The Fiat Tripoli Spaag 1940 model is here

It was with the approach of the second world war and the inevitable confrontation with the English troops of Egypt that the Italian army urgently called back all the available vehicles including the Fiat Terni. All armored vehicles available in warehouses were removed from storage, repaired and sent to combat units. With armored cars Fiat-Terni Tripoli, it was not so easy to turn them into combat units. Although the FIAT 15 ter was a well-deserved car, already in 1919 its chassis was obsolete, and in 1940 it was also completely worn out.  At the same time, the armored hulls, perfectly preserved in a hot, dry climate, seemed still capable of being used. All that was left was to move them and rearm them. The few models still usable (6 to8) were modified, The 2.5-ton standard army truck FIAT-SPA 38R Coloniale being chosen as the chassis. The machine was developed in the early 30s to replace the SPA 25 truck, which in turn was produced as a replacement for the FIAT 15. The SPA 38 R became the standard light truck of the Italian army during World War II, including in the African theater of operations. The colonial version of the SPA 38 R differed from the standard model by the addition of an oil bath air filter, the use of a 12 V electrical circuit, and the replacement of the tank located under the driver’s seat with a 100 liter tank at the rear of the chassis. To adapt to the longer chassis, the aft compartment was enlarged, which was also necessary for the transportation of ammunition, which became significantly heavier. The roof of the turret was cut off to accomodate the new 12.7 mm Breda Safat heavy machine gun for increased firepower.

 

Combat use :

 

In total, 6 or 8 FIAT Terni vehicles were upgraded and transferred to the Babini Special Tank Brigade. As part of the brigade, it was planned to use the vehicles for air defense of tank formations. The presence of a heavy machine gun and an open turret made it possible to do this.

 

They took part in the first actions against the English troops during the Graziani offensive in September 1940 but didn’t survive the English december 1940 counter-offensive (operation Compass).The last two armored vehicles were towed by Italian troops during the retreat from Cyrenaica, using them as anti-aircraft points, but they were also abandoned along with the rest of the equipment at Benghazi when the Babini group was almost completely destroyed. In this state, the armored vehicles went to the British.

 

Characteristics :

 

Qty: 6-8

Armor: 6 mm

Armament: 1 X 12.7 mm mitragliatrici Breda-SAFAT

Crew: 4

Weight: 2 t

Lenght : 5,63 m

Width : 1,82 m

Height : 1,75 m

Chassis/Engine: FIAT-SPA 38R Coloniale / FIAT 18T, 4053 cm³, 55 HP

Speed : 50 km/h