Difference between revisions of "L3/33 CC"

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{{Specs-Card
 
{{Specs-Card
 
|code=it_l3_cc
 
|code=it_l3_cc
−
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_L3_33_CC.jpg}}
+
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_L3_33_CC.jpg|ArtImage_L3-33_CC.png}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
== 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.'' -->
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (shortened to ''{{Specs|pseudonym}}'') is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]].
+
The Carro Veloce, also known as the L3/33, was designed and produced by Ansaldo for the Regio Esercito beginning in 1933. It swiftly became one of the most utilized platforms due to its unique features that made it a very useful vehicle for the Italian terrain. It was a compact, light design with decent mobility. Its main drawback was the lack of armour, even heavier calibre machine guns could pose a serious threat to the crew inside. However, due to how easy it was to produce that drawback was not too important, it swiftly saw combat in many war theatres Italy was present in, such as in Yugoslavia, Albania, and Greece. Several variants were produced, including a flamethrower variant (the L3/33 LF, standing for "LanciaFiamme"), and even a bridge carrier variant. The CC variant would primarily be armed with a 20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 anti-tank gun, these were surprisingly effective during the pre-war and early war periods as heavily armoured threats weren't as prevalent. However, once heavier foes began to be deployed, the gun began to be used less for anti-tank duties and more for general fire support against the remaining light tanks, infantry and other support vehicles that may be spotted. This vehicle survived the end of the war and remained in service in limited numbers in the Italian post-war police force.
  
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The L3/33 CC is an Italian tank that is the War Thunder equivalent of a shoe-box on tracks (with a gun, of course). This vehicle has very little armour, which allows for it to quickly and deftly maneuver across the battlefield, scouting for pockets to position the vehicle in for tactical advantages against the slower and heavier enemy vehicles it faces.
+
 
 +
Introduced in [[Update 1.85 "Supersonic"]], the L3/33 CC can be effective around its battle rating, its small stature allowing it to be the perfect ambush vehicle. You can easily hide this vehicle within vegetation, or you can also just as easily cover the vehicle with bushes. The mobility is very good, is is able to quickly manoeuvre across the battlefield, scouting for pockets to position the vehicle in for tactical advantages against the slower and heavier enemy vehicles it may face.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
Line 14: Line 15:
 
{{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.'' -->
 +
 +
The protection of the L3/33 is mediocre. Its small size and profile also expose it to being simply run over or rammed against a wall.
 +
 +
'''Armour type:'''
 +
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour
 +
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
|-
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Hull || 8 mm (79°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 14 mm (0°) ''Lower glacis'' || 14 mm || 8 mm (0-32°) || 8 mm <br> 5 mm ''Hatches''
+
| Hull || 8 mm (79°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 14 mm (0°) ''Lower glacis'' || 14 mm || 8 mm (0-32°) || 8 mm <br> 5 mm ''Hatches''
 
|-
 
|-
−
| Superstructure || 14 mm (13-64°) <br> 14 mm (0-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (0-15°) || 14 mm (0-17°) || 8 mm <br> 5 mm ''Hatches''
+
| Superstructure || 14 mm (13-64°) <br> 14 mm (0-62°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 14 mm (0-15°) || 14 mm (0-17°) || 8 mm <br> 5 mm ''Hatches''
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
'''Notes:'''
 +
 +
* Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick, while torsion bars are 10 mm thick.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
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{{tankMobility|abMinHp=61|rbMinHp=38}}
 
{{tankMobility|abMinHp=61|rbMinHp=38}}
  
−
The L3/33 CC is very mobile both on and off road. Thanks to its light weight, it accelerates quickly and can cruise at 40 / 25 km/h (AB/RB) in seconds. It does not lose much speed when turning but tends to over steer when turning while driving over 40 km/h (in AB). With only -6 km/h in reverse (AB & RB), turning around and driving away is easier to retreat form unwanted situations.
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The L3/33 CC is very mobile both on and off-road. Thanks to its light weight, it accelerates quickly and can cruise at 40 / 25 km/h (AB/RB) in seconds. It does not lose much speed when turning but tends to oversteer when turning while driving over 40 km/h (in AB). With only -6 km/h in reverse (AB & RB), turning around and driving away is easier to retreat form unwanted situations.
  
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
Line 42: Line 53:
 
{{main|Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 (20 mm)}}
 
{{main|Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 (20 mm)}}
  
−
Wielding an anti-tank rifle with a 10 round magazine capable of launching a small APHE every second, the L3/33, in the hands of a competent commander, is able to deal with multiple lightly-armoured vehicles in quick succession. The only thing holding this quick-firing gun back is a lack of effective penetration to deal with all tanks at its battle rating, requiring the commander of this vehicle to be up close and personal and/or flank in order to deal with well-armoured targets ([[M3 Stuart]], [[Pz.38(t) F]], [[T-70]]). Certain heavy targets ([[B1 bis]]) should be avoided altogether.
+
Wielding an anti-tank rifle with a 10 round magazine capable of launching a small APHE shell every second, the L3/33, in the hands of a competent commander, is able to deal with multiple lightly-armoured vehicles in quick succession. The only thing holding this quick-firing gun back is a lack of effective penetration to deal with all tanks at its battle rating, requiring the commander of this vehicle to be up close and personal and/or flank in order to deal with well-armoured targets ([[M3 Stuart]], [[Pz.38(t) F]], [[T-70]]). Certain heavy targets ([[B1 bis]]) should be avoided altogether.
  
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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|-
 
|-
 
! ''Arcade''
 
! ''Arcade''
−
| rowspan="2" | 110 (10) || rowspan="2" | 60 || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | ±10° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 17.6 || 24.4 || 29.6 || 32.7 || 34.8 || rowspan="2" | 7.8 || rowspan="2" | 6.9 || rowspan="2" | 6.4 || rowspan="2" | 6.0
+
| rowspan="2" | 110 (10) || rowspan="2" | 60 || rowspan="2" | ±15° || rowspan="2" | ±10° || rowspan="2" | Vertical || 17.6 || 24.4 || 29.6 || 32.7 || 34.8 || rowspan="2" | 7.80 || rowspan="2" | 6.90 || rowspan="2" | 6.36 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
 
|-
 
|-
 
! ''Realistic''
 
! ''Realistic''
Line 61: Line 72:
  
 
==== Ammunition ====
 
==== Ammunition ====
−
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
+
{{:Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 (20 mm)/Ammunition|Perforante mod.35}}
−
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
 
−
|-
 
−
! 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
 
−
|-
 
−
| Perforante mod.35 || APHE || 40 || 38 || 29 || 20 || 14 || 10
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
−
{| class="wikitable" 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) (g)
 
−
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
 
−
|-
 
−
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
 
−
|-
 
−
| Perforante mod.35 || APHE || 832 || 0.14 || 1.2 || 9 || 1.7 || 47° || 60° || 65°
 
−
|-
 
−
|}
 
  
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 
==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
 +
<!-- '''Last updated:''' -->
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
|-
 
|-
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== 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).'' -->
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The L3/33 CC is best used in ambushes, as this tactic allows it to strike from a close distance; a hill can provide a nice spot for this, as the L3 has 15 degrees of gun depression and can get to cover by simply reversing if it is spotted in time. It is also useful as a flanker due to its small size (hard to spot) and high mobility.
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The L3/33 CC is best used in ambushes, as this tactic allows it to strike from a close distance; a hill can provide a nice spot for this, as the L3 has 15 degrees of gun depression and can get to cover by simply reversing if it is spotted in time. It is also useful as a flanker due to its small size (hard to spot) and high mobility. You can also get into a lot of small hiding spots due to the tanks small size and low profile. This is particularly useful when capturing points, as enemy tanks cannot capture a zone when an ally is inside of it. Simply get to a capture point, hide somewhere within the point, and prevent enemy tanks from capturing it. You can also hide in plain sight and turn off your engine, though this is much riskier. This works only in RB/SB since the nametag gives your position away in arcade.
  
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When playing the L3/33, incoming fire should be avoided at all costs. Due to the cramped layout of internal modules and crew of 2, any penetrating shell is enough to destroy the vehicle. In addition, the armour is so weak that it cannot even protect against .50 calibre machine gunplay carefully.
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When playing the L3/33, incoming fire should be avoided at all costs. Due to the cramped layout of internal modules and crew of 2, any penetrating shell is enough to destroy the vehicle. In addition, the armour is so weak that it cannot even protect against .50 calibre machine guns: play carefully.
  
 
'''Enemies worth noting:'''
 
'''Enemies worth noting:'''
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[[B1 bis|B1]]:
 
[[B1 bis|B1]]:
  
−
The B1 is covered by thick armour of at least 50 mm in all directions, even the turret ring and the copula are 40 mm which all exceed the maximum penetration of the L3 (38 mm). Do anything to avoid fighting this tank, leave it to your teammates by pinning its position on the map. But if unfortunately, you have to confront it, you must avoid its guns. Don't think you are small enough to slide beneath its guns, as it's hull-mounted 75 mm cannon has a whopping -20° depression, and the 47 mm in the turret has -18°, meaning that even if you are squeezing right between its tracks, it can still hit your fragile roof armour and eliminate a crew member with shrapnel. The only real damage you can do to it is to repeatedly shoot at its tracks to immobilize it.
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The B1 is covered by thick armour of at least 50 mm in all directions, even the turret ring and the cupola are 40 mm which all exceed the maximum penetration of the L3 (38 mm). Do anything to avoid fighting this tank, leave it to your teammates by pinning its position on the map. But if unfortunately, you have to confront it, you must avoid its guns. Don't think you are small enough to slide beneath its guns, as it's hull-mounted 75 mm cannon has a whopping -20° depression, and the 47 mm in the turret has -18°, meaning that even if you are squeezing right between its tracks, it can still hit your fragile roof armour and eliminate a crew member with shrapnel. The only real damage you can do to it is to repeatedly shoot at its tracks to immobilize it.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
−
* 20 mm penetration isn't great and drops dramatically over range, over 400 m away it can effectively penetrate nothing except soft targets like T-26, GAZ trucks or Flakpanzers.
+
* The 20 mm rounds' penetration isn't great and drops dramatically over range: over 400 m away it can effectively penetrate nothing except soft targets like T-26, GAZ trucks or Flakpanzers.
 
* Thin armour with only two crew cramped together makes it very vulnerable
 
* Thin armour with only two crew cramped together makes it very vulnerable
 
* Vulnerable to .50 calibre fire, one bullet to the crew can eliminate the tank
 
* Vulnerable to .50 calibre fire, one bullet to the crew can eliminate the tank
 
* Low cannon calibre of 20 mm makes it difficult to destroy obstacles like walls
 
* Low cannon calibre of 20 mm makes it difficult to destroy obstacles like walls
 
* 3rd person camera is low to the ground, preventing the player from looking behind obstacles such as low fences
 
* 3rd person camera is low to the ground, preventing the player from looking behind obstacles such as low fences
 +
* The vehicle has such small mass that even trivial obstacles like fences can cause significant deceleration
  
 
== 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).'' -->
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The '''Carro Veloce L3/33''', also known as the '''CV-33''' was a [[wikipedia:Tankette|tankette]] produced by Carro Veloce for the Regio Esercito beginning in 1933. The design was an adaptation of the British [[wikipedia:Carden_Loyd_tankette|Carden Loyd tankette]], which had seen wide success on the international export market and became the basis for a number of similar tankette designs throughout the 1930's. Because Italy lacked the industrial base to produce large numbers of more complex and advanced tank designs, the L3/33 and later [[wikipedia:L3/35|L3/35 tankette]] formed the backbone of the Italian armoured corps and became the most widely produced Italian armoured fighting vehicles of the war, seeing service from the Italian invasion of Ethiopia to the very end of WW2. Several variants were produced, including a flamethrower variant (the L3/33 FL, standing for "Lanciaflamme"), a bridge carrier variant and a command radio variant.
+
The '''Carro Veloce L3/33''', also known as the '''CV-33''' was a tankette produced by Ansaldo for the Regio Esercito beginning in 1933. The design was an adaptation of the British Carden Loyd tankette, which had seen wide success on the international export market and became the basis for a number of similar tankette designs throughout the 1930s. Because Italy lacked the industrial base to produce large numbers of more complex and advanced tank designs, the L3/33 and later L3/35 tankette formed the backbone of the Italian armoured corps and became the most widely produced Italian armoured fighting vehicles of the war, seeing service from the Italian invasion of Ethiopia to the very end of WW2. Several variants were produced, including a flamethrower variant (the L3/33 LF, standing for "LanciaFiamme"), a bridge carrier variant (L3/33 Passerella, with a 7 m bridge transported on a trailer that could be assembled by the crew in seven minutes and placed with two small cranes fastened on the chassis) and a command radio variant (L3 Centro Radio, equipped with a Marelli RF1 CA radio at level of platoons and companies). For the use of a radio station powerful enough to serve a regimental radio center, the L3 chassis was considered not suitable and replaced with a more spacious [[L6/40]] CR (Centro Radio = Radio Center).
 +
 
 +
As the war progressed, and the Italians faced the Allies in France and North Africa with their more heavily armed and armoured tanks and long-range anti-tank guns, the deficiencies of the L3/33 and 35 became apparent. Although fast and possessing a low profile, it was too thinly armoured, capable of only withstanding infantry rifle calibre munitions. In addition, its standard armament of a 6.5mm machine gun proved inadequate for long-range combat or engaging other armoured vehicles. While the Regio Esercito began slowly upgrading its armoured units to more modern standards, stopgap solutions to make up for the difference were considered and adopted. One of these was to mount a 20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 anti-tank gun in a small number of L3/33s and 35s, replacing the 6.5 mm machine gun and creating an ad hoc tank destroyer platform. These were designated as the '''L3/33 CC''', which stood for "controcarro" ("anti-tank"). Arriving too late to see action in Libya before the Axis retreat, they saw only limited action in Tunisia. Gradually, the L3/33 and L3/35 would be withdrawn from front line service, serving largely in behind-the-line roles such as artillery towing vehicles and police vehicles in Axis-occupied territories. After the Axis fell, many tanks were captured and either destroyed or repurposed, although several examples survive in museum collections.
  
−
As the war progressed, and the Italians faced the Allies in France and North Africa with their more heavily armed and armoured tanks and long-range anti-tank guns, the deficiencies of the L3/33 and 35 became apparent. Although fast and possessing a low profile, it was too thinly armoured, capable of only withstanding infantry rifle calibre munitions. In addition, its standard armament of a 6.5mm machine gun proved inadequate for long-range combat or engaging other armoured vehicles. While the Regio Esercito began slowly upgrading its armoured units to more modern standards, stopgap solutions to make up for the difference were considered and adopted. One of these was to mount a [[Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 (20 mm)]] in a small number of L3/33's and 35's, replacing the 6.5mm machine gun and creating an ad-hoc tank destroyer platform. These were designated as the '''L3/33 CC''', which stood for "contocarro" ("anti-tank"). Arriving too late to see action in Libya before the Axis retreat, they saw only limited action in Tunisia. Gradually, the L3/33 and L3/35 would be withdrawn from front line service, serving largely in behind-the-line roles such as artillery towing vehicles and police vehicles in Axis-occupied territories. After the Axis's fell, many tanks were captured and either destroyed or repurposed. The last recorded use of an L3/33 in service was during the Iraqi war, where the US captured the tank.
+
The L3/33 and L3/35 were both sold for export to other nations, including Afghanistan, Bulgaria, the Republic of China, Nicaragua, Iraq and Brazil. Although many of these tanks are now museum pieces, a few have been spotted in operation in combat zones some decades after the end of their service in the Italian military, including one recovered in Iraq by the US army after the 2003 invasion, one seen in operation in Afghanistan in a parade organised by the Taliban in 2022 and also used in the parade to hand over command of the Brazilian 3rd Armoured Division on 6 April 2022, almost 90 years after it was first produced.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
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;Skins
 
;Skins
  
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=italy&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=it_l3_cc Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_l3_cc Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
  
 
;Videos
 
;Videos
−
{{Youtube-gallery|VFEv4q3G5Us|'''Most unusual vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:56 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}
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{{Youtube-gallery|VFEv4q3G5Us|'''Most unusual vehicles''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 3:56 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''|pLppoebKK6c|'''Tank Chat #146 Carro Veloce <nowiki>|</nowiki> The Tank Museum''' - ''The Tank Museum''|XwQXJkEK8oE|Tank parade on the occasion of the passing of commandos of the 3.ª Divisão de Exército}}
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
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<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
−
* ''encyclopedia page on the tank;''
 
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
 
* ''other literature.'' -->
  

Latest revision as of 12:44, 7 October 2023

Rank VI | Premium | Golden Eagles
Chinese A-5C Pack
L3/33 CC
it_l3_cc.png
GarageImage L3 33 CC.jpg
ArtImage L3-33 CC.png
L3/33 CC
Italy flag.png Italy
I Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
1.0 1.0 1.0
Class:
Research:2 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:700 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Carro Veloce, also known as the L3/33, was designed and produced by Ansaldo for the Regio Esercito beginning in 1933. It swiftly became one of the most utilized platforms due to its unique features that made it a very useful vehicle for the Italian terrain. It was a compact, light design with decent mobility. Its main drawback was the lack of armour, even heavier calibre machine guns could pose a serious threat to the crew inside. However, due to how easy it was to produce that drawback was not too important, it swiftly saw combat in many war theatres Italy was present in, such as in Yugoslavia, Albania, and Greece. Several variants were produced, including a flamethrower variant (the L3/33 LF, standing for "LanciaFiamme"), and even a bridge carrier variant. The CC variant would primarily be armed with a 20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 anti-tank gun, these were surprisingly effective during the pre-war and early war periods as heavily armoured threats weren't as prevalent. However, once heavier foes began to be deployed, the gun began to be used less for anti-tank duties and more for general fire support against the remaining light tanks, infantry and other support vehicles that may be spotted. This vehicle survived the end of the war and remained in service in limited numbers in the Italian post-war police force.


Introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic", the L3/33 CC can be effective around its battle rating, its small stature allowing it to be the perfect ambush vehicle. You can easily hide this vehicle within vegetation, or you can also just as easily cover the vehicle with bushes. The mobility is very good, is is able to quickly manoeuvre across the battlefield, scouting for pockets to position the vehicle in for tactical advantages against the slower and heavier enemy vehicles it may face.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull14 / 14 / 8
Turret14 / 14 / 14
Crew2 people
Visibility51 %

The protection of the L3/33 is mediocre. Its small size and profile also expose it to being simply run over or rammed against a wall.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 8 mm (79°) Front glacis
14 mm (0°) Lower glacis 		14 mm 8 mm (0-32°) 8 mm
5 mm Hatches
Superstructure 14 mm (13-64°)
14 mm (0-62°) Gun mantlet 		14 mm (0-15°) 14 mm (0-17°) 8 mm
5 mm Hatches

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick, while torsion bars are 10 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB46 / 7 km/h
RB and SB43 / 7 km/h
Number of gears4 forward
1 back
Weight3.2 t
Engine power
AB82 hp
RB and SB43 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB25.6 hp/t
RB and SB13.4 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 46 7 3.2 61 82 19.06 25.63
Realistic 43 7 38 43 11.88 13.44

The L3/33 CC is very mobile both on and off-road. Thanks to its light weight, it accelerates quickly and can cruise at 40 / 25 km/h (AB/RB) in seconds. It does not lose much speed when turning but tends to oversteer when turning while driving over 40 km/h (in AB). With only -6 km/h in reverse (AB & RB), turning around and driving away is easier to retreat form unwanted situations.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB90 → 111 Sl icon.png
RB112 → 138 Sl icon.png
SB126 → 155 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications2 970 Rp icon.png
895 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost190 Ge icon.png
Crew training200 Sl icon.png
Experts1 000 Sl icon.png
Aces20 Ge icon.png
Research Aces96 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:
200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
60 Sl icon.png
45 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
165 Rp icon.png
Cost:
50 Sl icon.png
40 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
165 Rp icon.png
Cost:
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Filters
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Cost:
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Transmission
Research:
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Cost:
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Engine
Research:
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Improved Parts
Research:
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Improved FPE
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Crew Replenishment
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Horizontal Drive
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Adjustment of Fire
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Elevation Mechanism
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Armaments

Main armament

20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 antitank rifle
Shoulder stabilizer
Reduces the swing of the gun in one plane while moving
Ammunition110 rounds
Belt capacity10 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
7.8 → 6.0 s
Fire rate60 shots/min
Vertical guidance-15° / 15°
Horizontal guidance-10° / 10°
Main article: Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 (20 mm)

Wielding an anti-tank rifle with a 10 round magazine capable of launching a small APHE shell every second, the L3/33, in the hands of a competent commander, is able to deal with multiple lightly-armoured vehicles in quick succession. The only thing holding this quick-firing gun back is a lack of effective penetration to deal with all tanks at its battle rating, requiring the commander of this vehicle to be up close and personal and/or flank in order to deal with well-armoured targets (M3 Stuart, Pz.38(t) F, T-70). Certain heavy targets (B1 bis) should be avoided altogether.

20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 110 (10) 60 ±15° ±10° Vertical 17.6 24.4 29.6 32.7 34.8 7.80 6.90 6.36 6.00
Realistic 11.9 14.0 17.0 18.8 20.0

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
Perforante mod.35 APHE 38 36 27 19 14 10
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%
Perforante mod.35 APHE 832 0.14 1.2 9 1.7 47° 60° 65°

Ammo racks

Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		6th
rack empty 		7th
rack empty 		8th
rack empty 		9th
rack empty 		10th
rack empty 		11th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
11 10 (+1) 9 (+2) 8 (+3) 7 (+4) 6 (+5) 5 (+6) 4 (+7) 3 (+8) 2 (+9) 1 (+10) 0 (+11) No
Ammo racks of the L3/33 CC

Usage in battles

The L3/33 CC is best used in ambushes, as this tactic allows it to strike from a close distance; a hill can provide a nice spot for this, as the L3 has 15 degrees of gun depression and can get to cover by simply reversing if it is spotted in time. It is also useful as a flanker due to its small size (hard to spot) and high mobility. You can also get into a lot of small hiding spots due to the tanks small size and low profile. This is particularly useful when capturing points, as enemy tanks cannot capture a zone when an ally is inside of it. Simply get to a capture point, hide somewhere within the point, and prevent enemy tanks from capturing it. You can also hide in plain sight and turn off your engine, though this is much riskier. This works only in RB/SB since the nametag gives your position away in arcade.

When playing the L3/33, incoming fire should be avoided at all costs. Due to the cramped layout of internal modules and crew of 2, any penetrating shell is enough to destroy the vehicle. In addition, the armour is so weak that it cannot even protect against .50 calibre machine guns: play carefully.

Enemies worth noting:

B1:

The B1 is covered by thick armour of at least 50 mm in all directions, even the turret ring and the cupola are 40 mm which all exceed the maximum penetration of the L3 (38 mm). Do anything to avoid fighting this tank, leave it to your teammates by pinning its position on the map. But if unfortunately, you have to confront it, you must avoid its guns. Don't think you are small enough to slide beneath its guns, as it's hull-mounted 75 mm cannon has a whopping -20° depression, and the 47 mm in the turret has -18°, meaning that even if you are squeezing right between its tracks, it can still hit your fragile roof armour and eliminate a crew member with shrapnel. The only real damage you can do to it is to repeatedly shoot at its tracks to immobilize it.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Extremely tiny profile is sometimes a big advantage
  • It utilizes small amounts of cover/bushes effectively
  • Can easily sneak into lots of unexpected positions and set up for an ambush, advance or retreat
  • Low silhouette can be fully covered behind a single one big bush decoration. It can even be covered with normal grass
  • Amazing gun depression of -15° makes it a great mountain combat tank; combined with its tiny profile it can poke out only its gun to shoot from behind cover
  • Quick firing cannon with an autoloading magazine can pinpoint enemy crew, especially with the spread-out ones like the LVT(A)
  • Short stock grind, the best (and only) shell comes stock

Cons:

  • The 20 mm rounds' penetration isn't great and drops dramatically over range: over 400 m away it can effectively penetrate nothing except soft targets like T-26, GAZ trucks or Flakpanzers.
  • Thin armour with only two crew cramped together makes it very vulnerable
  • Vulnerable to .50 calibre fire, one bullet to the crew can eliminate the tank
  • Low cannon calibre of 20 mm makes it difficult to destroy obstacles like walls
  • 3rd person camera is low to the ground, preventing the player from looking behind obstacles such as low fences
  • The vehicle has such small mass that even trivial obstacles like fences can cause significant deceleration

History

The Carro Veloce L3/33, also known as the CV-33 was a tankette produced by Ansaldo for the Regio Esercito beginning in 1933. The design was an adaptation of the British Carden Loyd tankette, which had seen wide success on the international export market and became the basis for a number of similar tankette designs throughout the 1930s. Because Italy lacked the industrial base to produce large numbers of more complex and advanced tank designs, the L3/33 and later L3/35 tankette formed the backbone of the Italian armoured corps and became the most widely produced Italian armoured fighting vehicles of the war, seeing service from the Italian invasion of Ethiopia to the very end of WW2. Several variants were produced, including a flamethrower variant (the L3/33 LF, standing for "LanciaFiamme"), a bridge carrier variant (L3/33 Passerella, with a 7 m bridge transported on a trailer that could be assembled by the crew in seven minutes and placed with two small cranes fastened on the chassis) and a command radio variant (L3 Centro Radio, equipped with a Marelli RF1 CA radio at level of platoons and companies). For the use of a radio station powerful enough to serve a regimental radio center, the L3 chassis was considered not suitable and replaced with a more spacious L6/40 CR (Centro Radio = Radio Center).

As the war progressed, and the Italians faced the Allies in France and North Africa with their more heavily armed and armoured tanks and long-range anti-tank guns, the deficiencies of the L3/33 and 35 became apparent. Although fast and possessing a low profile, it was too thinly armoured, capable of only withstanding infantry rifle calibre munitions. In addition, its standard armament of a 6.5mm machine gun proved inadequate for long-range combat or engaging other armoured vehicles. While the Regio Esercito began slowly upgrading its armoured units to more modern standards, stopgap solutions to make up for the difference were considered and adopted. One of these was to mount a 20 mm Fucile Controcarri S Mod.39 anti-tank gun in a small number of L3/33s and 35s, replacing the 6.5 mm machine gun and creating an ad hoc tank destroyer platform. These were designated as the L3/33 CC, which stood for "controcarro" ("anti-tank"). Arriving too late to see action in Libya before the Axis retreat, they saw only limited action in Tunisia. Gradually, the L3/33 and L3/35 would be withdrawn from front line service, serving largely in behind-the-line roles such as artillery towing vehicles and police vehicles in Axis-occupied territories. After the Axis fell, many tanks were captured and either destroyed or repurposed, although several examples survive in museum collections.

The L3/33 and L3/35 were both sold for export to other nations, including Afghanistan, Bulgaria, the Republic of China, Nicaragua, Iraq and Brazil. Although many of these tanks are now museum pieces, a few have been spotted in operation in combat zones some decades after the end of their service in the Italian military, including one recovered in Iraq by the US army after the 2003 invasion, one seen in operation in Afghanistan in a parade organised by the Taliban in 2022 and also used in the parade to hand over command of the Brazilian 3rd Armoured Division on 6 April 2022, almost 90 years after it was first produced.

Media

Skins
Videos
Most unusual vehicles discusses the L3/33 CC at 3:56 - War Thunder Official Channel
Tank Chat #146 Carro Veloce | The Tank Museum - The Tank Museum
Tank parade on the occasion of the passing of commandos of the 3.ª Divisão de Exército

See also

Vehicles of comparable role, configuration and era

External links


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

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