Commanders,
Over the next two weeks, the battlefields will tremble under the fire of French autoloaders! This edition of the Top of the Tree special will focus on the fragile yet deadly French heavy tanks. Follow the research line leading to AMX 50 B and enjoy great discounts and credit income bonuses:
30% discount on purchase and 30% more credits earned with the following French vehicles:
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Use this opportunity to earn extra credits while driving these fine tanks, or get them for 70% of their normal value!
These bonuses will be available from 15th October 07:10 until 30th October 07:00 CEST (GMT +2). That’s two full weeks to shower your enemies with lead!
AMX 50 B
Four juicy red-hot portions of lead coming right up!
In-Game Performance
The AMX 50 B can be described as a very unique vehicle in its class. It is capable of reaching an impressive speed of 65 km/h, which makes it the fastest heavy tank in the game. In addition, good acceleration and manoeuvrability both add to the vehicle’s mobility. This means you can reach key positions on the map before the enemy and quickly relocate if needed. Another great feature of the tank is its excellent 170 mm frontal armour plate. This is additionally mounted at a very acute angle, significantly increasing the chances of a ricochet. The armament is something anyone facing the vehicle will fear – the AMX 50 B is armed with the reasonably accurate 120 mm SA46 gun, capable of penetrating 257 mm of armour and dealing an average of 400 damage points per shot. What’s more, the gun comes with an autoloader and drums containing four shells each. This configuration allows you to shoot four times every 2.5 seconds and deal considerable burst damage before the drum is empty.
Unfortunately, the vehicle has also a few major disadvantages you need to take into consideration when in battle. First and foremost, you need to bear in mind that the front side of the hull is practically the only armoured part of this vehicle – each shot fired at your sides, rear and especially at the turret will penetrate and deal damage. In addition, the vehicle is quite large, and you can rest assured that the risk of being spotted is high. Even though the AMX 50 B is capable of delivering a lot of damage in a short period of time, replacing an empty drum is a very long process which leaves you defenceless and vulnerable at the time. Last but not least, you need to remember that your HP pool is very low in comparison to other Tier X heavy tanks. This means that if you get exposed, your vehicle can end up destroyed very quickly.
Tactics
I’m not camping – I’m just waiting for the right moment to strike! Croissant anyone? No? Ok…
If you want to drive your AMX 50 B effectively (or any other vehicle from the series for that matter), you need to remember one crucial thing – you are NOT a frontline tank and you should NOT lead the charge against anything heavier than SPGs and light tanks. Your primary role in the team is to support your heavier and better armoured teammates, and let them draw the attention of the enemy while dealing damage from behind cover yourself.
Player tip: Please bear in mind that your team will rely on your fire during combat, and will be expecting you to attack or finish off the enemies they’re engaged with. Remember that replacing an empty ammo drum takes a lot of time, so we advise you to ALWAYS signal the team when you’re reloading. This way, your teammates will be able to adjust their tactic and wait for you instead of putting themselves under fire in a vain hope for your support. You can report reloading your drum by pressing the F8 button.
In order to maximise your performance on the battlefield, we suggest installing the following equipment:
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In addition, your crew members should learn the following skills:
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 Gunner |
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 Driver |
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 Radio Operator |
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*Please note that all crew members except the driver also serve as loaders and can learn the skills reserved for loaders. Therefore, it would be wise to have one of them learn the Safe Stowage skill in order to minimise your chances of having your ammo rack destroyed.
History
By the end of World War II, Europe was crippled and in a dire need of recovery both in terms of economy and military security, especially with the USA and USSR emerging from the ashes as two superpowers. In order to secure the country’s independence and bring France back to its former status as a ‘great power’, the French started to rebuild their armament industry. The Treaty of Brussels from 1948 established a common defence agreement among European countries and produced a need for an indigenous armoured vehicle, capable of facing American and Soviet machines on equal terms. France’s response was the AMX 50 series.
Originally planned as a medium tank, the AMX 50 underwent many changes throughout its development which forced the engineers to reclassify the vehicle as a heavy tank. Facing the Soviet heavy tank threat, the French had no other choice but to sacrifice the initial low weight of the vehicle for the sake of better protection. However, these upgrades resulted in an inefficient h.p./tonne ratio, as well as in a number of additional problems with mechanical reliability. Another issue was the engine, which was supposed to have a 1200 h.p. output. Despite the efforts of both French and German engineers, power simply wouldn’t increase over 1000 h.p. despite lowering the cast hull and installing a lighter type of turret.
The problems with the engine turned out to be fatal for the project. Having no effective solution, in 1956 the French decided to delay production. To support this decision, rapid advances in hollow charge technology at the end of the decade seemed to render heavy tanks obsolete in modern armoured warfare doctrine, while putting the fast and swift medium tanks in the spotlight. Despite efforts to redesign the AMX 50 again to fit the new standards, no solution to the engine problems could be found, and as a result the project was terminated.
However, the development process was not entirely a waste. In fact, many solutions developed for the AMX 50 were later used in the AMX 30 and AMX-56 Leclerc designs.
Ready your ammo drums – you will be emptying them quickly enough!
