Troop Quality in preferences

[cbo]

Charles22 said:
I can't see them dealing with bunkers with that peashooter, even if it is worthy of that 6 AP rating (salvo is another matter of course). So this would mean that they used salvo on fortresses? Did they do anything to increase velocity later? Is there a later high-velocity version?

Soviet 45mm L/46 ATG was more or less a copy of the German 37mm, scaled up to 45mm to fire a more usefull HE round. An improved version was made in 1942 with a longer barrel, increasing muzzle velocity and thus penetration. An APCR (aka HVAP, in game "sabot") round was also developed which increased penetration even further.

The 45mm gun remained in production until 1945, but production peaked in 1943. In all, 48.800 were made. Only 5400 57mm guns were made during the war, so it never replaced the 45mm as the main infantry anti-tank gun. 76mm field guns were produced in considerable quantity, but it was used primarily as field artillery. 68,800 were made during the war. In the divisions, the 76mm guns were only found in the divisional anti-tank battalion (if available) and in the field artillery regiment of the division. They were also found in anti-tank artillery regiments, army assets that could be used to strengthen anti-tanke defenses in critical areas.
The 76mm guns in the field artillery regiment was positioned to act as anti-tank defense in depth, so they could deal with deep penetrations of the division front.

Claus B