This Carro Armato M14/41 was on display at Bovington.
The M 14/41 was a four-crew medium tank that served from 1941 in the Royal Italian Army.
The M14/41 was a successor to the lighter and slower M13/40, fitted with a more powerful and reliable engine. The first were built in August 1941 and were used until the end of the fighting in North Africa. Even when they were first used, the M14/41s firepower and armour were outdated against newer Allied tanks.
Built in 1942, this MI4/41 was sent to North Africa. It is believed to have been abandoned and captured soon afterwards. It came to The Tank Museum in 1951.
Operation Compass was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War. British, Empire and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces of the 10th Army in western Egypt and Cyrenaica, the eastern province of Libya, from December 1940 to February 1941. Italian tanks were outclassed by British tanks in Operation Compass. Poor Italian leadership and tactics made things worse. A total of 145 of the earlier M13/40 model tanks were lost-almost all the Italians had in Libya. In fact, so many were captured infact, that the British briefly used it themselves.
The Carro Veloce 33 or L3/33 was a tankette originally built in 1933 and used by the Italian Army before and during World War II. It was based on the imported British Carden Loyd tankette.
This Carro Veloce L3/33 was on display at the Bovington Tank Museum.
This is the flamethrower variant, which was captured in North Africa. It carried 500 litres of flame fuel in a special trailer (which you can see behind the tankette). The flame fuel was delivered by a pump, driven off the gearbox, which gave it a flaming range of about 35 metres. However crews were warned not to use the flamethrower when travelling at full speed (26mph) as they might set themselves alight.
There is no evidence that they were used in battle One of the things I find seeing these kinds of armoured vehicle in the “flesh” is how small they are. I am surprised anyone can sit in that let alone two crew. It must be really cramped and having the flamer fuel pumped through the centre of the tankette, wouldn’t be surprised by the reluctance of these being used.
The OM Autocarretta 37 was an Italian WW2 4×4 4-wheel steer light artillery tractor designed for use over harsh terrain, capacity for driver and 1 passenger.
This was on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.
The OM Autocarretta 37 entered service with the Italian Royal Army in 1938, they were widely used throughout the second world war, especially on the Russian front and in the Balkans
The latest in our recent series of ‘get-you-by’ lists in here!Allowing you to field Italian armies of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini this army list gives you the basics of the Italian army during World War II.A full list will be published in the ‘Armies of Italy and the Axis’ later this year but for now this will allow you to take on the might of the Allied forces!
I know, I know, a new set of rules, a new scale and more painting!
Written by veteran game designers Alessio Cavatore and Rick Priestley, Bolt Action provides all the rules needed to bring the great battles of World War II to your tabletop. Using miniature soldiers, tanks and terrain, you can fight battles in the shattered towns of occupied France, the barren deserts of North Africa, and even the sweltering jungles of the Pacific.
Players get to decide which of the major or minor World War II powers they would like to represent, and then construct their armies from the lists provided. Army options are almost limitless, allowing you to build the kind of army that most appeals to your style of play. The choice is yours.
Created as a joint project between Warlord Games and Osprey Publishing, the leading independent military history publisher, Bolt Action is sure to be the most popular new wargame on the market.
I have been intrigued by Warlord Games’ Bolt Action rules for a while now so was pleased to get hold of a copy.
Initial impressions are very positive, it is an extremely well produced publication, with great looking photographs.
I’ve not had a chance to read it fully or even play the rules, but one of the reasons I am looking forward to playing the game is I like the idea of using order dice.
One thing I do need to decide is which army to go for.
I do quite like the look of the Assault on Normandy starter set.
Assault on Normandy starter set gives you everything you need to pit your tactics and wits against your opponent as you recreate the great battles of World War II on the tabletop! In addition to the glorious Bolt Action rulebook and eight Orders Dice, you will find forty hard plastic, multi-pose 28mm miniatures as well as terrain for them to fight over. This is a great starting point as you seek to defeat your foes and bring an end to the greatest conflict in history.
This is the perfect starting point for Bolt Action, and I would have probably bought it if I knew it was available when I bought the Bolt Action rules…
The ruins are very nice and hopefully will be available separately.
In the box you get two starter armies, US and German, however my regular opponent, Simon, has told me that he wants to go Italian. To quote him
“So I can wargame with a really silly accent and not worry about having to paint camo on paratroopers.”
My problem is who do they fight?
The obvious option is the British in North Africa. I am also thinking about Greek forces. Another option would be the invasion of Sicily.
