P40 "G.C. Leoncello"

P40 "G.C. Leoncello"

P40 "G.C. Leoncello"

Italy

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.3	3.3	3.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Description

The Fiat-Ansaldo P40 Gruppo Corazzato "Leoncello" is a gift Rank II Italian medium tank with a battle rating of 3.3. It was introduced in Update 1.73 "Vive la France" as one of the first Italian ground vehicles implemented. The P40 "Leoncello" is part of the revenue share program and was created by Nicola "Kolin0" Faggiani and Riccardo "BlueBeta" Lo Verso.

The P40's best description in its place on the War Thunder battlefield is "average". Average armour, average gun, and average mobility. For this reason, it can perform most roles of a typical medium tank in a flanking or support role, but should not be relied on to be a shield or a speedster.

The P40 features a default tri-tone camouflage of yellow, green, and red-brown; colors not too unlike that of late German tanks.

The P40 presents all-around sloped armour on the hull with sand skirts handing over the suspension area, which consists of leaf spring bogies not too unlike those found on the Panzer IV. The turret is also sloped in all sides, and is relatively low profile in comparison to the rest of the tank size. The construction of the whole tank also consists of rivets, rather than weld or cast, which gives the detail of numerous circular rivets around the tank.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Structural steel

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	50 mm (45°), 30 mm (78°), 45 mm (45°) Front glacis 50 mm (38°) Lower glacis 74 mm (45°) Driver's hatch	45 mm (35°) Top 40 mm Bottom	40 mm Fighting compartment rear 40 mm (10-40°)	45 mm Front 15 mm Rear
Turret	50 mm (20°) Turret front 48 + 48 mm (1-78°) Gun mantlet	45 mm (25-26°)	45 mm Top 23 + 50 + 45 mm Turret bustle	20 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• 4 mm side skirts line up parts of the bottom side hull.
• Belly armour is 14 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
26.0	N/A	45 (AB)
		40 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	511	630
Realistic/Simulator	292	330
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	19.65	24.23
Realistic/Simulator	11.23	12.69

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm Ansaldo 75 L/34
Capacity				Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
63				-10°/+23°	±180°
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	8.30	11.50	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	8.30	9.80	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
6.50	_.__	_.__	_.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
Granata Perforante 75/32	APCBC	75	72	66	59	53	48
EPS M42	HEAT	100	100	100	100	100	100
Granata 75/32	HE	9	9	9	9	9	9

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
							0%	50%	100%
Granata Perforante 75/32	624	6.2	1.3	15	270	°	48°	63°	71°
EPS M42	552	5.3	0.0	0.1	656.64	+0°	62°	69°	73°
Granata 75/32	552	6.4	0.4	0.1	600	+0°	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the P 26/40.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
63	58 (+5)	53 (+10)	48 (+15)	43 (+20)	22 (+41)	1 (+62)	No

Sponsons empty: 43 (+20)

Machine guns

8 mm Breda Mod. 38
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
288 (24)				600	-10°/+20°	±180°
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
288 (24)				600	N/A	N/A

Usage in the battles

The P40 can be played like other medium tanks like the Panzer IV in that use the mobility to try and get a position of opportunity against the enemy. Though the 75 mm APCBC is generally inadequate in a frontal engagement, the usage of the HEAT round could level the disparity in armour and firepower.

Support
Simply put, stick together with allies during an assault or defense of a base. The P40 is still a vital piece as a team player and would still attract the enemy's attention either as an easy target or a threat with the 75 mm gun. Allow the enemy tanks to try and take attention of the P40 or another ally and while the lone enemy is targeting one, the other moves in for the kill. Coordinate effectively to control choke points against the enemy movements.

Flanking
The P40 "Leoncello" has quite a forward mobility and this can be used to get to areas around the main point of contention to get to the enemy's sides. This would be beneficial as the P40 75 mm APCBC ammunition can do its work in piercing the weaker armour on the sides and use the huge explosive filler in each round for a crippling effect on the penetrated enemy tank. Take cover behind concealment and lob rounds at the enemy as they move to engage the bulk of the allies in the expected fighting zones. Take care not to get hit and compound angle to make the most of the front sloping 50 mm of armour on the front.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent sloped armor for BR 3.3.
• Good HE filler for APCBC rounds.
• Good forward mobility.
• Has smoke grenade launchers.

Cons:

• Bad acceleration
• Slow reverse
• 40 km/h top speed
• Only 75 mm of pen for APCBC round
• Slow turret traverse
• Machine gun magazines are small, can't sustain fire.
• Armour is not strong enough for a straight-on hit from most guns at its contemporaries.
• Large 15 mm armoured engine deck could be pierced from aerial heavy machine gun attacks.
• SPAA auto cannons could penetrate through the flat turret face.
• Pintle mount machine gun can only be adjusted in elevation, not horizontally.
• Smoke grenade pops up behind tank, can't create a screen in front.

History

The P 26/40 was by Italian standards a heavy tank, with the designation "P" standing for "Pesante". It was adopted in 1940 and weighed 26 tonness. The P40 was the only heavy tank to be conceived by the Italians and only a few were made. Only 2 P40s are still in existance

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read also

• [Gaijin Store] P40 LEONCELLO ADVANCED PACK
• The guys behind the Italian P40 Tank!

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.