Developers posts on forum

The_Chieftain:   If my memory hasn't failed, there was a small assault gun platoon at battalion level, and one tank per company in addition.

The_Chieftain: Heh. I wish, but, no.

The_Chieftain: I befriended a chap in Firaxis at E3 a couple years ago. Met him again last month, he admitted that I was not the only person getting bored by XCom, so next year's expansion ought to fix it. He also tells me that a proposal that I put to him has led to some fascinating new gameplay. :)   It turns out that some of the folks on the thread already knew what is on the research list, but I just wasn't paying attention. In my defense, I've been so busy, that as of about two weeks ago, I'm technically homeless. I'm traveling so much, I decided it was far cheaper for me to pay hotel bills when I'm "home" than for me to be paying rent on a flat which I am not actually occupying.

dance210:     FYI a response was sent via PM at ~9 am PDT this morning. We will not discuss specific disputes on the forums, but via PM.   Before saying there was no response I would suggest looking for one....

The_Chieftain: Oh, it's out? Must look for it... I have a special request for the GuP folks, we'll see if it pans out.   20mm is plenty big enough for that thing. It is the smallest, or second smallest tanks thing in Ww2 (that TKS Polish thing is pretty damned small)

dance210: Tournament Page Registration    Over the next several weeks, a series of tournaments will be introduced to test different formats for the WGL. All players that participate are requested to provide feedback on the proposed format, to help judge the utility of this format for future WGL seasons.   Players may leave all feedback and discussion before the tournament begins in this thread. At the conclusion of the tournament, we will have a separate thread for post-battle feedback.   Team Captains: Captains are asked to provide screenshots of all 3 pages of the after battle report to tournaments@wargamingamerica.com. Ideally, the screenshots are requested from all players on the team, for all battles.     Basic Tournament Information: Please see the tournament page for all information   Team Size: 6 vs. 6 Map: Group Stage, Round 1: Ruinberg Group Stage, Round 2: Ensk Tie-breakers (if needed): Himmelsdorf Playoffs: Mines Mode: Standard Tier Point Limit: 48 Tier Limits: This represents the max tier allowed. Teams are allowed to bring lower tiers. ​ Light: 8 Medium: 8 Heavy: 8 TD: 8 SPG: 8

dance210:   What team are you on?

dance210:   To answer your question, Division A will face Division B in the playoffs. The top 12 will then move up to the Bronze league.   As it gets closer to the Playoffs, additional details, including map schedule, will be made available in the News and Announcements thread.

Content_WG: Metade atirador, metade brigão - confira o que torna o alemão E 50 Ausf. M incomparável nesses papéis e muito mais!
Texto completo da notícia

Content_WG: Part sniper, part brawler -- check out what makes the German E 50 Ausf. M uniquely capable of these roles and more!
Full news text

dance210: Congratulations to the following teams for moving on to the Playoffs!   Rank Team Win Ratio 1 Team 116  1.000 1 Team 121 1.000 1 Team 254 1.000 1 Team 374 1.000 1 Team 54 1.000 1 Team 59 1.000 1 Team 64 1.000 1 Team 80 1.000 1 Team 81 1.000 10 Team 175 0.952 10 Team 201 0.952 10 Team 310 0.952 10 Team 352 0.952 10 Team 369 0.952 10 Team 46 0.952 10 Team 68 0.952 17 Team 113 0.929 17 Team 12 0.929 17 Team 133 0.929 17 Team 137 0.929 17 Team 145 0.929 17 Team 146 0.929 17 Team 167 0.929 17 Team 187 0.929 17 Team 223 0.929 17 Team 250 0.929 17 Team 274 0.929 17 Team 278 0.929 17 Team 295 0.929 17 Team 301 0.929 17 Team 31 0.929 17 Team 322 0.929 17 Team 333 0.929 17 Team 338 0.929 17 Team 375 0.929 17 Team 39 0.929 17 Team 403 0.929 17 Team 530 0.929 17 Team 605 0.929 17 Team 621 0.929 17 Team 661 0.929 17 Team 91 0.929 43 Team 626 0.905 44 Team 28 0.881 44 Team 29 0.881 44 Team 336 0.881 44 Team 45 0.881 44 Team 452 0.881 44 Team 453 0.881 44 Team 512 0.881 44 Team 670 0.881 52 Team 102 0.857 52 Team 126 0.857 52 Team 136 0.857 52 Team 149 0.857 52 Team 165 0.857 52 Team 168 0.857 52 Team 194 0.857 52 Team 195 0.857 52 Team 198 0.857 52 Team 221 0.857 52 Team 265 0.857 52 Team 273 0.857 52 Team 305 0.857 52 Team 334 0.857 52 Team 397 0.857 52 Team 43 0.857 52 Team 446 0.857 52 Team 615 0.857 52 Team 619 0.857 52 Team 84 0.857 52 Team 93 0.857 52 Team 95 0.857 74 Team 27 0.833 74 Team 44 0.833 74 Team 47 0.833 77 Team 103 0.810 77 Team 189 0.810 77 Team 196 0.810 77 Team 213 0.810 77 Team 228 0.810 77 team 234 0.810 77 Team 392 0.810 77 Team 40 0.810 77 Team 50 0.810 77 Team 506 0.810 77 Team 65 0.810 77 Team 668 0.810 89 Team 128 0.786 89 Team 208 0.786 89 Team 21 0.786 89 Team 222 0.786 89 Team 226 0.786 89 Team 251 0.786 89 Team 256 0.786 89 Team 26 0.786 89 Team 262 0.786 89 Team 307 0.786 89 Team 313 0.786 89 Team 32 0.786 89 Team 343 0.786 89 Team 35 0.786 89 Team 385 0.786 89 Team 405 0.786 89 Team 407 0.786 89 Team 424 0.786 89 Team 436 0.786 89 Team 457 0.786 89 Team 464 0.786 89 Team 510 0.786 89 Team 52 0.786 89 Team 527 0.786 89 Team 606 0.786 89 Team 611 0.786 89 Team 620 0.786 89 Team 63 0.786 89 Team 639 0.786 89 Team 85 0.786 89 Team 97 0.786 120 Team 11 0.762 120 Team 150 0.762 120 Team 351 0.762 120 Team 358 0.762 124 Team 117 0.738 124 Team 264 0.738 124 Team 316 0.738 124 Team 359 0.738 124 Team 366 0.738 124 Team 383 0.738 124 Team 529 0.738 124 Team 609 0.738 124 Team 641 0.738 124 Team 662 0.738 124 Team 79 0.738 124 Team 89 0.738 136 Team 101 0.714 136 Team 105 0.714 136 Team 125 0.714 136 Team 134 0.714 136 Team 162 0.714 136 Team 169 0.714 136 Team 174 0.714 136 Team 232 0.714 136 Team 233 0.714 136 Team 261 0.714 136 Team 263 0.714 136 Team 286 0.714 136 Team 298 0.714 136 Team 30 0.714 136 Team 328 0.714 136 Team 329 0.714 136 Team 387 0.714 136 Team 414 0.714 136 Team 42 0.714 136 Team 421 0.714 136 Team 434 0.714 136 Team 511 0.714 136 Team 53 0.714 136 Team 56 0.714 136 Team 645 0.714 136 Team 655 0.714 136 Team 72 0.714 136 Team 77 0.714 164 Team 326 0.690 164 Team 335 0.690 164 Team 390 0.690 167 Team 131 0.667 167 Team 139 0.667 167 Team 142 0.667 167 Team 159 0.667 167 Team 170 0.667 167 Team 173 0.667 167 Team 191 0.667 167 Team 217 0.667 167 Team 22 0.667 167 Team 279 0.667 167 Team 348 0.667 167 Team 411 0.667 167 Team 419 0.667 167 Team 514 0.667 167 Team 600 0.667 167 Team 642 0.667 167 Team 87 0.667 184 Team 100 0.643 184 Team 118 0.643 184 Team 130 0.643 184 Team 215 0.643 184 Team 220 0.643 184 Team 244 0.643 184 Team 277 0.643 184 Team 303 0.643 184 Team 304 0.643 184 Team 377 0.643 184 Team 381 0.643 184 Team 404 0.643 184 Team 409 0.643 184 Team 430 0.643 184 Team 435 0.643 184 Team 462 0.643 184 Team 505 0.643 184 Team 509 0.643 184 Team 55 0.643 184 Team 604 0.643 184 Team 61 0.643 184 Team 654 0.643 184 Team 67 0.643 184 Team 96 0.643 184 Team 99 0.643 209 Team 5 0.619 210 Team 140 0.595 210 Team 190 0.595 210 Team 312 0.595 210 Team 365 0.595 210 Team 367 0.595 210 Team 402 0.595 210 Team 432 0.595 210 Team 625 0.595 210 Team 651 0.595 210 Team260 0.595 220 Team 104 0.571 220 Team 106 0.571 220 Team 110 0.571 220 Team 115 0.571 220 Team 132 0.571 220 Team 15 0.571 220 Team 161 0.571 220 Team 163 0.571 220 Team 177 0.571 220 Team 18 0.571 220 Team 182 0.571 220 Team 192 0.571 220 Team 20 0.571 220 Team 200 0.571 220 Team 203 0.571 220 Team 210 0.571 220 Team 211 0.571 220 Team 224 0.571 220 Team 225 0.571 220 Team 238 0.571 220 Team 243 0.571 220 Team 245 0.571 220 Team 247 0.571 220 Team 294 0.571 220 Team 299 0.571 220 Team 308 0.571 220 Team 324 0.571 220 Team 332 0.571 220 Team 350 0.571 220 Team 361 0.571 220 Team 391 0.571 220 Team 425 0.571 220 Team 433 0.571 220 Team 439 0.571 220 Team 440 0.571 220 Team 447 0.571 220 Team 454 0.571 220 Team 465 0.571 220 Team 501 0.571 220 Team 614 0.571 220 Team 631 0.571 220 Team 647 0.571 220 Team 653 0.571 263 Team 119 0.548 263 Team 129 0.548 263 Team 239 0.548 263 Team 371 0.548 263 Team 502 0.548 268 Team 114 0.524 268 Team 141 0.524 268 Team 229 0.524 268 Team 242 0.524 268 Team 309 0.524 268 Team 36 0.524 268 Team 401 0.524 268 Team 408 0.524 268 Team 520 0.524 268 Team 656 0.524 278 Team 147 0.500 278 Team 17 0.500 278 Team 246 0.500 278 Team 253 0.500 278 Team 258 0.500 278 Team 272 0.500 278 Team 280 0.500 278 Team 291 0.500 278 Team 293 0.500 278 Team 3 0.500 278 Team 314 0.500 278 Team 318 0.500 278 Team 319 0.500 278 Team 331 0.500 278 Team 34 0.500 278 Team 341 0.500 278 Team 37 0.500 278 Team 399 0.500 278 Team 410 0.500 278 Team 423 0.500 278 Team 426 0.500 278 Team 616 0.500 278 Team 634 0.500 278 Team 637 0.500 278 Team 643 0.500 278 Team 646 0.500 278 Team 648 0.500 278 Team 66 0.500 278 Team 667 0.500 278 Team 74 0.500 278 Team 78 0.500 278 Team 94 0.500

The_Chieftain: I -really- need to upgrade my pilot's license by next spring. At least to commercial ifr   I also have been given some research requests which made my jaw drop, for WoT. (Don't worry, not Tier XI or anything.)   SS, re M18 firing,did you see the M5 and M18 videos we did with FPS Russia? I was the only casualty from the hut explosion, I had me head out turret and got a splinter to the face.

The_Chieftain: You sure that was M3 lee it was to replace, not M3 Stuart? 

Captain_Judo:   Very well written, thought out post. 

Captain_Judo:   Very well written, thought out post. 

Captain_Judo:   Very well written, thought out post. 

Captain_Judo:   Nope, just trying to clear some confusion I saw in-game. That this is not single elimination, but group play. Good luck.

Captain_Judo:   Nope, just trying to clear some confusion I saw in-game. That this is not single elimination, but group play. Good luck.

Captain_Judo:   Nope, just trying to clear some confusion I saw in-game. That this is not single elimination, but group play. Good luck.

Captain_Judo:   Don't forget that the tournament begins with two rounds of group play. There are matches all night tonight beginning every 15 minutes.

Captain_Judo:   Don't forget that the tournament begins with two rounds of group play. There are matches all night tonight beginning every 15 minutes.

Captain_Judo:   Don't forget that the tournament begins with two rounds of group play. There are matches all night tonight beginning every 15 minutes.

Captain_Judo: Visit the Independence Weekend Invitational's tournament page here to locate your team and group. Remember to allow significant time for the entire tournament page to update. Thereafter, feel free to use the links below for direct access to each group and subsequent results.   Group Stage Round 1 Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Group 9 Group 10 Group 11 Group 12 Group 13 Group 14 Group 15 Group 16 Group 17 Group 18 Group 19 Group 20 Group 21 Group 22 Group 23 Group 24 Group 25 Group 26 Group 27 Group 28 Group 29 Group 30 Group 31 Group 32 Group 33 Group 34 Group 35 Group 36 Group 37 Group 38 Group 39 Group 40 Group 41 Group 42 Group 43 Group 44 Group 45 Group 46 Group 47 Group 48 Group 49 Group 50 Group 51 Group 52 Group 53 Group 54 Group 55 Group 56 Group 57 Group 58 Group 59 Group 60 Group 61 Group 62 Group 63 Group 64 Group 65 Group 66 Group 67 Group 68 Group 69 Group 70   Group Stage Round 2 Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Group 9 Group 10 Group 11 Group 12 Group 13 Group 14 Group 15 Group 16 Group 17 Group 18 Group 19 Group 20 Group 21 Group 22 Group 23 Group 24 Group 25 Group 26 Group 27 Group 28 Group 29 Group 30 Group 31 Group 32 Group 33 Group 34 Group 35 Group 36 Group 37 Group 38 Group 39 Group 40 Group 41 Group 42 Group 43 Group 44 Group 45 Group 46 Group 47 Group 48 Group 49 Group 50 Group 51 Group 52 Group 53 Group 54 Group 55 Group 56 Group 57 Group 58 Group 59 Group 60 Group 61 Group 62 Group 63 Group 64 Group 65 Group 66 Group 67 Group 68 Group 69 Group 70

Captain_Judo: Visit the Independence Weekend Invitational's tournament page here to locate your team and group. Remember to allow significant time for the entire tournament page to update. Thereafter, feel free to use the links below for direct access to each group and subsequent results.   Group Stage Round 1 Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Group 9 Group 10 Group 11 Group 12 Group 13 Group 14 Group 15 Group 16 Group 17 Group 18 Group 19 Group 20 Group 21 Group 22 Group 23 Group 24 Group 25 Group 26 Group 27 Group 28 Group 29 Group 30 Group 31 Group 32 Group 33 Group 34 Group 35 Group 36 Group 37 Group 38 Group 39 Group 40 Group 41 Group 42 Group 43 Group 44 Group 45 Group 46 Group 47 Group 48 Group 49 Group 50 Group 51 Group 52 Group 53 Group 54 Group 55 Group 56 Group 57 Group 58 Group 59 Group 60 Group 61 Group 62 Group 63 Group 64 Group 65 Group 66 Group 67 Group 68 Group 69 Group 70   Group Stage Round 2 Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Group 9 Group 10 Group 11 Group 12 Group 13 Group 14 Group 15 Group 16 Group 17 Group 18 Group 19 Group 20 Group 21 Group 22 Group 23 Group 24 Group 25 Group 26 Group 27 Group 28 Group 29 Group 30 Group 31 Group 32 Group 33 Group 34 Group 35 Group 36 Group 37 Group 38 Group 39 Group 40 Group 41 Group 42 Group 43 Group 44 Group 45 Group 46 Group 47 Group 48 Group 49 Group 50 Group 51 Group 52 Group 53 Group 54 Group 55 Group 56 Group 57 Group 58 Group 59 Group 60 Group 61 Group 62 Group 63 Group 64 Group 65 Group 66 Group 67 Group 68 Group 69 Group 70

Captain_Judo: Visit the Independence Weekend Invitational's tournament page here to locate your team and group. Remember to allow significant time for the entire tournament page to update. Thereafter, feel free to use the links below for direct access to each group and subsequent results.   Group Stage Round 1 Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Group 9 Group 10 Group 11 Group 12 Group 13 Group 14 Group 15 Group 16 Group 17 Group 18 Group 19 Group 20 Group 21 Group 22 Group 23 Group 24 Group 25 Group 26 Group 27 Group 28 Group 29 Group 30 Group 31 Group 32 Group 33 Group 34 Group 35 Group 36 Group 37 Group 38 Group 39 Group 40 Group 41 Group 42 Group 43 Group 44 Group 45 Group 46 Group 47 Group 48 Group 49 Group 50 Group 51 Group 52 Group 53 Group 54 Group 55 Group 56 Group 57 Group 58 Group 59 Group 60 Group 61 Group 62 Group 63 Group 64 Group 65 Group 66 Group 67 Group 68 Group 69 Group 70   Group Stage Round 2 Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Group 9 Group 10 Group 11 Group 12 Group 13 Group 14 Group 15 Group 16 Group 17 Group 18 Group 19 Group 20 Group 21 Group 22 Group 23 Group 24 Group 25 Group 26 Group 27 Group 28 Group 29 Group 30 Group 31 Group 32 Group 33 Group 34 Group 35 Group 36 Group 37 Group 38 Group 39 Group 40 Group 41 Group 42 Group 43 Group 44 Group 45 Group 46 Group 47 Group 48 Group 49 Group 50 Group 51 Group 52 Group 53 Group 54 Group 55 Group 56 Group 57 Group 58 Group 59 Group 60 Group 61 Group 62 Group 63 Group 64 Group 65 Group 66 Group 67 Group 68 Group 69 Group 70

Yoott: 4pm PDT is 2 hours from now  

Yoott: 4pm PDT is 2 hours from now  

Yoott: 4pm PDT is 2 hours from now  

dance210:   The prize is for the top 4 teams PER playoff bracket. Which means that there will be quite a few winners.  

dance210:   You need to have your own tier 3 tank; one will not be provided for you, for this tournament.

Nyx_WGA: This weekend July 5-6, 2014 the Wargaming Road Tour will be inside the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for the UFC Fan Expo 2014.   UFC Fan Expo® is the world's premier Ultimate Fighting Championship® fan event. Thousands of fans will celebrate their passion for one of America's fastest growing sports this weekend in Las Vegas! And Wargaming will be celebrating with them. Find the Wargaming Road Tour inside the Convention Center - you can play World of Tanks, hear the latest news about the World of Tanks Blitz launch and have the chance to win some cool swag.   Saturday, July 5: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday, July 6: 10 AM – 4 PM   Mandalay Bay Convention Center is located at 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South in Las Vegas, NV.

NyxWGA: This weekend July 5-6, 2014 the Wargaming Road Tour will be inside the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for the UFC Fan Expo 2014.   UFC Fan Expo® is the world's premier Ultimate Fighting Championship® fan event. Thousands of fans will celebrate their passion for one of America's fastest growing sports this weekend in Las Vegas! And Wargaming will be celebrating with them. Find the Wargaming Road Tour inside the Convention Center - you can play World of Tanks, hear the latest news about the World of Tanks Blitz launch and have the chance to win some cool swag.   Saturday, July 5: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday, July 6: 10 AM – 4 PM   Mandalay Bay Convention Center is located at 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South in Las Vegas, NV.

NyxWGA: This weekend July 5-6, 2014 the Wargaming Road Tour will be inside the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for the UFC Fan Expo 2014.   UFC Fan Expo® is the world's premier Ultimate Fighting Championship® fan event. Thousands of fans will celebrate their passion for one of America's fastest growing sports this weekend in Las Vegas! And Wargaming will be celebrating with them. Find the Wargaming Road Tour inside the Convention Center - you can play World of Tanks, hear the latest news about the World of Tanks Blitz launch and have the chance to win some cool swag.   Saturday, July 5: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday, July 6: 10 AM – 4 PM   Mandalay Bay Convention Center is located at 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South in Las Vegas, NV.

The_Chieftain: I have discovered that Russians like to wear speedos at the pool. Worse, all my colleagues here in Cyprus for this meeting are male. Oh well. Comes with the territory

The_Chieftain: A little while ago, you will recall, I came across a report of comparative testing between two British cruisers (Centaur and Cromwell) and Sherman in the US The British vehicles did not come across well. There was some speculation on the forum that perhaps there was a little national bias in the report, and that also there may have been issues with unfamiliarity with the foreign equipment. Well, I was doing a bit of digging in the British archives, and found an interesting counterpoint. Firstly, a letter from a British observer, a chap named Alec Richardson, presumably of the British Tank Mission. Letter dated 15thOctober 1943, amongst other topics, there’s a section entitled “On Centaur and Cromwell”. I quote: These tanks have made us a laughing stock out here. The Cromwell has had a variety of troubles, and it was mad only sending out only one of each. The Americans are politely indifferent to what happens to them and Waller, the Rolls Royce man with them, is most unhappy and wants them withdrawn as soon as possible. We are undoubtedly the world’s worst salesmen! I strongly advise we send out no more British tanks until they are reliable, and then, when we do, we send out about two trained troops with a first class officer in charge of them. We have lost a lot of prestige over these pool lone derelicts. Finally, and I consider this most important, WE MUST MAKE A FIRST CLASS CRUISER AND LIGHT TANK AT HOME, however long it takes us. The new Cromwell should fill the interim, for, say, the next year or two, but WE MUST REGAIN OUR PRESTIGE. The Americans have been a bit in the doldrums lately with their T.20s, but they will emerge and produce the goods in due course. This is our chance to get ahead of them, but we must redesign, and not be content with botching up an obsolescent type Forgive me for being so didactic, as I feel it’s mainly my fault we haven’t got a good tank now! Whether he felt the sample size was representative or not, in any case he makes no mention of perceived national bias. There is, however, a control case. There is a rather large file in the British archives about an “Exercise Dracula”, in which the British Army, between 04AUG43 and 22SEP43, ran a full squadron of tanks against each other. At least 2x Cromwell III, 3x Cromwell I, 3x Centaur I, 3x M4A2 and 3x M4A4. The final report, marked “Most Secret”, was filed by Major General A.C. Richardson. The first ten days of the exercise was preparation and checking of the vehicles at Bovington. Then, 15AUG to 12SEP were road and cross-country trials round England, returning to Bovington after approximately 2,000 miles. The remainder of the exercise was “intensive road and cross-country running in the vicinity of Bovington” The General noted: Owing to the enthusiasm and keenness displayed by all ranks, and the competitive spirit between crews to achieve the maximum possible performance of their own particular machine, it must be assessed that the results are probably better than would have been the case under active service conditions, where the amenities such as concrete standings, blacked out workshops, etc, would not have been so readily available. In order that the exercise should not be unduly delayed, it was decided to close down when one machine of each type reached 3,000 miles. This was not possible in the case of Centaur as the top mileage machine was only 2,516 when the Cromwell and Shermans reached 3,000 miles, and the state of the machine was such as to preclude further running without major fitter attention.” [Note to Americans: “Fitter” is English for mechanic] The final conditions of the vehicles was as follows: He continued: “Special attention is drawn to the [table which shows] the comparative man-hours of specialist fitter attention required to keep the various types of machines on the road” Yes, I know it says 5 Centaurs and only 3 are listed in the earlier table. I have no explanation, and neither is one given in the report. Possible it was just a typo. Interestingly, the appendix pages also make references to Cromwell Xs, without saying where they came from. I am fairly convinced that the entire report was not in the box. Anyway, his overall opinions. The performance of the Shermans throughout the exercise has been outstanding as regards reliability and durability, and the enthusiasm shown by their crews is proof of their confidence in this type of machine. This is not only in respect of their mechanical reliability, but also in respect of their “fightability”, as was clearly proved at Lulworth when their armament was tested. Centaurs: Underpowered, unreliable and unwanted as a tank, owing to its characteristics which do not compare favourably with tanks of current design. Cromwells: Spectacular as regards speed, but doubtful as regards maneuverability and control, owing to unreliability of steering and brakes. Doubtful as regards durability over 2,000 miles, owing to the stresses and strains experienced by the Meteor engine when mounted in the hull of a tank and subjected to reverse torque, which an aero engine is not normally called upon to do Should the Cromwell be made entirely reliable mechanically, there is still the question of its “fightability” to be considered as at present its gun mountings and accessories leave much to be desired I’m not going to go into the various details of the failings the various vehicles suffered, but a general overview can be found here: Some observations by the records keepers. Oi/c Cruiser records, name not provided, stated, inter alia: Cromwells: The performance of these machines was very disappointing as, without exception, the failures were all old troubles experienced before, and, one might have hoped by now, ought to have been rectified. With nearly all crews this was their first introduction to the Cromwells and it was obvious after the first few failures that the drivers had lost confidence in this machine. However, from a purely driving angle, all crews agreed that it is a beautiful tank to handle, and the power unit of 600hp is a definite  step forward in design. Centaurs: These machines up to about 1,500 miles put up an improved performance in comparison to earlier machines. The biggest surprise being the clutch which now appears serviceable, whereas in our previous experience 800 miles was the limit before the races broke up in the cam box. The engine is still far from oil tight with the result that radiators have to be cleaned constantly. Petrol starvation was another constantly recurring trouble. […] One can only hope that units are receiving these machines for training purposes only. Driving (Both). One of the biggest troubles with crews was their inability to adjust the brakes properly even when cold. This adjustment leaves much to be desired and when the vehicle is hot, medical attention is usually necessary for burnt arms, hands and necks etc. […] Two points of bad driving was constantly noticed. (1) overrevving (ii) bad cornering- usually trying to negotiate with (a) too high a gear or (b) with too few revs. Both of these points, to my mind, would be covered by a rev counter – an essential instrument conducive to good driving His Sherman counterpart, a Captain Shaw, made the following observations, amongst others: The Shermans on the whole were extremely reliable and gave very little trouble. All were fitted prior to the trial with rubber tracks and this in a large measure accounts for the little suspension trouble experienced during the trial. […] On the M4A2 type the engines have given no trouble except for the initial failure of the two injectors on No 9. The injectors on all vehicles have not been touched except for checking for correct adjustment.[…] On the M4A4 type little trouble has been experienced except for ordinary running maintenance jobs.  The next report in the packet was from a Major Ronald of the Westminster Dragoons, position un-stated. Excerpts follow: Reliability: The outstanding lesson of this exercise has been to me the exceptional reliability of the American machines. All my ideas, based on 2 ½ years experience with an armoured regiment equipped with British machines have had to be revised, and though before the exercise started I was inclined to think that perhaps Sherman was somewhat overrated I am completely convinced of the superiority of this machine over anything that this country has produced up to date. It is evident that the commander of a unit equipped with Shermans can be confident of taking 99% of his vehicles into battle, at any rate during the first 2,000 miles of their life. On the other hand, if he were equipped with Cromwells or Centaurs he would be in a continuous state of anxiety as to whether enough of his tanks would reach the battlefield to carry out the normal tasks expected of his unit. Conditions of Trial: The exercise has been run under conditions which have been very favourable to the machines and particularly so to the less reliable ones. Long mileages have been done, but […] the squadron has always reached harbor in time to carry out maintenance in daylight. […] Even so, the British machines have only been kept on the road by dint of much hard work. It is safe to say that such conditions are never likely to be encountered during operations, and less easy conditions will, of course, react unfavourably on reliability and battleworthiness. Fitter and Light Aid Detachment Staff: A fine result has ben achieved in bringing back to the starting point 13 of the original 14 starters after 2,000 miles around England. It must be remembered, however, that the Squadron has had the advantage of far greater technical assistance than is available to the normal armoured squadron. It is only this very lavish scale of fitters, L.A.D. etc that has enabled the Cromwells and Centaurs to be brought back to Bovington under their own power and even then much night work and long hours have had to be worked. Design and erection Taking a broad view of the exercise it appears that only a few defects can be ascribed to bad erection. Centaur governors and gear box oil seal on both Centaur and Cromwell should not have given trouble had erection and inspection been properly carried out and the many petrol stoppages are partly due to tanks having foreign matter in them on delivery I suggest, however, that most of the troubles are really due to indifferent design. The radiator arrangement is simply asking for trouble and it is certainly a possibility that rod-operated steering control and re-positioned adjusters would go a long way to solve the steering troubles which were so frequent. The petrol tap is to the lay-mind a most unnecessarily complicated affair. The track adjustment on Centaur and Cromwell III is quite impossible from an operational standpoint and was, of course, tried out in a slightly simpler form on Covenanter and Crusader where it was never thought satisfactory by field units. General conclusions: The simplicity and reliability of the American machines in contrast with the British production is to me the chief lesson of Dracula. The Cromwell could, no doubt, be made into an equally good fighting vehicle but the re-designing necessary should, I suggest, have as its chief object simplicity which, in turn, will bring reliability. The 2i/c, Captain Priestley of the Coldstream Guards, had a single page at the end, focusing on the sorts of things XOs focus on. Cromwell: In theory the tank crews of this type should have had the easiest time in that, during the early stages of the exercise anyway, they were scheduled to arrive first. In practice, however, on most occasions one or two of them arrived late at night, thus involving a late meal being required, guides being left out, petrol lorries being kept waiting and consequent loss of rest and sleep to a large number of personnel in addition to the tank crews themselves. It was also noticeable that Last Parade [American translation: After operations checks and services] took at least 1 ½ hours which was greatly in excess of the time taken by the Shermans and consequently the crews showed much greater signs of fatigue. Centaur: The same remarks apply as to the Cromwell, only in a far greater degree. Numbers of personnel were kept up until the early hours of the morning waiting to feed and replenish the tanks. Arrangements were always being made so that fitters, etc, could work all night on them. Added to this they almost invariably left late in the morning, thus hindering the clearing up of the administrative area. If they had to be refilled with ammunition as well, they could never have kept pace with the rest of the column. Sherman (diesel) 4A2 These tanks were no bother from an administrative angle. They often arrived before even the Cromwells – they never required refilling en route, their Last Parade was short and their crews always received their hot evening meal at the correct time. A full night’s rest was had by all and if it had only been a case of administering these tanks everybody would have had considerably more rest and sleep and dinners for all would have tasted much nicer owing to not having to be kept for long hours after they had been cooked. Sherman (Petrol) 4A4 The same remarks apply to this type as to the other Shermans except that they took slightly longer to arrive. They did create one small problem in that owing to their heavier fuel consumption arrangements had to be made to refuel them en route when the remainder of the tanks could complete the distance quite comfortably without. Conclusion: In an exercise that is largely of a technical character it is easy to overlook some of the vital administrative points which stand out particularly when no actual fighting is being done. After considering the facts, however, it is plain that the crews of all Sherman tanks would have been 100% fighting fit on entering the battle area at any stage of the exercise. There would have been no extra problems in feeding and replenishing the crews and vehicles. The Cromwells, or a percentage of them, would have been tired with less sleep to look forward to and would have kept a large number of people busy in the harbor area most of the night. The Centaurs would never have been at the right place at the right time and their crews would have been of little fighting value should they have had long approach marches or should they have been in action any length of time. Finally, the words of the officer commanding, a Major Clifford. Centaur: I should prefer not to take a squadron of Centaurs on active service. I consider it is underpowered and unreliable and require more maintenance in relation to running time than is justified. With good average crews and the best of technical knowledge and assistance available on this exercise it proved possible to get the Centaurs round most of the road work  and some of the cross-country, but in a normal field squadron with no more than a fitter per troop and the rest of the Regiment’s demands on L.A.D and the Brigade’s demand on workshops, I do not think that one of them would have completed this operation and many would have had to be abandoned at an early date. The crew fatigue in fighting and maintaining this type of tank would be I consider an impossible handicap. This tank can be dangerous to its crew and other road users. We narrowly averted two bad accidents and unfortunately had one fatal crash which were all due to circumstances over which the driver had no control. Cromwell This tank has, in my opinion, the makings of a wonderful fighting machine but I do not consider it to be out of the experimental stage yet. For this reason alone I should not be entirely happy to take a squadron of Cromwells to war although I feel they would give an excellent account of themselves if properly handled. As was ordered on this exercise I would keep their maximum speed down to 30mph otherwise a host of track and suspension trouble could be expected;  only on the rarest occasions and then in the fullest knowledge of what I was doing would I order a higher speed. There appears much to be put right still and it is not the purpose of this report to trespass on technical grounds but I believe such points as improved cooling for brakes, a possibility of direct as opposed to hydraulic steering and a stronger suspension are now under test and will all assist to make this tank satisfactory for war. At the moment the relation of running time to maintenance, although nowhere near as high as Centaur,  is I think a severe problem when crews must fight, drive and maintain for days on end. […] Crews are [..] confused, and uncertain and are definitely suspicious of the Cromwell’s steering reliability. […] Sherman There is little that I can say. This type of tank seems to be almost without reproach and personally I would be delighted to take a Sherman squadron to war. They are utterly reliable and have a magnificent gun which in my opinion are the two main considerations. I do not think they are quite as good as the Cromwell across country when they are running on rather worn rubber tracks and the going is greasy, neither does one get as smooth a ride, but they appear so infinitely superior in every other way particularly in reliability with a minimum of maintenance that this cross-country consideration is completely overweighed. In some respects I feel that the Sherman carries rather too many electrical gadgets which occasionally give rise to trouble and it would appear that some of them could well be done away with without any detriment to the machine’s performance. Their slow speed (by comparison to the Cromwell) had very little effect on their time into harbor each night. This was largely due to the fact that they hardly ever had an involuntary halt and were able to keep a perfect distance and march discipline throughout the 2,000 mile run. Crew fatigue was at a minimum and maximum rest obtained. […] I would be glad to take a Sherman squadron to war tomorrow and a Cromwell after several month’s further trial and experiment. Finally: On the firing trials at Lulworth it was found that only one tank of British manufacture was able to shoot without gun fitter attention, whereas all Shermans merely T and A’d their sights and drove up and fired all guns without a hitch. Now, Dracula was only the first of two of such exercises. After a bit of tweaking, Cromwell was put through another round of testing a bit later, and it did a little better. The takeaways from this are firstly that Sherman had established and cemented a wonderful reputation with the British in 1943, especially in comparison with domestic machines, and secondly, that it is an indicator that the US Army’s testing of the British product was quite fair, not subject to particular bias, and a generally accurate assessment of the state of British vs American tank production. In any case, if you want to follow my Tanks with Hats series on my Facebook page, click here:

The_Chieftain: I wouldn't rate 17pr AP as particularly inaccurate, in fact, it seems to have been of quite serviceable accuracy. The problem in that image is that the 76mm and 90mm were of very good accuracy, so it's simply a relative statement.

Yoott: A lot of people had spam blockers weed it out. 

Yoott: A lot of people had spam blockers weed it out. 

Yoott: A lot of people had spam blockers weed it out. 

Yoott: 21 Points and all special battles are on East Coast server If you are on west when the battle window pops up it will have a button to auto move you to east    

Yoott: 21 Points and all special battles are on East Coast server If you are on west when the battle window pops up it will have a button to auto move you to east    

Yoott: 21 Points and all special battles are on East Coast server If you are on west when the battle window pops up it will have a button to auto move you to east