T-55 Battle Tank

Classification: Main battle tank
Effective VS: Infantry
Ineffective VS: Tanks, aircraft
Armor: heavy
Armament: 100mm tank gun
Speed: medium
Cost: 800$
TechLevel: medium
Produced from: Factory
Requires: Factory

The T-55 is the main battle tank used by Soviet forces at the time. It complies with the restrictions to firepower by mounting a 100mm tank gun with less firepower than the 105mm gun used by Allied Grizzlies. It is far inferior to the later Rhino Tank design. Of all basic tanks, it does however feature the best protection, far more than on the basic Nazi tank, the Panther. Despite being classified as the Soviet basic tank, it compares better to the Nazi high-end Tiger Tank / King Tiger Tank, with one fundamental difference: While the Tiger Tank uses a smaller tank gun than the T-55, the Tiger fires an armor-piercing shell, whereas the T-55's gun with its higher caliber, but lower velocity, fires high-explosive shells. This makes the tank useful against infantry, but it will still be outgunned in tank-to-tank battles against Tiger Tanks and even Panthers, though the introduction of HEAT shells for Elite T-55s levels the playing field a bit. The tank can also not outrun the Allied and Nazi tanks which outgun it. One should however note that the T-55 is a basic tank, whereas the Tiger Tank is an advanced late-game unit.