Editing Semovente 90mm Assault Gun

The Semovente 90mm Assault Gun, also known as the Semovente da 90/53 or Semovente 41M was an Italian tank destroyer in World War II and a unit available in Flames of War. It is perhaps one of the most theoretically powerful tank destroyers available to the Italians throughout the war.

==IRL==
The Semovente's origins start in Barbarossa, where the Italian expeditionary force quickly discovered that the T-34 and KV-1 are terrifying as fuck. The Germans started adding phallicly large cannons to tanks as a countermeasure, and in true WWII fashion the Italians followed suit.

The one problem was that Italian tanks were, with rare exception, never truly "good". So while the Germans had the Panzer IV, Marder, and Panzer 38(t) to build their respective casemate or limited traverse turret tank destroyers, the Italians had...well, not that. Not to be deterred, the Italians decided to use the M14/41 chassis and the 1939 90mm AA gun.

It had been decided by the design team that a casemate design was out of the question, as was a turret or a centrally placed design. Therefore, it was decided that a limited traverse turret would offer an adequate solution to this problem. The turret would be mounted with an mask to protect the gunner and loader during combat and on the rear, while the internals would be reworked to have the engine centrally located to offer balance. Bear in mind that this entire concept was finished within weeks

The Semovente was by no means perfect, having poorer performance speed and ammo storage compared to the likes the M10, STUG III, or SU-76, but what can't be denied is that the 90mm was a beast of a weapon. They never saw service in Russia due to deteriorating conditions, and instead were sent to North Africa, operating successfully as light SPGs and tank destroyers due to the flat terrain offering excellent visibility. They escaped the defeats at Tunisia and Sicily and served in the defense of Italy until the armistice.

When the Germans got their jew-hating hands on them, they used them in largely the same role, also using the Semoventes as fixed and indirect fire platforms, a role they no doubt excelled at due to their superior firepower and perfect design for fighting defensively in Italy. After all, what are they gonna do, send Shermans from the mountains?

War Thunder incorrectly has the 41M able to carry 8 shells: in reality, it could only carry 6, and typically had to have support vehicles like trucks nearby. Probably the reason they were usually attached to "support artillery" companies.


{{Italian Forces in Flames of War}}