Leopard
| This page is about the German destroyer Leopard. For other uses, see Leopard (Disambiguation). |
Contents
Description
The Raubtier-class, Leopard, 1932 was a German Raubtier-class torpedo boat. The Leopard was built as fifth out of six ships built for the German navy in 1920s. She was laid down on 4th May 1927 and commissioned on 15th April 1929. Her main armament as built was made up of three single 10.5 cm SK C/28 cannons and two triple 500 mm torpedo tubes. After modernisation in 1932, the ship received three 12.8 cm SK C/34 cannons as replacement for the older 10.5 cm ones. Anti-aircraft protection was also added in the form of two 2 cm C/38 autocannons. The 500 mm torpedo tubes were removed and replaced by two triple 533 mm launchers amidships. During Spanish Civil War, the ship made multiple non-intervention patrols. After the outbreak of WWII, she patrolled around the Skagerrak inspecting neutral shipping. She took part in invading Norway, landing troops in Bergen. On 30th April, after escorting minelayers from laying a minefield in the Skagerrak, Leopard was accidentally rammed by minesweeper Preussen, and sunk.
The Leopard was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X" as part of the fleet closed beta test. As a starter ship, the Leopard possesses the highest calibre cannons of all starter destroyers, coupled with very high fire rate. However, it also comes with its own drawbacks, such as only 100 rounds per gun and unprotected magazines located on the waterline. The turrets are protected by 8 mm thick antifragmentation armour making them immune only to low calibre machine gun fire. The Leopard is also one of the faster destroyers with a max speed of 63 km/h, her torpedo armament is made up of the G7a torpedoes which have 358.4 kg TNT eq explosive yield and speed of 81 km/h with 6 km range, making them overall a very versatile weapon.
General info
Survivability and armour
With a construction made of steel and a crew of 120 sailors, the survivability of the vessel is normal, but not great. The ship may resist one or two destroyer shots, but quickly will be sunk if you do not do anything to evade.
Armour type:
- Antifragmentation armour
| Armour | Bow (Slope angle) | Sides | Stern | Deck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Armour | Front | Sides | Rear | Roof |
| Turrets | 8 mm Front N/A Gun mantlet |
8 mm | N/A | 8 mm |
Mobility
Among the reserve bluewater ships Leopard is one of the slowest vessels, but it's also the most manoeuvrable. Due to its rather smaller size compared to other destroyers, the Leopard finds it very easy to navigate through narrow corridors, shallow waters, or between enemy torpedoes.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | Turn Time (s) | Turn Radius (m) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||||
| AB | Stock | 57 | 23 | ~84.93 | ~150.19 |
| Upgraded | 77 | 31 | ___ | ___ | |
| RB/SB | |||||
| Upgraded | 63 | 26 | ___ | ___ | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armament
Primary armament
The main armament of the Type 1924 Leopard consists in three 128 mm naval cannons, one at the front of the ship and the other two at the back. These cannons can shoot three types of ammunition. First, the Sprgr. Kpf.Z HE shell with 2 kg of TNT equivalent and a muzzle velocity of 830 m/s. This is the standard ammo for this destroyer. Next is the Sprgr. Bd.z, a base-fused HE shell with more penetration in most cases but with less explosive mass, only 1.4 kg of TNT equivalent and the same muzzle velocity. Finally, the Sprgr. Zt.Z comes with the same amount of TNT and muzzle velocity as the Sprgr. Bd.Z but with a time fuse, which can be useful when engaging enemy aircraft.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 1,000 m | 2,500 m | 5,000 m | 7,500 m | 10,000 m | 15,000 m | ||
| Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z | HE | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Sprgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z | HE | 59 | 50 | 38 | 30 | 24 | 18 |
| Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z | HE-TF | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z | HE | 830 | 28 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.91 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Sprgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z | HE | 830 | 28 | 0.015 | 5 | 1.4 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z | HE-TF | 830 | 28 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.91 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Secondary armament
Leopard is equipped with two 20 mm guns as its secondary armament. These guns provide some protection against low flying aircraft and small torpedo boats, though the main battery will still do most of the damage. The guns are unlikely to instantly dispatch enemy planes, but against lightly armoured planes, and especially a slower one, they will do appreciable damage over time. Against torpedo boats they are mostly effective within 1 km, and only against very lightly armoured boats.
Leopard has 3 belts for its 20 mm:
- Universal: AP-T · AP · HEF-T · HEF
- 20 mm HET magazines: HEF · HEF-T · HEF · AP
- 20 mm APT magazines: AP · AP-T · AP · HEF
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | ||||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| HEF-T | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| AP | 36 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 15 | 11 | |
| AP-T | 36 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 15 | 11 | |
| HEF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HEF-T | 835 | 0.12 | 0 | 0.1 | 10.54 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
| AP | 785 | 0.15 | - | - | - | 47° | 60° | 65° | ||||
| AP-T | 785 | 0.15 | - | - | - | 47° | 60° | 65° | ||||
| HEF | 835 | 0.12 | 0 | 0.1 | 10.54 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
Additional armament
Two triple G7a torpedo launch tubes were mounted on the ship. The G7a is very deadly against any opponents the Leopard might have face at its BR.
Usage in battles
Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Good firepower and accuracy
- G7a torpedoes can knock out any ships at this BR with a few hits
- Good mobility and agility
Cons:
- Poor survivability
- Low crew count
- Lackluster secondary armaments
History
The Type 1924 "Leopard" was a heavy torpedo boat of the six-ship "Type 24" class. Built for the newly-established German Navy in the 1920s, the ships were extremely heavily-armed for a ship of their size. She sailed on several non-intervention patrols for the German Navy during the Spanish civil war, and saw some service in the German Norwegian campaign during World War II. Leopard's service came to an abrupt end in April of 1940, when she was accidentally rammed and sunk by a minelayer she was escorting.
Design and development
The "Type 24" class of 1924 were a class of six heavy torpedo boats built for the German navy. Despite them being extremely heavily armed and close to destroyer-size, they were classified as torpedo boats by the German navy. In War Thunder, these vessels are classified as destroyers. The ships displaced 1,300 tons full load and could make a top speed of 34 knots (63 km/h). They had a crew of 129 crew members, which was relatively small for a destroyer but large for a torpedo boat. Leopard carried three 10.5 cm (4 inch) naval guns, as well as six 500 mm torpedo tubes. Later on, she received two 2 cm Flakvierling anti-aircraft guns for air defence. She was also later refitted with new 12.7 cm (5 inch) naval guns to test their efficiency, and had her torpedo tubes replaced with 533 mm (21 inch) ones. Leopard was the 5th ship to be laid down, built in Wilhelmshaven like her sister ship Jaguar. She was completed by June 1929 and commissioned with the 4th torpedo boat flotilla.
Operational history
Leopard had a relatively uneventful early life, having seen little in terms of events in her first 5 years. During this time, she was refitted with the 2 cm Flakvierling guns, and received 12.7 cm guns to test their suitability for the new German destroyers that were then under construction. During the late 1930s, she made several non-intervention patrols in the seas off of Spain due to the Spanish Civil War.
At the start of the Second World War, Leopard was assigned to the 6th Torpedo Boat flotilla and promptly began minelaying operations in the North Sea. After the commencement of the German Norwegian Campaign, Leopard was one of the torpedo boats tasked with capturing Bergen Harbour. They entered the harbour and flagged themselves as British ships, but the Norwegians were not fooled and began firing at them. However, they failed to hit the force, which landed their troops and captured the harbour. On the way home, however, Leopard was escorting a group of minelayers when she was struck by the minelayer Preussen, and sank.
Media
- Skins
See also
External links
References
- Naval Encyclopedia. (2020, May 22). German ww2 Destroyers. Retrieved January 04, 2021, from https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/nazi-germany/german-destroyers-of-ww2
- NAVYPEDIA. (2007). 1924 Type Torpedo Boats. Retrieved January 04, 2021, from http://www.navypedia.org/ships/germany/ger_tb_1924.htm
| Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven | |
|---|---|
| Torpedo Boats | |
| Raubtier-class | Jaguar · Leopard · Luchs |
| Light Cruisers | |
| K-class | Köln |
| Leipzig-class | Leipzig |
| Unique Ships | Emden |
| Heavy Cruisers | |
| Deutschland-class | Admiral Graf Spee |
| Battleships | |
| Scharnhorst-class | Scharnhorst |
| See also | Kaiserliche Werft (1871 - 1918) |
| Germany destroyers | |
|---|---|
| Torpedo boats | |
| Type 1924 | Jaguar · Leopard · Luchs |
| Type 1939 | T22 · T31 |
| Destoyers | |
| Type 1934A | Z12 Erich Giese · Z15 Erich Steinbrinck |
| Type 1936 | Z20 Karl Galster · Z22 Anton Schmitt |
| Type 1936A | Z25 · Z32 |
| Type 1936B | Z43 |
| Type 1936C | Z46 · Z47 |
