Difference between revisions of "LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2) (USA)"

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m (Survivability and armour: Fix in armour table formatting)
(Usage in the battles)
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== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== 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: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. 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.''
 
''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: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. 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 ===
 
=== 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.''
+
[[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)]]
  
 
== Usage in the battles ==
 
== Usage in the 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 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).''
+
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 got an amazing manouverbility that works on most terrain. It's high profile makes it a easy target for enemy to spot from afar and behind objects, fences and hills. Since the LVT(A)(4) got such thin hull armor makes it vulnerable to machine gun and auto cannon fire. This makes Self Propelled Anti-Air vehicles and vehicles with a 20mm Automatic cannons a lethal enemy, but that is not all the worries, large caliber guns with HEAT and HE can with ease penetrate and cause detonation to the soft armor of the LVT(A)(4).
 +
 
 +
LVT(A)(4) Zis-2 got a decent speed and maneuverable to handle close combat with even with a lacking of a full 360'''°''' turret. But to best counter the most dangerous of enemies is to utilize the long gun to its advantage.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
* Very fast and manoeuvrable on most terrain
+
* Good speed and maneuverability
 
* Five crew members
 
* Five crew members
* The main gun is very powerful at its BR, will have no problem penning tanks at its battle rating
+
* Powerful main gun
* Great gun depression at the side and front
+
* Decent elevation and depression
 
* Well-armed turret can lead to some shells bouncing
 
* Well-armed turret can lead to some shells bouncing
 
* Amphibious
 
* Amphibious
* Most of the interior is empty space meaning that most tanks will need a few shots to knock out this tank
+
* Spaced Interior
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
* Huge tank = Huge target
+
* High Profile
* Very thin hull, will be penned by any main armament and secondary guns like .50 calibre machine guns
+
* Very thin hull, penetration by any main armament and machine guns
 
* The crew in the turret are very close together, meaning they'll be taken out in a single shot
 
* The crew in the turret are very close together, meaning they'll be taken out in a single shot
 +
* Open Top
 +
* Limited turret traverse
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
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 ==
 
== Media ==

Revision as of 18:28, 22 March 2020

▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2)
us_lvt_4_zis_2.png
▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2)
AB RB SB
2.3 2.3 2.3
Show in game
MARKET

Description

The ▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2) is a gift rank II American SPG with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced the winter holiday event of 2016.

Being based off the LVT(A)(1) with the difference of a new turret that hosts a soviet zis gun, offering much more firepower compared to its counterpart.

General info

Survivability and armour

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

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

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.

Machine guns

M1919A4 (7.62 mm)

Usage in the 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 got an amazing manouverbility that works on most terrain. It's high profile makes it a easy target for enemy to spot from afar and behind objects, fences and hills. Since the LVT(A)(4) got such thin hull armor makes it vulnerable to machine gun and auto cannon fire. This makes Self Propelled Anti-Air vehicles and vehicles with a 20mm Automatic cannons a lethal enemy, but that is not all the worries, large caliber guns with HEAT and HE can with ease penetrate and cause detonation to the soft armor of the LVT(A)(4).

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

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good speed and maneuverability
  • Five crew members
  • Powerful main gun
  • Decent elevation and depression
  • Well-armed turret can lead to some shells bouncing
  • Amphibious
  • Spaced Interior

Cons:

  • High Profile
  • Very thin hull, penetration by any main armament and machine guns
  • The crew in the turret are very close together, meaning they'll be taken out in a single shot
  • Open Top
  • Limited turret traverse

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

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

Read also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,

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

ETC.

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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


USA tank destroyers
M10  M10 GMC
M36  M36 GMC · M36B2
T95  T28 · T95
M109  M109A1
ATGM  LOSAT · M901
Wheeled  M3 GMC · T55E1
Other  M8 HMC · M50 · M56
China  ▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2)

Winter events
2022  Winter Quest
Pilot stars  Late 298D · ◄Tornado IDS MFG
Tanker stars  T-80UM2
Sailor stars  USS Newport News
2021  Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.
Pilot stars  C. 202D · ◊MiG-23MF
Tanker stars  A.C.I · AGS
Sailor stars  IJN Hayanami · MPK Pr.201K
2020  Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.
Pilot stars  Ro.57 Quadriarma · MiG-21PFM
Tanker stars  E.B.R. (1954) · Class 3 (P)
Sailor stars  Type K-8 No.13 · USS Baltimore
2019  Operation F.R.O.S.T.
Pilot stars  TIS MA · J6K1
Tanker stars  QF 3.7 Ram · ▃Merkava Mk.2B
Sailor stars  PT-811 · Jaguar
2018  Festive Quest
Pilot stars  M.B.152C1 · Fw 190 C
Tanker stars  SU-85A · T30
Christmas Lights  P-43A-1 · Comet I "Iron Duke IV"
2017  Festive Quest
Pilot christmas toys  P-40C · NC.900
Tanker christmas toys  AEC Mk II · Ersatz M10
Christmas Lights  Fw 189 A-1 · KV-2 (1940)
2016  Winter Holiday
Pilot stages  Ki-21-I hei · Me 262 A-2a
Tanker stages  ▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2) · ▂Type 62
2015  War Thunder Fulfills Your Wishes!
Pilot reward  ▂P-63C-5
Tanker reward  VK 45.01 (P)
2014  Holiday War Thunder Marathon!
Pilot reward  I-301
Tanker reward  M8A1 GMC