The Italian ‘Carro Veloce CV.33’ was a 2 person mini-tank used in every theatre the Italian Army (Regio Esercito) fought before and during World War 2. While successful during the Italo-Abyssinian War and Spanish Civil War its light armour and armament made it unsuited to modern combat and it was primarily used for reconnaisance and supply (towing cargo) It weighed approximately 3,000KG, had a top speed of 41km per hour and was armed with twin machine guns (Ususally Fiat-Revelli Modello 35) operated by a gunner on the left, with a driver on the right.
The below (colour) example was captured in North Africa, likely by British troops and sent to England for evaluation. It was then shipped to Canada and is now on loan from the Canadian War Museum to the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra. It’s painted in the ‘Ram’s Head’ livery of the 132nd Armoured Division ‘Ariete’. (‘Ariete’ refers to ‘Aires’ the Ram star constellation) This division was destroyed at the Second Battle of El Alamein.
