L6/40 tank
| Carro Armato L6/40 | |
|---|---|
 Restored L6/40 ofKubinka Tank Museum | |
| Type | Light tank |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1940–1944, postwar to the early 1950s |
| Used by | Italy Nazi Germany Italian Social Republic Independent State of Croatia |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ansaldo |
| Designed | 1939 |
| Manufacturer | Fiat |
| Produced | 1939–1944? |
| No.built | 419 (402 before the armistice and 17 afterwards)[1] |
| Variants | Command tank, flame tank, ammunition carrier, Semovente 47/32 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 6.8 tonnes (7.5short tons;6.7long tons) |
| Length | 3.78 m (12 ft 5 in) |
| Width | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) |
| Height | 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) |
| Crew | Two (commander/gunner and driver) |
| Armour | 6–40 mm (0.24–1.57 in) |
Main armament | 20 mmBreda 35with 296 rounds |
Secondary armament | 8 mmBreda 38machine gun with 1,560 rounds |
| Engine | SPA 1804,053 cc four-cylinder 70 hp (52 kW) |
| Suspension | Bogie |
Operational range | 200 km (120 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 42 km/h (26 mph) road |
TheL6/40was alight tankused by the Italian army from 1940 throughWorld War II.[2][3]It was designed byAnsaldoas an export product, and was adopted by the Italian Army when officials learned of the design and expressed interest.[3]It was the main tank employed by the Italian forces fighting on theEastern Frontalongside the L6/40-basedSemovente 47/32self-propelled gun. L6/40s were also used in theNorth African campaign.[3]
The official Italian designation wasCarro Armato( "armored vehicle", i.e. "tank" ) L6/40. This designation means: "L" forLeggero( "light" ), followed by the weight in tons (6) and the year of adoption (1940).
Design and development[edit]
The L6/40 was a conventional light tank design of riveted construction.[2]A one-man turret in the centre mounted a singleBreda Modello 3520 mm main gun and aBreda 388 mmcoaxialmachine gun.[3]The driver sat in the front right of the hull. The riveted armour was six to 40 mm in thickness, which was roughly equivalent to existing Allied light tanks.[2][3]
A further development of theL3/35light tank, the L6 went through a number of prototypes during the late 1930s. The first was armed with asponson-mounted 37 mm main gun and a machine-gun armed turret. A later version featured a turret mounted 37 mm gun and yet another version had only twin 8 mm machine guns.[4]Ultimately, the production configuration, namedCarro ArmatoL6/40, was put into production in 1939, with 419 finally produced.[2]
Variants[edit]
The L6 Lf (Lancia fiamme)flame tankvariant was developed in which the main gun was replaced by aflamethrowerwith 200 litres of fuel. A command-tank variant carried extra radio gear and had an open-topped turret.[4][2]
The most successful of the L6 variants was theSemovente 47/32,which eliminated the turret and substituted a 47 mm antitank gun in the open-topped hull.[4][2]
A final version late in the war was an ammunition carrier armed only with a single 8 mm Breda machine gun. It was used alongside theSemovente 90/53,carrying 26 extra 90 mm rounds, as the Semovente 90/53 itself could only carry eight rounds.[2]
Combat use[edit]
L6/40 light tanks were used by the Italians in theBalkans Campaign,inthe war against the Soviet Union,in the latter stages of theNorth African campaign,and in the defence ofSicilyandItaly.[3]
The L6/40 was the main tank employed by the Italian forces fighting on theEastern Front.The L6 fought alongside the L6/40-basedSemovente 47/32self-propelled gun.[2]
Although a good light tank for its size and an improvement over thetankettesthat were common within the Italian army, it was already obsolete by the time of its introduction.[4]The low silhouette of the vehicle (somewhat taller than the average man) made it useful for reconnaissance, and its armament was effective against any light vehicles it might encounter. However, due to a lack of a suitablemedium tank,it was often employed in a combat role for which it was unsuited.
The L6 was also used by the German Army.[5]In 1943, 26 Italian L6s were captured and used by theHrvatsko domobranstvoof theIndependent State of Croatia.[6] The L6/40 was used postwar by thePolizia di Statountil it was phased out during the early 1950s.[7]
Surviving examples[edit]
Three L6/40s survive: one is kept inLegnanonear the "Cadorna" barracks, one is in the inventory of theKubinka Tank Museum,and another is preserved in the Arms Museum in the castle ofGjirokastërinAlbania.[8][9]
The hull of an L/40 used inOperation Rösselsprung,is displayed as a war memorial inDrvarBosnia Herzegovina.[citation needed]
Extended specification[edit]
- Water fording: 0.8 m (2 ft 8 in)
- Gradient: 60%
- Vertical obstacle: 0.7 m (2 ft 4 in)
- Trench: 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)
- Elevation and Traverse: -12° to +20° through 360° of rotation
Photo Gallery[edit]
-
Fiat-Ansaldo L6/40 in 1940 -
An L6/40 with German markings passes German infantrymen inoccupied Albania,September 1943. -
L6/40 ammunition carrier.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Cappellano, Filippo; Battistelli, Pier Paolo. Italian Medium Tanks (New Vanguard) (p. 67). Bloomsbury Publishing.
- ^abcdefgh"FIAT-Ansaldo Carro Armato L6/40".tanks-encyclopedia.Retrieved7 December2021.
- ^abcdef"Carro Armato L6/40".militaryfactory.Retrieved7 December2021.
- ^abcdJackson, Robert (2010).101 great tanks.New York: Rosen Publishing. p. 33.ISBN978-1-4358-3595-5.
- ^Chamberlain, Peter; Doyle, Hilary; Jentz, Thomas L. (2004).Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two.Silverdale Books. p. 233.ISBN1-84509-012-8.
- ^Mahé, Yann (April 2011). "Le Blindorama: La Croatie, 1941 - 1945".Batailles & Blindés(in French). No. 42. Caraktère. pp. 4–7.ISSN1765-0828.
- ^Chant, Chris and Jones, RichardTanksZenith Imprint (2004),ISBN0760318719,p.94
- ^"Carro Armato L6/40 Light Tank".Preserved Tanks.Retrieved25 April2015.
- ^"CENSIMENTO DEI VEICOLI CORAZZATI STORICI IN ITALIA".Ferrea Mole(in Italian).Retrieved25 April2015.
- Bishop, Chris (ed.) 1998,The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II,Barnes & Noble, New York.ISBN0-7607-1022-8.
External links[edit]
- L6/40 Light Tanksat wwiivehicles
- L6/40at onwar