M13/40 tank

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Carro Armato M13/40
Museum at El Alamein - Flickr - heatheronhertravels (9) (cropped).jpg
M13/40 at the El Alamein War Museum
Type Medium tank
Place of origin Kingdom of Italy
Service history
In service8 July 1940–1948
Used byKingdom of Italy
Nazi Germany [1]
Australia
United Kingdom
Kingdom of Egypt
Wars World War II
1948 Arab-Israeli War
Production history
Designed26 October 1939
Manufacturer Ansaldo
ProducedJuly 1940 to late 1941
No. built740 [2]
Variants M14/41, M15/42
Specifications
Mass14 t (31,000 lb)
Length4.915 m (16 ft 1.5 in) [3]
Width2.280 m (7 ft 5.8 in) [4]
Height2.370 m (7 ft 9.3 in) [4]
Crew4 (commander, radio operator, gunner, driver)
Armour
  • Front: 30 mm (1.2 in) [3]
  • Sides/rear: 25 mm (0.98 in) [3]
  • Floor/roof: 6–14 mm (0.24–0.55 in) [3]
  • Turret front: 42 mm (1.7 in)
Main
armament
1 × 47 mm cannone da 47/32 anti-tank gun
104 rounds [5]
Secondary
armament
4 × 8 mm Breda mod. 38 machine guns (1 × coaxial, 1 × AA, 2 × in hull)
2,808 rounds [5]
Engine SPA 8 T M40 11,140 cc V8 Diesel engine
125 hp (93 kW) [3]
SuspensionSemi-elliptic leaf springs
Ground clearance41 cm (16 in) [3]
Operational
range
200 km (120 mi)
Maximum speed 31.8 km/h (19.8 mph) on road [3]

The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 in the Royal Italian Army at the start of World War II. [6] It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout the war. The design was influenced by the British Vickers 6-Ton and was based on the modified chassis of the earlier M11/39. [6] Production of the M11/39 was cut short in order to get the M13/40 into production. [6] The name refers to "M" for Medio (medium) according to the Italian tank weight standards at the time, 13 tonnes was the scheduled weight and 1940 the initial year of production.

Contents

Specifications

The M13 was constructed of riveted steel plates as follows: 30 mm front (as the M11), 42 mm on turret front (30 mm for the M11), 25 mm on the sides (the M11 had only 15 mm), 6 mm bottom (making it very vulnerable to mines) and 15 mm on top. [7] The crew of four were housed in a forward fighting compartment, with the engine at the rear and transmission at the front. The driver and machine-gunner/radio operator were in the hull, with the commander/gunner and the loader in the turret.

The Vickers-derived running gear had two bogie trucks with eight pairs of small wheels on each side, using leaf-spring suspension. [7] The tracks were conventional skeleton steel plate links, and were relatively narrow. Together, this system was thought to allow good mobility in the mountainous areas in which future combat was expected. In the desert where most M13s were actually employed, mobility was less satisfactory. The tank was powered by a 125 hp (93 kW) diesel engine. [7] This was an innovation that many countries had yet to introduce, as diesel engines were the future for tanks, with lower cost, greater range and reduced danger of fire compared to petrol engines.

The tank's main armament was a 47 mm gun, a tank mounted version of the successful Cannone da 47/32 M35 anti-tank gun. [7] It could pierce about 45 mm (1.8 in) of armour at 500 m (550 yd); this was sufficient to penetrate the British light and cruiser tanks it faced in combat, though not the heavier infantry tanks. [7] One hundred and four rounds of mixed armour-piercing and high explosive ammunition were carried. [7] The M13 was also armed with three or four machine-guns: one coaxially with the main gun and two in the forward, frontal ball mount. [7] A fourth machine gun was sometimes carried in a flexible mount on the turret roof for anti-aircraft use. [7] Two periscopes were available for the gunner and commander, and a Magneti Marelli RF1CA radio was also fitted as standard equipment. [8]

Operational use

The M13/40 was used in the Greek campaign in 1940 and 1941 and in the North African Campaign. [8] The M13/40 was not used on the Eastern Front; Italian forces there were equipped only with L6/40s and Semovente 47/32s. Beginning in 1942, the Italian Army recognised the firepower weakness of the M13/40 series and employed the Semovente 75/18 self-propelled gun alongside the tanks in their armoured units.

First actions

The first of over 700 M13/40s were delivered following a rate of production of about 60–70 a month, before the fall of 1940. [8] They were sent to North Africa to fight the British; however, most units were hastily formed (and thus lacked cohesion), the tanks had not been fitted with radios (giving them a serious tactical disadvantage even against inferior enemies) and their crews had almost no training (in 1940 the crews were given 25 days of actual tank training and then sent to the front). [9] The baptism of fire came with a special unit, the Babini Group. [8] Arriving too late to fight in the September offensive, this unit was ready the next December, for Operation Compass, a British offensive. [8] Tanks of III battalion were present at the Battle of Bardia, where in two days of fighting (January 3–4, 1941) the Australians suffered 456 casualties while the Italians lost 40,000 men (2,000 killed, 3,000 wounded and 36,000 captured). [8] Further action took place in Derna, where the V battalion had just arrived. [8] On February 6–7, the British offensive penetrated so far that the Babini Group sought to open a breach in the British lines at the Battle of Beda Fomm in an effort to allow cut-off Italian troops to retreat along the Libyan coast. The attacks failed and all of their tanks were lost. The last six surviving tanks entered a field near the local British command post. They were destroyed one after another by a single 2-pounder (40 mm) anti-tank gun. Many tanks were lost in this campaign to artillery fire rather than other tanks. [6] A number of captured M11 and M13 tanks were re-used by the Australian 2/6th Cavalry Regiment and the British 6th Royal Tank Regiment, until the spring of 1941, when their fuel ran out and they were destroyed. [8]

Italian M13/40 tanks on the streets of Tripoli, March 1941 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B16002, Nordafrika, Truppenparade in Tripolis.jpg
Italian M13/40 tanks on the streets of Tripoli, March 1941

The M13 also fought in Greece, in difficult terrain and in April 1941, M13s of the 132nd Armoured Division Ariete took part in the Siege of Tobruk, with little success against British Matilda II tanks. [8] Ariete had more success with the M13 in the action at Bir el Gubi against the Crusader tanks of the British 22nd Armoured Brigade. [8]

Later use in the desert war

M13/40 tanks advancing across the desert, April 1941 Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-783-0104-38, Nordafrika, italienische Panzer M13-40.jpg
M13/40 tanks advancing across the desert, April 1941

In April 1941, at the time of the arrival of the Afrika Korps, the Italians had around 240 M13 and M14 tanks in first-line service. [8] In 1942, as the Allies began deploying M3 Lee/Grant medium tanks and Crusader Mk IIIs, along with towed 6-pounder (57 mm) anti-tank guns in their infantry units, the weaknesses of the M13 were exposed. In an attempt to improve protection, many crews piled sandbags or extra track links on the outside of their tanks, but this made the already-underpowered vehicles even slower and increased maintenance requirements; [10] such practice, while popular, was discouraged by the commanders for the same reason. [11] [8] The Italians equipped at least one company in each tank battalion with more heavily armed Semovente 75/18 assault guns.

The Second Battle of El Alamein saw the first appearance of the M4 Sherman, while some 230 M13s were still in front line service. [8] In several days of battle, the Ariete and Littorio divisions were used to cover the Axis retreat. [8] The Centauro Division was virtually destroyed fighting in Tunisia. [8] By then, the M13/40 and the M14/41 were completely surpassed, and their armament was all but useless against the enemy's M3 Lee and M4 Sherman medium tanks at all but point-blank range, while both could easily destroy an M13/40 from a distance; they resorted to firing at the suspensions and the tracks, and to rely on fire support by the Semoventi and artillery.

Postwar use

During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, two or three M13/40s which were left behind in North Africa were incorporated into the Egyptian armed forces. These were used during the Battles of Negba, where one was knocked out and subsequently captured by Israeli troops. For a few years after the war, the tank remained in the Negba kibbutz as a monument to the battle. [12]

Characteristics

The M13/40 was a conventional light tank of the early war period, similar in capability to other Vickers-derived designs such as the Polish 7TP and Soviet T-26. While being virtually impotent against the heavily armoured British Matilda II, at a weight of 13 tons it carried armour comparable to most of its opponents of 1940–41 and its 47 mm long-barrelled gun was effective against many other British tanks of 1940–41, which were similarly armoured to the M13 but carried 2pdr (40 mm) guns with shorter range and inferior ballistic performance. At that time, most German tanks were armed with 20 mm, 37 mm guns or 50 mm and 75 mm low velocity guns. Only after 1942 did the Germans start the widespread adoption of weapons of 50 mm and 75 mm calibre long barrelled guns with high enough velocity for adequate anti-tank use, which gave the M13/40s gun an advantage over comparable German tanks in the early war. The adoption of the 47 mm long gun was probably the best feature of the M13. Due to its relatively large calibre, the main gun's HE round was also very useful against towed guns and infantry, and eliminated or at least mitigated, for the first years of war, the need for a dedicated support vehicle such as the Wehrmacht had in the early Panzer IV and Stug III. The diesel engine was an advantage, and the simplicity of production suited the state of Italian industry.

The tank also had many shortcomings which severely hampered its effectiveness on the battlefield: the engine provided good range, but not great power and reliability. The M13's engine was the same as the M11/39 but the newer tank was heavier, which resulted in lower speed and more strain on the powerplant. The suspension and tracks were reliable, but resulted in relatively low speeds, not much better than infantry tanks such as the Matilda. Armament was sufficient for 1940–41 but did not keep up with the increased armour and firepower on Allied or German tanks. The method of construction, using rivets, was outdated. Most tanks of the era were switching to the use of welding for construction, since rivets can shear off when hit, becoming additional projectiles inside the tank. The two-man turret was less efficient in combat than the three-man turrets used in many other tanks of the era. Radios were not fitted to many tanks.

Italian historians Filippo Cappellano and Pier Paolo Battistelli have pointed out that the disappointing performance of the tank early in the war, where its armament was by no means inadequate, can be ascribed to its crews' almost complete lack of training (the first tank training centre was created only in 1941) and experience, coupled with poor tactical doctrine, the lack of radios, and the fact that many units were hastily created and sent to the battlefield, and also to the lack of armoured recovery vehicles; they state that, while the training and experience of the Italian crews improved during the conflict, their tanks' technical disadvantage worsened. In such a condition, they marvel that the Italian tanks were able to fight for as long as they did. [13]

Variants

The M13/40 series was Italy's most-produced tank of the war with over 3,000 having been built, including later variants such as the M14/41. [7] It was equipped with a more powerful engine as well as better air filters for operations in North Africa. The last version was the M15/42 tank produced in 1943, with a better petrol engine and a longer 47/40 gun. It also had thicker armour than the previous models. The Semovente 75/18 self-propelled gun was built by utilizing the M13/40 or M14/41 chassis. [8]

The Semovente Comando M40 was an M13/40 tank with the turret replaced by a large multi-piece hatch. The hull housed additional radios and other communication equipment. [8]

Related Research Articles

Carro Armato was the Italian Army's designation for tanks from 1938. This would be followed by a letter and a series of numbers. The letter would be either L, M or P meaning light, medium, and heavy tank respectively. The official Italian military tank classification differed from contemporary classifications in other countries. The numbers would follow the pattern of X/Y where X would be the weight in tonnes and Y the year of adoption. The following are some Carro Armatos that entered service:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L6/40 tank</span> Light tank

The L6/40 was a light tank used by the Italian army from 1940 through World War II. It was designed by Ansaldo as an export product, and was adopted by the Italian Army when officials learned of the design and expressed interest. It was the main tank employed by the Italian forces fighting on the Eastern Front alongside the L6/40-based Semovente 47/32 self-propelled gun. L6/40s were also used in the North African campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M11/39 tank</span> Italian medium tank in World War II

The Carro Armato M11/39 was an Italian medium tank first produced prior to World War II. The M11/39 saw service in Africa and Italy (1939–1944). The official Italian designation was Carro Armato M11/39. The designation for the M11/39 is as follows: "M" for Medio ("medium"), followed by the weight in tonnes (11) and the year of adoption (1939).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M15/42 tank</span> Medium Tank

The Carro Armato M15/42 was the last Italian medium tank produced during World War II. It was based on the earlier M13/40 and M14/41 medium tanks, and was built with the lessons from the North African Campaign in mind. The tank was meant to be a stopgap until the heavier P26/40 tank could be produced in numbers. It did not serve in North Africa, the theatre in which it was intended to operate, but served in Italy and in Yugoslavia with the German Wehrmacht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M14/41 tank</span> Medium tank

The M 14/41 was a four-crew medium tank that served from 1941 in the Royal Italian Army. The official Italian designation was Carro Armato M 14/41. The tank was first employed in the North African Campaign where its shortcomings quickly became apparent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P26/40 tank</span> Heavy tank/Medium tank

The P 26/40 was an Italian World War II heavy tank. It was armed with a 75 mm gun and an 8 mm Breda machine gun, plus another optional machine gun in an anti-aircraft mount. Design had started in 1940 but very few had been built by the time Italy signed the armistice with the Allies in September 1943 and the few produced afterwards were used by the Germans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autoblindo Fiat-Ansaldo</span> Italian armoured car

The Autoblindo 40, 41 and 43 were Italian armoured cars produced by Fiat-Ansaldo and which saw service mainly during World War II. Most autoblinde were armed with a 20 mm Breda 35 autocannon and a coaxial 8 mm machine gun in a turret similar to the one fitted to the Fiat L6/40, and another hull mounted rear-facing 8 mm machine gun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L3/35</span> Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II

The L3/35, also known as the Carro Veloce CV-35, was an Italian tankette that saw combat before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tankettes. It was the most numerous Italian armoured fighting vehicle and saw service almost everywhere the Italians fought in the Second World War but proved inadequate for modern warfare, having too thin armour and weak armament of only machine guns. It was cheaply produced but because of its light armaments and armour it was reserved to mostly colonial, policing, reconnaissance, and supply duties. However, given its low production costs, proved to be efficient in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, Spanish Civil War and the Greco-Italian War where it provided reliable support to Italian infantry and disrupted enemy lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semovente da 47/32</span> Self-propelled gun

The Semovente L40 da 47/32 was an Italian self-propelled gun built during World War II. It was created by mounting a Cannone da 47/32 anti-tank gun in an open-topped, box-like superstructure on a L6/40 light tank chassis. Some were built as command tanks with a radio installed instead of the main gun. An 8 mm machine gun disguised as the 47 mm main gun was used on these versions to make them look like a regular Semovente 47/32s. About 400 Semoventi da 47/32 were built from 1941 onward. The Semovente da 47/32 was the most heavily armed Italian armoured fighting vehicle used on the Eastern Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semovente da 75/34</span> Italian self-propelled gun

The Semovente da 75/34 was an Italian self-propelled gun developed and used during World War II. It was a 75 mm L/34 gun mounted on a M15/42 tank chassis. It saw action during the defence of Rome in 1943 and later served with the Germans in Northern Italy and the Balkans. 170 were produced during the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semovente da 90/53</span> Self-propelled gun

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semovente da 105/25</span> Self-propelled gun

The Ansaldo 105/25 M43, also known as Semovente 105/25, was an Italian self-propelled gun used during World War II and designed by Ansaldo. It was the most powerful self-propelled gun built by Italy in numbers during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babini Group</span> Armoured unit of the Italian Royal Army during the Second World War

The Babini Group was an ad hoc armoured unit. The group was formed by the Italian Royal Army in Italian North Africa (Libya) at the start of the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The group was formed in Libya, to be part of an armoured division assembled from tanks in the colony and from units sent from Italy. The new division was incomplete when the British began Operation Compass in December but the Babini Group fought in defence of the area between Mechili and Derna in late January.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semovente da 75/18</span> Self-propelled gun

The Semovente da 75/18 was an Italian self-propelled gun of the Second World War. It was built by mounting the 75 mm Obice da 75/18 modello 34 mountain gun on the chassis of a M13/40, M14/41 or M15/42 tank. The first 60 were built using the M13/40 chassis and a subsequent 162 were built on the M14/41 chassis from 1941 to 1943. A total of 190 were built utilizing the M42 chassis before the armistice and an additional 55 were built afterwards. The Semovente da 75/18 was intended to be an interim vehicle until the heavier P40 tank could be available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semovente da 75/46</span> Tank destroyer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carro Armato Celere Sahariano</span> Italian medium tank prototype

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanks in the Italian Army</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">32nd Tank Regiment (Italy)</span> Italian Army tank unit

The 32nd Tank Regiment is a tank regiment of the Italian Army based in Tauriano in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The regiment is equipped with Ariete main battle tanks and assigned to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete". On 15 September 1936 the regiment was formed by the Royal Italian Army as 2nd Tank Infantry Regiment. On 1 December 1938, the regiment was reorganized and reformed as 32nd Tank Infantry Regiment and assigned to the II Armored Brigade. In January 1941, the regiment deployed to North Africa, where it fought in the Western Desert campaign in Libya and Egypt. In December 1941, the regiment was taken out of the front and its role taken over by the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">33rd Tank Regiment (Italy)</span> Italian Army tank unit

The 33rd Tank Regiment is an inactive tank regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in Ozzano dell'Emilia in the Emilia Romagna and last operationally assigned to the 132nd Armored Brigade "Ariete". The regiment was formed in November 1939 by the Royal Italian Army and assigned to the 133rd Armored Division "Littorio". The regiment participated in June 1940 in the Invasion of France and in April 1941 in the Invasion of Yugoslavia. In November 1941, the regiment was replaced by the 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment as the tank regiment of the 133rd Armored Division "Littorio". Afterwards the regiment trained tank and self-propelled gun units, until German forces disbanded the regiment after the Armistice of Cassibile was announced on 8 September 1943.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Italy's M13/40, M14/41 Medium Tanks". ewiivehicles.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
  2. ↑ Cappellano & Battistelli 2012, p. 67.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Falessi & Pafi 1976, p. 67.
  4. 1 2 Cappellano & Battistelli 2012, p. 46.
  5. 1 2 Pignato 2004, p. 41.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Carro Armato M13/40". www.militaryfactory.com. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kretaner (2021-05-10). "Carro Armato M14/41, M13/40". WW2 Weapons. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Carro Armato M13/40 (1940)". tanks-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  9. ↑ Cappellano & Battistelli 2012, p. 33.
  10. ↑ Pignato 2004, p. 35.
  11. ↑ Cappellano & Battistelli 2012, p. 35.
  12. ↑ Ze'ev Aner (1998). Stories of Kibbutzim. Ministry of Defense Publishing. ISBN   965-05-0946-1.
  13. ↑ Cappellano & Battistelli 2012, p. 35–38.
Bibliography

Further reading

  • Pignato, Nicola. Storia dei mezzi corazzati. Vol. II. Fratelli Fabbri Editori. p. 201.
  • Maraziti, Antonio (January 2005). "L'Ariete a Bir-El Gobi". Storia Militare (in Italian) (136). Albertelli edizioni: 4.
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