[Coming Soon] Emden: Reichsmarine Forward

📦 The Medium Trophy contains the Emden light cruiser, the first large German ship after World War I.

Historical note

After the end of World War I, under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the winners allowed Germany to own only a very small navy with huge restrictions. The light cruiser Emden was started in 1921 and was the first capital ship to be completed by Germany after WWI. The ship was built according to the drawings developed during the Kaiser's reign – Germany had no opportunity to conduct full-fledged engineering work.

The Emden faced the Second World War in her home port of Wilhelmshaven. On September 4th, 1939, she was already heavily damaged by the wreckage of a downed British bomber, making her the first German ship to be damaged in the new war. During World War II, Emden was mostly used for communications and training, although she performed a number of mine- laying and convoy escort missions. In the spring of 1945, the cruiser was heavily damaged by an aerial bomb during repairs at the Kiel shipyard, where it was soon blown up by her crew and sunk.

Emden (Rank II)

The Emden light cruiser will appear at Rank II of the German Navy in the seasonal update of War Thunder Mobile. In the game this ship has medium mobility, with 152-mm main caliber guns in single gun mounts, torpedoes and a good AA battery.

The main caliber gun placement marks Emden as a direct heir to the warships of the early twentieth century. Indeed, all of her eight 150-mm guns are placed in single-gun shield mounts, which are located along the entire length of the cruiser's deck.

This unusual positioning of the guns has both advantages and disadvantages. It is difficult for the ship to give a concentrated onboard salvo by all the guns of the main caliber, but at the same time, the enemy will not be able to quickly disable them. The supporting caliber of the cruiser is rather average – only three mounts with 105-mm cannons.

In the game, the Emden appears in one of its most advanced versions, where an extensive AA battery became vital to WWII sailors. The Emden is armed with 40-mm autocannons and can not only stand up for itself, but also cover its comrades from attacks from the sky.

Among the important features of the Emden is its relatively good survivability. It holds its own against other light cruisers on the battlefield. But you should not fight larger ships one-to-one because its armor is very light. The cruiser has average mobility for its class and is additionally armed with torpedoes for short range skirmishes.

The Emden light cruiser is an excellent, multi-functional, low-ranked ship. For many naval commanders, it will be a great starter, allowing them to learn the tricks of commanding a large, multi-gun ship.