Nice! New Panzer IV! 3 variants!!!

[SmokinLoon]

As seen on the front page!    Another WAY TO GO, HTC!!!!    

oops.  See this link:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,321639.0.html

title changed.   

[gyrene81]

that would be same turret, different gun choices... 

[715]

I have a question brought up by these new Panzer guns.  What effect does barrel length have on a gun?  Does a short barrel give lower accuracy?  Does it give lower muzzle velocity?  Does AH model accuracy, i.e. dispersion, for tank guns?  I know it does for the shore batteries (which have quite bad dispersion) but it seems there is no dispersion for tank guns?

[gyrene81]

in real life a short barrel would have an effect on long range accuracy. obviously 300 yards wouldn't be that bad but 2000 would. for high explosive against infantry, not such a big deal but ap against other tanks, could be a big deal.

[Greebo]

Shorter barreled guns have a lower muzzle velocity and therefore less armour penetration. The low muzzle velocity also makes it hard to achieve hits on tanks at range since you have to aim higher and the target's movement and wind etc. has more effect on accuracy. OTOH low muzzle velocity guns' looping trajectory helps with placing high explosive rounds at a precise distance. Also low MV guns' HE rounds can be designed with weaker thinner casings and can therefore carry more explosive filling.

The short L24 gun on the early Panzer IVs had less than half the muzzle velocity of the later L43 gun and was only able to take on lightly armoured targets. OTOH I recall reading the early Panzer IVs could carry more rounds on board since each round was smaller in length.

[SmokinLoon]

Keep in mind there are 2 types of projectiles in Aces High: high explosive (HE), and armor penetration (AP).  The HE round, which is also fired by the 8in guns from the naval cruiser and the shore battery explode and deliver shrapnel to an area.  The AP round is rigid and is meant to hold together once it impacts its target.  Against tanks, the AP is used to punch through (hopefully) the armor.  Against object (buildings, ordnance bunkers, fuel tanks, barracks, radar masts), and against "soft" ground vehicles (M3's, jeeps, M8's, etc), the HE round does better because the projectile explodes.   

[AHTbolt]

the L24 gun is the same gun used by the German Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. B (Sd. Kfz. 142)

[MK-84]

Anyone know what the difference in armor is?

I also wonder how the side armor is affected by being spaced in AH...or if its modeled at all.  By modeled I mean does a round hitting it effectively "hit" 2 pieces of armor which=adds the two together, or if theres some type of modifier to represent a now distorted round hitting the other part? Kinda having trouble describing this, but its late, and I think you all get what I mean.

[Greebo]

For protection against armour piercing rounds a tank is better to have say 40mm of armour all in one piece rather than 30mm plus another 10mm of spaced armour. However the spaced armour on the Panzer IV was not designed so much for that as to protect against infantry anti-tank weapons like the Bazooka. These used a shaped charge warhead that fired a molten jet of metal through the armour igniting whatever was on the other side. The spaced armour set the charge off and the gap dissipated the molten jet so it had lost much of its power by the time it hit the main armour. To save weight and cost later Panzer IVs used wire mesh instead of sheet metal for their spaced protection.

[KG45]

so a question I have would be, for what use are the inferior guns in the game?

other than maybe scenarios?

wouldn't ya wanna drive out of the VH with the best version of whatever tank you picked?

[MK-84]

so a question I have would be, for what use are the inferior guns in the game?

other than maybe scenarios?

wouldn't ya wanna drive out of the VH with the best version of whatever tank you picked?

Of course not, Sometimes a challenge is more fun

[Karnak]

so a question I have would be, for what use are the inferior guns in the game?

other than maybe scenarios?

wouldn't ya wanna drive out of the VH with the best version of whatever tank you picked?

You get more perk points for killing something with a Panzer IV F than with a Tiger II.

As to the L24 gun, yes, scenarios.

[E25280]

/L24 version should also be available in the EWA . . .

[Karnak]

/L24 version should also be available in the EWA . . .

I believe both should be available in the EWA.

[OOZ662]

the HE round does better because the projectile explodes.   

If the round explodes. That's always been a peeve of mine, that shells hitting armor always do a penetration check, and ricochet if it fails. I've bounced 8" rounds off Tigers and there was a thread around here about 1000lb bombs ricocheting off of an Ostwind.