Italian Light Tanks - 1919–45

By November 1918, only one Italian training unit equipped with French Schneider and Renault tanks had been formed. Consequently, during the 1920s the Italian army had just one single tank type in its armoured inventory – the Fiat 3000. Only in 1927 was the first tank unit formed as a branch of the infantry and not as an independent organization. Pier Paolo Battistelli and Filippo Cappellano explore the development of these tanks. Between 1933 and March 1939, a further 2,724 CV 33 / L 3 tanks were built, 1,216 of which were exported all over the world. By the time Italy entered the war in June 1940, the army had 1,284 light tanks, 855 of which were in combat units, including three armoured divisions. Featuring detailed illustrations, this compact guide covers all of these types, including variants of the CV 33 / L 3 tanks that included flame-throwers, bridge-layers, recovery vehicles, and a radio command tank.