US Heavy Tanks Icon set 1.0

[RecruitMonty]

Originally Posted by MarkSheppard

From Kitty Killers:

T29 Specs:

6 man crew
Combat Weight: 70.75 tons

HULL
Upper Front: 174mm effective
Lower Front: 132mm effective
Front Sides: 76mm effective
Rear Sides: 51mm effective
Upper Rear: 52mm effective
Lower Rear: 40mm effective
Top: 38mm effective
Front Floor: 25mm effective
Rear Floor: 13mm effective

TURRET
Gun Shield: 203-279mm effective
Front: 206mm effective
Sides: 127mm effective
Rear: 102mm effective
Top: 38mm effective

105mm Gun T5E2
Loading: Manual (6 rds/min with 2 loaders)
Stablizer: None

Vision:
T143E1 Telescope
M10E5 Periscope

1 x .50 Caliber M2 HB Flexible AA on commanders hatch
2 x .50 Caliber M2 HB Coaxial
1 x .30 Caliber M1919A4 Bow Mount

Ammo Load:
63 Rounds 105mm
2420 rounds .50 Caliber
2500 rounds .30 caliber

-----------------------------------------------

T29E3 Specs:

6 man crew
Combat Weight: 72 tons
Speed: 22 MPH

HULL
Upper Front: 174mm effective
Lower Front: 132mm effective
Front Sides: 76mm effective
Rear Sides: 51mm effective
Upper Rear: 52mm effective
Lower Rear: 40mm effective
Top: 38mm effective
Front Floor: 25mm effective
Rear Floor: 13mm effective

TURRET
Gun Shield: 203-279mm effective
Front: 206mm effective
Sides: 127mm effective
Rear: 102mm effective
Top: 38mm effective

105mm Gun T5E1
Loading: Manual (6 rds/min with 2 loaders)
Stablizer: None

Vision:
T31E1 Range Finder
T93E2 Telescope
M10E5 Periscope

1 x .50 Caliber M2 HB Flexible AA on commanders hatch
2 x .50 Caliber M2 HB Coaxial
1 x .30 Caliber M1919A4 Bow Mount

Ammo Load:
63 Rounds 105mm
2420 rounds .50 Caliber
2500 rounds .30 caliber

---------------------------------------------

T30 Specs
6 man crew
Combat Weight: 71.3 tons
Speed: 22 MPH

HULL
Upper Front: 174mm effective
Lower Front: 132mm effective
Front Sides: 76mm effective
Rear Sides: 51mm effective
Upper Rear: 52mm effective
Lower Rear: 40mm effective
Top: 38mm effective
Front Floor: 25mm effective
Rear Floor: 13mm effective

TURRET
Gun Shield: 203-279mm effective
Front: 206mm effective
Sides: 127mm effective
Rear: 102mm effective
Top: 38mm effective

155mm Gun T7
Loading: Manual with hoist and spring rammer (2 rds/min with 2 loaders)
Stablizer: None

Vision:
T143E1 Telescope
M10E9 Periscope

1 x .50 Caliber M2 HB Flexible AA on commanders hatch
1 x .50 Caliber M2 HB Coaxial
1 x .30 Caliber M1919A4 Bow Mount

Ammo Load:
34 Rounds 155mm
2200 rounds .50 Caliber
2500 rounds .30 caliber

---------------

Statistics of 155mm T7 Gun:
40 calibers
2 rounds/minute with two loaders

It was never provided with an AP shot as far as I can tell; but I would imagine a 95 pound HE shell would mess up any tank's day; and given the calibre of the gun, a HEAT round from it would be truly terrifying.

-------------------

T34 Specs
6 man crew
Combat Weight: 71.8 tons
Speed: 22 MPH

HULL
Upper Front: 174mm effective
Lower Front: 132mm effective
Front Sides: 76mm effective
Rear Sides: 51mm effective
Upper Rear: 52mm effective
Lower Rear: 40mm effective
Top: 38mm effective
Front Floor: 25mm effective
Rear Floor: 13mm effective

TURRET
Gun Shield: 203 to 279mm effective
Front: 184mm effective
Sides: 127mm effective
Rear: 203mm effective
Top: 38mm effective

120mm Gun T53
Loading: Manual (5 RPM with 2 loaders)
Stablizer: None

1 x .50 Caliber M2 HB Flexible AA on commanders hatch
1 x .50 Caliber M2 HB Coaxial
1 x .30 Caliber M1919A4 Bow Mount

Vision:
T143E2 Telescope
M10E10 Periscope

Ammo Load:
34 Rounds 120mm
2090 rounds .50 Caliber
2500 rounds .30 caliber

----------------------

120mm Gun T53 Specs:
60 Calibers
5 RPM, two loaders

AP Shot:
198mm @ 30 degrees @ 914m
173mm @ 30 deg @ 1829m

HVAP Shot:
381mm @ 30 deg @ 914m
318mm @ 30 deg @ 1829 m

------------------------------

T32 Specs
5 man crew
Combat Weight: 60 tons
Speed: 22 MPH

HULL
Upper Front: 216mm effective
Lower Front: 184mm effective
Sides: 76mm effective
Rear: 52mm effective
Top: 38mm effective
Front Floor: 25mm effective
Rear Floor: 13mm effective

TURRET
Gun Shield: 298mm effective
Front: 309mm effective
Sides: 199 to 154mm effective
Rear: 152mm effective
Top: 25mm effective

90mm Gun T15E2
Loading: Manual (4 RPM)
Stablizer: None

1 x .50 Caliber M2 HB Flexible AA on commanders hatch
1 x .30 Caliber M1919A4 Coaxial
1 x .30 Caliber M1919A4 Bow Mount

Ammo Load:
54 Rounds 90mm
550 rounds .50 Caliber
4000 rounds .30 caliber

Vision:
M77E1 or M71E4 Telescope
M10E4 Periscope

--------------------------

90mm T15E1/2 Gun Data:
70 Calibers

Penetration:

T43 AP Shot (APBC-T; 3,200 ft/sec)
132mm @ 30 degree angle @ 500 yds
127mm @ 30 degree angle @ 1000 yds
124mm @ 30 degree angle @ 1500 yds
122mm @ 30 degree angle @ 2000 yds

T44 HVAP Shot (APCR-T; 3,750 ft/sec)
244mm @ 30 degree angle @ 500 yds
221mm @ 30 degree angle @ 1000 yds
196mm @ 30 degree angle @ 1500 yds
173mm @ 30 degree angle @ 2000 yds

------------------

Superheavy Tank T28 (105mm GMC T95)
4 man crew
Speed: 4
Combat Weight: 95 tons

HULL
Gun Shield: 292mm effective
Upper Front: 305mm effective
Lower Front: 266mm effective
Upper Sides: 118mm effective
Lower Sides: 152mm effective
Rear: 52mm effective
Top: 38mm effective
Floor: 25mm effective

105mm Gun T5E1
1 x .50 Caliber in AA Mount

Loading: Manual (4 RPM)
Stablizer: None

Ammo Load:
62 Rounds 105mm
660 rounds .50 Caliber

Any good ranges for the 105mm? What about for the long 90s. At the moment I'm keeping them at 80 hexes like the other 90mm guns of the era.

[DRG]

Yes and according to that thread only the T28 was completed before the end of the period covered by SPWW2. I am NOT adding them to the MBT OOB's so as far viable prototypes for spww2 then the T28 seems to be it

[MarkSheppard]

To put some of the delay imposed by going from a wartime to peacetime schedule into context, the development of the US Navy 3"/50 Mk 27/33/34 mount was slowed significantly.

While the first prototype was rushed into firing ranges by 1 SEP 1945, it took until 1948 for it to end up at sea in quantity.

I have a document somewhere in my huge National Archives trawls saying that they imposed an arbitrary 24 to 36 month delay in the development program around September 1945 to "take the time" to develop a debugged product ready for fleet use.

[oragus]

Just a thought.

Depending on the "what if" scenario: If the "what if" is the war did not end in 1945 or Patton got his wish, the US attacked the Soviets to push them out of Europe, these heavies would have gone production as soon as possible.

[MarkSheppard]

Originally Posted by oragus

Just a thought.

Depending on the "what if" scenario: If the "what if" is the war did not end in 1945 or Patton got his wish, the US attacked the Soviets to push them out of Europe, these heavies would have gone production as soon as possible.

Okay. Let's put our thinking caps on.

per Hunnicutt:

14 SEP 1944: OCM 25117 recommends development of a new heavy tank series (T29) with four pilots.

The reason that the T29 series "frankensteined" into so many variants is because AGF saw a chance to test all sorts of new technologies, such as fire control, transmissions and new engines to succeed the wartime Ford GAA/GAN/GAC.

In a wartime situation, all of the T29+ onwards tanks would have the same engine situation, a Ford GAC V12; and the only difference between all of them would be the main gun (105mm Hi Velocity, 120mm Hi Velocity, or 155mm Moderate Velocity) and ammunition stowage plus modifications to the gun sighting system (different reticles for different ammunition ballistics).

I once did a study of equipment lead times at my website: LINK

Basic lead times for US tanks from rough start of design to production models rolling off the lines is:

M3 Medium: 397 days
M4 (75mm) Medium: 441 days
T14 Assault: 472 days
M3 Stuart Light: 285 days
M5 Stuart Light: 313 days
M24 Chaffee Light: 397 days
M6 Heavy: 939 days
T23 Medium: 579 days
T26 Pershing: 550 days

Giving an average of 486~ days or a median of 441 days. Putting those together and averaging them gives us 463~ days.

Given a 14 SEP 1944 "Go" order for the T29 series, you'd see the first production quality T29s rolling off the production lines around 21 December 1945.

Time to combat was roughly the following in the US Army:

M24 Chaffee: First Production April 1944, issued in France in November 1944: 214~ days.

M26 (T26E3) Pershing: First Production November 1944, issued to ETO in January 1945: 61~ days.

For an average/median time to combat of 137~ days.

A "rush job" deployment as with the Pershing means they arrive in the ETO around 20 February 1946; while a more leisurely Chafee style deployment means ETO arrival 23 July 1946.

[MarkSheppard]

Originally Posted by MarkSheppard

Given a 14 SEP 1944 "Go" order for the T29 series, you'd see the first production quality T29s rolling off the production lines around 21 December 1945.

According to

OFFICE, CHIEF OF ORDNANCE - DETROIT
1945-1946 PRODUCTION SCHEDULES AND ESTIMATES
SECTION I
FULL TRACKED VEHICLES

Which I found today at the US National Archives II in College Park, MD today:

The approved program as of 31 May 1945 was for:

The first 25 T29 Heavy tanks to roll off the lines from DETROIT TANK ARSENAL in May 1946; followed by a steady buildup to 175 vehicles a month by July 1946; until the order of 1,152 vehicles was fulfilled.

[oragus]

Well, should I make a T28 also?

[MarkSheppard]

Yes, please!

Zinryus did an icon of it long ago, I hacked together a winter and desert version of his icon (see attached), but it would be super nice to see your rendition.

[oragus]

Originally Posted by MarkSheppard

Yes, please!

Zinryus did an icon of it long ago, I hacked together a winter and desert version of his icon (see attached), but it would be super nice to see your rendition.

Is it all it's cracked up to be Mark? Lol

[oragus]

Alright, I opened this can of worms I will put the lid on it by creating a T28. The M103 is on my list also. That would complete the US heavies.

Yep, much sooner and ready for action!