Independent

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Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
Independent
uk_a1e1_independent.png
Independent
AB RB SB
1.3 1.3 1.3
Purchase:2 100 Specs-Card-Eagle.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage Independent.jpg


The Independent (A1E1) is a premium rank I British heavy tank with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.63 "Desert Hunters". The A1E1, with its five turrets, serve as the instigator of the multi-turreted concept that spread to the Soviet T-35 and the German Neubaufahrzeug.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 28 mm (0-27°) 13 mm Top
13 + 10 mm Bottom
13 mm (0-58°) 8 mm
Main turret 28 mm (6-48°) Turret front
20 mm (6°) Gun mantlet
28 mm 28 mm 8 mm
Secondary turrets 13 mm (0-3°) 13 mm 13 mm 8 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • Belly armour is 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons) Add-on Armor
weight (tons)
Max speed (km/h)
31.7 N/A 34 (AB)
32 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 478 588
Realistic/Simulator 327 370
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 15.17 18.54
Realistic/Simulator 10.31 11.67

Armaments

Main armament

47 mm OQF 3-pounder
Capacity Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
Stabilizer
201 -4°/+20° ±180° Vertical
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 5.9 8.2 __.__ __.__ __.__
Realistic 5.9 7.0 __.__ __.__ __.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
3.9 __.__ __.__ __.__
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration in mm @ 90°
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
Shell Mk.I APHE 49 47 38 29 22 17
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%
Shell Mk.I APHE 563 1.65 1.2 9 15 -1° 47° 60° 65°
Ammo racks
Ammo racks of the A1E1 Independent.
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
10th
rack empty
11th
rack empty
12th
rack empty
13th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
201 181 (+20) 166 (+35) 151 (+50) 136 (+65) 121 (+80) 106 (+95) 91 (+110) 76 (+125) 61 (+140) 46 (+155) 31 (+170) 16 (+185) (+200) No

Turret empty: 181 (+20)

Machine guns

Main article: Vickers (7.7 mm)
7.7 mm Vickers
Front left turret mount Front right turret mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
4,000 (250) 390 -10°/+15° -130°/+40° 4,000 (250) 390 -10°/+15° -40°/+130°
Rear left turret mount Rear right turret mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute)
Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
4,000 (250) 390 -10°/+15° -0°/+130° 4,000 (250) 390 -10°/+15° -130°/+0°

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 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).

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 47 mm gun is adequate
  • Large ammo reserve
  • One available ammo type makes it easier to use for beginners
  • A rare sight. Many players will not know where the critical components are
  • It has explosives in the AP rounds, very rare in British vehicles
  • Like other large tanks (eg T-35, T-28 and SMK) it is a very complex vehicle to destroy with plenty of turrets, big tracks and curvy/angled parts to soak up rounds and 8 crew members to boot

Cons:

  • Very long tank, hard to hide side from flankers
  • Only one ammo type
  • Armour is quite thin
  • Vulnerable to 20mm auto cannons. In many ways they are more effective than normal cannons due to their high rate of fire
  • APHE is inconsistent due to vehicles the Independent will be facing in general have less than 25 mm of armor

History

Development

During the interwar period, British General Staff requested for a heavy tank design in 1924. The project, undertaken by an engineer named Walter Gordon Wilson, was designed by the Armstrong Siddeley engineering group. The finished prototype model was delivered to War Office in 1926. The design of the tank, named "Independent", was a multi-turreted design with a total of five turrets. The one in the center held a 3-pounder 47 mm gun while the other smaller turrets at the main turret's corner held Vickers machine guns. The tank can hold 8 crew members, a driver, four machine gunners, and three in the turret. It was around 28 tons and 25 feet long, despite being only 8 feet wide. This length caused some early problems as the tracks were too thin for the width, causing the rear sprocket wheels to peel the vehicle design as it continues to turn. W.G. Wilson attempted to fix this with an epicyclic steering system, but the tracks still wore out quickly. A unique feature on the Independent was a small opening on the left side of the tank that allowed for the placement of a stretcher for wounded crew members inside the tank to be pulled out from. [1]

During the development and testing process, the Independent design was a item of espionage by the international community. Plans of the design ended up in the Soviet Union and in Germany, with a British officer named Norman Baillie-Stewart court-martialled for supplying secrets to the Germans, including the Independent plans. This espionage influenced several tank designs from these countries, with the T-28 and T-35 in the Soviet Union and the Neubaufahrzeug in Germany.

Cancellation

The Independent was tested by War Office all the way until 1935, but it was a troublesome design. Most of the tests focused on its automotive performance, not even passing along to gunnery trials. The Independent was also used in a officer school for recommendations and examinations. The only model built, the prototype, was deemed worn out in 1935 as the War Office saw no need to spend more money on the design when other vehicles were being produced. They retired the Independent and sent the model to the Bovington Tank Museum, where it sits today for display.

Media

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

Videos

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


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

  1. The Tank Museum. Tank Chats #24 A1E1 Independent. (3:00) YouTube. YouTube, 05 Aug. 2016. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.Video