The Semovente L. 40 da 47/32 was an Italian self-propelled gun built during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It was created by mounting a

Cannone da 47/32 The Cannone da 47/32 mod. 1935 was an Italian artillery piece that saw service during World War II. It was originally designed by Austrian firm Böhler, and produced in Italy under license. The ''Cannone da 47/32'' was used both as an infantry ...

anti-tank gun in an open-topped, box-like superstructure on a L6/40 light tank chassis. Some were built as command tanks with a radio installed instead of the main gun. An 8 mm machine gun disguised as the 47 mm main gun was used on these versions to make them look like a regular Semovente 47/32s. About 300 Semoventi da 47/32 were built from 1941 onward. The Semovente da 47/32 was the most heavily armed Italian

armoured fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by armour, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked. Examples of AFVs are tanks, armoured cars, ...

used on the Eastern Front. While the 47 mm gun was adequate for 1941, by the time the Semovente reached the field it was already outdated and ineffective against enemy medium tanks, and therefore the vehicle was not particularly successful. After the

Italian armistice The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brigad ...

in September 1943, the German Army took all Semovente 47/32s they could get hold of for their own use. The German designation was StuG L6 47/32 630(i). Some of these were provided to Germany's Croatian puppet state and the

Slovene Home Guard The Slovene Home Guard ( sl, Slovensko domobranstvo, SD; german: Slowenische Landeswehr) was a Slovene anti- Partisan military organization that was active during the 1943–1945 German occupation of the formerly Italian-occupied Province of Ljub ...

Variants

* Semovente L. 40 da 47/32: standard variant, carrying 70 rounds of ammunition in the hull and lacking a radio. * Carro comando plotone per semovente da 47/32:

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may rang ...

commander vehicle, equipped with a Marelli radio set, at the expense of a reduced ammunition capacity (47 rounds). The main visual difference from the standard variant was a single radio aerial. * Carro comando compagnia per semovente da 47/32: company commander vehicle, equipped with two radio sets—a Marelli and a . The main gun was removed to make room for the radio equipment; in its place there was an 8 mm Breda mod. 38

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

, disguised as a 47 mm gun. This variant had twin radio aerials as well as the mock gun barrel.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * *

External links

Semovente 47/32 su L6/40
at wwiivehicles.com
Semovente L40 da 47/32 Self-Propelled Gun
Armoured fighting vehicles of Italy World War II armoured fighting vehicles of Italy World War II self-propelled artillery 47 mm artillery Gio. Ansaldo & C. armored vehicles Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944 {{mil-vehicle-stub