AS 42/47

Description

The Camionetta AS 42 Tipo II "Metropolitana" 47/32 is the third variant of the Camionetta Desertica Model 42 light reconnaissance car family. The AS 42 (Africa Settentrionale = North Africa) was built on the same chassis as the AB 41 armoured car but with a two-wheel-drive powertrain designed specifically for desert operations, especially reconnaissance. Its origins can be traced back to requests from North African divisions for a long-range, highly manoeuvrable vehicle similar to those used by the very effective British reconnaissance and raiding force, the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG). The main guns that could be installed were a 20 mm Breda Model 35 autocannon, a 20 mm Solothurn S-18/1000 anti-tank rifle, or a 47 mm Breda Cannone da 47/32 Model 39 tank gun. The armour was 17 mm thick all around the chassis, with three 12 mm bulletproof glass plates for the windshield.

Introduced in Update "Fire and Ice", the Camionetta AS 42 Tipo II "Metropolitana" 47/32 is a light reconnaissance vehicle for the Italian Army ground forces that is mounted with the 47 mm Breda Cannone da 47/32 Model 39 tank gun. It is intended as a long-range, agile vehicle for rapid raids on enemy lines before retreating to cover. The gun has good gun depression and can shoot over low ramps and steep terrain. With such a low profile, it is very easy to remain hidden on the battlefield and strike only when your opponents are not paying attention. Unfortunately, the vehicle lacks armour and the crew is completely exposed to the environment, thus lowering survivability. Overall, players should use its low profile and rapid speed to deal unexpected hits to adversaries before quickly retreating behind the front lines to reposition.

General info

Survivability and armour

The armour on the AS 42/47 is non-existent. Even a spray of rifle-calibre bullets can quickly knock out the fully exposed crew.

Armour type:

• Structural steel (chassis, gun breech, gun mount)
• Wheel (tires & spares)
• Gun Steel (cannon barrel)

Notes:

• Tires are 10 mm thick.
• There is a spare tire on the front and on the rear of the vehicle.
• Storage boxes, fuel containers and fenders are 3 mm thick.
• Storage Boxes and fuel Containers cover much of the flanks in addition to the chassis armour.
• The belly of the car is 3 mm thick.

Mobility

The AS-42/47 has very high mobility with speeds exceeding 80 km/h on concrete and 35 km/h offroad.

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Main armament

The 47/32, that can also be found on M13/40s and M14/41s, is a cannon with mediocre penetration, the shots present for research are really similar and only the penetration changes.

The excellent reloading of the cannon allows the vehicle to fire quickly, in particular AS 42 at its BR can encounter lightly armoured targets and this makes it capable of destroying ground targets easily.

Ammunition

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the AS 42/47

Notes:

• As they are modeled by sets of 3, shells disappear from the rack only after you've fired all shells in the set.
• To go into battle with the right side empty, load 157 (+155) shells.

Usage in battles

The AS 42/47 should be mainly used for flanking. It has the speed to reach flanking positions before the enemy does. The gun, while not impressive, has enough penetration and explosive filler to knock out most tanks that it can meet, especially when you hit them from the side. However, the penetration is still not very good, and as such the AS 42/47 suffers when uptiered with the B1 and SU-122 being your worst nightmares as even the sides of them are nearly immune to your gun. Armour-wise, it practically doesn't have any as the crew is completely exposed, making every near exploding artillery shell, machine gun of any size, aircraft strafing, or HE shell a serious threat. That's why you shouldn't drive to choke and capture points with a lot of artillery shelling. Use your speed to change position constantly and don't shoot multiple times from the same position as that could attract an artillery strike from the enemy and with that a free ticket back to the respawn screen.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Fast on paved roads, quick to reposition
• High reverse speed (-22 km/h) allows it to pull out of danger safely
• Very small profile, easier to conceal
• 47 mm cannon has enough penetration and explosives to frontally penetrate & knock out most opponents
• -8° gun depression plus low gun mount makes hilly terrain combat effective
• Huge ammo capacity of 300+ rounds allows prolonged battle

Cons:

• Extremely low survivability, anything can destroy it easily (MG bullets, shrapnels, overpressure)
• Wheeled design becomes sluggish off-road
• 5-second reload is not very fast for its calibre
• Cannon cannot rotate to the rear which may be dangerous in some situations

History

The AS (Autosahariana) 42 was derived from the AB 41 armoured car. It was, however, unarmoured and did not have the rear driver position. Designed for long-range reconnaissance in North Africa, it had a cross-country range of almost 500 miles (800 km). It was also known as the Camionetta Desertica (Desert Weapons Carrier) mod. 42, or "la Sahariana" (the Saharan). The main armament varied: 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons (see the AS 42 entry for details), 20 mm anti-tank rifles, and machine guns were common alternatives. For heavier firepower, some were fitted with a Breda M35 47 mm anti-tank gun, which is the variant described in this article. About 200 were built and saw service in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. After the armistice, some continued in use with Fascist Italian forces and Germany, including on the Eastern Front, and in the Ardennes in 1944-45.

Post-war, about a dozen survivors, painted amaranth red and disarmed, were used by the Polizia di Stato in Udine and Bologna.^[1]

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the AS 42/47 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

See also

Related development

• AS 42

External links

References