Hans
02-14-2004, 08:46 AM
From the
italianisti@yahoogroups.com
....Italian Renaults
They were part of the same December 1940 agreement with the Germans
(December 1940), and the quantities involved were 76 tanks immediately and
25 monthly from February, fully overhauled by the Germans, and with German
radio sets.
On January 15th 1941 the extimates were revised, again rather optimisticaly,
to 140 tanks immediately plus another 360 in batches of 50 tanks monthly,
but it was noow unclear if they would have been provided with radio sets (by
mid-february they were all still radio-less).
The italian crews started to arrive to the Wunsdorff Panzerschule during
March 1941, to train on the R35 and bring hem back to Italy, where the first
20 ones were delivered on April 24th 1941 (April 3rd 1941, according to
other sources). The Germans later informed that they were not to delivered
all the 500 promised R35, but the quantity was at first reduced to 350 and
later to 124 tanks.
Originaly it had been planned to form six R35 battalions (1st to 6th Bns/4th
Tank Rgt), as follows :
1st to 4th Bns, formed from the 4 coys of the 1st Recruit Training Bn/4th
Tank Rgt
The 2nd Recruit Training Bn formed the 5th and 6th coys of the 6th Bn, and
the 7th and 8th coys of the 5th bn, with the other companies newly formed.
The sharp reduction in the quantity of the delivered R35 forced to revise
the whole program, and only the 1st and 2nd bn remained (later renamed 101st
and 102nd Bns/131st Tank Rgt om August 15th 1941). The former 3rd Bn was
transformed in a recruit traing bn, the personel of the 4th and 5th bns was
used to fill up the 200th Tank Bn and the 6th bn was transformed in the 8th
Light Tanks Bn. Each R35 bn was organized on an HQ coy (2 x M13 tanks plus 2
x M13 Centro Radio tanks) plus three tank companies (16 tanks each).
As I've told for the S35, also the R35 were tentatively to be send one
platoon in North Africa for tests in mid-1941, but it was decided to cancel
this decision, as it was perfectly clear that the R35 were fully obsolete by
them.
All of the available R35 were sent to Friuli for manouvers instead, then on
Sept.14th 1941 the 101st and 102nd Bns were sent to Sicily (January 2nd
1942), as part of the 6th Army. It was again decided to send them to North
Africa (July 28th 1942) but again the decision was cancelled (September 14th
1942).
Operationaly, the R35 in Sicily were divided among the Mobile Groups, as
follows :
Mobile Group A (Paceco) : (4th coy/102nd Bn).
Mobile Group B (Santa Ninfa) : (6th coy/102nd Bn).
Mobile Group C (Paceco) : (5th coy/102nd Bn).
Mobile Group D (Misterbianco) : 2 x HQ tanks (from 101st Bn HQ) plus 13 x
tanks (3rd coy/101st Bn). It lost 5 tanks fighting in the Palazzolo Acreide
area.
Mobile Group E (Niscemi) : 15 x tanks (1st coy/101st Bn). It lost all tanks
but 5 under naval gunfire barrages, and another 2 were destroyed by the US
Rangers, all during the fight in the Gela area.
Mobile Group F (Rosolini) : 10 x tanks (2nd coy/101st Bn). Four tanks were
lost fighting against the British.
Mobile Group A (Paceco) : (4th coy/102nd Bn).
Both 101st and 102nd bns were destroyed during the defence of Sicily.
italianisti@yahoogroups.com
....Italian Renaults
They were part of the same December 1940 agreement with the Germans
(December 1940), and the quantities involved were 76 tanks immediately and
25 monthly from February, fully overhauled by the Germans, and with German
radio sets.
On January 15th 1941 the extimates were revised, again rather optimisticaly,
to 140 tanks immediately plus another 360 in batches of 50 tanks monthly,
but it was noow unclear if they would have been provided with radio sets (by
mid-february they were all still radio-less).
The italian crews started to arrive to the Wunsdorff Panzerschule during
March 1941, to train on the R35 and bring hem back to Italy, where the first
20 ones were delivered on April 24th 1941 (April 3rd 1941, according to
other sources). The Germans later informed that they were not to delivered
all the 500 promised R35, but the quantity was at first reduced to 350 and
later to 124 tanks.
Originaly it had been planned to form six R35 battalions (1st to 6th Bns/4th
Tank Rgt), as follows :
1st to 4th Bns, formed from the 4 coys of the 1st Recruit Training Bn/4th
Tank Rgt
The 2nd Recruit Training Bn formed the 5th and 6th coys of the 6th Bn, and
the 7th and 8th coys of the 5th bn, with the other companies newly formed.
The sharp reduction in the quantity of the delivered R35 forced to revise
the whole program, and only the 1st and 2nd bn remained (later renamed 101st
and 102nd Bns/131st Tank Rgt om August 15th 1941). The former 3rd Bn was
transformed in a recruit traing bn, the personel of the 4th and 5th bns was
used to fill up the 200th Tank Bn and the 6th bn was transformed in the 8th
Light Tanks Bn. Each R35 bn was organized on an HQ coy (2 x M13 tanks plus 2
x M13 Centro Radio tanks) plus three tank companies (16 tanks each).
As I've told for the S35, also the R35 were tentatively to be send one
platoon in North Africa for tests in mid-1941, but it was decided to cancel
this decision, as it was perfectly clear that the R35 were fully obsolete by
them.
All of the available R35 were sent to Friuli for manouvers instead, then on
Sept.14th 1941 the 101st and 102nd Bns were sent to Sicily (January 2nd
1942), as part of the 6th Army. It was again decided to send them to North
Africa (July 28th 1942) but again the decision was cancelled (September 14th
1942).
Operationaly, the R35 in Sicily were divided among the Mobile Groups, as
follows :
Mobile Group A (Paceco) : (4th coy/102nd Bn).
Mobile Group B (Santa Ninfa) : (6th coy/102nd Bn).
Mobile Group C (Paceco) : (5th coy/102nd Bn).
Mobile Group D (Misterbianco) : 2 x HQ tanks (from 101st Bn HQ) plus 13 x
tanks (3rd coy/101st Bn). It lost 5 tanks fighting in the Palazzolo Acreide
area.
Mobile Group E (Niscemi) : 15 x tanks (1st coy/101st Bn). It lost all tanks
but 5 under naval gunfire barrages, and another 2 were destroyed by the US
Rangers, all during the fight in the Gela area.
Mobile Group F (Rosolini) : 10 x tanks (2nd coy/101st Bn). Four tanks were
lost fighting against the British.
Mobile Group A (Paceco) : (4th coy/102nd Bn).
Both 101st and 102nd bns were destroyed during the defence of Sicily.