VK 45.01 (P)

VK 45.01 (P)

VK 45.01 (P)

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.3	5.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Heavy tank

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Description

The VK 45.01 (P) is a premium rank III German heavy tank with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was first revealed during the dev server (v1.44) period before the release of Update 1.45 "Steel Generals". When the update was released, the tank was not made available. In 2015, it was a reward for completing the "Christmas/New Year" quests in the Winter Holiday marathon. In July 2016, it was available again as a reward in "Battle of Kursk" tournament during "Summer Maneuvers".

The VK 4501 P, like the Tiger I, is a heavy tank with a great gun for long range firing. It has the same amount of armour and the same gun as the Tiger H1 (Though it does not have access to the Pzgr. shell). Size-wise, the VK 4501 P is slightly longer and slightly narrower than the Tiger H1. Despite the similarities, the VK 4501 P is often called a "worse tiger". When played right however, this is not so at all. The main weakness of the VK 4501 P is that it has hull cheeks on the front of its hull. Attempting to angle your armour will only allow the enemy to shoot these weak points, which they can easily pen as they have the same armour values as the side armour. In other words, if fighting an enemy, you should either take cover or turn the front of your hull directly towards them. Because the hull cheeks are angled compared to the front armour, if the enemy is your hull is facing directly towards the enemy the hull cheeks will have more effective armour than your frontal armour, so they are not a weak point when the tank is not angled. The turret traverse speed is also slow, slower than that of the Tiger H1, meaning it's better to snipe.

But what the VK 4501 P lacks in effective armour and turret traverse speed it makes up for reverse speed and a few other advantages. Firstly, the transmission is harder to hit since it's mounted in the rear- you will be harder to immobilize. Secondly, the turret is placed at the front of the vehicle, so it doesn't need to expose as much of the tank when peeking out of cover to shoot an enemy. These two advantages go great with its next, and biggest advantage: its phenomenal reverse speed.Strangely enough, even though it's a heavy tank, the VK 4501 P has one of the fastest reverse speeds in game, tied with the Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P), but the Spähpanzer Ru 251 holds the current title for the best reverse speed in War Thunder. Because of this attribute, the VK is better for Peek-a-Boo tactics (behind cover, over-extend and shoot, go back in cover to reload). than the Tiger H1. Whereas the Tiger H1 can angle and take more shots, the VK 4501 P is much better at shooting from and retreating into cover, essentially meaning it doesn't have to take those shots in the first place.

General info

Survivability and armour

The VK 45.01 (P) has 102 mm of frontal armour and 82 mm of armour on the cheeks of the hull and sides of the hull. The lower front plate also has 82mm of armour. The engine and transmission are all located at the rear of the tank so most frontal shots won't damage them, however, all the ammo is stowed right behind the thinner pieces of armour on the cheeks of the hull. At with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB/SB), a majority of Soviet and American tanks can pen this spot and cause ammo explosions. The crew are spaced out but a centre of mass shots with APHE shells will knock out the entire crew.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	102 mm (9°) Front plate 62 mm (78°), 102 mm (30°) Front glacis 82 mm (46°) Lower glacis	82 mm	82 mm	26 mm
Turret	100 mm Turret front 90 - 200 mm Gun mantlet	82 mm	82 mm	26 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	80 mm	26 mm

Notes:

• Turret front covered by gun mantlet has variable thickness depending on exact place, ranging from 90 to 200 mm of armour.
• The side of the hull where the suspension lies is only 62 mm thick compared to the top area, so beware of this glaring weak point.
• The rear of the hull and turret has some tracks attached that provides an extra 30 mm of armour protection.

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	38	35	57	800	1,192	14.04	20.91
Realistic	36	33		548	625	9.61	10.96

Armaments

Main armament

88 mm KwK 36
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
80			-8°/+16°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	6.47	8.96	__.__	__.__	12.80
Realistic	4.76	5.60	__.__	__.__	8.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
9.62	__.__	__.__	7.40

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
PzGr 39	APCBC	164	162	151	139	127	117
Sprgr. L/4,5	HE	13	13	12	12	12	12
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	110	110	110	110	110	110

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
PzGr 39	APCBC	773	10.20	0.8	28	108.8	+4°	48°	63°	71°
Sprgr. L/4,5	HE	820	9.00	0.1	0.5	698	+0°	79°	80°	81°
Hl.Gr 39	HEAT	600	7.64	0.0	0.3	1,100	+0°	62°	69°	73°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Pz.Bfw.VI (P).

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
80	67 (+13)	53 (+27)	40 (+40)	27 (+53)	14 (+66)	1 (+79)	Yes

Left side empty: 40 (+40)

Machine guns

7.92 mm MG 34
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,800 (150)				900	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

One of the flaws of its armour design is that it cannot be effectively angled at all. Because of its front hull cheeks, that are only 82 mm thick, even the slightest angling makes them very vulnerable to all guns, and to make matters even worse, ammunition is stored right behind them on both sides (unless one carries less ammunition).

The gameplay is very similar to the Tiger E. Avoid direct close range confrontations (although the Porsche can hold its ground a lot better there), where its weak spots can be targeted, or be flanked easily, and rather use its excellent accurate gun to outshoot the opponents from afar while using the terrain and various obstacles as cover (Hulldown manoeuvre). Refrain from angling the armour, as opposed to Box-shaped Henschel Tigers, because of the vulnerable front hull cheeks and much thinner side armour. 204 mm of front hull armour can defeat a lot of shells even completely un-angled, and even more at a high distance.

Remember about the high reverse speed (31 km/h!), if the situation is becoming dire, try to retreat from it by reversing while still facing the opponents with 200 mm of front armour and dangerous gun!

Lastly, remember that that the Pz.Bef.Wg.VI P BR is quite high, and it can meet opponents that are almost invulnerable to the 88 mm gun from the front (even when using APCR), and/or can still instantly destroy the Pz.Bef.Wg.VI P with one well-aimed shot.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Petrol-electric engine and transmission offers fast reverse and forward speed
• Very powerful 88mm gun
• Decent frontal turret and hull armmour
• Able to neutral steering
• Weighs slightly less than the Tiger H1
• Better turret placement than the Tiger H1, you expose less of your tank when pulling out of cover to snipe targets to your side
• Transmission is mounted in the rear, making the vehicle harder to immobilize when hit in the front

Cons:

• Slower turret rotation speed compared to Tiger I's
• Less ammo than Tiger I's
• Thin hull cheek armour
• No anti-air machine gun
• Longer hull compared to Tiger I's
• Ammo racks offer great targets around the fighting compartment
• Low maneuverability, susceptible to being outflanked by more quicker adversaries

History

Development

In 1942, a program to submit a heavy tank design weighing 45 tons mounting the 88 mm KwK 36 cannon derived from the successful 88 mm FlaK gun was launched on May 21. Two companies, Henschel and Porsche were contracted to design the tank hull that could mount the turret designed by Krupp.

Porsche's development for this project was to upgrade their existing VK 30.01 (P) medium tank design, adapting parts from the tank into their new heavy tank. This heavy tank designed by Porsche was designated the VK 45.01 (P) and was powered by twin air-cooled gasoline Porsche Type 101/1 engines that were in the rear of the tank. Each engine drives a separate generator on each side of the tank that would then each power one of the two electric motors for each track. This design resulted in the tank being prone to breakdown due to complexity, high-maintenance, and deficiency in copper quality available for use.

The vehicle was displayed to Hitler on his birthday on April 20, 1942 alongside the Henschel version VK 45.01 (H). Unlike the Henschel variant, which had the turret mounted mid-hull, the Porsche version had the turret mounted far forward on the hull in order to make space for its rear engines and drive system. The tank was then evaluated by a technical commission headed by Albert Speer and it was found that the Henschel design was superior to the Porsche design as it was more mobile, more reliable, and easier to enter production. The Henschel version was accepted into service by the German Wehrmacht and was designated the Tiger I, while the Porsche variant was sidelined. Only five VK 45.01 (P) were created during the trials before its rejection.

Usage

Before even the evaluations began, Porsche was so confident that their design would be chosen that one hundred chassis of the VK 45.01 (P) was already produced. With the Henschel version chosen, the chassis were no longer needed to be made into a tank format, but it would be a waste to simply scrap them. These chassis were converted into case mate structures that could mount the new 88 mm Pak 43 cannon, which was longer and more powerful than the KwK 36 on the Tiger I. This would be called the Ferdinand tank destroyer, later redesignated as the Elefant.Three VK 45.01 (P) was also converted into recovery vehicles designated the Bergepanzer Tiger(P).

Out of the five VK 45.01 (P) produced from its development to its rejection, only one saw service in World War II. The tank had the chassis number 150013 and was converted into a command tank, thus was designated the Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P). As a command tank, the tank would have much more radios than usual to allow for command communication between tank units and headquarters. Another feature on the Panzerbefehlswagen VI (P) was that an extra 100 mm of armour was welded onto the front hull armour, bringing the original 100 mm hull armour to 200 mm effective in thickness. The tank was used by Hauptmann Grillenberg in turret number 003 and the tank saw service on the Eastern Front with the Ferdinand units, serving in Tank Destroyer Battalion 653. It was deployed in April 1944, but was then lost in July of the same year.

Media

Skins and camouflages for the VK 4501 P from live.warthunder.com.

Sights

• RideR2's Realistic gunsight (TZF4a, TZF 5a/b/d/e/f/f2, TZF 9b/b1/c/d, TZF 12/a) for Pzkpfw II, Pzkpfw III, Pzkpfw IV, Pzkpfw V, Pzkpfw VI

Videos

Dev server footage end 2014

See also

• Pz.Bfw.VI (P): Premium, up-armoured command tank variant.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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

Germany heavy tanks
Tiger 1 (Henschel)	Tiger H1 · Tiger E · ␠Tiger
Tiger 1 (Porsche)	VK 45.01 (P) · Pz.Bef.Wg.VI P
Tiger 2	Tiger II (P) · Tiger II (H) · Tiger II (H) Sla.16 · Tiger II (10.5 cm Kw.K)
Super heavy tanks	Maus · E-100
Trophies
Great Britain	▀Pz.Kpfw. Churchill
USSR	▀KV-IB · ▀KW I C 756 (r) · ▀KW II 754 (r)

Winter events
2022	Winter Quest
Pilot stars	Late 298D · ◄Tornado IDS MFG
Tanker stars	T-80UM2
Sailor stars	USS Newport News
2021	Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.
Pilot stars	C. 202D · ◊MiG-23MF
Tanker stars	A.C.I · AGS
Sailor stars	IJN Hayanami · MPK Pr.201K
2020	Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.
Pilot stars	Ro.57 Quadriarma · MiG-21PFM
Tanker stars	E.B.R. (1954) · Class 3 (P)
Sailor stars	Type K-8 No.13 · USS Baltimore
2019	Operation F.R.O.S.T.
Pilot stars	TIS MA · J6K1
Tanker stars	QF 3.7 Ram · ▃Merkava Mk.2B
Sailor stars	PT-811 · Jaguar
2018	Festive Quest
Pilot stars	M.B.152C1 · Fw 190 C
Tanker stars	SU-85A · T30
Christmas Lights	P-43A-1 · Comet I "Iron Duke IV"
2017	Festive Quest
Pilot christmas toys	P-40C · NC.900
Tanker christmas toys	AEC Mk II · Ersatz M10
Christmas Lights	Fw 189 A-1 · KV-2 (1940)
2016	Winter Holiday
Pilot stages	Ki-21-I hei · Me 262 A-2a
Tanker stages	▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2) · ▂Type 62
2015	War Thunder Fulfills Your Wishes!
Pilot reward	▂P-63C-5
Tanker reward	VK 45.01 (P)
2014	Holiday War Thunder Marathon!
Pilot reward	I-301
Tanker reward	M8A1 GMC