Tu-2S-59

Elefant

Elefant

Description

At the conclusion of the Battle of Kursk, the German experience with the Ferdinand had been disappointing due to the constraints the large and heavy vehicle imposed, as well as desired improvements that needed to be implemented to the design. Recalled back to the factories in January 1944, the Ferdinand underwent design improvements such as the inclusion of a bow machine gun, a commander's cupola, application of zimmerit and other changes to the armour profile for better blast and shrapnel protection of the engines. These modifications were completed and began to be sent back into combat as early as February. By May 1944, an order was made by German Army High Command that the Ferdinand was to assume the new name "Elefant". The Elefant continued to see use, notably in the Italian Theatre and the Eastern Front, all the way until the Battle of Berlin in 1945.

The Panzerjäger Tiger (P) Elefant (Sd.Kfz. index: Sd.Kfz. 184) was introduced during Update "Wind of Change" as reward for Battle Pass: Season VII, "Armoured Elephant". Aside from the addition of the machine gun and cupola, the vehicle is functionally the same as the standard Ferdinand, boasting the long 88 mm PaK 43 cannon to penetrate all types of armour and an impressive 200 mm frontal plate for protection. However, the Elefant is big, heavy, and slow, so being outnumbered by the enemy can quickly lead to a lucky few of them to outflank and destroy the Elefant through its very long side profile, where the armour is thin, or the protruding casemate structure, where the ammunition is stored. However, players maximizing the Elefant's long-range capabilities can quickly lock down a sector of the map from anyone who dares roll into the 88 mm's sight.

General info

Survivability and 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:

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

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade				888			__.__
Realistic				553			__.__

Armaments

Main armament

88 mm PaK43					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	38	-8°/+14°	±14°	N/A	7.0	9.7	11.8	13.1	13.9	8.71	7.70	7.10	6.70
Realistic					4.8	5.6	6.8	7.5	8.0

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 39/43	APCBC	237	234	222	207	193	180
PzGr 40/43	APCR	279	273	252	227	205	185
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	110	110	110	110	110	110
Sprgr.43	HE	19	19	17	16	14	14

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 39/43	APCBC	1,000	10.16	1.2	14	108.8	48°	63°	71°
PzGr 40/43	APCR	1,130	7.3	-	-	-	66°	70°	72°
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	600	7.64	0	0.3	1,100	62°	69°	73°
Sprgr.43	HE	820	9.4	0.2	0.1	1,000	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Ferdinand (identical)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
38	27 (+11)	15 (+23)	8 (+30)	1 (+37)	No

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Hull	600 (150)	900	-5°/+10°	-10°/+5°

Usage in battles

The Elefant's natural role is as a long-range sniper thanks to its excellent firing range and frontal armour of more than 200 mm. Due to the frontal armour, this tank destroyer should always face the enemy to make use of it. Even though the Elefant is a heavy tank destroyer, it can rapidly drive backwards, which allows it to reposition more quickly than Soviet tank destroyers like the the SU-152 and the ISU-152.

In a team, the Elefant acts as a heavy sniper, taking out enemies from afar while being almost immune to any tank shells. However, don't get too close to frontlines, since an enemy tank could slip through and flank the Elefant, which would put it in real danger.

Another possibility is as a frontline brawler once most of the enemies have been cleared out. While it is not recommended, with flanking support of allies, the Elefant can venture further into enemy lines and take out everything that comes your way, but still watching for light tanks that will try to exploit the limited gun traverse to hit from the sides.

The most dangerous enemies of the Elefant are medium tanks and light tanks which can slip behind the Elefant since the back armour is weak. The Elefant has bad manoeuvrability and turning around is very slow.

IS-2 heavy tanks are a real threat to Elefant, as well as TDs of the same rank when firing sideways. Always face your armour frontally and take cover when possible.

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a 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:

• Long 88 mm gun with high penetration
• Good frontal armour
• Good forward and reverse speed
• Defensive MG, great for taking out open-topped vehicles

Cons:

• Casemate layout means, if the tracks are both disabled, or your driver is knocked out, or the engine is disabled, you're easily flanked and destroyed
• Weak side armour
• Defensive MG has a limited traverse: it can only target enemies in the front
• Rifle-calibre MG is only useful for taking out open-topped vehicles or pinging targets

History

The history of the Elefant begins with the program to develop the Tiger 1, both Porsche and Henschel would compete and submit designs for trials, where eventually one would be chosen for production. Porsche's design was the infamous VK 45.01 (P), a design riddled with mechanical issues apparent even during the trials, while Henschel's design was the VK 45.01 (H) which would ultimately end up being chosen and would enter production as the Tiger H1.

Ferdinand Porsche, the founder of the company Porsche was far too confident in his VK design, so much so that even before the trials for the Tiger had begun he had created 90 VK hulls. It was decided that these would not go to waste, and a majority were turned into the casemate assault gun known as the Ferdinand, which would mount the long 88. cm gun eventually seen in vehicles such as the Tiger II (H), Nashorn or Jagdpanther; while 1 of the VK hulls would become the Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P).

The Ferdinand tank destroyer would first see service during Operation Citadel, specifically during the battle of Kursk to mixed results. The aforementioned mechanical problems would plague it during the battle; however when used in its intended role, the Ferdinand would be quite successful.

Following the battle, the remaining Ferdinands would be sent back to Germany for repairs and modifications. Here is where the Elefant was born. Additional frontal armor, a hull mounted machine gun for self-defense purposes and a commander's cupola taken from a StuG III G would be the new additions to the vehicle, before it was sent to Italy, with disastrous results.

Little is known about the Elefant's service following this, however at least two individuals survived to take part in the Battle of Berlin, but their ultimate fate remains unknown.

One Elefant remains, formerly part of an exhibit in the Bovington Tank Museum it is now in storage in Fort Lee VA.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Elefant from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #306 - Pages of History section at 03:52 discusses the Elefant.

Battle Pass: Armoured Elephant discusses the Elefant at 02:35 - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

• Ferdinand

External links

• [Devblog] Battle Pass vehicles: SPG Elefant