- Yes
- No
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- Benelux
- France
- UK
- Other / Don’t know
- I said no
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The T.13 B3 was a Belgian tank destroyer used in 1940 and designed in 1934 (making it one of the first tank destroyers!).
Due to Belgium’s neutrality politics of the time, the vehicle had to be as defensive and light as possible as not to ‘provoke’ the Germans. As such, its armor protection was extremely light, but fortunately had a good cannon for the time and a pretty fast top speed (sometimes even too fast).
It was based on the British Vickers Light Dragon and was equipped with a very decent 47mm cannon in a fully traversable turret. The turret was open at the rear and also housed a coaxial M1918 BAR machine gun.
Several variants of the T.13 B3 existed;
The T.13 B3 A with 3 crewmen and 100 rounds
The T.13 B3 B with 4 crewmen but ‘only’ 68 rounds - The one i am suggesting here
The T.13 B3 C with 3 crewmen and 68 rounds but with a radio - Not built
The T.13 B3 B had an additional crew member compared to the A version, giving it more survivability and keeping it alive even if 2 crew members are knocked out, something impossible on the T.13 B3 A, except in arcade mode.
However this bonus in survivability comes at a cost - the 4th crew member has to sit where a 32-round ammo rack was supposed to be, bringing the total ammo count to 68 rounds.
This is still an upgrade over the A version, since 68 rounds is still more than enough in most cases.
The T.13 B3, here captured by the Germans:
Here we can see where the ammunition was stored, the “B” ammo rack is here replaced by a crew member. On the C version, it would’ve been a radio station.
Specifications - T.13 B3 B
Armament:
C.47 F.R.C. Mod.31 47mm cannon - Practically the same cannon as the French SA35 L/32 (Ammo: 68)
- APC: Penetration at 0m and 0°: 62mm
- HE: 180g TNT (~5mm pen.)
Reloading rate: 2.4s
FN M1918 BAR light machine gun
Armor:
7-13mm RHA
Mobility:
Meadows 6 cylinder engine (88 hp)
Max. speed: 56km/h → 70km/h - Although cited max speed was of 56km/h, commander Adrien Modera reached a speed of 70km/h per hour in May 1940.
5-speed transmission
Power to weight ratio: 17.32 hp per ton
Crew:
4 (Driver, Commander, Gunner, Loader)
Dimensions:
Mass: 5.08t
Length: 3.65m
Width: 1.87m
Height: 1.84m
So while it has very poor armor even for Rank I, you can still rely on your excellent mobility and very fast reload rate to deal with the enemy!
The extra crew member will be very useful if you get shot, as only one knocked out crewman will not affect your fast reload speed!
It could be a nice French or British premium/event vehicle, French due to the proximity and similarities between France and Belgium and British due to the chassis it’s based on, or be kept for a possible BeNeLux tech tree depending on what Gaijin has planned.
The T.13 B3 B with its extra crewman:
Sources
On the T.13 B3s versions:
Cannon specs:
" Le V.C.L. T.13 B un nouveau type de véhicule au service des Chasseurs Ardennais .", Laurent Halleux