Author: Okinoshima (US server)

With the upcoming line of British tank destroyers on the way, we can all expect some well known and exciting vehicles to take into battle, notably the Challenger, a heavily modified Cromwell mounting the near-legendary QF 17-pounder tank gun; faster, nimbler and lower than the Sherman Firefly, the A30/Cruiser Mark VIII “Challenger”, while hampered by delays was introduced just in time to see service in the final months of the Second World War. That is not the whole story though, the A30 Challenger, designed by Birmingham Carriage & Wagon Company, was not Britain’s only response to the increasingly larger and more sophisticated armour being produced by Germany during the war, but one of several designs, that emerged in the early 1940s. In late November/early December 1941, the British General Staff issued specifications for an ‘Assault’ tank and allocated the General Staff number A29 and was handed over to Rolls-Royce to design while Birmingham Carriage & Wagon Company was allocated the General Staff number A30.

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Source: http://world-of-ru.livejournal.com/3442938.html

Hello everyone,

as you probably know already, the KV-85 (new tier 6 tank, appearing in 9.3 after the split of current KV-1S) will have two alternative top guns: D-25T (122mm) and S-34 (100mm). Here’s how it’s going to look with the 100mm. Stats are for 100 percent crew (in brackets, nominal stats)

ROF: 8,233 (7,89)
Reload: 7,288
Ammo carried: 41
Accuracy: 0,364 (0,38)
Aimtime: 2,59 (2,7)
Elevation: -3/+18,5
Penetration: 170/210/50
Damage: 250/250/330

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Source: http://world-of-ru.livejournal.com/3442938.html

First footage of the upcoming “D-Day” Normandy-themed map. Looks interesting…

Hello everyone,

some (not many, but some) people blame me that I include posts related to Ukraine on FTR. Well, the truth is, I try not to at all costs, unless they are related to tanks, but on the other hand, when we are already talking about it, I will not hide my opinion. But of course I am a private person, just one guy.

Wargaming on the other hand is a company. A large company. And it has business analysts. Lots of them. SerB himself for example wrote that he (and Wargaming) is aware of the specific requirements of Russian market for example (this includes Russian patriotism – and why not, it’s their market, their rules). On the other hand, Russian market is not European market. Three largest communities on EU server are German, Polish and Czech, two of which with… let’s say problematic attitude towards Russians and the history related to them.

So who the fuck did have the brilliant idea of naming a set of premium shop offers “From Russia with Love“? Especially with the recent events in Ukraine (that, however you look at it and no matter what side you are on, are tragic and involve Russia)? And to name the “main feature” offer “Hammer and Sickle?”

I can’t decide whether that’s just a gross incompetence and deliberate trolling.

As you can imagine, the Polish and Czechoslovak communities did not appreciate this very much, but neither did anyone else, considering it (ironically enough given its name) a ripoff. Some of the reactions seriously made me laugh though. Here are the best of them:

- “I see that the Buk and Grad launchers are missing. Weak offer.”
- “Good that there are no apples in the offer, although they would be pretty cheap :D”
- a certain picture
- (reacting at “get the 50 percent skill crew for free”) – “green men with 100 percent skill will go after you”
- “the offer is missing white trucks with volunteers straight from Specnaz”
- “one of the offers should be called ‘humanitarian aid’ and the other ‘white convoy’”

Etc. Perhaps next time, instead of “realizing the special conditions of RU markets”, conditions on EU server should be considered as well.

Source: http://yuripasholok.livejournal.com/3475033.html

Hello everyone,

Yuri Pasholok posted a scan of drawings of one of the Panther Sfl. (GW Panther in game) versions. What was interesting about these vehicles was the fact that some models had the gun removable, using a mechanism that looks… well… you be the judge. Thus, the gun could be converted into a sort of fixed emplacement.

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Thanks to Vvothan for this one.

Hello everyone,

an interesting post appeared on one pro-Russian blog regarding Ukraine. The blog itself is the usual Russian crap about “junta”, “fascists” and all that, but what is interesting is the part, where it claims that the Ukrainian armed forces started seizing and using tanks, meant, paid for and built for export to foreing customers.

Please note that commandeering tanks meant for export is not something shocking or new. During the 1938 crisis and mobilization connected with the nazi terror in Czech borderlands, Czechoslovak army commandeered numerous tanks meant for export (they were released after the crisis was over).

But is the article really correct?

One of these tanks is allegedly the T64-B1M, a modernized T-64 tank with improved armor, designed to fight in city areas. Since late July, these tanks were transferred to the National Guard of Ukraine. It is not known, whether it’s actually an export tank at all, but it was presented as the tank for the guard. The blog claims it was intended for export, but I haven’t found any mention of anything like that or where it was supposed to be sold (such things are usually not secret anyway).

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Hello everyone,

in the last part, we talked about the Škoda T-12, an improved version of the original LT Vz.35. Today, we are going to have a look at the ultimate evolution of the Vz.35 series (and possibly the best descendant of the original Vickers ever designed), Škoda T-13M.

As noted above, Škoda T-13 was derived from the original Š-IIa (LT Vz.35) and was the most advanced version of the tank ever built. Its advantages were its stability, relatively smooth running, track durability and the fact the tank was very resistant to throwing a track and – last but not least – large, roomy and comfortable fighting compartment. Relatively, of course.

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Hello everyone,

ever wondered how the hangar looks with bigger zoom, or – in this case – from the outside? Check this out.

It’s a bug, that happens occasionally to all players. It is not the fault of mods – I know that for a fact simply because it happened to me too not so long ago and I do not use any mods. Interesting to see the stuff untextured from the other side and all that (it’s done intentionally to increase the performance of the hangar).