#france
The AMX-50 (TO90/930) is one of the many, many vehicles in the AMX-50 family—however, this tank has a dark secret: it's not like the others! For one, it stole its turret straight off the Char 25t, meaning it shares the same turret characteristics—including the ability to fire APHE shells, a sort of black magic for domestic French vehicles of this tier. The TO90 also shares the excellent 4-second reload with its brothers and can zoom around the map almost uncontested with its unparalleled mobility, although it can't take much fire because of its thin armor. Let's dive into the TO90's intricacies to see how it stacks up against its peers and adversaries!
The Char 2C bis was a French attempt to modernize the ancient relic of the Great War that is the Char 2C… with an archaic howitzer. Needless to say, this attempt was a failure, and the sole vehicle was modified back to its original form a few years later. However, in War Thunder, this gargantuan “super-heavy” tank has been given a new life as a new “derp gun” monster, capable of delivering a massive 11.22 kg of explosives that can defeat even a much more advanced enemy with ease.
Dunkerque's history was not filled with epic victories in combat or spectacular achievements; nonetheless, she participated in two major historic events that changed the balance of power in the Mediterranean, making her an important vessel from an historical perspective, even if she did not sink any hostile vessels in anger.
Contrary to public belief, the 330 mm OPf Mle 1935 shell was not classified as a Semi-Armor Piercing type of ammunition. Historically, the Dunkerque class was designed to counter ships like the Graf Spee, which were lightly armored compared to other capital ships. One theory suggests that the 330 mm OPf shell was designed as SAP to fulfill this purpose. There are currently two claims that attempt to support the classification of the 330 mm OPf shell as SAP: the burster cavity was too large and the hardened cap was too thin compared to typical AP shells. However, additional historical and technical context disproves these claims and instead suggests that the 330 mm OPf shell was designed as AP. The historical context will be first established before addressing each of these claims.
The AMX-50 Surbaissé is the last modification of the AMX-50, built to be a lighter version of the Surblindé, it is an accumulation of several years of design and prototyping to create a French tank killer. Offering the 120mm SA46, a six second reload, decent armor, and good mobility, playing the Surbaissé is an experience you'll be hard pressed to find anywhere else in War Thunder.
French 203 mm/50 model 1924 was used by the French heavy cruisers during the Second World War, most notably Colbert and Dupleix. It came equipped with SAP and HE shells, with the latter having a very large explosive filler compared to the SAP shell but poor penetration, while the former having just slightly larger explosive filler than SAP but offering a contact fuse, which might be preferable under some circumstances. Lacking a dedicated AP shell, it struggles to deal with heavily armoured cruisers.
Creatively different and boldly designed, French wheeled tanks are usually more fondly remembered than their tracked counterparts. This comes as no surprise, given the mixed performance of WW2-era French tracked tanks. Not to mention that after the war, French engineers opted for a completely new direction.
Dunkerque can best be described as a ship that excels in downtiers but struggles significantly in uptiers. While she may be an exciting vessel to unlock, being the ultimate French ship in the game at the time of her release, it is important to moderate expectations. Like all other vessels at BR 6.7, she finds herself in a challenging position, where many top-tier ships can penetrate her magazines, while she cannot retaliate effectively.