Hello, I would like to know where can I find information about the late version of this vehicle. I have recently bought the Italeri kit but it seems to be an early model, and I think less appropriate to represent a german unit in the Balkans than the later version.
The book I have from Auriga Publishing only includes a color profile.
My search through the web returned only two pics of a late vehicle.
Thanks to all by your help
Javier

Javier;

Hi! I just received that Italeri kit in the post Friday last! I, too, am planning on building it as a post-SEPT 1943 German vehicle... I will be building it for the "Under different flag" campaign.

You have posed an interesting question - I was, to this point, completely unawares that there were actually any "earlier" or "later" production versions of the semovente L/40... But what do I know?! Had you not posted this, I would have blissfully assumed that the kit represented the type vehicle, sans some details!

Perhaps those assembled post-SEPT 1943 had some detail differences associated with German control of their assembly? So far as I can see from quite a few pics I have collected from a variety of Web sites- they show what appears to me to be mostly a pretty consistent version, other than the addition of a top-mounted MG on later-war anti-partisan vehicles and those maybe used by the Slovenian army. I did find some pics showing vehicles with radio antennae, and one or 2 with the dummy gun (disguised MG) as seen in the German "command" version - these latter seem to have had a different front plate where the "gun" was mounted... Would these be the "later" version you are thinking of?

Perhaps if you were to identify and post here what you see as the versional differences, I may be able to refer you to some appropriate pics? There are a number of pics posted of this vehicle, both in apparent Italian service and in later German and Slovenian service.

Cheers!

Bob

Hello Bob
Thanks for your answer
If you look at the sides of the casemate of the "german balkan version" you can see no side door and upper side armor completely horizontal. I has, too, an MG with shield and, I think, no canvas roof but steel roof with hatches?
Best regards
Javier

Javier;

OK - I think I have figured out what you are aiming at!

I went to "http://beute.narod.ru/Beutepanzer/italy/spg/DA_47_32/DA_47_32-3.htm" which posts some nice pics of the suspect vehicle...

There are a few different views - some very very clear and close - showing both those "applique" side pieces and the MG mount and shield as seen on some semovente apparently supplied to or in use by the Slovenian "Army".

My opinion: Those side pieces are sheet-metal boxes - not armor extensions nor mods. They look to be maybe ca 10cm or so thick - which would make no sense at all to be an added armor plate onto this dinky can! Such a plate would be enormously heavy, and would have needed to be attached with huge bolts or welds... none of which are apparent, so... You can clearly see what look like thin folded metal overlapped as a "framing" with small rivets around the edges of these box-like bits. This suggests to me a fabricated metal or metal and plywood box, which covers much of the side-wall of the crew compartment and extends out to the edge of each fender (left and right sides of veh.). You can also see where the front "side" of the extension or box has a thin metal flange to join it to the vehicle hull wall. Again, not what would be used to attach applique armor plates.

The boxes look to be "rectalinear", and do NOT carry the slope of the hull-wall top (now hidden behind the box top). As seen in pics on the provided site, the slide rail for the tilt appears to have been removed from vehicles with these side boxes.

Is the top open or are there hatch-covers? From the pics with the crew members posed around the MG, their positions in the vehicle strongly suggest to me that they are standing in an open space, not in constraining hatches. So I think that the top is still open - just minus that optional tilt. There are few pics showing the tops of any of these. One rather fuzzy pic of what is likely to be the version we are discussing - that with the boxes and the MG mount - shows pretty clearly no hard hatches or covers folded back. This would convey that it is indeed open on top. But that's the one pic.

When you look at pics of this vehicle, all which have crew do appear to show tops of heads or more above the hull-side. This thing is TINY, and putting a hard top on would make it very cramped indeed, I think. Not, of course, that it couldn't just be plain un-comfy, by design!

On the site, there is at least one pic which may show two of these semovente "in Slovenian service" but still lacking MG or those side boxes. This would suggest that the vehicles were taken up by the Slovenes and later updated or modified by adding the MG and the boxes.... Were these seconded from or shared with the Germans, or taken from them, or what? Don't really know!

THANKS for jolting me on this! Now that I have clearly seen that MG mount, that's for me! As will be adding on some of those side boxes (maybe...). I do like the tilt and slide-rail thing and had figured on scratching the tilt with the little rings that fit on those rails... But those boxes look pretty cool and could easily be scratched on to the sides for a "Slovenian" type. As at least the fuzzy pic shows one of these in what appears to be German active use, I still think it viable to go with the German markings... The biggest challenge to me will be to get or make a good "Breda" MG...

Cheers!

Bob

Bob, thanks...the article is very interesting, and clarifies a lot. I think that the side modifications could be solid wood pieces to make additional armor, or simply a sheet metal to make spaced armor. Perhaps boxes would be too narrow to be useful? Maybe the sheet was used to hide side/top ammo racks too. The MG mount is very interesting.
I think that that modifications ( side panels and MG) are easy to make. I will borrow the MG from the L/6 kit, the M13 and the M4 have nice MGs too.
I will post pics when mods are made.
Thanks!!!
Javier