TOG II

From War Thunder Wiki
Revision as of 01:28, 19 March 2024 by Stella_Solaris (talk | contribs) (Usage in Battles updated)

Jump to: navigation, search
Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
TOG II
uk_tog_2.png
GarageImage TOG II.jpg
ArtImage TOG II.png
ArtImage2 TOG II.png
TOG II
AB RB SB
5.3 5.3 5.3
Show in game

Description

The TOG II is a prototype super-heavy tank designed in 1940 by the Special Vehicle Development Committee a.k.a "The Old Gang", which consisted of the original designers of British tanks during World War I. The tank is a follow-up design of the TOG I, which was designed with the expectation that the next world war would devolve into static trench warfare much like the first. To achieve this, the TOG II has a very long and relatively narrow hull to help it traverse trenches effectively, and at one point even planned to be equipped with sponson turrets to ward off infantry attacks from the sides. As speed was not a priority, the TOG II's top speed was expected to be around 25 km/h, though in reality it could only achieve 13.7 km/h due to its sheer weight.

Unfortunately for the TOG II, as World War II developed into an Europe-wide conflict, it became increasingly clear that trench warfare was not how warfare would be waged during the conflict. With the advent of mobile warfare, the sheer size and lack of speed of the TOG II meant that it was hopelessly obsolete from its inception. In an attempt to keep the project relevant, "The Old Gang" tried mounted various modern and experimental armaments onto the TOG II, with the most notable attempt being the use of the prototype turret of the Challenger tank with a 28-pounder gun. However, this proved fruitless, as the TOG II was fundamentally not designed for mobile warfare, and the project was cancelled in 1943. The sole prototype of the TOG II is currently preserved at the Bovington Tank Museum.

Introduced during Update "Kings of Battle" as the reward for the "Dreams Come True" 11th Anniversary event, the TOG II is a gargantuan "super-heavy" tank designed for a static trench warfare scenario that never came to be. As such, the tank's distinctively long hull sticks out like a sore thumb among the ranks of its contemporaries. Unfortunately for the TOG II, the tank is only really called a "super-heavy" due to its sheer weight of 81 tons (with add-on armour), while its overall armour is mediocre at best. Being designed to climb over trenches and that alone, the tank ends up being quite slow and won't be outrunning anything. Fortunately, the TOG II has a large 28-pounder (94 mm) gun as its ace up its sleeve to make up for its other shortcomings. The gun has high penetration and with the high turret traverse speed the TOG II can effectively threaten tanks well above its BR. The TOG II thus excels at fire support from behind friendly tanks, or slowly advancing towards the enemies with your teammates to cover your weak flanks.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull101 / 76 / 19
Turret127 / 89 / 89
Crew8 people
Visibility119 %
With the GWP modification enabled, the potential weakspots are highlighted in red
Potential Weak spots Highlighted in Red with GWP modification Installed

While the TOG II's armor may seem sufficient, in reality it is weaker than the armour of the Churchill VII while the tank itself is higher in BR, making it significantly more likely to meet cannons capable of simply going through your armour even when angled. Regardless, the TOG II must be angled to increase its survivability against weaker cannons, as is the norm for British heavy tanks at this tier. Refrain from showing the turret rear or your side hull to enemies, as they are very weak.

The tank is vulnerable to HE of 120 mm calibre and above due to fairly lackluster roof and bottom armour. Sometimes the frontal hull roof will sustain HE shells caught by the gun, but direct turret hit will most likely destroy the vehicle. Even small bombs and rockets can easily destroy the TOG II due to this 'chink in the armour', if they land below or above the tank.

In terms of blatant weak spots, the TOG II is devoid of any major armor deficiencies outside of the turret cheeks, which are 38mm thinner than the middle of the turret face. The engine deck in the back, despite having low armour protection, stops APHE from dealing any real damage to the tank (which does allow a strategy similar to the IS-2 where you drive backwards), though any pure AP may go straight through it. In case the enemy penetrates the armour of the tank, there are 8 crew members to spare and the majority of internal ammo racks can be kept empty, which can artificially increase the survivability of the vehicle.

If player decides to equip the TOG II GWP modification, the tank gains two extra weak spots on the sides in a form of two protruding sponsons on the sides and a grenade launcher with additional ammo racks. The sponsons are made of a weaker cast armour and make angling pointless due to adding plates that actively counteract your attempts to angle the vehicle. The grenade launcher is similar to the one used by the Churchill I , but can only fire smoke shells. Contrary to that on the Maus, as the gun has limited firing angles to create a 'smoke barrier' and the modification adds weakspots to the vehicle, it is undesirable as a whole and generally not recommended that the player use the modification. The machine guns are not functional in the game, and the smoke screens are not worth the weakspots, inability to angle and the extra ammunition it adds to your vehicle.

Armour type:

Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull ___ mm ___ mm Top
___ mm Bottom
___ mm ___ - ___ mm
Turret ___ - ___ mm Turret front
___ mm Gun mantlet
___ - ___ mm ___ - ___ mm ___ - ___ mm
Cupola ___ mm ___ mm ___ mm ___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Reverse gearbox
Forward and backward movement is possible at the same maximum speed
Speedforward / back
AB15 / 15 km/h
RB and SB15 / 15 km/h
Number of gears5 forward
5 back
Weight72.5 t
Engine power
AB1 145 hp
RB and SB600 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB15.8 hp/t
RB and SB8.3 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock AoA Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 15 15 72.5 5 775 1,145 10.69 14.77
Realistic 15 15 531 600 7.32 7.74

As a 72.5 ton behemoth of a tank weighing more than even the M1A1 SEP V2 and Tiger II (H) and only 2.7 tons shy of the Jagdtiger's 75.2 ton weight, the TOG II is slow. The designers of the vehicle (The Old Gang) prioritized crossing trenches without issue, which resulted in a slow tank that could not keep up with the more modern mobility-based wars of World War II - something that very much carries over to the game as well. The tank is extremely long to boot (also a result of the aforementioned trench crossing design considerations), making it quite slow to maneuver around the battlefield. The turning efficiency itself depends on the game mode; in RB, the tank has to stop to turn properly (N gear), or turn on EXACTLY gear 4 (otherwise the engine will choke and stop). In AB, it is possible to use gear 5 to turn around even faster. The tank turns better with its forward gear, but not to a significant degree.

When getting to the battlefield, it is highly recommended to use your Cruise Control (default binds Q and E, tap them to increase/decrease your gears without tapping W/S) binds to keep your fingers off the keyboard for too long. What is also important, however, is knowing the maps well and picking a route at the start of the match that minimizes the time spent turning your hull. This is similar to how other superheavy vehicles in general (the T95 is an exception due to its high turn rate) like the Maus play - if you keep trudging forward, even at your 15km/h max speed, you will surprisingly be getting places not too far off from your teammates. However, turning completely stops your advance to the front lines and often takes 10+ seconds to turn to the direction you want, so minimizing this time is crucial in getting to the battlefield quickly.

A minor thing to note is that the TOG II has a reverse gearbox, meaning it can reverse at the same speed of -15km/h as it can go forwards (15km/h). This coupled with high torque means the tank can reverse out surprisingly quick and also turn somewhat well - things that can definitely come in handy when trying to retreat or make it up a hill at an angle.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB1 595 Sl icon.png
RB1 768 Sl icon.png
SB2 443 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts250 000 Sl icon.png
Aces630 Ge icon.png
Research Aces870 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 100 / 150 / 170 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 160 / 160 / 160 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Mods tank additional armor.png
TOG II GWP
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Mods tank reinforcement uk.png
Crew Replenishment
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism

Armaments

Setup 1:94 mm 28pdr OQF cannon
7.92 mm BESA machine gun
Setup 2:94 mm 28pdr OQF cannon
76 mm OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I
7.92 mm BESA machine gun

Main armament

94 mm 28pdr OQF cannon
Ammunition68 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
7.8 → 6.0 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 20°
Main article: 28pdr OQF (94 mm)

The most defining feature of this tank outside of its lackluster mobility and large size is by far its main armament. The 94mm 28-pounder is a monstrous gun with a long barrel, fairly decent ballistics and good penetration. The ammunition selection is by no means generous - with only solid AP and HE being available - but on a very fast swiveling gun with a moderate reload the cannon lets the TOG II engage multiple targets in quick succession. Post-penetration damage on the AP round is also akin to APHE, with high spall and overall fast shell speed, albeit with the caveat that it still isn't a shell with filler and that the round does arc somewhat meaning it isn't a 'point-and-shoot' gun. The shell can generally go through almost all enemies you see at your BR with little issue, so you need not flinch when you see something heavily armored. HE, as always, is an available option against open top vehicles, but isn't advised to be brought in large numbers due to lacking effectiveness against general targets.

94 mm 28pdr OQF Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 68 -10°/+20° ±180° - 26.7 37.0 44.9 49.6 52.8 7.80 6.90 6.36 6.00
Realistic 19.6 23.1 28.1 31.0 33.0

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
Shot Mk.1 APCBC 204 202 192 180 169 159
Shell Mk.1 HE 13 13 13 13 13 13
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%
Shot Mk.1 APCBC 792 14.5 - - - 48° 63° 71°
Shell Mk.1 HE 792 12.7 0.4 0.5 920 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
68 __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __

When only 27 shells are taken, every ammo rack but the one under the turret will be empty. Adding more than 45 shells to the vehicle is not recommended, as this can often mean certain death on a single penetrating hit due to the side hull ammo racks being filled up.

Additional armament

76 mm OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I
Ammunition45 rounds
Vertical guidance-3° / 3°
Horizontal guidance-4° / 4°

This howitzer has the same trajectory as the one of the Churchill I, but can only fire smoke and can only be used by selecting the "fire special weapons" button, meaning it cannot be selected as a secondary weapon. As a result of this shell selection and poor gun angles, the gun is, if equipped at all, a support tool. The most useful application of the weapon is most likely to create a sort of 'smoke wall' like on similar vehicles such as the Maus, letting you cross extended sightlines by smoking up a corridor and passing by before it dissipates.

76 mm OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 45 ±3° ±4° - 12 17 20 23 24 8.1 7.2 6.6 6.2
Realistic 8.9 11 13 14 15

Ammunition

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Screen radius
(m)
Screen deploy
time (s)
Screen hold
time (s)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
3-inch Smoke 210 3.18 9 5 20 8

Ammo racks

Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
45 __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __ (+__) __

Installation of the smoke launcher adds two more side ammo racks in the very front, which cannot be removed or reduced in ammunition count.

Machine guns

Ammunition4 950 rounds
Belt capacity225 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate600 shots/min
Main article: BESA (7.92 mm)
7.92 mm BESA
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 4,950 (225) 600 - -

Usage in battles

Play style:

The premier 'land battleship' in history and in popular media, the TOG II was a superheavy tank designed to tackle the fortifications and static frontlines of World War 1...that never got to see any of the things in question. It was incredibly long, slow, and frankly for its weight a bit under-armoured, which led to the program being cancelled as it was very clear the TOG wouldn't have fared well in the mobility-heavy battlegrounds that were the Second World War.

The TOG II is an almost one-of-a-kind vehicle with a reputation that precedes itself. Playing in some ways similarly to the Maus, another very well-known superheavy tank, the most important thing to keep in mind is to minimize time spent turning the hull. This may sound quite trivial, but it will overall contribute to getting to the frontlines faster and also be in places you want to be. The tank's top speed of 15 km/h is by no means fast, but if you keep going in a straight line you surprisingly do get places fairly quickly. However, when turning, the tank suffers heavily from its long hull design and underpowered transmission as you may be stuck in place for dozens of seconds trying to face the direction of your choosing. Therefore, pre-planning a vague route you want to advance through that has the least amount of turning possible will help you be noticeably more effective in combat. It also has the added benefit of meaning you won't be autopiloting as much with cruise control, as you have to have a map in your head on when and where you want to turn your tank.

The GWP modification is not recommended as it adds unremovable ammo racks and adds two sponsons, both of which are easily penetrated and make any angling effort completely redundant. Considering the vehicle is almost reliant on its armour to survive, this is a damning change and unless you get unmatched utility from the smoke shells this modification only acts as a hinderance to the vehicle.

It is viable to push forward in reverse akin to IS-2 (Family)s, even when there is no real cover in form of hills, because of the size of the engine and transmission. This means tanks that fire APHE will usually be foiled due to the engine eating the shrapnel instead of your crew compartment. Remember that your turret is still vulnerable in this state, so tanks that can penetrate it frontally will be a top priority. It is also important to note that this maneuver heavily restricts your gun depression - do not under any circumstance try to crest a hill this way as if your engine gets shot out you will either be focused by multiple enemies or die to 3 consecutive engine fires.

Angling the tank somewhat and pushing can also be a viable strategy as well. While the TOG II doesn't boast the most heavily armored hull and turret of its tier, a fair few enemies won't know your weakspots and may thus bounce off the thicker-than-expected front. As your reverse is just as fast as your forwards speed, the vehicle can also get out of sticky situations surprisingly effectively. Also to note is the fairly high penetrating gun, which lets you stick at range and mostly avoid being penetrated in return. This can be beneficial in uptiers when you face heavier caliber guns.

Ammunition:

It is recommended to bring 27 shells, as this will put all your ammunition under your turret crew. This will greatly improve your survivablility. It is highly recommended to uninstall the GWP modification, as it fills your front with ammunition without your consent, at least at the moment of writing.

One important thing to keep in mind is that your tank is given two shells: HE and solid shot. Despite main ammunition being solid shot, you will see one shots quite often due to the sheer size of the shell itself. Simply aim in way that fills the most of the enemy tank with debris and enjoy. HE can be pre-loaded if enemy open-topped SPG is expected or managed to survive initial AP hit.

Defensive Capabilities:

With a fast turret traverse, it will be quite easy to react to incoming threats. Even though your crew are all bunched up, it is surprisingly easy to avoid too many losses due to the sheer size of the tank itself. As a side note, you are defenseless against CAS due to your size and speed so expect to be bombed. There isn't much you can do when that happens due to the poor bottom armour.

Notable Enemies:

  • ISU-122 and similar designs: Big gun and notable armor. Can HE you to smithereens from any angle if it doesn't accidentally hit your cannon. It is recommended to try to ambush it or attack when it is distracted or reloading. If ISU is surrounded by other tanks, target it first, even if they seem more dangerous at the moment
  • SU-85M: Gun able to pen you at close and medium range, notable armor. Try to shoot first and/or push with the back side to maybe survive initial hit
  • Waffentrager: Able to pen you anywhere, with devastating post pen damage, likes to creep around corners or hide in bushes. Avoid sniper duels with it. If it's in the open at 700 m range - HE it by using binoculars, if not in the open, too close or stays in bushes - try to hit its ammo rack below the turret with AP while pushing with your back
  • M10/18/36 GMC: Good gun, but extremely visible due to machine gun on the top. Preload HE and obliterate it, or shoot AP at the middle of the hull
  • Tiger I: Big gun, good armor when it's angling. if it's not angling, just shoot dead in the middle, if it is - try to hit turret crew through hull plate that seems more flat to you. Avoid hitting machine gun at all costs, as they are impenetrable. Try to shoot first, if you can
  • Panther: At close to medium range, a single hit to the middle of the hull can destroy it, but for extra safety you should shoot a bit to the right (their left). Otherwise, disable the weapon at any cost
  • M4/T26: Can penetrate you almost anywhere, depening on ammunition choice. If the hull is exposed - nail it dead in the middle. If only turret is exposed - disable the gun or try to shoot the ammo rack by aiming below the gun mask on the very right (their left)
  • M4A4(SA50): Extremely lethal AP shell, but it's a sherman, so you can just shoot centre mass

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good survivability against popular tanks when driving with the rear part forwards
    • The tank has a reverse gear box, giving it the same speed in both directions
  • The AP shell has quite good penetration and damage for its battle rating
  • The turret and track traverse speeds are surprisingly good, especially for the size of the vehicle
  • The side of the vehicle has decent armor values, making armor angling and side scraping a viable tactic to improve the vehicles survivability, although it's only really viable in a downtier
  • Has 8 crew members in case of a non-APHE penetration
  • Fast reload for a gun of this calibre

Cons:

  • One of the slowest vehicles in the game
  • The TOG II GWP modification (smoke screens) also gives the vehicle side sponsons, which create a big weak spot to its side armor, making side scraping an unusable tactic
  • The cannon only has 1 anti armor shell, an AP round, which means you rarely oneshot vehicles when firing at the turret
  • The turret armor is not very thick, and isnt angled, which makes it a big weakspot
  • The vehicles is absolutely huge and is thus an easy prey for aircraft
  • Even though the tank is huge, the crew is all very close together in the front under the turret, which means the tank can be knocked out by one well aimed APHE shell
  • Huge engine and transmission, making them easy targets.

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Videos

See also

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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


Britain heavy tanks
Matilda  Matilda III · Matilda Hedgehog
Churchill  Churchill I · Churchill III · Churchill VII · Churchill Crocodile · Churchill NA75 · Black Prince
Post-war  Caernarvon · Conqueror
Other  Independent · Excelsior · TOG II

Britain premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  A13 Mk I (3rd R.T.R.) · A13 Mk II 1939 · AEC Mk II · Crusader "The Saint" · Rooikat 105
Medium tanks  A.C.I · Grant I · Cromwell V (RP-3) · Sherman IC "Trzyniec" · A.C.IV · Comet I "Iron Duke IV"
  Centurion Mk.2 · ▄Strv 81 (RB 52) · Centurion Mk.5 AVRE · Centurion Mk.5/1 · ▄Sho't Kal Dalet · Centurion Action X
  Vijayanta · Khalid · Challenger DS · Challenger 2 OES
Heavy tanks  Independent · Matilda Hedgehog · Excelsior · TOG II · Churchill Crocodile · Black Prince
Tank destroyers  Alecto I · Achilles (65 Rg.) · QF 3.7 Ram