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L3/33 Ammo load and optics

Brady

New Member
Looking for a reference for the ammo load on the L3/33 (and L3/35), armed with the Breads, they used 9adik) 24 round box mag's.

Also a reference (image) for the sight reticle for those guns
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
The Breda equipped CV33s had 79 magazines of 24 rounds each. They also had a mechanical loader for reloading the magazines as part of the vehicle's equipment.

The vehicles equipped with the FIAT 35 had 80 round metal belts issued on reels/drums. Each vehicle carried 39 reels.

Source: Fronte Terra, Carri Armati 2, carri leggeri parte prima p. 17.

I will need to see what I can find on optics.
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
I have gone through all my sources. At this time, I don't believe the carri L vehicles had any type of complex sight, whether optical or not. I believe the gunner/tc used iron sights or merely walked the rounds into the target.

Detailed exterior pictures don't show anything resembling a sight. The interior pictures of the gunner/tc station reveal the same lack of any mechanism.

I could be wrong in this assessment as none of the sources explicitly discuss this issue. Given the same sources provide such information for vehicles that clearly have optical systems, the lack of any discussion indicates the lack of a system.

Does anyone have information that is different?

Pista! Jeff
 

Slavomir

New Member
Given the same sources provide such information for vehicles that clearly have optical systems, the lack of any discussion indicates the lack of a system
Following your advice I have checked again my books and you were right. The "Gli autoveicoli da combattimento dell'Essercito Italiano" vol. I (p. 558) describing different versions of L3 under "Apparati ottici" leaves blank spot for L3-33 and L3-35 giving some details for optic equipments only for L3-38.

Also Pignato & Cappellano provide a bit different ammo load :
L3-33: Fiat AV - 3800 rounds (76 x 50)
L3-35: 2 x Fiat 14/35 - 2320 (29 x 80), however in special cases it could receive supplementary load of 800 rounds which give us additional 10 reels, bringing it up to those 39 reels referred to by your source, Jeff (p. 536)
L3-38: Bredda 38 - 2400 (100 x 24)

Best regards

Slavomir

P.S. Cappellano & Battistelli in "Italian light tanks" for L3-35 give 2170 rounds in total.
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks Slavomir

I didn't include the L3-33 with the FIAT AV as that is a single 6.5mm weapon-equipped vehicle. It is not the more common twin 8mm MG equipment vehicles.
 

Brady

New Member
If you scroll down about halfway, you can see the optical sight


The assumption is that it looks out of the hole between the two gun barrels, the arrows indicate the traverse limitations
 

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jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
Brady

Thanks. I forgot you were asking especially about the Breda equipped vehicles. I guess you are looking for the reticle in the collimator. I have not found a picture of that reticle.

You might need to find a gunnery manual for that vehicle with the Breda.

Pista! Jeff
 

Brady

New Member
Or possibly the twin Fiat equipped version, I don’t know if it had an optical sight, i’ve only seen the Breda Equipped with the site in a photo, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the Fiat Equipped variant didn’t have one, my assumption is that the switch to the Breda’s was because they were more reliable, the 24 round magazines would seem otherwise some thing of a disadvantage compared to the Fiats with their 80 round belts, but then again the magazines were probably much easier to change, and if they had an optical site that would be an advantage as well
 

jwsleser

Administrator
Staff member
I did find a picture of the Breda mount in the Fronte Terra book and a mention of the collimator a cannocchiale. I was focused on the ammunition and missed the reference.

The twin FIAT 35 mount didn't have a collimator. Using Slavomar's source on p. 558, only the Breda equipped vehicles had a collimator. I have several pictures of the FIAT mount and no sight is present.
 
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