Semovente da 75/18 M42, the unwanted successor.

ImportantSimone5 · May 5, 2024, 7:40pm

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Semovente da 75/18 M42.

History.

The 75/18 self-propelled gun was the most famous Italian self-propelled anti-tank gun of the Second World War. After observing the results obtained by the Germans with the Sturmgeschütz III, the Italian leaders decided to produce similar vehicles armed with 75 mm pieces. The choice fell on the “new” Ansaldo 75/18 Mod.34/35 piece, and the tank was built by Ansaldo itself (in collaboration with Fiat) on a hull of the M13/40 medium tank. As the Italian tanks evolved, so did the self-propelled guns, and over time the last Italian medium tank, known as the M15/42, was created. Also on this hull was built a self-propelled gun armed with the same cannon as the previous ones, and was called Semovente da 75/18 M42. The first examples were delivered to the army starting from 8 May 1943, but few of these vehicles were built, and even fewer used in battle. The few available were used during the desperate defense of Rome against the German troops after 8 September 1943, while the others were not used due to the armistice clauses or were destroyed by the crews themselves to avoid capture. Some examples were produced or repaired by the RSI industries and at least one of these vehicles was put into service by the Italian partisans during the Turin insurrection. Furthermore, some examples were captured and used by the Germans with some small modifications to the secondary armament and radio equipment. After the end of the conflict, 12 of these surviving self-propelled guns were re-classified into the departments of the newly formed Italian Army and were used until their replacement in the early 1960s. Some of these vehicles were placed in museums or memorials.

Armaments and propulsion.

The main armament consisted of the 75/18 Mod. 1934/1935 howitzer placed in a casemate in the center of the tank, coupled with an 8 mm Breda Model 38 machine gun, placed in the usual position in which it was also placed in previous self-propelled guns. For the cannon, 44 ammunition of various types were stowed and for the machine gun up to 1104 rounds in 24-round magazines.
The Semovente was powered by a FIAT-SPA T15B V8 petrol water-cooled 190hp with 307 liters gasoline tank. It was mounted at the rear of the vehicle and was separated from the passenger compartment by a bulkhead (and since the engine was petrol, there was greater fire prevention equipment). The 5-speed gearbox, one backward and 4 forward.

Specifications.

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Crew: 3
Length: 5,043 m
Width: 2,23 m
Height: 1,85 m
Weight: 15 t
Engine: FIAT-SPA T15B with 190 HP
Maximum speed: 39 km/h
Traction: tracked with front driving wheel
Suspensions: leaf spring
Autonomy: 200 km or 380 km with 6 20-liter jerry cans
Armament: 1x Ansaldo 75/18 Mod.34/35 (44 rounds in normal conditions), 1x Breda Mod.38 8 mm (46 magazines) and 1x Nebelkerzenabwurfvorrichtung grenade launcher placed in the rear of the tank (5 smoke bombs)
Armor: 50-0 mm (unlike previous models, this one has a single 50mm faceplate)

Pictures and drawnings.

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