- Yes
- No
History.
After the Italian armistice of 8 September 1943, Northern Italy was occupied by Reich forces and a puppet nation, the Italian Social Republic, was established. the Reich had extensive control over Italian industries, and among this control there was also the possibility of telling companies what to produce. On the subject of armored vehicles, one of the tanks that the Germans liked most was the Semovente 105/25 M.43 and its “descendant” the Semovente 75/46 M43. To make up for the lack of armor of the Semovente da 105/25, the Germans ordered a reinforced hull from Ansaldo which was called the M42T (Tedesco) [German] and which differed from the original M42 hull by the addition of a plate inclined at 25° and spaced by 25 mm of steel. The hull was liked and was also used for other vehicles such as the 75/34 M43 Semovente, but that is not the vehicle we are talking about.
Returning to the original self-propelled gun, the Germans put a 105/25 cannon on an M42T hull and tested it, but unfortunately the fate of the vehicle is unknown. It was probably simply scrapped or recycled because the vehicle was too heavy (the hull was already heavy enough in itself, and the addition of the 105 mm cannon and ammo brought the overall weight of the vehicle to exceed 16 tons).
Armaments and propulsion.
The self-propelled gun was armed with an Ansaldo 105/25 SF cannon which could fire HE, APCT, EP and EPS ammunition, i.e. those which (almost all) are present in the 105/25 self-propelled gun already present in the game. The gun elevation remained the same, but the traverse was reduced due to the presence of the 25 mm spaced plate.
The tank used a FIAT-SPA 15TB Model 1943 engine, but it is not certain whether it was actually a new engine or just a writing error in transcribing the name of the original engine, the FIAT-SPA 15TB Model 1942. It drove forward the tank with a 5-speed forward and one reverse gear transmission. The engine system allowed the vehicle to achieve performances similar to those of the Semovente da 105/25 M43, but they were maybe a lot inferior due to the hull weighed down by the additional armour.
Specification.
Spoiler
Size (L-W-H): 5.97 x 2.42 x 1.74 m
Weight: around 16 tonnes
Crew: 3
Engine: FIAT-SPA 15TB petrol, 190 hp at 2,400 rpm
Maximum speed: around 38 km/h (probably less)
Armament: 1x Cannone da 105/25 Modello SF
Elevation: -10°/+18°
Ammo rack: 24 rounds
Armour: 75 mm + 25 mm front, 45 mm + 25 mm sides and 45 mm rear
Pictures and drawnings.
Spoiler
Yes, only two pics existing.
Sources.
