Difference between revisions of "Z22 Anton Schmitt"
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| − | {{Specs-Card|code=germ_destroyer_class1936_z20}} | + | {{Specs-Card |
| + | |code=germ_destroyer_class1936_z20 | ||
| + | |images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}} | ||
| + | }} | ||
== Description == | == Description == | ||
| − | <!--''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the | + | <!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' --> |
| − | + | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' was a German [[Type 1936 (Family)|Type 1936]] destroyer built as last ship of the class. The Z22 was laid down on 3rd January 1938 and commissioned on 24th September 1939. Her main armament was made up of five 12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 guns in single mounts with two on bow and three aft. Anti-aircraft protection was supplied by a pair of twin 3.7 cm SK C/30 cannons abreast the rear funnel. These were complemented by five single-mounted 2 cm/65 C/38 autocannons and a single quadruple 2 cm/65 Flakvierling 38. The Z22 was armed with two quadruple 533 mm torpedo launchers located amidships and G7a torpedoes. On 10th January, Z22 and her sister ships laid a minefield off Newcastle. The minefield only claimed a single fishing trawler. On 6th April 1940, she, together with her sisters, was tasked with landing troops at the port of Narvik and capturing it. Upon arrival on the morning of 9th April, Z22 and her sister Z18 Hans Lüdemann landed troops at the Ramnes narrows to search for coastal artillery positions that the Germans mistakenly thought were present there. Z17 Dietrich von Roeder remained offshore to provide support if necessary and as a picket ship in case of British attack. Around 11:00, the troops were ordered to board the destroyers again and proceed to Narvik. The following night, Z22 was on picket duty and then sailed into Narvik harbour. Shortly after dawn on 10th April, a group of five British H-class destroyers appeared, surprising the Germans. HMS Hunter hit Z22 with a torpedo in the forward engine room. Z22 started to take water and list to side. HMS Havoc fired another torpedo that hit Z22 amidships and broke her in half, killing or wounding 50 men. The remainder of the crew joined the ad-hoc infantry unit made on shore. | |
| − | + | ||
| − | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' | + | The Z22 Anton Schmitt was introduced in [[Update 1.79 "Project X"]] as part of the fleet closed beta test. The Z22 follows the pattern of other German destroyers with high top speed, quick-reloading guns, and decent torpedo armament. As with other ships of her class, the main disadvantage is the low main calibre ammo count with only 120 rounds per gun. The 3.7 cm guns are also very ineffective in their anti-air duty due to their very low fire rate of 30 rounds per minute. Her unprotected magazines on waterline are vulnerable to fatal explosion when hit. The Z22 on the other hand profits from her torpedo armament allowing to range torpedoes not equipped with torpedo mode on ranges of up to 6 km and then safely retreat utilizing her max speed of 71 km/h. |
== General info == | == General info == | ||
=== Survivability and armour === | === Survivability and armour === | ||
| − | ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary | + | {{Specs-Fleet-Armour}} |
| + | <!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' --> | ||
| + | The Z22 Anton Schmitt does not possess any armour except its 16 mm thick steel hull protecting it from small calibre machine gun fire. The main gun mounts are protected from the front, top, and sides by 8 mm thick anti-fragmentation armour shields protecting them from shrapnel. The beam main gun ammunition storage is relatively safe as it's located on the waterline, while the secondary ammunition storage is well above the waterline, leaving it vulnerable to detonation. The stern main gun ammunition storage can be found above the waterline, directly under turret No.3 and in between No.3 and No.4, sharing a similar issue of vulnerable magazines with ships such as the T22. | ||
| − | ' | + | All the Z22's machinery is located above the waterline, which exposes it to damage by autocannons and high-calibre machine guns. |
| + | |||
| + | The crew complement is large, consisting of 323 sailors. | ||
=== Mobility === | === Mobility === | ||
| − | ''Write about the | + | {{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}} |
| + | <!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' --> | ||
| + | The Z22 is quite an agile ship, but it suffers from poor acceleration past 40 km/h and takes a while to reach max speed. | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{NavalMobility | ||
| + | |SpeedForwardStockAB = 63 | ||
| + | |SpeedBackStockAB = 23 | ||
| + | |TurnTimeStockAB = 142.934 | ||
| + | |TurnSpeedStockAB = 44 | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Modifications and economy === | ||
| + | {{Specs-Economy}} | ||
== Armament == | == Armament == | ||
| + | {{Specs-Fleet-Armaments}} | ||
=== Primary armament === | === Primary armament === | ||
| − | ''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>.'' | + | {{Specs-Fleet-Primary}} |
| + | <!-- ''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.'' --> | ||
| + | {{main|12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 (128 mm)}} | ||
| − | + | The Z22 Anton Schmitt is armed with a five 12.8 cm SK C/34 cannons in single mounts, with two located at beam, and three at stern. All the turrets have ready-use ammo consisting of 10 rounds with a rate of fire of 18 rounds per minute, decreasing to 15 rounds per minute after depleting the ready-use ammo. Three different rounds are available, HE, HE with base fuse and HE-TF against aerial threat. It is advised to use the HE shell with base fuse to cause some serious damage to your opponents by aiming at their weak spots such as magazines above waterline or turrets. The HE-TF shell can be used against incoming aircraft at long ranges as the guns have good elevation. | |
| + | |||
| + | {{:12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 (128 mm)/Ammunition|12.8 cm Sprgr. L/4.4 Kpf.Z, 12.8 cm Sprgr. L/4.4 Bd.Z, 12.8 cm Sprgr. L/4.4 Zt.Z}} | ||
=== Secondary armament === | === Secondary armament === | ||
| − | ''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary | + | {{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}} |
| + | <!-- ''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.'' --> | ||
| + | {{main|SK C/30 (37 mm)}} | ||
| − | + | The secondary armament consists of two 3.7 cm SK C/30 cannons in dual mounts located amidship on a platform near the second funnel. The cannons have a very low rate of fire of only 30 rounds per minute, making them very hard to use. Thanks to their high muzzle velocity and armour-piercing rounds, they can be used instead to engage coastal vessels at longer distances before they get within range of your 20 mm cannons. | |
| + | |||
| + | {{:SK C/30 (37 mm)/Ammunition|37 mm Spgr L/4.1 Lh 37, 37 mm Psgr L'spur Zerl}} | ||
=== Anti-aircraft armament === | === Anti-aircraft armament === | ||
| − | ''An important part of the | + | {{Specs-Fleet-AA}} |
| − | + | <!-- ''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.'' --> | |
| − | + | {{main|2 cm/65 C/38 (20 mm)|2 cm/65 Flakvierling 38 (20 mm)}} | |
| − | + | The anti-aircraft protection of the Z22 Anton Schmitt is quite weak when compared to its contemporaries. It consists of a single 2 cm/65 Flakvierling automatic cannon in quadruple mount located amidship between turrets No.3 and No.4 and of five 2 cm/65 C/38 automatic cannons in single mounts with one located directly at the beam in front of turret No.1, two on each side of a hull next to turret No.2 and last two located directly behind the 3.7 cm gun mounts. The cannons, while not numerous, are still a quite strong short range anti-aircraft and anti-shipping defence. | |
| − | |||
| − | ''If there is no | + | === Additional armament === |
| + | {{Specs-Fleet-Additional}} | ||
| + | <!-- ''Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.'' --> | ||
| + | {{main|G7a (533 mm)}} | ||
| − | + | The Z22 is equipped with two quadruple 533 mm G7a torpedo launchers located amidship between funnels and between the second funnel and turret No.3. The torpedoes used are the standard G7a found on nearly all German bluewater ships. With a base speed of 81 km/h, a range of 6 km and a payload of 358.4 kg TNTeq, these are powerful torpedoes in terms of explosive mass. When upgraded with a torpedo mode, the speed decreases to 56 km/h while boosting the range to 14 km. | |
| − | |||
== Usage in battles == | == 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 – | + | <!-- ''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).'' --> |
| + | The Z22 Anton Schmitt can be played as a brawler utilizing its superior rate of fire and large crew complement, crippling enemy ships and utilizing its fast torpedoes at close range. It can also be used as a support ship from behind, shelling enemies with constant rain of shells. Zigzagging is advised due to the vulnerable magazines on the stern when utilizing a full broadside. Two out of five main guns can be fire at the enemy when sailing head-on. | ||
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
| − | '' | + | <!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' --> |
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
| − | * | + | |
| + | * High rate of fire | ||
| + | * High crew complement | ||
| + | * Potent torpedoes | ||
| + | * Good agility | ||
'''Cons:''' | '''Cons:''' | ||
| − | * | + | |
| + | * Vulnerable magazines | ||
| + | * Poor AA protection | ||
| + | * Weak main gun shells | ||
| + | * Low ammo count for main guns | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
| − | ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too | + | <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship 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 ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> |
| + | Z22 ''Anton Schmitt'' was one of the six Type 1936 destroyers built for the Kriegsmarine (German Navy). Ordered from the AG Weser (Deschimag) shipyard in Bremen in 1936, she was laid down on 6 January 1938, launched on 20 September, and commissioned on 24 September 1939. | ||
| + | |||
| + | During the opening stage of the war, between the 10th and 11th January 1940, Z22 along with her sister ships was sent out for a minelaying operation around Newcastle, of which the minefield only claimed one small fishing trawler. On 26 January, Z22 caught fire in her boiling room due to leaking oil, which forced her to be sent back to Germany for repairs until the end of March 1940. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In April 1940, Z22 was assigned to Group 1 of the Norwegian portion of the Operation Weserübung in a German campaign to seize Denmark and Norway. The group was tasked to transport the 139th Mountain Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Mountain Division to attack Narvik. The task group consisted of 10 destroyers set sail on 6 April 1940. On 7 April, the task group was spotted by British reconnaissance planes and were subsequently attacked by air formations, though the raid failed to damage any ships. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The task group arrived off the Ofotfjord close to Narvik on the dawn of 9 April. During this time, Z22 encountered the Norwegian coast guard boat Senja, of which she forced the latter to surrender. At 9:00 the ship disembarked their troops after mistakenly believed that a coastal artillery was guarding the mouth of the fjord and the troop was sent to capture them. Around 11:00 the troop was ordered to reboard and begin the attack on Narvik. However, as the ship was running low on fuel, Z22 was forced to stay behind while the rest of the task group retreated as planned. | ||
| + | |||
| + | On the dawn of 10 April, five destroyers of the British 2nd Destroyer Flotilla made a surprise attack on the Germans at Narvik who did not anticipated their appearance. Z22's engine room was hit by a single 120 mm shell and a torpedo from the HMS Hunter, then the ship was finished off by a torpedo from the HMS Havock that broke her in half. The sinking killed 52 crewmen. The surviving crews then joined together with the 139th regiment as an ad-hoc infantry unit and continued their assault on Narvik. | ||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
| − | '' | + | <!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' --> |
| + | |||
| + | ;Skins | ||
| + | |||
| + | * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=germ_destroyer_class1936_z20 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ;Videos | ||
| + | {{Youtube-gallery|8dkhjEhFXBY|'''The Shooting Range #105''' - ''Pages of History'' section at 05:13 discusses the Type 1936 destroyer Z-21 Wilhelm Heidkamp.}} | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
| − | ''Links to | + | <!-- ''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' |
* ''reference to the series of the ship;'' | * ''reference to the series of the ship;'' | ||
| − | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' | + | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' --> |
| + | |||
| + | ;[[Type 1936 (Family)|Related development]] | ||
| + | * [[Z20 Karl Galster]] | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
| − | <!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' | + | <!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' |
* ''topic on the official game forum;'' | * ''topic on the official game forum;'' | ||
| − | + | * ''other literature.'' --> | |
| − | * ''other literature.''--> | + | |
| − | * [ | + | * [[wt:en/news/4867-development-type-1936-class-destroyer-en|[Devblog] Type 1936 Class Destroyer]] |
| + | {{ShipManufacturer DeSchiMAG}} | ||
{{Germany destroyers}} | {{Germany destroyers}} | ||
Latest revision as of 10:54, 2 November 2023
Contents
Description
The Type 1936-class, Z22 Anton Schmitt, 1940 was a German Type 1936 destroyer built as last ship of the class. The Z22 was laid down on 3rd January 1938 and commissioned on 24th September 1939. Her main armament was made up of five 12.8 cm/45 SK C/34 guns in single mounts with two on bow and three aft. Anti-aircraft protection was supplied by a pair of twin 3.7 cm SK C/30 cannons abreast the rear funnel. These were complemented by five single-mounted 2 cm/65 C/38 autocannons and a single quadruple 2 cm/65 Flakvierling 38. The Z22 was armed with two quadruple 533 mm torpedo launchers located amidships and G7a torpedoes. On 10th January, Z22 and her sister ships laid a minefield off Newcastle. The minefield only claimed a single fishing trawler. On 6th April 1940, she, together with her sisters, was tasked with landing troops at the port of Narvik and capturing it. Upon arrival on the morning of 9th April, Z22 and her sister Z18 Hans Lüdemann landed troops at the Ramnes narrows to search for coastal artillery positions that the Germans mistakenly thought were present there. Z17 Dietrich von Roeder remained offshore to provide support if necessary and as a picket ship in case of British attack. Around 11:00, the troops were ordered to board the destroyers again and proceed to Narvik. The following night, Z22 was on picket duty and then sailed into Narvik harbour. Shortly after dawn on 10th April, a group of five British H-class destroyers appeared, surprising the Germans. HMS Hunter hit Z22 with a torpedo in the forward engine room. Z22 started to take water and list to side. HMS Havoc fired another torpedo that hit Z22 amidships and broke her in half, killing or wounding 50 men. The remainder of the crew joined the ad-hoc infantry unit made on shore.
The Z22 Anton Schmitt was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X" as part of the fleet closed beta test. The Z22 follows the pattern of other German destroyers with high top speed, quick-reloading guns, and decent torpedo armament. As with other ships of her class, the main disadvantage is the low main calibre ammo count with only 120 rounds per gun. The 3.7 cm guns are also very ineffective in their anti-air duty due to their very low fire rate of 30 rounds per minute. Her unprotected magazines on waterline are vulnerable to fatal explosion when hit. The Z22 on the other hand profits from her torpedo armament allowing to range torpedoes not equipped with torpedo mode on ranges of up to 6 km and then safely retreat utilizing her max speed of 71 km/h.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Z22 Anton Schmitt does not possess any armour except its 16 mm thick steel hull protecting it from small calibre machine gun fire. The main gun mounts are protected from the front, top, and sides by 8 mm thick anti-fragmentation armour shields protecting them from shrapnel. The beam main gun ammunition storage is relatively safe as it's located on the waterline, while the secondary ammunition storage is well above the waterline, leaving it vulnerable to detonation. The stern main gun ammunition storage can be found above the waterline, directly under turret No.3 and in between No.3 and No.4, sharing a similar issue of vulnerable magazines with ships such as the T22.
All the Z22's machinery is located above the waterline, which exposes it to damage by autocannons and high-calibre machine guns.
The crew complement is large, consisting of 323 sailors.
Mobility
The Z22 is quite an agile ship, but it suffers from poor acceleration past 40 km/h and takes a while to reach max speed.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | Turn Time (s) | Turn Radius (m) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||||
| AB | Stock | 63 | 23 | ~142.93 | ~278.04 |
| Upgraded | 86 | 31 | ___ | ___ | |
| RB/SB | |||||
| Upgraded | 71 | 25 | ___ | ___ | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armament
Primary armament
The Z22 Anton Schmitt is armed with a five 12.8 cm SK C/34 cannons in single mounts, with two located at beam, and three at stern. All the turrets have ready-use ammo consisting of 10 rounds with a rate of fire of 18 rounds per minute, decreasing to 15 rounds per minute after depleting the ready-use ammo. Three different rounds are available, HE, HE with base fuse and HE-TF against aerial threat. It is advised to use the HE shell with base fuse to cause some serious damage to your opponents by aiming at their weak spots such as magazines above waterline or turrets. The HE-TF shell can be used against incoming aircraft at long ranges as the guns have good elevation.
| 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
The secondary armament consists of two 3.7 cm SK C/30 cannons in dual mounts located amidship on a platform near the second funnel. The cannons have a very low rate of fire of only 30 rounds per minute, making them very hard to use. Thanks to their high muzzle velocity and armour-piercing rounds, they can be used instead to engage coastal vessels at longer distances before they get within range of your 20 mm cannons.
| 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 | ||
| Spgr L/4.1 Lh 37 | HE | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Psgr L'spur Zerl | APCBC | 87 | 84 | 71 | 58 | 48 | 39 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| Spgr L/4.1 Lh 37 | HE | 1,000 | 0.75 | 0 | 0.1 | 27.4 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Psgr L'spur Zerl | APCBC | 1,000 | 0.82 | 1.3 | 15 | 37.4 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
Anti-aircraft armament
The anti-aircraft protection of the Z22 Anton Schmitt is quite weak when compared to its contemporaries. It consists of a single 2 cm/65 Flakvierling automatic cannon in quadruple mount located amidship between turrets No.3 and No.4 and of five 2 cm/65 C/38 automatic cannons in single mounts with one located directly at the beam in front of turret No.1, two on each side of a hull next to turret No.2 and last two located directly behind the 3.7 cm gun mounts. The cannons, while not numerous, are still a quite strong short range anti-aircraft and anti-shipping defence.
Additional armament
The Z22 is equipped with two quadruple 533 mm G7a torpedo launchers located amidship between funnels and between the second funnel and turret No.3. The torpedoes used are the standard G7a found on nearly all German bluewater ships. With a base speed of 81 km/h, a range of 6 km and a payload of 358.4 kg TNTeq, these are powerful torpedoes in terms of explosive mass. When upgraded with a torpedo mode, the speed decreases to 56 km/h while boosting the range to 14 km.
Usage in battles
The Z22 Anton Schmitt can be played as a brawler utilizing its superior rate of fire and large crew complement, crippling enemy ships and utilizing its fast torpedoes at close range. It can also be used as a support ship from behind, shelling enemies with constant rain of shells. Zigzagging is advised due to the vulnerable magazines on the stern when utilizing a full broadside. Two out of five main guns can be fire at the enemy when sailing head-on.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High rate of fire
- High crew complement
- Potent torpedoes
- Good agility
Cons:
- Vulnerable magazines
- Poor AA protection
- Weak main gun shells
- Low ammo count for main guns
History
Z22 Anton Schmitt was one of the six Type 1936 destroyers built for the Kriegsmarine (German Navy). Ordered from the AG Weser (Deschimag) shipyard in Bremen in 1936, she was laid down on 6 January 1938, launched on 20 September, and commissioned on 24 September 1939.
During the opening stage of the war, between the 10th and 11th January 1940, Z22 along with her sister ships was sent out for a minelaying operation around Newcastle, of which the minefield only claimed one small fishing trawler. On 26 January, Z22 caught fire in her boiling room due to leaking oil, which forced her to be sent back to Germany for repairs until the end of March 1940.
In April 1940, Z22 was assigned to Group 1 of the Norwegian portion of the Operation Weserübung in a German campaign to seize Denmark and Norway. The group was tasked to transport the 139th Mountain Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Mountain Division to attack Narvik. The task group consisted of 10 destroyers set sail on 6 April 1940. On 7 April, the task group was spotted by British reconnaissance planes and were subsequently attacked by air formations, though the raid failed to damage any ships.
The task group arrived off the Ofotfjord close to Narvik on the dawn of 9 April. During this time, Z22 encountered the Norwegian coast guard boat Senja, of which she forced the latter to surrender. At 9:00 the ship disembarked their troops after mistakenly believed that a coastal artillery was guarding the mouth of the fjord and the troop was sent to capture them. Around 11:00 the troop was ordered to reboard and begin the attack on Narvik. However, as the ship was running low on fuel, Z22 was forced to stay behind while the rest of the task group retreated as planned.
On the dawn of 10 April, five destroyers of the British 2nd Destroyer Flotilla made a surprise attack on the Germans at Narvik who did not anticipated their appearance. Z22's engine room was hit by a single 120 mm shell and a torpedo from the HMS Hunter, then the ship was finished off by a torpedo from the HMS Havock that broke her in half. The sinking killed 52 crewmen. The surviving crews then joined together with the 139th regiment as an ad-hoc infantry unit and continued their assault on Narvik.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
External links
| Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft | |
|---|---|
| Destroyers | |
| Type 1934A | Kleber** |
| Type 1936 | Z20 Karl Galster · Z22 Anton Schmitt |
| Type 1936A | Z25 · Marceau*** · Z32 |
| Type 1936B | Z43 |
| Type 1936C | Z46 · Z47 |
| Battleships | |
| Nassau-class | SMS Westfalen* |
| *Previously Aktien-Gesellschaft „Weser" | |
| **Z6 Theodor Riedel before war reparation to France | |
| ***Z31 before war reparation to France | |
| 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 |
