Carro Armato M13/40

Fiat-Ansaldo designed this 13-ton medium tank (“carro armato medio”) to replace the Carro Armato M11/39. The firm built 740 units from mid-1940 to late 1941 and they served Italy throughout WWII. The type was evolved from the inadequate M11/39, which itself was based on a British Vickers design of the late 1920s. Early in the war, the tank's 47 mm main gun was superior to most Allied tanks, and Italy used this vehicle to good effect in North Africa and during the Greek campaign. In mid-1941, however, its relatively weak firepower, lack of radios, and some mechanical shortcomings precluded its service on the Eastern Front. Particuarly early in the war, Italian tank crews also tended to lack sufficient training, further hampering the vehicle's effectiveness. A crew of four operated the vehicle, and it had a top speed of 20 mph. It carried one 47 mm cannone da 47/32 AT gun (L/32) in a fully-rotating main turret, and four 8 mm Breda mod. 38 machine guns (one coaxial; one in an anti-aircraft mount; two in the hull).