Strv m/42 EH
Contents
Description
The Stridsvagn m/42 EH is a continued development of the AB Landsverk tanks designated Lago I, that Hungary had requested back in the 1930s. When Sweden requested a new heavy tank armed with a 75 mm cannon, AB Landsverk saw the opportunity to use the existing Lago I as a basis for the new tank. Only 57 of the 282 Strv m/42 tanks ordered were produced to the EH standard, while the rest were the TH and TM variants. The tank was already outdated when it was introduced, with very thin armour, poor mobility, and a mediocre gun for the time. In the mid 1950s when Sweden bought in the Strv 81, the Strv m/42 EH was repurposed for infantry support and redesignated as Ikv 73 in 1957.
It was introduced in Update 1.97 "Viking Fury". The Strv m/42 EH is a fairly conventional medium tank that distinguishes itself with its excellent gun depression. It thus excels in hull-down positions or ridge-fighting. However, the gun is quite weak and will struggle in uptiers against angled and well armoured tanks. Heavy tanks are usually extremely hard to deal with for the Strv m/42 EH. It's not a great flanker due to its large profile and mediocre mobility, instead it relies on its gun handling in hull down positions to ambush other tanks, which is a good tactic around capture points and important roads.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Strv m/42 has increased frontal protection compared to the Lago I. Both the hull and turret fronts have a maximum thickness of 55 mm, which provides good resistance against small calibre anti-tank guns and autocannon fire. However, the side and rear are still quite thin, and are only resistant against heavy machine guns. The engine deck and turret roof are only 9 and 10 mm thick respectively, and are thus vulnerable to aircraft cannon and heavy machine gun fire.
Despite this increase in armour, the Strv m/42 can still be easily penetrated by the upgraded guns that come with the shift from 2.7 to 3.0. Notably, the long barreled Panzer III's, M4A1, Chi-Nu, and the P40's HEAT round can all cut right through your armour like paper. It is highly recommended to avoid head-on engagements with these opponents, although you can compete with the Chi-Nu and P40 if you manage to get the first shot off due to their relatively weak armour.
When being up-tiered to 4.0, the Strv m/42 will have to play like a light tank flanker, as any gun at 4.0 can penetrate it and the m/42's cannon will rarely frontally penetrate due to the increase in armour. The worst enemies for the m/42 to face at 4.0 are the Pz.IV F2, T-34E STZ, T-34-57, Achilles, M4A2 and Breda 501. All of these tanks can either punch right through the Strv's armour and/or are virtually invulnerable to its cannon frontally, with the exceptions being the Breda 501 and the Pz.IV F2.
Armour Type:
- Rolled Homogeneous Armour (hull, turret, cupola)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 55 mm (2-59°) Lower Glacis 10-30 mm (55-80°) Upper Glacis 55 mm (20-29°) Upper Plate |
30 mm Upper Front 25 mm Upper Rear 30 mm Lower |
25 mm Top 20 mm Bottom |
5-9 mm |
| Turret | 55 mm (2-46°) Turret front 55 mm (5-62°) Gun mantlet |
30 mm Frontal 25 mm Rear |
25 mm | 10-20 mm |
| Cupola | 55 mm (13°) Right 25 mm (74°) Left |
25 mm Left 25 mm Right Rear 30 mm Right Front |
25 mm | 9 mm |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.
- Turret ring: 53 mm
- MG Port appliqué armour: 20 mm
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 | 47 | 7 | 22.5 | 635 | 782 | 28.22 | 34.76 |
| Realistic | 42 | 6 | 363 | 410 | 16.13 | 18.22 | |
The Strv m/42 is considerably heavier than the Lago I, but the engine is uprated to compensate for the increased weight. The mobility is therefore not significantly affected and is quite adequate for a medium tank of its tier. It has a relatively low reverse speed and the long hull relative to its width also has a noticeable impact on its turning ability.
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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Armaments
Main armament
The Strv m/42 is armed with the 7,5 cm kan m/41, the same 75 mm field gun found on the Ikv 72. While quite respectable on the Ikv 72, the gun is not quite as competitive on the Strv m/42 due to the heavier opposition it will face, such as the Churchill and KV heavy tanks. The turret does provide an excellent amount of gun depression (15°), allowing for more hull-down opportunities.
Like on the Ikv 72, the gun starts off with the slpprj m/40 uncapped AP shot, which unfortunately tends to suffer ricochets against the sloped armour that is increasingly common at the Strv m/42's BR. The gun may also be upgraded to fire the slpgr m/39 uncapped APHE shell and the slpprj m/40B APBC shot. The APHE round has a very lethal 260 g TNT filler but tends to ricochet more and has less penetration than the other rounds. It is best used when presented with sideshots against tanks with weak side armour. The APBC ricochets less, although the penetration is still rather inadequate. It is recommended to carry a mixture of both APHE and APBC.
| 75 mm kan m/41 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 59 | -15°/+25° | ±180° | N/A | 14.3 | 19.8 | 24.0 | 26.5 | 28.2 | 7.67 | 6.79 | 6.25 | 5.90 |
| Realistic | 8.9 | 10.5 | 12.8 | 14.1 | 15.0 | ||||||||
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 | ||
| slpprj m/40 | AP | 85 | 83 | 74 | 64 | 55 | 48 |
| sgr m/40 | HE | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| slpprj m/40B | APBC | 85 | 82 | 73 | 63 | 54 | 46 |
| slpgr m/39 | APHE | 63 | 61 | 53 | 44 | 37 | 31 |
| 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% | ||||||||||
| slpprj m/40 | AP | 580 | 6.6 | - | - | - | 47° | 60° | 65° | |||
| sgr m/40 | HE | 570 | 6.43 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 580 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| slpprj m/40B | APBC | 590 | 6.3 | - | - | - | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| slpgr m/39 | APHE | 580 | 6.5 | 1.2 | 9 | 260 | 47° | 60° | 65° | |||
| Smoke shell characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Screen radius (m) |
Screen deploy time (s) |
Screen hold time (s) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
| rökgr m/22 | 496 | 6.6 | 13 | 5 | 20 | 8 |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | 50 (+9) | 48 (+11) | 28 (+31) | 16 (+43) | 4 (+55) | 1 (+58) | No |
Note:
- Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
Machine guns
The Strv m/42 has two 8 mm ksp m/36 machine guns mounted alongside the main gun. These machine guns cannot depress as much as the main gun.
| 8 mm ksp m/36 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 2,000 (250) | 649 | -10°/+25° | N/A |
| Coaxial | 2,000 (250) | 649 | -10°/+25° | N/A |
Usage in battles
The Strv m/42 EH is a fairly conventional medium tank that distinguishes itself with its excellent gun depression. It thus excels in hull-down positions or ridge-fighting. However, the gun is quite weak and will struggle in uptiers against angled and well armoured tanks. Enemy tanks like KV-1 and Churchill are almost untouchable for the Strv m/42 EH to take head-on, but also tanks like T-34 and M4 Sherman can be quite troublesome as well to face head-on with the Strv m/42 EH's short 75 mm. If Strv m/42 is played properly it can be a troublesome tank to deal with for the enemy as well. Strv m/42 has a relatively decent armour for its battle rating, and the turret armour is well rounded for shells to bounce off it. The Strv m/42 EH's modest mobility and high profile makes it not the best for flanking manoeuvres, but its excellent gun depression makes it a great tank for ambushes from hills and elevated positions. Where the 75 mm is not enough for frontal engagement, it's best to retreat and find a position where the gun can take a shot at the enemy vehicle's side or rear armour.
The Strv m/42 EH gun has got one of the worst penetration shells for a medium tank at its battle rating. The Slpprj m/40 (AP) and m/40B (APBC) rounds got a top penetration of 85 mm at 10 m range. It's enough when facing its own battle rating peers and when downtiered, but really lacks the penetration for an uptier battle. The Strv m/42 EH has also got a third shell, the slpgr m/39 (APHE) that will deal the most damage if it is able to penetrate the target. However, the Slpgr m/39 only has 63 mm penetration at 10 m range, which makes it efficient in a downtier and almost useless in a uptiered situation. But if the Strv m/42 EH manages to flank and hit the enemies from the side, the shells will be able to penetrate and destroy enemy targets with relative ease, although it might struggle against heavy tanks like KV-1 and Churchill still.
Targets the Strv m/42 EH should be aware of are tanks like:
- T-34: With its 76 mm main gun and sloped front armour it can pose a big threat to the Strv m/42 in close-ranged combats where the T-34 got better acceleration and mobility.
- M4 Sherman: With its 75 mm and sloped front will, like the T-34, pose a major threat at close range for the Strv m/42, mainly when forced in a frontal confrontation.
- Pz.IV H/G/F2 and Panzer III's with long barrels: These will be a threat for the Strv m/42 at medium to long range, but the flat frontal armour will make them a easy target for the Strv m/42 if it manages to get them into close range confrontations.
- KV-1 and Churchill tanks: These are well-armoured and well-equipped to deal with the firepower and armour that the Strv m/42 possess. These tanks are major threats and will most likely force the Strv m/42 to retreat or ask for help from a player with a better anti-tank gun.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Acceptable mobility for a medium tank
- Excellent gun depression
- APHE round with effective post-penetration damage
- Relatively fast reload
- Decent frontal armour
Cons:
- Must choose between higher penetration or higher lethality with the APBC or APHE rounds
- Somewhat sluggish turret traverse
- Relatively large tall profile
- Struggles a lot in uptiers
- Poor reverse speed
- Thin side armour and very thin turret roof and engine deck armour
History
Strv m/42 EH is a continued development of the AB Landsverk tanks designated Lago I, that Hungary had requested back in the 1930s. When Sweden in 1942 requested a new heavy tank from AB Landsverk that was going to be over 10 ton but below 22 ton mark and armed with a 75 mm cannon, this gave AB Landsverk the opportunity to continue development of the Lago I. In Swedish use it would be designated Strv m/42 and would come in 3 different versions during the second world war, the first version Strv m/42 TM, second TH which would have same engines as the TM but a new hydromechanical gearbox from Lysholm-Smith, third version EH which only had one engine with a newly developed A8B engine from Volvo while TM and TH used two Scania-Vabis 603/1 engines. EH also got a hydromechanical gearbox from Lysholm-Smith but this was larger and improved compared to the TH version.
Only 57 of the 282 Strv m/42 tanks ordered were produced to the EH standard, TM and TH being the other 225. Strv m/42 was a tank that was quickly outdated when it arrived, lacking in armour and firepower when they were being deployed. The Germans and Soviets had gone from short 75 mm to longer and heavier calibre guns when the tanks were being delivered from 1943 to 1945. And in middle of 1950's when Sweden bought in the Strv 81 the Strv m/42 was replaced with, Strv m/42s got refitted and rebuilt, Strv m/42 TM that had changed to TV with a new gearbox, TM/TV along with TH got rebuilt to Light Tank Strv 74 with their turrets used for coastal and airfield defenses, meanwhile Strv m/42 EH got repurposed for infantry support and got redesignated as Ikv 73.
Media
- Skins
- Images
Strv m/42 in Sweden
- Media
See also
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;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
References
- Bibliography
- David B. (2016, June 2). Stridsvagn m/42. Tank Encyclopedia. https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/sweden/stridsvagn-m42.php
- Stridsvagn m/42. (2020, March 6). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stridsvagn_m/42&oldid=944239000
| AB Landsverk | |
|---|---|
| Light Tanks | |
| L-10 | Strv m/31 |
| L-60 | Strv m/38 · Strv m/39 · Strv m/40L |
| Pbil m/40 | Pbil m/40 |
| Strv 74 | Strv 74 |
| Unimog 404 | U-SH 405 |
| Medium Tanks | |
| Lago | Lago I · Strv m/42 EH · Ikv 73 · Strv m/42 DT |
| Tank Destroyers | |
| Ikv 72 | Ikv 72 · Ikv 103 |
| Pvkv m/43 | Pvkv m/43 (1946) · Pvkv m/43 (1963) |
| Pvkv II/III | Pvkv II · Pvkv III |
| SPAA | Pvlvv fm/42 · L-62 ANTI II |
| Sweden medium tanks | |
|---|---|
| Strv m/42 | Lago I · Strv m/42 EH · Ikv 73 · Strv m/42 DT · Pvkv IV |
| Centurion derivatives | Strv 81 · Strv 81 (RB 52) · Strv 101 · Strv 104 · Strv 105 |
| Strv 103 | Strv 103-0 · Strv 103A · Strv 103С |
| Strv 121/122 | Strv 121 · Christian II · Strv 122A · Strv 122B PLSS · Strv 122B+ |
| Other | Sherman III/IV · T 80 U |
| Finland | |
| WWII | ▄T-28 · ▄T-34 · ▄Pz.IV · ▄T-34-85 |
| Post War | ▄Comet I · ▄Charioteer Mk VII · ▄T-54 · ▄T-55M · ▄T-72M1 · ▄Leopard 2A4 · ▄Leopard 2A6 |
| Norway | Leopard 1A5NO2 |
