Autocannone da 20/70 su Alfa Romeo T.800RE.

ImportantSimone5 · May 10, 2025, 3:16pm

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Autocannone da 20/70 su Alfa Romeo T.800RE.

History.

Like many Italian heavy military trucks, the Alfa Romeo Tipo 800RE was born in the early 1940s out of an Italian need for a series of unified heavy transport trucks with most elements similar and/or interchangeable. Alfa Romeo responded to the request with a truck named the Tipo 800RE, which was immediately incorporated into the ranks of the Regio Esercito as a miscellaneous transport vehicle (either men or artillery or logistics). This truck quickly became known among Italian motorized units and was used on almost every war front where the Italians fought, and the truck was also used by other agencies such as the Regia Marina and the Wehrmacht for their various needs.
Before the armistice, the Regia Marina decided to create a number of autocannons for coastal defense with various trucks and various calibers given the enormous risk taken in case of attack by Anglo-American bombers. One of these (Regia Marina vehicle judged by crew uniforms) turns out to be photographed in Sicily and consists of an Alfa Romeo T.800RE (recognisable by the presence of 6 tailgates in the body, as opposed to the 4 in the previous 430RE [military version] truck, and by the lenght) truck and a 20 mm cannon of Scotti production; as can be seen, albeit slightly, from the photograph, the vehicle was armed to defend its trailer and the load on it… Unfortunately, it is not known what happened to the vehicle and no other photographs of the vehicle have been found so it is likely possible that it was destroyed during an Anglo-American bombing raid on the Italian peninsula or during the fighting in the period including the landing in Sicily and the armistice of September 8, 1943.

Armaments and propulsion.

As mentioned earlier, the vehicle was armed with a 20-mm Scotti-Isotta Fraschini Model 1941 cannon: the weapon was placed on a pedestal mount that allowed a 360-degree range and elevation between -10° and +90° degrees. The weapon could be loaded with 12-round slab magazines, and this, together with the large number of servants, allowed for good firing celerity and ease in replacing empty slab magazines. It is not known precisely, but from the documentation available it appears that the vehicle was very well stocked with antiaircraft ammunition.
As an engine, the truck was powered by a 6-cylinder diesel engine with 108 hp of power. This engine allowed the truck to reach a top speed of nearly 50 km/h.

Specifications.

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Crew: 7
Maximum weight: 6,500 kg
Length: 6,84 m
Width: 2.35 m
Height: 2,90 m (0° lift gun)
Engine: 6-cylinder diesel (108 hp)
Maximum speed: 48 km/h
Armament: 1x Scotti-Isotta Fraschini Mod. 1941

Pictures and drawnings.

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