Artillery Support

From War Thunder Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

This page refers to the "artillery strike" functionality for ground vehicles.

Artillery is a game mechanic available for ground vehicles to use against the enemy. Currently, the artillery option is only available to light tanks, medium tanks, and anti-aircraft vehicles, with some exceptions.

History

"God fights on the side with the best artillery." —Napoleon Bonaparte
"I do not have to tell you who won the war. You know, the artillery did" —General George S. Patton
"Artillery is the god of war." —Joseph Stalin

Artillery refers to any large-caliber guns meant to fire their ammunition in a long-range at a direct or indirect firing role. Artillery has its roots all the way to the invention of gunpowder, but it was not until the Industrial Revolution in the 19th and 20th centuries that its effectiveness increased marginally. In all modern combat from the Napoleonic War in early 1800s to World War I and World War II, artillery has been the cause of the majority of combat deaths and thus, the most lethal weapon in the modern battlefield.

Usage and strategy

Artillery in-game is an area-denial weapon. Thus, artillery should be used on a large concentration of enemies, to flush out a hiding enemy, or deny easy access through a choke point. As artillery is available for light tanks, medium tanks, and anti-aircraft vehicles, you will have a variety of vehicles that have access to this powerful asset.

When aiming artillery, you should aim at where the enemy will be at the time of shell impact rather than where they are at the moment you call it. This is due to the long delay between the artillery command and the time of impact.

When fighting up-close to the enemy, you should not use artillery to attack the enemy in front of you. Artillery is indiscriminate and will destroy both allies and enemies alike. Instead, if fighting in a close-quarter location like a town, you should use artillery to cut off the passageway the enemies use to get into the area. This way, you isolate the enemy force in the town that allows you to take them out without worrying about incoming reinforcement for a time.

Crew skills

Main article: Crew skills

Artillery strike calling time

This skill decreases the time between calling the strike and the shells being fired from a base level of 13 seconds to a minimum of 10 seconds. The progression may seem marginal, but it can influence a stand-off very significantly.

Artillery targeting accuracy

This skill increases the targeting accuracy of artillery by reducing the shells' scattering, from a base level of 57 m to a minimum of 45 m. When seeking to take out specific targets, this can be very relevant, as it means a decrease in over 30% of the strike's surface area, concentrating all the shots into a smaller spot.