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Breda 20/65 mod.35

From Alfawiki
Società Italiana Ernesto Breda
IndustryDefense, arms manufacturing
Founded early 1930s; Expression error: Unexpected < operator. Expression error: Unexpected < operator. (early 1930s-Error: Invalid time.)
Headquarters
Brescia
,
Italy
ProductsBreda 20/65 mod.35 anti-aircraft gun

Overview

The Breda 20/65 mod.35 (Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35), frequently referred to as the 20 mm Breda or simply Breda Model 35, was an Italian light anti-aircraft gun developed by the Società Italiana Ernesto Breda of Brescia during the early 1930s. Its initial design was completed in 1932, with formal adoption by Italian military forces occurring in 1935. This weapon became one of Italy's primary 20 mm caliber anti-aircraft systems throughout World War II and earlier conflicts such as the Spanish Civil War.

Alongside the Breda 20/65, Italy also deployed the Scotti-Isotta Fraschini 20/70 (commonly known as the Scotti 20 mm), both utilizing the Swiss-manufactured 20×138mmB "Solothurn Long" cartridge. The Royal Italian Army officially classified this firearm as the Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65, with its mounting designated as modello 35 or simply mod.35. Subsequent mounting variants, including the mod.39 introduced in 1939 and the mod.40 in 1940, retained the same barrel but featured updated carriage designs.

The nomenclature "20/65" denotes the gun's caliber of 20 millimeters combined with a barrel length of 65 calibers (L/65). This versatile weapon was extensively employed in various theaters of conflict spanning from the Spanish Civil War through World War II and beyond.

Ground version

Engineered for engagement against both aerial and terrestrial targets, this weapon proved effective against lightly armored tanks; its armour-piercing ammunition was capable of penetrating 30 millimeters of armor at a distance of 500 meters. Although equipped with a two-wheeled trailer, its structural fragility restricted towing speeds to 20 km/h, which led to the weapon typically being transported on truck beds.

Beyond its role as an anti-aircraft gun, the 20 mm Breda was also installed as the primary armament on various vehicles. In Italian service, it was later mounted on Fiat L6/40 light tanks and AB 41 armoured cars.

Naval version

File:Breda 20-65 Mod. 1935, Zwillingsgeschütz der italienischen Marine.jpg
Italian twin-mounted 20 mm Breda naval gun

The Regia Marina widely utilized this gun as a deck-mounted anti-aircraft weapon across most Italian warships, employing both single and twin mount configurations. Regarded as a reasonably effective armament, the commonly used Model 1935 twin mount shared operating mechanisms with the similar Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54, inheriting its drawbacks such as significant vibrations and the necessity for robust support structures. Among the two single mounts produced (Models 1939 and 1940), the latter—frequently installed on smaller vessels like corvettes and MAS boats—partially addressed these issues and featured an improved sighting system. Nevertheless, the Breda 20 mm was generally viewed as somewhat less capable than the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, which the Regia Marina adopted from 1941 onward. All mountings allowed elevation adjustments from −10 to +90 degrees.

The Model 1935 twin mount positioned the guns side by side, with the left barrel set higher than the right to accommodate clearance for the horizontal ammunition feed.

Users

File:1941 Chevrolet Model 41-E22 General Service truck of the Australian Imperial Force with Italian Breda Model 35 20mm anti-aircraft gun mounted on display in the World War II gallery at the Australian War Memorial.jpg
Australian Imperial Force's Chevrolet Model 41-E22 truck equipped with a Breda Model 35 20mm anti-aircraft gun, exhibited at the Australian War Memorial

British Commonwealth

Throughout North Africa, Commonwealth troops seized numerous 20 mm Breda guns amid Operation Compass. This acquisition allowed the Australian 2/3 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment,[1] elements of the 4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade—which operated a total of 42 Bredas within its Light Anti-Aircraft batteries during the Siege of Tobruk—along with a battery from the 106th (Lancashire Hussars) Regiment, RHA, to be outfitted with these weapons.

The captured Breda guns found use not only by the Long Range Desert Group but also aboard vessels in the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Navy, including HMAS Vendetta, HMAS Perth[2], and HMS Ladybird. Additionally, at least one Marmon-Herrington Mk II armoured car was equipped with a Breda gun.[3]

China

In the course of the Second Sino-Japanese War (the Chinese theater of World War II), soldiers from the Chinese Nationalist Army employed the 20 mm Breda during the Battle of Xinkou, successfully downing three Japanese aircraft. The Breda was utilized not only for anti-aircraft defense but also proved effective against Japanese tanks and armored vehicles.

Ecuador

Prior to the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, the Ecuadorian Army acquired several Breda firearms; however, they suffered the loss of nine units during the conflict.

Finland

Following the outbreak of the Winter War, Finland procured 88 Breda guns from Italy, which were designated as 20 ItK/35 (Finnish: IlmatorjuntaKanuuna, meaning "Anti-Aircraft Cannon" model 1935). The final batch arrived during the Interim Peace period in June 1940. Throughout the Continuation War, five of these Finnish Breda guns were lost in combat. Additionally, each of the four Italian-built Jymy class motor torpedo boats operated by the Finnish Navy was equipped with a single 20 mm Breda cannon mounted on the aft deck.

The Finnish Defence Forces continued to utilize the 20 Breda as a training tool for anti-aircraft personnel for many years following World War II. By 1985, 76 units remained in service, although all were eventually phased out later in that decade.

Spain

File:C.C.I. tipo 1937 1.jpg
The Carro de Combate de Infantería tipo 1937 infantry tank featuring a 20 mm Breda mounted in its turret

During the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish Nationalists employed this gun both as an anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapon. In its anti-tank role, it was installed as a tank gun on four modified Panzer I tanks to enhance their combat effectiveness against the Soviet T-26 tanks used by the Republican forces, since the original Panzer I models were armed only with two rifle-caliber machine guns. Moreover, this Breda gun was integrated into a prototype infantry tank called the Carro de Combate de Infantería tipo 1937.

Sweden

In 1940, the Swedish Navy acquired several Breda 20/65 naval guns in conjunction with their purchase of two Spica-class torpedo boats, which entered service as HSwMS Romulus (27) and HSwMS Remus (28) within what became known as the "Romulus-class." These weapons were designated in Swedish service as 20 mm automatkanon M/38 ("20 mm autocannon model 1938"), often abbreviated to 20 mm akan M/38. The guns primarily utilized Italian naval twin mounts and shared ammunition compatibility with the Swedish army's '20 mm akan m/39' (2 cm Flak 30) anti-aircraft guns acquired around the same time.

Yugoslavia

In 1939, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia procured 120 Breda guns, which were delivered prior to the invasion of Yugoslavia.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ↑ [1] Australian War Memorial photograph collection, ID Numbers P00219.015 and P01915.015.
  3. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

Sources

Books
  • Bagnasco, Erminio. Le armi delle navi italiane nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Ermanno Albertelli Editore, Parma, 1978. ISBN 8887372403.
  • Campbell, John. Naval weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md., 1985. ISBN 0870214594.
  • Pitkänen, Mika & Simpanen, Timo. 20 mm Suomessa – Aseet ja ampumatarvikkeet ennen vuotta 1945 / 20 mm in Finland – Weapons and Ammunition prior to 1945. Apali, 2007. ISBN 978-952-5026-59-7.
  • Latimer, Jon. Operation Compass 1940: Wavell's whirlwind offensive. Praeger, 2004. ISBN 0-275-98286-6.
  • Latimer, Jon. Tobruk 1941: Rommel's opening move. Praeger, 2004. ISBN 0-275-98287-4.
  • Archived webpage: http://www.italie1935-45.com/RE/photoscopes/photoscopebreda20-65.html
  • Bishop, Chris. The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. MetroBooks, 2002. ISBN 9781586637620.
Websites
  • DiGiulian, Tony. "20 mm/65 Models 1935, 1939 and 1940 (Breda)". NavWeaps.com. December 8, 2016. Accessed June 7, 2022.
  • Notaro, Daniele. "Breda 20/65 Modello 1935". Tanks-encyclopedia.com. December 5, 2022. Accessed June 7, 2025.
  • "CANNONE-MITRAGLIERE DA 20/65 MODELLO 35". Quartermastersection.com.
Photos
  • Silk, George. "Three crew members of HMAS Perth with an Italian Breda Model 35 20 mm cannon." Australian War Memorial, March 25, 1941.
  • Rettig, Donor H. "At sea c.1941-05-30: Breda gun crew of HMAS Perth after returning fire." Australian War Memorial, May 30, 1941.
  • Milne, Robert Nicol. "Captured Italian Breda Model 35 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon mounted amidships on HMAS Vendetta." Australian War Memorial, 1941.

External links

  • Category related to Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35 on Wikimedia Commons

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