Difference between revisions of "AMX M4"

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{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amx_m4}}
 
{{Specs-Card|code=fr_amx_m4}}
 +
{{About
 +
| about = French medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
 +
| usage = other uses
 +
| link = M4 (Disambiguation)
 +
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
<!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''-->
+
<!--''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.''-->
 
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
{{break}}
 
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a Rank {{specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. It uses the same 90 mm SA45 cannon as the [[ARL-44]] but has a 7 rounds auto-loader and a better armour pattern while being more mobile. It is clearly better than any rank III French tank, offering a new battle opportunities.
+
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.75 "La Résistance"]]. It uses the same 90 mm SA45 cannon as the [[ARL-44]] but has a 7 rounds auto-loader and a better armour pattern while being more mobile. It is clearly better than any rank III French tanks, offering new battle opportunities.
  
This is the sturdiest representative of French rank IV vehicles, from which he shares some common features: it has good mobility, an oscillating turret (fitted with an auto-loader), sloped armour in front and back, high hull, high gun placement, good gun depression, 4 crew member, a coaxial MAC 31 machine gun and large tracks. What distinguishes the AMX M4 is its [[Panther D|Panther]]-like hull, its efficient 90 mm SA45 gun inherited from the [[ARL-44]] and the thickest armour pattern of all French ground forces with 80 mm sloped at ~55° in the frontal area.
+
This is the sturdiest representative of French rank IV vehicles, from which he shares some common features: it has good mobility, an oscillating turret (fitted with an auto-loader), sloped armour in front and back, high hull, high gun placement, good gun depression, 4 crew member, a coaxial MAC 31 machine gun and large tracks. What distinguishes the AMX M4 is its [[Panther D|Panther]]-like hull, it's efficient 90 mm SA45 gun inherited from the [[ARL-44]] and the thickest armour pattern of all French ground forces with 80 mm sloped at ~55° in the frontal area.
  
 +
== General info ==
 +
=== Survivability and armour ===
 +
<!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat?''
 +
 +
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
 
As said above, this tank's armour is very similar to that of the famous German tanks, it's hull even shares the same general patterns and dimensions, the distinctive features being...weak spots: an almost flat portion between UFP and LFP and two 60 mm "corners" above the tracks. As for the frontal turret part, it is sufficiently thick to endure many nasty hits, as long as you do not leave your foe enough time to aim: the turret ring area, while still being 80 mm thick, is flat. As for side armour, it is a good reason to keep away from front line duty: 35 mm flat armour does not protect from anything bigger than HMG fire. the hull's back is sloped, which may deviate some shots and prevent long-range "back flanking". The most exposed part of this tank is the turret's back, with only 20 mm of armour between the bulge and the turret ring.
 
As said above, this tank's armour is very similar to that of the famous German tanks, it's hull even shares the same general patterns and dimensions, the distinctive features being...weak spots: an almost flat portion between UFP and LFP and two 60 mm "corners" above the tracks. As for the frontal turret part, it is sufficiently thick to endure many nasty hits, as long as you do not leave your foe enough time to aim: the turret ring area, while still being 80 mm thick, is flat. As for side armour, it is a good reason to keep away from front line duty: 35 mm flat armour does not protect from anything bigger than HMG fire. the hull's back is sloped, which may deviate some shots and prevent long-range "back flanking". The most exposed part of this tank is the turret's back, with only 20 mm of armour between the bulge and the turret ring.
  
In sum, engage frontally, avoid anything bigger than a slight angle as it may expose the 60 mm UFP "corners". Distance is a great tool to avoid your weak spots being easily targeted. This armour's role is quite fluctuent as it depends on if what it face can penetrate it or not.
+
In sum, engage frontally, avoid anything bigger than a slight angle as it may expose the 60 mm UFP "corners". Distance is a great tool to avoid your weak spots being easily targeted. This armour's role quite fluctuates as it depends on if what it faces can penetrate it or not.
  
Post-war French designs are all very good at moving around: they have good engines, wide tracks and can easily achieve ~40 km/h on most terrains. The AMX M4 may be the worst of them all, on par with the [[AMX-50|AMX-50-100]] as they share a ''very similar'' hull, they still have ''above average'' mobility, when compared to other medium tanks at the BR. This observation is imbued by the fact that this tank's reverse speed only reaches -5 km/h and it does not have the ability to do neutral steering, anything else is comparable to its contemporaries.
+
Dealing with an opponent AMX M4 leads to a new sort of challenge. It is hard to penetrate from a distance, but if you can do it, then it's sniper battle time. If your guns do not provide enough power at distances, then get personal: the closer you are, the better you can disable it, here are a few tips for dealing with an AMX M4:
  
This feature may feel a little lackluster in terms of penetration: at the same BR, some tanks can consistently punch through more than 200 mm of armour while this tank's gun can't. This little defect is palliated by its auto-loader mechanism, providing up to 9 rounds a minute, a very good firing rate for the BR. All French medium rank IV tanks share this good reload rate, this is their prominent selling point.
+
'''Frontal assault:'''
  
The oscillating turret design also allows an high gun placement, this means you can fire over hills by exposing only the strong top portion of your tank, even more so with its good depression angles. When it comes to elevation, there is a problem: this tank can only lift its gun 15°, which make defending against planes impossible and uphill battle a bit challenging.
+
Any French rank IV tank has a good gun capable of going through most armours at standard combat ranges (and above), they are even more frightful when knowing about their good reload rates (they all have autoloaders). With that in mind, engage them first so that they (maybe) will not have enough time to reload a second shell. Specifically, to the AMX M4, this tank's armour is virtually as resistant as a Panther tank: if you can't go through a Panther, you neither cannot with this tank, unless you shoot its weak spots. Don't panic though, its side armour is only 35 mm, which makes it very vulnerable to flanking and "multi-target" engagements: it can't protect itself well from two tank if they are enough apart from each other.  
 +
 
 +
'''Flanking:'''
  
== General info ==
+
As for flanking onto a single AMX M4, it must be dealt with quick: its fast turret turning speed allows it to react quite fast to either of its sides. Try to disable its ''large gun breech'' first so it won't be able to fire in a long time (this may also ammo-rack it if detonating a pre-loaded ammo), only then finish it off, if the first hit/series of hits (SPAAs) does not disable it from firing back, consider yourself done.
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
<!--''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
 
  
''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''-->
 
 
'''Armour type:'''
 
'''Armour type:'''
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
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! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
|-
 
|-
| Hull || 80 mm (27-55°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 35 mm (61°) ''Lower glacis'' <br> 60 mm (39°) ''Cheeks'' || 40 mm (24°) ''Top'' <br> 40 mm || 40 mm (30°) <br> 30 mm (30°) ''Hatch'' || 20 mm <br> 8 mm ''Engine grille''
+
| Hull || 80 mm (27-55°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 35 mm (61°) ''Lower glacis'' <br> 60 mm (39°) ''Cheeks'' || 40 mm (24°) ''Sponson'' <br> 40 mm (0°) ''Main'' || 40 mm (30°) ''Main''<br> 30 mm (30°) ''Hatch'' || 20 mm ''Main''<br> 8 mm ''Engine grille''
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Turret || 85 mm (0-79°) ''Turret front'' <br> 60 mm (29-86°)''Gun mantlet'' <br> 40 mm (0-17°) ''Turret base'' <br> 85-100 mm (18-79°) ''Barrel shroud'' || 60 mm (0-61°) ''Turret'' <br> 40 mm (0-27°) ''Turret base'' || 40 mm (0-60°) ''Turret bustle'' <br> 25 mm (16-25°) ''Pivot ball'' <br> 20 mm ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm
 
| Turret || 85 mm (0-79°) ''Turret front'' <br> 60 mm (29-86°)''Gun mantlet'' <br> 40 mm (0-17°) ''Turret base'' <br> 85-100 mm (18-79°) ''Barrel shroud'' || 60 mm (0-61°) ''Turret'' <br> 40 mm (0-27°) ''Turret base'' || 40 mm (0-60°) ''Turret bustle'' <br> 25 mm (16-25°) ''Pivot ball'' <br> 20 mm ''Turret underside'' || 20 mm
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| Cupola || 60 mm || 20 mm
 
| Cupola || 60 mm || 20 mm
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 
'''Notes:'''
 
'''Notes:'''
  
 
* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
 
* Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
 
* The turret and the base overlap in some areas, leading to cumulative armour.
 
* The turret and the base overlap in some areas, leading to cumulative armour.
 +
* The armour plate separating the fighting compartment and the engine compartment is 8 mm.
 +
* Floor armour is 20 mm thick, with the underside of the sponsons also being 20 mm thick.
  
In general, this tank is hard to penetrate from a distance, but if you can do it, then it's sniper battle time. If your guns does not provide enough power at distances, then, get personal: the closer you are, the better you can disable it, here is a few tips for these kind of scenarios:
+
=== Mobility ===
 
+
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
'''Frontal assault:'''
 
  
Any French rank IV tank has a good gun capable of going through most armours at standard combat ranges (and above), they are even more frightful when knowing about their good reload rates (they all have autoloaders). With that in mind, engage them first so that they (maybe) will not have enough time to reload a second shell. Specifically to the AMX M4, this tank's armour is virtually as resistant as a Panther tank: if you can't go through a Panther, you neither cannot with this tank, unless you shoot its weak spots (see [[#Survivability_and_armour|armour]]). Don't panic, thought, its side armour is only 35 mm, which makes it very vulnerable to flanking and "multi-target" engagements: it can't protect itself well from two tank if they are enough apart from each other.
+
{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 1550|rbMinHp= 884}}
  
'''Flanking:'''
+
Post-war French designs are all very good at moving around: they have good engines, wide tracks and can easily achieve ~40 km/h on most terrains. The {{PAGENAME}} may be the worst of them all, on par with the [[AMX-50|AMX-50-100]] as they share a ''very similar'' hull, they still have ''above average'' mobility, when compared to other medium tanks at the same BR. This observation is based on the fact that this tank's reverse speed only reaches -5 km/h and it does not have the ability to do neutral steering, anything else is comparable to its contemporaries.
 
 
As for flanking from a single foe, it must be dealt with quick: its fast turret turning speed allows it to react quite fast to either of its sides. Try to disable its ''large gun breech'' first so it won't be able to fire in a long time (this may also ammo-rack it if detonating a pre-loaded ammo), only then finish it off, if the first hit/series of hits (SPAAs) does not disable it from firing back, consider yourself done.
 
 
 
=== Mobility ===
 
<!--''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''-->
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
 
|-
 
! Weight (tons)
 
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armour<br>weight (tons)
 
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
 
|-
 
| rowspan="2" | 52.0 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 57 (AB)
 
|-
 
|51 (RB/SB)
 
|-
 
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
 
|-
 
! colspan="1" | Mode
 
!Stock
 
!Upgraded
 
|-
 
|''Arcade''
 
|1,550
 
|_,___
 
|-
 
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 
|884
 
|1,000
 
|-
 
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
 
|-
 
! colspan="1" | Mode
 
!Stock
 
!Upgraded
 
|-
 
|''Arcade''
 
|29.81
 
|__.__
 
|-
 
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 
|17.00
 
|19.23
 
|-
 
|}
 
  
 
== 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 flexibilty 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.''-->
 
{{main|SA45 (90 mm)}}
 
{{main|SA45 (90 mm)}}
 +
 +
The gun may feel a little lackluster in terms of penetration: at the same BR, some tanks can consistently punch through more than 200 mm of armour while this tank's gun can't. This little defect is palliated by its auto-loader mechanism, providing up to 9 rounds a minute, a very good firing rate for the BR. All French medium rank IV tanks share this good reload rate, this is their prominent selling point.
 +
 +
The oscillating turret design also allows an high gun placement, this means you can fire over hills by exposing only the strong top portion of your tank, even more so with its good depression angles. When it comes to elevation, there is a problem: this tank can only lift its gun 15°, which make defending against planes impossible and uphill battle a bit challenging.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
|-
 
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 17.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
+
| ''Arcade'' || 28.56 || 39.56 || 47.00 || 51.48 || 56.47
 
|-
 
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 17.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
+
| ''Realistic'' || 17.85 ||21.00|| 25.50 || 28.20 || 30.00
 
|-
 
|-
 
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
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! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 
|-
 
|-
| 38.0 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
+
| 6.7 || 6.7 || 6.7 || 6.7
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
+
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
 
|-
 
|-
 
! 10m
 
! 10m
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! 2000m
 
! 2000m
 
|-
 
|-
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 193 || 191 || 180 || 168 || 156 || 145
+
| 90 mm Obus de rupture || APC || 215 || 212 || 201 || 188 || 175 || 164
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13  
 
| 90 mm Obus explosif || HE || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13 || 13  
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===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
 
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
[[File:Ammoracks {{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the {{specs|pseudonym}}.]]
+
[[File:Ammoracks {{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumbnail|x250px|[[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] of the {{specs|pseudonym}}.]]This tank features an auto-loading system that removes the need for a crew member to reload the main gun, although a loader is present to restock the auto-loader.  A large drum of seven rounds is found underneath the gun breach for rapid use.  Once this drum is empty, rounds in the hull will need to be placed in the auto-loader rack before it can be used by the auto-loader, which takes about 14 seconds to perform for one round.  Nine rounds are found in three racks near the bottom of the hull behind the driver and machine-gunner while the rest of the stowage is found in the side sponsons above the tracks, aside from a small rack of 5 rounds near the rear of the turret.
 
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
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|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
* Ammo rack 9 is the auto-loader drum and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 8 through 1.
 +
* If the auto-loader drum is empty, the main gun '''cannot''' fire until ammo is loaded into the auto-loader drum.
 +
* Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 1-8 into the ready rack, as long as there is ammo present in racks 1-8.  Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.
  
 
=== 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.''-->
+
<!--''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.''-->
 
{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}
 
{{main|MAC 31 (7.5 mm)}}
  
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|}
 
|}
  
== Usage in the battles ==
+
== Usage in 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).''-->
+
<!--''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 instead 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).''-->
 
At its BR, 80 mm of sloped frontal armour is more than sufficient to endure close range fights (as long as it is facing the enemy with its frontal armour). But what this tank is really good at is, as any other French rank IV, ''sniping'': a very good gun, great depression and fire rate make it very deadly, even more so that it ''can'' take a few hits. The AMX M4 offers the best survivability of all French rank IV tanks since its BR is low and armour, thick. It is a true "medium tank" capable of all roles, given the good context.
 
At its BR, 80 mm of sloped frontal armour is more than sufficient to endure close range fights (as long as it is facing the enemy with its frontal armour). But what this tank is really good at is, as any other French rank IV, ''sniping'': a very good gun, great depression and fire rate make it very deadly, even more so that it ''can'' take a few hits. The AMX M4 offers the best survivability of all French rank IV tanks since its BR is low and armour, thick. It is a true "medium tank" capable of all roles, given the good context.
  
This tank can be used in almost all roles on the battlefield, as long as context is on its side. Here is some roles this tank is the most efficient at:
+
This tank can be used in almost all roles on the battlefield, as long as the context is on its side. Here are some roles this tank is the most efficient at:
  
 
'''Sniper:'''
 
'''Sniper:'''
Line 236: Line 209:
 
'''Flanker:'''
 
'''Flanker:'''
  
Got a light tank squad wanting to flank ? Go with them and provide extra firepower for these vulnerable scouted targets. All considerations from the "''sniper''" role can be taken into consideration when flanking, the only difference being a more consistent usage of this tank's mobility.
+
Got a light tank squad wanting to flank? Go with them and provide extra firepower for these vulnerable scouted targets. All considerations from the "''sniper''" role can be taken into consideration when flanking, the only difference being a more consistent usage of this tank's mobility.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''-->
+
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''-->
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
 
* Good 90 mm gun inherited from [[ARL-44]] (easy learning curve)
 
* Good 90 mm gun inherited from [[ARL-44]] (easy learning curve)
* Front glacis is 80 mm and is heavily sloped for a high chance of ricochets, similar to [[Panther D|Panther]]'s.
+
* Front glacis is 80 mm and is heavily sloped for a high chance of ricochets, similar to [[Panther D|Panther]]'s
* Very good reload rate between 7 shots due to auto-loader.
+
* Very good reload rate between 7 shots due to auto-loader
* Good maneuverability.
+
* Good manoeuvrability
* Fast.
+
* Fast
* Decent reverse speed.
+
* Decent reverse speed
* Good gun depression of -8°.
+
* Good gun depression of -8°
* Good turret rotation.
+
* Good turret rotation
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
* Overall armour is quite thin as for 6.0 medium tank.
+
* Overall armour is quite thin against expected opponents
* Long reload time after 7 shots due to auto-loader.
+
* Long reload time after 7 shots due to auto-loader
* Only two ammo choice between APC and HE rounds.
+
* Only two ammo choice between APC and HE rounds
* Ammo always held in reload mechanism makes it easy ammo rack targets.
+
* Ammo always held in reload mechanism makes it easy ammo rack targets
 
* Thin side armour
 
* Thin side armour
* 60 mm UFP "corners" makes angling ineffective.
+
* 60 mm UFP "corners" makes angling ineffective
 
* Bad elevation angles
 
* Bad elevation angles
 
* Vulnerable to planes (thin top armour)
 
* Vulnerable to planes (thin top armour)
  
 
== 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.''-->
+
<!--''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 the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== Encyclopedia Info ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''-->
 
The AMX M4 was developed and tested in the late 1940s, though it never saw active service.
 
The AMX M4 was developed and tested in the late 1940s, though it never saw active service.
 +
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
  
== Read also ==
+
== See also ==
 +
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
  
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5265-vehicle-amx-m4-en [News<nowiki>]</nowiki> AMX M4]
+
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 +
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
  
== Sources ==
+
== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
+
<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 +
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 +
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
 +
* ''other literature.''-->
  
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
+
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5265-vehicle-amx-m4-en [News<nowiki>]</nowiki> AMX M4]
* ''other literature.''
 
  
 
{{France medium tanks}}
 
{{France medium tanks}}

Revision as of 09:47, 22 March 2020

Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Challenger DS Pack
fr_amx_m4.png
AMX M4
AB RB SB
6.7 6.7 6.7
Class:
Research:71 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:210 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game
This page is about the French medium tank AMX M4. For other uses, see M4 (Disambiguation).

Description

GarageImage AMX M4.jpg


The AMX M4 is a rank IV French medium tank with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance". It uses the same 90 mm SA45 cannon as the ARL-44 but has a 7 rounds auto-loader and a better armour pattern while being more mobile. It is clearly better than any rank III French tanks, offering new battle opportunities.

This is the sturdiest representative of French rank IV vehicles, from which he shares some common features: it has good mobility, an oscillating turret (fitted with an auto-loader), sloped armour in front and back, high hull, high gun placement, good gun depression, 4 crew member, a coaxial MAC 31 machine gun and large tracks. What distinguishes the AMX M4 is its Panther-like hull, it's efficient 90 mm SA45 gun inherited from the ARL-44 and the thickest armour pattern of all French ground forces with 80 mm sloped at ~55° in the frontal area.

General info

Survivability and armour

As said above, this tank's armour is very similar to that of the famous German tanks, it's hull even shares the same general patterns and dimensions, the distinctive features being...weak spots: an almost flat portion between UFP and LFP and two 60 mm "corners" above the tracks. As for the frontal turret part, it is sufficiently thick to endure many nasty hits, as long as you do not leave your foe enough time to aim: the turret ring area, while still being 80 mm thick, is flat. As for side armour, it is a good reason to keep away from front line duty: 35 mm flat armour does not protect from anything bigger than HMG fire. the hull's back is sloped, which may deviate some shots and prevent long-range "back flanking". The most exposed part of this tank is the turret's back, with only 20 mm of armour between the bulge and the turret ring.

In sum, engage frontally, avoid anything bigger than a slight angle as it may expose the 60 mm UFP "corners". Distance is a great tool to avoid your weak spots being easily targeted. This armour's role quite fluctuates as it depends on if what it faces can penetrate it or not.

Dealing with an opponent AMX M4 leads to a new sort of challenge. It is hard to penetrate from a distance, but if you can do it, then it's sniper battle time. If your guns do not provide enough power at distances, then get personal: the closer you are, the better you can disable it, here are a few tips for dealing with an AMX M4:

Frontal assault:

Any French rank IV tank has a good gun capable of going through most armours at standard combat ranges (and above), they are even more frightful when knowing about their good reload rates (they all have autoloaders). With that in mind, engage them first so that they (maybe) will not have enough time to reload a second shell. Specifically, to the AMX M4, this tank's armour is virtually as resistant as a Panther tank: if you can't go through a Panther, you neither cannot with this tank, unless you shoot its weak spots. Don't panic though, its side armour is only 35 mm, which makes it very vulnerable to flanking and "multi-target" engagements: it can't protect itself well from two tank if they are enough apart from each other.

Flanking:

As for flanking onto a single AMX M4, it must be dealt with quick: its fast turret turning speed allows it to react quite fast to either of its sides. Try to disable its large gun breech first so it won't be able to fire in a long time (this may also ammo-rack it if detonating a pre-loaded ammo), only then finish it off, if the first hit/series of hits (SPAAs) does not disable it from firing back, consider yourself done.

Armour type:

Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 80 mm (27-55°) Front glacis
35 mm (61°) Lower glacis
60 mm (39°) Cheeks
40 mm (24°) Sponson
40 mm (0°) Main
40 mm (30°) Main
30 mm (30°) Hatch
20 mm Main
8 mm Engine grille
Turret 85 mm (0-79°) Turret front
60 mm (29-86°)Gun mantlet
40 mm (0-17°) Turret base
85-100 mm (18-79°) Barrel shroud
60 mm (0-61°) Turret
40 mm (0-27°) Turret base
40 mm (0-60°) Turret bustle
25 mm (16-25°) Pivot ball
20 mm Turret underside
20 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 60 mm 20 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • The turret and the base overlap in some areas, leading to cumulative armour.
  • The armour plate separating the fighting compartment and the engine compartment is 8 mm.
  • Floor armour is 20 mm thick, with the underside of the sponsons also being 20 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 58 22 52 1550 1,908 29.81 36.69
Realistic 52 20 884 1,000 17 19.23

Post-war French designs are all very good at moving around: they have good engines, wide tracks and can easily achieve ~40 km/h on most terrains. The AMX M4 may be the worst of them all, on par with the AMX-50-100 as they share a very similar hull, they still have above average mobility, when compared to other medium tanks at the same BR. This observation is based on the fact that this tank's reverse speed only reaches -5 km/h and it does not have the ability to do neutral steering, anything else is comparable to its contemporaries.

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: SA45 (90 mm)

The gun may feel a little lackluster in terms of penetration: at the same BR, some tanks can consistently punch through more than 200 mm of armour while this tank's gun can't. This little defect is palliated by its auto-loader mechanism, providing up to 9 rounds a minute, a very good firing rate for the BR. All French medium rank IV tanks share this good reload rate, this is their prominent selling point.

The oscillating turret design also allows an high gun placement, this means you can fire over hills by exposing only the strong top portion of your tank, even more so with its good depression angles. When it comes to elevation, there is a problem: this tank can only lift its gun 15°, which make defending against planes impossible and uphill battle a bit challenging.

90 mm SA45
Capacity Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
Stabilizer
49 -8°/+15° ±180° N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 28.56 39.56 47.00 51.48 56.47
Realistic 17.85 21.00 25.50 28.20 30.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
90 mm Obus de rupture APC 215 212 201 188 175 164
90 mm Obus explosif HE 13 13 13 13 13 13
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
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%
90 mm Obus de rupture APC 1000 11 N/A N/A N/A ° 48° 63° 71°
90 mm Obus explosif HE 700 11 0.1 0.5 945 +0° 79° 80° 81°
Ammo racks
Ammo racks of the AMX M4.
This tank features an auto-loading system that removes the need for a crew member to reload the main gun, although a loader is present to restock the auto-loader. A large drum of seven rounds is found underneath the gun breach for rapid use. Once this drum is empty, rounds in the hull will need to be placed in the auto-loader rack before it can be used by the auto-loader, which takes about 14 seconds to perform for one round. Nine rounds are found in three racks near the bottom of the hull behind the driver and machine-gunner while the rest of the stowage is found in the side sponsons above the tracks, aside from a small rack of 5 rounds near the rear of the turret.
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
7th
rack empty
8th
rack empty
9th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
49 44 (X+5) 42 (+7) 35 (+14) 28 (+21) 21 (+28) 14 (+35) 10 (+39) (+42) (+48) no
  • Ammo rack 9 is the auto-loader drum and takes priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fills racks 8 through 1.
  • If the auto-loader drum is empty, the main gun cannot fire until ammo is loaded into the auto-loader drum.
  • Simply not firing when the main gun is loaded will load ammo from racks 1-8 into the ready rack, as long as there is ammo present in racks 1-8. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

Machine guns

Main article: MAC 31 (7.5 mm)
7.5 mm MAC 31
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
5,000 (150) 1,350 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

At its BR, 80 mm of sloped frontal armour is more than sufficient to endure close range fights (as long as it is facing the enemy with its frontal armour). But what this tank is really good at is, as any other French rank IV, sniping: a very good gun, great depression and fire rate make it very deadly, even more so that it can take a few hits. The AMX M4 offers the best survivability of all French rank IV tanks since its BR is low and armour, thick. It is a true "medium tank" capable of all roles, given the good context.

This tank can be used in almost all roles on the battlefield, as long as the context is on its side. Here are some roles this tank is the most efficient at:

Sniper:

This is clearly this tank's intended role: at all BR placements, it provides the best results from this tank. There is only a few things that can defeat such tactic: drastically better firepower and thick frontal armour faced towards it. This gun's performance is not the best at its rank, in that way, the AMX M4 may have to rely on surprise attacks to its foe's sides in order to disable them. Use this tank's great mobility to get into a good spot and reposition whenever it is needed do not allow approaching targets as they increase your chances to be dealt with. Don't bother falling back before it is needed: your reverse speed won't allow for hasty retreats.

Frontline fights:

When facing lower BR tanks, the AMX can easily be used in the same role as Panther tanks: breakthrough...but with reserve, your side armour won't allow even the slightest side shot. Use your good reload speed and turret rate to their best: fast reaction times and multi-target engagements are possible.

Flanker:

Got a light tank squad wanting to flank? Go with them and provide extra firepower for these vulnerable scouted targets. All considerations from the "sniper" role can be taken into consideration when flanking, the only difference being a more consistent usage of this tank's mobility.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good 90 mm gun inherited from ARL-44 (easy learning curve)
  • Front glacis is 80 mm and is heavily sloped for a high chance of ricochets, similar to Panther's
  • Very good reload rate between 7 shots due to auto-loader
  • Good manoeuvrability
  • Fast
  • Decent reverse speed
  • Good gun depression of -8°
  • Good turret rotation

Cons:

  • Overall armour is quite thin against expected opponents
  • Long reload time after 7 shots due to auto-loader
  • Only two ammo choice between APC and HE rounds
  • Ammo always held in reload mechanism makes it easy ammo rack targets
  • Thin side armour
  • 60 mm UFP "corners" makes angling ineffective
  • Bad elevation angles
  • Vulnerable to planes (thin top armour)

History

The AMX M4 was developed and tested in the late 1940s, though it never saw active service.

Media

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

See 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.

External links


France medium tanks
M4 Derivatives  M4A1 (FL10) · M4A4 (SA50)
AMX-50  AMX M4 · AMX-50 (TOA100) · AMX-50 (TO90/930)
AMX-30  AMX-30 · AMX-30 (1972) · AMX-30B2 · AMX-30B2 BRENUS · AMX-30 ACRA · AMX-30 Super
AMX-32/40  AMX-32 · AMX-32 (105) · AMX-40
Leclerc  Leclerc · Leclerc S2 · Leclerc SXXI · Leclerc AZUR
Other  D2 · S.35 · Lorraine 40t
Germany  Panther "Dauphiné"
USA  ▄M4A1 · ▄M4A3 (105) · ▄M4A4 · ▄M26