ANTI ARMOR TACTICS
by Squeegie

Tanks, APC's, Gunships. If you have played a scenario game in the past 3 years, chances are you have been shot by one of these things. Seemingly invincible to any player without a LAW rocket or High Explosives, doing battle against armor can be quite the morale burner. With the right knowledge of how the tank crew works and under what conditions it must be operated, you can use the kinks in the armor to your advantage. Check with your local scenario operators rules on Tank warfare. Some tactics may be illegal game play. 

Know your enemy
   
Most tank crews are proud of the rigs and love to show off their handy work. As they should be!! Alas, all is fair in love and war. Stop by the tank crews tents and see if they will let you get in one and look around. Find safe areas in their fields of fire, look for weak spots in vision and mobility.  Take note of the windows for each gun port. Ask lots of questions about the tanks climbing ability and turn radius.  These are things that you need to know in order to build a successful strategy to take out the tank.

Safety in numbers
   
Never attack a tank alone. One player won't have much of a chance to get near enough to destroy a tank.  Try and attack a tank from several angles at once. This forces the tank commanders to slow down and keep track of who is the real threat and who is just painting the windshields. Three players in a simultaneous attack can help a 4th to penetrate with a LAW rocket or other anti-armor device. 

Blind shooting
   
Because tanks are basically in rolling boxes, they are limited in their ability to see except through what ever window that they had created. These windows are their lifelines to the battle going on outside. You can't hit what you can't see. Coat the windows with paint. Keep on them to allow the bomb runners to make it close enough for a kill. Don't bother shooting the drivers windows, they are not the real threat. Concentrate your fire on the gunners. Aim for the view port windows, as well as any barrels protruding from the tank. Barrels full of broken balls don't shoot very well, so the chances of them hitting you are very slim.

Roadblocks
   
Most field won't allow this anymore, but I am going to throw it in here for fun. Most tanks move down set roads or paths. If a tank is on the move to hit a base or command structure, Block the road with whatever you can find. This will cause the tank to stop and clear the debris, making it an easy target for an ambush. You can either hit the tank itself when it stops, or get the crew when the open the door to get out. Tippmann grenades inside a tank do all kinds of damage.

Landmines
   
I first saw this tactic used by "Hamsack" of Team Air Assault. He camouflaged the explosive in a depression in the road and waited for a tank to drive over it. Once the tank was over the bomb, Hamsack fired the simulated "remote" thus eliminating the tank and its crew. He managed to blow three tanks that game, all the while he was completely undetected. Sometimes the quiet attacks work the best.

Lose the LAW and snag the Satchel
   
Law rockets are ok for ambushes or hitting stack structures, but the tank crews see you coming a mile away. They are fully aware of what can and cannot take them out. So you can bet they will quickly eliminate a threat such as a player with 3 feet of green PVC sticking out of his back. Satchel charges are a much better general purpose explosive. They can take out buildings, tanks, & people. All without having to reload or to hump a big piece of equipment around. The satchels can also be easily concealed until they are ready to use. Most charges can be thrown just as far as a LAW will shoot. They are quiet, and can be deployed at a moments notice. You can be more innovative with them as well. Hang them from trees, booby trap buildings, and even sneak one under the chassis of a parked tank for "later use".

 

-squeegie