Fiat 665NM protetto

The Fiat 665NM protetto (protected) or scudato (shielded) was a wheeled armoured personnel carrier, produced in Italy and employed during World War II by the Royal Italian Army, the National Republican Army and the Wehrmacht.

History
The vehicle was developed in 1942 at the Arsenale Regio Esercito di Torino in collaboration with Fiat Veicoli Industriali following the request of the Military Staff for a troop carrier to be issued to the armoured division on the African front. 300 were ordered but the Armistice of Cassibile stopped production in 1943 at 110 vehicles. Because of the landing of US troops in Tunisia. They never arrived on the African front, but were instead assigned to the 154th Infantry Division "Murge" and 13th Infantry Division "Re" and used in the Balkans against the partisan forces. After the armistice they were employed by the forces of the Italian Social Republic and by occupying Wehrmacht forces.

The vehicle, although only resistant to small arms fire, proved satisfactory for police functions in the occupied territories.

Description
The vehicle is based on the Fiat 665 heavy truck, the diesel, four-wheel drive version of the Fiat 666. The mechanics remained unchanged, while the modifications involve armor with steel plates 7.5 mm thick, which ensured protection against small arms fire. The driver's seat was fully armored, with armored doors protecting the radiator and the windshield replaced by an armored panel with slits, that shielded the driver and the commander. The rear combat compartment retained the wood sides of the truck body, which were armored internally, while the upper part was made up of inclined plates and internally provided with eight slits per side and two on the back. The top of the combat compartment was open and was accessed via a rear ladder. The compartment could accommodate 20 soldiers, sitting on two benches placed along the sides of the compartment. The protection also extended to the fuel tank. Besides the individual weapons of the infantry which could be fired through the slits, generally every vehicle was equipped with a Breda Mod. 30 light machine gun.