Difference between revisions of "User:kleinerPanzer"

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(Created page with "Hey kind user who checked out my page! I am currently not bothered enough to try and recreate my old page from the old wiki, so I'll just leave some brief summaries of it here...")
 
m (updated from old wiki page; thanks mods who recovered it!)
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Hey kind user who checked out my page! I am currently not bothered enough to try and recreate my old page from the old wiki, so I'll just leave some brief summaries of it here.
+
{{DISPLAYTITLE:HugoTroop}}
  
I am a WWII-history nerd, I love drawing tanks and aircraft, and I live in the United States. I used to be pretty fanatical about editing this wiki (the old wiki, to be exact), but eventually faded out. I've been playing since late 2015, which means I missed all of Thunder League season 1, the 3rd-year anniversary, and all that other stuff. Anyway, I still have fun and enjoy the game, despite its flaws.
+
Thanks to the kind moderators who helped recover my old page!
  
I'm currently at Rank V in Soviet GF & Aviation
+
==Quick Bio==
Rank IV in American GF & Aviation
 
Rank V in Germany GF & Aviation
 
Rank IV in British GF & Aviation
 
Rank IV in Japanese GF & Aviation
 
Rank II in Italian GF, Rank IV in Aviation
 
Rank II/III in French GF, Rank III in Aviation
 
  
 +
*I live in the United States (this is as much as I am willing to say)
 +
*I joined War Thunder on October 22, 2015. This means that, since I was unaware, I missed Thunder League Season 1, the Third Anniversary, all the associated event vehicles ([[LaGG-3-23]], [[T-V]], etc.), and much more. All I did get was the "--III--" [[:Category:Achievements#Titles|title]]. (I also missed the 70th VE Day celebration in May)
 +
*My first nation was [[:Category:USSR_ground_vehicles|USSR Ground Forces]], and my first ever researched vehicle was the [[BT-7]], followed by the [[T-60]].
 +
*My first premium (other than the [[T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.)]] that I received for joining the game) was the [[Pz.II C (DAK)|Pz.Kpfw. II C (DAK)]].
 +
*Currently, I primarily play [[RB|Realistic Battles]]. In particular, [[Ground_vehicles|Ground Forces]].
 +
*I am '''very''' into WWII history, and War Thunder sparked that interest.
 +
*I enjoy playing the [[T-44]], [[T-44-100]], any [[Panther tank (Family)|Panther]], the [[KV-2 (ZiS-6)|KV-2 (ZiS-6)]], any [[M3 (Disambiguation|Stuart]], and any [[M1 (76 mm)|76 mm]] [[M4 (Disambiguation)|Sherman]].
 +
 +
==Forum Suggestions==
 
Here's a list of suggestions I've made on the forums; please check them out!
 
Here's a list of suggestions I've made on the forums; please check them out!
  
 
Protection Analysis for Aircraft: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/456909-protection-analysis-for-aircraft/
 
Protection Analysis for Aircraft: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/456909-protection-analysis-for-aircraft/
T-26 Model 1933: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457515-t-26-model-1933-firepower/
+
<br>T-26 Model 1933: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457515-t-26-model-1933-firepower/
T-28 Model 1934: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457145-t-28-model-1934-the-predecessor/
+
<br>T-28 Model 1934: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457145-t-28-model-1934-the-predecessor/
T-34 Model 1941/42: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457178-transitional-t-34-model-194142-no-112-factory-stuck-in-the-middle/
+
<br>T-34 Model 1941/42: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457178-transitional-t-34-model-194142-no-112-factory-stuck-in-the-middle/
T-34 Model 1943: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457424-t-34-model-1943-last-of-the-legend/
+
<br>T-34 Model 1943: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457424-t-34-model-1943-last-of-the-legend/
T-34-85 Model 1945: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/456254-t-34-85-model-1945/
+
<br>T-34-85 Model 1945: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/456254-t-34-85-model-1945/
T-34-85 Model 1946: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/456456-t-34-85-model-1946/
+
<br>T-34-85 Model 1946: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/456456-t-34-85-model-1946/
KV-1 Model 1942: Soon(tm)
+
<br>KV-1 Model 1942: Soon(tm)
and more to come...
+
<br>and more to come...
 +
 
 +
==General Stats==
 +
 
 +
===Profile===
 +
'''Nickname'''
 +
*HugoTroop
 +
'''Level'''
 +
*Level 94
 +
'''Squadron'''
 +
*Domino Squad (=DMSQ=)
 +
'''Title'''
 +
*Impetuous
 +
 
 +
==WWII Stuff==
 +
 
 +
===US Tank Nicknames===
 +
*The United States did *not* name their tanks "Sherman", "Lee", etc., the British did. Afterwards (1944-45), the US named them "General Sherman", "General Lee", etc..
 +
*The United States *did* (likely) name the M36, as it was never used by the British. It was more likely to be "General Jackson", if anything.
 +
*The M10 was never called the "Wolverine". In January 1945 designation "Achilles" was used, for both the 3-inch and 17 pdr version (For the British, Achilles Mk. I / II vs Achilles Mk. IC / IIC, likewise to the Sherman IC/VC)
 +
*The Stuart was not called the "Honey". Nobody called it that.
 +
 
 +
===The "Hetzer"===
 +
*The name was likely never used during wartime (at least with the Jagdpanzer 38(t)). It likely came from the E-10, a similar vehicle that ''probably'' bore that name.
 +
 
 +
===US Tank Myths===
 +
*The nickname "Ronson" was (likely) never used to refer to a Sherman, nor the phrase "lights first, every time" (most GIs used Zippos, and that slogan was from the 50s).
 +
*Shermans were not Death Traps. Belton Cooper could only see the bad end of the stick, since he only saw destroyed Shermans. They were the easiest to escape, by far, of any main battle tank of the era, having some of the best surviability rates.
 +
*Their armor was good, outclassing the Pz. III and IV.
 +
*The Sherman IC/VC was not better than the 76mm Shermans (in terms of real-life performance). The cramped interior (especially the turret) made for a very uncomfortable crew, and the worse engine of the M4A4 (VC) made it sluggish overall.
 +
*Tanks could engage tanks; they were supposed to support the infantry, meaning killing tanks that attacked the infantry
 +
*Tank destroyers were ambush vehicles only (under US doctrine)
 +
 
 +
===British Nomenclature of US tanks===
 +
Sherman
 +
<br>-A = 105 mm
 +
<br>-B= 76 mm
 +
<br>-C= 17-pdr
 +
<br>-Y= HVSS
 +
<br>-Hybrid = Composite Hull
 +
 
 +
*M4 - Sherman I
 +
**M4 Composite - Sherman I Hybrid
 +
**M4 (105) W - Sherman IB
 +
**M4 (105) W HVSS - Sherman IBY
 +
**M4 w/ 17 pdr - Sherman IC
 +
**M4 Composite w/ 17-pdr - SHerman IC Hybrid
 +
*M4A1 - Sherman II
 +
**M4A1 (76) W - Sherman IIA
 +
**M4A1 (76) W HVSS - Sherman IIAY
 +
*M4A2 - Sherman III
 +
**M4A2 (76) W - Sherman IIIA
 +
**M4A2 (76) W HVSS - Sherman IIIAY
 +
*M4A3 - Sherman IV
 +
**M4A3 (76) W - Sherman IVA
 +
**M4A3 (76) W HVSS - Sherman IVAY
 +
**M4A3 (105) W - Sherman IVB
 +
**M4A3 (105) W HVSS - Sherman IVBY
 +
*M4A4 - Sherman V
 +
**M4A4 w/ 17-pdr - Sherman VC
 +
*M4A6 - Sherman VII
 +
 
 +
Lee/Grant
 +
*M3 - Lee I
 +
*M3A1 - Lee II
 +
*M3A2 - Lee III
 +
*M3A3 - Lee IV (Lee V)
 +
*M3A4 - Lee VI
 +
*M3A5 - Lee VII (?)
 +
*M3 (Grant Turret) - Grant I
 +
*M3A5 (Grant Turret) - Grant II
 +
 
 +
Stuart
 +
*M3 - Stuart I
 +
**M3 w/ diesel engine - Stuart II
 +
*M3A1 - Stuart III
 +
**M3A1 w/ diesel engine - Stuart IV
 +
*M3A3 - Stuart V
 +
*M5 - Stuart VI
 +
*M5A1 -Stuart VI
 +
 
 +
Achilles
 +
*M10 - Achilles I
 +
**M10A1 - Achilles II
 +
*17-pdr M10 - Achilles IC
 +
**17-pdr M10A1 - Achilles IIC
 +
 
 +
<br>Note: The UK never operationally used M4A3s, M4A6s, or 76 mm Shermans.
 +
<br>Note 2: The UK didn't have a recorded distinction between Wet-stowage and Dry-stowage
 +
 
 +
===Japanese Tank Naming Convention===
 +
There were two naming conventions, an early one, and a common one (used from 1936/7 onwards)
 +
 
 +
<br>1- I (Yi)
 +
<br>2 - Ro
 +
<br>3 - Ha
 +
<br>4 - Ni
 +
<br>5 - Ho
 +
<br>6 - He
 +
<br>7 - To
 +
<br>8 - Chi
 +
<br>9 - Ri
 +
<br>10 - Nu
 +
<br>11 - Ru
 +
<br>12 - O or Wo
 +
 
 +
<br>Ke (Kei) - Light
 +
<br>Chi (Chiu) - Medium
 +
<br>Ho - Gun/SPG
 +
<br>Ka - Amphibious
 +
 
 +
Note that these are '''not''' direct translations, and are just what they mean in the context of Japanese tank names.
 +
 
 +
<br>Early naming convention
 +
<br>[Number]-Go
 +
 
 +
<br>Ha-Go - 3rd "car"
 +
<br>I-Go - 1st "car"
 +
<br>Ro-Go - 2nd "car"
 +
 
 +
<br>Common naming convention
 +
<br>[Tank Type]-[Number]
 +
 
 +
<br>Chi-Ha - Medium 3
 +
<br>Ke - Ne - Light 4
 +
<br>Ho-Ro - SPG 2
 +
 
 +
===Italian Tank naming convention===
 +
 
 +
<br>CV - Carro Veloce - Fast Car
 +
<br>Semovente - Self-Propelled
 +
<br>L - Leggero - Light
 +
<br>M - Medio - Medium
 +
<br>P - Pesante - Heavy
 +
 
 +
<br>Using L, M, and P
 +
<br>[Type] [Weight]/[Year]
 +
 
 +
<br>L 3/33 - Light 3-ton 1933
 +
<br>M 13/40 - Medium 13-ton 1940
 +
<br>P 26/40 - Heavy 26-ton 1940
 +
 
 +
<br>Using Semovente
 +
<br>Semovente da [Caliber]/[Length in Calibers]
 +
 
 +
<br>Semovente da 90/53 - SPG "with" ("of") 90 mm, 53-calibers
 +
 
 +
<br>Using CV
 +
<br>CV-[Year]
 +
 
 +
<br>CV-33 - Fast Car (Tankette) 1933
 +
 
 +
===Performance: Paper vs Actuality===
 +
Many tanks, such as the T-34 (in 1941), or the Tiger II, on paper should be far superior to the common tanks of the enemy. However, their performance in real life differed greatly from expected. In a game such as War Thunder, in a fight between Panther vs a 76mm Sherman, or a Tiger II (H) vs IS-2 (1944), or T-34 (1941) vs Pz.Kpfw. IV F1, etc., the first of the two would win the majority of the time. However, real life performance does not always perfectly match what is on paper. Do not forget that, there is almost never a situation where it is just "Tank A vs Tank B". It is "Tanks, Supply Trucks, Infantry, Artillery, Aircraft, and Maintenance Crews A vs Tanks, Supply Trucks, Infantry, Artillery, Aircraft, and Maintenance Crews B". As such, tanks such as the T-34 and KV-1 (in 1941), while they should have been able to absolutely destroy the German army, the poorly trained crews and terrible logistics supporting them left many of them to be abandoned or self-destroyed. The Panther, while superior to the M4 Sherman (even the 76mm) in virtually every aspect, had inferior performance due to a lack of spare parts and the situation of the war in 1944/45. Even a slight malfunction would usually force a Panther's crew to abandon the tank, whereas the Shermans had literal tons of spare parts available for repairs. The retreating German Army couldn't recover the lost Panthers (among other vehicles), whereas the advancing Allied armies could. Also, the IS-2 was far superior to the Tiger II in areas such as armor quality, anti-infantry capability, and sheer numbers. It didn't matter that its gun had less penetration than a Tiger II's, if the most common armor thickness it would face was the 80mm on a Pz.Kpfw. IV or StuG (granted the reverse was true as well). Another thought is crew survivability. As some may be aware, (get ready for "The Chieftain" references) once a tank crew suffers a significant emotional event, they must perform the real life equivalent of the "oh my god the tank is on fire" test. On average, the M4 Sherman had the best crew survivability (except for the poor loader on early 75mm models, explained somewhere in [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/400696-m4-sherman-variant-identification/ here]) in such situations, compared to any other main tank of its era.
 +
 
 +
===What if Germany had been in the war longer? (a.k.a. Was the Wunderwaffe possible?)===
 +
To put it bluntly, German development in terms of weaponry would have to slow or halt at what it was in April 1945. The Panther II program? Cancelled. The Maus? Cancelled. The E-series? Cancelled. Albert Speer made a decision, and an arguably wise one at that, to continue producing what they could and not waste time trying to create new tanks when they simply didn't have the resources. If Germany had been able to stretch the war on into 1946, maintaining production levels of 1944, you would only see more and more Tiger IIs and Panther Gs, as the number of StuG IIIs and Pz.Kpfw. IVs declined as they became obsolete. There were many experiments with night vision equipment, and that would probably find its way onto late 1945-production German tanks. Also, stereoscopic rangefinders, such as those seen on the Panther F, would also become more common. Perhaps the Tiger II would receive the Maybach HL 234 as an upgrade to the HL 230, or the Panther's road wheels swapped for the same on the Tiger II's. Regardless, such changes would only be minor, and would not keep pace with tank development of the USSR and Western Allies.
 +
 
 +
What about aviation? The Me 262 was filled with problems, as using jet engines was still in its infancy. Perhaps late-model Bf 109 Ks or Bf 109 L, or Fw 190 E may come out, with better engines, better armament, and improved flight characteristics. However, these are all just proposals. But the overwhelming amount of problems with aircraft like the Me 262, and the poor performance and high maintenance of rocket and jet aircraft would eventually phase the Me 163 and He 162 out of production. The Ar 234 could possibly see further development, but the German war situation at the time had little use for a jet bomber; it needed ground attackers, interceptors, and fighters, to fend off against the enemy ground forces and strategic bombers.
 +
 
 +
==Vehicles I hope are added to the game==
 +
<small>
 +
*More M3 Lee variants
 +
*More M3/M5 Stuart variants
 +
*More M4 Sherman variants
 +
*M7 & M7B1 HMC
 +
*M37 HMC
 +
*M10A1
 +
*M36B2
 +
*More LVT variants
 +
*More American SPAA variants (i.e. M15A1, M16A2, M17)
 +
*American Half-tracks
 +
*M20
 +
*German armored cars
 +
*More Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) variants
 +
*More Pz.Kpfw. II variants
 +
*More Pz.Kpfw. III variants
 +
*More Pz.Kpfw. IV variants
 +
*Tiger I (mid-production)
 +
*More Marder variants
 +
*German half-tracks
 +
*More German half-track SPAA
 +
*Soviet armored cars
 +
*More early Soviet tankettes
 +
*More T-28 variants
 +
*More T-34 and T-34-85 variants
 +
*More KV-1 variants
 +
*More T-26 variants
 +
*More Soviet SPG variants
 +
*British armored cars
 +
*Mk. VI Light Tanks
 +
*Covenanters
 +
*Vickers Medium Tanks
 +
*British SPGs (Sexton, Bishop)
 +
*Close-Support tanks (Cromwell VI, Matilda IV CS)
 +
*More Matilda variants
 +
*More Churchill variants
 +
*More Valentine variants
 +
*More Japanese "Amphibious" tanks
 +
*Type 92 Tankette
 +
*More AS 42 variants
 +
*CC M 40, M 41, M 42
 +
*French armored cars and half-tracks
 +
*Char D1 and D2
 +
*Char 2C
 +
*More Free French American tanks
 +
*Panther G (France)
 +
</small>

Revision as of 01:08, 20 July 2019


Thanks to the kind moderators who helped recover my old page!

Quick Bio

  • I live in the United States (this is as much as I am willing to say)
  • I joined War Thunder on October 22, 2015. This means that, since I was unaware, I missed Thunder League Season 1, the Third Anniversary, all the associated event vehicles (LaGG-3-23, T-V, etc.), and much more. All I did get was the "--III--" title. (I also missed the 70th VE Day celebration in May)
  • My first nation was USSR Ground Forces, and my first ever researched vehicle was the BT-7, followed by the T-60.
  • My first premium (other than the T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.) that I received for joining the game) was the Pz.Kpfw. II C (DAK).
  • Currently, I primarily play Realistic Battles. In particular, Ground Forces.
  • I am very into WWII history, and War Thunder sparked that interest.
  • I enjoy playing the T-44, T-44-100, any Panther, the KV-2 (ZiS-6), any Stuart, and any 76 mm Sherman.

Forum Suggestions

Here's a list of suggestions I've made on the forums; please check them out!

Protection Analysis for Aircraft: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/456909-protection-analysis-for-aircraft/
T-26 Model 1933: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457515-t-26-model-1933-firepower/
T-28 Model 1934: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457145-t-28-model-1934-the-predecessor/
T-34 Model 1941/42: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457178-transitional-t-34-model-194142-no-112-factory-stuck-in-the-middle/
T-34 Model 1943: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/457424-t-34-model-1943-last-of-the-legend/
T-34-85 Model 1945: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/456254-t-34-85-model-1945/
T-34-85 Model 1946: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/456456-t-34-85-model-1946/
KV-1 Model 1942: Soon(tm)
and more to come...

General Stats

Profile

Nickname

  • HugoTroop

Level

  • Level 94

Squadron

  • Domino Squad (=DMSQ=)

Title

  • Impetuous

WWII Stuff

US Tank Nicknames

  • The United States did *not* name their tanks "Sherman", "Lee", etc., the British did. Afterwards (1944-45), the US named them "General Sherman", "General Lee", etc..
  • The United States *did* (likely) name the M36, as it was never used by the British. It was more likely to be "General Jackson", if anything.
  • The M10 was never called the "Wolverine". In January 1945 designation "Achilles" was used, for both the 3-inch and 17 pdr version (For the British, Achilles Mk. I / II vs Achilles Mk. IC / IIC, likewise to the Sherman IC/VC)
  • The Stuart was not called the "Honey". Nobody called it that.

The "Hetzer"

  • The name was likely never used during wartime (at least with the Jagdpanzer 38(t)). It likely came from the E-10, a similar vehicle that probably bore that name.

US Tank Myths

  • The nickname "Ronson" was (likely) never used to refer to a Sherman, nor the phrase "lights first, every time" (most GIs used Zippos, and that slogan was from the 50s).
  • Shermans were not Death Traps. Belton Cooper could only see the bad end of the stick, since he only saw destroyed Shermans. They were the easiest to escape, by far, of any main battle tank of the era, having some of the best surviability rates.
  • Their armor was good, outclassing the Pz. III and IV.
  • The Sherman IC/VC was not better than the 76mm Shermans (in terms of real-life performance). The cramped interior (especially the turret) made for a very uncomfortable crew, and the worse engine of the M4A4 (VC) made it sluggish overall.
  • Tanks could engage tanks; they were supposed to support the infantry, meaning killing tanks that attacked the infantry
  • Tank destroyers were ambush vehicles only (under US doctrine)

British Nomenclature of US tanks

Sherman
-A = 105 mm
-B= 76 mm
-C= 17-pdr
-Y= HVSS
-Hybrid = Composite Hull

  • M4 - Sherman I
    • M4 Composite - Sherman I Hybrid
    • M4 (105) W - Sherman IB
    • M4 (105) W HVSS - Sherman IBY
    • M4 w/ 17 pdr - Sherman IC
    • M4 Composite w/ 17-pdr - SHerman IC Hybrid
  • M4A1 - Sherman II
    • M4A1 (76) W - Sherman IIA
    • M4A1 (76) W HVSS - Sherman IIAY
  • M4A2 - Sherman III
    • M4A2 (76) W - Sherman IIIA
    • M4A2 (76) W HVSS - Sherman IIIAY
  • M4A3 - Sherman IV
    • M4A3 (76) W - Sherman IVA
    • M4A3 (76) W HVSS - Sherman IVAY
    • M4A3 (105) W - Sherman IVB
    • M4A3 (105) W HVSS - Sherman IVBY
  • M4A4 - Sherman V
    • M4A4 w/ 17-pdr - Sherman VC
  • M4A6 - Sherman VII

Lee/Grant

  • M3 - Lee I
  • M3A1 - Lee II
  • M3A2 - Lee III
  • M3A3 - Lee IV (Lee V)
  • M3A4 - Lee VI
  • M3A5 - Lee VII (?)
  • M3 (Grant Turret) - Grant I
  • M3A5 (Grant Turret) - Grant II

Stuart

  • M3 - Stuart I
    • M3 w/ diesel engine - Stuart II
  • M3A1 - Stuart III
    • M3A1 w/ diesel engine - Stuart IV
  • M3A3 - Stuart V
  • M5 - Stuart VI
  • M5A1 -Stuart VI

Achilles

  • M10 - Achilles I
    • M10A1 - Achilles II
  • 17-pdr M10 - Achilles IC
    • 17-pdr M10A1 - Achilles IIC


Note: The UK never operationally used M4A3s, M4A6s, or 76 mm Shermans.
Note 2: The UK didn't have a recorded distinction between Wet-stowage and Dry-stowage

Japanese Tank Naming Convention

There were two naming conventions, an early one, and a common one (used from 1936/7 onwards)


1- I (Yi)
2 - Ro
3 - Ha
4 - Ni
5 - Ho
6 - He
7 - To
8 - Chi
9 - Ri
10 - Nu
11 - Ru
12 - O or Wo


Ke (Kei) - Light
Chi (Chiu) - Medium
Ho - Gun/SPG
Ka - Amphibious

Note that these are not direct translations, and are just what they mean in the context of Japanese tank names.


Early naming convention
[Number]-Go


Ha-Go - 3rd "car"
I-Go - 1st "car"
Ro-Go - 2nd "car"


Common naming convention
[Tank Type]-[Number]


Chi-Ha - Medium 3
Ke - Ne - Light 4
Ho-Ro - SPG 2

Italian Tank naming convention


CV - Carro Veloce - Fast Car
Semovente - Self-Propelled
L - Leggero - Light
M - Medio - Medium
P - Pesante - Heavy


Using L, M, and P
[Type] [Weight]/[Year]


L 3/33 - Light 3-ton 1933
M 13/40 - Medium 13-ton 1940
P 26/40 - Heavy 26-ton 1940


Using Semovente
Semovente da [Caliber]/[Length in Calibers]


Semovente da 90/53 - SPG "with" ("of") 90 mm, 53-calibers


Using CV
CV-[Year]


CV-33 - Fast Car (Tankette) 1933

Performance: Paper vs Actuality

Many tanks, such as the T-34 (in 1941), or the Tiger II, on paper should be far superior to the common tanks of the enemy. However, their performance in real life differed greatly from expected. In a game such as War Thunder, in a fight between Panther vs a 76mm Sherman, or a Tiger II (H) vs IS-2 (1944), or T-34 (1941) vs Pz.Kpfw. IV F1, etc., the first of the two would win the majority of the time. However, real life performance does not always perfectly match what is on paper. Do not forget that, there is almost never a situation where it is just "Tank A vs Tank B". It is "Tanks, Supply Trucks, Infantry, Artillery, Aircraft, and Maintenance Crews A vs Tanks, Supply Trucks, Infantry, Artillery, Aircraft, and Maintenance Crews B". As such, tanks such as the T-34 and KV-1 (in 1941), while they should have been able to absolutely destroy the German army, the poorly trained crews and terrible logistics supporting them left many of them to be abandoned or self-destroyed. The Panther, while superior to the M4 Sherman (even the 76mm) in virtually every aspect, had inferior performance due to a lack of spare parts and the situation of the war in 1944/45. Even a slight malfunction would usually force a Panther's crew to abandon the tank, whereas the Shermans had literal tons of spare parts available for repairs. The retreating German Army couldn't recover the lost Panthers (among other vehicles), whereas the advancing Allied armies could. Also, the IS-2 was far superior to the Tiger II in areas such as armor quality, anti-infantry capability, and sheer numbers. It didn't matter that its gun had less penetration than a Tiger II's, if the most common armor thickness it would face was the 80mm on a Pz.Kpfw. IV or StuG (granted the reverse was true as well). Another thought is crew survivability. As some may be aware, (get ready for "The Chieftain" references) once a tank crew suffers a significant emotional event, they must perform the real life equivalent of the "oh my god the tank is on fire" test. On average, the M4 Sherman had the best crew survivability (except for the poor loader on early 75mm models, explained somewhere in here) in such situations, compared to any other main tank of its era.

What if Germany had been in the war longer? (a.k.a. Was the Wunderwaffe possible?)

To put it bluntly, German development in terms of weaponry would have to slow or halt at what it was in April 1945. The Panther II program? Cancelled. The Maus? Cancelled. The E-series? Cancelled. Albert Speer made a decision, and an arguably wise one at that, to continue producing what they could and not waste time trying to create new tanks when they simply didn't have the resources. If Germany had been able to stretch the war on into 1946, maintaining production levels of 1944, you would only see more and more Tiger IIs and Panther Gs, as the number of StuG IIIs and Pz.Kpfw. IVs declined as they became obsolete. There were many experiments with night vision equipment, and that would probably find its way onto late 1945-production German tanks. Also, stereoscopic rangefinders, such as those seen on the Panther F, would also become more common. Perhaps the Tiger II would receive the Maybach HL 234 as an upgrade to the HL 230, or the Panther's road wheels swapped for the same on the Tiger II's. Regardless, such changes would only be minor, and would not keep pace with tank development of the USSR and Western Allies.

What about aviation? The Me 262 was filled with problems, as using jet engines was still in its infancy. Perhaps late-model Bf 109 Ks or Bf 109 L, or Fw 190 E may come out, with better engines, better armament, and improved flight characteristics. However, these are all just proposals. But the overwhelming amount of problems with aircraft like the Me 262, and the poor performance and high maintenance of rocket and jet aircraft would eventually phase the Me 163 and He 162 out of production. The Ar 234 could possibly see further development, but the German war situation at the time had little use for a jet bomber; it needed ground attackers, interceptors, and fighters, to fend off against the enemy ground forces and strategic bombers.

Vehicles I hope are added to the game

  • More M3 Lee variants
  • More M3/M5 Stuart variants
  • More M4 Sherman variants
  • M7 & M7B1 HMC
  • M37 HMC
  • M10A1
  • M36B2
  • More LVT variants
  • More American SPAA variants (i.e. M15A1, M16A2, M17)
  • American Half-tracks
  • M20
  • German armored cars
  • More Pz.Kpfw. 38(t) variants
  • More Pz.Kpfw. II variants
  • More Pz.Kpfw. III variants
  • More Pz.Kpfw. IV variants
  • Tiger I (mid-production)
  • More Marder variants
  • German half-tracks
  • More German half-track SPAA
  • Soviet armored cars
  • More early Soviet tankettes
  • More T-28 variants
  • More T-34 and T-34-85 variants
  • More KV-1 variants
  • More T-26 variants
  • More Soviet SPG variants
  • British armored cars
  • Mk. VI Light Tanks
  • Covenanters
  • Vickers Medium Tanks
  • British SPGs (Sexton, Bishop)
  • Close-Support tanks (Cromwell VI, Matilda IV CS)
  • More Matilda variants
  • More Churchill variants
  • More Valentine variants
  • More Japanese "Amphibious" tanks
  • Type 92 Tankette
  • More AS 42 variants
  • CC M 40, M 41, M 42
  • French armored cars and half-tracks
  • Char D1 and D2
  • Char 2C
  • More Free French American tanks
  • Panther G (France)