Five brand-new American Yoh tanks are making their Tech Tree debut in World of Tanks, Commanders!

Several months ago, we announced a new line of American heavy tanks featuring the reserve track mechanic. This line generated a lot of interest, especially with regard to the tanks' unusual appearance and gameplay. The  VIII M-IV-Y , the Premium representative of the new branch, was also made available in the Holiday Ops 2022 event.

With this unique new mechanic, it took a long time to refine the Yoh vehicles and balance their characteristics. Now, we’re ready to add this entire American heavy tank branch to the game on January 26, 2022. But before we take a closer look at the lineup, let’s start off with a brief historical background.

CONTENTS

Yoh Tanks: An Outstanding Unreleased Project

In the 1950s, the American H.L. Yoh Company, named after its founder, American industrialist Harold L. Yoh, started developing tank concepts with unusual configurations. They inherited some of the classic features of the American tank building school, but each concept had rather non-standard shapes. One of the main features of these brand-new vehicles was a reserve track that could be used if the main one was destroyed.

We found these ideas very interesting, so we decided to accurately recreate these outstanding machines in our game. Although the Yoh tanks have never historically been embodied in metal, you can now experience the heat of battle in them, albeit virtually!

The Pawlack Tank

Researching the new Yoh sub-branch will follow on from the V T1 Heavy Tank  with the Pawlack Tank.

This is a transitional Tier VI vehicle that plays differently from other mid-tier American heavy tanks (such as the T1 Heavy Tank or the M6). On the other hand, the  VI Pawlack Tank  is also not quite like medium tanks and is more akin to the classic vehicles of a higher tier of American tank building. It’s kind of a mix between a heavy and a medium tank, with good dynamics and great gun handling.

The Pawlack Tank is smaller than other mid-tier American vehicles but is better armored and has more impressive firepower. In close-range battles, it will feel confident enough, and will also be able to support allies in flanking attacks. It may be a little difficult to get used to its gameplay after the T1 Heavy Tank, but if you spend some time taming this unusual predator, it will be much easier for you to adapt to the rest of the Yoh tanks.

The M-II-Y

The  VII M-II-Y  is the first vehicle in the branch featuring the new reserve track mechanic (more about this later). Like its predecessors, this is a hybrid of heavy and medium tanks with good mobility and excellent armor. You should also remember that it has a rather big commander's cupola, which is the weak spot of this tank.

The M-II-Y is equipped with a gun with average characteristics but features good armor penetration values. Plus, starting at this tier, all Yoh tanks receive excellent gun depression and elevation angles. This is one of their key features, which shapes the gameplay of the entire branch.

The M-III-Y

All the main advantages of its predecessors continue to improve. The  VIII M-III-Y  features an even stronger turret and hull armor, so it’s enough to withstand direct hits from vehicles of the same tier or lower. The commander's cupola is noticeably smaller, and –10 degrees of gun depression will be very useful when taking advantage of the terrain. Its mobility is also high, so you can easily change flanks and directions.

In addition, the M-III-Y has another cool feature: two guns to choose from. If you prefer to support your allies from a distance, then mount the 90 mm gun—accurate, fast-firing, and with good penetration values. If you are more into frontline battles, then you should choose the 105 mm gun. It is slightly less accurate and has a lower rate of fire, but it features higher alpha damage.

The M-VI-Y

This tank inherited its general gameplay concept from its combat brothers but acquired an extraordinary appearance. The  IX M-VI-Y  features a well-armored oscillating and elongated turret that can easily ricochet enemy shells. Gun depression and elevation angles are also great, and the solid hull armoring allows it to brawl decently at the front line.

The M-VI-Y is also armed with two top guns to choose from, only in higher calibers. The 105 mm gun has good accuracy and DPM, while the 120 mm gun is less accurate but features higher alpha damage. It’s almost a top-tier vehicle, but the real ace from the Yoh deck is awaiting you at Tier X!

The M-V-Y

Besides all the above-mentioned gameplay features and the reserve track mechanics, this crowning vehicle of the entire branch has more to offer than just its unique appearance. Its narrow, elongated turret is designed to deflect shells like ping-pong balls. It will be very hard to hit such a narrow turret, even from medium range. The commander's cupola is small, so if you perform your best when brawling and raise the gun up after firing a shot, it will be difficult for your opponents to aim and even harder for them to hit it.

The  X M-V-Y  also has two guns in its arsenal to choose from. The fast-firing 105 mm gun with high elevation and depression angles has good accuracy and is perfect for taking advantage of terrain irregularities. Standard rounds are APCR with excellent penetration and velocity so they can easily hit even fast opponents.

The 120 mm gun features higher alpha damage and acceptable accuracy. It fires AP shells with high velocity as standard rounds. This gun is the choice of those who want to fire effectively at both close and medium ranges.

The Reserve Track Mechanic: Movement Is Survival!

Starting from Tier VII, the main feature of Yoh tanks is the unique reserve track mechanic, which works as follows:

When the main track is knocked down, the tank will continue to move, thanks to the reserve track—but its speed will be reduced. If you lose another track, its speed will be reduced further. But the tank will still be able to turn and move forward and backward.

To immobilize the vehicle completely, you need to destroy at least one reserve track in addition to the main one. In this case, the tank will come to a stop and wait for repair.

Repairing the tracks also has nuances. The reserve track is repaired first, and its repair takes about 25% less time than the main one. For example, the main tracks repair in 6.9 seconds, the reserve one in 5.3 seconds (assuming the Repair skill is trained to 100%). When the reserve track is repaired, you can already start moving.

As soon as the reserve track is repaired, the repair of the main track begins. But if your speed is more than 5 km/h, the main track will take longer to repair.

You always need to consider whether you have time to fully restore the mobility of the vehicle. For example, if there is cover nearby, try to get to it to repair the rest without the risk of taking more damage. If you are in an open area, it is better to use a Large or Small Repair Kit that will repair all tracks at once.

Gameplay Tips

To make it easier for you to master these American heavies with a new mechanic, we've prepared some useful tips that will allow you to play more effectively.

You can immobilize the Yoh tank with one precise shot. Shooting at the sprocket is effective from the side of the tank, while shooting at the idler is effective from the front (if you want to damage both tracks). In both cases, the shell must be powerful enough to damage two tracks at once (e.g., a high damage/caliber shell).

A reserve track is not a reason to discard the Repair Kit from your loadout. If a critical situation develops in battle, then it is better to use consumables.

Try installing Improved Hardening on the Yoh tank. It increases the durability of both the main and reserve tracks, which makes it much more difficult to knock them down with a single shot.

American Yoh tanks are unique and very practical at the same time. They have the classic gameplay of heavy tanks with armored turrets, excellent gun depression and elevation angles, and good mobility for heavies. But they also feature a unique mechanic, so they allow you to look at the classic heavy tank gameplay from a different perspective.

Roll out now in the Yoh tanks—we’re sure that they will bring you plenty of enjoyable moments on the battlefield!