M14/41 tank

The M 14/41 was a four-crew 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.

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 Italian Partisans (captured)[1] Nazi Germany Australia (captured) United Kingdom (captured)
Wars	World War II Italian Civil War
Production history
Designer	Ansaldo
Manufacturer	Ansaldo
Produced	1941–42
No. built	744 [2]
Variants	Carro Comando Semovente M41, M14/41 Centro Radio (M14/41CR), Semovente Controcarro M41M
Specifications
Mass	14.5 t (32,000 lb)
Length	4.915 m (193.5 in)[3]
Width	2.280 m (89.8 in)[4]
Height	2.370 m (93.3 in)[4]
Crew	4 (commander/gunner, radio operator/machine gunner, loader, driver)[5]
Armour	Front: 30 mm (1.2 in)[3] Sides/rear: 25 mm (0.98 in)[3] Floor/roof: 6–14 mm (0.24–0.55 in)[3] Turret front: 42 mm (1.7 in)
Main armament	1 × 47 mm cannone da 47/32 AT gun 87 rounds[6]
Secondary armament	4 × 8 mm Breda mod. 38 machine guns (1 × coaxial, 1 × AA, 2 × in hull) 2,664 rounds[6]
Engine	SPA 8 TB M41 11,980 cc V8 diesel 145 hp (108 kW) at 1,900 rpm[7]
Suspension	Semi-elliptic leaf springs
Ground clearance	41 cm (16 in)[3]
Operational range	200 km (120 mi)
Maximum speed	33 km/h (21 mph) on road[7]

History

Development

The M 14/41 was a slightly improved version of the earlier M 13/40 with a more powerful diesel engine. The M 14/41 was manufactured in 1941 and 1942.

In combat

Italian M 14/41 tanks in depot, 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:

• IV Tank Battalion "M", 31st Tank Infantry Regiment (later transferred to the 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment)
• X Tank Battalion "M", 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment (later transferred to the 132nd Tank Infantry Regiment)
• XII Tank Battalion "M", 31st Tank Infantry Regiment (later transferred to the 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment)
• XIV Tank Battalion "M", 31st Tank Infantry Regiment
• XV Tank Battalion "M", 1st Infantry Division "Superga"
• XVI Mixed Tank Battalion, in Sardinia
• XVII Tank Battalion "M", 31st Tank Infantry Regiment
• XVIII Tank Battalion "M", reserve unit based in Italy, disbanded 8 September 1943
• LI Tank Battalion "M", 31st Tank Infantry Regiment (later transferred to the 133rd Tank Infantry Regiment)

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.