Königstiger vs Tank Destroyers
Posted: 01 Apr 2017, 16:23
Just a few months ago I returned to Blitzkrieg Mod and I was quite surprised how several things about Königstigers are solved. As much as I consider especially the latest patches a great job (2-second aiming delay for hand-operated AT weapons (Bazooka, PIAT, Panzerschreck) is in my personal opinion very good idea), there is still something that looks quite strange......so lets be specific:
How it was in real WW2: Alright, through my whole life, I was always keeping deep interest in WW2 armoured vehicles. While there is not a huge number of literature that would be providing readers with any sort of really misleading "half-facts", on the internet there is still (at least in the Central Europe) a long term fashion of dilettante performed armor-penetration calculations, many times ignoring even the most crucial aspects. (For the next claim I am using I.Pejczochs studies about "Armoured Engineering" as primar resource.) Hellcat or Sherman Firefly really should not be able to penetrate the frontal armour of Königstiger. 180-150 mm of slant armour worked very good against standard 76-90 mm. Even in the famous duel of Königstiger vs "Super" Perhing, "Super" Pershing was not able to penetrate the frontal armour of its opponent, until unexperienced German tank crew tryed to ride on a top of pile of rubble, exposing bottom armour.
However, some resourceful US tank commanders find out that they actually can destroy Königstigers from the front-but using white phosphorus projectiles-it still could not penetrate the armour, but the intensity of the flame was so high, that joins in the armour burst and Königstiger crew is burned alive (....fun fact, actually, I believe that people who found this out were actualy fighting on the standard A4 (76 mm) Shermans, not on tank destroyers....).
What is my suggestion: Yes, I realize that Blitzkrieg Mod is not suppoused to be pure WW2 simulator-yet I think heavy tanks combat can be both more realistic and "interesting" for both sides.
A) Make Königstigers and "Super" Pershings frontal armour impenetrable with standard ammo, because:
1) It will be more realistic.
2) It will make Allies to focus on Königstiger (or Axis on "Super" Pershing) slightly more when its on the battlefield. It wont be enough to just send in a Hellcat-now it will be necesarry to send in Hellcat AND equip it with special ammo (of course it does not have to be any new sort of ammo.....) And when (if) "Super" Pershing meets face to face with Königstiger, it SHOULD be "clash of titans" (I mean that they should have trouble destroying each other), until one or both players equip his tank with "his" version of special AT ammunition.
3) It might add a nice "heavy-tank combat" feeling to these vehicles.
B) Make Königstiger and "Super" Pershing cost slightly more (about 300 MP for SP and 200 MP+10 fuel for KT, maybe?) or make just "Super" Pershing cost more and give Königstiger some troubles with engine-I mean when Königstiger is hit by a high caliber HE round, engine might be damaged and suddenly whole vehicle more vulnerable to artillery/airstrikes/flanking.....(damaged, not destroyed).
But I would not like to be misunderstand, I really love the BK mod and would never play CoH without it, even so long after creating the original game BK mod Team si doing such a great job.....cant thank enough.
P.S.: Pardon for my English.....
How it was in real WW2: Alright, through my whole life, I was always keeping deep interest in WW2 armoured vehicles. While there is not a huge number of literature that would be providing readers with any sort of really misleading "half-facts", on the internet there is still (at least in the Central Europe) a long term fashion of dilettante performed armor-penetration calculations, many times ignoring even the most crucial aspects. (For the next claim I am using I.Pejczochs studies about "Armoured Engineering" as primar resource.) Hellcat or Sherman Firefly really should not be able to penetrate the frontal armour of Königstiger. 180-150 mm of slant armour worked very good against standard 76-90 mm. Even in the famous duel of Königstiger vs "Super" Perhing, "Super" Pershing was not able to penetrate the frontal armour of its opponent, until unexperienced German tank crew tryed to ride on a top of pile of rubble, exposing bottom armour.
However, some resourceful US tank commanders find out that they actually can destroy Königstigers from the front-but using white phosphorus projectiles-it still could not penetrate the armour, but the intensity of the flame was so high, that joins in the armour burst and Königstiger crew is burned alive (....fun fact, actually, I believe that people who found this out were actualy fighting on the standard A4 (76 mm) Shermans, not on tank destroyers....).
What is my suggestion: Yes, I realize that Blitzkrieg Mod is not suppoused to be pure WW2 simulator-yet I think heavy tanks combat can be both more realistic and "interesting" for both sides.
A) Make Königstigers and "Super" Pershings frontal armour impenetrable with standard ammo, because:
1) It will be more realistic.
2) It will make Allies to focus on Königstiger (or Axis on "Super" Pershing) slightly more when its on the battlefield. It wont be enough to just send in a Hellcat-now it will be necesarry to send in Hellcat AND equip it with special ammo (of course it does not have to be any new sort of ammo.....) And when (if) "Super" Pershing meets face to face with Königstiger, it SHOULD be "clash of titans" (I mean that they should have trouble destroying each other), until one or both players equip his tank with "his" version of special AT ammunition.
3) It might add a nice "heavy-tank combat" feeling to these vehicles.
B) Make Königstiger and "Super" Pershing cost slightly more (about 300 MP for SP and 200 MP+10 fuel for KT, maybe?) or make just "Super" Pershing cost more and give Königstiger some troubles with engine-I mean when Königstiger is hit by a high caliber HE round, engine might be damaged and suddenly whole vehicle more vulnerable to artillery/airstrikes/flanking.....(damaged, not destroyed).
But I would not like to be misunderstand, I really love the BK mod and would never play CoH without it, even so long after creating the original game BK mod Team si doing such a great job.....cant thank enough.
P.S.: Pardon for my English.....