7.5cm Pak 40 (Sf.) auf Geschützwagen FCM 36(f) - Replacing the Cone With A Cannon

[DMYEugen 688]

TL;DR: A German captured FCM 36 with its turret removed and a Pak 40 in its place.

 

History:

Following Germany's July 1940 victory in France, the 227th Infantry Division was assigned for occupation. Alfred Becker, the battery chief of the 12th Battery in the 15th Artillery Regiment of the aforementioned division came across a number of abandoned vehicles while his unit was performing coastal protection duties. As Becker was a mechanical engineer, it was clear for him to see the benefits of mounting his artillery pieces onto the abandoned vehicles. 37 or so FCM 36s found themselves employed by the Germany Army under the designation of Paznerkampfwagen 737 FCM(f). From there, Becker converted a number of them into one of two vehicles. Around 12 of them were equipped with the 10.5cm leFH 16 cannon in a new armored fighting compartment, turning them into 10.5cm leFH 16 (Sf.) auf Geschützwagen FCM 36(f). A further 10 were turned into tank destroyers, equipped with the famous 7.5cm Pak 40 in a similar fighting compartment. These vehicles were officially designated 7.5cm Pak 40 (Sf.) auf Geschützwagen FCM 36(f), however, they also came to be known as Marder I. 

 

Place In War Thunder:

Becker's conversions have always been sought after by the War Thunder community and the FCM 36 is a beloved meme vehicle, characterized by its poor firepower and mobility. This modification largely fixes the first issue. Playing an FCM 36 and actually being able to kill something is fairly enticing. Playstyle would be relatively self-explanatory. Unfortunately, the FCM 36's poor mobility carries over to its German counterpart so the number of early game positions you'd be able to take would be greatly limited. Angling to increase effective armor thickness would also pose issues as angling the hull effectively unangles the superstructure. I would suggest that you stick to ridgelines, however, from what I can gather from images, gun depression might not be a luxury you'd be able to enjoy. This vehicle, as well as the other Becker conversions, are not something we'd expect to see in the standard tech tree. I think that this FCM would fit in just fine as a GE premium.

 

Specifications:

Spoiler

Armament: 7.5cm Pak 40 and 1x MG34

 

Dimensions: 4.77m, 2.15m, 2.25m (L,W,H)

 

Weight: 12350kg

 

Armor: Up to 40mm

 

Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)

 

Ammunition: APCBC, APCR, HEAT (50 rounds of ammunition)

 

Speed: 24~kph

 

Horsepower: 105hp

 

Pictures:

Spoiler

Right Side View:

 

Left Side View:

 

Traversing A Ditch:

 

Sources:

Spoiler

https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.php?armor_id=1053

https://www.quartermastersection.com/german/captured-afvs/2321/75FCM

http://www.wardrawings.be/WW2/Files/1-Vehicles/Axis/1-Germany/04-Panzerjaegers/Marder1/Marder1-FCM36.htm

AFV Weapons Profile No. 59: French Infantry Tanks, Part II (including R 35 and FCM 36) by James Bingham

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by DMYEugen

[ItssLuBu 1,803]

Approved and open for discussion. 

[Milocat 4,857]

+1 for sure from me, awesome find!  This would be a great tank destroyer to have in the game.

[DMYEugen 688]

1 hour ago, ItssLuBu said:

Approved and open for discussion. 

Thanks!

[Ghostmaxi 873]

Ah, i first read Clone, and was completly confused. XD

Edited September 12, 2021 by Ghostmaxi

[Solarmod 1,204]

+1, I had researched it a bit while doing my own suggestion for the 10.5cm, and someone else wanted to do it, so I didn't. Very well made though. o7

[DMYEugen 688]

9 minutes ago, Solarmod said:

+1, I had researched it a bit while doing my own suggestion for the 10.5cm, and someone else wanted to do it, so I didn't. Very well made though. o7

Yeah. I saw that when I checked the list to see if anyone had already suggested it. Since the comment was from January, and there still wasn't a suggestion, I just went and did it.

[Solarmod 1,204]

4 minutes ago, DMYEugen said:

Yeah. I saw that when I checked the list to see if anyone had already suggested it. Since the comment was from January, and there still wasn't a suggestion, I just went and did it.

[eleks12 1,079]

+1

[stuka2689 314]

+1

[SnakeMantis007@psn 30]

A French chassis and a deadly German 7.5cm Pak 40 combined ? No doubt it will be a great TD for the low tier.
 

+1