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 |
r/m ▲
5.45 r/m Standard Gun ▲
6.19 Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
▲
Standard Gun ▼
2452.5 Standard Gun
▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
1857 Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
m ▲
0.57 m With 50% Crew: 0.706 m ▲
0.45 Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.557 m |
s 2.9 s 3.4 Aim time |
1417 deg/s Turret Traverse |
360° Gun Arc |
-5°/+18°-7°/+18° Elevation Arc |
9550 rounds Ammo Capacity |
2015 % Chance of Fire |
m 320 m 330 View Range |
m 360 m 440 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 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
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 |
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 |
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 shells has high penetration (86) for its type, can penetrate surprisingly many targets
- While overall armor is mediocre, the side armor is relatively thick and can be used to bait shots.
- The 107mm has a higher rate of fire than the identical gun on the T-150 and will catch enemies by surprise expecting the 152mm.
- Useful against any tier enemies - Lower and same tier tanks can be 1-shotted, higher ones crippled. Sniping works as hitting enemies is enough, though hitting moving targets at long ranges can be very hard
- Fear factor: Few enemies want to be 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 whopping 50 mm armor, which is common thickness in tier 4-6
Cons:
- Overall armor is poor for tier 6; effectively same as KV-1 tier higher expect has much bigger and much weaker turret armor.
- Long reload and aim time, slow shell velocity on 152mm - Enemies often try to swarm you after you fire
- Slow turret and hull traverse and very tall silhouette combined with poor reload makes KV-2 extremely vulnerable when left alone and while reloading
- 107mm lacks the damage of the 152mm, therefore many tanks will charge you, which doesn't happen often with 152mm, and generally KV-2 equipped with 107 mm is inferior to T-150
- Poor AP penetration on 152mm - 110mm with only 136mm on premium
- Like all KV-serie heavies, fuel tanks gets damaged very easily which means KV-2 will often catch fire
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 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 difficult to say the least. 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, it seems wasted on this tank when the T-150 can mount the same gun and has much better armor.
Which brings us onto the excellent 152mm, and the reason why people go out of their way to research and purchase this tank. It has the second highest alpha damage (except artillery) of its tier. In fact, it has similar damage to many artillery of the same tier, but with much better accuracy and aim time. However the penetration is weedy with the AP shells (110/136), meaning you'll have to aim for weak spots and be reasonably close to punch through enemy tanks. This makes the use of HE a good option, as just hitting a tank will cause considerable damage even if the shot does not penetrate. A non penetrating shot yields on average a 330 roll, 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. With 86mm of penetration for the HE, going through the sides and rears of enemy tanks is pretty easy. Try to avoid spaced armor and tracks if you want to guarantee the full 910HP average damage, a good hit will remove more than half of the hit points kill crew and damage multiple modules of any tank if it doesn't just out right kill them. Interestingly enough, using HE in the 152mm turns the KV-2 into a great tank for just hurling shells downrange where enemies commonly peek out, and often, this means that in a way the KV-2 can transform itself into an arty with just a change of ammunition type, if top tier when doing this, do not be surprised if you actually manage to blindly one-shot an opponent in this manner.
Once you've fired find some cover as you wait roughly 20 seconds for your gun to reload. You'll be largely vulnerable at this point and the enemy knows this, so use your teammates to cover for you while you reload. The long reload is annoying, but worth it. It's important to make sure you place your shots well as you may not get another opportunity.
Try to avoid getting to close to the enemy as your turret is tall and you may not be able to gain the depression required to hit the softer parts of their tanks.
Avoid open ground unless you know its clear, the KV-2 will be easily spotted and due to its size easily hit. It is a city fighter and the view range is poor. Play this tank wisely and you can punch through enemy tanks and help your team to victory.
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.