Sd.Kfz.221 (s.Pz.B.41)
Contents
Description
The le.Pz.Sp.Wg. (s.Pz.B.41) Sd.Kfz.221 is a rank I German light tank with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X".
General info
Survivability and armour
The Sd.Kfz.221 has very weak armour. It gets penetrated on every side, so you should think of it as if you have no armour at all.
The problem of the Sd.Kfz. 221 isn't really the armour. It's that the gunner is exposed. A single coaxial bullet can knock him out and due to the vehicle only having two crew members, will either take out the vehicle entirely from the game in RB/SB, or leave it a sitting duck in AB due to Crew Replenishment.
Mobility
The mobility, on the other hand, is great for a wheeled vehicle. The double steering axles allow it to make tight turns even though it is a wheeled vehicle. There is, however, one main flaw with the double steering axles design, it is difficult to drive straight forward after making the slightest turn. The vehicle has a tendency to oversteer by itself and requires adjustments to keep it driving straight. This is extremely problematic if driving at full speed. To counter this problem, it is best to simply slow down before making turns. An alternative is to enable "Driver Assist" in the controls, so slight adjustments of the mouse steer it properly instead.
Armaments
Main armament
The 28/20mm s.Pz.B.41 squeezebore cannon fires only one ammo type, the 2.8/2cm PzGr.41. The round has an extremely high muzzle velocity of 1400 m/s and penetrates 95 mm at 10 m distance against flat armour. Against 30-degree armour, it penetrates an acceptable 73 mm, but at steep angles it penetrates just 22mm. Rate of fire is excellent like most low-rank guns, but currently like all APCR, the post-penetration damage is poor.
Usage in battles
Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Very fast in a straight line (80 kph)
- Excellent Power/Weight Ratio (35.75 hp/ton AB, 18.75 hp/ton RB/SB) makes its top speed practically achievable
- Good rate of fire from the main gun (3.9s stock, 3.0s aced)
- Good penetration from the 28/20 mm ammunition of 95mm at point blank
- Small profile
- Low shell drop due to 1400 m/s muzzle velocity
Cons:
- Limited gun arc
- Thin armour, easily penetrable by most all vehicles and aircraft
- Wheeled vehicle, cannot neutral steer like tanks and must be moving forward/backward to steer
- Wheeled vehicle, not much traction (and therefore speed or acceleration) on snow or sand unless you stick to roads
- Can easily tip over in a sharp turn
- Only 2 crew members; one crew member lost = instant loss (especially if you don't have Crew Replenishment researched)
- APCR is the only ammo choice, post-pen damage is almost completely inadequate for all but the smallest enemy tanks.
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the 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
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, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === Encyclopedia Info ===
, also if applicable).
Media
-by TheEuropeanCanadian
See also
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- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
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- encyclopedia page on the tank;
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Germany light tanks | |
---|---|
Pz.II | Pz.II C · Pz.II C (DAK) · Pz.II C TD · Pz.II F · Pz.Sfl.Ic |
Sd.Kfz.234 | Sd.Kfz.234/1 · Sd.Kfz.234/2 · Sd.Kfz.234/2 TD |
Marder | Marder A1- · Marder 1A3 · Begleitpanzer 57 · DF105 |
SPz PUMA | PUMA · PUMA VJTF |
Wheeled | Sd.Kfz.221 (s.Pz.B.41) · Class 3 (P) · Radkampfwagen 90 · Boxer MGS |
Other | Ru 251 · SPz 12-3 LGS |
Argentina | TAM · TAM 2C · TAM 2IP · JaPz.K A2 |
Czechoslovakia | Pz.35(t) · Pz.38(t) A · Pz.38(t) F · Pz.38(t) n.A. · Sd.Kfz. 140/1 |
France | Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) KwK |
Lithuania | Vilkas |
USA | leKPz M41 |
USSR | SPz BMP-1 |