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History.
The Fiat 626 Unified Truck was an Italian three ton medium truck manufactured by Fiat in the late 1930s. The truck was produced in various versions (standardized according to the law issued by the Ministry of War) and was used by all the Italian Armed Forces and also by foreign armies. This truck was widely used in all Italian theaters of war, and sometimes, to make up for the lack of armored vehicles, these trucks were armed with cannons present on site. In North Africa many vehicles, including at least two Fiat 626s, were armed with a Breda 20/65 Mod.1935 cannon placed in the truck bed. By doing so, an autocannon was created with an armament powerful enough to be able to defend allied convoys from air attacks and also allowed a certain amount of firepower against any light armored vehicles or against the infantry themselves. One of these improvised autocannons was also equipped with a Breda Mod.30 6.5 mm caliber machine gun on the cab roof for additional protection against enemy infantry.
Armaments and propulsion.
The truck was armed with a Breda 20/65 Model 1935 multi-purpose anti-aircraft-anti-tank gun. The gun in question had an elevation of 0°/+80°. Due to the non-folding sides of the body, the cannon was very lacking in depression, even if due to the weight of the truck it was not affected by the recoil of the weapon. The cannon was operated by a gunner, who was assisted by two/three men. Furthermore, one example of this vehicle was equipped with a Breda Model 1930 light machine gun in 6.5 mm caliber (the same caliber as the Carcano 1891-1941 rifle), which provided light anti-infantry protection. The number of magazines present for the on-board weapons is not indicated, but estimates can be made of around ten magazines for the Breda 30 and over 30 for the Breda 20/65 Mod.35.
The truck was powered by a 70 hp Fiat 326 diesel engine, which allowed the truck to reach a maximum speed of approximately 60 km/h.
Specifications.
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Crew: 7-8 (6 without the machine gunner with the Breda 30)
Dimensions: 6.2 x 2.18 x 2.6 m
Propulsion: 5.75 liter FIAT Model 326 6 cylinder inline diesel engine producing 70hp at 2200rpm
Maximum speed: 60 km/h
Mass: 3.5 tons fully loaded
Suspension: 4x2
Pictures and drawnings.
Sources.
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LA MECCANIZZAZIONE DELL'ESERCITO FINO AL 1943 tomo II -parte 2 by Biblioteca Militare - Issuu
Breda 20/65 Mod. 1935 - Wikipedia
Fiat 626 - Wikipedia
Fiat & SPA Trucks
Armi e mezzi in dotazione all'esercito italiano - 1955 : Ministero della difesa italiano - 1955 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Autocarro FIAT 626 - Tank Encyclopedia