Heavy Tank - TigerI - IS2 - M26 Pershing - MkIV Churchill - Armored Warfare WW2 - A&A RTS

AXIS and ALLIES RTS | Heavy Tank Regiment

Heavy Tank Regiment > Heavy Tank Units | Command Units | Comparison of Units | UnOfficial Heavy Tank Regiment Ranks | In Conclusion

^{Tiger I - PzKpfw VI Ausf. E}

The Heavy Tank was a next step in the evolution of armored warfare, as designers sought to maximize firepower and armor, at the cost of decreased mobility. Many models didn't enter combat until late in the WWII, and perhaps the heavy tank has been given too much credit for the impact it had in determining to outcome of the war. Some have suggested that Germany's insistence on the heavy tank design may have cost them greatly; as they were hard (and expensive) to produce, at a time when German resources were very scarce.

Although they were the "rock stars" of the battlefield, most nations had their greatest success using superior tactics, with more mobile medium tanks and tank destroyers. _{Expand/Collapse}

Tiger I - PzKpfw VI Ausf. E is one of the most famous tanks in history, and was a new approach by German designers to maximize firepower and armor, at the cost of decreased mobility. A very technical tank to build and keep in service, and at 57 tons it consumed massive amounts of fuel (and was too heavy to cross most bridges). 1,368 produced
IS-2 Joseph Stalin Heavy Tank was deployed in 1944 and saw action during the Battle for Berlin. Massive 122mm main gun had 3 times the kenetic force of the 76mm used on the KV series, but Russian tank production concentrated mostly on the T-34 as it was cheaper and easier to produce. 3,854 IS-2 deployed
M26 Pershing Heavy Tank saw very little combat as it did not enter service until 1945. By 1948 advances in tank design basically made it a slow medium tank. 2,202 produced, but only a handful fought in combat.
Mk IV Churchill Heavy Tank was rushed into service after Britian lost most of it's vehicles in France. Originally designed as an infantry support tank for WWI style trench warfare, it's engine was underpowered and it's design couldn't hold a gun bigger than 75mm, after upgrades. Original models only had a 2 pound gun (40mm) and suffered high losses in the Dieppe Raid of 1942. 1,622 Mk IV were produced.

^{Mk IV Churchill Heavy Tank}

"The tank stage is the last and most difficult stage in Axis and Allies. It requires the most micro, because not only do you have to control a plethora of units in the field, but you have to defend your base from para drops and bomber planes." _{[more basic strategy]}

The Heavy Tank sacrifices speed and mobility to maximize firepower and armor, making it an ideal unit for direct engagement. Due to it's slow speed, in some game situations the heavy tank regiment may require either artillery or air support; especially versus large numbers of arty tanks.

The German Heavy Tank is incorrectly labeled in Axis and Allies RTS as Panzer VI Ausf. B which is actually a Tiger II, or King Tiger Tank. The more accurate labeling would be Panzer VI Ausf. E (original designation was PzKpfw VI Ausf. H and was redesignated as Panzer VI Ausf. E in 1943) or Tiger I. See Spotting a King Tiger for more

^{IS-2 Joseph Stalin Heavy Tank}

Heavy Tank Regiment

All Heavy Tank regiments consist of:
[1] Command Tank
[3] Heavy Tank Units

^{M26 Pershing Heavy Tank}

Let's look at one of the "hardest hitting" armored regiments in A&A. When comparing any regiment you must consider the differences of the various units present in each regiment, and any upgrades that may help them on the battlefield. So here's the basic stats of Heavy Tank Units and Command Units, followed by a Comparison of Units.

Heavy Tank UNITS of the Heavy Tank REGIMENT [HOW TO READ]

_British MkIV Churchill Heavy Tank ^{75mm Gun} 500/550 8 80/80 ^{range = 22}	_German Tiger I Heavy Tank ^{88mm Gun} 500/500 10 85/95 ^{range = 22}	_Japanese Heavy Tank Not Available	_Russian IS-2 Heavy Tank ^{122mm Gun} 550/605 9 80/90 ^{range = 20}	_{United States} M26 Pershing Heavy Tank ^{90mm Gun} 500/550 8 80/90 ^{range = 22}

WEAKEST

STRONGEST

COMMAND TANKS of the Heavy Tank REGIMENT [HOW TO READ]

_British M4 Sherman Firefly Tank ^{76mm Gun} 400/440 5 65/65 ^{range = 20}	_German Panzer IV Tank ^{75mm Gun} 400/400 7 75/85 ^{range = 18}	_Japanese Heavy Tank Not Available	_Russian KV-1 Tank ^{76mm Gun} 440/484 5 65/75 ^{range = 18}	_{United States} M4A2 Sherman Tank ^{75mm Gun} 400/440 5 65/75 ^{range = 18}

WEAKEST

STRONGEST

AXIS and ALLIES RTS | Comparison of Units of the Heavy Tank Regiment

Heavy Tank Units *
[speed-max=3]
[recharge-time=6]
[area=1]
[base-resistances]

60%

50%

10%
^{* BEFORE UPGRADES}

Heavy Tank Unit:

Germany has the all important Gyrostabilized Tank Guns and Schurzen upgrades, as well as the highest attack and defense values

Russia has the highest health and second best defense value.

United States has Mechanical Reliability and Gyrostabilized Tank Guns, but have a relatively poor defense value of 8.

Britian falls a little short since they are missing important Gyrostabilized Tank Guns upgrade, but at least have Mechanical Reliability.

^{MkIV Churchill}

^{M26 Pershing}

^{IS-2 Joseph Stalin}

^{Tiger I}

Command Tank Units *
[speed-max=3.5]
[acceleration=3]
[recharge-time=6]
[area=1]
[base-resistances]

60%

50%

10%
^{* BEFORE UPGRADES}

Command Tank Unit:

Germany has the best attack and defense value, as well as Gyrostabilized Tank Guns and Schurzen.

Russia has the highest health and Gyrostabilized Tank Guns.

United States has Mechanical Reliability and Gyrostabilized Tank Guns

Britian falls a little short, since they are missing Gyrostabilized Tank Guns, but at least have Mechanical Reliability.

^{CO Tank Unit}

Heavy Tank Units Command Units < >

UnOfficial Regiment Ranks

The research and data is all in, and after years of tesing and analysis here's our UnOfficial Regiment Ranks for the Axis and Allies RTS Heavy Tank Regiment... from first to worst

German Heavy Tank Regiment
Best command units and Heavy Tanks with the best defense and attack values, as well as Gyrostabilized Tank Guns; plus a couple unique upgrades: Schurzen and Advanced Armor Training

Heavy Tank Units |

Command Units

Russian Heavy Tank Regiment

Heavy Tanks with the best health and strong command units, plus the best upgrades Gyrostabilized Tank Guns and Mechanical Reliability.

Heavy Tank Units |

Command Units

United States Heavy Tank Regiment

Solid Heavy Tanks and strong command units, and the best upgrades Gyrostabilized Tank Guns and Mechanical Reliability.

Heavy Tank Units |

Command Units

British Heavy Tank Regiment

You shouldn't be deploying the Heavy Tank regiment with Great Britian. Maybe try Flame Tanks?

Heavy Tank Units |

Command Units

_{Heavy Tank Regiment - Tiger I - PzKpfw VI Ausf. E}

In Conclusion

Best with Russia and Germany
Russia and Germany have the strongest Heavy Tanks, and also have the benefit of the Tank Production upgrade; allowing for a cheaper way to deploy one of the game's strongest regiments at

$225. It gets even better with Rokossovski and Rapid Deployment,

$200.

Since Japan has no heavy tanks, Great Britian's are lame, and the United States is much better off with the Arty Tank regiment, deploying this regiment only really makes sense with Russia and Germany.

Artillery Support
While the heavy tank regiment can certainly do well on it's own, it will perform much better if supported by artillery. Try deploying a division of "arties" to support your "heavies", or team up with an ally.

Beware of Forest, Jungle, and City Terrain
Stay in open terrain with your heavy tanks, as Forest, Jungle, and City Terrain makes one of the games' slowest units even slower. When playing on maps with alot of forest or jungle heavy tanks are not recommended.

Important Upgrades
Make sure to get the important upgrades: Tank Production, Gyrostabilized Tank Guns, and Diesel Engines. For the full story see our Guide to Upgrading Your Tanks | Armor

Heavy Tank Regiment - That concludes the basics of the Heavy Tank regiment in Axis and Allies RTS. Like our story? Please Digg it! Have a correction, addition, question, or other? You can contribute to our A&A wiki, post in the official forum thread..