The Waffenträger concept was conceived to combine German artillery tractors and SPGs into one vehicle type that would salvage precious resources, like field guns, from the battlefield in the later stages of the war. Though the concept did undergo testing, it never received its real baptism by fire, thus War Thunder tankers can look forward to having the honour of testing out the Waffenträger in real combat themselves in the upcoming 1.71 update!

In War Thunder, the Krupp-Steyr Waffenträger will take on the role of a turreted tank destroyer in the higher ranks of the German ground forces tree. There, it will provide fans of German armour with a vehicle that breaks away from the classical casemate style tank destroyer design that has been a staple in the German tree from the start, whilst retaining some features that will allow seasoned tankers to feel right at home with the new Waffenträger. Equipped with the familiar long barrel 8,8cm KwK 43 L/71 cannon that players know, love and/or fear from the King Tiger, the Waffenträger will make short work of most opponents it faces in battles, even at long distances, thanks to the excellent ballistic properties of the “eightyeight”. Bearing in mind that that the Waffenträger is equipped with a rather unsuitable engine, only capable of delivering 140 horsepower, tank commanders will have to plan their tactics and strategies well in advance to allow their tank to perform optimally in battle. Steep slopes and long distance movement should be avoided, as the Waffenträger not only has a lacking power to weight ratio, but is also no speed demon with it’s top speed of 35 km/h.

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However, unlike the King Tiger, the Waffenträger is no aggressive predator, quite the opposite in fact. The Waffenträger really shines when placed in a suitable ambush position, where the elements of surprise will make up for the lacking physical armour protection of the vehicle. Don’t get carried away though! As mentioned before, the mobility of the Waffenträger severely limits how far you can push your vehicle forwards, so don’t hope for intercepting enemies on their way to the battlefield as they’ll likely get there before you. With that said, find yourself a raised position overlooking the battlefield in the vicinity of your allies and wait for your prey to come to you. If executed correctly, an ambush laid with the Waffenträger can quickly determine the outcome of the battle even early on in a match. However, a correctly executed ambush can only be accomplished when close to the enemy, so make sure to keep up with your advancing forces and don’t linger around in the back unnecessarily.

The Waffenträger will soon reinforce the higher ranks of the German ground forces tree in an effort to turn the tide of battle, in War Thunder’s upcoming 1.71 update. Until then, commanders!

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The War Thunder Team