L3/33

Carro Armato L3/33
Flamethrower variant of L3/33 (CV-33) at The Tank Museum, Bovington
TypeTankette
Place of originItaly
Service history
In service1933–1945
Used byItaly and others
Wars
Production history
DesignerAnsaldo
Unit cost89,890 lires in 1933
Produced1933–1935
No. built1,200 L3/33; 1,300 L3/35
VariantsL3/35, L3 cc, L3 Lf,
Specifications
Mass2.7 t (2.7 long tons; 3.0 short tons)
Length3.03 m (9 ft 11 in)
Width1.4 m (4 ft 7 in)
Height1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Crew2 (commander and driver)

Armour6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in)
Main
armament
1 × 6.5mm machine gun
EngineFIAT-SPA CV3 water-cooled
43 hp (32 kW)
Suspensionbogie
Operational
range
110 km (68 mi)
Maximum speed 42 km/h (26 mph)

The Carro Veloce 33 (CV 33) or L3/33 was a tankette originally built in 1933 and used by the Italian Army before and during World War II. It was based on the imported British Carden Loyd tankette (license-built by Italy as the CV 29). Many CV 33s were retrofitted to meet the specifications of the CV 35 in 1935. In 1938, the CV 33 was renamed the "L3/33" while the CV 35 became the "L3/35s."

The original CV 33 carried a two-man crew protected by 12 mm of welded armour and was armed with a single 6.5 mm machine gun.

The L3/33 saw action in China, Spain, France, the Balkans, North Africa, Italian East Africa, Italy, and Russia.