- Yes
- Maybe
- No
History.
The Camionetta desertica modello 1943 was an Italian light vehicle built in 1943. Based on the knowledge and experience gained from the A.S.37 truck, Fiat-SPA was ordered to produce a new vehicle that was to equip the Saharan truck companies. The chassis was to be closely derived from that of the AS.37, and was to be the spiritual heir of the famous A.S.42 truck, although in the end it turned out to be a practically new vehicle compared to the previous truck. Development of the vehicle began in October 1942 and on 4 January 1943 the vehicle saw its actual birth with the completion of construction of the first prototype. At an unknown date one of the few vehicles produced was tested with the mounting of a 47 mm Model 1935 cannon (the mount for the gun was universal and could support both 47/32 and 20/65), but it seems that this vehicle remained the only one that actually used that armament.
Unfortunately, this example was probably destroyed in the period from the outbreak of civil war in Italy to the end of hostilities, but it is also possible that it survived and was used in state police departments and later scrapped.
Armaments and propulsion.
The vehicle had as its main armament the classic 47/32 Model 1935 cannon placed in a 360° rotating mount with an elevation of -10°/+64°. The weapon had a capacity of 160 rounds, 60 of which were in the four ammunition boxes on the ground and the others in the side lockers, 50 per side.
Theoretically, the vehicle could also be fitted with a Breda Model 1937 gooseneck machine gun, but there is no photographic evidence of the use of the secondary weapon even for this single example: for the machine gun there were usually 100 20-round magazines supplied, with a total of 2,000 rounds placed between the driver’s and commander’s seats and above the lockers.
As an engine, it was powered by a Variant 4, 4-cylinder SPA 18VT diesel engine, delivering 73 hp of power and capable of propelling the vehicle up to a top speed of 68 km/h on level ground.
Specifications.
Spoiler
Length: 4.82 m
Width: 2.06 m
Height: 2.2 m
Maximum weight: 5 tons
Crew: 4
Engine: SPA 18VT (Variant 4), 4-cylinder petrol engine (73 hp power)
Maximum range: 1.120 km
Maximum speed: 68 km/h
Armament: 1x 47/32 Mod. 35 (160 ammo) and 1x Breda Mod.37 (2,000 rounds)
Armour: 0-5 mm
Pictures and drawnings.
Sources.
Spoiler
Fiat-SPA AS43 - Wikipedia
“Storia Militare: Camionette Italiane 1924-45”
“Italian Truck-Mounted Artillery in Action”
“Light Trucks of the Italian Army in WWII”
Camionetta SPA-Viberti AS43 - Tank Encyclopedia
Regio Esercito
https://war-book.ru/broneavtomobil-as-43/