15 cm Pz.W.42

15 cm Pz.W.42

15 cm Pz.W.42

Germany

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.3	2.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Tank destroyer

Purchase:4 800

Show in game

Description

The 15 cm Pz.W.42 (15 cm Nb.W.41) auf Sf. is a rank II German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB).

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour used on this vehicle is fairly typical of other armoured half-tracks, enough to block rifle calibre machine guns from most angles, but practically non-existent against any antitank weapon. That said, it can be surprisingly durable thanks to the large radiator and engine that love to soak up shrapnel from high explosive shells which are too small too cause hull break.

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	51	9	7.1	97	130	13.66	18.31
Realistic	47	9		60	68	8.45	9.58

The 15 cm Pz.W.42 has decent mobility for a half-track: it is quick enough to get where you want to or behind cover when in trouble. The top reverse speed is -8 km/h (RB).

Armaments

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: {{main|Name of the weapon}}. 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.

Arguable the best and worst part about this vehicle. It can unload 10 rockets in a matter of seconds, each one capable of 1 shotting any tank in the game (via the roof or floor pen by the blast) in any direction. But they are very slow and the scope is inaccurate, meaning they require massive lead and elevation compensation that the player has nothing but their own reckoning to achieve. And you only get 1 reload.

Additional armament

Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.

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.

A single MG-42 mounted over the cab. Limited traverse but fast firing, useful for spotting, knocking out unarmored trucks, grabbing the occassional assist against low flying planes.

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).

The thin armour and low-velocity ordinance serve very well in short-range ambushes but leave much to be desired in open terrain. With lots of skill, practice, and/or luck, you can score hits at considerable range, but the armour will NOT protect you. The engine can make a great shield against shrapnel from 75 mm and sometimes 105 mm HE rounds, but APHE is almost guaranteed to kill all 3 crew members and detonate the spare rockets if you brought them.

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. 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:

• Decent mobility
• Fast reload for ten rockets
• Will do huge amounts of damage to SPAA and light tanks due to rockets large blast radius

Cons:

• Poor penetration (~40 mm)
• Paper thin armour, even the smallest calibre machine guns can destroy it

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 the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref>, 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 === Encyclopedia Info ===, also if applicable).

Development

Production started in 1942 by the Opel company based on a Maultier half track. It was produced in series from April 1943 to March 1944 together with the accompanying ammunition vehicle, the Sd.Kfz. 4. In total Opel 296 Panzerwerfer 42 and 251 produced ammunition vehicles Sd.Kfz. 4.

In-game description

A modified Nb.Wf.41 ten-barreled rocket-propelled mine-thrower was installed on the adapted chassis of an Opel Maultier tractor trailer enclosed in armor. It was developed in 1942. During its production from 1943 to 1944 about 300 mounts were released. They were widely used by the Wehrmacht. Due to the use of a mine-stabilization system based on rotation, a higher degree of accuracy and lower spread was achieved than that of rocket-propelled projectiles with tailfin stabilization systems.

Media

Skin and Camouflages for the 15cm Pz.W.42 in Warthunder Live.

Pz.IV F2 alongside a 15 cm Pz.W.42.

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

External links

• [Wikipedia] Panzerwerfer