Ship:Manfred von Richthofen
| Maximum Speed32 knot |
| Turning Circle Radius1200 m |
| Rudder Shift Time16.4 sec |
| Surface Detectability Range13.6 km |
| Air Detectability Range10 km |
Manfred von Richthofen — German Tier X aircraft carrier.
A hypothetical variation of a heavy German aircraft carrier based on the unfinished H-39 class battleship hull. It is assumed that by the time the construction of the battleship was halted, her hull would have been fully shaped, and the main propulsion plant and electrical plant machinery would also have been installed. With such a configuration, she would have been one of the largest ships in the world, second only to Japanese Shinano.
Manfred von Richthofen was first released on 4 August 2020.
Modules
![]() | Speed (knot) | Average Damage per Second (HP/min) | Loadout | Hit Points (HP) | Research price (exp) | Purchase price ( | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fw 190A8 | 167 | 1,380 | 0 | 1,000,000 | |||
| Me 155G | 172 | 1,440 | 38,000 | 2,500,000 |
![]() | Maximum Torpedo Damage (HP) | Speed (knot) | Hit Points (HP) | Research price (exp) | Purchase price ( | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fw 190G8 | 4,533 | 154 | 1,640 | 0 | 1,000,000 | |
| Ta 152C-1/R14 | 4,533 | 174 | 1,710 | 38,000 | 2,500,000 |
Compatible Upgrades
| Slot 1 |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slot 2 |
|||||
| Slot 3 |
|||||
| Slot 4 |
|||||
| Slot 5 |
|||||
| Slot 6 |
Player Opinion
Performance
Refer to the in-game Port screens for more useful data.
Manfred von Richthofen is a carrier that specializes in dealing irreparable damage to all ship classes. Her high average plane speed lets her quickly react to enemy movements and provides support anywhere on the map. However, this comes at the cost of fragile squadrons and low plane reserves.
Attack Aircraft:
Unlike most other carriers, Manfred von Richthofen's attack aircraft carry armor-piercing rockets. One squadron contains 9 aircraft divided into 3 strikes that each fire 12 rockets. With its high speed, agility, and short machine gun period, this armament is consistent against agile targets. These munitions are similar to cruiser AP and can citadel most cruisers. However, this also causes over-penetrations on destroyers and ricochets at extreme angles. Because of this, captains must always aim for ship broadsides.
Torpedo Bombers:
Manfred von Richthofen's torpedo bombers are an intermediate squadron to be used when the other squadrons are returning to the hull. As the fastest carrier-based torpedoes with a short arming distance, this armament deals damage with consistency. However, each torpedo deals a small amount of damage. Each squadron consists of 9 aircraft with a strike consisting of 3 planes that launch 1 torpedo each. Finally, her torpedo armament comes with an in-flight repair consumable allowing for increased survivability against ships with high AA.
Dive Bombers:
Manfred von Richthofen's dive bombers carry armor-piercing bombs that deal heavy damage. A full squadron consists of 12 aircraft with a strike consisting of 3 planes each dropping 1 bomb. While each bomb has high alpha damage, they have poor accuracy as the bombs often fall towards the outer edges of the reticle. Her dive bombers also come with an in-flight repair consumable in exchange for lower individual plane health, allowing for improved survivability during strikes.
Ship:
Manfred von Richthofen is a well-armored aircraft carrier that travels at 32 knots and features a 50mm armored flight deck. While no armor-piercing shells can penetrate her flight deck, high caliber high explosive shells that penetrate 50mm can damage her from any range. Her hull features a 60mm icebreaker, turtleback armor scheme, 14km base ship concealment, and a thick armor belt (145-150mm). While based on Friedrich der Große’s hull, Manfred von Richthofen is covered in standard 19mm aircraft carrier plating.
Much like the other German aircraft carriers, Manfred von Richthofen features a secondary battery with increased range and improved dispersion. However, her secondary battery firing angles are poor and require large amounts of broadside to bring all guns to bear. Investing in a secondary build is not recommended due to bad firing angles and the weakness of aircraft carrier hulls at close range.
Tips
- If using rockets against destroyers, change the angle of attack to ~55 degrees, so that the rockets can arm and deal heavy damage.
- The attack squadron can quickly develop a crossfire forcing enemy ships to turn into allied fire
- The bombers have a high cruising altitude that dives straight down when initiating the attack, it is recommended to lead targets accordingly.
- In matches with a high cruiser population, use the torpedo bombers as the scouting squadron to identify areas of dense AA and isolated targets to maximize the effectiveness of the armor-piercing armaments.
- Because of the poor accuracy, the bombers should be used against ships with wide profiles (most battleships).
- it is possible to make adjustments during the preparatory phase when the reticle is orange as the reticle continues to aim even when turning
- Rockets and torpedoes are the most effective against cruisers.
- The dive bombers have a flexible reticle where adjustments during the preparatory phase don't decrease accuracy. The reticle continues to fully aim when it appears orange even if adjustments are being made.
Pros:
- Fast planes
- AP rockets crossfire is very effective against cruisers
- Fastest aerial torpedoes in the game with decent arming distance. Good against destroyers.
- Highest per-bomb AP bomb damage in the game
- Dive bombers have access to In-flight Repair

- A lot of Manfred von Richthofen's damage will come from citadel penetrations via AP rockets and bombs, preventing most ships from recovering from said damage
- Best armor protection in tier/class, tied with Max Immelmann (as they share the same hull)
- Dangerous secondary armament, very useful for self-defense
- Best concealment among Tier 10 aircraft carriers, tied with Max Immelmann
Cons:
- Smaller plane hanger
- AP rockets are not effective against angled targets
- AP bomb dispersion is inconsistent. 2 bombs will tend to land in the inner ring.
- Aerial torpedoes deal the lowest damage and have the lowest flood chance among Tier 10 torpedo bombers
- 50mm flight deck
Research
Like other Tier 10 aircraft carriers, Manfred von Richthofen does not come elite on purchase.
- Attack Aircraft: Upgrade to Me155G for slightly higher plane speed and health.
- Torpedo Bombers: Upgrade to Ta 152C-1/R14 for higher plane speed and slightly more health.
- Dive Bombers: Upgrade to Ta 152C-1/R14 for higher plane speed, slightly more health, and a big damage boost (7'800->8'800).
Optimal Configuration
Upgrades
Standard Build
The recommended upgrades for Manfred von Richthofen are as follows:
- Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1

- Slot 2: Aircraft Engines Modification 1

- Slot 3: Aerial Torpedoes Modification 1

- Slot 4: Bombers Modification 1

- Slot 5: Flight Control Modification 1

- Slot 6: Flight Control Modification 2

Competitive Build
The recommended upgrades for Manfred von Richthofen are as follows:
- Slot 1: Air Groups Modification 1

- Slot 2: Aircraft Engines Modification 1

- Slot 3: Aerial Torpedoes Modification 1

- Slot 4: Bombers Modification 1

- Slot 5: Squadron Consumables Modification 1
![: +50% action time [CVs only].](https://wows-media-wowswiki-prod.wgcdn.co/thumb/9/9a/Icon_modernization_PCM073_AbilityWorktimeBoostCV_Mod_I.png/20px-Icon_modernization_PCM073_AbilityWorktimeBoostCV_Mod_I.png)
- Slot 6: Flight Control Modification 2

Upgrade Slot 5 offers players A choice between Flight Control Modification 1 and Squadron Consumables Modification 1, which adds 50% to the length of all consumables. Players wishing to have more responsive fighters and longer heals can take this upgrade in in combination with repair specialist to get 8.2 second heals on their Dive and Torpedo Bombers . As for fighters, with Enhanced reactions, search and destroy and patrol group leader you can extend the fighter duration to more then 1.5 minutes post 0.10.4.
Commander Skills
It is recommended to use Günther Lütjens for improved Improved Engine Boost.
- Note: Hidden Menace states that your planes reach safe altitude at 50% lower height which is not true because your planes are still vulnerable to flak, therefore the skill is bugged and not recommended.
Standard Build
| Recommended Commander Skills | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost (points) |
Attack | Defense | Support | |||
1 |
★ |
★★★ |
|
|
|
|
2 |
★★ |
|
★★★ |
★★ |
|
|
3 |
|
★★ |
|
★★★ |
★★★ |
|
4 |
|
★★ |
|
|
|
|
| Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful | ||||||
Competitive Build
| Recommended Commander Skills | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost (points) |
Attack | Defense | Support | |||
1 |
|
★ |
|
|
|
★★★ |
2 |
★★ |
|
★★★ |
★★ |
|
|
3 |
|
★ |
|
★★★ |
★★★ |
|
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
★★★ |
| Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful ★★ - Frequently Useful ★ - Occasionally Useful No stars - Not Useful | ||||||
Consumables
Manfred von Richthofen can equip the following consumables:
Aircraft Carrier:
- Slot 1: Damage Control Party
unlimited - Slot 2: CAP Fighter

All aircraft carrier consumables are automatically activated.
Attack Aircraft:
- Slot 1: Engine Cooling

- Slot 2: Patrol Fighter

Torpedo Bombers:
- Slot 1: Engine Cooling

- Slot 2: Patrol Fighter

- Slot 3: In-flight Repair

Bombers:
- Slot 1: Engine Cooling

- Slot 2: Patrol Fighter

- Slot 3: In-flight Repair

Signals
As a carrier, Manfred von Richthofen has no risk of detonating.
- Note: Carriers burn at 1% health per a second while all other ships burn at 0.3% a second. So even though Carriers burn for only 5 seconds for each fire, if caught off of DCP, multiple fires can be set over and over again making a carrier lose more health to fires than any surface ship within a short duration. Also, Tier X carriers have tier 6 fire reduction coefficient which makes them 30% more likely to be caught on fire than Tier X surface ships.
Recommended Signal Flags
| |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat | |||||
![]()
|
![]() ★★ |
![]() ★★ |
![]() ★ |
![]() ★★★ |
![]()
|
![]() ★★★ |
![]() ★★ |
![]() ★★★ |
![]() ★★★ |
![]()
|
![]() ★★★ |
![]()
|
![]()
| ||||
Gallery
Historical Info
Historical Gallery
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_carriers_of_Germany
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_Z
Ship Change Log
| U.S.A. | IV Langley • VI Independence • VI Ranger • VIII Yorktown • VIII Lexington • VIII Enterprise |
| Japan | IV Hōshō • VI Ryūjō • VIII Shōkaku • VIII Kaga |
| Germany | IV Rhein • VI Weser • VI Erich Loewenhardt |
| U.S.S.R. | IV Komsomolets • VI Serov • VIII Pobeda • VIII Chkalov |
| Pan-Asia | VIII Sanzang |
| U.K. | IV Hermes • VI Furious • VI Ark Royal |
| Italy | VIII Aquila |
| France | VI Béarn |
| Pan-America | X Independencia |




















