History.
After the Italian armistice of 8 September 1943, Northern Italy was occupied by Reich forces and a puppet nation, the Italian Social Republic, was established. the Reich had extensive control over Italian industries, and among this control there was also the possibility of telling companies what to produce. On the subject of armored vehicles, one of the tanks that the Germans liked most was the Semovente 105/25 M.43 and its “descendant” the Semovente 75/46 M43. To make up for the lack of armor of the Semovente da 105/25, the Germans ordered a reinforced hull from Ansaldo which was called the M42T (Tedesco) [German] and which differed from the original M42 hull by the addition of a plate inclined at 25° and spaced by 25 mm of steel. The hull was liked and was also used for other vehicles such as the 75/34 M43 Semovente, but that is not the vehicle we are talking about.
Returning to the original self-propelled gun, the Germans put a 105/25 cannon on an M42T hull and tested it, but unfortunately the fate of the vehicle is unknown. It was probably simply scrapped or recycled because the vehicle was too heavy (the hull was already heavy enough in itself, and the addition of the 105 mm cannon and ammo brought the overall weight of the vehicle to exceed 16 tons).
Armaments and propulsion.
The self-propelled gun was armed with an Ansaldo 105/25 SF cannon which could fire HE, APCT, EP and EPS ammunition, i.e. those which (almost all) are present in the 105/25 self-propelled gun already present in the game. The gun elevation remained the same, but the traverse was reduced due to the presence of the 25 mm spaced plate.
The tank used a FIAT-SPA 15TB Model 1943 engine, but it is not certain whether it was actually a new engine or just a writing error in transcribing the name of the original engine, the FIAT-SPA 15TB Model 1942. It drove forward the tank with a 5-speed forward and one reverse gear transmission. The engine system allowed the vehicle to achieve performances similar to those of the Semovente da 105/25 M43, but they were maybe a lot inferior due to the hull weighed down by the additional armour.
Specification.
Spoiler
Size (L-W-H): 5.97 x 2.42 x 1.74 m
Weight: around 16 tonnes
Crew: 3
Engine: FIAT-SPA 15TB petrol, 190 hp at 2,400 rpm
Maximum speed: around 38 km/h (probably less)
Armament: 1x Cannone da 105/25 Modello SF and 3x smoke granedes (Nebelwurfgerät).
Elevation: -10°/+18°
Ammo rack: 24 rounds
Armour: 75 mm + 25 mm front, 45 mm + 25 mm sides and 45 mm rear
So to make clear, this is the same hull and armor configuration as on the 75/34 M43? I would very much like that since 75/34 can tank shots like a boss, and is one of my favorite Italian vehicles.
Nah, 3.3 is good. The gun itself is more of a sidegrade to the 75/34. More pen, almost same HE-filler and lower velocity (harder to aim) and longer reload. Also the shell feels worse when dealing with angles than the 75mm shel, I actually prefer the 75mm than the 105.
Feeling doesnt meant that it is. The flat penetration on the 105 mm is higher at all distances compared to the 75 mm, both fire capped AP rounds, and the 105 mm is higher caliber.
All of that together means that the 105 mm just has outright superior anti armor performance, no matter the angle or distance.
Edit: The stat card for both the 105 mm APC and the 75 mm APCBC backs up what I’m saying. The 105 mm APC round has better penetration at any combination of distance and angle.
My opinion doesnt mean it is the objective truth. Also the 105 is harder to aim with, and that is a fact. Longer reload, harder to aim amd slower speed (increased weight) doesn’t grant the vehicle a 0.4 br increase compared to the 75/34 M43.
This still doesnt mean the gun is better when considering other characteristics.
The 105 mm have a better perforation than then 75/34 but take more to realod, have a worst traverse and the vehicles itself is slower than the normal version because of the weight.
