Top of the Tree: Kranvagn

Commanders,

After a considerable break for the holidays and related bonuses bonanza, the Top of the Tree series is making a glorious comeback! What better way to start off the new year than with a new tank? That's right, for the first installment of ToT in 2017 we're jumping on the Swedish bandwagon and putting the mighty Kranvagn in the spotlight!

50% discount on purchasing the following Swedish vehicles:

• II Strv m/38  
  
• III Strv m/40L  
• IV Lago  
• V Strv m/42  

30% discount on purchasing the following Swedish vehicles:

• VI Strv 74  
  
• VII Leo  
• VIII Emil I  
• IX Emil II  
• X Kranvagn  

+50% Crew XP bonus on all vehicles discounted in the special

Your crews will also be very excited about the new toys in your garage!

Vehicle Overview

The Kranvagn is an outstanding vehicle for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it has an autoloading system that is capable of delivering damage much faster than tanks employing loaders. Secondly, its turret has a ridiculously thick frontal plate at a very acute angle, making penetration pretty much impossible. Lastly, thanks to its good power-to-weight ratio, Kranvagn is quite mobile for a heavy tank. All of these traits combined make the vehicle quite a versatile tank that, although it excels in supportive roles, it is also capable of holding the frontline under the right circumstances.

So how do you use this savvy Swede in combat exactly? There are two basic approaches to the vehicle. The first is to follow your mediums immediately after the battle has started in order to take strategically important positions on the map before the enemy does. Hold them until the heavies arrive to push the line forward. In this scenario, one thing is absolutely crucial: going hull-down. If you manage to hide your hull and leave only your frontal turret exposed, the enemy will have a very hard time damaging you, especially if you're using your gun depression to peek from over a hill. Watch out for air mail though - enemy artillery will consider you a priority target, so keep that in mind and don't sit around in one place for too long, unless you want shells raining down on you. 

The second approach would be to follow your bigger and bouncier heavies (E 100, IS-7, T110E5 etc.) and provide support from behind their more reliable armour. Pretty simple.

Tank Tip: a few things to keep in mind when playing the Kranvagn:

• Your penetration is only okay, and the time between shots is abysmally long - make sure that your every shot counts.
• Do not rush to take strategic points without somebody to have your back - if you're alone once your drum is empty, you will be eaten alive.
• If you have to face the enemy on an even ground, do not angle your hull - you will nullify your frontal plate's "beak" angles, and your side armour is in most cases insufficient to side-scrape effectively.
• Avoid exposing yourself to artillery fire at all costs.

In order to maximise your performance on the battlefield, we suggest installing the following equipment:

In addition, your crew members should learn the following skills and perks:

Commander / radio operator / loader
gunner / loader
Driver

As always, please consider the setup for both the equipment and crew skills as suggestions. Feel free to experiment on your own and choose what you think works best for you.

This special will be available from 1 February at 06:00 until 1 March at 06:00 CET (UTC +1).