FV215b (183)

Not *to be confused with FV215b.*

## General Info

* FV215b 183
* FV215b 183 Hammer

The FV215b 183 is arguably the 'most powerful' tank in World of Tanks Blitz (by damage, HESH penetration, and gun caliber). It doesn't have great armor, and the tank has the second slowest reload time, only beaten by the KV-2. As of Update 8.6, the FV215b 183 received improved graphics that made the 183 very similar to its PC counterpart.

## In-game Description

The FV215b 183 is a tier X British turreted tank destroyer. Known affectionately as "Death star". As its name suggests, it holds a 183mm gun; the largest gun caliber in the entire game. Although it uses the same hull as the FV215b, it lacks decent armor.

### Pros

* Highest Alpha and joint-highest AP penetration in the entire game, tied with the Ho-Ri.
* Features a deadly HESH shell that has 220 mm of penetration, and deals 1,210 damage on average.
* The tank features a semi-traversible turret, a rarity among tank destroyers.

### Cons

* Bad armor. Frontally, you'll only be hit with AP shells. But some TDs can pen your side with HE.
* Monstrous reload. 21.09s is no joke.
* Turret only turns 45° L/R. You may find yourself turning the tank often.
* Concealment rating is the *worst* in the entire game. Firing your gun within spotting range will get you spotted.
* Dispersion is very bad, especially when not fully aimed in.
* Quite slow. Getting anywhere may take a while. Hull traverse also isn't great.
* A feared tank. People will either focus on you, or will avoid you entirely.

## Strategy

### As Fv215b 183

Unfortunately, the only good thing about this tank is its gun. But there are several ways to use the gun to its full potential. These include, but are not limited to:

#### Long range sniping

Undoubtedly a strategy that requires a lot of luck, and a lot of patience. But hey, nothing beats getting hit with 1,300 damage from an invisible tank.

Find a sniping spot that is: Far enough from spotting range and one that will get you a decent amount of shots. You can simply search in your browser for sniping spots, or ask an experienced player. Now wait for a teammate to spot the enemies and shoot! Sadly, it isn't that easy. Your shots are at the very mercy of RNG as you either hit shots, or it wont even hit. You also have a high chance of being spotted because of your camo rating. If in the unfortunate case you are spotted, you can either stay and hope you are unspotted, or run away before you get focused on by almost every tank in the enemy team, then reset your camo or relocate to a new position. If done correctly and with a healthy dose of luck, you can wreak panic and havoc among the enemy team.

#### Mid-range / Second line support

If the passive camping life isn't for you, then take a step closer to the frontlines and support your fellow heavies! Take note though, this requires you to be much more aware of your surroundings, and overall just being more careful compared to camping. You can also use your high damage gun a a deterrent but once you fire **everyone** will try and shoot you.

First of all , **DO NOT** frontline with the 183 under any circumstances. Doing so has a chance of you instantly getting shredded to death by 3 heavy tanks. Remember, you're a tank destroyer with cons that do not fit the front-lining style. Instead, get behind your fellow heavies and support them instead (Or mediums if you're very brave). The benefits of mid-range combat instead of long-range sniping is that you're not 300m away from your targets, meaning your horrible accuracy won't be a huge problem, as well as less penetration loss (Though the effects are negligible, and only apply to AP). The downsides of this is that you're not 300m away from your targets, meaning that you're pretty much guaranteed to be spotted, causing all sorts of problems. Use this if you want to have a bit of fun, or if you just really enjoy risky strategies.

### Against Fv215b 183

The 183 is a tricky vehicle to go against. Because it can either completely wreck you, or you get 1800 free damage. The general way of fighting against a 183 entirely depends on your current situation, as well as your tank.

## Specifications

### Modules

#### Turret

 **Turret Armor** | Front: 127 mmSides: 102 mmRear: 76 mm
 **Max AmmoRack Size** | 15 shells

#### Suspension

 **Terrain CrossingCapacity** | Road: % Ground: %Water: %

## History

Viewing the public debut of the Soviet Union’s IS-3 heavy tank at the Berlin Victory Parade of September 1945, the Western powers – including Great Britain – were shocked. As heads of the British, American, and French Armies watched these machines clatter down the *Charlottenburger Chaussee*, they saw the shape of a new generation of heavy tanks. From the exterior, the IS-3 was a tank with well-sloped and – apparently – heavy armor, a piked nose, wide tracks, and a gun at least 120 mm in caliber. At least in appearance, this was superior to anything being fielded by the other victorious Allied powers at the time.

The respective officials knew that they had nothing in their arsenal capable of potentially combatting this menacing tank that was now in service with an increasingly aggressive USSR. In response, the militaries of these countries began to develop heavy tanks that – they hoped – would be able to combat the IS-3. The United States would develop the M103 heavy tank, while the French experimented with the AMX-50. Britain went in a different doctrinal direction and created a ‘Heavy Gun Tank’. This was a uniquely British designation that was not governed by weight, but the size of the gun. This vehicle was based on the experimental FV200 ‘Universal Tank’ chassis and given the official and somewhat long-winded title of ‘Tank, Heavy No. 1, 120 mm Gun, FV214’. This vehicle would be better known as the Conqueror.

Weighing in at 66 tons with armor up to 13.3 in (340 mm) thick, the Conqueror was one of the largest and heaviest tanks Britain would ever field. Like the M103 and AMX-50, the Conqueror was armed with a powerful 120 mm Gun, specifically the ‘Ordnance, Quick-Firing, 120mm, Tank, L1 Gun’. This gun could punch through an impressive 17.3 inches (446 mm) at 1,000 yards (914 meters) firing Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS) ammunition. This was more than enough to combat the IS-3 but, at the time, this was unknown to the British War Office (WO). As such, even greater firepower was investigated.

What followed was the FV215. With its monstrous, 183 mm gun, this vehicle has become something of a legend among enthusiasts of a particular age, largely due to a *popular video game*. Unfortunately, this has meant a number of falsehoods have been spread about the vehicle.

## Trivia

* The FV215b 183 has both damage and penetration maxed out (the only tank that has done so).
	+ Unfortunately, as of Update 9.1, the FV215b 183 no longer has the highest standard penetration
* In WoT PC, the FV4005 holds the 183mm gun while the FV215b 183 was replaced by the Badger.
* The Ho-Ri has maxed penetration values as well but has low alpha damage at 560
* Due to the fact that the FV215b 183 has maxed penetration, it should be able to penetrate the frontal armor of the Object 268/4

## Gallery

A small mockup of the FV215b 183.The original schematics for the FV215b 183.A mockup of the FV215b 183 featured on the cover of an FVRDE report.Another view of the FV215b 183 mockup featured on the cover of an FVRDE report.The FV215b 183 before Update 8.6.
## External Links

FV215b 183 — Tier X English tank destroyer

Tank, Heavy No. 2, 183 mm Gun, FV215 - Tanks Encyclopedia

1. ↑ WoT Blitz: Update 8.6 Overview
Update 8.6 | World of Tanks Blitz
2. ↑ Referring to World of Tanks.