Admiral Graf Spee was one of three Deutschland-class heavy cruisers built for the German Navy in the interwar period as replacements for older warships. In War Thunder update 1.95 “Northern wind”, captains may look forward to commanding this legendary ‘Panzerschiff’, coming soon to the game as one of the first German rank V vessels!

Admiral Graf Spee, heavy cruiser, Germany, V rank.

Pros

• Largest gun calibre in the game
• High crew count
• Good survivability

Cons

• Average mobility
• Lackluster AA protection
   

In War Thunder, Admiral Graf Spee will be the first rank V vessel coming to the German naval tree as part of the upcoming update 1.95 “Northern wind”. Unlike other vessels in the game, going beyond the bounds of the German naval tree itself, Admiral Graf Spee is very much a unique kind of ship historically speaking and will also take on an equally unique role within War Thunder as well, following its introduction to the game as part of the next major update.

The thing that sets the Deutschland-class cruisers apart from other warships is their rather unique combination of powerful weaponry coupled with average protection and mobility. We’ll come back to the latter two aspects later in the devblog, and instead, we’ll now focus on Graf Spee’s most notable feature - firepower of course!

Admiral Graf Spee is primarily armed with a pair of triple 283mm (11’’) turrets, with the turrets being placed on either end of the ship’s hull. Thanks to this, Admiral Graf Spee will become the new record holder in War Thunder as far as weapon calibre is concerned. Naturally, this does mean that aspiring captains of this vessel will have a significant damage output potential at their disposal, though at the cost of fire rate as the Graf Spee’s main guns can only fire once roughly every 24 seconds.

Additionally, Admiral Graf Spee is also armed with an impressive array of auxiliary weapons, such as eight 150mm, three double 105mm AA cannons as well as two quadruple 533mm torpedo launchers, all of which will no doubt prove their worth in close-range engagements, acting as reliable backups to the primary guns.

Unlike Graf Spee’s weaponry, the rest of the warship’s characteristics are fairly average when compared to some existing vessels in the game. For instance, the armour protection present on Graf Spee consists of a 100mm thick main belt armour and 150mm protecting the conning tower and turret fronts. While this may not be the best armour protection offered in the game, it will help deflect some damage in combat, while the ship’s sizable crew of 1,175 sailors will further aid in keeping the ship operational during long and intense engagements.

Furthermore, Admiral Graf Spee won’t be among the fastest cruiser vessels in the game. Being powered by eight diesel engines, producing up to 56,800 horsepower, the ship is capable of attaining a maximum top speed of around 29.5 knots (54.6 km/h). As a result, future commanders of the Graf Spee shouldn’t necessarily base their battle tactics around elaborate maneuvers, but rather around making extensive use of the ship’s deadly firepower to provide effective fire support for allied vessels from the rear.

Admiral Graf Spee is coming to War Thunder as part of the upcoming update 1.95 “Northern wind” and will become available to all captains as the first German rank V vessel. In the meantime, keep a close watch on the horizon for more news regarding the next major update coming to the game very soon. Until then, calm seas and happy hunting captains!

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