Italian tank against japanese army during sino-japanese war

[Type4]

The Nationalists bought Italian CV-33 and CV-35 tankettes (a total of 100 probably), 20 L3/33 tankettes was sold to

China in 1937 and this were used in the Battle of Nanjing by the 3rd Armored Battalion.

[rra227]

Great post. Rich A. in Pa.

[Type4]

Thanks

[Type4]

From the Nationalist China archives a new correct version of the italian tank in China army (this is from facebook discution and is Edward Chen who give me this info)

In August 1937 the National Revolutionary Army tank force consisted of just the "NRA Armored Regiment"'s Tank Battalion with three tank companies: (1st Coy) Vickers 6-ton light tanks; (2nd Coy) Vickers Carden-Loyd amphibious tankettes; and (3rd Coy) Panzer Ia light tanks replacing the NRA's initial batch of Carden-Loyd machinegun carriers. The Regiment also fielded a battalion each of motorized Infantry and anti-tank guns.
Unfortunately for the NRA, this armor force was committed to battle piecemeal, and decimated for little gain. 3rd Coy later fought in the defense of Nanjing, where most (but not all) of the Panzer I's were lost in action, some of which were prominently photographed by the Japanese as war prizes.
Italian CV35 tankettes were procured later in the year, but there is no record that the initial batch fought in Nanjing.

In January 1938, the Chinese expanded the Armored Regiment into the 200th Division (Mechanized), which incorporated the enlarged order of a hundred Italian CV35s plus 88 Soviet T-26B light tanks into an ambitious German-style panzer division organization, which they were unable to fully put into practice. Only a battalion-plus size mixed battlegroup from the 200D saw action, in the abortive counterattack at Lanfeng in May 1938 coinciding with the NRA's more successful efforts at Taierzhuang. This Division was later converted in November 1938 into a triangular infantry unit and combined with two other elite divisions when the NRA established the Fifth Corps ("5A") and transferred the armor to the 1st (and later the 2nd) Armored Regiment as corps-level assets.

[paul kennedy]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this.