[Development] Battle pass vehicles: Breda 90/53 - News

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Battle pass vehicles: Breda 90/53

19 October 2023 Development

This Italian 90/53 self-propelled gun on a wheeled Breda 52 truck will soon arrive to War Thunder as one of the main prizes in the upcoming Battle pass season “Tropical Storm”!

Breda 90/53: A Premium Self-propelled Vehicle for Italy at rank III!

Features:

Powerful and deadly 90 mm cannon!
Very little protection.
Mediocre mobility.

Italian company “Ansaldo de Gênes Sampierdarena” began to develop a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun on a wheeled chassis in 1940, which paved the way to mount a 90 mm gun on a truck, with the arrangement allowing for the cannon to direct fire at enemy ground targets. The Breda 51 Coloniale (6x4) army truck was chosen as the main vehicle of choice, and after modifications were made, the official designation of Breda 52 was given. Production of this new vehicle commenced even before the testing phase had even finished in May 1941. By May 1943 a total of 120 of these vehicles were delivered to the Italian Army. The Breda 52 with the Cannone da 90/53 gun was used in battle in North Africa and also to defend Italy from the Allied invasion.

Meet the Breda 90/53!

One of the main prizes of the upcoming new Battle pass season “Tropical Storm” will be this cool wheeled tank destroyer, the Breda 90/53 — which was Italy’s way of mounting a heavy anti-aircraft gun onto a wheeled chassis. Exposed to the elements and featuring thin armor, the Breda 90/53 can still pack a deadly punch with its very-capable 90 mm self-propelled gun. Let’s dive into the details!

The Breda 90/53’s stand-out feature is that it is built around the Cannone da 90/53, which is already in the game through the 90/52 M41M. However, the M41M can only carry 8 rounds of ammunition to fire — the Breda 90/53 will be able to carry more. Its devastating cannon is powerful enough to deal with almost any enemy at rank III with its great one-shot potential!

Interesting: This vehicle’s full name literally combines its two most basic elements: the cannon name first (Autocannone da 90/53, the 90 mm cannon) and the truck name (Breda, the truck’s manufacturer). “Su” is just the Italian word for on, so the name quite quaintly ends up effectively being “Gun on truck” (full Italian name: Autocannone da 90/53 su Breda 52)!

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Placing a 90 mm cannon on an army truck clearly comes with downsides in terms of protection, but this does mean enough space as a rotating platform to fire from multiple angles. The crew of this vehicle as well as the large ammunition supply are also placed at the back in this space. All in all, Italy now gets their own version of the very popular German 8.8 cm Flak 37, but with premium bonuses!

Did you know? Italy got the idea of mounting 90 mm anti-aircraft guns on tracked and wheeled vehicles from the successful experience of the Germans utilizing 88 mm FlaK18 guns on tracked vehicles against French heavy tanks.

As we mentioned, a truck platform quite obviously comes with some downsides, namely its large silhouette, and general lack of protection for the crew. As a result of this, the Breda 90/53 is easy pickings for enemies on the ground as well as in the air. In addition to this, the Breda 52 army truck does not feature great driving characteristics, having only an average speed.

In your matches: Pro-tips when using the Breda 90/53 by Tom (Oxy), WT Community Manager (TL): “Positioning really is key with this one, it’s not a vehicle that can react quickly to new threats from different locations, so you don’t want to be caught out on the move. Aim to keep your distance from enemies and stay defensive, the 90 mm doesn’t need to be up close to be effective, and at range your poor survivability and low mobility aren’t as detrimental. When you’re engaging, try to position yourself side-on to what you’re fighting — this breaks up your silhouette and makes it harder for an enemy to disable your ability to move and shoot in one shot (Unless they’re using HE, always take HE).”

The new wheeled self-propelled Breda 90/53 will be available in the upcoming Battle pass season “Tropical Storm” by completing tasks, starting soon on October 25th in a hangar near you! The full list of prizes and conditions of this new season will be revealed in the near future — until then, enjoy your matches and see you soon!