VK 72.01 (K)
A Clan Wars reward tank I desperately crave. With the profile, armor layout, and mobility almost identical to that of a Pz VII’s but with the firepower of an E 100, the VK 72.01 (K) cements its position as one of the greatest super heavies in the game. The VK 72 (or Pz VII) platform prides itself on having one of the thickest lower glacis plates in the game at 260mm effective armor, without angling the tank, and it’s capable of easily exceeding 300mm when angling at around 25 degrees.
The disadvantage of doing this is you expose your side armor weak spot, a triangular area of the hull just below the turret ring which inconveniently curves around the turret, resulting in effective armor values below 200mm. What this means is you have to decide how you want to angle your tank depending on the enemy you’re facing.
When fighting a lower penetration adversary, they will be unable to penetrate you frontally regardless, so you likely shouldn’t angle your tank whatsoever. However, higher penetration guns will make short work of your lower plate armor meaning you might want to expose your side armor weak spot to increase your lower plate effective armor in the hopes they shoot that instead.
The turret shape of the VK 72 is both a blessing and a curse compared to its other German counterparts. Its optimal angling is pointing directly at the enemy, meaning you don’t have to worry about angling between shots. The disadvantage to this is you can’t angle to achieve a greater armor value than you already have, meaning if someone is aware of the weak spots in your mantlet, or either side of it, you could be in for a rough time.
The reason for choosing the VK 72.01 (K) over the standard Panzer VII is its choice of armament. The 15cm gun found on the E 100 and VK has both higher DPM and alpha damage compared to the Panzer VII’s 128mm, with marginally inferior gun handling and penetration as a trade-off. Fire HEAT rounds with the 15cm and there’s not even an argument for the Pz VII to be made in my opinion.