The Ferdinand - Pros and Cons

[Cybermat47]

With the Ferdinand only one update away, I thought it would be good to list the pros and cons of the real vehicle. Unsurprisingly, seeing as it was based on a failed Tiger I prototype and only built because they had some leftover hulls, the cons outweigh the pros by a pretty wide margin. I doubt that we’ll have to worry about malfunction and maintenance issues, though, seeing as if that was modelled in-game things would just get frustrating for everyone. 
 

Pros:

 

- Same main gun as the Tiger II, capable of knocking out a T-34 at 3km.

- Top reverse speed is close to top forward speed.

- 30 - 200mm of armour.
- Unconventional internal layout may confuse opponents.

- You get to brag about driving a Porsche.

 

Cons:

 

- Only 90 built, making it an extremely rare vehicle. 
- Weight of around 65 tons makes crossing bridges extremely hazardous.

- Water that is more than a metre deep cannot be traversed.

- Low forward speed of around 20km/h on-road and 10km/h off-road.

- Engine may catch fire when going uphill.

- May become stuck in muddy ground due to weight.

- May overheat when attempting to free self from being stuck.

- Limited visibility, no commander’s cupola.

- Maintenance issues can render Ferdinand inoperable even before combat begins.

- Maintenance and repair are difficult due to complexity and layout of internal systems.

- Weak suspension.

- Unconventional internal layout makes engine vulnerable to shrapnel from hits on the front of the casemate.

- No turret.

- High profile is less conducive to ambushes than low profile of other tank destroyers (such as the SU-122 and SU-152).

- Loading HE shells can damage gun.

- Particularly vulnerable to six anime girls in an M3 Lee.

 

Here’s a good video to watch on the Ferdinand:
 

 

Edited June 10, 2020 by [Pb]Cybermat47

[inexus]

Totally agree. This tank is so rare it is hard to see it being a 'natural' fit into most battles across the IL2 maps. 

[Koenigstiger]

Hello Freaks,

 

the facts mentioned about "Ferdinand" and its improvement "Elephant" are of course objectively correct. The widespread phenomenon of telling everything to ruin it obscured the fact that the crews of these "forts" used as tank destroyers felt very safe and superior in the tank. This can be read in the combat and experience reports of the heavy tank destroyer departments 653 and 654 used. Despite all the adversity (noise, heat and tightness with a 6-man crew), they told of the superiority of the 8.8 cannon with the L 71 caliber length.

You have to know that the tank destroyer units were initially equipped with the 3.7 cm Pak - pulled at the beginning of the war by confiscated commercial civil vehicles.
The deployment of the "old" soldiers at Ferdinand was a kind of quantum leap and "knighthood" for the units - so I think the motivation was accordingly. The challenge naturally also applied to all other supporting units - such as the pioneers (bridge reinforcement), the supply (fuel and ammunition) and especially the rescue teams, which only later received Panther chassis as a means of transport and had to act with the 18 ton Famos beforehand. Depending on the terrain, 3 to 5 of these half-track vehicles had to be used to pull a "Ferdinand"! That requires coordination.
After the Kursk disaster (the German plans were known for a long time!), Division 654 then handed over the remaining Panzerjäger to Division 653 and was untrained for the Panzerjäger "Jagdpanther". Department 653 is generally known to have had a super harness master. T-34s were used as salvage means and were used as anti-aircraft tanks by means of a self-constructed structure (quasi the preliminary stage to the "whirlwind"). Furthermore, a Panther recovery vehicle with a Panzer IV turret (permanently connected) was used as a tank destroyer. Last but not least, a "Porschetiger" with a turret was used as the command vehicle - this tank was one of the few with a petrol-hydraulic drive - instead of the petrol-electric version at the Ferdinand.

 

Towards the end of the war, the remnants of division 653 were used as the basis for the first Jagdtiger units.

 

 

 

 

Good luck !

 

Günther

[=gRiJ=Roman-]

 

[40plus]

23 hours ago, [Pb]Cybermat47 said:

Cons:

- Particularly vulnerable to six anime girls in an M3 Lee.

 

 

If that's referring to what I think it is, I tried so hard to watch that but couldn't....It's just too much. 

[Cybermat47]

37 minutes ago, pfrances said:

 

If that's referring to what I think it is, I tried so hard to watch that but couldn't....It's just too much. 

Yeah, it’s not for everyone 

[waterdotz]

The ferdinand was honestly kind of a horrible vehicle but its one of my favorites. Really excited for the update for it to come out

[KStyle]

Seems an unusual choice. It's big and slow and not particularly pretty. I've always found the Ferdinand and Elephant the least interesting German vehicles.

Much more interested in the smaller gun carriages such as the Marder III and Wespe (probably not much fun to play in Il2). Developed an interest in the Zis 30 lately too.