- Yes
- Maybe
- No
History.
In 1944, shortly after the armistice of 8 September 1943 and after the start of the Italian civil war, the Corpo delle Guardie di Pubblica Sicurezza was born, a police force established to maintain public order given the situation of Italy, from the ashes of the former Polizia dell’Africa Italiana. After the end of the war, due to the constant risk of a pro-communist coup d’état in the period 1945-1950, the British and US authorities allowed Italy to have some leeway for the Public Security Corps, not leaving organizational/instrumental limits, in contrast with the clauses of the Treaty of Paris. Therefore the police forces were also equipped with armored cars, tanks and heavy weapons (just to prevent any possible big problems). Over time the situation became very tense as the demonstrators or the police often resorted to violence, and it was therefore decided to create the Rapid Units. These units had the task of intervening promptly where there was a need for public order, or even in the event of an enemy invasion or after a natural disaster. Various departments were created that were busy with a bit of everything, but over time their activities gradually diminished as the Italian Army became more skilled and stronger.
Some armored Public Safety departments were equipped with Dodge WC-51 trucks modified with a Breda 20/65 Model 1939 cannon mounted on the truck bed to provide the vehicle with defense in the event of a firefight with demonstrators. Fortunately, these vehicles never directly saw a clash, but they were deployed several times in hot situations and were also used by the first Italian unit that entered Trieste after the re-cession of the city to Italy in 1954. The vehicle, called Autocannone da 20/65 on Dodge WC-51, it was the last cannon produced by the Italians and saw limited use and production and not much is known about it but it remains an interesting vehicle.
Armaments and propulsion.
The main gun of the autocannon was the Breda 20/65 Cannon-Mitragliera, mainly the Model 1939 version, but at least six vehicles in service in Padua were also equipped with the Model 1935 version. Its rate of fire was 220 rounds per minute and the weapon had an unknown ammo hold (but variable as crews often carried extra ammo). The carriage allowed the weapon to rotate 360° and had a depression of -10° and an elevation of +90° thanks to manual aiming. The weapon was loaded with 12-round slide magazines.
The vehicle was powered by a 3,772 cc L-head Chrysler T-214 inline 6-cylinder gasoline engine that produced 92 gross horsepower. It thus offered a maximum speed of 85 km/h and the 135 liter tank offered a road range of 440 km.
Specifications.
Spoiler
Lenght: 4.24
Widht: 2.11
Height: 2.5 m
Weight: 3 tons
Crew: 5
Engine: 1x T-214, 3,772 cm³, 76 HP at 3,200 rpm
Maximum speed: 85 km/h
Autonomy: 440 km
Armament: 1x Breda 20/65 Model 1935 or Model 1939
Pictures and drawnings.
Sources.