Begleitpanzer 57
Contents
Description
The Begleitpanzer 57 is a rank VI German light tank with a battle rating of 9.7 (AB) and 9.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.73 "Vive la France".
At first glance, the Begleitpanzer 57 may be confused for a SPAA due to the light armoured chassis and the rapid-firing 57 mm autocannon. On the turret is also a TOW launcher with SACLOS guidance, meaning it will automatically align itself with where the crosshair is pointing.
As it shares the same chassis, the Begleitpanzer 57's construction is similar to that of the Marder A1-, with light armour all around and sides that heavy machine guns can penetrate. The main cannon's exterior mounting also means it can be disabled by machine guns and shrapnel.
As a light tank, the Begleitpanzer 57 carries great firepower and high mobility. The 57 mm autocannon has a penetration power close to that of the ZSU-57-2's, but the addition of a TOW launcher system makes this vehicle able to engage heavier targets.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hull | 11 mm (76°), 32 mm (32°) Front glacis 32 mm (31-61°) Lower glacis |
15 mm (30°) Top 15 mm |
11 mm (24°) Top 11 mm (26°) |
11 mm |
Turret | 25 mm (39°) Turret front 25 mm (0-9°) Gun mantlet |
15 mm (12-16°) Left side 15 mm Right side |
15 mm (39°) | 11 mm |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
- Belly armour is 11 mm thick.
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 | 84 | 84 | 28.5 | 1,116 | 1,145 | 39.16 | 40.18 |
Realistic | 76 | 76 | 637 | 600 | 22.35 | 21.05 |
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Main armament
57 mm Bofors L/70 Mk.1 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mode | Capacity | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
Arcade | 148 | 200 | -8°/+45° | ±180° | Two-plane | 52.4 | 72.5 | 88.0 | 97.3 | 103.5 | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.30 |
Realistic | 32.7 | 38.5 | 46.8 | 51.7 | 55.0 |
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 | ||
57x438 AP-T | APCBC | 137 | 133 | 119 | 102 | 89 | 77 |
57x438 SAP-T | SAPHEI | 47 | 46 | 41 | 35 | 31 | 26 |
57x438 HE-T | HE* | 16 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
57x438 HE-VT | HE-VT* | 16 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
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% | ||||||||||
57x438 AP-T | APCBC | 950 | 2.7 | - | - | - | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
57x438 SAP-T | SAPHEI | 950 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 9 | 510 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
57x438 HE-T | HE* | 1,020 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 765 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Proximity-fused shell details | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Arming distance (m) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||
0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
57x438 HE-VT | HE-VT* | 1,020 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 500 | 6 | 765 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Ammo racks
Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
---|---|---|---|---|
148 | 48 (+100) | 24 (+124) | 0 (+148) | No |
Notes:
- Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
- Racks 2 and 3 are first stage ammo racks. They total 48 shells and get filled first when loading up the tank.
- As the Begleitpanzer 57 is equipped with mechanized magazines, manual reloading of the gun is not possible.
- Once racks 2 and 3 have been depleted, you can't shoot until the loader has restocked the mechanized magazines. The restocking time is longer than the normal reload time of the gun. Take this into account when playing.
- Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1 into rack 3 then 2. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.
- The depletion order at full capacity is: 2 - 3 - 1.
Additional armament
BGM-71B TOW/BGM-71C I-TOW ATGM | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
6 | -6°/+20° | N/A | N/A | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
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 | ||
TOW | ATGM | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 |
Missile details | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | ||||
0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
TOW | ATGM | 299 | 3,000 | 18.82 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 3.75 | 80° | 82° | 90° |
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 | ||
I-TOW | ATGM | 630 | 630 | 630 | 630 | 630 | 630 |
Missile details | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | ||||
0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
I-TOW | ATGM | 296 | 3,750 | 19.05 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 2.88 | 80° | 82° | 90° |
Ammo racks
Full ammo |
Visual discrepancy |
---|---|
6 | No |
Notes:
- Previously it was not possible to select how many missiles to bring into the battle but now u can.
- The missiles are listed from 1 to 6.
Machine guns
7.62 mm MG3A1 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
Coaxial | 5,000 (1,000) | 1,200 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
The Begleitpanzer 57 is a very capable light tank and support vehicle. With proximity fuse HE shells in its 57 mm cannon, it can effectively engage air targets, and can destroy enemy IFVs and even MBTs with its high-penetration rounds. However, when shooting at enemy planes, it is best to wait until they are close before firing, since the vehicle does not have a very high ammo count. Alternatively, the vehicle carries missiles which can be used very effectively to destroy both helicopters and tanks at long ranges. The missile's travel time must be taken in to consideration, but it is nice to have when the enemy is too far away to engage with the 57 mm cannon.
The Begleitpanzer's main cannon can sometimes destroy MBTs from the front, but does damage much more consistently when shooting the enemy's weaker armoured side. For this reason, it is often wise to adopt an ambushing or flanking playstyle. This is helped by the vehicle's small profile and good mobility. It is easy to reach good firing positions and manoeuvre around the enemy quickly and without being seen. (And since the vehicle has poor armour, avoiding being seen will be very important for survival).
While the cannon shares its calibre with the Soviet 57 mm S-68 cannon, it is quite different in performance with a slower rate of fire and a lesser accuracy. The penetration power is considerably inferior compared to the APCBC belt of the S-68 at 1 km distance. The HE round can be completely ignored as it can not reliably go through the side armour of most MBTs it faces. All of this means that long range firepower relies mainly on your ATGM, of which you only have 6. Upgrading to the better ATGM is highly encouraged due to its increased penetration.
At the end of the day, the Begleitpanzer can be played as a light tank scout. It can't engage the enemy front-on, but it can be a valuable asset to the team and is lethal when played in the correct positions. Be sure to use the scouting ability to help friendly players locate enemy tanks. During night battles, the NVD modification will make scouting both easier to do and even more helpful to the team.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Effective against tanks and aircraft/helicopters
- Has ability to utilise scouting mechanic
- Lethal when shooting enemies from the side
- 1st generation gunner thermals
- Proximity HE shells are very good against helicopters (proxy fuse is only active after 500 m)
- Has access to a laser rangefinder
Cons:
- Limited gun elevation (45°) to deal with enemy planes
- Cannot destroy many enemies frontally
- Fairly low ammunition count
- Gun breech is easily destroyed
- Must stop to fire AGTMs
- Loses accuracy when firing continuously
History
Devblog
The armoured fire-support vehicle Begleitpanzer 57 is a combined project from the Thyssen-Henschel and Bofors companies, developed for scouting and destroying lightly armoured Soviet APCs and IFVs without needing tank divisions for support. To achieve this, the engineers chose the chassis of the German Marder infantry fighting vehicle and installed an adapted version of an automatic 57mm ship cannon on it. Moreover, for fighting with enemy tanks, the Begleitpanzer was equipped with American TOW guided anti-tank rockets and a reloading system for the rocket launcher was developed and placed inside the vehicle's hull.
The result was a fast and light infantry fighting machine capable of destroying enemy tanks and armoured personnel carriers at impressive ranges. At the same time, it could also land a small group of 3 infantry scouts. Sounds like a great idea! But it was the very universality of the Begleitpanzer 57 that prevented the vehicle from going into series production. The Begleitpanzer 57 turned out to be too lightly armoured for an infantry fighting machine, and too heavily armoured for a scout tank, plus it was not adapted for overcoming significant water obstacles. The military commission rejected the experimental prototype and the project was closed.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Light tanks based on the same chassis
External links
Germany light tanks | |
---|---|
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Sd.Kfz.234 | Sd.Kfz.234/1 · Sd.Kfz.234/2 · Sd.Kfz.234/2 TD |
Marder | Marder A1- · Marder 1A3 · Begleitpanzer 57 · DF105 |
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