Graf Zeppelin
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+ | File:Graf Zeppelin wappen.png|The ''wappen'' (coat of arms) of ''Graf Zeppelin''. | |||
File:Graf Zeppelin 1936.jpg|The keel for ''Graf Zeppelin'' in December 1936. | File:Graf Zeppelin 1936.jpg|The keel for ''Graf Zeppelin'' in December 1936. | |||
File:Graf-Zeppelin-2.jpg|''Graf Zeppelin'' after her launching on 8 December 1938. | File:Graf-Zeppelin-2.jpg|''Graf Zeppelin'' after her launching on 8 December 1938. |
Revision as of 18:21, 6 October 2017
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[[Ship:|]] — N/A special premium Tier N/A.
A high-speed aircraft carrier armed with numerous secondary and dual-purpose guns. She had the most powerful propulsion among all German Navy ships. The carrier was never completed because Germany's shipbuilding program priorities changed during the course of World War II.
Modules
Compatible Upgrades
Slot 1 |
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Slot 2 |
Damage Control System Modification 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Slot 3 |
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Slot 4 |
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Slot 5 |
Torpedo Tubes Modification 3 |
Reinforced Bulkheads | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Slot 6 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Though never fully finished in real life, Graf Zeppelin comes alive in World of Warships as the first carrier to enter the game from a nation other than Japan or America.
As a Tier VIII carrier, Graf Zeppelin will inevitably face powerful AA ships such as Tier X cruisers Des Moines and Minotaur and will be forced to evade or work around these ships to attack with her bombers. Her planes can be quickly and easily shot down by ships that are built for anti-air; however, they are very fast and can strike swiftly before the enemy has a chance to knock down many of the planes. In short, the plane durability is very much akin to its Tier VIII Japanese counterpart Shokaku. Where Zeppelin differs significantly is its ability to choose between AP & HE bombs for its dive bombers, though — as with Enterprise — this choice must be made before queuing for a battle.
The HE bombs, like high-tier American dive bombs, pack quite a punch against cruisers and destroyers, while the AP bombs are devastating towards battleships — especially German battleships — and cruisers with thick enough deck armor. Furthermore, as there is a somewhat large reserve of the bombers, captains can afford to sacrifice some planes to attack certain strategically positioned targets. However, captains must be careful of losing entire squadrons as the respawn time for a lost squadron is quite long. A word of additional warning on the AP bombs: they have a very long drop sequence that makes them difficult to land against maneuvering targets. Manual drops are all but impossible, and auto-drops frequently yield sub par results. As of Update 0.6.9.1, only the high explosive bombs are truly viable for use against enemy ships who are awake and at the keyboard.
Graf Zeppelin’s fighters have sufficient firepower to reliably strafe down enemy planes. With that said, captains should work to avoid being forced into dogfights with other enemy squadrons if possible, as the fighters will easily lose to straight up dogfights with other enemy fighters at Tier VIII due to their low average DPS. While the fighters are relatively fast like Shokaku’s Kawanishis, their average DPS and HP are much lower, making dogfights with any same tier fighter squad virtually a guaranteed loss. Even attempting to dogfight with Enterprise's Tier VII Hellcat fighters will likely result in a loss, as the squads are slightly larger (by one plane) and have similar average DPS and HP, while being a tier lower and able to utilize Dogfighting Expert against them. Because of this, the Graf Zeppelin's Messerschmitts are effectively the worst fighters for her tier. Additionally, there is a much smaller reserve of fighters compared to the bombers, so utilizing the fighters to their utmost before one loses all of them is difficult, and the player can easily be left with just bombers remaining.Pros:
- Ability to choose between AP and HE bombs.
- Balanced loadout with both fighters and attack planes.
- Secondary armament provides decent protection from close-in destroyers.
- AP bombs can devastate enemy battleships, cruisers, and carriers.
- Adequate anti-aircraft suite for self-defense.
Cons:
- Unable to switch bomb types mid battle, which can leave the player helpless against certain enemy team compositions.
- As a Tier VIII aircraft carrier, captains may face off against large amounts of high tier AA.
- Unable to train captains for any other carriers, and requires a specialized German captain to perform well.
- No torpedo bombers, making it very difficult to deal with enemy destroyers effectively.
- Poor base surface detectability range at 16.2km.
- Has weak fighters compared to other Tier VIII carriers.
- AP bombs are nearly impossible to land hits with, even when auto-dropped.
Research
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
The recommended upgrades for Graf Zeppelin are as follows:
- Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1*
- Slot 2: Air Groups Modification 2*
- Slot 4: Damage Control System Modification 1
- Slot 5: Damage Control System Modification 2
- Slot 6: Concealment System Modification 1
Upgrade Slot 1 provides two viable options. Air Groups Modification 1 is highly recommended to improve her weak fighters, but some players may choose to specialize in anti-aircraft duties or the secondary battery to defend against attacking aircraft and ships. For either specialization, Auxiliary Armaments Modification 1 should be equipped.
Upgrade Slot 2 provides options for different roles and specializations. Air Groups Modification 2 is highly recommended to increase the ammunition and hit points (HP) of fighter aircraft. Some players may choose to mount Flight Control Modification 1 in order to get planes airborne faster. For specialization in anti aircraft duties or the secondary battery, either AA Guns Modification 2 or Secondary Battery Modification 2 should be mounted, depending on the desired specialization.
Commander Skills
Graf Zeppelin is in a unique position as far as her Commander Skills go. While she is an aircraft carrier, she does not have any Torpedo Bombers. This means that commander skills strictly meant for the improvement of Torpedoes Bombers can be forgone, leaving space for other skills. In addition, the Graf Zeppelin features a fearsome secondary armament sure to surprise any ships that venture too close in the hopes of an easy kill. So, choosing Commander Skills that increase the performance of her secondaries is certainly a viable way to go.
Recommended Commander Skills | ||||||||
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Cost (points) |
Endurance | Attack | Support | Versatility | ||||
1 |
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★★★ |
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2 |
★ |
★ |
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3 |
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★ |
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★★ |
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4 |
★★ |
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★★ |
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★★ |
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Meh Χ - Not recommended |
Consumables
' can equip the following consumables:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
- Slot 2: Defensive AA Fire
Shelling out credits (or doubloons) for Damage Control Party II () will prove useful for captains trying to take advantage of Graf Zeppelin’s secondary battery guns, while Defensive AA Fire II () may be useful if players find themselves subjected to repeated attacks by the enemy carrier.
Camouflage
As a premium ship, Graf Zeppelin comes included with Type 10 camouflage that lowers her detection radius, reduces the accuracy of incoming shells, and increases the amount of experience she earns.
Signals
As a premium aircraft carrier, Graf Zeppelin can mount only four signal flags simultaneously. Captains using high explosive bombs should mount India X-Ray () and Victor Lima () flags for a boost to their fire chance. November Echo Setteseven () flags are recommended to boost the ship’s anti-aircraft damage. Captains can also mount November Foxtrot () and India Yankee () flags for increased survivability. Lastly, economic and special flags can be used to increase the ship’s credit and experience gain per battle.
Recommended Signal Flags | |||||
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Combat | |||||
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★ |
★★ |
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★★★ |
★★★ |
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★ |
★★ |
★ |
★★ |
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Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.
Gallery
An AP bomb from Graf Zeppelin's air wing finds the Mogami's citadel.
A German dive bomber returns to base after dropping its' ordinance on an enemy Yamato.
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
References
- Chesneau, R., Gardiner, R. (1980). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships: 1922-1946. London UK: Conway Maritime Press.
- Breyer, S. (1989). Graf Zeppelin: The German Aircraft Carrier. West Chester. PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
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