On the 8th of May, 1945, the Allied forces who fought World War II in the West celebrated “VE Day” or “Victory in Europe Day”. Cities in most of the Allied nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, raised flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine.

Finally, on the 8th of May, German troops throughout Europe laid down their arms: Grand Admiral Donitz surrendered to General Eisenhower and the Western allied command in Reims, France; In Prague, Germans surrendered to their Soviet counterparts, after the latter had lost more than 8,000 soldiers, the Germans many more; in Copenhagen and Oslo; at Karlshorst, near Berlin; in northern Latvia; on the Channel Island of Sark — the German surrender was completed in a final cease-fire. More surrender documents were signed in Berlin and in Eastern Germany.

Participate in the commemorative events dedicated to VE Day. Get a decoration and decals. Fight for the unique RBT-5 and the I-301 premium fighter in the special tournament series. Be sure to take advantage of discounts and offers in the game and in the store.

For more information, including on events and specials, read the full article on the Official War Thunder Forums!

For the May holiday weekend, we invite all players that left an application for the Naval Forces testing into the latest sea battles with new cruisers!

Note! Temporary access to the fleet event will be given only to those players that left applications up until 07:00 GMT on the 28th of April. Access will only be given for the time of this test, to gain full access to all tests you need to be one of the owners of naval packs.

Light cruisers will have the highest calibre weapons among vessels in War Thunder at the moment surpassing destroyers in armament, defensive capabilities, and survivability. They retain good mobility in the battlefield. allowing them to dodge torpedoes or take up a better firing position. The light cruisers' powerful weapons can turn the tide of battle in a single salvo, so considerable responsibility for the outcome of a battle is placed on the shoulders of the commander of these ships.

For more information, read the full article here!

Condottieri A-class light cruisers were the first Italian cruisers to be built after the First World War. In the 1930s, these heavily armoured scouts were designed in response to the new French destroyers; the Jaguar, the Lion, and the Aigle. With an excellent maximum speed of 37 knots, the Italian light cruisers also boasted much more powerful armament and 24mm belt armor. The primary armament included eight 152 mm guns (four turrets with two in each), as well as six 100 mm long-range cannons, two twin 533 mm torpedo tubes and mines. The anti-air armament comprised two 40 mm autocannons and eight large-calibre Breda Mod 31 13.2 mm machine guns in four twin mounts.





For War Thunder, we have recreated one of the cruisers from this illustrious series, the Bartolomeo Colleoni, named after a famous Italian condottiero from the 15th century. The ship was built in 1931, and at the start of the Second World War, she formed the 2nd Cruiser Division in the 2nd Squadron together with the other “condottiero” cruiser in the series. Deployment highlighted serious navigability issues, which meant that the light cruisers were unable to chase down enemy destroyers, and the armour and survivability of the “condottieri” was markedly lower than that of standard cruisers. Nevertheless, the Italian light cruisers developed the idea of the first French light cruisers and created a new concept of ships of this type in global shipbuilding, with subsequent light cruiser projects using the experience of the Italian engineers to improve their designs.


A British light cruiser, HMS Enterprise was put into service in 1926, becoming the second and last E-class (Emerald) combat ship in the British Crown's forces. The light cruisers in this series were conceived as mobile and relatively well armoured ships for conducting reconnaissance among squadrons of battleships, escorting convoys, and leading groups of small mine and torpedo ships. Based on these objectives, particular attention was paid at the design stage to the light cruisers' seaworthiness. In fact, E-class cruisers became some of the fastest cruisers of the time, though by the start of the Second World War they were showing their age in comparison to the naval fleets from other nations.



What set the Enterprise apart from her sister E-class ship, was her experimental mount for two large-calibre weapons. The Enterprise light cruiser can reach 33 knots and has good armour up to 3“ (75mm) around the engine and boiler sections, 2” (50mm) of belt armour, and 1” (25mm) hull side and deck plating. The cruiser's main armament includes seven 6” (152mm) guns, two in a twin turret and another five in single mounts. HMS Enterprise's auxiliary armament consists of three 4” (102mm) weapons for anti-air defense, two quadruple 40mm anti-air guns, six twin and six single 20mm mounts. In addition, the cruiser also has two twin torpedo racks and a simple release rack for depth charges.





The first two models of light cruisers presented are the British HMS Enterprise, an Emerald-class light cruiser, and the Italian Giussano-class light cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni. The HMS Enterprise is capable of speeds up to 33 knots, boasts good armour, and is armed with seven 152mm main cannons, as well as anti-aircraft cannons, machine guns, and even torpedo tubes. The Bartolomeo Colleoni is slightly faster at 37 knots and surpasses the HMS Enterprise in armament, as it offers eight 152mm main cannons plus six additional 100mm long range cannons. Its protective capabilities, however, are considerably weaker, with only up to 24mm of hull armour in comparison to the 75mm offered by the British ship. Captains of the Bartolomeo Colleoni will also have to keep an extra eye on the sky, considering the noticeably weaker anti-air defense compared to the HMS Enterprise. The latter, however, still remains susceptible to attacks from daring torpedo bombers, given that the British ship will need more time to maneuver than the faster Italian.

In War Thunder Naval Battles, light cruisers are well placed at distance from smaller enemy vessels, as in such conditions, they can inflict severe damage to the enemy fleet while sustaining fire even from two destroyers simultaneously. In close combat, armour-piercing shells can deal devastating damage to light cruisers, and they always need to keep an eye out for enemy torpedo boats sneaking dangerously close. Played strategically, light cruisers protected by destroyers and patrol ships will be able to assert dominance over an entire sea sector, securing strategic positions and blocking enemies from advancing through an area of strategic interest.

The War Thunder Team

The end of WWII was a proud victory for allied forces across the globe, celebrated worldwide. After many years of war, the time for peace had come. But for players of War Thunder, the battle has just begun! Now, the time has come, your chance to relive some of the battles, occurring towards the end of the war! Prove your worth in battle, and show that you are deserving of new vehicles, and dozens of other rewards!


Collect your well-earned premium vehicles and dozens of other rewards for participating in the ‘Chronicles of World War II’ event!

MORE IN THE NEWS!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1360493689
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1360493741
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1360493827
The War Thunder Team

Wroom..Wrooom!- in an abandoned forest hut an ominous stranger starts his chainsaw. Once again, it is Friday the 13th and a new killer has appeared in War Thunder!

Only for this weekend can you be a real nightmare for your opponents! Complete the tasks in the event and get the “Friday 13th” trophy which contains unique items and special boosters, “Chainsaw” or “Slasher’s Mask” decoration, “Chainsaw Massacre” or “Bloody Friday” decal and the “Chainsaw Killer” title.

To complete the special tasks you need to purchase “access to tasks” achievement for 13,000 SL in the achievement section.

For more information, read the full article on the War Thunder Forums!

More complicated, more intricate, and far cooler! Ground vehicle races are making a comeback with the new “Rhein” track! We have worked on increasing the complexity of the racetrack and have undertaken to eliminate one of the main ‘injustices’ that racers experience: winning the start means winning the race.

Have we solved it? Be sure to let us know!

• You can participate in the event only if you have researched and purchased any vehicle of rank III;
  
• Each participant will bet 10,000 Silver Lions on their victory. Those achieving first place in the race will be awarded with a prize of 80,000 Silver Lions;
  
• All participants will receive (for participating) the same vehicle - M18 “Racing”.

In which location do you want to see new racing routes in the future? Let us know in the comments!

The War Thunder Team

More complicated, more intricate, and far cooler! Ground vehicle races are making a comeback with the new “Rhein” track! We have worked on increasing the complexity of the racetrack and have undertaken to eliminate one of the main ‘injustices’ that racers experience: winning the start means winning the race.

Have we solved it? Be sure to let us know!

• You can participate in the event only if you have researched and purchased any vehicle of rank III;
  
• Each participant will bet 10,000 Silver Lions on their victory. Those achieving first place in the race will be awarded with a prize of 80,000 Silver Lions;
  
• All participants will receive (for participating) the same vehicle - M18 “Racing”.

In which location do you want to see new racing routes in the future? Let us know in the comments!

The War Thunder Team

What could be easier than building a tank or an aircraft? It is especially easy today – just collect some parts, put them together, and you’ll definitely get one of the vehicles with special animalistic camouflages that other players will see! Well, either that, or maybe just a cooler.




Assemble vehicles from parts which you get in random battles. The chance of getting a trophy with parts depends on how successful and active you are in battle.

How to assemble a vehicle?

Vehicles are assembled in the “Workshop” section of your inventory

Your goal is to collect four rare parts that can be traded in for an event vehicle. Battle Trophies always only contain basic parts, but if you combine two identical basic parts, you’ll get one of the rare ones.

You have no way of knowing which part you’ll get from the two basic parts until you combine them for the first time.

Experiment and find the full set of the parts you need.

Check full news on our website!

What could be easier than building a tank or an aircraft? It is especially easy today – just collect some parts, put them together, and you’ll definitely get one of the vehicles with special animalistic camouflages that other players will see! Well, either that, or maybe just a cooler.




Assemble vehicles from parts which you get in random battles. The chance of getting a trophy with parts depends on how successful and active you are in battle.

How to assemble a vehicle?

Vehicles are assembled in the “Workshop” section of your inventory

Your goal is to collect four rare parts that can be traded in for an event vehicle. Battle Trophies always only contain basic parts, but if you combine two identical basic parts, you’ll get one of the rare ones.

You have no way of knowing which part you’ll get from the two basic parts until you combine them for the first time.

Experiment and find the full set of the parts you need.

Check full news on our website!

April Fools’ Day is a great excuse to get silly! We’ve made a special set of decorations for ground vehicles that you can only get during the April Fools’ Day event. You can get these gigantic vehicle hats by completing special combat objectives. To get the challenge, you need to purchase a combat objective at the bond shop. During the holiday event the objectives cost just one bond a piece.

After completing the objective you will get a hat trophy containing a coupon you can trade for a decoration from the April Fools’ Day collection. Just activate the coupon and get the decoration. Easy, right? Easy-peasy!

And one more bit of awesome news: both hat trophies and non activated coupons can be bought and sold at the War Thunder Market. This makes getting a complete collection even easier.



By the way, you didn’t think we were going to disable the April Fools’ Day decorations once the April fools event is over, did you? After the event all hats will be reduced to their more realistic size, but they’ll still look great on any tank.

To see the hats on the vehicles of other players you need to change Options - > Other Settings -> Show user-generated content in the battle to “Any”.

What hat have you received first?

Check full news on our website!