Battlefield 4 Review

Issue 50 • December 2013 1 • GameOn Magazine Introduction to War Thunder

Within the heart of War Thunder is maps of impressive scale a multiplayer online combat game ranging from the city outskirts for aircraft and armored vehicles. of Stalingrad to the vast oceans surrounding Pearl Harbor. Developed by , this game is With hundreds of accurately- available across a variety of rendered vehicles available platforms: from Windows to and more being added with Macintosh OS X to , as every update, players are spoilt well as on the Playstation 4 for choice when it comes to console, with casual game cutting-edge planes to take modes in arcade battles to the skies, or menacing to realistic and simulator to tear up the earth. battles for the enthusiasts. Relive the action in huge The game spans the era from the aerial and armored Spanish Civil War to the Korean spearhead clashes with friends, War, with a huge emphasis learn about the rich historical on the Second World War. significance behind the wars Players cross swords in historical through War Thunder.

2 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine letter from the general

Welcome to the sixth We also take a look at what edition of the War Thunder happened in June 1940 with David Community Magazine! King in ‘This Month in WWII’, as well as a brief introduction This issue, we focus our attention to the WT Economy by Zoso! on the Japanese side of things, with WT 101 looking at the On the Reviews side, we take a Japanese Tech Tree and our look at the Panzer IV F2; find out guns series looking at Japanese how it fares against its opponents guns and ammunition; their in a new vehicle review format. bewildering array of weapons is simply mindboggling to Are you interested in writing say the least, but John ‘Zoso’ historical articles, war machines, Moore breaks it down into or War Thunder gameplay? We digestible bits for you. are still actively looking out for more writers, photographers and With the focus on , we artists to come on board the team! also take a look at Tales of Codebreaking & Espionage in Do you also happen to know the Pacific theatre of war in an someone who has a story from all new segment, presenting WWII? They don’t have to have facts and short stories in an be in the war, we are interested all new format after receiving in their story if they are willing feedback that readers want to to share it. Please contact us know more about the back- [email protected] story for our Facts articles. - The Editor

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 3 CONTENTS Contents Page

Flying the Rising Sun 6 Guns of Japan 22 Panzer IV F2 Review 30 This Month in WWII: June 1940 34 Tales from World War II - Codebreaking and Espionage 38 Lions, Eagles and Trophies 42 Funny Corner 50 Wordsearch 52 Caption Competition 53

Contributors Editor-in-Chief Steve Greenfield Writer John ‘Zoso’ Moore KEEP IN TOUCH! Editor Kris West Writer David ‘HJFarnsworth’ King Production Mgr Chock Wee Boon Photos Alex ‘Fodder09’ Beard Photos Martijn ‘mhockx’ Hockx

4 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 5 ARTICLE

FLYING THE RISING SUN WAR THUNDER 101 - JAPANESE PLANES RESEARCH AND LINEUP

In this final article of the five-part series on aircraft research and lineup, we cover the Japanese tech tree, which, of the five nations, is arguably one of the harder ones to do well in. PROS CONS

• Fighters usually prioritise maneuverability • Fewest planes among the 5 countries over other combat characteristics • Many big BR jumps along the way, rather • Some interesting selections (H6K4 flying boat, than a smooth transition to ease players B7A2 Ryusei, G8N1 Renzan, R2Y2 Keiun-Kai series) of Japanese planes into the game • No heavy with 4000kg+ bomb loads (Closest is G5N1 Shinzan at 3200kg)

6 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine • Poor bomb loads on medium bombers; dive bombers tree that is more geared towards dive bombers and are disappointing except maybe the B7A2 Ryusei torpedo bombers, while the Army gets a bomber • Fairly average late Tier IV fighter up with tree with more medium and heavy bombers; no strong points (Update 1.49) some of the bigger Navy bombers, like the H6K • Relatively poor end-game jet lineup and the G4M, are under the same tree as well. with very few fighters • Poor heavy fighter lineup As with previous suggested lineups, they will be • Earlier cannons and HMG are quite horrible with presented according to a 5-plane format, mostly with low muzzle velocities; engagement distances are a balanced setup of fighters and bombers. The lineups typically shorter than their contemporaries are optimized according to the Battle Rating and • Aircraft are mostly unarmored or matchmaking system and the information below is are only lightly armored accurate as of June 2015 (Proposed changes - 15.06.15)

INTRODUCTION BR 1.0

The Japanese tree, like the US tree covered in Issue Recommended Lineup: Ki-10 x 3, F1M2 (4 fighters) 5, splits the aircraft lines according to the services they operate under, with the Imperial Japanese At BR 1.0, the Ki-10 reserve planes available at the start Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Services each are pretty standard except for one characteristic – speed, getting a fighter tree. The Navy also gets a bomber which is the highest among all the reserves. However,

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with the matchmaking, you’ll still be meeting BR 2.0- BR 1.3 2.3 monoplanes that are faster than you in every way. Recommended Lineup: A5M4, Ki-27 Where the Ki-10 really shines is in the biplane races otsu, F1M2, Ki-10 x 2 (5 fighters) the developers dole out from time to time, but that’s about it. Your best bet would be the Stealth belt for The A5M4 and Ki-27 otsu available at BR 1.3 are ground targets due to the sheer number of AP rounds, monoplane upgrades of your reserve plane with the or Universal if you need a tracer or two in air combat. same gun armament and a boost in speed, but still The F1M2 floatplane would be a good addition to your leaves you horribly outgunned against other nations lineup as you try to get enough planes to make the next that start to get improvements over their armaments hop in BR, with a somewhat useful tail gunner to take in the form of larger caliber weapons or more guns. out other new pilots who so often stay on your tail as they shoot at you. It also comes with 2 bombs to clear ground As soon as you get the required number of targets somewhat faster and is a little tougher, but planes to make the jump to BR 1.7, do so. otherwise, this is not a big jump from your reserve plane. Suggested Research: A5M4 → Ki-27 otsu Suggested Research: F1M2

8 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine BR 1.7

Recommended Lineup: A5M4 or Ki-27, Ki-43-I, Ki-43-II, D3A1, B5N2 (3 fighters, 2 bombers)

Things look slightly better with the earlier Ki-43 Hayabusas becoming available at Tier II. The Ki-43-I start off with the same horrible pair of 7.7mm Type 89 guns you have been so used to by now, but you eventually gain the option to swap them out for the 12.7mm Ho-103 HMG, which fires a shorter cartridge and consequently much lower muzzle velocity and killing power compared to other guns of the same caliber (although to their credit, they do have a faster firing rate).

However, the Ki-43 is nimble enough to get on the tails of other monoplanes most of the time in a turn fight, so try to close in to around 300 m or so (with the convergence set to be that as well) before opening up with a short burst. Ki-43-II spares you the trouble of dealing with If you’re staying at BR 1.7, you’ll hardly have a need for the horrifying 7.7 mm guns and gives you 2x 250kg the 800 kg bomb unless the ground units are neatly bombs, useful for taking out clusters of ground targets. clustered together; the 6 x 60kg or 2 x 250kg bomb loads might be more useful. Torpedoes are seldom worth The D3A1 and the B5N2 are relatively standard taking as 250kg bombs can destroy most ships, as well as bombers; the D3A1 dive bomber has a pair of 7.7 ground targets. These planes are fairly huge, defenceless, mm forward firing guns for tearing up softer targets not the most durable and present themselves as while carrying a decent bomb load (250kg, 2x60kg), easy targets, so be conservative when using them. while the B5N2 torpedo bomber forgoes the forward firing machine guns and instead has a more useful Suggested Research: Ki-43-I → Ki- bomb load depending on what you’re hitting. 43-II → D3A1 → B5N2

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BR2.0 The Ki-45 Toryu series of heavy fighters (and its replacement, the Ki-102) come with a mish-mash of Recommended Lineup: Ki-43-I, Ki-43-II, Ki-45 Ko, D3A1 high-caliber gun types, while the flight performance is or B5N2, Ki-21-Ia (2 fighters, 1 heavy fighter, 2 bombers) actually decent for a heavy fighter, with decent climb rates and maneuverability. Later ones have bigger The Ki-21-Ia medium bomber, a new addition in 1.49, is cannons which can be devastating against enemy planes a much more capable bomber than the dive bombers if you score a hit, but the low rate of fire, high recoil and that you already have, and can win you matches easily huge drop at longer ranges make it difficult to actually especially if you’re sent into games where you’re not hit something. These rounds should NOT be used ranked at the bottom in terms of BR. The 19x50kg bomb against armored ground targets; they are more suited load can end games fairly quickly if enemies are not too for hitting slow moving aerial targets like bombers. careful about you, with the plane offering a relatively tough structure, decently defended with gunners and The Ko variant, at BR 2.0, comes with 1x20mm neat flight characteristics for an early bomber. cannon and 2x12.7mm MG, which is decent enough

10 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine for Boom and Zoom attacks As with most heavy inside out the moment you get in range. In other words, fighters, players have to be conservative with their don’t use this plane unless you know what you are doing. attacks and always be in the vicinity of team mates as your tail gunner is usually not of much help. Suggested Research: Ki-21-Ia → Ki-45 ko Toryu

The Tei variant, also at BR 2.0 is the weirdest among BR 2.3 the oddballs, having a Schräge Musik configuration similar to some of the German heavy fighters for the Recommended Lineup: Ki-61-I ko Hien, Ki- 20mm cannons, leaving only a slow-firing 37 mm as 61-I otsu Hien, Ki-45 ko Toryu, Ki-21-Ia, H6K the forward armament. The Schräge Musik 20mm fires (2 fighters, 1 heavy fighter, 2 bombers) at approximately a 45 degree angle to the plane’s nose and requires the player to switch to something like a The Ki-61 Hien series become available in the gunner’s mode and hold the aircraft in steady flight Army line, offering a lightweight energy fighter under the bomber, making it notoriously difficult to use with a studier airframe in the mould of the Bf 109 effectively especially when bombers usually flip you and has the same licence-built DB 601 engine as

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the Bf 109 ‘Emil’ and ‘Friedrich’ series. While the of the gunners a little bit more, so the H6K4 is not as handling is quite similar, the armament isn’t. vulnerable as in previous versions especially at this tier. The Ki-61-I ko variant opts for 2x7.7mm and 2x12.7mm The bad news is that the H6K4 is is the bomber with the MG, while the otsu variant comes mounted with biggest bomb load until Tier IV when the G5N1 Shinzan 4x12.7mm MG, both of which requires you to practice a and G8N1 Renzan heavy bombers become available. bit of gun discipline by closing the gap and firing bursts at vulnerable areas. The Ki-61 is not exactly a turn Suggested Research: Ki-61-I ko Hien fighter, although it does retain energy relatively well → Ki-61-I otsu Hien → H6K compared to other fighters, so getting a guns solution on a rapidly maneuvering fighter desperately trying BR 2.7 to get away from your guns might be more difficult. Recommended lineup: A6M2-N, Ki-61-I ko The H6K4 has a decent bomb load at BR 2.3, coupled Hien, Ki-61-I otsu Hien, Ki-45 otsu Toryu, H6K with a relatively nasty 20mm tail gunner that can take (3 fighters, 1 heavy fighter, 1 bomber) out early interceptors relatively easily if they decide to stay on your tail for too long. It can also climb pretty well, The A6M2-N, the floatplane variant of the A6M2 and at this BR, interceptors are not exactly available in Reisen fighter (or Zero), is the first decent plane abundance. It is also surprisingly maneuverable and fast with decent cannons at BR 2.7. Unfortunately, for its size compared to the Catalina. The 1.49 update the floats that the plane comes with kill off any seems to improve bombers’ durability and the lethality maneuverability and energy retention advantage you

12 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine may have, leaving you with a very slow fighter that same story goes for BR 3.0, with only the J2M2 that’s packs a heavy punch but it’s almost a death sentence reasonably competitive (The J2M2 is at BR 3.3, but can if you get caught with someone on your tail. form part of a lineup with an average BR of 3.0) and the G4M1 bomber. The Ki-45 hei and Ki-102 otsu (at The Ki-45 otsu is equally bad, with a slow firing 37mm BR 3.0 for both) are average heavy fighters for a very cannon that’s nothing like what the US have on their P-39 specialized role at best and it might be better for players Airacobras or the Yak-9. As mentioned above, these are not to field them as main line fighters in their lineup. more suited for hitting bombers with the HEFI-T rounds but the effects are usually quite devastating if the rounds This is one of the reasons why the Japanese plane actually manage to hit a plane in one of the critical parts. tech tree is very unfriendly for new players; there are simply too few quality planes here to form a The experience with BR2.7 planes is that matchmaking decent lineup to learn the game as they slowly usually up-tiers them against BR3+ planes At the move up the BR early on, making Japan one of moment, the Japanese do not have sufficient quality the toughest nations to play for a new player. planes for a lineup to do well at this level; it might be better to stick with BR 2.3 while advancing down the Suggested Research: A6M2-N → Ki-45 otsu Toryu path of research for the other planes for BR 3.7. The

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BR3.7 contemporary fighter and has great energy retention to boot. However, that does not mean you go into any fight Recommended Lineup: A6M2 mod.11, A6M2, J2M2, looking to out-turn your enemy, burning through your Ki-49-IIa, Ki-49-IIb (3 fighters, 2 bombers) energy pool and having a blatant disregard for conserving your energy. Use vertical maneuvers to conserve energy The next decent lineup occurs at BR 3.7, with the in dogfights, and only go into sharp turns if you are A6M2 fighters available for selection. The A6M confident of getting a good burst on an enemy fighter Reisen series are the epitome of Japanese fighter within, say, a complete turn or so, otherwise you will be design thinking, valuing maneuverability over other left very vulnerable if you are caught at low speeds. factors such as protection and raw engine power. On the flip side, the A6M series have poor top The A6M series are decently armed with a pair of 20mm speeds, making chasing down enemies and high cannons and a pair of MG, can out-turn almost any speed diving passes a distant dream as most planes

14 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine have the ability to just out-run you in a straight line considering you’re in a Zero). Later variants address especially if they have the energy advantage or given this shortcoming by mounting the Type 99 Mark 2 with the time to accelerate. The protection is also horribly much better muzzle velocities and ammunition count. poor on a fighter at this level (BR 3+ and 4+), with no armor protection at all. This makes bomber- The J2M2 Raiden is also another new plane introduced hunting a risky proposition, as a stray round from the in Update 1.49 with a BR of 3.3. As with new planes, the defensive turrets might just take out the pilot or the BR may not be final and subjected to changes by the plane easily; the same goes for head-on passes. developers for balance purposes. The Raiden airframe is slightly different from most other Japanese designs The A6M2 variants come with Type 99 Mark 1 cannons, in that it is not optimized for maneuverability; instead, it which are not the most ideal 20mm cannons to packs a much more powerful engine in a stubby airframe have, with low muzzle velocities, slow firing rates and used specifically as an interceptor to counter high- and low ammunition count (only 60 rounds per gun). altitude bomber raids. Interestingly, the A6M and J2M Gun discipline is definitely necessary, close in to series, two very diverse and different designs, are around 300 m before firing a burst at vital spots by from the same creator at Mitsubishi, Jiro Horikoshi. outmaneuvering the enemy (which should be easy

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The J2M2 boasts relatively good climb rates and top medium bombers’ standards in other countries. speeds; it is used mainly for Boom and Zoom attacks. Relatively fast, decently armored and maneuverable, With a pair of Type 99 Mark 2 cannons and a pair of the Ki-49 is good for tactical strikes on ground targets 7.7mm MG to supplement it, this is essentially the such as tanks and pillboxes, but strategic targets same J2M3 airframe at BR 5.0 with a slightly weaker might take a while due to its small bomb load. armament (but still devastating nonetheless) and without the turbocharger for high-altitude performance, Suggested Research: A6M2 mod.11 → A6M2 → J2M2 → which shouldn’t matter much at low to mid altitudes G4M1 (prerequisite) → Ki-49-I → Ki-49-IIa → Ki-49-IIb which is the norm in War Thunder arcade. BEYOND 4.0 The Ki-49 bomber in its multiple variants, with slight performance upgrades and defensive armament The J2M3 Raiden, like the J2M2, is an interceptor changes, remains largely the same bomber through but improved with a turbocharger for high altitude from BR 3.3 to 4.0. Although a medium bomber performance. The armament is beefed up with by Japanese classification, the useful bomb loads a pair of Type 99 Mark 1 replacing the useless are 4x250kg and 800kg bombs, considered light by 7.7mm MG at this stage in the J2M2 for a much

16 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine heavier punch. Unfortunately, research wise you The Ki-43-III Hayabusa comes with a much better have to get past the N1K2 Shiden-Kai at BR 5.7, engine and a pair of 20mm cannons and is a capable which you probably won’t use for a while yet. fighter with an emphasis on maneuverability, much like the earlier variants of the Ki-43. The Ki-61-I hei The A6M3 and A6M5 boast slight engine upgrades Hien comes heavily armed with 2 x German 20mm over the A6M2, making the Zero go that little bit MG151 cannons (with the devastating mineshells) at faster but not by much. The same disadvantages the price of some degradation of flight performance. and advantages still remain, with the exception of the armament, which is finally upgraded to Type 99 The B7A2 Ryusei is a dive bomber that can Mark 2 cannons, which are better at engaging targets fighters reasonably well, although it is not recommended slightly further out and with more ammunition. unless absolutely necessary. While the bomb load is

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fairly standard for Japanese bombers (800kg), the other superprops like the Fw 190 Dora series, F8F Ryusei comes armed with two Type 99 Mark 2 cannons Bearcats and the Griffon Spitfires. These are essentially along with a high altitude air start at the bomber energy fighters, and as with Japanese fighter design spawn, with a pretty decent climb rate to boot as well. philosophy, these planes are relatively maneuverable This allows the bomber to do some fairly incredible (although not as well as a Zero), pack a powerful engine things, such as building up an unassailable altitude in a light airframe and armed with a relatively potent advantage relatively early and conducting Boom cocktail of cannons across the different variants. and Zoom style attacks on climbing interceptors, essentially turning itself into a bomber escort; it can Heavy bomber wise, the G5N1 Shinzan has the biggest also hunt bombers quite effectively, all while dropping bomb load in the Japanese bomber lineup, but has an 800kg bomb every time the reload timer is up. horrid flight performance. The G8N1 Renzan , which is quite maneuverable for a heavy, can carry fewer bombs, Moving further down the BR, the N1K Shiden-Kais but possess a strong suite of defensive armaments and the Ki-84 Hayates are fairly average late-Tier that sprays 20mm rounds in practically every direction, IV planes as of the current patch, overshadowed by earning it the nickname ‘Death Star’ of Star Wars fame

18 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine in previous versions. The damage model and gunner accuracy is definitely not as strong now with the nerf to bombers a while back, but it is still quite deadly for fighters who wish to just sit on the tail and not dodge the gunner fire. The best bet for these Japanese heavy bombers is still to climb and bomb strategic targets while out of sight of enemy interceptors.

For jets, the R2Y2 Keiun-Kai series is at a low enough BR to fight early jets and late-war props, with some bombing capability although it is good at neither. The horrible even when up against the superprops and the Ki-200 Shusui is pretty much a Japanese copy of the Me F-86F-30 is a standard American sabre with the 6 x 163B Komet rocket interceptor. The current BR changes Browning MG configuration, all in all which makes for make the Shusui see more superior jets unfortunately, a very limited jet showing compared to other nations. like its German counterpart. The Kikka is just plain

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Unfortunately for the Japanese air services, the tides of war meant that conditions were too unfavourable to produce advanced aircraft in large quantities in 1944- 1945. Some prototypes and limited production runs were achieved for newer designs could yet make an Planes such as the Ki-44 and later versions of the Ki- appearance in War Thunder, such as the A7M Reppu, 61 have been mooted for the Imperial Japanese Army which would have been a considerable upgrade fighter tree, with the Ki-51 assault plane and Ki-48 light over the A6M Reisen series for the Navy tree. bomber being added for the bomber tree. The navy could eventually receive the D4Y Suisei dive bomber There are also a few other mass production Japanese and the upsized H8K2 flying boat for the bomber planes that have not been represented as yet, which will trees and something to fill the gaps in their fighter fill out the Japanese tree more nicely considering that it trees, like the N1K Kyofu early floatplane variant of has the least planes out of the tech trees represented. the same N1K2 Shiden-Kai fighter already in game. By Chock Wee Boon

20 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 21 ARTICLE GUNS OF JAPAN The fourth in our series of articles about WW II aircraft armament looks at the guns of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy Air Services.

Japanese aircraft mounted a wide variety of cannons This article, as per the current general consensus, and machine guns, mostly based on licensed and splits the difference and uses “cannon” to refer imported weapons. Ferocious rivalry between the to weapons with a calibre of 20 mm and above. Imperial Japanese Army and Navy meant that each developed their own weapons with little or LIGHT MACHINE GUNS no commonality. The two services even differed on weapon classification; in the Navy, weapons of a As was common at the time, the standard armament calibre up to and including 20 mm were classified for Japanese fighters of the mid-1930s was a pair of as machine guns, whereas in the Army weapons light machine guns (LMGs). Both the Army and Navy of a calibre over 11 mm were machine cannons. used 7.7 mm weapons based on the Vickers Class E gun, but where the Navy Type 97 used a rimmed

22 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine cartridge based on the British .303, the Army Type LMGS IN WAR THUNDER 89 used a slightly longer semi-rimmed cartridge, so ammunition was not compatible between the services. Japanese LMGs are typical starter weapons in War Thunder, not much use against aircraft after Tier I, For defensive weapons, early Navy aircraft used and only capable of destroying armoured cars and the 7.7 mm Type 92, a license-built version of the soft targets on the ground. As with most LMGs the Lewis gun, while the Army had a flexibly mounted Stealth belt is just about the best choice for damage, 7.7 mm Type 89 gun. Later, both the Army and the or the Universal belt if you find tracers helpful. Navy used 7.92 mm guns based on the German Rheinmetall MG 15, designated the Type 98 and Type Once past reserve planes, other nations tend to 1 respectively. In a rare case of co-operation, minor get aircraft with more, or larger calibre, guns; differences between the two weapons (such as a unfortunately armament is a weakness of many second pistol grip on the Type 1) were eliminated, low-tier Japanese fighters, with the Ki-27 and and the same manufacturer supplied both services. A5M stuck with a pair of 7.7 mm guns.

In addition to armour piercing, incendiary HEAVY MACHINE GUNS and tracer ammunition, the Japanese were unusual in using explosive rifle-calibre rounds The Army 12.7 mm Type 1 heavy machine gun containing a small quantity of PETN. With no (HMG), also known as the Ho-103, was based on fuse, these rounds were rather volatile. the American Browning mechanism but used an Italian 12.7 mm round derived from the Vickers .5” cartridge. This was a shorter cartridge than the .50 BMG, so the Ho-103 was less powerful than the Browning .50-cal, but had a higher rate of fire. The Ho-103 was a staple weapon through the war on army fighters such as the Ki-43, Ki-61 and Ki-84.

The Navy introduced an HMG towards the end of the war, also based on the Browning mechanism, but true to form they used a different round, a 13.2 mm Hotchkiss cartridge as used in some

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 23 ARTICLE HMGS IN WAR THUNDER

The most important HMG for Japanese players is the 12.7 mm Ho-103, the primary armament of Tier II Ki-43 and Ki-61 variants. Though an improvement on 7.7 mm MGs you’ll still be outgunned by many opponents of similar Battle Ratings, and will need persistence, or a bit of luck, to secure kills; closing to short range (under 300 metres) helps.

Ammunition-wise, the mix of Immediate Action Incendiary (game terminology for explosive 12.7 mm rounds) and Armour Piercing Incendiary of the Stealth belt works well, or the Air Targets belt if you prefer to have tracers. Against ground targets the Ho-103 is capable of defeating light tanks with AP ammunition from close range, but nothing heavier.

navy anti-aircraft guns. The resulting weapon, 20 MM CANNON the 13.2 mm Type 3 machine gun, was fitted to some late variants of the A6M Zero and N1K. The Navy were early to appreciate the need for a shell-firing cannon, to give carrier-based fighters Defensively, the Army used the 12.7 mm Type a powerful punch when intercepting bombers 1 on flexible mounts in bombers such as the threatening the fleet. A license was obtained for the Ki-49. The Navy introduced yet another calibre 20 mm Oerlikon FF Type F (the weapon adapted in of weapon with the 13 mm Type 2, a licensed into the MG FF), and was put into production version of the German MG 131. Due to concern as the Type 99 Model 1 cannon. The light weight about reliability in tropical conditions, the Type and compact size of the Type 99 made it ideal for 2 used percussion ammunition rather than the the A6M Zero, where weight was of paramount electrically-primed ammunition of the MG 131. importance. The trade-off was low muzzle velocity, slow rate of fire and limited ammunition capacity.

24 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine Later variants of the Zero, from the A6M3, used a use cartridges with a reduced quantity of propellant, more powerful weapon, the Type 99 Model 2, based so it didn’t live up to its full potential. The Army on the Oerlikon FFL, which used a longer cartridge. also imported a number of German MG 151/20 Ammunition capacity was also improved on later cannons, which were used on some Ki-61 fighters. Type 99 cannon with the initial 60 round drum being replaced first with a 100 round drum, then a belt feed. Needless to say, in a continuing bid to drive logistics officers mad, the five cannons all used The first Army cannon was a design based on the different, incompatible 20 mm cartridges. Type 97 semi-automatic anti- rifle, the 20 mm Ho-3. This used a powerful cartridge but was heavy 20 MM CANNON IN and slow firing, seeing limited use on the twin- WAR THUNDER engine Ki-45. More successful was the 20 mm Ho- 5, a scaled up version of the 12.7 mm Ho-103. The The Ki-45 ko at least gives Japanese pilots one Ho-5 was a good weapon, but lack of high quality cannon-armed aircraft in Tier I, with a reasonable materials and strain on production meant it had to amount of ammunition for its Ho-3. The Type 99

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Model 1s on Tier II A6M Zeros are not particularly terms of weaponry, though seldom the strongest. good cannons, but at least an improvement on None of the 20 mm guns can penetrate the armour of LMGs; they work best at close range (under 300 medium tanks, so strafing is limited to softer targets. metres), and a high Reload skill in Arcade goes some way to offsetting the low ammunition capacity. Ammunition options vary slightly between the cannons. Naval Tracer belts are made entirely MG 151s and Ho-5s give the Tier III Ki-61 and Ki-43 of High Explosive Fragmentation Tracer rounds, variants a solid punch, but watch out as the Battle and can be effective against lighter aircraft; the Ratings jump markedly compared to the MG-armed Army Ho-5 Tracer belts are all Armour Piercing variants, so be careful when putting them in an Arcade Tracer, and not as effective. Generally the Universal line-up. In Tier III and IV, as the Type 99 Model 2 and or Stealth belts contain the most useful mix of Ho-5 become the standard Navy/Army armament, High Explosive and Armour Piercing shells. Japanese aircraft are reasonably competitive in

26 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine 30 MM CANNON 30 MM CANNON IN WAR THUNDER Facing heavy US bombers, late in the war both the Army and Navy looked to more potent weapons. In War Thunder the 30 mm cannon are powerful Continuing with the Browning mechanism, the Army weapons in late Tier IV and Tier V. Ammunition Ho-155 was a scaled-up version of the 20 mm Ho-5 is primarily High Explosive; the ammunition (itself a scaled up version of the 12.7 mm Ho-103) that upgrades slightly vary the mix of Incendiary and saw limited service on fighters such as the Ki-84. Tracer shells, along with plain steel Practice shells. Practice shells have superior armour penetration The Navy’s 30 mm Type 5 was unusual in being an to the HE rounds and can be more effective against original indigenous design, potentially a good weapon, sturdy parts of aircraft such as engines, but not but arriving too late in the war to see widespread medium tanks; the “Ground targets” belt is rather service. The Type 5 was the intended armament for a misnomer. Stealth or Universal, depending on late designs and prototypes such as the J7W Shinden. your fondness for tracers, are good choices.

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37 MM AND 57 MM CANNONS LARGE-CALIBER CANNONS IN WAR THUNDER The IJA used several large calibre guns on the Ki- 45, -96, and -102 twin-engine Kawasaki fighters. In War Thunder, ammunition choice for the the One of the first was an adaptation of the 37 mm Type large calibre guns is simple: there is only a Default 94 field gun, manually loaded, not a great success belt filled with High Explosive Fragmentation due to the low rate of fire. The 37 mm Ho-203 was Incendiary - Tracer (HEFI-T) rounds. As a result based on another infantry weapon, the Type 11 gun, the 37 mm and 57 mm guns are ineffective against with an automatic loading mechanism; the Ho-203 armoured ground targets; their primary use is was scaled up to use a 57 mm round as the Ho-401. taking down bombers. The low rate of fire (especially Finally the 37 mm Ho-204 was another weapon of the Type 94) and limited ammunition capacity based on a scaled-up Browning mechanism. makes them less than ideal for engaging agile fighters, but very damaging if you can score a hit. By John ‘Zoso’ Moore

28 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 29 REVIEW

PANZER IV F2 REVIEW under consideration. However, the Panzer III’s turret HISTORY ring was too small. The Panzer IV, with the larger turret ring, took on the modified 7.5cm gun which The Panzer III and Panzer IV medium tanks were became the KwK40 L/43, going toe-to-toe with the designed around the roles of anti-armour and infantry T-34 and KV-1 and taking on the anti-armour role. support respectively. The original PzKpfw IV Ausf. F was ordered and built with the 7.5cm KwK37 from The urgency of the situation meant that the German April 1941, firing low velocity high-explosive shells. Army High Command (OKH) issued an order to mount the KwK40 as soon as possible, with 25 of However, within a few months, events in Operation the original F models being converted, and another Barbarossa saw German tanks come up against the 175 being built between March and July 1942 for a new T-34 and KV-1 heavy tanks, which the Panzer total of 200, given the revised designation of Ausf. III was ill-equipped to handle with its 5cm cannon. F2. These tanks served on the Soviet and Western Much stronger anti-tank guns were needed and Desert campaigns and were superior to the Rheinmetall’s 7.5cm anti-tank gun design was Russian, British and American armour they faced.

30 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine IN-GAME ++ Good gun depression (-10 degrees) -- Ammo racks line the entire fighting compartment The Pz. IV F2 represents the turning point in the -- Horribly poor armor for a medium; most tank Panzer IV operating role from infantry support to rounds will penetrate even the frontal armor anti-armour, reflected in the greatly increased -- Poor turret traverse speed lethality of its main gun. As such, the BR increases significantly from the Ausf. F1 to F2. SUGGESTED STRATEGY

The PzGr39, the main AP shell with a HE filler, has a This tank is a ‘glass cannon’; any hits to the tank will penetration of 121mm at 500m and 107mm at 1000m, most likely take it out in one hit, but anything it hits will allowing it to penetrate even the KV-1 anywhere be taken out in one hit as well, including heavy tanks. and Sherman turrets as well. The PzGr40 APCR shell should take care of any thick frontal armour, Always stay concealed at all times behind objects, being able to achieve a penetration of 127mm at or hide behind crests while observing over the 1000m range. This is essentially the same gun hilltop, only popping out to fire when the enemy is mounted on its more menacing late-model Panzer not pointing in your direction. Adopt a hull-down IV brothers who happen to be at least 1.0BR higher. position and make full use of the good gun depression to present the smallest target possible when Being a hastily strapped-on conversion of the Pz. IV firing. Trading shots with this tank is a no-no; you F1, it comes with the horribly thin armor that was probably won’t survive the first round that hits you. originally intended for the infantry support role. By Chock Wee Boon Frontal armor is not sloped and 50mm in thickness on the chassis and front, with 30mm protecting the sides.

PROS AND CONS

++ Good gun with respectable accuracy ++ Good selection of rounds with high penetration ++ APCBC with HE filler has a very good chance of taking out any tank it faces in one hit ++ Relatively decent top speed for a medium tank

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 31 REVIEW

Main Gun: 7/10 Pz.Kpfw IV Ausf. F2 High muzzle velocity, good gun depression (+10/-20 degrees) but slow turret rotation speed (16.5 degrees/sec) Rounds: 10/10 Good mix of rounds with high penetration; can kill any tank it encounters Mobility: 6/10 Decent top speed Armor: 3/10 Tier (BR): II (3.7, 3.3, 3.3) Hull: 50/30/30 mm Unsloped thin armor offers minimal protection Mass: 22.3 tons Turret: 50/30/30 mm Overall: 6.5/10 Spd: 43 km/h Reload: 7.6 s Main Gun: 75 mm KwK40 L/43 cannon (Ammo: 87) APCBC 121mm, APCR 151mm at 500m

Main Gun: 8/10 M4A1 Sherman Fast turret traverse (28.5 degrees/sec) and very good gun depression & elevation (-12/+25 degrees) Rounds: 7/10 Decent penetration for rounds, APCBC offers decent collateral damage Mobility: 5/10 A little on the slow side Armor: 8/10 Sloped and thick turret armor, good gun Tier (BR): II (3.3, 3.3, 3.3) Hull: 50/38/38 mm depression allows the Sherman to go hull- Mass: 30.6 tons Turret: 76/50/50 mm down and hide the weak side chassis armor Spd: 38 km/h Reload: 6.5 s Overall: 7.0/10 Main Gun: 75 mm M3 cannon (Ammo: 90) AP 92mm, APCBC 81mm pen at 500m

32 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine Pz.Kpfw III Ausf. M Main Gun: 9/10 Very high muzzle velocities with small-caliber round makes this easy to aim; fast reload Rounds: 6/10 Sufficient penetration but poor collateral damage with smaller-caliber kinetic rounds Mobility: 7/10 Decent top speed with fast reverse gear Armor: 8/10 Tier (BR): III (3.7, 3.7, 3.7) Hull: 70/35/50 mm Frontal armor is relatively thick but unsloped, Mass: 22.7 tons Turret: 77/35/35 mm schürzen and turret armor plates can detonate Spd: 43 km/h Reload: 4.8 s rounds away from fighting compartment Main Gun: 50 mm KwK39 cannon (Ammo: 92) Overall: 7.5/10 APC 79mm, APCR 108mm pen at 500m

T-34 1941 Main Gun: 6/10 Fast turret traverse (29.4 degrees/sec) but average muzzle velocity, good for short to medium range engagements; poor gun depression (-5/+28 degrees) Rounds: 6/10 BR-350B has decent penetration and good collateral damage but will struggle against more heavily-armored tanks Mobility: 8/10 Tier (BR): II (3.3, 3.3, 3.3) Hull: 45/45/40 mm High top speed among contemporary medium tanks Mass: 26.5 tons Turret: 45/45/45 mm Armor: 6/10 Spd: 49 km/h Reload: 7.2 s Armor thickness is average but Main Gun: 76 mm F-34 cannon (Ammo: 77) sloped, turret armor is poor APHEBC 87mm pen at 500m Overall: 6.5/10

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 33 ARTICLE THIS MONTH IN WWII: JUNE 1940 The Dunkirk evacuations, codenamed “Operation were forced to surrender to the German army. Dynamo” ended on the 3rd of June, 1940. Nearly 225,000 British troops, and 150,000 Belgian, On June 7th, the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious Dutch, and French troops were evacuated to the and its two escorts, the HMS Acasta . 861 vessels, many of which were and HMS Ardent, were sunk by the German civilian in nature, were used in the evacuation; Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the 243 of those were documented as sunk during the Norwegian Sea. Of the roughly 1560 men aboard operation. Unfortunately, between 30 and 40,000 the three vessels, only 40 survivors were recorded, French soldiers were unable to be evacuated, and with one each from the two .

34 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine After months of talks with Hitler’s government, Great Britain several days before. Benito Mussolini declared war on and Great Britain on June 10th. The Allies responded quickly, On June 14th, the Soviet Navy began a blockade placing into internment centers any Italians that had of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The Soviet lived in Britain for fewer than 20 years. The United government had previously, and unsuccessfully, States also responded, with President Roosevelt attempted to set up military pacts with these stating that “the material resources of this nation” countries in order to establish forward military would be used to support the Allied efforts. bases. Over the next several days approximately 500,000 Soviet troops were used to invade and occupy Also on the 10th of June, Norway surrendered these countries. Several government leaders were to the German army. King Haakon and most imprisoned, with some later dying, in Siberia. of his government had been evacuated to

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 35 ARTICLE

On the 17th of June, the RMS Lancastria was 4,000 people, more than the combined losses sunk while in service as a British troop transport of the RMS Titanic and RMS Lusitania. during Operation Ariel. After an air raid by Junkers Ju 88 bombers, the vessel listed, rolled over, That same day, General Charles De Gaulle fled and sank within twenty minutes of the attack. France with 100,000 francs given to him by This incident claimed the lives of approximately ex-Prime Minister Paul Reynaud. He openly denounced the French government’s willingness to seek an armistice with Germany. He is later recognized by the British government as the leader of “Free France” on June 27th.

On June 21st, negotiations began in in Compiègne, France for a Franco-German armistice. Adolf Hitler chose the site personally. As it was the

36 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine location of the 1918 Armistice ending World War I, On June 26th, the Soviet Union demanded territory he saw it as payback for the reparations Germany from Romania. Despite having been given notice was forced to make after the Great War. Not only two days earlier, the German government did not was it the same location, but the same railcar inform the Romanian government, and agreed not was pulled out of a museum and placed in the to provide support. Knowing that they could not put exact same spot as in 1918, and Hitler himself sat up an adequate defense against the Soviet military, on the very same chair that Marshal Ferdinand the Romanian government agreed to the demands Foch sat on during the 1918 negotiations. and withdrew their officials from the territory.

On that same day, Italian forces invaded France. On June 30th, after days of bombing by the The armistices were signed with Germany and Luftwaffe, Germany invaded the Channel Isles. The on June 22nd and 24th respectively. islands were occupied by infantry, communications equipment, and anti-air emplacements. The June 25th saw the last evacuations of Operation Ariel. Channel Isles remained under German occupation In total, nearly 200,000 military personnel and civilians until the end of the war in May 1945. were evacuated from France. Over 130 artillery pieces, 2,300 vehicles, and 24 tanks were left behind. By David “HJFarnsworth” King

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 37 ARTICLE TALES FROM WORLD WAR II - CODEBREAKING AND ESPIONAGE A collection of notable, unusual and curious stories from the Second World War. This month we take a look at tales of codebreaking and espionage in the Pacific Theatre. A FALSE MESSAGE ABOUT A BROKEN WATER PURIFICATION PLANT CONFIRMED MIDWAY AS A TARGET FOR JAPANESE ATTACK

was one possibility, so the commanding officer was ordered to send a radio message in the clear saying that the island’s water purification plant had broken down, and fresh water was needed. An intercepted Japanese message stating ‘AF is short of water’ confirmed that Midway was the target, allowing Nimitz to position his carriers for the decisive attack on the Japanese fleet on June 4th.

Another critical piece of information gained from a JN-25 message in April 1943 was a detailed itinerary for an inspection tour by Admiral Yamamoto, commander of the Combined Fleet. The message revealed that Yamamoto was due to fly to a small The US Navy cracked several Japanese codes, most airfield in the Solomon Islands, just within range importantly the main naval code designated JN-25. of US fighters on Guadalcanal. 18 P-38 Lightnings In the spring of 1942, messages regarding an attack were despatched on Operation Vengeance, on a target designated ‘AF’ were intercepted, but successfully shooting down the two G4M ‘Betty’ the identity of ‘AF’ was not known. Midway Island aircraft transporting Yamamoto and his staff.

38 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine A DOLL SELLER IN NEW YORK TRIED TO PASS ON INFORMATION ABOUT THE STATUS OF US SHIPS IN LETTERS DESCRIBING DAMAGE TO DOLLS

Not all codes were as difficult to crack as JN-25. would be back to work soon” (USS Shaw, damaged From 1942, the FBI became aware of several odd at Pearl Harbor, ready to rejoin the fleet again). letters. Mailed to an address in Buenos Aires from several different senders in the USA, the letters had The FBI traced the letters to Velvalee Dickinson, a been returned, undelivered. Intercepted by censors, doll seller in New York, who had used her customer’s or handed over to the FBI by puzzled citizens who addresses and forged signatures on the letters. denied having sent them, the letters contained Dickinson had been recruited by the Japanese Naval suspicious phrases such as “I just secured a lovely attaché in New York City to provide intelligence, but Siamese Temple Dancer [doll], it had been damaged, her contact in Buenos Aires had been exposed and that is tore in the middle, but it is now repaired” (a fled, leaving the letters to be returned to sender. reference to repairs to USS Saratoga, torpedoed in Dickinson was sentenced to ten years in jail. January 1942), and “Mr. Shaw, who had been ill but

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 39 ARTICLE

A rather more effective agent was Takeo Yoshikawa. The information supplied by Yoshikawa greatly Sent to Honolulu in April 1941 under diplomatic assisted in the planning of the attack on Pearl Harbor. cover, he gathered a mass of intelligence on American forces in Hawaii, observing Pearl He was arrested with the rest of the consulate Harbor from many vantage points (including the staff, and returned to Japan as part of a diplomatic Shunchoro tea house), hiring aircraft from Rodgers exchange in 1942. He received no official recognition Airport for “pleasure flights”, and surveying for his work, and died in 1993 with no pension. underwater obstacles in the guise of a fisherman.

JAPANESE NAVAL INTELLIGENCE OFFICER TAKEO YOSHIKAWA OFTEN ENJOYED DINNER AT THE SHUNCHORO TEA HOUSE, OVERLOOKING PEARL HARBOR

40 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine SOVIET SPY RICHARD SORGE IS SOMETIMES KNOWN AS “STALIN’S JAMES BOND” DUE TO HIS FONDNESS FOR FAST MOTORCYCLES, WOMEN AND ALCOHOL

Following the German invasion of the USSR, Sorge was vindicated, and Moscow requested information on Japanese intentions; the hard- pressed Soviet Union could ill afford a two front war if Japan invaded from Manchuria.

The Japanese military had two options: To strike north at the USSR, or south to the colonies of France, Britain and the Netherlands. The rapid German advance into was encouraging, but with the oil embargo imposed by the the resources Knowledge of Japanese intentions was also critical of the Dutch East Indies became a critical objective. in , and was provided by Richard Sorge. By September, the decision had been made A Soviet agent working as journalist, Sorge joined the not to attack the USSR and to prepare to turn Nazi party for cover, and was sent to Tokyo in 1933. south. Sorge learned of this, and transmitted the information to Moscow, allowing Stalin to Gradually building a network of informants, Sorge redeploy troops from the far east of the USSR was able to gather information on both Germany to take part in the counter-attacks of December and Japan. He warned of the German military 1941 that relieved the pressure on Moscow. build-up on the Soviet border in 1941, but his information was regarded as suspicious, possibly By John ‘Zoso’ Moore deliberate misinformation to provoke a response.

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 41 ARTICLE LIONS, EAGLES AND TROPHIES WAR THUNDER 101 - GAME ECONOMY

In this article we introduce the basics of the War Thunder economy - the two types of currency, premium items that can be bought with Golden Eagles, and trophies

CURRENCY rearm and repair vehicles between battles, and to buy up to two additional crew slots per nation. War Thunder has two types of currency: Silver Lions and Golden Eagles. Golden Eagles, the premium currency, are usually bought using real money from the War Thunder store; Silver Lions, the regular currency, are earned during you can also earn a few Eagles by completing some of battles (or sometimes found in trophies), and used the tutorial missions, or from Golden Battle wagers. to buy regular vehicles, purchase modifications, Golden Eagles can speed up progress in several ways,

42 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine but they are not essential, almost everything in the PREMIUM VEHICLES game can be unlocked without spending any money. Premium vehicles, shown with a brown background Some of the items that can be purchased on the right hand side of the tech tree screen, are with Golden Eagles include: often more unusual models or variants such as prototypes or foreign vehicles, either captured or PREMIUM ACCOUNT TIME supplied via lend-lease. Some are specific vehicles from history, associated with a particular pilot or crew with an appropriate paint scheme. The Golden Eagle price of a premium vehicle is show on the bottom of the icon; some are labelled ‘Bundle’, these are bought as part of bundles in the game store (http://warthunder.com/en/store/).

Premium vehicles do not have superior performance to regular vehicles, but have three advantages. Firstly, you can buy and use them at any point rather than having to research and unlock them. Be careful in Arcade mode, Upgrading to a premium account increases Research Point and Silver Lion gain. A premium account is a good way to speed up research, especially if you play a lot; if you play infrequently then other options such as premium vehicles may be better value.

Click on the diamond icon at the top of the screen to buy premium account time with Golden Eagles; the more time you purchase, the cheaper per day it is. Sometimes for big celebrations such as game anniversaries, premium time is offered at a discount; one year of premium time with a 50% discount works out quite reasonably, if you think you might be playing that long.

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 43 ARTICLE

though, slotting in a Tier IV premium vehicle next to your CREW SKILLS, SILVER LIONS reserves is not a good idea. Secondly, they start off with AND RESEARCH POINTS all modifications and upgrades available; there’s no need to grind out better engines, types of ammunition You can also use Golden Eagles to buy crew skill etc. Finally, most premium vehicles give better silver points (via the “Accelerated Training” option) or Silver lion rewards and research point bonuses than regular Lions (click on the Silver Lion icon at the top of the vehicles; check the stat cards to see the exact value. screen). You can change Convertible Research Points (shown next to the yellow light bulb icon at the top of PREMIUM UPGRADES the screen) into actual Research Points to assist with - BACKUP VEHICLES unlocking new aircraft by clicking on the icon and using & TALISMANS the “Accelerated Research” option. Generally these are quite expensive ways of speeding up progress. Most modifications and upgrades can be researched, then bought with Silver Lions. If you’re impatient, TROPHIES though, you can immediately purchase an upgrade with Golden Eagles. There are also two upgrades that In update 1.47, War Thunder introduced Trophies. can only be bought with Eagles: Backup Vehicles, These are virtual boxes containing a random that allows you to use the vehicle more than once in item or selection of items, similar to lockboxes a battle (each use must be purchased separately), or crates in other free-to-play games. and a Talisman, that permanently doubles Research Points gained using that vehicle. A regular vehicle There are four ways to get trophies, and they with a Talisman is a good way of speeding up can contain several types of items. research of other vehicles within one tier of it.

44 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine course there was only a very small chance for that!) DAILY REWARD TROPHIES Update 1.49 changed the system; as well as Silver Lions, battle trophies can now also contain discounts on The first thing you notice when logging in to War Thunder premium vehicles, and modifications or upgrades for is the Daily Reward screen, giving you a free trophy every your planes or tanks. As well as regular modifications day. Most days you get a Medium Trophy that usually (e.g. upgraded engines or fuel, new ammunition types), contains a small Booster (with a chance of a larger item), battle trophies can include premium backup vehicles but every 7 and 14 days you get a more exciting Huge (allowing you to use a plane or tank more than once Trophy with larger boosters, wagers or game currency. in a battle) and, if you’re especially lucky, talismans that boost all research point rewards for a vehicle. POST-BATTLE TROPHIES SPECIAL EVENT TROPHIES After every battle, you have a chance of receiving a trophy. These random battle rewards were first introduced Sometimes there are events in War Thunder that offer in update 1.31 and were always a quantity of Silver trophies as rewards. Events often have a series of stages, Lions, the jackpot being 1,000,000 Lions (though of each with a goal such as getting 25 player kill or 15 match

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 45 ARTICLE

victories, with a trophy for each stage that might contain BOOSTERS Silver Lions, boosters or wagers; trophies for the final stage may contain a guaranteed premium vehicle. Keep Boosters are found in trophies or bought in the item an eye out on the game launcher or main War Thunder shop. As the name suggests, they boost the amount of website for news of events; when they are running you Silver Lions or Research Points you gain after a match, can usually track your progress by clicking on your from a minor 10% boost up to a whopping 500%. username at the top of the screen, then “Achievements”. Boosters from the Daily Reward Trophy expire if you don’t activate them within three days (the amount of time left is shown in your inventory, which can be accessed via the crate icon at the top of the screen), so don’t hang around too long. To use a booster, just open your inventory, and click “Activate” under the booster you wish to use.

Multiple boosters can be used at the same time, but boosters of the same type have diminishing returns; the ITEM SHOP TROPHIES game will warn you of this before you activate the second booster, and tell you the reduced boost that will apply. Trophies can also be bought for Golden Eagles in the item shop. The contents of the trophies on offer varies over time; hover your mouse over them to see what they might contain. The key word here is “might”, a 299 Eagle trophy might have a chance of containing a premium plane or tank that would cost far more than that, but it’s a very small chance. Item shop trophies are like lottery scratchcards, if you have money to burn and don’t mind losing it then by all means take a gamble, but if you really want something in one of the trophies most people will be better off saving up for it instead.

46 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine Once activated, a booster lasts for 24 hours or a number complete a task a number of times. The tasks can be of missions, whichever comes first. The larger boosters to win matches, to get a certain number of kills within (100% and up) generally only apply to a single mission, a match, or to get a particular achievement such as smaller boosters may last for several missions; hover “Mission Maker”, “Wing Breaker” or “The Best Squad”. your mouse over a booster to see the details. Mouse over a wager to see the specific requirements; WAGERS often there will be additional conditions such as “You must have at least one vehicle of Tier III - V”, Wagers are also found in trophies, less frequently than so you can’t get out the starter biplanes and go up boosters. As the name suggests, the idea of wagers against brand new players. If you activate a wager is that you make an initial stake using your Silver and it does not seem to be progressing, double check Lions, usually from 1,000 and 10,000, then try and the conditions. You will also see the list of rewards;

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 47 ARTICLE

generally you will make your money back if you with the wager. Mouse over this, or the wager in succeed once, and profit after that. Wagers may have your inventory, to show further details; you will also between 5 and 20 stages of rewards for successfully see a summary of the wager at the bottom of the meeting the requirements, and will allow you to fail screen between battles, just over the vehicles. between 3 and 10 times before the wager is over. After you have succeeded or failed the maximum number of times, the wager ends, and (if you succeeded at least once) you receive your reward.

One notable type of wager is the “Golden Battles” wager. Sometimes found in the 7 or 14 day Huge Trophy daily rewards, these pay out Golden Eagles rather than Silver Lions, and you do not need to use your own Eagles to make a stake at the beginning (so it’s not really a ‘wager’!) The objective of Golden Battle wagers is just to win matches; your best chance is to group up with some really skilled squadmates if you can, otherwise pray for some decent random team-mates!

MORE ABOUT THE ECONOMY

This article is meant as a guide to someone who’s new to the game and may be confused by the game currencies & economy mechanisms, and we hope this helps!

In future articles in this series, we’ll delve a little deeper, such as the most cost-effective way of After each battle (where you meet the conditions), speeding up vehicle research, and the different types you will see an icon with a green tick or red cross of wagers and tips on how to complete them. on the battle results screen to show your progress By John ‘Zoso’ Moore

48 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 49 ARTICLE FUNNY CORNER We present a look at the lighter side of things with some military humour doing the rounds on the Internet.

FUNNY SQUAWKS Problem: Something loose in cockpit Action: Something tightened in cockpit ‘Squawks’ are problems that pilots leave for maintenance crews to fix before the next Problem: DME volume unbelievably loud flight. Here’s a collection of squawks and their Action: Volume set to more believable level replies from wacky maintenance crews. Problem: Aircraft handles funny Problem: Left inside main tyre Action: Aircraft warned to straighten almost needs replacement up, fly right, and be serious Action: Almost replaced left inside main tyre Problem: Sounds like someone’s Problem: Dead bugs on windshield hitting engine with a hammer Action: Live bugs on backorder Action: Took hammer from that guy and made him promise not to do it again Problem: Evidence of hydraulic leak on right main Problem: #2 ADF needle runs wild Action: Evidence removed Action: Caught and tamed #2 ADF needle

50 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine Problem: Autopilot in altitude hold mode Problem: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick produces a 200 feet per minute descent Action: That’s what they’re there for Action: Cannot reproduce problem on ground Problem: IFF inoperative Problem: Unfamiliar noise coming from #2 engine Action: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode Action: Engine run for four hours, noise now familiar Problem: Suspected crack in windscreen Problem: 3 roaches in cabin Action: Suspect you’re right Action: 1 roach killed, 1 wounded, 1 got away Problem: Mouse in cockpit Problem: Whining sound heard on engine shutdown Action: Cat installed Action: Pilot removed from aircraft Problem: Test flight OK, except autoland very rough Problem: Target Radar hums Action: Autoland not installed on this aircraft Action: Reprogrammed Target Radar with the lyrics

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 51 WORDSEARCH WORDSEARCH

Click anywhere on this page to download the wordsearch

52 // War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine CAPTION COMPETITION

Click anywhere on this page to caption the image below and be in with a chance to win 1,000 Golden Eagles!

War Thunder Community Magazine The GameOn Magazine // 53 Brothers: The Thoughts of Two Gamers

Have a safe flight! See you in next issue.

Issue 48 • October 2013 54 • GameOn Magazine