Littorina Blindata (Libli) M42/43 (1942)

Italy - Armoured Railcars, 16 built (M42+43)).

Libli M43, with M15-42 turrets

In WW2 Italy operated, like other axis members or USSR and Poland, a great deal of armoured trains. The configuration of the Italian boot made it imperative to protect the coastline, and it was done, with some fortifications in places, but also with armoured trains, most managed by the Regia Marina (Italian Navy) as a mobile shore defense unit. However wit the occupation of the Balkans in 1940-41, the threat or partisan warfare soon imposed the army to adopt armoured trains the same way the Germans did in USSR to defend rear lines against partisan attacks, especially vital railways supply lines that could help the Werhmacht war machine.

The Italian rail park included, like most nations at the time, draisines or self-propelled railcars. In 1942 it was decided to transform existing Ansaldo ALn-556 railcars for anti-partisan duties in Yugoslavia. Railway Engineers chose the latest Draisines built from 1936 to 1938. To respect the power-to-weight ration after receiving tons of armour, they had to be shortened by 5.60m (18ft 4½in). The prototype was tested in the Ansaldo-Fossati workshops in Genoa, adopted on 5 September 1942. Recommended changes were done and the model adopted under the designation "Littorina blindata mod. 42 (Li.Bli 42)". Where "Littorina" means railcar, "blindata", armoured and the model year.

The first production model was completed on 20 September, joining the 1st "Compagnia Autonoma Littorine Blindate N°1" or 1st independent company. It operated in time eight railcars total. It's complete personal strenght was ten officers, twelve NCOs and 167 men. These were twin-engine, symmetrical (capable of rolling both ways quickly) well armed vehicles between two medium tank turrets, six Breda machine guns, two mortars and optional flamethrowers.

Development

Early Italian Railway Cars

Trains suffered in this war much more than in the first, due to greater mobility and air power. Italy depending of trains in the peninsula of course but also to maintain frontline troops in occupied territories. In North Africa this was vital, as roads were not reliable and often in poor states; "Tobruk" was such Italian train vital to ferry supplies. But Italian armoured railway cars were a breed apart, and a model rose above the rest, the LiBli, for "Littorine Blindate".

These railway armored cars were based on a standard model by Ansaldo, but equipped with a specific traction and special steel rims, sometimes derived from standard armoured cars. Such as the autpcarro AB.40/41/42 and the railway version used from May 1942 by the Compagnia Autoblindo Ferroviarie established in the Balkans. It used ten AB40 and AB41 railway armored car, called the AB Ferroviana. They were mainly used together with armored trains of the Army in anti-partisan activities.

However, armored cars could not travel on the narrow-gauge railway lines of Herzegovina. Thus a prototype of a new Armored Railway Car was built, essentially a draisine derived from the widespread small mountain OM 36 trucks. It was tested in Val Gardena by Railway Engineers, adopted on 18 December 1942 as the Armored Railway Car Mod. 42. It was derived from the chassis of the OM 36, but with an armored casemate housing a Breda Mod. 38 machine gun in ball mount. Crew of two, driver and machine gunner, plus room inside doe more men and supplies. It was underpowered and only could reach 15 km/h and lacked a double guide to reverse direction. The operation was just painfully slow and complex, as she was to be essentially pivoted on a jack across the tracks. 20 were so converted and sent in in two autonomous platoons.

Some were later requisitioned by the Germans (as Schienenpanzerwagen Mod 42) after September 8, 1943.

picccc

The Libli, Italian heavy railway car

The Libli were designed to adress these shortcomings. The Army wanted a vehicle with power and speed, good protection, the capability to go in reverse and a better armament. These initial railway vehicles were derived from the FIAT railcars, armored and armed. They had 8.5mm armour protection in a composite armour with mostly flat sides and some angles up and at both ends. The plates were bolted on a frame and there was access via two doors located on forward, as well as multiple small maintenance hatches, and four main ball firing ports, two per side.

More importantly, Italy looked at what was developed at the time on the eastern front, and choosed a structure string enough to carry two tank turrets armed with standard 47mm guns, and the version chosen at the time was the latest the M15/42. The first version had two openings in the roof to firing two 81mm Model 35 mortars or flamethrowers through side apertures. The second version had a deeper circular tub with pedestal-mounted 20mm Breda Model 35 cannon for AA defence. 8.5mm armour was overall, protecting all sides.

Sources divered in that they were derived either from the ALn.56 of from the ALn.556 railcars. For power they had two Fiat 355C diesel engines which developed 115 HP each, mounted on the two bogies (2 axles each) forward and aft, under a large bonnet with louvres. The outer axles were driven but the inner ones were idle making for "A1-1A" arrangement. The transmission was mechanical with 4 gears forward and reverse.

Top speed was now 118 km/h, thanks to this combined power of 230 hp. There were standard coupling hooks on both ends to be included in a normal train convoy. The chassis of the ALn.56 was shortened by 5.6 m (hence the name), reaching 13.3 m, for an height of 3.1 m, weight of 32 tons. The trolleys were the same as the ALn.56.

A total of 16 vehicles were converted under the name of Littorina Blindata (Libli for short): Eight of the M42 type (five in 1942, three in 1943) and eight of the M43 type (with the last delivered under German supervision in 1944). They differed in many details, albeit the hull was basically the same. This was a true double-ended draisine with a driver fore and aft, each seeing through armoured hatches and sight slits. The vehicles also had a pair of lights fore and aft on the nose and an optional traversing one on top.

The Modello 42 diverged by having a sloped, sides straight upper open cupola, and straight bedrame antenna plus top single piece hatches on either side of it. The upper cupola was an observation one. This variant had a specific bedframe arrangement, either almost rectandular and hold by 12 arms, or a moure rounded one, on top of six arms.

The modello 43 had a large cicular tub, roomy enough to fit the Breda 20mm Modello 38 inside. There were two larger 2-piece hatches on either side, and a double horseshoe shaped bedframe with slanted, lower attachement at the middle. Not all had turrets. When installed, these M15/42 standard turrets were located in echelon rather than in the axis, meaning the forward one was offest to the right and the rear one offest to the left. Otherwise they both had four MG ports with ball mounts, two per sides. No MG port forward and aft, albeit a MG barrel could be passed through either of the sight shutters.

Interior Design

The interior was divided into three compartments: Similar driving cabin forward and rear, each with a driver's seat on the left and the tank turret pannier on the oposite side, hence the echelon arrangement. The turrets were at first similar but not identical to those of the M13/40 tanks and equipped with a white light orientable searchlight. On the M43 they were replaced by M15/42 turrets. The central compartment was the main combat space with two Breda machine guns on ball mounts for a grea fire arc. There was a third MG port on the M42, central, slightly raised inside the sloped side upper casemate. On the roof there were two hatches to fire mortars from and two flamethrowers usble from the lateral slits.

The M43 dropped the mortars for a Breda 20/65 Modello 1935 anti-aircraft autocannon on a stanchion support, firing from a circular post, buried in the casemate. To make room for the latter, the two upper central machine guns were removed but the two ball mounts on each side stayed. The crew varied from 18 to 23 depending on the armament and configuration, knowing that each turret had two each (commander and gunner), with four MG-gunners, two drivers, four reloaders and an officer in charge of the whole vehicle, a mechanic and a radio, for some authors up to 15. Interior space was lacking and living conditions were sparce. Autonomy wa slimited to the internal fuel supply for the diesels, varying between 600 and 800 km depending on the allure and rail slope. But they were fast and well armed, albit protection was lacking against anything more than infantry weapons or grenades.

Caracteristics

Technical specifications:
Length: 13.50m (44ft 71/2in), Width: 2.42m (7ft 111/4in), Height: 3.57m (11ft 81/2in)
Weight: 39.5 tonnes
Engines: FIAT 355C, 80hp at 1700 rpm, Diesel.
Top speed 80km/h (50mph), Range: 450km (280 miles)
Armour thickness: 8.5mm
Armament: 2 turrets M13/40 tank or M15/42 with a 47mm/L32 (195 rounds)+ roof 8mm Breda 38 LMG
Two 81mm Mod. 35 mortars with 576 shells or one 20mm Breda Mod. 35 AA autocannon
2 Mod. 40 flamethrowers, four 8mm Breda 38 MG in ball mounts, with 8,040 rounds
Personal crew weapons, plus hand grenades
Crew: 1 officer, 2 drivers, 2 gunners, 2 loaders, 6 machine gunners, 2 mortar specialists, 2 flamethrower engineers, 1 radio operator
Radio equipment: Marelli RF2CA or RF3M set
Various: Turret searchlights, track repair equipment.

Combat Use

The Libli were assigned to various division commands of the 2nd Army: Zara, Bergamo, Re, Macerata, Lombardia, Isonzo, Cacciatori delle Alpi and the defense commands of Fiume. Baptism of fire started on Christmas 1942. As the Italian Armistice was signed, the "iblis" were noew at Karlovac, Ogulin and Split now in Croatia as well as Ljubljana and Novo Mesto in Slovenia and Suse in Italy, 30km/19 miles west of Turin. A new serie was ordered for the Wehrmacht in 1943 but status is unknown, albeit the last of the M43 were delivered up to late 1944.

The Independent Railway Company saw hard service until the Armistice of 1943, suffering heavy losses: two "Libli" were destroyed by partisan ambushes, the first at Split in October 1942, the second at Ogulin on 12 February 1943. In 1944 the M43 started service with the Wehrmacht. At least four of the M42 and M43 were reclassified as "Pz.Triebwagen 062" nº30-34 and perhaps four more of the second series completed in 1944 ( numeroted nº35-38). One photo was found showing them in an uniform standard blue-grey dark livery without camouflage, but no visible balkankreuz. In contrast, the Libli in Italian service had a variety of tri-tone camouflges (see the illustrations below). Today the only two surviving examples are preserved of each type, albeit in very poor condition at the Civic War Museum for Peace “Diego de Henriquez” in Trieste.