Tank and Armoured Cars Group

The Tank and Armoured Cars Group (Agrupación de carros de asalto y autos blindados in Spanish) was the first armoured formation of the Corps of Volunteer Troops (Corpo Truppe Volontarie, or CTV) involved in the Spanish Civil War. Between 3 February and 8 February 1937, Italian armour played a successful part during the Battle of Málaga. But, between 8 March and 23 March 1937, this group was involved in the Battle of Guadalajara which turned out to be a Republican victory.

Order of battle March 1937

• Tank and Armoured Cars Group - Colonel Carlo Rivolta
  • 1st Tank Company - Capitán Oreste Fortuna
  • 2nd Tank Company - Capitán Paolo Paladini
  • 3rd Tank Company - Capitán Miduri
  • 4th Tank Company - Capitán Carcio
  • 1st Armoured Car Company
  • 1st Motorized Machinegunners Company - Capitán Ricci
  • 47mm Anti-tank Gun Section
  • Chemical-Flamethrower Company

Order of battle fall 1938

• Tankers Grouping - Colonel Roberto Olmi
  • Command Company
  • Assault Tanks Regiment
    • 3× Tank battalions (2× Italian, 1× Spanish; each battalion fielded two tank companies with L3/35 tankettes)
  • 1x Motorized-Mechanized Battalion (1× Bersaglieri company, 1× motorcyclist-machinegunners Company, 1× armoured cars company)
  • 1× Arditi battalion (reinforced with 1× machinegunners company)
  • 1× Mixed Group (1× battery with 65/17 mod. 13 mountain guns, 2× batteries with 47/32 anti-tank guns, 1× anti-aircraft battery)
  • 1× L3/35 Lf Flamethrower Company

See also

• L3/35
• Cannone da 47/32 M35

Sources

• de Mesa, José Luis, El regreso de las legiones: la ayuda militar italiana a la España nacional, 1936-1939, García Hispán, Granada:España, 1994 ISBN 84-87690-33-5 (in Spanish)