Ferdinand equipment. Self-propelled artillery installation "Ferdinand. Hull, armament and equipment
The heroes of the popular book and film “The meeting place cannot be changed”, the workers of the legendary MUR use a bus nicknamed “Ferdinand” as transport. From the lips of the driver, the protagonist learns that the car is named for the similarity of the silhouette with a German self-propelled gun.
From this short episode, you can find out how well-known among the front-line soldiers was the self-propelled artillery installation manufactured by Ferdinand Porsche. Despite the small number of vehicles produced, these installations have sunk into the memory of everyone who has ever seen them in battle.
History of creation
The self-propelled breakthrough "Ferdinand" owes its birth to another, no less epic example of the German tank genius. The beginning of 1941 was marked by Hitler's personal order to two of Germany's largest design bureaus on May 26 at a meeting in the presence of senior officials of the engineering department related to the armored forces.
In the presence of representatives of the Design Bureau, the battles in France were analyzed, and the shortcomings of German combat vehicles were identified. Ferdinand Porsche and Steyer Hacker, director of Henschel, were officially given special orders. They were supposed to create a heavy tank designed to break through the defense lines of Germany's opponents.
Another reason for the order is the ineffectiveness of most German tanks in the fight against the thick-skinned English Matilda Mk.II. If the planned operation "Sea Lion" was successful, the Panzerwaffe should have faced, according to various estimates, with 5 thousand of these machines. At the same meeting, models of Porsche and Henschel tanks were presented to the Fuhrer.
The summer of 1941 influenced the development of new tanks in two ways.
On the one hand, the designers were busy finalizing the machines in the series. On the other hand, the Wehrmacht got acquainted with the KV tanks, which made a huge impression on both generals and ordinary tankers. In the autumn of 1941, work on the development of a heavy tank was continued in an accelerated mode.
The weapons department, which oversaw the creation of the machine, was on the side of the Henschel company. At their own request, the development was headed by Erwin Aders, who went down in history as the chief designer of the tank symbol of the Wehrmacht.
Ferdinand Porsche during this period comes into serious conflict with the Armaments Administration due to technical inconsistencies between the designed and ordered by the officials turret of the designed tank. In consequence, this will play a role in the fate of both prototypes.
Dr. Todt dies in a plane crash, Porsche's only ally in promoting his particular model. However, Ferdinand himself was confident in the success of his development. Enjoying unlimited success with Hitler, he placed at his own risk in the Nibelungenwerk company an order for the manufacture of cases for his machines.
During the tests, the enmity between the Fuhrer's pet and the officials of the Office played a role.
Despite the superiority of the Porsche model, recorded during the tests, it was recommended to adopt the Henschel model, to the horror of the German army technicians. Hitler's proposal to produce two vehicles met with a restrained refusal, motivated by the impossibility of producing two expensive, but equivalent tanks in wartime.
The failure turned to Porsche's face after it became clear in March 1942 that the new powerful assault weapons required by Hitler, equipped with an 88-mm gun, could not be created on the basis of the PzKpfw. IV as originally planned.
Here, the 92 chassis units built by the Nibelungenwerk came in handy for the Porsche design that never got into the Tiger series. The creator himself plunged headlong into the new project. Carried away by the calculations, he worked out a scheme with the location of the crew in the spacious conning tower located behind.
After agreeing with the Office of Arms and improvements, the Nibelungenwerk plant began assembling the hulls of new self-propelled guns based on the long-suffering chassis. During this period, it is not clear by whom, the course machine gun planted by Porsche was removed. This "refinement" will then play a role in the fate of the self-propelled guns.
The beginning of 1943 was marked by the exit of the first self-propelled guns from the gates and sending them to the front. In February, the Fuhrer's gift to the creator of the self-propelled guns comes - the car is officially given the name "Vater", "Ferdinand". By order of the same "possessed" self-propelled guns without acceptance go to the East. Porsche, much surprised, recalled that he was waiting for complaints from the front about his unfinished cars in a hurry, but did not receive a single one.
Combat use
The baptism of the Ferdinands was the Battle of Kursk. Soviet intelligence, however, already on April 11 had information about new equipment being brought to the front line. An approximate drawing of the machine, quite similar to the original, was attached to the information. A requirement was drawn up for the design of an 85-100-mm gun to combat the armor of self-propelled guns, but before the summer offensive of the Wehrmacht, of course, the troops did not receive these guns.
Already on July 8, a radiogram came to the Main Armored Directorate of the USSR about the Ferdinand stuck in a minefield, which immediately attracted attention with its unique silhouette. The officers who arrived for inspection did not have a chance to see this car, since the Germans moved forward in two days.
The Ferdinands went into battle at the Ponyri station. The Germans could not take the position of the Soviet troops head-on, so on July 9 a powerful assault group was formed, at the head of which were the Ferdinands. In vain firing shell after shell at the self-propelled guns, the Soviet artillerymen, as a result, left their positions near the village of Goreloye.
With this maneuver, they lured the advancing group into minefields, and then, with blows from the flanks, they destroyed a large number of armored vehicles. On July 11, the bulk of the advancing equipment was transferred to another sector of the front, the remaining parts of the Ferdinand battalion tried to organize the evacuation of the damaged equipment.
This was fraught with many difficulties. The main one was the lack of sufficiently powerful tractors capable of dragging self-propelled guns to their own.
A powerful counterattack by the Soviet infantry on July 14 finally upset plans to withdraw this equipment.
Another section of the front, near the village of Teploe, attacked by the Ferdinand battalion, was subjected to no less pressure. Due to the more deliberate actions of the enemy, here the losses of self-propelled guns were much less. But here there was the first case of the capture of a combat vehicle along with the crew. During the attack, having been subjected to massive shelling by heavy artillery, the self-propelled gunners began to maneuver.
As a result, the car hit the sand and "buried" in the ground. At first, the crew tried to dig out the self-propelled guns on their own, but the Soviet infantry who arrived in time quickly convinced the German self-propelled gunners. A fully serviceable machine was pulled out of the trap only in early August with the help of two Stalinets tractors.
After the end of the fighting, a comprehensive analysis was carried out of the use of the new self-propelled guns by the Germans, as well as ways to effectively deal with it. The lion's share of the vehicles were put out of action due to mine explosions and damage to the undercarriage. Several self-propelled guns were hit by heavy corps artillery and SU-152 fire. One car was destroyed by a bomb, one was burned with bottles of KS by infantrymen.
And only one car received a hole with a 76-mm projectile, in the T-34-76 defense zone from 76-mm divisional guns, the fire was fired at a distance of only 200-400 meters. Soviet soldiers were greatly impressed by the new German vehicles. The command, assessing the complexity of the fight against the Ferdinand, gave the order to award orders to those who could destroy this car in battle.
Legends about the huge number of these self-propelled guns spread among tankers and artillerymen, since they mistook any German self-propelled gun with a muzzle brake and aft warhead for the Ferdinand.
The Germans made their own, disappointing conclusions. 39 out of 90 available vehicles were lost near Kursk, 4 more vehicles were burned during the retreat in Ukraine in 1943. The remaining self-propelled guns, in full force, except for a few samples, were taken to Porsche for revision. Some parts were replaced, a course machine gun was installed, and the car went to help in the fight against the allies in Italy.
There is a widespread myth that this displacement was due to the heaviness of the system and the greater adaptability of the Italian rocky roads for them. In fact, about 30 vehicles were sent to the Eastern Front, where, during the reflections of the “10 Stalinist strikes” of 1944, the Ferdinands, one by one, went into oblivion.
The last battle with the participation of this machine was the battle for Berlin. No matter how beautiful the gun and armor were, they could not hold back the Red Army in the spring of 1945.
The Ferdinand self-propelled guns that the Soviet Union got as trophies were used as targets for testing new anti-tank weapons, dismantled to the screw for study, and then were sent for scrap. The only Soviet car that has survived to our time is in the famous Kubinka.
Comparative characteristics with the enemy
Like a strong wild beast, "Ferdinand" did not have many enemies capable of engaging with him in single combat on an equal footing. If we take cars of a similar class, the Soviet self-propelled guns SU-152 and ISU-152, nicknamed “St.
You can also consider the specialized tank destroyer SU-100, which was tested on captured Porsche self-propelled guns.
- armor, the weakest part of Soviet self-propelled guns in comparison with the Ferdinand, 200 mm of frontal armor versus 60 ... 75 for Soviet samples;
- gun, the Germans had an 88-mm gun against the 152-mm ML-20 and 100-mm guns, all three guns effectively coped with suppressing the resistance of almost any vehicles, but the Porsche self-propelled guns did not succumb, their (self-propelled guns) armor penetrated even 152-mm shells with great difficulty;
- ammunition, 55 shells for the Porsche self-propelled guns, against 21 for the ISU-152 and 33 for the SU-100;
- cruising range, 150 km for Ferdinand and twice the performance of domestic self-propelled guns;
- the number of models produced: 91 units from the Germans, several hundred SU-152s, 3200 ISU units, slightly less than 5000 SU-100s.
As a result, the German development is still slightly superior to Soviet models in terms of combat qualities. However, problems with the chassis, as well as meager output, did not allow the full potential of these machines to be used.
In addition, Soviet tankers and self-propelled gunners, having received powerful new 85 and 122-mm cannons on T-34 and IS tanks, were able to fight Porsche creations on equal terms, it was worth going in from the flank or rear. As often happens, in the end everything was decided by the determination and ingenuity of the crew.
Device "Ferdinand"
Hitler did not spare any materials for his favorite designer, so Porsche cars got the best. The sailors handed over part of the stocks of cemented armor, designed for huge naval calibers. The mass and thickness made it necessary to connect the armor plates “into a spike”, additionally using dowels for reinforcement. It was impossible to disassemble this structure.
Further welding of the body was carried out, rather, for sealing, and not for articulation. The armor plates of the side and stern were placed at a slight slope, increasing the projectile resistance. There were also loopholes for firing from the crew's weapons. The small size of these holes, however, did not allow aimed shooting, since the front sight was not visible.
Feed felling had an armored hatch. Shells were loaded into it, the gun was changed through it. In case of damage, the crew escaped through the same door. There were 6 people inside, the layout provided for a driver-mechanic and a radio operator in the frontal part, then the engine compartment in the middle, and in the stern the gun commander, gunner and two loaders.
The movement of the car was carried out by 2 Maybach engines that ran on gasoline.
In general, the Ferdinand engines were something fantastic by the standards of tank building in the 1940s. Carburetor 12-cylinder HL 120TRM with 265 hp were located not one after the other, but in parallel. The crankshaft of the internal combustion engine had a flange to which a Typ aGV DC generator with a voltage of 385 volts from Siemens-Schuckert was attached.
Electricity from the generators was transmitted to 2 Siemens-Schuckert D149aAC traction motors with a capacity of 230 kW each. The electric motor rotated the reduction planetary gearbox, which, accordingly, its traction sprocket caterpillar.
The low-voltage circuit is made in a single-wire circuit. Some devices (radio station, lighting, fan) were powered by 12V, some (starters, independent excitation windings of electric machines) from 24V. Four batteries were charged from 24-volt generators located on each engine. All electrical work was done by Bosch.
The problem was created by the exhaust system. At the 5th track roller there was an exhaust pipe outlet, everything around was heated, grease evaporated from the bearings, and the rubber bandage quickly failed.
Porsche took the chassis of the self-propelled unit from his own Leopard tank, invented in 1940. A feature in it was the presence of a cart for torsion bars, 3 per side, and not installing them inside the hull. This earned Ferdinand the love of German technicians, who turned gray only at the mention of the chassis of the Henschel Tiger.
It took Dr. Porsche about 4 hours to change the roller, the same operation on the Tiger took about a day.
The rollers themselves were also successful due to the bandages inside the wheel. This required 4 times less rubber. The principle of shear operation increased the threshold of the bandage service.
The introduction of rollers of a similar design to heavy tanks at the end of the war can be called recognition of the success of the experience. One side took 108-110 tracks 64 centimeters wide.
The armament of the self-propelled unit was an 88-mm gun, with a barrel length of 71 calibers (about 7 meters). The gun was installed in a ball mask, in the frontal part of the cabin.
This design turned out to be unsuccessful, as splinters and splashes of lead from bullets fell into the cracks in a multitude. In the future, to correct this defect, special protective shields were installed. The Ferdinand gun, one of the most powerful developments in the German army, was originally anti-aircraft. After fine-tuning, they put him on a self-propelled gun.
Its shells effectively hit almost any Soviet or allied armored vehicles from a long distance. Ammunition included armor-piercing and sub-caliber shells, as well as high-explosive fragmentation, separate loading.
The absence of a machine gun on early vehicles noted above can be explained as follows. According to German tactics, assault self-propelled guns should move in the second line of attack, behind tanks and infantry, covering them with gun fire. Near Kursk, a high concentration, and, most importantly, the effectiveness of artillery fire forced them to throw self-propelled guns forward, with minimal cover.
The optics was represented by a monocular sight, providing guidance to the gun at a distance of 2 km.
The internal communication was supported by an intercom, the radio operator was responsible for external communication (he is also a shooter in the modernized Elefant).
Contribution to culture and history
The Porsche car, despite its small circulation, left a bright mark on the history of the Second World War. Along with the "Tiger" and "Messerschmitt", this self-propelled gun is a symbol of the Wehrmacht. Having made the glory of the German self-propelled systems, she was a real horror for the enemy.
Of course, you can learn to fight with any enemy, but in 1943 a real "Ferdinandophobia" began in the troops. Cunning Germans took advantage of this by putting buckets on the barrels of other self-propelled guns, simulating a muzzle brake.
Judging by the memoirs, only Soviet troops destroyed about 600 Ferdinands during the fighting, with a total release of 91 units.
The Germans were not far behind. The more difficult and unsuccessful the war was for them, the greater was the number of destroyed Soviet tanks. Often in their memoirs, tankers and self-propelled gunners cite the numbers of wrecked vehicles that are twice the number of armored vehicles on the front. In both cases, the self-propelled units in question played a huge role.
Much attention is paid to ACS in the literature. The work of art "In War as in War", describing Soviet self-propelled gunners, contains a description of the battlefield after the meeting of a German self-propelled gun with a group of "thirty-fours", not in favor of Soviet technology. The fighters themselves speak of him as a worthy and dangerous opponent.
Often found "Ferdinand" and in computer games based on the Second World War.
Actually, it's easier to name those games in which there are no self-propelled guns. It is worth noting that the characteristics and descriptions in such crafts often do not correspond to reality. For the sake of playability, developers sacrifice the real characteristics of the machine.
You can independently make and put on the shelf a legendary car. Many modeling firms make building kits in different scales. You can name the brands Cyber Hobby, Dragon, Italeri. The Zvezda company produced and launched the ACS series twice. The first issue, number 3563, had many inaccuracies.
The patterns copied from Italeri represented the "Elephant", and had many inaccuracies. The next model, 3653, is the first Ferdinand to be baptized near Kursk.
The Second World War and the Great Patriotic War gave many technical samples that have become legends. Among the self-propelled guns of German production, the Ferdinand, of course, occupies the first place.
Video
Thick frontal armor and a gun from the Maus heavy tank make this tank destroyer an important figure on the battlefield and allow you to lead attacks on the enemy. But this comes at the cost of a large silhouette, extremely low mobility and great vulnerability to attacks from the sides and from the stern.
Predecessor of the German anti-tank self-propelled gun Jagdtiger
Modules
|
Compatible hardware
Compatible Gear
Ferdinand in game
Research and leveling
Module tree
Initial tree state when Jagdpanther is fully upgraded
Researched on Jagdpanther for 72,630.
Before transferring to Ferdinand, it is advisable to study all the available modules that will be used on him - a weapon 10.5 cm K 18 L/52 and radio station FuG 12. This will allow the new car to become much more efficient at the start of the game.
combat effectiveness
The Ferdinand is a very dangerous and serious car that is respected and feared by everyone without exception. By itself, this self-propelled gun is not easy to manage, it requires a serious approach to the process and some skills in handling tank destroyers. It does not forgive the mistakes of the self-propelled gun commander and the oversights of the enemies. Despite his sluggishness, this is an important figure on the battlefield, from which competent actions are expected. At the beginning of the battle, when the countdown is on, it is necessary to decide on the further route. You should choose narrow streets and hard-to-manoeuvre places, and also try to choose shelters that cannot be shot through by enemy artillery. It is important to occupy “bottlenecks” (close passages, long city streets, gorges), this will allow you to receive enemy shells on hard-to-penetrate frontal armor, and in the time necessary to reduce the distance with a self-propelled gun and go on board, you can significantly “bite” or destroy it . It will be useful to find a partner for yourself, who, in which case, will not allow any annoying CT to get to the vulnerable sides and stern of Ferdinand.
- Frontal armor of the hull and cabin made of armor plates 2 * 100 mm thick, although it has several vulnerabilities.
- Good margin of safety.
- Accurate and efficient top gun.
- Low maneuverability and dynamics.
- Insufficient overview.
- Weak disguise due to large dimensions.
- The irrational angle of inclination of the armor plates, close to 90 °. -> Rare ricochets.
- Weak armor on high sides, along which gas tanks and ammo racks are located.
Equipment and gear
Equipment:
Option 1: Heavy assault gun, offensive tactics
Applied tactics:
- In case of appearance in the middle or end of the list- support for the attack of the TT group. Following in the "second echelon", at some distance from the first heavy tank. Firing at the "flare" of the tanks in front.
- In case of appearance at the top of the list- following at the head of the attacking group as a heavy tank, using natural shelters from ART SPG fire on the route, firing from short stops.
When applying this tactic, first of all, a comprehensive (albeit insignificant) increase in dynamic characteristics, accuracy of fire, rate of fire (due to improved ventilation), repair speed (in a maneuverable battle, the repair time of a downed caterpillar can play a decisive role), as well as viewing range in move.
Option 2: Heavy tank destroyer, defensive tactics
Applied tactics:
- In case of appearance in the middle or end of the list- at the beginning of the battle, shooting "fireflies" - scouts, mainly ST. In the middle and towards the end of the battle - ambushes on the flanks, in shelters from the fire of ART self-propelled guns, assistance in eliminating breakthroughs of TT groups.
- In case of appearance at the top of the list- so-called. "pushing through the defense" - following at the head of the attacking group as a heavy tank, from line to line, with periodic long stops (required to "turn on" the stereo tube, and survey the area ahead for enemy defense / counterattack).
When applying this tactic, first of all, it is necessary to increase the rate of fire, the viewing range (up to maximum values - 500m) and protection against HE shells.
Equipment:
Standard set of a German tank:
Ammunition
When using any gun, it is recommended to take at least 10 HE shells. For 88 and 105 mm guns, they will help in the fight against tanks of tier 9-10, and for 128 mm - a guarantee of one-shot destruction of any artillery self-propelled guns. Also, HE shells are needed in situations where you need to "knock down" the capture of your base at all costs - the AP may not penetrate or ricochet, and there may no longer be time for a second shot.
- 8.8 cm PaK 43 L/71.
Expand
| projectile | Type | Caliber (mm) |
armor penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Splinter radius (m) |
Price (|) |
||
| Pzgr 39 | BB | 88 | 99-254 | 165-275 | 252 | |||
| Pzgr 40 | BP | 88 | 128-296 | 165-275 | 10 | |||
| Spgrgr 18 | OF | 88 | 33-55 | 203-338 | 1,40 | 252 |
- 10.5 cm K 18 L/52.
Expand
| projectile | Type | Caliber (mm) |
armor penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Splinter radius (m) |
Price (|) |
||
| Pzgr 39L | BB | 105 | 150-281 | 240-400 | 1030 | |||
| Pzgr 40 | BP | 105 | 183-358 | 240-400 | 10 | |||
| Sprgr L | OF | 105 | 45-75 | 315-525 | 1,99 | 650 |
Known Issues
Inconsistencies with the historical prototype
- The real name of the weapon 8.8 cm PaK 43 L/71 - 8.8 cm PaK 43/2 L/71.
- Air cooled engines Porsche Type 100/1, Porsche Type 100/3, Porsche Deutz Typ 180/2 have never been installed on tank destroyers Ferdinand. Engine Porsche Type 101 was used on VK4501 (P), the progenitor of the Ferdinand. They had to be abandoned, as they were extremely unreliable and were not large-scale. Instead, they installed reliable and proven engines Maybach HL 120TRM, standard engine StuG III, PzKpfw IV.
- In reality, when installing the 12.8 cm PaK 44 L / 55 guns in the Ferdinand, an additional armor sheet (100 mm thick) was removed from the front of the cabin due to overloading the undercarriage.
Screenshot gallery
Rating Ferdinand
- - This tank destroyer is able to decide the outcome of the battle in capable hands.
- - Excellent frontal armor of the hull and cabin.
- - High-precision German guns allow you to regularly receive this medal.
- Death scythe- For high gun damage 12.8 cm PaK 44 L/55.
- - The high armor penetration of the gun allows it to penetrate vehicles of almost any level.
German tank destroyer Ferdinand. The history of the tank destroyer Ferdinand. Guide to the tank Ferdinand.
Today we publish in Tankopedia a new video guide about German vehicles of the eighth level - tank destroyers Ferdinand.
"Ferdinand" (German Ferdinand) - German heavy self-propelled artillery (ACS) period of World War II class of tank destroyers. Also called Elefant (German: Elefant - elephant), 8.8 cm PaK 43/2 Sfl L/71 Panzerjäger Tiger (P), Sturmgeschütz mit 8.8 cm PaK 43/2 and Sd.Kfz.184. This combat vehicle, armed with an 88 mm cannon, is one of the most heavily armed and heavily armored representatives of German armored vehicles of that period. Despite its small number, this machine is the most famous representative of the class of self-propelled guns, a large number of legends are associated with it.
SAU "Ferdinand", video guide which we will see below, was developed in 1942-1943, being largely an improvisation on the basis of the chassis of the Tiger (P) heavy tank developed by Ferdinand Porsche, which was not adopted for service. debut "Ferdinand" was the Battle of Kursk, where the reservation of this self-propelled guns demonstrated its low vulnerability to the fire of the Soviet main anti-tank and tank artillery. In the future, these vehicles participated in the battles on the Eastern Front and in Italy, ending their combat path in the suburbs of Berlin. In the Red Army, "Ferdinand" was often called any German self-propelled artillery installation.
Watch Guide - Ferdinand
Ferdinand (Fedya) German level 8 tank destroyer
Hello tankers! I present to your attention
Guide to German tank destroyers level 8Ferdinand.
1200 HPStrength
370m Obzor
710m communication range
840hp Engine power
30/10km/h max speed
26 °/s Speed GN
26.25 °/s HV speed
-8…+14°HV angles
Booking:
Hull: 200/80/80 (front / sides / stern)
The tower is missing
As you can see, the performance characteristics show that the forehead armor is as much as 20mm. But in fact, not everything is so cool, only a couple of projections in the forehead have a 200mm layer of armor and the cabin is much weaker ( see fig.) Ferdinand's sides are weak, only 80mm, so you have to play as carefully as possible on this tank destroyer ( try not to turn the sides). It is advisable to avoid battles with light and medium tanks. Even the most innocuous light tank, having traveled around your tank, can easily break through your sides and stern and bring you many problems. For example, to damage important internal modules, and they are extremely inconveniently located on this PT. Gas tanks and ammo racks are located along the lightly armored sides, which leads to frequent damage when hitting the sides. Ferdinand performs very well on city maps. On narrow city streets, it is much more difficult for light and medium tanks to drive into our stern, and we will be able to effectively use our frontal armor to deter enemy forces.
Gun 12.8cmpak44 L/55:
Damage: 490/490/630HP(BB/BP/OFF)
Armor penetration: 246/311/65 (BB / BP / OF)
Rate of fire: 5 rounds per minute
DPM (damage per minute): 2450
Ferdinand's gun is quite good. It can penetrate even level 10 tanks, and at the same time deal 490 damage. Also, this weapon has good damage per minute. And this should also be used. Do not fight with the enemy shot for shot. So you will lose to many classmates ( 8lvl.), but I won’t say anything about 9 levels at all. You have to brazenly roll out on the enemy and use your DPM, while not forgetting to tank.
The top gun also allows you to fight at long distances, since its spread is 0.35, and the convergence is 2.3s. So we can go a distance ( 300-450m.) and fight without fear of light. And at close range, our tank destroyers shine very well due to their large dimensions.
Among the disadvantages of this tank destroyer, I can note:
1) Low dynamics, which does not allow to fight against maneuverable light and medium tanks.
2) Extremely inconvenient arrangement of internal modules, which leads to frequent tank fires and damage to the ammo rack.
3) Large dimensions, which does not allow to fight from invis.
4) Insufficient overview.
As far as equipment is concerned, then it can be different .
If you want to fight at long distances, then you will need:
1) rammer ( he never gets in the way)
2) Stereo tube ( because we don't have enough visibility.)
3) Reinforced aiming drives ( for long-range combat, everyone needs)
But if you decide to fight in the forefront, then you will need:
1) Rammer
2) Tool box ( your modules are damaged frequently, and this equipment will speed up their repair by 25%)
3) Ventilation ( +5 to all crew skills)
Crew skills:
First of all, you need to put all repair, and the commander sixth Sense.
The second skills you again choose at your own discretion (depends on your game tactics)
Fighting at a long distance: everyone disguise, and the commander repair.
Close range fights: everyone the Brotherhood of War, and the commander repair.
The rest of the skills are up to you. Will be very helpful virtuoso And off road king (mechvod.), which will make it easier for you to fight light and heavy tanks.
OUTPUT:
Ferdinand is a German tank destroyer with thick frontal armor and a good gun, but with poor mobility and insufficient visibility. Able to fight both in the background and in the forefront.
You can find more information about this tank in this video:
Good luck on the battlefield!
Hello, dear guests and regular readers of our site. Today, your attention is a review of the heavy tank destroyer tank destroyer Ferdinand. As a rule, we will learn a brief history of the creation and use of a combat vehicle during the war years, evaluate its advantages and disadvantages, and analyze the tactics of warfare on the battlefields of World of Tanks.
History reference.
The history of the creation of this tank destroyer takes us back to 1942. It was in this year that the German leadership set the task of creating a heavy tank to break through defensive structures. Two well-known design bureaus took on the project. This is Henschel and Porsche. In the spring of 1942, samples of tanks were demonstrated, and in the summer it was decided to mass-produce Henschel tanks. By that time, Porsche had already managed to make several dozen cases with a chassis. So that the finished products would not go to waste, in the fall of the same year, Hitler gave the order on the basis of these chassis to produce heavy assault guns armed with a powerful 88-mm gun with a long barrel of 71 calibers. To speed up the work on the alteration, the Alkett company, which had experience in building assault guns, joined the project. In the winter of 1942, the project was ready and submitted for consideration. As a result of the alterations, air-cooled engines had to be abandoned, replacing them with the already proven Maybach HL 120TRM with a capacity of 265 hp. Due to the shift of the cabin to the rear of the car, the engines were placed in the middle, which “cut off” the driver and radio operator from the rest of the crew. The mass of the machine reached about 65 tons. An indication was received for the release of 90 vehicles and the formation of two battalions from them. The first 29 manufactured Ferdinands were made available to the troops in April 1943, 56 in May, and the remaining 5 were handed over in June of the same year. At this time, the troops were already heading towards the front line at full speed. Ferdinand received his baptism of fire on the Kursk salient. However, he could not show all his qualities due to poor-quality reconnaissance, minefields and fierce artillery fire, in connection with which a large number of vehicles were lost. 11 assault guns were sent to Italy in 1944 to liberate the bridgehead from the allied forces, but on soft ground these huge vehicles simply bogged down and it was not possible to pull them out due to the strongest artillery fire. On the Eastern Front, Ferdinand was used mainly in 44-45 years in operations on the territory of Ukraine, Poland, and France. The remaining repaired combat vehicles took part in the defense of Berlin and on May 1, 1945 were captured by Soviet soldiers on Karl-August Square.
Briefly about the main thing.
So, before us is Ferdinand - an assault weapon of level 8. This tank destroyer radically changes all views on how to fight on tank destroyers. Moving from the maneuverable and fast Jagdpanther to Ferdinand, you feel a little awkward. Not all the pluses and virtues that she possessed. However, do not despair. In our hands was a very, very worthy combat unit. The main advantage, of course, can be considered the excellent 128-mm Pak 44 L/55 gun with excellent armor penetration and simply gorgeous damage! Do not forget the good armor of 200 mm in the frontal part of the tank. The disadvantage is the NLD with an armor plate thickness of only 85 mm. Sides, sterns and top sheets are very vulnerable. Despite the impressive weight of the Ferdinand, two engines working in pairs allow you to reach speeds of 30 km / h. The dynamics are quite adequate, which makes it possible to keep up with the attacking strands of the allies. Fedya, this is the favorite of the artillery. If there are several TTs on the battlefield and Fedya is nearby, then in 90% of the cases the suitcase will fly into him. The trouble is the weak reservation of the upper sheets. The damage from artillery goes almost completely, which is sometimes fraught with a one-shot. You should never fight alone. One in the field is not a warrior, this is about our Ferdinand. Sometimes even LT can become a deadly threat, not to mention ST. Do not look for positions in open areas. Due to the large dimensions, our PT glows from very large distances. The same Paton is able to see us already from 400-420 meters. Gorges or long streets are ideal, where no one will bypass you from behind and to the side. Strong frontal armor will quite confidently hold hits from many opponents up to level 7 or even 8. The latter should be applied with a rhombus setting or dancing, which leads to frequent rebounds.
Suggestions for tactics on Ferdinand.
The correct and successful play on this PT depends on key factors. This is choosing the right direction for pushing through the enemy defenses and the most convenient position that will allow us to effectively use our strengths: damage, armor penetration and frontal armor. Getting to the top, we are a formidable force for the opposing team. In the middle and at the bottom of the list, Ferdinand supports the TT in the offensive. Effectively manifests itself as a weapon when firing at medium and long distances. With excellent armor penetration, we are able to hit targets with minimal risk to us. It is very important not to let the LT or ST get close to you. It is very easy to circle us, and if there is no ally nearby, there is a 99% chance that we will go to the hangar. In general, we can say that the game on the Fed has a tough defensive-offensive character.
Let's move on to the advantages of this tank destroyer. Here you can highlight strong frontal armor, a powerful 128-mm gun with excellent damage, penetration and durability, and a fairly good view. Fedi's getting into the top can be considered a small plus, although this does not happen so often.
Drawbacks are not so sweet. You have to come to terms with the lack of any kind of disguise. They notice us further, due to their large dimensions, they hit us more often. Fedya is quite slow, which is why the enemy can fire at us from long distances, mainly with penetration. Well, the eternal problem of most PTs is poorly protected sides and feed.
When the crew reaches 100% skills with the main specialty, it is preferable to choose Repair as the first perk for everyone. The second perk is individual for each: commander - mentor; gunner - smooth turret rotation; mechvod - the king of off-road; radio operator - radio interception; loader - desperate. Further at your discretion. You can teach all crew members Combat Brotherhood and further enhance a specific AT parameter.
As additional modules, you can use: coated optics, a fan and a rammer.
A set of consumables is standard: repair kit, first aid kit and fire extinguisher.
Location of modules.
In front of the PT, the driver and radio operator are comfortably located. They are protected by a plate of 200 mm. Vulnerable point of the NLD. In the rear (in the wheelhouse) are loaders, gunner and commander. The cabin is also well protected in the forehead. Ammunition was placed on the sides of the fighting compartment.
The engine and fuel tanks are located inside the self-propelled gun and separate the crew members.
Conclusions.
So let's sum up the above. Having reached Ferdinand, we got an excellent balanced combat unit, which in some cases, in capable hands, is able to drag the battle and change its course in favor of the allies. Having fairly good forehead armor, a powerful gun with excellent accuracy and penetration, we are able to hit the most armored targets. And do it from medium distances with minimal risk for yourself. Called all the charms of this tank destroyer, you will never want to sell it. The right game and deliberate actions bring a lot of pleasure and positive. Good luck fighting!