Among the many different iterations of the AMX-50 tank in the French line-up is the AMX-50 (TO90/930). The tank itself may not be very impressive on the surface, with subpar firepower and armor protection. However, inside the tank lays lots of potential as a matchmaker tearing apart streams of enemy tanks from the flanks, enabled by its high mobility and auto-loading cannon. Dive into the AMX-50 (TO90/930) for its quirks and tricks to make it dictate the tide of battle.
| Pros: | Cons: |
| Excellent mobility | Penetrative firepower not very high |
| 4 second autoloader with 12 rounds in the rack | Armor protection not great overall |
Survivability
Though not thick, the armor is highly angled and can bounce some hastily placed shots. It will not bounce APDS or HEAT rounds, so be wary of enemy tank fire. However, it may be preferable to be hit by APDS or HEATFS over APHE, as APHE usually knocks out the tank instantly due to the tight crew placement, while rounds like APDS can sometimes only knock out a single crew member. It is recommended to stay out of the enemy line of fire using your excellent mobility, as your strengths are in fast flanking maneuvers, not bouncing shells.
Mobility
The AMX-50 (TO90/30) has excellent mobility. It is only around ~1 HP/t worse than the M18 GMC despite the vehicle weighing nearly three times as much, meaning it exhibits near light-tank levels of agility and reactivity. Its reverse gear is also more than adequate, with a -20 km/h reverse speed allowing quick repositioning. The AMX-50's mobility is the vehicle's strongest asset, so use it wisely.
Armaments
The AMX-50 has 7.5 mm MAC 31 machine guns in coaxial and pintle mount alongside the large 90 mm D.911 APX gun.
The 90 mm D.911 APX is a cannon capable of firing the M82 APHE round. Unlike with American vehicles using the same shell like the M26 Pershing, this gun is longer and adds another 20 mm to the penetration and around 80 m/s to its velocity, making it even more lethal. The cannon may not go through every tank's frontal weak spots, especially with Soviet tanks, but you have the mobility to flank around them and lay an ambush. The 4-second autoloader leaves much wiggle room in case of a missed shot, which also means you can go for a disabling shot first if in a pinch.
Usage in Battles
The AMX-50 (TO90/30) is, in a way, a light tank in a medium tank's clothing, with the acceleration and mobility of something more akin to an M18 GMC than any other medium tank in its weight class of 46 tons. Playing the TO90 is pretty straightforward - you have a 4-second autoloader, incredible mobility, and adequate gun depression for what your gun is capable of. As such, the best tactic is usually to pick a flank and pick apart the enemy team from their vulnerable sides.
The higher penetration M82 round compared to its American contemporaries means that some weak spots are more easily penetrated (the best example being the ability to go through the entire turret face of the Tiger II (H) at closer ranges compared to the single, mostly inconsistent speck of armor the US M82 round has to hit accurately). One thing to note is the 12-round ready rack in the style of a drum magazine; in longer engagements, you can run out of ammunition in the rack, so be wary when firing continuously. Retreat to a capture point or relocate if you're running low on ammo to reduce your chances of dying from being unable to fire back.
Vehicles you may want to be wary of are heavily armored behemoths such as the Maus or IS-4M. Against the IS-4M, you can't do much frontally outside of nicking the commander, so destroying their barrel first is highly recommended. Against the other heavily armored tanks, however, the advice is pretty straightforward: disable them or get on their flanks without them noticing, then shoot into their much thinner side armor to bypass that protection to begin with.
Vehicle positioning is key, but unfortunately, this is an acquired skill and not an advantage you can easily exploit, like armor or firepower. Pick either an excellent flanking route or a route most people avoid because it gets them fewer points (a good example is near the bottom side of Poland as people funnel into the town for fights), and you'll generally find success.
If you see an enemy ahead, try and ambush them instead of immediately cresting the hill only to get shot in the lower plate and exploding like a firework, as oscillating turrets are generally a horrible fit for gun stability, and even the 4-second reload would be insufficient if they see you coming. Be more patient, peeking out only when they're distracted or if you are confident you can win the gunfight, and the enemy team will be wondering why they're being pushed back to spawn as their entire front line collapses to your side flank push. It is also to note to try and avoid shooting upwards - oscillating turrets generally allow gun depression but are not so kind when the turret wishes to elevate, in part due to the drum-style loader sticking out the back of the turret.
Screenshots credit: KuldueV
