flanked - multiple targets / forward threat (more common). When multiple enemies are attempting to flank you or you're about to be flanked while there's the threat of enemy fire from forward your position, simply reverse, keeping your front armor facing the most serious threat (whether that be one of the flanking tanks or a sniping tank directly in front). This will delay the enemy from flanking your rear, allowing you to get shots off in the mean time. Remember to concentrate your damage on one target until it's gone or you are.
By tracking your enemy, you'll "stop them in their tracks." Tracking (short for "De-Tracking"), or destroying the tracks, renders a tank immobile until the crew is able to repair it. You can track a tank by ramming it (dependent on the speed and weight of the "rammer" and "ramee") or firing upon the tracks. Tracking high priority targets in the open will make them vulnerable to artillery fire. If you have teammates behind you in a lane (like on a city map) and a tank pops out from a building/street in front of you...track it! Every tank sitting behind you can get a free shot, track it again, and hopefully destroy it before it can get behind cover again.
From 6.4 Patch Notes: "- Changed damage mechanics for tracks. You can damage tracks if you hit the leading or the rearmost wheel of the tank. It will be much more difficult to de-track it by hitting middle part of the tank." The best way to track an enemy is to attack the exposed track from the front, where you hit both wheels and the center of the track, leading to a very high chance of tracking an enemy.
Attacking tank destroyers from the front can mean certain death due to their often both thick and sloped frontal armor and powerful forward-locked gun, but their weak side and rear armor and inability to shoot in any direction but forward means tracking them and maneuvering around them can make for an easy kill. Note that some US tank destroyers are equipped with slowly turning turrets, meaning you'll still have to move in a circle around your target, though due to the slow turrets, these TDs are still not much of a threat if tracked.
Your odds of survival increase when sticking together. Except for certain circumstances, supporting one another in groups is preferable to going rogue and venturing out by yourself. When you're together, you can deal more damage and spread the damage dealt, attacking and defending more effectively. This can mean staying together even if you don't agree with the strategy--a coordinated bad plan has a higher chance of success than an uncoordinated bad plan. What this doesn't mean is cluster en masse--when the majority of your team takes one route, it exposes other flanks, giving a coordinated enemy an easy victory.
Destroy one at a time. Targeting one enemy at a time until they're destroyed is better than targeting multiple tanks simultaneously, as it quickly removes that tank and its ability to deal damage, where as a half-damaged tank can still deal full damage.
Prioritize your targets. Know yourself. Are you a heavy tank, a medium tank, a TD? For example, as a heavy tank, you shouldn't waste time firing upon an "easy kill" when there's a more prevalent threat, such as an enemy heavy behind cover waiting to duck out and fire. Just the same, as a medium tank, don't waste your fire on targets you know you can't penetrate, go for the softer ones to support your heavies. An exception to this is when the "easy kill" target is scouting your position for enemy artillery or a heavy target is about to capture your base. In both cases, the tank has just become a bigger threat and primary target.
Use more armored friendlies as cover to avoid fire, especially when supporting heavy tanks against enemy heavies. Stay alive so you can continue to dish out damage and support your team. Be aware of their intentions and don't block their path to retreat behind cover.
Don't be predictable, it's easy to counter.Fire ahead of fast moving targets. In World of Tanks, once fired, shots take an arcing path (gravity exists but the your aiming reticle accounts for the shell drop from gravity, so aim for what you want to hit) over a certain time (dependent on distance and shell velocity, slower shells have a higher arc, while faster shells have a lower). This delay means you must aim a certain distance in front of the target's path depending on the target's speed and distance from you--called the
Angle of Deflection. If calculated properly, the shell will reach its target just as the enemy drives into your line of fire. Shell Speed and tank speed are a relatively small factor in the equation to lead a tank. But your Lag is a much bigger factor when firing at a rapidly moving tank.
Don't be afraid to run away. If your strategy is failing or you're against impossible odds, instead of suicide rushing toward the enemy, retreat, regroup and change your strategy.
Slant your armor to decrease the angle of impact. Slanting your tank (30-40 degrees) toward an enemy will decrease the angle of impact and improve the chances the round will fail to
penetrate (ricochet). Be aware, this can increase your angle of impact for an enemy to the far right or far left forward your position, which is why it's best used in tighter spaces or one-on-one combat.
Continue to coordinate your attack as events develop. In the example above, as the two enemy heavy tanks are distracted, medium tanks take a flank position. Split into groups and work together to overpower the enemy in a coordinated effort. Use cover, camouflage, terrain and the abilities of the tanks at hand to your advantage.
Keep it moving on open terrain. Exposed , a sitting tank is a soon-to-be-scrap tank. Slow or stop, quickly aim and fire, then continue to take up a better position against the enemy while reloading. If you stand still, you'll be easy prey for enemy tanks and artillery.
Hug the edge while rounding cover to expose yourself to as little enemy fire as possible. In areas where tanks will build up on opposite sides of a ridge, running out into the open is certain death. If you're unable to help duke it out while rounding the ridge, try changing your tactics and taking a different route.
Beware enemy baiting tactics and learn how to use them to your advantage. You may get more than you bargained for by cresting a ridge or moving through a choke point to get to a tasty kill. Know how to spot obvious baiting, note enemy behavior and the map for potential sniper locations.