Love it or hate it, at some point you're going to find yourself behind the wheel of this paperweight. Usually left abandoned at the base while the Grants are taken first, you shouldn't underestimate this tank. With the right tactics and just a pinch of luck, you can be a real thorn in the side of the panzers.
The first thing to remember is that the Crusader is fast. Not as fast as a jeep, but much faster than the other tanks out there. Use this to your advantage at the beginning of rounds. Try to reach advantageous positions before the panzers start to appear. However, be careful being the first out of the base if there are Stukas about. Try to stay off the usual routes, but most importantly - don't bunch with other tanks.
Attacking out in the open is a very quick way to end up at the spawn screen. Therefore, to remain effective you have to find something to go hull down behind. This is where the Crusader's low profile comes into its own. You can hide behind small dunes that would barely cover other tanks, and use slight ravines to slip away unnoticed. The best advice I can give on finding good hiding places is this: try to get to places that you wouldn’t expect a tank to be in. For example, there are two dunes between you and the enemy. Normally, you'd pick the larger one; thus this is the place the average tanker will look first. Certainly don't hide with another tank unless it’s another Crusader. The reasoning here being that the enemy might think there is only a single tank and move on once it’s destroyed. Also remember to pick somewhere that your camouflage blends in with. The early version is much easier to do this with than the late model, though this has little effect at the view limit.
So you’re in the perfect hiding place and the panzers have just appeared. At this point, the impatient tanker will open fire and quickly reveal their position. You need to wait for the panzers to get closer and into the battle before shooting. The closer they are, the more damage your shots will do to them. Not only due to the game's range based damage system, but also because it becomes easier to hit weak points. The other advantage to the closer enemy is that he has less chance of spotting you at the edge of his screen than if you were further away. The final thing you need before firing is a distraction. Wait until the panzers have begun engaging your teammates, with their main gun preferably (but machine gunning infantry also works). Now they are in sights and have no peripheral vision. While loading your next shot, check to make sure that no other panzers have taken an interest in your hiding place. If all is clear, keep on firing. It is fine to machine gun infantry yourself, just don't do it if the tracers will give you away.
You've been spotted. Unless it was by a M13/40 or lower, now is the time to get out of there. If you have a shot loaded, take a quick shot at your discoverer (you never know, they might be nearly dead). Reverse back into cover, then drive away, keeping whatever you were using for cover between you and the enemy. Once you're back a bit, turn off to one side and circle round to find some different cover. Use this to ambush any pursuers and get back into the fight. You can use the smoke, but remember that it is neither in shells or mortars and just comes out the back of the engine. Also realise that you then have to reload your gun, so don't do it if you might need to fire quickly.
The most important thing to remember with the 2pdr is that it is weak. The only tanks you can kill in one shot are Italian or the pz2. Where possible, aim for the tracks or rear. Only attempt frontal shots when you’re desperate: they do very little damage and are very likely to get you noticed. Also remember that as of 2.15, hitting the early pz3 in the front will do no damage at all, though this is not the same with the late pz3. You don't have to worry about tigers though, so it’s not all doom and gloom.
The final thing to keep in mind is that you are not likely to live long. The battlefield is a dangerous place for one so under armoured, and the situation can change quickly and out of your control. By all means get back in a Crusader; just resist the temptation to go back to your original hiding place again for a while.
As a separate thing to general Crusader tanking, Mersa Matruh presents the cruiser connoisseur with a different challenge. All I can say about this is stay in the city and stick to killing infantry. There is no place to hide from the panzers in the town, so your life will be short. For maximum effectiveness, try to get someone in your mg turret. They can be very useful when you're looking behind at killing AT soldiers trying to give you biscuit variety boxes, because people rarely expect them to be manned.
To a lesser extent, this guide can also be applied to the Cruiser MkIV. This tank has only 1 advantage over the Crusader: it has smoke mortars. I hope this helps you out, but it is by no means complete.
Maps with the Crusader Mk1 (early):
- Sidi Rezegh
- Gazala
- Operation Aberdeen
Maps with the Crusader Mk1 (late):
- Mersa Matruh
- Alam Halfa
Added section:
This is a short section concerning the use of the tank monted 2 pounder.
This image shows the crosshair. At normal combat ranges, the german panzers will gernerally fit between the 2 vertical bars like this Pz4F1. At these ranges, drop has to be taken into account. Also note that due to the side monted nature of the sight, the shots tend to travel to the left of where you aim.
At normal distances, you have to use the apex of the upsidedown 'T' that makes up the bottom of the crosshair (blue blob). At longer distances (e.g. at the veiw distance), you may have to use the next line down. The machinegun fire at normal range fals in approximatly the area of the red blob, though extended bursts may be necessary to combat dispersion.
The final point to make is about the MG turret. While not effective in real life and often removed, in game it is much more usefull. It has a much wider freedom of movement compared to normal hull MGs, and is very good at taking out engineers running up to lay mines since they rarly expect the turret to be manned. Its sights are basic, though you must remember that the bullets travel to the right of the aiming point (very important to keep in mind at close ranges).
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