P26/40 tank

Carro Armato P 26/40
P26/40 tank in Fiat-Ansaldo factory.
Type	Heavy tank/Medium tank
Place of origin	Italy
Service history
Used by	Italian Social Republic Germany Italian resistance movement (Captured)[1]
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1940–1943
Manufacturer	Ansaldo
Produced	1943–1944
No. built	103 or 110/120
Specifications
Mass	26 tonnes
Length	5.80 m (19 ft 0 in)
Width	2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
Height	2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Crew	4 (commander/gunner, loader, driver, radio-operator)
Armour	Turret: front 60 mm (2.4 in), sides and rear 45 mm (1.8 in), top 20 mm (0.8 in) Hull: front 50 mm (2.0 in), sides 45 mm (1.8 in) and rear 40 mm (1.6 in), bottom 14 mm (0.6 in)
Main armament	Ansaldo 75 mm L/34 gun
Secondary armament	1-2 × 8 mm Breda 38 machine guns
Engine	V-12 SPA 342 diesel, 24 litre 330 hp (243 kW)[2]
Power/weight	11.53 hp/tonne
Suspension	Semi-elliptical leaf spring bogies
Operational range	280 km (170 mi)
Maximum speed	40 km/h (25 mph) road 25 km/h (16 mph) off-road

The P 26/40 was an Italian World War II heavy tank (sometimes defined medium tank when compared to tanks of other nations). It was armed with a 75 mm gun and an 8 mm Breda machine gun, plus another optional machine gun in an anti-aircraft mount.^[3] Design had started in 1940 but very few had been built by the time Italy signed the armistice with the Allies in September 1943 and the few produced afterwards were used by the Germans.^[4]

The official Italian designation was carro armato ("armoured vehicle") P 26/40. The designation means: P for pesante ("heavy"), the weight of 26 tonnes, and the year of adoption (1940).^[5] While considered a heavy tank according to Italy's standards, the P26/40 was much more similar in performance to the medium tanks of other nations.