It can be said that the most influential time
period for the development of the tank was that of World War II and the years building up to it.
No discussion about the history of these vehicles can go without mentioning those that gained
immense fame from the war, such as the T-34, Panzer IV and the Sherman, and the design
doctrines of the nations that built them. This is especially the case when it comes to
heavy tanks, the lumbering beasts made to gain easy superiority on the battlefield.
Arguably the most famous is the Tiger, developed by Germany and used in an attempt
to counter the mass-produced T-34. However, there is another nation that is often
not brought up in these discussions, likely due to the perceived insufficiency
of their designs. This nation is Italy, whose military prowess and equipment has become
the butt of more than a few jokes. While there were many Italian armoured vehicles developed, it
sometimes comes as a shock that the Italians had operated their own heavy tanks. However, this
is not very surprising given that by the time the vehicle in question was envisioned it was not
large or heavy enough to be considered one by any of the major powers which had joined the war. This
heavy tank was known as the Carro Armato P26/40, and along with its variants sought to be Italy’s
recipe for their own battle winning vehicle. Speaking of winning battles, with the help
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now let's learn about Italy’s heavy tank program. When it comes to the tank design and strategy of
major nations during the interwar period and WWII, there will always be two nations that stand out
from the others due to the major differences in their armoured vehicles. These are of course
Italy and Japan, whose armoured vehicles were often out of the regular sphere of tank design
when compared to those of the other combatants. This was especially the case with the P26/40, as
it was nowhere near similar to other heavy tank designs of the war. However, it is important to
understand the backstory as to why they created these designs in order to better understand
why the P26/40 was designed the way it was. Up until the invention of aircraft, the entire
military history of Italy, from Rome to WWI, has been concentrated on conflicts and invasions
that originated at sea or through the northern territory that connects the peninsula with the
rest of Europe. This territory can be said to have been a great benefit to the Italian states
throughout history, due to the presence of the largest mountain range in Europe covering
nearly the entirety of the region. However, this great benefit would not last long as
Europe modernized and saw the expansion of the French and Austrian Empires into the
Italian states. This would carry on into the 20th century, with the Italian front
of WWI that many of you are likely aware of (insert Isonzo meme here if you want). Within
this war, combat was nearly exclusively within high altitude mountainous regions with rocky
valleys in between. Following the end of the war, this region would take precedence within
the realm of the Italian tank designers. In fact, the mountainous territories were
so ingrained in Italian tank design that you could say that the Regio Esercito (Royal Italian
Army) became obsessed with vehicles that could handle that terrain during the 1920s and 30s. This
restricted the dimensions of the vehicles, as they had to be able to cross small mountain bridges,
have as little weight as possible and have the ability to have good cross-country performance.
There was also another strange choice by the army, in that these tanks were expected to not have
a range that would exceed 100 km and instead be brought to battle on trailers, trains or
trucks. Combining this with the lack of extensive automotive industry like in Germany, France or
Britain, this meant that Italy was forced to rely on only two companies, FIAT and Ansaldo, and
to be restricted to producing small vehicles. One of the most well-known of these was the L3/35
Carro Veloce, a small tankette that was crewed by two men and armed mainly with machineguns. As
seen in the picture here (the CV in the narrow passageway), the prototype of the Carro Veloce
was perfect for the northern territories and their cramped conditions and showed exactly what the
dogma of early Italian tank design was built on. This dogma would continue into the later
projects in the 1930s, especially with their first medium tank known as the Carro M11.
The design of the M11 started in 1936 with the request by the army for a breakthrough tank that
would be able to carry a 37mm gun in the hull, two 8mm machineguns in the turret and be able to
survive both small arms and 20mm cannon fire. The resulting tank was an interesting take on
a medium tank, only being 11 tons with an SPA 8T V8 engine producing 105 horsepower. This
gave it a top speed of 33.9 kmh (21 mph) and an expected speed of 14 kmh (8 mph) over rough
terrain, which is similar to other tanks of the era. Its width was also slightly smaller
than other medium tanks of the era, being 2.3 m (7 ft), and it carried through with the earlier
mentioned requirement of being able to be towed on a trailer with its own specially designed one
being seen here. This tank would have aspects that would become the distinctive features of Italian
designs throughout the entirety of WWII. These included the lack of major angling on the front
of the tank and most notably the usage of bolts to mount the vehicle’s armored plates. Many will
make the claim that the Italians used rivets for their tanks but this is a misconception likely
fueled by the similarities in how a bolt or rivet look externally especially in grainy photos. This
construction method was due to the aforementioned lack of significant industry and this led to
welding being rarely seen on their vehicles. Looking at the M11, it was obvious that the
tank was mainly suitable for infantry support and would largely be incapable of significant
confrontations with enemy tanks. This would lead to the development of the M11 to meet the request
by the army for a medium that was able to house the standard 47mm AT gun in a fully rotating
turret with a top speed of 35 kmh (21 mph), at most a 4 man crew and a cross-country range
of 12 hours. This request would be fulfilled by Ansaldo with the first prototype of what would
become the M13/40 using the same chassis as the M11. As to be expected, the army requested
changes and in 1940 the first 250 tanks were available and sent to Libya in the fight against
the British. This tank was heavier by 3 tons with a total weight of 14 tons and featured
a redesigned frontal plate. In addition, the interior was more roomy for the crew and the
turret itself was redesigned to house a 47mm, but lacked a turret basket and used oil pressure
to provide power traverse. The armour was significantly improved with 30mm on the front of
the turret and hull nose, 25mm on all other plates except for the roof at 15mm and the belly at 6mm.
Unfortunately for the Italians, the developments made for the creation of the M13/40 would not
be enough when used in combat in the desert. A combination of issues with the engine and the
desert conditions combined with engagements with the British led to most being captured or
destroyed. The difficulties faced with the M13 would lead to the development of further tanks,
including the M14/41 and the M15/42, however it would be the other development of the M13’s
design that we will be focusing on - the P26/40. Due to the focus on tanks being able to
handle the mountainous region of Northern Italy firmly ingrained in Italian tank design
doctrine, it can be understood just why they had not worked on heavy tanks like other
nations. They had created one heavy in WWI, known as the FIAT 2000, but this was completely
opposite to what Italy would later become known for with it actually being larger than many
tanks of its time. The vehicle was 40 tons and was an impressive 7.4 m (24 ft) long,
and was especially unique as it was one of the only tanks at the time to incorporate a
fully-rotating turret armed with a 65mm field gun. Only 2 of the 50 ordered were completed
and it saw no combat in WWI, but was used in Libya and quickly retired due to its poor top
speed of only 4 kmh (2.5 mph). One running replica was completed in 2020 and is currently
housed at Montecchio Maggiore near Vicenza. Following the FIAT 2000, the heavy tank concept
fell out of favor within the Italian army due to its incompatibility with their doctrine. It
was not until 1938 that the idea would return, however still not anywhere near other nations’
definitions of heavy tanks. This idea was for a 20 ton tank that would be able to reach
a top speed of 32 kmh (19.8 mph), have a turret housing a 47mm AT gun and have a total
of 3 machine guns. This would change in 1940, when it was officially ordered by Mussolini that
this tank project be continued. The new order was different due to the turret now requiring a
75mm gun and a 20mm coax, a weight of 25 tons, a crew of 5 and be equipped with 3-4 machine
guns. Two different design mockups were produced, with two by Ansaldo and one from the army
itself. The one chosen was by Ansaldo, which had a silhouette strikingly similar to an
enlarged M13/M14 with machineguns on either side of the hull and a 20mm coaxial on the left side
of the main 75mm gun. The driver was situated between the two machineguns with an enclosed
protrusion from the hull. The design was chosen to have a V12 diesel engine capable of producing
330 horsepower with 40mm of frontal armour. Arguably expected by now from Ansaldo with their
previous history of reusing existing vehicles, the prototype created in 1941 was built on the
chassis of the M13/40 and as previously mentioned it was essentially a larger version of the tank.
As can be seen in the picture, the model 75/18 was a very stubby cannon and it was decided to replace
it with a longer version known as the 75/32 which can be seen at the bottom. It was also decided
that the 20mm would be replaced by an 8mm coaxial, and that the two hull machineguns would be mounted
more similarly to the M13 in one casemate on the right-hand side of the vehicle. Looking at this
tank, you would be correct in questioning just how this design evolved into the final vehicle.
This change would follow the invasion of the Soviet Union by the Germans, who had captured
many T-34s and gave some to Italy for study. Upon examining these tanks, it was decided
that the P26 would adopt sloped armour and have its armour increased to 50mm on
the front and to 40mm on the sides. Nearly the entire vehicle above the lower
chassis would be changed, with the front hull doing away with the machinegun port,
the sides becoming a more sloped shape, the engine and rear area also becoming more
sloped and the turret itself becoming larger in order to house a further improved version of
the previously mentioned 75mm - the model 75/34. Despite these impressive changes for the tank
on paper, Italian construction still lacked the ability to weld their armor plates resulting in
the P26 relying on bolts like its predecessors. With these changes, it made the tank
heavier from its original design, raising it from 20 tons to 26, and led to the
engine no longer being suitable for power. While early production versions of the tank
still retained the original V12 diesel engine, the others were equipped with another V12, but
this time it would be a gasoline engine that produced 420 horsepower. The second prototype,
which incorporated these changes and can be seen here, was produced in the summer of 1942 and
was received well by the army enough to order 500 tanks. With this order, the tank would
be given the name P40 but is often called the P26/40 due to the common Italian designations
based on the weight (26 tons) and the year it was commissioned (1940). In the final design that
would be produced, the tank weighed 26 tons and had a top speed of 40 kmh (24 mph) with a crew
of four. Interestingly enough, this vehicle was equipped with an electromechanical turret traverse
system unlike the M13 and had the standard RF 1 CA radio system of many of the Italian tanks.
One additional thing added during development was a new cooling system for the engine. This was
actually modeled after the system on the Crusader which Italy had faced in North Africa and was one
of a few British inspired designs on the vehicle. Before the P40 even began proper production
in the middle of 1943, the army was already deeming it inferior to other nations’ designs
and looking at how to improve it. What they had in mind was a vehicle known as the P.43, and
was a continuation of another heavy tank project that had begun in 1941 as a larger version of the
regular P40. Originally, this tank was to be 30 tons and have significantly better armour of up to
80mm and be armed with the long barreled 75mm of the production P.40 or a larger 105mm cannon. The
design would evolve to become a tank more fitting of the designation of a heavy, with an increased
armour value of 80-100mm and have a top speed of 30 kmh (18.6 mph) through the use of a more
powerful 480 hp Maybach engine. The issue with this vehicle is that there is confusion that has
arisen from muddy history that envelops the later years of the P26/40 program, and that there is not
clear information about the P43. One of the major issues is the reported existence of two different
developments of the P40 - the P43 bis and what has been called the P40 bis, with both supposedly
having a 90mm cannon based on the Cannone da 90/53 anti-aircraft gun. This other tank was reportedly
a side-project of Ansaldo and was to be a tank with 50-60mm armour with a weight of 34 tons -
very different from the P.43’s final design. It is reported that the P40 bis had a wooden mockup
created, and it is possible that the P40 bis has been mistaken for the P43 or the P43 has been
mistaken for the P40 bis. Nevertheless, neither design would see production due to the surrender
of the Italians as part of the armistice in 1943. Another development of the P40 was in an
opposite direction to that of the P43, and was known as the Semovente 149/40. The
idea of this vehicle was that it would be a self-propelled gun equipped with a 149
mm artillery piece. This project was also reportedly a side-project of Ansaldo, and was to
have the benefits of a regular self-propelled gun combined with the ability to carry a much more
powerful gun than other SPGs of the Italian forces. It is reported that the gun only took
3 minutes to prepare for action, as compared to the standard towed gun that took at least
17 minutes. Although based on the P40’s hull, it was completely different in reality due to the
need to remove nearly everything above the lower hull to allow for the mounting of the gun. The
process of creating the 149/40 was similar to that of the German Ferdinand in that the engine
was moved to the front of the vehicle. However the similarities end there with there being no
protection for any of the crew outside the driver. Upon reaching its firing position, two supports
would be deployed behind the hull and the gun would be raised. The SPG was also incapable
of storing ammunition, so required a support vehicle to be present. Only one of these vehicles
was made, and there are no confirmed reports of it being used in action after being captured
by the Germans. The sole example currently exists in the United States at the U.S. Army
Field Artillery Museum in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Unfortunately for the P26/40, its history
would not be as revered as the heavy tanks of its German allies. At the time of the armistice
signed with the Allies, Ansaldo had only produced a few tanks - sources range from 21 to 22 total -
with the number consisting of a few pre-production models and the standard designs. Many of these
vehicles were at varying stages of completion, and there are reports that some were used to act
as defenses around the area of Rome. Following the seizure of the Ansaldo factory by the German
forces still in Italy, production was ordered to resume and this increased the amount produced
to just over 100. It has been reported that many of these vehicles, numbering around 40 out of
101 produced at Ansaldo, did not have engines, and many turrets were used as static bunkers
throughout the Italian front. At least one of these turrets can be seen here with the cannon
swapped with a German short 75mm. By the middle of 1944, the Waffen SS had received 14 tanks and were
used on the border of Italy and Yugoslavia. By the end of 1944, over 45 were in use by the Germans in
Italy as well as remaining pro-Mussolini forces. However, it was found that the tanks were
unreliable due to their FIAT engines and unable to be used due to an endless need
for maintenance. As such, they were taken away from the frontlines and given to police
units for general anti-partisan and policing operations. Specific combat records are scarce and
it is unknown how effective the tanks were when, or if, they were used against Allied forces.
Two P40s were put into service as part of the Leoncello Armored group and reportedly
may have participated in several battles. When looking at the P26/40, it can be said that
it is one of the vehicles in this series that was truly cursed not just by its design, but by where
it was designed. Firstly, Italian design doctrine after the First World War combined with their lack
of significant automotive industry had largely hampered their ability to develop vehicles
that would be effective in the coming war, although they cannot be fully blamed for this
fact, as they had no idea what kind of war that WWII would become in the early 20s. Secondly,
although the tank had many good aspects on paper, it was heavily limited by the inclusion of
bolted armour and a gun that was no longer suitable for the combat expected of a heavy tank
by the time it was actually produced. Overall, while the P26/40 was a promising design for
the early stages of the war, the delayed and complicated development process for the vehicle,
combined with its overall nature more similar to other nations medium tanks than a heavy tank
and its low production numbers proved to make the vehicle an embodiment of the term “too
little, too late” as with many vehicles seen in this series. Despite the small number being
completed two still survive to this day with one at the Museo della Motorizzazione in Rome
and another near an Army barracks in Lecce. So what do you think of Italy’s heavy tank? Let
me know down in the comments. While you’re down there, remember to use my link to try out War
Thunder to get that free sign-up bonus. I want to give special thanks to Baronvonteapot for
his work on researching and writing the script for this video as well as to Nicho for helping
me make a few corrections and additions to it. If you have an interest in Italian vehicles you
can also check out his Discord server which I’ll link below. It’s only with the help of people
like them that allows me to both increase the number of videos I can create for you, while
still keeping the information as historically accurate as possible. Thanks to all of you
for watching and to my YouTube members who support the channel. That's all I have for you
today, I hope to see you in the next video.
