Tanks in War Thunder - a detailed guide to tactics and choosing a nation. The best review of the game War thunder: tanks and their branches with the development of War thunder, the American branch of tanks
We started talking about German planes. Let's move on to tanks.
First sub-branch
The first sub-branch is represented by Czechoslovakian equipment, with the exception of the Marder III anti-tank self-propelled gun. It is not clear why the developers placed it here, but this particular tank deserves special attention, or rather, its gun has armor penetration beyond 150 mm (and this is at rank II). This AT is capable of punishing even Tigers, but suffers greatly due to its “cardboard” cutting, which even a machine gun can penetrate.
The first tank in the Pz.38(t) Ausf. A is not very interesting, although it is already the second tank, Ausf. F, fairly armored - 50 mm in the forehead of the turret and hull. Its 37mm cannon makes the tank far from the most effective vehicle on the battlefield. It will be very difficult to hit anyone with this weapon, and if you take into account that they can throw it with some Soviet T-50, its fate becomes completely sad.
In general, the first tanks in the first sub-branch are quite passable, which cannot be said about the latest modification - Hetzer. This self-propelled gun will cause a lot of problems for the enemy, and many shells will bounce off its ricocheting forehead. She herself, possessing a 75 mm gun, will punish her opponents very often. It throws this AT hard, even towards the IS-2, which doesn’t care what angle its armor is at.
Second sub-branch
The selection of heavy tanks becomes truly heavy only starting with the legendary Tiger - Pz. Kpfw. VI Tiger Ausf. H1. And the Royal Tiger II modification has become a favorite tank, which is rolled out in regimental battles. Before the Tigers we will have to ride on medium tanks, which will please you with good armor-piercing and rate of fire. However, the ultimate goal is to reach the Tigers.
Third sub-branch
In the medium tank branch, the truly deadly tank will be the Pz. IV F2 with its powerful 75 mm gun, which is capable of hitting a Soviet KV from a distance of up to 1.5 km. In the same branch we will meet the legendary Panthers, which cause a lot of pain to the enemy. But you won’t be able to have fun with Panthers in battles with medium tanks - they are heavy and clumsy, they are heavy tanks after all.
Fourth sub-branch
In the “anti-aircraft guns” branch, Kugelblitz is of particular interest - it has become firmly established in the arsenal of regimental fighters. In direct hands, this anti-aircraft gun is capable of destroying both enemy aircraft and heavy royal Tigers. The rest of the anti-aircraft guns don’t stand out in anything special; they just do their job well – they destroy planes. Although it is also worth noting the Ostwind with its 37 mm gun. It can be used to destroy enemy anti-aircraft guns and disable tank modules and guns, which is useful to do when the enemy is occupied by an ally.
Fifth sub-branch
The tank branch is interesting as long as the tank destroyer has at least some mobility. But starting with the Panther Yak, the game turns into waiting for the first bomb from the plane. At the same time, such monsters as Ferdinand and Yak Tiger are priority targets for aviation. However, in simulator mode these PTs feel much better as long as there is no aviation there. But they are greatly annoyed by light and medium tanks, and the artillery they call in very often hits these giant vehicles.
If the first tank tanks are quite maneuverable and interesting to play on, then you can’t really drive the Yak Pantsir. In general, we chose a place for ourselves and sniper, changing our position if possible.
This concludes our review of the German tank development branch from War Thunder. Don't forget to look at the German aircraft development thread if you haven't looked before.
War Thunder has a lot of equipment for any playing style. Some players love thick armor, others prefer high mobility, and others crave firepower. As you understand, everyone’s idea of the “best tanks” is different. However, there are a few cars that literally praise everything. And what do they do with them in random... In a word, welcome.
More like an armored vehicle rather than a tank. In the right hands he can do crazy things. A big plus is high mobility and a powerful machine-gun belt with cumulative shells. It is quite difficult to reach the enemy with armor-piercing tracer shells, except at the side and or stern. But shooting down planes is the best thing.
Among the main disadvantages of the BMP-2, it is necessary to note the “cardboard” armor and relatively small cumulative ammunition. When fighting a well-armored enemy, there is a high probability that you will use up almost the entire machine gun belt on him. For this case we have an additional rocket weapon ATGM 9M113 "Competition" with an ammunition capacity of 4 shells and penetration of 600 units. So, if handled skillfully, the BMP-2 will make even the “fattest” enemies cry.
Anti-tank installation from the category of “one shot - one dead”. The main feature of the “Soviet St. John’s wort” is 152 mm howitzer ML-20S, firing chamber and high-explosive fragmentation shells. At the same time, chamber shells almost do not lose armor penetration with increasing distance to the target and are divided into 2 types:
- Armor-piercing pointed heads,
- Armor-piercing slow-witted ones.
Armor-piercing blunt-headed chamber shells have weaker penetration, but they “go in” noticeably better when they hit an inclined plane. The gun fires 3-4 times per second, and the initial speed of the projectile is 600 m/s. In this situation, you have to play the SU-152 carefully and positionally, because if the enemy survives and returns fire, it will be bad...
It’s impossible to say that the T32 is “imba.” It has many shortcomings, but even with this, the tank performs well in battle, of course, in capable hands. Here we have a 90 mm T15E2 gun with high armor penetration. It’s just that it fires once every 18 seconds, and there are no cumulative shells in the arsenal at all. In between shots, you can use two machine guns:
- M2HB (12.7 mm, 1000 ammunition),
- M1919A4 twin (7.62 mm, 4000 ammunition).
The T32 has good elevation angles of -10/+20 and a fast turret rotation speed of 22 degrees/second. The tank's armor is especially suitable - 127 mm upper frontal part (VLD), and 95.25 mm lower frontal part (NLD). Their tilt angles of 54 and 59 degrees give a reduced thickness of 199-204 mm and 210-224 mm, respectively. But the main feature is a completely impenetrable turret with armor from 300 to 400 mm in the forehead. True, it still sometimes flies into some places like the 25-mm bevel or the commander’s hatch. Overall the car is very durable.
Thanks to the 120 mm frontal armor and 200 mm gun mantlet, the tank feels comfortable when playing at long ranges. True, cumulative armor-piercing shots will still penetrate you, although it can be difficult to hit them from a long distance. The T-54-47 is also good for its dynamics, which easily allows you to outflank the enemy.
The main weapon of this “scoop” is 100 mm D-10T cannon with good penetration. There are also 2 machine guns - 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm. The downside of this tank is the relatively low turret rotation speed, which is why it does not perform well at close ranges and even worse in narrow spaces, so if necessary, you will have to turn the gun with the hull as well. One way or another, provided you have straight hands, the T-54 may well become the king of the battlefield and give you a lot of pleasure from the game.
M4A3E2 “Jumbo” – thick-skinned tough guy (6th place)
Let's face it, the weapon of the French "imba" of rank III is not the best - it is 75 mm M3 gun with 104 rounds of ammunition. At the same time, the initial flight speed of the projectiles is noticeably lower in comparison with the “soviet” samples. The shortcomings are compensated by good armor penetration and reload speed, but this is not always a panacea.
But what’s interesting about the M4A3E2 is its absolutely impenetrable forehead, which is why it ended up in this ranking of the best tanks in War Thunder. The Frenchman has 140-240 mm of reduced armor in the forehead in the NLD and VLD, as well as a strong 152 mm turret with a 172 mm mantlet. The only weak point of this monster is the machine gun nest with 80mm armor, but it's not that easy to hit, so you don't have to worry about it. Another nice bonus of the tank is its good dynamics. A speed of 35 km/h allows you to quickly change positions and escape from fire in case of danger.
This tank is loved primarily for its firepower, which is provided by the twin 57 mm S-68 gun. This is one of the most powerful weapons in the game. The density of fire allows you to destroy even well-armored heavy tanks, if, of course, you manage to get into a vulnerable spot. Fortunately, we have as many as 296 rounds of ammunition, so there shouldn’t be any problems with a shortage of shells.
It is better not to encounter aircraft with the ZSU-57-2 at all, because just 1 hit completely destroys attack aircraft and fighters. Against armored vehicles, professionals recommend using the following tactics: we take a closed position and aim the enemy’s gun. As soon as the enemy cannon is destroyed, the enemy tank is all yours, and you can safely cover it with a hail of armor-piercing shells and fragmentation grenades.
The legendary T-34 produced in 1942 is almost complete relaxation in battle. Here you don’t have to come up with complex tactics or sit in ambush. Entered from the flank, hit the side or stern - +1 frag to the bank. The main weapon of the tank is 76 mm F-34 cannon with a huge ammunition capacity of 100 shells. The most “delicious” projectile is the MD-8 chamber fuse, which penetrates armor and destroys all the insides of the vehicle, which often means a “one-shot”.
The turret's rapid rotation of 23 degrees per second allows it to be the first to target enemies. The T-34's armor is not particularly strong, but sometimes it still produces life-saving ricochets. The main tactics on this tank is attack. Thanks to good mobility, you can easily reach enemies from the flank and rear. But it’s better not to push your forehead against the “heavies”, you will be disappointed.
According to numerous military experts, this tank is the best in the entire history of the Great Patriotic War. Is he good at WT? Yes! Solves here 85 mm ZIS-S-53 gun model 1944, which has armor-piercing chamber shells with excellent armor protection. Add to this powerful land mines against weakly armored targets and a high rate of fire and we get the ideal killing machine.
Although the T-34-85’s armor is not particularly strong, its declination angles allow it to withstand enemy hits with enviable consistency. The tank is interesting mainly for its excellent dynamics, the ultimate turret traverse speed and the hellish armored effect, which, if successfully hit, means the instant death of the enemy. In short, in skillful hands there is a miracle, not a technique.
The combat rating of this tank is 10.0, and that says it all. Thanks to the crazy speed of 72 km/h, Abrams is able to move indecently quickly across the battlefield and hang “cradles” from where, according to all the laws of logic, no one was expecting him. At the same time, it easily reaches its maximum speed even in the snow.
The armor of the M1 Abrams is not very thick, but thanks to the well-placed tanks, ammunition rack and crew members, the protection can withstand hits from most enemies. It’s hard not to envy the Abrams’ survivability in battle, because sometimes it remains in service even after several direct hits on the side or stern. The high traverse speed of the turret allows you to react with lightning speed to any threat, and the projectiles 105 mm M68A1 cannon with good armor protection, they brazenly multiply the enemy’s outdated equipment by zero. Wild, daring, dangerous. Nothing to add here.
One of the best (if not the best) light tank in War Thunder. The main weapon is the 85-mm D-58 cannon, which fires chambered, high-explosive and cumulative shells. The armor, frankly speaking, is cardboard, so the ability to play on Object 906 decides. Experienced players usually use the “drive to the rear and plant in the rear” tactic, which is facilitated by the good mobility of the vehicle.
The tank is interesting due to the presence of a stabilizer, a 4-second reload, a high turret rotation speed and a gun with characteristics similar to the Royal Tiger cannon. At the same time, the tank moves briskly across the battlefield, floats and sometimes withstands direct hits due to the passage of projectiles. If you learn to play on the object, it will make all your enemies cry with blood. You just ride from the flank and hand out vigorous one-shots left and right. Of course, exactly until you come across an anti-aircraft gun head-on... That’s where you’re screwed.
votesCurrently in the game there are two technological tank branches of two countries - the USSR and Germany. In the future it is planned to add the USA, Japan and the UK. Let's look at those already present in the game.
In total, the game provides five types of tank equipment:
- Lightweight - for reconnaissance and artillery support.
- Medium - for breaking through enemy flanks and destroying light ground vehicles.
- Heavy - used to protect the main forces.
- Anti-tank self-propelled artillery installations - for cover and protection from enemy attacks.
- Anti-aircraft installations - for countering aviation and destroying air targets.
Below are screenshots of the Soviet branch of development. Click the mouse to enlarge the pictures.
The branches, in turn, are divided into ranks as they progress, of which there are only five. Let's look at the ground vehicles of the Soviets by rank in the game War Thunder:
- The entry level includes tanks BT-7, T-26, T-28, T-60, T-70 and ZIS-30. It is not necessary to open all branches; first, you can upgrade the equipment that you think is more necessary at this stage of the game.
- The second rank already allows you to determine the further specifics of the equipment and your preferences for the type of game, and includes good intermediate samples, such as E-80, T-34 1941L11, T-34 1941, T-34 1942, KV-1, KV-1 ZIS-5 and SU-76M.
- The third rank can already be called “playable” for solid farming and further development of your tanks (one KV-2 is worth something). T-34-57, T-34-85, KV-2 1939, IS-1, SU-85, SU-85M.
- In the fourth, the specifics and the best representatives, in our opinion, of tank destroyers are already visible. SU-100, T-44, T-34-85, IS-2, ISU-122 and ISU-122S.
- Well, the top of the military technological branch of the USSR is the reward for passing the previous ranks, the best representatives of that time - IS-3, ISU-152, IS-4M and T-54-1951.
The German development branch in the game War Thunder is almost the same in complexity as the Soviet one for completing and discovering new equipment.
By rank, German ground vehicles in the Var Thunder game are distributed as follows:
- The first initial rank includes - PzKpfw 38(t) Ausf.A, PzKpfw II Ausf.C, PzKpfw II Ausf.F, PzKpfw III Ausf.E, PzKpfw III Ausf.F, PzKpfw IV Ausf.C, StuG III Ausf. A.
- At the second rank, you should already decide on the priority of the development of the branch and the type of equipment. PzKpfw III Ausf.L, PzKpfw III Ausf.M, PzKpfw IV Ausf.F, PzKpfw IV Ausf.F2 and StuG III Ausf.F.
- The third rank is intermediate and interesting in it are the tank destroyers. Jagdpanzer IV, PzKpfw V Ausf.D, PzKpfw IV Ausf.H, PzKpfw IV Ausf.G and PzKpfw VI Ausf.H1.
- Those who reach the fourth rank become owners of good cars with excellent “killer” and dynamic characteristics. Includes Ferdinand, Jagdpanther, PzKpfw V Ausf.G, PzKpfw V Ausf.A and PzKpfw VI Ausf.B.
- Well, the top of the German tank branch includes some of the best representatives - Panther II, PzKpfw V Ausf.F and PzKpfw VI Ausf.B mit KwK46. The Maus line is not yet considered in the game.
Which country should you start with the ground vehicles branch? The balance of the game does not allow us to give precise recommendations on choosing a nation, and each player probably has his own preferences in technology, but we still dare to recommend pumping both branches in parallel to at least the third rank; someone will probably like the clumsy power of the advice, or maybe vice versa - More tactically flexible, but weaker in terms of fire, German technology at the initial stage of development of the branch. But the Soviet branch is still considered the easiest at the beginning of the game.
Types of ground combat in the game War Thunder.
The game provides three types of battles for tanks in Var Thunder:
- Arcade.
- Realistic.
- Simulator.
To begin with, we advise you to choose the option of arcade battles, since in them you have the opportunity to see the impact location of a projectile fired by your tank, which in turn makes it possible to “get your teeth into” accurately hitting the weakest modules of enemy tanks. If your tank is hit at the beginning of the battle, then in the arcade version you have the opportunity to continue the battle for the selected country by transferring to another tank from the hangar. The mode is good for earning silver, although it gives less experience points than in other modes.
The more complex and “expensive” type of combat in War Thunder in terms of gaining combat experience is realistic. Here you need to use all your gaming skills and the skills of your crew. There is no possibility of changing the vehicle selected before the battle and re-entering after the destruction of your tank. The controls are complicated - there are no markers or distance indicators to the target. Increased experience is given for destroying enemy equipment, but a lot of money is taken to repair your own. As a rule, they participate in Battles at more “mature” ranks and top tanks. The battles have a historical basis and involve the battle of one nation against another.
Tank crew in War Thunder. Upgrading combat skills.
The crew of ground vehicles in the game always consists of five people: a tank commander, a gunner, a driver, a gunner-radio operator and a loader. Each one here has its own combat characteristics that increase the overall combat damage from your vehicle. Let's take a closer look at the specialties of each.
Tank commander. There are five skills to learn - survivability, leadership, machine gun shooting, vigilance and field repair. You can choose leadership as a priority to study, which improves the characteristics of the crew as a whole.
Gunner. The five combat characteristics for the gunner are survivability, vigilance, field repair, ranging and guidance. Here the recommendations depend on your preferences for the battle mode in the game - if you mainly play or plan to participate in arcade battles on this machine, then you should improve the range detection, since it is most important in this mode. And if you are a supporter of realistic or simulator battles, then you should pay attention to guidance.
Driver mechanic. There are four combat skills: driving, vitality, vigilance and field repair. The absolute first characteristic here is to improve driving, which increases the combat vehicle’s maneuverability and braking speed.
Charging. There are also four combat characteristics: vigilance, survivability, field repair and gun loading. Here, of course, we first pump up the loading of the gun, which will increase the rate of fire of our gun.
Gunner-radio operator. It is possible to upgrade as many as six perks: survivability, vigilance, field repair, radio communications, shooting from a course machine gun and reloading a course machine gun. First of all, we download the specialized skill - radio communications.
It is noticeable that in addition to the basic characteristics of the military specialty, there are also general ones that increase the skills of the crew - survivability and field repair.
In addition to pumping up the crew's combat skills, the Var Thunder game has an additional feature for a general increase in performance - this is qualification.
It should be remembered that in order to gain qualification, the crew must be pumped up to one hundred percent level.
Modules and improvements for tanks in War Thunder.
Modules and additional equipment of tanks in the game are divided into three types:
- Mobility.
- Firepower.
- Security and camouflage.
The mobility section includes all maneuverability and speed of movement of the vehicle. Includes the ability to pump up the tracks to improve traction and ability to overcome various obstacles on the maps. The suspension and braking system improve the handling and overall dynamics of the tank in the game War Thunder. The transmission is responsible for the gearbox and control rods, which has a positive effect on control.
Firepower modules are responsible for tank improvements related to weapons; the turret drive adjusts and lubricates the vehicle's turret rotation mechanism itself and slightly increases the speed and smoothness of rotation. Artillery support allows you to call in artillery fire at a specified point, but it should be remembered that only light and medium tanks have this ability.
Security and camouflage allows you to install modules that improve additional protection for the vehicle using padded armor and reduce visibility for enemy tanks and aircraft. We hope our guide to tanks and crew skills in the game Var Thunder will help you quickly upgrade your combat vehicles and defeat more opponents in the vastness of the game.
Gaijin Entertainment announced the start of creating an online flight simulator in 2011. A little confusion immediately occurred, since two flight sims were announced at the same time - World of Planes And World of Warplanes. For some time, many thought that this was generally the same game, but soon. It turned out that these are two different projects, but on the same topic.
Two years have passed. World of Warplanes from Wargaming, after much torment, entered open testing and turned out to be compared to the previous project. Gaidzinovskaya World of Planes changed the name to War Thunder, collected in the press, and, in full accordance with the promises of two years ago, is gradually turning into a universal battlefield for all types of troops, with the exception of infantry. Little is known about the ships yet, but I managed to get to know the tanks quite closely.
It would seem that the aviation unit War Thunder it is logical to compare with World of Warplanes, and tank - with World of Tanks. But there is no need to do this, because, firstly, it turns out that two modes of one game are compared with two separate games, and secondly, because these two modes are extremely closely related to each other: a plane can shoot at a tank, and tank - into the plane (looking ahead: the plane can drop a bomb on the ship, and the ship can shoot down the plane or knock out a tank on the shore).
Rather, it is worth comparing the concepts of project development according to Wargaming and according to Gaijin. Wargaming prefers to develop “in breadth”, almost without touching the mechanics of the game: adding more and more tanks, making new games - about planes, about ships, moving to consoles and mobile platforms. Moreover, each new game is loosely related to the old one and is more designed to attract a new audience rather than serving the old one.
Gaijin are making a single gaming space, adding new modes to the initially aviation game: the ability to ride tanks and sail ships on the sea, opportunities for cooperative play, etc. All this is done in order to keep the player within the framework of a single game.
These two completely different approaches have their pros and cons. War Thunder bets on everything at once: if any mode turns out to be unsuccessful, most likely the entire project will suffer. Wargaming in this sense is much freer: the failure of, say, “airplanes” will have virtually no effect on the success of “tanks.”
Moving directly to the tanks in War Thunder, I note that after hundreds of hours spent in World of Tanks, playing them is not that difficult, but unusual. I'm used to seeing a beautiful tank that clearly stands out, despite the camouflage, from the surrounding background. This tank quickly rolls (or slowly crawls) along smooth paths and it has a very definite reserve of life, calculated in hit points.
IN War Thunder there are no such conventions. The tank constantly sways, shakes on the slightest unevenness, it blends in well with the terrain, but it simply has no health indicator - the tank is considered destroyed as soon as key modules fail. Therefore, the damage model here is obviously more realistic than in World of Tanks. Whether this is good is a difficult question: on the one hand, of course, it’s great that everything is real, on the other hand, it’s convenient to always know approximately how long your tank has left to live.
All this is important and interesting, but not at all the main thing. The main thing is that tanks operate on the same map where planes fly. Therefore, you can always transfer from a plane to a tank and back, you can ask a friend on the plane to help and pick out a tank hidden behind a house, you can even go towards the edge of the map to destroy enemy anti-aircraft guns. Something like this has probably only happened before in games in the series. Battlefield, but that, of course, is a completely different story.
At the start, the developers promise about 60 tanks from two nations - Germany and the USSR; in the future they plan to increase the tank fleet to 80 units, and in the more distant future - add an American branch. Closed beta testing will begin before the end of the year, and open testing is apparently waiting for us next year.
This review provides a historical excursion into the tanks of the Var Thunder game, as well as how to play for a particular tank, recommendations and a lot of other valuable information. So, let's begin.
Tanks of the first era
BT-7 "Flying Tank"
This is a Soviet light tank of the 1937 model, equipped with a 45 mm cannon with 188 rounds of ammunition. The BT-7's auxiliary armament consisted of two DT machine guns.
This vehicle differed from previous modifications by a conical turret, changes in the transmission, strengthened wheel suspension springs, and strengthened track drive wheels. During modernization, the thickness of the frontal armor was increased to 22 mm, and the combat weight increased to 13.9 tons. A total of 4,827 BT-7 tanks of the 1937 model were produced.
The car is not bad, its main advantage is simply hurricane dynamics, not inferior to those of a real tank. Although it is quite difficult to reach a speed of more than 50 km/h. The disadvantages of this vehicle include weak bulletproof armor. The frontal armor of this tank is only 22 mm, which is very small, and can only protect against small-caliber automatic guns, and even then from a certain distance.
Historically, the vehicle was not intended to break through defenses, so it is highly not recommended to engage in duels with it. The best tactics for the BT-7 are attacking from the rear, shooting from behind cover, and dynamic shooting on the move. In general, the main thing for this tank is to stay out of the vulnerable zone.
T-60 "Ant"
T-60
Our second in line is a Soviet light tank, equipped with a 20mm gun. The cannon's ammunition capacity was 754 shells - that's 13 belts of 58 shells each. The vehicle was developed in August 1941 at Moscow plant No. 37 under the leadership of N. A. Ostrov, the leading developer of all light tanks in the USSR at that time.
The tank was produced from September 41 to February 43, when it was replaced by the more powerful T-70 light tank. The few T-60s that survived the battle were used as tractors, reconnaissance tanks and training vehicles until the very end of the war. In total, about 6,000 units of this equipment were produced.
The main disadvantage of the T-60 in War Thunder is that any flea can penetrate it. The very weak defense is compensated by the tank’s nimbleness and high maneuverability, which allows it to be a very inconvenient target for the enemy.
T-28 "Best in the World"
T-28
Star of parades of the Soviet Union in the 1930s. At one time it was widely promoted on stamps and postcards. For its time it was the most powerful tank in the world. A medium tank of the pre-war period, equipped with an A-10 weapon of 76.2 mm caliber, with 69 rounds of ammunition. Four DT machine guns were used as additional weapons. The tank was created in the early 30s at the tank and tractor design bureau under the leadership of S. A. Ginsburg.
The T-28 is the first medium tank in the USSR to go into mass production. At the time of its appearance, it was the strongest medium tank in the world. This modification with the A-10 cannon was produced from 1938 to 1940. And in total more than 130 vehicles of this type were built.
What is the specialty of the T-28 in War Thunder? Despite its more than impressive dimensions, the tank is quite durable and can withstand a huge number of hits, thereby allowing it to remain in service for quite a long time without any serious damage. The disadvantage of the T-28 in the game, as well as in reality, is the low turret rotation speed. But overall the tank is quite flexible.
T-34 model 1940 "King of the Eastern Front"
T-34
The most famous tank of the Second World War, which embodied the best achievements of the military industry of that time. Armed with an L-11 cannon of 86.2 mm caliber, with 77 rounds of ammunition. The vehicle's auxiliary armament consisted of two 7.62 mm DT machine guns.
This tank was developed under the leadership of M.I. Koshkin in the design bureau of the tank department of the Kharkov plant. This modification with the L-11 cannon was produced from 1940 to early 1941. The T-34 was one of the most successful tanks of the war, which became so as a result of the use of the latest highly economical aviation-type diesel engine - the B-2, thanks to which the medium, thick-armored T-34 received high power, ensuring the tank's superiority in maneuverability, maneuverability and reliability. A relatively small number of T-34s were produced with this gun - just over 450.
The advantage of the T-34 is its low penetration, ensured due to the large angles of inclination of the armor, due to which shells very often ricochet without causing significant damage to the tank. The second advantage is a fairly powerful gun. The disadvantage is the low rate of fire, which makes the T-34 unsuitable for shooting at fast-moving targets such as airplanes
ZIS-30 "Deadly Force"
Soviet light anti-tank self-propelled artillery unit (SPG) of an open type, quite sharply different from other vehicles presented in the game War Thunder, armed with a ZIS-2 cannon of 57 mm caliber. With 20 rounds of ammunition. It was developed at plant No. 92 under the leadership of designer P.F. Muravyov in the second half of 1941 by attaching a ZIS-2 anti-tank gun to the T-20 Komsomolets artillery semi-armored tank tractor.
These self-propelled guns were well received by the troops due to the effectiveness of the gun itself. However, due to the numerous breakdowns and combat losses, they did not have a noticeable impact on the course of the war. In total, about a hundred ZIS-30s were produced, which took part in the battles of 1941-42.
The disadvantage of the ZIS-30 in the game is its strong recoil and very low armor. More precisely, he has no armor at all. Absolutely anyone can break through it - you just need to hit it, but that's the whole problem. After all, the advantage of this machine is its nimbleness, lightness, and mobility. He moves very quickly from cover to cover, knocking the enemy off target. Well, the most important advantage of the ZIS-30 is its powerful gun. Not only can it penetrate almost any armor, but it also reloads quickly and is also very accurate when shooting even at very long distances. And finally, the last important aspect - at the time of writing this article, this self-propelled gun is the highest in combat rating, and this probably means something.
T-26 "Lenivets"
T-26
The T-26 is a Soviet light tank of the 1939 model, equipped with a 20K cannon of 45 mm caliber. Its ammunition capacity was 205 shells. The T-26 is essentially a conversion of the Vickers Mk E tank purchased from the British.
The T-26 of this type was produced from 1939 to 1940. And it differed from the previous ones in the turret box with inclined armor plates, the removal of the rear machine gun, instead of which an additional combat rack for 32 rounds was installed, increased engine power and strengthened suspension. In total, about 2,000 tanks of this modification were built.
There is not much good to be said about this vehicle; after all, this is the initial combat vehicle when playing for the USSR. First of all, download ammunition on it, since initially T-26 shells have rather low armor penetration. The car drives quite slowly, which is very annoying, so pump up the suspension and tracks. But there’s no point in upgrading armor.
Tanks of the second era
SU-76M “Cardboard Killer”
Soviet self-propelled gun, armed with a ZIS-3 gun of 76.2 mm caliber and 60 rounds of ammunition. It was developed by the design bureau of plant No. 38 in the city of Kirov in the summer of 1942.
The main designer of the self-propelled gun was S. A. Ginsburg. The SU-76M modification was distinguished by the installation of an engine with increased engine life, as well as the absence of an armored roof for the armored compartment. It went into production in the summer of '43. And a number of such vehicles managed to take part in the Battle of Kursk. Production ended in 1944. A few years later, they were withdrawn from service by the Soviet army. In total, about 14 thousand of these self-propelled guns were produced.
The good thing about this tank is that it has a very powerful gun for its level, and the armor penetration shells can rival the T-34-57, not to mention the regular T-34. The tank's mobility is also excellent - you can go to the enemy's rear or to the side.
The main disadvantage of the SU-76M in Var Thunder is its weak armor. The frontal one is only 25 mm, and the side one is even less. In general, such armor can only protect from bullets. Another disadvantage is the low vertical aiming angle. The gun does not want to go down at all, which makes the tank unsuitable for firing from hills and other high positions.
SU-122 "Deadly High Explosive"
A self-propelled artillery unit equipped with a 122 mm howitzer and 40 rounds of ammunition. The beginning of its development was the GKO decree of 1942, obliging the Ural Heavy Engineering Plant and Plant No. 592 to urgently develop an armored self-propelled 122-mm howitzer to destroy enemy tanks and combat firing points.
The first prototype of such a self-propelled gun was built on November 30 at Uralmash and, due to the shortage of self-propelled artillery, was already put into mass production in December. This vehicle was one of the first serial self-propelled guns developed in the USSR. Its production ceased in August 1943 due to the transition to production of all SU-85 tanks, but even after that it continued to take part in battles until the very end of the Great Patriotic War. A total of 638 self-propelled guns were produced.
The main disadvantage of the SU-122 is its low rate of fire, which, however, was characteristic of all howitzer guns of that time. The smoothness of the ride also leaves much to be desired, but overall the tank is very powerful, well armored and formidable.
T-70 "Tarantayka"
T-70
A light tank equipped with a 45 mm cannon and 90 rounds of ammunition. It was developed by a team of engineers under the leadership of N. A. Ostrov in November 1941 at the Gorky Automobile Plant and put into production in January 1942.
The T-70 was developed to replace the T-60. Unlike the latter, it had more impressive dimensions and more advanced weapons. It also had more advanced armor protection and increased power density. Serial production began in 1942 at the Gorky Automobile Plant. And also at plants No. 37 in Sverdlovsk and No. 38 in Kirov. However, following the results of the Battle of Kursk, the prevailing opinion was that this light tank was no longer needed by the Red Army and the emphasis shifted in favor of producing the SU-76M based on it. Therefore, in October 1943, the production of these devices was curtailed. In total, a little more than 8,000 units of this equipment were built.
The advantages of the T-70 include very good speed and dynamics even when climbing steep hills, almost impenetrable armor for the first ranks (with the exception of the use of cumulative ammunition at close ranges). The main disadvantage of the T-70 is the very low turret traverse speed. This is due to the fact that in reality the tank did not have an electric drive, and the turret rotated due to the muscular strength of the tankers.
T-80 “The best light tank in the game War Thunder”
T-80
Another Soviet light tank, armed with a 45 mm cannon and 94 rounds of ammunition. It was created at the Gorky Automobile Plant in the fall of 1942 - just like the T-70, under the leadership of Ostrov. In December of the same year, the prototype of the tank passed successful tests. It was adopted and mass-produced at plant No. 40 in Mytishchi.
The main differences between the T-80 and its predecessor T-70 were the presence of a two-man turret, as well as the presence of a high gun elevation angle for anti-aircraft firing. The tank was produced until September 43rd, when it was replaced by the more preferable SAU-76M. In total, about 80 units of this equipment were produced.
The main advantage of the T-80 is the powerful turret drive and excellent vertical turret aiming, which makes it convenient for shooting from any angle and any position.
T-34 model 1941
T-34
The tank is armed with a 76.2 mm cannon, with 77 rounds of ammunition. This is the second model of the T-34 tank, which appeared in 1941. Essentially, it was a 1940 model tank with a turret of rolled armor plate, equipped with a more powerful gun. In general, the body design remains the same.
The bulky hatch was also retained on the turret, but a box for servicing the gun was now installed on the right side of the tracked shelf, and the cast gun cradle was now replaced with a corner one, which was now bolted on. It is difficult to say exactly about all the changes to the tank, because its production was carried out at three factories at once, and each introduced its own changes. But they did not particularly affect the performance characteristics of the tank. It is also unknown exactly how many tanks of this modification were built, since tanks with a cast turret were also produced in parallel with the welded turret.
In general, in War Thunder it is the same classic T-34, only better. So it makes sense to choose it.
T-34-57 “Monument to Heroes”
The second Soviet medium tank, armed with a 57 mm cannon with 77 rounds of ammunition. Work on this tank began in the summer of 1940 - on the eve of the war. The department of the chief designer of plant No. 92 connected the barrel of the 57-mm ZIS-2 anti-tank gun with the cradle of the F-34 tank gun, thus obtaining a high-power gun - the ZIS-4.
Serial production of modified T-34s with this gun was not launched due to the excess power of the gun. As a result, only 50 units of this equipment were produced.
This vehicle was produced specifically to combat the new German Tiger tanks. Likewise, in the game War Thunder, he is quite good in firefights with these enemy vehicles.
This tank differs from other modifications of the T-34 in its higher rate of fire and simply excellent armor penetration for the second rank - it penetrates almost everyone without any problems. Even at a distance of one kilometer, it is capable of penetrating 90 mm armor.
The tank is named after Marshal of the Soviet Union Klement Voroshilov. Equipped with a 76.2 mm cannon with 116 rounds of ammunition. The first copy of this tank was manufactured at the Leningrad plant in August 1939. And from the beginning of the Soviet-Finnish war it was immediately sent to front-line testing. It was accepted into service on December 19, 1939.
Serial production of this tank began in February 1940 at the Kirov plant. In addition, on December 31 of the same year, the first KV was assembled, and the construction of a special building for their assembly began at the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant. In August 1942, their production was discontinued. This tank became the founder of a whole series of heavy tanks of the Soviet Union. In total, a little more than 3,000 of these machines were produced.
The dynamics of the combat vehicle are not the best; it is not always possible to change direction, so which flank to push through or hold must be decided at the very beginning. The turret's rotation speed, as well as its downward rotation angles, leave much to be desired. In view of this, try to choose a direction along flat terrain without ravines.
But with the KV-1 reservation everything is great. Except for the stern. So the fastest way to destroy this tank is to approach from the rear.
Tanks of the third era
KV-1 (2) "Unstoppable"
Soviet heavy tank armed with a 76.2 mm cannon with 116 rounds of ammunition. Before this modification, the KV-1 was produced with the F-32 cannon, but due to the lack of these guns, tests of the new ZIS-5 gun were urgently carried out, and from October 1, 1941, they began to be installed on the tank. The main feature of this gun was the ability to aim in a small sector of horizontal aiming in a fixed position of the turret.
In addition to replacing the gun, there were also design changes. To protect the sides of the turret, a rather thick armor beam was welded. We increased the height of the additional armor sheet in the frontal part of the hull. Instead of three, only two boxes were installed on the fender shelves. In total, over the last 3 months of 1941, about 480 KV-1 tanks with this gun were produced.
KV-85 "Transitional shortness"
A heavy tank armed with an 85 mm cannon with 70 rounds of ammunition. This tank was developed by design bureau No. 100 in May-July 1943 under the leadership of Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin in view of the appearance of the heavy Tiger tank by the enemy. It was accepted into service on August 8th. Serially produced at the Chelyabinsk and Kirov factories.
The KV-85 turned out to be a fairly successful transitional model to the powerful Soviet tanks of the IS family. It is worth noting that the idea of arming a tank with an 85-mm gun was proposed more than once at the early stage of the Great Patriotic War, but was invariably rejected due to excess power. However, with the advent of the ultra-armored Tiger, the idea was still approved. In total, 145 tanks of this type were eventually built.
The tank is quite long-suffering. Essentially, this is the KV-1, which they decided to lighten by weakening the armor and reducing the dimensions for the sake of speed characteristics. So try not to expose the hull, since most tanks at their level can easily penetrate it. And the turret from the IS-1 with good armor and a good gun allows the KV-85 to fight Tigers and Panthers. As for the dynamics, it's not very good.
SU-152 "St. John's wort"
A heavy artillery unit armed with a howitzer cannon with 20 rounds of ammunition. The first prototype of this self-propelled gun, called object No. 236, was completed at the Chelyabinsk Kirov plant on January 24, 1943. After testing on February 9, the new self-propelled gun was put into service. In the same month, serial production began, which continued until December of the same year.
The first combat use of this device took place in the summer of 1943 on the Kursk Bulge. Its firepower and good mobility made the SU-152 effective in battles with the new heavy German tanks. And naturally in the role of an assault gun and a self-propelled howitzer. She played the greatest role in the second half of 1943 and the beginning of 1944. Later, as the chassis wore out, the SU-152 was replaced with the more advanced ISU-152. A total of 671 units of this equipment were produced.
It is no coincidence that the SU-152 was nicknamed St. John's Wort; it was created specifically for the extermination of enemy Tigers and Panthers. But due to the low rate of fire, it turned out to be not as effective as we would like, because if you miss, you are unlikely to have a chance to correct yourself. In addition, no armor makes this tank vulnerable at any distance. A low turning speed is also not beneficial. In general, the main thing for this tank is to hit. It’s easy to hit, since he doesn’t shoot often, but if he does shoot, he’ll hit anyone.
Tanks of the fourth era
SU-100 "Tank Destroyer"
Soviet self-propelled gun with a 100 mm gun and 33 rounds of ammunition. It was developed at Uralmash at the beginning of 1944 as a significantly improved SU-85 for the destruction of German heavy tanks.
The SU-100 was put into production in August 1944. Its production continued until March 46th. In addition, in 1951 and 1956 it was produced in Czechoslovakia under a Soviet license. In total, about 4976 such installations were built.
Based on its characteristics, it is obvious that the SU-100 is an excellent tank destroyer; it is very mobile. High speed characteristics allow you to effectively move around the battlefield, coming to the rescue where needed. But targeted shooting is hampered by low vertical aiming angles, so the choice of terrain is very important for this self-propelled gun. The tank's armor isn't the most powerful, but it's not entirely bad either. In general, in terms of armor, this is a strong average. It’s rare for anyone to be able to destroy it with one hit, but that’s not bad.
SU-85M "Transitional version"
A self-propelled gun equipped with an 85 mm gun, the ammunition load of which was 60 shells. It, like the SU-100, was created on the basis of the T-34-85 medium tank in the spring of 1944 as a transitional vehicle to the SU-100.
The SU-85 consisted of the SU-100 hull, armed with a cannon mounted on a conventional SU-85. This model also differed from the SU-100 in its travel mount, rotating mechanism, gun mantlet, sight and combat stowage for 60 rounds. The first self-propelled gun was released in July and continued until November 1941. In total, 315 self-propelled guns of this type were produced.
There's not a lot of good things to say about this tank. In fact, something between the SU-100 and SU-85.
SU-122 "Deadly High Explosive-2"
Another Soviet self-propelled gun, equipped with a 122 mm caliber gun and 30 rounds of ammunition. It was developed at plant No. 100 in December 1943, and mass production began in April 1944 at the Chelyabinsk Kirov plant and continued until 1945.
The SU-122 quite noticeably influenced the course of the Great Patriotic War, acting at its final stage as an effective tank killer. After the war, these self-propelled guns were actively supplied to Poland and Czechoslovakia as allied countries. Also, these devices were used sporadically by the Wehrmacht. In total, about 2,000 self-propelled guns of this type were built.
The tank has good initial armor penetration, as well as a powerful forehead, which makes it a very tenacious enemy.
SU-122S "Immortal"
Soviet self-propelled gun with a 122 mm cannon, the ammunition capacity of which was 30 shells. This device was developed at plant No. 100 in April 1944. Mass production began in the same month at the Kirov plant in Chelyabinsk, and ended in 1945.
In fact, the SU-122M was not much different from the SU-122. The main difference is the replacement of a gun with an increased rate of fire. A total of 675 combat vehicles were produced.
In general, it is essentially the same SU-122, only the original characteristics are slightly higher.
T-34-85 “Best modification”
Soviet medium tank armed with a ZIS-S-53 cannon with 60 rounds of ammunition. Plant No. 163 began the transition to the T-34 model with this gun in March 1944, when mass production of these guns was launched.
Production of the T-34-85 in the USSR was completed in 1946, but its production under license continued in Czechoslovakia and Poland, where its production continued until 1948. In total, about 65 thousand tanks of this series were produced.
In general, the T-34 in the game War Thunder has better dynamics. And this modification is no exception. This is the most versatile vehicle, quite effective in battles on any terrain and at any distance. Unlike previous modifications, the tank has improved firepower.
T-44 "Speed Tank"
T-44
The second medium tank, armed with the same gun with 58 rounds of ammunition. The T-44 was developed at design bureau No. 183 in Nizhny Tagil under the leadership of A. A. Morozov in 1943-44.
The T-44 was put into production in July 1944. However, due to the congestion of production lines with T-34-85 tanks, few of these vehicles were produced during the war, and they were never able to actually take part in the war. However, its production continued until 1947. A total of 1,823 units of this equipment were built.
The car is very mobile, which makes the gameplay much more enjoyable - you are in time where you need to be in time. The turret's traverse speed is also quite decent, but the gun's downward aiming angles are not optimal. But even here the dynamics save us - we can roll out, shoot back and quickly roll back into the shelter, remaining unharmed. The armor, both frontal and rear, is at a very good level, considering that this is a medium tank. It's rare to send him to the hangar with one shot. In general, the T-44 is a fast and quite powerful tank for its class.
Shooting in sniper style at a distance of more than 500 meters is not justified for this vehicle, since penetration of a gun at such a range leaves much to be desired.
IS-2 "Best breakthrough tank"
Soviet heavy tank model 1943. It was equipped with a 122 mm cannon with 28 rounds of ammunition. This tank was essentially a further improvement of the IS-1 tank, which in turn was a modernization of the previous KV-1 model. Compared to the IS-1, the IS-2 had significantly improved weapons.
Tanks of this type were distinguished by a cast frontal part with a streamlined stepped shape. The IS-2 was the most powerful armored Soviet tank of the war and one of the most powerful tanks of that time. These tanks played a huge role in the battles of 1944-45, distinguishing themselves during the assault on cities. Assembly of the first vehicles began in November 1943, and in total about 3,500 IS-2 tanks were produced.
A very formidable tank in the game, capable of killing almost any enemy with the first shot.
Tanks of the fifth era
ISU-152 "St. John's wort-2"
Soviet heavy artillery self-propelled gun, which was equipped with a 152.4 mm howitzer with 21 rounds of ammunition. It was developed by Plant No. 100 in June-October 1943 under the leadership of Zh. Ya. Kokin, the main developer of the entire line of Soviet heavy tanks. The general designer of the self-propelled gun was Moskvin.
Mass production of the device began in November of the same year, and ended only in 1946. ISU-152 had a noticeable impact on the course of the Great Patriotic War at its final stage. After the war, they underwent modernization and were in service with the Red Workers' and Peasants' Army for a very long time. A total of 3,242 units of this equipment were built.
The main advantage of this vehicle in Var Thunder is its powerful long-range cannon. Among the disadvantages are low speed and sluggishness, which make the ISU-152 vulnerable to nimble enemy tanks. And of course, a self-propelled gun is not very effective in close-range combat.
T-54 “All living things die”
T-54
A medium tank armed with a 100 mm gun and 34 rounds of ammunition. It was developed by plant No. 183 in Nizhny Tagil.
It was launched into production in 1947. However, due to constant breakdowns of these machines, in January 1949, it was decided to stop it. Only after significant modifications, namely the installation of a new turret, improvement of the frontal armor to 100 millimeters with an increase in the slope of the lower armor plate, as well as replacement of the tracks with wider ones, mass production resumed and continued until 1959. However, licensing in a number of other countries ended only in 1974. It is worth saying that this tank was exported and used in many post-war local conflicts. In total, a little more than 20 thousand of these tanks were produced worldwide.
100-mm T-54 shells easily and naturally turn almost any enemy combat weapon into a pile of iron. This tank is much better armored than the T-34 and is very effective in battles at any distance.
IS-3 "Heavy Average"
The Soviet heavy tank was armed with a 122 mm cannon with ammunition of 28 separately loaded shells. Its creation began under the code name Kirovitz-1 at the end of the summer of 1944. And during the development of this project, many of the shortcomings identified by a special commission following the Battle of Kursk were corrected.
The first batch of these tanks left the plant's workshops in May 1945, and production ended in mid-1946. However, they were not able to participate in the hostilities of the Great Patriotic War. But they took part in the Berlin parade of the Allied forces in honor of the victory in World War II on September 7, 1945. In total, 1,555 tanks of this type were assembled.
IS-4M "Immortal"
A heavy tank of the post-war period, armed with a 122 mm cannon with 30 rounds of ammunition. Work on its creation began in December 1943 at SKB-2 under the leadership of N.L. Dukhov. The base for it was the IS-2 heavy tank. After 3 years of design work and testing, it was put into service in April 1946.
However, its mass production was accompanied by poor build quality and design defects. The tank required improvement. And in August 1949, a batch of improved IS-4M tanks was released, after which serial production of the tank was completed. In general, the IS-4M tanks were never brought to fruition. They had low transmission reliability, low cross-country ability and maneuverability. The advantage of this tank was its very thick armor protection. A total of 258 of these tanks were produced.
War Thunder tanks video
This concludes the guide to USSR tanks. Which tank to choose in War Thunder, you decide. The next article will be devoted to the German tanks of this wonderful online game. Good luck!