Late last year, we announced that two new European nations will be coming in 2018: Poland and Italy. The supertest of Progetto M35 mod 46 in January revealed that the new nation’s tech tree would be full of Mediterranean machines. As Progetto’s brethren roll out for a supertest, we want to give you a little heads-up about these new kids on the block.

The first post-1.0 update will unleash 11 Italian medium tanks reinforcing the game with the tenth Tech Tree. Tiers I–VII retrace the history of the nation’s tankbuilding, from Italy’s early tank designs at lower tiers through to post-WWII machines at mid-to-higher tiers. But the cherry on the cake are Tiers VIII–X with a new gun system, a hybrid between an autoloader and a regular gun. This Italian revolver of sorts, called “autoreloader,” can automatically reload a shell in the drum even when the drum is not empty yet.

Historical Spotlight

The new branch of mediums covers three periods of Italian tank design: the timid first steps, the catch-up and post-war, western-oriented.

The timid first steps : Out in front in terms of tank design at the time was the French. The Italian tanks drew inspiration from, or more blatantly copied, French designs but over time experimented with their own ideas. Distinguishing features were light armor and var-ious gun calibers.

: Out in front in terms of tank design at the time was the French. The Italian tanks drew inspiration from, or more blatantly copied, French designs but over time experimented with their own ideas. Distinguishing features were light armor and var-ious gun calibers. Catch-up Phase : Attempting to reach the standard set by the most developed tank-building nations, it was about more firepower and thicker armor. Originally started to pro-duce heavies, it was actually mediums that made it off the production line.

: Attempting to reach the standard set by the most developed tank-building nations, it was about more firepower and thicker armor. Originally started to pro-duce heavies, it was actually mediums that made it off the production line. Post-war, Western-oriented : Now it was all about mobility, excellent firepower, good angles of depression and insignificant armor. How times had changed...

Tiers I–VII Overview

The first thing you will notice straight off the bat is the choice between the M14/41 and L6/40 at Tier II. Similar when it boils down to game characteristics, both tanks left a huge mark in Ital-ian armored vehicular history. We’re paying homage to them by adding both for you to try. The M14/41 won’t impress you with its speed, but can show who’s who to its piers working a solid 47mm gun. The L6/40 sports excellent for its tier speed and a 20 mm machine gun. Learn more about these mass-produced duo and their elder brethren and get ready to work your way up the Italian tree!