War Thunder News

The French Strasbourg battleship with its non-standard armament layout is the main reward in the Raider Hunter vehicle event!

[h2]Strasbourg: An Event Vehicle Battleship for France at Rank VI[/h2]
At a glance:

• Improved armor!
  
• Main battery guns at the front.
  
• Good speed.
  
• Reconnaissance aircraft.
  
• Radar.
  
• Mediocre air defense.
  

Vehicle History
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During the interwar period, France urgently needed new competitive battleships that would comply with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. In 1932, two Dunkerque-class battleships were ordered for the French Navy, designed as a response to the latest warships of the leading naval powers. Strasbourg was the second battleship of this type, built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard and launched in December 1936. With the outbreak of World War II, she took part in the hunt for the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee and escorted French convoys.

After the capitulation of France, Strasbourg was sent to the port of Mers-el-Kebir in Algeria, where she was soon attacked by the Royal Navy, but was able to break through to Toulon. Strasbourg remained there until 1942 as the flagship of the Vichy fleet, without taking part in any significant combat missions. In 1942, after Hitler ordered the occupation of the south of France, the crew of the battleship, among others, was ordered to scuttle the ship. Strasbourg was raised in 1943 and the dismantling of the ship for metal began. On August 18th 1944, Strasbourg was bombed by U.S. aircraft and was sunk again. The ship was raised again in 1946, however the restoration of the battleship was considered too costly and in 1955 Strasbourg was sold for scrap.
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[h2]Introducing Strasbourg![/h2]

The vehicle reward in the Raider Hunter event is the Strasbourg battleship, the sister ship of the Dunkerque! Strasbourg has an unusual main caliber gun arrangement and has reinforced hull armor, all while maintaining excellent mobility. Diving into the details!



Let’s first look into the differences between the well-proven Dunkerque battleship. Despite all of its advantages, the Dunkerque has a noticeable downside and that’s its armor. Armor in the most important areas can be penetrated by any battleship, which forces you to limit the tactics needed when playing this ship. The Strasbourg on the other hand partially solves this problem, as the thickness of the main armor belt has increased from 225 mm to a quite acceptable 283. Plus, the thickness of the armor on the slopes and armored deck have increased, and the already decent main battery turret armor has slightly improved. The result of this is good protection from enemy fire, allowing you to bully even the best battleships in the game at long distances!

The interesting part of the Dunkerque-class battleships is their unusual gun arrangement. Strasbourg has two four-barrel turrets that are concentrated at the bow of the ship, while 16 secondary caliber guns are positioned closer to the stern with an onboard salvo possible from 10 of these guns. Eight 330 mm caliber guns can fire high-explosive and semi-armor-piercing shells at a rate of two shots per minute with a trained crew, which is about standard for battleships. Perhaps one of the most noticeable disadvantages of the Strasbourg is its anti-air defenses. Like the Dunkerque, there’s only two-larger caliber machine guns and slow-firing 37 mm guns. A big advantage for detecting air threats is the ME-140 / MR-126 radar (found only on the Cobert heavy cruiser).



Despite the reinforced armor, Strasbourg retains remarkable performance characteristics for a battleship, with a relatively small turning radius and a maximum speed of 30 knots (over 54 km/h). A pair of Loire 130C hydroplanes that can lay smoke screens and even capture points are a very useful bonus!

You can get the Strasbourg battleship for France in the Raider Hunter event that started today! Click below to see the full details about this event.



Click here to find out more details about the Raider Hunter event

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

In this month’s Pages of History, you will find yourself in the midst of key historical events across different theaters of war. From the Soviet Union and Austria, Iraq and the Mediterranean — take part in battles using vehicles corresponding to these historic conflicts and earn rewards! 

[h3]

From March 1st until March 31st, you’ll have access to 8 tasks consecutively. Completing each task will grant you a trophy with a reward, completing all of the tasks will earn you a unique player icon!

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[h3]James Edgar Johnson[/h3]
James Edgar Johnson was a British Royal Air Force fighter ace who flew the Spitfire. Piloting of course required both hands, which was a challenge for James due to a previous sporting injury he sustained. He was offered a position as an instructor but declined, opting instead to undergo shoulder surgery, which caused him to miss the Battle of Britain. He would go on to more than make up for this however, completing 700 combat sorties and shooting down 34 German aircraft, making him the most successful ace on the Western Front against the Luftwaffe.

You can immediately purchase this profile icon for Golden Eagles until April 3rd (11:30 GMT) without completing tasks. To find it, go to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.

[h2]Trophy reward for each task[/h2]

Completing each individual task will give 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 backups;
  
• Premium account for 1 day;
  
• A random camouflage for ground vehicles (out of the selection of camouflages currently obtainable in game for completing tasks, or purchasing with Golden Eagles).
  

[h2]Other terms[/h2]

• 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.
  

[h2]March 1st — March 4th[/h2]
[h3]Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive[/h3]
In March 1943, the Rzhev salient was eliminated. For the Soviet Army, this was part of the Rzhev-Vyazma Strategic Offensive Operation, which pushed German forces back and reclaimed significant territory. Meanwhile, the Wehrmacht, seeking to shorten its defensive lines, conducted Operation Büffel, evacuating its forces from Rzhev and later redeploying them southward for the Battle of Kursk.

[h2]March 5th — March 8th[/h2]
[h3]Supermarine Spitfire first flight[/h3]
On March 5th 1936, the British Supermarine Spitfire fighter took to the skies for the first time. It was mass-produced from 1938 to 1948, with over 20,000 units built. After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became the primary fighter of the Royal Air Force and was also flown by pilots from the USA, Canada, Free France, and the USSR under the Lend-Lease program.

[h2]March 9th — March 12th[/h2]
[h3]Pskov Offensive[/h3]
In the spring of 1944, the Red Army launched multiple offensives to drive Axis forces out of Soviet territory. One of these aimed to liberate Pskov, a key regional city in western Russia. After six weeks however, Soviet troops only advanced 13 km, and Pskov would not be fully liberated until July.

[h2]March 13th — March 16th[/h2]
[h3]Saar-Palatinate Offensive[/h3]
On March 15th 1945, Allied forces launched an offensive between Agno and Saarbrücken, reaching the Rhine River near Karlsruhe after ten days. The Wehrmacht suffered heavy losses but managed to evacuate a large portion of its forces and equipment across the river.

[h2]March 16th — March 19th[/h2]
[h3]Vienna Offensive[/h3]
On March 16th 1945, Soviet troops launched an assault on Vienna with the support of Bulgarian forces. By April 4th, they had captured Bratislava, entered Vienna on April 8th, and fully expelled German troops by April 15th. Shortly after, Austria would declare its exit from the Third Reich.

[h2]March 20th — March 23rd[/h2]
[h3]Second Battle of Sirte[/h3]
On March 22nd 1942, a British convoy escorting transport ships to Malta encountered superior Italian forces in the Gulf of Sirte off the coast of Libya. Despite the British fleet only consisting of light cruisers and destroyers, they were able to protect the transports from the battleship Littorio and heavy cruisers Gorizia and Trento. The battle was long however, and caused the convoy to arrive after daylight, leading to all transport ships being sunk by Axis aircraft.

[h2]March 23rd — March 26th[/h2]
[h3]Battle of Najaf[/h3]
The city of Najaf in central Iraq became a major battleground during the 2003 Iraq War, where coalition forces faced fierce resistance. On March 24th, an American Apache helicopter was shot down over the city. Over the following days, ground troops surrounded Najaf, but full control was only secured by April 4th.

[h2]March 27th — March 31st[/h2]
[h3]Battle of Cape Matapan[/h3]
Between March 27th and March 29th 1941, the British Mediterranean Fleet delivered a crushing defeat to the Italian Navy near Cape Matapan, sinking three heavy cruisers. This battle outlined the importance of aircraft carriers, which Italy lacked and were never able to deploy during the war.

Today we’ll be taking a look at a new premium for Germany and France — the experimental Marder CLOVIS light tank featuring an oscillating turret!

[h2]Marder CLOVIS: A Premium Light Tank for Germany (pre-order pack) and France (Golden Eagles) at Rank V[/h2]
At a glance:

• Drum-style automatic loader with 12 rounds!
  
• Good mobility.
  
• 105 mm HEAT shells.
  
• Coaxial 20 mm cannon.
  
• Poor armor protection.
  

Vehicle History
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In 1979, the Marder DF 105 prototype was built in Germany, featuring an oscillating FL-15 turret on the chassis of the German Marder IFV. To compensate for the increased weight of the turret, the vehicle was given a more powerful engine. The Marder DF 105 received the classification of “Combat Tank” and was considered for use as an IFV/APC combat support vehicle, tank destroyer and even SPG. This experimental vehicle did not go into production and was preserved as a single prototype. Further down the line, on the basis of the Marder DF 105, the Marder CLOVIS prototype was built featuring greater turret protection and a 20 mm autocannon paired with the main gun. This modification was also not accepted for serial production and never left the prototype stage.
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Pre-order - Marder Clovis Pack
Can be purchased through the store in-game. Shop > Online Store
49.99

• Marder Clovis (Rank V, Germany)
  
• Premium account for 15 days
  
• 2000 Golden Eagles
  
• Pre-order bonus: unique "Dial M for Marder" title
  
• Pre-order bonus: M for Marder decal
  

[h2]Introducing the Marder CLOVIS![/h2]

Featuring an oscillating turret with a 105 mm gun and 20 mm autocannon along with good mobility, this new premium light tank is coming for both Germany and France! You’ll be able to pre-order the German one starting today to receive pre-order bonuses, and purchase the French one with the release of the next major update for Golden Eagles. Let’s take a closer look!



In general the Marder CLOVIS is similar to the DF105 in many ways, as they both feature a 105 mm gun with HEAT, HE and Smoke shells, plus two “drum” magazines in the oscillating turret with 6 shells in each. This provides automatic loading capability which in turn means a great reload speed, regardless of crew skills! There’s a rather awesome and extra addition to the Marder CLOVIS turret however, and that’s a coaxial 20 mm automatic cannon, great for taking out low-flying helicopters and lightly armored vehicles.

The Marder CLOVIS uses the same chassis as the DF105, which in turn means it has the same 720 HP engine and general mobility. Thanks to this, mobility on roads and across rough ground is going to be enough to get to some great positions on the map to take out and scout enemies for your teammates!



Primarily a support and scout vehicle, the Marder CLOVIS can also be used in close-range engagements thanks to its quick reload speed. Since the main round for this tank is the French 105 mm HEAT shell with 400 mm of penetration, this tank will have no problem penetrating steel homogeneous armor. Like all light tanks however, the Marder CLOVIS has poor armor protection, where the hull is unlikely to withstand autocannon fire, and anything that penetrates the turret will likely cause the drum magazine ammo to detonate. Stick with your teammates or move to advantageous positions with care, utilizing your speed advantage.



That’s it for today! The premium Marder CLOVIS will help you research any German or French tank up to rank VI. Thanks to this tank’s reload speed and mobility, you’ll have a fun time taking out enemies. Keep an eye out for more dev blogs coming your way!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

[h2]Other[/h2]

• For win64 clients, the utility that collects data on game crashes and offers to send it to the developers has been replaced. Due to the dump generation, it now allows data collection on “silent” crashes that previously occurred without any messages at all. Now when sending reports, you must send the “metadata” file containing the CrashID from the “.game_logs\” folder in the root folder of the game.
  

Patch notes reflect only key changes, meaning they may not include a complete list of all improvements made. Additionally, War Thunder is constantly being updated and some changes may not require an update. Changes reflected in patch notes are formed by taking reactions and requests of the community from the bug reporting service, forums and other official platforms into account. Bug fixes and changes are implemented in order of importance, for example a game-breaking bug will be worked on and implemented sooner.

Hey everyone,

The game may not be available at the moment as we are experiencing some technical issues on our servers. We are endeavouring to fix these issues as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.