M42 (Italy)
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Contents
| This page is about the Italian SPAA M42 Contraereo. For other usages, see M42 (Disambiguation). |
Description
The Semovente M42 Contraereo (shortened as just M42 Contraereo, also nicknamed "Quadruplo") is a rank III Italian self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret, turret frame)
- Gun steel (guns)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 50 mm (12°) Upper plate 25 + 30 mm (12°) MG bulge 25 mm (80°) Front glacis 30 mm (15°) Lower plate |
25 mm (8°) Top 25 mm Bottom 30 mm (9-12°) MG bulge |
25 mm Upper part 25 mm (15°) Lower part |
25 mm (10°) Front glacis 25 mm Crew compartment 8 mm (15°) Rear section - Engine 5-25 mm (8°) Rear section - Radiator vents |
| Turret | 15 mm Turret front 25 + 15 mm Turret ring |
15 mm (14°) 25 + 15 mm Turret ring |
15 mm (17°) 25 + 15 mm Turret ring |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick and bogies 10 mm thick.
- The belly is 14 mm thick and mudguards are 4 mm thick.
- The turret is reinforced with a 10 mm thick framing supporting the quadruple gun mount.
- The hull-mounted MG has been removed and the port has been obturated.
The M42 (Italy) is based off the M15/42 hull, with an opened top turret surrounding the crew members. The gunner does have an exposed spot in the front, and if shown to the enemy, can be machine-gunned easily without them to have to fire their main cannon. The turret may protect you from small rifle-calibre bullets, but .50 calibre and up, especially on the M4 Sherman will be able to penetrate your turret from anywhere, as it is generally weak against them. The hull armour is decent, still keeping the armour from the M15/42 hull, but don't expect to tank a lot of shots, as most of your enemies will have better calibre weapons, mostly encountering 75 mm and Russian 76.2 mm cannons. You may be able to bounce some smaller calibre shells like the 37 mm cannons but don't rely on your hull armour as your turret will most likely be targeted by the enemy. You have a small crew count of 3 members, and with two in the turret, and having okay armour, you'll usually die in one hit.
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 | 15.5 | 263 | 353 | 16.97 | 22.77 |
| Realistic | 39 | 4 | 164 | 185 | 10.58 | 11.94 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
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Armaments
Main armament
| 20 mm Scotti-IF 20/70 mod.41 (x4) | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 3,024 (12) | 600 | -5°/+90° | ±180° | N/A | 52.8 | 73.1 | 88.8 | 98.2 | 104.5 | 5.20 | 4.60 | 4.24 | 4.00 |
| Realistic | 35.7 | 42.0 | 51.0 | 56.4 | 60.0 | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: API-T · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T* - The standard belt fits the anti-aircraft role.
- Granata mod.35: HEFI-T* - This belt is perfect for shooting at aircraft.
- Perforante mod.35: API-T - This belt is adapted to destroy lightly armoured targets.
- PzGr 40: HVAP-T · API-T - This is the most powerful belt that can help you even take on armoured targets, although you lose almost all your penetrating power above 500 m so use it in CQC.
| 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 | ||
| Default | API-T/HEFI-T* | 38 | 36 | 27 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| Granata mod.35 | HEFI-T* | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Perforante mod.35 | API-T | 38 | 36 | 27 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| PzGr 40 | HVAP/API-T | 64 | 63 | 27 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| 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 | HEFI-T* | 830 | 0.14 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 3 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| Perforante mod.35 | API-T | 832 | 0.14 | 1.2 | 9 | 1.7 | 47° | 60° | 65° |
Ammo racks
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| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 252 | 204 (+48) | 4 (+248) | No |
Notes:
- Belts are modeled in boxes contaning 12 belts each.
Usage in battles
In Realistic battles, the Quadruplo is best used in the support role when tank hunting, sticking with teammates, assisting them and potentially distracting the enemy. Your best bet of killing any tank, usually a Sherman, Cromwell or T-34, is from the side as the HVAP will pierce through their side armour, killing the tank. Light tanks such as M24s, Stuarts and Crusaders are able to be penetrated from the front, but usually this is only in close range engagements. T-50 and other slightly armoured light tanks will be tougher to kill, but you're still able to flank them. You can kill basically any SPAA you see, as you'll usually encounter trucks or armoured cars. Ambush and surprise tactics are good options to kill tanks effectively, as the enemy will stroll past you, usually showing their side armour. Aggressive play styles are suggested to get the most out of the Quadruplo, similar to playing a Wirbelwind when tank hunting. Try not to expose yourself too much and move from cover to cover, as one hit from a tank shell, usually APHE, will knock you out in one shot, or the machine guns pierce your turret armour and kill both your gunner and commander. When it comes to shooting down planes in the Quadruplo, it is best to get their attention so they try to strafe you, or surprise them as they come closer to you, when you have a good shot as they won't have enough reaction time to evade your shots if they connect. Be mindful that you are open-topped, and you're less likely to survive a strafe run. It should also be noted that shooting continuously will sway the hull back and forth, which will make your aim go up and down. Despite the guns having a high fire rate, and being close together, the Quadruplo has a lower ammo count per belt with 12 in each gun, having 48 loaded in total at any time (essentially a discount Wirbelwind). It is easy to burn through it, so make sure you have a good shot on the aircraft you are trying to shoot down as you'll only have about 3-4 seconds of continuous fire before needing to reload.
Modules
| Tier | Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Tracks | Parts | Horizontal Drive | Granata mod.35 | |
| II | Suspension | Brake System | FPE | Adjustment of Fire | Perforante mod.35 |
| III | Filters | Crew Replenishment | Elevation Mechanism | Smoke grenade | |
| IV | Transmission | Engine | Artillery Support | PzGr 40 | |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- PzGr 40 shells are great at penetrating tanks from the sides and knocking out modules
- High mobility when spaded
- Great armour for a SPAA
- Guns have a very high rate of fire
- Guns are placed very close together
Cons:
- PzGr 40 is tier IV modification
- Performance is inadequate when stock
- Gap in the gunner's position of the turret armour
- Turret can be penetrated by .50 cals heavy machine guns
- High rate of fire makes it more difficult to adjust fire against planes
- 2 of 3 crew members crammed inside the turret
- Low magazine count for the guns (12 rounds per belt)
- Hull rocks back and forth when firing causing some rounds to miss
History
- Development
The Semovente da 20/70 quadruplo was a SPAA developed to provide protection to Italian armoured units after the experience gathered in combat in North Africa. As a stop-gap solution, it was based on the M15/42 for the chassis and the Scotti-IF 20/70 mod.41 for the gun. The gun was the AA gun found in Italian infantry units and had to be adapted to accept belts with disintegrating links. The single prototype was captured by German forces upon Italy's surrender in September, 1943.
- Combat usage
The M15/42 Carro contraero never saw combat. There are however claims it served as an inspiration for the German Wirbelwind AA tank, which first saw service in mid-1944.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
- Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
External links
| Italy anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| R3 Capraia | R3 T20 FA-HS |
| SIDAM 25 | SIDAM 25 · SIDAM 25 (Mistral) |
| Wheeled | AS 42 · CM52 |
| Tracked | M42 Contraereo · Leopard 40/70 · OTOMATIC |
| Hungary | ◔ZSU-57-2 · ◔ZSU-23-4 |
