In the first war years of World War II, the need for highly mobile anti-aircraft means to protect armored and mechanized military units arose in every participating army. The development of such combat machines also took place in Italy. Initial attempts to use conventional machine guns proved to be insufficient, so in 1942 there was an intention to develop an anti-aircraft tank armed with four 20 mm cannons. The tank platform used was a light tank chassis M 15/42, from which the original tower and in its place was placed a new tower in which were mounted four cannons Isotta Fraschini caliber 20 mm with a length of mainly 70 calibers. The welded, fully rotating tower was without ceiling armor, it had the shape of an irregular 14-angle. The aim of the cannons was in the range of -5 ° + 90 °. The prototype was completed in 3/1943 and in 4/1943 was sent for testing to the VIII Reggimento Autieri in Rome. However, due to the military situation of Italy, the machine did not go into series production. After the landing of the Allies on the Italian mainland and the subsequent occupation of the country by German troops, the prototype fell into the hands of Germans. Structurally, the machine was evaluated very positively and probably became a model for later German constructions of anti-aircraft tanks. The machine was relocated to northern Italy, later ended up in the armament of one of the mountain mechanized units Waffen SS (according to the source below, it was supposed to be V. SS Freiwilligen-Gebirgskorps), which used it in the last battles at the end of the war (4/1945) in to Austria at Teupitzi.
URL : https://www.valka.cz/ITA-Semovente-contraerei-da-20-70-quadruplo-t94223#352624
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