M1 57mm Anti-Tank Gun

230 Manpower (USMC Ver.)

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The **M1 57mm Anti-Tank Gun** is the primary AT gun available to the American Expeditionary Forces. Although it has lackluster baseline performance, it is cheap to produce and has access to powerful --albeit limited-- APDS ammunition that can pierce the armor of all but the heaviest Axis vehicles.

## Overview

The M1 57mm AT gun is one of two anti-tank guns available to the AEF. Compared its bigger twin, the M3 3-inch Anti-tank gun, it has somewhat underwhelming base performance but is far cheaper (and more available) and is much easier to maneuver around the battlefield.

The primary strength of this weapon lies in its abilities. Although its base penetration is somewhat mediocre and makes the weapon unreliable against most targets, its ability to fire APDS ammunition completely circumvents this. With APDS ammunition active, the M1 has some of the highest penetration out of all anti-tank guns in the game. This combined with its above-average rate of fire and wide firing arc lets even a single gun deal lots damage to most Axis vehicles caught in its reach. When you have upwards of two guns opening up on a single target, the results can be devastating.

All that being said, the M1 still is rather situational weapon. Its reliance on munitions to deal reliable damage can be a major issue in situations where you have limited resources available. Although it may be powerful in the moment, it can often be more worthwhile long-term choice to invest the munitions in squad-based AT weaponry such as M9 'Bazookas'. Additionally, the prevalence of Axis heavy-artillery can make using these weapons en masse a risky proposition.

Overall though, the M1 is still a reliable weapon that has its uses. Even though it has its fair share of limitations, it is still a valuable unit to have available.

## USMC Variant

The version of this weapon available to the USMC Specialization is functionally the same, albeit with some minor changes. It costs 20 more manpower (230 instead of 210) and more importantly, each member of the crew is equipped with light body armor. This increases the weapons overall survivability against small-arms fire, although the improvements aren't big enough to change the way these weapons are fundamentally used.

It is worth noting that this weapon is somewhat less restrictive to use due to the passive boost to munitions gain that USMC has. This allows the player to be a bit more liberal with their use of abilities that they may otherwise feel hesitant to use.

## Pros-and-Cons

### Pros

* Good rate-of-fire compared to other AT guns
* Has access to powerful abilities
* Above-average mobility
* Cheap to produce

### Cons

* Lackluster base-line penetration
* Reliant on munitions-heavy abilities
* Small squad-size

## Abilities

### Armor-Piecing Discarding-Sabot Rounds

* Costs 30 munitions
* Lasts 30 seconds

Gun crew loads APDS ammunition for 30 seconds, drastically increasing penetration for the duration.

### Take Aim!

* Costs 30 munitions
* Lasts 20 seconds
* Requires veterancy 1

The gun crew focuses on accurately aiming shots for the duration, increasing the weapon's range and sight-line but limiting visibility to the weapon's firing arc.

## Veterancy Levels

**Veterancy One**

1080 XP: Unlocks the 'Take Aim!' ability

**Veterancy Two**

2160 XP: +20% accuracy; +20% rotation speed

**Veterancy Three**

4320 XP: +30% penetration; -10% reload speed.

### USMC Variant

*\*\*\*Exact values are unknown due to limited access to mod files\*\*\**

**Veterancy Four**

Increases traverse speed (??) and firing range.

**Veterancy Five**

Increases sight range and reload speed.