Currently reading 'Steel Chariots in the desert' by SC Rolls, a Rolls Royce amoured car driver with the Duke of Westminster's Squadron, and he mentions Fiats, originally designed for mountain work, used by Italian troops in the desert alongside the British against the Senussites. Does anyone know what these would be, or better yet have any images? My best idea is a Fiat 15 ter used similar to the British Ford light patrol cars
AFAIK, the expedition to "smarten up the Sennusi," as A.J. Smithers describes it, was an all-British show. And the Italian declaration of war was something of a staggered affair.
Is it a mix-up with the pre-War Italian operations in Libya, in which the Senussi were involved and the Italians used a/cs?
-- Edited by James H on Sunday 26th of February 2012 12:35:30 PM
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"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Not armoured but softskins, described as cars. The setting is 1916, and the Italians were based at Bardia and joined two batteries of British armoured cars and a company of the Australian Camel Corps in an expedition to Wadi Saal, where it was attacked on all sides from the British, Australians and Italians, with a Royal Navy Monitor providing support from the sea. Here's a quote from the book, page 78;
"A heavy shell burst in the middle of the Wadi, and was followed by others. The Senusites could be seen running down the Wadi towards the sea, but Nuri had vanished. The Italians had now come on the scene in their light Fiat cars, built and geared for mountain work.
