GameOnMag_WT_Issue_2_Single.pdf

Issue 50 • December 2013 1 • GameOn Magazine

Battlefield 4 Review

http://www.gameonmag.com/url/gameonmag

Introduction to War Thunder

Within the heart of War Thunder is

a multiplayer online combat game

for aircraft and armored vehicles.

Developed by Gaijin

Entertainment, this game is

available across a variety of

platforms: from Windows to

Macintosh OS X to Linux, as

well as on the Playstation 4

console, with casual game

modes in arcade battles

to realistic and simulator

battles for the enthusiasts.

The game spans the era from the

Spanish Civil War to the Korean

War, with a huge emphasis

on the Second World War.

Players cross swords in historical

maps of impressive scale

ranging from the city outskirts

of Stalingrad to the vast oceans

surrounding Pearl Harbor.

With hundreds of accurately-

rendered vehicles available

and more being added with

every update, players are spoilt

for choice when it comes to

cutting-edge planes to take

to the skies, or menacing

tanks to tear up the earth.

Relive the action in huge

aerial dogfights and armored

spearhead clashes with friends,

learn about the rich historical

significance behind the wars

through War Thunder.

2 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine

letter from the general

Welcome to the second edition

of the War Thunder Community

Magazine. We would first like to

thank everyone for making Issue

One last month so popular; a

massive thank you from all the

team behind the magazine.

This month we have got your

backs with more 101 guides than

you can shake a stick at, plus a

review of one plane and one tank.

We managed to grab an interview

with Lassar plus we have taken

a look back at the history of

World War II. With that theme

in mind we have also extracts

(part 1) from a soldier’s diary.

We have even thrown in a

fictional story for you to read.

We were so excited last month

with getting the magazine

out, we forgot to add in the

staff list, so that has now been

sorted out for issue two!

We also wanted to show you

this month a new gaming

tablet which will support War

Thunder, the NVidia Shield.

Do you feel we missed

something from the magazine?

Get in touch with us.

Please do email us with any

ideas of things you would like in

future issues of the magazine,

or even just to let us know if

you liked or disliked one of the

articles, all feedback is wanted:

[email protected]

The magazine will be free

every month, we just need

you to support us by sharing

and downloading it.

- The Editor

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 3

Contents PageNew Toys for Everyone! ....................6

War Thunder 101: ...............................

Flying the Red Star .........................12

Macchi C.202 Folgore review .........20

War Thunder 101: ...............................

Rolling Thunder ..............................22

Time to Face the Enemy .................28

War Thunder 101: Turn Fighting & ....

Energy Maneuvers ..........................30

World War 2 Facts #2 ....................38

War Thunder .......................................

Coming to Gaming Tablets .............40

Interview with Lassar .....................42

M2A4 review ....................................46

Guadalcanal: Two Sides of Hell ......48

This Month in WWII: ........................56

February 1940 .................................56

War Thunder 101: Which ....................

Way To The Frontline?.....................58

Wordsearch .....................................62

Caption Competition Winners ........63

KEEP IN TOUCH!

ContributorsEditor-in-Chief Steve Greenfield

Editor Kris West

Writer Allen Reynolds

Writer Bryce “Freighttrain” Hale

Writer Cade “Taize” Rosenbalm

Writer Chock Wee Boon

Writer Christian “Yuriegh” Madsen

Writer Daniel “Heinkel280” Hoffman

Writer David “HJFarnsworth” King

Writer James Bralant

Writer John “Zoso” Moore

Writer Rafal “Rainmaker” Gac

Photos Martijn ”mhockx” Hockx


CONTENTS

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NEW TOYS FOR EVERYONE!

NEW WAR MACHINES

Let’s start off with the usual culprit everyone’s hyped

up about with every new patch: Sparkling new toys!

This time round, it’s no different. With the first 1.47

Dev Server release, we are looking at 9 new tanks and

6 new planes (with 2 reworked existing planes in the

A20G and La-5FN). Who knows, there could be more!

Note that with all Dev Server previews of the game,

the details in the final release version could change.

The 1.47 sneak preview on the Dev Server certainly came earlier than expected, with Maus’ and

B-29 teases recently. Today, we bring you selected highlights of the new toys the developers have

been working hard on for the past few months since the Steel Generals 1.45 update.


ARTICLE

NEW TANKS

• USA: M26E1 (Tier IV Premium), M42

• Germany: Pz.Kpfw VI Tiger Ausf E, Pz.Kpfw

VIII Maus, Flakpanzer Gepard, Marder III H

• USSR: T-126 (Tier I Premium), T-28E, T-54-1949

NEW PLANES

• USA: B-57B, B-29

• Germany: Bf.109G-14, Fw-200C-1

• USSR: IL-2 1941

• Japan: J2M4 Kai (Tier IV Premium)

SUPER MOUSE

First up, we have the super heavy tank Pz.Kpfw

VIII Maus, which is nothing like the animal it is

named after. The prototypes of this monster

were being tested before Soviet forces overran

the testing grounds near the end of World War

II. You could almost hear the collective sigh of

relief from the Sherman and T-34 tank crews.

This is a monstrous beast that German tank players

have been hoping to come good, to challenge the

IS-4M, T-55, M-47, M-103 and what have you at


Tier V tank combat. At 188 tons and armed with a

128 mm cannon AND a 75 mm co-axial cannon in

its turret, could this be the messiah the German

tank players are waiting for? Downsides could be

the poor mobility and slow turret rotation, making

it vulnerable to flanking attacks. This tank comes

directly after the last Tiger II tank in the tech tree, so

prepare yourselves for the largest tank ever built.

SUPER FORTRESS

Next, there’s the Boeing B-29 Superfortress,

a rumor for the longest time ever that’s finally

turning into reality. This bomber is going to have

the largest bomb load ever in War Thunder, as

it is capable of carrying 20 000 pounds of pure

destruction. Don’t let its sleek airliner looks fool

you; it has the potential to single-handedly take

out 2 minibases in one pass and the airfield in

3 passes, unless there is an update to the map

mechanics when this plane finally makes its debut.

OTHER PLANES AND TANKS

The Soviets get an early version of the famous Il-

2, the 1941 variant that sits directly before the first

Il-2 in-game currently. This Il-2 (1941) trades the

armor-shredding VYa-23 cannons for a pair of ShVAK

cannons, a less potent gun armament against ground

targets unfortunately. But, based on what we’ve

seen so far, it has a better bomb load (2 x 250 kg)

compared to the other Il-2 variants. The Germans

get the Fw 200C-1 Condor, a huge beast of a bomber

with a 3000 kg bomb load at Tier II and this is a

beautiful plane I personally very much look forward

to. Following in the footsteps of the “Cannonberra”

for the British bomber tree, the Americans get

the B-57B variant armed with 8 M2 machine guns

and an impressive load of rockets and bombs.

The tank players are not neglected certainly with

more new content, from the new SPAA introduced

(M42 Duster and Flakpanzer Gepard) to new variants

of existing tanks. The German tank players have


ARTICLE

more reasons to rejoice as an updated version

(Ausf.E) of their much loved Tiger tank is introduced

with a better APCR round. The Soviets get another

version of the T-54 (1949) to bridge the gap between

the 1947 and 1951 versions already in-game.

UPDATED VEHICLES

Existing planes are not neglected either, as many

of them get continual improvements. First up, and

perhaps one of the bigger changes, is the Horten Ho.

229 with new engines (Jumo 004D), giving it more

thrust. The plane has been tested to have better

acceleration and top speed, making it more formidable

than the underpowered bat it is currently in-game.

The British (perhaps the country that received the

least love this time round) gets expanded options

for bombs and rockets for the Typhoon/Tempest

line; same goes for the American P-51 Mustangs.

There have been numerous other updates to the

Flight Models and Damage Models for the upcoming

update, so do check them on the Devblog as well!

GUNPODS

Interestingly, gunpods have been given quite a

lot of attention as well in this update. For now,

we know that the F-82 will be receiving its new

8-MG gunpod, making it pretty scary to say the

least, with 14 M3 .50 cals (it already has 6 M3

MGs) spraying an incredibly high burst mass

at anything it manages to point itself at.

The Ju 87D-5 Stuka dive bomber gets options to sling 2

gunpods, with 6 x 7.92 mm MG81 options or 2 x 20 mm

MG 151 in each gunpod. This thing is going to be as


scary as a Fw 190 A5/U2 with potentially 6 MG 151/20

firing at a plane unfortunate enough to be in front of it!

OTHER QUALITY-OF-LIFE IMPROVEMENTS

More features have been added, with Binoculars

and Drivers’ Hatch views in Ground Forces (seems

like a major overhaul is heading the Simulator Tank

Battles’ way). For Simulator Air Battles, there are

also controls available to open and close the cockpit

canopy, trading better viewing angles for top speed,

as well as instrument lights in cockpit view for night

battles. Directional sound optimization will be added

as well (there will be a difference in directional gun

sounds depending on your viewing direction).

There will be enhanced vehicle to surface

interaction according to the Devblog, with effects

for different surfaces like mud bogging down

tanks, and several enhancements and re-designs

have been made to the existing Ground Forces

maps to improve tactical features of terrain.

All these signs point to a better experience in War

Thunder, so look forward to your new toys and a

more immersive experience in War Thunder! ■

By Chock Wee Boon


ARTICLE

WAR THUNDER 101: FLYING THE RED STAR

PROS

• Very powerful fighters armed with cannons

(20mm and above) from Tier I onwards when

most planes are still armed with machine guns

• Centreline cannons on most fighters allow you

to take shots at all ranges, without much need

for convergence to get maximum firepower

• Deadly interceptors armed with 37mm+ cannons

for bomber hunting from Tier III onwards

• Strong attacker lineup in the Ilyushin series

• Heavy bombers (Yer-2) have one of the

largest bombloads (5000 kg) at Tier III

• Very strong Tier I to III lineup, makes it

easy for new players to start doing well

• Very well-armored planes; less risk of pilot snipes

• Strong Tier V lineup with MiG-15bis

interceptor (one of the best end-game

planes) and the well-armed Il-28 bomber

CONS

• Heavy fighters are relatively weak in firepower

• Low ammo count on most fighters,

although this is not a very big issue

as there is air reload in arcade

• No heavy bombers in Tier IV

• Relatively weak Tier IV fighter lineup

compared to other countries

In this new 5-part series in War Thunder 101, we will be introducing general strategies to progress through

the research tree for each nation and how to line them up in arcade air battles. For this issue, we will start

off with the Soviet tree, which is one of the easier countries to play in if you are new to the game.


ARTICLE

Before we begin discussing about the lineups, the

direction I’m taking here is a balanced approach with a

good mix of fighters, attackers and bombers wherever

possible for the lineups. Some players may one type

over the other, so replace the planes accordingly for your

preferred lineup. Give each of the types a try first to see

if it’s suitable for you, although I’ve found that a mixed

approach works better in securing victories compared to

one which is narrower in breadth and options. This article

will provide a brief outline on the progression from Tiers

I till around Tier III, covering a BR bracket till around 4.0.

The suggested lineups are presented according to a

5-plane format (which is the number of crew slots

that can be opened without using Golden Eagles),

and will follow a 3-fighter-2-bomber/attacker setup,

although there may be some exceptions for efficiency

reasons. Since matchmaking works on the BR system,

we will be putting planes with similar BR in the same

lineup with focus on efficient RP gains; that is, no

40% penalty for researching planes 2 tiers down.

The Battle Rating and matchmaking system is

subject to changes, and the information below

is accurate as of early February 2015.

RESERVE TO BR 1.7

Suggested Lineup:

I-15 reserves x3, I-15 bis, I-16 Type 5 (5 fighters)

I-15 reserves x2, I-15 bis, BB-1, Su-2

MV-5 (3 fighters, 2 bombers)

Right off the bat, you are blessed with very powerful

I-15 fighters, armed with 4 MG that can fire API-T

rounds (compared to 2 MG for other countries) and


these are very deadly against other reserve fighters.

The lack of AP rounds would be more than offset

by the 2 extra MG for ground target strafing, which

should be your primary way of winning games.

Try out the I-16 Type 5 for its handling; it is a very

maneuverable fighter which you will have no lack of

later. The Type 5 has an underwhelming armament

compared to your I-15 but it should give you a good

feel of whether you want to use this plane later. Skip

the I-153 Chaika as it has a significantly higher BR

of 3.0, only use it later on if you are confident.

Bombers are not really required at this level as

most targets can be taken out by any machine gun,

although you might want to try out the BB-1 and

the Su-2 MV-5 bombers. With slightly upgraded

bombloads, these planes can take out clusters of

lightly armed vehicles easily, while still retaining

the ability to kill ground units and the odd plane in

front of you using the 4 front-firing machine guns.

Recommended research: I-15bis (after the 3 reserve

I-15) → I-16 Type 5 → BB-1 → Su-2 MV-5

BR 2.0

Suggested lineup:

I-16 Type 10/18/24, LaGG-3-8, LaGG-3-11, Su-2

M-82, SB 2M-100/103 (3 fighters, 2 bombers)

This is really the golden age of the Soviet Air Forces.


ARTICLE

The LaGG-3-8 and LaGG-3-11 should be your research

priority as it is very powerful at BR 2.0 and they will be

your first cannon-armed planes, which can take out your

peers with a few well-placed shots while other planes

are still mostly using lower-caliber machine guns.

Once you have these two planes, put them into your

lineup and you should notice a very big difference in

the ease of getting aerial kills. I would not recommend

using one plane at a significantly higher BR right

after researching it as this would pull your remaining

planes into higher tier matches. Research a couple

of them (if there is going to be a BR jump) before

placing them in games together. Use Boom and

Zoom tactics with the LaGG 3 as they are not very

maneuverable and don’t stay and turn fight.

Round off the lineup with two of the BR 2.0 bombers,

such as the Su-2 M-82 or the SB 2M bombers (-100

and -103). Take note that the SB 2M-103U MV-3 and

SB 2M-105 have a much higher BR, so do not include

them in your lineup if you want to stay at BR 2.0. The

Su-2 M-82 has forward firing guns, good for taking out

lightly armored targets but has a smaller bombload; the

SB 2M bombers have better bombloads at the expense

of forward-firing guns. At BR 2+, targets such as tanks

and light pillboxes, as well as bases will start to appear,

and you will need bombs to take them out effectively.

Alternatively, if you fancy your role as a fighter pilot,

you can take a look at the remaining I-16 fighters

in Tier I (Type 10, 18 and 24) which have rockets but

no cannon armament. These maneuverable planes

are excellent at killing less maneuverable fighters

(which is almost all of them except for the Reserve

planes) by staying on their tails and riddling them

with bullet holes from the 4 ShKAS machine guns.

Recommended research: LaGG 3-8 → LaGG 3-11 →

Su-2 M-82 → SB 2M series → I-16 (Tier I) series


BR 2+

Suggested lineup:

LaGG-3-35, MiG-3-15 (BK), MiG-3-34, Pe-3/E, SB

2M-100/103 (3 fighters, 1 heavy fighter, 1 bomber)

By now, Tier II should be unlocked and you can

introduce a few planes to slowly bring up your BR.

The MiG-3 series are interceptors with good climb, which

can be used to take out the early bombers provided

you approach them carefully. In particular, the MiG-3-

15 (BK) is potently armed with 5x MG (with 3 of them

being 12.7mm) and the MiG-3-34 has two 20 mm ShVAK

cannons, which can take out bombers with a well-aimed

burst. These planes are not the best at maneuvering with

fighters, so limit them to Boom and Zoom passes mostly.

LaGG-3-35 provides a slight upgrade all-round to the

previous LaGGs, and at BR 2.3, is a useful addition

to your lineup. The Pe-3/E makes for a good ground

attacker too, once the bomb and rocket upgrades have

been unlocked, and decently armed with machine guns

to take out softer targets, although you do need to get

through the research for Il-2 (which won’t be wasted).

You can try out the Yak-1 (and Pe-3 at Tier

III as well) at BR 2.7, but care must be taken

not to bring your BR too near to 3.

Recommended research:MiG-3 series → LaGG

3-35 → Il-2 (but not used yet) → Pe-3/E → Yak-1


ARTICLE

EARLY BR 3+

Suggested lineup: Yak-7B, MiG-3-15 (BK) or 3-34,

La-5, Il-2, Il-4 (3 fighters, 1 attacker, 1 bomber)

Once you finish up research on Tier II and start

on Tier III, the suggested BR 2+ lineup will not be

effective anymore as Tier I planes are not effective

when researching Tier III planes (40% RP penalty).

Switch over to Tier II planes as soon as possible.

For the fighter line, you have a choice between the

Yakovlev and the Lavochkin lines. Both fighter lines

are roughly similar in performance, with the Yaks

being slightly more maneuverable while the Lalas are

slightly faster. The big difference comes in the different

armament systems adopted later on, with the Yaks

favouring larger but slower cannons with smaller

clips, and the Lalas sticking with 20mm cannons. The

La-5 variants provide a big performance increase over

the LaGG-3 planes at the cost of a slight BR increase

of 0.3, so switch over to them as soon as possible.

Keep a fully upgraded fast-climbing interceptor with

a decent punch (one of the MiG-3) in the lineup as

bombers will start to appear in larger numbers.

The attackers introduced in BR 3+ will add another

dimension to your gameplay. The Il-2 is a capable

attacker armed with a cannon that can shred tanks

and other vehicles, and comes with bombs and

rockets for that purpose too. You will not be attacking

minibases and airfields with the bombs however,

as they are more effective against tactical ground

targets. If you wish to, you can also research through

the Pe-3 heavy fighters to get to the Il-2M at a slightly

higher BR 3,3 but comes with a rear gunner. At BR


3+, the Pe-3 heavy fighters are too lightly armed and

not maneuverable, and you have a way better option

in the Il-2 series, so they are not recommended.

The Il-4 is a decent and fast bomber at BR 3.0 for bases,

with a maximum bomb load of 2000 kg. That can take

out one whole minibase at lower tier games, and more

than half health for the minibase at higher tier games.

Recommended research: LaGG 3-66 → La-5 →

Yak-7B → Yak-1B → Yak-9 → Il-2 → Il-4

LATE BR 3+

Suggested lineup:

Yak-9T, La-5, La-5F, Il-2M, Il-4 (3

fighters, 1 attacker, 1 bomber)

This late BR 3+ lineup spans Tier II & III as the distinction

between BR and tiering gets blurred. Tier III should be

unlocked after a couple of plane purchases in Tier II.

The Yak-9T (and it’s bigger brother, the Yak-9K after

that) is armed with a big nasty cannon at BR 3.7.

This allows the plane to take out a bomber in just a

couple of shots (or 1 if you hit the right parts), and

can be absolutely devastating (to the tune of blowing

it right out of the sky) when used on fighters.

The I-16 Type 28 is very maneuverable, packs a heavy

punch but has a very fragile airframe and low top speed,

and at BR 4.3, enemies can disengage and engage at

will with the difference in speed and acceleration.

Recommended research: La-5F → Yak-9T → Il-2M


ARTICLE

BR 4 AND BEYOND

Planes to take note of: Yak-9K, Yak-3P, La-9, I-185

series, Il-10 (the first one), Yer-2 series, Tu-2 series

Replace the La-5 at Tier II with another Tier III

plane at BR 4.0 to 4.3 (La-5FN, Yak-3, I-185 (M-82),

Yak-9K) once you are researching Tier IV rides.

The I-185 series offer the Soviet Air Force an high altitude

interceptor at higher tiers, something which the Yaks

and Lalas are not the best at until the later variants as

Soviet doctrine favoured lower altitudes in conjunction

with ground forces. The Yaks and Lalas are mostly

incremental improvements to previous versions with

performance bumps, although most of them will have

some difficulty challenging the prop-driven fighters

of other nations which are more optimized in terms

of their flight performance at medium altitudes and

above, so care must be taken when engaging them.

The Soviets have a particularly strong bomber lineup

in Tier III when they get their Yer-2 bombers at BR

4.3 to 4.7, as the earlier versions have a maximum

bomb load of 4000 kg, while the ACh-30B engined

versions have 5000 kg, more than enough to take out

a minibase with some bombs to spare, and can take

out an airfield with only a few passes. The Pe-2 dive

bombers are more of a niche in arcade mode as they

are vulnerable to fighters at that tier, and the smaller

bombs (and the recent bomb radius decrease) mean

that considerable skill is required to work these

planes effectively in attacking ground targets. ■By Chock Wee Boon


MACCHI C.202 FOLGORE REVIEW

At the start of the war Italy realized that they were

behind. In the 30’s the Italians had decided to stick

with radial engines forcing them to use the able but

aging Fiat A.74 engine in new aircraft design. While the

M.C. 200 performed admirably, it was not enough to

compete against the Royal Air Force and was obsolete.

Italy, realizing their mistake, bought a production

license for the Daimler-Benz DB.601 engine and built

a plane around it. Much like its predecessor the M.C.

200 it could enter a flat spin, had poor armament

and faulty radios. Despite this the Folgore could hold

her own against the P-40’s, Hurricanes, and Spitfires

she came up against. The Folgore was put into

production in 1941 and saw service in every theatre

Italy was involved in the war up to armistice in ‘43.

Differing from the M.C. 200, the Folgore featured

a more streamlined surface to accommodate the

new engine. The DB.601 drove a 3-bladed variable

pitch prop with the radiator moved underneath the

cockpit. The 202 also added two 7.92 mm machine

guns in the wings to go with the twin 12.7’s in the

nose, and had armor in the cockpit which was a

first for many Italian pilots who did not have that

luxury in other fighters before. The premier Italian

fighter by the end of the war had fought for three


REVIEW

countries and seen action in Malta, North Africa,

Russia, and the Balkans. Outgunned, outmaneuvered,

outclassed, and perhaps ... underestimated?

STATISTICS

• Rank: I

• Battle Rating: 1.7/2.3/2.3

• Max Speed: 600 km/g at 6,000m

• Max Altitude: 11,500

• Turn Time: 21.4

• Rate of Climb: 25.6 m/s

• Takeoff Run: 368m

PLANE INFORMATION

• Excellent acceleration

• Fantastic rate-of-climb

• Average turn-time

• 1800 rounds of machine gun

ammunition (You will need it)

• Clear cockpit with almost 360 degrees of view

• Wings break at speed of 805 km/h

RATING

• Firepower: 4/10 - You will have a

hard time killing anything.)

• Speed: 10/10 - Retains speed in turn. At BR of

1.7 you will outspeed everything fully upgraded.

• Climb Rate: 10/10 - Climb-rate is excellent, from

dead stop to 4K meters is 3 minutes 26 seconds.

• Maneuverability: 7/10 - You won’t be out-turning

most planes. Still agile at most speeds.

• Overall Rating: 7/10 - Not a great plane for

beginners.

SUGGESTED STRATEGY

Boom and Zoom: The M.C. 202 has no equal at tier

1 with regards to speed and climb rate. If you climb

from the start, you will be the highest plane in the air.

Lack of heavier-calibre armament will be frustrating

so avoid bombers! While you can retain speed in a

turn I do not recommend it, stay in the vertical! ■

By Christian”Yuriegh” Madsen


WAR THUNDER 101: ROLLING THUNDER

ARCADE TANK BATTLES

Arcade Tank Battles provide an introduction to tank

battles in War Thunder, with some aim assist features

to help novice players familiarise themselves with

the concept of firing at weaker parts of the armor,

and a ‘kill-streak’ feature that allows players to

hop into a plane as a reward, a feature that was

recently implemented alongside the introduction of

multiple self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery units.

LINE-UP & MATCHMAKING

In tank arcade battles, you are allowed a maximum of

three spawns in tanks as of version 1.45. You can put

as many tanks as you have in your crew slots, but you

are only allowed to drive out three tanks in any given

battle. All tanks have one drive-out, while reserve tanks

are allowed a maximum of three drive-outs. Players

of different countries are mixed together in a team.

This article in War Thunder 101 takes a look at the different tank modes available to help you make a more

informed choice in your quest to be the next Kurt Knispel, Creighton Abrams or Mariya Oktyabrskaya!


ARTICLE

For matchmaking as of version 1.45, only the

highest BR of the tank in your lineup is taken

into account; the BR difference between the

highest and lowest rated player is 1.0.

AERIAL MODE

In arcade tank battles, securing kills allows players to

activate an aerial mode by selecting either an attacker

or bomber to fly out for a short while; the icons at the

bottom of the screen light up when enough kills have

been made. These planes are not necessarily the ones

researched in the players’ hangars, do not count towards

the three spawns and come pre-selected with a default

loadout. There will be a timer activated for the players

to hide the tank they’re driving (and the tank remains

on the battlefield throughout the flying duration and are

targetable by enemy players, so you better hide it well!).

When the aerial mode is activated, a small number

of players on each team are allowed to join in with a

fighter to defend or destroy the attacker or bomber.

The fighters will also only last a short while until

they get shot down or ditched at the end of the timer.

Kills made using these planes during the aerial

mode will count towards Research Points for that

particular tank at the end of the battle as well.

AIMING

In arcade tank battles, the scope for firing your main

gun has several aim assist features not available in

other game modes. The crosshair uses a system

of colors to show the player whether the round

will penetrate before the player fires the gun.

A green crosshair means the round will penetrate,

while yellow shows a possibility of penetration and


red indicates that the round will not penetrate. The

crosshair is also adjusted for the drop of the rounds due

to gravity, thus aiming the tank gun is a much simpler

affair, though shells may still deviate slightly in flight, so

are not guaranteed to land precisely on the crosshair.

The gun sight also has a rangefinder (on the right hand

side of the scope) that tells you the range from the tank

to where it is pointing, as well as the armor thickness

and armor angle that the crosshair is currently on.

VIEWS

In arcade tank battles, the player gets a third-person

view (similar in realistic tank battles) so that the player

has a better situational awareness. In addition, when

an enemy is spotted, the name, tank type and range

are also shown on the tag. Players can select and track

the opponent tank as well, similar to an air battle.

REALISTIC TANK BATTLES

Realistic tank battles are a step-up from arcade

tank battles, removing the aim assist features and

tweaking the aerial mode by having a Spawn Points

system, although other features remain the same.

MATCHMAKING

As of version 1.45, the matchmaking for realistic and

simulator tank battles are done using the highest

ranked vehicle in your lineup, grouping players with

“THE GUN SIGHT ALSO HAS A RANGEFINDER (ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE SCOPE) THAT TELLS YOU THE

RANGE FROM THE TANK TO WHERE IT IS POINTING”


ARTICLE

a maximum BR rating of 1.0 together, although

there is word from the developers that this could

change soon. Unlike arcade battles, realistic battles

(and simulator battles) group tanks into nations,

making gameplay reflect historical engagements.

AIMING AND VIEWS

The gun scope in realistic tank battles does not

have the aim assist features available in arcade

tank battles. Players still get a third person view

(similar to arcade tank battles) and enemy tags

are displayed without range information.

Players have to estimate the range of the enemy tanks

for accurate shot placement using the ticks present in the

gun sight. There is a way to determine the range of the

target tank using its size when seen through the scope

and its actual size, which can then be vertically adjusted

for the shell drop due to the range. Firing rounds to

gauge for the range and spotting for their impact

become essential as well to get kills on the enemy.

SP SYSTEM

Realistic tank battles work on a system of Spawn Points

(SP). Each player is given an initial amount of SP to spend

to get the first tank to participate in the battle. SP can

be gained by completing mission objectives as well as

damaging or destroying enemy vehicles. Players can hop

into another vehicle as long as they have enough SP and

those who have insufficient SP to spawn anything in their

line-up are retired for the session. Subsequent SP can

be used to spawn in planes if it is included in the players’

lineup; unlike aerial mode in arcade tank battles you use

your own aircraft and loadout, and there is no time limit.

The SP cost varies according to vehicle types, with light

tanks costing the least and heavy tanks costing the most.

For planes, the SP cost generally increases from fighters


to attackers to bombers, while larger bomb loads and

planes of higher BR increase the SP required as well.

Therefore, it is imperative that players have a balanced

lineup of planes and tanks suitable for the mission.

SIMULATOR TANK BATTLES

Simulator tank battle, in contrast to its air counterpart,

is relatively easier to get into in terms of difficulty level.

Most of the features in realistic tank battles apply, except

for the ones discussed below. In addition, simulator

tank battles do not have planes, something different

from arcade and realistic tank battles, and is also one

of the reasons why some people prefer this mode: Pure

tank combat without any interruptions from planes.

LINE-UP

The simulator tank mode is much more straightforward

relative to its arcade and realistic counterparts. There

are no mixed battles involving planes; everything is

pure tank combat. The game allows the player to


ARTICLE

enter the battle with only one vehicle. The different

classes of vehicles matter: Reserve tanks get 3 drive-

outs; heavy tanks (and late-tier tank destroyers) get

1 owing to their combination of heavy firepower and

thick armour, while all others get 2 drive-outs.

VIEWS

The third person view of tanks is also stripped

from the simulator tank mode; players are given

only the view from the commander’s cupola by

default, which is fairly close to the top of the tank

turret. Picture a zoomed-in view of the third person

view in arcade and realistic tank battles and that’s

about the view you get in simulator tank battles.

There are no name tags to mark out enemies; players

have to spot the tanks using their commander’s view

or the gun scope, which is no easy feat. Watching for

enemy fire becomes crucial to spotting their positions

from a tree line or cover behind buildings. It is a

much more authentic tank battle experience without

the name tag giving cover and concealment away.

Camouflage is very crucial in simulator tank battles

as a good colour scheme in the right place can totally

blend a tank into its surroundings, making it practically

impossible for the enemy to spot if it’s not firing.

This is also a reason why simulator tank battles are

relatively popular (compared to air simulator battles

in terms of percentage of tank playerbase) among

some tank players, as the removal of the tag adds

a lot more to the realism of the tank game. ■

By Chock Wee Boon


TIME TO FACE THE ENEMYI am always worried. I can never be calm,

there are too many things that could kill me.

Granted, I might be able to escape easier than,

say, the driver, but that also means that I am

exposed to the elements and to whatever comes

hurling at us faster than the speed of sound.

“Akim, We have a target,” my gunner David

says, “It seems that it is a Panzer III.”

“Do you have a shot?” I reply.

“Yes, I believe I do.”

“Take it then.”

The whole tractor rocks back as the powerful ZiS-

2 gun shoots a round that rips through the air and

consequently through the Panzer. The crew of the

enemy tank burn inside their blown-up metal coffin.

The Russian winter sends chills down my spine.

“THE WHOLE TRACTOR ROCKS BACK AS THE POWERFUL ZIS-2 GUN

SHOOTS A ROUND THAT RIPS THROUGH THE AIR AND CONSEQUENTLY

THROUGH THE PANZER. ”


FICTION

“We have to move. There is more than likely

more of them down the road,” I finally say.

The driver, following my orders, moves our position

more towards the rest of the defensive line.

“Can we move faster, Bronislav?” I yell at

my driver over the roar of the engine.

“I can’t. She’s only got 50 horsepower.

The ZiS-30 wasn’t built for speed.”

I shrug and look at the beauty of the forest that is to my

left and think of the poem The Current of Time’s River.

I think of how my deeds will echo through time, for I

fight for the Motherland and for that my deeds will not

go unhonored. The sound of gunfire snaps me out of

my trance. What was I thinking, not paying attention?

“Coming from behind!” I exclaim.

Great, I think, Just what we need.

“Panzer III, it’s faster than us,” I tell my crew.

“Well, I think it’s time to face our enemy,”

I yell after a moment of thinking.

Bronislav starts to turn the tractor as the Panzer

III, seeing what we are about to do, fires a

machine gun burst into the front of the tractor.

“Bronislav might be dead,” says Nikolay, the newest

member of the crew and the machine gunner.

“Then replace him!” I yell.

After a few seconds we start turning again. A

round from the 50mm cannon barely misses us.

“Fire when ready!” I shout.

When we turn around, the Panzer III is about 10 m

away and can’t possibly miss the next shot. Time slows

to a crawl as both our tanks get ready to fire. I see the

sweat on the brow of David as he looks at the enemy.

Yes, I will be glad to go down with this crew.

But that didn’t happen, instead a 57mm

shell going through the conveniently placed

driver’s viewing port at 10 metres.

“Get us home Nikolay.” I say in a soft, hushed voice.

We continue down the wet, muddy path

towards Leningrad. We stop after noticing

the presence of German flak around the city.

Then, it hits us. Leningrad is not ours. ■

By Bryce ‘Freighttrain’ Hale


WAR THUNDER 101: TURN FIGHTING & ENERGY

MANEUVERSIn War Thunder, this will most likely be the way of

fighting you will inevitably pick up when you first

play the game: As the enemy plane streaks across

in front of you, you start to drag your aiming reticule

so that it is on the enemy plane’s lead indicator (that

white circle) and hammer away at the guns, hoping to

nail that plane. In doing so, your plane automatically

drags itself to follow the enemy plane, twisting and

turning to keep up with the enemy movements.

Welcome to turn fighting.

TURN FIGHTING

Turn fighting, also historically known as angle

fighting, is to achieve a positional advantage using a

maneuverable aircraft so that there is a guns solution

on the target plane. As you research a wider diversity

of planes, you’ll inevitably realise one thing: some

planes are more maneuverable than others and

trying to follow them in their turns are impossible.

No matter what, your brand new P-36 Hawk that

turns like a brick is never going to get a proper firing

solution at a He-51 that’s running circles around you.

Turn fighting is the game for a select group of planes

that are blessed with the agility to change their direction

almost at will. The planes that you get as Reserves (Ki-10,

He 51, P-26, Gladiator, Nimrod and I-15), the Japanese

A6M Reisen and the Ki-43 Hayabusa, the Soviet I-16, as

well as the British Spitfires are among the best you can

In this War Thunder 101 article, we will be exploring the basics of flying a fighter plane, touching on some simple ways to enhance your turn fighting and some energy-related concepts such as Boom and Zoom.

“TURN FIGHTING IS THE GAME FOR A

SELECT GROUP OF PLANES THAT ARE

BLESSED WITH THE AGILITY TO CHANGE

THEIR DIRECTION ALMOST AT WILL.”


ARTICLE

get for turn fighting. This is of course not to say that the

other planes can’t, but they are worse off and if you want

to win an aerial duel, you should not be turn fighting a

plane that’s significantly more maneuverable than yours.

FLYING CONTROLS

First, in order to maximize the plane’s maneuverability,

you need to know a little bit about aircraft controls.

A plane has three axes which it can change its direction,

and they are called roll, pitch and yaw, which is controlled

by the ailerons (on the wings), elevators (on the horizontal

stabilizer) and rudders (on the vertical stabilizer).

In a turn fight, you will want to exploit the maneuvering

capability of your planes to the maximum. Whenever

you use mouse aim to fly your plane, the instructor (or

the flying assistant code) automatically tries to point the

nose of your plane at your aiming reticule and calculates

how much to deflect your plane controls to match the

cursor. This is good when you are just starting out, but

very quickly, you will realize that you are not making

full use of your plane’s maneuvering capabilities as the

instructor does not maximize your maneuverability.

However, when you use the keyboard to control the

plane, you can override this handicap, and consequently

maneuver using the full control deflection, allowing

you to make tighter turns and rolls. Whenever you


turn in a combat situation, always use manual

controls to make the aircraft turn tighter when

pursuing enemy planes or escaping from one.

In War Thunder, for most players who start out using

keyboard and mouse (simple setup), roll is mapped

to A & D and yaw is on Q and E by default (W and S

are for throttle). The only problem is the pitch, which

is mapped to Page Up and Page Down and is not very

accessible. Remap your controls and put them closer

to your left hand, so that you have all the controls near

each other. I personally prefer it to be on R and F, but

you can choose any key that’s easily accessible. Another

control scheme for keyboard and mouse (advanced)

places the elevator controls on W and S if you prefer. Take

some time to get used to the controls by flying practice

flights before taking to the air against other players.

Manage your throttle as well, as slower airspeeds

allow for turns with a smaller radius. Keep an

eye on your indicated airspeed and do not let

it fall under the stall speed, which will leave

your plane unresponsive and vulnerable.

FLAPS

Most aircraft have flaps that you can deploy in combat

to make sharper turns as it increases lift on the

wings. Flaps increase drag too, causing a larger

drop in speed. Only deploy it in that instant when you

need the extra bit of turn to get a firing solution, as

it will leave your plane much slower as you exit the

turn and makes you a more vulnerable target.

DISADVANTAGES IN TURN FIGHTING

In making horizontal turns, you will realise that

your speed drops quickly, and especially so at high

speeds. This is because as you turn, your plane

produces more drag, which in turn slows down

your aircraft. Losing too much speed will also

cause the aircraft to stall, as there is not enough


ARTICLE

airflow over the wings to produce enough lift.

That is why players need to recognize that they should

not enter into a pursuit turn fight situation every

time they encounter an enemy. Assess the situation,

and only turn fight if you are sure that you will get a

guns solution on the enemy, and that your aircraft

is a better turn fighter than your enemy’s. Know the

relative performance of the planes, and only oblige

in fights where you know you have the advantage.

ENERGY CONCEPTS

A second concept that players need to be

familiar to do well in air combat is energy. Before

we begin, a little bit of simple Physics:

A plane has both kinetic energy in the form of speed

and potential energy in the form of its altitude, and

this energy is interchangeable. A plane at a high speed

has lots of kinetic energy, which can be converted

to potential energy in a climb to gain altitude at the

expense of a slower plane. Vice versa, a plane at high

altitude can convert its potential energy into kinetic

energy in a dive, allowing the plane to fly much faster.

Why is understanding energy so important?

Firstly, as mentioned slightly earlier, horizontal turns

make you lose energy quickly, and this puts your

plane in a more vulnerable position as a slow target

is an easy target. As much as possible, you want

to keep energy up for use in combat situations and

avoid wasting your energy in wasteful maneuvers.

Next, energy can be used to perform maneuvers

that allow you to get into firing solutions on enemy


planes, such as pulling sharp turns (which use up lots

of energy), or to make your plane go faster by diving

using a technique called Boom and Zoom (BnZ).

BOOM AND ZOOM

BnZ is a technique using energy principles and can

be used for planes that are not very maneuverable,

and some of these planes actually excel in using

this tactic to get kills. Such planes usually have a

good dive speed (usually the heavier fighters like the

P-47 Thunderbolt, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Typhoon &

Tempest series and most of the twin-engined fighters),

accelerate very fast in a dive, and remain relatively

maneuverable at high speeds (as opposed to having

compressibility effects locking up the controls).

BnZ occurs in two phases. The first phase is the

‘Boom’ phase, where your plane at a higher altitude

spots another plane at a lower altitude and begins a

dive towards the target, building up speed for a pass

that makes your plane less vulnerable. The second

phase is the ‘Zoom’ phase after you pass your target

(hopefully it is dead), where you pull up to gain back your

altitude, converting the kinetic energy from your diving

speed back into potential energy, and you re-orientate

yourself for another pass at the same aircraft (if you

failed to kill it in the first pass) or on a new target. Try

Tip: At the start of every battle, always try to build up your energy

reserves by climbing to a higher altitude. A simple recommendation is to

make sure that the climbing is always done in stages, while maintaining

airspeed of around 250-300 km/h. When WEP is available, climb at

a steeper angle (around 25-30 degrees), flattening out at a shallow

angle when WEP runs out until you get to the desired altitude, while

keeping the airspeed. This way, if you need to enter a battle, you have

sufficient energy reserves to convert for a high-speed pass at a target.


ARTICLE

not to get into a turning chase as much as possible as

this bleeds away the kinetic energy you’ve built up at

the end of your dive, and your primary purpose is to

make sure energy is conserved as much as possible.

You are also at your most vulnerable state during your

‘Zoom’ phase (from other fighters, or your target turning

around and taking pot shots at you) because you are

slowing down, so only do a ‘zoom climb’ if there is no

immediate danger. If there is danger, continue in your

high state of kinetic energy and extend the distance

from other enemy planes before climbing back up.

COUNTERING THE BOOM AND ZOOM

BnZ is a common tactic in air battles, so knowing how to

identify and counter it is important too. One of the easiest

is usually to duck under it using the Split-S maneuver

(see below) as it approaches, or begin a turn under the

path the attacker came from so that it needs to correct

its path. A diving plane at very high speeds usually will

suffer from stiffened controls due to compressibility,

making them less maneuverable and cannot correct their

path in time for a guns solution on you, especially when

they are responding to your actions, which introduces a

bit of lag time as well. It also whittles away their energy

reserves more than yours as they will lose a lot of energy

at higher speeds to drag, so after dodging a few BnZ

attempts, the enemy attacker will have less energy to do

so and you are better able to plot your counterattack.

VERTICAL MANEUVERS

Lastly, to end off this introduction to energy maneuvers,

we will introduce two energy-efficient vertical maneuvers

that can be used to change direction, whether in

“YOU ARE ALSO AT YOUR MOST

VULNERABLE STATE DURING YOUR ‘ZOOM’

PHASE ... BECAUSE YOU ARE SLOWING DOWN, SO ONLY DO A ‘ZOOM CLIMB’ IF THERE IS NO IMMEDIATE DANGER. ”


combat or during cruise. These methods are more

preferable to horizontal turns in changing directions as

the energy loss is less compared to horizontal turns.

First up, we have the Immelmann turn, which is

used to change direction or even reverse it with a

gain in altitude. First, you pull up on the elevators,

drawing a vertical semicircle. As you near the top of

your semicircle with a lower speed, roll around and

adjust accordingly and head off in the new direction.

This allows the pilot to make a change in direction losing

substantially less energy compared to a horizontal

turn, and can be used after a Boom and Zoom attack

during the ‘Zoom’ Phase to reposition the plane for

a second pass or to reassess the situation below.

Always make sure you have sufficient airspeed

as you exit near the top, and make a mental

note of the minimum airspeed required for each

airplane to enter the Immelmann turn.

The Split-S is very much like the Immelmann

turn, but in the reverse order. First, flip the plane

belly-up, then nose down, drawing a vertical semi

circle. As you reach the bottom of the semicircle at

a higher speed, head off in the new direction.

This move allows the pilot to gain speed very quickly

as the downward flip is aided by gravity, and can

be a way to escape a pursuing fighter by suddenly

reversing back under it, especially if it has a huge

speed advantage, such as when you are being attacked

by a Boom and Zoom attack. This way, it needs to

make a much bigger turn (and waste more energy and

time) while you fly out of harm’s way. Do note that the

higher your airspeed, the larger the turn radius, so be

careful when performing this close to the ground. ■

By Chock Wee Boon

“THIS ALLOWS THE PILOT TO MAKE A

CHANGE IN DIRECTION LOSING SUBSTANTIALLY

LESS ENERGY”


ARTICLE

By Chock Wee Boon


WORLD WAR 2 FACTS #2 Ireland: Both British and German pilots were

interned in the Curragh Camp, County Kildare, in

the neutral Republic of Ireland. They were allowed

to leave the camp and go to the pub, as long as

they signed a form promising not to escape.

USA: One airship was shot down in World War

II: K-74 of the US Navy, while attacking U-boat

U-134 off the coast of Florida in 1943.

USSR: Lieutenant Ivan Chisov survived a fall

of almost 22,000 ft (6700 m) with no parachute

after bailing out of an Il-4 bomber; he planned

to freefall to avoid being an easy target and

open his parachute at low altitude but lost

consciousness, landing in a snowy ravine.


FACTS

Sweden: With just encoded messages to

work from, Swedish mathematician Arne

Beurling reverse-engineered the Siemens and

Halske T52 cipher machine in two weeks.

Japan: The largest submarines of World War II

were the Japanese I-400 class, capable of carrying

3 Aichi M6A aircraft; an attack on the Panama

Canal was planned, but never carried out.

Canada: A German automatic weather station

codenamed “Kurt” was deployed in Newfoundland

by U-boat in 1943, and only rediscovered in 1977.

UK: Major John “Mad Jack” Churchill went into combat

armed with a broadsword, longbow and bagpipes.

Germany: Fanta was created by Coca-Cola

Deutschland in 1940 when they were unable to

import Coca-Cola syrup due to a trade embargo.

By John ‘Zoso’ Moore


WAR THUNDER COMING TO GAMING TABLETS

Coming to the tablet iteration of NVidia Shield

this year is War Thunder. Designed primarily for

the Shield Tablet, expect as complete an experience

as you would find on the PC/PS4. The Shield allows

you to take your War Thunder experience away

from your main gaming machine. But what exactly

is the Shield, and where did it come from?

The series of products from gaming giant NVidia

brings a new life to Android gaming and beyond. Unlike

most bespoke Android gaming consoles, the NVidia

Shield series is fully portable whilst still having the

same functionality as many other Android consoles.

The original product in the series, the NVidia Shield

Console was released back in 2013. The device

mounts a high-end 5-inch, 720p tablet atop a console

grade controller, giving you a truly portable device

designed for some intense and high-end Android

gaming. With a couple of games pre-installed, the

NVidia Shield Console is also an Android device,

with a touch-screen and all the functionality of a

generic Android Jelly Bean tablet and then some,

with its impressive hardware specifications.

But NVidia don’t do things by halves - this thing does

PC game streaming too. If you have a compatible

NVidia graphics card in your PC, then it makes

the whole process even easier. The simplicity

of unticking a box and pairing your handheld

device to your computer is all that’s required to

start playing the most impressive of controller-

compatible PC games, right in your hands or

connected to your TV with the HDMI out port.

After the launch of the NVidia Shield Console

had overwhelmingly positive reviews, it was

only natural that it had a prompt follow-up, one

that improved and advanced on the original.

The NVidia Shield Tablet packs a huge 1920x1200

8”, highly responsive touchscreen, stereo front-

facing speakers and the new Tegra K1 processor,

bringing the best out of the tablet and its games.

As a standalone tablet it is one of the more

powerful on the market - but as a gaming device,

it really shines. Along with the tablet, the separate

bespoke NVidia Shield Controller and Tablet Cover

complete the gaming and usability experience.


ARTICLE

The more powerful internals mean that the tablet

can play some supremely impressive games for

something so small. Available from the off is a

selection of 20 NVidia optimised PC games to

download for free including 2K’s NBA series and

Valve’s legendary puzzler Portal, with hundreds of

more on Shield Hub, NVidia’s bespoke marketplace

and even more so on Google’s Play store.

The separately sold Shield controller has a touchpad

that works wonders with the tablet and acts as a

mouse cursor when you are away from the tablet.

Mounted on the top is a microphone for voice

navigation and inside is a 5 GHz wi-fi connection for

low-latency gaming - the perfect accompaniment,

especially if you are using the tablet on the big screen.

As well as the same painless PC streaming as NVidia’s

handheld, users can stream their gameplay on Twitch,

sharing their best highlights to those who follow them.

On top of the portability, NVidia’s Shield Tablet, much

like the handheld, can be connected directly to a TV,

turning it into a fully-fledged 60fps games console.

The handheld gaming scene has had its ups and

downs, especially in the West but NVidia’s Shield range

can really shine given the right exposure. If developers

and NVidia continue to support the platform then it

won’t just be a powerful handheld, but a staple gaming

device in the household, especially for PC gamers. ■

By James Bralant


INTERVIEW WITH LASSAR

Q: What do you do at Gaijin, and specifically,

what do you do for War Thunder?

A: My name is Kirill Vostretsov

AKA Lassar, and I’m a game

designer responsible for the

aviation part of War Thunder.

Q: How long have

you worked for Gaijin Entertainment?

A: Over 2 years.

Q: How large is the team that’s working on War

Thunder? Is the team dedicated to War Thunder

only,or are you guys working on multiple projects?

A: If you count only the developers (not counting

support, marketing, etc.), there are around 70

individuals working on War Thunder at the moment.

Q: How long does it take to collect information,

design, produce the model, test, and finally

implement an aircraft or tank into War Thunder?

Which part tends to take the longest time?

A: It depends on many factors – number of vehicles built,

how many countries used them. The more popular the

aircraft or tank was, the easier it is to gather information,

blueprints, photos, etc. In any case, each new vehicle

takes several months of R&D before appearing in the

game. The longest part is the gathering and checking

of all the information and creation of 3D-model.

In this issue, we pose some questions to Lassar, the popular (and some say legendary) figure around

the War Thunder forums. Lassar is one of the main developers working on War Thunder planes, and

he has been graciously answering questions from gamers about plane updates and releases.


INTERVIEW

Q: Considering that there are only a few attacker

aircraft at the moment, are there plans to increase their

numbers in War Thunder? Can we expect one in 1.47?

A: Of course we’re planning to add more attacker

planes into game. I can’t promise anything in the 1.47

update, but for example, we’re working on an extended

line-up of the Ju-88. There will be several attacker

versions, including one with a 75-mm cannon.

Q: Most small-caliber guns in War Thunder do low

amounts of damage, are these weapons unfinished?

A: We are currently checking the

situation with small-caliber guns.

Q: When a suggestion on the War Thunder forums

gets “Passed to Development”, what are the

chances of it eventually being added to the game?

A: We are regularly checking the player’s suggestions

and if we see any good ones, we try to adapt and

implement them. As long as they don’t interfere

with the current development roadmap.

Q: Now that tanks like the T-62A and Leopard

1 have been confirmed, is the game’s overall

cut-off date being extended? If so, will we be

seeing aircraft built in similar dates?

A: We have stated many times before, the air combat

gameplay of War Thunder isn’t suited for guided

air-to-air missiles, so we’re going to stick to Korean

War for planes. In the case of ground vehicles, the

evolution of ground warfare wasn’t so dramatic

— T-54/55, for example, is still in service in many

countries, although it was developed in 1946.

Q: Out of all the aircraft in-game,

which one is your favorite?

A: The Pe-2-205

Q: Which aircraft are you currently most excited about?

A: The Fw 200 C-1

Q: When the game is finally “finished”, roughly how

many aircraft can we expect to see in War Thunder?


A: It’s hard to say – even if we take only aircraft

that were planned long ago (all of them – regular,

premium, the bonus ones and the Italian tree), the

total number of aircraft in the game will be over

600. And we receive new ideas all the time!

Q: Are there going to be any new

Japanese aircraft in 1.47?

A: Yes, there will be a new Japanese aircraft in 1.47

Q: What led you to create your thread on the forums

where you’ve been generously answering questions

from the community about upcoming aircraft?

A: It was the initiative of our community team in the first

place. But anyway, I believe that with any game, especially

an ever-evolving multiplayer title like War Thunder,

community’s feedback is one the most effective ways to

know their concerns, what needs to be checked or fixed.

Q: Will we be seeing bomber cockpits anytime

soon? Which ones will come first?

A: Most probably we’ll reveal something new in the

next few months. Maybe Il-28 will be one of the first.

Q: When can we expect the Fleet

Air Arm’s line of aircraft?

A: I can’t state any dates, but the Fleet Air Arm is

one of our priorities right now. When we’re done,

there will be a whole naval line on all Tiers of the

British research tree, from biplanes to jets.


INTERVIEW

Q: There was a lot of talk a while back about a

possible International Tech Tree for countries

such as Sweden, any comments?

A: Actually, there is a community project

going on dedicated to International Tech

Tree. I watch their progress very closely and

plan to help them here and there.

Q: Finally, when can we expect to see an Italian release

tree for War Thunder and roughly how many aircraft

will it feature? Are there some aircraft we would

expect to see with the release, such as the Re.2005?

A: At the moment we’re planning the minimum number

of aircraft that we need for a separate Italian nation. It will

consist of fighters and bombers with several premium

aircraft. We are also checking if we have enough material

to start working on some new models. We’ll be ready to

show Italian release tree not earlier than Q2 2015. ■

By Daniel “Heinkel280” Hoffman


M2A4 REVIEWThe Light Tank M2 was designed in 1935 before

technological progress sped up due to wartime

demands. Despite being slightly outdated by World

War II, the M2 saw combat with the US Marine Corps

1st Tank Battalion on Guadalcanal in 1942. The tank

was not used in any other WWII conflicts, even though

some records suggest M2A4’s served in Burma and

India with the British 7th Hussars and 2nd Royal

Tank Regiment during their engagements with the

Imperial Japanese Army 14th Tank Regiment. The

M2A4, which is Tier 1 reserve tank in US Ground

Forces Tree, was the immediate predecessor of the

M3 Stuart series of light tanks, but also M2 Medium

Tank. Although M2 Medium was unsuccessful

design due to rather poor parameters comparing to

mediums representing other WWII nations, it evolved

later into the M3 Lee and finally the M4 Sherman.

M2 Lights were produced between 1935 and 1940.

American factories produced about 696 tanks from

this line. The M2A4 was the first production model

in 1938 featuring the 37mm standard infantry gun.

GAME

The M2A4 is the first tank in US Ground Forces tree.

Armour is not impressive - between 15 and 37 mm,

but those numbers are similar to most of the other

Tier 1 reserve tanks in the game. Certainly M2A4 is

not tough, but it has impressive speed and is very

maneuverable. If used properly, it is dangerous to

opponents. The 37mm cannon using HE, AP and APC

ammunition is capable damage dealer with a rather

impressive rate of fire. Overall this tank is fun to play.


REVIEW

RATING

Firepower: 6/10 - Rate of fire is great,

penetration depends on opponents’ armour

- this can be frustrating when fighting

against some of tanks with higher BR.

Precision: 9/10 - The gun, like most of

the other US cannons, is very precise.

Even at longer ranges up to 1000m.

Speed: 9/10 - This is very quick tank, but requires

some skills as it is light and prone to drifting.

Maneuverability: 7/10 - Turning on the M2A4 is very

easy on the forward gear When reversing,manoeuvres

are nearly impossible and this can be deadly when you

are trying to maneuver out of a dangerous situations

Armour: 4/10 - The armor thickness is not

impressive but it can withstand at least

some of the shots from other tanks.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10 - Fun to play, with

some effort and cooperation with others in

our team, the M2A4 can be very effective.

SUGGESTED STRATEGY

Rushing and frontal attacks are not likely to end

with success. After getting its suspension or

engine damaged, M2A4 can be killed easily by

enemy shots as it relies on its mobility to survive.

When using M2A4, flanking is the solution.

Also, cooperation with another light tanks of similar

speed can make M2 Light very useful. Flanking

with pack of well coordinated M2A4’s can mess with

enemies rushing frontally to the objective. Speed

advantage will help with finding good shooting

position at the side or rear of enemy tanks.

Keep a reasonable distance and remember to use

the terrain to your advantage. M2A4 has rather

poor gun depression so keep the hull behind

small bump or hill, and pop up just enough for

the gun to fire over the crest of your cover.

When driving M2A4 you should never stop for

longer than time needed for aiming and shooting

opponents. This tank has a better chance of

surviving when is on the move. The M2A4 is quick

and difficult to aim for. Avoid reversing. It is very

slow. Under heavy fire, consider going forward and

turn into hiding rather than trying to reverse. Lastly,

research artillery as soon as possible as it gives

a lot of utility to the M2A4 on the battlefield. ■

By Rafal ‘Rainmaker’ Gac


GUADALCANAL: TWO SIDES OF HELL

PROLOG

In 1995 my good friend Jim Garrett discovered his

father’s diary of his experiences in the Battle of

Guadalcanal. Stuc Struck by the gritty nature of the

text, and in consideration of Rube’s age, Jim spent

several weeks interviewing his dad in order to round out

the narrative. Believing the story to be worthy of retelling

he posted it as a web page. Before the hit counter expired

the site had received thousands of viewings. It was, for

a while, linked from the official USMC web site, a unique

honor. Eventually it came to the attention of Itirou Inui

whose father, Genjirou, had been in the same battle and also

kept a diary. Mr. Inui was grcious gracious enough to provide

a translation and Jim posted the two tales together. In what follows I have

adopted the convention of placing dialog from the interview in italics.

On December 7, 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy successfully

attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Following

the attack the Japanese Commander-in-Chief, Isoroku Yamamoto, is

reputed to have said, “I fear all we have done today is to awaken a

great, sleeping giant and fill him with terrible resolve.”

He was right. What followed was perhaps the most unbelievable mobilization

of a nations industrial capability in the history of the world.


REAL LIFE

Six months later, June 7, 1942, the Japanese fleet was defeated at the Battle

of Midway. On Friday, August 7, 1942, just two months later, Allied forces1

landed on Guadalcanal. The ensuing six month battle was epic and bloody. The

Allies sent 60,000 men against 36,200 well-entrenched and very confident

Japanese. Allied casualties totaled 7,100 dead, 4 captured while losing 29

ships and 615 aircraft. The Japanese losses were much worse: 31,000 dead.

These are the personal, eye-witness stories of two of those courageous

men. One, a 20-year old Texan, then a Corporal in the 1st Marine Division;

the other a 2nd Lt in a Japanese anti-tank gun company. Rube Garrett and

Genjirou Inui never met but their stories are forever bound together.

Rube introduced his diary with the following:

My name is James R. “Rube”

Garrett. I was a Corporal,

ammo chief for I Battery, 3rd

Battalion, 11th Regiment and

a charter member of the 1st

Marine Division, formed in

Cuba in 1940. The following

are my diary entries for

the Battle of Guadalcanal.

A glance through the pages

shows while we were there, 59 enemy air raids flew in. That doesn’t include

many false alarms and numerous shellings from japa Japanese battleships,

destroyers and cruisers. It seemed like about an air raid or shelling every

day for three and a half months. I remember a lot of diving into ditches and

ducking in and out of bomb shelters, or whatever we could find to hide under.

The entry for August 28, 1942, just three weeks after the landing, reads

“...to date, have seen 133 Jap planes fall and some 20 odd ships sunk.”

Many more would follow.


These figures are by no means complete. Some pages of my diary were blank

because we were just too busy shooting or being shot at. We were scared a lot of

the time. The weeks and months of anxiety and tension...long days of tedious

work, night watches at the edge of the jungle suddenly punctuated by sheer

terror are only hinted at - if you can read between the lines. What is there are

the impressions of a young 20 year old Marine just as they were written 53 years

ago. They detail the war in the Solomons as I lived it...one day at a time.

We sailed from San Francisco on June 22, 1942. I had just turned

20, and the South Pacific was a long way from Edinburg, Texas, where

I had grown up. Twenty-two days later we landed in Wellington, New

Zealand. It was July 12. We stayed there for a couple of weeks where

we, along with 10 or 12 thousand other Marines unloaded our ship, the

Erickson, and loaded onto the Marine Transport USS McCauley.

Preparing for combat, we made several long hikes in New Zealand to keep us

conditioned for what lay ahead. We left New Zealand on the 21st of July, sailed

around the Pacific and made practice landings on the Fiji Islands. We would

disembark from the ship, climb down the nets, onto the Higgins Boats and go in

toward the beach. But we never actually landed. We would then turn around and

return to the ship. We were informed on August 3rd at a non-commissioned officers

conference there, by Lt. Bradbury (later to become Captain), I Battery Commander,

that we were to land on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. We were going into

battle. Ammunition was issued to all and we spent the rest of the time loading

ammunition belts and getting prepared for combat. On August 6, we were ready.

AUGUST 7, 1942

Our naval ships started shelling the beach at about 6am and we landed on the

beaches at 7:30. We had two air raids. Six Jap planes flew over and one of our

American destroyers was damaged while we hauled ammunition and carried guns

nearly all day. At night there was shooting in all directions. We stayed low.


REAL LIFE

On the morning

of August 7th

the landing on

Guadalcanal

had begun. As

we approached

we passed very

near another

island which

I thought was Tulagi.

It was good daylight but I could see nothing but trees. I was on deck when

our ships opened fire. I saw the first shots fired by our naval armada. It

only recently occurred to me that I was witnessing the first major offensive

shots fired by our side in World War II. I guess you could say that they

were shots “heard ‘round the world” and we - the 1st Marine Division - were

there. It was the beginning of the end for the Japanese Imperial Forces.

AUGUST 8, 1942

Hauled ammo ammunition from battery to ammo dump and had an air raid

at noon. The USS Elliot, a Marine Transport, was hit by suicide dive

bomber. It was very damaged and was beached to keep it from sinking in

the harbor. A destroyer was damaged also. There was one Jap plane and

prisoners taken during the battle. Wild shooting during the night.

AUGUST 9, 1942

No air raids for a change. There was however a naval battle. We lost five

cruisers, six destroyers and we lost the Vincennes and the Australian

Canberra. Also, later we learned that we had lost the Astoria and the

Quincy. I spent most of the night under a truck during the battle because

it was raining and we were moving to a new position. There was Jap


snipers and machine gun fire. Dutton was killed and we also killed a cow

to the rear of the battery in the dark - we didn’t know what it was.

“I saw the Battle for Iron Bottom Bay (aka Savo Island) when we lost five

cruisers. I nearly had a beach side view. But I remember us in a coconut

grove and we were in a convoy and we weren’t settled. It was raining like

the dickens and I got under a truck. When you watch a naval gun battle eight

miles away, you see tremendous flashes in the gloom. When you see continuous

flashes like lightning, what that is is 16 inch guns. We didn’t realise it at

the time but that was our ships getting blown to hell. But we thought we were

winning the battle, and every time a ship would go down we’d start

cheering “Rah, Rah, that’s the good guys”...and they were kicking our

butts every time. We finally found out by word of mouth I guess.”

AUGUST 10, 1942

We had machine gun attacks from the rear. Returned fire for 1500 rounds.

Today, drew and belted 50 cal. and issued more 30 cal. ammunition.

AUGUST 11, 1942

Machine gunned again. Sgt. Windish, our Instrument Section

sergeant, was killed accidentally by one of our officers. Went

on two hour patrol with Sgt. Voelker. To river to bathe and

saw two prisoners. A friend of mine, Casey from Headquarters’

Battery, was killed in the night, I think by friendly fire.

Sgt. Windish was killed accidentally by his own officer, who was

the Instrument Section Commander, with whom he was bunking. He

had left the bunker and, on returning, frightened the man inside

who shot him two times with a 45 caliber pistol. Both men were gone

before daylight - we never saw nor heard of the officer again.


REAL LIFE

AUGUST 12, 1942

Infantry reinforcements at night. We

were attacked again about dawn. Also, naval

shelling by subs. Burned off the airfield.

Snipers at dark. Bombers flew over again.

We had to burn off all the tall Johnson type

grass on Henderson Field - Japanese snipers

were using it to slip in amongst us at night.

They would strap a light machine gun to one

man’s back. He would run and lay down -- they

would fire a few rounds then he would jump up

and the gun would move to another position.

AUGUST 13, 1942

Snipers again. Infantry in field. No casualties.

Working parties and our first hot chow in several days.

AUGUST 14, 1942

Snipers again. The infantry was firing all night. Working

party for Lt. Williams at Regimental ammo dump. Air raid and

the first anti-aircraft fire. Got sub with 105 Howitzer!

Our anti-aircraft guns had just been set up. A submarine had surfaced and began

firing on transports. 11th Regiment Howitzers on the beach opened up on the sub.

After the first week on Guadalcanal, the 3rd Battalion, 11th

Marines were finally settled around the edge of Henderson Field.


In the daytime we were under the protection of the edge of the jungle. The trees

sheltered us from ‘Pistol Pete’ which was a Japanese Naval artillery piece that

was on tracks in the hills. It would fire two or three rounds - firing at random

all hours of the day - and then would be rolled back into a cave where it was well

camouflaged. It was eventually located and destroyed a few months later.

At dusk, where we were protected by darkness, we would move our Howitzers

onto the open airfield and point in the direction of the hills - towards

Grassy Knoll, Bloody Ridge and Kukombona. In the open we could fire in any

direction. Then, before daylight, we would pull back under the trees.

The big disadvantage of living on the airfield as we did was that it made us

a part of the main target - which was the airfield and aircraft - so that every

enemy plane or ship that got within range either shot at us or dropped bombs on

us. We were very fortunate not to have had lots more casualties than we did.

“I was acting section chief throughout the whole Guadalcanal engagement...


REAL LIFE

one of the largest sections in the battery. I had twenty-one or twenty-

two guys in my section. Each battery had ten or twelve or fifteen trucks and

jeeps. Take those jeeps and tie a 75 Howitzer behind the jeep and carry a gun

crew on it...a lot of times the gun crew would have to get off the jeep to help

cross a stream; you’d have to break the gun down and carry it across piece by

piece. I imagine those Howitzers weighed a couple of thousand pounds. It would

take three or four men to carry the barrel and the main block and so on.

Each battery had four Howitzers, four gun crews and a machine gun

section to protect the guns...and that was my section: machine guns and

ammo. I had to keep the guns supplied. My boys had to haul...they’d be

called for ammunition during a mission and we had to deliver ammunition.

Anybody got short of ammunition they’d holler “Garrett!” (laughs).

We had one ton trucks...early on I was a driver, a Private; it took me eight

months to make Pfc. and eighteen months to make Corporal at Camp Lejeune. As

section chief I should have been a Sergeant, but for some reason advancement in

the Marines was slow. Just

before we left Camp Lejeune

they were going around

asking us if we wanted to

apply for officer’s school,

but a lot of us ‘tough guys’

said “Hell no, I don’t

want to be an officer.”

Diary continues next issue.

Written by James R. Gube

Sourced by Allen Reynolds


THIS MONTH IN WWII:FEBRUARY 1940

WESTERN FRONT

On the 5th of February, 1940, the British and French

governments decided to take action in order to keep

Germany from accessing the rich iron deposits

found in Norway; the planned operation would

eventually launch in March and April. Though they

were somewhat successful in their initial efforts,

ultimately the Allied forces are forced to withdraw

when Germany invaded France in May 1940. The

Norwegian government was exiled to London, and

Norway was occupied by the German army.

The 6th of February, 1940, saw the launch of a massive

new propaganda campaign by Britain focused on the

necessity of everyone keeping any and all information

about military deployments to themselves. The

campaign was titled “Careless Talk Costs Lives”, and

featured a number of posters enforcing this sentiment.

They tried to make the public aware that even casual

talk about a single person could potentially give

away information to enemy agents around them.

On the 16th of February, 1940, the British vessel HMS

Cossack boarded the German transport Altmark,

freeing over 300 prisoners of war in Norwegian waters


ARTICLE

in what came to be known as the “Altmark Incident.”

After the aborted German invasion into France in

the previous month, General Erich von Manstein

presented the new invasion plan to the Fuhrer.

The new plan, approved on the 17th of February,

called for a quick armored invasion through the

Ardennes Forest and the flanking of the combined

Allied defense lines along the Belgian border.

EASTERN FRONT

On the 11th of February, 1940, the Soviet Union

signed a trade agreement with Germany known

as the German-Soviet Commercial Agreement. In

this agreement the USSR was to supply Germany

with several articles including, among other things,

oil and grain in a deal valued at over 420 million

Reichsmarks. In return for these materials, Germany

would supply the USSR with military hardware,

technology, and various raw materials. Among the

military hardware was an Admiral Hipper-class

cruiser and plans to over thirty German aircraft.

This pact, and all others between the USSR and

Germany were ended on the 22nd of June, 1941,

with the execution of Operation Barbarossa.

By the middle of February 1940, the USSR had

nearly half a million soldiers, and over seven

thousand artillery, tanks, and aircraft active across

the Finnish front; in contrast, the Finnish military

had only about a hundred and fifty thousand men

defending across the Mannerheim Line. After

over a week of constant artillery strikes, the Soviet

forces were finally able to break through the Finnish

defensive front and take the village of Summa.

In response to the redoubled Soviet assault and

breach of the Mannerheim Line, that same week

Britain and France put out a call for volunteers

to go to aid the Finnish forces, accompanied by

shipments of military hardware including Bristol

Blenheim bombers and Hawker Hurricane fighters.

Many argue that it was this pledge of support from

the Allies that helped convince Stalin to finally

end the Soviet aggression in March 1940. ■

By David “HJFarnsworth” King


WAR THUNDER 101: WHICH WAY TO THE FRONTLINE?

TANK BATTLE CONTROL POINTS

For tank battles across all modes (Arcade, Realistic

and Simulator), the map roster consists of four map

types (as of version 1.45, and every iteration introduces

significant changes). Although these maps have different

names, the basic principle remains the same: capturing

control points. Each team begins with a certain amount

of victory points; more control points captured by one

team over the other will result in a decay of victory

points for the other. This is very similar to the domination

mode of air battles just that it is played with tanks.

Capturing control points give quite a bit of research points

for the player; make that your priority instead of camping

behind a rock and shooting from long distances in your

tank! As such, light (and medium tanks) are great assets

to have in tank battles as they are very mobile on the

battlefield and can race from one control point to another.

On some maps, there is an option to choose which

spawn point you want to begin from. Some spawn

points are closer to one of the control points

compared to the others. Therefore, choose wisely

so that the distribution of players is balanced!

Tank battles can be confusing if you don’t understand what each of the map types do. Some maps have many spawn points, others only one, some of them will move etc. Today, in War Thunder 101, we will take a look at the basic victory

requirements of each map type to get a better understanding of what you’re supposed to do when you spawn in your tank.


ARTICLE

DOMINATION There are a few neutral points (usually three

near the center of the map) at the start and all

are available for capture. This map type requires

good coordination among teammates to efficiently

allocate manpower among the few control points

so that the majority of them can be captured.

Choosing the appropriate spawn point (if multiple

ones are available) is important so as not to

leave some of the spawn points shorthanded.

Mobility is usually a great asset as the faster light

tanks usually reach control points earlier during

the merge (initial contact with the enemy) to snap

up a quick capture, while heavier tanks arrive to

provide fire support and hold the point against a

counterattack. Players holding the control points

also have to be aware of enemy thrusts coming from

control points that are already secured by them.


CONQUEST Conquest is very similar to domination, just that there is

only one neutral point near the center of the map available

for capture. This usually results in a swinging battle

from one side to another as the action is concentrated in

one area, with artillery fire raining down incessantly on

the control point as it will be the focus of contention.

The focused action on a single point requires a

heavy front line, so it is not uncommon to see heavy

tanks trying to punch through the lines, with more

mobile elements such as light and medium tanks

trying to destroy the frontline from the flanks.

BATTLE This is a rare mode on the roster and only encountered

sometimes. Each team begins with one capture point

in their color, usually very near to their base. The

team will have to defend their own control point while

simultaneously capturing the opponent’s control point

so that the victory points will swing in their favor.


ARTICLE

BREAK

Each team begins with one control point in their color,

usually close to the center of the map. Capturing

the opponent’s control point will spawn another

control point closer to their side, which then has

to be captured to swing the victory points in their

favor. The figure shows how the control points

are positioned at the start of the battle (left), and

after the Red A point is being captured (right).

Advancing deeper to the second control point closer to

the enemy spawn means that your team will encounter

more frequent opposition desperately trying to fight

back. Success on the Break map type usually requires

a concerted effort, with heavier elements moving

up to support the lighter elements as they push

forward, and the lighter elements screening for the

heavier elements and protect them on the flanks. ■

“ADVANCING DEEPER TO THE SECOND CONTROL POINT

CLOSER TO THE ENEMY SPAWN MEANS THAT

YOUR TEAM WILL ENCOUNTER MORE

FREQUENT OPPOSITION DESPERATELY TRYING

TO FIGHT BACK.” By Chock Wee Boon


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Issue 48 • October 2013 64 • GameOn Magazine

Brothers: The Thoughts of Two Gamers

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