Clausewitz

13.3

Cruiser | Germany | Tier ★

Tech Tree Position

Battle Levels

12345678910

★

47,500,000

Clausewitz — German Tier ★ cruiser.

The next step in the development of German raider cruisers would be to install the latest artillery. The main caliber could utilize 210 mm guns, 128 mm dual-purpose guns, 55 mm twin-gun anti-aircraft mounts, and 30 mm quad- and twin-gun mounts. In this case, the ship's displacement could exceed 20,000 tons. An upgraded combined diesel and steam-turbine electric system, surpassing the one employed in the 1930s, could provide a blend of high speed and extended range capability.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
210 mm/60 SK C/34 on a Drh LC/40 mount	5.7	22.5	160	2,950	15	6,200		0	0

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Clausewitz	58,000	16	230	4	10	12/6/8/10	4			0	0

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	Torpedo Tubes Reload Time (sec)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Damage (HP)	Torpedo Speed (knot)	Torpedo Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
G7 T1 Ausf. C	0.5	112	7.2	13,700	64	6		0	0

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
FKS Typ 11 Mod. 1		0		0	0

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 165,000 hp	32.5		0	0

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Slot 6

Player Opinion

Performance

Warning. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.

In many ways, Clausewitz is just Big Hindenburg. Much like Annapolis, she is simply a continuation of the preceding ship and line. Clausewitz focuses on consistent damage farming against anything that ventures into her main battery range, while using her distance to avoid return fire from her annoyed targets.

Unlike many other super cruisers, Clausewitz does not have any sort of alternate firing mode or Combat Instruction.

Armament

Clausewitz carries twelve 210mm guns in four triple turrets, with a decidedly average 22.5 second traverse. Although they’re slightly larger than those carried by Hindenburg, their performance is nearly identical. Her 18.5km base range is already decent for a DPS cruiser, and can be further increased through her Spotting Aircraft consumable. Although her main battery range is nearly a kilometer longer than Hindenburg, her 10.5 second reload is slightly slower. Her firing angles are also worse to both the bow and stern, requiring her to show more side to get all guns onto a target.

Like other German cruisers, Clausewitz has the characteristic “quarter-pen” HE, with increased armor penetration at the expense of lower fire chance and damage. Clausewitz can penetrate up to 53mm of armor with her HE, allowing her to directly damage even the reinforced decks of most cruisers and battleships. However, they only have a 15% fire chance per shell; slightly higher than Hindenburg, but still on the low end for a heavy cruiser and well below average in her matchmaking range. Due to her faster reload and high shell count, she still has a decent fires-per-minute rate despite the lower chance per shell.

Clausewitz's AP shells are also similar to her predecessors, although the larger shell allows her to penetrate more armor. Her AP shells also have some of the highest per-shell damage in her matchmaking range. While her HE ends up being the default ammo choice, her high AP damage, good pen, and comfortable ballistics allow her to severely punish broadside cruisers.

Her torpedoes will also be familiar to experienced Hindenburg captains. She carries 20 torpedoes in four quintuple launchers, two per side. They are the same torpedoes carried on Roon and Hindenburg, but with an extra torpedo per launcher. With their 6km range and 13,700 maximum damage, they are the shortest ranged and least damaging torpedoes in her matchmaking range. Her reload and flood chance are average, but her torpedoes are rather fast for a cruiser with fairly low detection. Like other short range torpedoes, they are primarily defensive and ambush weapons.

Clausewitz carries ten twin 128mm secondary mounts. They have an increased firing range and increased HE pen as expected for a German ship, but have a longer reload and lower fire chance. For a cruiser, her secondary suite is relatively strong and still capable of setting many fires, but like most cruisers it’s not worth investing into secondary performance.

Unlike Hindenburg, Clausewitz uses ASW planes rather than depth charges, which gives her more flexibility to defend against submarines. She carries two charges that reload in 30 seconds each, with an 8km range and two bombs per charge. Each bomb deals up to 4900 damage. Her ASW is identical to other super cruisers.

Consumables

Clausewitz carries the same consumable suite as Hindenburg — the normal cruiser Damage Control Party , a choice between Hydroacoustic Search  or Defensive AA Fire  and Spotting Aircraft  or Catapult Fighter , and a Repair Party .

Like Roon and Hindenburg, Clausewitz starts with an extra Repair Party charge by default. As with other German ships, her Hydroacoustic Search consumable has an increased detection range for both ships and torpedoes, and lasts longer compared to the normal Hydroacoustic Search.

Maneuverability

Clausewitz won’t win any agility contests. She’s one of the slowest cruisers in her matchmaking range at 32.5 knots, and only marginally faster than Hindenburg. And her rudder shift and turning circle are decidedly average. She will often find herself lagging behind a pushing or retreating flank, and relies on range to help dodge incoming battleship fire.

Survivability

Clausewitz retains Hindenburg’s strong survivability traits. Her 58,000 HP is above average for her matchmaking range, and one of the largest among heavy cruisers. Like Roon and Hindenburg, she also starts with an extra charge of her Repair Party consumable.

She also inherits and improves Hindenburg’s armor protection. Most notably, she has a 50mm main deck compared to 30mm on Hindenburg, offering much more protection against cruiser caliber HE and battleship AP. She also has a reinforced 130mm main belt that extends well past her turrets, and a 40 and 90mm extended armor belt almost to her bow and stern respectively. When properly angled, she can be difficult to kill, even for a battleship. Her bow and stern are 27mm thick like other American and German heavy cruisers, which can bounce up to 406mm AP when properly angled.

Her citadel itself is rather vulnerable, with a 20mm citadel wall (40mm on her lower front bulkhead) and 60mm roof, but it’s protected behind a slightly angled turtleback. Battleship guns will have no issues punching through to her citadel when broadside, but cruisers can struggle to citadel her. Additionally, her citadel is protected from the front and rear by hidden armor plates — 40mm extending most of the way to her bow, and 90mm extending partway to her stern.

She can withstand a lot of punishment and still come back kicking while other cruisers might be sunk. But like Hindenburg, she is anything but stealthy. Even with Concealment Expert and the concealment module, her surface detection is still 12.8km, one of the highest in her matchmaking range. Her aerial and periscope detection are slightly better at 7.9km, but still well above average. Most cruisers will outspot her, and enemy destroyers and aircraft will have no problems keeping her detected for their team unless she stays well back from the action.

Anti-aircraft

On paper, Clausewitz has strong AA defenses for her matchmaking range, although on the weak side for a super cruiser. But in practice, she sometimes struggles to defend herself.

Her long range continuous damage is average at best, and her flak is relatively weak and offers little improvement. Her mid range mounts reach out to 4km, further than most cruisers, but their damage is on the lower end of average. Most of her AA defenses are concentrated in her short range mounts. Although they have a slightly longer 3km range and the highest damage in her matchmaking range, enemy aircraft will be well into their attack run before they start to fire.

Clausewitz has the option to swap her Hydroacoustic Search for Defensive AA Fire, and her Spotting Aircraft for a Catapult Fighter, but neither is optimal. Even with the damage increase Defensive AA Fire provides, most of her AA is still underwhelming, and her long range hydro is one of her defining features. Likewise, her Spotting Aircraft offers substantially more utility than a Catapult Fighter.

Battle performance

Rather than reinventing the wheel, Clausewitz simply takes Hindenburg’s strengths and further refines them. She’s a DPS cruiser like the rest of the line, and can easily farm any enemy ship that enters her gun range. Although she lacks the alternate fire mode or Combat Instructions of many super ships or the drastic DPM increase Annapolis and Condé get over their Tier X cruiser, Clausewitz is still a reliable damage dealer.

She’s durable for a cruiser, but should spend most of her time on a flank or in the second line providing fire support to her allies. With her increased HE pen, she is a consistent threat to most battleships, but shouldn’t hesitate to shoot spotted destroyers or low health cruisers.

Pros:

Large health pool, with thicker armor for a cruiser
Good main battery range
Increased HE penetration
Good AP armor penetration
Lots of torpedoes
Has ASW airstrikes rather than depth charges
Carries an extra Repair Party charge by default
Hydroacoustic Search consumable, with increased detection range and action time

Cons:

Bow and stern can still be overmatched by most battleships
Low HE damage and fire chance
Short torpedo range, with low damage and flood chance
Poor AA defenses
Slow, with poor agility
Poor concealment
No alternate firing mode or Combat Instructions

Research

Clausewitz has no module upgrades to research.

Optimal Configuration

Like the preceding cruisers, Clausewitz is a damage farmer. As such, players should select skills and upgrades that boost her main battery damage output and durability.

A “Lighthouse” build is also available, to maximize her damage farming potential at the expense of concealment. When fully committed to it, she can increase her DPM potential by nearly 20% compared to a more traditional build as long as an enemy ship is detected within 18.2km (nearly equaling her base main battery range). But it also makes it nearly impossible for her to ever go undetected, and kicks her air detection up to a staggering 11.2km. It provides a direct buff to her primary role, but is much riskier to play.

Upgrades

The recommended upgrades are:

Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1
Slot 2: Engine Room Protection or Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1
Slot 3: Aiming Systems Modification 1
Slot 4: Propulsion Modification 1
Slot 5: Concealment System Modification 1 *
Slot 6: Main Battery Modification 3

For players with large coal reserves, the Hydroacoustic Search Modification 1 is available and recommended to further boost Clausewitz's hydroacoustic search duration. Otherwise, the Engine Room Protection upgrade is the best choice for slot 2.

For players looking to maximize Clausewitz's farming capability, a “Lighthouse” build is also available. In slot 5, Concealment System Modification 1  may be dropped in favor of Steering Gears Modification 2 to increase Clausewitz's surface detection range and take advantage of Top Grade Gunner’s reload boost.

Commander Skills

Unique Commander Gunther Lutjens can be a good fit for Clausewitz. His improved Grease the Gears skill is nice to have, and his Resilient talent that provides a small heal for every three spotting ribbons received can help keep her alive later in the game. However, his most useful talent is his Main Battery Loader, which speeds up main battery reload by 7.5% after getting 140 main battery hits. For a ship that’s all about dealing damage, this talent should be easy to activate and further boosts her ability to farm.

Players that wish to maximize Clausewitz's damage farming can opt for a “Lighthouse” build, dropping Concealment Expert and selecting Heavy HE and SAP Shells to increase her base detection range and take full advantage of Top Grade Gunner’s reload boost. For a more moderate build, select Heavy HE but do not drop Concealment Expert.

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed. ★★	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except: Damage Control Party  Repair Party . ★	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type. ★★★	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km. ★	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines. ★	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost. ★	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time. ★	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★★	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: • +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. • +25% continuous damage. • +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up. ★★	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger. ★	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables. ★	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier. ★★★
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery. ★★★	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion.	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken..	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time..
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Clausewitz equips the following consumables:

Slot 1: Damage Control Party 
Slot 2: Hydroacoustic Search  – 3 charges or Defensive AA Fire  – 3 charges
Slot 3: Spotting Aircraft  – 4 charges or Catapult Fighter  – 3 charges
Slot 4: Repair Party  – 4 charges

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★★★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration. ★	India Yankee -20% to fire duration. ★	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy. ★	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding. ★★	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating. ★★
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time.	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts. ★	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used. ★★★
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire . ★★

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

References

Ships of Germany

Destroyers	II V-25 • III G-101 • IV V-170 • V T-22 • VI Ernst Gaede • VI T-61 • VI Karl von Schönberg • VII Leberecht Maass • VII Z-31 • VII Z-39 • VIII Z-23 • VIII Gustav-Julius Maerker • VIII Z-35 • IX Z-46 • IX Felix Schultz • IX Z-44 • IX ZF-6 • X Z-52 • X Elbing • X Z-42
Cruisers	I Hermelin • II Dresden • II Emden • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf Spee • VI Leipzig • VI HSF Admiral Graf Spee • VII Yorck • VII München • VII Weimar • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz Eugen • VIII Mainz • VIII Schill • VIII Mainz B • VIII Cross of Dorn • VIII Wiesbaden • IX Roon • IX Siegfried • IX Ägir • IX Admiral Schröder • IX Roon CLR • X Hindenburg • ★ Clausewitz
Battleships	III Nassau • III Von der Tann • III König Albert • IV Kaiser • IV Moltke • V König • V Derfflinger • VI Bayern • VI Mackensen • VI Prinz Eitel Friedrich • VII Gneisenau • VII Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst • VII AL Prinz Heinrich • VII Scharnhorst B • VII Scharnhorst '43 • VIII Tirpitz • VIII Bismarck • VIII Zieten • VIII Odin • VIII Brandenburg • VIII Anhalt • VIII Brandenburg B • VIII Tirpitz B • IX Friedrich der Grosse • IX Prinz Rupprecht • IX Pommern • IX Pommern B • X Grosser Kurfürst • X Schlieffen • X Preussen • X Mecklenburg • ★ Hannover
Aircraft Carriers	IV Rhein • VI Weser • VI Erich Loewenhardt • VIII August von Parseval • VIII Graf Zeppelin • VIII Graf Zeppelin B • X Manfred von Richthofen • X Max Immelmann

Cruisers

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U.S.A.	I Erie • II Chester • II Albany • III St. Louis • III Charleston • IV Phoenix • V Omaha • V Marblehead • V Marblehead Lima • V Rattlehead • VI Pensacola • VI Dallas • VII Atlanta • VII New Orleans • VII Helena • VII Indianapolis • VII Atlanta B • VII Boise • VII Flint • VIII Baltimore • VIII Cleveland • VIII Wichita • VIII Anchorage • VIII Congress • VIII Rochester • VIII San Diego • VIII AL Montpelier • IX Buffalo • IX Seattle • IX Vallejo • IX Alaska • IX Tulsa • IX Alaska B • X Des Moines • X Worcester • X Puerto Rico • X Salem • X Austin • ★ Annapolis
Germany	I Hermelin • II Dresden • II Emden • III Kolberg • IV Karlsruhe • V Königsberg • VI Nürnberg • VI Admiral Graf Spee • VI Leipzig • VI HSF Admiral Graf Spee • VII Yorck • VII München • VII Weimar • VIII Admiral Hipper • VIII Prinz Eugen • VIII Mainz • VIII Schill • VIII Mainz B • VIII Cross of Dorn • VIII Wiesbaden • IX Roon • IX Siegfried • IX Ägir • IX Admiral Schröder • IX Roon CLR • X Hindenburg • ★ Clausewitz
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