War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

PT-16/T14 mod.

2023-07-19T13:54:49Z

U120640171: The "Armor and Survivability" section was empty; highlighted the weaknesses of the PT-16 frontally and outlined some SPAA to look out for.

{{About
| about = German medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Leopard 2 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_leopard_2_pt14
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_PT-16-T14_mod..jpg|ArtImage PT-16-T14 mod..png}}
|market=id50154_pt_16_t14_mod__germany
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} German medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during [[Update "Direct Hit"]] as a reward for the [[wt:en/news/7350-event-export-order-en|2021 Export Order]] event.

The PT-16/T14 mod. is a Leopard 2 prototype (like the Leopard 2K). It differs from the earlier prototype by its different turret more reminiscent of the production version, no remote-controlled 20 mm cannon, and an extremely fast autoloading cannon.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

Although the PT-16/T14 mod. is technically a medium tank, it plays much more like a light tank or tank destroyer due to its extremely thin armor. All main tank guns at the rank can penetrate you almost anywhere regardless of ammunition type, although hull-down the breech can eat a few shots. Try to expose the turret as little as possible, as a shot to the right side of the turret will kill the gunner and commander and a shot to the left has a good chance of detonating the ammunition in the ready rack. Keep watch for SPAA, as vehicles such as the [[2S38]], [[Gepard]], and [[2S6]] can make quick work of the PT-16 even at range.

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || 12 mm || 5-20 mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || 20 mm || 20-35 mm
|-
| Cupola || 20 mm || 20 mm || 20 mm || 20 mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=2,032|rbMinHp=1,327}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|Rh120 L/44 (120 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[Rh120 L/44 (120 mm)|120 mm Rh120 L/44]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 41 || rowspan="2" | -9°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 38.1 || 52.7 || 64.0 || 70.8 || 75.3 || rowspan="2" | 4.00 || rowspan="2" | 4.00 || rowspan="2" | 4.00 || rowspan="2" | 4.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 23.8 || 28.0 || 34.0 || 37.6 || 40.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{{:Rh120 L/44 (120 mm)/Ammunition|DM12, DM13, DM23}}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_PT-16-T14_mod..png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''41''' || 10 ''(+31)'' || 1 ''(+40)'' || No
|-
|}
'''Notes''':

* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
* Rack 2 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 9 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
* This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is 2 - 1.
* Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from rack 1 into rack 2. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|MG3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,000 (1,000) || 1,200 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (1,000) || 1,200 || -8°/+20° || ±120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

Due to its good mobility and fast-firing cannon, this tank is perfectly suited for flanking enemy positions or sniping from afar. With its poor armour protection and large frontal ammo rack, taking this tank into a head-on fight is often very dangerous, but it can be a very dangerous run-and-gun tank if the driver has quick reflexes and good target acquisition.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good mobility
* Good gun handling with laser rangefinder, quick turret traverse, and two-plane stabilizer
* Very short reload time thanks to its autoloader
* Has access to potent shells, like the potent 120 mm DM23 APFSDS round
* Stereoscopic rangefinder gives near-instant range readings and automatically adjusts the sights

'''Cons:'''

* Poor armour protection overall
* Stock HEATFS shell
* No thermal sights
* Small first stage ammo storage of 9 rounds, additional ammo is kept at the front of hull presenting a large weak spot.

== History ==

=== [[wt:en/news/7343-development-export-order-pt-16-t14-mod-en|Devblog:]] ===
During the development of the Leopard 2 project, German engineers came up with several different hull and turret designs as well as respective combinations. This led to equally many different prototype designs being tested. Among these experimental versions was the Leopard chassis with the PT-14 turret, developed by Krauss-Maffei in the early 1980s.

The peculiarity of this design was the presence of an autoloading mechanism for the cannon, giving it an extremely high rate of fire. Despite undergoing exhaustive tests in Germany, the autoloader wasn't adopted in the final design of the Leopard 2 and the concept remained just a prototype.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_leopard_2_pt14 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|0eRNZAtbM4Y|'''Should You Grind The PT-16/T14? - Vehicle Review''' - ''Sako Sniper''}}

== See also ==


* [[Leopard 2K]]
* [[Type 90]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7343-development-export-order-pt-16-t14-mod-en|[Devblog] "Export Order": PT-16/T14 mod]]

{{Germany medium tanks}}

RW61 (380 mm)

2022-12-11T14:32:16Z

U120640171: Filled out the Available ammunition, Comparison with analogues, Usage in battles, and Pros and cons sections as diligently as possible.

== Description ==
''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.''

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===


* {{Specs-Link|germ_sturmmorser_sturmtiger}}

== General info ==
''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.''

=== Available ammunition ===
The RW61 has access to the largest ammunition of all the vehicles in war thunder other than bombs. This comes in the form of 380mm rockets with well over 100kg of explosives.

=== Comparison with analogues ===
The rocket launcher is a very unique weapon and can only reasonably be compared to the FV4005's 183mm HESH, the AVRE's 165mm HESH, or a medium-sized bomb in terms of damage capability.

== Usage in battles ==
The RW61 is a very potent weapon when used correctly and is capable of facing almost any foe that the operator will meet, be it a WWII heavy tank, a modern MBT, or even a battleship. However, this capability comes at a cost; the rocket is very hard to aim and the exposed ammunition coupled with the very long reload of the launcher makes a miss in CQC almost certainly fatal unless backup is provided. Remaining undetected is also an issue, due to the Sturmmörser's high profile and the fact that if seen the rockets can be easily shot down mid-flight if the enemy has functioning machine guns.

=== Pros and cons ===
'''Pros:'''

* Able to knock out any vehicle in the game, often regardless of where the target is hit
* Splash damage from the rocket can destroy multiple vehicles within the kill radius
* 380mm rocket has no tracer, can be hard to detect
* Due to the rocket's low velocity, it can be lobbed over hills and obstacles while the vehicle operator remains in a safe position

*

'''Cons:'''

* Due to the fact that it is a rocket, accurate aiming can be a challenge, especially on slopes
* Extremely long reload makes misses in close quarters certain death
* When the gun is loaded, the rocket can be shot while in the barrel to result in an ammo detonation
* Since the rocket is so large and slow, it can easily be shot down with MG fire if noticed soon enough
* Rocket can at times be unreliable if impacting tracks or cannon barrels

*

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''encyclopedia page on the weapon;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Germany tank cannons}}

[[Category:Tank cannons]]

Wiesel 1A2

2022-08-10T15:03:44Z

U120640171: Corrected information from TOW-2B being identified as regular ATGM to Top-Down ATGM.

{{About
| about = German tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Wiesel (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_wiesel_1_tow
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Ground Breaking"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=124|rbMinHp=77}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|BGM-71 TOW}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BGM-71 TOW]] missile || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 8 || rowspan="2" | ±20° || rowspan="2" | ±45° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 26.4 || 36.5 || 44.3 || 49.0 || 52.1 || rowspan="2" | 13.00 || rowspan="2" | 11.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.60 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| TOW-2 || ATGM || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800
|-
| TOW-2A || ATGM (tandem) || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800
|-
| TOW-2B || ATGM (Top-Down) || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Range (m)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| TOW-2 || ATGM || 329 || 3,750 || 21.45 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 4,100 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
| TOW-2A || ATGM (tandem) || 329 || 3,750 || 22.63 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4,190 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="13" | Missile details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Range (m)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Arming distance (m)
! rowspan="2" | Trigger radius (m)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| TOW-2B ||ATGM (Top-Down)|| 309 || 3,750 || 22.59 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 30 || 3 || 3,140 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''8''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|MG3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,000 (1,000) || 1,200 || -10°/+50° || -30°/+120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great ATGM, including top-down attack modification for countersniping and NERA tanks
* Good mobility
* Small silhouette, making it easy to hide
* Can properly hulldown behind short cover and has reasonable turret depression for the hills and high ground
* Can scout while being an ATGM tank - renders smoke screens and cover useless in AB, makes it easier to call for help and to get a replacement in RB

'''Cons:'''

* Almost no armour - can be broken, bullied and destroyed by using HMG or even LMG alone, will not sustain explosive damage either
* While the crew is located low enough to survive some AP shots passing through the roof, the ammo racks are placed way too high, it is necessary to spend ammunition fast to survive
* Low ATGM count, considering it can't stand up for itself in close quarters when rearming (Usually irrelevant in AB)
* TOW-2B is a tier 4 upgrade, until then 1A2 is not much better than ATGMs of lower BR

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|EPuqc5s_aeE|'''The Shooting Range #276''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


* [[M113A1 (TOW)]]
* [[M113A1 (TOW) (China)]]
* [[CM25]]
* [[UDES 33]]
* [[Pvrbv 551]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7376-development-wiesel-armored-vehicles-mk20-tow-2-adwc-en|[Devblog] Wiesel armored vehicles: MK20/TOW/2 ADWC]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

LeKPz M41

2022-08-10T15:00:06Z

U120640171: Edits include providing more information regarding how to best use the M41 when stock, usage of the HEAT-FS shell, and and the best ammunition load based on map type.

{{About
| about = German light tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other variants
| link = M41 Walker Bulldog (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_le_kpz_m41
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_leKPz_M41.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.95 "Northern Wind"]].

Essentially a West German-operated model of the American [[M41A1|M41 Walker Bulldog]], the leKPz M41 features smoke grenades and a different ammunition selection. It offers scouting capability and a powerful armament in a highly mobile package.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour
* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Lower glacis)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 28.5 mm (49°) ''Front glacis'' 63.5 mm (33-37°) ''Lower glacis'' || 28.5 mm || 28.5 mm (46°) ''Top'' 25.4 mm (1°) ''Middle'' 25.4 mm (20°) ''Bottom'' || 12.7 mm
|-
| Turret || 44.4 mm (11-13°) ''Turret front'' 50.8 mm (2-43°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 31.75 mm (1°) || 31.75 mm (1°) || 12.7 mm
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels, bogies, and tracks are 15 mm thick.
* An extra 12.7 mm RHA metal plate is present on the right side of the turret near the pintle 7.62 mm machine gun.
* A 4 mm Structural steel box is present, mounted on the vehicle rear turret.

The M41's armour is very light and practically useless. With some luck, a few shots may bounce off of the turret if at an angle but don't expect that to happen often. As for the rest of the tank, it has no real armour and will be penetrated by any tank cannons at its rank. However, this means that APDS rounds used by some contemporary tanks will not create much spalling, which limits the post-penetration damage of poorly aimed shots. The armour is thick enough to trigger the fuses on APHE rounds, so be wary of instant knockouts. The most vulnerable part of this tank is the large turret. Three crew members are located here and most shots to the right of the gun will immediately destroy the tank. The turret does have a lot of empty space on the left side of the gun causing most solid shots there to do no damage. Still, avoid keeping the turret exposed, it is an enticing target for APHE rounds and a single one of those can send the tank back to the hangar.

Compared to some other contemporary light tanks like the [[Ru 251]] or [[T92]], the M41 is at least immune to heavy machine guns from the front and sides. Watch out for autocannons, though, as they will end you quickly.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=775|rbMinHp=442}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|M32 (76 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M32 (76 mm)|76 mm M32]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 65 || rowspan="2" | -10°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 34.27 || 47.44 || 57.60 || 63.69 || 67.76 || rowspan="2" | 7.67 || rowspan="2" | 6.79 || rowspan="2" | 6.25 || rowspan="2" | 5.90
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 21.42 || 25.20 || 30.60 || 33.84 || 36.00
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
The leKPz M41 has the same ammunition types as the [[T92]]. Unlike the original US M41A1, the stock round is the M319 APCR, which has poor angled penetration, low post-penetration damage, and is generally painful to use. Unfortunately, APCR is the only anti-tank round available until Tier 3 of upgrades. If forced to use it, aim for very flat armour, hope that this ends up causing some damage, and allow a teammate to finish the job. Another strategy used to boost the APCR's effectiveness during the stock grind is to use the M41's great stock mobility to flank, and then take out tanks through their flat sides.

The APCR should be replaced as soon as possible by the unlockable M331A2 APDS, which is superior in all aspects. The APDS has high muzzle velocity and penetration, being decent against angled armour as well. It will penetrate the frontal armour of a [[M26|M26 Pershing]] or [[Centurion Mk 3]] with ease and can penetrate the turrets of most Soviet tanks. However, the upper glacis of the [[T-44]] and [[IS-2 (1944)]] are immune to it, and US heavy tanks like the [[T34]] can be tough customers. The best usage of APDS is for crippling targets. In frontal engagements, try to take out the enemy gunner or cannon breech first, and from the side, shoot for the engine or driver. Additional follow-up shots can be made as necessary to prevent return fire. Once the target is immobilized and neutered, the APDS can be fired at ammo racks or remaining crew members to deliver the coup de grace. This might take a few tries, and it's not uncommon for teammates to swoop in and secure the kill.

The unlockable M496 HEAT-FS round is one of the main selling points of the LeKPz. It has a lower muzzle velocity than the APDS, which means on hilly maps you can lob it at enemies without exposing yourself, but it can be interrupted by bushes or fences. It also offers slightly better flat penetration and significantly better angled penetration at any distance, which can help against hard targets. It is also more helpful against light targets as the explosive content allows it to hull-break SPAAs and other light tanks. The post penetration damage is otherwise nothing special. While inferior overall to the Ru 251's HEAT-FS, it is still worth taking.

The stock M352 HE shell can cause hull-breaks, but is otherwise useless. Once the HEAT-FS is unlocked, the HE should be avoided as it has significantly worse ballistics and utility in return for only slightly more explosive content.

The leKPz M41 does not have the M339 AP shot or the M361 smoke round from the US M41A1, which makes it more difficult to finish off crippled targets and blind enemies from afar.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| M319 shot || APCR || 206 || 200 || 174 || 146 || 122 || 103
|-
| M352 shell || HE || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12 || 12
|-
| M331A2 shot || APDS || 232 || 231 || 212 || 193 || 163 || 137
|-
| M496 shell || HEATFS || 254 || 254 || 254 || 254 || 254 || 254
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| M319 shot || APCR || 1,234 || 3.2 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| M352 shell || HE || 732 || 6.8 || 0 || 0.1 || 867.22 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
| M331A2 shot || APDS || 1,231 || 1.49 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 75° || 78° || 80°
|-
| M496 shell || HEATFS || 1,082 || 3.2 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 653.69 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_M41A1.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''65''' || 33 ''(+32)'' || 12 ''(+53)'' || 1 ''(+64)'' || No
|-
|}

The ammo racks of the leKPz M41 are the same as the original M41A1. Ammunition tends to be stored initially in the fighting compartment and there is an enormous ammo rack to the right of the driver which would normally be a large survivability issue. However, since this is a light tank with little expectation of survivability to begin with, in practice this is not a huge problem. It is still recommended to take less ammo such that the fighting compartment is mostly empty. This way, penetrating rounds with punctual damage are less likely to blow the tank sky-high from shots aimed at the side or at the driver.

Keep in mind that due to the low post-penetration damage of its ammunition, the M41 goes through its APDS and HEAT-FS rounds quickly. Keep a reasonable number of them in stock to avoid having to run to cap zones frequently.

The recommended ammunition load is three fourths (3/4) APDS and one fourth (1/4) HEAT-FS for cities and other CQC maps, and vice versa for long-range maps.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)|M1919A4 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 2,175 (200) || 577 || -10°/+70° || ±60°
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M1919A4 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm M1919A4]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 4,900 (250) || 500 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


The leKPz M41 is best used as a support tank, covering teammate advances and scouting enemies from afar. While it can be used for brawling, the terrible armour, bouncy gun handling, and inability to destroy enemies quickly mean that this role should be left to other tanks if possible.

At the start of the match, use the mobility to move up and find a good vantage point. Stick close to cover and watch carefully for enemies. When they appear, scout them and wait for an opportune time to attack, perhaps when they have been distracted by teammates or are not looking in the M41's direction. As mentioned earlier, it is important to cripple enemies quickly and efficiently to avoid return fire, at which point they can be dismantled at one's leisure or left for teammates to clean up. A good M41 user can keep multiple tanks disabled at the same time, turning the tide of battle.

Move up or otherwise switch positions every once in a while to avoid retaliatory flanks or bomb deliveries, and keep a comfortable distance away from where enemy tanks are expected to appear. Only advance to capture points if the coast is clear, and again, this job is better left to heavier tanks. Note that unlike the Ru 251, the M41's large profile and comparatively worse mobility make long flanks and aggressive pushes more risky, and these tactics are not preferred.

The good optics, decent gun depression, and high velocity APDS/HEAT-FS make the M41 a good sniper. Most enemies that it will encounter do not require precise aiming to penetrate unless the tank has been uptiered. Just be prepared to reverse into cover or pop smoke if the target only sustains superficial damage. Watch out for other light tanks like the [[T92]], [[M56|M56 Scorpion]], and [[Type 63-I]]. They are capable of dispatching the M41 with ease and their high mobility makes them difficult to account for when wrangling multiple opponents. The best tools against these are HEAT-FS and the M2 Browning machine gun. Thankfully, as a German tank, the M41 will usually not face the Ru 251 in realistic battles.

Stick close to trees or tall buildings if aircraft are around. The M41's size and bulbous turret makes it easy to spot and even aircraft armed with heavy machine guns such as .50 Cals can penetrate the roof easily. It should go without saying that bombs and rockets are also very lethal.

Remember to scout enemies as often as possible. This makes it much easier for your teammates to stay alive and dispatch them, and when the latter happens a reward is given and the SP cost of aircraft is reduced. A successful run can result in very cheap aircraft spawns, which is a good consolation if the M41's career ends with a revenge bomb or untimely snipe from a camping opponent. Do not fret if not many kills are achieved, it is common to rack up lots of assists and still contribute a lot to the team - definitely nice considering the difficult stock grind.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Agile tank, has good reverse speed and can turn in place
* Good top speed 72 km/h (average speed is more around 35-40 km/h)
* Fast turret traverse
* Fast reload rate
* Has access to the same HEAT-FS shell as the T92
* .50 cal AA machine gun with good coverage, for use against aircraft and light targets
* Equipped with smoke grenade launchers
* Can fulfill the role of the Ru 251 for players that don't have it

'''Cons:'''

* Large profile for a light tank
* Bad armour, can be ripped to shreds by all the AA guns at the tier
* Armour is thick enough to fuse APHE rounds
* All ammo types cause punctual post-penetration damage
* Painful stock grind that begins with an APCR stock shell
* HEAT-FS is mediocre

== History ==


===Development===
The U.S. Army light tank in the latter part of World War II, the [[M24|M24 Chaffee]], was a promising design but was deemed not effective for the future of armour encounters. Though its role as a scout was seen as needing the 75 mm gun, the army wanted a tank with a better gun to have a more equal chance against tanks. The project began as the T37 program in 1947 with the focus of being air-transportable with an anti-tank capability in the form of a 76 mm gun and a rangefinder. The adoption of a simplified rangefinder had the project designation changed to the T41. After testing and evaluations, the T41 model was accepted into service as the '''M41 "Little Bulldog"''', with production starting at Cadillac Cleveland Tank Plant in 1951. The name Little Bulldog stayed until General Walton Walker, the first commander of the 8th US Army in Korea, died in a car accident, so the tank was renamed into the '''M41 Walker Bulldog''' in remembrance. Production went from 1953 to somewhere in the late 1960s with about 3,728 units produced.

The M41 light tank would go on to replace the M24 Chaffee by 1953. The M41 had a crew of four, commander, gunner, loader, and driver. The tank had a profile of under 9 feet and 19 feet long. The tank was lightweight at 23.5 tons and thus had rather thin armour, with the front armour only 25.4 mm thick (sloped at 60 degrees for about 50 mm effective). However, the tank was very agile with its torsion bar suspension and Continental AOS 895-3 series 6-cylinder gasoline engine of 500 hp which could deliver a road speed of 45 mph with a 100 miles operating range. Unfortunately, the tank was criticized for being noisy, a fuel-guzzler, rather heavy, and the American crewman found the Bulldog's interior to be quite cramped. Despite that, it delivered speed, firepower, and reliability in a light tank format. Several upgrades were made on the M41 with better technology, the '''M41A1''' had a hydraulic turret traverse with more ammo storage, the M41A2 had a new fuel system, and the M41A3 are old M41A1 tanks with the new fuel system from the M41A2.

===Combat usage===
The M41 Walker Bulldog first saw use in Korea in a limited combat run. The tanks, still labelled their experimental designation T41, were sent for field testing on design deficiencies. It is unknown what other purposes they served there except for the tests. Their first major conflict once adopted by the U.S. Army was in Vietnam, mainly by replacing the M24 Chaffee in service with the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) at the time. The M41A3 tanks arrived in January 1965 and were instantly popular; not only for their advantages, but the previously cramped interior for American crews were actually a perfect fit for the smaller Vietnamese armour crewman. The Bulldog went on to fight in the Vietnam War as a reliable war machine. The Bulldog had an advantage due to its lightweight in manoeuvring in the jungle terrain of the region. In 1971, Operation Lam Son 719, the disruption of the North Vietnamese Army supply lines had the M41 Bulldogs play a major role, accompanied by two airborne battalions and two cavalry regiments. Penetrating deep into enemy lines, the 17 M41 tanks engaged and destroyed six Soviet-designed [[T-54 (1951)|T-54 tanks]] and other lighter armoured vehicles. This engagement came at a loss of 5 M41 and 25 armoured personnel carriers. By 1973, the ARVN still used about 200 M41 tanks while the transition of the American unit over to the M48A3 Patton tanks in Europe and Stateside. The M41 light tanks were also exported to various other countries. Today, Guatemala, Somalia, Taiwan, Uruguay, and Vietnam still use the M41 Walker Bulldog, some via upgrading the tanks to extend their service life.

The M41 Walker Bulldog design was advanced for the time, giving a relatively lightweight tank the firepower to take on other tanks of its time period. The chassis was even used on the [[M42|M42 Duster]] SPAAG and the M75 Armored Personnel Carrier. The drive, engine, transmission, and auxiliary engine also were used in the M44/M52 155 howitzer. By 1969, the US Army began replacing the M41 with the newer [[M551|M551 Sheridan Armored Airborne Reconnaissance Assault Vehicle]] (officially not a "light tank") which had a [[M81 (152 mm)|152 mm cannon]] that could fire shells and [[Anti-tank guided missiles|anti-tank missiles]]. The M551 Sheridan could be used in roles that the M41 Walker Bulldog couldn't do, such as be air-dropped and amphibious but was rather unreliable. This made the M41 Walker Bulldog to be the last American "light tank" produced and the last made before the classification between tank classes based on weight and role ended.

=== Usage by the Bundeswehr (leKPz M41) ===
The leKPz M41 (short for leichter Kampfpanzer M41 (light MBT M41) was the Bundeswehr variant, serving in the West German Army from 1956 to 1969. The leKPz M41's served in Panzeraufklärungsbatallione (tank reconnaissance batallions) and Panzerjägerbataillione (tank destroyer batallions). Very few served in Panzergrenadierbataillione (tank grenadier bataillions). From 1969, the leKPz M41 was replaced by the [[Leopard 1]] in reconnaissance bataillions and by tank destroyers like the [[JPz 4-5]] and the [[RakJPz 2]] in tank destroyer bataillions. Variants with a slightly modified chassis of the M41 remained in service in the form of SPAA (Flakpanzer M42) as well as in the form of tank howitzers (lePzH M52 and mPzH M44).

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_le_kpz_m41 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Images
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
File:LeKPz M41 Firing.jpg|LePKz M41 firing its main gun
</gallery>

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|0Cgaf_UMQuE|'''leKPz M41 - Tank Review - So Good''' - ''Napalmratte''}}

== See also ==
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{Germany light tanks}}

Tiger II (H)

2022-08-10T14:20:19Z

U120640171: Minor playstyle and vulnerability edits highlighting weaknesses and critical playstyle tips that were not previously mentioned.

{{About
| about = German heavy tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other variants
| link = Tiger II (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_pzkpfw_VI_ausf_b_tiger_IIh
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (or '''{{Specs|pseudonym}}''') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German heavy tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41. The Tiger II (H) remains one of the more potent foes a player could face in the Rank IV battles.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

'''Difference between the Henschel (H) and the [[Tiger II (P)|Porsche (P)]] turrets''' 
The "Henschel" turret is slightly more resistant since it has a flat but thick plate in the front and a more effective gun mantlet. The "Porsche" turret is less armoured, has an exposed turret ring and a shot trap that can and will deflect shells to the weaker upper plate of the chassis. Commander's cupola on the "Henschel" turret is also thicker (150 mm, opposed to 100 mm on "Porsche" turret). Other than that both tanks are identical, but for obvious reasons, the "Henschel" turret is more popular than the "Porsche" turret. The initial design is often misleadingly called the "Porsche" turret due to the belief that it was designed by Porsche for their prototype; in fact, it was the initial Krupp design for both prototypes.

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret)
*Cast homogeneous armour (gun mantlet, cupola)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides (Slope angle) !! Rear (Slope angle) !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 150 mm (50°) ''Front glacis'' 150 mm (spherical) ''MG port'' 100 mm (50°) ''Lower glacis''|| 80 mm (26°) ''Top'' 80 mm ''Bottom''|| 80 mm (28°) || 40 mm
|-
| Turret || 185 mm (9°) ''Turret front'' 200 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 80 mm (19-21°) || 80 mm (19°) 30 mm ''Turret ring'' || 44 mm (0-14°)
|-
| Cupola || colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | 150 mm (conical) || 150 mm (spherical)
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.
* Suspension wheels and interleaved and overlap.
* Some part of the turret side have track links on them, which gives an additional 30 mm of protection.
* A 30 mm turret ring plate is present.
* Belly armour front part is 40 mm thick while the rest is 25 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=904|rbMinHp=619}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

Driving a recently unlocked tank is always difficult; the gun accuracy is terrible (Though for a stock tank the Königstiger has a very accurate gun) and the inability to repair in combat is extremely frustrating but nothing is worse than feeling powerless to stop your tank from burning to a crisp, even after defeating the enemy that caused the fire. In general, any vehicle will underperform when stock, so reserve your judgement until you unlock all modifications. All your research points should be prioritized into the Parts and FPE modifications. These two modifications are the number one priority.

Stock tanks lack in all areas, however after Parts and FPE, there are a few upgrades that will noticeably upgrade how your vehicle handles:

* "Adjustment of Fire" significantly increases the general accuracy of your main weapon. Particularly useful at long range.
* "Tracks" increase notably the manoeuvrability of your vehicle. Particularly useful in close-range maps.
* "Engine" increases cross-country ability. Particularly useful on long-range maps.

If you don't have unlocked the Parts modification yet, however, here are a few tips:

* Stay close to your teammates.
* You can repair at the capture points, make good use of it.
* Light tanks can help you repair (provided they have unlocked the Parts modification).
* Avoid exposing anything that might risk fire at all costs. If you are set alight, it's game over.

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|KwK43 (88 mm)}}

The Tiger II's cannon can maintain a very nice penetration even at long ranges (1,200 - 1,800 m) while American and Soviet cannons usually cannot keep such high penetration over distance, so they prefer 700 m or fewer engagements where their guns will most likely destroy you in the first hit, so get used to long range engagements. Being comfortable with kilometre long shots is a must in this tank. At 800 m you should still be within a safe distance (depending on what you are facing) but going under that is getting into the Allied guns' effective range. When sniping, always be on the lookout for tanks that can penetrate your turret and/or hull at most or all ranges (e.g. PT-76s, M41A1s, British tanks)

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[KwK43 (88 mm)|88 mm KwK43]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 70 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+15° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 15.4 || 21.3 || 25.8 || 28.6 || 30.4 || rowspan="2" | 9.75 || rowspan="2" | 8.63 || rowspan="2" | 7.95 || rowspan="2" | 7.50
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 11.3 || 13.3 || 16.1 || 17.9 || 19.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| PzGr 39/43 || APCBC || 237 || 234 || 222 || 207 || 194 || 181
|-
| PzGr 40/43 || APCR || 279 || 273 || 252 || 227 || 205 || 185
|-
| Hl.Gr 39 || HEAT || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110 || 110
|-
| Sprgr.43 || HE || 14 || 14 || 14 || 14 || 14 || 14
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| PzGr 39/43 || APCBC || 1,000 || 10.16 || 1.2 || 14 || 108.8 || 48° || 63° || 71°
|-
| PzGr 40/43 || APCR || 1,130 || 7.3 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 66° || 70° || 72°
|-
| Hl.Gr 39 || HEAT || 600 || 7.64 || 0 || 0.3 || 1,100 || 62° || 69° || 73°
|-
| Sprgr.43 || HE || 820 || 9.4 || 0 || 0.1 || 1,000 || 79° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! 7th rack empty
! 8th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''70''' || 65 ''(+5)'' || 59 ''(+11)'' || 48 ''(+22)'' || 37 ''(+33)'' || 30 ''(+40)'' || 23 ''(+47)'' || 12 ''(+58)'' || 1 ''(+69)'' || No
|-
|}
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
'''Notes''':

* Recommended ammo load is 23 ''(+47)'' shells to keep the hull empty and both ready racks full.
* Racks 7 and 8 are ready racks, and take priority in being filled at the beginning of the battle, then fill 6 through 1 in that order.
* Full reload speed will be realized as long as ammo exists in either ready rack. If both ready racks are empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
* Simply not firing the main gun when it is loaded will load ammo from racks 1-6 into 8 then 7, as long as there is ammo in racks 1-6. Firing the main gun will interrupt the loading of the ready racks.

Thanks to the ready rack feature found on this tank, the ammo racks found in the back of the turret will always be full of ammo, making it the prime target for enemy tankers who are looking to detonate your ammo rack. Even shells like APCR, APDS and HEAT that commonly pierce your front turret can make their way to the rear of the turret, potentially hitting the ready racks and can cause a critical hit to become a deadly one.

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}

{{main|MG34 (7.92 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG34]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 3,000 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
|-
| Pintle || 2,000 (150) || 900 || -10°/+25° || -55°/+160°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

====General playstyle====

The Tiger II (H) is best used at mid to long ranges, where its small weak spots are hardest to hit. It can, however, be put to work on the front lines, protecting medium tanks and tank destroyers - just be aware of your limited mobility, and ensure you have options should you get advanced upon by multiple enemies.

When used as a sniper, it is best that you find a position with a good overview of the battlefield. Keep your tank positioned directly towards the enemy and keep an eye out for any medium tanks trying to flank you (Tiger II has great frontal armour, do not be afraid to use it. However, keep in mind that the lower plate offers less protection and penetrations can easily cause fires due to the positioning of mechanical parts). It is best that you find cover behind a solid object and slightly rotate your vehicle e.g.: rotate your tank about 10-15 degrees from the enemy (your turret too). Positioning, combined with distance, can easily give you effective armour greater than 300 mm. When sniping, it is best to wait for the enemy to expose their weak points, fire a steady, accurate shot and retreat to a safe position. Wait for your reload to be completed and slowly show your frontal plate (most of the players will engage even though the chances of penetration are low); once the enemy has fired, you can take your time and engage the tank while they reload.

Using the Tiger II to advance and to support the front line can be rather tricky. While this tank offers great firepower and superior frontal armour, you'll notice that it is hard to fight in urban areas. In situations like this, you will quickly realize that the high weight and sheer size of the tank can cause major problems. Almost any tank that is faster will easily outmanoeuvre the Tiger II and destroy it. To avoid this, it is best to stay in the back (not too far from your team), keeping your tank positioned at an angle and using "peek-a-boo" techniques. You should always look for a position that can protect you during the assault of small tanks, such as "U" shaped buildings where you can easily retreat and protect your weak points.

Note that you have to find a tactic that suits your playstyle best; these are simple tips that should help you get started.

'''It is not a medium tank nor a tank destroyer:''' 
This is a very heavy tank with an engine meant for a tank half its weight, so it moves slow and turns slow. It is not as reliable for close range combat as a medium tank and if you try to brawl with it more than necessary you will find yourself quickly flanked by faster, more agile tanks and destroyed with side/rear shots. In particular, Soviet 122 mm guns have decent penetration and large amounts of explosive filler, so you won't survive a penetration, unless you are hit in the engine compartment (provided FPE is researched) or if your turret has a dead crew.

This does not mean you should stay put in a single spot, or camp a location like a tank destroyer (which are designed to camp): you have mobility, so keep moving or you will attract a lot of attention, only to find out too late that someone took his sweet time to travel 1.5km to your position to deliver you a shell to the side.

====Tactics====
====== Know the specs======
'''Know the gun and ammo:''' 
Knowing what your gun and ammunition are capable of is very important; this translates into knowing what kind of ammo to use in every situation against any enemy tank.

Like most German tanks, the stock APCBC (PzGr 39/43) is a good all-around shell, effective at close and long range with good penetration and good fragmentation, it will be the one you will be using the most. For close range combat with very heavily armoured tanks you will need APCR shells (PzGr 40/43), its high penetration value at close range can be a threat even to some 8.0 BR tanks, but remember it is a solid shell with no explosive charge, so you will need to aim carefully for crew and vital components which means you will need to know where these are located exactly.

The recommended ammo ratio is 2/3 (two thirds) of APCBC and 1/3 (one third) of APCR.

In arcade battles ranging is quite easy since the game does it for you, in [[Realistic_Battles|realistic]] and [[Simulator_Battles|simulator]] however you do not have this advantage. Trying to "eyeball it" after 800 m can be incredibly tricky in these game modes, but something you might not know is that your sights provide you with all the tools you need to land a shot on your first try on a target that can be as far as 2,800 m. You just need to follow the formula: Target size in metres / mil number x 1,000 = target range

Your "target size" is the length or the width (depending on what side you are facing) of your target, the mils are displayed in your sights on the horizontal axis, you divide these 2 numbers and multiply the result by 1,000 and you will get the exact distance in metres. Then you just have to adjust your aim using the vertical axis of your sights (that displays the bullet drop) and take the shot. If your numbers were correct, you will land the shot right on.

'''Know your enemy and know yourself:''' 
This applies to all tanks in all honesty, you need to spend some time looking at the armour of any tank you might encounter and learning where possible weak spots are located and under what conditions (angle, distance) you can actually score a good hit; yes, the gun is extremely good, but don't expect miracles, aim it right and it will serve you right.

Learning your enemies' reload rates, vital components and crew locations is also very important; if you learn where their ammunition is stored, you will be creating fireworks during the whole game.

Take care of reading about your enemy's different ammo options, remember that just looking at the penetration values under the short description is not enough, since most tanks will have better options when it comes to ammunition. Learn under what conditions (angle, distance) your tank is safe from all the available ammo for these certain tanks, then take measures to protect yourself.

====== Positioning ======
'''Hide your notable weak spots:''' 
Ensuring sufficient cover is available is very important for the Tiger II; if you happen to find a position where a piece of rubble covers your lower frontal hull plate you have just made yourself much harder to kill. If your ability to fire is compromised, you can reverse into safety without fear of having your transmission destroyed. You can also use some low profile friendly tank destroyers, providing there is suitable clearance to fire over them. Keep in mind, however, that tanks with solid shot can shoot through dead tanks if they have the penetration, potentially destroying a track or even your transmission and making you an easy target for flanking.

If you try to move ahead in the face of an enemy you will end with a disabled transmission, a fire and possibly some knocked out crew members or just destroyed. 
Explore the map, find places where craters, depressions in the ground, soft hills, rubble, rocks or artificial obstacles (such as trenches) will cover you while letting you shoot over it; the Tiger II has very nice gun depression, use it to your advantage. 
Remember that destructible environmental objects (like brick walls, fences, and even trees) will protect you from a single HEAT, HE and possibly HESH shell hit, but nothing else, and you should not rely on it to cover your sides or as anything else than visual cover. 
Taking cover behind large rocks, hills, buildings or even ally heavy tanks while you perform repairs or reload can be very useful.

======Long range combat ======
'''Long Range =/= Immortality''' 
Any competent enemy will avoid using regular AP rounds when engaging at long range; HEAT, some APDS, and high-calibre HE rounds are all capable of doing damage even at extreme ranges, though if you quickly reverse back into cover while the shell is traveling (the Tiger II has a surprisingly good reverse speed), you can avoid getting hit. However, this assumes you aren't make a fatal mistake: not finding a reliable or long term place for sniping. A good location for long-range combat should be one that only exposes one side of the Tiger tank, that way the gun only needs to be pointed towards the front and the other exposed side. It would also be ideal to have enough space behind the tank's position in order to enact overextend tactics to pop out of cover and fire at a target before reversing back to cover, or just to withdraw if the tank or the position is in trouble.
[[File:King Tiger Positioning Example.jpg|left|thumb|350px|An example of good positioning for long-range sniping.]]

Ensure you account for the capabilities of what you're engaging; tank destroyers such as the ISU-152 can easily destroy your vehicle with their extremely high-calibre HE rounds, HESH such as that fired by the FV-4005 can also be deadly, and HEAT rounds, when up-tiered into tanks such as the M46, can effectively penetrate your upper plate even at range. Additionally, well-aimed APDS rounds from British tanks such as the Centurion and Conqueror are capable of penetrating, even at range.

Avoid exposing any more of your vehicle than absolutely necessary; with the impressive gun depression of the Tiger II (H), you should easily be able to make use of any available defilade or ridge that can protect your hull.

======Teamplay======
'''Be a team player:''' 
Lone heavy tanks are vulnerable heavy tanks, so it's always best to ensure you've got some support around when advancing or holding a strategic location. In close-quarters maps, were short to mid range engagements are the best you can hope for, try to be the front-liner, taking the shots you'll survive that your medium tank allies might not. They, in turn, should be able to assist you if enemies attempt to flank. Remember, however, that you're not invulnerable and it's not your job to save teammates that make mistakes. You should assume the worst about anything you encounter, too - tanks such as the T34, IS-2, etc. can all easily destroy you at close ranges, so being efficient on your shots is extremely important - avoid panicking and giving tanks that can engage you comfortably a chance to fire back.

======Close-quarters combat======
'''Expose only what's necessary:''' 
Often, you'll have no choice but to engage in close quarters. It's far from ideal for a Tiger II, but it's still reasonably doable. As mentioned previously, avoid exposing your LFP, make use of any cover available, while maintaining a small amount of angling on your hull to maximise the effectiveness of the UFP. Avoid exposing the sides of your turret at all costs! Do not angle more than a few degrees either side to avoid the thin armour on the sides of the turret being penetrated.

Try to ensure you have some sort of escape route handy if things go sour - something preferably that you can cover with smoke to give you time to repair if necessary.

Attempt to set up ambushes where possible, using choke points and intersections where you will get the first shot reliably and enemies are unlikely to be able to react in time to save themselves.

=====Performance in a 0.0 to 10.0 scale:=====

*3.0/10 Rusher: Trying to get to the cap point before a T-44 or a Panther? Keep dreaming. This is a slow slumbering beast that will struggle to achieve 40km/h even on a flat road, struggle to achieve 30km/h on flat cross country, struggle to achieve 20km/h on rough cross country and struggle to achieve 8km/h up a steep hill (that is, if you can climb it at all). Its engine was meant for a tank half its weight and size, so expect a slow tank.

*4.5/10 brawler: Its heavyweight, limited acceleration and high profile make it unsuitable for highly mobile close quarter battles, if the tank is on its own it will get easily flanked and destroyed by faster medium/light tanks better suited for these battles and most Allied tanks prefer close quarters while engaging the Tiger II, so it quickly becomes a turkey hunt. However, its great gun and heavy frontal armour add to its survivability and if the operator has medium tank support it can become a foothold for the team.
*6.0/10 flanker: Again, its high profile and low acceleration don't make it the best tank to flank and a medium tank is better suited for this, but it has a fairly good top speed (even if it takes a long time and a flat road to achieve it), its comparatively fast for a heavy tank, its heavy armour gives it extra survivability in case of a counter attack and if it manages to position itself on the enemy's flank, it can quickly reduce them to pyrotechnics.
*7.4/10 Adamant: Its heavy frontal armour will often serve as a shield to your lighter allies, you will be capable of taking heavy hits and shrug off impacts that most medium tanks cannot take, it has some flaws and weak spots in the frontal armour that the enemy will take advantage of, but with some angling and planning this can be mitigated. Its side armour is, however, very weak.
*7.6/10 Sniper: Distance is this tank's friend, its gun has a very long effective range and its armour becomes impervious to most enemy weapons at long ranges, but not all of them and it is not by any means a tank destroyer which will have the upper hand over the Tiger II at very long ranges.
*9.0/10 Ambusher: Be it sitting still at the end of a street or waiting in the river while the enemy approaches the bridge, this tank will shoot 3 times or more before the enemy even realize what hit them, but you need to be accurate to be dangerous and having support and/or a place to fall back to or a hull-down position is essential for an ambush.

====Specific enemies worth noting====

===== US Army vehicles =====
The Tigers' common enemies are going to be the [[T92]], an agile American light tank with a 90 mm gun that can pierce some holes in your frontal armour from a medium range and can get in your flank in no time, but however has relatively thin armour; the [[T32]], a heavier version of the Pershing with an impenetrable mantlet and nigh invulnerable upper glacis, and a far nastier version of that 90 mm gun; the premium T28, American tank destroyer with incredibly strong frontal armour and a gun far superior to the Tiger II's (shoot the cupolas), the premium [[M26E1|M26E1]] and the [[M46_"Tiger"|Premium M46 "Tiger"]] American tanks which have very similar guns to the Tiger II.

A further nuisance is the [[M41A1|M41A1 Bulldog]]. While it will mostly only fire sub-calibre shells, these are a danger up to 1,000 m to the frontal turret armour. Experienced light tank drivers will try to flank the Tiger to get shots into the exposed hull ammo racks, the APDS shot usually setting these off with one shot, unlike the APCR the Bulldog also carries. If you are stuck in close quarters, try to get a shot off as fast as possible in order to immobilise or destroy it.

[[T95|T95]]: Same as T28, use your accurate long 88mm cannon to either shoot the gun barrel or put a few well-aimed shots into the cupolas. Watch out for its traverse speed, as the Doom turtle is shockingly fast to turn on the spot.

[[T29]]: Very good gun, penetrations are very deadly. Surprisingly resistant despite its weak hull armour, multiple shots will be necessary if you don't have a lucky shot. From the front, if you have the patience and finesse, a shot into the turret front to the right of the gun mantlet will most likely result in an ammo rack detonation.

===== Red Army vehicles =====
The [[IS-2 (1944)]] is a Soviet heavy tank with a large 122 mm cannon that you want to stay away from. Both HE and APHE shells of the 122 mm cannon pose a threat and the turret armour can prove difficult to penetrate reliably, often either bouncing shots or sometimes eating them up.

Succeeding the [[T-34-85]] is the [[T-44]], a sneakier and more armoured version of the former. It retains excellent mobility while gaining better manoeuvrability and hull armour. Luckily it retains the 85 mm, which however is quite enough to reliably deal with the Tiger's sides. Deal with them quickly before you need to turn the turret and expose your tank's weak side to the enemy. Like with the IS-2 the best place to shoot the T-44 is the turret and lower glacis, the T-44 also inheriting the bouncy turret, so aim well!

[[SU-100]]: Fast, mobile and armed with a gun rivalling that of your own tank, this tank destroyer is not to be underestimated. It can punch holes through your turret with ease. Fortunately, they have little yet well-angled armour, thus SU-100 drivers will often angle their armour to create areas of high angle equivalent to auto-bounce zones. In such cases aim for the less angled portion, side or front.

All three variants of the ISU series are big boxy targets with very nasty guns, yet are sluggish and have no angled armour. Look and sneeze at them, however often enough they will wait in ambush situations, so be prepared!

[[T-54_(1951)|T-54]]<nowiki/>s are well-armoured and have a dangerous cannons. These are rare but will still pop up in matches. As soon as you see one, try to notify teammates of its presence so they can take it out quickly. If you have the time against them at close range, shoot at the turret front. At medium distances, you will need APCR or a very lucky shot.

===== British vehicles =====
British vehicles are some of the first to get APDS (The first being the [[Comet_I|A34 Comet]] at BR 5.3), and are therefore very dangerous due to their high penetration. The Tiger II will commonly face tanks like the [[FV4202]], [[Caernarvon|Caernarvon]] and the [[Centurion_Mk_3|Centurion Mk 3]], all of which have the [[Ordnance_QF_20-pounder_Mk.I_(84_mm)|84 mm 20-pdr gun]]. They can punch straight through your turret cheeks at long range with great accuracy. They also have sloped armour, which may bounce some of your shells if you aim poorly. You may also face tanks like the [[Tortoise|A39 Tortoise]], which is a very difficult penetrate from the front. It has thick, sloped armour and a high penetrating [[Ordnance_QF_32-pounder_(94_mm)|94 mm 32-pdr gun]]. At long range, even your powerful 88 mm will struggle to take one out. You may also face tanks armed with the [[L7A1_(105_mm)|105 mm L7A1 gun]], like the [[Centurion_Mk_10|Centurion Mk 10]]. Tanks with this gun have massive penetration (over 300 mm) and so you will be an easy target for them. Luckily, most British tanks do not have explosive filler in their rounds. They will easily be able to take out your gunners/commander but will struggle to knock out the driver from the front. This will give you the chance to use the tanks decent reverse speed to make your escape.

=====The worst enemy is yourself=====
This is true in a literal and figurative way if you keep telling yourself that you can't do it you won't do it. This tank is not easy to operate and it can be frustrating at times but it is a very good tank once you start using it properly and keep its limits and weaknesses in mind.

In a literal way, yes, your worst possible enemy is another Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B. They know the tank from the inside out just like you, long range and even taking cover wont help you since they have that same amazing gun and they know exactly where to hit, besides, when talking about distance: if you can hurt it, it can hurt you, and if it can't hurt you, you can't hurt it.

A Tiger II vs Tiger II fight usually ends in less than 25 seconds, sometimes lasting as little as 2 seconds using 2 shells or less to achieve the destruction of one of them. Sometimes you will find yourself exchanging shells for a whole game.

The only effective way to face a Tiger II with a Tiger II is to hit first and making sure the hit has a crippling effect on its firing capability (hitting the turret from the front, for example, taking out the gunner and commander and possibly hitting ammo). If you happen to get hit like this from a Tiger II your only hope is to get to cover in less than 10 seconds (weapon reload time with an expert crew, maxed out loader and commander is 10.6 seconds) and run away to a safe location to repair since these hits will most likely destroy your turret ring and cannon breech.

You will be engaging the Tiger II with your Tiger II in arcade games for the most part, but also in realistic/simulator squadron battles where it is a very popular tank. Remember to read "how to destroy a Tiger II" below, there are more tips available on this topic there.

====Counter-tactics====

[[File:Tiger II Shooting Guide.jpg|400px|left|thumb|Colour-frames showing the viability of targets on the Königstiger.]]

A Tiger II is a formidable enemy when it's used correctly by its operator, but it's by no means indestructible under any conditions (Even in a downtier, you can still face tanks carrying APDS rounds such as the [[Centurion Mk 1]].

The first thing you want to do is deny the Tiger II of the advantage of its gun by getting as close as possible while keeping clear of its cannon (the closer you get, the better the penetration values for you and the Tiger II) most Tiger II operators will avoid getting flanked at all costs so you might find yourself forced to face one from the front. The biggest weak spot is the lower frontal hull plate, its slopped but only 100 mm thick and behind it lies the transmission that likes to catch fires and create nasty shrapnel when destroyed, the shrapnel will fly inwards and if your shell is large enough they will take out the entire crew. However, this shot will most likely only leave the Tiger II unable to move for a minute and make his operator quite angry (at you) while his gun remains perfectly operational and before you have a chance reload you will most likely receive a very accurate shot from an irritated Tiger II operator.

The lower frontal plate is a good place to hit but it should be a second option, with this tank, you need to disable that gun as soon as possible, the turret is a very reliable target at close range, even with HEAT ammo you should be able to deliver a shot that will disable its firing capability for long enough for you to reload and shoot again. Using your best AP round for this is recommended since the frontal turret has a fairly thick (but flat) plate if nothing else works try APCR.

Using high calibre HE rounds is also effective. The cupola is probably the best place to hit with a HE shell since the explosion will deflect into the thin upper plate and destroy everything inside. It is not easy to hit, but if you manage to hit the cupola it's very unlikely it survives.

The Tiger II is very vulnerable to "Circling attacks", that means, running around it in circles and harass it with side shots. Its turret can turn quite fast (especially in arcade mode) but most medium tanks are fast enough to outrun it.

If you somehow manage to see an enemy Tiger II from the side, try to land a shot in the middle of the hull, near of the turret (not on the turret, the upper part of the hull), there's a good chance there will be ammo there, and if there isn't, you will either knock out the tank by taking out many crew members or cripple it heavily

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* With the turret face being up to 185 mm thick and some tracks lining the sides, the Tiger II (H) has a much better turret than its predecessor.
* Like all other Tiger II's, the frontal hull armour is still extremely thick. Nearly impossible for anything but APDS and HEAT to punch through the upper glacis plate
* As will all tanks bearing the name Tiger, side scraping is still a good tactic to use on the battlefield
* 40 mm roof armour offers decent protection against lower-calibre air attacks and even artillery
* Even if an enemy shell does go through the lower glacis plate, the Tiger II's transmission sometimes acts as a buffer. This can lead to a completely unharmed crew
* Even at the Tiger II's BR, the 88 mm KwK43 cannon is still great. It scores high marks in penetration, accuracy, damage, and fire rate.
* Decent gun depression of -8 degrees can have the tank utilize hull-down tactics to protect lower glacis
* Stock PzGr 39/43 shells are still the go-to anti-tank round. Great accuracy, penetration, and damage potential
* Fully upgraded, the Tiger II (H) has a high top speed and quick traversing turret. This will give you a fighting chance against medium and light tanks trying to flank
* Good reverse speed to withdraw from disadvantageous situations

'''Cons:'''

* Despite having a better turret than its predecessor, the overall turret armour of the Tiger II (H) is sub-par for the Rank. Nearly every tank the Tiger II can meet in battle can punch right through the turret sides and face
* This is a really big tank. Difficult to miss, even at long range
* Long and large gun barrel makes it easy to be spotted and damaged to prevent usage
* The lower glacis plate is only 100 mm thick. Expect to lose the transmission, driver, and machine gunner every so often
* With two large ready racks at the back of the turret, any shells penetrating it are extremely dangerous
* Even when fully upgraded, the engine power is underwhelming for a tank that weighs 68 tons. This tank takes time to reach its top speed and struggles to climb hills
* While fast in a straight line, the Tiger II's manoeuvrability at low speeds is poor. Enemy mediums can take advantage of this
* The turret front has a weak spot of only 153 mm of armour
* This tank can be matched with tanks that have access to APDS or HEAT shells, easily defeating the Tiger II's armour

== History ==

===Development===
Just before the [[Tiger_H1|Tiger I]] entered service in 1942, work has already begun for its successor. In 1937, Henschel was ordered to develop a heavy tank design, with Porsche the following suit in 1939. Porsche developed their new heavy tank off of the failed [[VK_45.01_(P)|VK 4501 (P)]], churning out two models designated VK 4502 (P) named Type 180 and 181. Type 180 had its turret mounted centrally while 181 had the turret mounted on the rear with the engine in the centre (akin to the [[Ferdinand|Ferdinand tank destroyer]] layout). Both designs used the same components of the VK 4501 (P) and both designs were visually similar except for the turret locations and some mechanical parts, but these two designs never passed wooden prototypes.

Henschel, on the other hand, used a more conventional design in their tank layout, but the end results look no way similar to their previous heavy tank design [[Tiger_E|Tiger I]]. The VK 4503 (H) as designated by them resembled a [[Panther_G|Panther]] tank layout, with the transmission in the front along with the driving compartment, the turret in the centre, and the engine in the rear. The design used many components from the Panther and the [[Panther_II|Panther II]] in order to standardize production. The suspension system was also different from anything produced at the time, though still using a torsion-bar suspension, the wheels were arranged only in the overlapping method, no interleaving. This new Schachtellaufwerk design simplified maintenance and increased production by using fewer wheels than interleaved (only 9 each side) and with full-steel wheels that the later Tiger I models used to save rubber. The first wooden mock-up of the design was presented on October 20, 1943, to Hitler, to which it was approved for further development as the '''Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B''', or just '''Tiger II''' and '''Tiger B''' for short. The Henschel variant was more advantageous than the Porsche variant for being developed faster and has a faster production rate, thus it was destined to be approved for service. The Henschel design began production in the Henschel plant at Kassel and the first 3 working prototypes were churned out in December 1943. Full-scale production began on January 1944 and continued all the way until March 1945. Due to the late introduction and the number of resources needed to construct the heavy tanks, only about 482 production models were produced in this time period, considerably less than its predecessor, Tiger I.

===Design===
The Tiger II is just massive in size. Weighing in at 68.5 tons, it is the heaviest tank to see service in World War II, beaten out as heaviest serving vehicle by the [[Jagdtiger|Jagdtiger]], which weighs 71.7 tons. The Tiger II front armour is 150 mm thick, and this is without sloping, with which it would be more than 200 mm thick ineffective. The thick front glacis armour was never penetrated by any Allied tank throughout the entire war. The side and rear armour are still 80 mm, which presented a weaker target, but still formidable at longer ranges. The gun on the Tiger II was the famous 8.8 cm KwK43, which could defeat all Allied armour in World War II. The gun is sighted by the gunner with a Turmzielfernrohr 9d monocular sight that allows two magnifications, 2.5x and 5x. In practice, the gun is able to hit a target under 1 km away 100% of the time.

The turret on this Tiger II is the production turret model by Krupp, colloquially known as the "Henschel" turret (hence the "H" in the name) despite that the Henschel company had no influence on the Krupp turret design. This turret replaced the flawed prototype [[Tiger II (P)|"Porsche" turret]], also by Krupp. The production model was a simplified turret, using more flat surfaces and a sleeker shape for easier production. The previously curved front of the turret is made into a thickened flat face that presents no shot trap and the protruding commander's cupola was flattened into the design. The turret is powered and could rotate under two settings, high and low. In low, the turret could be rotated a full 360 degrees in 60 seconds, and the same in 19 seconds at high. Though the engine could allow the turret to traverse in 10 seconds in full power, this was not recommended to avoid straining the engine. The turret traverse is powered by pedals or a lever by the gunner and is fine enough with these methods that small adjustments with the manual traverse hand wheels are not necessary.

The Tiger II was still propelled by the V-12 Maybach HL230 gasoline engine, which powered the lighter [[Panther G|Panther]] and [[Tiger E|Tiger I]]. The increased weight of the tank made the engine underpowered, requiring extra care to make sure the engine does not fail. Despite that, the tank was capable of reaching a maximum speed of 41.5 kilometres per hour, making the Tiger II quite agile for its weight. However, the Tiger II consumes exorbitant amount of fuel and requires extensive maintenance to keep running, which impedes its combat effectiveness in the whole strategic viewpoint as it only had an operational range of about 120 km on cross country terrain. The heavy weight also causes multiple mechanical issues in the tank, the drive train is overburdened as it was intended for a lighter vehicle and multiple breakdowns were experienced in early Tiger II models. Though, these issues were ironed out over time with improvements but still persist due to lack of supplies to maintain the tanks.

===Combat usage===
The Tiger II is organized into heavy tank battalions (Schwere Panzer Abteilungen) in the Wehrmacht and SS units, who first received them by February 1944. A standard battalion would have 45 Tiger IIs, with three in command and 14 in each of the three companies. A total of 14 battalions were employed during World War II in the Heer and SS, 11 assigned to the Heers and 3 to the SS. The original role of heavy tank battalions was to engage, breakthrough and destroy enemy armour on the offensive, but the changing war situation saw their role relegated to the defensive. The Tiger II's first recorded combat action was in the 1st Company of 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion in Normandy in July 1944, fighting back the Canadians during their offensive in Operation Atlantic, three Tiger IIs were lost, two from combat and one from becoming irrecoverable after falling into a bomb crater. However, by the end of the Normandy Campaign, all of the Tiger IIs in the 503rd was lost. The 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion had the Tiger II see the first action in the Eastern Front on August 1944, where it resisted the Soviet Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive. It was here on the road to Oględów on August 12, 1944, that an ambush by a few [[T-34-85]]s destroyed three Tiger IIs easily and some more disabled. The destroyed Tiger IIs were attributed to ammunition explosions. Due to this incident, it was ordered that the crew do not store the cannon ammunition in the turret, though the enforcement of this order varies between units. Still, 16 Tiger IIs in the 501st became disabled or destroyed in a span of more than two weeks.

The Tiger II also played a part in Operation Panzerfaust, where the 503rd Battalion was stationed in Hungary to ensure it stays in the Axis Alliance. These tanks stayed for 166 days and claimed a large number of Soviet vehicle kills for the loss of 25 Tiger IIs. The Tiger II continued to see action in most of the offensive and defensive actions in the last few months of World War II, such as in the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944, the Soviet Vistula-Oder and East Prussian Offensives in January 1945, and the German Lake Balaton Offensive in March 1945, Battle of the Seelow Heights in April 1945, and the Battle of Berlin that lasted until VE Day.

Tiger II's performance in battle was quite favourable in firepower and achieved a disproportionate kill-loss ratio. The 503rd SS Battalion claimed 500 kills for the loss of 45 Tiger IIs in the time span of January to April 1945. However, most of the Tiger II's losses were due to mechanical breakdowns or lack of fuel, so the crew abandoned these tanks and destroyed them to avoid enemy capture. Ultimately, however, while these tanks proved a menace in the battlefield, its overall strategic effect to the war is negligible like its predecessor due to the low number available.

===Survivors===
Today, there are 10 Tiger IIs in varying conditions left in the world. The most well known is the one at Musée des Blindés museum at Saumur, France. This Tiger II is the only working version left in the world, this variant has the "Henschel" turret attached. Other notable places around the world that have the Tiger II is at the Bovington Tank Museum at England (which has a Porsche and a Henschel variant), Kubinka Tank Museum at Russia, and the (future) National Armor and Cavalry Museum in America.

=== In-game description ===
This version of the tank was equipped with Erwin Aders' turret model, which had a simpler design than the Porsche turret. This allowed the forward armour to be reinforced up to 180 mm, at an inclination of 10°. The turret's front plate was straightened, which prevented shells from ricocheting into the roof of the tank's hull. The ammunition capacity was increased from 72 to 84 shots. As an additional weapon for protection against enemy infantry, the tank was equipped with a Nähkampfgerät 26 mm mortar, with smoke, fragmentation, and fragmentation-incendiary rounds. The tank's weight was around 68 tons, but due to the design of its chassis, its cross-country ability across rough terrain was satisfactory. The use of wide tank treads reduced the tank's ground pressure, when compared to that of the Tiger I, from 1.09 to 1.06 kg/cm². Until September 1944, Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste was applied to the tank's vertical surfaces.

Production of the tanks was always being delayed due to Allied bombing runs or lack of materials. In total, around 490 of the tanks were produced from January 1944 to March 1945. The factories of the Henschel company reached a reasonably high rate of assembly—building a Tiger II, from start to finish, took 15 days.

The Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. B was the most powerful tank in production during World War II, as well as the last heavy tank produced by Nazi Germany. Due to its extremely powerful 88 mm 8,8cm KwK43 L/71 gun, it was able to effectively defeat any of the Allies' tanks.

This combat vehicle had a number of serious shortcomings, such as low operational mobility, high weight, low technical reliability, low manoeuvrability, and limited fuel capacity.

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_pzkpfw_VI_ausf_b_tiger_IIh Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Sights

* [https://live.warthunder.com/post/675135/en/ RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|Jh8NVtN57Jg|'''{{PAGENAME}} - The Old King!''' - ''JustinPlaysYT''|w7FGoGdQZ_M|'''{{PAGENAME}} Revisited Tank Review''' - ''NUSensei''|QuDuBwAhRa4|'''Tank Chats #47 King Tiger''' - ''The Tank Museum''|yn2q0E5vxqk|'''Sound Recording: Tiger II''' - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}

== See also ==


;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

* [[IS-2 (Family)]]

== External links ==


* [[wikipedia:Tiger_II|[Wikipedia] Tiger II]]
* [https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi_germany/panzer-vi_konigstiger.php <nowiki>[Tanks Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz.182) Tiger II]

{{Germany heavy tanks}}

A-10A Late

2022-08-10T13:44:37Z

U120640171: Typo. "Whopping" was spelled "Whooping".

{{About
| about = American strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the premium version
| link = A-10A
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=a_10a_late
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Wind of Change"]].

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

The single biggest downside with the A-10 is its top speed. At 642 km/h at sea level, the A-10A is the slowest aircraft at its BR. Not enough emphasis can be put on how much of a disadvantage the A-10's speed is, especially at a battle rating of 10.0, where apart from another A-10, every single aircraft it faces will have at least a 400 km/h faster top speed.

Despite how crippling the A-10's speed is, there are a handful of advantages to being so slow. First, while it is slow, it still is manoeuvrable at those low speeds, even with a heavy weapon loadout. It also means that its turn time is tight and quick compared to supersonic aircraft.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 624 || 609 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 30.2 || 30.8 || 21.0 || 19.9 || rowspan="2" | 700
|-
! Upgraded
| 662 || 642 || 28.5 || 29.0 || 30.3 || 25.3
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="7" | Limits
|-
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
| 874  || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 740 || 370 || ~__ || ~__
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 550 || < 650 || < 500 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="6" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | General Electric TF34-GE-100A || 2
| colspan="3" | 11,636 kg || colspan="3" | ___ kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="5" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff Weight
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 14m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 48m fuel
|-
| 654 kg || colspan="2" | High-bypass turbofan
| 13,092 kg || 13,651 kg || 14,659 kg || 16,170 kg || 16,489 kg || _,___ kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="6" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 14m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 45m fuel || 48m fuel || MTOW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 4,036 kgf || N/A
| 0.62 || 0.59 || 0.55 || 0.50 || 0.49 || _.__
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 4,036 kgf (0 km/h) || N/A
| 0.62 || 0.59 || 0.55 || 0.50 || 0.49 || _.__
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The A-10A has substantial armour around the cockpit, fuel tanks, and transmission. This armour is mostly effective toward autocannons up to 25 mm calibre.

* 38 mm titanium alloy - "bathtub" around the bottom of the cockpit
* 44 mm bulletproof glass (54°) - windshield in front of the pilot

The A-10A is equipped with a whopping 480 countermeasures. This gives an extended and effective protection against even the most potent heat-seeking missiles it will face. However, while the pilot has ample armour protection, the other parts of the plane, such as the wing, tail and especially the unarmoured and exposed engines, will easily be destroyed by any short cannon burst.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|GAU-8/A (30 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* A choice between two presets:
** 1 x 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon, chin-mounted (1,174 rpg)
** 1 x 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon + 480 x countermeasures

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}

{{main|LDGP Mk 82 (500 lb)|LDGP Mk 84 (2,000 lb)|AGM-65D|AIM-9L Sidewinder|Hydra-70 M247}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

* Without load
* 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 42 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
* 84 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets
* 84 x Hydra-70 M247 rockets + 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 10 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (5,000 lb total)
* 12 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (6,000 lb total)
* 12 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles (6,000 lb total)
* 6 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (12,000 lb total)
* 6 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs + 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles (12,000 lb total)
* 6 x AGM-65D missiles
* 6 x AGM-65D missiles + 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
* 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles

==== Custom loadout options ====
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="text-align:center"
|-
! !! width="5%" | 1 !! width="5%" | 2 !! width="5%" | 3 !! width="5%" | 4 !! width="5%" | 5 !! width="5%" | 6 !! width="5%" | 7 !! width="5%" | 8 !! width="5%" | 9 !! width="5%" | 10
| rowspan="7" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_{{PAGENAME}}.png]]</div>
|-
! AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
| 1, 2 || || || || || || || || || 1, 2
|-
! 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs
| 1 || 1 || 1, 3 || 1, 3 || 1 || 1 || 1, 3 || 1, 3 || 1 || 1
|-
! Hydra-70 M247 rockets
| || 7 || 7, 21 || 7, 21 || || || 7, 21 || 7, 21 || 7 ||
|-
! AGM-65D missiles
| || || 3 || || || || || 3 || ||
|-
! 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs
| || || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || ||
|-
| colspan="11" | Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 1,000 kg
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

The A-10A Late is specifically designed to attack ground targets. The AGM-65Ds and Mk 84s provide substantial firepower against armoured ground units. When within range, the 30 mm GAU-8 cannon can be used: the gun may lack penetration power against armour, but is excellent at destroying exterior modules and inflicting damage by overpressure.

The A-10's low speed makes it difficult to reach enemy ground units and bases without being intercepted, and also makes the A-10 especially vulnerable to both attacking aircraft and SAMs. Another problem with being so slow is that it is very easy to get energy trapped. This means that any common enemy aircraft can simply fly above the A-10, and with its slow speed, it simply has no chance to follow and get in range to use its gun. After the A-10 inevitably pitches back down (or stalls), the enemy aircraft will dive down on the slow and vulnerable A-10. While the A-10 can utilize its all-aspect AIM-9Ls to potentially dispatch aircraft lacking flares before they can initiate an energy trap, flare-equipped aircraft (which can easily flare an AIM-9L) should never be engaged unless absolutely necessary as it will likely result in the A-10's destruction. This speed also disadvantages the A-10 in high-speed head-ons. While it does arguably have the most powerful gun in the game, the A-10 will have trouble dodging the rounds of an enemy aircraft because its low speed prevents it from quickly getting out of the way. Meanwhile, the enemy aircraft, which is likely going much faster than the A-10, won't have too much of a problem dodging the A-10's rounds provided they begin evading at an ample range.

However, the slow speed allows the A-10 much more time to aim its weapons at ground targets than if it were, say, a supersonic aircraft that is unmanoeuvrable at low speeds. Due to this, the A-10 can farm ground targets quicker than most other planes; with its 1,174 rounds of 30 mm, a single A-10 left unchecked to freely attack ground targets can reduce an enemy team's ticket count by half or more. As stated before, the A-10 has very little chance in a vertical dogfight. However, the A-10's slow speed and good low speed manoeuvrability gives it the advantage in a horizontal scissors dogfight, as the likely faster enemy aircraft will quickly pass in front of the A-10's devastating gun. In a prolonged horizontal low speed scissors dogfight, the enemy aircraft would have likely bled much of their speed, again giving the A-10 an advantage with its good low speed manoeuvrability. If the enemy attempts to run away, the A-10 can exploit their low speed to launch an AIM-9L. When flying the A-10, if you notice an attacking aircraft may be unaware of the A-10's speed weakness (or unaware of how to exploit it), attempt to force it into a horizontal turn fight or scissors where you will have the advantage.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good manoeuvrability
* Great roll rate
* Good armour protection around the cockpit area that will protect the pilot
* 480 countermeasures are extremely effective against common heat-seeking missiles
* Devastating cannon with a large ammo pool
* Great payload options for ground attack
* Access to four all-aspect AIM-9L Sidewinder air-to-air missiles
* Sturdy wings which are hard to rip and don't break in dives
* Access to AGM-65D Air-to-Ground TV guided missiles which can fire during night operation unlike the AGM-65B
* The aircraft's slow speed means G-forces sustained during manoeuvres isn’t much of an issue

'''Cons:'''

* Bad climb rate compared to other jets
* Does not have access to either gunpods or guided bombs
* Extremely poor top speed makes it easy prey
* Engine can potentially overheat when running at or near 100% throttle unless on a winter map

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=a_10a_late Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|ty5x8xhle84|'''The Shooting Range #295''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


* [[A-10A]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7590-development-a-10a-thunderbolt-ii-the-warthog-arrives-in-war-thunder-en|[Devblog] A-10A Thunderbolt II: The 'Warthog' Arrives in War Thunder!]]

{{AirManufacturer Fairchild}}
{{USA jet aircraft}}

Wiesel 1A2

2022-07-09T16:05:57Z

U120640171: the second instance of the TOW-2B not being identified as vertical

{{About
| about = German tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Wiesel (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_wiesel_1_tow
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Ground Breaking"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=124|rbMinHp=77}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|BGM-71 TOW}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BGM-71 TOW]] missile || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 8 || rowspan="2" | ±20° || rowspan="2" | ±45° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 26.4 || 36.5 || 44.3 || 49.0 || 52.1 || rowspan="2" | 13.00 || rowspan="2" | 11.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.60 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| TOW-2 || ATGM || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800
|-
| TOW-2A || ATGM (tandem) || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800
|-
| TOW-2B || ATGM (vertical) || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Range (m)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| TOW-2 || ATGM || 329 || 3,750 || 21.45 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 4,100 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
| TOW-2A || ATGM (tandem) || 329 || 3,750 || 22.63 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4,190 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
| TOW-2B || ATGM (vertical) || 309 || 3,750 || 22.59 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 3,140 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''8''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|MG3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,000 (1,000) || 1,200 || -10°/+50° || -30°/+120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great ATGM, including top-down attack modification for countersniping and NERA tanks
* Good mobility
* Small silhouette, making it easy to hide
* Can properly hulldown behind short cover and has reasonable turret depression for the hills and high ground
* Can scout while being an ATGM tank - renders smoke screens and cover useless in AB, makes it easier to call for help and to get a replacement in RB

'''Cons:'''

* Almost no armour - can be broken, bullied and destroyed by using HMG or even LMG alone, will not sustain explosive damage either
* While the crew is located low enough to survive some AP shots passing through the roof, the ammo racks are placed way too high, it is necessary to spend ammunition fast to survive
* Low ATGM count, considering it can't stand up for itself in close quarters when rearming (Usually irrelevant in AB)
* TOW-2B is a tier 4 upgrade, until then 1A2 is not much better than ATGMs of lower BR

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|EPuqc5s_aeE|'''The Shooting Range #276''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


* [[M113A1 (TOW)]]
* [[M113A1 (TOW) (China)]]
* [[CM25]]
* [[UDES 33]]
* [[Pvrbv 551]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7376-development-wiesel-armored-vehicles-mk20-tow-2-adwc-en|[Devblog] Wiesel armored vehicles: MK20/TOW/2 ADWC]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}

Wiesel 1A2

2022-07-09T16:05:07Z

U120640171: The TOW-2B Vertical ATGM was not noted as being vertical, which is an important distinction considering it only has 100mm of penetration.

{{About
| about = German tank destroyer '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = Wiesel (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=germ_wiesel_1_tow
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Ground Breaking"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}

''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''

'''Armour type:''' 


{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
|-
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
|-
|}

'''Notes:''' 


=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}


{{tankMobility|abMinHp=124|rbMinHp=77}}

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}

{{main|BGM-71 TOW}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[BGM-71 TOW]] missile || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 8 || rowspan="2" | ±20° || rowspan="2" | ±45° || rowspan="2" | N/A || 26.4 || 36.5 || 44.3 || 49.0 || 52.1 || rowspan="2" | 13.00 || rowspan="2" | 11.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.60 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| TOW-2 || ATGM || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800
|-
| TOW-2A || ATGM (tandem) || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800 || 800
|-
| TOW-2B || ATGM (vertical) || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100 || 100
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="11" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity (m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Range (m)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay (m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity (mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| TOW-2 || ATGM || 329 || 3,750 || 21.45 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 4,100 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
| TOW-2A || ATGM (tandem) || 329 || 3,750 || 22.63 || 0.4 || 0.1 || 4,190 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
| TOW-2B || ATGM || 309 || 3,750 || 22.59 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 3,140 || 80° || 82° || 90°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full ammo
! 1st rack empty
! 2nd rack empty
! 3rd rack empty
! 4th rack empty
! 5th rack empty
! 6th rack empty
! Visual discrepancy
|-
| '''8''' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __ ''(+__)'' || __
|-
|}

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}

{{main|MG3A1 (7.62 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[MG3A1 (7.62 mm)|7.62 mm MG3A1]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Pintle || 1,000 (1,000) || 1,200 || -10°/+50° || -30°/+120°
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==

''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Great ATGM, including top-down attack modification for countersniping and NERA tanks
* Good mobility
* Small silhouette, making it easy to hide
* Can properly hulldown behind short cover and has reasonable turret depression for the hills and high ground
* Can scout while being an ATGM tank - renders smoke screens and cover useless in AB, makes it easier to call for help and to get a replacement in RB

'''Cons:'''

* Almost no armour - can be broken, bullied and destroyed by using HMG or even LMG alone, will not sustain explosive damage either
* While the crew is located low enough to survive some AP shots passing through the roof, the ammo racks are placed way too high, it is necessary to spend ammunition fast to survive
* Low ATGM count, considering it can't stand up for itself in close quarters when rearming (Usually irrelevant in AB)
* TOW-2B is a tier 4 upgrade, until then 1A2 is not much better than ATGMs of lower BR

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|EPuqc5s_aeE|'''The Shooting Range #276''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:28 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==


* [[M113A1 (TOW)]]
* [[M113A1 (TOW) (China)]]
* [[CM25]]
* [[UDES 33]]
* [[Pvrbv 551]]

== External links ==


* [[wt:en/news/7376-development-wiesel-armored-vehicles-mk20-tow-2-adwc-en|[Devblog] Wiesel armored vehicles: MK20/TOW/2 ADWC]]

{{Germany tank destroyers}}