Italian Medium Tanks

Italian Medium Tanks
Author: Filippo Cappellano
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2012-12-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1849087768

Several factors delayed and greatly hampered the development of an Italian medium tank during World War II. The first was the strategic stance of the country, focussed on a war against neighbouring countries such as France and Yugoslavia, and ill-prepared for a war in the Western Desert. Since these European countries bordered with Italy in mountainous areas, light tanks were preferred as these were deemed much more suitable for the narrow roads and bridges of the Alps. Furthermore, development was hampered by the limited number of Italian industries, whose production was also heavily fragmented. All these factors delayed the development of the first prototype of an Italian medium tank – the M 11 – which would only appear in 1937 and did not enter production until 1939. Although technically inferior to their German and Allied counterparts in 1941–43, the Italian M tanks proved to be quite effective when used by experienced crews with adequate combat tactics. In fact, their major shortcoming actually proved to be their limited production figures. While production was limited, innovation was not and, between 1941 and 1943, several experiments were carried out on the Italian tanks that produced interesting prototypes such as the anti-aircraft semovente.

Italian Medium Tanks in Action

Italian Medium Tanks in Action
Author: N. Pignato
Publisher: Squadron/Signal Publications
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2001-06-01
Genre: Armored vehicles, Military
ISBN: 9780897474269

The Royal Italian Army's 'M' series tanks began with the Fiat-Ansaldo M 11-39 in 1939 and continued with the M13-40, M 14-41 and the M 15-42. Medium tanks served on all Italian fronts during WWII. Although outperformed by most Allied armored vehicles, these tanks and self-propelled guns were Italy's armored defense throughout WWII.

Italian Medium Tanks

Italian Medium Tanks
Author: Filippo Cappellano
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2012-12-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1780961235

Several factors delayed and greatly hampered the development of an Italian medium tank during World War II. The first was the strategic stance of the country, focussed on a war against neighbouring countries such as France and Yugoslavia, and ill-prepared for a war in the Western Desert. Since these European countries bordered with Italy in mountainous areas, light tanks were preferred as these were deemed much more suitable for the narrow roads and bridges of the Alps. Furthermore, development was hampered by the limited number of Italian industries, whose production was also heavily fragmented. All these factors delayed the development of the first prototype of an Italian medium tank – the M 11 – which would only appear in 1937 and did not enter production until 1939. Although technically inferior to their German and Allied counterparts in 1941–43, the Italian M tanks proved to be quite effective when used by experienced crews with adequate combat tactics. In fact, their major shortcoming actually proved to be their limited production figures. While production was limited, innovation was not and, between 1941 and 1943, several experiments were carried out on the Italian tanks that produced interesting prototypes such as the anti-aircraft semovente.

Bolt Action: Campaign: Italy: Soft Underbelly

Bolt Action: Campaign: Italy: Soft Underbelly
Author: Warlord Games
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2021-10-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472852702

With the Axis Powers ejected from North Africa, the Western Allies look to take the fight across the Mediterranean and into Mussolini's Italy. This supplement for Bolt Action focuses on Operation Husky, the airborne and naval invasion of Sicily, the hard-fought battles in the villages and rugged mountain passes of that island, and the advance up the Italian Peninsula towards Rome. With a host of scenarios, new units, special rules, and Theatre Selectors this book contains everything players need to refight these important battles in defence of the Regno d'Italia or to strike at the underbelly of Axis-controlled Europe.

Bolt Action: Armies of Italy and the Axis

Bolt Action: Armies of Italy and the Axis
Author: Warlord Games
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2013-11-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782009671

While many nations flocked to the side of the Allies, others joined forces with Germany as part of the Axis. This volume is the definitive guide to the armies of Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Finland. Fight the Winter War against the Soviets, hold back the British in North Africa, or help shore up the German offensives on the Eastern Front with this latest supplement for Bolt Action.

Bolt Action: Campaign: The Western Desert

Bolt Action: Campaign: The Western Desert
Author: Warlord Games
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2018-09-20
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 147283433X

One of the most popular and enduring campaigns of World War II is that of the Western Desert, where Allied armies beat back the hard-pressed German and Italian forces under the gruelling African sun. Covering crucial operations such as Crusader, Lightfoot, and Supercharge, and the great battles of Tobruk, El Alamein, and Gazala, this book brings the unforgiving battlefields of North Africa to the tabletop. In-depth information on the forces involved, linked scenarios, and new Theatre Selectors make this an ideal resource for any Bolt Action player with an interest in the Desert War.

Italian Light Tanks

Italian Light Tanks
Author: Filippo Cappellano
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2012-06-20
Genre: History
ISBN: 1849087784

The Italian army, unlike those of the British and French, did not use tanks in combat during World War I and, by November 1918, only one training unit equipped with French Schneider and Renault tanks had been formed. Consequently, during the 1920s the Italian army had just one single tank type in its armoured inventory – the Fiat 3000. Only in 1927 was the first tank unit formed as a branch of the infantry and not as an independent organization, while the cavalry rejected the idea of both tanks and armoured cars and decided to stand by the use of horses for its mounted units. Between 1933 and March 1939, a further 2,724 CV 33 / L 3 tanks were built, 1,216 of which were exported all over the world. By the time Italy entered the war in June 1940, the army had 1,284 light tanks, 855 of which were in combat units, including three armoured divisions. Variants of the CV 33 / L 3 tanks included flame-throwers, bridge-layers, recovery vehicles, and a radio command tank. Some L 3 tanks were still in use in 1945, by both the Germans and the German-allied Italian units of the Repubblica Sociale.

Tank Warfare

Tank Warfare
Author: Jeremy Black
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2020-10-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 0253052718

“An “insightful and informative” overview of the role of tanks in combat from the First World War to the present day (Dennis Showalter, author of Armor and Blood). The story of the battlefield in the twentieth century was dominated by a handful of developments. Foremost of these was the introduction and refinement of tanks. In Tank Warfare, Jeremy Black, a recipient of the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize from the Society for Military History, offers a comprehensive global account of the history of tanks and armored warfare in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. First introduced onto the battlefield during World War I, tanks represented the reconciliation of firepower and mobility and immediately seized the imagination of commanders and commentators concerned about the constraints of ordinary infantry. The developments of technology and tactics in the interwar years were realized in the German blitzkrieg in World War II and beyond. Yet the account of armor on the battlefield is a tale of limitations and defeats as well as of potential and achievements. Tank Warfare examines the traditional narrative of armored warfare while at the same time challenging it, and Black suggests that tanks were no “silver bullet” on the battlefield. Instead, their success was based on their inclusion in the general mix of weaponry available to commanders and the context in which they were used. “An excellent overview of the subject.” —Alaric Searle, author of Armoured Warfare: A Military, Political and Global History

The Battle for the Mediterranean

The Battle for the Mediterranean
Author: Anthony Tucker-Jones
Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2021-09-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1398808377

"This book provides a strategic overview of the war that is interweaved with fascinating personal accounts, its campaigns and battles." - Professor Geoffrey Roberts. If the Second World War was Hitler's war, the vast military conflict that engulfed the Mediterranean between 1940 and 1945 was Mussolini's. In this exciting and illuminating account, Anthony Tucker-Jones explores the major campaigns across the whole Mediterranean, from the struggle for control of the Suez Canal to the Allied landings in the French Riviera in the summer of 1944. Includes: • Battle for Crete •The Desert Air War • Second Battle of El Alamein • Operation Crusader • Invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) The actions of famous generals are introduced, including Erwin Rommel, Bernard Montgomery and George S. Patton, and how their strategic offensives pushed back Axis forces. Augmented by fascinating photographs and forwarded by Professor Geoffrey Roberts, The Battle for the Mediterranean tells the story of an all-encompassing conflict, by land, air and sea.