The AS-42 Sahariana model is here

Development :

The AS.42 “Sahariana” was the first real response from Italian industry to the need of troops fighting in North Africa for a light, well-armed, long-range vehicle capable of striking behind enemy lines, when the famous British and Commonwealth Long Range Desert Groups (LRDG), with their distinctive heavily-armed and unarmored long-range vehicles, were breaking far behind Axis lines, creating havoc in refilling bases or airfields. At the same time, their large-scale reconnaissance tasks were very valuable to Allied intelligence. Previously, the Italian army led by Mussolini had to make do with standard vehicles, such as the AS37 truck or the TL37 tractor , or even with vehicles taken from the enemy. The SPA-Viberti AS.42 was based on a project that SPA-Viberti had proposed a year before based on the chassis of the AB41 armored car, itself derived from the chassis of the FIAT-SPA TM40 medium artillery tractor. The AS42 “Sahariana’ was initially unarmed, however, under pressure from the Italian Royal Army’s high command, the vehicles received heavy armament. The SPA-Viberti AS42 was rapidly developed at the beginning of 1942. The prototype was presented to the army on July 9, 1942, passed all tests and was put into production in the SPA-Viberti factory in Turin as early as August 1942.

Design :

Basically, the chassis of the AB 41 was left untouched, but the hull was completely remodeled. The new vehicle, very flat, included a large central space accommodating the driving position and armament, which varied from one vehicle to another.The front was sloped and housed a massive spare roadwheel and pioneer tools. Two spades were attached to the left side of the front hood, and a pickaxe on the left rear side. The mudguards were remodeled and the front ones held the tripods for the machine guns. At the front of the mudguards, two jerry cans were kept on each side for the transport of drinking water, recognizable by the white crosses painted on the side. The mudguards at the back had toolboxes on top and two perforated metal plates used for unditching the vehicle if it got stuck in the sand. On the rear of the right mudguard was the muffler, while on the left mudguard was a plate with a stoplight. The central open compartment was strengthened by framing and was 3.2 m long and 1.75 m wide. Armor was 17 mm all around the chassis. Ground clearance was 0.35 m, with the ability to ford 0.7 m. The windshield had three bulletproof glass panels derived from glass made for aeronautical use. These were 12 mm thick, although their steel equivalent was significantly less. The windshield was equipped with rear-view mirrors and could be folded down. The AS42 was equipped with a tarpaulin. It provided cover from the elements from the top and the rear, but not from the sides of the Camionette. There was also a tarpaulin to cover the windshield and two smaller ones for the frontal lights. When not used, all the tarpaulins, including the folding rods that supported them, were rolled up and fastened with straps on the back of the fighting compartment. The total weight decreased from AB41’s 7.5 tonnes to 4 tonnes in an empty AS42. Fully battle-ready, with the primary armament fixed, full tanks and full ammunition load, the vehicle reached 6.5 tonnes. The traction was integral, but only the front wheels were steered (like on the original chassis of the FIAT-SPA TM40) and the rear driving position was removed. The tires used on the AS42 were produced by Pirelli in Milan, as were almost all the tires on Italian vehicles. The AS used the same tires as the AB armored cars series, the Pirelli “Libia” 9.75×24″ and “Libia Rinforzato” tires for use in the sandy soil of North Africa. The “Artiglio” 9×24″ and “Artiglio a Sezione Maggiorata” 11.25×24″ tires designed for use in Italy and Europe were later used in the Russian steppe. In 1942, new tires were studied for the new Camionette, which could also be used on AB series armored cars: Pirelli “Sigillo Verde” tires again for sandy soils and Pirelli “Raiflex” tires for use in Europe. It should be noted that due to the poor logistics of the Royal Italian Army and the almost non-existent logistics of the Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano (RSI, Eng National Republican Army), AB armored cars and Camionette used any tire available. It is therefore not rare to find AB41 or AB43 armored cars with “Raiflex” tires and AS42 with “Libia” tires. 20 jerrycans of 20 l each were carried, in two rows of 5 on each side, along with four water jerrycans on the front fenders, and others at the rear, supported by the sand ramps. The main fuel tank of 145 l allowed a range of 535 km, pushed to 1200 km with the 400 l of additional jerrycans. The rear compartment was globally unchanged. The engine was the ABM 2 FIAT-SPA, 6 cylinder petrol giving 88 hp. Automotive performance was greatly improved, with a maximum road speed of 84 km/h and up to 50 km/h offroad. The fuel tank was located above the engine, while the 3 liters oil tank was to the left of the engine. There were two water tanks above the engine compartment and one in the wooden bulkhead between the engine compartment and the combat compartment. The armor on the outside of this compartment was 5 mm. The engine cooling water was contained in a 32-liter tank above the engine in the front. The overall weight decreased by 2 tons, so that performances were largely improved. The large central open space, also reinforced, allowed the mounting of considerable armament, which could include a AA Breda 20 mm (0.79 in) autocannon modello 1935, Breda 13 mm (0.52 in) machine-guns, 20 mm (0.79 in) Solothurn S18/1000 gun or 8 mm (0.31 in) Breda model 37 machine-gun, sometimes in combination. Secondary armament consisted of Breda 38 or Breda 37 8×59 mm machine guns. Depending on the mission, one to three of these weapons could be mounted on supports positioned to the right of the driver and on the left and right sides of the rear part of the fighting compartment. On several Camionettas, the secondary armament consisted of captured British Vickers K machine guns. These were famously used on LRDG vehicles throughout the North African campaign. All the mounts for the main and secondary armament could be rotated 360°. Ammunition was left inside its boxes scattered in the combat compartment due to a lack of ammunition racks. For this reason, the quantity of ammunition could vary from mission to mission. In addition to the driver’s seat, the crew members that handled the weapons on board were seated on folding seats on either side of the fighting compartment (two on the right and one on the left). In some cases, the crew consisted of five or six members crammed into the little vehicle.

Operational use :

The presentation of the prototype took place on July 9, 1942. Production of the « Camionetta Desertica Mod.42 », another name for the AS42, began in the month ofAugust 1942, while the model will only be officially approved by the Italian army corps on December 1 , 1942.  From September to November 1942, the first batch of 14 vehicles was delivered to the Regio Esercito. This delay was caused by a bombing of the SPA-Viberti factory in Turin during the previous weeks which destroyed several AS42s. All in all, 100 units were produced out of the 140 ordered, around twenty (26 according to some sources) were sent to North Africa, where they fought until the end of the Tunisian campaign .

The “Sahariane” that arrived in North Africa were mainly assigned to the Auto-Avio-Sahariane companies (Italian-specific companies meant for close cooperation between aircraft and land vehicles of the army) of the Raggruppamento Sahariano AS « Mannerini » and from February 1943 to the 103° Compagnia arditi camionettisti of the I Battaglione speciale arditi of the 10° Reggimento Arditi.

On September 15, 1942, the 10° Reggimento Arditi was established, on the model of British commando units. divided into two battalions, each battalion was made up of three companies (paratroopers, swimmers, truck drivers).

– the first Battalion formed on May 15, 1942 on three companies, the 101st Company of Arditi Paratroopers , 102nd Company of Arditi Swimmers and 103rd Company of Arditi Camionettisti. In February 1943, The 103rd Arditi Camionettisti Company was sent to North Africa and aggregated to the Sahariane « Mannerini » Group.

– the second Battalion formed on August 11, 1942 on three companies, the 111st Company of Arditi Paratroopers , 112nd Company of Arditi Swimmers and 113rd Company of Arditi Camionettisti.

– the third Battalion formed on March 1, 1943 on three companies, the 121st Company of Arditi Paratroopers , 122nd Company of Arditi Swimmers and 123rd Company of Arditi Camionettisti.

– a fourth Battalion was formed in June 1943 made of paratroopers.

The three Arditi Camionettisti Companies were equipped with 24 Camionette AS42 each (for a total of 72 vehicles), each divided into four patrol groups.

In Africa, the low profile of the AS-42 allowed it to hide behind the dunes and wait for the enemy’s arrival without being seen. Its great range allowed it to pursue enemy forces for long periods and to fight LRDG teams effectively. They had a claimed kill ratio of 1:5, capturing dozens of British armed or transport vehicles. In 1943, LRDG command issued an order to attack only if there were no high numbers of Camionetta AS42 in the area. This meant the British needed aerial reconnaissance before attacking, which lowered the effectiveness of the LRDG. During the Tunisian Campaign, all the vehicles were lost in action along with the majority of the Arditi.

In Sicily, the 113rd Company distinguished itself against British troops at the Primosole Bridge.

On 8th September, the day of the armistice, the Companies were not involved in the action, but the various groups chose their fate independently. The 1st Battalion stationed in Sardinia joined the Allies and was renamed as the 9° Reparto d’Assalto. The 2nd Battalion joined the new Salò Republic founded by Benito Mussolini in northern Italy on 23rd September without vehicles, ending in the Division “San Marco”, fighting the rest of the war without vehicles as assault infantry.

After intense fighting against German troops in Rome between 8th and 10th September, the vehicles that were captured by the Italian Fascists and Germans went to equip an entire Company of Arditi that decided to join the Germans. This would be the “Gruppo Italiano Arditi Camionettisti” that served in the 2. Fallschirmjäger Division “Ramcke”. This unit fought on the Eastern Front from October 1943 until the summer of 1944 against the Red Army. The Camionette, meant for the Saharian desert, ended up fighting in the Russian frozen steppes, where temperatures reached -25° C. The company that fought with the “Ramcke” Division then retreated to Romania and finally to Germany in the spring of 1944. In June 1944, the Arditi were sent to Normandy to fight the Allies that had just disembarked. There, a group was captured by the Americans during the battle and the surrender of Brest, while other Arditi with their surviving AS42 fought in Belgium and Holland. They faced British soldiers in Arnhem during Operation Market Garden. After all these events, in the autumn of 1944, the survivors returned with their last AS42s to Italy and fought for the Salò Republic in the Republican National Army (Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano – ENR).

Of the other Battalions of the 10th Arditi, not much is known. They probably broke-up and each soldier or small group decided for themselves what they would do. Some joined the partisan resistance, others joined the Republic of Salò, others went to the co-belligerent Italian Army and others fled home to their families.

The Italian Police in Africa (Polizia dell’Africa Italiana – PAI), an Italian police corp used for the security of the Italian colonies, received some AS42 that were used for patrolling and security tasks in the Italian cities in 1943, after the loss of all the Italian colonies. After the fall of the Royal Italian Army, the PAI was equipped with 15 AS42 of different versions coming from the Battaglione D’assalto Motorizzato of the Royal Italian Army. The PAI was then tasked with public safety duties. On 23 March 1943, some of these AS42 trucks, with elements of the “Barbarigo” Battalion of the Xª Flottilla MAS, were involved in patrols after the partisan attack on Via Rasella in the center of Rome. On June 4, 1944, during the defense of Rome, one of the PAI’s Camionette, armed with Breda 20/65 Mod. 1935, accidentally came across an M4 Sherman on the Via Nazionale and was hit by a 75 mm shell that pierced the front on the Camionetta, destroying the front and the spare wheel of this vehicle.

After the Allied capture of the Italian capital, the PAI handed over all its equipment to the State Police. Among the vehicles surrendered were 12 Camionette of the Metropolitana and Sahariana versions (with “Artiglio” and “Libia” tires).

Another Italian corps that used the AS42 was the Battaglione “Barbarigo” of the Xª Flottiglia MAS, which had about twenty AS42 “Metropolitane” and AS43 taken directly from the factories. They were used in the Nettuno area against the American and Canadian forces which tried to break through the Italian lines, inflicting heavy losses.

A pair of AS42 type “Metropolitane” were built in Turin factories starting on April 25 1945 in order to defend the factories and their assembly lines from German sabotage. These Camionette can be distinguished from the others by some steel plates on the sides and on the back of the fighting compartment, about one meter in height, behind which the partisans used their weapons while being protected from enemy fire. One of these vehicles participated in the partisan parade on May 6 1945 along with another “Metropolitana” without any of these changes that was used as a command vehicle and then disarmed.

Post-war use :

Seven AS42s that survived the war, were used by Italian Police departments and repainted in amaranth red (Italian post-war police color). They were employed, after several modifications, including the removal of the anti-tank guns, the pioneer tools and jerry cans, by different departments of the Italian State Police in Udine and Bologna until 1954. Some were put into service in the XI Reparto Mobile (Moving Department) in Emilia Romagna until 1954. These cars were supported by: AB41, AB43 and Lancia Lince armored cars. An unknown number of AS42s were produced for the police after the war and were delivered in January 1946.

Source : tank encyclopedia, wikipedia