The M14/41 was primarily armed with a 47mm main gun which, at a certain point in armored warfare history, was actually a very capable weapon caliber. However, as the war increasingly grew to include more armored battles, gun calibers soon grew in turn. With this growth also came new hulls that were better armored than in the past and, thusly, the 47mm as a main tank-killing gun was more or less made obsolete. However, utilizing High-Explosive (HE) shells, an antiquated tank gun could still find some value on the battlefield in engaging enemy infantry emplacements and other "soft" targets of note. The 47mm main gun was supplemented by a pair of 8mm Modello 38 series general purpose machine guns. Both were fitted to a limited-traverse gun position in the right of the bow. Another 8mm machine gun was fitted in a coaxial position in the turret next to the main gun.
Power for the tank was supplied by a FIAT SPA 15-TM-40 series 8-cylinder diesel-fueled engine developing 145 horsepower. This allowed for a top speed of 22 miles per hour on ideal surfaces and operational ranges out to 124 miles.
In practice, the limitations of this medium tank design residing in the body of a light tank became painfully clear, especially when combat was encountered. The armor was realistically too thin to contend with the guns of the modern battlefield and the engine made the type extremely prone to catching fire when hit (this was a detrimental value of some other tanks in the war). Additionally, the powertrain proved wholly unreliable especially in the desert conditions it was being asked to fight in. Crews also held a certain disdain for the rather cramped conditions they would be asked to fight it. Once must remember that tanker conditions, in general, were quite unforgiving regardless of what tank it was - some nations offered some creature comforts but most did not - especially under war time circumstances. Tankers certainly had a rough go of warfare.
After the Italians were run out of North Africa, the M14/41 was used in a limited capacity from then on. Perhaps the biggest claim to fame for the series was the use of its chassis to form the basis of the "Semovente 90/53" series tank destroyer which held a greater battlefield value. The Semovente90/53 lacked a working turret and sported a shallow hull superstructure armed with a fixed 90mm Cannone da 90/53 series tank-killing gun. However, only 48 of the type were completed, these beginning to see action in 1941.
The British and Australians only made use of the M14/41 in their respective precarious circumstances. As the Italians fled, they left behind scores of equipment including tanks such as the M14/41. Needing whatever armored vehicles they could muster, the Allies used what they could to help reinforce their depleted armored stocks until better alternatives could be found/received. However, these Italian tanks were quickly replaced when possible, bringing an end to their rather lackluster legacy in the war.
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