FIAT CV35 Breda "Trubia"/II° Tipo, big weapon for a small tank

ImportantSimone5 · December 25, 2023, 4:04am

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FIAT CV33/35 Breda “Trubia”/II° Tipo

History.

It was 1936. The Spanish civil war was underway and the Italian-German-Spanish Tascist armored troops were in difficulty. In 1937 the Italians and the Spanish decided to modify an L3/35 by replacing the twin machine guns with a Breda 20/65 Mod.35 anti-aircraft gun, and the Germans, to compete with the Italian-Spanish project, decided to modify a Panzer I by mounting the same weapon on it. As soon as both tanks were modified, they were delivered to the Raggruppamento Carristi of the Regio Esercito and both were tested. The L3 hull project demonstrated some critical issues including less visibility for the gunner and an unbalance due to the weight of the weapon and was outclassed in almost everything by the Panzer I, which also had the advantage of having a 360° rotating turret. Due to this, the previously placed order for 45 modified L3/35s was canceled and the vehicle was probably scrapped.

Armaments and propulsion.

The tank was armed with a Breda 20/65 Model 1935 anti-aircraft (and anti-tank) gun with an 8-round plate magazine (in battery the cannon has a 12-round magazine which however was reduced in the turret for space reasons). The cannon had a maximum rate of 500 shots per minute, an elevation of 0°/+45° (there are no certain data) and a traverse of a few degrees. The number of magazines present in the tank is unknown, but probably the same number or less than those present in the classic L3/33 CC. In terms of propulsion, the tank was equipped with a Fiat 4-cylinder 2746 cc petrol engine with 43 HP of power, which allowed the vehicle to reach a maximum speed of 38 km/h (also considering the much heavier equipment compared to the basic tanks).

Specifications.

Spoiler

Length: 3.17m
Width: 1.30m
Height: 1.40m
Weight: 3.3 tons
Crew: 2
Armament: 1x 20mm Breda 20/65 Model 35
Maximum armor: 14 mm
Max Speed: 38 km/h

Pictures and drawnings.

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