Somua SM

## General Information

Somua SM

The **Somua SM** is a tier VIII French Premium heavy tank. It features armor that becomes even stronger when angled, something that only the AMX AC 48 and AMX M4 mle. 49 also share as French tier VIII vehicles. It is considered to be a bad vehicle by the playerbase, even going as far to say that this tank shouldn't be bought at all.

## Strategy

### Pros

* -10º of gun depression helps this vehicle work many common hull-down positions
* Fast top speed for its tier and vehicle class at 40 km/h and -18 km/h for forward and reverse speeds respectively
* Heavy, can ram enemies
* 3 shell autoloader which allows the vehicle to take a noticeable bite out of the enemy's hitpool
* Strong engine, more horsepower than some tier X's

### Cons

* Far below average DPM at only 1800 base DPM
* Below average terrain resistances (terrain crossing capacity) which slows down the tank's acceleration
* Magazine reload time is 25 seconds for only 310 alpha
* Long aim time at 5.7 seconds without Improved Ventilation and food provisions
* Slightly slower magazine reload time at 3 seconds flat

### Strategy

#### As the Somua SM

First, it is up to you to decide whether or not you want to improve the gun with Improved Ventilation or increase its shell penetration with Calibrated Shells. It's understandable that the player may be frustrated with the gun. To further decrease its aim time, use Enhanced Gun Laying Drive. For better dispersion on movement and after firing, use Vertical Stabilizer. Note that you have a cupola weakness and a thin strip of armor under the gun.

In battle, try to use gun depression positions, and pull back after you finish emptying your magazine. If you have confirmed that an enemy is alone and on low health, you can try to ram them. Be wary of angling too much if you're side-scraping, as if you do, the 50 mm of armor by your track wheels will be weak points. Make sure to try to aim in your shots, as you have poor DPM and must make the most use of it.

#### Against the Somua SM

You can likely out-DPM the Somua SM. The IS-3 Defender is able to out-DPM this vehicle despite it only having a maximum of around 1900 base DPM. Because of this, you can be fairly confident in rushing one, though be wary of the Somua SM's 930 alpha magazine. If the Somua SM is hull-down, aim for the cupola despite it being quite small. Alternatively, if the enemy Somua SM raises its gun to try to hide its cupola, then shoot the armor plate that shows up. It's not an easy hit, but it's doable. Note that you have a good chance to HE the rear of both the hull and turret.

## Specifications

The following specifications represent those achieved by the tank without enhancements from consumables, provisions, or equipment.

### Modules

#### Turret

 **Turret Armor** | Front: 200 mmSides: 100 mmRear: 40 mm
 **Max AmmoRack Size** | 60 shells

#### Suspension

 **Terrain CrossingCapacity** | Road: 87% Ground: 74%Water: 52%

## Legendary Camouflage

 Description
 Concealment
 Icons
 Appearance

## History

From Blitzhangar: "A French heavy tank, presented as an alternative for the AMX 50 at a design competition. Development started in 1946; however, the prototype was not ready until October 1951. German tank-building technologies were applied in the development of the vehicle: it was equipped with a 100-mm gun with a magazine-system autoloader installed in an oscillating turret. The tank underwent trials from January through July 1953, during which it did not show any promising results. Consequently, the project was discontinued in favor of the AMX 50."

### Historical Accuracy

At least according to Wikipedia, the Somua SM had both a 90 mm and 100 mm gun barrel, however a lack of fully developed parts caused the tank to be rejected. The full section is: "In competition with AMX, the SOMUA company also developed a tank to meet the demand for a heavily armed vehicle: the **Char SOMUA SM**, that however had been conceived as a *Char Lourd* ("heavy tank") in the sixty tonne weight class from the very beginning, like the M4 paralleling the German Tiger II. The order to build a prototype was given in 1946. The vehicle was delivered in October 1951, weighing 56 tonnes but still lacking an engine.Both companies had ultimately been forced by the French army to work to identical detailed specifications. As a result, the SOMUA SM closely resembled the AMX 50. It too had an oscillating turret, first with a 90 mm, then with a 100 mm gun. The main external difference was that the nine road wheels were not overlapping. It was not tested until 1953, between January and July, as many parts had not been sufficiently developed; the delay ensured that the type was rejected."

## Trivia

* The Somua SM is considered by many players to be a bad tank due to its gun handling and gun in general
* A grenadier in real life is a soldier that carries around grenades or grenade launchers. In the United Kingdom, it's the first regiment of the royal infantry
	+ It's also a type of fish with a large head

## External Links

1. ↑ https://na.wotblitz.com/en/news/event/somua-sm/
2. ↑ https://blitzhangar.com/en/tank/somua-sm
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMX-50#SOMUA\_SM