Although Derfflinger shares the same caliber and reload as V Konig, her shells deal slightly less damage and her AP shells have less penetration at all ranges. The two middle turrets lose some of the forward/backward firing angles provided by the wing turrets, but in exchange they have significantly better broadside angles on both sides of the ship. Unlike the previous battlecruisers, all four turrets are centerline. Her torpedo protection is average as well, further increasing the importance of positioning to dissuade torpedo attacks.ĭerfflinger is armed with eight 305mm guns in four twin turrets.

With one of the largest turning circles and slowest rudder shifts among Tier V battleships, she relies on positioning to avoid enemy fire and torpedoes. Like the preceding battlecruisers, Derfflinger is not an agile ship. As with III Von der Tann and IV Moltke, experienced players should use her high speed to quickly reach advantageous positions and adapt to the course of the battle, but newer players still need to be careful and not overextend. She can easily outrun the slower dreadnoughts, but keeping pace with same-tier cruisers is no longer possible. While no longer best in tier, Derfflinger’s speed is still among the highest of Tier V battleships. Although her guns and armor are definitely those of a battleship, her speed, concealment, and ideal positioning are more cruiser-like. Tier V Derfflinger continues the distinctive characteristics established by the preceding German battlecruisers - high speed, good concealment, and better main battery accuracy, but lower survivability. Following the design philosophy of the other German battlecruisers, Derfflinger was better armored than her British counterparts but featured a slightly smaller main battery. Her main battery was larger than her predecessors, opting for 12in guns in response to the British increasing their armor thickness.

Like Konig, Derfflinger was the first of her type to have all of her main battery mounted on the centerline and her secondary armament moved up to the superstructure due to the flush deck design. She was a completely new design compared to her predecessors and was built to compliment the Konig-class battleships also being built at the time. The data presented in the AA Defense sidebar section may be incorrect.īuilt in response to the British Lion class battlecruisers launched in 1910, Derfflinger was laid down in 1912 and was the lead ship of her class of three.

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