Commanders,
To many of you, the term “German engineering” is undoubtedly synonymous with high quality, accuracy, reliability and effectiveness. The robust E 50 Ausf. M is truly the embodiment of all these traits. If you love medium tanks and are looking for the proverbial German quality, this is definitely the tech branch you want to explore!
Follow the research line leading to the E 50 Ausf. M and enjoy great discounts and credit income bonuses:
30% discount on purchase and 30% more credits earned with the following German vehicles:
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Use this opportunity to earn extra credits while driving these extremely accurate medium tanks, or get them for 70% of their normal value!
These bonuses will be available from 1st March at 06:10 until 15th March at 06:00 CET (GMT +1).
E 50 Ausf. M
“Aww, they really think they can outrun my APCR shells? How cute.”
In-Game Performance
This monster of a medium tank is not one to be denied on the battlefields. Sporting one of the most accurate guns in the game, the E 50 Ausf. M (E 50 M) is more than capable of delivering damage effectively, even at great distances. Just like most Tier X mediums out there, this tank’s standard ammunition is APCR projectiles, which means that shells fired from its gun are capable of penetrating pretty much anything it may encounter (save for a few exceptions). In addition, the outstanding muzzle velocity makes anticipating enemy movement while aiming almost effortless. Combined with a rather comfortable reload time and decent alpha damage, these qualities make the E 50 M one of the most effective snipers on the battlefields!
Another great feature of this tank is its outstanding armour. The 150mm frontal plate is installed at a very acute angle, which in turn raises the effective armour thickness considerably while increasing the chances of a ricochet at the same time. If you angle it properly, you can even deflect shells fired from high-caliber Tier X guns! The outstanding armour also results in the vehicle weighing over 60 tons, which is a lot for a medium tank. However, the 1,200 h.p. engine compensates the enormous weight and means that the vehicle still has decent acceleration as well as a high top speed.
Last but not least, unlike other German tanks, the E 50 M has a rear-mounted transmission. This means that being shot in the lower glacis will not necessarily equal engine failure and fire like is the case for many other vehicles of this nation. Needless to say, this little adjustment in the tank’s design results in a huge increase in its survivability.
Even though the E 50 M can easily be described as a state-of-the-art vehicle, it’s not entirely free from drawbacks. First and foremost, it still suffers from poor gun depression, another typical feature of German tanks. It won’t compete against American or Japanese tanks by using hull-down tactics any time soon. Secondly, all that wonderful armour does not come at the price of huge weight alone. In fact, it also makes the vehicle very big. Somebody once said that bigger is better – obviously they didn’t try driving the E 50 M through a battlefield under the watchful eyes of enemy scouts before making that statement. A huge silhouette equals a huge target with low camouflage values. Do we need to say more? Finally, the immense weight reduces the vehicle’s acceleration and manoeuvrability on soft terrain and while driving uphill. As a result, using it to cross marshes and damp ground can be pretty risky.
All in all, the E 50 M is a particularly well-rounded vehicle. However, to say it can be used in any scenario would not be accurate. As always, using the right tactics is the key to success.
Tactics
Even though the E 50 M generally performs well, make no mistake – it is still a German medium tank. As such, its primary role is to be the team’s sniper – a mobile and nicely armoured one, but a sniper nonetheless. Due to the superb gun characteristics, the tank has a medium to long optimal operational range. The astonishing accuracy of 0.3m at 100m makes aiming at enemy weak spots a piece of cake, even if they happen to be on the far side of the map and/or on the move. Moreover, its good power to weight ratio, as well as good accuracy on the move, also makes it perfect for providing fire from behind walls and other large forms of cover – quickly jump out from behind a corner, fire upon the targeted enemy while laughing gleefully in their faces and then quickly retreat to reload. While performing this manoeuvre, never forget to come out with your frontal plate slightly angled towards your target. This way you will have a higher chance of deflecting fire in the event that the enemy vehicle anticipates your move. Also, don’t hesitate to relocate when the situation gets heated. You are mobile enough to swiftly switch positions and reinforce the next line of defence if your first one crumbles. Just make sure you avoid travelling through soft terrain. Otherwise you may find yourself filling the role of a sitting duck at the height of the hunting season.
Even though the E 50 M is not the best brawler, it can still hold its own in some face-to-face standoffs. In such situations, the most logical approach for a medium tank is to immobilise the enemy by shooting its tracks and then circle around it while dealing damage to its sides and rear. However, using the same tactic while driving the E 50 M will most likely result in the enemy coming out on top. Despite the powerful engine, the E 50 M falls behind other Tier X mediums in terms of manoeuvrability. It tends to lose speed while turning and its traverse rate on the move forces it to drive in relatively wide circles. As a result, attempting this circling manoeuvre on an enemy vehicle that has a turret is basically asking to have your tall sides perforated... A lot. In case of a close encounter, the suggested tactic for the E 50 M is to ram the opponent – you have the weight advantage and the engine that can accelerate the vehicle to a reasonable speed relatively fast. If you rush towards the enemy and hit it properly (either on the side or the frontal wheel), you can cause considerable damage and even break their suspension at the same time. After that, follow up with a well-placed shot to one of their weak spots and then retreat behind some cover. Depending on the situation, you can also “face-hug” the opponent and continue shooting at the commander’s cupola. If you go for the second option, make sure there are no other enemies around that could flank you when you are busy dealing with the enemy in front of you.
In order to maximise your performance on the battlefield, we suggest installing the following equipment:
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| Improved Ventilation Class 2 |
Medium-Caliber Tank Gun Rammer |
Vertical Stabilizer Mk 1 |
The E 50 M is actually a very versatile vehicle when it comes to equipment. This setup is a very basic one and aims to improve the vehicle’s general performance as well as adding an extra edge to the rate of fire and on-the-move accuracy. However, depending on your play-style, feel free to experiment with other pieces of equipment. Alternative setups include (but are not limited to) the Medium Spall Liner (improving your ramming potential) and Coated Optics/ Binocular Telescope (increasing your view range).
In addition, your crew members should learn the following skills and perks:
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| Gunner |
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| Driver |
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| Radiooperator |
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| Loader |
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Please bear in mind that this skill setup is meant first and foremost to improve the vehicle’s general performance as a medium tank, and as such it should not be considered as undisputable. Feel free to adjust the skill set to fit your personal play-style and needs. For example, if you’re planning to install Improved Ventilation on your vehicle, you may consider picking the Brothers in Arms perk on all crew members to maximize its effect. Remembering the E 50 M’s ramming potential, it would also be a good idea to have your driver learn the Controlled Impact skill (it will work even better in conjunction with the Spall Liner). Learning Off-Road Driving wouldn’t be a bad choice either, especially as this vehicle tends to have difficulties when manoeuvring on soft terrain. Lastly, you may also want to consider having your commander learn the Mentor skill at some point. Learning new skills after the second one is a very slow process, so an additional boost in crew experience acquisition would definitely be welcome. However, don’t forget that it works for all crew members except the commander himself.
History
Towards the end of the war, the Germans started to look for ways to optimise the use of resources and supplies. The Entwicklung Series was proposed as a group of tank designs of different sizes and intended functions, all with a common design basis. This meant that certain parts could be shared and interchangede between similar vehicles of the line while other universal parts, such as radios, secondary weapons, scopes and the like could be used across the whole line. Loosely based on the Tiger design, the E Series included variants from the light E 10 and E 25 Jagdpanzers up to the super-heavy E 100.
The E 50 and E 75 were intended to be the medium tank variants of the line. The main difference between their designs was that the E 50 had six road wheels on each side while the E 75 was slightly larger and better armoured with eight road wheels. This made it a heavier vehicle while still using the same turret and gun as the E 50.
The design of the E 50 mainly consisted of a hull that was very similar to that of the Tiger II (known as the King Tiger). Some of the designs and sources suggest that the narrow-fronted Schmalturm turret would have been used with a 7.5cm Kw.K.42 gun. However, there were also plans for an 88 mm L/71 gun.
The only real difference between the E 50 and the E 50 Ausf. M variant is that, in the latter, the transmission is placed in the rear part of the hull, matching the other vehicles of the E series.
With defeat in the war looming for the Germans, the E series was cancelled in late 1944 and never proceeded beyond the design stage.
Sources
