Semoventi

Semovente da 75/18 su scafo M. 41 (1942)

Weigth 13,200 tons Crew 3 Weapons Ansaldo 75mm L18 model 34 gun with 44 rounds, 1 8mm MG Breda model 38 with ??? rounds Armor hull 6-30mm (nose 30mm, sloped plate 25mm, front 30mm, sides 25mm, top 14mm, bottom 6mm, rear 25mm); super-structure 9-50mm (front 25mm+25mm, sides and rear 25mm, top 9mm) Engine 125hp diesel FIAT Spa 15T, 8-cylinders on V, liquid cooled Speed 35Km/h Autonomy 200Km Length (max) 4,91m Width 2,23m Height 1,85m

Advantages: good firepower, reasonable front armor, diesel engine

Disadvantages: weak overall armor although much better than that on the standard medium M tank, narrow tracks, low speed

Development

In 1941 there it was clear that the contemporary Italian designs need to be replaced from more modern ones or updated as soon as possible. The German had already succesfully tested the first exemplaries of Sturmgeschutz during the French campaign and this was seen as good starting point. Under Artillery Colonel Berlese several prototypes of assault guns were built making use of the standard M chassis.

In the same year Ansaldo industries prepared a model mounting the 75/18 howitzer on the M 13/40 hull. In January an order of 30 'Semovente da 75/18 su scafo M 40' tanks had already been laid. The following month, after succesfull tests of the prototypes, the order was doubled. The vehicle was of simple design but had good performances and, most importantly, made use of the existing production facilities. Other 120 exemplaries were built, most on the improved M 41 chassis, whose production started the same year.

A newcome in the war ...

Semovente da 75/18

In January 1942 a new arrive gained much interest and became very popular. It was the come of two battalions of Semoventi (assault guns), 75mm L18 howitzers mounted on M.13 chassis (later on M.14). The 16 Semoventi, along with 8 command tanks, were assigned to the 132ma Divisione Corazzata Ariete (132nd Ariete Armored Division) to equipe the divisional artillery regiment, 132nd Ariete Artillery Regiment. Despite their weak protection and low speed they became attractive because their gun was able to pierce a 50mm plate at 1,000 metres.

Captain Traniello, sent in Africa to inspect the results of the Italian armored vehicles witten in March 1942, after the Spring offensive in which the Axis retook Cyrenaica:

A successive report did make to note some defects, such as the impossibility of firing without maintaining the turret open; in addition, sometimes the shell case remained blocked in the cartridge case and a pile was needed to catch it out; the gunner could not open fire but only order to open fire.

Davide Beretta, Commander of the 1st Battery of the DLIV Gruppo Semoventi 75/18 (604th 75/18 Assault guns Group) of the 3rd Articelere "Duca D'Aosta" (Mechanized artillery regiment "Duke of Aosta"), describe this vehicle when his unit had just arrived in the African furnace:

The Semovente M.14/41 was a true war-machine which was able, with its 75mm howitzer, to gain respect by all the enemy "armored calibres" in action on the El Alamein front. Its magnificent elevation of 40 degrees, the rapid and precise fire and its remarkable range did provocate a comprehensible fear in the British armored units. The Semovente da 75/18 was 4,915 metres long e 2,200 meters large. Its weight, the crew included, was 13,100 metric tonst. It had a road autonomy of 200 Km and was able to travel for the desert for 10 consecutive hours, thanks to its big capcity fuel tanks. The maximum range of the gun was 8,000 metres with the 75mm AP shells. They weighted 6,303 Kg. The internal room hosted three artillery men whose jobs were of driving, radio-operating, loading, gunnery and firing. Semoventi da 75/18 belonging to the DLIV Gruppo Semoventi 75/18 The 75mm howitzer came out from its front armor from two semi-spherical shields of 50mm armor each, sliding one in the other to let the fire in direction and elevation. The recoil was a constant 35 cm. It had an horizontal firing sector of 40 degrees and a vertical one going from -12 degrees to +22 degrees. To override the narrow aiming sight the driver, with the engine started, had to rotate the entire tank. The life within the cramped cockpit, during the desert battle, was simply hell-like. The suppressing heat reached temperatures between the 50 and 60 celsius degrees; the breathed air was damnately filled with harmul gasses which expired form the case cartridge each time the gun fired and expelled its red-hot shell case. Unfaliling it struck the two gunners. By a logical reaction the crew, during the fight, opened the upper hatch, thinking to breath clean air; instead they swallowed, cosciently, the usual ration of red dust. Only the driver, blocked in the lower hull, had to resign himself to the internal hell-like heat and fire-dust smells. His only "relief" was the possibility to look at the battle as a spectator through the prismatic periscope.

Gruppi di artiglieria semovente and variants

A typical 1942 Semovente unit was based upon two batteries with eight tank each; in 1943 the papaer organization changed and included three batteries with six tanks each. Every Semovente group was usually flanked by a command section of four tanks with tele-meters and more powerful radios. These command Semoventi were a development of the standard M 13/40 command tank (a tank chassis without the turret) and were armed with two twin 8 mm Breda machine guns and an AA machine gun. A new model based on the 'carro comando M 41' was developed, replacing the twin MGs with a more powerful 13,2 mm Breda heavy machine gun. Following the same path, when assembly lines switched to M 15/42 the command vehicles took the designation of M 42: some were equipped with radios suitable to control local anti-aircraft defence.

Semovente comando su scafo M 41 with 13,2 heavy MG

In March 1943 it was clear that the M 15/42 was too far inferior too the contemporary enemy design. A stategic decision to leave all tanks production and concentrate only upon manufacturing new models of Semoventi was made. They replaced the M 15/42 in production and used the same hull. Other 200 tanks were based on this chassis and used the usual 75/18 howitzer, but two other modifications were already on their way.

The first was a new version of the chassis: lower, longer and wider and with a thicked (50 mm) armor. This new Semovente mounted the modified version of the standard Ansaldo 105mm howitzer: the prototype appeared in January 1943 and 454 exemplaries were ordered as 'Semoventi da 105/25 su scafo M 43' but was more commonly known as the 'Bassotto'. The first 30 reached the fighting units before the armistice and one group was assigned to the Ariete II and the other to the Centauro II divisions. They were the most powerful Italian armored vehicles.

Semovente da 105/25 Bassotto

A second variant was based upon the standard M 42 chassis and installed and longer barrelled gun: first a 75mm L32, experimentally mounted in M 41 chassis, and then an improved L34 without the recoil brakes. When the armistice broke out only one had been built. After this the Regio Esercito armored units were disbanded but two 'gruppi corazzati' (armored groups) continued to fight under the R.S.I.'s insignas using every model they found.

The Germans very much appreciated the Semoventi and during the occupation, Ansaldo continued to build tanks for the Wehrmacht. 55 Semoventi da 75/18 were manufactured and took the designation of 'Sturmgeschutz M 42 mit 75/18 (850)(i)', 79 exemplaires of the more recents as 'Sturmgeschutz M 42 mit 75/34 (850)(i)' e 91 of the bigger 'Sturmgeschutz M 43 mit 105/25 (853)(i)'. The Germans also take care in developing further an Italians plan to use the anti-aircraft 76mm 'Sturmgeschutz M 43 mit 75/46 (852)(i)' with a counteweight for the gun: 13 were built along with other 11 armed with the 75mm L34 designated as 'Sturmgeschutz M 43 mit 75/34 (851)(i)'.

A comparison between the standard Semovente da 75/18 (M 42) and the wider (and lower) Bassotto