1.)The cage or screens added to tanks like the IS-2 during World War II were not designed to completely stop a Panzerfaust round. Instead, their purpose was to disrupt the trajectory of the projectile and trigger its fuse prematurely before it could impact the tank's main armor. The Panzerfaust was a powerful anti-tank weapon used by the German military during World War II. It fired a shaped charge warhead capable of penetrating significant thicknesses of armor. However, the effectiveness of the Panzerfaust could be reduced if its warhead detonated too early, before reaching the tank's main armor. The cage or screens around tanks like the IS-2 were intended to cause premature detonation of the Panzerfaust round by either triggering its fuse upon contact with the cage or by disrupting the shaped charge's jet formation as it passed through the mesh or bars. While these measures could help to mitigate the damage caused by an anti-tank grenade like the Panzerfaust, they were not foolproof and did not provide complete protection against such weapons. 2.)The M1919 Browning machine gun was commonly mounted in a variety of positions on the M3 Stuart, including: Coaxially with the main gun in the turret: This allowed the gunner to fire it while aiming the main cannon. In a pintle mount on the turret roof: This allowed for flexible firing angles to engage infantry, aircraft, or other targets. In a bow machine gun position: This was operated by the tank's driver or another crew member and was used primarily for engaging infantry and soft targets to the front of the tank. Overall, the machine guns on the M3 Stuart were operated by the tank crew, with specific crew members assigned to each position based on the tactical situation and the crew's preferences. 3.)Generally, the Panzer IV series had two primary machine guns: Coaxial machine gun: This machine gun was mounted parallel to the main gun in the turret. It was typically a MG 34 or MG 42 machine gun and was operated by the tank's gunner. Its primary purpose was to engage infantry, soft-skinned vehicles, and other targets. Hull machine gun: This machine gun was mounted in the hull of the tank and was operated by a crew member, usually the tank's radio operator or loader. Like the coaxial machine gun, it was usually a MG 34 or MG 42 and was used for engaging infantry and other targets to the front and sides of the tank. information from ChatGPT
1.) Spaced armor usually is meant to cause rounds to detonate before hitting the armor. 2.) Pintle MGs are normally operated by the commander(This applies to almost every tank that has one). The two hull MGs are operated by the driver and radioman. (It would be pretty inconvenient having to have a crewman jump out to shoot.) 3.) Yes the hull mg should be operated by the radioman. But gaijin won't fix it.
The only thing I'd disagree is the "useless" MG on the Pz. IV series. It has more RPM than the .30 cal like double compare to 400-600 to a 800-900 RPM. Unless you speak of the roof mounted ones on the H and J models. It isn't the best but I'd take it over the slow firing mag fed Japanese LMG or even the Italian fixed roof MG.
