| Carro Armato M15/42 | |
|---|---|
Carro Armato M15/42 on display at the Musée des Blindés in Saumur |
|
| Type | Medium Tank |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1943-1945 |
| Used by | Italy Italian Social Republic Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ansaldo |
| Designed | 1942 |
| Manufacturer | Fiat |
| Produced | 1 January 1943 - 8 September 1943 |
| Number built | 90 (made in Italy) and 28 (made in Germany) |
| Variants | M16/43 (canceled) |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 15.5 tonnes |
| Length | 4.92 m (16ft 2in) |
| Width | 2.20 m (7ft 2.5in) |
| Height | 2.40 m (7ft 10.49in) |
| Crew | 4 (Commander, Radioman, Driver, Gunner/Loader) |
|
|
|
| Armor | 30 mm frontal armour
16 mm side armour |
| Main armament |
47 mm / L40 gun 111 rounds |
| Secondary armament |
4 x 8 mm Breda 38 machine guns |
| Engine | SPA petrol 192 hp |
| Suspension | Two 4 wheel bogies, semi-elliptic leaf spring |
| Operational range |
200 km (124.2 miles) |
| Speed | 40 km/h (24.8 mph) |
The Carro Armato M15/42 was an Italian medium tank of World War II. Italy begun production on 1 January 1943. By mid 1943, Italy had made 90 of them prior to the Italian Armistice on 8 September 1943. In connection to that event, Italian formations from the 135th Armoured Division Ariete II fought against German troops moving to disarm them in Rome, M15/42s were among the tanks they used in this battle. After that point, Germany confiscated all remaining M15/42s. Under the Germans an additional 28 incomplete M15/42s were produced. Basic armament was one 47 mm / L40 main gun and four 8 mm Breda 38 machine guns. The official Italian designation was Carro Armato M 15/42. This includes the designation ("armored tank"), the tank classification ("M" for medium tank), the weight in tonnes (15), and the year of adoption (1942).
The M15/42 was developed from the M13/40 and the M14/41. It had a more powerful engine and air filters to cope with the harsh conditions of the desert.
The turret had an improved (compared to the 37 mm / L40 on the M13) 47 mm / L40 main gun with an elevation of +20 degrees and a depression of –10 degrees. The turret operated electrically and could traverse 360 degrees. On top of the turret was an 8 mm Breda 38 machine gun for anti-aircraft defense, two more co-axial machine guns mounted the sides of the main gun and two more in the front of the M15/42.
|
||||||||||||||||||||