Hello everyone today I thought I’d give you a peek at how the first Swedish line might look. I along with Renhanxue (EU & US forums) have been working on a Swedish WoT tech tree for over a year now and have uncovered a lot of stuff that was previously unknown. Largely thanks to SilentStalker we were able to come in contact with WG and are now working on finding data and coming up with proposals regarding Swedish tanks for them. Among them is the first Swedish line.
Currently it’s not known exactly how the Swedish tree will end up looking since some vehicles that could be valuable for Swedish top tiers are past the 1970s timeframe (although not technologically). There are other potential problems as well, but what is pretty solid is the first line which is what I will try to outline below. Now one thing of note is that this line could end with 3 or even 4 sets of different vehicles depending on what WG decides so it is not set in stone as this line could end with turreted mediums or even heavies, although our research is more complete for the S-tank branch.
The Swedish turretless medium line
Though they have a very average top speed most Swedish medium tanks are very mobile and have the ability to make great use of terrain with their excellent gun depression. At the lower tiers Swedish medium tanks can be compared to the Japanese or American medium tanks, but at higher tiers Swedish mediums evolve into lightly armored tanks that make use of sloped & spaced armor rather than armor thickness.
Tier 1: Strv fm/31
Built in 1934 the Strv fm/31 was a prototype wheel-cum-track tank design by the Landsverk company. It was built to compare the-wheel-cum-track design to conventional tracked designs, however upon its completion tracks and suspensions had improved substantially and the vehicle was declared obsolete. After this the Strv fm/31 served as a training vehicle with the Swedish army until 1940.
Data: Strv fm/31
Weight: 11.5 ton
Crew: 4
Armor (Hull): 14/14/14
Armor (Turret): 14/14/14 > 20/24/24
Armament: 3.7cm kan m/39, 3.7cm Bofors Strvkan L/45
Depression/elevation: -10°/+20°
Max speed: 35kph
Engines: 150hp Maybach DSO 8
Power to weight: 13 hp/t
Tier 2: Strv m/38
The Strv m/38 was a modified version of the Landsverk L-60 design which was first built in 1935 for the Irish military. A total of 16 were built for the Swedish army in 1938-1939 with a 2nd series of 20 Strv m/39 with a new turret followed 1939-1941. The Strv m/38 & m/39 saw service with the Swedish army until the early 1950s.
Data: Strv m/38
Weight: 8.52-8.93 ton
Crew: 3
Armor (Hull): 15/13/13
Armor (Turret): 15/13/13
Armament: 2cm Madsen, 3.7cm Bofors L/45, 3.7cm Strvkan m/38
Depression/elevation: -10°/+20°
Max speed: 46kph
Engines: 142hp Scania-Vabis 1664, 155hp Büssing NAG
Power to weight: 17.3 hp/t
Tier 3: Strv m/40K
In 1941 it was recognized that the armor of current tanks was no longer sufficient as more and more cannon armed tanks were entering service, therefore it was decided that earlier tanks should be equipped with applique armor to withstand 37mm guns. Alongside the production of applique armor a new model of the L-60 called Strv m/40k was designed with the applique armor built in. After serious delays the tank entered production in 1943 with 100 built and the tank saw service with the Swedish army until 1956.
Data: Strv m/40K
Weight: 10.9 ton
Crew: 3
Armor (Hull): 48/18/13
Armor (Turret): 50/13/13 > 50/20/35
Armament: 2cm Madsen, 3.7cm Strvkan m/38
Depression/elevation: -14°/+20°
Max speed: 45kph
Engines: 142hp Scania-Vabis 1664, 162hp Scania-Vabis L603, 205hp Ford 317
Power to weight: 18.6 hp/t
Tier 4 Medium: Landsverk Lago
First drawn up in 1936 as an export tank by the Landsverk company, the Lago was a modern medium tank comparable with the early Pz III or Škoda T22. A single prototype was built by Landsverk for military trials in Hungary, however a Swedish ban on exporting military equipment meant that the prototype was delivered to the Swedish army instead. And the tank was further developed into what would become the Strv m/42
Data: Lago
Weight: 18-19.5 ton
Crew: 4
Armor (Hull): 34/24/24mm
Armor (Turret): 34/28/20mm > 55/30/20
Armament: 4.7cm Škoda, 5.7cm Kan M/98B, 5.7cm Pvkan m/43, 7.5cm Strvkan m/41
Depression/elevation: -10°/+25° > -15°/+25°
Max speed: 45kph
Engines: 284hp x2 Scania-Vabis 1664, (324hp x2 Scania-Vabis L603, 340hp x2 S-motor
Power to weight: 17,4 hp/t
Tier 5 Medium: Strv m/42
The Strv m/42 was a Swedish medium tank produced in 1943-1944. A total of 226 were built in various configurations. The tank was roughly equal to early model M4 Sherman’s and would serve with the Swedish army until the 60s when most were rebuilt with a new turret & high velocity 75mm gun and re-designated Strv 74.
Data: Strv m/42
Weight: 22.5-23.5 ton
Crew: 4
Armor (Hull): 55/30/20
Armor (Turret): 55/30/20 > 60/30/30
Armament: 5.7cm Pvkan m/43, 7.5cm Strvkan m/41, 7.5cm Lvkan m/30, 10.5cm Strvkan L/16
Depression/elevation: -15°/+25° > -10°/+15°
Max speed: 45kph
Engines: 324hp x2 Scania-Vabis L603, 340hp x2 S-motor, 350hp Volvo A8B m/41, 410hp Volvo A8B
Power to weight: 17,4 hp/t
Tier 6 Medium: Strv 74
First entering service in 1956 the Strv 74 was a modification of the Strv m/42 with a new turret. A total of 225 were converted and some served with the Swedish army as late as the 1980s.
Data: Strv 74
Weight: 24-26 ton
Crew: 4
Armor (Hull): 55/30/20
Armor (Turret): 30/20/20 > 30/20/20
Armament: 7.5cm Lvkan m/30, 7.5cm Pvkan m/43, 7.5cm Lvkan m/36, 7.5cm Kan Strv 74
Depression/elevation: -15°/+15°
Max speed: 45kph
Engines: 324hp x2 Scania-Vabis L603, 340hp x2 Scania-Vabis L607, 410hp Volvo A8B
Power to weight: 15,7 hp/t
Tier 7 Medium: Landsverk Leo
In 1948 Landsverk made an attempt at creating a series of tanks mainly intended for export. One of these was the Leo a 25 ton medium tank armed with a high velocity 75mm gun. The tank was basically a redesigned Strv m/42 with a much lower profile and a bigger gun & engine.
Data: Strv Leo
Weight: 25-28 ton
Crew: 4
Armor (Hull): 70/30/20
Armor (Turret): 55/35/20
Armament: 7.5cm Pvkan m/43, 7.5cm Lvkan m/36, 7.5cm Kan Strv 74
Depression/elevation: -10°/+15°
Max speed: 60kph
Engines: 410hp Volvo A8B, 450hp Volvo A8B Improved, 590hp Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk.IV Mod 29, 650hp DB302
Power to weight: 23,2 hp/t
Tier 8 Medium: Strv 81
The Strv 81 was the designation used by the Swedish army for the Centurion Mk3 & Mk5. Over 200 of these were purchased by Sweden in the early 1950s to replace the Strv m/42. Very few modifications were made and this is the only pure clone vehicle that is currently in the Swedish tree. It may even be replaced by an early S-tank or a Swedish project if we can find more info on those.
Data: Strv 81
Weight: 50 ton
Crew: 5
Armor (Hull): 76/51/38
Armor (Turret): 152/89/89 > 152/89/89
Armament: 8.4cm Kan Strv 81A, 8.4cm Kan Strv 81B
Depression/elevation: -10°/+18°
Max speed: 35kph
Engines: 590hp Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk.IV Mod 29, 650hp Rolls-Royce Meteor Mk.IVB
Power to weight: 13 hp/t
Tier 9 Medium: Strv 103-0
In 1964 two years after the completion of the first prototypes, The Swedish army ordered a Pre-production batch of 16 vehicles for the Strv 103. These vehicles were built to work out the problems with the design and were used in various tests & troop trials.
Data: Strv 103-0
Weight: 35 ton
Crew: 3
Armor (Hull): 40/30/30
Armor (Turret): -
Armament: 8.4cm Kan Strv 81B, 10.5cm Kan Strv 101 & 102, 10.5cm Kan Strv 103
Depression/elevation: -10°/+12°
Max speed: 50kph
Engines: 540hp Boeing 502-10MA & Rolls Royce K60, 600hp Boeing 502-10MA & Volvo TD 96
Power to weight: 17,1 hp/t
Tier X Medium: Strv 103B
In 1967 the first production series of 70 S-tanks were built with a 540hp engine. However even before they had gone into production plans were made for fitting a more powerful 730hp into the main production version and refit the older ones. In 1970-1972 the Strv 103B model followed with the improved engine and other improvements like the introduction of a flotation screen and dozer blade.
Data: Strv 103B
Weight: 39.7 ton
Crew: 3
Armor (Hull): 40/30/30 (Note: extra spaced armor for the Lower & upper front)
Armor (Turret): -
Armament: 10.5cm Kan Strv 103
Depression/elevation: -10°/+12°
Max speed: 50kph
Engines: 730hp
Power to weight: 18,3 hp/t
So that’s the line. I personally don't really know what to expect from the line, actually im pretty cynical when it comes to the top tiers but i think it will at least be interesting. Hope you found this article interesting and feel free to ask if you have any questions.
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