M14/41 tank

Carro armato M14/41
M14/41 in the Bovington Tank Museum
TypeMedium tank
Place of originKingdom of Italy
Service history
Used byKingdom of Italy
Italian Partisans (captured)
Nazi Germany
Australia (captured)
United Kingdom (captured)
WarsWorld War II
Italian Civil War
Production history
DesignerAnsaldo
ManufacturerAnsaldo
Produced1941–42
No. built744
VariantsCarro Comando Semovente M41, M14/41 Centro Radio (M14/41CR), Semovente Controcarro M41M
Specifications
Mass14.5 t (32,000 lb)
Length4.915 m (193.5 in)
Width2.280 m (89.8 in)
Height2.370 m (93.3 in)
Crew4 (commander/gunner, radio operator/machine gunner, loader, driver)
Armour
  • Front: 30 mm (1.2 in)
  • Sides/rear: 25 mm (0.98 in)
  • Floor/roof: 6–14 mm (0.24–0.55 in)
  • Turret front: 42 mm (1.7 in)
Main
armament
1 × 47 mm cannone da 47/32 AT gun
87 rounds
Secondary
armament
4 × 8 mm Breda mod. 38 machine guns (1 × coaxial, 1 × AA, 2 × in hull)
2,664 rounds
EngineSPA 8 TB M41 11,980 cc V8 diesel
145 hp (108 kW) at 1,900 rpm
SuspensionSemi-elliptic leaf springs
Ground clearance41 cm (16 in)
Operational
range
200 km (120 mi)
Maximum speed33 km/h (21 mph) on road

The M14/41 was a four-crew medium tank that served from 1941 in the Royal Italian Army. The official Italian designation was Carro Armato M14/41. It was an evolution of the previous M13/40 tank. The M14/41 was employed in the North African Campaign, fighting at El Alamein and in Tunisia.

History

Development

The M14/41 was a slightly improved version of the earlier M13/40 with a more powerful diesel engine. The M14/41 was manufactured in 1941 and 1942.

In combat

Italian Carro Armato M 15/42 tanks and semovente da 75/18 su scafo M 42 both of Disivione Ariete II, rgt. "Lancieri di Vittorio Emanuele II" (10°)), near Rome, end of September 1943.

Units

An M14/41 tank pressed into service by German forces pursues Yugoslavian partisans in the mountains of Bosnia, 1943.

The first unit to receive the M14/41 was the X Tank Battalion "M" of the 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment. The other units assigned the tank were the following:

Variants

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

The prototype Carro Armato Celere Sahariano was developed on the M 14/41 chassis in 1943.

M14/41 tank at Base Borden Military Museum

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Italian Partisans (1943-1945)". 16 April 2025.
  2. ↑ Cappellano, Filippo; Battistelli, Pier Paolo. Italian Medium Tanks (New Vanguard) (p. 67). Bloomsbury Publishing.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Falessi & Pafi 1976, p. 67.
  4. 1 2 Cappellano & Battistelli 2012, p. 46.
  5. ↑ David, B. "Carro Armato M14/41". tanks-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 Pignato 2004, p. 41.
  7. 1 2 Falessi & Pafi 1976, p. 74.
Bibliography