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Kingdom of Italy/Repubblica Sociale Italiana (1942-1945)
Truck-Mounted Dual Use Artillery – 1 prototype

The Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA ‘Dovunque’ 41 was an Italian anti-aircraft and anti-tank self-propelled truck-mounted gun designed in 1942 on the SPA Dovunque 41 6×6 heavy duty truck chassis. It was meant to succeed the previous Autocannone da 90/53 su Breda 52 in the ranks of the Italian Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army).

Although it was a promising project, the Armistice of 8th September 1943 caused the cancellation of the vehicle’s development, which was restarted in 1944 under the control of the new fascist-aligned Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano (English: National Republican Army). They used the single armored prototype produced by Officine Viberti.

The name Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 means truck-mounted 90 mm L. 53 [cannon] on SPA Dovunque 41 [chassis].

The North African Context

During the first stages of the Second World War, the Regio Esercito was involved in a military campaign against the Commonwealth troops in the vast deserts of North Africa. This campaign began on 9th September 1940, when the Italian troops invaded Egypt from Libya, which was an Italian colony.

During these actions, it was clear for the Regio Esercito commanders in Africa that the Army needed long-range and well armed reconnaissance vehicles with great mobility. They also needed support vehicles that would be fast and armed with field guns capable of supporting the Italian assault infantry units. Good mobility would allow them to quickly move from one point to another on the battlefield to stop British assaults and support Italian counterattacks.

For this purpose, some light trucks, captured from the British troops in Cyrenaica during the first days of war, were used. These vehicles were Morris CS8, Ford F15, and Chevrolet, all with a payload capacity of 15 cwt (750 kg). They were captured in large quantities and were put back into service with the Italian coat of arms as supply trucks.

General Gastone Gambara, one of the Italian commanders in North Africa, ordered some workshops to take a number of these British lorries and modify them, mounting artillery pieces on their loading bay. This was how autocannoni came to be.

In Italian, the word autocannone (plural autocannoni) designated a truck of civilian or military production, of any type (light, medium, etc.), modified to permit the transportation of an artillery piece of any type (anti-tank, field gun, anti-aircraft, etc.) permanently fixed on the cargo bay.

The first autocannone produced in significant numbers was the Autocannone da 65/17 su Morris CS8, of which 24 were assembled. This vehicle had an old Cannone da 65/17 Mod. 1908/13 mountain gun mounted on its cargo bay and was stretched by 50 cm. The gun carriage was modified removing the spade and the wheels and welding it on a Italian medium tank turret ring that permitted 360° traverse.

While the Morris CS8 was transformed into a support autocannone, the smaller Ford and Chevrolet were converted into anti-aircraft autocannoni, mounting a Cannone da 20/65 Mod. 1935 or Mod. 1939. They were used to defend the Batterie Autocannoni (English: Autocannoni Batteries) or Italian supply convoys from aircraft strikes.

In North Africa, other autocannoni were produced with support guns, anti-aircraft, and anti-tank guns on different types of trucks, mainly of Italian production.

Autocannoni da 90/53

The only autocannoni officially produced in significant numbers, 120 in total, during the war, were the Autocannone da 90/53 su Lancia 3Ro and Autocannone da 90/53 su Breda 52. The first was produced by Lancia Veicoli Industriali in Turin and the latter by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche in the Sesto San Giovanni plant (near Milan). They were modified by the Ansaldo company in the Ansaldo-Fossati plant in Sestri Ponente (near Genoa) and perhaps also by the Officine Viberti company in Turin.

The Autocannone da 90/53 was a private project of Ansaldo proposed to the Italian Ministry of War on 7th January 1941. On the blueprints sent by Ansaldo, the truck chassis chosen for the project was an Alfa Romeo heavy duty truck, but the Ispettorato Superiore dei Servizi Tecnici (English: Technical Services Inspectorate) requested on 12nd January 1941, less than a week after, to mount it on the Lancia 3Ro heavy-duty truck instead.

Despite the need to modify the project to reinforce the truck chassis, the prototype was ready on 6th February 1941, the firing tests were performed on 10th February 1941, and the first order from the Regio Esercito for the Autocannone da 90/53 su Lancia 3Ro was placed on 10th March 1941.

After some changes, on 18th September 1941, the Regio Esercito order was extended to 30 autocannoni on Lancia 3Ro and 50 on Breda 52 chassis, plus 64 Lancia 3Ro ammunition carriers, 16 command trucks, and 16 recovery trucks.

On 2nd December 1941, the order was finally changed to 30 autocannoni su Lancia 3Ro, by this date all delivered or ready to be delivered to the Regio Esercito, 90 autocannoni su Breda 52 (20 ready to be delivered), a total of 96 heavy duty trucks (Lancia 3Ro and Breda 51) converted to ammunition carriers, 24 recovery trucks, and just 12 command trucks. The last Autocannone da 90/53 su Breda 52 left the Ansaldo-Fossati plant in Genoa on 1st May 1943.

These 120 autocannoni, 96 ammunition carriers, 12 command trucks, and 24 recovery trucks were assigned to 12 Groups that used Roman numerals: DI, DII, DIII, DIV, DV, DVII, DVIII, DXI, DLVI, DLVII, XX, and XXI (501st, 502nd, 503rd, 504th, 505th, 507th, 508th, 511th, 556th, 557th, 20th, and 21st), each divided into two batteries with 4 autocannoni da 90/53 each (plus one in reserve for each battery), 4 ammunition carriers with 840 rounds in total, one command truck, two recovery trucks, 10 logistic light and heavy vehicles, and other various equipment. The total personnel complement was 4 officers, 7 NCOs, 105 crew and gunners, and 31 drivers.

The DI, DII, and DIV Groups were sent to North Africa, where they were all lost during the North African Campaign. The remaining groups were used in the defense of southern Italy until the 8th September 1943 armistice.

During service, some defects of the vehicles were found, such as the poor top speed, poor range, and poor off-road capabilities, mainly due to weight increase (11,500 kg for the 90/53 su Lancia 3Ro compared to 5,610 kg of the standard Lancia 3Ro cargo truck variant), but also because neither of the two trucks had all-wheel drive.

In order to withstand the stress of the recoil of the powerful main gun, the Lancia 3Ro and Breda 52 trucks received six manual jacks with three spades each. These needed to be hammered into the ground before opening fire.

Before being ready to open fire, the crew need to stop the vehicle, put the jacks into position, mount the jack pads, hammer three spades for each jack, and open the gun platform. This wasted time and physically strained crews and made it impossible to promptly open fire to counter an unforeseen threat, or likewise, did not allow leaving the firing position quickly in the event of a retreat or counter battery.

Another serious problem was the height of the vehicle’s silhouette. In fact, the designers had preferred to mount a trunnion that allowed the gun to engaged ground and flying targets, but the solution proved to be problematic. The trunnion was high to permit a good maximum gun elevation, but its height meant it was easier to spot the Autocannoni da 90/53 on the vast and flat North African deserts.

The 12 mm thick gun shield, the only armored part of the vehicle, was adequate for protecting the gunner and crew from small-arms caliber bullets, artillery splinters, or shrapnel, but was too high and only offered protection to the crew on the frontal arc. This meant that the crew was vulnerable from air attacks and to all the types of threats on the ground. The absence of armor also made the vehicle vulnerable to air strikes and enemy infantry ambushes during a march.

Despite these problems, the Autocannoni da 90/53 provided excellent anti-tank performance thanks to the powerful 90 mm gun. During the Allied landing on the shores of Calabria during the first days of September 1943, some Autocannoni da 90/53 su Breda 52 were used in the indirect fire role against Allied vessels.

Another great quality of the autocannoni was the 30-round ready-to-use rack placed between the cab and the gun platform, which permitted the crew to maintain a high rate of fire for a certain period of time.

In response to the problems encountered on the autocannoni da 90/53, three different projects were started:

An armored autocannone on a heavily modified Breda 52 chassis that would become the Semovente Ruotato da 90/53 Breda 501. Ansaldo produced only two prototypes before the September 1943 armistice, when the project was abandoned.

The Autocannone da 90/53 su Autocarro Semicingolato Breda da 8t, an armored and shorter vehicle, a project initiated by Breda in August 1942. Due to delays in the production of the Breda 61 half-track and the 8th September 1943 armistice, the project was canceled.

A new 90/53 Autocannone on SPA Dovunque 41 6×6 heavy duty truck developed by Ansaldo. The Officine Viberti company in Turin was designing an armored version before the Armistice.

Design

The SPA Dovunque 41 Truck

The SPA Dovunque 41 heavy duty truck was one of the heaviest trucks of the Regio Esercito. One of its main characteristics was the all-wheel-drive configuration that permitted it to transport materials or tow heavy artillery pieces even on rough terrain.

The development started in 1941 by the Società Piemontese Automobili or SPA, a subsidiary of the famous FIAT. The first prototype was a Trattore Medio (English: Medium Tractor) SPA TM41 with seats for 7 soldiers plus the driver. It could tow the most heavy artillery pieces in the ranks of the Regio Esercito, but was usually assigned to the Cannoni da 90/53 Mod. 1939 batteries.

After the tests, it was accepted into service on 24th March 1942 and the production began the same year. The prime mover variant was accompanied on the production line by the heavy-duty truck variant in early 1943.

The trucks were produced in small numbers before 8th September 1943. The production resumed after the Armistice for the German Army, which received 153 vehicles.

There were also plans to produce a lighter variant, called SPA Dovunque 42, which would have entered production in 1944, but because of the Armistice, the project was canceled. After the war, production resumed until 1948, when it was replaced on the production line by the powerful SPA Dovunque 50. The old version remained in service with the Italian Army in the recovery version until the 1970s.

The SPA TM41 did not have a closed cab, with the driver seated on the right, the engine compartment in the center, and, on the left, the vehicle commander’s seat. Behind them was a 4-seat compartment and a third 2-seat compartment. The passenger compartment did not have a roof but could be covered by a waterproof tarpaulin.

Behind the crew compartment was a small cargo bay for the transportation of artillery rounds. On the rear was a tow hitch and a powerful hydraulic winch operated by the truck’s engine thanks to a Power Take-Off (PTO) system. When necessary, the driver stopped the vehicle, would shift out of gear on the gearbox, engage the handbrake and, via a manual override, connected the engine’s flywheel to a second driveshaft that operated the winch’s gearbox, which regulated the speed of the cable.

The heavy truck version had a fully closed steel-cabin with two seats. Behind it was the cargo bay with a payload capacity of 5 tonnes. The chassis weighed 6.5 tonnes, plus 2 tonnes of bodywork. The total ready weight of the vehicle was 14 tonnes, consisting of 500 kg of fuel, cooling liquid, oil, spare wheels, sapper tools, etc. The spare wheels were placed 360 mm over the ground and were left loose and free to rotate in order to help the vehicle overcome obstacles.

In order to improve the already great off-road capabilities of the truck, the two rear axles could be equipped with tracks that could be wrapped over the stock tires. This system was easy to mount on the tires, weighed little and took up little space and made it possible to overcome obstacles or very steep slopes.

Engine and Suspension

The SPA Dovunque 41 was powered by a 4-stroke, water-cooled, direct ignition engine equipped with DLL 145 S6-M injectors and a PE 6B 80E L4/11 pump. It was a diesel with 6 cylinders, 9,365 cm³ capacity giving out 110 hp at 1,800 rpm. The transmission had 4 forward and 1 reverse gears and a reductor. The fuel tank capacity was 130 liters.

The oil tank held 20.5 liters, while the cooling water tank had a capacity of 52.5 liters. The electric system had two 12 volts 140 ampere Magneti Marelli batteries. The maximum speed on road was 49 km/h, while the range was 270 km. The clutch was a single dry plate with compressed air servo brakes.

The SPA Dovunque 41 was the first of the ‘Dovunque’ series with the all-wheel drive configuration and was the only heavy duty truck of the Regio Esercito without twin wheels on the two rear axles.

The front suspension consisted of transverse leaf springs coupled with hydraulic shock absorbers. The rear suspension consisted of double overlapping leaf springs.

The tires dimensions were 11.25 x 24” (28.5 cm x 60.96 cm), the same as the armored cars and camionette of the Regio Esercito. Like the armored cars and camionette, it could use a wide variety of tires, such as the Tipo ‘Libia’ and Tipo ‘Sigillo Verde’ for sandy soils, Tipo ‘Artiglio’ and Tipo ‘Artiglio a Sezione Maggiorata’ for continental terrain and Russian steppes, and Tipo ‘Raiflex’ for continental grounds, all developed and produced by the Pirelli company in Milan.

Armament

The main armament of the Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 was the Cannone da 90/53 Modello 1939. This was an anti-aircraft 90 mm L.53 gun developed from the Ansaldo-OTO da 90/50 Modello 1939 gun which had been developed exclusively for the anti-aircraft and illuminating role on the Italian Regia Marina (English: Royal Navy) warships. To give an example, the Littorio-class battleships had twelve 90/50 guns in as many independent turrets.

Like the German 8.8 cm FlaK 36 gun, it was also used as an anti-tank gun in the first phases of the war, proving equally adequate in that role. A total of 519 guns were used in North Africa and on the Italian mainland, 121 of them mounted on autocannoni.

The development of this gun started in 1938, when the Italian Army made a request for an anti-aircraft gun that could hit enemy heavy bombers at an altitude of over 10,000 meters. In that period, Ansaldo was developing the Ansaldo-OTO da 90/50 (OTO is ‘Odero Terni Orlando’) for the Regia Marina and decided to create a ground version of the same cannon to speed up development.

The first four cannons were ready on 30th January 1940. In April that same year, they were tested at the Nettuno Shooting Area, where they proved essentially identical to the 90/50 gun tested some months before. The gun was immediately put into production by Ansaldo.

The gun weighed 8,950 kg in the Modello 1939 towable version (6,240 kg the gun, not including the field mount) and had an elevation of -2° to +85° and a traverse of 360°. The rate of fire was 19 rounds per minute, the maximum firing range was 17,400 m against ground targets, and 11,300 m against flying targets.

On board of the Autocannoni da 90/53 su Lancia 3Ro and Autocannoni da 90/53 su Breda 52, the gun trunnion had an electromechanical system which, after entering the altitude at which the enemy aircraft was flying, automatically adjusted the fuse of the 90 mm round. The altitude of the enemy aircraft was measured by a Centrale di Tiro Borletti – Galileo – San Giorgio or Centrale di Tiro Mod. 1940 ‘Gamma’ stereoscopic rangefinders. It is therefore plausible that the Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 also had such a system on board.

Ammunition

The Cannone da 90/53 Mod. 1939 fired different types of rounds in 90 x 679 mmR, the same as its naval version.

As with the other autocannoni da 90/53 batteries, the Autocannoni da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 batteries would have had the majority of the ammunition carried in other vehicles.

The Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41

The chassis of the Lancia 3Ro was not sturdy enough to withstand the recoil of the 90 mm gun, while the Breda 52 chassis had some problems while driving off-road, so the new SPA Dovunque 41 was chosen for the role.

The crew would be the same as on other autocannoni da 90/53, consisting of eight soldiers: driver, vehicle commander, gunner, three gun crew, and two ‘specialists’ (that probably were not only used to pass the rounds to the loader but they, for example, adjust the fuze of the rounds and check with the rangefinder the distance of the target), the last six of whom were in another vehicle in the battery.

The new autocannoni would differ from the others by having a new variable height trunnion. During a march and in the anti-tank role, the trunnion would be lowered to keep the vehicle’s shape as low as possible, but allowing limited elevation. In fact, the cab did not obstruct the line of fire because the rigid roof and sides were substituted by removable water-proof tarpaulins and the windshield, that could be lowered downwards, was divided in two parts to permit to the gun barrel to be placed between the driver and vehicle commander’s seats during a march.

In the anti-aircraft role, the gun trunnion would have been raised to its maximum position, allowing the complete +85° elevation, exactly as on the Autocannone da 90/53 su Autocarro Semicingolato Breda da 8t or on the Semovente ruotato da 90/53 Breda 501.

Behind the cabin were what looked like two shields with the same height as the cabin’s sides. If they were truly protective shields, when opened, they protected the lower portion of the front arch of the entire platform from enemy small-arms bullets. These shields did not interfere with the line of fire of the main gun.

Between these shields was probably an ammunition rack, as on the other autocannoni da 90/53, most likely with the usual 30 ready-to-use 90 mm rounds.

There were four new type hydraulic jacks, probably operated by the same PTO system that worked the winch in the SPA TM41 prime mover version.

The power take-off system’s driveshaft was probably connected to an oil pump that put into operation the hydraulic circuit that controlled the elevation and depression of the jacks.

This meant that the autocannone was not on the SPA Dovunque 41 chassis, but on its prime mover variant, the SPA TM41. The heavy-duty truck was not equipped with the power take-off driven winch.

The side spare wheels were removed from behind the cab to make room for the frontal lifting jacks. Only one spare wheel was carried at the rear of the vehicle, under the gun platform.

Another order for Autocannoni da 90/53 was scheduled for 19th July 1943. This would consist of 96 on the Breda 52 chassis to replace the losses of other autocannoni in North Africa and 60 on the SPA Dovunque 41 chassis. Those 60 autocannoni would be enough to equip six different Autocannoni da 90/53 Batteries.

Armor

The Regio Esercito Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 project was mostly unarmored, but the gun had a 12 mm thick gun shield to protect the crew on the platform. The gun shield would be lower and angled to better deflect small-caliber rounds.

The Technical Department of the Officine Viberti in Turin, a company specialized in bodyworks for Lancia and FIAT trucks and in the production (jointly with SPA) of armored cars and Camionette, began working on 30th June 1943 on the development of an armored body for the Autocannone on SPA Dovunque 41 chassis. This would then receive the designation of Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 Blindato (English: Armored) or Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 Semiblindato (English: Semi-Armored).

This variant would be identical to the unarmored one, but with an armored superstructure protecting only the driver and the vehicle’s commander. This structure would have been composed of angled riveted armored plates, probably of a thickness from 6 mm to 8.5 mm, maybe more on the frontal arc. The cab was divided in two compartments, the driver’s one on the right, and the vehicle commander’s one on the left.

In the center, the space left free would house the 90 mm cannon barrel and its travel lock. The two armored compartments would have their own armored doors, divided in two different parts, with the upper ones with a loophole. There was one frontal armored hatch for each compartment, opening downwards to increase visibility while driving. The frontal headlights were armored.

The vehicle is sometimes mentioned as semi-armored because the frontal vertical hood and the radiator grille remained unarmored, probably to keep the weight of the vehicle low.

The design of the armored cab of the Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 Semiblindato was completed by the Technical Office of Officine Viberti on 3rd September 1943, five days before the Armistice that led to the cancellation of the order of the 60 autocannoni su SPA Dovunque 41 by the Royal Army.

Because of the height of the armored cab when shooting forwards, the gun trunnion would have been lifted over the roof of the cabin in anti-tank role, but it could also maintain the trunnion at the minimum height if the gun was aimed to the sides or rear.

Service

With the signing of the Armistice with the Allied forces on 3rd September 1943, which entered into force on 8th September 1943, the Regio Esercito turned its guns against the German Army, its former ally.

The Germans, expecting such a move, launched Fall Achse (English: Operation Axis), prepared by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht after late May 1943. From 8th to 19th September 1943, about 20,000 Italian soldiers were killed and the German Army captured over one million soldiers and thousands of guns and armored fighting vehicles.

Some of the Italian soldiers loyal to Benito Mussolini and the Germans surrendered to them and continued to fight against the Allied troops with their Axis allies, while other captured soldiers decided to fight with the Germans.

On 23rd September 1943, Mussolini founded the Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI (English: Italian Social Republic) on the Italian territories under German control. The new army of the RSI, the Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano (English: National Republican Army), was equipped with few armored fighting vehicles, since the Germans had taken control of the Italian war industry.

One of the largest units of the Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano was the Xª Flottiglia MAS, with around 20,000 soldiers in its ranks divided between sailors and naval infantry. For most of the remaining two years of war, these fought as normal infantry units.

One of the artillery units of the Xª Flottiglia MAS was the Gruppo Artiglieria da Campagna ‘Colleoni’ (English: Field Artillery Group), created in March 1944 at La Spezia, near Genoa. It was composed of 3 batteries with Obici da 75/13 and 100/17.

In July 1944, it was sent to Piemonte, in the Ivrea region, to fight the partisan units and to maintain efficiently the alpine roads that ran from Italy to France. Thus, in the event of an Allied landing in Liguria, German and Fascist units in Piemonte could retreat further north.

In that period, Lieutenant Malvezzi, an officer of the Gruppo Artiglieria da Campagna ‘Colleoni’, contacted Officine Viberti of Turin. Given the need for armored vehicles to be assigned to the unit to fight the partisans, Viberti probably proposed to Malvezzi to produce the Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 Blindato. The absence of information and pictures do not clarify the situation but probably the Xª MAS‘s officer helped with the development, giving suggestions or providing part of the raw materials to the Officine Viberti technicians.

Nothing is known about the vehicle, except that it was delivered to the Gruppo di Artiglieria da Campagna ‘Colleoni’ in Autumn 1944, just in time, as the Xª Flottiglia MAS was transferred to Veneto in October 1944.

From October to December 1944, the ‘Colleoni’ was employed in anti-partisan operations and then was active against the Slovenian partisans’ IX Korpus, where it was deployed in Gorizia and the Battle of Tarnova in January 1945.

The artillery unit was then sent to the Senio Front and the Autocannone was probably taken with them. In March 1945, the unit was sent to the southern front to fight against the Allies that were advancing.

The only Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 Blindato was probably lost during the fight on the Senio front or against the Allied troops some weeks later.

There are no photos of this vehicle, neither in the Officine Viberti plant nor in the hands of the Xª MAS. Some sources hypothesize that this vehicle could have been camouflaged with the standard Kaki Sahariano, the standard khaki camouflage, but it is also possible that the vehicle could be camouflaged in the three-tone Continentale camouflage typical of Italian vehicles used on the mainland, composed of Kaki Sahariano background with reddish-brown and dark green spots.

Conclusion

The Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 would have been an interesting vehicle if put into service for its characteristics. This is due to its special development with experiences from similar vehicles.

Unfortunately, the Italian Armistice of 8th September 1943 canceled the orders for this vehicle, and nothing is known about the only vehicle allegedly produced in 1944. The Gruppo di Artiglieria da Campagna ‘Colleoni’ of the Xª Flottiglia MAS used a single vehicle against Yugoslav partisans.

Specifications

Sources

Gli Autoveicoli da Combattimento dell’Esercito Italiano, Volume Secondo, Tomo II – Nicola Pignato and Filippo Cappellano
Semicingolati, Motoveicoli e Veicoli Speciali del Regio Esercito Italiano 1919-1943 – Giulio Benussi
Italian Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War II – Ralph A. Riccio
associazionedecimaflottigliamas.it

Kingdom of Italy (1943)
Half-tracked Mounted Dual Use Artillery – Paper Project

The Autocannone da 90/53 su Autocarro Semicingolato Breda 61 was an Italian anti-aircraft and anti-tank self-propelled gun designed in 1943 based on the Breda 61 half-track chassis for the needs of the Italian Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army).

Although it was a promising project, the delays with the production of the Breda 61 caused the delay of the half-tracked Autocannone. The project was canceled after the Italian Armistice that was signed on 8th September 1943.

Autocannone da 90/53 su Autocarro Semicingolato Breda 61 in Italian literally means Truck(-mounted) 90 mm L. 53 cannon on Breda 61 half-track hull.

Lack of mobile artillery and the need for the ‘Autocannoni’

Already during the early stages of the Second World War, the Regio Esercito’s High Command received complaints about the absence of a mobile support gun to help the Italian troops during assaults to the enemy positions.

During the fighting in the vast deserts of North Africa, an armed vehicle with great mobility could reach the battlefront quickly to counter the enemy attacks and then move to another point of the battlefront to counterattack or for other defensive duties was needed.

Despite the need for such vehicles, development in Italy was very slow and the soldiers in Africa were forced to create such vehicles themselves in military and civil workshops. This is where Autocannoni (singular Autocannone) originated from.

In Italian, the word Autocannone means a truck (in this case, a half-track) of civil or military production, of any type (light, medium etc) modified to permit the transportation on its cargo bay of a permanently fixed artillery piece of any type (anti-tank, field gun, anti-aircraft, etc).

The first autocannone produced in significant numbers (24 converted) were the Autocannone da 65/17 su Morris CS8. The old Cannone da 65/17 Mod. 1908/13 mountain gun, hard to tow on the soft desert terrains, was mounted on a 360° rotating support made from turret rings recovered from destroyed Italian tanks. It was then fixed on the loading bay of the British Morris CS 8 4×2 light utility truck, captured in significant numbers in the first days of war, slightly modified by the Autofficine del 12° Autoraggruppamento AS (English: Workshops of the 12th Motorized Group, AS standing for Africa Settentrionale – North Africa) located in the Village of Giovanni Berta, near the city of El Gubba, North-east Libya.

This workshop and the FIAT ones of Tripoli were responsible for the conversion of the trucks into autocannoni. By 1942, autocannoni with howitzers, anti-aircraft autocannons, naval guns, and standard field artillery pieces were produced.

Autocannoni da 90/53

The only officially produced autocannoni were the ones armed with the powerful 90 mm Cannone da 90/53 Mod. 1939 based on the Lancia 3Ro and Breda 52 heavy duty trucks. These trucks were produced by Lancia Veicoli Speciali in Turin and by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche in the Sesto San Giovanni plant (near Milan). They were modified by the Ansaldo-Fossati Plant in Genoa and perhaps also by the Officine Viberti plant in Turin.

These autocannoni were developed for anti-aircraft and anti-tank purposes and 120 were converted, 30 on the Lancia 3Ro chassis, and 90 on the Breda 52 chassis.

These vehicles were assigned to 12 Groups with 2 batteries each, used in North Africa and Southern Italy. Some units were also used in the anti-naval role, shooting in indirect fire against Allied vessels that tried to disembark on the Calabria coasts on 3rd September 1943.

These vehicles had some problems caused by the heaviness of the gun and the recoil stress. In order to deal with these, the chassis was reinforced and manual jacks were adopted to lift the vehicles off the ground.

The increase in weight of the vehicle decreased the already moderate speed of these heavy trucks and the manual jacks forced the crew to exert a high physical effort and increased the times to get ready to fire and to leave the fire position, especially in dangerous situations.

Another problem was the height of the vehicle. This was not a factory defect, but a choice of the designers that proved to be problematic. The trunnion was high to permit a great elevation to allow the autocannoni da 90/53 to engage flying targets and ground targets. Its height made it easier to spot by enemy troops on the vast and flat desert terrain.

The 12 mm thick armored shield could protect the crew from small arms, shrapnel, or splinters. However, it protected the crew only on the frontal arc. This meant that the crew was vulnerable from air attacks and all the crew on the ground were vulnerable to all threats.

Despite these problems, the Autocannoni da 90/53 provided excellent anti-tank performance thanks to the powerful 90 mm gun. Another great quality of the autocannoni was the 20-rounds ready-to-use rack placed between the cab and the gun platform, which permitted the crew to maintain a high rate of fire for a certain period of time.

In response to the problems encountered on the autocannoni da 90/53, three different projects were started:

An armored autocannone on a Breda 52 chassis, which would become the Semovente Ruotato da 90/53 Breda 501. Ansaldo produced only two prototypes before the September 1943 Armistice, after which the project was abandoned.

A new 90/53 Autocannone on SPA Dovunque 41 6×6 heavy duty truck was proposed in two different configurations. The first one, would be essentially a 90/53 su Breda 52 copy, while the second one, called Autocannone da 90/53 su SPA Dovunque 41 Blindato (English: Armored) had a lower armored cab and a new gun shield. Only a prototype was completed after the Armistice and assigned during the Fall of 1944 to the Reggimento ‘Colleoni’ of the Xª MAS.

An Autocannone da 90/53 su Autocarro Semicingolato Breda da 8t started by Breda in August 1942.

Design

The Breda 61

Before the Second World War, the Italian Army and the Italian industry were not interested in half-tracked vehicles, apart from some interwar projects, such as the Semicingolato Corni (1923). The Italians preferred heavy-duty trucks or medium trucks with all-wheel drive. With the start of the conflict, during the French Campaign, Italian officers were impressed by the mobility of the German half-tracked vehicles, such as the Sd.Kfz. 7 heavy-duty half-track.

The Italian Army High Command put out some requests for the creation of half-tracks in 1941, and the first developments were presented in the same year by the Centro Studi ed Esperienze della Motorizzazione (English: Vehicle Study and Experience Center) in Rome.

These were the Bianchi Mediolanum medium trucks modified with tracks and Alfa Romeo 800RE (‘R.E.’ stands for Regio Esercito) heavy duty truck.

These two vehicles, which were tested by Italian Army specialists, were standard medium trucks with modifications to the rear axles. They did not give the desired results in off-road tests and towing tests and were abandoned.

In 1941, the Regio Esercito High Command asked for an Sd.Kfz. 7 from the German Army. The German Army responded positively and, during the same year, a German half-track was tested at the Centro Studi della Motorizzazione (English: Centre for Motorisation Studies) in Rome, impressing the Italian officers with its towing capabilities and robustness.

Almost immediately, the possibility of producing the half-track under license was requested, but some bureaucratic problems slowed the release of documents and the permission for producing the suspension and tracks came from the German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei only in 1942. The production of the Italian copy of the Sd. Kfz. 7, called Autocarro Semicingolato (English: Half-tracked Truck) Breda 61 (also known as the ‘Breda 8t’ for its weight) and a smaller version produced by FIAT and called FIAT 727 or Maffei-FIAT 727 started very slowly.

The Breda 61 prototype was ready in July 1943 and was sent to the Centro Tecnico della Motorizzazione (English: Vehicle Technical Center) in Rome, where it was accepted into service as a heavy artillery tractor as the Autocarro Semicingolato Breda 61 da 8t (English: Breda 61 Half-track weight 8 tons).

Before 8th September 1943, a total of 36 Breda 61 out of 500 ordered were delivered to the Regio Esercito. These went to equip the anti-aircraft artillery regiment of the 136ª Divisione corazzata ‘Centauro II’ (English: 136th Armored Division) to tow the Cannone da 88/55 (Italian name for the 8.8 cm FlaK 37).

After the Armistice, the Germans captured some of the vehicles produced and, in January 1944, ordered the Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche to produce another 300 Breda 61s. Until 1944, the Breda Plant in Brescia produced a total of 199 vehicles, for a total of 235 heavy half-tracks produced.

The German Army added them to its nationally produced medium half-tracks in the heavy artillery towing and recovery duties in Northern Italy, the Balkans, and France.

Engine and suspensions

The engine of the Breda 61 was a Breda Tipo 14, 6-cylinder, 6,191 cm³ unit delivering 140 hp at 2,600 rpm. It was probably a license copy of the Maybach HL62 TUK, which had similar characteristics and powered the Sd. Kfz. 7. The gearbox was of Italian origin and had 4 gears plus reverse (4 + 1) with a reductor. The book ‘Italian Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War II’, written by Ralph Riccio, claims that the engine was a 6-cylinder, 7,412 cm³ unit delivering 130 hp at 2,400 rpm, but there is no proof in support of this thesis.

The maximum road speed was 50 km/h and the range with the 203-liter tank was 250 km on road and 160 km off-road.

Thanks to its powerful engine, this 9,750 kg vehicle could transport 1,800 kg in its cargo bay and a payload of 8,000 kg towed. This meant that the Breda 61 could tow essentially any of the heavy artillery pieces used by the Regio Esercito, such as the Obice da 149/40 Mod. 1935 and Obice 210/22 mod. 35.

The front wheels were 9.75 x 20”, the same as those of the Lancia Ro, Lancia Ro-Ro, and Lancia 3Ro heavy duty trucks. The steering wheel was mounted on the right side instead of the left side, one of the few differences from the German Sd. Kfz. 7.

The suspension was in the form of transverse torsion bars for the front tires and standard torsion bars for the tracks.

There were seven overlapping and interleaved road wheels, based on the German ‘Schachtellaufwerk’ design common with other vehicles.

Due to the increase in weight, the vehicle would have a decreased top speed on the road to about 40 km/h and its range on the road would have decreased to less than 200 km.

Armament

The Cannone da 90/53 Modello 1939 was an anti-aircraft 90 mm L.53 gun developed from the Ansaldo-OTO da 90/50 Modello 1939 gun which had been developed for the anti-aircraft role on the warships of the Regia Marina (English: Royal Italian Navy).

Like the German 8.8 cm FlaK gun, the Italian gun was also used as an anti-tank gun in the first phases of the war, proving equally adequate in that role. About 500 guns were used in North Africa and on the Italian mainland, sometimes even as field artillery guns in indirect fire roles.

The development of this gun started in 1938, when the Italian Army made a request for an anti-aircraft gun that could hit enemy bombers flying at altitudes of over 10,000 meters. During that period, Ansaldo was developing the Ansaldo-OTO da 90/50 (OTO is ‘Odero-Terni-Orlando’) for the Regia Marina and decided to create a ground version of the same cannon to speed up the development.

The first four cannons were ready on 30th January 1940. In April of the same year, they were tested at the Nettuno Shooting Area, where they proved essentially identical to the 90/50 gun tested some months before. The gun was immediately put in production by the Ansaldo.

The gun weighed 8,950 kg for the Modello 1939 towed version (6,240 kg for the gun only, not including the field mount). It had an elevation of -2° to +85° and a traverse of 360°. The rate of fire was 19 rounds per minute, while the maximum firing range was 17,400 m against ground targets, and 11,300 m against flying targets.

On the Self Propelled version, there was also a Breda Mod. 1938 machine-gun, a shortened version of the infantry Breda Mod. 1937 chambered for the 8 x 59 mm RB Breda rounds for tank use. It was mounted on an anti-aircraft support on the cabin and used to defend the vehicle from airstrikes and infantry attacks. The machine gun had a theoretical rate of fire of 600 rpm and a practical rate of fire of 350 rpm and was fed by 24-round curved top-mounted magazines.

Ammunition

The Cannone da 90/53 Mod. 1939 fired different types of 90 x 679 mmR rounds, the same as for the naval version.

There is little information about the half-tracked SPG version and none about the number of rounds transported on the Autocannone da 90/53 su Semicingolato Breda 61. The blueprints show some boxes on the rear of the vehicle, which were probably used as ammunition racks for some rounds or as spare equipment boxes.

It is plausible that, as for the other autocannoni, the majority of the ammunition would have been transported in other vehicles. As an example, the batteries of Autocannoni da 90/53 had in their organic strength, apart from the 4 autocannoni and 13 logistic vehicles and other material, one more heavy truck for each autocannone which carried 210 90 mm rounds, for a total of 920 rounds for each battery.

The Autocannone da 90/53 su Autocarro Semicingolato Breda da 8t

On the half-tracked self-propelled gun, the chassis would be unchanged, but the rest of the vehicle would be modified.

The engine compartment would receive armor plates of unknown thickness, probably around 6 to 8.5 mm, as on similar Italian vehicles. In front, it would have sloped armored grilles to permit air intake to the radiator.

In order to allow the vehicle to maintain a low profile, the gun would have received a variable height trunnion. For anti-tank use and traveling, it would have been in a lower position and would have allowed a limited elevation. In the case of anti-aircraft fire, the trunnion would have been raised, allowing a higher elevation, exactly as on the Breda 501.

The cab was divided into two armored compartments, one for the vehicle commander and one for the driver. This permitted the 4.73 meters-long barrel to be locked between the two compartments during traveling.

Each compartment would have had a large viewport protected by a hinged armored window on the front to permit the two crew members to drive and check the battlefield. An armored door with another viewhole was on the side.

The gun crew operated on the rear platform with foldable sides. This gave more space to operate the gun during operations.

The gun was placed at the center of this platform on a variable trunnion. It would have received a frontal shield, probably 12 mm thick, to protect the crew from splinters and light weapons.

Thanks to the tracks and the sturdiness of its chassis, this autocannone could withstand the recoil stress of the 90 mm gun without needing jacks to raise it from the ground. This would have decreased the time needed for the crew to prepare the vehicle to open fire or to leave.

The armor would probably be made of armor sheets with variable thickness, from 6 mm on the sides up to 8.5 mm and maybe more on the frontal arc, in order to protect against enemy small arms fire, artillery shrapnel and splinters and high-caliber machine gun bursts from ground attack aircraft.

The gun shield would probably have been composed of 12 mm ​​thick armor sheets. The blueprint shows that the shield was angled to better deflect small-caliber rounds.

The crew was probably composed, as on the other autocannoni da 90/53, of 8 soldiers: driver, vehicle/gun commander, a gunner, three loaders and two specialists.

The driver and vehicle commander sat in the armored cab during travel, while the rest of the crew would probably sit on the gun platform, where some foldable seats were probably placed or traveled on one of the logistic vehicles assigned to the autocannone battery. During firing, crew members from the battery’s logistic vehicles would assist the gun servants, by speeding up reloading and increasing the rate of fire.

If the course of the war had not prevented its development, the Autocannone da 90/53 su Semicingolato Breda 61 would have probably entered service in late 1943 or early 1944, too late to change the fate of the conflict, and most likely in very small numbers. Nevertheless, the vehicle would have undoubtedly provided Italian units with an adequate mobile anti-aircraft and anti-tank defense, very useful, especially in the desperate situation in which the Royal Army was forced on the Italian peninsula.

Conclusion

Even if was never produced, it is plausible to assume that the Autocannone da 90/53 su Semicingolato Breda da 8t would have answered the needs of the Italian Regio Esercito. It had the same firepower characteristics as the already existing autocannoni da 90/53, but with good off-road mobility, faster to deploy and withdraw, and more protection.

Unfortunately, the Armistice of 8th September 1943 put an end to this promising project. Like many other Italian vehicles, it remained only on a sheet of paper abandoned in an archive for the rest of its existence.

Sources

Gli Autoveicoli da Combattimento dell’Esercito Italiano, Volume Secondo, Tomo II – Nicola Pignato and Filippo Cappellano
Semicingolati, Motoveicoli e Veicoli Speciali del Regio Esercito Italiano 1919-1943 – Giulio Benussi
Italian Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War II – Ralph A. Riccio

Kingdom Of Italy (1943)
Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun – 1 or 2 built prototypes

During the Second World War, the Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army) lacked an anti-aircraft vehicle that could protect its armored formations from enemy air attack. Sometime in 1942-43, the Italian Royal Army began development of an anti-aircraft vehicle based on the new M15/42 tank chassis. As its development began too late, only one or two prototypes would be built. Sadly, due to insufficient sources being available, very little is known about this vehicle.

Development

During the fighting in North Africa, the Italian ground armored forces were often subject to Allied fighter and fighter-bomber attacks. The Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) lacked modern fighter designs and was thus unable to provide sufficient aerial protection. One solution was to mount anti-aircraft guns on a mobile chassis. There were some attempts to mount 20 mm anti-aircraft guns on available trucks. These proved to be insufficient due to many factors like poor mobility, weak firepower, and no armor protection for the men or vehicle.

Due to the ineffectiveness of these truck-based vehicles, the Royal Army moved on to the idea of using a tank chassis for this role. With only limited time and resources, it was decided against developing a brand new chassis and to instead use the available tank production capacities. As the M15/42 was entering production during 1942, it was decided to use it for this modification. During early 1943, one prototype was completed and presented to the Royal Army. The only visible change in contrast to the original M15/42 was the introduction of a new polygonal turret equipped with four 20 mm Scotti cannons. According to D.Nešić, (Naoružanje Drugog Svetskog Rata-Italija), this vehicle was built using the command version of the M15/42, which lacked the hull machine guns and had an extra radio set.

M15/42 tank

Due to the increasing obsolescence of the M13 Series (including the M14/41) and the slow development of the heavy tank program, the Italians were forced to introduce the M15/42 medium tank as a stopgap solution. The M15/42 was mostly based on the M14/41 tank, but with a number of improvements. Most noticeable was the introduction of a new 190 hp FIAT-SPA 15TB (‘B’ stands for Benzina – Petrol) engine and a new transmission. With the installation of the new engine, the tank hull was lengthened compared to the M.13 Series tanks by some 15 cm. The standard 8 mm Breda anti-aircraft machine gun was removed and the access hatch door was repositioned to the right side. The removal of the anti-aircraft machine gun on the turret may appear odd given Allied air superiority of the time and the threat it posed, but a single 8 mm Breda machine gun was almost completely ineffective in the anti-aircraft role and was seen as a waste of resources and weight. Most noticeable for the M15/42 was the installation of a new 4.7 cm main gun with a longer barrel, producing a more effective anti-tank gun, albeit still inadequate by this point in the war. The armor protection on the tank was also slightly increased, but this too was still inadequate to keep up with newer and better Allied tanks.

The Royal Army placed an order for some 280 M15/42s in October 1942. However, due to attempts to produce more Semovente self-propelled vehicles, the order for 280 was reduced to 220 tanks. These were built by June 1943 and an additional 28 tanks would be built under German command after the September Armistice was signed with the Allies. The M15/42 had introduced some improvements, but these tanks were generally outdated by the time they were put into service. Nevertheless, they would remain in service up to the end of the war, mostly with their new Germans owners (known as PzKpfw M15/42 738(i)), although some would also serve with Italian Fascist troops of the Italian Social Republic (RSI – Republicca Sociale Italiana).

Just like the earlier M13 Series tanks, a command tank variant (carro centro radio/ radio tank) of the M15/42 was developed. On these vehicles, the turret was removed and some were rearmed with 13 mm heavy machine guns instead of the two 8 mm machine guns and extra radio equipment was added. By the time of the September Armistice, some 45 M15/42 CC vehicles were built. An additional 40 vehicles were built after September 1943 under German control. There were also a few different Semoventi vehicles based on the M15/42 built.

Designation

Various sources give many different names for this vehicle, including: Semovente (self-propelled) M15/42 Antiaereo (anti-aircraft), Carro Armato Medio Antiaereo (anti-aircraft medium tank), M15/42 Antiaereo or Contraereo (M15/42 anti-aircraft), M15/42 “Quadruplo” (M15/42 Quad), Semovente Antiaereo M42 (self-propelled anti-aircraft gun M42), Semovente da 20/70 quadruplo, among others.

In Italian service

Not much is known of this vehicle’s development history. What is known is that the first prototype was completed sometime in early 1943. It was presented to the Italian Army at the Centro Studi della Motorizzazione (Study Center of Motorization). If the Army showed any interest in it is unfortunately not known. In March 1943, the prototype was stationed in Cecchignola (Rome) and given to the VIII Reggimento Autieri (8th Driver Regiment), possibly to be used for evaluation.

Some sources (mostly on the internet) suggest that this vehicle was shipped to Tunisia for field combat tests and that it would remain there until the Axis surrender in May 1943. This seems highly unlikely, mainly due to the lack of evidence and photographs of it in the theater. If it was captured, its unusual construction would have certainly sparked some interest among the Allies and they would have certainly taken photographs or mentioned it in their documents. The more realistic fate of the M15 anti-aircraft vehicle (or vehicles) was that, after the Italian capitulation in September 1943, it was seized by the German forces.

Technical characteristics

Being an obscure vehicle and rarely mentioned in sources in more detail, the precise technical characteristics are hard to come by. What is known with certainty is that it was based on a slightly modified M15/42 tank or the command version of the same vehicle. Most parts of the tank, including the suspension and hull, were unchanged. The only visible change to the hull was the removal of the two machine guns which were replaced with an armored cover. If the armor thickness was changed there is no information about it, but it seems likely that it remained the same in order to save development time.

The most obvious change was the introduction of a new turret equipped with four 2 cm Scotti cannons. The new turret had a polygonal shape and was made using a frame on which (unusual for the Italians) armor plates were welded.

For the main weapon, four Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/70 autocannons (generally known as Scotti, after their designer, Alfredo Scotti) were chosen. This type of gun was intended to be cheaper and easier to build compared to the Breda Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35. But, despite its simplicity, a higher rate of fire, and being lighter, its performance was not much better than its counterpart. In all, some 300 were built either as static emplacements or with a twin-wheel carriage. The Germans also managed to capture a number of these guns, where they were known as 2-cm Scotti(i). The Scotti had a 250 rpm rate of fire with a maximum range of 2,100-3,500 m (depending on the source). It had a barrel length of 1,540 mm and the muzzle velocity was 830 m/s. Elevation was -10° to +85°, with a rotation of 360°.

The Scotti anti-aircraft guns that survived the war would be used by the new Italian Army for some years on. These would mostly be used to equip navy ships. An unknown number of quadruple-gun systems would also be built after the war, with some even supplied to Israel in the late forties.

Prior to their installation into the new turret, the four Scotti cannons had to be modified and a specially designed mount had to be developed. The most obvious change to the cannons was the feed mechanism. This type of cannon had two feed options, by a clip or by drum magazine. Both of these were unusable due to the cramped space of the turret, and for this reason, a new type of fed system had to be adopted. The manufacturer of this cannon, Isotta Fraschini, developed a new ammunition supply system that consisted of a metal belt feed with disintegrating mesh which allegedly also increased the rate of fire up to 600 rpm per gun. The elevation of the new turret installation was -5° to + 90° with a full traverse of 360°. How the main armament was mounted inside the turret is, due to a lack of information, unknown. The armor thickness is also unknown, but would most likely have been very light, in order to provide protection at least from small-caliber weapons while keeping weight down.

Interestingly, in some photographs, the front part of the new turret is lacking armor plating. The reason why is not known. It could potentially be that it was not yet completed or due to some problems with the main weapon mount that required more working space.

According to the few sources available, the crew consisted of three crew members. While they are not listed, an educated guess can be made. At least one crew member had to be the driver. The second crew member would be the commander who was probably also the gunner and his position would likely be behind the main gun installation. The last crew member was probably a radio operator (if a radio was ever to be used on this vehicle) or a loader.

The mobility of the M15/42 Antiaereo was probably similar to that of the original tank configuration. The new turret and weapons would have probably been similar to the weight of the previous turret and gun, giving a total weight in the vicinity of 15.5 tonnes. The speed and the operational range were probably also similar. Some of the dimensions, such as the length of 5.06 m and width of 2.28 m, were almost assuredly the same but the vehicle may have been somewhat higher than 2.4 m.

How many were built

The precise number of built vehicles is unfortunately not known. What is known with certainty is that at least one prototype was built and tested. According to the few available photos, there is a possibility that at least one more vehicle was built. This vehicle has German markings, camouflage paint, and lacks the frontal turret armor. Of course, there is the possibility that this was simply the first vehicle just slightly modified by the Germans. Author D. Nešić (Naoružanje Drugog Svetskog Rata-Italija) quotes that a few were built but does not mention how many precisely.

In German hands

The Germans managed to capture the M15/42 Antiaereo prototype during their occupation of Rome. Interestingly, in one photo, this vehicle is lacking some front turret armor plates, despite having pictures of it with them. This may be additional proof that at least another vehicle was built beside the one prototype.

What the Germans did with it is not completely clear. According to a few sources, it appears that the prototype was transported back to Germany for evaluation. It also allegedly saw service against the Soviet Forces in 1945 in the Teupitz area (Germany). At that time, it was supposedly attached to the 5th SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgskorps (Mountain Armored Corps).

The Germans did use large quantities of Italian captured weapons and thus had available spare parts and ammunition, making it plausible that this information has some merit. By 1945, the Germans were trying desperately to stop the Soviet offensive, and in their desperation they used any available weapons that they had on hand, perhaps including the M15/42 Antiaereo prototype. Of course, on the other hand, due to insufficient sources, the information about its use by the Germans could easily be incorrect or even fake.

After seizing a number of Italian production factories, the Germans produced small numbers of some Italian equipment, mostly self-propelled Semovente vehicles. Why the Germans did not bother producing more Antiaereo, even as they were themselves in great need of such a vehicle, is unknown.

Influence

It is relatively common to find claims that, after the M15/42 Antiaereo, was seized by the Germans, it influenced their development of anti-aircraft tanks like the Flakpanzer IV (2cm Flak 38 Vierling) ‘Wirbelwind’. Does this assumption have any merit? First, it must be taken into account the fact that this vehicle was completed in the first months of 1943 and captured by the Germans later that year, after the Italian capitulation. This meant that it would have been shipped out to Germany after September 1943.

The issue is that the German had already begun (in early 1943) to develop their own anti-aircraft tank based on the Panzer IV. This vehicle had a completely different design, simply installing the 2 cm Flakvierling anti-aircraft system on a Panzer IV chassis, protected by large metal plates that could be folded down during combat situations. As the 2 cm caliber was deemed weak by the Germans, it would be later replaced with the 3.7 cm gun and put into production as Flakpanzer IV (3.7cm Flak 43) “Möbelwagen”. Also, even earlier in the war, the Germans had tested the anti-aircraft tank concept on the Panzer I and later Panzer 38(t) chassis.

Conclusion

The Semovente M15/42 Antiaereo was certainly an interesting vehicle that was developed for the Italian army. It also represents a modern concept of an anti-aircraft vehicle based on the tank chassis. The installation of its main weapon in a fully enclosed turret had important benefits, as it would provide sufficient protection for the crew. In practice, this was not easy to achieve and often came at the cost of reduced visibility, and not many anti-aircraft vehicles were built during the war that used an enclosed turret.

Source:

D. Nešić, (2008), Naoružanje Drugog Svetskog Rata-Italija, Beograd

F. Cappellano and P. P. Battistelli (2012) Italian Medium Tanks 1939-45, New Vanguard

D. Doyle (2005). German military Vehicles, Krause Publications.

Pafi, Falessi e Fiore Corazzati Italiani Storia dei mezzi corazzati

N. Pignato, F. Cappellano. Gli Autoveicoli da combattimento dell’Esercito Italiano Volume secondo

L. Ceva and A. Curami (1989) La meccanizzazione dell’esercito italiano dalle origini al 1943, Volume 2″ from Stato maggiore dell’Esercito, Ufficio storico,

V. Meleca, Semovente M 15/42 “Contraereo”.

N. Pignato, (2004) Italian Armored vehicles of World War Two, Squadron Signal publication.

A. Lüdeke (2007) Waffentechnik im Zweiten Weltkrieg, Parragon books

C. Bishop (1998) The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II, Barnes Book.

R. Riccio and N. Pignato (2010) Italian Truck-mounted Artillery in Action. Squadron Signal publication

N.Pignato (1978) Le armi della fanteria italiana nella seconda guerra mondiale, RIVALBA,