M13/40 (III)

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Rank 6 USA
F-5C Pack
This page is about the Italian medium tank M13/40 (III). For other versions, see M13/40 (Family).
M13/40 (III)
it_m13_40_serie_3.png
GarageImage M13 40 (III).jpg
ArtImage M13-40 (III).png
M13/40 (III)
AB RB SB
2.0 2.0 2.0
Class:
Research:2 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:2 100 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 III Serie (shortened as M13/40 (III)) is a rank I Italian medium tank with a battle rating of 2.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

The M13/40 (III) is a superior version of the M13/40, which has reload speed and default camouflage of model (II), while retaining gun depression of model (I). You can distinguish it visually from other 2 by spotting small "bump" on its turret's top (above the gun), which was made so that the gun can depress with the new loading mechanism.

The M13/40 (III), as with the rest of the family, is typically used as a breakthrough tank or a "blockade runner" due to the fact that it is very resistant to enemy fire, especially when angled, and can disable or destroy enemy vehicles with only one shot when up close. Beware, however, around the 500 m mark the cannon ammunition starts to lose its punch and can fail to penetrate effectively, and it's not any faster than other tanks of the family.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull30 / 25 / 25
Turret45 / 25 / 25
Crew4 people
Visibility82 %

Most of the hull armour is flat, so despite quite high frontal armour values the M13/40 (III) must always be angled when engaging an enemy combatant or risk easy penetration of the vehicle. The side armour value is not as good as the front, but at extreme angles, it becomes more effective. The turret, however, is not as reliably weak. The strange angles of the mantlet and small size makes the turret quite strong against Rank I vehicles and even if a shot does penetrate, the mantlet will likely absorb enough of the shrapnel to keep your turret crew relatively unharmed.

As long as you angle your tank right, you will have 36 to 50 mm of effective armour thickness and use it to block enemy shots. If a hull-down position is available, that will be your best option to increase survivability. Destroy British tanks and any SPG as soon as possible, as every single one of them can destroy your tank. It is also worth prioritizing Soviet and certain USA tanks as well, however not every one of them can penetrate your armour reliably.

The rear end is also rather long, so enemies could pick this piece off if it is exposed. But it's better to be shot at your engines, than your crew compartment, located in the middle of the tank. Don't give your opponent any time to do that and make them go away before they started firing onto your second tier.

This tank has the desert camouflage as the default one, which means you will be at a disadvantage on non-desert maps at first in terms of stealth.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Interior mantlet)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 30 mm (12°) Upper Plate
25 mm (80°) - 30 mm (66°) Upper Glacis
30 mm (Curved) Lower Glacis
30 mm Upper Front
25 mm Upper
25 mm Lower
25 mm Upper 3 Levels
27 mm Lower Level
15 mm Crew Compartment
5 mm - 15 mm Engine Compartment
Turret 45 mm (13°) Turret front
30 mm + 40 mm (Curved) Gun mantlet
25 mm 15 mm

Notes:

  • Turret Ring Guard - 50 mm
  • Fenders, Storage Boxes - 4 mm
  • Tracks - 20 mm
  • Suspension - 10 mm to 15 mm
  • Main Gun - 15 mm
  • Machine Guns - 5 mm

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB36 / 6 km/h
RB and SB32 / 5 km/h
Number of gears4 forward
1 back
Weight13.6 t
Engine power
AB248 hp
RB and SB130 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB18.2 hp/t
RB and SB9.6 hp/t
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 36 6 13.6 201 248 14.78 18.24
Realistic 32 5 115 130 8.46 9.56

Mobility of the M13/40 (III) is sluggish on anything but flat land, but it's adequate as long as you don't try to climb steep hills or to cross the entire map fast. Attempting steep hill flank will just get you stuck and leave you exposed to enemy fire.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB196 → 252 Sl icon.png
RB225 → 289 Sl icon.png
SB272 → 350 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications4 450 Rp icon.png
2 670 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost300 Ge icon.png
Crew training600 Sl icon.png
Experts2 100 Sl icon.png
Aces45 Ge icon.png
Research Aces110 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
10 / 20 / 20 % Sl icon.png
100 / 100 / 100 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
120 Sl icon.png
40 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
120 Sl icon.png
40 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
220 Sl icon.png
75 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
480 Rp icon.png
Cost:
290 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
480 Rp icon.png
Cost:
290 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
120 Sl icon.png
40 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement it.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
220 Sl icon.png
75 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
180 Sl icon.png
60 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
120 Sl icon.png
40 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
47mm_m39_APBC_ammo_pack
Research:
200 Rp icon.png
Cost:
120 Sl icon.png
40 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
370 Rp icon.png
Cost:
220 Sl icon.png
75 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
480 Rp icon.png
Cost:
290 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition87 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
3.8 → 2.9 s
Vertical guidance-15° / 25°
Main article: 47/32 mod.35 (47 mm)

Ammunition is good enough for flank shots and direct shots at flat armour up to 500 m. Post-penetration effect is enough to destroy most opponents of rank 1 with one or two shots.

Upgraded ammo does not have increased performance against flat armour, however against angled armour it does increase your chances to penetrate turrets along with angled armour and damage something like French tanks at longer range.

Overall, almost nothing can deflect your shots at 100-200 m range.

47 mm 47/32 mod.35 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 87 -15°/+25° ±180° N/A 13.3 18.4 22.4 24.8 26.4 3.77 3.33 3.07 2.90
Realistic 8.3 9.8 11.9 13.2 14.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
10 m 100 m 500 m 1,000 m 1,500 m 2,000 m
Granata Perforante mod.35 APHE 55 52 41 30 22 17
Granata Perforante mod.39 APBC 54 52 46 39 33 28
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Granata Perforante mod.35 APHE 630 1.5 1.2 9 30 47° 60° 65°
Granata Perforante mod.39 APBC 630 1.44 1.2 9 30 47° 60° 65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M13/40 (III)
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
3rd
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
87 79 (+8) 54 (+33) (+86) Yes

Note:

  • Turret empty: 54 (+33) shells.

Machine guns

Ammunition1 536 rounds
Belt capacity24 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate600 shots/min
Ammunition1 536 rounds
Belt capacity24 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate600 shots/min
Main article: Breda Mod. 38 (8 mm)

Although the pintle-mounted machine gun cannot traverse independently of the turret on the horizontal, its limited vertical traverse can make it useful against unprotected SPAA as well as strafing aircraft. The coaxial-mounted machine gun is hard to use for anything, as it's limited by the traverse of the main gun. Additionally, it has a very small magazine size so it's recommended not to needlessly fire your machine guns throughout the battle, and keep a full magazine at all times.

8 mm Breda Mod. 38
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Coaxial 1,536 (24) 600 N/A N/A
Pintle 1,536 (24) 600 -10°/+20° N/A

Usage in battles

Try to push through enemy fire, while being angled at least 30° to your enemy. Destroy anyone who dares to fire at you, specifically targeting SPGs and those who forgot to angle their armour. Upgrade your ammunition for a better damage profile.

Alternatively, take a slightly flanking direction near to your team and use your strong characteristics to intercept any fast-moving vehicles while moving along with your team. After finishing the cleanup, flank main battle and destroy defenceless opponents.

It's not worth fighting heavily armoured vehicles alone while being angled without upgraded ammo. At a range of 500 m, you will probably only penetrate each other's turret and it's more up to luck than anything. One possibility if fighting from this range, your shell can potentially incapacitate turret crew, disabling the tank and allowing a team member with heavier firepower to finish the target off without the threat of being fired upon.

Tanks equipped with autocannons can destroy you from the rear and sides, however, they often go for engines first. Keep an eye out for them.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Thick gun mantlet
  • Excellent gun depression
  • Its shells deal good post-penetration damage

Cons:

  • Struggles against better-armoured foes
  • Slow and unable to climb well
  • Unsloped armour is easy to penetrate for opponents

History

Intended to replace the unsatisfactory M11/39, the M13/40 retained its main mechanical features, but with a more powerful gun in a fully rotating turret. The M13 was slow, unreliable, and suffered from the tank commander doubling as the gunner. Similar to early Soviet and French tanks, it did not receive radios as standard equipment until 1942. Nevertheless, it became the standard Italian medium tank from 1941 on, and is the best known Italian tank of the war. In War Thunder, the M13/40 (III) represents those made earlier in the production run, with hydraulic traverse gear and radios in place. They have less maximum ammunition than the (I) model as a result.

The tank first saw service with the 3rd Medium Tank Battalion (Battaglione Carri M) in Libya's Sollum-Halfaya region. It later equipped 132nd "Ariete (Ram)" Armoured Division (Divisione Corazzata) in North Africa. From January to April of 1941, it also saw action in Yugoslavia and Greece with the 131st Centauro (Centaur) and 133rd Littorio armoured divisions. For a short time after the first rush of British victories in North Africa in early 1941, there were enough captured M13s to equip a British armoured unit, 6th Royal Tank Regiment, in Libya. These were all lost in turn to Rommel's offensive in March of that year. In late August of 1941, Italian medium tank platoons increased their number from four to five.

When Italy surrendered in September 1943, 22 M13s were captured by Germany, who handed them over to the Italian fascist forces. It is uncertain how many in total were produced, as many were converted to M14/41s: estimates range from 710 to 1,049.

Media

Skins
Videos

See also

Related Development
Main article: M13/40 (Family)
Tanks of comparable role, configuration and era

External links


FIAT-Ansaldo
Autoblindo  AB 41 · AB 43
Light Tanks  L6/40 · L6/40 (31 Rgt.)
Medium Tanks  Celere Sahariano
M11/39  M11/39
M13/40  M13/40 (I) · M13/40 (II) · M13/40 (III)
M14/41  M14/41 · M14/41 (47/40)
M15/42  M15/42
P40  P40 · P40 "G.C. Leoncello"
Tank Destroyers 
L3/33  L3/33 CC
Semovente L40  47/32 L40
Semovente M41  75/18 M41 · 75/32 M41 · 90/53 M41M
Semovente M42  75/34 M42
Semovente M43  105/25 M43 · M43 "G.C.Leoncello" · 75/34 M43 · 75/46 M43
SPAAs  M42 Contraereo

Italy medium tanks
  Italy
M13/40  M13/40 (I) · M13/40 (II) · M13/40 (III)
M14/41  M14/41 · M14/41 (47/40)
M15/42  M15/42
M16/43  Celere Sahariano
P26/40  P40 · P40 "G.C. Leoncello"
OF-40  OF-40 · OF-40 Mk.2A · OF-40 (MTCA)
Ariete  Ariete (P) · Ariete · Ariete PSO · Ariete AMV
Germany  ▄Pz.III N · ▄Pz.IV G · ▄Leopard 1A5
Allied powers  ▄Sherman I Composito · Sherman Ic · ▄Sherman Vc · ▄Sherman V · M26 "D.C.Ariete" · M26A1 · M47 (105/55) · M60A1 "D.C.Ariete"
  Hungary
Turán  Turan I · Turan II · Turan III
Germany  ◔Leopard 2A4
USSR  ◔T-72M1