Video guide American heavy tank M103. Video guide American heavy tank M103 Modules. Additional modules. Characteristics and brief description

Video guide review M103 World of Tanks

Review of the video guide for the M103 WOT tank - this is (TT) level 9. The M103 in World of Tanks occupies a high position among all single-level tanks. He is better than anyone else in cities, as well as in open areas and is very useful when pushing a certain direction, like any .

This American TT is subject to research of various modules after its acquisition: Chassis, Engine, Radio Station, Turret and two Weapons. None of this is inherited from T32 level 8. It is best to collect a certain amount of free experience (34,000) before purchasing a tank to purchase a 120mm gun and a top radio station, because... The stock gun is simply terrible, no penetration, no damage. Next is an excellent tower, which improves the visibility of objects 20 meters further and adds a small amount of strength. Engine and chassis are studied last. The penetration zones of the M103 World of Tanks tank have been changed from the T32 (cardboard): sides, rear, forehead.

Pros:

• Good armor angles;
• Excellent hull armor;
• Ricochet Tower;
• Top level 10 weapon;
• Excellent accuracy and rate of fire of the gun.

Minuses:

• Poor armor at the tower;
• Weak gun mantlet armor.

Crew:

• Commander;
• Gunner;
• Charging;
• Charging;
• Driver mechanic.

The crew is almost the same as the previous level 8 TT, only without a radio operator, therefore, the crew can be retrained and transferred to the M103, which is what we are doing.

Video guide breaking through

Crew skills and abilities:

The choice of skills and abilities for the crew is purely individual, as they say, depending on who is comfortable and who has what their hands are suited for. I will describe the commander in detail, because... For other crew members, the learning of skills and abilities is similar.

Commander: first of all, you can take the individual skill “Sixth Sense” (valid with 100% study). Very useful because... makes it clear whether you are exposed or not. Next, “Repair” (effective when studied) gradually increases the repair speed. Another general skill is “Disguise” and after that we download individual skills of your choice and style of play.

Gunner: “Repair” - “Camouflage” - “Smooth rotation of the turret.” Next, the rest of the unpumped skills are up to your choice and style of play.

Driver: “Repair” - “Disguise” - “Virtuoso”. Next, the rest of the unpumped skills are up to your choice and style of play.

Modules Additional modules. Characteristics and brief description

The top weapon of the M103 in World of Tanks is very good among all tier 9 TTs and this is due to its excellent armor penetration and good shooting accuracy. With this weapon you can easily throw enemy tanks into the stern, both in the city and in open areas. Excellent alignment forgives children's aiming mistakes.

Video review of the Penetration Zone

An important additional module (DM) is the “Medium-caliber gun rammer”. It is insignificant, but it will speed up the reload time of the gun and the accuracy of fire, which is necessary for the M103. Also very useful DMs will be “Vertical Stabilizer” and “Improved Ventilation Class 3”. All this is also from our predecessor T32.

Mandatory set Supplies(consumables) for TT: “First aid kit”, “Repair kit” and “Fire extinguisher”.

Technique for playing the M103

The tactics of playing the M103 World of Tanks are very simple. Because This heavy tank Therefore, there is only one tactic - “Tanking”. Choose a direction and move forward. Preferences in open areas: slopes, hills, uneven areas, because We have excellent vertical aiming, it will be more advantageous for us to shoot from this position, and the enemies will expose us to the lower armor plate, which can easily penetrate. Simply put, we hide the hull, stick out the turret, shoot the opponents, you can also put out harps from cover, they are high and the chance of hitting them is high.

So we have a confident TT, with excellent weapons, excellent armor penetration and excellent accuracy.

NLD and seam between NLD and VLD

The given NLD armor is ~177 mm, the seam thickness is 203 mm without slope. If the M103 is standing “in an open field,” they shoot at this section of the armor. From medium and medium-long distances the lower part of the hull is easy to hit, but it can be penetrated at all distances by most level 9 guns. To tighten the hull so that the enemy does not break through the NLD means to expose his side. Under no circumstances should you allow the enemy to target the NLD or the seam of the forehead of the hull; you can try to enter the clinch, but then the enemy will switch to the tower (see below), it is better not to roll out in vain at an enemy ready to shoot. Coupled with guaranteed penetration, there is a very high chance of concussing the mech-water, he sits in the center of the tank.

VLD and the joint between the turret and the hull.

The given VLD armor is about 254 mm. Allows you to withstand hits from level 8 guns at close and medium distances, and from level 9-10 guns at long distances. In the clinch, as well as when M103 is on the slope, the VLD breaks through without difficulty. The joint between the turret and the hull is poorly armored; a hit there almost always damages the turret rotation mechanism. You can only hit it from close range. Mech-water observation devices on the VLD are often damaged without penetrating the VLD itself and causing damage to the tank. Ricochet from the VLD hits the gun mantlet, so when playing on the M103 it is not recommended to raise the barrel up.

Cannon mask

The strongest section of armor. The armor in total with the armor of the turret forehead is about 400 mm, only penetrates at right angles cumulative shells vehicles such as the Object 268, Jagdpanzer E 100 and AMX 50 Foch (155). Often saves the M103 from unaimed but fatal shots from heavy tanks and Tier IX-X tank destroyers. Most often, opponents do not specifically shoot at it, targeting weak points in the armor of the turret and hull.

Frontal armor of the turret around the mantlet - a small area above the mantlet and “cheeks”

The areas of armor not covered by the mask have 127 mm of armor and are at a large angle in the frontal projection. With an accurate hit, they are penetrated by cannons with a penetration of 200-250 mm, but often ricochet. At close ranges and in a clinch, opponents often try to hit the M103 in the cheeks or commander's cupola.

Tower roof and commander's cupola

The roof of the tower rises from the forehead to the stern, ending in a kind of “shelf”. This shelf is quite difficult to hit, but it is consistently penetrated by shells with a penetration range of 200 mm. On the left of commander's cupola(if you are facing the M103) there is a gunner's observation device. There is no need to focus on shooting at it - if the shell does not pass through the armor of the turret, it will not cause damage to the tank. The commander's cupola is not easy to target at medium to long ranges when the M103 is moving and turning the turret. At short distances there are fewer problems with its penetration; rotating the tower from side to side does not prevent the enemy from hitting it, but ricochets and non-penetrations do occur.

The sides and stern of the turret and hull.

If in the frontal projection the M103 is at least somehow protected, then on the sides and rear it has no armor at all: the rear is penetrated by Tier I tanks, the sides cannot withstand fire from Tier IV tanks and higher. Here lies another problem: there is a rule that if the caliber of the projectile is 3 times the thickness of the armor, ricochet does not occur. Thus, shells with a caliber of 150 mm or more, which are found on most Tier IX tank destroyers, do not ricochet off the M103’s side armor, which makes any additional hull rotations risky.

Video World guide of Tanks from JMR about the American heavy tank of the ninth level M103. All sectors of the M103 game, combat tactics, armor and gun tests and much more.

The development of this tank began after the end of World War II, when the United States' relations with its former ally, the USSR, sharply deteriorated. Naturally, existing heavy tanks were used as source material, work on which was planned to be stopped after the war - the T29 - T34 series. The Soviet IS-3 was chosen as a role model, which will also not surprise you. This vehicle at one time made a strong impression on the allies and many countries began to borrow certain features from it, while the Soviet Union itself had already realized that the future lay in the development of medium tanks. But let's not get distracted. The IS-3 differed from American TTs in its lighter weight, but at the same time best booking and no less firepower. And it was decided to create a new American tank on the basis of the T34, reducing its weight by more than 10 tons and removing the assistant driver and one loader from the crew. However, it was subsequently decided to return the second loader.

Improving the tank's armor while simultaneously reducing its mass was achieved by manufacturing a cast hull of reduced length with an elliptical nose, with large armor angles. In addition, it was planned to install a lighter 120-mm cannon on it. Testing of prototypes, which began in 1953, showed that the tanks did not meet the requirements of either the army or Marine Corps. And its development might have stopped at the production of prototypes, if not for the hasty contractors, who, at their own peril and risk, produced about three hundred armored vehicles, without waiting for the acceptance results. In the end, about 100 changes were recommended to the tank's design, which were approved in 1956. After final modernization and testing, the tank was finally put into service. However, actual operation again revealed a lot of problems: difficult working conditions for the crew, insufficient engine power, overload of both it and the transmission, rapid wear of the barrel, etc. That is, unlike many other high-level tanks in the game, the M103 had, if not the most successful, but quite real embodiment.

Performance characteristics of M103 comparison with classmates

And we will return to the game version of the vehicle in World of Tanks. Having received this tank for the first time, you become the owner of a vehicle with a gun that you researched at level seven - the T29 heavy tank. This means that after the first low fights, where you will be prevented mainly from the top teams, you will begin to fall into a world of pain and suffering. Of course, this is not an ST-1, with the penetration of the stock D-25-T being 175 millimeters, but you will greatly miss 200 millimeters of penetration. Moreover, by filling it with gold shells, you will get a noticeable, but not a dramatic increase. However, having endured, or having unlocked a top weapon for free experience, armor-piercing shells which have almost the same penetration as the stock sub-caliber gun, playing on the M103 will become quite comfortable. At the top, the characteristics of the tank look very, very good, in comparison with its classmates. The mass and number of hit points are slightly below average, while power density engine, as well as the total traverse speed of the turret and chassis significantly exceed the performance of other heavy tanks of the ninth level. The poor transmission of a real tank limits it maximum speed in game 34 kilometers per hour. However, such a small value is practically not felt. The tank picks it up easily and does not suffer from a lack of dynamics.

The top-end M103 gun has a standard ninth level penetration of 258 millimeters, good accuracy and an aiming speed very suitable for tank mobility - 2.3 seconds. The one-time damage, which is rather modest by the standards of level 9, is compensated by a good rate of fire, which puts the M103 among the leaders in potential damage per minute. And finally, the review is just slightly below the standard for level nine.

How to penetrate an M103 tank, armor tests and guns

Now let's see what the tank designers have achieved in terms of its armor. Or rather, how his armor behaves in the game. First, let's check whether it is capable of withstanding one of the weakest enemy guns encountered by this tank with a penetration of 170 millimeters. The seat of the upper and lower frontal parts is much stronger than the rest of the hull, and is not worth shooting at, but the lower part of the NLD, especially near the tracks, easily takes damage. In addition, the armor in the commander's cupola is weak. In a small rhombus of new weak points does not appear, but as the tank enters the side, it becomes less and less protected.

For the average, among possible opponents, penetration of 232 millimeters, the upper frontal part and a couple more small areas on the turret become accessible. However, even the gold shells of classmates, with a penetration of 311 millimeters, do not allow them to inflict damage on the tower without aiming. Both its sides, if it is turned towards the enemy, and the gun mantlet can easily withstand their hits.

Let's summarize. In front of the tank, two sections of the hull bottom are unexpectedly accessible. They are not easy to target, but they are only 50 millimeters thick. The commander's cupola is somewhat stronger than them, and the next strongest is the lower frontal part. To penetrate the VLD, you need shells with a penetration distance of 200-300 millimeters, and, due to the oval shape of the tank’s nose, it is better to target that part of it that is located at a smaller angle to us. Keep in mind that the junction of the VLD and NLD is armored somewhat better than they themselves. If the M103 hides the body, you can also target two areas on the sides of the gun mantlet. In the rhombus, in addition to the parts of the NLD and VLD closest to the shooting, a tower begins to break through, and the more it is rotated, the better. Its front part has armor of about 130 millimeters and can easily take damage at right angles. In addition, do not forget about the very weak area at the base of the front roller. The ability to cause damage through the tracks directly depends on the angle at which the tank is turned. As soon as you fiddle with the diamond a little, they begin to break through easily. From the side, dealing damage to the tank should not cause you any difficulties. Moreover, pay attention to the tower; it has a couple of particularly thin sections. Well, the stern, like the vast majority of other tanks, should not be shown to the enemy by the M103.

The top gun of the M103 itself shows good accuracy. We rarely miss, even by extreme distances. However, it is better to shoot at the placed sides and backs of enemies - we are not able to pierce every enemy head-on at the maximum distance. And from medium distances with full aim, most of the hits fall exactly where we need them. In addition, due to the short aiming time, we get a fairly small circle of dispersion in motion, which allows, if necessary, to hit the enemy at close ranges, even on the move.

Combat tactics on the M103

So, the new American heavy tank of the ninth level has ceased to be a highly specialized vehicle in World of Tanks, which has to use pre-planned routes and selected positions. Quite a strong forehead good dynamics and an accurate gun with fast aiming, the same excellent vertical aiming angles and a very decent DPM, for the first time among American TTs they give us very universal car, capable of performing any tasks assigned to it at any moment of the battle.

True, compared to its predecessor, it is somewhat more difficult to tank turrets on the M103. An enemy who sees even a slightly rotated tower has the opportunity to easily punch it to the side. Accordingly, such situations should be avoided. If you are caught in a pincer attack, look for cover or change your position. When playing with the M103, you must remember that its body can easily be penetrated by any classmates, and if possible, you should not show it to the enemy. However, this circumstance will only cause you difficulties if you somehow got a tank of the ninth level without riding the previous American heavyweights. Because none of them suffered from excessive hardness of the body.

There are no good positions and routes for a tank in World of Tanks. He just feels great on the second line and in dense urban battles, he can trade towers from behind the hills with the classic Americans, and he can support the attack of medium tanks.

The strength of the tank is mobility, good vertical aiming angles and an accurate weapon. Take advantage of these features, shoot first and do not let yourself be targeted, or even better, shoot at your car at all.

M103 Crew Skills and Optional Equipment

As for the crew, nothing will have to be changed. We continue to study the skills with which tankers moved from T32: repair and sixth sense, the Brotherhood of War, on the third - the commander’s visibility, driver and gunner are improved strong point tank - shooting accuracy, including immediately. One loader studies the non-contact ammunition rack - it is damaged when shots are fired into the forehead of the turret on the sides of the gun mantlet, so this skill is very important, the second - desperate. The tank is able to survive even with a small amount of HP, and this must be used.

The equipment is standard - a fire extinguisher, a repair kit and a first aid kit. The same goes for the equipment - classic for a heavy tank: in the first slot we put a gun depowerer, we spend the second on improving aiming, and on this tank it is preferable to do this with the help of a vertical aiming stabilizer, in the third we put ventilation or improve visibility using coated optics or even stereo tubes, depending on your preferred playing style.

Once you get used to this tank a little, it will begin to bring you real satisfaction from the game. I hope you quickly agreed to this. Meanwhile the video World review of Tanks about the heavy American tank M103 has come to an end.

Immediately after the end of World War II, the development of new US heavy tanks stalled, and only the cooling of relations with the former ally - Soviet Union, forced me to start working in this area. As a model, American tank builders had the Soviet heavy IS-3, which made a very strong impression on them. The Soviet IS-3 compared favorably with the American heavy T29-T34 in its lighter weight with adequate weapon power and more high level reservations. As a result, in the United States, a specially created commission headed by General Stilwell recommended the creation of a heavy tank, which received the designation T43, on the basis of the T34 tank by reducing its weight from 70 tons to 58 tons by reducing the length of the hull and reducing its crew to four people. (automatic loader introduced). In addition, the vehicle should have been equipped with a 120-mm lightweight cannon. To maintain the level of protection with less armor, it was planned to widely use cast parts (the weight of the tank was reduced to 55 thousand kg). A mock-up committee that was held at the Detroit Arsenal in December 1949 recommended removing the autoloader and adding a second loader.

Work on the T43 heavy tank progressed sluggishly until the Korean War began in June 1950, and the threat of using IS tanks against US troops arose. It immediately became clear that armored forces American army they cannot oppose anything to the heavy machines produced in the USSR. Work on the T43 was accelerated, and an order was issued for the production of 300 production vehicles, as well as several experimental ones. Already in June 1951, Chrysler delivered the first T43 for testing. The tank was equipped with a 120-mm T122 gun with initial speed projectile 1007 meters per second. The experimental vehicles had an M47 commander's cupola, while the series tanks had an M48 cupola, equipped with a 12.7 mm machine gun. The tank inherited from the T29-T34 the Continental AV-1790 engine (power 810 hp), as well as the CD-850 transmission. At the same time, the chassis had two less road wheels on each side.

The entire series (300 cars) was produced in 53-54 by Chrysler. Its acceptance was carried out based on the test results of the 6th experimental and 8th serial tanks. However, the rush to produce the tank took its toll - the fire control and gun guidance systems worked unsatisfactorily (they had to be replaced with new ones), the turret niche was heated by the power compartments, and exhaust gases entered the control compartment. According to test results, about 100 different modifications and changes had to be made to the tank. As a result, in 1955, it was decided to send the entire series for storage - T43 for service ground forces was not accepted.

In order not to waste the “good”, the army decided to adopt, after minor modifications, 74 T43 vehicles, which were given the designation “120-mm battle tank M103” (after the war classification American tanks was adopted according to the caliber of the gun). These vehicles were equipped with a commander's cupola equipped with a 12.7 mm machine gun. On the M103, with a 120 mm cannon, two 7.62 mm machine guns were paired. Power point(AV-1790-5B engine and CD-850-4B transmission) worked satisfactorily. An exhaust gas deflector was installed to reduce the heating of the tower by them.

The fire control system was modified on the experimental T43E2. Instead of hydraulic drives for aiming the guns, the tank was equipped with electric drives, and one coaxial machine gun was replaced with a telescopic sight. The tank was equipped with a stereoscopic rangefinder, which automatically transmits data to the gunner's ballistic computer. The 12.7 mm machine gun was removed from the commander's cupola. The special muzzle gas deflector, which was also a muzzle brake. The main purpose of the deflector is to reduce the cloud of powder gases, dirt and dust that formed during a shot from such a powerful gun, which practically obscured the target for the gunner. The deflector turned out to be of little use, so it was soon completely removed.

The new version, which received the designation M103A1, fully satisfied the requirements, but it did not plan to order heavy tanks. The situation was saved by the fact that the Marine Corps ordered the conversion of 219 T43 tanks into M103A1. All new tanks ordered were delivered before July 1959. True, the army did not want to remain on the sidelines and “borrowed” 72 M103A1 tanks from the Marines.

The Marine Corps in 1961 decided to convert the M103A1 to Continental AVDS-1790-2A diesel engines. At the same time, the power reserve increased to 480 km. The tanks were also equipped with a visibility reduction system in infrared range. The sighting equipment was almost completely updated, and an infrared searchlight was added. New version The tank under the designation M103A2 was put into service. In August 1962, after testing the experimental M103A1E1 with these modifications, an order was issued for the conversion of 153 M103A1 vehicles. Another 53 tanks were completed in 1968. Total number M103A2 tanks together with experienced ones amounted to 208 vehicles.

M103 tanks as part of the Marine Corps were in service with the fourth companies in the 3rd tank battalions and in reserve units. They remained in service until 1973, when they were replaced latest models main tank M60.

In general, during the entire post-war period, the main motivation for work on heavy tanks in the United States was the presence in the USSR of the IS-3, and later of the T-10 tanks. The tankers of the American army themselves did not favor vehicles with heavy armor - they lacked mobility, which was especially valued in military exercises. However, as soon as the tankers came under enemy fire, additional tracks, boxes of spare parts, bags of cement, and the like were immediately hung on the vehicles, thus trying to improve the security of the vehicles. A similar situation was observed with auxiliary weapons. The experience of Vietnam has shown that anti-aircraft machine gun 12.7 mm caliber and a coaxial rifle-caliber machine gun are not enough to suppress enemy infantry. In this regard, they tried to strengthen the auxiliary weapons by replacing the periscope sight with a coaxial machine gun. That is, the solutions that were used on the heavy M103 were fully confirmed in combat conditions.

The first generation of battle tanks - M48 and M60 - was a development of medium tanks from the Second World War, which required them to be supplemented in battle formations with heavier tanks, such as the M103. The emergence of a new generation of main battle tank The M1 type actually meant the implementation of the requirements for this type of combat vehicle, both in terms of armament and armor protection, which are characteristic of heavy tanks, and in terms of mobility, in which the new vehicles were almost equal to most light tanks. Therefore, work on the M1 marked a logical point in the development of US heavy tank building.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the American heavy tank M103A2:
Length – 11230 mm;
Width – 3630 mm;
Height – 3560 mm;
Weight – 58.1 t;
Engine – AVDS-1790;
Engine power – 750 hp;
Speed ​​– 37 km/h;
Cruising range – 480 km;
The ditch to be overcome is 2.6 m;
Frontal armor (tilt angle) – 127 mm (60 degrees);
Side armor – 51 mm;
Turret (gun mantlet) – 127 mm (254 mm);
Roof armor – 38 mm;
Bottom armor – 25 mm;
Weapons:
Gun – M58;
Caliber – 120 mm;
Machine guns – NV M2 (12.7 mm) and M37 (7.62 mm);
Crew – 5 people.