Celere Sahariano

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RANK 6 BRITAIN
Rooikat 105 PACK
Celere Sahariano
it_sahariano.png
GarageImage Celere Sahariano.jpg
ArtImage Celere Sahariano.png
Celere Sahariano
AB RB SB
2.7 2.7 2.7
Purchase:850 Specs-Card-Eagle.png
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 Sl icon.png
RB404 Sl icon.png
SB505 Sl icon.png
Crew training3 400 Sl icon.png
Experts23 000 Sl icon.png
Aces160 Ge icon.png
Research Aces380 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 40 / 50 / 60 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 118 / 118 / 118 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Mods tank reinforcement it.png
Crew Replenishment
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition122 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
5.2 → 4.0 s
Vertical guidance-10° / 20°
Main article: 47/40 mod.38 (47 mm)
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 69 67 59 51 43 37
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 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) (+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

Ammunition288 rounds
Belt capacity24 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate600 shots/min
Main article: Breda Mod. 38 (8 mm)
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
Images

See also

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links


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

Italy medium tanks
  Italy
M13/40  M13/40 (I) · M13/40 (II) · M13/40 (III)
M14/41  M14/41 · M14/41 (47/40)
M15/42  M15/42
M16/43  Celere Sahariano
P26/40  P40 · P40 "G.C. Leoncello"
OF-40  OF-40 · OF-40 Mk.2A · OF-40 (MTCA)
Ariete  Ariete (P) · Ariete · Ariete PSO · Ariete AMV
Germany  ▄Pz.III N · ▄Pz.IV G · ▄Leopard 1A5
Allied powers  ▄Sherman I Composito · Sherman Ic · ▄Sherman Vc · ▄Sherman V · M26 "D.C.Ariete" · M26A1 · M47 (105/55) · M60A1 "D.C.Ariete"
  Hungary
Turán  Turan I · Turan II · Turan III
Germany  ◔Leopard 2A4
USSR  ◔T-72M1

Italy premium ground vehicles
Light tanks  L6/40 (31 Rgt.) · Toldi IIA · AUBL/74 HVG · VRCC · Centauro RGO
Medium tanks  M13/40 (II) · Turan II · M14/41 (47/40) · Celere Sahariano · P40 "G.C. Leoncello" · ▄Sherman I Composito · ▄Pz.IV G
  M26 "D.C.Ariete" · M60A1 "D.C.Ariete" · OF-40 (MTCA)
Heavy tanks  Tigris
Tank destroyers  Breda 90/53 · M43 "G.C.Leoncello" · Zrinyi I