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Sun Tzu: How to defeat a tank with infantry
Posted: 2007-08-22 20:12
by Wolfe
Move not unless you see an advantage;
Use not your troops unless there is something to be gained;
Fight not unless the position is critical.
-Sun Tzu
1st Rule of warfare: Know the enemy.
Tanks are a formidable weapon; their range of sight is matched only by their awesome firepower. In this lies their greatest flaw. Brave not is the warrior who exposes his own weakness by granting his enemy its strength, but victorious is the warrior who transforms his enemy's strength into it's own weakness.
- Strengths:
- Superior visibility over wide, flat terrain
- Superior firepower at medium to long range
- Immune to light and medium weaponry
- Fast movement
- Weakness:
- Must remain visible over long distances
- Diminished firepower at close range
- Easily distracted by light and medium weaponry, leaving it vulnerable to landmines, heavy AT, and other tanks
- Movement severely limits accuracy
Use a tank's strengths against it
The tank's greatest asset is simultaneously its greatest weakness. It must remain stationary and visible so that it can see over long distances. This means that it's a big fat target just begging to be hit. The strategy to defeat a tank becomes clear:
- Remain hidden, let the tank become comfortable in the open
- Attack only when lethal hits are guaranteed.
- Attack only when you have an exit strategy to survive
- Attack only at long range, remaining hidden between attacks
- Attack from multiple angles simultaneously; as close to 180 degrees apart as possible
- Force the tank to search for cover, this will:
- dramatically reduces its range
- dramatically reduce its accuracy
- open the door for close assault with landmines
- Remain hidden, remain hidden, remain hidden. Again, remain hidden.
- Patience, patience, patience. Again, patience.
Remember, C4 and slams are useless against tanks. Light AT is also useless, other than to provide a distraction away from a friendly tank or heavy AT from a safe distance. Be smart. Think. Plan.
Then execute. Failure to do these in order results in the reverse; your execution, then thinking about what you should have planned.
Good luck soldiers.
edit:
The moral of the story is that far too many players engage tanks like they would another soldier. They run towards it, stand on hilltops and stare at it, or ping away single shots with their m16 as if they're going to score a miracle Capt. Miller hit. They run through a tank's field of fire with their eyes closed thinking they can't be seen. They die, respawn, then do the exact same thing all over again, after which, they post on the forums how tanks are overpowered.
The only effective weapon against tanks is a mine, HAT or another tank. Everything else is most likely to get you killed and unless your death results in the destruction of the tank on a 1:1 ratio, you're not doing your team any favors by senselessly losing valuable tickets and infantry positioning.
This guide was written not to show all the possible ways to defeat tanks, but that they can be defeated with a little planning, a little coordination, and a little patience.
Posted: 2007-08-23 11:47
by nedlands1
Wolfe wrote:
Remember, C4 and slams are useless against tanks. Light AT is also useless, other than to provide a distraction away from a friendly tank or heavy AT from a safe distance. Be smart. Think. Plan. Then execute. Failure to do these in order results in the reverse; your execution, then thinking about what you should have planned.
Good luck soldiers.
I disagree with the statement about the useless of L-AT against tanks.
It takes:
- 12 L-AT rounds to the front,
- 7 L-AT rounds to the side,
- 6 L-AT rounds to the tracks or
- 4 L-AT rounds to the rear
To destroy a tank.
A squad with two light AT and a rifleman can easily destroy a tank from the rear. If they both fire simultaneously and hit the tank then it will seem as though there is only one attacker. The rifleman can resupply his two rifleman AT ready for the final volley. If the tank is facing the front it only takes one more volley(as long as they are all track hits) to take it out.
Posted: 2007-08-23 11:54
by Outlawz7
Ahh, the good old tracks weak point exploit...
But 4 Light ATs to the rear, I have to test this one out
Also, I disagree with C4 not being effective. It IS effective.
Posted: 2007-08-23 12:05
by milobr
Indeed, it's effective as hell.
If I can remember two slams at the back of a tank can easily blow him up. I think that was when I used to play 0.5, though.
Posted: 2007-08-23 12:07
by Outlawz7
milobr wrote:
If I can remember two slams at the back of a tank can easily blow him up. I think that was when I used to play 0.5, though.
Two Slams?
Posted: 2007-08-23 14:41
by milobr
I think so..
I record at least 2 situations where I've killed a tank using two slams on its back.
Maybe he was already heated?
Posted: 2007-08-23 15:47
by nicoX
- If you are a squad, smoke the area around you and the tank. Smoke will distract the tank and gain your squad. Have one spotter telling H-AT when to move for a strike. Remember to smoke as the tanks visibility is far much bigger than your and much more protected.
Posted: 2007-08-23 15:49
by Reddish Red
I've took out Tanks with C4 and Light AT.
Heck, I've took out APCs with Grenadiers, its not that hard you just have to distract its fire
Posted: 2007-08-23 16:50
by Masaq
The difficulty with hurling smoke at a tank when your squadmates are creeping up on it is that most tanker's reaction to getting smoked is to move out of the smoke. Often, this makes it hard to tell which way the tank's moving until it's just rolled over your engineer(s) in the confusion.
Certainly I've been run over (and have run over people myself) without the driver even realising I was there.
Posted: 2007-08-23 16:54
by Wasteland
milobr wrote:I think so..
I record at least 2 situations where I've killed a tank using two slams on its back.
Maybe he was already heated?
He must have been pretty injured for two SLAMs to take him out.
Posted: 2007-08-23 16:56
by motherdear
one of my favorite tactics to take out any armor is a c4 on the back (which does damage) and a mine in front of the tracks, then just blow the c4 that pushes the tank into the mine and watch the firework (only on stationary tank noobs though)
Posted: 2007-08-23 17:58
by ReaperMAC
JP*wasteland.soldier wrote:He must have been pretty injured for two SLAMs to take him out.
Yeah. Was on Al Kufrah last night, 2 Silly Spec Ops Players decided to put slams on my tank, only for me to brush it off and continue fighting.
Posted: 2007-08-23 18:49
by Outlawz7
Its hillarious, when the SF takes out his Slams and places them on my tank and runs away thinking Ill blow up...
Posted: 2007-08-23 19:23
by Wolfe
edited original post
Posted: 2007-08-23 22:21
by lysander_atrull
wouldn't bother with the smoke - any sensible tanker will move his tank as soon as his view is obstructed.
might work against inexperienced players mind.
just stay down and approach from an unobserved angle!
otherwise get a squad member to give a distraction some distance away (50-100 metres) within clear view so the tanker feels he doesn't need to move and can just snipe with his tank.
Posted: 2007-09-11 07:15
by RHYS4190
no best thing to do against a tank when your inf..... RUN at the first sign of an oproching tank and hide and wait for a friendly tank to take it out.
Posted: 2007-09-12 12:37
by Blondin
Funniest way to fight a tank is to use H-AT on pub servers. Just aim at the enemy armor with the zoom to activate its lock alarm.
Then, just wait and enjoy seeing it moving fastly backward and hitting walls, friendly vehicles, trees... If you're lucky, it might drive upon his own teamates.
When it will be on cover, just wait a little and let him come far away from his safe location before doing the same thing again. And enjoy again
Without firing a single round, you should be able to neutralize its firepower if it's not driven by an experienced crew. Then, you'll be able to save your rounds for other priority targets : APCs and commander truck. IMO, this is the better way to deal with tanks if you're not sure to rearm easily your H-AT. If you will be able to have ammo easily, just let it panick and fire when it will be stucked somewhere against the relief.
Posted: 2007-09-20 02:18
by 1rankman
i like the throw the mine down behind it and put c4 on it and when detanated it blows up the mine and the tank
or just put a mine behind it then run in front it just to jump in its view to give the tank drive a big fright and get them to drive backwods suddenly in to the waiting mine
Posted: 2007-09-20 09:30
by torcheypoos
another pownzoar trick i use and i advise using it is if the tank doesnt know ur there go prone and crawl round the front and place a mine at its track(as close as posible) then go stick a c4 on the back blow it the explosion pushes the tank into the mine the kablewy. im sick of seeing noobs putting a mine a c4 in the same spot and swearin when the tank drives forward away from the explosion. iv killed alot if ppl the way yeh pretty good 2 a quick note tho try make sure its a tank with just 1 crewman if theres a driver in it then theres a higher chance of it jst taking off with u in front of it jst waiting to get run over thx
Posted: 2007-09-25 09:34
by ZephyrDraevyn
Done a tank with just a mine before.... Crept up on the stationary tank, put a mine underneath and at the back...
One of my squadmates fired the wrong 'nade from his grenadier kit (Explosive, not smoke) - tanker panicked and reversed back over the mine.
RESULT !