Semovente 90/53

Infobox Weapon
name= Semovente 90/53


caption=
origin= flagicon|Italy|1861 Italy
type=
is_ranged=
is_bladed=
is_explosive=
is_artillery=
is_vehicle=yes
is_missile=
is_UK=
service= 1943
used_by= flagicon|Italy|1861 Italy
wars= World War II
designer=
design_date=
manufacturer=
unit_cost=
production_date= 1942
number= 20
variants=
weight= 17 tonnes (37,478 lbs)
length= 5.2 m (17 ft)
part_length=
width= 2.2 m (7.21 ft)
height= 2.14 m (7 ft)
diameter=
crew= 5 (commander, driver, three gun crew)
armour= 40 mm (1.57 in)
primary_armament= 90 mm (3.54 in) Cannone da 90/53
6 rounds
secondary_armament=
engine= Fiat V8 diesel
engine_power= 154 hp (114.84 kW)
transmission=
payload_capacity=
fuel_capacity=
pw_ratio=
suspension= vertical volute spring
clearance=
vehicle_range= 200 km (124 mi)
speed= 35 km/h (22 mph)
guidance=

The Semovente 90/53 was an Italian self-propelled gun (a tank destroyer) in use during World War II. It was built by mounting a 90 mm Cannone da 90/53 anti-aircraft gun on top of an enlarged chassis of a M14/41 tank. About 30 were built in March 1942 in response to demands by Italian forces on the Eastern Front for a vehicle-mounted anti-tank weapon that could take on Soviet T-34 and KV tanks. Italian armored forces on the Eastern Front were equipped only with the L6/40 tank and Semovente 47/32 self-propelled gun; neither of these had the firepower to cope with the Soviet medium and heavy tanks. However, no Semovente 90/53 were ever sent to the Eastern Front, though a few saw action during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.

The major drawback of the Semovente 90/53, as with many self-propelled gun types of World War II combatants, was the open top and rear of the gun compartment, which left the gun crew exposed to shrapnel. The small ammunition capacity of the vehicle was also a problem; only six rounds could be carried. This necessitated the creation of special ammunition carriers out of Fiat L6/40 tanks, one accompanying each Semovente 90/53 in the field. The L6 ammunition carriers could carry 26 rounds. The effective range of the gun was about 2000 meters.

External links

* [http://www.wwiivehicles.com/italy/self-propelled-guns/semovente-m41.asp Semovente da 90/53] at wwiivehicles.com
* [http://www.comandosupremo.com/Semovente9053.html SEMOVENTE da 90/53] at comandosupremo.com
* [http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt07/italian-90mm-sp-gun-semovente.html WWII U.S. Report on Semovente 90/53, June 1943]