M14 / 41 ( Italian. Carro armato M14 / 41 , in the German classification Pz.Kpfw 736 (i)) - Italian light tank from the Second World War . In the Italian national classification of combat vehicles was considered a medium tank. The name of the tank M14 / 41 reflected the classification, the mass and the year of development of the machine - the letter M meant “average” of the corresponding adjective Medio in Italian, the digital index was decoded as a 14-ton tank mod. 1941 In the German service, they were designated as PzKpfw M14 / 41 736 (i) and were used not only in the Italian theater of operations, but also to suppress the Warsaw uprising in 1944.
| M14 / 41 | |
|---|---|
 Pz.Kpfw 736 (i), used by German troops during the Warsaw Uprising | |
| M14 / 41 | |
| Classification | Light tank |
| Combat weight, t | 14.3 |
| Layout scheme | classic |
| Crew , pers. | four |
| Story | |
| Manufacturer | Ansaldo |
| Years of production | 1941 - 1942 |
| Years of operation | 1941 - 1945 |
| Number issued, pcs. | 752 |
| Main operators |    |
| Dimensions | |
| Case length, mm | 4923 |
| Width, mm | 2200 |
| Height mm | 2375 |
| Booking | |
| Armor type | rolled steel |
| The forehead of the body, mm / deg. | 45 |
| Board of the case, mm / hail. | 25 |
| Body feed (top), mm / deg. | 25 |
| Bottom, mm | 14-18 |
| Roof of the case, mm | 15 |
| Front of the tower, mm / deg. | 45 |
| Mask guns , mm / hail. | 45 |
| Board turret, mm / deg. | thirty |
| Tower feed, mm / deg. | thirty |
| The roof of the tower, mm | 14 |
| Armament | |
| Caliber and brand gun | 47 mm type 47/32 |
| Gun type | tank |
| Barrel length, calibers | 32 |
| Ammunition guns | 87 |
| HV angles, deg. | −10… + 20 ° |
| Angles GN, hail. | 360 ° |
| Machine guns | 2 × Breda 38 |
| Mobility | |
| Engine type | V-shaped 8- cylinder four - cycle diesel liquid cooling SPA 15T |
| Engine power, l. with. | 145 |
| Speed on the highway, km / h | 32 |
| Cruising on the highway , km | 200 |
| Specific power, l. s./t | 10.1 |
| Suspension type | blocked, on balancers and semi-elliptical springs |
| Ground pressure, kg / cm² | 0.92 |
| Breakable wall, m | 0.8 |
| Overcoming ditch, m | 2.1 |
| Overcoming ford , m | 1.0 |
History
The combat use of M13 / 40 tanks in the desert conditions of North Africa revealed their essential shortcomings: the lack of special filters protecting the diesel from the sand, the diesel itself with clearly insufficient power, poor booking. The updated model M14 / 41 was supposed to eliminate these shortcomings. The first M14 / 41 tanks were manufactured in the summer of 1941 by installing new engines and upgraded units in M13 / 40 tanks. The new tanks, thanks to their almost complete identity to the previous version, were quickly mastered by the crews. By the second half of 1941, they began to arrive in units in return for M13 / 40. In some cases, both machines were operated together.
Despite the separate designation in the nomenclature of Italian armored vehicles, the M14 / 41 was more a modernized version of the M13 / 40 than a new car. In particular, the reservation and armament remained the same, but the power plant capacity was increased - the tank was set in motion by the FIAT SPA 15T diesel engine with a capacity of 145 liters. with. Compared with the M13 / 40, the new engine produced 20 liters. with. more, but the mobility characteristics of the machine remained unchanged. To improve the reliability of the power plant, the M14 / 41 received new air and fuel filters, better adapted for use in the North African theater of operations. Also, brackets for additional fuel canisters, mud guards on the drive wheels were introduced into the design, the shape of the grille changed somewhat.
The tank was produced in 1941 and 1942. Already at that time, the model was considered obsolete, which caused a limited release of the series. In total, about 800 cars were produced during this period. The tank was based on the same chassis as the M13 / 40, but with a more advanced and armed hull. In a number of countries, M14 / 41 was not a medium tank, but a light tank.
In 1942, the M14 / 41 entered the five tank battalions - the 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th, sent to Tunis in early 1943. These tanks were armed and the 18th Tank Battalion, who was on the island of Sardinia .
Combat use
For the first time a tank was used in the North African campaign . Here the car immediately showed its weaknesses: insecurity, crampedness (designed for 4 people), easy flammability when hit by the enemy's explosive charges. After this campaign, the operation of the M14 / 41 has almost completely ceased. However, for another couple of years, some of the captured vehicles were used in the allied forces of Great Britain and Australia .
They were almost powerless against the heavily armored Matilds and Valentines , but they could fight cruising British tanks. A small number of captured M14 / 41 for a short time was used by the British due to the acute shortage of their armored vehicles. With the beginning of the supply of Lend-Lease American tanks M3 "Stuart" and M3 "Grant" superiority as the material part of the British, and since November 1942 and the American troops became overwhelming
Machines based on M14 / 41
Semovente da 75/18
Light-weight self-propelled artillery , armed with a 75mm Obice da 75/18 cannon in a fully armored wheelhouse. Created in 1940. The M41 version was built on the chassis of the M14 / 41 tank from 1941 to 1942. In total, from 1941 to 1944, 467 units of all modifications were built.
Semovente da 75/34
An assault rifle on the M14 / 41 chassis , armed with a 75mm Model 75/34 cannon in a fully armored wheelhouse. Created in 1941 on the model of German StuG III . Released 222 units in 1942 - 1943 .
Semovente da 90/53
Tank chassis were used for more successful anti-tank ACS Semovente da 90/53.