Panzerjäger VA 802(b) - This Is Mine Now

[DMYEugen 688]

TL;DR: A German captured Belgian T-13 B3 light tank-destroyer.

Note: There's already a suggestion for the T-13 series of tank destroyers created by Milocat, which I have linked below. This suggestion is specifically advocating for a German captured T-13 B3 and will focus on the B3's development and Germany's use of the vehicle.

 

History:

The T-13 B3 was the third of the T-13 series of tank destroyers and was an overall improvement over the B1 and B2 designs. Where these two designs had rear facing weapons, the B3 featured a front facing weapon in a fully-rotating and almost fully-enclosed turret, the back being kept open for the gun breach. The development history of the T-13 B3 is fairly interesting for two reasons. First, the Belgian Armed Forces were generally already satisfied with their existing B1 and B2 tank destroyers. Second, the T-13 B3 wasn't really a variant of the T-13 at all. The vehicle was based on the newly imported The Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Dragon Mk. IIB and differed at the structural level from the previous two designs. Apparently, the reason it was given the B3 designation for political reasons. It was likely believed that a further development of an existing vehicle would lessen the chances of a war with Germany when compared to the development of completely new tank. Despite this, Germany still eventually made their way into Belgium and the Battle of Belgium ensued, which ended in the German occupation of Belgium. From there every operational T-13 was employed into the German army. Of course, a few of these were T-13 B3s, which the Germans designated Panzerjäger VA 802(b). The captured T-13s took on roles varying from driver training to airport security. Some of them apparently were used offensively against the remaining French Army. Many were scrapped later in the war.

 

Place In War Thunder:

As it stands right now, Germany has the closest ties to this vehicle, being the only country outside of Belgium to service them. The T-13 B3 is a textbook example of a fun low-tier vehicle. It's fairly maneuverable and equipped with a weapon that is larger in caliber than many of its contemporaries, potentially causing more post-penetration damages as a result. Playstyle would be fairly similar to many low-tier light tanks we find in-game so you wouldn't feel out of your element when playing it. I believe the best implementation for this vehicle would be as an event premium as the vehicle wasn't too widely used for offensive purposes.

 

Specifications:

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Armament: 47 mm Model 1931 anti-tank gun and 1x FN M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle

 

Dimensions: 3.65m, 1.87m, 1.84m (L,W,H)

 

Weight: 5080kg

 

Armor: 7-13mm

 

Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)

 

Ammunition: AT (47mm of pen at 300m) and HE

 

Speed: 41kph

 

Horsepower: 80hp

 

Pictures:

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Front View:

 

Three Panzerjäger VA 802(b) in a line:

 

Rear View:

 

Vehicle Profiles:

 

Sources:

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-13_tank_destroyer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/47_mm_Model_1931_anti-tank_gun#Performance

http://www.wardrawings.be/WW2/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/1-Germany/07-Others/Beute/File/Beutepanzers.htm

https://weaponews.com/weapons/65357101-captured-belgian-british-and-french-anti-tank-guns-in-the-german-armed.html

https://www.nevingtonwarmuseum.com/panzerjaeger-va-802b-char-leger-modele-t13-type-iii-light-tank.html

https://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/belgium/Belgian_T13.php

 

Edited July 4, 2022 by DMYEugen

[super_cacti 1,071]

Open for discussion 

[DMYEugen 688]

20 minutes ago, super_cacti said:

Open for discussion 

Thanks!

[Milocat 4,854]

+1 for sure from me, I love the T13 series and this looks like the fastest way we could get one in the game right now.  Plus captured German vehicles are great!

[Solarmod 1,203]

3 hours ago, super_cacti said:

Open for discussion 

Either way, I'd love to see this in game to test the waters for the BeNeLux tree. o7