German destroyers excel in close quarters combat
and fighting for Key Areas thanks to their large HP pools,
powerful main armament, and the Hydroacoustic Search consumable they carry.
But they aren't just focused specialists,
they are truly versatile fighters
that are capable of keeping an entire enemy team at bay
with specific fighting techniques they can employ against any ship type.
Today, we're going to review Tier VIII destroyer Z-35 in detail.
Destroyer Z-35's path to the Kriegsmarine wasn't an easy one.
The ship should have been laid down within the Type 1938B destroyer series
as early as in the spring of 1939.
However, German intelligence reported that the new French and British destroyers
were outperforming the project, so the Kriegsmarine canceled it.
In September, ships carrying the same-letter names
were re-ordered along with the already developed Type 1936A design,
which was equipped with a 150 mm main battery.
But at the beginning of World War II, the project was cut,
and so was our Z-35.
As a result, the ship was laid down as late as January, 1941,
and construction progressed very slowly.
Meanwhile, the designers had to review
the characteristics of the Type 1936A destroyers,
taking into account their operational experience
and the return to having a 127 mm main battery.
Thus, at the beginning of 1942,
it was decided to complete construction
using a third revision of the amended Type 1936B design.
The destroyer was commissioned into the navy in February, 1944,
and then sent to the Eastern Front— the Baltic Sea.
She was actively engaged in providing fire support for ground troops,
protecting convoys from aircraft attacks, and laying mines.
In December, 1944, Z-35 ended up in an old German minefield
and sank while attempting to mine Soviet communication lines
in the estuary of the Gulf of Finland.
In World of Warships, Z-35 can be proud of her rapid-firing main guns
with flat ballistics that allow her to efficiently attack enemies
at distances of up to 12.1 km.
Her high-explosive shells are quite effective
because of their decent penetration capabilities
and ability to consistently inflict damage
to even the most heavily armored targets.
In addition to HE shells, German destroyers carry strong armor-piercing shells
that will allow you to attack poorly armored cruisers
if you manage to hit their broadsides.
Smoke screens will help you escape from return enemy fire,
but the short duration of their smokes means that you won't be firing
from behind a smoke screen for too long.
They lack of Engine Boost, but their large number of Smoke Generator charges
and short cooldown period for the consumable,
as well as their decent maneuverability characteristics,
will enable them to hide from the enemy when they need to.
Their torpedo armament is weaker than that of other same-tier destroyers,
and the range of the torpedoes is just 6 km,
while their maximum damage is slightly less than 14,000.
That's why you shouldn't depend on their torpedoes
as your primary means of inflicting damage.
Nevertheless, if you're skillful enough,
you can attack an enemy from behind an island,
or surprise a slow-moving target,
through use of Hydroacoustic Search and Smoke Generator.
Such actions require precision, but in case of success,
the target will take significant damage and most likely be destroyed.
The ship has AA defenses that are typical for destroyers of her tier,
but that have a short firing range.
It's possible to fight off a single airborne raider,
but surviving repeated raids will be tough.
Here, a smoke screen will come in handy again.
Hydroacoustic Search and her powerful main battery
make Z-35 great for controlling Key Areas,
despite her average concealment compared with other destroyers.
When doing so, it's better to act with rapid-firing cruisers in support.
Your allies will be able to annihilate any enemy destroyers
spotted by your Hydroacoustic Search.
Z-35 isn't afraid of destroyers,
except for those with a strong main battery,
so you can fight against them mano a mano—
your HP pool will give you a good chance
to emerge victorious from such a battle.
Battleships aren't dangerous either
if they're distracted and engaged in artillery exchanges with other ships.
Cruisers pose the biggest threat,
because they have optimal sets of consumables to deploy against destroyers,
and, as a rule, their high rate of fire and good maneuverability
are enough to do the job.
The range of Z-35's torpedoes is insufficient to attack stealthily,
and her smoke screen lasts too little time
to inflict damage using her main guns.
You should avoid cruisers in the first half of a battle
when they still have a significant part of their HP pool.
Focus instead on fighting for Key Areas against other destroyers during that time.
Depending on your playstyle,
you can improve the ship using upgrades and Commander's skills.
Our recommendations are as follows.
Main Armaments Modification 1, Engine Room Protection,
Aiming System Modification 1, Propulsion Modification 2,
and Concealment System Modification 1.
For a 10-skill-point Commander: Priority Target, Last Stand,
Survivability Expert, and Concealment Expert.
For a 19-skill-point Commander add:
Adrenaline Rush, Basic Firing Training,
Superintendent, and Preventive Maintenance.
You can say about Z-35 that she is balanced enough,
meaning that all of her combat characteristics are quite good.
She'll come in handy in various in-game scenarios,
and will always be able to assist her team
if her Captain is skillful enough.
Good luck, Captains!