Translated by Alex. Thanks!
Q: What can you tell us about the M4/FL10 and Waffentrager Leopard? Is it possible to introduce them in to the game?
A: The M4/FL10 is being looked at as a potential candidate to be introduced, there are no problems with the machine, but the main question is where do we put it? There is no certainty about an Arabian crew. Regarding the Waffentrager Leopard, this machine never existed. There was a 105mm SPG project based on it and work got to a full size wooden mock up, but our feelings towards premium artillery aren’t enthusiastic. There are also real projects that reached the prototyping stages.
Q: Is there a possibility of a super-heavy tank branch for the Soviets, like the Japanese? Like the T-39 or T-100Z?
A: A super-heavy branch is unlikely, but a heavy branch has some possibilities.
Q: Did the T-34-85 ever carry a 100mm gun historically?
A: Yes, in 1945 they managed to fit a 100mm gun in the T-34-85 turret, but the design struggled.
Q: How many hulls did the T-44 have, and which was the most armoured?
A: Minimum 3. The hull that was put in to serial production was the most protected.
Q: Were there any tank destroyers based on the T-28 chassis?
A: No, by the end of the ’30s the T-28 was obsolete.
Q: Were there any projects on the KV chassis other than the KV-7 and SU-152?
A: My favourite, the U-19 armed with the 203mm B-4. Otherwise I wrote a whole book about them.
Q: Did any research projects exist that used the M-34 aircraft engine?
A: T-100 and SMK.
Q: Does the in-game IS-6 have a historical top speed?
A: This question goes to the balance department!
Q: What do you think about an E-25 with a 88mm gun?
A: The hamster will burst. (In other words, fake/not possible)
Q: Where did the Grille 15 come from, didn’t the schematics show us something resembling a GW Panther?
A: In reality, the name GW Panther is provisional, some of the variants on that chassis were named like the Grille 15. The GW Tiger was called Grille 17.
Q: Are there any machines left to add new MT branches to existing nations?
A: There are some possibilities but not Soviet.
Q: Are there any machines left to add new LT branches to existing nations?
A: There are also some possibilities but it’s too early to tell.
Q: In Company of Heros 2, the ISU-152 has concrete-piercing rounds. In WoT they’re called armour-piercing, or does it have both types of rounds?
A: A general greeting to the CoH consultants, that’s all I can say. The armour-piercing rounds for the ML-20S were developed in 1943 and that’s when they went in to service.
Q: What are your comments on the fact that, in-game, the SP. IC has a mass of 9+ton, but IRL, it has a mass of less than 7ton?
A: …And again the question goes to the balance department!
Q: What is the most unusual super-heavy tank project you’ve seen? What country did it come from, and do we need such machine in the game?
A: In Kazakhstan there was a proposal for a 14,000 ton vibro-tank (it moved using vibration), made of steel reinforced concrete. Are you sure you need this in Randoms?
Q: Why does the T-34s ZiS-2 have 112mm of penetration, measured at 90 degrees, but the Pz.Kpfw. IIIs KwK39/L60 have 67mm of penetration, measured at 30 degrees? Because at 90 degrees and 100 meters the KwK39 L/60 should have 90-98mm of penetration. What are the reasons for using penetration measurements taken at different angles?
A: Again, the question goes to the balance department.
Q: What can you say about the replacement of the FV215b? How is the Super Conqueror better or worse than the Chieftain?
A: For example, the Chieftain isn’t classified as a heavy tank.
Q: Is there enough tanks for an alternative MT branch for the Americans? The Patton III is a great tank but a bit of a barn. Is there anything smaller?
A: There aren’t enough tanks.
Q: Is the T-84 concept by P.P. Vasilyev a fake or were there schematics? In my opinion it seems like it would fit as a replacement for the Obj. 430 since the concept continues the branch (rear turret MT).
A: I don’t think it will pull up to a tier 10. What for anyway?
Q: Is the game model of the T110E5 historical? Because on the schematics the front plates were flat and highly angled, but in-game they are rounded, and there was a different gun mantlet.
A: What’s historical about paper drawings and a mock up? To be honest, I wouldn’t want to get in to a discussion about the historicity of the whole concept.
Q: In your livejournal you mentioned that the T110 project had near 10 variants, we only have 3 in-game. Is the introduction of the rest a reality, as alternatives or separate branches from tier 8?
A: There’s no sense in doing that.
Q: You’ve talked before about replacing the T28 at tier 8, because technically the tier 8 and 9 are the same machine. What projects are there to replace it, since the T28 HTC is already in the game?
A: We’ve found and counted up 6 variants of the T28/T95.
Q: The British have development concepts for 3 tank series, FV300 (light), FV200 (medium-heavy) and FV100 (super-heavy). What is known about 300 and 100 series projects? We only have one 300 series project (an arty) and no 100 series projects.
A: We are thinking about 300 series. Nothing about 100s at the moment.
Q: What is your personal opinion about the T-14 Armata?
A: If it going into serial production then we will have something to talk about, nothing to talk about for now. And yeah, Norinco knows the sense in crew hatches, I saw myself in Paris.
Q: There have been mentions of mounting a BL-10 in an IS-7, is this truth or a fake concept?
A: Not BL-10 152mm but BL-13 122mm, and also there was an Obj. 705A with a M51 152mm gun.
Q: Were there real plans to mount a 10.5cm Pak L/52 on the JagdPanther?
A: That was a balance decision.
Q:Which classes of tanks could we expect, apart from MTs, in the Czechoslovakian tree?
A: Apart from HTs, the other classes fill up adequately.
Q: Is it legal to give the 150mm gun of the Grille 15 an accuracy of 0.268? It works out to the caliber of the round is 1.5 times smaller than the spread of the weapon, and how was such a powerful and heavy gun stabilised?
A: You definitely want to talk about realism in a game about tanks?
Q: Are there any TDs or SPGs on the basis of the T-54/T-55 other than the SU-122-54 (D-49 gun) or SU-122-54 (M-62 gun planned)?
A: Personally, I haven’t seen any.
Q: In-game there is the SU-122-44 with a 122mm D-25, were there any plans to mount a D-10T?
A: Work didn’t go past a concept, and no discussions about other guns.
Q: Are you consulted about historical battles, opreations, etc?
A: They ask – I consult.
Q: The SU-100 had a variant that mounted a D-25T, and it seems like this system went well during testing – how come this machine was refused?
A: Because it didn’t actually go that well.
Q: Yuri, were there any Waffentrager projects on the Tiger chassis, I or II?
A: Grille 17.
Q: How many actual concepts were spawned from the American T95 medium tank chassis?
A: I honestly haven’t counted. For those that want to count I recommend reading works by Richard Hunnicutt.
Q: How do you feel about the T-34-100 being in the Czech tree?
A: What’s the problem? It’s a completely different machine compared to the one developed here.
Q: How temperamental was the T-64 engine?
A: There are very opposing views on this topic.
Q: Why did the USSR reject the Obj. 416? Was it too difficult to manufacture or there are other causes?
A: It’s really a TD, but Morozov made a kind of tank, it’s strange and something simpler was required.
Q: In terms of general characteristics, what is better – T-10M or IS-7?
A: Shashmurin thought the T-10, as a simplified realisation of the Obj. 260.
Q: Did the GW E100 exist in reality? Did it have any other guns in project stages? Can WG change the gun to something else?
A: The only project on the E-100 chassis was an assault SPG. I hope the answer to the question is understood.
Q: What projects do you know of on the T-100 chassis?
A: T-100H – The first SPG project based on the T-100.
T-100U – SPG, constructed in metal.
T-100Z – T-100 with a new turret and 152mm field gun M-10. The turret was made and installed in a bunker.
T-103 – Coastal defence tank with 130mm gun.
Q: Last time there was a question about a 120mm gun on the Lorraine 40t – they must of been talking about this (pic: imagine Foch on Lorraine chassis) can you tell us about it?
A: There is not much to tell here. They built it, tested it, didn’t like it. Potentially there’s no issues with making this tank, we know the base. The question is about protection, this isn’t a Foch.
Q: What TDs and SPGs are there based on the T-62?
A: T-62 is a TD, technically a simplified version of the IT-1.
At the beginning, “Object 166” was being developed as a new medium tank, with plans to develop/test it between 1959-1960 and put in to serial production in 1961. But in February of 1959 the topic changed to “… tank destroyer with a new, powerful, smooth-bore gun, with dual plane stabilisation, using the new ‘Molot’ and ‘Rapira’ guns”. There were plans to build 50 “Object 166” TDs.
