LS 3

LS 3

Z25

S-38

LS 3

Z25

S-38

Germany

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Motor torpedo boat

Boat

Research:Free

Purchase:Free

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Description

The LS 3 is a reserve rank I German destroyer with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X" as part of the fleet closed beta test.

General info

Survivability and armour

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 armament separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Tips for preserving survivability should be saved for the "Use in battle" section.

If necessary, use a graphic template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.

Mobility

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

Armament

Primary armament

• One 15 mm MG 151/15 cannon (1200 rounds)

The 15 mm MG 151/15 can be deadly in proper hands. It has an insane fire rate of 750 rates per minute, which means it can take small boats and aircrafts in its BR in seconds. However, this cannon overheats easily, so never keep firing for too long. Like the AN/M2 MG, this gun has large belt capacity and long reloading time.

Torpedo armament

• Two 450 mm LT 1A/1 torpedoes

Usage in battles

The LS3 is one of the better reserve vessels, with a fairly flexible main armament, providing a 360-degree firing arc without any elevation limitations owing to its elevated position. While it only possesses a single gun, it is capable of hitting well above its weight class when used correctly. Because of its small size and similarly small crew complement, it is recommended to not engage in direct confrontations against large surface combatants, especially at range. Its single autocannon is difficult to land hits at moving targets at range, and its small size makes medium calibre AA guns incredibly deadly against the LS 3. Vessels like the 80 ft Nasty and later R-boats are to be avoided due to the presence of a large autocannon.

What it lacks in the protection area it makes up in mobility. The LS 3 is second to only the G-5 in terms of speed. This in tandem with its incredibly tight turning circle and slim profile, makes the LS 3 very well suited for flanking capture points. Use its speed to sneak in to capture points and rush at vessels that may be occupying it. Its high top speed also makes it useful to rush cap points at the beginning of a match. That being said, be careful not to overextend, or you will find yourself overwhelmed very quickly. Instead, use its superior speed to be the first to reach a capture point, and hide behind an island, selectively engaging enemies that come into the line of sight or attempt to contest the point.

Trigger discipline is absolutely necessary when sailing the LS 3, as the gun can overheat to offset its high ammo capacity. Avoid firing in more than 2-second bursts when engaging at the effective range, and be sure to watch the gun heat when engaging at close range. In the event of an overheat, you will have to load the gun again, costing time which is crucial in the knife fights this vessel is best suited for. To maximize the chance of a kill in a single burst, be sure to rake up and down the entire length of an enemy vessel if it shows its broadside. This is advisable in any PT boat, but especially to the LS 3 due to the gun overheating. Use universal belts for the high explosive rounds.

To take advantage of the vessel’s short beam, engage head-on when possible, and tack to port and starboard erratically to throw off aim. This also helps with aiming as you no longer have to worry about having to compensate for the movement of your own vessel. Avoid firing while broadside, as this, unnecessarily exposes the entire side of the vessel and your crew, and the lack of additional guns makes such a manoeuvre pointless.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decently powerful MG 151 cannon
• High top speed can make it difficult to lead and destroy
• Very good manoeuvrability, can change direction quickly
• High ammo capacity, able to outlast contemporaries in a firefight with good trigger discipline
• Relatively high rate of fire

Cons:

• Gun is capable of overheating, limits the usefulness of high ammo capacity
• Very fragile, incredibly vulnerable to 37 mm and 40 mm fire.
• Elevated gun position makes it vulnerable to damage
• Single gun eliminates almost all offensive capability if disabled
• Long reload time
• Low ammo count over all; limited to two magazines.

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship 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 an 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.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

See also

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• reference to the series of the ship;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on ship;
• other literature.