It seems the SPA-9000 da 102/35 was quite successful - 72 of them were ordered in 1915.
The gun was a pedestal mounted 102mm gun designed for destroyers by Ansaldo. It was inspired by the British QF 4inch Mk V. The truck chassis which was overloaded with the gun fitted
was equipped with a pair of spades at the back and a locking frame under the tray so the rear springs weren't compressed by the recoil. The spades and frame were carried separately and
attached in battery. The autocannone operated as groups of four gun vehicles with supporting trucks carrying ammunition and the gun crews. The groups of autocannone were used as rapid
deployment artillery.
They seem to have been fairly successful although the gun was a typical naval gun - high muzzle velocity and flat trajectory which was inferior to howitzers in the mountainous Italian front line.
At the end of the war the autocannone were dismantled with the guns presumably returned to the Navy. The 102/35 guns reappeared in WW2, this time on a Fiat 614 truck, used in North Africa
in 1942.
I wasn't aware of any of this but Italian Wikipedia has articles on the vehicle and gun. There were autocannone deployed with the 75mm Deport gun and the 149mm Howitzer as well.
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/102/35_su_SPA_9000
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/102/35_su_Fiat_634N
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/102/35_Mod._1914
Regards,
Charlie
-- Edited by CharlieC on Friday 7th of March 2014 02:24:47 AM
