Of the three major Axis powers, two of them, Japan and Italy were woefully lacking in decent tanks. Both of them were basing their tanks on what was needed for colonial occupation and for the battles of the 1930s. As such, much of what they did have were light tanks. Those medium tanks that existed were under-gunned, under-armored, and slow.

For the Italians, they envisioned a lot of hill and mountain fighting, where heavy tanks were not going to to be operating. They also had to take into the consideration the various bridges where they thought they would be operating. Bridges that could not handle heavy tank traffic. As such, their medium tanks were relative lightweights in terms of tonnage and still in the 1930s with their small 37mm guns. They had not figured out welding so the vast majority of their armor plating was bolted on.

Early battles in the 1940s against British armor and British anti-tank guns showed that the tanks being used were obsolete even before they entered the battle field. Their slow pace meant they were easily over run by the faster, though similarly armed 'cruiser' tanks and they were totally unable to defeat the heavily armored infantry support tanks like the Matilda.

Despite constant upgrading, Italian tanks always seemed to be a year or two behind the curve. However, not all was as dire and depressing as it seems for out of this the Italians developed the Semovente or tank destroyer class of vehicles similar to the German StuGs. These had sufficiently large guns to be effective against enemy armor. They were faster than the normal medium tank and they were lower in profile, something that was important when ambushing enemy armor. However, the pace of construction of these tanks was slow, something that plagued Italian war production of all materiel during the war.

Even after the armistice in September of 1943, those factories under German occupation continued to produce tanks and even some updated versions not available earlier. The older tanks were farmed out to the Aegean and other areas where they were more than satisfactory against partisans. These were used until unable to operate due to a lack of spare parts.

In line with other books in this series, the authors cover the development and construction of the various medium tanks and the semovente from which they were derived. We get to look at their strengths and weaknesses as well as how they did in battle, both with the Italian and German army. It is surprising how many actually survived the war long enough to be placed in various museums and other display venues.

It all makes for a book on a subject about which few enthusiasts are conversant. It is a superb look at these vehicle and how they were used in combat. A book that is both interesting and enjoyable to read. A book I can easily recommend for you.

January 2013

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