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Carro Armato M15/42
M15-42-Saumur.0004yfcp
Carro Armato M15/42 on display at the Musée des Blindés in Saumur
Type Medium Tank
Place of origin Italy Italy
Service history
In service 1943-1945
Used by Italy Italy
War flag of the Italian Social Republic Italian Social Republic
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
Wars World War II
Production history
Designer Ansaldo
Designed 1942
Manufacturer Fiat
Produced 1 January 1943 - 8 September 1943
No. built 90 (made for Italian Army) and 28 (made for German Army)
Variants M16/43 (canceled)
Specifications
Mass 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

50 mm frontal armour

42 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)
Maximum 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 47 mm / L32 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.

The Semovente 75/34 self-propelled gun used the same chassis as the M15/42.

External links[]


All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at M15/42 tank and the edit history here.
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