748 (a)
us_m4a2_1944_germ.png
Item own.png
StuG III G
germ_stug_iii_ausf_g.png
Item own.png
T-34 (1941)
ussr_t_34_1941.png
Item own.png
T-34 (1942)
ussr_t_34_1942.png
Item own.png
␗T-34 (1943)
cn_t_34_1942.png
Item own.png
▄M10 GMC
fr_m10.png


III Rank
Item own.png
M4A2
us_m4a2_sherman.png
Item own.png
M4A1 (76) W
us_m4a1_76w_sherman.png
Item own.png
Pz.IV G
germ_pzkpfw_iv_ausf_g.png
Item own.png
Pz.IV J
germ_pzkpfw_iv_ausf_j.png
Item prem.png
Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J
germ_panzerbefelhswagen_iv_ausf_j.png
Item own.png
Pz.IV H
germ_pzkpfw_iv_ausf_h.png
Item own.png
Jagdpanzer IV
germ_jgdpz_iv_l48.png
Item prem.png
Panzer IV/70(A)
germ_pz_iv_l70_a.png
Item own.png
Panzer IV/70(V)
germ_pz_iv_l70.png
Item own.png
Panther D
germ_pzkpfw_v_ausf_d_panther.png
Item own.png
Achilles
uk_17_pdr_m10_achilles.png
Item prem.png
Achilles (65 Rg.)
uk_17_pdr_m10_achilles_norfolk_yeomanry.png
Item own.png
Sherman Firefly
uk_sherman_vc_firefly.png
Item prem.png
Sherman IC "Trzyniec"
uk_sherman_ic_firefly.png
Item own.png
Churchill VII
uk_a_22f_mk_7_churchill_1944.png
Item own.png
␗Т-34-85 (S-53)
cn_t_34_85_d_5t.png


IV Rank
Item own.png
M4A3 (76) W
us_m4a3e8_76w_sherman.png
Item own.png
Panther A
germ_pzkpfw_v_ausf_a_panther.png
Item own.png
Panther G
germ_pzkpfw_v_ausf_g_panther.png
Item own.png
T-34-85
ussr_t_34_85_zis_53.png
Item own.png
IS-2 (1944)
ussr_is_2_1944.png
Item prem.png
T-34-85 No.215
cn_t_34_85_zis_53_no215.png


V Rank
Item own.png
M46
us_m46_patton.png
Item prem.png
▃Magach 3 (ERA)
us_magach_3.png
Item own.png
Conqueror
uk_conqueror_mk_2.png


VI Rank
Item own.png
XM8
us_xm_8.png
Item own.png
BMP-2
ussr_bmp_2.png
Item own.png
T-62M-1
ussr_t_62m1.png
Item own.png
T-72A
ussr_t_72a.png
Item own.png
T-64B
ussr_t_64_b_1984.png
Item own.png
T-80B
ussr_t_80b.png
Item own.png
Warrior
uk_fv510_isv.png


VII Rank
Item own.png
Challenger 2
uk_challenger_ii.png
Item own.png
Ariete
it_c1_ariete.png
Item own.png
Ariete PSO
it_c1_ariete_pso.png
Msg-info.png The BMP-1, the SPz BMP-1 and the ZBD86 do not appear in the table because the BMP-1P upgrade increasing the weight of the vehicle is not armour-related (installation of an ATGM launcher).

History

Tank warfare is a type of battle that can make the equipment involved become obsolete very quickly in terms of protection and firepower. In World War II, this is seen especially in the later half of the war when the Shermans and T-34s began being outgunned by better German tanks, and the German Panzer IV also being outgunned by those tanks. In an effort to get more protection onto their tanks, crew often improvise a variety of methods to increased the armour on their tanks. Methods included welding tracks or sheet metals as appliqué armour onto the tanks, placing sand bags on the hull, hanging logs from the sides, placing mesh sheets, or simply just pour concrete on the hull for the thickness. While these protection vary in their ability to stop a penetrating round or warhead, they all increase the overall weight of the tank, often taxing the suspension and steering beyond their normal capabilities. General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during the invasion of France, heard of this effect of improvised armour on the tank's suspension and forbid his units from using the common sandbags as improvised armour to mitigate vehicle breakdowns (he was however a fan of welded metal sheets similar to the M4A3E2 Jumbo and had many normal Shermans made into make-shift Jumbos).

Results vary from the variety of improvised armour used in the war. Some armour, like the concrete, was deemed useless or impractical and were not widely used. Sandbags and logs were mostly seen as ineffective against the tank rounds and HEAT warheads used by infantry anti-tank launchers. Out of the bunch, welded metal was perhaps the most effective improvised armour one can put onto a tank. A study done by the U.S. Army on the improvised armour used by the tankers on their Shermans reveal that while the majority of improvised armour had little effect on armour protection, the best impact of improvised armour was morale, as they at least gave the worried tankers an additional bit of psychological, if not physical, protection for their tanks.

Media

Images
  • In-game screenshots

  • The M4A1 (76) W Sherman with add-on armour on side of the hull and turret.

  • The Panzer IV Ausf. H with add-on armour on the front of the hull and turret.

  • The Panther D with add-on armour on the sides of the turret.

  • The T-34-85 with add-on armour on the sides of the turret and hull.

  • A Churchill Mk VII with add-on armour on front hull, front turret, and turret sides.

  • Historical photos

  • A M4A3E8 Sherman sporting sand bag add-on armour. The man in front is George Patton, who just finished chewing out the crew for using sand bags, which he banned on tanks.

  • A T-34-85 with added mesh screens as protection against HEAT rounds.

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