The “Iron Triangle” describes the three most important aspects of a tank’s design: Mobility, Protection, and Firepower. Like most things in this world, you can’t have the best of all worlds, so tradeoffs have to be made in each vehicle. For a tank to be more mobile, the protection of the crew and essential components may have to be sacrificed. This mobility, though it makes direct engagement riskier, can make long-range and guerilla combat easier…
Strategy 1: Shoot and Scoot.
A real-world tactic used by current-day tankers and a long-range artillery can be used by the majority of decently mobile vehicles in War Thunder:
- Step 1: find a hill or embankment that can be used for cover, along with the ability to easily “peek” over to engage enemies. An escape route is also important in case things get dicey; even if you have your team’s support, things can change fast, so have a planned-out way to make an exit.
- Step 2: use your binoculars (or a commander sight) to center the tank sight on your target, which makes it easier for a quick shot and retreat. Optionally: Mark it with Set target for squad (the yellow marker) to remember the location even if enemy pops smoke.
- Step 3: Peek out of cover and take your shot, then move back to cover. Be aware of your surroundings — if your enemies are unaware of your presence or distracted, you can take time to fire quickly and precisely, but if your position is compromised, retreat even without taking a shot, as making it out alive outweighs the benefit of one kill.
- Step 4: reverse back into cover to reload and reevaluate. Repeat steps 2-3 a few more times before moving to another location, as camping in one spot allows for enemy tanks and aircraft to locate you easier. Avoiding peaking off the same exact spot twice.
Scoot and shoot is best suited for vehicles with:
- A good forward and reverse acceleration. While there is not an exact figure, you should be able to quickly peek over and reverse to avoid return fire.
- Enough negative vertical guidance (< -5°) to safely fire at enemies. Your vehicle should be able to fire at enemies without exposing too much of your hull. *For vehicles with low-velocity ammunition, less negative guidance is required for long-distance engagements, as you can take advantage of gravity to arc your shots over a hill to hit enemies below.
- A powerful cannon and/or ammunition. Make sure you can effectively knock out or disable targets before firing. If you are unsure about a lack of firepower, it is best to wait until a more opportune time (such as making weak points easier to hit) to make a shot.
For terrain, the only real requirement for an eligible firing position is making sure your vehicle is up for the job (with the main points listed above). Vehicles with higher horsepower and more negative vertical guidance can take steeper hills, while vehicles with more firepower can engage at longer distances.
Knowing map layout is also important if you want to help your team win. You should look for positions that overlook major objectives and any other high-traffic corridors, which gives more options for targets and the ability to catch some of them off-guard.
Strategy 2: Flanking.
Flanking isn’t only reserved for light tanks, as some medium tanks and MBTs can go quite fast. Flanking in one of these vehicles is still very different, though, as there are a few key differences.
Do:
- Stay behind cover or heavy concealment (like dense forest) to reduce time enemies can see you.
- Keep moving until you have a suitable location to fire from. If you need to take a shot, make sure it is accurate. Slowing down will help with this, along with the use of stabilizers and laser range finders on more modern vehicles.
- Look out for enemy tanks moving towards you along your flanking route, and prepare for possible close-quarters combat.
Don’t:
- Bring attention to yourself. Though it may be fun, shooting your machine guns at trees and bushes can quickly bring attention to your position.
- Crest hills unless absolutely necessary, as this will silhouette your tank against the sky, and you will become very visible to enemies.
- Forget about your team. While you are flanking, make sure to communicate with your team about the locations of enemies, either by scouting, pinging on the map, or using the in-game chat. Going solo against multiple enemies is nearly unwinnable.
What’s important for a medium tank/MBT?
- You can’t scout, so use team chat or mark enemies on the map.
- You’re not as fast as light tanks, so don’t expect to get too far before spotting (or meeting) your first enemy.
- Don’t over-extend. While this is true for light tanks as well, medium tanks and MBT’s can’t escape as fast and are unable to resupply ammunition outside of a capture point.
Much like scoot and shoot, knowing map layout is very important. Your main objective should be to get behinds objective points and high-traffic corridors to catch enemies off-guard. Alongside this, continue moving to avoid retribution from land or air.
Don’t lose the objective
No matter how many kills you get, if you don’t control the objectives, your team will likely lose. If given the opportunity to capture a point, or resupply on a point, you should take it. Just remember these key points:
- Ensure you have adequate support if there is the likelihood of engagement, as the capture points are where the majority of players go to or camp around.
- Use concealment, cover, and movement to avoid threats while on the point. If you are repairing the vehicle or replenishing a crew member, avoid engagement for as long as possible with smoke, hiding places, or hep from teammates.
- Know when to leave. The more attention you bring to yourself, and the longer you wait, the higher chance there is that you will never make it out. Survival should be the first priority.
These strategies aren’t concrete.
These strategies are not mutually exclusive, so feel free to mix and match some of these points to formulate your own approach. Each vehicle and situation is also unique and can change within seconds, so don’t try and follow an exact plan for every game.
Happy Hunting!