Emile Bertin

Emile Bertin

Jeanne d'Arc

Bretagne

Emile Bertin

Jeanne d'Arc

Bretagne

France

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.3	5.3

Class:

Light cruiser

Research:75 000

Purchase:250 000

Show in game

Description

The Emile Bertin-class, Emile Bertin, 1942 is a rank IV French light cruiser with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "La Royale".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Citadel20 / 20 / 20 mm

Hull25 mm (steel)

Superstructure8 mm (steel)

Number of section9

Displacement8 480 t

Crew567 people

Lacking any significant armor protection, Emile Bertin has to rely on her speed, manoeuvrability, low profile, and crew distribution to survive incoming fire. Just looking at the lowest crew count and poorest armor in her BR, one would expect her to be the most fragile ship in the BR. However, realistically, she's still able to take a decent amount of punishment thanks to the well-distributed internal components.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB87 / 34 km/h

RB74 / 29 km/h

Able to reach an astounding 87 km/h in Arcade Battles, Emile Bertin features the highest top speed among cruisers in its BR, which is over 10 km/h higher than that of the majority of other cruisers. She's able to outspeed even a typical destroyer.

Due to her size, which is much larger than that of a typical destroyer, she's not able to maneuver nearly as well as destroyers can. Therefore, her speed should be used for positioning rather than racing against destroyers to the capture points.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	87	34
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	74	29

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB9 621 → 13 055

RB9 680 → 13 135

Total cost of modifications66 500

128 500

Talisman cost1 500

Crew training72 000

Experts250 000

Aces940

Research Aces480 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

430 / 600 / 100 %

166 / 166 / 166 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 190 Rudder Replacement Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 210 Propeller Replacement Research: 3 300 Cost: 6 400 230 Engine Maintenance Research: 4 300 Cost: 8 300 300	Damage Control Division Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 190 Fire Division Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 210 Smokescreen Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 210 Shrapnel Protection Research: 3 300 Cost: 6 400 230 Ventilation Research: 3 300 Cost: 6 400 230 New Pumps Research: 4 300 Cost: 8 300 300 Ammo Wetting Research: 4 300 Cost: 8 300 300	Anti-Air Armament Targeting Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 190 90 mm 1925 HE-TF Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 190 152 mm M1937 SAP Research: 2 700 Cost: 5 200 190 Auxiliary Armament Targeting Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 210 152 mm M1923 SAP Research: 3 000 Cost: 5 800 210 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 3 300 Cost: 6 400 230 Improved Rangefinder Research: 3 300 Cost: 6 400 230 Torpedo Mode Research: 4 300 Cost: 8 300 300 Hydroplane Research: 4 300 Cost: 8 300 300

Due to her already excellent mobility and turret rotation speeds, one can prioritize Unsinkability and the rest of the Firepower upgrades. Prioritizing SAPBC and APCBC rounds can also be beneficial, as they have a lot of use in the BR range (to simplify: HE rounds for destroyers, SAPBC rounds for light cruisers, and APCBC rounds for armored targets).

Armament

Primary armament

3 х Turret3 x 152 mm/55 model 1930 gun

Ammunition435 rounds

Vertical guidance-10° / 45°

The 152 mm/55 model 1930 guns are grouped in two triple turrets forward and one triple turret aft. This configuration makes Emile Bertin excellent for offensive action, allowing her to outgun most destroyers while still dealing a decent amount of damage against enemy cruisers. Taking a closer look at each shell type:

• OEA Mle 1937 HE - very good broadside damage per minute, large explosive filler and excellent muzzle velocity make it best used against destroyers and coastal vessels, but it can also be used to ignite fires on enemy warships and take down exposed crew.
• OPF Mle 1937 SAPBC - compared to other cruisers at this BR, when firing broadsides with SAP shells, it also boasts one of the best damage outputs per minute, while featuring sufficient penetration to counter light cruisers or even some of the heavy cruisers.
• OPF Mk.35 APCBC - the APCBC broadside has an average damage characteristic and, with 157mm penetration at 30° at 7,500 meters, it's capable of penetrating the magazines of nearly every cruiser she encounters.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		1,000 m	2,500 m	5,000 m	7,500 m	10,000 m	15,000 m
OEA Mle 1937 HE	HE	42	42	42	42	42	42
OPF Mle 1937 SAPBC	SAPBC	139	122	99	81	67	50
OPF Mle 1943 APCBC	APCBC	307	269	216	175	144	108

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (s)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
OEA Mle 1937 HE	HE	909	49.67	0	0.1	5,190	79°	80°	81°
OPF Mle 1937 SAPBC	SAPBC	847	57.15	0.01	7	3,670	48°	63°	71°
OPF Mle 1943 APCBC	APCBC	840	58.8	0.03	7	866.32	48°	63°	71°

Secondary armament

2 х Turret90 mm/50 model 1926 gun

Ammunition500 rounds

Turret2 x 90 mm/50 model 1926 gun

Ammunition1000 rounds

Secondary weapons can be considered primarily as long-range anti-air guns. Once the HE-TF shells are researched, they should be the preferred ammunition type for the 90mm gun. However, its rate of fire, which amounts to 1 salvo every 4 seconds, and its inability to fire in frontal arcs, render it somewhat ineffective against coastal vessels. Additionally, the low caliber of these weapons results in inefficiency when attempting to engage enemy destroyers.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		100 m	1,000 m	2,000 m	3,000 m	4,000 m	5,000 m
OEA Mle 1925 HE	HE	13	13	13	13	13	13
OEA Mle 1925 HE-TF	HE-TF	13	13	13	13	13	13

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%
OEA Mle 1925 HE	HE	850	9.5	0	0.1	905	79°	80°	81°
OEA Mle 1925 HE-TF	HE-TF	850	9.5	0	0.1	905	79°	80°	81°

Anti-aircraft armament

4 х Turret2 x 37 mm/50 model 1933 gun

Ammunition2000 rounds

4 х Turret2 x 13.2 mm model 1929 Hotchkiss machine gun

Ammunition3600 rounds

Belt capacity30 rounds

Fire rate476 shots/min

17 х Turret13.2 mm Browning machine gun

Ammunition1800 rounds

Belt capacity100 rounds

Fire rate476 shots/min

The medium-rage 37 mm guns have an acceptable rate of fire and excellent coverage, as the four guns located to the sides of the superstructure can fire directly forward, to the rear, and 90° vertically. This configuration ensures that there is almost always at least one barrel on target.

For short-range defense, the ship is equipped with low-caliber 13.2 mm guns. While each gun individually may not deliver as much firepower as the 20 mm guns commonly found on foreign cruisers, their placement in multiple locations across the hull increases the likelihood of hitting the target.

Additional armament

Setup 16 x 550 mm model 1923DT torpedo

Starboard triple torpedo tube

Divided between two triple-launchers on each side, there are six torpedoes boasting an impressively wide firing angle (over 110°). This excellent firing angle, combined with the torpedoes being stealthily painted black, significantly enhances their role as a surprise weapon. The dark color of the torpedoes can make them even more difficult to spot when paired with any of the alternative ship camouflages (such as the Tricolor wavy camouflage).

The torpedoes themselves offer a great combination of speed and range, complemented by a substantial warhead. As a result, they prove effective for both short-range engagements and long-range area denial.

Scout plane

A single floatplane lacks any offensive armament, bombs or smokescreen generator making it suitable almost only for passively capturing points and spotting.

Usage in battles

Emile Bertin stands as a premier light cruiser within its BR, featuring remarkable effectiveness across all ranges and encompassing nearly everything one could desire in a light cruiser.

When confronting enemy warships, it is best to focus the initial salvos on disabling at least a portion of their primary armament. But even if that's impossible, Emile Bertin can outgun most adversaries in a one-on-one engagement.

Key enemies:

• USS Atlanta is one of the most challenging opponents and it's best engaged with opening of a High Explosive rounds to disable its turrets, followed by AP rounds going for the rear ammo racks. When the range of engagement is below 5 km, hitting frontal ammo racks becomes exceptionally difficult due to their position deep below the waterline. In such a case, keeping turrets offline while maneuvering for a more advantageous angle is the best option.
• Colbert broadside-to-broadside can easily counter Emile Bertin, having both: higher damage output and armor able to stop the SAP shells. It's best to make use of the superior speed and an advantage in a number of guns firing forward to choose the location and angle of engagement, denying Colbert a broadside engagement.
• Leipzig has an exposed ammo racks at the aft of the turrets. While HE rounds struggle will fail to do damage, SAP shells can reach them broadside. When engaging a heavily angled Leipzig beyond a 5 km range, it is best to employ AP ammunition instead.
• Japanese cruisers can typically be destroyed using SAP munitions targeting their ammo racks. However, extra caution is warranted, as their widely used SAP rounds have the potential to deal a surprising amount of damage to the poorly armored Emile Bertin.
• US Heavy Cruisers (USS Portland, USS Pensacola, USS Northampton) prove to be exceedingly challenging for HE and SAP rounds. Their two-layered armor easily counters SAP shells, making AP the best choice for effective engagement at any range.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent turret rotation speed
• Above-average damage output of the HE and SAPBC shells
• A good choice of shells
• Good anti-air
• Great torpedoes
• Great mobility with outstanding top speed
• Good survivability

Cons:

• Lacklustre floatplane
• Worst armor protection in her BR
• Large fire director on the main mast and poorly armored bridge gets destroyed often, making it challenging to return fire

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the ship;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Émile Bertin light cruiser: hit and run

France light cruisers
Duguay-Trouin-class	Duguay-Trouin · Primauguet
	Jeanne d'Arc*
	Emile Bertin*
	* Unique ship