Originally posted by glennco
The T-34 was considered a far superior tank to the panzer III and IV they were using at the time. It was said that it took 3 or 4 panzers to kill a T-34. The T-34 had a longer range gun, even before the high velocity rounds.
You have to put that into the context of the first encounters with the T-34 in 1941. At that time, the PzkwIIIs were still mostly armed with 37mm guns that were weaker than the M8's 37mm gun we have in the game. The PzkwIVs were D and E versions for the most part, with low velocity 75mm guns. The first T-34s had 76mm guns, and yes, they outranged the 37mm and low velocity 75s the Germans were using.
The Germans eventually compensated by upgrading the PzkwIIIs to 50mm guns and upgrading the PzkwIVs to higher velocity 75s. By the time the H version saw service (the one we have in the game), the PzkwIV was essentially the equal of the T-34/76, with poorer protection but harder-hitting. Not surprisingly, this is what we tend to see in AH.
By 1944, it was the Russians that had to upgrade to the T-34/85 in order to keep pace - the T-34/76 was by then more or less outclassed by German armor. But by then its reputation and "aura" was already well established.
Originally posted by glennco
The tiger was such a cumbersome tank that it was difficult to even move around a battlefield.
Are you sure they were not referring at that point to the King Tiger? The Tiger I actually had good mobility. What sometimes restricted it was the lack of good bridges and roads on the East Front, and IIRC was a bear to maintain in the field, but this comment does not seem to fit the historic realities overall.
Originally posted by glennco
That says nothing to the Sherman, which the german officers stated was only competitive due to the large numbers they faced.
As I stated above, the T-34 earned its "high" reputation due to the early combat experiences when it outclassed the German armor. By the time of the Normandy campaign, the Germans had by and large upgraded all their armor based on what they had learned on the East front. Thus, the armor they fielded in the West was far superior to what had faced the early T-34s. The Sherman was a good tank by 1942 standards. By 1944, though, just as the T-34 was struggling in the East, the Sherman struggled against German PzkwIVs with high velocity 75mm guns, and much heavier Tigers and Panthers. Given its opposition, it did not fare very well, and hence will always be derided by many as a "bad tank." The early problems with fires (due to inadequate ammunition protection) obviously didn't help with its reputation either, even after those shortcomings were corrected.
Well, you asked for thoughts -- you have mine.
Oh my gosh, I have to learn to type faster - 4 replies while I was typing!
