Category: WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service

WW2 Danish Armor WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service

FIAT 3000 in Danish Service

Post author By Leander Jobse
Post date June 24, 2024
3 Comments on FIAT 3000 in Danish Service

FIAT 3000 in Danish Service. Illustration by Oussama Mohamed 'Godzilla', funded by our Patreon campaign.

Kingdom of Denmark (1928-1929)
Light Tank – 1 Purchased

As a neutral bystander, the Danish Army had no hands-on experience with the introduction of the tank on the battlefields in the First World War. This did not mean that the new weapon was ignored in Denmark. However, post-war budgetary constraints meant that no realistic plans for any evaluation of a tank by the Danish Army were in sight. This began to change in the mid-1920s, and in 1926, a Danish delegation attended demonstrations of the FIAT 3000 Modello 21 light tank in Italy. After recommendations that the Army really needed experience with this weapon, a single tank was eventually purchased in 1928.

The Danish FIAT 3000, somewhere in the fields. Source: stamps.dk

The FIAT 3000

Beginning in 1917, the Italian Army received four Renault FTs from France, which were used for extensive testing. It was the intention to produce the design under license in Italy, but this was canceled after the war ended. Instead, an improved model was ordered from FIAT and the first prototype was ready in June 1920 and tested for a few months. After a hiatus, testing resumed in November 1921, and, in 1923, the design was finally accepted into service.

As an improved copy of the Renault FT, the iconic design remained very similar. The rear-mounted 6.235-liter FIAT Tipo 304 per Carro Armato 3000, four-cylinder, in-line gasoline engine produced 50 hp at 1,700 rpm. Weighing in at 5.5 tonnes, the two-man tank could reach a respectable speed of over 20 km/h on roads, although average speed was more around 15 km/h.

The turret was armed with two machine guns. The later FIAT 3000 Mod.30 could also be armed with a cannon. In terms of protection, the tank had 16 mm all around, 8 mm on the roof, and 6 mm floor armor plating.

A FIAT 3000 overtaking slopes during testing attended by the Danish delegation in Turin in 1926. Source: Danish Test Report in the Dutch National Archives, photographed and shared by Bas Slaats

Renewed Interest

Already during the First World War, Denmark began experimenting with the concept of armored vehicles. The design office of the Army Technical Corps [Danish: Hærens tekniske Korps, shortened to HtK], headed by Captain C.H. Rye made a design in 1917, but it went nowhere due to a lack of funds, despite being a promising venture. Another armored car was donated to a civil guards unit in September 1917 but malfunctioned in 1920 and was scrapped three years later.

Meanwhile, most experimental HtK activities were suspended due to the end of the war in 1918 and, for a few years, it solely focused on equipment maintenance, due to a lack of allocated funds. This was not sustainable, and from the mid-1920s, the HtK needed and began expanding its activities again. This included business trips to the United Kingdom and Italy in 1926. Included in their trip to Italy were tests with FIAT tanks.

One of the two FIAT 3000s driven through the Stura River north of Turin during the testing in 1926. Source: Danish Test Report in the Dutch National Archives, photographed and shared by Bas Slaats

Tests in Italy

From 13th to 20th October 1926, Colonel C.H. Rye and workshop engineer F. Schmitto made a study trip to Italy. On Thursday 14th October, they visited an area, some 6-7 km from Turin, to observe demonstrations with the FIAT 3000 and Pavesi P4 tractor organized by the FIAT factory. After being shown the Pavesi, it was time for two FIAT 3000s to be demonstrated in the afternoon. These tests were also attended by Lieutenant Colonel O.K. Ovesen.

The Danish delegation of engineer Fritz Schmitto (left) and Colonel C.H. Rye (right). Source left: Source right: DANMARKS HÆR skagenkrig.dk

One of the FIATs on its trailer. The Danish delegation was impressed by this solution and found it superior to the French way of transporting a tank on the back of a truck. Source: Danish Test Report in the Dutch National Archives, photographed and shared by Bas Slaats

The Danish delegation found the use of a trailer for transport over roads a better solution than the French way of loading the tanks on a truck. They argued that with a trailer, a smaller truck could be used and that the truck could carry additional equipment and personnel.

During part of the testing, Rye and Schmitto were allowed in the tanks and seated in the turret. While attempting to negotiate a steep sandy slope of more than 45º, one of the tanks lost control and slid to the right. As a result, it leaned heavily to the right and was unable to move under its own power. Fortunately, the other tank came to the rescue, which could easily pull the stuck tank into a better position.

Some wading tests were also done in a shallow part of the Stura River in roughly 30 cm of water. Later, one vehicle performed some tests in a river arm with a strong current and roughly 1 m deep. After the wading tests, the tanks returned to higher ground, showing off their gradient capabilities.

A dramatic photograph of the FIAT 3000 during the deep wading tests in a strong current. Source: Danish Test Report in the Dutch National Archives, photographed and shared by Bas Slaats

After arriving on the country road from Turin to Lanza, one tank was used to show the maximum speed on favorable terrain, in this case a sandroad. According to the Danish delegation, a speed was reached nearing 25 km/h.

Military Testing in Rome

On 18th October, the delegation attended some tests with the Italian military, held in an area near Rome under the supervision of Colonel Puglieschi. The tests were performed by one tank section consisting of two FIAT 3000s and two 7-tonne trucks with tank trailers.

The first step was to get the tanks off the trailers. Including the start up of the engines, this took 7 minutes. Loading them up the trailers went much quicker, just 2.5 minutes. In the maneuvers, a tank attack was simulated.

One of the two FIAT 3000s taking on a slope during the testing near Turin. There are no photographs of the military testing in Rome, as it was too late in the evening to take photographs. Source: Danish Test Report in the Dutch National Archives, photographed and shared by Bas Slaats

Recommendations

After the maneuvers, the delegation wrote down some recommendations. It strongly recommended acquiring a light tank for testing purposes. This way, technical and tactical knowledge could be gained by the Danish Army. A friendly introduction to the tank ought to be much more effective than a hostile one encountered in the field.

Furthermore, they expressed the hope that after these tests, it would be possible to acquire a small number of light tanks to actually be used by the Danish Army, as they thought a light tank was not even that expensive. They could buy a FIAT tank for roughly 30,500 kroner [around £1,600]. However, FIAT was not keen to sell just one tank, most likely due to the small profit margin and responded negatively to the inquiry.

Contact with the Netherlands

As the Netherlands was in a similar position to Denmark, Rye inquired into any Dutch developments. He received the answer that the Dutch Army had bought a single older Renault FT from France, which was projected to arrive in July 1927. Rye and Schmitto were not in favor of this decision, due to the Renault FT’s low speed of just 8 km/h. As evidenced by the demonstrations, the FIAT 3000 was well able to reach over 20 km/h in appropriate terrain conditions. Although the General Staff liked the Dutch way of a cheap French Renault, the HtK convinced them to acquire the superior FIAT 3000, as it would provide a more accurate understanding of the latest capabilities of the tank.

The Danish FIAT while overtaking a shallow ditch next to a road. Source: ghrvpk.dk

Choice for the FIAT 3000

With these factors in mind, Denmark remained eager to acquire a FIAT 3000. Finally, in early 1928, FIAT agreed. On 18th April 1928, engineer Kornbeck from the Tøjhuset (Arsenal) was dispatched to Italy to receive the appropriate technical introduction.

In June 1928, the new tank arrived in Copenhagen. The HtK immediately set to work to replace the Italian armament with two regular issue Madsen machine guns. Meanwhile, the Danish General Command was very excited about this new piece of equipment. The procurement had been kept relatively secret so, to many, it came as a surprise to have this new technology in the country. A program was made to arrange for a demonstration tour around the garrisons in Denmark, but most importantly, the tank was to participate in the autumn maneuvers of 1928.

There was one slight problem. The trailer that had been bought with the tank, for 5,000 DK, had not yet arrived. There were no trucks available that were powerful enough to move the tank around. As a stopgap solution, the HtK modified another trailer to carry the tank, which worked. Therefore, the demonstration plans could be carried out as planned.

The FIAT in the autumn of 1928. By this time, the trailer had not yet been delivered and this trailer was used as a stopgap solution by the HtK. This photo was taken at the Norgesgade and Danmarksgade in front of Spritfabrikken. Source: arkiv.dk

Changed Armament

As the Danish Army did not field any Italian machine guns, they were replaced with two Danish Madsen M1924 8 mm light machine guns, chambered to fire 8×58 mmR cartridges. This Danish machine gun design was quite popular and already in development since the late 19th century. The first Machine guns had been adopted by the Danish Army in 1902. It was fed with a top-mounted magazine.

One design iteration of the Madsen 8 mm light machine gun. Source: International Military Antiques

Disappointments

The demonstrations and autumn maneuvers turned out to be less successful. During these, the Army keenly looked at the tank, but had no idea what to do with it. Tactically, no insights were gained whatsoever.

Technically, there also was a problem. The running engine created a high temperature, which made it almost impossible to get in or out the tank. The driver, Officiant (rank equal to 2nd Lieutenant) N.E. Sørensen managed to set himself on fire, destroying his clothes and boots due to burning hot oil.

Therefore, when the autumn maneuvers of 1929 grew nearer, the General Staff concluded that the tank would not partake in these, unless the maneuvers were to be attended by royalty. In that case, the Army would gladly show off this weapon. But they did not attend, so the tank was put in storage.

The FIAT on its purpose-built trailer in the winter of 1928/1929. The FWD Model B 3 ton truck is equally as unique as the FIAT, as just a single piece was bought in 1925. Source: ghrvpk.dk

Another angle on the FWD pulling the FIAT trailer. Note the protective cover over the machine guns. Source: armyvehicles.dk

1932

In 1932, the FIAT was shortly reactivated. This was in light of the new armored vehicle program, preparations for which began in 1930 and in 1931. A testing unit was established. In 1932, the Danish Army managed to arrange tests with the newly developed Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Patrol Car. It arrived in August and was tested for six weeks.

In light of the testing with this light tank, the FIAT was requested to be reactivated to compare both vehicles. However, technically, the tank was in a bad state. Due to wear and tear of the vehicle, the HtK only allowed a minimal use of the FIAT, so much so that it was only driven at HtK’s own practice area. This short appearance had little impact, but it would be the last time that it was seen. Some sources claim that it ended up as a range target after this.

The Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Patrol Car that was tested by Denmark in 1932. It led to an order for two which both arrived in 1933. The bad state of the FIAT 3000 meant that comparative testing was kept to an absolute minimum. Source: ghrvpk.dk

Conclusion

Few tank trials were probably as useless as those of the FIAT 3000 in Denmark. Although specific details are unavailable, the fact that no one knew what to do with it is remarkable. Especially when the situation is compared to the Netherlands who, in a very similar situation, had bought the old French Renault FT, but set up an extensive testing program which brought lots of insights into what even an old tank was capable of.

Therefore, the Danish testing of the FIAT 3000 can be seen as a failure, even so that they had to reinvent the wheel within just four years when the Light Patrol Car was tested in 1932. Indeed, in the end, the FIAT was not just more than something that was looked at, admired, and then safely stored away to not be touched again.

FIAT 3000 in Danish Service. Illustration by Oussama Mohamed ‘Godzilla’.

FIAT 3000 Specifications
Dimensions (lwh)	4.17 x 1.64 x 2.19 m
Weight	5.5 tonnes
Crew	2 (commander, driver)
Propulsion	FIAT 304 petrol, 50 hp
Average speed	15 km/h
Max. road speed	20-22 km/h
Range	95 km
Fuel	90 l
Ground clearance	0.35 m
Track width	0.28 m
Gradient	45-51°
Trench	1.5-1.8 m
Obstacle	0.6 m
Wading depth	1.1 m
Armor	16 mm all-round, 8 mm roof, 6 mm floor
Armament	2x Madsen M1924 8 mm light machine guns
Number acquired	1

Sources

Drostrup, Ole. Panser i Danmark. Træk af vort panservåbens historie 1918-1978, Lindhart og Ringhof, 1980 (2021 eBook version), ISBN: 978-8726582529.

Danish Army Vehicles Homepage. “FIAT M3000B.” Accessed December 29, 2023. https://www.armyvehicles.dk/fiatm3000.htm.

Danish Army Vehicles Homepage. “FWD Model B.” Accessed December 29, 2023. https://www.armyvehicles.dk/fwdmodelb.htm.

With many special thanks to Bas Slaats, who shared a file from the Dutch National Archives: Aan het Technische Korps van het Leger. Rapport No.7. over een dienstreis naar Italië van den 13/10 tot 20/10 1926. Proeven met Fiat-Vechtwagen Model 3000. Order: Brieven van het Korps K2521 en K2523 van 8/10 1926.

WW2 German Armored Cars WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service

Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i)

Post author By Arturo Giusti
Post date March 25, 2024
2 Comments on Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i)

A Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i) of a German police unit in Northern Italy, 1944. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.

German Reich (1943-1945)
Medium Armored Car – ~200 Operated

After the 8th September 1943’s Armistice between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allied forces, the Wehrmacht launched Fall Achse (English: Operation Axis) to disarm their Italian former allies in Italy, France, and the Balkans. Around 200 AB41 armored cars were captured and almost immediately redeployed by Heer, Luftwaffe, SS, and Organization Todt (a civilian and military engineering organization responsible of eterogeneous engineering projects both in Nazi Germany and in occupied territories). In German service, it was known as the Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i).

AB41 of the 278. Infanterie-Division in Italy. It was of the last production batch and had Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ desert soils tires. Source: beutepanzer.ru

This article originally appeared in the Tank Encyclopedia Magazine #Issue 8. You can get a free download here.

Italy in Turmoil

With the end of the North African Campaign after the fall of Tunisia in May of 1943 and the Allied landings in Sicily in July of 1943, the Fascist authorities became increasingly unpopular in the Kingdom of Italy. On 24th July 1943, the 28 members of the Gran Consiglio del Fascismo (English: Great Fascist Council) and Benito Mussolini gathered in Palazzo Venezia in Rome to discuss the war. At the end of the meeting, there was a vote to decide whether to leave Mussolini in charge of military decisions or transfer it to the generals of the Italian Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army).On 25th July 1943, the King of the Kingdom of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele III, met Mussolini in one of his houses in Rome under the pretext of discussing the continuation of the war. After the meeting, Mussolini was arrested, taken to multiple prisons, and then secretly imprisoned in a disused hotel on Mount Gran Sasso.

In the days after Mussolini’s dismissal, a new monarchical government was formed with Marshal Pietro Badoglio, an Army general who the King trusted, acting as Prime Minister. In order not to alarm the Germans, the new government announced that even without Mussolini in power, Italy would continue to fight the war alongside the rest of the Axis Powers.

However, the following month, General Castellani visited the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, neutral territory, to meet Allied Command representatives to discuss an armistice on 19th of August, 1943. Castellani returned to Rome on 27th August and three days later was summoned by Badoglio to send him to Cassibile near Syracuse in Sicily to negotiate with the Allies the following day.

Gen. Castellani returned to Rome to discuss with other generals and wait for the King’s permission to sign the Armistice. Castellani was re-sent to Cassibile on 2st September 1943 and he signed an armistice with the Allied powers on 3rd September 1943. The armistice was made public by the Allied powers at 18:30 on the 8th of September, 1943, on Radio Algeri, while the Italian troops were informed just over an hour later at 19:45 by the Ente Italiano per le Audizioni Radiofoniche or EIAR (English: Italian Body for Radio Broadcasting).

The Germans had been expecting this turn of events since May 1943. During a meeting in Berlin, Adolf Hitler himself on May 20th, 1943 expressed serious doubts about the strength of the Fascist regime. The German command took action.Large numbers of German troops were already in Italy from late May and early June of 1943 to respond to the Allied invasion of Sicily. Nevertheless, Mussolini’s arrest took Hitler and his generals by surprise. As such, they had to reorganize their plans to take control of the Italian peninsula.

On August 5th, 1943, Fall Achse (English: Operation Axis) was ready, but even earlier, on July 27th, 1943, German divisions had arrived in Rome and other parts of Italy, surprising the Italian generals who had not been kept in the dark about these movements. On September 8th, the German ambassador in Rome, Rudolf Rahn, was similarly surprised to be informed of the armistice by the German high command at 19:00. He escaped Rome without incident alongside a few other German officers and reached Frascati, north-west from Rome, where General Albert Kesselring had placed the headquarters of the German forces deployed in Italy, until that moment, only against the Allies.

The German reaction began at 19:50 on September 8th, 5 minutes after Badoglio’s proclamation to the Italian population. Rome, the Italian capital, was captured after two days of fierce fighting in which about 100 German soldiers died. Italian losses were larger, with an estimated 659 Italian soldiers and 121 civilians dead, in addition to 200 unrecognized bodies. By the 15th of September, 1943, throughout Italy, 1,006,730 Italian soldiers were disarmed and 29,000 were killed. The Germans also captured 1,285,871 rifles, 39,007 machine guns, 13,906 submachine guns, 8,736 mortars, 2,754 anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, 5,568 artillery pieces, 16,631 motorized vehicles, and 977 armored fighting vehicles.

Two AB41 in background with a Camionetta SPA-Viberti AS42 ‘Metropolitana’ in the foreground during the Defense of Rome on 9th September 1943. Source: it.m.wikipedia.org

Of those 977 armored vehicles, around 200 vere AB41s, 87 of which were in Rome and 20 vere captured directly from the Ansaldo-Fossati plant, where they were stored ready to be delivered. The captured AB41s were renamed Beute Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i) or Pz.Sp.Wg. 201(i) (English: Captured Armored Reconnaissance Car AB41 201 Italian).

The Wehrmacht planned to equip each Aufklärung Abteilungs (English: Reconnaissance battalions) of their divisions deployed in Operationszone Adriatisches Küstenland (OZAK) in northern Adriatic coast and Operationszone Alpenvorland (OZAV) in in the sub-Alpine area in Northern Italy with a reconnaissance platoon with 7 armored cars.

Design

The Medium Armored Car AutoBlindo Modello 1941 (English: Armored Car Model 1941), or more simply AB41, was the most produced Italian model of armored car during the war with 667 built. It was arguably one of the best armored cars produced during the Second World War.

The AB41 was armed with a 20 mm Cannone-Mitragliera Breda 20/65 Modello 1935 automatic cannon produced by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche (English: Italian Ernesto Breda Company for Mechanical Constructions). Secondary armaments consisted of two 8 mm Breda Modello 1938 medium machine guns, one mounted coaxially and the other in a spherical support on the rear of the vehicle.

It was developed as a long range reconnaissance vehicle and had an operational range of 400 km thanks to the 195 liters of petrol tanks and had a maximum velocity on roads of 80 km/h. The AB41 had a double driving position, one at the front and one at the rear, allowing the armored car to be driven by two different drivers that could exchange control by lowering a lever. This permitted this fast armored car to quickly disengage from an enemy skirmish in narrow mountain and village roads. It was also equipped with 4-wheel drive and four-wheel steering systems, giving the vehicle excellent off-road performance.

The crew was composed of a commander/gunner, front driver, rear driver, and machine gunner/radio operator. The AB41 was also equipped with a powerful 60-km range radio and a 7-meter long antenna on the left side of the vehicle.

German Operational Use

Initial German Deployment

The first German unit that received AB41s was the Panzer-Ausbildungs-Abteilung Süd (English: Southern Tank Training Unit), a training unit deployed in Montorio Veronese from October of 1943 with the task of training new German crewmembers on how to operate Italian vehicles.

In 1944, the 2. Panzer-Spähwagen-Kompanie (English: 2nd Armored Car Company) was equipped with 6 AB41s and 5 Lancia Linces. That May, it was redeployed to Lonigo, near Vicenza, and received some new vehicles for training. In February of 1945, the 11 armored cars were still in service at the unit. In April, during the general insurrection of the Italian Partisans, the Panzer-Ausbildungs-Abteilung Süd tried to reach Austria, but was harried by Partisans and most of the unit did not make it to the border.

The 44. Infanterie-Division (English: 44th Infantry Division), deployed in Trentino Alto Adige region, captured 13 AB41 armored cars and one FIAT 665NM Scudato armored personnel carrier in September of 1943.

The 71. Infanterie-Division (English: 71st Infantry Division), deployed in the cities of Gorizia, Rijeka, Treviso and Trieste, captured one AB41. It probably originated from the Colonna Celere Confinaria ‘M’ (English: Fast Motorized Border Column), which had been delivered to the Rijeka prefecture in May of 1942 and later delivered by the Rijeka prefecture to the Colonna Celere.

The 65. Infanterie-Division (English: 65th Infantry Division), in Central Italy, had 10 AB41s in its ranks in October 1943.

An AB41 of the 71. Infanterie-Division with, probably, two German crewmembers. Note the stylized dog face painted on the right headlight armored cover. It is not known if it was painted by the Germans or by the former Italian crew. September 1943. Source: beutepanzer.ru

On November 13th, 1943, production of the AB41, under the control of the Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen (English: General Inspector of the Armed Forces), was resumed for the Wehrmacht after a positive evaluation by the German troops. By December 1944, only 23 AB41s had been built. In late 1943, the German Army estimated to have a total of 134 AB41s captured from the Italian soldiers.

In November 1944 the AB41s in German service were reorganized.

Infanterie-Divisions

The recreated 94. Infanterie-Division (English: 94th Infantry Division) received 6 AB41s which were probably all destroyed during the Battle of Monte Cassino. After the battle, the remnants of the 95. Infanterie-Division (English: 95th Infantry Division) and the 278. Grenadier-Division (English: 278th Mechanized Infantry Division) were added to the 94. Infanterie-Division.

The 232. Infanterie-Division (English: 232th Infantry Division) received two AB armored cars in April 1945. The vehicles were probably used by the unit in its defense of Milan. The division surrendered to US troops on the road between Milan and Brescia near the end of the war in Europe.

The 278. Infanterie-Division received nine AB41s in June 1944, when the new unit finished its training. It fought in Forlì, Rimini, and Ancona.

Five AB41s were assigned to the 305. Infanterie-Division (English: 305th Infantry Division) that, after the Armistice, took part in the defense of the Gustav Line together with the 114. Jäger-Division. The 305. Infanterie-Division withdrew with very few losses after the Allied breakthrough since they had not been involved in the battle.. It is possible that it still had some ABs in service during the defense of the Gothic Line.

The 334. Infanterie-Division (English: 334th Infantry Division) had 9 AB41s throughout its existence that started at the Battle of Monte Cassino. The unit then operated as an anti-partisan unit near Florence until the battle for the city where the unit surrendered to the partisans and Allied forces and all the vehicles were probably destroyed.

The 356. Infanterie-Division (English: 356th Infantry Division) had 5 AB41s and AB43s that were used during the Battle of Anzio and then in Florence against the South African troops. In January 1945, it was assigned to the Eastern Front but, by that point, the division had probably lost all of its armored cars.

The 362. Infanterie-Division (English: 362th Infantry Division) received two AB41 armored cars during its deployment in the Battle of Anzio. After the retreat from the Anzio Battlefront in May 1944, it received 6 more armored cars of the ‘AB’ series. These were first used in Piemonte and then on the Gothic Line.

An AB41, in Italian or German service abandoned, damaged on the roadside near Anzio. Source: Italian Tanks And Combat Vehicles Of World War II

The 162. Turkistan Infanterie-Division, composed of Turkmen and Azeri volunteers, had a total of 6 AB armored cars delivered in January 1945 assigned to the 3. Kompanie of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung 236. These were used in the La Spezia and Gorizia region in anti-partisan operations and during the defense of Bologna and of Padova.

One of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung 236’s armored cars during an anti-partisan operation in Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. This AB41 was plated WH-1611215 and had the 3. Kompanie’s coat of arms. The three trucks were Lancia 3Ro NMP. Source: beutepanzer.ru

Jäger-Divisions

The 100. Jäger-Division (English: 100th Light Infantry Division) received an unknown number of armored cars assigned to the Panzerjäger Abteilung 100 (English: 100th Tank Hunter Unit) that were used in Albania and Croatia in anti-partisans operations.

The 114. Jäger-Division (English: 114th Light Infantry Division) received seven AB41s assigned to the Aufklärungs-Abteilung 114 (English: 114th Reconnaissance Unit) after the Armistice. These were used in Dalmatia in anti-partisans operations. In January 1944, it was moved to Italy and deployed on the Anzio Front but also served as an anti-partisan unit on the German rear lines. The unit’s use of armored cars is unknown. The unit was destroyed in April 1945, after it had committed multiple war crimes in Italy.

Three of the seven AB41s of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung 114 manned by Italian crews. They had Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ and non-standard tires. Dalmatia September 1943. Source: bundesarchives.com

Fallschirmjäger-Divisions

The 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division had some AB41s captured in Rome and used on the Eastern Front, together with six Camionette SPA-Viberti AS42 ‘Metropolitane’. In October 1943, the division was deployed to the Eastern Front and subordinated to the 42nd Army Corps, west of Kiev. On 15th December, the division was flown south to Kirovograd to contain a Soviet breakout. Is not known how many Italian captured vehicles were sent to the Soviet Union.

An AB41 captured in Rome during September 1943. This armored car plated RE 669B was probably one of the Raggruppamento Esplorante Corazzato ‘Lancieri di Montebello’. The armored car was of the last production batch, with 20-liters can supports and had Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ tires (as the Italian unit’s armored cars). The presence of a partially visible Balkenkreuz, half obstructed, is unclear. Source: beutepanzer.ru

4. Fallschirmjäger-Division

The 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division had some AB41s and AB43s and Lancia Linces. The division was formed in Venice on 5th November 1943. It included the 1. Bataillon of the Fallschirm-Jäger-Regiment 2, the 2. Bataillon of the Fallschirm-Jäger-Regiment 6, and the 1. Bataillon of the Luftlande-Sturm-Regiment 1 taken from the 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division. The Italian Raggruppamento Paracadutisti ‘Nembo’ and the Reggimento Arditi Paracadutisti ‘Folgore’ also joined the division. In December 1943 the 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division was still being formed under Army Group C.It is possible that the unit received its armored cars directly from the 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division, which captured large quantities of them in Rome, before its deployment to the Eastern Front. It could also have received its armored cars from another source, since it was also equipped with AB43s and Lancia Lince scout cars, which were not present in Rome in the first days of September 1943. The armored car crews were composed of Italian paratroopers trained to drive these types of armored cars.

The 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division fought in the Battle of Anzio and was assigned to the western sector near Albano and the Moletta river. During the retreat to Rome, the division slowed down the US 1st Armored Division outside of the city to allow the German 10. Armee and 14. Armee to escape in time. The 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division then retreated toward Viterbo, about 70 km north of Rome, and then to Siena without fighting the Allied forces.

Arriving in Florence, it took part in the defense of the ancient Italian city. The Partisans in the Florence zone started the attack on the city on the 11th August of 1944 trying to avoid the destruction of the bridges and other important places. The armored cars with Italian crews of the 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division tried to slow down the Italian Partisans, but on August 13th, the US Army crossed the Arno River and the German abandoned the city center. The Partisans had succeeded, the Germans did not destroy the city.

An AB41 and a Lancia lince of the 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division in Florence during the defense of the city. Source: beutepanzer.ru

The 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division retreated to the Passo della Futa (English: Futa Pass) that connected Florence to Bologna and part of the Gothic Line. The units fought fiercely in the region, but the British and American troops captured the German position on Mount Altuzzo on September 7th, 1944, permitting the Allies to bypass the Germans at the Futa Pass. The German forces retreated from the pass following a short skirmish on 22th September 1943.

The 4. Fallschirmjäger-Division was then maintained along the Gothic Line to support its defense. The last surviving armored cars of the unit probably fought in Rimini and then in Bologna against the British troops of the 8th Army.

Armored Units

The Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot.) 400 had at least 2 late production AB41s used by the 1. Panzerspähwagen Kompanie of the unit. Not much is known of these armored cars. The few photos of them were taken during an anti-partisan operation in Santuario del Colle near Lenola, in the Latina area in Lazio region. They seem to originally be from the ‘Lancieri di Montebello’, from which they were captured and reused by the Germans.

An AB41 of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot.) 400. It had Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ tires and the same camouflage of the Italian armored cars that took part in the defense of Rome. Santuarino del Colle February 1944. Source: beutepanzers.ru

The Panzergrenadier-Division Brandenburg had 6 AB41s operated by Italian crews but their service is unknown.

Panzer Abteilung zur besonderen Verwendung 12

The Panzer Abteilung zur besonderen Verwendung 12 or Pz.Abt. z.b.V.12 (English: 12th Panzer Department for Special Use) was created in 1st October 1943 in Serbia and was only equipped with captured French pre-WWII era tanks. A total of 13 Renault R35s, 20 Hotchkiss H38s, and 8 Char B1s were ready for use, with more undergoing repairs.

In January 1944, the unit was reorganized. All the Char B1s were given to another German unit, and it received captured Italian vehicles to replace the lost B1s. A total of 1 L6/40 light reconnaissance tank, 12 Semoventi L40 da 47/32s, 4 M13/40 medium tanks, and 3 AB41s were ready to be used by the unit. A month later, in February 1944, the unit had 1 L6/40, 16 L40 da 47/32s, 2 M13/40s, and 3 medium armored cars operational. In March, the unit was equipped with 42 M15/42 medium tanks, of which only 3 were operational, alongside 15 Renault R35s, 23 Hotchkiss H38s, 1 L6/40, 10 L40 da 47/32s, and 3 AB41s. A month later, on April 1st, 1944, the unit had 12 Renault R35s, 24 Hotchkiss H38s, 11 L40s, 1 M15/42, and 6 Autoblinde AB41.

In the Fall of 1944, the Pz.Abt. z.b.V.12 operated mainly in eastern Serbia, on the border with Bulgaria, where the 1. Gebirgsjäger-Division (English: 1st Mountain Light Infantry Division) held the Nis crossroads. The 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division ‘Prinz Eugen’ (English: 7th Mountain SS Volunteer Division) replaced the 1.Gebirgsjäger Division keeping the Abteilung in the front line. On October 1st, 1944, the combat-ready equipment of the unit consisted of 6 Renault R35s, 18 Hotchkiss H38s, 4 L40 47/32s, 33 M15/42s, and 3 AB41s.

Between 14th and 20th October 1944, the battle for Belgrade raged on and on the first morning of fighting part of the unit tried to forced to retreat the enemy troops that encircled the city and tried to enter from the suburbs, but parts of the Abteilung were surrounded and cut off from the rest unit.

An AB41, probably of the Pz.Abt. z.b.V.12, lay abandoned, damaged on a Serbian road in fall 1944. The soldiers inspecting it were Bulgarians. Source: beutepanzer.ru

Polizei Units

The 13. (verst.) Polizei-Panzer-Kompanie had an unknown number of armored cars in service, while the 14. (verst.) Polizei Kompanie had a total of 3 armored cars AB41s in the ranks of its 2nd Platoon.

An AB41 of the 13. (verst.) Pol.-Panzer-Kompanie in column with other Polizei vehicles. Source: beutepanzer.ru

The 13. Polizei Panzer Kompanie also received some AB41s. It was initially deployed in southern France and later transferred to Croatia.

Polizei Regiment ‘Bozen’

The 1. Battalion of the Polizei Regiment ‘Bozen’ had 1 AB41, 1 Lancia 1ZM, an L3/33, and an L3/35 in its ranks. It was created in Bozen on 1st October 1943 as Police Regiment ‘South Tyrol’, though shortly after renamed ‘Bozen’ on 29th October and used as an anti-partisan unit in the north-east Italian sector.

The AB41 of the I. Battalion/Polizei Regiment ‘Bozen’ after its capture. The original Regio Esercito plate and the Italian three-tone camouflage are visible. The vehicle had a Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ spare tire. Source: beutepanzer.ru

It was used in Abazzia, Pola, and Rijeka to defend the Istrian peninsula. It was then used from June, 1944 to early 1945 to patrol Trieste-Abbazia road, Santa Lucia-Isonzo road,the city of Rijeka and the Pola province. The armored car was also used in the summer of 1944 on the Croatian islands off the Istrian peninsula to deter the Yugoslavian partisans from attacking the isolated Axis garrisons in the islands. In February of 1945, the I. Battalion/Polizei Regiment ‘Bozen’ was deployed in Aidussina, east of Gorizia, while in March it was in Tolmino in the upper Isonzo valley where it remained until the end of the war.

A FIAT-SPA 38R light lorry and the AB41 of the I. Battalion/Polizei Regiment ‘Bozen’ on a Kriegsmarine’s armed barge directed to Croatian islands. Source: beutepanzer.ru

The same AB41 of the I. Battalion/Polizei Regiment ‘Bozen’ with a new two-tone stripes camouflage during a German anti-partisan action in the Istrian peninsula, near Rijeka. Summer 1944. Also the spare wheel was painted. Source: beutepanzer.ru

The AB41 armored car of the Polizei Regiment ‘Bozen’ maintained its old Regio Esercito plate, ‘Regio Esercito 310B’, uncharacteristically painted on the side of the superstructure. The armored car had Pirelli Tipo ‘Artiglio’ tires and Tipo ‘Libia’ tires on the spare tires. For an unknown reason, at some point between spring and summer 1944, the Germans removed the radio antenna, and presumably also the radio station, from the armored car and repainted it.

The 4. SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier-Division had two armored cars that were used in Belgrade. In January, 1945, the unit moved to Slovakia and then to Gdansk (Poland), but the armored cars were probably already destroyed by then.

Waffen-SS

The only two Waffen-SS units that were known to use the AB41 medium armored cars in active service were the SS-Polizei-Regiment 15 and the SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs Bataillon 4 of the 4 SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division that received an unknown number of armored cars.

An AB41 of the SS-Panzer-Aufklärungs Bataillon 4 with license plate SS – 214082 in the Balkans in 1944. Source: beutepanzer.ru

In late 1943, the SS-Polizei-Regiment 15 was transferred to Italy with its headquarters stationed in Vercelli, I Bataillon in Turin, II Bataillon in Milan, and III Bataillon in Trieste. It was later reinforced by an anti-tank company, a rocket-launcher battery, and some Italian-produced vehicles captured after the Armistice.

An armored car AB41 of the III Bataillon in the Trieste area. Source: beutepanzer.ru

The 24. Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Karstjäger had some AB41s and AB43s that were assigned to the unit only in July 1944, though nothing is known about their service, together with 14 P26/40 heavy tanks. These were used in the far eastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia in anti-partisan operations between Gorizia and Trieste.

Other Units

The 5. Gebirgs-Division (English: 5th Mountain Division) was equipped with 9 AB41s and another 9 Italian armored cars and were employed during the defense of the Gustav Line and the Battle of Monte Cassino.

The MG Battalion Kesselring 2 had 4 AB41s, 16 AB43s, and an unknown other model, but their service is not documented.

Some German-backed Croatian units received some AB41s, such as the Croatian Panzer Nachrichten Regiment 2 which fought in Hungary.

The presence of an AB41 abandoned in a street in the suburbs of Berlin after the Battle of Berlin has generated some interest. It is unknown how the armored car arrived in Berlin, but from the photograph, it seems that it took part in the fighting, was damaged, and was quickly abandoned by the crew in the battle against the Soviet soldiers. It was probably used by the 11. SS-Freiwilligen-Panzergrenadier-Division ‘Nordland’ in the last desperate attempt to block the way to the center of Berlin for the Red Army soldiers. The photo was taken between 25th April and 2nd May 1945. The SS Panzer Kompanie 105 of the 5. SS-GebirgsKorps that fought in the last desperate defences of the Third Reich was equipped with a total of 10 Carri Armati M13/40. In 1st May 1945 the last three were knocked out by the Soviet forces. The unit was probably also equipped with AB41s.

An AB41 abandoned in a street in Berlin, 2nd May 1945. Notice the absence of the rear steering wheel and of the radio antenna, but the presence of the Breda Modello 1938 with the sack for the spent cartridge casings. The sapper tools and the tail lights were removed and the tyres are of the Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ while the spare wheel was a Tipo ‘Artiglio’. Note the curious two-tone camouflage scheme. Source: Pinterest.com Colorization by Johannes Dorn

Luftwaffen-Sicherungs-Regiment ‘Italien’

The Luftwaffen-Sicherungs-Regiment ‘Italien’ (English: Air Force Security Regiment) was created in June 1944 with the remnants of some other Luftwaffe ground units and Italian soldiers of the Guardia alla Frontiera or GaF (English: Border Guard). It was commanded by Oberstleutnent Fritz-Herbert Dietrich and used as an anti-partisan unit in Piemonte supporting major anti-partisan actions alongside other German and Italian units, such as the Bandenbekämpfung Woche. It was also used in other operations, such as Operazione Nachtigall (English: Operation Nightingale) in Piemonte, where an AB41 was used. It may have been an AB41 from the Gruppo Corazzato ‘Leonessa’ (English: Armored Group).

Two AB41 from Luftwaffen-Sicherungs-Regiment ‘Italien’ during a refueling break on the main square of Cavour, near Pinerolo, prepared to leave for an anti-partisan operation in July 1944. The tanker truck was a civilian-production OM Taurus requisitioned by the army. Source: beutepanzer.ru

After the operations in Piemonte, it was sent to Veneto, on the eastern Italian border, where it fought the Yugoslavian Partisans in the Istrian peninsula until fall 1944, when it was sent to Bologna. In Bologna, the unit fought alongside the 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division and probably helped to defend Rimini from the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade and a battalion and a squadron of the 2nd New Zealand Division.

Organisation Todt

An unknown number of vehicles were also used by the Organization Todt (OT), an organization named after its founder, Fritz Todt, that cooperated with the Wehrmacht in the construction of roads, bridges, airports, port, and defense facilities in Germany and all German-occupied territories during the war.

To keep the work sites safe from partisan ambushes, attacks, or sabotage, armed units of the Organization Todt patrolled the surrounding area. Several AB41 armored cars were assigned to the patrol units.

A poor quality photo of one of the Organization Todt’s AB41s with TD – 20220 registration plate. Source: beutepanzer.ru

Camouflage, Markings, and Modifications

In some cases, the AB41 armored cars in German service received interesting modifications. Some German AB41s received some minor modifications, such as the addition of spaced armored plates on the front to improve protection, armored plates on the fenders to better protect the tires from small arms fire, and some headlights. These conversions were made by the units on the front line and it is impossible to catalog them precisely.

The ones of the 14 vers. Polizei Kompanie were upgraded with additional frontal armor to better protect the vehicles against the small-arm fire. The AB41s also received a right-handed handcrafted headlight mounted on the turret side. At least two of the three vehicles of the unit were modified in this manner. The vehicles had striped two-tones camouflages, the original Italian Kaki Sahariano Chiaro (English: Light Saharan Khaki) as base and dark green or reddish brown stripes.

Two of the three AB41s of the 14 vers. Polizei Kompanie in Laibach province, Balkans, 1944. Source: beutepanzer.ru

An unknown unit equipped its Italian monochrome camouflage AB41 with armored fenders to better protect the frontal tires from small-arms fire. The vehicle received the usual Balkenkreuzs on hull front and sides. It also had the number “3”, which’s meaning is unclear, painted in a white round of the front.

The AB41 involved in an anti-partisan operation in Yugoslavia. The vehicle behind it is a Sd.Kfz.7/1 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. Note the armored protection for the wheels and the supports to fit it. Source: beutepanzer.ru

Many units maintained the Italian Kaki Sahariano Chiaro monochrome camouflage or the three-tones Continentale (English: Continental), with a Kaki Sahariano Chiaro base with reddish brown and dark green spots.
Some vehicles were also painted in the same colors but with stripes instead of spots.

A Beute Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i) of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot.) 400 in the Lazio Region during a patrol. It was of the last production batch and also had the smoke grenades casing on the engine deck. It was equipped with Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ tires and had a particular camouflage. It was probably captured by the Germans in Rome. Source: neutepanzer.ru Colorization by Johannes Dorn

The AB41 of the I. Battalion/SS-Polizei Regiment ‘Bozen’ ready to depart Abbazia for an anti-partisan patrol. As in the previous photos, the antenna was removed and the spare wheel was also painted. Source: beutepanzer.ru

Conclusion

The German Beute Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i) performed, as in the other theaters of war, with great results even if with some flaws due to the evolution of the war that led many Allied vehicles to be replaced with better armed and armored vehicles. The AB41 proved to be still hostile adversaries against enemies with a limited anti-tank capability, such as partisan bands and in the reconnaissance role that was rarely performed by the German units.

The German units equipped with captured Italian vehicles after the Armistice often complained about the quality and mechanical reliability of Italian vehicles, which, due to lack of spare parts and lack of experienced German mechanics with adequate knowledge in Italian tanks and self-propelled guns reparation, were often forced to abandon them after light or easily repairable breakdowns. This apparently did not happen in units equipped with AB-series armored cars; in fact, it does not appear that neither SS, Luftwaffe, Wehrmacht and Polizei units ever complained about Italian armored cars.

A Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i) of the Aufklärungs-Abteilung (mot.) 400 in the Lazio Region.

A Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i) of a German police unit in Northern Italy, 1944. Illustrations by Godzilla.

AB41 specifications
Dimensions (L-W-H)	5.20 x 1.92 x 2.48 m
Total Weight, Battle Ready	7.52 tonnes
Crew	4 (front driver, rear driver, machine gunner/loader, and vehicle commander/gunner)
Propulsion	FIAT-SPA 6-cylinder petrol, 88 hp with 195 liters tank
Speed	Road Speed: 80 km/h Off-Road Speed: 50 km/h
Range	400 km
Armament	Cannone-Mitragliera Breda 20/65 Modello 1935 (456 rounds) and Two Breda Modello 1938 8 x 59 mm medium machine guns (1992 rounds)
Armor	8.5 mm Hull
Turret	Front: 40 mm Sides: 30 mm Rear: 15 mm
Total Production	667 in total, ~ 200 in German service

Sources

beutepanzer.ru
Italian Armored & Reconnaissance Cars 1911-45 – Filippo Castellano and Pier Paolo Battistelli
Le autoblinde AB 40, 41 e 43 di Nicola Pignato e Fabio d’Inzéo
… Come il Diamante, I Carristi Italiani 1943-’45 – Marco Nava and Sergio Corbatti
I Mezzi Corazzati Italiani della Guerra Civile 1943-1945 – Paolo Crippa

WW2 German Assault Guns WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service

Beute Sturmgeschütze mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i)

Post author By MarkoPantelic
Post date April 29, 2023
2 Comments on Beute Sturmgeschütze mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i)

Beute Sturmgeschütz M41 mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i). Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.

German Reich (1943-1945)
Self-Propelled Assault Gun – 123 Captured and 55 Built

After the Armistice the Regno d’Italia (English: Kingdom of Italy) had signed with the Allied forces on 8th September 1943 was made public, what was left of the Italian war industry and armament of the Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army) were taken over by the Germans. In terms of armored vehicles, most were obsolete designs that were put to use only as nothing else was available. The Semoventi (English: Self-Propelled Guns), on the other hand, were of more use, and some 123 Semoventi M41 da 75/18 and Semoventi M42 da 75/18 (English: 75 mm L/18 Self-Propelled Guns on M41 and M42 chassis) were captured. The Germans renamed the captured vehicles Beute Sturmgeschütz mit 7.5 cm Kampfwagenkanone L/18 850 (italienisch) (English: Captured Assault Gun with 7.5 cm Tank Cannon Coded 850 [italian]). These were mainly used in Italy, while a few saw service in the Balkans, Hungary, and in Germany as the Second World War drew to a close.

A captured Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/18 850(i) of 2 Kompanie, Panzerjäger Abteilung 278 in Ancona, Italy, 17 July 1944. Source: beutepanzer.ru

The Italian Semoventi da 75/18

The Semoventi da 75/18 (English: 75 mm L/18 Self-Propelled Guns) were a series of Italian self-propelled guns based on the Serie M (English: M Series) medium tanks. Production started with the Semovente M40 da 75/18 (English: 75 mm L/18 M40 Self-Propelled Gun), which was built using the chassis of the Carro Armato M13/40 (English: M13/40 Tank). The second model was the Semovente M41 da 75/18, based on the chassis of the Carro Armato M14/41. The two models differed only by a different diesel engine. The third and last model was the Semovente M42 da 75/18, based on the chassis of the Carro Armato M15/42. This model differed from the previous two semoventi da 75/18 by its new engine compartment fitted with a powerful petrol engine.

One of the first produced Semovente M40 da 75/18. Source: Nicola Pignato

A Semovente M41 da 75/18 abandoned by the Italian soldiers in North Africa. Source: pinterest.com

From late April 1941, 60 Semovente M40 da 75/18 were built, before the superior-engined Semovente M41 da 75/18, of which 162 were produced until November 1942, substituted them on the assembly line. The first Semovente M42 da 75/18 was finished on 21st November 1942, even though the self-propelled gun was officially adopted on 9th December 1942. In total, by the end of July 1943, 190 Semoventi M42 da 75/18 were produced. An unknown number of other M42s were produced between 1st August and 8th September 1943.

A Semovente M42 da 75/18 ready to be delivered to the Italian Army before the Armistice. Source: worldwarphoto.com

The Semovente M40 da 75/18 was powered by a V-shaped, 8-cylinder, liquid-cooled FIAT-SPA 8T Modello 1940 diesel engine with a maximum power output of 125 hp at 1,800 rpm, giving the vehicle a maximum speed of 31.8 km/h.
It was not a very reliable engine. In fact, it was developed for 8-tonne vehicles, while the Semovente M40 da 75/18 weighed 13.1 tonnes. The Obice da 75/18 Modello 1934 (English: 75 mm L/18 Howitzer Model 1934) was located in the front of the vehicle, slightly to the right, in a ball mount support that allowed a notable 36° of the traverse, 20° on the left and 16° on the right, and an elevation from -12° to +22°. Anti-aircraft defense was ensured by a Fucile Mitragliatore Breda Modello 1930 (English: Light Machine Gun Breda Model 1930) mounted on the vehicle’s roof, with a reserve of 600 rounds on board.

The Obice da 75/18 Modello 1934 mounted on a Semovente da 75/18 that is ready to be delivered. Source: fondazioneansaldo.com

The Semovente M41 da 75/18 was powered by the powerful FIAT-SPA 15T Modello 1941 8-cylinder V-shaped diesel engine, producing 145 hp at 1,900 rpm, increasing the maximum speed to 33.3 km/h. The anti-aircraft machine gun was substituted by a powerful Mitragliatrice Media Breda Modello 1938 (English: Medium Machine Gun Breda Model 1938) with 1,104 rounds on board.

The Semovente M42 da 75/18 was powered by the petrol version of the FIAT-SPA 15T Modello 1941, the new FIAT-SPA 15TB (‘B’ for ‘Benzina’ – Petrol) Modello 1942 petrol 12-cylinder V-shaped water-cooled engine that produced 190 hp at 2,400 rpm. In order to accommodate the new petrol engine, increased fuel tanks and new fire extinguisher system, the chassis of the vehicle was lengthened from 4.92 m to 5.06 m. Apart from these modifications, the M42 was identical in structure and armament to the M41.

The armor of the Semoventi da 75/18 was 30 mm thick on the transmission cover plate, which was rounded. The upper armored plate that covered the transmission was 25 mm thick and angled at 80°. The superstructure had a 50 mm thick front plate angled at 5°. The Semovente M41 and M42 da 75/18, was composed of two 25 mm armored plates bolted together to increase protection. The angled plate that connected the upper glacis plate of the transmission cover and the front plate was 30 mm at 65°.

The sides were 25 mm for the hull and casemate, with the only difference being that the casemate’s sides, which were angled at 8°. The rear casemate was protected by a 25 mm thick armored plate. The rear of the engine compartment was 25 mm thick and angled at 20°. The roof was 15 mm thin, horizontal in the first section and then angled at 85°. On the sides of the roof, other 15 mm plates were angled at 65° on the right and to 70° on the left side.

The engine compartment roof was 10 mm and angled at 74°. The inspection hatches of the engine compartment had the same thickness. The brake inspection hatches were 25 mm thick, while the driver port on the front armored plate was 50 mm thick.

After the Armistice

In September 1943, due to the Allied invasion of Sicily and internal pressure, Italy sought to negotiate peace with the Western Allied powers. The Germans were expecting this and planned to occupy as much of Italy as possible. With the occupation of most of Italy, the Germans came into possession of a number of armored vehicles, but also weapon-producing facilities, along with many vehicles that were awaiting assembly for their former ally.

A Semovente M42 da 75/18 inspected by some civilians in Parma. It was abandoned intact by Italian soldiers of CCCCXXXIII Battaglione Complementi Carri M during the fighting with the Germans in the days after the Armistice. Source: beutepanzer.ru

On 1st October 1943, the Germans declared to have captured a total of 123 Semoventi M41 and M42 da 75/18. The number did not account for the Semovente M40 da 75/18 because all the 60 vehicles delivered to the Regio Esercito in 1941 were lost in North Africa. The Germans renamed the Semovente M41 da 75/18 as the Beute Sturmgeschütz M41 mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i) (which stands for Italienisch (English: Italian)), while the Semovente M42 da 75/18 was renamed Beute Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i). German sources also referred to them as StuG M41 mit 75/18 850(i) or StuG M42 mit 75/18 850(i) as abbreviations. Sometimes, German official documents did not mention the chassis model. For the sake of simplicity, this article will refer to them simply as StuG M41 or StuG M42.

Evaluation by the Germans

After the Armistice, the Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen (English: Inspector General of the Armed Forces) of the German Army began analyzing the vehicles produced in the various Italian factories. The Inspectorate considered the StuG M42 as an underpowered vehicle, but there were enough parts available for an additional 55 vehicles. The production of the better-armed semoventi, such as the Beute Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/34 851(i) (German for the Semovente M42M da 75/34) and the Beute Sturmgeschütz M43 mit 105/25 853(i) (German for the Semovente M43 da 105/25) continued at a slow pace. The final report of the Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen about the Italian Beute Sturmgeschütz was that they had a low profile and low weight, but cramped fighting compartments, limited visibility, and thin frontal armor, all of which were unsatisfactory.

German Production

After the assignment of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or OKW (English: Upper Command of the Armed Forces) and Heereswaffenamt Italien (English: Army Weapons Agency of Italy), the Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen took over previous Regio Esercito contracts since components were available. The German order of 5th October 1943 was for 55 Beute Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/18 850(i), 80 Beute Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/34 851(i), and 60 Beute Sturmgeschütz M43 mit 105/25 853(i).

On 5th October 1943, contracts were signed between Ansaldo and the Germans for the delivery of new Italian self-propelled guns with some modifications. The German modifications concerned the addition of 4 bigger teeth on the sprocket wheel. These were intended to prevent the track from slipping from the wheels while driving in muddy or snowy terrain. Another modification requested by the Germans was to substitute the right roof hatch with one openable in two parts for better ventilation of the fighting compartment. Some Stahlhelm supports for the crewmembers were also added on some vehicles on the roof.

At the end of 1943, the German Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen had planned to equip the German divisions with some 143 medium tanks of the Serie M, 83 StuG M42 mit 75/18, and 109 StuG M42M mit 75/34. This meant that they needed to order Italian companies to produce 28 medium tanks of the Serie M, 82 StuG M42 mit 75/18, and a total of 200 StuG M42M mit 75/34 (including reserves). Of these new armored vehicles ordered, the Germans planned to put 32 tanks of the Serie M, 130 StuG M42 mit 75/18, and 119 StuG M42M mit 75/34 in reserve, while the others would be delivered to first line units or to training schools.

The Germans implemented some minor changes to the StuG M42s, such as adding four larger teeth on the front drive sprocket to prevent the tracks from slipping off. Source: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/italy/spg2/75-18/stug-m-42-232-2/

After the Armistice, the Germans planned to produce a new vehicle, the Beute Sturmgeschütz M43 mit 75/46 852(i), aka the Semovente M43 da 75/46, armed with a Cannone da 75/46 Contraerei Modello 1934 (English: 75 mm L/46 Anti-Aircraft Cannon Model 1934).

In 1944, the Germans produced the Beute Sturmgeschütz M43 mit 75/46 852(i) and adopted the powerful Cannone da 75/46 Contraerei Modello 1934 as a tank gun, named by the Germans as Kampfwagenkanone 75/46 (English: 75 mm L/46 Tank Cannon). The Germans hoped to equip all Italian self-propelled guns in production with this powerful gun. This meant that all the Beute Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i) had to be modified, but it seems that this project would never be started because the production rate of the Kampfwagenkanone 75/46 was one or two guns per month.

Beute-Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i) captured by a Canadian unit and redeployed by Canadian soldiers against their former owners in Italy. It was nicknamed ‘Zombie’. Source: beutepanzer.ru

Another German plan was to modify the Kampfwagenkanone 75/46 breech to fire the same ammunition as the 7,5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40 or PaK 40 anti-tank cannon, in Italy known under the designation Cannone da 75/43 Modello 1940 (English: 75 mm L/43 Cannon Model 1940). It is not clear if the Germans reached the goal of modifying the Italian guns to fire German ammunition, but the modifications would have forced a slow process to modify the guns, maybe explaining why there was an average production of 1.5 guns per month.

The Germans also briefly played with the idea of mounting the 7,5 cm Panzerabwehrkanone 40 on the M43 self-propelled gun’s chassis to ease the gun production, but, by the end of the war, nothing was decided.

In the late war, the German Army wanted to save on raw materials, producing only the most powerful and reliable vehicles. This was done in Germany and also in Italy. It was planned to cancel the production of all the Italian vehicles apart from the Beute Sturmgeschütz M43 mit 75/46 852(i), the Beute Panzerspähwagen AB43 203(i), and the Panzerkampfwagen P40 737(i). On 20th February 1945, the German Army planned to equip 4 infantry divisions with such vehicles.

The Aufstellungsstab Sued was in favor of a production contract extension with the Italian factories. They essentially wanted to have all the Italian armored vehicle factories still capable of producing vehicles convert their production lines to the Beute Sturmgeschütz M43 mit 75/46 852(i) and the Beute Panzerspähwagen AB43 203(i) (no mention of the Beute Panzerkampfwagen P40 737(i)), with a production estimated on 50 StuGs and 50 Pz.Sp.Wg. per month. The new production schedule for the Ansaldo-Fossati plant of Sestri Ponente, near Genoa, where all the semoventi were produced, was of 116 Semoventi M43, 51 Carri Armati P26/40, and 22 command tanks to be produced by August 1945. Due to Allied bombings of the Italian factories that produced semoventi and other armored vehicles, the production rate was slower. In early 1945, the Germans moved part of the production and assembly of armored vehicles from Genoa and Turin to Milan and Novara.

German Organization

At the same time as the capitulation of its former ally, Italy, the German Army undertook structural changes in order to increase the number of panzer divisions. Over a dozen new panzer grenadier divisions and a few more SS formations were to be formed. This, in turn, required an increased number of tanks, which the German industry was incapable of producing. To overcome this, panzer divisions were to receive an anti-tank battalion armed with 45 StuG IIIs. Not surprisingly, even this was impossible to achieve. Luckily for the Germans, the captured Italian equipment became available. As the Italian command did, the German forces assigned the semoventi to former artillerymen (obviously trained to man self-propelled guns) and not to tank crews.

The long gun-armed StuG III was one of the most effective German anti-tank vehicles, but also the most produced. Despite this, there were never enough of them to satisfy the war demands of the German Army. Source: Panzernet

To supplement the lack of StuG IIIs, Italian Semoventi vehicles were reused for this purpose. Source: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/italy/spg2/75-18/stug-42-prinz-eugen/

Already on 20th September 1943, the German High Command ordered the delivery to infanterie-divisionen (English: infantry divisions) of: 11 Carri Armati M15/42, 3 command tanks, and 80 Semoventi M42 da 75/18 and M42M da 75/34. At the end of September 1943, another 6 Carri Armati M15/42, 4 Command Tanks on M42 chassis, 6 Semoventi M42 da 75/18, 5 Semoventi M42M da 75/34, and 14 Semoventi M43 da 105/35 were delivered to German infantry divisions.

From the stockpiles of captured StuG M41/42s, together with other Italian vehicles, the Germans re-equipped some units, such as the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division (English: 90th Mechanized Division). Others were allocated to various infantry divisions, such as the 44. Infanterie-Division, 65. Infanterie-Division, 71. Infanterie-Division, 305. Infanterie-Division, and 334. Infanterie-Division. These numbers would be expanded in 1944. Note that these units also received the improved semoventi vehicle, which is not always specified in the sources. While this helped rearm the units, in reality, it also caused huge logistical problems. For example, the 90. Panzergrenadier-Division had in its inventory Panzer IVs, StuG IIIs, and Italian StuG M41/42s.

In late 1943 to early 1944, the Germans started to train some new tank crewmembers on Italian armored vehicles, with some training schools in northern Italy. These units trained with former Regio Esercito vehicles but were mainly equipped with post-Armistice production self-propelled guns and tanks.

The 26. Panzer-Division (English: 26th Armored Division) was equipped with Italian tanks and self-propelled guns. Even the Fallschirm-Panzer-Division 1. “Hermann Göring” (English: 1st Paratrooper Tank Division) of the Luftwaffe (English: Air Force) was equipped with Italian captured tanks and SPGs.

In 1944, Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 210. and Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 914. of the Luftwaffe, which were equipped with Italian tanks and semoventi, were brought to brigade level, even if, in practice, only a few new Italian vehicles were assigned to them. Each of the 2 Sturmgeschütz-Abteilungen had 3 batteries with 14 semoventi and a command battery with 2 Italian command tanks.

An Italian Semovente M42 da 75/18 in German service during maintenance in a German unit field workshop. The FIAT-SPA 15TB Modello 1942 petrol engine is in the foreground, while, behind the semovente, there is a Jagdpanzer IV. Source: eshop

In 1944, for the German infantry divisions created in Italy, Panzerjäger-Abteilungen were created. These armored battalions would be equipped with 3 companies, even if, due to the low number of vehicles, some were equipped with only 2 companies. One company was usually equipped with 6 StuG M41 or StuG M42, 8 StuG M42M mit 75/34, and one command vehicle. Later, the majority of the companies also received 4 StuG M43 mit 105/25 and another command tank. Of course, depending on the combat situation, availability, or logistical transportation, these numbers were different between units. The M41/42 would see some service in Italy, but their general use was hampered with mechanical and logistical problems.

In May 1944, a German report claimed that there were 85 Italian StuGs in service in German hands on the Italian peninsula, of which 29 were deployed against the Allies in Anzio and Nettuno. In July 1944, another 28 Italian StuGs were delivered to German divisions to replace part of the losses suffered on the Gustav Line.

German Service

German Service in Italy

Beute-Sturmgeschütz mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i) abandoned during the battles for the Gustav Line. Note that, on top of the 3-tone camouflage painted in the factory before the Armistice of 1943, the coat of arms of the 71. Infanterie-Division was painted on the left and that of the Panzerjäger-Abteilung .171 on the right. Above the coats of arms, the registration plate of the Regio Esercito was covered with a layer of gray paint. On the fender, a German-made jack is visible and, on the right side of the superstructure, is the name of the vehicle, ‘Margarete 3’. Source: beutepanzer.ru

71. Infanterie Division

In January 1944, the 71. Infanterie Division (English: 71st Infantry Division) was deployed in the Montecassino area to fight the Allied forces. Together with the infantry and artillery regiments, the division had in its ranks the Panzerjäger-Abteilung .171 (English: 171st Tank Destroyer Battalion) equipped with Beute Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/18 850(i), Beute Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/34 851(i), and German vehicles.

The division fought in the Monte Cassino area until May 1944 and then retreated after a Free French Forces offensive, maintaining new defensive positions until September 1944.

Free French troops advancing somewhere in Italy in August 1944. On the roadside, near a hospital, lay abandoned and parked some vehicles that participated in the previous day’s battle. The StuG M42 mit 75/18 850(i) belonged to Panzerjäger-Abteilung .171. Original color photo Source: LIFE magazine

65. Infanterie Division

The 65. Infanterie Division was in La Spezia when the order to disarm the Italian soldiers was received on 9th September 1943. They quickly reached Genoa and Sestri Ponente, where the semoventi were produced, and captured a great number of not yet delivered Italian vehicles.

In October 1943, the 65. Infanterie Division, with its Panzerjäger Abteilung 165. with Italian StuGs, was moved to Ortona and then to Orsogna, where it maintained positions after fierce fighting with the 8th Indian Division and 2nd New Zealand Division. During the fighting, the armored vehicles losses were limited compared to the infantry’s ones. The division then fought in Anzio and Firenze, losing all its armored vehicles.

Between late August to early November 1944, in fighting on the Gothic Line, the Germans lost a total of 62 StuG mit 75/18, 43 StuG M42M mit 75/34, 35 StuG M43 mit 105/25, and 5 command tanks. At the end of 1944, there were some 92 75 mm-armed Semoventi in German service.

278. Infanterie Division

Beginning in May 1944, the Panzerjäger-Abteilung .278 deployed their Stug M42s in Ancona, where it fought fiercely against the 2nd Polish Army Corps that entered Ancona on 18th July 1944. After that, it lost all the Italian vehicles in the Gothic Line.

Another image of captured Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/18 850(i) number 232 of 2 Kompanie, Panzerjäger Abteilung .278 in Ancona, Italy, 17th July 1944. Source: beutepanzer.ru

German Assessment of the Beute Sturmgeschütz mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i) in Italy

The general performance of the StuG M41/42 seems to have been rather poor based on reports of some units that operated them in Italy. For example, the 278. Infanterie-Division, which had Beute Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/18 850(i) and Beute Sturmgeschütz M42 mit 75/34 851(i), reported that these had little combat value, to the point of being completely useless.

Another StuG M42 mit 75/18, number 201, which belonged to the Panzerjäger Abteilung 278, captured by the Allies in Forlì, Italy at the start of 1945. Source: Wiki

Similar complaints were made by the 29. Panzergrenadier-Division, which noted problems with the automotive components. This unit especially emphasized that Italian self-propelled guns were not a proper replacement for the StuG IIIs. The 356. Infanterie-Division reported that only the 105 mm-armed Beute Sturmgeschütz M43 mit 105/25 853(i) could be used in an anti-tank role, while short barreled 7.5 cm-armed semoventi could not. These were instead used as mobile artillery. The Panzerjäger-Abteilung .356 of the 356. Infanterie-Division was also the unit that came up with the idea of improving the armor of Italian self-propelled guns.

A StuG M42 in German service destroyed in Roccasecca, 100 km south of Rome. Source: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/italy/spg2/75-18/stug-m-42-232-2/

The German frontline combat units appreciated the Semoventi’s lightweight and small dimensions. The Italian self-propelled guns were easy to transport on a railway or towed by trailers. In many cases, the German troops that deployed them against the Allied forces on the Italian peninsula preferred the Italian self-propelled guns to ambush or fight the Allies troops in urban fighting. In fact, due to their limited weight, they could be easily deployed on mountainous terrain, where Allied and German medium tanks had difficulty climbing, or on city streets.

German Service in Yugoslavia

While the majority of StuG M41/42s would see action in Italy, some would find their way to occupied Yugoslavia. There, the Axis forces were battling an ever-growing Partisan movement. The number of Yugoslav Partisans and equipment began to rise, especially in 1944, thanks to support provided mostly by the Western Allies and, later, the Soviet Union. Germany, due to a lack of anything better, mostly used captured armored vehicles in Yugoslavia. After 1943, most older French tanks were replaced with Italian equipment, including the Beute Sturmgeschütz M41 or M42 mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i), but also more numerous smaller Beute Sturmgeschütz L6 47/32 630(i) (German for the Semoventi L40 da 47/32) cousins armed with the 47 mm gun. Sources often do not make a differentiation between them, so identifying precise versions is not always possible.

In Yugoslavia, the Panzer-Abteilung 202 (English: 202nd Tank Battalion) is known to have used StuG M41/42 vehicles. In April 1944, this unit was to be supplied with two StuG M41/42s and other Italian equipment. As these were not available, it had to be postponed. It was not until April 1945 that this unit received 2 StuG M41 vehicles. During their retreat from Yugoslavia in May 1945, some of the equipment, including the StuG M41/42s, was captured by the Partisans.

Abandoned German equipment, including a StuG M41 and a M15/42 in May 1945. More vehicles, possibly M-tanks, can be seen in the background Source:

The Skanderbeg Panzer-Abteilung (English: Skanderbeg Tank Battalion) received a new contingent of Italian captured equipment in August 1944, including 2 StuG M41s. These were noted to be in poor mechanical condition, possibly even beyond repair. Their use, if at all, was thus likely limited.

The German-operated StuG M41/42s saw combat use during the battle for the Yugoslavian capital Belgrade, which lasted from 15th September to 24th November 1944. The Germans were hard-pressed by the Soviets, who agreed to help the Partisans during this fight. Ultimately, they were driven out, and the city was liberated. In the process, the Germans lost at least one StuG M41/42.

This vehicle was abandoned by the Germans in Belgrade, 1944. Source: beutepanzer.ru

The same StuG M41 mit 75/18 abandoned in Belgrade deployed by the Partisans, probably for a post-battle propaganda image. Source: beutepanzer.ru

In Yugoslav Partisan Hands

The Yugoslav Partisans managed to capture some StuG M41/42s from the Germans during 1944/45. At least one such vehicle was used by a tank crew training school that the Partisans opened in freed Serbia in late 1944. A few more were captured during the liberation of Belgrade and some in the final days of the war. While these survived the war, given their obsolescence and lack of spare parts, their use was limited. Their fate in Yugoslavian service post-war is unclear, but they were likely scrapped at some point, as none of them survived until today.

This vehicle from the 202nd Tank Battalion was captured by the Partisans in Slovenia in May 1945. The added spare track links were a rather common sight among the Italian tanks operated by the Germans in Yugoslavia. Source: Wiki https://warspot.ru/10779-shturmgeshyutts-s-apennin

Conclusion

The StuG M41/42 vehicles saw extensive use with the Germans compared to other captured vehicles. However, the Italian vehicles’ service was affected by a lack of spare parts and ammunition. Their overall numbers were also rather small, as the production of new vehicles was limited. Thus, employing them on a large scale, such as had been the case with the Panzer 38(t) (and the later versions based on its chassis), was not possible. Given the rather obsolete pool of Italian weapons, the Semoventi were the best available vehicles that the Germans could reuse.

Beute Sturmgeschütz M41 mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i), M42. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.

Beute Sturmgeschütz M41 mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i) Technical Specification
Crew	3 (commander/gunner, loader, and driver)
Weight	13.3 tonnes
Dimensions	Length 4.915 m, Width 2.200 m, Height 1.850 m
Engine	FIAT-SPA 15T Modello 1941 diesel, 11,980 cm³ producing 145 hp at 1,900 rpm.
Speed	33 km/h, 15 km/h (cross-country)
Range	200 km
Primary Armament	Obice da 75/18 Modello 1934 and a Mitragliatrice Media Breda Modello 1938
Elevation	-12° to +22°
Armor	from 6 mm to 50 mm

Sources

F. Cappellano and P. P. Battistelli (2012) Italian Medium Tanks 1939-45, New Vanguard
T. Anderson (2017) Sturmgeschütz Panzer, Panzerjäger, waffen-SS and Luftwaffe Units 1943-45, Osprey Publishing
D. Guglielmi, Italian Self-Propelled Guns Semoventi M41 and M42, Armor PhotoGallery 17
W. Fleischer (1998) Captured Weapons and Equipment Of the German Wehrmacht, Schiffer publishing
T.L. Jentz and H.L. Doyle (2008) 19-2 Beutepanzerwagen
P. Chamberlain and H. Doyle (1978) Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two – Revised Edition, Arms and Armor press.
B. Carruthers (2012) Sturmgeschütze Armored Assault Guns, pen and Sword
T. Anderson (2016) Sturmartillerie Spierhead Of the Infantry, Osprey Publishing

WW2 British Armored Cars WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service WW2 US Armored Cars

Autoblinda AB41 in Allied Service

Post author By Arturo Giusti
Post date March 8, 2023
3 Comments on Autoblinda AB41 in Allied Service

The Autoblinda AB41 of the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade

United Kingdom/United States of America (1941-1943)
Medium Armored Car – Unknown Number in Allied Service

The Autoblinda AB41 was an Italian medium reconnaissance armored car used during the whole duration of the North African campaign, mainly deployed by the Italian Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army) and by the Polizia dell’Africa Italiana or PAI (English: Italian African Police). During this campaign, many German and Italian vehicles fell into Allied hands, including, among others, Australian, British, Free French, Polish, and South African units. After Operation Torch, when the Allied forces attacked the Axis in North West Africa in early November 1942, they captured a number of AB41s and redeployed them.

The Autoblinda AB41 prototype at the testing ground in Rome during tests to be accepted into service. Source: La Meccanizzazione dell’Esercito Italiano fino al 1943

Italian Vehicles in Allied Service

Unsurprisingly, the AB41 was not the only Italian armored vehicle to be put into service with Allied forces. For instance, six Carri Armati M11/39 and an unknown number of Carri Armati M13/40 were used by the Australian 2/6th Cavalry Regiment and the British 6th Royal Tank Regiment, until spring 1941, when they ran out of spare parts and they were destroyed.

An M13/40 of the 1st Series captured by the Australian soldiers of the 6th Australian Cavalry Regiment being painted with the distinctive Australian kangaroo to avoid friendly fire. Note the nickname ‘Wally’. Source: Australian War Memorial

One of the most used vehicles in North Africa by the Italians was the Autoblinda AB41 armored car that, in addition to performing reconnaissance tasks, was also used as a vehicle to support infantry assaults. In fact, thanks to its protection and armament, it could perform the support task with success if the enemy forces were only equipped with light weapons.

The unquestionable fame of the vehicle made it an interesting vehicle for Commonwealth and Allied troops to reuse it after capture.

Design

An Autoblinda AB40 of the Pinerolo Training School. Source: pinterest.com

The AutoBlinda Modello 1940 was the first of the AB medium reconnaissance armored car series. It had two driving positions, at the front and at the rear. This feature was designed to permit the armored car to disengage from skirmishes even on narrow mountain roads or in the dense North African villages.

The AB frame at the Ansaldo-Fossati plant of Sestri Ponente. The two driving positions are clear in this photograph. Source: Ansaldo

The armor on the entire hull, superstructure, and turret consisted of bolted plates. This arrangement did not offer the same efficiency as mechanically welded plates, but facilitated the replacement of an armor element in case it had to be repaired. The hull plates were bolted onto an internal frame.

Internal structure on which the plates were bolted on the original AB40 and AB41’s chassis. Source: pinterest.com @Lucky01

There were 4 crewmembers: the front and rear drivers, a commander/gunner, and the rear machine gunner. The engine was a petrol FIAT-SPA ABM 1, 6-cylinder in-line with an internal volume of 4,995 cm3. It had a 78 hp (some sources mention 80 hp) output at 2,700 rpm. The maximum speed was 76.4 km/h. In the rear driving position, the driver could use only 4 of the 6 gears with a maximum speed of 36.4 km/h.

Scheme of the AB series engine’s cooling system and the FIAT-SPA ABM 1. Source: Autoblindo AB41 & AB43

Influenced by the experiences gained in the Spanish Civil War, the Regio Esercito’s High Command ordered a more potently armed version of the AB40. For this, the Torretta Modello 1941 (English: Turret Model 1941) of the Carro Armato L6/40 (English: L6/40 Tank) was mounted. It was armed with a Cannone-Mitragliera Breda da 20/65 Modello 1935 (English: 20 mm L/65 Automatic Cannon Breda Model 1935) with a coaxial Breda Modello 1938. A second machine gun in a spherical support on the vehicle’s rear, on the left of the rear driver.

A Bersagliere of the VIII Battaglione Bersaglieri Blindato Autonomo cleaning up a Breda Modello 1938 on the turret of his AB41, Cyrenaica May 1942. Source: facebook.com @Museo Virtuale Bersaglieri

With 667 built, the AutoBlinda Modello 1941 (English: Armored Car Model 1941), or, more simply, AB41 Medium Armored Car, was the most produced Italian armored car of the Second World War.

The Torretta Modello 1941 turret being mounted on a AB chassis at the Ansaldo-Fossati plant in Sestri Ponente. Source: Ansaldo

The designers planned for the new Autoblinda AB41 to be equipped with a FIAT-SPA ABM 2 engine. At 88 hp at 2,700 rpm, it was more powerful than the previous ABM 1. This allowed for a maximum velocity of 78.38 km/h in the 6th gear and 37.3 km/h in the 4th gear. Due to delays in producing FIAT-SPA ABM 2 engines, a total of 435 ABs with Torretta Modello 1941, up to the vehicle with license plate Regio Esercito 551B, were equipped with the FIAT-SPA ABM 1 engine of the AB41. The vehicles with different engines are impossible to distinguish from the outside and are considered AB40 and AB41 hybrids.

The FIAT-SPA ABM 2 6-cylinder engine mounted on the Autoblinda AB41. Source: Pignato

The AB series armored cars were equipped with a powerful 60 km range radio with a 7 m fully-extended antenna on the left side.

A series of AB armored cars (the first one is an AB40 with Torretta Modello 1941) of the III Gruppo Autoblindo ‘Nizza’ with fully extended radio antennas. Source: Archivio Lancia

Allied Operational Use

Some AB41s were captured by Commonwealth troops during the North African campaign (10th June 1940 – 13th May 1943). The British Army supplied some of these armored cars to Australian and Polish forces.

Perhaps the most famous use was the Autoblinda AB40/AB41 hybrid of the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade. It had most probably been captured from the III Gruppo Autoblindo ‘Nizza’ (English: 3rd Armored Car Group) at some point after March 1941. Contrastingly, the book Italian Armored Cars Autoblindo AB41 & AB43, Pz.Sp.Wg AB41 201(i) & AB43 203(i) written by Daniele Guglielmi, mentions that the armored car was captured from the Polizia dell’Africa Italiana. This seems to be incorrect, as the coat of arms of the IV Plotone Autoblindo (English: 4th Armored Car Platoon) of the III Gruppo Autoblindo ‘Nizza’ is seen painted on the right side of the armored car in a contemporary propaganda video.

A screenshot of the Autoblinda AB41 in Italian use showing a crewmember removing the sand cap from the main gun. The same symbol as seen on Polish-captured AB is partially visible here too. Source: Archivio Cavalleria Italiana via Le Autoblinde AB40 AB41e AB43

The armored car was used alongside Marmon-Herrington armored cars against its former owners and the Germans in Egypt between May and August 1942. After that, it was requisitioned by the British High Command.

A Polish crewmember poses near the Autoblinda AB40 with Torretta Modello 1941 captured from the IV Plotone Autoblindo of the III Gruppo Autoblindo ‘Nizza’ and deployed by the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade together with the Marmon-Herrington Mark 2 armored cars in the background. Source: pinterest.com

The Autoblinda AB41 of the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade was probably not the only AB41 captured and reused by Allied troops, even if no concrete information has emerged. Many Italian sources mention that two Autoblinde AB41 armored cars were sent to Chobham, in Surrey, England, although British reports mention only one armored car tested.

Some of the AB series armored cars that were used by France post-war to regain control of its colonies were delivered by British or other Allied forces in North Africa after the end of the North African campaign. It is known that French forces deployed at least 10 and probably more AB41s after the war, so, this could be a partial number of AB41s in service with the Commonwealth forces in North Africa during the last stages of the campaign.

From British veterans’ memoirs, an unknown, but limited number of Italian captured vehicles were used by British forces in training camps located in Egyptian territories. They were used to familiarize British soldiers with enemy vehicles. It seems that even few AB41s were deployed to teach their armored car crews to train to drive and fight Italian armored cars. Sadly, no photographic evidence has been found.

An AB41 is exhibited at the South African National War Museum in Johannesburg alongside other Second World War-era Allied and Axis vehicles and Cold War-era NATO and Soviet vehicles. How and why the vehicle arrived in South Africa is not known, even if it is probable that this vehicle was captured by Commonwealth troops, used for training in Egypt, and that it arrived in South Africa only after the end of the war.

The US Army also used some captured Autoblinde AB41s when they entered the war in North Africa in November 1942. At least two were captured and deployed in Tunisia but further details of their operational history are unknown. Only one image of these vehicles is known. The US vehicles were repainted in the common olive drab painting and received white stars for aerial recognition on the front and sides.

The only known photo of the two Autoblinde AB41 deployed by the US Army in North Africa. Source: italie1935-45.com

The British School of Tank Technology Report

In May 1943, Major J. D. Barnes and Major D.M Pearce published a detailed report of a captured AB40 armored car with a Modello 1941 turret that had been transported to the United Kingdom and thoroughly inspected at the School of Tank Technology of Chobham. The vehicle was the one previously belonging to the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade.

At some point between March 1941 and the first months of 1942, the British High Command decided to take the armored car of the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade and transport it to Britain for evaluation. The AB41 was perhaps withdrawn from the frontline in August 1942, then sent to the rear lines, probably a harbor in Egypt or Palestine, before being sent to the United Kingdom, where it was analyzed by the School of Tank Technology 9 months later.

The analysis revealed it was built in 1941 and had the chassis number ‘40788’ and had the ‘ABM40’ name on the chassis plaquet. The engine had production code ‘100041’ and was built on 21th November 1940.

The first note in the report was about the status of the vehicle when it arrived in Chobham:

“The car arrived in this country in good condition. This is accounted [sic] by the comparatively small mileage covered, and by the considerable troubles taken to protect components from corrosion or damage during transit. After a few minor adjustments the car was made a runner, and mechanically it appeared to be fairly sound with the exception of the steering which needs some attention.”

From photographic evidences it is possible to determine that it was equipped with 3 Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ tires (front axle and rear left ones) and 3 Pirelli Tipo ‘Sigillo Verde’ tires (rear right axle and spare wheels) even if British report claimed 4 Tipo ‘Libia’ and 2 “heavy duty” tires or Tipo ‘Sigillo Verde’. These were two Italian low pressure tires developed for sandy soils. The first type was developed for armored vehicles, while the latter type was developed for the Camionette Desertiche (English: Desert Scout Car) SPA-Viberti AS42 ‘Sahariana’ but used on various vehicles with the same rim sizes, including the armored cars of the AB series.

The Autoblinda AB40 with Torretta Modello 1941 at the School of Tank Technology. The vehicle’s provisorial code was ‘A222’ painted in white on the left side. Source: Imperial War Museum

Left side of the Autoblinda AB40 with the Modello 1941 at Chobham. The coat of arms is once more visible, as is the early type radio antenna mounted on the right side. Source: Imperial War Museum

The all-wheel steering and al-driving wheels were praised:

“Mechanically the car has many interesting and certain commendable features. The distributed drive to all four wheels and the four wheel steering, make it possible to use a single differential at the expense however of a very large number of bevel gears.”

The British appreciated the dual driving position, but listed a number of shortcomings. They reckoned that the directional control lever that permitted the front driver to take control of the vehicle was in an awkward position and that the rear driver’s seat did not allow tall soldiers to seat comfortably.

“While the general mechanical layout appears to have been well thought out and designed specially for the job, the mechanical details in certain cases contrast strikingly in their inadequacy or shoddyness. The whole construction and layout of the rear driver’s section savours of modification or afterthought. The main petrol tank under the floor is only protected by a light gauge tray and is extremely inaccessible. The forward tank feeds into the main tank by gravity and no stop cock is provided in the line. There are other similar examples of bad design.”

The British technicians were less enthusiastic about the armament and its positions on the armored car.

“With regards to the armament and armour, it is noticeable that again the lack of attention paid to detail design considerably reduces the potency of the car as a fighting vehicle. The one man turret does not conform to the latest British requirement for a three man turret. The exposed traverse gears, the akward position of the 2 cm. cocking handle and the limited observation in the turret are in our opinion decidedly undesirable feature: There is no electrical equipment in the turret and consequently no rotary base junction. The commander is therefore faced with the problem of what to do with his headphone and microphone leads when travelling the turret.”

Autoblinda AB41 angled armor scheme made by the School of Tank Technology. Source: Preliminary Report on Italian Armored Car Autoblinda 40

The rear machine gun position was considered to have various deficiencies.

“It is impossible to sight the rear hull gun when it is fully depressed and extremely difficult to do so at any angle under zero. The gunner’s seat is not in line with the gun and he must lean awkwardly in order to sight when the gun is traversed left. His back is fouled by the turret gunner’s seat when the turret is straight ahead or traversed left. These points and the improvised appearance of the gun mounting suggest the possibility that the rear hull gun was added as an afterthought.”

The engine was judged adequate by the front line soldiers, even if the British considered it difficult to maintain, due to the presence of brackets for the armored plates that were welded to the hull frame, which limited accessibility in the engine compartment. Interestingly enough, Italian crews never reported this as a problem.

During driving tests, the British noticed that the first 4 gears were noisy and it was difficult to change them. The last two gears were not as noisy and were easier to change. The engine performed perfectly at slow speeds and was considered quiet from the front driver’s position, even if the vehicle did not have a bulkhead. The engine was found to be noisier from the rear driver’s position, and due to the absence of a bulkhead, part of the engine’s fumes entered the crew compartment. During the driving, it was noticed that at 24 km/h, the vehicle tended to glide with a swaying motion. At 32 km/h, the armored car was almost uncontrollable.

The hydraulic brakes were found easy to operate but, for maintenance reasons, were not very effective. The independent suspension was judged excellent during off-road and on-road driving and it provided the crew with great comfort. The spare wheel’s position was also praised. This was a common feature on AB series armored cars and it permitted the spare wheels to help the vehicle to overcome obstacles during off-road driving, and at the same time, avoiding ‘bellying’ on rough terrains.

The armor was considered to be badly bolted to the superstructure with dangerous gaps between the armored plate and the structure on which these were bolted.

“The fitting of the plates is generally bad, and even in such exposed positions as the nose, considerable gaps occur between the plate edges. Very little attempt has been made to protect the crew against bullet splash. Turret ring protection is provided only at the rear by a length of 6 mm. angle section bolted to the top plate.”

During a test done by British technicians of the School of Tank Technology with a Poldi portable tester, Brinnel hardness was registered between 320 BHN and 340 BHN, harder than the Italian tank’s armor. These Brinell results showed this Italian armor used on the armored cars to be quite similar to US armor, which had a hardness of 280-320 BHN, and far softer than the 413-460 BHN of Soviet steel.

The abbreviation BHN – Brinell Hardness Number (unit of measurement kg/mm²) is a figure used to determine the hardness of a material from a hardness test. The harder a steel is, then generally, the better it will be at resisting shell impacts, but also more vulnerable to shattering.

The Autoblinda AB41’s armor scheme. This scheme made by the British at the School of Tank Technology seems incorrect. In fact, the AB armored car series were protected by 8.5 mm armored plates, not 9 mm thick ones. Source: Preliminary Report on Italian Armored Car Autoblinda 40

The Autoblinda AB41 tested at Chobham was scrapped probably shortly after the tests concluded, in fact, it was never again mentioned in British reports.

Recognition Pictorial Manual on Armored Vehicles – Italy

On 3rd November 1943, the US Army War Department published the Recognition Pictorial Manual on Armored Vehicles – Italy, which briefly described the Autoblinda AB41’s main features: double drive, all steering and all driving wheels, the presence of spare wheels free to rotate, and a maximum velocity of 49 mph (78 km/h) with front driving and 24 mph (38 km/h) with rear driving. The vehicle that they analyzed at the Aberdeen Proving Ground was probably captured during the Sicily campaign in May-June 1943. The US technicians did not analyze it as thoroughly as the British, and after a short time, scrapped it.

Conclusion

Despite the School of Tank Technology’s not very positive final judgment on the Autoblinda AB41, some Allied units reused several in North Africa. It was fast, with great off-road capabilities, adequate protection, and armament to combat against other Axis reconnaissance vehicles. At least one or two vehicles captured were sent to the School of Tank Technology in the United Kingdom and another to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in the United States.

The Autoblinda AB41 of the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade

AB41 as deployed by the US Army in North Africa. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.

Front view of AB41 as deployed by the US Army in North Africa. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.

Autoblinda AB41 Specification
Size (L-W-H)	5.20 x 1.92 x 2.48 m
Weight, battle ready	7.52 tonnes
Crew	4 (front driver, rear driver, radio operator/machine gunner and commander/gunner)
Engine	FIAT-SPA 6-cylinder petrol, 88 hp with 195 liters tank
Speed	80 km/h
Range	400 km
Armament	Cannone-Mitragliera Breda 20/65 Modello 1935 (456 rounds) and Two Breda Modello 1938 8 x 59 mm machine guns (1992 rounds)
Armor	9 mm Hull Turret: Front: 40 mm Sides: 30 mm Rear: 15 mm
Production	667 in total, unknown number in Allied service

Sources

Preliminary Report on Italian Armored Car Autoblinda 40 – Major J. D. Barnes and Major D.M Pearce – May 1943

Gli Autoveicoli da Combattimento dell’Esercito Italiano, Volume II, Tomo I – Nicola Pignato and Filippo Cappellano – Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito – 2002

Italian Armored Cars Autoblindo AB41 & AB43, Pz.Sp.Wg AB41 201(i) & AB43 203(i) – Daniele Guglielmi – Armor PhotoGallery #8, Model Centrum PROGRES – 2004

Le Autoblinde AB40 AB41e AB43 – Nicola Pignato and Fabio d’Inzéo – Modellismopiù.com

WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service WW2 Yugoslav Partisan Armor of Italian Origin

Carro Armato L6/40 in Yugoslav Partisan Service

Post author By MarkoPantelic
Post date August 31, 2022
2 Comments on Carro Armato L6/40 in Yugoslav Partisan Service

L6 in Yugoslav Partisan Service. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.

Yugoslav Partisans (1943)
Light Reconnaissance Tank – Unknown Number Operated

Italy’s capitulation in 1943 left a huge political and military vacuum in Yugoslavia. More importantly, plenty of military equipment and weapons were left for the taking. For the Yugoslav Communist Partisans, this was a great opportunity to come into possession of various equipment and weapons which they desperately needed. Thanks to this, they would manage to acquire a number of varied vehicles, including Italian L6/40 light tanks.

An L6/40 from the 1st Proletarian Division near Livna in October 1943. Source: B. B. Dimitrijević and D. Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu 1941-1945

The Carro Armato L6/40

After the Ethiopian War (1935-36), the Italian Regio Esercito (English: Royal Army) understood that the Carri Veloci or CV (English: Fast Tanks) were now obsolete. The Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino or FIAT (English: Italian Automobile Company of Turin) and Ansaldo already started the development of new tanks on the CV tank series chassis, such as the Carro d’Assalto Modello 1936 (English: Assault Tank Model 1936) presented in November 1935. The results were mixed. The prototype was equipped with a new torsion bar suspension that performed excellently, but the rest of the vehicle was not satisfactory.

In April 1936, the same two companies presented the Carro Cannone Modello 1936 (English: Cannon Tank Model 1936), a totally different modification of the CV33. Still, this vehicle was abandoned even after some drastic changes. The development of the Carro Armato L6/40 started in December 1937. The project was financed by the private funds of Ansaldo and FIAT.

On 26th October 1939, the Carro Armato M6T was presented to the Regio Esercito’s High Command. It had a new hull with torsion bar suspension and a single-man turret armed with two 8 mm medium machine guns. The vehicle was quickly rejected by the High Command because the Spanish Civil War, in which Italian light tanks were involved, showed the Italians that modern armored vehicles needed light cannons to fight against enemy armored vehicles. Also for this reason, General Cosma Manera ordered the adoption of a new turret armed with a 20 mm automatic cannon capable of engaging both flying and armored targets. A new prototype was presented with a one-man turret armed with a 20 mm automatic cannon, which, contrary to the specifications, could not elevate enough to engage flying targets.

Italian L6/40 light tank. While vastly improved in contrast to the earlier CV.33 and 35 series it was by the time of introduction already outdated, Source: www.worldwarphotos

After some tests carried out until early 1940, the light tank was officially adopted in April 1940 with the name Carro Armato L6/40, short for Carro Armato Leggero da 6 tonnellate Modello 1940 (English: 6 tonnes Light Tank Model 1940). Over 400 were produced and deployed in all theaters of war, such as the Balkans, southern France, North Africa, the Soviet Union, and the Italian peninsula, with questionable results.

The L6/40 was developed on the base of the CV33 and CV35, now renamed Carri Armati L3/33 and L3/35, and was meant to fight in narrow and soft mountain roads. The majority of the time, it was used as a reconnaissance tank in open fields like the North African deserts, not its intended role.

The only task that the L6/40 was able to perform with good results was anti-partisan operations. Until 1943, this meant fighting against the Yugoslav Partisans and, after 1943, also against Italian Partisans that hid in the mountains to avoid Nazi-Fascist capture.

Axis invasion of the Balkans

After Italy’s unsuccessful invasion of Greece, Benito Mussolini was forced to ask his German ally for help. Adolf Hitler agreed to provide assistance, fearing that a possible Allied attack through the Balkans would reach Romania and its vital oil fields. In the path of the German advance towards Greece stood Yugoslavia, whose government initially agreed to join the Axis side. This agreement was short-lived, as the Yugoslav government was overthrown by an anti-Axis pro-Allied military coup at the end of March 1941. Hitler immediately gave an order for the preparation of the invasion of Yugoslavia. The war that began on 6th April 1941, sometimes called April War, was a short one and ended with a Yugoslav defeat and the division of its territory between the Axis powers.

Map of the partition of Yugoslavia after the invasion. Slovenia was divided between Germany, Italy, and Hungary. The Croatian puppet state was given most of western Yugoslavia, including Bosnia. Macedonia was divided between Italy, which also took Montenegro, and Bulgaria. Northern Serbia was occupied by Hungary. What was left of Serbia was placed under German occupation. Source: Wiki

L6 tanks In Yugoslavia

Following the partition of Yugoslav territories, a general uprising led by two resistance movements caused huge chaos in the ranks of the occupiers. In order to respond to this new development, the Italians began increasing the number of armored vehicles operating in Yugoslavia. While these were mostly obsolete and improvised vehicles, some were new designs, including the L6/40.

The precise date when the Italians introduced the L6 in Yugoslavia is not quite clear. The 1° Gruppo Carri L ‘San Giusto’ (English: 1st Light Tank Group), which operated in Yugoslavia from 1941 with 61 L3s split between 4 squadrons, may have received its first L6/40 tanks in 1942 together with some AB41 medium armored cars. In reality, these probably arrived sometime in early 1943. The first evidence of their use in Yugoslavia is May 1943 according to Partisan reports. In them, they referred to the Italian tank as “Large tanks”. The term “Small tanks”, which they also used at this point, likely referred to the smaller L3 tanks. Given the general Partisan lack of knowledge about the precise names of enemy armor, these and other names should not come as a surprise.

An L6/40 during a stop to rest in Croatia. Note the license plate, which seems to be ‘Regio Esercito 5163’, and the Mickey Mouse face painted on the superstructure. Source: facebook.com

Another Italian unit that operated the L6 in Yugoslavia was the IV Gruppo Corazzato ‘Cavalleggeri di Monferrato’ (English: 4th Armored Group). This unit had 30 L6/40 tanks and was deployed in Albania, with headquarters in Berat.

In occupied Slovenia, during August and September 1943, the XIII Gruppo Squadroni Semoventi ‘Cavalleggeri di Alessandria’ had some L6 tanks. While the L6/40 was used in Yugoslavia by all warring parties, it was less common than its anti-tank Semoventi version which shared the same chassis.

In Communist Partisan Hands

Following the Italian capitulation in September 1943, the German Wehrmacht launched Fall Achse (English: Operation Axis) in the hope of capturing as many Italian weapons and territories as possible. During this operation, over 20,000 Italian soldiers were killed and over a million were disarmed and captured. The Germans also captured 977 Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), of which about 200 were AB41 armored cars. They were not the only ones to do so. After the collapse of the Italian armed forces in Yugoslavia, despite German attempts to prevent Italian weapons and vehicles from falling into the Partisan’s hands, many in fact did. In part thanks to their quick response, the Partisans managed to acquire a number of Italian armored vehicles.

After the collapse of Italian forces defending the town of Split, the Partisans captured a fairly large number of armored vehicles. These included 22 L3/33 and L3/35 light tanks, 7 armored cars and armored trucks, at least one Hotchkiss H-39, and two L6/40 tanks. From these, the Partisans formed the Tenkovski Bataljon Glavnog štaba Hrvatske (English: Tank Battalion of the High Command of Croatia) on 24th September 1944. One of the first actions of these vehicles was to fight off attacks from the German 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division ‘Prinz Eugen’ (English: 7th Mountain SS Volunteer Division) which was tasked with capturing Split. After heavy fighting with the Partisan defenders, the Germans had to temporarily abandon their attack, losing a few armored vehicles in the process. Despite having a rather strong armored unit, the Partisans decided to use these in small numbers attached to individual units.

In this area, another unit that operated the L6/40s was the elite Partisans 1st Proletarian Division. Most, if not all, L6/40s captured in Croatia would be lost shortly after the large German counter-offensive in late 1943. This offensive’s goal was to destroy the large concentration of Partisan forces in Croatia. While the Partisans suffered great losses in manpower and equipment, the German offensive failed in its main goal of completely destroying the opposing forces.

In Split, in September 1943, the Partisans captured fairly large quantities of armored vehicles, including this L6/40 (Regio Esercito 5163) from the 31° Reggimento Fanteria Carrista. Source: B. B. Dimitrijević and D. Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu 1941-1945

The same tank, poorly camouflaged by the Partisans Source: B. B. Dimitrijević and D. Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu 1941-1945

In total, two L6/40s were captured in Split. The vehicles had belonged to the 31° Reggimento Fanteria Carrista of the Italian Army. Source: B. B. Dimitrijević and D. Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu 1941-1945

The 13. Proleterska Brigada (English: 13th Proletarian Brigade) also operated two L6/40 tanks. What is interesting is that these two tanks were part of the 2nd Company of the 1st Battalion of the 31° Reggimento Fanteria Carrista, whose men actually joined the Partisans. They were assigned to an armored unit under the command of the I Korpus (English: First Corps) of the Partisans. Not much is known about their service, apart from the fact that they were operated by their previous Italian crews.

The L6/40 from the 13th Proletarian Brigade, whose crew consisted of ex-Italian soldiers. Source: Pinterest

Partisans in front of a captured L6/40 tank. Source: Pinterest

After this point, most Partisan L6/40 tanks were actually captured from the Germans or their Croatian allies, which had operated them in smaller numbers in occupied Yugoslavia. Few other Partisan units managed to capture more L6/40 tanks. One of them was in the tank unit of the High Command of the Slovenian Partisans. These were used to harass vital German supply lines.

An Abandoned German-operated L6/40 tank. Despite being of Italian origin, it saw service in Yugoslavia with various warring parties. Source: www.worldwarphotos

An L6/40 in Slovenian Partisan service, although other sources claim this shows an Italian crew. Source: B. B. Dimitrijević and D. Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu 1941-1945

One L6/40 tank would be used in a desperate struggle against the German invaders during Operation Rösselsprung (Eng. Knight’s Move). This operation was launched by the Germans in May 1944 in an attempt to capture or liquidate the Partisan leadership, including Josip Broz Tito, who was thought to be located in the small town of Drvar in Bosnia. As Drvar was deep inside the Partisan-held territories, moving ground forces would potentially give the Partisans time to evacuate their command staff. The successful airborne rescue operation led by Otto Skorzeny in Italy in September 1943 inspired some of the German commands to launch a similar operation in the Balkans. The whole operation, led by Skorzeny, managed to free the imprisoned Benito Mussolini from his prison which was located high in the Campo Imperatore mountains. They used gliders to quietly land his forces which later captured the unsuspected Italian garrison.

To eliminate the Partisan leadership, Hitler instructed Generaloberst Lothar Rendulic to devise similar plans. The airborne operation was launched on 25th May 1944. While the Partisans were aware of the enemy build-up, the attack came as a surprise. The Germans landed in force and began organizing search parties to find Tito and his headquarters. Other forces, including some armored elements, were to provide additional support, but this would need time to arrive to support the landing units. This meant that the German invasion force had to fight on its own until reinforcements arrived.

During their preparations, the Germans were not expecting to encounter enemy tanks. Unknown to them, at Drvar there was a small Partisan unit with four captured Italian tanks. These were referred to as FIAT Ansaldo. Identification of these vehicles is difficult for a few reasons. The Partisans’ knowledge of precise tank designation was poor at best. This particular designation is often referred to as the small CV.33 and 35 fast tanks, L6 light tanks, or even the anti-tank version of the latter. One of them was a flame-throwing vehicle.

Political commissar Soća Kragujevčanin and others from this unit initially thought that the Germans were Allied planes that frequently made flights over these territories. Once the bomb started to fall it became clear that this was an attack, and the crew began to prepare to organize a somewhat chaotic resistance.

The crew of one vehicle, which consisted of Montenegrin Spaso Đurašković and Bosnian Milan Jelača, rushed to their vehicle. An unnamed Italian soldier, who had joined the Partisans at some previous point, who was the driver, froze with fear and was unable to start the tank. Both Spaso and Milan managed to get the frightened Italian out. They were joined by Commissar Soća. With Spaso as the driver, and Milan as the gunner positioned in the turret, the tank proceeded to Drvar, where they engaged the enemy with gun and machine gun fire. Why the remaining tanks were not used immediately is not quite clear.

At some point during the chaotic battle, the tank ran into a brick wall and was temporarily immobilized. The stunned crew did not immediately know what had happened to the tank. They were also completely blinded, as they were unable to see through the vision slits. The crew realized that they were surrounded by the enemy and that some kind of cover had been thrown over them. However, the Germans lacked any weapons to destroy the tanks and possibly waited for reinforcement. The tank crew considered its options, either to blow up the tank or to try to fight off the enemy with their personal weapons. They tried the latter and began throwing hand grenades out of the turret and hull hatches. In the process, all were wounded, but they somehow managed to free themselves and move the tank again. During this engagement, they actually damaged the tank with their own grenades as fuel began to enter the interior.

The crew of this tank was not actually aware of what was happening. As the tank was temporarily immobilized by accident, a group of Yugoslav civilian prisoners were passing by with their German captors. Among them, a 16-year-old girl named Milka Bosnić saw what was happening. She rushed to the tank, and despite the chaos around her, managed to take off the shroud covering the tank. While she saved the tank crew, the German soldiers stabbed her to death with bayonets. She was later proclaimed one of the youngest national heroes of Yugoslavia. This event was even portrayed in the movie Desant and Drvar (Eng. Landing at Drvar) from 1963. A mock-up of a tank based on a full-track tractor was used to portray the Partisan tank.

Milka Bosnić, the youngest national hero of Yugoslavia, sacrificed her own life to save the tank crew. Source: Wiki

For the movie Desant na Drvar, a full-track tractor was modified to resemble something close to a tank. Source: Still from the movie Desnat na Drvar

The tank’s crew continued engaging enemy soldiers. A group of German paratroopers tried to hide inside a house. The tank driver simply rushed the vehicle into the house, killing those hiding inside. They then decided to move to a small village some 6 km away from Drvar, where Tito was actually located at that time. When they reached their destination at Bastas, all three decided to abandon the tank, which was likely worn out from the damage suffered. Milan was too badly wounded and was left there. The remaining crew reported to the Partisan’s command on what had happened. They were instructed to go back and try to use the remaining vehicles. Unfortunately for them, these had already been captured by the Germans.

The villagers tried to move the disabled tank in the hope of hiding it from the Germans. With the help of Milan Adamovic, who had some experience as a mechanic, they managed to start the tank. Disaster struck when they managed to drive the tank into some vegetation near the River Unac. Being immobilized, the villagers could only try to camouflage it as best they could. Surprisingly, the advancing Germans never found the tank. The tank remained there until the end of the war. At some point, it was recovered and placed as a monument at the museum in Drvar. It is not clear in what conditions the tank was when it was recovered. Sadly, due to negligence, most parts of this vehicle have been stolen over the years.

The remains of the said tank at Drvar. Source: www.xiwl.com

How do we know that this tank was a L6/40? There are few indications that it was this tank. If we ignore the name given to it in Partisan sources, which does not help much, the mention of a gun and a turret indicate that this was a L6/40 tank. The larger Italian medium tanks were generally rarely captured and used by the Partisans. The most common vehicles were the small CV-series and the L6 and its modification. The number of three crew members is somewhat confusing, as the L6’s interior space was quite cramped, even for two. This can nevertheless be explained by the chaotic nature of this battle. Lastly, the surviving vehicle at the museum is the chassis of an L6 tank. The anti-tank version of this vehicle seems unlikely, as it was not armed with a machine gun (as standard), was not fully enclosed, and lacked a turret.

In Summer 1944, the 5th Partisan Corps formed a tank company named Lazo Martin, equipped with three tanks: a Hotchkiss and two L6/40 tanks. In September 1944, due to poor mechanical condition, two tanks were out of service and had to be abandoned. The surviving L6/40 was used during the attack on Banjaluka in Bosnia. The city was defended by at least three Croatian tanks. As the Partisan L6/40 was driving toward its target, it ran over a mine and was damaged. After repairs were made, the single tank proceeded toward its objective. While managing to penetrate the enemy defenses, the tank soon had an engine breakdown. After even more repairs were made, the tank continued on. Interestingly, during the fighting with the enemy, the commander of the sole Partisan tank, Lazo Martin, managed to somehow convince the crews of two Croatian tanks to switch sides. In October, the tanks from this unit participated in the fight for Travnik. After that action, the L6 was not used in combat again until to early 1945.

L6/40 from the Partisan 5th Corps next to a Hotchkiss tank in late 1944. Source: B. B. Dimitrijević and D. Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu 1941-1945

In late 1944, using the various captured equipment in liberated Serbia, a crew training center was opened. In its inventory, it allegedly had between 2 to 3 L6/40 tanks. Some more L6/40s would be captured from the retreating German and Croatian forces in Slovenia at the end of the war.

The Partisans did not bother adding new camouflage nor any special markings besides a red star. Source: www.srpskioklop.paluba

L6 Tanks after the War

Following the end of the war, the newly created Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija (English: Yugoslav People’s Army) incorporated in its inventory a vast selection of different armored vehicles, including a few L6/40s. While most of these would remain in limited service in the years after the war, the fate of the L6/40 is not clear. Given their weak firepower and protection, their use, if any, may have been limited at best.

At the end of the war, a number of enemy rail wagons full of armored vehicles were captured. Source: www.worldwarphotos

Conclusion

The L6/40 was one of many different armored vehicles operated in occupied Yugoslavia. It would see service with all sides, including the Croatians, Germans, Italians, and Partisans. Despite being an obsolete tank design by the standards of 1942, the L6/40 was surely a welcome addition to the Partisans, who often only managed to capture the weaker but more numerous L3 fast tanks.

L6 in Yugoslav Partisan Service. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.

Carro Armato L6/40 in Yugoslav Partisan Service specifications
Dimensions	3.82 x 1.80 x 1.175 m
Total weight, battle-ready	6.84 tonnes
Crew	2 (driver and commander/gunner)
Propulsion	FIAT Tipo 18 VT 4-cylinder 68 hp at 2,500 rpm with an 165 liter tank
Speed	42 km/h
Range	200 km
Armament	one Cannone-Mitragliera Breda da 20/65 Modello 1935 and a 8 mm Breda Modello 1938
Armor	6 to 40 mm

Sources

F. Cappellano and P. P. Battistelli (2012) Italian Light Tank 1919-1945, Osprey Publishing
B. B. Dimitrijević and D. Savić (2011) Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu 1941-1945, Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd.
D. Predoević (2008) Oklopna vozila i oklopne postrojbe u drugom svjetskom ratu u Hrvatskoj, Digital Point Tiskara
A. T. Jones (2013) Armored Warfare and Hitler’s Allies 1941-1945, Pen and Sword
S. J. Zaloga (2013) Tanks of Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-45, Osprey Publishing
http://www.yugopapir.com/2018/08/mika-bosnic-strgnula-je-cebe-sa.html

Cold War Yugoslav Armor WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service WW2 Yugoslav Partisan Armor of Italian Origin

Autoblinda AB41 in Yugoslav Partisan Service

Post author By MarkoPantelic
Post date August 5, 2022
No Comments on Autoblinda AB41 in Yugoslav Partisan Service

AB41 captured and later deployed by the People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, 1944.

Yugoslav Partisans/Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1943-1953)
Medium Armored Car – At Least 40+ Operated

When Italian forces retreated from Yugoslavia in September 1943 after the Italian Armistice, they left plenty of weapons and armored vehicles for the Partisans to take. Armored vehicles were especially valued by the Partisans, which previously did not have any in significant numbers. Among these were a number of AB41s which would be used extensively during the war. The Partisan AB41s that did survive the war would remain in use up to the early 1950s before finally being replaced by modern equipment.

The author would especially like to thank Arturo Giusti for providing pictures and information for this article.

A Partisan AB41 after the war. It belonged to the last production batch, as evident from the 20 liters can supports and the smoke grenade box on the rear side. Note that only the spare tire was of Italian origin, and the other ones were of civilian origin. Source: pinterest.com

The Italian AB41

The Italian AB41 medium reconnaissance armored car was the second and most successful model of a heterogeneous family of armored cars called AB, short for AutoBlinda (English: Armored Car).

It was an evolution from the AB40, which was developed in late 1937 for the Italian Regio Esercito (English Royal Army) and Polizia dell’Africa Italiana (English: Police of Italian Africa) and entered production in 1940. This model was armed with only three medium machine guns and could not support the troops with adequate firepower. For this reason, in 1941, Ansaldo engineers decided to mount the Torretta Modello 1941 (English: Turret Model 1941) one-man turret armed with a 20 mm L.65 Cannone-Mitragliera Breda da 20/65 Modello 1935 and a coaxial medium machine gun, plus another medium machine gun in the rear. The new armored car entered production in March 1941.

The AB41 armored car in the North African desert in 1941. Source: https://comandosupremo.com/autoblinda-40-41/

The new 20 mm gun had enough anti-tank capabilities to be able to counter almost any enemy armored car or light tank of the early war, with the Armor Piercing rounds penetrating 38 mm of the vertical armored plate at 100 meters.

The new AB41 had an increased weight of 7.52 tonnes compared to the 6.4 tonnes of the AB40. The FIAT-SPA engineers, the factories that were responsible for producing the engines, slightly increased the engine power for the AB41, from the 78 hp of the FIAT-SPA ABM 1 to the 88 hp of the FIAT-SPA ABM 2. Thanks to this engine, the armored car had a maximum road speed of 78.38 km/h and, with its 195 liters petrol tank, it had a range of 400 km. In total, the Regio Esercito produced 644 AB41 armored cars until 8th September 1943, when the Kingdom of Italy made public its Armistice with the Allied forces.

Axis Invasion of the Balkans

After the unsuccessful invasion of Greece by Italian forces, Benito Mussolini was forced to ask for help from his German ally. Adolf Hitler agreed to provide assistance, fearing a possible Allied attack through the Balkans would reach Romania and its vital oil fields. On the path of the German advance towards Greece stood Yugoslavia, whose government initially agreed to join the Axis side. This agreement was short-lived, as the Yugoslav government was overthrown by an anti-Axis pro-Allied military coup at the end of March 1941. Hitler immediately gave an order for the preparation of the invasion of Yugoslavia. The war that began on 6th April 1941 was a short one and ended with a Yugoslav defeat and the division of its territory between the Axis powers.

Map of the partition of Yugoslavia after the invasion. Slovenia was divided between Germany, Italy, and Hungary. The Croatian puppet state was given to most of western Yugoslavia, including Bosnia. Macedonia was divided between Italy, which also took Montenegro and Bulgaria. Northern Serbia was occupied by Hungary. What was left of Serbia was placed under German occupation. Source: Wiki

Autoblinda AB41 in Yugoslavia

Prior to the collapse of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, its army attempted to acquire modern armored vehicles. Despite having a history of political tension with its neighbor, Italy, the Yugoslav Royal Army purchased weapons and equipment from them. This also included an order for 54 AB40 armored cars. Due to the outbreak of the war, nothing came from this.

An early model of the AB40, the predecessor of the AB41. It was armed with three machine guns and was built in limited numbers. Source: https://comandosupremo.com/autoblinda-40-41/

Following the partition of the Yugoslav territories, a general uprising led by two resistance movements caused chaos in the ranks of the occupiers. By 1942, these two groups became quite effective in carrying out raids against Italian supply lines. In order to provide sufficient protection, the Italian Army began reinforcing its units in Yugoslavia with various armored vehicles, most of which were improvised armored trucks and Carri Armati L6/40 light tanks, but also some AB41 armored cars. The use of the AB41 in Yugoslavia is generally poorly documented, but what is sure is that they were used operationally up to 1943.

Italian AB41 in Yugoslavia. Source: italie1935-45.com

In Communist Partisan Hands

Following the Italian capitulation in September 1943, the German Wehrmacht launched Fall Achse (English: Operation Axis) in the hope of capturing as many Italian weapons and territories as possible. During this operation, over 20,000 Italian soldiers were killed and over a million were disarmed and captured. The Germans also captured 977 Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), of which about 200 were AB41 armored cars. They were not the only ones to do so. After the collapse of Italian armed forces in Yugoslavia, despite German attempts to prevent Italian weapons and vehicles from falling into the hands of the Partisans, many of them did. In part thanks to their quick response, the Partisans managed to acquire a number of Italian armored vehicles. Which exact vehicles and models were captured is unknown. There were plenty of AB41s captured intact, in some cases delivered by Italian soldiers that did not want to join the Germans and joined the Partisan forces or as a barter for free passage.

Following the Italian capitulation managed to liberate a huge portion of Yugoslav territories previously occupied by the enemy. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/8oh5dh/map_of_partisan_resistance_in_yugoslavia_1943/

Partisans captured AB41 after the Italian capitulation. It has the former Italian Royal Army plate ‘Regio Esercito 576B’. The front tire was a Pirelli Tipo ‘Artiglio’ continental tire, the spare one was a Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ for sandy soils, while the rear one was a civilian one. Source: B. D. Dimitrijević and D. Savić Oklopne Jedinice Na Jugoslovenskom Ratištu

These were pressed into service by the Partisans who were active in Croatia and Slovenia. The Partisans from Slovenia managed to capture over 90 armored vehicles of various types from the Italians, including at least 15 AB41 armored cars. The Partisans never used these as a unified fighting force. Instead, these were allocated to various units depending on the needs. Usually, during an attack on enemy fortified positions, a platoon that consisted of two tanks, two AB41 armored cars, and one armored truck would be employed. The tanks and the armored cars would use their firepower and armor to suppress the enemy defenders (usually Slovenian collaborators), which often lacked any form of anti-tank weapons. As the defenders were occupied, the armored truck filled with Partisan fighters would storm the enemy positions and attack from the rear. In Dalmatia (Croatia), the Partisan First Proletarian Division operated two AB41 during October 1943. Most of these vehicles would be lost during the German counter-attack which failed to destroy the Partisans but inflicted severe losses on them.

The few surviving AB41s that did survive were hidden by the Partisans. These would be put back into action after July 1944.
Three AB41s were used in September 1943 to reinforce the Tank Battalion, which was under the direct control of the Partisan High Command stationed in Croatia. Two were allocated to the 1st Company and one to the 2nd Company. For unspecified reasons, these saw action for the first time in January 1944, during the liberation of the small village of Oštarija around Lika. According to the original Partisan plan, the two AB41s were to provide fire support to the infantry from the 8th Kordunaška Division. The defending Croatian garrison was well defended inside brick bunkers. With heavy machine-gun fire, they managed to pin down the Partisan infantry, which could not advance. The two AB41s took the initiative and towed two anti-tank guns to storm the enemy line. They managed to break in and the guns began shooting at the bunkers. It is not clear in the sources who operated the anti-tank guns, whether it was the crews of the armored cars or if they carried additional soldiers. It seems probable that these were operated by the crews of the armored car themselves due to the small space inside the vehicles, which did not permit the transportation of other soldiers and anti-tank ammunition inside. Regardless of this, the enemy bunkers were quickly taken out with close fire from these guns. Seeing their defense crumbling, the remaining defenders tried to retreat but were cut down by the Partisans. From 14th to 16th January, these AB41s were used in various reconnaissance patrols and often clashed with the enemy.
On the 15th, an AB41 was sent on a reconnaissance mission near Ogulin. During the mission, the vehicle came across a German column that did not attack it, presumably thinking it was their own armor. The Partisans opened fire at close range and drove away. Unfortunately for the Partisans, they ran into three German tanks, two Somua S35s and one Panzer II. The AB41’s gun was unable to defeat the enemy tanks, which returned fire. Seeing the odds stacked against them, the Partisans once again drove off. On the 16th, one AB41 ambushed a group of Germans, capturing four mortars and one anti-tank rifle. The following day, a German aircraft spotted the Partisan AB armored cars and dropped a few bombs that missed them. In May, the Germans launched a large offensive that forced the retreating Partisans to hide their armored vehicles, including the AB.

In May 1944, the Germans launched an airborne raid on Drvar, which was undertaken to capture the Partisan leader, Josip Broz Tito. The Partisans’ defenders had one AB41 armored car which did not see action, as it was destroyed by a German Junkers Ju 87 ‘Stuka’ dive bomber. Ultimately, the operation failed, as Tito managed to escape. After a month in hiding, the AFVs were once again put to use. Given the fear of another German airborne attack, the Partisans attempted to keep one AB41 armored car and two light tanks as a security force for the Partisan High Command.

Despite being available in limited numbers, the AB41 was extensively used by the Partisans up to the end of the war. This particular vehicle had two Pirelli Tipo ‘Artiglio’ tires and a Pirelli Tipo ‘Libia’ as a spare tire. Source: http://www.srpskioklop.paluba.info/ratniplen/fiat.htm

In August, Croatian forces attempted to storm the Partisan-held airfield at Krbovsko Polje, which was defended by one AB41 armored car and two light tanks. The AB41 proved vital for the defense of this airfield. Initially, it managed to fool the attackers, who believed it was operated by the Germans. In the end, due to the enemy’s superior numbers, the Partisans had to abandon this position. The AB41 was also vital at this point, providing cover for the retreating Partisans.

In November, the AB41s were successfully used against the Croatian and German defenders of Cazin. Thanks to their speed, they often managed to outflank the defenses, inflicting severe losses. When the town was liberated, of 500 defenders present during the battle, some 200 were claimed to have been killed thanks to the AB41s.

On 14th December 1944, a lone Partisan AB41 managed to single-handedly hold a 3 km wide front line during the Axis attempts to recapture Lika. As the Partisans lacked any infantry reinforcements, they sent one AB41 that was available. During the heavy day of fighting, it managed to hold back the enemy, firing some 410 20 mm rounds in addition to 1,400 rounds of the machine gun’s ammunition. The following day, its crew managed to maintain the same success in keeping the enemy at bay, spending some 540 rounds for the main gun plus 1,700 rounds of machine gun ammunition. This action, even though slightly dubious in its claims, gives an excellent idea of how easy the vehicle was to maintain. More than a year after its capture, with no spare parts for the armored car and cannon, the untrained Partisans were able to use this AB41 with excellent results. The vehicle would be actively used up to late December when it was withdrawn from the first line for repair. It would see action again in February 1945.
Due to the bitter winter, there was limited fighting up to February 1945. On 11th February, Croatian and German forces took back some Partisan-held territories. The following day, the Partisans mustered for a counter-attack, which was to be supported with one AB41. The fighting was heavy and the AB41 armored car was hit by an anti-tank rifle, killing one and badly wounding two more crew members. Despite this, the rear driver managed to drive the AB to safety. On 13th February, a new crew was ready and the repaired AB41 was put back into action. Most of February and March saw heavy use of the Partisan-operated AB armored cars. During the fighting at Bihać, one of them was lost. The crew of this vehicle was attacking an enemy bunker inside the town, but they failed to notice a second bunker close by. The defenders used a Panzerfaust to destroy the Partisan AB41. One crew member was killed while the remaining three managed to evacuate from the knocked-out AB41 in time. One more AB41 was badly damaged on 8th April 1944, with two crew members being wounded. In May, the Partisans managed to capture more than 20 AB armored cars from the retreating Axis forces. Due to poor Partisan documentation, the precise number is impossible to know.

One of the dozen or so captured AB41s during the Partisan advance in May 1945. On this vehicle, all the tires were of the Pirelli Tipo ‘Artiglio’ type. The antenna was removed from this vehicle for unknown reasons. Note the white painted letters on the superstructure and the improvised 20 liters can support the rear part. Source: B. D. Dimitrijević and D. Savić Oklopne Jedinice Na Jugoslovenskom Ratištu

A train with various captured enemy equipment, including one AB41 armored car. Source: beutepanzer.ru

After the War

Following the end of the war, the new Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija or JNA (English: Yugoslav People’s Army) used the captured ABs for crew training and fighting the remnants of the defeated enemy that were still present in Yugoslavia. These would remain in service up to 1953, before finally being replaced with more modern equipment.

An AB41 next to an Sd.Kfz.251/22 half-track armed with the 7.5 cm PaK 40 during military exercises in 1951. Source: pinterest.com

In the years after the war, the AB41s would often be seen on military parades, like during this one, held in Belgrade in October 1945. The left vehicle had two original Pirelli Tipo ‘Artiglio’ tires and two boxes mounted on the front fenders instead of the 20 liters cans. Source: www.paluba.info

Conclusion

The AB41 proved highly effective armored vehicles that saw service with the Partisans. The type was operated in limited numbers but would often be employed in the heaviest of fighting. Even in the hands of the inexperienced Partisans, it proved to be a great armored vehicle even in the role of a support vehicle rather than a reconnaissance vehicle.

The surviving vehicles would remain in service sometime after the war, providing the new tank recruits with the necessary initial experience and training in operating such vehicles. Unfortunately, despite their role in this resistance movement, no Partisan AB41 is known to have survived to this day.

AB41 captured and later deployed by the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia, 1944.

AB41 of the Yugoslav People’s Army. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.

AB41 specifications
Dimensions (L-W-H)	5.20 x 1.92 x 2.48 m
Total Weight, Battle Ready	7.52 tons
Crew	4 (front driver, rear driver, machine gunner/loader, and vehicle commander/gunner)
Propulsion	FIAT-SPA 6-cylinder petrol, 88 hp with 195 liters tank
Speed	Road Speed: 80 km/h Off-Road Speed: 50 km/h
Range	400 km
Armament	Cannone-Mitragliera Breda 20/65 Modello 1935 (456 rounds) and Two Breda Modello 1938 8 x 59 mm medium machine guns (1992 rounds)
Armor	8.5 mm Hull
Turret	Front: 40 mm Sides: 30 mm Rear: 15 mm
In service with the Yugoslav forces	about 40

Sources

B. D. Dimitrijević (2011) Borna Kola Jugoslovenske Vojske 1918-1941, Institut za savremenu istoriju
B. D. Dimitrijević and D. Savić (2011) Oklopne Jedinice Na Jugoslovenskom Ratistu 1941-1945, Institut za savremenu istoriju
D. Predoević (2008) Oklopna vozila i oklopne postrojbe u drugom svjetskom ratu u Hrvatskoj, Digital Point Tiskara
A. Radić (2011) Arsenal 42
N. Đokić and B. Nadoveza (2018) Nabavka Naoružanja iz inostranstva za potrebe Vojske i Mornarice Kraljevine SHS-Jugoslavije, Metafizika
http://www.srpskioklop.paluba.info/ratniplen/fiat.htm
http://beutepanzer.ru/Beutepanzer/yougoslavie/t-32.html

WW2 Czechoslovak Armored Cars WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service

Lancia 1ZM in Czechoslovak Service

Post author By Leander Jobse
Post date January 14, 2022
5 Comments on Lancia 1ZM in Czechoslovak Service

The Lancia No.2 of the first production series with its Czechoslovak markings. Illustration by by Andrei ‘Octo10’ Kirushkin, funded by our Patreon campaign.

Czechoslovakia (1918-1935)
Armored Car – 2 Received

The Lancia 1ZM was the first armored car used by Czechoslovakia. Before the First World War, Czechia and Slovakia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but they had the ambition of becoming an independent state. During the war, Czechs and Slovaks were organized into units and fought alongside the Entente Powers in France, Italy, and Russia against their Austro-Hungarian oppressors and their allies. The Czechoslovak units were an important leverage tool, and, together with a strong independence movement, Czechoslovakian independence was proclaimed on 28th October 1918. However, Czechoslovakia was not the only new state in the area. The whole former Austro-Hungarian Empire broke up into smaller independent states, but territorial claims often overlapped with each other, creating many border disputes which resulted in military conflict. In this turmoil of events, two Lancia 1ZMs, received from Italy in 1918, saw action.

Lancia No.2 of the Czechoslovak Italian Legion. This 1ZM was of the first production series and assigned to the 7th Squadron in November 1918. Source: legie100.com

The Lancia and Bianchi, shortly after they were received from Italy. After the Czechoslovaks expressed dissatisfaction with having two different models, the Bianchi was replaced with another Lancia. Note that the marking on the turret only consist of one white band. Another red band would be added below shortly thereafter, creating the Czechoslovak flag. Source: Czechoslovak Armored Cars in the First World War and Russian Civil War

Czechoslovak Volunteers in Italy

The first Czechoslovak units in Russia were already formed in August 1914, first consisting of Czechs and Slovaks who already lived in Russia, and later joined by defectors and POWs from the Austro-Hungarian Army. In France, these developments started just as early. On 31st August 1914, the Czechoslovak Company “Rota Nazdar” was formed within the French Foreign Legion. The Italian government was more hesitant to allow the creation of a Czechoslovak force within their borders.

Italy joined the First World War on 24th May 1915, when it declared war on its northern neighbor and rival, Austria-Hungary. During the next two years, many Austro-Hungarian troops were captured, and among them, were nationalistic defectors who wanted to join the Entente to fight against the Empire, in the hope of gaining independence once the war was over. However, Italy had no interest in allowing this to happen, since it could potentially hinder their military and political ambitions in the region. Only after lengthy negotiations, Czech and Slovak POWs were separated from other POWs and gathered in a Czechoslovak prisoner camp in January 1917. The Italian government continued to prohibit them from fighting Austria-Hungary and Germany, but on the initiative of the Italian Field Army, some Czechoslovak reconnaissance groups were formed in September 1917.

The Italian stance on this matter started to change after its major defeat in the battle for Caporetto in October 1917. On 11th February 1918, the first Czechoslovak labor battalions were recruited. After more negotiations, an agreement was signed on 21st April 1918, which allowed actual Czechoslovak military units to be formed. By June, the Czechoslovak Army Corps in Italy had 15,680 members.

Lancia No.2 is seen here in 1921 or later. Source: rotanazdar.cz

Armored Cars

Nearing the end of 1918, Italy gave the Czechoslovak 6th Division two armored cars. They were a Lancia 1ZM and a Bianchi which were attached to the Czechoslovak Artillery’s heavy howitzer section based in Sabbionara. Both vehicles had a crew of four, including the commander and a deputy. Lieutenant František Kolojda was put in command of the Bianchi, and Lieutenant Jaroslav Hrdina commanded the Lancia. Both crews originated from the 39th Infantry (Rifle) Regiment. At the very end of November, the armored cars were reassigned; the Bianchi to the 6th Cavalry Squadron, and the Lancia to the 7th Cavalry Squadron. These two squadrons formed the Cavalry Group which had only been established on 19th November 1918.

In early December, the unit was concentrated in the city of Padua to be repatriated to the newly established state of Czechoslovakia. However, first, parades were held for Italian king Vittorio Emanuele III on 8th December. Several days later, on 16th and 17th December, subsequent inspections of the troops were held at the military airfield in front of the new president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, and the commander-in-chief of the Czechoslovak Italian Legion, Italian General Luigi Piccioniho. Both armored cars got the attention of President Masaryk and after talking to the crews, they expressed their dissatisfaction with having two different armored cars. After consultation with General Piccioniho, it was arranged that the Bianchi would be replaced by another Lancia. This new Lancia was designated No.1, while the other became No.2.

No.2, seen again in 1921 or later, but from a different angle. Note the type of grille, only seen on the 1st series of 1ZM, of which 20 were built. Source: rotanazdar.cz

Design

The two 1ZMs that were obtained by Czechoslovakia were of the first series (No.2) and second series (No.1). The main difference between the two series was the differently designed bonnet and front fenders. The vehicles were protected with armor between 2.5 and 6 mm thick. Weighing 4.2 tonnes, they were powered by a Lancia 1Z 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 35 hp, allowing a top road speed of 60 km/h. The Italian Army fielded them with a crew of five, including a commander, driver, and three gunners. However, the Czechoslovak Legion manned them with crews of four, eliminating one of the three gunners. Despite this, the armament of three 6.85 mm Maxim-Dreyse machine guns was retained. These were later replaced by 7.92 mm Schwarzlose vz.07/12 machine guns during the early 1920s.

Back Home

After 16th December 1918, the first units returned to Czechoslovakia. The Cavalry Group with its armored cars left Padua by train on the 23rd. The train took a detour via Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano, and Vienna, and crossed the border at České Velenice. The journey continued via the cities of Veselí-Mezimostí, Jindřichův Hradec, Cejle, Znojmo, Břeclav, and Žilina, to Poprad-Velká. There, the 7th Cavalry Squadron with Lancia No.2 continued the journey towards Galanta and was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division. Lancia No.1 was assigned to the 6th Infantry Division, but remained near Poprad, in the village Spišská Teplica.

The most likely route that both vehicles took by rail in a few days, from Padua in Italy to Poprad in Slovakia. Source: Author, based on Google Maps

Developments Along the Border

On 29th December 1918, the Czechoslovak Home Army occupied the city of Košice. After this, the Italian Legion occupied the first demarcation line between Hungary and Czechoslovakia, also known as the “Pichon Line”. Pichon was the French Foreign Minister at the time, and France, as one of the victorious powers, played a major diplomatic role in the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This first line was replaced by an interim border, established on 20th January 1919.

Lancia No.1 was moved from Poprad to Košice in early January. It was tasked with protecting Italian General Rossi from Czechoslovak soldiers under his own command, as they suspected him of treason and collaboration with the Hungarians. This threat quickly waned, and the security operation only lasted three days. After this, the Lancia was put on standby to be used during emergencies or for police duties.

On 21st March 1919, following a communist coup, the Hungarian Soviet Republic was proclaimed. In response, martial law was declared in Slovakia on the 25th, as the Czechoslovak government feared that disorder would cross the border. Lancia No.1 was dispatched to Rožňava, Rimavská Sobota, and Tornaľaj as a show of force, hoping to prevent any revolts by local Hungarians. This seems to have worked, so the Lancia did not see any combat, and was recalled to Košice.

Lancia No.1 in 1919. The photograph is likely taken in Košice. The text on the turret indicates it belongs to the 6th Squadron. Source: bojoslovensko.sk

To the Capital

Near the end of April, both armored cars were called to Prague in order to be used to suppress any unrest that was suspected to appear in May. Again, no unrest occurred, so it was decided to relocate the idle Lancias to Milovice to perform some live firing shooting tests on the military range. Milovice is close to Prague, and the vehicles returned the same day. Meanwhile, Lancia No.2 received a new commander, Lieutenant Jaroslav Novák, after which it was returned to the area of Galanta and Komárno, where it had been stationed earlier. Lancia No.1 was sent to Nitra.

War with Hungary

On 29th April 1919, a second demarcation line was established by Czechoslovak troops. This Czechoslovak advance led to Hungarian counterattacks. The Czechoslovaks lost several battles and were ordered to retreat to their initial positions on 22nd and 23rd May. The advancing Hungarian Army launched a major attack on 30th May and occupied a large part of Slovakia. On 10th June, units reached the Polish border, effectively splitting the Czechoslovak Army in two. On 16th June, the Slovak Soviet Republic was proclaimed, but this new Republic was swiftly defeated within three weeks, on 7th July 1919.

In the first week of June, Lancia No.1 moved from Nitra to Nové Zámky, and continued via Bajč, Perbeta, Nová Víska, and Šarkán, to Nana on the outskirts of Štúrovo (Parkáňy), a border town along the River Danube. The Czechoslovak defensive line ran through this city, in front of the local train station. However, the city had been taken by Hungarian troops. When the Lancia arrived, it was tasked to participate in the Czechoslovak counterattack, in an attempt to retake the city. The city was recaptured after an hour of fierce fighting. Fighting continued the next day and the Lancia was tasked to patrol the road between the city and the railway station. The Hungarians, supported by an armored train, attacked the following night and forced the Czechoslovaks to retreat. The Lancia was also forced to retreat, but its only way out was the road that led towards the railway station. This road was under fire from Hungarian guns located in Esztergom, on the other side of the river.

This is the best-known image of Lancia No.1. It is a 2nd series 1ZM, featuring a redesigned bonnet and protected air intake. Note that the machine guns are not fitted and no markings are visible. Source: rotanazdar.cz

While escaping via the road, the Lancia encountered the Hungarian armored train, which took the train crew by surprise. They fired upon the Lancia but missed. Meanwhile, the Lancia directed machine-gun fire into Hungarian troops gathered at the railway station while continuing its retreat to Nové Zámky. There, the crew was tasked to deliver a message to Nitra, but they were unable to return, as Nové Zámky had been captured by the Hungarians. The next day, the Lancia counterattacked in an attempt to retake the city, but it was halted by the French officer in command, who feared the road had been mined.

After the fight in Nové Zámky, the Lancia was redirected via Nitra to Vráble, a city also occupied by Hungarians. A Hungarian improvised armored train stood in front of the railway station, close to the road, which forced the Lancia to hide in a vineyard. Around 5 p.m. the train moved south in the direction of Šurany, providing the Lancia an opportunity to push into the city, together with a company of Czechoslovak troops. During the afternoon of the next day, they were forced out again during a Hungarian counterattack, and the Lancia provided fire cover for the retreating company. The following day, the Lancia was recalled to the Brigade’s Headquarters in Zlaté Moravce.

From there, the Lancia was ordered to Kozárovce, via Gartce and Svatý Benedikt. From Kozárovce, the Lancia covered retreating Czechoslovak troops. In the evening, Hungarian troops tried to take out the vehicle by using hand grenades, forcing it to retreat as well, back to Svatý Benedikt. The nearby city of Levice was taken by Czechoslovakia a few days later, and the Lancia carried out a raid on the road between Velka and Kálnica. After this action, the vehicle was assigned to support a battalion in the area. Near the road to Starý Hrádok, the vehicle participated in the elimination of a Hungarian machine gun nest, and resulted in the capture of two machine guns, two horse-drawn wagons, and several POWs.

Later, the vehicle was reassigned to a brigade fighting near Vráble. It performed reconnaissance missions in the direction of Nevižany, but the tires were hit by bullets, and without a spare tire, the vehicle was rendered immobile. In order to retain the vehicle in the fight, it was recovered and put on a flat car on the railway. Now considered an improvised armored train, the first sortie was carried out towards Zlaté Moravce. On 23rd June, the Lancia-train attacked from the vicinity of the River Žitava towards Úľany nad Žitavou, Dolný Ohaj, Hul, and Radava. The train was manned by two platoons of Czechoslovaks from the Italian Legion.

Following the armistice and the end of the Czechoslovak-Hungarian War, the Lancia was returned to Prague for repairs, performed at the Breitfeld-Danek factory. To prevent such an incident in the future, the pneumatic tires were replaced by solid rubber tires. The commander was also replaced by Lieutenant Adolf Prchlík. In August 1919, the Lancia was repaired and returned to Slovakia to be stationed in Kremnica, Ružomberok, and Bratislava. In December 1919, it was permanently garrisoned in Lučenec.

Lancia No.2 on 3rd June 1919. Note the marked battle damage on the side door. The colored bands on the turret are white-red, which was the original flag of Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1920, based upon the same flag of the Kingdom of Bohemia. Source: rotanazdar.cz

Lancia No.2

Contrary to the elaborate combat reports of No.1, nothing is known about the use of Lancia No.2 during the Czechoslovak-Hungarian War. It was used, however, as a photograph from 3rd June 1919 shows battle damage on the vehicle. Originally stationed in Galanta and Komárno, the vehicle had returned to Prague by the end of 1919 and was stationed there. On 26th October, Lieutenant Karel Janoušek replaced the commander.

Lancia No.2 (NVII-752) next to FIAT-Torino No.5 (NVII-755). The FIAT-Torino armored cars were designed and built by Škoda on an emergency basis after the successful use of the Lancias in battle. Source: VHU PRAHA

Maintaining Peace

In early 1920, Lancia No.1 was rearmed with Schwarzlose vz.07/12 machine guns at the Railway Workshops in Zvolen, a city close to Kremnica and Ružomberok. In June, Lancia No.2 was attached to an Armored Car Group, also consisting of the newly delivered FIAT-Torino’s No. 9 and No.10 armored cars built by Škoda. František Petrák was placed in command of this group on 20th August.

The Schwarzlose vz.07/12 machine gun was extensively used by Austria-Hungary, and after 1918, by its successor states. Source: Forgotten Weapons

On 27th October, all armored cars and trains of the Czechoslovak Army were put under command of Karel Eichmann. This was followed by the establishment of the Special Combat Units Headquarters in Milovice on 29th October. It was officially named Velitelství zvláštních útvarů bojových (panc. vlaků, obrň. aut a tanků) (English: Headquarters of the Special Combat Units (armored trains, armored cars, and tanks)). Due to the addition of the twelve new FIAT-Torinos, armored car units lacked enough drivers, including Lancia No.1. In early 1921, an additional driver was recruited from Bratislava and dispatched to Lučenec.

On 23rd March 1921, Lancia No.2 and FIAT-Torino No.9 were dispatched from Prague to Opava to strengthen the local garrison of FIAT-Torinos No. 7 and 8, in light of the plebiscite that was held in Eastern Silesia. They appear to not have been used. On 2nd April, Lancia No.2 and FIAT-Torino No.9 left Opava to arrive at the Headquarters of the 10th Division in Banská Bystrica. There, Zvolen was designated as a permanent garrison for Lancia No.1 and No.2. Commander of Lancia No.2, Karel Janoušek, took command of the Armored Car Company. FIAT-Torino No.9 left for Lučenec to replace Lancia No.1.

On 6th May 1921, the Lancias moved to Opava to the Headquarters of the 8th Infantry Division and remained there until 22nd September. During their stay in Opava, on 27th August, Commander Karel Eichmann issued new registration numbers to all armored cars.

Number	New 1921 Police Registrations	ČSAV	New 1932 Police Registration
1	NVII-751	14023	13.004
2	NVII-752	14024	13.005

Near the end of 1921, the problem of the lack of drivers had increased. On 28th September, the decision was made to assign only one driver per Armored Car Company. Additional drivers had to be requested from the local Headquarters.

On 22nd September 1921, all armored trains and cars were put on alert by the Ministry of Defense. The Lancias were ordered to move from Opava to Košice. They later moved to Rožňava. A month later, on 24th October, full mobilization of the armored cars and trains was announced, due to the second coup attempt in Hungary by Charles I, former Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. A potential restoration of Habsburg power was considered an endangerment to Czechoslovakia’s sovereignty. The additional men required were enlisted from infantry units, but those who arrived did not have the right equipment, nor the experience with any kind of armored cars, causing some organizational troubles. When it became clear that the second coup had failed, the order for the unit’s demobilization was given on 16th November. The Lancias were ordered towards Košice.

Post-war: uneventful and an accident

Between January and December 1922, the cars stayed in Prague and Milovice. On 4th May 1923, an exercise was held with the Lancias, a FIAT-Torino, and a Renault FT tank. An unfortunate accident on 22nd May claimed the life of a crewmember, Jan Beber, when he was caught by the fender of a car and fell under it. A few days later, on 27th May, both Lancias were moved to the aerospace workshop at the airfield of Kbely, where Lancia No.2 received new Schwarzlose vz.07/12 machine guns, like No.1 had already received in early 1920. Furthermore, the new internal equipment that was to be added was determined. In early June, both were again directed to Kbely to fit the new internal equipment that had been made.

In July 1922, the Assault Vehicle Battalion was reorganized. The armored car groups or companies were renamed to armored car platoons per 1st August. In April 1923, Lancia No.2 moved to Kbely again, this time to undergo repairs. In August, the vehicles exercised for the first time together with the new Škoda PA-I armored cars, which had been received in June. The next year, the vehicles were relocated to Bratislava, and appear to have stayed there for roughly two years until the beginning of 1926, when the platoon returned to Milovice. A major accident occurred in September 1926, when No.2 ditched itself and the front wheels and axle were severely damaged. Repairs took until 6th December to be completed.

Lancia No.2 was significantly damaged in September 1926, when it accidentally ditched itself. Source: rotanazdar.cz

Another shot of the unfortunate event, which gives a rare glimpse of the underside of the 1ZM. Also of note are the PA-I armored cars in the background. Source: rotanazdar.cz

With an increasing supply of new armored cars, the Lancias were mainly used for driver training from 1927 onwards. The intensive use for training worsened the technical condition of the aging vehicles. No.2 had to be completely overhauled in July 1928, and No.1 in August 1929. These overhauls were done at the automobile depot in Vršovice, Prague.

1930s

In the early 1930s, the Lancias were shown and used during some demonstrations and public events, but overall, experienced a rather uneventful time. In 1934, a commission was established, charged to assess the technical condition of both Lancias. As suspected, they were too worn out for effective use and, in July 1935, the armor was disassembled and stored in Milovice. On 13th July, both chassis were hauled away to Škoda in Mladá Boleslav and converted to training vehicles. Nearly two years later, on 1st March 1937, both vehicles were handed back to the Army. Lancia No.1 was sent to the Assault Vehicle Regiment in Olomouc and No.2 to PÚV 3 in Martin. The one in Olomouc was captured by the Germans after they occupied Czechia in March 1939. The other was located in the new German puppet state of Slovakia and was still listed as present on 11th August 1939. Presumably, both chassis and stored superstructures were scrapped during the war.

A Czechoslovak drawing showing the interior layout of the 1st series Lancia No.2. Source: rotanazdar.cz

Conclusion

Both Lancia 1ZMs performed well with the Czechoslovak troops. They were used against the Hungarians during the Czechoslovak-Hungarian War, and although details of one are unknown, the other performed with considerable success. Both were re-armed with Czech machine guns and saw internal modifications, but saw no further changes apart from that. Based upon the experience with these cars, the Czechoslovak Army initiated its own domestic armored car program in 1919, with development and construction largely taking place at Škoda which led, among other things, to the well-known PA series of armored cars.

The Lancia No.2 of the first production series with its Czechoslovak markings. Illustration by Andrei ‘Octo10’ Kirushkin, funded by our Patreon campaign.

Lancia 1ZM specifications
Dimensions (L-W-H)	5.61 x 1.94 x 2.9 m
Total Weight	4.2 tonnes
Crew	4 (commander, driver, 2 machine gunners)
Propulsion	Lancia 1Z inline 4 cylinder petrol producing 35 hp petrol with provision to increase output by 30% (40 hp at 1200 rpm) for up to 30 minutes
Fuel consumption	Lancia No.1 0.6 kg/km, No.2 0.5 kg/km
Speed (road)	60 km/h
Range	333 km
Armament	3x 6.85 mm Maxim-Dreyse, replaced with Schwarzlose vz.07/12 machine guns
Armor	2.5-6 mm
Trench	0.35 m
Slope	16%
Fording	0.8 m
Total Production	2

Sources

Jakl, Tomáš and Bernard Panuš and Jiří Tintěra. 2014. Czechoslovak Armored Cars in the First World War and Russian Civil War. Atglen: Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 118-147.
Špitálský, Jaroslav. 2020. “Obrnĕné Automobily Lancia.”14th January 2020. https://rotanazdar.cz/?p=8325&lang=cs
Francev, Vladimir, and Charles K. Kliment. 2004. Československá obrněná vozidla 1918-48. Prague: Ares.
Kliment, Charles K., and Hilary Louis Doyle. 1979. Czechoslovak armoured fighting vehicles 1918-1945. Watford: Argus Books.

WW2 Croatian Armor WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service WW2 Slovene Armor

Semovente L40 da 47/32 in Slovene and Croatian Service

Post author By Arturo Giusti
Post date November 17, 2021
3 Comments on Semovente L40 da 47/32 in Slovene and Croatian Service

Sturmgeschütz L6 mit 47/32 630(i) of the third series in service with the Slovensko Domobranstvo, September 1944.

Independent State of Croatia/Slovene Home Guard (1942-1945)
Self-Propelled Gun – Unknown Number Operated

The Semovente L40 da 47/32 was an Italian light Self-Propelled Gun (SPG) developed as an infantry support vehicle. Entering service in 1942, it proved to be immediately obsolete. However, the Regio Esercito (Eng: Italian Royal Army) used it until September 1943, when the Armistice of Cassibile was signed, the Royal Italian Army was disbanded and the part of the Italian peninsula that was not yet under Allied control was occupied by German troops.

After the armistice, from 1943 to 1945, all the surviving Semoventi (Italian world for self-propelled guns, Semovente singular) deployed not only in Italy, but also in the Balkans, would be captured by the various armies or militias in the area.

The Semovente L40 da 47/32

The development of a new light infantry support gun that could support the assault of the Bersaglieri units (Italian Light Assault Troops) started in the late 1930s. The first prototype would be built and tested during 1941. The new vehicle, named Semovente Leggero Modello 1940 da 47/32 or Semovente L40 da 47/32, was based on a modified L6/40 light tank chassis. The modification included the installation of a box-shaped superstructure armed with a Cannone da 47/32 Mod. 1935 gun on top of the L6/40’s unchanged chassis. By May 1943, some 282 were produced, with an additional 120 being produced by the Germans after the armistice in 1943. The vehicle would see action on many fronts, from the Mediterranean to Russia, but was considered obsolete by the time it was introduced into service.

The Italian Semovente L40 da 47/32. Source: www.worldwarphotos.info

Axis invasion of the Balkans

After the fruitless invasion of Greece by Italian forces, Benito Mussolini was forced to ask for help from his German ally. Adolf Hitler agreed to provide assistance, fearing a possible Allied attack through the Balkans would reach Romania and its oil fields which were vital for the Germans. On the path of German advance towards Greece stood Yugoslavia, whose government initially agreed to join the Axis side. This agreement was short-lived, as the Yugoslavian government was overthrown by a military coup at the end of March 1941. Hitler immediately gave an order for the preparation of the Invasion of Yugoslavia. The war that began on 6th April 1941 was a short one and ended with a Yugoslavian defeat and the division of its territory between the Axis powers.

Map of the partition of Yugoslavia after the invasion. Source: wikipedia.org

Italian occupation force

After the collapse of Yugoslavia, the Italian High Command allocated some 24 Divisions to occupation duties. At first, this occupation ran without any problems. However, the Communist and Chetnik uprisings in Serbia and later in other parts of Yugoslavia would cause chaos among the Axis forces. While these initial uprising attempts would be put down, the resistance would only increase in the coming years. During 1942 and 1943, the Italians were hard-pressed to stop the Yugoslavian Partisan activities in their occupation zones. While the Italians maintained large numbers of soldiers, these were actually divided into smaller groups for the defense of vital points such as railways, supply bases, airports, cities, etcetera, greatly diminishing their combat abilities. The Partisans simply bypassed larger units and instead attacked smaller isolated positions. Then, the Partisans would simply wait for the relief columns before attacking them, causing huge losses. To help battle the Partisans, the Italians used a number of armored vehicles, ranging from simple armored trucks to light tanks.

During 1943, the self-propelled Semovente L40 da 47/32 also appeared in smaller numbers in this war theater. While it did see some service against the Yugoslav Partisans, the Italian surrender to the Allies in September 1943 brought an end to their use, at least by their original owners. The Italian exit from the war caused a huge race by the remaining Axis and Partisan forces to capture and disarm as many Italian divisions as possible. From September 1943 on, the Semovente L40 would see service with the Slovensko Domobranstvo and Croatian forces. On the other side, the Communist Partisans managed to also capture a number of Semovente L40 vehicles and use them against the Axis forces in occupied Yugoslavia.

Slovensko Domobranstvo

After the Italian surrender, modern-day Slovenia was completely taken over by Germany. Slovenia became important to the German supply and unit transport network to Italy and the Balkans. The importance of the Slovenian infrastructure to Germany was not lost to the Yugoslavian Partisans, who, from late 1943, intensified sabotages by attacking enemy patrols and supply and troop convoys.

The Slovenians initially formed small anti-partisans units in 1941, which were slightly increased in numbers during the war. Initially, these were mainly used as security forces or to act as auxiliaries to the Italians. In 1943, now under German leadership, the Slovensko Domobranstvo (Eng: Slovenian Home Guard) was formed. The Germans mostly provided them with small arms, but also with a few armored vehicles, including at least two Semovente L40 da 47/32s. These vehicles were slightly modified by adding extra armor plates to the front and sides and installing a machine gun mount on top of the vehicle, which was protected by a small armored shield. Information about their service and final fate is currently lacking.

German SS General Rezner inspecting the soldiers from the Slovenian Home Guard in Ljubljana, 20th April 1944. In the background, one Semovente L40 da 47/32 can be seen (there is a second one that is not visible in this photograph). Source: Bojan B. Dumitrijević and Dragan Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu

In service with the Independent State of Croatia (NDH)

The forces of the German puppet state of Croatia, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska (Eng: Independent State of Croatia, NDH) managed to acquire a small number of these tank hunters after the surrender and disarmament of the Italian forces in the Balkans.

The Croatian 369th, 373rd and 392nd Infantry Divisions, which were formed and under the direct command of the Germans, possessed an unknown number of Semoventi L40. The 369th Infantry Division received its first five Semoventi da 47/32 vehicles in December 1943. By the end of 1944, it still had 10 such vehicles. During 1944, the 373rd Infantry Division received some 9 Semoventi L40 da 47/32s.

The 373rd and 392nd Infantry Divisions participated, together with some German units, in the destruction of three Partisan divisions at Krbavsko Polje in May 1944. The 373rd Infantry Division also took action during the German Rosselsprung Operation, with the aim of capturing the Partisan supreme command and its leader, Josip Broz Tito, who were located in Drvar. The whole operation was a failure and the Partisan leaders managed to successfully evacuate after a vicious confrontation. During this operation, the 373rd Infantry Division managed to destroy up to 4 Partisan tanks, possibly with the use of the Semovente 47/32s. It is not completely clear if this is true, as some may have been captured. By mid-March 1944, this unit still had 7 operational Semoventi L40 da 47/32.

In late 1944, during the fighting to prevent the advance of the Partisan 1st Tank Brigade, the 392nd Infantry Division was defeated near the city of Knin, losing a number of their armored vehicles in the process. By mid-March 1945, the 392nd Infantry Division operated only two Semoventi L40 da 47/32. The 369th was defeated while trying to defend the city of Mostar in late January 1945, probably losing all its remaining Semoventi da 47/32.

By the start of December, due to losses, the NDH still possessed some 85 armored vehicles of various types. By the end of 1944, the elite NDH unit, Poglanikov Tjelesni Sdrug, had three ‘small’ tanks which are described by the Partisans to be Semovente L40 da 47/32. This unit reported to still have at least 4 L40 da 47/32 self-propelled guns while fighting the Partisans in May 1945.

L40 da 47/32 of the third series used by Slovensko Domobranstvo. The three-tone camouflage pattern is clearly visible. Source: beutepanzer.ru

Another view of the same event, where two Semovente 47/32 can be seen. Source: beutepanzer.ru

Camouflage and Markings

The Slovenians and Croatians received the L40s already repainted by the Germans and put them into service without changing the camouflage patterns. Their L40s were mostly camouflaged with dark green stripes and sometimes with dark brown stripes on the original khaki camouflage. The use of national or other markings is difficult to determine due to a lack of pictures. It is likely that the NDH vehicles received the more or less standard ‘U’ capital letter, which stands for Ustaše, a name given to the military forces of NDH at that time.

Conclusion

While the Semovente 47/32 was effectively an obsolete design when it was introduced into service by the Ialians, in the hands of Germany’s allies, it was certainly a welcome addition. Given the fact that the NDH and Slovene forces were basically forced to use older equipment, the Semovente 47/32 may be considered as one of the better designs operated by these nations. In reality, these were simply too few in numbers to make any real difference in the fighting against the Partisans.

Sturmgeschütz L6 mit 47/32 630(i) of the third series in service with the Slovensko Domobranstvo, September 1944.

L40 da 47/32 specifications
Dimensions (L-W-H)	3.82 x 1.92 x 1.63 m
Total weight, battle-ready	6.5 t
Crew	3 (commander/gunner, driver, loader)
Propulsion	FIAT-SPA, 6 cyl. gasoline, 68 hp
Speed	42 km/h, 25/20 km/h (cross-country)
Range	200 km
Armament	One Cannone da 47/32 Mod. 1935 gun and one machine gun
Armor	30 mm front, 15 mm sides and rear and 10 mm floor
Number Built	414 Semoventi L40 da 47/32 plus 93 command tanks

This article has been supported by Stirling Kit. Check out their metal kits (including tanks!).

Sources

A. J. Munoz, Slovenian Axis Force in World War II 1941-1945, Axis Europa Books
N. Thomas and K. Mikulan (1995) Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-1945, Osprey Publishing
D. Nešić, (2008), Naoružanje Drugog Svetskog Rata-Italija, Beograd
Bojan B. Dimitrijević and Dragan Savić (2011) Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu, Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd
T.L. Jentz and H.L. Doyle (2008) 19-2 Beutepanzerwagen
F. Cappellano and P. P. Battistelli (2012) Italian Light tanks 1919-45, New Vanguard
Nicola Pignato e Filippo Cappellano – Gli autoveicoli da combattimento dell’Esercito Italiano, Volume secondo (1940-1945).
Filippo Cappellano – Le artiglierie del Regio Esercito nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale

WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service WW2 Yugoslav Partisan Armor of Italian Origin

Semovente L40 da 47/32 in Yugoslav Partisan Service

Post author By MarkoPantelic
Post date November 5, 2021
3 Comments on Semovente L40 da 47/32 in Yugoslav Partisan Service

The Semovente L40 in a classic Italian camouflage but sporting the large Partisan flag on the side. Illustration by David Bocquelet, modified by Pavel 'Carpaticus' Alexe

Yugoslav Partisans (1943-1945)
Self-Propelled Gun – Unknown Number Operated

The Semovente L40 da 47/32 was an Italian light Self-Propelled Gun (SPG) developed as an infantry support vehicle. Entering service in 1942, it proved to be immediately obsolete. Given the general lack of armored vehicles, the Regio Esercito (Eng: Italian Royal Army) was forced to use them up to the Italian armistice. After that, the surviving vehicles were captured by the Germans and, in smaller numbers, by their Croatian allies. On some occasions, the Yugoslav Communist Partisans managed to capture some of these and put them to use against their former owners.

A Semovente L40 being towed by a German half-track operated by elements of the Partisan 2nd Tank Brigade at the end of the war, 1945. Source: Bojan B. Dumitrijević and Dragan Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu

The Semovente L40 da 47/32

The development of a new light infantry support gun that could support the assault of the Bersaglieri units (Italian Light Assault Troops) started in the late 1930s. The first prototype would be built and tested during 1941. The new vehicle, named Semovente Leggero Modello 1940 da 47/32, or Semovente L40 da 47/32, was based on a modified L6/40 light tank chassis. The modification included the installation of a box shaped superstructure armed with a Cannone da 47/32 Mod. 1935 gun on top of the L6/40’s unchanged chassis. By May 1943, some 282 were produced, with an additional 120 being produced by the Germans after the armistice, in 1943. The vehicle would see action on many fronts, from the Mediterranean to Russia, but was considered obsolete by the time it was introduced into service.

The Italian Semovente L40 da 47/32. Source: Wiki

Axis invasion of the Balkans

After the fruitless invasion of Greece by Italian forces, Benito Mussolini was forced to ask for help from his German ally. Adolf Hitler agreed to provide assistance, fearing a possible Allied attack through the Balkans would reach Romania and its vital oil fields. On the path of German advance towards Greece stood Yugoslavia, whose government initially agreed to join the Axis side. This agreement was short-lived, as the Yugoslav government was overthrown by an anti-Axis pro-Allied military coup at the end of March 1941. Hitler immediately gave an order for the preparation of the Invasion of Yugoslavia. The war that began on 6th April 1941 was a short one and ended with a Yugoslav defeat and the division of its territory between the Axis powers.

Map of the partition of Yugoslavia after the invasion. Slovenia was divided between Germany, Italy, and Hungary. The Croatian puppet state was given most of western Yugoslavia, including Bosnia. Macedonia was divided between Italy, which also took Montenegro, and Bulgaria. Northern Serbia was partitioned between Hungary and Romania. What was left of Serbia was placed under German occupation. Source: Wiki

Italian occupation force

After the collapse of Yugoslavia, the Italian High Command allocated some 24 Divisions to occupation duties. At first, this occupation ran without any problems. However, the Communist and Chetnik uprisings in Serbia and later in other parts of Yugoslavia would cause chaos among the Axis forces. While these initial uprising attempts would be put down, the resistance would only increase in the coming years. During 1942 and 1943, the Italians were hard-pressed to stop the Yugoslav Partisan activities in their occupation zones. While the Italians maintained large numbers of soldiers, these were actually divided into smaller groups for the defense of vital points, such as railways, supply bases, airports, cities, etcetera, greatly diminishing their combat abilities. The Partisans simply bypassed larger units and instead attacked smaller isolated positions. Then, the Partisans would simply wait for the relief columns before attacking them, causing huge losses. To help battling the Partisans, the Italians used a number of armored vehicles, ranging from simple armored trucks to light tanks.

During 1943, the self-propelled Semovente L40 da 47/32 also appeared in smaller numbers in this war theater. While it did see some service against the Yugoslav Partisans, the Italian surrender to the Allies in September 1943 brought an end to their use, at least by their original owners. The Italian exit from the war caused a race by the remaining Axis and Partisan forces to capture and disarm as many Italian divisions as possible. From September 1943 onwards, the Semovente L40 would see service with the Slovensko Domobranstvo and Croatian forces. On the other side, the Communist Partisans managed to also capture a number of Semovente L40 vehicles and use them against the Axis forces in occupied Yugoslavia.

In Communist Partisan Hands

After September 1943, despite German attempts to prevent Italian weapons and vehicles falling into the hands of the Partisans, many of them did. In part thanks to their quick response, the Partisans managed to acquire a number of Italian armored vehicles. Which exact vehicles and models were captured is generally not known precisely. There is a good chance that at least a few Semoventi L40 da 47/32 were also captured or handed over by Italian soldiers who joined the Yugoslav resistance or bartered for their freedom with their vehicles and weapons. While these vehicles were used against the Axis forces, due to German counterattacks, all were either lost to enemy fire or destroyed by the Partisans to prevent them falling back into enemy hands.

For the remainder of the war, on some occasions, Semovente da 47/32 would fall in hands of the Partisans. One such occasion was with the 1st Tank Brigade during the liberation of Mostar in mid-March 1945. At least one Semovente da 47/32 was captured, but unfortunately, the use of captured armored vehicles by this unit is not well documented and little is known. Another problem is that the Partisans referred to all armored vehicles (tanks, armored cars, and even self-propelled guns) simply as tanks. In some cases, the estimated tonnage of the particular tank would be added.

A Semovente L40 da 47/32 armed with a FIAT-Revelli Mod. 14/35 behind a column of M3 tanks belonging to the Partisan 1st Tank Brigade. Source: B. B. Dumitrijević and D. Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu

It quickly became apparent to the Partisan High Command that their soldiers simply lacked the experience and proper training to efficiently operate the captured armored vehicles. For this reason, a tank training school was to be formed in Serbia (the exact location is unknown) during fall 1944. To efficiently train future tank and anti-tank crews, different types of vehicles from different origins were allocated to this school. Among these, a few Semoventi da 47/32 were also present.

Another Semovente da 47/32 was captured at the start of 1945 in Northern Yugoslavia. Note the machine gun that appears to be a German 7.92 mm MG 34. Source: B. B. Dimitrijević and D.Savić (Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu,, Institut za savremenu istoriju

From 8th to 15th May 1945, the Partisans managed to capture a large number of different military equipment from the retreating Axis forces, including tanks and anti-tank vehicles. Sadly, due to poor Partisan document records, it is almost impossible to determine which types were actually captured. To make matters worse, some Partisan units that did manage to capture enemy armored vehicles did not bother to inform the Supreme Partisan Command about them or even list them in any document. These vehicles were often used until they broke down or ran out of fuel, after which they were simply blown up. Another problem was the lack of Partisan knowledge of their real names. Sometimes, names like Tiger of Panther were used to describe vehicles that were completely different from the real thing. Interestingly, the Partisans referred to the L6 (and possibly the Semovente L40 da 47/32) vehicles either as FIAT, ‘small’ or ‘large’ tanks.

Camouflage and Markings

The Yugoslav Partisans which captured some L40s did not repaint them, keeping the Italian or German camouflage patterns. They added, when possible, Yugoslav flags or red stars on the sides of the superstructures to avoid friendly fire.

Two Semoventi L40 da 47/32 (the first vehicle is actually a command version based on it) that were captured by the Partisans. The large Yugoslav flag with a red star painted on the sides. Behind them, several other captured vehicles could be seen including an AB 41 armored car, L6/40 light tank. Source: http://beutepanzer.ru/

After The War

After the war, the new Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija (Yugoslav People’s Army, JNA or YPA) still had a number of Semovente L40 da 47/32 anti-tank vehicles. Their use was at best limited due to a lack of spare parts and insufficient armor protection and firepower. Sadly, none of the Yugoslav Semovente L40 da 47/32 have survived to this day.

Conclusion

The Semovente L40 da 47/32 in Yugoslavia saw service in smaller numbers with nearly all warring parties. The Yugoslav Partisans managed to capture some of these vehicles and put them to use after 1943. The Semovente L40 da 47/32 combat operations in Partisan hands are hard to document. Those that were used surely provided additional firepower, something that the Partisans desperately needed during the war. Due to a general lack of spare parts and ammunition, some would be also used for crew training. Those that survived the war would be operated by the JNA for a short time.

The Semovente L40 in a classic Italian camouflage but sporting the large Partisan flag on the side. Illustration by David Bocquelet, modified by Pavel ‘Carpaticus’ Alexe

L40 da 47/32 specifications
Dimensions (L-W-H)	3.82 x 1.92 x 1.63 m
Total weight, battle-ready	6.5 t
Crew	3 (commander/gunner, driver, loader)
Propulsion	FIAT-SPA, 6 cyl. gasoline, 68 hp
Speed	42 km/h, 25/20 km/h (cross-country)
Range	200 km
Armament	One Cannone da 47/32 Mod. 1935 gun and one machine gun
Armor	30 mm front, 15 mm sides and rear, and 10 mm floor

Sources

A. J. Munoz, Slovenian Axis Force in World War II 1941-1945, Axis Europa Books
N. Thomas and K. Mikulan (1995) Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-1945, Osprey Publishing
D. Nešić, (2008), Naoružanje Drugog Svetskog Rata-Italija, Beograd
B. B. Dimitrijević and D.Savić (2011) Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu,, Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd
T.L. Jentz and H.L. Doyle (2008) 19-2 Beutepanzerwagen
M. Babić (1986) Oklopne jedinice u NOR-u 1941-1945,
Vojnoidavački I Novinski Centar
F. Cappellano and P. P. Battistelli (2012) Italian Light tanks 1919-45, New Vanguard
Nicola Pignato e Filippo Cappellano – Gli autoveicoli da combattimento dell’Esercito Italiano, Volume secondo (1940-1945).
Filippo Cappellano – Le artiglierie del Regio Esercito nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale

WW2 Hungarian Tanks WW2 Italian Vehicles in Foreign Service

35M Ansaldo

35M from the Gendarmerie Battalion

Kingdom of Hungary (1935-1945)
Fast Tank – 60-150 Used

In their search for an armored vehicle to equip their army, the Hungarians began looking for potential suppliers who were willing to sell such equipment. The Italians, who already had a good connection with the Hungarian Army, were more than willing to sell their CV series of fast tanks. Thanks to this generous offer, the Hungarians managed to obtain some 150 fast tanks. These would see service during the small conflict with Slovakia, with some success. By the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 though, they were completely outdated.

The Hungarian 35M. Source: Pinterest

Context – Hungary’s Search for Tanks

After the defeat of the Central Powers during the First World War, a new Kingdom of Hungary was created. Its Army (Honved) was forbidden by the Treaty of Trianon (signed on 4th June 1920) from developing and using tanks and other armored vehicles. During the late 1920s, the Hungarian Army officials managed to acquire small numbers of armored vehicles bought from Italy and the United Kingdom. This was mainly done thanks to a mitigated ban on arms and weapons purchases, but also under the false pretext that these would be used by the police forces. These were mostly obsolete designs with limited combat value and thus were only used for training and police duties.

One of the few Carden-Loyd Mk.VI tankettes purchased from the UK during the late 1920s. Source: Maďarská armáda 1919-1945

Hungarian Army officials wanted to expand their own armored forces and thus needed better equipment. Unfortunately for them, the choice of where to buy these vehicles was limited. For example, Germany was unwilling to sell their tanks, being themselves in great need of such vehicles. France and the Soviet Union, for political reasons, could not be approached, and negotiations with British weapons manufacturers led nowhere. Luckily for them, Italy was more than willing to make a business deal with the Hungarians.

In June 1934, the Hungarian Military Technical Institute tested one CV33 tankette. After the conclusion of these tests, it gave a green light for the purchase of these vehicles. Soon after that, the Hungarian Army placed an order for some 150 tankettes. These vehicles began arriving during 1935, with the last one reaching Hungary at the end of 1936.

These received numbers H-100 to H-167 and H-169 to H-251. The Italians also provided them with one CV33 (H-168) without any armament. This vehicle was used mainly for training. In addition, a flamethrower version of this fast tank (H-252) was also sent for trial. It was not adopted by the Hungarians but, for unknown reasons, the single-vehicle remained in Hungarian Army storage without being paid for.

The 35M on parade. Source: justacarguy.blogspot.com

Name

In Hungarian service, these vehicles were known as the 35. M FIAT Ansaldo. A number of sources use different but similar variants of this, either 35M or 35 M Ansaldo. According to L. Ness (World War II Tanks), the CV33 was known as the 35 M, and the CV35 as the 37 M Ansaldo. For the sake of simplicity, this article will use the 35M designation.

The CV35

During the late twenties, the Italian Army began negotiating with the British Vickers company for the acquisition of new vehicles. After some negotiations, a Carden-Loyd Mk.VI tankette was purchased for testing and evaluation. Following the successful completion of these tests, during 1929, 25 new vehicles were ordered. In Italian service, these vehicles would be known as Carro Veloce 29 (Eng. fast tank).

Based on the CV29, the Ansaldo company began developing a new vehicle. While the prototype was completed in 1929, the Army was not impressed with it, mostly due to its weak and problematic suspension. The following year, the Italian Army requested a number of changes regarding its armor, size, and armament. Ansaldo constructed a few new prototypes with some differences in the suspension and even a tractor version, which were all presented to Italian Royal Army officials. The Army officials were satisfied with the improved prototypes and, in 1933, a production order for some 240 vehicles was placed. Next year, the first production vehicles, known as Carro Veloce 33, were ready for service. While, initially, this vehicle was equipped with one 6.5 mm FIAT-Revelli Mod. 1914 machine gun, from 1935 on, all vehicles would be rearmed with two 8 mm FIAT-Revelli Mod. 1914 machine guns.

The Italian CV35 fast tank. Source: Wiki

In 1935, a slightly improved version, named Carro Veloce Ansaldo-FIAT tipo CV35, was accepted for service. It was shorter, had a slightly redesigned superstructure, with some being constructed with bolted armor instead of rivets. In total, by 1936, some 2,800 CV fast tanks would be built. Of that number, large numbers were sold abroad, including to countries such as China, Brazil, and Bulgaria.

How many were actually acquired?

Regarding the precise numbers of CV tankettes operated by the Hungarians, the sources are somewhat contradictory and even confusing. The previously mentioned information about the year of adoption and numbers are mostly according to C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WWII). Other authors, like F. Cappellano and P. P. Battistelli (Italian light tanks 1919-45), state that the Hungarians acquired from Italy and even produced under license some 104 tankettes. Author S. J. Zaloga states that, in 1934, 30 CV33s were purchased from Italy. Additionally, 110 CV35s were acquired in 1936 and a few more in later years, reaching a total number of 151 vehicles. L. Ness mentions that, in 1934, some 25 CV33s were purchased, with many more in 1935.

Author P. Mujzer (Hungarian Armored Forces in World War II) mentions that the CV tankettes were put in use during 1935, and the last one arrived in December 1936. While the author gives a total number of 150 vehicles, in one part of the book, he is describing them as a CV33 and in another part of the same book as CV35.

Authors B. Adam, E. Miklos and S. Gyula (A Magyar Királyi Honvédség külföldi gyártású páncélos harcjárművei 1920-1945) mention that 68 CV35s were acquired in 1935 and the remaining 82 in 1936. Older and less reliable sources, like P. Chamberlain and C. Ellis (Axis Combat Vehicles), note that, between 1934 and 1938, some 60 to 70 tankettes were brought.

Initial distribution

Initial Hungarian pre-war plans stated that each armored unit should have an independent mixed unit equipped with light tanks and tankettes. As these formations were never truly formed, the 35Ms were, for some time, stored in Army warehouses. Some 15 fast tanks were used for crew training at Örkénytábor and Hajmáskér.

The 35M were often used as training vehicles, before and likely during the war. Source: Magyar páncél

During 1938, the reorganization of the Hungarian Army led to the creation of Motorized Armored Brigades. The 2nd Motorized Armored Brigade received one 35M company. The Cavalry Armored Brigades were also reinforced with a 35M company. Each 35M company was divided into three platoons. These platoons had 5 fast tanks plus one command vehicle equipped with a commander’s cupola.

Hungarian modifications

During its service life, the Hungarians implemented some modifications to their 35M vehicles. The most obvious change was the modified armament. Initially, the Italian fast tanks received were armed with one machine gun (likely a 6.5 mm FIAT-Revelli Mod. 1914). Their firepower would be increased by replacing this machine gun with two Hungarian-built 8 mm Gebauer 34AM and later 34M/37M machine guns. The installation of the new armament necessitated the modification of the machine gun mount by increasing its size. If all or just a part were modified with the new armament is not completely clear in the sources. For example, authors B. Adam, E. Miklos, and S. Gyula mention that some 45 vehicles were modified with the twin machine gun armament.

Close-up look at the Hungarian machine gun mount for the two 8 mm Gebauer 34M machine guns. Source: ftr.wot-news.com

Close-up view of the twin 8 mm Gebauer 34AM machine guns. Source: Facebook group Huns on wheels

Besides the change in the machine gun mount and armament, the Hungarians added a new commander’s cupola. This cupola had a simple square shape with a hatch on the top. To see the surroundings, the commander could use 7 periscopes placed in this cupola. The armor thickness of this cupola is not listed in the sources, but was probably light. In total, some 45 cupolas were mounted on the 35Ms. These were allocated to the platoon commander vehicles.

Some 45 vehicles were equipped with a domestically developed and built commander’s cupola. Source: Huns on wheels

The 35Ms that had the cupola were allocated as Platoon commander vehicles. Source: www.quartermastersection.com

The Hungarians had plans to equip the 35M with a fully rotating turret. This would necessitate many changes to the vehicle’s design and would lead to an increase in overall weight. As it was deemed too complicated to operate, this was abandoned with no prototypes being built.

In combat

Against Czechoslovakia

After the Munich Agreement signed in 1938, the Germans managed to take parts of Czechoslovakia. Hungary, seeing a chance to get part of its pre-Great War territories back, began negotiations with Czechoslovakia to resolve this issue. As the talks led nowhere, both sides started preparing for a possible conflict. Thanks to the support of Germany and Italy, Hungary managed to peacefully take parts of southern Slovakia and southern Ruthenia. The 35Ms were used as the vanguard for the Hungarian occupation units in these territories.

A 35M in the pre-war years. The skull marks could be seen on a number of such vehicles during this time. Source:justacarguy.blogspot.com

After this event, the relations between these two countries were on the verge of war. Small border skirmishes occurred on several occasions. In March of 1939, Czechoslovakia was completely taken over by the Germans, which created the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Slovakia, under German pressure, declared independence from Czechoslovakia. Wanting to gain more land, Hungarian officials demanded that Slovakia give away parts of Ruthenia. Elements of the Hungarian 2nd Motorized Brigade and 2nd Cavalry Brigade began advancing toward the disputed territories on 14th March. During this advance, the 35Ms belonging to the 12th Bicycle Battalion engaged a Slovakian unit stationed at the village of Orhegyalja. The defenders’ machine gun nest was taken out by a 35M commanded by Lieutenant Tamas Frater. The 35M fast tanks also participated in the defense of the Alsohalas village against the Slovakian forces. On the 24th, 35Ms from the 15th Bicycle Battalion also saw limited action in this area. On the 25th, due to German insistence, Slovakia ceded the disputed lands to the Hungarians. During this brief war, while no 35Ms were lost in combat, many were temporarily put out of action due to mechanical breakdowns and a lack of spare parts.

The 35M during the occupation of Ruthenia. Source: www.ww2incolor.com/hungary

Transylvania 1940

Parts of Czechoslovakia were not the only ones that the Hungarian government wanted back. Transylvania was also lost after the First World War, when it was given to Romania. In 1940, the Hungarian Army began preparing for a possible war with Romania. By July, some three armies were ready, together with almost all available armor. But, in reality, the Hungarian Army was far from prepared, lacking manpower, and in the case of the 35M, some 50 or more were under repair, awaiting necessary spare parts which would not be available until October 1940. As neither side was willing to enter a hastily prepared war, negotiations began to find a possible solution. Ultimately, at the end of August, Romania asked Germany to arbitrate the issue regarding the disputed territory. Hungary managed to get the northern part of Transylvania. While moving its army to the new borders, many vehicles broke down, either due to mechanical breakdowns or due to poor roads.

Fast tanks from the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion somewhere in Transylvania. Source: http://www.kagero.pl

Yugoslavia 1941

Hungary joined the Germans during the short war against Yugoslavia in April 1941. While the German attack began on the 6th, the Hungarians launched their own attack five days later. For this operation, the Hungarian Army mobilized its Fast Corp (Gyorshadtest), which consisted of the 1st and 2nd Motorized Brigades, together with the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. The 2nd Cavalry Brigade had three 35M companies, with 18 vehicles each. One 35M Company participated in engaging Yugoslavian defensive bunkers at Subotica. Besides that, they saw limited combat service. The whole Axis invasion ended on the 17th with the capitulation of Yugoslavia.

In the Soviet Union 1941

Initially, the Hungarians did not intend to wage war against the Soviets. But, on 26th June 1941, a group of Soviet bombers hit the town of Kassa. After this, the Hungarians retaliated with their own bombing raids toward Ukraine, at which point both countries were effectively at war. For this war, the Hungarians allocated an army formation named the Carpathian Group. It consisted of the VIII Corps and the Fast Corps. The Fast Corps was under the command of Major General Bela Miklos. It consisted of the 1st Cavalry Brigade and the 1st and 2nd Motorised Rifle Brigades. It was additionally reinforced with 3 artillery battalions, two bicycle battalions, signal and engineers battalions. The Hungarian combat operations were to start at the end of June, as there was too little time for proper mobilization. These units were understrength.

The 35Ms were allocated to the 1st Cavalry Armored Battalion, which had 36 such vehicles. These were divided into two companies (each with 18 vehicles), which were further divided into three six-vehicle strong platoons. Additionally, the 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Bicycle Battalions each had a 35M platoon with 6 vehicles. In total, some 60 35M fast tanks were allocated for this invasion.
The Hungarians began combat operations on 30th June 1941. While the Soviet forces were already retreating, the Hungarians had trouble following them. The Soviets sabotaged or simply destroyed much of the infrastructure, which slowed the Hungarian advance. Additionally, the Hungarians were plagued by the poor mechanical reliability of their trucks, which were mostly civilian vehicles pressed into service.

On 9th July, the Carpathian Group was divided into two groups. While the VIII Corps was to remain in the rear to protect the supply lines, the Fast Corps was allocated to the German Army Group South. During their advance, the long drives and poor roads caused many mechanical breakdowns of the 35M fast tanks. On 17th July, some 30 35Ms were in desperate need of repair. The situation was so bad that the Hungarian Army had to organize additional civilian mechanics and move them to the front.

The 1st Cavalry Armored Battalion received orders to support the 2nd Motorised Rifle Brigade’s attack on the Soviet positions near Tulchin. On 27th July 1941, the Armored Battalion participated in the poorly organized Hungarian attack, which led to heavy losses. As the Armored Battalion was about to advance against the Soviet line at Gordievka, the unit’s Commander advised against such an attack, given the poor state of the surrounding ground. He was berated by his superiors and urged to begin the attack. The Armored Battalion commander allegedly replied, “Order confirmed. We are going to die”.

A 35M company began its attack on Gordievka, but due to bad road conditions, many vehicles were bogged down and unable to move. Those that were unable to move were simply shelled by the Soviet artillery. Some 35Ms had engine stalling problems, which forced their drivers to manually restart their engines. But to do so, they had to get out of the vehicle, which made them easy targets and many were killed. In this failed attack, the 1st Cavalry Armored Battalion lost 12 vehicles with their crews, including two platoon commanders. Only one platoon escaped destruction, as its commander ordered a retreat after seeing the carnage. The second 35M company also suffered losses and had only 6 operational fast tanks left.

An advancing column of 35Ms, possibly somewhere in the Soviet Union. Source: Huns on wheels

This battle alone marked the end of large-scale 35M participation on this front. To somewhat reinforce the depleted units, a group of 5 fast tanks, 14 Toldi tanks, and 9 Csaba armored cars were sent from Hungary on 27th July, but these actually arrived on 7th October.

On 6th November, the Fast Corps received orders to pull back to Hungary. Nearly all the 35Ms were lost in combat. Given their poor performance, the available fast tanks were relocated to secondary roles.

This vehicle is poorly camouflaged using hay. Source: Huns on Wheels

During the invasion of the Soviet Union, the 35M were hopelessly outdated, with limited combat value. Given that the Hungarians lacked proper armored vehicles, something was better than nothing. Source: Magyar páncél

Back to Hungary

The Hungarian 1941 campaign in the East showed without any doubt that the 35Ms were obsolete as fighting vehicles. In 1942, the surviving 35Ms were removed from frontline service and allocated to Police and Gendarmerie forces. The Police forces received 10 35Ms and a few Csaba armored cars in 1942. The main armament of the 35M was replaced with a single 31M machine gun. These were mainly used for the security of Budapest. The fate of these vehicles is not clear in the sources, but probably lost in the defense of Budapest by the war’s end.

In 1942, the Hungarians formed a Gendarmerie Battalion located at Galanta. The main purpose of this unit was to act as an anti-riot and possibly even in anti-partisan operations in Hungary. For this reason, it was supplied with 12 35M fast tanks. These were, in desperation, used against the Soviet forces during the Battle for Budapest in 1944/45.

A parade of the Gendarmerie Battalion’s 35M tankettes during the Siege of Budapest in 1944. Source: justacarguy.blogspot.com

While of limited combat value, it is likely that the 35M were simply abandoned in the face of overwhelming Soviet Armored forces. Source: Huns on wheels

35M Croatian service

The Independent State of Croatia was unable to acquire more armored vehicles (except a smaller number of Panzer Is and tank turrets which were mounted on trains) from Germany, despite being their puppet state. They instead turned to Hungary. In October 1942, a Croatian military delegation was sent to Hungary with the aim of reaching an agreement on the purchase of any available armored vehicle. The negotiations were successful and the Hungarians agreed to sell 10 (or up to 15) 35M fast tanks, including some 500,000 rounds of spare ammunition. In early November, these vehicles were handed over to Croatia, which used them (together with other Italian CV fast tanks) against the Partisan forces in Yugoslavia.

35M in Croatian service Source: B. B. Dumitrijević and D. Savić, Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu

Surviving vehicles

There are a few surviving 35M fast tanks today. One can be seen at the Belgrade Military Museum. While it is not completely clear, this vehicle may have been one of 10 sold to Croatia by the Hungarians. The second vehicle (H-153) is now located in the Russian museum at Kubinka. It was captured by the advancing Soviet forces at the Piliscsaba Hungarian military base.

The 35M at the Belgrade Military Museum. Source: Wiki

The second vehicle is located in Kubinka in Russia. This vehicle actually has the commander’s cupola. Source: Wiki

Conclusion

During the mid-1930s, the Hungarian Army, due to a lack of better available vehicles, purchased over 100 Italian light fast tanks. Unfortunately for them, these were fairly obsolete as fighting vehicles even before the start of the war, as they lacked a turret, sufficient armor protection, and were weakly armed. These fast tanks helped with crew training and saw limited combat service in the pre-war skirmishes with Hungary’s neighbors. By 1941, when these were used against an enemy like the Soviet Union, which had plenty of tanks and anti-tank guns, the 35M was quickly shown to be completely useless in such a situation. It was not a surprise that the Hungarians relocated the surviving vehicles to secondary roles after 1941.

Hungarian 35M fast tank

35M from the Gendarmerie Battalion

Some 45 35M were equipped with a domestically developed and built commander’s cupola

35M specifications
Dimensions (L-w-h)	3.15 x 1.5 x 1.3 m
Total weight, battle-ready	3.2 tonnes
Crew	2 (Commander/Gunner, Driver.)
Propulsion	SPA CV3-005 43 hp @ 2,400 rpm
Speed (off road)	42 km/h, 15 km/h
Range	150 km
Armament	Two 8 mm Gebauer 34AM
Armor	6-15 mm
Number Operated	60 to 150

Source

D. Nešić, (2008) Naoružanje Drugog Svetsko Rata-Italija, Beograd.
F. Cappellano and P. P. Battistelli (2012) Italian light tanks 1919-45, New vanguard
S. J. Zaloga (2013) Tanks of the Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-45, New vanguard
C. Bescze (2007) Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II, STRATUS.
L. Ness (2002) World War II Tanks, HarperCollins Publishers
P. Chamberlain and C. Ellis (1977) Axis Combat Vehicles, Arco Publishing Company
B. Adam, E. Miklos, S. Gyula (2006) A Magyar Királyi Honvédség külföldi gyártású páncélos harcjárművei 1920-1945, Petit Real
N. Thomas and L. P. Szabo (2010) The Royal Hungarian Army in World War II, Osprey.
A. T. Jones (2013) Armored Warfare and Hitler’s Allies 1941-1945, Pen and Sword
Bojan B. Dumitrijević and Dragan Savić (2011) Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu,, Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd
P. Mujzer (2018) Operational History Of The Hungarian Armored Forces in World War II, Kagero
P. Mujzer (2017) Hungarian Armored Forces in World War II, Kagero

Kingdom of Denmark (1928-1929) Light Tank – 1 Purchased

The FIAT 3000

Renewed Interest

Tests in Italy

Military Testing in Rome

Recommendations

Contact with the Netherlands

Choice for the FIAT 3000

Changed Armament

Disappointments

1932

Conclusion

FIAT 3000 Specifications

Sources

German Reich (1943-1945) Medium Armored Car – ~200 Operated

Italy in Turmoil

Design

German Operational Use

Initial German Deployment

Infanterie-Divisions

Jäger-Divisions

Fallschirmjäger-Divisions

4. Fallschirmjäger-Division

Armored Units

Panzer Abteilung zur besonderen Verwendung 12

Polizei Units

Polizei Regiment ‘Bozen’

Waffen-SS

Other Units

Luftwaffen-Sicherungs-Regiment ‘Italien’

Organisation Todt

Camouflage, Markings, and Modifications

Conclusion

AB41 specifications

Sources

German Reich (1943-1945) Self-Propelled Assault Gun – 123 Captured and 55 Built

The Italian Semoventi da 75/18

After the Armistice

Evaluation by the Germans

German Production

German Organization

German Service

German Service in Italy

71. Infanterie Division

65. Infanterie Division

278. Infanterie Division

German Assessment of the Beute Sturmgeschütz mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i) in Italy

German Service in Yugoslavia

In Yugoslav Partisan Hands

Conclusion

Beute Sturmgeschütz M41 mit 7.5 cm KwK L/18 850(i) Technical Specification

Sources

United Kingdom/United States of America (1941-1943) Medium Armored Car – Unknown Number in Allied Service

Italian Vehicles in Allied Service

Design

Allied Operational Use

The British School of Tank Technology Report

Recognition Pictorial Manual on Armored Vehicles – Italy

Conclusion

Autoblinda AB41 Specification

Sources

Yugoslav Partisans (1943) Light Reconnaissance Tank – Unknown Number Operated

The Carro Armato L6/40

Axis invasion of the Balkans

L6 tanks In Yugoslavia

In Communist Partisan Hands

L6 Tanks after the War

Conclusion

Carro Armato L6/40 in Yugoslav Partisan Service specifications

Sources

Yugoslav Partisans/Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1943-1953) Medium Armored Car – At Least 40+ Operated

The Italian AB41

Axis Invasion of the Balkans

Autoblinda AB41 in Yugoslavia

In Communist Partisan Hands

After the War

Conclusion

AB41 specifications

Sources

Czechoslovakia (1918-1935) Armored Car – 2 Received

Kingdom of Denmark (1928-1929)
Light Tank – 1 Purchased

German Reich (1943-1945)
Medium Armored Car – ~200 Operated

German Reich (1943-1945)
Self-Propelled Assault Gun – 123 Captured and 55 Built

United Kingdom/United States of America (1941-1943)
Medium Armored Car – Unknown Number in Allied Service

Yugoslav Partisans (1943)
Light Reconnaissance Tank – Unknown Number Operated

Yugoslav Partisans/Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1943-1953)
Medium Armored Car – At Least 40+ Operated

Czechoslovakia (1918-1935)
Armored Car – 2 Received

Independent State of Croatia/Slovene Home Guard (1942-1945)
Self-Propelled Gun – Unknown Number Operated

Yugoslav Partisans (1943-1945)
Self-Propelled Gun – Unknown Number Operated

Kingdom of Hungary (1935-1945)
Fast Tank – 60-150 Used