Nashorn

Nashorn

8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.

Waffenträger

Nashorn

8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl.

Waffenträger

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.3	5.3

Class:

Tank destroyer

Research:33 000

Purchase:105 000

Show in game

Description

The 8,8 Pak 43/1 Sf."Nashorn" (Rhinoceros) is a rank III German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.57 "Battle March". It was developed as an interim solution to deal with Soviet heavy tanks on the Eastern front who were immune to the guns of Marders. It consists of an 88 mm anti-tank gun PaK 43 mounted on a Panzer IV chassis. It is also known as the Hornet (Hornisse in German).

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, gun shield, superstructure)
• Structural steel (gun breech, mudguards)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	15 mm (72°) Front glacis 30 mm (27°) Driver port - front 30 mm (21°) Lower glacis 20 mm (21°) Add-on tracks over lower glacis	20 mm 10 mm (33°) Driver port - side	20 mm (10°) 15 mm (9°) Add-on wheels	15 mm (18°) Front glacis from above
Superstructure	15 mm (28°) Conical gun shield 10 mm (35°) Outer panels 10 mm (41°) Inner panels connecting with the gun shield	10 mm (15°)	10 mm (13°)	N/A

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and torsion bars are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
• The bottom of the hull is 15 mm thick and mudguards are 4 mm thick.

The Nashorn's armour is paper-thin; it will not protect the crew or internal modules even from heavy-calibre machine gun fire. And, the vehicle can be hull-broken by high-calibre HE rounds.

The Nashorn also lacks roof protection, making it a very desirable target for enemy fighters and attackers. Stay behind cover to avoid strafing runs or rocket attacks.

One interesting (and somewhat comical) note on the Nashorn's armour is that being so thin, high-penetration shells may pass through it without detonating at all.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	44	9	24.3	426	572	17.53	23.54
Realistic	40	8		265	300	10.91	12.35

Being based on the chassis of the Panzer IV, the Nashorn benefits from the same all-round mobility: the tank accelerates and brakes quickly and is able to reach its max speed of 43 km/h in a dozen of seconds. While there is no neutral steering, turning on the spot is still easily done as it is a light vehicle. The reverse speed is average and won't let you back quickly from a dangerous situation. If you need to quickly turn your hull on the spot towards flanking enemies, privilege the reverse gear as it has more torque. The offroad mobility is good: the Nashorn can reach 12 km/h when climbing uphill from idling and 15 km/h when fording. The "Ostketten" wide tracks for snowy terrain also offer an improved offroad handling. Only big obstacles will hinder your mobility (large trees, concrete blocks, parked vehicles). In short, the Nashorn's mobility is good enough for the role it fulfills.

Armaments

Main armament

88 mm PaK 43					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	40	-5°/+20°	±15°	N/A	10.6	14.6	17.8	19.6	20.9	8.7	7.7	7.1	6.7
Realistic					7.1	8.4	10.2	11.3	12.0

The 88 mm PaK 43 gun has great penetration statistics at all ranges and angles with an average reload time. Due to the vehicle's design, the gun should be used to snipe enemy targets from long ranges. Most enemy tanks will be crippled or destroyed if a shot connects.

Ammunition

The available ammunition allows for engaging all types of targets:

• PzGr 39/43: APCBC; an armour-piercing shell with a high penetration power and an explosive filler that will destroy any tank that is penetrates.
• PzGr 40/43: APCR; a composite round with the best penetration but no explosive filler and will only penetrate flat vertical surfaces.
• Hl.Gr 39: HEAT; a shaped charge with average penetration but without penetration loss over distance. Only penetrates flat vertical surfaces but the post-penetration damage is very effective on open and lightly armoured vehicles. Very slow shell travelling at circa half the speed of your fastest projectiles.
• Sprgr.43: HE; useful for destroying aircraft and lightly armoured vehicles. Slow shell travelling at circa 3/4 of the speed of your fastest projectiles.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
PzGr 39/43	APCBC	237	234	222	207	194	181
PzGr 40/43	APCR	279	273	252	227	205	185
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	110	110	110	110	110	110
Sprgr.43	HE	14	14	14	14	14	14

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
PzGr 39/43	APCBC	1000	10.2	1.2	14	108.8	48°	63°	71°
PzGr 40/43	APCR	1130	7.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	600	7.6	N/A	0.3	1,100	62°	69°	73°
Sprgr.43	HE	820	9.4	0.1	0.5	1,000	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Nashorn

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
40	33 (+7)	25 (+15)	21 (+19)	1 (+39)	No

Notes:

• To go into battle with the flanks empty of ammo, pack 25 (+15) shells (racks 1 and 2 empty).
• Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG34
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle - left side	2500 (150)	900	-5°/+15°	-125°/-5°
Pintle - right side	2500 (150)	900	-5°/+15°	+5°/+120°

The Nashorn has two MG34 (7.92 mm) machine guns covering the vehicle's flanks. Since they are secondary weapons, there are no ammunition belt options. Furthermore, they have various blind spots (e.g. the rear and the front of the tank and the area above the vehicle). The machine guns have an elevation of only +15°, rendering them useless against diving fighters or bombers.

Usage in battles

The Nashorn is a classic German tank destroyer, and its greatest selling point is its armament. The 88 mm PaK 43 gun has great penetration an great destructive power. It can destroy most opponents in one shot, and is an all-around great gun. Reload times are average. The best way to use this gun is in a sniping position, firing from behind a ridgeline or from behind cover. However, the Nashorn has bad gun depression, which can make ridgeline firing sometimes dangerous.

At close ranges, the Nashorn loses much of its effectiveness since it lacks a traversable turret and has poor survivability.

Speaking of, this vehicle's armour is very thin. It will not protect internal components from heavy-calibre machine gun fire, and it certainly can't defend against full-calibre tank shells. Sometimes, high-penetration shells will overpenetrate and pass through the vehicle without detonating, but this should not be counted on; most of the time, any hit that connects will do great damage to the tank. Additionally, this vehicle has a large silhouette and can be hull-broken by sufficiently large rounds. Even worse, the Nashorn is open-top, which means that artillery is a significant threat. Enemy planes will also see the Nashorn as a highly-desirable target, since strafing runs can cripple or destroy the vehicle. The Nashorn has no way of defending against this; it is equipped with machine guns, but they do not have enough elevation to fire at planes. To avoid artillery and fire from planes, stay behind cover--shrubbery and buildings work well for this.

As a sniping-based tank destroyer, the Nashorn's mobility is not its most important feature. Still, it's nice that the vehicle has good mobility all around. The tank accelerates and brakes quickly and is able to reach its max speed of 43 km/h in normal gameplay. While there is no neutral steering, turning on the spot is still easily done as it is a light vehicle. (Even so, the lack of a turret means that flankers are still very deadly. Watch out for them.) The reverse speed is average and won't let you back quickly from a dangerous situation. (This is important to note when peeking out from behind cover to take a shot.) Thanks to its good mobility, the Nashorn is able to reach sniping positions in a reasonable amount of time or to relocate mid-game if necessary.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks	Ostketten	Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	Hl.Gr 39
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		PzGr 40/43

Pros and cons

Pros:

• The powerful 88 mm PaK 43 cannon can destroy most, if not all, opponents in one shot
• The thin armour may cause some shells to overpenetrate (pass through the tank without detonating)
• Two machine guns to deal with lightly armoured targets
• Reload times are faster than those of the Tiger (Germany) tanks.
• The mobility of a Panzer IV

Cons:

• Has next to no armour and can be penetrated by .50 cal machine guns
• Crew are vulnerable to artillery and strafing aircraft
• Ammo racks are exposed on the sides of the crew compartment
• Can be hull-broken
• Horrible gun depression
• Very tall silhouette

History

Also known as the Hornisse (Hornet), the Nashorn comprised a composite Pz III/IV chassis and an 8.8 cm PaK 43 gun. 494 were built and it was used on all fronts in the heavy tank destroyer units from mid-1943 on. The first user was the 655th Schwere Panzerjaegerabteilung in Russia.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Nashorn from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Nashorn Tank Review - NUSensei

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• Pz.IV

Vehicles equipped with the same gun

• Waffenträger
• Jagdpanther / Bfw. Jagdpanther
• Ferdinand

External links

• [Devblog] Nashorn: the German ‘Rhinoceros’
• [Wikipedia] Nashorn
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] 8.8 cm PaK 43/1 auf Fgst.Pz.Kpfw III und IV (Sf) Sd.Kfz. 164 “Nashorn”