it is a certificate to carry the badge of the Italian troops in Spain assigned to a tank sergeant, driver of CV35 (1st Company of the 1st tank Battalion)
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and the rRssian supply to the Republicans their T26, with a 45 mm gun in a in a rotating turret, made immediately in great difficult for the small Italian CV35 with their two 8 mm machine guns in fixed position (the same problem for the German Panzer I)..... the solution was towing the anti-tank gun, or the courage and the bravery of the crews........
and here is a rare post card (only distributed in Spain to the tank crews of our "Raggruppamento Corazzato") of thedramatic encounter of one of our CV33 just landed in 1936, in the version flamethrower in a unequal duel against the T-26 Republican ... .. we 1The October 29, 1936 in Esquivias (Toledo close to 30 km from Madrid) or Navalcarnero, the Republican stronghold on the road to the capital) ..... it is a commemorative postcard and so it is normal the emphasis on sacrifice but enemy has been stoppedLast edited by mufasa; 07-09-2016, 07:47 AM.Comment
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sent from Spain with Pspec (Special Post) 9 .... a soldier of the Second Company of the Tank Corps ..... precisely in honor of the dissolved Company III "Carri d?Assalto" now renamed "Navalcarnero" in honor of this episode .... and the Bravery Silver Medal at the memory to the tank crewman Pietro Barresi dead in his Cv 35 flamethrower during the attack to the russian T-26Comment
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two photos of CV 35 flamethrower, the first was taken to Guadalajara ....Comment
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here is a nice CV 35 flamethrower captured in Africa and exhibited in the Bovington Tank Museum in England ....Comment
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Nice Mufasa!
I see you are from Remini. I was there last March! Nice beach town but March was too early to enjoy the beach...
Had other plans of course! Was on my way to some Gothic line points of interest, like the Gothic Line Museum in Montegridolfo.
Small collection, a little bit disappointing, but still interesting,. Nice view of the battle field area.Comment
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and I've found a picture of a Iraqui CV 35 just captured by
British in 1941 in Habbaniya (55 km west of Baghdad)Comment
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but still a picture and postcards of CV35 in north Africa ... CV35 captured by the British after the Operation Compass ....Comment
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Originally posted by mufasa View Post
and another postcard signed by Colonel Trivioli (for approval by thep ublisher Boeri)Comment
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and another postcard and another valient tank commander .... here, always a CV 35 postcard from Verona, destined to Gabriele Verri here still lieutenant ...
and 5/6 years after this postcard Major Gabriele Verri, was commander of the XI Tank Battalion.
Major Gabriele Verri, wasseriously wounded at El Alamein on his M13/40 tank (Tell el Alam Aqquir, November 2, 1942) and he will be amputated both legs... decorated with Military Valour Gold Medal, turned into a promotion for merits of war and Military Valour Siver Medal ....
The XI Tank Btl. is a legendary unit in Italian tankc history. practically annihilated in El Alamein (on 300 actual it has about 100 fallen and almost all of his M13/40 tanks destroyed, but his men win well 4 Gold Medals for they bravery!)Last edited by mufasa; 07-10-2016, 07:17 AM.Comment
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Fantastic items of History !...
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many thanks Semovente....
and an interlude before more postcards and medals .... a civilian propaganda badge of Ansaldo-Fiat tank (the usual high quality by Johnson Milano) for foreign promotion (this is from Bulgaria)
The CV33 / 35 were sold (before the Second War) in addition to Iraq and Afghanistan to:
Austria (15 tanks)
Bolivia (30 tanks)
Brazil (25 tanks)
Bulgaria (14 tanks)
Nationalist China (20 + 25?)
Ethiopia (2 tanks)
Hungary (140 tanks)
Yemen (2?)Comment
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Great posts Oriano!
I didn't know a flame-thrower version tank is still existing and in so nice conditions!
I think that this was the most useful version of the Cv35.
Of course you still had to get close enough to the enemy to shoot...Comment
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Your welcome Mufasa....you got say that those CV 33 crews earned their awards for bravery..it took some guts to go all out in those little light tanks...often against bigger enemy vehicals etc !..Ironcrown i have seen the flame thrower version at Bovington tank museum...very impressive it is close up....worth a visit...oh and they have a working Tiger tank too !!...Semovente..
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