WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THIS?

By 1937, the designers of the Fiat-Ansaldo industrial tandem were well aware the disgraceful L3/35 tankettes (see this) were obsolescent, even though the plants were still churning them out. By September, 1938, they came up with a prototype of a new light tank.

The Italian Army authorities refused it, because they wanted a "mountain tank". Coming in around a meager 6 tons, this seemed too heavy. Attempts were made to find a foreign buyer, but by early 1940 it became clear that beggars couldn't be choosers, and some 450 vehicles were ordered. The first deliveries took place in spring, 1941.

The tank was armed with the proven 20mm Breda autocannon Mod. 35, i.e., a very light gun. Its armor, as to quality, was probably slightly better than the poor plates used for the M13/40; this did not change the fact that it was thin: 30mm for the hull front, 40mm for the turret front and gun mantle.

Thus, the L6/40 couldn't be used as a main battle tank. It could be used for recon, but it wasn't particularly fast. Also, it had a two-man crew, a situation that always overworked the commander, as in most French tanks. If he was to look around and spot the enemy, he couldn't take care of the gun, and he could scarcely keep in touch with other tanks and issue orders to his driver at the same time. In other words, the L6/40 was a vehicle of limited usefulness. Of course it was used all the same (see below).

The driver sits in the Body, while the commander's station is half in the Body and half in the Turret. The commander mans the gun and rotates the turret by hand; traverse is about 5° per second. It is important to note that the ammo came in 8-round plates; once a plate was over, the commander needed about 3 seconds to be ready to resume fire. The engine consumes 2.3 gallons per hour. The loadout costs $111.60.

CARRO ARMATO L6/40 (Fiat-Ansaldo)

Subassemblies: Very Small Tank Chassis +2; Medium Weapon Turret, full rotation, [Body:T] +1; Tracks +2.

Powertrain: 52-kW standard gasoline engine with 52-kW tracked transmission, 44-gallon standard tank, 8,000-kWs batteries.

Occ: 1 CS Body, 1 CS half in Body, half in Tur  Cargo: 3.1 Body  1.5 Tur

Armor       F                   RL             B                T                 U

Body          4/95              4/50           4/50           4/20             4/50

Tracks        4/30              4/30           4/30           4/30             4/30

Tur             4/125            4/50           4/50           4/20             -

Weaponry

20mm Long Ground Autocannon/Breda-SAFAT Mod. 35 [Tur F] (256 rounds)*

8mm Ground LMG/Breda Mod. 38 [Tur F] (1,560 rounds)*

* Linked

Equipment

Body: Small radio receiver and transmitter.

Statistics

Size: 13'x6'x7'  Payload: 0.5 tons                    Lwt: 6.9 tons

Volume: 37       Maint: 91 hours                       Cost: $4,900

HT: 12             HPs: 800 Body, 270 each Track, 75 Tur.

gSpeed: 26       gAccel: 2        gDecel: 20        gMR: 0.25        gSR: 4

Ground Pressure Very Low. 4/5 Off-Road Speed.

Design Notes

As designed, the tank is 8% heavier than in reality, but spot on as to speed. The historical weight is given above.

The figures concerning ammo were rounded for simplicity.

Variants

CARRO L6/40 CENTRO RADIO: this was used as a company and battalion command vehicle; it carried an additional medium-ranged radio. Cost + $16.50.

CARRO L6/40 LANCIAFIAMME: a puny number of these prototypes was built in December, 1941; they probably never saw combat. It replaced the 20mm autocannon with a standard flamethrower, carrying 30 shots. Weight approximately the same, Cost $4,800, empty space in the Body is 1.1, in the Turret 2.4. The loadout costs $121.60.

CARRO L6/40 TRASPORTO MUNIZIONI: 30 of these light tanks were modified, and served as ammo carriers for the 30 90L53 Semoventi (a special vehicle, equipped with the 90mm AA gun in a shielded mount). The carrier was a turretless, radioless vehicle; it had a Breda Mod. 38 8mm MG in a shielded limited-rotation open mount, for AA purposes, and no other armament. Two men manned it, a driver and a MG gunner. The vehicle carried 24 or 26 90mm rounds, and towed a wheeled, lightly armored trailer with 40 rounds more.

The most important variant was the Semovente 47 (see below).

The Vehicle in the Field

Given the problems highlighted above, a sizable proportion of the overall production was converted into the Semovente 47, with a totally different task. The remaining vehicles were assigned to Bersaglieri and cavalry units, and employed for whatever task was at hand, disregarding suitability. Of course, when facing serious enemy armor, the L6/40 did not stand much of a chance. The cavalry used it in recon outfits, but mixed together with the excellent AB40/41 armored cars, which did the real job, while the light tanks just added some more muscle - relatively speaking.

The 67th Armored Bersaglieri Battalion (with the 3rd Celere Division) had some 55 L6/40s in Russia. In Africa, a few took part to the El Alamein battles with the 3rd Novara Group, and a few more were present throughout the Tunisian campaign, serving with the Armored Reconnaissance Group Lodi. This was an especially interesting cavalry unit: its first battalion had an AB41 squadron, an L6/40 squadron and a motorcycle squadron, all for recon purposes; the second battalion had an AT squadron using Semoventi 47 and an AA squadron with 20mm autocannons in portee mounts on assorted light trucks. The Group served with distinction in Tunisia, even though there it soon became a holding unit for assorted, understrength light armored units of cavalry and PAI (African Italian Police).

After September, 1943, the Germans used a few L6/40s in Italy, and the RSI troops employed them in anti-partisan operations.

583 L6/40s had been initially ordered, then reduced to 444. By April, 1943, 400 of them had been delivered, but possibly as many as 300 had been converted to the Semovente 47 or other variants. As to the Semoventi, 460 were ordered, and by mid-1943, 282 had been delivered.

 

SEMOVENTE 47mmL32 (SU SCAFO L6/40) (Fiat-Ansaldo)

The main variant of the L6/40 light tank was this "Semovente". Literally, that means "self-propelled", a term of the Italian military jargon applicable to all the vehicles that the Germans would distinguish as assault guns, self-propelled artillery, and tank hunters. This is a case of the latter, and the vehicle sported the typical Italian anti-tank gun, the 47mmL32 OTO Mod. 35/38.

The driver sits in the Body, while the commander's and gunner's stations are half in the Body, half in the Superstructure. The engine consumes 2.3 gallons per hour. A standard loadout had 37 AP and 33 HE rounds, but crews often carried more AP. Anyway, such a standard loadout costs $301.85 including fuel.

Subassemblies: Very Small Tank Chassis +2; Medium Weapon Superstructure, [Body:T] +1; Tracks +2.

Powertrain: 52-kW standard gasoline engine with 52-kW tracked transmission, 44-gallon standard tank, 8,000-kWs batteries.

Occ: 1 CS Body, 2 CS half in Body, half in Tur  Cargo: 1.4 Body  0 Sup

Armor       F                   RL             B                T                 U

Body          4/95              4/50           4/50           4/20             4/50

Tracks        4/30              4/30           4/30           4/30             4/30

Sup            4/95              4/50           4/50           1/2C            -

Weaponry

47mm Short Tank Gun/OTO Mod. 35/38 [Sup F] (70 rounds)

Note: the crew should also have been provided with two Beretta Mod. 38A SMGs for close defense (p. W92), with 1,480 rounds. It is likely they just got one; still an interesting weapon in the hands of a determined tanker.

Equipment

None.

Statistics

Size: 13'x6'x6'  Payload: 0.7 tons                    Lwt: 7.0 tons

Volume: 37       Maint: 91 hours                       Cost: $4,800

HT: 12             HPs: 800 Body, 270 each Track, 75 Sup.

gSpeed: 26       gAccel: 2        gDecel: 20        gMR: 0.25        gSR: 4

Ground Pressure Very Low. 4/5 Off-Road Speed.

Design Notes

The vehicle comes in some 8% heavier than in reality, the real figure is given above.

The Semovente 47 was incredibly crowded with its three crewmen; two stations were assigned just 4 VSPs, which means the men have to get out to swap places.

The Superstructure Top could be covered with canvas, or left open. Since the crewmen were completely shielded by armor on all other sides, the crew station with ragtop option (more suitable, for instance, for a jeep's stations, where the occupants are halfway out of the vehicle, actually) was not used. Instead, a "cloth armor" option was used, even though this had been originally designed for aircraft chassis (p. W121).

Variants

The platoon command vehicle had a small radio and just 49 rounds. The company command vehicle had a medium radio and no gun; this was replaced by an 8mm MG. Its barrel was placed inside a hollow pipe, simulating a cannon. This gave the company commander some more room for his command and control tasks. A final version added light armor plates for the top; they could be opened and also removed, and they have PD3, DR10 (roughly). The ragtop option was still present. This version carried 24 rounds more.

The Vehicle in the Field

The Semovente 47 had been designed to give the 47mm ATG some mobility and protection, and also to make the best of a bad job - i.e., the original light tank. It was the Italian counterpart to the PzJgI (actually it was better). In particular, it was meant for the AT batteries of the Bersaglieri regiments, i.e., for the motorized infantry, especially those employed with the armored divisions.

In practice, the cavalry sometimes used the vehicle together with the L6/40, and almost interchangeably with it. Alternatively, independent anti-tank battalions were also outfitted with Semoventi 47 only, and some of these served in Tunisia, Sicily, and Russia (where the 13th Armored Group had the Semoventi).

These independent outfits (coming into existence in 1942) are an interesting choice for Italian soldiers who still have some fight in them. The platoons had four Semoventi (one of them a platoon command vehicle, see above). The company had two such platoons, plus one company command Semovente, and a maintenance detachment which included a reserve vehicle and a couple of heavy trucks (one with a tank-carrying trailer). The battalion had two or three of these companies, plus another maintenance squad, a medical staff, and a small HQ with an additional Semovente.

In Sicily, three of these battalions operated. Two of them, already understrenght to start with, were penny-packed with the puny mobile reaction forces, to little avail. The 4th Battalion (integral to the Livorno Infantry Division), instead, fought as a whole, and supported by a Bersaglieri Motorcycle Company it defeated elements of the British 3rd Commando on July 14th, 1943, in a battle for a bridge.

After the armistice, the Germans commandeered about 80 vehicles, and a few served with the RSI troops.

 

Sources:

Atlante mondiale dei mezzi corazzati - 2: I carri dell'Asse, by Nicola Pignato

Guida ai carri armati, by Benvenuti and Miglia

I corazzati italiani della seconda guerra mondiale, by Paolo Cazzani

 

- written by Michele Armellini (miarmel@tin.it)

 

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