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TL;DR: A German M48A1 experimentally fitted with additional turret protection in the form of spaced armor.
History:
After WW2, Germany was split into two halves, East and West. The end of WW2 also brought about NATO and immediately after the signing of the treaty that brought it into existence, the question about West Germany’s entrance into the organization was brought up. West Germany’s entrance into NATO would essentially mean that Germany would be allowed to rearm itself, which wasn’t a popular decision with many parties for obvious reasons, however, it was eventually reasoned that German engineers were some of the best in the world and if led properly, they could become an incredibly strong ally. It was decided that the most logical course of action was to rearm both sides. The West would enter NATO on May 9th, 1955, with the Bundeswehr being created only a few months later on November 12th, 1955. To be able to defend itself, it was predicted that the Bundeswehr would need at least 3,000 tanks the first 1,100 of these would be M47s cheaply acquired from the US. After evaluating the Centurion Mk. VII and the M48A1 in 1957, it was decided that the remaining 1,900 tanks would be M48s, the first of which would be M48A1s, however, these tanks wouldn’t serve for long as they were soon replaced by M48A2s. There were now a few unused M48A1s lying around for use in experiments. One of these experiments would involve the addition of spaced armor to the turret front and sides. The actual reason for the experiment is unknown, however, it is believed to have either inspired or directly resulted in the additional turret armor present on the Leopard 1A1A1 and Leopard 1A5.
Place In War Thunder:
Squadron vehicles have been a vehicle type in-game for quite a while now, yet the majority of the newer squadron vehicles are at very high tiers. This not only results in unpleasantly long research times, but also allows less experienced players to buy in to the higher ranks with a stock vehicle causing the losses of countless games. High tier premiums are also guilty of this but at least they aren’t stock. There hasn’t been a good low/mid tier squadron vehicle added for quite a while and this unique German M48A1 fit in perfectly. Playstyle wouldn’t be too different from the American M48A1 already in-game. You’d just be able to more consistently rely on your turret as now pretty much no conventional APHE will be able to worm its way through.
Specifications:
Armament: 90mm M41 cannon, 1x .30 cal, and 1x .50 cal
Dimensions: 9.30m, 3.65m, 3.10m
Weight: 45010kg
Armor: Same as M48A1 in-game with the addition of 10~mm armor plates to the turret
Crew: 4
Ammunition: Same as M48A1 in-game
Speed: 40kph
Horsepower: 650hp
Picture:
Side View:
Sources:
https://vk.com/ovbron?w=wall-93248495_160519
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/west_germany/german_cold_war_tanks.php
Der Kampfpanzer M 48 in der Bundeswehr by Stefan Marx
Patton: A History of the American Main Battle Tank by R.P. Hunnicutt