Difference between revisions of "Sd.Kfz. 140/1"

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(Survivability and armour: Completed section)
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! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
|-
 
|-
| Hull || ___ mm || ___ mm ''Top'' <br> ___ mm ''Bottom'' || ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
+
| Hull || 15 mm (25°) ''Upper plate - Top'' <br> 50 mm (19°) ''Upper plate - Bottom'' <br> 15 mm (15°) ''Upper plate - Cheeks'' <br> 30 mm (74°) ''Upper glacis'' <br> 50 mm (15°) ''Lower plate''  <br> 8 mm (66°) ''Lower glacis'' || 15 mm (6-31°) ''Top'' <br> 30 mm ''Bottom'' || 15 mm (2-10°) ''Upper plate'' <br> 30 mm (14°) ''Lower plate'' || 30 mm (16°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 10 mm ''Crew compartment'' <br> 15 mm (0-30°) ''Engine deck''
 
|-
 
|-
| Turret || ___ - ___ mm ''Turret front'' <br> ___ mm ''Gun mantlet'' || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm || ___ - ___ mm
+
| Turret || 30 mm (36°) ''Turret front'' <br> 10 mm (6°) + 30 mm (36°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 10 mm (37°) || 8 mm (38°) || N/A
|-
 
| Cupola || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm || ___ mm
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
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'''Notes:'''  
 
'''Notes:'''  
 
* Suspension wheels, tracks and bogies are 15 mm thick.
 
* Suspension wheels, tracks and bogies are 15 mm thick.
 +
* The belly armour is 8 mm thick.
 +
* Mudguards and storage boxes are 4 mm thick.
  
 
This vehicle is all-around better than the Flakpanzer I at the same BR in the tech tree. It has a 50 mm front plate, a 30 mm sloped turret, and four crew members spaced out nicely.
 
This vehicle is all-around better than the Flakpanzer I at the same BR in the tech tree. It has a 50 mm front plate, a 30 mm sloped turret, and four crew members spaced out nicely.

Revision as of 23:39, 2 December 2020

Sd.Kfz. 140/1
germ_pzkpfw_38t_aufklarungspanzer.png
Sd.Kfz. 140/1
AB RB SB
1.7 2.0 2.0
Show in game
STORE
This page is about the premium German light tank Sd.Kfz. 140/1. For other uses, see LT-38 (Family).

Description

GarageImage SdKfz140-1.jpg


The Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) (also known as the Sd.Kfz. 140/1) is a premium gift rank I German light tank with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB) and 2.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before Update 1.41.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret)
  • Structural steel (storage boxes, mudguards)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 15 mm (25°) Upper plate - Top
50 mm (19°) Upper plate - Bottom
15 mm (15°) Upper plate - Cheeks
30 mm (74°) Upper glacis
50 mm (15°) Lower plate
8 mm (66°) Lower glacis
15 mm (6-31°) Top
30 mm Bottom
15 mm (2-10°) Upper plate
30 mm (14°) Lower plate
30 mm (16°) Front glacis
10 mm Crew compartment
15 mm (0-30°) Engine deck
Turret 30 mm (36°) Turret front
10 mm (6°) + 30 mm (36°) Gun mantlet
10 mm (37°) 8 mm (38°) N/A

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels, tracks and bogies are 15 mm thick.
  • The belly armour is 8 mm thick.
  • Mudguards and storage boxes are 4 mm thick.

This vehicle is all-around better than the Flakpanzer I at the same BR in the tech tree. It has a 50 mm front plate, a 30 mm sloped turret, and four crew members spaced out nicely.

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 65 7 11 248 305 22.55 27.73
Realistic 59 7 142 160 12.91 14.55

The speed and power-to-weight ratio of the Sd.Kfz. 140/1 are both superior to the Flakpanzer I, being 58 km/h forward, -6 km/h backwards, and a power-to-weight ratio of 15.45 hp/ton.

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: KwK38 (20 mm)

This tank is equipped with the 20 mm KwK38, which is one of the better low-rank guns. It has good HE for taking out planes, 36 mm pen API, and 64 mm pen HVAP. Unlike the Flakpanzer I, the HVAP belt is full HVAP instead of half.

20 mm KwK38 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 300 (10) 450 -4°/+70° ±180° N/A __.__ __.__ __.__ __.__ __.__ _.__ _.__ _.__ _.__
Realistic __.__ __.__ __.__ __.__ __.__

Ammunition

  • Default: API-T · HEFI-T*
  • Sprgr.: HEFI-T*
  • PzGr: API-T
  • PzGr 40: HVAP-T
Penetration statistics
Belt Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
Default 36 34 26 19 14 10
Sprgr. 2 2 2 2 2 2
PzGr 36 34 26 19 14 10
PzGr 40 64 63 26 8 3 1
Belt details
Belt Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Sprgr. HEFI-T* 900 0.12 0.0 0.1 10.2 79° 80° 81°
PzGr API-T 780 0.15 N/A N/A N/A 47° 60° 65°
PzGr 40 HVAP-T 1,050 0.1 N/A N/A N/A 66° 70° 72°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Sd.Kfz. 140/1
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
30 25 (+5) 19 (+11) 13 (+17) (+23) (+29) No

Notes:

  • Racks disappear after all shells in the rack have been shot or loaded.

Machine guns

Main article: MG42 (7.92 mm)

This tank has a coaxial 7.92 mm MG 42 machine gun that is a sufficient fallback to the FlaK 38. The MG42 is unlikely to be of help against other ground vehicles but is best used between reloads to maintain a semi-constant rate of fire on enemy aircraft.

7.92 mm MG42
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 1,800 (150) 1,200 N/A N/A

Usage in battles

The Sd.Kfz.140/1 is simply better than the Flakpanzer I. Faster, more mobile, better-armoured, not hull-breakable, better APCR belt, less wobbly suspension, and better survivability. It does the same job as its main tree brethren, flanking and taking out specific targets of opportunity with the HVAP. Like the other two flankers, it cannot deal with B1 bis, B1 ter, or Valentine Mk I at all, but otherwise, it can shred everything it encounters.

The only cons it has versus the Flakpanzer I are gun depression of just -4 degrees (Flakpanzer's -10 degrees) and slower turret traverse of 12.4 degrees/sec (Flakpanzer's 24.5 degrees/sec). Also, the reload rate is half what the Flakpanzer I or Gepard have, 7.6 seconds vs their 3.9 seconds.

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive Sprgr.
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire PzGr
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism
IV Transmission Engine Artillery Support PzGr 40
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Armed with a powerful 20 mm cannon that has a really high rate of fire.
  • The 20 mm HVAP magazine has incredible close range penetration and damage potential thanks to all the spalling. Hitting an enemy with all 10 rounds will either kill crew, or leave the vehicle severely damaged.
  • Can carry almost twice the amount of ammo that the Pz.II C or F can.
  • The high rate of fire coupled with the 70 degrees of gun elevation makes this vehicle an effective anti-aircraft tank.
  • The hull has an impressive 50 mm of armour on the front while the turret has 30 mm of angled armour.
  • Very fast and highly mobile. Can keep up with many of the armoured cars at Rank I.
  • Many tanks at this BR have exposed crew members. This makes the coaxial MG42 an excellent way of taking out exposed enemy crew without having to waste any 20 mm shells.
  • With this tank being so effective at flanking, ambushing, brawling, and acting as an AA screen; the Sd.Kfz. 140/1 is one of the best pound-for-pound tanks in the game.

Cons:

  • There's only a 15 mm plate of armour between the turret and chassis making it a massive weak spot if shot.
  • Only 15 mm of armour on the flat corners of the upper hull and hull sides. Angling is not a good tactic to employ.
  • A really tall tank with a high center of gravity. Not only is this tank difficult to hide, but a really sharp turn can cause the tank to flip over.
  • Only 4 degrees of gun depression. That coupled with this tank's height makes this vehicle ill-suited for cresting ridge lines.
  • Longer reload time between magazine reloads. Many contemporary tanks can fire off 1 or 2 shells before a new magazine has been loaded.
  • Only performs well at close quarters combat, as both the AP and HVAP penetration drop below 30 mm past 500 m.
  • No point in ever loading an API magazine since the HVAP shells provides much more muzzle velocity, penetration, and damage potential.
  • There is no roof covering the crew in the turret. All can be killed by a strafing aircraft.

History

Development

In 1934, the Czechoslovak tank manufacturer ČKD developed an alternative design for the LT-35 tank. The latter was made by competitor Škoda. The LT-35 was too complex and had many shortcomings; its reliability was poor. ČKD's engineer Alexander Surin decided to use leaf spring suspension and four large wheels for the newly developed tank. The resulting type was reliable and an export success. The new running gear was first used for a light tank, the AH-IV, with only machine gun armament; it was first delivered to Iran, as the RH, of which fifty were bought in 1935; a second version, the R-1, was delivered to Romania in a number of 35 in 1936 and 1937, and a third, the AH-IV-Sv in a number of 48 to Sweden from 1937. In 1935 this enlarged running gear was combined with the hull of the light LT Vz 34 tank previously produced for the Czechoslovak army, which had a real 37mm gun. The new vehicle was called the TNH. In 1935, Iran ordered fifty vehicles. On April 17, 1936, Switzerland ordered 26 vehicles of the LTH, a modified version with 24mm gun. In 1938, 24 units of the LTP were ordered by Peru, and 21 LTL vehicles, with a more powerful engine, were ordered by Latvia, which, incidentally, were never delivered due to occupation by the Soviet Union. The United Kingdom also acquired a specimen just before the occupation of the Czech Republic and tested it between 16 and 29 March 1939. The opinion on the type was strongly dismissive: the tank was found to be too tight and the speed through rough terrain too bumpy.

In March 1937, the Czechoslovakian Ministry of Defense asked both country's tank producers to propose a new type to supplement the LT-35, which could be mass-produced as soon as possible. They indicated that they would purchase at least 400 vehicles and guaranteed an initial order of 260. Naturally, ČKD offered the TNH, which was already fully developed. In tests from January 25, 1938, the type proved superior to all counterparts. On July 22, 1938, Czechoslovakia ordered 150 vehicles of the Type Lt Vz.38, for 620,146 crowns each. The intention was to achieve a monthly production of 20. However, when the first tank left the factory in February, the land was already divided; shortly afterwards, the Czech hull state was also occupied: none of the tanks could eventually serve the army before the German occupation began.

In German service

As early as March, the factory management had contacted the Germans to continue production after the occupation. Germany had a great shortage of medium tanks and although the now LTM 38 tank was officially called a light tank, with its 37 mm gun it was no worse armed than the German medium Panzerkampfwagen III and much better than the light Panzerkampfwagen I and Panzerkampfwagen II; it was not only more reliable than the LT-35, but also than the light German tanks. Czech production capacity in the early years allowed Germany to form about a third more armored divisions and was thus critical to success during that time of the war. The production of the tank continued as Panzerkampfwagen 38 (t) (the name from January 16, 1940) until June 1942 and 1411 were built; monthly production peaked in September 1941 with 76 vehicles. There was also exported to the countries on the German side: Hungary took 102, Slovakia 69, Romania 50 and Bulgaria 10. Due to the rapid technical developments during the war, the type soon became obsolete. She was too small to carry a bigger cannon in a tower; several plans to do so were rejected. From 1942, the LT-38s were replaced or assigned less important tasks.

However, Germany could not afford to leave production capacity idle; the chassis was extremely useful due to its reliability. A modified chassis of the PzKpfw 38 (t) therefore became the basis for various types of mechanized artillery, mechanized artillery and tank hunters, including the successful German Jagdpanzer 38, better known today as the "Hetzer".

In-game description

The Aufklärungspanzer 38(t) reconnaissance tank was based on the Pz.38(t) towards the end of 1943, by the BMM construction office in Prague. The order specifications required a 20 mm automatic cannon and a 75 mm regular cannon.

A Praga AE engine with 160 hp at 2600 rpm replaced the Praga AC. This required a change in the exhaust system and the introduction of a longer exhaust pipe, which, together with a muffler, was put on the tank's roof. The tank's hull received a new superstructure, with modified inclination and with riveted joints for its armor plates.

The tank's armament consisted of a 20 mm automatic KwK38 L/55 cannon paired with a 7.92 mm MG42 machine gun. The guns could be pointed anywhere between -4 and 70 degrees and so could fire at air targets. The tank's ammunition included 300 shells and 1,500 machine gun rounds.

The open-top hexahedral turret, manufactured by the company Appelt, was equipped with a metal mesh to protect against hand grenades. The tank's armor thickness ranged from 8 to 50 millimeters. Its operational weight reached 9,750 kg. At this weight, its maximum highway speed was 52 kph, and its maximum highway range was 240 kilometers.

The Aufklärungpanzer 38(t) tank was accepted into the Wehrmacht in 1944, but large-scale production of the machine was never successfully introduced. A total of 70 tanks were produced.

The tanks were used on both the West and the Eastern Fronts.

Its design was successful, reliable, and advanced. However, the rivet joints in its armor plating were a disadvantage.

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
Vehicles equipped with the same gun
Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links


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
  PUMA
Wheeled  Sd.Kfz.221 (s.Pz.B.41) · Class 3 (P) · Radkampfwagen 90
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

Germany premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  Pz.II C (DAK) · Pz.Sfl.Ic · Pz.Sp.Wg.P204(f) KwK · Sd.Kfz. 140/1 · Sd.Kfz.234/1 · Ru 251 · SPz 12-3 LGS · TAM 2IP
Medium tanks  Nb.Fz. · Pz.III N · Pz.Bef.Wg.IV J · ▀M4 748 (a) · ▀T 34 747 (r) · Ersatz M10
  mKPz M47 G · Turm III · Leopard A1A1 (L/44) · Leopard 2 (PzBtl 123)
Heavy tanks  ▀Pz.Kpfw. Churchill · ▀KV-IB · ▀KW I C 756 (r) · ▀KW II 754 (r)
  VK 45.01 (P) · ␠Tiger · Pz.Bef.Wg.VI P · Tiger II (H) Sla.16
Tank destroyers  Sd.Kfz.234/3 · Sd.Kfz.234/4 · Sd.Kfz.251/10 · Sd.Kfz.251/22 · 15 cm Pz.W.42
  Brummbär · Panzer IV/70(A) · VFW · Bfw. Jagdpanther G1 · Elefant · 38 cm Sturmmörser