The Type 59 can be a formidable foe for any new player or player who hasn’t done a little bit of research into which locations are the weakest. For a medium tank it has above average armor for a lot of it’s frontal hull and it’s turret armor frontally is very good as well. However, once you learn where to shoot a Type 59 it becomes a very easy opponent to deal with.

The index at the bottom of each picture describes a few abbreviations used and also the format in which the armor details are described in. Effective Armor (EA) refers to the overall effectiveness of the armor without normalization(HEAT and HE shells) while Armor Against AP Shells (AP) refers to the overall effectiveness of the armor with normalization(AP and APCR Shells).

The armor values are presented in three different scenarios for the angled view of the tank.15° frontal(75° side), 25° frontal(65° side), 35° frontal(55° side), and 45° frontal(45° side)

Frontal View

Frontally the Type 59 is a formidable foe for most tier 8 tanks and below due to it’s awesome turret armor and also it’s above average hull armor for a medium tank.

UFG

The upper frontal glacis on the Type 59 is 100mm thick at 60° making it very tough for a medium tank. The armor values come out to 200 EA and 174 AP which at tier 8 stops more tanks than a medium tank usually does. Keep in mind that the closer you get to the Type 59 the weaker the UFG becomes as you negate the angle by shooting down at it.

LFG

Like the upper frontal glacis the lower frontal glacis is also 100mm but is at 55°. This drops the armor value to 174 EA and 156 AP which makes it easier to penetrate at over 100m than the UFG. Keep in mind that at close range(under 75m) the angle on the LFG increases and becomes harder than the UFG to penetrate.

Mantlet

The mantlet on the Type 59 is an impressive 200mm thick at above the gun has a very steep angle on it. Even if shots penetrate there is additional armor behind the mantlet. The only part with 0 armor behind the mantlet is located above the gun which is behind the heavily angled portion of the 200mm mantlet.

FT#1/#2/#3

Frontally the turret of the Type 59 is not an ideal place to aim at. But it is possible to penetrate FT #3 since the angle here is minimal and the armor is 200mm thick. It is in no way ideal but it is possible. Moving over to FT #2 the angle increases and the armor values jump to 267+ EA / 243+ AP. FT #1 becomes even more difficult to penetrate as the armor values skyrocket due to the compound angles making it immune to most thrown at it.

The commander’s hatches on the Type 59 are the primary weak spot for close range fighting. Both have under 100mm of armor on them and are rather large and easy to hit.

This location under the gun has no additional mantlet armor protecting it and is 200mm thick with minimal angles. If for any reason you are stuck and only able to hit around this area it is possible for guns to punch through here.

View ports on the hull take no HP damage and only crew/module damage.

Angled View

A lot of Type 59 drivers angle their tank which increases the frontal hull armor immensely. However it opens up their weak side armor to easy shots as you can simply hit the USH/LSH or shoot the frontal track wheel for easy damage.

UFG

When angled the UFG becomes very difficult for most tanks facing a Type 59 to penetrate. Simply avoid it and shoot the frontal wheel/side of the tank.

15°= 207 EA / 180 AP

25°= 221 EA / 192 AP

35°= 244 EA / 213 AP

45°= 283 EA / 247 AP

LFG

Same as the UFG simply avoid this spot and shoot the front wheel/side when the Type 59 is angled.

15°= 180 EA / 161 AP

25°= 192 EA /172 AP

35°= 213 EA / 190 AP

45°=247 EA / 220 AP

USH/LSH

The USH and LSH are both only 80mm thick at 0° making them susceptible to penetration if presented.

75°= Auto-Bounce

65°= 189 EA / 160 AP

55°= 139 EA / 124 AP

45°= 113 EA / 104 AP

LSH+Tracks

75°= Auto-Bounce/Absorb

65°= 236 EA / 200 AP

55°= 174 EA / 155 AP

45°= 141 EA / 130 AP

Turret

See the frontal and side views for specifics on each area. Generally if the turret is presented to you in this scenario it is best to shoot the commander’s hatch or ST #2 if it is not angled greatly.

The trusty ole commander’s hatch is visible from any angle and easy to damage.

A2/A3

A2 is the frontal track wheel area and is easily damaged by pretty much any tank that is not a scout facing the Type 59 under normal matchmaking. A3 has the frontal hull armor behind it.

A4/A5

The 200mm A5 section becomes very difficult to damage with additional angles added to it. A4 is the side of the mantlet which is only 150mm thick and can be damaged if facing you.

Side View

The one thing to remember when dealing with a Type 59 from the side is to simply forget about the turret. Its not worth the odd bounces it can produce when you can simply hit the weak hull armor.

FT #1

With the frontal armor being visible and with it at 200mm+heavy angles shooting here is a big no-no.

ST #1

The main weak area on the side of the turret is located here. It is only 104mm thick with minimal angles but is surrounded by stronger armor if you venture to far out of this green area.

ST #2/ST #3

ST #2 sees the side armor bulge out to 168mm thick at the bottom and has small angles on it. This area can cause frustration for guns with lower penetration. ST #3 still has the 104mm side armor but the angle is much greater than ST #1 making it much stronger.

The rear turret armor seen from the side is only 65mm thick but the angle greater increases towards the back of the turret. I find it easier to just avoid the rage inducing bounces and aim closer to the middle of ST #1.

Below are the schematics for the real world Type 59 armor.

8 comments on “Weak Spot Guide: Type 59”

Nublet says:

August 3, 2012 at 9:22 am

I was going to rate this guide 10/10, but then I got to the smiley face, so…: 11/10

- Cody Menz says:
  
  August 4, 2012 at 3:47 am
  
  I felt like a smiley face was fitting for what happens a lot of time for shots that penetrate there
  
Anonymous says:

August 11, 2012 at 5:57 am

How’s the rear view look? Green the whole place?

- Cody Menz says:
  
  August 12, 2012 at 4:17 am
  
  Yes. If I don’t include a rear view in any of my guides the entire rear is a weak spot(aside from any odd angles).
  
Harry says:

January 8, 2013 at 5:31 pm

Are you sure those the values for UFG and LFG are correct? I really struggle to pen there with my t44 (175mm pen).

- WoT Guru says:
  
  January 9, 2013 at 6:17 pm
  
  Yes they are correct. 175mm will struggle against it a lot as you can see since it is a 50/50 split as to whether your penetration will roll higher or lower than your average. Also, if they Type angles 5 degrees or more horizontally those chances drop even further for you.
  
Brian says:

April 17, 2013 at 10:39 pm

The diagram shows the Type as having 100mm at 50 deg top and 55 bottom, why is that? Did WG buff the angle to make it better?

- WoT Guru says:
  
  April 18, 2013 at 3:08 am
  
  Yup, that schematic is for a T-54 variant(which the Type 59 is) so they most likely fiddled with it to make it’s armor better in game.

World of Tanks Guru

Weak Spot Guide: Type 59

Frontal View

Angled View

Side View

8 comments on “Weak Spot Guide: Type 59”

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