Thursday 16 July 2015

Italian L3/35 Platoon

In 1929 the Italian Army bought several Carden Loyd Mark VI tankettes and these formed the basis for the development of a new breed of Italian army vehicles designated as Carro Veloce (Fast Tanks). The CV29 was the first but was quickly upgraded and improved leading in 1935 to the CV35. By 1938 these vehicles had been re-designated as Leggero (light) tanks. The CV35 (now known as the L3/35) had bolted rather than riveted armour and carried twin 8mm Machine Guns and a two man crew. The main weakness of the CV35 was its armour, a mere 6 to 12 mm (0.24-0.47 in) and really only protection against light weapons. 

My L3/35 Tank Platoon

Despite a less than illustrious military career L3's saw service almost everywhere the Italians fought in World War II, including North Africa. In 1940 when Italy invaded Egypt from Libya they had 324 tankettes in its seven tank battalions but they were no match for British Matilda's and many were lost during General O'Conners offencive culminating at Sidi Barrani. Despite being hopelessly outdated the L3/35 continued to serve in the Italian Army for the rest of the war. While their equipment left a lot to be desired the bravery of the Italians who rode to war in these tiny vehicles cannot be doubted.

The L3/35 was a tiny vehicle with barely enough space inside to accommodate the two man crew

Close-up of the L3/35's. 

11 comments:

  1. They look fantastic, wonderful additions...and once again can't believe they are 6mm!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Phil. GHQ mini's are amazingly detailed and the castings are always crisp and clean making them a joy to paint.

      Delete
    2. +1 on the GHQ models, way ahead of any of the other manufacturers in this scale... for a decent read on the Italian tank experience in WWII I would very much recommend "Iron Hulls, Iron Hearts".. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-Hulls-Hearts-Mussolinis-Divisions/dp/1861268394

      Delete
    3. I'll have a look at that. I have a lot of respect for the bravery of the Italian tank men.

      Delete
  2. Incidentally, I reverted to using Winsor & Newton Ink rather than Quickshade on these. The shadows are darker and the highlighted areas are not as 'dirty'. The models still need a second highlight and retouch after the wash but I think the increased contrast works better on 6mm models....I'm writing a post for later in the week on this very subject.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You've packed an amazing amount of detail into those Lee.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Not a good tank, but a GREAT addition to your forces. And they should be quite a match for the SAS raiders!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And histrically accurate for the scenario I have in mind.

      Delete
  5. see :
    http://einealtekriegsspiel.blogspot.com.ar/

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment. I always try to reply as soon as I can, so why not pop back later and continue the conversation. In the meantime, keep rolling high!