Zrinyi I

This page is about the premium Italian tank destroyer Zrinyi I. For the regular version, see Zrinyi II.

Zrinyi I

Zrinyi I

Italy

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.0	4.0	4.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Tank destroyer

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

The 44M Zrínyi I was a Hungarian World War II tank destroyer inspired by the German success with the StuG III. The Royal Hungarian Army faced a serious challenge in the late stages of World War II, as they lacked tanks to counter the newest, most well-armoured Soviet tanks. Like the StuG, a versatile self-propelled gun built on the chassis of a medium tank, the Hungarians decided to create their own version using the Hungarian Turán tank's chassis. They also designed their own gun for it, based on the German PaK 40 anti-tank gun. The project was named Zrínyi, after a famous Hungarian noble family and military leader, Miklós Zrínyi. The plan was to produce two variants of the Zrínyi: one with a 75 mm anti-tank gun (Zrínyi I), and one with a 105 mm howitzer for assault operations (Zrínyi II). However, due to various difficulties in production, only the latter variant, the 43M Zrínyi II, entered mass production and saw combat. The former variant, the Zrínyi I, remained a prototype and was lost together with the Zrínyi production line after Hungary was hit by a serious Allied strategic bombing campaign.

The Zrínyi I was introduced during Update "Danger Zone" as a reward for the 2022 Summer Quest event. Armed with a powerful 75 mm cannon and 6 rockets, this low-profile Hungarian tank destroyer is more than capable of destroying any enemy tank it might face, whilst still retaining the decent mobility and excellent reverse speed of the Turán series.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull75 / 25 / 25

Turret0 / 0 / 0

Crew4 people

Visibility74 %

The Zrinyi I has relatively average armour with 75 mm armour on the upper hull front. The hull armour is only angled at 16 degrees, which makes it nearly flat. Like Semovente Italian tank destroyers, it has angled plates between the front and sides which are both 50 mm thick. The 50 mm corner plates make angling very difficult. On the sides it is 25 mm of armour. This is the same armour value on the lower hull.

On the bottom-front, the lower front plate is 50 mm (2 overlaid plates of 15 and 35 mm), the upper front plate is 13 mm. Because of the thin UFP, it is possible to use almost any 90 mm HE, or even HEAT, to destroy the SPG with overpressure frontally in a single hit.

The weakest part of the tank would be the sides, so it's suggested to keep them from enemy view. The modules are mostly situated in the back, so they have a lesser chance of being hit and damaged. Like the German StuGs, the Zrinyi has its crew besides the cannon. It has two crew members on each side, which means if you get hit in one side, you will still have two crew members left to either man the cannon or drive the tank. The transmission is not in the front to absorb spall and shrapnel like it does on the StuG, making you more vulnerable to hits in that area.

Overall, at its BR, the Zrinyi's armour is not adequate to face enemy fire.

Due to the shape of the hull, it is possible to pull most enemy tanks onto it by ramming them from the front or the back, or clashing in general. Enemy tanks generally cannot escape or retaliate after being pulled up because of the further synergy with the rocket launchers exclusive to the Zrinyi. Enemy hull also becomes exposed to direct fire by the main gun, effectively dooming enemy tanks. The Zrinyi does not suffer blowback from enemy tanks exploding on top of it.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, superstructure)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	35+15 mm (31°) Lower glacis 13 mm (75°) Upper glacis	25 mm 30 mm Engine vents	25 mm Upper plate 25 mm (44°) Lower glacis	13 mm (15°) Front glacis 13 mm Engine compartment 10 mm Engine vent 25 mm (16°) Transmission compartment
Superstructure	75 mm (16°) Front plate 50-125 mm (spherical) Gun mantlet 50 mm (16°) Driver viewport	50 mm (8°) Crew compartment - Front 25 mm (3-7°) Crew compartment - Rear	13 mm (53-65°)	13 mm (6-11°) Front 13 mm (24-47°) Rear

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and torsion bars are 15 mm thick, while tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Mudguards are 4 mm thick.
• An internal 5 mm plate separates the crew compartment from the engine compartment.
• Belly armour is 15 mm thick.
• Track undersides on the superstructure are 19 mm thick

Mobility

Reverse gearbox

Forward and backward movement is possible at the same maximum speed

Speedforward / back

AB44 / 44 km/h

RB and SB41 / 41 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

6 back

Weight22.0 t

Engine power

AB496 hp

RB and SB260 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB22.5 hp/t

RB and SB11.8 hp/t

Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	44	44	22	369	496	16.77	22.55
Realistic	41	41		230	260	10.45	11.82

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB838

RB1 052

SB1 202

Crew training10 000

Experts165 000

Aces470

Research Aces710 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 90 / 130 / 170 %

2 × 148 / 148 / 148 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment Smoke grenade	Horizontal Drive Adjustment of Fire 75mm_kwk_37_40_HEAT_ammo_pack Elevation Mechanism

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm 43.M cannon

Ammunition40 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

7.6 → 5.9 s

Vertical guidance-8° / 25°

Horizontal guidance-12° / 10°

The gun is somewhat inaccurate even with all the upgrades, so it is better to aim dead centre of the enemy tank and not to try hitting any small weakspots. Because of this it will sometimes randomly fail to destroy tanks with tiered armour like the KV-1, even in arcade.

Ammunition is serviceable, as the APCBC can penetrate heavy tanks rather easily, being slightly better than the ammo of the StuG III G. It does not have the same insane explosive mass of the 90/53 M41M, so at least some mind should be paid to internal layouts of the tanks.

However, the gun is still reliable enough for most situations and often destroys enemy tanks with one hit. It can destroy any enemy tank it can face, although with some tanks this requires aiming for weak spots.

75 mm 43.M					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	40	-8°/+25°	-12°/+10°	N/A	12.3	17.1	20.7	22.9	24.4	7.67	6.79	6.25	5.90
Realistic					8.3	9.8	11.9	13.2	14.0

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
43.M pancelgranat	APCBC	145	143	130	116	104	93
43.M repeszgranat	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
43.M pancelrobbantogranat	HEAT	80	80	80	80	80	80

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%
43.M pancelgranat	APCBC	770	6.8	1.2	14	28.9	48°	63°	71°
43.M repeszgranat	HE	550	5.74	0	0.1	686	79°	80°	81°
43.M pancelrobbantogranat	HEAT	550	4.4	0.05	0.1	872.1	62°	69°	73°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Zrinyi I

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
40	21 (+19)	1 (+39)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.

Additional armament

150 mm Wgr.41 Spr rocket

Ammunition6 rounds

Vertical guidance0° / 10°

Flight speed340 m/s

Range7 055 m

The rocket launchers are pre-calibrated to fire about 700 m away from the Zrinyi (assuming flat ground and the same terrain level). They only truly respond to controls in Third Person View and only when aiming up or down. The right launcher fires first, then they alternate. The launchers are offset from each other, so it is necessary to also alternate aim before firing the next rocket by moving the hull while pointing gun sight at the target. Due to the poor aim ability, they are more of a niche trick weapon, than something that can be used all the time.

However, there are ways to use the rockets at close range such as by angling the SPG down on a slope to fire the rockets horizontally forwards directly at the enemy, or by ramming the enemy vehicle so that your rockets hit their turret. You can also reverse into a building wedging your SPG in a way that points it down a bit allowing you to fire the rockets horizontally. Another trick is to fire a rocket at a building (or other surface) if there is a lightly armoured enemy vehicle in front of it. This way the rocket will hit the building above and behind the lightly armoured/open top enemy vehicle and the enemy will be caught in the explosive radius and be destroyed, or at least damaged.

The rockets deal enough overpressure damage to destroy cannon barrels, annihilate tracks or blow up medium tanks when their roof armour is hit. Some heavy tanks can also be destroyed by them. The rocket's explosion is powerful enough to destroy open top vehicles and trucks without directly hitting them, so you can still destroy these vehicles even though you lack a machine gun.

Wgr.41 Spr rocket
Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer
6	0°/+10°	N/A	N/A

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
Wgr.41 Spr	Rocket	27	27	27	27	27	27

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Wgr.41 Spr	Rocket	340	34.15	0	0.1	2.15	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
6	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

Usage in battles

Due to the mediocre armour of the Zrinyi I, it should not be played as a frontal assault tank and you should not rely on its armour. Since the Zrinyi I is a turretless tank destroyer as well, you should try to avoid close quarters combat as fast enemies will be able to drive around your sides and you will be too slow to turn your vehicle and so you won't be able to shoot at them. In many close quarters situations, it is better to use your great reverse speed to get away from close opponents rather than trying to turn to engage them immediately. If you lose your engine or tracks, you will only have a limited field of fire, and no ability to retreat. Your enemy can just drive out of your field of fire and you will be defenceless. Going around corners is also dangerous in turretless tank destroyers such as the Zrinyi I, because you will have to drive around the corner, turn your entire tank, and then take aim, whereas a turreted vehicle can aim their turret before turning the corner, drive around the corner and fire immediately. Due to the fact that most enemies can reliably destroy your vehicle from the front with one shot, never drive around a corner to fire at an enemy if they are aiming in your direction.

The Zrinyi I excels at medium/long range combat as the lack of a turret no longer becomes a serious problem at these ranges. The low profile of the Zrinyi I also comes in handy at these ranges as enemies will likely not spot you and even if they do, they may struggle to hit your tank. At these ranges, you are safe to use this vehicle's powerful 75 mm gun to easily destroy most enemy vehicles you will face. You can also use the Zrinyi I's good gun depression to fire over ridge lines and hills whilst hiding much of your tank in the process. When firing at enemies from medium range whilst hiding itself behind a small hill and using its gun depression, driving forwards to take shots and then driving backwards to take cover whilst reloading, the Zrinyi I can be a very difficult target to destroy whilst returning accurate and powerful shots at the enemy. Another way to use the Zrinyi I is to sneak around forests and hedgerows, flanking enemy forces and shooting at them whilst remaining hidden. The Zrinyi I's good mobility and low profile helps it play in such a way, although you should make sure to reposition often and keep concealed to avoid being spotted and destroyed.

Other things to be aware of when playing the Zrinyi I include your great reverse speed and so rather than turn around and drive forwards, it is often better to just drive in reverse if you need to go the other way. You also have 5 smoke grenades (they deploy one by one) on the rear of your tank, so if you are in danger, you can combine this with your reverse speed; simply deploy a smoke grenade whilst reversing, and then as the smoke thickens turn left or right and drop another smoke, this way the enemy will lose you and have to guess where in the smoke you are. Continue reversing until behind some hard cover. You also don't have a machine gun on the Zrinyi I, so you are especially vulnerable to lightly armoured/open-top cars and trucks such as the Soviet SPAA trucks, YaG-10 (29-K) or the German 8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl. However, whilst you lack a machine gun, you do get 6 × 150 mm rockets instead. You can use HEAT or HE rounds from your main gun, or your rockets to destroy these open-top vehicles. Be aware that these rockets can be detonated whilst still in your rocket tubes by any cannon and many machine guns too, if this does happen, your tank may be destroyed by an ammunition load detonation. If your tank is not destroyed by a rocket detonation you might suffer track and transmission damage. You can choose either to fire off the rockets as you spawn in to remove this risk, or to keep your rockets for use against enemy vehicles. Since your rocket launcher tubes can't depress down to 0 degrees of elevation (perfectly horizontal), if you fire them while on level ground and while aiming them down as much as possible, they will still fly forwards and upwards in an arc landing around 700 m away from you. It is nearly impossible to use these rockets at medium and long ranges. Instead, try to use the rockets at close range. This can be done in several ways such as by angling your Zrinyi I down on a slope to fire the rockets horizontally forward directly at the enemy, or by ramming the enemy vehicle so that your rockets hit their turret. You can also reverse into a building wedging yourself in a way that points your vehicle down a bit allowing you to fire the rockets horizontally. Another trick is to fire a rocket at a building (or other surfaces) if there is a lightly armoured enemy vehicle in front of it. This way the rocket will hit the building above and behind the lightly armoured/open-top enemy vehicle and the enemy will be caught in the explosive radius and be destroyed, or at least damaged.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Highly effective main gun capable of knocking out pretty much any tank it will face
• Good gun depression allows stronger protection when firing over hills
• Incredible mobility, with the reverse gearbox giving it the same speed in reverse as forwards
• Quite low profile, making enemies less likely to spot or hit you
• Has 6 × 150 mm rockets which can annihilate lightly armoured vehicles
• Has smoke grenades
• Can perform lethal ramming attacks in a 1v1 if necessary
• Armour around the gun mantlet can absorb many shots

Cons:

• With only 75 mm RHA of flat frontal protection, armour is generally ineffective in direct frontal engagements. The hull can easily be overpressured by any gun bigger than 76 mm from the front
• Rocket launchers can be detonated by about any weapon when still loaded, which may lead to an ammo rack detonation (so it is a good idea to fire off your rockets to avoid this)
• Lacking a turret limits effectiveness in many scenarios such as close range fighting
• No machine guns
• Lacks an APCR shell, which may cause problems when fighting against the most heavily armoured vehicles
• Rockets are very difficult to aim and can only be used at medium or long range due to the minimum elevation of the tubes, they can be used at close range when on a downwards slope, or wedged against a building

History

In 1942, the Hungarian military started the creation of its own fully armored self-propelled guns, which conceptually repeated the successful German StuG III design. This was done to combat the heavily armoured Soviet tanks encountered on the Eastern Front. The Hungarian engineers also chose the domestic Turán medium tank chassis for their domestic self-propelled guns. A fixed armored cabin was installed instead of a tank turret, and a 105mm howitzer was chosen as a weapon for the first vehicles in the series. To ensure the traverse aiming angles of the gun, the Turán's hull had to be widened by 400mm, however, in terms of the main components, the new self-propelled guns were maximally unified with the vehicle. The first prototype was ready by December 1942, and the first batch of 40 vehicles was ordered even before the SPG passed the entire test cycle. The self-propelled gun received the designation 40/43.M Zrínyi II, in honor of the 16th-century Hungarian national hero Miklós Zrínyi. Somewhat later, serial SPGs received side screens. The vehicle turned out to be very successful and was produced until the surrender of Hungary. However, the 105 mm howitzer of the Zrínyi II was clearly not enough to fight Soviet tanks, so by 1944 a Zrínyi I prototype appeared with a long 75 mm domestic anti-tank gun, the 75 mm 43.M, which was the same gun mounted on the Turán III. During the tests, the Zrínyi I prototype received launching tubes for rockets. This prototype did not go into serial production due to the devastation of the industrial enterprises and the defeat of the Hungarian army by the advancing forces of the Red Army.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Zrinyi I from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• Zrínyi II

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• Turán (Family)
• Turán I
• Turán II
• Turán III

Similar vehicles

• StuG III G
• Jagdpanzer IV
• 75/46 M43
• SU-85

External links

• [Devblog] Zrínyi I