FAQ: Historical Battles mode

Dakiras: With the introduction of 9.0 comes the Historical Battles game mode. I'm sure all of you have questions about this mode, so we've prepared a short FAQ to answer the most common questions that you might have.   If you have any further questions beyond the following, then by all means ask in the thread and either a member of the Community Team or your fellow tankers will be more than happy to answer!   How do I enter Historical Battles? Historical Battles is a separate game mode. From your garage, click on the game modes button below the ‘Battle!’ button. This will open a dropdown menu and display all the available game modes.   Which nations are currently available in Historical Battles? Currently three nations are available: Germany, the USSR and the USA.   Which historical operations can be played in the Historical Battles mode? Currently there are three different operations: the Battle of Kursk between the Germans and the Soviets, the Battle of the Bulge with the Germans against the Americans and the Lake Balaton Offensive involving Germans against Soviets.   How do I choose a tank for a historical battle? Each battle has a predefined set of tanks that can be played. It’s simple: the tanks you can use are visible in the Historical Battles interface, as well as in the garage. You can either click on the vehicle in the garage or the vehicle icon in the Historical Battles interface.   What about the modules? Why can’t I choose modules for my tank? The modules are predefined for each tank, according to the historical specifications. You do not need to research or buy them for historical battles – they are available immediately. However, for any other battle mode you will still need to research them as usual.   What about the ammunition? Why can’t I load it in the usual way? In Historical Battles each tank has a predefined set of ammunition and it can`t be changed. You have to pay for this predefined set of ammunition before entering the battle. And no, you can’t just load premium shells.   What happens if I don’t use all of my ammunition in battle? The cost of each end every shell that you do not use in a battle will be refunded immediately after the battle at 100% of the value. So, you must enter the battle with a full set of ammunition but you only pay for what you actually use in the battle.   And what about consumables and extra equipment? They can be used in Historical Battles just like in Random Battles.   What about the crew, their perks and skills? Again, they all work normally, just like in any other game mode. So if you have a seasoned veterans in your tanks, it’s better for you and your team!   After I entered the battle, my camouflage changed. Why? It’s because in Historical Battles a historically-based camouflage pattern is used. Please remember that the historical camouflage is applied only if you already have camouflage on your tank ( Winter or Summer for current operations ). Your camouflage will return to its previous form after you exit Historical Battles.   I’ve entered the battle but the number of tanks on both sides is very different! This has been done to reflect the imbalance of power that existed in the real historical battles and is normal.  For example, in the battle of Kursk the Germans had less tanks than the Soviets but they fielded more powerful tanks such as the Tiger I and Panther. The Soviets, on the other hand, relied mostly on superior numbers of T-34/76 tanks. Therefore you can often expect to see one side having less tanks, but more powerful ones.   Can I play in platoons in Historical Battles? Unfortunately platoons are not available in this mode at the moment, but this feature is coming in the future.   Are there any special medals in Historical Battles? Yes, there are some medals that have been created for Historical Battles only. Some examples are the ‘Lessons of History’ medal for playing and winning the Battle of Kursk on each of the opposing sides and the ‘Guardsman’ medal for winning battles while driving a support vehicle (i.e., vehicles of the lowest tier in the battle).   What about higher and lower tiers? I have many historical tanks in my garage that I can’t use in this battle mode! Please remember that right now we have only three historical operations to choose from. We will add more battles at a later date – wait and see what the future brings.   What about SPGs? I see light, medium and heavy tanks as well as tank destroyers, but no artillery! At this stage, SPGs are not available in Historical Battles.  This may change in the future.