Every gun can fire,
but only a few can destroy a tank with a single shot.
One of these guns is mounted on the British Tier X Tank Destroyers,
the FV4005 and the FV215b (183).
It can destroy a tank with a single shell.
Unfortunately, this fantastic alpha damage comes with complications and disadvantages,
and a dependence on that unmeasurable parameter - luck.
You can see right away that the British top-tier TDs are very different from each other.
The FV215b (183) is slow and has a well armored front.
The FV4005 is more mobile,
but not fast enough to race from flank to flank.
It has a giant, vulnerable turret with very thin armor.
This vehicle is more vulnerable than the Waffenträger.
When in battle, the FV4005 and the FV215b (183) operate differently,
but their purpose is the same - to deal monstrous amounts of damage.
The most important feature of these vehicles is the single-shot damage.
The HE's damage is close to that of an artillery shell - 1750 hit points.
Thanks to the HESH shell's armor penetration, they can destroy
a high tier medium tank and even some heavy vehicles with a single hit.
Actually the full damage isn't done every time.
For this to happen, the HE needs to pass through the armor.
Hitting spaced armor or an external module, a track for example, detonates the shell prematurely,
and its effect on the main armor diminishes with distance.
Hitting a vulnerable spot is hard. You'll need both patience and luck,
since the gun suffers from low accuracy and a long aim time.
This is one of the reasons why it's challenging to fight with these tanks.
The HESH shells can deal full damage 3-4 times in a row,
and then start exploding on external modules again and again, without causing any real damage.
Because of the gun's high dispersion, shooting from a long distance
using HESH ammunition depends very much on luck.
The aiming speed of the gun is a little different
between the FV4005 and the FV(183).
The FV4005 aims faster than the FV(183):
3 seconds instead of 3.4.
This difference is quite significant on city maps.
The faster you aim, the faster you deal the damage and get out from the line of fire,
reducing the risk of getting hit with an enemy shell.
The FV4005 also benefits from a higher accuracy.
The dispersion is 0.38 versus 0.4.
The advantage is small, but still nice to have.
Despite the low accuracy and slow aiming speed,
meeting a vehicle armed with this gun is very scary.
There's always the chance that you'll get hit after all.
If you do find yourself facing a 183 millimeters shell,
there are things you can do to minimize the HESH damage.
With some tanks it's a good idea to receive the shot from your side,
and not even try to angle the hull.
Given the low accuracy, the shell is quite likely to hit a track.
Of course, this advice doesn't help the French tanks very much,
but even they will have a chance.
At close range, it's very effective to make your hull “dance”.
The TD will have a hard time aiming, and the aim circle will be constantly disrupted,
especially if the TD has to turn its own hull.
Standing still when fighting these TDs would be a terrible decision.
You need to keep moving.
The owner of an FV4005 or FV215b (183) faces a choice
when loading shells into the gun - AP or HESH.
The HESH shell deals enormous damage.
It's really cool to take almost 2000 enemy HP with a single bang.
The HESH shells are expensive however, and it's hard to deal full damage with them.
You'll be hoping for a miracle.
The FV's do have the option of using the cheaper and more predictable AP shells,
with a decent armor penetration of 310 millimeters.
This is enough to deal damage in most situations,
especially if the enemy's side is seen and you can just shoot anywhere.
Intuition and planning can help you decide which shells to load.
Think about who you expect to shoot at.
If it's a Maus or an E100, it's difficult to punch through with a HESH.
Medium tanks and TDs, on the other hand, will just crack open.
The high one-shot damage of the FV4005 and the FV(183)
comes at the cost of a very slow rate of fire.
It is 2 shots per minute.
Ventilation and crew skills can help reduce the reload time
from the base 30 seconds to about 25,but it's still a very long time.
This is the biggest difficulty in playing the FVs.
Quite often they take a single shot, and then die without having a chance to reload.
And if their shot doesn't destroy the enemy, then things are very grim.
There are two ways to reduce your vulnerability during reload
- you can either shoot from a distance and hide, or never operate alone.
Often these vehicles are saved by the enemy team's fear of them.
Surely many of you are familiar with the situation where at the end of a battle
several tanks are afraid to go in and destroy an FV4005 waiting around the corner.
All that is needed is for one tanker to take the hit,
and the others can then kill the helpless TD
- an easy victory.
If the vehicle isn't alone around the corner, but instead hiding behind allies,
then going straight at it would probably be stupid.
This situation requires more tactics.
One of the options is to flank the enemy.
Open a second front, so to say.
The enemy won't be able to defend effectively from two directions,
and it will be much easier to take out the dangerous TD.
The second option is to play defensively.
It is less risky, since the TD will have a hard time shooting,
but you need to mind your team's line up here.
Clearly, medium tanks can't defend against heavies.
Close combat tactics are different for the FV4005 and the FV (183).
The FV215b (183) has a strong turret with 250 millimeters of armor and angled sides,
and it has the potential to bounce some shells.
As a consequence this vehicle needs to hide in portholes or behind cover.
It can't tank like a heavy, but when you need to peek out, aim carefully before you fire
- the strong turret gives you a chance that shells won't punch through the armor.
The FV215b (183) is better suited for defending or pushing a direction.
The situation with the FV4005 is completely different.
It has a huge, thin turret.
Any tank can penetrate it with an HE shell, and it can't hide, even behind a Maus.
You can assume this vehicle has no protection.
What is has, is better mobility compared to the FV(183).
It doesn't move like a medium tank
but it accelerates and turns much faster than the other TD.
The FV4005's tactic is to roll out fast,
make the shot and then retreat quickly for the reload.
It's better to retreat quite far, so if the enemies attack,
you can help your allies from a distance.
The FV215b (183) is too slow to do this.
Both TD's have a rotating turret,
but it can't turn beyond a 90 degree angle.
This limits their actions.
Peeking around the corner and shooting doesn't work,
as you'll have to also turn your hull.
Fast enemies can easily circle around them, or just stick to their side.
The FV4005's turret rotation speed is 12 degrees per second.
That's 4 degrees slower than on the Maus.
A long-time record is beaten.
Sometimes it's easier to just turn the hull to start aiming.
In general, the British TDs present a challenge for both you and your opponents.
You have a certain 183 millimeter quality which is feared and respected.
Stand behind cover at a key location
and see how long it takes for the enemies
to find their courage and attack you.
On the other hand, you will be an easy target after taking a shot,
and at that point everything will depend on your experience,
luck and the help of your teammates.
When playing against these TDs,
you should use numbers and tactics to your advantage.
Flank your enemy, run around them and out-turn them,
avoid that deadly shot,
and see how the fearsome lion turns into a harmless kitten.
To learn more about Her Majesty's main gun, visit the special page.
Good luck on the battlefield!