Fri game tactics. Tanker's manual: Anti-tank self-propelled guns

Players who choose an anti-tank self-propelled gun are rarely unhappy in the sandbox. Among tanks of the first, second and even third tier, the starting “petashki” stand out favorably with firepower and the ability to penetrate any armor. Yes, you have to pay with slowness and the lack of a tower, but this is taken for granted.

But at the next level everything changes. The player begins to be thrown towards the “big guys” driving around in “thirty-fours” or KVs, which are virtually invulnerable to fire from third-level tank destroyers. In addition, serious artillery appears, for which the sedentary “petashka” is an ideal target. At this point, many novice players become disillusioned with anti-tank guns.

However, it is not at all useless, but simply requires special thinking and tactics that allow you to fully realize all its advantages and neutralize the disadvantages. So how can you turn a tank destroyer into a truly dangerous vehicle?

Pros and cons of tank destroyers

A very accurate straight shot is one of the main advantages of the class.

Let's start with the fact that tank destroyers are inferior to tanks in a direct collision. Of course, in a “fair” fight, a “petashka” can cope with a tank of its level from a standing position (a lot depends on the specific vehicles here). But, alas, tank owners also know this and therefore are in no hurry to engage in a fair firefight, preferring cunning. For example, taking advantage of your mobility, go to the flank or rear and calmly fire at the car, cutting circles around it.

The tank destroyer does not have a turret and cannot fire and maneuver at the same time. To catch the enemy in sight, the “petashka” needs to turn around with its entire body. However, the enemy also does not stand still, moving along the line of rotation of the vehicle in order to be out of reach of its gun. And at the same time it conducts continuous shelling of the sides and stern. I don’t even want to talk about what will happen if we manage to shoot down a caterpillar from a tank destroyer. Thus, you can lose your “pet” even when meeting with a relatively weak tank, without firing a single serious shot at it.

Therefore, our task is to fight from afar, keeping enemy vehicles away and supporting our tanks with fire. Moreover, one of the main advantages of the class is a very accurate direct shot. But even here, not everything is so simple, because the sedentary and painfully stinging “pet” becomes very vulnerable if it is discovered.

Only the most serious self-propelled guns have armor capable of withstanding a hit from a 76-mm projectile or higher, while early tank destroyers are weakly armored, and one or two hits will be enough to kill them.

The most important conclusion follows from this: The main thing for an anti-tank installation is choosing the right position and camouflage.

The artillery loves us... nothing can be done about it

Get ready! Fire! Some people are in trouble now.

Skillful camouflage is generally a very important thing in the game, but for tank destroyers it is the main trump card of the class and the key to understanding the correct tactics for these vehicles. A properly camouflaged SU-85 will easily destroy an early heavy tank (KV or T1), but, once detected, it will not withstand even a few seconds of direct combat. The ideal situation for us is to fire at an enemy who does not see the tank destroyer attacking him and cannot respond, or to direct artillery fire at the anti-tank installation’s position.

The most impressive and enjoyable experience when playing this class is when a pair of pets, completely invisible to the enemy, stop the attack of superior enemy forces, knocking out a couple of tanks with impunity and forcing the survivors to retreat in front of an unknown and therefore even more terrible enemy.

To achieve this effect, you need to have a good understanding of how the camouflage system works in World of Tanks.

Disguise

In addition to such basic indicators as armor thickness and engine power, all vehicles have a characteristic "View radius" . It determines the distance from which the tank can detect an enemy vehicle. If the viewing radius is 400 meters, then at 401 meters the enemy tank is simply invisible to the player. The maximum possible viewing radius is 500 meters.

Everything seems simple. In addition, the game has light “firefly scouts”! Thanks to them, heavy vehicles fight at distances exceeding their viewing radius. In reality, everything is much more complicated, because there are many factors that reduce the visibility of a tank.

Thickets in front, thickets on the right - from the enemy’s side I’m almost invisible.

I see him, he sees me - no, you can’t imagine a better situation!

First of all, the dimensions of the machine itself. As you might guess, a light tank is less noticeable than a heavy one, and a tall vehicle is more noticeable than a low one. Thus, low-profile and light tank destroyers are less noticeable than tanks of similar levels, and, given their low survivability, they simply must take advantage of this.

The second factor is the relief and landscape of the area. With the terrain, everything is obvious - behind a hill blocking your line of sight, your car is not visible to the enemy, but you cannot see him either. With landscape elements it’s a little more difficult. The walls of houses act, in principle, in the same way - blocking both lines of sight and shots (just keep in mind that small village houses are destructible and will not serve as shelter from fire for long). But all sorts of bushes partially block visibility, making the tank hidden in them much less noticeable.

Therefore, in order to detect a hidden car, you need to drive closer. At the same time, she sees the approaching tank absolutely clearly, since up close (from fifteen meters to be precise) the bushes are considered absolutely transparent - the so-called “curtain effect” operates. Thus, a camouflaged vehicle receives serious advantages, since it can fire at an approaching target for some time with impunity.

It is important: from fifty meters, tanks can see each other in any case, even if there is an impenetrable obstacle between them.

Please note that a shot or movement unmasks it, increasing the visibility of the hidden vehicle for a few seconds. The larger the caliber of the gun, the stronger the unmasking effect. But, despite this, an inconspicuous tank destroyer, camouflaged at the very edge of the viewing radius of a heavy tank or hidden in dense thickets (the effect of reducing visibility is stronger, the more bushes there are between the vehicles), can fire from a powerful gun while remaining completely invisible.

Disguise rules

An example of incorrect disguise. The hull of the tank destroyer protrudes from the thickets, and the enemy can see it.

An example of proper camouflage. Detecting tank destroyers from this side will not be easy.

To disguise yourself, just stand behind bushes that completely hide the outline of the tank from the side where the enemy is expected to appear. To check the thoroughness of your disguise, you can hold down the right mouse button and rotate the camera so as to inspect the tank from the side where the enemy is expected to appear. A gun sticking out of a bush does not unmask the tank, but a part of the hull or turret protruding from behind a bush reduces the camouflage. You also need to always remember that an enemy scout approaching from an unmasked side will easily detect you and transmit the data to his team. If you are sure that you were discovered, albeit for a short time, change your position; the enemy can fire at the “exposed” position from memory. Also remember: particularly skilled artillerymen can calculate your position using the shell tracer (this is easier to do the larger the caliber of your gun). Therefore, changing position after a series of shots is not harmful in any case.

Tactics

All-round defense at an unnamed height.

The World of Tanks tour operator provides you with the most pleasant opportunity to hunt Tigers!

First of all, the tank destroyer is a support combat vehicle; its task is to remain in the shadows and support defense and attack with fire from a position. The choice of position is the most important part of tactics, determining the success of the “petashka” in battle. The best position combines three advantages: first, the terrain from it is covered in a straight line as far as possible and in the widest possible radius, second, there is room for good camouflage, and third, there is a heavy tank in front of it.

“Petashka” can, of course, fight something on her own, but she works best in a team, where her task is to maximize the density of fire. If a pair of equal tanks clash in front, as a rule, the one who is better supported by fire will win, so your task is not to yawn and shoot well.

To make shooting effective, study the characteristics of future targets and your gun. If you know that this tank cannot be penetrated by an armor-piercing shell from your gun either in the forehead or on the side, “turn off” the easier target first. If this is not observed, and there is no stock of premium shells for a rainy day, try firing at the armored monster with high-explosive fragmentation shells (always carry 10-15 with you). They will not be able to penetrate anything that cannot be penetrated by armor-piercing weapons, but a strong explosion on armor is an unpleasant thing. After all, it can damage some of the external systems of the tank, or even concuss one of the crew, which will greatly facilitate the “work” on the target for those who can penetrate the armor.

On a note: the effect of a high explosive charge depends on its caliber.

The enemy has broken through straight to the base, nothing good can come for us here.

A rare sight is a tank destroyer in an independent attack, and in a successful attack.

If a heavily penetrated tank is moving towards your position, you will have to open fire in any case, but if it bypasses it, take your time to shoot and assess the situation. If it turns out that it was you who “exposed” an impenetrable monster for your team, perhaps it is better not to give away your presence and work for a while as an artillery fire spotter. If an invulnerable enemy notices you, it is better not to be a hero in a obviously lost battle, but to try to hide behind a building or in the folds of the terrain. This way you can, occasionally leaning out of there, transmit to your team data on the position of the enemy super-heavy tank, which will annoy him much more than your dying mosquito bite.

Do not rely on auto-aim (for tank destroyers it is almost always rather harmful). If you are firing at an armored vehicle, give preference to weakly protected planes and direct or close angles of impact. If the tank begins to turn, hold the shot until the moment when it puts its side or stern at a favorable angle. If at this moment your gun is reloading after a shot ricocheted by the frontal plate, it will be a shame. A well-placed hit can knock down even the heaviest enemy's tracks, making them an easy target for your artillery and other teammates.

When attacking, move at a distance behind your vehicles, “running” from one good position to another. However, if the situation dictates a rush attack, just tag along with some well-armored vehicle. She will take the damage - you will support her with fire. However, if you ride a heavy tank destroyer, such as the Ferdinand, you yourself can serve as a steel wall for lighter vehicles.

I've knocked down the caterpillar - now it's time to quickly retreat behind this house!

The tank destroyer is not very good in close combat, but I’ll definitely have time to teach this one a lesson.

When choosing equipment, always choose a gun with more armor-piercing power over a gun with more damage. After all, your task is to hit heavy, not lightly protected targets (medium tanks can handle this too). At the first opportunity, buy a camouflage net - a “peteshka” in an ambush will absolutely need it. Considering that the artillery loves us, we also buy anti-fragmentation lining.

As for equipment, I recommend taking with you a standard repair kit and a first aid kit; for Soviet tank destroyers, a tightened engine speed controller is also suitable. Although this thing damages the engine, it is absolutely irreplaceable if you still have to fight a light or medium tank that has broken into close combat.

There are no revelations regarding the development of the tank destroyer crew; the very specifics of the class dictate the only answer: the “camouflage” skill is our everything.

On a note: the “camouflage” skill reduces the visibility of a tank, even if it is moving.

Anti-tank park

Although tank destroyers were an important part of American military doctrine, American vehicles of this class are not yet in the game. Let's take a brief look at sixteen Soviet and German "peteshki" that are now available for players to choose from.

AT-1 and PanzerJager 1

Soviet and German tank destroyers have a number of serious differences, but these two vehicles can be considered in pairs without fear of missing anything. Early "petashki" stand out against the background of the "sandbox" with impressive fire characteristics. The AT-1, however, looks more impressive; the guns of this vehicle easily destroy tanks of the first and second levels, so skilled tankers can score 8-9 “frgs” on this tank destroyer.

PanzerJager1, although more maneuverable, cannot boast of similar results. However, already at the next level the German tank destroyers will win back.

SU-76 and SU-85b

In fact, this is the same case, only with different “fillings”. Weak armor and survivability force the commanders of these vehicles to fight exclusively in an “ambush” manner. Otherwise, they simply don’t live long.

However, even the best guns available on the SU-76 are rather weak against the KV and PzKpfw IV. In this regard, the SU-85b compares favorably with the previous model, but to open serious guns you need a lot of experience and at first you have to ride with the same boring guns.

Marder II

It is no different from the SU-76 in terms of armor and almost no different in survivability (170 versus 150 for the Soviet vehicle), weight and engine power. It would seem that in front of us is the same weak tank destroyer, doomed to sad vegetation while waiting for the next vehicle. However, a couple of important differences turn the Marder II into a truly dangerous “petashka”, in comparison with which the SU-76 looks like a poor relative.

Firstly, an amazing viewing radius of 460 meters (the largest among all tank destroyers in the game!), and secondly, very large horizontal guidance angles (the SU-76, like all Soviet vehicles, is aimed only in a very narrow cone) and excellent late guns. Firing a KV from an SU-76 is not a hopeless matter, but it’s close to it. Marder II penetrates HF at any point.

Hetzer

The transition to the fourth level tank destroyer quickly cools the ardor of the “German” armor-piercers. The Hetzer is inferior to the previous vehicle in everything except armor. It is slow moving, has a short viewing radius (300 meters), and the best of its guns is slightly inferior to the “top” gun of the Marder II. And then there are the strange pointing angles (the gun almost doesn’t turn to the right) - and we have before us one of the most unloved tank destroyers by players.

Very small dimensions and 60 mm frontal armor (giving good chances against light and early medium tanks) do not help this vehicle to rehabilitate itself. Many players prefer to install a 105mm gun on the Jaeger and shoot exclusively with high-explosive fragmentation weapons. At the very least, this method is guaranteed to damage your enemies' health.

SU-85 and SU-100

A player developing a line of Soviet tank destroyers is waiting for the opportunity to switch to the SU-85, like a New Year's child. After the flimsy SU-85b, this car looks impressive. Its armor allows it not to be afraid of light tanks, and the gun penetrates the first IS and the Tiger into the side. This comes at the cost of less mobility. Yes, and you can’t enjoy the increased characteristics - after all, she is thrown to even more serious opponents, and when the “shine” from the enemy side comes not “Stuarts” and A-20s, but “Panthers”... However, a player who has already eaten the dog when organizing ambushes, he will know what to do about it.

The SU-100 is essentially the same SU-85, only with improved armor and impressive guns. The 100-millimeter D-10s cannon, which gives the vehicle its name, has a chance to penetrate the forehead with a standard IS-4 armor-piercing projectile, and a high-explosive fragmentation projectile fired from such a cannon removes about 5% of the life of a super-heavy tank. Well, the 122-mm gun, which has the same armor-piercing power but with increased damage, demonstrates even more impressive results.

StuG III, JagdPz IV and JagdPanther

These vehicles are very similar to the SU-85 and SU-100, only better armored in the front, worse on the sides and somewhat more mobile, which makes them more convenient in the offensive.

The ability to destroy enemy tanks increases from vehicle to vehicle. Thus, the StuG III can penetrate the side of a Tiger, and the top-end JagdPanther cannon threatens with a conventional armor-piercing projectile anyone tank in the game.

It is worth noting the very low profile of the StuG III and JagdPz IV, thanks to which these vehicles are easy to camouflage.

SU-152 and ISU-152

If we compare these heavy tank destroyers with super-heavy tanks, their armor is not very serious (90 millimeters of frontal armor for the ISU-152). But the “petashki” have amazing firepower. For example, with a little luck, one shot is enough to destroy a medium tank. In addition, no heavy tank would be safe near them. Armor sufficient to fight medium tanks allows them to act autonomously, but still the cover of heavy tanks greatly simplifies the game.

Ferdinand and JagdTiger

These self-propelled fortresses are the pinnacle of German tank design. 200 millimeters of frontal armor for the Ferdinand and 250 millimeters for the Jagdtiger allow them to be completely invulnerable from the front for most tanks in the game and difficult to hit even for the heaviest vehicles. For this you have to pay for the relative vulnerability of the sides (“only” 80 millimeters!) and quite high visibility for the class, as well as slightly lower damage compared to the SU and ISU-152. However, for these armored monsters, capable of participating in attacks on par with super-heavy tanks, this is not such a problem.

Object 704

Object 704 is the most powerful Soviet self-propelled gun. It has the firepower of the ISU-152, but at the same time it is more heavily armored, and the armor is distributed throughout the hull much more rationally due to the greater angle of inclination of the armor plates. All this makes this tank destroyer one of the most dangerous vehicles you can encounter in the vastness of World of Tanks.

As in any decent canteen: flies separately, cutlets separately, and in World of Tanks: tanks are separate, self-propelled guns are no less separate, and tank destroyers also go on their own. This type of equipment has one feature - a non-rotating turret. And the very concept of a tower is absent here. A good tank destroyer is flat, has excellent visibility and an accurate and powerful gun. Unfortunately, not all tank destroyers can boast of such characteristics, and among them there are several not entirely successful combat vehicles.

Where should I start? From the definition: you should not confuse just self-propelled guns with tank destroyers. A self-propelled artillery unit is ordinary artillery, which in our case fires across the map, and you see the battle itself in aiming mode from above. PT-SAU – sniper of the World of Tanks. And to be honest, playing the same self-propelled gun can be more fun than tank destroyer. Here, of course, a lot depends on the card. There are maps on which there is absolutely nothing to do with artillery.

There are almost no such maps for tank destroyers, but in general, the owner of a tank destroyer must be prepared for real sniper life: rush from the start to a pre-designated convenient position, aim at the area where the enemy is expected to appear, and sit with the sight on. There is a possibility that no one will appear in this zone until the end of the battle. Your allies will drive the enemy back and besiege his base. Then, of course, you need to drop everything and go to the aid of the finishers.

If everything happened the other way around, and most likely this is exactly what will happen, and your team begins to disastrously merge from the very first seconds, know that you will be left alone with an enemy that outnumbers you. Therefore, if the score is catastrophic like 1:7, then abandon your nest, from where you planned to shoot frags highlighted by your allies, and go to a secluded place where you can only be attacked from the front. The main problem for tank destroyers is an attack from the rear, but we will return to this later. Stand like this, because you need to sell your armored life at a higher price. The more expensive it is, the more silver there will be in the end. It’s very good if you have at your disposal a tank tank like the English AT, which is famous for its weak gun and impenetrable forehead. Look for a place that will cover your butt, stick your forehead out and wait for guests. The trouble is that not every map can afford such a maneuver, and, to give the developers their due, with each major update they modify the maps, editing such blind wolf corners.

Remember that even the coolest tank destroyer can be defeated by a simple firefly. A competent firefly with its modest cannon can circle around you, but never get caught in the field of action of your weapon. As a rule, fireflies, as well as medium tanks with sufficient maneuverability, will try to drive in from behind and shoot at the rear. This is a very bad situation, from which it is difficult to escape, and here you need to act according to intuition and the relief. If they try to screw you over, and this happens much more often, then do not repeat the well-known mistake that many newbies make. If the enemy is turning you, for example, clockwise, then do not try to keep up with him in the same direction, even if it seems to you that his silhouette is about to appear within the radius of your sight. Instead, start moving in the opposite direction, i.e. counter-clockwise. In this case, you will have a much greater chance that the enemy will not have time to regroup and your “eyes” will meet.

Try to meet the enemy on hills if your tank destroyer's gun has good vertical angles and will allow you to shoot at those who are below on the other side of the hill. If your tank destroyer has strong armor, then try to occupy the narrowest possible place on the map, thereby blocking the enemy’s advance. It often happens that a skillfully placed tank destroyer can stop several tanks at once, which then crowd together and spend a long time figuring out among themselves who needs to go out, get shot at and sacrifice themselves by driving to the rear of the tank. If there is no daredevil, then, in chess terms, the tank destroyer will win in quality, even if it doesn’t shoot anyone, but it will hold it back.

If your team has fireflies or a large number of medium tanks, and the terrain is flat, then take a place in the semi-position. Don't stay at the base - it's a very dangerous place. Instead, drive towards nearby shelters, houses, structures, or just bushes. The position should be such that you can see both the thick of the battle with its lights and your own base. With a high degree of probability, someone will appear there, and this someone must be treated to bread and salt.

Naturally, we should not forget that the enemy has self-propelled guns, which often shoot not at lights, but at tracers, or even just habitually cover suspicious and familiar bushes. Therefore, even if you were not exposed, and the “light” did not signal, then after the shot it is better to roll back a couple of lengths, where you will wait to reload. You will lose aiming and the speed of subsequent aiming, but you will better protect yourself from hits from enemy artillery, which for tank destroyers, as a rule, become lethal, for the simple reason that the roof of the vast majority of such equipment is extremely thin. Well, it’s worth adding that artillerymen, even without unnecessary reminders, pay a lot of attention to tank destroyers. They love them because many of them, especially the heavily armored ones, are extremely slow and clumsy. Herding these with artillery is a pleasure.

If your team mainly consists of heavy tanks, and the terrain is not conducive to shooting not only at long, but also at medium distances, then it is better to go behind the heavy tanks and provide them with support there, catching the light at closer distances. For this reason, you cannot go into the thick of battle. If possible, hit from afar, try to aim at the tracks. The guys at TT will appreciate your nobility and intelligence.

Well, if by the end of the battle your team has a couple of artillery and your tank destroyer left, then it falls to you to play the role of the firefly. For the sake of decency, ask your comrades if they have a lot of shells? If yes, then go where you are told to shine. At the same time, don’t get hung up on the fact that you absolutely have to knock someone down. You are now a firefly and you have other tasks. Therefore, carefully highlight, or, if the terrain allows, stand and wait for the enemy tanks, which are superior in number, to come towards you.

If you get a strictly city card, then you have two options. If the tank destroyer is fast, but cardboard, try to shoot from the flank. Look for especially hot spots, drive in from another street and hit from the side. If your tank destroyer has strong frontal armor and a powerful gun, then it is better to stand on the outskirts of the city, near the alley. Such alleys are on all “city” maps. Figure out the places where enemy tanks will break through, go there, and occupy convenient bushes there. Tanks caught by surprise in an alley with nowhere to escape will find themselves in a very unpleasant situation, unless, of course, there is a daredevil among them who will try to get around you from the rear.

Well, to top it off, if you haven’t downloaded any of the tank destroyer branches yet and are wondering which one to start with, then the author of the material will advise you to download the corresponding USSR branch, at least out of patriotism. If these feelings are alien to you, or, conversely, the branch has already been pumped up, then you can choose the following:

Germanic. Tank destroyers here are divided into two types: armored and cardboard. This is to greatly simplify it. The cardboard ones, of course, have good guns, but they are quite difficult to control. German technology of this kind, as a rule, is distinguished by very accurate weapons.

USA. They are also divided into two types: poorly armored and well armored. There are many more representatives of the first type. American tank destroyers are powerful, heavy, slow self-propelled guns. Of the well-armored ones, only the top level 9-10. Real bullet-proof monsters with killer weapons.

France. Tank destroyers of this branch are memorable for their high rate of fire and, already at the fifth level, strong frontal armor. Although some of the representatives have a high profile, which makes such a tank destroyer difficult to use in battle.

Great Britain. They are divided into two types: light and heavy. Everything is clear with the lungs: accurate, strong guns, high speed and poor armor. But the heavy ones are a different story. Heavy British tank destroyers are the most unpleasant opponents in a head-on collision. It is very, very difficult to punch one of these in the forehead for an opponent of the same level.

THE USSR. Almost all vehicles do not have good frontal armor. Almost everything gets through head-on without problems, with the exception of levels 9-10, of course. There may be difficulties with them. Tank destroyers of the Soviet branch are characterized by not the most accurate, but powerful weapons. One might say, the golden mean.
At the time of writing this material, Japan and China do not have tank destroyer branches.

And finally, it’s worth adding that the sensational latest update 9.7 has severely damaged tank destroyers. In particular, it was decided to reduce the viewing range for this type of equipment, since the developers wanted tank destroyers to also participate in the battle, and not just play the role of extras.

The division into classes in World of Tanks is quite arbitrary: for example, among heavy tanks there are vehicles that cannot boast of strong armor. This fully applies to tank destroyers, among which there are completely different vehicles: huge and miniature, fast and slow, with strong armor and almost cardboard. There are even tank destroyers with turrets (the second American and British branch). There are tank destroyers that tank better than heavy tanks. There are tank destroyers that outperform medium and even light ones. The phrase “I love playing tank destroyers” doesn’t really say much: these are very diverse vehicles.

But we can still identify the most typical representatives of tank destroyers and give advice on how to play them. In the most general form, ambush and assault tank destroyers can be distinguished. Again, this division is somewhat arbitrary; there are a significant number of “intermediate” vehicles, as well as tank destroyers, which do not fully fit this classification. But the division into ambush and assault is applicable to most tank destroyers and shows well the specifics of the game on different vehicles.

Tactics for playing tank destroyers

The ideal ambush tank destroyer is a miniature vehicle that is very difficult to spot. Perhaps the most striking embodiment of this concept is the E 25, although it is difficult to call it a typical tank destroyer due to its low penetration and one-time damage. But small size is a distinctive feature of ambush tank destroyers. They perform excellently in open locations, where you can shoot from a long distance for most of the battle, not glow, and cause a lot of damage.

You usually have to pay for miniature or simply small sizes by booking. Ambush tank destroyers are very vulnerable to detection; they are usually easily penetrated by single-tier tanks directly from the front. Their defense is camouflage, not strong armor.

Playing ambush tank destroyers may seem simple, but in most battles it is not. Of course, there are battles in open locations when opponents act thoughtlessly, so you can shoot almost half the team from a position somewhere near your base. You won't be able to light up at the same time. But usually the enemies quickly understand where the fire is coming from and are not exposed to the second shot.

What to do in such situations? You have to either wait patiently (often to no avail) or change your position. The small size of an ambush tank destroyer means that you can take quite risky positions on it, fire from them and not be detected. A striking example here, again, is the E 25, which, due to the double bushes, you can shoot from a distance of almost 100 meters and not glow at the same time.

Of course, the E 25 is a unique vehicle in many ways, but on other tank destroyers you shouldn’t spend the entire battle somewhere near the base, unless, of course, you have the ability to inflict damage from there. Look at the minimap, choose a direction where there is a significant concentration of enemy forces. But, of course, you shouldn’t try to hold the flank alone; you should always have a couple of allies next to you.

But a much bigger problem is the situation when, on a completely cardboard ambush tank destroyer, you are thrown onto a city map, where it is very difficult to play under disguise. In such battles it can really be very difficult: they will see you as soon as you come out from behind cover. At the same time, you won’t be able to shoot quickly, because most tank destroyers do not have a turret. Here we can recommend the following.

Firstly, even on a completely urban map there are one or two positions where you can play from disguise. These are long areas under fire, you simply stand at the very end of such an area and wait for the enemy. It won't be the most interesting fight, but you will most likely bring benefit to the team.

Secondly, play carefully and wait for the right moment. It is quite possible that in the first half of the battle you will have to play very passively, you will probably not have the opportunity to fire a single shot. As soon as you come out from behind cover, several shells will immediately fly at you. Moreover, they will definitely penetrate you, since ambush tank destroyers have very weak armor.

But in the second half of the battle it will become easier to play: the number of opponents will be seriously reduced, leaving from behind cover will become much safer. Look for opponents who are distracted by your allies. Often you can approach them from the flank, take a shot at the side and drive away behind cover before they have time to react.

Best sau

Assault tank destroyers are fundamentally different from ambush tank destroyers; they are usually large vehicles with relatively strong armor. At the very least, their frontal armor is usually comparable to that of single-tier tanks. You have to pay for this not only in size, but also in dynamics. These are usually very slow cars that have difficulty accelerating to 30-35 km/h.

In fact, assault tank destroyers are like heavy tanks without a turret. In general, the lack of a turret is a very big drawback; you cannot drive out and quickly shoot around the corner, you can easily be spun around and shot at the sides or stern with complete impunity. But assault tank destroyers are distinguished by powerful guns that are superior to the guns of heavy tanks in terms of penetration, one-time damage and damage per minute.

A common mistake is to try to play assault tank destroyers as if they were ambush guns, that is, stand somewhere in the bushes and shoot at someone else's light. This cannot be said that this is always a mistake; on open maps it is often necessary to do this and play the role of an ambush tank destroyer.

But in most situations it is much more useful to go with heavy tanks and play your assault tank destroyer, in fact, as an assault tank destroyer. There's no point in rushing forward, there are heavy tanks for that, but you should always be a little behind and deal damage from close range. The powerful guns of assault tank destroyers usually allow you to penetrate the frontal armor of heavy tanks at a higher level, take advantage of this and try to choose the most armored opponents. If you don’t break through them, then there will simply be no one to do it.

As we noted above, not all tank destroyers can be clearly classified as ambush and assault. There are, for example, cars that combine these features. Take the T28, this American tank destroyer of the eighth level has a low silhouette and strong frontal armor. It can successfully play the role of both an ambush tank destroyer and an assault one.

Video games tank destroyer

The game has a large number of unusual cars that do not fit into such a simple classification. For example, there is the first branch of British tank destroyers. At first glance, these are classic assault vehicles, but guns with low one-time damage and mediocre penetration for a tank destroyer make playing with them unusual and difficult.

World of Tanks also has turret-mounted tank destroyers. The American branch appeared a long time ago, but the second British branch was introduced into the game relatively recently. It would seem that the presence of a turret (sometimes with incomplete rotation, but still) on a tank destroyer should be a big advantage. But you have to pay for it with poor stabilization (often even very bad), so it’s not easy to play on turret tank destroyers.

Rating of the best tank destroyers

As you can see, there are a large number of different tank destroyers, so there is no single tactic for playing vehicles of this class. On some it is better to stand in the bushes and fire from a long distance, while others are intended for aggressive shooting at close range. So experiment more, if you show poor results on any tank destroyer, it means that you simply haven’t found the right tactics for it yet.