Honneur et Patrie – French Ground Forces Deploying To War Thunder

Posted on 01 Dec 2017 by
Lee Braden

French tanks are coming to War Thunder chaps, and it’s going to be a mix of heavy armour and autoloaders.

Since there isn’t an official video, I chose one of the videos from the Tank Museum, Bovington where they talk about the Char B1, which is one of the starter packs listed for sale.

While not entirely the best designed tanks at the start of the war, the French had the most potent tanks based upon the doctrine followed by most nations in 1920-1939 and did score some successes.

The French where also very forward thinking after the war with their tanks as well as their aircraft, which we see tanks with oscillating turrets and drum-fed autoloaders, such as the AMX-13 T75 (Char Lance SS-11), and also a modification to the American M4 Sherman to include a drum autoloader with 6 rounds in each of the two drums.

However, you can soon use these armoured beasts yourself when 1.75 hits, carrying on the French expansion that happened with the Armée de l’air that was added in Patch 1.73.

Also, while not directly involving France, but on the 30th of November in 1939, the Russians started the Winter War against Finland, and Finland had at the time the Renault FT, so you can re-enact that in War Thunder soon.

I do think I need to mention this interesting factoid as well, that I was remiss in adding in during the information about 1.73:

According to the British historian Niall Ferguson, France has participated in 50 of the 125 major European wars fought since 1495, and in 168 battles fought since 387 BC, they have won 109, drawn 10 and lost 49: this makes France the most successful military power in European history—in terms of number of fought and won.


Official Press Release

War Thunder announces French Ground Forces

Next content Update adds French tanks from World War II and beyond

Friday, 1st December 2017 — Gaijin Entertainment announced today that the next content update to its vehicular combat MMO War Thunder will introduce French Ground Forces. Following the addition of the French Air Force early in November with Update 1.73 “Vive la France”, the French Army will enter the battlefields of War Thunder with dozens of armoured vehicles available from rank I to rank VI. New technology peculiar to French tanks, such as oscillating turrets and drum-fed autoloaders, will open new tactical opportunities to players.

On the early ranks, French tanks are generally well-armoured, which will provide good protection for the small crew of only three men. Most outstanding here are the heavy tanks, the Char B1bis and Char B1ter, which are not only exceptionally well protected, but also offer a large crew and powerful armament. Their low speed and maneuverability however leaves them vulnerable whenever rapid movement is required, e.g. to position correctly against the most powerful cannons or evade airborne attacks. To avoid rockets and bombs, players of the early French heavy tanks will have to pay close attention not only to the battlefield itself, but also to the situation above it.

Starting with the medium ranks, several French tanks are equipped with automatic loading devices. These autoloaders allow for a number of shots to be taken in quick succession, followed by a very long reload time. This allows players on more modern French vehicles equipped with this technology to push fast aggressive armored assaults against the enemy.

Post-war vehicles of the French nation feature yet another characteristic new to War Thunder – oscillating turrets. These turrets are divided into two sections, with the upper responsible for cannon elevation and the lower for turret traverse. This ingenious engineering solution significantly reduced the size of the turret, making it a much more difficult target.

The first two tanks in War Thunder that combine both of these new technologies are the AMX-13 SS.11 and the M4A1 FL10, with the latter being a modification of the American Sherman tank. The turrets of both vehicles are equipped with an autoloaded 75mm cannon featuring two six-round drum magazines, allowing each to take a series of 12 shots in quick succession. Due to the long time required to change the two drums, finding a safe place after an attack is important. However the AMX-13 S.11 is also equipped with four guided anti-tank missiles, so even being spotted during reload does not necessarily mean game over.

For more information about these vehicles and other upcoming French tanks, follow the Developer Diaries on War Thunder’s official website here: http://www.warthunder.com/devblog

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