E-35 Standardpanzer

E-35 – E-35 Standardpanzer

History: (From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entwicklung_series)

E-35

The E-25 designs, in the 25-50 tons weight class, were to be the replacements of all Panzer III and Panzer IV based designs. This family would include medium reconnaissance vehicles, medium Jagdpanzer and heavy Waffenträger.

Alternate History:

In 1941, Hitler ordered the design of a new medium tank that later became known as the various VK3002 designs and prototypes. As 1943 drew to a close, the war raged on and Allied strategic bombing slowed factory production lines to a halt, officers both on the front lines and those within for the armaments industry realized that the Panzer IV is nearing the end of its useful life cycle even with the upgrades that are constantly rushed to the front lines. Even with the introduction of the Panther tank, the need for a lighter but well-armed medium tracked reconnaissance vehicle or medium tank was still left unsatisfied.

As a result, the VK3002 prototypes were once again examined. Due to the shortage of raw materials and the need to produce battle tested vehicles such as the Panther, it was not until 1944 that this new tank, now grouped into the larger “E-series” was finally produced.

Comparison:

In-game stats:

Tank:

E-35VK3002(DB)

(German, Tier 7 Predecessor)

PzKpfw V Panther (German, Tier 7

Competitor)

M26 Pershing(US, Tier 8)

T-44 (USSR, Tier 8)

Crew: 4 5 5 5 4Engine Power

(hp):690 650 690 500 520

Hull Armor (mm): 100/80/45 80/45/40* 82/50/40* 102/76/51* 90/75/45*

Turret Armor (mm): 110/45/45 80/45/45* 120/45/45* 114/76/76* 120/90/75*

Gun: 10 cm PAW 600 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70 90 mm gun M3A1

85-mm ZiS-S-53

* Stats are taken from the World of Tanks wiki and do not represent real-world values due to lack of data.

E-35 Standardpanzer

Development:

Developed to be a lighter and more agile companion to the heavier and longer ranged Panther, Tiger and Tiger II tanks. The E-35 boasts an incredibly light weight, compact but hard hitting gun in a superbly agile platform. It is in some aspects, the predecessor to the Leopard I tank.

Coming in as a logical and more reasonable continuation to the Panzer IV tank than the Panther. The E-35 was designed from the original VK3002 prototypes, incorporating technological improvements as the war moved on. Armor thickness can only be considered good but not impenetrable like the Tiger II. However, it is sloped to improve line of sight thickness and can deflect most anti-tank weaponry fielded by the enemy.

The chosen 10cm PAW 600 or 10H64 is an experimental anti-tank gun utilizing a high-low pressure system to fire hollow charge warheads at enemy armor. While not as effective in long range combat as conventional high velocity cannons, the need to adhere to weight constraints was a higher priority. Weighing it at only 1000Kg and capable of penetrating 200mm of armor at 1000m, it is the larger cousin of the tried and tested 8 cm PAW 600 or 8H63. There was debate on whether to use the

8H63 or 10H64 as the 8H63 shared ammunition components already in use by the German Army but had less penetrating power and a lower effective range. This gun was used during the prototype stage but later dropped in favor of the 10H64 due to the newer gun’s longer range and higher penetration. The tank uses a conical spring suspension instead of the torsion bar on the Panther tank, saving both production time and uses less resources.

Another departure from conventional medium tanks of that era was the removal of the bow machine-gunner, the driver now sits in the center of the front-forward position of the front hull, similar to more modern tanks. This decreased the size of the tank while increased the available weight of which armor and extra ammunition can be loaded. Another interesting addition was the standardization of installing infra-red searchlights (FG 1250) originally used by Panther tank. With an effective range of only 600m during clear weather, it was found to be well suited to the 10H64 gun due to its short effective range.

Crew:4

(Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)

Main Armament: 1 x 10 cm PAW 600Secondary Armament: 2 x 7.92mm MG34

Radio: FuG12

Vision:

2 FG 1250 Infra-red searchlights (Commander, Gunner)360 ° vision ports on

Commander’s cupola.120 ° vision periscope for

Gunner160 ° bullet-proof vision ports

for DriverLength Gun Forwards: Approx. 8.50m

Length Hull: Approx. 6.05mWidth: Approx. 3.30m

Height to commander's hatch: Approx. 3.00m

Ground clearance: Approx. 45mmWeight, combat: 37 - 39 tonne

Power-to-weight ratio: 17.69 – 18.64hp/tonneGround pressure: <0.88kg/cm2

Engine: Petrol,Maybach HL 230 P 30 690hp

Suspension: Conical Spring (Tiger II/E-50 type)Maximum road speed: Approx. 70km/hMaximum road range: Approx. 250km

Fuel capacity: >720 Litre

Armor(mm): Hull: 100/80/45Turret: 120/60/60

Armor type: Krupp Cemented Armor

E-35 Standardpanzer

Variants:

VK3501 – Prototype.

E-35 – First series mass produced tank.

E-35 Ausf. A – Infra-red searchlight FG 1250 mounted as standard equipment. 25 Produced.

E-35 Ausf. B – Trail version with 8H63 gun mounted, additional applique armor planned. None produced.

E-35 Howitzer, Ammunition Carrier, IFV variants planned. None produced.

Status:Production complete, over 250 units produced.

E-35 Standardpanzer

Recognition and Manufacturing Features:

- Hull – Well slopped glacis with driver’s hatch in the center with no bow machine gun position. Slightly sloped sides and rear. Slightly smaller than Panther chassis. Hull known to use similar construction to Tiger II. Hull is face-hardened to improve armor effectiveness. Spall-liner installed.

- Turret – Turret ring size same as the Panther. Turret with well sloped angles on all sides in a forward position. Spall-liner installed.

- Manufacturing – Factories producing Panthers and Panzer IV could begin production of this tank with a minimal to moderate amount of retooling. Replacements and repair simplified by sharing major components with other German armored vehicles.

- This vehicle is intended to be easy to be mass-produced but powerful, similar in line to the doctrine of current NATO Main Battle Tanks. While doctrine maintains that it is a medium reconnaissance vehicle, it still had enough armor to engage most of its contemporaries fielded by other armies. The high top speed and low ground pressure allows it to travel quickly cross country to perform lightning raids behind enemy lines or attack from routes no accessible to enemy armor.

(Above): Artist concept of 2 E-35 tanks in action against enemy units on the Eastern Front.

E-35 Standardpanzer

Resources used:

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/panzerkampfwagen-v-panther-sd-kfz-171.htm – General Design Reference

http://www.wehrmacht-history.com/heer/prototypes/vk-3601-h-panzer-vi.htm – General Design Reference

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/heu.htm#vks – General Design Reference

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/heu.htm#vk3001p – Historical/Comparison/Specification Reference

http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/Nightfighting%20Panthers.htm – Technological Reference

http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=4LjRNypV-rsC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=Panther+ground+pressure&source=bl&ots=X3fWGCHvYb&sig=dian-X6l8a_B9UNdX0z01VfbjR4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WNlUT8u2KePgmAXEseCODw&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Panther%20ground%20pressure&f=false – Specification Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_cm_PAW_600 – Weapons Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10H64 – Weapons Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.5_cm_KwK_42 – Weapons Comparison

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeFH_18M – Weapons Comparison