T-26 piece of crap or piece of crap?

[Bannon DC]

The most frustrating thing about the Russian tin cans in CM is that they instantly hit reverse when sighting almost all German armor.

I'm playing George Mc's Dubno campaign. I have about 40 T-26s charging the Germans. My entire squadron has been stopped cold by two Pzr IIIs. I just took a hard stare from the Germans to freeze them in their tracks.

This behavior would be OK for a single T-26, but for a mass attack it is just stupid for the mass to behave as an individual tank. I'll post that in the requests for the next CMBB patch.

For what is it worth, I have noticed that tanks in the BT series are a little braver than the T-26s. They will press forward even after sighting German armor. BT's vs. Pzr III (in CM) can be a good match up. BT's are "medium" tanks after all. :eek:

Shameless Plug: If you like Russian Tin Cans, you might like this scenario at The Scenario Depot. Tin Can Alley

[Guest Mike]

T-26's are ordinary tanks, and like most "ordinary" stuff in CM* they come in for bad press.

Try fighting against them with "ordinary" 1941 German infantry - no demo charges, no molotovs, no magnetic mines, no grenade bundles.

Suddenly that 15mm armour becomes rather useful!

They are quite fun used in appropriate conditions - eg captured ones vs partisans, or Sov ones as above or vs Italians & other allied troops.

[Vixen]

I love junk tank fights or junk tank vs infantry fights. Lot of fun!

[Fußball]

Originally posted by Stalin's Organist:

Try fighting against them with "ordinary" 1941 German infantry - no demo charges, no molotovs, no magnetic mines, no grenade bundles.

Suddenly that 15mm armour becomes rather useful!

Don't forget to roll in with 3,7 PaK36 and make short work of them! Of course T26s will be good against infantry with no real AT capabilities.

Originally posted by Vixen:

I love junk tank fights or junk tank vs infantry fights. Lot of fun!

Obsolete tanks are just so fun to use. It is like the underdog in a one-sided fight!

Tschüß!

Erich

[NameUsedBefore]

Use 'em to make the enemy think they're bigger and badder tanks than they really are (Extreme Fog of War only, of course).

[Guest Mike]

Originally posted by Fußball:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Stalin's Organist:

Try fighting against them with "ordinary" 1941 German infantry - no demo charges, no molotovs, no magnetic mines, no grenade bundles.

Suddenly that 15mm armour becomes rather useful!

Don't forget to roll in with 3,7 PaK36 and make short work of them! Of course T26s will be good against infantry with no real AT capabilities.

</font>

[Fußball]

Originally posted by Stalin's Organist:

Of course - it even gives the 37's something useful to do rather than just die!!

Of course when the landsers on the front get the stielgranate 41, close engagements with the PaK36 get risky!

Tschüß!

Erich

[Guest Mike]

Especially for the Pak-36's!!

And of course there aren't many T26's around by then...

[undead reindeer cavalry]

Originally posted by Bannon DC:

The most frustrating thing about the Russian tin cans in CM is that they instantly hit reverse when sighting almost all German armor.

it's even more frustrating that IS-2 does the same silly reverse-of-death - and even when it actually has better changes of winning than the panzer it is fleeing away from.

[Zalgiris 1410]

The T-26 is a piece of absolute obsolete crap, though for the early period of the War 41-42 their better versions are quite good. The 76 HE chucker usually gets mis identified as a T-34 at range, which can throw the Axis off the lame ducks scent. The flame version (OT-26somethink) is quite able to surprise by fire- literally, with a good enough flame range. My personal favourite is the T-26E with 37mm of front armour which helps to give it a relatively good gun dueling chance against all that early war 37mm Panzer & PAK AT fire. :eek:

I rate all three versions above of the T-26 as better than the whole BT series and the T-60, in terms of a combination of protection and fire power punch. I don't mind that they drive so slow in the small scale tactical situations encounted in CMBB. With these three kinds, but especially in regards to the T-26E the early Soviets are quite able to deal with the obsolete armour of the Rumanians, Italians and Hungarians as well as to grapple with German Panzerlite: ACs, HTs, T-35s, PzJgrIs and PzIIs up to Renaults, T-38s, the Marders and even the odd old 37mm barrelled PzIII, though hopefully with an advantage in numbers to be sure at all times, preferably.

[Hammer-n-Sickle]

blah

[Hans]

The T-26 is your friend! As mentioned before they were the quite the threat in the SCW. I've used them a great deal in early war and SCW. Against a Pz II it can almost/usually/sometimes come out a victor!

[Hans]

For a real POS you need to go to the Italian M11 - that my friends is a fine piece of engineering!

[JasonC]

Against a Pz II it can almost/usually/sometimes come out a victor!

Alas, untrue. In real life yes. In CMBB, the IIC gets the "layered armor doubled" bonus while the Russian 45mm gets the "untermenschen" bonus, with the result that the 45mm bounces from 35mm of armor at 500m. All the time. Meanwhile the 20mm laser cannon will hit through 30m of full woods. Only thing that sometimes helps is the poor behind armor effect of the shells - sometimes the IIC will run dry before you lose, say, your 4th T-26.