On the eve of World War II, the leading naval powers, above all the United States and Japan, built battleships that pushed close to the technical limits of their time. Their displacement approached 40,000 t, their armor exceeded 400 mm in thickness, and the caliber of their guns was awe-inspiring. But these steel giants shared one major flaw: they lacked the speed to maneuver effectively alongside aircraft carriers. To solve this problem, designers in several countries set out to create a new generation of battleships that were fast but sacrificed little to no protection or firepower.
The rapid development of tank building in the USSR began in the second half of the 1920s. At first, Soviet engineers relied heavily on foreign experience, studying and adapting ideas developed abroad. Their own design school was still taking shape, so borrowing from others was standard practice. Even basic standards for appearance and equipment were not fully established until the end of the decade.
By the 1960s, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces had recovered from the aftermath of the war and developed into an effective military force. The eras before and after that transformation differed in almost every respect, from ideology and strategy to the weapons themselves.
Over the history of aviation, engineers have tried just about every possible twin-engine layout. Engines in the wings, under the wings, on top of the wings, in the nose, in the tail, tractor, pusher... Imagination went all out. And among the French combat aircraft in War Thunder, you’ll find some of the strangest twin-engined machines of all: the VB.10 C-1 and the VB.10-02.
World War I left a lasting mark on military doctrine. Breaking through trenches and networks of fortified positions proved to be a very important but incredibly difficult challenge, and for a long time, no one could find the perfect solution. There was artillery, there was air power, there were other long-range strike options, but what the reality of the battlefield really demanded was a protected, reasonably mobile vehicle that could punch through enemy lines. Over time, that need gave rise to the idea of the super-heavy tank, a kind of “mobile fortress”. One such vehicle was the Tortoise, a true moving bunker wrapped in thick armor and armed to the teeth.
Most late heavy tanks in War Thunder are found at the same battle rating. Different nations bring their “final forms” of the class here — vehicles that, one way or another, represent the ceiling of what heavies can do. And among them, one French machine stands out: the AMX-50 Surbaissé. Why? Because it breaks the usual heavy-tank stereotype on pretty much every point. Watch this...
It is often assumed that the history of combat helicopters began in the second half of the 20th century. The images that usually come to mind are from Vietnam: formations of transport Hueys coming in to land under enemy fire, or swarms of attack Cobras escorting troops above the jungle canopy. Later, another war came to be symbolized by the Soviet Mi-24: the famous “Crocodile” flying over the mountains of Afghanistan.
Some aircraft are meant to be the best at one specific thing. Others try to do everything. Among German World War 2 aircraft, the Focke-Wulf 190 F-8 is exactly that kind of all-rounder. It also recently showed up in the Hungarian line within the Italian tree — a perfect reason to take the strike Focke for another spin.