By SovietTenkDestroyer and Seb
Hello! We have some Romanian tank destroyers that can make it into the game. Romania was an unspoken ally probably because they were not part of Tripartite Pact like Italy and Imperial Japan. While they didn’t make a lot of tanks, they started gaining grounds towards the end of the war where German and Romanian industries started cooperating more and more, such as the Mareșal tank which they wanted to make a SPAA platform using a 37mm AA gun and co-producing the tank with the Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer by using German equipment. None of this became reality because Romania switched sides late in the war. This will not be it’s own tree because of the lack of tanks, instead it will be a part of the German tree with it’s own emblems and camouflage to accommodate the German tank destroyer tree. Too many non-German tanks that are part of the tree are plagued by panzer gray base colors and German emblems such as the Toldi, Panzer 58, and possibly the Turan. Just to be clear, I want a complete tech tree to come first such as the possible Swedish tree which could come very, very soon (Seb on the other hand is against it and promotes the glorious unified EU tree). Most of these tank destroyers are lightly armored and have powerful guns for their tiers, nothing really insane, but just pretty good. My past reworks were done for my own enjoyment, which have a very little chance of ever being implemented, but I hope I can implement this proposal.
Some of this may be inaccurate and may change in the future, including vehicles. Hopefully, accuracy will improve in the future or I’m already accurate historicity-wise. Some things will change or be added.
Insignias/Emblems, Base Color(s), and Camouflage
Base Color(s):
First off, there are a couple of base colors for these. The TACAM tank destroyers usually used the olive drab green, French export tanks used French Army green (Similar to the olive drab green), and German export tanks used panzer grey early in the war and dunkelgelb on the later German tanks. From tier 3 to 5, they will have an olive drab color while the tier 2 tank will have the French Army green. Here are some pictures.
French Army Green/Olive Drab Green
Panzer Gray
Dunkelgelb (Not being implemented)
Insignias/Emblems:
The Romanians have some main emblems that can make it into the game. Three in particular, they are Michael I’s Cross, Romanian roundel, and a white circle with a star that was used after the defection of Romania. The most interesting, in my opinion, are the Romanian roundel and the Michael I’s cross. The Romanian roundel is similar to the French insignia with red and yellow on the outer layers and it was used on R-1 tanks either on the top of the tank or the sides or even both. The colorful Michael I’s cross and the Romanian roundel were used on top of the tank for making it easier for aircraft to identify who they’re targeting. The less colorful Michael I’s cross is just white and was usually used on the side of the tank. Other insignias include St. George killing a dragon, Mickey Mouse killing a dragon (Cannot enter the game for copyright reasons RIP), unit identification numbers, inscriptions of names, etc. These insignias can also be applied to many German tanks such as the StuG III, Pz. IV, Jagdpanzer IV, Pz. 35t and 38t, Pz. III, etc.
Romanian Roundel
Michael I’s Cross
Post-defection identification star
Camouflage:
The Romanians usually kept their tanks the same color as they have recieved them. Their TACAM tanks were kept the olive drab color green and their German tanks were kept their panzer grey color and dunkelgelb. However, they do have a couple of camouflages. These camouflages are from the Germans and French. The camouflages I’m going to show you might not be actual Romanian camouflages, but information on Romanian camouflages is pretty sparse. So these are what I could find. If you can find any others, please share. They would have most likely implemented hastly made winter camo or German camo.
None of these stats are set in stone, but the real life specs came from only one book. They may or may not be accurate.
Tier 2: Vânătorul De Care R-35
After the invasion of Odessa, the 2nd Armoured Regiment, which was primarily made of R-35s, sent back their R-35 tanks back to Romanian factories in October, 1941. Drive sprockets, road wheels, track links, drive shafts, cylinder heads, and various other parts were exchanged with domestic versions of them. This probably improved the life span and/or improved the reliability of these tanks with custom parts. Other upgrades proposed exchanging the armament and the turret. They proposed exchanging the turret for the T-26’s turret and the 37mm M1916 with either the 45mm 20K or the 47mm Schneider AT gun.
Which can be added as a turret upgrade with less armor but more gun handling. In the end, they ended up mounting the 45mm 20K on the R-35 turret in a similar fashion to the BT-7 and T-26 tanks. This made the turret cramped and there was not a lot of room left for the ZB-53 co-axial machine gun since it was already too cramped. The downside of this, is that it carried less ammunition. By June of 1944, thirty of these vehicles were completed and sent back to the 2nd Armored Regiment. Even though it doesn’t seem like a tank destroyer, the sole purpose for the 45mm 20k upgrade was to be used as an anti-tank platform to take out enemy Soviet tanks. Plus, the Romanians and the book that I got the information from call it a tank destroyer. It will play very much the same as the current R-35, but a little bit better. Decent armor, slow speed, and a pretty good gun for tier 2. Some nerfs will have to happen in other areas (or not).
Real life specs:
Armament: 37mm APX SA18 and 45mm 20K
Engine(s): Renault V4 4-cylinder 82 hp
Armor: 40/40/32
Turret armor: 40/40/40
Crew: 2
Weight: 11.7 tonnes
Horsepower per tonne: 7 hp/t
Speed: 20 kp/h
Elevation/Depression: -8/+25
In-game stats
Health points: 155 (140 stock)
Weight: 11.7 tonnes (Or less because of the T-26 turret)
Speed: 20 kp/h
Engine: 82 hp
Power-to-weight: 7 hp/t
Hull traverse: 24
Turret traverse: 34
Viewrange: 310
Hull armor: 40/40/32
Turret armor: 40/40/40 or 15/15/15 (T-26 turret)
Gun: 45mm 20K
DPM: 890 (930)
Penetration: 51/88/23
Damage: 47/47/62
Aimtime: 2.3 (2)
Accuracy: 0.46
Depression: -8/+25
Tier 3: TACAM T-60A
When the Romanians first encountered tanks such as the KV-1 and the T-34, they found it arduous to knock out these tanks. They realized they had no tank or anti-tank gun that was capable of taking these tanks out nor did the Germans want to send any tanks/anti-tank guns to Romania because they were going to need them. Ion Antonescu proposed a solution, this solution was to copy the T-34, but it was found too hard for the Romanian industry to replicate this tank. They had many captured Soviet tanks and anti-tank guns laying around so they retrofitted some 76mm M1936 guns with more safety and the ability to be mounted on a T-60 chassis. Seventeen of these vehicles were sent to the 1st Armored Regiment to be trained in and another seventeen were ready by 1943. All thirty-four of these vehicles were given to the 1st Armored Division which was in the stage of repair; sixteen to the 1st Armored Regiment, and eighteen to the 2nd Armored Regiment, these groups made up the 61st and 62nd TACAM Companies. The penetration is adequate for it’s tier. It will have bad to meh acceleration, decent to good gun stats, paper armor, great DPM and a sufficient top speed. Definitely, the weakest link in the small mini-branch.
Real life specs:
Armament: 76mm M1936 (ZiS-3)
Engine(s): GAZ 202 70-80 hp (Fargo F.H.2. engine)
Armor: 35/15/25
Shield armor: 15mm
Crew: 3
Weight: 9 tonnes
Horsepower per tonne: 7.77-8.88 hp/t
Speed: 32-40 kp/h (Depends on the roadwheels)
Elevation/Depression: -5/+8
Gun traverse: 32 degrees
In-game stats
Health points: 180
Weight: 9 tonnes
Speed: 32-40 kp/h
Engine: 70-80 hp
Power-to-weight: 7.77-8.88 hp/t
Hull traverse:
Viewrange: 310
Hull armor: 35/15/25
Shield armor: 15mm
Gun: 76mm M1936 (ZiS-3)
DPM: 1650
Penetration: 78/120/38
Damage: 110/110/156
Aimtime: 2.1
Accuracy: 0.39
Depression: -5/+8
Tier 4: TACAM R-2
After the poor performance of R-2 tanks (Pz. 35t) against the Soviets in Stalingrad, it was clear that they were still needed even if the performance was abysmal. In December 1942, a project led by Constantin Ghiulai was started to upgun the outdated R-2 tanks to mount a 76mm M1936 with a casemate that was made out of BT-7s and T-26s. It was capable of penetrating a T-34 from a range of 500-600 meters with Romanian-made ammunition that was similar in performance to Soviet ammunition. This 76mm is the same stock gun that was present on the SU-76M (ZiS-3) at tier 3 and the same gun as on the TACAM T-60. So if this gun is weak, why is it proposed at tier 4? The reason for this is that the 76mm M1936 was replaced with a new 76mm M1941 (F-34), which was better in overall performance. After twenty of these vehicles were built, it was decided to not produce them anymore until they could upgrade the armament. The armament that was proposed was a 75mm Reșița M1943 AT gun and a German 8,8cm gun (Most likely the L/56). The 75mm Reșița AT gun was a very capable gun with 100mm of penetration at 500 meters angled at 30 degrees. So I’m estimating the penetration to be about 130mm at 100 meters. The gun incorporated features from the PaK 40 and the M1936 Vickers AA which made a good combination. Anyways, the tank saw service defending Bucharest and Ploiești from the Soviets (or failing to, because the Soviets won). All twenty were knocked out, but one survived and is now sitting in the Muzeul Militar Național in Bucharest, Romania. The tank itself is not that good, but armament-wise it will be excellent. The 76mm M1936 will be the stock gun and you can choose between the 8,8cm Flak 37 if more information comes up or the 75mm Reșița AT gun.
The 75mm will perform very good while the 8,8cm Flak 37 will have less DPM and worse gun performance. Overall this is a decently fast, low HP/T, paper armor, glass cannon.
Real life specs:
Armament: 76mm M1936 (ZiS-3), 76mm M1941 (F-34), 75mm Reșița M1943 AT gun, and 8,8cm Flak 37 (Possible, with modifications but not confirmed)
Penetration: 100mm at 500 meters angled 30 degrees (75mm Reșița M1943 AT gun)
Engine(s): Skoda 125 hp 6-cylinder engine
Armor: 25/16/16
Shield armor: 10-17mm
Crew: 3
Weight: 12 tonnes
Horsepower per tonne: 10.42
Speed: 25-30 kp/h
Elevation/Depression: -5/+15
Gun traverse: 30 degrees
In-game stats
Health points: 270
Weight: 12 tonnes
Speed: 30 kp/h
Engine: 125
Power-to-weight: 10.4
Hull traverse: 34
Viewrange: 320
Hull armor: 25/16/16
Shield armor: 10-17
Gun: 75mm Reșița M1943 AT gun (DT-UDR)
DPM: 1900
Penetration: 130-140ish
Damage: 120/120/170
Aimtime: 2.3
Accuracy: 0.37
Depression: -5/+15
Tier 5: Mareșal M-05 or M-06
During mid-World War II, Antonescu believed the shortages of equipment could be made up with a light tank destroyer that the Romanian industry could produce. This tank was the Mareșal tank which translates into ‘Marshall’. The tank could mount a 75mm Reșița AT gun which was capable and a Soviet 122mm M1910/30. The first prototypes were made on a T-60 chassis which was the M-00 to M-03, they were armed with a Soviet 122mm 1910/30 while the Mareșal M-04, M-05, and M-06 with the LT-38-like suspension were armed with 75mm Reșița M1943 AT guns. The first prototype (M-00) was tested at the Sudiți proving grounds. There was skepticism surrounding this tank during the trials and the trials revealed several faults. It did however, pass the trials and further development continued. Development of this tank widened and lengthened the chassis and improved structural support. While development was going on, Ion Antonescu attended a demonstration of the new 75mm Reșița M1943 AT gun. He was impressed by the qualities of the gun and one engineer proposed replacing the howitzer with it. Ion Antonescu bragged about the project to Hitler which most likely influenced the design of the Jagdpanzer 38(t) “Hetzer” tank destroyer. Since Germany had a stronger industry and LT 38 parts were more easily available, the Jagdpanzer 38(t) went into service before the Mareșal. The Mareșal was first powered by a Ford V8 85 hp engine then a Buick 120 hp engine and after that a Hotchkiss H-39 120 hp engine (a thousand of these were ordered). Since the Germans liked this tank so much, they planned to give them the Hetzer’s Praga 160 hp engine and even went further to plan to joint produce the Mareșal and the Hetzer while giving it a new 220 hp diesel engine and German-made parts. However, these proposals were halted since Romania defected to the Soviets. After the invasion of the Soviets, all Mareșal prototypes were confiscated and no one knows where they went or what exactly happened to them. How will this fare in World of Tanks? I think it will perform very much like the StuG III and the E 25 mixed together. The Mareșal is extremely small as you can see in some of the pictures so it’ll obviously have very good camo, possibly, one of the best in the game. However, it will vitually have no armor and HE will wreck this tank in no time. The mobility is rather nice with a 160 hp Praga engine powering it. Maybe a Tatra Typ 103 220 hp diesel engine but it’ll probably make it a bit overpowered (Seb: considering the armor, not really). The armament this tank gets is the same as the TACAM R-2, but with improved stats. The mobility is great, the top speed will be good and the hp/t will be good. Overall, this tank will be very competitive.
Real life specs:
Armament:
Penetration: 100mm at 500 meters angled 30 degrees (75mm Reșița M1943 AT gun)
Engine(s): 85 hp Ford V8 (M-00), 120 hp Buick (M-01 to M-03), 120 hp H-39 Hotchkiss (M-04 to M-06), 160 hp Praga (Proposed), and 220 hp Tatra Typ 103 (Proposed)
Armor: 10-20mm
Crew: 2 (3-4 on later models)
Weight: 10 tonnes
Horsepower per tonne: 12 hp/t and 16 hp/t
Speed: 45 kp/t
Elevation/Depression: -5/+10
Gun traverse: 15
In-game stats
Health points: 345
Weight: 10 tonnes
Speed: 45 kp/h
Engine: 160 or 220
Power-to-weight: 16 hp/t or 22 hp/t
Hull traverse: 45
Viewrange: 330
Hull armor: 10-20
Gun: 75mm Reșița M1943 AT gun and 122mm M1910/30
DPM: 2250 (2650)
Penetration: 130-ish (60mm)
Damage: 120/120/170 (450/370)
Aimtime: 2.1 (2.8-3.0)
Accuracy: 0.37 (0,57)
Depression: -5/+10 (Unknown for the 122mm)
122 mm 1910/30 howitzer:
More specific information of these tanks will come in the future (Probably, if I feel like getting off my arse).
Sources:
“Third Axis, Fourth Ally” by Marx Axworthy, Cornel Scafeș, and Cristian Crăciunoiu
“Tanks of Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-1945” by Steven J. Zaloga
“Trupele Blindate din Armata Română” by Cornel I. Scafeș, Horia VL. Șerbănescu, and Ioan I, Scafeș
“The Eastern Front Armour Camouflage and Markings, 1941 to 1945” by Steven J. Zaloga and James Grandsen
http://www.worldwar2.ro/documents/maresal.pdf
