#1 [url]

Apr 5 03 11:26 AM

Simon,

Initially I wanted to avoid any reference to fast or slow tanks following the premise that all tanks on the move over terrain travel at roughly the same speed give or take a few mph.

I however accepted that the above was perhaps a little too simplistic hence the slow, medium amd fast catagories.

Should the T34 be fast? Well I don't think so, first the Cromwell did have a speed advantage but one also has to consider other, perhaps more important factors such as the ergonomics of the tank layout and general crew training. The T34 crew training and it layout was pretty poor in comparsion with other tanks and crews. (Some T34's even lacked the drivers seat, one examined by Germans was found to have an orange crate for a seat!) Combine that with the problems all tanks have when travelling across country at any speed, where the tankies are thrown about left, right and centre worrying about smashing their heads on all those sharp bits of metal.
Reasonable crew design/ergonomics combined with properly finished/padded tank components helps to mitigate some of these disadvantages and may well have aided allied/german tank crews on the move. Not so with the cramped, poorly finshed T34. At the end of the day the T34's theortical speed advantage was reduced to a far more deliberate and slower pace due to the above factors. (Although I accept it's well designed running gear and low ground pressure may have helped in certian situations.)
As a modern day comparison a few years back I had a familairisation with a T64 and Chieftain "Special". Boy what a difference! The T64's lay out was awful, tiny fighting compartment with nasty metal bits sticking out everywhere. I could'nt even fit in the drivers compartment, esp as I'm over 5'5" tall! The Chieftain was a world apart and most of its nasty metal bits were thankfully padded/protected!

As for the Russian 57mm AT gun, yep, I think you are right, it was a high velocity piece, perhaps marginally better than the 76mm. However for game purposes I would rate it on a par with the 76mm, (a AT rating of 5) as I don't think it was as effective as the PAK 40.

Hope that helps,

DB