So, what do Tank Side Skirts actually do?

[Nipah]

It's just a small simple question, but do Tank Side Skirts actually do anything in this game? I mean, i remember watching a documentary and it said that they were designed for Anti-Tank Infantry Weapons, and also to prevent Satchel charges and sticky bombs from landing on the tank. But this is War Thunder, there's none of that. But they wouldn't of modeled and coded all that in for no reason and wasted company time and resources. So they must be used for Something right? 5mm extra of armor might aswell be considered just thin air.

[@theweedfather]

Well side skirts and spaced armor detonate incoming rounds before they penetrate, which is why you'll see that sometimes side skirts or spaced armor gets hit yet you receive no damage for it. Against high penetration weapons it's still pretty pointless but more times than not it actually helps you from getting a guaranteed ammo rack shot or track disabling, IF you're lucky.

[Illusionyary]

Protects against HEAT.

[Rumpelcrutchskin]

Originally posted by Illusionyary:

Protects against HEAT.

That nobody uses at that BR where most sideskirts become available.
It's pretty much useless and wont save you.

[Illusionyary]

Originally posted by Rumpelcrutchskin:

Originally posted by Illusionyary:

Protects against HEAT.

That nobody uses at that BR where most sideskirts become available.
It's pretty much useless and wont save you.

Well yeah but OP asks what it does :P

[Desolator]

Most sideskirts aren't even modeled as armor so, they're pointless

[Voyevoda]

to prevent tanks from showing too much leg.

[Katokevin]

The first addition of side skirts were for the German Panzer III's (and later models, on the front of the hull and turret) to protect against the new and very common Soviet PTRD and PTRS firing the 14.5x114mm round. They could also prevent small explosive weapons from being stuck directly to the tank, giving the crew a better chance of survival. But it was often not thick or far enough from the tank to stop smaller HEAT warheads. In WT, the early tanks that do have it, have protection on the sides from the American .50 cal that might usually penetrate it.

I've hit them with HEAT rounds as well, and it does not stop it from penetrating. At later tiers and BR's (such as the Panthers), any tank will be using the defult or HE filled shell as they work far better then the HEAT (the only exception may be the M46 which has a decent HEAT shell for where it sits and the PT-76 with its HEATFS).

[Dun Mass]

Originally posted by Nipah:

It's just a small simple question, but do Tank Side Skirts actually do anything in this game? I mean, i remember watching a documentary and it said that they were designed for Anti-Tank Infantry Weapons, and also to prevent Satchel charges and sticky bombs from landing on the tank. But this is War Thunder, there's none of that. But they wouldn't of modeled and coded all that in for no reason and wasted company time and resources. So they must be used for Something right? 5mm extra of armor might aswell be considered just thin air.

They make you tank look nicer m8, have you see a tiger 2 without the sideskirts? it looks ugly af

[Ham Sup Lou]

Originally posted by Rumpelcrutchskin:

Originally posted by Illusionyary:

Protects against HEAT.

That nobody uses at that BR where most sideskirts become available.
It's pretty much useless and wont save you.

I know what you mean man. Once you have the Panzer 3 M, everyone else is already at least rocking a T34. The only ones that really use HEAT at that BR are M4 105 HVSS, SU122 and STUH 42G. (I might have missed a few) But other than that, everyone else is using AP shells.

BUT, the side skirts might be able to blunt rocket attacks from other tanks.

[Broodolph]

They make your Panzer IV/Centurion look fine as all hell is what they do.

[HudsonM1A2]

Necro thread. Locked.