75/18 M41

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Rank VI USA | Premium | Golden Eagles
A-10A Thunderbolt (Early)
it_semovente_m41_75_18.png
GarageImage 75 18 M41.jpg
ArtImage 75 18 M41.png
75/18 M41
AB RB SB
2.0 2.0 2.0
Research:7 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:10 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
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Description

The Semovente 75/18 M41 is a rank II Italian tank destroyer with a battle rating of 2.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull30 / 25 / 27
Turret50 / 25 / 25
Crew3 people
Visibility61 %

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, casemate)
  • Cast homogeneous armour (gun mantlet)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 25 mm (80°) Upper glacis
30 mm (cylindrical) Lower plate
25 mm 25 mm Upper part
27 mm (20°) Lower part
25 mm (10°) Front glacis
10 mm (16°) Rear - Engine hood
5-25 mm (8°) Rear - Radiator vents
Casemate 50 mm (5°) Casemate front plate
50 + 50 mm (spherical) Gun mantlet
30 mm (65°) Plate connecting with hull
25 mm (8-9°) 25 mm 15 mm Centre
15 mm (20°) Sides

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and bogies are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • The belly is 15 mm thick.
  • Mudguards are 4 mm thick.

The Semovente 75/18 offers little in the way of effective protection, with its primary defence against enemy tanks being its small frontal profile. the 50 mm frontal plate struggles to keep out even rank 1 British and US guns at close range, while the extremely cramped interior means that penetrations will often knock out multiple crew members or modules in a single shot. Any shot to the sides will most likely be an instant knock out.

Unlike many of its low-rank open-top contemporaries, the 75/18 M41's fully-enclosed design offers protection against small-calibre machine gun fire and against artillery blast and HE shells. However, it still is very vulnerable to strafing aircraft and heavy calibre MG fire.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB37 / 6 km/h
RB and SB34 / 6 km/h
Number of gears4 forward
1 back
Weight13.1 t
Engine power
AB305 hp
RB and SB160 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB23.3 hp/t
RB and SB12.2 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 37 6 13.1 227 305 17.33 23.28
Realistic 34 6 142 160 10.84 12.21

The 75/18 M41 is reasonably mobile for a low-rank tank destroyer, hitting around 30km/h on flat ground off-road with a fairly fast hull traverse and a poor reverse speed.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB416 → 514 Sl icon.png
RB465 → 575 Sl icon.png
SB551 → 681 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications6 900 Rp icon.png
6 720 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost530 Ge icon.png
Crew training3 000 Sl icon.png
Experts10 000 Sl icon.png
Aces115 Ge icon.png
Research Aces160 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
30 / 50 / 60 % Sl icon.png
112 / 112 / 112 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
460 Rp icon.png
Cost:
450 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
430 Rp icon.png
Cost:
420 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
750 Rp icon.png
Cost:
730 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
750 Rp icon.png
Cost:
730 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
460 Rp icon.png
Cost:
450 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement it.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
430 Rp icon.png
Cost:
420 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
460 Rp icon.png
Cost:
450 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_Gr_Perforante_APCBC_ammo_pack
Research:
310 Rp icon.png
Cost:
300 Sl icon.png
55 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
430 Rp icon.png
Cost:
420 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_M42_EPS_HEAT_ammo_pack
Research:
430 Rp icon.png
Cost:
420 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
75mm_it_Smoke_ammo_pack
Research:
750 Rp icon.png
Cost:
730 Sl icon.png
135 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition43 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
7.8 → 6.0 s
Vertical guidance-12° / 22°
Horizontal guidance-18° / 18°
Main article: 75/18 mod.34 (75 mm)
75 mm 75/18 mod.34 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 43 -12°/+22° ±18° N/A 12.3 17.1 20.7 22.9 24.4 7.80 6.90 6.36 6.00
Realistic 8.3 9.8 11.9 13.2 14.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
Granata Perforante da 75 APCBC 45 44 39 33 29 25
Granata mod.32 HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
Granata Perforante mod.32 APCBC 52 50 44 38 33 28
EPS M42 HEAT 100 100 100 100 100 100
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Granata Perforante da 75 APCBC 425 6.42 1.2 14 270 48° 63° 71°
Granata mod.32 HE 450 6.35 0 0.1 610 79° 80° 81°
Granata Perforante mod.32 APCBC 476 6.26 1.2 14 270 48° 63° 71°
EPS M42 HEAT 399 5.3 0.05 0.1 640 62° 69° 73°
Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Screen radius
(m)
Screen deploy
time (s)
Screen hold
time (s)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Gr. Fumogena 450 6.4 13 5 20 50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the 75/18 M41
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
43 19 (+24) (+42) No

Note:

  • Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.

Machine guns

Ammunition504 rounds
Belt capacity24 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate600 shots/min
Main article: Breda Mod. 38 (8 mm)
8 mm Breda Mod. 38
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Pintle 504 (24) 600 ±10° ±60°

The small calibre of the Breda Mod. 38 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight. Furthermore, its limited elevation and traverse does not allow to target low-flying aircraft or flanking enemies. The clip capacity of the machine gun is poor, as it relies on a magazine of 24 bullets instead of a belt like similar machine guns from other nations.

Usage in battles

Combat tactics

The Semovente will struggle to be effective with the extremely poor penetration of its APCBC rounds. With a max penetration of barely 50 mm at point-blank range, the vehicle will have problems penetrating the angled front armour of many similar rank vehicles. Light tanks, armoured cars and SPAA are the easiest targets. In a full uptier, the Semovente will struggle to do any damage at all with stock shells. In this case, it is best for drivers to attempt to flank and shoot enemies from the side, where the powerful explosive capacity of the APCBC shells offer excellent single-shot knock-out capability.

The vehicle's effectiveness improves massively once the HEAT shell is unlocked, with 100 mm of penetration at all ranges. This allows for reliable penetration of practically all the 75/18 M41's potential adversaries. Your most dangerous opponents are fast and agile light tanks such as the M22 that can easily flank the Semovente undetected and disable you from close range. Their speed and small size make those light tanks difficult target for the Semovente's low-velocity howitzer.

With the HEAT shell, the Semovente can make for an effective tank destroyer, provided you stay at a distance guaranteeing your survivability. The one thing to remember about the HEAT shell is that it sacrifices the one-shot capability of APCBC, meaning that larger tanks will often take multiple hits to disable while the reload time is slow for the battle rating. Furthermore, its low velocity makes it difficult to hit reliably targets at long range.

Notable enemies

Many tanks are capable of easily disabling you. By order of lethality:

  • Tank destroyers with long guns
  • Howitzers with powerful HE shells
  • Tanks with HEAT shells
  • Frontline tanks with APHE shells
  • Light tanks or armoured cars with autocannons
How to defeat a 75/18 M41

The 75/18 M41 has several weak spots:

  • In a frontal encounter, the vertical front plate is the easiest to target.
  • Shoot the lower front plate to damage the transmission and immobilize the tank if you lack penetration power.
  • When flanking, aim for the weak sides of the casemate.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good penetration with the HEAT shell
  • Top-mounted machine gun offers some utility not available to many low-rank tank destroyers.
  • 75/18 M41's position in the tech tree can allow for a decent aircraft and tank lineup with vehicles like the AB43 scout, M15/42 medium tank, and Re.2001 CB fighter-bomber.

Cons:

  • Poor armour and survivability
  • Mediocre mobility.
  • Low-velocity gun with a slow reload makes long-range shots difficult.
  • Poor post-penetration damage with the HEAT shell, and terrible penetration with either APCBC shells.

History

The Semovente 75/18 was originally intended to be a self-propelled gun rather than a tank destroyer, with the War Thunder version being the later-model improved variant built upon the M41 tank chassis with improved armour.

Main article: History of the M14/41

In response to the poor effectiveness of existing Italian tank destroyer designs such as the 47/32 L40, the Semovente was pressed into service to combat US-built M3 Lee and Stuart tanks in service with the British Army in North Africa. Utilising a HEAT shell, the Semovente proved to be an effective counter to early-war British tanks, with its small size making it ideal for dug-in defensive positions where its lack of speed wasn't an issue.

In one engagement in 1942, Semovente vehicles of the Ariete Division repelled an attack from 40 British light and medium tanks, destroying 20 with no losses of their own. While the Semovente's HEAT shell proved effective against early-war tank designs, tougher Allied tanks such as the M4 Sherman represented a new challenge. This, as well as the Semovente's cramped interior, low-velocity gun and under-powered engine lead to the development of larger and faster dedicated tank destroyer designs with superior firepower.

Approximately 60 were built on the M40 tank chassis in early 1941, with another 162 built after that date on the M41 chassis. Two self-propelled gun (Semovente) battalions were assigned to the artillery regiment of each armoured division, each containing 2-3 batteries of 4-6 AFV each. Approximately 250 more were built on the M42 chassis, also used by the M15/42 tank, starting in early 1943, which continued to use the 75/18 howitzer as the previous models because the planned gun for the M42 variant was not yet in service. At the time the plan was for the Italian medium tank battalions to change from three companies of tanks, to one of tanks and two of assault guns. In September, 1943, some 75/18s saw action against German forces. 178 were confiscated or built in occupied Italy by Germany after the Italian surrender, and used in Italy and the Balkans.

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links


FIAT-Ansaldo
Autoblindo  AB 41 · AB 43
Light Tanks  L6/40 · L6/40 (31 Rgt.)
Medium Tanks  Celere Sahariano
M11/39  M11/39
M13/40  M13/40 (I) · M13/40 (II) · M13/40 (III)
M14/41  M14/41 · M14/41 (47/40)
M15/42  M15/42
P40  P40 · P40 "G.C. Leoncello"
Tank Destroyers 
L3/33  L3/33 CC
Semovente L40  47/32 L40
Semovente M41  75/18 M41 · 75/32 M41 · 90/53 M41M
Semovente M42  75/34 M42
Semovente M43  105/25 M43 · M43 "G.C.Leoncello" · 75/34 M43 · 75/46 M43
SPAAs  M42 Contraereo

Italy tank destroyers
  Italy
M41  75/18 M41 · 75/32 M41 · 90/53 M41M
M42  75/34 M42
M43  105/25 M43 · M43 "G.C.Leoncello" · 75/34 M43 · 75/46 M43
Wheeled  Lancia 3Ro (100/17) · AS 42/47 · Breda 90/53 · Breda 501
Other  L3/33 CC · 47/32 L40
Germany  ▄StuG III G
USA  M36B1 · ▄M109G · M113A1 (TOW)
  Hungary
Zrínyi  Zrinyi I · Zrinyi II
USSR  ◔2S1