M19A1 (Japan)

▅M19A1

▅M19A1

Description

The Twin Gun Motor Carriage M19A1 is a rank Japanese SPAA with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update "Direct Hit".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	12.7 mm (59°) Upper glacis 12.7 mm (45°) Lower glacis	12.7 mm (11°)	12.7 mm	12.7 mm
Turret	12.7 mm (cylindrical) Gun shield - lower part 12.7 mm (spherical) Gun shield - upper part	8 mm (cylindrical) 8 + 12.7 mm (cylindrical) Turret base	8 mm (cylindrical) 8 + 12.7 mm (cylindrical) Turret base

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.

The M19A1 (Japan) is so lightly armoured that it is very vulnerable to nearby ammorack detonations, bomb blasts and even heavy MG fire can reliably penetrate the vehicle from beyond 1,000 m. As the M19A1 (Japan) has an open-topped turret, gun servants are also very exposed to MG fire, artillery strikes and plane strafings.

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				420			__.__
Realistic				262			__.__

Armaments

Main armament

40 mm Bofors (x2)						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	352 (8)	120	-5°/+85°	±180°	N/A	35.2	48.8	59.2	65.5	69.7	0.65	0.58	0.53	0.50
Realistic						23.8	28.0	34.0	37.6	40.0

The 40 mm Bofors gun stays reliably accurate until 1,000 m distance. Beyond 1,500 m the loss of accuracy becomes a real handicap. The shortness of the gun is mitigated by the high rate of fire and the fact that targeted aircraft are bigger than an average ground vehicle. The ideal engagement window is between 1,000 and 1,500 m for aircraft. The high muzzle velocity of shells grants pretty flat firing trajectories and thus helps fire at fast-moving targets from a distance. As the shells weigh the same, the different belts offer the same firing arc.

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
Default	AP-T/HEFI-T*	72	69	58	47	38	30
Mk.II	HEFI-T*	3	3	3	3	3	3
M81A1	AP-T	72	69	58	47	38	30

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%
Mk.II	HEFI-T*	874	0.86	0	0.1	63	79°	80°	81°
M81A1	AP-T	874	0.88	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	10th rack empty	11th rack empty	12th rack empty	13th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
44	22 (+22)	20 (+24)	18 (+26)	17 (+27)	15 (+29)	13 (+31)	12 (+32)	10 (+34)	8 (+36)	7 (+37)	5 (+39)	3 (+41)	2 (+42)	Yes

File:Ammoracks M19A1 (Japan).png

Ammo racks of the M19A1 (Japan)

Notes:

• The visual discrepancy concerns racks and clips: racks are modelled to contain 5 clips while clips are modelled to contain 5 rounds.
• The game however shoots 8 rounds per clip and racks disappear after varying amounts of rounds have been shot. Example: Racks 2 to 13 are the same size (25 rounds) but some disappear after 2 clips were fired (16 rounds), some others disappear only after 1 clip (8 rounds) has been fired.
• No rack is emptied before you have fired 21 clips out of 44.

Usage in battles

With the Dual 40 mm Bofors the M19 has an excellent weapon against bombers and armoured attackers. The ammo is limited though, so reserve the fire for certain hits. Against fighters, the same tactic should be applied.

Compared to certain other SPAAs (ZSU-37, Wirbelwind, M13 MGMC, etc.), the M19 cannot be used as effectively in an anti-vehicle role, so stay behind your allies and watch the skies for enemy aircraft. If contact with ground targets is inevitable however, aiming for a targets' cannon barrel or tracks is a valid option. If flanking is available, take the opportunity and load some shells into their sides or rear. However be very careful, your crew members are exposed to machine gun fire and can easily be knocked out. This is a problem especially if it's coming from enemy aircraft, as they can also easily kill your crew. So take caution if using the M19 in an anti-vehicle role.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Heavy anti-air firepower
• Unsynchronized cannons increase the chance of a hit
• Powerful 40 mm HE shells, a direct hit can decimate/critically damage aircraft
• AP shells have 72 mm of penetration at point-blank, enough to go through the lower side plate of a Tiger I
• AP shells maintain a reasonable amount of penetration at range
• Stock belt is effective at dealing with light tanks and other SPAA, and it also breaks tracks and cannon barrels easily
• Reloads in just 0.6 seconds
• Inherits the excellent mobility of the M24

Cons:

• Open topped. HE shells, artillery and aircraft can cripple this vehicle with ease
• Little armour. Most vehicles from Rank II onwards can penetrate it frontally
• Exposed ammo rack. Experienced players will just shoot there and ruin your day
• Compared to other SPAA at the same rank, poor anti-vehicle performance. Will only be effective at anti-air duties
• 40 mm cannons still have a lower rate of fire compared to their counterparts
• Some heavy tanks you will see are immune to your AP shells at any angle and range
• AP shells are solid shots and don't cause a lot of spalling
• Decreased mobility off-road

History

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Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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

Japan anti-aircraft vehicles
Ke-Ni Derivatives	Ta-Se · So-Ki
Wheeled	Type 94
Tracked	SUB-I-II
Radar SPAAG	Type 87
Missile SPAA	Type 93 · Type 81 (C)
USA	▅M16 MGMC · ▅M19A1 · ▅M42