Tanking School

1. Crew roles: one machine, three brains

The commander normally lives in the spotter seat: scanning, placing marks, talking to command, and deciding whether to push, hold, reverse, or abandon a lane. The driver is responsible for exposure, gears, cover, hull angle, and escape routes. The gunner manages shell type, turret discipline, weak opportunities, and reports every impact.

Avoid solo heavy tanksDuo only when necessaryThree-person crew preferred

2. Callouts: short, ordered, repeatable

Tank comms should be boring and precise. Use clock direction for the crew, compass/grid for the team, and short verbs for movement. Long explanations get people killed while the turret is turning.

3. Armor, penetration, and hit feedback

The Tank Bible’s most reusable idea is not memorizing old damage tables; it is learning to read what the game tells you. A clean penetration, a ricochet, a track hit, an engine disable, or a non-lethal splash all imply a different next action.

• Ricochet: your angle, target face, range, or gun/class matchup is wrong. Stop repeating the same shot.
• Track damage: useful for holding a target in place, but not the same as a kill. Call it and follow with a better shot or teammate pressure.
• Engine/rear damage: often forces panic repairs. Watch for crew dismounts and infantry cover.
• No visible result: reassess shell type, obstruction, armor face, and whether you hit scenery instead of the tank.

4. Class matchups: know when the duel is bad

5. Positioning: hull down beats bravery

Good armor chooses where the fight happens. Use hard cover, ridgelines, hedges, wrecks, and terrain folds. Back into danger only when you already know the exit. Never expose your full side to “get a better view” unless the commander has cleared the infantry threat.

1. Arrive from an unexpected lane, not the road everyone is watching.
2. Stop with only the gun and strongest face exposed when possible.
3. Fire, confirm result, then move or mask before the AT response arrives.
4. Keep at least one reverse path clear of ditches, walls, friendly trucks, and mines.

6. Kiting: win by leaving first

Kiting is controlled withdrawal: you keep the front toward the threat, reverse through cover, force the enemy to chase through bad ground, and repair or re-engage on your terms. It is not cowardice; it is fuel discipline.

7. Surviving infantry: your blind spots are their objective

Satchels, rockets, mines, AT guns, precision strikes, and close infantry are the tax on careless armor. HE and coax can suppress, but they cannot replace a friendly squad screening hedges, walls, trenches, and windows.

• Assume every quiet hedge near an objective has an AT player waiting for your side/rear.
• Do not park beside walls, rubble, or fences that let infantry climb close unseen.
• Ask infantry to clear corners before you drive into streets or compounds.
• Use HE to break buildings, windows, and trench lines before friendly infantry crosses.
• If you hear a satchel callout, move immediately; do not debate it.

8. Repair and recovery: preserve the gun

A damaged tank that withdraws, repairs, and returns is worth more than a burning tank that traded one extra shell. Coordinate repair stations, Engineers, and safe pullbacks. If you lose tracks in a visible lane, call for smoke/infantry or accept that the fight may be over.

Repair behind coverOne crewman repairs while commander scansDo not dismount into uncleared infantry