Tortoise

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## Basic information

The **Tortoise** is a British tier 9 tank destroyer.

The development of this assault tank began in Great Britain in 1942. The design was finalized by February 1944, and an order was placed for 25 vehicles. However, by the fall of 1947 only five tanks had been manufactured.

The **A39 Tortoise** is the heaviest and last of the slow and heavily armored **"AT"** tank destroyers in the British line. It's a great leap forward from its predecessor, the AT 15, mainly due to its extremely accurate, fast-firing, and powerful 120mm cannon and greater protection that rivals several tier 10 tanks.

The Tortoise just like its name, is extremely tough. it has a very large hitpoint pool, very tough armor that, combined with the 120mm gun (which has second highest DPM in the game), makes this tank became one of the strongest opponents to face in T9 or even T10 match. However, true to its name, the overall slow speed can make this tank vulnerable from encircling by agile opponents.

Compared to its tier 10 counterpart; The 'Death Star', it has more raw armor values than its successor which provides decent protection from HE shots, although its speed is significantly worse.

Overall, the Tortoise is one of the only few T9 tanks that are regarded as a "Tier 9.5" due to its top stats. with proper use of its rapid-firing gun and well-rounded armor, it can easily prove its worth and striking fear into anyone who dares to oppose it.

The Tortoise leads to the FV215b (183).

## Pros & Cons

##### Pros:

* Excellent DPM, aim time, and accuracy.
* Great gun depression (-10 degrees) and wide gun arcs
* Good frontal armor, very durable against most standard ammo it will face.
* Large hit point pool
* Good view range for a tank destroyer

##### Cons:

* Very poor speed and mobility, struggles to reach key positions and is easily flanked.
* Low penetration for a tank destroyer
* Numerous frontal weak spots which are easily exploitable with premium ammo
* One of the loaders is prone to frequent injury, being located in the prominent roof cupola.
* Poor camouflage and large size

## Performance

The Tortoise is a fortress on tracks. It is capable of bouncing shots even when not angled, ricochets even gold tier 10 shells when angled properly. The high thickness of armor makes it a feared enemy.

The Tortoise has massive amount of armor that means this vehicle can be played as an "Assault Tank" like what it was meant to be. It can take many hits from enemies while returning fire with its fast-firing gun. However, just likes the rest of the AT brothers. the Tortoise sports a large machine gun turret that, although it's tricky to penetrate, it still remains an annoying weak spot. Most shots that penetrate it will often injure the loader who is stationed there.

To maximize Tortoise's protection, angling is a must. With very good side armor and wide gun arc, it can bounce almost every shot from enemies unless they're aiming at the cupola. Wiggling your tank can bait some bounces.

The extreme accuracy, and fast reload of the 120mm ensure you are a constant threat to enemy tanks up close or afar. In close quarters even the relatively slow hull traverse of 22° is more than enough to, for a time, prevent tanks from encircling you when given ample warning thanks to the massively wide traverse angle of the gun. With good aim you can easily track tanks while dealing solid damage, and even keep them tracked if they have not yet trained in repair or have already used their repair kit. The accuracy of the gun means tracking is a very viable option that you should practice frequently (though this is the case with all tanks) to trap tanks in the open for your teammates to focus down. If you can reload quickly enough, keep them tracked and watch as they helplessly melt away at the combined fire of your team.

Overall, this vehicle can be played both aggressively and defensively. You can help the team to lead a charge, covering fire as second-line attacker, or defending strategic points. Your high rate of fire and good accuracy means you can easily out-DPM enemy tanks, and with a team backing you up you can easily smash through, wrecking everything you see and lead a team to victory.

## Historical Reference

The development of this assault tank began in Great Britain in 1942. The design was finalized by February 1944, and an order was placed for 25 vehicles. However, by the fall of 1947 only five tanks had been manufactured.

Real history
 The Tank, Heavy Assault, Tortoise (A39) was a British heavy assault tank design developed in World War II but never put into mass production. It was developed for the task of clearing heavily fortified areas and as a result favored armor protection over mobility. Although heavy, at 78 tons, and not readily transported, it was reliable and a good gun platform.
One of the six prototype Tortoises constructed of mild steel has been preserved at the Bovington Tank Museum in Bovington, UK. The vehicle is in running condition. A 2011 overhaul saw it running under its own power for the first time since the 1950s. It was shown to the public in June 2011 at Tankfest 2011, the Bovington museum's annual display of running vehicles.
A Tortoise, without its gun, lies on the Kirkcudbright military training area near Kirkcudbright, Scotland. Other damage to the tank and the designation of the Kirkcudbright training area as a Site of Special Scientific Interest mean that removal of the Tortoise to a museum is now unlikely.

Historical Accuracy Errata
Actual frontal armor of the A39 Tortoise is around 178-228mm.
* Its only primary armament is the OQF 32-pdr which it still carries today. The 20-pdr and 120 mm gun configurations are fictitious.
* M120 engine was only fitted on the Conqueror. Its configuration on the Tortoise is fake.
* The A39 Tortoise actually has 7 crew members, in which the machine gunner is missing, though the game has no such crew position.
* The Royal Armored Corps recognition mark (or flash) was only used until mid-1942; the Tortoise was first built in 1945.

## Trivia

Tortoise, (family Testudinidae), any member of the turtle family Testudinidae.

* But strangely, the China server translated it as a "土龟" (Pinyin: TǔGuī), which can be understood as a "native turtle."