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The Semovente da 75/18 was the first in a series of Italian self-propelled guns to be based on the chassis of the M 13/ M 14 and M 15 Medium Tanks, and mounted a more powerful gun than the medium tank it was based on.
The Semovente da 75/18 was built on the chassis of the M 13 medium tank. The turret was removed and a new superstructure fitted, carrying a 75mm Ansaldo L/18 howitzer capable of firing armour piercing and high explosive rounds. The Semovente da 75/18 was developed to act as both armoured artillery and as an anti-tank weapon, but in combat it was mainly used to provide extra firepower for M 13-40 equipped armoured units. The Semovente da 75/18 was developed because the M 13-40 and M 14-41 tanks didn’t have the firepower to deal with the increasing number of well armoured Allied tanks. It was seen as a stopgap measure while work was completed on the first Italian heavy tanks, but the P 26-40 heavy tank arrived too late and in too small a quantity to have any impact on the fighting.
Fiat and Ansaldo produced the first prototype of the Semovente da 75/18, using a M 13-40 as the base. This prototype was completed early in 1941. The crew compartment carried three - a driver located to the left of the gun, a commander/ gunner to the right and a loader behind and to the right of the gun.
The first Semovente da 75/18s reached Libya on 18 January 1942, while others were issued to the Centauro armoured division, then training in Italy. The 132nd Ariete Armoured Division had some at El Alamein in the summer 1942
In the autumn of 1942 Mussolini ordered a restructuring of Italian armoured battalions in which the semoventi were to play the major part. One company was to be issued with M 14-41 tanks and two with the self-propelled guns.
At the time of the Italian Armistice of September 1943 the 135th Ariete II Armoured Division had a number of Semovente da 75/18s and was based near Rome.
Ansaldo at Genoa build 60 Semovente da 75/18s based on M 13-40, 162 based on the M 14-41 and 190 based on the M 15-42 before the Armistice. Another 55 based on the M 14-42 were probably built after the Italian armistice. About fifty of the M 14-41 variant were used by the Italian Army after the Second World War.
Stats (based on M 13-40 chassis)
Weight: 28,880lb
Crew: 3
Armament: One 75mm Ansaldo L/18 gun, one 8mm Breda machine gun on roof
Armour: 6-30mm
Engine: One 125hp Fiat SPA 8V eight cylinder liquid cooled inline engine
Top Speed: 19mph
Length: 16ft 1in
Width: 7ft 6.6in
Height: 6ft 2.8in