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

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Description

The Semovente 90/53 M41M (shortened as 90/53 M41M) is a rank III Italian tank destroyer with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

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 very sloped hull armour can bounce shots. The back is very vulnerable as your crew sits unproteted and can be knocked out by anything. One 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 thing.

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	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.

Armaments

Main armament

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	__._	__._	19.2	10.40	__.__	__.__	8.00
Realistic					6.6	7.7	__._	__._	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	132	130	121	110	101	92
Granata da 90	HE	14	14	14	14	14	14
Granata Perforante mod.43	APCBC	158	156	146	134	124	114

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	12.1	1.2	14	520	48°	63°	71°
Granata da 90	HE	850	10.1	0.1	0.5	1,000	79°	80°	81°
Granata Perforante mod.43	APCBC	773	11.1	1.2	14	180	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)	No

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.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	Granata Perforante mod.43
IV	Transmission	Engine

Pros and cons

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
• Now, there are 4 crew members, so it's more likely to survive strafing runs.

Cons:

• Poor gun depression
• Extremely poor ammunition capacity (8 rounds)
• Poor armour & exposed crewmembers 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.

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

Vehicles equipped with the same gun

• Breda 501

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• SU-85A

External links

• [Wikipedia] Semovente da 90/53