- Yes
- Maybe
- No
History.
The Char Schneider tank was one of the first tanks developed by France during the Great War. About two hundred examples were built and one of them, example No. 212, was given to the Italian authorities towards the end of the conflict along with another small series of vehicles, just over a dozen). The vehicle was evaluated in the Piave area and the vehicle did not turn out to be very high performing but nevertheless the Italian High Command engaged in some negotiations to obtain vehicles of the same type but there were no notable results.
After the negotiations ended, the vehicle was transferred to the departmental headquarters of the nascent Tank Regiment in Bologna and remained there for a long time. Between 1936 and 1937 the same vehicle, with military license plate “RE1053” and presumably still in working order, was photographed just outside Bologna by some soldiers of the Royal Army, and it can be seen from the only known photo that the vehicle had also been “personalized” with an inscription (probably serious) that well distinguished the vehicle from other similar examples.
The decal.
The inscription on the tank read “Sta qui” (“Stands here”) written in white capital letters. Probably this writing was done to prevent some tanker from moving the vehicle without prior order to avoid damage to the already fragile and poorly maintained vehicle.
Pictures and drawnings.
Spoiler
Sources.
Spoiler
Schneider CA and CD in Italian Service - Tank Encyclopedia
“Gli autoveicoli da combattimento dell’esercito italiano Volume I”