Celere Sahariano

Celere Sahariano

Celere Sahariano

Italy

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.7	2.7	2.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:850

Show in game

Description

The Carro Armato M Celere Sahariano is a medium tank prototype created by the Kingdom of Italy during World War II to match the speed and firepower of British cruiser tanks seen by Italian forces during the North African campaign. Following early 1941 engagements with British Cruiser tanks, the concept of a comparable vehicle swiftly evolved. As the Italian engineers did not have access to the Christie suspension patent, they gained the technology by reverse-engineering a captured A13 Cruiser Mark III. Despite the lack of armour, it was determined that speed could also provide protection to the crew through hit-and-run tactics, as the existing M13/40 variants were unable to match the A13 Cruiser Mark III's mobility. Its most distinctive features were four enormous road wheels suspended by Christie-type vertical springs, two return rollers, and auxiliary rollers in between. The hull was relatively long, with armour plates angled steeply from the front and sides. The total empty weight was 13 tonnes, and the turret had a crew of four, including the commander, gunner, and loader/radio operator. The SPA petrol engine produced 275 horsepower, allowing it to reach a top speed of 55 kilometres per hour on flat ground. The project was cancelled after the withdrawal of Axis forces from North Africa in May 1943.

Introduced in Update "New Power", the Carro Armato M Celere Sahariano is the Italian Army's answer to British cruiser tanks during World War II. The tank was designed with speed in mind as a quick hit-and-run vehicle. They were to charge through the enemy lines, attack their rear sectors, and engage the enemy in the supply line in combat. This enormous tank has very heavily sloped armour all around, which improves survivability since many poorly aimed rounds just ricochet off the tank without penetrating it. This, combined with exceptional mobility, will undoubtedly cause havoc in the enemy lines by employing quick flanking tactics early in the battle. However, its main armament will occasionally prove inadequate, as players will struggle to attack stronger armoured adversaries or targets from long distances.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull50 / 15 / 15

Turret30 / 25 / 25

Crew4 people

Visibility67 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	35 mm + 15 mm (55°) Upper Glacis 35 mm (55°) Driver's Hatch 20 mm (55°) Upper Glacis (Lower Portion) 20 mm (35°) Lower Glacis	15 mm Main 8 mm Upper Engine Compartment	15 mm Lower Part 8 mm Upper Part	10 mm Crew Compartment 8 mm Engine Compartment
Turret	30 mm (12°) Turret front 30 mm + 40 mm (Curved) Gun mantlet	25 mm	25 mm	10 mm

Notes:

• Fenders and sideskirts - 5 mm
• Tracks, road wheels, drive sprocket, etc. - 15 mm
• Suspension - 10 mm

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB67 / 5 km/h

RB and SB61 / 5 km/h

Number of gears3 forward

1 back

Weight13.5 t

Engine power

AB525 hp

RB and SB275 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB38.9 hp/t

RB and SB20.4 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	67	5	13.5	426	525	31.56	38.89
Realistic	61	5		243	275	18	20.37

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB424

RB404

SB505

Crew training3 400

Experts23 000

Aces160

Research Aces380 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 40 / 50 / 60 %

2 × 118 / 118 / 118 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Adjustment of Fire Elevation Mechanism Artillery Support

Armaments

Main armament

47 mm 47/40 mod.38 cannon

Ammunition122 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

5.2 → 4.0 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

47 mm 47/40 mod.38					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	122	-10°/+20°	±180°	N/A	13.3	18.4	22.4	24.8	26.4	5.20	4.60	4.24	4.00
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
Granata mod.35	HE	5	5	5	5	5	5
Granata Perforante mod.39	APBC	62	61	53	46	39	33

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 mod.35	HE	364	2.37	0.1	0.1	150	79°	80°	81°
Granata Perforante mod.39	APBC	755	1.44	1.2	9	30	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Celere Sahariano

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
122	114 (+8)	105 (+17)	53 (+69)	1 (+121)	No

Notes:

• As shells are modeled by sets of 2, 3, or 4, they disappear from the rack after you've fired or loaded all shells in the set.

Machine guns

8 mm Breda Mod. 38 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition288 rounds

Belt capacity24 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate600 shots/min

8 mm Breda Mod. 38
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	288 (24)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The Celere Sahariano is one of the best vehicles at its battle rating, thanks to the unique characteristics that make this vehicle a truly vital asset in any team. The best playstyle for this type of machine is either a brawler or support tank.

As a brawler you'll essentially be one of the few players leading the charge against the enemy team. This can be done quite easily thanks to the sheer mobility: the speed for a vehicle of its type is unlike the majority of vehicles you'll be facing. You are able to intercept a lot of unsuspecting enemies too, mainly in places where they will not expect an enemy to be at the start of the match, this will greatly come in handy as you'll be able to get a few eliminations with minimum effort required. Another bonus that will aid you when playing the brawler role is your armour, at your battle rating it can actually prove to be quite effective, especially frontally. You'll be bouncing most shots that come your way, paired up with your speed this will mean you should have the edge on most engagements as unsuspecting enemies might judge you too quickly and not do any substantial damage to your tank or crew. One upside of your tank is also your profile, you are not very tall compared to other tanks you'll face. This means that you can easily get in hull-down spots or even better, hide behind cover more effectively.

As a support tanker, you can play it in multiple ways, but the most popular method with this vehicle is to use the speed advantage you have over the enemy team to easily flank them, and take them out while they don't realise you are in the vicinity. This is usually one of the best playstyles as you get to fully take advantage of your mobility. You can also use your mobility to get in hard to reach spots at the start of the match, which can be very annoying for the enemy team. Your actual armament is nothing special, it is the same 47 mm 47/40 mod.38 cannon on the AB 43 armoured car. It will be enough for you to deal with the majority of the threats you'll be facing, it's however recommended you do not bring a lot of ammo, to increase your chances at survival. One of the downsides of this vehicle is how long and wide it is, you'll find out that artillery and enemy aircraft will be one of your worst enemies, your speed will not be enough to render them useless. You should quickly find cover if you see an aircraft or artillery heading towards you.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great mobility
• Wide, great grip and turning rate
• The UFP can bounce most shells at its BR
• The APBC shell has great post-penetration damage

Cons:

• Very slow reverse speed
• Relatively sub-par turret traverse, can be countered with its good turn rate and mobility
• Armour can't block higher calibre shells
• The 47 mm cannon will have difficulty dealing with M4s and T-34s in uptiers

History

Celere Sahariano with an open driver's hatch

Devblog

After clashing with British armored forces in the desert of North Africa in the early 1940's, the Italian Army became impressed with the performance of the various cruiser tanks fielded by the British (e.g. the Crusader). As a result, the army issued an order to tank manufacturers to develop a new light vehicle whose mobility and firepower would outmatch that of the cruiser tanks.

Celere Sahariano with side-skirts removed, showing torsion bar suspension.

Already in 1941, work on the new vehicle began as mock-ups were created based on the existing M14/41 medium tank. The new vehicle incorporated thin, but sloped armor, as well as a torsion bar suspension system, instead of the more commonly used leaf spring system on similar fighting vehicles. A single prototype of the vehicle was built by 1943, which had multiple engines trialed, including aviation ones. However, with the worsening war situation, limited Italian industrial capacity and the P40 taking over production priority along with the fact that Italy was driven out of the theater for which the vehicle was initially designed for, all this led to diminishing interest in the vehicle.

With all these factors in play, further development of the Celere Sahariano was halted and the project subsequently cancelled, leaving the sole prototype of the vehicle as the only example of the design to be built.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Celere Sahariano from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• 

  Although the promotional images depict the Celere Sahariano with a pintle-mounted 8 mm Breda machine gun, this is not present in the game.

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See also

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Crusader (Family)

External links

• [Development] Celere Sahariano: The Desert Cheetah
• [History of War] Carro Armato Celere Sahariano
• [War Drawings] Carro Armato Celere Sahariano (Fast) Medium Tank

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