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Old December 11th, 2017, 08:26 PM

Pibwl Pibwl is offline
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Default Re: Soviet OOB 11: miscellaneous observations

I spotted an inconsistency in gun icons, but on the occasion, I found several old notes - just in case...


004 T-26 M1933 - Russian sources say, that turret had max armour 15 mm, without exception on gun mantlet (now 3). Unless we want to give them better chance of survival.
Roughly a half of produced T-26s were fitted with a radio (initially less, towards the end of production more). If a radio chance is not increased, it could receive more ammo - standard tanks (without radio and rear MG) carried 124 gun rounds (or even 136 according to other book) - now 100.

Same for unit 224, and, as for armour and radio chance, newer models 337, 338, 360

10 OT-133 - there's no mention, that flamethrower tanks received thicker armour - max 2.

33 SU-85 - precisely, SU-85 (and #303 T-34/85 M.1943) should have a gun D-5, not ZiS obr.44, with basically the same data.
BTW: ZiS obr.44 was more widely known as ZiS-S-53

42 BA-64 - first series was made by 24 April 42, and used in combat in summer (now 3/42). The MG was in fact AAMG (like in SdKfz 221)
Same for Polish LWP #044, Yugo #010, Czech #260

BTW: I'm not sure, if 6x4 armoured cars on truck chassis, like BA-3,6,10, British Lanchester, SdKfz-231 6-rad, should be in fact A/T-wheel - their cross-country capabilities were rather poor.

43 M5 Halftrack - US vehicles were delivered with armament (.30 or .50 MG) and very rarely were fitted with DShK (rather trucks in AA role only). Better name could be just Halftrack, because there were some 401 M5, 419 M9 and 342 M2 delivered (there is no Soviet designation known).

BTW: it would spoil several formations, but in fact the Soviets didn't "waste" precious APCs for regular infantry, which were happy to ride in trucks or on tanks. According to book by M. Bariyatynski on lend-lease vehicles, halftracks were used only as recce and staff vehicles - however only 118 out of some 1200 were used that way, while great majority were employed as gun tractors... I'd delete all Mech formations except for:
#24 Halftrack Pl (more likely reduced to 3 vehicles)
and #97 AT-Gun Pl/M, but with heavy AT guns (they could haul 100mm guns and 85mm AA ones indeed).
Anyway, it's worth to duplicate it as class 32 Scout vehicle, like M3A1 Scout Car, in spite of its greater capacity.

44 GAZ Truck - icon should be some open platform truck - the best seems 3179/3181. Now it has canvas all over a body, like some troop carrier, while GAZ-AA were simple trucks with a separate cab, rarely even seen with platform canvas.
Same for #465 and Polish LWP #284 and Yugo #016

45 ZiS Truck - best icon for ZiS-5 seems 3170/3172, with narrower body, and especially a nose. Yet it's bigger than GAZ.
Same for Polish LWP #175

46 Jeep - first jeeps (to be precise: Bantam) were delivered and used as early, as in autumn 1941 in battle of Moscow (now 7/43). Willys /Ford jeeps (both known just as "Willys", not jeep) were delivered from mid-42 (M. Bariyatynski's book)

If we'd like to be precise, Bantam BRC could be copied from US oob (#368) (unarmed, basic icon could be 99 to be different from Willys)

As well as other utility vehicles, they were also used to tow light AT guns (units 400-403) - there could be a formation added.

47 45mm L46 AT-Gun - there is a new icon 8022 (like unit 279)
Same for 401

48 45mm L66 AT-Gun - icon should be 8023, with longer barrel (like unit 190)
Same for 402 and Polish LWP #137, 139

49 57mm L73 AT-Gun - icon 8023 is rather long 45mm gun - ZiS-2 was bigger piece, with the same carriage as 76mm ZiS-3 (8025), but with long barrel - so the best seems icon 8024. Previously there was used 2101, but it doesn't look too good.

Same for 197, 283, 376 and other ZiS-2 units using 8023 or 2012 icons: Polish LWP #140-142, Yugo #142, Hungary #183, nat/Chinese #50, com/Chinese #50, German #332

52 76.2mm 02 FH - better name is "obr02 FH", like others. However, with such range (13km), it should be not basic obr.02, but modernized obr.02/30 - the same applies to its weapon 037

54 37mm AA-Gun - better icons might be similar 2809/2810


74 BM-8 Katyusha - truck variant on ZiS-6 had 36 rockets (now 24) (BM-8-36, late war one from 1942 on US trucks - even 48 - BM-8-48)

92,126 M3A1 Scout Car - known just as M3A1 Scout ("Skaut" in Russian).

111 BM-13 Katyusha - its combat debut was in 7/41 (now 1/41) - before the war there were only experimental vehicles built. Officially commissioned in 8/41 (would need change in formations 53, 109, 110).

112 85mm Gun - better icon for 85mm AA seems bigger 2813/14

113,132 100mm AT-Gun - much more similar (or maybe even proper) is icon 8028 (a picture https://weaponsandwarfare.files.word...pg?w=584&h=376 )

It seems, that the photo is 122mm howitzer - there is a correct one: https://www.quartermastersection.com...mg/100mmAT.jpg
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