Pz.II F

Pz.II F

Pz.II C

Pz.IV E

Pz.II F

Pz.II C

Pz.IV E

Germany

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.0	1.7	1.7

Class:

Light tank

Research:3 000

Purchase:6 300

Description

The Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F is a rank I German light tank with a battle rating of 2.0 (AB) and 1.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces prior to Update 1.41.

The performance is similar to other low-rank German tanks, but the gun makes it stand out. With careful use, it is easily one of the best low-rank German tanks, but due to slow turret traverse and long reload between belts, it is just as easy to fail in.

General info

Survivability and armour

The Panzer II F is slightly less protected than the Panzer II C coming before it, with 30 mm front plating on its turret and hull instead of the 35 mm on its predecessor. It still has only three crew, so it is easy to knock-out in one shot with most ammo types.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	30 mm (11°) Front plate 20 mm (73°) Front glacis 35 mm (36°) Bottom glacis	20 mm	15 mm	15 mm
Turret	30 mm	15 mm	15 mm	10 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 10 m thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
• Frontal lower plate is 35 mm thick at 36° angle, and covered by attached tracks, counting as additional 10 mm of armour; enough to deflect most shells it faces.

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	49	10	9.1	217	267	23.85	29.34
Realistic	44	9		124	140	13.63	15.38

Mobility is identical to the Pz.II C, they use the same engine, transmission, and weigh almost the exact same.

Armaments

Main armament

The chief difference between the Panzer II F and its predecessor is the main gun. The II F uses the 20 mm KwK 38, which has almost double the fire rate compared to the KwK 30. The magazine size did not change, still limited to ten rounds of ammunition. The reload time is also identical, so while it is tempting to "spray-n-pray", it is more practical to use it like you would an autoloading tank at higher ranks and administer trigger control to make the shots count. With the Panzer II F, you do not have to worry about changing ammunition performance with every shot, which makes the "autoloader-like" playstyle more attractive, unlike similar-BR Italian tanks using 20 mm autocannons, the AB41 and L6/40.

20 mm KwK38						Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	180 (10)	450	-10°/+20°	±180°	Vertical	13.33	18.45	22.40	24.77	26.35	7.80	6.90	6.36	6.00
Realistic						8.33	9.80	11.90	13.16	14.00

Ammunition

• Default: API-T · HEFI-T - 50% of this belt is useless against tanks or planes. However against other SPAA this belt can reliably take out crew, armament, ammo and engine. Having one belt in reserve does not hurt.
• PzGr: API-T - Intermediate usage until the better PzGr 40 can be used. Decent enough versus light tanks and other vehicles from the rear. It inflicts underwhelming damage due to the lack of HE filler, yet still better than the PzGr 40.
• PzGr 40: HVAP-T - Best penetrating shell of this vehicle. However, the damage effects are very poor. In close combat, snipe for modules and crew members for increased survival rate. Nothing is more annoying than emptying a clip and then to get out-gamed during the reload because the enemy gunner survived. Against angled armour it is not very effective like any other ACPR shell, this is offset by the very high base penetration though.

Penetration statistics
Belt	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Default	36	34	26	19	14	10
PzGr	36	34	26	19	14	10
PzGr 40	64	63	26	8	3	1

Belt details
Belt	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	API-T	780	0.15	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
PzGr 40	HVAP-T	1,050	0.10	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Pz.II C (identical to the Pz.II F).

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
18	10 (+8)	1 (+17)	Yes

Machine guns

Just like its predecessor, this tank has one coaxial 7.92 mm MG 34. Due to the slow turret traverse common to most lower-rank German tanks, this is not a very practical weapon.

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,800 (150)	900	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

This tank is similar to the Panzer II C, an average light tank for lower ranks with decent armour and decent mobility, but a potent cannon. It does not work well against sloped armour due to the weak normalization of HVAP rounds. The higher rate of fire is quite punishing since it means that the typical player is continuously firing and reloading more often. If used like an autoloader tank from higher ranks, however, it becomes more accurate and effective. Do not get overconfident in this tank because your gun shoots fast and has excellent penetration; unfortunately, HVAP post-penetration damage is lacklustre here. Furthermore, the slightly higher battle rating means it can be pitted against the B1 ter, which it cannot reliably penetrate from the front or the side even when utilizing the HVAP belt.

Furthermore, poor turret traverse means that a Stuart or BT can easily outmanoeuvre the tank. This relative difference is the same in both AB and RB/SB.

Find a good position, be patient, and double-check before moving in. If you wish to brawl, have others covering your flanks to mitigate slow turret traverse.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	PzGr
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	PzGr 40

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent frontal armour: when angled it can be immune to common opponents like BT-5, BT-7, M3A1 and A13.
• Overall superior firepower: autocannon shoots in quick succession, resulting in denser fire. With the PzGr 40 belt it can penetrate any tank, including the B1 when aiming correctly.
• Fast top speed makes it a great flanker. It is also very agile
• Curved turret armor of 30mm plus -10 degrees gun depression allows it to hull-down on hills easily
• Small width means it can manoeuvre through or hide in narrow passages in urban maps, allowing it to ambush or flank unexpectedly.
• Low Profile makes it easy to hide behind bushes or covers.
• In simulator mode, friendly fire is less likely due to the very obvious shape and profile not shared by much of anything else

Cons:

• Only performs well at close quarter combat. Autocannon lacks ranged shootouts, as both the AP and HVAP penetration drop below 30mm at 500m. This makes it struggle to penetrate the M3 / M5 Stuart and B1
• Magazine-loaded armament means there are lengthy and vulnerable downtime for 6-second reloads
• Survivability is still inadequate: unsloped armor plus closely-packed crew of 3 means it is very vulnerable to T-26, BT-5 or M8 Scott which all have explosive AP.
• Although top speed is good, it is still slower than other light tanks like the infamous BT-5, M8 Greyhound and M3 / M5.
• Poor damage of 20mm shells means that new players cannot effectively destroy spacious tanks like LVT(A)
• Low penetration when not using HVAP-T rounds. When stock it is useless against a B1 or M3 / M5 (frontally)
• Faster firerate than the previous C model can be punishing if you spray too much.

History

Development

In 1934, the development of the new German tanks, which would be the Panzer III and Panzer IV, was falling behind schedule despite an urgent need for tanks. As a stopgap solution until the designs were finalized, the Germany Army submitted a request for a new tank, designing it to Krupp, MAN, Henschel, and Daimler-Benz.

The product was a design based on the German Panzer I light tank, but it was larger with the addition of an extra bogie wheel and had a 20 mm autocannon as its main armament. The finished tank was designated the Panzer II, and production started in 1935 but did not start delivering tanks until 18 months later. At this time, it was in a low rate production status by 1936 in the Panzer II Ausf. C variant. In the 1940s, the Panzer II was upgraded to the Panzer II Ausf. F, which entered into production in 1941 with increased armour and a torsion bar suspension system. A total of 524 Ausf. F were produced between March 1941 to December 1942.

The Panzer II Ausf. F had a 35 mm front armour and 20 mm side armour compared to the 14 mm all-around armour on the Ausf. C. The 20 mm autocannon on the turret was the same, based off the 20 mm FlaK 30, then in use with a firing rate of 600 rpm from a 10-round magazine. The tank came with a coaxial machine gun as well. The turret was hand-cranked by the commander, who doubled as the gunner of the tanks. The crew of the Panzer II consists of three people, the driver, commander, and loader who doubled as a radio operator. The Panzer II Ausf. C could reach a speed of 33 mph with its torsion-bar suspension.

Combat usage

The Panzer II would serve in the initial stages of World War II in the Battle of Poland, France. It continued serving in the North African Campaign and Operation Barbarossa as Germany's most numerous tank (By May 1940, there were about a thousand Panzer Is and IIs, but only 381 Panzer III and 290 Panzer IVs). By 1941, it was clear that the Panzer II was starting to become obsolete. With the increasing quantity of Panzer IIIs and IVs, the Panzer II was relegated to reconnaissance duties.

Despite the up-armouring in the different Panzer II variants, the Panzer II could still be penetrated by the most towed anti-tank weapon in service at the time, leaving the crew at risk to enemy fire. By 1942, it was largely removed from front lines, and production ceased by 1943. The turrets of these obsolete tanks were used as gun turrets on defensive bunkers on the Atlantic Wall, and the chassis stayed in use for other purposes, such as a self-propelled gun and tank destroyer in the Wespe and Marder II respectively.

In-game description

The Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F was the last production variant of the Pz.Kpfw. II tank. Serial production of the vehicle was meant to answer a need for new tank formations, as medium tanks were produced in very insufficient quantities. The design of the tank was similar to the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. C, except for the bent forward portion of the hull, which was made of 33 mm thick solid armor plating. The thickness of the frontal portion of the superstructure, turrets, and gun mantlet was increased to 30 mm. The armor thickness on the sides and stern was 15 mm. On the right side of the frontal portion of the tank's superstructure, a fake driver's viewport was installed. In addition, the driver received a KFF-2 surveillance device, which allowed a viewing angle of 63° and was protected by a two-hinged lid. A container for the crew's things was affixed to the rear of the turret.

The main section of the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. F was equipped with a new 20 mm 2 cm KwK38 automatic cannon with a TZF 3a sight. In addition to improvements in its weapons' ballistic performance, in 1940 the tank received the pointed armor-piercing Pzgr 40 L'Spur shell, with an armor-piercing core made of solid tungsten carbide alloy. These measures greatly increased its armor penetration capabilities. The ammunition on the latest series of tanks was increased to 180 shells and 2,100 rounds. The turret was equipped with an improved rotation mechanism and a new design for the gun mantlets' armored viewports.

From 1941 to 1942, the four companies MAN, Deimler-Benz, FAMO, and MIAG produced a total of 533 tanks.

The tank was used extensively until the end of 1942. Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, tank destroyers, and flame tanks were designed using this variant as a base.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the "Panzer II F" from live.warthunder.com.

Sights

• 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

See also

• Pz.II C: Predecessor vehicle

External links

• [Vehicle Profile] PzKpfw II Ausf C/F and DAK