Z43
Contents
Description
The Type 1936B, Z43, 1944 is a rank II German destroyer with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.93 "Shark Attack".
General info
Survivability and armour
The Z43 has very little armour on top of its 8 mm and 16 mm of structural steel on the superstructure and hull, respectively. This is typical of destroyers of all nations, save for certain American destroyers with additional hull antifragmentation plating. The gunshields for the main armament of 12.8 cm cannons as well as for the 2cm anti-aircraft autocannons are 8 mm. This gun armour is only capable of stopping .50 cal/12.7 mm AP rounds, or up to 30 mm HE rounds. However, against other destroyers there is effectively no armour protection on the Z43 that can stop incoming fire; common destroyer shells like 127 mm HE are capable of penetrating hull armor and damaging internal components, and SAP shells face no resistance from the 16 mm of structural steel.
Overall, the survivability of the Z43 is moderate, though there are some particularly worrisome areas. The boilers and propulsion stretches the entirety of the midships, and enemy fire that strikes this wide area will quickly reduce the Z43's crew count as well as slow the ship down. Additionally, most of the ammunition stowage is nominally under the waterline, but the farthest forward magazine does protrude above the waterline. This makes the fore of the Z43 more vulnerable to ammunition detonation.
Mobility
| Mobility Characteristics | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | Turn Time (s) | Turn Radius (m) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||||
| AB | Stock | 62 | 23 | ~135.9 | ~264.36 |
| Upgraded | 85 | 31 | ___ | ___ | |
| RB/SB | |||||
| Upgraded | 69 | 25 | ___ | ___ | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armament
Primary armament
The Z43's primary armament consists of five 12.8 cm SK C/34 cannons in an identical configuration to the preceding Z22 Anton Schmitt (as well as Z12 Erich Giese). These 12.8 cm guns have a fire rate of 18 rounds per minute while drawing from the first-stage ammunition racks, but quickly slow to 16 rounds per minute once the 10 ready rack shells have been depleted. The rotation speeds of the turrets aren't particularly quick, at 6.8 degrees per second for horizontal and vertical traverse, and the maximum elevation angle of 30 degrees limits the ability of the Z43 to combat aerial threats with its main armament. That being said, the gun angles when engaging surface targets aren't compromised, and the Z43 only requires moderate angle to bring all five guns to bear on an enemy ship.
The Z43 has access to three types of ammunition for its 128 mm SK C/34 guns, similarly to all other German destroyers with those guns. The first shell is the Sprgr. Kpf.Z high explosive shell. The shell has 1.905 kg of TNT equivalent and a muzzle velocity of 830 m/s; while the explosive filler of this HE is less than other nations' equivalent HE shells (such as the American and Japanese 5"), the muzzle velocity of the Sprgr. Kpf.Z is decent and makes aiming easier than slower shells. It is most effective against small motor boats rather than destroyers, as it can hull-break coastal vessels and instantly sink boats. The second shell is the Sprgr. Bd.Z, which has a base-fuze and increased penetration at the expense of the shell's explosive mass, which decreases to 1.4 kg of TNT equivalent. That being said, the ability to penetrate lightly-armoured targets and deal internal damage makes the Sprgr. Bd.Z better suited to deal with destroyers than the basic HE shell. The last shell is the Sprgr. Zt.Z, which is identical to the basic HE shell except for a time fuze. The time fuze would theoretically allow the Z43 to better combat planes, but the traverse limits and speeds reduce this capability to the point where it can reasonably be ignored.
| 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 Bd.Z | HE | 830 | 28 | 0.015 | 5 | 1.4 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z | HE-TF | 830 | 28 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.91 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Secondary armament
The secondary armament of the Z43 consists of two dual 3.7 cm SK C/30 cannons, to the port and starboard sides of the aft-most funnel. These guns are manually loaded, and suffer from an anaemic fire rate of 30 rounds per minute. This, in addition to a lack of timed-fuze ammunition and unimpressive traverse speed, makes the 37 mm guns unable to reliably combat air targets. Though these guns fare marginally better against surface targets, the 37 mm shells are still largely impotent against destroyers or even large coastal vessels.
| 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 | ||
| Spgr L/4.1 Lh 37 | HE | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Psgr L'spur Zerl | APCBC | 87 | 84 | 71 | 58 | 48 | 39 |
| 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% | ||||||||||
| Spgr L/4.1 Lh 37 | HE | 1,000 | 0.75 | 0 | 0.1 | 27.4 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Psgr L'spur Zerl | APCBC | 1,000 | 0.82 | 1.3 | 15 | 37.4 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
Anti-aircraft armament
The dedicated anti-aircraft suite of the Z43 consists of a total of fourteen 20 mm/65 automatic cannons, divided into three quadruple mounts and two single mounts. This armament is somewhat impacted by the placement of the quadruple mounts, which generally only allow two out of three mounts to fire at a single target at a time, though the armament is still generally sufficient to deter unmanoeuvrable aircraft. More agile aircraft or high-altitude bombers will be able to avoid this relatively low-calibre air defense, though, and pose a greater threat to the Z43.
Additional armament
The Z43 is capable of carrying eight G7a torpedoes and four WBG depth charges launched out of a bomb mortar. The G7a torpedoes are satisfactory, with a good explosive filler of more than 350 kg of TNT equivalent, as well as a good top speed of 80 km/h and manageable range of 6 km without the "Torpedo Mode" modification. These torpedoes are most effective against other destroyers in their base form, as longer range but slower torpedoes are more unwieldy against destroyers. That being said, the range of 6 km is not particularly impressive, so the G7a torpedoes should be treated as a close-range weapon rather than long-range screening tools in order to get the most out of their characteristics.
The WBG depth charges are less impressive, with an explosive filler of 100 kg of TNT equivalency and practically zero range. Against surface targets, these depth charges will be ineffective since it is exceedingly unlikely for any engagement to get close enough to be able to use the depth charges.
Usage in battles
The Z43 works best as a mid-range engagement destroyer. Its main battery of five 12.8 cm guns are effective at engaging enemy ships from 4 to 6 kilometres away, as their quick reload and decent muzzle velocity allow for accurate fire at these distances. In battle, the Z43 captain can use the ship's competent top speed to engage enemies, softening them up with accurate main battery salvos while closing the distance. Once within effective torpedo range of 6 km, deadly spreads from its eight 53.3 cm torpedoes can be launched to quickly finish off damaged foes. However, its light armour and lack of mid-range AA means that solo brawler gameplay should be avoided if possible, as its relatively light shells may not be able to defeat opposing destroyers before receiving damaging blows in return, and being separated from the team's AA screen makes the Z43 much more vulnerable to air assaults.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Competent main battery can cripple enemies from medium ranges
- Good torpedo explosive filler and speed
Cons:
- Mediocre turret traverse hinders defense against nimble targets
- Light AA is ineffective against determined bomber attacks at altitude
- Torpedo usage limited to either close quarters combat or long range zoning, but not both
History
The Z43 was a Type 1936B destroyer built for the Kriegsmarine during World War 2. As a Type 1936B, Z43 possessed specifications commonly seen in German destroyers of her class from this period, including an armament of five 12.8 cm main guns supported by lighter anti-aircraft weapons. She was completed in mid-1944 at the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen. During the war, Z43 spent her time operating in the Baltic Sea. Her duties included escorting German ships, laying defensive minefields, and providing artillery support by shelling Soviet forces ashore. In December 1944, Z43 participated in a minelaying operation with her sister ships Z35 and Z36. This mission resulted in a disaster when Z35 and Z36 accidentally sailed into a German minefield and were both sunk.
Z43 suffered damage herself on April 10, 1945 when she struck a mine, which blasted a large hole in her hull. Despite temporary repairs, she was deemed beyond saving. On May 3rd, with Allied forces closing in, Z43 was scuttled near Flensburg to prevent her from being seized by the advancing Allies. In her final months, Z43 provided fire support during evacuations from coastal cities like Kolberg and Danzig Bay. Badly damaged by the mine hit in April, Z43 expended her last ammunition before scuttling to avoid capture just two weeks later, bringing her war service to an end.
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft | |
|---|---|
| Destroyers | |
| Type 1934A | Kleber** |
| Type 1936 | Z20 Karl Galster · Z22 Anton Schmitt |
| Type 1936A | Z25 · Marceau*** · Z32 |
| Type 1936B | Z43 |
| Type 1936C | Z46 · Z47 |
| Battleships | |
| Nassau-class | SMS Westfalen* |
| *Previously Aktien-Gesellschaft „Weser" | |
| **Z6 Theodor Riedel before war reparation to France | |
| ***Z31 before war reparation to France | |
| Germany destroyers | |
|---|---|
| Torpedo boats | |
| Type 1924 | Jaguar · Leopard · Luchs |
| Type 1939 | T22 · T31 |
| Destoyers | |
| Type 1934A | Z12 Erich Giese · Z15 Erich Steinbrinck |
| Type 1936 | Z20 Karl Galster · Z22 Anton Schmitt |
| Type 1936A | Z25 · Z32 |
| Type 1936B | Z43 |
| Type 1936C | Z46 · Z47 |
