mini_bolo wrote:Are we still talking about tank choice with 10:1 odds? If so, I have a couple.
I'd take ten M10 GMCs* against a Tiger I. Location can be just about anywhere besides a mudflat, although ideally in open, hilly country. Reason for my choice? The M10's 76mm gun was surprisingly good at cracking Tigers. Sure the M10's turret had to be manually cranked around, but the gun depression and the overall speed of the M10 meant that it was rather easy for a small group of them to flank and destroy even the toughest opponents. Besides, you never said which side of the 10:1 odds we had to be on
Alternatively, I'd take a Char B1 bis vs. anything the Germans can throw at me in early 1940. Location: Somewhere in France. Reason for choice? 60mm of armor, a 75mm howitzer, and a 47mm gun. If the Germans are lucky they'll have a few Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs to throw at me. The Panzer III at the time mounted a 37mm gun in a body clad in 30mm of armor. The Panzer IV had the same armor thickness, but used a 75mm howitzer. But the Germans didn't have that many Panzer IIIs or IVs available during the invasion of France. In all likelihood the only things my bis would run up against would be Panzer IIs, Czech LT vz. 35s, and Czech LT vz 38s.
*Don't give me that crap about it being a Tank Destroyer. It mounts a gun in a fully rotating turret on a tracked chassis. It's a tank, no matter what the people at the time called it.
The only way an M10 does any damage to a Tiger is with an HVAP round and I do believe this needs to be close proximity, you can't cross 3000 meters that quickly. with a thin skin like the M10 you would need 20 to 1 odds unless i drive my Tiger into a trap. With that open turret I would just lob grenades at you. seriosly you would be better off in a tight forest or something, Open ground favours the Tiger too much.
Nuff said about the Char. there was a reason France was over run in what a week?