Huge thanks to Shadyrush for translating the documents!
In this article, we will discuss about two new possible light and medium tanks for the Swiss light branch in the Swiss tech tree that most likely will come in the future. They are the 30 ton Panzer and the 15 ton Panzer, early 50’s designs that would eventually evolve into the Panzer 58, Panzer 61, and the Panzer 68.
Since tier 10 lights are undoubtedly coming to WoT in the near future, I would like the main focus of the article to be about the 15 ton Panzer.
Background information
The Swiss needed a medium tank that could handle the rugged and harsh terrain of Switzerland while being agile, well protected, and be able to hit hard against the percieved Soviet threat. No imported nor licensed vehicles fit the requirements so work was started by relatively novice tank designers around the 50’s to develop the perfect domestic tank for Switzerland.
Tier 8 Medium: 30 ton Panzer
The 30 ton Panzer was one of the first serious attempts of designing a Swiss medium after WWII. Four different weapons were proposed for it, two of which were 9cm guns and the other two were 10,5cm guns. The tank featured a frontal pike nose which can be seen from the blueprint above, that was most likely indirectly inherited from the IS-3, a tank frightening to the West at the time. The four guns that were planned were the 9cm L/62, the 9cm L/70, the 10,5cm L/53, and the 10,5cm L/60. The 10,5cm L/60 and the 9cm L/70 had literally no apparent advantage compared to their shorter counterparts so they were abandoned later on. Overall, this could be a decent tier 8 medium for the Swiss tech tree.
Stats relevant to WoT
Length (not including gun barrel): 6 m
Width: 2.9 m
Height: 2.4 m
Weight: 30 tons
Engine: 600 hp Hispano Benzin V (‘Benzin’ is petrol and ‘V’ is the alignment of the pistons)
Horsepower-per-ton: 20 hp/t
Speed: 50 km/h
Gun depression and elevation: -10/+15
Frontal hull armor: 65mm
Side hull armor: 20mm/40mm
Frontal turret armor: 65mm
Side turret armor: 40mm
Thickness of trunnions: 484mm
Thickness below the gun: 307mm-348mm
Thickness above the gun: 112mm
Crewmembers: 4
Gun: 10,5cm L/53
Penetration (at 0 meters): 275mm with Pz.G. APCR
Muzzle velocity: 1050 m/s
Gun length: 5.6 m
Alternate gun: 9cm L/62
Penetration (at 0 meters): 250mm with Pz.G. APCR ammunition
Muzzle velocity: 1100 m/s
Gun length: 5.6 m
Tier 10 Light: 15 ton Panzer
The 15 ton Panzer was a lighter version of the 30 ton Panzer. There is currently not a lot of information nor a blueprint of this variant, but it’s reasonable to assume that it would have a similar performance and appearance to the 30 ton Panzer apart from a different gun, differing weight, and less armor. The weapon of choice would be the 90mm L/39, with the purpose of firing HEAT ammunition. The 15 ton Panzer could be a viable tier 10 light, especially since it’s confirmed that tier 10 lights are coming in the near future.
Stats relevant to WoT
Weight: 15 tons
Horsepower-per-ton: 40 hp/t (assuming it uses the same 600 hp engine)
Frontal hull armor: < 65mm
Side hull armor: < 20mm/40mm
Frontal turret armor: < 65mm
Side turret armor: < 40mm
Gun: 9cm L/39
Penetration: 300mm with HEAT ammunition
Shell velocity: 1000 m/s
Barrel length: 3.5 m
Source:
Document from the Swiss Eidgenössiches Bundesarchiv archives
