Semovente 75/34 SP Gun

The first Italian self-propelled gun, the Semovente M41 da 75/18 based on the M14/41 medium tank, was introduced in late 1941. This provided the field artillery with both mobility and protection. Mounting the short-barreled 75mm L/18 howitzer, it was used with great success in the Desert where it supported the medium tanks with accurate long-range supporting fire.

The Semovente 75/34 was an improved design armed with a new 75/34 gun in a lengthened fighting compartment. Being based on the M15/42 hull, it had a more powerful engine, but was slightly longer. The design was completed by late 1942 and Fiat Ansaldo began full-scale production in 1943. They had produced 190 by September 1943 when Italy surrendered.

Hypothetical Combat Service

With the British and Commonwealth forces pushed across the border into Egypt at El Alamein, the Regio Esercito rushed early prototypes of the Semovente 75/34 to the desert to help deliver the final blow to the Allies. Mechanical problems with the new engine and the 75/34 gun mounting delayed large-scale deployment until the fighting retreat westward to Tunisia.

In German Service

After the fall of Italy, the Germans seized the Semovente 75/34 as the StuG M42. They had issued a total of 294 to German units by the end of 1944. In that year they served with six infantry divisions, two Panzer divisions, three Panzergrenadier divisions, one Fallschirmjager division, and one Gebirgsdivision in Italy and the Balkans.

In Flames Of War

The semoventi are part of the artillery arm, the elite of the Italian Royal Army. Despite the small crew, the excellent range-finding capabilities of the Carro Comando combined with their artillery training enable them to score far more hits than their enemies would expect. The artillery crews of the semoventi are deadly accurate, even with their short-barreled guns.