tanks/vehicles Semovente L 40 da 47/32

[pieve 3,578]

                    Italy

Semovente L 40 da 47/32

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Development and Production

In the late 1930s, the Regio Esercito wanted to make its standard anti-tank artillery piece, the 47/32 mobile machine gun, to bring fire support near the Bersaglieri and Cavalry units on the front line. At the beginning of World War II, this Austrian weapon showed satisfactory performances: a penetration of 43mm at 500m, great precision and low weight. It was, however, deprived of shield, which exposed its servants and did not lend itself to mechanical traction.

 

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Bersaglieri serving a 47/32 mod.39 weapon in Tunisia.

The 47/32 weapon was the most common anti-tank and infantry artillery piece in the Italian army during World War II. If it was well adapted to this role early in the conflict, the rapid evolution of the tanks quickly made it obsolete.

 

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A weapon of Austrian origin

The 47/32 weapon was designed by the Austrian company Gebr. Böhler & Co A.G. of Vienna under the name Infanterie-geschütze M.35. It was adopted by Regio Esercito in 1935 to replace the 65/17 weapon considered heavy and too heavy for the needs of the infantry. Böhler's piece, meanwhile, has accumulated the strengths: lightweight, small, detachable, therefore easily transportable on difficult terrain, with great precision in the direct cross-over shot of more than 1000m, all of which made it one of the best anti-tank weapons of the time. With her 40mm punch ability, she was able to knock down any armor.

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Böhler model of the 47/32 gun completely disassembled.

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Infantaria-geschütze M.35 Böhler tested in Italy.

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Model of Böhler in firing position in May 1935.

 

A Böhler piece was bought and tested in Italy in 1935. It was characterized by its wheels with tires, the presence of protective shields for the teams to put in place when the barrel was on the battery and on the forehead of a driver. ammunition. The version adopted by the Esercito was distinguished among others by its wheels with steel rims with semi-pneumatic tires. In 1939, a new version was introduced: the modifications were made to the fire, equipped with an elongate chamber and a simplified fixation system to facilitate their replacement, and the suspensions, reinforced, to allow the mechanized traction of the room. In the 47/32 mod.39 cannons, the steel wheels were gradually replaced by those in elektron (magnesium alloy) circled with a Celerflex semi-pneumatic tire. On the eve of the war, at 43 ° rgt.art. of Div. Sirte experimented with a system to pull the bar behind an OCI 708 CM track tractor, allowing 90 ° turns without damaging the whole. Despite this test, and others of the same type, the mechanized traction of the 47/32 mod.39 was banned by a circular from September 1942, the experience of warfare demonstrating the weaknesses of the lookout.

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47/32 mod.35 cannon in road position in May 1936.

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47/32 weapon in firing position with independent shields for the protection of the servants, October 1937.

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47/32 weapon in firing position with independent shields for the protection of the crew and a box of ammunition, October 1937.

 

The various prototypes presented by Ansaldo in 1940 and 1941 to increase room mobility and employee protection were all rejected by DSSTAM. A letter from the Ispettorato d'Artiglieria dated October 1941 mentions the realization of a two-part shield to fix on the lookout once the barrel on the battery to avoid damaging the suspensions during transportation. However, no shield was adopted in the field for the 47/32 weapon.

 

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Experimental model with transverse blade springs to reinforce the suspension.

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Ansaldo prototype of August 1941 with a new guard protected by a shell in two elements.

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 Experimental model proposed by Breda with a shield.

The 47/32 weapon was produced under license by many arsenals and factories in Italy: Breda, which built 795 copies in the first 11 months of 1941, Cogne-Sasib, AREP (400 weapons and 500 weapons between 1940 and 1943), ARET (500 carriages), AREN (55 fire hydrants), CEMSA and Ansaldo Pozzuoli factory (1302 pieces until June 1943). In April 1940, 1015 pieces of 47/32 were produced, while 2802 were in order. During the first months of 1942, the monthly production capacity reached 225 pieces, in addition to 140 armored vehicle guns produced by the Ansaldo factory in Genoa. As of December 31, 1942, 1962 weapons of 47/32 mod.39 had come out of the arsenals and 636 were still in charge. In addition to the production of national companies, the Regio Esercito received 276 Austrian Bölher and Dutch K.36 pieces supplied by the Germans. Dutch 47/32 The guns were distinguished from the other by the presence of a mouth brake, more powerful ammunition and a carriage changed by the firm Daf, with tire and a suspension system, allowing the mechanized traction torsion bars. The 47/32 weapon was exported to China, Romania, Finland and Spain, which delivered 44 copies to Yugoslavia in December 1940.

 

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Alignment of 47/32 mod.35 weapons during a review of the authorities.

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Infantry officers posing in front of a 47/32 weapon of mod.35.

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K.n.36 cannon of Dutch production preserved at the Museum of Artillery of Turin.

 

Technical description
The one-piece hydrant with striped core had a prismatic chamber. The screw was manipulated by a crank whose rotational movement was transformed into rectilinear motion by a connecting rod. The barrel had three safeguards: a manual that blocked the fire, an automatic that prevented the percussion if the breech was not fully closed and prevented the shot when the gun was not perfectly connected to the toboggan.

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Mouth mod.39.

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Barre of 47/32 mod.39 preserved in the memory park in Bergamo.

 

The lookout consisted of the slide attached to the gun, the cradle, the two-armed crash, and the wheels. The slide was slightly tilted relative to the axis of the cradle, so as to generate a downward pointing component, which reinforced the stability of the weapon during firing. The guide cradle contained the hydraulic reverse brake and the spring recuperator. He also lodged the toothed sector of the pointed height. The weapon was equipped with a recoil adjustment system, which automatically reduced the recoil stroke when the increase increased. The double boom consisted of a fixed part and two movable arms, removable for transport. The fixed part received the sniper and pointer seats as well as the spindle blade springs.

 

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Detail of Trento 47/32 mod.39 barrel detail.

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Steering wheel at 47/32 of Trento.

A first attempt to "motorize" the 47/32 was presented by the company Breda with a prototype based on a L 3/35 chassis. This first semivent, which offered only very limited protection to the crew, was quickly abandoned.
From January 1941, Ansaldo studied a semovente project, this time based on the new light tank L 6/40. His prototype was presented to the CSM on May 10, 1941. Initially, the upper part of the case was closed by an armored ceiling equipped with two panels for crew access and a periscope. However, as no evacuation system was planned, the screened ceiling was removed.

 

 

 

The prototype of the semi-solid L 40 at the Ansaldo Fossati factory.

 

The prototype in the CSM in its original configuration, the casemate closed by an armored roof perforated by two panels.

The prototype after the removal of the armored roof.

Profile view of the prototype after the removal of the armored roof.

 

The production was entrusted to the Fiat-SPA factory in Turin. Initially, 283 copies of Semovente L 40 were ordered to replace so many L 6/40 tanks, which are considered obsolete. The order was increased to 460 copies in May 1943, well below the hopes of the army that wanted to replace the 1960s firearms on the front line.

Production began in January 1942, reaching a monthly rate of 30 machines in April, reduced to 25 in June and 13 at the end of the year. By May 1943, 282 L 40s Semovente had left the production lines. On the eve of the armistice of September 1943, a total of 320 copies were delivered.

 

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Locate the assembly station on the Semovente L 40 assembly line at the Turin SPA factory on October 7, 1942.

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Semovente L 40, awaiting delivery at the SPA factory.

 

Technical description

The Semovente L 40 was built on a body almost identical to that of L 6/40. He also shared the same propulsion and the same landing gear as the tank.

His main armament, the 47/32 machine gun, was mounted to the left of a redesigned casemate to accommodate it with its sights and its pedal controls. The weapon had a horizontal range of 27 ° and an increase of -12 ° to + 20 °.
 

The roof of the bunker was open, but the crew had the opportunity to cover it with a foldable waterproof tarpaulin. The driver's station was to the right of the gun, slightly behind, resulting in poor visibility on the left. The tank commander also served as a sniper and served initially. He had two cases for storing ammunition, one behind the driver's seat with 33 rounds and the other attached to the right wall of the case containing 37 projectiles.

 

 

Copy of the start of production with register RE 4100.

Semovente L 40 from the beginning of production.

Semovente L 40 produced in 1942.

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Soldiers examining the combat station of a Semovente L 40.

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Initially, the crew consisted of only two people. The L 6/40 inherited access hatch was doomed for storing ammunition.

 

The side access hatch on the right hand side of the bunker, which became useless, was welded in the closed position at the beginning of the production copies, and disappeared completely on the end production copies (No. 55063). The headlight in the left front corner of the case has also been removed because of the arrangements made for the gun.

In addition to the disappearance of the side access door, other modifications were made in the Semovente during its production: adoption of a simplified bonnet, addition of a thermal protection in the exhaust (of engine nº 100566) and replacement of the tension wheels by a new model and more robust. From the first half of 1942, the crew went from two to three men, the tank commander being relieved of his role of servant.

 

Semovente L 40 production end. It distinguishes itself by the removal of the access door, the protection of the muffler and the tensioner of the redesigned wheel.

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With the addition of a crew member in the first half of 1942, the lack of bunker space became evident.

 

Because of the small size of the bunker, the Semovente L 40 was devoid of any radio equipment, which was not without problems of coordination between the vehicles. To try to remedy this was developed the command plotona variant that was equipped with an RF transceiver 1 CA to the right of the casemate, in exchange for a reduction of ammunition to carry (49 strokes instead of 70). The antenna was attached to the back of the case on the right.

 

 

Car command plotter recognizable by its radio antenna for post RF 1 CA.

 

A company command version was developed in December 1941, replacing the machine gun 47/32 with a Breda mod.38 machine gun. The space gained in the armament and the ammunition allowed the installation of a second radio station of the type RF 2 CA, whose antenna was also in the back of the casemate, in the left side this time. To avoid easy identification of this vehicle, the model of Breda, 38, was camouflaged in a tube of wood that reproduced the one of the barrel.

 

 

Car command company identifiable with its two radio antennas and its submachine gun Breda mod.38 transvestite in cannon.

 

Ahead
Designed to replace the towed antitank artillery, Semovente L 40 appeared logically in the theoretical battle order of the armored division published in August 1941, which planned to designate it for the divisional antitank battalion of two companies, for a total of 21 assault weapons . The battle order of June 1942 also provided for the formation of anti-tank battalions in three companies, with a force of 31 Semovente L 40, increased to 34 in December of the same year. In fact, these tanks were mainly distributed to battalions and autonomous groups (in two or three squadrons) of cavalry regiments and RECo.

 

Semovente L 40 with registration RE 4140.

tankers posing with a L40 motive in a barracks, probably in Italy.

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Semovente L 40 embarking on the Aspromonte in Gaeta in August 1942 to participate in a landing exercise.

 

In North Africa, Semovente L 40 was hired during the campaign in Tunisia. The eu and CXXXVI btg.cc. of 2 companies won Tunisia in November 1942 and were incorporated into XXX CA. The 15th Reco Cavalleggeri di Lodi should have been the first Semovente L 40 equipped to beat Africa. The destination decided otherwise: after the shipwreck of the cargo ship Francesco Barbaro that transported the semoventi of the 5th. of the 2nd gr.sqd., sunk by the submarine HMS Umbra on September 28, 1942, the unit could not reach Tunisia until February 1943.

 

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Semovente L 40 progressing on a track in Tunisia on January 18, 1943.

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Semovente L 40 advancing on muddy soil in Tunisia on January 26, 1943.

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Semovente L 40 in front of Tunisia.

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Armored reserve of the command of a battalion in two companies in Tunisia.

Semovente L 40 superior to a Sd.Kfz.233 in the Tunisian front.

Semovente L 40 in Tunisia on February 11, 1943.

Formation of Semovente L 40 in the Tunisian desert in March 1943.

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Semovente column L 40 in front of Tunisia in the spring of 1943.

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Semovente L 40 in Tunisia.

After the campaign of Tunisia, the Allies landed in Sicily on July 13, 1943. Several units equipped with Semovente of 47/32 participated in the defense of the island: the IV btg.cc. attached to the Div.ftr Livorno, as well as the CXXI, CXXX, CXXXII, CXXXIII, CCXXX and CCXXXIII btg.cc .. Sacred in an attempt to delay the allied roller, very few L 40 semoventi were able to withdraw on the mainland in crossing the Strait of Messina.

 

Alignment of Semovente L 40 in Sicily in 1943.

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Car company command in July 1943 in Sicily.

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British soldier inspecting a Semovente L 40 IV btg.cc. in Noto in July 1943.

 

The 19 Semovente L 40 XIII gr.sqd. of rgt. Cavalleggeri di Alessandria left for the Eastern Front on 3 August 1942. They were all lost during the Soviet offensive in the Don when they were sent on December 11 to reinforce the divisions Cosseria and Ravenna. The unit was rebuilt in May 1943 in Codroipo.

 

Semovente L 40 of XIII gr.sqd. Cavalleggeri di Alessandria on the Russian front.

L 6/40 and Semovente L 40 abandoned on the Eastern Front in January 1943.

 

The IV gr.cr. of rgt. Cavalleggeri di Monferrato was sent to Albania in 1942. It was fitted with L 6/40 and Semovente L 40. A unit with 19 Semovente L 40 went to Greece in December 1942. Three Semovente L 40 framed in XL Btg. of the 5th rgt.bers supported the Taurinense Div. in Montenegro.

The 10 Semovente L 40 of the 5th cp. of LXIX btg.bers. belonging to 18 ° rgt.bers. The motocorazzato was sent to the south of France at the beginning of 1943. Repatriated in July, the unit did not have time to arrive at Rome at the time of the armistice. About XX Btg.cc. in 2 companies of Semovente da 47/32 established in October 1942, was implanted in Corsica in 1943. The CXXXI btg. of the 31st Regt.ftr.car, also in two companies, was also sent to the island of beauty. These two units were still there at the time of the armistice.

 

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Disembarkation of a Semovente L 40 in Corsica in November 1942.

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Armchair of command of car in the port of Bastia 9 of September of 1943.

 

During the defense of Rome between 9 and 11 of September of 1943, the II gr. of the 8th RECO Lancieri di Montebello hired the 11 Semovente from 47/32 in support of the Granatieri di Sardegna division.

 

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Semovente L 40 during the battles for the defense of Rome after the armistice of 8 of September of 1943.

 

The Semovente L 40 after the armistice

After the armistice, the production of Semovente L 40 for the Wehrmacht, in a new variant designated as type G, built 120 copies between October 1943 and October 1944. It was a model equipped with the radio station RF 1 CA, flanks of casemate raised and armed with a Breda mod.38 machine gun equipped with a shield, mounted on a sliding support in a cross bar in front of the casemate.

In addition to the copies produced at their request, the German troops took possession of the 86 Semovente L 40 (designated StuG L6 mit 43/32 630 (i) by the Wehrmacht) after the armistice and returned to use them in northern Italy and the Balkans. In this sector, Croatian Yugoslav supporters of Ustasha and Tito also seized several copies of this armored vehicle. The Germans also supplied her to the Slovenian National Guard (Slovensko domobranstvo).

 

Semovente L 40 type G produced for Germans.

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Profile of Semovente L 40 type G.

 

Semovente L 40 type G used by the Slovenian National Guard in September 1944.

Semovente L 40 type G of 14.Polizei Panzer-Kompanie in the spring of 1944.

Semovente L 40 G-type armed with a Breda mod.37 machine gun used by German troops in Bosnia.

Railway train at Ljubljana station, carrying Semovente L 40 and AB 41 of the Yugoslav army in June 1945.

 

Some copies were incorporated into the RSI military. One of them equipped the I btg.bers. Benito Mussolini volunteered and was used in the fight against supporters of Gorizia during the first months of 1944. Inadvertent of this type of guerrilla, he would have been abandoned or given to another unit. The gr.sqd. San Giusto had two Semovente production endings of 47/32, probably ceded by the Germans when the unit was in Gorizia. PCR also received two L 40 motile extracts at the end of 1944 from the Caselle deposit. Finally, gr.cr. Leonessa da GNR aligned five Semovente L 40. It is near Piacenza that, on April 26, 1945, a Semovente L 40 of Leonessa participated in the last fight of the war between the armored Italian and ally.

 

Semovente L 40 production end failed during gr.sqd maneuvers. San Giusto near Mariano dei Friuli in May 1944.

Semovente L 40 de I btg.bers. Benito Mussolini volunteered in action at Val Baccia in early 1944.

Soldiers of gr.sqd. San Giusto posing in a Semovente L 40 in February 1945.

The s.ten. Di Fazio in front of a Semovente L 40 of gr.sqd. San Giusto in Casteldobra in February 1945. We can see a Balkenkreuz painted on the casemate behind the soldier.

 

After the war, some copies of the Semovente L 40 were used by the police to maintain order.

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Semovente L 40 during a law enforcement operation in the Viminale sector after the war. The presence of the fuel tank in the armored hood in the foreground is quite unusual.

 

considerations
Armed with the 47/32 weapon adopted in 1935, this Semovente proved to be ineffective against the last enemy tanks at the time of its appearance on the battlefield in late 1942. On the other hand, Semovente L 40 still had its weapon. useful in the role of accompanying the infantry, where it could involve less protected targets than the tanks, even if once again, the useful shooting distance does not exceed 700 meters.

In addition to its weak armament, Semovente L 40 was damaged by the absence of a machine gun for close defense, a gap that was filled only in the most recent version produced for the Germans after the armistice.

 

Sources:

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•     Carro L 6, Carri leggeri, semoventi, derivati, Andrea Tallillo, Antonio Tallillo & Daniele Guglielmi, Gruppo Modellistico Trentino, 2007
•     Carri leggeri, L.6/40 sviluppo ed operazioni, Carri Armati 2/III, Fronte Terra, Bruno Benvenuti & Ugo F. Colonna, Edizioni Bizzarri, 1974
•     Gli autoveicoli da combattimento dell'Esercito Italiano, Volume secondo (1940-1945), Nicola Pignato & Filippo Cappellano, Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito, Ufficio Storico, 2002
•     La meccanizzazione dell'esercito dalle origini al 1943, Tomo II, Lucio Ceva & Andrea Curami, USSME, 1994
•     Corazzati Italiani 1939-1945, War Set n°10, Nico Sgarlato, 2006
•     Mezzi dell'Esercito Italiano 1935-45, Ugo Barlozzetti & Alberto Pirella, Editoriale Olimpia, 1986
•     Italian armoured vehicles 1940-1943 : A pictorial history, Luca Massacci, Roadrunner, 2013
•     I mezzi blindo-corazzati italiani 1923-1943, Nicola Pignato, Storia Militare, 2005
•     The first forty years of italian armoured vehicles, Paolo Emilio Papò, IBN Editore, 2011
•     Italian Armored Vehicles of World War Two, Nicola Pignato, Squadron/signal publications, 2004
•     Andare contro i carri armati, L'evoluzione della difesa controcarro nell'esercito italiano dal 1918 al 1945, Filippo Cappellano & Nicola Pignato, Gaspari editore, 2007
•     Italian artillery of WWII, Enrico Finazzer & Ralph A. Riccio, MMP Books, 2015
•     L'onore dimenticato, I ragazzi della Divisione Livorno, Pier Luigi Villari, IBN Editore, 2013
•     Il gruppo corazzato « San Giusto » dal Regio Esercito alla RSI 1934-1945, Stefano Di Giusto, Laran Éditions, 2008
•     I reparti corazzati della Repubblica Sociale Italiana 1943/1945, Paolo Crippa, Marvia Edizioni, 2006
•     …Come il diamante, I Carrisit italiani 1943-45, Sergio Corbatti & Marco Nava, Laran Éditions, 2008
•     I mezzi corazzati italiani della guerra civile 1943-1945, Paolo Crippa, TankMasterSpecial n°05, 2015

 

 

Edited July 20, 2018 by pieve

[leroyonly 4,310]

Open for discussion. 

[BrentD15@psn 1,116]

+1 from me, a must-have for any Italian tech tree.

[Milocat 4,849]

I supported this vehicle so much that I wrote my own suggestion for it back before they were accepting more suggestions here.  

 

Naturally, I'd love to see it!

[onemax9000 1,242]

+57 gib now !

[_RamonBR 22]

up

[leroyonly 4,310]

As the Semovente L 40 da 47/32  will be added with the italian ground forces tech tree in update 1.85,

 

Moved to Implemented Suggestions.