Tank of the Month: AMX 13 75

History

The AMX 13 was designed in 1946 at the Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux in France. It was designed to be an extremely light vehicle that could be transported by plane and used to support airborne operations. To achieve the objectives, the tank featured several features that were unusual for the time period, most notably the turret.

The turret was of an oscillating design and was made from two parts. The main gun was fixed in position on the upper part, which could tilt to elevate and depress the weapon. The lower part of the turret was able to move horizontally.

The hull and turret were made from welded armoured steel plates, and the engine was set at the front of the chassis to provide additional protection.

The gun was fed with an automatic loading system consisting of two drums of six rounds each. This meant that the crew could engage targets very quickly, but there was a drawback – the drums could only be refilled from the outside of the turret. This meant that after firing all 12 rounds, the tank had to disengage to a safe place for reloading.

The first prototype was tested in 1948 and production began in 1952 in Atelier de Construction Roanne. It was moved in 1964 to Creusot-Loire at Chalon-sur-Saône.

In 1966, the 75-mm gun was replaced with a 90-mm medium velocity gun firing HEAT ammunition – this model was the AMX 13 90. By the early 1970s, an export model was available with an even more potent 105-mm gun.

Around 7,700 units were manufactured until production finally halted in 1987. Around 3,400 of those were exported across over 25 different countries. The vehicle has received numerous modifications and variants across the years, including to be used as a self-propelled gun, anti-aircraft systems, armoured personnel carriers and many more.

Although the tank was phased out from the French army service in the 1980’s, many are still in use by smaller nations across the world today. The tank is still a practical choice for a light reliable vehicle that can be easily modified and adapted to a wide range of purposes. As a result, after sales support and upgrades are still available to date.

In-game

Surprise!

Tactics

The AMX 13 75 can play two different and important roles on the battlefield. You can play either as an agile, active scout and flanker, or as a well-hidden passive scout and sniper.

The following descriptions and tips will be presented in regard to this dual approach, but of course you are free to develop your own approach towards this tank.

If you decide to go for the passive scout version, remember that your equipment will only work  when the vehicle is stationary. This means you need to get to the area you want to scout as soon as possible and position yourself behind a bush, ideally near to some form of cover (house, big rock etc.). There you just need to wait for the unsuspecting enemy. Remember that the AMX 13 75 is a very fragile vehicle with paper-thin armour, so consider engaging the enemy only when they are engaged in combat with your teammates, and change positions as soon as you’re detected and/or you notice that enemies are starting to aim at you.

The scout/flanker approach requires you to adopt a different tactic. In this case, you will need to move a lot more as the Coated Optics provide 15% less bonus to your view range compared with the Binocular Telescope. Don’t go out on the open field – you may have the advantage of speed, but your tank is not agile enough to dodge multiple shots. It is advisable to move from cover to cover and never straying too far from your teammates. The decision to rush for the enemy artillery should always be made very carefully, and this manoeuvre should only be performed when there is a good opening in the enemy lines. Remember that the so-called ‘suicide scouting’ is frowned upon by experienced players and rushing through a well-defended spot will only get you sent back to the garage and leave your team without a spotter.

Sometimes it takes a little patience...

Now, let’s take a look at each module you can upgrade on your tank in more detail.

Modules

Upgrading the AMX 13 75 is very convenient because the top gun and radio are carried over from the AMX 12t, which means that you won’t have to research them.

Suspensions

You should invest in the improved suspension first as doing this will allow you to mount additional equipment. After that, go for the mid- and top engines.

Engine

The upgraded engines have more power and smaller chance of catching fire. As a scout, upgrading your engine should be a priority. Please note that they are both diesel type engines, which means that you won’t be able to use high-octane gasoline with them.

Gun

The AMX 13 75 is designed to be a scout. This means that the gun is never going to be the vehicle’s best feature. While upgrading to the 75 mm SA50 gun will give you a useful boost in gun power, you are never going to be the best damage dealer on the battlefield.

Radio

It is very important for this tank (in both roles) to stay in touch with the rest of the team. Try to buy the SCR 528F radio as soon as you can.

Be careful with jumping – it's not good for your tracks.

Crew

As your vehicle is manned by only three tankers, you need to choose your skills very carefully to suit your chosen play style.

Scout/flanker:

Commander
Gunner
Driver

Passive scout:

Commander
Gunner
Driver

Equipment and consumables

Passive scout:

If you’re going to play the role of passive scout, it’s crucial to stay invisible and have the best possible view range, so the Camouflage Net and Binocular Telescope are a must. It’s also good idea to take an Enhanced Gun Laying Drive to improve the AMX’s aiming time. Remember that firing your gun can blow your cover and make you visible to the nearby enemy vehicles. That’s why it’s always a good idea to relocate or take cover after shooting.

Scout/flanker:

If you are planning to move a lot, detect enemies for your team or flank enemy tanks, we suggest you go for Coated Optics.

As the AMX 13 75 has an autoloader, it’s impossible to equip this tank with a Gun Rammer. Of course, using the autoloader means that your rate of fire is already quite good. Please remember that it takes some time to replace an empty drum, so when you fire your clip to empty make sure you retreat to safety. More important is to improve your aiming time, because you will often need to get behind or flank the enemy, place a couple of precise shots in their weak spots and flee. The Enhanced Gun Laying Drive will be perfect for that.

For the third slot we recommend installing the Improved Torsion Bars in order to improve the durability of your suspension. Remember that a de-tracked scout is a dead scout. Of course, Improved Ventilation is also an option as it will give you a 5% bonus to your crew’s skills. Choose the one which you think is more effective.

For consumables, don’t forget to always have a repair kit - it may save you when an enemy shoots your tracks! It’s also relatively common for the AMX 13 75 to suffer from a damaged or destroyed engine, something that basically means the end of the battle for a tank which is reliant on its mobility. You should also always have a first aid kit handy – you only have three crew members and if any of them get injured, it will significantly decrease your vehicle’s performance.

We hope you enjoy driving the French beauty this month. With this new knowledge – roll out!