Leopard

This page is about the German destroyer Leopard. For the British frigate, see HMS Leopard. For other uses, see Leopard (Disambiguation).

Leopard

Leopard

Description

The Raubtier-class, Leopard, 1932 is a rank German destroyer with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X" as part of the fleet closed beta test.

General info

Survivability and armour

With a construction made of steel and a crew of 120 sailors, the survivability of the vessel is normal, but not great. The ship may resist one or two destroyer shots, but quickly will be sunk if you do not do anything to evade.

Armour type:

• Antifragmentation armour

Armour	Bow (Slope angle)	Sides	Stern	Deck
Hull	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Turrets	8 mm Front N/A Gun mantlet	8 mm	N/A	8 mm

Mobility

The Mobility of the Leopard is relatively average for its range, neither too fast, nor too slow. Due to its rather smaller size compared to other destroyers, the Leopard is easier to navigate through narrow corridors and shallow waters.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded

Armament

Primary armament

The main armament of the Type 1924 Leopard consists in three 127 mm naval cannons, one at the front of the ship and the other two at the back. These cannons can shoot three types of ammunition. First, the Sprgr. Kpf.Z HE shell with 2 kg of TNT equivalent and a muzzle velocity of 830 m/s. This is the standard ammo for this destroyer. Next is the Sprgr. Bd.z, a base-fused HE shell with more penetration in most cases but with less explosive mass, only 1.4 kg of TNT equivalent and the same muzzle velocity. Finally, the Sprgr. Zt.Z comes with the same amount of TNT and muzzle velocity as the Sprgr. Bd.Z but with a time fuse, which can be useful when engaging enemy aircraft.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		1,000 m	2,500 m	5,000 m	7,500 m	10,000 m	15,000 m
Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z	HE	24	24	24	24	24	24
Sprgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z	HE	59	50	38	30	24	18
Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z	HE-TF	24	24	24	24	24	24

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z	HE	830	28	0	0.1	1.91	79°	80°	81°
Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z	HE	830	28	0.015	5	1.4	79°	80°	81°
Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z	HE-TF	830	28	0	0.1	1.91	79°	80°	81°

Secondary armament

The ship is equipped with two 20 mm guns as secondary armament. This guns can provide a little protection against low flying aircraft or the smaller torpedo boats. It's difficult to take down an aircraft but the rate of fire and the standard belt can make planes opt to target less defended vessels. Against torpedo boats they are not a great help but they can deter smaller boats from getting close enough to deploy their torpedoes accurately.

Additional armament

Two triple G7a torpedo launch tubes were mounted on the ship. The G7a is very deadly against any opponents the Leopard might have face at its BR.

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).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good firepower and accuracy
• G7a torpedoes can knock out any ships at this BR with a few hits
• Good mobility and agility

Cons:

• Poor survivability
• Low crew count
• Lacklustre secondary armaments

History

The Type 1924 "Leopard" was a heavy torpedo boat of the six-ship "Type 24" class. Built for the newly-established German Navy in the 1920s, the ships were extremely heavily-armed for a ship of their size. She sailed on several non-intervention patrols for the German Navy during the Spanish civil war, and saw some service in the German Norwegian campaign during World War II. Leopard's service came to an abrupt end in April of 1940, when she was accidentally rammed and sunk by a minelayer she was escorting.

Design and development

The "Type 24" class of 1924 were a class of six heavy torpedo boats built for the German navy. Despite them being extremely heavily armed and close to destroyer-size, they were classified as torpedo boats by the German navy. In War Thunder, these vessels are classified as destroyers. The ships displaced 1,300 tons full load and could make a top speed of 34 knots (63 km/h). They had a crew of 129 crew members, which was relatively small for a destroyer but large for a torpedo boat. Leopard carried three 10.5 cm (4 inch) naval guns, as well as six 500 mm torpedo tubes. Later on, she received two 2 cm Flakvierling anti-aircraft guns for air defence. She was also later refitted with new 12.7 cm (5 inch) naval guns to test their efficiency, and had her torpedo tubes replaced with 533 mm (21 inch) ones. Leopard was the 5th ship to be laid down, built in Wilhelmshaven like her sister ship Jaguar. She was completed by June 1929 and commissioned with the 4th torpedo boat flotilla.

Operational history

Leopard had a relatively uneventful early life, having seen little in terms of events in her first 5 years. During this time, she was refitted with the 2 cm Flakvierling guns, and received 12.7 cm guns to test their suitability for the new German destroyers that were then under construction. During the late 1930s, she made several non-intervention patrols in the seas off of Spain due to the Spanish Civil War.

At the start of the Second World War, Leopard was assigned to the 6th Torpedo Boat flotilla and promptly began minelaying operations in the North Sea. After the commencement of the German Norwegian Campaign, Leopard was one of the torpedo boats tasked with capturing Bergen Harbour. They entered the harbour and flagged themselves as British ships, but the Norwegians were not fooled and began firing at them. However, they failed to hit the force, which landed their troops and captured the harbour. On the way home, however, Leopard was escorting a group of minelayers when she was struck by the minelayer Preussen, and sank.

Media

Skins

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

See also

Related development

• Luchs
• Jaguar

External links

• [Wikipedia] German torpedo boat Leopard

References

• Naval Encyclopedia. (2020, May 22). German ww2 Destroyers. Retrieved January 04, 2021, from https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi-germany/german-destroyers-of-ww2
• NAVYPEDIA. (2007). 1924 Type Torpedo Boats. Retrieved January 04, 2021, from http://www.navypedia.org/ships/germany/ger_tb_1924.htm

Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven
Torpedo Boats
Raubtier-class	Jaguar · Leopard · Luchs
Light Cruisers
K-class	Köln
Leipzig-class	Leipzig
Unique Ships	Emden
Heavy Cruisers
Deutschland-class	Admiral Graf Spee
Battleships
Scharnhorst-class	Scharnhorst
See also	Kaiserliche Werft (1871 - 1918)