M45 medium tank, perfect heavy brawler!

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caid’s suggestion #139

I would like to suggest a tank that would be quite interesting to play, the M45 Medium tank


the M45 tank was an American tank developed from the M26 Pershing. designed in 1944 under the designation of T26E2 it was meant to be a close support version of the M26 medium tank. been armed with the 105mm M4 howitzer gun (same as the M4 (105)) the gun happened to be much lighter than the 90mm used in the M26. Since the turret was designed to balance the heavy and long gun, the M45 was balancing the lighter weight of the gun by a lot of amours. the front of the turret needed more weight to balance the turret which made it much more protected.

the T26E2 was accepted into services in 1945, production started in July 1945 and was stopped later the same years after a budget cut due to the end of WW2. By then 185 M45 was already built and sent to services. the M45 was a tank of a curious class. at the edge of a medium and heavy tank, it was first developed as a Medium tank but shortly after its development it became a Heavy tank in the US classification, after WW2 and after the tank entered into services, it again changed its classification in May 1946 as M45 medium tank. The medium tank was his final classification. it wasn’t before 1950 that the M45 saw combat. it was in the Korean War, solely used by the 6th tank battalion alongside the M26 where the M45 saw action. it was used to provide indirect fire support just like the older M4 (105) still in service. the M45 services ended somewhere in the mid-50s.

while officially the tank is classified as “medium” for his services, the tank remains quite heavy, and I would not suggest considering it as a heavy tank in the game. as the weight remains heavier than the M4A3E2 and the gameplay of this tank would be mainly to take the beating and fireback. just like the jumbo.

Firepower
the main armament of this tank is 105mm M4 howitzer. this gun is not the best for a tank as it offers a rather low velocity and longer reload than the 75mm. but it can fire heat around who have a pretty decent penetration for the WW2 vehicles. this gun is the same as used on the M4A3 (105) in-game and will have access to the same ammunition. the main difference which is far from nothing, is this gun is stabilized on the M45. this will give this tank a much greater advantage on the offensive. the turret is also more nimble. while being more protected than the original M26 turret, it does keep the same transverse and the same weight. this means the turret will be also turning faster than the M4A3 (105) which makes it significantly more effective on the battlefield especially up close. the elevation offers -10° to +35° which is quite comfortable for most situations. it can also turn on 360° at a speed of 24°/sec. there is a 12.7mm M2HB placed on the roof like most American tanks of his time. 74 rounds for the 105mm is carried along with 5500 rounds for the 12.7mm. an additional 5,000 rounds for the 7.62mm is carried for the M1919A4 in the front of the hull and the coaxial.

Mobility
The mobility of this tank is like most US WW2 medium tanks and the early Cold War. It is not great but not completely bad either. the tank suffers from the fact it is heavy but still has a powerful engine which would allow it to get to decent speed. it’s surely not the best tank to maneuver and flank but it is a capable tank to keep up in the battlefield. it is powered by a Ford GAF, 8 cylinders providing 500 hp at 2,600rpm. this is the same engine as the M26 on which it was based (sort of). the Torqmatic transmission offers 3 forward speeds and 1 reverse and includes a torque converter. this gives the tank the capacity to reach 48 km/h forward and 16 km/h backward. this might sound good but in reality, it would be seldom reach as the tank is accelerating rather slowly. with a weight of 42 tonnes, it’s a fair bit heavier than the M4A3E2 Jumbo and a tiny bit heavier than the M26. this will give a power/weight still okay of 11.90 hp/ton which still allows it to keep up with other tanks like the Sherman.

Protection
with the gun having a low velocity and the mobility not being better than the average, you might hope to see at least a good protection. well you will not be disappointed. this tank has a very great protection for the WW2 standard. on the front, it would be more protected than the M4A3E2 Jumbo. I expect it to fall a bit lower BR than the Jumbo which would make the player it encounters pretty careful with this tank. the chassis is more slope and has very thick armor that ranges from 76mm (in the lower part) to 162 mm (on the driver hatch) which would make it capable of taking about anything it meets. the turret has 130 mm of armor at the front and the gunshield has nothing less than 200 mm. The armor is not as thick as the Jumbo but it remains quite thick and at a slightly lower BR, it should provide about the same effectiveness. the weakness is also about the same, the machine-gun port at the front of the hull is a major weakness for those who can aim well. the side of the tank had 76 mm which is still pretty good but can be penetrated up close by most guns. the turret also has 76 mm on the side which makes it slightly more vulnerable than the Jumbo. the tank also features a lower profile which reduces the weakness of the hull but not the turret. the crew includes 5 men, 2 in the chassis and 3 in the turret like most medium tanks of this time. to improve a tiny bit the protection, an add-on armor modification could add a set of spare tracks on the left side of the turret. in many cases, it could prevent the projectile from penetrating this part.

Sources
M26 and M45 Tank Medium SNL G-226 ORD9 1948 (primary source)
TM 9-1735C Ordnance Maintenance: Medium Tanks M26 and M45 Auxiliary Engine (primary source)

Experimental rounds



3 Likes
2

it’s not a big change. but i just added additional experimental ammunition which would give a tiny buff in performance and make it carrying a bit more punch than the 75mm M3 guns from the sherman

4 Likes
3

Looks interesting. +1

4

Don’t forget that it also fired improved HE with Comp. B filler, a HESH round and a HEAT round with around 300-400 mm pen (early and late)

3 Likes
5

Yes! Give me this goofy looking guy!!

1 Like
6

Absolutely for BR 5.3-6.0! I love assault tanks, we need more stuff like this (KV-9, Churchill VII AVRE)
I’d personally prefer a lower BR without the experimental ammo except T24E1 for maximum tankiness.

3 Likes
7

to be honest, the T28 is not what it seems. it’s a 57mm round. it’s not that effective. it does have a good punch but will not deal that much damage. the 75mm has a bit less penetration but much more punch. only the 105mm has a longer reload.

this tank is sure a perfect tank for brawling in the middle of the battlefield and struggling with the enemy upclose. it can even win

and I do not think it would be an equivalent to the Churchill AVRE. it’s too capable to fight in a proper tank battle and not that derp. but it could be equivalent to the KV-9
the US equivalent to the Churchill AVRE would be the T39 EAV or the M728 CEV

8

added

9

Which, the AVRE or M45?

Additionally the KV-9 is much worse than either the AVRE or M45 IMO, it’s “only” got 115mm unsloped frontal armour and the M-30 isn’t great. I’d think that’s more 4.7.

1 Like
10

the AVRE and M45 will have a completely different combat style

the M45 is capable of fighting in the frontline, taking a beating, returning it, take many foes, the aiming of the gun remains important as each hit does not guarantee a penetration, and even with a penetration, the enemy might still survive. it’s what I like to call a Brawler tank. they are capable of doing direct fight in the front line, being used as medium range, and engaging multiple targets in the fight.

while the AVRE is more of a derp-heavy tank. the tank can take a beating but hardly can return it in most situations. the tank is slow, and can easily be out-maneuvered. the gun can’t be used at medium range, it is also too long to reload making it unable to take more than one enemy at a time and when you manage to hit something, it’s likely an instant kill.

that makes them very different in my opinion. the M45 is closer to the M4A3E2 Jumbo or the Churchill to me and the best way to play them will be similar. you engage and keep pushing while reloading as the enemy is not likely to have enough time to outmaneuver you.

while the AVRE is played more like a derp tank. such as the KV-2. it is better to fire once and retreat to reload before pushing again. otherwise, you will be an easy target.

11

T28 is just the 57 mm M86 APCBC round but fired from the 105 mm howitzer, at a muzzle velocity of 853 m/s as stated in your suggestion. This is the round used by the T18E2, except fired at a higher muzzle velocity.

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I do definitely think it’s a very interesting vehicle. I’m just believe it’s also one of those vehicles that’s basically impossible to balance. +1 nonetheless.

3 Likes