LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2)

This page is about the light tank LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2). For other versions, see LVT (Family).

LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2)

␗M10 GMC

LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2)

␗M10 GMC

China

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.3	2.3

Class:

Tank destroyer

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

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Description

The LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2) is a rank II Chinese tank destroyer with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull12 / 6 / 6

Turret38 / 25 / 25

Crew5 people

Visibility167 %

Its large and spacious hull might seem hard to knock out all of its crew, but that's only true when you are getting shot from the side. From your side, there is a huge empty area between the driving compartment and the fighting compartment that will absorb any shell, regardless of their explosive fillers. However an experienced player will know to shoot at these two compartments and avoid the empty space. From the front, the spacious hull does not help to keep the crew safe as a penetrating shell will travel through the empty space and hit any crew at the back, so you could die sooner than you expected. Avoid tanks with solid shots, for example British/Swedish tanks.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun shield)

Armour	Front (Slope angle°)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	12.7 mm (31°) Front plate 6.35 mm (83-84°) Upper glacis 6.35 mm (41-81°) Lower glacis	6.35 mm (11-51°) Top 6.35 + 6.35 mm Bottom	6.35 mm (0-62°)	6.35 mm
Turret	38 mm (10°) Turret front 5 mm (1-81°) Gun mantlet	25 mm	25 mm	N/A

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
• Front hull has flat armour area where driver & co-driver sits.

Mobility

Amphibious

The design allows you to swim and control movement in the water

Speedforward / back

AB44 / 6 km/h

RB and SB40 / 5 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight18.3 t

Engine power

AB477 hp

RB and SB250 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB26.1 hp/t

RB and SB13.7 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	44	6	18.3	355	477	19.4	26.07
Realistic	40	5		221	250	12.08	13.66

The LVT's mobility is adequate. On hard surfaces it easily reaches its top speed of around 38 km/h. On soft surfaces it needs more time to accelerate, and the top speed is lowered. The hull traverse is great, allowing you to quickly change direction, however a downside is that when you turn the hull to aim, you might over-turn and swing the gun past the target, increasing the aiming time which can be fatal.

Due to its big and tall tracks, the LVT can drive over some obstacles that are too tall for normal-sized tanks.

Modifications and economy

Recommended research order:

• 1. Parts and FPE to increase post-penetration survivability

• 2. Horizontal drive to better the main gun's traverse speed
• 3. Adjustment of Fire and Elevation Mechanism to further improve gun targeting speed and accuracy
• 4. Mobility modifications & others
• 5. BR-271K, it's the least important as the stock round is already very powerful against all tanks

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB412 → 509

RB480 → 593

SB576 → 712

Total cost of modifications6 870

6 730

Talisman cost530

Crew training3 000

Experts10 000

Aces115

Research Aces160 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

30 / 50 / 60 %

112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 460 Cost: 450 75 Suspension Research: 310 Cost: 300 50 Brake System Research: 310 Cost: 300 50 Filters Research: 580 Cost: 560 90 Transmission Research: 1 100 Cost: 1 100 175 Engine Research: 1 100 Cost: 1 100 175	Improved Parts Research: 460 Cost: 450 75 Improved FPE Research: 310 Cost: 300 50 Crew Replenishment Research: 580 Cost: 560 90	Horizontal Drive Research: 460 Cost: 450 75 Adjustment of Fire Research: 310 Cost: 300 50 57mm_AP_ammo_pack Research: 310 Cost: 300 50 Elevation Mechanism Research: 580 Cost: 560 90

Armaments

Main armament

The LVT(A)(4)(ZiS-2) is armed with a 57mm ZiS-2 cannon. This cannon provides excellent firepower: the horizontal gun traverse of ±25° gives it a total of 50° traverse angle to the left and right, covering a large arc at the front which is generally enough to deal with most frontal engagements, reducing the need to traverse the hull. The vertical gun traverse of -5°/+15° is average, but considering that this LVT has its gun mounted high on top of a tall chassis, -5° gun depression will feel lacklusture in hilly environment. Sometimes though, the LVT(A)(4)(ZiS-2) can fire over some covers where other tanks cannot shoot over since it is so tall.

The gun rotation speed is around ~8°/s which is adequate when using this tank as a mid to long range (400-1000m) support vehicle or tank destroyer, but will be quite slow if using it for close quarter combat within 400m. This makes it challenging to target fast vehicles like BT-5, M22, AB 41, etc. The reload rate of ~8 seconds is average but will feel slow if a large group of enemies is to be engaged. The cannon's trajectory is very flat for a WW2 tank and thus becomes beginner friendly to perform distant shots. When using the LVT(A)(4)(ZiS-2) as a mid/long range vehicle, the 3.5x gunsight zoom will be somewhat inadequate as the target a few hundred meters away will appear very small making it hard to aim precisely. 

57 mm ZIS-2 cannon

Ammunition76 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

8.7 → 6.7 s

Vertical guidance-5° / 15°

Horizontal guidance-25° / 25°

57 mm ZIS-2					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	76	-5°/+15°	±25°	N/A	10.6	14.6	17.8	19.6	20.9	8.7	7.7	7.1	6.7
Realistic					7.1	8.4	10.2	11.3	12.0

Ammunition

• The stock BR-271 APHEBC shell performs excellently with its great penetration of ~143mm and 21.5g explosive filler. As such it can easily penetrate all tanks around this BR from the front, and cripple or destroy them with a single shot. The shell will follow a straight trajectory at a high velocity meaning it is a great long range weapon. 

• The researchable BR-271K APHE shell has the same penetration, velocity, and trajectory. It has a tiny bit more explosive filler (27.7g) and a little worse ricochet angle which does not differ it from the stock BR-271 too much. Thus the stock round will be effective for the great majority of the time. 

• The O-271 HE shell is ineffective against conventional tanks due to its small explosive filler of only 220g. Its blast and shrapnel are only useful when landing next to unarmoured vehicles like GAZ-AAA (DshK), Sd.Kfz 6/2, Chi-Ha LG, Sturmpanzer II, etc. Not recommended to bring more than 4 rounds, as your hull MG can also finish the exposed crews on these vehicles.

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
BR-271	APHEBC	145	143	132	119	108	98
BR-271K	APHE	145	143	132	119	108	98
O-271	HE	5	5	5	5	5	5

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%
BR-271	APHEBC	990	3.14	1.2	9	21.56	48°	63°	71°
BR-271K	APHE	990	3.14	1.2	9	27.72	47°	60°	65°
O-271	HE	700	3.72	0	0.1	220	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the LVT(A)(4) ZIS-2.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
76	71 (+5)	65 (+11)	49 (+27)	33 (+43)	17 (+59)	1 (+75)	No

Machine guns

The LVT(A)(4)(ZiS-2) has a hull-mounted 7.62mm M1919A4 machine gun. This MG has a large 250-round belt providing great continuous fire. It has an average vertical traverse of -10°/+20° and horizontal traverse of ±15°. Due to its horizontal traverse being smaller than that of the main gun, this MG sometimes will not be able to shoot at where the main gun is aiming, and the player must turn the hull to acquire the target within the MG's traverse if they wants to use the MG. Having poor penetration of less than 14mm, the M1919 is only potent against exposed crew which are commonly found on trucks and some SPGs (eg. CCKW 353, Sturmpanzer II). It cannot damage lightly armoured vehicles like an M2 Browning does since most of these vehicles have gunshields with at least 10mm thickness which is enough to stop the M1919's bullets.  

7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Hull	3,000 (250)	500	-10°/+20°	±15°

Usage in battles

LVT(A)(4) ZiS-2 is a fragile tank with a strong bite. The main gun is a very powerful Soviet ZiS-2 that have no problem penetrating through the hardest of enemies at its BR. Being such a large tank it has amazing manoeuvrability that works on most terrain. Its high profile makes it a easy target for enemies to spot from afar and behind objects, fences and hills. The LVT(A)(4)'s thin hull armour makes it vulnerable to machine gun and autocannon fire. This makes Self Propelled Anti-Air vehicles and vehicles with 20 mm automatic cannons a lethal enemy, but that is not all the worries, large calibre guns with HEAT and HE can with ease penetrate and cause detonation to the soft armour of the LVT(A)(4).

LVT(A)(4) ZiS-2 has decent speed and is manoeuvrable enough to handle close combat with even while lacking a full 360° traversable turret. But to best counter the most dangerous of enemies is to utilize the long gun to its advantage.

You should memorise certain spots on different maps to make the most out of your amazing firepower. Pick spots that:

• Overlook a key passageway/street
• Are not too close or too far from the frontline
• Have hard cover/slopes around
• Are mostly flat (as your gun depression is bad and gun is mounted very high)
• Have some vegetation, if possible

This way you can sit at a comfortable spot, stay away from most dangers and target opponents that appear. The rather flat trajectory of your gun does not require as much elevation when shooting at distant targets which is beginner friendly, however the shell velocity is not fast, so you have to lead more than you think for moving targets. Because this is a sniper's tactic, if you are to bush up for better concealment, it is recommended to stack all bushes onto the upper front of the LVT. This is because you will mostly face targets from one direction only (your front) so you just have to cover up the front. The lower glacis does not need as much bush as it will usually get blocked by vegetations on the ground, acting as natural camouflage.

Enemies worth noting:

M4A3 (105): this low-tier Sherman is one tough tank to destroy, but luckily your LVT is one of the few that can destroy it with ease (most of the time). Within 500 m, your default shell can easily penetrate its frontal/side armour with an appropriate angle. You can also penetrate its turret between the edge of the gun mantlet and the gun barrel. A penetrating shell is very likely to knock out most of its crew. However, when it's angling, hull down, or >500 m away, either aim really carefully at the turret or wait until it reveals other weakspots (eg. side). Note that you will be hull-broken easily by its HEAT so avoid getting hit by it.

Pz.II/Flakpanzer 38: these German 20 mm cannons are a huge threat to the LVT since they can easily tear through the thin armour even at longer distances. Their high firerate also means that they can quickly knock out the LVT's crew or disable multiple critical components like the huge transmission and engine. But these vehicles are fairly easy to one-shot with your powerful 57 mm cannon.

Against the LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2):

• Light tanks & SPAAs: light vehicles (eg. M2A4, Pz.35(t), Strv m/31, etc) usually have limited post-penetration damage and can therefore struggle to destroy large tanks like the LVT. To effectively engage a LVT, you must memorise all of its crew's locations. If the LVT(A)(4)(ZiS-2) is facing you, shoot at the right side of its turret to disable its gunner, or shoot at its completely exposed gun breech to disarm it. You can also hit its flat gunshield with your MG if within 100m as it is only 5mm. Then use your quick reload knock out its driver at the right side of the frontal hull, then go after the remaining crew. If the LVT(A)(4)(ZiS-2) is facing away from you, make sure that you are not within its horizontal aiming arc, then disable its driver or engine. Then finish off the rest of the crew. If you are caught from a distance but your tank is very fast (eg. M22, BT-5) try driving at full speed and chance course randomly, the LVT(A)(4)(ZiS-2) has slow gun aiming speed and can struggle to keep its gun on you. 
• Medium tanks & heavy tanks & tank destroyers: these vehicles such as M4, B1 bis, Marder III have better armour and/or firepower. Still, their armour cannot withstand a direct hit from the LVT(A)(4)(ZiS-2)'s deadly cannon. If you must make a move, try exposing the frontal armour of your tank at an extreme angle to ricochet the LVT's 57mm shell, then go out of cover and return fire as it reloads. Since most of these tanks have reload speeds slower than light vehicles, you must make your shots count: don't shoot at the area below the turret if it's a sideshot as there is absolutely nothing inside there. The crew are all located inside the turret and the front driving compartment. 

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very powerful cannon for its BR: 145 mm penetration can effectively go through any tank frontally, even in an uptier; upon penetration the 20 g TNT does a great job at finishing off most, if not all the crew
• 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)
• Decent horizontal gun traverse of 50° for a turretless design
• Well-angled turret can lead to some shells bouncing
• Is amphibious, meaning it can launch surprise attacks using rivers

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
• Below-average 5° gun depression plus the tall hull makes it quite difficult to fight in hilly terrain
• Very slow reverse speed can prevent it from retreating back to cover in time
• The crew in the open topped turret are very close together, meaning they can be taken out in a single shot or by aircraft
• Turretless, meaning it cannot respond to flankers in time
• Poor zoom of the gunsight makes it hard to see and aim at distant targets

History

The LVT series of tracked amphibious vehicles originated from a pre-war civilian design, the Alligator hurricane rescue vehicle which had been designed by Donald Roebling (1908-1959) in 1935. An article on a further development of this vehicle in 1937 caught the attention of the US Marine Corps, but initially the proposal of militarising the Alligator met resistance both from the US Navy, who felt conventional landing craft could do the job just as well, and from Roebling himself, who disliked the idea of his vehicle being used for military purposes. The outbreak of war in Europe persuaded Roebling into building it anyway, and by May of 1940 he had completed a militarised prototype, which was tested in November 1940 and subsequently approved for production.

Even before the first prototype had been tested, Roebling had started designing a turret-equipped armed version of his LVT, intended for providing fire support for landings. Originally the design languished, but in June of 1941 the USMC recommended the development of a fire support version of the LVT. Development of this variant was slow, as the entire LVT had to be redesigned: light armour was added to the hull and a 37 mm armed turret similar to that of the M3 Stuart light tank was mounted on top, resulting in the initial fire support variant, the LVT(A)(1).

Combat experience with the LVT(A)(1) soon showed that the 37 mm gun was insufficient for fire support purposes, so the original M3 Stuart turret was replaced by that of a 75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8, creating the LVT(A)(4) variant, of which 1890 were built. Of these, several dozen were delivered to Nationalist China under the Lend-Lease Agreement.

In KMT service, the LVT(A)(4) ended up being used both against the Japanese forces during World War II, as well as against the PLA during the ensuing civil war. Most of them eventually fell into PLA hands. The lack of western supplies meant that ammo soon became sparse for the 75 mm M3 Howitzer gun mounted by the LVT(A)(4); to keep them useful as well as to bolster the number of available armoured vehicles in the PLA inventory, the LVT(A)(4)s were locally converted to either accept the 37 mm M6 tank gun - essentially retrofitting them to LVT(A)(1) status - or the 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun - identical to the gun used on the ZiS-30 tank destroyer, and technically similar to the ZiS-4 gun used on both the T-34-57 and the SU-57B.

The haphazard way in which these conversions took place, as well as the lack of official documents on them, make it unclear how many LVT(A)(4)s were converted. The lack of available spares for their automotive components makes it unlikely that they were used for long, and it is likely they were withdrawn from frontline use as soon as Soviet deliveries of tanks and armoured vehicles started in the early 1950s.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

• LVT(A)(4) ZIS-2 (USA) - Identical gift vehicle in US tree.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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

Food Machinery Corporation (FMC)
Amphibious AFVs	LVT(A)(1) · LVT(A)(4)
IFVs	M3 Bradley · M3A3 Bradley

China tank destroyers
PLA
Gun vehicles	PLZ83 · PLZ83-130 · PTZ89
Missile vehicles	AFT09
ROC
Missile vehicles	CM25
USA
Gun vehicles	␗M8 HMC · LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2) · ␗M10 GMC · ␗M36 GMC
Missile vehicles	␗M113A1 (TOW)
USSR
Gun vehicles	␗SU-76M · ␗ISU-152 · ␗ISU-122 · ␗SU-100