Difference between revisions of "BT-42"

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(Adding some parts of the description of the vehicle; usage in battles and history pending for edits)
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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
−
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Swedish tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Fire and Ice"]].
+
The '''{{Specs|name}}''', officially known as "'''15 tonnin rynnäkkötykkipanssarivaunu BT-42''' (15-ton assault gun tank BT-42)", was a modified variant of the Soviet BT-7 light tanks which were captured by Finland during the Winter War and Continuation War; due to the lack of firepower of the 37/45 mm gun on original BT tanks and the dire need for tanks to defend against Soviet forces, some of these BT tanks were then upgraded with a British-aided 4.5 inch howitzer and new turret that housed this very gun. These tanks were then deployed to the battle against Soviet forces; only one of these 18 tanks eventually survived the war and the subsequent scrapping of the surviving tanks.
  
−
Perhaps one of the most iconic light tank in Finland service and being a "meme" tank among players due to its screen time in Japanese animation film; this captured BT-7 modified with a huge QF 4.5 inch howitzer onboard will strike fears to enemies with its fearsome firepower while still retaining the iconic fast and nimble of a BT light tank.  
+
The BT-42, introduced in [[Update "Fire and Ice"]], is perhaps one of the most iconic light tanks in Finnish service as well as being a "meme" tank among players due to its screen time in a Japanese animation film. This captured BT-7 modified with a huge QF 4.5 inch howitzer will strike fear into enemies with its fearsome firepower while still retaining the iconic fast and nimble playstyle of a BT light tank.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
Line 14: Line 14:
 
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
 
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
−
If only looking at the hull alone, BT-42 is exactly like any other BT-7 tanks in Soviet service; but what makes it stand out among its "ancestors" is the turret- Finnish upgraded its gun with British QF 4.5-inch (114 mm) howitzer and installed it along with a new welded turret that somewhat resemble to the infamous [[KV-2 (Family)|KV-2]] from Soviet Union as well. But the common feature of BT tanks still persist on BT-42, namely its poor protection; other than the mantle, any high-caliber machine guns will have no trouble penetrating its armor even at longer ranges, especially its hull. So be extra careful on where to appear at uptier battles where HMGs such as M2HB start to be common.
+
When only looking at the hull alone, the BT-42 is exactly like any other BT-7 tank; but what makes it stand out among its "ancestors" is the turret - the Finnish upgraded its gun with a British QF 4.5-inch (114 mm) howitzer and installed it inside a new welded turret that somewhat resembles the infamous [[KV-2 (Family)|KV-2]] from the Soviet Union. But the common feature of BT tanks still persists on the BT-42, namely its poor protection; other than the mantlet, any high-calibre machine gun will have no trouble penetrating its armour even at longer ranges, especially its hull. So be extra careful on where to appear in uptier battles where HMGs such as the M2HB start to be common.
  
 
'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
 
'''Armour type:''' <!-- The types of armour present on the vehicle and their general locations -->
Line 24: Line 24:
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Hull ||5 mm (61°) ''Upper front glacis''
+
| Hull ||5 mm (61°) ''Upper front glacis''<br>20 mm (18°) ''Driver's hatch''<br>20 mm (5-52°) ''Lower front glacis''||20 mm ''Driver compartment''<br>15 + 4 mm ''Fighting & engine compartments''||10 mm (55°) ''Upper glacis''<br>13 mm (15°) ''Centre plate''<br>13 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis'' ||10 mm<br>4 mm ''Engine vents''
−
20 mm (18°) ''Driver's hatch''
 
−
20 mm (5-52°) ''Lower front glacis''||20 mm ''Driver compartment''
 
−
15 + 4 mm ''Fighting & engine compartments''
 
−
|10 mm (55°) ''Upper glacis''
 
−
13 mm (15°) ''Centre plate''
 
−
13 mm (58°) ''Lower glacis''||10 mm
 
−
4 mm ''Engine vents''
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
| Turret || 16 mm ''Turret front'' <br>16 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 16 mm || 16 mm || 9 mm
 
| Turret || 16 mm ''Turret front'' <br>16 mm ''Gun mantlet'' || 16 mm || 16 mm || 9 mm
Line 43: Line 36:
 
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
 
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
−
Finnish didn't upgrade BT-42's powerplant as it was deemed sufficient, so it retained the same Mikulin M-17T engine and transmission; for players of Soviet BT tanks, they will soon get on hand with the excellent mobility at its tier and make sure it can flank the enemies with ease.
+
The Finnish didn't upgrade the BT-42's powerplant as it was deemed sufficient, so it retained the same Mikulin M-17T engine and transmission. Players of the Soviet BT tanks should be well familiar with its excellent mobility at its rank, which lets the BT-42 flank its enemies with ease.
  
−
{{tankMobility}}
+
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=433|rbMinHp=354}}
  
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
Line 57: Line 50:
 
{{main|Psv.H/18 (114 mm)}}
 
{{main|Psv.H/18 (114 mm)}}
  
−
The most iconic feature of BT-42 is the QF 4.5-inch howitzer from Great Britain ''(named as 114 mm Psv.H/18 in Finnish service)''; although the revised turret that fits this very gun turns even slower than the original BT-7, if aimed properly, it can even hit tanks behind cover thanks to its ballistics of a howitzer.  
+
The most iconic feature of the BT-42 is the QF 4.5-inch howitzer from Great Britain (named "114 mm Psv.H/18" in Finnish service); although the revised turret that fits this very gun turns even slower than the original BT-7. If aimed properly, it can even hit tanks behind cover due to having the ballistics of a howitzer.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
Line 68: Line 61:
 
|-
 
|-
 
! ''Arcade''
 
! ''Arcade''
−
| rowspan="2" | 22 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | N/A || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || rowspan="2" |13.0|| rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__ || rowspan="2" | _.__
+
| rowspan="2" | 22 || rowspan="2" | -5°/+25° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | - || 5.7 || 7.9 || 9.6 || 10.6 || 11.3 || rowspan="2" | 13.00 || rowspan="2" | 11.50 || rowspan="2" | 10.60 || rowspan="2" | 10.00
 
|-
 
|-
 
! ''Realistic''
 
! ''Realistic''
−
| __._ || __._ || __._ || __._ || __._
+
| 3.6 || 4.2 || 5.1 || 5.6 || 6.0
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==== Ammunition ====
 
==== Ammunition ====
−
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+
{{:Psv.H/18 (114 mm)/Ammunition|akr 32/41, hkr 42/C}}
−
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
+
 
−
|-
+
The stock akr 32/41 round is an HE shell, although its velocity at barely supersonic makes it unsuitable for hitting mobile targets at distance; but thanks to its 2 kg of explosives, if it hits the roof armour of tanks or spots that will cause overpressure, it can make sure the crew will be knocked out right away, let alone a near-miss to truck-based SPAAs at its rank with minimal protection; alternatively, the curve ballistic also means bad news for enemies who took cover at longer ranges- there are still chances of being hit in the roof.
−
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 
−
! colspan="6" | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
 
−
|-
 
−
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
 
−
|-
 
−
| akr 32/41 || HE || 25 ||25
 
−
|25
 
−
|25
 
−
|25
 
−
|25
 
−
|-
 
−
| hkr 42/C || HEAT || 115 ||25
 
−
|25
 
−
|25
 
−
|25
 
−
|25
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
−
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
−
! colspan="10" | Shell details
 
−
|-
 
−
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>mass (kg)
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
 
−
! rowspan="2" | Explosive mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (kg)
 
−
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 
−
|-
 
−
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 
−
|-
 
−
| akr 32/41 || HE || 350 ||14.4||N/A||0.1|| 2 || 79° || 80° || 81°
 
−
|-
 
−
| hkr 42/C || HEAT ||357||13.5|| 0.05 ||0.1||2.55|| 62° || 69° || 73°
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
−
The stock akr 32/41 round is an HE shell, although its velocity at barely supersonic makes it unsuitable for hitting mobile targets at some distance; but thanks to its 2 kg of explosives, if it hits the roof armor of tanks or spots that will cause overpressure, it can make sure the crew will knock-out right away, let alone a near-miss to truck-based SPAAs at its tier with minimal protection; alternatively, the curve ballistic also means a bad news for enemies who took cover at longer ranges- there are still chances of being hit from the roof.
 
  
−
The only researchable round, hkr 42/C is a HEAT round; while it can functionally replace the stock shell and penetrates up to 115 mm of armor at any given range, do remember that HEAT has very few spalling against heavier targets, so make sure to hit the ammunition of enemy targets.
+
The only researchable round, hkr 42/C, is a HEAT round. While it can functionally replace the stock shell and penetrates up to 115 mm of armour at any given range, it has very few spalling against heavier targets, so make sure to hit the ammunition racks of enemy vehicles.
  
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
−
<!-- [[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]] -->
+
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
−
<!-- '''Last updated:''' -->
+
<!-- '''Last updated: 2.23.1.55''' -->
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! Full<br>ammo
 
! Full<br>ammo
 +
! Ammo<br>type
 
! 1st<br>rack empty
 
! 1st<br>rack empty
 
! 2nd<br>rack empty
 
! 2nd<br>rack empty
Line 133: Line 88:
 
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
! Visual<br>discrepancy
 
|-
 
|-
−
| '''22''' || 17&nbsp;''(+5)'' || 12&nbsp;''(+10)'' || 6&nbsp;''(+16)'' || 0&nbsp;''(+22)'' || No
+
| '''22''' || ''Projectiles''<br>''Propellants'' || 18&nbsp;''(+4)''<br>18&nbsp;''(+4)'' || 13&nbsp;''(+9)''<br>13&nbsp;''(+9)'' || 7&nbsp;''(+15)''<br>7&nbsp;''(+15)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+21)''<br>1&nbsp;''(+21)'' || No
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
'''Notes''':
 +
 +
* The {{PAGENAME}} uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant charges (orange). Both have separate racks.
 +
* Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
 +
* Turret empty: 13&nbsp;''(+9)'' shells.
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== 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).'' -->
 
<!-- ''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).'' -->
−
''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).''
+
Although the name "BT" still exists on the BT-42, the only thing left of a BT tank is the chassis itself; the biggest difference is the huge turret, some might even compare it to a KV-2 as they shared some similarities in terms of the angular shape. While some might think the Finnish installed a medium-calibre cannon, upon closer inspection, they will know that it is not a good idea running into the QF 4.5-inch howitzer at 114 mm; although having only HE or HEAT at its disposal and barely having supersonic muzzle velocity, a precise hit on overpressure weakspot or even a near miss from the HE shell will very likely knock down the target right away, while having more explosive content than HE, HEAT is more suitable for direct hits on heavy targets such as the infamous B1 series or KV series at higher tiers. Thanks to the excellent mobility of the BT chassis, it can make sure that it would arrive at vantage points at the first place, alternatively flanking enemies from their sides and places they didn't expect. Its 13 second base reload time does give the BT-42 extra time to take out crippled targets as vehicles at this tier with even larger calibre takes up to 20 seconds for the next shot. For those who didn't finish off unprotected targets in one take, the bad news is BT-42 doesn't comes with any co-axial machine guns so do make sure your shot blows the target up into pieces, else you might become the prey instead.
 +
 
 +
Mobility is the best friend of the BT-42 and it still trades protection for its speed, showing up in front of tanks with HMG or autocannons will make the BT-42 meet its miserable demise as well; due to the fact that it has a huge howitzer onboard, avoid rushing into enemies or fire before a full stop, the imbalance of the turret does affect the center of gravity and makes severe "wobbling"; a miss means at least 13 second reload and this will give enemies some time to fight back.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
−
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->'''Pros:'''
+
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 +
'''Pros:'''
  
−
* One of the largest guns of its tier
+
* Large-calibre gun for its rank
 
* Fast and nimble for flanking
 
* Fast and nimble for flanking
−
* Surprisingly fast reload for its caliber
 
 
* Both HE and HEAT have high explosive contents
 
* Both HE and HEAT have high explosive contents
−
* HEAT has extremely high penetration for its tier
+
* HEAT has extremely high penetration for its rank
−
 
 
−
*
 
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
−
* Lightly protected
+
* Lightly armoured
−
* Relatively huge to its BT counterparts
+
* Big profile
−
* Slow turret traverse  
+
* Slow turret traverse
−
 
+
* Long reload time
−
*
+
* HEAT round post-penetration damage is unreliable
 +
* Lacks a coaxial machine gun for gunning down exposed targets
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
−
''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''
+
The BT series light tanks have been the cornerstone of the Red Army in the late 1930s and have been used extensively between the Interwar Period and WWII; while it has been supplied to some countries including China and Spain, some quantities of them were also captured by the Axis and their allies, one of them was Finland.
 +
 
 +
During the Winter War and the subsequent Continuation War, the Finnish captured some quantities of BT tanks (2/5/7) series from the Red Army where some of these tanks became the composition of Finland's armoured platoons, one of them is known as the "Christie Detachment" from the use of mostly Christie suspension-equipped BT tanks; while the tanks gained some infamy within the army due to its reliability, but the demand for assault gun battalions ("Panssaritykkipataljoona") for their armoured units with 3 guns per platoon and the some numbers of repair-pending BT-7s led Finnish came up with an unique hybrid between BT tanks and military-aid British QF 4.5-inch howitzer: the assault gun that's commonly known as BT-42, or '''15 tonnin rynnäkkötykkipanssarivaunu BT-42''' (15-ton assault gun tank BT-42). After some developments especially on the turret design, the gun was first seen in September 1942 and was finally delivered to different battalions from February 1943 with 18 of them in total; after the game-changing Battle of Viipuri (the site is now a part of Russia Federation after the Moscow Armistice) for the Soviet Union in July 1944, 9 of these BT-42s were lost during the battle and the remaining 8 were pending for scrapping.<ref>https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/ASSAULT_GUNS.htm#BT-42</ref>
 +
 
 +
But one of these 8 BT-42s, numbered R-708/Ps. 511-8 was saved for display and being the sole surviving example of this interesting conversion of BT tanks, now displayed at the Parola Tank Museum ("Panssarimuseo") alongside with dozens of captured/purchased tanks.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
−
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
+
 
 +
;Skins
 +
 
 +
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=sw_bt_42 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 +
 
 +
;Images
 +
<gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="200">
 +
File:BT-42_WTWallpaper001.jpg
 +
File:BT-42 WTWallpaper002.jpg
 +
File:BT-42 WTWallpaper003.jpg
 +
File:BT-42 WTWallpaper004.jpg
 +
File:BT-42 WTWallpaper005.jpg
 +
File:BT-42 WTWallpaper006.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
Line 172: Line 150:
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
−
''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;''
+
* [[BT-7 (Family)]]
−
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
+
** [[BT-7M]]
 +
** [[BT-7A (F-32)]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
Line 181: Line 159:
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
  
−
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
+
* [[wt:en/news/7931-development-bt-42-from-tank-to-tankhunter-en|[Devblog] BT-42: From Tank to Tankhunter!]]
−
* ''other literature.''
+
 
 +
=== References ===
 +
<references />
  
−
{{Sweden tank destroyers}}
+
{{Sweden light tanks}}

Latest revision as of 12:11, 6 January 2024

RANK 5 FRANCE
Somua SM PACK
BT-42
sw_bt_42.png
GarageImage BT-42.jpg
BT-42
Sweden flag.png Sweden
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.0 1.7 1.7
Class:
Research:4 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:2 100 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The BT-42, officially known as "15 tonnin rynnäkkötykkipanssarivaunu BT-42 (15-ton assault gun tank BT-42)", was a modified variant of the Soviet BT-7 light tanks which were captured by Finland during the Winter War and Continuation War; due to the lack of firepower of the 37/45 mm gun on original BT tanks and the dire need for tanks to defend against Soviet forces, some of these BT tanks were then upgraded with a British-aided 4.5 inch howitzer and new turret that housed this very gun. These tanks were then deployed to the battle against Soviet forces; only one of these 18 tanks eventually survived the war and the subsequent scrapping of the surviving tanks.

The BT-42, introduced in Update "Fire and Ice", is perhaps one of the most iconic light tanks in Finnish service as well as being a "meme" tank among players due to its screen time in a Japanese animation film. This captured BT-7 modified with a huge QF 4.5 inch howitzer will strike fear into enemies with its fearsome firepower while still retaining the iconic fast and nimble playstyle of a BT light tank.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull20 / 15 / 13
Turret16 / 16 / 16
Crew3 people
Visibility84 %

When only looking at the hull alone, the BT-42 is exactly like any other BT-7 tank; but what makes it stand out among its "ancestors" is the turret - the Finnish upgraded its gun with a British QF 4.5-inch (114 mm) howitzer and installed it inside a new welded turret that somewhat resembles the infamous KV-2 from the Soviet Union. But the common feature of BT tanks still persists on the BT-42, namely its poor protection; other than the mantlet, any high-calibre machine gun will have no trouble penetrating its armour even at longer ranges, especially its hull. So be extra careful on where to appear in uptier battles where HMGs such as the M2HB start to be common.

Armour type:

Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 5 mm (61°) Upper front glacis
20 mm (18°) Driver's hatch
20 mm (5-52°) Lower front glacis		 20 mm Driver compartment
15 + 4 mm Fighting & engine compartments		 10 mm (55°) Upper glacis
13 mm (15°) Centre plate
13 mm (58°) Lower glacis 		10 mm
4 mm Engine vents
Turret 16 mm Turret front
16 mm Gun mantlet 		16 mm 16 mm 9 mm

Notes:

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB55 / 11 km/h
RB and SB50 / 10 km/h
Number of gears4 forward
1 back
Weight15.0 t
Engine power
AB763 hp
RB and SB400 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB50.9 hp/t
RB and SB26.7 hp/t

The Finnish didn't upgrade the BT-42's powerplant as it was deemed sufficient, so it retained the same Mikulin M-17T engine and transmission. Players of the Soviet BT tanks should be well familiar with its excellent mobility at its rank, which lets the BT-42 flank its enemies with ease.

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 55 11 15 433 763 28.87 50.87
Realistic 50 10 354 400 23.6 26.67

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB169 → 217 Sl icon.png
RB192 → 247 Sl icon.png
SB239 → 307 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications4 460 Rp icon.png
2 690 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost300 Ge icon.png
Crew training600 Sl icon.png
Experts2 100 Sl icon.png
Aces45 Ge icon.png
Research Aces110 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
10 / 20 / 20 % Sl icon.png
100 / 100 / 100 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
250 Rp icon.png
Cost:
150 Sl icon.png
50 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
250 Rp icon.png
Cost:
150 Sl icon.png
50 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
280 Rp icon.png
Cost:
170 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
480 Rp icon.png
Cost:
290 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
480 Rp icon.png
Cost:
290 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
250 Rp icon.png
Cost:
150 Sl icon.png
50 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement sw.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
280 Rp icon.png
Cost:
170 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
250 Rp icon.png
Cost:
150 Sl icon.png
50 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
280 Rp icon.png
Cost:
170 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
114mm_fin_HEAT_ammo_pack
Research:
280 Rp icon.png
Cost:
170 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
480 Rp icon.png
Cost:
290 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

114 mm Psv.H/18 howitzer
Ammunition22 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
13.0 → 10.0 s
Vertical guidance-5° / 25°
Main article: Psv.H/18 (114 mm)

The most iconic feature of the BT-42 is the QF 4.5-inch howitzer from Great Britain (named "114 mm Psv.H/18" in Finnish service); although the revised turret that fits this very gun turns even slower than the original BT-7. If aimed properly, it can even hit tanks behind cover due to having the ballistics of a howitzer.

114 mm Psv.H/18 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 22 -5°/+25° ±180° - 5.7 7.9 9.6 10.6 11.3 13.00 11.50 10.60 10.00
Realistic 3.6 4.2 5.1 5.6 6.0

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
akr 32/41 HE 25 25 25 25 25 25
hkr 42/C HEAT 115 115 115 115 115 115
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
akr 32/41 HE 350 14.4 0 0.1 2 79° 80° 81°
hkr 42/C HEAT 357 13.5 0.05 0.1 2.55 62° 69° 73°

The stock akr 32/41 round is an HE shell, although its velocity at barely supersonic makes it unsuitable for hitting mobile targets at distance; but thanks to its 2 kg of explosives, if it hits the roof armour of tanks or spots that will cause overpressure, it can make sure the crew will be knocked out right away, let alone a near-miss to truck-based SPAAs at its rank with minimal protection; alternatively, the curve ballistic also means bad news for enemies who took cover at longer ranges- there are still chances of being hit in the roof.

The only researchable round, hkr 42/C, is a HEAT round. While it can functionally replace the stock shell and penetrates up to 115 mm of armour at any given range, it has very few spalling against heavier targets, so make sure to hit the ammunition racks of enemy vehicles.

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the BT-42
Full
ammo 		Ammo
type 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
22 Projectiles
Propellants 		18 (+4)
18 (+4) 		13 (+9)
13 (+9) 		7 (+15)
7 (+15) 		1 (+21)
1 (+21) 		No

Notes:

  • The BT-42 uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant charges (orange). Both have separate racks.
  • Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
  • Turret empty: 13 (+9) shells.

Usage in battles

Although the name "BT" still exists on the BT-42, the only thing left of a BT tank is the chassis itself; the biggest difference is the huge turret, some might even compare it to a KV-2 as they shared some similarities in terms of the angular shape. While some might think the Finnish installed a medium-calibre cannon, upon closer inspection, they will know that it is not a good idea running into the QF 4.5-inch howitzer at 114 mm; although having only HE or HEAT at its disposal and barely having supersonic muzzle velocity, a precise hit on overpressure weakspot or even a near miss from the HE shell will very likely knock down the target right away, while having more explosive content than HE, HEAT is more suitable for direct hits on heavy targets such as the infamous B1 series or KV series at higher tiers. Thanks to the excellent mobility of the BT chassis, it can make sure that it would arrive at vantage points at the first place, alternatively flanking enemies from their sides and places they didn't expect. Its 13 second base reload time does give the BT-42 extra time to take out crippled targets as vehicles at this tier with even larger calibre takes up to 20 seconds for the next shot. For those who didn't finish off unprotected targets in one take, the bad news is BT-42 doesn't comes with any co-axial machine guns so do make sure your shot blows the target up into pieces, else you might become the prey instead.

Mobility is the best friend of the BT-42 and it still trades protection for its speed, showing up in front of tanks with HMG or autocannons will make the BT-42 meet its miserable demise as well; due to the fact that it has a huge howitzer onboard, avoid rushing into enemies or fire before a full stop, the imbalance of the turret does affect the center of gravity and makes severe "wobbling"; a miss means at least 13 second reload and this will give enemies some time to fight back.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Large-calibre gun for its rank
  • Fast and nimble for flanking
  • Both HE and HEAT have high explosive contents
  • HEAT has extremely high penetration for its rank

Cons:

  • Lightly armoured
  • Big profile
  • Slow turret traverse
  • Long reload time
  • HEAT round post-penetration damage is unreliable
  • Lacks a coaxial machine gun for gunning down exposed targets

History

The BT series light tanks have been the cornerstone of the Red Army in the late 1930s and have been used extensively between the Interwar Period and WWII; while it has been supplied to some countries including China and Spain, some quantities of them were also captured by the Axis and their allies, one of them was Finland.

During the Winter War and the subsequent Continuation War, the Finnish captured some quantities of BT tanks (2/5/7) series from the Red Army where some of these tanks became the composition of Finland's armoured platoons, one of them is known as the "Christie Detachment" from the use of mostly Christie suspension-equipped BT tanks; while the tanks gained some infamy within the army due to its reliability, but the demand for assault gun battalions ("Panssaritykkipataljoona") for their armoured units with 3 guns per platoon and the some numbers of repair-pending BT-7s led Finnish came up with an unique hybrid between BT tanks and military-aid British QF 4.5-inch howitzer: the assault gun that's commonly known as BT-42, or 15 tonnin rynnäkkötykkipanssarivaunu BT-42 (15-ton assault gun tank BT-42). After some developments especially on the turret design, the gun was first seen in September 1942 and was finally delivered to different battalions from February 1943 with 18 of them in total; after the game-changing Battle of Viipuri (the site is now a part of Russia Federation after the Moscow Armistice) for the Soviet Union in July 1944, 9 of these BT-42s were lost during the battle and the remaining 8 were pending for scrapping.[1]

But one of these 8 BT-42s, numbered R-708/Ps. 511-8 was saved for display and being the sole surviving example of this interesting conversion of BT tanks, now displayed at the Parola Tank Museum ("Panssarimuseo") alongside with dozens of captured/purchased tanks.

Media

Skins
Images
  • BT-42 WTWallpaper001.jpg
  • BT-42 WTWallpaper002.jpg
  • BT-42 WTWallpaper003.jpg
  • BT-42 WTWallpaper004.jpg
  • BT-42 WTWallpaper005.jpg
  • BT-42 WTWallpaper006.jpg

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/ASSAULT_GUNS.htm#BT-42


Sweden light tanks
L-60  Strv m/38 · Strv m/39 · Strv m/39 TD · Strv m/40L
Strv m/41  Strv m/41 S-I · Strv m/41 S-II
Ikv 91  Ikv 91 · Ikv 91-105
CV 90  Strf 9040B · Strf 9040C · Strf 9040 BILL
  CV 90105 · CV 90120
Wheeled  Pbil m/40 · U-SH 405
Other  Strv m/31 · Strv 74 · Pbv 501
Finland  Vickers Mk.E · ▄T-26E · BT-42 · ▄PT-76 · CV 9030FIN · CT-CV 105HP
Denmark  CV 9035DK

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