Feeling weak with the 5.0 br american tanks

[John R.E.P.O ඞ]

Hi! after getting the is-3 I decided to move to american tanks.
The m4 sherman was cool, good armor, decent mobility and okay gun... However, now that i have the first heavy tank and the two first 76mm gun shermans, i feel overwhelmed.

I start facing is-1/2s, panthers, tigers... Which normally it's okay, but when i compare it to my loved t 34-85 i feel overtiered s:
76mm feel small when all your rounds penetrate less than all of your counterparts. The round that penetrates the most (ap) is not effective at all with sloped/angled armors.
The mobility lacks a little, but it can still hull down and flank pretty decently.
The armor is okayish. It can resist a shot or two, but the fact that the sides are so vulnerable and how easily it burns/explodes with artillery really bothers me x.x

Also, I don't know if it's just me, but the shots seem to spread pretty easily. It's hard to aim weakspots without the shot going somewhere else (like when you aim for the Is-1 cheeks and the shot goes more upwards/sideways and bounces)

I guess it's strength is the hiding/hull down strategy with it's fast fire rate, but it's hard to adapt to that role when your whole team likes to camp and snipe far away leaving you alone to take the points D:

[Caplion]

now u know how weak US paper boxes is! even vs german tanks.. totally unfair to US tank players

[Caplion]

and thats why players who choose to use USA is mostly losing game and have less SL and RP to advance down the tech tree

[Katokevin]

As you progress through the American tank tree, you will find that (with most tanks) the higher the Tier/BR you get, the more flanking you will need to do. Later American tanks work best when you get around your target and suprise the hell out of them. Most American tanks also have very good gun depression which allows them to shoot from up top.

I would say that only few American tanks can go into head on battles with other tanks. Those being Early on, the Shermans and M6A1, Jumbos, Pershings, T32, and M103. The T28 and T95 could go head on with there amazing frontal armor, but you will often get swarmed or bombed. Best to snipe with those. But this is just what works for me the best. But I would sugest you go around tanks untill you get to the long 90mm guns.

[Hesser]

the system of war thunder is based on the battle rating, of corse. if you are a 5,0 you will ither be with the 4,0 as top tierd or plaing at 6,0 with the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ tigers and the op IS 2´s.

[Tankfriend]

This mostly sounds like "been playing in-your-face Russians all the time, and now I have to adapt to something requiring a little more brain" to me. If you play them for a while and learn to adapt to what they're best at and how they have to be used (you already figured out the core of it, I think - hull-down, fast rate of fire), you'll see some pretty good results in time.

[Scowlin]

Germans shouldn't be an issue, they hit a sweet spot at 3.7 but don't have another until 5.3/5.7. Frankly it's still Stugs, PzIII and PzIV's at Br 5.0; which won't be an issue for the 75mm.

(of course you can get MM with all kinds of unpleasant 5.7/6.0 tanks).

Get your Jumbo into a hull down location near (or on) the cap and ping shots at the enemy. You'll get so many points from just being shot at. Else play flank and spank with your M18, the base round can take on anything at your tier.

[Rick]

This mostly sounds like "been playing in-your-face Russians all the time, and now I have to adapt to something requiring a little more brain" to me

[Caplion]

Автор сообщения: Tankfriend

This mostly sounds like "been playing in-your-face Russians all the time, and now I have to adapt to something requiring a little more brain" to me. If you play them for a while and learn to adapt to what they're best at and how they have to be used (you already figured out the core of it, I think - hull-down, fast rate of fire), you'll see some pretty good results in time.

if u didnt try and use those tanks and experience yourself, u cant understand how weak of these tank. i was always try to find place to cover of cause and usa cannon is relatively weak vs what they face except those glass TD. most of the time, before you can find a perfect place for u to "hull down" you had been 1 shot to enemy who is 500m - 1000m away from you/ you have been even bad luck shot "in the face" within 500m that mean a sure easy penetration and easy dead at any of the tier matched as how usa tank always the weakest thin paper armor they have except some of them have thick front slow speed.

[Tankfriend]

Автор сообщения: Soap

if u didnt try and use those tanks and experience yourself, u cant understand how weak of these tank.

I'm playing all nations, so I do know what they're like. And I'm not seeing them as weak, because I've rarely had any problems with them.

[John R.E.P.O ඞ]

Well, for now the thing that I like the most of american tanks are the antiair vehicles. I just did like 70k SL destroying 11 planes or so xD

Btw, those .50 cal machine guns on top of tanks seem to fire flak ammo, they shred planes like paper o.O

[Neckstabba]

Автор сообщения: Ronri Soru

Well, for now the thing that I like the most of american tanks are the antiair vehicles. I just did like 70k SL destroying 11 planes or so xD

Btw, those .50 cal machine guns on top of tanks seem to fire flak ammo, they shred planes like paper o.O

Noticed that too, the M26E1 (Premium Pershing) got for some odd reason 2x 12.7mm MG's. Its just awesome when someone comes across and you just rip him apart like you were a flak lol.

[GoreTiger]

American tanks can be very good if you play them right. The first m4 76mm sherman is capable of penning a tiger, You just have to get close.

Then you have the oh-so-sweet tank destroyers. incluind the m18, Or otherwise known as sex on wheels.

It does take a little more brain power to use American tanks than Russian/German when it comes to higher tiers.

[Neckstabba]

Автор сообщения: Tankfriend

Автор сообщения: Soap

if u didnt try and use those tanks and experience yourself, u cant understand how weak of these tank.

I'm playing all nations, so I do know what they're like. And I'm not seeing them as weak, because I've rarely had any problems with them.

Yes, im with Tankfriend, i really hate T1-T2 tanks in general, but after that i found that the Shermans are quite good, if used well. The 75mm is a bit lack luster, but it does its job and if you hit right they will blow up. After getting the long 75mm and the 76mm, the Shermans went waay better then the one with the short barrel, also the Jumbos are - if angeled - really hard to kill from the front.

PS: My suggestion would be - go for the M36 Jackson first, then for M41 Bulldog, they got both 6.3, but they are ! way ! better then the Shermans. M36 got a 90mm gun, which can actually one hit most tanks, and the M41 Bulldog got a BETTER 76mm gun wich can load later on Sabot shells, also hes quite small and fast, which allows awesome rush & camp flanks. I mean, if you get hit, you will prolly die anyway, so it dosent matter how much armor you get - all you need is speed & a good gun ! (For most tanks in USA :P).

Also if you play RB;

If you play lets say Eastern Europe - and both spawn points are at the bottom side of the map - left and right. If you spawn left side, you can rush with the M41 Bulldog fast enough over the bridge to the middle of the other side of the river, get into position there at a house wall and setup ur trap. Some tanks will drive near the river and will 100% show you their side, which results in their death. Its a quite risky play, but it pays off hard when perfomed correctly. Just try to abuse cover and your speed to flank the crap out of the enemy :P


In AB doe, this wont work pretty well, because of those nasty name markers. I dislike using USA in AB, in RB they are way more fun. But in AB you can abuse those long-range sniper shots of the T28/T95.

Also if you are looking for some ppl. to play with, add me, i play mostly USA, i find that Germans lack something 'fast' and Russia is somehow very ugly when it comes to driving... also Russias gun depression is one reason for me not to play it :I

EDIT: Also for your "shot spread", that could be because you didnt skilled "targeting & rangefinding" in ur crew's skills, one is for faster aiming, the other for more accurate shots, both are very good ones, and also needed for long shots. I used when i got my M26 stock, a new crew, it was so awful to play, i hardly hit anything because my shots flew everywhere but at my target... :I

[Bloodyryss]

Автор сообщения: Tankfriend

This mostly sounds like "been playing in-your-face Russians all the time, and now I have to adapt to something requiring a little more brain" to me. If you play them for a while and learn to adapt to what they're best at and how they have to be used (you already figured out the core of it, I think - hull-down, fast rate of fire), you'll see some pretty good results in time.

´
Why? I can say the same as the op ... I mean you can fight Soviets pretty well BUT if you try to fight a Panther or a Tiger its pretty much impossible ... the only tank that can really do dmg to those is the M18 ... the 76mm gun mostly cant even penetrate the turret of the Tiger / Panther (I once tried to penetrate a tiger turret on 10 m and it only HITS!) and the bott of a panther is impossible to penetrate while I still think the Tigers armour is pretty buggy because its also nearly impossible to penetrate the body ... because if you dont hit in the middle of the body you nearly only hit or bounce ... the drivers view point is hit only and mg gunner place is the same ...

[Tankfriend]

Автор сообщения: Bl00dy-BuDDy

(I once tried to penetrate a tiger turret on 10 m and it only HITS!)

Why shoot the part of the tank that has the most armour? At that range, you could've chosen any number of easier spots, like into the front left or right of the hull to punch into the ammo racks, the turret ring, or the center (!) of the hull machinegun.

because if you dont hit in the middle of the body you nearly only hit or bounce

Can't say I've experienced that so far. The corners of the front have worked well enough for me.

the drivers view point is hit only and mg gunner place is the same ...

Check the armour model: Except for a small opening right in the middle of the machinegun, practically all the protective armour around these spots overlaps with the actual frontal armour, meaning something between 180-200mm of armour.