Difference between revisions of "Pz.II F"

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(Updated template w/ new design, Restored history content, Added data tables for armor/mobility/armament/ammo)
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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
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<!--''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''-->
+
<!--In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.-->
−
The '''{{Specs|name}} is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German Light Tank {{Battle-rating}}.  
+
[[File:GarageImage {{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 +
{{break}}
 +
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German light tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]].
  
−
Performance is similar to other low tier German tanks, but the gun makes it stand out. With careful use, it is easily one of the best low-tier German tanks, but due to slow turret traverse and long reload between belts, it is just as easy to fail in.
+
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 ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== 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?''-
+
<!--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.''-->
+
 
 +
If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.-->
 
The Panzer II F is slightly less protected than the Panzer II C coming before it, with 30mm front plating on its turret & hull instead of the 35mm on its predecessor. It still has three crew, so it is easy to one-shot knock-out with most ammo types.
 
The Panzer II F is slightly less protected than the Panzer II C coming before it, with 30mm front plating on its turret & hull instead of the 35mm on its predecessor. It still has three crew, so it is easy to one-shot knock-out with most ammo types.
 +
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 30 mm (11°) ''Front plate'' <br> 20 mm (73°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 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 ===
 
=== Mobility ===
−
<!--''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability as well as the maximum speed forward and backwards.''-->
+
<!--Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.-->
 
Mobility is identical to the Panzer II C, they use the same engine, transmission, and weigh almost the exact same.  
 
Mobility is identical to the Panzer II C, they use the same engine, transmission, and weigh almost the exact same.  
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
 +
|-
 +
! Weight (tons)
 +
!colspan="1" | Add-on Armor<br>weight (tons)
 +
!colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
 +
|-
 +
|rowspan="2" | 9.1 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 49 (AB)
 +
|-
 +
|44 (RB/SB)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="1" | Mode
 +
!Stock
 +
!Upgraded
 +
|-
 +
|''Arcade''
 +
|216
 +
|267
 +
|-
 +
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 +
|123
 +
|140
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
 +
|-
 +
!colspan="1" | Mode
 +
!Stock
 +
!Upgraded
 +
|-
 +
|''Arcade''
 +
|23.74
 +
|29.34
 +
|-
 +
|''Realistic/Simulator''
 +
|13.52
 +
|15.38
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
−
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun.''
+
<!--Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.-->
 
{{main|KwK 38 (20 mm)}}
 
{{main|KwK 38 (20 mm)}}
  
−
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 tiers 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]].
+
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]].
  
−
;The belts used by this cannon are as follows:
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="6" | [[KwK 38 (20 mm)|20 mm KwK 38]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="2" | 180 (10) || 450 || -9°/+20° || ±180° || N/A
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
 +
|-
 +
! style="width:4em" |Mode
 +
! style="width:4em" |Stock
 +
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 +
|-
 +
| ''Arcade'' || 13.33 || 18.45 || 22.40 || 24.77 || 26.35
 +
|-
 +
| ''Realistic'' || 8.33 || 9.80 || 11.90 || 13.16 || 14.00
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
 +
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
 +
|-
 +
| 7.80 || 6.90 || 6.36 || 6.00
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
−
* Default belt is 50% AP-IT and 50% HEFI-T
+
===== Ammunition =====
−
* Unlockable full AP-IT belt with 46 mm pen
+
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
−
* Unlockable full HVAP-T belt with 64 mm pen
+
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 +
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 90°'''
 +
|-
 +
! 10m
 +
! 100m
 +
! 500m
 +
! 1000m
 +
! 1500m
 +
! 2000m
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr || API-T || 35 || 33 || 26 || 18 || 13 || 9
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 40 || HVAP-T || 64 || 63 || 26 || 8 || 3 || 1
 +
|-
 +
| Sprgr. || HEFI-T* || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2 || 2
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 +
! colspan="11" | Shell details
 +
|-
 +
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 +
! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" | Type of <br /> warhead
 +
! rowspan="2" |Velocity <br /> in m/s
 +
! rowspan="2" |Projectile<br />Mass in kg
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse delay''
 +
''in m:''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Fuse sensitivity''
 +
''in mm:''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Explosive Mass in g<br /> (TNT equivalent):''
 +
! rowspan="2" | ''Normalization At 30° <br> from horizontal:''
 +
! colspan="3" | ''Ricochet:''
 +
|-
 +
! 0%
 +
! 50%
 +
! 100%
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr || API-T || 780 || 0.15 || N/A || N/A || N/A || -1° || 47° || 60° || 65°
 +
|-
 +
| PzGr 40 || HVAP-T || 1,050 || 0.1 || N/A || N/A || N/A || +1.5° || 66° || 70° || 72°
 +
|-
 +
| Sprgr. || HEFI-T* || 900 || 0.11 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 10.2 || +0° || 79° || 80° || 81°
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
=====Belt types=====
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
| '''Belts''' || '''Shell composition''' || '''Combat usage'''
 +
|-
 +
|align="left"|'''''Default ''''' ||align="left"| [[:Category:Ammunition#Kinetic_energy_shells|API-T]], [[:Category:Ammunition#Cannon_shells|HEFI-T]] <br>(Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer – High Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell ||align="left"| 50% of this belt are 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.
 +
|-
 +
|align="left"|'''''PzGr''''' ||align="left"| [[:Category:Ammunition#Kinetic_energy_shells|API-T]] <br> (Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer) shell ||align="left"| Intermediate usage until the better PzGr 40 can be used. Decent enough versus light tanks and other vehicles from the rear. Due the lack of HE filler underwhelming damage, yet still better than the PzGr 40.
 +
|-
 +
|align="left"|'''''PzGr''''' ||align="left"| HVAP-T <br> (High Velocity Armour Piercing tracer) shell ||align="left"| Best penetrating shell of this vehicle. However, the damage effects are very poor. In close combat snipe for modules and crew member 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 armoured it is not very effective like any other ACPR shell, this is offset by the very high base penetration though.
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
===== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] =====
 +
[[File:Ammoracks_Pz.II C.png|right|thumbnail|300px|Ammo racks of the Panzer II C (identical to Ausf. F).]]
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
 +
|-
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full<br />ammo
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st<br />rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd<br />rack empty
 +
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual<br /> discrepancy
 +
|-
 +
| '''18''' || 10&nbsp;''(+8)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+17)'' || style="text-align:center" | Yes
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
−
<!--''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''-->
+
<!--Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.-->
 
{{main|MG 34 (7.92 mm)}}
 
{{main|MG 34 (7.92 mm)}}
  
−
Just like its predecessor, this tank has one coaxial 7.92 mm MG 34. Due to slow turret traverse common to most lower-tier German tanks, this is not a very practical weapon.
+
Just like its predecessor, this tank has one coaxial 7.92 mm MG 34. Due to slow turret traverse common to most lower-rank German tanks, this is not a very practical weapon.
  
−
== Usage in the battles ==
+
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
−
''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 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).''
+
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | [[MG 34 (7.92 mm)|7.92 mm MG 34]]
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="7" | ''Coaxial mount''
 +
|-
 +
! colspan="4" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate <br> (shots/minute)
 +
! rowspan="1" | Vertical <br> guidance
 +
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal <br> guidance
 +
|-
 +
| colspan="4" | 1,800 (150) || 900 || N/A || N/A
 +
|-
 +
|}
 +
 
 +
== 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).-->
  
 
This tank is similar to the Panzer II C, an average light tank for lower ranks with decent armour and decent mobility, but a very potent cannon. It does not work well against sloped armour due to poor normalization of APCR rounds. The higher rate of fire is actually quite punishing since it means that the normal player is continuous 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 just because your gun shoots fast and has good penetration, unfortunately, APCR post-penetration damage is lacklustre here. Furthermore, the slightly higher battle rating of 1.3 means it can be pitted against the B1 ter which it cannot reliably penetrate from the front or the side even when utilising the APCR belt.  
 
This tank is similar to the Panzer II C, an average light tank for lower ranks with decent armour and decent mobility, but a very potent cannon. It does not work well against sloped armour due to poor normalization of APCR rounds. The higher rate of fire is actually quite punishing since it means that the normal player is continuous 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 just because your gun shoots fast and has good penetration, unfortunately, APCR post-penetration damage is lacklustre here. Furthermore, the slightly higher battle rating of 1.3 means it can be pitted against the B1 ter which it cannot reliably penetrate from the front or the side even when utilising the APCR belt.  
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=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
<!--''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not 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".''-->
+
<!--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:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
 
* Great penetration for rank with 64 mm pen APCR belt
 
* Great penetration for rank with 64 mm pen APCR belt
 
* Amazing fire rate for rank, identical to the Flak 38 cannon
 
* Amazing fire rate for rank, identical to the Flak 38 cannon
−
* Decent and very trolly armour for tier against the inadequate low-end French or Japanese cannons
+
* Decent and very trolly armour for the rank against the inadequate low-end French or Japanese cannons
 
* Low-ish profile
 
* Low-ish profile
 
* Distinctive shape means friendly fire in simulator battle is unlikely.
 
* Distinctive shape means friendly fire in simulator battle is unlikely.
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* Long-ish reload for the rank of 7.4 seconds between belts can be very punishing if you spray-n-pray
 
* Long-ish reload for the rank of 7.4 seconds between belts can be very punishing if you spray-n-pray
 
* Slow turret traverse makes it unsuited to brawling
 
* Slow turret traverse makes it unsuited to brawling
−
* Many other tanks at its tier easily outspeed and out-shoot it
+
* Many other tanks at its rank easily outspeed and out-shoot it
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle 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 "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
+
<!--Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground 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></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. 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).-->
 +
===Development===
 +
In 1934, the development of the new German tanks, which would be the [[Pz.III E|Panzer III]] and [[Pz.IV E|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, giving the responsibility of designing to Krupp, MAN, Henschel, and Daimler-Benz.
 +
 
 +
The product was a design that is based off the German Panzer I light tank, but 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 was to start 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 '''[[Pz.II C|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 also 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 consist 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 torion-bar suspension
 +
 
 +
===Combat usage===
 +
The Panzer II would serve in the initial stages of World War II in the Battle of Poland, France, and 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, and with 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 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.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
−
''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
+
<!--Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.-->
 +
[https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?q=%23pz_ii_f '''Skins''' and '''camouflages''' for the "Panzer II F" from live.warthunder.com.]
  
−
== Read also ==
+
===Sights===
−
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
+
* [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]
  
 +
== 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;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
−
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''-->
 +
* [[Pz.II C]]: Predecessor vehicle
  
−
''ETC.''
+
== External links ==
 +
<!--Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
 +
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 +
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
 +
* ''other literature.''-->
 +
* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/2778/current/ Official War Thunder forum article: [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> PzKpfw II Ausf C/F and DAK]
  
−
== Sources ==
+
{{Germany light tanks}}
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
−
 
 
−
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
−
* ''other literature.''
 

Revision as of 15:23, 16 May 2019

Pz.II F
germ_pzkpfw_ii_ausf_f.png
Pz.II F
Germany flag.png Germany
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.0 1.7 1.7
Class:
Research:3 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:6 300 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage Pz.II F.jpg


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 in during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41.

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 30mm front plating on its turret & hull instead of the 35mm on its predecessor. It still has three crew, so it is easy to one-shot knock-out 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

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

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons) Add-on Armor
weight (tons) 		Max speed (km/h)
9.1 N/A 49 (AB)
44 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 216 267
Realistic/Simulator 123 140
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 23.74 29.34
Realistic/Simulator 13.52 15.38

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: KwK 38 (20 mm)

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 KwK 38
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance 		Stabilizer
180 (10) 450 -9°/+20° ±180° N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade 13.33 18.45 22.40 24.77 26.35
Realistic 8.33 9.80 11.90 13.16 14.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert qualif. Prior + Ace qualif.
7.80 6.90 6.36 6.00
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration in mm @ 90°
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
PzGr API-T 35 33 26 18 13 9
PzGr 40 HVAP-T 64 63 26 8 3 1
Sprgr. HEFI-T* 2 2 2 2 2 2
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
in m/s 		Projectile
Mass in kg 		Fuse delay

in m:

Fuse sensitivity

in mm:

Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent): 		Normalization At 30°
from horizontal: 		Ricochet:
0% 50% 100%
PzGr API-T 780 0.15 N/A N/A N/A -1° 47° 60° 65°
PzGr 40 HVAP-T 1,050 0.1 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 66° 70° 72°
Sprgr. HEFI-T* 900 0.11 0.3 0.1 10.2 +0° 79° 80° 81°
Belt types
Belts Shell composition Combat usage
Default API-T, HEFI-T
(Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer – High Explosive Fragmentation Incendiary tracer) shell 		50% of this belt are 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
(Armour Piercing Incendiary tracer) shell 		Intermediate usage until the better PzGr 40 can be used. Decent enough versus light tanks and other vehicles from the rear. Due the lack of HE filler underwhelming damage, yet still better than the PzGr 40.
PzGr HVAP-T
(High Velocity Armour Piercing tracer) shell 		Best penetrating shell of this vehicle. However, the damage effects are very poor. In close combat snipe for modules and crew member 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 armoured it is not very effective like any other ACPR shell, this is offset by the very high base penetration though.
Ammo racks
Ammo racks of the Panzer II C (identical to Ausf. F).
Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
18 10 (+8) 1 (+17) Yes

Machine guns

Main article: MG 34 (7.92 mm)

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

7.92 mm MG 34
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity) Fire rate
(shots/minute) 		Vertical
guidance 		Horizontal
guidance
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 very potent cannon. It does not work well against sloped armour due to poor normalization of APCR rounds. The higher rate of fire is actually quite punishing since it means that the normal player is continuous 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 just because your gun shoots fast and has good penetration, unfortunately, APCR post-penetration damage is lacklustre here. Furthermore, the slightly higher battle rating of 1.3 means it can be pitted against the B1 ter which it cannot reliably penetrate from the front or the side even when utilising the APCR belt.

Furthermore, poor turret traverse means that the tank can easily be outmanoeuvred by a Stuart or BT. 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.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Great penetration for rank with 64 mm pen APCR belt
  • Amazing fire rate for rank, identical to the Flak 38 cannon
  • Decent and very trolly armour for the rank against the inadequate low-end French or Japanese cannons
  • Low-ish profile
  • Distinctive shape means friendly fire in simulator battle is unlikely.

Cons:

  • Only three crew makes it easy to take out
  • Sometimes lacking post-penetration damage against anything larger than reserves
  • Long-ish reload for the rank of 7.4 seconds between belts can be very punishing if you spray-n-pray
  • Slow turret traverse makes it unsuited to brawling
  • Many other tanks at its rank easily outspeed and out-shoot it

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, giving the responsibility of designing to Krupp, MAN, Henschel, and Daimler-Benz.

The product was a design that is based off the German Panzer I light tank, but 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 was to start 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 also 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 consist 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 torion-bar suspension

Combat usage

The Panzer II would serve in the initial stages of World War II in the Battle of Poland, France, and 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, and with 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 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.

Media

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

Sights

See also

External links


Germany light tanks
Pz.II  Pz.II C · Pz.II C (DAK) · Pz.II C TD · Pz.II F · Pz.Sfl.Ic
Sd.Kfz.234  Sd.Kfz.234/1 · Sd.Kfz.234/2 · Sd.Kfz.234/2 TD
Marder  Marder A1- · Marder 1A3 · Begleitpanzer 57 · DF105
SPz PUMA  PUMA · PUMA VJTF
Wheeled  Sd.Kfz.221 (s.Pz.B.41) · Class 3 (P) · Radkampfwagen 90 · Boxer MGS
Other  Ru 251 · SPz 12-3 LGS
Argentina  TAM · TAM 2C · TAM 2IP · JaPz.K A2
Czechoslovakia  Pz.35(t) · Pz.38(t) A · Pz.38(t) F · Pz.38(t) n.A. · Sd.Kfz. 140/1
France  Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) KwK
Lithuania  Vilkas
USA  leKPz M41
USSR  SPz BMP-1

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