Carro Armato M13/40 | |
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![]() M 13/40 at the El Alamein War Museum | |
Type | Medium tank |
Place of origin | Kingdom of Italy |
Service history | |
In service | 8 July 1940–1948 |
Used by | Kingdom of Italy Nazi Germany [1] Australia United Kingdom Kingdom of Egypt |
Wars | World War II 1948 Arab-Israeli War |
Production history | |
Designed | 26 October 1939 |
Manufacturer | Ansaldo |
Produced | July 1940 to late 1941 |
No. built | 740[2]) |
Variants | M14/41, M15/42 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 14 t (31,000 lb) |
Length | 4.915 m (16 ft 1.5 in)[3] |
Width | 2.280 m (7 ft 5.8 in)[4] |
Height | 2.370 m (7 ft 9.3 in)[4] |
Crew | 4 (commander, radio operator, gunner, driver) |
Armour | |
Main armament | 1 × 47 mm cannone da 47/32 anti-tank gun 104 rounds[5] |
Secondary armament | 4 × 8 mm Breda mod. 38 machine guns (1 × coaxial, 1 × AA, 2 × in hull) 2,808 rounds[5] |
Engine | SPA 8 T M40 11,140 cc V8 Diesel engine 125 hp (93 kW)[3] |
Suspension | Semi-elliptic leaf springs |
Ground clearance | 41 cm (16 in)[3] |
Operational range | 200 km (120 mi) |
Maximum speed | 31.8 km/h (19.8 mph) on road[3] |
The Carro Armato M13/40 was an Italian World War II tank designed to replace the M11/39 in the Royal Italian Army at the start of World War II.[6] It was the primary tank used by the Italians throughout the war. The design was influenced by the British Vickers 6-Ton and was based on the modified chassis of the earlier M11/39.[6] Production of the M11/39 was cut short in order to get the M13/40 into production.[6] The name refers to "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.