A popular German proverb tells, "Übung macht den Meister,"
which literally means "skills make a master."
The more commonly heard variant is "practice makes perfect."
This proverb is very much applicable to the ship we're here to discuss today—
German Tier VI aircraft carrier Erich Loewenhardt.
By the mid-1930s,
all the great naval powers already had aircraft carriers in their service,
with the exception of Italy.
The rapid development of deck aviation
made these ships an essential part of any navy
that had ambitions to address challenges on a global scale.
It came as no surprise when,
as soon as the Naval Treaty of 1935 with Great Britain
allowed Germany to develop aircraft carriers,
the Kriegsmarine commenced plans to construct two of them at once.
The main ship was laid down at the end of 1936
and launched in December 1938.
The carrier was named Graf Zeppelin after the famous airship designer.
At the launching ceremony,
the ship's christening ritual was performed by Hella von Zeppelin,
daughter of the great inventor.
By the beginning of World War II, the carrier was 85% complete.
However, her construction was halted as early as the spring of 1940
due to the circumstances of the war.
Later, the work on Graf Zeppelin
was resumed on the basis of another, modified, project.
The original project was picked up 80 years later
by the World of Warships designers.
Their efforts resulted in aircraft carrier Erich Loewenhardt.
Erich Loewenhardt is a Tier VI aircraft carrier
armed with squadrons that are powerful for her tier,
but not very numerous.
The ship is equipped with twin secondary and dual-purpose artillery mounts—
sixteen 150 mm guns and ten 105 mm guns.
Her AA defenses consist of eleven coaxial 37 mm guns
and eight 20 mm autocannons.
The primary feature of any carrier is of course her aircraft—
torpedo bombers, dive bombers, fighters, and attack planes.
To play Erich Loewenhardt with confidence,
you need to be familiar with several nuances of these machines.
The armor-piercing rockets of attack aircraft
are capable of inflicting serious damage to enemy ships
if they hit a citadel,
but they can easily ricochet or bounce off armor
if they strike it at an angle.
If you're hunting for destroyers,
any rocket strikes that impact at a 90-degree angle on their thin armor
will most likely overpenetrate
and inflict only 1/10 of their maximum damage.
Loewenhardt's aircraft have a considerably longer torpedo range
than her researchable counterparts,
but the trade-off is that they are rather slow.
You need to remember this when deploying your torpedo bombers.
The bombers' reticule takes the form of a circle rather than an ellipse.
Keep that in mind.
They dive immediately without the need to first climb to a higher altitude,
just like bombers of the researchable German carriers.
The bombers carry high-explosive bombs,
which is unusual for German aircraft carriers.
Of course, before leaving the Port,
you need to think about the best upgrades to apply to your carrier,
and also improve your Commander's skills from battle to battle.
For 10 skill points:
Air Supremacy, Improved Engines, Aircraft Armor,
Survivability Expert, and Improved Engine Boost.
For 19 skill points, add the following:
Sight Stabilization, Adrenaline Rush, Torpedo Acceleration,
and Direction Center for Fighters.
Upgrades:
Air Groups Modification 1, Aircraft Engines Modification 1,
Aerial Torpedoes Modification 1, and Dive Bombers Modification 2.
I'm sure that your Erich Loewenhardt
will prove that she deserves to carry
the name of the famous World War I ace pilot
on more than one occasion.
Good luck, Captains!