The FCM 50 t is a dangerous Tier VIII French Premium tank.
This is a fast, maneuverable vehicle with good view range.
The tank has preferential matchmaking,
and its gameplay is based on the tank's speed and dynamics, not on its armor.
The FCM's designation as a heavy tank can be deceptive.
It is a heavy tank, and it does have a decent pool of 1500 hit points.
However, if it fights on the front line, it will look something like a figure skater playing ice hockey.
Its rapid maneuvers may dazzle its opponents for a while, but even the most beautiful breakthrough will most likely…
…go wrong.
So, it's best to leave tanking to the true heavies.
But why? The FCM is a heavy tank too, isn't it?
It's all about the armor.
The 120 mm front armor plate and 80 mm side plates can block shots only from lower-tier vehicles.
You can't count on ricochets. Additionally, the tank is quite big.
At close range, enemy vehicles can hit it even without taking the time to aim.
The FCM is an easy and enticing target.
Experienced medium tank drivers,
who know how to use support tactics, will immediately see the potential of the FCM 50 t.
Support is what this French tank was created for.
Its good characteristics will make it a pleasure to play.
Good view range and an accurate gun allow the FCM to fight from a distance.
Without any crew skills or additional equipment, its view range is 400 meters, and this is the top value in its tier.
If you mount Coated Optics, and train your crew with the Recon and Situational Awareness skills,
and the Brothers in Arms perk, you will get an outstanding view range value.
The FCM can cause damage upon its own spotting while staying undetected.
For example, the standard view range of the IS-3 is 350 meters.
So, the French heavy can fire at him from the distance while remaining unpunished.
Maintaining the distance is key, because the FCM's size will give it away immediately if the enemy gets closer.
That's why you should use the terrain.
This tank performs well on hilly maps, thanks to the good elevation and depression angles of its gun.
The 90 mm armor-piercing shells can penetrate 212 mm of armor,
giving the FCM the ability to penetrate almost any vehicle it might meet in battle.
The average damage per shot is 240, a relatively low value.
Eight shots per minute can produce almost 2,000 damage per minute.
This is an average value for Tier VIII vehicles,
but the combination of fast reload and high armor penetration will cause a lot of trouble for the enemy.
Adding a Gun Rammer and Enhanced Gun-Laying Drive will reduce the reload time and aim time of the gun.
You can train the Gunner with the Deadeye perk to cause critical damage to the modules of enemy vehicles more often.
When keeping your distance is not an option, the FCM's excellent dynamics come in handy.
The FCM is one of the best Premium Tier VIII vehicle in terms of speed and agility.
Its maximum speed is 51 km/h.
It accelerates rapidly, and, thanks to its wide tracks, neither soft ground nor pits and bumps can stop it.
The hull traverse and turret traverse speeds will be an unpleasant surprise for light tanks that like to circle around heavy tanks.
You'll definitely want to keep your front armor turned to their shots,
and the standard 40 degrees per second of hull traverse speed will enable you to do so.
That traverse speed can be improved by the Clutch Braking skill.
Adding Improved Ventilation, Strong Coffee, and Gasoline will boost that traverse speed even more.
The Off-Road Driving skill is not required, as the FCM is already quite good at crossing bogs.
The FCM's speed allows it to take advantageous positions at the beginning of the battle, spot enemies, and get away with it.
However, you'd better have a retreat plan, because French armor won't let you hold a position.
Playing the FCM, you should be prepared to change positions and you definitely shouldn't rush into the thick of the action.
Your key objectives are to avoid damage, flank the enemy, and attack them stealthily…
… and unexpectedly.
Duels in the city streets and shoot-outs from behind the building corners are dangerous for the FCM
especially against tanks with high damage per shot.
However, those wide tracks can save the FCM from taking damage in some cases.
No, its tracks are not a black hole where shells disappear.
The chassis is a separate module, so penetrating the tracks doesn't necessarily mean that a tank's hull was hit.
A shell may pass under the hull.
Additionally, the FCM's tracks cover almost the whole side, adding 30 mm of armor to the 80 mm side armor.
So, to penetrate the hull, a shell needs to penetrate 110 mm of armor at a 90 degree angle, and even more at more acute angles.
Sometimes, the speed and weight of the FCM may entice you to go for ramming.
But you should remember its thin armor.
In ramming, many parameters are considered, including the armor of both vehicles.
So, you shouldn't ram heavy vehicles, but light ones had better stay out of your way.
The FCM is a vehicle for the tacticians; cunning drivers with experience in medium tanks.
It can change positions on the map quickly, inflict damage from long range, and ambush the enemy, all while going unpunished.
Preferential matchmaking makes battle conditions more favorable.
Cheap shells, huge ammunition capacity, quick rate of fire and good armor penetration will allow you
to earn a decent amount of credits per battle.
If you want to learn more about this tank, follow the link to a special website.
Good luck, and see you on the battlefield!