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Open-topped WW2 Armour - what was the rationale?

Blady said:
Nice, never thought of it this way before.
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In FB the Aachen campaign. First game you get 2 Hellcat TD's *Spoiler* the infantry spots a Stug III. See that the Hellcats get the contact icon through the C2. A fast move to the infantry position once there one square on 'Hunt'. Stug III was history and appreciate the 'Open Turret' of the Hellcat. Don't use those vehicles like a tank unless your Shermans get taken out. In the modern game, you get a Javelin and in FB a Hellcat reminded me of an ATGM of the future. Both systems need guile to be successful.
 
The pulpit-mounted HMG on the Hellcat is an improvement over the M10/M36 where you can operate it from the turret rather than expose yourself. I dug around some photos and welding a pintle mount with a .30 cal on the front of the TD turret, while not common, was certainly something some crews did for anti-personnel capability.M10_france_44.jpg
 
TD's were in their own battalions towed or self-propelled. If their assistance was required by an armoured formation their role was more like a tank and required, an MG. For an infanty formation these guys needed an AT gun. The self-propelled 90 mm is a hard act to follow in that role.
 
julianj said:
The pulpit-mounted HMG on the Hellcat is an improvement over the M10/M36 where you can operate it from the turret rather than expose yourself. I dug around some photos and welding a pintle mount with a .30 cal on the front of the TD turret, while not common, was certainly something some crews did for anti-personnel capability.
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Did it have a periscope or something to operate the MG?
 
I doubt it. These seem very much field expedient mountings. I ferreted around in one of my photo books, 'American Armour 1939-45' by Simon Forty, and there are several pix of M10s with added, or repositioned mgs. The crudest is just lying .30 and .50 cals on sandbags on the forward turret top - can't think that would be very accurate. The others have welded-on pintle mounts either on top or the forward turret side. There's even an Achilles with one .30 and one .50 mounted on either side of the forward turret. I think you would just crouch down behind them and fire over open sights. As other posters have said, TD's weren't supposed to get into close range rucks with infantry, and I think these modifications were to give the crew a bit of a defence if they were attacked at close quarters or in urban terrain.
 
The other thing is the pictures are rarely good enough to see exactly how they are mounted - the above is one of the better ones, and it is not very helpful.
 
The purpose of the 0.50 call was to defend itself against air attack whilst travelling. You need to test for example which vehicle uses the 0.50 call. I get annoyed sometimes when ordering a light fire order. Sometimes a vehicle uses the coaxial 0.30 cal (on the Sherman) sometimes the loader exposes himself to operate the 0.50 cal. On a TD the MG is mounted on the rear of the turret. The crew would be standing on the engine deck to operate it. CM doesn't seem to do this.
 
Yes, Chuck. Unfortunately because of the age of the game engine, it does seem to have various anomalies which possibly aren't easily correctable. I see this as the price we have to pay for the realism and great gameplay, although I would like to see a CMX3 with more modern standards of visuals at some point.
 
julianj said:
Unfortunately because of the age of the game engine, it does seem to have various anomalies which possibly aren't easily correctable.
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Yes, we have a long way to go. Same with buildings we need to enter houses through the windows.
 
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Basements in buildings. Trenches that are in the ground rather than on top of it. Some sort of interiors for the houses. Better street furniture and wrecked vehicles. Oh dear, you've got me started now. Bloke lying down can spot something, while the tank commander in his turret next to him can't - a particular peeve.
 
julianj said:
Basements in buildings. Trenches that are in the ground rather than on top of it.
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That could easily be fixed in the editor. By allowing two meters down as default in human constructions. Listening patrol hides is however on top of my list. It is still a generic game whether we like it or not.
 
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