GameOnMag_WT_Issue_4_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 generalHow fast time flies when you are

having fun, we are already at the

fourth edition of the War Thunder

Community magazine and the

content just seems to be getting

more interesting each time as our

writers explore different ideas.

As usual we still have the War

Thunder 101 tutorials this month,

this time focusing on German

Research and Lineup. In addition,

we have also added a new tank

series, beginning with Tanks 201,

which will feature Knowledge

Articles for tank combat, giving

you more in-depth knowledge

about tank games in War Thunder.

More in-depth articles about

War Thunder gameplay are in

the works, so stay tuned!

April Fools has come and gone,

but we have a special article

by Cade covering what Gaijin

Entertainment has done in the

past for the gamers for those who

just joined War Thunder to get up

to speed. Of course, the rubber

tanks and mechs this year make

for something unforgettable and

we have it covered as well for

people who missed the event,

or for those who participated in

the events that day to reminisce

the good time they had.

Allen has carried on this month

with the real life Guadalcanal

Diaries entry which gives

an insight to the life of a

soldier, reading a real life

diary entry really does make

you think about the War.

John touches on the development

of World War II aircraft guns,

this month looking at the

Luftwaffe. The German Air

Force deployed a wide range

of weapons during the war.

This month we interview YouTube

personality BohicaIce. He’s the

man behind Bo Time Gaming

channel, well worth a look into.

Plus, in this month’s issue,

Ted has written a fantastic

fictional story based on life as

a POW in WWII. This Month in

History covers April 1940. covering

the developments of WWII in a

chronological order, Martin has

carried on this comic series and

we have reviews of the A-20G-25

Havoc and a Marder III Ausf. H.

With the word search plus much

more inside, put your joystick

down and start turning the pages

to enjoy this month’s edition.

Remember, this magazine is

made totally free of charge,

we need your support, just by

simply sharing it will help us.

Do you know someone who has

a story from WWII? They don’t

have to have be in the war, we

are interested in their story if

they are willing to share it.

Please contact us warthunder@

gameonmag.com

- The Editor

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 3

Contents PageLuftwaffe 6

Of Mechs and Rubber Tanks 18

Silly Snails - A Gaijin April

Fools’ History 22

A-20G-25 Havoc review 24

Marder III ausf. H review 26

Guadalcanal: Two Sides of Hell

Entry Three 30

Guns of the Luftwaffe, 1935-1942 38

Guns of the Luftwaffe, 1942-1945 44

Tank Definitions 52

Interview with BohicaIce 56

Historical Fiction - Life as a POW 62

This Month in WWII: 68

April 1940 68

World War 2 Facts #4 70

Wordsearch 72

KEEP IN TOUCH!

ContributorsEditor-in-Chief Steve Greenfield

Editor Kris West

Production Mgr Chock Wee Boon

Writer Allen Reynolds

Writer Bryce “Freighttrain448” Hale

Writer Cade “Taize” Rosenbalm

Writer Christian “Yuriegh” Madsen

Writer Daniel “Heinkel280” Hoffman

Writer David “HJFarnsworth” King

Writer Emmanuel “MasterKnips”-

-Cardozo

Writer John “Zoso” Moore

Writer Rafal “Rainmaker” Gac

Writer Ted “Extreme_360” Thesinger

Photos Alex ‘Fodder09’ Beard

Artist Martin “Marty” Gutierrez


CONTENTS

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LUFTWAFFE

PROS

• Strong fighter and heavy fighter

lines that are potently armed

• Good mix of bombers in earlier tiers; fast bombers

at later tiers somewhat reduce the vulnerability of

late-war bombers against cannon-armed fighters

• Has the best of both worlds for end-game fighter

jets with the CL-13A Sabre Mk. 5 and MiG-15bis

CONS

• Choice of good fighters is somewhat

limited up till late BR 3

• Flight performance of late-war jets are lacking

against post-war jets they are matched up against

• BR rises relatively quickly for the Fw 190

Anton series and care should be taken

when using them in arcade lineups

So far, we’ve covered Russian and British planes’

research and lineup, and today we continue with

one of the more versatile sides, the Germans,

with an impressive array of planes at most tiers

to cater to different play styles. As with previous

suggested lineups, they will be presented according

to a 5-plane format, mostly with a balanced setup

of fighters and bombers. The lineups are optimized

according to the Battle Rating and matchmaking

system and the information below is accurate as

of early April 2015 (Planned Changes 14 April).

The Luftwaffe, at the start of World War II, was the most technologically-advanced air force in the world, supporting the Nazi war effort on multiple fronts. Even as the war progressed and German forces were overwhelmed by the Allied

forces, they continued to produce superior and revolutionary designs, although they were too late to change the outcome of the war. Today, in War Thunder 101, we look at the planes of one of the most versatile sides available in the game.

WAR THUNDER 101 - GERMAN PLANES RESEARCH & LINEUP


ARTICLE

RESERVE TO BR 1.3

Suggested Lineup: He 51 x 3, CR.42

Falco, He 112 V-5 (5 fighters)

The reserve planes you have in your lineup are

pretty mediocre, with two forward-firing machine

guns. For early tier battles, you will be looking at

clearing ground units quickly to win the game,

so go with belts with predominantly AP rounds,

such as the Tracer belt with AP-T rounds.

The He 112 V-5 available after the He 51 biplanes is a

slight upgrade, offering higher acceleration and top

speeds in exchange for maneuverability. It gives an

introduction to the handling of the He 112 airframe you

will be using later, which is a fairly competent fighter

when armed with cannons in later variants. The Italian

CR.42 Falco is a biplane that offers better firepower in the

form of two 12.7 mm MG, although it is uncharacteristic

for a biplane in that it has a poor turn rate.

Recommended Research: CR.42 Falco → He 112 V-5


BR 1.7

Suggested Lineup: M.C.200 Series 3, M.C.200 Series 7, Bf

109 E-1, He 112 V-5, Ju 87 B-2 (4 fighters, 1 dive bomber))

The Italian M.C.200 series are relatively good at BR 1.7

with the 12.7mm machine guns. However, do note that

the Italian Breda-SAFAT machine guns have relatively

lower muzzle velocities compared to other machine

guns of the same caliber and should only be used at

shorter ranges when engaging enemy planes. It is

definitely worthwhile to advance down the M.C.200 tree

to get the M.C.202 Folgore at BR 2.0 to use later on, as

it is a big upgrade in terms of flight performance and a

modest boost to firepower (with a pair of 7.7 mm MGs)

compared to the earlier M.C.200 and quite capable of

matching up to most fighters you will meet in BR 2+.

The Ju 87 series are fairly durable dive bombers at lower

tiers, able to withstand multiple hits from small-caliber

machine guns, and the first one available is certainly very

effective against the opponents it will be match-made

against. These planes clean up ground targets quickly

with their bomb load; use the 50 kg bombs on single

units and the 250/500 kg bomb to take out clusters of

ground targets, and mop up other soft targets using your

forward firing machine guns. The Ju 87 can pull off sharp

turns and has excellent low-speed maneuverability to

throw off the less maneuverable cannon-armed fighters

you will encounter (although it loses a lot of energy while

doing so, therefore only do that during crucial moments).

By now, Tier II should be available. The Bf 109 E-1

will be the first Bf 109 you get, combining a powerful

engine with a light airframe. The Bf 109 series will get

continually upgraded in terms of flight performance,

with a powerful motorkanone installation firing through


ARTICLE

the propeller hub in later variants that

is relatively accurate even at long range.

Generally, Bf 109s possess excellent climb

rate and energy retention, while having a

mediocre turn rate especially for later variants,

so you will want to use them to fight using

vertical maneuvers and play to its strength.

Recommended Research: M.C.200

Series 3 → M.C.200 Series 7 → M.C.

202 → Bf 109 E-1 → Ju 87 B-2

EARLY BR 2+

Suggested Lineup: He 112 B-0,

M.C.202 or Bf 109 E-1, Bf 110 C-4, Ju

87 R-2, He 111 H-3 (2 fighters, 1 heavy

fighter, 1 dive bomber, 1 bomber)

The Bf 110 C-4 is the first heavy fighter you’ll

get your hands on, and is potently armed

at BR 2.3 with two MG FF/M cannons and 4

7.7 mm MG in the nose, giving a devastating

concentration of firepower. It also has a

bomb load that can be used in a pinch to

eliminate the last few tank targets. At this

bracket, it is quite well protected against

small caliber machine gun fire. Played

carefully using Boom and Zoom tactics,

the Bf 110 can take out most fighters in


one pass, especially with the Air Targets belt for the

20 mm cannons throwing out deadly ‘mineshells’.

The He 111 series of bombers are the first low-tier

medium level bombers you get. They typically come

with bomb loads of around 2000 kg, a fairly decent

bomb load at this tier, but are easy targets for enemy

interceptors as they are fairly slow, fragile and poor

defensive armaments. At lower tiers (such as BR

2+), this is not that big of a problem as interceptors

take some time to climb and cannon armaments

are not widespread yet. Just fly them with caution by

climbing high and avoid a direct path to the target,

while avoiding any enemy interceptors making their

way up and grab a friend to fly escort for you.

The He 112 B-0 is a well-armed fighter at BR 2.3 as well

with 2 x 20 mm MG FF wing-mounted cannons and 2 x 7.7

MG in the nose, if you are willing to research down the He

112 branch. The engine does seem a little underpowered,

so it will not be the fastest plane around in a chase. There

is also the He 112 A-0 at BR 2.0, but the nose-mounted

MG C30/L has a relatively slow fire rate that makes it a

little tricky to use against highly maneuverable planes.

The Ju 87 R-2 is a slight upgrade from the B-2 version,

with a larger centerline bomb but it does not have

the smaller 50 kg bombs mounted on the wings.

Recommended Research: Ju 87 R-2 → He 112

A-0 → He 112 B-0 → Bf 110 C-4 → He 111 H-3

BR 2.7

Suggested Lineup: He 112 B-0, Bf 110 C-4,

Ju 87 D-3, Ju 88 A-4, SM.79 1939 (1 fighter, 1

heavy fighter, 1 dive bomber, 2 bombers)

BR 2.7 for Germany is quite bomber-centric when it

comes to new planes. The Ju 87 gets upgraded with the

D-3, offering a better loadout of bombs (500 kg + 2 x


ARTICLE

250 kg). The Ju 88 A-4 is slightly faster than the He 111

and its airframe can take more punishment, making it

more ideal for attacking ground targets as opposed to

larger bases. The SM.79 is of a similar nature, carrying

a mediocre bomb load that is more suited for ground

targets and most variants are armed with a single

forward-firing 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine gun to

clear soft targets that invariably accompany tanks.

Recommended Research: Ju 87 D-3 → Ju

88 A-4 → SM.79 1936 → SM.79 1939

BR 3.0

Suggested Lineup: Bf 109 F-1, Bf 109

E-3, Ju 87 D-3, SM.79bis/L, Fw 200 C-1 (2

fighters, 1 dive bomber, 2 bombers)

The Bf 109 series is updated with the F-1 variant, which

mounts the MG FF/M cannon in the motorkanone

configuration firing through the nose that is characteristic

of later planes in the series. The cannon carries only

60 rounds and you’ll run dry relatively often early on,

so make your shots count in controlled bursts. The Air

Targets belt with the mineshells should take out most

fighters with only a few hits. There’s also a Bf 109 E-3 at

BR 3.0 in a similar weapons configuration as the He 112

B-0, and this can be used as a backup fighter to the F-1.

The Fw 200 C-1 Condor, recently added in patch 1.47,

is also available at BR 3.0. The bombload of the Condor

(3000 kg) is enough to level bases quickly if left alone,

although this is offset by its slow speed, large size and

poor defensive armament. The He 111 series is also

updated with the H-6 variant, with larger bombs (2 x

1000 kg + 250 kg) for base bombing. The SM.79 series

get slight incremental updates too, with torpedoes

added, although bombload capacity stays the same.

Recommended Research: Bf 109 E-3 → Bf 109 F-1 →

SM.79 1941 → SM.79bis/L → He 111 H-6 → Fw 200 C-1


BR 3.3

Suggested Lineup: Bf 109 F-1, Bf 109 F-2,

Me 410 A-1, He 111 H-16, Fw 200 C-1 (2

fighters, 1 heavy fighter, 2 bomber)

BR 3.3 opens the German lineup to a few new

aircraft types, and some quirky ones. You’ll

probably want to experiment with some of

them to see which one is to your liking.

The Bf 109 F-2 becomes an efficient ground attacker

with the 15 mm MG 151 cannon armed with the cermet

core shells (Ground Target belt), and rocket pods

via upgrades. It is still relatively deadly as a fighter,

although the smaller caliber motorkanone loses

quite a bit of killing power without the mineshells.

Hs 129 B-3 is an option as well at BR 3.3 if you can

master the 75 mm cannon, although you do need

to research past the Hs 129 B-2 at BR 4.0, which

in my opinion is a better aircraft, with 20 mm MG

151 for self-defense and can mount one 37 mm

cannon with HVAP-T rounds which are easier to

aim. The Ju 87 G offers a similar gun platform

with twin wing-mounted 37 mm cannons.


ARTICLE

The Do 217 J-1 and J-2 heavy fighters are an option too

with nose-mounted 4 x 20 mm MG FF/M cannons and

4 x 7.7 mm MG. Alternatively, you can research past the

Do 217 J and N variants and go for the Me 410 heavy

fighters. The Me 410 A-1 heavy fighter has less guns (2

x 20 mm MG 151 and 2 x 7.7 mm MG) but has a more

useful bomb load (2 x 500 kg) and slightly improved

speed, giving it more utility as a fighter/bomber.

The He 111 H-16 receives a slight upgrade to the

defensive armament, but it is still relatively fragile

and much easier to take down as it is matched

up against more potent interceptors.

Recommended Research: Bf 109 F-2 → Ju 87 D-5 → He

111 H-16 → Do 217 J-1 → Do 217 J-2 → Do-217 N-1 → Me

410 A-1 → Ju 87 G series → Hs 129 B-2 → Hs 129 B-3

BR 3.7

Suggested Lineup: Bf 109 F-4, Fw 190 A-1, Me

410 A-1, Ju 87 D-5, He 111 H-16 (2 fighters, 1

heavy fighter, 1 dive bomber, 1 bomber)

The Fw 190 series becomes available with the A-1 variant.

The Fw 190 A (nicknamed Anton) variants are interceptors

with heavy armament and heavily armored, ideally suited

for Boom and Zoom engagements, with high roll rates and

diving speeds. The Fw 190 A-1 (and its significantly up-

gunned bigger Anton brothers later on) can pretty much

take bombers out with just a few hits, complementing


the more maneuverable but lightly-armed Bf 109.

The Bf 109 F-4, although at BR 4.0, can be used in this

suggested lineup to give an average of 3.7 if the best 3

planes have a BR of 4.0, 3.7, 3.3. It has a 200-round MG

151/20 motorkanone mount, giving the plane a very

powerful punch. The 200 round belt feed negates the

ammunition shortage problem in the F-1 version, and

the MG 151/20 cannon with mineshells gives reliable

damage against fighters and bombers alike. This new

armament combines very well with its impressive energy

retention and good climb rate, ensuring its longevity

in the German fighter line through constant upgrades

all the way into late war. The Bf 109 F-4 can be further

upgraded with a pair of 15 mm MG 151 cannons, while

not as lethal as the 20 mm version against air targets.

gives the F-4 a relatively good ground attack option with

the cermet core rounds against moderately armored

targets such as medium tanks and light pillboxes.

The Ju 87 D-5 is a further upgrade on the aging

airframe, albeit one that brings several interesting

options. While the poor flight performance means

that you will be a vulnerable target if caught out by

cannon-armed fighters, the bomb load is relatively

decent for ground attack. The more interesting option

is the 20 mm gunpods, up-gunning the Ju 87 D-5 to

one with 6 x MG 151 20 mm cannons, making it very

potent for unsuspecting fighters expecting an easy

kill during head-ons, and for bomber-hunting.

Recommended Research: Bf 109 F-4 → Fw 190 A-1

BR 4.0 AND BEYOND

Planes to take note of: Bf 109 G series, Fw

190 Dora series (D-9 and D-12), Fw 190

A-8, Dornier Do 217 E/K/M bombers


ARTICLE

Beyond 4.0, the Fw 190 Anton series get continually up-

gunned, with the A-4 at BR 4.3 being in a relatively sweet

spot of involving good flight performance, armament

and favourable matchmaking. Later Fw 190 Antons (like

the A-5 and the A-5/U2) have significantly higher BR

(at 5.3 and 6.0 respectively), so you will see significantly

more powerful planes if you use them in your lineup.

These planes are perfectly able to compete, just that

when these planes are available in Tier III, newer players

might make the mistake of immediately including these

in their lineup once researched without having other

planes that are capable of matching up to higher BR

opponents. Among the later Anton series, my personal

favourite is the Fw 190 A-8, with 4 x 20 mm cannons

being more than adequate for bomber hunting without

sacrificing too much of flight performance, and four of

the same MG 151 cannons for better convergence.

The Fw 190 Dora series are an optimization on the earlier

Anton series while retaining the earlier advantages,

allowing it to perform high-altitude interceptions with a

high climb rate and top speed. The Fw 190 D-9, although

after the entire Anton series, have a relatively lower

BR of 4.7 (compared to the BR 5.3-6.0 range most late

Antons are in) and is quite a monster when played to

its strengths due to its excellent flight performance,


although it is unusually lightly armed for a Fw 190. The

final optimization in the Fw 190 Dora series would result

in the Ta 152 H-1, also a high-altitude interceptor.

The Bf 109 Gustav series are more of incremental

upgrades compared to the Friedrich (Bf 109 F)

series. The Gustav series also gain the ability to carry

the MG 151/20 gunpods, taking a hit to the flight

performance but become incredibly deadly with three

20mm cannons, making them somewhat closer to

a lighter Fw 190 without the dive capabilities.

The Me 410 series mainly evolve with different

armament systems, although their poor climb rate

and low maneuverability means that survivability

becomes a problem against late-war props and

their viability in-game becomes diminished. The

Fw 190 series is a much better option when heavy

firepower is required, and housed in an airframe

that is competitive against other fighters.

The Dornier Do 217 E/K/M bombers are relatively fast

bombers with a decent payload (4000 kg upgraded),

with moderate defensive armament and average


ARTICLE

durability. They are also more accurate in a dive than

heavy bombers for pinpoint bombing against smaller

targets. They depend on their speed to survive rather

than their structural strength and defensive armament,

which can make them more viable compared to other

heavy bombers at their tier which is plagued with

survivability problems against well-armed fighters.

CLOSING

Once past the earlier tiers, the German plane lineup

is pretty much one of the best across Tier III-IV. The

very potent mix of the maneuverable Bf 109 and the

heavily-armed Fw 190 series allow the player to choose

the most suitable plane to use depending on the

enemy lineup. The late-tier bombers remain perfectly

viable due to their speed and give the German lineup

some added versatility compared to other nations.

The Germans also have relatively interesting late-

war jet aircraft, although matching them up against

other planes remains a challenge (in part due to a

lack of production jet aircraft from other nations late-

war to compete, effectively dropping the German

jet planes right in a performance-timeline twilight

zone between late war props and post-war jets).

The German plane tree remains one of the most

fleshed-out lineups among the nations represented,

yet so many different designs are still not featured

in the lineup. There are numerous designs to look

forward to, like the Ju 188 and Do-335 ‘Pfeil’. Of course,

there’s also an independent Italian tree coming soon

(some Italian planes are currently under the German

tree, like the G.50 and M.C.200 fighters and the SM.79

bombers), although hopefully sooner than later! ■

By Chock Weeboon


OF MECHS AND RUBBER TANKS

A few days prior to April Fools, hype was already

building on the forums, with the players guessing

what the Gaijin developers would come up with this

year. After My Little Pony and Gaijilla events in the last

two years, one would be hard pressed to imagine that

Gaijin developers could top those in terms of creativity,

but boy… one would never imagine that the developers

actually went to this extent to create something

this complex just for a day, even with the clue that

appeared on the War Thunder Facebook feed.

UNREALISTIC BATTLES

The first event that came up was Unrealistic

Battles, with a dummy rubberized Sherman firing

vegetables being the poster boy of the day. Taking

inspiration from dummy tanks used to deceive

German reconnaissance prior to the Normandy

beach landings, Gaijin decided to recreate these

cute rubber tanks complete with squeaky sounds,

powered by bicycles and firing potatoes and carrots

using a slingshot through a floppy barrel.

For the April Fools’ event of 2015, Gaijin’s developers showed that they still love the players very much with walking mechs

in Ground Forces, although they certainly couldn’t resist taking a dig at their competitors with the Unrealistic Battle mode.


ARTICLE

Being the cheeky developers they are, they couldn’t

help but be proud of their own realistic creations of

the damage model in Ground Forces and decided to

poke fun of other tank games with ugly health bars,

one giant simplified hit box without any particular

weak points, because ‘they are all equally weak’, and

two types of vegetable-inspired ammunition that are

‘not that different from one another’, all in the name

of ‘helping users from other projects to adapt’.

Cheeky, Gaijin. Cheeky. Looks like Gaijin developers

fired a broadside of their own after the recent release

of a naval warship game by a ‘war games’ developer.

Of course, the potatoes and carrots were just the

appetizer for something really big coming up…

[IN DEVELOPMENT] ST-1 GROUND VEHICLE IN WAR THUNDER

Earlier in the day, an article about a walking tank

ST-1 appeared on the devblog as part of the April

Fools’ joke, complete with doctored historical images

showing the walking tanks alongside ground troops

and tanks, described in all seriousness, such as this:

“Not only did it have an extremely high cross-country

ability, the ST-1 also was almost immune to anti-tank

hedgehogs and mines. Even more so, thanks to it

unique looks, it would spread fear and panic in enemy

infantry ranks. 152mm howitzer allowed to destroy

concrete pill-boxes with a minimal ammo expenditure.


Finnish 37mm cannons could not penetrate the battle

compartment’s armour and Molotov cocktails were

also useless due the high profile of the machine.”

It even came with hypothetical battle reports

from Wehrmacht units, such as “... For the first

time in the Eastern campaign we faced a new

type of battle machine, it was hard to miss the

complete superiority of a 55 ton walking tank…..”

It was a pretty funny read, but surely Gaijin developers

won’t actually be implementing this in-game right,

with Unrealistic Battles already up for April Fools?

ST-1 ALPHA TEST

Then, it happened. A second event dropped for the

players. With a Spawn Point system reminiscent

of Realistic Ground Forces battles, players

began with conventional tanks, but could quickly

earn enough points to summon the mech, with

planes being added into the lineup to prevent the

walking tanks from being too overpowered.

The hilarity of the dummy tanks was quickly overtaken

by the real surprise for April Fools’ 2015, the high-

octane mech combat battles. These walking tanks

dueled in Eastern Europe, prowling the streets


ARTICLE

menacingly for targets to unleash hell on. With a

main gun styled after that from the KV-2’s turret, the

walking tanks quickly made short work of conventional

ones, turning the streets into full-on mech vs

mech slugfests in a death-match for supremacy.

In the midst of the adrenaline-pumping action

involving walking tanks among the American,

German and Soviet ranks running crazy, for that

one day, I think the point that Gaijin developers

really wanted players to enjoy War Thunder really

hit home. Gaijin has certainly outdone themselves

with this latest effort, setting an even higher bar

for April Fools’ pranks in the gaming industry.

Oh, and if Gaijin decides to make a MOBA mech game,

sign me up and take all my money. This is seriously

amazing, even if it only lasted for only one day. ■

By Chock Weeboon


SILLY SNAILS - A GAIJIN APRIL FOOLS’ HISTORY

One day of the year, it is acceptable (and expected)

that jokes and pranks will abound in society, and

War Thunder is no different. Since April 2012, the

developers of Gaijin Entertainment have created

different scenarios and ideas for their players to enjoy.

It began with the teaser trailer for Star Thunder before

War Thunder was officially released that year. Very

similar to Independence Day, giant alien craft came

down to Earth in search of resources, and a flight

of Spitfires is seen racing towards the monstrous

craft for an epic confrontation between humans and

aliens. This teaser, sadly, never quite made it to a

playable form for the War Thunder community.

In April 2013, the Ponyland Air Force was introduced

with War Thunder 6 months old, and was available

on the developmental server for War Thunder pilots.

The ponies brought the fury of the Brony movement

in full force to War Thunder’s young skies, with

bright, multicolored cannons and sugary candy

bombs of extraordinary power and destruction. The

ponies themselves move at supersonic speeds, with

exemplary handling for a weapon of such speeds.

With very positive feedback (aside from a few pony

haters), Gaijin decided that April Fools was to become

a spectacle of creativity and player enjoyment.

To continue the trend, in 2014, Gaijin released

it’s monster- the Daikaidzu GD11a, otherwise


ARTICLE

known as “Gaijilla”. This gargantuan gastropod

wrought havoc on the Dev server of War Thunder,

blasting its enemies’ ground units to dust with

powerful lasers fired from its antennae. Though

nearly impervious to attack, it had limited weak

spots that allowed the monster to be destroyed

before the next major patch. The players defeated

the monster after lots of hard work, and kept

the live servers safe from impending doom.

With April Fools Day again behind us, the players of

War Thunder will be left to speculate and wonder

for another year before Gaijin delights us with their

next outrageous surprise. The developers have

successfully engaged their players, and hopefully will

continue to do so as the years (and jokes) go by. ■

By Cade ‘Taize’ Rosenbalm


A-20G-25 HAVOC REVIEWOrdered on the 1st of June, 1942, the Douglas A-20G

Havoc first entered service with the United States

in February the following year. The first A-20Gs

went on to see combat in the Pacific, strafing and

bombing Japanese positions with later aircraft

eventually seeing service in Africa, Europe, and

even in Russia with the Soviet Air Force under

the Lend-Lease Act. The A-20G was well liked by

its crews for its good visibility as well as its great

handling characteristics at lower speeds. By the

time the final A-20G rolled off the factory floor

in mid-1944, a total of 2,850 had been produced,

making the A-20G the most produced A-20 variant.

Unlike previous variants which had featured a

glazed nose to accommodate a bombardier, the

A-20G housed a solid nose armed with four 20mm

Hispano cannons (later production versions were

armed with six 12.7mm M2 Browning machine

guns instead as the cannons were found to be

unreliable and jammed easily). In later production

models of the A-20G, the single 12.7mm Browning

machine gun found in the rear turret was replaced

with a power-operated Martin turret housing

two 12.7mm M2 Browning machine guns.


REVIEW

PROS AND CONS

+ Crazy defensive firepower

+ Front guns can make short work of

ground targets and/or unlucky bombers

+ Great low speed performance

+ Good climb rate for its size

+ High top speed makes it difficult

for fighters to intercept

+ Beautiful model (Not really a Pro

but still… It’s gorgeous.)

+ Good acceleration

- Weak elevator

- Locks up in steep dives

RATING

Firepower: 8.5/10 (Devastating combination

of offensive and defensive weaponry.)

Speed: 10/10 (Top speed is surprisingly

excellent at low altitude.)

Climb Rate: 10/10 (Can easily pull off a 10 degree

climb to 2,000m in roughly 3 minutes.)

Maneuverability: 8.5/10 (Makes it easy to

destroy large groups of lightly-armored targets

in a relatively short period of time .)

Overall Rating: 9.25/10 (Excellent performance

and a ton of fun to fly with no major flaws.)

SUGGESTED STRATEGY

Strafe and Bait: Relatively simple guide. Start off by

climbing/descending to roughly 1,000m, proceed to

target, drop your bombs, and then start heading back

to base making sure to attract as many unwanted

guests as possible. The defensive guns on the A-20

are more than capable of picking off multiple enemies

at a time with the only thing you really have to worry

about being enemies with high-calibre guns such as

Yak-9Ts and Ju-87Gs. The offensive 12.7mm guns

firing Ground Target ammunition can easily take out

Light Tanks and even Light Pillboxes at close ranges.

HOW I RATE THINGS

After I choose the aircraft I am going to be reviewing

I look at its BR for Realistic Battles then look at

all aircraft of the same/similar role with a BR up

to +1 or -1 of the aircraft being reviewed. (In this

case I looked at the Beaufighter, B-25, Ki-49, Do-

217N, and Pe-2/3 to come up with my rating.) ■

By Daniel “Heinkel280” Hoffman


MARDER III AUSF. H REVIEWHISTORY

The Marder (Marten) III series was derived from the

Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) to serve as an “interim

solution” until more effective tanks could be produced

to combat the T-34 and KV series. Tanks of the

original Marder series were based on obsolete but

proven chassis of captured French tanks. The Marder

III ausf. H took advantage of the normal fighting

compartment of the Pz. 38(t), which lowered the crew,

thus lowering the silhouette of the tank. This also

provided better protection than the SdKfz. 139 (Marder

III). The crew consisted of one gunner, one loader,

one driver, and one machine gun operator. This tank

was used on all fronts until being retired in late 1944.

IN-GAME

In the game of War Thunder, the Marder III ausf. H

sits at tier 2 with a battle rating of 3.0. This is a very

interesting tank with great gun traverse range for

a tank with fixed superstructure. It is also one of

the first tanks to have a firable bow machine gun.

However, the armour will hardly protect the crew from

anything larger than a .30 caliber round with 15 mm

for the superstructure, but most APCBC rounds will

over penetrate and will do nothing. It does not protect

the top and back of the tank. With 50 mm of frontal

hull armour, the hull can also easily be penetrated.

The gun is the definite strong point of this tank.

With 117mm of penetration at 10 m and 84mm


REVIEW

at 1000 m using the APCBC round and 152 mm at

10 m and 99 mm at 1000 m using APCR, this tank

destroyer can penetrate almost any tank that it can

go up against. The gun can also rotate 30 degrees

to the right and 30 degrees to the left. However, the

gun depression is abominable with only 2 degrees.

PROS & CONS

+ Great gun

+ Gun traverse is more that most in game tank destroyers

+ Superstructure armour is too thin to ignite

the fuse on most APHE and APC shells.

+ Good mobility

+ Crew less exposed than previous tank destroyer

- Tips over at high speeds

- Vulnerable to HE and HEAT

- Little gun depression

- Crew is exposed in the rear and from the top

- Armour can’t hold up to anything

bigger than small arms fire.

RATING

• Firepower: 10/10 - This gun will penetrate

everything that will come its way.

• Precision: 9/10 - This gun, like most German

guns, is accurate and will only miss if the barrel is

damaged. However, it may not land on the same

spot your cursor is aiming at at great distances.


Also the gun depression makes shooting

from hull-down positions impossible.

• Speed: 6/10 - This tank has a nice top speed

and will get from place to place quickly.

• Maneuverability: 4/10 - The tank has the tendency

to tip at high speeds because the gun and crew

are placed high on such a narrow tank.

• Armour: 3/10 - The armour on the hull

is not bad, however the armour on the

superstructure is downright awful.

• OVERALL RATING: 6.4/10 - This tank is

great at hiding behind other tanks and

giving supporting fire, but the armour, gun

depression, and the maneuverability are

issues that keep this tank at this rating.

SUGGESTED STRATEGY

Support heavies. Most people will not

prioritize targets and ignore you.

Long distance sniping is recommended with the

gun. Most guns at this BR will be not be accurate

enough to hit and do serious damage repeatedly.

Don’t rush, find a friend that will serve as a shield. ■

By Bryce ‘Freighttrain448’ Hale


REVIEW

GUADALCANAL: TWO SIDES OF HELL

PROLOG

In Issue 2 we introduced you to Corporal James “Rube” Garrett

and last month we took our first look at the story as seen from

the Japanese side. Today, we continue with the story.

----

June 7

It was after noon yesterday that the vanguards of the Combined Fleet found the

strong enemy planes and fleet. They said the 2nd Fleet would attack the enemy

from behind, and the 2nd Destroyer Squadron made a sally. We are 160km SW from

Midway. The good news may not come until this evening when the main force comes to

the theater. Enemy planes seem stronger than we expected. Received news of Hiryu

going up in flames but no trouble.

June 8, 09:00

The Ceremony of Allegiance to

the Imperial Message to the

Company on the upper deck. We

strengthened our determination

to give our life for the Empire.

They say our cruiser Mikuma was

unable to steer and evacuating

ENTRY THREE


REAL LIFE

from enemy planes. We have not heard our main force was in the battle

yet. The landing will be forced to put off no sooner than 2 weeks.

June 9

U-turned convoy is still to the SW of Midway. The landing force of the

Navy was dissolved. Ichiki-shitai was transferred from 2nd Landing

Force to under direct control of 2nd Fleet, and bound for Guam.

In the transport I heard we had lost 4 carriers. The news

came not from my Captain but from a soldier. It’s amazing

that ‘soldier’s news’ is always quick and correct.

June 10

I met my father in my dream. He was on a business trip and wore a cloak with a lapel

badge of Dutch Paymaster Lt. Col. He looked fine and was in a car. A strange dream.

June 11

Suddenly a squall! Soldiers sprang out on the deck naked. Out of the steam bath

into rain shower. They were all white from head to toe with spread soap. One

who was ready began washing in the water falls from tarpaulin. I got naked too,


and shouted ‘All hands on the Deck!’ Then a scream! The rain had slacked off.

‘More, more! It’s stopping too soon!’ Someone was struggling to wash half-spread

lather off, and they burst out laughing. Fortunately it rained for a while.

June 13

Got to Guam.

To Ichiki-shitai were allotted barracks near Apra

H. about 7 or 8 km SW to Agana city. We learned we had

suffered a crushing defeat at Midway, and were too

committed to the Battle of Solomon 2 months later, and

there we painfully realized the impact that Midway had

caused. But who knew that then? We can’t stop a violent

change of the general situation. After a long time on the

seas, a life on shore was unbearably cheerful for us.

We had no choice but to rush into new duties and life.

June 14

1st Lt. Nemoto went ashore with part of the company in

charge of a construction gang. The peace and order on

Guam seems well kept by naval government. For instance,

islanders don’t lock doors when they are out in the farm.

The most precious property is coconut palm trees. Navy

bought an islander’s estate to expand an airfield and

paid a good price, but they cried when their coconut trees

were cut down with heavy thud. Don’t expect too much of sweet life on the island.

June 15

Landed near 13:00 after duties on board. Went up about 1500m through coconut

groves, looking down the naval ensign of the Rising Sun fluttering on the rooftop

of the HQ of the Navy. Then got to barracks on a slope facing toward Apra Bay.

The interior is good and suitable for US soldiers, but unfortunately the eaves

are very low and obstruct the seascape. By the way, it was amazing that soldiers

had excellent skill and a knack at interior decorating. They do their best for


REAL LIFE

themselves. Unexpected beer for dinner! No wind

in the night and a violent attack of mosquitoes.

June 18

Went to the movies at Lecture Hall of the

Navy. Saw 3 news films. ‘The war bereaved

worshipping a spring ritual in Yasukuni-

shrine’: I recalled Miss Kamiya who was one

of those bereaved. ‘The Battle Taking the

Fortress of Corregidor’: Many friends of mine

in Kyoto Regiment must have died there. I

was almost moved to tears. No other barracks will give us such a fine seascape

in the morning and in the evening. I wish I could be stationed here longer.

June 19, 14:00

Swim training. It’s amazing that 33 of the NCO’s and soldiers can’t

swim, though swimming was a pleasure for me. It was troubling that

9 men were stung by sea urchin or jelly fish in the shallows of

the reef, yet the training must be continued. Came back singing a

martial song merrily. The first day of duty on the island.

June 21

Went to Agana city by bike with 2nd Lt. Taniguchi to buy fishing tackle. Bought

fish hooks at Sayama’s shop (*Japanese). The daughter of the owner was a real

cutie. She speaks broken Japanese taught by her father and sailors. On our way

back, we found a canoe in mangroves. As the owner was unknown, we used the canoe

without permission. (Taniguchi went back by bike) It was lighter than I expected,

but hard to steer because of the outrigger. I took shortcut across the bay, but

the bamboo pole didn’t reach the bottom of the sea! Helpless, and in a panic, I

paddled the canoe with my hands forgetting to roll up my sleeves. 20 or 30 strokes

moved the canoe slowly to the shore. I shouldn’t have gone alone not knowing the

tide and the bottom. Gave a sigh of relief when I got to the shore near barracks.


June 22

In the lecture hall of the Navy, we officers heard

a general explanation about the development of the

battle on Guam, then made an on-the-spot inspection by

2 buses. Landing place: a landing force found treads

of tanks, and made a tragic but brave resolution. It

turned out to be a tractor for road repairing, and all

burst out laughing! The reef: 8 men sprained from wading

500 or 600m on the reef. Landing place of the Army, a

bathing resort, and an imposing white palace behind

the city: Suikosha (Clubhouse of the Navy). Looked at

colorful roofs of the city from the terrace, the flaming

red of bougainvillea, the Pacific Ocean merging into the sky, and the white

wave line of the coral reef. Refreshments were provided by Islander girls.

June 22, 14:00

Came back to the Company. Called for the canoe which soldiers

had been playing with and went fishing. The canoe was stranded

by ebb tide, and we pushed it to the wharf. Thank heavens!

June 23

Forgetting yesterday, on the canoe again with Captain and Taniguchi.

But no catch. On the way back, ebb tide again. I am sick of it!

June 27

An excellent sumo ring was completed. I took charge of ritual opening of the

ring. An Inter-Platoon Match was won by 4th platoon with Pv. 2nd Wakayama

the Yokozuna(*grand champion) of the 8TAS. Have a slight cold, feel ill.

June 28 (Sunday)

The Moon is bright and clear, night breeze is so cool, and its Sunday

night. We are dying for a drink and girls, and Captain doesn’t mind.


REAL LIFE

The planning for Amusement Show of Ichki-shitai was completed.

The night record concert under palm trees was so nice.

June 29

Captain said suddenly ‘Don’t care about me’. It’s

all the more difficult for us to go.

July 1

There were a lot of responses to ‘The Song of 8TAS’ contest. Many admirable works.

July 1, 13:00

An examination with Company Commander. The 1st prize was given to words by

8th squad having individuality and expressing war services of 8TAS in it.

Though the music was from ‘The New Japanese Army’ and lacked freshness. I

had my Captain look at the site of the amusement show before the day of the

show. The Harmonica Band, Isao Rhythm Boys, and ‘Kanzaki goes to Edo’(*a

scene of the Kabuki) will make something. ‘O-some and Hisamatsu’(*Kabuki) is

troubling. With all their effort, the play looked unsuccessful. I helped them

adapt the story so that they can cheer up. I hope the program will succeed.

Back in my room, Captain, Nemoto and Taniguchi showed me 20 or more fish

over 20cm in length. They were beaming with triumph from a good catch.

July 2, 14:00

Prelims of the Amusement

Show. Over 50 programs all

out of Ichiki-shitai are a

wonder! All programs from

8TAS are a flop, and it gets

on my nerves! Sat and heard

good and bad performances

for 5 hours, tired.


July 3

Went to Agana city with my drinking companions by jeep. In the

moonlight, driving along the seaside near the city was so nice.

July 5

The 1st Ichiki-shitai Amusement Show was performed with Col. Ichiki

as a guest. Many good programs. We program directors worked hard,

and the show closed with success but ran 2 hours over time.

1st prize: ‘The Magic Show’ by Goto unit

2nd prize: ‘Kanzaki goes to Edo’ by 8TAS

3rd prize: ‘The Family of the Lighthouse Keeper’ by Wada unit

4th prize: ‘Recruiting the Acrobat’ by Ohkubo unit

5th prize: ‘An Elegant Unit’ by HQ

Soldiers were cheerful.


REAL LIFE

Col. Ichiki enjoyed the show from beginning to end.

July 6

8TAS got 2nd prize. 2 bottles of Sake, 5 bottles of

beer, 5 paper bagged beans as a snack.

July 7

To demonstrate the great power of the Imperial Army to Islanders, we performed

shooting practice on the beach near

Syowa-machi. We had lunch at primary

school, and found villagers are eager

to learn Japanese and make painful

efforts. Swim Training again. In the

evening, staff of the amusement show

dined together at Ohmiya-hall. Being

mellow, slightly drunk and unsteady,

the twilight driving was nice.

The site was perhaps near Nimitz beach

SW to the Apra H. We practiced target

shooting with live shells for the

first time since we had test-fired

on a destroyed US tank in Manila. 2nd

platoon hit all the floating targets

set at 600 and 800m offshore. And it

was the last time I gave a command

for firing our anti-tank guns.

Written by Genjirou Inui

Sourced by Allen Reynolds


GUNS OF THE LUFTWAFFE, 1935-1942

LIGHT MACHINE GUNS

In 1929, the German firm Rheinmetall acquired

the Swiss arms company Solothurn. This allowed

them to produce weapons outside the restrictions

of the Treaty of Versailles, such as the Rheinmetall-

designed Solothurn MG (Maschinengewehr) 30 7.92

mm machine gun. With relatively minor modifications,

the MG 30 became the standard weapon of the

early Luftwaffe as the MG 15 (fed from ammunition

drums for flexible mounts) and MG 17 (belt fed

for fixed installations, often synchronised to fire

through propellers). The MG 30 was also developed

by Mauser into the famous MG 34, which in turn was

adapted for aircraft as the fast-firing (1,600 rounds

per minute) MG 81. A pair of MG 81 guns could be

linked together with a single trigger in a Zwilling

(twin) mount as the MG 81Z, giving a combined rate

of fire of 3,200 rpm; these replaced the single MG

15 of the rear gunner in later variants of the Bf 110

and Ju 87. Normally used as defensive armament,

one noteworthy installation of the MG 81Z was the

Waffenbehälter (literally “weapon container”, or

gun pod) WB 81 containing no less than three pairs

of MG 81 guns, nicknamed “the watering can”.

Standard 7.92 mm ammunition included Spitzgeschoß

mit Kern (SmK) armour piercing with steel core;

Phosphor mit Stahlkern (PmK) armour piercing

incendiary, adding phosphorous around the steel core;

and Beobachtungs Patrone (B-Patrone) observation

rounds that had a small detonating capsule behind

phosphorous filling, giving a bright flash and puff of

smoke on impact in addition to incendiary effects,

allowing a pilot to verify hits on a target (these are

classed as “Adjustment Incendiaries” in War Thunder).

The second in our series about the development of World War II aircraft guns, this month looking at the Luftwaffe. The German

Air Force deployed a wide range of weapons during the war, so this first part looks at pre-war weapons up to about 1942.


ARTICLE

7.92 MM GUNS IN WAR THUNDER

In War Thunder, the 7.92 mm guns are fairly standard

light machine guns, generally adequate in Tier I but

not much further. Once ammunition upgrades are

unlocked, the Tracer belt is slightly unusual: most

other MG Tracer belts have incendiary elements,

but the German 7.92 mm belt consists entirely of

Armour Piercing Tracer (APT). Therefore, it has has

less chance of setting fire to enemy planes than

the Universal or Stealth belts with incendiaries.

For ground attack, you’re limited to the usual

machine gun targets: artillery, AA and armoured

cars. The Ju 87 D5 can equip a WB 81 pod under

each wing, but is unlikely to get into matches with

significant ground targets that can be destroyed

by machine gun fire; the sheer volume of fire can

be quite entertaining against enemy aircraft, but

unless you’re in a “who can carry the most rifle-

calibre machine guns” competition with a Typhoon

Mk. Ia (you win, thanks to the rear gunner) the 20

mm gun pods are a better option once unlocked.

EARLY CANNON

In 1934, the German Air Ministry issued requirements

for a single seat fighter armed with two machine

guns or one cannon, with the Messerschmitt Bf

109 winning the resulting competition against

the Heinkel He 112, Arado Ar 80 and Focke-Wulf


Fw 159. Messerschmitt’s designers considered

several armament configurations including an

engine-mounted 20 mm cannon, along the lines

of French “moteur-cannon” designs, with two

candidate weapons: the MG C/30L and the MG FF.

The MG C/30L was based on an anti-aircraft gun

and used the powerful “Long Solothurn” 20 mm

cartridge, resulting in a large and heavy gun with

high muzzle velocity but a slow rate of fire. A single

example was mounted on an He 112 prototype,

known as the Kanonenvogel (cannon bird) and

used in the Spanish Civil War where it was found

to be more suited to attacking ground targets than

other aircraft, prefiguring later “tank busters”.

The MG C/30L was not used on other aircraft.

The MG FF, by contrast, was a compact and

lightweight cannon. Its design dated back to one of

the earliest airborne automatic cannon, the 20 mm

Becker gun used in small numbers by the German

Air Force in World War I. After the war, with the

restrictions on armament manufacturing of the

Treaty of Versailles, rights to the gun were acquired

by the Swiss firm SEMAG, who further developed

the weapon but were not financially successful.

Another Swiss firm, Oerlikon, took over in 1924, and

by the mid-1930s were offering a range of cannon

including aircraft weapons designated “FF” for

Flügel Fest (wing mounted). Ikaria Werke of Berlin

acquired the license for the FF Type F, putting a

modified version into production as the MG FF.

There were difficulties with installing engine

cannon in early models of the Bf 109, so although

the wings had not originally been intended to

mount weapons, the Bf 109 E-1 carried one MG 17

machine gun in each wing, the Bf 109 E-3 replacing

these wing-mounted guns with MG FF cannon.


ARTICLE

CANNON AMMUNITION AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

The MG FF used fairly standard 20mm ammunition

including Panzerbrandgranate (Armour Piercing

Incendiary), Brandsprenggranate (High Explosive

Incendiary) and Brandgranate (Incendiary) rounds.

The conventional technique for manufacturing

cannon shells was to drill a hole in a solid steel

projectile to create space for explosive or incendiary

material, but by the end of the 1930s Rheinmetall-

Borsig had perfected an alternative method, whereby

the shell was drawn from a disc of steel, similar to

the way cartridge cases were drawn from brass.

The result was a very thin-walled shell with a lot

more space for explosive filling, given the name

Minengeschoß (M-Geschoss), mine shell. A 20 mm

M-Geschoss contained 3-5 times the quantity of

explosive of a standard HE shell, and was around

30% lighter. The lighter shell had different recoil

characteristics, requiring a minor modification

to the MG FF gun mechanism, resulting in the

MG FF/M that replaced the MG FF from 1940.

Even with the powerful punch of M-Geschoss the MG

FF/M was not an ideal weapon. It had a comparatively

low muzzle velocity and rate of fire, and ammunition

supply was limited to 60 rounds per gun due to

the drum feed. Before the war Mauser had started

development on a new 15mm aircraft gun, the

MG 151, and by late 1940 it was ready for service.

The MG 151 offered a roughly 50% improvement

in muzzle velocity and rate of fire over the MG FF,

though it was 50% heavier. The MG 151 was also

designed from the start with a belt feed mechanism,

allowing for more ammunition to be carried.

Combat experience with the MG 151 was generally

positive, but a 15 mm bullet could only be packed

with a limited quantity of explosives, especially


when compared to the new M-Geschoss rounds.

With relatively minor modifications, the MG 151 was

adapted to fire a 20 mm cartridge using the same

projectiles as the MG FF/M; the heavier projectile

and shorter cartridge case reduced the muzzle

velocity, but this was felt to be a worthwhile sacrifice.

The modified weapon received the designation MG

151/20 (the 15 mm version sometimes retrospectively

labelled MG 151/15). Once introduced, the MG

151/20 became the primary fighter weapon of the

Luftwaffe, though the MG FF/M still saw limited

use, particularly if size or weight was an issue.

In parallel with the new weapons a new variant of

the Bf 109 was entering service, the Bf 109 F, finally

resolving the issues with installing a gun in the

engine; the Bf 109 F-1, F-2 and F-4 demonstrated

the evolution of armament, respectively mounting

a 20 mm MG FF/M, 15 mm MG 151 and 20 mm MG

151/20 firing through the propeller shaft. Unable to

fit a gun within a radial engine, most Focke-Wulf

Fw 190s from the A-2 variant onward mounted an

MG 151/20E (Elektrish) cannon in each wing root

firing through the propeller. These cannon used

electrically-primed ammunition, rather than the

percussion-primed ammunition of the regular

MG 151, to assist with synchronisation. Many

aircraft could also carry single or twin MG 151 gun

pods under each wing for heavier firepower.

As 20 mm M-Geschoss rounds did not carry tracer

elements, MG FF/M and MG 151/20 belts also

typically included conventional High Explosive

or High Explosive Incendiary shells with either

a bright tracer (Leuctspur) or dimmer tracer for

night use (Glimmspur). Belts could also include

Armour Piercing rounds for sturdier air targets

or strafing, though the comparatively low muzzle

velocity of the 20 mm guns meant the AP rounds

were not a major threat to tanks. The high velocity


ARTICLE

of the 15 mm MG 151 gave a more impressive

armour piercing performance, particularly when

using Hartkern-Panzergranate (hard core armour

piercing) ammunition with tungsten carbide core.

15/20 MM GUNS IN WAR THUNDER

For air-to-air combat, the “Air Targets” belt of

German cannon is, unsurprisingly, a good choice, or

the “Stealth” if you prefer not to alert opponents with

tracer fire; both belts contain a good proportion of HEI

M-Geschoss shells for the guns that can use them. For

ground attack, the two higher velocity guns, the MG

C30/L of the He 112 A-0 and 15 mm MG 151 of the Bf

109 F-2 (and gun pods of the F-4) can be used against

light and medium tanks and light pillboxes with AP

rounds. For the MG 151, this means the “Armored

Targets” belt with AP-I(c) cermet rounds (it looks a

bit like ‘cement’ at first glance, but it short for the

ceramic metallic tungsten carbide core) Other 20 mm

guns are limited to soft targets and armoured cars.

Most German aircraft have cannon mounted close

to the centreline, so pilots do not have to worry too

much about harmonisation (adjusting guns so that

fire converges on a single point in space) via the ‘Gun

Targeting Distance’ option. This also gives them an

advantage in a long-range head-on attacks against

an opponent with wing-mounted weapons, but head-

on attacks are something of a lottery regardless;

the comparatively low velocity of the MG FF also

results in significant shell drop over long range, so

it is more suited to short range engagements. You

need to pay a little more attention to Gun Targeting

Distance for the wing-mounted guns of the Bf 109

E-3, Fw 190s and any aircraft with gun pods under the

wings; 250 – 400 metres works best for the MG FF,

the MG 151 can extend this to 300 – 500 metres. ■

By John ‘Zoso’ Moore


GUNS OF THE LUFTWAFFE, 1942-1945

THE MG 131

As the MG 17 entered service Rheinmetall started

work on a weapon of larger calibre, the 13 mm MG

131. Designed from the outset as an aircraft weapon,

the MG 131 was lighter, more compact and faster

firing than the American .5″ (12.7 mm) Browning M2,

though it used a less powerful cartridge. From 1942

the MG 131 supplemented or supplanted the MG

15 and MG 81 as defensive armament for bombers,

in turrets or flexible mounts. It also replaced the

fixed MG 17 in later variants of the Messerschmitt

Bf 109 (resulting in distinctive bulges in front of the

cockpit on some models to fit the larger breech

block of the MG 131) and Focke-Wulf Fw 190. An

unusual feature of the MG 131 was that it used

electrically primed ammunition, allowing for more

efficient synchronisation, so maintaining a high

rate of fire even when firing through a propeller.

13mm ammunition included Panzergranate (armour

piercing), Brandgranate (incendiary), and fused

Brandsprenggranate (high explosive incendiary)

rounds, though less than two grams of explosive

could be packed into such a small cartridge.

In War Thunder fighters with the MG 131 also mount

at least one heavier weapon, so in Arcade Mode the

machine guns are mostly there to give you something

to do while the cannon reloads. In Realistic or

Simulator modes, where gun pods have more of an

impact on aircraft performance and there’s no mid-air

reloading, the MG 131 are more important, especially

if your only other weapon has very limited ammunition

The second in our series about the development of World War II aircraft guns, this month looking at the Luftwaffe. The

German Air Force deployed a wide range of weapons during the war, this second part looks at late war weapons up to 1945.


ARTICLE

such as the 65 30 mm rounds available to the Bf 109

K-4. It’s worth binding machine guns and cannon

to separate firing buttons, so you can save cannon

ammunition until you’re really certain of a shot.

The MG 131 is only slightly more effective against

ground targets than 7.92 mm guns, able to destroy

light tanks with AP ammunition but not heavier

targets. Against aircraft, the high explosive incendiary

rounds (classed as Immediate Action Incendiary

(IAI) in War Thunder) should be reasonably effective,

but currently seem to have some modelling issues,

so better to use the mixed “Air Target” or AP-I

“Stealth” belts for now, but keep an eye out for

promised damage overhauls, possibly in patch 1.49.

MK 101/103

The first 30 mm cannon used by the Luftwaffe

was a powerful Rheinmetall-Borsig weapon

originally designated the MG 101, later changed to

MK (Maschinenkanone) 101. It used a very large

cartridge resulting in a high muzzle velocity, but

was a bulky and heavy weapon. Initially it was

mounted in an under-fuselage gondola on a small

number of Bf 110s designated the C-6. One Staffel

of Erprobungsgruppe 210, an operational testing

group tasked with developing fighter-bomber

techniques, were equipped with the Bf 110 C-6

for a time in 1940 and used them on anti-shipping

strikes in the English Channel, but there was little

interest in more widespread use of the cannon.


Following the German invasion of Russia in 1941, and

encounters with heavily armoured Soviet tanks, the

MK 101 was dusted off. Testing with tungsten carbide

cored Hartkern ammunition found the gun was

capable of penetrating the side armour of the KV-1,

so in 1942 a Rüstsatz field modification was devised

for the Henschel Hs 129 ground attack aircraft to fit

a MK 101 cannon in a gun pod under the fuselage,

significantly enhancing anti-tank capabilities.

Rheinmetall-Borsig developed the MK 101 into the MK

103, using (almost) the same cartridge, improvements

including a higher rate of fire and improved feed

mechanism. A range of munitions were available for

use against ground and air targets including both

Hartkern armour piercing and M-Geschoss high

explosive shells, but it was difficult to install such

a large gun in single engine fighters. Experimental

under-wing pods for the Fw 190 were not very

successful, neither were trials of a slightly more

compact engine-mounted version (MK 103M) with

the Bf 109. The most practical installations were in

twin engine aircraft such as the Hs 129, replacing

the MK 101, or in the bomb bay of the Me 410.

THE PNEUMATIC HAMMER

In 1942 the German Air Ministry sought an effective

weapon against the Allied bombers that were

attacking in increasing numbers, particularly the

heavy four-engined (viermot) bombers. Tests showed

that the 30 mm M-Geschoss shell was devastating,

about five times more effective than a 20 mm shell,

but the MK 103 cannon was too large and heavy to

easily mount on single engine fighters. Rheinmetall-


ARTICLE

Borsig therefore developed a new weapon, the MK

108 cannon, using a much shorter cartridge. The

MK 108 was less than half the weight of the MK 103

and even shorter than the MG 131, with a reasonable

rate of fire for a large calibre weapon. The trade-

off for the reduced size was much lower muzzle

velocity and consequently a downward-curving

trajectory of fire, making the MK 108 better suited to

close-range attacks against large, slow targets than

dogfights with small, rapidly manoeuvring targets.

The MK 108 was simple to construct, and from 1943

was installed in several types of aircraft for anti-

bomber work including the Bf 109, Bf 110 and Fw 190;

the MK 108 was also the standard armament of most

Me 262 jet fighters and Me 163 rocket fighters. Allied

ordnance men nicknamed the MK 108 the “pavement

buster” as the steady, pounding fire sounded like

a pneumatic power tool. Ammunition included

Brandgranate incendiary shells, and several variants

of high explosive M-Geschoss. 30 mm M-Geschoss

shells could carry either a bright or dim tracer, and

later variants contained slightly less explosive filling

in a more streamlined shape for improved ballistics.

30 MM CANNON IN WAR THUNDER

The two 30 mm cannon are very different weapons

in War Thunder. The MK 108 is strictly for air-to-air

combat, ineffective against most ground targets;

choice of ammunition belt is largely down to taste,

the only difference between “Universal”, “Night” and

“Stealth” being bright, dim or no tracer. With low

muzzle velocity, the MK 108 works best at close range

or against large targets. The MK 103 is an excellent


dual-purpose gun; with the “Armored Targets” belt of

High Velocity Armour Piercing rounds it can destroy

light pillboxes, and even heavy tanks if attacking

the weak rear armour from close range. With the

“Air Targets” belt it can destroy heavy bombers with

a short burst, and the high muzzle velocity makes

long range engagements much more practical.

PANZERKNACKER AND PULKZERSTÖRER

As Soviet tank armour improved through the

war the Luftwaffe sought more powerful guns

in response for its Panzerknacker (tank buster)

aircraft. The 37 mm Bordkanone (onboard

cannon) BK 3,7 was developed from the 3.7 cm

Flak 18 anti-aircraft gun; with tungsten Hartkern

ammunition the BK 3,7 could penetrate almost

twice as much armour as the MK 103.

An anti-tank trials unit under the highly experienced

close-support pilot Otto Weiß evaluated several

aircraft fitted with the BK 3,7; the Ju 88 P and Bf 110 G

were deemed unsuitable for close-support work, but

the Ju 87 G, with a BK 3,7 gun pod under each wing,

was met with Weiß’s approval. Increasingly vulnerable

in its traditional dive-bombing role, the venerable

Stuka gained a new lease of life as a tank buster,

resurrecting the Kanonenvogel nickname first used in

the Spanish Civil War. A small number of Hs 129 B-2s

also received the BK 3,7 in an under-fuselage pod, but

a new weapon was developed for the B-3, the BK 7,5.


ARTICLE

One of the most powerful aircraft guns of World War

II, the 75 mm BK 7,5 was based on the 7.5 cm PaK

40 anti-tank gun and fired a massive six kilogram

armour-piercing projectile, capable of penetrating any

tank. Already considered underpowered, the additional

weight of the large cannon made the Hs 129 difficult

to fly and highly vulnerable to enemy fighters, but the

B-3 was effective against even heavy Soviet tanks.

Only a small number of Hs 129 B-3s were built before

production was brought to a halt in 1944 when Allied

bombing and the Normandy landings stopped the

supply of the French-built Gnome-Rhône engines.

When the USAAF started daylight bombing

raids in 1943, their massed formations of heavy

bombers, bristling with defensive machine guns,

posed a different threat to the RAF’s night attacks.

Weapons such as rockets and large calibre guns

offered the possibility of engaging bombers

from beyond the effective range of their .50

calibre machine guns, breaking up formations to

allow lone bombers to be more easily engaged.

Aircraft in this role were sometimes known

as Pulkzerstörer (formation destroyers).

Ju 88 Ps and Bf 110 Gs with BK 3,7 cannon were

tested, but the heavy gun pods had an adverse effect

on aircraft performance making interception quite

challenging. An even bigger cannon, the 50 mm BK

5, was developed for the Me 410. Based on the 5 cm

KwK 39 tank gun, with the addition of an automatic

loader, the BK 5 was an effective weapon against

bombers; somewhat ironically the BK 3,7, based on

an anti-aircraft gun, was mostly used against tanks,



whereas the BK 5, based on an anti-tank gun, was

mostly used against aircraft. The Me 410 was no

match for Allied single engine fighters, though, and

suffered badly once aircraft such as the P-51 Mustang

had sufficient range to reach Germany, forcing the

Luftwaffe to withdraw the Me 410 and other twin-

engine aircraft from daylight anti-bomber operations.

The Me 262 jet fighter was tested with a BK 5 cannon

mounted in the nose, with the idea of mounting the

similar 50 mm Mauser MK 214 cannon, but managed

no successful engagements before the end of the war.

In addition to the armour piercing and high

explosive rounds used by the original tank gun, a

50 mm M-Geschoss shell was developed for the

BK 5 containing 335 grams of high explosive.

BORDKANONE IN WAR THUNDER

The three Bordkanone can all equip High Velocity

Armour Piercing ammunition that can destroy light

pillboxes and all tanks; the BK 3,7 works best at

shorter range against weaker armour, the BK 7,5

doesn’t really care, as long as you land the shot on

target. All three guns also have some form of High

Explosive shell if you plan on attacking aircraft (or

end up on an Air Domination map and have no choice)

and can be effective, particularly against bombers,

but have a slow rate of fire so dogfighting should be

a last resort. Long range head-on attacks can work

well - if an opponent is foolish enough to fly directly

towards an aircraft with a large, high velocity centre-

mounted cannon they deserve everything they get! ■


ARTICLE


http://www.kickstarter.hanakogame.com

TANK DEFINITIONS

ACCURACY

Accuracy is how well a gun can hit a target. The

more accurate your gun, the farther you can

shoot and still hit your target. This is helpful for

shooting at weak spots and exposed crew.

AMMUNITION RACKING

Ammunition racking, commonly referred to

as ‘ammo rack’, is when a round damages the

ammunition inside a tank,detonating the ammunition

casings which results in their destruction.

ARMOUR ANGLING

Armour angling is when a tank is turned to

increase its effective armour and increase

the chances of a shell bouncing.

BOLT-ON ARMOUR

Bolt-on armour is armour that was either bolted on

after a tank was manufactured, or is a type of armour

that is meant to be taken off to improve mobility. Either

way, the armour has no spacing so all you have to

do to determine the effective armour thickness is to

add the two different armour thicknesses together.

T his is the first in a series of article that will contain many ways to improve your game in War Thunder Ground Forces including: identifying tanks and weak spots on many tanks. This article, however,

will discuss many common terms that will be used throughout this series of articles.

TANKS 201 - KNOWLEDGE ARTICLE


ARTICLE

DAMAGED MODULES

Broken modules happen when a module, e.g. the gun

barrel, gun aiming drive, track, etc., are hit by a round or

by shrapnel. When a module is damaged, it will decrease

the effectiveness of the module. In some cases it can

even destroy the tank, kill the crew or injure them.

EFFECTIVE ARMOUR THICKNESS

Effective armour thickness is how thick the armour

is in its current state. If the armour is angled in any

way, the effective armour thickness will be greater

than the actual armour thickness. However, the

effective armour thickness could also refer to the

effectiveness of spaced or bolt-on armour.

FLANKING

Flanking is when a tank goes around the front line to get

to an enemy’s side. This maneuver is usually performed

by light tanks and fast mediums. If performed correctly,

the enemy will have little to no protection on their flanks.

GUN DEPRESSION/GUN ELEVATION

Gun depression is how far down the gun will go, while

gun elevation is the opposite. This is often limited by

turret height, turret basket depth, gun breech length,

tank size, gun position and mantlet traverse range. War

Thunder gives gun depression and gun elevation values

in the vehicle descriptions under vertical guidance.


HULL DOWN

Hull down is when the tank’s turret is the only

thing to stick up over a rise in the terrain.

This allows for better hiding characteristics,

minimizing the parts of a tank that can be hit..

FIRE RATE

Fire rate is the number of rounds that can be fired

per minute (r/m). Fire rate is displayed for all SPAAs

and can be found under vehicle characteristics.

However, every other tank in game as of late March

would require the use of this formula: 60/R=F. R

being the reload rate and F being the fire rate. R

can be found in the vehicle characteristics.

SIDE SCRAPING

Side scraping is when you keep your frontal armour

behind cover, only exposing the side armour at an

extreme angle, i.e. ensuring that a round will bounce

off your hull and decreasing your silhouette. This


ARTICLE

was popularized by Tiger tank players in World of Tanks and is an very effective

technique. This will allow minimal damage to a tank while maximizing damage to the

enemy. Also, the ability to pull forward into cover is effective for tanks that have poor

reversing capabilities. However, you will not be completely hidden from the enemy.

SPACED ARMOUR

Spaced armour is armour with two or more plated spaced at a distance.

When sloped, spaced armour decreases the penetration power of solid

core rounds because they tend to tumble, disintegrate, deform, or deflect

after penetrating a plate. When the armour is not sloped, it increases the

protection from explosive projectiles because it detonates before penetrating

any inner plates. In game this translates to greater effective armour.

SUPERSTRUCTURE

The word superstructure refers to the structure built on top of something else.

In the context of tanks, however, it usually means the part of a tank or tank

destroyer that supports the gun and shields the crew from debris. This is not to

be confused with a turret that rotates as a whole along with the crew, gun, and any

ammunition stored in the turret. A superstructure does not rotate as a whole.

TRAVERSE

Traverse is how fast a tank or a turret turns. This is measured in degrees/second. To

figure out the how fast a tank will turn, go to the lowest gear the tank that a tank will

turn in. Then turn towards a tree or other landmark that will determine the 0°/360°

mark. Afterwards, record the time it takes to turn back to the mark that was chosen.

Finally, divide the time by 360 to get the degrees/second of the traverse speed. ■

By Bryce ‘Freighttrain448’ Hale


INTERVIEW WITH BOHICAICEQ: Where did the name BohicaIce come from?

A: I have always been known “Ice” for as long

as I can recall. The Bohica part was added to be

different. I wanted to have something based on

military lingo that was not necessarily mainstream.

Q: How long have you been doing

War Thunder videos?

A: Almost a year and a half now.

Q: What made you want to do fail

montages and side chat podcasts?

A: The “Fail Montages” started because I play with a

few “special” individuals. We would have these funny

and/or sometimes catastrophic events occurs that

may have never found their way onto the channel.

Consider it like a bloopers reel for a movie. The

Podcasts project started due to a realization that

you have some War Thunder Pilots who were very

knowledgeable about their aircraft and the history

For our interview this month, we talk to popular YouTube personality BohicaIce. He’s the man behind Bo Time

Gaming channel and makes videos of fail-worthy moments and in-depth analysis of vehicles in War Thunder.


ARTICLE

of the era - while others showed serious

gaps in their factual knowledge. I wanted to

help those who wanted to learn more about

the history of their aircraft and one of the

greatest conflicts this world has ever seen. I

attempt to tailor these factual/history based

Podcasts to relate the real world facts to the

digital battlefield we all love. My podcasts are

also used to talk about the gaming industry,

direction of War Thunder, and anything else

that may concern myself and listeners.

Q: How long does it take to do research on

the vehicle for the side chat podcast?

A: A typical podcast may take 4-10

hours of research and fact citing/

checking depending on what it is. Certain

nations/manufactures kept marvelous

paperwork... while others, not so much.

Q; What source material do you

use for your research?

A: Cobey from my channel has a massive

aircraft library in his home. I will usually end

up doing a finale question and answer with

him to find certain facts, dates, and events. I

rely a lot on books I can get access to but also

reaching out to certain museums/collectors

in the States has been really helpful. There

are a handful of really good websites out there

as well but they are not always correct.


Q: How long does it take for you

to do the Fail montages?

A: Since opening the Fail montages to

community submissions. It typically takes

about 2 weeks to collect what I need.

Q:What is the worst fail you have ever

seen in creating the montages?

A: A full squad of Corsairs that all died in different

tragic ways trying to take off a carrier deck.

Q: You mentioned that you enjoy building computers

yourself. What is your current PC setup?

A: Current PC Setup is a I7-4770K Haswell CPU,

with a recently installed Nvidia GTX 980. I use

a variety of Solid State Drives for games and

recording. I typically try to upgrade/replace my

PC every 2 years. The hardware side is one of

the many things I love about PC gaming.

Q: Is being popular among the War Thunder crowd

a hindrance when trying to play the game? (Like

being team-killed/singled out/too much attention?)

A: The War Thunder community has been

amazing to me. I will not change my username

to hide until absolutely necessary. I love having

the chance to say Hi and Thanks to any fans

I may happen to come across in game.

Q: Many players feel there is a bias towards the

allies in War Thunder. What do you believe?

A: I see their concerns. Especially after the battle

rating system was implemented, the U.S. and

Russia had some very generous battle ratings

on particular aircraft. I personally have never

thought the developers sit there and do it on

purpose. There is always going to be bias towards

some nations in this current match maker.

Balancing several hundred vehicles is a tough

task and needs to be addressed appropriately.


ARTICLE

Q: Do you believe certain vehicles are broken

(under-performing/over-performing)

A: I have surely seen some broken vehicles in my

time on War Thunder. Corrected and balanced

flight models was one of my biggest issues since I

started playing. We may not necessarily be close to

having consistent and correct flight models... but

we are worlds apart from what we used to have.

Q: If you could make one improvement

to War Thunder in its current state,

what would you choose to do?

A: If you asked me three weeks ago. It would have

been matchmaking. Now, the new daily rewards

system has really sucked the motivation for me

to play daily. Every night I would hop on for at

least a bit and try to capitalize on x2 bonuses.

Now I consistently login to see a 10% Silver Lions

booster and end up closing the game. I still enjoy

War Thunder but grinding out Tier 4 and 5 Planes/

Tanks gets tedious without the old bonus system.

Q: What is your favorite vehicle in War Thunder?

A: The Boomerang will always be

near and dear to my heart.

Q: Is there anything you think Gaijin could do better?

A: The biggest aspect I would love to see Gaijin do

better is communicate and be more friendly to its

player base. I have always received the feeling that

they would rather justify things, then really explain

the details behind the decision. There are always


these situations that continually pin the community

against the devs. (Most recently the purchasing

of World Flags) We are all here because we enjoy

and believe what they are creating. Although, it can

really feel like we are being shut out of the decisions

that determine the future of this game at times.

Q: What would you like to see added into

the game? (vehicle/gameplay wise)

A: Fleet Air Arm for the British and Tank Destroyers for

the U.S. It has been difficult to find games that include

airplanes such as the Sea Fury. What I love about War

Thunder is the huge amount of warbirds that it can

bring to life on your screen. I cannot wait for the Fleet

Air Arm addition to the British tree. One of my favorites

from World War II is the M18 Hellcat. That is one sexy

tank destroyer that I cannot wait to get my hands on.

Hopefully both of these come sooner rather than later.

Q: Is there anything you would

like to say to our readers?

A: First off thank you for taking a moment and

reading this. My greatest piece of advice for War

Thunder players; have fun. If a certain tank or

plane isn’t working out due to various reasons,

use something you love. I have to remind

myself to do this from time to time and take

a break from the vehicle/module grind. ■

By Christian ‘Yuriegh’ Madsen


ARTICLE


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

HISTORICAL FICTION - LIFE AS A POW

Each morning we would parade and have our

numbers counted. Lined up in ranks of three we

would be as awkward as we could, not keeping in

clear lines, making it as difficult for the Germans as

possible; sometimes people might even slip from

one rank to another. It would always take the guards

several counts before being satisfied that we were

all present. More often than not they would count too

many. They never seemed to twig what was going on.

Sometimes we would be called outside for parades

so the Germans could undergo random searches

in our huts. If they found any small stocks of food it

would be confiscated. They claimed that we were

saving up for an escape attempt as an excuse. On

one occasion when I had a small stock of food, a

random search was ordered. Whilst on parade

outside I saw one of the windows to our room was

open, I took my chance, jumped in, and retrieved

This 2-part fictional story is about life as a British POW in Germany. Based off historical research

and information, Part 1 puts the reader in his shoes to experience the everyday life under the

watchful eyes of his German captors. To find out his eventual fate, stay tuned for Part 2!


FICTION

my food. While inside I could hear the ‘ferrets’

in the next room, so I was out just in time.

As Christmas approached we tried to save a little

extra food for the occasion. One group made some

‘hooch’ wine from prunes and sugar. I made a cake

by crumbling up some black bread and adding

chopped prunes and diced carrots boiled up in sugar

to serve as fruit, some butter and even vitamin

tablets because the pack claimed they contained

some yeast. After cooking the top was decorated with

powdered milk and pieces of sweetened carrot.

On 27 December the camp sirens sounded, warning

us of an air raid. The nearby village also had a

siren that sounded very similar. It was difficult

to tell which was which when we were confined

in our huts and a warning sounded. A few of the

men were suffering with dysentery. One of these

men thought that the ‘all clear’ had been sounded

and dashed out to the latrine. He was shot. He

staggered back to the hut but fell dead in the

doorway from stomach wounds. The excuse the

Germans gave was that only the village siren had

sounded the ‘all clear’ and not the camp siren.

To retaliate we refused to salute the German

officers. This was a punishable offence. We also

tried to ignore the other Luftwaffe personnel. The

Germans, feeling some guilt at what they had

done, did not counter retaliate. After several days

the situation gradually returned to normal.


In January 1945 the weather turned bitterly cold. A

group of P.O.Ws from another hut made a request

to build an ice rink. This request was granted and

they were provided with shovels to do the work.

In one of the huts a crack appeared across the

concrete plinth supporting the stove. This plinth

was supported from below the hut by a hollow brick

base, making it possible to dig down through the

hut. Disposal of the earth was easy; it was put into

the earth walls of the ice rink. Props, wall cladding

and lighting were stolen from an unused ablution.

It was possible to hide up to sixteen men in this

chamber. In the event of the Russians advancing

and the camp being evacuated, they could hide

until the Russians arrived. The time had almost

arrived for this chamber to be used, when a guard

looking around happened to stand on the plinth,

the plinth collapsed and he fell through into the

chamber. The excavation was so large the Germans

had to call on the fire brigade to deal with it.

Two or three days later, on the 18th January,

late at night, we were roused and hurriedly

marched off, away from the Russian advance.

After walking several miles we were housed in a

school hall to get a little sleep. We had only settled

down for a short while when we were roused again


FICTION

for another spell of walking. After walking most of

the day we camped in a barn and were told we would

be there for 48 hours. This did not happen. The next

night we were marching again through a blizzard.

The temperature being -20C. We were warned that

anyone trying to escape would result in three others

being shot. That night we crossed the River Oder.

It was said that the ice was thick enough to carry a

tank. Our next stop was a brick factory. We had the

same promise of a stay for 48 hours but the Germans

suddenly became alarmed and got us on the move

again. I was with John Lovatt and found that we were

the last two in the building except for one guard who

was rushing around looking for stragglers. I suggested

to John that we hide. He said he did not think it was

worth chancing it in view of the warnings given, and

that the war was nearly over. I was carrying what food

we had between us so we departed with the rest.

We later heard, via our secret radio that twelve

had escaped that night. There were no reprisals.

The amount of food we had soon ran out. We now

had to rely on what food the Germans gave us, which

was practically nothing for the next two weeks.

There was one P.O.W, a man named Thompson, who

one day was walking up and down the column urging

us on. I wondered where he was getting his energy.

I was later informed that he was a collaborator and

that he had been an assistant to William Joyce helping

him in earlier days with his broadcasts from Berlin.

Thompson was tried for treason with Joyce when

the war ended. While Joyce was sentenced to

death Thompson got a few years hard labour.

Seventeen days after leaving Bankow we arrived

at Goldberg having walked for 256 kilometres.

It was Sunday, the 4th of February. We held a

service on that day. I experienced an extraordinary

silence during prayers. Our Padre prayed for an

easement in the weather as it was still very cold

and the ground was still covered with snow.


Later that day we had a meeting with our padre

and Medical Officer. It was agreed that from now

on we would only respond to our own officers

and the Germans must give all instructions

via them. The Luftwaffe were also told that

we refused to walk any further because of the

loss of eighty-eight men en-route unable to

walk, and matters could only get worse.

The next morning the sun was shining, the snow

had all but disappeared and it was remarkably

warmer. I heard several men say they thought it was

a miracle. The Germans informed us that the rest of

the journey would be by train. We were shepherded

to the station where we boarded enclosed cattle

trucks; similar to those used for transporting Jews.

On average there were fifty-three of us to a truck.

When the doors closed we were in semi-darkness.

There was not enough room for us all to sit on the

floor, several of us had to stand in turn. Someone

produced an empty dried milk tin, which served

as a chamber pot. There was a small crack in the

floor where the liquid could be poured away. No

one required to get rid of bulk waste because we

had not eaten anything substantial for days.

On the second day in these cramped conditions

the train stopped. We hammered on the doors

and complained of people being ill. Eventually

we were let out to stretch our legs.

For a meal we were given half a cup of raw

uncooked porridge oats. I found this difficult to

swallow, the oats sticking to my mouth. After

being given a drink of water we were again locked

in the trucks for another day’s journey. ■

By Ted ‘Extreme_360’ Theisinger


FICTION

THIS MONTH IN WWII:APRIL 1940

On April 3, 1940, Winston Churchill, First Lord of

the Admiralty, replaced Lord Ernle Chatfield as the

chairman of the Military Coordinating Committee.

This position granted him oversight on matters

concerning the British army and air forces, in

addition to his authority over the Royal Navy.

On the same day, a number of covert supply

vessels departed Germany for Norway in advance

to prepare for the primary invasion force. Two

days later, an Allied force of twelve destroyers

under the command of Admiral William Witworth

of the HMS Renown set out from the naval base

at Scapa Flow to begin Operation Wilfred.

On April 8, Operation Wilfred, the codename given

to the mining of the Vestfjorden, took place. The

operation was only partly successful, as it was

interrupted by the oncoming German invasion

force. The British destroyer HMS Glowworm was

confronted by the German heavy cruiser Admiral

Hipper; the former managed to ram the Admiral

Hipper, but was badly damaged and sank afterwards.


ARTICLE

The heavy cruiser survived. The following day, April 9,

German forces made landfall in several Norwegian

port cities and eventually take control of Oslo.

On the same day French military intelligence

received just over four hundred pounds of “heavy

water” from the Vemork hydroelectric plant

outside of Rjukan, Norway. The plant agreed to

“loan” the water to France, which was transported

from the Vemork facility to Oslo before making

its way to Scotland and eventually France.

On April 10, the German occupation forces

created a new government to control Norway.

They placed pro-Nazi politician Vidkun

Quisling in charge of the new government.

On April 12, in an effort to maintain control of the

north Atlantic and counter the German invasion

of Norway and Denmark, a British force under the

command of Colonel T.B.W. Sandall and the HMS

Suffolk began the occupation of the Faroe Islands.

On April 14, French and British forces landed on

Norway. A battle ensues for control of the city of

Trondheim. By April 27, the Allied commanders

made the decision to pull their forces out. The

city remained under the control of Germany

throughout the war, and became a major naval base

housing the Kriegsmarine’s submarine pens.

In April 1940 there were major advances in the

breaking of the Enigma code at Bletchley Park. The

general Luftwaffe “Red” key had been broken a short

time earlier, but thanks to naval code documents found

aboard the captured German vessel Polares, several

other German codes were deciphered. These advances

eventually led to the Allies ability to break new German

codes almost as quickly as they were implemented. ■

By David “HJFarnsworth” King


WORLD WAR 2 FACTS #4 JAPAN - Prior to widespread use of radar, acoustic

locators were used to detect aircraft. The impressive

“Type 90 Large Aerial Acoustic Detector” mobile

units have become known as “Japanese war tubas”.

BRAZIL - After Brazil declared war on the Axis,

many were sceptical that a Brazilian Expeditionary

Force would actually be deployed in combat, leading

to the saying, “It’s more likely for a snake to smoke

a pipe, than for the BEF go to the front and fight.”

When the BEF deployed to Italy in 1944, they wore a

shoulder patch showing a snake smoking a pipe.

FINLAND - Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä gained

the nickname “White Death” during the Winter

War between Finland and the Soviet Union,

killing over 500 men in less than 100 days.


FACTS

USA - Behaviourist B.F. Skinner developed a

missile guidance system in which trained pigeons

would peck at a screen showing the target.

The project was cancelled in October 1944.

FRANCE - Development of the first French jet aircraft,

the Sud-Ouest Triton, started as a secret project in

occupied Paris during World War II. The team was led

by Lucien Servanty, who would later become one of the

key figures behind the Concorde supersonic airliner.

UK - The last prisoner held at the Tower of London

was Rudolph Hess, Deputy Führer of Nazi Germany,

who was held in the Queen’s House in May 1941.



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Issue 48 • October 2013 74 • GameOn Magazine

Brothers: The Thoughts of Two Gamers

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