Ground Vehicles
Tanks have been in service for over 100 years, starting in the trenches of WW1 and still fighting today. While the first designs were slow, massive, and under-armed, they were still revolutionary, introducing an entirely new way to fight wars. Many tank designs from many nations aimed to create the fastest, the toughest, and the strongest tanks. However, one of the most famous of them all is the United States' M1 Abrams. First fielded in the 1980s, it has since fought across the world from Europe to Iraq and it has gone through over 40 years of combat and upgrades. Today, we will explore the history of the Abrams and its impact on American tank design.
We continue looking at the newcomers of the December update. Today it’s time for one of the most modern armored vehicles in the game, an American fire support vehicle sometimes referred to as a light tank: the M10 Booker. Its real-world career turned out to be short-lived: deliveries began in 2024, and by 2025, the program was canceled due to numerous issues. Let’s see what the Booker can do in War Thunder.
We’ve already discussed the T14 (more about the T14 here in my article: T14: The Super Heavy Sherman). Now we want to take a closer look at its British counterpart, the Excelsior. Like the American T14, the Excelsior resulted from the same development project, although the Excelsior also never went into serial production; only two prototypes were built.
The Ratel 20 is a South African Light Tank in the British Tech tree, which is typically disliked. With a top speed of 65 mph, and a missile with maximum 530mm of penetration, the Ratel 20 is — on paper at least, a good light tank. However, with a poor acceleration and a rather slow missile, this vehicle does not perform too well when in combat.
The Soviet KV series, most notably the KV‑1 and KV‑2, were among the heaviest tanks of the early war. When they were put to operational use during the midst of Operation Barbarossa, German forces found most of their anti‑tank weapons far too weak against the thick armor; even a single KV could stall an advance and demonstrate capabilities the Germans themselves lacked. That display of strength made captured examples highly prized. Yet the tanks were far from perfect. They consumed fuel at alarming rates, broke down often, and were difficult to supply, and as such many were left behind in retreat or captured intact. The Wehrmacht quickly put these tanks to use, repainting their insignia and assigning them new designations as Beutepanzer (lit. loot tank).
The T-26-4 was an experimental “artillery tank” designed in the interwar period by the Soviet Union. In War Thunder, this tank can be tricky to play and requires some experience. Its several weaknesses, such as thin armor and slow speed, force the player to maneuver it cautiously in battle. However, it can be fun to play once you master both its drawbacks and advantages.
During Operation Barbarossa, Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, the Third Reich ran into Russia’s secret weapons: the T-34 and KV-1. While German engineers came up with move advanced tanks to combat Soviet armor, a quick solution was put together to face the Russians on somewhat equal terms. This stopgap would be known as the Marder.
In 1961, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces adopted the Type 61 tank. Compared with contemporary American or Soviet designs, it looked outdated almost from the moment it appeared. Yet despite its obvious shortcomings, it remained in service for decades, simply because it was exactly what the country needed at the time.