Tank Chats  

I really enjoy these longer Tank Chats with David Willey - the context is fascinating and paints a clearer picture of why things were like they were. Of course I still also enjoy Davis Fletcher's shorter, more technical vignettes too. Great to have both.

Looking at the state of WW II tanks it makes you realise how large a set of balls every tank crewman had to go to war in those things.

One correction. Italy did in fact have the skills and capabilities to weld armor vehicles, what they did not have was enough trained individual to weld both ships and tanks, so they chose ships.

Honesty, competence, reliable historical sources. Nothing more is asked and that's what I always find here. Thank you David.

The Italian mechanics worked wonders keeping these vehicles running in North Africa. “Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts” by Ian W. Walker gives examples, like at El Alamein that these mechanics actually increased the number of running vehicles before the defeat there. FIAT and its subsidiary companies had a near monopoly on equipment to all the military branches.

I never doubted the bravery of the Italian army, just the Italian weaponry.

Good to see you defend the Italian soldiers, the common soldier who often pays with his life deserves recognition for his valour and achievement regardless of their nationality.

I am deeply grateful to David Willey for this very objective and balanced review. It serves well the thousands of Italian tankers that died in these machines. And it well balances the smear that the likes of Liddel-Hart have piled up on our armed forces. Grazie.

First time in my life that I see a British tank expert discussing Italian tanks and employing the word 'respect'. Who is this gentleman?

Read ‘Iron Hulls and Iron Hearts’ by Ian Walker. This gives a great insight into Italy’s armoured doctrine at the time. I Might add there was no lack of courage from the Italians in ww2.

I didn’t realize the economic situation in Italy before WW2. Its a good history lesson as well as a lesson about tanks. Thanks!

Our tankers, considering all the limitations, really did wonders. And Italy as a whole country, considering the industrial base as shown here, did MIRACLES to fight from 1940 to 1943 and to have battleships like the Littorio class and excellent other ships as well, not to mention aircraft... Sadly the Army couldn't really keep up.. great video as always! I would love to go back there one day! Was there a few years ago... it's the Meccah for tankers lovers for sure!

Read “Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts” by Ian W. Walker about the 3 Italian armor divisions which were small in size, equivalent to a British armored brigade. The Ariete Division was part of the Afrika Korps in fact and was basically the only fully mechanized unit in North Africa. Ariete was the only fully functional of the 3, getting replacement armor by taking from the other 2. The infantry units lacked organic transport which was why they surrendered once abandoned in a retreat, no food or water and hundred of miles to friendly lines.

That Italians used three engined bombers because they had not powerful engines is a mith. The Vickers Wellington had two 1050 hp engines. The Bristol Beaufort, two 1060 hp engines. The Bristol Blenheim, two 920 hp engines. The SM.79 had three 950 hp engines (later equipped with "etilizzatori", an equivalent of the MW50, to have a temporary 100hp boost, to disengage after torpedoing attacks). The Cant Z.1007 had three 1000 hp engines. The BR.20 had two 1030 hp engines. The performances of the twin engined Br.20 compare very well with those of the Wellington and Blenheim. The Br.20 was faster and with an higher ceiling than the Wellington, although with a lower bomb load, and had performances in line with those of the Blenheim, but with a better bomb load. In 1939 had been omologated the 1500 hp Piaggio P.XII. That used standard 87octane fuel. Probably the best radial engine that used standard fuel up to that point. The Italians used two models of three engined bombers simply because they were faster that way, and could still fly with an engine failure, while, for a two engined bomber, an engine failure meant a long descent. That's why they were preferred to the Br.20 too.

As an Italian, i thank you for bringing some justice to the Italian WWII Army by presenting a broader picture and putting things in perspective. Thank you for being respectful to those who, even though joining the wrong side, fought and sacrificed themselves for their country. Italians were not cowards, they fought how they could with what they had available, including abysmally bad leadership and poor equipment.

I believe a museum recently built a working replica of a Fiat 2000. Another great video as always, thanks David.

Basically everyone at the start of the war had fairly poor tanks by comparison to mid/late war designs. The issue is Italy didn't have the manufacturing capability to get rid of those designs quickly enough, where as everyone else did.

You have done a great service with this video, exposing facts and dispelling wartime myths!

Finally a documentary where a foreigner doesn't play Spiderman's theme Funniculì Funniculà while laughing at italy. Thank you

The British army used a lot of captured Italian tanks, because they had acquired them, and because their own had serious reliability issues, were broken down and not available. The British crews were not any happier about being in them than the Italians had been. It is another reason why Rommel had success when he showed up.

The M13/40 actually had rather good firepower for a tank in the first years of the war, but its mobility and protection left much to be desired.

Finally, a bit of onesty from British side, the italian forces still suffer from the narrative of WW2, we lost it was inevitable, the only thing that wasn't missing in the italian forces was bravery, but we always been accused of cowardice by enemy and friends.

Anyone fighting inside a tank in that heat has my respect .

I certainly agree it was about 1942 being turning point, everyone was getting better kit, everyone but the Italians, they were fighting battles in 1943 with kit better suited to 1940.

Thank you so much for this, a fair take on this issue. Italian soldiers did well and made the best of what they had to work with. They were not the "cowards" or slackers that common myth and propaganda has portrayed. A good man or a good crew takes what weapons or vehicles they are issued, and despite the faults carry on and do the best they can.

23:30 Also, in 1940 Italian troops in Africa were mainly low quality troops with very poor training, equipment and discipline, mainly part of the Fascist party's militia. A true story to be told is that the Italian military, some say under the suggestion of Mussolini in person, decided to form units to be sent to Africa exclusively with people of the Southernmost regions of Italy (like Sicily and Calabria) just because they said that they were used to the heat of the Southern Mediterranean. The problem was that those regions had a shockingly low level of alphabetization (probably the lowest in Europe at that time) and therefore it was extremely difficult to find trained specialists for communications and vehicle operations, leading to the actual impossibility of operating an efficient communication network just because there were too few people that could actually read and write.

David Willey is by far my favourite for the tank videos! Usually longer, and includes more detail, particularly about the history and background of them, Where Fletcher tends to just stick to the technical details. Had a lovely long chat with David Willey while we there for Tiger day in Sept 21 about the tortoise! :) Would love to see that behemoth running!

This episode has been a historical eye-opener. Thank you.

Life in the Italian military (all branches) during WWII was essentially an exercise in getting shafted, repeatedly, by Mussolini for his own political miscalculations.

Thanks for the pronunciation corrections! Got a nice pic of this tank with my fiance beside from our visit in the museum, goes perfectly alongside the one with her granpa in uniform :)

I think the economic insight is an excellent 'lens' to view the tanks and Italy's resources.

I recommend looking at Italian War memorials if you ever go to Italy. You'll probably be surprised to see the level of Italian casualties on the Eastern front and the comparison with WW1.

David Willey does an excellent job explaining the history of tanks and other armored fighting vehicle. I appreciate his knowledge and dedication to the subject. I’m glad he’s part of The Tank Museum.

thank you for dispelling these horrific misconceptions of Italy during the war

Had the pleasure of seeing a running example of this in Ontario, Canada. Amazing piece of tech!

Italy fought in North Africa, East Africa, the Eastern Front and the Mediterranean with a small industrial capacity and few natural resources. The level of sacrifice and courage of the individual italian soldier was evidently higher then most other beligerants. Great honest and balanced review in this video.

An excellent presentation which is both detailed and thoughtful. I wholeheartedly agree with the comments about the bravery of the Italian fighting man, and this is acknowledged (perhaps grudgingly) by some writers of the period and in some contemporary comments by allied commanders. Even Rommel acknowledged the loss of the Ariete armoured division with comments about their bravery at second El Alamein. With regard to the quality of armour, the Italians could make very good armour and their battleship armour was as good as any contemporary so the poor quality of tank armour may be another consequence of the army's third division status when compared to their other two services. Once again, many thanks for an excellently presented and thoughtfully worded video that puts the Italian war effot into its proper context, one which is often forgotten or deliberately ignored.

I'm enjoying listening to these tank chats that little mention German automotive engineering. It's good to hear stories of nations who had to innovate in an effort to keep up and sometimes surprise greater industrial powers.

Really appreciate the fact that you guys started talking more about Italian armour, the lack of industrial capabilities gave birth to some ineffective, yet really interesting designs.

17:17 Pirelli tires on a tank....may wonders never cease!

Thanks for dispelling many of the misconceptions about the Italian army and armor in WWII. Great video.

Oh yes. Respect to those Italian crews, and respect to David W for the perspective he gives

Very good insight David, different from what we’d always been led to believe. 👍🏻🇦🇺

Thank you for a great story about this tank's predecessors. As a kid I assembled plastic kits of this one, and another, an assault gun, on the same chassis - there weren't many WW2 plastic kits available in Russia in early 90s, but many were made under license from the Italian hobby company, hence the focus on Italy. When later I got my first T-34 kit, it was a surprise to see how tiny M14/41 was in comparison.

I really like the Italian 47mm gun,In my opinion the best Tank/Anti-tank gun of the early war period with decent HE shell,decent penetraion,small size and low weight.

Thank you for a deep and well-balanced exposition about Italian tanks.

M13/40 (lll) is my favourite tank in War Thunder, it doesn't have the best gun but it has good armor and mobility. I can rack up 10+ kills in one match if I really focus. Excellent tank.

Fantastic. Have been curious about Italian armour as all I knew was the stereotypes. Love the North African theatre in WW2 so had built some 1/35 Italian tanks which were cool and different so good to understand the history. Usual high standard from the Tank Museum!

How refreshing to hear such a well documented and balanced report. Thank you!

One of my Granddads' was at the first siege of Tobruk where he fought the Italians and Germans. When you are being shelled or shot at, bombed or mortared its a bit hard to differentiate which Nationality is doing it and whether you think someone is a first rate or second rate Soldier hardly matters.

we Italians we have a saying , that , we were brave but unlucky !! Nice video i really enjoyed !!

I love the slightly longer format than normal. That and the presentation was fantastic, and the information invaluable. Thank you!!

I really enjoyed learning more about Italian armor and clearing up some of the views we have of them during WWII. Awesome video!

This is the first time I hear some particular topics outside Italian sources, awesome video!

Very informative and interesting video. Nice to see a balanced and fair analysis of Italy in WW2.

The Matilda next to the M14 looks positively menacing compared to the Italian job.

I love my little M14/41s in Mid War Flames of War (not exactly a simulation but hey ho). They always pull more weight than such a small under armoured tank should, plenty of MG fire and a reasonable gun has seen them stop offensives from superior tanks and swarms of infantry. My regular opponents have learnt to, if not fear, at least respect the Italian Carristi!

What a superb and thought provoking resume of not just a vehicle but a system that existed to support both its manufacture and utilisation - bravo, the best yet in my view!!

It is always a great pleasure to attend your “classes”. Thank you for your dedication! greetings from 🇵🇹

Finally "ANSALADO" is now correctly pronounced as ANSALDO ;)

Misinformation and bias has done more harm to the Italian tank reputation during WW2 than anything else. I'm praising the fighting men's courage, their tenacity to fight with the equipment they were given, like every other fighting men in warfare.

Well done. Kudos for a fair, unbiased and methodical analysis of the Italian tank corps and its role in early WW2.

Thanks. A thoughtful and reflective assessment.

Amazing video. Thanks for the great work guys.

Terrifying to imagine oneself in this Italian tank on the Eastern Front facing the T-34 and KV-1.

I don't think I could ever tire listening to your tank chats, keep up the good work

Great video, possibly the best tank chat yet. Love the longer format and explaining the full historical context of this specific tank. Would love to see some interior shots though, and the best would be David having a go at the Chieftain's "Oh bugger the tank is on fire" test for some of these tanks.

Brilliant presentation, as italian what you presented as background is sharp and plane.

According to Spielberger, Italy was planning to produce the Panther in 1943. The German manufacturers were instructed to provide the technical documentation free of charge. With the Italian surrender the project was cancelled. I have my doubts the Italian industry would have been able to build a tank of that size any time soon without substantial help from Germany.

I love these longer Tank chats. Especially with David Willey, the Bob Ross of Tanks.

Sometimes the Tank Chats come out with a new fact that I did not know or even think about. Mussolooney didn’t tell his merchant navy that he was going to declare war. So lost 30% of the fleet!!!!

amazing presentation with such good insides..

Very interesting and well made, but I just want to point our that the armor/metal part is wrong. In fact the quality of Italian armor was extremely good on ships (the battleship TERNI armor was among the bests in the world) and Italian were capable with the welding technology (the firsts Carro Veloce were welded, some of the last too). The big issue was with costs, it costs less to rivet and bolt than welding. Also, it was assumed (and ultimately proven wrong) that bolting and riveting plates could be replaced easily when a tank was damaged.

Great video especially putting the context around the Italian army’s performance and that of their tanks. Share. Share. Share.

Absolutely fascinating. I love the tank chats!

Sometimes, a few of these Tank reviews can be a bit pedantic. But this one was just outstanding!!! Thoroughly enjoyed it! Well done Mr. Willey!

Another informative and well presented video!

Very fine and well-reaoned presentation, as always on your channel. Great job.

Good start of my day thanks for the great chat 👍🏼❤️

Dear David: I wonder if you can make a video about the italian Ansaldo 75/42; a squat assault gun with a 75 mm. hull mounted short cannon. I understand they were quite succesful as a tank destroyer in the last stages of the desert war. i would love to know a little more about the contraption if possible. Thank you for the wonderful videos you make. Greetings!

David Willey made an important point by looking at the weak economical base of Italy ( See The rise and fall of the great powers, Kennedy). But I always wonder, how the Italians managed these huge offensives at the Capuretto-front over years. They had not more steel, coal, gas at this time, had they?

Excellent content. May the Algorithm bless you Tank Museum!

Brilliant and objective analysis very fair as always.

Once again v interesting, especially the exposition of the limitations of the industrial base.

OK, no more jokes like "Italian tanks do have six gears - one foward and five reverse."

Could you even imagine what it sounds like inside any armoured vehicle, getting hit with any shell that bounces of it? It must have been horrifying and deafening.

An extra long tank chat makes my day! 👍

This is very informative! Thank you.

Excellent! Thank you!

thank you , i really enjoyed this video , finn's tennis ball thrower is wonderful !

Thank you for giving a very unbiased account of Italian tanks. I, like many I'm sure was brought up with idea that all Italian tanks had one forward and 4 reverse gears!

Great tank chat - balance overview which these should be 👍🏼. Hope to visit one day.

Thank you for that very honest review.🙏❤️

Amazing lecture, thank you

Thank you for this excellent video!

Very interesting. I appreciate a lot your impartiality.

Thanks for the vid. Always great.

Pint of clarification, Rommel had massive issues with the officer corp not limited to the idiots from Italy which he was required to report to, which really did not happen much.

Very interesting lecture, thank you.

Well said, respect to those men that had to go to war in these things knowing you were outgunned in every way