Graf Zeppelin B
Also called: 齐柏林伯爵 B Beta- Hold the hull well back and pick the drop, not the target
- AP bombs pay out on a broadside, so a patient second pass beats a rushed first one
- Avoid: Dropping AP bombs on a bow-in target
On this page
Graf Zeppelin B Community Stats
Across 4,000+ Standard battles from 77 players, Graf Zeppelin B averages a 66% win rate, 93,700 damage and 1.5 kills per battle, and survives 66% of them.
Graf Zeppelin B Community Stats
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Graf Zeppelin B Community Stats
Record History
Playstyle
Overview
Graf Zeppelin B is a Tier VII German carrier built around AP dive bombers: armor-piercing bombs that citadel broadside battleships and heavy cruisers, with fast air torpedoes for destroyers and the angled targets those bombs glance off. Fourteen secondary mounts reach 5.5 km if something closes on her, and Automatic Fighter covers the hull while squadrons are away.
Positioning
Hold the hull well back and pick the drop, not the target. AP bombs pay out on a broadside, so a patient second pass beats a rushed first one.
Potato Avoidance
Dropping AP bombs on a bow-in target
Angled decks glance them, and that is what the torpedo squadron is for.
Signature Traits
- Thick end plates · 25 mm
- Thick bow plate · 25 mm
- Long air-torp range · 6 km
- Fast air torpedoes · 60 kn
- Punch-through secondaries · 38 mm
- Tighter secondary dispersion · 94.2 m
- Holds speed in turns · 175.4 hp
- Heavy powerplant · 200000 hp
100 mm max plate, bottom quartile of T7 CVs. Citadel windows open against peer-tier guns.
How to get Graf Zeppelin B
Graf Zeppelin B is a Premium ship and not available to unlock in the Tech Tree. Acquisition path: Containers. Container chances are shown as the listed odds of receiving this exact ship, dividing grouped ship-pool odds across the resolved ships and including nested container paths when a crate can drop another crate.
While you save up, check active promo codes for free doubloons, camouflages, and other rewards.
Best listed chance for this ship
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Black Friday '25 crate
2.994%
VII Graf Zeppelin B
Event · Black Friday '25 crate
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Explorer's Chest
0.115385%
One of these ships
Event · Explorer's Chest · 1 of 26 ships
Show direct source rows
- Black Friday '25 crate 2.994% · VII Graf Zeppelin B
- Explorer's Chest 0.115385% · One of these ships
Want the full picture? Each container page charts the odds as you open more crates - including pity guaranteed-reward timers and, for GD Supporters, pack math personalized to your port.
Builds
Start with the standard aircraft carrier priorities: survivability, concealment or positioning control where relevant, and enough reload/accuracy pressure to keep the ship useful all match.
Have a build you swear by? Open it in the Build Tool and hit Save build to share it here, or browse the Ship Builds guide for proven loadouts across the fleet.
Cohort position
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Where Graf Zeppelin B sits among Tier VII CVs (12 ships). Notable standouts are shown first; the rest of the cohort-ranked stats are in the expand below. Acquisition variants (Black Friday, Founders Edition) are counted once with their base ship, not as separate peers.
See 14 mid-pack stats
Not standouts for Graf Zeppelin B -- here's where she sits on every other ranked stat in the cohort.
Peers in this cohort
Compare Tier VII Aircraft CarriersShow all 12 peers
Stats & specs
Customize in the Build Tool →ƒ
2 planes per drop x 2 bombs each = 4.ƒ
4 bombs x 4,000 alpha = 16,000, if every bomb hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
3 planes per drop x 1 torpedo each = 3.ƒ
3 torpedoes x 5,100 alpha = 15,300, if every torpedo hits. Before armor, saturation and the target's damage reduction; a real drop lands a share of it.ƒ
Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.ƒ
Dual-purpose: your secondaries doing double duty against aircraft. The same mounts appear on the Secondary Battery card - shared guns, not extra hardware.ƒ
Effective DPS in in-game units (raw aura damage × 3.5 × hit probability, summed per contributing aura) - matches the Close-range AA DPS headline's currency. Includes 126 from dual-purpose secondaries firing as AA in this range band.ƒ
Effective DPS: 59 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 1 hit probability = 206 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 126 + Medium 206 = 332ƒ
Effective DPS: 28 raw aura damage × 3.5 × 0.95 hit probability = 93 - the same in-game units as the Close-range AA DPS headline.ƒ
Far 126 + Medium 206 + Near 93 = 425ƒ
Each ~2 s salvo fires 2 AA explosions in quick succession, each leaving 4 clouds ahead of the attacking squadron, plus 1 stray cloud farther out that appear off-beat between salvos - up to 9 clouds per salvo × 210 damage each. Planes that fly into a cloud take its damage; clouds dissipate before the next salvo lands. Defensive AA Fire, where fitted, multiplies the AA explosions within each salvo, and commander skills that raise the Number of AA explosions add to it.ƒ
Damage a plane takes for flying into one flak cloud, before any reductions.ƒ
Every potential cloud spawns - the full pattern, every salvo. Often called flak 'hit chance', but spawned clouds always damage planes that fly into them - the roll is on spawning.ƒ
A new flak salvo (the AA explosions above) fires roughly every 2 s - timed frame-by-frame from gameplay footage and consistent across ships.ƒ
Flak keeps firing while at least one secondary battery mount is operational - even losing every dedicated AA mount does not stop it.ƒ
The activation band: flak fires while attacking planes are inside it. Clouds are placed ahead of the planes' path, so clouds can land short of 2.5 km or past 4.5 km - once planes get inside the band, new salvos stop. AA range bonuses push the outer edge out; the 2.5 km inner edge does not move.ƒ
Max dispersion = range (km) × 8.4 + 48. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.ƒ
5.5 km × 8.4 + 48 = 94.2 m.ƒ
Dual-purpose: the same mounts also fire at aircraft, so they appear on the AA Defense card too - shared guns, not extra hardware.Show 1 more gun family
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top speed / 4 + 4.9 = 32 / 4 + 4.9 = 12.9 kt. The community reverse-speed model from the WoWs ShipBuilder project, the same source as the acceleration model on this card. Base value; speed modifiers scale it. Not shown on the in-game card.ƒ
Seconds from top speed to a dead stop after ordering full reverse: reverse power winds in over the reverse spool-up while water drag does most of the braking. Same community-model simulation as the acceleration times, using the ship's own reverse-power ratio. The full curve is on the acceleration chart. A real replay test (one ship, not this one) measured full reverse stopping about a quarter faster than a plain Stop order from top speed, and about a tenth faster from full reverse speed; this simulation only covers the full-reverse case.ƒ
Speed below which the engine's built-in power boost applies in reverse. Matches the in-game maneuverability card's reverse threshold (Vampire II reads 10.5 here and the card shows 11; the card rounds half up).ƒ
Time to reach 90% of top speed (28.8 kt of 32 kt), from our in-house acceleration model.ƒ
Time to reach 99% of top speed (31.7 kt of 32 kt). 99% rather than 100% because true top speed is asymptotic (thrust meets drag), so the last fraction of a knot is never quite gained.ƒ
Air detectability 10.02 km + gun-firing bloom 0 km = 10.02 km. The bloom tracks main-battery caliber x 0.020. Matches the in-game 'Detect Firing Air' value on every captured ship.ƒ
Sea detectability 14.31 km + 2.0 km while burning = 16.31 km; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Sea' value on every captured ship.ƒ
Air detectability 10.02 km + 3.0 km while burning = 13.02 km; matches the in-game 'Detect Fire Air' value on every captured ship.
Automatic Damage Control Party∞ charges · 90 s reload · 60 s active
Automatic Fighter4 charges · 40 s reload · 150 s active · 5 km patrol radius ƒ
Derived from the consumable's 30 m grid-unit range (km = grid units x 30 / 1000):
See all derived stats
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All values are ship base stats with modifications and upgrade changes denoted inline.
Numbers the spec table cannot show directly: alpha-strike math, DPM, dispersion, AP penetration. Click the formula chip on any row to reveal how it is calculated.
AA defense
Only families that reach 4.5 km contribute at the outer edge of the AA bubble. In-game families: 37mm Flak M42 Zwilling 11x2 -> 207 DPS @ 3.5 km; 20mm Flak 38 C35 7x4 -> 93 DPS @ 2 km; 105 mm SKC 33 6x2 -> 126 DPS @ 4.5 km.Longest-reaching family on the in-game AA card. Base AirDefense aura max range is 3.5 km; dual-purpose mount auras extend it.@ 4.5 km: 126 from one family; @ 3.5 km: 207 + 126 = 333; @ 2 km: 207 + 93 + 126 = 426. Cumulative AA DPS at each family range threshold. Inner ranges stack the outer families, so a target closing the distance hits stronger AA bubbles as it crosses each band.207 + 93 + 126 = 426 DPS: the sum of every family's average DPS, achievable only inside the closest-range family (2 km).207 × 3.5 + 93 × 2 + 126 × 4.5 = 1478. SUM over AA auras of (aura DPS x aura range km). A plane crossing the AA bubble is exposed to each aura for a time proportional to that aura's range, so long-reach DPS is worth more than the same DPS in a short bubble. Units: DPS*km; used to rank overall AA threat across the cohort.Secondary battery dispersion
Max dispersion = range (km) × 8.4 + 48. Each dispersion type sets its own slope; this is not a percentage applied to a standard baseline.5.5 km × 8.4 + 48 = 94.2 m.Same per-type line evaluated at a fixed 5 km: 5 km × 8.4 + 48 = 90 m.Secondary battery firepower
Sum across all secondary families of (per-side barrels × 60 / reload_s × alpha), where per-side barrels = mounts × barrels-per-mount / 2 (the guns that bear on one broadside target). Per-family: 6×2 105 mm (6/side) × 60/4.5 × 1200 = 96,000 + 8×2 150 mm (8/side) × 60/9.5 × 1700 = 85,895. Assumes every shell hits (real hit rate is lower; the Brawl matchup tool on the Compare page folds in dispersion + target armor).max(1200 (105 mm), 1700 (150 mm)) = 1700. Maximum HE damage per shell across secondary HE families. Best on this ship: 1700 from the 150 mm family.max(5% (105 mm), 8% (150 mm)) = 8%. Maximum per-shell fire chance across secondary HE families (before target fire resistance is applied). Best on this ship: 8% from the 150 mm family.max(20 mm (105 mm), 38 mm (150 mm)) = 38 mm. Maximum HE armor penetration across secondary HE families (caliber × 1/6 for most nations; 1/4 for German/UK BBs). Shells whose pen falls under a plate's armor thickness shatter for 0 hull damage though fire chance still applies. Best on this ship: 38 mm from the 150 mm family.Ship Charts
Background
A high-speed aircraft carrier armed with numerous secondary- and dual-purpose guns. She had the most powerful propulsion among all German Navy ships. The carrier was never completed due to Germany's shipbuilding program priorities changing during the course of World War II.
Armor Beta
Hull HP 52,600, distributed across 5 hull zones, each with its own plate thicknesses, saturation cap, and pen thresholds. HP caps are estimated from the standard WoWs damage-allocation model.
Overmatched by 103+ AP guns across the bracket. Can’t reliably bow-tank; gets bow-citadelled and overpenned.
Thin belt: battleship AP citadels straight through it broadside. Rely on angle, speed and concealment, never sit flat.
Superstructure and extremities take HE pens and AP overpens from nearly any gun: steady chip damage. Fire resistance 37%, fires burn 60s. Range-by-range in the Compare tool →
| Section | Plates | HP cap | Threats | Tactic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bow | 25 mm primary (range 21–40 mm) | ≈ 2,630 (~5% of HP) | Overmatched by 380mm+ AP (Gneisenau, Richelieu)Angle bounces 356mm25 mm: HE pens from 150mm+ | Bow-tank fits behind this exterior plate. Saturation is FAST here; the cap is often only a few thousand HP. |
| Hull (midship) | 21 mm primary (range 20–80 mm) | ≈ 39,450 (~75% of HP) | Overmatched by 305mm+ AP (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm21 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Largest HP pool. Citadel sits behind these plates; thinner deck and side plating absorb the rest. |
| Stern | 21 mm primary (range 21–80 mm) | ≈ 2,630 (~5% of HP) | Overmatched by 305mm+ AP (Toulon, Cherbourg)Angle bounces 283mm21 mm: HE pens from 127mm+ | Mirror of bow. Same fast saturation. |
| Citadel | 100 mm primary (range 20–100 mm) | no cap | Citadel pen: full damageOver-pen: ×0.10 damage | Effectively no cap; citadel pool sits at ~165k HP on every ship. An AP citadel penetration deals the shell's full damage, the biggest single hit available; only over-penetrations are damped, to ×0.10. |
| Superstructure | 9 mm primary (range 9–60 mm) | no cap | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage | Any HE ≥16 mm pens at full damage. HE-spam target, and the section saturates fast (often only a few thousand HP). |
Saturation cap = HP a section can absorb before further damage to it is reduced (the "bow-tank" effect). Citadel pool is ~165k on every ship (effectively no cap); damage is gated by pen/over-pen multipliers instead. Superstructure saturates fast but HE always pens regardless of the plate thickness. Rudder (and other module HPs) are a separate pool from ship HP: damaging a module doesn't drain ship HP. Incapacitated modules like the rudder and engine are restored by DCP, but secondary and AA mounts destroyed at 0 HP stay out for the rest of the battle.
Skins & permanent camouflages
Every custom exterior Graf Zeppelin B can equip.
DefaultThe ship’s standard exterior
Primary official WG sources
Filtered to official World of Warships: Legends pages where this ship is a focus, reward, line member, or high-context variant mention.
