- Yes
- No
i would like to suggest a slightly different yet interesting Genuine Italian WW2 tank, the Carro Pesante P40
after a rather long development of the Italian Heavy tank, the P40 was almost ready for production in a form closer to the M15/42 than the Actual P40 we know. the Italians had for a moment settled for the 75/32 but the turn of events made them reconsider the gun and also question the protection. the Germans having captured a Russian T-34, they agreed to loan it to the Italians to study it. the study of the T-34 was causing the Italians to completely review their concept of protection. the rather irregular but often vertical armour was not as effective as it could be and a sloped armour all around was adopted for the P40. the tank underwent to major redesign on the hull but not the chassis or the engine to avoid further delay. the gun was also changed to the 75/34 which was more powerful against the tank. the hull machine gun was eliminated and a coax was added to the turret. this tank was almost perfect as a medium tank but was rather a poor heavy tank, but the Italians considered the vehicles on a rather light scale which was probably caused by their capacity to carry the vehicles on trains, roads or even on the back of trucks. (0 to 10 = light, 10 to 20 = medium, over 20 = heavy)
the P40 prototype was almost a pre-production version. been developed in 1942, the P40 was at the end of its development and was about to be accepted for production. the few things left to do was polishing. the trial was done and the tank appeared to be rather good in mobility and the protection was considered as sufficient. the firepower was capable of matching the British tank of this time, only they were replaced by the M4 Sherman against whom the gun was not so good.
Over the production versions, the differences are rather minor in appearance but would greatly affect the performance. the first is the most obvious for the player, the gun shield does not have the extra 48mm plate which would make the turret a lot less capable of resisting a direct hit. a bit less obvious is the nose being round instant of two sloped plates, making it always possible to find a spot where the armour effectiveness would be exactly the real thickness. less obvious is the lighter weight which would cause it to accelerate faster and have a quicker reaction. for the rest, the differences are mostly aesthetical. see the picture at the bottom for more details.
Firepower
the P40 is armed with the Classic and reliable 75mm 75/34 gun which is a rather good gun for his class. capable of firing APHE and HEAT , it can penetrate any tank at combat distance. capable of an elevation of -10°/+23° it would be comfortable to fight with it. the turret rotation of 14°/sec may however feel a bit slow for a close combat. but at medium range, it should be just fine. the fire-rate of 12 rounds minutes is also pretty fast for a 75mm and allows you a fat chance to out-speed the reload of the enemy tanks. 63 rounds are carried for the 75mm.
a coaxial is also installed inside the turret. the 8mm LMG was capable of dealing with the infantry well enough. The opposite of the production version, no roof machine-gun could have been mounted.
Mobility
powered by the 24 L SPA Tipo 342 providing 330 hp , the P40 will not lack mobility in comparison to any medium tank. with his weight of only 25 tonnes , the power/weight would reach 13.2 hp/ton instant of 12.69 on the production, this shall give a noticeably better acceleration over the production version. the speed reaching 40 km/h would allow it to be at the head of the front line and even make it quite capable of flanking.
Protection
the protection is an improvement over the M15/42 and allows it to be a reliable medium tank. capable of taking some hits. it would be immune to the HMG and even auto-cannon, even at the rear. then the aerial attack would not be much of a threat unless they used heavy armament such as the 37mm engine cannon. of course, this statement does not mean you can stand near a bomb either, no tank should stand near a bomb, even the most protected.
with a general frontal armour of 50mm , the tank can benefit from a slope that would significantly increase the protection at the front. a bit more protected than a T-34, the P40 armour would be a reliable protection on the battlefield as long the enemy isn’t too close. the side is 45mm which allows a decent chance to survive even with a hit on the side. and the rear is 40mm which makes the auto-cannon have a hard time penetrating even there. the roof is still well protected with 20mm on the roof of the turret and 15mm on the engine deck , the aircraft would not penetrate it easily.
source
- Tank Archives: "Dachshund" for Assault Artillery
- CA COMMUNITY
- Carro Armato P40 (Carro Pesante P40) Heavy Tank / Armored Fighting Vehicle
- P26/40 Heavy Tank
- P26/40 tank - Wikipedia
- LA MECCANIZZAZIONE DELL'ESERCITO FINO AL 1943 tomo II -parte 2 by Biblioteca Militare - Issuu
thanks to @Nicholas_Concu and @ConroeDoctrine for the help