T32E1

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This page is about the American heavy tank T32E1. For other versions, see T32 Heavy Tank (Family).
T32E1
us_t32e1.png
GarageImage T32E1.jpg
T32E1
AB RB SB
7.7 7.7 7.7
Class:
Research:48 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:270 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Heavy Tank T32E1 is a rank V American heavy tank with a battle rating of 7.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.83 "Masters of the Sea".

Being the next stage of it's development cycle, the T32E1 is essentially the same as the T32 except the designers replaced the cast homogeneous plates of the front hull in favour of simpler rolled homogeneous ones, deleting the hull machine gun port in the process. This not only removes an obvious weakness from the design, but it also strengthened the front hull plate from penetrations.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull127 / 76 / 50
Turret298 / 152 / 152
Crew5 people
Visibility108 %
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 127 mm (58°) Upper glacis
127mm (18°) + 95.3 (58°) mm Seam
95.3 mm (40-59°) Lower glacis
76.2 mm 50.8 mm 66.6 mm Crew compartment
25.4 mm Engine compartment
Turret 298.4 mm (8-21°) Turret front
298.4 mm (0-80°) Gun mantlet
152.4 - 196 mm (3-42°) 152.4 mm (0-72°) 25.4 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 152 mm 25 mm

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB38 / 15 km/h
RB and SB36 / 14 km/h
Number of gears8 forward
2 back
Weight54.0 t
Engine power
AB1 469 hp
RB and SB770 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB27.2 hp/t
RB and SB14.3 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 38 15 54 994 1,469 18.41 27.2
Realistic 36 14 681 770 12.61 14.26

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB5 561 → 6 878 Sl icon.png
RB5 911 → 7 311 Sl icon.png
SB9 417 → 11 648 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications77 000 Rp icon.png
129 600 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 000 Ge icon.png
Crew training78 000 Sl icon.png
Experts270 000 Sl icon.png
Aces1 100 Ge icon.png
Research Aces670 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
140 / 200 / 230 % Sl icon.png
190 / 190 / 190 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
4 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 500 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
4 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
7 300 Sl icon.png
170 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
4 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
7 300 Sl icon.png
170 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 100 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
13 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
21 000 Sl icon.png
500 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
13 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
21 000 Sl icon.png
500 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
2 600 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 500 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
2 900 Rp icon.png
Cost:
7 300 Sl icon.png
170 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement us.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 100 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
4 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 500 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
90mm_us_M82_APCBC_ammo_pack
Research:
4 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
6 500 Sl icon.png
155 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
4 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
7 300 Sl icon.png
170 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 100 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
90mm_us_T44_APCR_ammo_pack
Research:
5 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 100 Sl icon.png
190 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition54 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
18.8 → 14.5 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 20°
Main article: T15E2 (90 mm)
90 mm T15E2 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 54 -10°/+20° ±180° N/A 19.4 26.9 32.6 36.1 38.4 18.85 16.68 15.37 14.50
Realistic 14.3 16.8 20.4 22.6 24.0

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
T43 shot APBC 211 208 193 177 162 148
T42 shell HE 13 13 13 13 13 13
T41 APCBC 224 221 206 188 172 157
T44 shot APCR 336 330 304 274 248 223
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%
T43 shot APBC 975 10.9 N/A N/A N/A 47° 60° 65°
T42 shell HE 975 10.6 0 0.1 925 79° 80° 81°
T41 APCBC 975 10.94 1.2 14 137.2 48° 63° 71°
T44 shot APCR 1,143 7.6 N/A N/A N/A 66° 70° 72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the T32 (identical)
Full
ammo
Ammo
part
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
54 Projectiles
Propellants
50 (+4)
28 (+26)
45 (+9)
(+53)
23 (+31)
N/A
(+53)
N/A
No

Notes:

  • The T32E1 uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant bags (orange). Both have separate racks.
  • Packs 23 (+31) shells to have the turret and left flank racks empty.

The cannon takes two-piece ammunition, which explains why it takes so long for the cannon to load despite its 90 mm caliber. The propellant stowage covers the entire floor of the fighting compartment three times over. The projectiles themselves are kept in four racks, two lining both sides of the hull's fighting compartment, and two smaller ones on the port side of the turret in front of the loader.

Machine guns

Ammunition1 000 rounds
Belt capacity200 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate575 shots/min
Vertical guidance-10° / 35°
Horizontal guidance-120° / 120°
Ammunition4 000 rounds
Belt capacity250 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate500 shots/min
12.7 mm M2HB
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Pintle 1,000 (200) 577 -10°/+35° ±120°
7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 4,000 (250) 500 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

The play style of T32E1 is vastly different in each game mode, due to the nature of the gameplay available in Ground Forces:

Arcade battles

  • Player, ally, and enemy position will be immediately spotted upon detection with their name indicator visible above their vehicle and on the minimap
  • Aim assist is present to help accurate aiming at a target
  • Player and enemy team tank's nationality are mixed

The T32E1 shouldn't be exposed to the enemy at a prolonged time at close range engagement since the enemies will use aim assist to take out the T32E1 from either lower plate tips or lower turret. On the other hand, the T32 can also utilize these features against the enemy, albeit with much harder difficulty due to rather sub-par penetration against other tanks in Rank IV to reliably achieve first penetration in arcade tank combat. Exercise caution

Realistic battles

  • No visible name indicator
  • Manual range calculation
  • Player and enemy team tank's nationality are not mixed

The T32E1 can safely mobilize itself due to the dissipation of name indicator above the vehicle, especially with its low profile. In Realistic Battle, the T32E1 can do almost anything on its own, especially with flanking enemies to deliver a striking blow to the enemy formations, since the sub-par penetration of the M82 APCBC is negated by the enemies' side armour weakness (be aware with IS-4M as it has 160 mm of side armour, expect to use both APCBC and APCR). As aforementioned earlier, the T32E1 excels better at flanking than other roles due to characteristics of its gun performance, mobility, and protection.

Simulator battles

  • No visible name indicator
  • Manual range calculation
  • Player and enemy team tank's nationality are not mixed

The T32E1 can safely mobilize itself due to the dissipation of name indicator above the vehicle, especially with its low profile. In Simulator Battle, the battle tactic is almost similar to Realistic Mode. T32E1 can do almost anything on its own, especially with flanking enemies to deliver a striking blow to the enemy formations. Since the sub-par penetration of the M82 APCBC is negated by the enemies' side armour weakness (be aware with IS-4M, as it has 160 mm of side armour, expect to use both APCBC and APCR). As aforementioned earlier, the T32E1 excels better at flanking than other roles due to characteristics of its gun performance, mobility, and protection.

Other considerations in Simulator mode is the different gun sight placement and 3rd person perspective. The gun sight is tough to control, located on the left side of mantlet. The 3rd person perspective, now in the commander's cupola area, helps the T32E1 by restricting the enemy's field of vision (although the player is as well) and allow the T32E1 to move stealthily more easily.

Combat tactics

The T32E1 can fulfil major roles in battle due to its flexibility at any kind of operation, known as "Jack-of-all-Trades". Its role is not far different than the well-known M26 Pershing. There are 5 known roles that can be used in battle, which are Assault, Flank, Snipe, Support, and the last but not least, Ambush:

Assault

Leading an assault directly into the enemy forces is the most frequently used tactic, especially in urban areas. It's quite capable to abuse the enemy shots with angling, but not entirely, since battle will mostly take place at very close range (about 0 - 100 meters). A strike team is needed to carry out an assault since T32E1 can't cover its side armour and slow reload time alone. In most cases, a T32E1 will likely to initiate flanking role to the enemy once it comes up-close to increase the chance of incapacitating a vehicle with a single strike in quick succession.

Flank

Flanking is the most effective role for the T32E1. Its characteristics and performances are highly orientated for flanking purpose. At given destructive penetrating power of the M82 Shell from close range, the T32E1 can critically damage, if not outright knocking out everything from the side. Be aware when initiating the operation, since someone might be trying to flank the flanker. Flanking is also a part of the assault role, albeit with a more focused objective on manoeuvring on the enemies' side. At this rate, the enemies will likely to scatter around to evade, so eliminating any available threat is required to continue the tactic. The armour will greatly aid in this tactic, as return fire is commonly a hasty act, yet be wary of the tank's weak spots! On open terrain keep manoeuvring during reload to throw of aim, alternatively on distances above 400m drive slightly angled forwards and backwards.

Sniper

Sniping is frequently used by the T32E1 when encountering enemies in a large, open map such as Kursk and Mozdok. The T44 APCR is a good option when the target is too far and very fast since the M82 APCBC travels slower than APCR. Locating target is much harder than engaging at close range, since most of the enemies will also be sniping from afar, especially when sharpshooting against German tanks. Fortunately, almost no T32E1's frontal weak spot will be a viable target when sniping, since the weak spots are much more protected at longer range. It is suggested, if having to play on wide open terrain found on Tunisia, Kursk and Mozdok, to take full ammo load and 50/50 of APCR and APHE.

Support

Supporting the allies to attack the enemies is a backup plan used to increase the allied forces firepower when attacking the enemies, such as providing covering fire for smaller tank such as T-44 or to increase the combat effort alongside the other heavy tank like Tiger II.

Ambush

Ambush is preferable when enemies are unaware of the presence of a concealing T32E1. It should be commenced at a strategic choke point where the enemies will likely to mobilize their armours from there. Be aware that ambush is only used when the enemies are already identified by allies and heading to the choke point. Otherwise, sitting still and waiting for nothing can burden the team. Keep in mind that 90 mm T15E2 is L/73 length gun (aka very long), so make sure the gun barrel is hidden from the enemy if planning to catch them by surprise.

"Hunker down"-Support

Move up to an distant open spot, visible from the enemy spawn or main route of attack and begin firing machine guns to draw in attention. The idea is caught the enemies attention and with this bind enemy firepower on something they can physically not destroy from the distance. Both the hostile force and the T32E1 will be pinned down in a stalemate, subtracting from each team's firepower. Therefore keep in mind the enemy's tank value. If it is only an M26, the T32E1 may be better off in the Support role, but if it is an IS-4 or several other evenly ranked tanks, then pursuing the hunker down tactic is worthwhile to the team's success.

Conclusion

Overall, the T32E1 is a versatile heavy tank with an impressive performance in the game, but since it's not invincible with a fair amount of potential weaknesses, it requires specific knowledge with this tank to survive. The T32E1 will lead to the pinnacle of the U.S. heavy tank branch – the M103.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Removal of the hull MG port = one less weak spot to worry about
  • Same hard-hitting 90mm gun as on the original T32
  • Great turret armour; all but invincible when hull-down
  • Good hull armour; can take a hit or two, especially if angled correctly
  • T41 AP shell has outstanding post-penetration damage
  • Reasonably mobile for a heavy tank
  • Great gun depression; good for hull-down tactics

Cons:

  • Ammo rack in the middle of the tank; a shell strike and penetration there can result in instantaneous destruction
  • Long reload time of 15-18 seconds
  • Small but noticeable shot trap where the mantlet meets the hull; enemies may try to shoot there
  • Stock AP round doesn't have explosive filler, making killing enemy tanks somewhat difficult

History

Development

The T32 project began during the later stages of the Second World War when the US Army determined a need for a new heavy tank using as many components of the M26 Persing as possible. Four prototypes were ordered for construction on 8 February 1945. The first two pilots were delivered in January and April of 1946, designated as Heavy Tank T32.

T32 Pilots 3 and 4 were completed on 14 May 1946 and 19 June 1946 respectively. Number 3 was then shipped to Fort Knox for testing while number 4 was retained at the Detroit Arsenal. They had a few differences from the first and second pilots, and as such they were redesignated as Heavy Tank T32E1 on 9 August 1946.

The biggest difference was in the construction of the hull front. The T32E1 had a rolled rather than cast construction for the hull front and also omitted the how ball-mounted machine gun. The driver and assistant driver/machine gunner roof hatches were changed from a hinged type to a pivot type and the hatch-mounted periscopes were moved to the roof in front of the hatches. These were the only differences between the T32 and T32E1.

Design

The T32E1 had a crew of five: the driver and assistant driver/machine gunner were located in the hull front and the commander, gunner, and loader were in the turret. The vehicle had a combat weight of 120,000 pounds. The hull was similar to that of the M26 but had thickened front armor, was lengthened, and had a redesigned engine compartment. The turret was a new design but still used components from the Pershing.

The hull was based on the Pershing's but had some changes. The front armor was of rolled construction and increased to 5 inches (127 mm) at 54 degrees on the upper glacis and 95 mm at 59 degrees on the lower glacis. The side armor remained at 3 inches (76.2 mm) and the rear armor stayed at 2 inches (50.8 mm). The driver and assistant driver/machine gunner positions each received a pivoting hatch and a wide-view periscope in the armor in front of the hatch. A .30 cal (7.62 mm) M1919A4 machine gun was ball-mounted in the hull front for the assistant driver/machine gunner to use.

The turret was of a new design, with armor ranging from 6 inches (152.4 mm) on the rear to 11¾ inches (298.45 mm) on the front. A 90 mm T15E2 high-velocity main gun was fitted. The T15E2 used two piece ammunition so the ammunition storage was redesigned from the M26. Elevation of the gun was 20 degrees and depression was 10 degrees. Secondary armament consisted of a coaxial .30 cal M1919A4 and a pintle-mounted .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2HB either mounted in front of the commander's cupola or at the rear of the turret roof. 54 rounds of 90 mm ammunition, 550 rounds of .50 cal ammunition, and 4,000 rounds of .30 cal ammunition were carried. There was also a radio located in the turret bustle.

Compared to the Pershing, the hull was extended and a seventh road wheel was added to the torsion bar suspension on each side. It used the same 23 inch T80E1 tracks as the Pershing but with 5 inch extended end connectors. The engine compartment was redesigned to fit a new powerplant consisting of a 770 horsepower Ford GAC V12 engine and a EX-120 cross-drive transmission, which had two forward and one reverse gear. With this Power plant the T32E1 could reach a speed of 22 miles per hour (35.4 kilometers per hour).

Production and Service

Neither the T32 nor T32E1 entered service due to their arrival after the war had ended, but the project did have some uses. Most notably, the T32s were the first tanks using the EX-120 transmission to be tested. The transmission ended up a failure but it led to the CD-850 series of transmissions which would later see production.[1]

Media

Skins
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

References

  1. Hunnicutt, R. P. (1988). Firepower: A History of the American Heavy Tank. New York, NY: Presidio.


USA heavy tanks
M4 Jumbo  M4A3E2 · Cobra King · M4A3E2 (76) W
M6  T1E1 · M6A1 · M6A2E1
T26  T26E1-1 · T26E5
T29/30/34  T29 · T30 · T34
T32  T32 · T32E1
M103  M103
Others  T14