M43 "G.C.Leoncello"

M43 "G.C.Leoncello"

M43 "G.C.Leoncello"

Italy

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.0	3.0	3.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Tank destroyer

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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This page is about the Italian tank destroyer M43 "G.C.Leoncello". For regular version, see 105/25 M43.

Description

The Semovente 105/25 M43 G.C."Leoncello" is a premium gift rank III Italian tank destroyer with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic", and was discontinued after the 2019 Summer sales.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, casemate)
• Cast homogeneous armour (gun mantlet)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	25 mm (78°) Upper glacis 50 mm (40°) Lower glacis - top 30 mm (50°) Lower glacis - bottom	40 mm 40 + 4 mm Side skirts area	25 mm Upper part 25 mm (15°) Lower part	25 mm (12°) Front glacis 10 mm (12°) Rear - Engine hood 5-15 mm (5°) Rear - Radiator vents
Casemate	75 mm (5°) Casemate front plate 90 mm (5°) Driver port 60 + 30 mm (spherical) Gun mantlet	45 mm (7-9°)	45 mm	15 mm (0-4°) Centre 15 mm (18°) Sides

Notes:

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

The M43 "G.C.Leoncello" got rid of the biggest vulnerabilities of the previous Semoventi: the vertical armour front plate is now much thicker, the sides were reinforced and the crew is less cramped thanks to the widened hull. However, the poor roof armour and a crew of only 3 are still weak points. Your front plate is also now wider and easier to target. With the BR increase, foes are also better armoured, which slightly tones down the benefit brought by your armour increase.

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	42	4	15.7	263	353	16.75	22.48
Realistic	39	4		164	185	10.45	11.78

Armaments

Main armament

105 mm Cannone Ansaldo da 105/25					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	48	-10°/+16°	±18°	N/A	12.3	17.1	__._	__._	24.4	13.00	_.__	_.__	10.00
Realistic					8.3	9.8	__._	__._	14.0

Ammunition

The ammunition choice for the M43 "G.C.Leoncello" is focused on the anti-tank role:

• Granata Perforante da 105: a capped armour-piercing shell with explosive filler that has a good penetration power and whose explosive filler offers a good single-shot knock-out capability.
• Effetto Pronto mod.43: a shaped charge with high penetration power that does not diminish over distance. This type of shell is very effective on open and lightly armoured vehicles. It will also penetrate thicker armour, provided it is not sloped and will in most cases require a second shot to finish the enemy vehicle. The long reload time of the gun will be a clear handicap in such cases as the enemy will have time to return fire. Always pack a few HEAT shells as you lack HE shells and a machine gun to deal with lightly armoured vehicles.

Both shells have slow muzzle velocity and will have a curved trajectory. Use this to hit enemies hiding behind a ridge.

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 105	APC	91	89	81	72	64	57
Effetto Pronto mod.43	HEAT	120	120	120	120	120	120

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 105	APC	500	15.65	1.2	19	275	48°	63°	71°
Effetto Pronto mod.43	HEAT	510	14.0	0.0	0.1	2,300	62°	69°	73°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the 105/25 M43 (identical)

Last updated: 1.101.1.16

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
48	25 (+23)	13 (+35)	1 (+47)	No

Notes:

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

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	Effetto Pronto mod.43
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	Smoke grenade
IV	Transmission	Engine
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful 105 mm gun that can fire HEAT rounds
• Low profile can make it difficult to spot in RB/SB
• Reasonably fast
• Good gun depression

Cons:

• The mantlet armour can be penetrated by the majority of the guns at its rank
• No turret

History

In mid-1942, the Italian Army put out a set of requirements for a new vehicle that could double up as both an infantry support vehicle as well as a tank destroyer, depending on the situation. In response to this, Fiat-Ansaldo and OTO both began developing prototypes around these requirements in parallel.

The two competing designs primarily differed in the chassis choice. OTO picked the newer chassis of the P40 heavy tank whilst Fiat-Ansaldo chose to opt for a newer and larger version of the chassis already in production for their Semovente M42.

This decision allowed Fiat-Ansaldo to complete their prototype much sooner. In February 1943, the Semovente 105/25 M43 was presented to military officials and was soon afterwards ordered into production, following successful trials.

Production began in April 1943, with a planned production run of over 800 vehicles. However, with Italy's industry at this late stage of the war being severely crippled, production was slow and reaching such high production goals was more than unlikely.

Just prior to the signing of the armistice in September, the 30th vehicle rolled off the assembly line. The Semovente 105/25 M43 proved itself in combat during the defence of Rome, where the SPGs successfully engaged German forces trying to retake the city.

After the occupation of northern Italy by German forces, the Fiat-Ansaldo company restarted production of the Semovente 105/25, this time however, for the Germans. Germany only used a limited number of these vehicles under the designation Sturmgeschütz M43 mit 105/25 853(i), of which most were no longer in use by late 1944.

Around 120 Semovente 105/25 M43s were built by 1944, primarily serving with Italian or German forces. By the late stages of the war, only a limited number was still in service and after the end of WW2, the vehicle was retired from service.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M43 "G.C.Leoncello" from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Premium Vehicles: Semovente 105/25 M43 - War Thunder Wiki

The Shooting Range #127 - Metal Beasts section at 00:32 discusses the M43 "G.C.Leoncello".

The Shooting Range #125 - Pages of History section at 05:10 discusses the M43 "G.C.Leoncello".

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• 75/34 M43
• 105/25 M43
• 75/46 M43

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• StuH 42 G
• Sav m/43 (1946)

External links

• [Devblog] Semovente 105/25 M43: Low Profile, High Power
• [Wikipedia] Semovente da 105/25