15 cm Pz.W.42
Contents
Description
The 15 cm Pz.W.42 (15 cm Nb.W.41) auf Sf. is a premium rank II German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.53 "Firestorm".
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, rocket launcher mount)
- Structural steel (rocket launcher tubes, undercarriage)
- Wheel (front tires)
Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hull | 8 mm (6°) Engine compartment 8 mm (32°) Driver cabin |
8 mm (31-35°) Top 8 mm (37°) Bottom 8 mm (52°) Engine vents 8 mm + 8 mm (37°) Storage bins |
8 mm (35°) | 8 mm (7°) Engine compartment 8 mm |
Rocket launcher | N/A | 10 mm Launcher mount 8 mm Tubes |
10 mm Launcher mount | 8 mm Tubes |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels are 6 mm thick while tracks are 8 mm thick and torsion bars are 5 mm thick.
- Wheels are 10 mm thick and mudguards are 4 mm thick.
- The belly armour is 8 mm thick.
Armour used on this vehicle is fairly typical of other armoured half-tracks, enough to block rifle calibre machine guns from most angles, but practically non-existent against any anti-tank weapon. That said, it can be surprisingly durable thanks to the large radiator and engine that can soak up shrapnel from high explosive shells which are too small to cause hull break.
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 | 51 | 9 | 7.1 | 97 | 130 | 13.66 | 18.31 |
Realistic | 47 | 9 | 60 | 68 | 8.45 | 9.58 |
The 15 cm Pz.W.42 has decent mobility for a half-track: it is quick enough to get where you want to or behind cover when in trouble. The top reverse speed is -8 km/h (RB).
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Main armament
150 mm Wgr.41 Spr rocket | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
Arcade | 20 | -7°/+51° | ±180° | N/A | 13.2 | 18.3 | 22.2 | 24.6 | 26.1 | 23.40 | 20.70 | 19.08 | 18.00 |
Realistic | 8.9 | 10.5 | 12.8 | 14.1 | 15.0 |
Ammunition
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 | ||
Wgr.41 Spr | Rocket | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
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% | |||||||
Wgr.41 Spr | Rocket | 340 | 39.06 | 0.0 | 0.1 | N/A | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Ammo racks
Full ammo |
Visual discrepancy |
---|---|
20 | No |
Notes
- Rockets deplete from left to right, top row first and then bottom row.
- It is not possible to select how many rockets to bring into battle.
Machine guns
7.92 mm MG42 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
Pintle | 2500 (150) | 1200 | -5°/+35° | ±45° |
A single MG42 is mounted over the driver compartment. It has a limited traverse but is fast firing. Its low calibre makes it useful only for spotting, knocking out unarmored vehicles or getting the occasional assist against low flying planes.
Usage in battles
- Combat tactics
The 15 cm Pz.W.42 is a lightly armoured vehicle and should be played as a long distance tank destroyer. Take advantage of your devastating firepower to disable the strongest opponents while staying at a distance guaranteeing your survivability. Your armour isn't strong enough to resist even machine gun fire beyond 500 m. But your weapon layout allows you to show only a small part of your vehicle. Refrain from rushing towards the frontline: your armour is weak and your mobility is limited so avoid close combat. Your rockets have good penetration power allowing you to stay at a distance but the inaccurate nature of rocket launchers is detrimental to your performance as you'll need two to three rockets to secure a hit on an enemy vehicle. You have no gun sight allowing to set an elevation for a preset distance so you'll have to take ranging shots. The delay between rockets is short but you have only 10 rockets. The drop over distance is very consequent with rockets so targeting enemies beyond 1 km is neigh impossible as you won't be able to keep your eyes on the target to make necessary aim corrections. Your mobility is rather poor, with a rigid suspension, narrow tracks and front tires. Terrain irregularities will make you slow down and hinder your progress. Position your vehicle carefully when sitting at a shooting spot to be able to hide it as soon as you reload.
- Notable enemies
With its thin armour, any enemy can knock out the 15 cm Pz.W.42. But some stand out by their dangerosity:
- Tanks and tank destroyers firing HEAT shells that can cause hullbreak: M4A3 (105), StuH 42 G, Pz.III N, M4A3 (105) (France) and Sav m/43 (1946),
- Fast-firing SPAA vehicles who can shower you continuously with bullets and even detonate your rockets in flight: M15A1 CGMC, Sd.Kfz. 6/2, ZUT-37, BTR-152A, AC Mk II AA, So-Ki, CCKW 353 AA and Lvtdgb m/40.
- How to defeat a 15 cm Pz.W.42
- Do not attack the 15 cm Pz.W.42 frontally as long as it has rockets available. Engage it once all rockets were shot and before the 15 cm Pz.W.42 gets back behind cover.
- Take a shot as quickly as you can, before it can shoot and target the gunner position (under the rocket launcher).
- If the Panzerwerfer is lurking at a good distance, progress under cover and be aware that rockets have a curved trajectory so pick your cover accordingly.
- If you have no other option than to attack it frontally, blind it with smoke before closing the gap or plan a pincer move with a teammate.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Decent mobility
- Fast reload for ten rockets
- Will do huge amounts of damage to SPAA and light tanks due to rockets large blast radius
Cons:
- Poor penetration (~40 mm)
- Paper thin armour, even the smallest calibre machine guns can destroy it
History
Development
Production started in 1942 by the Opel company based on a Maultier half track. It was produced in series from April 1943 to March 1944 together with the accompanying ammunition vehicle, the Sd.Kfz. 4. In total Opel 296 Panzerwerfer 42 and 251 produced ammunition vehicles Sd.Kfz. 4.
In-game description
A modified Nb.Wf.41 ten-barreled rocket-propelled mine-thrower was installed on the adapted chassis of an Opel Maultier tractor trailer enclosed in armor. It was developed in 1942. During its production from 1943 to 1944 about 300 mounts were released. They were widely used by the Wehrmacht. Due to the use of a mine-stabilization system based on rotation, a higher degree of accuracy and lower spread was achieved than that of rocket-propelled projectiles with tailfin stabilization systems.
Media
- Skins
- Images
- Videos
See also
- Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
External links
- [Devblog] T25 Medium Tank and Panzerwerfer 42 Auf.Sf
- [Wikipedia] Panzerwerfer
- [Tanks Encyclopedia] Sd.Kfz.4 Panzerwerfer
Germany tank destroyers | |
---|---|
Pz. I Derivatives | Panzerjäger I |
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Germany premium ground vehicles | |
---|---|
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