KV-2
KV-2
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[Client Values; Actual values in
920,000  Cost |
| 910192 HP Hit Points |
| 51.16/56.826.15/60.8 t Weight Limit |
- Commander
- Gunner
- Radio Operator
- Driver
- Loader
- Loader
| 500640 hp Engine Power |
| 35/11 km/h Speed Limit |
| 1620 deg/s Traverse |
| 9.7724.47 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| NoNo Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 75/75/7075/75/70 mm Turret Armor |
HE/HEAT
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
257/4800
270/4400/280 Shell Cost |
| 450/370/300/300/360 HP Damage |
| 61/140/167/219/54 mm Penetration |
|
5.45 r/m ▲
6.19 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
2452.5 ▲
Standard Gun ▼
1857 Standard Gun
▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.57 m ▲
0.45 m With 50% Crew: 0.706 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.557 m |
| 2.9 s 3.4 s Aim time |
| 1417 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -5°/+18°-7°/+18° Elevation Arc |
| 9550 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 2015 % Chance of Fire |
| 320 m 330 m View Range |
| 360 m 440 m Signal Range |
VI
920000
The KV-2 is a Soviet tier 6 heavy tank.
Heavy assault tank. Developed on the basis of the KV-1 in January 1940, with a total of 334 vehicles manufactured from 1940 through 1941. The KV-2 tanks were used in action in 1941, with most of the vehicles lost the same year.
Combining exceptional firepower with a relatively cumbersome, poorly-armored, and slow platform, the KV-2 is one of the most unique and fun tanks in the game. With its 152 mm howitzer, it is a dangerous opponent against anything it is likely to face, dealing heavy damage or crippling modules of even heavily armored tanks using its powerful high explosive rounds. However, it is itself quite vulnerable to most guns it is likely to face, and has its own weaknesses to balance.
The KV-2 leads to the SU-152.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Guns
| Tier | Gun | Penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Rate of fire (rounds/minute) |
Dispersion (m/100m) |
Aiming time (s) |
Weight (kg) |
Price (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | 107 mm ZiS-6 | 167/219/54 | 300/300/360 | 6.19 | 0.45 | 3.4 | 2400 | 68290 | |
| V | 122 mm U-11 | 61/140 | 450/370 | 5.45 | 0.57 | 2.9 | 1600 | 45920 | |
| VI | 152 mm M-10 | 110/136/86 | 700/700/910 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 2300 | 60000 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV | M-17T | 500 | 20 | 610 | 13460 | |
| VI | V-5 | 640 | 15 | 750 | 27860 | |
| VI | V-2K | 500 | 15 | 750 | 23050 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV | KV-2 mod. 1940 | 56.8 | 16 | B/2 | 10600 | 4020 | |
| VI | KV-2 mod. 1941 | 60.8 | 20 | B/2 | 10600 | 15900 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | 10R | 360 | 100 | 3660 | |
| VII | 10RK | 440 | 100 | 18600 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- 152mm HE can one-shot, do massive damage, cripple multiple modules and damage through any armour. Near misses damage, too.
- HE shell has high penetration (86) for its type, can fully penetrate surprisingly many targets.
- While overall armor is mediocre, the side armor is relatively thick and can be used to bait shots.
- Useful against ANY tier enemies; lower and same tier tanks can be 1-shotted, higher ones crippled.
- Sniping stationary or slow targets works with HE, since you only need to hit (anywhere) to do damage.
- Despite its hard stats, the gun tends to hit often without fully aiming, even when snapshotting (guided by the hand of Stalin)
- Fear factor: Nobody wants to be the first around a corner if they know a locked and loaded KV-2 is waiting for them!
- It can be used to shift USSR research line from IS line to KV line and SPGs line.
- 152 mm caliber means that AP shells can overmatch a whopping 50 mm of armor, which is a common thickness at tiers 4-6
- HE shells are cheap in comparison with the average damage they do, so this tank can earn nice credits if played right
- Very fun and deadly vehicle to play, especially in well-coordinated platoons
Cons:
- Weak overall armor, with huge and soft turret
- Agonizingly slow reload (approx. 20 sec) and long aim time
- Very tall silhouette; easy to hit, but hard to hide
- Bad gun depression
- Bad camo and view range, gets easily spotted
- Fear factor: gets focused often by artillery and other tanks due to soft armor but dangerous gun
- Poor AP penetration on 152mm, only useful against lower tiers
- Slow shell velocity on 152mm, hitting moving targets at range is very hard
- Slow turret and hull traverse, with mediocre overall mobility
- Fuel tanks get damaged very easily, and often catch fire as a result
Performance
The KV-2 remains among the most fun tanks to play in the game. It was the undisputed king of "derp" for a long time, but starting patch 9.10, a bigger tank with a similar gun, the O-I, has challenged it to the title. The title is still being disputed, with fights between both tanks often. In the hands of a skilled player, it's a vehicle to be feared of by all tiers that come across it. It can be a difficult tank to take advantage of to the new players. It has a very tall profile, a huge turret and the hull and armor rating of the KV-1, which makes bouncing shots from many other tanks very hard. However, clever use of side scraping and angling of the square turret when not taking shots can enhance the armor enough to bounce the odd shell. Some players may want to use the 107mm which has consistent penetration, decent alpha and a good rate of fire. However, this gun is much better suited to T-150 which has better armor, and it feels like a waste on this tank.
Which brings us to the excellent 152mm, and the reason why people go out of their way to research and purchase this tank. It has similar damage to many tier X (!!!) 150mm guns when they use HE (that's why it is sometimes called "the best tier X of tier six"). For example, it has similar HE damage and penetration to 60TP and E100 and even higher damage than 705A (all of which are tier X heavies!!), so this can be used favourably to a great extent, even when bottom tier.
The AP penetration is weedy (110/136), meaning you'll have to aim for weak spots and be reasonably close to punch through enemy tanks, or use it only when you are top tier, so you can overmatch armor for full damage regardless of impact angle. But in general, HE shells are much better allround option, as just hitting a tank will cause considerable damage even if the shot does not fully penetrate, regardless of tier. A non-penetrating shot yields 330 dmg on average, but this is massively inconsistent and depends hugely on the thickness of armor at the point of impact. The mantle of the T29, for example, will probably only do around 80hp, so it is still a good idea to aim for weaker parts if you have such opportunity. With 86mm of penetration for the HE, going through the sides and rears of enemy tanks is pretty easy. You can one-shot an enemy KV-2 with ease, even frontally, if you know where to aim. Try to avoid spaced armor and tracks if you want to guarantee the full 910HP average damage.
A good hit with HE will not only remove a huge chunk of hit points; it will also kill crew and damage multiple modules of any tank, if it doesn't outright kill them in 1 shot. Interestingly enough, using HE in the 152mm also turns the KV-2 into a great tank for just hurling shells downrange where enemies commonly peek out (similar to artillery); do not be surprised if you actually manage to blindly one-shot opponents in this manner.
Once you've fired, find some cover as you need to wait roughly 20 seconds for your gun to reload. You'll be extremely vulnerable at this point and the enemy knows this, so make use of hard cover and/or your teammates while you reload. Never go alone in this tank, as you can and will quickly get swarmed immediately after you take a shot. Try to avoid facehugging the enemy because your turret is tall and quite soft; you may not be able to gain the depression required to hit the softer parts of their tanks, and your HE will also damage yourself in point-blank range.
Avoid open ground unless you know its clear, the KV-2 will be easily spotted and quickly destroyed. It is a pure city fighter with bad view range. Play this tank wisely and you will be able to contribute to the victory of your team against virtually any enemy you encounter.
In Update 1.13, the KV-2 received some minor buffs to compensate for the HE changes: Aim time from 4 -> 3.8 (3.84 -> 3.64) Soft stats on gun handling from 0.27/0.27/0.15 -> 0.25/0.25/0.14 Engine power from 600 -> 640 (pw/t from 11.32 -> 12.08) In essence, due to reduced firepower, the KV-2 now moves and aims a little bit faster.
Early Research
The 10RK radio and V2-K engine are already researched from the KV-1. Research the 152mm first because the stock suspension and turret allow for the cannon to be mounted. After that, get the turret for better view range, hit points and traverse speed. The engine should follow for a boost in power and finally the tracks to ensure your you can turn a little better.
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
During the Battle of Raseiniai (23–27 June 1941)German forces encountered a unit equipped with the Soviet KV heavy tanks for the first time. The Germans' Panzer 35(t) tanks and antitank weapons were practically ineffective against the Soviet heavy tanks—some of them were out of ammunition, but closed with and destroyed German antitank guns by literally driving over them. Attempts to destroy these armoured giants concentrated on first immobilising them by firing at their tracks and then by tackling them with artillery, AA Guns, or by blowing them up at close range by high explosive charges of the Sticky Bomb type
On June 24, a single KV-2 heavy tank, at a crossroads in front of Raseiniai, managed to cut off elements of the 6th Panzer Division which had established bridgeheads on the Dubysa. It stalled the Division's advance for a full day while being attacked by a variety of antitank weapons, until it finally ran out of ammunition.
When production shifted to the Ural Mountains 'Tankograd' complex, the KV-2 was dropped. While impressive on paper, it had been designed as a slow-moving bunker-buster. It was less useful in highly mobile, fluid warfare that developed in World War II. The turret was so heavy it was difficult to traverse on uneven terrain. Finally, it was expensive to produce. Only about 300 KV-2s were made, all in 1940-41.
Variants:
Designation of the two models varies between sources and can be confusing. The earlier model of the KV-2 had a turret with a sloped front with rivets and only featured one DT machine gun in a hull mount. It weighed 53.8 tons, and was the lesser produced model. In German sources, this variant is referred to as the KW-II. This model is sometimes erroneously called the KV-2 M1939 or KV-2 M1940. The turret is often wrongly called the MT-1, but that is the designation of the gun mount, not the turret. Sometimes the MT-10 designation is also wrongly used for the turret, and this seems like a mix of the mount name and the gun name (MT-1 + M-10). The turret was actually simply called “big turret” (большой башней).
The later variant of the KV-2 featured the more common and boxy turret, featuring a second DT machine gun in a rear mount, and an improved rear turret hatch that made resupplying ammunition easier. The armor was kept the same, but thanks to the removal of the angled turret front, it had a much roomier crew turret, meaning that working conditions were better for the crew, especially the loaders. In German sources, this variant is referred to as the KW-2B or KW-IIB. It is sometimes wrongly designated as the KV-2A, KV-2 M1940, KV-2 M1941 or KV-2B. The turret is often erroneously called the MT-2, seemingly as a progression over the wrong MT-1 designation of the previous turret. The turret was also simply called “reduced turret” (пониженная башня).
Very few early production models were fitted with the 122 mm (4.8 in) 1938 L/22.7 howitzer fitted to the earlier turret. The number produced is unknown, but were very limited before they were upgunned with the 152 mm (5.98 in) howitzer.
An unknown number of KV-2s were captured by the Wehrmacht. They were sent to Berlin for tests before they were fitted with a new commander’s cupola and sent back to the front line. These were designated (Sturm)Panzerkampfwagen KV-II 754(r) and were often used for artillery observation due to their height.
Perhaps the most interesting variant was a KV-2 armed with a 107 mm (4.21 in) gun. This was during a time when the superheavy tank concept was still being considered by Soviet leadership. There were no plans to serially produce a KV-2 with a 107 mm gun. Instead, just before the Siege of Leningrad, a KV-2 with a 107 mm gun was made and sent for fire testing in March, 1941. The 107 mm gun was going to be mounted on vehicles such as the KV-3, KV-4, and KV-5, but none of these projects left the drawing board as a result of the Siege of Leningrad. All 107 mm guns were destroyed and work on superheavy tanks was stopped.
Historical Gallery
Historical Accuracy Errata
The 122 mm U-11 was never used by the KV-2 as the gun was developed after most were destroyed, captured or phased out. However, some early KV-2's were equipped with the 122 mm 1938 L/22.7 howitzer, though they were upgunned to the 152 mm howitzer.
- Early KV-2's were equipped with the unavailable 152 mm 1938/1940 L20 Howitzer.
- The top speed of the KV-2 was only 25 km/h on road and 12 km/h off road.
- The KV-2's turret could only traverse on relatively flat ground.
- Although there were plans for a new turret that featured -7°, it was never built and the second turret featured -5° just like the first
- The KV-2 was only equipped with the 500 hp diesel engine. The other engine configurations are fake.
