Dear players!

On October 26th, from 08:00 GMT, the War Thunder game servers may be unavailable due to the release of the “Fire and Ice” major update.

We apologize for any inconvenience experienced.

The new Russian 2S38 SPAAG armed with an automatic 57mm cannon comes to War Thunder as a light tank capable of countering both aerial and ground targets.


Features:

• 57mm automatic cannon
  
• Capable of eliminating ground vehicles and aircraft
  
• Decent mobility
  
• A non crewed turret
  
• Light armor

2C38 “Derivatsiya-PVO” is a new Premium light tank of the USSR/RF tech tree, which will appear in the “Fire and Ice” update. The vehicle originally designed as an anti-aircraft artillery system is able to counter both aircraft and armored vehicles, including tanks! Automatic cannon, good mobility, uninhabited turret and laser warning system make an excellent scout vehicle for high-rank battles!

The 57mm 2A90 automatic gun is a further development of the S-60 series familiar to players from the ZSU-57-2 SPAAG. On the new 2S38 it is part of an uninhabited turret, which also includes an automatic target tracking for air targets, a laser rangefinder, a coaxial machine gun, a laser warning sensor and a thermal imager. In addition to the AP and HE shells familiar from the Soviet ZSU-57-2, the new gun receives a radio fuse HE round for destroying aircraft at long distances, as well as a APFSDS round capable of destroying most main battle tanks to the sides.





The chassis for the 2S38 is a modified BMP-3 AFV with metal floats along the sides of the hull. The chassis has bulletproof armor, although able to withstand some autocannons from the front. The platform itself is quite tall and you will have to look for cover. When properly covered, the advantages of an uninhabited turret are fully revealed, allowing the commander to fire and mark out targets to allies without exposing the crew. With a high power-to-weight ratio and a good maximum speed, the 2S38 is highly mobile on all types of terrain, and the floats make the vehicle amphibious. The disadvantage of the design is the layout of the crew, in one row in front of the full, so that a single tank shot is able to wipe out the entire crew instantly.




The advanced 2S38 light tank with an automatic cannon is a great addition to the Soviet ground battle setup for top-tier battles! Premium 2S38 will appear in the game with the release of the major update “Fire and Ice” - be the first to try it in battles!

A detailed description of the current task as well as your overall progress can be found by clicking on your nickname → Achievements → Pages of History

A French pilot who defected to the Allies after his homeland was captured by Germany. He fought for the RAF in 1940-42, and from 1943 was a part of the Normandy squadron (later Normandy-Niemen regiment) that fought the Luftwaffe on the eastern front. He took part in the Battle of Kursk, Operation Bagration and the East Prussian offensive. For his valour in battles he earned the highest Soviet decorations: title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the Gold Star and the Order of Lenin.

You can immediately purchase the profile icon for Golden Eagles until December 3rd, 11:30 GMT without completing tasks. Click Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History (November).

Completion of each individual task will bring you a trophy with one of the following rewards:

• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 3-5 universal backup vehicles;
  
• 1 day of premium account;
  
• A random camouflage for ground vehicles (out of the selection of camouflages currently obtainable in game for completing tasks, or purchasing with Golden Eagles).

• Tasks are available from 11:00 GMT until 11:30 GMT on the final day of each task.
  
• Tasks can be completed in random battles, except for “Assault” mode.

After breaching the Volturno line in October of 1943, the Werhmacht retreated to the Barbara line, the next defensive formation in Central Italy. The Allies stormed it during the beginning of November both from the west (American forces) and the east (British forces). The Germans didn't linger for too long: after a brief battle they retreated to the well-defended Bernhardt line.

On November 6th, 1935, the maiden flight of the British single-seat Hawker Hurricane took place. It was widely used during WWII: Hurricanes formed the bulk of the RAF during the Battle for Britain, and, even though they weren't as advanced as the Spitfire, they won the greatest number of victories during that period of the war.

On November 10th, 1943, the operation to retake Gomel from the Wehrmacht began. As Gomel itself was very well defended, the Red Army command decided to move its forces across the Dnieper and take Rechitsa in a surprise move. It allowed the Soviet forces to move on Gomel from three sides, encircle and eventually capture it, severing the connection between the Center and South German army groups.

The decisive battle in the Guadalcanal campaign took place on November 12th-15th, 1942 near the Solomon Islands. Both sides took heavy losses, but in the end the US managed to repel the Japanese attempts to push the Allies out of Guadalcanal. It was a major strategic victory for the USA, and the then President Franklin Roosevelt called it the turning point in the history of the Pacific theater of the war.

November 18th, 1941 saw the start of Operation Crusader, a massive offensive by the Allies on the North African front, on the border of Libya and Egypt. They managed to push back the Axis forces under the command of Erwin Rommel and stop them from advancing into Egypt and taking the strategically important Suez Canal.

Operation Uranus was the codename of the Soviet strategic operation that began on November 19th, 1942. The Red Army connected three of its fronts to encircle the Axis forces in Stalingrad. The fighting lasted for the greater part of the winter and ended in early February with Field Marshal Paulus' capitulation.

On November 25th, 1942 USSR and France signed an agreement about forming a French aircraft squadron on Soviet territory. It was named "Normandy"; its pilots learned to fly Yak-1 and Yak-7 planes in late 1942 — early 1943, and then participated in the battles against the Axis from Spring 1943. For its part in liberating the Niemen river region this unit that by that time grew to become an entire regiment was named "Normandy-Niemen'' in late 1944, with its best pilots receiving the highest Soviet accolades. The regiment is still serving in the French Air Force.

During the Iran-Iraq war, on November 29, 1981, Iran began Operation Tariq al-Qods ("The road to Jerusalem'') that aimed to reclaim the city of Bostan that was taken by Iraq in early war. Due to bad weather conditions, the Iraqi forces didn't anticipate the attack that happened both from the north and the south at once, and were completely defeated. Within the same year, Iran managed to liberate around 40 percent of the territory that Iraq captured earlier.

The BT-42 is a Finnish modification of the captured Soviet BT-7 tank, outfitted with a new turret housing a high-caliber howitzer. Soon, this highly anticipated and no less iconic Finnish tank will finally be making an appearance in War Thunder as it arrives in the Swedish ground forces tree as part of the “Fire and Ice” major update!

Briefly: A Finnish conversion of captured BT-7 light tank into assault guns, outfitted with British 4.5-inch howitzers.


Features:

• High-caliber howitzer
  
• HEAT rounds
  
• Excellent mobility
  
• Light armor

In War Thunder, the highly anticipated BT-42 will soon be joining the early ranks of the Swedish ground forces tree as a new tank destroyer available to all its aspiring commanders. Inheriting the excellent mobility from the BT-7 its based off and combining it with a devastating high-caliber howitzer ensures that the BT-42 will be the perfect tool for the job for tankers fancying more dynamic, and let’s be honest, borderline silly tactics. Let’s take a closer look at why.

The unarguable centerpiece of attention on the BT-42 is its disproportionately large turret which sits in stark contrast to the silhouette of the original BT-7 and thus gives the vehicle its signature appearance. Admittedly though, it does also give off the impression of a miniature KV-2. Aesthetics aside however and more importantly though, the turret is home to the 114 mm Psv.H/18 howitzer of British origin. While its low velocity inherently results in rather poor ballistic performance, this shortcoming is somewhat mitigated by the presence of chemical rounds in the BT-42’s arsenal.




However, as is the case with the original BT-7, the BT-42 only features rather light protection resulting as a consequence of its thin armor plating. Going only up to 20 mm in thickness, the BT-42 can effectively shrug off rifle-caliber machine gun fire and shrapnel while any dedicated anti-tank weapon is almost guaranteed to overmatch the BT-42’s armor and deal deadly damage to the densely packed crew and vehicles modules on the inside. Additionally, aircraft also pose a high threat to the BT-42 as not only is its armor the thinnest on the roof, but the vehicle also doesn’t have access to a roof-mounted machine gun to defend itself from strafing enemy aircraft.




While the BT-42 certainly can’t boast about its armor, its mobility on the other hand is another matter entirely. Inheriting the BT-7’s engine, drivetrain and suspension means that the BT-42 features good mobility, comparable to its Soviet counterpart. However, due to increased weight, the BT-42 does accelerate slightly slower. Nevertheless, the BT-42 is still able to quickly move around the battlefield and pop up in unexpected places, thus catching the unsuspecting enemies by surprise. Aspiring BT-42 commanders can use this ability to both outflank their opponents as well as remain an elusive target on the battlefield.



The BT-42 is making its way to War Thunder ground battles as part of the “Fire and Ice” major update, to the joy of many tankers who’ve eagerly been awaiting the addition of this iconic Finnish vehicle.

USS Frank Knox, a new Premium Gearing-class destroyer, arrives in the game in the upcoming “Fire and Ice” update!


Features:

• High survivability
  
• Universal main caliber guns
  
• Good mobility
  
• Depth charges
  
• Vulnerable ammo storages

USS Frank Knox is a new representative of the Gearing-class destroyers which will appear in the game with the release of the “Fire and Ice” update. This ship has one of the richest service histories in the entire class - World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, many exercises, maneuvers and combat duties. In the game, USS Frank Knox is recreated as she was built in 1944. This is a perfectly balanced destroyer with excellent protection and a large crew, which also has a Premium status that will allow you to quickly progress in the US bluewater fleet and get an increased reward in Silver Lions from battles. A few words about the advantages and disadvantages of USS Frank Knox are below.



The ship's main caliber is 127mm Mk.12 universal guns distributed among three twin-barreled turrets. The number of main battery turrets is less than on other American rank III destroyers, however, the guns still work perfectly not only against naval targets, but are also capable of destroying aircraft at long distances with the remote fuse shells. The low number of main caliber guns is compensated by rapid-firing 40 mm Bofors autocannons. 12 quick-firing 40mm barrels can easily shred any destroyer in close combat, not to mention lighter targets. The Bofors are assisted by 11 20-mm Oerlikons installed along the sides of the ship. Their fire is especially effective against aircraft at close range. As a destroyer, USS Frank Knox also carries 10 torpedoes in two five-barrel rotary launchers. In addition, the new ship differs from the USS Gearing by a depth charge mortar, the ultimate argument in board-to-board skirmishes!



The survivability of USS Frank Knox is the hallmark of her class. Firstly, the ship has good armor for a destroyer - up to 19 mm armor plating on the sides, and up to 12 mm of the armored deck on top. This actually works well to protect the ship from the high-explosive shells fired by other destroyers and helps to save the crew. The crew, by the way, is one of the largest among all US destroyers - 336 members!

The vulnerable spot of USS Frank Knox is the gun magazines and elevators of the stern turret. The armor of the side plating ends just before ​​​​the third turret, and the ammo stowage is literally located between fuel tanks. Fuel tank fires often spread to the ammo stowage, followed by detonation. It is necessary to carefully monitor the fires in the stern of the ship and immediately send sailors to extinguish fires, since the crew size allows this to be done as often as required.



The new Premium destroyer USS Frank Knox will be waiting for you along with other new vehicles, location and improvements in the “Fire and Ice” update - stay tuned!

New prizes await their future owners. The ninth season of Battle Pass, called “Smell of Victory”, is starting in War Thunder!

Complete Battle Tasks and Season Challenges to receive unique premium combat vehicles, decals, 3D decorations, profile icons, a loading screen and a title!



Every season there’s a new set of awards. See the full list in the Battle Pass tab in the hangar, or check out our wiki.

Here are the key awards for season 9:

USA, rank III, Premium

The LCM(6) river monitor is a true workhorse of the US army in Vietnam. “Zippo” is a special version with two flamethrowers as an addition to autocannons and machine guns.



Britain, rank III, Premium

The Churchill Crocodile flamethrower tank is converted from the resilient Churchill Mk.VII version. The machine gun at the front of the hull is changed to a flame projector fed by the towed armoured fuel trailer.



USA, rank IV, Premium

A-1H Skyraider is a piston-engined carrier based attack aircraft, one of the most famous aircraft with incendiary bombs. In the jet era this old school striker with an improved payload showed itself as indispensable in fire missions for ground support.





4 decals!









3 decorations!





“Flametrooper”




Battle Pass is a seasonal event during which you will earn progress points and use them to open new levels. Each opened level brings you a valuable reward, from Silver Lions and boosters to exclusive season prizes: decorations, profile icons and premium vehicles.

Open new stages and get awards at any time during the season.



You can access the “Battle Pass” window through the promo block on the right side of the hangar screen.

Play

• You get progress points every day for entering the game.
  
• From 1 to 5 points.

Complete Battle Tasks

• See Battle Task descriptions in the game and get progress points for completing them.
  
• From 2 to 5 points.

Complete Season Challenges

• Season Challenges are very similar to Battle Tasks. One Challenge is available at the season’s start. Every week you get another one or two challenges, three more can be unlocked by opening stages.
  
• 30 points.

Learn more about the Battle Pass

All of the screenshot entries to last week's competition were superb! The autumn colors and night time shots were beautiful! The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!


Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen38. You have time until 28.10.2022 to submit your screenshot.

After that date, 6 winners will be selected (3 of which will be the highest rated by the community and 3 selected by our judges), each of which receive a reward of 300GE.

Important addition: Screenshot theme - Spooky Halloween!

• Halloween is right around the corner! This week, we would like to see all of the spooky additions you can make to your vehicles to give everyone a good scare on All Hallows Eve!
  
• You must add the #WTscreen38 tag (without other text).

[/b]

Screenshots need to be compliant with the War Thunder rules.

You need to be the author of the screenshot.

Screenshot needs to be new. You cannot use those which have previously been published or used in other competitions.

We will only accept raw screenshots from the game. You cannot use any editing software nor any other visual enhancements (like Nvidia Ansel filters).

You can use filters and settings built into War Thunder.

You can use the replay functionality built into War Thunder.

Rewards will be delivered to the author's account within 7 working days.

[/list]




https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2875365081
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2875446965
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2875486208

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2876730847
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2877139764
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2876587553

Each winner will get 300GE! Congratulations and see you next week!

The “Zippo” river monitor with flamethrowers comes to the game as the main naval prize in the upcoming new Battle Pass season “Smell of Victory”!


Features:

• 40mm and 20mm autocannons
  
• Flamethrowers
  
• Decent protection
  
• Low speed

In the “Smell of Victory” season, the “Zippo” flamethrower boat will become the main naval prize for the owners of the Battle Pass. This river monitor was built during the Vietnam War by upgrading LCM(6) landing craft. Compared to the original model, the boat has advanced machine-gun and auto cannon armament: 40mm and 20mm autocannons in rotary mounts with all-round protection, one .50 Browning heavy machine gun in the same shielded mount, another two .50 cals and four rifle-caliber machine guns installed at the sides of the boat . The bow of the "Zippo" has an armored deck with anti-fragmentation armor, the sides are protected by armored screens.

The main feature in this version is two flamethrowers in armored turrets, each coupled with a 7.62 mm machine gun. Flamethrowers are located at the sides of the bow and work great in close combat. The fire mixture effectively eliminates the crew in open artillery mounts on enemy craft and sets fire to modules on open decks.




The boat is well armed for both medium and short combat distances, her crew is small, but well protected. “Zippo’s” armor is able to withstand heavy machine gun bullets, and side screens can protect the boat from the low-caliber HE shells. Perhaps the main disadvantage of the “Zippo” is her low speed - only 8.5 knots or about 16 km/h. It takes time to get to battle, where the boat is able to demonstrate all the glory of her firepower. Forget about fast capture of points, the boat is too slow. On the other hand, flamethrowers, especially effective in short-range combat, make the “Zippo” a great option for ambushing between the rocks and islands from all the important directions in battles.




The very special “Zippo” flamethrower boat is waiting for Battle Pass holders at rank III of the US coastal fleet research tree. Let your enemies burn, let your favorite soft rock play in your headphones, let the familiar gasoline smell tickle your nostrils - this is the “Smell of Victory”!

HMS Glorious is a WWI-era British battlecruiser purpose-built for an ambitious plan to defeat Germany through a naval invasion on its eastern flank. Despite the plan itself never materialising, the ships necessary for it did and thus captains will soon have the chance to take command of this highly unorthodox warship design, arriving in War Thunder as part of the next major update “Fire and Ice”!

Briefly: An extremely lightly armoured but nimble British battlecruiser design, sporting 15’’ cannons.


Features:

• Powerful 15’’ cannons
  
• Very thin belt armour
  
• Excellent mobility
  
• Numerous secondary guns
  
• Weak AA protection

In War Thunder, HMS Glorious will be a new battlecruiser arriving at the top rank of the British bluewater fleet in the next major update “Fire and Ice”. Unlike other warships of this type already present in the game, HMS Glorious really takes the definition of what a battlecruiser is supposed to be to the extreme - featuring quite superb firepower and mobility but at the cost of having been fitted with virtually no meaningful protection. Captains, prepare to meet the epitome of the naval equivalent of a ‘glass cannon’!

As we already mentioned, HMS Glorious can boast some serious firepower. While not quite matching some of the battleships it’ll undoubtedly face on the battlefield, this rather light vessel is fitted with a pair of twin 15’’ (381 mm) canons of the same type also fitted to the familiar HMS Hood, introduced in a previous update. In addition, HMS Glorious can also engage surface targets with its six triple 4’’ (102 mm) cannons, spread throughout the ship’s superstructure. The modest anti-air armament of the ship consists of three 3’’ (76 mm) cannons. Lastly, rounding off HMS Glorious’ arsenal is an additional 14 533 mm torpedo launchers, with a pair being submerged below the ship’s forward turret whereas the remaining six twin launchers are situated in fixed positions at the ship’s aft. As a result, HMS Glorious is capable of engaging a vast variety of surface targets, but remains vulnerable to aerial attack, like most ships of its era.

Fun Fact: During its carrier conversion, the 15’’ turrets from HMS Glorious were placed in storage and were later on reused in the outfitting of HMS Vanguard - the Royal Navy’s last battleship.

On the other hand, British shipbuilders outfitted HMS Glorious with very thin armour. Although by nature battlecruisers trade protection for speed and firepower, HMS Glorious only features minimal protection in the form of a 76 mm thick belt. As a result, HMS Glorious is about as well protected as some interwar light cruisers and is therefore susceptible to take damage from high-calibre rounds fired by heavy cruisers and especially battleships. Therefore, captains might want to rethink leading the charge against the enemy whilst commanding HMS Glorious.




However, not being weighed down by excessive armour also means that HMS Glorious’ displacement could be kept rather low. This, in combination with a 90,000 horsepower steam propulsion system ensures an impressive top speed of 32 kts (59 km/h), thus allowing HMS Glorious to keep pace with other cruisers on its team. This is a particularly handy trait when captains can keep up with dedicated anti-air cruisers, capable of extending their protective sphere around HMS Glorious and thus eliminating one of the ship’s weaknesses.



HMS Glorious is soon docking in players’ ports with the release of the next major update coming soon to War Thunder. In the meantime, be sure to keep scanning the horizon for more news as we continue sharing the latest on what the upcoming update has in store for you. Until then, calm seas and happy hunting captains!

The “Fire and Ice” update brings two new locations to the game - both hot and ice cold! Meet the “Rocky Canyon” designed for aerial battles, and the giant “Arctic” location with two combat zones for mixed battles!


The air battle location “Rocky Canyon” was inspired by the famous American Grand Canyon and the Charyn Canyon in Kazakhstan - amazing natural monuments with an extensive altitudinal zonality. The river in the center of the map is located at the very bottom of the canyon and is surrounded by sandstone cliffs that rise several levels up and turn into a wide plateau. On the plateau, surrounded by dense forests, two small towns are located to the left and right of the canyon. “Rocky Canyon” will become a location with one of the largest altitude variations in the game. Ground targets are located at different levels and will require pilots to properly plan the route. The difference in heights and the difficult terrain will allow you to stealthily approach the enemy and easily evade missile attacks!






While creating the new location "Arctic", we tried to incarnate a collective image of the inhabited part of Arctic. Gloomy rocky islands covered with glaciers, abandoned fishing villages where lonely fishermen still live, majestic icebreakers making their way through the ice, and of course, myths and legends about secret military bases hidden in the endless icy wastelands. The Arctic is an unique area with a harsh climate, unusual landscape and the spirit of new discoveries. The huge location allowed us to make two full-fledged play zones for mixed battles.

The first zone is a battle for the Arctic station. The terrain here is open, but full of hills and covers. which allow even large tanks to take cover. To the sides from the station, another two strategic points are located - one in the abandoned fishing village, another in the container camp of the construction site workers.

The second combat zone is the polar port. The first capture point is located near the moored giant icebreaker, in the central part there are domes and antennas of the “friend or foe” early warning radar complex, and the third point is the station of the gas transmission system.