In the 1930s, the Italian army lacked modern tanks, possessing only armoured cars armed with machine guns, intended solely for infantry support. Consequently, desiring to equip its army with contemporary equipment, Italy began developing a new tank in 1932, marking its first independent foray into tank design. The first prototype was presented in 1938, and serial production commenced in 1939 under the designation M11/39. A total of 100 tanks were built. Upon entering service with the Italian army, these tanks saw action in East and North Africa until 1942, when they ceased to be used due to a lack of spare parts and design flaws: weak armour, poor layout, and an ineffective gun. Nonetheless, the problems of the M11/39 were taken into account during the development of subsequent Italian medium tanks - the M13/40 and M14/41.

The M11/39 was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic". Demonstrating good survivability, decent mobility, and a sufficiently powerful gun, it is well-suited for both ambushes and active offensives. However, weak side armour, limited aiming angles, and mediocre gun ballistics, limit its effectiveness in open terrain.