| Breda 20/65 mod.35 Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Light anti-aircraft gun Light anti-tank gun |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1935 – c. 1985 |
| Used by | SeeUsers |
| Wars | Second Sino-Japanese War,Spanish Civil War,World War II,Ecuadorian–Peruvian War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1932 |
| Manufacturer | Breda Meccanica Bresciana |
| No. built | 1088+[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 330 kg (730 lb) |
| Length | 3.34 m (10 ft 11 in) |
| Barrel length | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Crew | 3–6 |
| Shell | 20×138mmB |
| Caliber | 20 mm (0.79 in) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Elevation | -10 degrees to +80 |
| Traverse | 360 degrees |
| Rate of fire | 240 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 840 m/s (2,800 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) (against aerial targets) |
| Maximum firing range | 5.5 km (3.4 mi) |
| Feed system | 12 round strip |
| Sights | Telescopic predictor sight |
TheBreda 20/65 mod.35 ("Breda20 mmL/65 model 1935"),[2][3] also simply known as20 mm Breda[4] orBreda Model 35,[5] among other variations,[3] was an Italian 20 mm (0.787 in)anti-aircraft gun produced by theSocietà Italiana Ernesto Breda of Brescia company during the1930s and early1940s. It saw heavy usage during theSpanish Civil War andWorld War II, among other conflicts. It was designed in 1932 and adopted by the Italian armed forces in 1935,[3] becoming one of two major20 mm caliber anti-aircraft guns used by Italy during World War II, along with theScotti-Isotta Fraschini 20/70 (Scotti 20 mm), both of which fired theSwiss20x138mmB "Solothurn Long" cartridge.
TheRoyal Italian Army designated the gunCannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 (lit. "Cannon-Machinegun 20/65"),[3] and the mountmodello 35 (model 1935), ormod.35 for short.[3][4] Later, amod.39 (1939) and amod.40 (1940) system were introduced, featuring the same gun but in new mounts.[4][6] The"20/65" part of the name refers to thecaliber andbarrel length of the gun (20 mmL/65).
Designed for use against aircraft and ground targets, it was effective against light tanks; its armour-piercing round could penetrate 30 millimeters of armour at 500 meters. It had a two-wheeled trailer, but due to its structural weakness that limited the towing speed to 20 km/h, the weapon was usually transported on a truck bed.
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In addition to use as ananti-aircraft gun, the 20 mm Breda was mounted as the main armament in several vehicles. In Italian Later the gun was fitted toFiat L6/40light tanks and theAB 41armoured cars.
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This gun was widely employed by theRegia Marina as adeck-mounted anti-aircraft weapon in most Italian warships, in both single and twin mountings; considered a fairly efficient weapon, in the widespread Model 1935 twin mounting, it shared with the similarCannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 the operating systems and therefore its flaws, namely high vibrations and the requirement for a strong supporting structure. Of the two single mountings (Model 1939 and 1940), the latter (widely used on small units likecorvettes, andMAS), partly corrected these faults and had a better sight; however, overall the Breda 20 mm was considered somewhat inferior to theOerlikon 20 mm cannon (used by the Regia Marina from 1941). All the mountings had an elevation of −10 to +90 degrees.[7][8]
The 1935 twin-mounting fitted the guns next to each other with the left gun (in direction of aim) placed on a level above the right gun so as to clear the horizontal ammunition feeding port.
Australia
China[9] – among various other warring Chinese military factions of theChinese Civil War[4]
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Finland – designation:20 ItK/35, Breda[10]
Germany – designation:2 cm MG 282 (i),2 cm Breda (i)[4]
Italy[4]
Slovakia[4]
Spain – among the other warring Italian military factions of theSpanish Civil War
Sweden – designation:20 mm akan M/38[11]
United Kingdom[4]
YugoslaviaIn North Africa, theCommonwealth forces captured many 20 mm Bredas duringOperation Compass, enabling the Australian 2/3 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment,[12] parts of the 4th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (which had a total of 42 Bredas in its Light Anti-Aircraft batteries during theSiege of Tobruk) and one battery of 106th (Lancashire Hussars) Regiment, RHA to be equipped with them.
Captured Bredas were used by theLong Range Desert Group andRoyal Australian Navy andRoyal Navy vessels includingHMASVendetta,HMASPerth[13] andHMSLadybird, and at least oneMarmon-Herrington Mk II armoured car.[14]
During theSecond Sino-Japanese War (World War 2 in China),Chinese Nationalist Army soldiers used the 20 mm Breda during theBattle of Xinkou, shooting down 3 Japanese planes. The 20 mm Breda was not only used in the anti-aircraft role but was also used to destroy Japanese tanks and armored vehicles.
TheEcuadorian Army bought some Breda guns before theEcuadorian–Peruvian War but lost 9 of them during the war.[15]
After theWinter War had begun, Finland bought 88 Breda guns from Italy, designating them20 ItK/35 (Finnish:IlmatorjuntaKanuuna, "Anti-Aircraft Cannon" m/1935), the last arriving during theInterim Peace in June 1940. Five of the Finnish Bredas were lost in action during theContinuation War. In addition, the four Italian-builtJymy class motor torpedo boats operated by theFinnish Navy each had one 20 mm Breda cannon on the rear deck.
TheFinnish Defence Forces used the 20 Breda as a training weapon for anti-aircraft crews for several decades after the end of World War II. In 1985 there were still 76 guns remaining in the inventory, but all of these were discarded later during that decade.
The gun was used by theSpanish Nationalists during theSpanish Civil War as both an anti-aircraft gun and as an anti-tank gun. In the latter case, it was also used as atank gun, initially fitted into four convertedPanzer Is, in an effort to give them fighting capability against theSovietT-26s fielded by theRepublican forces, as the Panzer I originally only featured two rifle-caliber machine guns. It was also fitted to a prototype infantry tank known as theCarro de Combate de Infantería tipo 1937.
In 1940 theSwedish Navy received a number of Breda 20/65 naval guns as part of their purchase of twoSpica-class torpedo boats, in Sweden becomingHSwMS Romulus (27) &HSwMS Remus (28) in the "Romulus-class". In Swedish service the guns were designated20 mm automatkanon M/38 ("20 mm autocannon model of 1938"), or20 mm akan M/38 for short. The guns primarily used the Italian naval twin-mount and shared ammunition commonality with the Swedish army's '20 mm akan m/39' (2 cm Flak 30) anti air guns purchased around the same time.[11]
TheKingdom of Yugoslavia bought 120 Breda guns in 1939 and they were delivered beforeinvasion of Yugoslavia.[16]
A captured Italian 20/65 Breda 20mm anti-aircraft cannon mounted amidship, aft of the 12-pounder high angle anti-aircraft gun that replaced the aft torpedo tubes on the Australian V-class destroyer HMAS Vendetta. (Photographed by Robert Milne, HMAS Vendetta)
Media related toCannone-Mitragliera da 20/65 modello 35 at Wikimedia Commons