View source for Autoblindo Fiat-Ansaldo

{{Short description|Italian armoured car}}
{{About|an Italian World War II armoured car|the Romanian vehicle|AB md. 41}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Autoblindo 40, Autoblindo 41 and 43
| image              = Autoblinda-AB-41-haugh-1.jpg
| image_size         = 300px
| caption            = An Autoblindo 41
| origin             = [[Kingdom of Italy]]
| type               = [[Armored car (military)|Armoured car]]
<!-- Type selection -->
| is_vehicle         = yes
| is_UK              = yes
<!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1941–1945
| used_by            = Kingdom of Italy <br /> Nazi Germany <br /> Italian Social Republic <br /> Italy
| wars               = [[World War II]]
<!-- Production history -->
| designer           =
| design_date        = 1940
| manufacturer       = [[Fiat]]-[[Gio. Ansaldo & C.|Ansaldo]]
| unit_cost          =
| production_date    = 1941–1944?
| number             = 600-700 
(AB40: 24 units later partly modernized / AB41: about 600 units / AB43: about 70 units) <ref>Cappellano, Filippo; Battistelli, Pier Paolo. Italian Medium Tanks (New Vanguard) (p. 67). Bloomsbury Publishing.</ref>
| variants           = AS 42 "Camionetta Sahariana", [[SPA-Viberti AS.42]]
<!-- General specifications -->
| spec_label         =
| weight             = 7.518 tonnes
| length             = {{convert|5.21|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| part_length        =
| width              = {{convert|1.93|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| height             = {{convert|2.48|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| crew               = 4 (forward driver, rear driver, gunner and commander)
<!-- Vehicle specifications -->
| armour             = 18 mm maximum<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |title=The Complete Guide to Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles |page=302 |publisher=Hermes House |ISBN=978-1-84681-110-4}}</ref>
| primary_armament   = {{bulleted list
                       |''AB 40:'' 2&nbsp;× 8&nbsp;mm [[Breda 38|Breda mod. 38]] [[machine gun]]s
                       |''AB 41:'' 1&nbsp;× 20&nbsp;mm [[Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35 (Breda)|Breda mod. 35]] [[autocannon]]<br />456 rounds
                       |''AB 43:'' 1&nbsp;× 47&nbsp;mm [[Cannone da 47/32 M35]] [[anti-tank gun]] <br />63 rounds}}
| secondary_armament = 2&nbsp;× 8&nbsp;mm [[Breda 38|Breda mod. 38]] [[machine gun]]s (one in rear hull, one coaxial with main gun)<br />1,992 rounds
| engine             = {{bulleted list
                       |''AB 40, 41:'' [[S.P.A. (automobile)|SPA]] [[Straight-six engine|I6]] [[Petrol engine|petrol]]<br />88 hp (AB 40) and 120 hp (AB 41)}}
| engine_power       =
| pw_ratio           =
| payload_capacity   =
| transmission       =
| suspension         =
| clearance          = {{convert|40|cm|in|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Cappellano|Battistelli|2012|p=46}}
| fuel_capacity      =
| vehicle_range      = {{convert|400|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| speed              = {{convert|78|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} on road<ref name="ReferenceA" />
}}

The '''Autoblindo 40''', '''41''' and '''43''' (abbreviated '''AB 40''', '''41''' and '''43''') were Italian [[Armored car (military)|armoured car]]s produced by [[Fiat]]-[[Gio. Ansaldo & C.|Ansaldo]] and which saw service mainly during [[World War II]]. Most ''autoblinde'' were armed with a 20&nbsp;mm [[Breda Model 35|Breda 35]] [[autocannon]] and a coaxial 8&nbsp;mm machine gun in a turret similar to the one fitted to the [[Fiat L6/40]], and another hull mounted rear-facing 8&nbsp;mm machine gun.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

==Development==
During 1937 the Italian Ministry of War issued specifications for a new armoured car (''autoblindomitragliatrice''), to fulfil the requirements of both colonial police long range patrols and army reconnaissance units for the new armoured formations.{{sfn|Pignato and d'Inzéo|p=1}} In May 1939 the [[Fiat S.p.A.|Fiat]]-[[S.P.A. (automobile)|SPA]] and [[Gio. Ansaldo & C.|Ansaldo-Fossati]] consortium unveiled its  armoured car proposal, named ''Abm 1'',{{sfn|Pignato|2004|p=56}} at the inauguration of the new Fiat [[Mirafiori]] plant near [[Turin]]; two prototypes had been built, one outfitted for military and one for police use.{{sfn|Pignato and d'Inzéo|p=1}}

After trials by the Army, in May 1940 the armoured car was standardised, adopted with the official designation ''Autoblindo 40'', and a first batch of 176 vehicles ordered.{{sfn|Pignato and d'Inzéo|p=1}}
At the request of the Army the prototype had undergone numerous changes before it was adopted: redesigned front hull, recessed headlamps under armoured covers, improved ventilation, new cast spoked wheels, and flat, shortened mudguards.{{sfn|Pignato|2004|p=56}} The first AB 40s were delivered in March 1941.{{sfn|Pignato|2004|p=55}}

==Description==
===Autoblindo 40===
The Autoblindo 40 was built in small numbers in 1940. Armament consisted of two 8&nbsp;mm [[machine gun]]s in a turret. During production a need for heavier armament was envisioned and so the AB 40 was redesigned as the AB 41 which was the same vehicle except for a new turret with a 20&nbsp;mm [[autocannon]]. Most of the 24 AB 40s that had been built were then converted to AB 41s.

===Autoblindo 41===
The Autoblindo 41 (named after its first year of production, 1941) was a further development of the machine gun armed AB 40. Made with an all-riveted construction, the AB 41 had [[four-wheel drive]] and a [[four wheel steering]] system that proved troublesome.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> The spare wheels fitted to its sides were free to rotate, thus helping the vehicle over rough terrain and allowing it to drive over higher obstacles. It could also be fitted with wheels that would allow it to run on railway tracks and some were modified further to better serve in this role, with the addition of [[Sandbox (locomotive)|sand boxes]] and [[cowcatcher|rail guards]] to deflect objects from the rails.<ref>[http://www.scalemodels.lv/content/images/preces/IT6456.jpg An artist's view of an AB 41 Ferroviaria]</ref> This version was designated '''AB 41 ''Ferroviaria'''''.

It had six forward gears and four reverse gears, with a driving position at the front and one in the rear, so two crew members were drivers. Overall the AB 40/41 family was well thought out, with a top speed of over 70&nbsp;km/h (45&nbsp;mph), good armour (15&nbsp;mm on the front plates) and good road and cross-country performance, but there were some examples of poor detail design like difficult access to the powerplant, an unprotected fuel tank, one-man turret, exposed traverse gear and lack of an interior bulkhead separating the engine and crew compartments. Nevertheless, the AB 41 was considered a good vehicle and one of the best armoured cars of its era.{{sfn|Pignato|2004}} Its chassis was later used as a basis for the [[SPA-Viberti AS.42]]. About 550 vehicles were built in all. The Italians planned to upgrade the AB 41 with a [[Cannone da 47/32 M35|47 mm anti-tank gun]] as the AB 43, but those plans were disrupted by the [[Armistice of Cassibile]] in September 1943.
[[File:Autoblindo AB-43.jpg|thumb]]

==Combat history==
During [[World War II]], the AB 41 operated in [[North African Campaign|North Africa]], [[World War II in Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy]], [[Hungary]], and on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]. Italy issued the AB 41 only to cavalry, [[Italian Africa Police]] (PAI) and [[Bersaglieri]] units. The AB 41 was also organized into reconnaissance battalions (or cavalry groups) of three or four companies each. Each armoured car company consisted of three armoured car platoons of four armoured cars each, one armoured car for the company commander, and one armoured car for the company HQ (Headquarters) totalling 42 or 56 AB 41s in all. Each fully equipped independent armoured car company proved highly suitable for reconnaissance, escort and security duties.{{sfn|Pignato|2004}}
[[File:Desant strzelców niemieckich na froncie w południowych Włoszech (2-2288).jpg|thumb|German reconnaissance troop with Autoblinda AB 41 armored cars in front of a church in southern Italy.]]
The AB 41 could be quickly adapted for operation on any terrain. Sand tires could be fitted for desert work and it could run on railway tracks with special [[bogie]]s and extra lights. The rail-converted vehicles were primarily used in [[Anti-partisan operations in World War II|anti-partisan patrol]]s in the Balkans. After the Armistice the Germans confiscated some 57 AB 41s and also built 120 more.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The German designation was ''Panzerspähwagen AB41 201(i)''.<ref name="German p232">Chamberlain, Peter and Hilary Doyle. ''Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two''. Wigston Leicestershire, UK: Silverdale Books, 2004. {{ISBN|1-84509-012-8}}. p. 232.</ref>

==Users==
The Autoblinde were used by the following countries and organisations:{{sfn|Pignato and d'Inzéo|p=4–5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/italy/autoblinda-ab41/|title=Autoblinda AB41 in Regio Esercito Service|website=tanks-encyclopedia.com|last=Giusti|first=Arturo|date=12 March 2022|access-date=22 March 2022}}</ref>

* {{flag|Australia}}
* {{flagcountry|Independent State of Croatia}}
* {{flag|Free France}}
** [[Army of Africa (France)|Army of Africa]]
** [[French Forces of the Interior]]
* {{flag|France}}
** [[French Army]]
** [[National Gendarmerie]]
* {{flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
** [[Wehrmacht]]
* {{flag|Greece|old}}
** [[ELAS|Greek People's Liberation Army]]
* {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
** [[Regio Esercito]]
** [[Italian African Police|Polizia dell'Africa Italiana]]
** [[Italian Co-Belligerent Army]]
* {{flagcountry|Italian Social Republic}}
** [[National Republican Army (Italian Socialist Republic)|Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Italian Committee of National Liberation.svg}} [[Italian resistance movement|Italian partisans]]
* {{flagcountry|Italy}}
** [[Carabinieri]]
** [[Polizia di Stato]]
** {{ill|Reggimento genio ferrovieri|it}} ([[Italian Army|Esercito Italiano]])
* {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Polish government-in-exile|Poland]]
** [[Polish Armed Forces in the West]]
* {{flagicon|Romania}} [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]] (see [[Romanian armored cars during World War II]])
* {{flag|United Kingdom}} (evaluation only)
* {{Flagdeco|Yugoslav Partisans}} [[Yugoslavian partisans]]
* {{flag|Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia}}

==See also==
* [[AB md. 41]], a similar Romanian vehicle
* [[[https://www.esercito.difesa.it/storia/musei/Museo-Storico-della-Motorizzazione-Militare  Fiat-Ansaldo AB 43 ]]], Vehicle in Museo Roma Italy
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuJPamoq6bs Test drive AUTOBLINDO ANSALDO AB 43]

==References==
;Notes
{{reflist}}

;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last1=Cappellano |first1=F. |last2=Battistelli |first2=P. P. |title=Italian light tanks, 1919–45 |year=2012 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |location=Oxford |isbn=9781849087773 }}
* {{cite book |last=Pignato |first=Nicola |title=Italian Armored Vehicles of World War Two |publisher=Squadron/Signal publications |year=2004 |isbn=0-89747-475-9 }}
* {{cite web |last1=Pignato |first1=Nicola |last2=d'Inzéo |first2=Fabio |title=Le autoblinde AB 40, 41 e 43 |work=Gli appunti di… Modellisimo Più |url=http://www.modellismopiu.net/m+contenuti/fabio/Autoblinde_mod._40_41_e_43.pdf |access-date=2 February 2016 |ref={{sfnref|Pignato and d'Inzéo}}}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Autoblinda AB 41|Autoblindo AB 41}}
*[http://www.wwiivehicles.com/italy/armored-cars/ab-40-ab-41-ab-43.asp  Autoblindo AB 40, AB 41, AB 43 armored cars] at wwiivehicles.com

{{WWIIItalianAFVs}}
{{WWIIRomanianAFVs}}

[[Category:Armoured cars of Italy]]
[[Category:World War II armoured cars]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944]]
[[Category:Gio. Ansaldo & C. armored vehicles]]
[[Category:Fiat armored vehicles]]
[[Category:World War II armoured fighting vehicles of Italy]]