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Hello tankers! Today, I would like to talk about my favorite type of shells - high-explosive fragmentation. Let's take a look at what this type of projectile is like in our favorite game with you and in reality.
I advise you to always carry 3-5 land mines with you, for cardboard equipment, or for a heavy tank that has become in a convenient position and considers itself a monolith, so you will reason with it with land mines.
A little advice if you have enough large caliber, a tank like the KV-2, or do you just love high explosives - shoot under the bottom of the tank(unless, of course, you are 100% sure that you will not pierce the enemy in the forehead). The bottom is often the thinnest armor, and since the projectile hits the ground, there will be no difficult miscalculations, and you will splash pretty decent damage on the enemy. Also, if your caliber is small, and you don’t have enough penetration even to knock down a tank’s caterpillar, feel free to load a high-explosive projectile.
And here is the conclusion gentlemen: the land mine is cheap, simple, they do not need to “target” weak points, plopped into the silhouette and rejoice. On YouTube, many watermakers do high-explosive streams, as it's really fun. In general, combine shells friends at the right time, have a rest after difficult battles on T49, KV-2 and other large-caliber vehicles, and you will be happy! Good luck on the battlefield!
High-explosive shells are present in the game as both regular and premium ammunition. This is the main type for self-propelled guns and short-barreled large-caliber guns. They have the highest potential damage for their calibers and the lowest armor penetration. The peculiarity of HE shells is that in order to inflict the full damage declared in the performance characteristics, they necessarily need to penetrate the main armor of the tank, while if they do not penetrate, the damage is dealt taking into account the armor absorption coefficient.
HE shells have the concept of "splash" - a sphere of scattering of fragments, the ability to deal damage with them linearly decreases along the length of the scattering radius and amounts to 50% of the base damage value in the center of the explosion, and 15% at the edge of the splash radius. Premium HE shells have an increased fragmentation radius, HESH shells have increased armor penetration. Splinters ignore tank overlaps, so a small tank is behind big tank in relation to the point of explosion, will receive its "legitimate" vectors with fragments.
The same rule applies to ignoring destructible/non-destructible objects. A tank behind a wall can take damage from shrapnel if the projectile explodes with reverse side walls.
High-explosive fragmentation shells do not have normalization, they do not ricochet. To calculate penetration, the reduced armor thickness at the projectile impact point is used.
The main features of high-explosive fragmentation shells
- Projectile armor penetration does not decrease with distance.
- When a HE explodes on the armor (when the damage passes through the armor, but without the projectile penetrating into the space behind the armor), the damage is halved.
- A shock wave (a gap in the armor or near the tank) cannot damage more than half of the crew members. For crews with an odd number of tankers, rounding in both directions is equally probable.
If the HE shell did not penetrate the tank's armor or exploded next to it:
At the moment of explosion of a high-explosive projectile, a sphere of scattering of fragments is built. Vectors are built from the center of the sphere to all modules and groups of the tank's armor. The server also determines the damage (a value of ±25% is chosen, which is divided by 2). In the future, when calculating the damage caused by fragments, the resulting number is involved in the mechanisms of attenuation with distance (the distance of the flight of fragments is taken into account) and damage absorption by armor (the thickness of the armor and the absorption coefficient from the installed lining are taken into account). After calculating the damage for each shell fragment, for all modules and armor groups, the maximum value is selected, and it is this damage that is applied to the tank hull.
Thus, the use of high-explosive shells is extremely effective against weakly armored targets.
Also, high-explosive shells of large-caliber guns can be used to inflict damage on heavily armored tanks, the armor of which is problematic to penetrate with other types of shells.
This article will be devoted to the feasibility and balance value of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile in
Now in World of Tanks, the basic ammunition load, which is automatically set when buying a tank, often contains a large number of land mines. On some tank destroyers, for example, their number can generally reach 80% of the entire ammunition load. At the same time, even beginners quickly realize that land mines on most tanks are simply useless.
In some of the official videos that you can watch on the game's website, you can hear recommendations to shoot with high-explosive fragmentation if you can't penetrate the enemy with conventional armor-piercing ones. But such advice is only misleading: with land mines on a target that you cannot penetrate with armor-piercing ones, you will deal a measly 10-50 damage. Sometimes damage from land mines will not pass at all, since the enemy’s armor is too thick.
Here it is worth mentioning that the mechanics of the work of land mines has changed several times in World of Tanks. A few years ago, land mines were really a formidable weapon even on those tanks that are now fired exclusively with armor-piercing ones. But this introduced a serious imbalance: even tanks of the fifth level could dismantle tanks of the eighth or ninth level in a head-on collision.
So the mechanics of the action of high-explosive fragmentation shells have been seriously reworked. The change in the formula for dealing damage is unlikely to be of interest to you, it is only worth saying that now small-caliber HEs are absolutely useless against thick armor. Why don't the developers do something about it? Still, it cannot be called normal: players have access to ammunition that is completely unnecessary on most tanks. And the developers really recognize this situation as abnormal and are looking for solutions, but there is one very serious difficulty here.
The fact is that high-explosive fragmentation shells are the main ones for artillery, which, according to the developers, is now almost perfectly balanced. Therefore, any increase in the role of HEs (for example, a serious increase in the probability of inflicting critical damage) will lead to an artillery attack and a significant imbalance. And neither the developers nor the players want this.
So on this moment high-explosive fragmentation shells on most tanks are practically useless. They are needed only when knocking down a grapple, but even in such cases it is more reliable to use "gold" shells (sub-caliber or cumulative). The only exception here is artillery and some vehicles with "high explosives", which just fire mainly high-explosive fragmentation shells.
When the muzzle of these monsters looks at your tank, you can feel goosebumps on the steel armor, the tracks begin to give way, and the ammunition rack gradually gets wet. Few survived after being targeted by the heroes of this article.
Today we will look at the most powerful guns in the game, and, of course, the vehicles they are mounted on. We will not pay attention to the rate of fire, accuracy and armor penetration. Determine the tanks with the maximum one-time damage - that's our goal today. At each level, from the first to the tenth, we will select the most lethal tank. We will also separately rank the most powerful self-propelled guns.
1 level
vickers Medium Mark. I (maximum damage 71-119 units)
The only one medium tank at the first level, it is radically different from its counterparts. The Briton is the most massive and almost the slowest among classmates. He also has almost no armor ... but what’s there, we can say that the armor Vickers Medium Mk. I not at all. Shoot wherever you want, it’s hard not to hit such a big carcass, and it’s even harder not to pierce it or ricochet.
But English tank can set the heat on all rivals in the sandbox with a cannon QF 6- pdr 8 cwt Mark. II.
There are three types of shells to choose from: two armor-piercing and one high-explosive fragmentation.
It is the land mines that have a record damage of 71-119 units, having only 29 mm of armor penetration, but at the first level this is not a problem. The most armored classmate (MS-1) has only 18 mm on the forehead.
2 level
Т18 (maximum damage 131-219 units)
low level American tank destroyer T18 does not have a large supply of health points, but it has the thickest frontal armor at the second level and good mobility.
Add to that a powerful gun 75 mm Howitzer M1 A1 - and you will get a PT that can brazenly go out to the enemy, inflict huge damage on him, and receive only scratches herself.
High-explosive shells, as usual, differ in record damage of 131-219 units. With such power, you can kill an enemy a level above yourself with one shot, but only on condition that the projectile hits an unprotected part of the hull. If the enemy is facing you, then feel free to load the “golden” cumulative ammunition, their damage is slightly less, but the armor penetration is many times better.
ArtillerySturmpanzer I Bison (maximum damage 225-375 units)
This self-propelled gun rightfully takes the place of the "sand" queen. If the enemy team had such artillery, take care of your heads. At first glance, this flimsy machine does not pose a danger, but if a projectile flies from it, it will not seem enough.
The Bizon has only one cannon, so there is no choice here. HEAT shells are very expensive, they can be bought for 12 gold or 4800 silver coins per piece, but they are worth it. Due to the huge (for its level) damage of 225-375 units and excellent armor penetration of 171-285 mm, even heavy tanks of the fifth level can suffer from one small artillery shell.
3 level
cruiser Mark. II (maximum damage 278-463 units)
And again the British. This light British tank boasts maximum damage, which is enough to one-shot the enemy a level or even two higher than itself. In principle, that's all, he has nothing more to brag about. The speed is disgusting, the armor is weak, the reload is so-so, but I generally keep quiet about accuracy. The projectile flies very slowly, and go figure out when it hits the target, and whether it hits at all. It happens that you come down to a standing enemy, fire a volley with anticipation, and watch how your projectile flies over the enemy in a mocking arc.
But despite all this, I personally left the Cruiser Mk. II in his hangar. Do you know why? This is a very fun tank! It may be slow, clumsy and oblique, but when you take off all the health points of a high-level enemy with one shot, you are imbued with genuine love for cruiser mk. II.
To achieve maximum lethality, you need to install a weapon 3.7- inch Howitzer. Only two types of ammunition are supplied to this gun - “golden” cumulative and conventional high-explosive fragmentation. Premium HEAT rounds have excellent armor penetration, but land mines inflict huge damage (if you shoot at weak points), as many as 278-463 units.
ArtilleryLorraine39 L AM
Miniature, dynamic and long-range artillery with a long reload time, but huge damage for its level. Thanks to the hinged trajectory of the projectile, the small French self-propelled guns are able to reach enemies hiding behind low shelters.
He has two weapons in his arsenal: the fourth and fifth levels. Despite the same damage, the "stock" gun reloads longer, and the shells from it fly somehow slowly.
High-explosive fragmentation ammunition has the highest damage of 308-513 units, but against heavy tanks of the fifth and sixth levels, it is better to use "gold" HEAT shells.
Have the same damageM 37 andWespe .
4th level
Hetzer (maximum damage 308-513 units)
The German tank destroyer in the "top" configuration inspires fear and horror on its opponents. Not only that Hetzer has a low hull, ricochet armor angles and good mobility, it also has excellent damage.
One of his "top" guns 10,5 cm StuH 42 L/28 can fire armor-piercing, cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation shells. Landmines deal - 308-513 damage, but are only good for weakly armored opponents. Against heavy tanks and tank destroyers, it is best to use "golden" cumulatives.
Has the same damageSomua SAu -40 and T40 .
ArtilleryGrille (maximum damage 510-850 units)
The most popular self-propelled guns in medium companies and, perhaps, the best artillery at its level. But do not think that having bought the "Grill" you will immediately start killing enemies in batches. This machine requires a special approach and getting used to. Firstly, it has very poor horizontal aiming angles, which means that if you just move the sight slightly to the right or left, you will have to wait for full aiming again. Fortunately, with the most pumped crew and "reinforced aiming drives" Grille converges pretty quickly on the target, so don't shoot offhand, show a little patience.
One more positive trait"Grill" is a good projectile range. Unlike the Soviet counterpart, small German artillery at almost any location can send a projectile from one end of the map to the other.
And, of course, the highest damage is at the fourth level (510-850 units), which more than pays for a long cooldown. There are two types of shells in the arsenal: high-explosive fragmentation and cumulative. Both types of ammunition have the same damage, but cumulatives penetrate thicker armor, sacrificing fragmentation damage in the process. Given the lame accuracy of this artillery, choosing the type of projectile is not an easy task.
5th level
KV-1(maximum damage 338-563 units)
After splitting the legendary HF for two tanks KV-1 and KV-2) both new vehicles took first place in the 5th and 6th levels of the ranking of the most lethal vehicles in World of Tanks.
KV-1 in the "top" configuration, it has a well-armored compact turret, which allows it to fire with impunity due to shelters and terrain folds.
This tank has a wide range of Tier 5 and 6 guns, but only the HE has the maximum damage (338-563 HP) 122 mm U-11. Such a gun can be loaded with land mines or cumulative "golden" shells.
High-explosive fragmentation ammunition, despite the large declared damage, will be of little use if you shoot at the strong forehead of tank destroyers and heavy tanks of their level, but light tanks and artillery literally explode almost from the first hit.
Has the same damage SU-85.
ArtilleryM41
The American level 5 SPG is famous for the fact that in addition to excellent damage, it has excellent horizontal aiming angles and a good rate of fire.
Also M41 can accelerate to 56 km / h, but due to a weak engine, this takes a lot of time.
"Top" gun 155 mm Gun M1918 M1 can fire two types of high-explosive fragmentation shells — standard and premium. Both types of ammunition have the same damage (713-1188 units), but the “golden” shells penetrate armor a little better and scatter their fragments further during the explosion.
Have the same damageHummel andAMX 13 F 3 AM .
6th level
KV-2
A very dangerous tank in battles on the sixth and seventh levels. Thanks to the gun 152 mm M-10, which was popularly nicknamed "shaitan-pipe", KV-2 can deal 683-1138 damage, but only if the armor is pierced by a HE. If you are confronted by a thick-skinned tank, then it makes sense to try armor-piercing or cumulative shells.
Unlike its predecessor, KV-2 It has an impressive hull and a massive turret, which means that it is quite difficult to hide on it. Try to avoid open areas and stay close to city buildings, where you can catch enemies in narrow streets. The reason is obvious: this tank has trouble with accuracy, shooting at distant targets is just a waste of shells. City buildings also come in handy for retreating to reload, which lasts about a quarter of a minute.
Artillery S-51(maximum damage 1388-2313 units)
S-51 or "Pinocchio" almost always desired artillery in champion companies. Let the rate of fire of this self-propelled guns be the lowest at the sixth level, but with a "top" gun 203 mm B-4 she deals 1388-2313 damage with land mines on a successful hit.
Compared to its counterpart SU-14, this artillery is much more mobile, which allows it to change position in time when there is a threat of detection.
Has the same damage SU-14.
7th level
SU-152(maximum damage 683-1138 units)
At the seventh level, Soviet vehicles retain their leadership in terms of damage. The most powerful weapon SU-152 practically no different from a high-explosive on a heavy tank KV-2. A gun 152 mm ML-20 also shoots armor-piercing, HEAT and high-explosive fragmentation shells, which deal the most damage to weakly armored targets - 683-1138 units.
Do not forget that with a high-explosive gun you sacrifice accuracy and rate of fire. She will not allow you to sit in the bushes and accurately shoot opponents on long distances, best option- go behind enemy lines and, seizing the moment when he is not up to you, implement an impressive alpha strike.
ArtilleryGW Tiger (maximum damage 1500-2500 units)
Massive and slow artillery with a long reload time, but with lethal high-explosive fragmentation shells that deal 1500-2500 damage. Even if a landmine does not penetrate armor, any enemy will still feel uncomfortable. Who knows, maybe next time an armor-piercing shell will fly in, which, with the favor of the VBR, can swanshot almost any car in the game?
GW Tiger great for team play in a platoon. With such huge damage, you should not chase the "frags". Leave the change and the “shortage” to your allies, your primary goal is high-level heavy tanks and tank destroyers.
8 level
ISU-152(maximum damage 713-1188 units)
And again the USSR is in the lead. An improved model of the previous tank destroyer, ISU-152, possesses a weapon of the tenth level 152 mm BL-10, which can deal 713-1188 damage with HE shells. However, it is much more effective to shoot with armor-piercing ones: their damage is slightly lower, but armor penetration makes it easy to pierce even the toughest opponents of the tenth level. Using "golden" shells with this gun does not make much sense. And without them, you can easily break through any opponent.
The ISU-152 with the "top" gun has tolerable accuracy, which allows you not to break into the thick of the battle, but to cover allies from a safe distance.
Artillery T92(maximum damage 1688-2813 units)
The most deadly and most useless artillery of the eighth level. Premium HE shells deal 1688-2813 damage and have a massive blast radius of over 11 meters.
In everything else, T92 total cons.
First, it's terribly slanting artillery. It would seem that with a huge radius of fragmentation, special accuracy is not required. Well, the projectile landed not on the head of the enemy, but next to him, all the same, the adversary will be hooked by fragments. But what if enemy and allied tanks clashed in the same clearing? In this scenario, you can put both of them, and it remains to be seen who will hook more, and whether the team will be grateful to you after that.
Besides, T92 takes a very long time to recharge. While reloading, the enemy will not only have time to repair broken tracks, but also easily disappear from view.
And finally - another big minus of this artillery. It has no negative angle at all. vertical aiming. Imagine that your base breaks through light tank, drives right up to your forehead, and there's nothing you can do about it. A gun T92 it just doesn't drop below the zero line, which means that low-profile tanks can calmly shoot you at point-blank range.
9th level
T30(maximum damage 713-1188 units)
Main advantages T30- a strong free-spinning tower and a maximum damage of 713-1188 units.
Among the shortcomings, one can single out weak armor of the hull, for a long time reload and unpredictable accuracy.
High-explosive fragmentation shells inflict the greatest damage, but it is most comfortable to play, of course, with armor-piercing or sub-caliber shells.
In Game T30 can act like heavy tank(originally it was). If you are tired of sitting in the bushes, feel free to go to the place of hostilities. The main thing is not to climb on the rampage, cover a weak body and show the enemies only your strong tower.
Have the same damage Object 704 and T95.
level 10
FV215 b (183) (maximum damage 1313-2188 units)
There is nothing scarier than coming face to face with a charged FV215 b (183) . From the mention of this tank destroyer, even the "Mouses" hide in their holes, because with one successful volley the British monster is able to halve its health. Can you imagine what will happen to the rest of the tanks when a projectile from FV215 b (183) ?
"Premium" shells give out crazy damage (1313-2188 units), but if HESHs usually have very low armor penetration, then special British HESH HESHs can penetrate from 206 to 344 mm of armor. This comes at the cost of horrendous accuracy and huge reload times.
Generally, FV215b (183) is very different from his classmates not only in damage, but also appearance. This tank destroyer has the shape of a “slipper”, that is, the turret is located behind the hull, and in order to carefully look out from around the corner, you will have to show your entire huge carcass to the enemy. The so-called "Reverse Diamond" will not help much here, on the sides FV215b (183) only 50 mm of armor.
You need to get used to this PT and learn not only to competently drive around the corner, but also to roll back in time for a long reload. Try not to ride alone, it is best to have a thick-skinned and ricochet partner in the platoon who can distract opponents while you reload.
