Guide to the top US ST – M48A1 Patton. The history of development and creation, performance characteristics and tactics of use, the pros and cons of the machine, conclusions
Hello tankers!
Recently, the developers of World of Tanks began to remake the branches of technology that have been familiar to us for a long time in an attempt to bring them to a common denominator and unity of gameplay. These changes did not bypass our today’s guest either, although he and his branch were never bad in themselves, rather the opposite. However, we now have an even better car than it was a couple of patches ago. And today I propose to talk about the favorite of all “extras” in our game, a tank with the best visibility and stabilization, meet – M48A1 Patton !
Historical reference
The M48, also known as the “Patton III,” is the pinnacle of engineering in the early 1950s. Work on it was carried out in 1950-1951, “Patton” was intended to replace all medium tanks in service with the United States at that time and to become a universal vehicle for warfare in different conditions. The M48 was based on the experience of the engineers on the experienced T43 and used some of the design innovations inherent in its successors and developed into a kind of “family traits” – a cast armored hull, an oval-shaped turret, the location of the drive wheel and torsion bar suspension, and much more.
The tank turned out to be very successful and was produced from 1952 to 1959. During this time, a total of about 11,700 tanks of this type were manufactured in various modifications. In 1959, it was replaced on the assembly line by its successor, the M60, which was, in fact, “correcting errors.” Later, by the mid-1960s, most M48s were somehow modified to the M60 level.
Despite the fact that the M48 was officially decommissioned in the 1980s, some of them, modified to the M60 level, are still in service with a number of countries. Our game features a modification of the M48A1 with a turret from the M48A5. It is the pinnacle of the US ST development branch.
Historical photo M48A1
Analysis of the performance characteristics of the tank
The performance characteristics of the tank are in the screenshot below, but here I propose to discuss what awaits you on the battlefield.
Full list of tank performance characteristics
Armor protection.One of the most controversial parts of the whole tank. Armor – it seems to be there, but it does not seem to be there. She saves us only from tanks below the level or from stray hits from classmates. The hull almost always takes damage, only sometimes its shape contributes to ricochets, while the tower, after recent manipulations by the developers, holds the blow better. The thicknesses are: 152/254 mm from the frontal projection, 76/76 mm in the sides and 38/51 mm from the stern. As you can see, there are no particularly impressive numbers. We immediately conclude that it is not worthwhile to substitute other parts of the tank apart from the forehead. The tower, after a recent update, has become stronger, now it can sometimes be used to tank classmates, the kombashenka has been reduced, it is now more difficult to target it, but it still remained in its place. In general, the changes are rather positive, as now, a projectile arriving at the tower will not always be able to penetrate it.
Our car has 2,000 hit points.
Firepower. One of the distinguishing features of our car, which has been inherent to it from the very moment of its introduction, is its excellent stabilization. In those distant and dense times, when Ob.140 was not yet, and the T-62A was the top of the USSR branch, only Patton among all STs could deal damage, even without stopping. Now every third CT can do this, but earlier – no. This was the hallmark of American cars. The stabilization has not gone anywhere and now, it is still good. We are proud of the 105 mm Gun M68 – the American licensed copy of the L7 did not disappoint: 390 single damage, 268 mm of penetration in the base, 0.36 m at 100 m accuracy and 1.9 s mixing. Excellent performance!
The base round for our cannon is the 268 mm BP, as I said above. Premium ammunition – cumulative with a penetration of 330 mm, there are also land mines of 53 mm and 480 single damage, which are almost useless. The penetration of the main shell is often enough to not even think about using the “gold”, because we have one of the best penetrations at the level among the ST!
If we take a tank without modules and equipment, put a 100% trained crew in it, then we will get the following indicators for firepower: accuracy – 0.36 m per 100 m, aiming – 1.9 s, reloading – 8.35 with. If we take a tank with equipment and a maximally “rocked” crew, then all these figures will decrease significantly: 0.32 m per 100 m accuracy, 1.67 s for mixing and 6.61 s for reloading. And given the excellent stabilization – not a tank at all, but a fairy tale.
UHN are present, and traditional for the nation: -9 ° down and 19 ° up. You need to be able to properly manage them and then you won’t even need the tower armor.
Dynamics. If we talk about the dynamics, then not everything is as rosy as we would like. The tank rides, moreover, it is quite good, but that’s all. There is no “maximum speed” for you at 60 here, there is only 45 km / h, the specific power does not shine either – only 16.97 hp / t, the reverse speed is 20 km / h. But on the spot, the tank rotates quickly enough: 50 ° / s.
Detection. Review is traditionally the advantage of American technology over the rest. Our tank has the largest baseline view in the game – 420 m . Using the equipment and perks of the crew, we can go far beyond the maximum view and get 460-470 m, which allows us to “overexpose” most of the tanks at the maximum distances for us. We have no camouflage at all, since the tank is rather large.
Choice of equipment, consumables and crew perks
Crew pumping. The crew will enhance the already cool characteristics of our tank, such as stabilization and firepower:
- Commander:“Bulb”, “Repair”, “Combat Brotherhood”, “Jack of all trades”
- Gunner:“Repair”, “Smooth Turret Rotation”, “Combat Brotherhood”, “Master Gunsmith”
- Mekhvod:“Repair”, “Smooth ride”, “Combat brotherhood”, “King of the off-road”
- Loader:Repair, Proximity Ammo Stack, Combat Brotherhood, Desperate
Choice of equipment. Equipment should be selected based on the role of the vehicle on the battlefield. And to play on the battlefield, we will often support the advancing forces of the ally. Or the support of the defending forces. How it goes.
Play style “Support”: “Rammer”, “Stabilizer”, “Fan” – we uniformly improve all the characteristics of our vehicle, this set is ideal for almost every tank in our game.
The choice of shells. Our ammunition load consists of 57 shells, based on the number of which we will form it. Everyone builds shells according to their needs and style of play, I will only recommend a few variations on this topic:
Set up of shells for playing in random (BP / KS / HE):
- “Support 1”– 40/15/2
- “Support 2”– 43/12/2
Choice of equipment. Equipment – like equipment, in most cases is predetermined: repair kit , first aid kit and auto extinguisher . If you know the strengths of your tank and are confident in yourself, and also want to use the full potential of your vehicle on the battlefield, then use the “cola box”, because where else to install it, if not on top vehicles. At least that’s what I do.
Information window about our car
Tank tactics and tips
As I said, the golden days of M48 are over. But this does not mean at all that he is bad, on the contrary, he is beautiful and this cannot be taken away from him. At the time of the introduction of this vehicle into the game, it simply had no equal, but now the advantages of this tank were somewhat blurred due to the constant “arms race”. Now almost everyone can shoot right away and hit or fire with minimal attention. But the old man is not bad anyway, and now, after a small rebalance, he started to play with new colors.
In general, this tank is the favorite of the “extras”. “Patton” is like a litmus test – you just have to look at the average damage of this tank on the player’s account and you can immediately draw a conclusion about his level of play. And it often works. As one of the tank bloggers said: “It’s like a multiplier to your skill and style of play – if you know how to play, you can cope with it, and if you are” zero “, no matter how much you multiply it, you still get zero.”
Indeed, the M48A1 requires a special attitude and should suit you exactly. This is not a tank that you would sit on in any mood (like the IS-7, for example) and make the most. Our guest needs a special approach, and this is not an exaggeration. It perfectly shows your level of play, and if you do not like it, then you probably did not understand it, which means that you need to come back to it later.
The main trump card of our machine is the cannon and everything connected with it. Instant convergence, excellent penetration and high one-time damage will not leave you indifferent. By the way, the tower now sometimes takes a hit and is very beautiful, so now you can play a little more aggressively than before. Your main task on the battlefield is to always stick to your allies. On this tank, you can both support the “rush” of allied STs, and go in a group of TTs, suppressing the enemy with your firepower. Sometimes in some moments you can and sniper, but this should not get carried away. Firstly, because in this way you substitute the command, and secondly, because our final accuracy is not so hot, and even complete mixing at long distances does not guarantee you a hit and even more penetration.
Our car thrives on hills or hills, Patton doesn’t like plains. But on the slides, it is fully revealed. After all, where others cannot tilt the cannon, it sinks with you and allows you to fire comfortably and almost safely. And its high position only plays into the hands, allowing you to shoot at some tanks from top to bottom. It is contraindicated to “twist” someone on this CT – after all, it is rather slow and large. He has a tall silhouette that cannot be missed. Yes, and you will only be able to twist the heavy Japanese or some PT.
The greatest pleasure of playing the Patton comes when you understand how to play it and what to do. You don’t even play World of Tanks – you play skill on your own tank. And you can feel the fight, lead and direct it. These are indescribable feelings when you control every aspect of your car and understand your influence on the outcome and events taking place in battle. Also on the M48A1 you can and should use the overview. If you have installed equipment on your tank and put a serious crew there, then your view is already better than 95% of the players in your battle. Take advantage of this and highlight yourself and your allies.
We also have disadvantages, and there are quite a few of them: large dimensions, and as a result, the absence of camouflage, the final accuracy in spite of everything leaves much to be desired, slow acceleration and low maximum speed impose their limitations. I won’t even mention the almost absent booking. But all these disadvantages pale in comparison with its advantages, for example, phenomenal stabilization. That is why the players love him and forgive him a lot. In general, be on the alert, always ready, take care of HP, avoid constrictions in open areas and do not rely on armor, then General “Patton” will not disappoint you!
An overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the tank. Outcomes
Advantages:
- good UVN and the ability to play in relief;
- excellent cross-country ability on all types of soil;
- excellent performance of the gun: accuracy, stabilization, mixing;
- the best view of all CTs in the game;
- good dynamics;
Disadvantages:
- there is practically no armor in the hull;
- weak engine and long acceleration;
- low “maximum speed”;
- frequent “crits” of modules and crew;
- huge dimensions;
- the presence of a large commander’s cupola.
In summary, I would like to say that the M48 Patton is one of my favorite cars. But I didn’t realize it right away, just as I learned to play it. This is a great CT, and if you don’t like it or can’t figure out how to play it, just put it aside for a while and then try again. The moment you understand him and learn to manage him, it will be impossible to pull you away from him by the ears, believe me, I know what I am talking about! And the whole branch from Tier VII is great, each tank is a pearl at its level. Try it, you will definitely not regret it!
