US assault tank T14 and the American line for BR 4.7 in War Thunder.
Assault Tank T14
Table of Contents
History
Anglo-American cooperation in the exchange of ideas and information on tank design and procurement began as early as June 1940, when the British Tank Commission came to the USA to purchase tanks for the British Army.
The M3 Grant, the M3 Lee medium tank modified for British needs, was the first result of this collaboration.
Major General Charles M. Wesson, Chief of Ordnance, led an American mission to Britain in September 1941 to obtain first-hand information about British experience in armored warfare and their views on American equipment and requirements for the future.
Discussions included ideas for a vehicle with a large caliber gun and heavy armor, which the British considered necessary after their recent experience fighting the Germans in North Africa.
As a result of these considerations and disappointment with the early models of the Churchill infantry tank, the British considered a heavy version of the A27L Centaur, the A28. Variations of this project later led to the A33 heavy main battle tank as a possible replacement for the Churchill.
The British views after the September 1941 meeting alerted the US Ordnance Department, which was working on the M6 heavy tank at the time and saw the need for heavy tanks in the US Army. In December 1941, the Ordnance Department began design studies for a heavy main battle tank that essentially met British requirements and had some similar features to the heavy M6, but resembled the new M4 Sherman medium tank in order to use as many of the latter’s components as possible.
The tank was to be armed with a 75 mm M3 gun or alternatively could be fitted with a British 6-pounder gun. The maximum armor thickness was to be 75 to 100 mm. The new Ford tank engine was to be installed, with the possibility of later using an enlarged engine of the same type.
In March 1942, a new British tank mission traveled to the United States, primarily to resolve procurement issues, but among the matters discussed was the possibility of having the new American main battle tank, now designated the T14, built in America for the British Army.
An agreement for 8,500 vehicles was signed with the Ordnance Department, and work began on the detailed design.
Two prototypes were completed in 1943, but trials showed that modifications to the track and suspension were required. One of the T14s was sent to Britain for testing and evaluation in 1944, but by this time British tank strategy had changed in favor of cruiser tanks with large-caliber guns and the Churchill had now proved its worth and was retained as a heavy infantry tank.
Thus, British interest in the T14 had waned, and the Ordnance Department discontinued the project in December 1944 and the T14 assault tank never went into production.
The final T14 used the full power transmission system identical to the M4 Sherman, as well as the standard Ford tank engine. However, the final drive was geared lower to achieve a lower top speed. The armament was the same as the M4 and the tracks and suspension were taken from the M6 heavy tank, which was also never used.
In the final phase of development, the armament of the M4 Sherman tank with 76mm gun or a 105-mm gun was planned instead of the 75-mm gun.
In addition, there was heavy skirt armor on the sides and a cast hull. The radio equipment consisted of the British radio No 19 set.
Specifications
Specifications:
| T14 | Specification |
|---|---|
| Type | Heavy Assault Tank |
| Engine | Ford GAZ V-8 petrol 520 hp |
| Gearbox | ? |
| Crew total | 5 (commander, driver, co-driver, 5 as gun crew) |
| Length | 10ft 3in (3.122m) overall |
| Width | 10ft 3in (4.42m) |
| Height | 9ft 1in (2.77m) |
| Weight | 84,000 lb (38,100 kg) |
| Maximum speed | 22 mph (35 km/hr) |
| Cross-country speed | ? |
| Fuel consumption per 100 miles | ? |
| Fuel | ? |
| Road radius | 100 miles (160 km) |
| Cross-country radius | ? |
| Vertical obstacle | 2 ft 1 in (0.64 m) |
| Trench crossing | 9 ft (2.74 m) |
| Fording depth | 3 ft (0.91 m) |
| Turning circle | ? |
| Gradient | ? |
Armor:
| T14 | mm | angle |
|---|---|---|
| Details unknown | 19-133 mm | ? |
Armament and Equipment:
| T14 | Specification |
|---|---|
| Main armament | 75 mm gun M3 |
| Rounds | 50 |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Elevation | ? |
| Secondary armament | 1 x .50cal Browning AA MG, 2 x .30cal Browning MG |
| Radio | No 19 set (British) |
| Telescopic sight | type unknown |
(as in prototypes – a 76 mm or 105 mm gun was planned for the production model)
T14 in War Thunder
In the F2P game War Thunder, the T14 is a premium vehicle with a battle rating (BR) of 4.7.
The T14 has good, sloped frontal armor and is especially well armored on the sides, making it difficult to penetrate at an angle and at medium combat distances. The T14 is quite maneuverable and easy to drive.
In addition, the 75 mm cannon has a high rate of fire and an impressive machine gun fire, whereby the Browning 0.5in heavy machine gunss are often enough to destroy lightly armored targets on their own. However, the gun comes from the standard Sherman, which is already available more than a full ‘Battle Rating’ lower for the first time and does not have too much penetrating power, so that precise aiming at the weak points of well-armored enemy tanks is often necessary. Although there are also hard-core projectiles with greater penetrating power, these can often ricochet off angled armor plates and do not have an excessive effect after penetrating the armor, so they are only intended for extreme cases.
The T14 also has smoke launchers to fog itself up in an emergency. There are also smoke grenades for the gun to fog up the enemy or provide cover during an attack.
However, there is no other perfect combat vehicle for the American BR 4.7, so you should stock up on enough vouchers to bring the T14 into battle a second time. The only alternatives are aircraft, the light M24 Chaffee and the M10 Wolverine tank destroyer, which have a much lower battle rating.
On the other hand, the US BR 4.7 deck can often be used as a top tier in battle!
The author bought the T14, together with the premium P-51, for a 50 percent discount on the War Thunder anniversary (early November). These premium vehicles are also available from Christmas to New Year with the same discount, as well as around May 8th with a 30% discount.
After the Finnish KV-1E in the German BR-Line 4.0, the T14 is now the author’s best tank in War Thunder in terms of the ratio of kills to losses!
Video of the T14 in action in War Thunder
Which vehicle deck has proven itself for US BR 4.7?
The following is a summary of a tried and tested line for the American BR 4.7, using the maximum possible number of 10 vehicle slots.
As always, the right mix of main vehicles for battles or conquest scenarios as well as aircraft, tank destroyers and anti-aircraft vehicles is crucial for a successful battle.
In addition to the T14, the following vehicles are also suitable:
The M24 Chaffee light tank has the same 75 mm gun as the Sherman tanks below the BR 5.0, so it has the same armament as the T14, but is of course hardly armored and should therefore not be able to be hit.
However, the light tank can reconnoitre and mark enemy tanks and receives points when they are destroyed, which also reduces the entry costs for aircraft. It is also quite maneuverable and has smoke launchers. A suitable vehicle if the T14 has been lost, and it is not worth using a voucher for a second entry with it, or if you have to play on an unfavorable ‘Battle Rating’ (this is the case if the T14 costs less than 130 entry points at the beginning) and you want to make do as a reconnaissance vehicle.
The small and extremely nimble M22 Locust airborne tank is the ideal choice when it comes to quickly occupying zones in order to collect enough points for an aircraft in the event of an unfavorable battle rating, for example with a full ‘Up-tier’ to BR 5.7.
With the nimble and small Locust, you can also often annoy the ‘big ones’ with the 37 mm gun, and most of the other tanks in this line, with their larger guns, don’t have much better chances in frontal combat.
The M10 Wolverine tank destroyer may have one of the lowest battle ratings of all the vehicles in this line, but it has the most effective cannon with the greatest penetrating power. So if you’re looking for ‘oomph’, don’t hesitate to use this very effective tank destroyer, even if its turret turns very slowly. What’s more, tank destroyers cost fewer entry points than heavy, medium or light tanks and the M10 is always available at the cheapest price of 90 points!
The M42 anti-aircraft tank can be used against both armored ground vehicles and aircraft. Especially against light and medium tanks that are not thick armored, an anti-aircraft tank like the M42 can be used effectively for very few entry points and can also be used against aircraft.
The M16 MGMC anti-aircraft half-track vehicle is probably still the best anti-aircraft vehicle in this area of the ‘Battle Ratings’ for the Americans. With its four 0.5 inch MGs, it is quite reliable in taking down all approaching aircraft, albeit at shorter ranges than the M42.
Due to the low BR of the M16 MGMC, the vehicle is always available for the minimum of entry points.
The last version of the Thunderbolt, the long-range variant P-47N-15 for the Pacific war, has a better bomb load of up to three 1000-pound bombs and thus more than the previous models. As these bombs can also be dropped individually, it is possible to destroy at least three ground targets with this fighter-bomber. In addition, this Thunderbolt is even faster and can therefore fly away from enemy fighters more easily. However, you should not get involved in an dogfight!
The B-26B Marauder medium bomber has four 1000-pound bombs and good defensive armament. It can also drop bombs from higher altitudes with the bomb aimer. However, this aircraft costs the most entry points of this line.
As there are not enough good ground vehicles for the American line of the BR 4.7 at the time of writing this article, the author even has four aircraft to choose from here in order to be able to take to the skies in preference after the loss of his T14.
The P-51D-20-NA Mustang is also a very good premium aircraft, like the T14 on the ground. However, it only has two 1000-pound bombs, both of which are triggered when dropped. It is therefore only possible to destroy one of the enemy’s ground vehicles per mission.
However, the Mustang flies much better than the already very heavy Thunderbolt and can hit its targets more accurately. The Mustang is also more maneuverable in air combat and costs fewer entry points than the P-47, so if you don’t have enough points for the P-47N after losing the T14, this fighter is a good alternative.
The starting model for the famous P-51 Mustang was the A-36, which did not yet have the British Allison engine of the Spitfire. The A-36 was designed for ground attack, for which it is also intended in this line as a much cheaper alternative to the B-26 Marauder.
The highlight of the aircraft, which is also low in the battle rating, is that it can also be equipped with additional machine guns under the wings instead of bombs. This makes it practically the aircraft available for at least the entry points in this line.
In addition, the A-36 does not fly significantly worse at low altitudes than its big brother, the P-51 Mustang, so that it can also hold its own in aerial combat.
Status of the information: November 2023.
If you don’t know this F2P tank and plane game yet, you can download War Thunder here for free and will receive extra 50 Golden Eagles premium currency as well as a Rank I premium plane or tank:
References and literature
British and American Tanks of World War II (Peter Chamberlain, Chris Ellis)
More about War Thunder
