Fiat M13/40

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Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40

M13/40 tank at the Base Borden Military Museum. The driver's vision hatch is missing from this vehicle.
Type Medium tank
Place of origin Flag of Italy Italy
Service history
In service 1940 - 1943
Used by Flag of Italy Italy
Flag of Australia Australia
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Wars World War II
Production history
Produced 1940 -
Variants M14/41, M15/42
Specifications
Weight 14 tonnes
Length 4.9 m (192.9 in)
Width 2.2 m (86.6 in)
Height 2.39 m (94.1 in)
Crew 4
Armor 42 mm
Primary
armament		 47 mm Cannone da 47/32 M35
104-87 shells
Secondary
armament		 3-4 x 8 mm Breda machine guns
Engine Fiat V8 diesel
125 hp
Suspension Leaf spring bogies
Operational
range		 200 km (120 mi)
Speed 32 km/h (20 mph) Road

The Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 was an Italian medium tank ("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), designed to replace the Fiat L3, the Fiat L6/40 and the Fiat M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II. The design was influenced by the British Vickers 6-Ton and was based on the modified chassis of the earlier Fiat M11/39. Indeed, M11/39 production was cut short in order to get the M13/40 into production. Although designated a medium tank, the M13/40 was close to contemporary light tanks in armor and firepower.

Contents

[edit] Specifications

The M13 was constructed of riveted steel plates as follows: 30 mm front (as M11), 42 on turret front (30 mm for M11), 25 mm on the sides (M11 had only 15 mm), only 6 mm bottom (that made it very vulnerable to mines) and 15 mm on top, (this was comparable to the German Panther). The crew were housed in a forward fighting compartment, with the engine in the rear and transmission in the front. The fighting compartment accommodated the crew of 4: driver and machine-gunner/radio operator in the hull, and gunner and commander 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. 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 125hp diesel engine. This was an innovation that many countries had yet to introduce. Diesel engines were the future for tanks, with lower cost, greater range and reduced danger of fire compared to gasoline-powered engines.

The tank's main armament was 47 mm gun. It could pierce about 45 mm of armor at 500m. This was sufficient to penetrate most of the British tanks it would face in combat. One hundred four rounds of armor-piercing and high explosive ammunition were carried. The M13 was also armed with three or four machine-guns: one coaxial with the main gun and two in the forward, frontal ball mount. A fourth machinegun was sometimes carried in a flexible mount on the turret roof for anti-aircraft use. Two periscopes were available for the gunner and commander, and a radio was also theoretically available as standard equipment.

[edit] Operational use

M13/40 at Bovington.
M13/40 at Bovington.

The M13/40 was used in the Greek campaign of 1941 and in the North African Campaign. The M13/40 was not used on the Eastern Front; Italian forces there were equipped only with Fiat L6/40s and Semovente 47/32s. Beginning in 1942, the Italian Army recognized the firepower weakness of the M13/40 series and employed Semovente 75/18 alongside the tanks in their tank battalions.

[edit] 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. They were sent to North Africa to fight the British. The first action were carried out by a special unit, the Babini brigade. Arriving too late to fight in the September offensive, this unit was ready the next December, for Operation Compass. Further action took place in Derna, where the V battalion, had just arrived. 13 tanks of III btg were also present near this position, at Bardia. In 2 days of fighting (3-4 January 1941), the Australians suffered 456 casualties, the Italians lost 45,000 men as captured. On 6-7 February, the British offensive penetrated so far that the Babini Brigade sought to open a breach in the British lines, allowing Italian troops to retreat along the Libyan coast. The action of this brigade was brave but ultimately unsuccessful and all the tanks were lost in this action. The last six surviving tanks entered a field, near the local British command post. They were destroyed one after another by a single 2pdr (37 mm) gun. Many tanks were lost in this campaign to artillery fire rather than tanks. A number of captured M11 and M13s were re-used by the Australians (in 6th Australian Division Cavalry Regiment) and the British (in 6th battalion, Royal Tank Regiment), until the spring of 1941, when their fuel ran out and they were destroyed. Italian losses during the campaign were 130,000 men as captured, 400 aircraft, 500 tanks (among them almost all the 72 M11s and at least 113 M13s), 1,000 artillery pieces and 1,500 vehicles.

The M13s also fought in Greece, in difficult terrain. Later, in April, 1941, M13s of the Ariete division took part in the Siege of Tobruk, with little success against the British Matilda tanks.

The first successful action for the M13 was the Battle of Bir-el Gobi, where, 17 months after the start of the war the Italians defeated a British force. The reasons for this success were many: the Ariete division had strong artillery and infantry support, the British attacked (with just an armoured brigade), not knowing that a whole armoured division was facing them and heavy rain had fallen, thus negating the chief advantage enjoyed by the British - the superior speed of their cruiser tanks. British losses were high, but not catastrophic, while the Italians lost many tanks and artillery pieces. The British tanks, after battling with artillery and then faced with the M13s, had to retreat.

Another contributory factor to the British defeat was the deployment of an Italian 102 mm coastal battery, mounted on old trucks, firing Semi-AP shells (they also had an anti-aircraft capability), the crews had no difficulties following tanks. They destroyed at least 15 tanks.

[edit] Later use in the desert war

In April 1941, at the time of the arrival of the Africa Corps, the Italians had around 240 M13 and M14 tanks in first line service. The appearance in mid-1942 of the Grant with a 75 mm gun, together with the Crusader III (armed with a 57 mm gun), proved decisive. The British also began deploying towed 57mm guns in their infantry units in 1942. This forced the Italians to use their artillery more and more, and caused them to equip at least one company in each tank battalion with more heavily-armed assault guns. 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 tanks even slower and added to maintenance problems.

The second Battle of El Alamein saw the first appearance of the M4 Sherman, while some 230 M13s were still in front line service. In several days of battle, the Ariete and Littorio divisions were used to cover the Axis retreat. The Centauro division was virtually destroyed fighting in Tunisia.

[edit] Strengths and weaknesses

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 tank. With a weight of 13 tons, it carried armour comparable to its opponents of 1940-41, and sufficient firepower to engage the British tanks of 1940-41. The main gun's HE round was useful against towed guns and infantry. The diesel engine was an advantage, and the simplicity of production suited the state of Italian industry.

However, the tank also had shortcomings: the engine gave good range, but reliability was a problem. The M13's engine was the same as the M11's but the newer tank was heavier which resulted in lower speed and more strain on the engine. The suspension and tracks were reliable enough, but resulted in relatively low speeds, not much better than infantry tanks like the Matilda. The armament was sufficient for 1940-41 but did not keep up with the increased armor 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.

Despite heavy attrition made by operations, the M13 were present in Italian war effort until the war's end.

[edit] Variants

The Fiat M14/41 was a variant of the same tank with a more powerful 145 hp engine and better air filters for operations in North Africa. The Semovente Commando M40 was an M13/40 tank with the turret replaced by a large multi-piece hatch. The hull housed additional radios and other communication devices. The M13/40 series was Italy's most-produced tank type of the war, including later variants such as the M14/41, with over 3,000 built. The last version was the M15/42 tank produced in 1943, with a better petrol engine and a longer 47/40 gun. The Semovente 75/18 self-propelled gun was built by utilizing the M13/40 or M14/41 chassis.

[edit] External links

[edit] Sources

  • Pignato, Nicola Storia dei mezzi corazzati, Fratelli Fabbri editore, 1976, II volume (pag.201)
  • Maraziti, Antonio L'Ariete a Bir-El Gobi, Storia militare n.136, jan 2005 (Albertelli edizioni), pag 4.


Italian armoured fighting vehicles of World War II
Light Tanks and Tankettes
L3/35 | Fiat L6/40
Medium Tanks
Fiat M11/39 | Fiat M13/40 | Fiat M14/41 | M15/42
Heavy Tanks
P40
Armoured Cars
AB 40 | AB 41 | Lince scout car
Self propelled guns
Semovente 47/32 | Semovente 75/18 | Semovente 75/34 | Semovente 90/53 | Semovente 105/25 | Semovente 149/40
Italian armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II