Luchs

Luchs

Luchs

Germany

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	3.7	3.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Destroyer

Purchase:250

Show in game

Description

The Raubtier-class, Luchs, 1932 was a German Raubtier-class torpedo boat. The Luchs was laid down on 2nd April 1927 and commissioned on 15th April 1929. Her main armament as built was made up of three single 10.5 cm SK C/28 cannons and two triple 500 mm torpedo tubes. After modernisation in 1932, the ship received three 12.8 cm SK C/34 cannons as replacement for the older 10.5 cm ones. The anti-aircraft protection was also added in form of two 2 cm C/38 autocannons. The 500 mm torpedo tubes were removed and replaced by two triple 533 mm launchers amidship. During the Spanish Civil War, the ship made multiple non-intervention patrols. On 18th February 1940, she escorted Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Admiral Hipper that were participating in Operation Nordmark, a search for Allied shipping in the North Sea. During the Norwegian campaign, she landed troops tasked with capturing Kristiansand and OdderØya Fortress. During the battle, on 9th April, cruiser Karlsruhe was sunk by torpedoes from British submarine HMS Truant, while Luchs managed to evade the torpedoes. After the evasion, Luchs went for a depth charge run, damaging the submarine in the process. The damaged Truant managed to escape. On 1th April, she and her sister Seeadler assisted heavy cruiser Lützow after being torpedoed by HMS Spearfish. On 26th July, she was escorting damaged Gneisenau back to port, when at 15:49 an explosion occurred. Luchs broke in half and sunk with loss of 102 men. Gneisenau's lookouts reported torpedo tracks in the water, and it was assumed that Luchs was hit by torpedoes aimed at Gneisenau. Luchs was sunk by HMS Thames, which was lost with all hands shortly after sinking of Luchs most likely due to hitting a mine.

The Luchs was introduced in Update "New Power". As a starter premium ship, Luchs possesses the highest calibre cannons of all starter destroyers, coupled with very high fire rate. However, it also come with its own drawbacks, such as only 100 rounds per gun and unprotected magazines located on the waterline. The turrets are protected by 8 mm thick antifragmentation armour making them immune only to low calibre machine gun fire. Luchs is also one of the faster destroyers with a max speed of 63 km/h, her torpedo armament is made of the G7a torpedoes which have 358.4 kg TNT eq explosive yield and speed of 81 km/h with 6 km range, making them overall a very versatile weapon.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull16 mm (steel)

Superstructure4 mm (steel)

Number of section7

Displacement1 320 t

Crew120 people

Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB77 / 31 km/h

RB63 / 26 km/h

Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	77	31
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	63	26

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB144

RB210

Total cost of modifications4 680

480

Crew training150

Experts1 000

Aces20

Research Aces145 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 30 / 60 / 50 %

2 × 75 / 75 / 75 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 450 Cost: 45 55 Rudder Replacement Propeller Replacement Engine Maintenance	Damage Control Division Fire Division Smokescreen Research: 330 Cost: 35 40 Shrapnel Protection Research: 450 Cost: 45 55 Ventilation Research: 450 Cost: 45 55 New Pumps Ammo Wetting Research: 720 Cost: 75 90	20 mm HET magazines Research: 450 Cost: 45 55 128mm_ger_HE_naval_base_fuze_ammo_pack Research: 450 Cost: 45 55 Auxiliary Armament Targeting 20 mm APT magazines Research: 330 Cost: 35 40 128mm_ger_he_naval_dist_fuze_ammo_pack Research: 330 Cost: 35 40 Primary Armament Targeting Improved Rangefinder Torpedo Mode Research: 720 Cost: 75 90

Armament

Primary armament

3 х Turret12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 naval gun

Ammunition100 rounds

Vertical guidance-10° / 30°

The main armament of the Luchs consists of three 128 mm naval cannons, one at the front of the ship and the other two at the back. These cannons can shoot three types of ammunition. First, the Sprgr. Kpf.Z HE shell with 2 kg of TNT equivalent and a muzzle velocity of 830 m/s. This is the standard ammo for this destroyer. Next is the Sprgr. Bd.Z, a base-fused HE shell with more penetration in most cases but less explosive mass, only 1.4 kg of TNT equivalent and the same muzzle velocity. Finally, the Sprgr. Zt.Z comes with the same amount of TNT and muzzle velocity as the Sprgr. Bd.Z but with a time fuse, which can be useful when engaging enemy aircraft.

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

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

2 х Turret2 cm/65 C/38 automatic cannon

Ammunition2000 rounds

Belt capacity40 rounds

Fire rate480 shots/min

Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control Select secondary weapon. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.

• Universal: AP-T · AP · HEF-T · HEF
• 20 mm HET magazines: HEF · HEF-T · HEF · AP
• 20 mm APT magazines: AP · AP-T · AP · HEF

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HEF-T	2	2	2	2	2	2
AP	36	35	27	20	15	11
AP-T	36	35	27	20	15	11
HEF	2	2	2	2	2	2

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HEF-T	835	0.12	0	0.1	10.54	79°	80°	81°
AP	785	0.15	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
AP-T	785	0.15	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
HEF	835	0.12	0	0.1	10.54	79°	80°	81°

Additional armament

Setup 16 x 533 mm G7a torpedo

Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.

Usage in battles

Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the 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:

Cons:

History

Type 1924 Luchs as seen in 1934.

The Type 1924 Luchs was the fourth of six Type 1924 large torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine in the 1920s. With a substantial main and secondary armament, the Type 1924 class ships were among the heaviest armed torpedo boats of their era. Luchs was commissioned in the late 1920s, and sailed on several non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War. She served extensively during the early days of the Second World War and was eventually sunk by a torpedo or mine in July of 1940.

Design and development

The "Type 24" class of 1924 were a class of six heavy torpedo boats built for the German navy. Despite them being extremely heavily armed and close to destroyer-size, they were classified as torpedo boats by the German navy. In War Thunder, these vessels are classified as destroyers. The ships displaced 1,300 tons full load and could make a top speed of 34 knots (63 km/h). They had a crew of 129 crew members, which was relatively small for a destroyer but large for a torpedo boat. Luchs carried three 10.5 cm (4 inch) naval guns, as well as six 533 mm torpedo tubes. Later on, she received four 2 cm Flakvierling anti-aircraft guns for air defence. Luchs was the fourth ship of her class to be laid down, in April of 1927 at Wilhelmshaven. Following her completion, she was commissioned in April of 1929.

Operational history

After her commissioning, the Luchs sailed on several non-intervention patrols to the area around Spain during the Spanish Civil War; there is little other information about her pre-war service. Upon the start of the Second World War, Luchs was active in the North Sea area, laying mines and providing cover for capital ships. She later escorted the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper into the Norwegian area at the start of the German Norwegian campaign.

Later on in early 1940, Luchs was assigned to an invasion force intending to capture the Norwegian port city of Kristensand. The task force consisted of the Konigsberg-class light cruiser Karlsruhe, Luchs, and her sister-ship Seeadler. The ships ended up in a lengthy engagement with the Norwegian coastal battery defending the city. Initially, the troop-laden ships were hit and ordered to turn back to make a second run, this time angling to enable the use of all their main guns. Several more attempts by the German force failed to destroy the battery, as their poor accuracy sent more shells into the city than onto the battery itself.

Finally, the German commander ordered one more run, transferring all the invasion troops into four smaller E-boats. Due to some confusion by the Norwegian battery believing the German ships to be Allied vessels, the troops landed without issue and captured the city. Luchs then set out to sea again, escorting the Karlsruhe back towards Kiel. During this time, the Karlsruhe was hit by a torpedo from a British submarine and damaged; the Luchs took prompt action to depth-charge the attacker, which succeeded in doing damage but failed to sink the attacker. In July, the Luchs was ordered to escort the crippled battleship Gneisenau after she was damaged by Allied bombers. However, during this time, the Luchs suddenly exploded and sank. It is not known what caused her sudden demise, but it is believed that she was either torpedoed or hit an allied mine.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Related development

• Leopard
• Jaguar

External links

References

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

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

Germany premium ships
Motor torpedo boats	LS 4 Esau · KM-5 · S-204 Lang · S-701
Minelayers	VS-8
Sub-chasers	M-802
Frigates	Lübeck
Destroyers	Jaguar · Luchs · T31 · Z20 Karl Galster · Z25 · Z47
Light cruisers	Karlsruhe
Heavy cruisers	Prinz Eugen
Battleships	SMS Nassau