Difference between revisions of "VFW"

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Because of its great cannon and non existent armour, the VFW is best used as a glass cannon for long range engagements. Find a spot on a hill or slope and wait for targets. If use in urban area is unavoidable, choose the "side skirts down" mode. This makes the cannon more flexible and gives you a quicker reload time. Make sure to stay in cover, since with your side skirts down, you will be an easy kill for planes and artillery.
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Because of its great cannon and non existent armour, the VFW is best used as a glass cannon for long range engagements. Find a spot on a hill or slope and wait for targets. If use in urban area is unavoidable, choose the "side skirts down" mode. This makes the cannon more flexible and gives you a quicker reload time. Make sure to stay in cover, since with your side skirts down, you will be an easy target for planes and artillery.
  
 
=== Modules ===
 
=== Modules ===

Revision as of 07:08, 25 October 2019

VFW
germ_vsw_flak_41.png
VFW
Show in game
MARKET

Description

GarageImage VFW.jpg


The Versuchsflakwagen is a gift rank III German tank destroyer with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.87 "Locked On" as a reward in the "Battlefield Engineer" event.

Also known as the Grille 10, the Flak 37 auf Sonderfahrgestell (German: special purpose-built vehicle), or the abbreviated technical name Sfl.IVc, was originally developed as a mobile gun platform using 8.8 cm flak guns.

Designed by the Krupp corporation originally as an anti-tank vehicle in 1941, it was realized that by using 8.8 cm flak cannons, it could achieve not only an anti-tank role but also an anti-aircraft one as well. Because of this, this vehicle was given the 8.8 cm Flak 41 as its main and only armament.

General info

Survivability and armour

The VFW has decently high survivability in battle, utilizing its thin armour to great effect. After all,"no armour is the best armour". The vehicle is effective both with side skirts up and down and out of the way.

When the side skirts are in the up position, they will cover the sides of the exposed crew and gun, offering 5 mm of armour which can protect from oncoming machine gun fire. However, they will most likely not hold up to a round fired from the main gun of a tank.

With the skirts down, the tank destroyer can easily be disabled due to the exposure of the four crew members to the elements, or the gun being taken out of commission. On the other hand, if the tank, gun, or both are still in action, the front panels of the Flak 41 can be used to block machine gun fire, effectively protecting any crew still remaining to operate the gun.

Mobility

Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forward and backwards.

Mobility characteristics
Weight (tons) Add-on armour
weight (tons)
Max speed (km/h)
26.0 N/A 65 (AB)
60 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 567 630
Realistic/Simulator 338 360
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode Stock Upgraded
Arcade 21.81 24.20
Realistic/Simulator 13.00 13.85

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: FlaK 41 (88 mm)

The VFW is armed with the Flak 41 cannon allowing it to disable or destroy a majority of its intended targets within its battle rating range. The reload speed of the gun is around 5 seconds which allows for quick and consistent firing upon targets.

88 mm FlaK 41
Capacity Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
Stabilizer
48 -3°/+90° ±180° N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior +
Full crew
Prior +
Expert qualif.
Prior +
Ace qualif.
Arcade  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??
Realistic  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??
Reloading rate (seconds)
Side skirt
configuration
Stock Prior +
Full crew
Prior +
Expert qualif.
Prior +
Ace qualif.
Down  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??
Up  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??  ??.??

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
PzGr 39/43 APCBC 230 228 216 201 188 176
PzGr 40/43 APCR 275 272 250 226 204 184
Sprgr. Flak 41 HE 14 14 14 14 14 14
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
Mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive Mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Normalisation at 30°
from horizontal
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
PzGr 39/43 APCBC 980 10.16 1.2 14.0 108.8 +4.0° 48° 63° 71°
PzGr 40/43 APCR 1,125 7.3 N/A N/A N/A +1.5° 66° 70° 72°
Sprgr. Flak 41 HE 1,000 9.4 0.1 0.5 1000 +0.0° 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
4th
rack empty
5th
rack empty
6th
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
48  ?? (+??)  ?? (+??)  ?? (+??)  ?? (+??)  ?? (+??)  ?? (+??)  ??

Optics

VFW Optics
Default magnification Maximum magnification
Main Gun optics X5.6 X6.0
Comparable optics  ???

Usage in battles

Because of its great cannon and non existent armour, the VFW is best used as a glass cannon for long range engagements. Find a spot on a hill or slope and wait for targets. If use in urban area is unavoidable, choose the "side skirts down" mode. This makes the cannon more flexible and gives you a quicker reload time. Make sure to stay in cover, since with your side skirts down, you will be an easy target for planes and artillery.

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Side skirts up Horizontal Drive
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism
IV Transmission Engine PzGr 40/43

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • A very fast reload on a very powerful gun
  • Surprising durability, very difficult to one-shot
  • Large crew allows for fast reloading
  • Reasonable transverse allows for quick escape when in a tight spot
  • Side-skirts can be raised for added protection from machine guns
  • Side-skirts can be lowered for a greater range of turret movement

Cons:

  • Virtually nonexistent gun depression
  • Very thin armour, exposed crew and wide vehicle profile (large target)
  • Extremely vulnerable to virtually any form of enemy aircraft or artillery fire
  • Raised side-skirts to restrict turret movement, an immobilized VFW can only fire at vehicles directly in front of it
  • Side-skirts can only be raised or lowered before the start of the game

History

The VFW was the first of several projects of the Krupp company to mount a heavy anti-air gun on a mobile armored chassis. This initially developed version, which mounts the 8.8cm FlaK 41 cannon onto a heavily modified Panzer IV chassis, was created in 1944.

Initial tests of the vehicle were performed throughout 1944. However, apart from tests producing mixed results, it was lacking interest that eventually led to the project's ultimate cancellation later that year. As a result, the VFW never left prototype stage and only a single experimental vehicle was ever produced.

- From Devblog

  • Due to its box-like shape, the player base gave this vehicle the nickname "Flaktoaster" or just "Toaster"

Media

  • Image of the VFW with its side-skirts open.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links


Germany tank destroyers
Pz. I Derivatives  Panzerjäger I
Pz. II Derivatives  15cm sIG 33 B Sfl
Pz. 38(t) Derivatives  Marder III · Marder III H · Jagdpanzer 38(t)
Pz. III Derivatives  StuG III A · StuG III F · StuG III G · StuH 42 G
Pz. IV Derivatives  Jagdpanzer IV · Panzer IV/70(A) · Panzer IV/70(V) · Dicker Max · Nashorn · Brummbär · VFW
Pz. V Derivatives  Jagdpanther G1 · Bfw. Jagdpanther G1
Pz. VI Derivatives  Sturer Emil · Elefant · Ferdinand · 38 cm Sturmmörser · Jagdtiger
Wheeled/Half-track  8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl. · Sd.Kfz.251/9 · Sd.Kfz.251/10 · Sd.Kfz.251/22 · Sd.Kfz.234/3 · Sd.Kfz.234/4 · 15 cm Pz.W.42
ATGM Carrier  RakJPz 2 · RakJPz 2 (HOT) · Wiesel 1A2
Other  Waffenträger · M109G · JPz 4-5 · Raketenautomat · VT1-2

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