90/53 M41M

90/53 M41M

75/34 M43

▄StuG III G

90/53 M41M

75/34 M43

▄StuG III G

Italy

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	3.7	3.7

Class:

Tank destroyer

Research:18 000

Purchase:47 000

Show in game

Description

The semovente da 90/53 (introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".) was a self propelled gun mainly made to provide support infantry and take out light and medium tanks that were used by the allies. It's main armament was mounted on the rear of a lengthened M14/41 hull and chassis. The 90 mm 90/53 mod.41 was made by modifying an anti-air cannon. It would have its first combat debut during the allied landings in sicily where it proved itself, however due to the sheer allied power both in the air and ground, the little numbers produced of this platform wouldn't be enough for Italy to defend itself. In game the Semovente 90/53 is one of the early tank-destroyer like vehicles availible to players grinding the tree. It has a very potent main armament able to deal with any enemy player vehicle at its battle rating. It mobility isn't the best however, the best playstyle for this vehicle is as a sniper where you won't have to be moving a lot. You can set up ambushes as the vehicle is not too tall or wide to be easily spotted. Reload rates need to be considered when engaging multiple enemies, not only that but the vehicle does not carry a lot of ammunition on the vehicle so you need to pick you targets very carefully and make sure every hit counts. Once spotted the vehicle does not have enough armour to protect itself from the majority of enemy attacks. The crew placement means most shots directed towards your turret will mean a quick trip back to the hangar. One major weakspot you dont want enemies to take advantage of is your behind, you are completely exposed as well as your ammo and crew. Being flanked in this vehicle means you usually wont be able to make it out alive from engagements. Overall, just play smart with the semovente da 90/53, do not go out in the open and attack only when absolutely needed.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull30 / 25 / 25

Turret30 / 15 / 0

Crew4 people

Visibility79 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull)
• Cast homogeneous armour (gun shield)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	30 mm (19-68°) Upper glacis - top section 25 mm (80°) Upper glacis - bottom section 30 mm (cylindrical°) Lower plate	25 mm (8°) Top 25 mm Bottom 30 mm (9-12°) MG bulge	25 mm Upper part 25 mm (16°) Lower part	25 mm (10°) Front glacis 25 mm (10°) Driver compartment 25 mm (15°) Engine compartment 5-25 mm (10°) Radiator vents 15 mm Gun platform
Gun shield	150 mm Gun breech 30 mm (29°) Shield front 6 mm (15-27°) Overlapping hull shield	15 mm (0-18°)	N/A	8 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick and bogies 10 mm thick.
• The belly is 14 mm thick.
• The gun mount is 15 mm thick.
• Mudguards are 4 mm thick.

Armour is not great, but the gun shield protects from .50 cal heavy machine gun fire from the front and the sloped hull armour can bounce shots. The back is very vulnerable as your crew sits unprotected and can be knocked out by anything, including a single artillery shell behind you can disable the 90/53 M41M.

Despite that, it has better survivability than what people may expect from such a thinly-armoured vehicle. Because of its layout, the 90/53 M41M separates the crew into two different areas, the front compartment of the hull and the rear turret, with the engine bay in between. This also gives additional protection from the front side to the ammunition storage area, and so being destroyed by an ammo explosion is not a frequent occurence.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB38 / 6 km/h

RB and SB35 / 6 km/h

Number of gears4 forward

1 back

Weight15.7 t

Engine power

AB305 hp

RB and SB160 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB19.4 hp/t

RB and SB10.2 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	38	6	15.7	227	305	14.46	19.43
Realistic	35	6		142	160	9.04	10.19

The mobility is good on flat terrain and even on some slopes, about the same as other Italian tanks on the same chassis. Due to the 90° horizontal fire angle, the 90/53 M41M can drive diagonally while aiming.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB1 010 → 1 249

RB1 212 → 1 499

SB1 483 → 1 834

Total cost of modifications19 500

32 100

Talisman cost980

Crew training13 000

Experts47 000

Aces330

Research Aces280 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

70 / 100 / 130 %

136 / 136 / 136 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 100 105 Suspension Research: 1 100 Cost: 1 800 90 Brake System Research: 1 100 Cost: 1 800 90 Filters Research: 1 200 Cost: 2 000 100 Transmission Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 300 260 Engine Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 300 260	Improved Parts Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 100 105 Improved FPE Research: 1 100 Cost: 1 800 90 Crew Replenishment Research: 1 200 Cost: 2 000 100	Horizontal Drive Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 100 105 Adjustment of Fire Research: 1 100 Cost: 1 800 90 Elevation Mechanism Research: 1 200 Cost: 2 000 100 90mm_Gr_Perforante_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 1 200 Cost: 2 000 100

Armaments

Main armament

90 mm 90/53 mod.41 cannon

Ammunition8 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Vertical guidance-5° / 19°

Horizontal guidance-45° / 45°

90 mm 90/53 mod.41					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	8	-5°/+19°	±45°	N/A	9.7	13.4	16.3	18.0	19.2	10.40	9.20	8.48	8.00
Realistic					6.6	7.7	9.4	10.3	11.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Granata Perforante da 90	APCBC	152	149	139	126	115	105
Granata da 90	HE	20	20	18	17	15	14
Granata Perforante mod.43	APCBC	145	143	134	123	114	105

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Granata Perforante da 90	APCBC	758	12.16	1.2	14	347	48°	63°	71°
Granata da 90	HE	830	10.3	0.2	0.1	871	79°	80°	81°
Granata Perforante mod.43	APCBC	773	11.25	1.2	14	347	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the 90/53 M41M

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
8	5 (+3)	1 (+7)	Yes

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• Pack 8 shells as your ammo capacity is very limited.

Usage in battles

Due to its high penetration at close ranges, excellent turret traverse and surprising survivability, the 90/53 can perform quite well in CQC combat in an urban environment. The 90/53 is quite lethal to most tanks it comes across and can deal quite easily with vehicles other tanks typically struggle with, such as KV-1s. This comes at the sacrifice of an exposed rear, so it is typically advised to make sure that your rear is always secure and not to overextend from your allies. Alternatively, the high calibre of the shell does make the 90/53 viable at range, but the lack of ammunition and machine guns for rangefinding make this task quite difficult. When entering battle, a full load of Granata Preforante mod.43 is typically advised.

The 90/53 is extremely vulnerable to AA guns as they can typically shred the 90/53's thin armour and should be avoided at all costs. Strafing from planes is also a common annoyance, as its lightly armoured and semi-exposed crew are easy targets from the air. Try to avoid open areas and stick to places with limited visibility from the air, such as forests and towns where planes will have trouble spotting you. If a plane is targeting you it might be wise to back your exposed rear into a solid object, like a wall or a cliffside to prevent the plane from hitting your rear.

Pros and cons

90/53 M41M fighting at range

Pros:

• Wide traverse angle
• Exceptionally lethal APHE shells with outstanding penetration
• Acceptable reloading time
• If a shot penetrates the front, the engine and fuel tanks would absorb most of the fragmentation
• 4 widely spaced out crew members increases chance of surviving strafing runs

Cons:

• Poor gun depression
• Extremely poor ammunition capacity (8 rounds)
• Poor armour & exposed crew members in the turret
• Poor dispersion, especially without upgrades
• Mediocre mobility
• If you have 3 crew members and a plane strafes from behind, you're most likely dead

History

The Semovente M41M da 90/53 consisted of a 90 mm anti-aircraft gun mounted on the rear of a lengthened M14/41 hull and chassis. The engine was moved from the rear of the vehicle to a central position. Conceived and built specifically for anti-tank use on the Eastern Front after it was clear Italian forces had no answer to Russian tanks like the T-34, was hurriedly designed and rushed into production in early 1942. In practice the large gun overstressed the chassis and engine, so production stopped after 30 were produced and none were ever sent to Russia. Only a handful of rounds could be carried on the vehicle; it had to be accompanied by a turretless L6/40 tank used as its ammunition carrier.

Twenty-four surviving vehicles were formed into the 10th Self-Propelled Gun Unit (Raggruppamento Semoventi), divided into 3 gruppi. It was sent to Sicily in June, 1943, and was deployed against the US 7th Army in fighting in the Licata area, losing all but two of its vehicles. These last two vehicles were abandoned and captured in Messina when Sicily fell. The few left behind in Italy were seized and used by Germany.

One of these two Semovente was brought to Aberdeen proving ground to be evaluated. In 2012, it was moved to the U.S. Army Field Artillery museum in Fort Sill, Oklahoma where it was restored. It is likely the only surviving example.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the 90/53 M41M from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Semovente da 90/53 M41M, Italian, Tier-2, Tank Destroyer - Angry Nerd Gaming

It has explosives and penetration , but what's the catch? Semovente 90/53 M41M - HowToPlay1337

See also

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• SU-85A
• Breda 90/53 Same cannon but on an unarmored truck chassis
• Breda 501 Same cannon but on an armored truck chassis

External links

• [Wikipedia] Semovente da 90/53
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Semovente da 90/53
• [US Army] Army FA museum adds WWII artillery pieces

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