Tank ROF, was Re: DS2 Balance

Ndege Diamond wrote:

>
> The extra shots are interesting.  I will have to try that next time I
play
> DS.  Does anyone have any information as to if this is borne out in
real
> life?  Is the ROF of a M1A2 double that of a comparible WWII tank?

Well, first of all, there IS NO WWII tank even remotely comparable to an
M1A2. :)

But to answer your quesion, an M1A2 can sustain about 6RPM from the main
gun,
constrained primarily by the loading cycle (for all of 3 min., BTW, then
it's a
20+ min back-breaking chore to hand-transfer 120mm ammo, @85lbs per,
from the
Semi-Ready to the Ready rack, after which your loader will be so tired
you won't
be getting 6RPM any more, if you're still alive).  A '43-era Sherman
might have a
slightly lower ROF, constrained not by the loading cycle (a strong
loader could
load the 75mm main gun with one hand), but by target acquisition (Mk-1
Eyeball
ruled the day...no Independant Thermal Viewer in Scan mode with
Auto-Target Lock
to help find the enemy).  However, it should be noted that over 50% of
the 75mm
rounds fired by Shermans in combat bounced right off German armor, right
up until
limited #s of the tank were upgraded to HV 90mms in '44.  With the 120mm
Rheinmetall on the Abrams, it's typically "one hit/one kill."  The
Sherman 75mm
did sport 120 rounds in the Ready rack, tho.

--Rich Spainhour