Difference between revisions of "VK 45.01 (P)"
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One of the flaws of its armour design is that it cannot be effectively angled at all. Because of its front hull cheeks, that are only 82 mm thick, even the slightest angling makes them very vulnerable to all guns, and to make matters even worse, ammunition is stored right behind them on both sides (unless one carries less ammunition). | One of the flaws of its armour design is that it cannot be effectively angled at all. Because of its front hull cheeks, that are only 82 mm thick, even the slightest angling makes them very vulnerable to all guns, and to make matters even worse, ammunition is stored right behind them on both sides (unless one carries less ammunition). | ||
| − | The gameplay is | + | The gameplay is similar to the Tiger E. Avoid direct close range confrontations (although the Porsche can hold its ground better there), where its weak spots can be targeted, or be flanked easily, and rather use its excellent accurate gun to outshoot the opponents from afar while using the terrain and various obstacles as cover (Hulldown manoeuvre). Refrain from showing your armour to the enemy at all, as opposed to Box-shaped Henschel Tigers, because of the vulnerable front hull cheeks and much thinner side armour. 102 mm of front hull armour means that the VK 45.01 (p) can be defeated by a lot of shells at this BR, and even more so in uptiers. |
Remember about the high reverse speed (31 km/h!), if the situation is becoming dire, try to retreat from it by reversing while still facing the opponents with 200 mm of front armour and dangerous gun! | Remember about the high reverse speed (31 km/h!), if the situation is becoming dire, try to retreat from it by reversing while still facing the opponents with 200 mm of front armour and dangerous gun! | ||
| − | Lastly, remember that | + | Lastly, remember that at the VK 45.01 (P)'s BR, and it can meet plenty of opponents that are almost invulnerable to the 88 mm gun from the front (even when using APCR), and/or can still instantly destroy the VK 45.01 (P) with one well-aimed shot. |
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
| Line 156: | Line 156: | ||
===Usage=== | ===Usage=== | ||
| − | Before even the evaluations began, | + | Before even the evaluations began, A contract was approved by the army to produce one hundred chassis of the VK 45.01 (P). With the Henschel version chosen, the chassis produced were no longer needed to be made into a tank format, but it would be a waste to simply scrap them. These chassis were converted into case mate structures that could mount the new 88 mm Pak 43 cannon, which was longer and more powerful than the KwK 36 on the Tiger I. This would be called the [[Ferdinand]] tank destroyer, later redesignated as the Elefant in 1944.Three VK 45.01 (P) was also converted into recovery vehicles designated the Bergepanzer Tiger(P). |
Out of the five VK 45.01 (P) produced from its development to its rejection, only one saw service in World War II. The tank had the chassis number 150013 and was converted into a command tank, thus was designated the [[Pz.Bfw.VI (P)|Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P)]]. As a command tank, the tank would have much more radios than usual to allow for command communication between tank units and headquarters. Another feature on the Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P) was that an extra 100 mm of armour was welded onto the front hull armour, bringing the original 100 mm hull armour to 200 mm effective in thickness. The tank was used by Hauptmann Grillenberg in turret number 003 and the tank saw service on the Eastern Front with the Ferdinand units, serving in Tank Destroyer Battalion 653. It was deployed in April 1944, but was then lost in July of the same year. | Out of the five VK 45.01 (P) produced from its development to its rejection, only one saw service in World War II. The tank had the chassis number 150013 and was converted into a command tank, thus was designated the [[Pz.Bfw.VI (P)|Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P)]]. As a command tank, the tank would have much more radios than usual to allow for command communication between tank units and headquarters. Another feature on the Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P) was that an extra 100 mm of armour was welded onto the front hull armour, bringing the original 100 mm hull armour to 200 mm effective in thickness. The tank was used by Hauptmann Grillenberg in turret number 003 and the tank saw service on the Eastern Front with the Ferdinand units, serving in Tank Destroyer Battalion 653. It was deployed in April 1944, but was then lost in July of the same year. | ||
Latest revision as of 21:52, 19 October 2024
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Contents
Description
The VK 45.01 (P) is a premium gift rank III German heavy tank with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals" as a reward vehicle for the 2015 "War Thunder Fulfills Your Wishes!" event.
The VK 45.01 (P), like the Tiger H1, is a heavy tank with a great gun for long range firing. It has the same amount of armour and the same gun as the Tiger H1 and same ammo selection. Size-wise, the VK 45.01 (P) is slightly longer and slightly narrower than the Tiger H1. Despite the similarities, the VK 45.01 (P) is often called a "worse tiger". When played right however, this is not so at all. The main weakness of the VK 45.01 (P) is that it has hull cheeks on the front of its hull. Attempting to angle your armour will only allow the enemy to shoot these weak points, which they can easily pen as they have the same armour values as the side armour. In other words, if fighting an enemy, you should either take cover or turn the front of your hull directly towards them. Because the hull cheeks are angled compared to the front armour, if your hull is facing directly towards the enemy the hull cheeks will have more effective armour than your frontal armour, so they are not a weak point when the tank is not angled. The turret traverse speed is also slow, slower than that of the Tiger H1, meaning it's better to snipe with this tank.
But what the VK 45.01 (P) lacks in effective armour and turret traverse speed it makes up for reverse speed and a few other advantages. Firstly, the transmission is harder to hit since it's mounted in the rear- you will be harder to immobilize. Secondly, the turret is placed at the front of the vehicle, so it doesn't need to expose as much of the tank when peeking out of cover to shoot an enemy. These two advantages go great with its next, and biggest advantage: its phenomenal reverse speed. Because of this attribute, the VK is better for Peek-a-Boo tactics (behind cover, over-extend and shoot, go back in cover to reload). than the Tiger H1. Whereas the Tiger H1 can angle and take more shots, the VK 45.01 (P) is much better at shooting from and retreating into cover, essentially meaning it doesn't have to take those shots in the first place.
General info
Survivability and armour
The VK 45.01 (P) has 102 mm of frontal armour and 82 mm of armour on the cheeks of the hull and sides of the hull. The lower front plate also has 82mm of armour. The engine and transmission are all located at the rear of the tank so most frontal shots won't damage them, however, all the ammo is stowed right behind the thinner pieces of armour on the cheeks of the hull. This should be kept in mind as with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB/SB), a majority of Soviet and American tanks can pen this spot and cause ammo explosions. The crew are spaced out, but a centre of mass shot with APHE shells can knock out the entire crew.
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour
- Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Cupola)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 102 mm (9°) Front plate 62 mm (78°), 102 mm (30°) Front glacis 82 mm (46°) Lower glacis |
82 mm | 82 mm | 26 mm |
| Turret | 100 mm Turret front 90 - 200 mm Gun mantlet |
82 mm | 82 mm | 26 mm |
| Cupola | 80 mm | 80 mm | 80 mm | 26 mm |
Notes:
- Turret front covered by gun mantlet has variable thickness depending on exact place, ranging from 90 to 200 mm of armour.
- The side of the hull where the suspension lies is only 62 mm thick compared to the top area, so beware of this glaring weak point.
- The rear of the hull and turret has some tracks attached that provides an extra 30 mm of armour protection.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 38 | 35 | 57 | 807 | 1,192 | 14.16 | 20.91 |
| Realistic | 36 | 33 | 553 | 625 | 9.7 | 10.96 | |
Modifications and economy
2 × 100 / 150 / 170 % 2 × 160 / 160 / 160 % | Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
|
Armaments
Main armament
| 88 mm KwK36 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 80 | -8°/+16° | ±180° | N/A | 6.47 | 8.96 | 10.88 | 12.03 | 12.80 | 9.62 | 8.51 | 7.84 | 7.40 |
| Realistic | 4.76 | 5.60 | 6.80 | 7.52 | 8.00 | ||||||||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| PzGr 39 | APCBC | 165 | 162 | 151 | 139 | 127 | 117 |
| Hl.Gr 39 | HEAT | 110 | 110 | 110 | 110 | 110 | 110 |
| Pzgr. | APCBC | 153 | 151 | 140 | 128 | 116 | 106 |
| Sprgr. L/4.5 | HE | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| PzGr 39 | APCBC | 773 | 10.2 | 1.2 | 14 | 108.8 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| Hl.Gr 39 | HEAT | 600 | 7.64 | 0 | 0.3 | 1,100 | 62° | 69° | 73° | |||
| Pzgr. | APCBC | 810 | 9.5 | 1.2 | 14 | 215.04 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| Sprgr. L/4.5 | HE | 820 | 9 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 900 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Ammo racks
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| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 65 (+15) | 49 (+31) | 33 (+47) | 17 (+63) | 9 (+71) | 1 (+79) | No |
Notes:
- As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.
- Flank racks empty: 17 (+63) shells.
Machine guns
| 7.92 mm MG34 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 1,800 (150) | 900 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
One of the flaws of its armour design is that it cannot be effectively angled at all. Because of its front hull cheeks, that are only 82 mm thick, even the slightest angling makes them very vulnerable to all guns, and to make matters even worse, ammunition is stored right behind them on both sides (unless one carries less ammunition).
The gameplay is similar to the Tiger E. Avoid direct close range confrontations (although the Porsche can hold its ground better there), where its weak spots can be targeted, or be flanked easily, and rather use its excellent accurate gun to outshoot the opponents from afar while using the terrain and various obstacles as cover (Hulldown manoeuvre). Refrain from showing your armour to the enemy at all, as opposed to Box-shaped Henschel Tigers, because of the vulnerable front hull cheeks and much thinner side armour. 102 mm of front hull armour means that the VK 45.01 (p) can be defeated by a lot of shells at this BR, and even more so in uptiers.
Remember about the high reverse speed (31 km/h!), if the situation is becoming dire, try to retreat from it by reversing while still facing the opponents with 200 mm of front armour and dangerous gun!
Lastly, remember that at the VK 45.01 (P)'s BR, and it can meet plenty of opponents that are almost invulnerable to the 88 mm gun from the front (even when using APCR), and/or can still instantly destroy the VK 45.01 (P) with one well-aimed shot.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Petrol-electric engine and transmission offers fast reverse and forward speed
- Very powerful 88 mm gun
- Decent frontal turret and hull armour
- Neutral steering
- Weighs slightly less than the Tiger H1
- Better turret placement than the Tiger H1, you expose less of your tank when pulling out of cover to snipe targets to your side
- Transmission is mounted in the rear, making the vehicle harder to immobilize when hit in the front
Cons:
- Slower turret rotation speed compared to Tiger I's
- Less ammo than Tiger I's
- Thin hull cheek armour
- No anti-air machine gun
- Longer hull compared to Tiger I's
- Ammo racks offer great targets around the fighting compartment
- Low manoeuvrability, susceptible to being outflanked by more quicker adversaries
History
Development
In 1942, a program to submit a heavy tank design weighing 45 tons mounting the 88 mm KwK 36 cannon derived from the successful 88 mm FlaK gun was launched on May 21. Two companies, Henschel and Porsche were contracted to design the tank hull that could mount the turret designed by Krupp.
Porsche's development for this project was to upgrade their existing VK 30.01 (P) medium tank design, adapting parts from the tank into their new heavy tank. This heavy tank designed by Porsche was designated the VK 45.01 (P) and was powered by twin air-cooled gasoline Porsche Type 101/1 engines that were in the rear of the tank. Each engine drives a separate generator on each side of the tank that would then each power one of the two electric motors for each track. This design resulted in the tank being prone to breakdown due to complexity, high-maintenance, and deficiency in copper quality available for use.
The vehicle was displayed to Hitler on his birthday on April 20, 1942 alongside the Henschel version VK 45.01 (H). Unlike the Henschel variant, which had the turret mounted mid-hull, the Porsche version had the turret mounted far forward on the hull in order to make space for its rear engines and drive system. The tank was then evaluated by a technical commission headed by Albert Speer and it was found that the Henschel design was superior to the Porsche design as it was more mobile, more reliable, and easier to enter production. The Henschel version was accepted into service by the German Wehrmacht and was designated the Tiger I, while the Porsche variant was sidelined. Only five VK 45.01 (P) were created during the trials before its rejection.
Usage
Before even the evaluations began, A contract was approved by the army to produce one hundred chassis of the VK 45.01 (P). With the Henschel version chosen, the chassis produced were no longer needed to be made into a tank format, but it would be a waste to simply scrap them. These chassis were converted into case mate structures that could mount the new 88 mm Pak 43 cannon, which was longer and more powerful than the KwK 36 on the Tiger I. This would be called the Ferdinand tank destroyer, later redesignated as the Elefant in 1944.Three VK 45.01 (P) was also converted into recovery vehicles designated the Bergepanzer Tiger(P).
Out of the five VK 45.01 (P) produced from its development to its rejection, only one saw service in World War II. The tank had the chassis number 150013 and was converted into a command tank, thus was designated the Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P). As a command tank, the tank would have much more radios than usual to allow for command communication between tank units and headquarters. Another feature on the Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P) was that an extra 100 mm of armour was welded onto the front hull armour, bringing the original 100 mm hull armour to 200 mm effective in thickness. The tank was used by Hauptmann Grillenberg in turret number 003 and the tank saw service on the Eastern Front with the Ferdinand units, serving in Tank Destroyer Battalion 653. It was deployed in April 1944, but was then lost in July of the same year.
Media
- Skins
- Sights
- Videos
See also
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Germany heavy tanks | |
|---|---|
| Tiger 1 (Henschel) | Tiger H1 · Tiger E · ␠Tiger |
| Tiger 1 (Porsche) | VK 45.01 (P) · Pz.Bef.Wg.VI P |
| Tiger 2 | Tiger II (P) · Tiger II (H) · Tiger II (H) Sla.16 · Tiger II (10.5 cm Kw.K) |
| Super heavy tanks | Maus · E-100 |
| Trophies | |
| Great Britain | ▀Pz.Kpfw. Churchill |
| USSR | ▀KV-IB · ▀KW I C 756 (r) · ▀KW II 754 (r) |
| Germany premium ground vehicles | |
|---|---|
| Light tanks | Pz.II C (DAK) · Pz.Sfl.Ic · Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) KwK · Sd.Kfz. 140/1 · Sd.Kfz.234/1 · Ru 251 · SPz 12-3 LGS · TAM 2IP |
| Medium tanks | Nb.Fz. · Pz.III N · Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J · ▀M4 748 (a) · ▀T 34 747 (r) · Ersatz M10 |
| mKPz M47 G · Turm III · Leopard A1A1 (L/44) · Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123) · Leopard 2A4M | |
| Heavy tanks | ▀Pz.Kpfw. Churchill · ▀KV-IB · ▀KW I C 756 (r) · ▀KW II 754 (r) |
| VK 45.01 (P) · ␠Tiger · Pz.Bef.Wg.VI P · Tiger II (H) Sla.16 | |
| Tank destroyers | Sd.Kfz.234/3 · Sd.Kfz.234/4 · Sd.Kfz.251/10 · Sd.Kfz.251/22 · 15 cm Pz.W.42 |
| Brummbär · Panzer IV/70(A) · VFW · Bfw. Jagdpanther G1 · Elefant · 38 cm Sturmmörser | |
