VK 36.01 (H) World of Tanks Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

General information

Name	VK 36.01 (H)
Type	Heavy tank
Tier	VI
Armament	7.5/5.5cm Waffe 0725: penetration 157mm; damage 135
Armor	Hull: 100mm/60mm/60mm, turret: 100mm/80mm/80mm
Durability	950 Hit points
Mobility	Top speed: 50,5km/h, engine: 500HP
Role	Medium range combat, support tank, Sniper

Just like its predecessor, the VK 36.01 (H) is a quite slow vehicle with considerable number of health points, and armed with the effective 7.5/5.5cm Waffe 0725 cannon. Fortunately enough, unlike the VK 30.01 (H), it has an excellent armor capable of withstanding the fire of vehicles of the same, or a higher tier. Only the Soviet 122mm cannons are a serious threat for this vehicle. This tank is one of the best tier VI vehicles in the game; a driver that manages to harness this vehicle, will have no problems driving German vehicles of the higher tiers.

Development, equipment, crew

Your first step should be to develop and mount the 7.5/5.5cm Waffe 0725 cannon- you are going to use it for the whole time that you spend playing with the VK 36.01 (H). Then, you can unlock a new turret (this will provide you with, as many as 190 additional health points!) or new engines. Now, the only thing that you need to do is develop new suspension and the rest of the missing modules. If you are not going to use the 7.5cm KwK 42 L/70 cannon, you can skip the step of developing it - it will unlock automatically, after you have developed the Pz. Kpfw. VI Tiger.

Preferred equipment: shell rammer, improved guiding system, improved ventilation

Optional equipment: toolbox, camouflage net, binocular telescope

Skills and perks: sixth sense for the commander, repair for the rest of the crew. Then, brothers in arms for the entire crew.

Weak points

As for tier VI, this tank is exceptionally well armored. The whole of the glacis plate (and the lower plate) are 100mm thick, which is why, if you fire frontally at the VK 36.01 (H), you should make sure that you have a sufficiently effective cannon and that the enemy has not angled the armor. Otherwise, it is better to flank the slow German tank and lay fire at its vulnerable sides.

The turret of the VK 36.01 (H) is even more difficult to pierce than the hull. Depending on the cannon that it uses, the thickness of its armor varies. In the case of the 7.5/5.5cm Waffe 0725, it is 100mm thick, which allows it to repel the shells of 150mm piercing value. The cal. 88mm cannon has the armor of the thickness of 135mm. While attacking the tank from the front, it is best to aim at the cupola - it is quite poorly armored, which is why most of shells fired at it will damage the vehicle. The sides and the rear of the turret are easy to damage, because they are protected by mere 80mm of steel.

The ammo compartment is located at the back of the turret and directly below it: the engine, typically at the back of the hull. Shots fired at the center of the bottom front armor plate can damage the gearbox and set the vehicle on fire.

How to play...

...As the driver of the VK 36.01 (H)?

• Just like its predecessor, the tank is quite slow. Although its top speed is 50.5km/h, the VK 36.01 (H) is capable of reaching this speed only down the slope.
• The excellent hull armor, and even better turret armor allows you to fight both at a long and short distance, especially with vehicles of lower tiers. Still, you need to watch out for the fast enemy vehicles, because the turret of the VK 36.01 (H) may be too slow to catch a tank circling around you.
• This vehicle should be fighting at medium distances, thanks to which it will be able to near the frontline easily and, when it comes to this, launch the onslaught itself, or serve as a support to the other attacking vehicles, to break the enemy lines.
• The tank has two cannons at its disposal: 7.5/5.5cm Waffe 0725 and 8,8 KwK 36 L/56. The former has greater armor piercing value, but deals less damage. It is the other way around with the latter: each direct hit claims the enemy's 220 health points but, due to its low piercing value, it is necessary to use the premium shells. Personally, I recommend using the former cannon because, in the long run, it is much cheaper to use.
• Your armor is good but not indestructible. While fighting with enemy, remember about angling the vehicle. While fighting with tanks of higher tiers, you should try attacking them while they are reloading, or when the cannon is not directed at you. You can also use the hull down tactic and hope that the enemy's shell ricochets.

...against the VK 36.01 (H)?

• This vehicle is quite slow, which is why the best method to attack it is to encircle it and attack it from the weaker flanks or the rear. For tanks of lower tiers, it is the only available method to damage the enemy.
• In the case in which you spot a lone VK 36.01 (H) in the open area, and you are moving on a light or a medium tank, you can easily circle around it and shoot at its weak points.
• Tanks of higher tiers should be able to pierce through the VK 36.01 (H)'s hull without any problems. While shooting at the turret, you need to take random ricochets into consideration - this vehicle can even withstand direct hits from cannons of larger calibers.
• In spite of the quite low damage per minute, the VK 36.01 (H) has a very high number of Hit points. I recommend against a frontal exchange of fire with this tank.
• While on tanks of lower tiers, it is best to attack this tank in groups of several vehicles. The VK 36.01 (H) does not handle fire, from several directions, well.