Carro Armato
Encyclopedia
Carro Armato was the Italian Army's designation for tanks from 1938. This would be followed by a letter and a series of numbers. The letter would be either L, M or P meaning light, medium, and heavy tank respectively. The official Italian military tank classification
differed from contemporary classifications in other countries. For example the "heavy" P40 tank would be considered a medium tank by the US armed forces. The numbers would follow the pattern of X/Y where X would be the weight in tonne
s and Y the year of adoption (i.e. the L6/40 weighs 6 tonnes and was adopted in the year 1940). The following are some Carro Armatos that entered service:
NOTE: The L3/33
and the L3/35
tankettes were designated "Fast Tank" (Carro Veloce) and were initially known as the CV-33 and the CV-35.
Tank classification
Tank classification is a taxonomy of identifying either the intended role or weight class of tanks. The classification by role was used primarily during the developmental stage of the national armoured forces, and referred to the doctrinal and force structure utility of the tanks based on design...
differed from contemporary classifications in other countries. For example the "heavy" P40 tank would be considered a medium tank by the US armed forces. The numbers would follow the pattern of X/Y where X would be the weight in tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s and Y the year of adoption (i.e. the L6/40 weighs 6 tonnes and was adopted in the year 1940). The following are some Carro Armatos that entered service:
- Carro Armato L6/40: Fiat L6/40Fiat L6/40The Fiat L6/40 was a light tank used by the Italian army from 1940 and on through World War II. The official Italian designation was Carro Armato L 6/40...
light tank - Carro Armato M11/39: Fiat M11/39Fiat M11/39The Fiat-Ansaldo M11/39 was an Italian Medium Tank first produced prior to World War II. The M11/39 saw service in Africa and Italy . The official Italian designation was Carro Armato M11/39...
medium tank - Carro Armato M13/40: Fiat M13/40Fiat M13/40The Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 was an Italian medium tank , designed to replace the Fiat L3, the Fiat L6/40 and the Fiat M11/39 in the Italian Army at the start of World War II...
medium tank - Carro Armato M14/41: Fiat M14/41Fiat M14/41The Fiat M14/41 was a four person medium tank that served from 1941 in the Royal Italian Army. The official Italian designation was Carro Armato M 14/41...
medium tank - Carro Armato M15/42: Fiat M15/42 medium tank
- Carro Armato P40: Fiat P26/40P40 tankThe P40 was an Italian World War II tank design. It was armed with a 75 mm gun and an 8 mm Breda machine gun, plus another optional machine gun in an anti-aircraft mount. The official Italian designation was Carro Armato P 26/40...
heavy tank
NOTE: The L3/33
CV-33
The Carro Veloce CV-33 or L3/33 was a tankette originally built in 1933 and used by the Italian Army before and during World War II. Many CV-33s were retrofitted to meet the specifications of the CV-35 in 1935...
and the L3/35
L3/35
The L3/35 or Carro Veloce CV-35 was an Italian tank used before and during World War II. Although designated a light tank by the Italian Army, its turretless configuration, weight and firepower make it closer to contemporary tankettes....
tankettes were designated "Fast Tank" (Carro Veloce) and were initially known as the CV-33 and the CV-35.