Firing Rate For Tanks

[Col Deadmarsh]

I was wondering if anyone has put together an Excel file or anything that details what the firing rate is for each of the tanks in CM.

 

I'm specifically curious to know if there's a difference between the M4a1(75) firing an AT round and a M4(105) firing a HEAT round and which is the best to go head to head with standard German armor.

 

 

[LukeFF]

Why not do some tests yourself?

[Col Deadmarsh]

No time.

[eniced73]

Look up Chris Hare's Unit Databases for the old games.  Will give you actual numbers and not seconds in game but it is better than nothing.

[womble]

I'm specifically curious to know if there's a difference between the M4a1(75) firing an AT round and a M4(105) firing a HEAT round and which is the best to go head to head with standard German armor.

That depends very much on the range, and what you call "standard".

The 105 is a howitzer with a loopy trajectory, and will only very rarely hit on the first round. And if you're close enough to risk the shot, you're probably close enough that the german 75-or-better will ream you out on his first shot. If you're far enough away that there's a glance chance, you'll almost certainly miss. The 105 isn't an anti-armour tank, it's an assault gun with desperation self-defense rounds.

If you define "standard" german armour as PzIV, just take a Sherman 75. The gun's accurate enough and powerful enough to have a slightly better chance per shot of killing the relatively poorly armoured IV than the IV has of killing the M4, at combat ranges you'll see on most BN maps. If you think you'll be facing kitties, take a 76mm (preferably the 17lber Firefly) or be prepared to lose tanks while flanking the panzers.

[Col Deadmarsh]

 

Interesting. Is this loopy trajectory modeled in the game?  I haven't noticed it myself.

 

 

 

Yeah, I was referring to armor such as the PzIV or StuG. 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2015 by Colonel_Deadmarsh

[Vanir Ausf B]

Loopy trajectory is modeled.

 

Fire rate tends to track closely with shell size. 105 will shoot less often than 75. But it hits harder.

[GhostRider3/3]

I think I am going to do some testing myself this weekend.

 

Sherman and (76) M10, Cromwell, and Churchill using the minute clock see how many rounds they can get off in a minute.

Same thing with Pz IV H, J, Panther, Tiger, Tiger II

T-34, T-34/85 JS-2

 

will do each one for 5 minutes to get the best average.. will mix it up with Regular and Veteran troops to see if there is a little difference.

[womble]

The other thing about the M4/105 is the very low anti-armour shell allocation. You only get a handful of HEAT rounds, so if the fight is close to even, and involves multiple tanks, you'll reach a point where any surviving 105s have only HE shells. Which will discommode a Panzer IV, but probably won't kill it frontally.

Facing StuGs your 75mm Sherman, nose-to-nose, you've got a slightly worse proposition than against PzIVs. The StuG's frontal armour will shrug off a 75L/40 hit a bit more often, IME, than the glacis of the M4 will glance a 47L/48. So you have to exploit the Sherman's turret to gain advantage.

Again, though: if you're worried about armour, look at the 76mm versions. Even the American 76mm will penetrate the StuG frontally pretty consistently out to pretty long range. Without bothering to look, I don't think a 76mm-armed M4 is that much more expensive than a 105-armed, and their rarity is usually less too. If you're really struggling for points, grab a TD. It's what they were meant for.