M47 (105/55)

Description

The M47 (105/55) OTO is a rank Italian medium tank with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

The M47's armour is a middle point between the M26 and an M48, it has decent hull armour which is able to stop full calibre solid shots from almost all vehicles it will face. However, it is not able to withstand sub-calibres like British APDS. Turret is inconsistent when it comes to full calibre and sub-calibres. Turret mantlet is able to withstand calibres lower than 105 mm but cheeks may even stop 122 mm. However they may not be able to stop sub-calibres from almost all calibres. Armour should not be relied on most of the cases due to inconsistency against threats seen in combat. However, this does not mean the armour should not be used at all. When facing Soviet and American tanks, armour is sufficient to completely shatter or partially stop the shell, this is due to full calibre APHE and APCBC have relatively low penetration (215 mm - 250 mm). The story changes when facing British APDS from 20-pdr (84 mm) to 120 mm. They have an equivalent or higher penetration than the M47 (105/55) APDS, meaning they will easily penetrate you without effort. Now, there are some aspects when it comes to APDS. Due to being sub-calibre, they have penetration over post-penetration effects. All the spalling is dependent on the armour thickness. This can be considered good or bad depending on where the APDS is being fired at. Hits to the hull frontal plate will most likely kill your driver and loader (if hit on the right side seen from the front) or gunner and commander (if hit on the left side seen from the front). Turret hits are often single-shot kills if fired in the right places. In a 60° frontal arc, all hits will take at most 2 crew members unless it is a high calibre round like the Conway's 120 mm. Past 60°, all hits are most likely to be single-shot kill, specially if the hit is made at a turret side as the breech is not big enough to stop the spalling. Hits on the turret back are confirmed kills, however, hits on the engine deck can be painful due to fire but will not instantly destroy the M47. The engine and transmission are big enough to stop all spalling and rounds it will see except darts.

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Front hull, turret, cupola)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull sides, rear and roof, turret roof, cupola roof)

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 30 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 25.4 mm thick.
• Storage boxes and mudguards are 5 mm thick.
• Turret bustle rack is 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility wise, the M47 is a fatter M26. Not too fast but not too slow either. It has a powerful engine that is able to pull and push almost all tanks in the battlefield while being able to maintain adequate mobility. It does not have neutral steering per se as it is not fully on its own axis. However it does have a really good reverse speed (for its size) as well as acceleration for both forward and reverse gears. Top speed is higher than the M26 but is not too fast, expect from a Patton tank.

Modifications and economy

Armaments

Main armament

This specific M47 is armed with the OTO Melara 105/55 cannon, the only M47 in-game to have a 105 mm gun. It is similar to the L7A3 Royal Ordnance 105 mm gun seen on other vehicles (Centurion Mk 10, Leopard 1, Vickers MBT) and the M68 105 mm gun (M60A1-A3). However, its handling is similar to the OTO Melara 105/52 of the Centauro, mainly for using exactly the same ammunition.

Ammunition

This M47 is the most powerful M47 seen in-game firepower-wise. It has the same ammunition as the Centauro.

• M392A2: despite being APDS and the stock round, this round is one of the most powerful sub-calibre rounds the Italians have access to at Rank 5. The penetration, flight speed and post-penetration effect are really great for beating almost all tanks it faces with exception of the T-55AM-1. This round is underestimated for the fact it does not have the same penetration the M456 has. However it comes more in handy to use APDS most of the time than HEATFS mainly for the fact that it can be used easier for longer engagements and will not detonate with trees and bushes.
• M393A2: the HESH round is 90% of the time useless unless trap shots are involved. The use for it is really situational and it is much better to carry APDS or HEATFS for all anti-tank purposes.
• M456: this is the pinnacle of heavy armour destroying, mainly for the fact that it has a continuous penetration through all its flight time. This is not recommended to be carried as the main shell for the previous statements. However it is recommended to carry some to defeat heavy armour the APDS is unable to penetrate.

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M47 (identical).

Notes:

• As they are modeled by sets of 2, shells disappear from the rack only after you fire both shells in the set.
• Shells are modeled by sets of 2 and disappear from the rack after both shells in the set having been shot or loaded.
• Racks 3 to 5 are first stage ammo racks. They total 11 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
• These racks are also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 3 - 4 - 5 - 1 - 2.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-6 into racks 8 then 7. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready racks.

Machine guns

Usage in battles

The M47 is a slow pushing tank with a powerful anti-tank gun. It should not be used as frontline tank but rather as support tank. Its powerful gun is more than capable of dealing with 90% of the tanks it will see at any range. However, as you don't have enough armour to sustain HEATFS shells at that tier, you need to stay aware of your surroundings at all times. This will impact your combat performance and you'll have to adapt your tactics depending on the map. Search for sniping spots with available cover nearby, watch the inclination because your gun can't depress too much (-5°).

List of opponents important notes when facing frontally:

• Panther/M48/Pershing: all front can be penetrated with APDS
• M60: gun mantlet can be penetrated by APDS, hull has to be penetrated by HEATFS
• Tiger II: all front can be penetrated by all rounds
• Centurion: all front can be penetrated with APDS and higher penetration rounds
• M103: hull has to be penetrated by HEATFS, center of mass shot has to be done frontally as the hull and turret are curvy, hull is impenetrable by all rounds
• T32/T32E1: gun mantlet and hull have to be penetrated by HEATFS or APDS, aim at lower half of the frontal glacis to fire at ammunition rack
• Maus/E-100: gun mantlet has to be penetrated by HEATFS, hull is impenetrable by all rounds. Side shots have to be done with APDS or HEATFS.
• Jagdtiger: all front can be penetrated by all rounds
• Leopard 1/AMX-30: all front can be penetrated with APDS and higher penetration rounds
• T95: gun mantlet and hull have to be penetrated by HEATFS

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Better main gun than on the original M47.
• Decent frontal armour.
• Has a .50 cal machine gun for warding off incoming airplanes.

Cons:

• Shot trap can deflect shells off the bottom of the turret mantlet and into the hull's roof.
• Armour can still be penetrated by most enemies, especially by HEATFS and Sabot rounds.

History

The story of the Italian M47 (105/55) starts during the 5th October 1952, Italy was modernizing its tanks and replacing the old M26 tanks they had in service. The Italian M47s came from America in the form of the MAP (Military Assistance Program), which foresaw the Italian army getting equipped with new M47 tanks, being delivered up until the 29th of December of that year when deliveries would finally be complete. Italy would end up using over 1,000 units in various different regiments. They would go on to serve in the Italian army for many years, until they were put out of service in favour of the American M60.

The story of the M47 (105/55) upgrade would happen during the 1970s, OTO Melara had proposed to modernize Italian M47s by replacing its original M36 90 mm cannon with an OTO Melara 105 mm cannon. The 105 mm cannon was originally a 90 mm that was modified by OTO engineers, making the cannon longer and wider, which ended up allowing the new cannon to have a length of 55 calibres, instead of the 52 calibres of the 105 mm L7 cannons. This was mainly done to save money as OTO didn't want to pay for rights for the construction. The new cannon installed onto the M47 could fire a variety of munitions, such as HEATFS, APDS and HESH. Other changes included a new Continental ADVS 1750 diesel engine, already present on M60 tanks, that replaced the older more unreliable one. The new ADVS engine would have a more efficient diesel propulsion system, which was favoured. Although it was inferior in terms of overall output from the original engine, it being diesel-powered was the main reason it was chosen. Lastly, there would be installation at the rear of the vehicle that gave the hull a thermal suppressor that would reduce IR signatures of the tank. The tank was a great success during tests, with both Spanish and Pakistani crowds viewing the progress, who would be very interested in this vehicle, sadly the M47 upgrade never got picked up by the Italian army. It is unknown as to why, some have said due to costs, others have said it was political as Italy was setting its sights for the M60 tank, so it would've been much better to keep ties with America stronger by purchasing their vehicles, which Italy eventually bought later down the line to replace the M47.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M47 (105/55) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• M47
• mKPz M47 G

External links

• [Tanks Encyclopedia] M47 Patton in Italian Service