- Yes
- No
Caid’s suggestion # 92
i would like to suggest what could be a reasonable replacement for the BT-5 as a reserve, the BT-2
The BT-2 was the first Russian tank produced in the Bystrokhodnyy tank Family. this was a nearly perfect copy of the M1931 which one model was smuggled to Russia and named BT-1 but with a Russian-made turret and featured some smaller Russian adaptations on the assembly. the BT-1 was sold to the Russians by J. Walter Christie who had done it without the agreement of the US government, making it a scandal and also a massive success for J. Walter Christie as a tank engineer.
the BT-2 was produced in Russia in 1932. it was subject to a relatively small production of 60 BT-2 with a single 37mm gun and 148 BT-2 with a 37mm gun and DT machine-guns placed at the right side of the turret. the tank was relatively successful. as it was capable of outstanding speed for this time. it was even said that if they could push the speed a bit more and attach wings, the tank could fly (and J. Walter Christie indeed wanted to try it). the concept of a fast tank was completely new, at least on this scale. the tank was fast and easy to produce which was perfect for the Russian massive territory. the tank was also convertible from track to wheels if needed allowing it to move much faster on the road when it was available, and could still be highly mobile off-road when needed. a total of 620 BT-2 was confirmed to had been put into service in the Russian army in 1932-1933, there were many of those tanks built and some were still in service in 1941 when Russia and Germany went to war against each other. ordered in November 1931, the first 100 BT-2 was ready in February 1932 which shows how simple and easy this tank was to produce. the BT-2 was replaced in the assembly line by the BT-5 who was showing about the same performance but carried a T-26 turret with a stronger 45mm gun. this made the BT-2 seem less capable of fighting another tank but remained a pretty capable tank.
3 versions of the BT-2 were built which were different in their turret
1 - single 37mm gun
2- 37mm plue DT machine-gun
3 - twin DT plus additional DT on the side because reloading is too long
as I do not think all 3 versions would be needed, even more so since the one with only LGM would be useless, I would suggest having the one with the 37mm and the DT only (the turret in the middle) because the DT machine-gun could work, it was capable to aim forward. the ball mount was capable to give a independent aiming from the gun and will allow the machine-gun to track fast targets more easily
Despite being a poorer version of the BT-5, the BT-2 remains a pretty decent tank. The BT-5 is a bit too good for reserve, you can realize it when comparing the BT-5 with the BT-7 and BT-7M which aren’t much different but are at a completely other BR. The BT-2 is offering a more competitive performance over the vehicles of other nations which would make it a better choice as a reserve. the weaker armament would be more forgiving for the enemy tank while remaining capable of dealing a lot of damage. the mobility would remain pretty good which is what makes the BT-5 so appreciated. For those reasons, I would like to see the BT-2 become reserve tanks.
Firepower
the main armament was the 37mm B-3 (5-k), which was the tank version of the 37mm 1930 (1-K). despite being a smaller caliber, this gun remains a pretty decent tank gun for the low rank. capable of good velocity, the penetration would be just a bit closer to the average reserve gun in the game. the gun is stabilized by the shoulder to allow an easier aim. The penetration damage would also be reduced. but the fire rate remains the same. the tank would be capable of getting 50-35mm of penetration with APHE at combat distance. which means there is the little tank that this gun amount of every vehicle could not penetrate from rank 1 in every tree. the turret was also armed with a 7.62mm DT machine gun placed on the right side in a ball mount that is capable of aiming at least parallel to the 37mm gun.
Mobility
the mobility of this tank was the main feature and his main purpose. but the tank is not as fast as people might expect. the top speed on the track reached 72 km/h due to the limitation of the transmission. on wheels, it could reach 100 km/h. the tank however is powered by a 350 hp M-5 engine which is a copy of the Liberty L-12 engine. weighting 11 tonnes, it would make the tank have an outstanding 31.82 hp/t which would make the acceleration quite fast. the gearbox giving 4 forward speeds and 1 backward speed would make this tank have mobility at the same level as the BT-5. this would make this tank pretty much a speedy one despite the top speed being nothing outstanding.
Protection
the tank protection is nothing exceptional. The hull is identical to the BT-5, only the turret change. this makes the tank comparable to the BT-5 in suitability. most of the anti-tank weapons, even the weaker ones will penetrate the armor. the nose remains fairly hard to penetrate due to the sloped armor and the thick joint plate. but this protection remains minimal. the crew of 3 men is rather small and pretty close to each other. this tank would often die as soon it got it.
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