#tank_destroyers

It's been underestimated. It's been involuntarily towed around. It's been crushed by many Mauses. It's been made a meme by the War Thunder community, but at the same time, it's a fan favorite. However, when has anyone actually played it competitively? In today's post, I'm going to explain to you how to actually play the venerable L3/33 CC, a Rank I Italian tank destroyer. I'll go over its performance, strengths and weaknesses, and give you some pointers on how to play it in Ground RB.

The Archer was one of the most unusual tanks of World War II, developed and produced by Britain. It was based on the chassis of the Valentine infantry tank and armed with the 17-pounder anti-tank gun. What made the Archer unique was that its gun faced the rear of the vehicle, meaning the tank often had to be reversed into firing position. Approximately 665 units were built.

The Ferdinand/Elefant are heavy tank destroyers that can both pack a punch and take some hits in return; the Pak 43, often called the 'Long 88' by players, has a quick reload, high penetration and flat ballistics, making it a truly fearsome weapon! The armor on the Ferdinand is also quite thick, albeit unangled, which allows the vehicle to deflect less powerful guns aimed sloppily. The Ferdinand’s mobility is its biggest shortcoming, as its 65-ton weight is too heavy for the underpowered engine to make it a particularly nimble vehicle. The Ferdinand/Elefant excels most at long range, where its advantages in firepower and armor are the most pronounced, and closer range encounters should preferably be avoided given its fairly poor agility and casemate design.

The Chi-Ha LG, despite first impressions, is one of the best early Japanese tank destroyers once you learn how to play it. The Chi-Ha LG can be frustrating to use at first because of the non-existent armor, difficult to use gun and the added difficulty of facing off against more advanced American Shermans and Soviet T-34s; however, when used properly, it is a beast on the battlefield.

The M109A1 was introduced into American service in 1973 as an improved version of the M109 self-propelled howitzer. The main improvement was the installation of a new 155 mm M185 cannon, which had a longer barrel and a higher muzzle velocity than the previous M126, increasing the effective range of the M109A1 from 14.6 km to 18 km, giving it an advantage over foreign artillery. Where this tank lacks in armor and survivability, it makes up for with a powerful armament and choice of chemical rounds that can overpressure any tank, and even knock out aircraft from the skies.

The PTZ89 was born of a need by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to counter a possible invasion threat by Soviet-made armor. But instead of going the typical route of designing an ATGM carrier like the M113, the People’s Liberation Army instead went with the comparably ancient concept of a gun-based tank destroyer and produced what can be considered by many as the ultimate and final evolution of the concept of a gun-based tank destroyer.

The Ferdinand was the one of the first heavy tank destroyers produced by the Germans in any significant quantity, formed from Ferdinand Porsches overconfidence in the Tiger P. After the loss of the Tiger I contract, Ferdinand Porsche was left with 100 unusable chassis. In an effort to create a use for said chassis, the Ferdinand was born. With a heavily armoured superstructure and the formidable German 8,8 cm Pak 43/2 L/71, the Ferdinand was a fearsome opponent for any hostile tank that came across it. It utilised a generator to turn the engine’s power to electricity to power motors to turn the drive sprockets, making it a very early hybrid vehicle. This enabled it to reverse at the same speed as it could go foward.

The Panzerkampfwagen II, also known as the PzKpfw II, Panzer II, or Sd.Kfz 121 was a light German tank used in World War II and the pre-war period. Developed in the 1930s by MAN and Daimler-Benz, it was intended as a temporary solution and formed the backbone of the Wehrmacht’s armored divisions at the beginning of the war. A total of 3,404 Panzer II’s of various types were built. They were used not only by Germany but also by Romania, Slovakia, and Norway.

The M44 is a Tank Destroyer introduced in Update 2.43, "Storm Warning", and resides in many tech trees. This vehicle currently sits in Rank III. The M44's 155mm cannon is feared by many due to its higher-than-average HE velocity and quick traverse, although it is also just as vulnerable due to its open-top design.

The M10 GMC is a tank destroyer that has a very, very potent gun once you have the right ammo, but it’s still good with its base ammo. The M10 GMC can be a hard vehicle to work with, especially in brawling, because of its very slow turret traverse. The M10 GMC was exported to other countries, so you might just face yourself. You also might have to go against some pretty dangerous enemies, so I’ll tell you about the tank, how to fight with it, and how to fight common enemies with it.