- Yes
- No
Development history
The story of the Fiat tipo Libia (originally known as the Fiat-Terni Tripoli) began in 1918, when the Odero-Terni-Orlando company, not stopped by the fact that the Italian army already had many units of Lancia 1Z and 1ZM armoured cars, decided to design and construct its own armoured car prototype.
As OTO was only experienced in making armored bodies, the design was based on an existing automotive chassis - Fiat 15 ter light military truck.
The restrictions posed by the chassis used resulted in a very compact and light vehicle, over 2 times lighter than the Lancia 1Z while also being more agile and reliable.
The armoured body fitted on the chassis was composed of curved 6 mm steel plates, forming a combination of 2 cylinders - one at the front, housing the engine, and a vertical one in the middle, containing the driving and fighting compartment, on which the turret was mounted on.
The turret was of conical shape, and it housed 2 men, responsible for the action of a Fiat-Revelli Mod. 1914 6.5 × 52 mm machine-gun.
The design in its original form served the Italian army until 1931. It took up colonial police tasks and patrols against possible insurgency, until it became clear that the vehicle is obsolete and there are modern and capable vehicles to fullfill these tasks.
1940 modernisation
Plans to dispose of obsolete vehicles like the Fiat Libia were axed at the beginning of the Second World War, as the colonial forces of the Italian Royal Army faced a shortage of motorized vehicles, and any available vehicle was deemed useful.
Transforming the remaining 6–8 units of the Fiat Libia into combat-ready vehicles was no easy task.
While their bodies were still adequate and well preserved, the armament was too weak and the chassis was outdated and completely worn out.
To get rid of these shortcomings, the outdated main armament was replaced by a 12.7 mm Breda-Safat taken out of outdated aircraft, and the roof was cut out to allow anti-aircraft fire.
The bodies were stripped of their chassis, and mounted on more modern Fiat SPA 38R Coloniale chassis.
The new chassis improved mobility & off-road capabilities of the vehicles, while the new machine-gun and cut off roof made anti-aircraft action possible.
The upgraded type took part in the North African campaign against British forces. All were lost during the initial months of the campaign.
Service history
The 6-8 upgraded Fiat Libia vehicles were assigned to the Babini Special Tank Brigade. Within the brigade, they were intended to serve in an air defense role for tank units, a task facilitated by their heavy machine gun and open turret.
These vehicles saw action against British forces during the Graziani offensive in September 1940 but did not survive the British counter-offensive in December 1940 (Operation Compass). The last two armored vehicles were towed by Italian troops during their retreat from Cyrenaica and repurposed as anti-aircraft positions. However, they were ultimately abandoned, along with other equipment, in Benghazi when the Babini group was nearly wiped out. In this condition, they fell into British hands.
Technical specifications
General dimensions and weight
- Length - 5,63 m
- Width - 1,82 m
- Heigth - 1,75 m
- Weight - 2 t
- Crew - 4
Chassis and powertrain
- Suspension - four semi-elliptical leaf springs
- Drivetrain - rear-wheel drive, with only the front wheels steering. 4 forward gears, 1 backwards
- Tires - hollow-rim wheels, twinned on the rear axle, mounted 32×6” tube tires for 20×5” rims
- Engine - Fiat 18T 4-stroke, 4-cylinder, 4053 cm^3, petrol engine, generating 55 horsepower
- Mobility - 55 km/h max speed, ~27,5 hp/t
Protection and armament
- Body armour - 6 mm all-around
- Turret armour - 6 mm, no roof
- Primary armament - 12.7 mm Breda-Safat machine-gun
Why I’m proposing it?
Other than looking very unusual and cool, I think it’d be decent in the AA role at BR 1.0. It would also be the only Italian AA platform until the M42 contraaereo to feature any kind of armour, making it more durable against strafing aircraft at low tier.
Photos and drawings
Real life photos
Technical drawings
Camouflages
Sources
Fiat Terni/Tripoli - WARCARS.NET
Fiat-Terni armoured car
Fiat-Terni Tripoli - Wikipedia
FIAT SPA 38R (1933)
Armored car FIAT Terni Tripoli (Italy)