sabato 30 marzo 2013

VK 7201 - Pasholok, history and why WG made a tier X Lowe

As EU Supertest has been closed I do not consider myself in conflict of interest with WG's NDA and this does not involve supertest leaks.

Rather, this is an invitation for WG to follow up on a supertest discussion about VK 7201.

Following a WG supertest tradition when it comes about discussing tanks in history, I shall post Pasholok's invitation sign:


Now, what is VK 7201?

TL:DR section on the bottom

Pasholok claims it's a 72 ton tank project stretched up to 120 tons based on these sources (provided by himself):


(special panzer variants, by Spielberger)


(Panzer Tracts 6-3, by Jentz & Doyle)

Now, if you search for VK 7201 what you will get is AchtungPanzer's page about the Lowe, where they claim this to be the Leichter Lowe model.
Being myself a history buff and a tank lover, I started a topic in supertest asking about potential inaccuracies with the tank stats, as it sported E-100s cannon and it could not penetrate itself, despite Lowe's specs topping at 140mm frontal armor:





Pasholok answer through another dev was the pics above and the statement that VK 7201 was not the Lowe.
As I was not fully convinced by the informations above, I asked a friend that owned "special panzer variants" to dig some more info and he kindly sent me the following:



In answer to this, Pasholok replied that Spielberger got confused and Jentz was the only reliable source.
The answer was baffling, especially as Jentz himself states that model is the Lowe!



In face of this evidence, I suggested consulting Doyle, the last available expert on the matter.
Pasholok cut communications saying I was wrong and nothing more.

I kept digging Panzer Tracts 6-3 (the mentioned "only reliable source") and aside from the vague referral to a 72 ton tank project being replaced by a 100 ton tank project there is no single mention of a VK 7201.
As stats were leaked, I tried digging for the armor numbers, and found out that those were cherry picked from another tank development: VK 100.01, aka the Maus specifications.

TL:DR

Basically, WG wanted a german tier X heavy tank and failing to find one they did "the next best thing": they made it up from very vague specs, E-50M style.
Ironically, they ruined an income opportunity for themselves (this could have been a very nice premium tank or used somewhere in the tech tree) and missed a much less controversial choice: Krupp Tiger-Maus design, the very first E-100 design that involved Tiger style suspensions,  a 15cm gun and a Maus-like turret:



Sure, it would have been a lot less original but at least historically accurate.

Your turn, WG.

2 commenti:

  1. I don't know about a premium tank. I wouldn't by the FailLowe in any form. Who wants a rear mounted turret?

    RispondiElimina
  2. Well, take into account that this blog talks a lot more from an historical perspective.

    If WG took the Tiger Maus design (which was rear turreted as well) I wouldn't have objected at all, as specs are more or less available.

    RispondiElimina