After WW2, the Marine Nationale faced an urgent need to rebuild its fleet with domestically produced vessels. By 1950, the navy consisted largely of pre-war ships, supplemented by vessels loaned from the United States and the United Kingdom. As with its armored forces, France sought to revive its naval industry to restore full military independence. Alongside larger ships such as the T 47-class destroyer, the navy also developed smaller coastal vessels, including the Fougueux-class patrol vessel and the Adroit-class patrol vessel. Intrépide was one of the eleven Adroit-class ships constructed and stood out due to a unique modification: a stern-mounted torpedo launcher installed for testing purposes. Introduced in the Tusk Force update, the Intrépide deliver to the French coastal tech tree a unique ship offering a mix between bigger frigates like the Marne and smaller patrol boats like the VLT-1 thanks to its frigate-like size paired with relatively light armament.
This article is about the history of the German 3.7 cm L/45 guns — mainly the PaK 36* and KwK 36 — as well as the tangentially related Navy 3.7 cm FlaK M42 L/69. The PaK 36 was the mainstay of towed anti-tank guns for Germany during World War II, being used from the war’s onset until the last days of the war, and were used in all sorts of roles, ranging from anti-tank operations in the late 1930s to infantry support using HE and fin-stabilized HEAT grenades during the closing days of the war. While the PaK 36 and its derivatives were largely obsolete by the end of World War II, their large production volume (20,000 units) meant that it wasn’t too hard to find them across various frontlines, still putting in work.
The N.V. Koninklijke Nederlandse Vliegtuigenfabriek Fokker was among the best aircraft manufacturers in WW1, producing some of the most famous planes such as the Fokker Dr.I or the Fokker D.VII. The Fokker D.XXI came on the eve of WW2 and Fokker decided to go the opposite of other aircraft manufacturers and went with a much simpler monoplane design that would do wonders in Finnish hands. The Fokker D.XXI provides an excellent introduction to monoplane fighters after biplane designs and will need you to work around its flaws to achieve its best performance.
The American F-16 Fighting Falcon light fighter first took to the skies in January 1974 — more than half a century ago. It was originally conceived as a highly maneuverable aircraft for close-range air combat. Over time, however, the Falcon outgrew that role and evolved into a versatile combat platform capable of handling a wide range of missions, from intercepting enemy aircraft to delivering precision strikes against ground targets.
The MiG-29 is a legendary 4th-generation fighter, but its mixed reputation is hard to ignore. People jokingly call it a “fuel fighter,” or “a jet built to achieve air superiority over its own airfield,” and such jokes have a bit too much truth in them. The limited fuel supply is noticeable even in War Thunder’s fast-paced battles, and of course this wasn’t a secret in real life either. Designers and the military always wanted more fuel than the MiG could realistically carry.
The Ratel 90 is an South African Light Tank in the British Tech tree. It is part of the Ratel family of fighting vehicles, a series of 6 wheeled IFV’s developed to replace the obsolete Alvis Saracen APC in South African Service. The Ratel 90 is a variant of the Ratel platform fitted with the turret of the Eland 90, and was utilized in the direct fire support role against enemy armour and fortifications. With a top speed of 65 mph, and a main armament that can penetrate 350mm of armour, it is a fairly decent light tank. However, with minimal armour protection, and a large silhouette, the Ratel 90 can be difficult to use effectively.
In a small town of 15,000 people, a machine lay dormant by a memorial to Italian soldiers. It has been a subject of online curiosity among armor enthusiasts, who typically pass it by as nothing more than JPEG pixels on their monitors, eliciting laughs and scoffs. However, perhaps such a mysterious being has a deeper history… This is perhaps, but maybe not, a definite historical background of The Tonk.
The history of armored warfare is filled with vehicles born from shifting geopolitical landscapes, and few exemplify this better than the Khalid (Arabic for “Eternal or Immortal”). Officially designated the FV4030/2, the Khalid represents a vital evolutionary link between the Chieftain and the Challenger 1. Originally designed to fulfill a massive Iranian defense contract under the Shah, the project was abruptly derailed by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, leading the British government to repurpose the tanks for the Royal Jordanian Army.
The Sd.Kfz.222 was a German armoured car used during the Second World War. This vehicle had a great deal of history and was deemed very useful during the early years of World War II. With its very high speeds and effective 20 mm cannon, this vehicle was very useful for quick close-combat situations. This article will explain this armoured vehicle’s history, armaments, mobility, and gameplay.
Messerschmitt’s Bf 110 was one of the Luftwaffe’s principal heavy fighters on the eve of the Second World War. When it first appeared, the twin-engine aircraft was seen as a powerful, modern weapon, but within just a few years, progress began to leave it behind. The high command hurried to find a worthy successor in the same class, and in the autumn of 1938, the Air Ministry launched a program to develop a new aircraft. By that time, Messerschmitt had already been working on a replacement for more than a year. The designers began with the proven Bf 110 layout, but the scale of the changes was so great that the result was essentially a new machine. Thus the Me 210 was born.