Pvlvv fm/42

Pvlvv fm/42

Pvlvv fm/42

Sweden

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.7	1.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

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Description

The Pansarvärnslavettvagn fm/42 is a rank I Swedish SPAA with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/SB) and 1.7 (RB). It was introduced in Update 1.97 "Viking Fury".

General info

Survivability and armour

The Pvlvv fm/42 is a fairly weak vehicle in terms of survivability, in Realistic. It features no meaningful protection from any angle, with only 10 mm of armour protecting the front of the hull and 16 mm of effective armour protecting the gunner. This armour is superficial really, as even heavy machine guns will have no trouble getting through the armour of the vehicle, and seeing as it's only manned by two crew, a shot through the flat armour of the drivers port will easily knock the vehicle out of action. Additionally as it's open-topped, it's very vulnerable from the air, and the gun can't angle directly upwards, meaning the gun shield can't be used to protect against enemy aircraft. This vehicle may survive a poorly placed shot, but most of the time the armour is not in any way reliable.

In Arcade, it is far better. The light armour and spaced out crew means shots are unlikely to kill both crew at once, while the gun shield and enclosed driver provides average protection for a Rank I SPAA. While crew replenishing, the gun also works despite the gunner being knocked out, meaning the vehicle can defend itself even after some penetrating hits.

Mobility

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	7	6	121	162	20.17	27
Realistic	50	6		75	85	12.5	14.17

The mobility and speed of the Pvlvv fm/42 is fairly effective, it won't outpace many enemy light vehicles around this battle rating but it is fast enough to get where it needs to be in the map without much trouble. Off-road it can cruise at a max of 54 / 38 km/h (AB/RB), making it one of the fastest Swedish ground vehicles at its rank. It can change direction and manoeuvre well enough, and has a reverse speed of -6 km/h, which isn't vastly impressive, but is enough to occasionally get the vehicle out of trouble. However, as the engine is fairly weak it will struggle to climb steep hills, so try to approach these obstacles at an angle to increase the friction on the tracks.

Armaments

The max elevation angle of the Pvlvv fm/42

Main armament

The Pvlvv fm/42 is equipped with the m/40B 20mm cannon, which sports effective performance against tanks and aircraft if the rounds hit, and especially regarding aircraft - that's not an easy task. The cannon can only elevate to 45 degrees, which commonly isn't enough to get an attack angle on most aircraft as they will be flying too high up, making this quite a tedious anti-air vehicle to use in its intended role. It comes with three belts:

• Default - A 1-to-1 mix of HE and AP rounds, an effective, versatile belt.
• slsgr m/42 - A pure HE belt, Ineffective against ground vehicles but adequate for aircraft.
• slpgr m/42 - A pure AP belt- Very effective against ground vehicles while still being able to damage aircraft.

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500	2000m
slsgr m/42	HEIF-T	2	2	2	2	2	2
slsgr m/42	AP-T	42	40	30	21	15	10

A further drawback of this vehicle's armament is the total ammo count at only 108 rounds with the possibility of taking 3 belts. This hugely limits its performance, especially against aircraft as acquiring the lead will usually take a fair few shots. By the time a critical shot is landed, most of the ammo will likely be gone. For this reason, it's not recommended to take a magazine of the full HE belt, as this will take up a third of the Pvlvv fm/42's total potential ammo, meaning a third of the shots will have no effect against enemy ground targets, and given that attacking ground vehicles is a more adept method of play for this vehicle, it is best to maximise the Pvlvv fm/42's anti-tank ability. The AP belt can cut through a max of 42mm of flat armour, so at close range the vehicle will have no trouble knocking out the majority of enemy vehicles.

Once unlocked, it's recommended to take either three belts of AP rounds, or two belts of AP rounds with one Default belt for engaging aircraft, as the belt is still effective against both types of targets. Players can switch between this belt easily as well as the reload for changing belts is only 1.3 seconds.

Usage in battles

The Pvlvv fm/42 engaging a BT-7

Despite being classed as an SPAA vehicle, it truly excels at fighting ground vehicles. The lack of elevation for the cannon makes engaging aircraft tricky and sometimes impossible if the map is quite flat, as to engage aircraft this vehicle needs to be positioned on high ground or at an angle on the terrain. In general, it's not recommended to attempt to engage aircraft unless the player is confident that the plane can be taken out in one burst, as if an enemy aircraft notices the Pvlvv fm/42, they'll also likely know the Pvlvv fm/42's flaw of being unable to elevate the gun very high, so they will simply dive right down on top of the vehicle to strafe out the crew, which is a fairly easy task as from the top the crew have no protection.

As this vehicle has very little ammunition, engaging ground vehicles allows the Pvlvv fm/42 to potentially maximise its shots on target. Engaging aircraft usually results in lots of missed shots, which largely isn't too much of a problem generally for SPAA as they're usually equipped with lots of ammunition, but as this vehicle isn't, all shots need to count, and as such leading shots on ground targets is much more consistent that it is the recommended way to play.

At close range, the AP belt will be able to deal with most enemy vehicles easily, though it will struggle with some French vehicles such as the B1 bis, S.35, and even some of the reserve vehicles. It's important to know the enemy and only engage if absolutely certain the gun can cause critical damage. Don't waste shots and avoid being destroyed, so learning the general armour layout of the enemies is an important factor here.

Aim to play around close-range sight-lines if possible, in these locations, shots will be easier to aim and the 20 mm rounds will have more penetration which is important to consider as their penetration performance drops off considerably at distances, at 500 m the shots can only cut through 30 mm of flat armour which isn't enough to deal with most enemies quickly if at all.

Luckily, as this vehicle is quite small, it's fairly easy to slip around the map unnoticed, and allows the Pvlvv fm/42 to be able to hide in nooks and corners to ambush the enemy. Waiting in ambush at close range, around a cap or watching a corner, is the safest, most consistent way to play the Pvlvv fm/42. Although if confident, the Pvlvv fm/42 can simply drive around in a manner similar to that of a conventional tank by spraying enemies down with the autocannon at close range without necessarily aiming, as it's quite likely the gunfire will disable them before the can fire back. Playing this way is certainly possible, but due to how weak this vehicle is, it's only recommend if the Pvlvv fm/42 player is very confident and have the vehicle fully upgraded. Do also be mindful of playing around very combat heavy areas, as these locations are commonly rife with artillery fire which this vehicle is hugely weak to, so aim to engage at close-range still, but try to avoid the bulk of combat, utilise side roads and pathways out of the way to creep up to enemies on their sides. Additionally, if possible, try to play close to friendly capture points, as the Pvlvv fm/42 can use them to replenish its ammo supply which will be vital in long matches.

Pvlvv fm/42 in winter livery

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent mobility
• Fast reload
• Effective anti-tank performance

Cons:

• Low ammo count
• Poor survivability
• Insufficient elevation for the cannon

History

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Media

• 

  Pvlvv fm/42 in desert livery

• 

  Pvlvv fm/42 in standard livery

• 

  Pvlvv fm/42 engaging an LVT

See also

• Flakpanzer I
• AS 42
• Type 94

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
• other literature.