Is Ferdinand the scariest SPG? SAU Ferdinand - the gloomy brother of the Beetle in the service of the Wehrmacht, or the terrible brainchild of Porsche Equipment and pumping.

Hello, dear guests and regular readers of our site. Today, your attention is an overview of the heavy tank destroyer PT-SAU Ferdinand. As a rule, we learn a brief history of the creation and use of a combat vehicle during the war years, evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, and analyze tactics of warfare on the battlefields of World of Tanks.

History reference.

The history of the creation of this tank destroyer brings us to 1942. It was this year that the German leadership set the task of creating a heavy tank for breaking through defensive structures. Two well-known design bureaus took up 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 chassis. To prevent the finished products from being wasted, in the autumn of the same year Hitler ordered the manufacture of heavy assault guns based on these chassis armed with a powerful 88-mm gun with a 71-caliber long barrel. To speed up remodeling, Alkett joined the project, which had experience in building assault guns. In the winter of 1942, the project was ready and submitted for consideration. As a result, the alterations had to abandon air-cooled engines, replacing them with the already tested Maybach HL 120TRM with a capacity of 265 hp. Due to the shift of the wheelhouse 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 car reached about 65 tons. Received an indication of the release of 90 vehicles and the formation of them two battalions. The first 29 manufactured Ferdinands were placed at the disposal of the troops in April 1943, 56 in May, and the remaining 5 were handed over in June of that year. At this time, the troops were already heading towards the front line. Ferdinand received baptism of fire on Kursk. However, he could not show all his qualities because of poor-quality reconnaissance, minefields and brutal 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 the soft ground these huge vehicles simply got stuck and could not be pulled out due to heavy artillery fire. On the Eastern Front, Ferdinand was used mainly in the years 44-45 in operations in Ukraine, Poland, and France. 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 gun of the 8th level. This tank destroyer fundamentally changes all views on how to fight on a tank destroyer. Reseeding from the agile 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 an excellent 128-mm Pak 44 L / 55 gun with excellent armor penetration and just gorgeous damage! Do not forget the good armor of 200 mm in the frontal part of the PT. The disadvantage is NLD with an armor sheet thickness of only 85 mm. The sides, feed and top sheets are very vulnerable. Despite the impressive weight of 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 allied attacking strands. Fedya, this is a favorite of artillery. If there are several TTs on the battlefield and Fedya is nearby, then in 90% of cases the suitcase will fly exactly into it. The trouble is a weak reservation of the top sheets. Damage from the art passes almost completely, which is sometimes fraught with a one shot. Never fight alone. Alone in the field is not a warrior, it's about our Ferdinand. Sometimes even LT can be a deadly threat, not to mention ST. Do not look for positions in the open. Due to the large size, our PT glows from very large distances. The same Paton is able to see us already from 400-420 meters. Ideal are gorges or long streets where no one will get around you from behind and from the side. Strong frontal armor will confidently keep hits from many opponents to 7 or even 8 level. For the latter, rhombus or dancing should be used, which leads to frequent ricochets.

Suggestions for tactics at Ferdinand.

The correct and successful game on this PT depends on key factors. This is the choice of the right direction for pushing the enemy’s defense and the most convenient position, which will allow us to effectively use strengths: damage, armor penetration and frontal armor. Getting into the top, we are a formidable force for the enemy team. In the middle and bottom of the list, Ferdinand supports TT on the offensive. Effectively manifests itself when firing at medium and long distances. With excellent armor penetration, we are able to hit targets with minimal risk for us. It is very important not to let in LT or CT. 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 and offensive character.

Let's move on to the merits of this tank destroyer. Here you can highlight a strong frontal reservation, a powerful 128-mm gun with excellent damage, penetration and durability and a fairly good overview. A small plus can be considered getting Fedi to the top, although this does not happen so often.

The flaws are not so sweet. We have to come to terms with the absence of any kind of disguise. They notice us further, due to the large size, they fall more often. Fedya is rather slow, because of which the enemy can fire at us from great distances mainly with penetration. Well, the eternal problem of most PTs is poorly protected sides and feed.

When the crew reaches 100% of the skills in the main specialty, it is preferable to select Repair as the first perk for all. The second perk is individual for each: commander - mentor; gunner - smooth rotation of the tower; mechvod - the king of impassability; radio operator - radio interception; loader - desperate. Further at its discretion. You can learn all the crew members of the Combat Brotherhood and further strengthen the specific parameter of the PT.

As additional modules, you can use: enlightened optics, a fan and a rammer.

A set of consumables is standard: repair kit, first aid kit and fire extinguisher.

The location of the modules.

In the front of the PT, a mechanical driver and a radio operator are comfortably located. They are protected by a 200 mm plate. NLD Vulnerability. At the rear (in the wheelhouse) are loaders, gunner and commander. The wheelhouse is also well protected in the forehead. On each side of the fighting compartment, an ammunition unit was located.

The engine and fuel tanks are located inside the self-propelled gun and are separated by crew members.

Findings.

So to summarize all of the above. Having reached Ferdinand, we got an excellent balanced combat unit, which in some cases is capable of dragging a battle in capable hands and changing its course in favor of the allies. Having a fairly good forehead reservation, a powerful weapon with excellent accuracy and penetration, we are able to hit the most armored targets. And to do this from medium distances with minimal risk. All the charms of this tank destroyer are called for, you will never want to sell it. Proper play and deliberate actions bring a lot of pleasure and positive. Have a good fight!

Ferdinand (Fedya) German tank destroyer level 8

Zdarova tankers! I present to your attention

Guide to the German tank destroyer level 8Ferdinand.

1200 HP   Strength

370m Overview

710m Communication Range

840hp Engine power

30 / 10km / h Top Speed

26 ° / s GN speed

26.25 ° / s HV Speed

-8 ... + 14 ° HV angles

Reservation:

Hull: 200/80/80 (forehead / sides / stern)

No tower

As you can see, the performance characteristics show that the forehead booking is already 20mm. But in fact, not everything is so cool, only a pair of projections in the forehead have a 200 mm layer of armor and the rest is much weaker ( see pic) Ferdinand's sides are weak, only 80mm., So you have to play as carefully as possible on this tank destroyer ( try not to frame the sides) It is advisable to avoid battles with light and medium tanks. Even the most harmless light tank traveling around your tank can easily break through your sides and stern and bring you many problems. For example, it is very inconvenient to damage important internal modules, and they are extremely inconvenient on this PT. Gas tanks and an ammunition rack are located along lightly armored sides, which leads to frequent damage when hit in the sides. Ferdinand performs very well on city maps. On narrow city streets, it’s much harder for light and medium tanks to drop into the stern, and we can effectively use our frontal armor to deter enemy forces.

Gun 12.8cmPak44 L/55:

Damage: 490/490/630HP   (BB / BP / PF)

Penetration: b 246/311/65 (BB / BP / RP)

Rate of Fire: 5 rounds per minute

PDM (damage per minute): 2450

Ferdinand's gun is pretty good. It is capable of breaking through even tanks of level 10, and at the same time inflict 490 points of damage. Also, this gun has good damage per minute. And this also needs to be used. Do not fight with the enemy shot to shot. So you lose a lot to classmates ( 8 lvl.), but about 9 levels I generally will not say anything. You must brazenly roll out onto the enemy and use your PDM, not forgetting to tank.

The top gun also allows you to engage in battle at long distances, since its spread is 0.35, and the reduction is 2.3 s. So we can drive a distance ( 300-450m.) and fight without fear of light. And at close range, our tank destroyer shines very well due to its large dimensions.

Among the minuses of this tank destroyer I can note:

1) Low dynamics, which does not allow to fight against maneuvering light and medium tanks.

2) The extremely inconvenient location of the internal modules, which leads to frequent fires of tanks and damage to the ammunition.

3) Large dimensions, which does not allow the fight from inviz.

4) Not enough review.

As for the equipment,it may be different .

If you want to fight the battle over long distances, then you will come in handy:

1) rammer ( he never hurts)

2) Stereo tube ( since the review is insufficient)

3) Reinforced induction drives ( for long-distance combat everyone needs)

But if you decide to fight in the forefront, then you will need:

1) rammer

2) Toolbox ( your modules are damaged often, 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 everything repairs, and the commander sixth Sense.

The second skills you choose again at your discretion (depending on your game tactics)

Long-range battles: all disguise, and the commander repairs.

Short range fights: everyone the Brotherhood of War, and the commander repairs.

The remaining skills you choose. Will be very useful virtuoso   and king of impassability   (mechvod.), which will make it easier for you to fight with light and heavy tanks.

CONCLUSION:

Ferdinand is a German tank destroyer with thick frontal armor and a good gun, but with poor mobility and insufficient visibility. Able to fight as in the background, and in the forefront.

You can find additional information about this tank in this video:

Good luck on the battlefield!

Ferdinand -   German heavy self-propelled artillery mount   World War II class of tank destroyers. Also called "Elephant" - an elephant. SAU "Ferdinand" was developed in 1942-1943, being in many ways an improvisation on the basis of the chassis of the Tiger (P) heavy tank, which was not accepted for service, developed by the Designer Ferdinand Porsche.

Well, in the game Ferdinand or “Fedya” for a long time was the Terrible Antitank Sau of the VIII level, but with the advent of new Pt-sau and the appearance of an alternative in the development of JPanter ll-lost its former greatness, as well as with the advent of gold shells for silver , Ferdinand's armor has lost its former power and depends on the greed of the enemy.

Tank characteristicsFerdinand

Let's start with TTX

We have a cannon from Maus, but it’s more accurate and a whole shot per minute faster at the 8th level, this is not for you “Khuhra-mukhra”.

So, we have Good Damage per minute with excellent accuracy, One-time damage and good booking.

NLD, like all tanks, is completely useless, it pierces the MC-1 20 mm, the body is from Tigr (p) and has 200 mm in the forehead and 80 mm in the cheeks, which is not very. Good and spoils the whole "Raspberry". The armor in the wheelhouse is simply Excellent-300mm, which not every Level 10 will penetrate at the Basic Shells, but there are no corners in the cabin, so any GOLDA flies at a time without leaving the slightest chance of a rebound.

But Ferdinand, in fact, is that the German tank, to use the German rhombus, having the proper dexterity, can be turned by the enemy a little onboard, so to speak, beckoning the enemy to shoot at the side of the deckhouse, which is good for us, but because the angles are on the sides cuttings, almost reach 40 °, and in the rhombus they give a 100% rebound, and if you do not have this “Dexterity”, then “Fedya” will certainly teach you, because in any way.

Therefore, you need to look for such folds of terrain that will hide your body and pushed one cabin.
  On open maps, Excellent accuracy will allow you to shoot from Inviz (outside the circle of the enemy's review).
  It’s worth choosing the direction deliberately, our tank is deprived of high-speed qualities and changing the flank will be very problematic.

Equipment and crew at Ferdinand

It is necessary to put a rammer, which will add PDM to the tank from 2620 to 2920 Damage per Minute.

The crew should deflate the Bulb and repair first, and the Combat Brotherhood the second, which will increase all the characteristics of the tank, namely accuracy and DPM (up to 3050xp)

If you want to completely disperse this tank Extras. Sing it, then categorically, I do not advise doing this, because the Engine at the "Fed" in front and works, like everyone german tanks, on Gasoline, which have an increased chance of fire, namely 15%.

Total, Tank yes, is outdated against the background of new tanks and the Arms Race, but some tank destroyers can still envy his guns, I remind you, From Mouse, and on the Internet still shows sky-high results, SO, Yes, it is old, but not at all useless.

The heroes of the popular book and the film “The meeting place cannot be changed”, the workers of the legendary MUR use a bus called “Ferdinand” as a transport. From the mouth of the driver, the main character 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 mount manufactured by Ferdinand Porsche. Despite the small number of cars produced, these installations sunk into the memory of everyone who had occasion to see them in battle.

History of creation

The self-propelled installation of the Ferdinand breakthrough owes its birth to another, no less epic example of a German tank genius. The beginning of 1941 was marked by a personal order of Hitler to the two largest German design bureaus on May 26 at a meeting in the presence of senior officials of the engineering department related to armored forces.

In the presence of KB representatives, the battles in France were analyzed, and the shortcomings of German military vehicles were revealed. Ferdinand Porsche and Steier Hacker, Director of Henschel, were formally ordered. They had to create a heavy tank, designed to break through the lines of defense of the adversaries of Germany.

Another reason for the order is the inefficiency of most German tanks in the fight against the thick-skinned English "Matilda" MK.II. In case of success of the planned operation "Sea Lion", the panzerwaffe should have collided, according to various estimates, with 5 thousand of these machines. At the same meeting, the Fuhrer was presented with models of Porsche and Henschel tanks.

The summer of 1941 had a double effect on the development of new tanks.

On the one hand, the designers were busy finalizing the machines in the series. On the other hand, the Wehrmacht met with the KV tanks, which made a huge impression on both generals and ordinary tankers. In the fall of 1941, work on the development of a heavy tank was continued in forced mode.

The weapons department, which oversaw the creation of the machine, was on the side of Henschel's company. At their own request, Erwin Aders, who went down in history as the chief designer of the Wehrmacht’s symbol tank, headed the development.

Ferdinand Porsche in this period comes into serious conflict with the Arms Directorate due to technical inconsistencies in the designed and ordered turret of the designed tank turret. As a consequence, this will play a role in the fate of both prototypes.

Dr. Todt, the only Porsche ally in promoting his model, dies in a plane crash. However, Ferdinand himself was confident in the success of his development. Using Hitler's unlimited success, he placed at his own risk and risk at Nibelungenwerk an order for the manufacture of cases for his machines.

The enmity of the pet of the Führer and officials of the Office played a role in the tests.

Despite the superiority of the Porsche model, recorded during the tests, it was recommended to adopt the Henschel model, to the dismay of the technicians of the German army. Hitler's proposal to produce two cars met a moderate refusal, motivated by the inability to produce two expensive but equivalent tanks in wartime.

The failure turned to face Porsche, after in March 1942 it became clear 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 92 units of the chassis built by Nibelungenwerk came in handy for Porsche designs that didn’t fall into the Tigers series. The creator himself plunged headlong into a new project. Carried away by calculations, he worked out a scheme with the location of the crew in a spacious conning tower located behind.

After coordination with the Department of Arms and Improvements, the Nibelungenwerk factory began assembling the hulls of new self-propelled guns based on long-suffering chassis. During this period, it is unclear by whom, the Porsche mortar gun was removed. This "refinement" will then play its role in the fate of self-propelled guns.

The beginning of 1943 was marked by the exit of the gates of the first self-propelled guns and sending them to the front. In February, the Fuhrer’s gift comes to the creator of self-propelled guns - the car is officially named “Vater”, “Ferdinand”. By order of the same "demoniac" self-propelled guns without acceptance go to the East. Quite surprised, Porsche recalled that he had been waiting from the front for complaints about his unfinished cars in a hurry, but did not receive a single one.

Combat use

The baptism of "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 self-propelled armor, but before the Wehrmacht’s summer offensive, of course, these guns did not receive troops.

Already on July 8, a radiogram came to the Main Armored Directorate of the USSR about Ferdinand, which was stuck in a minefield, and immediately attracted attention with its unique silhouette. Arriving at the inspection officers did not have a chance to see this car, because in two days the Germans moved forward.

The Ferdinands went into battle at the Ponyry station. The Germans didn’t succeed in taking the position of the Soviet troops on their foreheads, so on July 9 a powerful assault group was formed, with Ferdinands in their head. In vain firing shell after shell for self-propelled guns, Soviet gunners, in the end, left their positions near the village of Gorelye.

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 units 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.

The powerful counterattack of the Soviet infantry on July 14 finally upset plans for the export of 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 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 undergone massive shelling with 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 up self-propelled guns on their own, but the Soviet infantry arrived in time quickly convinced the German self-propelled guns. A fully operational machine was not pulled out of the trap until the beginning of August using two Stalinets tractors.

After the end of the fighting, a comprehensive analysis of the use of the new self-propelled guns by the Germans, as well as ways to effectively combat it, was carried out. The lion's share of the cars were disabled due to mine explosions and damage to the undercarriage. Several self-propelled guns were shot down by heavy hull artillery and SU-152 fire. One machine was destroyed by a bomb, and one was burned by bottles with cops by infantrymen.

And only one machine got a hole with a 76 mm shell, in the T-34-76 defense strip of 76 mm division guns, fire was fired at a distance of only 200-400 meters. Soviet soldiers were very impressed with the new German cars. The command, assessing the complexity of the fight against Ferdinand, ordered to award orders to those who were able to destroy this machine in battle.

Legends about a 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 Ferdinand.

The Germans made their disappointing conclusions. 39 of the 90 available cars were lost near Kursk, 4 more cars were burned during a 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, an exchange machine gun was installed, and the machine went to help in the fight against the Allies in Italy.

The myth that this movement was caused by the heaviness of the system and the greater fitness of Italian rocky roads for them is widespread. In fact, about 30 vehicles were sent to the Eastern Front, where, during the reflections of “10 Stalinist attacks” of 1944, the Ferdinands, one by one, went into oblivion.

The last battle with this machine was the battle for Berlin. No matter how beautiful the gun and armor, but in the spring of 1945, it could not contain the Red Army.

The self-propelled guns that were delivered as trophies to the Soviet Union “Ferdinand” were used as targets for testing new anti-tank weapons, they were dismantled to the screw for study, and then they were scrapped. 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 fighting on equal terms with him. If you take cars of a similar class, the closest in efficiency will be the Soviet self-propelled guns SU-152 and ISU-152, nicknamed for the effectiveness of shooting at the Tigers, Panthers and other Hitler's zoo, “St. John's wort”.

You can also consider a specialized tank destroyer SU-100, tested on captured Porsche self-propelled guns.

• reservation, the weakest part of Soviet self-propelled guns in comparison with Ferdinand, 200 mm of frontal armor against 60 ... 75 for Soviet models;
• guns, the Germans 88 mm against the 152 mm ML-20 and 100 mm guns, all three guns effectively cope with the suppression of the resistance of almost any machine, but the Porsche self-propelled guns did not give in, their (self-propelled) armor penetrated even 152 mm shells with hard work;
• ammunition, 55 shells for self-propelled guns Porsche, versus 21 for ISU-152 and 33 for SU-100;
• cruising range, 150 km for Ferdinand and twice as high indicators for domestic self-propelled guns;
• the number of models released: 91 units from the Germans, several hundred SU-152, 3200 ISU units, slightly less than 5000 SU-100.

As a result, the German development in combat qualities is still slightly superior to the Soviet models. However, problems with the chassis, as well as the scanty release, did not allow to fully utilize the potential of these machines.

In addition, Soviet tankers and self-propelled guns, having received powerful new 85 and 122-mm guns on T-34 and IS tanks, were able to fight Porsche’s creations on an equal footing, it was worth going from the flank or rear. As often happens, everything was ultimately decided by the decisiveness and ingenuity of the crew.

Ferdinand device

Hitler spared no materials for his beloved designer, so Porsche cars got the best. The sailors transferred part of the reserves of cemented armor, designed for huge naval calibers. Mass and thickness forced to connect the armor plates "in the spike", additionally using keys for reinforcement. It was impossible to disassemble this design.

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 projectile resistance. There were loopholes for firing from crew weapons. The small size of these holes, however, did not allow targeted shooting, since the front sight was not visible.

The pilothouse feed had an armored hatch. Shells were loaded into it, a gun was changed through it. In case of damage, the crew was saved 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 an engine compartment in the middle, and in the stern a gun commander, gunner and two loaders.

The movement of the car was carried out due to 2 Maybach engines running on gasoline.

In general, Ferdinand’s engines were something fantastic by the standards of the 1940s tank building. The carburetor 12-cylinder HL 120TRM in 265 hp were located not one after the other but in parallel. The ICE crankshaft had a flange to which a Typ aGV 385-volt DC generator 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 a lowering planetary gearbox, which, accordingly, its caterpillar traction sprocket.

The low-voltage circuit is made in a single-wire circuit. Some devices (radio, 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 electrics were produced by Bosch.

The problem was created by the exhaust gas system. At the 5th track roller the exhaust pipe was removed, everything was heating up around, grease evaporated from the bearings, and the rubber band quickly failed.

Porsche took the undercarriage of the self-propelled gun from his Leopard tank, invented in 1940. A feature in it was the presence of a trolley for torsion bars, 3 on board, rather than installing them inside the hull. This earned Ferdinand the love of German technicians, gray-haired only at the mention of the running Henschel "Tiger".

Dr. Porsche took about 4 hours to change the rink, 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 shear principle increased the bandage service threshold.

A recognition of the success of the experiment can be called the introduction of rollers of a similar design on heavy tanks at the end of the war. On one side, 108-110 tracks 64 cm wide were used.

The armament of the self-propelled gun was an 88-mm gun, with a barrel length of 71 caliber (about 7 meters). The gun was installed in a ball mask in the frontal part of the wheelhouse.

This design turned out to be unsuccessful, since fragments and splashes of lead from bullets fell into the gap in a multitude. In the future, to correct this defect, special protective shields were put. The Ferdinand gun, one of the most powerful developments in the German army, was initially anti-aircraft. After fine-tuning it was put on a self-propelled gun.

His shells effectively hit from a great distance almost any Soviet or allied armored vehicles. The ammunition included armor-piercing and sub-caliber shells, as well as high-explosive fragmentation shells, of separate loading.

The above-noted lack of a machine gun on early cars can be explained as follows. According to German tactics, self-propelled assault installations must 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 the self-propelled guns to be thrown forward, with minimal cover.

Optics was represented by a monocular sight, providing guidance of the gun at a distance of 2 km.

The internal communication was supported by the intercom, the radio operator was responsible for the external communication (he is also a shooter in the modernized "Elephant").

Contribution to Culture and History

Porsche machine, despite the small circulation, left a bright mark in the history of the Second World War. Along with the Tiger and Messerschmitt, this self-propelled gun is a symbol of the Wehrmacht. Composed of the glory of German self-propelled systems, it was a real horror for the enemy.

Of course, you can learn to fight with any enemy, but in 1943 the real "ferdinandophobia" began in the troops. Cunning Germans took advantage of this by putting buckets on the trunks 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 did not lag behind. The harder and more unsuccessful the war was for them, the greater was the account of those destroyed soviet tanks. Often in the memoirs, tankers and self-propelled guns call the numbers of wrecked vehicles, twice the amount of armored vehicles on the front. In both cases, the self-propelled guns under consideration played a huge role.

Much attention is paid to self-propelled guns in the literature. The work of art “At war as at war”, describing Soviet self-propelled guns, contains a description of the battlefield after the meeting of German self-propelled guns with a group of thirty-four, not in favor of Soviet technology. The fighters themselves speak of him as a worthy and dangerous opponent.

Often found "Ferdinand" 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 description 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 the legendary car. Many model firms make assembly kits at different scales. You can name the brands Cyber \u200b\u200bHobby, Dragon, Italeri. The Zvezda company twice produced and launched the SPG series. The first issue, number 3563, had many inaccuracies.

The patterns copied from Italeri represented Elephant, and had many inaccuracies. The next model, 3653, is the first Ferdinand baptized near Kursk.

The Second World War and the Great Patriotic War gave many technical models that became legends. Among German-made self-propelled guns, Ferdinand certainly occupies the first place.

Video

Hello everyone!

We continue to consider military equipment   in the World of Tanks.

And today we’ll talk about German tank destroyers.

Anti-tank self-propelled guns have powerful weapons and ambush equipment.

These are the main components of the success of military equipment. Ferdinand - eighth level tank destroyer. A detailed guide will help you deal with all the features of the machine. And evaluate how it suits you.

In the old days, Ferdinand was as relevant as ever. "Fedya" inspired fear with his frontal attack. Alas, good times   it ended for him when it became possible to sell “gold” for silver and with the introduction of eights with better mobility and the same guns.

Therefore, now either strange players or reenactors love technology. It was to them that I dedicated this review.

A bit of history

The story of the Fed began after the abandonment of the Porsche Tiger-R model, in favor of Heinschel. The developer did not stop losing faith and began the production of the chassis, which was required to be attached.

The Führer created an order to develop heavy self-propelled guns for the chassis. And since Porsche had considerable experience in the development of anti-tank self-propelled guns, we did not have to wait long.

The hull of the original vehicle was subjected to minor changes, an armored wheelhouse was installed in the rear of the hull, the tank was supplemented with the Maybach engine, and a more impressive gas tank was redesigned.

Military equipment arrived at the front in late 1943, having received a baptism of fire on the Kursk. Alas, the debut was not what I wanted.

Caterpillars of the tank got stuck due to the large mass, transmission burnt out due to overvoltage. It was decided to transfer from to Italy.

Game Features

In world of Tanks tank   became an assault PT-SPG, thanks to strong frontal armor and a powerful gun. What are its gaming characteristics?

1. Protection- the armor is quite good, but the Fedya does not tank. Not in the best way affects its square geometry of the body. The stern and sides have 80 millimeter armor, therefore not problematic for armor-piercing shells. But there is a plus - it’s not so easy to kill you, it saves a large supply of lives (1,500 hit points).
2. Firepower   “The 88 mm cannon is pretty good overall.” But has little damage. It is worth going straight to the best - 105-mm Pak L / 52. But you can really feel this self-propelled guns only by installing the 128-mm Pak 44 L / 55. The best performance in the game is - 311 mm armor penetration with a sub-caliber or 246 mm base projectile. And with a land mine it’s possible to knock out 630 HP altogether.
3. Dynamics- Ferdinand has a top engine (Porsche Deutz Typ 180/2). Alas, such power is only enough for 30 km / h. I recommend changing tracks to Elefant, this will increase the carrying capacity and maneuverability.
4. Communication, discovery   - if your plans are to shoot at a distance, you can’t do without a radio station. FuG 12 (top-end radio station) holds steady contacts and an impressive distance (over 700 meters). The overview of the tank is standard (370 m), you need to increase it.

Equipment and pumping

How is it worth learning this German tank destroyer? If you used to be dealing with Jpanther, then you’ve already pumped the pre-top 105-mm gun and the top FuG 12 radio station.

If you decide to switch to this tank with the Tiger P, you will receive, together with the connection, the top-engine 2x Porsche Typ 100/3. No need to rebuild, and the gun at the "Fed" is good.

Therefore, we buy caterpillars first. Then we pump the top 128-millimeter gun, and only after that we begin to gradually improve the engine compartment.

The crew has six members. You pump over according to the usual standard PT variant: for the commander, "the sixth sense", everything else - "disguise."

Consumables we take such: “Big repair kit”, “Big first-aid kit”, “Manual fire extinguisher”. To increase the characteristics of the crew, you can also grab the “Chocolate”.

Tactical Tips

The German tank destroyer Ferdinand can both "ditch" on the front line and shoot from afar.

Initially, you need to study the map for good positions. Decide on the direction of attacks. It is important to score more damage.

You can’t tear yourself away from the allies! You will immediately become easy prey for medium and light tanks.

Otherwise, it all depends on what style of play you prefer. Like melee?

Become in a favorable position, for example, in the bushes, and begin to gain damage. After the shots, roll back to cover for reloading.

But you cannot hide forever. Will have to meet face to face with opponents. Use this move: snuggle up to the hills, walls and start throwing away your most powerful plumes.

It’s not worth it to climb particularly forward, but you don’t even have to shun the ram.

There are also tricks to help catch ricochets. You have a long reload time, standing and waiting is simply not worth it. Crawl behind cover behind your back, simultaneously turning your forehead at an acute angle.

You will not be punched in this state by any gun. In the absence of shelter, start fidgeting back and forth, this will make it difficult to target the NLD.

Benefits

1. The tank has good UGN and UVN.
2. Precise, powerful gun.
3. The presence of good frontal armor.

Disadvantages:

1. The armor does not always “dance”.
2. Lack of maneuverability.
3. Weak disguise.
4. The huge body.

Who will love such a German tank destroyer in World of Tanks? Definitely a small number of players. Even in the German branch, Fedya is inferior to lethal specimens.

However, Ferdinand fans are always in the game. With proper skill, the machine contributes to overall success.

In any case, the choice is yours. Have a good battle!