[Would you like to see this in-game?]
Afghan camo for the L3/33 CC.
History.
The CV 33 (later renamed L3/33) was an Italian light tank developed between the two world wars as an improved copy of the English Carden-Loyd Mk VI tankette. Among the over two thousand examples produced in various versions (L35, L38 and various minor variants), a small batch of unknown number was sent between 1937 and '39 to the then Kingdom of Afghanistan, now the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Some of these vehicles were lost over time, but two examples were found and refurbished. One in particular was fixed, an L3/35, which was repainted in the early 2000s and placed on a pedestal in Kabul. The vehicle was repainted with a particular and bright mustard color mixed with light blue and green, and was armed (probably for display reasons) with two 7.62 mm PK machine guns. Not much is known about the vehicle, but it is likely that it was found in an abandoned warehouse and it was decided to refurbish it to display it as a propaganda vehicle. It is currently unknown whether the vehicle is still present in the place where it was photographed in 2004.
The camouflage.
The vehicle is painted with a particular color. The cogwheels are a simple white color, while the vehicle itself is painted with a mustard color mixed with two colors of green and one of blue.
Pictures.
Spoiler
Sources.
Spoiler
foto carri storici
CV33 - Wikipedia
L3/33 - Wikipedia
Regio Esercito - Lista materiale bellico - Carro veloce L3-35
https://it.pinterest.com/pin/846817536162037931/
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+1
One other thing of note is that the L3 in question has it’s original 8mm replaced with a KPV-T HMG. There’s also some claims that the Afghans also mounted DShK’s on their L3’s. What i’m trying to say that it could be a separate vehicle entirely
About that, we aren’t sure if they was mounted (1) and we don’t know if they was mounted for use or for exposition (2).
Upgraded L3s? Now that’s scary, terrifying even
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Trying to get info on Afghan weapons and vehicles especially before the Soviet-Afghan war is difficult due to a lot of factors. What we do know that Afghanistan used their L3’s up until the late 1960’s, even using them against insurgents & dissenting tribals. Afghanistan also used both HMG’s even during the monarchist times even during when they still use their L3’s and their stock of 8mm rounds are running out in the late 1940’s.
I know that a couple of Afghan L3’s were converted into training vehicles but it didn’t consists of all of them. Afghanistan during that time period didn’t have the luxury to get new tanks of any kind for the longest time. It also applied to aircraft where the Kingdom literally went from Biplanes to Jet aircraft, completely skipping props.
I’m not saying that it isn’t a fake just for display purposes since that is a possibility and the Afghans did have a precedent for doing this like giving their FT-17’s longer barrels for display purposes only. I’m just saying that proving or disproving it is quite tricky
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Cool paint job would be great for a loot box or as a unlockable
Anyway WW2 tanks provided with post war camo is sometimes funny
Someone in Thailand had to much time
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Afghanistan has always had a strange history concerning military equipment it does not help there landlocked (if your neighbors don’t want you to get something and you need it though there boarder its not happening an example of this type of theft was China might have stole some mig 21s being shipped to Vietnam export version)
Overall even today with the recent changes in Afghanistan with all the USA equipment that was captured from the old government getting modified with everything in between.
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