Tank duels

[[JiF]Uncle Stinky]

OK, here's the situation.

I'm in a Sherman and come around a corner and see a PzKpw IV. We are both facing each other, and I get in the first shot. We trade shots like this, front-to-front, and I blow up first despite having landed the first hit.

So what's going on here. Is there a sweet spot even in frontal armor that you should aim for? Or do the shots do a variable amount of damage, and the other guy got lucky? I'm assuming of course that the Sherman and PzKpw IV have equal armor and shells.

[[JiF]Brick]

Stinky:
Check out section 3.3 of this link. Apparently there is a weak spot in the front of a Sherman.
http://intel.planetbattlefield.gamespy. ... stank.html

[[JiF]corn]

Thanx!

Great Info

[[JiF]Sly Gambit]

OK, here's the situation.

I'm in a Sherman and come around a corner and see a PzKpw IV. We are both facing each other, and I get in the first shot. We trade shots like this, front-to-front, and I blow up first despite having landed the first hit.

So what's going on here. Is there a sweet spot even in frontal armor that you should aim for? Or do the shots do a variable amount of damage, and the other guy got lucky? I'm assuming of course that the Sherman and PzKpw IV have equal armor and shells.

FWIW a head-to-head battle between the Sherman/Panzer is almost always won by the Panzer. They share weak spots so there's no real advantage. The Panzer had more armor but it's also a bigger target. The armor difference is significant because it allows the Panzer to take the last shot from the Sherman w/o blowing up (tho I think it's usually at <10% health and immobile). The Sherman doesn't have that extra armor so he goes boom.

I can never figure out where the Tiger's -really- weak spot is and always get frustrated when dueling with a Panzer/M10 when I see them hit it and my armor drops dramatically. The rest of the tanks it's pretty easy to avoid exposing your weak spot. Like that link said you charge off left or off right rather than going head to head. Always keep moving and learn the rate of fire for the tanks. Then you time when the guy has shot and try to alter your direction (reverse/forward) right when he should be getting reloaded.

The biggest mistake people make in tank battles is they think it's about how fast they shoot when in reality it's the accuracy that's important. If you're one-on-one with a good tanker and you miss a shot you're probably dead - unless you happen to be in an M10/Tigger while they're in a small tank.

I've won my fair share of duels with Tiggers/M10s when I'm in a smaller tank but almost always have to do so from long distance (tigers and m10s have bigger arcs) or by getting around them.

Just keep playing Aberdeen and you'll figure out all of these rules without ever reading anything.

[[JiF][AARP]Tissueman]

Good advice, Sly. Learn to move and shoot. Doesn't work in 42, but in FH you can fire in front of the other tank and put up enough smoke and dust that they can't see you to aim. Works well if you are running from a big tank. Also use the terrain when you can to hide as much of your tank as you can. Finally, let another tank go first to 'find' the enemy. I like to scout ahead on foot and call out enemy armor for tanks, but it's rare to find a tanker with the patience to let me do that.

[[JiF]Uncle Stinky]

Great stuff. Thanks.

[Bonedaddy]

The write-up in that link is based on v1.2. In dog years that's like the dark ages.

- The thickest armor on the tank is the front. A nose-to-nose battle implies you and your opponent are fast approaching one another or that you've closed the distance and are now face-to-face. This is a position you don't want to allow yourself to be in. Exchanging rounds nose-to-nose is tedious, leaves too much to chance and opens yourself to a round from your opponent's teammate.

- The next thickest armor is the sides. Landing a round on the side is preferable to a round on the nose.

- The weakest armor (and therefore the sweet spot) is the rear. A single round from another tank or AT is all that's required for a kill.

Treads: This is an area that's been discussed ad nausea but requires repeating for those newer players. The treads are a weak area. With the exception of the rear, the treads are weaker than the corresponding armor of that side. When in a face-to-face dual always aim for the treads. Granted it's a smaller target and therefore a harder target.

Other weak spots:

- The back of the turrent. Sometimes your opponent will expose the rear of the turrent by driving one direction and looking the other direction. If you're given the choice of the front armor or the rear of the turrent, aim for the turrent.

- The top of the turrent or the top of the engine compartment. On most maps you'll never see the top of the turrent/engine compartment. Aberdeen is one of the exceptions. Both are large targets and easy to hit.

Tactics:
- Never sit still. Always stay in motion. A moving target is harder to hit and a stationary target is everyone's bitch.

- Always rotate your tank to keep your nose towards your opponent. Protect your sides and rear.

- Ramming Speed Mr. Sulu. If you perceive that your opponent's tank is in a weaker condition than yours, ram him as hard as you can. You'll suffer damage but quite often the damage you inflict is the extra bit needed to destroy him.

- The Tiger Flip. If you're in a nose-to-nose pushing match with a tiger, don't back down. Initially they seem to have the upper hand but continue to push. In a pushing match the tiger will always go nose up into the air thus exposing it's underbelly. Continue to push while the tiger is nose-up to prevent him from backing off of your hood. It only takes 1 or 2 rounds to the tiger's underbelly to destroy it.

- A moving tank is hard to hit. A moving tank that can fire at and consistently hit another tank is valuable to the team. To this end the best exercise is the run-and-gun. Drive in circles around a stationary object while firing at the object. Aberdeen is a great map for this. Pick a cluster of rocks or a lone tree. After a while reverse direction and repeat. Then move further away. Rinse and repeat.

Just my 2 cents.