Difference between revisions of "Z20 Karl Galster"

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{{Specs-Card
 
{{Specs-Card
 
|code=germ_destroyer_class1936_z20_karlgalster
 
|code=germ_destroyer_class1936_z20_karlgalster
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|store=6280
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
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<!--''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship’s creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot. If a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them understand which ship is being discussed.''-->
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<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
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[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a premium rank {{Specs|rank}} German destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced as a [[wt:en/news/5545-shop-fleet-cbt-announcement-pre-order-for-destroyers-and-discounts-for-existing-boat-pack-owners-en|premium pack]] in [[Update 1.79 "Project X"]] as part of the fleet closed beta test. It was removed from the store after the [[wt:en/news/6542-shop-the-new-year-sale-en|2019 Winter sale]], but was shortly reintroduced for the [[wt:en/news/6694-shop-may-sale-in-war-thunder-en|2020 May Sale]] purchasable in-game for 6,090 Golden Eagles {{ge}}. It was once again made unavailable for purchase after the naval tech tree split in [[Update "New Power"]]. It was made available for purchase with Golden Eagles {{ge}} in-game briefly during the [[wt:en/news/8323--en|2023 "German Navy Day"]] mini-event.
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{{break}}
 
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a gift rank {{Specs|rank}} German destroyer {{Battle-rating|1}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.79 "Project X"]] as part of the fleet closed beta test.
 
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
−
''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armament separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Tips for preserving survivability should be saved for the "Use in battle" section.''
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{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
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<!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' -->
  
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''If necessary, use a graphic template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.''
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The Z20 Karl Galster is not a very well protected destroyer. Unlike for example the [[USS Cowell]] (which possesses some armour) the Z20 has nothing to protect herself from enemy fire. The gun turrets are not fully shut (they are open at the back) which means that enemy HE fire will very easily knock out these turrets. However, armour doesn't really matter too much for a DD because they are too small to have effective armour anyway, but the Z20 feels very weak in terms of armour overall. If you play a [[Tashkent]] you will experience far more survivability because the crew members are better protected.
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The bridge of the Z20 is poorly protected. You will often get hit because it's a tempting target for the enemy, and it will prevent you from steering the ship. Your ammo magazines have no armour at all but is under the waterline. This will prevent HE shells from detonating these magazines which gives the Z20 more survivability. Cruisers with their 155/203 mm AP shells are able to travel to these magazines and will result in a citadel detonation.
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So what does make the Z20 a good destroyer? It's the speed and agility which makes her a great ship to play. Because you have good mobility you can move quickly and support the smaller ships. You are a good escort for cruisers as well but make sure you are not first in line! The mobility allows you to take effective evasive manoeuvres which makes you a hard target to shoot at. In combination with your main guns, you can be a pain for the enemy team.
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The crew size of the Z20 consists of 323 people which is more than most of the other destroyers. However, this number can be deceiving. Again the Z20 has some weak protected parts where a lot of crew members can be knocked out if they are hit in that certain spot.
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So the primary armament is quite weak in terms of protection and this should be noted. When your enemy lands an HE shot at the turret, a lot of crew members will be incapacitated and the gun will almost certainly be knocked out. The secondary armaments aren't better protected but there are less crew members so they will be knocked out, but the armaments themselves aren't knocked out very often.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
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''Write about the ship’s mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward speed and reverse speed.''
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{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
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<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' -->
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The powerplant of the Z20 consists of Six Wagner boilers to produce steam. This steam goes through two Wagner steam turbine sets, each driving one propeller shaft. This gives the Z20 69,000 shaft horsepower driving the ship through the seas with a speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) forward. The rudder is very good as well and gives you the ability to turn the ship quickly. The mobility is one of the things that make the Z20 a great destroyer.
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=== Modifications and economy ===
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{{Specs-Economy}}
  
 
== Armament ==
 
== Armament ==
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{{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}}
 
=== Primary armament ===
 
=== Primary armament ===
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''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>.''
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{{Specs-Fleet-Primary}}
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<!-- ''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.'' -->
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{{main|12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 (128 mm)}}
  
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''Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.''
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The Z20 has 5 x 12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 guns, two each superimposed, fore and aft of the superstructure. The fifth mount is positioned on top of the rear deckhouse, so there are 2 guns facing forward and 3 facing backward. This is a disadvantage in comparison to other destroyers. The [[HMCS Haida]] and [[Tashkent]] have two dual-mounted gun turrets at the front of the ship. This gives them the ability to go nose in and fire 4 shells in one salvo, so they don't suffer too much when they protect their broadside. The Z20 has to give some broadside to fire all 5 guns. You can compensate this problem by using the tactic of "kiting". Fire a salvo and go nose in. When your guns are almost done reloading, turn the ship again to fire all 5 guns and repeat. The rudder allows you to do this but it only works when you are actively sailing your ship.
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Another disadvantage is that you only have 5 guns. The [[HMCS Haida]], [[Tashkent]], [[IJN Akizuki]], [[USS Sumner]] and others all have 6 or 8 guns. You only have 5 guns which puts you in a difficult position when knife fighting these destroyers. So the best thing you can do is to make sure you pick the fight, not the enemy. This is quite hard but use the terrain and your teammates to fight the enemies. Do not ever try to destroy a cruiser with your guns. There is no hope you can take a cruiser on your own with your guns. You will do minimal damage and the cruiser will destroy you quite easily. Only when you can perform a torpedo strike, go for the cruisers. But make sure it will have success. If you are sailing with another cruiser, you can support him by shooting at the enemy cruiser but make sure you are second or third in line.
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The guns don't have the best firing arcs. You can only hit targets effectively under the range of 8 km. If the distance becomes greater than 8 km the shell will take 16 seconds to reach the target. You will have a minimal chance of getting a hit and you will waste ammo.
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As for ammo, you can take 600 pieces maximum. The Z20 comes with 3 types of ammo: Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z, Sprgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z and the Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z. So the Kpf.Z shell is the high-explosive shell and will do the most damage to most of the ships. It is recommended to take about 400 shells of the Kpf.Z because this is the shell you will be firing most of the time, and about 200 shells of the Bd.Z because these can penetrate cruisers more effectively if needed. The Zt.Z shell is only useful against planes but the main guns of the Z20 don't allow you to fire effectively against planes, and it is almost completely useless against ships.
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{{:12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 (128 mm)/Ammunition|12.8 cm Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z, 12.8 cm Sprgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z, 12.8 cm Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z}}
  
 
=== Secondary armament ===
 
=== Secondary armament ===
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''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armament and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section.''
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{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}}
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<!-- ''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.'' -->
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{{main|FlaK-Lafette C/36 (37 mm)}}
  
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''If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''
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The secondary armament consists of 4 x 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30. These guns are very good at shredding patrol boats and are a great addition to the Z20. They fire quickly for 3.7 cm guns. They can also act as AA guns very effectively. Because they can fire both at boats and planes, it's recommended to use the Universal belt. This belt consists of both HE shells (for the planes) and AP shells (for the patrol boats and other destroyers). You can also select the AP belt (3 times AP and 1 HE) or the HE belt (3 times HE and 1 AP). There is no need to take manual control of the secondaries because the AI does the job quite well, and if you let the AI fire the main guns, you will lose effectiveness.
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 +
* '''Universal:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}
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* '''37 mm HE clips:''' {{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}
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* '''37 mm APT clips:''' {{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-T|Armour-piercing tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|HEF-I|High-explosive fragmentation incendiary}}
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{{:FlaK-Lafette C/36 (37 mm)/Ammunition|HEF-I, AP-T}}
  
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
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''An important part of the ship’s armament responsible for air raid defense. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship’s anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets.''
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{{Specs-Fleet-AA}}
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<!-- ''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.'' -->
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{{main|2 cm/65 C/38 (20 mm)|2 cm/65 Flakvierling 38 (20 mm)|2 cm/65 Flakzwilling 38 (20 mm)}}
  
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''If there is no anti-aircraft artillery, remove this section.''
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Unlike other ships of the Type 1936 class (which the Z20 belongs to), the Z20 has reinforced AA armament. So the 4 x 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 guns act as AA, but the Z20 also has: 8 x 2 cm (0.8 in) Flakzwilling 38, a single-mount 2 cm C/38 cannon, and a quadruple 2 cm Flak 30/Flakvierling. This gives the Z20 some solid AA so you have the ability to shoot down planes very effectively. You can either select a Universal belt (2 HE, 2 AP), AP belt (1 HE, 3 AP) or an HE belt (3 HE, 1 AP), although only the HE belt will see much use because these guns will typically only be used to shoot down planes.
  
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=== Torpedo armament ===
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=== Additional armament ===
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''Many ships are armed with torpedo launchers, and for some vessels such as boats, torpedoes are an extremely important means of defeating an opponent. Evaluate the position of the torpedo launchers, discuss the ammunition available, firing specifics such as dead zones, features of the torpedoes themselves, etc.''
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{{Specs-Fleet-Additional}}
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<!-- ''Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.'' -->
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{{main|G7a (533 mm)}}
  
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''If there is no torpedo armament, remove this section.''
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The Z20 is equipped with 2 x quadruple 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes which carry the G7a torpedo. This torpedo has a speed of 81 km/h and a maximum range of 6 km. It takes 50 m to arm the torpedo. On-board is 358.4 kg TNT which causes a significant blow.
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=== Special armament ===
 
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''Depth charges, mines, rocket launchers and missiles are also effective in skilled hands and can be an unexpected surprise for an opponent. Evaluate the ammunition of this type of armament and rate its performance in combat.''
 
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
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''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don’t get try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).''
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''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).''
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
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<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
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*
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* Very fast for a destroyer (86 km/h or 46 knots AB, 71 km/h or 38 knots RB)
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* Quick reload speed with on-board guns
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* Good self defence anti-aircraft capability
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* 37 mm AA guns are of the fully automatic type, not the semi-automatic type you'd find on other German ships
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* Has a slim profile
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* Strong secondaries against smaller ships
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
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* Main guns lack AP rounds (only HE, HE Base Fuse, HE-DF)
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* Shells don't have much filler for their calibre
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* Torpedoes are slow and have sub-par warheads
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* Quite a squishy ship
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* Only has 5 main guns
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* Gun turrets are exposed to HE shrapnel
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
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<!--''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an 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></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.''-->
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<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship 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 ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-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 ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
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Z20 Karl Galster was the fourth of six ships of the 1936 class destroyers laid down in the DeSchiMAG shipyard in Bremen. She was laid down on 14 September 1937 and completed in March 1939. Being part of the final German destroyer class to receive names after WWI sailors, captains, and admirals, the Z20 was also named in honour of Captain Karl Galster. Captain Karl Galster was the commander of the S22 torpedo boat in WWI, who went down with his ship after striking a mine while intercepting a squadron of British ships, including HMS Vindex, near the island of Sylt. During WWII, Z20 Karl Galster took part in various mine-laying operations in the English channel and Baltic sea as well as taking part in the invasion of Denmark and Norway as part of the Operation “Weserübung”. Although the war had claimed her other five sister ships, Karl Galster survived right up until the very end of the war, helping in evacuating German soldiers from coastline ports scattered around the Baltic during the last few days of WWII.
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Z20 Karl Galster was the fourth of six ships of the 1936 class destroyers laid down in the DeSchiMAG shipyard in Bremen. She was laid down on 14 September 1937 and completed in March 1939. Being part of the final German destroyer class to receive names after WWI sailors, captains, and admirals, the Z20 was also named in honour of Captain Karl Galster. Captain Karl Galster was the commander of the S22 torpedo boat in WWI, who went down with his ship after striking a mine while intercepting a squadron of British ships, including HMS Vindex, near the island of Sylt. During WWII, Z20 Karl Galster took part in various mine-laying operations in the English channel and Baltic sea as well as taking part in the invasion of Denmark and Norway as part of the Operation "Weserübung". Although the war had claimed her other five sister ships, Karl Galster survived right up until the very end of the war, helping in evacuating German soldiers from coastline ports scattered around the Baltic during the last few days of WWII.
  
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After the German surrender on 8 May 1945, Z20 returned to her homeport of Kiel and surrendered to the British. However, her career was not over just yet. In 1946, Z20 Karl Galster was given to the Soviet Union as a warprize and was subsequently renamed to Prochny. She would serve under Soviet command for another decade, until 1956, before being decommissioned ultimately scrapped in the 1950s.
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After the German surrender on 8 May 1945, Z20 returned to her homeport of Kiel and surrendered to the British. However, her career was not over just yet. In 1946, Z20 Karl Galster was given to the Soviet Union as a war prize and was subsequently renamed to Prochny. She would serve under Soviet command for another decade, until 1956, before being decommissioned ultimately scrapped in the 1950s.
  
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''- From [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5546-fleet-development-z20-karl-galster-en Devblog]''
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''- From [[wt:en/news/5546-fleet-development-z20-karl-galster-en|Devblog]]''
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
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''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
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<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
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;Skins
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_destroyer_class1936_z20_karlgalster Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
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;Videos
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{{Youtube-gallery|neFsLnNSatw|'''Premium Vehicles: Z20 Karl Galster''' - ''War Thunder Wiki''|zCiYZGT9Ipc|'''The Shooting Range #102''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:48 discusses the Type 1936 destroyer Z20 Karl Galster.}}
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
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''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
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<!-- ''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
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;[[Type 1936 (Family)|Related development]]
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* [[Z22 Anton Schmitt]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
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<!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
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<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* ''encyclopedia page on ship;''
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* ''other literature.'' -->
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* ''other literature.''-->
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* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/5546-fleet-development-z20-karl-galster-en [Devblog<nowiki>]</nowiki> Z20 Karl Galster]
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* [[wt:en/news/5546-fleet-development-z20-karl-galster-en|[Devblog] Z20 Karl Galster]]
  
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{{ShipManufacturer DeSchiMAG}}
 
{{Germany destroyers}}
 
{{Germany destroyers}}
 
{{Germany premium ships}}
 
{{Germany premium ships}}

Latest revision as of 07:06, 21 August 2023

Introducing Wiki 3.0
Z20 Karl Galster
germ_destroyer_class1936_z20_karlgalster.png
GarageImage Z20 Karl Galster.jpg
Z20 Karl Galster
Germany flag.png Germany
III Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
4.7 4.7 4.7
Class:
PREMIUM
Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Description

The Type 1936-class, Z20 Karl Galster, 1945 is a premium rank III German destroyer with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced as a premium pack in Update 1.79 "Project X" as part of the fleet closed beta test. It was removed from the store after the 2019 Winter sale, but was shortly reintroduced for the 2020 May Sale purchasable in-game for 6,090 Golden Eagles Ge icon.png. It was once again made unavailable for purchase after the naval tech tree split in Update "New Power". It was made available for purchase with Golden Eagles Ge icon.png in-game briefly during the 2023 "German Navy Day" mini-event.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Main fire tower8 / 8 / 0 mm
Hull16 mm (steel)
Superstructure8 mm (steel)
Number of section8
Displacement3 415 t
Crew323 people

The Z20 Karl Galster is not a very well protected destroyer. Unlike for example the USS Cowell (which possesses some armour) the Z20 has nothing to protect herself from enemy fire. The gun turrets are not fully shut (they are open at the back) which means that enemy HE fire will very easily knock out these turrets. However, armour doesn't really matter too much for a DD because they are too small to have effective armour anyway, but the Z20 feels very weak in terms of armour overall. If you play a Tashkent you will experience far more survivability because the crew members are better protected.

The bridge of the Z20 is poorly protected. You will often get hit because it's a tempting target for the enemy, and it will prevent you from steering the ship. Your ammo magazines have no armour at all but is under the waterline. This will prevent HE shells from detonating these magazines which gives the Z20 more survivability. Cruisers with their 155/203 mm AP shells are able to travel to these magazines and will result in a citadel detonation.

So what does make the Z20 a good destroyer? It's the speed and agility which makes her a great ship to play. Because you have good mobility you can move quickly and support the smaller ships. You are a good escort for cruisers as well but make sure you are not first in line! The mobility allows you to take effective evasive manoeuvres which makes you a hard target to shoot at. In combination with your main guns, you can be a pain for the enemy team.

The crew size of the Z20 consists of 323 people which is more than most of the other destroyers. However, this number can be deceiving. Again the Z20 has some weak protected parts where a lot of crew members can be knocked out if they are hit in that certain spot.

So the primary armament is quite weak in terms of protection and this should be noted. When your enemy lands an HE shot at the turret, a lot of crew members will be incapacitated and the gun will almost certainly be knocked out. The secondary armaments aren't better protected but there are less crew members so they will be knocked out, but the armaments themselves aren't knocked out very often.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB86 / 31 km/h
RB71 / 25 km/h

The powerplant of the Z20 consists of Six Wagner boilers to produce steam. This steam goes through two Wagner steam turbine sets, each driving one propeller shaft. This gives the Z20 69,000 shaft horsepower driving the ship through the seas with a speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) forward. The rudder is very good as well and gives you the ability to turn the ship quickly. The mobility is one of the things that make the Z20 a great destroyer.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB2 337 Sl icon.png
RB2 371 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts290 000 Sl icon.png
Aces700 Ge icon.png
Research Aces790 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 260 / 600 / 50 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 154 / 154 / 154 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
Mods new ship hull.png
Dry-Docking
Mods new ship rudder.png
Rudder Replacement
Mods new ship screw.png
Propeller Replacement
Mods new ship engine.png
Engine Maintenance
Mods ship damage control crew.png
Damage Control Division
Mods ship fire control crew.png
Fire Division
Mods engine smoke screen system.png
Smokescreen
Mods ship anti fragmentation protection.png
Shrapnel Protection
Mods ship venting.png
Ventilation
Mods new ship pumps.png
New Pumps
Mods ship ammo wetting.png
Ammo Wetting
Mods he frag base fuse tank.png
128mm_ger_HE_naval_base_fuze_ammo_pack
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37 mm HE clips
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Anti-Air Armament Targeting
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128mm_ger_he_naval_dist_fuze_ammo_pack
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37 mm APT clips
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Auxiliary Armament Targeting
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Improved Rangefinder
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Primary Armament Targeting
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Torpedo Mode

Armament

Primary armament

5 х Turret12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 naval gun
Ammunition120 rounds
Vertical guidance-10° / 30°
Main article: 12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 (128 mm)

The Z20 has 5 x 12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 guns, two each superimposed, fore and aft of the superstructure. The fifth mount is positioned on top of the rear deckhouse, so there are 2 guns facing forward and 3 facing backward. This is a disadvantage in comparison to other destroyers. The HMCS Haida and Tashkent have two dual-mounted gun turrets at the front of the ship. This gives them the ability to go nose in and fire 4 shells in one salvo, so they don't suffer too much when they protect their broadside. The Z20 has to give some broadside to fire all 5 guns. You can compensate this problem by using the tactic of "kiting". Fire a salvo and go nose in. When your guns are almost done reloading, turn the ship again to fire all 5 guns and repeat. The rudder allows you to do this but it only works when you are actively sailing your ship.

Another disadvantage is that you only have 5 guns. The HMCS Haida, Tashkent, IJN Akizuki, USS Sumner and others all have 6 or 8 guns. You only have 5 guns which puts you in a difficult position when knife fighting these destroyers. So the best thing you can do is to make sure you pick the fight, not the enemy. This is quite hard but use the terrain and your teammates to fight the enemies. Do not ever try to destroy a cruiser with your guns. There is no hope you can take a cruiser on your own with your guns. You will do minimal damage and the cruiser will destroy you quite easily. Only when you can perform a torpedo strike, go for the cruisers. But make sure it will have success. If you are sailing with another cruiser, you can support him by shooting at the enemy cruiser but make sure you are second or third in line.

The guns don't have the best firing arcs. You can only hit targets effectively under the range of 8 km. If the distance becomes greater than 8 km the shell will take 16 seconds to reach the target. You will have a minimal chance of getting a hit and you will waste ammo.

As for ammo, you can take 600 pieces maximum. The Z20 comes with 3 types of ammo: Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z, Sprgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z and the Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z. So the Kpf.Z shell is the high-explosive shell and will do the most damage to most of the ships. It is recommended to take about 400 shells of the Kpf.Z because this is the shell you will be firing most of the time, and about 200 shells of the Bd.Z because these can penetrate cruisers more effectively if needed. The Zt.Z shell is only useful against planes but the main guns of the Z20 don't allow you to fire effectively against planes, and it is almost completely useless against ships.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z HE 24 24 24 24 24 24
Sprgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z HE 59 50 38 30 24 18
Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z HE-TF 24 24 24 24 24 24
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(s) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z HE 830 28 0 0.1 1.91 79° 80° 81°
Sprgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z HE 830 28 0.015 5 1.4 79° 80° 81°
Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z HE-TF 830 28 0 0.1 1.91 79° 80° 81°

Secondary armament

2 х Turret2 x 3.7 cm FlaK-Lafette C/36 mounting
Ammunition4000 rounds
Belt capacity5 rounds
Fire rate250 shots/min
2 х Turret3.7 cm FlaK-Lafette C/36 mounting
Ammunition2000 rounds
Belt capacity5 rounds
Fire rate250 shots/min
Main article: FlaK-Lafette C/36 (37 mm)

The secondary armament consists of 4 x 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30. These guns are very good at shredding patrol boats and are a great addition to the Z20. They fire quickly for 3.7 cm guns. They can also act as AA guns very effectively. Because they can fire both at boats and planes, it's recommended to use the Universal belt. This belt consists of both HE shells (for the planes) and AP shells (for the patrol boats and other destroyers). You can also select the AP belt (3 times AP and 1 HE) or the HE belt (3 times HE and 1 AP). There is no need to take manual control of the secondaries because the AI does the job quite well, and if you let the AI fire the main guns, you will lose effectiveness.

  • Universal: AP-T · HEF-I
  • 37 mm HE clips: HEF-I · HEF-I · HEF-I · HEF-I · AP-T
  • 37 mm APT clips: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEF-I

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
HEF-I 3 3 3 3 3 3
AP-T 67 64 53 42 33 26
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
HEF-I 845 0.62 0 0.1 44.03 79° 80° 81°
AP-T 815 0.7 - - - 47° 60° 65°

Anti-aircraft armament

Turret4 x 2 cm/65 Flakvierling 38 automatic cannon
Ammunition8000 rounds
Belt capacity40 rounds
Fire rate480 shots/min
Turret2 cm/65 C/38 automatic cannon
Ammunition2000 rounds
Belt capacity40 rounds
Fire rate480 shots/min
4 х Turret2 x 2 cm/65 Flakzwilling 38 automatic cannon
Ammunition4000 rounds
Belt capacity40 rounds
Fire rate501 shots/min
Main articles: 2 cm/65 C/38 (20 mm), 2 cm/65 Flakvierling 38 (20 mm), 2 cm/65 Flakzwilling 38 (20 mm)

Unlike other ships of the Type 1936 class (which the Z20 belongs to), the Z20 has reinforced AA armament. So the 4 x 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 guns act as AA, but the Z20 also has: 8 x 2 cm (0.8 in) Flakzwilling 38, a single-mount 2 cm C/38 cannon, and a quadruple 2 cm Flak 30/Flakvierling. This gives the Z20 some solid AA so you have the ability to shoot down planes very effectively. You can either select a Universal belt (2 HE, 2 AP), AP belt (1 HE, 3 AP) or an HE belt (3 HE, 1 AP), although only the HE belt will see much use because these guns will typically only be used to shoot down planes.

Additional armament

Setup 18 x 533 mm G7a torpedo
Main article: G7a (533 mm)

The Z20 is equipped with 2 x quadruple 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes which carry the G7a torpedo. This torpedo has a speed of 81 km/h and a maximum range of 6 km. It takes 50 m to arm the torpedo. On-board is 358.4 kg TNT which causes a significant blow.

Usage in battles

Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Very fast for a destroyer (86 km/h or 46 knots AB, 71 km/h or 38 knots RB)
  • Quick reload speed with on-board guns
  • Good self defence anti-aircraft capability
  • 37 mm AA guns are of the fully automatic type, not the semi-automatic type you'd find on other German ships
  • Has a slim profile
  • Strong secondaries against smaller ships

Cons:

  • Main guns lack AP rounds (only HE, HE Base Fuse, HE-DF)
  • Shells don't have much filler for their calibre
  • Torpedoes are slow and have sub-par warheads
  • Quite a squishy ship
  • Only has 5 main guns
  • Gun turrets are exposed to HE shrapnel

History

Z20 Karl Galster was the fourth of six ships of the 1936 class destroyers laid down in the DeSchiMAG shipyard in Bremen. She was laid down on 14 September 1937 and completed in March 1939. Being part of the final German destroyer class to receive names after WWI sailors, captains, and admirals, the Z20 was also named in honour of Captain Karl Galster. Captain Karl Galster was the commander of the S22 torpedo boat in WWI, who went down with his ship after striking a mine while intercepting a squadron of British ships, including HMS Vindex, near the island of Sylt. During WWII, Z20 Karl Galster took part in various mine-laying operations in the English channel and Baltic sea as well as taking part in the invasion of Denmark and Norway as part of the Operation "Weserübung". Although the war had claimed her other five sister ships, Karl Galster survived right up until the very end of the war, helping in evacuating German soldiers from coastline ports scattered around the Baltic during the last few days of WWII.

After the German surrender on 8 May 1945, Z20 returned to her homeport of Kiel and surrendered to the British. However, her career was not over just yet. In 1946, Z20 Karl Galster was given to the Soviet Union as a war prize and was subsequently renamed to Prochny. She would serve under Soviet command for another decade, until 1956, before being decommissioned ultimately scrapped in the 1950s.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins
Videos
Premium Vehicles: Z20 Karl Galster - War Thunder Wiki
The Shooting Range #102 - Metal Beasts section at 00:48 discusses the Type 1936 destroyer Z20 Karl Galster.

See also

Related development

External links


Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft
Destroyers 
Type 1934A  Kleber**
Type 1936  Z20 Karl Galster · Z22 Anton Schmitt
Type 1936A  Z25 · Marceau*** · Z32
Type 1936B  Z43
Type 1936C  Z46 · Z47
Battleships 
Nassau-class  SMS Westfalen*
  *Previously Aktien-Gesellschaft „Weser"
  **Z6 Theodor Riedel before war reparation to France
  ***Z31 before war reparation to France

Germany destroyers
  Torpedo boats
Type 1924  Jaguar · Leopard · Luchs
Type 1939  T22 · T31
  Destoyers
Type 1934A  Z12 Erich Giese · Z15 Erich Steinbrinck
Type 1936  Z20 Karl Galster · Z22 Anton Schmitt
Type 1936A  Z25 · Z32
Type 1936B  Z43
Type 1936C  Z46 · Z47

Germany premium ships
Motor torpedo boats  LS 4 Esau · KM-5 · S-204 Lang · S-701
Minelayers  VS-8
Sub-chasers  M-802
Frigates  Lübeck
Destroyers  Jaguar · Luchs · T31 · Z20 Karl Galster · Z25 · Z47
Light cruisers  Karlsruhe
Heavy cruisers  Prinz Eugen
Battleships  SMS Nassau

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