Carro Armato L6/40 | |
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![]() Restored L6/40 of Kubinka Tank Museum | |
Type | Light tank |
Place of origin | Italy |
Service history | |
In service | 1940–1944, postwar to the early 1950s |
Used by | Italy Nazi Germany Italian Social Republic Independent State of Croatia |
Wars | World War II |
Production history | |
Designer | Ansaldo |
Designed | 1939 |
Manufacturer | Fiat |
Produced | 1939–1944? |
No. built | 419 (402 before the armistice and 17 afterwards) [1] |
Variants | Command tank, flame tank, ammunition carrier, Semovente 47/32 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 6.8 tonnes (7.5 short tons; 6.7 long tons) |
Length | 3.78 m (12 ft 5 in) |
Width | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) |
Height | 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) |
Crew | Two (commander/gunner and driver) |
Armour | 6–40 mm (0.24–1.57 in) |
Main armament | 20 mm Breda 35 with 296 rounds |
Secondary armament | 8 mm Breda 38 machine gun with 1,560 rounds |
Engine | SPA 180 4,053 cc four-cylinder 70 hp (52 kW) |
Suspension | Bogie |
Operational range | 200 km (120 mi) |
Maximum speed | 42 km/h (26 mph) road |
The L6/40 was a light tank used by the Italian army from 1940 through World War II.[2][3] It was designed by Ansaldo as an export product, and was adopted by the Italian Army when officials learned of the design and expressed interest.[3] It was the main tank employed by the Italian forces fighting on the Eastern Front alongside the L6/40-based Semovente 47/32 self-propelled gun. L6/40s were also used in the North African campaign.[3]
The official Italian designation was Carro Armato ("armored vehicle", i.e. "tank") L6/40. This designation means: "L" for Leggero ("light"), followed by the weight in tons (6) and the year of adoption (1940).