102/35 su Fiat 634N
The '102/35 on Fiat 634N' was a anti aircraft truck used by the Regia Marina during the second world war.
| 102/35 on Fiat 634N | |
|---|---|
 102/35 on Fiat 634N damaged and abandoned, captured by Britain | |
| Type | Anti aircraft truck |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1941-1942 |
| Wars | Second World War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Fiat |
| Produced | 1941 |
| No. built | 7 units |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 6.2 t |
| Length | 7.6 m |
| Width | 2.3 m |
| Height | 3.25 m |
| Crew | 8 |
| Caliber | 102mm |
| Elevation | 90 |
| Traverse | 360 |
| Engine | Fiat 355C with 6 cylinders inline, 8355 cm³ 80 hp @ 1900rpm |
| Power/weight | 12.9 hp/t |
| Transmission | 4x2 |
| Fuel capacity | 150 L |
Operational range | 420 km |
| Maximum speed | 41 km/h |
History
The 102/35 on SPA 9000, produced since 1914 and used during the Great War, was the first Italian autocannone, obtained from the installation on a truck of a cannon anti-aircraft of navy, designed for boarding cruisers. After the end of the First World War, the batteries were all removed and the pieces were returned to Regia Marina [1]. In 1941 the Fiat Tripoli plant set up seven autocannons on the chassis of the Fiat 634 N for the Royal Navy, using cannons 102/35 S.A. (Schneider Ansaldo) taken from the defenses of Benghazi. With these means two mobile batteries were created, the 1st and 6th, served by personnel of the Maritime Artillery Militia of the MVSN, integrated with some old naval cannons from 76/30 always installed on the 634N. The 1st Battery and a section of the 6th were joined to the 132nd Armored Division "Aries".[2] The participation of the Militia in the campaign in North Africa 1940-1943, while section B of the 6th was aggregated to the 102nd Motorized Division "Trento".
In the last months of 1941 they participated in several fights; on November 19 it intervened during the first battle of Bir el Gobi, destroying at least 15 British tanks from a long distance. All 102/35 trucks were lost due to damage by the end of the same year. In addition to the counter-tank actions, served by the fire stations, they carried out long-range cannonades and anti-aircraft shots with good results. As an "emergency" project, the defects of this solution did not fail to emerge, such as the excessively high shape, the deterioration of the off-road performance of the truck and the tendency to wear of some mechanical parts. None of these means survived the North African campaign.
Technology
The cannon 102/35 Mod. 1914 was installed on the truck bed using two different types of carriage: the OTO Mod. 33 on the first two specimens and the carriage Vickers-Terni Mod. 25 on the others. The modifications on the vehicle, on the other hand, consisted in the "cutting" of the closed cabin, replaced by a bellows canvas cover, and in the installation of four manually operated jacks; the rear body was replaced by a shooting platform on which the carriage swung 360°; this platform expanded to battery placement through the 90 ° reduction of the two metal side rails, which thus increased the floor space for the servants. The latter are transported on uncovered benches located at the rear end of the platform, between the two reserves of ready-to-use shots.
References
- ^ Attilio Del Rosso, Ubicumque et semper , on Military History No. 187 (April 2009), p. 19
- ^ "The participation of the Militia in the campaign in North Africa 1940-1943".