Part Four: Irresistible Forces and Immovable Objects United States and Soviet Union

 From the Detroit Steelworks to the Tank Factories of Chelyabinsk

 The other two major nations in (The European Theatre) World War Two had vastly different approaches to tank warfare. The United States used the Sherman template, mounting various armaments and armour to fit various roles and the addition of the Panther-equivalent Pershing. While the Soviet Union followed the logical escalation of existing models, improving upon them, increasing armour, refining shape and ultimately looking similar to the Tankovy Batalons of 1942-43, but with better kit.

United States

 M4A3E2 Jumbo

 Having the thickest armour of any American tank fielded prior to the introduction of the Super Pershing, The M4A3E2 (Jumbo) was classed as an assault tank. The primary use of the Jumbo was to accompany infantry assaults, to provide almost impenetrable armoured support. The usefulness of the tanks was eventually recognised by the Armored Companies, who started fielding them in support roles through the narrow roads of eastern France. The Jumbo would advance a small way ahead to try to lure out anti-tank guns and hidden tanks, whereupon the supporting tanks would halt and open fire on the revealed enemy.

 The Jumbo, like the British Churchill, was undergunned for it's size, but unlike the British, the American command recognised this and many models were upgraded to field the highly effective 76mm gun.

  The Jumbo is a popular addition to American armored companies in Flames of War. The front armour of 12, combined with the 'Jumbos Lead The Way', results in Sherman platoons having high survivability against the most common guns and tanks the Germans may field. The 'Slow Tank' rule means the Jumbo will be ambling along at 8" a turn, slowing the faster Easy Eight's, but the drop in speed is more than made up for by the Jumbo taking the big hits.

 As mentioned above, the Jumbo comes armed with the basic 75mm gun, which generally doesn't worry Panzers and StuGs too much. Though, having the Stabilizer rule allows the Jumbo to keep ploughing on forward, while retaining a decent rate of fire at the expense of accuracy. The ability to upgrade to a 76mm gun allows the Jumbo to keep pace with tanks like the Tiger and the Panther, putting out fearsome AT13 shots. This gun also retains the Stabilizer rule, making it a major force to be reckoned with.

M26 Pershing / M26E4 Super Pershing

 The M26 Pershing could be considered the United State's attempt at matching the Panther tank. Mounting a 90mm gun and having 102mm of frontal armour gave the Pershing a reputation for combat effectiveness, not just amongst the crews that piloted them, but amongst the German defenders, who up until now had mainly Shermans and Cromwells to deal with.

 In 1945 the American command send a single upgraded Pershing, dubbed the 'Super Pershing', to Germany, where it saw limited service. This upgraded M26E4 mounted an improved 90mm gun, and had two 38mm steel plated welded to the front of the hull, bringing the armour of the Super Pershing to an almost indomitable level. The Pershing and Super Pershing went on to have distinguished careers in Korea in the 50s.

 On paper, the Pershing is very similar to the Panther. The front armour rating is identical, while the Pershing gets a point boost on the side, giving it a slight edge. The Pershing lacks the 'Wide Tracks' of the Panther, meaning crossing difficult terrain is more hazardous, and neither tank has 'Protected Ammo', meaning should the Pershing be bailed, it's a 50/50 that this impressive beast will get back in the game.

 The Super Pershing takes a spot mid-way between the Panther and Konigstiger in terms of it's armour. The improved front armour of 13 wards off Tiger I and Panther rounds, but it retains the very weak side armour of 6, meaning should this 275pt tank get outflanked, it will be in major danger. The Super Pershing also takes a speed drop, with the improved armour and gun, but as the Super Pershing exists as a solo entity, it is no major disadvantage. A note to watch however is the 'Overloaded' rule, so should you wish to utilize the slow nature of the Super Pershing through terrain, it is quite possible the tank will bog itself down.

 In terms of armament, the Pershing is identical in stats to the Panther, a respectable AT14 gives the Pershing a good amount of tank killing power while the armour keeps it in the fight.
 The Super Pershing has it's gun upped to the same level at the Konigstiger and Jagdpanther, with the increase to AT16 and a range increase to 40". This makes the Super Pershing a good tank for Tiger and Panther hunting, whilst taking on a Konigstiger may result in a hard slog which highly favours the German.

Soviet Union IS-2 '43 / '44 / IS-85 

The IS Tank was a series of heavy tanks developed as a successor to the KV-series by the Soviet Union during World War II. It was named after Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The heavy tank was designed with thick armour to counter the German 88 mm guns, and carried a main gun that was capable of defeating the German Tiger and Panther tanks. It was mainly a breakthrough tank, firing a heavy high-explosive shell that was useful against entrenchments and bunkers. The IS-2 was put into service in April 1944, and was used as a spearhead by the Red Army in the final stage of the Battle of Berlin.
 The predecessor to the IS was the final incarnation of the KV series, the KV-85. The KV was criticized amongst its crews for lack of speed and horrendously underpowered weaponry, in comparison to the T-34-85. Soviet command initially tried to appease the crews by mounting the 85mm gun onto the KV chassis, but with the capture of a German Tiger I, the decision was made to develop a dedicated heavy tank. This led on to the development of the IS-85 (Sometimes referred to as the IS-1), and consequently the IS-2 which saw service until the end of the war and beyond.

 The IS-85 and IS-2 obr 43 both match the Panther in terms of frontal armour, however they get a massive boost to their side armour, allowing them to resist the majority of medium tank fire and be almost impenetrable at long range. All three tanks are slow, and lack 'Protected Ammo' and 'Wide Tracks', restricting them slightly, but thankfully none suffer 'Overloaded', meaning should they wish to trundle through terrain they should be safe enough.
 The IS-2 obr 44 receives a one point upgrade to its frontal armour, making it highly resistant to Panthers and  Tigers, while being completely immune to StuGs, and Panzers.

The IS-85 mounts the same 85mm gun as the T-34 85. giving it a decent amount of firepower while being safe behind its armour.
 The 122mm gun that both models of the IS-2 mount is a slightly mixed bag. The AT15 allows it to engage Tigers and Panthers with confidence, but is let down by the ROF 1. The main issue for the IS is getting the hits in against superior opponents as moving will make hitting almost impossible.

SU-152 / ISU-152 / ISU-122

 The heavy assault guns of the Soviet Army were highly successful against German panzers and heavy tanks. The SU family began life as lightly armoured assault guns, but as time and casualties passed the need for more heavily armoured guns became apparent. The first in this heavy family is the SU-152, which was mounted on a KV-1s chassis, and armed with the ML-20 gun which began life on a carriage, but soon proved its worth on assault guns. The follow on from the SU-152 was the ISU-152, which took the newly created IS chassis and improved frontal armour. It retained the effective ML-20 gun and saw combat from 1943 until well into the 1960s. Finally, the ISU-122 came into being as the availability of the ML-20 gun became scarce. The new assault gun mounted A-19 field gun, this was fitted directly into awaiting ISU-152 hulls, and the new creation dubbed the ISU-122. A final model, the ISU-22S was developed, with a higher rate of fire, but has yet to make an appearance in Flames of War.

 The armour of the SU-152 is a little under that of a Churchill VI. With frontal armour 7 and side armour 6, the SU-152 should be able to take hits from Panzer IVs more than half the time. Upgrade into the ISU-152 and the assault gun has a higher chance of surviving. A frontal armour of 9 giving it good odds against anything smaller than a Tiger. Chances are, at long range, the ISU will eventually get beaten out by the Tiger through sheer number of shots, but it still stands a fighting chance.
 The SU-152 and the ISU-152 mount the same AT13 gun, a gun that will see off most Panzers and make Tigers think twice about engaging directly, Panthers may not suffer as much, but should the shot get through, the 1+ Firepower is a guarantee for results. The major disadvantage to the I/SU-152 is of course the 'Bunker Buster' special rule. This means that hits may only be applied to tanks that are Bogged Down or Bailed Out, if the firer has moved. This makes the I/SU-152 a good tank for finishing off crippled tanks, but not a good tank for primary engagement.
 The ISU-122 gets an upgrade to AT15, allowing it to put the fear into Tigers and Panthers, once again it's let down by the ROF1, meaning should any of these tanks have to reposition, chance are the shot will miss.

 Finally, all three receive the 'Volley Fire' rule, this allows the tank to re-roll misses if the target is within 16'' and the tank has not moved.

Next time: Glass Cannons!