VK 20.01 (D)

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Strong turret front and fairly bouncy mantlet
• Decent mobility for its tier
• Good gun depression
• Stronger armor when angled properly than the Pz.Kpfw. III

Cons:

• Second turret jams easily if hit in the cheeks
• Mediocre gun selection
• Inferior to the Pz.Kpfw. III in every aspect

Performance

This tank is similar to a Pz.Kpfw. III in playstyle but without the very good maneuverability and acceleration. Still while inferior in acceleration, it can still reach respectable speeds on flat ground. That said acceleration is much worse so going uphill or making constant turns should be avoided when fired upon or in combat. It is more crucial to get into a position that allows for quick escapes or hard cover very similarly to the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. G as both of those tanks have a somewhat underpowered engine but good top speed.

The gun selection is poor considering the tank is nowhere near as agile as the Pz.Kpfw. III. Still, flanking or shooting weakspots is the best tactic with the guns, as the 50mm KwK 39 L/60 has very good DPM and can make short work of any tier IV tank if aimed at weaker sides or any weakspots. The 75mm KwK 37 L/24 is better suited as a support gun when firing HEs to cripple enemy tanks, but to maximize its potential, (especially when on the bottom of the list,) carrying some HEAT is essential. Still if credits are not an issue, HEAT or APCR in either of the guns will get rid of the one and only problem with the guns; lack of penetration.

Armor is fairly thin but can stand up to many tier IV weaponry when angled at around 35 degrees. This position makes your front resistant if not entirely immune to another VK 20.01 (D) unless they use APCR or HEAT. Hull down is moderately effective due to the fairly strong mantlet and exceptional gun depression (comparable to many American tanks). Any gun that has penetration of around 100mm will completely nullify any armor you have, so in that case make sure to either sidescrape or get behind hard cover (sidescraping is not super effective with just 40mm of side armor, but can help when the angle is autobounce).

Overall the tank is accepted to be inferior to the Pz.Kpfw. III, but its armor is bouncier when angled well, is a smaller target, and has much better gun depression. On the other hand it is less agile and has thinner frontal armor, which makes it more susceptible to fire when unangled.

Early Research

• The FuG 7 Radio carries over from the Pz.Kpfw. II Ausf. G. Mount it immediately.
• First, research the 5 cm KwK 39 L/60 Gun.
• Depending on whether you want more armour or more speed, research the Pz.Kpfw. III Ausf. M Turret or the 2 x Maybach HL 66 P Engine. Keep in mind that you can only mount one of these before you need to upgrade your suspension.
• Now, research the VK 20.01 (D) Suspension.
• If you researched the turret, you can choose between the engine and the 7,5 cm KwK 37 L/24 Gun. If you researched the engine, you can choose between the turret and the Daimler-Benz MB 809 Engine.
• The best research path to take after the first gun upgrade is probably turret > suspension > first engine > top gun > top engine.
• Finally, research the FuG 12 Radio.