It's been underestimated. It's been involuntarily towed around. It's been crushed by many Mauses. It's been made a meme by the War Thunder community, but at the same time, it's a fan favorite. However, when has anyone actually played it competitively? In today's post, I'm going to explain to you how to actually play the venerable L3/33 CC, a Rank I Italian tank destroyer. I'll go over its performance, strengths and weaknesses, and give you some pointers on how to play it in Ground RB.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great ambush vehicle | Armor is extremely weak |
| Decent overall mobility | Cannon is a mere 20 mm rifle |
| Exceptionally easy to hide due to small size | Only has two crew members, both of which are close together |
Armament
The L3/33 CC is armed with a single 20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 anti-tank rifle. This weapon is underwhelming to put it bluntly. However, this cannon can be somewhat effective when used correctly.
The L3/33's cannon only has access to one ammunition type:
- Perforante mod.35 APHE shell; max amount of ammo able to be taken is 110 rounds.
The max penetration value for the shell is a mere 38 millimeters at a distance of 10 meters (32.8 ft). That's about the same as the British Hispano 404 aircraft cannon!
The mod.35 has poor penetration overall and virtually no post-penetration effects, due to lack of shrapnel created from a hit. The existing penetration also suffers greatly with distance. The belt capacity is ten rounds, meaning you can fire ten shots in rapid succession (albeit with around a second of cooldown time per shot) without having to do a full reload. The full reload time is 7.8 seconds, which is a long time for such a small vehicle, and is worse than its German, American, and Russian counterparts.
You will never get a one-shot in this vehicle unless you get a lucky ricochet! The following vehicles mentioned are vehicles that can be damaged (killed crew members, engine damage, tracks), but not outright killed. Unless you ambush and hit weak spots multiple times, the L3/33 will be an assist king.
Thankfully for our friend the L3/33, a lot of vehicles at 1.0-1.7, especially SPAA and lighter/medium tanks, have some kind of penetrate-able armor. For example, the M13 MGMC's hull and turret can both be penetrated with ease, and the lower front plate and turret sides of the LVT(A)(1) can be shot through to knock out crew members, too. In an uptier at 2.0, tanks like the Ka-Chi, SU-76M, and Strv m/40L can all be penetrated from the side, but the front armor of these vehicles will bounce your rounds like it was a rock.
Armor and Survivability
The L3/33's armor (if that's what you want to call it) can be compared to paper. Any shell that hits or penetrates will do significant damage to you, if not outright kill you.
Armor must never be relied on while using the L3. Stealth, bushtanking, and ambushes will be your best friend. After all, due to the minuscule size of the L3, it can be entirely covered with equipable bushes. More on this later.
The L3 only has two crew members, the driver and the gunner/loader. A single .50 caliber (12.7 mm) bullet can penetrate the plate in front of the driver and kill him! Not to mention that you can easily get ammo racked if someone pens your left side.
Mobility
The L3 is a zippy little tank destroyer, with its max forward speed being 26 miles per hour (42 km/h). It's relatively slow going backwards, only able to go 3.7 miles per hour (6 km/h). While fast, the size of the tank is a huge disadvantage when it comes to obstacles. The acceleration is average, but good on a road. The L3/33's engine, a tiny one capable of 43 horsepower, gives the L3 a horsepower to ton ratio of 13.4, very similar to that of the Soviet heavy tank, the KV-1! Nevertheless, it can be hard for enemies to lead a shot on an L3 going full speed.
Running into things like fences and small walls can severely bring your speed down. The lack of a coaxial machine gun makes it hard to shoot down obstacles, because you will have to use your main gun.
Smaller hills will not pose a threat to the mighty L3, it can easily go up them. Steeper hills may need you to approach from the side, however.
Overall, the mobility of the L3 is average for this rank, but steep hills and obstacles can tank your speed.
Playstyle
The L3/33 has a unique, stealth-oriented playstyle, which is attributed to its size. I like to call this "bushtanking". Using it effectively requires sufficient knowledge on crew positions and weak spots on enemy vehicles.
You should back up your pushing allied tanks by hiding in cover, be it rocks, bushes, dense trees, or sneaky nooks and crannies in urban maps. You can even fit in some pipes, if someone is willing to give you a little push.
Let your allies start fights, establish cover for yourself, and jump on enemies as they drive by. Flanking is never smart, since you have no turret. Actively hunting enemies is not advised either, due to your terrible armor and weak gun.
Buying and equipping bushes can also help you, as the entirety of the tank can be covered with a few large bushes.
Another valid way to get kills/assists is to hide behind a hill, and utilize your amazing -15 degrees of gun depression to attack. After you attack, you can fall back behind the hill and reload/repair. This is easier to do with a heavier ally, because they can soak damage for you while you spray your cannon at tracks/weak spots.
Long range maps are horrible for the L3, as you can barely pen anything at a distance. I'd suggest taking a lineup with better long-range tanks for this occurrence, or if you only play the L3, use your small size to sneak into enemy lines via foliage/building cover.
The L3/33 is virtually useless against aircraft, because the barrel only has 15 degrees of elevation. If you are getting strafed, just book it forward to make yourself a harder target to hit or bomb.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this article on how to play War Thunder's smallest vehicle! The L3 is a great ambush tank for early ranks, and is just genuinely fun to play. Playing with your friends in a squad of these things is peak War Thunder!
Have a great day comrades, and don't forget to attack the D point!
