Where to aim against KM BBs?

[BearlyHereBear]

When I get up close and the enemy shows their broadside, where do I aim?  Seems I never find the cit....

[Ace_04]

German battleships are very tough to citadel at close range due to their turtleback armor.

 

Your best bet is always to aim for the upper part of the armor belt.  You won't necessarily get any citadels out of it, but you'll get more consistent penetration damage.

 

German BB's are most vulnerable to citadels at long range, due to plunging fire penetrating their weak deck armor.

[BearlyHereBear]

I like your avatar

 

[Lert]

You're not going to cit KM BBs at close range, no matter where you aim. If they're broadside on, put AP into his upper hull for normalpen damage.

[Doomlock]

Yup. Upper belt. I have done 22k salvos at KM BBs doing that. Even in Scharnhorst.

[Jiggiwatt]

59 minutes ago, BearlyHereBear said:

Seems I never find the cit....

 

I used to have that issue. Check your ego and have some open, judgement free communication with the other captain and you'll get there!

[Edselman]

The best place to aim is in the upper belt. The turtleback works to protect the citadel but at the same time it ricochets the shells upwards and backwards into the upper sections of the hull where the shells will detonate. You won't get any citadels but a lot of AP penetrations. The turtleback also makes them easier to citadel a long ranges if you can manage to hit them.

The thing about German battleships is that since nearly all of the ship is armored, you will get more damage in with heavy caliber shells. For example, since U.S.N. BBs follow the all of nothing concept any large caliber shell that hits anywhere except the armored zone will over penetrate and do minimal damage. German BBs on the other hand have light and medium armor all over the ship so big shells will detonate inside the ship before they over penetrate.

[tcbaker777]

2 hours ago, BearlyHereBear said:

When I get up close and the enemy shows their broadside, where do I aim?  Seems I never find the cit....

in a DD or cruiser, go for superstructure, in a BB, just above where the hull meets the waterline, due to the turtleback armor

[vonKaiser]

Right about here

 

Aiming at the waterline with the German armor scheme isn't going to net you much, add in the dispersion of the guns and some of those shells are gonna get eaten up by the water slowing them down.  Upper belt line however lets more shells hit and with the armor will result in a multitude of penetrating hits.  They don't do the full 100% damage like a citadel would, but enough 33% Penetrations will make any German BB take notice.

[MrDeaf]

1 hour ago, Lert said:

You're not going to cit KM BBs at close range, no matter where you aim. If they're broadside on, put AP into his upper hull for normalpen damage.

That's not entirely true.

I have citadelled FDGs and GKs with my Tirpitz at <4km by shooting under the front turrets.

[Lert]

14 minutes ago, MrDeaf said:

That's not entirely true.

I have citadelled FDGs and GKs with my Tirpitz at <4km by shooting under the front turrets.

k. Have a cookie.

 

Now do it reliably.

[Drachost]

1 hour ago, Jiggiwatt said:

 

I used to have that issue. Check your ego and have some open, judgement free communication with the other captain and you'll get there!

Now this is probably the best derail I have ever seen...lmbo

[MrDeaf]

40 minutes ago, Lert said:

k. Have a cookie.

 

Now do it reliably.

Oh please, we all know how good German optics are in this game.

[AdmiralThunder]

4 hours ago, Lert said:

You're not going to cit KM BBs at close range, no matter where you aim. If they're broadside on, put AP into his upper hull for normalpen damage.

I have had a few KM BB citadel hits( Gneisenau twice, Tirpitz, and Bismarck ). 3 have been at 11-12km+ and I assume are plunging fire through the deck? However, I actually citadeled a Tirpitz at 5.4km that was coming at me slightly angled in my New Mexico. It can be done but is rare. And FWIW all the other citadels at long range have been when they are coming at me slightly angled as well. Hits are approx. around the front turret area on the hull. I aim for the line where the hull meets the deck or even around the turret height regardless of angled, bow on, stern on, or full broadside..

[Lord_Slayer]

On 7/17/2017 at 6:55 PM, AdmiralThunder said:

I have had a few KM BB citadel hits( Gneisenau twice, Tirpitz, and Bismarck ). 3 have been at 11-12km+ and I assume are plunging fire through the deck? However, I actually citadeled a Tirpitz at 5.4km that was coming at me slightly angled in my New Mexico. It can be done but is rare. And FWIW all the other citadels at long range have been when they are coming at me slightly angled as well. Hits are approx. around the front turret area on the hull. I aim for the line where the hull meets the deck or even around the turret height regardless of angled, bow on, stern on, or full broadside..

I would assume either plunging fire through the deck into the cit, or a possible barbette hit. I have also gotten cits against KM BBs as well as being cit'd while driving a KM BB. Each case was slightly different. One was a cit through the deck armor/through the superstructure, one was in the stern, another was similar to yours, angled hit in the bow area. Most of the Cits I have received came from from being low tier against 9s and 10s.