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Pages of History (June): The Military Engineer



In this month’s Pages of History, you’ll be at the center of events that took place in different theaters of war. Karelia and Lithuania, the Normandy landings and large-scale battles in the Pacific Ocean: take part in battles with the vehicles corresponding to these historic battles and receive prizes. 

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From June 1st until June 30th, you’ll be offered 8 tasks consecutively. Completing each will reward you with a trophy, and completing all of them will earn you a unique player icon.
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[h3]Percy Hobart[/h3]
By the beginning of World War II, Percy Hobart was a major general and an expert in armored vehicles. Because of his unusual ideas, Hobart was forced into retirement in 1940, but after the failure of the Allied amphibious assault at the Battle of Dieppe, innovative ideas were in great demand. In 1943 Hobart converted the Churchill and Sherman tanks of his 79th Armored Division into engineering marvels dubbed “Hobart’s Funnies”. Some of these included the flamethrower Crocodile tank, mine-resistant Crab, amphibious DD and the enemy fortification destroyer, the Churchill AVRE. The Allies were impressed by Hobart’s work and his “funny” vehicles provided invaluable assistance during the Normandy Landings.

You can immediately purchase this profile icon for Golden Eagles until July 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.


You can read a detailed description of which task is for which day and your overall progress by going to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.

[h2]June 1st — June 4th [/h2]
[h3]Battle of Midway [/h3]
On June 4th 1942, the Battle of Midway began, one of the most important battles in the Pacific theater. It took place without the participation of artillery, as the planes that took off from aircraft carriers became the stars of the battle. At Midway, the Allies achieved their first major victory over Japan, and the Imperial Navy never recovered from the loss of aircraft carriers and experienced pilots.

[h2]June 5th — June 8th [/h2]
[h3]D-Day (Operation Overlord)[/h3]
On the morning of June 6th 1944, D-Day, hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers and officers landed in Normandy, opening a western front against Nazi Germany. The Allies managed to organize this major operation in complete secrecy. The result of this operation was the rapid liberation of not only Normandy, but also the capital of France.

[h2]June 9th — June 12th [/h2]
[h3]Karelian Offensive[/h3]
On the Eastern Front at this time, the Red Army was conducing an offensive in the northern direction. As a result of the successful Vyborg-Petrozavodsk operation, Finnish troops were driven out of Karelia, which prompted Finland to sign the Moscow Armistice with the USSR and go over to the side of the Allies.

[h2]June 12th — June 15th [/h2]
[h3]Battle of Villers-Bocage[/h3]
Shortly after D-Day, British troops encountered Wehrmacht forces near Villers-Bocage in Normandy. The Germans took advantage of the surprise effect, inflicted significant losses on the British and forced them to retreat. This led to the fact that the Germans were able to gain a foothold in Caen, which the Allies were able to take only two months later.

[h2]June 15th — June 18th [/h2]
[h3]Operation Battleaxe[/h3]
On 15th-17th June 1941, British troops launched an offensive in eastern Cyrenaica in an attempt to lift the siege of Tobruk. For the first time during World War II, significant German forces were forced to defend themselves, but they succeeded. With equal forces on both sides, Great Britain lost three times as many aircraft and nine times as many tanks, and the operation was a complete failure.

[h2]June 19th — June 22nd[/h2]
[h3]Battle of the Philippine Sea[/h3]
On June 19th-20th 1944, the last major battle of aircraft carriers in the Pacific Ocean took place. The United States had both numerical and technical superiority on its side, while Japan was able to field only inexperienced pilots against the American aces. As a result, Japan lost both aircraft carriers and aircraft, and until the end of the war it was unable to make up for these losses.

[h2]June 23rd — June 26th [/h2]
[h3]Battle of Raseiniai [/h3]
On June 22nd 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, and in the early days of the Blitzkrieg, the scattered forces of the Red Army tried unsuccessfully to hold back the Wehrmacht advance. One of these attempts was made near Raseiniai in Lithuania, where the USSR deployed 750 tanks, three times more than Germany had in this direction, and lost 700 of them in a couple of days. One KV-1 that penetrated the behind the Germans was able to block the Wehrmacht’s supply route throughout the entire battle, not surrendering even after it was hit.

[h2]June 27th — June 30th[/h2]
[h3]Case Blue[/h3]
At the end of June 1942, a Wehrmacht strategic offensive operation began, designed to consistently defeat Soviet forces in the southern direction and seize oil fields in the Caucasus. However, due to the fact that Hitler personally interfered with the command of the troops, they were not sufficiently organized, outnumbered and equipped to effectively advance. They eventually got bogged down at Stalingrad, where they suffered a crushing defeat.

New Locations: Mysterious Valley and Bering Sea!

Today we’re going to be showing you two new locations that are coming in the next major update: Mysterious Valley for Aircraft Battles, and Bering Sea for Naval Battles!

Meet Mysterious Valley!




Hello pilots! This new location is set in the mountainous part of Southeast Asia. A large rock massif is divided by a deep gorge, which is going to be your main landmark. Situated approximately in the middle of the gorge is a hydroelectric power station, which is the main energy resource of this area. You’ll find several towns within the mountains, and downstream to the West of the hydroelectric dam, there’s a mountain village with a river market.



The main strategic points here is a large spaceport complex in the northern part of the location, and to the south of the city there’s a giant radio telescope reflector, clearly visible in any weather and from any altitude.



Meet Bering Sea!




This new location for naval battles is bringing you to the harsh north. The designers of this location tried to create a collective image of the surroundings of the islands in southern Alaska and the main attraction of the region, the Islands of Four Mountains. This is a group of four active volcanoes situated right in the middle of the sea!



This location has a seascape with decent cover, where smaller ships and boats can maneuver around, while bigger ships will take duels on the open sea.



Both of these new locations will be added to the map rotation with the release of the next major update. Keep an eye out for more news about what’s coming in this update on our website.

The SAV 20.12.48 and a Decal for Swedish National Security Forces Day!



The Swedish Riksdag approved the founding of the National Security Forces Day on May 29th, 1940 against the backdrop of the outbreak of World War II, although territorial defense units began to be formed earlier. Today, their number exceeds 22,000 personnel, approximately half of the Swedish Army.

The SAV 20.12.48 is temporarily available for Golden Eagles!

This fast-firing TD is available for 1,300 Golden Eagles.

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When: From May 29th until May 31st (11:00 GMT).
Where: Sweden > Army > Premium vehicles.
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[h3]About this tank destroyer[/h3]
  • The SAV 20.12.48 tank destroyer is very vulnerable to enemy fire, so make sure that you use its mobility to get to positions where you can hunker down without being shot. Its main talking point is its incredible rate of fire and powerful armor-piercing shells. This TD can quickly take effective and unexpected positions and take out several enemies in a matter of seconds thanks to its fast rate of fire!



Earn the “Emblem of the Uppland Regiment” decal!

You can get this decal for this commemoration!

“Emblem of the Uppland Regiment” decal

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When: From May 29th until May 31st (11:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using Swedish vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the “Emblem of the Uppland Regiment” decal.

Additional details:
  • You must use a minimum of rank III.
  • Your activity must not be below 70%.
  • You can complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions, and [Assault] mode.
  • Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Swedish National Security Forces Day.
  • You can find the decal in the “Swedish tanks” tab in the Customization menu.
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[h2]Vehicle Review: SAV 20.12.48 and its Decal![/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Wiki approved: SAV 20.12.48” decal

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When: From May 29th until June 12th (11:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using SAV 20.12.48 to receive the “Wiki approved: SAV 20.12.48” decal.

Additional details:
  • You can complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions, and [Assault] mode.
  • Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Swedish National Security Forces Day.
  • You can find the decal in the “Wiki” tab in the Customization menu.
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The Milan Temporarily Returns on the Anniversary of its First Flight!



The French Milan fighter jet was developed on the basis of the Mirage III by order of Switzerland and first took to the skies on May 29th 1969. Exactly 1 year later, the final version of this aircraft equipped with the Snecma Atar 9K-50 engine passed flight tests.

The Milan is temporarily available for Golden Eagles!

You can get this fighter jet for 9,090 Golden Eagles.



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When: From May 29th (13:00 GMT) until June 3rd (13:00 GMT).
Where: France > Aviation > Premium vehicles.
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[h3]About this aircraft[/h3]
  • The Milan can be tricky to fly, but in the right hands it can be a real treat. It has excellent maneuverability and is capable of reaching incredible speeds. Plus, thanks to its good bomb load and ballistic computer, it can also be used for ground attacks.

Kondor II: Birdcatcher



Meet the Kondor II minesweeper, which is equipped with rapid-firing anti-aircraft guns and a Strela-2M air defense missile launcher! This one’s an interesting addition to the German Coastal fleet research tree, coming soon in the next major update.

[h2]Kondor II: A Minesweeper for Germany at Rank IV[/h2]
Features:
  • 3 x twin 25 mm machine guns.
  • Strela-2M SAM.
  • Low top speed.
Vehicle History
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Project 89 minesweepers have been built in the GDR since the late 60s, and their NATO classification was Kondor. Project 89 ships underwent four modernization programs, the latest and most advanced of which was designated 89.2 UR2 or Kondor II. These included the installation of modern sonar and radar equipment, as well as the Strela-2M anti-aircraft missile system in the FASTA launcher. These ships could operate as part of distant sea and ocean formations and were placed in service with the German Navy until 1995. After decommissioning, some of the Kondor II ships were sold to other countries, including Indonesia, Uruguay and Latvia.
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[h2]Meet the Kondor II![/h2]

The German Kondor II is a representative of a rare class of SAM carriers in the game. Today we’ll be taking a look at this interesting ship coming to Germany’s Coastal fleet tree. Let’s dive in!



Coastal fleet ships are usually smaller, but the Kondor II is a fairy large ship, armed with three twin mounts with 25 mm autocannons and a FASTA 4M2 launcher with Strela-2M anti-aircraft missiles. This ship also has a radar to detect air targets too, and a crew of 29 people.



Interesting: Three Kondor series ships purchased by the Maltese Government were sunk in the most picturesque of places on the island’s coast and are used as tourist spots for divers.

Its length is more than 50 meters and its maximum speed is just 18.5 knots (34 km/h), meaning the Kondor II is primarily a backline fighter. Well hidden behind islands and low cliffs, make sure to use the Kondor II as your team’s main aircraft cover at long distances. This ship can also be used is for artillery ambushes at capture points, where the Kondor II can use its rapid-firing 25 mm cannons!



This unusual anti-aircraft ship is coming to the game in the next major update at rank IV of the German Coastal fleet tree. Until then, keep an eye on our website for more dev blogs that we’re currently cooking!