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Strv m/40L

Another new addition to the opening ranks of Sweden’s armoured vehicle tech tree: the Strv m/40L light tank!

Strv m/40L, light tank, Sweden, rank I

Pros

  • The fore part of the hull and turret are well protected.

Cons

  • The cannon may not be sufficiently effective against heavy armour.
History

We recently told you about the Swedish “reserve”: the Strv m/31 light tank. Landsverk’s work on this tank resulted in a project with the factory designation L-60, where the mistakes the m/31’s trials had encountered were taken into consideration – including, among other things, problems with the suspension. The enhanced tanks were put into service under the designation Strv m/38, and Landsverk was commissioned to manufacture a series of these tanks. All 16 tanks of the m/38 series were Sweden’s only armoured vehicles when WWII erupted in Europe. However, the military wasn’t thoroughly satisfied with these vehicles – and, on top of that, they needed a whole lot more of them.  The outcome of future upgrades in the L-60 project were two new models: the Strv m/39 and the Strv m/40. They received a turret with a new shape, a fully upgraded engine compartment, and a set of add-on hull armour. The m/40 was equipped with an automatic gearbox and an enhanced frontal turret section to which another machine gun, not paired to the cannon, was added. The Strv m/40 was manufactured until March 1942. A total of about 100 units of this modification were released.

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In our game, Swedish armoured vehicle testers will find the Strv m/40L light tank at the very top of rank I. By the time you buy this tank you’ll already have had some combat experience in the m/31 and m/38, so you’ll have a good idea of the Strv m/40L’s potential. The tank’s compelling advantage is its frontal armour, which reaches 50mm. However, the m/40 has a small area with weaker protection: the gun mantlet. This armour can be penetrated by almost any enemy you might encounter in battle, so try to protect it in duels and make sure you draw enemy fire to the thicker parts of the turret and hull.

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Despite the increased mass, the tank accelerates quite well and can happily drive over obstacles. One more thing the m/40L has inherited from its predecessors is its weapon – you’re already familiar with the Bofors 37mm cannon. If your shells were ripping into every enemy with ease at rank I, now you’ll have to study the other nations’ sturdier rank II tanks with an eye to the weak points in their defences. All in all, for rank II enemies, the tank’s main armament can be considered satisfactory, although its post-penetration effect could be better.

 

The Strv m/40 is a hardy tank that straddles the line between ranks I and II. Its interesting appearance with its twin machine guns at the front of the turret, good defence throughout almost the entire frontal area, and decent acceleration dynamics ensure that all testers of Swedish ground units will remember this tank for a long time to come. New tank-related reveals are coming soon! Follow our Developer Diaries and stay up to date on all the new features coming in the big 1.97 update to War Thunder. We’re working hard on it! See you soon!


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