How to kill a tank

This guide teaches you how to kill a tank, ammo rack location and some info about fighting tanks.

Welcome to kill a tank

Killing a tank is a must for any tankman, but this guide teaches you how to use the best ways to destroy a tank.

Understand that there's few ways to kill a tank.

A catastrophic kill, K-Kill or complete kill is damage inflicted on an armored vehicle that amounts to complete destruction of the vehicle, rendering it both permanently non-functional and unrepairable.

Catastrophic kill (1)

Ammo rack is blown up instantly, leaving everyone inside the tank dead.

Catastrophic kill (2)

Ammo rack/engine/fuel tank burns after a shot, crews bailed out before the explosion.


There is also a chance that some crews bail out burning to their death.

Morale kill

When the tank takes enough shells, the crews tend to bail out either in panic or even surrendering to the enemies..HE shells although doesn't damage tanks much but tends to cause panic from my experience.

Firepower kill (or gun barrel/drive damage)

The tank's barrel was shot and didn't bounced off a shell or it's hit in gun breech...it's a very common damage to have the gun unusable..

1.a shot to the gun breech
2.a shot to "gun drive"
3.a shot directly to the gun barrel

If you're lucky, the machine gun will not be broken and it will become a machine gun bunker.

Mobility kill

A tank with dead driver (can be replaced by player), broken engine or detracked.

Crew kill

Dead crews inside tanks, disables functionaility..can be replaced easily.

If all crews are dead and the tank will have its hatches open automatically.

Shells

APFSDS/APDS

The preferred shell for precise tank killing due to its high velocity, not as good as HEAT shells in setting things on fire/explosion.
APFSDS is preferred in T-62 for its high velocity.

HEAT-FS

The choice for setting off ammo and preferred shell for M60.
The M60 HEAT shell has decent velocity and penetration.

HE/HESH

Anti infantry shells, but it can work around tanks.
You can actually fire HE shells at the roof armor or above driver station and it will kill things under it.
HE shells tend to reduce morale well and if you're lucky and you hit a thin section of the armor you might blow up a ammo rack.

What I prefer

APFSDS>HEAT-FS (i've had T-62 bounced off 3BK4 HEAT shells point blank)
HEAT-FS>APDS (M60)

M60 HEAT has good enough penetration while maintaining good velocity
and large portion of anti tank shells consists of HEAT in the M60, it's not hard to see why it's preferred.

Eastern tanks

T-62

The famous T-62 being one of the playable tanks features fearsome gun and thanks to its powerful ammo and cramped design, you can blow it up easily.

Due to the low profile and shape of the turret, it tends to bounce shots and it is recommended that you shoot it at hull.

Funny thing about the T-62 is that it features a ammo rack behind the turret, so I guess there's always a chance that it will blow up every time you put a shell into driver's station.

If the M60's apds tends to bounce off upper front plate hull, you can always aim at lower front plate (the lowest armor on the hull)

T-55A

T-55 is bascially the same as T-62, same old ammo rack city stuff but without the behind turret ammo rack.

Western tanks

M60A1

M60A1 has some good armor shape, but with few skills it should not prove too hard to take down.

People should aim at its upper front hull and is situation allows it, then turret can be penetrated with careful aiming as well.

The M60 tend to have fuel tanks in middle of the side armor.



NOTE:the small ammo rack rotates with the turret.

Olifant

Olifant is based on the centurion tank, it's got OK gun and fast turret traverse but lacks in armor.

Actually I'm not too sure regarding olifant (not the old centurion)'s ammo layout since there's no data on it, side picture created using layout from War Thunder.

Since it's got paper armor you can just able shoot at it anywhere and it will penetrate.

Cheftian

The cheftian has the most powerful gun in game and no doubt its shells are also the most powerful, making them very easy to set off.

Cheftian has fairly bouncy armor, so it's best to aim at lower front plate (down armor) or at the turret where it is weak.

Another thing I figured out is that whether you fired on left or right side of the turret there's still a high chance that you'll hit a ammo rack.

Light vehicles

Light vehicles

All the light vehicles has a funny damage model that you can shoot at anywhere with a APFSDS and it would still ignite the ammo/fuel tanks/just about everything.

However all of them (yeah, even trucks) are bulletproof and 50 cal are ineffective to fight them.

[tonycao051]

Not sure if it is a bug, M60's HEAT M456 has almost no chance to penetrate T-55A's upper front hull

[Scoebuddy]

Great guide, but I have a question. I've been trying to find something on this, but why do the m60's shells curve to the right and is there some way of compensating for this?

[Oleg Jughashvili]

good guide but one thing wrong,

IN REAL LIFE a chieftain has NO ammo on the gunners side of the turret AT ALL, and only APFSDS AND HESH rounds are in the turret behind the loader.

All propellants bag charges are stored in the hull, in bins that have a water jacket (wet stowage)

Its probably not a correct in game model.

I was a crewman on chieftain,

[matklug]

all apcs can be killed by HE shell

[aaa]

Thank you. Actually, I know how to kill enemy vehicles, But I cannot spot them easy. That's why I think this game is not good. lol (Stupid commander AIs have bad sight just like me XD)

[Defiant Squirrel]

Really helpful, please make more

[terry_horsnell]

Brilliant. That's a bit more of the fog cleared away!

[SiBullSki]

thanks it is appreciated.

[Antibiotic_Logic]

Rally nice, tovarsh! I dont play the game but I can CLEARLY tell that this is a complete 10/10 guide.Keep it up mate