[david]

I know they used the 20mm Solothurn in the L3, but did they ever use the 20mm Breda L/65 model 35?

[Dili]

No. There was even a prototype or tentative before war but for some reason i don't remember it didn't went further. Maybe because space and feed system.

[david]

Thanks

[david]

Does anyone know what proportion of the tankettes eventually replaced the twin 8mm MGs with the 20mm Solothurn?

[arturolorioli]

david, on 12 February 2012 - 02:25 PM, said:

Does anyone know what proportion of the tankettes eventually replaced the twin 8mm MGs with the 20mm Solothurn?

Very few. AFAIK there were:
* One platoon in each coy of the XXI "L" Tanks bn
* An unknown (but limited) number of tanks of the IV and (maybe) LXI bns (possibly as little as 2 each).

[david]

That's very few indeed!

[arturolorioli]

david, on 12 February 2012 - 05:38 PM, said:

That's very few indeed!

Yes. Possibly there were a few others, as there is at least one picture of a remarkably "off-regulation" mount, that is definitiviely not one of the tankettes listed above. But there were precious few Solothourn in North Africa to start with, and it was rather clear that they were much more needed (and usefull!) for the infantry battalions. An L3/20mm would have been somehow usefull against the CW armoured cars or light tanks, and little else. Actually the XXI had been upgraded just for this mission, to avoid another disaster as the one of the D'Avanzo column at Bir Girba (june 16th 1940). But that was probably more than enough,

[inhocsignovinces]

Maybe this is the prototype

http://mailer.fsu.ed...lingDLowery.jpg

[arturolorioli]

inhocsignovinces, on 18 February 2012 - 06:16 PM, said:

Maybe this is the prototype

This is the picture of the single CV.35 field-modified by the Raggruppamento Carristi workshop with the Breda 20/65 AA guns during the Spanish Civil War (late 1937, early 1938). It was an utter failure, as the 200+kgs of the weapon, mount and ammos unbalanced the tankette, the size reduced the visibility for the driver, and the already crampy space for the gunner was further reduced.

To avoid this problems most of the L3 modified in North Africa had a Solothurn ATR mounted in central position, but a few had different mounts.

[madmike]

a note of the November 2, 1940, about the 'Brigata Corazzata Speciale', says that the Btg carri L have 16 Solothurn (2 each on the 7 L tank Btg, 2 to the motorcycle company. The lt. Branduardi says that the XXI BTG carri L, have the 1st and 2nd company with Solothurn tanks, and the 3rd company Brixia mortars. He says that 8 tanks in Btg have improved armament (12,7 Breda Safat, 20mm Solothurn).

Other 12,7 were mounted, from december, 2, at the Direzione di Artiglieria in Bengasi, on some modified L3, with the direction of men from LXI btg.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

all info and pictures from the article by Nicola Pignato 'Carr L3 n AS' , FROM Storia Militare, august 2010.

[david]

Thanks Mike.

[david]

There is a photo of an L3 Solothurn, which is described as being "Bardia 1941".

Can anyone work out from that, which Battaglione the tankette must have come from?

[madmike]

which photo?

[david]

I've seen it on the Australian War memorial site.

[madmike]

without the photo, any identification is quite impossible.

[david]

Not necessarily, the three Battaglione at Bardia when it fell in 1941 were I believe, XX, LXI & LXII.
XX used Solothurn armed L3, but did either of the others?

See here http://www.awm.gov.a...on/item/008413/

[madmike]

i think that in the discussion Arturo and me have indicated the BTG that have had the solothurn armed L3. So, without pictures the identification became impossible.

[david]

Thanks.

Any luck with the picture?

[madmike]

Near Berdia we could find the LXI or LX Btg, of the Colonna Babini (the LX was indicated by Montanari, Le operazioni in A.S. - Sidi el barrani) or the LXII Btg of the Marmarica Division, destroyed near Bardia too.