Overview
This guide contains detailed information about all Heavy Tanks and Tank Destroyers currently in-game, including tips for how to play them, and pros and cons of each Tank.
Disclaimer
I do not own any of the images in this guide.
I do not claim that any of these tactics are infalliable. Heavy Tanks and tank destroyers are all very powerful weapons, all armed with 75mm or larger main cannons, ranging from the (relatively) tiny Hetzer to the gigantic IS-2. I highly reccommend that you always work towards the goal of winning the battle however you can, and communicating with the rest of the team (provided it is useful)
Because of the original lack of such heavily armed and armoured targets, this guide was originally a lot shorter, but I cannot be bothered yet to split them.
Also, the title image is of a US M41 Walker Bulldog, which is not featured in game. Something about ‘balancing’ and ‘Historical accuracy’. It is also a Light Tank, but I happen to like the image.
The Heavyweights
You have finally made it this far – in Tank vs. Tank combat you are a force to be reckoned with. You have 2 top-level machine subtypes at your disposal – the lumbering Heavy Tanks and the specialized Tank Destroyers. You are feared by both infantry and lesser tanks. This is where most Tank Crewmen will distinguish themselves from the rest, and often obtain a very high k/d ratio to match. Beware though – you are still not invincible, and a single anti-tank mine can ruin your day, k/d ratio, and wallet, all in one massive explsion.
All the factions have 2 Heavy Tanks and 2 Tank destroyers as of the Furness update.
Anyway, on to the machines…
US Tanks
The US faction gains 4 new toys at levels 6, 8, 9, and 12, these being the M10 Wolverine, M18 Hellcat, M4A3E2 (76) Sherman ‘Jumbo’ and the M26 Pershing
M10 Wolverine
IMAGE GOES HERE
The US Tank destroyers were pretty unique during WWII, because they had fully rotating turrets instead of the usual method of sticking a massive gun on the hull of a now-obsolete tank, like in the case of the Hetzer, SU-85 and many more. The Wolverine is adapted from the hull of an M4A2 Sherman, but mounts an open-topped turret housing a 3-inch (76.2mm) ex-naval gun, the M7.
Pros
Decent frontal armour for such a low-level machine
Low unlock level
Low cost to buy and maintain
Has a turret
Cons
Fairly slow (in comparison to Hellcat)
Gun, whilst better than the 75mm gun M3 on the M4A1 Sherman, is still inferiour to the other 76mm guns
No secondary armament as of yet, and its historical secondary weapon was a rear-mounted MG, so it has limited use in any case.
M18 Hellcat (Tank Destroyer)
Like its predecessor the Wolverine, the Hellcat has a fully rotating turret, now mounting a 76mm M1A2 main gun, along with a heavy AA gun. It is also by far the fastest tank in-game, reaching top speeds of around 55 mph (88km/h) in real llife (I have no idea what the in-game speed is, but it is still stupidly fast). It is no surprise, then, that the Hellcat acheived the highest k/d ratio for any US tank during the war
Pros
Ridiculusly fast
Very small
Very good off-road performance
Very strong main gun
AA gun has 360-degree mounting, so can be fired in any direction
Cons
No coaxial machine gun for the driver, and the gunner position is very exposed
Paper thin armour – maximum of just 25mm
Low amount of ammo stored (45 rounds)
M4A3E2 (76) Sherman ‘Jumbo’
IMAGE GOES HERE
The Sherman Jumbo was originally an M4A3 Sherman Tank that ate too many McDonalds burgers and glued a riot shield to its face received an upgrade of around 25mm more frontal armour and increased turret armour. The guns of most of these were the usual 75mm M3 low-velocity gun, but some were refitted with 76mm guns, which is fortunately what this tank receives. (the M3 gun is alright on the Chaffee, but useless even for Mediums)
Pros
Easy to unlock
Cheap to buy and maintain
Very strong frontal armour – so strong that it would be overpowered if ‘correctly’ added as a Medium Tank
Turret armour, at 152mm (assuming Reto adds the correct turret to the tank – haven’t had time to test) is also deceptively strong
Cons
The gun. It’s absolutely useless. With APCR, it struggles to penetrate the rear of Heavy Tanks, let alone the fronts. Don’t even bother to aim for weak points; it won’t work.
It’s actually slower than a Pershing.
M26 Pershing
For the US tanker, the book stops here, with this massive tank. Mounting a massive 90mm main gun, this tank can take on the best of the best – and win.
Pros
Very fast for a Heavy Tank, both in forwards and reverse
Awesome engine noise
Great off-road abilities allow it to flank far easier than the other Heavies
Good gun that does a lot of damage (enough to 2shot enemy Heavies)
Cons
Expensive
Ineffective with only AP ammo
Maximum armour is insufficient against other Heavies (especially the massive frontal weakpoint)
German Tanks
German Tank crews, rejoice! Finally, you have access to the real Heavy hitters, and you can command 4 of them, all of which are viable to use; these being the Jagdpanzer 38(t) ‘Hetzer’, the Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G, the Panzer VI ‘Tiger’, and the legendary Panzer VI Ausf. B ‘Königstiger’. These are unlocked at levels 7,9,11 and 12, respectively, on the Armour Assault ribbon.
Jagdpanzer 38(t) ‘Hetzer’
This is the final evolution of the Czechoslovakian Lt vz. 38. Once the Panzer 38(t) was deemed to be not strong enough and the Marder 38(t) deemed obsolete due to its lack of armour, the hull was modified to fit a solid casemate structure with a powerful 75mm gun like on the Marder, and the Hetzer was born.
Pros
Good frontal armour – 60mm sloped considerably back will mainly deflect shots, and any that don’t have effectively 120mm of armour to punch through, which is difficult for all Mediums
Very small and thus easy to conceal
Low(er) unlock level
Very cheap for such a powerful vehicle
You have a roof mounted remote-control machine gun. Operated from the passenger seat, you can fire in any direction without being shot at yourself – I have found roughly half of my Hetzer kills are using this gun, however you do have to stop and switch seats to use it
Cons
Main gun is fairly useless against frontal armour
You are slower and worse off-road than the Panzer 38(t) that it is based on, so you may need nearby infantry to get out and push
To move the gun considerably, you have to turn the entire tank, which leaves you vulnerable from the rear
Your rear and side armour is less sloped and less armoured, so if you are caught from behind, get your running shoes on
If an enemy manages to hit your frontal armour at a perpendicular angle (e.g. by being above you), it’s going to hurt
Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G
Again, this design was originally an assault gun, but fitted with a long-barreled 75mm gun, it proves a strong anti-tank gun in the field. The StuG III was actually the most produced fighting vehicle in Nazi Germany, with more than 10,000 produced. At least that gives you another vehicle to command if yours gets destroyed.
Pros
Still relatively small
Very low to the ground
Powerful main gun
Good (80mm) of frontal armour; parts of which are sloped
Good off-road and on-road performance for a German Tank
Cons
Your secondary gunner position is outside the tank, so he is prone to getting shot at
Attacks to the rear and sides will almost always succeed
Again, the side skirts mean that hits to the side will almost certainly penetrate instead of bouncing
The Panther Medium Tank has a better gun than you
Panzer VI ‘Tiger’
The Tiger was the result of mounting the powerful 88mm Anti-Aircraft gun on a large armoured chassis. The entire Russian Heavy Tank programme was almost cancelled when the T-34 was shown to outclass or equal all Heavies in service, but when the Soviets encountered the Tiger, they had to seriously reconsider, and re-opened it. This is no surprise, as the Tiger I was unmatched in its heyday, and forced Russian Tanks to shoot its main gun, or crash headfirst into the gun to disable it (sadly neither work in game)
Pros
First Heavy Tank to unlock
Cheapest Heavy Tank Not any more
Easily the best Tier 1 Heavy Tank
Gun is still very good against most targets, especially with APCR
Decent top speed – similar to the rest of the German tanks despite its weight.
Good gun elevation – the Tiger I is better suited to becoming an improptu AA gun
Cons
Frontal armour may be thick, but it is flat and easy to penetrate
Accelerating from a standstill is horrible
Rubbish reversing speed
Your tracks often catch on rocks etc and bring you to a halt
You are the size of a small country, hence easily spottable
Panzer VI Ausf. B ‘Königstiger’
The pinnacle of German engineering. With a more powerful 88mm gun that is over 6 metres in length, the ‘Bengal Tiger’ (‘King Tiger’ is a minor mistranslation, and ‘Royal Tiger’ is the literal translation) is capable of crushing all other tanks – including itself, and remain relatively unscathed
Pros
Massive gun
Sloped frontal armour is almost impervious to all other tank guns
The sheer prescence of you on the battlefield will likely make the enemy sh*t it’s pants. Two of you will likely force a surrender without even firing if the enemy forgot to bring any anti-tank weaponry
Look at it. Just look at this feat of German Engineering. Sorry if I make any of you jealous of my Tiger II.
Cons
Running this thing makes an aircraft carrier look relatively cheap in comparison
You are priority target number 1 for everyone else on the battlefield
Running infantry can keep pace with you – not good if that infantry is the enemy and armed with anti-tank equipment
Very heavy, thus takes an age to move
Your sheer size means moving in anything other than an open field is difficult without being spotted
Russian Tanks
At the top of the pile of Russian military hardware are the Heavies and the Tank Destroyers. As of the Furness update Ivan the Tanker gets access 4 Tanks; the SU-76M, the SU-85, the KV-85 and the IS-2 Model 1944. These are unlocked at levels 6, 8, 9 and 12
SU-76M
IMAGE GOES HERE
Created in the usual way that impromtu Tank Destroyers are, the SU-76M is the mating of a lengthened T-70 chassis with a rear-mounted casemate structure housing a 76.2mm anti-tank gun. It was affectionately nicknamed ‘cyka’ (which Steam censores) by its crews due to it being stubborn to maneuver.
Pros
Very Cheap
Easy to unlock
Quiet and relatively fast – makes for an excellent ambush predator
Cons
Non-existant armour apart fron on the hull front, and even that is negated by having a massive superstructure at the back of the tank that is far easier to shoot instead
Inadequate gun
Minimal gun depression due to situation of gun
Your solution to AT Infantry is merely to try to run away due to the lack of MG’s on the tank.
SU-85
While the Soviets were working on a solution for the ineffectiveness of their T-34 tank against German armour of 1943, they used a similar solution to the Germans – take the chassis, mount the gun there instead and proceed to put it into production.
Pros
Good 85mm gun
Fast
Low to the ground
Cons
Even the frontal armour is inadequate, and side armour is even worse
Absolutely no secondary armament. Not even a pointy stick.
Same gun as on the T-34-85, which has both a turret and armour, making this a tad useless.
KV-85
Another stopgap solution, this time before the IS tanks could be introduced, was the fitting of the 85mm gun to a KV-1S Model 1943, except this addition, called the KV-85G, had a tiny and cramped turret, so a new 3-man turret was fitted, and the short-lived KV-85 was put into production
Pros
Low unlock level
Similar armour to the IS-2
Rear MG in turret
Cons
Said armour isn’t particularly strong
No hull MG
Inadequate gun against heavier armour (Tiger II etc.)
IS-2 Model 1944
Finally, after about five minutes of head scratching, the Soviets fitted their new tank, the IS, with a massive 122mm D-25T anti-tank gun, instead of the puny 85mm on the ineffective KV-85/IS-85/IS-1.
Pros
Massive gun
Very mobile for such a large, well-armed vehicle
Also has a rear turret MG
Cons
Armour is inadequate, even hull-down
Expensive
Armament still struggles with the Heaviest tanks.
How to Destroy
As far as Tank Destroyers are concerned, they are actually easier to destroy than Medium Tanks, due to either thin armor, or lack of a turret, or both, meaning any infantry can sneak up on you. If you are using a tank, aim for the rear of these vehicles, and you are likely good to go
For Heavies, it is often trickier. Aiming for the rear is, once again, advised, but a simple Panzerfaust will not penetrate even the M26’s side or rear armour (at least, it didn’t the last 20 times). The only way to kill one with a Panzerfause is to somehow be above it and hit it about 5 or 6 times, by which time the driver will likely have shot you or run away. So, to kill them, one must use professional Anti-Tank equipment, aiming for the rear or sides, or get another Heavy Tank and shoot at it until it is dead.
This is NOT the case for the new Sherman Jumbo, which has very weak rear armour (the sides are reasonably good, so don’t aim there)
Strangely, anti-personnel grenades still won’t damage Heavy Tanks or Tank Destroyers. I have lost count of the number of times that I’ve seen infantry throwing grenades at tanks, with the grenades then detonating, not damaging the tank at all (surprise surprise) and killing their own team-mate who is setting up actual anti-tank mines behind the tank. Also, crowding an enemy tank will make your own tankers less likely to shoot it, giving the enemy ample time to run / fire. Unless you have actual anti-tank weaponry, it’s best that you don’t get in the way of those that do
Tank Crewman Builds
This section should be no surprise to anyone who has read my other guides. In short, you have 2 builds:
1. Submachinegun. If you can, choose the 2nd Tier one from your faction (Thompson M1A1, Maschinenpistole 40 or PPSh-41), or the PPS-43 for you lucky Russians. This will fill up all 6 slots for your tank driver. This gives you good close-combat firepower at the cost of no extra equipment to carry.
2. Pistol, Grenade, Wrench. I tend to use this build for general combat, but it requires you unlocking the wrench and your faction’s pistol first. As far as the Pistol and Grenades are concerned (since there is only 1 wrench), choose whichever you prefer – I usually choose anti-personnel grenades instead of anti-tank grenades, but you can choose whichever you want.
3. M1A1 Carbine, Wrench (US faction only) Feasible if you want to give up Grenades for a slightly better weapn, but the US revolver, which can be modded to a 2-hit kill, is far better in my opinion.