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[REGISTER] [ACE OF THE MONTH] Remy van Lierde... 2 Author: Mark Barber, War Thunder Historical Consultant [VEHICLE PROFILE] ZiS-30... 7 Author: Jan "RayPall" Kozák [NATIONAL FORCES] The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service... 11 Author: Mark Barber, War Thunder Historical Consultant [VEHICLE PROFILE] Soviet Hurricane Mk. IIB... 16 Author: Henry Rothwell [VEHICLE PROFILE] Bf 109 E-1... 21 Author: Scott Smin1080p Maynard [NATIONAL FORCES] German Sturmgeschütz Units... 24 Author: Sean "Gingahninja" Connell [VEHICLE PROFILE] US Medium Tanks... 27 Author: The War Thunder Team [VEHICLE PROFILE] Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)... 30 Author: Jan RayPall Kozák 2009 2015 by Gaijin Entertainment. Gaijin and War Thunder are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Gaijin Entertainment or its licensors, all other logos are trademarks of their respective owners. 1
"Typhoon Mark IB (Premium) of No. 609 Squadron RAF, RAF Manston, 1943" skin by coolhand83 download here [ACE OF THE MONTH] Remy van Lierde 1 October - Author: Mark Barber, War Thunder Historical Consultant Little is known about the early life of Remy Van Lierde. He was born in Overboelare in hilly East Flanders, Belgium, in August 1915 and, clearly enthused by flying as a youth he volunteered for service in Aviation Militaire Belge at this time Belgian military aviation was still a part of the army - shortly after his twentieth birthday, enlisting in September 1935. The results of his aptitude tests led him initially along the route as a noncommissioned observer, but after his initial training and branch training he 2 served only briefly before being selected for pilot training which he then commenced in May 1937. Military aviation in Belgian was progressing during the interwar period pilot training in particular was respected internationally and at the time of Van Lierde s training, Belgium also trained Iran s military pilots. Van Lierde qualified in April 1938 and was sent to the 1st Aviation Regiment which was responsible for reconnaissance and artillery observation. Posted to the regiment s 3rd Squadron, Serge-
ant Van Lierde flew Fairey Foxes; a British designed two-seat biplanes bomber of mid-1920s vintage which Belgium had imported and also license built on home soil. Remy van Lierde in Royal Air Force uniform When German forces invaded Poland in September 1939 and, shortly afterwards, other nations were embroiled in hostilities, Belgium was initially able to remain neutral. World War I had ravaged the nation directly, having been fought through Belgium s towns and fields and there was no appetite or financial ability to wage another war. However, the Belgian government was still wise to the events unfolding around the country and military mobilization began. On May 10th the inevitable occurred when Germany invaded Belgium, and Van Lierde s squadron was at war. The 3rd Squadron was based at Goetsenhoven, a grass airfield in the centre of Belgium, along with another two squadrons of Fairey Fox biplanes. Van Lierde flew several reconnaissance missions against advancing enemy forces during the campaign but on May 16th he was shot down by ground fire and wounded. Van Lierde was hospitalized and played no further part in the campaign he was still recovering from his injuries when Belgium surrendered on May 28th. However, Van Lierde s war was only just beginning and as soon as he was fit to travel in September, he began a journey which would span much of the continent and nearly a year to bring him back to the controls of a combat aircraft. Van Lierde travelled southwest and crossed the border into occupied France before heading south through Vichy France before another attempt to cross a border to reach neutral Spain. He was apprehended and charged with illegal immigration and spent several months in various Spanish prisons before escaping managing to make his way onboard a boat bound for Britain. ON arriving in England in July 1941 nine months after he left Belgium he was then subjected to the standard detention and interrogation procedure which foreign nationals were subjected to in wartime Britain. This mainly involved administration and waiting for clearances, so it was another six weeks before Van Lierde was finally able to join the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 3
Given that he was already an experienced pilot, Van Lierde s transition to flying in Britain consisted only of a brief three month conversion course to Spitfires at RAF Hawarden in Wales before being posted to No.609 Squadron in January 1942. 609 Squadron had been formed before the war and was heavily involved in the Battle of Britain; however, it was increasingly being populated by foreign pilots who had fled their own nations to join the RAF and the newly commissioned Pilot Officer Van Lierde was one of a number of Belgian pilots who now bolstered their ranks. With the Luftwaffe becoming a rarer sight in the skies over England, the Belgians of No.609 Squadron did not have nearly as many opportunities to engage the enemy as those who had joined the RAF two years before. In June 1942, shortly after the squadron converted to the newer Spitfire Mk.V, Van Lierde damaged a Dornier 217. Later in the year Van Lierde converted to the Hawker Typhoon 609 briefly operated the Mk.1a before taking on the cannon armed Mk.1b and he was also promoted to Flying Officer. The squadron now came under the command of Squadron Leader Roland Beamont, regarded by many as one of the most skilled and successful proponents of the Typhoon throughout the entire war. The squadron moved to Biggin Hill in September and then to Manston in December in an attempt to position the Typhoons for quicker interceptions against the increasing number of German low level fighter bomber attacks against southern England. Van Lierde was also regularly involved in the squadron s new practice of night intruder missions flying strike sorties over occupied Europe against targets of opportunity. On January 20th 1943, No.609 Squadron was scrambled to engage a fighter bomber attack against London by JG26 and JG2. In the ensuing dogfight, the Typhoons claimed four Bf109Gs from 6./JG 26 for no loss these claims included first kills for leading Typhoon ace Flying Officer Johnny Baldwin, and Remy Van Lierde. In March, whilst the squadron was en 4
route to shoot up the Luftwaffe airfield at Chievres in western Belgium, Van Lierde shot down a Junker 52 transport aircraft which in a strange twist of fate was witnessed on the ground by his wife who showed him pieces of wreckage of the aircraft after the war. A Heinkel 111 in May, a Bf109 in July, a Junkers 88 in October and a Bf110 in November completed Van Lierde s list of confirmed victories, making him Belgium s seventh ranking air ace of the Second World War in terms of manned enemy aircraft although greater things were yet to come. By the end of the year Van Lierde had been promoted to Flight Lieutenant and became a gunnery instructor at RAF Sutton Bridge. He accepted promotion to Acting Squadron Leader for a second line tour at RAF Manston in February 1944 but, after growing tired of time away from the front line, he then accepted demotion back to Flight Lieutenant in order to be posted to No.3 Squadron, equipped with Hawker Tempests. In August he was again promoted to Squadron Leader and took command of No.164 Squadron. His time on Tempests saw more offensive strikes over occupied Europe in support of the prelude to D-Day, but more importantly Van Lierde led his squadron in the highly dangerous practice of shooting down V1 unmanned aerial bombs. He personally accounted for a staggering 44 V1s destroyed, with a further 9 shared, making him the second ranking V1 killer of the entire war. Van Lierde finished the war as Belgian Liaison Officer at the 2nd Tactical Air Force HQ. He remained with the RAF until 1946, when he was commissioned into the Belgian Air Force as a Major and given command of the Belgian 1st Fighter Wing. Van Lierde remained with the Belgian Air Force until 1968 when he retired as a full Colonel. He passed away in June 1990 at the age of 74. For most, this career would be impressive enough but in 1959 Van Lierde still had one aviation claim to fame left in him. Whilst flying a heli- 5
copter over the Belgian Congo, Van Lierde claims to have seen a giant snake which was nearly 50 feet long. For those interested, the photos are on the internet and apparently they have been verified as authentic by numerous experts With an upcoming Update, we will include the following decal to War Thunder: Emblem of No 350 (Belgian) Squadron RAF by Jej 'CharlieFoxtrot' Ortiz 6
'18th separate tank Brigade, vehicle no.3' Western Front October 1941, USSR. Camouflage created by wtando download here [VEHICLE PROFILE] ZiS-30 5 October - Author: Jan "RayPall" Kozák In War Thunder, the ZiS-30 is Soviet rank II tank destroyer with a BR of 2.3. It has a top speed of 39 km/h (24.2 mph), which it can reach in 20 seconds on flat surface. The amount of time needed for a full 360 hull traverse is 10 seconds, giving the vehicle a traverse rate of 36 per second. Regarding armour protection, the frontal armour is 10mm (0.39 ) thick, with the lower glacis being sloped under 49, the upper glacis having a slope of 26 and the joint between the upper and lower glacis being sloped under 68. The frontal machine gun mount is protected by a 10mm (0.39 ) armour plate. The side armour is 7mm (0.28 ) thick with a maximum slope of 18, while the rear armour is not sloped, having a thickness of 7mm as well. The gun shield is 5mm (0.2 ) thick. 7
As for firepower, the ZiS-30 is armed with the 57mm (2.24 ) ZiS-2 anti-tank gun with a reload time of 6.5 seconds when coupled with a fully trained loader, giving the vehicle a rate of fire of 9.2 rounds per minute. Additionally, the vehicle features a frontmounted 7.62 mm (0.3 ) DT machine gun. The main gun can use three types of ammunition; BR-271 APHEBC, BR-271K APHE, and OF-271 HE. The ZiS-30 is the first Soviet tank destroyer on the Soviet tech tree, and aside from the rather unusual looks, it possess three main major advantages small dimensions, great speed and maneuverability, and a fantastic gun for its tier. With its good top speed and acceleration, it can move very quickly across the map. It is also comparatively a very small vehicle, so it can be a very hard target to hit especially at long range. Its gun has virtually no problems when penetrating anything on the given BR spread (eg. 2.3-3.3) and features a fast rate of fire and flat trajectory, making the vehicle a suitable long range sniper. As the gun is mounted onto the roof, the vehicle has a reasonably tall profile. This is both an advantage and disadvantage it compromises your cover which allows you to be spotted easier, but at the same time, you can shoot over lower obstacles while exposing only the gun shield. 8
During the first weeks of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, the Soviet armoured forces suffered crushing losses at the hands of the well organised German army. As the number of Soviet armoured vehicles rapidly decreased, Soviet representatives searched for ways to compensate for the losses. As a result, an order for the quick development of improvised self-propelled anti tank guns was issued in July 1941 as a means to providing the Red Army a cheap and easy to produce anti tank weapons. The schedule was extremely tight, allowing only two weeks for development. In response to this, the design bureau in No.92 Factory, led by P. F. Muravyev, developed a light anti-tank destroyer using the chassis of the Komsomolets tracked artillery tractor, propelled by a 4-cylinder GAZ-M automobile engine which produced 50 horsepower and top speeds of up to 47.5 km/h (29.5 mph). The process of refitting the vehicle was simple: the chassis and the hull remained unchanged, while the armament, the 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun, was simply mounted atop the vehicle. The crew consisted of four men commander/gunner, loader, driver and machine gunner manning the hull mounted machine gun. The situation was so dire, that mass production was launched on the 21st September 1941 and by the 15th of October, 100 vehicles, designated as the ZiS-30, were produced mere three months after the order to develop the vehicle was given. The vehicle featured a gun that was capable of destroying any German tank of the period at combat range. This was a very welcomed trait. However, there were significant disadvantages of its makeshift design. The weight of the gun reduced the mobility of the vehicle and the size of the vehicle allowed only a very small ammunition supply to be carried. Protection of the crew was nonexistent, as the vehicle had only a very thin amount of armour and the gun crew was protected only frontally by the gun shield. The vehicle was unstable due to its high profile, had a 9
low operational range and the communication between the driver and the gun crew was very problematic. Only 101 ZiS-30 s were manufactured due to problems with availability of both the gun and the chassis, both being urgently needed elsewhere. The ZiS-30 served until summer 1942, being replaced by specialised vehicles. With an upcoming Update, we will add the following decal to War Thunder: 'Crush the Tigers' text by Branislav "InkaL" Mirkov 10
Camouflage with insignia of 244th Sentai, HQ Chutai, Tokyo, Japan 1944. Camouflage by S.F. Radzikowski "Gudkarma". Camouflage is available in game thanks to War Thunder Revenue Share Program and you can buy it for 200 GE [NATIONAL FORCES] The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service 6 October - Author: Mark Barber, War Thunder Historical Consultant Japanese military aviation, as with so many other nations, had its humble origins in the use of balloons for battlefield reconnaissance. Observation balloons were used with some success during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, sowing the seeds of a proud aviation heritage within the Japanese military. However, the early decades of this heritage would be severely threatened and, at times, 11 nearly torn apart by a vicious rivalry which came from within: the Japanese Army and Japanese Navy s working relationship in matters of aviation was nothing short of catastrophic. In 1909, a Japanese naval engineer succeeded in sending the nation s first home designed and built aircraft into the skies. A year later, the Japanese Army countered this by importing a
French Farman biplane. However, the First World War saw the Japanese Navy increase its lead over the army most notably in 1914 when Japanese naval pilots became the world s first aviators to carry out strike missions from a carrier: the seaplane carrier HIJMS Wakamiya Maru, in support of the Allied Forces. However, the considerable leaps and bounds made during the First World War did inject enthusiasm into the Japanese Army command, and larger numbers of aircraft were imported from wartime allies Britain and France, following the end of hostilities, along with military aid and advice. Some combat experience was gleaned during the Siberian Intervention of 1918-22 during support of White Russian forces whilst back home, Japanese aviation industry expanded through building European combat aircraft under license and then developing its own designs. The intense rivalry with the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service continued throughout the 1930s, particularly when both combat arms were deployed in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Whilst Europe saw the potential of modern air power in the skies over Spain, air battles were also being fought over China. In 1937 the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service carried out the first transoceanic air raid in history when targets in China were attacked by bombers based in Japan and Taiwan. In 1938 the Japanese Army introduced its first monoplane fighter, the Nakajima Ki-27 into service in China. 12 The rift between the two sister services only widened with the approach of Japanese involvement in the Second World War, with the Japanese Naval Air Service again surging ahead to claim the limelight with the success of its new flagship fighter, the A6M Zero. The accomplishment at Pearl Harbor in December 1941 again confirmed the Navy as Japan s premium air power provider. This was even echoed with the service s reputation amongst its opponents: allied pilots referred to the Nakajima Ki-43 the Japanese Army s most widely used fighter of World War II as the Army Zero. Despite this inference to the Ki-
43 being a poor man s A6M, its agility made it highly successful in early encounters with Western Allies. The Japanese Army also continued to develop its line of light, single engine dive bombers and heavier twin engine bombers during the Chinese and Pacific Wars, but with less success than their fighter arm. The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service saw extensive action in China, New Guinea, the Solomons, Malaya, Sumatra and the defense of Japan as well as many other theatres. Army air and ground crews served in nearly every campaign which are known by many for being the province of naval aviation, with great bravery and distinction. Despite fighting a losing battle against an increasingly formidable foe, the rivalry with the Japanese Navy never eased: army aircraft on New Guinea would have to fly 1500 miles to army servicing facilities at Manila for any major work to be carried out, despite naval repair facilities at Rabaul being only some 40 miles away. The fortunes of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service echoed the decline of the nation s military might: as manpower dwindled, more corners were cut in training pipelines and aircrew arrived at front line squadrons with less and less expertise. 13
By 1945, what was left of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service was predominantly employed in intercepting allied bombers bound for the Japanese mainland or carrying out desperate kamikaze strikes against allied shipping. Following the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service was disbanded. Today, Japan s military aviation heritage is carried forward by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force which was formed in 1954. An ultra modern force, the defense of Japan is planned to be spearheaded by the American Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The force s reputation for skill and professionalism is also known worldwide through their spectacular aerobatic team, Blue Impulse. With an upcoming Update, we will add the following decals to War Thunder, made by by Jej 'CharlieFoxtrot' Ortiz & Colin 'Fenris' Muir: IJAAF 39th Sentai 2nd Chutai Tail Marking 14
IJAAF 62nd Sentai 3rd Chutai Tail Marking "Red Eagle" emblem of the 64th Sentai of the IJAAF IJAAF 47th Sentai 1st Chutai Tail Marking 15
Soviet version of a Hurricane Mk.IIB for 1000 GE available in the game right now! [VEHICLE PROFILE] Soviet Hurricane Mk. IIB 8 October - Author: Henry Rothwell There are two Hawker Hurricane MkIIBs in the game - the Tier II British fighter which comes in with a battle rating of 2.0, and its Soviet counterpart, which comes in with a battle rating of 3.0. We take a look at both aircraft, and also explore the history behind the Soviet Hurricane IIB squadrons. For most players of the British Tech Tree, the Hurricane Mk I/L is the first proper fighter aircraft they have access too - it s the first monoplane, it s the first aircraft to carry a large number of guns, and from there it s 16 only a short hop to the Mk.IIB. In the game, as in real life, the IIB is fitted with the universal wing, allowing it to carry ordnance in addition to its 12 machine guns - these consist of two 250lb or 113 kilo bombs, and 6HRC Mk.8 rockets, and turn it into a capable fighter attacker. Once you ve got rid of the ordnance however, or indeed decide not to carry it in the first place, the IIB is still a splendid flyer and can give many aircraft at this tier a run for their money, although it does start running into more heavily armed and armoured aircraft.
The Soviet Hurricane we have in the game is, suitably enough, the Mk.II B. This is a tier II premium aircraft with a battle rating of 3.0. It has a reward bonus of 70% + 70% and a research points bonus of +148%. It has a maximum speed of 329mph or 529kph, and a turn time of 17.5 seconds. It s armed with a pair of 20mm ShVAK cannon with 250 rounds of ammunition and a reload time of 40 seconds, and two 12.7mm Berezin UB machine guns with 250 rounds of ammunition, and a reload time of 20 seconds. The modified gun configuration has the dual advantages of providing superior hitting power concentrated in fewer weapons, and the loss of weight allows a return to the increased maneuverability of the Mk. I/L. But this comes with a price - 1000 GE to be exact - in real terms this is currently L4.25 in sterling, 5.99 in Euros or $6.65 in American money. Only you can decide whether you want to spend that money, but speaking as an avid Hurricane fan, I can say with confidence that you won t be disappointed if you do. 17 In 1941 with the advent of operation Barbarossa, Hitler s forces looked bound for victory in Russia until nature intervened with an early cold spell that was so successful at stopping the Germans in their tracks that the weather event was nicknamed General Winter. To take advantage of this reversal of fortune and to cement an agreement between Britain and Russia, the two countries invaded and occupied Iran to secure an overland supply line to Russia through which an estimated 5 million tons of military support would be sent. Due to the need to bolster the Iranian infrastructure this line took a while to set up, and in the meantime a marine supply route was in operation. This route, which was challenging enough without German interference, took the convoys through the Arctic Ocean, past Norway, and ended either at Murmansk, which was largely ice free, or 400 miles further on to Archangel which had better dock facilities, but regularly became icebound in the deep winter months.
The Arctic convoys, which made 40 runs in all, were responsible for delivering vast amounts of equipment to help the Russian war effort get back on its feet, and some of the most valuable cargo comprised of aircraft to replace their losses. The first convoy left in 1941 towards the end of August and carried, amongst other things, the newly formed 151 wing, which included number 134 squadron and number 81 squadron, both of which were comprised largely of Hurricane IIBs with a handful of IIAs. The role of the British, Australian and New Zealand pilots and ground crew was to provide Murmansk with air support against enemy attack, while training their Soviet counterparts how to handle the aircraft and keep support services running. This was done at Vaenga airfield, a little over 15 miles away from the city port, and provided an almost custom built environment to test the strength of the Hurricanes with a mixture of foul weather, not much in the way of daylight (being 170 miles north of the Arctic circle) and a rolled sand landing strip. By the following month their combat skills were tested too, when 18 81st squadron intercepted an Hs 126 escorted by a 5 of BF109s. They were carrying only six 7.62 machine guns apiece, the others having been removed to reduce weight in transit, however they still managed to damage the Henschel 126 and shoot down three of the 109s. Flight sergeant Haw, who took part in this and other battles around Murmansk received the Order of Lenin for his efforts. The engagement is recorded in his own words: Whilst leading a patrol of Hurricanes over the enemy lines I intercepted five Bf 109s escorting a Hs 126. My height was 3,500 ft. The enemy aircraft were approaching from ahead and slightly to the left, and as I turned towards them, they turned slowly to the right. I attacked the leader and as he turned I gave him a ten second burst from the full beam position. The enemy aircraft rolled on to its back and as it went down it burst into flames. I did not see it crash owing to taking evasive action but Red 2 [Pilot Officer Walker] confirms that it crossed him in a 70- degree dive at 500 ft, smoke and flames still pouring from it. *
After completing a number of missions, and leaving some signals personnel to carry on the work they started, the pilots and ground crew of 151 wing returned to Britain via the North Atlantic convoy, reaching home, or the nearest thing they had to it at the time, by early December 1941, leaving their aircraft in the capable hands of the 72nd Regiment of the Red Naval Air Fleet. Over the next three years Britain sent Russia nearly 3,000 Hurricanes of various marks, though not all of them completed the journey due to continuing German activity against the North Atlantic convoys. The majority of these were IIBs, with IICs coming in second, and the remainder comprising of IIAs. The significance of this supply was underplayed by Stalin as it didn t fit the strong independent narrative he was keen to promote. This was however at odds with the severity of complaints received by the British authorities if the supply was ever delayed for some reason. The Hurricane s reputation for dependability spread rapidly throughout the Soviet Union, and they performed very well in an escort role for Ilyushin 19 bombers under Major Gorshkov, with the Soviet War News reporting that thanks to the Hurricane, they had lost only 1 bomber to enemy fighters over a period of 3 months. Soviet Bomber crews were said to have so much faith in their escorts that they were able to concentrate fully on their targets without having to look out for enemy aircraft. Major Panov s unit, comprising of 20 Hurricanes, claimed to have brought down 31 German bombers and 52 fighters in return for the loss of 4 pilots and 10 aircraft. While this estimate is probably on the high side, there is reason to believe that even with a lesser number of outright victories, the performance of Panov s unit was still impressive. The Hurricane is often described as an aging design by this part of the war, but it s fairer to say it was more tried and tested. It s worth keeping in mind that it was responsible for 60% of enemy kills during the Battle of Britain, holding the field admirably until greater numbers of Spitfires could be produced. In many respects with the
Hurricane, it s unlikely that the Battle of Britain would have been won, and without that, the path to invasion would have been clear, and Europe would have fallen. *Stewart, Adrian (2006-06-19). They Flew Hurricanes (Kindle Locations 1312-1316). Pen & Sword. Kindle Edition. With an upcoming Update, we will add the Soviet "White Wolf" Hurricane emblem & "Fighting Cock" emblem of No. 43 Squadron, RAF - made by Jej 'CharlieFoxtrot' Ortiz and Colin 'Fenris' Muir: 20
Bf 109E-1 'Red 1' flown by Hptm. Hannes Trautloft of 2./Jg 77. Based at Juliusburg, September 1939. Camouflage created by HotWaffle download here [VEHICLE PROFILE] Bf 109 E-1 14 October - Author: Scott Smin1080p Maynard In War Thunder, the Bf 109 E-1 is the first Daimler-Benz powered variant pilots can research and fly for the German branch of aviation. Similar in many respects to its logical evolution in game, the Bf 109 E-3, differing mainly in armament. 21 The main features of this aircraft are its good acceleration and climb rate over many of its counterparts in game. The E-1 boasts a great power-toweight ratio and is a very maneuverable fighter. Whilst many of its opponents can out-turn the Emil in combat situations, it still has a very respectable range of maneuvers it can achieve. For Armament, the Bf 109 E- 1 has 4 x 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns with a total ammunition capacity of 3000 rounds. 2 mounted within the wings and a further 2 mounted within the engine cowling. Alternatively, the E-1 can be equipped for the Fighter- Bomber role and mount 4 x 50kg bombs with the ETC 50/VIIId modification or a single 250 kg bomb with the ETC 500/IXb modification.
Whilst it may not be one of the hardest hitting aircraft for its tier, its ammunition supply makes the Bf 109 E-1 a very forgiving aircraft for Rookie pilots. Its excellent performance makes it an effective energy fighting Boom and Zoom aircraft that is still capable of pulling efficient aerial maneuvers in combat. The Bf 109 E-1 is a solid example of how the Bf 109 family perform and demonstrates many of the key features they boast in terms of flight performance. Whilst its armament is somewhat lacking, the Bf 109 E-1 is a great fighter in its own right and leads on to the improved Bf 109 E-3 featuring more powerful 20mm MG FF cannons. The E-1 was the first of a new breed of Bf 109 fighters. Debuting into production in late 1938, the Emil quickly replaced its earlier brethren in service with the Luftwaffe. The distinctive chin radiator of the Jumo powered variants was replaced with two much subtler underwing mounted versions integrated with flaps and the cowling was redesigned to carry the Daimler-Benz 601 series of engines. The result was a much more aerodynamically efficient aircraft that was more than a match for the new Supermarine Spitfire that was entering service with the RAF around the same time the first Emil s were rolling off the production lines. The Bf 109 E-1 was also sent into action with the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil war during its twilight stages. 22
Entering service in 1939, the E-1 would see combat in the early phases of the WW2, quickly obtaining aerial supremacy over the skies of Europe. The Bf 109 E was able to outclass many of the standard fighters of the day and was a key component to the German Blitzkrieg tactics that dominated the early years of WW2. A small run of E-1B Jagdbomber versions were also created, capable of mounting up to 250 kg of bombs on a centerline pylon. The Bf 109 Emil would finally meet its match in the RAF s Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters that intercepted German formations during the Battle of Britain (where its limited fuel supply impacted combat effectiveness). By the beginning of the Battle, the Bf 109 E-1 was already being replaced or upgraded to the E-3 MG FF cannon armed variant and improved E-4, however some E-1 s would still see combat before the end of the year. After the Battle of Britain's conclusion the Emil series would ultimately lead into another major variant, the F or Friedrich that would form the basis of all Bf 109s to follow. 23
[NATIONAL FORCES] German Sturmgeschütz Units 19 October - Author: Sean "Gingahninja" Connell In 1936 German General Erich von Manstein had devised the idea of the Sturmartillerie otherwise known as Assault Artillery or the Assault Gun. The idea originated in 1935 when Manstein identified the need for direct-fire support for the infantry. The first assault gun designed was the StuG III Ausf A which was a casemate style tank on a Panzer III B chassis. It would go on to become one of the most produced and most important fighting vehicles for the German Army during WWII. The StuG III Ausf A came 24 with a 7.5 cm KwK 37 main gun. This 7.5 cm gun fired a low velocity round and was short barreled as well. It was used on StuG models A thru E until 1942 when the newer StuG Ausf F and G models were given a new high velocity, long barreled 7.5cm KwK 40 main gun. This improvement was made after the Germans had begun fighting against newer Soviet tanks like the T-34 and Kv-1 and the low velocity KwK37 just didn t have enough penetration and performance to combat against the new opposition.
The Sturmgeschütz units were actually employed and utilized by the German Artillery units instead of the Werhmacht and Panzer as they were already stretched thin with their resources. They were first put into battalions with an infantry support specific doctrine which would eventually be changed later into an Anti-Tank role. The StuG was used in all fronts during WWII by the German military and were very successful in their roles, both in infantry support and antitank. Collectively the StuG s had more credited tank victories compared to the more popular Tiger and Panther tanks. The main reason behind this was the large quantity of StuG s built and how cost effective they were as well. Other reasons why the StuG s were successful was also due to their design. A StuG was very low profile which made it a hard target for the allies and this also allowed for the Germans to easily camouflage the tank as well. It was said that approximately four StuG s could be built to the cost of a single King Tiger tank and later in the war, due to the deteriorating situation, more StuGs were built and used in the defense of Germany. Approx. 10,000 StuG III variants were built with many older StuG III s being converted to StuG III G and StuG IV variants. 25
Overall the Germans utilized the StuG effectively not only for their intended role but also in a role that the tank wasn t initially designed for. The StuG also had life after WWII when the Finnish Army had used the StuG as its primary fighting vehicle seeing use up until 1960. The Syrian Army also had used the StuG and other vehicles including Panzer IV s up until the mid- 1960 s. Many other nations had also used the StuG after WWII including Yugoslavia, Romania, Spain, Hungary and Italy. This is a clear testament to the design and effectiveness of the Assault Gun that was originally designed in the mid to late 1930 s. Some modern era Assault Guns now named Mobile Gun Systems (MGS) like the U.S. M1128, the French AMX 10 RC and the Italian Centauro. All of which are versatile in the roles it can fulfill almost as if the designers of these modern weapon systems were paying homage to Gen. Erich von Manstein and his original Sturmgeschütz. 26
[VEHICLE PROFILE] US Medium Tanks 22 October - Author: The War Thunder Team The U.S. line of medium tanks consist of some of the most iconic ground vehicles known to the world, with many from World War Two to the Korean and Vietnam war conflicts. In game, the U.S. medium tanks are represented in one main line starting with the M2 medium tank, which is then preceded by the prominent M3 Lee, the Sherman variant s, the Pershing s, the well-known Patton series, and finally by the legendary M60. During World War Two, United States command concluded that a new medium tank was required. in order to replace the M2 which had become outdated. The M2 medium tank played a key-role in American tank engineering, and it helped to pioneer the the future for new U.S. Medium tanks. Development of the previous generation medium tank lead to the development of the M3 medium tank. This is famously known as the M3 Lee which was named after general Lee, and M3 Grant was named after general Grant. The Grant had a modified turret, compared to the M3 Lee. Both M3 s used the same armaments. 27
Continuing on from the previous generations saw the development of arguably the most iconic tank in the world: The M4 Sherman, named after General Sherman. This series was developed to be low cost, simple and effective. To begin with, the Sherman was still underdeveloped compared to other medium tanks at the time. However, over its lifetime, the M4 Sherman would be redeveloped and retrofitted to be one of finest tanks ever produced. The M26 Pershing series (named after General Pershing) was originally intended to be a heavy tank to replace the M4 Sherman series. However, due to delays in the program, this would not eventuate as expected. The M26 was compared equally to, and looked similar in ways to the German Panther. Due to technological advantages, this tank would be designated as a medium tank. Only a couple of thousand M26 s would be produced over its lifespan. A few would see action late during World War Two, including super Pershings which were considered as competitors to the German King Tiger. Many of the M26 s produced during this time would later be retrofitted to become known as the M46 Patton. 28
The Patton tank series is also a very well-known historical tank series, which was named after the famous U.S. Army General George Smith Patton. The Patton series is available in the game starting with the M46 and currently concluding with the M47 Patton. The M46 s had seen action in the Korean War where it held the advantage over the out-dated North Korean vehicles. However, the M47 which replaced the previous M46 was only to see very limited service. It was soon replaced by the M60. The second generation M60 main battle tank would not be officially recognised as a Patton by the United States Army; however, it was officially known as the 105mm Gun Full Tracked Combat tank M60 or M60 for short. The M60 had one of the most lethal, accurate guns ever produced, with great manoeuvrability, protection, and speed. In game the M60 is a top tier final tank for the U.S. medium line. 29
[VEHICLE PROFILE] Pz.Kpfw. 35(t) 26 October - Author: Jan RayPall Kozák In War Thunder, the PzKpfw 35(t) is a German reserve light tank with a BR value of 1.0, and the first tank of the "Czechoslovak tank branch in the German technological tree. The PzKpfw 35(t), compared to other reserve tanks such as the T-26, M3A4 and BT-5, can be described as a jack of all trades. It s not as fast as the BT- 5 or M3A4, but is definitely faster and more agile than the T-26. The gun s penetration is lower than US or Soviet reserve tier tank guns, but is still sufficient to penetrate most other tanks in the opposition on its given BR spread. One advantage of the gun is its ability 30 to utilise sub-caliber APCR ammunition, but since your basic rounds are more than enough to defeat the armour of your foes, you would only need to use them very rarely. As for gameplay, only the basic rules of tank combat should be applied due to the fact its at the reserve tier. As reserve tanks can easily destroy each other even from the front, be sure to be the one to fire first and preferably aim for turrets to disable the enemy gunner and/or gun breech this will give you time to land a second killing blow and prevent return fire.
Your unsloped armour is too thin to ensure safe ricochets and will be penetrated even by 20 mm autocannons, so always angle your hull to give you at least some chance of ricochet. As for a choice between the PzKpfw II and PzKpfw 35(t) as your starter tank the PzKpfw II is somewhat faster and more agile and has the advantage of stronger frontal armour and sheer rate of fire due to its autocannon. The PzKpfw 35(t) has the advantage in mid-range penetration, as the light 20 mm autocannon rounds lose their penetration over distance rapidly. To sum the differences up, the PzKpfw II is more of a front-line brawler, while the PzKpfw 35(t) is more suited to second line sniping and support roles. The PzKpfw 35(t) can be a fun tank to play and will be the first contact with German armour in War Thunder for many players. If you re a rookie, use this tank to learn the basics of War Thunder tank warfare. If you re a veteran player seeking a break from higher tier tank carnage, you can always return to your roots at the reserve tier. Further research of the PzKpfw 35(t) will then lead you to the 31 famous PzKpfw 38(t) light tank, featuring an improved gun and mobility. At the end of 1934, Czechoslovakian army officials asked two manufacturers, Skoda and CKD, to develop new tank prototypes in order to update and modernise their armoured vehicles. The Skoda factory responded with a prototype light tank, designated SU. This vehicle was armed with a 4.7 cm (1.85 ) vz.36 gun and two machine guns. The prototype was eventually rejected, but the Skoda factory used it as a basis for a new vehicle, designated Š-II-a, and after army trials, the Czechoslovakian army officials signed a contract with Skoda for 160 new tanks, designated as LT vz. 35 (LT = abbreviation for Lehký Tank Light Tank ), in October 1935. The tank was propelled by a rear mounted Skoda T-11/0 water-cooled V-4 engine, producing 120 horsepower at 1800 RPM and allowing the tank to reach a maximum speed of 34kph (21.2 mph) on the road. The 6- speed transmission, brakes and steering system were all equipped with mechanical assists actuated by com-
pressed air. This feature was highly advanced for its time, and significantly reduced driver fatigue. The crew consisted of three men: the commander (at the same time acting as a gunner and a loader), driver and radioman, who also manned the hull machine gun. The LT vz.35 was armed with a 37mm (1.46 ) UV vz.34 (or Skoda A3) gun, featuring a semi-automatic breech and allowing a practical rate of fire of up to 12 rounds per minute and a theoretical rate of fire up to 23 rounds per minute. This gun, using standard APC armour piercing rounds, was able to pierce up to 45mm (1.77 ) of armour at the range of 500 metres (550 yards) with a muzzle velocity of 675 m/s (2215 ft/s). The secondary armament then consisted of two ZB vz. 35 7.92mm (0.31 ) machine guns, with one machine gun being mounted coaxially to the main gun and the other mounted in the hull. The ammunition supply was 78 rounds for the main gun and 2700 machine gun rounds. As for armour protection, the hull and turret armour was 25mm (0.98 ) thick, the side hull and turret armour was 16mm (0.63 ) thick, and the rear hull and turret armour had thickness of 8mm (0.32 ). 32 Until the Munich Agreement in September 1938, 298 LT vz. 35 tanks were manufactured, with an additional 112 tanks being sold to Romania, which used them under designation Skoda R-2. After the Munich Agreement situation and the following occupation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, all LT vz. 35 were confiscated by the German army, which redesignated it as PzKpfw 35(t). These tanks received several modifications, such as new headlights, radio intercoms and a fourth crew member, acting as a loader. The combat debut of the PzKpfw 35(t) was the Polish campaign in September 1939. The tank was successfully used during the battle of France in 1940 and was deployed on the Eastern Front as well. However, the tank did not cope well in the harsh conditions of the Russian winter. The pneumatic assists often failed due to extremely low temperatures, and as with other German
tanks, the fuel and oil lines were prone to freezing. The tank s riveted armour proved to be dangerous for its own crew due to spalling in case of being hit, but most importantly, the tank was already obsolete by 1941, as its gun was unable to effectively engage Soviet medium and heavy tanks such as the T-34 and KV-1. The tank was thus relegated to second-line duties at the end of 1941 and served in these roles until 1942, where it was phased out of service. A small number of PzKpfw 35(t) s were modified as command tanks (designated PzBfWg 35(t)), while others were converted to artillery tractors and armoured ammunition transports. Other operators of the tank included Slovakia and Bulgaria; two tanks were also obtained by Hungary, which used them as a basis for their 40M Turán I medium tank, while Romanians used their R-2 tanks as a basis for the TACAM R-2 tank destroyer. 33