War Thunder News

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.

Today we’re taking a look at one of the more unconventional light tanks out there, the Harry Hopkins Mk.I, a new tank for Britain at Rank II! 

[h2]Harry Hopkins Mk.I: A Light Tank for Great Britain at Rank II[/h2]
At a glance:

• Rapid fire 40 mm cannon!
  
• Relatively good armor for a light tank.
  
• Scouting ability.
  
• Low reverse speed.
  

Vehicle History
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Harry Hopkins, or the Mk VIII Light Tank was designed in late 1941 in order to replace the Mk VII Tetrarch, with the primary goal of increasing the overall armor protection. This was achieved, however the tank was plagued with teething issues throughout its development and testing cycle, which resulted in long delays and a significant reduction in the number of tanks produced from the initial plan. 

The tanks were deemed relatively obsolete by the time they were ready for action, several suggestions were put forward, such as attaching wings to them and using them as tank gliders, or sending them to specialized light tank units. These plans were rejected however, and the Harrys were handed over to the RAF to act as relatively static defenses for airfields and bases. 
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[h2]Introducing the Harry Hopkins Mk.I![/h2]

Meet Harry! The final light tank design made by Vickers during World War II, coming in the next major update. Despite its relative obsolescence by the time it was finally ready for combat, it has a number of advantages, so let’s have a look!



The key feature that sets this one apart from previous light tanks is oddly the armor! It features 38 mm of protection on the turret and hull, with the latter having some decent sloping, enough to shug off hits from some of the weaker shells, which is more than most light tanks can boast! The turret ring however only offers 14 mm of protection, it is a small weak spot, but at close range will be a vulnerability.

Did you know? This tank is actually named after an American, Harry Hopkins, the chief diplomatic adviser to Roosevelt and a key figure in the Lend-Lease program which saw the U.S. give significant aid to Britain. The tank was named in honor of him and his contribution to the allied war effort. 



Mobility is lower than the previous light tanks due to the increased armor, it adds one ton of weight over the Tetrach which limits its top speed to 48 km/h. This isn’t especially high for a light tank, but the extra armor does offer more versatility for different playstyles as a compromise. The largest negative though is undoubtedly the reverse speed at only 4 km/h, which should be kept in mind when playing aggressively.



Firepower will be familiar, as it is entirely identical to the Tetrarch and Daimler, featuring the same fast-firing 40 mm cannon, a shoulder stabilizer, -15 degrees of gun depression, and a somewhat average traverse rate. Despite being an early gun, its top AP shell can get through a max of 89 mm of armor, and the APHE can be similarly destructive with its decent explosive mass. It also features a smoke discharger with a total of 10 single-shot grenades.



That’s all for today, say hello to Harry in the British tree in the next major update, and keep an eye on the news for more interesting vehicles to come!

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

Today we’re taking a look at a machine with an interesting story, a French vehicle, captured and modified by Germany and then captured back and used by the French!

[h2]Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) PaK: A Light Tank for France at Rank II[/h2]
At a glance:

• Powerful L/60 50 mm cannon!
  
• Great top speed and mobility.
  
• Scouting ability.
  
• Limited protection.
  

Vehicle History
[expand]
France built over 700 AMD Panhard 35 armored cars from 1937 to 1940. After France fell, Germany would go on to enter a large number of these vehicles into service with their own army, modifying many of them to suit other roles. A late and relatively rare modification was the inclusion of a German 50 mm cannon, both the L/42 and L/60 versions were fitted into a small number of Panhard 178 models. Later after the liberation of France, the 1e Groupement Mobile de Reconnaissance would end up capturing a large amount of remaining German equipment, with some of these being their own modified Panhard armored cars! 
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[h2]Introducing the Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) PaK![/h2]

Say hello to a new powerful French Panhard, this variant was captured and repurposed by the Germans to fit the long L/60 50 mm cannon, and later was captured back by France and used against Germany! This mobile and destructive armored car will be joining the French tree in the next major update, so let’s take a look!



This vehicle uses a lot of familiar parts you may already be familiar with. It’s very similar to the Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) KwK, a premium in the German tree. This variant however uses a longer 50 mm cannon, functionally the same as the version found on the Sd.Kfz 234/2 Puma and various late Pz.III models. With over 100mm of penetration and decent explosive filler, this cannon can comfortably deal with the majority of enemy vehicles from the side, and many of them from the front!

Mobility is similarly effective, with a 105 HP engine and max speed of 72 km/h on roads, it can traverse around the map quickly. Off-road mobility isn’t too bad either, often maintaining a speed between 35-40 km/h without much trouble. The turret traverse speed is fairly average however, so you may need to use the hull to swing the gun around quickly. 



Predictably, as with many light vehicles, armor protection is poor. Frontally, the hull armor varies between 20-30 mm of thickness, barely enough to withstand heavy machine guns. Due to the larger gun, this AMD is open topped, making it very vulnerable to high explosive shells and aircraft. It also lacks any kind of machine gun.

Regarding playstyle, the Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) PaK is a quintessential light tank, relying on its speed to reach strong positions early. While the gun is generally capable enough to combat many enemies from the front to some degree, side shots are much more reliable, and positioning on the flanks will be much more advantageous than trying to take enemies head on. Focus on using mobility to reach strong positions and remember to scout targets for your team!



That’s all from us today, this interesting and rare vehicle will be arriving in the French tech tree in the next major update. Until then, keep an eye on the news as we’ve got quite literally tons more to show you!

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