SARC MkIVa

This page is about the British light tank SARC MkIVa. For other versions, see Marmon-Herrington Armoured Car (Family).

SARC MkIVa

SARC MkIVa

Britain

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.3	1.3

Class:

Light tank

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

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Description

The SARC MkIVa is a rank I British light tank with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "La Royale".

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull6 / 6 / 6

Turret14 / 6 / 6

Crew3 people

Visibility80 %

The SARC MkIVa has poor survivability, with the 12 mm rounds able to penetrate the sides and 20 mm rounds the front. The crew is very tightly packed, meaning that any shot that hits one crew member it likely to knock out at least two. The SARC being open-topped leaves it highly vulnerable to even low calibre HE and aircraft bullets.

The SARC MkIVa's manoeuvrability and good reverse gear should be used to avoid getting hit and ambush the enemy. Vehicles with 20 mm autocannons and enemy SPAAs are very dangerous for the SARC, as they can easily shred its armour.

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	___ mm	___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom	___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Turret	___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Cupola	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB94 / 15 km/h

RB and SB85 / 14 km/h

Number of gears4 forward

1 back

Weight6.3 t

Engine power

AB181 hp

RB and SB95 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB28.7 hp/t

RB and SB15.1 hp/t

The MkIVa does not accelerate quickly. In a city fight or in a sniping match, this is a liability.

This is offset by its very high top speed of 80 km/h. This grants it unmatched speed on flat terrain. Combined with its smaller size, this gives the MkIVa the opportunity to sneak into a hidden location and get flanking shots on unsuspecting enemies.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	94	15	6.3	147	181	23.33	28.73
Realistic	85	14		84	95	13.33	15.08

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB94 → 128

RB90 → 122

SB106 → 144

Total cost of modifications2 975

900

Talisman cost190

Crew training200

Experts1 000

Aces20

Research Aces96 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

10 / 10 / 20 %

100 / 100 / 100 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tires Research: 150 Cost: 45 50 Suspension Research: 135 Cost: 40 45 Brake System Research: 135 Cost: 40 45 Filters Research: 185 Cost: 55 60 Transmission Research: 240 Cost: 75 80 Engine Research: 240 Cost: 75 80	Improved Parts Research: 150 Cost: 45 50 Improved FPE Research: 135 Cost: 40 45 Crew Replenishment Research: 185 Cost: 55 60	Horizontal Drive Research: 150 Cost: 45 50 40mm_uk_2pdr_APHV_ammo_pack Research: 150 Cost: 45 50 Adjustment of Fire Research: 135 Cost: 40 45 40mm_uk_2pdr_APHE_ammo_pack Research: 135 Cost: 40 45 Elevation Mechanism Research: 185 Cost: 55 60 Smoke grenade Research: 185 Cost: 55 60 Artillery Support Research: 240 Cost: 75 80 40mm_uk_2pdr_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 240 Cost: 75 80

The MKIVa depends on mobility. Due to the relatively low chance that the crew will survive getting shot, crew replacement is not an immediate priority. Instead, focus first on spare parts and FPE, then better ammunition, then mobility improvements. The strength of the MKIVa is its speed, so upgrades that facilitate that are important. Ignore brakes for last: you shouldn't need to stop better, you need to get to a hiding spot faster.

Armaments

Main armament

40 mm QF 2-pounder cannon

Ammunition37 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

3.6 → 2.8 s

Vertical guidance-5° / 20°

The QF 2-Pounder is a solid weapon for its tier. It can frontally penetrate most vehicles at its BR, but excels in flanking shots. The stock Shot MK. 1 AP shell has poor performance, so take effort to phase this out in favour of the better performing Shot MK IX APCBC.

The slow rotation speed of the turret means that the gun should ideally used in an ambush role on the sides of enemy tanks. The relatively high fire rate also allows for consistent fires on enemy targets.

Be advised that the QF 2-pounder loses accuracy over 500 meters, so it is ill advised to use the gun for this purpose: leave the sniping for the tank destroyers and concentrate on ambushing.

40 mm QF 2-pounder					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	37	-5°/+20°	±180°	-	15.6	21.6	26.2	29.0	30.9	3.64	3.22	2.97	2.80
Realistic					9.8	11.5	13.9	15.4	16.4

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
Shot Mk.1 AP/T	AP	72	68	52	37	27	19
Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T	APCBC	89	86	77	66	57	50
Shot Mk.1 APHV/T	AP	80	75	58	41	30	21
Shell Mk.1 AP/T	APHE	66	62	49	36	26	20

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%
Shot Mk.1 AP/T	AP	792	1.08	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
Shot Mk.IXB APCBC/T	APCBC	792	1.24	-	-	-	48°	63°	71°
Shot Mk.1 APHV/T	AP	853	1.08	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
Shell Mk.1 AP/T	APHE	792	1.08	1.2	9	20.9	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the SARC MkIVa

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
37	33 (+4)	28 (+9)	1 (+36)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• Turret empty: 28 (+9) shells.

Machine guns

7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition1 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	1,000 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

The M1919A4 is a good machine gun, though it is only useful for knocking out lightly-armoured vehicles like trucks or the occasional half-tracks. The high ammo count per belt means that sustained fire can be used to check bushes and smoke for obscured targets.

In an emergency, it can be used as an anti-aircraft weapon, but the poor damage output and turret rotation speed makes this option less advisable.

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very small profile; difficult to hit at range
• Small ammo rack size
• High straight-line top speed on paved surfaces
• Quick reload speed
• Fast acceleration; top speed can be reached fairly quickly

Cons:

• Can be easily penetrated by rifle-calibre rounds
• Low survivability with only three crew members
• Off-road mobility is lacklustre
• Difficult to control at high speeds
• Slow turret rotation and gun elevation
• Below-average gun depression

History

The South African Reconnaissance Car (SARC), known in British service as the Marmon-Herrington, had a remarkably diverse pedigree, as it combined components made in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, put together in South Africa.  The service record of its variants was similarly far-flung, despite its relatively small production numbers, as it saw service in WW2, Cyprus, across Africa, and even (from captured Japanese stock) Indonesia.

This variant, the Mark IV, fitted a 40 mm 2-pdr. gun in an artillery mounting, not the usual tank-style mantlet.  It arrived rather late in WW2, but saw action post-war in Cyprus and with the Arab League.  Earlier versions fought with the 1st King’s Dragoon Guards at the Siege of Tobruk in 1941.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the SARC MkIVa from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

David Fletcher, Tank Chat #129, The Tank Museum https://youtu.be/MQmaXWPouno?si=LlsMop_td9gTYYDD