Il 75/18 self-propelled it was an important Italian self-propelled gun (made by Ansaldo) used in the Second World War. The main users of the vehicle were the Royal Army and the German Army.
The vehicle was conceived and designed around 1941, entered service at the beginning of 1942 and more than 400 examples were built overall. The vehicle was created by mounting the 75/18 Howitzer 34 model on tank hulls M13 / 40, M14 / 41 o M15 / 42.
The armament was composed - in addition to the casemate artillery piece slightly moved to avoid having to change the driving position (the pilot's seat was on the left) - of an 8 mm Breda machine gun in the upper part of the hull for anti-aircraft function and anti-infantry. It is worth pointing out that the version on the hull of the M15 / 42 it differed from the previous ones due to the engine and petrol "to which our Command has, as a rule, always preferred diesel engine probably for safety reasons and because they are more difficult to subject to damage".1
The self-propelled vehicle was used by the Royal Army in North African campaign and in 'invasion ally of Sicily (Operation Huskies) and stood out. In fact, particularly in North Africa the Italian armored vehicle - thanks to its gun - was able to pierce the tanks of the British Army (see article The infantry tanks: the “Valentine”).
Furthermore, the 75/18 self-propelled, due to its low turret, it was more difficult to detect than tanks and, therefore, a less easy target for the artillery of enemy vehicles.
After the armistice of 1943, a fair number of 75/18 self-propelled guns they were requisitioned by the German Army. During the conflict, the Germans used the vehicle mainly on the Italian front.
Il 75/18 self-propelled it had a length of 4,915 m, width 2,280 m, height 1,850 m and weighed 13,1 tons.
The armor was 30 mm (hull), 25+25 mm (superstructure), 25 mm (lateral) and 15 mm (rear). The armament consisted of a 75/18 Model 34 howitzer, 8 mm or 6,5 mm Breda machine gun.
Engine: SPA V8 diesel and SPA V8 petrol (latest versions), power from 123 to 195 HP. The maximum speed was 32/34 km/h.
The armored vehicle could count on a crew of 3 men.
