Fiat M14/41

Carro armato M. 14/41

M 14/41 in the Bovington Tank Museum
Type Medium tank
Place of origin Kingdom of Italy
Service history
Used by Kingdom of Italy
Nazi Germany
Australia
United Kingdom
Wars World War II
Production history
Manufacturer Fiat-Ansaldo
Produced 1941–42
No. built 800
Specifications
Weight 14.5 t (32,000 lb)
Length 4.915 m (193.5 in)[1]
Width 2.280 m (89.8 in)[2]
Height 2.370 m (93.3 in)[2]
Crew 4 (commander/radio operator, gunner, driver)
Armour
  • Front: 30 mm (1.2 in)[1]
  • Sides/rear: 25 mm (0.98 in)[1]
  • Floor/roof: 6–14 mm (0.24–0.55 in)[1]
  • Turret front: 42 mm (1.7 in)
Main
armament
 1 × 47 mm cannone da 47/32 AT gun
87 rounds[3]
Secondary
armament
 4 × 8 mm Breda mod. 38 machine guns (1 × coaxial, 1 × AA, 2 × in hull)
2,664 rounds[3]
Engine SPA 15 T M41 11,140 cc V8 diesel
145 hp (108 kW) at 1,900 rpm[4]
Suspension Semi-elliptic leaf springs
Ground clearance 41 cm (16 in)[1]
Operational
range
 200 km (120 mi)
Speed 33 km/h (21 mph) on road[4]

The Fiat M 14/41 was a four-person 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.

History

Development

The M 14/41 was a slightly improved version of the earlier M 13/40 with a more powerful diesel engine. It was produced in limited numbers as it was already considered obsolete by the time of its introduction. The M 14/41 used the same chassis as the M13/40 but with a redesigned hull with better armour. The M 14/41 was manufactured in 1941 and 1942. Nearly 800 had been produced by the time production ended.

In combat

Italian M 14/41 tanks in depot, September 1943.

The tank was first employed in the North African Campaign where its shortcomings quickly became apparent. The vehicle was unreliable and cramped, and caught fire easily when hit. Following the withdrawal of Italian forces from North Africa the M14/41 was rarely encountered, though many captured vehicles were pressed into service by British and Australian forces to fill the serious shortage of Allied tanks in 1941. These vehicles did not remain in Allied service for long.

Variants

The M 14/41 chassis served as the basis for the far more successful Semovente da 90/53 tank destroyer.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Falessi and Pafi 1976, p. 67.
  2. 1 2 Cappellano and Battistelli 2012, p. 46.
  3. 1 2 Pignato 2004, p. 41.
  4. 1 2 Falessi and Pafi 1976, p. 74.
Bibliography
  • Falessi, Cesare; Pafi, Benedetto (1976). Veicoli da Combattimento dell'Esercito Italiano dal 1939 al 1945. Intyrama books. 
  • Cappellano, F.; Battistelli, P. P. (2012). Italian medium tanks, 1939–45. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781849087759. 
  • Pignato, Nicola (2004). Italian Armored Vehicles of World War Two. Squadron/Signal publications. ISBN 0-89747-475-9. 
  • Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armored Fighting Vehicles. New York, NY: Amber Books. p. 29. ISBN 0-7607-1260-3. 
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