The SAV 20.12.48 is a Swedish tank destroyer at rank III, featuring a 120mm automatic cannon. This large-caliber cannon has an incredible reload speed of only 1.2 seconds, making this tank very unique. Not only does this cannon reload quickly, but the APCBC round holds 890g of explosive filler, (for reference the Jagdtiger’s best APCBC round holds 786g), making this APCBC act almost like a HE. The amazing firepower isn’t the only thing the SAV boasts though, it also features great maneuverability, and when paired with its firepower, this tank becomes the ultimate flanker.
| Pros | Cons |
| Amazing Firepower | Very weak armor |
| Great Speed | Only three crewmembers |
| Good gun depression | Ready rack only holds 6 rounds of ammo |
| Low silhouette | Open roof |
| Smoke grenades |
Armament
Of course, the most important feature of this tank destroyer is the 120mm Automatkanon, capable of firing an APCBC or HE round every 1.2 seconds. The muzzle velocity of the cannon isn’t very good, at only 525 m/s, making the rounds drop quite a bit once they leave the barrel. This also means the penetration of the APCBC isn’t very good, only 95mm of penetration at point blank. This is enough to penetrate most medium tanks from the front, and any tank, at its BR, from the side. Penetrating is the only hard part though, since the APCBC holds 890g of explosive mass, it tends to obliterate tanks with a single hit. Besides, if you miss or don't finish the enemy off with the first round, you can simply send a quick follow up shot to finish the job.
The SAV's cannon also has relatively good gun-handling. It has 15 degrees of horizontal guidance, in both directions, with the speed being 15 degrees a second (when aced). It can elevate 25 degrees, and depress -10 degrees, with the speed being 5 degrees a second. The relatively good gun depression, paired with the low silhouette, makes this tank great for hull-down positions.
Even though this weapon reloads in only 1.2 seconds, the ready-rack only holds six rounds, plus one in the breach. This means that you run out of ammo, that is ready to fire, very quickly, and reloading your ready-rack takes a long time. Therefore, a good tip is to never fire more than five rounds before reloading your ready-rack.
Try not to fight enemies from the front, since the SAV's cannon doesn't penetrate enough to guarantee a penetration into the enemy's armor.
Recommended Loadout
I like to take 40 APCBC rounds along with 5 HE rounds. The APCBC rounds are great for destroying really anything with armor, but for open vehicles like some AA and tank destroyers, load HE. Be very careful when facing AA vehicles that are very exposed, like the Zis-12, since the APCBC tends to go right through thin armor and not explode. Also since the SAV lacks a machine gun, keep HE handy, because AA trucks can be very dangerous.
Survivability
The armor of the SAV is definitely not to be relied on, penetrable by even heavy MGs. This forces players to rely on its speed and firepower to avoid being hit. The lower part of the front plate is only 30mm of rolled homogenous armor, angled at 59 degrees. The upper part of the front plate is only 15mm of rolled homogenous armor, also angled at 59 degrees. The upper and lower parts of the side are both only 15mm of armor.
To add to its vulnerability, the SAV only has three crew members. You can even see the commander's head sticking up over the armor, when looking straight at it, making the commander vulnerable to even 7.62mm machine guns. The ammo is laid out in a pretty conventional manner, with the ready-rack in the middle and a rack on each side of it.
When using the SAV, always hide from planes. Planes armed with literally any kind of machine gun can kill you.
The SAV also features three smoke grenades, the launcher for which is located on the right side of the upper hull. All three of these smoke grenades fire at the same time producing pretty good surround cover, but only once.
Mobility
The speed and agility of the SAV is its second greatest asset, one you should almost entirely rely on. The 20 ton SAV is propelled by a 400hp engine, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 20 hp/t. This provides great acceleration, and a powerful max speed of 48 km/h (about 30mph), with a reverse speed of 18 km/h (about 12 mph).
The SAV also turns pretty quickly, so retreating or re-positioning is always an option. When the armor is as poor as it is on the SAV, you must rely on its agility to get to strategic positions early in the match, so you can have the advantage the rest of the game.
Usage In Battle
The SAV has a unique and enjoyable playstyle, one that I personally both love and hate. It can get really fun when you drive over a hill, to see the sides of many tanks and then to just unload. Other times, you will be in-route to your favorite hiding spot when a plane swoops in and mows down your vulnerable crew. This doesn't deny the fact that in the hands of a skilled tank commander, the SAV can be a serious asset to a team. When using the SAV, simply use its speed to sneak to strategic positions early in the match. Then have fun annihilating several enemies in quick succession, with 890g of explosives behind each hit. Try to get into positions where you are firing at the sides of enemies, since there are tanks at the SAV's battle rating that can bounce the SAV's shells frontally. Use the relatively low silhouette of the SAV to hide in ditches and poke over hills.
Thank you for reading this article on the SAV 20.12.48, and I hope it has helped you better understand it. Please let me know what you think in the comments!
