T20

T20 (Stock)

Totals

1340000 Cost

1050 HPDurability

28.89 / 34 Weight

Crew

1. Commander
2. Gunner
3. Driver
4. Radio Operator
5. Loader

Armor

63.5/50.8/38.1Hull Armor(front/sides/rear, mm)

88.9/63.5/63.5Turret Armor(front/sides/rear, mm)

Maneuver

520 h.p.Engine Power

56 km/hTop Speed / Reverse Speed

41 deg/sTraverse Speed

Firepower

160 damage

128 mmAverage Penetration

5.5 Time for Complete Loading

44 deg/sGun Traverse Speed

Communication

250 mView Range

500 mSignal Range

M4A3E8 ShermanM4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo

T20

M26 Pershing

VII

1340000

The first in a series of 1942–1943 U.S. medium tank designs intended as replacements for the M4 Sherman. The first prototype was produced in May 1943, and trials went on until 1944. The vehicle was not approved for mass production, but subsequent prototypes, the T22 and T23, were created on the basis of this development. They, in turn, served as precursors of the T25 and T26. Eventually, the M26 Pershing emerged on their basis and was adopted for service.

Able to sneak around the battlefield, the T20 is an good support tank, able to switch between engagements quick succession. However, like most support tanks, it has little to no armor and even lacks a gun mantlet thus caution must be taken to avoid enemy fire whenever possible. Pick different strategies to match differing opponents: flank heavy tanks, ambush and brawl mediums, track and destroy lights. Passive scouting is very viable when normal scouts are not available.

Turret

Level	Turret	Turret Armor (front/sides/rear, mm)	Gun Traverse Speed (deg/s)	View Range (m)	Experience	Weight (t)
VI	T20D1	88.9/63.5/63.5	44	250	0	7000

Level	Gun	Average Penetration (mm)		Rate of Fire	Dispersion at 100 m	Aiming Time	Experience	Weight (t)
VI	76 mm Gun M1A1	128/177/20	160/160/200	10.91	0.43	2.3	0	1567
VI	76 mm Gun M1A2	128/177/20	160/160/200	14.29	0.4	2.3	6840	1590

Level	Turret	Turret Armor (front/sides/rear, mm)	Gun Traverse Speed (deg/s)	View Range (m)	Experience	Weight (t)
VII	T20D2	88.9/63.5/63.5	42	260	8050	8400

Level	Gun	Average Penetration (mm)		Rate of Fire	Dispersion at 100 m	Aiming Time	Experience	Weight (t)
V	105 mm M4	30/101.6/20	400/250/200	8.01	0.55	2.5	1880	2600
VI	76 mm Gun M1A1	128/177/20	160/160/200	10.91	0.43	2.3	0	1567
VI	76 mm Gun M1A2	128/177/20	160/160/200	14.29	0.4	2.3	6840	1590
VII	90 mm Gun M3	160/243/45	225/225/270	7.5	0.38	2.3	16520	2050

Engine

Level	Engine	Engine Power (h.p.)	Chance of Fire on Impact	Experience	Weight (t)
VII	Ford GAA	520	20	0	569
VII	Ford GAN	560	20	13570	569

Level	Suspension	Load Limit	Traverse Speed (deg/s)	Experience	Weight (t)
VI	HVSS T48	34	41	0	5400
VII	HVSS T51	34	43	8000	5400

Radio

Level	Radio	Signal Range (m)	Experience	Weight (t)
VI	SCR_508_US	500	0	100

Compatible Equipment

Compatible Consumables

Player Opinion

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Best gun for its tier: good alpha damage, above average penetration, good accuracy and a surprisingly fast aim time.
• Good speed, allows T20 to charge at distracted enemies and unload a shell and evade retaliation
• Excellent gun depression.
• Great APCR round allows the T20 to pen many T9s with ease.
• Good view range and camo for its tier.

Cons:

• Very thin armor and lack of gun mantlet makes brawls and hull-downs risky
• Low rate of fire on the 90mm gun cuts the tank's DPM
• Traverse at high speeds is more sluggish, unlike its predecessor the Easy Eight which has little difference in traverse speed
• Sluggish acceleration

Performance

The T20 is a second-line tank that sports a great gun, good mobility, camo and view range, while having absolutely no armor at all. As such, it mostly only performs well with the help of other mediums, and should never in any case deliberately get into a brawl with another medium, or defeat will be inevitable.

The 90mm gun of the T20 is a great weapon, having good aim time and accuracy, while also having decent penetration and accuracy on the move, thus the T20 can actually easily penetrate tier 8 heavy armor from the front, provided APCR is used. However, this is compensated for by the low ROF, which is the worst of any tier 7 medium. Getting into a medium brawl in this tank would spell a death sentence, especially with the kind of armor it has.

The armor of the T20 is absolutely terrible: Weak armor all-around and it even lacks a gun mantlet of any sort. This makes the T20 ill-suited for close quarters hull-down encounters, where damage can be easily taken at any point of exposure. At long-range, the armor is less relevant, and combined with the small size of the turret makes the T20 a harder target to hit. Nevertheless, the armor is still weak, and thus teaches players to flank and find alternative, safer routes of attack instead of tanking head-on in a very inexperienced manner.

The mobility of the T20 is good, but not great. It can reach speeds of 50km/h, and turns well, but the acceleration is sluggish and the traverse is not good enough to circle Soviet heavies. However, it is still a nimble machine and can easily change skirmishes to plug holes in the formation.

The T20 is a formidable machine, but much like the Leopard 1 requires skills to play. While not possessing great armor, the T20 is still a good mobile gun platform and can easily shoot any unsuspecting tanks full of holes. Take the time to read the map and support allies whenever needed, don’t go alone even when enemies are few, and flank instead of facing tanks head on, and the journey to the M26 Pershing will be a painless and easy one.

Overall, the T20 is a great asset and threat when played correctly, and should not be underestimated. Considered by many as the best tier 7 medium for good reason, it possesses many of the strengths one desires from a medium tank, and is a pleasure to play.

Early Research

• The 76 mm Gun M1A2 carries over from both the M4A3E8 Sherman and the M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo. Install the M1A2 and the familiar SCR 506 radio immediately.
• First research the Ford GAN engine.
• Then research the upgraded suspension.
• Now research the second turret, and then the 90mm gun.

Historical Info

T-20 prototype vehicle

Much like other armies at the time, the U.S. Army envisioned two main roles for tanks: infantry support and breakthrough exploitation. From 1942 until the end of World War II, both roles were covered in the main by the M4 Sherman, which was better suited for the latter "cavalry" role. The infantry would have preferred a better protected and better armed vehicle, even at a price of less mobility. In late 1942, U.S. Army Ordnance started to work on an "infantry-oriented" design which was supposed to be more versatile than the British infantry tanks. During the next two years, various prototypes were built under the designations T20, T22, T23, T25, and T26. Starting with the T20, the Ordnance Department initially developed three series of improved medium tank prototypes, the T20, T22, and T23. The main differences between the T20, T22, and T23 lay in the choice of transmission. The T20 used a torque converter fluid drive, the T22 a 5-speed mechanical drive similar to the M4 drive, and the T23 used an electric drive. Additionally, the T20 had an early version of the HVSS suspension later employed on the M4 Sherman, whereas the T20E3 had torsion-bar suspension. All moved the transmission to the rear of the vehicle, eliminating the need for a drive-shaft running the length of the vehicle. The drive-shaft used in the M3 & M4 vehicles forced the turret to be mounted higher, thus increasing the vehicle height.

T-20E3, prototype vehicle

However, the initial success of the M4 led the Army Ground Forces command to believe that there was no urgent need for a new tank. Even with the appearance of the heavy Tiger and medium Panther tanks, the AGF did not alter its position, believing both tanks would be fielded in relatively small numbers. AGF was correct about the Tiger, a specialized heavy tank that was never encountered in large numbers. The Panther, first encountered in small numbers at Anzio, however, was built in very large numbers and formed half the German tank strength in Normandy. Also, according to the Army doctrine of the time, tanks were not supposed to engage other tanks; this was the remit of tank destroyers, more mobile armored vehicles with powerful guns, such as the M10 Wolverine. As a result, the development of the new tank was slow. When the Allies invaded western Europe during Operation Overlord in June 1944, the M4 still formed the bulk of American tank units. It quickly became clear that the tank destroyer doctrine failed in the field and that the up-gunned Sherman was unable to engage the Panther on equal terms. Efforts were made to speed up development, but the tank, by now called the T26 and dubbed Pershing, reached the battlefield only in February 1945 and saw very little action in WWII.

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Historical Gallery

• 

  T20E3

Sources and External Links

External Links

• https://anonymous-generaltopics.blogspot.com/2008/11/m26-pershing.html

USA

Medium Tanks

ja:Blitz:T20