SF40 Heavy

SF40 Heavy

R-301

SF40 Light

SF40 Heavy

R-301

SF40 Light

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.7	2.7	2.7

Class:

Anti-air ferry

Barge

Research:18 000

Purchase:47 000

Description

The Siebelfähre 40 Heavy is a rank III German anti-air ferry with a battle rating of 2.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X" in the fleet closed beta test.

General info

Survivability and armour

SF40 Schwere has the following armour layout:

• 2 cm/65 C/38 automatic cannon gunshields: 8 mm, hardened armour
• 8,8 cm Flak.36 cannon gunshield: 8 mm, antifragmentation armour
• Deckhouse: 10 mm, rolled homogeneous armour
• Hull: 8 mm, steel
• Superstructure: 20 mm, steel

SF40 Schwere armour is basically same as SF40 Leichte with changes around guns. It lacks armoured turret platforms so guns taken out with HE shells might occur more often. Besides armour, Schwere can be a tough opponent to sink since most HE shots will hit the deck with no damage to the hull. Also, the rather high crew complement of 47 (5 more then Leichte) makes it harder to incapacitate by killing crew, though this is still the easiest way to take out this barge. Clever captains will try to angle the ship to allow aiming 3 guns on enemy targets, but this also makes the opposing ship able to hit only one of the four ammo storages. Even though this storage is high above the waterline, hitting it doesn't happen often since the bridge in the center is a way easier target to aim at.

Mobility

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.

Armament

Primary armament

The 8.8 cm FlaK guns mounted on the SF 40 Schwere have a really good reload rate, accuracy and muzzle velocity thus making it easy to aim and control. The access to distance-fuse high-explosive shells and an elevation up to 85° degrees is very effective against big attackers and bombers flying high and slow. The reload rate also makes the SF40 a really dangerous opponent.

Secondary armament

The 20 mm multi-purpose cannons with a fire rate of 480 rounds/min is very effective against small boats and lightly armoured ships as well as planes in close combat thus making the SF 40 also effective against light and fast naval and air targets.

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).

Modules

Tier	Seakeeping	Unsinkability		Firepower
I	Dry-Docking	Tool Set		20 mm HET magazines
II	Rudder Replacement	Fire Protection System	Smokescreen	20 mm APT magazines	Auxiliary Armament Targeting	8.8 cm Sprgr. L/4.5 Zt.Z
III	Propeller Replacement			Improved Rangefinder	Primary Armament Targeting
IV	Engine Maintenance	New Pumps

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful 88 mm guns can destroy a target with just 1 or 2 hits
• Can take quite a few hits
• Velocity and flat trajectory of shells makes it suitable to hang back and snipe enemies from +2 km

Cons:

• Not very fast or manoeuvrable
• Large target
• Lacks an AP shell for dealing with armoured targets.
• The 37 mm fast firing flak on the SF40 Leichte is replaced by two single 20 mm mounts
• Hard to get all 4 cannons on target
• Easy to torpedo or dive bomb due to its size and sluggishness
• Lacks a VT-fuze shell, only has timed and impact fuzes

History

The Siebelfähre was designed by Friedrich Siebel, owner of a lesser-known German aircraft manufacturing company bearing his name. Siebel's idea was to provide the German army with a much needed easily mass-produced and effective transport vessel for the planned invasion of Britain.

His ferry would be a construction utilising parts of Bailey bridges and pontoons, which would make up the two barges connected in a catamaran style by a wooden deck. The vessel was supposed to be powered by aircraft engines and could easily be disassembled and reassembled thanks to its modular construction, allowing for the boat to also be transported by land.

The idea was met with great enthusiasm from the German military, and an order for 400 of this ferrycraft soon followed. The order encompassed more than just one version of the vessel, however. For instance, some versions were specialised to perform anti-air duties and were meant to cover the landing troops from air attacks. These were equipped with light 20mm and 37mm AA guns up to the heavy FlaK 88mm cannon, depending on the version.

However, before all 400 vessels could be made, the Invasion of Britain was cancelled, and thus the need for the Siebelfähre also disappeared below the waves. Nonetheless, around 200 of these vessels were still made before the order was cancelled and a majority of them found use in transport and mine-laying operations in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. The Siebelfähre saw use right up to the end of the war, and some vessels continued serving well into the 1960s as civilian ferries.

- From Devblog

Media

See also

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;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Siebelfähre SF 40 Schwere

Germany barges
Anti-air ferries	SF40 Light · SF40 Heavy
Naval ferry barges	AF D1 · AF D3