Tor wrote:
Low HP? but with zimmerit need 3 bazooka hit to kill hetzer, 6 bazookas have good chanse... but it have flank speed, and can kill infantry with gun...
Yeah okay irl hetzer have better armor than L48, but why cost so low?
And not only jumbo, same with pershing and churchill.
Well. The health is 600. As comparision Tank IV H (WH) has 636 HP like a sherman. Somehow i had memories that hetzer had less. M10 has 550 and M36A has 600 HP. Perhaps there have been changes bc the Easy eight has 682 HP but i am quite sure that it used to have 700 HP.
Bazooka deals between 210-300 damage per hit. When Hetzer does not move the zooks have a 45% chance to hit at max range and a 100% pen chance. However, with Zimmerit up the damage is reduced to 157,5-225 damage per hit. So at least three hits would be required to kill it.
Note pls these values are for the M6A3C zooks, not the standard one which have a 80% pen chance.
The US 76 has standard a 54% pen chance at max range.
The Hetzer has a 26,061% chance to penetrate the Jumbo without using AP rounds or ambush at max range. Against the Pershing its a 20,02% chance.
So every fourth hit is actually a penetrating one. And this is shared by so far every axis 75 mm L/48 gun (Means tank IV´s as well).
From ambush these values are doubled. So It has a 52,122% chance to pen jumbo and 40,04 to pen pershing. With AP rounds this is boosted to 69,32226% and 53,2532. The damage of a Hetzer with ambush (50%) and AP (25%) damage boost is 750 (min) - 1125 (max). Pershing has 1000 HP.
So here you have the reasons why the Hetzer can kill any US armor very well. Its related to the doubled pen damage most TD´s get. Only M36 gets just a 50% damage boost. If both, jacks and Hetzer use AP during ambush, the max damage of the Hetzer is higher than that of the Jackson. IIrc Nashorn does also not gain any damage or penetration boost, thus being basically "the worst" axis ambush TD (which is funny since its sole purpose is to fire from ambush).
Bottom Line:
With Zimmerit the Hetzers surviviability is comparable to a 750 HP tank (approx) or better since it reduces taken damage from all sources.
A single Hetzer from ambush is more than capable of stopping and killing jumbo or pershing. Two Hetzers should take them out nicely and even better when you let them get closer a bit.
Churchills are by far better but not unkillable. But with both, ambush and AP the hetzers chance to pen basic churchill is below 40%.