M2

M2

M2

USA

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.3	1.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

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Description

The M2 Medium is a Rank I American medium tank with a battle rating of 1.3. It was one of the first American tanks to be released with the American ground tree in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals". It has the distinction of having the most operational machine guns on a ground vehicle with a grand total of 7 (with 2 more non-operational guns on the turret!).

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	28.5 mm (53°) Front glacis 28.5 mm (17-48°) Lower glacis 28.5 mm (13-16°) Driver's port	25.4 mm (16-36°) Front 25.4 mm Everywhere else	25.4 mm (1°) Hull top 25.4 mm Top engine deck 9.5 mm (12-52°) Bottom engine deck	9.5 mm
Turret	25.4 mm (10-14°) Turret front 25.4 mm (9-54°) Gun mantlet	25.4 mm (20°)	25.4 mm (19°)	9.5 mm

Note:

• Driver vision area is a weak spot in front armour, only sloped by about 15°.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
19.0	N/A	60 (AB)
		54 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	542	668
Realistic/Simulator	310	350
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	28.53	35.16
Realistic/Simulator	16.32	18.42

Armaments

Main armament

37 mm M3
Capacity				Gun Depression	Gun Elevation
200				-10°	25°
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert Qualif.	Prior + Ace Qualif.
Arcade	3.27	4.50	5.50	6.00	6.40
Realistic	3.27	3.85	4.67	5.17	5.50
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert Qualif.	Prior + Ace Qualif.
3.77	3.33	3.07	2.90

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
M74 shot	AP	78	76	59	43	31	22
M51 shot	APC	67	66	58	50	43	37

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
							0%	50%	100%
M74 shot	792	0.87	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
M51 shot	792	0.87	N/A	N/A	N/A	+4°	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo rack of the M2

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
200	101 (+99)	1 (+199)	Yes

Machine guns

1 x 7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun (coaxial)
2 x 7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun (Fixed hull)
4 x 7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun (Sponson mounts)

Usage in the battles

The M2 with its decent frontal armour, mobility, and firepower allows it to compete in Rank I. However, it is best to use the vehicle from a distance as it would increase the sloped armour effectiveness against enemy rounds, which would've lost most of its power due to the distance. While the 37 mm cannon can penetrate most tanks at the BR, the gun is on a slow traversing turret, requiring for careful alignment of the turret in the right direction. Flanking enemies would make this a problem so stay in an area that can narrow down enemy paths and stay alert.

Past that, the M2 can prove forgiving with its aforementioned sloped armour and large crew size of six. Though a penetrating shell could knock out a good number of the crew in the cramped interiors, it will prove unlikely to knock out every single crew member in one shot. As such, even if shot on the side, it is possible to react against the flanking enemy if the driver or commander is still alive to align the gun onto the offending target.

In short, the M2 is a good jack-of-all-trade vehicle for the American tree line, a common trait as one moves on into the Rank II and Rank III vehicles.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Reliable gun with good rate of fire.
• 37 mm rounds have good penetration.
• 6 crew members give a more than average crew count.
• Has 7 machine guns modeled and functional.
• Very effective against open top vehicles due to machine guns.
• Can be used as a form of SPAA due to the amount of machine gun coverage. Low flying aircraft can be damaged or shotdown if enough shots hit.

Cons:

• Tank is cramped, a shot can take out many crew members at once.
• Turret rotation is very slow.
• No ammunition with HE filler.
• Large and tall, making it an easy target.
• All the ammo are packed into neat little boxes in the bottom of hull, a shot at suspension area could set one off.
• 7 machine guns is of questionable value against all but the lightest armoured vehicles.
• Very thin roof armour of 9.5 mm.
• Past the front, the overall tank surface is poorly sloped and angled.
• Tall center of gravity, resulting in very unstable turns at high speeds, and at risk of tipping.

History

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Media

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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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